I've been asked in the past by numerous people, what is your favorite thing to make? I usually sit there and scroll through all of the recipes I have made, the countless number of pizzas, tacos, vegetarian meals, breakfast goodies and appetizers that have been made with these two hands, but I could never think of a straight forward answer. It's kind of like when people ask you what your favorite movie is, well what kind of weather is it? what mood am I in? am I alone or with people? But I finally thought of an answer this morning as I thought about my dinner menu. My favorite thing to make is a meal for other people, it's like watching someone open up their presents on Christmas day or surprising someone with a note saying that you care. There's nothing better than a making a meal to share with family or friends. So here's a recipe I got to share this weekend and it was, yum-tastic.
Ingredients:
1 can biscuits
2 1/2 cup milk
salt and pepper
3 1/2 tbsp flour
1 lb breakfast sausage
This band has been in head for the past six months, you'd know them as the band that did the music for Stranger Things, I love the sic-fi, eighties drone they have going on and I find them to be great school work companions.
Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Grease a small baking pan.
Then cut your biscuits into quarters. Place half in the baking pan and bake for 10 minutes.
While baking, in a large skillet brown your sausage.
Stir in your flour and mix until absorbed.
Pour in the milk and stir until it starts to bubble, adding salt and pepper to taste.
Once bubbling, set the skillet off to the side.
Remove the biscuits from oven and pour your sausage gravy on top.
Place the remaining biscuits on top of the rest of the ingredients. (Depending on how hot your oven gets, place aluminum foil on top to prevent burning).
I was talking to a co-worker the other day and I made a crack about how somedays we just do not want to adult but somehow find ourselves working through the day and doing just that. Where in us, does this urge to push forward come from? I feel like I juggle a lot of things, I mean we all do, we all have a million and one things going on in our lives and we all struggle but how or why haven't I broke down about it? I live with anxiety and usually when things start piling up figuratively with school or work or literally with the dishes in the sink, panic attacks ensue and I am lost for God knows how long. So I guess what I am getting at is a 'pat on the back' if you will, I've started my masters courses on top of work and I'm cool as a cucumber, maybe I can attribute it to my amazing support system that follows me wherever I go.
Ingredients (made 14 enchiladas):
2 cans black beans, drained
1 can corn, drained
2.5 lbs shredded and cooked chicken (I slow cooked mine the night before)
2 cups raw spinach
whole wheat tortillas
1 tbsp cumin
2 cans enchilada sauce
3 cups shredded cheese
avocado for topping
sour cream for topping
I've found this song stuck in my head a lot lately, and I know it's obnoxious... but is it? It is... but is it? Yes. No. I can't make up my mind.
Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
In a large bowl mix together black beans, corn, chicken, spinach and cumin.
In a greased baking pan (I used 2 and a half lol) place 1/4 cup of the mixture onto a single tortilla and gently roll it up. Repeat until pan is full.
Next, evenly pour your enchilada sauce onto the enchiladas, then sprinkle the cheese over the top.
This is the time of year I make anything cheesy, meaty, or gravy-licious. It's football season. Now the whole family takes part in fantasy football, it's what they do, they compete with friendly banter about how the other is losing or how their fantasy team is the best. Me? I like getting the family together and making everyone something scrumptious to nibble on as we watch our team. I can't get involved in fantasy, I'm too competitive as is, and all I am doing is watching! SO, here you are, make it for your friends and family and have them over for the game, or if your not into football, just have them over and have a great brunch together!
Ingredients (makes for 4):
8-10 breakfast sausage links, cooked
8 eggs, whisked
hollandaise (here's a recipe of mine with how to make it)
salt and pepper
1 baguette, or I found individual soft pretzel breads to hollow out
It's raining, I'm sick. I just want my Joni and a cup of tea.
Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Remove the top of your bread with a knife, then hollow out the bread with a spoon creating a bread bowl.
Dice your cooked sausage into small pieces.
Pour egg into each or into your single bread bowl, then evenly distribute the sausage on top.
Bake for 25-30 minutes or until egg is no longer runny.
Remove from oven and let cool for 5 minutes. Drizzle your hollandaise on top.
There is absolutely nothing in the world that beats the quiet of the first morning of the weekend, a black and white movie playing, coffee brewing and a breakfast on the menu. There's a light fog over the fields this morning, everything is damp and cool, and the wind is a gentle whisper. I'm done being poetic, the fall season just brings out a kind of romance in me, it's not just harvest season and sweater weather, it's the feeling of the warmth of your hot apple cider reaching your nose and the smell of something savory in the slow cooker. No other season compares, anyway here's a delicious breakfast recipe to chomp on.
Ingredients (1 sandwich):
2 slices white bread
Dijon mustard
Mayo
2 slices ham (I used thick from a left over ham)
2 slices swiss cheese
Blackberry jam for dipping
1 large egg
1 tbsp half and half
This song just sounds how everything looks, if that makes any sense. Stardust is a classic song and I've listened to a lot of different versions, so here's one of my favorite renditions:
Directions:
Preheat your waffle iron.
In a bowl whisk together your half and half and egg to make an egg wash.
On one slice of bread spread your mustard, then on the other slice spread your mayo. Then take each slice and on the side without condiments quickly dip it in your egg wash.
Place your ham and cheese over your condiment side of your bread then combine the two pieces of bread.
Place your sandwich in the waffle iron and cook it until it turns bread.
While the sandwich cooks place about two tbsp of jam in a separate small bowl.
It's been a hot minute since I posted last, but I've been busy ok? Blogging can get away from me sometimes and becomes lower on the priority list than I would like but alas life is happening around us and we get swept up in all of the chaos. Between reading about Jefferson's views on the role of education in our nation, to trying to problem solve at work, to wanting to go out to two comedy shows in one weekend, it's all stuff I can't skip out on. This past weekend was the husband's birthday weekend and the mother and I decided to make yums for the tums, let's just say his tum was very satisfied. Here's the recipe I took under my wing:
Ingredients:
6 plums, halved and pitted
2 tbsps olive oil
salt and pepper
1 tbsp dried basil
2 tbsp honey
1/4 cup chopped pistachios
balsamic vinaigrette (for drizzling)
10 oz goat cheese
It's fall time! Yeah, I am one of those crazy, boot loving, apple cider sipping, pumpkin eating freaks and I don't care who knows it. The other things synonymous with Fall, at least for me, is jazz. So hears a little crisp and frosty air music to listen to while you say goodbye to sweaty summer!
Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Line a baking pan with aluminum foil and place your plums fruit side up inside. Drizzle your olive oil and honey over the top of your plums and then evenly distribute your basil over the top. Top with salt and pepper. Bake for 15 minutes.
When the plums are done in the oven, remove them and let them cool.
Next spoon your goat cheese over each plum evenly, top with your chopped pistachios, then drizzle a little balsamic onto each plum.
There's always one day out of the weekend that the husband and I cater to our introversion, we stay home all day and do absolutely whatever we please. We usually end up taking a walk, but the day is crammed full of just listening to music, writing blog posts, snuggling the cat, playing video games, reading and just over all doing nothing. We call it 'together alone time', where we're in the same place but don't feel the need to interact, which I think is healthy, alone time or being by yourself is an important part of a relationship because if your at peace with yourself you can be at peace in a long term committed relationship. So as the husband is in the other room probably figuring out his fantasy football draft, I'm here writing my blog and listening to music. Sigh, I love days like this.
Makes 6 flatbreads
Ingredients:
6 Naan flatbreads
1.5-2 lbs chicken breasts cubed into small pieces
1 tsp coconut oil
Peanut Sauce
1 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp water
2 1/2 tbsp brown sugar
1 1/2 tbsp lime juice
1 tsp fish sauce
1/2 tsp Sriracha
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp dry basil
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp ground pepper
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
Flatbread Toppings
1/8 red onion, diced
2 cups shredded mozzarella
1/2 cup bean sprouts
1/3 cup shredded carrots
crushed peanuts for garnish
chopped fresh cilantro for garnish
Coconut Cream
1/2 of a 5.3 oz coconut yogurt
1 1/2 tablespoons mayonnaise
1 tsp honey
1 tsp lime juice
I've just obtained Frank Ocean's newest album (its about time Frank!) and it's all I've been listening too. NSFW.
Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
In a small bowl mix together your ingredients for the peanut sauce EXCEPT for the peanut butter.
In a large skillet start cooking your chicken in the coconut oil, once cooked through add your soy sauce mix. Let it cook in the mix for a few minutes, then add your peanut butter and mix until creamy and the chicken is coated. Remove from heat.
Place your naan on a greased cookie sheet, then add your chicken distributing it evenly amongst each flat bread.
Next take your onion, carrots and sprouts and top your naan evenly.
Bake for 10 minutes. Then add your mozzarella and bake for another 3-5 minutes depending on your oven, until the cheese is melted.
While the flatbreads are baking mix together your cream ingredients. I placed it in a baggy after I was done mixing everything and cut a small hole in one corner of the baggy so I could easily drizzle it over each flatbread.
After the flatbreads are done, drizzle your cream over the top and garnish with peanuts and cilantro.
I am super excited to actually start my masters program but I'd be lying if I said I love orientation night. It's like 'here's everything you need to get done in the next three years, all in one night' and it's stressful. So as my advisors spoke and I sat amongst the people I'll be in class with for the next three years, my anxiety levels grew and grew and the only thing that makes me feel better is to make a list. Something so satisfying about crossing things off a list, it makes you feel productive and in writing down everything you need to do it doesn't look like it will be as much as you thought it would be when packets and timelines were handed out to you.
Ingredients:
6 cups of tuscan kale
6 oz diced olives
1/3 cup sun dried tomatoes
2 tbsps olive oil
1 lb chicken, diced
1 tbsp minced garlic
1/2 tbsp dried basil
1/2 tbsp dried oregano
I've found out finally how to maneuver around Pandora, I know it's been around forever and I am late to the game but let me enjoy that I have found stations where I never skip over any tracks and here's one of those tracks:
Directions:
In a skillet cook your chicken in the olive oil, basil, oregano and garlic until the chicken is browned.
Once your chicken is browned add in your olives and tomatoes.
Then add your kale on top, cover your skillet with a lid and let cook for 5-6 minutes or until the kale is softened.
I can't believe it's been twenty days since my last post, I guess I could have posted some things earlier but inspiration wasn't hitting me and my ingredients list have consisted mainly of Trader Joe's frozen meals, I don't think you guys need my help on preparing that. For the past two weeks though, I have been healthier than I was a month ago. I had gained an uncomfortable amount of weight last month and I just felt awful everyday, I didn't want to do anything but the lbs kept going up and I was in the mind set of 'screw it I'll just eat another burger.' I still enjoy the occasional burger don't worry! But I've change things lately, I've started watching what I consume like I used to. I decide spinach salads over sandwiches, yogurt and nuts for snacks instead of tortilla chips with sour cream and salsa, I've been making veggie based meals more instead of going out (yeah I know, frozen meals aren't that healthy for you, but you taste that mandarin chicken meal and tell me it's not good for your soul). Anyway, slow life changes, one step at a time I am getting myself back on the right track of taking care of my body.
Ingredients:
1/2 lbs shredded brussel sprouts
4 oz pancetta
1/2 cup pino grigio
whole milk ricotta cheese
salt and pepper
6 pieces sourdough wheat bread
2 tbsp olive oil
This is my secret, not so secret obsession right now. I dig myself a catchy Selena tune and everyone can just deal. Sing it girl:
Directions:
In a skillet fry your sprouts in the olive oil. When soft, add your pancetta and wine. Fry until pancetta is warmed.
Salt and pepper your mixture then remove from heat.
Take your sourdough bread and toast it until tanned.
Spread 1 tbsp of ricotta on each piece of toast, then spoon your brussel sprouts over the top of the cheese.
Do you ever get those weeks where it seems like every step forward you take two steps back? It's been that week for me. I can't put my finger on it but I'm feeling just meh about my body, tasks, school and whatever else I can't name right now. It's a vague feeling and I don't necessarily know how to fix it. Whenever I get weeks like this I try to say one step at a time but then I will refer you back to the beginning of this paragraph. It's like I need something but don't know what, like going into a grocery store hungry and not knowing what to buy even though you know you're hungry and need something to consume. I will then turn to my recipes, my yummy, simple, relaxing recipes and hopefully while focusing on something, I can get out of this stupid rut.
Ingredients:
6 cups of Spinach
1 cup blueberries
1/4 red onion sliced thinly
1/2 cup feta
Lemon poppy seed dressing
These girls are as talented as they come. I've been listening to them for a few years and got to catch a concert of theirs in Seattle a few years back. What gracious, beautiful artists:
Directions:
In a bowl place your spinach.
Add your remaining ingredients, then pour the dressing on according to your preferences.
Growing up, I loved, had and cared for dogs. I always thought I was strictly a canine lover and cats were these odd creatures that were at friend's homes and I usually stayed away. One day I moved into my first apartment off on my own and a friend showed up on my doorstep said 'Here.' My move in present was a kitten she had shoved into my arms, he was the size of my palm, with huge blue eyes and extremely long whiskers. In a panic, I cleared a small walk in closet, put some blankets down, closed the door and bussed quickly to the nearest PetSmart.
Rushed, I grabbed a litter box, litter, two toys that cats apparently liked and a brush that turned out to be meant for a small dog and does not work on cats. When I got back to my apartment and opened the closet to set up his area, I couldn't find him, I had already failed and lost my cat. Frantically I looked around the 2 X 3 foot closet and found him curled up under the blankets, he awoke from a nap with a drunken sleepy haze in his eyes. I was sold.
Why am I talking about my cat? Because I am a crazy f'ing cat lady, that's why, but to also point out that we don't choose our fur babies, they choose us, even if the relationship was forced on to me, I love him and he loves me... I think... Nah, he does. His future was to end up at a pound if he wasn't given to a new home which is upsetting, pounds are already full of forgotten cats. Don't shop! Save a cat or dog from a local pound!
Anyway, this is a food blog, so here's a continuation of my blueberry week, Clark was super obnoxious with this one, he had his nose all up in my face the entire time I was trying to eat it.
Ingredients:
4 Naan Flatbreads
2 oz blueberry goat cheese (got it at Trader's!)
Handful of fresh blueberries
1.5 tbsps honey
1/2 red onion thinly sliced
1/2 cup spinach
1/4 cup feta
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
Salt and Pepper to taste
1 tbsp butter
I literally just stumbled upon this artist in my iTunes. Sometimes I add music and get lost in some albums then forget about others. It's like an easter egg hunt sometimes, and I found a good one the other day and I highly suggest you check out her album No Mythologies to Follow. So without further delay, here's MØ:
Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Spray a cookie sheet with non stick spray and place your naan on top.
Spread some goat cheese on each piece of naan, I used a very thin amount for each.
Sprinkle your red pepper flakes on each naan evenly. Do the same with you feta.
Place spinach on top of the feta.
In a small skillet heat your butter up then place your onion in and fry until translucent. Add your honey and stir. Remove from heat.
Place your onion and blueberries on each naan piece.
Bake for 10-15 minutes or until browned around the edges.
Last year I decided to do themed weeks for my menus. I did a week full of apple recipes and another that was to the brim with peaches. It was hard to go to the farmers stand, buy a whole box of peaches and then try to use them all within a week (I hate wasting food!). So this year I am going with a much smaller ingredient, the blueberry! One of these days I will branch away from the fruit tree but I've noticed a lot of people don't realize that most fruits can be used in something other than a dessert dish. So I have a few recipes lined up for the next few days, here's the first one!
Ingredients (makes 1 drink):
2 oz vodka
2 small handful of blueberries
2 lemon slices
Sparkling lemonade
a sprig of rosemary
Recently took a trip along the Columbia river through Oregon and this was on the soundtrack along with Townes, Lara Lynn, Dolly Parton and Hillstomp. If you ever driven through Oregon or Washington you know that it's plenty entertaining just looking out on the variety of landscapes they have to offer but calls for a good soundtrack! Have a good ole, knee slappin' time:
Directions:
In a boston shaker, muddle your first handful of blueberries and add your vodka. Cover and shake.
Strain contents into a glass, add lemon and second handful of blueberries. Then pour the rest of the way with the lemonade.
The title to this recipe is pretty much self explanatory. It was a simple and light dinner the husband and I enjoyed over some wine and everything about it was satisfying. Sometimes something as simple as a meal can take you from all the chaos and lists you need to check off. I ate this and forgot all about my exam that was coming up, I just enjoyed the tastes of the bell pepper, the sweetness of the wine and the great company.
Food has become, for a lot of people, something we need to get done, check off the list, and then get back to our hectic lives. When, food should serve as a comfort, a pleasure, and a unifier of friends and family. I get that not all meals are going to lavish and decadent, but I just think that we have to stop every once and while and really taste what we consume.
Ingredients:
1/2 cup goat cheese
4 yellow bell peppers, cores removed and halved
4 sweet Italian sausage links, diced into 6ths
6-8 cups tuscan kale
2 tbsp olive oil
I haven't been record shopping in over four months. If you know me, this is extremely hard to do. But we decided to spoil ourselves a bit and went this weekend. I found this one, wasn't looking for it, but I'm happy I found her!
Directions:
Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
In a baking dish place your bell peppers, inside facing up. Place in oven for 40 minutes, or until browned.
While bell peppers are baking, in a large skillet start frying your sausage in the olive oil. Once, brown on all sides, add your kale and fry until limp.
When bell peppers are done, remove from oven and evenly distribute your sausage and kale onto
I am so stoked to have a Trader Joe's near me again. Back on the west side that was the only place I shopped for groceries and if I wanted to go to one here it would take two hours to get there and back. I just don't have the time. But they finally opened a location that is half the distance. People always say they don't shop here because it's too expensive but my husband and I find we're getting better quality food for a cheaper ticket and if you stay away from all the glorious snack foods the bill is actually super cheap for all the nummy goodies you get. So I went all Trader's on this recipe and hope you have one near you!
Ingredients:
Chicken tenders (about 6)
4-5 tbsp of Sweet Chili Sauce
Trader Joe's mixed chopped veggie bowl
1/2 cup feta
In lieu of another horrible act of violence and another death toll to add to the list of why we should take a serious look at our gun laws, my heart goes out to the families and people who were wronged so deeply by someone so full of hate that it lead him to take the lives of innocent LGBTQ members. No one should live in fear just because they are who they are. Keep strong and this one's for you:
Directions:
In a large skillet cook your chicken until browned on both sides, turn down your heat and add your sauce. Cover, and let sit for a minute.
In bowls add a cup and a half of the veggie mix, place two tenders on top then sprinkle with feta.
Thunder and lightening, it's the most soothing of the weather conditions. I've been out and I've done all that I want to do today, like listening to Lemonade or Rihanna or making fun of friends as they play frisbee golf and I abstain from participation, now I loaf. I have a stack of romance movies, a glass of wine and something delicious on the menu for tonight. This is how weekends are meant to be spent. Let's get on with the food shall we?!
Ingredients for Waffles:
olive oil cooking spray
2 cans of garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained
1 medium onion, finely chopped
2 large egg whites
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
1/4 cup chopped parsley
3 minced garlic cloves
1 1/2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 3/4 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
For Sauce (not an exact science, I'm a taste until I like it type):
1/2 cup greek yogurt
1/2 cup tahini sauce
juice from one lemon
1 tbsp dill
I absolutely love Rihanna's newest album, Work is great, but this one has been my favorite the past couple of weeks. She has really been evolving away from the crap like Umbrella and I am on board with it. Get it girl.
Directions:
Preheat the waffle iron and spray with your cooking spray.
In a blender or food processor combine all ingredients except for cooking spray.
Form 3-4 inch sized patties with the falafel mixture. Then one at a time cook them in your iron until they are browned or crispy.
For the sauce: Combine your ingredients, and whisk with a fork.
It's been five months since I got a Monday to just work around the house, no errands, appointments or class to study for, I get to relish in a break from school for two weeks and I am not wasting a minute of this break that I get to myself. Like it's eleven and I already went on a half mile walk, vacuuming is done, the bathroom is clean, garbage is taken out, dishes are done and laundry is going, now it's lunch and I'm enjoying some Friends. I really do love days where I am productive, stuff get's done and then I get to just relax for a bit.
My yearly spring purge is done! Every time this year I go through my closet and get rid of non-savable or unworn clothes. Since everything for my kitchen is in storage right now I can't purge that area until we move. Something about getting rid of junk just feels liberating, if it doesn't have a home or a purpose then there's no need for it. When we finally get a house I don't want to move in only to have clutter and crap everywhere, it leads me to feeling stressed and anxious. I am glad I've made my piles and tomorrow they will be sent elsewhere, out of our lives to a place that it may have a better use. Happy spring everyone!
Ingredients:
2 ear of corn, shucked, cooked and corn removed.
1/2 red onion diced
3 roma tomatoes diced
1/4 cup chopped, fresh cilantro
juice from 1 1/2 limes
salt and pepper to taste
In honor of our dear Prince passing last week, and him being in my top 5 artists of all time, and me still not being over it, and this movie being as great as it is, here is a lovely video for you to enjoy:
Directions:
In a medium sized bowl mix together all ingredients, starting off with only a little salt and pepper then working toward the amount you prefer.
Serve!
So fresh, so yummy so good. Happy Eatings Everyone!
I've been trying to adjust to the inland northwest for the past two years now. My husband and I made this move to make changes, and actually make progress in our goals. We were stuck in a town that we loved, with people that we loved and absolutely no prospects career or goal wise, so we had to make a difficult decision stay or leave. Moving back to the city we attended high school in was a hit in the ole memory lane, not all of them good. But in reflecting over the past 18 months or so, as I sit on a lounge chair in the new spring warmth and I look at just how close we are to purchasing our first home and how I'm finally back in school working towards something, I can't help but think we made the right choice. Alright, enough, let's move on to the food.
Ingredients (makes 4 burgers):
1 lb ground turkey
4 tbsp freshly minced basil
1/2 crumbled feta
2 tsp worcestershire sauce
salt and pepper to taste
4 burger buns
olive oil
If there's one thing that always feels like home that's a Howard Keel movie, here's a number from Kiss Me Kate, a wonderful movie with the fantastic Ann Miller. Thanks Cole Porter for a wondrous movie like this one:
Directions:
In a bowl mix together turkey, basil, worcestershire sauce, and feta. Form four patties with the mixture.
In a large skillet fry the patties in olive oil, about 5 minutes per side.
Serve on a bun with spinach and whatever condiments you prefer!
I've started making a few changes in my life. The type of changes where you actually want them to stick, you don't just keep at it for a month and then lose interest and eventually stop doing them. First, I started up yoga again. I say again but I only did it for a few months a couple years ago and I never stuck with it because I kept telling myself I couldn't do it. Not this time. Second, I actually sought out professional care with my anxiety because I refuse to allow it to ruin things I could potentially really enjoy. Third, I have been going outside more. Now, this doesn't mean I am going outside to be busy, I just have been sitting outside more. I realized that being the social media and pop culture hound that I am that I hardly go outside just to sit and enjoy this world we have. I think these are positive changes, and I don't think that I am asking too much of myself, which is how I think I fail when I set goals, I set too many too high, so this time I just want to work on myself and try to make incremental changes!
Ingredients for Cod:
Two cod fillets
1/4 cup soy sauce
2-3 tbsp honey
1tbsp coconut oil
Ingredients for Noodles:
12 oz spaghetti noodles cooked
4 tbsp coconut oil (melted)
2 tbsp sesame oil
2 tbsp rice vinegar
1/2 tsp chili paste (hot)
2 tbsp brown sugar
3-4 cloves garlic (minced)
1/4 cup soy sauce
green onions chopped (for garnish)
Lately I've been feeling a tad on the hippy dippy side, I think it may be that flowers are blooming and we've had out of the norm warm weather this week or maybe that I will always have a little hippy deep down in me. From a band that I can't say I've ever really listened a lot of, but I always liked this ditty:
Directions for Cod:
Mix together honey and soy sauce then place cod and mixture in a ziplock bag to let marinate for 1-2 hours.
Next bring skillet to medium high heat and place coconut oil in it.
Place your marinated fillets in skillet and cover it, cooking for 4-5 minutes on each side.
Remove from heat and set aside.
Directions for Noodles:
In a large bowl mix together your cooked spaghetti noodles and all the other ingredients except the green onion.
Ok so it's been too long since my last post, but you try to juggle all the crap I've been doing...Ok so lot's of people are juggling just as much as I do, but none the less. FEEL MY PAIN (or just listen to me whine for a bit). Never mind. I know that doesn't sound appealing to you, the hungry person who isn't even reading this and just skimming down to the recipe because that's what you came here for and you're a busy human who can't be bothered by the ramblings of someone who just tried to write about the role of media in our society today for her class tomorrow. Welcome, bake, and eat, my little skimmer and I hope you enjoy it!
Ingredients:
1 lb shaved brussel sprouts, ends removed
8 oz thinly cut prosciutto
3 tbsp olive oil
salt and pepper to take
1/2 yellow onion diced
1 cup crumbled Romano cheese
I'm not sure what mood I am in, so I'll place an every popular and beautiful singer here so we can all just appreciate something together. You know because that's why they it POP music... Popular, get it?
Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
In a large bowl toss your brussel sprouts with oil, salt and pepper.
Place on a greased cookie sheet with diced onion, and bake for 20-25 minutes or until fully cooked through.
Next top your sprouts with the prosciutto and cheese, put back in oven for 10 minutes, to warm every thing up.
If you've been reading my blog, you've noticed that I am obsessed with two things. Wings and any form of pizza. Lately I have been messing around with kimchi. I am curious how far I can take it. From tacos to pizza, so far this stuff is a delicious addition. Not sure how it would work with wings (probs wouldn't), but I think a bahn mi, kimchi burger is in my very near future. After the kimchi obsession leaves me, who knows what will take over next but I am excited to be exposed to some new and interesting foods out there!
Ingredients for Crock Pot:
2-3lb pork tenderloin
1 cup chicken broth
1/4 cup soy sauce
2 tbsps fish sauce
3 cloves garlic (minced)
2 tbsp minced lemongrass
Ingredients for Pizza:
1 thin crust pizza crust
1/4 cup kimchi
1/4 cup shredded carrot
1 cucumber thinly sliced
thousand island for drizzling
I've been trying to get my head out of the snob idea that everything played on the radio is literal crap. The past two years have been me trying to accept Pop music for what it really is, Popular music played because it's enjoyable and nothing you have to really think about. Give me that catchy tune and that killer beat, and baby I'm yours. Thanks Charlie XCX
Directions:
For your meat, place your tenderloin into a slow cooker, and add the rest of the ingredients. Cook low for 7-8 hours or High 4-5.
When the meat is done. Remove it from the slow cooker and shred it with a fork.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Place meat on the pizza evenly, then add your carrot and kimchi.
Bake for 15-20 minutes or until crust is crispy.
Add your cucumber and drizzle the thousand island over the top.
There I am at eighteen, a
freshman in college, confident about any academic hurdle my
university wants to throw at me and it's dinner time. The grocery
store is a block away and I have fifteen dollars in my purse, so I am
off to get dinner. In my purchases I have chicken, broccoli and rice,
all things my mother had made me on numerous occasions and then I
realize, I have absolutely no idea how to cook any of it. Didn't you
just have to say 'Dinner is ready!', and voila you'd have a hearty
tasty meal to consume? Why didn't they teach me this in high school!? I don't think chicken is suppose to be pink!
The point to this is to combat anyone who tells me that they CAN'T cook. We all have to start somewhere and I was certainly not born a great cook. It was taught, over years of mistakes. Ups and downs. Come on and start!
Ingredients:
cheese sticks (get some, like get some string cheese)
crescent rolls (1 tin)
Vegetable oil
It's comedy night here in our house, now laugh:
Directions:
Roll up your cheese sticks in the crescent rolls. (You might have to cut the cheese sticks in half, or they will explode which is cool but not if you want them to explode in your mouth).
Heat up about 2 inches of the oil in a fry pan. Not to boiling but simmering.
Place a few rolls at once in the hot oil, and fry for about 2 minutes on both sides, or until golden brown around the whole roll or it will still be doughy.
Set on a paper towel when finished to drain any extra oil.
Most days, I am all about just making people laugh, hanging out, and just enjoying people's company. But some days there's nothing I want more than to ignore everyone and everything, being around people can be draining, going out, exhausting. Some times I just need to be alone in silence and think about nothing but recipes, wine, video games and Nora Ephron movies. Turning off my phone and ignoring the outside world, or at least the people in it trying to contact me, is how I refuel. No, I'm not hanging out with you tonight, I have a date with my cat and Buzzfeed.
Ingredients:
2 tablespoons butter
8 ounces sliced mushrooms
1 onion, diced
2 cloves minced garlic
1 teaspoon thyme
1/4 cup flour
6 1/2 cupsvegetable brothorchicken broth
4 ounces cheese tortellini and 4 oz spinach tortellini
1/2 cup fresh grated parmigiano reggiano
10 ounces baby spinach
1/2 cup milk
salt and pepper to taste
This song encompasses how I feel a lot of the time. I just want to build a fort, read comics and watch Star Trek. Or drink wine and make a living room picnic with a stack of Marvel movies. Or marathon Gilmore Girls while eating chocolate and hanging out with no one. Or goofy dance while karaoke-ing Prince songs in a house all to myself.
Directions:
In a large stock pot saute your mushroom and onion in butter. Then add the garlic, thyme and flour. Keep stirring until pastey.
Next add your broth and stir until bubbling. Add your tortellini and cook until soft.
Then add your milk and spinach, keep stirring until spinach is well incorporated into the soup.
Ladle into individual bowls and top with freshly grated parm and S&P.
My poor stomach lately, last weekend a panic attack set my gut into a frenzy and I could only keep down saltines and ginger ale, ain't anxiety swell? This weekend I had a nice little bout of food poisoning. It's been neat. Nothing like not being able to enjoy one of your favorite things and just eating crackers. Don't get me wrong a good saltine is great here or there or with a nice soup, but it gets quite bland after three days. So let's celebrate a little something that doesn't resemble anything close to a cracker. CHEESE!
(Makes 2 sandwiches)
Ingredients:
Bread
Cheddar Cheese, sliced
1/4 red onion sliced thinly
1/2 tbsp olive oil/or oil of your choice (probably not sesame though...)
4 tbsp your choice of BBQ sauce
I have been digging some Folky, Country goodness this morning while being slightly productive and finally getting this post out to your guys, I have a lot more I have to write up, so look forward to more om noms! Anyway, I love Emmy Lou serenading me on this fine morning and I hope you do too.
Next place your cheese on a slice of bread, I do about three slices per sandwich. Add your onion on top of the cheese.
Place 2 tbsp of the BBQ on each sandwich, close the sandwich with another piece of bread.
I use a waffle iron to make grilled cheeses, because I find it pointless to have both a waffle iron AND a panini grill. So I melt my grilled cheese for about 4 minutes under the waffle iron.
No matter how hard I seem to hope for the snow to go away it stays (sorry east coast). I've been productive today, four hours of homework out of the way, laundry done, dishes (almost done), and making this recipe for our breakfast this week and it's not even two o'clock yet. I think I'll stop to take a breather, stare listlessly at the snow and drink some tea. It's not like I have any right to complain, I know we need the moisture for our summers it's just that January through mid March is the worst, it's not Christmas, I don't need snow anymore. With each passing day the snow piles, melts away, piles up again and so on, snow is cruel and rude and I don't appreciate it. Anyway, here's to productivity, wanting rain and ignoring the white flakes of death falling outside my window.
Ingredients:
1 cup regular oats
1 cup white chocolate chips (or regular)
1/2 cup sweetened coconut flakes
1/2 cup flax seeds
1/3 cup honey
3/4 cup peanut butter
2 tbsp sunflower seeds
1 tbsp chia seeds
Hanging out with me while I make a mess in the kitchen are some dear old friends of mine, since I've been dancing all day to Prince, Tom Waits and Tina Turner it's only natural I progress onto Talking Heads. I am pretty sure they've made it on my blog before but they deserve extra appearances. Get them beats!
Directions:
Place all of your ingredients into a large bowl.
Using your hands, mix the ingredients and make balls about the size of cookie dough balls and place them in a container.
Place the container in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes if you plan to eat some right away, then keep refrigerated.
You know that feeling of utter and complete relaxation? When your muscles are loose and your nerves have taken a vacation? Well that feeling hasn't payed me a visit in quite sometime. Basically if you live with anxiety that feeling never really comes until you have two or three days of absolutely no responsibility, living in a cave, netflix marathoning bliss. But who has that luxury? I love having alone time with my favorite shows, a great meal that I just made, a nice beer and snuggling with my cat. This is how I unwind, this is how I feel relaxed. Call it introverted, or socially awkward, or what have you. I honestly just don't care, I'm still coping with Bowie and Rickman dying.
I'm in the mood for some good 50's vocalists. June Christy is over looked a lot, probably because she lived amongst the Ella's and Judy's of the world, but the girl can hold her own. So here's one of my favorite Duke Ellington songs, performed by the lovely Mrs. Christy.
Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Spread BBQ sauce on flatbread
Add your chicken and onion evenly over the flatbread.
Sprinkle your cheese on top, then bake for 8-10 minutes or until flatbread is crispy.
When cooling, add your cilantro and slice the flatbread.
I have been knee deep in prerequisites. That is, I have started school and it's been a tad overwhelming. It's been four years since I was a student and I am learning to be in a classroom again. All I know is that it's about time, my dreams of becoming a teacher are about to become a reality. In the meantime, I will try not to leave you dangling without delicious new things to try! I found this recipe and knew instantly that I did not have all the ingredients but that I wanted it right away. So I improvised and think I stumbled upon something just as good. Let's do this thing.
Ingredients (makes one drink):
2 oz gin
4 oz tonic
1 tbsp blueberry jam
1/2 tbsp lemon juice
I have been listening to almost too much Motown lately, I say almost because there's no such thing as too much. Sing it Jackie! Love cooking/shakin' drinks to this.
Directions:
In a martini shake, shake all of your ingredient together.
