Avocado Toast

Yesterday we had a SNOW DAY!! I can't believe it's the middle of March and I have 2 feet of snow outside my door. I love being snowed it because I dedicate my time to recipe testing, watching movies, and eating delicious homemade food.

This is a copy cat recipe of one my favorite breakfast spots called Sunset Cafe. I love going to Sunset Cafe but some days it is absolutely impossible to get in. Lines are usually out the door, and during the winter, standing outside is usually not an option. So, I decided to recreate the dish myself. It wasn't hard to make as the ingredients are extremely simple! Not only is this dish flavorful but there are so many beautiful colors on the plate. It definitely brightens your day!!

Note: The onions are pickled overnight so you'll want to prep this ahead of time.

Serving: 4 people
Ingredients:

• 8 Slices of Toast
• 2-3 Avocados
• 1/2 of a Red Onion
• 2 Limes
• Goat Cheese, crumbled
• 1 Jalapeno, sliced
• 4 Eggs 

Recipe:

• Overnight, you will want to pickle your red onions. This is what gives the onions a bright pink color. Thinly slice the red onion and squeeze the lime juice of two limes over the onions. Let it sit overnight (or for at least 4-5 hours).
• Toast your bread and set aside.
• Mash together the avocados to achieve a smooth consistency. Add a tad of salt and pepper.
• Cook your eggs to your preference. I love over easy or poached so you can get that glorious runny yolk.
• Assemble your toast by spreading the avocado onto the toast, then place your egg in the middle. 
• Finally, add your sliced jalapenos, crumbled goat cheese, and picked red onions.

Our Camping Trip

Before it gets to be too late, I wanted to share with you some pictures from our camping trip over labor day weekend. We had the most amazing time. It was great to go up north for a few days and experience some of that cooler weather. We got to snuggle up in flannels next to the fire, and it was amazing. I am so ready for fall!

While we were there, we cooked the most DELICIOUS food. That smoky flavor from the fire pit just can't be beat. I also realized that I am missing something from my life, a castiron skillet. I know I've been saying that for a while, but I think its finally time to bite the bullet and do it. We basically cooked all our food in Ericka's cast iron skillet, from bacon and eggs to nachos, and of course my FAVORITE beer brats with a cheddar sauce. Unfortunately, it was too dark to get a picture of the brats so you'll just have to take my word on it that it was delicious.

 

The views while we were camping were unbeat. It was so great to just relax by the river or go hiking through the woods. It was such a nice and relaxing weekend. 

We also made this simple but delicious salmon. We simply wrapped it up in tin foil with some salt, pepper, butter, and a squirt of lemon. It cooked right on top of the fire pit grate, and turned out beautiful!

I'm hoping we can get out another camping trip before it gets TOO cold, but even if we can't, this trip was certainly one for the books.

BLT Pasta Salad

Sometimes its the little things in life that mean the most, like picnics in the park with your best friends. Today was such a beautiful day. It was warm and sunny, and besides my zebra-like sunburn that I came home with, things were just as perfect as these pictures.

My friends and I relaxed, talked, went for a beautiful walk in the park, and enjoyed this yummy (and healthy!!) pasta salad. We set up our picnic right next to the water, and had the most beautiful view.

The park also has great walking paths, and the scenery is just GORGEOUS. I'm so blessed to live five minutes away from this place. It's a great place to just come by yourself and clear your mind, or enjoy it with friends like I did today.

Now back to what you probably came here for...THE FOOD. For lunch, I made us ham and cheese sandwiches, fruit salad, and this pasta salad. I didn't want to make anything heavy so this pasta salad was just PERFECT. Hope you enjoy!

Ingredients:

• 1 pound of pasta, cooked
• 3 large tomatoes, diced
• 8 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled
• 4 cup lettuce, thinly sliced
• 1 cup scallion onions
• 2 tsp sugar
• 4 tsp cider vinegar
• 1 cup low fat mayonnaise
• 2/3 cup light sour cream
• 2 tbsp dijon mustard
• salt and pepper

Recipe:

1. In a small bowl, mix sugar, vinegar, mayonnaise, sour cream, mustard, and salt and pepper to taste.
2. Mix the mayonnaise mixture with the pasta and tomatoes. 
3. When ready to serve, mix in the lettuce, and place a scoop of the pasta salad on the plate. Sprinkle with bacon and scallion onions. 

SERIOUSLY the BEST Mac and Cheese in the WORLD

I love mac and cheese more than anything and for YEARS I've been trying to find the perfect mac and cheese recipe. I like my mac and cheese creamy and cheesy (but who doesn't?!), and I will NOT settle by using velveeta. As I may have mentioned before, I hate the stuff. In order to find the perfect recipe, I am constantly trying different techniques, but nothing seems to do the trick. Usually, the mac and cheese turns out to not be creamy enough, or taste cheesy enough. Fear not though!! After continuous trial and error, I have FINALLY found the million dollar winner. THIS recipe is BY FAR the BEST mac and cheese I have ever had. As you can see, it is ridiculously rich and creamy, and it is SO flavorful. If you want to treat yourself, or impress someone special, make this recipe. If you follow the recipe perfectly, I can GUARANTEE you will love it!! This is the only mac and cheese recipe you will ever need.

Just a side note, this is a stove top recipe. If you like baked macaroni and cheese, follow these directions after making the mac and cheese: 1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees; 2. Spray a baking dish with Pam; 3. Pour the mac and cheese in the baking dish; 4. Mix panko bread crumbs with melted butter or olive oil; 5. Top the mac and cheese with shredded cheddar; 6. Sprinkle the panko on top; and 5. Bake the mac and cheese for 25-35 minutes, or until the mac and cheese is golden brown.

Ingredients:

• 1 pound cellentani pasta
• 4 tablespoons butter
• 1/4 cup all purpose flour
• 3 cups milk
• 1 12 oz. can evaporated milk
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 1 tablespoon chicken bouillon
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon dried parsley
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon pepper
• 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 4 cups freshly grated sharp cheddar cheese

 Recipe:

• Cook pasta according to package directions
• Melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat and whisk in flour. Whisk for 2 minutes then turn heat to low. Whisk in milk. 
• In a small bowl, whisk cornstarch into evaporated milk.
• Add the evaporated milk to skillet.
• Add the Dijon mustard and all remaining seasonings to the skillet.
• Bring mixture to a boil, whisking constantly, then reduce heat to medium and simmer until thickened (continue to whisk). 
• Whisk in sharp cheese until melted. 
• Add pasta and toss until evenly coated.

Crockpot Irish Beef Stew

The best thing about living around the corner from friends is getting free dinner. Okay, there are other benefits to living close to each other too...but really...that food though. My friends Ericka and Cornelius are THAT couple who you always want to hang out with because they are thoughtful, outgoing, positive people, and overall a fun time to be around. Not to mention, they love food as much as I do and feed me, so thats always a win win. (As you can see, I'm TOTALLY trying to butter them up so they make me more food lol. No, but really, love you guys.) Yesterday, Cornelius made this amazing Irish Beef Stew and I just had to share it on the blog. Gotta love a man that cooks. This was such a comfort food meal. I can't wait to save it for those cold fall and winter nights. Cornelius made it with irish soda bread, and it was the perfect pair. Can't wait to see whats for dinner tomorrow guys!! lol just kidding....but not really.

Ingredients:

• 2 lb chuck round, cut into 1 inch cubes
• 3 cloves of garlic, smashed and chopped
• 8 oz mushrooms, halved
• 4 carrots, chopped
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 celery stalks, chopped
• 3 medium white potatoes, chopped
• 2 cups beef broth
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 tsp paprika
• rosemary, thyme, parsley (equal parts chopped to 1 tbsp)
• dash of Worcestershire sauce
• flour
• olive oil
• salt and pepper

Recipe:

• Mix flour with salt and pepper and coat beef.
• In a skillet, heat 2 tbsp of olive oil and brown beef on all sides. 
• Place beef in in slow cooker. 
• Add the rest of the ingredients into the slow cooker.
• Cook on low for 10 to 12 hours. 

Spinach and Artichoke Dip Stuffed Bread

Last weekend we got our first snowstorm of the season. I made sure to stop at the grocery store beforehand so that I could spend the weekend testing new recipes. I figured if I was going to be snowed in, I might as well be snowed in with a loaf of bread stuffed with cheese. I posted pictures of this appetizer on my instagram account, and I got tons of requests for the recipe. So, here it is as promised! I've made this a couple times since then, and so far its a hit. I'm thinking this might even be a contender for a superbowl party appetizer. It definitely makes for great football food, and I can assure you this appetizer would go perfectly with your favorite beer.

Ingredients:

• 1 french bread
• 1 (14 oz) can artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
• 1 (10 oz) bag baby spinach leaves (or frozen spinach works too!!)
• 1 (8 oz) package cream cheese
• 1½ cups shredded mozzarella cheese
• 5 cloves garlic, minced
• Parmesan cheese, grated, to top
• olive oil, to brush on top

Recipe: 

1. Saute the spinach, artichoke, and about half the garlic in a pot on medium heat. Add the mozzarella cheese and cream cheese. Mix until creamy.
2. Take the french bread, cut it into four sections, and hallow out the insides.  

3. Stuff the bread with the spinach and artichoke dip. Use a spoon to pack the dip down to the bottom.
4. Line up the four pieces on a cutting board to create one big french bread again.
5. Slice the bread as shown below. Brush the top with olive oil, and sprinkle with parmesan cheese and the remaining garlic.

6. Wrap the bread tightly in foil and bake the bread on a baking sheet at 350 degrees for 15 minutes.
7. Unwrap the bread and bake for an additional 5 minutes.

Pomegranate Guacamole

I'm a guacamole addict and while you may think of guacamole as a summer thing, I think of it as a year round thing. In fact, pomegranate guacamole is my favorite especially around the holidays. The red and green colors just pop and are so festive. I think its a perfect holiday appetizer because its light and fresh and is the perfect contrast to all those heavy delicious holiday meals that we love.  

Pomegranates are in season right now which makes them easily accessible, but they can be quite a pain for those who lack patience such as myself. Trying to dig out all of the seeds can be especially frustrating and time consuming, not to mention pomegranates stain your hands bloody red. So here is a little trick...check out the section of your grocery store where they have pre-cut fruit to see if they have ready to eat pomegranate seeds. Yes, it might be a little more expensive but if you've ever tried to de-seed a pomegranate before, I think you would agree that its worth it. Otherwise, goodluck.

Ingredients:

•  3 avocados
• 1 cup pomegranate seeds
• 1 lime, juiced
• 1/2 of a red onion, chopped
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 tbsp chopped cilantro
• 1/2 jalapeno, deseeded and diced
• 1 tsp salt 
• 1 tsp pepper

Recipe:

•  Halve and pit the avocados. Spoon avocado into a bowl.
• Add 1/2 of the pomegranate seeds, lime juice, red onion, garlic, cilantro, jalapeno, salt and pepper to the avocado. Stir gently.
• Place guacamole in a serving bowl and add rest of the pomegranate seeds on top. 
• Serve with chips

Game Day Nachos

A quick snack was needed for game day/sunday fun day so I decided to whip up some nachos since I'm the nacho queen.  I shared my cheese recipe below. It's super easy. I use it for a lot of different recipes including mac and cheese. I'm a cheese lover. Can you tell? Put down the velveeta people and try out my recipe. You'll thank me later. 

Ingredients:

• 1 bag shredded cheddar cheese
• 1 block gruyere cheese (its a little bit on the expensive side but SO worth it)
• 1-1/2 cup whole milk
• 3 tbsp butter
• 3 tbsp flour
• chips
• your favorite nacho toppings: salsa, sour cream, olives, tomatoes, jalapeño 

Recipe:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees
• Melt the butter in a sauce pan 
• Whisk in the flour
• Gradually add milk and stir until there are no clumps
• Add cheese. I didn't measure exactly how much cheese I used. One bag of shredded cheese and half the block of gruyere should be enough, but add as much as you like.
• Spray a baking sheet with nonstick spray
• Spread out the chips evenly on the baking sheet
• Pour cheese over the chips
• Bake the chips for about 5-8 mins
• Enjoy the nachos with your favorite toppings

Mini Strawberry Cheesecake

 

My friend Amie had a jewelry party last night and I volunteered to make strawberry cheesecake bars. I was in a rush yesterday and I only had a couple hours for the cheesecake to sit in the fridge before cutting them. When I took it out to cut it into squares, the cheesecake basically turned into a sloppy mushy mess. That's when I admitted defeat and ran to the grocery store to pick up some cookies before the party. When I checked on the cheesecake again this morning, the cheesecake was perfect. Go figure! The recipe turned from being a disaster to a success just by letting the cheesecake sit overnight in the fridge. I should have known better! So take my advice, and make this recipe the night before. It will save you a lot of headache!

 

Instead of cutting the cheesecake into squares to make bars, I decided to use a biscuit cutter to make round mini cheesecakes. They can be a little messy because the tops can slide off, but I think it makes a great look. If you are having a party i would suggest serving them in cupcake liners.

Recipe Source: roxanashomebaking

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cup graham crackers crumbs
• 4 tablespoons butter, melted
• 3 packages (8 oz each) cream cheese, room temperature
• 2/3 cup sugar
• 4 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 3/4 cup strawberry pie filling (Note: you can use any pie filling you like. The original recipe was made with a blueberry pie filing.)

Recipe:

• Preheat the oven to 325 F. 
• Line a 13 X 9 baking pan with parchment paper leaving some paper hanging off the sides.
• Mix the graham cracker crumbs with the melted butter and press evenly on the bottom of the prepared pan. Place in refrigerator.
• In a mixing bowl, combine the cream cheese and sugar. Mix until light and fluffy.
• Mix in one egg at a time to the cream cheese mixture. 
• Stir in vanilla extract.
• Remove the cheesecake crust from the refrigerator. 
• Pour 2/3 of the cheesecake filling into the pan.
• Spoon the pie filing over the cheesecake layer.
• Cover the pie filling with the remaining cheesecake mixture. Make sure that you do not stir the pie filling and cheesecake mixture together. You want separate layers.
• Bake the cheesecake in the oven for 50 minutes or until center is set. 
• Turn the oven off, open the door and let the cheesecake cool down in the oven for 1 hour.
• Remove the cheesecake from the oven and refrigerate overnight.

One Pot Vegetarian Chili

This is quite possibly the easiest chili recipe EVER. Sometimes my best meals result from being too lazy to go to the grocery store and trying to cook something based on the things I already have in my kitchen. I haven't been to the grocery store in a few days so I was only working with canned food and things in my freezer. Thankfully, I came up with this chili and it was pretty yummy!

Ingredients:

• Bag of frozen onions and peppers (bought in the frozen food aisle)
• Taco seasoning packet (have 2 of the packets on hand just in case you need some more flavor)
• Corn Starch
• Can of corn (15 oz)
• Can of black beans (15oz)
• Can of pinto beans (15oz)

 Recipe:

• Spray a deep pan with pam and place on medium to high heat
• Pour in about 3/4 of the frozen onions and peppers
• While the onions and peppers are defrosting, rinse the black beans and pinto beans in a strainer
• Pour the beans into the pan with the onions and peppers
• Pour the entire can of corn into the pan including the liquid
• It should look liquidy at this point but thats good!
• Sprinkle in the taco seasoning and let the mixture boil for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally
• In a small dish, mix a tablespoon of corn starch into water
• Pour corn starch mixture into the pan, stirring frequently
• If the corn starch does not thicken the chili to your liking then you can add some more!
• Serve with your favorite chili toppings

Healthy Tacos

I always love talking to new readers about my blog. Today's post is dedicated to my newest reader (Hi Ericka!). We had an entire convo this morning about pico de gallo. Thanks for inspiring me to put up this post today!

This post is especially important to me because I L-O-V-E tacos, and I take tacos VERY seriously. Taco Tuesday is by FAR my favorite day of the week. I would only post a recipe for tacos if it met my standards. These tacos are awesome because they are super healthy for you (Disclaimer: they are healthy to my standards hahah. I'm not a nutritionist by any means. See my post on bacon wrapped tater tots for a reference hahah). I made some great subsitutions to this recipe to make these tacos healthier but still taste amazeballs!! Instead of a taco shell, I used a fiber one wrap (which is only 80 calories) and cut the wrap into 4 taco shells. Then, I used ground turkey instead of ground beef and plain chobani instead of sour cream. Top it off with pico de gallo and some hot sauce and you've got some delish tacos!!

Ingredients

• 1 lb ground turkey
• chopped onion 
• chopped pepper
• taco seasoning packet (Note: I used McCormick mild taco seasoning...try to find one that is low sodium)
• fiber one wraps
• your favorite toppings: pico de gallo, hot sauce, chobani, cheese, lettuce, jalapenos, olives

Recipe

• Spray a pan with nonstick cooking spray and saute peppers and onions.
• Once cooked, place the peppers and onions on a separate plate.
• Spray pan again with nonstick cooking spray, and brown the ground turkey.
• After draining the excess fat from the pan, add the peppers and onions to the cooked ground turkey meat.
• Stir in taco seasoning mix and water (follow the directions on your seasoning packet).
• Cup up the fiber one wrap into taco shells (I cut the wrap like a pizza, one wrap making 4 shells)
• Add taco meat and your favorite toppings to each shell.

The Perfect Hard Boiled Eggs

Sometimes taking a step back and perfecting the basics makes all the difference. This recipe will help you achieve the perfect yellow yoke for a hard boiled egg. It will help you avoid that grey/greenish ring that can appear around the outside.

Hard boiled eggs are yummy to eat on their own, perfect on a salad, or can be used for egg salad or deviled eggs!

I like to sprinkle some paprika on hard boiled eggs for some color.

Recipe:

• Place eggs in a sauce pan in a single layer.
• Add cold water to cover eggs by about an inch.
• Heat on high heat to boil.
• Remove from burner
• Cover pan.
• Let eggs sit in water for 12 minutes (for large eggs)
• Drain, and serve warm, or place in iced water (or in the fridge) to cool. 

Slow Cooker Sesame Chicken

Happy 2014! I hope you had a great holiday. I definitely did! It's crazy how sometimes vacation can get so busy, but I've been having a great time! Here is the perfect recipe for everyone who is heading back to work and school after a little vacation. This is a fast and easy weeknight meal. It's also a healthier version of the typical fried sesame chicken. You can serve this chicken on almost anything: a salad, rice, noodles, or on a hamburger bun. Edamame or green beans would make a great side.

Source: Family Fresh Meals

Ingredients:

• 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 1 cup honey
• 1/2 cup soy sauce
• 1/2 cup diced onion
• 1/4 cup ketchup
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 2 teaspoons cornstarch
• Sesame seeds

Recipe:

• Season the chicken breasts with salt and pepper. Place chicken in slow cooker.
• Combine the honey, soy sauce, onion, ketchup, olive oil, garlic, and red pepper flakes in a bowl. Pour over chicken. 
• Cook on low for 4 hours, or high for 2 hours. 
• Remove chicken from slow cooker, leaving the sauce behind. 
• Dissolve the cornstarch in 3 tablespoons of water, and pour into slow cooker. Cook the sauce for 10 minutes so it can thicken.
• As the sauce cooks, shred the chicken. 
• Return the chicken to the pot and coat with sauce. 
• Serve chicken over rice, noodles, or on a sandwich. 
• Sprinkle chicken with sesame seeds.

 

Slow Cooker Turkey Chili

Any yet again...another 2 weeks go by without a new post. So much for posting regularly. You can thank Sarah for this post who kindly mentioned that she was sick of signing into the blog and seeing brown sugar glazed kielbasa. In response to peer pressure, I decided to take a break from outlining and studying to get this new post up. 

This is a regular at our house especially since the cold weather has started. It's a super easy recipe. I can put all the ingredients in the slow cooker before class and come home to a ready meal. Another plus is that it usually lasts us two plus nights (making it a great recipe for those crazy busy weeks). I make this recipe with ground turkey to make it a healthy meal. It doesn't lack in flavor at all by doing so...even ask the boyfriend who is pro-beef.

Ingredients:

• McCormick Slow Cooker Chili Seasoning Mix (found in the spice aisle)
• 2 1bs of turkey
• 2 (14-1/2 oz) cans of diced tomatoes, undrained
• 2 cans kidney beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 can tomato sauce
• 1 large pepper, chopped
• 1 large onion, chopped
• your favorite toppings: shredded cheese, sour cream, chips

Recipe:

• Ground turkey in a large skillet, drain fat
• Place all ingredients in slow cooker. Stir until well mixed
• Cook 8 hours on low, or 4 hours on high.