where have i been???

i have not been on vacation or doing anything truly constructive. i have not been relaxing either. i have not been eating pie. i have been on "detox"

sooooo while i WAS cooking many things that i hadn't cooked before- i was also not too terribly excited about any of it. i will admit some of it was VERY good and we will be incorporating meatless monday from now on-- i have a stash of recipes (sorta) built-in so i will post as we go.

all along we couldn't have dairy, grains, sugar, prepared foods, etc. except for 1/2 cup brown rice per day or 1 cup lentils. the first half was also devoid of ALL meat/fish but we could add chicken and fish for the second half.

it. was. hard.

but it looks pleasant enough :)

since i don't actually 'know' the muffin man

They are the perfect portable snack. They are diverse and can be very good for you if you pick the right recipe. They are also super quick and easy but still beautiful. MUFFINS!
(and the perfect use for the leftover crumble topping from the mango crisp recipe found here)

And yes, those "might" be fall themed muffin wrappers- that's all I had :)

Apple Cinnamon Streusel Muffins
1 cup white whole wheat flour
1/2 cup unbleached wheat flour
3/4 cup white sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 cup veg oil
1/2 cup applesauce
1/4 cup milk
1 egg
leftover crumble topping (12 tablespoons would be PLENTY)

*mix wet ingredients (besides crumble topping)
*mix dry ingredients (besides crumble topping)
*mix wet and dry together :) just until combined
*pour into lined muffin cups and sprinkle about a tablespoon of crumble over each
*bake in preheated oven on 375 degrees for 20(ish) minutes

*Note- these got just a little dry but were fine with butter. i find that sometimes this happens with whole wheat flour, but you can try watching for doneness and pulling them out a minute or two sooner

Weekend Breakfast Kick Off

Today does not feel like a Saturday. Even though I worked two days this week, we have sorta been in staycation mode. We've been to the Botanical Gardens, the petting zoo, the park, and so on and it has been wonderful! Today brings an early afternoon Birthday party so we need to get a move on and these are some easy easy breakfast sandwiches. A few weeks back I made some chicken fried steak with country gravy and froze the leftover gravy just for this purpose.

Biscuits- make your own if you have time but these were the store bought in a tube and baked at home style

Eggs- I scrambled them up and then coked them omelette style to cut into the sizes needed to top the biscuits

Turkey sausage- self explanatory :)

Leftover country gravy

Get on it and start your weekend!! Enjoy

Leftover Makeover: Toddler Meals

Often when I have bits of good things here and there, I will use them for food for my 1 year old, A. Here are two super easy and nutritious meals that use almost all leftovers. Not really great recipe format- more like some ideas....

Scrambled Lentils
I have mentioned before that I add cottage cheese to my scrambled eggs to up the protein factor, but they are the perfect vehicle for lots of things. Steamed, mashed broccoli, asparagus, spinach, obviously cheeses and meats. A loooooves scrambled eggs and eats them about once a day. Yesterday I added about a quarter cup of cooked lentils to four eggs scrambled with a splash of whole milk and a heaping tablespoon of cottage cheese. She gobbled them right down (well about a third anyway- she had some more today and even I had some with some sour cream and a piece of crumbled bacon for breakfast). Lentils are a great food to cook in advance and freeze in ice cube trays- they can be added to pasta dishes, soups, stir-fry, etc. We love them.

Kiddie Carbonara
So this is not real carbonara (not even close) but it has peas and pasta in it, so we'll go with that. Earlier this week I had quite a bit of leftover orzo pasta from a side dish. I specifically set aside some without sauce for use later. To about a cup or cup and a half of whole wheat orzo, I added a quarter cup of leftover peas (w/ a tiny bit of butter). The I shredded up some leftover ham and tossed in just a bit of shredded cheddar cheese and let it all melt together. She and my 4 year old, N ate all of it. Good whole food.

Our Favorite Lasagna

Who doesn't like lasagna? Cheesy goodness baked  into marinara and pasta- you can't lose. It is probably my husband's favorite and I realized that I hadn't made any for awhile so yesterday I made one- I have made it this way for years and will say that it is the best lasagna ever! Obviously you can make your own sauce or use a jar- this time I used Bertolli Tomato and Basil that I jazzed up with onions, fresh mushrooms, fresh basil and extra garlic. It was a regular sized jar along with 1 lb of very lean ground beef. I usually use ground turkey but my husband said this was the best batch I've ever made..... I think he was trying to tell me that he notices the difference between beef and turkey- what a great palate ;)

Four Cheese Deliciousness i.e. Lasagna
Meat Sauce- I would be guessing that you need about 4 cups total (or see above)
9 Lasagna noodles- prepared
1 egg
1.5 cups small curd cottage cheese
1/4 cup Parmesan
1.5 cups shredded mozzarella
6 slices provolone cheese

*Combine egg, parm and cottage cheese- this takes the place of ricotta and I will never go back
*Spray a casserole dish with non-stick spray.
*Place enough sauce to barely cover the bottom and then layer noodles, 1/2 cottage cheese mixture, provolone, noodles, sauce, 1/2 cottage cheese mixture, noodles, rest of sauce, mozarella
*Cover (spray foil with non-stick spray so the cheese doesn't stick to it later) and bake at 350 degrees for 50  minutes
*Uncover and bake 10 minutes longer
*Let stand 10 minutes before cutting.

After the provolone layer

Before Baking

This is my 3 year old's thumbs up because dinner looks good. He ate EVERY LAST BITE!

Leftover Makeover: Got Fungus??

This week I combined two things that needed using: leftover sage stuffing and some breakfast sausage. Our tiny little town market has this amazing sausage but it comes in a HUGE serving that we never use so I usually freeze half. This week I forgot and it worked out perfect because Stuffed Portobello Caps were the perfect dinner for the little one and I (daddy and my little fella are at a baseball game). She kept clapping for "more more"- so cute!

Sage and Sausage Stuffed Portabellos
1 cup leftover stuffing (mine was a boxed sage mix)
3/4 cup cooked and crumbled sausage
4 portobello caps (wiped clean/stems removed)
Coarse salt
Olive oil
Parmesan and chives to top

*Mix sausage and stuffing- add a couple heaping Tbsp of chopped portobello if you have an extra mushroom
*Drizzle the caps w/ oil and sprinkle with salt before grilling gills up for 4-5 minutes
*Top w/ stuffing and warm through in oven or on grill (indirect heat)
* Sprinkle w/ parm and chives

The weekend checked out too soon- here is a weekday breakfast kickoff

This is an old stand-by for weekend breakfast. I love to serve it when we have overnight guests because it is hearty and looks like you fussed but it is really easy (even easier if you use frozen potatoes and prepared pesto). I am not sure where the original recipe came from but I have made it so many times that it has kinda taken on a new life. It is also great if you want to substitute with sausage and add some red peppers in place of the tomato. You can also add other goodies like chives, rosemary, or veggies. Experiment away- I have and it is always no-fail delicious.

Ham and Spinach Hash

4 Tbsp butter (divided)

Extra virgin olive oil

8 small red potatoes (washed and cubed- skins are fine left on)

1 tsp garlic powder

1 med onion (chopped)

1 tsp minced garlic

1 large ham steak (chopped)- that is just deli meat in the pic but the ham steak is better

8 medium eggs

2-3 handfuls fresh baby spinach (chopped)

1 heaping Tbsp fresh basil (chopped)- or prepared pesto

1 large tomato (seeded and chopped)- or half can diced tomatoes, drained

Parmesan for topping

Salt and pepper to taste

*Cook potatoes in butter and oil with salt/pepper/granulated garlic. One tender, onion and ham and cook for 4-5 minutes longer. Remove from heat and toss with basil and spinach to wilt

*Meanwhile, cook eggs (in butter) over easy/medium- some runny yolk makes it delish.

*Top a serving of hash with two eggs and sprinkle with tomato and parmesan


Note: I did not have tomato available (see pic) and i used white potatoes- like I said, it's a versatile dish

Rice up

So I realize it is Wednesday and that usually means a leftover makeover but I am not feeling very creative today. Blame the new schedule or the non-sleeping baby, both of which have me in zombie mode. I have been so sluggish lately and have been eating a few too many desserts too so back to a week of carbohydrate withdrawal I go again. But first, an easy peasy rice recipe--

Rosemary Rice
2 cups instant brown rice
1 can (or 2 cups) chicken stock/broth (use reduced sodium if buy canned)
1 Tbsp herbs/rosemary--- i LOVE the pampered chef rosemary spice blend
1 Tbsp butter
Salt and pepper to taste
Prepare as directed substituting broth for water and adding seasonings with the rice. Once liquid is absorbed and rice is fluffy, add butter and s&p to taste. Better for you than the processed boxes and cheaper too ;)

Weekend Breakfast Kickoff

Yummy Breakfast Burritos

We LOVE Mexican food and will incorporate those tastes into our food whenever possible. Well I do anyway, my husband just eats the fruits of my labors. One thing I like to do when we have tacos (or if I cooked some sausage for something) is set a little aside for a weekend breakfast burrito. These are soooo easy though I have to say you can't beat my mom's more labor intensive burritos. These are probably healthier too ;)

Tortillas-
these are actually tomato wraps that were on clearance at the market, but we usually use whole wheat from trader joes (our fave)
5 eggs-
whisked with a splash of milk and about a Tbsp of cottage cheese and scrambled
Leftover taco meat-
as much as you want (if using sausage, mix with a bit of taco sauce before adding
Onions, peppers, green chilies, tomato-
basically whatever you have on hand, saute them in a bit of butter and season with salt, pepper and cumin
Shredded cheese-
sharp cheddar is our favorite

*Once everything is cooked, add them into the pan together and cook for a minute or so
*Spoon into tortillas and top with sour cream and salsa

Leftover Makeover Wednesday

How often do you just have ONE chicken breast left--- for us, quite often. This recipe is perfect to use it for an entire dinner. I would almost bet you have the rest of the ingredients in your pantry/fridge so you get a great dinner for almost no additional grocery cost!

Spinach Alfredo Pizza
1 whole grain pizza crust (pre-made or prepared dough)
1 cooked and cubed chicken breast
1/2 block monterey jack, provolone or mozarella cheese (shredded)
1 small bunch spinach (chaffinade cut)
8-10 thinly sliced rings of red onion
Alfredo sauce (pre-made or recipe follows)

Pre-bake crust. Spread sauce thickly over crust. Top with ingredients and bake until cheese is melted. It is so so good- I didn't even want my salad that I made to go with it!

Alfredo Sauce- I make this with whatever I have on hand, cream, milk, cream cheese, whatever- it usually works even if you don't follow perfect directions.
Make a roux with 1/2 stick butter and 1-2 Tbsp flour. Add in some milk and stir until mixture is creamy. Add a little salt and pepper and garlic powder. Add 2-4 Tbsp parmesan depending on desired thickness. Just taste it and if you need more spice, salt, cream, cheese, add it- don't be afraid ;)

Mango Madness

I am allergic to mangoes...... weird right? Not the actual mango, but the sap on the outside (it is in the poison ivy family!) as I learned a few years ago when I broke out in a horrible rash all over my  lips and face.... I know you have visions of me smearing fruit all over my cheeks and eye but it was not like that :) In fact I am not too sure how it happened but I am digressing. The point is that for a long time, I was scared of that benign little fruit. About a month ago, my local fruit stand (as in proximity, I don't live anywhere that could classify mango as a local fruit) had them for WAY cheap so I sucked it up, bought a bag, washed my hands, peeled and cut them, washed my hands, froze them and washed my hands- and there they sat. We had a friend over for dinner last night and I thought a mango crisp would be a perfect companion to the fajitas and beans. It truly was and so far I am rash free!!

'Who Cares If I Get a Crazy Swollen Eye and Pimply Lipped Rash'

Mango Crumble With Cinnamon Cream

2-3 cups frozen mangoes
1 peach- cubed because it looked like I wanted more fruit- you could omit or add another
2 Tbsp white sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
*Combine in a pie plate sprayed with Pam. To save time, I microwaved the mixture for 2 minutes, stirred and repeated. For better caramelizing, use the stove top and then put in pie plate.

*Add juice of 1/2 lime.
In separate container combine the following ingredients (my standard crisp/crumble topping):
1 cup quick cooking oats
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1 small package chopped pecans

*Cut in 1 stick butter
*Spread crumble mixture over the mango mixture (as thick or thin as you like- you will have 1-2 cups leftover but save it!!! I will give you something to do with it soon ;)
*Bake at 340 degrees for 40 minutes
*Serve with ice cream or whipped cream.

For THIS crumble, there is no comparison to a home-made cinnamon whipped cream- it is perfect because you can control the sweetness. All you do is whip a small carton of heavy whipping cream in a cold bowl with cold beaters (in an electric mixture) until it is thick- during the process, add in sugar to your preference-- up to a large handful and then add 1 tsp cinnamon. My husband and I both prefer this to apple crisp which was always pretty high on our favorite list- there is just something about the tartness of the mango/peach with the sweetness of the crumble and when you couple it with a thick and mellow cream, you will want to eat the entire plate!!

I am versatile and stuff ;)

I was just awarded the Versatile Blogger Award for this blog!! I am excited because this is my neglected blog ;)




It came from the lovely Kortney at Kortney's Crazy Life! Find her here at:  http://www.kortneyskrazylife.com


So the "Rules" are to thank the awarder (and link back to them in your post) , tell a little about yourself (7 things) and nominate some fellow versatile bloggers (15 of them!)... I am still kind of a newbie so we will see how it goes-- I haven't really been around long enough to garner a huge following so I will just nominate the few that I have grown to love in a very short period of time--- sorry for being such a rebel rule breaker!!

ME

1. Most days I would rather not have anything scheduled but I am bored and crabby when I have nothing to do......

2. I am SUPER allergic to cats but dogs don't usually bother me

3. If I could have any job, it would be Samantha Brown's on the travel channel

4. I could eat Mexican food everyday and be perfectly happy

5. I only like my coffee cold

6. I think my other blog is way better- shameless plug for http://dr-momma.blogspot.com :)

7. My great (x14 or something) grandmother was Pocahontas... I know, right?

YOU

Go out and find these super bloggers- they have some great material!

Heather @ http://basilmomma.blogspot.com/

Stephanie @ http://henryhappened.blogspot.com/

Alicia @ http://my-triple-blessings.blogspot.com/

ML@ http://my3littlebirdsblog.com/

RaRa @ http://thealmoststayathomemom.blogspot.com

http://talesfromthedarksideofthelaundry.blogspot.com

rasjacobsen @ http://rasjacobson.wordpress.com/ lessons from teachers and twits

So there- it's only 1/2 but then these ladies won't feel pressured to comply because of my underachieving!! Have a great week everyone :)

And thank you again to Kortney!!

Sunny Summer Kickoff

Every good day starts with breakfast :)
And since you have to eat at some point before you stuff your face with bar-bq today, here is the perfect kick-off for the official start to summer!! Thanks to my mom for a similar idea.

Breakfast Melt
1 slice whole grain bread- the grainier the better
1 jumbo egg
1 slice swiss (or provolone)
2 slices crispy thick cut bacon
1/2 avocado

Prepare toast and bacon (I make mine in the oven on a wire rack so it stays flat). Put egg in a buttered skillet and prepare as if you are going to for over easy/medium, etc. but before you flip it, break the yolk and spread it around the white a little bit. When firm, place on toast with bacon and cover with the cheese. Bake in oven for a few minutes until cheese melts. Spread mashed avocado on top with some salt and pepper. This serves one- you might want to make more cause your husband will be jealous (unless he loathes avocado like mine)!

How bout a side of fat with those turkey burgers??

The other day I was making some blue cheese turkey burgers for dinner- yes I was still trying to use up that blue cheese :) Sidenote while I am here.... does anyone else think it's interesting that some of these cheeses go bad so fast? "Once opened, use within 5 days"- we wouldn't want the stinky moldy cheese to get... moldy? Anyway, I digress :)

So I was making some blue cheese turkey burgers on whole grain rolls with tomato, lettuce and mayo but I had no ideas for a side other than a chop salad (which I did end up making). I stood in my kitchen and stared, and stared and stared and finally the vidalia onions in the basket told me I should make some fatty onion rings---- those are some smart onions!

Easy easy easy! While heating some oil in my deep skillet/fryer, I sliced one large onion into some rings.

Then I combined about a cup of milk with 2-3 handfuls of flour- this is not an exact science- if you want thicker batter, make it thicker, if you want tempura-like coating, make it thinner.... and yes that is goat milk (we are weird).

That's pretty much it- not so much cooking :) Dump the onions into the mix and make sure they are all coated. Drop them into the hot oil (it will be ready when a TINY droplet of water sizzles if added- tiny folks- very very tiny) and fry for 4-6 minutes per side or until they look golden and tasty to you. Remove with slotted spatula, sprinkle immediately with salt and pepper and drain on wire racks.

Admittedly, not a great shot but I was so excited to eat that it took very low  precedence ;)

PS- The chop salad and turkey burger were each tasty too!

Operation: Do Not Waste.... aaaaand yet another salad idea ;)

I am in a constant quest to use up everything in the fridge- there is just something about throwing away leftovers that I can't stand. If produce goes bad before we eat it, I think about it all day... maybe I have problems! Well I know I do, but that's another post ;)
I found myself at the end of a weekend with lots of "stuff" that needed using. We were out much of the day yesterday and my husband had something this evening so I didn't do as much cooking as I would have liked. This actually worked out because my kids and I can eat about anything for dinner, even if it doesn't make much sense as dinner. I have consumed some random combinations to avoid throwing stuff out and tonight was no different but it was delicious! Not sure what he will be eating when he gets home......
I have an excess of lettuce right now- I thinned out our patch for better growth and had all the baby leaves to deal with, I also had a package of romaine hearts and a head of iceberg before I bought a package of goodness at Whole Foods the other day- I couldn't pass it up because it was such a good deal (btw you did read that right, you can get some really great deals there and THAT is yet another post).

Soooooo my son had some leftover corn on the cob with his pizza, my daughter had leftover amazingly yummy breakfast frittata from yesterday and I had a salad- BIG SURPRISE, right?? Salads, soups, frittatas,burritos and pasta bakes are my go-to uses for leftovers and this one did not disappoint.
I went for the spring mix as well as leftover home-made blue cheese dressing from earlier in the week (it was a little watery by now but it really worked well with the mixed greens). With it I sliced radishes, which we also have a plethora of from the garden harvest and........ corn off the cob- I just sliced it in there on a whim because it needed used and I figured the sweetness would be a good compliment to the tartness of the blue cheese. It was stinking delicious if I do say so myself and pretty gorgeous to look at.

A bowl of springtime for sure.

Give it a chance-super quick and easy.

Blue Cheese Dressing-totally approximate because I am not a measurer ;)

1/2 cup mayo

1/2cup sour cream

1/2 container blue cheese-  used Treasure Cave

splash of whole milk

2 tbsp lemon juice

1 tbsp white vinegar

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp italian seasoning- could substitute fresh basil and parsley- 1 tsp each

salt and pepper to taste

*This took some tweaking for taste- remember to make it in advance so the blue cheese flavor permeates the dressing. It is not very good if you try it immediately!! Gets watery after it's been in the fridge awhile but the flavor gets even better- you might even want to drink it (is that a gross visual??)

perfect patio pair!

i am behind on this post but am gonna post it anyway :) two weeks ago, a friend and i headed to westport plaza for happy hour. it is a GREAT area, especially when the weather gets niceand you can use one of the patios-- there are several restaurants with outdoor seating here and they all open up into a commone square (very cool). we choose a place called Ice Kitchen. i think that technically it is a vodka bar but they offered some tasty food options and a good drink selection including sangria-- be still my heart! for like 10 bucks (wow) they offered a trio of small "tasters" each in a small sized wine glass- a pomegranate, white and red sangria. all were great and the white was phenomenal. we also ordered some bites- me: pita with hummus and tzaziki and she: a wedge salad. again, very tasty- my pita was warm and slighty cripsy and the dips very good and flavorful. we will totally be going back- good food, good atmosphere, good prices and great drinks. i would have enjoyed another trio but i had to catch a flight ;)

Pita and Dips-- yuuuum

:( sad that first one is gone :(

Sangria Trio and my drinking dining partner!

Note: Not a paid reviewer- this is just my take

Gourmet Brownie Shortcut

Yesterday my mom and I threw a baby shower for my cousin (who is like my sister) and it was great! One of the recipes had people RAVING and it was soooo easy. I had planned on making these from scratch Paula Dean brownies and then time got away from me so I took a more Sandra Lee approach :)
I purchased a family size Duncan Hines brownie mix and just spiced it up a bit.
Orange Pecan Brownies
Brownie Mix- prepare as directions indicate but add 1 tsp orange extract and 3/4 cup chopped pecans to the batter. Bake and cool. Frost with a can of Buttercream Icing mixed with 1/2 tsp to 1 tsp orange extract and top with 1/4 cup chopped pecans for garnish. From-scratch buttercream is better but there are decent prepared choices out there too. I used a half and half mix.
These were so so so good.

Leftover Makeover Steak

Yesterday was my birthday and birthdays (even those spent alone with two children) deserve steak or something ;) So I made steak and had quite a bit leftover. The perfect place for a leftover steak is on a salad.

Note: I realize that last week's makeover was also a salad- I have just been craving them because of the warm weather AND i just thinned out our lettuce patch so i have a gazillion baby lettuce leaves! I still like pasta and stuff...

Balsamic Steak Salad
Leftover Steak- sliced against the grain
Blue Cheese Crumbles
Sliced Strawberries
Candied Pecans (or something comparable)
Green Onions
Balsamic Vinaigrette- I make this sometimes, but to be honest, it is NEVER as good as the bottled version ;)

Maybe next week I will make something warm :)

Wednesday Leftover Makeover

What's this?! Another post this week? :)
I was determined to post a leftover makeover this week. I had several ideas, as this week has been one giant experiment in combining leftovers- we are kinda in and out this week and goin out of town this weekend so I kinda wanted to use what we have. But then I got hungry- 30 minutes ago. And I threw together a quick salad while my daughter was napping. It was so good so I will have to use it.
I used some smoked turkey in the fridge but what a GREAT use for leftover roasted turkey (or chicken)!

Twisted Turkey Cobb Salad
*I use the term cobb loosely as this is sorta like a cobb salad but with a "twist" on ingredients

Baby spinach
Shredded cheese- I used cheddar
Turkey (chopped up)
Avocado (cubed)
Rye croutons- I make croutons out of whatever bread is going stale and then keep them in the fridge for later use. This time I had rye but any other type would work
Ranch or Blue Cheese dressing- Fresh or bottled

So simple and delicious with a great combination of textures!!
I would have taken a picture had I planned on posting it :)

bad blogger awards

wow- i am now a nominee for faulty food blog award! i HAVE been blogging but it has all been about mommyhood. aaron has been gone aLOT and so i haven't been cooking quite as often. i have also been rather inspirationless.... come on baseball season, let's move on!
so anyway- also win an award for kitchen oops this weekend. it turns out that when your cobbler just doesn't look right, that maybe you forgot a major component.... like liquid. i left out the milk so then i had to mix it all together so it won't be quite as cobblerish when it comes out but hopefully it will still taste good. next time maybe i should just use a recipe.
i'll post my version if it turns out ;)