The first time I was introduced to Marcona almonds was in the middle of a typical crazy busy shift at work. My co-worker had a bag of them from Trader Joe’s, and they were ‘roasted with rosemary.’ The taste blew me away, but more than that… was the texture. These almonds are SO different from the ‘usual’ almonds you and I are used to. They are smaller, more rounded, and more crunchy. Way more crunchy! As in, Macadamia nut crunchy. Marcona almonds come to us from Spain, and are said to be the best almonds ever by all who have tried them. You can get them pretty easily at your local Whole Foods or Trader Joe’s, as well as specialty stores I’m sure. I’ve read about them being roasted or toasted with Thyme, or simply toasted and sprinkled with sea salt… but I could not get over the perfection of the Rosemary roasted ones I tried at work. I bought myself a container of almonds, had Hubby bring me home some fresh Rosemary from work, and got busy. The first thing you do is preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Second, line a heavy duty baking sheet with parchment paper or aluminum foil (mostly for easy clean up). Spread your marconas out over the sheet as evenly as possible.
Next take a generous handful of fresh rosemary and roughly chop it with a sharp knife. Sprinkle it over the almonds, and then drizzle with some olive oil. Lightly toss to coat. sprinkle with salt, and pepper if desired. Place in 350 degree oven, and set timer for 5 minutes. stir/ flip around with a spatula – and continue to roast, checking five minutes later. Stir and flip around once again. Watch them carefully at this point, as they burn easily. I would maybe go another minute, and then remove them to the stovetop. Pour them into a big bowl to cool completely. If you taste them now, while they’re warm, they will feel a bit chewy… this is why you have to let them cool, so they can regain their crunch. continue to toss here and there in the bowl to help cool evenly. Once cooled, serve to guests, hide them in your pantry in an airtight container, eat them all up while you watch ‘Orange is the New Black’… anyway you slice it, they are amazingly addicting. enjoy!!
For some reason i have always felt i could not replicate the delicious tastes i encounter when eating out at a Mexican restaurant. i always felt that when i made it at home it was… good… but not WHOA good. it seemed to lack something each time. so being the food critic that i am, i decided to pay very close attention to the next dish served to me in some of our favorite Mexican joints in the Burgh. what i noticed was that each dish came out with plenty of fresh cilantro mixed on, and sometimes INTO the food. another thing that stood out were green onions. their flavor is so mild yet so fresh… one might miss their role in the dish unless you were really paying attention and looking for answers, as was i. i decided at that moment i would never again prepare Mexican food without those two ingredients.
the Mexican dish i like to make most at home is the beef enchilada. when you start with fresh, lean beef… and add in amazing spices and fresh ingredients- it is transformed into a filling worthy of eating on it’s own. THAT, my friends is how you know your dish is going to be absolutely amazing at the end- when you can’t stop sneaking tastes of the filling itself! (i do the same thing with my stuffed italian shells when i prepare them with cream cheese vs. Ricotta.) and to think that you are about to fill some lovely soft fresh tortillas and coat with delicious sauce and plenty of cheese??? yup… they’re gonna smile.
Here’s what you need:
fresh lean ground beef (93 lean is best)- a pound or slightly over
half of a large onion – small diced
4oz can of diced mild green chiles
shredded cheese (a bag will do – either cheddar or the mexican blend)
one small can of enchilada sauce (i use mild, bc i flavor my meat spicy and i don’t want sauce to overwhelm and ruin those flavors.)
one package of soft flour tortillas (a ten count will do fine)
fresh cilantro
green onions – one bunch
red pepper flakes
salt
cumin
chili powder
ground coriander (if you have it- it’s not going to make or break the dish- coriander is cilantro in seed/powder form- so if you have the fresh- you’ll still get that flavor punch- side note: you can use this in the rice as well- and i use it in a lot of things- so might be worth having)
Here’s what you do.
add a small swirl of oil to a large pan. (can be non stick or stainless- either way)
over medium high heat, add a few shakes of red pepper flakes.
add in your onions and saute them for a few minutes.
add the beef, and begin to break up and even it out in the pan.
once this begins to brown a bit, add your spices to it. (1/2 t salt;
1/2 t cumin; 1/2 t chili powder; 1/4 t black pepper; and a nice shake of coriander.
stir to combine.
keep working it around- once you don’t see any more pink- add you can of diced chiles. stir to combine.
then stir in a 1/2 cup of shredded cheese, and lastly- about a Tablespoon of chopped fresh cilantro.
combine and turn off the heat. let it set for awhile while you get your rice going. (recipe follows) or if you have someone cooking WITH you… let them man the rice, and you focus on the enchiladas. i do them both at the same time… but it is an orchestrated event as to not ruin any part of the dish! gage your comfort level and cook accordingly. 🙂
once your rice is going- fill your tortillas.
preheat oven to 350 degrees.
in a pyrex dish- coat bottom with a thin squiggle of olive oil (or wipe some on with a paper towel to coat) this helps the enchiladas to release nicely when you are serving.
fill each enchilada with a bit of meat- (do not overfill) – if i had to guess i would say it was 1/4 cup.
place seam side down in prepared dish. (see visual below) pour sauce atop evenly (they do not need to be completely coated or saturated- it is for flavor and you still want to ‘see’ the enchilada you’re eating)
generously sprinkle with cheese and diced green onions. (save cilantro for when they come OUT of oven) – sprinkle with black pepper as well
Bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes.
prepared pan- ready for the hotbox!!FINITO!! and smelling amazing, PS.
once you take these out of the oven, go ahead and hit them up with a generous shower of chopped fresh cilantro. do it while the cheese is hot, as it will hold on the herbs nicely this way! i highly recommend allowing these to rest for ten minutes or so… if you try to take them from pan to plate immediately- you will have a mess. give them some time to ‘set’ a bit- and also this way your lovelies can dig right in without burning their mouths once you hand them their plate of goodness. 🙂 i love serving this with black refried beans- which i do serve from a can. i buy these in the mexican aisle of your better grocer- and always opt for organic if it’s an option. simply turn them out into a bowl, sprinkle about a 1/2 cup of shredded cheese atop, and microwave for about two minutes. stir lightly, and serve. if you have an aversion to refried beans… ( i used to, until i tried these.. and i absolutely love them now, PS) go ahead and serve with some fresh veggies or a simple salad, your call.
now… on to the RICE. this is a rice recipe i have dubbed “mom’s yummy rice” in my household. it is easy- yet over the top good. it does call for turmeric, which not every lay cook will have, but i do recommend purchasing some- as it gives lovely color to your rice. (it turns it a lovely yellowy hue)
Here’s what you need:
a cup and a half of long grain white rice (not Minute rice- this is the real deal)
olive oil
1 large chopped onion (big vidalia or spanish)
15 oz can of diced tomatoes- undrained
15 oz can of chicken broth
–(i normally also add either a can of chick peas or black beans – drained and rinsed- but for this particular food pairing- if you are serving refried black beans- you may want to leave the beans out of this recipe) – if making this at other times however, just for a side dish… add a bean to the mix for sure.
1/2 tsp of salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp ground turmeric
shake of cayenne pepper
pinch of cinnamon
fresh cilantro (chopped)
Here’s what you do:
Heat 2Tablespoons of olive oil in a large non stick skillet. Add one large chopped onion. saute five to ten minutes stirring frequently and then add 1.5 cups of rice. stir in and saute a minute or two, allowing to heat up a bit. Add another tsp of olive oil, and then add your tomatoes and your can of chicken broth. (if using beans or chick peas, add them at this time- remember to drain and rinse first) add your spices, including a small handful of chopped cilantro. stir, and bring just up to bubbling and then COVER. reduce heat to simmer- and cook for 15 minutes. DO NOT STIR THE RICE AT ALL AS IT COOKS- THIS WILL RUIN IT AND MAKE IT A GUMMY MESS. trust me on the time- it’s 15 mins at a simmer. cut heat, remove lid and stir lightly- i tell people to take your spatula, and with the back side of the spatula, take and kind of push your rice around a bit, loosening it from the bottom. do not full on stir it up- again- you want it to stay light and fluffy. sprinkle with plenty of cilantro- and if you desire, move the rice to a nice serving bowl at this point- and even hit the top again with salt, pepper, and more cilantro.
VOILA!! the perfect partner for the enchiladas above- or any main course for that matter. we prepare this rice frequently as a side in the summer months- adding fresh chopped zucchini at the end- or just as is alongside some grilled citrus chicken- or a nice steak kebab. i hope it becomes a go to recipe for many of you. Enjoy yo!!
“If there’s no chocolate in Heaven, I’m not going.”
― Jane Seabrook, Furry Logic Laugh at Life
so i had totally planned on making my mom’s classic sour cream coffee cake this afternoon, but i got to clicking around on some food blogs… and it took about twenty seconds for me to decide to make this ‘jacked up banana bread’ recipe i came across. i was looking at a blog called Everybody likes Sandwiches… and she was talking about adapting this recipe she had enjoyed from Smitten Kitchen, another blog i enjoy. well, clicking further into recipes on the sandwiches blog, (which i often find myself doing) i discovered she has made three different banana-ish type of breads that left me drooling. i pulled up two of them, and clicked back and forth- yanking them around a bit and taking ingredients from each… tweaking as i went. the result was the most amazing banana bread i have ever repeat E-V-E-R had. best part, to hell with vanilla… we went Rogue and added Captain Morgan tattoo rum. a whole Tablespoon of it. i think you’re gonna dig it.
you will need:
3 brownish bananas (mashed)
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 stick butter (semi melted)
1 egg (beaten)
1 T. captain morgan spiced rum
1/2 t. cinnamon
1/2 t. nutmeg
1/4 cup sweetened flaked coconut
1.5 cups flour
1 t. baking soda
1 T. cocoa powder
1/2 cup chocolate chips
Combine first 8 ingredients (through coconut) in a mixing bowl and combine on low until incorporated. in a separate bowl whisk together flour, bkg soda and cocoa powder. add slowly to mixer bowl- combine on low speed. add chocolate chips and finish mixing by hand. add to a greased loaf pan and bake in a 350 degree oven for 57 minutes. test with a toothpick- when comes out clean, it’s done! cool in pan for fifteen minutes, and then remove to a cooling rack or soft towel to cool completely on the counter. prepare to be blown away yo!
“All you need is love. But a little chocolate now and then doesn’t hurt.” ― Charles M. Schulz“Seize the moment. Remember all those women on the ‘Titanic’ who waved off the dessert cart.” ― Erma Bombeck“The only real stumbling block is fear of failure. In cooking you’ve got to have a what-the-hell attitude.” ― Julia Child
do you love keilbasa but never know what to do with it beyond a simple sandwich with some fried onions and peppers? with no disrespect to the pittsburgh fave keilbasa sammich… i offer up a more gourmet alternative for your linked buddy. this recipe is one that i made up one day when i realized how delicious keilbasa was cut thinly and fried in a skillet. take heed: it shows some major restraint not to eat half the plate of the crispy little circles as you prep the rest of your meal… for real. when you fry them up in some olive oil over hight heat… they take on an incredibly dark almost carmelized hue and become all crispy around the edges. as i show you the before and after photo below, note the juice on the plate with the cooked pieces resulted from deglazing the pan with a generous amount of white wine. (i’ll explain later) reserving some of this liquid to add back in at end with cooked keilbasa adds amazing depth of flavor to the whole dish.
cut on a slight angle
and the after shot… what a fabulous transformation.
resist resist!!! whoa nelly good….
so here’s what i did to create this go to week night dinner. dice up half of a large onion. set aside. slice your keilbasa on a slight diagonal- about a quarter inch thick. set aside. open a small can of diced tomatoes. place a half a bag of frozen peas in a cereal bowl and set aside. dice a colored bell pepper and set aside. uncork a bottle of white wine (i used pinot grigio tonight). open a can of chicken broth- you will use less than half of it. open a small can of tomato paste. (you will use about two tablespoons) – ok here goes. first thing- start a large pot of water boiling so that you can cook up a bag of wide egg noodles. do a couple of swirls of olive oil in a stainless skillet. (if you use non stick, you will not get a lovely coating on the bottom to be able to deglaze- so opt for a steel pot or skillet) heat oil over md high heat. once hot, add your keilbasa. give your downsides a chance to darken up before stirring, but be careful not to burn it! stir, and continue cooking until you are satisfied w the color. (see above visual) remove from skillet to a plate and set aside. if there is a large amount of grease in skillet, dump into a safe vessel to trash it. (can from your recyle bin) with skillet over medium heat, slowly and carefully add a generous pour of white wine to deglaze pan. stir to release brown bits from bottom of pan. add your diced onion, and cook for five minutes until some of the juice is absorbed by the onions. add your bell pepper, the tomato paste, the diced tomatoes, and the peas. stir. please add any herbs you love at this point. i added a generous pinch of dried thyme, a shake of garlic powder, a shake of dried oregano, a half a tsp of salt, a shake of red pepper flakes, and a go round of black pepper.
begin to add to your base of sauteed onions.stir and simmer…
once you have all of these things in your pot and give it a stir, you will note it is a little thick. add a bit of chicken broth to give the ingredients something to simmer in. i never measure… so maybe a cup?? add in your cooked keilbasa, stir again- and simmer uncovered for fifteen minutes or so. add your drained and rinsed egg noodles back into the empty pot you cooked them in. carefully pour your lovely creation onto the salted egg noodles and stir to combine. serve up with a nice crusty loaf of bread- or more simply with a single glass of white wine. enjoy!!
the homefry. i’ve finally unlocked it. after using several different pans and skillets and oodles of cooking methods, i nailed it. the trick? a large enough cooking surface, plenty of olive oil, and a uniform cut. my favorite potato to use is the yukon gold, hands down. i find it to be the rockstar of all potatoes. it fries up like no other, maintaining its sliced shape all the while. not to mention the skin of the yukon is so paper thin, there’s never any reason in the world to remove it for a homefry. ever. simply wash, dry and slice. the size of your slice is a personal preference. i find a width of 1/4 inch and an overall size of about an inch and half to be ideal to work with. it’s a trial and error game, for sure.
gaining a brown crust
here’s the gameplan: get the largest non stick cooking pan you own. coat bottom with olive oil. (swirl to coat- don’t prep a drowning pool) prepare your potato on cutting board, so that you’re ready when your pan is calling. crank on the heat. high first, and then just below high. add a sprinkle of crushed red pepper flakes. once you see the flakes sweating and dancing, it’s go time. add your potatoes. rearrange them so each and every one has plenty of contact face down in the oil. see visual. now the hard part for us type A’ers… don’t mess with them. this allows the down side to take on a beauteous brown hue, and a heavenly crispness. this crisp side is critical to counteract the softness you’ll achieve at the end. a plate of mush is what you’re trying to avoid at all costs. salt the raw up side generously. check one after about 5 mins with a fork. if you like what you see, take your spatula and flip it upside down in your grip. this is the way you wanna free your lovelies from the skillet. you have to be fast, and apply a downward pressure toward the skillet surface at a 45 degree angle. make attempts to rearrange with brown side upward. dust lightly with garlic powder and a sprinkle of dried parsley or oregano. (no need for pepper, as the red pepper flakes you tricked out your oil with will provide all the heat you need here) obviously there are 50 ways you could flavor your potatoes. i’m giving you the most basic recipe, with flavorings most every reader would have in their kitchen. personally, i love mine with coriander powder, dried oregano, and even a pinch more salt. if it’s summer and i have lots of fresh parsley outside… i’ll chop a bit and rain it down over my plate to finish. ok, back to cooking… cook like this for a few more minutes, and then add a 1/4 cup of water to hot skillet- IMMEDIATELY applying lid to steam them for a bit. reduce heat to medium and allow to cook for 4 minutes or so. stir- check for doneness, cooking a bit longer uncovered if needed. enjoy with your favorite condiment. Heinz ketchup is a natural local partner for us Pittsburghers. -see visual.
there’s no denying it… the Fall season is in full swing- and the proof is all around us. ground surfaces are being overcome with leaves, the clocks have been wound back, the jack o’lanterns have found their way to the compost heap, and the air holds the perfect crispness- replicated by no other season. we’ve been as busy as bees, bringing wood closer to the house from outlying racks, stacking and sorting it, putting away patio furniture, stocking up on birdseed, and cleaning up the beds in preparation for the cold months ahead. -and although i am more than happy to assist with all of said tasks… my cold weather preparations lie in test driving new and exciting soup and stew and ‘ladle over a bowl of rice’ types of recipes. the air turns cold, we eat warm things. makes perfect sense, right?! nothing brings more pleasure, in my opinion, than a nice steaming bowl of savory stew to be enjoyed with some crusty buttery bread in a nice den with a fire. typing that sentence alone gives me a killer visual… one where i fall asleep with a book on my chest… empty bowl beside me on the table… not a care in the world, right? snap* snap* back to reality for most of us. there’s homework to be done, bathing children, DVR’d shows to watch… so is the life of most Americans my age today. (someday i will OWN that visual though… i suspect it will begin in my sixties, as i simultaneously OWN a grey bob haircut)
for now, i have tried this recipe twice… and it is a winner yo. winner winner chicken dinner. (sorry) it allowed me to use a spice i’ve been dying to try… garam masala. garam masala is a yummy blend of many spices, often used in Indian cooking. it’s very meaning is ‘hot mixture’ – and i’ve read about various combinations including some of the following: cloves, cinnamon, cumin, cardamom, peppercorns, ginger, star anise and turmeric. i bought mine at the bulk spice section of whole foods, allowing me to buy just a couple of tablespoons for around 34 cents. (LOVE whole foods, but who doesn’t right?) anyway, the preparation on this is pretty easy… and it even forces you to open a bottle of white wine, of which you will use half. i used a bottle of gifted chardonnay that has been sitting on my wine rack for a year- as it is my least favorite type of white. this gave me the perfect excuse to use it up in a delicious way. please be careful at the point where you are adding the wine to the pan… (deglazing) if you are not used to doing this, i ask you to turn your flame off first, just to avoid any splashing and possibility of flames. as long as you add slowly, you should be fine. there is a time and a place for the culinary flames sent from deglazing… and an industrial kitchen is usually preferable.
ingredients:
one package of boneless skinless chicken breasts (either three or four in pack)
one cup of flour
salt and pepper
2 T butter
oil for the pan (i always use olive)
half a bottle of white wine (chardonnay, pinot grigio, sauvignon blanc, reisling, etc)
14 oz can of diced tomatoes
1 bunch of green onions
2 teaspoons garam masala
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon garlic powder
rice
so here’s what you do: cut your chicken into bite sized chunks, removing any skin or tendons. salt and pepper your chicken. uncork your wine, so you are ready at that step and not fumbling to open it as your pan scorches. add your cup of flour to a plate so that you are ready to dip your chicken in it. open your can of tomatoes. rinse and chop your green onions using all but the top inch or so of the greens. prepare your spices in a small dish- setting aside a half a tsp of the allotted 2t of garam masala- as you will add it at the end. ok, saddle up- here we go. choose your favorite large skillet with a lid… can be either non stick or stainless- either way. add a generous drizzle of oil to the pan, and add your butter. turn on the heat to md. high. working in batches, take a portion of your diced raw chicken, and set it in the flour. begin coating the chicken by flipping it around a bit in the flour. take the chicken in your hands and shake off the excess flour over the plate (as much as you can)- and add to now ready skillet. brown chicken slightly, flipping each piece over and being careful not to crowd your pan. work in batches, and remove chicken to a plate to rest once it’s been lightly browned. you may need to add more oil or butter to the pan at least once during this process. (note, you are not out to cook the chicken at this step, only to barely brown it so the flour adheres to the meat. end note.)
browning the chicken a bit
once all your chicken has been floured and browned, cut your flame and add a half a bottle of white wine… slowly. you will hear a searing sound once it hits the hot skillet. scrape up the lovely browned bits from bottom and sides of pan with a wooden spoon. (in case it’s your first time- you have just deglazed a pan!) celebrate with a glass of remaining wine. lol. add your onions, tomatoes, spices (again leaving a half t. of the garam masala behind to add later), and chicken. stir to combine. bring to a boil and then immediately cover and reduce heat to simmer. simmer like this for 35 minutes. this is the time when you should prepare your rice. cook enough rice for four servings, at least. at end of 35 mins, add your reserved 1/2 tsp of garam masala to the chicken dish- and stir to combine. remove from heat and allow to rest for five mins or so, uncovered. if serving for sit down dinner- carefully transfer to a nice serving bowl and serve with a big bowl of rice alongside. family style. this meal is sure to please, and i am certain you will enjoy. it’s exotic enough to break up your usual routine… without being overly exotic or fussy.
the keilbasa and kale recipe i am about to share with you is a recipe i’ve been making for 6+ years ~ and it’s the ONLY thing i prepare that my husband won’t eat. we joke about it and say he’s allowed one dislike. he dislikes the kale – and in general tends to complain about soup as a meal. as a soup lover, this is painful to deal with, especially once the weather turns cold in Pittsburgh. i have been known to eat soup for breakfast, so no problems with me finishing the pot solo. this last batch i made lasted for three days. i gave a portion to my sister, of which my mom ate a bowl for lunch. it fed me for dinner 2 days and breakfast 2 days. it’s an absolutely delicious recipe – it was adapted from an Emeril recipe. kale is very beneficial, especially when steamed. it’s fiber combines with bile acids in our bodies- and when excreted, helps to lower cholesterol levels. it has many cancer lowering benefits, and special antioxidant and anti-inflammatory benefits. it’s extremely high in vitamins K, A, and C… with the vitamin K level being off the charts, literally. Plus, using turkey keilbasa instead of it’s full fat polish counterpart lowers the fat significantly. the last time i prepared it, i used a carton of organic chicken stock- which helped enhance the flavor even more. i hope you enjoy this soup as much as i do- and make it year round as the different ingredients become more plentiful. it’s made to be toyed with… so add some shredded rotisserie chicken if you wish… or up the garlic to four cloves… you feelin’ me?
Turkey Keilbasa and Kale soup : the goods
1 T olive oil
1 fennel bulb (fronds removed- bulb chopped)
1 large onion chopped
3 cans chicken broth (or 32oz. carton of chicken STOCK- for more flavor)
7 cups of water
2 sweet potatoes (peeled and small dice)
1 package of turkey keilbasa (small to medium dice)
3 cloves garlic (minced)
3/4 cup uncooked orzo pasta
2 handfuls of baby carrots (or four large carrots- peeled and diced)
1.5 tsp of salt
1/2 tsp of black pepper
1.5 tsp of dried parsley
few shakes of cayenne pepper
big pinch of dried thyme
large bunch of kale – trimmed from stem and chopped a bit into bite sized leaves
(you will end up with a huge pile of kale… don’t panic, this reduces down greatly once added to the soup)
~saute in a large dutch oven or soup pot: fennel and onion in olive oil for about 5 mins or until tender/translucent. Add broth through herbs, (not kale) and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer 15 minutes covered. Uncover and add big pile of kale leaves and press down into broth – cover again and simmer for 15 mins more. ENJOY!!!
kale- the super foodadding the kaleready to serveyour big pot of yumcuring colds across america
~this soup truly gets better as it sits there… and the day(s) to follow. if you like kale… or if you are willing to try new things… please attempt this. please do not leave out the fennel (anise) either… once you saute it, your nose will tell you why. it’s what makes this soup special.
so it’s thursday afternoon as i begin this draft chatter offering- i made a joke on my Facebook page earlier– tonight would be the kick off of ‘red wine drinking’ season for me… and the reasoning went something like this. Today is the 27th, and 2+7=9, and 9 goes into 27 three times… and everyone knows that 3 is the magic number. it’s logic like this that will have me up until 1am blogging about the pink satin jacket with turquoise cuffs i had as a small child… and how great terry cloth clothing felt. interpretation: there need not be logic for fabulous things. they just are. tonight will be filled with goodies in all elements, shapes and sizes- starting with the silver lining of being off of work until Monday afternoon. a long weekend is always a beautiful thing. i’m planning to bake up a few rustic pita pizzas for dinner, with the liquid to solid food ratio leaning toward the liquid and the lovely. we’ve been lucky enough to avoid a frost so far, allowing us plenty of freshly torn basil leaves for a topping. i love the end of the harvest when you are savoring sweet sliced tomatoes with every meal… and the crusts from pita pizzas make perfect sponges for the tomato juice on the cutting board. in my house, most meals are consumed while standing in the kitchen- my hubby and i, listening to some of our favorite tunes and watching the tiny tots be young, wild and free. it’s one of our favorite times of the day… and when it’s happening, it’s easy to see why. yes, we may only get through one Neil Young track and half of a Ray LaMontagne before the tots request Britney Spears… but it’s all part of the charm of our off center, stand up family dinner. i don’t imagine this part of the day would be half as fun if it weren’t for my love and passion for food. my son (3) used to ask me, “is it gonna be good mommy?” as i prepped a meal… but somewhere along our life path he stopped asking. now he knows. he prefers ‘linguini with red sauce’ over spaghettios if you get me. i’m creating a food conscious little fella – but some girl, somewhere will thank me one day. tonight there will be wine, and there will be flame in the fireplace, and the flame will be from that of the large red oak that fell on part of our house three years ago. funny how that whole event can be passed off in one sentence as i blog here, but at the time it consumed our lives to the point of exhaustion. time marches on, and if you’re too busy sitting on your dupa watching Honey boo boo, you’ll miss the beauty hidden in these stolen moments. sometimes i like to do a pre-blog… leading up to the evening events- and then follow up with a photog synopsis of the magic, and how it all went down. today is one of those days.
Coppolla cab. red wine season’s first pour.
i feel like weekday dinners should be easy, but no less delicious than a weekend meal would be. anytime there’s sauce and melty fontina cheese involved, it’s bound to be fabulous. this is a meal the whole family can be a part of- kids love to spread their own sauce and sprinkle the cheese all over the top. these bake off at 375 in 7 minutes when placed directly on the rack. enjoy, we sure did!! see our evening gallery below!
so these cookies are an adapted recipe from a nursing buddy of mine, who saw them on Dr. Oz – if i remember correctly. the most fantastic part is… there is literally, nothing awful for you in these cookies. nothing. the worst thing is a 1/3 cup of brown sugar… which is hardly contraband, considering it’s white, refined, processed partner in crime. i have added 3/4 cup of Dark chocolate chips (i used Hershey- i think their flavor is far superior to Nestle even on the semi-sweet option) – Dark chocolate is said not only to have antioxidant properties, but can help to lower both blood pressure and insulin resistance. it’s also been known to decrease our cravings for unhealthy foods, thus aiding in weight loss when added to a healthy diet. this recipe came together in minutes, and is not fussy at all. it bakes up in ten minutes per batch- and within thirty minutes, you have a batch of healthy cookies to be enjoyed for several days.
You will need:
2/3 cup of natural peanut butter
2 eggs
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup apple sauce
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp of baking soda
2 cups oats
3/4 cup ground flaxseed meal
1/4 tsp salt
4 scoops chocolate or vanilla soy protein powder
3/4 cup dark chocolate chips
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix together PB, eggs, brown sugar, applesauce and vanilla. Once combined well, add all remaining ingredients. stir in chocolate chips last. Drop by heaping teaspoonfuls onto lined cookie sheet. Bake ten minutes. Remove to platter or wax paper to cool completely. Enjoy!!
Hotbox Hipster 