Loving Spring Greens!

I love it when everything turns green. The flowers are starting to bloom, the trees are budding out, and the grass is ready for regular mowing. This time of year is also exciting in the grocery store. The vegetables all look better as they come into season. Today I'll be featuring four beautiful greens!

First, Roasted Brussels Sprouts! Begin by pre-heating your oven to 400 degrees. Wash your brussel sprouts and trim the ends off, also removing any yellow outer leaves.


Most of mine were a little too large to be "bite size", so I cut them in half.


Toss all halves onto a foil lined baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil. Sprinkle with kosher salt and fresh cracked black pepper.


Bake at 400 degrees for about 30 minutes, until the sprouts are caramelized. I think they were nutty and best with a little sprinkle of salt, right before eating! I served these with with my Stuffed Green Peppers.


Next, I made Sesame Green Beans to go with my pot stickers . I don't have a recipe I follow for these, but here's how I make mine!

First, wash your beans and trim the ends off.


Throw in a pot of boiling water for about 5 minutes, just until beans begin to soften.


Drain water and return beans to hot pan. Turn heat to Medium-High and sauté with 2 TBS soy sauce and 1/4 tsp of sesame oil. Serve topped with a sprinkle of toasted sesame seeds.


Third- Broccoli!! This is the most popular green veggie at our house, and this is my husbands favorite way to eat it.


First trim the thick stalks from the broccoli and wash all florets. I like to keep the stems a little longer. I also trim the outside off the thick stalks, cube and throw into a ziploc in my freezer. My toddler loves this part of the broccoli and I like that I don't waste anything!


Place the broccoli on a foil lined cookie sheet. Drizzle with olive oil. Sprinkle with kosher salt and red pepper flakes. I also use my micro-plane to grate 5-6 cloves of garlic over the whole pan. Toss well to coat and bake at 400 degrees, for about 15 minutes.


I love it even more when the tops get a little crispy!


And finally, after seeing so many people raving about it, I tried the Baked Zucchini Chips.

First, I sliced my zucchini into thin slices, about 1/4 inch thick.


Mix together 1/2 cup of bread crumbs, 2 TBS Parmesan cheese (I used fresh) and cracked black pepper. After reading lots of reviews, I also added some salt and a pinch of cayenne pepper.
In a second bowl, beat two egg whites.


After dipping each slice in the egg whites and the bread crumb mixture, I placed them on a Sil-pat lined baking sheet.


They baked for about 15 minutes in a 475 degree oven, turning once.


And I must say, the rave reviews were accurate! My husband doesn't usually like it when I make zucchini, but we both gobbled this up and Robyn stole several slices from my plate. We will be making again very soon!

So- I hope you find inspiration in the grocery store, like I did. Not only does the fresh, seasonal produce taste great, but the prices are good too!

An Asian-inspired creation we Love!

My husband loves my pot stickers. I developed my "recipe" years ago, before there were many great options found on-line. I am sure there is a better recipe out there now, but I still like mine :) It may not be "authentic" but I think they taste amazing.

Start by browning 1/2 lb of ground pork (Italian sausage if you like a little more heat).


While the pork is browning, chop 1/4 c mushrooms (about 6 large button mushrooms) into a small dice. Also dice 1/4 c green bell pepper (about 1/2 a pepper) and 3 green onions.

***I think this is a great recipe to make in the same week I make homemade pizzas, because I never use a whole container of mushrooms or my whole pepper!***


Add to this mix, 1/2 cup bagged coleslaw, or fresh chopped cabbage. Dress this with...here comes the strange part... 1/2 TBS ketchup, 1/2 TBS yellow mustard, 1/2 TBS Worcestershire Sauce, 2 TBS soy sauce and 1/4 tsp of sesame oil. Mix together and add the cooled sausage. I also grate in (using my micro plane) 1 TBS of fresh ginger and 2 cloves of garlic.

I refrigerate this overnight so the cabbage wilts a bit and all the flavors combine.


Then it's time to start stuffing your pot sticker wrappers (wonton wrappers work too). Wet the edges of each wrapper and place a small amount of filling in the center. Pinch the edges to seal...you can crimp if you want, or just seal them flat.


After I fill all my wrappers (my recipe fills 30), I cover them with a damp paper towel and heat my skillet.


Add a small amount of vegetable oil to a large skillet with a tight fitting lid. When pan is hot (about medium heat), place in pot stickers and cook about 5 minutes, until the bottoms are brown. Add about 1/4 cup of water to the pan and put on the lid. Let them steam for about 7 minutes, or until the water is gone and the tops seal tight on the filling. Remove cooked pot stickers and repeat with remaining.


I make a quick dipping sauce with 1/2 cup soy sauce, 1/4 tsp of sesame oil, 1/4 cup rice wine vinegar and 1/2 TBS fresh grated ginger.

Serve and enjoy...chopsticks optional!

Even Robyn loved them!

Monkey Bread...what's not to love?

First and foremost, if you are going to worry about the fat or calorie content of this item...it's probably best to stop reading now. This is NOT healthy...but we only have them once in a while!

I don't know about everyone else, but I love Monkey Bread! What I don't love, is how long it takes to bake and that more often than not, the biscuits in the very center are still doughy. So, I decided to try making it in a muffin pan, and guess what? I'll never make it any other way again! These are perfect for when you have guests for breakfast/brunch because it is easy to portion.
You can easily adapt this to your favorite Monkey Bread recipe. Here's mine:


In one container, mix 3/4 cup white sugar with 1 TBS cinnamon. In a second container, combine 1 stick of butter with 1/2 cup brown sugar and 1 TBS cinnamon. This also requires two, 7.5 oz cans of biscuits.


Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Place a muffin pan on a foil lined cookie sheet (to catch drips). Spray the muffin pan with cooking spray.


Cut each biscuit into quarters. Separate the pieces and roll them in the white sugar/cinnamon mixture.


Place enough pieces in each cup to just reach the top of the muffin pan. Two cans of biscuits yields 8 monkey bread muffins.


Next, melt the butter with the brown sugar and cinnamon (about 1 min in the microwave). Spoon this mixture over each cup of biscuits.


Place this pan of sticky goodness into the pre-heated oven. Bake for about 20 minutes, or until the tops are brown and crunchy.


Allow to cool for a few minutes before removing from the pan. Yum!!

I really just Love Mexican Food :)

A few weeks ago, I went to my favorite Mexican Restaurant, La Camelia, with my mom. I have tried ALMOST everything on their menu, but my mom managed to order something new! She ordered Chilaquiles. I snagged a bite and it was delicious! So, I set out in my quest to try and copy her lunch.

This week I went shopping at Sam's Club and encountered a wonderful deal on Queso Fresco, but vowed only to buy it if I could find lots of new ways to use it. I present to you, my "Fake-Out" Chilaquiles!!

Now, If you have made Ken's Simple Carnitas before, you know the meat is addicting! I have made the recipe about 5 times now and almost always have a container of shredded pork in my freezer. So, this is another way for all you other SimpleCarnitas addicts to use up some of your pork! And for all you talented and authentic Mexican cooks, I am not claiming this to be authentic, but it does taste pretty darn close :)

First, gather your ingredients.

You will need:

Fresh or store bought tortilla chips

Fresh or store bought Salsa Verde or Green Enchilada sauce

Shredded pork, chicken, or beef

Queso Fresco

Add about 1 cup of green enchilada sauce to a skillet- this is for one serving. Over medium heat, warm the enchilada sauce and about 1/2 cup of shredded meat. 

Once the sauce is warm, add a large handful of tortilla chips. You want to cook the chips in the sauce until they are soft and have absorbed most of the liquid.

Transfer to a bowl and top with crumbles of Queso Fresco. Simple and delicious!! No one will ever suspect you used leftovers and made such an easy meal!

Now- I understand that Chilaquiles are commonly a breakfast item in Mexico, but for me, a wonderfully fast dinner. Enjoy!

I love celebrating my birthday with food!!

My family came for Easter this past weekend, and to celebrate my 30th birthday!!! Saturday night we had a wonderful meal. My parents brought Lobster, Beef Tenderloin, Asparagus and Veggie Kabobs to grill. I made Jo's Rosemary Bread, and a few appetizers. One of my favorite Spring/Summer appetizers is a cheese dip, best served with Club Crackers or Pretzels. I also tried a new recipe...that may require some tweaking before I make it again, but I will make it again!

For the cheese dip, cube 4 oz each of cheddar and pepper jack cheese.

Throw them in the food processor and pulse until they are crumbled. Add in 4 oz of cream cheese and pulse again.

For a little punch, add 3 chopped green onions, the juice of one lime, and 1 TBS of chili sauce or Tabasco. Pulse until combined and chill for a few hours before serving.

Garnish with a few chopped green onions and Enjoy! Even better the next day...and you need a sturdy cracker for dipping- something salty!


Next, I made the Jalapeno Popper Cups. They required frozen phyllo cups, cheddar, jalapeno, cream cheese, bacon and hot sauce.


First, finely chop two jalapenos. I thought that would be too hot so I only used one to start with and it REALLY needed the second jalapeno. Shred the cheese and combine with the cream cheese and hot sauce. I made these on Saturday and had leftover filling...I made them again tonight (Wednesday) and they were so much better after the filling sat for few days. Tonight I also added garlic powder, garlic salt and some juice from my pickled jalapenos.


Bake at 350 for 20 minutes. The recipe calls for bacon bits...but I found crumbled fresh bacon to be much tastier!


Photo of Round Two...with additional seasoning! I wouldn't use the phyllo cups again for this particular recipe- I think it needed a more flavorful base. With some tweaking, the filling was super tasty, but I think I would like it better baked on individual tortilla chips. It really needs the bacon. This is definitely a cute appetizer. I LOVE the concept and think the recipe is an amazing foundation for a great treat. I love true poppers and fully intend to keep playing with this recipe!

Another reason to love pretzels!

I love anything salty! I found a recipe in a magazine a few years ago for chicken breaded with crushed pretzels. I, of course, can't find the recipe now- so here is my version- Honey Mustard Chicken with a Pretzel Crust

First, combine 1 TBS each of Red Wine Vinegar, Yellow Mustard, Spicy Mustard, Honey, Vegetable Oil and Grainy Mustard. This is to coat your chicken before breading.


Stir to combine. Pound your boneless, skinless chicken breasts until about 1/4 inch thick. Coat both sides in the mustard mixture.


In a second bowl, combine 1/2 cup mayo, 2 TBS yellow mustard, 3 TBS honey and 1/2 tsp salt. Stir to combine. This is to drizzle over the cooked chicken.


In a bag, add one cup of whole pretzels per chicken breast. I put mine in a Ziploc and roll over them with my rolling pin until I have fine crumbs.


Take each mustard coated chicken breast and firmly pack on the crushed pretzels.


Place on a greased and foil lined baking sheet. Bake at 400 degrees for about 25 minutes, or until your chicken is cooked through and the crust is golden. For great color- spray each pretzel coated chicken breast with cooking spray before placing in the oven. Turn chicken once half way through cooking.


Drizzle with the Honey Mustard sauce and serve with your favorite sides. YUM!


(Pictured -Roasted Carrots and Radishes and Roasted Garlic Couscous)

New Easter treats to Love!

As I blogged before, I made my own Easter candy this year! In addition to the eggs and flowers I showed earlier, I also made Peanut Butter Easter Eggs and Jellybean Bark. March was a little crazy at our house, so I didn't get to make my Cadburry Eggs...but I will next year!

First, I combined peanut butter, butter, milk and powdered sugar. I had to add a little extra peanut butter and milk to get the consistency I wanted.


Then I shaped the peanut butter mixture into egg shapes and froze for 1 hour. I then melted my chocolate (I used milk chocolate on some and semi-sweet on others).


I dipped each egg into the chocolate to coat (I like using Fondue forks for this). After all the eggs were dipped, I put them in the freeze to set.


I then melted a few squares of white chocolate and added coloring (pink and yellow). I put the melted chocolate into Ziploc bags.

I snipped the corners and drizzled the eggs with it.

After the chocolate drizzle was dry, the eggs were finished....and DELICIOUS!


Then I melted my white almond bark for the jellybean bark. One full package of almond bark, melted and stirred to remove lumps.


I don't really like white chocolate or white almond bark, but this recipe was too cute to skip, so I added the zest of a fresh lemon to the chocolate...because I love lemon!

I then spread the melted chocolate on a waxed paper lined cookie sheet and sprinkled with Sassy Sour Jelly Bellys!


Allow the chocolate to set for 1 hour in the fridge, and then break into pieces. It was such a fun treat!

Happy Easter!