Baked Avocado Egg Cups

  Okay, I realize how long I have been MIA. Forgive me, I just have had a lot of stuff going on. One of which is that I moved back in August, so my kitchen is no longer ugly!!! Forgive me, but for simplicities sake I am just going to keep my blog name. I will post a picture of my pretty new kitchen when its clean (so probably never).

  I have been a on a slight healthy kick lately, not specifically for the new year, but because I have recently learned of some allergies I have. Wheat and sugar more specifically. I have been seeing a Naturopath (insert judgy comments from readers here) I know I know. Even my mom was judgy about it. I don't really care though. I just know that what she says about allergies makes sense, and I know I DO have problems with these foods. So call it an allergy, intolerance, whatever you want, I just know I am going to lay off the sugar and wheat for a while and see if I feel better. I think its important to take charge of your own health. You know more than anyone else if something isn't right. So if somethings wrong, change it!

  So, long story short, I'll be trying to post more, but they will be more sugar/gluten free recipes as I try to navigate through my new way of eating. Please leave me comments or follow me so I know whether I am talking to myself here:-)

  This morning I decided to cook a recipe I found on Pinterest-if you can even call it a recipe. All it is, is an egg cracked into an avocado halve and baked. Done. That's it. There's your recipe. Just try it. It takes longer to say the name than to actually make it. Set oven to 425, add salt and pepper and bake until its at your desired done-ness. For me that was about 10-12 minutes. It looked shinier and less cooked than it actually was, so you may want to poke the yoke and see if its a little firmer than it looks. At 12 minutes it wasn't runny anymore, just slightly wet. Some fat and protein will keep you pretty full for a while. Enjoy!

Grilled Corn

Corn Cobs
Melted Butter
Salt and Pepper
Cayenne Pepper

This is as easy as it gets.
















Brush on butter, sprinkle with salt, pepper and cayenne.















Wrap really tight, I use about 10 inch sheets of foil, whatever makes you giddy with excitement.

 Grill for 30 minutes over indirect heat.

So yummy!

White Chocolate Raspberry Cheesecake

Ingredients:

½ Cup + 5 Tbs Sugar

1 Cup Chocolate Cookie Crumbs (I used chocolate Teddy Grahams)

¼ Cup Butter, melted

1 10 oz Package frozen Raspberries

2 tsp cornstarch

½ Cup water

2 Cups White Chocolate Chips

3 (8 oz) Packages Cream Cheese

3 Eggs

1 tsp Vanilla Extract

Today is my daughters 9^th birthday. She's on to us. She knows we always save the good desserts for ourselves. Not this time!

Use a food processor to crumble cookies.

In a medium bowl, mix together cookie crumbs, 3 Tbs sugar and melted butter. 

Press firmly into the bottom of a 9 inch springform pan. You can use a regular pie pan if you have no other choice, but its not as pretty and it doesn’t hold as much.

In a saucepan, combine raspberries, 2 Tbs sugar, cornstarch and water.

Bring to a boil, and continue to boil for 5 minutes.  

Sauce shouldn't be lumpy when its done.

If you’re anything like me, you’ll want to set the timer because I walk away and forget I was even cooking anything. ADD anyone?

After boiling, remove from heat and strain sauce through a mesh strainer to remove the seeds. This part is a true labor of love. I did it because I love my daughter and she has asked for the hardest and most time consuming dessert for her birthday. If anyone knows a better way, by all means, tell me!

You'll want the scrape the sauce off the bottom of the strainer to get every last drop.

 

Preheat oven to 325 F.

This is where you cannot be a cheapskate.  Use Ghirardelli chips. 

It’s a rule. 

In a metal bowl over a pan of simmering water, melt white chocolate chips and half n half, stirring occasionally until smooth.  Then break open the extra bag of chocolate chips you bought and toss back a handful. I don’t judge.

In a large bowl (Kitchen-aid), mix cream cheese and ½ cup sugar until smooth. Add eggs one at a time. Blend in vanilla and melted white chocolate. 

Pour half of batter over crust. Spoon 3 Tbs raspberry over sauce over batter. I chose to swirl it around, cause that’s how I roll, but you don’t need to. 

Pour remaining cheesecake batter into pan and again spoon 3 Tbs raspberry sauce over the top. 

Swirl batter with a knife to create a marbled effect.

Bake for 55-60 minutes, or until filling is set. Cool, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 8 hours before removing from pan. Serve with remaining raspberry sauce.

Loaded Potato Soup from Cooking Light

Sorry about not having a picture today. I promise it looks scrumptious!

Loaded Potato Soup

 Ingredients: 
 1 1/2 lbs Red Potatoes
2 tsp olive oil
1/2 cup onion
1 1/4 cups fat free, lower sodium chicken broth
3 Tbs all purpose flour
2 cups 1% milk (I didn't have any so I used 1 cup fat free and 1 cup half n half)
1/4 cup reduced fat sour cream
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 black pepper
3 bacon slices (or if you like to live dangerously like me, you can use 10)
1/3 cup shredded cheese
4 tsp thinly sliced green onions

1. Pierce potatoes with a fork. Microwave on HIGH 13 minutes or until tender. Cut in half; cool slightly.
2. While potatoes cook, heat oil in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Add onion; saute 3 minutes.Add broth. Combine flour and 1/2 cup milk; Add to pan with 1 1/2 cups milk. Bring to a boil, stirring often. Cook 1 minute. Remove from heat; stir in sour cream, salt and pepper.
3. Arrange bacon on a paper towel on a microwave safe plate. Cover with a paper towel; Microwave on HIGH for 4 minutes. Crumble bacon.
4. Discard potato skins. (I just did the best I could, there were still some in mine and it was fine) Stick cooked potatoes into soup mixture and mash with a potato masher (ingenious, I know) Top with cheese, bacon crumbles and green onions. This Yields 4 servings, 1 1/4 cup serving.

We had just enough for 2 adults and 3 small kids (2 of which are picky and don't want to eat much) So double the recipe if you have more than 2 adults or kids who actually eat.


 Here's the nutrition info, if you're into that sort of thing:  Calories 325;Fat 11g; Protein 13g; Carbs 44g;    Fiber 3g

Breakfast for Dinner: Bacon Pancakes

Laziness. Plain and simple. Thats what has been wrong with me. Where have I been? I have definitely been cooking. Every day- in fact, more than usual because I'm trying to eat healthier so that equals not eating out. I have just been too lazy to pull out my camera, and then when I finally do, uh oh, the battery is dying so I only get one or two good pictures. Whatever. You don't want my excuses. You want food.

Gluttons.

  Heres that laziness coming out again. I'm just gonna link this post to Monica over at lickthebowlgood.blogspot.com (great blog btw). I came across this recipe a while back and I finally made it the other night when my kids and I weren't feeling good (cough, fever, yucky but still hungry), I hadn't been to the grocery store in decades (felt like), and I just wanted something no fuss and fancy at the same time. This is where the bacon comes in!

  I only had 3 slices of bacon left in my fridge and no desire to venture out to the store, so we made a new rule in our house: Only parents get to eat bacon. Seems fair. We bring it (the bacon) home after all! So I made my family regular pancakes but again, I wanted mine to be a little fancy shmancy. Since one of my great loves is dipping bacon in syrup (which totally grosses my husband out btw) I decided to crumble up my 1 1/2 strips of bacon, lay it in a skillet about the size I wanted my pancake, and poured the batter over the bacon. What resulted was truly beautiful. Okay it wasn't beautiful but who cares about looks when we're talking bacon and syrup?






Fancy is THAT easy.

I bet you wish you'd known that earlier so you could have impressed your future mother in law. Hahaha easier said than done, I know.


Sorry I couldn't wait to eat before I started taking pictures. Hey, I was starving! And I barely know some of you! Besides,  this way you can eat vicariously through me.

mmm.....so good!

(Notice only the top one has bacon, again I only had 1 1/2 slices and a 1/2 slice mysteriously disappeared....Do all your pancakes and it will be thrice delicious)



Bacon Pancakes

Do you need the recipe? Really? Just click on pancakes and then crumble bacon in them.

You're welcome. Now wipe all that syrup off your face.

Steak chimichurri with grilled garlic bread and grilled tomatoes

 Ingredients:

1 1/4 lbs shoulder center steak (ranch steak) or top sirloin about 1 1/4 inches thick

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

Season steak and grill until desired doneness. Let sit 5 minutes and then slice into strips.





Grilled Bread:
Crusty Bread
Olive oil
Minced Garlic

Combine minced garlic and olive oil. Brush both sides of bread and grill 2-3 minutes until you have good grill marks.

 Like so.

 Grilled Tomatoes:

4 Large tomatoes
Olive oil
Salt (optional)


Slice tomatoes and squeeze gently to remove some of the juices. Brush with olive oil and grill until warm, but still retaining shape (about 10 minutes)

 Chimichurri sauce:
1/3 cup packed fresh Cilantro
1/3 cup packed fresh Italian Parsley
3 Tbs. Olive Oil
1 Lg Clove Garlic
1 Tbs Red Wine Vinegar
1 Tbs Water
1/4 tsp Red Pepper Flakes
1/4 tsp salt

Mix all ingredients in a food processor. Spoon over cooked steak.

Enjoy!

Recipe from Ellie Kriegers Cookbook,"So Easy"

3 Packet Pot Roast

Ingredients:
Brown Gravy Mix
Ranch Dressing Mix
Italian Dressing Mix
Onion (Optional)
Baby Carrots
Potatoes
1/2-1 cup water
Oh yeah, and a roast. I usually use a rump roast, with a nice thick layer of fat (trust me)


This recipe is really complicated so you're gonna want to pay attention.


Slice onion and lay on the bottom of your crock pot.

Unwrap your roast and set on top of the onions, fat side up.

Not unwrapping it may lead to a big disappointment at dinnertime. You've been warned.

Open all 3 packets and mix together in a separate bowl. Pour over top of roast.

Add Potatoes, carrots and a 1/2-1 cup water (The recipe I had called for 1/2, I always do 1 full cup)





Cover roast and cook on low for about 7-8 hours.

This is the only roast recipe I have done that always turns out this moist and flavorful. If it doesn't work for you, I would recommend giving up cooking and hiring a personal chef.


If you want to make gravy, you can just strain the juice to get the junk out of it and then you're on your own. I am not a gravy connoisseur, so you'd better go call your mother.

Enjoy!
Recipe adapted from "Lick the Bowl Good"

Better than sex cake (Scandalous recipe!)

 Ingredients:  Devils Food Cake
(eggs, oil, water)
Sweetened Condensed Milk
Cool Whip
Large Symphony Bar with Toffee and Almonds


First off, don't tell your mother what the name of this cake is. She'll most likely embarrass you by making you tell your bishop what its called when he comes over for dinner when you're 13.
I'm guessing.





Bake the Devils food cake as directed. If you can't figure that out, you have no business making this cake.

When the Devils Food cake is done, take it out and let cool completely. Then take a candle (or pen lid) and poke holes all over the cake.

Take this beauty.......

....and pour it all over the cake. Try to get it inside the holes so it soaks through the cake. Sometimes I get an extra can of the sweetened condensed milk and use about half of it so the cake gets completely saturated in ooey gooey-ness. After its all spread over the cake, cover and put in the fridge for 4 hours or overnight.

Chop up your Symphony bar and stir it into the cool whip. I just use a regular sized tub of cool whip. Refrigerate for later.

This is the goodness that happens after overnight refrigeration. Ignore my ugly countertop.

Put a dallop of candy cool whip on top and enjoy!
I'll let you decide for yourself what this cake is better than ;)

Bacon, Leek and Tomato Spaghetti

Ingredients: 

1 lb thin Spaghetti, 

Extra Virgin Olive oil, 

3 Leeks,

6 slices bacon, 

minced garlic, 

3 cans Italian diced tomatoes 

(or whole tomatoes and just

smash them...you could pretend its

someone you don't like)

Basil, Parsley,

Parmesan Shavings

   Mad props to my guest photographer, (my 8 year old) Elaine! She loves taking pictures for me.....          she is a foodie photographer in the making.

Chop the root end off your leeks and peel off the outer layer. Slice the leeks down the middle, and then slice into small strips. Put leeks into a medium bowl and fill it with cold water and soak.

We really like bacon. It makes us happy. I know the recipe says 6 slices, but we do a whole package. Its about 12 slices. Center cut is the best bacon ever. It doesn't make too much grease, but just enough for this recipe.

Dice it up

Toss it into a large skillet with some evoo. Make it big. This recipe will fill up the whole thing. cook until bacon is a little crispy.









While the bacon is cooking, you'll want to separate the leeks layers. They are kinda like onions, but when they grow, they get dirt in between the layers. You want to kind of make a clothes washer agitator motion with your hand and get all that dirt out of them. I know, that sounds weird. Humor me.

When they're all pulled apart and clean, take a clean dish towel and lay it out on the counter. Pull the leeks out of the water with your hands (look at all the dirt in that water. Gross.) and spread them out over the towel. Lay another clean towel over the top and pat dry.

This is how you want your bacon/olive oil to look. Now you're not going to drain any grease. You want that bacon flavoring in the sauce. If you used Center cut, it won't be a lot anyway.


Ummm.....you may want to start your pasta water. I really hope you know how to cook pasta. Cook pasta to Al Dente.

Add a couple teaspoons minced garlic to your bacon. If you really like garlic (as I do) you can put more.


And more. 

A little more than that.

Okay. That's enough.
Oh yeah, now add the leeks to your bacon-y goodness. Simmer 3 minutes or so until the leeks are good and wilted.

Italian diced tomatoes.

These are tricky to find. The can may not say "Italian", it may just say, "Basil, Garlic & Oregano". Same thing. Buy it. Buy a bunch. You'll make this again. If you only find Italian Whole tomatoes, just mash them up in the pan.







Dump 3 cans of it into your skillet and mix it up.

Now add your perfectly cooked pasta. Take a food grabber thingy like mine, and go ahead and mix it in. Just like this. Keep doing it for about 3 minutes until the noodles are all saturated with the sauce.....

I didn't in this picture, but you can also throw in some basil leaves and mix them in (Wal-mart was out that day)
Cut up some fresh Parsley and sprinkle it over the top.

Add Parmesan shavings. I love Parm shavings. This is not the same with powdered Parmesan. Trust me. Shredded is not bad, but try to go for the shaved. It sounds dumb but it matters.


Enjoy! This serves quite a few people. My family of 5 eats a ton and we still have lots left for lunch the next day.


This recipe is adapted from Rachael Ray.