Overnight Oats

Have you discovered this yet?  I'm a little late to the overnight oats party, but man oh man what a tasty, easy breakfast.

I like the texture of overnight oats better than oatmeal prepared traditionally.  It's almost like an al dente version of oatmeal. 

I usually add bananas, but I was out when I took this picture

 I've been fixated on this particular concoction lately that's packed with flavor and lots of protein.  It's a recipe for peanut butter overnight oats, and it's fabulous.

It's really versatile, too.  You can easily tweak the recipe by adding whatever floats your boat.  Almond butter instead of peanut butter, walnuts instead of almonds, blueberries instead of banana.  Whatever you like!

All I know is I've been eating it weekly since I discovered it!  The above recipe is enough for 1 serving, and you can eat it cold right from the fridge or pop it in the microwave if you prefer it warm.  (which is also delicious) Cold in the summer is perfect and refreshing.  Also, the chia seeds really bulk it up, so I'm usually full until well after lunch.

How bout a little overnight oats experimentation? It's a tasty, healthy little breakfast!

Ta-ta for now.

Pizza Nachos

Alright, listen up.  This is important.  Ready? 

Pizza.

Nachos. 

Super easy to make, customizable to whatever floats your boat toppings-wise, and oh-so-delicious!

I made a batch over the weekend for some post-hike Saturday snacking and I can tell you right now it won't be the last time I make them.

I did make a few tweaks to the recipe I used. - Just because something calls for heavy cream doesn't mean you have to use it.  I'm just saying. 

Some of the ingredients

In the garlic cream sauce portion of the program, I replaced the heavy cream with whole milk, added a little corn starch to thicken it, and upped the crushed red pepper factor.

Next time, I'll add jalapenos and fresh diced tomatoes to the toppings, plus I'll add colby jack shredded cheese along with the parmesan cheese in the garlic sauce.  More cheese?  Duh.

I think the garlic sauce is what puts the nachos over the edge.  But, I didn't add as much garlic as what it called for because I have a tendency to over-garlic on a regular basis.

I'm working on it.  How about this bubbly garlic sauce love?

Once you've finished the sauce, it's as simple as piling in the tortilla chips, pouring on the sauce and layering the toppings.

I love how it looks in the cast iron skillet.  Legit!  This is just before going into the oven for about 7-10 minutes:

And here's the Pizza Nachos all happy and bubbly.  Can you hear them?  They're saying, "Get in mah belly!"

I'm not sure why I'm looking up in this next picture.  And I'm also not sure why I look like a bobble head doll.  Either way...mmm Pizza Nachos!
 

Happy snacking!

Ta-ta for now.

Veggie Apps

I didn't plan it this way, but I wanted to do an appetizer day & it ended up being a vegetarian-palooza.  The plan was to make 3-4 different kinds of appetizers, but my incessant grazing as I cooked got in the way.  By the time I finished making two apps, I was stuffed from my rampant sampling! 

My assembly line for deliciousness

But what I did make?  Turned out delicious!  I figured Super Bowl Sunday would be as good a time as any to pull the trigger on my appetizer day, and the paired down menu ended up being portobello mushroom fries and buffalo cauliflower bites. 

The portobello mushroom fries started with a flour and egg wash, followed by a dip in panko bread crumbs and freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano.

Do I have your attention yet?

Once all the mushroom slices were covered with panko, I baked them in a 425 degree oven for  about 8-12 minutes.

Ready to bake

They turned out good, but next time I'll add more salt to the flour dip and also to the final plate.

Could have used more salt all around!

I dipped the mushroom fries in marinara sauce, but you could also do a rémoulade or ranch.  Hell, whatever you want to dip them in is fair game.

I used this recipe from Closet Cooking.  This guy's blog is a good resource for recipes. - I've used it a few times.

How about this crunchy plate of love?

The second app was definitely the show-stopper.

Buffalo Cauliflower bites.  So.  Good.

I've already made this again since the first time we tried it because it was tasty with a capital T.

Well, truth be told, the hubby came home with another head of cauliflower a few days after I made them the first time.

His not so subtle nudge at a buffalo cauliflower bites encore, which I was totally on board with making. 

The recipe is really easy - I used this one from a blog I'd never heard of called Persnickety Plates.  I'm telling you, if you're even remotely intrigued by this recipe, MAKE IT.  It's delicious.

The hubby actually said, "I don't know if I need to have chicken wings again."  Bold statement.  But it hits on all the flavors you're looking for, and is a good way to sneak in some veggies.

Go experiment with some buffalo cauliflower bites.  Or portobello mushroom fries.  Go on.  Skedaddle to your kitchen.

Ta-ta for now.

Savory Oatmeal

I have to admit, the first time I read about savory oatmeal, my first thought was some version of "ew."  Now that I got over my initial reaction and dove in to try it, I'm more like, "Where have you been all my breakfast life??"

It was so unexpectedly delicious, and such a filling, hearty breakfast.  I stumbled on the recipe in an unlikely spot - on the Crate & Barrel blog in their recipes section.  Strange, right?

You can check out the recipe here - and I wholly recommend that you do.  Even though it sounds weird, trust me - it's unforgettable & well worth the effort.

There's so much flavor going on between the soy sauce and the sesame oil.  And the poached egg just ties it all together and gives it a richness that's just damn good.

By the way, if you've ever struggled with getting your poached eggs just right, you need to go here.  I've been following Alton's tips on poached eggs for years and I haven't had a bad one since.  Whirlpool method, baby!

I threw some kale into the savory oatmeal too because we had some, and it was a nice touch.  It's always a plus when you can easily add some veggies to breakfast.

I was full until about 4pm that afternoon after this meal!  It's an excellent contender for a pre-hike breakfast that'll dole out all the energy you'll need.

I'm telling you.  Savory oatmeal.  Go make it!

Ta-ta for now.

Creamy Cauliflower Sauce

I have to confess that I have a tiny tendency to over-garlic.  On occasion.  I can't help it.  I love garlic with a capital L.  Unfortunately for the hubby.  Especially when he doesn't indulge in the garlic party.

I was guilty of over garlic-ing on this latest dinner experiment, which thankfully was a solo experiment since the hubby was working late that night.  Thank God for him!

I discovered a recipe for creamy cauliflower sauce on one of the many food blogs I follow, called Pinch of Yum.

It's not too far from cauliflower mash, which I've made before and is fantastic.  This sauce is basically cauliflower mash with more liquid added, so it becomes more sauce-like.

It would have been better if I could have controlled myself with the garlic!  I made rigatoni with broccoli and tossed it with the cauliflower sauce and a healthy dose of Parmigiano-Reggiano.  I used this recipe as a base with a few tweaks here and there.

It was good, but I decided what it really needed was some bacon.  Just a strip or two, crumbled up and mixed in would have put it over the top and made it memorable.

So, the next night for leftovers I cooked up some bacon, chopped it up, sliced some cherry tomatoes & tossed it all together with the cauliflower sauce & the rest of the rigatoni and a little more Parmigiano-Reggiano.


It was definitely better.  Because bacon makes everything better.

Not a bad dinner experiment - over garlic-ed or not! 

So, I think the clear take away here is simple.

BACON.

Ta-ta for now.

Bacon Egg Cups

I get into breakfast ruts every so often.  I've been in a mini-one lately.  So, I tried a new egg recipe the other day, courtesy of a blogger/business woman I discovered named Wellness Mama.

She's a little nutty in some of what she puts out there, but her recipes are generally more mainstream than some of her more unconventional posts.  I've found plenty of her tips and tutorials invaluable, but I wouldn't jump feet first into everything she recommends!

Anyway, enough about the slightly wacky Wellness Mama.  I was intrigued by one of her egg recipes and decided to try it out a few days ago.  It helped me climb out of my breakfast rut, and it was easy & tasty.

Mostly because bacon.  It's easy to put together, and you can make a little more than what you plan to eat in one sitting to reheat during the week.

The gist is this.  Chop up some onions and peppers, (or whatever veggies you prefer) line a few sections of a muffin tin with bacon, & put the vegetables in the bottom of each muffin cup.  Beat however many eggs you're using with a little bit of milk and salt and pepper. (one egg per muffin cup - so I used four)  Last, add the egg mixture to each muffin cup.

Raw and ready for baking

Bake at 375 degrees for 30 minutes or until the eggs are set.  I topped ours with cheddar in the last five minutes of baking for a little cheese love.

Hot & bubbly, right out of the oven

They really puff up in the oven.  The eggs got surprisingly fluffy, sort of like a quiche.  And the bacon really makes it.

How about this love?

You might also like this baked egg recipe I wrote about not too long ago.  If you find yourself in a breakfast rut, consider one of these as a remedy - It worked for me! 

Ta-ta for now.

What's For Dinner?

My sister shared this recipe with me not too long ago and it's most definitely a keeper.  Great flavor combinations and healthy to boot.  Plus it features my favorite kind of olives:  Kalamata!

It's easy to pull together and I can't say enough about how much I love the texture of spaghetti squash.  It really can substitute for pasta.  Well, unless pasta is an absolute must.  Which if we're being real, is completely reasonable.

Sometimes pasta is just what you need and no substitute will do.  Okay fine, nothing can replace pasta.  Like how I did a 180 there?  I can't help it.  My love of pasta & bread is serious business.  But I'll stand by spaghetti squash as a nice alternative if you're not in that "pasta and pasta only" mind-set, and you feel like you need to shake things up.  This is what you'll need to make this deliciousness happen:
(For the complete recipe, scroll to the bottom.)

The first step is to roast the squash in the oven at 400 degrees for about 50 minutes.  All you need to do is slice the squash in half, scoop out the seeds, and smother it with extra virgin olive oil, salt, and pepper.  Place the squash cut side up on a baking sheet and just let it roast away.

Once you're at about 10 minutes until the squash is done, you'll want to get your veggies prepped & cooked.  Spaghetti squash has such a mild flavor on its own, so the bold taste of the olives and feta really work in this dish.

Once your veggies and feta are all bubbly and happy, you'll want to spaghetti-up the squash.  Its easy, you just have to drag a fork across the surface of the squash and it does its thing.

Try not to be distracted by my grody, well-used baking tray!

All that's left to do now is to plate it up.  Scoop out the squash and spoon your sauce on top of each serving, adding a little bit of parsley for a pop of color.  (I omitted the fresh basil in mine.  Just because I was lazy.)

This one's a tasty, light meal that you can't go wrong with - especially if you're a fan of feta and Kalamata olives. You know what?  I bet it would be even better with pasta.  And a side of bread.

Ta-ta for now.

A Big Green What?

"A Big Green what?" is pretty much the reaction of anyone who isn't familiar with it when I mentioned we were getting one.  That would be a Big Green Egg.  It's a ceramic grill.  But not just any ceramic grill.

It's the grill that the hubby has been lusting after for over 10 years.  The grill he's talked about getting for as long as I've known him.  The grill he not so secretly salivates over when he sees it in someone's yard.  Imagine a grown man wistfully lamenting, "Aw man, they have a Big Green Egg!"  I'm so glad he finally pulled the trigger on his mini-obsession!  He deserves it.

Once he assembled the base and put it all together, the next inevitable question was, "What's the first thing we should cook on the new hotness grill?"

After some back and forth, we settled on the obvious answer.  Ribs.  Of course.  So, we trotted our little butts down to the commissary to pick up some ribs and begin the inaugural Big Green Egg-athon.  Yeah, baby.

Slab 'o pork

The hubby has a dry rub he's been using for years that's tasty on pretty much any meat you feel like grilling.  Couldn't tell ya what's in it, but it's always good!  He slow cooked the ribs for about 4 hours and they turned out fabulous.

It turned out to be a Big Green Egg weekend.  Because after the inaugural rib dinner, we ended up doing pizza on the grill the next night.  The pizza was even better than when we cook it in the oven because the internal temperature of the grill gets the pizza stone so much hotter - which equals a crispier, perfectly cooked crust.

Almost there!  - Half pepperoni, half red pepper

I've decided I need to take ownership and get a handle on the ins and outs of cooking with the new grill.  Stay tuned for my first meal on the Egg!

Ta-ta for now.

Portobello Mushroom Burgers

Now I know what you're thinking.  If you're going to have a burger...then have a burger.  Right?  I mostly agree, but the portobello burger has its place too.  And the secret to this one is most definitely in the marinade.

It's nothing but simple, but the final product is, well nothing but tasty.  I don't remember where I found the recipe, so I'll include it at the end of this post.

We've made these before with delicious results, but I made a tiny mistake this time around.  The recipe calls for marinating the mushrooms for 2 hours, and I marinated them for more like 7 hours.  Oops!  The final product turned out a tad too salty because it sat for too long, so I recommend following the marinating time exactly.

We had a beautiful sunny day for grilling up our "burgers." I can't help but laugh at how damn pale we are these days.  The hubby jokes that he's so pale that he looks like a corpse that's been in the water for a few days.  I'm right there with him. - Gone are the days of the flip-flop feet tan!

 
A little bit of basting during the sear on the grill & the portobellos get nice and happy.

We served them on potato rolls with a little bit of melted mozzarella, leftover potato salad, and a side salad.  Delicioso!  It's an easy and flavorful meal that's just made for summer-time.  

And you know what makes it taste even better?  Following the marinating time of 2 hours.  Ha.  Scroll down for the recipe.

Ta-ta for now.

Yum!

Slow Cooker Beer & Brown Sugar Pulled Chicken Sliders

Photo credit: By Morabito92 (Own work) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

I've been a little fixated with using our slow cooker lately.  I've made at least 4 or 5 meals with it over the last few weeks, and it's rapidly becoming a front-runner in my cooking arsenal.

It's got to be the easiest way to whip up dinner.  Dump all the ingredients in and forget about it! 

The slow cooker lends itself to hearty meat dishes, so this recipe for pulled chicken sliders seemed like it would be perfect for a long, slow braise in my new favorite kitchen tool.

The recipe is super easy & delicious. - And I kind of love that I found it on a blog called The Beeroness.  She's gotta have some credibility with that moniker, right?  Spoiler alert:  she does.  It's a damn good meal.

If you double or triple the amounts, it's perfect to cook for a crowd.  Not that we entertain much, but maybe you do!  If you'd like to give it a try, you can find the recipe here.

I followed the recipe word for word, and I used Guinness for the dark beer.  King's Hawaiian slider buns were my go-to for the rolls, and for a side dish, I went with a cauliflower mash.  Also known as "faux" mashed potatoes, and pretty much the only way I like to eat cauliflower. 

I love the texture, and as you know I can't say enough about adding freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano at every possible opportunity.  Do I have to say it?  Reminders never hurt:  King. Of. Cheese.

Parmigiano Reggiano just can't help being the royalty that it is, and it elevates any dish you add it to. The recipe for cauliflower mash that I used can be found here. The only tweaks I made were adding a touch of whole milk because I didn't have any cream cheese, and I added a little bit of horseradish for some zip. If you've never tried cauliflower mash, you need to!

No doubt this was an exceptional slow cooker chicken dish. - You won't be disappointed with these stand out, simple sliders.  Now, go wrestle that slow cooker out from the back of your cabinets!

Ta-ta for now.

So good!

The Ultimate Comfort Soup

Maybe it's because it's the deep, dark winter, but I've been savoring the comfort food lately.  I mean, really savoring it.  The simple pleasure of a delicious meal prepared in my own kitchen has been a freaking God-send lately.

Could it be because it's been nothing but dark, dreary, overcast, and rainy for weeks upon weeks?  Upon weeks!  It's bordering on ridiculous.  And it's getting old.  Oh, rain is in the forecast for tomorrow?  And the next day?  And the next 12 days after that?  Soooper.

I guess I needed a weather-themed mini rant. - Although, we did just have a sunny, crisp, blue skied weekend and had a nice change of pace with some snow today.  Brightens up the landscape, for sure.

Let me reel myself back in to the topic at hand - which also helps to lift the crushing effect of the non-stop rain & dreariness:  Ina Garten's Winter Minestrone is OUTstanding.  We're talking top notch.  The best.  Second to none.  The bees knees!  Come on, how can I resist the opportunity to bust out with the bees knees?  Yet another phrase that I can't help but wonder about the origin of.  But again, I digress.

Ina's Winter Minestrone recipe is one of my all time favorite Minestrone recipes. It's so flavorful!  You can get the recipe here if you're interested in giving it a go. - Which you should if you're looking for a hearty soup for a chilly weekend night. I think the only soup that might top this one for me these days is a kick-ass homemade chicken noodle soup. 

Full disclosure, there's a fair amount of prep work as far as chopping veggies, but the end result is well worth the time and effort.  Definitely a weekend undertaking - not a quick, easy week night meal.

Here's the gist of what you'll need to pull this one off:

I love how colorful and aromatic the veggies get when they're all combined together and getting happy with the olive oil & spices.  The butternut squash is the "winter" veggie that makes the soup a little different than your standard minestrone.  But man, what a pain in the ass is it to peel and chop those mothers!  Pretty sure I curse all throughout the process. 

 
But, I think the real secret ingredients are the pesto and white wine added right before serving.  They add an excellent depth to the flavor of the soup.  The very last ingredient to add is the spinach, and I love how vibrantly green it looks:

It's one of those soups that gets in my head and I crave if I think about it for long enough.  I find myself making it a few times each winter.  The chunky vegetables, the texture, the flavor?  It's the best.  I've said it before, but Ina knows what's up in the kitchen.  Here's our Ina Garten's Winter Minestrone with garlic bruschetta, ready to get gobbled up:

How can you resist giving it a go after looking at that bowl full o' love?  You won't regret it.  And I bet it'll brighten that winter malaise if you've got that going on.  (Shush, Floridians) From my kitchen in the deep, dark Alaskan winter to yours...xoxo.

Ta-ta for now.

My "Fancy" Breakfast

It's not really fancy.  It just feels that way when you get a taste of it!  Ever tried baked eggs?  I don't remember where I first read about them, but I've been experimenting with all sorts of baked egg recipes over the last year or so, and it's become one of my favorite leisurely weekend breakfasts.

Baked eggs are all about layering.  And good cheese.  I recommend using smoked Gouda or smoked Gruyere, along with the king of cheese, Parmigiano-Reggiano...but I'm getting ahead of myself.

Alright, first things first.  I always start my baked eggs with some kind of leafy green.  Either spinach, swiss chard, or kale.  I find myself starting so many meals in this way, and the baked eggs are no exception:  good extra virgin olive oil, freshly ground sea salt and freshly ground pepper, crushed red pepper flakes, and garlic (either a dried spice variety or fresh - when I use a dry spice I use Tastefully Simple Garlic Garlic Seasoning Blend that someone gave me as a gift.  It's pretty good)

Once I get the pan heated up with the olive oil and spices, I wilt the greens over medium heat, and add just a splash of either white wine or chicken broth and cook it off at the very end for flavor.  Depending on what I have on hand, I'll add onions or peppers to the greens, too.  I've also added very thinly sliced mushrooms or shallots.  Whatever's in the fridge!

Kale, yellow peppers & onions

Meanwhile, you'll want to butter your ramekins.  I know it's not a standard kitchen accessory, but they actually come in surprisingly handy - I've used them often.  If you don't have any ramekins, you could also use a muffin tin.  Once the veggies are done and the ramekins are buttered, pile all the veggies in.

Then, just layer it up!  On top of the veggies, you'll want to add your cheese, and I like to add a little dollop of Greek yogurt here, too.  Like I mentioned before, a quality smoked cheese and grated Parmigiano-Reggiano work well.  I also sprinkle a little bacon bits or fresh bacon crumbles on top of the cheese.  Because, duh.

Next up is to crack the egg.  Grate a little more Parmigiano-Reggiano on top, along with salt and pepper & you're ready for the oven.

Left: Veggies in the buttered ramekin         Right:  Egg ready to go in the oven

Pop your eggs into the oven on 400 for about 12 minutes.  The goal is to have set whites and a runny yolk.  This probably won't be your cup of tea if you're not into egg yolk.  But if you are, I'm telling you, this is such a flavorful breakfast!  So much going on with the greens, cheese and yolk.

I usually serve it with either a toasted crusty bread if I have it, or whole wheat toast or English muffin.  It looks pretty when you take it out of the oven, but I like to mix it all up inside the ramekin to get all the flavors and yolk all melded together.  I top little bits of the mixture onto my toast and it's fabulous.

C'mon!  You know want to give some fancy breakfast a try!

Ta-ta for now.

Slow Cooker Jerk Pork

Old & busted on top and
new hotness on the bottom.  Giggity.

It was time.  The slow cooker that the hubby had loved and used for the last 15 or so years had given up the ghost.  Well, I shouldn't say that.  It still worked, only it had turned into this kind of situation:  (now this is where you imagine the slow cooker can talk)  Oh, did you want the high setting to actually mean high and cook the meal as it's supposed to?  I'm sorry, I'm not capable of that anymore.  My apologies on that less than tender beef stew I just turned out.
 
It was time to get rid of the old and busted.  Enter the new hotness.  I didn't do a whole lot of research into crock pots, but I did enough to learn that the model on sale at the Exchange was highly rated by the folks who do that type of thing.  So, the Hamilton Beach set it and forget it became our new crock pot.

The inaugural meal was a jerk pork recipe I found at slenderkitchen.com.  It turned out delicious.  As crock pot meals tend to go, it was pretty easy, too.  Not a whole lot to do once you throw everything in the pot.

The recipe called for chicken, but also recommended substituting pork if you're feeling it.  Since we had a pork loin in the freezer already, we went ahead and used that.

Here's the gist for the jerk sauce

I used my little Nutri-Bullet to whiz up all the ingredients for the jerk sauce.  It was super easy, and the scent of all those fresh ingredients was so fragrant once they were blended together.  I think next time I'll use more than just one jalapeno, though.  The finished meal could have used just a tiny bit more spice.  I ended up adding some crushed red pepper flakes to give it that extra kick of heat that it needed.

Ready to get zipped through the blender

Once everything was blended, it was just a matter of melding it all together and setting the slow cooker on low for 8 hours.  So yes, that meant I was pajama clad, chopping pepper and mincing ginger at about 9:30 in the morning.  But hey - I could be at work, right? I'll take experimenting with a new kitchen contraption and a new recipe over work any time.

About a half hour left till deliciousness

It didn't take long for the house to be inundated with the scents of jerk seasoning.  Not a bad melding of flavors to be wafting around throughout the day while I puttered around the house doing this and that.

This is a recipe that can easily be prepped the night before, and then tucked away in the crock pot before you leave for work in the morning.

It gets all happy while you're out and about for the day & you'll come home to a house that smells like a Jamaican haven of food love.  Is there anything better than coming home to the aromas of a home-cooked meal?  It counts as one of my favorite simple pleasures.  We served it over short grained brown rice & it was fabulous.  And now for one of my favorite parts...well, besides the eating it part.  The food porn picture:

Definitely recommend adding fresh pineapple in the last 30 minutes.  Makes it!

Damn good slow cooker meal!  And seeing as it's the start of hibernation time up here, this won't be the last of the crock pot dinners I tackle this fall and winter.   Which I'll more than likely be sharing here. Let's hear it for the new hotness slow cooker!

Ta-ta for now.