Devilishly Deviled Eggs {w/ recipes}

The right deviled egg recipe can turn you into near celebrity status in one perfectly planned summer picnic. Ok, maybe that's an exaggeration. But deviled eggs, when done right, are a crowd-pleaser. When wrong, well... you're more likely to become infamous.

Roasted Acorn Squash with Chorizo Sausage and Pineapple Jam {w/ recipes}

I'm not a vegetarian - 

I love bacon.

And a good steak.

And oh boy, a roasted chicken? Yes sir-ee and more gravy please.

- but lately I have been cutting a lot of meat out of my diet. And I like it.  

I used to think that you had to have meat to make it a meal, but there are so many other ways to have a balanced, protein-rich diet.

I have embraced flexitarianism.

It’s like Food Network Star contestant Nikki Dinki says, “I like my meat on the side.”

Loaded Baked Potato Salad {w/ recipes}

There's something you should know.

I don't like potato salad. 

It's true. I've never cared much for the stuff. At family reunions when my grandma tried to force feed me her famous potato salad, I respectfully declined with excuses of not having enough room on my plate or that I'd have some later. And in instances when excuses weren't accepted (Grandma is very persuasive), I spooned a little on to my plate and ate it. But not willingly.

greek yogurt & almond butter breakfast {w/ recipes}

It all started in high school. You see, until then I had never thought of yogurt as a breakfast food. Strange, I know. Yogurt was always a lunch item in my house, but high school sleepovers at my friend Amanda's house introduced me to yogurt and granola - one of the best breakfast combinations ever (and I LOVE breakfast).

Then came Greek yogurt. Thick, creamy and slightly tangy. At first I was sure I was eating sour cream. But all the labels said it was of the trendy and nutritious, Mediterranean cultured variety.

Cherry Pie Fruit & Nut Bars {w/ recipes}

Keeping with the health theme this week (I'm partaking in the 7 day green smoothie challenge), today I'm sharing a new favorite recipe. 

I absolutely love the cherry pie LÄRABAR®. They are perfect to satisfy my sweet tooth and curb my hunger before a workout. One day I looked at the ingredients to see:

dates

cherries

almonds

That's it. How simple! The next day I picked up the ingredients at the grocery store and got busy with my food processor. 

Bird's Nest Treats {w/ recipes}

hello friends. Today I am so happy to have Sarah from To Be Mrs. Collier guest posting. She is sharing some delicious Easter treats.

It's easy to get caught up in the fun of Easter - egg hunts and candy, ham dinners - but the real reason for Easter is plain and simple. 

For God so loved

the world

that he gave

his one and only Son,

that whoever

believes in HIM

shall not perish

but have eternal life.

- John 3:16

***

Birds Nest Easter Treats

Cranberry Orange Scones {w/ recipes)

There's something to be said about tradition. It gives stability and structure in times when things can be in array, which seems to be the norm in this world we live in. And while some could say that tradition can hold us back, I like to believe it roots us, and give us the foundation for our branches to grow tall.

Take the tradition of afternoon tea. A time each day to take a step back, sit down, enjoy some hot tea and a quick bite to eat. Sounds lovely to me.

So let us embrace tradition, particularly the tradition of tea time. Whether you drink coffee or tea or just water, come three o'clock, let's gather and sip away, chatting about our day, and nibbling on these delicious Cranberry Orange Scones.

Baby Beet and Blood Orange Salad {w/ recipes}

I love my husband. 

I love him more than I love any other person on this planet. 

I love and care for him more than I love or care about myself. 

I love how he understands me so well and how he can seriously read my mind sometimes. 

And I love how we can spend hours upon hours with each other, without doing anything "fun", 

and still have the best time of our life, just sitting, talking, laughing, and dreaming. 

But, there are times, when I enjoy being alone, i.e., without him. 

The times when he gets together with "the guys" and I stay home, alone.

I can blast Taylor Swift on the stereo, 

watch tv and read (at the same time), 

catch up on my favorite blogs, 

and spend hours editing HTML 

so that those little social media icons will actually work. 

Those times alone, by myself, I can also eat whatever I want. 

Homemade Noodles & Chicken Soup {w/ recipes}

The title of this post is no mistake. While normally people may say Chicken Noodle Soup, with this recipe, it's really all about the noodles.

And how could it not be? The noodles are homemade with love and worth the extra effort, because there are some things that simply cannot be replicated from a package.

Don't stop reading. Homemade noodles may sound scary, but really they're not. Plus it is the perfect way to show someone that you care about them enough to make homemade chicken noodle soup {I mean "noodle and chicken soup"}.

Jiffy Pudding {w/ sweets}

hello friends! Today marks the first day of my blog-o-versary month!

I started this little blog on Leap Day, February 29th, 2012. To celebrate I have lots of fun things planned this month, including treasured secret family recipes and a giveaway (or two).

Starting off this anniversary month is a recipe for a favorite dessert in the w/ household. This is a classic from Steven's family. He made it for me on one of our first dates {I guess he knew the way to my heart was showing me he could cook}.

It's home-baked goodness, and so easy (it's ready in a "jiffy", hence the name). This is super easy to throw together as you're making dinner and then it's ready for dessert.

new year. & a sangria recipe. {w/ recipes}

Happy New Year from the w/ household!

Hope your celebrations were filled with love and laughter.

We hosted a few close friends at our condo to ring in 2013.

I put together an easy appetizer spread -

Dark Chocolate Peppermint Truffles {w/ recipes}

hellos dears. Five more days.... yay!

Today I had the privilege to guest post over at Chelsea's Culinary Indulgence as part of her 12 Days of Christmas Treats. I made these delicious Dark Chocolate Peppermint Truffles.

These were surprisingly easy and so delicious.
Perfect for that special holiday party or to give as gifts!
{A bit better than the 7 Swans-a-swimming you'd normally receive on the 7th day}

So go say hi to Chelsea (she's adorable!)
and let me know what you think about the treat I shared.

Spicy, Smoky Chipotle Mac & Cheese {w/ recipes}

hi guys! happy Friday! If you have not yet entered the GIVEAWAY, you can do so here. All you need to do is comment with your entry and I will be picking a winner next Wednesday.

So, today is a very special day. Today, is my sweet husband's birthday. We are celebrating with dinner tonight at the Melting Pot. I've never been before, but I've heard that it's amazing. I'm ready to chow down and have my first real fondue experience. Mmmm... cheesy!

Speaking of cheese, this spicy chipotle mac & cheese is pretty amazing. It's got a kick, that's for sure. It's a really simple recipe, and surprising healthy. At least, it's healthy for macaroni and cheese. In fact the original recipe came from Cooking Light. I adjusted the recipe quite a bit though, given my opposition to bell peppers and onions. But the end result is pretty tasty if I can say so myself. It's also husband approved.

Iced Pumpkin Cookies {w/ recipes}

I've taken these delicious pumpkin cookies to several different parties over the years and they are always a hit. They're not quite cookie texture - some people have called them scones since their shape is similar, but these are very moist and almost cake/bread like. They're not overly sweet, but still a perfect treat for a cool fall day. Drizzled with a little icing and they're not bad to look at either. 

Simple Kale Salad {w/ recipes}

Have you noticed that kale has been all the rage lately? It seems like everywhere you turn, someone is raving about the benefits of kale: everything from lowering your cholesterol to preventing cancer.

And what's not to love? Kale is nutrient rich and delicious. It is packed with calcium, vitamin A, C, and K, and fiber.

I love to add it to my morning juice, hearty soups, sautee it with a little olive oil, bake it to make dried kale chips, and use it in a salad, like my recipe today.

Raw Carrot Ginger Soup (w/ health}

This past weekend the husband and I visited our friends in LA. They took us out to their favorite places, which, when you're visiting two foodies, pretty much revolved around eating. We ate, and ate, and ate some more. I'm still stuffed. The food was delicious - but today all I want to do is eat fresh fruits and vegetables, to try to make up for the exorbitant amount of meat consumed at Korean BBQ and a Dim Sum brunch.

And while I can't pretend like I am always a healthy eater, because you can find evidence of the contrary here, here, and here, I do try to have balance. I love fruits and vegetables, and try to make them the centerpiece of a meal when possible, like here.

Tonight for dinner is a recipe I found a few weeks ago, when my hubby and I decided to follow a 5 day meal plan for a Reboot. Have you seen the documentary Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead? It's all about the benefits of juicing and a journey to regain health. Despite the film's name, it's not one of those stomach churning, hard to watch films. It is thought provoking, informative, but also encouraging.

The meal plan we followed had tons of great "clean" recipes for juices and meals, including a delicious roasted acorn squash and this raw carrot ginger soup.

Salted Caramel Ice Cream {w/ recipes}

hello friends. hope you had a fabulous long weekend. it sure was hot in San Diego. perfect to enjoy a sweet and salty treat - salted caramel ice cream.

***

If you've been following along with me these last few months, you may remember my post on Salted Caramel Butterscotch Pudding. I must admit, salted caramel is one of my favorite flavors as of late. But up until a few months ago, I had never taken my try at homemade caramel. {On a side note, I had made caramel corn (with brown sugar and butter, a recipe I will share once the weather changes), but not real caramel.}

Having been around the baking/cooking world in the blogosphere and the kitchen for a few years, I had heard many woes about the trouble with caramel. Everything from making sure your pan is completely clean and dry to checking the temperature every 30 seconds. And these woes are with good cause - as of today I have made 2 successful batches, and 2 complete flops. 

So now, despite a few botched attempts, I think I have got the hang of it. So hopefully you will have great luck on the first try, and not end up dumping a lumpy caramel-like mess in the trash. In hopes of your instant success, here are some of my tips.

Salted Caramel Ice Cream

Salted Caramel Sauce
1 c sugar
1 1/4 c heavy cream
1 t vanilla
1/2 t fleur de sel (flaky sea salt) {or to taste, up to 1 t}

1. In a 10 inch pan, heat sugar over medium heat. It will be helpful to use a light colored pan so you can better gauge the color, but not necessary. Using a fork, mix sugar so that it heats evenly. STOP mixing once the sugar begins to melt. Do not mix even just a little, as it will start to clump and not melt evenly. DO swirl the pan around so that the sugar continues to melt evenly. Continue until sugar is completely melted and begins to turn a rich caramel color.

2. Once the sugar reaches the desired color, reduce heat and add heavy cream, stirring until combined.

This step threw me for a loop the first time (my second attempt, since the first attempt resulted in clumpy melted sugar that I scrapped before this step). I assumed the hot, melted sugar and the cream would easily mix together. All recipes said to just mix the cream and sugar until it blends together. And they are completely right. What they don't tell you is that it looks like a complete wreck - the sugar will turn into a sticky, tacky mess and want nothing to do with the chilled cream. And can you blame it? The sugar had a good thing going on. And the heavy cream came and messed it all up. But, keep stirring. They'll work through their issues and turn into a beautiful, sweet caramel.

3. Remove from heat and add vanilla and salt.

Ice Cream Base

You are of course welcome to use your favorite vanilla ice cream base (just omit the vanilla and most, if not all of the sugar), as the caramel will compensate. I prefer an egg based custard for my ice cream, but this is one of the few flavors where, in my opinion you can get away with just milk and cream. The caramel is just that good. 

*adapted from Alton Brown's Vanilla Ice Cream

1 1/2 c half-and-half

1/2 c heavy cream

4 large egg yolks

1/3 c sugar

1. In a medium saucepan, mix half-and-half and heavy cream, over medium heat. Bring mixture to a simmer, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat. 

2. In a medium mixing bowl. whisk the eggs until they lighten in color. Gradually add the sugar. 

3. Carefully temper the cream mixture into the eggs and sugar, adding small amounts at a time until a third of the mixture has been added. Pour in the remainder and return to the saucepan over low heat. Continue to cook, stirring frequently until mixture thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon and reaches 170 degrees F. Remove from heat and allow to cool 30 minutes.  

4. Mix cream mixture with salted caramel and refrigerate at least 4 hours, preferably overnight. 

5. Pour into ice cream maker and freeze according to manufacturer's directions, typically 25-35 minutes. Freeze for another 3-4 hours. The ice cream will be softer than normal recipes due to the caramel. It will melt in your mouth, in more ways than one. 

 Enjoy! 

Peachy Keen Pinterest

happy summertime my friends.

***

These peachy treats have been making my mouth water...




source Cooking Melangery via Pinterest

a sweet and tangy peach crostata with cardamom...  




source Yummy Mummy via Pinterest

a literal peach pie, with crust all the way around the pitted peach...




source My Recipes via Pinterest

grilled peach slices stacked with mozzarella and a zesty honey cilantro dressing...

source The Kitchn via Pinterest

peach wedges with prosciutto and goat cheese.

Don't these look amazing?

Cajun Chicken Pasta {w/ recipes}

happy friday! you've made it. now go out and celebrate. or stay in and make this delicious cajun pasta.

***

Steven made this dinner the other night. If you've never tried Cajun pasta - it's a fun one. Our friend Zac introduced us to the concept a few years ago. Zac is a fun character- a Texan, who calls his sweet wife " darlin' " and gets louder when he's excited about something. His recipe is very good, but when we were making this dinner the other night we didn't have everything we needed, so we decided to improvise.

Steven found a recipe online and we adapted it to our own tastes and what happened to be in our pantry. I had some spicy red peppers on hand from my neighbor's garden and some fresh tomatoes from mine.

Cajun Chicken Pasta {serves 2-4}
adapted from All Recipes

4 ounces linguine pasta

1 skinless, boneless chicken breast,
    cut into bite sized pieces
1 large Polish sausage
1 tomato
2-3 small red peppers

2 t Cajun seasoning

2 T butter

1 c heavy cream 

1/4 t dried basil

1/4 t lemon pepper

1/4 t salt

1/8 t garlic powder

1/8 t ground black pepper

1/4 c grated Parmesan cheese

1. Cook pasta to al dente, according to instructions on package.
2. Season chicken with Cajun seasoning and saute in butter
3. Add peppers and saute for 2 to 3 minutes. Reduce heat.
4. Add the cream, basil, lemon pepper, salt, garlic powder and ground black pepper, cooking on low for a few minutes. Add the cooked linguine and gently add the tomatoes. Once heated through sprinkle with grated Parmesan cheese and serve.

Grilled Vegetables and Quinoa {w/ food}

When the temperature rises, the last thing I want to do is turn on my oven and transform my house into a sauna.

Luckily, summer is the perfect time to grill outdoors. I picked up a small eggplant and sweet potato at my local market the other day. You could also easily use a variety of other vegetables including zucchini, portobello mushrooms, or summer squash.

I buy my quinoa at Costco so there is always plenty on hand.

Maybe you've seen or heard about quinoa but don't know what it is. Quinoa  (pronounced keen-wah) is a seed originally from South America. It is packed with nutrients like amino acids, calcium, and iron. It can be substituted for rice or cous cous and because of its high protein content is great for vegetarians, or anyone enjoying a vegetarian meal.

I started by slicing the eggplant and sweet potato into about 1/4 to 1/2 inch slices. The eggplant will cook pretty fast on the grill so if it is sliced any thinner it will get too soft. The sweet potato will take longer so I put it on first, but if you'd like them to cook at the same time just cut the potato thinner.

This was my first time using the BBQ by myself. For some reason I've always bought into the social norms and let my husband use the grill. It was a little daunting. But I've learned that using an outdoor grill (BBQ) is nothing to be afraid of (especially if its a gas grill).

I first brushed each piece with a bit of olive oil and sprinkled with Kosher salt and fresh ground pepper.

I put the sweet potatoes on first since I knew they would take longer. I let them cook about 5-7 minutes on each side over a medium high flame. Then I added the eggplant, about 3-5 minutes per side. While it was grilling I minced some fresh garlic and prepared the quinoa.

I used chicken stock to cook my quinoa, but you could easily substitute vegetable stock, or water, to make this a true vegetarian dish.

I tossed the grilled vegetables with the minced garlic. The flavor of garlic changes as it is cooked. Anyone who has ever tried to eat a whole raw garlic clove can tell you that uncooked it is unbearably strong, with a unique spiciness to it. Compared to the sweet flavors of roasted garlic they seem like entirely different food items. I tossed the minced, raw garlic with the freshly grilled vegetables and let the heat slightly cook the garlic to release some of its sweetness to complement the sweet potato.

I placed it atop the quinoa and sprinkled with a bit of parmesan cheese.

What you end up with is a delightful dinner. Packed with natural protein this is a perfect alternative for anyone looking to have a Meatless Monday or just enjoy grilled vegetables and quinoa.