Happy Fall

Hello crisp fall nights.

Hello pumpkin spice latte

and apples covered in caramel and candy.

Hello fall fairs with great food.

Helloooo pumpkin ale with cinnamon sugar rim!

Hello football.

Apple cider donuts and hot apple cider, hello !

 Hello hot, bubbling, comforting, homemade chicken noodle soup.

Hello carmel stuffed apple cider cookies and rustic apple tart.

*Hello Fall *

A Breakfast to Feel Great About

Red Pepper and Broccoli Quiche. 

If you are looking for a greasy spoon breakfast, this aint' it. Instead, this make-ahead breakfast is packed with protein and veggies.
I make a huge batch of these and freeze them. Take them out the night before to defrost. The next morning, pop them in the microwave or oven until warm. I suggest adding a little dash of hot sauce, and your good to go!

ingredients 

1.5- 2 cups chopped red pepper

1.5- 2 cups chopped frozen broccoli, defrosted

1/4 cup chopped onion 

32 ounces of egg beater egg whites

1/2 cup shredded reduced fat mozzarella cheese

directions

Preheat oven to 350. Mix all ingredients in a mixing bowl. Add a dash of salt and pepper. 

Spray muffin tin with nonstick cooking spray. Fill the muffin tin with egg mixture. (You may need to use a spoon to evenly distribute veggies.) 

Bake until edges are brown and centers are cooked. Approximately 30 minutes. 

Cool before freezing. 

Tips: Use a knife to score the edges of muffin tin and then lift out the individual quiche. Also, after defrosting dab with a paper towel to soak up any extra moisture.

Top of the morning to ya! 

2 Ingredient Pulled Pork

This is by far the easiest recipe. So easy that it really isn't a recipe. Plus, it is so delicious it is hard to believe there are only two ingredients. You will need a crock pot, if you don't already have one I really suggest investing in one. (Click here to learn why.)

Ingredients 

1- 2 lb pork sholder

1 bottle of BBQ sauce (I always use Sweet Baby Ray's BBQ sauce)

Directions
Place pork loin in crock pot. Cover with barbecue sauce, about half the bottle.

Cook on low for 7 hours or high for 4 hours.

Shred with fork and add a little more barbecue sauce.



This is perfect to make the night before, or even in the morning before work. Personally, I like my pulled pork cold and left over from the day before.

Dinner is ready!

Skewered Chips

Skip the expensive steak house this weekend and grill up a nice juicy sirloin steak and these babies:

Skewered Chips 

ingredients 

wooden skewers 

potatoes (one Idaho per person)

extra-virgin olive oil

salt 

directions
Soak skewers in water for about 30 minutes to prevent them from browning in the oven.

Thinly slice potatoes, about one centimeter thick. Place potatoes on a paper towel to soak up any moisture. Skewer potatoes. Drizzle heavily with oil and sprinkle with salt.

Place on baking sheet and bake at 450 until potatoes are brown and crispy, about 45 minutes.

Sprinkle with salt and serve.

Try adding a little chipotle ketchup, cheese sauce, or vinegar to these gems. 


Happy Friday!

Tomato, Mozzarella, and Pesto Crostini

Junior year of college I studied in Italy for a semester. It was one of my most memorable experiences. It was definitely the most memorable food experience. I ate 24/7. It's Italy, that is what you should do, right?  Everything tasted so amazing. 

One thing I ate pretty much every day was a toasted tomato, mozzarella, and pesto sandwich. So good, lots of carbs though. Which is why it should have occurred to me that despite walking everywhere, I was gaining weight. 

I still like to make this sandwich at home but prefer to make it crostini style. I think it tastes better and keeps the carbs down. 

ingredients 

fresh tomatoes 

fresh mozzarella 

basil pesto 

ciabatta or Italian bread 

directions

Slice the bread as thin as possible, about 1 centimeter thick. Layer on pesto, sliced tomatoes, and shredded mozzarella. Sprinkle with salt&pepper. 

Place crostini on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and toast in the oven until cheese is melted and bread is crispy. This takes about 10 minutes on 400.

Mangia!

boneless buffalo chicken salad

In all seriousness I think I could be a vegetarian if it wasn't for boneless buffalo wings. And a boneless buffalo wrap, forget about it! I still remember running to the cafe after my 11:30 class waiting in line for a buffalo wrap and savoring every single bite. Even thinking about it would make me want to drive the 8 hours back to college and get in line!

That being said, and frighteningly not that much of a joke, I needed to come up with my own (healthier) version.

So here it is... a very healthy and delicious boneless buffalo chicken salad wrap.

ingredients 

1 lb boneless skinless chicken breast (or a rotisserie chicken)

1/2 to 1 cup non fat plain Greek yogurt 

1 tablespoon hot sauce (I like Red's Hot Sauce)

2 tablespoons blue cheese crumbles

wholewheat wrap

your favorite veggies 

directions
Rinse and dry chicken. Place chicken on a baking pan and drizzle with a little olive oil and salt&pepper. Roast in oven at 450 for about 20 minutes or until fully cooked. (Skip this step if you are using a rotisserie chicken.)

Shred chicken into a mixing bowl. Add in yogurt, hot sauce, and blue cheese crumbles. Mix until well incorporated.

Arrange on a wholewheat wrap with your favorite veggies. I like arugula, chopped carrots and celery, or red onion.

Lunch is ready !

BigMac Pizza

It is that time of the year again, football season. Our Sundays are now dedicated to the TV, well at least my husband's are. For me this means cooking season. Even though I can't follow a football game to save my life, I love to get in on the hype and cook up some festive treats for each game.

For yesterdays game we had one of my husbands favorites, BigMac Pizza. He is always amazed at how much it really does taste like a BigMac.

This is the ultimate guy meal. So for all you ladies out there who want to cook your way to a mans heart, follow the directions below!

ingredients

one dough ball (or prepared pizza crust)

1 lb ground hamburg (substitute with ground turkey for a healthier alternative)

6 or so pieces of American cheese

chopped tomatoes 

chopped red onion

chopped iceberg lettuce

chopped dill pickles

3 tablespoons or so of thousand island dressing 

2 tablespoons or so of ketchup 

olive oil 

Preheat oven to 350. Roll out dough and place on a lightly oiled baking sheet. (If you are using a prepared crust, follow the package cooking directions.) Meanwhile brown hamburg in a skillet over medium-high heat. Once the hamburg is just about down add a few squeezes of ketchup. Remove dough from oven. It should be cooked about half way, just before browning.
Add a little olive oil to the top of the crust and then add hamburg. Layer on some American cheese and finish cooking in the oven until cheese is melted and crust is golden brown. Once dough is cooked (about 20 minutes) remove and add on thousand island dressing and veggies.
Pop the pizza back in the oven for about 5 minutes just to get all the veggies warm.
Slice and serve! Add a little ketchup and mustard if you so please.
{recipe via Angela's Coal Fired Pizza .... best pizza in New England!}

Hope you enjoy!