Pizza! hold the red sauce

i am so sorry i have not been very good about posting this month. its a crazy month for us - wedding season has begun!!

the other night i made a perfect pizza - i do not like red sauces but i do love cheese and bread so i made up this delicious version of a sauceless pizza.

i got a whole wheat thin crust pizza crust from Harris Teeter

for the sauce:
in my mini food processor i added:
-olive oil twice around the container
-1 clove of garlic
-handful of frozen spinach
-crushed red pepper flakes
-shredded parmesan cheese, one handful
-touch of sea salt

then i grinded that in the mini food processor. once that was to the consistency i liked, i brushed it on the crust, leaving almost an inch around the edge.

then i added 4 thin slices of prosciutto

then i topped it with very generous portions of shredded mozzarella cheese.

i followed the instructions on the thin crust label - heated the oven to 450
degrees and once the oven was ready i turned it down to 425. i placed the pizza crust directly on the rack, in the middle of the oven. i put a baking sheet on the rack below it to catch any cheese or sauce that might drip.

it only took 8 minutes and it was incredible!!!

enjoy!! and please let me know any variations you might have for an alternative to the red sauce!

leftover nachos

i am loving this bridal shower that i had almost a week ago!! my fridge is stocked full of delicious leftovers that i can mix and match into great new meals! im like my very own taco bell. they have like 7 ingredients that they combine to make so many delicious menu items and they are always coming out with something new! they are genius and i am imitating their genius in my very own kitchen.

so yesterday i had the most incredible nachos ever. it took about 1:30 secs to whip this masterpiece up.

i used:

leftover pita chips
shredded cheddar cheese -leftover from the mini mac&cheese bites
1/2 jalapeño - leftover from the "less is more guac"

i spread the pita chips on a plate, added the shredded cheddar. popped in the microwave for 30 secs. and added a slice of jalapeño to each pita chip. absolutely amazing and i truly believe it had to do with the pita chips. here is my friend, rebecca's recipe for the pita chips.

Take the pitas (she did 2 batches, one plain and one whole wheat) and cut them open (cut around the rim) so you have two circles.

Then brush with olive oil on the inside portion. Sprinkle with
salt and pepper over the olive oil.

Then stack them and cut them into the
wedges. Cut the stack like your cutting a pizza into 6 slices.

Then put the wedges on a cookie sheet (with aluminum foil on the bottom) and bake at 350
for 10 minutes. Keep a close eye on them because they can burn really easy.

enjoy!!
my camera has yet to be replaced so here is a picture of my puggle puppy cosmo. he loves the nachos as much as i do. i let him lick the plate when im done but no jalapeños for him!

Artichoke Dip

on saturday my friend, rebecca, and i threw a shower for a friend of ours who is getting married in a few weeks. it was a perfect opportunity for me to use all of my fabulous wedding gifts. the platters, dishes, cookware, etc all finally had their time to shine.

i made my delicious "less is more guac" in my molcajete. and mini mac&cheese bites with my mini muffin pan, from the mini cupcake post. i will share that recipe with you all soon.

rebecca made this incredible Artichoke Dip using my Emile Henry Ruffled Auberge Oval Baker. she served it with her homemade pita chips and it was a huge hit!

1 can artichoke hearts (progresso) - drain, rinse, and chop up into little
pieces
3/4 Cup Mayo
1/2 Cup Parmesan (i generally add twice the recommended amount, you can
never have too much cheese)
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 pinch garlic powder
Ground Pepper

Mix all of the above together. Then sprinkle a generous amount of Parmesan
on top. Bake at 350 degrees until bubbly and golden. Yummy!

the Great Dutch Challenge

the Great Dutch Challenge will go down this evening. i had planned on doing it friday but we are going out to dinner to celebrate my brother in law turning in his final exam for biz school!!!

some last minute rules have been brought to the table.

1. my husband is "off the white" and by that he means white bread, rice, grits, bread etc.
2. he also tells me at my $40 limit is a joke and should be brought down to $15.

with these new rules i am rethinking my meal and i will really appreciate any last minute advice :)

Shrimp Fried Rice

last nights dinner definitely had a few more steps involved than normal but it was totally worth it.

you will need:

brown jasmine rice
pam cooking spray
veggies - i used 2 different bags of frozen veggies. one w carrots, beans,corn and peas and the other was a lima bean corn combo.
8 shrimp - i had the frozen bag on hand.
egg whites
3 garlic cloves
butter
soy sauce

i began by steaming the rice in our rice steamer. i wanted to make enough so i would have enough leftover for lunch today. i used 1 cup of brown jasmine rice and 2 cups of water. it takes about 15 minutes.

while that is going, i took out a large frying pan, spayed it w pam and added the frozen veggies to a medium heat. i let those warm up and then i added the egg whites, about 1/3 of a cup is equal to 2 eggs. i mixed them with the veggies and let those warm. i then added the mined garlic and shrimp and soy sauce. the shrimp are already cooked so i just need to warm them up. by then the rice is done and i added the steamed rice and a tab of butter to the pan. i mixed all of that and added a bit more soy sauce. it was pretty incredible i must say. very fresh, very healthy, very tasty.

while we were in thailand on our honeymoon, one of the places we visited was Ko Racha (see pic below) the resort offered a breakfast buffet that included fried rice. i had some every morning and while mine is no where nearly as good as theirs, i suppose this could also be eaten for breaky :)

Challenge update

it's tuesday which means that i have 4 days to come up with a recipe for my Challenge. i have 1 idea but i am not sure that it is meant to be prepared in a dutch oven. so i am reaching out to you all for any helpful ideas or suggestions. if you have anything please feel free to leave it in the comments. i really appreciate it!!

5 minute Breaky

sad news...my camera is broken. it had a long run but sadly it's time is up. so until i can buy a new one this blog might be a little bland, just like my cooking :)

this morning's breaky was a beauty. I am trying to have something that will sustain me until lunch time so i try to balance proteins and carbs. i also do not have tons of time in the morning to make breaky so here is a fast, easy and delicious breaky.

Breaky Sammie

egg whites
tomato
mozzarella
2 pieces of oat bran bread

a trick to making a fast breaky is how i make the eggs. in a tupperware container i add the egg whites and pop them in the microwave for 2 mins. note: spray a little non-stick cooking spray in the tupperware before you add the eggs so they dont stick. this is a great way to cook the eggs bc they come out in a perfect shape to put on a piece of toast.

then add the tomato slice and the mozzarella, a little salt & pepper if you prefer and that is that - you are done!

here is a pic of my husband on our honeymoon. he was enjoying a thai whiskey & soda for breaky. another delicious option for breaky but i do not recommend it unless you are a)working from home or b)working from this pool.

Shelby's Spicy Scramble

good morning!! we woke up nice and early today so my husband can go over to his mom's house to help his sister repaint the sunroom as a surprise for her birthday - what lovely kids :) i am sticking around here for my brother's last home lacrosse game. both of us will be very busy for the day and prob won't get a chance to have lunch (i'm totally getting a hot dog with my dad at the game but i don't tell my husband this) so i am going to make us a delicious, filling, energizing breaky.

Shelby's Spicy Scramble was made up on the spot and if i do say so myself, is quite delicious. here is how it went down:

2 hot sausage links
olive oil
1/2 jalapeño
1 garlic clove
egg whites
1 piece of oat bran toast

heat up a frying pan on medium heat, add a touch of olive oil because the oils will cook off from the sausage and help it not stick.
remove the casing from the sausage and add to the pan. break up the sausage as it cooks.
while you are waiting for that to cook dice up the garlic and 1/2 jalapeño **my husband and i like our food very spicy. you don't have to add the jalapeño bc the sausage is already hot**

when the sausage is almost done pour out the grease into an old can or whatever you have handy, just don't pour it down the drain. this is tricky bc you do not want to lose any of that amazing sausage so do this slowly and carefully.

then return the pan back to the burner and add your egg whites. i use the carton of egg whites so i just poured in the egg whites until they covered the sausage. start scrambling.

once the eggs are scrambled add th garlic and the jalapeños. it is important that you add the garlic last bc you do not want to over cook it - it will make it have a very bitter taste.

enjoy it with a piece of oat bran toast or any other carb. my husband says it's important to add a carb such as toast or black beans to the breaky so you aren't hungry in a couple hours.

have a great day!!

Challenge

i wonder how i have managed to survive this long cooking for myself, i honestly don't know a thing about it. and most of it comes from a lack of ideas. now i am responsible for feeding myself and my lovely husband. thanks to all of our fabulous friends and family, our house is filled with these wonderful cooking supplies and i am at a total loss. i registered for them so i know i had the intention to use them. once they arrived i seem to have found a lovely place for them in a cabinet or drawer but i have yet to test them out in the dishwasher.

so last night my husband came up with a brilliant idea. he has set up a challenge for me. i have to use either the flame le creuset round dutch oven or the blue le creuset oval dutch oven - i think the difference is what sort of things you can cook in each. the oval one lends itself more toward meats and poultry while the round one can do more of a stew/vegetable stew. but please don't hold me to that. so i have been given 1 week to come up with a simple, cheap dinner to prepare in either dish.

my goal is to create a meal for less than $40 using ingredients that are simple, delicious and take less than an hour to cook.

wish me luck.

right idea, wrong execution

last night i was craving a potato with sea salt and balsamic dressing. not sure why, but regardless we had those supplies in the house so i was ready to make it happen. as i was standing in the kitchen, i must have looked lost or confused bc my husband came in to check on me. he recommended that i try elaborating on my "topping" of salt and balsamic. he said i should mix olive oil, balsamic, garlic, jalapeño, salt and pepper. what a genius he is!! that sounded incredibly delicious so i began by getting out the mini food processor.

next i added:

2 swirls around of olive oil (way to much, you should only add a cap full)
1 garlic clove
1/2 a large jalapeño
couple grinds of sea salt
couple grinds of pepper
2 swirls around of balsamic

i grinded that in the food processor while i was waiting for my little red potato to cook in a pot of boiling water.

potatoes take a lot longer than i realized to cook. this was a smaller red potato and i had it in the boiling water for like 20 mins. during that time i came very close to finishing a wedge of brie cheese and a sleeve of whole wheat water crackers. so i finally got tired of waiting for the potato to cook and just took it out, cut it into some wedges and added the mixture, which i am naming Brennan's Balsamic delight.

aside from a few hiccups it was delicious - it definitely has great potential and i plan on perfecting it tonight and posting about it tomorrow. the pic is not appetizing, i know but i promise that it was delicious - the jalapeño was so strong my lips were numb and the balsamic is just down right delicious.

Mini's

last night i had a girls dinner get together - so fun. we were all suppose to bring an appetizer or something along those lines. i had intended to make some mini mac&cheese bites but they take about an hour to make and require a slew of ingredients so that didn't happen. instead, i just popped in safeway on my way home from work and grabbed the funfetti cake mix and a thing of chocolate fudge icing to make mini cupcakes! holy smokes were they good (still are. i have left overs and i had 2 for lunch). this does not qualify as a recipe because i just followed the directions on the box. i did use the egg white recipe not the regular one.

what i am going to tell you about is the absolutely adorable mini cupcake tray i used! it is so much fun to have and if you know that you will be hosting/attending/invited to any sort of party where you will be serving food this little tray is a must. you can make so many things that just look perfect at a party! plus, girls always appreciate that they can have a cupcake, so long as its mini.

i would also like to take this opportunity to wish my best cousin a very happy birthday - love you teddy!!

Broccoli's Big Debut

my husband and i have been married for almost 3 months and have been together for almost 3 years and we have never had broccoli in the house. This is not an exaggeration. This is not to say that we don't eat our greens, we have spinach all the time, edamame is a staple in my diet and peas have been seen on more than one occasion. Neither of us really enjoys broccoli but for some reason i was all set to include broccoli in our dinner last night. So, if you are looking for a way to incorporate more broccoli into your diet i highly recommend this meal.

Spicy Sausage & Broccoli with Pasta

you will need:

2-3 cloves of garlic
olive oil
crushed red pepper flakes
3 large hot sausage links
1 bunch of broccoli
1/2 box pasta - i used spaghetti bc its the only thing i had on hand but i recommend a smaller pasta like penne or even orzzo or plain risotto.

what to do:

in a large pot add water and salt (remember it helps to flavor the food as well as to help speed up the water boiling!!) while your waiting for the water to boil cut up the broccoli. once the water boils add the broccoli.

in a large frying pan add a little bit of olive oil. remember that you do not need to add much bc the oil from the sausage will help to keep it from sticking to the pan. while that heats up remove the casing from each of the sausage links (if you've never done this before its quite an experience) and add the sausage to the pan. break up the sausage with a spoon or spatula. it takes about 8 minutes to cook and while its cooking it become easier to break up.

after you get the sausage going (about 4 mins) take a large slotted spoon and remove the broccoli into a strainer. run the broccoli under cold water. then add the pasta to the pot of boiling water and continue to cook the pasta for about 8 minutes.

while you are waiting for the sausage and pasta to finish chop up your garlic. When the sausage has about a minute left add the garlic and crushed red pepper flakes. mix those together and then add the broccoli to the pan. turn the heat to low

the pasta should be ready now so transfer the pasta into your serving bowl then add the sausage and broccoli on top.

enjoy!!

ps i just had our leftovers for lunch today and it tasted amazing!! and i'm so proud of myself because i've had broccoli twice in 2 days now!

here is a picture of cosmo, waiting patiently for a little sausage treat!

Comfort Food

it has been cold and rainy for about a week now. i am so ready for the warm sunny days of spring but it seems that mother nature has other plans.

so i have been thinking of different comfort foods to help warm me up on these dreary days. my absolute favorite is a super cheesy grilled cheese. this also goes perfectly with a warm cup of tomato soup - Campbells is affordable and easy to make.

for the super cheesy grilled cheese you need the following:

garlic power
butter
2 slices of bread - use what ever you have around.
2 slices of american cheese

to prepare:

turn on the stove to a medium or medium low heat. put a pad of butter into a frying pan.
butter 1 side of each slice of bread. place the buttered side of one slice onto the frying pan. add the 2 slices of cheese. then add the other slice of bread, butter side up, on top of the cheese. now put a dash of the garlic powder on the buttered side that is facing up. wait a couple minutes then flip the sandwich. add a dash more of the garlic powder to the other side of the bread.
i like my bread lightly toasted but you may cook it however long you like. the american cheese is super melty and goes perfectly with this quick and easy recipe but you may substitute any kind of cheese. just be aware that the cheese and the bread may melt and toast at different times.

when the sun finally comes back i love to add tomato to this for a special twist. and obviously bacon is always a welcome addition. the 5 minute microwave kind is perfectly acceptable if you do not want to deal with the clean up.

i'd like to know - what are some other comfort foods that help you get through bad weather, bad moods or a massive hangover sunday?

Heaven in Foil

i feel bad about the botched dinner so i will also post a super delicious treat. this little delicacy can be for breakfast, lunch, dinner or even to go. it's also perfect because you can add just about anything you want to it and change it up. here is what i came up with the other night...

egg white scramble with leftover guac (from the Less is More Guac i had made earlier in the week)

you will need the following:

pam cooking spray
tortilla
egg whites - i buy the egg whites that are in the cartons. makes life much easier.
shredded mexican cheese
hot sauce - any kind you like. today i got to use a new bottle of Texas Pete
guac - optional
aluminum foil

here is what you do:

get a sauté frying pan and turn the stove on to medium heat. spray a little pam cooking spray to help grease up the pan so the eggs won't stick. let that heat up for a minute or so then pour in your egg whites. i usually pour in enough so that its a thin layer coving the bottom of the pan. these eggs will heat up quickly so don't wander away.

once the eggs are scrambled turn off the heat an add the shredded mexican cheese.

lay the square of foil out and put the tortilla on top of that. then carefully add the scrambled eggs to the center of the tortilla.

add a little guac on top and hot sauce.

now roll up the tortilla - fold the sides in then start rolling it like a burrito.

finally, secure the burrito in the foil. this will be a huge step because the foil will catch anything that may drip, fall or slide from the wrap. also makes clean up a snap.

I Totally Botched It :)

as much as i want this to be a story of successful dinner options the reality is that more often than not i screw it up. last night was a prime example. i am not sure where i went wrong but it was terrible. my husband, bwing the kind man that he is, said that if you just add salt to it it tastes just fine. (i should note here that we have now run out of salt) so here is what i did and and i hope that it helps you avoid that same mistakes that i make.

what i wanted to make : homemade pesto with spaghetti

what i ended up with: sticky bland dry noodle mess

what i did: in the small food processor -the gem of my kitchen - i put:
basil leaves, prob close to 8 which i think its too many
olive oil, just sort of twice around the cup. i could have probably used a lot more
pepper
sliced almonds
crushed red pepper flakes

i then boiled water, added salt and the spaghetti. then dumped the noodles into a strainer and then transfered the noodles into a serving bowl. i think here is where i might have made some mistakes. 1. i over cooked the noodles. 2. i should have left some of the cooking water to add to the "pesto" mixture.

i then added the "pesto" and some butter - i was desperate now because the "pesto" was clumping.

end result was EEEWWW.

things i will do differently next time:
look up a homemade pesto recipe
think things through before hand and not make things up as i go along
keep better watched on the clock....maybe i should invest in a timer for the kitchen?

Less is more Guac

last night i went out for mexican and of course i ordered extra guac with everything. i must share my favorite and best guacamole recipe with you. i heart guac because everyone has their own take on it and i think it is really fun to try new things. I started out adding just about everything but the kitchen sink and have gradually began adding less and less. my friends in cali will tell me that im dead wrong in my approach and that they are the only ones who know how to make guac. well, to them i must say - the challenge is on.

without further ado here is my Less is more Guac:

2 hass avacados - not to soft bc you still want it to be chunky after you smash the ingredients.
splash of lime juice
1 jalapeno
1 small clove of garlic
1/4 of a red onion


first - if you have a small food processor this could not get any easier. drop all ingredients, except the avacados, into the food processor and chop.

if you do not have a food processor ask for one for your birthday. they really do change your life. you can find a small one by Cuisinart that takes up no counter space and is small enough to store in a cabinet.

i also heard that if you run an onion under warm water it doesn't make your eyes water when you chop it. so try that if you haven't bought that food processor yet and must chop up your ingredients try that and let me know how it goes.

for the avacados, i like to pit them, section each half and spoon them into the serving bowl. that just makes it easier to blend all the ingredients with out totally mashing the avacados.

add the other ingredients and mix well but avoid smushing the avacados. serve with whatever you want and enjoy!

ps i realize i could have put a picture of guacamole but i am so excited that my husband is taking me to the Pearl Jam show in june i can think of nothing other than that right now....

Shelby's Spaghetti

My favorite easy pasta – it actually tastes better as leftovers!

What you will need:

Olive oil

1 box of pasta – I prefer spaghetti but angel hair or anything else will work.

Crushed red pepper flakes – this is something you def have on hand at all times.

Garlic – you can use 1-3 cloves depending on your preference. Or if you have it already chopped up then a teaspoon will do.

Frozen shrimp – also something that you should have on hand at all times. They sell the big bags in the grocery store seafood freezer section. I get the ones w the tails but that just means you have to cut them off later.

Step 1:

Fill a large pot with water and add salt. This is for flavor as well as a method to help the water boil faster! Set a burner on high and wait for the water to boil. Once the water begins to boil empty the box of pasta in the water. It takes between 7-9 minutes for the pasta to cook. I recommend taking a piece out to bite as a test how firm it is.

After you place the pot of water on the stove take a small bowl and pour in the shrimp – about 5 or 6 per person – and run warm water over them. This helps to defrost them and once they are defrosted you can cut off the tails.

In a large sauce pan pour some olive oil – just enough to cover the bottom of the pan but do not make a lake! Chop up the garlic into very tiny pieces. Then add a few strong shakes of the crushed red pepper – depending on your spicy level – and add the garlic.

Let that cook for two minutes then add the shrimp. Now, the shrimp are already cooked but frozen so you should only cook them for about 3-4 minutes on each side.

Once the pasta is finished, turn off the burner and ladle out 2 CUPS OF THE COOKING WATER. Then drain the pasta.

Once the shrimp are done dump the pasta into the large sauce pan. Toss it and add a little bit of the reserved cooking water slowly until you are satisfied with the mixture.

Store any leftovers in a Tupperware in the fridge. It honestly tastes fabulous for lunch the next day!

Cheesy Jalapeno Cous Cous

my husband came up with this idea but considering it's easy enough for me to put together i will make it my first post. i love this dish because its fast, easy, tastes great as leftovers and the ingredients can be adjusted to fit any taste or mood.

here are the ingredients:

1 box of whole wheat cous cous - we got ours at trader joes.
1 or 2 jalapeño peppers - last night i used 1 1/2 and it was pretty spicy but that is different for everyone
garlic - i used 3 very small cloves. i would say 1 is good ***
butter
shredded mexican cheese
lime juice

here is how it's made:

follow the directions for the cous cous on the box - generally you add butter to water, wait for it boil, add the cous cous, turn the heat to low, cover the pot and wait for it to cook - all about 10-15 mins.

while the water is boiling:
if you have a food processor --> add a splash of lime juice, garlic and jalapeños to the food processor and grind until pretty small.
if you don't have a food processor --> chop the garlic and jalapeños until very fine, mix in a small bowl the lime juice, garlic and jalapeño.

*** the finer you chop the garlic, the more potent the taste. so if you are using a food processor you will only need a small amount of garlic. if you are chopping it by hand you can use more.

once the cous cous is ready, turn off the heat and add the garlic/jalapeño mixture. blend that in with the cous cous then start adding the mexican cheese. i do not know how much to add - just start adding handfuls and mixing until you have reached your desired cheesiness.

and that is it!! this is a great starter recipe because we can build on it as we get more creative.

enjoy!