Monthly Archives: October 2013

Fall Favorite

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Ok so we are OBSESSED with alliteration. Make sure you are sitting down (weird if you are standing at your computer but anyway I digress)….its only TWO ingredients….stop. Seriously. OK go.

Pumpkin Muffins

  • 1 can (15 oz.) of pumpkin (no not a can of pumpkin pie mix, just good old pumpkin).
  • 1 box of spice cake mix (original recipe calls for regular cake mix and then it had a list of ingredients to add such as: cinnamon, nutmeg, etc. and then my laziness prevailed when I saw the pre-made spice cake mix at the grocery store).

Mix, if it is too thick (which it will be pretty dense, but if you need to loosen it up I have added a tbsp. of milk before, but it really isn’t needed). Pour in pre-greased muffin tins and bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.Note an overwhelming amount of guilt pours over me because this recipe is too damn easy, so I have topped the muffins with a sprinkle of brown sugar and sliced almonds for a “fancy pants” feel. Oh and feel free to keep these items on hand since neither is perishable. Anyway, enjoy you underachieving bums!

Happy eating, XO

Party in your mouth Salad

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I didn’t just title this post “party in your mouth” so that you would click on the recipe. Although that is definitely an added bonus 🙂 I pretty much said exactly that when I first tried this salad at a restaurant. I usually don’t go home and emulate much of what I eat out, but this one was easy & so damn good, it had to be done!

  • 3 cups of Chopped watermelon chunks. (I would keep them fork size so you can get all the flavors in each bite.)
  • 1/2 cup of Crumbled feta cheese (I did a pinch of black pepper too but that’s because I don’t think salt & pepper should ever live without each other.)
  • 1/2 of a medium sized red onion. (Thinly sliced kids. If you don’t like onions, you can do cucumber rounds. Point is to get something fresh & crunchy!)
  • Then they added a pinch of dried parsley for color, you can do fresh but make sure its finely chopped & a drizzle of balsamic to top it off.

I cant stress how good this is! Going back to my theory on salads being scrumptious and “sultry”. This salad hits all your taste buds: salty (feta), sweet (watermelon), crunchy(onion or cucumber or both), and smooth (balsamic). Now that’s a party!

Happy eating, XO.

watermelon salad

Chickpea Salad

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Not all salads have to be like eating grass. Some salads don’t even need to have any leafy greens. Go ahead, pick yourself up off the floor because I know you are shocked. This recipe isn’t even for the generic pasta salad (which I mean I still love). This is something different, yet yummy. Fancy, but easy.

  • 1 container of herbed feta cheese
  • 1 can of chick peas (Also known as garbanzo beans, drain the can liquid)
  • 1 medium size red onion (You could use another onion if you have one lying around, but I suggest the red one since those are the most palatable raw)
  • 1 tsp of crushed garlic
  • 1.5 tbsp of dried or fresh parsley (See I give you options and don’t always force you to use what I want)
  • Pinch of salt & pepper to taste (a pinch of red chili flakes will add that zing you may crave)

Chop the onion finely, mix the other ingredients, and serve cold.

Happy Eating, XO.

So Very Quiche-ey

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Ok some real talk. Anyone can scramble an egg. Poaching an egg, I’ll leave to the professionals. So what is a way to prepare an egg easily, but with an impressive twist? Quiche! Also a quiche is a fab vehicle to toss in any vegetables, meat, cheese, etc. that you may need to clean out of your fridge. Some of them even have fancy pants names like “Quiche Lorraine”. Below is my easy & yum quiche recipe.

Use a store bought 9 inch pie shell…no one has time to make that from scratch. Less groceries folks! Note a package usually has two pie sheets in it. See Apple Galette recipe on what to do with the other.

The other ingredients are

  • 5 eggs
  • 1.25 cups of half & half
  • 1 teaspoon dried (or 1 tablespoon fresh) parsley
  • Pinch of salt & pepper to taste
  • 2 oz. shredded cheddar cheese and 2 oz. shredded mozzarella cheese (fontina works well too because it’s a cheese that gets very melty and gooey-those are the technical terms for what it’s known for).

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. In a large bowl, whisk together eggs and the half & half. Season with salt, pepper, and parsley. Then place the shredded cheese at the bottom of the (prebaked for 5 min and cooled) pie shell. Pour egg mixture over the cheese and bake for 15 min. Reduce heat to 350 degrees and leave in the oven for another 40 min. Allow to set for 10 min before serving. To check for done-ness (another technical term obviously) the crust should be golden and the knife you stick in the middle of the quiche should come out clean, not gooey or liquidy (it’s a baking trick that applies here as well).

Note: You can serve as a brunch item with a side of breakfast meat or berries or a frisee salad. So filling and comforting, yet chic.

 

Quiche

Happy eating, XO.

Pantry Gravy

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Dry dilemma? Add some gravy and you will be glad you saved the dish. This recipe is easy, tasty, and is made of items everyone has lying around in their kitchen.

Take the items below and quickly whisk in a non stick pan on high heat for about 5 minutes. Cut the heat to low and let simmer to thicken the gravy.

  • 1 cup Chicken Broth
  • 1tbsp. butter
  • 2 tbsp. all purpose flour
  • Pinch of black pepper (taste test to see if you need salt. You may or may not-it’s all based on the sodium content of the broth that you use. Add a pinch if you so desire).

To bougie it up, feel free to add a pinch of dried parsley flakes. The green makes it look a lot fancier than it is.

Happy Eating, XO.