Nutella Wontons

OK, so who doesn't need a sweet indulgence every once in awhile? And who wouldn't love something that taste like a light chocolate chip cookie? Maybe chocolate haters, but I'm not one of those and hopefully you aren't either because these are just heaven! I've just discovered how amazing Nutella taste. For those of you who haven't had the pleasant experience of tasting it, Nutella is a hazelnut spread that taste just like chocolate. Most grocery stores have all the ingredients you will need to make this little treat, but you may need to go to a place that carries Organic items to find the wonton wrappers for you small town peoples. I usually had a hard time finding certain items when I lived in Arkansas. OK, so here it is - Nutella Wontons. The best thing about this recipe? You can make as many or as little as you want. Super easy and super fast to make.

Ingredients:

Wonton Wrappers

Nutella

Small Glass Water

Canola Oil

Powdered Sugar

Make It:

1. Take Wonton Wrapper, place on plate;

2. Place small spoonful of Nutella in center of Wonton Wrapper;

3. With you finger dab into water and wet 2 edges of Wonton Wrapper;

4. Fold Wonton Wrapper over (into triangle shape); the water side will seal the edges together;

5. Place Nutella Wontons in preheated hot skillet of 1 inch Canola Oil; cook 1-2 mins. each side over medium heat or until golden brown;

6. Drain on paper towels;

7. Sprinkle with powdered sugar; serve while hot

*I've been thinking about what else might be good in these wrappers because it's just so simple and easy to make, either as a dessert or an appetizer. Maybe Nutella and Strawberry Jam? Or Peaches? You can always do crab rangoons?...Which I would do crab meat, drained, chopped and combine with cream cheese, steak sauce, and garlic powder; place 1 tsp. in wrapper, egg yolk edges to seal and deep fry in hot oil until golden brown. Yes, I know how to make those :D Now go buy some Wonton Wrappers and get creative!

~Made by: Holly

Leftovers!

We hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving with family & friends and found something to be thankful for!


XO,
Holly

Turkey Time!

What an AMAZING turkey turn out! This was mine and Jason's very first turkey we both cooked and it was a huge success. It had a really great golden brown crispy skin with the juiciest meat! The flavors from the seasoning went throughout the entire turkey. I HIGHLY recommend slow roasting. Here's what you need below to get started and I'll walk you through the whole process! We used an 11 lb turkey for our group of 7 yesterday.

*First, the night before Thanksgiving, we brinned our turkey. We used a HUGE pot. Place 3 gallons of cold water, 2 cups Kosher salt, 1 cup sugar, 4-5 Thyme sprigs (whole), handful whole peppercorns, several garlic cloves (halved with skin); stir to make sure salt and sugar dissolve. Place turkey in water, cover, and let sit overnight. Do not exceed 12 hours. (We did ours for roughly 9 hours). Doing this will help keep meat moist during cooking, along with another step you will see below. (Don't forget to take the neck and giblets out of the carcass.


Start by preheating your oven to 475 degrees and get the following together:


Roasting Rack













Washed and dice celery and carrots;
Quarter chopped sweet onions;
Placed under turkey rack to mix with drippings!










Room temp. stick of salted butter;
Fresh Thyme & Sage;
Garlic Powder;
Oregano;
Mash together in butter









Separate skin from meat without tearing;
Gently go as far as your hand will fit;
May need to gently slice cartilage with knife to get it started.










Take a big "gob" of butter mixture onto fork and place between the skin and meat. Then take your finger and spread butter underneath by pressing top of skin and "smooshing" the butter towards the neck. Don't worry if you can't get the butter close to neck or all the way down the breast of the bird because during cooking it will melt down throughout the bird. Doing this will also help keep your meat extra moist and not to dry out!








Place your turkey on the roasting rack above the vegetables. Generously sprinkle bird with pepper. (Since we used salted butter instead of unsalted, we didn't put extra salt on the outside). Doing this will help "crisp" up the skin. Once done and your oven is preheated to 475 degrees, place turkey in oven an cook for 20 minutes only. Yep, 20 minutes. This will "seal" the turkey's moisture and you won't have to bast it for the remaining cooking process - no joke.


Take turkey out of oven after 1st 20 mins;
The string you see here is not "trussing" it;
This string came with the turkey and helped with lifting it off the rack onto a plate when it was finished.









See how the very tips of the wings got really brown?
I covered just the tips with a little foil for the remaining cooking time.

While bird is resting, lower oven to 250 degrees.
You want to slow cook your bird so it doesn't cook to fast because this will dry it out.

Your turkey should start looking golden brown like this after the first 20 minutes on high temperature.








When oven is at 250 degrees, put turkey back in and cook for about 3 hours, 40 mins. (for 11 lb) or until breast reads 170 degrees, thighs read 180 degrees and juices run clear. Here's times for other lbs. Regardless of pounds - make sure internal temperate is at these degrees.

10 lbs - 3 hours. 20 mins.
12 lbs - 4 hours
13 lbs - 4 hours 20 mins.
14 lbs - 4 hours 40 mins.
15 lbs - 5 hours
16 lbs - 5 hours 20 mins.
17 lbs - 5 hours 40 mins.
18 lbs - 6 hours
19 lbs - 6 hours 20 mins.
20 lbs - 6 hours 40 mins.

Once complete, lift turkey out of roasting pan and place on platter. (We forgot a big turkey platter at home, so we had to use the biggest plate we could find.) Start carving by taking the legs off first, then starting in the middle of the bird, at the top, slice the breast thin.

Hope you enjoy as much as we enjoyed making this turkey!

~Made by: Holly & Jason

Roasted Veggies

At Thanksgiving, people always seem to have too many starches and not enough veggies...so I made some roasted vegatables to make me feel a little better about not being healthy on this holiday. I thought I had a big enough pan for all of them, but I ended up having to divide them into 2 separate dishes. And when I'm packing everything up in the car yesterday, I noticed I forgot to put my pearl onions in the mix! Oh well. Here's what I did:

Ingredients:

1 lb Zuchinni

1 lb Yellow Squash

1 lb Broccoli Florets

1 Red Bell Pepper

3 Shallots

Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Salt

Pepper

Make it:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees;

Wash all veggies;

Chop/slice zuchinni, squash, shallots in quarter sizes; place in casserole dish;

Slice red pepper in thin strips, place in casserole dish with broccoli;

Sprinkle salt and pepper over all veggies;

Drizzle EVOO over all veggies and toss;

Bake in oven for 10 minutes;

Remove and toss again;

Bake additional 20 minutes;

Voila!

~Made by: Holly

Potatoes Au Gratin

Jason really wanted to make some type of scalloped/potatoes au gratin this Thanksgiving. They turned out really good. However, he realized he forgot to get some green onions from the store to put into it and garnish it with, but it's included in the recipe below and we think would really add to this dish!

Ingredients:
2 cups heavy whipping cream
1 cup gruyère cheese, shredded
4 sprigs of Thyme, off stem, chopped
Salt & Pepper, to taste
2 cloves fresh garlic, chopped
3 Tbsp. chives, in mixture, some for garnish
2 lbs. Russet Potatoes, sliced thin
1-1/2 cup Parmesan Cheese

Make It:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees

Wash, peel, and slice potatoes thin;

Combine all ingredients in bowl, mix well;

Pour mixture into casserole dish and flatten in dish with spatula;

Sprinkle 1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese on top (also garnish with some green onions)

Bake for 40 minutes or until golden brown and bubbly and potatoes are tender.

Enjoy!
~Made by: Jason

Deviled Eggs

Gotta have some deviled eggs to snack on while you are creating your Thanksgiving feast.
Here's the typical recipe:

Ingredients:
12 eggs, hard boiled
4 Tbsp. Mayo
2 Tsp. Spicy brown mustard
2 Tsp. Sweet pickle relish
Salt, to taste
Pepper, to taste
Paprika, for looks

Make It:

1~ Boil dozen eggs in water for 12 minutes; cool in fridge; crack shells, peel, rinse off.
2~ Cut hard boiled eggs in half & separate yolk; turn egg over and yolk will fall out into bowl; place whites onto separate plate; repeat for all eggs.
3~ Add mayo, mustard, relish, salt & pepper to taste to yolk & mash all together until creamy and smooth. You may want to add more mayo, mustard and/or relish per your taste.
4~Spoon in yolk mixture back into whites of egg halves
5~Dust top of eggs with paprika
6~Refrigerate and serve cold.

~Made by: Holly

Candied-Bacon Sweet Potato Souffle

It may not look like much in this photo, but this is truly an amazing and different dish. I am a huge sweet potato fan. I lived out in Arkansas for about 4 1/2 years and 3 of those years, I lived with my grandmother who was also a big sweet potato fan. She made them often with dinner for us and I learned a lot about different ways to cook them. There's the traditional sweet potato casserole topped with marshmellows that most people have at Thanksgiving. However, Jason decided we needed bacon somewhere on the menu. I came across a recipe for a candied-bacon sweet potato casserole, but when it came down to this Thanksgiving week, I could not find the recipe anywhere! So, I have made it up. I'm combining a sweet potato souffle and putting the candied-bacon in it, on top of it, and even in between the souffle and topping itself. I hope you enjoy it and make it too one day because it sure is amazing! The candied-bacon alone is super easy and addicting - so be careful if you want to watch your waist-line! :) The recipe:

Ingredients for the Souffle:

4-5 medium cooked & mashed sweet potatoes

1 cup sugar

3 eggs, beaten

1/2 cup milk

8 Tbsp. unsalted butter, melted

1 Tbsp. vanilla extract

1/2 Tsp. light salt

4 strips of candied-bacon, chopped

4 strips of candied-bacon, whole

Ingredients for Topping:

1 cup Splenda brown sugar

4 Tbsp. unsalted butter (1/2 stick) cubed at room temperature

1/2 cup self-rise cake flour

4 strips of candied-bacon, chopped

Ingredients for Candied-Bacon:

12 strips of Center Cut Bacon

Splenda Brown Sugar

Make it:

1~ Preheat oven to 400 degrees while you prepare the bacon; (I like to use center cut) and cook the sweet potatoes to prepare them to mash.

Peel and cut in half each sweet potato;

Cover in salted water and bring to a boil until soft; drain and mash;

Place wire rack on cookie sheet; make sure to spray rack well with Buttery Pam Spray

Roll/smear brown splenda sugar on both sides of 12 strips of bacon;

Place strips of bacon on wire rack;

Cook for 8 mins.;

Remove from oven and completely cool;

2~ Keeping oven at 400 degrees; lightly grease 8 inch baking dish;

In a large bowl combine mashed sweet potatoes, sugar, egg, milk, butter, vanilla extract, and salt; once combined, chop 4 strips of candied bacon and put into mixture. Pour into the baking dish;

3~Place 4 whole strips of candied- bacon across top of souffle;

4~In a separate bowl combine all ingredients for the topping and pour over sweet potato souffle and whole strips of candied-bacon in baking dish.

5~ Bake 20-25 minutes, until golden brown on top.

Enjoy!

~Created and Made by: Holly

Corn Casserole

I think this is the easiest recipe anyone could ever make for a casserole. If you love corn, then you'll love this tasty, easy recipe for a casserole! So without any further chit-chat, here's the recipe:

Ingredients:

1/2 cup butter, melted

2 eggs, beaten

1 (8.5oz) pkg. dry corn bread mix

1 (15oz) can of whole kernel corn, drained

1 (14.75oz) can of cream corn

1 cup of sour cream

Make it:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees;

Lightly grease 9x9 inch dish;

Combine all ingredients above;

Bake 45 minutes or till golden brown on top.

See, now wasn't that easy?!

~Made by: Holly

Cranberry Sauce

I LOVE cranberry sauce. It's an obsession almost. I can't live without it at Thanksgiving. I'm big on just buying the sauce that comes out shaped like the can, but this year I'm making it from scratch. I like that this is another dish I can make ahead of time. I'm never been a big fan of the berries in the sauce so I always got the smooth stuff in the can, but WOW! I will NEVER buy the canned stuff again! DE-LIC-OUS! Thanks Fiona for sharing your wisdom! So here's the recipe:

Ingredients:

1 cup water

1 cup sugar

Bag of cranberries

3 Cinnamon Sticks

1 large orange

Make it:

In sauce pan, dissolve over medium heat, 1 cup sugar in 1 cup of water;

Bring to boil to make a simple syrup;

Add bag of cranberries;

Cook till they "pop" (about 8-10 minutes);

While it's boiling down squeeze half of fresh orange juices into sauce;

Cut up rest of orange and place whole slices into the sauce along with cinnamon sticks;

Once it's boiled down (additional 5 mins. after cranberries "popped" and look soft, remove from

heat; Remove orange slices and cinnamon sticks with tongs.

Then you can transfer cranberry sauce into your container of choice, cool completely before covering and placing in refrigerator.

The cranberry sauce will gel up in fridge over night - and/or - for a couple of days.

~Made by: Holly

~Recipe from: Fiona Bowden

Swirled Pumpkin Cheesecake

I decided to start with dessert for the Thanksgiving preparation! This cheesecake you can make up to 2 days in advance if you would like. So it's completely ideal that I made it tonight and it to be firming up in the fridge until it's time to indulge tomorrow afternoon! I'm pretty excited about this new dessert. Some people call me crazy because I just don't care for the taste of regular pumpkin pie. At first I thought it was because I just hadn't tried a good one, but after trying them for years now, I just don't like them. HOWEVER, combined in a cheesecake?! Now that sounds like something I could handle! And boy, oh boy am I excited because it taste AMAZING!!! Apparently, I didn't have a 9 inch. pie plate because I had some filling left over, but I made a crust-less cheesecake in a mini meatloaf foil pan!

If the mini version taste as good as the main one I created tonight....I don't even know what to say besides YUM-O. I can not wait to try it with the home-made gingersnap crust. So here we go - recipe time!

Ingredients for crust:

24 Gingersnap Cookies (you can also add 1/2 cup pecans, but I just forgot to get some)

2 Tbsp. sugar

3 Tbsp. unsalted butter, melted

Ingredients for filling:

3/4 cup sugar

2 pkg (8 oz. each) cream cheese, softened

2 large eggs

1/4 cup milk

2 Tbsp. flour

1/4 tsp. kosher salt

1 cup pure pumpkin (NOT pumpkin pie filling), from 15-oz. can

1 tsp. pumpkin pie spice

Make It:

1~ Crust: Heat Oven 350 degrees

If you don't have a food processor, a regular mixer works fine.

Pulse gingersnap cookies (and pecans if you like) until finely ground;

Add sugar;

Add butter and pulse to combine;

Press mixture evenly into bottom and up the sides of a 9-inch pie plate.

*I found if you just pour your crust mixture into your pie plate, shake plate and then push buttery crumbs up around the sides of the pie plate to create thick border of crust around sides, then flatten the rest of the crust to the bottom of the pan is the best way.

Bake crust for 10-12 minutes

2 ~ Filling:

Pulse together sugar and cream cheese until combined;

Scrape down sides and add eggs, milk, flour, and salt; process until smooth;

Save 1/3 cup of filling off to side;

Add pumpkin and pumpkin pie spice to rest of the filling until fully incorporated;

Scrape mixture into the baked crust (no need to cool crust);

Spoon the reserved cream cheese mixture over top and use a knife to swirl.

3~ Bake until the center is set but still trembles, 30-35 minutes.

4~ Let cool completely, then refrigerate until chilled, at least 2 hours or up to 2 days.

~Made by: Holly

Thanksgiving 2010 Has Arrived!

I am VERY excited about Thanksgiving tomorrow. It's one of my favorite holidays that I look forward to participating in some way each year. This year I will be spending it with my husband, Jason, and his family: mom, dad, and brother along with my mom and sister. Jason, his mom, and I are all splitting up cooking duties this year. I just put in my first pie of the night and the cooking continues....so stay tuned for more deliciousness coming your way! I will be taking photos and posting recipes of things Jason and I make this evening before the big day and will take more photos tomorrow. To get your mouth's watering - here's what's on the menu:

Appetizers:
Deviled Eggs
Shrimp Cocktail
Sausage Balls

Main Course & Sides:
Turkey
Giblet Gravy
Dressing
Cranberry Sauce
Ham
Ham Sauce
Baked Beans
Green Bean Casserole
Corn Casserole
Candied-Bacon Sweet Potato Souffle
Potatoes Au Gratin
Roasted Veggies
Potato Cheddar Chive Rolls

Desserts:
Swirled Pumpkin Cheesecake
Lemon Meringue Pie
Pecan Pie
Apple Crisp

Stay tuned!
~Holly

My Version of Swedish Meatballs

We've had A LOT going on in our lives since June and realize it's time to put up some new stuff and get back to work on the site. One of Jason's favorite dishes is Swedish Meatballs and I've been holding out on him making it from scratch...so to celebrate our 2 year wedding anniversary a couple of weeks ago, I made it for dinner. It turned out AMAZING, however, I forgot to take a photo! So you'll just have to trust me and cook it up and enjoy in the feast of amazing-ness!

Ingredients:
1 package of Egg Noodles
3/4lb ground beef
1/2lb ground pork
1/2 cup minced onions
3/4 cup fine bread crumbs (I used Italian Style)
1 tbsp. minced parsley
1 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. pepper
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1 tbsp. worcestershire sauce
1 egg
1/2 cup milk
2 tbsp. canola oil

Gravy Ingredients:
1/4 cup flour
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
1/8 tsp. pepper
1 tsp. paprika
2 cups boiling water
3/4 cup sour cream

Make It:

1.) Make egg noodles according to package. When done, put to side; make sure to EVOO the noodles so they don't stick while you fix the rest.

2.) Combine meats, onions, bread crumbs, parsley, salt, pepper, garlic powder, worcestershire, egg and milk.

3.) Shape into balls the size of a walnut (I like to use an ice cream scoop so they are all the same), brown meatballs in oil in a skillet, reserve drippings, place meatballs in an oven proof skillet when browned.

4.) Stir flour, salt, garlic powder, pepper, paprika into the hot drippings left over from the meatballs; stir in boiling water and sour cream. Pour gravy over meatballs in oven proof skillet, and add egg noodles.

5.) Bake in oven at 375 degrees for 10-15 minutes and Voila!

~Made by: Holly

Baked Artichoke, Red Pepper (Sun-dried Tomato) Spread

Ok, so everyone loves that hot artichoke dip you find in restaurants, right? Whether it's artichoke & spinach, artichoke and Parmesan cheese, ect...I recently made Roasted Red Pepper and Artichoke Spread, and then tonight wanted to make it again, but didn't have any red peppers so I decided to use sun dried tomatoes instead. All I can say is YUM-O! No matter what you want to do with the artichokes, it seems to turn out great. I suggest trying them both. I'm even considering trying to combine all three ingredients and see how it turns out. The plus side to this recipe? NO SALT! For those who are trying to limit the intake of salt (as most of us probably should), this is a great little appetizer to snack on while you are waiting on the Swedish Meatballs!

Ingredients:
1 cup grated parmesan cheese
1/2 cup light mayonnaise
8 oz. package of cream cheese, softened
3 garlic cloves, chopped fine
14 oz. artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
1 whole red pepper, finely chopped OR/and sun-dried tomatoes, finely chopped

Make It:

1.) Combine parmesan cheese, mayo, cream cheese, garlic and process till smooth

2.) Add artichokes and peppers and/or sun-dried tomatoes, stir in well

3.) Put mixture into small 8 inch. pan, Bake at 375 degrees for 30 minutes until browned on top.

~Made by: Holly

Greek Chicken Pasta

Hi. Don't have much to say about this, except...YUM. It's a hearty Mediterranean dish that I personally left the olives out because I don't really like them, but I kept them in the recipe for all you food lovers. Also, Jason and I decided that it was the best pasta to date AND that it would be really good with steak and/or shrimp besides the chicken...so if you want to substitute the chicken out - those would be good choices! Enjoy~Holly

INGREDIENTS:
*Prep/Total Time: 25mins.
*Yields 5 servings

2 cups uncooked pasta (we used bowtie - penne would be good too)
1/4 cup butter, cubed
1 large onion, chopped
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 can (14-1/2 oz.) reduced-sodium chicken broth
3 cups cubed rotisserie chicken (ended up buying an already made rotisserie chicken from Kroger and pulling chunks off to make 3 cups)
1 jar (7-1/2oz.) marinated quartered artichoke hearts, drained
1 cup (4oz.) crumbled feta cheese
1/2 cup chopped oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes
1/3 cup sliced pitted Greek olives
2 Tbsp. minced fresh parsley

MAKE IT:

Cook pasta according to package directions. (2 cups doesn't look like much, but it makes PLENTY!)

Meanwhile, in a large ovenproof skillet, melt butter; add onions & saute until tender.

Stir in flour until blended; gradually add broth. Bring to boil' cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened.

Stir in chicken, artichoke hearts, feta, sun-dried tomatoes, and olives.
Drain pasta & stir into the pan.

Broil 3-4 inches from heat in oven for 5-7minutes or until bubbly and golden brown.
Garnish top with parsley!

~Made by: Holly

Appetizer Crostini

Looking for something new and really enjoying different friend's versions of crostini's, I decided to create a little version of my own.

*Makes about 2 1/2 dozen

WHAT YOU NEED:
1 loaf French bread baguette, cut into 1/2" slices
1lb of ground beef chuck (or can use ground sausage of your choice)
3 eggs
1 cup green onions finely chopped (or if you don't like green onions, use a chopped yellow onion and saute)
Salt, Pepper to taste
Salsa
Shredded Monterey Jack cheese
Sour Cream
Minced fresh cilantro (or parsley if you don't like the taste of cilantro)

MAKE IT:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees

Place bread slices on greased baking sheet

In a large skillet, cook ground beef (or ground sausage) over medium heat until no longer pink; drain & set aside

In a small bowl, whisk eggs, onions, salt and pepper together

In the same skillet cook and stir egg mixture into the beef/or sausage and stir till set

Spread salsa over each bread slice, top with meat mixture; sprinkle cheese on top

Bake in oven for 1-4 minutes until cheese is melted.

Garnish with sour cream and cilantro (or parsley)

YUM!

~Made by: Holly

My Version of Creamy Chicken Penne

Dinner last night was incredible. I'm really thinking that I need to consider culinary school again...I thought about it when I was looking into the Art Institute of Atlanta when I was a senior in high school, but I decided against it at the last minute. Maybe one day...as a second career...or maybe in my next life...but for now, I just like creating for me, my family, and friends...so enjoy - my version and twist on creamy chicken penne:

WHAT YOU NEED: (depending on how much you want to make - I doubled the recipe and made a huge pot because we needed leftovers for lunch the next couple of days because we won't have time to cook with the move coming up)

*the following will make 4 servings, 2 cups each*

2 cups penne pasta, uncooked
3/4lb boneless skinless chicken breast
1/2 cup chopped onions
1 Tbsp. olive oil
1 pkg. (6oz) snow peas (or broccoli, or asparagus- all good)
1 red pepper, chopped
2 tsp. minced garlic
2 Tbsp. butter
1 Tbsp. flour
1 1/2 cups milk
4 oz. (1/2 of 8oz pkg.) Cream Cheese, cubed
1/2 cup grated Romano Cheese
1 Tbsp. finely chopped fresh parsley

MAKE IT:

Cook pasta as directed on package. When done - drain and add olive oil to keep from sticking and set aside.

Meanwhile, start to saute onions in skillet, set aside.

Cook chicken in hot oil, add spices (I liked Mrs. Dash Onion & Herb seasoning - I don't like a lot of salt & add some pepper); until cooked done.

Drain oil out of skillet; add back into skillet sauteed onions, with chopped red pepper, vegetable of choice (broccoli, snow peas, or asparagus), and garlic.

Cook and stir 1-3 minutes till vegetables are done to your choice of crispness or till soft (everyone loves their vegetables different textures.)

Remove from heat, and cover to keep warm while making your sauce!

SAUCE: (make sure you have all your ingredients ready - measured out and cubed before beginning; this process cooks fast)

Melt butter in medium saucepan.

Stir in flour until well blended.

Gradually stir in milk and bring to a boil - stiring constantly - cook on medium heat for 2 minutes, OR until thickened; KEEP STIRRING

Add cream cheese, grated cheese, salt & pepper to taste;

cook 1-2 minutes or until cream cheese is completely melted and sauce is well blended, stirring constantly.

Remove from heat.

COMBINE:

Add chicken mixture and sauce to pasta; toss to coat.
Top with parsley

*Can also garnish top of pasta with crisp bacon - really makes this dish - I like to preheat oven to 400 degrees; line baking sheet with parchment paper and cook bacon strips for 10-15 minutes until crisp; let the bacon cool for 5 minutes; drain excess grease and crumble bacon!

~Made by: Holly

Quinoa - pronounced "Keen-wah"

I've never heard of Quinoa until Jason introduced me to it recently. A couple of little things I learned recently from history of the Quinoa grain is this: Quinoa was a staple food for many native inhabitants going all the way back to at least 3,000 b.c. The ancient Incas called quinoa the "mother grain" and revered it as sacred and used to sustain their armies, who marched for days eating a mixture of quinoa and fat known as "war balls." In the 1500s, there was a 400-yr decline in the production of it and it became a minor crop, only being grown by peasants for local consumption. It is now widely cultivated for its nutritious seeds, referred to as "little rice" in Peru, Chile, and Bolivia. It's only been grown outside of South America for a short time...in Canada and Colorado since 1980's and mainly found in natural grocery stores, like my favorite grocer Trader Joe's! Quinoa is a grain and a rice substitute for most people and I have fallen in love with it! There are different varieties ranging from ivory to pink to browns and reds, almost black depending on the variety. On a recent shopping trip to Trader Joe's, Jason and I came across organic, gluten free Red Quinoa and we just had to try it! There was this AMAZING recipe on the back of the box and all I can say is YUM!!! I had a lot of fun making it and it is so fresh tasting. So go now - and get these ingredients! It's a MUST try for all...and sit and enjoy on a nice summer day. Jason and I grilled some shrimp to go along with our meal. Quinoa is a wonderful side dish.

Black Bean, Roasted Corn, Avocado Salad with Quinoa

Ingredients:

1 cup Red Quinoa, cooked with broth
2 cups vegetable (or chicken if you prefer) broth
1 - 15oz can black beans, drained & rinsed clear
2 cups roasted corn kernels
1 avocado, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
1 pint grape tomatoes, halved
1/2 cup red onion, finely diced
3/4 cup Cilantro Salad Dressing (also found at Trader Joe's)
1/2 cup bunch cilantro, chopped
1/4 cup olive oil
1 Lime
Pepper

The recipe:

1) Roast corn on the cob on the grill to make a nice roasted corn. Let cool and cut off the cob and put into a bowl to set aside for the salad.

2) Rise and drain quinoa thoroughly in cold water before cooking.

3) Place 1 cup quinoa and 2 cups broth in a quart saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer, cover and cook until all water is absorbed for about 10-15 mins. The grain will appear soft and translucent, and the germ ring will be visible along the outside edge of the grain.

4) While quinoa is cooking, combine beans, corn, avocado, tomatoes, and onion. Top with salad dressing and toss gently. Add pepper to taste.

5) Cut lime in half and squeeze lime juice over top of salad. Add 1/2 of cilantro and gently toss once more and set aside.

6) When quinoa is cooked, toss with olive oil; add pepper to taste (can add salt too, but I prefer no salt). Set quinoa aside to cool.

7) When ready to serve, spread quinoa on a large serving platter and top with black bean, roasted corn, and avocado salad mixture; garnish with remaining cilantro, and other half of lime.

Serves 6 as a side dish.

Enjoy! Here is our creation of it with grilled shrimp skewers:



~Made by: Holly & Jason

Bacon Maple French Toast Cupcakes!

Ok - so everyone loves BACON, right?! I mean, seriously, I could NEVER become a vegetarian or a vegan, but to each your own! The closest I would become and which my husband, Jason, and I are currently trying to work on is becoming a Flexitarian! Yes, that's right...flexitarian. People who have very little meat...but lean more towards the veggies that are SO good for your body and mind and fruits...but who can give up Bacon?! Jason and I love cooking shows and we came across this place in Portland, Oregon called Voodoo Donuts who combined bacon with donuts! What an amazing concept, right? My husband is not very much a "sweets" man, but would prefer having chips over candy. He loves those sweet and salty granola bars. I even have to have something salty to take the sweet out of my mouth so I don't keep eating more chocolate because I LOVE sweets! I really have to watch myself...so for our new flexitarian life we are taking on we do like to indulge in a little bit of amazingness every once in awhile. My husband is the bacon man and I am the sweets girl who loves her french toast! And who doesn't love waffles with bacon?! So when we came across a recipe for these cupcakes; I just HAD to make them and share it with all you wonderful people! So here ya go - enjoy - and make sure you set out at least 2-3 hours to make these because EVERYTHING is from scratch and it does take awhile to make, but well worth it! Your family and friends will be AMAZED! It is a GREAT brunch treat/idea!

The recipe:

French Toast Cupcakes

What You’ll Need:

• 3/4 cup unsalted butter (1 1/2 sticks), at room temperature
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 1/2 cups cake flour, sifted
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon fine salt
• 1/2 cup milk, at room temperature
• 1 ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon fresh grated nutmeg
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 3 large eggs, at room temperature, separated
• Maple Buttercream Frosting, recipe below
• Crisp Bacon
• Equipment: A six cup jumbo muffin pan or 12 cup regular muffin pan

Directions:

1.) Place a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 375 degrees F. I like using the foil cupcake liners best, paper tends to stick too much and I still spray them down with Pam butter spray.

2.) You can use a standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (which I LOVE mine and it's easier to use) or you can use a regular mixer (but sometimes you have only so many hands and it makes pouring things in and mixing a little bit more complicated, but you have to do and use what you have!), combine the butter and sugar and mix on low speed until just combined. Raise the speed to high and mix until light and fluffy, about 10 minutes. (Occasionally turn the mixer off, and scrape the sides of the bowl down with a rubber spatula.)

3.) Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, nutmeg, and cinnamon. Set aside. In a small bowl, whisk together the milk and vanilla, and also set aside.

4.) Add the egg yolks to the creamed butter one at time, waiting for each one to be fully incorporated before adding the next.

5.) Reduce the speed of the mixer to low. Alternately, add the flour mixture in 3 additions and the milk in 2 additions, waiting for each to be fully incorporated before adding the next (scrape the bowl down occasionally). Raise the speed to medium and mix briefly until a smooth batter is formed. Transfer the batter to a large bowl.

6.) Thoroughly clean the bowl of the mixer and put the egg whites inside. Whip the egg whites on high speed, using the whisk attachment, until stiff peaks are formed. (This always amazes me.)

7.) Working in 3 batches, using a rubber spatula, fold the egg whites into the batter, until just incorporated. (This makes the cupcakes SO fluffy and wonderful!) Divide the batter evenly among the cups in the muffin pan. Bake, rotating the pan once, until golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center of the cakes comes out clean, about 25-30 minutes, depending on your oven (you know everyone's is different! so keep a careful eye on them)

8.) Remove the cupcakes from the oven and cool completely while you make your frosting!

Then you must create some BACON!

Crisp Bacon

Bacon works well for me baked in an oven at 425 degrees on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake about 8 strips of bacon for 15 minutes, drain grease, and bake another 5-7 minutes, if needed or until crisp. You can do it in a pan, if you prefer. Once complete, set the bacon out and let it completely cool before crumbling into little bits for your frosting! While this bacon is cooling, cook another 12-24 strips of bacon, depending on how many cupcakes you made and leave these whole. These bacon strips are to top off your cupcakes!

Maple Buttercream Frosting

Yield: about 1 2/3 cups, enough for 6 large or 12 regular cupcakes

What You’ll Need:

• 2 Sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 2 3/4 cups confectioners’ sugar
• 2 teaspoons heavy cream, at room temperature
• 3/4 teaspoon maple extract

Directions:

1.) In a standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or with a hand-held electric mixer in a large bowl, mix the butter and sugar on low speed until incorporated. Increase the speed to high, and mix until light and fluffy, about 3-5 minutes. (Occasionally turn the mixer off, and scrape the down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula.)

2.) Reduce the speed of the mixer to low. Add the heavy cream and maple extract. Raise the speed to high and mix briefly until fluffy (scrape down the bowl occasionally). Store in the refrigerator until somewhat stiff, before using about 3 minutes. Take frosting out of refrigerator and mix in the already made crumbled bacon and set aside.

*(IF you plan on making the frosting ahead of time, do NOT make and put in the crumbled bacon before hand because it will get soggy and not taste as good. Frosting may be stored in the refrigerator for 3 days and when you are ready to use it, let it set out until it's soft enough to incorporate fresh made crumbled bacon!)

Finally – Frost the cooled French Toast Cupcakes with the Maple Buttercream Frosting and top with a Crisp piece of Bacon!

Your creation should look like this:

~Made by: Holly

Turbo Antioxidant Soup

1 Tbs. extra-virgin olive oil

2 medium white onions, finely diced

2 large sweet potatoes with skin, scrubbed, diced into 1/4" cubes

2 (15 oz) cans black beans, drained, rinsed till clear

1 (15 oz) can dark red kidney beans, rinsed

1/3 tsp. finely chopped fresh oregano

1 (32 oz) low-sodium vegetable broth

1 (32 oz) low-sodium chicken broth

2 1/2 tsp. sea salt

1 tsp. ground cumin

1 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

16 cups (1lb) fresh baby spinach

8 cups chopped mustard greens (or can use Kale)

2 cups soybeans (edamame)

Diced red bell pepper (for garnish)

Parmesan Cheese (for garnish)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Heat oil in large pot over medium-high heat.

Saute onions in oil, 5 minutes.

Stir in remaining ingredients: sweet potatoes, black & kidney beans, oregano, sea salt, ground cumin, black pepper, baby spinach, mustard greens, soybeans, vegetable & chicken broth; bring to a boil.

Reduce heat; cover and lightly boil until sweet potatoes are soft, about 12-15 minutes.

Adjust seasonings, if needed.

Garnish with red bell pepper and parmesan cheese.

Makes 8, 3-cup servings. Can store in fridge up to 4 days.

*Can use this soup as a weight-loss soup - eat 1 serving for lunch and dinner

~ Made by: Holly

Bacon Appetizer Crescents

1 pkg. (8oz) Philadelphia Cream Cheese, softened

8 slices Bacon, crisply cooked, crumbled (or cut in small pieces)

1/3 cup Grated Parmesan Cheese

1/4 cup finely chopped onions

2 Tbsp. chopped fresh parsley

1 Tbsp. milk

2 cans (8oz) refrigerated crescent dinner rolls
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Preheat oven to 375 degrees

Mix onions, parmesan cheese, parsley, bacon, cream cheese, and milk together; use the back of a spoon to smooth out cream cheese and make sure everything is mixed together well.

Separate each can of dough into rectangles' press perforations together to seal the dough.

Spread each rectangle with cream cheese mixture.

Turn long ways and cut down center of dough into 2 halves; then turn back width ways and cut into 3 sections; and cut each square into 2 triangles; this will create 12 triangles per can of dough rolled out.

Roll up wedges, starting at short ends.

Place seam-sides down on greased baking sheet.

Everyone knows that every oven varies in temperature; Bake 12-15 mins or until golden brown. Mine turned out PERFECT at 13 1/2 mins; just watch them after 12 minutes.

Will make 24 crescents.

Serve warm; and can reheat in a toaster oven - YUM!

~Made by: Holly