Coupon Chef

Taco Tuesday - Western Family Soft Taco Kit

2016-10-25T07:58:00.000-07:00

Save On Foods had Western Family Soft Taco Kits on sale for $3.99 so I thought I would go ahead and give them a try. My husband was a bit wary of a packaged kit however I reassured him that buying the seasoning and tortillas separately would cost more and this was a budget cost saving technique.

So onwards with the kit. The first thing is to pan fry the 1 lb of ground beef until it is brown.

After that you add the seasoning package with 1 cup of water and let that simmer down.

What you will realize later is that it is good to have a saucy meat sauce since the flour tortillas are heartier and perfect for soaking up the sauce.

Then it is time to prepare the assortment of toppings. I had chopped romaine lettuce, chopped cherry tomatoes, grated cheddar cheese, sour cream and the packaged salsa from the taco kit (no one touched this salsa and I ended up throwing it away, hint, get a different salsa).

I warmed up the tortillas by heating them up in the oven on a baking sheet so when it was ready to put together the soft tacos at the taco bar. Everyone puts on the toppings of their choice and then moves along with enjoying their soft taco dinner.

Mason Jar Monday - Banana Split Parfait Dessert Jar

2016-10-24T07:45:00.004-07:00

I follow different restaurants and chocolatiers on Instagram because food pictures can be inspiring. One Saturday I saw some gorgeous pics of special dessert jars on Beta5 Chocolates and wished I could try one. Beta5 sells out quickly and they did of their one day dessert specials.

That's when I started to "google" dessert jar recipes that would be easy to make at home. I stumbled upon Season with Spice Banana Split Parfait and that is how I came to make my own banana split dessert jar inspired from the recipe. It was delicious! I definitely want to try making more dessert jar desserts.

Here's what I did for 3 dessert jars:

- mason jars for the presentation
- 1 cup whipped cream
- 1 tsp vanilla
- handful of icing sugar
- 1/2 cup chopped walnuts (or a handful)
- 1 1/2 banana
- 6 strawberries

1. Whip the whipped cream with a mixer on high speed. Halfway through I added the icing sugar and vanilla and then finished whipping the cream til stiff.

2. Layer the mason jars. Bananas, whipped cream, strawberries, whipped cream, bananas, whipped cream, and walnuts on top.

This was a real treat and my guests loved my very first dessert jar. With those ingredients you can't really lose, give it a try and you'll be deliciously surprised with your own banana split parfait dessert jar.

Cravings Cookbook - Yellow Cake Baked Oatmeal

2016-09-10T18:48:00.000-07:00

In Chrissy Teigen's Cravings Cookbook, this is one breakfast recipe that stood out, maybe because it seemed to me to be more of a dessert than a breakfast oatmeal. Why did I think so? Because of the yellow cake.

My friend made this recipe the first time I tried it and I ate it as though it was a dessert. It was delicious! I brought some home and warmed it up with vanilla ice cream on top. She used a can of peaches which naturally sweetened up the dish.

Since peaches were in season, I bought a few with fresh raspberries and decided to try this out for myself. What did I learn? I love the combination of peaches and raspberries. I love eating this dish when it's freshly pulled out of the oven and it's warm and drizzling. That is the best! I wish I had reduced the recipe because the Yellow Cake Baked Oatmeal truly feeds a crew of 8-10. And the oatmeal is filling enough. I did have this for leftovers for the week but the best moments were right when it came out of the oven.

So if you're feeding a bunch of people and you want to make something easy and filling, then whip up a batch of Chrissy Teigen's Yellow Cake Baked Oatmeal.

Cravings Cookbook - Butter Lettuce with Blue Cheese and Cayenne-Candied Walnuts

2016-08-27T20:40:00.002-07:00

For an easy dinner we bought a roasted chicken from the supermarket and a potato salad. I bought most of the ingredients for the Cravings Cookbook Butter Lettuce with Blue Cheese and Cayenne-Candied Walnuts, okay, I didn't buy blue cheese because I didn't want to pay $6 for a block of blue cheese when I only needed a few crumbles. I substituted feta cheese that I already had at home instead. When I got home I also realized that I didn't have cayenne pepper so instead I used paprika to spice up the walnuts.

This salad gave our dinner some colour and it was a beautiful addition to the chicken dinner. It was easy just like all of the other recipes I've tried so far in the Chrissy Teigen's Cravings Cookbook.

I just washed the lettuce, sliced half an apple, crumbled a bit of feta, and then tended to the main attraction, the candied walnuts. The candied walnuts makes this salad stand out. The combination of candied walnuts and apples with fresh leafy greens is perfect! My husband kept asking me if I made the walnuts, I guess, this salad looks so gourmet that no one would believe that it is possible to whip it up in your kitchen.

Seriously I just followed Chrissy's simple instructions which was to heat up a pan with 1 tablespoon of butter, 1/4 cup sugar, and 1 cup walnut halves. Stir until the walnuts are roasted on medium heat. What happens is that the sugar and butter carmelize the walnuts. Then you add the secret ingredient of paprika (which should be cayenne) to spice it up. Toss it on top of the butter lettuce salad. WOW! This is the star of the meal!

Cravings Cookbook - Rotochick Chicken Noodle Soup Recipe

2016-08-22T23:24:00.003-07:00

The one thing I hate about getting a rotissierre chicken for only two people is that if we don't plan well, too often I find that I throw away chicken at the end of the week. The first night is always the easiest as a quick meal but as the busy work week continues, the chicken starts to get old pretty fast.

Rotochick Chicken Noodle Soup

Well after seeing Chrissy Teigen's recipe that asked for a rotissiere chicken I no longer had to cringe or think that my chicken would go to waste. It is Chicken Noodle Soup that asks for the meat from a rotissiere chicken. Yay!

I had "Better than Bouillion" Chicken soup paste that I used as the chicken stock base. Everything was super easy. Saute 1 onion and 4 garlic cloves (minced) in a soup pot. Add 5 chopped carrots, 6 chopped celery sticks, 1 tsp thyme, 1 bay leaf, 10 cups of chicken stock and let simmer on the stove for 45 minutes. The last addition is 2 cups of broad noodles and the shredded chicken (approximately 2.5 cups) - in my case it was essentially both chicken breasts and simmer for 10-15 minutes.

The outcome is an amazingly easy chicken noodle soup. It makes a large stock pot full. I will be giving some to a friend at work, she made me Hong Kong style soup before so it is a nice way to return her mason jar. We also have plenty left over for lunches and dinner.

In the Cravings Cookbook Chrissy Teigen says she will eat this all week long. I'd rather pass along the good stuff while it's freshly made and then move on to another recipe in the Cravings Cookbook. I have this cookbook for 4 weeks from the library and am motivated to try as many recipes as I can. The Chrissy Teigen Cravings Cookbook journey continues. I'm loving every minute.

Cravings Cookbook - Roasted Cauliflower, Feta and Orzo Salad

2016-08-21T18:30:00.001-07:00

The recipe I choose for the Cravings Cookbook Club was the Roasted Cauliflower, Feta and Orzo Salad. I wanted to bring something light and healthy. This salad fills the bill. It is refreshing and lightly dressed with a lovely olive oil, lemon, dijon mustard dressing.

In the summer, when you may not want to turn on the over, this recipe is the best fit because you can roast the cauliflower first thing in the morning when it is still cool. That is what I did. The surprising thing is that roasted cauliflower actually shrinks. It is easy to do. I chopped up 5 cups of cauliflower and tossed it with pepper, salt and 3 tablespoons of olive oil and baked it in a 400 degree oven for 20 minutes. Voila, roasted cauliflower that is perfect for your salad. I forgot the garlic, but you don't have to. Either way, it is still quite tasty.

Cravings Cookbook - Roasted Cauliflower

After the cauliflower cooled, and when it was closer to our afternoon cravings cookbook meeting time, I put together the rest of the ingredients in a salad bowl. Roasted cauliflower, cooked and cooled orzo, feta cheese, red onion, and fresh baby spinach. At first without the spinach, the salad looks white, but then you add the fresh greens which gives the salad the boost of colour. I never knew that fresh spinach could wilt nicely with the weight of the orzo and cauliflower. I thought it only wilted when cooked. I learn new things every time I cook. Even though I did not include the dried cherries, everything else I more or less followed according to Chrissy Teigan's instructions. And I was impressed. A lovely summer salad that would be perfect for lunches! Great healthy salad to share with others. Thanks to Chrissy Teigen's Cravings Cookbook.

Cravings Cookbook - Roasted Cauliflower, Feta and Orzo Salad

This has been so much fun exploring the recipes of the Cravings Cookbook. The hardest decision is deciding what to cook next.

Cravings Cookbook - Pull-Apart Buttermilk Biscuits with Sausage Gravy

2016-08-20T10:26:00.003-07:00

The first recipe I decided to try from Chrissy Teigen's Cravings Cookbook was the Pull-Apart Buttermilk Biscuits with Sausage Gravy fro breakfast. I haven't baked any type of bread in so long but this recipe for buttermilk biscuits didn't require any yeast or rising time. It was a simple recipe that even I could make.

That being said, I did mess it up. Chrissy Teigen's Cravings Cookbook is nicely laid out with the instructions on how to make the buttermilk biscuits, sausage gravy and maple cream. However I got a bit foolish by mixing ingredients and not reading properly. I accidentally added 2 cups of buttermilk to the biscuit mix instead of 1 and a half. No worries, I just added extra flour when I needed it and it worked. The biscuits still baked beautifully. Phew!

Instead of making maple cream, I just brushed straight maple syrup on the tops of the biscuits before baking them. This gave them a nice golden glow on top.

When I started making this breakfast, my husband was skeptical reminding me of a time when we in the USA and ordered biscuits and gravy and wondered about it all. I have a poor memory and forgot all about that incident. All I knew was that this was a true down south American breakfast that I wanted to try at home. He commented on the white gravy and how it wasn't delicious so these were the words I heard before I made Chrissy Teigen's Cravings recipe.

What did I do? I decided to make less gravy so the sausage gravy had more sausage instead of sauce. Instead of 3 cups of milk, I only used 2 cups of milk for a thicker sausage gravy. And the end result, it worked!

What did I learn? Cravings cookbook recipes are hard to screw up even for a lazy gourmet and beginner homechef like me. My hubby ended up eating two full biscuits with sausage and gravy. It was more delicious that his memory and gobbled up this American classic.

Will I make this again? I feel that this breakfast is quite hearty and sinfully delicious. I feel a bit guilty since I didn't serve it with a fruit salad or anything colourful. I feel I need a green smoothie to make up for it.

Cravings Cookbook - Pull-Apart Buttermilk Biscuits with Sausage Gravy

Cookbook Club - Chrissy Teigen's Cravings Cookbook

2016-08-19T15:26:00.001-07:00

What is a cookbook club?

It's where a small or large group of friends gather together and share their dishes that each have cooked from the same recipe book. Cool idea, eh? (Note: introverts will want to keep it to a few friends, but extroverts can go crazy and turn it into a big potluck party).

How to choose a cookbook?

It was easy. We looked at the bestsellers to see which cookbook was going to be practical with simple recipes for cooks of all levels (including lazy beginners like me). Actually I didn't really have a say, someone said Chrissy Teigen and we were all in. That's Hollywood for you.

Chrissy Teigen's Cravings Cookbook was on the top of the list because it was recently released this year in February 2016. Chrissy Teigen is the former supermodel and current co-host of Lip Synch battle. Who knew she was also a home chef? I sure didn't.

I was pleasantly surprised upon my first look at Cravings. It is a not a health conscious cook book, instead, it has recipes that we drool over. The topics cover breakfast/brunch, salads, vegetables, pasta, thai dishes, party stuff, and dinners. What a wide range! It should be interesting on Sunday when cookbook club comes together and share the Chrissy Teigen Cravings dishes.

Come back to see more about the Chrissy Teigen Cravings Cookbook Club.

Summer Salad Recipe

2016-07-24T06:00:00.000-07:00

During the hot summer days it's great to just take a look in your fridge and create a summer salad for lunch. I served this summer salad with one hard boiled egg as my protein.

bowlful of romaine lettuce - washed and torn
1/4 orange pepper - chopped
2 strawberry tomatoes - chopped

Toss everything together and drizzle balsamic glaze on top and you have a healthy summer salad for lunch.

Of course you can add spinach, cucumber, carrot, or whatever is in your crisper. I love the colours of summer.

Baking - Blueberry Banana Bread Recipe

2016-07-23T15:55:00.001-07:00

Initially we bought a few bananas for smoothies, but as the busy work week came and went, every day the bananas were neglected. Then it comes a point when the bananas become too ripe that they start to spread their banana spores throughout the kitchen where you have to pay attention and do something. You can throw them away, freeze them for a rainy day, or bake banana blueberry bread. That's exactly what I did!

I found a recipe for Blueberry Banana Bread on Allrecipes.com and followed the instructions. Now I didn't have three small loaf pans so instead I put all the batter into one loaf pan. This definitely increased my baking time and it almost tripled the baking time. Instead of 30 minutes, my banana blueberry loaf took about one hour and fifteen minutes to bake. It was worth the wait to have nice loaf with lots of juicy blueberries in middle. My husband cut up the loaf into bite sized pieces and warmed it up in the microwave before putting ice cream on top for a banana blueberry bread dessert.

Ingredients

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup white sugar

2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 ripe bananas, mashed
1 cup fresh blueberries

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease 3 small loaf pans.
Mix flour, baking soda, and salt together in a bowl.
Beat butter and sugar with an electric mixer in a large bowl until light and fluffy. The mixture should be noticeably lighter in color. Add 1 egg and allow to blend into the butter mixture before adding the second egg along with vanilla extract. Beat mashed bananas thoroughly into the mixture. Add flour mixture in small increments while beating until just combined into a thick batter. Fold blueberries into the batter; pour into prepared loaf pans.
Bake in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, 30 to 35 minutes. Cool in the pans for 10 minutes before removing to cool completely on a wire rack.

Paleo Recipe - Sausage Casserole Recipe

2016-06-24T11:32:00.001-07:00

Before when I was trying to lose weight, I somewhat had success when I decided to make paleo dinners. So I decided to do the same this summer. I can never seem to give up wheat completely so I try it with dinners first.

Paleo Leap is a wonderful website and resource for recipes and where I found this simple sausage casserole recipe. I didn't have all the ingredients so I used what I had and make a sausage casserole with the following. I was surprised at how tender the yams turned out and I really loved the flavours that my bratwurst sausage brought to the vegetables. I would make this again and feel that is is completely a recipe that you can make your own. Here's what I used for this simple sausage casserole recipe to make it my own.

4 bratwurst sausages

2 yams, chopped

1 red pepper, chopped

1 yellow pepper, chopped

10 cherry tomatoes, halved

fresh lemon thyme sprigs from the farmer's market

I think it would have been lovely as in the original recipe with a red onion but my onion that I had was rotten so what's more important is to have fresh healthy vegetables.

Directions: All the vegetables in a baking dish. Brown the sausages on all sides. Top with fresh lemon thyme and bake in a pre-heated oven for 40 minutes.

Brown Bag Lunch - Orzo Salad with Chickpeas and Dill

2016-06-14T23:54:00.001-07:00

I've been pretty good at bringing a brown bag lunch to work this week. I am trying to eat healthy and keep fit and one way to do that is to bring a quick lunch to eat so the rest of the lunch break I can take a brisk walk instead of sitting in the lunch room.

What this means though is that even if I eat out for dinner, when I get home, I am cooking up a little something for my brown bag lunch the next day.

Tonight I was inspired by an Orzo Salad with Chickpea, Dill and Lemon from MyRecipes: http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/orzo-salad-with-chickpeas-dill-lemon

I gathered up my ingredients and noticed white mold on my lemon. I thought about it. But I like my healthy stomach much better and decided not to chance it. Yes, normally you would think that the sight of mold itself would make me think twice. I guess I really wanted to follow the recipe as is. Instead I made the recipe my own and it turned into Orzo Salad with Chickpeas and Dill.

1 cup orzo
1 tbsp dill (I had dried in my pantry so I used that, if you have fresh, fabulous)
1 tbsp olive oil
1 can 19oz chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1/2 cup feta cheese

Cook the orzo until al dente or to taste. Rinse with cold water. Mix orzo in a mixing bowl with the dill, olive oil and chickpeas. Add the feta cheese.

Enjoy the light refreshing Orzo Salad with simple ingredients.

Blueberry Scone Recipe

2016-05-23T17:30:00.000-07:00

This morning I decided to bake up a fresh batch of scones. I found a Blueberry Scone recipe on the Food Network and decided to give it a try. Of course, I didn't know that I only had 2 cups of flour left which meant that I did not have any extra flour to help make the dough pliable to roll out into a circle. So instead my sticky dough scones were dropped onto the baking sheet in rounds. The scones turned out well with blueberries bursting from the seams. I used 1 cup of frozen blueberries which was quite generous. I still have the last frozen batch of blueberries from last season. Luckily August is just around the corner. It's been a lot of fun baking with blueberries. I didn't use a glaze as we found the blueberry scones were delicious without one and when they are fresh from the oven, we couldn't resist or wait to taste one.

The Blueberry Scone Recipe is Here:

Blueberry Scones:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons sugar
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, cold, cut in chunks
1 cup fresh blueberries
1 cup heavy cream, plus more for brushing the scones

Read more at: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/tyler-florence/blueberry-scones-with-lemon-glaze-recipe.html?oc=linkback

Meatless Monday - Olive Garden Copycat Inspired Minestrone Soup Recipe

2016-05-23T08:56:00.000-07:00

It's Meatless Monday and I was inspired by an Olive Garden Copycat Recipe for Minestrone Soup. I turned a minestrone soup into my own by using the vegetables I had on had and less beans. This is how my recipe turned out. Enjoy!

Ingredients

1 diced white onion
1 diced zuchinni
1 diced celery
6 chopped baby carrots or 1 chopped carrot
3 tbsps olive oil

4 cups vegetable broth
1 can white beans
1 can diced tomatoes with italian seasoning, drained
dash pepper
sprinkle thyme

4 cups baby spinach leaves
2 cups egg noodle
2 cups water

1. Saute onion, zuchinni, celery, carrots in olive oil until the onions are translucent.
2. Add the vegetable broth, beans, drained diced tomatoes, pepper, and thyme. Bring to a boil and simmer for 20 minutes
3. Add the baby spinach leaves, egg noodle, and an additional 2 cups of water. You can look at the consistency of your soup and add enough water to cook the noodles but still have it as thick or thin as your preference.

Serve in soup bowls and you can sprinkle cheese on top (optional). Delicious hearty vegetarian soup for you #MeatlessMonday. Bring it for your brown bag lunches.

Pioneer Woman's Recipe - Baked Ziti

2016-05-15T20:52:00.003-07:00

Rhee Drummond is the Pioneer Woman and her rustic comfort food is the opposite of Jamie Oliver's healthy meals. After a week of trying out Jamie Oliver's healthy recipes, I decided to switch it up and make some hearty comfort food from the Pioneer Woman.

Baked Ziti (make with penne) recipe made enough for the entire week. My husband could have friends over and not have to spend money on dinner. The casserole was great for taking to work for brown bag lunches and provided meals for two all week long.

Find the easy to follow recipe here: http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/baked-ziti/

Brown Bag Lunch - Soba Noodle Recipe

2016-05-01T17:41:00.001-07:00

Now I've made cold soba salads with a peanut sauce but wanted to try a soba noodle salad that could also be served warm. With a bit of google recipe searching for a warm soba noodle salad, I found Rachel Ray's Sesame Soba Noodles that I could adapt. The great thing about cooking is that I can get the main flavors and ideas and then adapt according to what's in my fridge and pantry. Just cook up the noodle, prepare the vegetables and dressing and toss it all together. This is great eaten as a warm or cold salad and is healthy too. Perfect for a brown bag lunch!

- soba noodles - cook and drain
- grated carrot (1)
- edamame (1 cup)
- julienned red pepper (1)

Dressing - the measurements you can take a look at Rachel Ray's recipe above. I basically looked at what was ingredients were and added them to make a dressing. I didn't have many soba noodle so made less dressed than in the recipe.

- soy or tamari sauce
- honey
- ginger and garlic
- olive oil

Wild Barley Mushroom Risotto

2016-04-30T18:59:00.000-07:00

What I love about the weekends is that I have a lot of time to cook and practice the culinary arts. Tonight I decided to make a healthy dish of Wild Mushroom Barley Risotto. My package of brown mushrooms best before date was arriving and I had an half a bottle of white wine in the fridge. The risotto is made with pearl barley and since I didn't have an onion, I cut up the white part of a leek instead. This recipe a friend passed down and originally it is part of a healthy brown bag lunch series. Tonight I had the time to stir as you need to be patient with risotto and lovingly watch as the pearl barley cooks into a healthy dish.

I had turkey stock cubes in the freezer which are great to have on hand when you are preparing risotto since you need almost 4 cups of stock. I omitted the marscapone or ricotta cheese but I still had the parmesan to give it the smooth feeling. I had leftover roast chicken that I heated up and threw on top of this risotto if you want to add more protein.

14	ounces	wild mushrooms
3.5	cups	chicken or vegetable stock
1.5	tbsp	butter
3	tbsp	extra virgin olive oil
1		onion	minced
1	cup	pearl barley
	splash	dry white wine
¹⁄₂	cup	parmesan	freshly grated
2	tbsp	mascarpone or ricotta

Clean the mushrooms and thickly slice the large ones. Set aside while you start the risotto.

Brink the stock to a gentle simmer in a medium saucepan. Meanwhile, heat the butter and a tablespoon of olive

oil in a large saucepan or sauté pan and add the onion and a little seasoning. Gently fry the onion, stirring

occasionally, until it begins to soften 4-6 minutes. Tip in the barley and stir well to coat. Toast the barley for 2

minutes, stirring frequently.

Add the splash of wine and let it bubble until reduced by half. Stir in two-thirds of the hot stock and simmer,

stirring every once in a while, until the barley has absorbed almost all the liquid. Add more stock, a ladleful at a

time, and simmer until the barley is just tender (you may not need all the stock). Stir in the Parmesan and

mascarpone and season well to taste. Remove the pan from the heat and cover with a lid to keep warm.

Heat the remaining oil in a large frying pan. Fry the mushrooms with some seasoning until they are lightly

browned and any moisture released has evaporated, 3-4 minutes. Add the mushrooms to the risotto and stir

well to mix.

Divide the risotto among warm plates and sprinkle with the minced parsley. Serve immediately.

Easy Breakfast Sandwich Recipe

2016-04-23T10:05:00.002-07:00

Making an easy breakfast sandwich at home with toast is simple and a change of pace from the regular eggs and toast.

2 slices of oat bread (or any bread that you have on hand)

1 egg (cooked overeasy so it doesn't run when you eat the sandwich)

1/4 avocado

1 thin slice of cheese (havariti or your preference - optional)

salt and pepper to taste (optional)

dash of cooking oil and dab of butter

Heat up your frying pan and put in the oil. Cook your egg over easy. I put a slice of cheese as this was cooking up for extra flavour (optional). When the egg is almost ready, put two slices of bread in the toaster.

When the toast is ready, spread the dab of butter and sliced avocado (I like to mush the avocado a bit into the toast), then add your over easy egg on top and the other slice of toast. That's it! You have an easy breakfast sandwich at home. No fork necessary.

Sunday Blueberry Pancakes

2016-04-03T09:53:00.001-07:00

Last summer, we froze some fresh blueberries and I still have half a bag of frozen blueberries left. Summer is coming around fast so I'm thinking of all types of ways to use up the blueberries.

What better way than to make Sunday Blueberry Pancakes. Delicious! I found this recipe by googling "blueberry pancakes" and Todd's Famous Blueberry Pancake receipe from Allrecipes popped up first.

It's a super easy recipe and you can find the recipe here: http://allrecipes.com/recipe/20177/todds-famous-blueberry-pancakes/

I have to admit that I didn't wait for 1 hour before I had blueberry pancakes so I just let it sit long enough to heat up my pan. And I included frozen blueberries that were not thawed. The pancakes were still light and fluffy. Let's say there were no leftover pancakes and I was hungry for .

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 1/4 teaspoons white sugar

1 egg
1 cup milk
1/2 tablespoon butter, melted
1/2 cup frozen blueberries, thawed

In a large bowl, sift together flour, salt, baking powder and sugar. In a small bowl, beat together egg and milk. Stir milk and egg into flour mixture. Mix in the butter and fold in the blueberries. Set aside for 1 hour.
Heat a lightly oiled griddle or frying pan over medium high.
h heat. Pour or scoop the batter onto the griddle, using approximately 1/4 cup for each pancake. Brown on both sides and serve hot.

Meatless Monday - Whole Roasted Cauliflower

2016-03-21T08:00:00.000-07:00

I asked my girlfriend for a cooking challenge and she gave me the cauliflower challenge. At first I looked at recipes that had roasted cauliflower but they were cut into pieces. She told me my challenge was to roast a whole cauliflower. At first I was skeptical but then google came up with a few different recipes that looked interesting.

When it came time to roast my cauliflower, instead of using any recipe, I looked at what was in my pantry and made up my own. This is simple and my husband ate up all of the cauliflower so that's always a good sign of success.

1 small cauliflower head
olive oil - cover cauliflower
dried thyme
paprika

Pre-heat the oven to 400 degrees celcius. Leave the cauliflower leaves on so you can tuck the herbs between the leaves. I didn't have fresh herbs so I improvised and used dry thyme. I massaged the oil and then sprinked the herbs and spices over the cauliflower. The I roasted it in the oven for 20 minutes. After that I turned it over and roasted it for another 20 minutes. After that put it right side up and sprinkle with parmesan cheese (optional) for another 10-15 minutes.

I was impatient and shortened the roasting times which gave me a slightly crunchier roasted cauliflower. It still tasted delicious and this is an easy idea for a side dish especially if you have your main dish in the slow cooker. Try it for yourself and enjoy!

Slow Cooker Recipe: Easy BBQ Pork Ribs

2016-03-13T21:40:00.003-07:00

Slow Cooker Sunday! Sundays are lazy days and great for cooking homemade meals. I love bringing out the slow cooker especially when it's cold and rainy outside. Using the slow cooker brings delicious main dishes without all of the fuss. This slow cooker recipe is super simple.

- pork ribs (as many that will fit in your slow cooker)
- Stubb's Original BBQ sauce (or any bbq sauce will do)

Put the pork ribs and bbq sauce together in a slow cooker. Use enough bbq sauce to cover the ribs. Cook on low heat for 6-8 hours. The meat will be falling off the bones. I served mine with carbonara spaghetti and roasted cauliflower.

*Note - I bought the pork ribs that were already cut in half so they fit perfectly in my slow cooker.

I always feel like a gourmet chef when I make a slow cooker meal because I have time to do side dishes. It was a good Sunday Funday with BBQ Pork Ribs.

Brunch: Breakfast Caserole with Sausage Recipe

2016-03-12T19:22:00.005-08:00

Eating brunch on the weekends is easy. I can sleep in and cook breakfast in my pajamas. However eating breakfast on a busy weekday morning can be a challenge. So I wanted to try a new breakfast on Sunday so I can have leftovers for the work week.

I found this recipe on Paleo Leap and halved the recipe since there are only two of us at home. I also substituted yam for sweet potatoes. It's nice to have a hot breakfast instead of a cold one now and again. That gave us Sunday brunch and leftovers for a few mornings.

8		eggs
1	lb.	Italian sausage	casing removed
2		sweet potatoes	diced
1	medium	onion	diced
1		bell pepper	diced
3		garlic cloves	minced
2		green onions	thinly sliced
¹⁄₃	cup	almond	or coconut milk

Preheat your oven to 375 F.
Melt some cooking fat in a skillet placed over a medium-high heat. Add the sausages, and crumble while cooking.
When the sausages are cooked, transfer them to a large bowl.
Add the onion, garlic, and bell pepper to the same skillet, and cook for 4 to 5 minutes over a medium heat.
Pour the vegetables into the bowl with the cooked sausages.
Add the sweet potatoes to the skillet, season to taste, cover, and cook about 8 minutes.
Mix the sweet potatoes into the bowl with the sausages and vegetables.
Pour the sausage and sweet potato mixture in a baking dish.
In a bowl, whisk together the eggs, almond milk, and season with salt and pepper to taste.
Pour the egg mixture over the sausage mixture, and place in the oven.
Bake for 20 minutes, and serve warm with green onions sprinkled on top.

Slow Cooker Recipe: Awesome Slow Cooker Pot Roast

2016-02-22T20:23:00.003-08:00

I've been away because my work schedule shifted to a Sunday to Thursday work week and even though I'm still working five days a week, it shift my habits and I got out of sync with cooking.

I'm not sure if you're the same as me but I have my cooking moods and swings of high and low. There are times when I am a super meal planner and grocery shopper and then there are times when I have no desire to be in the kitchen.

Sometimes it takes just one good gourmet dinner to bounce back to the love of food and cooking. I would say that this no fail recipe does it. It is a super easy slow cooker pot roast recipe that I found on All Recipes. I cut the recipe in half because I am only cooking for two: http://allrecipes.com/recipe/16066/awesome-slow-cooker-pot-roast/

1 can of condensed mushroom soup
1/2 cup of water
1/2 package of onion soup mix
2.5 lbs pot roast

Mix it all together and put it in the slow cooker on low for 8-10 hours.

It was wonderful to come home to a dinner and all I had to do was make mashed potatoes and steamed vegetables. Easy peasy! The gravy is just enough to cover the pot roast and is nice and saucy so the roast is not dry.

It has also got me back into the culinary mood so you may see more posts in the upcoming week.

Try it yourself. So super easy slow cooker pot roast. The best part is packing the leftovers to eat the next day. This will be my brown bag lunch.

Slow Cooker Recipe: Balsamic Brown Sugar Pork Tenderloin

2016-02-06T23:43:00.001-08:00

When it comes to cost cutting, I will often check my local grocery store flyer to see what meat is on sale. I'll buy whatever is on sale and store it in my freezer if I'm not cooking it right away. That's exactly what I did with pork tenderloin and then took it out of the freezer the night before I wanted to make this Balsamic Brown Sugar Pork Tenderloin recipe. I wish I had read the recipe before I bought the pork tenderloin so I had bought more meat. But that's okay I just cut the recipe in half as I only had one pound of pork tenderloin and the recipe called for two pounds. I was inspired by the Slender Kitchen Sunday Slow Cooker: Balsamic Brown Sugar Pork Tenderloin recipe. Slow cooker recipes are wonderful because no matter what you do to it, the meat will always come out fork tender.

2 lbs lean pork tenderloin
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1/2 cup low sodium chicken broth
2 tbsp soy sauce
3 tbsp brown sugar (or honey/maple syrup or Stevia for low carb)
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp chili powder (or more to taste)
salt and pepper

Combine the vinegar, chicken broth, and soy sauce.
Combine the sugar, cumin, garlic powder, chile powder if using, salt, and pepper. Be careful with the salt since the soy sauce is salty. You can always add more after cooking.
Rub the pork with the brown sugar mixture and place in the slow cooker. Pour vinegar mixture over top.
Cook on low for 6-8 hours until very tender.
If desired top with balsamic glaze or reduce the cooking liquid to create your own glaze.

What did I do differently? I didn't have chicken stock so I put beef stock instead and I also exchanged chili powder for paprika. I also with all of the ingredients didn't really measure and just did approximate amounts. Even with all of that, it turned out beautifully. I LOVE slow cooker recipes. You can do no wrong. I served mine on a bed of brown rice with vegetables on the side.

Slow Cooker Pork Tenderloin Dinner

Baking: Lemon Blueberry Bread or Blueberry Walnut Loaf Recipe

2016-02-02T09:00:00.000-08:00

When I looked in my freezer, I realized that I still had a HUGE bag of local

blueberries from the summer. What can I do with frozen blueberries? Then I looked in my fridge and saw a few lemons that were looking a little sad. So when you put the two together it creates a Lemon Blueberry Bread or Lemon Blueberry Loaf. I love being able to just bake without having to pick up any extra ingredients at the grocery store. The warmth of the oven is perfect for the rainy winter days.

Instead of winter gloom, there will be the fresh taste of summer blueberries. The recipe I used is from Allrecipes.com. I didn't do the glaze because I thought the bread was sweet enough without it. I also forgot the grated lemon zest so mine was more of a Blueberry Walnut Loaf which my husband loved! So decide how you want to bake it and you will find out which taste is stronger. For me it was a blueberry walnut loaf: http://allrecipes.com/recipe/24843/lemon-blueberry-bread/

Ingredients

1/3 cup melted butter
1 cup white sugar
3 tablespoons lemon juice
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup milk
2 tablespoons grated lemon zest
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1/4 cup white sugar

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease an 8x4 inch loaf pan.
In a mixing bowl, beat together butter, 1 cup sugar, juice and eggs. Combine flour, baking powder and salt; stir into egg mixture alternately with milk. Fold in lemon zest, nuts, and blueberries. Pour batter into prepared pan.
Bake in preheated oven for 60 to 70 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into center of the loaf comes out clean. Cool bread in pan for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, combine lemon juice and 1/4 cup sugar in a small bowl. Remove bread from pan and drizzle with glaze. Cool on a wire rack.