Every afternoon at lunchtime my roommate and I would rush down to the dining hall the minute it opened, hastily scan our student id cards, grab a tray, and make a hard right directly into the sandwich line.

Sandwich Dan’s sandwich line.

Sandwich Dan worked the deli counter in the cafeteria, and my friend and I had the most epic crush on him. Despite our feelings though, we never spoke of anything but sandwiches.

“What’ll it be today ladies?”

The same thing we ordered everyday.

“Um, teehee, we’ll have two turkey sandwiches with cheese and ranch and pickles. Lots of pickles! Haha!”

Extra pickles just scream date me!, don’t you think?

He’d hand over the sandwiches, we’d awkwardly linger, then finally move on as other hungry freshman shoved our trays out of the way.

Maybe it was because he was so cute, but to us, Sandwich Dan was a friggin’ sandwich maestro. That turkey and cheese sandwich with ranch dressing and pickles cut neatly on the diagonal was the best sandwich we ever had. Until roughly the 150th turkey and cheese sandwich with ranch dressing and pickles cut neatly on the diagonal.

At that point I thought I’d puke if I ever had another one of Sandwich Dan’s sandwiches ever again, and as sad as I was over the fact that we never saw him again after our freshman year, I didn’t need the reminder of how many pounds of crappy dining hall turkey, cheese, ranch and pickles I ate that year.

Plus, it’d probably be weird. What non-sandwich related topics would we talk about?

Anyways, fast forward 10 years later (sob) and I still don’t have much of an appetite for cold sandwiches. No, if I’m going to eat a sandwich, it’s got to be hot. Something thick, hearty and positively dripping with (preferably) cheesy fillings, that I can really sink my teeth into.

Something like a Chicken & Eggplant Parmesan Panini.

Chicken Parmesan and Eggplant Parmesan morphed into an over-the-top hot sandwich that Panini Ben and I inhaled for dinner tonight!

Start the panini by pre-heating a grill pan or panini press to high. I used my trusty Griddler for the job!

Butterfly a chicken breast so you have two halves, then spray each half with non-stick spray and season with salt, pepper and Italian seasoning.

Liberally spray the panini press or grill pan with non-stick spray, and grill the chicken until cooked all the way through. Remove to a plate and set aside.

While the chicken is cooking, slice an eggplant into 8 slices, each about 1/2″ thick. I always look for an eggplant with a tight cap and no wrinkles.

Lay the slices out on a cooling rack and sprinkle both sides with salt. The salt sucks out excess moisture and bitterness from the eggplant, ensuring you don’t have a soggy, disgusting panini.

After 10 minutes, little droplets of water will have formed on the top and bottom – go ahead and blot them off with a paper towel.

Brush both sides with extra virgin olive oil, season with pepper, then grill until tender. Beauts!

Next, gather the panini ingredients including the grilled chicken and eggplant slices,

as well as fresh mozzarella, fresh basil leaves, and your favorite marinara sauce.

As far as bread choices go – well it’s really up to you. I used a demi baugette, but Italian or even ciabatta bread would be fantastic too. Lay out 2 slices of whatever type you decide to go with, and top with slices of fresh mozzarella cheese, which will act like glue when melted to hold everything together.

Next, layer on the grilled eggplant and chicken, then top with marinara sauce and fresh basil.

Place the lid on top, brush with a little more olive oil, and stick the whole thing back in the panini press.

Press, sizzle, meeeeelt, crunch!

Chicken & Eggplant Parmesan Panini

Print this recipe!

Serves 4

Ingredients:

2 chicken breasts

salt & pepper

Italian seasoning

1 eggplant, cut into 8 slices 1/2″ thick

extra virgin olive oil

1/2 cup marinara sauce

8 oz fresh mozzarella cheese

14-16 fresh basil leaves, torn

8 slices Italian bread

Directions:

1. Butterfly each chicken breast so you have 4 pieces of chicken total. Spray each half with non-stick spray, and season with salt, pepper and Italian seasoning on both sides. Heat a panini press or grill to medium high, and grill chicken until cooked all the way through. Remove to a plate and set aside.

2. Meanwhile, lay eggplant slices on a cooling rack and generously salt both sides. Let sit for 10 minutes, then blot excess moisture away with a paper towel. Brush each side with extra virgin olive oil, and season with pepper. Grill eggplant on medium high heat until tender.

3. Assemble one panini by placing 2 slices of bread on a flat surface. Place 1oz mozzarella cheese on each slice of bread. Top one slice with 2 eggplant slices, 1 chicken breast, 2 Tablespoons marinara sauce, and 3-4 fresh basil leaves. Place the other slice on top so the cheese is face down, and brush the top with extra virgin olive oil. Repeat with remaining ingredients.

4. Place the sandwiches in a panini press set to high and cook until cheese is melted and bread is golden brown, about 3-5 minutes. Let sit for 2-3 minutes before slicing with a serrated knife.

They say a picture is worth 1,000 words, but here’s a few more: savory, fresh, hot, gooey, crunchy!

The great thing about this panini is that can easily be just a chicken parmesan panini, or just an eggplant parmesan panini, by leaving one or the other off, but I really love the meaty texture of the chicken, and grilled flavor of the eggplant together in one bite.

I think, just maybe, Sandwich Dan would be proud.

Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m off to indulge in the pure bliss that is melted cookie butter drizzled over cold banana ice cream. I’d say that too is a step up from the bubble gum ice cream cone I enjoyed every afternoon after gobbling those sandwiches up all those years ago. D’oh!

A couple years ago Ben and I did just that when we hopped aboard a plane and headed south to spend a week in the Big Easy – New Orleans.

At the time neither of us knew a great deal about the city, except what we’d seen on the news during coverage of Hurricane Katrina, and our experience in the south was limited to sunny SoCal, Epcot Center, and watching Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood on repeat in college.

With a why not attitude though, and no expectations, we packed up, headed out, and ended up having the time of our lives!

From whooping it up on Bourbon Street with huge ass beers, to learning more about the history of the South on several plantation tours, and exploring nearly every inch of the French Quarter, Ben and I found the city, surrounding areas, and people to be simply enchanting.

I think it it officially beat San Francisco as my favorite city in the US as I was sitting at the oldest bar in America, Lafitte’s in the French Quarter, sipping an ice cold Abita beer, and watching horse drawn carriages clop by, thinking – this is the life.

One of the things we enjoyed most about our trip was of course, the food. There’s no shortage of restaurants in NOLA, more packed into a smaller area than a lot of cities I’ve been to, and if there was a line at the door, you knew it was worth waiting for. Especially if it was a Mother’s Po’ Boy smothered in “debris”.

Or a mouthwatering side of red beans & rice. One week wasn’t nearly enough time to get our fill of this famous Southern side dish. Fluffy white rice engulfed in a savory thick sauce packed with creamy beans, and salty andouille sausage. I mean…

Today New Orleans is celebrating Fat Tuesday, during Mardi Gras, and although we can’t be there to join in on the fun, at least we can eat like we’re in the Big Easy with homemade Crock Pot Red Beans & Rice.

Fat Tuesday is traditionally celebrated by eating indulgent, over-the-top foods (hence FAT Tuesday) before the ritual fasting of the Lenten season begins tomorrow, Ash Wednesday. I took the name a little less literally though, and made a lightened up version for dinner.

No bacon grease or extra fat here! Just beans, veggies, seasoning and, ok, some decadent andouille sausage. Totally worth it, btw. Each huge serving of the recipe is packed with protein and fiber, and clocks in at just 250 calories (without the rice.)

As if it couldn’t get any better, the crock pot did 90% of the work for me!

Start the recipe by chopping up what’s called the “Holy Trinity” in Southern Cajun & Creole cooking - bell peppers, celery and onions in roughly equal quantities. BTW, click here for an explanation of “Cajun” and “Creole” cooking and culture. Interesting stuff, me thinks!

Psst – my trick for not making a mess when cutting bell peppers is to cut each “cheek” off, leaving the stem and seeds neatly intact.

Chop the bell pepper and follow suit with the onions and celery, then toss everybody into the pool, aka a 4-quart crock pot.

Next add in a full pound of dried red kidney beans. No need to soak ‘em ahead of time or nothin’.

Then add in the salty awsomeness that is andouille sausage.

Andouille sausage is a smoked pork sausage used heavily in Cajun cooking. It is delicious, and I nearly doubled the amount the original recipe called for. Livin’ on the edge!

Finally, add minced garlic,

Creole seasoning (I halved this recipe and still had a ton leftover,)

and lots of water.

Give the whole thing a stir then cook for 7.5 hours on high, cracking the lid open for the last half hour so the sauce can thicken up. YOUR HOUSE WILL SMELL AMAZING!!!

Cook some fluffy white rice to sit underneath, and soak up all that succulent sauce. Top with green onions for color and crunch, and have at it my friends!

Crock Pot Red Beans & Rice

Print this recipe!

Serves 6

Barely adapted from MyRecipes.com

Ingredients:

1 green bell pepper, chopped

1 medium onion, chopped

3 celery stalks, chopped

3 garlic cloves, minced

14oz andouille sausage, sliced

3 tablespoons Creole seasoning (I made 1/2 of this recipe and still had some leftover)

1lb dried red kidney beans

7 cups water

white rice

Directions:

Place first 8 ingredients into a 4-quart crock pot and cook on high for 7.5 hours. Remove the lid partway for the last 30 minutes to allow the sauce to thicken slightly. Serve over cooked white rice.

I am not kidding you – this tasted just as good as anything we had in New Orleans. I couldn’t believe it!

Of course there was no “coat your tongue” feeling that you get with truly rich and fatty sauces (which must be enjoyed while on vacation – it’s the law) but honestly, it was thick and silky, and just a touch spicy. Ben and I both loved it. Leftovers are aplenty too. Which only lengthens the time I get to reminisce about our time down south.

Now if only there was a way make healthier beignets at home…

Off to make Ben pour me a Sazerac…or two?!

~~~~~

Have you ever traveled somewhere that totally exceeded your expectations? Where was it?

When I was 6 it was cheese-filled hot dogs. (Goll, remember those?!)

12 year old me couldn’t get enough Nature Valley Granola Bars. (Please tell me you’ve seen the HIGHlarious fake Nature Valley wrapper floating around Pinterest?)

My sophomore year of high school? All Banana cream pie, all the time. (Don’t even get me started on the BCP club my friends and I had.)

Junior year of college was riddled with bags of salt & vinegar chips (and Lord knows what else…)

And I can remember the first winter after college when I made a batch of sweet & spicy chili every Sunday, then ate the leftovers for lunch all week afterwards. This went on for MONTHS. (I couldn’t make that recipe again for years after I came to my senses!)

These days? Well, I’m simply stuck on quinoa. Simply struck, is more like it!

Quinoa is as filling as it is versatile, and lately I’ve been having fun putting it in everything from salads, to mini breakfast bites, to mac & cheese – and now soup. Er, rather – stew.

Chicken Stew with Butternut Squash & Quinoa

Chicken Stew with Butternut Squash & Quinoa is one of the most unique dishes to ever come out of my kitchen. Sweet butternut squash is paired with salty kalamata olives, shredded chicken, and fluffy quinoa, all swirled in a savory chicken broth. It is hearty, full-flavored and so satisfying.

It is a perfect cold-weather dish too, and makes plenty for leftovers. Start the stew by peeling, seeding and chopping a butternut squash.

I used a vegetable peeler to get the outer peel off, then a big, sharp knife to cut the top, straight half off the bottom bulbous (bulbous?) half.

Chop the squash into 1/2″ pieces and place them in a microwave safe bowl with a splash of water. Put a lid on top and microwave for 5-6 minutes or until the squash is just barely tender. Remove half, set it aside, and continue microwaving the other half until it’s very soft, about 3-4 additional minutes.

Drain, then mash the squash that was microwaved the longest with a fork or potato masher.

Squash = done! Set these puppies aside for the moment.

Next, place two frozen or thawed chicken breasts in a large soup pot or Dutch oven on the stove over high heat.

Add in rich chicken broth to cover, then bring it to a boil and place a lid on top.

Let the chicken breasts poach in the broth for 10-15 minutes, or until cooked all the way through. Remove the chicken to a plate and shred when it’s cool. Pour the broth into a separate bowl and set aside.

Return the pot to the stove and add in olive oil and minced onion. Saute the onion until it’s soft, then add in fragrant garlic and earthy dried oregano, and cook for another minute.

Next add in a can of petite diced tomatoes (I’m a freak about chunks, so I zipped mine through my mini food processor first) as well as the cubed and mashed butternut squash.

Pour the reserved chicken broth back in, plus rinsed uncooked quinoa, and let the whole thing simmer for about 15 minutes, or until the quinoa is cooked and puffed.

Finally, add the shredded chicken, pitted & quartered kalamata olives,

and fresh parsley into the mix, then stir to combine.

Season with additional salt & pepper, if necessary, and off you go!

Chicken Stew with Butternut Squash & Quinoa

Print this recipe!

Serves 6

Slightly adapted from Cookin’ Canuck

Ingredients:

1 1/2 lb butternut squash, peeled, seeded & chopped into 1/2 inch pieces

3 1/2 cups chicken broth*

2 large chicken breasts (can be frozen)

1 Tablespoon olive oil

1/2 medium yellow onion, minced

1/2 teaspoon salt

pepper

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

14oz can petite diced tomatoes

2/3 cup uncooked quinoa, rinsed

3/4 cup pitted & quartered kalamata olives

1/4 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley

Directions:

1. Place the butternut squash and a splash of water in a large bowl with a lid in the microwave, and cook until barely tender, about 6-7 minutes. Remove half of the squash and set it aside. Cook the remaining squash an additional 3-4 minutes or until it is very tender. Drain, then mash this squash with the back of a fork and also set aside.

2. Add the chicken broth and chicken breasts to a large soup pot on the stove, and bring to a boil. Place a lid on top, lower the heat to medium-low, and simmer for 10 minutes or until chicken is cooked all the way through. Remove chicken to a plate to cool, and pour chicken broth into a separate bowl.

3. Return the pot to the stove over medium-low heat, and add in the olive oil. Add onion, salt, and pepper and saute until the onion is soft and brown, about 10 minutes. Add garlic and oregano. Cook, stirring constantly, for another minute.

4. Add tomatoes and all the butternut squash to the pot. Stir to combine. Pour in reserved chicken broth and quinoa, and stir to combine. Bring to a boil then place a lid on top, lower the heat to medium-low, and simmer for 15 minutes or until quinoa is tender and cooked.

5. Meanwhile, shred the chicken. When quinoa is cooked, stir in chicken, olives and parsley. Cook until chicken is hot, season with additional salt & pepper if necessary, then ladle into bowls.

*If making ahead of time, you’ll need extra chicken broth when re-heating as quinoa soaks up some of the broth as it cools.

Like I said – this stew is so incredibly unique. I love how the cubed butternut squash is creamy, the mashed squash is silky, and that the quinoa lends a little poppy bite to each spoonful.

Don’t even get me started on the flavor contrast between the salty olives and sweet squash. It is sooo good!

What are some of your favorite ways to use quinoa? I just bought an entire 78lb (not really, but close) bag at Costco and am looking for some new ideas.

In other news, I had the day off for President’s Day, so I had fun pretending I was a full time blogger. Up early to cook, answer emails, run to the gym, photograph dinner and blog with time to spare, and some laundry thrown in for good measure.

Ahh, it’s fun to pretend. Back to the grind tomorrow!

Have a great night!

~~~~~

What food are you stuck on right now?

Granted, I am a cold-weather WUSS, but still.

I’ve always preferred the summer when Ben and I are able to explore the great outdoors, take long walks, and/or camp out at the nearest patio sipping ice-cold brewskies until the sun goes down.

Well, boring winter weekends be damned. Last night Ben brought the outdoors in, and in the spirit of summer roasted us wieners and s’mores over a crackling campfire. It was amazing! Afterwards we watched Anonymous. Which was…not. Kind of confusing, and the ick factor at the end of the movie was, well, icky.

While there were errands to be run today, I said to heck with it and decided to do something fun like make a hot mess out of my kitchen bake a special treat instead.

I’ve been thinking about other pastries that I could turn into cookies since making Blueberry Muffin Top Cookies a few weeks ago, and a quick glance at the brown bananas in my fruit basket quickly showed me the way.

I’d make Banana Bread Cookies, of course! Fluffy, moist, cinnamon laced banana bread, in a handheld cookie!

But I wouldn’t stop there though, oh no. I’d go ahead do the damn thing and add brown butter to the batter…and the icing on top. MUWAHAHA!

Brown butter almost tastes like butterscotch, and made my Brown Butter Banana Bread Cookies with Brown Butter Icing OUT OF THIS WORLD delicious. Luckily it’s really simple to make!

Start by placing a stick of butter in a skillet over medium heat.

After the butter melts, start swirling the pan and let the butter “cook” until it turns a golden brown color. You’ll be able to smell a caramel-like scent when it starts to turn. FANTASTIC!

Immediately remove the skillet from the heat, and pour the butter into a large mixing bowl. Time to make some cookies. Mix the butter with some sugar until combined. NOTE: the butter and sugar won’t turn light and fluffy like it does when creaming together room temperature butter and sugar. Instead the sugar will stay kind of granular, which is a-ok.

Add an egg to the butter and sugar, and cream until smooth.

Next get yo bananas ready. You’ll need a cup of mashed bananas, which is about 3 small ones. Mash with a potato masher or fork until smooth.

Next, mix the mashed bananas with baking soda, which will help the cookies rise.

Finally, add the bananas and yummy vanilla extract in and mix to combine.

In a bowl next door, combine flour, salt and warm spices like cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves.

Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients in three batches, mixing until just combined between each batch.

Drop the cookies on a baking sheet, and bake for 8-10 minutes, or until beautifully golden brown and fragrant.

While the cookies cool, whisk together more brown butter and powdered sugar to form an icing, then drizzle it over the cooled cookies. Have a few…I won’t tell!

Brown Butter Banana Bread Cookies with Brown Butter Icing

Print this recipe!

Makes 30 cookies

Slightly adapted from Simply Recipes

Directions:

1/2 cup butter

1 cup sugar

1 egg

1 cup mashed bananas (about 3 small bananas)

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 teaspoon baking soda

2 cups of flour

pinch of salt

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon cloves

For the icing:

1/4 cup butter

1/2 cup powdered sugar

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Melt butter in a skillet over medium heat. When the butter is completely melted, swirl the skillet until the butter becomes a light caramel brown color, about 3-4 minutes. Immediately remove the skillet from the heat, and pour into a mixing bowl.

2. Add the sugar to the brown butter and mix on low speed to start, then increase the speed and beat for one minute. (Mixture will not be light and fluffy.) Add in egg, and mix. Stir together mashed banana with baking soda and let sit for 2 minutes. Add mashed banana and vanilla to the bowl and mix.

3. In a separate bowl, combine flour, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients in three batches, mixing just until combined before adding the next batch.

4. Drop batter onto a parchment paper lined, or non-stick sprayed, baking sheet and bake for 8-10 minutes, or until cookies are golden brown around the edges. Let cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes, then move to a cooling rack to cool completely.

5. For the icing: Follow the directions for browning the butter in step 1. Whisk in powdered sugar, and drizzle icing over cooled cookies. Store cookies in an airtight container.

These Brown Butter Banana Bread Cookies cookies are pillowy soft and sweet, and taste like the best banana bread you ever had, with a little something extra. Something that’ll make ‘em go hmmmm, what IS that?

The brown butter icing takes them completely over the top. It tastes almost caramely-butterscotchy. So outrageous.

And, if my Dad nearly hyperventilating when I stopped by my parent’s house this afternoon to drop a few off is any indication, they make great cookie gifts, too. .

Hope you enjoy, and have a great start to your week!

Spring Fever!

That is, I cannot friggin’ wait until Spring officially arrives. It’s been warm and sunny all week, which has me feeling like winter is finally on its way out, plus all the snow that fell a couple weeks ago is nearly melted. That, and daylight savings time starts in THREE WEEKS, and Negril is less than two months away – whee!

Which reminds me…I gotta hit the gym this afternoon.

In the meantime, enjoy your weekend (your long weekend to those who have President’s Day off!) and please enjoy my picks from around the web and beyond in this week’s Friday Favorites!

Favorite sip: Raspberry Beer Cocktail. I CANNOT WAIT TO TRY THIS!! We’re having family pizza night tonight, and I think I’m going to bring a batch.

Favorite party: MARDI GRAS! I wrote a freelance article this week about mardi gras foods, which got me missing my favorite city. HARD. I tried to convince Ben to take a last minute trip down to NOLA this weekend and into next week for Mardi Gras but, no dice.

Favorite funny: Dogs under water. If you click through just one link in this week’s Friday Favorites, make it this one. It will nearly make your heart explode with love and laughter.

Favorite bite: Veggie Gyros. I have not had falafel in a hot minute. This needs to change with Veggie Gyros!

Favorite kitchen accent: Moroccan Backsplash. Love. Love. Love. Love. Did I mention, love?

Favorite easy dinner: Spaghetti Aglio, Olio, e Peperoncino (Garlic, Olive Oil & Chili Flakes with Spaghetti.) This reminds me of some of the yummy pasta dishes Ben and I had in Italy. Simple pleasures.

Favorite face lift: Walnut Scratch Remover. I’d heard of this tip before, but have never seen it in action. Going to try it out with some scratches that over the door hangers have made on a few doors around here.

Favorite mmmm: Pudding Icing. Check. This. Out.

Favorite sweet accent: The Cooking Necklace. Awwww!

Favorite time waster: Food on My Dog Blog. I seriously want a dog just so I can balance food on her head and post it here on IGE.

Favorite outfit. Minus the hat (I look ridiiiiiculous in hats,) this is the perfect summer outfit. Jorts are my fave.

Favorite indulgence: Bacon and Corn Griddle Cakes. There are not enough words to describe how much I want these. Sweet & savory to the max!

Favorite cereal: Nature’s Path Crunchy Vanilla Sunrise. I picked up a box of this cereal at Costco last weekend and one of the two pouches is cough already gone cough. It tastes like Rice Krispie Treat Cereal, but is gluten free and the sugar content isn’t that crazy either. It’s soooooo good with unsweetened vanilla almond breeze.

Favorite energy saving tip. This tip comes from my sister-in-law. If you don’t have little ones or pets running around, keep the oven door open after cooking something in it. You already paid for the energy to heat up the oven, so you might as well use what’s left to help heat the house!

Favorite tip: Frozen Ginger. This is absolutely brilliant!

Favorite sweet treat: Strawberry Layer Cake with Whipped Strawberry Frosting. The frosting on this cake looks like airy, melt in your mouth perfection. What a perfect girly/summer/everyday cake!!

View past Friday Favorites >

Have a great weekend everyone! TGIF!

Ok, let me explain. First of all, Mini Ham & Cheese Quinoa Cups might be my new favorite thing on the planet. I may or may not have squealed with delight when they came out of the oven. THEY ARE SO CUTE!!!!

They’re basically mini frittatas containing eggs, egg whites, cooked quinoa, shredded zucchini, cheddar cheese, and diced ham, but I can’t name ‘em Mini Ham & Cheese Frittatas because Ben won’t knowingly eat frittatas. Or quiche, for that matter. Mini Ham & Cheese Quinoa Cups, though? Can’t get enough.

These perfectly poppable bites are packed with protein at 3 grams per mini cup, thanks to the quinoa and lean ham. They’re low in calories too, at less than 50 calories a piece.

Plus, they’re so versatile. Like I said, my Mini Ham & Cheese Quinoa Cups contain fresh zucchini, ham and sharp cheddar cheese, because that’s what I had in the fridge, but I can think of a million different combos that would be equally as delish. Broccoli cheddar. Sundried tomato & pesto. Mushroom & swiss. The possibilities are endless!

Plus they take no time at all to make. Simply combine all the ingredients in a bowl.

Mix.

Add the cooked quinoa, and mix again.

Liberally spray a mini muffin tin with non-stick spray, fill the cups up with the mixture, and bake for about 20 minutes or until the cups are golden brown around the outside.

Almost too cute to eat! Almost.

Mini Ham & Cheese Quinoa Cups

Print this recipe!

Makes 28 mini cups

Adapted from So Very Blessed

Ingredients:

2 cups cooked quinoa (about 3/4 cup uncooked)

2 eggs

2 egg whites

1 cup zucchini, shredded

1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese

1/2 cup diced ham

1/4 cup parsley, chopped

2 Tablespoons parmesan cheese

2 green onions, sliced

salt & pepper

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine all ingredients in a large bowl and mix to combine. Liberally spray a mini muffin tin with non-stick spray and spoon mixture to the top of each cup. Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until the edges of the cups are golden brown. Let cool for at least 5 minutes before removing from the mini muffin tin.

You could eat mini quinoa cups for breakfast, brunch, lunch, or dinner – hot or cold. They’d even be great for a potluck, shower, or party. Be warned though, once you pop, it’s hard to stop!

Time for TV night done right!!!!!  TGIAF!

Also, congrats to the winners of the Quaker Whole Hearts cereal:

Mia: I am working out with a friend each morning and drinking green smoothies to get extra veggies!

Sarah H.P.: My hubby and I are going to hike as many trails as we can find as soon as the weather warms up a bit!

Stephanie B: I nourish what counts by working with Brainfood, a non-profit in DC, and teaching kids how to cook healthy foods or make standard meals healthier! Passing on the message of good health!!

Dawn @ Making Home: My sister and I have commited to running a 5K together this summer. I also make sure I get at least 5 servings of fruit and veggies.

Lauren: I’m going to nourish what counts by getting up from my desk for a walk at lunch time every day.

Email your full mailing address to iowagirleats@gmail.com and we’ll get that right out to you. Here’s to healthy hearts!

Speaking of hearts, mine almost burst after I opened Ben’s Valentine’s Day card last night. Every year I try and get him a funny card that is representative of our relationship. Last year I found a HIGHlarious one depicting a wife smothering her husband with love before he could change out of his work clothes, which is something I tend to do cough everyday.

This year I picked one with a guy who romantically shaped his dirty laundry into the shape of a heart to please his lady, which is so something Ben would do. It has stink lines and everything.

This year he decided to play along and search for a card that would sweep me off my feet. A card that would say more than he ever could about how he felt about his wife. His best friend. His soul mate. A card that featured…EDWARD!!!!!

With “Sorry I’m not a vampire” scrawled inside.

BAHAHAHA! I die! I seriously do. I laughed ’til I could laugh no more. I think I’ll keep him around.

Sorry, we are weird…

Vampire or not, we both sank our teeth into one of our favorite dinners tonight – Stuffed Shells!

It’s been exactly one year and one day since I last made these, which is exactly one year too long. They are so dang delish.

Surprisingly easy AND make ahead too!

Start by adding a box of jumbo shells to a large pot of salted, boiling water. You’ll need 25 shells.

Stir the shells often as they tend to stick to the bottom of the pot more than regular pasta. They also like to snuggle up all into each other, so separate with a fork if you find any frisky couples. Reserve 1/3 cup cooking water, then drain the shells and return to the pot.

Meanwhile, brown 1lb lean ground beef in a pot next door. Tip: I use a potato masher to get my ground beef uniformly crumbled. Works every time!

After draining the beef, return it to the pot and add in parmesan cheese, an egg, seasonings,

mozzarella cheese and the reserved pasta cooking water. Stir everything up until it’s well combined.

Next, turn your attention to zee marinara sauce. Per usual, I used Gino’s. (I seriously need to do a giveaway for non-locals – this stuff is in my Top 5 fave foods, no kidding!)

Layer about 1/3 cup sauce in the bottom of a 9×13 baking pan.

Next, take a shell and spoon in enough ground beef mixture to fill about 3/4 of the way full.

Line it up in the baking dish.

Repeat with the remaining ground beef filling and shells. I got a total of 24 shells.

Top the shells with the remaining marinara sauce, and mozzarella cheese. At this point, you could cover the dish with foil, place it in the refrigerator and bake a day later, or cover and bake immediately for 30 minutes in a 350 degree oven.

Before and after!

Stuffed Shells are the epitome of comfort food, and the fact that they can be made ahead of time makes ‘em that much better.

Click here for the recipe! >

On the side I served a salad tossed with Brianna’s Asiago Caesar salad dressing. It’s pretty high in calories, at 80 calories per Tablespoon, but totallyworthitineverysingleway. SO savory and yummy. Luckily a little goes a long way!

In other news…

Sugar Free Jebruary Update

That high pitched squeal you heard yesterday around 5:00pm? That was me – “wheeeeeeee!!!!”ing as Sugar Free Jebruary finally came to an end!

One month ago I gave up all non-natural sweets (cookies, CANDY, and the like) during the week, saving my splurges for the weekend instead. At the time I was belligerently eating way too much sugar and wanted to practice some self control.

It was a long, hard road, but a completely worthwhile journey.

I can’t say I feel “better” overall as a result of giving up sugar during the week, as there are dozens of variables that make one feel “good” or “bad” everyday – sleep, exercise, stress, etc. What I’ve learned though, is that it’s not necessarily how great I feel when I DON’T eat sugar, rather, it’s how crappy I feel when I DO eat eat sugar.

Over the past month I have become acutely aware of how sugar from “foods” like candy and cookies effect my body. Almost immediately (no exaggeration) my stomach becomes bloated and gurgly. I often get a headache later and, worst of all, the next day I am extremely slow and sluggish. (Case in point I almost fell asleep standing at my desk today after eating way too much sweet stuff last night.)

So why am I so excited that SFJ is coming to an end?

Basically I used the weekends to make up for what I couldn’t have during the week and overdid it, which only made the feelings I had after eating sugar worse. During the week my self control was impeccable, but it really didn’t matter when it flew out the window and I’d have dessert after every meal on Saturday and Sunday.

That said, learning and pinpointing exactly how sugar makes me feel has been my key takeaway from this whole experience. That and I am ABLE to practice self control if I set my mind to it. I just need to be WILLING.

My taste buds have also changed. Naturally sweet foods like clementines, pineapple and apples taste so PURE, while foods like Skittles and Starbursts leave a tinny tang in my mouth.

I’m going to continue to save sugary splurges for the weekend knowing that if I really want something during the week I can have it. Hopefully that will lessen the temptation for sugary treats in my life altogether, and will undoubtedly lessen the tendency to overdo it on the weekends.

Did anyone else make it through Sugar Free January? How did you feel at the end? Will you keep going?

Wishing you a fantastic night!

I walked in the door to the sweetest sight tonight. A fire, flowers, wine, Reese’s Egg(s), and Ben, my dear sweet Ben, preparing dinner for the two of us. Swoon!

I’ve been sent to the living room to relax by the fire while he finishes up, so I thought I’d share a light lunch I’ve been obsessing over recently in the meantime.

Cantaloupe, Prosciutto & Cashews

This combo is SO freaking unbelievable and best of all it takes, like, 4 seconds to put together after you’ve scooped out the cantaloupe.

I got the idea from Mowielicious who combined cantaloupe, avocado, cashews and parsley for the most gorgeous and refreshing looking salad I think I’ve ever seen. Not having an innate love of whole parsley leaves and, well, forgetting to put avocado in the first time, I came up with this combo instead.

The salty, whisper-thin slices of prosciutto melt with the juicy cantaloupe, while cashews provide a unique crunch and buttery finish. I ate it 3 times for lunch last week. Obsessed much?!

If I didn’t have Ben, it would for sure be my Valentine.

That, or the cutest penguin nephew in the entire world. I can’t even handle this!

In other news…

$500 Nourish What Counts Donation + Giveaway

Did you know more women die of heart disease than all forms of cancer combined, yet less than 10% perceive it as their greatest health threat? (Sorry for the terrible segue!)

As a woman with naturally high levels of bad cholesterol, (thanks, genetics) which increases the risk of heart disease, this fact really hits home for me.

To celebrate healthy hearts and American Heart Month, Quaker Oats has teamed up with the American Heart Association to encourage women to “Nourish What Counts” by taking just 5 minutes to do something good for their hearts.

To help spread the message, Quaker will donate $500 to my local American Heart Association chapter, $250 on behalf of me and $250 on behalf of you, dear IGE readers, if we can generate 100 comments on this post with how we’ll take 5 minutes to Nourish What Counts.

Need some ideas? Take 5 minutes to…

1. Replace some of the refined grains you eat, like white bread and rice, with whole grains.
2. Talk to your kids about healthy eating and exercise habits.
3. Tack an 5 additional minutes onto your normal workout.
4. Add a fresh fruit or serving of vegetables to your dinner plate.
5. Learn how to create a healthier heart by reading articles like 8 Steps to a Healthy Heart.

I’m going to Nourish What Counts by parking further away at the grocery store, mall, etc. for the additional heart-pumping exercise. Visit Quaker.com/NourishWhatCounts for some more ideas!

As an additional incentive to leave a comment, Quaker will give away a box of their newest heart-healthy cereal Whole Hearts to 5 commenters. Please take a few minutes to tell me how you’re going to Nourish What Counts, so we can secure this $500 donation! The deadline for leaving a comment to enter to win a box of Whole Hearts is Wednesday, February 15 at 5pm.

Thank you all, and here’s to healthy hearts (which we can use to love even harder on Valentine’s Day!) Have a LOVEly night!

I hope your week got off to a better start than mine did. This afternoon my irrational luck with repeatedly locking my keys in my car joined forces with a growing talent for locking myself out of the house, as I successfully locked both my car AND house keys in the car before I made it to the front door when I went home over lunch.

D’OHHHHHHH!

A frozen phone call for help to Ben rendered the house unlocked and opened 30 toe-numbing minutes later…just in time to turn around and go back to work. Blerg!

Please Ma’am, no pictures. Happy to help.

Note to self: STOP DOING THINGS LIKE THIS also, place a spare house key somewhere other than on your car key ring because, let’s be real, you probably won’t stop doing things like this.

Please tell me I’m not the only one?!

In other news…

If you don’t feel like going out or baking pizza at home tomorrow, I have an amazing recipe that will knock the heart-adorned socks off of you and your loved one(s) on Valentine’s Day.

Grilled Thai Beef Salad with Crispy Shallots

This salad recipe comes from Ellie Krieger, and is absolutely out of this world. Big, bold flavors like soy sauce and sesame oil combine with the sweet-earthy flavors of fresh basil and cilantro for a salad that won’t leave your husband cough making a peanut butter sandwich to fill up on afterwards, cough.

That’s ’cause it’s topped with GRILLED RED MEAT! I feel like such a wretched Midwesterner – I don’t think I’ve had a good steak since last summer. This salad was far overdue, which made it taste even more delectable.

Grilled Thai Beef Salad is sexy and impressive, yet light and easy to prepare, leaving you with plenty of time to snuggle after dinner.

Start with a flank steak, which is not only lower in fat than other steak cuts, but is cheaper too. Marinate the steak in a sultry combination of fresh lime juice, brown sugar, soy sauce and ginger, then grill it at a very high heat for about 5 minutes a side.

I WISH I would have thought about making this during our stretch of 60 degree days a couple weeks ago, but since our grill is now under 6 inches of snow, my Griddler took over. After the steak is done, let it rest for 5-7 minutes before slicing it very thinly against the natural grain of the meat. This is important!

Resting the steak then cutting it thinly results in juicy, buttery, tender, melt-in-your-mouth slices. Hubbah hubbah…

What I loved the most about this salad though, were the sauteed shallots piled on top. I know, I know – shallots, which taste like onion and garlic’s love child, on Valentine’s Day?! Thank goodness two funky breaths cancel each other out!

Just thinly slice a couple shallots, then saute them in olive oil until they’re golden brown and crispy. They are indescribably delicious.

Pile the shallots and beef atop a bed of baby spinach and romaine lettuce that’s been tossed with fresh basil, cilantro and a tangy Thai-inspired dressing, and dig in.

Grilled Thai Beef Salad with Crispy Shallots

Print this recipe!

Serves 2-3

Slightly adapted from Ellie Krieger

Ingredients:

3/4lb – 1lb flank steak

4 Tablespoons fresh lime juice, divided

3 Tablespoons soy sauce

3 Tablespoons canola oil

2 Tablespoons packed brown sugar

1 Tablespoon water

1 teaspoon garlic, minced

1 1/2 teaspoons fresh ginger, peeled and microplaned (or minced)

1 1/4 teaspoons chili-garlic sauce

1 bag Dole baby spinach

1 bag Dole Romaine lettuce

1/2 cup cilantro, roughly chopped

1/2 cup basil, roughly chopped

1 cup grape or cherry tomatoes, halved

2 shallots, cut into thin rings

1 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

Directions:

1. In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together the soy sauce, canola oil, brown sugar, garlic, ginger and chili-garlic sauce. Pour half the mixture into a ziplock bag. Add the steak and 2 1/2 Tablespoons lime juice to the bag and marinate for 4 hours in the refrigerator, or overnight. Add the remaining 1 1/2 Tablespoons lime juice to the remaining mixture and reserve to dress the salad.

2. Heat a grill or grill pan to high, then spray with non-stick spray. Remove the steak from the marinade and grill for 5 minutes a side, or until cooked to your preferred level of doneness. Remove the steak to a plate, let it rest for 5-7 minutes, then slice it thinly against the grain.

3. Heat extra virgin olive oil in a medium-sized skillet over medium-high heat. Add in shallots and saute, stirring often, until golden brown and crispy, about 5 minutes. Remove to a paper towel-lined plate to drain.

4. In a large bowl, combine the baby spinach, romaine lettuce, cilantro, basil, and tomatoes. Pour reserved salad dressing over and toss to coat. Divide salads among plates, top with steak slices, and crispy shallots.

Each bite is bursting with sweet & salty flavors, accented by pops of freshness from the herbs and juicy tomatoes.

You’ll both (assuming you both eat meat) fall in the love with the steak too. Flank steak never fails. Flank steak for president! Let me know if you try this!

In other news, I am off to go grumble at The Bachelor. I cannot stand Ben (such a snob, no?) nor most of the women in this season, but for some reason I’m as hooked as ever. Riddle me that?!

~~~~~

What are your plans for Valentine’s Day? Do you have any fun traditions you do every year?

I wake up early, around 8am or so if I’m feeling particularly indulgent, then spend a couple hours prepping dinners for the week in the kitchen. Chopping and simmering with a hot cup of coffee in one hand and a spatula in the other, enjoying a couple hours of quiet time in the morning before Ben gets up.

Ben’s a sleeper. He’d snooze until 3pm everyday if it were PC, but if he wants to go to bed on time that night and not throw his whole week off, his requested wake up call comes at 10am on Sunday mornings.

I tiptoe into the bedroom, interrupt dreamland with a few back scratches, and 15 minutes later when he’s still not up, holler empty threats from the living room where I’m now stationed, catching up on emails and freelance projects. Eventually he’ll appear at the top of the stairs, hair a mess, eyes half shut – but awake, damnit – and announce his plans for the day.

These usually consist of catching up on the honey-do list he’s put off all weekend or, in the summertime, deciding on what meat to smoke that afternoon.

We’ll come together a few hours later for a trip to the gym if we’re feeling motivated, then to Costco for a new microwave since the current one sparks if we heat butter or anything with butter in it, or take a nice long walk in the warmer months.

Back in 2008-2009, Ben would head to Wok in Motion around 5pm to get us Vegetarian Fried Rice for supper, which we’d eat until nearly exploding and vow to never do again…until the next Sunday. In 2010-2011, he was most likely heading to Chipotle, where it was pretty much the same story, different dinner.

Here in the present, though, we’ve gotten into the routine of making our Sunday night supper every week. Something grilled in the summer, roasted in the Fall, stir fried in the Spring, and simmered in the winter – usually a hearty, flavorful soup that we’ll enjoy curled up on the couch, waiting for our shows to come on.

Well, today was absolutely no different, and after a trip to the gym, Target, and Costco – seriously, why butter? – we just finished dining on Minestrone with Baked Garlic Bread for dinner!

The recipe for this “kitchen sink” type soup was sent to me from a reader, and combines oodles of veggies with a savory broth, tiny noodles and spicy Italian sausage. It is absolutely delish!

Start the soup by browning Italian sausage. If there’s a lot of fat that cooks out, drain it and return to the pot. Then add in spicy marinara sauce. I used Gino’s obvi!

Next add water and a beef bullion cube, followed by 3 cups of vegetables.

You could used any mix of veggies you want – mushrooms, carrots, celery, etc. – but I used frozen peas (Ben’s fave), golden corn, and fresh zucchini. Top the veggies with Italian seasoning, dried parsley, salt and peppah.

Sprinkle in a bit of parmesan cheese, and simmer until the veggies are soft.

Finally, add in just 1/2 cup (it’s amazing how much these expand) of any kind of tiny pasta.

Cook until the pasta is soft, and you’re set.

Ultra quick, uber healthy, and bursting with flavor!

Minestrone

Print this recipe!

Serves 5-6

Slightly adapted from I am Momma Hear Me Roar

Ingredients:

1/2 lb spicy Italian sausage

4 cups water*

2 cups marinara sauce

1 beef bullion cube

3 cups vegetables (I used 1 cup each zucchini, corn and frozen peas)

2 Tablespoons parmesan cheese

1 1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning

1 teaspoon dried parsley

1/2 teaspoon onion powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

couple grinds black pepper

1/2 cup small dried pasta

Directions:

Brown and crumble sausage in a large soup pot until cooked through. Drain if a lot of fat remains in the pot. Stir in water, marinara sauce, beef bullion, parmesan cheese and seasonings. Bring to a boil, cover, then reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes, or until vegetables are cooked through. Add in pasta and simmer, uncovered, until done.

*Pasta will soak up some of the liquid as it cools, so may need to add more water or beef broth when reheating.

The spicy marinara sauce and sausage gave this soup substance, while the veggies keep it light. I could have eaten BOWLS of this stuff. Luckily it made a ton – plenty of leftovers for lunches this week!

I took some inspiration from the Italian Bread I featured in this week’s Friday Favorites and made Baked Garlic Bread for the side. Oh. Mg. Gah. SO GOOD!

I used a petite demi loaf (perhaps the cutest thing I’ve ever seen) since it was just Ben and I, but a regular sized loaf of Italian bread would be your best bet for a crowd.

Then I cut the bread into slices without going all the way through.

Next I mixed up a crazy good compound butter, with Earth Balance, garlic salt and Italian seasoning.

Finally I smeared the butter in between the slices,

wrapped the loaf up in foil, and baked it for 15 minutes, until it was warm and dah-ripping with garlic butter.

Ben said it tasted like Texas Toast – which we both secretly love.

Gosh, I can’t get over how good this meal was. I inhaled it!

Usually around this time on Sundays nights Ben will run out to grab us some diet dews to enjoy as “dessert” but, drumroll please…I am 5 days diet soda free, and Ben is 52 hours free – whee! We read a horrifying article last week about regular, and diet soda, and  have lost all taste for the stuff. We’ll see how long this effort lasts, but hopefully it sticks. Fingers crossed!

Hope you had a fabulous weekend!

~~~~~

What are some of your Sunday routines or traditions?