Juice!

Juicing (no, not that kind of "juicing") is something that I tried last December. Since then, I bought my own juicer and have been making my own juice blends.  The juice is definitely an acquired taste. I still remember the first sip of green juice starting a 3 day cleanse.  I almost gagged.  But now, I crave it!

For this juice recipe I used:

6 leaves romaine lettuce
3 sprigs of mint
1/2 large golden beet
4 carrots
1 apple 

 

Between the carrots, beets and apple there is lots of natural sugar to energize you!

Not a BLT, but a BLP!

Since it's the end of summer and stone fruits are in season, I thought, it must be time for a bacon, lettuce and peach sandwich! It's so simple with bread, mayo, lettuce, peach and bacon and extremely tasty!  Sometimes keeping it simple is better.

Recipe: Pozole Soup

It's finally gotten to the point where my hands and toes are cold most of the time and I am taking 2 showers a day to warm my body up! Typical pre-menopausal female, I know.  In that spirit and in an effort to prepare my meals in advance for the week so I can make healthy choices I decided to make Pozole, or at least my Americanized, meat-free, use the extra veggies in my fridge version!  It turned out great! Here's a rough idea of my recipe since I notoriously make things and measure nothing!

Pozole

2 Cartons Vegetable Broth
4 Carrots
1 Zucchini
1 Yellow Onion
1 Can 16oz Hominy
1 Red Bell Pepper
1 Can Black Beans
1 Bay Leaf
1 tsp Oregano
1tsp Paprika
1tsp Cumin
1tsp Cayenne Pepper
Jack Cheese
Avocado
Lime


Pour both containers of vegetable broth into a large pot.  Chop carrots, zucchini, onion and bell pepper and add them to the broth mixture.  Open and drain the hominy and black beans (rinse too) and add to the soup.  Add in the spices to taste.  I estimated how much I used so if you don't like things too spicy ease off the cayenne and paprika.  Bring the soup to a boil then let it simmer on the stove until the veggies are cooked.  Serve the soup with shredded jack cheese, sliced avocado and lime on top!

Tomato Heaven

It is finally that time of year again.  Tomato season....which means I can make my favorite panzanella salad!  It is so easy to make and perfectly refreshing for a hot summer day.  Here's the rundown if you want to make it for yourself.

What You'll Need:
1 loaf of freshly baked sourdough bread
1 head of garlic
butter
salt & pepper
olive oil
balsamic
tomatos (all kinds and colors)
corn on the cob
shaved parmesan
basil

I start by making my homemade croutons.  Preheat the oven to 350 degrees then begin slicing the loaf of bread into 1"-2" squares and rectangles.  Place the cut bread into a ziploc baggie then add freshly chopped garlic (I leave the pieces somewhat large), melted butter and olive oil.  Seal the bag then shake it up to coat the bread then spread it out evenly on a baking sheet.  The croutons bake until they are golden brown and need to be flipped over a few times.  While the croutons bake, grill the corn on the BBQ (usually in foil with a little butter, salt & pepper).  Chop up as many tomatoes as you desire for the salad.  I love to buy all colors, heirlooms and cherry to get a nice mix of tastes and colors.  Add in chopped fresh basil, shaved parmesan, and once the corn and croutons are cooled to room temperature add them into the salad too.  Top it off with olive oil, balsamic, salt and pepper. Generally I don't like salads the next day, but this one keeps pretty well and the croutons are even good since they have soaked up some of the balsamic and olive oil!  I think this salad pairs really well with a grilled piece of sea bass, salmon, or even a little grilled breast of chicken.

Green Beer

Source: myrecipes.com via Holly on Pinterest

Have you ever wondered how to make green beer?  Last night while scheming St. Patty's Day plans with friends we got in to a discussion about how to make green beer....the recipe is quite brief! Just add food coloring! For more information you can check out the recipe here and find many more St. Patrick's Day recipes on MyRecipes.com (one of my favorite online recipe resources)!

Valentine's Day Baking!

 Is there someone special in your life who loves to cook?  Or, maybe you're looking for some festive Valentine's Day accessories for the kitchen.  Well, here are some fun (and useful) Valentine's Day gift ideas for the person who love the bake!  Maybe some of these kitchen accessories could help you make those Oreo Stuffed Chocolate Chip Cookies I posted!

The Valentine Cook by MonicaLynn featuring heart shaped rings

Heart-Shaped Egg Fry Rings | Williams-Sonoma
$15 - williams-sonoma.com
Heart shaped rings »

KitchenAid Design Series Stand Mixer | Williams-Sonoma
$350 - williams-sonoma.com

Heart Measuring Cup - Set of 4
$12 - urbanoutfitters.com

Heart In My Hand Whisk
$12 - urbanoutfitters.com

Heart Spatula
$12 - urbanoutfitters.com

Heart Bamboo Spoon
$8 - urbanoutfitters.com

Pink Heart Baker | Crate&Barrel
$6.95 - crateandbarrel.com

Set of 50 Valentine Mini Cupcake Papers | Crate&Barrel
$3.95 - crateandbarrel.com

Oreo Stuffed Chocolate Chip Cookies

Source: beckybakes.net via Monica on Pinterest

Becky Bakes recently featured this intriguing recipe on her blog.  I thought Oreo Stuffed Chocolate Chip Cookies could be really gross or really good.  Well, turns out they're really good!  You can grab the recipe from Becky Bakes here and if you're looking for some dessert inspiration she has many more delicious looking recipes! 

Let Him Eat Cake Even If He Doesn't Want To

For my boyfriend's birthday dinner Monday I woke up early before work to bake him a cake from scratch.  He isn't big on sweets (he says) but I found a recipe I had to try and I recently purchased a beautiful cake pedestal at an estate sale I've been dying to use!   I got the recipe from myrecipes.com
for yellow cake with chocolate frosting.  It had great reviews and lived up to each one.  The cake itself was not real sweet, but more like a breakfast pastry and ultra moist!  It was a big hit and I definitely recommend the recipe/will make it again.  The day after I indulged and ate a piece with my morning coffee....yum!

Get the recipe here!