Mass meals

With my new job...did I tell you I got a new job?!?

I'm now working in the NICU at our local hospital and so far loving it!

Anyway, with this new job comes 12 hour shifts, which will soon be night shifts.  Therefore when I have a stretch of working days it is imperative that I plan ahead and make breakfasts, lunches and even dinners ahead of time.  

These muffins were a part of that prep.  Delicious, filling, healthy and quick to grab and go.  They worked perfectly!  Even if I didn't have one for breakfast I would bring one to work for a quick mid morning snack.  I adapted this recipe, subbing frozen mixed berries for blueberries (I always keep frozen fruit on hand for instances like this) and agave nectar for the sugar.  I also used white flour, which was naughty, but I didn't have any whole wheat.  They were pretty darn tasty! Next time I will try the whole wheat flour though. 

Try making these this weekend and you will have bfasts and snacks all week!  Or at least for a few days :)
MIXED BERRY MUFFINS
1 cup unsweetened apple sauce
2 cups self rising cake flour (with baking soda and salt mixed in)
1/2 cup agave nectar/sugar or sugar substitute
1 cup frozen mixed berries (or more if you like)
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1.5 tsp vanilla
2 T melted butter

Preheat oven to 325°. 

In a medium bowl, mix egg, melted butter, agave, vanilla and applesauce. Add flour and stir until just blended.  Gently fold in berries.

Pour batter into 12 lined or greased muffin tins and bake at 325° for 25-30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool for about 10 minutes. 

ENJOY!

More Strawberries

I didn't use to be a fruit in my salad kind of gal, but a few years ago that all changed, and I've never looked back!

Some of my fave salads are sweet and savory and this is definitely one of them.  Extremely easy to make and very tasty.  I added chicken for a little boost of protein to get me through the day, but you could also serve this along side dinner if you wanted.  Or make a large bowl of it and bring it to a BBQ, everyone always secretly loves the girl that brings the greens to the BBQ. :)

Again this recipe comes from one of my favorite websites www.skinnytaste.com.

Find it here.

And don't forget the gorgonzola (use blue cheese if you prefer), it gives this salad that perfect zing!

ENJOY!

XOXO
Paige

It's SUMMER and I'm BACK!

Ok, ok so its not quite summer yet, but the weather has certainly been cooperating here in Montana.  Last night we grilled turkey burgers and this morning I made a classic summer dessert for breakfast, so you see, its SUMMER!  nanana boo boo to those of you in MN where it is still in the 40's/50's...

So here I am, again professing my love for you all and apologizing for my LOOOOOOOOONG absence.   Shall we just pretend as though you've all forgiven me and move on?  YES? OK GREAT!

Most of the recipes that I will be cooking this week (ok all of them) are going to be healthy ones, weight watchers to be exact...but don't you dare check out now, don't judge them until you try them.  I will let you know if they are worth trying (aka don't taste like cardboard like most diet food)!
If Logan eats them I can assure you that most of the population would find them delightful!
Case in point: breakfast this morning!

Strawberry rhubarb baked oatmeal...yes you heard right, dessert for breakfast, how can you go wrong?
Well the answer is you can't! It was delicious and the only thing I didn't like about it was that I had to eat only the recommended serving size :(
You have to try this!  Perfect for a weekend breakfast and then heat up leftovers during the week.
TASTY TASTY TASTY!
The recipe can be found here
ENJOY!

xoxo
Paige

Proof

I wanted to provide some proof that I have actually been cooking and just lazy in the documenting of the cooking process....

Pot Pie

Tortilla Soup + Margarita

Egg over easy atop homemade hash browns with a homemade vanilla latte

Handmade Gnocchi in a tomato broth...AAAAAMAZING!

Vegetable Pad Thai

Valentines Tostadas

Spicy Homemade tomato soup + 3 cheese grilled cheese 

Homemade French onion soup with Caesar salad and of course red wine!

Pork & Broccoli Stir fry

So SEE I have been cooking!  I'm sorry I haven't been blogging...so many things have been happening.
Including this:

http://ja4363.wix.com/montographie

which has been taking up a lot of my time along with work. 

I vow to be better...

fingers crossed!

XOXO

Paige

Pork Ribs

I do have a larger post for you guys coming up...dont worry.  But first, I wanted to share these pork ribs with you all.  I got a killer deal at the store on these ribs, and when I got them home I was stumped with what to do.  So, naturally I boiled them until they were cooked through and then slathered them in BBQ sauce and threw them on a grill pan.  They were so tender and so tasty.  You can really never go wrong with BBQ, even in January.  I served them with a side of au gratin potatoes at my husbands request.  I layered thinly sliced potatoes, a little bit of butter, garlic and cheddar cheese and topped it off with a little bit of milk to help cook the potatoes.  It was actually really good.  It is not very often that I don't use some kind of recipe to at least guide me, so I was pleased that this turned out so well.  Hopefully this inspires you all that you don't have to be fancy to make a tasty meal!

Homemade Pot Pie coming right up...

Flat Roasted Chicken

Do you love whole roasted chickens as much as I do?

They are inexpensive, delicious and just about anyone can cook one and make it taste amazing. 

The trick is, like any meat, don't over cook it.  So use a meat thermometer, because you don't want you chicken to crumble like sawdust.

When I saw this recipe in The Smitten Kitchen cookbook, I couldn't pass it up.  

I've done many-a-roasted chickens, but never a flat roasted chicken, so I was intrigued. 

Essentially you just cut out the back bone and lay the chicken flat.

I'm not entirely sure why its done this way, but it looks pretty and it tastes amazing, so I will not question the experts. 

There are tons of great variations on this very simple recipe, so get creative, try them out.

Sometimes experiments in the kitchen turn out to be the best tasting meals. 

ENJOY!

Flat Roasted Chicken

One 3-3 1/2 lb chicken

salt

pepper

1 1/2 lbs tiny yellow potatoes, peeled (i left the skins on)

2 T melted butter or olive oil for potatoes

1 lemon to finish

1 T minced fresh thyme leaves to finish

Preheat your oven to 450.  Using a pair of sharp kitchen shears, remove the backbone of the chicken.   

Season the cavity generously with salt and pepper.  Lay the chicken, breast side up in a roasting pan and gently pat dry with a paper towel.  Generously season the top of the bird with more salt and pepper. Nestle the potatoes around the chicken and drizzle them with butter or olive oil.  Sprinkle the potatoes with salt and pepper as well.

Roast the chicken for 30-45 min, or until thermometer inserted into the thigh registers 165.  Toss potatoes after about 20 min so that they cook evenly.  When chicken is done, transfer potatoes to a large serving platter.  Remove legs, thighs, wings, and breasts from the chicken and arrange them with potatoes.  Squeeze juice of entire lemon over dish then sprinkle with thyme. 

(I didn't get my bird quite flat enough to be as pretty as the picture...I'll work on it)

Logan Rating: ***

Football Party

The Vikings were in the playoffs!!!  Keyword there...'were'.

Despite my purple margaritas and loud cheering they lost in the first round.

I can't say I'm surprised, and just like every other year this year ends with me saying "there's always next year".  If you are a MN sports fan you know exactly what I'm talking about.

Anyway I thought I would share with you the tasty treats I made for the oh so depressing game.

PURPLE MARGARITAS

-just add grape juice to your favorite marg recipe

MINI CORN DOG MUFFINS

-I bought jiffy corn bread mix and put mini hot dogs in them..thats it!

CHEESY PULL APART BREAD

 recipe here

 BUFFALO BEER CHEESE DIP

recipe here 

All of these were a hit...I highly highly recommend the buffalo beer cheese dip and pull apart bread!

New Year

Happy New Year!

2013 is officially my fourth calendar year of blogging. 

Hard to believe when I really sit down and think about it.

This blog has been a lot of things for me and I'm looking forward to continuing to grow my abilities and creativity.

Hope you will be here with me through it all.

My goals, in this new year, are simple...

-improve photography skills

-cook more

-take more pictures

-blog more

AND big one

-TRAVEL (and blog about food on my travels)

Stay tuned, 2013 should be a good year! 

XOXO

Tuna Salad

Look at this tasty lunch, yum, I've been eating this holiday twist on a classic for days now. 

I don't know why I never thought to add things like dried cranberries and dill to my tuna salad until now, it is so delicious.  The possibilities are endless, I can't wait to try other variations.

As well as a great tasting tuna sandwich this recipe is also low cal with the substitution of fat free or low fat sour cream in place of half the mayo of a normal recipe.  The cucumbers add a great crunch and the basil leaves are a perfect addition, making a simple lunch taste super fancy.

Try this recipe and then get creative and try your own tuna salad substitutions!

ENJOY!

Holiday Tuna Salad Sandwich

1/3 cup reduced fat mayonnaise

1/4 cup reduced fat or fat free sour cream

1/4 cup dried cranberries, roughly chopped

1/4 cup-1/2 cup celery, chopped

1 T fresh dill, chopped

1/2 tsp black pepper

1 tsp fresh lemon juice

1/4 tsp fresh lemon zest

12 oz water packed tuna, drained

8 basil leaves

4 rolls, white or wheat

1 cucumber sliced

iceberg lettuce

• Combine first 7 ingredients in a medium bowl; stir in tuna.
  
  
• Place 2 basil leaves on bottom halves of each roll; top basil leaves evenly with tuna mixture. Top each sandwich with cucumber slices, 2 lettuce leaves, and tops of rolls. Yield: 4 servings (serving size: 1 sandwich).

Caramelized Onion Frittata

During the week breakfast is usually a piece of toast and a cup of coffee and every once in a while I have time to cook up an egg and throw it on top of the toast.  Last week, I decided that had to change, so I thought of breakfasts that would be just as good heated up and made them when I had time.  This was one of them and boy oh boy was it good.  I forgot how much I LOVE frittatas and how easy they are, I fell in love with them all over again with this recipe. Of course I added my twist here and there, but this recipe was overall very good, you will love this both the morning you make it and heated up as leftovers throughout the week!

ENJOY!

You can find the recipe here as well.

Caramelized Onion Frittata

1 white onion, thinly sliced rings

1 medium red pepper, diced

1 1/2 cups zucchini, diced into matchsticks

4 large eggs

4 large egg whites

1/4 cup parmesan cheese, grated

2 tsp olive oil

salt and fresh pepper                                                                                                                                                                                         I did all egg whites because I actually had no eggs in the house and I also added about 1 tsp sriracha to cater to my spice loving husband.  Even being all egg whites this was actually really delicious and Logan loved it too!  Will be making a variation of this again soon!

Preheat your oven to 400.

Chop the vegetables as directed.

Over medium-low heat oil in a skillet.  Stir in onion and cook until slightly caramelized, about 10 minutes. 

Add peppers and cook 5 more minutes, then add zucchini. Season with salt and pepper and cook 3 more minutes stirring occasionally.

In a medium bowl whisk eggs, egg whites, parmesan, salt and pepper.

Add eggs to the skillet making sure eggs cover all the vegetables. When the edges begin to set (about 2 minutes) move skillet to oven. 

Cook about 10-15 minutes, or until frittata is completely cooked. Serve warm, cut into 4 pieces.

Logan Rating: ****