Quinoa Salad

When I first had the baby, my neighbor brought this salad over for us to have for dinner.  I stalked her for the recipe.  I was a sleep deprived mama who needed the recipe for this salad I loved it so much.  So I called her, texted her & emailed her.  I may have even yelled at her on the street.  Poor thing.  So imagine my delight when I found that she had taped the recipe to my front door. (She was probably too scared to knock for fear of: 1. waking a sleeping baby & 2. that she would come face to face with a crazy person if I opened the door.)

What can I say- lack of sleep does weird things to people.

|Red Quinoa Salad|

1 cup red quinoa

1 cup toasted pine nuts

1 cup dried cranberries; coarsely chopped

2 english cucumbers; peeled, seeded & cut into 1/4 inch pieces

4 ounces feta; cut into 1/4" cubes

2/3 cup chopped fresh flat leaf parsley

1/4 cup fresh lemon juice

1/3 cup olive oil

salt & pepper to taste

Put quinoa in a fine-mesh strainer & rinse for 1 minute. (Do not skip this step or you will have gritty quinoa.)

Cook according to directions.  Fluff with a fork.  Transfer the quinoa to a large bowl & let cool.

When the quinoa is cool, add the pine nuts, cranberries, cucumbers, feta & parsley & mix well.

Put the lemon juice & olive oil in a jar.  Close the lid & shake until the oil & lemon have emulsified.  Season with salt & pepper.  Pour the dressing over the salad & mix well until coated.  Refrigerate for 1 hour.

And let me leave you with my 6am.  Super hero & his ardvark super hero side-kick:

love this babe.

We're back...for sure this time!

Whoa! being a parent is very time consuming.
I hardly thought about my little blog for awhile.
But lately- I've decided that I have some things I'd like to share.
So here we are.

My hubby has been travelling a lot lately.  Which means I haven't been cooking anything.  Nothing new. Nothing old.  At 4 pm, I starting thinking of bed time. Which means I get my Little Mister down (at 7pm sharp) and go to bed.  Maybe drink some tea wine, eat some cereal & literally climb into bed.

Since I have no new recipes to share, I thought I'd leave you with our typical morning in pictures.

6am

|here|

We try to go to the gym around 4pm-ish.  But that doesn't always happen.

So I alternate Pure Barre & Fusion Yoga.  

7am

|jammies|balls|

We play.  Very early.  Mommy drinks coffee.  

Copious amounts of coffee.

8:15

|Book|

Breakfast time.  

I can't say enough about this book.  Now that Brooks is eating 

regular foods- this books is awesome!

8:30

Little Mister naps. 

 Mama eats. 

Mama Showers

10:30

We play.

Thats it so far.  Enjoy your day!

Green Smoothie

Who really likes raw spinach?  I mean I can pretend to like it, but if it' s not covered in salad dressing, accompanied by feta or goat cheese... puh-lease.  I'd rather eat a hot dog- and I absolutely cannot stand hot dogs.  So there. 

Even though I don't really like raw spinach- this smoothie is amazing.  I got this recipe off of Pinterest- and the weird thing is, it's not really green.  I've tried and tried to make it green by adding more & more spinach- but it still turns out kind of a pink-ish green-ish purple-ish color.  Oh well, who really cares about the color.  This smoothie is awesome...and so full of nutrients. 

Let me review:

1. Spinach: contains lots of fiber- great for digestive health.  Contains flavonoids -- a phytonutrient with anti-cancer properties has been shown to slow down cell division in human stomach and skin cancer cells. Furthermore, spinach has shown significant protection against the occurrence of aggressive prostate cancer.  Lots of other vitamins- vitamin C, vitamin E, beta-carotene, manganese, zinc and selenium present in spinach all serve as powerful antioxidants that combat the onset of osteoporosis, atherosclerosis and high blood pressure. Eating one cup of spinach contributes to this process that fights atherosclerosis, cardiovascular disease and stroke.   And so much more.  Just google "benefits of spinach."

2.  Mango:  Also contains flavonoids which protect against  various cancers.  Mangoes have high levels of fiber, pectin and vitamin C which help to lower serum cholesterol levels, specifically Low-Density Lipoprotein (the bad stuff.)  Mangos have been shown to hlep clear clogged pores and eliminate pimples.  One cup of sliced mangoes supplies 25 percent of the needed daily value of vitamin A, which promotes good eyesight and prevents night blindness and dry eyes.

3.  Blueberries:  The highest antioxidant capacity of all fresh fruit.  Neutralizes free radicals which can affect disease and aging in the body.  Blueberries have also been known to reduce belly fat, reduce cardiovascular risks & have also been know to increase urinary tract health. 

4. Raspberries:  loaded with antioxidants, fiber, vitamins & minerals. 

5. Greek Yogurt:  lower in added sugars & higher in protein than other types of yogurt.  Also good for your gut.

6. Banana: good source of Potassium and vitamin B6, has been shown to decrease risks of kidney cancer & is good for stomach health. 

See?  I'm not crazy...this smoothie is good for you.  And VERY filling.  I make a huge batch of the green weird pink-purple color stuff and freeze it in an ice cube tray.  I don't measure, I just throw all the ingredients in- and I'd be lying if I said I always stick to just this list.  Sometimes I add peaches if the mangos don't look good at the store.  Sometimes I add lemon juice.  It's kind of a free-for-all.  Then I just throw the cubes in my blender with some water, ice cubes & the greek yogurt...makes for easy mornings! 

{clearly I was using blackberries instead of blueberries this time}

The first month...what we're loving

It's amazing how life changes once you bring your little bundle home.  We love how much our baby has changed us- everything from our sleeping habits to the mountains of baby "stuff" we now have in our home.  Most of our gifts have gone un-used as of yet; but I thought I'd share some of our "1st month essentials" seeing that our little guy will be 1 month on Thursday!!


I am not exactly sure what these things are called.  A sleeper maybe?  Regardless, these make diaper changes, hands DOWN... 1,000 times easier (especially in the middle of the night.)





Summer Infant sponge bath mat.  Our baby HATES 2 things: being naked & getting a bath.  This absolutely, hands down makes everything easier. 


On the topic of bath time, we started using California Baby.  Although nothing is as sweet as a Johnson & Johnson smelling baby- after using the products twice; my baby's skin was flaking off.  And he really only smelled great for like a day.  So I did a lot of research & read a lot of reviews.  So far, so good.  His skin isn't as dry.  And the lotion (which claims to be "calming") smells really good.  My baby still screams during bath/lotion time though, so I'm not sure how calming it really is...oh well!


This little gem...oh, what I would do without it I am not completely sure.  This is how I have a cup of coffee, shower, fold laundry or sit and stare at the wall in complete exhaustion (just kidding...well, maybe not.)  The Snug-a-bunny bouncer is the best...he loves to sit in the bouncer & vibrate.  Yes, the seat vibrates.  He starts to cry when the vibration turns off.... I'm not sure what to make of that, but we're going with it for now. 



Gotta love Dr. Browns bottles & Mylicon gas drops.  A friend of mine is a pharmacist & made us a little "baby pharmacy kit" as a shower gift.  One night, on a whim I opened the box before making a Walgreen's trip (at like 11pm...we were desperate.)  These drops are great!  They are part of our nighttime routine. 

And lastly...



When we first brought our baby home, he loved to be swaddled at tight as he possibly could be. 

Within 1 week, this is how he started sleeping...

He only likes to be swaddled from the waist down...and he sleeps with his arms above his head.  So cute!

Chicken Salad Sandwich

I hate Mayonaise.  SO MUCH.  I've never liked it all that much, but the older I've become- the thought of putting mayo in anything churns my stomach.  The 2 exceptions I have are my grandmother's creamy cucumbers & my this recipe my mom makes that has pasta & chicken with raw veggies in it.  That's it.  Anything else...totally disgusting to me.  When I found this chicken salad sandwhich recipe (on Pinterest...go figure) I was so excited because 1. it has cranberries in it (LOVE) 2. it uses mostly greek yogurt to replace most of the mayo, removing most of the mayo taste. 
Win-Win. 

I made this for lunch quite a bit when I was preggo- it was quick, easy & light.  I buy the larger cans of chicken at Costco in bulk to keep around just in case I want this little gem for lunch!

{Chicken Salad Sandwiches}
recipe adapted from inspiredbycharm.com

1 large can chunk chicken (premium, packed in water; drained)
1/4 cup pecans, toasted and roughly chopped
1/3 cup granny apple, diced into small chunks (1/4-1/2 inch)
1/2 cup dried cranberries, roughly chopped
1.5 tablespoons onion, minced
1/3 cup Greek yogurt
2 tablespoons light mayo (I use Duke’s but use your favorite)
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar (or champagne vinegar)
1 tablespoon rosemary, minced

Toasted bread, sliced thick

Mix together greek yogurt, mayo, apple cider vinegar, and rosemary.
In a large bowl, combine, chicken (about 2 cups), pecans, onion, green apple, and cranberries.
Toss with dressing until well combined.
Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Chill for at least an hour until ready to serve.

The past 9 months....

Where have I been? What have I been working on?

This little guy!!

Meet our sweet baby boy, Brooks!

I haven't felt like cooking, Pinterest-ing, cleaning, shopping.  Nothing. I'll admit it...I was lazy.
We ate all of our tried & true recipes.  I didn't have cravings, I didn't try any new recipes.  In the end...we ended up with a pretty great little addition to our family.  And something new to blog about!

Lazy Sunday

Lazy Sunday by kategriffin09 featuring a fringed shawl

Zoe karssen top
$80 - net-a-porter.com

MOTHER DENIM faded jeans
£146 - farfetch.com

Tory Burch flat heels
$792 - jildorshoes.com

Balenciaga bag
€1.190 - veryeickhoff.com

Michael Kors resin jewelry
£220 - harveynichols.com

Old Navy fringed shawl
$17 - oldnavy.gap.com

Scrabble Tile Valentine's Day Cookies

Do we celebrate Valentine's Day around our house??  Sometimes- yes.  Sometimes- no.  I'd rather celebrate the fact that I have an amazing hubby, who is going to be a great daddy & who is an amazing friend...all year long.  We are going out tonight- but we are keeping it pretty low-key.  Just doing stuff that we'd normally do if we went out on a date.  Nothing extravagant- just how we like it :)

So before he left for Dallas on Sunday, he said...."how about we go out to dinner & I take you to buy some new clothes."  {Note: I've been pulling at my t-shirts CONSTANTLY for the past 2 weeks...darn growing belly.}  So that's the plan.  We are headed to Osteria Marco & to Motherhood Maternity!  Hot date night!  Osteria Marco is probably our most favorite restaurant in Denver...I'm excited!!  Motherhood Maternity...not so exciting.  Oh well :)

I was planning on making these cookies last night after I got home from work while I waited for my hubby's plane to land.  What was I thinking- after working 12 hours in an ER, I was going to make Scrabble/Valentine's Day cookies...crazy person!  Anyways, I laid on the couch watching the Bachelor and willing the splitting headache I had to go away. 

So my cookies wil look a little something like this:

photo/idea compliments of Bake at 350

Only with Todd & Kate...

I'll be using my mother's sugar cookie recipe. 

I'll post the recipe & pictures later! 

Happy Valentine's Day everyone! 

Sweet Chili Cheese Cornbread

Superbowl Sunday should be considered a holiday at our house.  After months of watching enough football to drive me crazy; basing our weekends around it, coordinating multiple televisions in order to "not miss a thing," & switching cable providers so we can get the NFL ticket channel we've made it.   We made it to the final day of football.  That next Monday...my hubby usually sighs & says "now I have to wait months for it to come back" while secretly I'm jumping up & down for joy.  No football for months!  Yes! 
...and then I see my hubby sitting on the couch watching basketball.  Oh great.  More sports. 

Can't a girl get some Real Housewives or Tori & Dean?  Even once?? Nope, not going to happen.  Oh well :)

Anyways, the usual Superbowl dinner at our house in chili.  This year, we had a few friends over to watch the game.  Usually I make a red chili, but I decided to mix it up & make White Chicken Chili {recipe here.}  To accompany the chili, I decided to make a corn bread.  I know, I know...usually I shy away from cornbread because its so dry & crumbly.  So I set out to find a good, moist cornbread.  Where did I find the best?  Our Best Bites of course.  The best recipe, hands down.  The bread was moist & flavorable & a little sweet- no massive amounts of butter & honey needed. 

{Sweet Chili Cheese Cornbread}
recipe compliments of Ourbestbites

1 cup butter (2 sticks), at room temperature
1 cup sugar
4 eggs at room temperature
1 4 0z can chopped green chiles
1 can cream style corn
1 cup flour
4 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoons table salt
1 cup cornmeal
1/2 cup grated Monterey jack Cheese
1/2 cup grated cheddar cheese (I like medium or sharp)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Beat butter and sugar together until fluffy, about 1 minute. Add in eggs one at a time, beating well after each one. Add green chiles and corn and mix well. In a separate bowl combine flour, baking powder, and salt. Take a spoonful of flour mixture and toss with grated cheeses (this will help prevent the cheese from sticking together in a big lump.) Add remaining flour mixture, and cornmeal to bowl and stir to combine. Lastly, add grated cheese and mix until well distributed.

Pour mixture into a 9×13 inch baking pan. Reduce heat to 300 degrees and bake for 50-60 minutes or until knife inserted in center of pan comes out with no goopy batter on it.

Buffalo Chicken Dip

In my early stages of pregnancy...when I still didn't know I was preggo- I had this weird craving for buffalo sauce.  Between eating my hubby under the table, constantly making buffalo chicken tacos {recipe here} & covering everything in Frank's Red Hot sauce...I should've known. 

So let's talk football.  Unless you've been living under a rock, this weekend is the SuperBowl!  Who are you cheering for?  I think I'm going to cheer for New England.  Only because the one person I can name from either team is Tom Brady...and well, he's Tom Brady.  Yes, my choice really has nothing to do with football.  I'm ok with it. 

This is a perfect dip for a SuperBowl party.  I've been saving it so I can post it for this weekend- nothing screams football like a combination of buffalo chicken wings & a dip...am I right??!?  Now, this is quite possibly the UGLIEST dip I've ever made.  There is nothing pretty about it....except that it will taste pretty good while you're eating it!

{Buffalo Chicken Dip}

recipe compliments of www.thegirlwhoateeverything.com

1 1/2 cups cooked and shredded chicken or 1 (12 ounce) can chunk chicken, drained

1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened

1/2 cup Ranch dressing

1/2 cup Buffalo wing sauce (such as Frank's Red Hot, not to be confused with their pepper sauce. Start with less if you want and add more to your desired hotness.)

3/4 cup shredded Cheddar cheese

Heat chicken and Buffalo sauce in a skillet over medium heat, until heated through. Make sure to break up the chicken so there are no big chunks. Stir in cream cheese and ranch dressing. Cook, stirring until well blended and warm. Mix in shredded cheese & cook until melted. Pour into a shallow dish. (At this point- you could sprinkle blue cheese on top & microwave to melt- but I skip this step.)

 Serve with chips, carrots & celery for dipping.

 

ENJOY

Guacamole

I've been wanting to try making my own guacamole for a while now.  Every time I've had the opportunity to make some- the avocados at the grocery store are like the size of pebbles & hard as rocks.  So I was very happily surprised when I actually went to the store to buy some & they were really good. 

So onto dinner:  we decided to make quesadillas with the guac & chips. 

This is the huge plate of food I consumed:

quesadilla recipe here

After eating half of the guac out of the bowl, I ate 2 whole quesadillas & a TON of guacamole & chips (they were baked- so I feel a little bit better about the situation.)  The thing is... I was STILL hungry.  SO I asked my hubby to make me another quesadilla.  He said no. He said I had eaten enough.  I was mad.  Really mad.  I went on this rampage about withholding food from preggo people & how mean it was...blah, blah, blah.

About 10 minutes later- I was rolling around on the floor with this huge stomach yelling "help me!, help me...my stomach is blowing up"  My hubby just stood overtop of me shaking his head.  Eating the rest of the guacamole.  Lesson learned.

Anyways, this guacamole was really fresh tasting & spicy.  We really liked it.  I've found that guac stays better longer if you rub the inside of the container with a cut lime (thank you Pinterest for the tip.)  With the Super Bowl coming up...we'll be making this again soon.

{Guacamole}

recipe adapted from www.thegirlwhoateeverything.com

3 ripe avocadoes; peeled & pitted

Juice of 1 lime (I added a little more- I like lime)

1/4 cup finely minced red onion

3 Tablespoons chopped cilantro

1 jalepeno; seeded & ribs removed; finely chopped

1 clove garlic; minced

1 teaspoon coarse kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

Halve the avocado & remove the pit by gently hiting the pit with a large, sharp knife & twisting the pit out.  Remove the avocado from the skin.  In a bowl, combine the avocado & mash it with a fork (to your desired consistency- we like rather chunky guac.)  Mix in remaining ingredients. 

Rub inside of the container it's being stored in with the cut lime.  Cover & let sit for about 1 hour prior to serving.  Serve with chips!

Enjoy!

 

Where have I been?

Oh my goodness.  I have been M.I.A...but I have a good excuse, I swear.  See, my hubby & I are expecting our FIRST baby!  With that said, for about 1 1/2 months the only thing I could stomach to eat were cherrios, yogurt & oranges.  Weird combination, but come near me with anything else- and I'd go running in the other direction.

It was so gross.  I couldn't even look at Pinterest because seeing the food made me run for the bathroom.  I was so nauseated in the afternoons I couldn't even sit at my computer & scroll the screen without getting sick.  I was a hot mess! 

But recently, I thought to myself "wow! today was a good day..." and then next day I thought the same.  It's been a few weeks now that I feel better, so I think I'm back in the game. 

So there's my excuse....hopefully good enough for now!

Lemon Bars

I love Pinterest.  I love it for a lot of reasons.

#1.  I have my dream home all planned out.
#2.  I have my Christmas list totally picked out.
#3.  I have my birthday list totally picked out.
                and last, but not least...
#4.  I have collected about 1,000 recipes...most of which have been really good.

Last month, I had a bridal shower to go to at my work.  What bridal shower is not complete without lemon bars?  I love all things lemon...and these fit right in.  I adapted this recipe from one I found on Pinterest.  I'm glad I used this recipe- there's something about using fresh lemon juice that just makes it "that much better."  Thankfully, I saved a few at home, because they were all gone! 
 

{Lemon Bars}

recipe adapted from here

For the crust:

3/4 pound unsalted butter; at room temperature

3/4 cup granulated sugar

3 cups flour

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

For the filling:

6 large eggs; at room temperature

3 cups granulated sugar

2 Tablespoons finely grated lemon zest

1 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (about 7 small lemons)

1 cup flour

Confectioners' sugar for dusting

Butter a 9x13 baking pan, then line the bottom & sides with parchment paper (optional, but makes for easy removal from the pan.)

For the crust:

Cream the butter & sugar until light in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment.  Combine the flour & salt; and with mixer on low, add to the butter mixture until just combined.

Dump the dough onto a well-floured board and gather into a ball.  Flatten the dough with floured hands and press it into the bottom of the prepared pan. 

Chill the pan while you preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Bake the crust for 15-20 minutes, until very lightly browned.  Let cool.  Leave the oven on.

For the Filling:

Whisk together the eggs, sugar, lemon zest, lemon juice & flour.  Pour over the crust and bake for 35-45 minutes, until filling is set. 

Let cool to room temperature.  Cut into squares or triangles and dust with confectioners' sugar. 

Store any leftovers in a covered container in the refrigerator. 

Makes about 24 squares.

Enjoy!

Buffalo Chicken Tacos

I hit a home-run the other day.  I received a pat on the back & an "atta-girl."  I made Buffalo Chicken Tacos.  I usually associate chicken wings with 3 things: guys, beer & football.  I'm not a huge fan of eating meat off the bone- something about it just grosses me out.  So I don't particularly LOVE chicken wings.  When I found this recipe...I immediately knew it'd be a big hit.  I'd like it because it was chicken off the bone, and my hubby would love it because well...he's a guy, he was drinking beer & of course he watching football.  We both really enjoyed these tacos!

{Buffalo Chicken Tacos}
recipe via here

Ingredients

1 pound chicken breasts, skinless, boneless, cut into 1 inch pieces
⅓ cup flour
3 tablespoon cornstarch
⅛ teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon garlic powder
⅓ cup buffalo wing sauce (Frank’s Buffalo Wing - NOT red hot sauce) , plus extra for garnishment
1 Tablespoon olive oil
10 6-inch yellow corn tortillas

Toppings:
Shredded butter Lettuce
Diced onions mixed with cilantro
Avocado slices
Ranch dressing
Green onions, sliced thinly
Cheddar Cheese

Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat.

In a large bowl, combine cornstarch, flour, cayenne, and garlic powder. Season the chicken pieces with pepper, then dredge in the flour mixture.

Add 1 tablespoon of olive oil to the skillet and once it gets hot, add chicken and cook on both sides – about 3 to 4 minutes per side. Once the chicken is done, remove from heat toss with ⅓ cup buffalo wing sauce.

Warm tortillas.  Top with all toppings.  Drizzle with small amout of ranch dressing. 

Enjoy!

Cream Cheese Rippled Pumpkin Bread

So weird!  Earlier this week, I was trying to figure out a few new outfits on Polyvore.  I was headed to the mall & my take on shopping lately: if I can't make an "outfit" out of it....I'm not buying it.  That way, I won't end up with all these random shirts/tops that really don't go together.  So anyways...sorry to all of you if it left you scratching your heads!

We have had a busy couple of weeks!  We travelled for 2 weeks, and then we had my hubby's family in town.  Needless to say...lots of eating out!  My hubby is now in North Dakota for the week.  I have to admit: last night, after working for 12 VERY long hours...I came home, made some classic Kraft Mac n' Cheese & collapsed on the couch! 

While Todd's family was here, I did manage to make this bread.  Very Fall. Very Good. Very comforting.  The recipe makes 2 loaves...we ate one & I brought one to work.  The one I brought to the ER was gone in minutes!

{Cream Cheese Rippled Pumpkin Bread}
Recipe compliments of Lickthebowlclean.blogspot.com
Recipe makes 2 loaves

Cream Cheese Filling:

8 ounce package cream cheese; room temperature
1/2 cup granulated white sugar
2 large eggs
1 1/2 Tablespoons all purpose flour

Pumpkin Bread:

1 cup toasted pecans
3 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoons ground nutmeg
4 large eggs
2 cups granulated white sugar
1 cup unsalted butter; melted & cooled
1-15 ounce can pure pumpkin
1/2 cup water
1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Butter and flour 2 9x5' loaf pans.

For the Cream Cheese Filling: Beat the cream cheese until smooth in a stand mixer.  Add the sugar and process until smooth and creamy.  Add the eggs; one at a time,  mixing just until incorporated.  Do not over process.  Stir in the flour.  Set aside.

For the Pumpkin Bread:  Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg in a large bowl and set aside.  In another bowl, whisk together the eggs until lightly beaten.  Whisk in the sugar and melted butter, then stir in the pumpkin, water, vanilla and (optionally) nuts.  Stir the flour mixture into the pumpkin mixture, being careful not to overmix.  A few streaks of flour are fine.  Divide the batter in half.  Take one halft and divide it between the two pans.  Pour half of the cream cheese filling into each pan, then top with the remaining half of batter.  Smooth the tops and bake an hour, or until a toothpick comes out clean.  Cool pans on a wire rack for 10 minutes, then turn out and cool loaves to room temperature.

Doughnut Muffins

Things have sure changed around our house.  My hubby has been travelling a lot, which has been a really hard adjustment for me.  That's part of the reason I haven't had many recipes to share- cooking for one is SO HARD.  While my hubby was gone- I found myself sitting in my most ugly ripped stained worn comfy sweatpants (I know you all have some)  & watching The Housewives of Beverly Hills & The Rachel Zoe Project off the DVR (never, ever would I think about watching Bravo when my hubby is around- he says it gives him a headache.)  After many hours of watching t.v. & stalking Pinterest...I decided I should make these muffins.  I'm glad I did- I ate them for breakfast all week!  They were good & warm & fall-ish.

{Doughnut Muffins}
compliments of Howto-simplify.com

For the muffins:
1 3/4 cup flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/3 cup oil
3/4 cup sugar
1 egg
3/4 cup milk

For the coating:
1/4-1/2 cup butter; melted
1/3 cup sugar
1 Tablespoon cimmamon

Preheat oven to 350 degrees & grease a muffin tin. 
Combine flour, baking powder, salt, nutmeg & cinnamon in a medium bowl.  Combine oil, sugar, egg & milk in a large bowl.  Add dry ingredients & stir to combine.
Bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes.  While muffins are baking, melt butter in a small bowl.  In another bowl, combine the sugar & cinnamon.  Shake muffins out of the muffin tin while the muffins are still hot.  Dip muffins in the melted butter & then into the sugar & cinnamon mixture.  Place on a wire rack & allow to cool.
Enjoy!

I couldn't help it :)

         

Lasagna Soup

I've been trying really, really hard to pretend it feels like fall.  I mean, I'm ready for 50-60 degree weather, football, boots & sweaters.  Yesterday, it was 91 degrees in Denver.  91 Degrees!  So needless to say, I'm not quite ready to bust out all of my saved pumpkin recipes, soup recipes, etc.  We are still outside grilling!
A few weeks ago, I did have the opportunity to try a good fall recipe.  It was a bit on the cooler side, it was Sunday evening & we had just spent the afternoon at the Bronco's game.  I've had this recipe saved for awhile now & I'm glad we tried it!  It was so good.  Sorry the picture is so bad...we were so hungry, I just quick snapped a picture before we devoured it!

{Lasagna Soup}
recipe compliments of  Cassie Craves

{I tried to get a picture of the Ricotta mixture at the bottom of the bowl...didn't work out so well}

Ingredients:

2 teaspoons olive oil
1 pound spicy sausage
1 onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes with garlic and olive oil
5 cups beef broth
1/2 cup tomato basil spaghetti sauce
1 bay leaf
4 ounces campanelle pasta
4 ounces ricotta
1/4 cup grated Parmesan
1/8 teaspoon salt
Pinch of pepper
1 cup shredded mozzarella

1. In a large pot, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the sausage and sauté, breaking it up into small pieces with a wooden spoon, until the sausage is no longer pink, about 5 to 7 minutes. Drain any excess fat from the pot. Add the onions and sauté until softened, about 6 minutes. Add the garlic and Italian seasoning and sauté for 1 minute. Add the tomato paste and sauté until the paste turns a rusty brown, about 5 minutes. Add the tomatoes with their juice, the spaghetti sauce, the broth, and the bay leaf and bring the soup to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for about 30 minutes.

2. Add the pasta, then increase the heat to medium-high and boil the soup until the pasta is tender to the bite, following the time recommendations on the pasta package. Discard the bay leaf. If desired, season with salt and black pepper to taste.

3. In a small bowl, combine the ricotta, the Parmesan, the 1/8 teaspoon of salt, and the pinch of pepper. To serve, place about 1 1/2 tablespoons of the ricotta mixture in each bowl, sprinkle with some of the mozzarella, and ladle the soup on top.

Enjoy!

Block Party! and a few great recipes...

Hopefully everyone is having a great weekend!  Last evening, we had our first annual block party.  We had a great time!  This is what our street looked like:

and:

Even Little Oli had a good time...although this morning he's had a slight hangover: by that I mean like a food coma/hangover.  We watched our little 13 pound dog eat 1 hotdog, 1 cupcake wrapper & he took a cookie right out of a little girls hand!  Who knows what else he got ahold of.  SO needless to say he's a big sluggish this morning. 

We ended the evening with a bonfire in the middle of our street.  It was so much fun!  Can't wait to do it next year!  As for what I brought- they were both new recipes that I will be keeping around.  I enjoyed them both (and a big thank you to Pinterest- which is where I found the links.)

{Peanut Butter Pretzel Bites}
recipe compliments of Foodaphilia

1 cup creamy peanut butter
2 Tablespoons softened butter
3/4 cup powdered sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar
mini pretzels
1 bag semi-sweet chocolate chips

Combine peanut butter & softened butter in a large bowl.  Mix to combine.  Add the sugars & mix again.  At this point if the filling will roll easily into balls without sticking to your hands you're ready to go.  If not, add a little more of each sugar until you've reached a consistency that is easy to roll.

Use a teaspoon measure to scoop the filling.  Roll each portion into a small ball, then sandwich them between two whole pretzels.  When all the balls are rolled & successfully sandwiched, stick the whole tray in the freezer for about 30 minutes (I froze my completely.)

Pour the chocolate chips into a microwave safe bowl & heat at 30-second intervals, stirring occasionally until completely melted.  Remove the pretzel sandwiches from the freezer & quickly dip each half-way into the melted chocolate.  Return to the tray & repeat with remaining sandwiches.  When all are dipped, return the tray to the freezer to set up completely.  Store the sandwiches in the refrigerator until ready to serve. 

TIP: line the tray with parchment paper

now on to my favorite:

{Asian Chicken Pasta Salad}

recipe compliments of nobiggie.net

1 box bowtie (farfalle) pasta
4 chicken breasts cooked & shredded (I shredded a rotisserie chicken)
1/4 cup green onions; sliced
1/2 pack sliced almonds; toasted
1 bag spinach
1 small bag peapods
1 can mandarin oranges; drained

Dressing:
NOTE: this recipe MUST be doubled

1/4 cup sesame seeds; toasted
1/3 cup soy sauce
1/3 cup red wine vinegar
1/3 cup vegetable oil (or sesame oil)
2 tbsp sugar
1/2 tsp pepper

Cook pasta (a little al dente.)  While pasta is cooking, shred chicken.  Make 1 batch of the dressing.  Combine cooled pasta & chicken in a container: pour dressing over.  Place in fridge overnight (or at least 4 hours.)

Right before serving, toss all together with 1 more batch of the dressing.  Top with a small amount of additional sesame seeds.  Enjoy!