How was your weekend? I have to say I had one of the best weekends. Friday night I hosted a small dinner party where I made (deconstructed) paella, tapas, and a build your own sundae bar for dessert –will post about the dinner party soon. On Saturday night we grilled pizzas and the neighbors popped over to share dinner and stories –will post about the grilled pizzas soon too. Then on Sunday my darling Penelope had her very first dance recital which was so adorable. Delicious food, visiting with wonderful friends and family, beautiful weather, a lovely thunderstorm, and watching my daughter on the stage for the first time was so joyous. I am blessed, no question.

So to continue on the joyous high from the weekend I thought the perfect recipe to share would include sprinkles. Sprinkles = happiness, don’t they? If not they should. Funfetti cupcakes have been a birthday favorite since I was little. The spring seems to be a popular baby shower/bridal shower season and funfetti cupcakes would be the perfect addition on the dessert table.

The best part of making homemade funfetti cupcakes is that you can pick the color of your sprinkles. I went with a multicolor sprinkle since I wasn’t making these for any particular event. Baby gender reveal parties seem to be a thing –what about using all pink or all blue sprinkles in these cupcakes? For bridal showers you could use the bride’s wedding colors. Use school colors for graduation cupcakes. With the endless sprinkle colors you could make funfetti cupcakes for every event and have coordinating sprinkles.

HOMEMADE FUNFETTI CUPCAKES
12 cupcakes (24 mini cupcakes)

Ingredients
1 cup all purpose flour
1 1/4 cup cake flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 cup buttermilk
4 egg whites
1 1/2 cup sugar
1 stick (1/2 cup) butter, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup rainbow jimmies

Directions
1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Place cupcake liners in a muffin tin.
2.  In large bowl mix together flours, baking powder, salt. Set aside.
3.  Whisk together buttermilk and egg whites. Set aside.
4.  In mixing bowl beat sugar and butter together. Until well combined. Mix in vanilla.
5.  Alternate adding 1/3 of flour mixture and 1/2 of buttermilk mixture to mixing bowl, beating until just incorporated in between (begin and end with flour mixture). Beat for 1 more minute.
6.  Fold in sprinkles.
7.  Fill cupcake liners 3/4 full. Bake for 18-20 minutes, until cupcakes spring back when lightly touched and a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.

SWISS BUTTERCREAM
Ingredients
5 teaspoons meringue powder
5 tablespoons water
1/2 pound (2 sticks) unsalted butter (I know it sounds like a crazy amount)
pinch of salt
1 cup powdered sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Directions
1.  Add the meringue powder and water to your mixing bowl. Then using your whisk attachment for your mixer whisk the heck out of them on medium high speed for 8-10 minutes or until the egg whites form stiff peaks.
2.  Bump the speed down to medium and start adding the butter 2 T at a time making sure each addition is incorporated before adding any more. At this point your mixture may start to look soupy and/or curdled. Don’t be alarmed just bump the speed up to medium high and keep on mixing until it smooths out (maybe 5 minutes).
3.  Once all the butter is incorporated bump the speed down to low and slowly add in the powdered sugar. Be careful as the powdered sugar may fly up in a dust all over your kitchen. Once the sugar is stirred in increase the speed to medium high and mix everything together. Slowly add the vanilla and mix for another minute or two.
4.  At this point you can add any food coloring to the frosting if desired.
5.  Use your frosting immediately or put into an air tight container and refrigerate (up to 3 days). When you’re ready to use it bring it to room temperature and whip it using your mixer.

I used the 1M tip from Wilton to frost my cupcakes. For extra fun sprinkle with some more rainbow jimmies.

What is your favorite cake/cupcake?

Here is a short round up of Friday’s Favorites. Have a great and safe weekend everyone! xo

1. Unique Homes This converted clock tower is amazing. I love the idea of living in buildings that weren’t intended for a family home. Click on the link to see more amazing pictures of this home.

2. Horseshoe Pit Contemplating putting in one horseshoe pit in our backyard.

3. Giant Flowers Aren’t these allium gladiator flowers awesome?

4.  Painted Table Cloth How clever! Check out Oh Happy Day for other fun projects! I love this site!

5. Sichuan Wontons I have been on an Asian foods kick lately and these wontons sound ridiculously good.

Have a great weekend!

Grilled meat on a salad is a big summer favorite of mine. Strawberries in a salad with tangy feta or goat cheese is another favorite. When I was sitting in the airport in Atlanta recently we ate at TGI Friday’s. On the menu was a Strawberry Fields salad. It had strawberries, Parmesan cheese, goat cheese, pecans, I added chicken to mine, and it was swimming (swimming) in a balsamic vinaigrette. It was very tasty however, I couldn’t wait to come home and make my own salad with a lot less vinaigrette.

Well things have been a little busy since I’ve been home so I didn’t think about that salad until I got asked about low fat/fat free salad dressing options. If you have better insight about these type of dressing options please chip in in the comments section. Personally, I think fat free salad dressing tastes like a bunch of chemicals. It is HORRIBLE! My recommendation was to make a vinaigrette. This way you can control the type and amount of oil you’re adding on your salad. There are tons of different vinegars and oils available even places like Walmart are starting to carry a greater variety. Pick an oil, then a vinegar, added chopped fresh herbs or dried herbs, minced garlic, shallots, or onion… seriously the flavor combinations are endless!

Because of that question I was inspired to make my own vinaigrette and I happened to have a leftover grilled chicken breast, strawberries, and goat cheese in the fridge. How about that? This salad was meant to be. Kasper (age 21 months) and Penelope (age 5) both loved it, in fact, they both had a second helping!

Since homemade vinaigrettes don’t have preservatives in them you will want to make them in small quantities. This way you can be constantly experimenting with new oils/vinegars/herbs. This vinaigrette makes about 6 -2 tablespoon servings. Perfect for a dinner party. Keeping to that 2 tablespoon serving size means your salad won’t be swimming in dressing and you will actually be able to taste everything! This dressing is brown and not very beautiful, but it makes up for it with it tangy punch. Plus get this there is only 70 calories per serving! Low calorie and good tasting!

BALSAMIC VINAIGRETTE
Serves: 6 – 2 tablespoon per serving
Ingredients
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1 teaspoon dijon mustard
1 teaspoon agave mustard
1/2 cup walnut oil
pinch salt & pepper

Directions:
1. Pour all ingredients into a jar with a lid
2. Shake, shake, shake vigorously for 15-20 seconds to emulsify everything

The vinaigrette should coat the sides of the jar when it is ready to use. Store in the fridge for up to one week. If it separates give it a shake.

STRAWBERRY SALAD
Ingredients
3-4 cups Spring Mix Lettuce
1/2 Grilled Chicken Breast
1 Tablespoon crumbled Feta
1 Tablespoon Shaved Parmesan cheese
4-5  Strawberries, sliced
2 Tablespoons Sliced Almonds, or Roasted Pecans
2 Tablespoons fresh balsamic vinaigrette

Directions
1. layer salad ingredients together and top with vinaigrette

Do you make your own dressings? Please share your favorites in the comments. 

Mornings at our house are kind of crazy. I am sure this is not unique to just my family. Trying to get everyone dressed, fed, and out the door on time is a Herculean feat some days. Having on the go breakfasts foods prepared help save the day. Penelope, my 5 year old, mixed these up herself, she especially loved rubbing the butter into the flour to make it “sand-like”. She is my little scone lover. She asks for one every time we drive past a coffee shop. I didn’t know what a scone was until I was in my twenties.

In these scones I used mini chocolate chips and dried sweet cherries. If you haven’t tried the dried cherries I recommend picking some up next time you spy them. The cherry flavor is concentrated and I think they blow dried cranberries out of the water. Actually, I was afraid I wasn’t going to have enough for this recipe since my family kept snitching them.

The mini chocolate chips provided just the right amount of chocolate with out being overly sweet or overpowering. Who doesn’t love a little chocolate with breakfast? They mix up quickly and only take about 15-18 minutes to bake. If you don’t have a ton of extra time on your hands in the morning to mix and bake, you could mix them up the night before and pop them in the refrigerator until morning. That way all you have to do is bake them –they will take slightly longer to bake coming straight out of the fridge (23-25 minutes). Using this method the scones would bake while you are getting ready and by the time you are ready to walk out the door you can grab a fresh hot scone.

CHOCOLATE CHERRY SCONES

Ingredients 
2 cups flour
1/3 cup sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
7 tablespoons chilled butter, diced
1 cup mini chocolate chips
1 cup chopped dried cherries
2/3 cup buttermilk
1 egg yolk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon almond extract
1/4 cup milk
1/4 cup coarse sugar (optional)

Directions
1.  Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or grease baking sheet.
2.  In a large bowl whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
3.  Whisk together buttermilk, egg yolk, vanilla, and almond extracts. Set aside.
4.  Add the butter to the flour mixture. Using your fingers rub in the butter until the flour becomes sand like.
5.  Mix in chocolate chips and cherries
6.  Add the buttermilk mixture to the dry ingredients. Stirring with a fork until combined.
7.  Form dough into a ball. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface.
8.  Press dough ball in a circle shape 3/4 inch thick.
9. Cut into 8 triangle shaped pieces
10. Place on prepared baking sheet. 1 inch apart.
11. Lightly brush milk over the tops of the scones.
12. Sprinkle with the coarse sugar.
13. Bake for 15-18 minutes (23-25 minutes if refrigerated) . Or until the scones are golden brown.

Serve warm or at room temperature.

Me and Jessica                                           Jill and Judi

I went to Savannah with my my mother-in-law and sisters-in-law. We met up with my MIL’s best friends from high school and their daughters. It was so nice to put faces with names and hear old stories about my mother-in-law when she was just a girl. Shhhhh I will never tell

This was our weekend house. Right in the historic district. Which made it very convient to walk to the river. It was built in 1890 and is cute as a button. The inside was elaborately decorated.

A chandelier in almost every room –including the restrooms.

There was even a kumquat tree in the back.

Savannah is a beautiful city rich in history. I really want to go back and spend more time there.

PBRs at Pinky Master’s

The Mercer House | Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil

View from River Street

Waving Girl

Little Tara | Where the other part of our group stayed

The beautiful Live Oaks with Spanish Moss

One of the squares. They are sort of like a round-about.

Granite Monument. Chief Tomo-Chi-Chi is buried here in Wright Square.

Many of the squares have monuments.

John Wesley Monument

Another beautiful square with the gorgeous old oaks. Many people are buried under the squares. They were afraid to move the bodies after so many died of yellow fever.

The oak trees create the most beautiful canopy over the streets.

Richardson House | Still has intact slave quarters and carriage house. Opened for tours.

The back of the Richardson House

We walked through Colonial Park Cemetery. It was started around 1750 with the last burials taking place in the 1850s. If I heard our tour guide correctly almost 8,000 are buried here, many victims of the yellow fever are also buried here. There are so many large monuments and tombs in this cemetery. I loved looking at the inscriptions on the grave stones.

Large tombs

A wall filled with old headstones.

d. 1796

A gravestone for an entire family.

Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD) has restored many building in downtown Savannah.

SCAD

Beautiful Churches

Bus Stop

Go visit! It is a beautiful city. Go on a bus tour first thing when you arrive. We went on a bus tour and a horse drawn carriage tour. Each of them different and learning so much history from both our tour ladies.

Now most people know Paula Deen has a restaurant in Savannah. The Lady and Sons is her famous restaurant. It is a vacation destination restaurant. People line up down the block to eat here. They wait for hours in the Georgia sun to have a bite of something linked to the famous Paula Deen. So of course we ate there. We made reservations for dinner on Saturday night and didn’t have to wait in line in the rain. If you want to eat there I recommend reservations. I am glad we went. Here is a conversation I had with a friend about Paula’s restaurant.

I’ve heard from someone that lived there that it was good when she first opened it up. The more famous she became the worse it became I guess. I was disappointed in the options. No diabetic could eat there without blowing their carbs for the entire day. Which is disappointing since Paula is a diabetic. Even her salads were loaded to the brim with stuff.

Did y’all know that the main thing about Lady and Sons is that it is a buffet?! The buffet ($18) was fried chicken, catfish, roast beef, mashed potatoes, mac-n-cheese, green beans, black eyed peas, collard greens, yams, and that’s about it. You’re served a garlic/cheese biscuit (like Red Lobster’s) and a griddle cake. Dessert options were banana pudding, gooey butter cake, and peach cobbler. You can order off a small menu with prices starting at $20.

We dressed up all fancy but many of the people were in sweat pants. Can you blame them though, they were eating at a buffet and probably wanted to make the most of their $18.

Cracker Barrel has better southern food than she did. She is running her restaurant on her name and her name only –the food is meh at best. There were a few from our group that ordered off menu and it took 90 minutes for their food to arrive!! We had 8pm reservations so the restaurant wasn’t really overly busy. Not busy enough for a 90 minute wait!

The only reason I would consider it a “destination” restaurant is because of the following conversation:

A: You went to Savannah?
B: Ya
A: Did you eat at Paula Deen’s restaurant?!
B: Ya
A: How was it?!?!?!
B: Meh

Come on Paula, I expected better from you! I have made several of Paula’s recipes and they are delicious. My MIL owns several of Paula’s cookbooks and has made her delicious recipes. Paula is a good cook, you just wouldn’t have known it by going off her restaurant alone.

I heard that if you are looking for real southern food you need to eat at Mrs. Wilkes. I am so bummed we didn’t get to eat there. We had planned to eat there on Friday after we arrived in Savannah but our flight was delayed causing us to miss our connection. So instead of arriving around noon we arrived around 8:30 pm. Our tour guide said before there was Paula there was Mrs. Wilkes. She started serving her southern food in 1943.

So that is my Savannah trip is a nutshell. It was a fun spending all that time with my sisters-in-law and mother-in-law. I hope this is an annual thing

I will be back next week with more recipes! YAY!

Happy Friday everyone! Have a fun and safe weekend.

Also happy mother’s day to my mother and mother-in-law.

Love ya!

On this date I usually receive a text message from my husband with the above photo. He is such a jokester. If you have been a long time reader you know my love of Mexican food runs as deep as my love of breakfast food.

Have you had fruit salsas? They are a perfect combination of sweet and spicy. Me gusta! Champagne (Ataulfo) mangos are all over the produce aisle here. I LOVE them for breakfast served up with plain Greek yogurt and whatever nuts I have on hand. Today though they make the perfect appetizer. Go pick up a few mangos and get ready for a wonderful happy hour appetizer. Below the recipe are several of my Mexican (inspired) recipes. Happy Cinco de Mayo!

MANGO SALSA
Ingredients
3 Champagne mangos, deseeded and chopped -check out this video
1/2 red onion, minced
1 medium jalapeño, seeded and chopped
a handful (it is a technical term ) of cilantro, rough chopped

Directions
1. Chop or mince all the ingredients
2. Mix together and let set 15-20 minutes before serving

I served my salsa with Target’s Blue Corn and Flax Seed Chips. They are the best. 

Here are some other Mexican recipes for your fiesta. Ole!

Mexican Ground Beef perfect for all sorts of Mexican dishes!

Shredded Chicken

Chicken Chimichangas A great use of shredded chicken!

Fresh Salsa

Watermelon Salsa

Chocolate Cupcakes with Salted Dulce de Leche Buttercream (YUM!)

Sopapilla Cheesecake

I am a busy mom and when I can utilize my crock pot to save me time I am all for it. This chicken recipe is so easy. You place chicken, tomatoes and green chilies, and some spices in the crock pot turn it on low and let it work it’s magic all day. When you come home from work you will be ready for an easy breezy Mexican fiesta. What I love is you can easily make enough chicken for a small family or double it up to feed a crowd.

This chicken freezes beautifully too. I usually make more so I can freeze some for later. I use this chicken in soft shelled tacos or quesadillas. It would work beautifully in a Chipotle inspired rice bowl, enchiladas, Mexican lasagna, tortas, etc.

SHREDDED MEXICAN CHICKEN
Ingredients 
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1-15 ounce can of Rotel tomatoes or tomatoes and green chili mix
1 teaspoon cumin
salt to taste

Directions
1.  Turn crock pot on low
2.  Dry off chicken breasts and place in crock pot
3.  Cover with tomato mixture*
4.  Season with cumin and salt
5.  Place lid on crock pot and cook for 6-8 hours
6.  Shred with two forks. Serve.

*If chicken isn’t completely covered add chicken stock or water until chicken is just covered.

This shredded chicken is gluten free. If you serve it on corn tortillas your gluten free friends can enjoy your fiesta too. 

SHREDDED CHICKEN QUESADILLAS
Ingredients 
Shredded Chicken
refried beans
cheese
tortilla
garnish: tomatoes, avocado, sour cream, salsa

Directions
1.  Heat a cast iron skillet over medium heat
2.  Assemble quesadilla by spreading beans on half of the tortilla
3.  Put a couple spoonfuls of chicken on top of the beans
4.  Sprinkle cheese on half of the tortilla
5.  Fold the tortilla over the beans, chicken, and cheese
6.  Cook in a dry skillet for 3-5 minutes per side
7.  Serve

What are your favorite Mexican inspired recipes?

If you’re looking for the Stuffed French Toast recipe skip down to the bottom. Awhile back on my Jamie’s Recipes Facebook page I asked “Are there any foods/dishes that you are hesitant to tackle at home?” One of my readers and fellow breakfast lover said stuffed French toast was something she was hesitant about. I gave it my best go and think I was successful in making a stuffed French toast that isn’t “cold fillings surrounded by two pieces of toast.”

My Friday Favorites: As always click the links to go through to the original website.

If Humans Crossed the Street Like Animals I think this guy nailed the animals’ personalities perfectly.

Upcycle Braided T-Shirt Rug I really want to make one of these colorful rugs. If you have old T-shirts in a variety of colors I will take them off your hands! Check out the rest of Cintia’s beautiful blog My Poppet she is so crafty!

This Shirt

A Polka Dot Cake So perfect for a baby shower or bridal shower. Vagabond Baker is a new blog I discovered. She lives a nomadic life in a camper van. Sounds like fun doesn’t it?

Striped Dresses I got this dress for my trip to Savannah next week. I hope stripes never go out of style. I found it at Whole Foods of all places for cheaper than what the website is selling them for.

Mini Cheesecake from Hummingbird High I bought some mini cheesecake pans on an after Easter sale. I can’t wait to put them to good use with this recipe.

You Forgot the Blueberries. My sister shared this video. I laughed so hard I was crying. Tears streaming down my cheeks. My girls looked at me like I had lost my mind.

Now that you have had your Friday laughs I hope you can find time to make this stuffed French toast this weekend. I took the easy way out and bought some challah bread from Whole Foods feel free to make your own though. If you’re in Omaha I found out Whole Foods bakes their challah fresh on Thursdays. I made strawberries and cream, Nutella and strawberries, and blueberries and cream. Set your cream cheese out to soften and come to room temperature. Also set out your berries. If you do this it will take the chill off of them and help so your French toast filling isn’t cold.

STUFFED FRENCH TOAST
Ingredients

1 loaf Challah bread or French bread
4 ounces low fat cream cheese, softened at room temperature
strawberries, sliced
blueberries
2-3 Tablespoons Nutella
4 eggs, beaten
1/2 cup milk

Directions
1.  Slice the bread in 1 1/2 inch slices.
2.  Preheat the griddle or cast iron skillet over medium.
3.  Mix together eggs and milk. Set aside.
4.  Mix together 2 ounces cream cheese with strawberries, 2 ounces with blueberries, and the strawberries with the Nutella.
5.  Take 1 slice of bread and slice it almost all the way through to create a pocket for the stuffing.
6.  Spread 1-2 tablespoons of fruit and cream cheese mixture or Nutella and fruit mixture into the pocket.
7.  Dip the bread into the egg mixture coating both sides.
8.  Toast the bread in a greased cast iron skillet or griddle over medium heat.
9.  Cook 4-5 minutes per side or until golden brown.
10. Serve as is or with butter and syrup.  Enjoy!

What are your big weekend plans?

Gluten-freers rejoice our favorite little guys Snap, Crackle, and Pop created a malt free (gluten free) Rice Krispies cereal you can enjoy. How many people actually sit down to a bowl of Rice Krispies for breakfast? I suspect that 99% of Rice Krispies consumption occurs in Rice Krispies bar form. As with most gluten free items this brown rice cereal doesn’t taste identical to the regular ole Rice Krispies cereal but I kicked up the bar recipe with browned butter, a pinch of Kosher salt, and a splash of vanilla. Simply put, they are phenomenal.

Last week was teacher and staff appreciation week at school so I whipped up a batch of these bad boys so our gluten intolerant staff could indulge themselves too. So head to the cereal aisle at your favorite store and look for these gluten free bad boys.

GLUTEN FREE RICE KRISPIES
Ingredients
4 ounces (1 stick) unsalted butter, plus extra for the pan
1/2 teaspoon Vanilla extract
1-10-ounce bag marshmallows
pinch of Kosher salt
6 cups Rice Krispies cereal

Directions 
1.  Grease a 8 inch cake pan. Set aside.
2.  In a large pot, melt butter over medium-low heat. Stir frequently, scraping up any bits from the bottom. Keep your eyes on it as it will go from browned and nutty to bruned and ruined quickly.
3.  Once the butter is a browned nutty color remove from heat.
4.  Add the vanilla. Be careful as the vanilla will cause the butter to bubble up.
5.  Stir in the marshmallows. If the marshmallows don’t melt completely return to low heat and stir until smooth.
6.  Stir in pinch of salt.
7.  Add cereal. Stirring to coat all the cereal in the marshmallowy goodness.
8.  Spread in greased pan.
9.  Cool completely before cutting into squares. Enjoy!

My gluten free friends, are there any other recipes you would like to see made gluten free?

Today’s recipe is truly decadent. Creamy one pot macaroni and cheese with langostino tails topped with bread crumbs and baked in the oven. Sounds outrageous right? I think homemade macaroni and cheese is one of the best things. The blue box stuff? No thank you. I grew up with my mom making giant pots of creamy homemade macaroni and cheese. She used Velveeta and I am convinced that even though it isn’t gourmet cheese Velveeta melts into the best creamy cheesy cheese sauce ever. I have discovered a method of cooking macaroni and cheese, using real cheese, that has the same creamy results as using Velveeta. By cooking the pasta in the milk the starches from the pasta help create the perfect base for the cheese sauce. No roux needed here!

A few years ago White On Rice Couple posted their one pot, stove top, creamy mac and cheese recipe and since then it has popped up everywhere. I first made it for a barbecue with friends then I made it again for Penelope’s birthday party. Neither situation was ideal for photographing it so I could share the recipe with you. Which meant I just *had* to make it again. Shucks

While at Trader Joe’s a couple weeks ago I noticed they had langostino tails in the freezer section. I picked up a bag and knew immediately how I would use them. Langostino isn’t a lobster it is called a squat lobster and is more closely related to a hermit crab. If you can’t find langostino feel free to substitute lobster tails, shrimp, or even scallops. My version takes one pot and one pan because I think macaroni and cheese should always be finished off in the oven. I love it when the cheese gets browned and bubbly.

If you have any questions while making this there are a ton of help tips and hints on the White on Rice Couple’s post.

LANGOSTINO MACARONI AND CHEESE
from White on Rice Couple
serves: 8
6 cups pasta (macaroni, farfalle, campanelle)
6 cups 1% milk
1/2 teaspoon mustard powder
1/2 teaspoon Old Bay seasoning
2 1/2 cups Tillamook White Extra Sharp Cheddar, shredded
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 pound langostino tails, thawed
1/2 cup breadcrumbs, toasted

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9×12 casserole dish.

Place dry pasta in a colander and rinse with water. Drain.

In a large pot add pasta, milk, mustard powder, and Old Bay seasoning. Cook over medium heat. Bring the pasta/milk up to a simmer stirring frequently. Keep on stirring! This will separate the pasta and keep it from sticking.

Once it is simmering turn it down to low. Keep watch so the milk mixture doesn’t boil over. The pasta will continue to cook in the milk. If the temperature is too high the milk will evaporate too quickly not allowing the pasta to cook through.

Keep on stirring! This will help the pasta cook evenly. It will take about 15-20 minutes for the pasta to cook and the milk to be mostly absorbed. If the pasta isn’t fully cooked add a small amount of milk until the pasta is cooked through.

Stir in the cheeses. Stirring until completely melted.

Stir in the langostino tails.

Pour the macaroni and cheese mixture into the prepared casserole dish and top with the toasted bread crumbs. Bake uncovered for 30-45 minutes.

Serve with some steamed broccoli to balance out the ooey gooey cheesiness. Enjoy!

I am always looking for the best macaroni and cheese recipes. Share your favorite macaroni and cheese tips in the comments below. 

Not only do I love my mom’s version of homemade macaroni and cheese, I also unashamedly love the Cracker Barrel’s macaroni and cheese. It has to be so so bad for you. Luckily I only indulge once in a blue moon. If anyone has a hook up on how they make their mac-n-cheese I would love you forever if you shared it with me.  

I hope this list will evolve over time so keep checking back. Would you believe it if I said this lengthy list was supplied by only five people? Hopefully over the next few days I will hear from other friends that want their favorites added to the list.

Head over to my Omaha Eats page and see where the locals like to dine.

This week I am going to kick on my favorites with a peek at my master bedroom redo. Before the walls were a dark purple, closet doors were yellow, the windows were covered with a heavy brown wooden blinds, and there was an equally dark purple carpet. It was a dungeon. For less than $250 I painted, ripped up carpet, got new blinds, and Alex installed a new wall sconce. It is like having a whole new room. We love it!

It so clean and bright in there now. I wish we would have done it years ago. Our whole upstairs now has no carpet. After exposing all our hardwood floors upstairs, I don’t know if I could live in a house that has wall-to-wall carpeting. I love my hardwood floors!

On to my Friday’s Favorites. It is the weekend and I know we could all use a few laughs. This is what had me laughing this week. I hope you enjoy. Be back next week with tons of new recipes!

Dads are the Original Hipsters. This tumblr is great.

If Humans Crossed the Street Like Animals

Reasons My Son Is Crying A parents document all the reasons why their son is crying with photos and captions. I can relate to this one. Kasper understands what he wants but doesn’t know how to express himself yet so lots of times he resorts to tears and whines. *this photo is from Reasons My Son is Crying and not actually my son

Two gifs in one

Baby Micah Laughing An oldie but a goodie. Babies laughing are the best and this baby has the greatest laugh. There are so many videos of baby Micah laughing at various things, check him out it is guaranteed to make you smile.

Have a happy and safe weekend! XO

Have you ever had sopapillas before? You can usually find them on the dessert menu at your favorite TexMex restaurant. They are fried dough (mmm!) sprinkled in cinnamon and sugar (mmm) or drizzled in honey (mmm).  Sounds pretty darn tasty, huh? This cheesecake isn’t fried but it wouldn’t pass as diet food either.

I did lighten it up a bit. While I was browsing recipes I saw recipes that called for almost 2 cups of sugar and an entire stick of butter. I figured I could making it by skipping out on a few calories and have it taste just good. Instead of granulated sugar I used powdered sugar in the cream cheese mixture, I used fat free cream cheese, and only 1 tablespoon of butter. Using Mexican vanilla gave it more of a vanilla punch than the regular vanilla extract you get in the spice aisle at the grocery store. I servered these bars at a small dinner party and everyone seemed to enjoy them even though they were about 100 calories less per serving. They are a naughty tasting dessert that won’t completely break your daily calorie allowance.

I case you are wondering these do pair well with a cup of coffee or tea as a sweet breakfast treat. Don’t judge me I tried it only because I knew some of you would be wondering. You will notice these do have a secret ingredient added by my little 5 year old sous chef Penelope. 25 cups of love is what made them extra tasty. I hope you have enough love on hand because it truly makes a difference.

SOPAPILLA CHEESECAKE
serves 12-16 depending on how generous you are

2 tubes of Pillsbury crescent rolls
2-8 ounce packages of fat free cream cheese, room temperature
1 Tablespoon Mexican Vanilla extract
1 cup powdered sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
1 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
25 cups of love
1 Tablespoon butter, melted

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a 9 x 13 pan with cooking spray. Unroll and press 1 can crescent rolls into the bottom of the baking dish press the seams together.

In a separate bowl blend the cream cheese, 1 cup powdered sugar, and vanilla; spread evenly over top of dough. Unroll the second can of crescent rolls and place on top of the cream cheese mixture pressing seams together again. Brush the melted butter over top layer of crescent dough.

Mix the 1/2 cup of white sugar, cinnamon, and the love together. Sprinkle cinnamon-sugar mixture generously over the top.

Bake for 25-30 minutes until bubbly and browned. Allow to cool before serving. I stored mine in the refrigerator.

Enjoy!

I had to capture the sunshine on Saturday to remind me that the sun will shine again.

I hope the sun was shining today where you are. Last week it was pretty dreary weather-wise here. We had rain, hail, and even snow. It has been gray, cold, and cloudy. The sun did make an appearance on Saturday and it was glorious! Today on the other hand was gray, cloudy, gray, and gray. When the weather is like this and the skies are gray I just want soup. A warm bowl of soup is such a comfort.

I spied this lasagna soup a few years ago but never got around to making it. The stars finally aligned for this soup to be made. I was craving lasagna but didn’t want to wait the one hour baking time + however long it takes to prep. So while I was rummaging around in the pantry I found a box of mafalda noodles and knew how I was going to satisfy that craving without waiting almost two hours for dinner. Mafalda noodles look like tiny lasagna noodles perfect for a soup.

Making this soup was a game of improv. I had seen recipes that used Italian sausage but I only had lean ground beef on hand. Other recipes used a combination of diced and crushed tomatoes but I only had whole tomatoes on hand. Using what I had on hand was a complete success because all three of my children had a second helping.  From start to finish the whole process took just about 30 minutes. That sure beats waiting for a lasagna to cook each time a craving strikes.

LASAGNA SOUP
1- 1o ounce box of mafalda pasta, cooked according to package instructions
1 pound lean ground beef
1 small yellow onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
1-28 ounce can whole tomatoes
4-6 cups chicken stock
6 basil leaves, julienned
Ricotta cheese
Grated Parmesan cheese

Cook pasta in salted water according to package instructions. When al dente strain pasta and run cold water over it to stop the cooking process.

While the pasta is cooking beging to brown your hamburger.

In a skillet over medium heat brown hamburger, onion, and garlic. Stirring to break apart hamburger into small pieces. When the hamburger is no longer pink stir in 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning. Remove from heat.

In a large pot (I used the pot I boiled the noodles in) over medium heat dump in the can of whole tomatoes. Using a potato masher break up the tomatoes into smaller pieces. Add 4 cups chicken stock and bring up to a simmer. Stir in the browned meat and the cooked noodles (see note). If you need more broth stir in 2 more cups of chicken stock. Cook for 5 minutes or until everything is heated through.

Ladle soup into bowls and top with 1 tablespoon of both ricotta cheese and Parmesan cheese, sprinkle a few basil leaves on top. Enjoy with some crusty bread.

Recipe note: If there are leftovers the noodles will absorb a lot of the liquid. It will become more “casserole” like. If this is a problem for you then keep the noodles separate. When serving add a scoop of noodles to each bowl then top with the broth + browned hamburger mixture. 

I didn’t add any additional salt to this recipe. I salted the noodles while cooking and that it is. I think canned tomatoes and the Parmesan cheese added just the right amount of saltiness that any extra wasn’t needed. Although I am sure there are a few men in my family that would have reached for the salt shaker without even tasting it first.

What is your favorite soup?

Guess what? I finally did it. I finally painted my master bedroom and ripped up the horrible eggplant purple carpet. Last week was crazy painting, priming, and carpet removing. I will share more about the transformation on Friday so check back!

The deep dark eggplant purple walls and carpet with accenting yellow closet doors.

The purple is gone and the carpet is gone and it is so wonderful!

With last week’s craziness I did very little cooking of actual food. Ordering take-out because your kitchen is a disaster zone or because your bedroom in now in your living room/dining room kind of takes the joy out of getting take-out. Too much bad food puts me in a major cooking rut which I am slowly digging myself out of.

Starting back by making something simple. Sometimes simplicity is just what is needed. Bruschetta [pronounced Brus ketta] the lovely little appetizer from Italy. I could eat this by the truckload. Trader Joe’s had the most adorable variety pack of heirloom tomatoes that was destined for bruschetta. I can’t wait to harvest my own tomatoes and basil this summer.

In the past I would add minced garlic to my bruschetta and let it mingle and get friendly with the tomatoes and basil. This time I made it the traditional way without garlic. Instead of adding garlic to the chopped tomatoes and basil, you rub a clove of garlic over toasted baguette. WOW! So simple yet so full of garlicky flavor. I highly recommend it.

BRUSCHETTA 

1 baguette, sliced
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 pint tomatoes, chopped
6-8 basil leaves, julienned
1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
1-2 teaspoons olive oil
pinch of salt

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Brush the 1 tablespoon of olive oil on the baguette slices. Bake for 5-7 minutes until golden brown.

In a nonreactive bowl place tomatoes, basil, vinegar, olive oil, and salt. Stir to combine. Set aside until bread is done baking.

When the bread is done rub one clove of garlic on all the slices. Place a spoonful of bruschetta on a baguette slice. ENJOY!

How do you get out of a cooking rut?

Aren’t these little hens and roosters the cutest? They were so festive and tasty!

Sunday we gathered with my husband’s family. We had brunch –my favorite. I made cinnamon rolls, there was also egg bake, ham, cheesy potatoes, french toast, and a huge bowl of mixed fruit. All-in-all it was a wonderful weekend.

This week is going to be master bedroom makeover week. Finally! I cleared out all the stuff I could carry in preparation to paint. I am so excited! Lately I have been in decluttering mode and now that I am getting ready to paint I am in the “paint all the walls” mode. We will see how I feel after the stupid dark eggplant purple color that is saturating my bedroom is covered up and gone. I will post a before and after shot later this week!

Ok. I am done rambling now on to the recipe details. Have you ever made risotto before? It really isn’t as hard as I thought. Truth be told I popped in my earbuds and listened to The Moth while I was doing all the stirring, stirring, stirring. It was relaxing. So while I was stirring, relaxing, and listening to The Moth I made a very satisfying creamy rice dish to serve with chicken breasts. To jazz up my risotto I stirred in some caramelized onions and fresh asparagus. It was heavenly and promptly devoured.

CARAMELIZED ONIONS AND ASPARAGUS RISOTTO

4 cups chicken or vegetable stock
1 T grapeseed or olive oil
1 cup arborio rice (starchy short grain rice)
juice of one lemon
1/2 cup white wine, I used Chardonnay
1 cup chopped asparagus
2 onions, sliced and caramelized in 1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon mascarpone cheese
1 tablespoon shredded Parmesan cheese
salt and pepper to taste

In a cast iron skillet melt the 1 tablespoon butter over medium-medium low heat. Stir in 2 onions thinly sliced. Cook until golden and caramelized 20-25 minutes, stirring occasionally.

In a small sauce pan bring stock up to boil. Turn down to medium.

In a nonstick skillet over medium heat up the oil. Stir in the one cup rice. Cook rice for 3-4 minutes so it begins to get toasty. Stirring often. Pour in the lemon juice and the wine. Stir until most of the liquid has absorbed.

Stir in one ladle full of the hot stock. Stirring until most of the liquid has absorbed. Add in another ladle full. Repeat until about two ladles worth of stock remain. Stir in the asparagus. Add another ladle and keep stirring until the liquid has absorbed. Continue until the rice is creamy, tender to the bite, but slightly firm in the center. It should take about 25 minutes. You may not require all the stock.

Once the rice is tender remove from the heat and stir in the cheeses and the caramelized onions. Salt and pepper to taste. Enjoy!

How was your weekend?

I hope you and your family have a lovely Easter weekend.

1. This dog has made me laugh and laugh several times this week.

2. Think I am going to give this Spring nail tutorial a try this weekend.

3. 150+ Links for Food Bloggers

Lori from Recipe Girl made this wonderful resource list for food bloggers. She has tons of wonderful family friendly recipes too –her cookbook will be out in a couple weeks. Reserve yours today!

4. This cute bird top from Younkers will be my Easter outfit

5. Lemon Meringue Tarts

These tarts from Diabetic Living would be perfect for Easter.

I have a few more cute recipe perfect for Easter weekend.

This cake is a quick dessert you can whip up with your children. To save some time I used a boxed cake mix but feel free to use your favorite chocolate cake recipe here. Bake your cake according to package instructions. Allow to cool completely before frosting. I frosted these in a cream cheese frosting.

I then lightly scored the cake into 20 even squares. Penelope gleefully added 1 Peep to each square.

Everyone loves chocolate covered strawberries. For these I used orange colored candy melts. They are supposed to look like fat little carrots.

In a double broiler melt the candy melts until smooth. Dip in clean and dry strawberries. Place strawberries in the fridge until the chocolate has set. Serve at your Easter brunch or for dessert. Even better serve them to your children on April Fool’s day

Have a wonderful weekend! xo

Chicky Chicky Parm Parm. Have you seen Parks & Recreation? It is an Emmy winning comedy show on NBC. It is such a breath of fresh air when all you usually see on TV is terrible reality shows. The cast on Parks & Rec is utterly hilarious. Here is a clip you just have to watch. I love each character individually that I can’t pick a favorite.

I hope you found that as delightfully funny as I did. Now on to the recipe….

Chicken Parmigiana aka Chicken Parm aka chicky chicky parm parm is a chicken breast or cutlet dipped in bread crumbs, fried, then topped with mozzarella that is baked until bubbly. While it sounds wonderful it isn’t exactly wonderful for your waistline. So for dinner I decided to bake it instead of fry it to save a few calories. Awhile back I made Parmesan Chicken Bites and this is pretty much the same thing except with full size chicken breasts.

I don’t know if your grocery stores are like mine but the chicken breasts they carry are enormous. Out of curiosity I weighed the two chicken breasts I use and one was 10 ounces and the other 12 ounces. Poor chickens. I cut the chicken breasts in half lengthwise to give me four 5-6 ounce chicken cutlets. Which was a generous serving size. Spinach sautéed with a little garlic rounded out my dinner. Now I can’t claim this is better than restaurant chicken parmigiana because I have never ordered it at a restaurant before. I can say that it was quite scrumptious and hope you give it a try.

CHICKEN PARMIGIANA
2 chicken breasts, cut in half lengthwise or 4 chicken cutlets
2 egg whites, beaten
1 tablespoon skim milk
2 cups breadcrumbs, I used homemade from day old bread
1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
2 tablespoons shredded Parmesan cheese
4 ounces fresh mozzarella cheese, divided into 1 ounce portions
angel hair pasta, cooked according to package directions
marinara sauce

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Place oven rack in middle. Scramble together egg whites and milk. Set aside. Pour breadcrumbs, Italian seasoning, and Parmesan cheese into a pie plate. Stir to combine.

Dry off the chicken cutlets. First dip cutlets into egg white mixture then in breadcrumbs. Make sure to press breadcrumbs onto cutlets. Place on a parchment lined baking sheet. Lightly spray the tops of the cutlets with cooking spray or olive oil. Bake for 20 minutes. Top each chicken cutlet with 1 ounce of mozzarella. Turn oven to low broil. Broil for 3-5 minutes or until cheese is melty and beginning to brown.

While chicken is baking boil up the pasta and warm up the marinara sauce.

For the spinach: in a sauté pan, heat up 1/2 tablespoon olive oil. Add 2 minced gloves of garlic and sauté until softened. Toss in a couple large handfuls of baby spinach. It will cook down Cook until the spinach has wilted. Serve alongside the chicky chicky parm parm.

Plate up a small serving of angel hair pasta topped with 1/2 cup of marinara sauce. Place chicken cutlet on top of the pasta. Enjoy!

Are there any restaurant dishes you want to or would like to see lightened up?

If you’re a Parks & Recreation fan who is your favorite character?

If I had to pick one recipe that my future grandkids would beg me to make it would be these cookies. Everyone needs a family favorite and these are it. Chocolate chip cookies recipes are as unique as the person baking them. These are a perfect combination of crispy, soft, and chewy. My husband *loves* them. The school principal *loves* them too. I have baked up several batches for my husband’s business meetings and several more batches for the school bake sale, PTA meetings, and parent/teacher conferences. These are my go to CCC. Well not this recipe exactly. This recipe I made even better than my go to by adding M&M’s. M&M’s make everything better, amirite?

In the past I used to add a box of vanilla pudding to my cookie recipe. It made them soft and chewy. Awhile back I saw the blogs all a buzz about adding cornstarch to the cookie dough. Brilliant! I couldn’t believe I didn’t think of it myself. There is cornstarch in instant pudding mix. By adding only cornstarch to my dough I could skip all the other stuff that is in instant boxed pudding mixes and have all the benefits. I decided I would give it a go. I picked up some Easter M&M’s with the intention of making monster cookies but they were destined to jazz up my favorite chocolate chip cookies.

Bake some up to share with your coworkers this week, or to enjoy while watching basketball (I heard there was some sort of tournament), or bring a batch or two to your Easter celebration.

CHOCOLATE CHIP M&M COOKIES
16 tablespoons butter, softened
3/4 cup dark brown sugar
1/4 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 1/4 cup flour
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1-10 ounce bag of Ghirardelli Bittersweet baking chips
1-13 ounce bag of milk chocolate M&M’s

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

In a mixing bowl cream together butter, brown sugar, and white sugar. Add eggs one at a time. Scrape down bowl as needed. Mix in vanilla. Slowly add in flour, cornstarch, soda, and salt. Mix until just combined. With a wooden spoon mix in baking chips and M&M’s.

Bake on a parchment or silpat lined cookie sheet. I like my cookies big so I use an ice cream scoop to have uniform size. Bake for 10-13 minutes. Cool on the pan for 2-3 minutes before transferring to a cool rack.

I also like to mix these up ahead of time and freeze them. Using my ice cream scooper I scoop up balls of cookie dough and place on a parchment lined cookie sheet. Pop in the freezer for 8 hours or over night. Place the frozen cookie dough balls in a freezer bag and store until the craving strikes. While oven is preheating place cookie dough on a parchment or silpat lined cookie sheet. Bake for about 15 minutes. The texture of the cookies changes slightly baked this way. They are a little puffier and denser. I still get rave reviews when I make them this way too.

What is one recipe you want to be remembered for? 

Oops!….I did it again. I made another breakfast recipe. I am sharing another breakfast recipe with you. Here’s the deal. The time of day where I am cooking and eating breakfast the light in my living room/dining room area is so bright and friendly. Slowly I am learning how to use my camera in manual mode. Slowly I am learning more and more about my camera and lens. Slowly. We have a flash too but I still haven’t figured out exactly where to point it or how to bounce that puppy, hence the lack of dinner worthy posts recently. This year I am on a mission to figure out my camera and part of that mission is to take better quality food photos for you. If something looks appetizing on the screen it is safe to bet you will be more likely to give it a try. And that is what I want.

So that brings us back to breakfast. The light is so bright and friendly during the day hence the better looking daytime photos. Pancakes. There are so many varieties of pancakes out there. Light, fluffy, dense, fruit filled, cinnamon filled, big giant dinner plate ones, and teeny tiny silver dollar ones. These are a medium sized pancake although you could make them as big or little as you’d like. I’d say these fall more on the dense side of light. They were perfectly filling.

I added chia seeds to these pancakes but you could just as easily leave them out. I won’t be offended! Chia seeds are the new “buzz word” food it seems. I’m sure the Aztecs are rolling in their graves. They understood the healthy benefits of these little seeds long long ago. Chia seeds are high in omega-3 which is perfect for this landlocked gal that doesn’t consume tons of fish. Here we were pasting them on to funny shaped clay pots. Ch-ch-ch-chia! Chia seeds really don’t have any flavor. I have been adding them to my plain Greek yogurt for a few years now. So don’t be afraid to give them a try!

Notes on the pancakes: If you would like a thinner pancake just add a little bit more milk, like 1/4 cup at first. Don’t over stir this makes for hard chewy pancakes which isn’t the desired texture. If chia isn’t your thing add in an equal amount of ground flax seed. This made 8 medium size pancakes.

CHIA PANCAKES
makes 8 medium sized pancakes
2 eggs
2 cups all purpose flour
1 1/2 cups milk I used 1% 
2 tablespoons Chia seeds
2 tablespoons canola oil
2 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
4 teaspoons baking powder
pinch of salt

In a large mixing bowl beat eggs. Add in the rest of the ingredients. Mix quickly and carefully to combine. 

Heat a cast iron skillet or griddle to medium-medium high. Spray the pan with just a little cooking spray. I used a soup ladle and ladle on one scoop of batter, about 1/4 -1/3 cup. Cook pancakes until bubbles form around the outsides of the batter. Flip. Cook for a couple minutes until other side golden.

Serve with your favorite toppings.

So I have to know. What are your favorite pancake toppings? I like to eat my pancakes with butter and a tiny amount of *real* maple syrup. My husband loves to have his drowning in *real* maple syrup. I also love a little butter and homemade applesauce. Mmmm. Mmm.  

Don’t forget to check me out on Facebook. I recently asked “Are there any foods/dishes you are hesitant to try at home?” Let me know because I want to give them a try and share the recipes/methods with you!
 

Do you Spring clean? If you do please share your Spring cleaning ritual/method below, this girl will take all the helpful suggestions she can. Today’s Friday Favorites is all about Spring. We have been in our home for three years now and I desperately feel the need to purge and deep clean (call me crazy). Not going to lie, it seems a bit overwhelming. Hopefully by putting these helpful tips into action I can tackle this project by the time summer arrives

Below is the perfect Spring recipe. Lemon Cheesecake Bites recipe I developed for Diabetic Living Magazine. Happy Spring everyone!

1. A Clean Home is A Happy Home

A Pinterest board full of tips to make your own cleaning supplies (I use lots of vinegar for cleaning!) and cleaning strategies -breaking it down for you.

2. A Cleaning Checklist

I am such a list maker but Erin did all the hard work and made a wonderful cleaning check list.

3. Spring Cleaning Toys

Cold and flu season are well on their way out so Spring is the perfect time to get those toys clean.

4. Treadmill Workouts

You have 8 different treadmill workouts to choose from. Shake up your routine a bit.

5. A dose of cuteness

I love how Spring means baby animals and colorful flowers. This little lamb was too cute not to share.

Citrus fruit is the perfect transitional fruit. It jazzes up the cold and snowy winters here in the Midwest and it also provides me with the hope that Spring is near. This lemon cheesecake recipe would be perfect to serve at your Easter gathering. This recipe serves 25 and each cheesecake bite only has 145 calories (less than a bag of M&M’s and way more satisfying). Mmmm. If you haven’t checked out Diabetic Living’s recipe website yet I highly recommend it. They have tons of delicious recipes that diabetics and non-diabetics alike will enjoy. If you’re looking to watch what you are eating this is the place to check out, all the nutritional information is provided for all their recipes. Trust me it is so much easier to cook when someone has provided you with that information!

LEMON CHEESECAKE BITES
from Diabetic Living Magazine

1 cup finely crushed graham crackers
1 cup sugar, divided
3 tablespoons butter, melted
1 cup fat-free milk
1 4-serving-size package fat-free, sugar-free, reduced-calorie lemon instant pudding mix
2 8 ounce packages reduced-fat cream cheese (Neufchatel), softened
1 8 ounce package fat-free cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup plain fat-free Greek yogurt
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 eggs
2 tablespoons finely shredded lemon peel, divided
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 tablespoons white baking pieces
1/2 teaspoon shortening
2 tablespoons pistachio nuts, chopped

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.  Line a 9x9x2-inch baking pan with foil, extending foil over the edges of the pan. Set aside.

For crust, in a small bowl combine finely crushed graham crackers, 1/4 cup of the sugar, and the butter. Press evenly into the bottom of the prepared pan. Bake for 10 minutes. Cool on a wire rack.

In a medium bowl whisk together milk and pudding mix until smooth; set aside. In a large bowl beat Neufchatel cheese and fat-free cream cheese with an electric mixer on medium to high speed for 30 seconds. Add the remaining 3/4 cup sugar, the yogurt, pudding mixture, and salt. Beat until combined. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in 1 tablespoon of the lemon peel and the lemon juice until combined.

Evenly spread batter over cooled graham cracker crust. Bake for 65 to 75 minutes or until a 1-inch area around outside edges appears set when gently shaken (center will still jiggle when gently shaken). Cool completely in pan on a wire rack. Cover cheesecake with plastic wrap, making sure the plastic wrap touches the surface of the cheesecake to avoid condensation. Chill for at least 8 hours or up to 24 hours.

In a small microwave-safe bowl combine white baking pieces and shortening. Microwave on high for 10 to 60 seconds or until melted, stirring every 20 seconds.

Drizzle the melted mixture over baked cheesecake; sprinkle with chopped pistachios. Using the edges of the foil, lift the uncut cheesecake out of the pan. Cut into 25 squares. Sprinkle with the remaining 1 tablespoon lemon peel.

Much to my surprise it was waaaaaay easier to poach an egg than I thought. Maybe I got lucky but I doubt that. In hindsight I wish I would have made a little egg poaching .gif but my kitchen is 1) dark and 2) my over the stove lamp light burned out. As soon as I get that bulb replaced I will update you with a .gif. Promise! There is however a lovely yolk splitting gif at the bottom of the post.

I am sorry to all you nonbreakfast eaters out there. I promise my next post won’t be about breakfast

A poached egg is essentially an egg cooked in super hot (but not boiling) water. The white cooks and becomes firm while the yolk remains soft. Soft runny yolks are the best. When done it looks very similar to an over easy egg without all the crispy fried parts. Does that make sense? I highly recommend you try one!

Just because this recipe is about eggs doesn’t mean you have to eat them for breakfast. I think a poached egg would be wonderful on some angel hair pasta, or topping blanched asparagus or sautéed spinach served for dinner.

POACHED EGGS
1 egg
1 medium sauce pan full of water
1 splash vinegar

Place sauce pan of water and splash of vinegar on the burner. Turn the heat up to medium. Crack your egg in a separate dish. You do not want the water to boil. You do not even want the water to simmer.

Look for small bubbles to appear. Once these small bubbles appear it means your water is good and hot. Turn down slightly so the water doesn’t come to a boil.

Use the handle of a wooden spoon or spatula to stir a vortex in the pot of water. Carefully pour the egg into the middle of the swirling vortex. Stir around the outside of the egg briefly to bring the white together.

Cook for a few minutes (3-4) or until the egg white sets up. Use a slotted spoon to remove the egg from the water. Place on a paper towel to drain.

Each egg should be cooked individually. If you need to prepare many eggs once they are all cooked individually pop them back in the warm water to quickly heat them up before serving.

Serve on crispy hash browns, toast points, pasta, or whatever is your favorite.

Dig in and enjoy the egg yolky deliciousness. Mmmmm.

How would you serve a poached egg?

It is no secret around here how much I love breakfast/brunch it is my most favorite meal. This weekend I made a quick and easy breakfast pizza. To make it even quicker and easier I bought a pre-made thin pizza crust instead of making my own. Eggs and bacon don’t take too long to make but if you are really pinched for time (and have the gift of forethought) just scramble up a few extra eggs and cook up a few extra strips of bacon at breakfast time the day before. I love to cook once eat twice!

BREAKFAST PIZZA
1 pre-made thin pizza crust
1/3 cup country gravy (white gravy, I used gravy from a powdered mix)
4 slices of bacon, cooked and chopped
5 eggs, soft scrambled
1/2 cup cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F or follow package instructions for your pizza crust. Top the crust with country gravy, soft scrambled eggs (you don’t want the eggs to be too dry), bacon or sausage, and cheese.

Bake for 6-7 minutes or until the cheese has melted and the crust turns golden. Enjoy!

What is your favorite quick and easy breakfast?

*Tip* I love to season my eggs with a little bit of onion powder. It is my secret ingredient

Please tell me you love sushi too. I love love sushi. It is one of those foods that we don’t eat on a regular basis so I get crazy intense sushi cravings. A few weeks ago Alex was such a sweetie and picked up sushi take out for me. It satisfied my sushi craving for a few days.

A few years ago we attended a make your own sushi party at a friend’s house (I made green tea ice cream). That was the first time I ever tried to roll my own roll. I did it and it stuck together and it tasted delicious. I was inspired. Last summer we made our own sushi at home for the first time. It was successful and it wasn’t until after I stuffed the last piece in my mouth that I wished I would have taken photos to share with you.

If you like raw fish you may be lucky enough to find sushi grade fish at your Asian market or other good grocery store. I like raw fish sushi but decided to leave that the pros. We had spicy crab, shrimp, and various veggies (cucumber, red bell pepper, blanched asparagus, cilantro, carrots, and avocado) in our rolls. The sushi place here in town has a delicious roll with spicy crab and topped with eel sauce. Mmmm I love that eel sauce. I *had* to figure out how to make it at home. After some Googling I found a recipe that I halved. It was darn close to what they serve at Blue.

For the rice you need to use a short grain rice and you must rinse it, and rinse it again, and possibly rinse it again. Why all the rinsing? Short grain rice is super starchy which is good and bad. Good because the starch is what helps make the rice stick together. Bad because it is too starchy and if you don’t rinse it until the water runs clear you will have mushy glumpy rice. Not good. So give that rice a good rinsing. Once the rice is cooked you will gently fold in a seasoned rice vinegar. This gives the sushi rice the sweet/tart flavor.

The nori seaweed wrapper can be found in the Asian/International food aisle in most grocery stores (at least in my town) or they certainly can be found in a dedicated Asian grocery store. A bamboo sushi rolling mat which I bought at the Asian grocery store, but if you have bamboo placemats you may be able to use that in a pinch. Cover the mat with plastic wrap to prevent the rice from sticking to it. I decided to use cooked shrimp and cooked “crab” flake as my meat. Thinly sliced vegetables filled up the rest of the rolls. Since I am making these I filled them up with our family’s favorite vegetables so I encourage you to use what you love.

SUSHI RICE
2 cups short grain sushi rice, rinse 3-4 times
2 cups + 2 tablespoons cold water

To rinse the rice: Put rice in a large bowl cover with cool water and use your fingers stir the rice. Carefully pour of the cloudy water. Recover the rice with water and stir around, drain, repeat 1-2 more times until the water runs clear.

Place rinsed rice in a large sauce pan. Add the 2 cups + 2 tablespoons water to the pan. Bring to boil over high heat. Once the water begins to boil turn the heat down to lowest level. Cover and simmer for 15 minutes. Turn off heat and let sit covered for 1o minutes.

SEASONED RICE VINEGAR
1/2 cup rice vinegar
2 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt

Combine all the ingredients in a small saucepan, and stir over low heat until the sugar and salt have just dissolved. This only takes a few minutes. Do not let this mixture come to a boil. Set aside to cool until the rice is ready.

When the rice is finished cooking, transfer it to a large-wide, non-metallic bowl (wood or glass). Pour half of the seasoned rice vinegar over the rice. Using a wooden spoon or rubber spatula gently fold the rice over so all the vinegar mixture coats and separates all the rice.

Give the rice a taste. If it isn’t sweet/tart enough add some more of the seasoned rice vinegar. The rice should be shiny and individual grains clearly visible -not a mushy mess.

Gather up all your sushi fillings, bamboo mat, sharp knife, clean towel, and a bowl of water with a splash of rice vinegar added (this is to dip your fingers).

LET’S ROLL!

First wrap your bamboo mat in plastic wrap. Place a sheet of nori onto your prepared mat.

Nori has a rough side and a shiny side. You want to put the shiny side down.

Dip your fingers into the vinegar water, rub your hands together, shake off the excess. This will prevent the rice from sticking to your fingers and making a mess. Grab a handful of rice and place it directly onto the nori, and spread it gently into an even layer, leave a small gap with no rice at the top and bottom edge of the nori.

Sasha helped me with this and I didn’t realize she bumped the camera. I’m sorry that part of the roll goes out of frame. I hope you get the idea

Place whatever ingredients you like in a line down the middle. Roll with your thumbs under the edge of the mat, and your fingers holding the ingredients in the middle to get a nice tight roll. Bring the mat up over your ingredients and roll to top. Once one edge of the roll meets the other, give the whole thing a firm but gentle squeeze, slightly pulling the roll back. Dampen your fingers again and tap the ends of the roll so all the filling doesn’t fall out.

To slice dip the tip of your knife into the water/vinegar mixture the lift the tip up so the water runs down the knife blade. First cut your roll in half.

Once roll is sliced in half place the halves next to each other then cut the roll into thirds. Use a gentle sawing motion to cut the rolls. You want the least amount of sawing and downward pressure as possible to avoid a squished roll.

To make a roll with rice on the outside completely cover the nori in rice then carefully flip it over. I filled mine with spicy crab (a little bit of mayo and Sriracha) and cilantro. Topped it with the eel sauce and roasted black sesame seeds.  Enjoy with soy sauce, wasabi, and pickled ginger. Yum yum!

My girls LOVED the sushi dinner. Especially since they got to pick out their ingredients and use chop sticks. Sasha is even excited to pack some up in her cold lunch tomorrow. Can’t wait to hear what the staff will say about that.

We made Cali rolls (crab, avocado, cucumber)
Spicy crab (spicy crab, cilantro, black sesame seeds, eel sauce)

My weekend plans include shopping at our local cloth diaper consignment sale, birthday party shenanigans, and probably furniture shopping again. The 900th time is the lucky time, right?! This weekend will be spent with family and I can’t wait! What are your big weekend plans?

I wasn’t too busy on the internet this week so I just have a few Friday favorites. Click the links below to go to the website.

1. Fitbit

I love my Fitbit! It is a wireless sleep and activity tracker. It keeps track of steps taken, flights of stairs climbed, miles walked, estimated calories burned, and how efficiently you sleep. It also syncs up with My Fitness Pal. Let me know if you have one I will add you to my friends! I can always use more competition.

2. Outdoor Art

This art piece in New Zealand by Neil Dawson looks like a cartoon. Some people are so creative!

3. Free Digital Magazine Subscriptions

I just found out that I have access to 100+ digital magazine subscriptions (like the one above) through my local library. I highly recommend you ask your local library if you have access to the digital copies of the magazines they are subscribed to. You might be lucky!

4. Chocolate Chip Cookie in a Cup

This recipe from No. 2 Pencil is dangerous. You can mix up a single serving and be eating it in about six minutes. Six minutes! Can you wait that long to satisfy your sweet craving? Be sure to visit Melissa’s site and check out her yummy recipes and crafty DIYs. If you’re looking for more dessert in a cup recipes she did a round up of 30+ different recipes!

5. Crocheted Animals

These owls! Ahhh so cute. There are a ton of Amigurumi patterns on this site most of them are free. I wish I knew how to crochet. But for now I send all the cute stuff I find to my mom since she is a crocheting wizard. I also love the gnome, the fox, the dragon, and the panda. I could go on and on. They are all utterly adorable!

Happy weekend everyone!

xo

Bonus favorite:

At school this week they had dress up as your favorite book character day. Sasha went as Dorothy. I used Simplicity pattern 4139. It went together pretty easily….until it didn’t. I struggled with the sleeves. The picture on the pattern was useless and the wording was incredibly confusing. All in all it came together in about four hours. She is the cutest Dorothy ever! If you didn’t know, Dorothy’s shoes were actually silver in the book. They changed them to ruby slippers in the movie to show off the Technicolor process.