Breakfast Cookies

Yes, you read that right. Cookies for breakfast.

I have to share this recipe that I have made a few times already, for breakfast cookies. They are so yummy, healthy and really hold you over until way past lunch time.  I know, I had 3 (OK maybe it was 4) this morning for breakfast, and it is now 12:30 and I am still not hungry.

They are super easy to make and are ready in no time. After they cool, I put them in the fridge. They taste good when they are cold. And the chocolate chips are a nice bit of sweetness for the morning.  The recipe also calls to add dried cherries, but I do not add them for a certain member of my household does not like fruit. But I imagine they would be even better with the chocolate and cherries.

Soy-Orange Chicken

I have a huge stockpile of recipes. They are scattered all throughout the house, in binders, accordion folders, piles on my desk and there are even some on my desk at work. I even have a ton of recipes in my favorite places (which is nice on Google Chrome, I can see them on my work computer and also at home).

I am not sure where or when I found this recipe for Soy-Orange Chicken but I kept putting it on the menu for weeks and we never got around to eat it. So needless to say, the celery that I bought for it went bad, after sitting in the crisper for over a week. 

If you are going to use the recipe, I also made some tweaks to it (sorry, I couldn't help myself) but I added some ginger powder and garlic powder to the marinade. How much ginger and garlic? Well I would say probably 1 tablespoon pf garlic and 1/2 tablespoon of ginger. I know it is bad, but I never measure my spices. I also added some cayenne powder to the chicken as it was simmering on the stove, to give it some more heat and round out the flavor a bit more.

Now I don't want to say to not make the recipe, because maybe my taste buds are different than yours, but I found it to be a little bland. But with the addition of my two favorite item (the Sriracha is my addiction, and the  Nuoc cham ga is Phil's crack, he tried to drink it with a straw) the dish was magically transformed into something that I cant

Veggies

It has been a slow week food wise, but busy week with meetings, appointments etc.



































We haven't been home much to actually cook dinner, and when we have been home to eat, it has been, I am sad to say, dinner was one of those frozen dinner's in a bag.

But, the farm is looking really good! We have a bunch of tomatoes that are red and a green pepper that just needs to get a little bit larger...

Meatless Monday's

I would like to try and eat less meat, and in an effort to do so, I am making an effort to do this, I am going to try out Meatless Monday's. Or maybe Tuesday's or Wednesday's.

It is the thought that counts right?

This week, I made a recipe that I had my eye on from Bon Appetit for some time now, Pasta with Chickpeas and Charred Tomatoes.  Since I have a stock pile of canned chickpeas (I was on a homemade hummus kick for a while, but Sabra and Tribe make it much better and less mess).

It was good, easy and quick. If I were to do it again, I would probably add more hummus since Phil likes a very wet sauce. I omitted the Kalamata olives, but I would add some garlic and maybe basil or some sort of herb/spice to add to the flavor and create more color on the plate. And it heated up nicely the next day for lunch, which is always a plus.

Couscous, Watermelon, Goat Cheese and Mint Salad

I have a hard time following recipes. I found this recipe a few months ago for a watermelon salad that sounded light and refreshing. And when my mom gave me half of a watermelon, this was the first thing I thought about making with it.

So flash ahead to Saturday and I am at the food store picking up the cheese for this dish. I knew that it called for feta, but when I saw crumbled goat cheese, my hand just gravitated towards that instead.

And being lazy, I also didn't feel like soaking and cooking quinoa so I substituted it for couscous.

And I knew that I was making pesto for dinner on Sunday, and I didn't want to use up my entire basil plant, so I plucked leaves from my overflowing mint plant.

So my version of the feta, basil, watermelon and quinoa salad turned into goat cheese, mint, watermelon and couscous. At least I kept one thing of the recipe the same.

Couscous, Watermelon, Goat Cheese and Mint Salad

1 c. cooked couscous

1 1/2 c. chopped watermelon

1/4 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. pepper

1 tsp. honey

2/3 c. crumbled goat cheese

handful of mint leaves, chiffonade

Cook your coscous to the directions on the package and allow to cool.

In a large bowl put your watermelon and sprinkle salt, pepper and honey and toss and let sit for about 5 minutes to allow the juices to mingle. Combine couscous, goat cheese and mint and allow to chill for about a half hour. Enjoy!

I served the salad with grilled chicken sprinkled with fresh lemon pepper seasoning.

Father's Day Burgers

Father's Day was a yummy feast of food.  My mom found this recipe for Smoked Brisket Burgers with Spicy Onion Jam. We figured that we would embark on a smoking expedition together, since we have never before smoked meats. And this would be a unique way to start.

To go with it, we had pickled beets and I made pasta with sugar snap peas and a basil and mint pesto.  I have to say that I was not impressed with the burgers. They came out very dry, no matter how much ketchup I put on them.

Oh well, better luck next time.

 On a side note, the onion jam was very good. Mostly like caramelized onions. I plan to stuff the leftover jam in some chicken breasts later this week. Yummy!!

Basil and Mint Pesto

makes about 1 cup

1/4 c chopped walnuts

1 c packed basil 

1/2 c packed mint

4 garlic cloves

1/2 c Parmigiano Reggiano

1/2 tsp salt

squeeze of lemon juice

1/2 c olive oil

Toast the walnuts in a dry frying pan for about 5 minutes, just long enough to release the oils. Let cool for a few minutes.

Put the basil, mint, garlic, walnuts, cheese, salt and lemon juice in the bowl of a food processor. Pulse to combine ingredients and scrape down bowl. With the food processor running drizzle in the olive oil in a slow and steady stream. 

Pour over cooked pasta with peas and place in the refrigerator to cool for about an hour before serving.

Peanut Chicken with Veg Fried Rice

The other night my mom invited us over for dinner and made a shrimp for dinner. But for me she made grilled chicken and marinated it in coconut milk and then made a peanut satay sauce (I think that was the recipe she used) to dip it in. It was very delish.

There was so much peanut sauce left over, so she gave me a container of it to take home. So tonight for dinner, we marinated some chicken strips in the peanut sauce and then grilled it continually mopping the sauce over it.  And then leaving some as a side sauce to dip in at the table.

I paired it with some veg fried rice.  Usually I would make fried rice with left over stale rice but I didn't think that far ahead so the rice was made only a few hours prior to dinner and left it out to cool and possibly dry out.  Fried rice is so easy to make, I wonder why people order it out sometimes.

• 2 eggs
• 2 tbsp peanut oil
• 1/2 onion, chopped
• 2 carrots, chopped
• 1 cup rice
• 1/2 cup soy sauce, or to taste
• 2 tbsp rice wine vinegar
• 1/4 tsp sriracha, or to taste
• 1 bunch of green onions, chopped

Heat a wok or skillet/frying pan on medium with 1 tbsp peanut oil.  Crack two eggs and scramble in the pan. Once they are well scrambled, take out and set aside. 

Add the remaining 1 tbsp peanut oil. Add the onion and carrot and cook for about 3 minutes. 

Then add the rice, soy sauce and vinegar. Mix well. Add the egg and sriracha. Cook until everything is heated well, mix in green onions and then serve.

Thats it! That is fried rice. You can of course add more or less soy sauce, I just do it to about a medium brown color. I don't like when it is swimming in the soy sauce but it needs to get absorbed into the rice. And add more veg if you have it. Peas, corn, kimchi, bok choy whatever else makes you happy.

Grilled Cheese and Soup

There is nothing better on a overcast, cold (yes, I am aware it is 70 degrees) and rainy day than gooey warm grilled cheese and tomato soup.

To use up some stuff in my fridge, I made the grilled cheese with a mix of muenster cheese and monterey jack cheese on some classic white italian bread.  The soup was from Trader Joe's, low sodium organic tomato soup and served it with a side of applesauce.

It was so gooey and yummy I even had to use my napkin.

Chicken Kebabs

Chicken kebabs with veg and roasted sweet potatoes

Breaded and Grilled Chicken Parmesan

With the warm weather approaching us, it definitely puts you in the grilling mood. But on Saturday I was (surprisingly) really craving chicken parm.

So we went about making typical chicken parm, by dipping the chicken in one egg, and then coating it in a mixture of breadcrumbs (I would usually use Panko, but I ran out) Parmesan cheese, garlic powder, onion powder, dried basil and Italian seasoning.

  

Place a fry pan on the side burner of the grill and coat the bottom of the pan with oil.  Once oil is hot, place chicken in the pan and cook 1.5 minutes on each side to get a nice crust on the outside.  After both sides have cooked, place on the grill and brush with olive oil to obtain a nice crispy crust.  Cook 4-6 minutes on each side. 

As you're cooking the second side, coat the top with hot tomato gravy and place the mozzarella cheese on top to melt.  When the cheese has melted, remove from the grill and place some extra tomato sauce on the top of the mozzarella. Plate the chicken with some whole wheat spaghetti and garnish with a fresh basil chiffonade

Steak and Potatoes

Grilled steak with sweet potatoes and grilled zucchini, squash and asparagus

We have growth!

We have some growth at the farm! Our two cherry tomato plants both have a some fruit on them! Now they just have to sit in the sun and change to red. And some bees to pollinate those flowers!

Pulled Pork Pizza

 With the left over pork from Tuesday night I bought some fresh pizza dough, which can be easily picked up at your local pizza shop for about $2. 

Before I started, I sliced two onions and put it in my pan with a little bit of baking soda and put the heat on low. About fifteen minutes into cooking the onions I added a splash of balsamic vinegar and let the onions cook down a little more.

While the onions where cooking, sprinkle some semolina on the dough and roll it out to fit on your pizza stone. 

There is nothing worse when your dough is much much larger than your stone. 

Slather a thick helping of any sort of barbeque sauce as the base for the pizza.  Then layer the pork, green pepper, some shredded cheddar cheese and then the balsamic caramelized onions, don't forget a sprinkle of garlic powder for some added flavor.

Put the pizza the stone and bake it in the oven for fifteen minutes at 500 degrees.

Cheese-It crusted Tilapia

Thursday night special is Cheese-It crusted Tilapia with sauteed zucchini, squash, onions, tomatoes and asparagus and sprinkled with parm cheese.

Chicken Tikka Masala

Tonight for dinner, the plan was for something made with the left over sausage and peppers (yes we still have it left over), but there was only 4 pieces left of sausage left and the consensus was that is not enough for dinner.  So we decided on Indian food. We haven't had Indian food since we moved here from Philadelphia, where we were a few blocks from two really good Indian restaurants. So we ordered from Monsoon down the street from us here in Mount Laurel. 

For tonight, we had chicken tikka masala on top of a bed of basmatti rice with tandoori grilled vegetables and onion kulcha. 

Leftovers - Just as Good!

Leftovers from last night, just aged a bit but twice as delicious as last night!

Chicken, Veg and Cheese Soup

Homemade chicken, broccoli, cauliflower and cheddar cheese soup with a house salad topped with sauteed mushrooms and onions accompanied with freshly baked Cuban bread.

Crock Pot Dr. Pepper Pulled Pork

For our wedding reception party, Mark made Dr. Pepper Pork Belly Bao. I have been craving this dish since the party and then I found a recipe for Root Beer pulled pork. Hopefully this will fulfill my craving. Also, I figured I would be able to get two meals out of a large piece of pork butt/shoulder. 

I followed the recipe very loosely, so loose in fact that the only thing I used was the one can of soda. I also added brown sugar, garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, and a touch of cayenne powder.

So tonight for dinner is the pulled pork with tangy slaw on whole wheat buns and a side of corn on the cob (not pictured). The remaining pork will be re-used on Thursday night for dinner.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Fun Cake

Wow.

And fun cake it is.

For some reason, I have about three dozen eggs. So, I figure the best way to use up some of my eggs is to make a cake. I sort through my huge pile of recipes that I must make as soon as possible (there are so many recipes it will probably take me at least three years to make every recipe, once, and that is cooking seven days a week).

So my heart is content on making this Bon Appetit Chocolate Peanut Butter Fun Cake. I get all my ingredients together, pour the cake into my 8x8 pan, place it into the oven and then I realize that there are no eggs in this recipe so that didn't help reduce my egg stockpile. 

Ohh well. 

After the cake comes out, let it cool for a little bit and then slather on this peanut butter buttercream and devour. 

Stuff your face.

And it was so much that you will go back for seconds, maybe thirds, if you have any room left.

I am in such a food coma now, after eating more than one serving of the Buffalo Chicken Mac and Cheese just a few hours ago.

Tuna Wrap

Dinner tonight is a tuna wrap with a side salad



Too stuffed from dinner for dessert, so the strawberry shortcake is postponed until tomorrow.

Buffalo Chicken Mac and Cheese

After a busy weekend we spent trying to get back to normal, this was a quick dinner that was to give us a few days of leftovers, so I wouldn't have to cook much during the week. I made it in an 11 x 13 casserole dish, but it was so good that I think we basically only got four servings from it, when we should have at least had three nights of dinner - and maybe a lunch.  

Oh well. It was worth it.  

The recipe can be found here. The only change I made was to boil the chicken and then shredded it in the food processor instead of cubing it.

This recipe is definitely going into regular rotation, but probably works better in the colder months as it really is reminiscent of a great fall day that turns into cozy a night with the crisp fall air.

Sunday Breakfast in Melbourne

Sunday breakfast in Melbourne... Bacon, egg and cheese burrito. Complimented with fresh watermelon, bananas and blueberries, and some Florida java. Yummmy!

Hearty Breakfast

I am not a fan of breakfast meat, but when we were at The Palms they had apple chicken sausage. I think I ate ten of them one morning for breakfast. 

So yesterday when we were at the butcher about to check out, I noticed they also had apple chicken sausage.  I had to add that to our order! 

We cooked it up this morning with some turkey bacon for Phil and scrambled eggs, red pepper, onions, cheese and some onion and paprika. 

Steak and Corn

Today we spent the day at the Italian Market in Philadelphia. I was able to stock up on some much needed spices and a trip to the butcher always is the end to a good trip to the market. We picked up these fresh steaks and some fresh corn. Even though the corn is not sweet white corn we are so used to here in Jersey, the yellow corn was a nice start to the summer crops.

Dinner tonight is grilled steak with tequila creamed corn:

I first grilled the corn and then the kernels were cut off and cooked with red pepper and onions in some cream, splash of tequilla, jalapeño and a blend of spices and topped off with some thin sliced chives.

The recipe for the creamed corn was roughly adapted from this Food & Wine recipe.

Our Farm!

Phil and I rented a 10x10 piece of land from a local community garden and set everything up today. We had to pull the weeds (they were thick and the roots ran deep!) sow the dirt, add some topsoil and then we were able to plant our fruits and veggies.

We planted three pepper plants, three varieties of hot peppers, two cherry tomatoes, two beefsteak/heirloom tomatoes, one plum tomato and two German cucumbers and cucumbers. And I couldn't resist another basil plant.

I cant wait to actually get some fruits and veggies from them!