Im back!

Okay so i have not been on my blog for a very long time and that is because a lot has been going on in my life. One of those things being, i moved and i did not have anything to cook with for a while and secondly i moved to higher altitude which has also discouraged me from cooking...but i think i have got my grove back. Whiles i was on vacation i was watching one of those foodnetwork shows about different foods and companies etc and they showed different kinds of potatoes so i decided i wanted to try the purple and blue potatoes. They taste just like regular potatoes to me except the color is just so much more exciting. Tonight for dinner i made garlic mashed purple potatoes and Salisbury steak. Esthetically i think they might be more appealing if they were just simply roasted rather than mashed as they loose their vibrant purple color! And it is the color that makes these poatoes so exciting for me. So i will include a simple roasted purple potato recipe for you guys to give them a try.

Garlic Mashed purple Potatoes....sooo fun!

Roasted Purple Mashed Potatoes.....

Preheat oven to 400 f
Cube potatoes of choice sprinkle and rub with EVOO
Roast in oven 20 minutes
sprinkle with sea salt and crushed dried rosemary and garlic powder

enjoy!

Trinidadian Chicken stew and Citrus Rice

This is one of Giada's Recipes it was amazing! I was a bit skeptical of the cumin in the rice but you don't even taste it. The entire recipe is a keeper and even pleased my husband who never has much to say about my food one way or the other =)




Citrus Rice recipe
Trinidadian Chicken stew recipe

Delicious Cranberry Orange Scented Muffins!

Mmmmm....i just love the orange accent in these muffins so delicious....i have included an orange icing to drizzle on top if you want to make this breakfast more decadent, This morning however, i decided against the icing since i was only having it with some tea and nothing heartier.





Recipe

1 cup dried cranberries
1/4 cup orange juice
1 cup flour
1 cup wheat flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp fine salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter
The zest of one orange
1/4 tsp grated nutmeg
1/4 tsp cinnamon
2/3 cup granulated sugar
2 lg eggs
1/2 c milk

Heat orange juice and cranberries just until simmering. Sift dry ingredients together. In a separate bowl cream butter, orange zest, salt, and spices add eggs one at a time until blended. Add flour in three batches alternating with milk in two batches. Pour into muffin tins and bake at 375 f for 25 minutes.

Orange Icing
2 cups confectioners sugar
1/4 cup orange juice
2 tsp orange zest (optional)

Mix ingredients together to form a glaze and pour over muffins as they come out of the oven

Yummy Lemon Bars

Mmmmm.....I love lemon anything and when you combine it with a yummy buttery crust i thought i was in heaven! Okay so i think i made my bars a little on the thick side but that was because i used a smaller pan. Next time i will use a bigger pan i think the bars taste so much better thinner. And also when making the filling use a wooden spoon or try to incorporate the ingredients together manually with a fork or something because if you get too much air into the filling the top will be all bubbly and burn and make a nasty crust and we don't want that! But definitely give these ones a try if you love lemons!

Yummy Lemony Bars

For the crust:

nocoupons

2 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature

1/2 cup granulated sugar

2 cups flour

1/8 teaspoon kosher salt

Filling

6 eggs, lightly beaten
2 cups sugar
2 tbsp lemon zest

1 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice

1 cup flour

Confectioners’ sugar for dusting nocoupons

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Cream together butter and sugar. Combine flour and salt add to butter sugar mixture. Dump the dough onto a well-floured board and gather into a ball. Flatten the dough with floured hands and press it into a 9 by 13 by 2-inch baking sheet, building up a 1/2-inch edge on all sides. Chill.

Bake the crust for 15 to 20 minutes, until very lightly browned. set aside to cool as you make filling. Leave oven on

For the filling, whisk together the eggs, sugar, lemon zest, lemon juice, and flour. Pour over the crust and bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until the filling is set. Let cool to room temperature.

Twice Baked Broccoli Cheddar potatoes





Okay these were the most moist delish twice baked potatoes i have ever eaten. you know how twice baked potatoes can sometimes be so dry well these will definitely please your guests and are so simple and easy to do!


RECIPE

4 large russet potatoes, each about 3/4 pound each, well scrubbed
1/2 pound broccoli florets, blanched or steamed until tender
4 tablespoons softened butter
1/2 cup Sour cream
1 cup shredded sharp Cheddar, plus extra for topping

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Pierce potatoes with fork. Place on center rack of oven and cook for 1 hour.

Remove from oven and let cool slightly. Using a paring knife, cut a canoe-like top out of the potatoes. Scoop the flesh into a large mixing bowl, leaving a 1/2-inch thick wall around the skin.

Add the blanched broccoli to the potatoes. Stir in the butter, sour cream, Cheddar, salt and pepper; and mash until creamy.

Using a small spoon, scoop the filling back into the potatoes. It will be a nice mounded pile of filling. Sprinkle with more cheese.

Set the potatoes on a baking sheet and bake for 15 to 20 minutes, until heated through and cheese in melted and gooey. Serve with butter, if desired.

He's BACK!

Well as some of you know i have been a little MIA since luke has been gone but he is back and so in my usual fashion i have started cooking again!! This morning i made, a vegetable frittata, fruit baked french toast, and chicken breakfast sausages.......




Mmmm....fruit salad this was so good. I used 1 apple, 1 orange sectioned, stawberries, and watermelon!








Baked French Toast..... Danielle's Recipe

1/2 loaf of Day old bread ( i use challah, french, or sour dough)
4 eggs
1 c half n half
1/2 c milk
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/4 cup maple syrup

Slice bread into 1" slices lay slices in a buttered baking dish in two layers. Pour mixture over the top and let sit overnight. The next morning zest 1/2 of an orange on top layer. Use a spatula to flip the layers upside down and zest other half of orange on top. Sprinkle crumb topping onto the french toast and bake in oven at 350f for 40 minutes

Crumb Topping
1/2 stick butter
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup chopped nuts you can use more if you like
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg

mash together with fork until mixture resembles crumbs

Veggie Frittata (my friend Sadie gave me this recipe i am not sure where she got it from)

12 oz fresh asparagus woody ends cut off and chopped into bit size pieces
1 small yellow bell pepper
1/2 small zuccini cut into bit size pieces
1/3 c chopped onion
1/4 c roasted bell peppers
1/3 c mozzarella cheese
8 eggs
1/2c milk
1 tbsp fresh dill
3/4 tsp salt
1 tsp black pepper
2 tbsp flour
4 tbsp parmesean cheese

Steam asparagus, bell pepper, onion and zuccini just until tender. Mix in roasted red peppers. In a separate bowl combine milk, flour, 1/2 cheese mixture, dill, salt, pepper and pour over veggies. Bake in 350f oven for 35 to 40 minuest until set. sprikle with remaining cheese.


Healthy Chicken Breakfast Sausage

3 big boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 green apple
1 sweet onion
2 cloves garlic
1 tsp alspice
1 tsp paprika
1/8 tsp ginger
1/2 tsp garlic salt (lawry's is the best)
1/2 tsp black pepper

Grate apple, onion and garlic clove set aside. Using a food grinder grind chicken breasts add meat to veggies. Top with spices and mix together. Form patties and fry in a little big of oil I used my grill so rather than frying them. These are pretty good they taste more like chicken meatloaf than sausages so i am going to have to work on this recipe a little bit more to see how i can give it more of a breakfast feel but definitely a healthier alternative to sausage or the poor quality of ground chicken found at the super markets.

Hope you enjoy this breakfast as much as my family did!

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Eating Light

So lately i have been trying to lighten up my dinners, eat more fish and veggies and stay away from sugars and simple carbs. So i went to harris teeter to find some good fresh fish and they had these lobster tails for $5.00 so i decided to treat myself. Of course these are no Bahamian lobsters but i suppose they will have to do!

Now i know this doesn't look like eating light haha but i use smart balance and if you read the ingredients it has the same good and bad fats as extra virgin olive oil and less calories too amazing huh? Well i warmed my garlic and orange zest in some butter and added a sprinkle of chili powder...you could always substitute paprika.

I cracked the back of the lobster in half to expose the flesh and brushed it with the butter, orange zest and chili mixture and popped it under the broiler for about 5 minutes. This was a small lobster so just keep an eye on it you want the flesh to be white and cooked through


Broiled Lobster Tails with Chili Butter
4 (8-ounce) lobster tails
1 clove garlic
1 tsp orange zest
1/2 tsp chili powder
1/4 cup butter

In a skillet cook garlic, orange zest, chili and butter over medium heat, brush mixture over lobster meat. Broil 4 inches from heat for 12-14 minutes or until lobster is opaque. Serve with Remaining butter.

Recipe Courtesy of Better Homes and Gardens