Hard Boil Eggs in the Oven!

Great way to Hard Boil Eggs is to oven bake them!  Sounds crazy right?  Its incredibly easy, saves water, and make eggs easier to peel!

Place eggs in a muffin tin to prevent rolling or egg breakage fallout at 325 for 25-30 minutes.  Remove from over and allow to cool.

Peel and use them for egg salad, potato salad, deviled eggs, or a great breakfast protein!

Today Dustin and I celebrate our 2nd Wedding Anniversary!  I can't believe 2 years have gone by already.  Time flies when you are happy and having fun!  I thank the universe every day our paths crossed.  I'm one lucky girl to have such an amazing husband and partner in crime <3

We had Lemon Caper Chicken with Garlic Green Beans and Lemon Saffron Couscous for dinner.  Watched the Diamondbacks game and ended with mini chocolate pudding pie bites.

I look forward to our third year of marriage and becoming parents! :D

Ash <3

Parmesan Tilapia with Roasted Summer Squash over Tomato, Lemon, Basil Brown Rice

12 oz tilapia
1.5 tablespoons mayo
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup parmesan
Salt and Pepper to taste
Yellow Squash
Brown rice
1 tomato diced
1/4 cup lemon juice
1/4 cup white wine

Preheat oven to broiled. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in skilled. Mix mayo, parmesan, 1/4 cup olive oil, 2 tablespoons lemon juice, dash of tabasco, salt and pepper.  Place tilapia in dish and cover with mixture. Cook rice per instructions. Put fish in oven and check constantly. When golden brown pull out of oven.

Combine cooked rice,  1/4 cup lemon juice and white wine, basil, tomatoes, and salt and pepper.

Serve tilapia over roasted summer squash and tomatoes brown rice.

Soooo yummy!!  It melts in your mouth and has amazing flavor! 

Ash.

Asian Pork over Roasted Vegetables and Lemon Saffron Israeli Couscous

Started getting recipes from a recipe service Dave Ramsey endorses. And I can definitely see and taste why!!

1 tablespoon olive oil
12-16 ounces boundless pork chops
3 tablespoons soy sauce
1/2 cup chicken broth warmed
1/2 teaspoon ginger
Crushed garlic to taste
Yellow squash cut into medallions
2 Red peppers sliced
1.5 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 teaspoon each salt, pepper, and garlic powder

Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees. Heat oil in skilled. Slice pork into thin strips, toss in hot olive oil about 3 minutes. Add soy sauce , chicken broth, ginger, and garlic. Cover, simmer about 10 minutes.

Toss vegetables in oil, soy, and pepper. Roast on a foil covered basing sheet in oven until browned.   Watch carefully.  Serve hot pork on a mound of the roasted vegetables

I used the fresh summer squash from my garden and it was delicious. All together a very fearful and easy meal!  Fast too :) 

I also served it with lemon saffron Israeli Couscous.

Ash!

Fish Tacos and Lime Cilantro Rice

In attempts to be healthy and incorporate fish into our diets I adapted a recipe from eatingwell.com and made it my own. The rice is a play off how I think chipolte makes there's but healthy! 




Fish Tacos and Cilantro Lime Rice

2-4 Tilapia Fish Filets
1 Cup Wheat Flower
1 Teaspoon Cumin
1 Teapsoon Salt
1 Teaspoon Pepper
1 Teaspoon Garlic Powder

Each teaspoon is going to be halfed between the flower and the panko bread crumbs so each recieves 1/2 teaspoon

1 Cup panko bread crumbs
3 Tablespoons Peanut/Grape Seed/Olive Oil
1/2 to 1 bottle Light Cerveza
4-8 Corn Tortillas

Garnish

Sour Cream or Greek Yogart
Shredded Lettuce
Diced Sweet Peppers (The baby red/yellow/orange sweet peppers)
Diced Green Onion
Chopped Cilantro
Tomatoes
Lime wedges
Shredded Cheese

Lime Cilantro Rice

3-4 Cups Brown Rice
4-6 Cups Water (brown rice needs more water to steam/cook)
1/2 Cup Fresh Lime Juice
1/4 Cup Chopped Cilantro

For fish, cut into bite size chunks.  Mix flower and 1/2 teaspoons of seasons.  Add beer half a bottle at a time and mix well.  You want a batter to dip the fish in so the panko crumbs stick.  The consistency should be similiar to pancake mix.  Drop all of the fish chunks in batter and let sit for 10 min.  While setting put oil into a frying pan and warm at medium to medium hot depending on your stove top.  While oil is warming put rice into steamer/pot with water and 3 tablespoons of the lime juice, this way the lime juice also cooks into the rice.  While rice cooks mix the panko bread crumbs in with the remaining 1/2 teaspoon of spices.  Once oil is hot take individual fish pieces out of the batter and dredge in panko bread crumbs and put in pan.  Watch the fish and how fast they brown depending on your cook top.  If you need to up the heat or lower the heat do so.  Since you don't want to over crowd the pan (this can drop the oil temp and slow cooking, so cook enough fish where they still have room to cook). While fish is cooking I will turn the oven on to 275 and place a cookie sheet with a wire rack in it to set the fish after they are cooked on while cooking the remaining batches.  This helps keep the fish warm and crispy.  While fish and rice are cooking take a large piece of foil (about 15 inches or less depending on amount of tortillas) and a damp paper down and lay the paper towl on the non shiny side of the foil.  Layer the tortillas so they are over laping about half way on the paper towel.  Once done fold over foil like a present and place in warm oven with fish to warm the tortillas. 

Once rice is finished add in remaining lime juice and fresh chopped cilantro.  Stir and its ready!  I don't add spices to mine but you can if you want!  Once fish is done simply put together and enjoy!!

I'd highly recommend the addition of the sweet peppers.  They really gave it an extra yumminess!

<3 Ash

Yogic Expantion

Blissful Yoga Studio offers 20 different yoga classes.  It is my mission to take all of them except prenatal and kids yoga.

Here is the Run down of amazing classes :)

-All Levels
-Ashtanga Primary (Monthly)
-Blissflow
-Candle Light Yoga Level I/II
-Hot Yoga
-Hot Yoga I/II
-Intro to Yoga
-Level I/II
-Level II/III
-Restorative Candle Light
-Restorative Yoga
-Stretch & Restore
-Vinyasa
-Ying Yoga
-YinYasa
-Yoga Core
-Yoga Fit
-Yoga Wall (ABSOLUTE favorite class)

The purple classes are the ones that I have already taken.  This week I'm going to give Vinyasa a go and Yoga Core :)

I really like the additional strength I'm getting from taking these classes in addition to hitting the gym 5 days a week.  I've lost 8.25 inches off my body in the first month and am pumped!!  The energy alone is worth it.  The yoga has helped in stretching out my muscles after the weight lifting and the yoga gives you a hell of an aerobic work out in addition to strength and endurance.  And clarity of mind!

<3

A little Paint back in my Life

After a long sabbatical, I finally brought paint to canvas again a few weeks ago. Here is some of the beginnings of a series yet un.named. :)

Excellent Garlic Parmesan Crutons (homemade)

1 loaf two day old French bread
1 clove garlic minced
1/4 cup shredded/shaved parmesan
Spray Extra virgin olive oil
Salt and Pepper

Cube the bread into desired curton size. Place in a bowl and add in all ingredients except spray olive oil. Mix by hand in bowl to combine ingredients and bread cubes. Next take spray olive oil and quick coat while turning bread cubes with hand to lightly coat cubes and help ingredients stick. Pre-heat oven to 350  place on a cookie sheet and sprinkle remaining ingredients over bread cubes. Place in oven for 10-15 minutes or until crisp and starting to brown. Allow to cool and enjoy with salads or by themselves ;)

BBQ Pulled Pork in the Crock

I love my crock pot. Very much. Here is a recipe for a pulled pork that has my husband thanking Jesus Christ himself. It's good stuff.
One 4-5 lbs Pork shoulder
1/3 cup each : Apple cigar vinegar, soy sauce, worcestershire sauce, and liquid smoke
1 cup brown sugar
3 garlic clove minced
Salt and pepper ( tablespoon of each-ish)
1 onion sliced, leaving in discs
1 quart vegetable stock
1-2 bottles of your favorite BBQ sauce (we love fresh and easy's honey BBQ sauce!)
Mix the ingredients together until brown sugar dissolves. Wash the pork should and pat dry. Take a fork and stab the meat on both sides. This allows the marinated to fully flavor the meat.
I use a vacuum sealed in this next process. It sucks the air out and the marine into the meat then seals the package.
Place meat in a big baggie or dish.  Place some of the onion slices under and on top of the meat. Pour the marinade over the meat. Cover and allow to marinade for 24 hours turning several times.
Once the pork shoulder has marinated, place in a crock pot. Pour remaining marinade and onions ontop of the meat. Pour vegetable stock over the shoulder until just covered. Cook on low setting (8-10th hours) 
Once crock pot switches to warm remove the shoulder bone from the meat. It should slide out very easily. Remove the meat and onions from the from the crock pot. Pour on your favorite BBQ sauce and serve up!
Slow cooked pulled pork in a crock pot. Eat your heart out dickies!

Garden 2011

I am very excited for the coming weeks to start my garden.  I finally have a backyard to call my own and cultivate some veggies and fruits (aka saving money and food you grow just tastes that much better!)  Also I'm a big fan of cooking with fresh herbs especially.  I had a good sized herb garden when I lived in ABQ.  10 different herbs giving a lot of variety and full flavor.  Fresh herbs make a difference!   They can be grown all season from spring till beginnings of fall depending what the local climate is.  Last year I watched my friend Laura grow a bad ass garden with the most surprising plant.  Artichokes.  You don't really think of how they are grown but man, pretty cool and if you don't cut the bloom (the actual artichoke) it blooms this insanely gorgeous bloom somewhere between light indigo and a tad bit of periwinkle in color.  She also grew bell peppers, tomatoes, and other things.  Over the past year I through some food docs and books by Michael Pollan, I changed the way Dustin and I ate.  Instead of buying everything prepared, actually take the time to make it from scratch myself.  Have the power over what goes into the food as well really make it what we want.  Major removal has been HFC or high fructose corn syrup.  I also want to make jams and can some of the tomatoes/make pickles/peppers to have for the winter :)

So here is my garden:

Veggies:
Artichoke
Beans: (Greensleeves, Royal Burgundy, and Yellow Wax)
Broccoli
Cauliflower
Carrots (Kaleidoscope)
Chile (self explanatory!)
Cucumbers (Bush Champion and Pickling)
Bell Peppers (Multicolor and Sweet Gypsy Minis)
Lettuce Mix
Summer Squash
Tomatoes(Roma, Sweet Cherry, Heirloom)
Zucchini

Fruit:
Blackberries
Blueberries
Melon (Charemtais-French)
Raspberries
Strawberries
Watermelon

Herbs:
Basil(Sweet, Lemon, Lime)
Chives
Cilantro
Dill
Lavender
Lemon Balm
Oregano
Parsley (Italian Flat Leaf)
Rosemary
Safe
Stevia
Thyme


Dustin and I will be using 2 x however long they are's to make a box that will be two 2 x's tall staked with posts at each corner.  Saw it done at the Depot ;) Lol  Looked official, and they had the boarder stuff flagged off for repairs on the outdoor shelves.  I still want to go back and take a look, but the 2 x whatever length looks good to me :)  I just want them built so I can rent the roto till and dig some ground up.  In the process we are also going to reseed the grass.  After a long hoooot summer and a hair storm that beat it to crap we are going to start fresh.  We both really want a green lawn.  So we are getting a cracked out seed that apparently will also grow on bricks and is heat tolerant.. so here's to hoping!!

Once the planters are built and grown tilled we are going to use the existing sprinkler heads to turn into a drip system.  You just buy a different head that has multi ports to then run watering tubing.  Plants watered.  Also I will do spot watering and weeding.  I read a few places to put mulch on top of the soil to keep it warm and moist and prevent weeds.. we will see.  I will need to mix in some good stuff in the existing dirt to make it healthy.  Also a trick from Laura.  EARTHWORMS.  The woman is a genius and her mom's garden is insane.. :)

So there it is.  I'm also going to be chronicling the progress of the garden and what I learn here and on my blog.  Flow me :) Ask Questions.  Growing your own food is fun, rewarding, and yum!   No wax, no worry, no chemical pesticides. 

Get ready for some gardening!


Ash!

PS: Make sure you check your Zone for gardening.  You can do this on Burpee.com  The also have great seeds.  I will get my seeds anywhere I see them.  Walmart/Target/Home Depot/Lowes.  Home Depot is around the corner so that will be mostly where I get mine and they are Burpee seed sellers.  I also will be ordering seeds from Burpee.  Their kaleidoscope carrots are to awesome to not grow.  I will also buy plants at the Depot or Walmart (yea guilty) or Target.. and a website that is bad ass.  Possibilities are endless.  You can also Google seeds.

Chicken Nuggets

If you haven't seen the youtube of the magic goop that a certain red/yellow hamburger joint uses for their "chicken nuggets", you may want to... then make mine instead!!

This recipe is an adaption from watching Nigella Lawson on the cooking channel.  I have changed some of the recipe ingredients to my taste and dietary desires.

2-3 cups buttermilk
2-4 chicken breasts, trimmed
Coarse salt
Fresh Ground pepper
garlic powder
Box of Panko Bread Crumbs
Oil

I start off by washing all of my meats.  They've sat in the packing if even for a day still give yourself a true blank slate and peace of mind.  Luke warm/cool water.  Pat chicken dry.  Next cut the chicken breasts into nugget chunk sizes with a knife or kitchen sheers.  Kitchen sheers are easier and my choice of weapon.  (Make sure if you use the sheers they are immediately washed with hot water as anything with meat should be)  Space the chicken out so an even season can be applied.  Sprinkle a layer to taste of salt, pepper, and garlic salt.  Add more if you know you like your meat more seasoned, less if you don't like as much season.  Pour the butter milk into a gallon zip lock bag.  Put the chicken into the bag with the butter milk.  Seal and massage around for 5 min.  Place in fridge for up to 2 days of marinading.  I marinated for 2 days and the chicken was fabulously tender.  The buttermilk tenderizes the meat :)

Once meat has marinated for chosen time, place in a shallow bowl panko bread crumbs, salt, pepper, and garlic powder.  You will have to refill your dish a few times during cooking.  Have a tall side sauce pan with a 1/2 cup oil heated.  Take the chicken from the buttermilk directly into the panko bread crumbs and coat well.  Once coated place in oil in pan and cook on both sides until crispy brown and chicken is cooked.  Once cooked place on a rack above some paper towels and allow excess oil to drip off.  You can also bake the nuggets, my husband just has some southern in him.  If cooking in oven follow breading and then place on a greased sheet.  Cook at 425 for 15-20 minutes.

Waaaa la!  That is what an actual chicken nugget is.  Not random pink breaded goo.

Ranch, Honey BBQ Sauce, Wing Sauce, and many more dipping sauces make great friends with the nuggets

Tomato Rice Soup for the two I love!

My best friend Liz is in town this week and I couldn't be happier.  She lives back home in Albuquerque so we see each other major holidays if that.  So having her here is awesome!  I need me some best friend time.  (since 4th grade!) 

So at the request of my hubby and the agree of the bestie I made tomato rice soup with grilled cheese sandwiches for dinner.  Might I say a FINE choice.

While I'm usually inclined to make my tomato soup from scratch, while shopping and found 1.99 pints of fresh made organic tomato and basil soup at fresh and easy on sale.  Their soups are usually full of flavor and yum, so I decided to be a tad lazy and let F/E make the soup.  I steamed rice in the rice steamer and grilled up some grilled cheeses.  This may not be the most "healthy" meal, but man the comfort is there <3



Tomato Rice Soup and Grilled Cheese

2 pints tomato soup (organic or fresh if you can)
2 cups fancy quality rice rinsed
2 cups water
2 slices of bread
2 2% Cheddar Singles
Butter/Margarine

Start the rice in the rice cooker.  It is always same parts rice to water.  I highly recommend investing in a rice cooker if you do not have one. 

While the rice is preparing, start warming the soup in a pan on the stove, covered.  Stir every 5 minutes and allow soup to start to bubble.  Once bubbling reduce to medium low for 5-10 minutes or until soup is hot.  Rice should be done by now.

For grilled cheese put a thin layer of butter on eat side of all four slices.  Place a cheese single between a pair of slices and drop on a griddle on medium.  Watch to make sure bread doesn't burn!  Turn once brown.  Slice any way you like.  I like mine cut on the diagonal twice making 4 little squares, the hubby likes it half down the middle, and the bestie likes it one cut on the diagonal.

Now that sandwiches are done spoon desired amount of rice in bowl.  Follow with a ladle of hot tomato soup... and dinner is served!

You can of course add cheese, sour cream, Tabasco, and many other condiments.

We went the old school way :) Belly's full of warm comfort food equals happy laughing people.  And made Liz sleepy. 

Hubby and I are now in the living room sharing some tea.  Well he's playing Black Ops COD and I'm blogging :)

Tomorrow may be Monday, but tomorrow we make a pork shoulder. Oooh the possibilities :)

Sloppy Joes

The base of this recipe comes from my parents.

When my parents would give my brother and I options for dinner and Sloppy Joes would come up.. what kid says no?  It is a basic, but very flavorful recipe that leaves tons of room to dress it up, add to, or leave as is :)

Sloppy Joes Base Recipe
1lb ground Lean Turkey (you can use ground beef or chicken too!)
Half an Onion chopped
2 Tablespoons minced Garlic (I love garlic, so you can add more or less to your like)
2 Tablespoons Brown Sugar (more or less depending on desired taste)
1 Tablespoon Vinager (more or less to balance)

*Additions:

I added to the mix Sweet Mini Peppers.  The Red/Yellow/Orange ones you find in a little container in the produce section.  I sliced them length wise so they were little rings of sweet peppers :)

Start by sauteing the onions and garlic until till the onions are soft.  Then add the sweet peppers and continue to saute until soft.  Splash veggies with vinegar (I used White Wine Vinegar) to de-glaze.  While the veggies are cooking, season the ground turkey with salt, pepper, and garlic powder.  Combing ground turkey and spices.  Put the turkey in the pan on top of the veggies and press down the meat to cover the surface of the pan.  Let cook checking every few min.  Stir and break apart the meat while cooking with a spoon.  Once the meat has fully cooked and been broken apart (about marble size piece, or bigger depending on preference) add in two cans of tomato soup.  Stir.  This is where the taste comes in.  Add brown sugar first.  Taste test after brown sugar is added.  Depending on personal taste you can add more sugar to give it a sweet undertone.  If it becomes too sweet add a little (and I mean LITTLE) vinegar at a time, testing after each add.  I personally like the sloppy joes to have a little more than subtle sweet undertone, but also a a balanced acidity that can be tasted.  Balanced to me at least :)  Check for taste in the spice department again and adjust the pepper and salt level.  Let simmer for 5 min on medium.

Serve over either slices of bread or hamburger buns with american singles or plain!  Enjoy!

This is a great way to take my parent's recipe for Sloppy Joes and give it a healthy twist using turkey in exchange for beef.  Also adding more veggies to the mix also increases your daily veggie intake and fiber intake.

A few different veggies you can play with:
Tomatoes, Green Chile, Legumes, Zucchini and other Squashes.

Ash!

Brisket Weekend

The hubby and I went home to Abq this weekend for the monthly family dinner.  My parents hosted the dinner this month and it went off without a hitch!  The food was amazing, the time wonderful, and the company the absolute best!  I only wish I had pictures to share, although they are lovingly burned into my mind.. here is a line up the amazing food my parents conjure (where I get it from!) and two of the local food spots that are a MUST if you ever venture through Abq :)

The dinner consisted of 3 beautiful briskets that my parents marinated in a love of liquid smoke, spices, and a few other family secret things :)  I don't even know.. yet ;)  Two days of marinading and then covered in a homemade sauce.. also part of that family secret.. and roasted for 5-6 hours at 250.  WOW.  Needless to say we came home with a 1/4 of one of the briskets!  Aunt Lynn and Uncle Gary brought a pasta salad that tastes like one down at Saggio's that I dream about and biscuits that although Gary says weren't right were DAMN good (they also served as a base for the gravy my dad made the next morning to go with them via a recipe I had in the arsenal.. YUM)

Bacon/Sausage Dripping Gravy

 1/4 cup sausage drippings, * see note
 1/4 cup flour
 2 cups milk
 1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste
 1/4 teaspoon pepper, or to taste

To the sausage drippings in the skillet, add the flour. Cook
and stir over medium heat 5 to 10 minutes or until mixture
starts to turn golden.

Slowly add milk, stirring constantly. Add salt and pepper.
Cook gravy until it boils and thickens. Sausage pieces may
be add to gravy. Serve over warm biscuits.

***  This recipe makes a small amount, enough for two people.. if you are making it as a larger breakfast just double or tripple everything!  Also the salt and pepper is really more your personal pref!  I like my with lots of pepper so I do a full teaspoon.

Uncle Kevin and Aunt Viki brought a salad with probably the best damn bottle of dressing, Newman's Own Lighten Up Balsamic Vinaigrette Dressing.  If you are looking for a flavorful dressing without all the junk in it and a flavorful taste, this is your dressing!  I bought a bottle already.. ;)  Nana and Grandpa brought coleslaw which was YUM! Aunt Loretta and Uncle Ricky brought a yummy wine and an even yummier chocolate dessert.  Chocolate and dessert should cover it ;) What more would you need in a dessert!!  I think that covers it.  All together a very successful family eating gathering.. although they all are ;)  Next up?  Greek!

Sunday I spent the day with my best friend Liz :)  We had Dion's <3  Dion's is a restaurant that is local to NM.  Dion's is a very casual restaurant with quality food and a great environment.  You can choose from Pizza Slices made with the toppings you choose, whole pizzas, toasted subs does not even begin to cover how amazing their sandwiches are.  They are served in a basket with chips, a dill pickle and their epic greek dressing.  You can also choose from several salads, drinks, fruit salad, cookies, and cheese toast.  Check out the website, and if you ever go through New Mexico do yourself a favor and stop in for some amazing food!!!!

Monday morning my mama took Dustin and I to breakfast at a place that I dream about here in Phoenix.  Wecks.  They only do breakfast and lunch.. and to be honest.. if they added in dinner I'd probably be there daily.. The breakfast they offer is a New Mexican twist with everyday breakfast staples too.  Pancakes, french toast, eggs, breakfast burrito, papas.. AHH PAPAS.  Papas is a small mountain of hash browns that you then choose which way you would like it.  Meat eater, veggie, or build your own.. with two eggs your way.  My absolute fav way to get my papas is the Veggie Papas with Ham and Christmas.  I love all of the veggies they put in, mushrooms, onions, bell peppers, tomatoes, and then have them add ham COVERED with a red and green chile (we call it christmas in nm)  I made sweet love to that plate of food.  It is the inspiration to a lot of the breakfasts I make :)

All in all it was a highly successful trip both in the food department and in the family time friend time department as well.  Next week the Balloon Fiesta starts.  If you are local in NM or are passing through, check it out!  It is a childhood staple that every kid from Albuquerque has permanently found a home in our memories.  I unfortunately haven't been in 4 years, but moving home will fix that :D  The balloon fiesta is a great place to have all new mexican food fair at your finger tips!  So go out there with camera in tow and an empty stomach!

Welcome to fall!!

Ash

Sweet Dinner Rolls

 

Many of us have been to Golden Corral.  Their dinner rolls are to die for.  So I made them from scratch :)

The recipe comes from a fellow blogger with a few tweaks to meet my my desired result.  Let me tell you, THESE ARE AMAZING and I have had a hard time keeping my husband out of them.  one batch of dough makes two dozen rolls.  These will definitely make repeat appearances and are perfect for holidays, dinners, and just because!

Ingredients:

2 tablespoon yeast
1 cup lukewarm water
1/2-3/4 cup sugar (depending how sweet you want, 1/2=lightly sweet)
2 eggs
3 tablespoons oil
2 teaspoons salt
6 ounces warm milk (just over 2/3 cup)
6 ounces boiling water (just over 2/3 cup)
6-7 cups flour
1/2 cup melted butter

Direction:

Dissolve yeast in 1 cup lukewarm water. Add next 5 ingredients. Mix together. Add 2 cups flours and stir. Add boiling water a little at a time, stirring constantly. Then add remaining flour, 4-5 cups.

Knead dough until it forms a ball, about 5-6 minutes. Put in a greased bowl and cover with a wet towel until double in size, about 1 hour to 1 1/2 hours.

 

 

Punch dough down with fist and roll our a little less than 1/2 inch thick. Melt butter. Cut out dough with a (large) mason jar lid or a round roll cutter. Dip in butter 1/2 or 3/4 of the way. Fold in half and place in a pan touching, but not crowded.

 

Raise until almost double, about 30-40 minutes.

 Bake at 375 degrees F for about 15-20 minutes, or until golden brown.

Make about 2 dozen rolls. 
 

Brush addtional butter ontop of the rolls after they come out of the oven.  Enjoy!

Penne Di Bosco

Dustin and I celebrated our first wedding anniversary at the restaurant we our first date at almost three years ago.  I had the Penne Di Bosco this past Monday while celebrating and was wowed by the flavor of the combination that created the Bosco Sauce.  Dustin tried it too and agreed its amazingness.  I wrote down the ingredients that they menu cited and did a little digging on my own via the internet.  I also called the restaurant and they were very gracious and told me what the base of the sauce consisted of.  With all of the I was on a mission to recreate that at home for me and Dustin.  Having control over what goes into your food gives you the upper hand in staying healthy.  This includes the use of sugars, starches,and other ingredients that are unnecessary.  I also paired it with a spinach salad with a balsamic vinaigrette and Sweet Dinner Rolls.

Penne Di Busco consists of Vodka Sauce, Vegtables, Penne Pasta, and Sausage.


Organic Vodka Sauce as a base (F&E)
Sausage (I used Farmer John F&E)
2-3 Bell Peppers
1 can Italian style organic tomatoes
2 cups sliced mushrooms (or more!)
1 cup red onions chopped
Garlic (to taste, I like garlic so I would use 2-3 tbsps)
1/4-1/2 cup Parmesan
Olive Oil
Penne pasta

Start by cutting the bell peppers cut in half, cleaned out, and in the oven roasting at 400.  Turn every 5-10 min depending on oven.  Roast for about 30 minutes.

While roasting cooking the sausage in a pan until cooked through.  Once cooked through move to a paper towel.  Leave the grease from the sausage in the pan.

Add onions to pan and let cook covered until soft and starting to caramelize.  Once starting to caramelize add mushrooms and 1/4 cup water to allow steam for mushrooms. Cover with lid and stir as needed.

Once mushrooms are soft add can Italian style diced tomatoes, stir, and cover on medium heat.  Take sausage and cut into slices (coin like) and add to vegetables.

Also add jar of vodka sauce.  Cover, stir every 5 minutes, add spices/sugar to your taste.  Boil water for Penne.  Once penne is cooked, drain, and return to pan with a little butter or olive oil.  Stir around and coat noodles.

Add Bosco sauce to pot with penne and stir to coat and distribute sauce.













Serve with Parmesan cheese and bread.

Enjoy!

The Pluot

If you have never had the chance to have a plout, and a few differing flavors of pluots.. I recommend you do it soon.  Fresh and Easy has had 4 of the flavors below.  Dustin and I will rave to you about the Mango Tango.  Check out www.kingsburgorchards.com  Pluot Mecca!

 

Pluot

A pluot (pronounced /ˈpluː.ɒt/) is a tradename for varieties of interspecific plum or Plumcot developed in the late 20th century by Floyd Zaiger. In the United States, the fruit is known by most regulatory agencies as an interspecific plum or plumcot. It is a complex cross hybrid of plum and apricot, exhibiting more plum-like traits. The pluot, like the aprium, is derived from plums, apricots and or hybrids called the plumcot.
The fruit's exterior with smooth skin closely resembles a plum's. Pluots are noted for their sweetness (due to a very high sugar content), their intense flavor, and very juicy pulp. Pluots are also rich in vitamin A.
Dinosaur egg is a trademarked name for Dapple Dandy variety.
"Pluot" is a registered trademark of Zaiger's Genetics.

 

A Raspberry Jewel pluot, before and after cutting.

 Varieties

Flavorosa pluot.

Dapple Dandy pluot.

Splash pluot on tree.

Pluot varieties include:

• Crimson Sweet: Sweet flavor, medium-sized, Crimson skin with pinkish flesh. Available in June.
• Dapple Dandy: Large size with mottled pale green to yellow, red-spotted skin, red or pink juicy flesh. Available July through August and easily shipped (due to the firm nature of the flesh).
• Early Dapple: Good flavor, medium-sized, mottled green over red skin with pink flesh. Available mid June.
• Emerald Drop: Medium to large size, green skin and yellow-orange flesh. Available from mid July to late August.
• Flavor Delight: Medium-sized, fuchsia-honey colored skin with pink flesh. Available in June.
• Flavor Fall: Large size, average flavor, Red skin with yellow flesh. Available the end of September and the first of October
• Flavor Finale: Medium to large size, purple-red skin with amber-red flesh. Exceptional complex flavor. Harvest begins in Early September and fruit is edible well into October.
• Flavor Grenade: Large size, oblong shape with red blush on green background, yellow juicy flesh. Available the end of July through August.
• Flavor Heart: very large, black with a heart shape, and yellow flesh.
• Flavor Jewel: Sweet flavor, heart shaped, red over yellow skin with yellow flesh.
• Flavor King: Fruit punch flavor, medium size, with burgundy skin and red super sweet juicy flesh. Available end of August first of September. Flesh of this is hard until fully ripe which takes time to complete.
• Flavor Prince: large round and purple, with red flesh.
• Flavor Queen: Medium to large size, very juicy flesh. Taste is very sweet and when fully ripe (golden yellow colour). Available the end of June to mid August.
• Flavor Rich: medium-sweet, large black round fruit with orange flesh.
• Flavor Royal: very sweet, medium-sized, dark purple with crimson flesh. Available end of May through first weeks of June.
• Flavor Supreme: medium or large, greenish purple skin, juicy red flesh.
• Flavorich: Large size, dark purple skin and firm, sweet, yellow-orange flesh. Harvest begins in late August/early September.
• Flavorosa: very sweet , medium-sized, flat round dark-purple fruit with red flesh. Available end of May through first weeks of June.
• Geo Pride: Medium size, red-skin and yellow flesh. Balanced acid-sugar is predominately sweet with unique plum/apricot flavor. Harvest in mid-July to early August.
• Raspberry Jewel: medium, dark red skin, brilliant red honey-sweet flesh.
• Red Ray: medium, bright red with dense, sweet orange flesh
• Splash: Small to medium sized red-orange colored fruit, with very sweet orange flesh. Available mid July.
• Sweet Treat: Super sweet with hints of thompson grape flavor, green golden skin with yellow juicy flesh. Available end of June and first of July.
• Tropical Plumana: Tropical punch flavor, medium-sized, red over greenish yellow background with yellow flesh. Available middle of June.

California pluots are sold during the summer and fall.

So get out and get your hands on one of these bad boys!  We are going into fall now, the fruit selection will be changing!!

Ash

Chicken Noodle Cass

An attribute back to my Nana and her love for the casserole.

Growing up, my grandparents watched my brother and I instead of day care.  Majority of my cooking, and all of my baking comes from my Nana.  As a kid nana always had dinner ready when grandpa got home.  She would make dinners ranging from pot roasts to chickens to casseroles... pretty much anything and everything.  I have a memory of a dutch oven that she would roast whole chickens with veggies in, or the long silver pan she would make meatloaf in.  Two particular casseroles that she made through out my childhood stand out.  The Tuna Noodle Casserole and the Eggplant Parmasain Casserole.

Last night I made Dustin and I Chicken Noodle Casserole.  I love tuna.. cold.  So I switch out tuna for chicken and add a few other things for personal taste and evolution:


ingredients: small noodle ( i usually do elbow), two cans of any kind of cream of you want (i usually use one chicken and one mushroom) vegetable mix ( i will use frozen or if there is a fresh mix, this is limitless, put as little or as many as you like), half an onion diced, 1 cup chicken/veg stock, salt pepper and paprika to taste, and panko crumbs and melted butter mixed.

boil the noodles. combine all ingredients in a cooking dish. spread layer of bread crumbs over top, dust with paprika, and cook for 30 min at @ 350

Nana sometimes made it with chicken too.  Serve with a crusty bread, salad.. enjoy!

Winter Veggies

There is something about the temps starting to fall, the sun setting sooner, that signals fall is coming.  Here in AZ the fall season is short and sweet.  Back home in ABQ fall starts from late Sept/ early Oct to late November. (I miss this!).  I personally love the fall.  The slow darkening of life.. the gray skies.. I love them.. I love how each season leads and blends into each other.  To celebrate the last Autumn in AZ, here is a list of the vegetables that are plentiful in the fall and keep you warm in the cooler months.  The first day of autumn is September 23 and I am going to cook with each vegetable over the course of this fall and post the recipes and pictures.  

Here are the veggies!


Artichokes have a second crop in the fall (the first go-around is in the spring) that produces small to medium artichokes.

Arugula is a cool weather peppery green harvested in winter in warm climates, summer in cool ones, and grows in many places during autumn.

Beets are in season in temperate climates fall through spring, and available from storage most of the year everywhere else.

Broccoli is more sweet, less bitter and sharp when harvested in the cooler temperatures of fall in most climates.


Brussels sprouts grow on a stalk, and if you see them for sale that way snap them up - they'll last quite a bit longer than once they're cut.

Cabbage is bright and crisp when raw and mellows and sweetens the longer it's cooked. The cooler the weather when it's harvested, the sweeter it tends to taste (this effect is called "frost kissed").

Carrots are harvested year-round in temperate areas. Unusual varieties are harvested during the carrot's natural season, which is late summer and fall.

Cauliflower may be harvested year-round, but it is by nature a cool weather crop at its best from fall into early spring.


Celery is at its best in the fall, with its harvest continuing through winter in warm and temperate climates.

Chiles are best at the end of summer and into fall.

Happy Pre-Fall!


SOoo tomorrow I will start actually baking my first round of cookies for my cookie test.  I've spent the past week working on flavor and mixtures and picking peoples brains :)  The first three flavors are: Butter Pecan, Strawberry, and Snickerdoodle.  I'm excited to work on the cookies tomorrow and see what my testers think!

22 Cookie Challenge and Bitchen Salads

In prep for a bigger cause I am in need of local guinie pigs.  If you are a cookie lover I need you for taste testing.  Yes. This does include consuming cookies.

I have a particular set of chocolate cookies that I make that make people feel happy.  Nothing in them but love and baking ingredients :)  With that being said I am going to do a little.. well a lot.. of experimenting.  I will be testing 22 new flavors with a surprise add-ins (chocolate chips, fruit, nuts).  As part of my exploration of food this is my next mission. 

Mission:  Make 22 different cookies with different, that make sense, add-ins and or icing/topping. 

This is where you come in.  I will make cookies at least once every week/week and a half.  I will need to hand them out to you guinie pigs and request your feedback and suggestions :) 

With that being said LET ME KNOW! you know how to get a hold.

The second part to this is for every new kind of cookie combo I make I will make a salad to um, er.. counter all that amazing cookieness.  I of course will be taste testing the cookies.. AND salads of course :)

So here's to divine cookie soul searching and rolling bowls of lettuce with in season veggies and smart dressings :)

Eating Check up: Eating like shit lately.
Fix: I am dedicating myself to learning the Asanas of Ashtanga Yoga through traditional Vinyasa Count.  I feel very driven to this.  My yoga experience has pandered across the years.. college was a concentration on the asanas (poses).  No flow.  Home practice was always asanas slow paced.  Then I went to Sumit's Yoga, Vinyasa Power Flow, and had my ass handed to me.  I left that class soaking wet, bendy, tiered, but felt like I could move a friggin building.  After that I was pretty much hooked on the flow.  Sumit's is very fast paced.  If I had know the asanas I would have probably dug the fuck out of it.  SO thats what brings me to this.  My current pactice is home based.  I usually do a flow with asanas at my pace.  I try to hold each asana for 5 breaths.  I like the way my heart races when the flow is added in after each asana is added.  My friend Kim is putting a sequence together for me too and I can't wait!  Second part of the fix is transitioning back to eating better. Sounds stupid with the cookies right? Not if I am giving majority of them away for taste testing?  Finally finding a facet again :)

Ash