You Give a Little...You Give A Lot

Normally I would blog about some yummy food I just devoured right after taking a dozen pictures of it first.

But not this blog. (ok, maybe one picture....what? I couldnt pass up such a yummy picture!)

Obviously I am a giant foodie. I have had a love affair with food for as long as I can remember. Every taste, every combination, every way of preparation....I just cant seem to ever have enough. Now Im not a giant blob on the couch eating my way through I giant bag of lays potato chips....but I have packed on a few extra lbs that Im not very happy with and I decided that this week I was going to shape up!

So starting on Monday I changed what I was putting into my body and to be honest...Im freaking tired! I dont know if its the lack of sugar Im craving, or the fats and salts. Probably both. I have been eating some very yummy salads like this one:



Blue Cheese, Strawberry, and Walnut Salad

 Yeah, it was delicious dressed with a simple balsamic dressing...mmmm....

Along with this salad, I have also been eating a lot of greek yogurt :) yummy! And I have to say that my new favorite greek yogurt is apple Cinnamon. Super satisfying, delicious, and oh so good for you! Mmm hmm

My morning meals consist of a organic, clean oatmeal that you can find in the frozen section of HEB. Also very yummy if I may add.

So far so good. And its getting a little easier everyday. The hardest part is planning my meals and packing them. I dont feel I can have any kind of success if I dont plan. I am a creature of impulsive eating. If its there and it tastes good then I will eat it. (Probably the reason Ive gained some weight!)

Dont get me wrong, I absolutely love my curves. Always had them, wouldnt know what to do without them. In fact, I would never wish being flat and curveless upon anyone! No way ;) But I wanna tame these curves, lol!

So in closing,I shall leave you with the recipe for this GORGEOUS salad:

Blue Cheese, Strawberry and Walnut Salad

blue cheese
3 sliced strawberries
walnuts
dried cranberries
baby spring mix lettuce

Balsamic Dressing (SUPER Simple!)
One part Balsamic vinegar
Two parts EVOO
pinch of salt
fresh cracked pepper

Put all dressing ingredients in a bowl and whisk until completely combined. Combine all salad ingredients and drizzle dressing over it and ENJOY! Its sooo good!

Epic Fail Macaroni and Cheese

I had every intention to make such a wonderful, made from scratch, cheesy homemade mac n cheese.... I did not achieve this goal whatsoever :( Everything was going great....

I made the sauce, which was delicious

I made the apple sausage, which was delicious

I boiled the noodles perfectly!

I combined all the ingredients into my cast iron and I baked it....

AND I BURNED IT!!!


Who does that!!??? Apparently I do. And I was so incredibly sad....I really had to stop myself from crying.
My boyfriend was there, who I was initially cooking for, and all I could do was think how awful of a cook he was going to think I was. I was embarrassed. Who burns mac n cheese? I love to cook, I love to watch people eat and enjoy my food. My dad tried to eat it and literally choked! Coughing and All!

I just stared at my boyfriend sitting on the recliner. I tried to think of something....anything that would save this mac n cheese, and praying that he would never know I failed so miserably at this. But there was no saving this sad pathetic casserole. It was dead, and not in anyway going to magically come back to life.

I had to swallow my pride, trash the mac, and settle on feeding my honey some pizza. He turned out to be just as happy.
Love you honey <3

There Are Burgers...And Then There is This!

Quinoa Sirloin Burger

This is technically day two of my new "diet." Ok, now I HATE the word "diet" because people always attach a negative connotation as being deprived of food. And not just any food, but great tasting food. Im here to change that right now! Loosing weight can be just as tasty than when Im not dieting, and here is the proof! I just made the most yummilicous burger that got me up off the couch excited! 

And in the spirit of sharing all of my yummy recipes with you, here is another to add to the list. Not only is it good, but its also good for you ;)

My Quinoa Sirloin Burger with Grilled Veggies

Cook one cup of quinoa according to package directions using chicken stock. Add garlic and a bay leaf into the broth. You will have to strain at the end of cooking to ensure you do not cook the quinoa into mush :)

For the Grilled Veggies:

Half a red onion cut into rings
Red and Yellow bell pepper strips
Sliced Mushrooms
Basil Pesto

Combine all veggies and toss with pesto. Let sit in the refrigerator for about 30 mins.

For the Burger:

1 lb ground sirloin
2 tbs chopped parsley
paprika
mustard powder
1 clove minced garlic

Combine a cup of the cooked quinoa with the sirloin along with the rest of the ingredients. Form into four patties, salt and pepper both sides, and grill until desired doneness.
*halve cherry tomatoes and grill to add some nice sweetness to your burger*

Now there is a magnificent sauce that goes with this that I HAVE to share. It has the creaminess of mayo and the tanginess of goat cheese, but doesnt contain either one! And its delicious!

For the Sauce:

1/2 cup plain Greek Yogurt
half a dill pickle minced
fresh chives
fresh dill
1 tbs grainy dijon mustard
lemon juice and zest
a shot of hot sauce if you dare :)
salt and pepper to taste

Combine all ingredients for at least an hour. Spread on desired bun of choice and enjoy.

Now when I constructed mine as shown in the picture, I decided to make it an open face burger. (I just really wanted to cut calories where I could)

I toasted a piece of fresh olive bread and spread it with my "mayo" mixture. I topped that with baby greens, and then my sirloin patty. Atop of that I stacked the grilled veggies and a few pieces of blue cheese (because I always feel blue cheese goes great with steak, and we ARE eating sirloin after all :) :) ) I placed my grilled cherry tomatoes on the side so I could add them as I please.

I hope for those of you who try this recipe that you love it as much as I just did!

A Trip to the Farmers Market....A Bust

One of my favorite things to do is go to the Farmers Market at Pearl Brewery. The vibe there is hard to describe. It is such a relaxed place to just chill and enjoy our local farmers and celebrate what they have taken the time to grow themselves.

Now usually I get to the market by 830 am. I make my rounds throughout the tents, glance at the goodies the farmers have brought that day, and I make a gameplan. I decide which tent I will hit up first, what fresh produce will I buy, what I can possibly make with it, and then where I will wander to after.

Wait!

This of course happens after I grab a fresh peach tea (today I opted for freshly squeezed lemonade, it was a GREAT choice) and a kolache....mmmmmm. Next time I will get the chicken and waffles. Yum!

Well, I did not get to the market as early as I would have liked....in fact, we did not arrive till 11 am. What a HUGE difference! There was nothing left! I was so sad....but I still had a wonderful time with my love.

Lesson learned: there is a reason to get there early.... to actually be able to buy something! :)

There will definitely be a Farmers Market update next Saturday. And I PROMISE, there will be better finds to discuss :)

Have a great night peeps! <3

Heeellloooo! Im Julia Child.....and So Much More :)

It came in! It came in!

The package I had been waiting to be delivered is here! So as you may know, I am quite the home cook who is always looking for my next dish to master. The cuisine's I find my comfort in cooking are usually American and Italian. Both have great flavor profiles along with the "stick to your ribs" comfort people love to eat. So in hopes to start intertwining all of my loves of cooking, why not take a cue from the woman herself, Julia Child: the woman who brought the style of French cuisine to the American audience.

And am I on board with this crazy idea.

So I will be following her recipes in hopes that I too will be able to cook French food :)


THE cookbook

The quest will begin next Monday (and NO, this will not be a Julie/Julia project because there is NO way I will be eating any kind of liver, brains, or intestines....sorry to whomever is reading this....I know you're out there. Nor will I be spending all that money on all those ingredients!)
 So I will cook from it at least once a week and report back her to you.

Stay tuned for recipes to come!
Tomorrow will be burger night at my place with my love :) Cant wait to finally see my honey buns! <3
Love you boo ;)

I Do Not Trust UPS Tracking....Can You Blame Me?

Tick tock....tick tock....tick tock

I keep looking at the clock, then dashing to my window eveytime I see the reflection of a vehicle pass by my window, then rushing back to my order tracker off the UPS website. It says my package has been in route to my house since 10 am! And its still not here....how?

Who keeps track of where all these packages are by the way? And how does this mystical keeper of the packages in route keep track of where exactly mine is???

I dont believe it...

I think they are just trying to satisfy my anxiousness by supplying me with some kind of bogus answer.

Well, I will share when I receive my mail from UPS :) You might then understand the reason behind my urgency <3

Meatballs with Homemade Marinara Sauce....Yum!

Meatball Sub with Homemade Marinara Sauce

I had been going through major boyfriend withdrawals and decided that if I made something especially yummy that I could entice him to make the 50 min trip over to my house after a long day at work. Before I could even finish the sentence "Meatball Sub" I was assured that my better half would be more than willing to make the drive for a good dinner. With the assurance of my boyfriend I quickly arose from the bed to make a quick run to HEB. If I was going to make a great quality marinara sauce then I would have to get the pot going as soon as possible to let it simmer for a few hours.
Can I just say that this was by far the yummiest meatballs and sauce I have ever made! To the point where I will no longer be trying to add and subtract ingredients because I think I have found the perfect combination.
Now, I am all for sharing great food with the public because I feel everyone deserves to find recipes they can fall in love with, so below is the list of ingredients and preparation <3

For the meatballs:

4 cloves of minced garlic
1 small (or 1/2 a large) minced shallot
pinch of red pepper flakes
fresh basil
fresh flat leaf Italian parsley
grated Parmesan cheese
2 eggs
1/4 cup bread crumbs
salt and pepper
splash of whole milk
1/2 lb of ground pork
1/2 lb of 80/20 ground beef

Mix all ingredients (except for meat) together until combined. Next add both meats and mix GENTLY. Do not overwork the meat or you will end up with very dense meatballs. You want them to be light and airy, and you can achieve this by being delicate with your mixing.
Next, roll the mixture into balls and place them in a saute pan with EVOO. Brown on two sides (yes two, because you dont want them to cook through just yet, I just want some crunch).
After, put the saute pan into a 350 degree oven and bake for about 15-20 mins. Then take out the meatballs and place them in the homemade marinara sauce (recipe follows)

Homemade Marinara Sauce

3 carrots, peeled and chopped
2 celery stalks
5 garlic cloves, peeled
1 small yellow onion
EVOO
1/2 cup red wine (I use Cab)
1 28 oz can of crushed tomatoes
1 15 oz can of diced tomatoes
1 15 oz can of tomato sauce
1 cup chicken stock
2 bay leaves
dried oregano
dried thyme
red pepper flakes
fresh basil, leaves and stems
tsp of sugar
2 pads of butter (yes butter!)
salt and pepper

Place the carrots, celery, garlic, and onion in a blender or food processor and blend. In a large pot, put about 2 tbs of EVOO and turn on to medium high. Place the contents in the food processor into the pot and then leave it alone. You want all of the liquid from the veggies to evaporate and then start to brown on the bottom of the pan. BROWN FOOD TASTES YUMMY! It is how you can add a depth of flavor to your dishes. Once you have browned the veggies, deglaze the pan with the red wine. Cook until all of the liquid has evaporated. Next, add in all the tomato sauces and chicken stock and bring to a boil. Add the bay leaves, oregano, thyme, red pepper flakes, and basil stems (pluck off the leaves and set aside). Add the sugar to help reduce the acid from the tomatoes and round out the flavor of the marinara. Salt and pepper to taste. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 2 1/2-3hrs. At the end of cooking, take out the bay leaves and basil stems. Tear the basil leaves for a rustic presentation, or julienne them for more sophistication and add into the pot (reserve some for plating). Add in the pads of butter to create a glossy finish. Throw in the meatballs about half way through cooking :)

I hope you try this recipe and that you enjoy it as much as my boyfriend and I did! Needless to say, his trip was well worth the time and gas <3