Asian Inspired Turkey Tacos

Ladies and gentleman, I finally did it. Not only did I join a gym. But today, I woke up when my alarm went off, put on that damn sports bra and went to the gym. The hardest part is getting up, and going. I have always wanted to belong to the gym, but I'm not a self-motivated workout person. The last time I consistently went to the gym was about ten years ago-seriously. I've always worked on my feet, spending over ten hours a day on them, running around. That; to me, paired with chasing a small child was working out enough. Well now that I'm not working, I don't really have an excuse. The gym membership (including daycare- H gets to go to gym school) is $20 a month. How can I beat that. Get a little morning mommy time, H gets some energy out - all for $20. And I go with two of my girlfriends. Which is definitely what I need. I so have no idea what machines do what. Which muscles to train with which. I will be cursing them this weekend when I can't move, but I'm so happy I finally decided to get up and go. To bettering myself in 2015 - I made it to the gym. 

This also makes two days in a row that H has decided not to nap. Which makes the end of the day, oh-so terrible. She's in a great mood until she is not, and then it's Monster H. So I put a movie on, and got in the kitchen to whip up dinner. 

Asian Inspired Turkey Tacos (burritos)

This was one of those recipes where you add a little of this, a lot of that. Everything but the kitchen sink really. 

To get my Mise en place, I shredded a large carrot, yellow squash, green apple, ginger and garlic in a bowl. I knew I would add all the ingredients to both the meat and the slaw. I also made a spice mix : 21 seasoning salute, cumin, coriander, basil paprika. Hadley didn't want any veggies so I knew I could add whatever I wanted to my side. 

Start two skillets; one large, one small. Add coconut oil to both along with chopped shallots, leeks, and celery. In the large skillet add one package of ground turkey (1.3 lb), sprinkle with seasoning mix. Once the meat browns add the shredded veggies, and a cup of steamed lentils. We use trader joes prepared ones, we love them- H calls them baby beans and would eat them with every meal if I let her. 

In a bowl whisk peanut butter, coconut milk, spicy peanut vinegrete  (trader joes brand), and hoisin sauce. Dump the sauce over the meat mixture and let simmer.

To the small skillet with the onion mix- add baby corn, snap peas, broccoli, edamame, corn and peas. (All frozen veggies- these are great go to sides.) once they were cooked I added the shredded veggies and Sriracha BBQ

Asian slaw

Shredded veg mix, cucumber, romaine, avocado, peanut vinegrete, toasted sesame seeds, lime juice

I chared my tortilla right on the burner, wrapped it in a piece of romaine covered in low fat sour cream. (You know, why not lettuce wrap- and a tortilla) I added cheese, meat, cheese, veggies and slaw. It was so good. Like Soo Soo good. I made a little burrito for H. I added the cheese and meat mixture for her and pressed it. She wanted a little slaw on the side and ended up eating every bite with it. She loved dinner that's for sure.

Enjoy!

-K

 

Adult Ramen- Souper Supper

I don't care what you say, there is just something about Ramen Noodles that is comforting. It's funny, I can remember so many specific times I ate ramen. Would prefer it over real food at times. My freshman year of college; we had to buy an extra big bowl so we could cook two packs at one time. I used to be able to eat it with the sodium packet, but now I just use the noodles in my own broth. 

I give you 

Adult Ramen

2 stalks celery chopped

Sliced mushrooms

2 cloves grated garlic

2 cups chopped kale

1" nub fresh garlic sliced

Shredded carrot (purple) 

Shredded yellow squash 

Sliced scallions

Sautée everything up in a large soup pot with coconut oil. Add frozen corn, edamame, peas and steamed lentils to the pot. 

I bought some trader joes spicy peanut vinegarette and threw that in the pot along with two tablespoons of natural peanut butter and honey.

In a separate pot boil 3 cups of chicken stock and cook the ramen noodles . Spoon them out after three minutes. In the same pot, return the chicken stock to  a simmer. Create a cyclone in the pot with a small whisk. Crack an egg in a ramekin and put it in the center of the cyclone. It keeps the egg white together. 

Build your bowl.

Add veggies and soup broth. I made a nice bed for my egg of arugula, avocado and lime juice. When you crack the yolk, mix in in your broth; it becomes so creamy.

For H's bowl, she just had noodles, lentils, shredded carrot and egg with the peanut-honey broth. Heaven forbid green  touched a doodle. 

Enjoy a souper supper! Haha

-K

Burritos and (s)Moothies

I have been off my smoothie game lately. Maybe it's because it's too darn cold out, I don't want to drink something that's gonna make me colder. But this. This was delicious, heavenly.

I also did something I don't usually do, let H have chocolate before dinner, or let her have chocolate period. She usually only gets daddy to give her sweet treats.

Before H helped me, I threw an avocado in the bottom of the blender. She thinks she hates them. 

Along with the avocado, Toasted coconut with cinnamon, nutmeg and turmeric, shredded purple carrot, 1/2 peeled cucumber, frozen cherries and raspberries, banana, chai seeds, coconut milk, agave, mint leaves, coconut oil, and Trader Joes Chocolate frozen dessert made with coconut milk. 

H loves helping make 'moothies'. They are a great way to get raw fruits and veggies in growing bodies. Smoothie tip: Pair new foods with ones your littles already like to get them to I try adventurous things

We had smoothies and puzzles after nap today. She killed it on some new frozen puzzles that grandma got her. 

Puzzle queen right here

Since we had Such filling smoothies we didn't eat dinner until late. But what do we have for late dinners? Brunch! 

Breakfast burritos

Sautéed mushroom, steamed lentils from trader joes, black bean salsa, egg whites, hummus, tomato, avocado, arugula, and Colby jack cheese wrapped up in a whole wheat wrap. H was totally into 'Rittos'

That's a wrap

Goodnight Monday

-K

Creamy Cauliflower "Alfredo"

H had her big girl sleepover, and it was a complete success. She went to a first birthday party and played with her new best friend (my best friends niece is four months older then Hadley and they have so much in common. They have played a few times together and it was love at first hug).

I dropped her off at the Farmers Market, when my friend turned the corner with her niece,Hadley ran up and hug-toppled over. They chat about princess, food and poop haha seriously. It warms my little heart to see her so happy with a little friend that wants to play with all the same things. They are totally adorable. 

There were so many things she wanted to tell me when she got home. She made pizzas for dinner last night, and this morning chocolate chip pancakes. "Aunty S makes all the pancakes Mickey Mouse". She made sure to point out that when I make pancakes, there's only one mouse. I hate pancakes.

Most of what she tells me is about food. Per usual. 

When Aunty S said that they had to pack up and leave soon, H's response: "but why?"

Safe to say she had a blast on top of no potty accidents. I'm one proud momma. She's growing up way too fast I can't stand it.

Like when did that happen?

It's Sunday; I was feeling extra lazy all day, and it was just H and I for dinner. Pasta was H's first choice.  I had a whole head of Cauliflower, and some left over tomato sauce. Creamy tomato Cauliflower Purée. I should have added a little more starchy water to thin it out but it went down the sink. Oh well. 

Creamy Tomato Cauliflower Purée ,

Start with a large pot of boiling water; add some garlic cloves, chicken stock, and pepper for flavor -chop up a whole head of cauliflower with the stems and throw it in the pot. Boil about six minutes until tender. When it's done cooking remove with a slotted spoon. I did this so I could use the same water for my tortellini, Already flavored. Add your cooled cauliflower to a blender with some water (this is where I should have added more), Parmesan cheese, about 1/2 cup tomato sauce (I used my tomato veggie sauce) and two tablespoons of LF Cream cheese. I also added a chopped chicken Sausage - I used trader joes roasted garlic, spinach and fontina. 

I had mine over arugula with some extra tomatoes and Gorgonzola on top. It was good, if I make it again I would just make it thinner and add a little more parmesan cheese. For under a half hour and not very much effort at all, I'll take that for a Sunday Dinner. 

Enjoy the rest of your weekend,

-K

Tea Party part Deux

For the first time in almost three years my husband and I have our house completely to ourselves tomorrow. What!? What in the world are we going to do? 

H is also going on her first "big girl" sleepover. She has been completely potty trained and hasn't had an accident in over two weeks. She's been out of diapers for almost six months. But this is the first night she is sleeping out without diapers. I know she will be fine but it's the little things that worry this mamma.

Since she is leaving me tomorrow, we had a date tonight. I gave her the choice of a spa night or tea party. Tea party obviously won.

Her first question was "what kind of foods are we gonna eat?"

Her requests - fairy toast and purple carrots

This was our spread

 

Fairy toast with raspberry goat cheese filling - there is a recipe in my first Tea Party post. It was very similar, but I never make things exactly the same.

The leftover fairy dip was used for our spiced apples. Simply slice your favorite apple and sprinkle cinnamon, nutmeg and a little clove 

Bowl of fruit- mandarin, grape and blueberries 

Bowl of veggies with peanut butter and hummus (not shown), cucumber, celery, tomato, purple and pink carrots 

Pizza crackers with my homemade "pasta sawce", mozzarella, pesto and Parmesan

Front and center

Cukes and celery with a creamy goat and Gorgonzola cheese dip with Sriracha BBQ and green onions topped with arugula

And of course Tea for Two 

While I was making all the fixins' I asked H to set up the living room for our party. I came in to this

When I said "thanks for helping me"

H responded with "No problem, Anytime Mom." 

Like when did you become twelve?

I wish there was a pause button. She is growing up way too fast. We had to go to Kohls the other day because she has already grown through all of her winter clothes. She has gone through three sizes since the fall. What is that!

Speaking of kohls, love that place I spent $40 and got so many goodies. We don't get to go shopping often, but when I do I make sure to get only good deals. Along with our good deals came Dory! 

I love their $5 stuffed animals. They are really good quality and all the proceeds go to Hasboro. Last time we got Simba, this time she quickly chose Dory. They save the whole trip. Kohl's Is always a little overwhelming with a two year old. You want to check all the cluttered sale racks, but the cart with your child is at 'pull everything off the shelves' height. With Dory in her lap, she behaved the entire hour and a half trip. Ugh she makes me so proud. 

We were talking while picking out a new set of Jammie's and the lady across from us was just chuckling at all of H's remarks. I talk to her like she's twelve not two, and she responds as such. She's just too funny. When the lady asked how old she was, she was shocked when I told her not even three. Love my little lady. She's gonna do great things. 

But I just want time to slow the hell down. I just need to cherish every minute I get to be home with her. 

I know I'm going to blink and she will be graduating from highschool.  

Goodnight all and have a good weekend!

-K

Pasta "Sawwce" and Pizza

Italians call it gravy I call it pastaa sawwce. And when I make it I jam pack it with veggies. This was no exception. 

Veggies!

I heated a little coconut oil and added chopped onion, carrot, celery, green bell peppers, squash, zucchini, baby Bella's, and fresh roasted red peppers. Sweat them down until they are nice and tender and add crushed tomatoes, fire roasted diced and a few tablespoons of tomato paste. Simmer, add a cup of chicken stock, handful of Parmesan cheese, splash of balsamic vinegar and some fresh basil. 

I also cooked up some sausage and turkey balls, added them to the sauce and simmer all damn day. 

Turkey balls

I reserved some chopped veggies from the sauce, shredded and drained zucchini, two tablespoons of the sauce, Panko, one egg, tablespoon of pesto and a package of ground turkey. Mix lightly, you don't want to over mix the meat or it will become tough. Bake in a muffin pan for 10-15 minutes. I start the oven at 425 and when I pop them in, I turn them down to 350. 

When I popped the turkey balls in the oven, I started some Zucchini Pizza. I tell you I can turn anything, and everything into pizza. I had a huge zucchini, like one of the widest I have seen. This was perfect for making pizzas. Each round was about 1/4" thick, (or the height of your pinky). Toss them in olive oil, Italian seasoning and grated Parm. Roast them for about 20 minutes at 425, flipping once. You don't want them to be too soggy. When you take them out top with sauce and cheese, pop back in the oven for 5 minutes.

Comfort food at it's finest.

Enjoy! 

Shutterfly and Hawaiian Crescent Rolls

For today's post I want to first, and formost give a huge shoutout to Shutterfly. I've used their products for so long now. I've gotten books made, printed pictures, and my favorite, Calendars. My orange envelope arrived today with said calendar. I don't usually get packages, or anything in the mail besides bills. So it was without a doubt the highlight of my day.

We collect coke rewards so when their are fun shutterfly promos, my lovely husband scoops them up. This time was the calendar and an Alphabet book for H, which hasn't arrived yet. This particular time, the code expired at the end of last month. I had been working on the calendar for about a month. At the end of January we had a huge snowstorm and when I came home, the little lady and I both got sick. The due date for ordering my free book and calendar came and went. I was really discouraged. It was about a $60 value. I was pretty disappointed for forgetting, and letting that great opportunity pass by for some printed memories. I emailed the customer service. I explained about the snowstorm, and getting sick - and guess what? They reimbursed both promotion codes for me. I thought that was pretty amazing. It also keeps a loyal customer coming back, so thank you Shutterfly for your awesomeness!

Speaking of snowstorms, it's snowing again today. It actually looked pretty falling today. They were big fluffy fakes slowly falling all day. But they don't fall strait down, they kinda dance back and forth. 

First thing in the morning H likes her bowl of cereal. She's pretty funny; she likes a combination of Rasin Bran,(calls it the sun come up cereal), and Kashi (the good one or crunchies), sprinkled with cinnamon and a touch of agave. Anyways, when she's eating I'm kind of- just waking up. We chat and I have my lemon water, but mostly I just watch her. She eats in a daze, most days. And it's pretty damn adorable. I catch her in amazement, just following the flurries falling in jagged motions. She moves with them. Subconsciously, back and forth. I could watch her all day. Mornings are my favorite though. She's so innocent and loving. 

A few hours later my belly starts talking. Hadley's favorite meal, brunch. And today, we made Waffles!

I used a mix of Trader Joes Coconut pancake mix and Krustez waffle mix. Instead of egg and butter, I used coconut oil and applesauce. Added a mashed banana, cinnamon and a whole lot of blueberries. They were really good. 

Always with a side of fruit.

For dinner we kept it simple. Trying to use up our weekend leftovers.

Hawaiian Crescent Rolls with warm kale salad

1 package trader joes crescent rolls

1/4 cup Pineapple-mango salsa

3 oz thick cut chopped ham (I use honey ham)

3 oz shredded cheese- I used Colby jack

Separate all the crescent rolls

Mix all ingredients in a bowl - keep about 1 tablespoon of cheese aside. Sprinkle the reserved cheese on the crescent rolls. Add about 1 big tablespoon of mix to each crescent. Roll up and bake 11 minutes. 

I had mine with a warm kale salad. I sautéed ginger and chili pepper in a small saucepan. Add 2 button mushrooms and 2 baby Bella mushrooms, sliced. Add two cups of Chopped kale and two tablespoons of pineapple salsa. Cook down and add a little Sriracha BBQ. 

H had hers with beans and applesauce. She loves beans, and it's a great side to any dish, 

Enjoy

-K

Eat the Rainbow, taste the Pork

I've always liked art, love it actually. I have painted, drawn, made jewelry, and just about tried crafting everything. But it's never really been good. It kind of looks like a toddler made it. Seriously. Food is my art, edible art. Ingredients are my supplies, and the finished plate is like a canvas. Sometimes I flop in cooking too. Everyone does. You need mistakes to become greater, and it gives you the knowledge of what not to combine. 

Presentation definetly isn't my strong suite, but I do cook for a toddler and a grown man. I don't think either of them really look at their food before diving in. I respect people that can make food look elegant, it's definetly a skill that I don't have. I'm not much of an elegant person in any way. I am the least graceful person in the planet, tripped up the stairs today, and then fell down them. Sober, not carrying anything. That's how I am with food too. I can't stack, or place food in a way that it's appealing to the eye, I just hope the taste makes up for it. 

Taste, texture and aroma are my favorite aspects of food. Using fresh colorful ingredients is what makes food so beautiful. Every time you eat, is a chance to nourish your body. The best way to do that is with a rainbow of different foods. 

The weekend means I get to make dinner for my love. It was valentines, but we celebrated last weekend so it wasn't really in my mind. What was in my mind was pork. I thought I had a package of pork chops in the freezer, but when I went to take them out they weren't chops, but country style ribs. I prefer ribs, they probably wouldn't have lasted as long if I knew they were ribs. Anyways, Mr. King asked for chineese earlier in the week, and this was my perfect opportunity. 

Slow cooked Orange Sesame Soy Country Style Ribs

Mix in a bowl,

 orange juice, soy, coconut oil (melted), honey or agaves, garlic, chopped onion, toasted sesame seeds, ketchup and Sriracha BBQ sauce. 

Preheat oven 225 - foil line a pan and slice an orange thinly, lay across the bottom of the pan. Place ribs on top of the sliced oranges and cover with marinade. Cover with another piece of foil and place on the bottom rack. Cook 3-4 hours

Before you pull the pan out of the oven, get your sauce started.

Add Coconut oil to small sauce pan, sautee up garlic, ginger and chili sauce. Add orange juice, orange marmalade, honey, soy sauce, Sriracha BBQ, zest of an orange and splash of rice wine vinegar. If it's too thin add a small slurry of cornstarch and water. Heat to a slow simmer to thicken.

Take the pan out of the oven and turn up to 350

Drain the juices from the pan. Place the ribs back in the pan, they will fall apart at this point. They aren't at the pulled pork stage, but nice chunks of ribs. Cover in the orange BBQ sauce and put back in the oven for 30 minutes. The ribs will get sweet and sticky, they still pull apart but the tips will be crispy. they were delicious. 

H thought it was chicken and had about four helpings.

I served with sautéed bell peppers, mushrooms, broccoli and Trader Joes Veggie Fried Rice. It was such an easy dinner. The hardest part is smelling the ribs cook for three hours before tasting. 

This weekend was full of good meals. We used the pork in a rollover meal, Tacos!

Homemade pineapple-mango salsa, Coconut Ginger-Lime Rice with all the fixins'

Of course we had brunch too!

Coconut Pancakes with Brown Sugar Spiced bacon and fresh fruit

Roasted Sweet Potatoes hash with mixed veggies, Arugula and Eggs to order

Brunch Bowl Mexi Style with taco leftovers and beans

We had a late lunch - early dinner today. I made some no-mayo tuna salad over arugula for me and an Ultimate PB and J for H. I don't like a traditional peanut butter sandwich. Maybe it's because, when I was little I would have a peanut butter sandwich every day for lunch. I didn't like jelly. I didn't like a lot back then. I hated them at one point so much, that I would throw them away at lunch. (I know now how much of a waste it is, but then not so much, just that I needed to dispose of said Pb Sammy) There came a time where I forgot to throw my sandwich away at lunch time. So I hid it under my dresser. Until we moved. Two years later. 

I never want H to hide her lunch. I always want her to be involved in food. I love how much she loves to eat and prepare her own food. 

Peanut butter with Raspberry Preserves, agave, cinnamon and bananas on Honey Wheat

Mayoless Tuna Salad over Arugula with Pineapple salsa

Hope you all got to eat some Rainbows this weekend!

-K

Aldi's adventure and Mini Calzones

We haven't been out of the house since our last grocery shopping trip. I'm getting stir crazy, H is definitely beyond stir crazy. She's on a wild, winter rampage. Since there is another foot of snow coming, it doesn't look like we will be leaving for another few days. So instead of going to our normal shopping spots, we went on a serious adventure.

After multiple people telling me how great it was, we went to Aldi's. Now I wish I read some intro to shopping at Aldi's handbook or something, but we went blind. I kinda felt like a moron, but hey what else is new. Hadley had to go potty first so before getting a cart we hit the restrooms. Coming out of the bathroom there was a shopping cart right there, so I threw H in, along with our bags and Rainbow Puppy. Apparently your supposed to take one of the carts outside, and put a quarter in it. Well I'm a rebel and accidently took one with a quarter deposited already in there. 

For some reason H was in an extra rare terrible mood today so I didn't get to peruse as much as I would like. But I did find some great products for great prices. They didn't have everything we need, and I didn't purchase any meat. But They did have great pantry stuck ups, produce, cheese and frozen selection. I'd go back, not frequently but I would go in, knowing what they have. I was totally confused by the bagging section, but whatever. I also heard this loud beep throughout my shopping trip. I thought it was the carts leaving the store. (They have that at one of the tjmaxxs near us). So I was attempting to figure out how to carry all my bags and H. It wasn't going to happen. Looking like a fool I asked, who seemed to be an Aldi's vet, if the cart would beep at me if I tried to leave. He laughed and told me "no, that's what the quarter deposit is for." Duh if I would have followed the rules from the beginning maybe I would have noticed the chain of them outside.

Having a trunk full of goodies, I was excited to get home a cook some lunch for my loves. After H helped me put groceries away, I went to wash my hands. No water. What the.. I called the landlord, and what do you know, a water main broke and it would be hours before the water came back on. Great. I can't make lunch if I can't do dishes. 

So fast forward to after nap, and I have a starving toddler. She's  so dramatic sometimes. 

Dinner time 

Mini calzones with arugula salad

This was so simple. I had a few sauces to use up in the fridge. Pesto, pink vodka sauce and my delicious beet chili. 

Pop open a can of biscuits and flatten out all 8. Place sauce and cheese on half of the stretched out biscuit. After years of serious failure, there is one important rule. Don't over stuff the busicuits or crescent rolls. If you have too much filling they get soggy. These were perfect. I gave H all three options, and she wanted to make one of each. Once you have 8 mini calzones, bake 375 for 12 minutes.

I made a little arugula salad with cucumbers, tomatoes lemon juice and a little sprinkle of cheese. H had tomatoes and a few leaves on the side. This isn't a low carb dinner by any means but it was delicious. And H scarfed down her whole dinner with no complaints at all, and loved all three options.

I love quick meals that my mini gets to take part in. She loves helping out in the kitchen.

Enjoy!

-k

Valentines chili

Okay this will be my last beet post for a while. My husband has started questioning me about my obsession recently. And found I am the only one in the house that has the dire love for them. I still had 3/4 of a jar full of my beet-iful hummus, and I couldn't let it go to waste. What was I going to make for dinner. 

Mr. King mentioned chili, but I don't think this was the chili he had in mind. :) 

So I'm right about to go grocery shopping again, which means I'm at the end of all produce and such. But what I do have is, ground turkey.

This was the prettiest chili I have ever made. And tasted amazing too. H loved it, we dubbed it valentines chili. Speaking of, I asked if she wanted to be mine. She denied very quickly and told me 'I'm gonna ask daddy be my valentine'

Well then.

I started this delicious chili by roasting cubed butternut squash and sweet potatoes. Melt oil in a pan and add cumin, cinnamon, sage, paprika, garlic, onion, 21 seasoning salute, nutmeg, and cloves let the spices come alive in the butter/oil- it will start to bubble. Dump over cubed squash and toss with the flavored oil. Shake in a large pan so all the potatoes and squash are in a single layer

Bake 375 for 40 minutes 

While the sqush is roasting grab a giant pot- add a little butter and coconut oil next add chopped onions, celery, carrots (purple and orange), and apples. Shake a little of the same spice mix from the squash in the chili. Cook down. Push all the veggies to the side and add ground turkey. Brown the meat. Once the meat is cooked, add red & black beans, and a can of crushed tomatoes.

Once the potatoes and squash are roasted, add them to the chili pot. Cook down and enjoy! Top with goat cheese. 

Try some valentines chili!

-k

Beet-iful brunch

Have you ever eaten something you enjoyed so much, you didn't want to finish it? You save a little piece of the whole meal for that last little bite. Which you don't want to take because, after that- it's gone. You will never get that last bite back. 

That's how this meal was for me. Which is surprising because it was all the weeks leftovers. I didn't have an all star line up of veggies to use, and no mushrooms to be found. How could this compare to one of my favorite brunch bowls of all time? 

It all starts at the bottom.

The rest of my little family does not feel the same love and passion about this beet-iful hummus as I do. I mixed honey, cinnamon and goat cheese into my already delicious purple spread. I love it, it's really good on tortilla chips, but even better with eggs. 

I love Trader Joes hash brown potatoes. It's a little over $1 for a pound of shredded potatoes. They are so easy to use and way less work then shredding potatoes myself. I add coconut oil, a little butter, 21 seasoning salute, garlic, paprika and a little salt. Let the butter get all foamy and aromatic. Add potatoes to the hot pan and shake every few minutes until nice and crispy.

To another large skillet- add coconut oil, chopped red onion, celery, purple carrot let the veggies sweat down. Add sliced broccoli and chopped kale. Next add 1/2 cup black beans, frozen corn and leftover breakfast sausage. 

Cook eggs to your liking, I was really hoping H wanted poached, but she choose scrambled. I wasn't going to dirty more pans than needed so scrambies it was. 

Drizzle with sriracha BBQ, and an extra scoop of that tasty beet dip. 

  

Even though my little did not indulge in my beet obsession, she loved her brunch. Without it

Enjoy

-K

Pasta Salad and Pesto, Pink Vodka Pizza

H really loves pork. Steak, ground beef or turkey, not so much. But any sausage, ham or bacon she is asking for thirds.

I had some homemade tomato sauce in the freezer. Perfect for last minute dinners. This was Sunday, I feel like every Sunday we are trying to decide what to eat after 4 pm. This was one of those days. 

I sautéed a few smashed garlic cloves in a tablespoon of olive oil. Once it was fragrant, I removed the cloves and added a pound of sausage to the pan. (I used Italian sweet sausage links). When the sausage is browned, pour 1/4 inch of water into the pan and cover with the lid. 

While the sausage is cooking start your pink vodka sauce. 

The first meal I have ever made Mr. King was penne with pink vodka sauce. I still own the bottle of vodka I bought for that meal. I used it for this version as well.

I always do my pink vodka sauce a little different. Like every recipe. I never make the same thing, the same way twice. 

Start sautéing chopped shallot and garlic in a mix of butter and olive oil. Add Sliced mushrooms and a big glug of vodka. Once That cooks down throw some fresh thyme and the thawed tomato sauce. (I always hide a bunch of veggies in my sauce. Carrots, celery, peppers, mushrooms, broccoli). When the sauce is warmed through add about three tablespoons of cream cheese, and melt into the sauce. Add chicken stock, or starchy water if it is too thick. Add fresh chopped tomatoes and fresh basil after the cream cheese is melted. 

I like to put my pasta on top of a bed of fresh spinach, arugula or kale. It's how I pack a little more nutrients in my dish. I gave a new name to pasta salad, and I like it. It also separates the green stuff. So I can have it and H doesn't have to.

I had plenty of sauce, and sausage for a rollover meal. My favorite, when part of ia meal is already cooked for you. 

Pesto and Pink Vodka Sauce Pizza with sausage and tons of cheese

1 lb dough

Flour for dusting

Mixed with garlic powder, Parmesan cheese and parsley

Stretch out dough, heat pizza stone in the oven @425

When the stone is hot, stretch the dough on the stone. Act quickly, it starts to cook as soon as it hits the stone. Dab spoonfuls of pesto on the dough, you don't need a lot for this. In between the pesto dots, add your sausage and pink vodka sauce. You don't want to have too much sauce or it will be soggy. Top with mozzarella and Cheddar  bake for ten minutes. Take the pizza out and cover with goat cheese. Pop back in the oven for a minute or two until the cheese is melted but not burnt. 

Enjoy and goodnight!

-k

Egg-cellent Poached Eggs

Weekends go by way too quick. I wait all week to spend one night with my man, and I feel like it's always over before it begins. 

One thing I make sure to do when I get to spend time with Mr. King is to cook, and fill his belly. It is how I won him over in the first place. True story.

Brunch Saturday morning. Okay I was thinking about how to switch up my breakfast. I really don't like bread in the morning so sandwhiches are out of the picture. And I was also super tired and I know and love my brunch bowls. Let's be honest you just mix up your breakfast when it's on your plate right? So layer it in a bowl, top it with Sriracha, get a spoon and dig in. It's a great way to use up all your veggies in the fridge too. Any and all flavor combinations are good. The more textures, the better. 

So back to me mixing things up. I only started cooking eggs a few years ago so anytime I make breakfast with them, they end up scrambled. I try to make omlets, but when I flip it, it turns into a big scrambie. I have been craving poached eggs. I get them from my favorite breakfast spot, but we haven't been in a while. Poached eggs. I love cooking, but cooking the perfect poached egg is like one of those things that terrified me. Until I did it. I knew there was no way I was going to cook them with vinegar. I don't like the way they look or taste when you use it. Some say they can't taste it; but I can, I know it's in there. So I googled, and Pinterested all morning. My favorite no-vinegar poaching process was swirling a pot of water like a cyclone. So know I knew what I was going to have but H isn't a poached egg fan. Hmmm. Butterfly egg. This was impressing, not poached egg impressive. I thought this would be something I would be writing an epic fail post but it worked and I was pretty proud. I used a butterfly cookie cutter. Next time spray the cutter with oil, I forgot. And I held it down while it cooked on the bottom so it didn't spill out the sides. And I made over -medium for the hubs. Complete made-to-order eggs. You should have seen my kitchen, every pan was used in the process of making this breakfast.

I have been drinking chai seeds in my water, love this water bottle for that. I fill it up with random fruit, honey and a scoop of seeds and just add more water to it throughout my afternoon. I didn't think I was going to enjoy the taste and texture as much as I do but it's one of my new favorite things. So much so that, the random bag that was in my cupboard for six months is now gone. 

Along with my success of poaching my first egg, came my want for more. So tonight H wanted noodles. I saw this as a great way to enjoy my new obsession. I made one for H too, I cut it up and mixed the yolk before she could see. That's the part she always makes a face with when I order them at our local spot. I don't usually like the yolks of eggs. But something about the way it melts into it's surroundings and turns it into this creamy dish. It's just yummy. I don't like the yolks in hard boild or over hard eggs, but poached has me hooked. 

"That's a big uuuuuge pint tarrot, like uuuuge"

That was the biggest carrot H has ever seen. 

In a soup pot add coconut oil, shallots, sliced garlic, broccoli, carrots, chopped ginger, chilli pepper, kale,corn, peas, edamame, sesame seeds, soy sauce, peanut butter, lime juice, honey, Sriracha BBQ . Tonight's egg was good but yesterday's was better. This ten minute meal took about forty-five. 

"Mooooom, boogers" "potty" "I need milk please" "boooooooogers" "let's dance" "pooop I gotta potty" 

Hope you enjoyed your weekend!

-k

Rapunzel Pizza, eat your beets

I had visitors twice this week. Two today, well three- baby J. And that makes for one hell of a good week. I love when people come visit me. I'll cook, you come. My door is always open for my ladies. I love them. One of my dearest friends got offered a full time big girl job. Big step. And it's so absolutly perfect, I'm so ecstatic for her. So we cheersed to that tonight. As well as being the first time the three of us have gotten together since my other love got engaged. Big things to come. I told you this was gonna be a good year. I hope it ends as hopeful and promising as it started. We shall see. But I'm all about being positive these days, remember?

Throwing it back. My girls since before life happend. Haha this is so us, and don't mind my obnoxious tan. 

Between the three of us, we have been friends for as long as I have been living. The love we have between us (and now our two babies), is indescribable. They are my sisters, my bestfriends, the rest of my soul. We just laugh. At nothing, everything, stupid things. It's amazing. It's crazy how many memories, all my best ones come from them. They know me when I don't know me. They also love my cooking. They will try anything I come up with and will be completely honest. So on tonight's menu

Beet Hummus Pizza with arugula, roasted butternut squash, and goat cheese

Aka

Rapunzel Pizza

I used 1 lb of beets. Next time I'll roast them all but only purée half. It was still delicious, but I've got enough beet hummus for a crowd. 

Wrap each beet individually in aluminum foil, drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with seasoning I used cinnamon, nutmeg, cumin, coriander, paprika, turmeric, garlic, onion, sage, brown sugar, salt and pepper (I use the same rub on the chopped butternut squash)

 Roast 425 for an hour, check them depending on size starting at 35 minutes and flip. Wait until they are fork tender. 

Peel and dice the neck of a medium size butternut squash. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with the same seasoning. Cook 25-35 minutes until crispy on the outside and tender in the middle. I love any and all squash but this is so easy, reliable and always tasty. 

When the beets are fully cooked and cooled slightly add them to a food processor with

1 can garbanzo beans, Tahini sauce (I didn't have any so I used toasted sesame seeds),garlic, shallots, Lemon juice, splash of balsamic, seasoning mix (minus the brown sugar), dried parsley, honey, and enough olive oil to make is smooth. 

When the pizza stone is heated, and the dough stretched, flour the hot surface, stretch the dough on the stone. This is quick, because it starts to cook the minute it touches the stone. Top with beet hummus, mozzarella, white cheddar, butternut squash, shaved purple carrots and Parmesan cheese

Cook 10 minutes. While that is cooking to a bowl add

Lemon juice, shallots, 21 seasoning salute, splash of balsamic, lemon zest, olive oil, shaved carrots- whisk to make a vinaigrette. To the bowl add 1/2 cup lentils (I use trader joes pre cooked lentils in the refrigerator section). H calls them baby beans. And 1 cup arugula mix.

After ten minutes add the arugula- lentil salad and a whole lot of goat cheese cook for 3-5 more minutes. It was every kind of delicious. I am so glad I got to cook this for my lady loves who all enjoyed it as much as I did.

So much love

-k