Random Food Photos

Normally, I post recipes. Recently, I was going through my various photographs in my "FOOD" folder on my computer, and I realized there is A LOT that I photograph with the intention of posting it here, but don't for one reason or another. I thought I would share!

Let's start here. THIS was the last gluten cupcake I baked. I baked these for the Legal Writing class I TA'd last semester for the purpose of using up regular flour. They were SO rich and sinful - homemade cake and icing.

Eating 1/2 of the cupcake in the photo is what made me realize Justin was no longer the only gluten intolerant person in the house. Sad day. If I find this recipe, I'll be sure to share it.

Sometimes, I have intense cravings. The craving above was a quesadilla craving. Quesadillas are SUPER easy. I always hesitate to post them because I don't want to post something "too easy," but I promise to make these again and post them.

THIS makes my mouth water. Justin and I bought a hibachi thing to put on our grill so we could recreate the hibachi meals you get at one of those restaurants where they cook in front of you. I even made my own "white sauce." This was so good, but insanely time consuming.

Roasted potatoes. We make these at least once every two weeks. Cut up 7-8 red potatoes, sprinkle 1-2 tbsp oil, a few pads of butter, even sprinkling of salt, pepper, garlic powder, and dry rosemary. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes, then 425 for an additional 10 minutes to make crispy. YUM!

Finally, these short rib tacos. They were good, but they weren't great enough to post. It tasted like pot roast in a corn tortilla. I was not a fan. Justin is convinced we can make these better, but I haven't cared enough to try.

That's it! Thanks for letting me share all my pics. Have a great Monday!

Read More

Homemade Meat Sauce

You know how I said I said I wanted to try zucchini noodles with a red sauce? Well, I tried it. It was amazing.

There's something about a homemade meat sauce that just screams "comfort food!!!" to me. I was dying for some comfort food the other night, but I'm really really trying to be good about dieting.

Dieting sucks.

Anyway, I didn't want to use pasta, so I decided to see how this meat sauce paired with zucchini noodles.

It. was. amazing. Even Justin said he didn't miss the pasta (WHAT?!). Either way, you can make this with zucchini noodles or pasta, but make it because it is SO good.

It takes about an hour to make, but I put it in the fridge and re-heated the next day. It was 10 times better - I highly recommend doing that.

Here's what you need (slightly adapted from Rachel Ray) . . .

Olive oil
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes*
1 lb of 90% lean ground sirloin
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
3-7 cloves of garlic, minced
3 tbsp of fresh herbs, chopped**
1/2 tsp all spice
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/2 cup red wine
3/4 cup low sodium beef broth
28 oz can crushed tomatoes (I used San Marzano)
Pasta or zucchini noodles (see cooking instructions on bottom for zucchini noodles)

*Leave out the red pepper flakes if you don't like spicy - it gives the sauce a little kick.

**I used fresh basil, parsley, and oregano - it ended up being about 3 tbsp

Here's what you do . . .

1. In a large pan, do one circle of olive oil and let your red pepper flakes heat up in the oil for about one minute. It infuses the oil with some spice!

2. Add meat, onion, garlic, all spice, salt, pepper, and fresh herbs. Saute until the meat is brown and cooked through (about 6-7 minutes).

3. Add red wine and allow to reduce for about 4-5 minutes.

4. Add beef broth and tomatoes and simmer on low heat for one hour. Serve over your pasta of choice (or zucchini noodles) with some parmesan cheese on top. Enjoy!

For the zucchini noodles:

Julienne 3 large zucchini (julienne peeler). In a large pan with about 1 tbsp olive oil, saute your zucchini noodles with salt, pepper, and garlic powder until soft, but still crispy (about 5 minutes - test the frequently).

This was a fantastic dinner and one I didn't have to feel guilty about, which is always a plus. Zucchini noodles are my new favorite!

Have a wonderful weekend :)

Read More

Zucchini Noodles with Grilled Chicken and Lemon Sauce

This is one of the many recipes I have made that tastes fantastic, but looks terrifying. This picture is the best one I have. You'll see.

Zucchini noodles! This is a fabulous low carb (gluten free) alternative to pasta. I think next time I do this, I'll pour a homemade red sauce over them. Justin's reaction when I told him he was eating zucchini noodles for dinner was pretty priceless. He was looking up take out menus while I was cooking. 

Zucchini noodles are easy to make - you just need a julienne peeler to peel your zucchini. Then, they will look like that mess in the bowl above. They are really good - I promise (Justin ate them and went back for seconds).

Here's what you need (slightly adapted from The Novice Chef Blog) . . .

3 large zucchini, peeled with a julienne peeler*

1 piece of chicken, seasoned evenly on both sides with salt, pepper, and garlic powder.

Olive oil

2-5 cloves of garlic, minced

1 yellow onion, chopped

1 tbsp fresh lemon juice*

1/2 cup light cream cheese

1/2-1 tsp black pepper

1/2-1 tsp salt

3 tbsp parmesan cheese 

1 tbsp fat free half and half

*Peel the zucchini until you reach the seeds. 

**I like a very mild lemon flavor. If you want it stronger, add more lemon juice!

Here's what you do . . .

1. Grill you chicken and set aside.

2. In a large pan, pour a circle of olive oil and saute garlic and onion for 3-5 minutes, or until soft.

3. Add lemon, cream cheese, salt, pepper, and cheese. Stir to incorporate, and add half and half. You don't need a lot of half and half because the zucchini produce a lot of water. Let simmer for 3-5 minutes on medium heat.

 4. Add zucchini noodles and stir well. They only take about 3-4 minutes to cook. You don't want to cook them too long or they will get mushy. Check them frequently and pull them out while you still have a good crunch. You'll see the difference as they start to cook down.

5. Turn off the heat, stir in the grilled chicken, and enjoy!

The lemon sauce was good, but I definitely want to give this a shot with a homemade red sauce. I promise you this is not nearly as strange as it seems. 

Have a wonderful rest of your week! 

Read More

Jerk Chicken and Pineapple Grilled Pizza

This is going to be a long post. I have A LOT to say about this pizza.

For those who don't know, Mellow Mushroom is a pizza chain in (I think) the Southeast. There was a Mellow Mushroom where we lived in Florida, and we were super excited to find a Mellow Mushroom when we moved to NC. 

Mellow Mushroom used to have this pizza - I can't remember what it was called - that was jerk chicken, pineapple, and pesto. It was my favorite; I ordered it every time. I was SO sad to find when we moved to NC that Mellow Mushroom no longer offers this pizza. You could probably "create your own," but I reject this notion. I KNOW it won't taste the same as it did when they had it on their menu. 

I'm so strange.

Anyway, I was randomly thinking about it the other day (as I tend to do about food), and I decided to recreate it. On the grill.

Grilling your pizza creates that wood-fire oven taste. It is so fantastic. I used one of these. If you are interested in grilling pizza, I highly recommend investing in one. This would also taste fantastic on a pizza stone in the oven. 380 degrees for 18 minutes. 

Here's what you need (adapted from what I remember of the Mellow Mushroom pizza) . . .

1 piece of boneless skinless chicken

Jerk seasoning (we used McCormick's)

Garlic powder

1 can of pineapple chunks, drained

1 ball of fresh mozzarella, sliced into thin pieces

Pizza sauce (we used Trader Joe's brand)

Pesto (make your own or buy at the store)

1 bag of mozzarella

Parmesan

Gluten free dough (recipe on the bottom)

Here's what you do...

1. Fire up your grill. Season your chicken evenly on both sides with jerk seasoning and garlic powder, and grill. When done, cut into small, bite-size pieces.

2. While chicken is grilling, build your pizza. Roll out your dough on the pizza grilling pan. Add pizza sauce swirled with pesto. 

3. Then, add chunks of pineapple and pieces of chicken. Lay your mozzarella pieces over your chicken and pineapple. Make sure to leave some room between the cheese and the outside of the pizza - it melts out. Fill in the gaps with the shredded mozzarella, and top with parmesan. 

4. Put on the grill for 18 minutes, or until crust starts to come off the pan and it starts to brown on top. Let it sit for 10 minutes before cutting into it.

5. Enjoy!

I couldn't get over how much this tasted like the original. AND on gluten free dough and everything.

To make GF dough (or any dough) - makes 3 dough balls:

6 cups of GF flour

2 packets of yeast

3 tbsp olive oil

3 tbsp honey

2 1/4 cup warm water

2 tsp garlic powder

2 tsp italian seasoning

2 tsp salt

Here's what you do . . .

1. In a bowl, mix water, yeast, olive oil and honey. Stir well and let sit for 10 minutes, or until it is foamy.

2. Add flour and seasoning. Stir until well blended. You will likely need to use your hands to knead the dough. 

3. Coat the bowl with olive oil, place the dough back in the bowl, and cover with a towel. Let it sit in a warm place for 1.5 hours. 

4. Cut into 3 dough balls. You can freeze what you don't need!

It's really not that difficult to make fantastic pizza at home. SO DO IT!

Confession: I was eating a leftover piece while writing this. We made this pizza twice in one week. I am failing at dieting, but this pizza made cheating well worth it. 

Read More

Berry Crisp

Fresh Farmer's Market berries? Don't mind if I do.

To me, fresh berries scream "summer!" I can never resist them when I see them at the farmer's market, even if I have absolutely no idea what I am going to do with them. It usually winds up being dessert as evidenced by last summer's blackberry cobbler.

So much for dieting. I should work on that as we are going to Jamaica (!!!!!!) in December. But it's a holiday weekend, so fruity dessert and gin and tonics it is!

Here's what you need (adapted from How Sweet Eats)...

1 pint fresh blueberries
1 pint of fresh blackberries
2 tbsp sugar
1 1/2 tbsp flour*
1/4 tsp salt

1 cup of oats*
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup flour
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt
6 tbsp butter, softened
vanilla ice cream (necessary)

*I used Williams Sonoma Cup 4 Cup gluten free flour and certified gluten free oats from Trader Joe's - this is a GF crisp, but you can easily substitute regular flour/oats. Are you sick of me telling you these things yet?!

Here's what you do...

1. Preheat oven to 375.

2. Put your rinsed berries in a baking dish. Cover with 2 tbsp of sugar, 1 1/2 tbsp flour, and 1/4 tsp salt. Mix to combine.

3. In a separate bowl, combine your oats, brown sugar, flour, cinnamon, and salt. Using your hands, add the butter combining until everything is covered. Sprinkle the mixture evenly over the berries.

4. Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until brown on top.

5. Enjoy!

This is the perfect summer dessert, and honestly, not the worst thing for you (this is what I'm telling myself). Can someone explain to me why getting married causes you to completely abandon all sense of health and wellness? Or is it just me?

I'm working on it. On a separate note, this is what I came back to after I left my berry crisp on the table to go find my camera:

Sigh. It photographed better on a plate anyway.

Have a fabulous Labor Day!

Read More

Bay Scallops with Pasta

I'M BACK!

I am SO sorry for the three month hiatus, BUT in my defense, I got married, worked a fantastic job 90 minutes from my house...and just didn't have a ton of time. We lived off of grilled chicken and steamed vegetables. NO fun.

This recipe is SO fantastic. Bay scallops are the little tiny scallops you see at the seafood counter, and I love them. They taste sweeter to me and they are a bit easier to cook. This is an easy meal that ends up looking super fancy (I made it for our three month wedding anniversary...awww!).

Here's what you need (adapted from SkinnyTaste)...

1/2 pound of bay scallops*
1 tbsp butter
Olive Oil
3-6 cloves of garlic, minced
One shallot, minced
Several tablespoons of fresh herbs (I used oregano, parsley, thyme, and basil)
1 14 oz. can of petite diced tomatoes, drained
3/4 cup of dry white wine
Salt and pepper
1/2 small lemon
Spaghetti pasta (we used gluten free from Trader Joe's)

Here's what you do...

1. Add butter and olive oil (one turn of the pan) to a large pan. Let it get VERY hot.

2. Dry your scallops with a paper towel. They need to be super dry or your sauce will be too mushy. Add the scallops to the hot pan and let cook for 30 seconds to 1 minute. Then, flip them and let them cook 30 seconds to 1 minute on the other side. You want them browned on each side. Remove them from the pan and set aside.

3. Cook your pasta according to the box. Drain and set aside.

4. Add garlic and shallots to the pan (turn the heat to medium). If you need to add extra oil, do so. Allow to cook for 2-4 minutes. Then, add tomatoes, herbs, salt and pepper (to taste), wine, and the juice of your lemon. Stir well, and allow to simmer (low heat) for about 15 minutes.

5. Add your scallops to the sauce. Serve the scallops/sauce over the pasta sprinkled with parmesan. Enjoy!

This was a really fantastic dinner. Really simple and full of flavor.

I've missed you! I promise to be back more frequently. Happy Monday!

Read More

Gluten Free Banana Bread

I can't leave this bread alone.

Finals ended last Friday, and as my tradition goes, I had to bake soon after. I have no idea why (1) every semester I get this crazy urge to bake during finals and (2) why I always seem to gravitate toward baking some sort of bread. I can't stop picking at this bread - it turned out AMAZINGLY well.

My absolute FAVORITE gluten free flour to bake with is cup 4 cup from Williams Sonoma. It is seriously the best - everything I've used it in tastes completely normal. I used it in this blueberry bread with excellent results and I've used it multiple times to make my favorite pizza dough. Cup 4 Cup advertises that you use it "cup for cup" in place of regular flour, but I've found that it usually tends to be a little less (not the case with this particular recipe).

Picture courtesy of Williams Sonoma

One warning about Cup 4 Cup: it's expensive. It's about $20 per bag from Williams Sonoma. Since Justin's gluten intolerance isn't going anywhere, we invested in a 25 pound bag (it was cheaper to purchase in bulk), but we use flour A LOT. If you're not a big baker, buy 1 bag to keep around for special occasions.

Anyway, this bread is amazing and gluten free thanks to Cup 4 Cup. I used coconut oil (anyone who has read about a "Paleo" diet knows about coconut oil), and it made the bread fluffy and moist (hate that word, but there is really no other way to describe it) - SO good. If you're not a coconut fan, leave out the flakes in the streusel and the coconut extract in the actual bread. Just know the coconut oil itself doesn't give it a coconut taste.

Here's what you need (adapted slightly from How Sweet Eats)...

4 VERY ripe bananas, mashed up
1 2/3 cup of flour (I used GF, but you can use regular - same amount!)
1 cup of brown sugar
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp cinnamon
2 eggs
1/2 cup of coconut oil, melted
1/3 cup canned coconut milk (I used light)
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp coconut extract

Streusel:

2/3 cup of brown sugar
1/3 cup flour
1/4 cup unsweetened coconut flakes
1/4 tsp cinnamon
4 tbsp unsalted butter, melted

For the streusel, combine all the dry ingredients, then add the butter. Stir until everything is well incorporated. Set aside.

Here's what you do...

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

2. I know they always tell you put the dry ingredients in a bowl, then slowly add various wet, blah blah. Um...I just put everything in a bowl, then slowly added flour until I got my desired consistency. You do what you want! Just make sure it's all mixed up well.

3. Pour your mixture, however you got it, into a 9x5 loaf pan. Sprinkle the streusel evenly over the loaf. Then, place the loaf pan on a baking sheet and bake for 75 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.

4. Take the bread out of the oven, let cool and enjoy!

I am free for an entire week, so I plan to inundate you with recipes. Then, I will likely disappear for 2 weeks because I'm GETTING MARRIED NEXT WEEK (and starting my summer job, also fantastic)!!!!!!!!!!!

You know what I learned today? How streusel is spelled. Do you know why that's awesome? Because it has NOTHING to do with law school!

Read More