Dulce De Leche Cereal Bars

Want a quick and delicious breakfast? try these delicious and easy to make cereal bars. You can use pretty much any cereal you like; i decided to try cheerios new dulce de leche flavor. Turned out pretty well, especially if you like sweet.

As soon as i saw these beauties i knew i had to try them! I'm always looking for new breakfast recipes, especially easy, "to go" yummie's for my busy husband who never has time to sit down and eat. If you like the store bought cereal milk bars..you'll love these!

Dulce De Leche Cereal Bars
Adapted from Simply Scratch on Tasty Kitchen

Ingredients:
12 Oz Dulce De Leche Cheerios*
1/4 C. Almonds, sliced
7 Oz, Mini marshmallows or 12 large marshmallows
1/4 Tsp Vanilla Extract
2 Tbs Salted Butter

* If you like, get a little creative with the kind of cereal, honey nut cheerios or golden grahams would work great. Whatever sounds good to you.

Directions:
Mix together cereal and almonds in a large bowl, set aside. In a medium saucepan melt butter over medium-low heat, stir in marshmallows until melted and combined. Add in the vanilla and stir.
Pour over cereal and stir.
Pour into a greased 8x8 baking dish, press down and let cool.
Once cool cut up into bars and serve.
Enjoy!!   

Tri Color Scramble and Home Fries

When i first saw this video, it had me laughing out loud. This is exactly what happens every time i try to make an omelet and i thought it was the perfect intro to this delicious and healthful omelet turned scramble with a side of home fries.

I made this meal a couple weeks ago as a way to use up some of the fresh veggies sitting in our crisper. It turned out to be quite tasty.

I love breakfast for dinner, on occasion; and mostly because of how simple it is to make. Despite the fact that my veggie omelet turned into a veggie scramble i was happy with 

The end result...

 

Tri Color Scramble and Home Fries: 

Ingredients:

2 Tbs. Olive Oil 

1/2C. Chopped Kale 

1/4C. Red Pepper 

1/4C. Red Onion

5 Eggs, beaten

Salt and Pepper 

Handful of Parmesan 

2C. Multi-color potatoes, chopped

1/4C. Yellow onion, chopped   

Handful of Chopped Parsley 

Directions: 

Prep the veggies and potatoes. Heat 2 frying pans with 1 tablespoon of olive oil in each. 

Beat eggs in small bowl. Mix in dash of salt and pepper. 

Place potatoes, parsley and yellow onion in one of the pans, salt and pepper to taste, fry for 2-5 minutes. Add small amt of water and cover. cooking for 8 minutes. Uncover and continue cooking until water is completely gone and potatoes are crisp. 

Meanwhile fry up the veggies in the other pan for 1-2 minutes until soft. Add eggs and cook, gently stirring until done. Scramble should be soft and fluffy but not runny. Taste, and sprinkle with salt and pepper if needed. 

Dish up and sprinkle with a little Parmesan for the eggs, potatoes or both, your choice.

Enjoy!!  

Roasted Winter Vegetable Pasta

One of those last minute, what am i going to put on the table? meals. This veggie pasta dish was absolutely delightful and i can't wait to make it again!! The combination of garlic, pine nuts and Parmesan with sweet potato and brussel sprouts served over pasta created a combination of rich and light flavors. It was something I could enjoy eating and at the same time not feel guilty about it.

A couple of weeks ago Alex was feeling poorly and we decided to shut ourselves in and spend the day watching Lord Of The Rings 1, 2 and 3, Followed by a slew of chick flicks. Somewhere in between watching Frodo save middle earth and Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan fall in love over email, i had to figure something out for dinner.

After raiding my pantry, this meal is what i came up with. It took all of 40 minutes and was a great ending to a wonderful day!

Roasted Winter Vegetable Pasta

Ingredients:
1 Large Sweet Potato, peeled and chopped into small pieces.
1/2 Lb Cleaned and halved Brussel Sprouts
1 Tbs Olive Oil
3 Tbs Butter
3 Cloves of Garlic, minced, divided.
1 Lb Spaghetti
1/2 C. Pine nuts, toasted
Salt to taste

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Wash, peel and chop vegetables.
Spread out the veggies onto a rimmed cookie sheet or shallow baking dish. Drizzle olive oil, add 2 cloves of minced garlic, and 2 Tbs. of butter. Roast in oven for 25 minutes; stirring occasionally.
Meanwhile, toast pine nuts in pan over medium heat (no butter needed) for about 5 min. Watch carefully as they burn easy.
Boil water and cook pasta according to package. Drain pasta then place back in pot. Mix in the remaining 1 Tbs of butter and 1 clove of minced garlic.
Once Vegetables are nicely roasted remove from oven, mix in the pine nuts, season with salt and serve over pasta with a sprinkling of Parmesan, or not, whichever you prefer and Enjoy!!
  

Swirled Creamy Fudge Pie

I love making the usual favorite desserts in this household, one of those being Hot Fudge Pie, but every now and then i like to experiment, change things up.

Get creative. 

For this particular dessert i took the hot fudge pie, and decided to add a cream cheese base and swirl to get the look you see here. I was immediately pleased with the look of the pie, but a little nervous about the taste.

Despite the fact that it was my first time swirling, and there's always things to improve on first tries, i felt this pie was a great addition to my dessert file and wanted to share. I hope you enjoy the creamy, fudgey flavor of the filling with the crisp, buttery and flaky pie crust.

Swirled Creamy Fudge Pie
Adapted from Island Eat , first seen on Pinterest

Ingredients:

For the Pie:
1 Pie crust
4 oz Cream Cheese
1 C. Granulated Sugar
2 Eggs, Beaten
1 Tsp Vanilla
1/3 C. Flour, scant
2 Tbs Milk 

For the Chocolate Swirl:
4 oz Unsalted Butter, Melted
1 1/2 oz Unsweetened chocolate, chopped

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350. Grease pie dish and roll out pie crust.
Beat the cream cheese, and sugar together with a mixer. Add in the eggs, one at a time, and mix.
Add the vanilla and mix.
Add in half the flour and mix, followed by the milk then the rest of the flour.
Melt the butter, add in the chocolate and stir. Microwave for 10-20 seconds or until chocolate is melted.
Pour cream cheese mixture into pie crust followed by the chocolate. Swirl gently using a small spatula until you get the desired look.
Bake for 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick placed in the center comes out clean. 

Chocolate Ice Cubes for Valentines Day

Happy Valentines Day!! Hope you all are enjoying the day with your loved ones. Just a quick little treat to share with you. Some chocolate Ice Cubes to liven up that glass of milk with a little chocolaty goodness!

  

Chicken Noodle Soup witth Kale

The hubby and I have been sick for the past two weeks. First Alex, then me.. Sort of.

 I've been riding the fence between sick and healthy. Not quite sick but just off!

C'est La Vie.

So it was off to the kitchen with me to make some chicken noodle soup. I found a basic recipe on one of my faves, Brown Eyed Baker and made some additions to add a few more vitamins! Some kale which is high in vitamin C, calcium, and potassium; Garlic which has selenium to help detox the liver, zinc, which is supposed to help reduce the duration of a cold and (of course) more vitamin C. I then added some diced green onion for color and purely because Alex asked for it. 

The soup turned out tasty if a little under seasoned. I think this will be my go to recipe for a warm comforting meal when I'm under the weather! It's the perfect combination of two of my new favorites...Kale and Soup! It lasts for about 3 days for 2 people and freezes well.

Chicken Noodle Soup with Kale:
Recipe Adapted from Brown Eyed Baker 

2-3 Leaves of Kale, Chopped or approx. 1 1/2 C. pre-chopped kale
3 Cloves of Garlic, Minced
2 Tbs Olive Oil
1 Medium Onion, Chopped
1 Large Carrot, Sliced to about 1/4 in. thick
1 Stalk of Celery, Sliced a 1/4 inch thick
12 C. or 3 Quarts of Chicken Stock
3 Chicken breasts Grilled and shredded or cut up into small pieces
2 C. of Fusilli pasta
1/4 C. Minced fresh Parsley
3 Green Onions, thinly sliced
Garlic Powder, Salt and Black Pepper

Directions:
Heat a Soup pot or large stock pot. Add the onion, carrots, kale, celery and minced garlic. Saute for about 5 minutes.
Season vegetables lightly with salt and pepper then add in chicken stock and chicken meat.
Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer and let it continue simmering for 10 to 12 minutes.
Stir in the Fusilli pasta, and let cook for 10-12 minutes until Al Dente.
Stir in the parsley and green onion.
Taste and then season with salt and pepper if needed.

Remove from heat and let sit for 5 minutes so the flavors can meld. Serve and Enjoy!!

Herb Roasted Chicken

There's always those days when you just can't seem to accomplish what you set out to do, or things that you would like to do that you just never get around to. There are a few recipes, meals, etc.. on my list that fit into that category. Roast chicken, is one of those recipes I have wanted to try for a while, but just kept putting it on the back burner. I have wanted to attempt roasting a chicken for a while now, at least since Alex and i got married, maybe longer; And I'm happy to say I've finally accomplished it.

One of the things that i was told to put on my wedding registry list, and personally thought was a must have (just in case i ever host a holiday dinner and needed to make a turkey) was a roasting pan. But when it came time to use it i chickened out; no pun intended. I decided to go with a recipe that used a cast iron skillet and I'm glad i did. It was easy and the chicken came out tender and juicy. A basic and semi-healthy recipe, this roast chicken makes for a great family meal.

Herb Roasted Chicken
Adapted from Never Enough Time

Ingredients:
1 Whole Chicken (approx. 4 Lbs)
1 Lemon, Quartered
1/2 Large white onion, quartered 
2 Tbs Fresh Herbs- Thyme and rosemary or any combination you like
1/4 C. Butter

Directions:
Preheat Oven to 400 degrees. Clean chicken and remove giblets. Pat dry thoroughly.
Salt and pepper chicken on the inside and out. Cut up Lemon and onion.
Stuff the chicken with herbs, lemon and onion. Truss (tie up legs and wings with baking twine) if you like.
Place chicken in large cast iron skillet and put stick of butter on top of chicken.
Roast in oven for 15 minutes. Remove from oven and baste with butter from bottom of skillet. Turn onto side.
Cook for another 15 minutes, baste and flip to other side.
Cook for 15 minutes. Baste and flip to breast side down.
Cook for another 15 minutes, baste and flip back to breast side up. Continue cooking until the chicken's juices run clear; Approximately 30 minutes.
Remove from oven and let cool for 10 minutes. Carve up and serve with potatoes, salad and whatever else fits your fancy.

Enjoy!!

Gluten-free Buckwheat Pancake Mix

How akward is it when the safeway grocery delivery guy shows up and you're in the middle of making breakfast, though at this point (noon) it's now lunch, the house is a mess and your in sweats?

...Pretty Akward, I'd say, okay, a lot!

I was a complete and utter slug this morning, everything is taking twice as long; As you could probably tell from the fact that i was still in my sweats and making breakfast at noon. Oh well! After putting the groceries away, quickly snapping a photo of these delicious pancakes and gobbling them down in between grocery bags emptied, i finally have the chance to tell you all about a delicious, gluten-free pancake mix that is going to get me through a couple weeks worth of mornings.

Creamy Lemon Olive Oil Bars

 

Lemon bars have always been a favorite of mine but for some reason i never like making them. It just seems like something you get at a nice coffee shop or bakery. But as i was browsing the web the other day for a "healthy" dessert to serve our friends that evening, i came a across these beauties from cooking on the side, a creamy lemon lime bar. In order to make myself feel better about consuming the calories i decided to add some whole grains by using whole wheat flour and olive oil to make a Creamy Lemon Olive Oil Bar. 

After the six of us enjoyed trying out a new Vietnamese restaurant in Oakland, Mama's Vietnamese; where we had the best hot and sour noodle soup (I'm now officially obsessed), it was back to the house for dessert and coffee. Despite my worries of whether or not the changes i made would result in a tasty dessert, these bars we're a refreshing treat and we're enjoyed by all. 

Creamy Olive Oil Lemon Bars 

Adapted From Cooking on the side 

Ingredients:

For the crust: 

4 Tbs Olive Oil (the better the quality the better flavor) 

2 Tbs Butter, Melted

1 C. Whole Wheat Flour 

1 Tbs. Granulated Sugar 

Pinch of Salt 

For the Filling: 

2/3 C. Lemon Juice

2 Eggs

1 (14oz) Sweetened condensed milk 

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Whisk together the flour, sugar and salt; add oil, and butter and mix together until crumbly. Press down into bottom of greased or foil lined 8x8 baking dish. Bake for 15-20 minutes until golden brown. Remove from oven. While the crust is baking, prepare filling. Mix together lemon juice, eggs and milk until combined and smooth. Pour into crust and bake for 20-25 minutes or until the center is set. Cut into squares and Enjoy!!

Balsamic Glazed Brussel Sprouts

 In the days following the start of the new year i have started implementing a few changes to my diet and lifestyle.I thought about this for a while, but it wasn't until i reached the overweight category that i was finally motivated to change.I started a running regiment, and though i have never found it enjoyable in the past, i have to say, this time around I'm loving it! Second change is to eat healthier foods. Don't get me wrong i will still be including sweets but my goal is to eat smaller portions more often and a variety of foods, including lots of veggies! This particular dish was inspired from the pioneer woman and from The New American Plate cook book. It was the star of the meal. The balsamic glaze was the perfect blend of sweet and savory and the use of honey as a sweetener made this dish healthier without taking away from the flavor.

Balsamic Glazed Brussel Sprouts
Adapted From Pioneer Woman Cooks and The New American Plate

Ingredients:
4-8 oz Brussel Sprouts
2 Tbs Olive Oil, divided 
Salt and Pepper
1/4 C. Balsamic Vinegar
3 Cloves Of Garlic, Minced
1 1/2 Tbs Honey

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Clean, trim and cut in half the brussel sprouts. Rinse and Dry off. Drizzle 1 Tbs of olive oil over the sprouts and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Spread out on rimmed cookie sheet and bake for 25-30 minutes, keeping an eye on them so they don't burn. Meanwhile place the remaining 1 tbs of olive oil in a small saucepan and heat over medium heat. Add minced garlic, and cook for 30 seconds. Add in honey and vinegar and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer and continue to cook for about 5 minutes until syrupy and smooth. When brussel sprouts are tender but not soft remove from oven, place in a serving dish or bowl and pour glaze over them, mix gently, serve and Enjoy!

Went well with plain pasta and Parmesan, the glaze spilled over into the pasta and it was scrumptious!

This Recipe was a part of a link party, see other scrumptious recipes at What's cooking Wednesdays link party, Just click on the button below:

Quesabeanas

These easy and delicious quesadilla's filled to the brim or as we call them "quesabeana's" are sure to be a new favorite week night meal. It's hard to even qualify this as a recipe since all the ingredients are ever changing and often times whatever is on hand, but to make it easy, we'll go ahead and say that it is.

Almond Joy Granola

First of let me just say how often mason jars come in handy. i am very  happy to have a bunch in my house now. I didn't ever think of them as useful except for making jam, or canning; which i can't do in my current location. But these things have innumerable uses from crafting to storing goodies like this delicious granola.

Cinnamon Pie

I can't tell you how great it is to be back! i apologize for the absence. My virus protection program decided that the sign in page of blogger was unsafe for a while. But it's officially safe again and I'm back in business!!
The perfect recipe to start off my Winter baking and Christmas preparation is this cinnamon pie. I originally saw it on a show called psych and immediately decided i would have to recreate it. So after searching for recipes i decided to combine the recipe for buttermilk pie with a cinnamon pie recipe on allrecipes.com. The result was a delicious warm dessert full of cinnamon flavor, or as my sister Gretchen called it, Cinnamon toast. So for those of you who are a fan of the cereal you should definitely give this a try!

Cajun Shrimp Taco's

I have another reader and friend inspired recipe for you all. This tasty dish came from a friend who gave me this recipe with the preface of "it's for the blog" so in honor of that i am sharing it with you all. I have never been a huge fan of shrimp, something about the texture, but i had heard about this recipe for Cajun shrimp for so long and from many people who enjoyed it i decided it was worth a try. Especially after Carolyn told me that she had made them into taco's, because you all know i am a huge fan of the taco.

Apple Crisp

Christmas is in full swing in my household. The fall decorations are still up and i have no intention of skipping thanksgiving but when your a part of a family of twenty plus (including extended) you have to plan ahead or it doesn't get done. So here it is, the middle of November and i am starting my Christmas preparations. This year i decided to give "making Christmas" (as my mother calls it) a try and do a bunch of crafty things as gifts. I have to say it is much more fun, though could quickly turn into a nightmare if i don't stay on top of it.

Halloween party and Yummy Mummies

One of the best things about a party is the details, from the decor to the food menu and this year i was able to plan and host a costume party with my good friend Carolyn.We went with a fun harvest themed party with a touch of spooky fun. For the food we had the guests bring a pizza per family and we provided the dessert, salad and drinks. The Costumes we're fun too! we had a lumberjack, a couple tourists, a 50's housewife, and many others. My Husband and i went as Mary Poppins and Bert.

Homemade Granola Bars

I have a love hate relationship with Granola bars, i want to like them but So far, over the years of searching, one of the only store bought ones i like are the fruit and nut bars by Nature Valley. So I've been a little apprehensive about trying to make them myself, but these home made, granola bars we're a much better and probably much healthier version, i am quite sold, and i hope you will be to!