Happy St. Patrick’s Day!

The girls couldn’t wait to jump outta bed this morning and get their green on, they even got poor Maggie in on it!

The other night I got a head start on St. Patty’s Day and cooked up some corned beef and cabbage in the ol’ crockpot.  The recipe came from Food Network and I have to say it was delicious, click here for the recipe! Where are the pictures? Sorry, I just didn’t find anything attractive about pale cabbage, cooked carrots, potatoes and beef, sometimes things are much better eaten than photographed. lol

Last night we had lots of leftovers so I made a yummy panini!

Corned Beef Panini

• Marble Rye bread
• corned beef, sliced thin
• cooked cabbage
• whole grain mustard
• swiss cheese

Place all ingredients between two slices of marble rye bread and cook in a panini press or hot skillet until cheese is melted.

What are you cookin’ up tonight?

Cho’banana Split

Happy Friday, it’s a soggy one here in Massachusetts!

First off I would like to send my thoughts and prayers out to everyone who has been effected by the earthquake and tsunami and to all the family members who are waiting to hear about their loved ones.

So I can’t decide if this next dish I am about to share is considered a breakfast or dessert. I’m going to say both, but I’ll let you be the judge!

I was lucky enough last month to win a case of Chobani Champions Greek Yogurt for kids! When you have this much yogurt, you need to get creative!

The girls love to have some as an afternoon snack or right out of the freezer as yogurt pops. I’ve been trying to get the girls to eat more for breakfast because a small bowl of cereal barely holds them over to lunchtime at school. This is where I thought this recipe would come in handy  for breakfast! It is inspired by Devin Alexander’s cookbook  I Can’t Believe It’s Not Fattening and of course my LOVE for Nutella.

Cho’banana Split

Mix a couple teaspoons of nutella in with the yogurt, I used Chobani Champions honey-nana.

Split the banana in half and spread both sides with peanut butter

Top the banana halves with the greek yogurt mixture

Sprinkle your favorite cereal on top, I used Kashi’s Go Lean Crunch!

It’s almost looks like the real thing, right? Minus the whipped cream and cherry on top!

Well, it tastes delicious and so much healthier!

I’m trying this out on the girls tonight for dessert and if it’s a hit Mom will be a rock star when she offers dessert for breakfast next week!

Woot! Woot!        

Almost Famous

Hi everyone!

Can you believe this week is over, it flew by for me! :)

One of the things I look forward to on the weekend is trying to squeeze in some quiet time and catch up on my magazines! I love the Food Network magazine, the dishes look amazing and the pictures are beautiful. The section I always turn to first is “Copy That!” where they try and make the perfect imitation of a famous dish from a particular restaurant.

So here is my attempt at two of their recipes that I’ve been holding onto for quite some time! Broccoli Cheddar Soup from Panera Bread and Bread Sticks from Olive Garden.  Click on the links for the original recipe.

Almost Famous Broccoli-Cheddar Soup

Cook the onions in butter until soft and golden. Add the half n’ half, broth, and seasonings, cook until thickened about 20 minutes. Next add the broccoli and carrots, cook for 20 minutes or until tender.

Puree the soup until smooth with some chunks of broccoli.

Add the cheese and whisk until smooth, if you feel the soup is too thick add some water.

Ladle into bread bowls

This soup looked and tasted EXACTLY  like the real thing, even better if I dare say! This was a hit with everyone..did she just eat something green??? Could you blame her, anything swimming in  cheese tastes good!

Almost Famous Breadsticks

Combine the yeast and water and let it sit for 5 minutes.

Once it’s foamy add the flour, butter, sugar, salt and water and mix with the paddle attachment until dough forms into a ball.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Take the dough out and knead by hand for 3 minutes, until dough is very soft.

Roll into two 1 foot long pieces and cut into 16  smaller pieces, knead slightly to soften the dough.

Roll out each piece into a 7 inch long breadstick, put on parchment lined baking sheet and cover with cloth. Let rise until doubled, about 45 minutes.

Brush dough with melted butter and salt. Bake in a 400 degree oven for 15 minutes.

Take out of oven and brush with add’l butter and sprinkle with seasoning mix; salt, garlic powder and oregano.

These were really good and did taste like the real thing. I love the combo of garlic powder and oregano!

Have you ever tried to replicate a dish from a restaurant before?

Do you have a favorite food magazine?

Pasta Ponza with Giada

Not long ago I had the pleasure of meeting Giada De Laurentiis from Food Network, she was signing her newest book Giada at Home. Although I haven’t tried many recipes from her book, I can say that it has some beautiful pictures all throughout it not only of her dishes but her family as well.

No pictures were allowed with her but I did manage to snag a few while waiting in line! She was super nice and down to earth!

Last night I tried a dish from her book called Pasta Ponza, click here for her recipe! This is the dish that is on the cover and Giada says it one of her favorites!

I love recipes that only have a few key ingredients!

I used red and orange tomatoes, yum!!

Mix tomatoes, capers, olive oil and s&p in an 8x8 baking dish. Sprinkle bread crumbs on top. Bake in 375 degree oven for 30 minutes.

While the tomato mixture is in the oven cook your pasta and save about a cup of the pasta water, don’t forget or you’ll be sorry!

Out of the oven, love the crunchy topping!

After it has cooled a bit spoon the mixture oven your pasta and grate some romano cheese on top.

This dish was quite tasty but a bit dry, you definitely need that added pasta water.  I love the concentrated flavor that the tomatoes take on after being roasted.

Have you ever met a “celebrity” chef before?

Guests for Breakfast

We have some new renters!!!


Is this a sign that Spring is finally around the corner? Lets hope so!  The birds were chirping away as I was making breakfast this morning!
Speaking of breakfast, today was one of those days where I just didn’t feel like having oatmeal.
Do you ever feel like that? You eat almost the same thing everyday and one day ya just not in the mood, happens to me a lot lately. I’m just going to blame on the long winter.
So instead of oatmeal I made some stuffed french toast. It may not have been as nutritious but it was delicious and hit the spot for a cold winter’s day.
Banana Stuffed French Toast

• 2 eggs
  
• splash of milk
  
• dash of cinnamon
  
• 6 slices of whole wheat bread
  
• 1-2 ripe bananas
  
• peanut butter
  
• nutella
  
• pure maple syrup (optional)
  
• powdered sugar (optional)

Whisk the eggs with a splash of milk and a dash of cinnamon until light and fluffy, set aside. Spread peanut butter on one slice of bread and nutella on the other slice of bread. Thinly slice up the banana and place on top of the nutella then add the peanut butter slice on top to form a sandwich. Dip sandwich into the egg mixture and cook on a non stick skillet until cooked through and  lightly browned. Top with maple syrup and powdered sugar if desired. Enjoy!
makes 3 sandwiches





I think every morning should start off with some sort of chocolate and peanut butter, they are a perfect pair!
What’s your favorite breakfast in the winter?