Nutella-Stuffed French Toast

YUM YUM YUM

Nutella-Stuffed French toast is incredibly delicious and a little sinful, but who says you have to eat healthy breakfast 7 days a week. This kind of breakfast makes for a perfect way to start the day off right.

Nutella-Stuffed French Toast
Serves 2
Adapted by: http://tastykitchen.com/recipes/breakfastbrunch/pancakeswaffles/nutella-stuffed-french-toast/

Ingredients
2 eggs
1/4 cup heavy cream
1/3 cup powdered sugar
4 slices toast - recommend Challah or Texas Toast
4 tablespoons Nutella

Directions
-Preheat a nonstick skillet over medium low heat.
-In a bowl, whisk the eggs, cream, and powdered sugar together.
-Take 2 slices of toast and spread 1 tablespoon of nutella on each one. Sandwich together and dip in the egg mixture.
-Grill on each side until brown, or about 3 minutes per side.
-Remove from heat and serve immediately with maple syrup.

Enjoy! :)

Mongolian Beef

Of course, you know I had to post a new Asian inspired meal. We can't seem to eat enough of these kinds of meals and we are rarely ever disappointed.

This dish was served with some veggie "fried" rice and mandarin oranges.

Mongolian Beef
Serves: 4 - 5
Adapted by: http://www.handletheheat.com/2010/09/take-out-at-home-mongolian-beef.html

Ingredients
1 pound flank steak, sliced into strips across the grain
1/4 cup cornstarch
1 tablespoon canola oil, divided
1/2 to 1 teaspoon dried ginger
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/3 to 1/2 cup low sodium soy sauce
1/3 cup water
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
3 large scallions, sliced

Directions
-In a mixing bowl, toss strips of beef with the cornstarch. Shake off any excess cornstarch. Season with salt and pepper.
-In a small mixing bowl, combine the soy sauce, water, brown sugar and red pepper flakes.
-Heat 1/2 the canola oil in a large skillet or wok over medium heat. Add the garlic and ginger and saute. Add the soy sauce mixture to the skillet and cook for about 2 minutes. Set the liquid mixture aside in a bowl.
-Turn the heat up on the wok and add additional canola oil. Add strips of beef and cook until cooked thoroughly or to the temperature you desire.
-Once beef is almost finished cooking, add the liquid mixture and toss together to combine well. Simmer for about 5 minutes or until thickened.
-Serve on a plate and top with some sliced scallions

Enjoy! :)

Jell-O Cookies

Looking for a delicious dessert recipe to enjoy this weekend? Look no further. These cookies are so good!

Jell-O Cookies
Adapted by: http://justhelen.net/2012/03/jell-o-cookies/

Ingredients:
1/2 cup vegetable shortening
1/4 cup butter
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 3-oz package of Jell-O (you can use any flavor but raspberry is my personal favorite;you can also buy several colors and have different colored cookies)
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt

Directions:
-In a mixing bowl, add the vegetable shortening, butter, sugar, and package of jell-o mix. Cream all ingredients together on medium speed.
-Once you have creamed the ingredients in the mixing bowl, add 2 eggs and vanilla and mix together well.
-To the bowl, add flour, baking powder and salt. Mix well.
-The dough will be soft but shouldn't be sticky.
-Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
-Take a pinch of dough and roll into 1'' balls until all dough has been turned into small balls.
-Roll each of the balls in granulated sugar, making sure to coat the entire ball of dough.
-Place on a baking sheet 2'' apart and use a flat-bottomed glass or bowl to press the ball of dough into a small circle.
-Sprinkle additional sugar on the flattened cookies, if needed.
-Place baking sheet in the oven and cook for 6 to 8 minutes. 6 minutes will make your cookies a little softer and 8 minutes will make them crispier. You decide which kind of cookie you want.
-Remove from the oven and let cool completely before storing in an airtight container.

Enjoy! :)

Greek Roasted Lemon Potatoes

Bryan and I enjoy eating Greek food but we rarely ever have it because I honestly don't know how to cook many Greek foods and we try not to eat out very often. One of our favorite Greek restaurants in the city makes these delicious lemon roasted potatoes that you get with most of the meals they serve. My husband could eat these everyday if I made them. The great thing about this potato dish is that it goes well with a lot of different foods. You don't have to serve these with Greek dishes. Although, greek kebabs taste great with them!

Greek Roasted Lemon Potatoes
Serves: 4
Adapted by: http://www.dailyunadventuresincooking.com/recipe/greek-roasted-lemon-potatoes-recipe/

Ingredients
4 potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks
2 cloves of garlic, minced
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1/2 cup water
juice of 1 lemon
1/2 teaspoon salt
black pepper, to taste
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

Directions
-Preheat oven to 475 degrees.
-Spray a baking dish with cooking spray.
-Combine all ingredients in the baking dish and toss well.
-Place in the oven and bake for 20 minutes. Remove and toss all the ingredients around.
-Return to the oven and bake 20 additional minutes or until potatoes are cooked through.
-Serve fresh out of the oven

Enjoy! :)

Pork Chops w/Sage & Sour Cream Sauce

It is extremely difficult to cook for just two people sometimes. Most often we take leftovers for lunch the next day and we still have leftovers from supper afterwards. This was a great recipe to make because it only served 2 and since we were having a luncheon at work the next day, leftovers were not necessary. I also liked that this recipe included the meat, starch, and vegetable all in one recipe.

Pork Chops w/Sage & Sour Cream Sauce
Serves: 2
Adapted by: http://motherrimmy.com/home-cooked-pork-chops-with-sage-and-sour-cream-sauce

Ingredients
8 ounces pork blade steaks
1 medium shallot, minced
2 tablespoons sage, chopped OR 1 tablespoon dried sage
1/2 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
2 cups fresh broccoli florets
2 medium yukon gold potatoes, quartered
3/4 cup reduced sodium chicken broth
1/2 cup light sour cream
salt and pepper, to taste

To cook the broccoli and potatoes:
-Steam potatoes for 20 minutes in a steamer basket over medium high heat.
-When potatoes are almost fork tender, add the broccoli to the steamer basket and steam an additional 5 minutes or until broccoli is crisp tender.

Pork chops:
-Preheat nonstick skillet over medium heat with olive oil.
-Add minced shallots to the hot pan and saute for about 3 minutes.
-Season chops with salt and pepper and add to the pan. Sprinkle sage on top of each chop and brown for 2 minutes on each side.
-Add chicken broth to the skillet. Cover and cook for 15 minutes or until chops are tender and broth has reduced.
-Remove chops and add sour cream to the pan. Whisk together with the broth mixture. Heat and add additonal salt and pepper, if necessary.
-Serve gravy on top of pork chops

Enjoy! :)

Crock Pot Chicken Cacciatore

The early part of the work week is always extremely busy for us, so I always try to plan easy meals or crockpot meals. It's so nice to come home and not have to struggle with what we are going to cook or have a long time for prep work in order to eat.

This is a recipe I've been wanting to try out.  We absolutely devoured this dish and I just knew I had to share it with you. We had this chicken dish with some whole wheat broccoli orzo. It's extremely filling and I think you are going to love it.

Crock Pot Chicken Cacciatore
Serves: 6 to 8
Adapted by: http://www.skinnytaste.com/2012/06/crock-pot-chicken-cacciatore.html

Ingredients
8 chicken thighs, skin removed
28 oz can crushed tomatoes
1/2 red bell pepper, sliced
1/2 green bell pepper, sliced
1/2 red onion, sliced
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 bay leaf
1 teaspoon minced garlic
salt and pepper, to taste
1/4 cup fresh herbs, such as parsley or basil

Directions
-Season chicken thighs with salt and pepper and place in bottom of the crock pot.
-Pour tomatoes, onions, peppers, oregano, bay leaf, salt and pepper, and garlic on top of the chicken thighs.
-Set crock pot to low for 8 hours and cover the dish. You could also cook on high for 4 hours.
-After 8 hours of cooking, remove the lid and continue to cook for one hour on high. This helps to thicken the sauce.
-Remove the bay leaf, adjust seasonings and serve.

Enjoy! :)

Roasted Sweet Potato & Black Bean Tacos

One of my very first attempts at serving dinner without serving meat with it. I'm sure this will hardly ever happen in our household, but it seemed to go over well at least this one time.

Baked, multigrain tortilla chips with spicy salsa were served with these tacos. YUM!

Roasted Sweet Potato & Black Bean Tacos
Serves: 12 tacos (we used 1/2 the recipe and only made 6)
Adapted by: http://www.oprah.com/food/Roasted-Sweet-Potato-and-Black-Bean-Tacos-Recipe

Ingredients
1 1/2 tablespoons canola oil, divided
1 white onion, diced
1 large poblano pepper OR green bell pepper, seeded and diced (recommend the poblano)
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 teaspoon lite salt, divided
1 medium orange sweet potato, cut into 1/2 inch dice pieces
1 cup black beans, drained and rinsed
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
12 corn tortillas or store bought taco shells
1 cup shredded monterey jack cheese
chipotle sauce - optional
pico de gallo or salsa - optional

Directions
-Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
-Heat a large, ovenproof skillet (we used a cast iron skillet) over medium high heat. Add 1 tablespoon canola oil and heat up.
-Add the onion and poblano/green pepper. Cook, stirring frequently, until lightly caramelized. Add in the garlic and salt.
-In a mixing bowl, combine the sweet potato with 1/2 tablespoon canola oil and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Add to skillet and cook for 1 minute, then place in the oven and roast for 15 minutes.
-If using corn tortillas, make sure to warm them up in the oven or microwave.
-Remove the skillet from the oven and add the black beans and pepper. Stir all ingredients until combined thoroughly.
-Place some of the mixture onto a corn tortilla and top with cheese and pico de gallo.
-Serve

Enjoy! :)

Bacon Topped BBQ Turkey Meatloaf

This is probably the 5th meatloaf recipe I have on my cooking blog. Meatloaf can be made so many different ways. You can make it mexican styled with corn, peppers, onions, and mexican spices. You can create an italian meatloaf with fresh herbs, garlic, peppers, and italian breadcrumbs. Some of my favorite meatloaf recipes are recipes that use bbq sauce. This turkey meatloaf recipe was delicious and quite nutritious for you. We served this meatloaf with some broccoli, cauliflower and carrots in a garlic butter sauce and some fresh dinner bread.

*You can use lean ground beef for the recipe below. I just happened to have ground turkey breast so that is what I used.

Bacon Topped BBQ Turkey Meatloaf
Serves: 6
Adapted by: http://www.skinnytaste.com/2012/07/bacon-topped-petite-turkey-meatloaf.html

Ingredients:
3/4 cup grated zucchini, remove excess water with a paper towel
1/4 cup diced red onion
1/4 cup diced red bell pepper
1/4 cup seasoned breadcrumbs
1/4 cup bbq sauce - your preference on brand
1 large egg
1 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon lite salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1.3 pound lean ground turkey breast OR lean ground beef
3 slices center cut reduced fat bacon
3 tablespoons bbq sauce

Directions:
-Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
-In a large bowl, mix the zucchini, onion, red pepper, breadcrumbs, bbq sauce, egg, paprika, salt, pepper, and turkey breast together. Combine until all ingredients are thoroughly mixed together.
-Form turkey mixture into a loaf and place in a nonstick loaf pan
-Top meatloaf with 3 slices of bacon and spread bbq sauce on top of the bacon.
-Bake in the oven for 1 hour.
-Check for doneness and slice
-Serve

Enjoy! :)

Raspberry Poke Cake

My mom used to make strawberry poke cake in the summertime when we were growing up. I remember how much I loved it. It is moist, light, and just simply delicious. The only flavor I've ever had was strawberry. I wanted to try something a little different, so I baked a raspberry poke cake. The results were delicious.

Now I like to bake my cakes and cupcakes from scratch most of the time. However, this recipe works so much better when you just use a cake mix from a box. Every now and then you have to cheat and cut corners, right?

This is the perfect cake when you want something light and airy on a hot summer day. You can make this as a 9x13 cake or you could make poke cake cupcakes.

Raspberry Poke Cake
Serves: 12 pieces
Adapted by: http://thatsmypan.com/blog/?p=103

Ingredients
1 box Betty Crocker SuperMoist white cake mix
water, oil, and eggs called for on the cake mix box
1 box (4 serving size) raspberry Jello mix (I use the sugar free jello and it works every time)
1 cup boiling water
1/2 cup cold water
1 8 oz container frozen whipped topping, thawed (about 3 cups)
Fresh raspberries, optional

Directions
-Heat oven to 350 degrees.
-Spray a 9x13 baking dish with nonstick cooking spray or grease and flour the pan, which will prevent the cake from sticking.
-Prepare the cake mix according to directions on the box and bake in the oven.
-Cool cake completely for 1 hour.
-Pierce cooled cake with a fork all over the cake surface.
-In a small bowl, combine the gelatin and boiling water and whisk together for 2 minutes. Add in the cold water and stir together.
-Pour jello mixture over the entire cake. Refrigerate cake for 2 hours.
-Frost cake with thawed cool whip and top with fresh raspberries, if desired.
-Slice and serve

Enjoy! :)

Swedish Meatballs w/Creamy Gravy

I've been wanting to try Swedish meatballs for quite some time but every time I try to put it on the menu, Bryan doesn't seem very thrilled with the idea. I decided to go ahead and try them out recently and we both really enjoyed them. I think it obviously depends on how they are made as to whether you will like them or not. These meatballs and gravy sauce were perfect over some steamed brown rice. It's a rather filling main dish, so a side of vegetables would be plenty.

Swedish Meatballs with Creamy Gravy
Serves: 6
Adapted by: http://lifewithmel.com/cookingwithmel/2012/3/9/swedish-meatballs-w-creamy-gravy.html

Ingredients
meatballs:
2 slices fresh wheat bread
1/4 cup skim milk
1 tablespoon light butter
pinch of lite salt
1 large onion, diced finely
1 pound lean ground beef
1/2 pound lean ground pork
2 large egg yolks
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice

gravy:
2 tablespoons light butter
1/4 cup white whole wheat flour
3 cups reduced sodium beef broth
1/4 cup half and half

Directions
-Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
-Tear bread pieces into small pieces and place in a small bowl, along with the skim milk. Set aside
-In a saute pan over medium heat, melt the butter. Add onions and a pinch of salt and cook until onions are soft. Remove from heat and set aside.
-In a stand mixer bowl or a regular mixing bowl, combine the bread and milk mixture, ground beef, pork, egg yolks, 1 teaspoon salt, black pepper, allspice, and the onions. Mix together with your hands or use a mixing blade and mix until all ingredients are combined well.
-Make meatballs to the size you prefer and place on a nonstick baking sheet. Try to ensure the meatballs are about the same size. I like to do medium sized meatballs.
-Now, you can add a little oil to the saute pan and you can brown the sides of all of the meatballs and then place them in the oven to bake, or you can just put them in the oven and bake them until they are cooked through. How big you make the meatballs will determine how long you bake them in the oven for. I would check them at 15 to 20 minutes.
-Once meatballs are finished cooking, turn off the oven and let them sit in there to stay warm.
-Take the saute pan and heat over medium low heat. Add the butter and flour and whisk until lightly browned for 1 to 2 minutes.
-Increase heat to medium and add the beef stock gradually until the sauce begins to thicken.
-Add the half and half and cook until the mixture is a gravy consistency.
-Remove meatballs from the oven and place on a plate and pour gravy on top.
-Serve

Enjoy! :)