Lemony Brussel Sprouts & Corn

Posted on January 22, 2014 by Georgina

Lemony Brussel Sprouts & Corn

Ingredients:

1 lb brussel sprouts
2 ears of corn, kernels freshly cut off of the cob
3 tbs olive oil, divided
1/2 lemons-worth of juice
1 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder
salt & pepper

Directions:
1. In a large pan heat 1 tbs olive oil over medium-high heat. Cut brussel sprouts in half and add to pan. Sprinkle with lemon juice, cayenne pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, and generous pinches of salt & pepper.

2. Shake and stir to coat, continue to shake every so often, to enable a caramelized sear but not an over-cook on one side.

3. After about 10 minutes (adding more olive oil as needed), when brussel sprouts are browned, soft on the outside, but a bit hard n crunch on the inside, add fresh corn kernels to the pan.

4. Drizzle 1 tbs olive oil over the corn, sprinkle with more salt & pepper and stir & shake to fully mix.

5. Cook altogether for another 5 minutes, until corn is warmed through.

6. Eat it!

Soooo good. I could have eaten just these for dinner that night. This is the first time I made brussle sprouts for Jake and I was a little scared because I mean C’mon brussle spouts have GOT TO BE one of the most hated/feared vegitables on the planet. I love them and have been known the just eat them raw, but word on the street is not toooo many people are huge fans. Hopefully you like them! and if not, maybe give them another shot with this recipe?!?!?

xoxo

Cinnamon Sugared Almonds

Posted on January 19, 2014 by Georgina

Cinnamon Sugared Almonds

Hi all! I was on the look for a quick little something to have sitting out for some friends to come over and came across these- they are deeeelicious! Let me know what you think!

Ingredients:

3 cups whole almonds
1 cup sugar
1/2 tbsp. cinnamon
1/4 cup water

Instructions:

In a large skillet or pot combine the sugar, cinnamon and water over medium-high heat until the sugar has dissolved.

Add the almonds and stir constantly with a spoon or spatula, coating the almonds with the syrupy mixture. It should look something like this:

Keep stirring until the sugar crystallizes (this takes about 8-10 minutes) and it looks sandy. Don’t stop stirring! It might feel like forever but keep going! Then it will look something like this:

Remove the pan from heat and scoop the almonds onto wax or parchment paper.

Let the cinnamon almonds cool for a few minutes before serving.

Don’t they look good?!?! They are really, really delicious too! Fun little snack treat. Thanks for stopping by! Hopefully you enjoy too!

xoxo

Beef Yakisoba

Posted on January 12, 2014 by Georgina

Beef Yakisoba

Ingredients
½ head green cabbage
1 medium yellow onion
2 medium carrots
1 small crown broccoli
2 inches fresh ginger
1 # beef flank steak
2 Tbsp vegetable oil
2 (3 oz.) packages ramen noodles- season packets discarded
seasoning packets discarded
1 tsp sesame oil (optional)
¼ cup soy sauce
¼ cup worcestershire sauce
2 Tbsp ketchup
1-2 Tbsp sriracha hot sauce (depending how hot you like it!)
1 Tbsp sugar

Instructions
Before you begin, prepare the meat and vegetables for stir frying. Peel the ginger with either a vegetable peeler or the side of a spoon and then grate it with a grater or zester. Peel and grate the carrots or just cut them up like matchsticks. Remove the core from the cabbage and cut into thin strips. Slice the onion into thin strips. Cut the broccoli into bite-sized pieces. Slice the flank steak into thin strips.
Begin boiling a medium pot full of water for the noodles. Heat the vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. When the oil is hot, add the grated ginger, saute for about 30 seconds to one minute (its okay if it sticks to the pan but don’t let it burn). Add the beef strips and cook until they are no longer pink (about five minutes).
Once the beef is cooked through, add all of the vegetables. Stir and cook until wilted (about 5-10 minutes). Meanwhile, once the water boils, add the noodles and cook just until tender (2-3 minutes). Drain, return to the pot (with the heat turned off) and toss with the sesame oil to keep from sticking.
In a small bowl, combine the soy sauce, worcestershire sauce, ketchup, sriracha, and sugar.Stir until the ketchup and sugar are dissolved. Pour the sauce into the skillet with the chicken and vegetables with the heat still on medium high. Add the noodles, stir to coat everything in the sauce, and heat through (just a few minutes).

Soooo delicious and mildly healthy, LOTS of veggies. Hope you enjoy!

xoxo

Candy Cane Popcorn

Posted on January 12, 2014 by Georgina

Candy Cane Popcorn

Ingredients:
12 oz. of white chocolate, melted (I prefer the chocolate blocks but chocolate chips or white candy melts will work too)
1/2 – 1cup of un-popped popcorn (measure it un-popped and then pop it)
1/2 cup of crushed candy canes(about 10 candy canes)
7-8 drops peppermint oil
1/2 cup dark chocolate chips (optional)
dash of salt (optional)
Red and Green m&m’s (or any mini candy of your choice)

Directions:
1. Pop your popcorn and make sure to remove all the un-popped popcorn kernels. Place in a large mixing bowl with ample room to mix. (You may have to pop the popcorn in batches depending on how much you make and your method of popping. I did it in two batches.)
2. Melt white chocolate in a double boiler or in the microwave. If you are using the microwae, make sure to use it at 50% power. Seriously, it makes a WORLD of difference and you wont turn your chocolate into an unuseable burn blob within a minute….not speaking from experience or anything…….. 🙂
3. Add the peppermint oil to melted white chocolate and stir quickly. Pour over popcorn and mix it so that it is even distributed and all the popcorn is covered. Then pour the crushed candy cane peices and your candy of choice (if you’re using) into the popcorn and mix until it’s evenly all over the popcorn.
4. Spread out on a wax lined cookie sheet or jelly roll pan. Add a dash of salt over the popcorn(optional)
5. Melt the chocolate chips in the microwave(*remember the 50% rule!) and drizzle over the popcorn. Set aside and let the chocolate harden.
6. Break up into bite size pieces and serve /eat it all immediatly (preferred method)/ or store for later.

I am a popcorn FREAK. Seriosuly- could it eat every day. I don’t eat microwave popcorn, I honestly hateeee the taste. I grew up not eating it as my step-dad was WAYYYYY ahead of the game with the absolutely disgusting hazardous toxins that line the bag and seep into the food you ingest….serisouly if you eat microwave popcorn, STOP. Anyway, I love popcorn. This is my first time making a sweet batch of popcorn myself and it turned out amazeeeeeeeeeeeing. I could have eaten this whole thing- almost did but my sister split it with me. lol. Hope you guys enjoy, let me know what you think!

As always, thanks for reading!!

xoxo

Ok- I’m not so great at delicately drizzling the chocolate over the popcorn- my bad. But still deeeelicious!

Skinny Spaghetti Squash Alfredo

Posted on December 30, 2013 by Georgina

Skinny Spaghetti Squash Alfredo

So I’ve said this before but seriously, I love spaghetti squash. It is so easy and I am just fascinated by how it turns all stringy and spaghetti like! This is cool recipe becuase it actually is very rich and filling just on it’s own. I am to be honest, not a big alfredo fan. Not that I don’t like it but never really have made it and given the choice out at a restaraunt I’d rather have something more fresh tasting with tomatoes veggies etc….. Anyway, I thought I would give this a try with one of the squashes my mom gave me last time I visited her and it turned out really good! Hope you enjoy!!!

INGREDIENTS:
1 spaghetti squash ( I used a medium/large sized one)

1 Tablespoon butter

3 cloves of garlic, finely minced

2 Tablespoons flour

1 cup milk (I used fat-free)

1 Tablespoon cream cheese or Neufchatel cheese

1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese, plus 2 Tablespoons extra for topping

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

1/8 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

Crushed red pepper flakes and fresh parsley or basil, for optional garnish

DIRECTIONS:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

First, cook the squash. There are several methods to do this. I usually just cut in half and microwave for about 10-15 minutes. Usually thats how I do it because I can’t plan ahead/don’t have the patience to cook it in the oven but if you don’t want to use microwaves you can use your oven! Just cut spaghetti squash in half using a large sharp knife, scoop out the seeds and place cut side down on a rimmed baking sheet with some water on the bottom of the pan. Bake until tender, about an hour.

Once squash is cooked, use a fork to gently scrape the “spaghetti” strands into the center. Careful you dont burn your fingers. I usually do everytime, must be that patience thing again 🙂

For the sauce, melt butter in a small pot over medium-low heat. Once hot, add garlic and sauté for 1-2 minutes. Whisk in flour slowly, cooking for another minute while stirring. Whisk in milk until no lumps remain. Once hot, add cream cheese and stir until smooth. Remove from the heat. Stir in Parmesan, salt and pepper.

Spoon sauce equally into each spaghetti squash half. Gently mix the spaghetti strands to coat as much as possible with the sauce. Top with extra Parmesan and place under the broiler of your oven for 2-3 minutes, or until golden and bubbly.

Top each half with a pinch of red pepper flakes and fresh chopped parsley or basil, if desired. Serve hot and enjoy!!

Thanks for stopping by my blog!

xoxo