Made this wall collage with a photo from each month of the year with Dollar Tree Cutting boards, the dollar tree level :) for spacing and leveling, and small nails where I hung metal clips from Hobby Lobby. Easy to change out! I might paint the boards later, I haven't decided.
Nonstick spray or oil or butter
2 corn tortillas (I like the yellow ones from Aldi)
1 egg
Small handful of shredded cheese of choice
3 T El Pato, enchilada sauce, or other smooth non chunky salsa
Salt and pepper
Optional Toppings to Serve: avocado, sour cream, cojita or feta cheese, cilantro, salsa
Heat nonstick pan over medium heat. Spray with nonstick cooking spray or use a small amount of oil or butter. Crack egg into middle of pan. Once the white starts cooking gently mix in the yoke. Add 1 T of the el pato, a little cheese, and salt and pepper. When egg is about halfway cooked top with 1 corn tortilla and spread 1 T of the el pato on top of the tortilla. Once egg is more cooked and comes off easily from the pan flip it over. Top with the second tortilla and spread the last of the el pato over the top. Continue cooking until lightly browned on both sides. Serve immediately with avocado, sour cream, cojita or feta cheese sprinkles, cilantro, and or additional salsa.
Not only tasty but results in a gorgeous vibrant colored broth! Veggies are blended into the broth after being cooked so you have minimal chopping to do and less whining from picky eaters :)
8 cups water or chicken broth (or ½ and ½)*
1 small to medium onion (whole, peeled)
2 carrots, peeled and cut into a few pieces
2 celery ribs, cut in half
3 cloves garlic
1 teaspoon salt
2 small to medium chicken breasts or 1 extra large (or 1 large split chicken breast)
¾ cup orzo or equivalent of small noodles (or 2 peeled and cubed potatoes)
Herbs and seasoning to taste**
Add everything (expect pasta and herbs) to large pot on stove or slow cooker or to electric pressure cooker (on low/med saute or slow cook setting). Bring to simmer and skim foam top if fat from chicken accumulates. Let simmer for at least 40 minutes, covered, or until vegetables are soft and chicken shreds easily.
Remove chicken and shred. Remove vegetables and add to blender with 1-2 cups of the broth. Blend until completely smooth (or use immersion blender). Add back to pot and stir. Add chicken and stir. Bring back to simmer and add orzo or pasta of choice. Simmer until tender (about 9-11 minutes for orzo)
Season with salt and pepper to taste.
*When I used all water I had to add 2 teaspoons of Tones Chicken Base for added flavor
**I added ½ teaspoon dried oregano and ¼ teaspoon dried cilantro. You can add whatever herbs you want!
Slightly adapted from https://www.themodernnonna.com/hidden-veggie-chicken-soup/
Used a cream cheese mint recipe to create the tail and the star fish (star fish used a mold, tail I free handed formed) and the green stones. I painted the fin and stones with my edible frosting paint and crystal sprinkles. Used a barbie that already had a swimsuit painted on. Used crushed graham cracker for sand. Vanilla wafers for clam shells.
2 cups water (+2 teaspoons chicken bouillon paste) or 2 cups chicken broth
1 teaspoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon Knorr tomato bouillon
½ teaspoon go chu Chang sauce
2-3 oz dried ramen noodles (non fried from Asian section of grocery store)
Add protein/veggies/egg if desired!
Simmer broth add noodles and cook for 2-5 minutes depending on package instructons and desired tenderness. Serve immediately!
Creamy Zucchini and Broccoli Soup
All you have to do is roughly chop the vegetables and the rest is easy peasy! A perfect summer or early fall soup whenever zuchinni is in abundance :) Serve with crusty bread or a salad!
3 pounds, half zucchini and half broccoli florets, roughly chopped
1 small onion, roughly chopped
2-3 cups chicken broth*
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1 clove garlic (optional)
Cook in pressure cooker on high for 15-20 minutes or simmer in pot on stove top, covered, until vegetables are very tender. Puree with immersion blender.
1 cup heavy cream
½ cup grated fresh parmesan cheese
Salt to taste
Add cream, parmesan cheese, and salt to taste. *Add additional chicken broth to thin to desired consistency. Serve immediately.
Toppings for individual servings:
parmesan cheese
bacon crumbles
croutons
We are obsessed with these straw! They are flexible, no worries about biting them, and best of all crazy easy to clean! They are clear enough that you can see what's inside and they rinse out easily in the sink or dishwasher. Just roll it between your fingers to get anything that might be stuck, like smoothie bits! You will never need a pesky straw brush to clean them :)
You can find them online from a bunch of different stores! Just google them!
Just a little variation on my Korean Beef Lettuce Wraps! The perfect quick dinner for summer nights or anytime you’re cravin’ some Asian! So easy to make and won’t heat up the kitchen too much! Gluten free with a tasty sauce that resembles a light teriyaki. Just think of them like an Asian street taco :)
These are the best and easiest breadcrumbs to keep on hand for EVERYTHING! Take any flavor of dry boxed stuffing, put it in the blender, and keep it in a container in the cupboard or fridge/freezer. The are perfectly seasoned and absolutely tasty for breading vegetables and chicken, topping casseroles, used in my famous chicken pillow recipe, and any other time you need some breadcrumbs!
The best pizza I've made so far in my home kitchen! Slightly adapted from Ken Forkish's Book - The Elements of Pizza. You start the dough first thing in the morning and it's ready by dinner time! Definitely need a pizza steel for the best outcome as it will mimic the high heat of a commercial pizza oven so your pizza cooks quickly with the beautiful crusty bubbles :)
In the morning when you get up:
Heat 2 cups of water in a large measuring glass in the microwave for 30-45 seconds until it reaches 90-95 degrees fahrenheit.
Put medium/large bowl on food scale and tare and add the following (zero the scale after each addition)
1/8 teaspoon dry active yeast
15 grams salt
1 tablespoon olive oil + the warmed water up to 350 grams total liquid
Stir until yeast and salt are dissolved. Tare the scale.
Add 500 grams all-purpose flour and mix with a danish whisk or your hands just until it forms a shaggy dough. Cover and let rest for 20 minutes. Knead on floured counter for 30 seconds to 1 minute until it comes together and is smooth. Let rest, covered, for 1.5-2 hours at room temp (72-80 degrees).
My Video Tutorials for Shaping and Transferring the Pizza Dough Here!
Divide the dough into 3-4 parts and shape them by tugging and pulling out a piece of the ball and folding it toward the center, repeat 5-10 times (turning each time until you start to feel resistance. Slide ball on an unfloured section of counter in cupped hands towards you 4-5 times to make it even more taught on the surface. Let the dough balls sit covered on a floured surface for approximately 6-8 hours (at 72-80 degrees room temp).
Heat your pizza baking steel at 500-550 degrees (the highest your oven will go) in the middle of your oven for at least 45 minutes.
Form pizzas on a floured wooden peel and transfer to the steel by carefully shaking/sliding it off. Pizzas should cook in 5-6 minutes. Remove pizza with a metal peel. Brush crust with melted butter and serve immediately.
Easy! No egg whites or piping bags needed :) AND it tastes so good! Double or Triple if needed, especially if you will be dipping the cookies.
4 T powdered sugar
1/2 T water
1-2 drops food coloring
small dish and paint brush or large shallow dish for dipping
Stir in a small bowl until completely smooth, add drop or two of additional water if needed. Paint onto cookies or dip cookies. Should be thick enough for a layer and not run off or soak in, but thin enough to flood itself. Adjust with a drop of water or teaspoon of powdered sugar if needed.
Crispy on the outside, tender on the inside :) A quick microwave step at the beginning is the trick to these perfect breakfast potatoes!
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This is my favorite go-to smoothie since I always have the ingredients on hand! Might satisfy a chocolate craving in a healthier sort of way ;) Makes 2 cups and Serves 1-2 people. Nutrition facts are listed below for the entire 2 cups.
1 banana (approx. 95 grams peeled)
2 tablespoons chia seeds or flax seed
2 tablespoons cocoa powder
2 tablespoons peanut butter powder
¾ cup milk
1 cup ice (about 10-15 cubes)
handful of spinach or kale leaves (optional)
Blend until smooth. I use the smoothie setting on my Blendtec. Serve immediately!
Notes:
If you have a cheap blender the chia seeds may not grind up all the way, which is fine, but not the best texture, so you might leave those out if your blender isn’t powerful enough.
Also, the sweetness of the final drink will depend on the size of your banana and how ripe it is.
I store my chia and flax seeds and my spinach and kale in the freezer, they last for a long time!
I LOVE my 2 Tablespoon stainless steel scoop for this recipe and many more!
If you are concerned about your spinach or kale completely blending in, you can blend the leaves and milk until no green specs are visible, first before adding the rest of the ingredients.
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I finally perfected one of my favorite soups with lots of flavor and a simple trick for a super smooth creamy cheesy base! It's really easy to make and perfect for Fall and Winter dinner menus! Serves 4-6 people.
4 tablespoons butter
1 small to medium onion, roughly chopped
3 teaspoons minced jar garlic or 3 fresh garlic cloves
1/3 cup flour
1 teaspoon mustard
1/2 teaspoon white or black pepper
1 box chicken broth (32 oz, 4 cups)*
4 cups chopped broccoli, tiny florets
1-2 large carrots, grated, diced, or sliced
2 Cups - Milk/Cream Options:
1 cup milk + 1 cup heavy cream
OR 2 cups half and half
OR 2 cups heavy cream (extra rich/naughty ;))
6 oz grated cheese (cheddar or colby/monterey jack blend)
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese (1.5 oz, optional)
salt to taste at end
Optional Garnish: bacon bits, extra cheese, croutons
Melt butter in a large soup pot. Add onion and garlic, stirring over low heat until tender. Whisk flour, pepper, and mustard and cook for 1-2 minutes. Slowly add chicken broth while whisking. Next Step (with caveat*): Puree until smooth with an immersion blender OR use a regular blender to puree the onion/butter/garlic mixture with some of the chicken broth (if using a regular blender blend use room temp broth so you don’t accidentally burn yourself!) This is key to ensuring a super smooth soup texture in the end!
Bring mixture to a simmer. Add broccoli and carrots and continue simmering, covered until broccoli is soft and cooked through, 10-15 minutes. Optionial, you can then mash some of the cooked broccoli if you want with a potato or ground beef masher. Turn heat to low and add dairy/cream mixture, and cheese, stirring until melted and smooth and thoroughly heated. Add salt to taste.
Serve with bacon bits, extra cheese, or croutons!
*If you want the base to be on the thicker side, stick with the two cups of cream, or you can add a tablespoon or two of cornstarch dissolved in cold water at the end.
Basic recipe for a delicious Thai Coconut Curry! Use your favorite curry paste and add your favorite vegetable! My favorite are sweet potato and broccoli :)
Ingredients:
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 small to medium onion, cut into large pieces
3 cloves garlic, finely minced or pressed (3 teaspoons)
1 tablespoon ginger paste (find in produce section) OR 1 teaspoon ginger powder
1 teaspoons ground coriander
1-14oz can coconut milk, full fat*
4 tablespoons (60 grams) Thai Curry Paste (any color, red, yellow, green)**
Approximately 2-3 cups of chopped vegetables, whatever combination you like (white potato, sweet potato, carrots, green beans, peas, broccoli)
8-16oz thin sliced chicken breast (depending on how much veggie to chicken ratio you want)
1 teaspoon kosher salt, or to taste
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, or to taste
2 tablespoons sugar, or more to taste
1-2 tablespoons lime juice (optional to taste)
Water or chicken broth to thin if needed
chopped fresh cilantro and or chopped peanuts, for garnishing individual servings (optional)
Directions:
Saute onions on medium low heat in oil until tender. Add spices (garlic, ginger, and coriander) and stir for one minute. Add a couple tablespoons of coconut cream from the top of the can and the curry paste. Stir for 1-2 minutes. Add rest of coconut milk. Puree with immersion blender (optional).
Add vegetables, chicken, salt, pepper, (and sugar and lime juice to taste). Cover and simmer low for 20 minutes or until chicken is tender and vegetables are cooked.
Thin with ¼ cup of water or chicken broth if needed. Serve over jasmine rice. Garnish individual servings with fresh chopped cilantro and or chopped peanuts.
*I like Chakaoh and Thai Kitchen Brands of coconut milk
