Liz's Livelihood

Italian Sausage Tortellini Soup

2012-03-18T22:33:00.000-07:00

I had some zucchini and bell peppers that I wanted to use and so I searched allrecipes and found this delicious looking soup recipe with tortellini in it. I have never had a soup with tortellini in it and it sounded like a great idea. Since this recipe was rated high, I decided to give it a try. This was a delicious soup and it was nice that I could prepare most of it in my slow cooker.

Meatball Sandwiches

2012-03-17T23:22:00.001-07:00

After our return from our trip, we had our families over to show them our pictures and to go over our trip with them. Since it was a large group, I decided to make something simple yet bountiful. I also like this recipe because besides the marinara sauce if you make it from scratch, it is relatively easily made in a crock pot.

Roasted Garlic

2012-03-17T22:58:00.000-07:00

Garlic is probably my most favorite ingredient. I love it in everything and I use it as a seasoning for most meals. I have never tried roasting my own garlic because I never knew how easy it is, once I found out, I quickly gave it a try. Roasted garlic is delicious and it is great as a different taste for using garlic in a meal or for something as simple as spreading on some toast to eat. Yum.

Tahiti, French Polynesia

2012-03-13T22:16:00.001-07:00

Our last stop on our big trip was to Tahiti in French Polynesia. This was the end of our trip and we were really excited to end it in a relaxing way, where we could really just sit and relax and not worry about having to see everything possible. Although full relaxation was our intention, we did end up doing some minor traveling to the city center Papeete and we also took a ferry trip to the neighboring island of Moorea. Although we didn't have the best experience with the locals in French Polynesia, our surroundings were absolutely gorgeous and we got to enjoy some snorkeling, body surfing, and sun bathing. We had a great time and loved the scenery.

One thing I want to share about French Polynesia is that it is super expensive, Megan actually came up with the analogy that French Polynesia is like the name brand version of a Hawaiian vacation, because a lot of the scenery was comparable to that of Maui and Kauai but for three times the price. If anybody I knew was thinking of going to French Polynesia I would tell them to decide carefully and to look into going to Hawaii instead. I would tell them that if they were to plan a trip to any of the gorgeous islands of French Polynesia then they should stay at an all-inclusive resort so as to save money and not starve since most meals at our resort were a minimum of $30 each for small portions.

The view from our balcony

New Zealand

2012-03-05T22:38:00.001-08:00

Before I get into New Zealand, I must let you know that I took over 2,500 pictures overall and so it has taken a lot of time and effort on my part to pick out which photos are worthy of being shared and so I hope you appreciate them and that you get a feel for what it was like in Australia, New Zealand, and Tahiti. I also forgot to mention before that Australia was great! It was beautiful and everyone there was so friendly. The downside was that it was HOT and HUMID, very very humid but, we handled it. Not only that, but it was expensive. We heard people say that Australia is 50% more expensive than New York and I sure do believe it. An average cup of Joe would set you back about $6 AUD, around $7 American! Ridiculous, we did well though by packing our lunches and eating in China Town, Thai Town, and Little India. Overall, Australia was wonderful and we are all satisfied with our trip to Australia and don't feel the need to return in the future.

Now onto New Zealand, New Zealand was gorgeous! It had every scenery possible: tropical rainforests, beaches, farmlands, and mountainous lands. It was a lot cooler than Australia, still humid, but in the 70's rather than the 80's and 90's, we actually had to wear sweaters at night. We only toured the North island and it was amazing but everyone we met said that the South island is better, which we can't even imagine since the North island was so great as it was. We all loved New Zealand and we agreed that we must return to New Zealand to see the South island in the future. So here is New Zealand:

Australia

2012-03-04T22:51:00.003-08:00

Hello everyone, I know it has been awhile. This time I have a great excuse. Nick and I went on vacation with our friend Megan to Australia, New Zealand, and French Polynesia (Tahiti and Moorea). Check out the pictures below for a quick recap of our awesome 16 day trip, starting with Australia.

Sydney, Australia

Chocolate Peanut Butter Chip Cookies

2012-02-08T07:00:00.000-08:00

I love chocolate and peanut butter together, but Nick does not. Nick was out of town the other night so I decided to make some peanut butter chocolate cookies since I never have before. They turned out absolutely delicious.

Cilantro Breaded Tilapia Fish Tacos

2012-02-07T19:42:00.000-08:00

The other night I wanted to make fish tacos, but not just any normal fish tacos, I wanted to mix it up, make them fancy. I created this recipe on a whim and the end result was amazing. The Panko and cilantro were a perfect combination, the cooked fish was so good on its own that I almost forgot to turn it into a taco.

Another One Bites The Dust...

2012-02-06T22:06:00.000-08:00

I can now say that I have finished my second half marathon. This past Sunday, my friend and I completed the Surf City Half Marathon in Huntington Beach. We did better this year even though I have a small case of bronchitis at the moment, lucky me. But, we ran the whole way and even managed to shave 5 minutes off of our previous time. It was crazy too because we had to walk 2 miles to and from the car to the race, so all in all we actually went 17 miles that morning, fun! I am so happy it is done but I am looking forward to the Hot Chocolate 15K I am doing in March. I gotta keep burning them calories so that I can eat all this food I post for you all. Speaking of, I'm so sorry that I have been slacking lately. I have been extremely busy with extension classes, training, work, and life. I haven't forgotten about this blog of mine, I just have less and less time to devote to it. No worries, here I am and I promise I will post a couple of great recipes this week that I hope you'll enjoy.

Orange Marmalade Pork Chops

2012-01-21T23:33:00.000-08:00

So I have some orange marmalade in my fridge that I love to use on toast, but for some reason I thought to myself that the orange marmalade could make a great sauce for pork. I have eaten cranberry, pineapple, and the ever so famous apple pork, but never orange. I did some research online to help me come up with a recipe. The recipe below is what I came up with and I have to say that I really impressed myself, who knew orange and red onion could taste so good together. Plus, the resulting onion and orange marmalade sauce tasted great mixed in with the cous cous I served as a side.

Pretzel Crusted Brownies

2012-01-15T22:17:00.000-08:00

I love the combination of salty and sweet, especially in the form of chocolate covered pretzels. I wanted to get that combination into a brownie format, so it was perfect when I found this recipe online. I decided to make these for some friends and they were a hit.

They are a perfect combination of sweet and savory.

Jambalaya

2012-01-08T17:02:00.000-08:00

My wonderful husband made us dinner the other night, he decided to make Jambalaya with my new Le Creuset. This recipe turned out so delicious and it was fairly easy to do. Nick did a great job!

Italian Dip Pasta With Breaded Chicken

2012-01-06T13:46:00.000-08:00

I had some leftover Italian dip from new years that is composed of cream cheese, basil pesto, and topped with sundried tomato bits. It is one of mine and Nicks favorite and so I decided to turn it into a pasta sauce. The resulting sauce turned out really tasty and since it was so easy to make it was even better. I will definitely do this again.

Crescent Roll Breakfast Sandwiches

2012-01-05T20:37:00.000-08:00

I bought some Pillsbury crescent rolls the other day, something I never do. I decided to make them for brunch but instead of making them plain, I thought it would be fun to make them into a meal by turning them into a sort of breakfast sandwich. The result was pretty tasty.

Happy New Year 2012!

2012-01-02T21:00:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year Everyone!

I have a feeling 2012 will be a big year, a year for changes and new adventures, I can't wait!

God bless you!

Brown Butter, Mushroom, and Onion Risotto w/Lobster

2011-12-31T11:54:00.000-08:00

We won a live lobster in a game of white elephant, which was hilarious! So I decided to cook it and turn it into a meal. It was a little tricky to get all the meat we could out of such a small lobster, but Nick managed to get a lot. So we decided to turn it into a lobster risotto. The outcome was delicious and we really enjoyed this type of risotto.

Christmas Gifts For Liz's Livelihood

2011-12-30T15:32:00.000-08:00

This Christmas was great! As you can see in the picture above, I am very blessed and I received some really nice cooking gear and food stuffs that I will now be able to use to for my blog. My husband got me a mini photo studio which, along with my new camera, will be able to create a perfect scenario for me to take some amazing food pics that will make you wish you were eating at my house. Not only that, but my hubby pitched in with his brothers to buy me my very own Le Creuset French Oven, woot woot. The Dutch oven I had before was all cast iron and it did not age well, it began to rust and leave behind black specs in our food, at least I can say that that problem is now taken care of. I also received some great cooking items from Joel and Judith, they gifted me double-Dutch dark cocoa powder, espresso powder, Madagascar bourbon vanilla extract, Fiori di Sicilia (a combination of citrus and vanilla with a pleasingly floral aroma), and Vietnamese cinnamon from King Arthur Flour. These are some very exciting ingredients from a legit flour company and so I am super excited to use them, plus they gave me a 3-Quart mixing bowl for my KitchenAid Mixer so I am all set to mix up some smaller batter. Lastly, my co-worker Christina gave me some flavored olive oil from her own Nudo olive tree in Italy, she received them as a gift but she is unable to eat olive oil and she knew exactly who to give them to...me. The three flavors are great: chili, lemon, and mandarin...I can't wait to do some cooking and to share it all with you soon! And thanks to all those who gifted me these great gifts and thanks to God for my wonderful life!

Merry Christmas 2011

2011-12-25T10:06:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas! This is my most favorite time of the year, I love all that it entails: the decor, the lights, giving gifts, spending time with friends and family, the food, the music, and remembering the reason we are all here, Jesus!

Our décor

Our village

Peppermint Brownie Cookie Surprise

2011-12-24T06:58:00.000-08:00

I wanted to make something extreme for the holidays and so I came up with the idea to create this all peppermint surprise. My friend Megan once made this crazy dessert that had a layer of cookie dough, then a layer of Oreos, topped with a layer of brownies. It was absolutely amazing so when I decided to make something peppermint for the holiday season, I decided to create a version of that other dessert. This was so good and yet so intense that all you need is one square to satisfy your sweet tooth.

Chocolate Rice Crispy Treats

2011-12-23T20:44:00.000-08:00

Even though I made tons of cookies on Monday for my co-workers, I managed to forget to put some aside for Nick's Co-workers. I wanted to make something different and I decided to make rice crispy treats. To make them fancier I created this chocolate coffee liqueur version, they turned out delicious and rich in flavor. I highly recommend these yummy treats.

Christmas Cookie 2011

2011-12-20T22:14:00.000-08:00

The past 4 years I have baked cookies for my co-workers for Christmas. The first and second year I baked chocolate chip cookies, last year I baked coffee liqueur chocolate chip cookies, and this year I baked chocolate peppermint cookies. I baked over 144 cookies on Monday, I felt like I was baking for an army, they all turned out great and I had plenty for everyone at my work, good times.

Maple Teriyaki Salmon

2011-12-18T19:23:00.000-08:00

I wanted to make teriyaki salmon tonight and I found this interesting recipe using apple juice and maple syrup instead of the normal pineapple juice. It turned out great and tasty.

Creamed Corn

2011-12-14T20:54:00.000-08:00

Ok, I'm finally posting, yay. I made this for Thanksgiving. This is one of my most favorite sides on Thanksgiving. My Aunt usually makes it every year but this year we celebrated with Nick's family, hence I made my own. I found this recipe online and it turned out perfect and it made for a great accompaniment to our turkey.

Winners Circle

2011-12-07T08:25:00.000-08:00

Hello Everyone, I know it's been awhile. No worries though, I'm just about finished with my Christmas shopping and with my extension classes, so hopefully I will be posting some awesome new recipes soon. I just had to pop in here quickly to mention to you all that my recipe for Triple Orange Chocolate Cake Balls has made it into the winners gallery on the Better Recipes Contest Website. I have been entering their contests on and off for the last year and I have finally made it to the next round, if you click HERE and follow the link and scroll down to the winners gallery, you'll see my post. I haven't been contacted yet and so I do not know if I won the $250 giftcard but I should find out soon, it seems that my recipe tied with another for the winning recipe in the dessert category, so I have about a 50/50 chance to win. Yay! So here's to hoping I make it to the next round. Thanks for all for the support and I promise to post soon.

Happy Thanksgiving 2011!

2011-11-25T11:15:00.000-08:00

HAPPY

THANKSGIVING!

Hello everyone, I hope you had a great and joyful Thanksgiving. We spent the day with family and good eats. I prepared a couple menu items I made last year and so no new posts right now. Speaking of, I must apologize for my lack of posts this month, our refrigerator broke two weeks ago and so we had to deal with throwing out everything in our fridge and starting new. After that, I got sick and so I was sticking with my routine quick and easy meals that I have posted already. Anywho, I hope you all have a safe holiday season. I hope to get some new recipes up soon.

Motherload Cake Wannabe

2011-11-14T19:39:00.000-08:00

It was my brothers 28th Birthday last weekend and so I decided I would make him one of his most favorite cakes, The Motherload Cake from Claim Jumper. I found this recipe online but I cut the recipe in half so that I would have three layers instead of 6. Although the cake was delicious, it didn't quite have that Motherload taste, it may be because I didn't make the Motherload Frosting, but either way it was a great chocolatey cake that my brother and everyone else enjoyed. Happy Birthday Bro.

Garlic Parmesan Bubble Bread

2011-11-05T09:37:00.000-07:00

I love monkey bread, traditional monkey bread with cinnamon sugar is absolutely delicious and it is so fun to eat. I never would've thought to make a savory style monkey bread but I saw a recipe online where they called it bubble bread and they used cheese and savory seasonings instead of the sweet approach. I was inspired by that recipe to create my own savory bubble bread/monkey bread...I think this turned out pretty good and it was a perfect pairing to our dinner.

Dark Chocolate Brownies

2011-11-04T20:01:00.000-07:00

I decided to make some brownies the other night, instead of using normal cocoa powder I used some Special Dark cocoa to make them extra delicious. This brownie recipe turned out perfect. The brownies were the perfect consistency with a great flavor.

Happy Halloween 2011

2011-10-31T08:03:00.000-07:00

This Halloween Nick and I partook in a lot of pumpkin carving. We carved pumpkins with our neighbors and then I carved another for a pumpkin carving contest at my work. I think they all turned out pretty good. Carving pumpkins and cooking with pumpkin and/or squash is definitely my favorite part of Halloween.

Pumpkin carving with the neighbors.

Us imitating our pumpkin

My pumpkin for my work's pumpkin carving contest.

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

Pumpkin Zucchini Bread

2011-10-30T23:06:00.000-07:00

I hadn't made my seasonal batch of pumpkin bread this October and so when I stumbled upon this recipe online, I knew I had to give it a try. This was a delicious recipe and Nick who doesn't like zucchini liked this bread, it was delicious, perfect for the season.

Sweet & Sour Meatball Appetizer

2011-10-30T22:45:00.000-07:00

This is a delicious and easy appetizer to make with your slow cooker. Although it sounds weird, the chili sauce and grape jelly create a delicious flavor that never fails to impress. This is a party favorite and seriously the easiest to make. Go for it.

Guilt-Free Mac'N'Cheese (Made With Butternut Squash)

2011-10-21T11:36:00.000-07:00

Nothing is better than mac'n'cheese. Both Nick and I could eat mac'n'cheese multiple times a week, whether it be the KRAFT blue box or homemade. I love it because not only is it delicious, cheesy, gooey, and made with pasta, but it is extremely versatile. As you can see from my previous posts, I have made many different versions of mac'n'cheese: Pesto & Bruschetta Mac'N'Cheese, Spicy Mac'N'Cheese, Adult Mac'N'Cheese, and Funky Chicken Mac'N'Cheese. Well now I have finally found a relatively healthy version of mac'n'cheese, of course I found the recipe in Coking Light Magazine so of course it is guilt-free and delicious. I was really anxious to make this version of mac'n'cheese after I found it and I am really excited to share it with you all. Fall is the perfect time for squash and so this is a great recipe for October. I really enjoyed this mac'n'cheese, the butternut squash gives the dish a sweeter taste but it is still very delicious and I feel guiltless having seconds. You have to give this one a try.

Balsamic Chicken

2011-10-18T21:56:00.000-07:00

I made this for girls night tonight. It turned out pretty delicious and it was a very hearty meal.

Slow Cooker Citrus Carnitas

2011-10-16T20:26:00.000-07:00

I have never made Carnitas before and when I found this delicious citrus themed recipe, I knew I would have to give it a try. Nick and I both love citrus foods and so this carnitas was perfect for us, it turned out delicious and the touch of citrus was perfect. The Carnitas was great as taco meat the first night but the leftover meat was great in a soup I made the following night.

Fugsicles

2011-10-16T19:58:00.000-07:00

My friend Megan shared this recipe for healthy fugsicles with me. I decided to give them a try and they were delicious. They definitely have a slightly different taste than traditional fugsicles but these are a completely guiltless treat that have a great taste and a similar texture. Great for the summer or any California day, especially when it' still 100 degrees in October (lame.)

Some beautiful flowers from Nick

Pots de Creme

2011-10-11T07:00:00.000-07:00

I made some pots de creme before but this is the first time they came out perfect and thick. The other recipes I've used did not include eggs and I know now that that is a vital component. These are a delicious treat, like a fancy pudding. They are so rich in flavor that it's impossible to overdue, they are a perfect treat to soothe any sweet tooth.

Chicken Parmigiana

2011-10-10T19:59:00.000-07:00

The other night I realized I had all the perfect ingredients to make Chicken Parmigiana. It is one of Nick's faves and I had never made it before. When I told Nick that I was making Chicken Parmigiana for dinner, he got really excited and had the cutest smile ever. I guess the way to Nicks heart is through this meal. I was pretty proud of this and I loved that I served it with spaghetti squash, they went great together and kept the calories lower.

Bourbon-Glaze

2011-10-05T21:27:00.000-07:00

I found this recipe in a Cooking Light Magazine, as soon as I read the ingredients I knew it was something Nick and I would enjoy. I decided to use this glaze on some ribs I was planning on cooking in my slow cooker, it worked great on them and I know it would be a great glaze for chicken or other pork cuts, like pork chops.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

2011-10-03T19:57:00.000-07:00

My co-worker Christina passed this recipe on to me. I love fall and I love the holidays and so I couldn't wait to celebrate with some fall flavors. I would've never thought to do something like this but now I know the thought will never slip my mind. Nick even enjoyed these cookies and he doesn't even like pumpkin pie. These are the perfect cookie to ring in the new season and new month.

Sidenote: Congrats to my brother and his fiance Kristen on getting engaged yesterday!!!!!!

This month is looking good thus far.

Indian Chicken Curry

2011-10-02T22:04:00.000-07:00

This is a great recipe my friend Megan shared with me. I conveniently had all the necessary ingredients to make this the other night and so I did. It turned out delicious and it's a great well-rounded meal.

Avocado Egg Salad

2011-09-30T20:46:00.000-07:00

I would've never thought hard boiled egg and avocado could be so good together. I don't really know why I was surprised by this combination, but it is a great combination, definitely good enough to have two days in a row.

Peanut Butter Chocolate Cake

2011-09-29T21:48:00.000-07:00

I was in charge of birthday cake at work this month and since one of my birthday co-workers favorite things is peanut butter and chocolate, I decided to go ahead and make this peanut butter chocolate cake. I ended up making it in a 9 by 13 pan to guarantee some extra slices, but it would be best as a round cake with layers. This turned out pretty tasty, most of my co-workers favorite part was the peanut butter cream cheese frosting, which would be great on top of any boxed vanilla, yellow, or chocolate cake.

Avocado Pasta Sauce

2011-09-28T22:47:00.000-07:00

I had some ripe avocados and I just couldn't bring myself to make guacamole again. I found this recipe on the California Avocado Commission's website, it was very intriguing and so I decided to give it a try. It was really interesting and quite delicious, the avocados work as a creamy alternative to milk products. I don't think it would be as good without the Parmesan or the shrimp, so I highly recommend you include both when you decide to give this recipe a try.

Chocolate Chip Yogurt Based Scones

2011-09-25T22:27:00.000-07:00

I used to love getting chocolate chip scones from Starbucks when I was in high school, but for some reason I haven't been able to find a chocolate chip scone there for years, it's like as soon as I graduated high school they were gone. This made me very sad and although I have missed them for years, I just now got to making some for myself rather than purchasing them from other local pastry shops. My friend Megan is like a professional scone maker, so she helped me with these since it was my first time making scones. These turned out delicious, although they aren't quite what I remember from Starbucks, I must try again until I get that Starbucks quality, my guess is they used a cream base rather than yogurt.

Parmesan Crusted Mahi Mahi

2011-09-19T06:55:00.000-07:00

I had some leftover ingredients that I needed to use and so I came up with this recipe. This turned out really good. The Parmesan and Panko worked excellent together and made a delicious coating on the fish. I will most definitely do this one again.

Whiskey Infused Caramelized Onion and Mushroom Burgers

2011-09-18T21:16:00.000-07:00

I think burgers have become one of my top most favorite foods. There are so many different things you can do with burgers, prom plain to super creative like my Spanakopita Burgers, they are always fun to create and delicious to eat. The day I made these I was craving a huge burger at work, my co-worker mentioned to me how her old neighbors used to caramelize onions and mushrooms in whiskey as a burger topping. I knew when I heard her say whiskey infused onions and mushrooms that I would have to give them a try that very night. I did and it was absolutely delicious, it gave grilled onions and mushrooms a whole new tang. So good.

Seafood Paella

2011-09-15T21:01:00.000-07:00

Pa' ella, Pa' ti, Pa' mi (for her, for you, for me)... That was an old saying my Señora would say when she served us Paella for dinner. Paella is a traditional Spanish dish and although my Señora only made it a few times, it was always a treat. So I gave this a try with the seafood ingredients I prefer and I even used some legit saffron that I bought in Spain 5 years ago.

Portland

2011-09-13T21:34:00.000-07:00

Over Labor Day weekend, I took a trip to Portland, Oregon to visit with two of my greatest friends, Danna and Cindy. Cindy currently lives in Portland while Danna flew in from Phoenix, Arizona. We all met in Portland and stayed with Cindy in her pleasant suburban home. We had a great weekend of eating, catching up, eating, touring, eating, and hanging out. It was so nice to have a ladies weekend filled with three of my favorite things: food, friends, and lots of laughter. Below are a few pictures to represent my three day trip. I hope you enjoy looking over them and see how gorgeous Portland is.

In front of Cindy's home with myself, Danna, and Cindy

Nick's Belated Birthday Dinner

2011-09-11T21:29:00.000-07:00

Sorry for posting about Nick's birthday so late, but time passed and I just couldn't let this one go. I had to share with you all our amazing dinner we had that night. We got to go to dinner at this amazing restaurant: The Winery Restaurant & Bar, which won last year's title as"OC Restaurant of the Year." We had purchased a travelzoo voucher to get a 5-course dinner for two for the price of one. I didn't manage to take pictures of our food, but just know that every single course was amazing.

Below is our menu for the night:

Blackened Mahi Mahi

2011-09-11T21:06:00.000-07:00

On a recent trip to Costco, I decided to buy some Mahi Mahi fillets instead of our usual Salmon purchase. I decided I wanted to make some fish tacos but instead of doing a Mexican spiced Mahi Mahi, I decided to use blackened Mahi Mahi. This turned out wonderful, next time I may rub a little more seasoning on the fish because there was plenty of room for adding more flavor.

Peanut Butter Chocolate Bars

2011-09-08T17:55:00.000-07:00

It was my co-worker Christina's birthday the other day and she is obsessed with peanut butter and chocolate desserts. So I decided to make these. They turned out delicious, like a perfectly homemade Reese's Peanut Butter Cups. Soooooo good.

Peanut Butter Brownie Banana Pizza

2011-09-07T17:54:00.000-07:00

I went to Portland for a girls trip over Labor Day weekend, this was a great chance for me to make a wonderful dessert that I can't make for just nick and I. I stumbled upon this recipe on allrecipes.com and it turned out really delicious. It easy to make and sure does impress the taste buds. I say, give it a try. Yummers.

Okra Rice

2011-08-29T07:00:00.000-07:00

I have been wanting to make something with Okra ever since I saw it being used on Mastechef last summer and since I tasted it at a local Indian restaurant. So when I spotted a bag of Okra at my local Asian Market, Ranch 99, I knew it was about time. I searched through allrecipes.com to find this interesting looking recipe. It turned out pretty good and the Okra was tasty. It was fun to make something new with an incredibly new ingredient.

Mocha Chocolate Cookie Crunch Ice Cream

2011-08-28T22:53:00.000-07:00

I had some heavy cream leftover from my vodka sauce so I decided it was time to make some ice cream. I once had this amazing ice cream in Dana Point that was coffee flavored with chunks of cookies and chocolate, it was absolutely delicious. I have never been able to find that flavor in the store and so I thought I would make my own version. It turned out wonderful, a perfect summer treat.

Chicken Fajitas

2011-08-24T21:33:00.001-07:00

A lot of times I decide what to make for dinner based on what I have in my fridge. Tonight I had two kinds of bell peppers and a very ripe avocado. I knew what I had to do, make fajitas. This recipe is based off of how my brother makes fajitas, his secret ingredient is soy sauce... it helps the veggies to bring out their natural savory juicy flavors.

Quick and Easy Garlic "Hot Dog Bun" Bread

2011-08-22T11:29:00.000-07:00

A common problem in the summer is that after a BBQ, you may have lots of random leftover food that doesn't really go along with other things, like you may have leftover hot dogs buns but no hot dogs (since the hot dog count never matches the bun count.) I have found that instead of trying to freeze the hot dog buns for the next time you have hot dogs, just reuse the buns for a whole other type of meal. Hot dog buns are basically rolls cut in half, which happen to make a great canvas to create some garlic bread. I made these to accompany a pasta dish I made the other night and I can't tell you how great of an idea it was, not only was it quicker and less messy since there was no slicing involved, but they turned out super tasty.

Giada's Penne With Vodka Sauce

2011-08-21T17:31:00.000-07:00

I have had vodka sauces before, jarred or from restaurants, but I have never attempted it at home. Although this Giada (TV Network: Everyday Italian) sauce I made wasn't completely homemade, it tasted great and with all the fresh added ingredients, it sure tasted homemade. I really enjoyed it and I will definitely make it again.

My Orange County Fair Experience...2011

2011-08-14T17:30:00.000-07:00

So I entered one of my food blog posts to the Orange County Fair and guess what...I got third place! So cool. So it all started in May when I was looking through the OC Fair Competitions page because I wanted to enter a photograph of mine, I decided to look through all the culinary competitions when I found the perfect competition for me, Food Blog Posts. I entered in the Directional Blog Post division with my post, Babbi's Sauerkraut Pierogies. As part of entering the contest, you are given a free ticket to the Fair. Since I had yet to hear if I won or even placed in the competition, Nick and I had a date night to the OC Fair, where we surprisingly got to see my blog post posted in the food exhibit center. I got to see my Babbi's recipe posted on the wall with a third place marker, it was pretty cool to see that and I feel so proud and accomplished having placed at all.

Fried Green Tomatoes

2011-08-13T23:27:00.000-07:00

My friend gave me some nice plump green tomatoes from her garden and so I decided I just had to make some fried green tomatoes. It was the first time I had ever had any homemade fried green tomatoes and only my second time ever eating green tomatoes at all. They were pretty yummy and they worked well as a kind of side dish and/or sandwich topper.

SausageFest 2011

2011-08-10T19:29:00.000-07:00

SausageFest 2011- It has been a tradition that we have Nick's Ultimate Frisbee pals over every year for a feast of sausages. This one was our third annual sausagefest party and we celebrated summer and our friend Iain who was in town from Scotland. Sausagefest was a little more extraordinary this year because I included an array of toppings, we had grilled peppers, sauteed sauerkraut, potato chips, chopped red onions, jalapenos, and every condiment you can think of. SausageFest has been a great tradition and it has been a lot of fun, I can't wait to do this again next year.

Pesto & Bruschetta Mac'N'Cheese

2011-08-06T01:33:00.000-07:00

I had a craving for mac'n'cheese and for some reason I wanted to switch it up, try something different than my usual delicious mac'n'cheese. I still had some pesto sauce leftover from last week and so I knew I had to incorporate that basil theme into my mac'n'cheese. Plus, my friend recently gave me tons of fresh tomatoes from her garden and so I had to make myself some Bruschetta, which got me to thinking how great of an idea it would be to make a mac'n'cheese topped with fresh Bruschetta, yummm!!!! And so here is my creation. It was absolutely delicious. I highly recommend it.

Bruschetta

2011-08-06T01:31:00.000-07:00

This is a family favorite recipe that my mother used to make all the time when I was growing up. It is so simple and so delicious. It makes for a great appetizer or even as a topper for Italian pasta dishes.

Wasabi Teriyaki Salmon

2011-07-31T22:38:00.000-07:00

Nick found this recipe online and we ended up making it together. It seemed intriguing and although I do not prefer cooking with mayonnaise, we went for it anyway. Making the sauce was irking, but once it was all said and done and we were eating the finished result, it was really good. It reminded me a lot of sushi because of the wasabi flavor and I think we would probably try this again, but maybe with a little more wasabi for an added kick.

Chocolate Banana Cookies

2011-07-28T04:45:00.000-07:00

I love bananas, but I hate how they go bad so quickly. The only benefit of bad bananas is that they are used primarily for banana baked goods. I love chocolate covered bananas and so I created this recipe by combining the ideas behind other cookies I've made with the general idea of making chocolate banana cookies. These turned out pretty good but they were very cake-y like muffin tops. Don't get me wrong, they tasted delicious, I just prefer flatter cookies.

Spanakopita Burgers

2011-07-27T07:00:00.000-07:00

I don't recall how I came up with this idea but for some reason I had it in my mind that I had to make this burger, a burger patty spanakopita style with feta and spinach. This burger turned out wonderfully, it seriously was so delicious and I honestly am proud of myself for coming up with this awesome recipe. Seriously if you like spanakopita then you must give this burger a try...immediately.

Slow Cooker Ribs with Tangy Coffee Barbecue Sauce

2011-07-26T16:37:00.000-07:00

I found this recipe for a coffee BBQ sauce in a Cooking Light Magazine and I couldn't resist. I was more curious than anything to see how this sauce would taste. So I made it and decided to use it on some ribs I had bought. This sauce was awesome, it is weird how the taste of coffee really dissipates and just brings out the other flavors so well, I also thought the balsamic vinegar ingredient was out of place, but I have to tell you that this sauce was overall great! It truly was tangy with a slight kick and it was great on the ribs. You gotta give this a try to see for yourself.

Quick and Easy Broccoli Slaw Stir-Fry

2011-07-25T22:23:00.000-07:00

Something I have found to be quite useful lately is...broccoli slaw. It is an amazing thing, I tend to fancy up my salads by adding a little broccoli slaw to them and it works great, plus all the nutrients you get from broccoli can really help make a salad nutritious. Well I have found that I am unable to go through a bag of broccoli slaw quick enough to have a fresh salad all the time, so I have found that after about a week the slaw can start to go bad, but I have found the perfect way to not waste it...stir-fry. Broccoli slaw makes a great stir-fry base, it is so easy and tasty in the end that it really proves beneficial to me and the time I spend in the kitchen. Just use broccoli slaw as a base and include any vegetables you may have on hand, cook them up with some oil and soy sauce and you have a perfect side for any dish. You gotta give this a try.

Ground Beef Tacos

2011-07-22T15:34:00.000-07:00

My co-worker Candace was talking about how she made ground beef tacos the other night and it inspired me because I haven't made ground beef tacos for a super long time, and so here we are. So good and great for leftovers all week.

Fancyfied BLT

2011-07-18T18:07:00.000-07:00

I love BLT sandwiches, but regular BLT's can get boring and it's always nice to have a delicious fancier version of a BLT. This one I made is truly enjoyable, it's like an explosion of flavors in your mouth. Yummmm.

Asian Orange Chicken

2011-07-10T22:21:00.000-07:00

One of my most favorite easy quick meals is orange chicken from Trader Joe's and so I have never attempted making it myself since the Trader Joe's version is so simple and delicious. I found this awesome recipe when I was searching for an Asian chicken recipe and since I had all the necessary ingredients I thought I 'd give it a try. It turned out very delicious and it was pretty easy to make, it was nice too because the chicken was not deep fried first, therefore healthier. I know I will have to make this again and I highly recommend that you do too.

Cajun Chicken and "Clean" Dirty Rice

2011-07-05T20:53:00.000-07:00

I just bought a new Creole Cajun Seasoning from the store and had recently purchased a whole chicken on sale. These ingredients inspired me to make a Creole inspired dish. I decided to make our meal even more authentic by making my own version of dirty rice. The difference with my dirty rice is that I did not grind up the chicken gizzards and chicken liver to mix in the rice. Instead, I sauteed the veggies with the gizzards and liver to gather the flavors before removing them so that we would not have to eat the chicken gizzards and chicken liver, hence the name "clean" dirty rice. This meal turned out pretty good and Nick loved my "clean" dirty rice.

Oreo Chocolate Cream Pie

2011-07-03T15:24:00.000-07:00

I really wanted to make something with a chocolate crust and pudding. I stumbled upon this recipe and it was perfect because I had all the ingredients I needed. Instead of oreos, I used a combination of mini oreos and chocolate teddy grahams. This was a perfect treat for the summer and very easy to make.

Happy Birthday To Me!!!

2011-06-30T18:12:00.000-07:00

My 25th Birthday just passed on the 27th. I am sorry I haven't posted in awhile, but it has been non-stop bday celebrations since last week. We have eaten out 7 days in a row and I have had no time to prepare any meals and/or post anything. No worries though because Independence day weekend is approaching and I will definitely manage to get some new posts in.

So for my bday, Nick surprised me with Disneyland passes for the year. I was very much planning on going to work on Monday and after my usual 5 alarms went off, I stumbled into the restroom at my usual 6:20am to begin preparing for work, when I saw a card sittingo on the bathroom counter. I thought it was so sweet of Nick to have a card ready for me and it had a very sweet note, but it also said to look on the back, where it said "We are going to Disneyland. Come back to bed!" I was completely surprised. when I told him I had to tell my boss, he told me he already had told her two weeks ago, he had taken care of everything. Although I had the option to sleep in, I ended up not being able to fall back asleep because of my excitement. lol. So we went to Disneyland all day and I got to ride the new Ariel ride, the new Star Tours and many more. Pretty Awesome and yes my hubby is the greatest and it was an amazing surprise. So overall, my bday was fabulous and my bday week was amazing. Thanks to everyone who celebrated with me.

Grilled Pizza

2011-06-23T21:21:00.000-07:00

I have seen and heard of many grilled pizza recipes before but have never given them a try, until now. I believe it is safe to say that I may never go back to making oven baked pizza. Grilling the pizza was amazing, not only because we didn't have to use the oven and heat up our house, but because they had such a fresh and thoroughly good taste. What was a cool too was that we had individual pizzas rather than one large pizza, this way when I had some of my girls over, we were all able to create our own individual pizzas with exactly the ingredients we each wanted to use. They turned out delicious!

Blackened Chicken Stroganoff

2011-06-17T21:25:00.000-07:00

I found this interesting stroganoff recipe online based on the ingredients I had at my disposal.

It turned out really tasty and it was a nice change from a basic stroganoff recipe, I definitely recommend this one.

Bacon Wrapped Dates

2011-06-15T17:43:00.000-07:00

This is an easy appetizer that seems fancy and tastes like you put forth a ton of effort. They are so easy to make and more delicious and less caloric than bacon wrapped cocktail wieners. So if you are looking for a quick appetizer, then give these a try, they will not fail to impress.

Best Chocolate Chip Cookies Ever (Revised)

2011-06-14T17:43:00.000-07:00

So I posted an almost identical cookie recipe a year ago but for some reason whenever I made them they turned out super cake-y and puffy. I like my cookies flat, so I have continually messed with the recipe to see if I could perfect it. I tried different oven temps and adjusting refrigeration time but nothing worked until I started messing with the ingredients, then finally voila! Success! I got them to the perfect consistency. My revised and delicious chocolate chip cookie recipe is below.

Jack Stuffed Chicken w/ French Fried Onions

2011-06-11T14:49:00.000-07:00

I went looking through my bridal shower recipe box again and found this recipe that my maid of honor's mother, Bev, gave me. The recipe looked simple enough and I happened to have all the necessary ingredients and then some. Of course I altered the recipe but mainly because I had lots of extra goodies that needed to be used. The end result turned out to be one of the most deliciously stuffed chicken breasts I have ever had. Seriously, this end recipe was soooooooooo good and I savored every single bite. So thank you Bev so much for introducing this recipe to me, I will make it often.

Strawberry Jam Pork Chops

2011-06-09T22:32:00.000-07:00

Nick made us dinner tonight. He found this interesting recipe online and although he had his doubts when reading the ingredients, his mind was changed after reading the high reviews. After giving it a try, we both agree that this is s a pretty tasty pork chop.

Chocolate Peppermint Andes Cookies

2011-06-08T21:40:00.000-07:00

While I was visiting with my friend Megan at her house last weekend, her roommate happened to make these delicious cookies. I only had a couple, but I quickly decided that they were my new favorite. Since both mine and Nick's favorite sweet combination is mint and chocolate, it took me less than a week to make my own batch. They are pure mint chocolate perfection.

Baked French Fries

2011-06-05T21:06:00.000-07:00

We felt like having some burgers tonight and so what goes better with burgers than french fries? Nothing. So I made some baked french fries. I have made or at least attempted to make some good homemade fries many times, but I feel like this was the first batch I truly successfully succeeded at making them correctly. In the past I had cut the potatoes too thin and so once they were done baking they were too flimsy and unable to stay firm enough for proper ketchup dipping. Therefore, my reccomendation is to make sure you cut the potatoes into thicker slices.

Sweet and Sour Turkey Meatballs

2011-06-02T19:42:00.000-07:00

My friend Megan cooked this meal for us ladies for a girls night one night. Everyone loved it so much that we all begged her to share the recipe with us and of course she did. I finally got a chance to cook it tonight and it was just as delicious as it was then. The thing is that we had Nick's brother Luke over for dinner tonight and both him and Nick aren't too fond of ground turkey. Well I'm happy to say that not only did they like these turkey meatballs they liked them so much that they both had seconds. Huzzah!

"Lemonology"

2011-06-01T21:02:00.000-07:00

I was looking through my recipe box that I got from my bridal shower about 2.5 years ago. I stumbled upon this hidden gem written by my friend Erica M. It is a perfectly wonderful marinade for any meat and perfect for the grill. Tonight I used it on shrimp and it turned out really tasty, I will definitely give this a go again with other meats.

Sara Rosenbaum Catering

2011-05-31T18:44:00.000-07:00

So part of my job is to plan and organize a company luncheon every month. We have some routine caterers but recently we have been using Sara to make our desserts. She is able to do much more than dessert and she is great at what she does. For our recent Kick-off BBQ she prepared for us some Greek Pasta Salad that was absolutely delicious, but she also made us Strawberry Shortcake Cupcakes: Vanilla-almond Cake filled with a strawberry compote, topped with whipped cream and a fresh strawberry half. They were soooo good that I had to share them with you all and share her business with you. If you ever need anything, give her a shout out. Email: Sararosenbaum@cox.net

Nathaly's Cheesy Pesto Stuffed Chicken

2011-05-27T18:33:00.000-07:00

My girlfriend Nathaly has made this delicious chicken for me multiple times and it's about time I share this recipe with the world. It is absolutely delicious and fairly simple. You must give it a try immediately. Thanks for preparing and sharing this one Nat.

Slow Cooker Cranberry Chicken

2011-05-18T20:57:00.000-07:00

I had some amazing cranberry chicken at a wedding awhile ago and after the wedding I had found a similar recipe and then forgot about it. I recently found that recipe and decided I would make it. It seemed simple enough and it was. This recipe is sooooo easy and it created some super tasty chicken and sauce. The meal I made ended up like an alternative Thanksgiving meal with mashies (using the sauce as a gravy for the mashies), stuffing, and salad. You must give this recipe a try if you would like a simple tangy slow cooker chicken.

White Icing

2011-05-17T20:19:00.000-07:00

My co-worker and friend, Candace, shared this recipe with me. She swears by it and so I just had to make it. I gave it a try with some chocolate cake, it was a perfect pairing.

Sautéed Chicken with Sage Browned Butter

2011-05-14T23:11:00.000-07:00

My boss shared this recipe with me, it sounded delicious, so I passed it along to Nick and he made it the other night. It was pretty darn good, but I would almost double the recipe so that there would be enough browned butter sauce to pour over some rice along with the chicken. Yummm.

Cake Stuffed Strawberries

2011-05-09T11:33:00.000-07:00

A friend of mine posted this wonderful link to an amazing idea for these creative and ingenious goodies. As soon as I saw a picture and read the recipe, I knew right away that I would have to re-create it ASAP. So since I was already making cupcakes for Mother's Day, I thought I would use half of the cake batter to create these lovely morsels. Now this recipe isn't very hard, however it is very very time consuming and it requires many steps, but in the end it will never fail to impress those you made them for.

Now for my batch of cake stuffed strawberries, I decided to use a banana cake because what goes better with strawberries than banana, right? Well, I guess other than chocolate but I've got that covered too. Anyway, give this a try and I guarantee you will be pleased.

Banana Cake

2011-05-08T21:23:00.000-07:00

Happy Mother's Day!

I had some more ripe bananas that needed to be used but I also wanted to bake a cake for my momma and so I stumbled upon this recipe and it was perfect for what I was looking to make. I decided I would make some strawberry banana cupcakes by baking banana cake cupcakes and topping them with whip cream and a fresh strawberry, they were a perfect mother's day dessert. Oh also, I bought some "Sun Crystals" sugar, which is a stevia/sugar mix, which is a more natural and lighter sweetener. I had yet to bake with it and so I decided to give it a try with this recipe. In the end the cake still tasted great and completely normal, but with less calories...awesome!

Sauceda Spanish Rice

2011-05-06T08:11:00.000-07:00

Ok, so I ended up cooking something new on Cinco de Mayo after all, I just couldn't resist. My co-worker Angela was telling me about her family's Spanish rice recipe and so I had to get her recipe and make it. Of course I added a few ingredients, the corn and onions, but otherwise the flavors are all hers. It turned out great and very delicioso. Thanks for sharing Angela.

Cinco De Mayo 2011

2011-05-05T01:00:00.000-07:00

Happy Cinco De Mayo Everyone!!!! I hope you all have a pleasant, yummy food filled day!

I love Mexican food, it is definitely in my top 2 of favorite food themes to make and eat. Today I will be sticking to some of my routine Mexican recipes, but in case you are looking for some last minute inspiration then take a gander at some of my own most favorite Mexican inspired dishes:

Hash Browns

2011-05-03T20:00:00.000-07:00

What is a delicious breakfast side that everyone enjoys?...hash browns. I love potatoes no matter how they are prepared and for breakfast I usually make a country potato style of hash browns, but recently my husband pointed out to me that country potatoes are NOT hash browns. So I decided I would venture into making some authentic hash browns minus the deep-frying heavy oil aspect, no thank-you. they turned out great and they may not be cooked the absolute correct way but they turned out just as my husband and I would've hoped.

Half Marathon Complete!!

2011-05-01T20:26:00.000-07:00

I did it! I completed my first Half Marathon. Thanks to the help of my friend, Candace, we were able to complete the whole thing without walking. We finished in about 2 hours and 18 minutes, not too shabby. Although the last three miles got pretty tough due to some pretty strong head winds, I feel we did pretty dang well. I definitely want to keep training and go for another half marathon with a better time and/or a triathalon and/or hitting that ultimate goal of completing a full marathon. The best part of running 13.1 miles, is the guilt free day of food eating that follows. Afterwards, we hit up Ruby's for some brunch and a shake...delicious...and I also earned myself some homemade cookies from my hubby after dinner. Guilt-Free.

Before and After

Honey Dijon Puff Pastry Salmon

2011-04-30T20:04:00.000-07:00

I needed another Carbo Load meal and so I decided to try and combine two of my favorite salmon recipes, Puff Pastry Salmon and Honey Dijon Salmon. It turned out pretty delicious, Nick really liked it and it had many kinds of Carbs.

Spaghetti Squash Pasta and Veggies

2011-04-29T18:26:00.000-07:00

As part of my preparation for my half marathon on Sunday, I needed to Carbo load, starting Friday. I had a spaghetti squash in the fridge and I had heard that spaghetti squash is considered a carbohydrate (although I know now that it is very low carb) and so I decided to create a spaghetti squash pasta dish with a load of mixed veggies that I had on hand. It turned out pretty tasty and although Nick thinks I should've eaten more pasta, I think it helped do the trick.

Yummy Artichokes

2011-04-26T22:06:00.000-07:00

I love artichokes, but I wish they didn't take so long to cook and I wish they were always in season. I also wish Nick liked them because then I would make them more often for the two of us rather than for just myself. When I usually eat artichokes, I usually just dip the leaves in a butter/mayo combination, but this time I opted for something new and I liked it. I think, I know I will do it again sometime.

Orange Cinnamon Rolls

2011-04-25T21:37:00.000-07:00

Another reason this Easter was so special, besides my father's birthday, was because it was the last church service for the church my husband and I have been apart of for the past 2-3 years. Soma Orange County, was a little start up church that was led by our dear friends and mentors, Ryan and Sara Rosenbaum. We have had such a great time with Soma and the community of people that attended Soma. So although it is sad we won't be meeting in person every week anymore, I know we will all follow God's lead and scatter and take what we've learned from Soma with us. So anyway, for our final service, we had a brunch together and I decided to bake one of my old childhood Pillsbury favorites, orange cinnamon rolls. Although the batch I made was overcooked, due to my cutting the rolls into .5" slices instead of 1" slices, they still tasted delicious. So the lesson learned here is to be careful not to overcook your rolls and to make sure if you decide to make smaller sized rolls that you bake them for less time.

Boston Cream Pie

2011-04-24T21:54:00.001-07:00

Happy Easter!!!

This Easter was a very special one for various reasons. One of the reasons was because it was my fathers birthday. I baked this cake for him and made it special for my family's Easter/BDay celebration. I knew it turned out well because every person asked for seconds on the cake, even my grandpa. This was a relatively easy recipe, especially after I shortened the process by using a box mix for yellow cake. You should definitely give it a try, it will truly impress those you present it to.

"Healthy" Banana Bread

2011-04-20T21:36:00.000-07:00

In preparation for a half marathon I will be running in less than two weeks, I am starting to eat up as much potassium and health foods as possible. So what better than some nice banana bread to get some great potassium. The problem is most banana bread, although not the worst for you, it is not the best, especially the other recipe I have posted. I decided to mess around and find a recipe that had the most natural ingredients and low sugar as possible. I think this recipe turned out pretty good and I felt pretty guiltless eating it. You should definitely give it a try if you are looking for a healthy alternative to regular banana bread.