Cabbage and Noodles

This is a family favorite of mine. My mother use to make it for us growing up and I believe her mother used to make it for her and her family. I love cabbage and it is probably from my German and Czechoslovakian roots that I like it so much. This is a quick and easy meal that has so many flavors and turns out so tasty. Hopefully you will enjoy it as much as I do. 

Breakfast Panini (with Tomato, Basil, and Avocado)

I would have never thought to put basil and avocado together by any means but Nick and I ate at this fabulous crepe shop in Santa Monica where we were shown the light that those two ingredients work great together. I was inspired by the restaurant to make some breakfast paninis with those ingredients and they turned out just as great as the crepe shop. A great break

Spicy Tomato Basil and Spinach Pasta Sauce

Nick's friend Ryan shared this recipe with me, it turned out really delicious and added a nice spice to an already familiar sauce. I do love fresh tomato pasta sauces over pre-fabricated sauces, it makes the flavor so fresh and genuine, always worth the extra effort. 

Cilantro Peanut "Healing Chicken"

My friend Natalie made this for me once, it was absolutely delicious and one of the best things ever. She swears that it helps to heal anyone with tummy issues.  She served it with yellow rice and I felt that was great but I decided to add in some corn tortillas and that was outstanding. She shared the recipe even though her mother asked her not too. Now I'm sharing it with all of you because it is mandatory that everyone gives it a try.

Corned Beef and Potato Pancakes (Latkes)

Another great thing to make with your Corned Beef and Cabbage leftovers are some corned beef latkes. These were quite tasty and a change from the normal corned Beef and hash breakfast. Definitely worth a go.

Dark Chocolate Cake (Low Fat)

If you are like me, then you have some leftover sauerkraut from your St. Patrick's Day Corned Beef and Cabbage Meal. Well here is a great chocolate cake that uses pureed sauerkraut in place of eggs. What is wonderful about this recipe is that the cake turns out great, no taste of sauerkraut but a great chocolate taste with a super moist texture. It reminds me a lot of a chocolate pudding cake. This is a great guiltless dessert.

Slow Cooker Corned Beef and Cabbage

I decided to prepare some corned beef and cabbage in honor of St. Patrick's Day. Even though I'm not Irish, I love their food. I made mine over the weekend so that I could have it up and ready for the 17th, just in case any of you needed some inspiration. Plus, I will be posting some more recipes that can be used with your leftovers.

Ginger Glazed Tilapia or Mahi Mahi

My friend Danna once made this with Mahi Mahi for a girls night dinner. It was delicious. I decided to make it myself but I only had some Tilapia on hand. It turned out equally as delicious.

Chocolate Fudgy (Cake) Brownies

I made some homemade brownies the other night. They were delicious but not as fudgy as I had hoped they would be.

Risotto Primavera

I made this for girls night the other night. I love risotto because it truly is a one stop meal, you don't really need anything paired with it, it's got enough of everything (carbs, veggies, protein-if you include one, and flavor) all in one. This one turned out just great and delicious.

No-Knead Overnight Parmesan and Thyme Rolls

I have made these rolls once before, before the days of my blog, and so I decided to re-create them. They are quite tasty and really not all that difficult to do. They made a great pairing to my Risotto Primavera.

Shrimp Tacos (not breaded)

We love shrimp in this family and so I made some shrimp tacos. I created this recipe on a whim last night and it turned out wonderfully. I definitely recommend it.

Adult Mac'N'Cheese (AKA Baked Pasta with Spinach, Lemon, and Cheese)

Cooking Light magazine is one of the best magazines for some good recipes. I found this recipe recently and I loved that they said that it was "like mac''n'cheese for grown-ups." Well I am a grown up and even though I still love plain 'ol mac'n'cheese, I thought I would give this more sophisticated one a try. It turned out great. My friend Megan and I enjoyed it a lot, while my husband didn't, he doesn't like the strong flavor provided by the Pecorino-Romano cheese. If you too have a hard time with that strong of a cheese, I would substitute for something much milder, like plain Parmesan, Mozzarella or Jack.

Naan Bread

I was craving curry tonight, so I decided to make my quick curry and vegetables. This time I decided to make some naan bread from scratch, the only problem was I was working late and so I had Nick prepare the dough for me, not too shabby. It was quite easy to make, only problem is it obviously needs to be prepared 3 hours before you eat since you have to account for the rising time.

Spaghettti Squash - How to

I love Spaghetti squash, it is delicious and it is a great replacement for noodles to accompany any sauce of your choice. I love it because it is delicious and because it is low in calories too. Perfection can be accomplished with this vegetable. A spaghetti squash can be prepared in the oven or the microwave, I prefer the tastes that exist when something is roasted in the oven and so my recipe is for the oven method.

Whip Cream

Nothing is better than homemade whipped cream. It is so much tastier and so light. If you have the choice, especially for fancier desserts, use homemade whip cream, so worth it.

Salted Caramel Frosting

This is again from Megan, so pretty much we have decided that she holds the best baking recipes of all. I for one love caramel, this frosting is more caramel than anything else, it is very strong and very sweet. Perfect for me. A perfect pairing for this frosting is another one of Megan's recipes she shared with me, chocolate cake .

Chocolate Cake

This is another recipe I got from my baking friend Megan. She credits it to Hershey's. It is a great cake mix that tastes delicious and comes out quite moist, definitely recommended, especially if you top it with some Salted Caramel Frosting. I prepared it for my friend Nathaly's 25th Birthday. I think I impressed her :)

Chocolate Truffle Cookies

I recently spent the day with my cousin Katherine. We had a wonderful day that consisted of movies, coffee, cooking, and girl stuff .... there's nothing better. I showed her this recipe I found on Valentines and asked her if she was interested in giving it a shot, she happily obliged. We baked these cookies in between taking a mid night dip in the jacuzzi, they were a perfect end to the night. Thanks Katherine.
These cookies are very chocolaty, kinda like a dark chocolate bitter taste, perfect for any level of sweet tooth. I had some leftover cookies that I shared with some friends of mine who are not too fond of sweets, after they had one bite they could not stop eating them.

Puff Pastry Salmon

This is a wonderful salmon recipe. A friend introduced this idea to me a few years ago, this is my first time creating it myself. I love the combination of bread, pesto, and salmon. Absolutely delicious.

Serving Size: 2

Ingredients:
2 (12 oz) skinless, boneless salmon fillets
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 (17.25 ounce) package frozen puff pastry, thawed
1/3 cup pesto
1 (6 ounce) package spinach leaves

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
2. Season the salmon fillets with salt, garlic powder, and onion powder.
3. Divide 1/2 of the spinach between two sheets of puff pastry, and mound in the center.
4. Place a salmon fillet on top of each mound of spinach.
5. Spread the pesto on the salmon fillets, and top with remaining spinach.

6. Moisten the edges of the puff pastry with water, fold to the center, and seal the seams. Place the sealed salmons seal side down on a greased baking dish. Brush the top of the puff pastry with butter and a sprinkle of garlic salt.
7. Bake in preheated oven for 20 to 25 minutes until the pastry is puffed and golden, and the salmon has cooked all the way through. Serve with some rice, enjoy!

recipe adapted from: http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Puff-Pastry-Salmon/Detail.aspx