Banana Cake

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

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

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

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!!

 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.

Steak with Mushroom Shallot Sauce

Nick cooked us some lovely steak tonight. We do have a trend that whenever we are to have steak, Nick will be the chef. This was very good and a change from our routine mushroom, butter, and onion sauce.

Slow Cooker 4-Cheese Sausage Lasagna

 

I've said it before and I'll say it again, I love slow cookers. This was a great way to make a lasagna without getting our house all hot from having the oven on. Plus, it was delicious and easier to make than a lasagna.

Lemonade

 

 This is the perfect summer drink. So easy too, especially when you get lemons for free from your co-workers.

Hummus

Hummus is easy to make and it is a great snack food. It can be used as a dip or as a condiment. You can alter it to your liking and you can add any extra ingredients to make it a custom flavored hummus. I received this recipe from my friend Danielle, it is a basic recipe and very delicious.

Funky Chicken Mac'N'Cheese

 

So I still had some leftover rotisserie chicken and I was trying to think of a meal that could be frozen for our friends who recently had a baby. I thought about what to make and it reminded me of the time one of my most favorite food bloggers, Joelen, had filled her freezer two weeks before her due date with tons of pre-made foods not only for her and her husband but also for family and friends that would come to visit her and the new baby (crazy right!) Well I took a look at her Freezer choices and saw that she had frozen mac'n'cheese and then it hit me. And so, here is a mac'n'cheese I made with all the yummy things I had at my disposal. It turned out delicious.

Fresh Alfredo Sauce

Alfredo sauce is delicious but just like all sauces, homemade sauce is much better because things are always better fresh. I came up with this recipe tonight and it was very very good and it went perfectly with our pre-made Costco ravioli. 

Chicken Salad

 

 One of the best things in the World is rotisserie chicken from Costco. We stopped by Costco the other day and I couldn't resist buying a rotisserie chicken. I decided to make some chicken salad with the chicken. Soooo good, especially when paired with some warm sourdough bread.

Two Years Down and Many Many More to Go

 

Happy Anniversary to us! Today Nick and I celebrate our 2nd Anniversary. It is crazy how quickly the past two years have gone. The past two years have been wonderful. To celebrate we took a quick vacation to Santa Barbara. We had a nice relaxing and sunny good time. We went on a bike ride, hung out at the pool, walked around the city, visited the Mission, and ate a lot. Below are a few pictures from our trip. 

Oreo Stuffed Chocolate Chip Cookies

 

My friend Danielle found this recipe on a blog and we just had to make them. They are a delicious treat, even the cookie dough recipe is to die for. Give it a try and impress your friends.