// stove top stuffing //

I could eat stuffing with almost every meal. It's my favorite dish during Thanksgiving.  Plus there are tons of variations so you can accommodate to all kinds of tastes. This recipe was just one of the ones I found when I needed to make a stove top version since the oven was already fully occupied with my roast chicken. The only thing I left out were the olives (one of the few things I don't like food-wise) and I had to use chicken broth instead of turkey giblet stock.

// roasted whole chicken //

All trussed up and ready to go!    ;]

This was an incredibly easy recipe, guys. All you need is a whole chicken plus salt & pepper. Butter is in the recipe, but I actually forgot to add it and it was still good. Try it out soon, you'll be surprised how easy it is. Looks impressive, too if you're serving to guests! I made home-made stuffing + steamed squash for the sides.

// Nutella chocolate chip cookies //

Oh, wow. It's been a month since I've posted? Sorry, gang. I've had some camera/internet issues, therefore making it hard to blog. I'll try to catch up as much as possible! In the meantime, this is a simple recipe that only uses FOUR ingredients. 4!!!! Nutella, egg whites, flour + chocolate chips. Personally, it was super-rich and if I were to make it again, I'd downsize the chocolate chips to about 1 cup. You guys can eyeball it and adjust according to taste. Also, I had to bake mine a little bit longer than the 7 minutes she stated in the recipe. Just keep an eye on it while it's baking and poke until almost dry.

// grilled salmon w/nectarine salsa //

grilled salmon w/nectarine salsa

salmon - fresh off the grill

nectarine salsa

roasted sweet potato slices & salsa

Grilling season is almost over in most cities, but here in the ATL it's still wavering between cool days and scorchin' hot! We decided to take advantage of the weather by grilling out for Sunday supper. A couple of couply friends and I have been rotating Sundays for dinner. We usually try to make a one-pot meal or something that's easy for at least 6-8 people. I found this recipe while getting ready for work and sent the ingredients to my boyfriend (who is the also griller) to head to the grocery store for us. Only having about 1.5 hours after work to prepare the dinner, this was pretty doable. You just have to time the grill (I'm sure you can broil salmon inside, too if you don't have a grill) and the sides. I made sauteed zucchini/squash, roasted sweet potato slices and the salsa was a cinch to make. Sunday supper was a success!

// salted caramel brownies //

eat your heart out

blending the ingredients

only had a heart-shaped pan around, doesn't mean anything ;]

making the caramel topping

smearing the top w/the caramel topping

you can't have just one bite!

So, after a hiatus on eating foods that are bad for you, or eating at all (spent 3 days in the hospital on an IV w/no food or drink recently)...this should suffice for my first post back. ;]

Made this for a dinner party recently, and we kept passing it around the table during a game of Yahtzee. Everyone was trying to diet! It was "Get this away from me!", then two minutes later that same person is spooning another bite. We made up a rule to take a shot of Crown if someone got Yahtzee and this brownie was the perfect chaser.

Feel free to make this and share, or keep it around and spoon at your own pace. You can find the recipe here.

// pee-pee amuse-bouche //

chicken broth, lemon jello, apple juice, lemon ice

I'm baaaaack! After a short absence from here, I'd like to explain why it's been so long since I've posted. I mean I sort of have a doctor's note, really. To make a long story short, I had my appendix out when I was two years old and the scar tissue from that comes back around to cause trouble every now and then. This is basically what happened to me: http://www.webmd.com/digestive-disorders/tc/bowel-obstruction-topic-overview. It's a type of bowel obstruction and I've had it 2-3x before - all times, severely painful! They put me on an IV and pumped morphine and Dilaudid (5x stronger than morphine - heard they use it on cancer patients) and I wasn't allowed to eat/drink anything for 3 days. They also put an NG tube down my nose/throat into my belly to suck out excess stuff like bile to relieve pressure on my tummy. THAT was probably the worst because it was in me for 1.5 days and I couldn't talk or swallow. The picture above was my 1st meal in the hospital. I remember them waking me up around 6:30am and I was really excited because I was finally going to get some food! Low and behold, it was chicken broth, apple juice, lemon jello and lemon ice. I think I just looked at it, rolled my eyes and went back to sleep for another 30 minutes before I poked and prodded my "food". The chicken broth and juice went down fine, but the other stuff...yuck. I remember I made my boyfriend try the lemon ice before I did and he faked an "mmmmmm" before the spoon even hit his mouth. Hahahha. Nice try! Anyway, I was in there last Sun.-Wed. and I'm grateful for my friends and family who came to visit and keep me company. Especially to my poor boyfriend, Luke, who had to endure sleeping in the chair-bed the whole time and was my personal secretary (taking my phone calls and talking for me) during my NG tube days. I'm feeling about 90% back to normal and am looking forward to eating my fave foods soon!

// just BEET it //

Mmmmmm. Roasted beets. So simple and it's one of those things that you just pop in the oven, forget about it (literally) and then voila...a pleasant surprise when you remember about an hour later that you're cooking something. I've never really tried to roast beets myself,it's just one of those things you never really think about. You just see it canned or at salad bars. Saw some at the farmer's market so I grabbed a bunch and thought I'd try it. Very little ingredients needed and it's a no-fuss job. Just be careful when you're eating it because it stains!

Ingredients:

• fresh beets 
• olive oil
• salt/pepper

Directions:

1.  Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Wash and scrub beets.
3. Line baking pan w/aluminum foil.
4. Place beets in a single layer on the foil, drizzle olive oil all over.
5. Salt/pepper lightly.
6. Wrap the beets in the foil, making a pouch. If you have lots of beets, cover with another sheet of foil to make pouch.
7. Bake for an hour (or more) depending on how big your beets are. I had about 3-4 medium sized ones and it took an hour.
8. You can tell that they're ready by poking it with a fork or knife. It should be tender and the skin should be really soft.
9. Let beets cool and then you should be able to peel the skin off very easily!

// kale chips //

Sooooo, I've got something to tell you. You probably won't believe what I'm about to say next, but....I'm doing a cleanse. I know. I know! Insane for someone who thinks about her next meal while she's eating her current one.  Just let me explain. First of all, it's not one of those where you starve yourself and only drink lemonade. I'm allowed to eat, just certain things are restricted (booze, caffeine, red meat, gluten/soy/dairy products). Basically, I'm on it for 21 days and it's definitely going to be a big discipline test. So, I apologize in advance for not posting anything too exciting food-wise on here. That means: nothing fried and no desserts (real ones at least). Don't worry, it's only until Labor Day weekend (that's what I've been telling myself) and I'll still try to post interesting stuff. I've also got some restaurants around ATL that I've been meaning to post about, too. Thanks in advance for understanding. ;]

 Now, for the first healthy post. Hehehhe. I made kale chips. If you already like to snack on dried seaweed, then this is pretty similar. Kale's just one of those super-greens that are packed with nutrients that you need, but it can be bitter depending on how you cook it. There really isn't any way to mess this up.

Ingredients:

1. a bunch or 2 of kale
2. 1 TBS olive oil
3. salt

Directions:

1. Pre-heat oven to 300.
2. Mix kale and olive oil in a bowl until thoroughly coated. If it looks dry, add a little bit more oil. Add a lil bit of salt.
3. Bake for about 20 minutes. It may not look crispy, but when you touch it (when you take it out) it should be light, dry and crispy. Season w/more salt if needed.

// NSFW carrot //

This is what happens when you send your boyfriend to pick up carrots from the market...

// braised orange chicken //

braised orange chicken w/carrots & bok choy

whisk together the liquids

flour-coated chicken thighs in sauce

looks ugly, but it'll taste yummy

remove chicken and let sauce thicken

Geesh. I might as well change this blog to one based off of chicken thigh recipes, but I can't help it! It's my favorite...especially the braised dishes...and fried. This one is a variation of the "orange chicken" that you usually order at Chinese restaurants. Found it pretty easy to follow, but one thing I wasn't sure about was whether to cover with a lid when placing in the oven. I did it WITHOUT a lid since the recipe calls for a "pan" and I used my dutch oven. Came out perfect. Give this recipe a go. On the side, I made carrots and bok choy sauteed in olive oil until soft (about 1-2 minutes) and then add in some balsamic vinegar to taste. Let simmer until carrots soften to your liking.

// roasted spaghetti squash w/herbs //

Spaghetti squash is one of those things that you think is complicated to make, but it's pretty easy...and sooooo yummy! The texture is soft and stringy and the mixture of hazelnuts and herbs in this recipe gives it a little bit of crunch. It just takes about 45 minutes to roast, but other than that it's really quick to prepare once that's done. Looks fancy, too. ^_^

// grilled Romaine lettuce //

Yeah, yeah, yeah...I know what you may be thinking. Grilled lettuce? How much of a difference would that make? Add some fresh parmesan at the end and you'd be surprised how much better it is. You kinda end up with a smoky, charred taste for the lettuce. Not that hard at all. Saw this recipe and immediately wanted to try it the next time we grilled out. I usually hate lettuce, btw...the only salads I eat are the kind with steak or cheese/fruit in it. So, this makes it a lot more appealing for me.

// fried honey-mustard wings //

Sorry it's been awhile since my last post. I think the summer heat here in the ATL has been making me a lil irritable and lazy. It just feels like you're walking around in a big broiler outside. Today has got to be the first day where I'm not sweating as soon as I step out of the shower! Anyway, I know I just posted the Korean Fried Chicken wings (KFC) not too long ago, but I wanted to share this simple recipe since they're both similar. In fact, I just used the same recipe from the KFC one for the batter and frying part. I even double-fried the wings, which is the game-changer folks! The only difference is the sauce, which is listed below. Just pair it up with some crisp veggies or salad...or over rice. ^_^

Ingredients for Honey Mustard wing sauce:

1/2 cup honey 

1/4 cup spicy brown mustard
1 tbsp butter

Directions:

Mix ingredients on medium-high heat until butter is melted and sauce is formed. Drizzle over wings after they've been fried twice.

// sauteed snow pea tips //

snow pea tips

washed and prepped

ingredients needed - didn't put garlic in the pic

in the wok it goes

One of my favorite Asian greens - snow pea tips. Here is how you should prep them. Here's the recipe for the way I make them. Very simple and these ingredients should be a part of your kitchen staple anyhow!

Ingredients (the amounts are more to your liking. I don't really measure when I cook it, but you'll get the hang of it after a few times):

•  oyster sauce - about 1 TBS  
• bunch of snow peat tips (i cook a whole bag at a time b/c it simmers down like spinach)
• sesame oil - about 1 TBS
• minced garlic - about 1 tsp
• rice vinegar - a couple of shakes from the bottle (maybe 1 tsp?)
•  Japanese house spice (optional) - a few shakes from the bottle spread evenly

Directions: 

1. Add snow pea tips in wok
2. Add the oil in a circular motion around the snow pea tips so it drips inward
3. Now add the oyster sauce and rice vinegar
4. Put the minced garlic in on the left and ride side of the wok for about 10 seconds, then stir everything together
5. Put a lid on top and turn heat to low-medium for about 2 minutes.
6. Check to see if everything has simmered down and is well-coated.
7. Serve with your main meat dish or eat over rice by itself.
8. Sprinkle the Japanese house seasoning if you prefer

// eggs-in-a-basket //

 Challah bread, but you can use any sliced bread

bread goes in 1st, then crack egg into it

nom-ready

furikake aka rice seasoning - found in Japanese section of market

Krazy Jane salt mix // great multi-purpose seasoning 

If you've ever stayed at Hotel Nellex (my apt), chances are you've had eggs-in-a-basket either for b'fast or for your 4th meal. Or sometimes even both. What can I say? It tastes even better after a long night of drinking/partying and it helps to sop up the alcohol. ^_^ I put Maggi soy sauce seasoning on it and that totally makes a difference. Also, an optional add-on is furikake (Japanese rice seasoning), but careful not too put too much or else it can be too salty. I usually prefer beef bacon with this, but only had ham lunch meat in the fridge this time.

Ingredients: sliced bread, eggs, butter, Maggi seasoning

Directions:

1) butter pan on medium-high heat

2) tear or cut holes out of sliced bread (golfball-sized or a lil bit more)

3) place 2 slices of bread at once into pan - add bread hole pieces (that you tore/cut out) on the side, too

4) crack an egg in each hole in the bread

5) fry until bread is toasted on bottom, then flip (remember to flip bread hole pieces, too)

6) watch until bottom side is toasted

7) remove and serve with a few splashes of Maggi/Krazy Jane seasoningI