Scorpions and Quiche

So, as some may know, one of my favorite men is in Thailand on vacation with a couple of good buddies. Currently they are resting up in Chiang Mai. The other day I found myself grocery shopping and he’s sending me a text and photos of them eating scorpions in Bangkok. Here I am at Meijer, trying to figure out what to get my kids for lunch that day and he’s experiencing something cool in a faraway land, I wasn’t jealous at all. Beautiful photos of street vendors, a shrimp as large as his hand, breakfast in Bangkok, statues, neighborhood dogs…He found me a monk’s bowl and a fine silk scarf. He has the best taste and his gifts are always incredibly meaningful. That being said, again today I have had to focus on that which tests the limits of my jealousy. I love self-actualization, but damn does it hurt like a bitch!

That’s a “shrimp”! Photo courtesy of Michael Darmes

Breakfast in Bangkok. Photo courtesy of Michael Darmes

Vendor in Bangkok. Photo courtesy of Michael Darmes

Monk’s Bowl from Bangkok.

Look at those colors!!!

So here I sit trying to decide what to cook for us that will take my mind off of the fabulousness of his vacation. It’s a balmy 30 degrees here in Michigan right now I think! A big plus about having to stay at his place is that he has MY oven. Yes mine, I MUST own one. The Cuisinart Combo Steam and Convection Oven, it is a miracle worker packed into a futuristic looking package. As soon as I have the “extra” cash, we will be making a purchase, leftovers will never go to waste again with this beautiful machine! I could go on for days about this gorgeous piece of machinery, but let’s just say that I can cook WHATEVER I would like and have it come out looking professional at least. So I can across this recipe and thought that I might try it. Take THAT Thailand!! lol No, I will not be bitter…

If you would like to attempt this with me, check it out here…

Photo courtesy of Real Housemoms

Pillsbury Crescent Breakfast Boats

 

Lately I have been on this kick of simplifying meals around this house. Not quite sure what got me on the Pillsbury Crescent Rolls kick, but tonight was one of my first attempts at an actually meal. Don’t get me wrong, I have wrapped hot dogs and cheese up with crescent rolls before, but that is the most simple recipe. I do try not to make it often though because hotdogs freak me out.

Wish I could say that I had a recipe to go by, but I decided to wing it… I went with whatever was left in the fridge that was going to go bad. Need to start doing that more often raising these boys, they are going to eat me out of house and home before to long here. No sense in wasting anything when I can find some kind of dish to throw it in.

I had:

• About 1/2-3/4 cup of diced ham
• 1/2 Large Onion
• About 3/4 cup chopped mushrooms
• 1/3 cup cheese (some feta and sharp cheddar)
• 4 Eggs
• 1 Package of Pillsbury Crescent Rolls

First thing I did was saute the ham, onion and mushroom in a skillet until brown. While they are cooking, grease muffin tin and spread out a roll in each. It didn’t have to be perfect, mostly just to cover the bottom the best I could.

Then, I put a layer of the mix in each cup, scrambled the 4 eggs, and filled each cup 3/4 of the way with the eggs. I think the next time I make it I will only use 3 eggs and fill 2/3 of the way, it was way too much egg.

Wasn’t sure how each would taste, so I used sharp cheddar on 3, feta on 3 and both on two of them. Really didn’t matter much, tasted similar in the end. Sprinkled a little cheese on each and folded the sides lightly over the top.

Put in a preheated oven at 350 degrees for 20 mins.  My oven runs high so I had to drop down to 325 and shouldn’t have left it on as long myself. Thinking that those who’s oven runs normal should stick with the 350 for 20. I stuck a toothpick in it to make sure that it was cooked thoroughly.

They turned out so good my 2 yr. old toddler ate two of them (and some strawberries) for dinner. My 9 yr. old wasn’t too keen with them, but he’s never liked things with egg much. I will most definitely make them up again! Next time I will switch up the ingredients to fit the mood that I am in.

Caramelized Pineapple Quesadillas with Spicy Strawberry Salsa

Photo by how Sweet it is

Seriously, how does one come across a beauty like this and NOT continue to pass on to my fellow foodies? I am one of those people that LOVES food, yet suffers from chronic severe nausea, how unfair is THAT?! Being that I deal with that constant battle, when I find something that actually sounds good and that I can eat, I get beyond excited! I came across this recipe today done by the people over at how Sweet it is and just needed to pass it on to you! It is a delicious mix of spicy and sweet, and we could all use a little bit of both in our lives. Try it for yourself and come back to let us know how your’s turned out! I think that the only swap out I would make would be parsley for the cilantro. I have never been able to stomach cilantro very well, so it is a normal “swap” for me.

Caramelized Pineapple Quesadillas

serves 2

2 cups fresh pineapple chunks, cut into squares

3 tablespoons coconut oil

1/8 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 vidalia onion, diced

1 small poblano pepper, seeded and diced

1 boneless, skinless grilled chicken breast, shredded

6 ounces monterey jack cheese, freshly grated

1/2 cup freshly torn cilantro

Heat a large skillet over medium heat and add 1 tablespoon of coconut oil. Add pineapple and toss with salt and cinnamon, cooking until caramelized and golden, flipping occasionally – about 6-8 minutes. Remove pineapple and place in a bowl, then add another 1/2 teaspoon of coconut oil, tossing in onions and peppers with a pinch of salt. Stir and cook until softened, about 3-5 minutes, then remove from the skillet and place in the bowl with the pineapple.

Reduce the heat in the skillet to low, add another 1/2 tablespoons of coconut oil. Place a tortilla down, then cover in a sprinkling of cheese (make sure you leave enough for the second quesadilla), chicken, the pineapple, onions and peppers, and cilantro, then add another sprinkle of cheese. Cook until tortilla is golden, then gently flip, keeping the ingredients inside, and cook until other side is golden. Repeat with remaining quesadilla, and serve with strawberry salsa.

Photo by how Sweet it is

Spicy Strawberry Salsa

1 medium tomato, chopped

3/4 cup chopped strawberries

1/4 red onion, finely diced

1/2 jalapeno, seeded and diced

1/3 cup freshly torn cilantro

1 lime, juiced

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

Combine all ingredients together in a bowl and mix thoroughly. The longer it sits, the more flavor that develops. Keeps well in the fridge for 2-3 days.

 

Ultimate Pretzel Crusted Peanut Butter Cookie Candy Brownie Bars

I know that I am lacking somewhere in my life and I am sure that it has to do with my God or my ego… Normally I back-pave those holes with food. Yes, I eat my feelings. For those that know me well, you know that I have battled severe nausea for years now. So, for me, when I get a hankering for something, my brain just does not stop until I feed the need. This week it has been chocolate and pretzels. It has gotten so bad that I stopped at Caribou Coffee, looked at the Barista as if I was waiting for her to read my mind and up word vomitting on her about wanting a Snicker’s in a cup. Of course it did not come out as smoothly as, “May I please have something that tastes like a Snicker’s?” No, there were many more grunts of inaudible words as the thought tried to make it’s way out of my mouth. She for sure thought there was something wrong with me… well, something more than my norm.

All kidding and my grunts aside, I have been falling apart trying to find something that might spark my interest. I came across this beauty of a recipe over at BabyGizmo.com… Ultimate Pretzel Crusted Peanut Butter Cookie Candy Brownie Bars How’s that for a mouthful? I am trying to stay away from the fat content and ignore all the usual bells and whistles, this is purely for the pleasure of having beautiful Noms. Check it out and tell me what you think…

Basil Pesto Egg English Muffin

I get so tired of eating the same things meal after meal. A couple weeks ago I threw together something quick with what I had in the fridge and now I am addicted to it. Just threw an egg white in a pan and while that was cooking up I put an English muffin in the toaster oven. When the egg white was almost thoroughly cooked I put some feta cheese on one half of the muffin to melt up a bit.  Once all was done I added some basil pesto and a dash of red pepper flakes. Mmmm, so good.

Kale Pizza with Sweet Potato Crust

Kale Pizza with Sweet Potato Crust

Gluten-free Banana Bread Pancakes

(Photo courtesy of My New Roots)

I am having the hardest time adjusting to any type of shift in my normal daily food habits. I know it’s selfish and it may not be the best thing for me, but I just love food WAY too much! Shame on me that I use the fact that I am in shape to do as I please when it comes to eating. Though I have noticed lately that my skin is getting that “sag” to it. What the heck is that?! I am not even 40 yet! Maybe if I keep finding things this yummy looking to eat then the transition won’t be so hard on me? Please check out these Gluten-free Banana Bread Pancakes from My New Roots, they are just awesome over there!

Vanilla Bean Cheesecake with Chocolate Crust and Salted Caramel

I am a complete sucker for a cheesecake. It has got to be one of my favorite things in the whole world! That being said, when I came across a recipe for a Vanilla bean cheesecake with chocolate crust and salted caramel, I thought I had died and gone to heaven! Can you imagine? Well our friends over at Former Chef have sure figured it out!

Monkey Bread Leftovers

So, this evening Spyder had asked for hot dogs for dinner. We very rarely have hot dogs, so there were no buns in the house. I had decided to spruce up our dogs by wrapping them in Pillsbury Biscuits. As much as I hate to admit it, serve with a side of ketchup and spicy mustard, they turned out pretty good! There is a forever mental struggle whenever I am dealing with hot dogs, but these were darn tasty! That being said, we only used a couple biscuits for dinner so I had to think of something on the fly…

I decided on Monkey Bread. This recipe is so simple and I honestly change it up each time I make it. Being that I was not working with a full can of biscuits, I decided to skip using a pan to cook it in and decided on a 2 c Mason jar instead. 

First I cut the biscuits into bite-size pieces and tossed them into a bowl of cinnamon and sugar to coat.

Next, toss all yummy coated pieces into greased jar. I cheated and used cooking spray.

 

Once almost to the top (they need room to grow), you could probably skip this step, but I added a big spoonful of butter and a dash of organic Vanilla Extract. mmmm

Then into the pre-heated oven at 325 degrees…

 until it looks like this….

I want to say that it took close to 20 mins., but honestly, my oven is extremely funky and I kind of guesstimate everything. Please feel free to ask any questions! 

Hot Dog Wraps- Take 1

So, I almost panicked when Spyder said he wanted hot dogs! I remained calm and chose to spice them up a little bit so that I could stomach the thought. We decided to wrap them in Pillsbury Biscuits! I added a half slice of “cheese” to mine. My oven bakes quite high, so I was baking them at 325 degrees until golden brown. I didn’t want to run the risk of the outside burning and the biscuit dough not being done, or the hot dog being cold, on the inside. We serve our’s up with a side of ketchup and spicy mustard around here. Perfect snack for a cold afternoon!