Amazing Carrot Cake

Amazing Carrot Cake (masquerading as a birthday cake!)

A few weeks behind on posting.  What can I say?  Life has a way of knocking you on your behind, slapping you in the face and reminding you of what matters most.

In my case: my husband & my girls; our little family.  The end.

The family.  We were a strange little band of characters trudging through life sharing diseases and toothpaste, coveting one another’s desserts, hiding shampoo, borrowing money, locking each other out of our rooms, inflicting pain and kissing to heal it in the same instant, loving, laughing, defending, and trying to figure out the common thread that bound us all together.  ~Erma Bombeck

I decided to make this carrot cake for my husband’s birthday….even though he told me not to.  He said: “if we want this carrot cake we really should just ask Chris to make it.”  Bottom line my friend Chris made this cake for us once when they came over to play cards and hang out.  Chris is an excellent baker.  Matt fell madly in love with the cake.  Important fact: my husband thinks I might not do the cake justice.  I should probably agree with him but it’s his birthday and I wanted to make something special for him.

In this house I am not the ultimate baker.  Baking takes time and patience,  two things I am usually short on.  But it was my husband’s BIRTHDAY…I mean come on, I have to bake him a cake!  He usually requests his favorite which is my strawberry cake but this year the carrot cake was in the number #1 position!  It happens!  I do have to agree this carrot cake is simply delicious, moist and totally flavorful!

Chris found this recipe in one of her Taste of Home Magazines.  I went on their website to link up the original but I will be darn; they have a plethora of carrot cake recipes but NOT the one Chris gave me….sorry…I tried!

The BEST carrot cake I have ever eaten in my life!

Ingredients:

For the cake:

2 cups flour

2 teaspoons baking soda

2 teaspoons cinnamon

3 cup shredded carrots (I think mine was closer to 3 1/2 cups)

1 20-ounce can crushed pineapple well-drained

2 cup sugar

1 cup canola oil

4 eggs

1 cup toasted walnuts

For the frosting:

2 package cream cheese

1/2 cup butter

2 teaspoons vanilla

7 1/2 cups confectioner sugar

How to (cake):

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.  Grease 2 8-inch or 9-inch round baking pans.  Set aside.

In a large bowl combine your flour, baking soda and cinnamon.  Set aside.

In your mixer combine your shredded carrots, drained pineapple, sugar, oil, and eggs.  Mix well.  Add your dry ingredients slowly.  Fold in your walnuts.

Pour into your prepared pans and bake in your preheated oven for about 40 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.  Let cool completely.  Put on your serving plate.  Time to ice your cake and make it look pretty.  (something I usually fail miserably at!)

Lovely start

just so you know my house smells like heaven!

take a closer look

How to (frosting):

Beat your cream cheese, butter and vanilla until blended.  Gradually add your confectioner sugar until smooth.  Spread generously between the 2 layers and all over this delicious cake.
Note: if you decide to make a sheet cake instead of a round layered cake you should make 1/2 the frosting.

Let’s say I did a fair job on the decorating…

Printer Friendly: Amazing Carrot Cake

so moist and flavorful, simply amazing!

Peace and I love Birthdays especially my husband’s

Isabelle

Note: I am still on break from Facebook so if you have a chance to share on your wall or page I would greatly appreciate it…. THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT.

Turkey Pepperjack Melt

Turkey Pepperjack Melt

I have been meaning to do a “melt” post for quite sometime.  I love going to Steak and Shake.  I always order the same thing:  the Pepperjack Melt.  I always have the best intentions in ordering something else but nope!  Every single time, I chose the Pepperjack melt (with extra jalapenos of course!)

Here is my homemade salute to this lovely treat/meal! (note: my recipe is for 4 peeps…multiply as you see fit, also this is kind of a do it as you like it recipe…or non-recipe…go with the flow people)

NOTE….sad note….the pictures for this post are horrid but hear me out…I pushed this dinner for three nights…three whole nights.  First we were eating too late because of all the stuff we had to do around our place (see previous post) then the kids had about a bazillion things going…we ate late again & I wanted good pics!  So tonight it’s pouring rain, Matt got home late from work, he wanted to workout, I had a cocktail….so the pics are horrid!  Meal is still awesome.  Story of my life!

let’s get to it (by the way the dark spot is a lost mushroom)

Ingredients:

8 slices white or whole wheat bread (simple sandwich bread works best for this dish…in my humble opinion)

4 turkey patties (or 1 lb. ground turkey formed into 4 patties)

Montreal Steak seasoning (season to your liking)

8 pieces Pepperjack cheese (if this is too spicy for you go with something of your liking)

1 8-ounce package mushrooms thinly sliced

1 onion thinly sliced

salt and pepper to taste

1/4 cup dry red wine (or beef broth)

Pickled jalapeno (put as many or as little as you like)

coleslaw (for serving)

Baked fries or chips (for serving)

How to:

In a large pan, melt 1 tablespoon butter and 1 tablespoon olive oil, add your onion and mushroom. Sautee until soft and fragrant.  Add your wine and gently reduce for 3-4 minutes.  Keep warm, until time to assemble.

from start

to finish

Sprinkle some Montreal steak seasoning on both sides of your turkey patties.  Grill or pan fry your patties until no longer pink.  Keep warm until time to assemble.

To assemble, butter the “outside” of each slices (go ahead and pick a side!) put a turkey patty on each slice of bread, top with a heaping spoonful of sautéed mushrooms and onions, add a spoonful (or less or more) of pickled jalapeno,  add two (yes two) slices of Pepperjack cheese on each sandwich and finally (!) top with another piece of bread.  Put on your griddle (or large pan) and grill on each side until golden brown.  Cut in half, preferable on the bias…and dig in!  Simply marvelous!

Here’s a  pictorial “how to”…no really!

step #1

#2… the little buttery sweetness

#3 the spiciness (notice only 2 got it!)

#4 the cheesy madness…wait a minute…is that american cheese! OMG!

#5 the tops….duh…

yummilicious

I love the extra cheese, as the kids say YOLO (You Only Live Once) evidently I like to live healthy and fit but sometimes you’ve had a pretty painful few days or busy or just regular life and you need a little extra cheese on top!  I like that.  I like a little extra cheese on top!

this is delicious…this is cheesy & spicy…this is perfect!

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Peace and Best Intentions,

Isabelle

Check out this linky party:

Spring Happenings

Well first off Spring is a word I can only use loosely.  We all know Mother Nature is completely miffed at something and she is taking it out on us.  Come to think of it she is probably mad a us for the way we treat our planet….a  philosophical conversation I wish to leave alone for the moment.

Having 5 acres is not quite enough to act like we are running a wheat farm, yet it is big enough that we have a few more things to handle than some folks living in sub-divisions might have.  On the contrary, having chickens is definitely not even close to having a herd of cattle or mustangs running wild through our pastures, but it’s work none the less.  We do have to get a few (I think a bunch but I will say a few) things ready once Winter seems to be leaving us.

Here’s a few things that are happening around here.

First off, our 4-wheeler is back to what I prefer it to be…not a snow plow but a fun toy we can drive at our leisure.

Winter 4-wheeler….YUCK!

ready for fun!

and then there is this trouble maker! I had a fun Sunday

8 new baby chicks have come to live with us!  DO NOT PANIC….we didn’t eat nor kill our old chicks.  As I have mentioned before, not sure if I mentioned here, but definitely on Facebook, our old hens have retired to a “Chicks Retirement Farm”.  I can’t even make that up!  This lady keeps old laying hens of all kinds and lets them have a beautiful space to enjoy their last few years!

Here are the new little girls:

8 lovely chickies

By the way we have named all 8, everyone got to choose 2 names (I gave one of mine to my cousin Andrea)

Franklin

Simon

Robert

Steve Jr.

Walter

Jascha (pronouced Josh sha) Andrea’s pick

Tiffany (our only blond chick….that’s Sunshine’s girl…please don’t take offense to the “dumb blond” reference…she is a smart chick!)

Sheila

so cute!

little Sheila

Sunshine is the only one who picked girl names for her chicks.  Also naming our pets completely insures that we would NEVER eat them.  Seriously?!  Who would want to sit at the dinner table (besides my husband) and say :”oh wow, this bird Simon sure is delicious”  CREEPY!

Our garden….although I was made fun of when I said it’s a decent size (some people always have to one up others….geez…) I still think it’s pretty awesome.  Matt built the boxes and had garden soil delivered.  This is our first year boxing it in (2 – 4 x 24 raised beds), along with using our tubs.  I usually am more of a free spirit gardener (which gives me an excuse when things go wrong) but we all know that’s not how my husband likes to conquer projects!

might look like nothing it’s a pretty decent pile of dirt!

So in good Isabelle fashion, meaning: I have more energy and craziness running through my veins than the average monkey.  On Saturday morning after working out (and a crazy Friday workout as well) I thought it would be nice of me to shovel all the dirt in the boxes.  Matt worked overtime on Friday night, all day Saturday and he had a bunch of chores for Sunday.  I thought it was only fair I did my part.  Took me about 1 1/2 hour but I got it done.  It is a miracle I am able to type this post.  My arms are shot!  I barely slept last night because my back was cramping up…surprisingly enough I am actually in a decent mood…must be the lovely Spring air!

done!

Finally things are blooming:

my purple lilac tree. I have about 6 different lilac trees! I love them!

Lovely nectarine tree

Flowering pear tree (no fruits)

my chives coming back to life!

I wish you all a wonderful Springtime.  Tell me what is your favorite part of Spring.  Mine is: Hope…Hope of warm weather!

Peace and Love,

Isabelle

Braised Rhubard Over Yogurt Vanilla Bean Cake

Braised Rhubarb over Yogurt Vanilla Bean Cake

The title alone makes me all giddy and happy!  Is that weird?  Honestly I thought about this cake and came up with the name before I even started formulating a recipe.  That’s the kind of crazy stuff that happens in my head….ALL THE TIME!  I was at the gym (no joke!) and I was hungry (still no joke!) when I started daydreaming about rhubarb (doesn’t everybody?) and then vanilla beans…it escalated quickly from there.  So in good Isabelle fashion I sent myself a text with the name: Braised Rhubarb over Yogurt Vanilla Bean Cake (doesn’t everybody self text?)  When I finally got home, I didn’t hit the ground running because as you know life gets in the way of food creation at times…this week is madness overload.  So I decided to do something I am not built for: use my patience and plan when I should make my cake topped with delicious braised rhubarb.  It was worth the wait.

Cake inspired by Yogurt Cake in Joy of Cooking (AKA The Bible!)

this is the ticket to yummy cake and sweet/tart rhubarb!

Yogurt Vanilla Bean Cake:

Ingredients:

2 1/4 cups sifted cake flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

5 tablespoons unsalted butter

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup brown sugar

2 large eggs

1 vanilla bean, seeds scraped

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 cup non-fat greek yogurt

Zest 1/2 lemon

How to:

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.  Grease and flour or spray a Bundt cake pan.  Set aside.

In a medium bowl combine your flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.  Set aside.

In your mixer cream your butter and sugars until light and fluffy.  Add your eggs (one at a time), your 1/2 lemon zest, your vanilla seeds and vanilla.  Add your yogurt and mix well, scraping the bowl as needed.  Finally add your flour mixture and mix until just combined.   Pour into your prepared pan and bake in your preheated oven for 30-35 minutes until golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.  Let cool and invert into a serving plate.  Serve topped with braised rhubarb (recipe below)

OK we all know I eat raw batter (RELAX…I like live dangerously) THIS is sinful….simply sinful

take a closer look…do you seed the seeds?…I mean…seriously? OH MY!!!!

perfectly golden

this cake tastes and looks decadent but it’s lower-fat!!!!!

Braised Rhubarb

Ingredients:

1 to 1.5 lb fresh rhubarb cut into 2 to 3-inch pieces

Juice and zest 1 orange

Juice 1 lemon

Zest 1/2 lemon (I didn’t see the reason not to do double duty on that one!  I shared with the cake!)

1/4 cup agave syrup

1 teaspoon Vanilla

1/4 teaspoon sea salt

1 teaspoon cinnamon

How to:

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees F.  Line a baking sheet with foil or silicone mat.  Set aside.

Combine all ingredients in a large bowl.  Toss to cover every bit of rhubarb.  Put in your prepared pan and bake in your preheated oven for 17-20 minutes or until rhubarb is soft and fragrant.  Serve over your vanilla yogurt cake or ice cream or yogurt or your hand…

you know me…anything braised or roasted gets me going! from start

to finish

do you hear the Spring Angels singing?

Note: what do I love the most about this?  Simple: the cake tastes like a pound cake but it’s lower-fat.  Mind blowing.  I also love love love the perfect vanilla seed flecks running through the cake.  Magical.  Dreamy.  Heavenly.  Oh and the rhubarb…AMAZING…sweet, tart, happy, delicious, a touch of spice and a lot of love!

make this cake. please make it. put rhubarb on it. or don’t. put anything or nothing but make it. please and thank you.

Printer Friendly: Braised Rhubard Over Yogurt Vanilla Bean Cake

Peace out dudes,

Isabelle

p.s . if you need an “how to” about getting seeds from whole vanilla beans here is a little helpful video:  my recipe dot com

Salmon with Brown Sugar and Mustard Glaze & Herb Rolls

Salmon with Brown Sugar and Mustard Glaze & Herb Rolls

My Father in Law gave us loads of Salmon when we went to Florida.  In fact, he and Matt went to his hunting camp hoping to catch more fish but to no avail…nothing worth keeping.  He also gave us lots of deer meat!  I cannot wait to find some delicious recipes for all this beautiful meat!

I decided to make this salmon first because I love Salmon.  Secondly I happen to have a great recipe in the Everyday Food Issue #81,  which was my next installment….how convenient?!  The recipe for the rolls is a slightly different version of the one in the Everyday Food.  Theirs only had salt and pepper.  I wanted more flavor, especially since I was serving them with Salmon which has a pretty bold flavor.  I needed something to stand up to the Salmon and say “game on” ….seriously something is wrong with me that I think food not only talks but that it would talk to other food….lord help me!

this is good people….really really good!

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

1 large shallot, minced

1/4 cup red-wine vinegar

1/4 cup whole-grain mustard

1/4 cup packed dark-brown sugar

Coarse salt and ground pepper

1 side salmon (about 3 pounds), skin removed, cut into 8 fillets

1 bunch watercress (about 3/4 pound), thick stems trimmed (or in my case Super Greens because I couldn’t find watercress)

1 lemon, cut into wedges, for serving

How to:

Heat broiler, with rack in top position.  In a small saucepan, heat oil over medium-high.  Add shallot and cook, stirring often until softened, 3 minutes.  Add vinegar and cook until slightly evaporated, 1 minute.  Add mustard and brown sugar; stir until warm and combined, 1 minute.  Season with salt and pepper and remove from heat.  (To store, refrigerate cooled glaze in an airtight container, up to 1 day.)

THE glaze my friends!

Place salmon fillets on a foil-lined rimmed baking sheet (or silicone mat) and season with salt and pepper.  Transfer 1/2 cup glaze to a small dish and brush on top of salmon.  Broil salmon until glaze is bubbling and fish is opaque throughout, 5 to 10 minutes, depending on thickness; brush remaining glaze over fillets.  Serve salmon along with watercress and lemon wedges.

so far so good, at least I know how to glaze fish!

Herb Rolls:

Ingredients:

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1 container store bought pizza (about 11-ounces)

2 tablespoons fresh rosemary roughly chopped

2 tablespoons fresh chives roughly chopped

2 tablespoons fresh basil roughly chopped

2 tablespoons fresh parsley finely chopped (HA….are you paying attention?  It can be roughly chopped too!)

Coarse salt and ground pepper

How to:

In a small bowl combine all your fresh herbs and set aside.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees, with rack in lower third.  Place 2 tablespoons olive oil in an 8-inch square baking dish.  Divide pizza dough into 16 pieces.  Sprinkle some fresh herbs on each pieces and mix gently into the dough.  Form each piece into a tight ball and place in dish, turning to coat with oil.  Cover dish with plastic wrap; set aside in a warm, draft-free place until balls double in size, 40 to 45 minutes (or refrigerate overnight; bring to room temperature and let rise before baking).  Season each roll with salt and pepper and bake until golden brown, 35 minutes.  Brush rolls with 1 tablespoon oil and let cool slightly.  Serve warm.

I know….everything is not the same size….I am hopeless!

good start? perhaps but I missed something along the way.

oh my…such uneveness

Note:  my rolls didn’t rise quite the way they were supposed too.  I think I didn’t let them rest enough….they were really good and I love the fresh herbs addition.  Well….you can’t win them all.  Let’s consider this a failed rolls attempt!

so so delicious and easy to make! I will be making this again! The leftovers were scrumptious!

Printer Friendly: Salmon with Brown Sugar and Mustard Glaze

Printer Friendly: Herb Rolls

Peace and Fish it out,

Isabelle

Spring Break 2013

a little self portrait! I am pretty happy to be heading South!

So here I am back home.  I did have the best of intentions in posting updates and/or recipes during our travel but unfortunately I was only able to post the Pork Milanese.  It is a great recipe and I love it but I kind of feel bad I couldn’t get my act together long enough to share some fun pics with you guys.

this is the kind of weather we had leaving Indiana….creepy!

I have to be honest with you.  I am somewhat of a crazy traveler….in fact I should say “crazy pre-traveler” meaning I get somewhat crazy before we leave for our trips…here’s some of the crazy things that happens to me BEFORE we leave:

~  What if I forgot something?  I mean Lord knows there might not be 50 drugstores or Chez Target or The Infinite Walmart…all over our country.  Nope I need everything with me.

~  Will we have enough food and water for our trip.  Seriously?  I see the news show reporting people who were stuck somewhere in a storm or what not and they NEVER  have food or water with them.  Really?  We travel with enough food that usually we end up bringing some on our trip back….after a week!

~  Is Mapquest lying to me?  What if there was an error in the system and the map is sending me in the wrong direction?  It’s not like I can ask for directions….or you know look at the good ol’ map paper thingy….

~  Do I have enough workout clothes?  Do I have enough shoes?  Do I have enough underoos?  Trust me I pack as if I am going on a world tour!

~  Did I bring enough to keep me busy in the car?  Do I want to read?  Type?  Review Recipes?  Make paper mache pinatas? 

~  Will my dogs be sad to see me leave?  Will Jack (our house sitter) remember to feed Bob the fish?  Will my dogs remember I am their mommy when I get back?

~  Will I get an upset stomach while we travel?  I know TMI….but seriously I once made my husband stop the car 3 times in the first hour of a trip because I thought my bladder was going to explode!  (I truly apologize for crossing the bathroom issue for the first time in my blogging history…couldn’t help it…had to go there!)

by the way this is as “junk/fast food” as I like to eat….I am a pain to travel with!

OK so…we made it to Florida perfectly OK.  Here are some pics for your personal enjoyment!

On Sunday we went to Brunch with my brother and his family!  It was delicious.  Here’s our little gang:

I don’t usually post pics of my kids but I decided to make an exception today (with my sister-in-law’s blessing of course)

On Monday I took the girls to Universal, against my better judgement…anyone who has ever lived in Florida knows you don’t go to Disney or Universal during Spring Break…that’s just crazy talk!

I really should have bought this cup! Isn’t it cute?! Maybe next time!

Matt went to his dad’s hunting camp….too many snakes for my liking!

On Tuesday the girls, Dee and I went to the beach.  It was AWESOME….packed but awesome.

Cocoa Beach. I don’t know how I managed to make it look empty…it was crazy packed with peeps!

On Wednesday, we met up with my BFF, Janine.  Had a nice lunch, pedicures, some much needed girl shopping and then I cooked dinner for the whole group.  Menu: marinated grill pork chops with a vegetable and tortellini balsamic pasta salad!  Plenty of wine…enough to get the adults acting like we were in college.  (please read that we acted like idiots and that the kids quietly pretended we were invisible.)

Janine has the best backyard in the world!!!!!

gift from Janine…isn’t that sweet?!

On Thursday we had lunch with Matt’s mom and sister.  We went to a cute little mexican restaurant called: Mexican Restaurant.  I love that name!  It is what it is!

Kerri and Grandma Penny, we had a lovely lunch!

Thursday night was adult dinner night, the girls “babysat” their cousins.  Dee, Christian, Matt and I went out to dinner and had the most amazing food!  I only took a picture of my plate because as you know I can get pretty annoying about food and I don’t want to be in the dog house on vacation! 

Grilled Lamb Chops (medium rare) with Gorgonzola Polenta and Wilted Spinach…AMAZING!

p.s. Sorry about the ugly food pic…smart phones are not all that good for food photos!

Finally Friday.  We went running (as we did every morning Dee and I) then private movie showing of The Host.  A little more shopping before we hit the road around 4pm so we could avoid a bit of traffic….we didn’t but that’s a story I will keep to myself!

this is where I had the pleasure of running every single day. Truly perfect!

Look at this cute cookie tin I found at World Market…I can’t believe I didn’t buy it! I guess the pink doesn’t really work in my kitchen!

what I decided was a healthy treat for our drive back…no I don’t regret it!

OK OK I am almost done I promise….a couple more things I want to share with you.

at the beach my little Bear burned her face really really bad. This little magic potion saved the day!

Note: I don’t know this company, they don’t know me but my kid’s face is healing and 100% better because of it!  If you ever get a bad sunburn, I highly suggest you find this little gem!

This is a picture of my brother and I, I don’t even know how old we are but it makes me happy. It is proudly displayed in their living room!

Well I hope this wasn’t too boring for you guys….I guess I better get cooking something fierce otherwise some might think I have lost my touch!

Peace and Love,

Isabelle

Pork Milanese

Pork Milanese

Remember how much I love Ann Burrell?  Yes, I said love!  I could totally see being friends with her.  She’s got spunk!  I have to say that most of my friends, especially my girlfriends are women with lots of spunk.  I like people that can put up with me and keep me on my toes.  I am an acquired taste as far as a friend.  I know it.  I’ve lived with it for a while now.  So I guess I look for the same traits in my friends.  My point is; Ann is that kind of personality…well I imagine she is!

Her cookbook: Cook Like A Rock Star is still a favorite of mine.  I have shared a couple recipes from this book, so today I thought I should give you one more delicious treat from Ann.  It is super simple to make.  The technique is key and you can simply change the protein to your liking, or what’s on sale at the store.

Let’s get to it.

Note: I did change a few things, because I can’t follow directions to save my life!  I put in parenthesis what I changed, feel free to follow Anne, or me or you…I’d go with you.  Be the master of your kitchen!

simple perhaps but amazingly scrumptious!

Ingredients:

For the onions:

3/4 cup red wine vinegar

1 tablespoon kosher salt

1 1/2 teaspoons sugar

2 0r 3 shots of Tabasco or other hot sauce

1 red onion, very thinly sliced rings

For the pork:

1 cup all-purpose flour

2 large eggs (I ended up needing 3), beaten with 1 tablespoon water

1 1/2 cups panko (I did 3/4 panko and 3/4 Italian breadcrumbs)

1/2 cup freshly grated Parmigiano

4 thick-cut boneless pork chops, butterflied and lightly pounded (I did 5 chops, I sliced them in half lengthwise and then pounded them)

kosher salt

Extra virgin olive oil

For the salad:

1/2 cup freshly grated Pecorino (I only had Parmigiano)

1/2 cup hazelnuts, toasted

2 tablespoons fresh Italian parsley chopped

1 head of escarole, cut into bite-size pieces (I did do the escarole but honestly romaine or even arugula would have worked)

Pickled Onions (recipe below)

Extra virgin olive oil

How to:

For the onions:

In a medium bowl, combine the vinegar with 1/2 cup cold water.  Add the salt, sugar and Tabasco and stir.  Add the sliced onions and let sit for a least 1 hour.

lovely pickled onions

For the pork:

Set up your standard breading procedure: one bowl with the flour, one with the egg-water mixture, and one with the panko/breadcrumbs and grated Parmigiano combined.  Have a baking sheet handy to hold the pork after breading.

Season the pork with salt.  Using one hand for dry ingredients and one hand for wet, take each piece of pork through the breading procedure: dredge it lightly in the flour, shake off the excess, dip it in the egg wash, then pack on the panko/breadcrumbs.  Lay the breaded pork on the baking sheet and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

all set or all breaded I should say!

Preheat the oven to 200 degrees F.

Pour 1/2 inch of olive oil into a large saute pan and bring to medium-high heat.  Set up your drying situation next to the stove by lining a baking sheet with a couple layers of paper towels.  Once the oil is hot, add the pork, working in batches so you don’t crowd the pan.  Cool the first side of the pork until golden brown and crispy, 3 to 4 minutes; turn and brown the other side.  When the pork is done, lay it on the paper towels to drain off the excess oil and sprinkle with salt.  The keep the pork in the oven while you cook the second batch.

the magical golden crust

everything is now nice and crispy

For the salad:

Put the Pecorino (or parmesan), hazelnuts, and parsley in the food processor and pulse until coarsely chopped.

In a large bowl, combine the escarole, hazelnut mix and some of the pickled red onions; dress this mixture with olive oil and some of the pickling liquid and toss to combine.

this salad is so delicious it could be serve all by itself!

To serve, place a pork chop on a serving plate and top with the lovely salad.  Simply perfectly delicious!

what a great meal, simply perfect!

Printer Friendly:  Pork Milanese

Peace and I like people with Spunk!

Isabelle

Pumpkin-Almond Crunch

Pumpkin-Almond Crunch

Pardon the interruption while I still try to squeeze into a bikini….yep all 43 years old of me in da bikini baby!  So I have been torturing my peeps with healthy grubs for a while  (meaning more healthy than ever for me).  I am still my usual everything from scratch kind of nut job (please don’t take offense if you are part of the same clan), but lately I have been annoying more than usual….which if you know me, well it’s kind of scary.  I put annoying on the map.  I thrive on annoying.  I rejoice in….OK this is annoying!

We are heading to Florida for Spring Break.  So although I am the biggest gym rat around I have managed to push the envelop a touch more in terms of not only exercising but cutting out a LOT of unhealthy habits.  First off; no more bread at breakfast.  Second, no more food…HA!  Just checking to see if you were paying attention!  Second, less snacking.

It’s been nice….especially nice when I will be lying on the beach in my granny bikini

Here’s a little healthy treat to share with the class.

delicious treat for everyone!

Adapted from: Canyon Ranch Nourish by Scott Uehlein

Ingredients:

3/4 cup raw pumpkin seeds

3/4 cup raw almonds

2 teaspoon canola oil

3 tablespoon real maple syrup

1 tablespoon flax seeds

3/4 teaspoon cinnamon

3/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon all spice

3/4 teaspoon sea salt or kosher

1 1/2 cup dried cranberries

How to:

Preheat the oven to 300 degree F.  Lightly spray a baking sheet with canola oil spray or line with a silicone mat.

Toss the pumpkin seeds, almonds and canola oil in a small bowl.  Spread the coated seeds evenly on the baking sheet.  Roast for 20 minutes, or until almost dry.

first step….gotta start somewhere!

Place the pumpkin seeds and almonds in a medium bowl and stir in your maple syrup until coated.

Combine the cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice and salt in a small bowl.  Add the spice mixture and flax seeds to the pumpkin seeds and almonds.  Stir to combine.

Return everything to the baking sheet, spread as evenly as possible and roast for 15 minutes or until dry, stirring occasionally.  Keep an eye on this, pumpkin seeds burn easily.  Remove from oven and let cool completely.

second roasting….easy breezy

Once cooled combine the seeds and the dried cranberries in a large bowl.  Put in an air tight container.

isn’t it gorgeous?

To serve: I like to sprinkle over Greek yogurt and sliced bananas.  Any flavor yogurt works, I prefer Chobani non-fat plain yogurt.  If you prefer you may want to drizzle some more maple syrup, honey or agave syrup.  This crunch is also great over cereal or simply in a bowl while watching Duck Dynasty….

my afternoon snack

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Peace and Da Beach in Da Bikini!

Isabelle

Southwest Chicken Salad

Southwest Chicken Salad

It seems I get all my chicken salad recipes from other people.  What’s up with that?  Can’t I come up with my own delicious recipes?  Am I chicken salad deficient?  Possibly…I guess I will just have to live with it.  I can definitely throw down with my numerous cookie recipes!

Is it me or this conversation is a bit weird?  It’s not like I go around the gym or school asking people if they have delicious chicken salad recipes (getting weirder).  But first it was Jenny’s Salad whom I basically had to get into a physical fight to get her darn chicken salad recipe, which she had given to Jennifer first….NOT FORGOTTEN THAT ONE!    And now my husband has his own that he claims is the best chicken salad ever (you know he didn’t say that because as we all know he is Captain of the Nice People Club…a club I certainly don’t belong to!).  Sooooo anyway…..weirdly enough I have pretty much refused to make his version at home just “cause….yep just cause I am me and that’s how I roll people”…making friends around the world!

I finally decided it was time I step out of my “negative nancy” mode, give in and make his salad.  Turns out (as expected…blah blah blah) it’s delicious! 

I should have made this sooner! Look at the size of my leftover lunch the next day!

Ingredients:

4 chicken breasts cooked and shredded (about 5 cups shredded) (see cooking instruction below)

Juice of 2 limes

1 red pepper diced (green, yellow, orange all works, of course)

1/2 medium red onion diced

1/2 bunch chopped fresh cilantro (about 2 cups)

2 garlic cloves finely chopped

2 7-ounce cans Herdez Cesara Salsa drained (see note below)

1 tablespoon each salt and pepper

2 avocados diced

How to:

For the chicken:  Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F.  Put your chicken breast in a large baking dish, sprinkle with salt, pepper and any poultry seasoning you like.  Bake for 40-45 minutes until no longer pink.  Let cool for about 15 minutes and shred.  Put in a large bowl.  Set aside and let cool completely.

Once your chicken has cooled add all your ingredients except your avocado.  Mix well.  Top your bowl with plastic wrap, put in your refrigerator and let this marinate and get to know each other well for about 1 hour.  Add your diced avocado and serve in pita pockets, tortilla wraps, on top of lettuce, with toasted country bread….etc…endless possibilities.

marinating

with avocados…I know hard telling the difference but take my word for it.

Amazing flavors, fresh, healthy and a nice change from classic mayo chicken salad.

perfect lunch!

Note about the salsa:  The Herdez Cesara is the one Matt says works best, a very authentic sauce, obviously if you have something you prefer then by all means use it but make sure you drain it first.  Otherwise the salad will be very wet and not what we are shooting for!

FYI this is the salsa Matt prefers for this dish

Another note: if you have about 5 cups leftover chicken by all means use it!  I won’t tell Matt 

Printer Friendly: Southwest Chicken Salad

Peace and Don’t Be Deficient,

Isabelle

Chocolate Chip, Oatmeal and Pecan Cookies

Chocolate Chip, Oatmeal and Pecan Cookies

I know.  Cookies.  Trust me I make cookies all the time and I really only give you guys maybe 1/3 of the recipes I make.  I think I have pretty much said everything there is to say regarding my love of cookies.  It’s a pretty healthy obsession if you ask me….but I don’t judge myself too harshly on that subject. 

This is a yummy recipe from Everyday Food issue #80 “The Fast Issue” this was a very nice issue in my opinion, plenty to choose from and lots of healthy options as well.

I have already talked about the Chewy Molasses Squares (see link below) which were so fantastically scrumptious!  Worth their weight in cookies (no not gold…you can’t eat gold!)

Let’s get to the yummy cookies….

this is the good stuff my friends….perfect combo!

Ingredients:

1 cup all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled)

1 1/4 cups rolled oats (not quick-cooking)

1/2 teaspoon coarse salt

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature

1 cup light-brown sugar

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1 large egg

1 cup chopped toasted pecans

1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

How to:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F, with racks in upper and lower thirds.

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, oats, salt, baking powder, and baking soda.  Set aside.

In a large bowl, using an electric mixer, beat butter and brown sugar on high until light and fluffy, about 4 minutes, scraping down bowl as needed.  Add vanilla and egg and beat to combine.  With mixer on low, gradually add flour mixture and beat just until combined.  Fold in pecans and chocolate chips.

Drop dough by tablespoonfuls, 2 inches apart, onto parchment-lined baking sheets.  Bake cookies until puffed and golden around edges, about 15 minutes, rotating sheets halfway through.  Transfer cookies to wire racks to cool.

ready to roll

done!

chillin’

Ahhhhh hot and freshly baked chocolate cookies…heavenly!

aaaahhhh perfection!

Printer Friendly: Chocolate Chip, Oatmeal and Pecan Coookies

Peace and I am worth a lot of cookies,

Isabelle

Other recipes from Everyday Food:

Chewy Molasses Squares

Chewy Molasses Squares

Spinach, Onion and Bacon Frittata

Spinach, Onions and Bacon Frittata

Sesame Beef (this one got RAVE reviews!)

Sesame Beef

Apple and Sour Cream Coffee Cake

Apple and Sour Cream Coffee Cake

Sweet & Sour Chicken with Sesame Noodles

Sweet & Sour Chicken with Sesame Noodles