Breakfast Burrito

Brad challenged me to make dinner for 2 people and I almost did it yesterday! I don't know exactly why that's so hard for me. Maybe because its easier to cook for 4 and then we can have the leftovers the next day for our lunches. Problem is lunch portions should really be smaller, and Brad tends to eat a bit more than 1 portion at dinner so I never know quite how much to make.  I think of that when I pull out some giant hunk of meat from the freezer and somehow decide it makes sense to just cook it all...

Anyways, I love making breakfast burritos! They make a great weeknight dinner or special breakfast. I assume my version is a bit healthier than Beto's... (they use deep fried french fries and are a bit greasier)

BREAKFAST BURRITOS
1 C hashbrowns (or 1 potato cut into julienne strips with this amazing tool)
4 beaten eggs, + 2 Tbs milk
1/3 16 oz pkg chorizo
5 strips bacon
1/4 onion, chopped (or 1 tsp onion powder)
1/2 C sharp cheddar cheese
salt/pepper to taste
tortillas, salsa, sour cream
Cut bacon into small pieces and fry in a pan. Once cooked, set bacon aside onto a paper towel and drain some of the oil from the pan. Add chorizo to the same pan and fry until slightly browned.  Add onion and hashbrowns and only turn around periodically so they have a chace to brown, add salt/pepper and a little olive oil if needed. (I've also cooked the potatoes in the oven just like I do for oven fries only cut ito juliene strips.  Once the potatoes are cooked add eggs to the pan and stir, when the eggs are almost done return bacon to the pan and add cheese unil just melted. Spoon into warm tortillas and top with salsa and sour cream, or ketchup.

I folded mine into a cute little burrito, Brad's was too overstuffed for that!

fruity milk!

Brad asked me to "humor him" for 60 days and do p90x with him. Hmm... so far I'm not a big fan. I'm more of an aerobics class kinda girl- good music, constant movement (real cardio! thats right, Tony), fun routines, dripping sweat. I'm thinking I'll go to the gym 1/2 the time and do the man workout w/ him when I don't go. We are trying to be a bit healthier and get rid of some of our post-wedding pudge. Since we love food so much, more exercise is a better option for us.  We can still make a few attempts to eat a little healthier though...
I'm loving blending milk with a little fruit for breakfast or a post-workout treat. It's so simple and yummy, so if you've never done this you should give it a try. The cinnamon makes the banana great and the strawberry turns the loveliest shade of pink. (no pic, so you'll just have to see for yourself.) I don't know which is my favorite yet. :)

BANANA MILK
1 banana
≈1 C milk
2-3 ice cubes (sometimes I use cubes of pineapple juice that I froze)
≈1/4 tsp cinnamon (just sprinkle it in)
1/2 tsp vanilla
a spoonful of splenda or sugar

STRAWBERRY MILK
5 strawberries (more or less)
≈1 C milk
2-3 ice cubes (again, sometimes I do the frozen pineapple juice)
a spoonful of splenda/sugar
1/4 tsp vanilla, optional

Blend. Enjoy.

Mint Cream Brownies

We live so close to Normandie Cafe, a quaint little restaurant/French bakery. They have the most delicious soups, sandwiches, and these amazing mint cream brownies. I don't dare ask them if they have creme de menthe in them... Since today is Sunday I can't go buy one, so I decided to make my own. I made my favorite brownie recipe then topped it off with my favorite buttercream frosting (adding peppermint instead of vanilla) and a chocolate glaze. I just hope Brad remembers to take them to work tomorrow so I don't eat the rest by myself...

BROWNIES
1 3/4 stick butter
¾ C cocoa (I use hershey's especially dark)
2 C sugar
1 tsp baking powder
2 tsp vanilla
4 eggs
1 C flour
In a saucepan on low heat, melt butter and cocoa. Remove from heat. Add sugar beating well. Add eggs one at a time beating well after each. Stir in flour, baking powder, and vanilla. Pour in greased 13x9" pan. (When I make these plain I add 1/2 tsp cinnamon and 1 tsp orange zest, or I swirl in peanut butter). Bake at 350° 25 min.
Cool, then top with:
BUTTERCREAM FROSTING
1/2 C butter
1/4 C shortening
3/4 tsp peppermint extract
3 C powder sugar
2 tsp milk
Cream fats, add peppermint. Add sugar one cup at a time. Add green coloring if desired and a tsp of milk at a time beating on high until you get the right texture, light and fluffy. Keep damp cloth over it and store in the fridge up to 2 weeks, rewhipping before use.

CHOCOLATE GLAZE
1 C semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/3 C cream
Microwave cream in a small bowl until it begins to boil. Remove from microwave and add chocolate chips. Slowly stir until chocolate melts. Ensure the glaze isn't too hot and spread over brownies.

ironic with the fruit in the background, huh?

Saturday Breakfast

Brad is finally back from his work trip! (squeeeaal!) And its Saturday, so we can hang out all day! More squeals! (well, he's mowing the lawn right now and I'm "cleaning the kitchen")  I made breakfast to celebrate his return. Maybe that won't make you squeal, but when you make this breakfast you'll realize it's squeal-worthy all by itself. sooo yummy!

MOM'S WHOLE WHEAT PANCAKES
1 ½ C whole wheat flour
1 Tbs baking powder
¾ tsp salt
3 Tbs sugar
1 ½ C milk
3 Tbs oil
2 egg yolks
2 egg whites, beaten till stiff
Stir together everything except egg whites. Fold in egg whites. Be careful not to overwork egg whites (this is what makes the pancakes light). Cook on lightly greased hot griddle.



"MAGLEBY'S" BUTTERMILK SYRUP
1/2 C butter
1 C sugar
½ C buttermilk
1 Tbs karo syrup
1 Tbs vanilla
½ tsp soda
Add all ingredients except soda to a saucepan, bring to a boil. Remove from heat, add soda. Whisk, whisk, whisk! This is heaven in syrup form.

It gets all poofy, then it goes back down. With all that sugar it lasts quite a while in the fridge, then just microwave it before using again.

CANDIED BACON
Line a cookie sheet with foil and top with a cooling rack. Line with bacon then sprinkle with brown sugar and pepper. Bake at 400° for about 15 minutes until it looks all brown and delicious.

Enjoy!

Chicken Chawarma and Greek-ish Salad

So I've been staying at my parents a bit while Brad is out of town. They are trying to eat healthy so I made them this yummy, healthy chicken chawarma that I normally put in pita bread, but I made it into a salad for them. I made up this recipe trying to copy the yummy chicken chawarma pita sandwiches we ate in Morocco. I'll admit this isn't really like that chicken thats roasted on a pit outside, but it's still pretty dang good and it's got all the yummy spices. It smells lovely while it bakes!

CHICKEN CHAWARMA
4-6 chicken breasts
1/4 C white vinegar
1/4 C plain yogurt (I use fat free)
1 Tbs olive oil
1/4-1/2 tsp each: cardamom, coriander, cinnamon, ginger, paprika
a large pinch of each: cumin, allspice, cloves, nutmeg
garlic salt/pepper as desired
In a baking dish mix vinegar, yogurt, 1 Tbs oil, spices, salt and pepper. Add chicken, let marinate at least 2 hrs. Bake chicken in marinade at 350° for 30 min. Slice cooked chicken into thin strips, or keep as a whole breast on the side of the salad.

GREEK-ISH DRESSING
1/4 C tahini/sesame paste (if you don't have this for making hummus, I'd just leave it out)
1/4 C olive oil
1/3 C plain yogurt
2-3 Tbs lemon juice
1 Tbs red wine vinegar
2 cloves minced garlic
2 Tbs chopped fresh parsley
1/4-1/2 tsp dried oregano
a large pinch sugar
1 tsp garlic salt/ pepper to taste
Just whip these all together and you're good to go, keep it cold in the fridge.

FOR THE SALAD:
spring lettuce
diced tomato
thin sliced red onion
thin sliced cucumbers
feta cheese
Arrange veggies on a plate, drizzle with the dressing and top with feta cheese. Serve warm chicken chawarma on the side. (or on top like my mom's plate in the pic) :)

a button, a button!

I've gotten smarter since I started a blog...seriously. Computer smarter. I knew nothing about the blogging world a year ago and have slowly taught myself little things. At first, just how to post/why to post/how to see other's posts. Then trying to change headers and mess with that crazy html stuff. I still don't get a lot of it, but I'm learning.
When my friend Heather suggested I make a button to spread the word I began my google research. It got me thinking...do I want to spread the word? How foodie do I really want to make this blog that I created more with the intention of being my newly-wed online journal? I hate it when I think too much, who cares? Of course I hope that occasionally something I post will be beneficial to someone out there, but I just have fun posting about what I'm up to and what I'm passionate about... that pretty much always involves food.
I really wish I'd started posting about food a lot earlier. I didn't even share anything from the holidays. the holidays! I was a complete maniac in my kitchen over the holidays, it was the best, but it was all secret. Now there's no secrets, I'm openly in love with food & cooking. I'm that girl who easily spent all the wedding Bed Bath and Beyond credit on random kitchen gadgets in a matter of days. I would rather window shop at Orson Gygi and Williams & Sonoma than the mall. Any day.
Anyways, I ended up finding this awesome tutorial about how to make a blog button, without it I seriously would never have figured it out. I tried a different tutorial before this and it all went terribly wrong. I decorated this image using paint, that should give you an idea of my computer smarts.
I'm so proud I want to share, and if you happen to feel the desire to adorn your page with my nifty little button...well, then I might just have to make you something chocolate (or healthy if you're on a diet..)and remind you of how cool you are.




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The Chilean Completo

If you don't eat hot dogs, good luck serving a mission in Chile.  I've never eaten so many hot dogs in my life...

I wanted to share a few Chilean recipes this week, but this is more of an idea than a recipe. I recently learned that my cousin's mother-in-law is from Chile, cooks, and lives around here--so I might wait to share a couple of my recipes to see if I can learn what she has done to tweek the recipes for the states, with some real Chilean secretos. :)

Now check this out.

The Completo, because you put completely everything on it. They sell these on the streets all over Chile, this was my dinner on many occassions! That cute missionary couple I mentioned (the Elders) served these at their homecoming, it was great.

Here's what you need:

hot dogs

buns

palta- avacado, mashed (I add a little garlic salt/ pepper)

diced tomato

ketchup, mustard, mayo, hot sauce, or desired condiments.

1. Grill hotdogs and the buns. (they boil the hot dogs in Chile, but I think grilling is always better!)

2. Top with diced tomato. (if you do that sort of thing) 

3. Add palta (Chilean for avacado or guacamole, best word ever. The rest of latin america is missing out...)

4. Top with desired condiments, I'm a ketchup person myself.

Ahh, la vida es completo!