What's Been Going On?

Sorry for the lack of posts!  There's been a lot going on around here.  I've been having some trouble with my knee and it's been hard to get in the kitchen and cook! :(  I miss cooking and am hoping to be back on my feet soon!  In the meantime though, here are some pictures from the past few weeks.

Drew cooked me a nice meal one night.  Bourbon salmon, roasted Brusses sprouts and baby potatoes.

Malon by my side as always to keep me company.

Waiting for me to wake up as usual!  

Such a hard life for Faron.

Basking in the sun together.

Uhhhh.

I hated missing my little cousin's Zelda themed birthday party.  Family events are so important to me, so it was really sad having to miss it.  What a great birthday invitation!

Finally decided after 5 days of being inside on the couch and suffering from cabin fever,  that I probably needed to at least stretch my knee some.  So we went out for Mexican and I got the world's largest margarita and drank the whole thing.  The whole thing.

No words.

Still no words.

   

This is how I felt all week! 

Baked Jambalaya

Jambalaya is up there with my top 5 favorite foods.  I love one pot meals and meals that you can eat for a week.  When I was in culinary school, I would make a huge pot of jambalaya and eat on it for at least 5 days!  I was really in the mood for some kind of casserole, and then I thought about jambalaya.  So I thought, what if I made jambalaya but baked it like a casserole?  The result?  Super creamy and delicious jambalaya.  You can definitely still make this recipe on the stove top, but something about baking it really brings out the starches in the rice and makes it extra creamy.  Put on your fat pants for this one, because there is nothing low calorie about this recipe!  Maybe that's what makes it so good!

Creole Seasoning

2 tbsp Paprika

2 tbsp Kosher salt

2 tbsp Garlic powder
1 1/2 tbsp Onion powder
1 tbsp Oregano 
1 1/2 tsp Thyme
1 tsp Basil
1 tsp Crushed red pepper flakes

1/2 tsp Black pepper

Mix everything together and store in a container.

Taco Salad

Taco salads are one of my favorites!  It's not the healthiest salad for you, but it's really tasty and flavorful and really satisfies.  This recipe uses my Taco Seasoning and my All Purpose Taco Meat.  The rest is just adding some of your favorite toppings!  Add anything you'd like.  It will turn out great!

All Purpose Taco Meat

Taco meat is a great recipe to have under your belt.  It can be used for so many different things.  Tacos, obviously, but it can also be used for burritos, taco salads, casseroles, sloppy Joe's, tostadas, chili, you name it!  It's easy and versatile.  Here's how to make it:

Taco Seasoning

This is my recipe for a simple, all purpose taco seasoning blend.  It's great for ground beef for tacos, burritos, or even sloppy Joe's!

Potato and Herb Frittata

Another frittata!  This one is different from my breakfast frittata I posted a few weeks ago.  It is very similar but has completely different flavors.  I love frittatas because they are so versatile.  My parents were in town so of course I wanted to make them a nice breakfast before they left!  Here's how to make it:

Tzatziki Sauce

Tzatziki sauce is a Greek condiment traditionally served with meats but it is also served as a dip.  It is very light and refreshing.  It's made with Greek yogurt, which is very low in fat and calories, and lots of fresh cucumber.  It's a great dip to serve if you're looking for a healthy option for your guests.  It's pretty easy to make!

What's Been Going On?

One thing I've really been into recently is running.  I used to exercise a lot when I was in high school, but then college came around and, well.. the rest is history.  It's time to get healthy again!  Our new apartment has a great gym, so I have really been taking advantage of it.  I've been doing the Couch to 5K program.  I definitely do not consider myself a couch potato, but having a physical job makes it harder to exercise when you've been on your feet running around all day.  The Couch to 5K program is great because it starts you at the bottom and helps you gradually run faster and longer each day.  It is a 3 day a week program but I've been doing it 5 times a week, repeating 2 of the sessions.  This week I'm beginning Week 4 of the program.  It's really exciting seeing results.  I haven't lost any weight or anything but I feel so much better and have way more energy.  To me, that is a result.  Results don't always have to be about appearance!

Brown Rice Casserole

 Brown rice has always been a staple at our family get-togethers.  Christmas just wouldn't be Christmas without brown rice.  Not the real "brown rice".  I'm talking about good old white rice cooked in Campbell's soups!  Some of my friends and family have this idea that all I cook is "fancy stuff".  Not true!  I usually cook what is in my pantry or what I have on hand.  I wanted to try a different spin on brown rice this time around.  It usually has a can of French Onion soup in it, but all I had in my pantry was Golden Mushroom.  So I thought I'd give it a try and see how it turned out!  I love cooking with canned soups.  It just take me home.  I can close my eyes and feel like I'm sitting at my Gam's table.  Here's what I came up with:

Roasted Brussel Sprouts with Maple Syrup and Bacon

This recipe was kind of an accident.  I had originally planned to just roast some brussel sprouts with bacon.  Half way through cooking, I started to smell maple syrup.  Huh?  I then realized that I had used the maple flavored bacon that Drew bought himself.  Oops!  They were already half way done so there was no going back, so I just decided to roll with it.  They turned out great.  Sweet and salty, which is one of my favorite combinations.   I had never thought that maple syrup and brussel sprouts could ever go well together.  You learn something new every day!  Brussel sprouts are so much more than that yucky vegetable your parents used to make you eat when you were younger.  They really can be delicious and I'm on a mission to prove it!

Grilled Tuna Poke

Poke is a Hawaiian dish that means marinated raw fish.  Not poke like slow poke.  Poh-keh.   Like Pokemon!  I love it.  It's full of protein and is so flavorful.  There are so many different options but my go-to is always tuna.  I'm calling this "Grilled Tuna Poke" even though it isn't technically poke because it's not completely raw.  I couldn't think of anything else to call it!  But it's so similar I decided to call it poke anyway.  This can be served warm or chilled.  Whichever you prefer!  It would also be great served over sticky rice or even some mixed greens.  Here's how to make it:

Spaghetti Squash with Marinara Sauce

Spaghetti squash is a great substitute for pasta!  It might not sound like it, but it really does have a similar texture to spaghetti.  It doesn't have much flavor on its own, but if you mix it with your favorite pasta sauce it really mimics pasta.  It's simple to make, it's filling, and it goes great with any sauce.  It is also great to use in chilled pasta salads.  This time, I decided to mix mine with marinara sauce.  Here's how to make it:

August Ipsy

 

Happy Labor Day!

Happy Labor Day everyone!  I have three new posts up with the recipes for everything I made for our Labor Day cookout.  Everything I made was cooked on the grill.  Below are all the links.  I hope everyone had a great day with family and friends!

Citrus Marinated Shrimp

Potatoes on the Grill

Veggie Skewers

Veggie Skewers

More Labor Day food!  Veggie Skewers are a really easy way to add some nutrition to your meal.  I love all the colors!  I just picked my favorite veggies, skewered them up and poured on a quick marinade for some extra flavor.  These skewers are so versatile.  You can change up anything you want.  You can use different vegetables and herbs and they will still turn out great.  I served these with Citrus Marinated Shrimp and Potatoes on the Grill.  You can use any kind of vegetables you want for this, but here is how I made mine:

Potatoes on the Grill

So here is the last thing I made for my Labor Day cookout.  Potatoes on the Grill!  Potatoes are one of my favorite things.  I love finding new ways to cook them.  They are so versatile!  You can flavor them and cook them in so many different ways.  I wanted everything I cooked for our Labor Day meal to be cooked on the grill, so I made little foil packets of potatoes.  I've seen a lot of different people use this method but I hadn't done it before so I wanted to give it a try.  How hard can it be?  You just throw everything in packet and sit it on the grill!  It's easy and there is barely any clean up.  I served these with Citrus Marinated Shrimp and Veggie Skewers.  Here's how to make them:

 

Citrus Marinated Shrimp

Happy Labor Day!  Time to grill!  I was excited to be off work this Labor Day so we decided to grill out by the pool.  These shrimp are really easy to make and perfect for a hot summer day.  I love any food you can eat with your hands.  With these shrimp I also made Veggie Skewers and Potatoes on the Grill.  I hope everyone had a great Labor Day!