Zucchini Fritters

Spring is in the air, fresh veggies are becoming more abundant (and will be even more abundant once my freshly planted garden takes off!) And in general I'm craving fresher meals packed full of as many veggies as I can get. This week I bought a bunch of beautiful baby zucchini. After stir-frying, sauteing, and grilling, I decided to try something different. For some reason I was craving my dad's delicious and utterly unhealthy hashbrowns...so I thought to myself, "self, you can do something healthier to hit the spot, right?" and I set off to make zucchini/potato fritters. 

I added the potato because I wasn't sure how the zucchini would hold up both in the flavor and texture department. They turned out fantastic and I really enjoyed the little nuttiness the potato added, but they would be good straight zuch as well.  Here are the deets for a new spin on zucchini. 

The Deets
2 Zucchini Shredded
1 Potato Shredded
2 Eggs Beaten
1/2 Cup Panko Breadcrumbs
1 Shallot finely chopped
Salt and Pepper to taste
1 TBS Olive Oil

The How To
Add Beaten Eggs into Shredded Zucchini, Potato and Shallot

Mix until coated well with egg
Add Panko Breadcrumbs and Salt and Pepper

Once fully incorporated form into small patties

Add Olive Oil to a pan over medium heat

Cook patties until brown {about 7 minutes}
Flip-over and cook on other side for another 7 minutes or so

Plate, Pray & Enjoy

White Chicken Lasagna

Lasagna. When you hear the word Lasagna I bet you imagine red sauce, ground beef and lots of tomatoes. Am I right? Well time for a switch up in your normal {delicious but normal} Lasagna. This recipe is actually lighter than it sounds, you can forgo the heavy cream and use all milk to make it even lighter. Either way, it's delicious! 

The Deets

1/4 Cup Butter

1 Shallot {or 1/2 small onion [I'm a shallot fan]} finely chopped

1 Clove Garlic minced

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon salt

2 Cups Chicken Broth

1 Cup Milk
1/2 Cup Heavy Cream

2 1/2 Cups Shredded Mozzarella Cheese

1/2 Cup Grated Parmesan Cheese

     1 TBS Chopped Fresh Basil

1 tsp Oregano

1 Cup Ricotta Cheese

2-3 Chicken Breasts, Cooked and Chopped/Cubed

1 Package Frozen Chopped Spinach {Thawed, Rinsed and Drained}

1 Jar Artichoke Hearts – Roughly Chopped

1 Box Lasagna Noodles

     1/4 Cup Grated Parmesan Cheese for Topping

The How To

Melt the Butter in a saucepan over medium heat

Cook the Shallot and Garlic in the butter until tender

Stir in Flour and Salt, and simmer until bubbly

Add Chicken Broth and Milk, 

Gently bring to a boil, stirring constantly

Once boiling add 1 1/2 Cups Mozzarella and 1/4 Cup Parmesan

Reduce heat and stir until smooth

Add Basil and Oregano mix until smooth and remove from heat.

Divide Sauce in half

Add Chicken, Spinach and Artichoke Hearts to 1/2 of Sauce Mixture

Cook Lasagna Noodles according to package directions

Time for Assembly! 

In 9x13 baking dish add 1/2 of the plain sauce mixture 

Add a layer of Lasagna Noodles 

Top with  1/2 Ricotta, and 1/2  Chicken/Spinach/Artichoke Sauce 

Add another layer of Lasagna Noodles 

Top with remaining  Ricotta and Chicken/Spinach/Artichoke Sauce  

Add 1/2 Cup of Mozzarella and 1/4 Cup Parmesan

Add another layer of Lasagna Noodles

Top with remaining plain sauce mixture and remaining Cheese

Bake at 350 for 35 to 40 minutes

Plate Pray & Enjoy!

Veggi Up!

Here's a Quick and Delicious way to add an extra serving of vegetables to your plate. Flash Seared Veggies!


The Deets
1 Cup Baby Carrots (I cut mine in quarters)
1 Cup Snap Peas
1 Zucchini (Cut in Half & quartered)
1 Cup Mushrooms (Quartered)
1 TBS Olive Oil (I used Pesto Infused Olive Oil)


The How To
Cut and Clean Veggies

Heat Pan over Medium Heat
Add Olive Oil
Cook Mushrooms for about 4 minutes

Add Zucchini cook for another 4-5 minutes
I like to get a good sear on my Zucchini & Mushrooms

Add Carrots & Snap Peas

Cook for about 4 minutes


Plate, Pray & Enjoy!

Pineapple Grapefruit Juice

This week we got a new grocery store - this makes me happy - very happy - almost as happy as if a new Nordstrom opened... This grocery store has a great concept it's a combo of your traditional supermarket mixed with your whole foods style natural market grocer. Each isle has your traditional grocery staple brands right next to a section of your more natural or specialized items. It's really a great concept. And since it was the grand opening they had some fantastic produce bargains! They had pineapples on sale for $2.00 so I have to grab one. Here is a great pineapple trick - when you cut up your pineapple resist the urge to toss the core - it's great for juicing! I used the core & only the core for juicing this time, usually I'll toss in a few pieces of the good stuff, but my experiment was successful!

The Deets
1 Pineapple Core
2 Ruby Red Grapefruits

The How To
Cut Core into Quarters
Peal and halve Grapefruit
Juice Away!

Enjoy!

Cherry Chocolate Chip Cookies

Today's treat is cherry chocolate chip cookies, which happen to be my dad's specialty. Of course this is my spin on his fantastic recipe, they are slightly different, dad's are all white flour, a little flatter and have far more cherries. Both versions are deliciously different from your average CCC. Here's my take on Dad's famous CCCCs.

The Deets

1/2 Cup Margarine or Shortening

3/4 Cup Butter (1 1/2 Sticks)

3/4 Cup Sugar

1 Cup Brown Sugar

2 Eggs

2 tsp Pure Vanilla Extract

2 tsp Maraschino Cherry Juice

1 tsp baking Soda

1 tsp baking Powder

1 tsp Salt

2 Cups Flour

1 1/2 Cup Whole Wheat Flour

1 Bag Chocolate Chips
10-12 Maraschino Cherries Roughly Chopped

The How To

Cream Butter, Margarine, Sugar and Eggs

Add Vanilla, Cherry Juice, Baking Soda, Baking Powder, Salt and 2 Cups of Flour, Mix until smooth

Add Whole Wheat Flour and mix until smooth

Add Chocolate Chips and Chopped Maraschino Cherries and Mix until well incorporated
Roll into Balls for Baking

Bake @ 365 for 8-10 Minutes

Delicious! 

Chocolate Covered Pretzels

Looking for a sweet treat for your sweetheart? Chocolate Covered Pretzels coming up! I remember one year for my birthday my Aunt sent me a beautiful box of decorated chocolate covered pretzel rods. I felt so grown up and fancy. I still love them and love making different toppings for them, but now they make me feel like a kid! Funny how things change.

Chocolate covered pretzels are simple to make, fun to decorate and great to gift! Here are the simple deets on chocolate covered bliss!

The Deets
1 bag of pretzel rods (for this I like classic rold gold) {Makes about 2 dozen pretzels}
1 1/2 Cup Chocolate (Semi-Sweet)
1TBS shortening or butter
1 Cup White Chocolate or Almond Bark (if you use almond bark you don't need to add butter or shortening - if you use chocolate add a TBS)
Sprinkles!
Almonds!
Toasted Coconut
Any topping your heart desires
Parchment paper for drying

The How To
First Regular Chocolate!
In a BPA free plastic container mix Chocolate Chips and Shortening and melt in the microwave stirring every 30 - 45 seconds (should take about 2 1/2 - 3 minutes) {do not use glass - it gets too hot and can over cook the chocolate)
Lay out parchment paper
I've discovered that drizzling the chocolate over the pretzel works better than trying to dip.

Put Pretzel rod standing up in melted chocolate with spoon or spatula pour chocolate over pretzel rod
gently shake rod (like ringing a bell) back and forth to remove excess chocolate

For topping you can do it one of two ways:
1. Hold pretzel up and sprinkle toppings all around or
2. make a line of topping on parchment paper, lay pretzel on it and then sprinkle on more toppings.

Repeat with white chocolate.

Let Pretzels dry and then enjoy!

Happy Valentines Day!

Egg in the Hole

Sometimes the Simplest things are the best things. Case in point: Egg in the Hole. Whole Wheat Toast + Sunny Side up Egg = Perfect Breakfast. Since this Month is all about love we've sweetened it up by making the Hole Heat-shaped. 
The Deets are Simple:
Whole Wheat Bread
Eggs
Salt and Pepper to Taste
Butter

The How To
Lightly Toast a piece of your favorite Whole Wheat Bread
Cut a Hole or better yet, a Heart - set aside cutout 

Butter Bread
Place Bread in a Pan over Medium Heat
Crack Egg into Hole

Lightly Salt and Pepper to Taste
Cook until Egg is your desired "doneness" 
Mine took about 4 minutes to Perfect

Add a side of Grapefruit and a slice or 2 of Bacon and you've got a perfect breakfast.
This is also a great breakfast in bed for your sweetie....

OPUS Prime Steakhouse

OPUS Prime Steakhouse is of the Old World decor style, large oversized rod iron doors, dark wood furniture, amber glass lighting. It's over-the-top yet beautiful in its own big way. OPUS is definitely a special occasion restaurant, the food is fantastic, but its pricey.  So file OPUS on your list of places to try when you have something great to celebrate - like say your anniversary...   


First up: Crispy Calamari

I do not say this lightly when I say hands down, the best calamari I can remember eating. The breading was light and crispy, the calamari was cooked perfectly and somehow it wasn't heavy or greasy at all. The dipping sauce was OPUS' take on a traditional marinara-style sauce. It was fresh, flavorful and delicious!
The Calamari earns: 10/10 Stars!


Salad Course: Opus Prime Signature Salad

The "Signature" Salad definitely missed the mark. Mixed Greens, Red Pepper, Olives, Grape Tomatoes, Bacon, Croutons, and Blue Cheese with your choice of house made dressing. First of all, when I'm at a restaurant of this caliber, when I see olives, I assume I'm getting good Kalamata, Spanish or other "good" olives not what the "Signature" contained...canned black olives. Don't get me wrong, I like olives but those olives don't belong on any "Signature" salad. On top of bad olives, the bacon was mushy and flavorless, and the house made dressing was thick and bland. I absolutely would not recommend this salad.
The Signature Salad earns 1/10 Stars


The Main Course: Colorado Rack of Lamb, Atlantic Salmon and Garlic Mashed Potatoes

The Rack of Lamb was served with a peppercorn demi-glaze. The Lamb was a beautiful Medium-Rare+ absolute perfection, tender, juicy perfection and the demi-glaze was just right - which is saying a lot for me, a no sauce kind of girl.
The Rack of Lamb Earns  9/10 Stars

(please forgive the phone quality photo - it was much prettier than it looks)
The Atlantic Salmon was served with Jumbo Lump Crab and a Burre Blanc Sauce. The Salmon was flakey, the Crab was jumbo and succulent and the Burre Blanc was nice. This dish was everything that makes a good Salmon dish.
The Salmon Earns 8/10 Stars

And of course we can't forget the Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes...Skin on, extra creamy, just the way I like them. 
The Mashed Potatoes Earn 9/10 Stars


The Report Card for Opus Prime Steakhouse:
Service       7/10
Ambiance   8/10
Food          8/10
Overall        8/10



If you have a special occasion to celebrate I'd recommend OPUS Prime if your willing to splurge for said special occasion. 

Rainbow Smoothie

What starts out looking like a Rainbow and ends up looking like a delicious Mudpuddle? A Rainbow Smoothie of course!

The Deets
2 Stalks Rainbow Chard
1 Banana
1 Cup Blueberries
4-5 Strawberries
3/4 Cup Low Fat Plain Yogurt (you can use Vanilla - but omit the Honey)
1 Cup Ice
1 tsp Creamed Honey

The How To
Clean & Prep your Fruits & Veggies (remember everything that you toss in the blender gets blended - things don't get filtered out like the juicer)
Roughly Chop Chard, and Banana
Add Ice to Blender
Add all other Ingredients
Blend Away!

Enjoy your delicious, nutritious smoothie!

Nutrition and Childhood Obesity

Infograph found at here (along with other great stories, stats, and tips on healthy eating - especially for kids)


Scary isn't it! While I don't believe in scare tactics, I do believe in facing the truth and changing our situations for the better. I hope this little blippit will be a wake up call for all of us to eat a little better.

Apple Plum Beet Juice

We're kicking off the new year in line with our New Food Resolution of Juicing more! The goal is to juice at least once a week. So far so good, two weeks in... Today's juice is bright on color and bold in flavor, apples for sweetness, plums for tang and beets for ultra vitamins. Here's the scoop on this Ruby Drink.

The Deets

2 Apples

4 Plums

1 Beet peeled

The How To

Wash the fruit

Peel beet

Take out pits

Cut to fit juicer (usually this means cut in half or quarter)

 Juice Away!

Isn't that a beautiful color?
*I recommend mixing this juice 2/3 juice to 1/3 water*
Drink up Antioxidant!

New Food Resolutions

It's that time again! Time to renounce all things on the not-so-healthy food list and vow to eat only dark greens, lean proteins, and drink gallons of water a day. All kidding aside, I hope that you are making a least a small goal to eat a little healthier. I also hope that you aren't trying any crazy fad diets or going on a hunger strike.

Here are a few of my Food Resolutions for this year:

1. Juice more. I've been letting work and all the business of life make me "too busy to juice". Really? Too busy to juice? it takes a total of 20 minutes from start to clean up. No more excuses. Juicing more means more vitamins and veggies in my diet and less wasted fruits and veggies in my fridge.

2. Cook more veggies. I'm great at eating salad, but when it comes to cooking up an extra serving of veggies I've really been slacking.

3. Get more creative with whole grains. I have about a dozen standard recipes and I have been really bad at spicing things up lately.

Those are my 3 Food Resolutions. What are yours?

For a little more food-inspiration here are a few great tips I found on my new favorite website pintrest
First a little truth in humor.

I LOVE this one!

Such simple advice.

If you buy good food, you will eat good food. If you buy junk, you'll eat junk. Simple enough.
Happy Healthy New Year!

Spritz Cookies

Time for a Holiday Classic - Spritz Cookies. Spritz cookies are your classic cookie press cookie. I love a good Spritz Cookie, the soft, buttery vanilla crunch. I love them! Plain or decked out to the nines, Spritz Cookies are simple delicious and fun to make. From picking out which shapes and colors to whether to deck them out with colored sugar, sprinkles, nonpareils or leaving them as is, these cookies are just fun! On with the cookies!


The Deets
1 Cup Butter (2 Sticks)
1 1/4 Cup Sugar
1 Egg
1 1/2 tsp Pure Vanilla Extract
1 tsp Pure Almond Extract
2 1/2 Cups Sifted Flour
1/2 tsp Salt
Food Coloring
Sprinkles for Decorating

The How To
Whip Butter, Sugar, Egg, Vanilla and Almond Extract
Add Flour and Salt and Mix until Smooth
Divide Dough into as many colors you wish
Add Food Coloring until you get your desired color
Roll the dough into a roll that will fit into the cookie press
Pick your shape disc & press away (follow the instructions on your cookie press - mine is a Kuhn Rikon and it takes about 1 &1/2 trigger pulls for the perfect cookie)

Once cookies are pressed decorate away!

Bake at 375 for 7-8 Minutes.


Enjoy your perfect crispy spritz cookies & have a very Merry Christmas from my kitchen to yours!

100th Post! I'm Never Making These Cookies Again Cookies a.k.a. Cream Wafer Cookies a.k.a. Dream Wafer Cookies

Before I share one of my favorite cookie recipes I want to recognize that this is the 100th Post! It only took 5 years but here we are at 100 posts! I can't think of a better recipe for the 100th Post! It's one of my favorite recipes, its a bit challenging but worth every frustration.
My love of cooking and baking started before I can even remember. One of the things I loved was making cookies with my dad and even better the grand bake-off for Christmas with my mom. It seemed that "we" would spend a whole weekend baking all sorts of great treats. Once I was older I started trying recipes on my own.
My first nemesis in the kitchen were the Cream Wafer Cookies from the old Orange Betty Crocker Cookbook - I renamed them {in ink, in my mother's cookbook} "I'm never making these cookies again cookies". I have fought with this recipe since I was 12 years old. Finally, Finally after all these years (well, not THAT many years) I made a perfect batch! Not a single broken cookie in sight. So here it is, my improved and perfect version of the cream wafer cookie.

The Deets on the Cookie
1 Cup Soft Butter (Not Melted just soft to the touch)
1/3 Cup Whipping Cream
1 tsp Vanilla Bean Paste or Pure Vanilla Extract
2 1/4 Cup Sifted Flour
Sugar for Dipping

The Cookie How To
Whip Butter, Whipping Cream, and Vanilla
Slowly add Flour
The dough will be quite sticky, but that's how it's supposed to be
Sprinkle Flour and Sugar on rolling space (I like to use the counter - liberally use flour & sugar - dough is sticky)
Roll Dough to approximately 1/6 inch thin

Cut into little circles (I've tried other shapes, but it's harder to match the pieces perfectly)
Carefully move cookies - the dough is soft so use extra caution when moving
Dip both cookies in Sugar - evenly coat both sides

*Put on Silpat or parchment paper - I did one batch straight on my gold touch & it worked like a charm - but I still recommend you use a Silpat*

Use a Fork to poke holes in cookies
Bake at 365 degrees for 8 minutes
Let cookies cool prior to filling


The Deets on the Cream Filling
1/2 Cup Soft Butter (1 Stick)
1 1/2 Cups Powdered Sugar
1 1/2 tsp Whipping Cream
1 1/2 tsp Vanilla Bean Paste or Pure Vanilla Extract
Food Coloring to desired color


The Filling How To

Whip all ingredients to a Fluffy Cream

Once cookies are cooled, add a nice heap about 1 - 1/2 TBS of Filling

Top with a second cookie

Enjoy your perfect cream wafer cookies