Alfalfa Farmer

If you've been around the blog awhile you probably know I'm a sprout farmer. Yup, alfalfa, mung beans... I sprout them! It's crazy easy to do and literally costs pennies. Also the sprouts last a good week longer then the ones you buy in the store! Double bonus right?

On our trip to Vermont Val packed up some delicious hummus/feta/alfalfa/tomato sandwiches. They were AMAZING, and the day after we got back I knew I had to get to sprouting again. I changed the sandwiches up slightly though since I was in more of an avacado mood than a hummus mood, either way these things are delicious! I no joke ate one for lunch every day this week. YUM!!


Want to learn to sprout all on your own? Check out my post here from 2 summers ago that lays it all out for you!

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Baked and Carved

Have you even bitten into a sandwich and literally started moaning out load... totally ignoring the weird looks from the people sitting in the booth next to you? Yeah, that was me at Baked and Carved this past week. Just ask Tracy from Sugarcrafter she was my partner in crime for this chow down, hopefully she wasn't too embarrassed by my overly zealous eating, actually I'm pretty sure she wasn't since she was enjoying her sandwich as much as I was.


First things first, how to find the place. I didn't notice a Baked and Carved sign outside but it's actually located INSIDE Salengers Pub on East Ave, so look for the Salengers sign, head inside and you'll see them located in a room to the left of the bar (look for the big chalk board sign saying "EAT" with an arrow... it's hard to miss.


Set up in an open-air kitchen you get to watch the chefs do their thing, baking bread, slinging cookie dough, and roasting the most amazingly tender meats. It became quickly obvious that this was not your typical pub food, it was far elevated above it. Without a fryer in sight the menu is staked with breads baked fresh every day, and meats roasted and carved to perfection. Everything is made in small batches so you know what you are getting is fresh.


I decided to go with the hot corned beef brisket sandwich with russian dressing and lettuce (basically I asked for the reuben without the sauerkraut) I picked fresh Italian bread, the other bread option of the day was a whole wheat (this rotates depending on the day). I can't properly describe to you how tender, juicy, mouthwatering, flavorful this corned beef was. Let me put it to you this way, I grew up outside of NYC and spent a summer working there sampling as many sammies as I could get my hands on... none of them hold a candle to Baked and Carved. And NO I'm no exaggerating, seriously, holy bible, it's THAT good.


Tracy got the Muffaletta also on Italian. She was also over the top amazed at the quality and quantity of meats. I mean seriously look at the size of those sandwiches. You all know how I like to chow... and I couldn't finish mine, I took the rest home in a doggie bag (bonus I now have lunch for tomorrow).

Sandwiches are served with a choice of two side: coleslaw, chips, pickle (more options to come soon). We both went with the coleslaw and pickle option. No need to worry about copious globs of mayo here though, perfectly dressed and seasoned this was not your typical gloppy side. The pickles are the kind you'd find at a good NYC deli, big, crisp, and perfectly dill.

Make sure you save room for dessert, because the cookies are made in small batches and always fresh. Heavily studded with chocolate chips these things were the perfect ending to a meal.


Baked and Carved (inside Salengers)
107 East Ave. Rochester NY
Monday-Thursday 11:30 a.m.-9:30 p.m.,
Friday 11:30 a.m.-10 p.m.
Saturday 5-10 p.m.

Saucy Mama Steph

Saucy Mama asked if I wanted to enter a recipe contest, if I did they would happily send me a case of their sauces to experiment with. COUNT ME IN!!!

I was totally intrigued when I saw the jar of cracked pepper marinade and wanted to try it straight away. We only had a few hours before dinner so I stabbed a couple chicken breasts with a fork and slathered on some of the marinade, back in the fridge they went until it was time for dinner. I was amazed at how flavorful they were even after only a few hours marinating.


A quick trip onto a hot grill made for a delicious dinner... but that's not where this recipe is headed. This recipe is best served cold the next day... like revenge... I mean... umm never mind :D


I shredded up the leftover chicken and then topped it with John's awesome chipotle mustard spiked coleslaw!! Served on a whole grain baguette with a little extra sharp cheddar this is the perfect lunch sandwich if you ask me.

Or serve it up appetizer style like above, mini sammies!

John's chipotle coleslaw
recipe by John

Toss together
1/2 head green cabbage
3 shredded carrots
1/2 red bell pepper finely chopped
1/2 red onion thinly sliced

Mix together (nothing exact all by eyeball- come on now John did make it and he doesn't measure!)
Suacy Mama Chipotle Mustard
canola oil (tiny bit)
apple cider vinegar
garlic
franks red hot
celery seeds
pepper

Toss everything together and let marinate overnight.

Steak Sammie

It's good friday... and I'm posting a steak sandwich... ok that's just wrong on so many levels... but this is what I had scheduled and ready to go... so... sorry about that... make this another night, just not tonight :) ... unless you aren't celebrating good friday, in that case, go for it!


So you know how I love love love bread? Well I made my favorite loaf again the other night... and proceeded to eat the entire thing over the course of 3 days *sheepish grin* yeah... that's not so much on the moderation train huh... well you can't be good all the time :D


One of the nights I took a big ol slice and made a steak sandwich with some leftovers from the previous night, topped it off with some pesto and I was good to go.

If you haven't yet, go make this bread recipe NOW. I added a nice helping of red pepper flakes to this one... such a good kick of flavor!!

Pesto for peeps with nut allergies

What's a girl to do when a coworker brings her a bucketful of basil? Make pesto!! I've been wanting to try a pesto recipe my friend Neva gave me awhile back. Neva has all types of food allergies, one of them being nuts, but this girl loves her some pesto... as long as she's the one making it :) I'll leave it to her own words on how to make it:

I have no clue what our recipe is! It's a true family-style one, where we just keep adding some of this and a little of that until it tastes right. My guess is it's one of those big bunches of basil from the public market, a bunch of garlic (we're usually heavy-handed with garlic, but I'd guess most people would like 3-4 cloves, since it's not cooked), grated parmasian (maybe 1/4-1/2 cups?), and then tahini (let's go with a 1/4 cup). Oh, and olive oil, salt, and pepper. There's a bunch of oil involved, I recall. We usually put the basil leaves in a food processor, along with the garlic and tahini, turn it on, and add oil as needed to make it into a paste. We stir in the cheese after that (I guess you could blend that in too - I can't think of why not), and add salt and pepper to taste. And then add all the other ingredients to taste again too! Is there maybe lemon in there also? Why not? Let's say there's juice from 1/2 lemon too, because it's always good to add a little acid to things. And, voila, there's my very accurate pesto recipe! lol


I made up a batch and spread it on some bread, and then grilled it up with some mozzarella, spinach, and mushrooms. SO GOOD! Yeah and that whole smearing some more on the plate to use for dipping sauce... way harder than they make it look on the food network! haha

I love you Mr Taylor

And no John's last name is not Taylor... I'm talking about a different John entirely, John Taylor, the inventor of Taylor ham...

John Taylor you ROCK! OK the majority of you are probably going "what's taylor ham... and why is steph so in love with it" taylor ham is like home to me, well, it makes me think of home. It's a New Jersey thing, maybe if you live in Manhattan you're lucky enough to have experienced it as well. This stuff even has a fan page on facebook... not that I'm a fan of it or anything...

Taylor ham is also known as pork roll... there is actually a passionate discussion of the proper name being debated all over the internet... since we have nothing better to talk about... Northern NJ calls it Taylor Ham... Southern NJ calls it a pork roll... I'm sticking with my Northern NJ roots and calling it Taylor ham!!

You can order it online here. I know I know, it's processed meat, there is NOTHING healthy about this stuff... but come on people... everything in moderation!

It's hard to find this stuff outside of NJ... but on tuesday night, the stars were aligned and I found a box of it in the Wegmans near RIT!!! Of course I bought it straight away... and then proceeded to talk about how excited I was the whole night at the gym (as Sean and John rolled their eyes at me). For dinner I had the perfect meal: a taylor ham and egg sandwich... I had it on wheat bread though... you know to make it healthy *cough cough*

The bread actually came from Natures Pride, they are sweeties and sent me a loaf of whole wheat along with a loaf of 12 grain. The wheat is soft and not overly dense or dry like some wheat bread can be. It makes for a perfect hearty sandwich! Super tasty! And with 14 grams of whole grain PER SLICE, it's good for ya! The 12 grain was also pretty good, but there is something about sunflower seeds in bread... I always think they look like boogers... I know I know "steph don't talk about boogers on a food blog, it's nasty!"


Want to hear another funny story about me loving ham too much... I was sitting having a nice dinner with an old boyfriend, happily eating a nice plateful of ham (and apparently ignoring him). So he sweetly looks over at me and tell me he loves me... (so sweet right) well I don't hear him, look up and dreamily say "I love ham" in a voice sounding like I'm about to make love to the ham... hahahah WHOOOPS!!! Yup didn't live that one down!! Sometimes John asks me "you love me more than ham right??" Yes John I do love you more than ham :D

Is there a type of food you can only get when you are near home? Or is there a type of food you love more than your boyfriend/girlfriend/husband/wife? hehe

PS can you believe it's OCTOBER??? when did that happen??

Spinach Mushroom and Goat Cheese

...on top of a burger. Oh yes, bring on the tasty! My apologies to the veggies and vegans out there, I just couldn't help myself. There is something about a nice juicy burger that calls my name. I'd much rather make one at home, lets face it, the ones you get out are 100 times worse for you. This way I can choose a lean beef, not have it be 1/2 pound (don't look at me like you haven't polished off a half pounder on your own), and you can top it with whatever your little heart desires!

I'll be honest here, the mix of sauteed mushrooms, wilted spinach, a ton of black pepper, and a little crumbled goat cheese, would have been an amazing sandwich on its own... the burger was just an added bonus :)

So eat this alone, or on a burger like me. Either way, you're going to love it!

Put a little drizzle of olive oil in the pan, add your sliced baby bella mushrooms. Cook through. Add a few handfuls of spinach and a good helping of fresh ground pepper, and a dash of salt. Once the spinach is wilted, transfer to a bowl, or onto some bread. Sprinkle with goat cheese and enjoy!

Everyone loves sandwiches

My sister always says "everything tastes better between two slices of bread" well Jen, this one is for you, because I couldn't agree with you more :)


It's a wicked fast and delicious lunch if you ask me. All you need is a nice ciabatta roll, a fresh ball of mozzarella, a nice juicy tomato, and some fresh picked basil from the garden. Add a little salt and pepper to taste, stack it up, drizzle a little olive oil on and grill away!


I don't have a panini press... just a grill pan. How do I flatten it you ask? I used a frying pan and a bottle of wine as a press LOL, then I flipped it and pressed the other side :)

Please do not try and bite your computer screen... I know you were trying :)

Grilled Cheese and Asparagus

Grilled cheese, what's not to like... carbs, cheese, butter... yeah, not so much health food, but still tasty!

So what to do to health this one up...

• Whole wheat bread
• Shred your cheese (taste goes WAY farther this way without using as much)
• Add a condiment to kick up the flavor (my choice: mustard!! and I don't mean the crap neon yellow stuff)
• Add a heaping side of grilled veggies
• Grill it in a pan with a tiny tiny bit of butter, or a light spray of olive oil
  

So I introduce you to mr grilled cheese:


Why hello there good looking...how are you today.... ok enough small talk, lets chow!

Skinny Buffalo Wing Sammies

John and I both love buffalo wings, but rarely eat them. He will basically only eat chicken breast meat, sans the skin... so I've tried making a bunch of "healthy buffalo wing" recipes. They have gone by well, but nothing amazing. My version is adapted from The Most Decadent Diet EVER! (page 78) and it is a keeper. We wrapped the tenders up along with the colorful coleslaw also found in the same book (recipe to come tomorrow).


Boneless buffalo strips
1.5 Tbs whole wheat flour
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp sea salt
1 lb chicken tenders
1/4 cup Anchor Bar Wing Sauce (you know the place where buffalo wings were invented!!)
3-4 glugs Franks Red Hot

Mix dry ingredients and one at a time dredge tenders, shake off excess and place on a baking sheet edges not touching. In a large non-stick pan sprayed with olive oil, cook tenders 2-3 minutes per side. Work in batches so tenders aren't touching. Place cooked wings into a bowl and toss to coat with Anchor Wing Sauce and Franks Red Hot.

We wrapped these bad boys up in whole wheat Flat Out wraps cut in half, along with some tasty low-cal coleslaw!! Come back tomorrow for the colorful coleslaw recipe!

MMMMM bar food without the guilt!! We also chowed tasty sweet potato fries to finish off the meal!!!! SO GOOD!

Microwaved eggs?

I'm not a fast food eater. I think the last time I was at a McDonalds or something to that effect was a good 6 years ago ... and that time was because I had no other option, a friend's mom brought us out to eat and that's where she brought us. So it would have been rude to refuse. Before that one day (oh the belly pains) I hadn't had fast food probably 3 years prior. Not to say I didn't have my love afair with big macs when I was a kid. I was a swimmer, and I ate me weight in food most days haha. What's that you say two big macs and a large fry? Bring it on. Oh but not anymore, I think it would kill me hehe.

Back to the microwaved eggs. Egg mcmuffins were another tasty thing the old fast food eating me liked. Even though fast food and I broke up all those years ago, I still think about those egg mcmuffins sometimes... so what's a girl to do? Make her own! I mean it's not rocket science!


AND if you have a handy dandy egg microwaver from the 60's or 70's that you found in the attick of your parents house... you're in luck! Actually you're all in luck, Amazon seems to sell them here. Mine looks more old school, but same concept.

Whole wheat english muffins toasted up. Some Jennie-O lean turkey bacon. Fat free cheddar slices (or part skim, or full fat) this is an occasioin that the fat free kind doesn't weird me out. Wegmans has a fat free cheddar slice that actually melts and tastes pretty darn good! Plus we all know mcdonalds cheese isn't real... or is it?? It can't be...

Anyway you can just crack an egg into each side, or in my case scramble up one whole egg with an egg white and dump half into each side. Microwave it up, and you have authentic circular eggs just like your favorite fast food place. Much healthier, and in my opinion tastier!

CHOW!!!!

Hamburger and sweet potato wedges

I've been craving a hamburger, not a gross chain restaurant smashed flat bland greasy patty and certainly not from a fast food place... bleh!!! John was off in Minneapolis on a business trip so I figured tonight was the night to make a burger! Wegmans is great in the fact you can have them portion out ground meat for you in whatever quantity you like, so I got a third of a pound 90/10 ground beef to make my burger. I hate how some places have it prepacked in 1 lb increments and dont' let you get less then a pound, I mean what am I going to do with a pound of meat when it's just me home to eat??

I didn't do anything fancy just a little cracked pepper and a dash of salt then formed it into a nice little patty. Don't mash or flatten it too much you want that nice airy texture in the meat. A quick 2 1/2 minute trip on a heated up George Forman resulted in a delicious medium rare burger. mmmm I let it rest for 5 minutes to let all the nice juices reincorporate themselves, topped it with ketchup and lettuce and chowed! mmmmmm sooo good. Of course that wouldn't be enough to fill me up so I whipped up some baked sweet potato fries before making the burger. Super easy and a great side.

Baked sweet potato wedges
1 medium sized yam or sweet potato cut into thin wedges
olive oil spray
paprika
brown sugar
Jack Daniels BBQ sauce

Cut potato into thin wedges and spray with olive oil, sprinkle on some paprika and a little brown sugar to taste, you can load it on or do a nice light coating depending on how feisty you feel :) Place on a cookie sheet and heat in an oven (I used my toaster oven since I was just doing 1 potato for me) at 400 degrees for about 30 minutes. Place some BBQ sauce in a cute little cup and stack wedges into the cup.

Chow!

Veggie Sandwich - vegan friendly

This time of year all I want to do is eat tons and tons of fresh veggies! With the farmers markets buzzing I picked up some wonderful homegrown tomatoes and cucumbers last week. This paired along with some hummus, chick peas, and lettuce makes a delicious quick lunch.

Veggie Delicious Sandwich
1 tomato sliced
1/2 small cucumber sliced thin
1 leaf green leaf lettuce torn to fit bread
1/4 cup canned chick peas rinsed
2 Tbs garlic hummus
dash of salt and fresh cracked pepper
2 slices of bread or a roll

Chow!

PS I forgot I also added some sprigs of fresh parsley to this sandwich as well! Super tasty :)

Faster then fast food

Ok so you work a 12 hour shift (like my awesome roommate who works in the NICU go steph!!) or just a normal 8 hour day (like me)... either way the last thing some people want to think about it cooking... so you start thinking about going to one of the evil fast food places... DON'T DO IT!! With very little thinking ahead you can make a much healthier option at home.

I always keep the freezer stocked with some whole wheat bread or rolls that I froze for such emergency occasions. I also make sure to keep a package of frozen Jennie-O LEAN turkey burgers. Make sure they are the lean ones... the normal ones have a ton of fat in them (17 grams vrs 9 gms). These little babies go straight from the freezer into a lightly sprayed pan 3 minutes a side and you are DONE!

So while the burger is cooking toss a roll or slices of bread from the freezer into the toaster, then top it with the burger, a little salsa or ketchup and you are done. If you have some on hand go for the gold with some lettuce and tomato, mushrooms, or a slice of cheese. But these burgers just with ketchup are super flavorful and will help get you through that burger craving. So don't stop at fast food! Keep driving and cook up a quick turkey burger and enjoy!

Chow!

Balsamic Chicken Mushroom Onion Sandwich

Here is a quick 20 minute healthy meal for you! There is no need to eat frozen dinner packages that don't fill you up to save time. This is a very quick and easy meal that will satisfy without hurting your waistline. I made these friday night after long day at work followed by an intense spinning class. Simple quick easy and satisfying!

Balsamic chicken sandwich with mushrooms and onions (serves 2)
2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
balsamic vinegar
black pepper to taste
1/2 container sliced fresh baby bella mushrooms
1/2 medium sweet onion (chopped)
2 whole wheat rolls
romaine lettuce leaves

Place chicken in a bowl or bag and piece a few times with a fork. Pour 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar and black pepper to taste over the chicken and set aside while grill heats up. I don't have an outdoor grill so I used my handy George Forman grill but you can easily cook the chicken outside on your grill.

While grill is heating, lightly spray a pan and start sauteing chopped onion. Once brown add mushrooms along with 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar and black pepper to taste, cook until vinegar is reduced to a thick sauce.

Once grill is hot, cook chicken for 7 minutes or until done. (don't over cook they get chewy and dry BLEH)

Cut rolls and place a chicken breast along with a helping of the onion/mushroom mixture and top with a lettuce leaf and the top of the roll.

Enjoy!


Corn on the cob
(a great summer side any night of the week!)
4 ears of corn husks removed and silk cleaned off
pot of water

Fill a pot with 3-4 inches of water (enough water to cover the corn ears) set the stove on high and bring to a boil.
Place corn into the water and let boil 4-5 minutes, using a spoon make sure to rotate them in the water bath so all sides cook.
Remove from water and let cool. (Again over cooking will leave the corn soggy and bland)
Top with some pepper, red hot, or whatever else floats your boat.

Chow!

Lentil Burgers in the Poconos

John and I had a fantastic time in the Poconos this Memorial Day weekend. Lots of hiking, reading, relaxing, cooking, crocheting, coffee drinking, did I mention relaxing?? While we were there I found my old bike from when I was a kid buried in the garage. This is the best bike ever, I mean come on it's a pink Schwinn with butterflies and a banana seat. While we were excavating it from the garage my mom and dad called to say hi so I went inside to talk with them. When I got back outside I came upon the best site ever...

Oh yes, at 6 feet tall he still managed to ride it with much grace!! FANTASTIC!!!

I on the other hand fit on the bike perfectly... umm if by perfect you mean it hurt my knees after a mile that is... The original plan was to bring it back to Rochester and I was going to ride it to work. I only live a mile and a half away and come on it saves gas! However even though it's a small bike it's REALLY HEAVY, living on the 3rd floor of an old house with no where to safely store it other than in my apartment I decided it was too heavy to have to lug up and down all those stairs every day. Although I am sure my coworkers would have LOVED to see me ride up to work on it :) Yeah I rode my little Razor scooter (circa 1999) to work a week ago... I don't think I'll ever hear the end of that one haha.

Anyway back to the chow part! Lorraine from Not Quite Nigella made some amazing looking lentil sweet potato burgers awhile back, that I just had to try. Her original recipe is here. I meant to follow it I really did, but a trip to the grocery store without the recipe in hand made me do things by memory... and I forgot a bunch of the ingredients she had listed.... So.. here is a version minus a few ingredients. Still very tasty!


Lentil Sweet Potato Burgers

• Two 15 oz can lentils, rinsed, drained
• 1-2 garlic cloves, crushed
• About 1 lb sweet potato, cooked and coarsely chopped
• About 1 cup stuffing mix or dried breadcrumbs (I used garlic bread crumbs and used less actual garlic then she said to use)
• 1/3 cup water
• 2 eggs, lightly whisked
• 1 shallot chopped
• 1/2 bunch parsley
• Salt & freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 cup Sunflower and sesame seeds
• Hummus
• Franks Red Hot Sauce
  

1. Combine lentils, garlic, cooked chopped sweet potato, breadcrumbs, water, parsley, and eggs in a large bowl. Season with salt and pepper. Use your wet hands to shape each portion into an patty-you should get 8 patties in total depending on the size you make. Roll one side in sunflower and sesame seed mix. Cover and refrigerate until ready to be cooked.

2. Spray a pan with olive oil and cook patties about 3-4 minutes per side. Top with a dollop of hummus and a shake of red hot.

chow!

waiting for their turn in the frying pan

Oh and one other thing... Mom, I stole a set of mixing bowls from PA... There is another (not nearly as fun) set so I didn't leave the house there without anything to bake with... but I think they will get much more love in my kitchen then sitting there unused. Poor mixing bowls. How cute are these!!! It's a set of 4, 2 are this color 2 are white with a yellow pattern. I love them!!!

yes yes I know I was born in the wrong decade :)

Super easy BBQ chicken sandwich

Sorry for the lack of pictures... but I felt like writing about this anyway since I made it last night. So for all of my friends who say they don't like to cook and complain about what they eat... this is so easy yes even YOU can do it! :D First go to the store and buy a club pack of skinless chicken breasts. Individually pack them in freezer zip lock bags and chuck them in the freezer for later use. Keep 1 or 2 breasts out for cooking now.

Super easy BBQ chicken sandwich
1-2 skinless chicken breasts
whole wheat bread
lettuce
tomato
2-4 Tbs masterpiece original BBQ sauce (or BBQ sauce of your choice)

Plug in a George Forman grill and let it heat up. Once it's hot lightly spry both sides of the chicken breasts (or the grill) with olive oil and toss on the grill, close the lid and let cook 7 minutes. Remove and tear chicken apart into bite size pieces. Cover with 2-4 Tbs BBQ sauce and toss to coat. Spoon onto bread and top with lettuce and tomato. Quick and easy and you are eating dinner within 20 minutes of turning the grill on!

No turning the oven on to heat up the house, perfect if you don't have access to a real outdoor grill (darn apartment living) and the chicken comes out moist and not at all dried out.

yum

Tuna fish sandwich

Tuna fish is a wonderful thing, packed full of protein and low in calories. AND it's super quick to make up. I make this for John at least once every weekend. He calls it a BLT (I know, no mention of tuna yet I know exactly what he means when he asks for one). Actually getting him to ask for one is the hard part. He's a sweetie and hates asking me to cook for him so I'm always asking what I can make him and he says I don't have to... I then start listing... how about I make you an egg scramble... pasta? a BLT? At this point his eyes perk up so I know that is the one he feels like. hehehe. He still can't seem to believe that I love cooking for him and it's no trouble.

BLT (tuna melt)
1 can tuna
2-3 pepperoncini rings cut up
2 Tbs hummus (garlic flavor is what we use)
couple splashes red hot (chili sauce)
black pepper to taste

1 flat out low carb wrap (or a whole wheat wrap)
1/4 cup grated cheese (we use kraft fat free varieties)
2-3 slices Jennie-o lean turkey bacon
lettuce
tomato

Mix tuna through black pepper. Cook turkey bacon and set aside, after removing bacon, place a wrap in the pan over medium heat. Sprinkle cheese on top. Once melted remove from pan and pile on bacon, tuna mixture, lettuce and tomato.

Chow!

Happy Mothers Day (how to make hard boiled eggs)

I was lucky to grow up in a house where one/both/all of Mom / Dad / Nana cooked everyday. Being a vacuum cleaner when it comes to eating (even from a young age) I was probably always underfoot in the kitchen and I'm assuming it was easier to teach me to cook, so I could help them, instead of them constantly falling over me :) It made learning very easy.
After my first year of college followed by two years of being an RA (resident adviser) I finally moved out of the dorms and into an apartment with a real kitchen! Mom/Dad/Nana packed me away with lots of recipes yet even with all of this instruction built into me my whole life there was always one recipe I could never remember or find when I needed. That recipe was hard boiled eggs... I know you're thinking easy easy... yet I could NEVER remember. For years my mom would get the call... Hi mom, umm how do I hard boil eggs again?? I must have done this enough times that Mom declared she was going to tattoo it onto me so I'd always have it :D Thankfully this threat never materialized! So for mothers day... Mom I'm making hard boiled eggs and not asking you for the recipe :) .... I must say I'm still a bit scared you will carry out the tattoo threat! hehehehe

How to hard boil eggs so you can make egg salad sandwiches. yum.


Egg Salad Sandwich (makes 2)
6 large eggs (you will use 2 full egg and 4 of the whites)
4 slices whole wheat bread or 2 whole wheat rolls
1 tomato
2-4 large romaine or red lettuce leaves
2 Tbs miracle whip
1/4 tsp paprika or more to taste
1/8 tsp black pepper

Place eggs in a medium pot and fill with cool water until eggs are covered with an inch of water. Place the uncovered pot on the stove set to high heat, when water starts boiling set timer for 10 minutes. When timer goes off, remove from heat and place eggs in cold water, when cool enough to touch, break small end of the egg against the side of the pot and place back in water. Keep replacing water with more cold water until eggs are totally cool. Once cooled they should be easy to peel.

Chop up 2 whole eggs plus 4 egg whites, add miracle whip, paprika, pepper and stir. Scoop onto bread and top with tomato slices, lettuce, and whatever else you feel like.

Enjoy!!

Mom how proud are you of me right now!! I know how to make hard boiled eggs!! WOOHOOO!!

Lentil Burgers

I have an eating compulsion, I can't help it I LOVE TO CHOW!! There is an amazing eatery here in Rochester called Orange Glory and they make a mean lentil burger. I keep saying I'm going to try to make it at home and never do. No longer! I used a can of lentils instead of the dried kind (who knew they came in cans??) so it was crazy fast to make.


lentil burger
1 can lentils
1/4 cup whole what flour
1 tbs worcestershire sauce
1 egg
5 saltine crackers crumbled
garlic powder
black pepper

for garnish:
lettuce
roasted red peppers or salsa
shredded cheddar cheese

Open can of lentils and rinse well to get rid of some of the sodium. Place in a bowl with the rest of the ingredients and stir up. Form into 4 burger patties and cook in a frying pan sprayed with olive oil. Cook until browned on both sides 4-5 minutes total. Serve on a whole wheat english muffin, or some of that thyme bread I made yesterday yum!