Food for comfort: Vegetable Lasagna

Food for comfort: Vegetable Lasagna: At it again in the kitchen. Last week my friend and I had a craving for pasta....and white sauce. After much googling/blog stalking I decide...

Vegetable Lasagna

At it again in the kitchen. Last week my friend and I had a craving for pasta....and white sauce. After much googling/blog stalking I decided we should make a veggie lasagna. As always I ended up making my own creation using many other recipes as guides. This lasagna is stocked full of veggies, and I don't think you will miss the meat! Feel free to use/substitute any vegetables of your choice. :) Note: This is NOT a quick meal to make, so prepare to spend at least an hour prepping. 


Ingredients: 


1 yellow squash, diced
1 zuccini, diced
1 red bell pepper, diced
1 container of baby bella mushrooms
1 medium onion, diced
1 large can whole tomatoes
1 head of garlic: 4 cloves minced, 4 cloves smashed
1 box frozen spinach, defrosted and drained
1 container of ricotta cheese
1 cup shredded mozzarella 
1 1/2 cups shredded Parmesan(not the powdered nonsense....the real thing!)
1 cup white wine of your choice
1 box no cook lasagna noodles(my box had 12 noodles in it)
2 eggs
4 tbs butter
4 tbs flour
2 cups milk
2 tbs EVOO
13 x 9 glass pan


Directions:


Preheat oven to 375. Spray 13x9 pan with Pam. 
In large skillet over medium heat saute squash, zucchini, onion, pepper,and 4 minced garlic cloves in 2 tbs EVOO. Add mushrooms last. DO NOT add salt until mushrooms have sauteed. Add salt and pepper to taste. Pour in 1/2 cup white wine. Using your hands, crush whole tomatoes into veggie mixture. Careful! This is messy! Cook for another 5 minutes then turn off heat. 
In sauce pan add 4 tbs butter and heat on low heat with 4 smashes garlic cloves. Low heat is important since you do not want to burn your garlic. This process will allow the garlic flavor to infuse throughout the butter. YUM! Once butter is melted, sprinkle in 4 tbs flour and stir. Increase heat to medium and add 2 cups milk. Whisk constantly until mixture becomes thick. Add 1/2 cup white wine,1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, and salt and pepper to taste. Stir to combine. Reduce heat to simmer. (you have just made a beschamel sauce!)
In small mixing bowl combine drained spinach with container of ricotta and 2 eggs. 


In bottom of 13x9 pan spread 1/4 of your veggie mixture. Place 3 noddles on top. Spread 1/3 ricotta mixture over noodles, 1/4 veggie mixture, 1/4 beschamel sauce. 2 layers noodles, ricotta, veggies, sauce. Last layer is noodles, beschamel, and your mozzarella and parmesan cheeses. You should have 4 layers of noodles, 3 noodles per layer. Cover with aluminum foil and bake at 375 for 30 minutes. After 30 min, uncover and cook for 10 more minutes. If the cheese doesn't brown like you would like, turn the broiler on for 5 minutes. Let sit for about 10 minutes after removing from the oven. 

This is so decadent it is worth taking the time to make!

It's Pumpkin time!

Another pumpkin recipe! Just made this one tonight and it is quite tasty! It is a recipe for mini chocolate pumpkin brownies. Once again I married pumpkin and chocolate together. :) If you think you aren't a pumpkin lover, try either of my new recipes. I might be able to change your mind. The following recipe makes 15 mini brownies. 


Pumpkin Brownies:

Ingredients

2 Tbs  unsalted butter
4 squares bittersweet chocolate, chopped
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp baking powder
sprinkle of cayenne pepper
1/8 tsp salt
1/4 c plus 2 Tbs sugar
1 large egg
1/2 Tbs pure vanilla extract
1/4 c plus 2 Tbs pumpkin
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 c chopped pecans
1/4 c mini semisweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350. Spray mini muffin tin with cooking spray. In microwave safe bowl melt chocolate and butter. (about 1 min) In small bowl combine flour, baking powder, cayenne pepper, and salt. In another bowl combine egg, vanilla, and sugar. Beat with mixer for a couple of minutes. Add flour mixture and stir to combine. Divide the batter adding half to the melted chocolate and the other half add pumpkin and cinnamon. (you should have 2 bowls now. 1 with chocolate batter, and 1 with pumpkin batter.) Fill the muffin pans with brownie mixture first and top with pumpkin batter. Sprinkle with pecans/mini chocolate chips. Bake for 20 minutes. 

Pictures to come later! :) 

Eggplant Burger!!!

Ok here is the recipe for the long awaited eggplant burger. For you non eggplant lovers, give this a try! I promise you will love it! For anyone with kids, this is a great way to get a veggie in them:) What truly makes this dish is the "remoulade" I made to go along side it! I served mine with homemade baked potato chips and fresh greens. 


Eggplant Burger(for 1 with leftovers or for 2)


1 eggplant, chopped 
2 scallions diced
1/2 cup mild cheddar cheese, shredded- take the time to shred your own, it makes a difference
1/2 cup plain bread crumbs
1 tsp diced garlic
salt/pepper to taste
EVOO


Preheat large skillet to medium heat and add 2-3 tbsp EVOO. Add diced eggplant and saute for about 5 minutes. Reduce heat to low/medium and cook for 15min or until eggplant is completely soft. Remove eggplant from heat and add 5 other ingredients and mix to combine. Form 2 equal size patties, and place in fridge for about 15 minutes. Reheat skillet to medium and add 2 tbsp EVOO. Place patties in skillet and cook for 4-5 minutes on each side. Serve alone or on bun along side yummy remoulade. If you serve on a bun, make sure you toast it. :)


Caramalized Onion Remoulade
1/2 onion sliced
1 tbsp butter
1-2 tbsp EVOO
2 tbsp mayo
2 tbsp sour cream


In small skillet heat butter and EVOO on medium heat. Add onions and saute til translucent. Once they are, turn down to simmer and cook for 15-20 minutes or until caramelized(brown). Mix onions with mayo and sour cream. This is so freakin' good....it tastes just like the french onion dip you buy in the grocery! For you health nuts, you can just caramelize the onions and serve them on top of your burger alone. 


Home Made Potato Chips
1 baking potato
EVOO 
salt/pepper


Thinly slice potato. Toss with evoo and salt/pepper. Place slices on cooling rack on top of cookie sheet. Bake at 425 for about 20 minutes or until brown and crispy.


Greens:
yummy fresh greens from the grocery
grape tomatoes 
scallions
cheese of your choice






Want a healthy sweet treat to end your evening? 


1 frozen banana
2 tbsp cocoa powder


In blender combine 2 ingredients and you will have a quick "sorbet" for dessert! 

Stir Fry for 1!!

Hello friends! It has been quite a while since I have blogged.....I have been in Maine the past 10 weeks! Back to the grind this week and back in the kitchen. While in Maine I did not have access to my farm fresh veggies, so I loaded up the day I got back into town. The other night I made a stir fry that was super easy and better then take out. A great week night go to if you ask me! This recipe will be for one, but you can easily make it for 2, 3, 4, etc. I also stuck with just veggies but you can add chicken, pork, beef, or seafood. So so good, you must make it!


Ingredients:


1/2 red bell pepper
handful of broccoli
1/2 sliced onion
handful of mushrooms
handful of shredded carrots
1/2 cup uncooked jasmine rice
1 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp chopped garlic(or however much you like)
2 tbsp chicken stock
2 tbsp cornstarch
2 tbsp honey
2 tbsp soy sauce
pinch of red pepper flakes


Bring 1 cup water to a boil, add rice and pinch of salt. Set to simmer and cook 30 minutes.Chop and prepare your veggies. ( you can do whatever veggies you want.....don't feel you have to stick to mine!) Mix together spices and liquids in separate bowl. Once there is 10 minutes left on your rice, preheat pan to medium heat and add about a tbsp of EVOO. Add veggies and saute for 5 minutes.(be sure to put lid on to help in cooking process!) After 5 minutes add your "sauce" and heat through for 5 minutes. Serve on top of rice. When cooking for 1, this recipe makes enough for dinner and leftovers for lunch or dinner the next day. This is better then take out, trust me! 




Chefs Note: If you should want to add a protein here are my directions. Cut your meet into bite size pieces and toss with some cornstarch and soy sauce. Pre heat pan to medium and add some EVOO. Cook meat through about 10 minutes, depending on size. Remove meat from pan, then follow above directions to cook veggies. Add meat last after you have added the sauce. I recommend cutting pork and beef length wise into strips. If you have pork chops on hand, these are perfect and you can stretch a buck using 1-2 pork chops. If you use chicken, one chicken breast can feed 4 when cut into pieces. Fresh shrimp would be delicious as well!




Stay tuned for my eggplant burger recipe..........

Update from Maine

So it has been at least a month since my last blog. I am sad to say there won't be any new recipes for the next 7 weeks. I am currently working in Maine, and trying my best to eat "healthy" with camp food. Not easy. So many carbs AND milk and cookies every night. There is a salad bar but it got old after the first night.
Do you know how hard it is to resist fresh baked cookies with ice cold milk every night?! 
The food is actually all very fresh and homemade but a lot of it is not the best for you and I am craving some fresh veggies. I am also missing my southern summer veggies right now. No vine ripe red tomatoes up in Maine. I wonder if they even know a good tomato up here? I am craving fresh tomato, onion, cucumber, squash and field peas. If any of you can figure out how to Fed Ex some of that to me that would be awesome! :) I do have one recipe for you guys, and if you all want to try it or attempt to try it and let me know how it goes that would be great! The chef here at camp, Angelo,  is freakin awesome and he gave me a guide as to how he makes his chicken curry.....yes we get chicken curry here at camp! 
Angelo's Chicken Curry:
Season chicken with salt and pepper, curry and garlic and let sit overnight.
When preparing the next day, cut chicken into pieces and saute in EVOO. 
Add diced carrots, red onion, and any other veggie you desire. (eggplant, zucchini, etc.) Sprinkle with curry. (Angelo suggests you shake your curry a bit before you use the spice.....wakes it up a little!) 
Add heavy cream to make your sauce. (He says you can use yogurt to make it healthier but it won't taste as good as with cream) 
Serve with white rice and a fresh green veggie. 


This was so so good. I will try to blog a few times while here with some other "camp" recipes! haha 
On a Maine note, I had lobster mac and cheese my first night in Maine......I  must say I could make better mac and cheese. I guess southerners know best! Haha 
Okay off to work. If you make the curry let me know what you think! 

Black Bean and Corn Cakes

So my awesome cousin, Claire, hooked me up with a black bean burger recipe a few months back. I of course, have played around with the recipe and concocted my own creation. Last night was by far my favorite result so far! I recommend serving these cakes with some yellow rice and fresh tomatoes on top! 


Black Bean and Corn Cakes


1 cup black beans, drained and rinsed
1 ear of corn, corn cut off
1/2 bunch scallions
1 jalapeño diced
1/2 cup plain bread crumbs
1 egg
salt/pepper to taste


In small skillet saute corn and jalapeño for a couple of minutes in some EVOO, just to heat through. In small bowl, mash black beans and add egg and bread crumbs. Slowly combine corn to bean mixture, you really have to temper the mixture since the corn is hot. Add scallions to mixture last. Ingredients should be rather thick. Try to divide mixture into 4, as you should be able to make 4 cakes out of this recipe. 
Heat small skillet to medium heat and add 2 tbs EVOO. Drop 1/4 mixture into skillet and slightly flatten it to look like a cake. Cook 3-4 min on one side and flip. If you want a little something on top, sprinkle with pepper jack cheese after removing from skillet. One cake, with rice is a serving. Delicious!!! 


Note: If you don't want big bean cakes, you can always make smaller patty size cakes and then you would have 2 small cakes per serving. Those of you with men if your life :), they might like 2 large cakes a serving. 
To reheat, you can heat in the microwave, but they taste better heated in a toaster oven. 

Em's Mexican Pizza

So when you are eating on a tight budget, you become quite creative with every ingredient you have on hand. I am big fan of Mexican flavors and one of my favorite restaurants, The Roosters Beak, has a Mexican pizza that they make with a tortilla. The possibilities of toppings is endless and you can really make it your own by what you choose to put on top. What is pretty awesome about this recipe is that you can individualize each pizza. How great for someone with a spouse? You can finally have something the way you want it and he can be happy too!! Woo hoo! The following recipe is my version, and I must say it is tasty! I made 2 pizzas, so I would have leftovers. 1 tortilla will serve 1 person. To reheat the next day, I recommend taking the time to reheat in an oven or toaster oven to keep the crispness of the tortilla. 


Notes/Tips:

• Both tortillas and cheese freeze very well and thaw out quickly. You can pull out as many tortillas as you need at the time the morning of and they are ready by dinner time. You can also pull out a bag of cheese and place it in the fridge the morning of and it too will be ready for you by dinner. 
• Other meat suggestions: ground beef, chorizo, or keep it vegetarian and just use beans.
• If you like tomatoes, they are a yum-o topping once the pizzas come out of the oven. 

Mexican pizza ingredients:


1 cup black beans
1 cup shredded chicken(rotisserie chicken is great for this)
scallions( they come in bunches at the grocery, I used half a bunch chopped)
1/2 cup frozen corn
1 pkg Old El Paso taco seasoning divided(1/2 for the chicken, 1/2 for the sour cream sauce)
1 cup of a variety of cheeses( I used pepper jack, sharp cheddar, mozzarella) note: this is 1 cup total
sour cream sauce(see recipe below)
2- 10 inch tortillas
1 cookie sheet
1 cooling rack


Sour cream sauce ingredients:


2 heaping spoonfuls of sour cream
cilantro(I use the cilantro in a tube from the produce section, not as potent as fresh)
1 jalapeño pepper
1/2 pkg taco seasoning


For the sour cream sauce: In a food processor combine all ingredients until jalapeño is completed chopped and blended.


Preheat oven to 400. Line cookie sheet with aluminum foil and place cooling rack on top. Both tortillas should fit on top. In small saucepan heat chicken and season with 1/2 pkg of taco seasoning. (the other 1/2 is in the sour cream sauce). I also heat the corn with the chicken.  Place a spoonful of sour cream sauce on each tortilla. You can determine how saucy it is :) Evenly distribute beans, chicken, scallions, and corn on each tortilla. Sprinkle each pizza with your choice of cheeses. Don't over do it with the cheese on these, remember its a tortilla not pizza dough. (I know I know, shocking that I just said don't over do it with cheese!!!) Bake at 400 for 20 minutes or until cheese is melted and tortilla is browned. I cut mine into 4 pieces and like to dip it in sour cream and salsa. Enjoy! 

Asparagus and Prosciutto Pizza

This next recipe is an oldie but goodie in my cookbook. I discovered this recipe 5 or 6 years ago and it is delicious and a different way to use asparagus! The original recipe called for fancy cheeses that they average single teacher can't fit in the budget. So I tweaked it and incorporated some more affordable cheeses. Also if you don't care to buy a pack of prosciutto, consider going to the deli and having them slice it for you. Since it is supposed to be cut super tihn, you might save some money by buying it by the slice/pound!  It may sound strange at first, but trust me....once you make it you will be in love! 

Asparagus and Prosciutto Pizza

fresh pizza dough (Publix and Trader Joes carries it)
10-12 asparagus spears(buy them thin......not sure how well the thick ones would do)
3-4 slices prosciutto(cut into pieces)
1 cup ricotta cheese
1/2 cup fresh grated Parmesan cheese
1-2 cups mozzerella cheese
salt/pepper to taste


Preheat oven to 375.
Sprinkle cookie sheet with flour or corn meal. Work out pizza dough to fill a cookie sheet.....a rectangle shape works best for this pizza bc of the asparagus. Spread ricotta cheese and sprinkle with a little salt and pepper. Lay asparagus across pizza leaving a little space between each spear. Sprinkle prosciutto over top. Cover with Parmesan and mozzarella cheeses. Bake 15-20 minutes or until cheese is melted. 

Did you know??

that you can split a brownie mix in half! Once again I had a craving and a box of brownie mix sat in my cabinet. I decided to measure out the dry mix and see just how much was in a box. Come to find out it is 4 cups of dry brownie mix. So why not use half and make less brownies? Oh and why not splurge and top your brownies with a cream cheese frosting?! Yes please! This treat is perfect to make the same night or week you make my yummy risotto as I used mascarpone cheese in the frosting. Also I make them in a cupcake pan, so these would also be a nice treat to pack in a lunch during the work week!


Brownies for 1 (or 2!) This recipe makes 6 brownies.


1 box brownie mix
1 egg
1/4 cup water
2 Tbs oil
1/2 cup mini chocolate chips(optional)
1/2 chopping walnuts(optional)
cupcake pan
cupcake liners


Heat oven to 350. Trick: If you don't want your chips/nuts to sink in your brownies, toss them with some of the dry brownie mix in a separate bowl before adding them to the batter. 
In bowl mix half your brownie mix with egg, oil, and water. (you can save the rest of your dry mix in a ziploc bag or container for another time) Line cupcake pan with 6 liners and equally distribute your brownie batter. 
Bake 15-20 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean. 
Let cool.


Frosting: 
2 oz cream cheese: softened
2 oz mascarpone cheese
1 cup powdered sugar


In bowl mix 3 ingredients. Frost cooled brownies, and feel free to sprinkle with a few extra chocolate chips! 


Serve with an ice cold glass of milk!

Black Eyed Pea Salad

Busy in the kitchen tonight! Trying to eat healthy can get boring at times. I was on a salad kick for a while, but am quite tired of chewing lettuce! As my dad would say, "too much work"! :) So I got to thinking of what I could make as an alternative to salad that would make a tasty lunch. For those of you that might take your lunch to work, this might be a great option! Black eyed peas are a great source of protein, and this recipe uses canned ones so you don't have to cook them. Woo hoo! 

Black Eyed Pea Salad:

1 can black eyed peas, drained and rinsed

1 fresh cob of corn, corn cut off of cob

1 bell pepper, diced

1 jalepeno, seeded and diced(use a half it you don't want so much heat)

1/2 onion diced

1/2 cup Italian dressing

In small container mix all ingredients. Refrigerate! Make the night before, as it will get better after it sits for a while. Serve as a yummy side item or eat for lunch. Serves 4 sides or 2 decent sized lunches. 

Asparagus Risotto

It's been a few days since last post....I am slacking! The next recipe I will share is a new favorite and it is cooking on my stove as I type. I am a huge fan of rice and in the past few years have become a lover of risotto. For those of you that think it is complicated it isn't so don't be afraid! It is a great base for any meal and you can even make it a meal itself by adding a protein(scallops are great!) Once you get the hang of the concept, you can add whatever you like to the risotto. Peas, tomatoes, spinach, mushrooms, pepper, etc. Anyways, asparagus is in season and last week Rachael Ray made an asparagus risotto. I of course decided to make it and ended up tweaking it along the way. for you meat lovers out there, a piece of grilled chicken or some tilapia would be delicious served along side. 


Asparagus Risotto:


1 bunch of asparagus chopped into 1-2 inch pieces (anywhere from 5-10 spears)
1 cup arborio rice
3-4 cups chicken stock(1 box)
2 garlic cloves smashed and diced
1/2 onion diced or 1 shallot diced(shallots are as yummy but a little milder then an onion)
3-4 fresh thyme sprigs
2-3 Tbs mascarpone cheese(SO worth the investment)
2 Tbs butter
1/2 cup FRESH grated Parmesan cheese(again the fresh makes a world of difference)
salt/pepper to taste


Preheat a large skillet to medium heat and add 2 Tbs EVOO. Add onions, garlic and thyme and saute for a couple of minutes. Add rice and saute until rice appears translucent. To mixture add 1 cup chicken stock and reduce heat to low. Once liquid is absorbed, add another cup. Continue process until rice is al dente.(takes about 30 minutes total) Once rice is cooked, pull out thyme sprigs. Add asparagus and cook through about 2-3 minutes. Remove risotto from the heat and add butter, parm, and mascarpone and stir. Add salt and pepper to taste. Serves 2 healthy portions as a meal or 4 sides. 

BBQ Chicken Pizza

The next recipe is one of my favorites and it is SO easy! I always plan ahead and have this the night after I have grilled chicken for dinner. Simply throw an extra chicken breast on the grill and you are one step ahead!


Ingredients:
fresh pizza dough(I know Publix and Trader Joes has it)
1-2 chicken breasts grilled.....depends on how much chicken you want
BBQ sauce(I use Sweet Baby Rays)
1 red onion sliced(not diced)
1 cup mozz cheese


Now the following recipe is to make for one. If you want to serve more then 1, use all of the pizza dough.
Preheat oven to 400.
Cut your pizza dough in half. Freeze the other half for a later time. Work your pizza dough to the desired size. I like thin crust so I really work it as thin as I can get it. Place on a cookie sheet sprinkled with a little flour or corn meal. Take chicken breast and shred. Mix with some bbq sauce, enough to coat. Cover pizza dough with bbq sauce. Again, put as much as you like. Next add mozz cheese, chicken, and onion. Bake at 400 for 15-20 or until cheese is melted. Serves 1! 


Note: If you don't have a grill, feel free to cook chicken in a skillet. 

Homemade French Fries!

Yes I know this is an old trade made by many.....but my new discovery is quite exciting! 
So.......if you have a cooling rack(meant for cookies) you can make your fries this way and save yourself many many calories AND make enough for 1, 2, or how ever many!
1 baking potato actually makes 2 servings.....oh a generous serving for one. (I love a fry so I eat a whole potato)
Preheat your oven to 425.
To prepare your fries. Take a baking potato and cut in half. Cut each half into 1/2 inch slices long ways. If you want fatter fries feel free to cut them thicker. Then cut each of those slices into shoestrings. Sorry, I am not one of those bloggers that will give you step by step pictures. If you don't know what a shoestring french fry is......Google it. haha One tip I will give you is that a sharp knife is key! It makes a world of difference. In a large bowl toss your potatoes with EVOO and ANY spice you want. Old Bay is delicious, Janes Krazy Mixed Up Salt is tasty too. You could also toss with fresh herbs! yummy!
Next cover a cookie sheet with aluminum foil. Place your cooling rack on top. Lay your potatoes on top in even layer. 
Bake your fries for about 30 minutes, or until brown and crispy. Obviously the longer you bake them the crispier they will be. The genius of the cooling rack is that you never have to flip your potatoes and they get crispy all the way through. These are the best fries you will ever eat, and I promise that you will never buy Ore Ida again! I don't even need ketchup.
Feel free to try this with a sweet potato too. They are yummy with salt. Drizzle with honey when they come out of the oven! 

Childhood favorite made healthy

As a child one of my favorite meals was Pecos casserole, so much so that it was my birthday dinner request. There is something oh so comforting about a casserole. Pecos casserole was a hamburger helper like dinner with Hormel chili as its base. Needless to say it was not a healthy meal, but boy was it yummy! A few weeks ago I had a craving for it, but Pecos and losing weight do not go together so I got to brainstorming a new, healthier version that would still take me back to great childhood memories. The similarity in taste of the new recipe to the original is spot on! SO excited!  I will first provide you the original recipe so that you are able to compare the difference. This recipe makes enough for 4 portions or a great dinner for 2 with leftovers and believe me the leftovers are just as tasty! Serve alongside a yummy salad. 


Pecos Casserole: The Original


1 can Hormel Chili(with beans)
1 can corn
1/2 onion diced
1/2 bell pepper diced
1 cup cheddar cheese
1 cup uncooked elbow macaroni


Cook noodles according to package directions. In large skillet saute onion and pepper in EVOO. Add corn and chili. Stir in cooked macaroni and cheese. Serve! 


Pecos Casserole: Revamped Healthier Version


1 can chili beans(rinsed)
1 cup Birds Eye corn with bell peppers(Steamfresh)
1/2 cup diced onion
1 pkg Reduced Sodium Old El Paso Taco Seasoning
1 cup uncooked elbow macaroni
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese(if you really want to cut calories feel free to use that nasty rubber fat free cheese:) )


Cook macaroni and drain. In skillet saute onion and corn. Add can of beans and taco seasoning. Stir in elbow macaroni and cheese. Enjoy! 

Em's Oatmeal Raisin-et Cookies ;)

So any of you out there that know me well know that I love a Raisinet. There is a bag of them in my fridge as we speak. Love love love them. Anyways, so I was craving a cookie tonight (not on the diet) and wanted to use what I had in the house. I had some plain instant oatmeal but no raisins......this got my brain churning. I love an oatmeal raisin cookie, I love an oatmeal chocolate chip cookie.....why not blend the 2?! Hence my new creation of the Oatmeal Raisinet Cookie. You will never go back to the original. I promise!


Oatmeal Raisinet Cookies

4 Tbs softened unsalted butter
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup light brown sugar
1 egg
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/3 cup plus 3 Tbs flour
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 cup toasted pecans chopped
1/4 cup Raisinets
2 packets Instant Oatmeal( I would say about 1/2 cup to 1 cup oatmeal.....til cookie dough consistency)


Toast your pecans at 350 for 5 minutes. Chop. Combine butter, sugar, egg and vanilla. Add flour baking powder, salt, cinnamon and combine. (I never do the ridiculous step where you dirty up another bowl to combine your dry ingredients first) Stir in your oatmeal, pecans and Raisinets. I like to refrigerate my dough for about 30 minutes but that is personal preference.
Bake at 350 for 11-12 minutes. Makes about 12 cookies, depending on size. The best part is you can make a few, then freeze the remaining dough for another day! A-mazing cookies!

Hello fellow food lovers!

So in the past few months, I have found myself in the kitchen quite often as a means of comfort and therapy. Cooking relaxes me and is one of the few things I can control in my upside down life! I often find myself sharing my "recipes" or creations and decided I might as well create a blog and share with everyone! I am also on a mission to create meals and desserts to accommodate a household of 1 or 2 people. Not so easy! I will start with my quick and easy pasta dish I created tonight! 


Fresh Tomato and Spinach Pasta Toss


1/4 lb whole wheat angel hair pasta or thin spaghetti
5-6 cherry or grape tomatoes cut in half
1 handful of fresh spinach
1 heaping Tbs inched garlic or 3 cloves diced
1 pinch red pepper flakes
1 pinch dried basil: if you like fresh....more power to ya!
2-3 sprigs fresh thyme
2-3 Tbs EVOO(if you don't know what that is.....tisk tisk)
salt/pepper to taste


Go ahead and boil your pasta water, add pasta and cook while you combine the fresh ingredients.
In large skillet, heat EVOO on medium heat. Add garlic and all other spices. Add fresh tomatoes and spinach and cook til tomatoes and spinach are semi wilted. Once pasta is cooked, drain and add directly to skillet with other goodies. Add about 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese. Toss. Enjoy!