Dreaming of Blue Cheese

Lately I have been feeling like something with Blue Cheese, but of course I don't want all the fat and calories that come along with it. I found this recipe for Blue Cheese-Stuffed Chicken with Buffalo Sauce and it seemed like just the thing to satisfy my craving and keep within the parameters of fat and calories I allot myself every day.

I also made a wedge as an ode to my Blue Cheese theme because when I hear "blue cheese" I can't help but think of a lettuce wedge. Too much cheese, especially Blue Cheese, is never a good thing so I made this avocado dressing instead!

Avocado Herb Dressing

1/2 cup light mayonnaise

1/4 cup chopped green onions

1/4 reduced-fat sour cream

1 Tablespoon chopped fresh flat leaf parsley

1 Tablespoon chopped fresh chives

1 Teaspoon chopped fresh Tarragon

1/8 Teaspoon salt

1/2 ripe peeled avocado

2 garlic cloves chopped

2 Tablespoons water

1 Tablespoon white wine vinegar

4 drops hot sauce

Combine first 10 ingredients in a food processor and process until smooth. While running, add the water, vinegar and hot sauce and blend. Store in an airtight container. (1 Tablespoon 19 calories, 1.4g Fat)

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I chopped some fresh tomatoes and red onion to go with the wedges. Brian's is the one with the yellow tomatoes, he doesn't like red ones. Only yellow. ??????

Finished product! Tasted Great and I will make it again!

Great Start

There is nothing better to start your day than a workout and a great breakfast! This morning marked the first day of my family's new private bootcamp. For the past 7 months we have been going to a bootcamp down the street, but they moved a lot further away and at 5:30 am no one wants to drive further or wake up earlier. Our solution: Make our own bootcamp! It is fabulous!

Last night I made these Oatmeal Blueberry Muffins as a new addition to our normal breakfast this week. My hopes are that Brian would like them and his brain would get its "unhealthy craving" for the day and be tricked! They are made with whole wheat flour and oats and really taste good. The part in the recipe where you toss the blueberries in flour first really works. They are pretty quick to make (despite my lack of interest in baking) and are great!

Batter-I used steel cut oats so I think that is why they are more grainy and visible. They tasted fine though. I sometimes make dumb choices at Trader Joe's!

Brian's Chocolate Soy Latte made with our Nspresso (best machine ever!)

Overeasy Eggs (with extra pepper)

Beautiful Muffins

What a great start to a great day! What do you do to start your morning??

Weeknight Wonder

I missed my Sunday grocery shopping again this week because I was working. I found this recipe for Chicken Curry in my Cooking Light Cookbook my sis gave me. It says you can feed 4 people for less than $10. This seemed perfect because I had to get my ingredients at Bristol Farms in order to save time...and my feet.

I spent more than $10, but it was perfect because it was fast and easy. It tasted great and I will make this again soon now that I have the curry paste in my fridge. I probably have all the other items in my kitchen anyways on a daily basis!

Only complaint is that it doesn't call for any pepper or heat. It needed both. After taking a few bites, I went and got my grinder and some crushed red pepper. Perfect! I also added some mushrooms and yellow onion I had just to include some more vegetables because I was way too lazy to make a salad. Sometimes a salad is just too much work!

Finished Meal which I ate with my feet up!

Brian was not thrilled with the dessert (Fresh Cheeries) I got, so he insisted we go get frozen yogurt! Turned out to be a fun excursion at 8 pm!

Fruit Topping which I love

Candy Toppings for Brian

Ended the night watching Real Housewives of Atlanta. Not a huge fan of this week's episode, but I am excited to see next weeks, as it looks more interesting. Also, excited for this weeks Beverly Hills episode. Camille bugs me and I can't wait to hear the phone call from her husband....

Dinner Party Time!

Friday night, our friends Brooke and Alan came over for dinner! Brooke and I have known each other since elementary school and I am so lucky that her boyfriend, Alan, got a job here in the desert so Brooke and I have been able to reconnect. There is no one better to reminisce with about High School with or laugh about funny things we hear about High School peops than Brooke! We talk about other things also of course, but one thing is for sure...it is always a good time with lots of laughing!

Lately, I have been obsessed with my new cookbook from Ina Garten (you may have noticed from my recent posts this week) and I was so excited to see this Salmon recipe.
I really like simple, fresh flavors so this seemed perfect!

As usual, I was coming home from work to prepare for this so I had to chose something that I could make quickly and still enjoy my company. I also wanted to make a roasted vegetable platter, but it is so time consuming washing and chopping all the vegetables. I decided to wash and chop everything the night before and store them in Tupperware so I was ready to go with that when I got home. My plan worked out perfectly; I was very calm and able to have a great time with my guests...the ultimate goal of a dinner party!

In five minutes I already had all the vegetables on the cookie sheets seasoned with salt, pepper, olive oil, crushed garlic and tarragon ready to go in the 375 degree oven for 20 minutes

These Roasted Tomatoes with Pesto were amazing...and amazingly easy! Even though 2 out of the 4 of us claim to dislike tomatoes, everyone loved them!

Roasted Tomatoes with Pesto
2-2.5 lb Red Tomatoes big enough for roasting (I used Roma)
2 teaspoons dried oregano
3 Tablespoons Olive Oil
Salt and Pepper
1/2 cup Store Bought Pesto
1/2 cup Freshly grated Parmesan Cheese

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Wash and slice tomatoes. Gently squeeze out the "guts". Lightly drizzle with Olive Oil and place in glass roasting dish face up. Season with Salt and Pepper. Place in oven for 10 minutes.
Remove from oven and spread tomatoes with pesto. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Return to oven for 7-10 minutes or until cheese has become bubbly and slightly browned.
May serve hot, warm or at room temperature. Enjoy!

Brookie and me

My bread basket I put together with some fresh breads from Trader Joe's

Ta Da! Roasted Vegetable Platter! Something for everyone here...

Roasted Salmon (and Chicken) with Green Herbs
2-2.5 lbs Salmon
1/2 cup Minced Fresh Parsley
1/2 cup Minced Fresh Dill
1/2 cup Minced Fresh Scallions (white and green parts)
2 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup Olive Oil
1/4 cup dry white wine
Salt and Pepper

Preheat Oven to 425 degrees. Place salmon in glass roasting dish and season well with salt and pepper. Whisk oil and lemon juice in a small bowl and drizzle evenly over salmon.
Let rest at room temperature for 15 minutes.
Meanwhile, combine herbs in a small bowl. Coat salmon with herbs liberally and spread on sides and bottom as well. Pour the wine around the fish filet.
Place salmon in oven for 15 minutes till just still pink inside. Remove from oven and cover tightly with foil for 10 minutes to finish the cooking and rest. Serve.

Guests at the dinner table

Brooke's beautiful dessert she brought from her Club. Red Velvet Cake with Pomegranate Seeds and Toasted Almond Slivers. Also, the Syrah they brought was so smooth and yummy! I don't even like wine and I loved it!!

Thank you Brookie and Alan for coming and having so much fun with Bri and I! We had the best time and can't wait to do it again!

Easy Provencal...Filet Mignon

I am finally starting to get back into the swing of things after crazy December! As you probably noticed by my lack of posts the last few weeks, I could not get myself to cook dinner regularly like usual, and when I did cook, I forgot to take pictures. No pictures, no posting...

Tonight I made a take on a recipe I saw in Ina Garten's new cookbook: How Easy is That? The recipe she has in the cookbook is called Easy Provencal Lamb. It was just the two of us and I was too lazy to look for a lamb leg as I was traipsing around the grocery store in my 4 inch high heels after work, so I got Filet Mignon. I know, totally different, but whatever...it worked and it was probably 10 precious steps closer to the checkout than the lamb.

This is approximately what I did:

Easy Provencal...Filet Mignon

• 2 six ounce pieces Filet Mignon
• 3 Tablespoons Dijon mustard
• 1 tablespoon chopped garlic, divided
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary leaves
• 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 3/4 pound ripe red tomatoes, cored and 1-inch-diced
• 1/8 cup good olive oil
• 3 Tablespoons good honey, divided
• 1/2 large Spanish onion, sliced
• 2 sprigs fresh thyme
• 1 sprigs fresh rosemary
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• Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Place the steaks in a roasting dish. Combine the mustard, half the garlic, rosemary, balsamic vinegar, 1 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon pepper in a food processor (a mini one if you have it) and pulse till herbs are minced. Spread the mixture over the meat.
• Place tomatoes, olive oil, half the honey, the onion, remaining garlic, 1 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon pepper in a bowl and toss well. Pour tomato mixture around the meat and tuck the rosemary and thyme springs under meat. Drizzle with remaining honey. Roast for 20 minutes at 450, then for another 5-10 at 400. Remove meat from oven and cover with foil. Let rest for 10 minutes to let juices reabsorb and rest. Serve with tomato and onion mixture.

I also made some roasted Brussel Sprouts and Butternut Squash with the meat. Overall it was a good meal that tasted like I cooked it for a long time. It was quick, easy and best of all...Brian cleaned the dishes!

Weeknight Bolognese

Coming home from work tonight I was sitting in my car, so cold and uncomfortable in my suit. I could not think of something more comforting than warm pasta with this tasty meat sauce. Usually the problem with comfort food is it usually leaves you feeling stuffed and guilty. This pasta ended up being everything I hoped...Hot, Meaty, Comforting...but not too heavy.

Weeknight Bolognese

Recipe from How Easy is That by Ina Garten

2 tablespoons good olive oil, plus extra to cook pasta

1 pound lean ground sirloin

4 teaspoons minced garlic (4 cloves)

1 tablespoon dried oregano

¼ tsp crushed red pepper flakes

1 ¼ cups dry red wine, divided

1 (28 ounce) can crushed tomatoes, preferably San Marzano

2 tablespoons tomato paste

Kosher salt and black pepper

¾ pound dried pasta, such as orecchiette or small shells

¼ tsp ground nutmeg

¼ cup chopped fresh basil leaves, lightly packed

¼ cup heavy cream

½ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese, plus extra for serving

Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large (12 inch) skillet over medium-high heat. Add the ground beef and cook, crumbling the meat until the meat is no longer pink and has started to brown. Add the garlic, oregano, and red pepper flakes and cook for 1 more minute. Pour 1 cup of the wine into the skillet and stir to scrape up any browned bits. Add the tomatoes, tomato paste, 1/2 tablespoon salt, and 1 ½ teaspoons pepper, stirring until combined. Bring to a boil, lower heat, and simmer for 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, cook the pasta according to the directions on the box.

Finish the sauce while the pasta cooks. Add the nutmeg, basil, cream, and the remaining ¼ cup wine to the sauce and simmer for 8-10 minutes, stirring occasionally until thickened. When the pasta is cooked, drain and pour into a large serving bowl. Add the sauce and ½ cup Parmesan and toss well. Serve hot with Parmesan on the side.

Yield: 4 – 5 servings

Beautiful Sauce Simmering

Chopped Salad

Finished Dish!

Note: I omitted the last 1/4 cup of wine because...I just felt like it. I also unfortunately could not find orecchiette at Trader Joe's and was WAY to tired to go another market after work. Next time, I will use the orecchiette. The fusilli was great for the bolognese, but I think the other would have been prettier!

Christmas Brunch

Christmas morning I woke up at around 2 pm, yes 2 pm, feeling very rested and hungry! I could not wait to get out of bed, put on my new slippers and get to work making our special breakfast! Every morning I make breakfast for Brian and I, but it never contains this much sugar! I saw the recipe for these pancakes in my new cookbook and I had to try them. I love carrot cake so Carrot Cake Pancakes sounded like something right up my alley.

Brian did not like the smaller size pancakes the recipe instructed to make, so I had to make him one very large one so he would stop whining. There is something mentioned about Honey Butter, but I am not a fan of butter, so I just used Maple Syrup and Powdered Sugar.
Mmmmm!! Top Scores for this one!

Giant Pancake!

Carrot Cake Heart Pancake with Walnuts and Powdered Sugar

I love lots of syrup, no dry pancakes for me. I also "fried" up some Turkey Bacon in Cooking Spray. What a wonderful relaxing afternoon spent on Christmas Morning!

How did you spend Christmas Day?

ps. I know it has been awhile since my last post, things are going to go back to normal now after the holidays! Keep with me! I will be updating all this week!