I made my first trip to Arizona last month and I was obsessed with the landscape. More specifically - the cactus. 🌵 There are just some things I just can't resist. A sign that says "Caution, do not touch", for example, I take as a personal challenge. 🤣🌵 I have no explanation. It's the same phenomena that compels me to eat copious amounts of pasta even though I know it might not be in my best interest and have adverse effects on my waistline. Quick and easy pasta dishes are my kryptonite. And this yummy dish has vegetables, protein and just enough cheese and butter to make it irresistible. Linguini with Broccolini and Pancetta Bread Crumbs 1 cup panko 1 Tablespoon olive oil 1/4 teaspoon salt Pasta 1 pound broccolini, stalks cut into 1" pieces, florets left whole 1 Tablespoon + teaspoon salt 1 pound linguini 1/4 cup olive oil 4 ounces pancetta, cut into 1/4" pieces 2 cloves garlic, minced 3/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes 1 cup parmesan cheese, grated 4 Tablespoons butter
Remove from heat. Stir in parmesan and butter. Adjust consistency with reserved pasta water. Transfer to serving dishes. Sprinkle with bread crumbs. Ciao!
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I would like to introduce you to Penny, the peregrine falcon. The incredible Penny, is a resident at the Kay el Bar ranch and we were lucky enough to be able to watch her work during our stay at the ranch. My daughter in law even took part in feeding her one of her morning snacks. (You can see by the expression on her face that she was a little surprised when the falconer plopped a chicken head in her hand. 🤣) Watching Penny fly, while the sun rose on the horizon was a great way to start the day. And the sunrise over the dessert wasn't a bad view either. Mornings were magical on the ranch. Another part of what made our mornings on the ranch so special were the hearty breakfast buffets. The chef prepared the most delicious morning meals for us every single day. Eggs, pancakes, potatoes, waffles, fruit, oatmeal, yogurt, sausage, bacon - you name it - we ate it. 😂 I mean, we needed the energy to be able to participate in all of the ranch activities, after all. 🤣🐎 The truth is, I crave a big breakfast even when I'm not heading out for a 2 hour trail ride through the Arizona dessert. 🤣🐎 I go to bed at night, thinking about what I'm going to eat for breakfast - so yes, my morning meal is important to me. These breakfast enchiladas have the lean protein and vegetables to keep me feeling full all afternoon and they're packed with all the Southwest flavors that I love. 🍅 🥑 🧀 🥔 🌶 🫑 #winwin Breakfast Enchiladas 1 pound breakfast turkey sausage 2 cups diced frozen hash browns, thawed ⅓ cup diced red bell pepper ⅓ cup poblano pepper 6 green onion thinly sliced and divided 2 teaspoons garlic salt 10 large eggs, beaten 1/2 teaspoon black pepper 3 cups shredded pepper jack cheese divided 8-10 8-inch tortillas (white corn or flour) 1 cup salsa verde ½ cup cream or half & half ½ tsp ground cumin ½ tsp oregano
Bake 30 minutes at 375. Serve with salsa, sour cream, queso fresco, green onion and cherry tomatoes. If you want a few extra minutes of sleep in the morning - and lets face it - who doesn't? You can make these enchiladas ahead of time. Just assemble and cover enchiladas with plastic wrap topped with aluminum foil. To bake: Remove plastic wrap, cover with foil and bake covered in a preheated 375°F oven for 30 minutes. Remove foil then continue to bake for an additional 5-10 minutes, or until completely cooked through and the top is slightly golden.
Ciao! Last month I met a donkey named Walter, a couple of dairy cows named Kitty and Eula, Jimmy - the longhorn steer, a falcon named Penny, Oreo - the miniature horse and a couple of dogs named Tasty and Cricket. All of these amazing animals were residents of the Kay el Bar Ranch. Along with a little more than 50 incredible horses. I learned a few things about horses, and specifically Snip, while I was at the ranch. He didn't like being followed too closely by other horses, he liked to be scratched behind his ears, rubbed on his nose and he responded to words of encouragement while he was navigating mountainous terrain. And what I found most curious of all was the fact that this horse ate baby carrots in the most dainty and gentle way. 🥕 He actually nibbled on one tiny carrot out of my hand for a solid 3 minutes. 🤣 I like carrots too but I don't think I savor them nearly as much as Snip did. Carrots, broccoli, sweet potatoes, mushrooms, zucchini, squash, onions are all great winter vegetables. Toss them in a bowl with a little olive oil, garlic, vinegar and herbs and roast them for a delicious side dish. Roasted Vegetables 2 cup broccoli florets 2 cups baby bella mushrooms 2 cups chopped sweet potato 1 zucchini, sliced and quartered 1 yellow squash, sliced and quartered 1 red onion, chopped 2 tablespoons olive oil 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar, or more, to taste 4 cloves garlic, minced 1 ½ teaspoons dried thyme Place vegetables in a bowl. Add olive oil, balsamic vinegar, garlic and thyme. Season with salt and pepper. Place on a greased, foil lined baking sheet. (I used 2 baking sheets.) Cook 12-14 minutes at 425. In the Fall and the winter, I like to make giant batches of roasted vegetables. They're great side dishes for almost any protein and after I sprinkle a little parmesan cheese over the top, I eat them for lunch.
Ciao! Boots, Chaps and Cowboy Hats - that pretty much sums up the Davis family Christmas experience of 2022. My family spent Christmas at the Kay el Bar dude ranch in Arizona and we had the best time. We went on trail rides through the dessert, we shot guns, learned roping skills, rode electric bikes, played horseshoes, watched falcon demonstrations, learned cattle sorting and practiced team penning. 🐎 What a week. I have so many fun stories to share with you about our ranch experience that I can't fit them all into just one post. Consider this your warning that you are about to bombarded with ranch pictures for the next couple of weeks. 😅🤠 I can honestly say that I was not expecting to be served lemon/dill salmon, grilled chicken, fried turkey, grilled swordfish, sun dried tomato ravioli, hearty salads and beer battered shrimp at a dude ranch.😋 The chef was so talented and he made sure that this pollo pescatarian always had something delicious to eat when the rest of the group was devouring bison sausage, bacon wrapped dates, elk burgers, ribs and steaks. I'm not sure if it was all the horseback riding or the abundance of delicious food, but I had a ravenous appetite, the entire time that I was at the ranch. There was never any shortage of great food choices in the dining hall. Eggs, potatoes, breakfast meats, oatmeal, yogurt, fresh fruit and toast were staples at breakfast.🍳🥓🥐🥯Pancakes, french toast, waffles and pastries all made appearances as well.🥞🧇 I mean, how could I turn down any of that? 🤣 Potatoes were a part of almost every meal in the ranch dining hall.🥔 And we had them prepared in quite a few different ways. And even though loaded sweet potatoes weren't on the menu - I feel like these would be great cowboy and cowgirl fare. I think you're going to like these potatoes that you can load up with your favorite toppings. Loaded Baked Sweet Potato 4 medium sized sweet potatoes 1/2 cup fat free Greek yogurt, or light sour cream 1 tsp taco seasoning 1 tsp olive or canola oil 1 red bell pepper, diced 1/2 red onion, diced 1 tsp chili powder 1/2 tsp paprika or smoked paprika 1/2 tsp cumin a pinch of salt 1-1/3 cups black beans, rinsed and drained 1/2 cup salsa 1/2 cup Mexican cheese blend 1/4 cup chopped cilantro
Top with 1/3 cup bean mixture. Top with 2 T. yogurt mixture and salsa.
Ciao! After eluding the virus for nearly 2 1/2 years, in the final days of 2022 - I joined the Covid club. It's not a group that I've ever wanted to be a part of and even though my symptoms weren't as bad as some, it took me out of commission for several days. It's hard to believe that I could have actually been surprised by my positive Covid test, but it's true. I went to the doctor to get tested for strep throat and the nurse had to convince me to have a flu test and a Covid test as well. Well, you know the rest of the story - it wasn't strep, or the flu - it was Covid. 🤒 I was pretty miserable for a few days but unlike some, I never lost my sense of smell or taste while I had the virus. I drank a LOT of hot tea to try and soothe my tender throat and I found that honey and lemon made it much more palatable. 🫖 Covid robbed me of my appetite so I pretty much existed on tea and soup for a couple of days. Like most people, Covid hit at the most inconvenient time. We had 3 extra people living in our house last week and I couldn't seem to get out of bed.😴 Thankfully, I had prepared and frozen several meals in ahead of time that my family could defrost and heat up for dinner because let's face it, no one wanted Covid mom to prepare their food. It was a pan of lasagna, a tray of chicken enchiladas and a container of chicken chili from the freezer that sustained my family while I recovered. And since I hadn't been to the grocery to get any fresh vegetables, the side dish for all those meals - Crusty French Bread Loaves. Luckily, the loaves were also prepared ahead of time and frozen.🍞 Crusty French Bread Loaf 2 ¼ teaspoons active dry yeast 1 teaspoon sugar 1 ¼ cups warm water 1 ¼ teaspoons salt 2 ½ to 3 ½ cups flour
Remove loaf from pan and let cool.
Ciao! |
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