 Anyone else live with someone who is irritatingly chipper in the morning? 🤣🌝 I enjoy waking up early and getting my workout in before the sun rises but it's safe to say that no one would label me a "morning person". Early morning wake up calls are one thing - being cheerful about it, is an entirely different matter. 😴 That's what separates me from my better half. 😜 This guy leaps out of bed before the crack of dawn, ready to make important decisions, start serious discussions and sing show tunes - all without any caffeine assistance. 😳☕️ #marriage  Breakfast for me happens after my workout and shower. It usually occurs much closer to brunch time which is my excuse for eating a much bigger meal than I should. 😅 Eggs and turkey bacon are a popular choice for me but I've also been known to grab granola and yogurt if I'm in a hurry. I leave the pancake and waffle making duties to my morning-loving spouse. 🤣 I've made a simplified version of these breakfast burritos for years. Rolling eggs and cheese in a tortilla qualifies as a breakfast burrito, right? Then I discovered this upgraded burrito recipe. A soft tortilla filled with spicy chorizo, eggs, cheese and tator tots?!? I never would have put those ingredients together but let me tell you - it works. And it's amazing! 😂  Breakfast Burritos 1/4 cup vegetable oil 2 cups frozen tater tots, thawed 8 ounces chorizo, casing removed (or Italian Sausage) 8 eggs, beaten, beaten 3/4 cup cheddar cheese 4 (10") flour tortillas 4 Tablespoons sour cream
 Heat 1 T. oil in skillet. Arrange burritos, seam side down, in skillet and cook 1 minute on each side.  Tator tots for me, were something that I hadn't even thought about since I left elementary school. I'm pretty sure that I've never bought them before so when my youngest child found the bag in the freezer, she loudly announced: "mom bought tator tots!" 🤣 It's not something that I'm used to but they are a delicious addition to these burritos. And they're way easier than shredding my own potatoes.
Ciao!
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 My kitchen is so close to being finished - I can hardly contain my excitement. 😄 There are just a few little details to be finished up next week and then I can share the final reveal with all of you. As of today, I would say the kitchen is about 96.43% finished. 🤣The cabinets are loaded, the pantry is stocked and I'm back to cooking meals for my family and taking orders from all of you. 👩🏻🍳 Even though we're still a few days away from a fully finished kitchen - I'm totally enjoying this new space that I've been planning for the last 10 months. The new cabinets with soft close doors and full extension drawers are amazing. The updated lighting makes the space 100 times brighter and way more inviting. And then of course, there's this amazing, one of a kind - fit for a queen - kitchen island.
 There are a LOT of elements of my new kitchen that have made cooking and baking easier but this platform drawer is by far my favorite. I'm super thankful to the people who listened to my plea and committed to making this drawer step a reality - despite the naysayers and obstacles along the way. The minute that I had access to my (nearly complete) kitchen - I started baking. Pumpkin Butterscotch Bundtinis, Carmel Pecan Tarts, Sugar Cookies, Gingersnaps, Apple Pies and of course biscotti. It's never too early to stock up on Christmas biscotti and I think these Dark Chocolate Orange Biscotti are perfect for Thanksgiving AND Christmas.
Dark Chocolate Orange Biscotti 2 and 1/3 cups flour 1 cup light brown sugar 1 teaspoon baking powder 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1/2 teaspoon salt zest from 1 orange 1/4 cup butter, cold and cubed 3/4 cup chopped walnuts 4 eggs 2 Tablespoons fresh orange juice 1 Tablespoon canola oil 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 1 Tablespoon water 8 ounces dark chocolate, melted
 Bake 25 minutes at 350. Cool 10 minutes.
 Bake 8 more minutes on each side.  Dip one side of cooled biscotti in melted chocolate.  Biscotti is one of my favorite - make ahead - treats. I keep it a supply in my freezer but I also like to keep a supply in my parents freezer too because I know that they enjoy it as much as I do. I baked this batch of biscotti at their house and put away with the intention of saving it for Christmas. We'll see if it lasts that long. 😅
Ciao!  I've been blogging our meals for more than 11 years and in that time, I've learned a few things. One of the most important lessons I learned is to think through how I want to photograph each dish to present it in the best, most appealing way. Where can I put it to get the best lighting? What plate should I display it on and what sides can I arrange beside the food to best compliment the colors? I feel like my pictures don't always reflect the amount of thought that goes into them. Sometimes, I just get in a hurry and let's face it, hangry family members breathing down my neck while I photograph their dinner isn't the most ideal circumstances in which to take blog pictures. 🤣  Tonight I made these Green Enchiladas and I had a brilliant plan for capturing them with my camera. Perfectly portioned rolls covered in brilliant green sauce and dripping with gooey, melted cheese. I even had a few blackberries to add some color contrast and tortilla chips to add depth to the plate. This is how it all came together in my brain. ⬆️ The reality was that two of these enchiladas come out nice and neat and these rest looked like this. ⬇️ 😅  At some point during the baking process, my corn tortillas absolutely dissolved into one massive enchilada heap. There was no possible way to distinguish one from another and absolutely no hope of being able to separate them with any sort of accuracy. I'm not sure if this is because my tortillas were on the not-so-fresh side or if this is just a normal occurrence. 🤷🏻♀️ Either way, at least I got 2ish enchiladas out of the pan before I ended up with an enchilada pile. The good news is that they were delicious - regardless of their appearance. Turns out, a mound of enchiladas taste exactly like an enchilada roll. 🤣  Green Enchiladas with Chicken and Cheese 3 Tablespoons olive oil 3 poblano peppers, chopped 1 can chopped green chilies 1 white onion, chopped 6 cloves garlic, smashed 1 Tablespoon cumin 1/2 cup chicken broth 1 cup fresh cilantro 1 1/2 cups cooked chicken, chopped 1 1/2 cups whole milk mozzarella, shredded 1 Tablespoon hot sauce 8 six inch corn tortillas
 Cover with foil and bake 15 minutes.  Uncover and spread 1/2 c. more sauce over top and sprinkle with additional cheese. Recover and let stand 15 minutes. As I mentioned earlier, these green enchiladas were super delicious. If anyone has some tips for me about how to keep my enchiladas from fusing together - send them my way. Clearly - I need some help. 🤣
Ciao!  City of Monroe - you did it again. The 2021 Farm to Table dinner was amazing. Everything from the wine and cocktails to the baklava that we were served for dessert was excellent. No kidding - that baklava was pure buttery, sweet perfection. 🇬🇷
For me, the Greek dessert was the clear winner of the night but I would be remiss if I didn't mention all of the other great food that we sampled. There were pimento cheese barbecue chicken sliders, shrimp and cabbage salad, pork sandwiches and tacos and a pork tenderloin dish.🍤 I can only speak for the non-meat portions of the meals but as far as I was concerned - everything was really tasty. 🤣 I'm not sure what I would title us, but there's got to be name for people like me who don't really eat a lot of pork or beef. 🤷🏻♀️ Out of the 5 local restaurants that served food at Sunday nights dinner, 3 of them served pork. And since pork isn't my favorite thing to eat - I ate the sides instead. I had my first ever coleslaw and pickled onion taco. 🌮😅  I live in Georgia - so it goes without saying that pork will be served at every event. (I'm pretty sure it's state law.) 🍖 And even though I'm not the biggest fan of smoked meats, I can always find other things that I like to eat when I go out to eat in the Peach State. I crave carbs and vegetables so a meal of side dishes is right up my alley. 🥦 I'm no stranger to pork - I actually cook it at home --- for other people. But if I had my choice - I would eat grilled chicken or seafood everyday. I eat so much chicken and seafood that I'm always looking for new ways to prepare and serve it - just to keep it interesting. That baklava from last weekend must have given me all Greek feels because this Grilled Chicken Souvlaki has been on my mind all day. This is such a delicious option for healthy (and super flavorful) grilled chicken dinner. Hope you enjoy - with some baklava for dessert, of course. 😉  Grilled Chicken Souvlaki 2 Tablespoons olive oil 1 Tablespoon fresh thyme 3 strips lemon zest, chopped 2 teaspoons salt 1 teaspoon dried oregano or 2 Tablespoons fresh oregano 1/2 teaspoon coriander 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes 1/4 teaspoon pepper 2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts Tahini Sauce 2 Tablespoons tahini 1 1/2 Tablespoons lemon juice 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/4 teaspoon pepper 1/4 teaspoon oregano 4 Tablespoons butter, melted
 Place kebabs onto a grill and cook until 160 degrees. Transfer to a platter.
 Drizzle sauce over kebabs.
This was my first introduction to souvlaki and I've got to say - it was really tasty. A great way to add some flavor and spice to grilled chicken. Ciao!  I feel like I've fallen behind on my Fall baking. If you've been following along on the blog - you already know the reason for the delay. In a word - disarray. We just wrapped up week 6 of our kitchen remodeling project and I feel like I'm existing in a constant state of tospy-turveyness. 🙃 I wouldn't necessarily call it untidy or sloppy - it's more like everything in the house has been temporarily relocated to other areas of the house. I've actually gotten accustomed to the sight of cutting boards in my bedroom and canisters of flour and rice stacked on living room chairs. 😅 As you might imagine, baking this month has proven to be somewhat of a challenge. I find myself looking for recipes with ingredients that are easy to find. 😂I definitely didn't think that I'd be making anything with oats anytime soon because it's buried beneath a LOT of other baking supplies. At this point it would be easier to go out and buy more instead of trying to uncover them and risk upsetting the delicate tower of food that lies above them. 🤣
There's no question that apple pie is a family favorite but let's face it - creating a homemade apple pie is a labor of love. 🥧Preparing, chilling, rolling, fitting, crimping, brushing and decorating. Making a pie crust is VERY time consuming. So when I crave that warm, cinnamony apple flavor but I don't want to deal with a fussy pie, (or if my kitchen is under construction) I go to the store and buy more oats and then I swap the crust for a crunchy oaty topping and make apple cobbler. 😂It takes far less time to prepare and you don't even have to wait for it to cool completely. Add a scoop of vanilla ice cream to the top of a warm bowl of apple crisp and its pretty much Fall dessert perfection. 🍏  Apple Crisp 6 apples, peeled and sliced 2 Tbsp granulated sugar 1 3/4 tsp ground cinnamon, divided 1 1/2 tsp lemon juice 1 cup light brown sugar 3/4 cup old fashioned oats 3/4 cup all-purpose flour 1/2 cup cold unsalted butter, diced into small cubes pinch of kosher salt
 Shoutout to my sweet DIL for letting me take over her kitchen and use all of her cute Fall decorations for my apple crisp photo shoot. She's got the cutest pumpkins and Fall signs. 😂
Ciao! |
