 Maybe I'm feeling extra sensitive about my age right now because I'm approaching a milestone birthday, but I feel like it's been the focus of conversation all weekend. On Sunday, I was informed by an adorably, innocent six year old that I look "waaaaaay older" than my 22 year old daughter. I mean - I don't want to look like I'm in my twenties but the way he drew out and emphasized the "waaaaaaay" was a little too much. 😅
 So much for my plan to deny the fact that my half century birthday is right around the corner. 😂 At this point, I might as well embrace it, right? Part of that is accepting the fact that, the older I get, the healthier I need to eat. More plants, vegetables and lean protein. This simple dish with shrimp, orzo, tomatoes, zucchini and fresh mint seems like the perfect way for me to kick off this new decade of life. 🍅🥒🍤 I'm not sure if I'd define this as a stew or a pasta bowl but it's loaded with vegetables and it's delicious. 💁🏻♀️Oh, and before you start thinking this is food for "old" people, this recipe has been taste tested and approved by family members in waaaaaaay younger age groups than myself. 😅  Shrimp with Orzo and Zucchini 3 Tablespoons olive oil 1 pound extra large shrimp 3 celery stalks 1 medium bell pepper, chopped 1 yellow onion, chopped 3 bay leaves salt and pepper 1/4 cup brandy 1 cup orzo 2 zucchini, halved, seeded and thinly sliced 1 plum tomato, chopped 1 teaspoon fennel seeds 1 1/2 teaspoons grated lemon zest 1/2 cup fresh mint, chopped
 Remove from heat and stir in lemon zest.  Spoon into serving bowls and sprinkle with fresh mint. It probably would have been more appropriate for me to wait until mid summer when my garden is overflowing with tomatoes, zucchini and fresh herbs to make this dish but, I couldn't wait. I'll just have to make it again in a couple of months. 🤷🏻♀️
Ciao!
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 Who is planning a beach vacation this summer? 🏖After we all spent last summer social distancing and staying close to home, I'm starting to get the feeling that EVERYONE is planning to get out and travel this summer. 🧳 I know this because, waterfront rental properties are harder to find than ever before. I get it. I was feeling the need for a little beach therapy this summer, too. 🏡 My goal was to go to British Columbia but since that isn't within the realm of possibility for 2021 - B.C. will remain on my vacation bucket list, for now. 📝 Instead of travelling outside the country, this year I'll be safely exploring Northeast Ohio instead. Even though it's not a new location for me, the shores of Lake Erie, is actually one of my favorite summer destinations. 🚣🏽♀️  The small towns that line the shores of Lake Erie offer amazing restaurants, breweries, wineries and fresh fish to offer and you know that I'm all about the food on vacation. 😅🍷 But, I'd be remiss if I didn't mention all of the great recreation that the great lake provides as well. Boating, skiing, paddle boarding, kayaking, jet skiing, parasailing, fishing, sailing - the list goes on and on. 🛶 Being on, in or around the lake is my therapy. 💦 Put me on a boat, in the middle of the lake and I'm one happy girl. 🚤 Speaking of boating these zucchini boats are simply delicious. (How about THAT transition? 😅😅😅) Seriously though - this is the perfect side dish or main course for anyone looking for a low fat, tasty, meat- free recipe.  Stuffed Zucchini Boats 4 zucchini 2 Tablespoons oil 1/2 onion, chopped fine 1 Tablespoon butter 1 cup rice 1/4 teaspoon pepper 2 1/4 cups chicken stock 1 packet Sazon Goya Con Azafran seasoning 1/2 cup shredded cheddar or Colby Jack cheese
 Place under the broiler until cheese is browned.
I've served these zucchini boats as a main course for a weeknight dinner and I've served them as a side dish. It's become my go-to accompaniment for hamburgers and steaks because meat eaters can eat them as a side and non-meat eaters like me can skip the burgers and eat the zucchini as the meal. I got this recipe from one of my besties. And take it from me, when your friend invites you to dinner, makes something super tasty and vegetarian and then shares the recipe with you - you know she's special. Love you @cyndie.lee. 😘 Ciao!  Remember last Spring when we were all dreading the thought of working from home for three months? 😬Fortunately, there's a light at the end of this pandemic tunnel. 😷Working from home wasn't a new thing for me - working from home while other people were in my space - took some getting used to. 😅 Yard work is my therapy these days and spending more time at home means that I have more time to work in my yard. This week, I witnessed the first signs of Spring. Tulips, daffodils and hyacinth leaves with buds ready to burst into bloom! 🌷
Warm, sunny afternoons inspire me to get outside and work in my yard. Unfortunately, February brings super erratic weather patterns to Georgia. A sunny, 70 degree day can easily be followed up by a cloudy and windy day with a high of 30. The drastic swings in temperature are unpredictable which means that my yard work is also inconsistent. I guess that explains why I still have piles of dead leaves blanketing my lawn. 💁🏻♀️#Iblametheweather 😅 I like to spend warm days outside but cold February days, you'll most likely find me in my kitchen - cooking up something warm and hearty. 🍲One of my favorite things to make when the weather starts to get warmer is quiche. For reasons that I cannot explain - Spring and quiche go hand in hand in my world. 🤷🏻♀️Maybe if I cook my Spring favorites - I can will the beautiful Spring weather into coming to stay. 🌤  There are so many varieties of quiche. This recipe is very basic and uses the simple flavors of Gruyere and spinach but you can swap those out for your favorite quiche flavors. I normally like to use up ingredients that I have on hand when I make a quiche but these are my absolute favorite quiche ingredients: * turkey bacon * asparagus * goat cheese * sun dried tomatoes * mushrooms * spinach  Spinach Quiche 1 deep dish pie crust 2 Tablespoon butter 1/4 cup thinly sliced shallots 4 eggs 1 1/2 cups heavy cream 3/4 teaspoon salt 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper 1 cup grated Gruyere cheese (or cheese of your choice) 10 ounce package frozen spinach, defrosted and squeezed dry
  This is your chance to get creative and create something completely new and exciting. If you've got a secret quiche ingredient that you want to share - I'd love to know what it is. I'm always looking for new ideas.
Ciao!  It's officially layering season. Time to break out the hoodies and jean jackets. I think we can all agree - layers are fabulous. There's something so comforting about throwing an oversized sweatshirt over my favorite t-shirt on a cool Fall day.🍂 Fall layering isn't necessarily exclusive to clothes though. Some Fall layers have nothing to do with style. Cheesy pasta dishes, scrumptious dips, decadent pastries, croissants and fancy cakes - all foods with layers. 🥐What would Fall be without a gooey lasagna or a layered bean dip to snack on while watching a football game? And if you're a Shrek fan - the first thing that comes to your mind when I say layers is... onions.  Building a salad is all about creating layers of flavors. Combining different textures - the soft with the crunchy - keeps my salads interesting. Using opposing flavors, like sweet and sour like my favorite lemon vinaigrette, brings my salads to life. Layering in a some whole grains like quinoa or farro, makes my salads heartier and more satisfying. I eat a LOT of salads and layering in different flavors and textures is what keeps me going back for more. 🥗 Although this Fall salad isn't a traditional "layered salad" - it IS layered with all of my favorite Fall flavors. Roasted sweet potatoes, crisp apples, tart cranberries, toasted pumpkin seeds and hearty quinoa. Tossed in a light apple cider vinaigrette - this is the taste of Fall.  Fall Salad 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil 1 1/2 cups quinoa 1 1/2 pounds sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 3/4-inch pieces 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar 2 large Granny Smith apples, cut into 1/2-inch dice 1/2 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley 1/2 medium red onion, thinly sliced 8 packed cups baby greens 1/4 cup pumpkin seeds 2 Tablespoons dried cranberries
 Toss with potatoes, apples, parsley, onion, pumpkin seeds, cranberries and greens.  I didn't include this salad on my Thanksgiving menu but I'm starting to reconsider. The roasted sweet potatoes, the dried cranberries, the crisp apples, the crunchy pumpkin seeds and the quinoa all come together perfectly in this salad. And who knows, this might just be the recipe that I need to convince my kids to eat cranberries on Thanksgiving. 😂
Ciao!  Not everything that comes out of my kitchen is a gourmet masterpiece. I make a lot of new recipes and that means a whole lot of trial and error. (mostly error) 😅Sometimes, I end up with unexpectedly delicious mistakes and other times, I have to scrap the whole thing and start over with new ingredients. Cooking is a term that is always evolving for me. I'm not sure that I'll ever feel as if I've mastered it, but I gain more confidence every time I do it. The funny thing is, that my cooking confidence doesn't translate to my food blogging. I've been blogging for 9 years and I still have with a mini anxiety attack every single time I have to push the publish button on a new recipe. "What will people think of this recipe?" "Will they like it?" "Will other people be able to make this recipe?" "Did I accidentally leave out an ingredient?" When I’m talking to someone and they say “I’m making your…” or “I made your ____ for dinner last night” my instinct is to hold my breath and cross my fingers. I know that Brazilian Black Bean Burgers aren't everyone's cup of tea but I also don't want anyone to be disappointed. I can't seem to escape the feeling that I'm personally responsible for other people's food failures. 😬  My goal as a food blogger is to be as honest as possible. I'll always give you my opinions - good AND bad. And a lot of time, I'll even share the feedback from my family because we have very different food preferences. In the case of this Eggplant Parmigiana Pizza, the flavor was outstanding even though I didn't feel like it LOOKED as good as it tasted. Despite it's pale color - this pizza was DELICIOUS! I'm normally a margherita pizza lover and the addition of roasted eggplant and fresh tomatoes just took it to a whole new level. 🍕 I blame my uncooperative Big Green Egg for the less than golden color on my Eggplant Parmigiana Pizza. (It really was my fault for trying to save time by not cleaning out the charcoal and replacing it with new.) 😬 This really was a delicious combination of toppings though. My pizza dough recipe makes 3 doughs so I made 3 different pizzas on the night that I made this. I made one Eggplant Parmigiana Pizza and the other 2 were more traditional but this was the one that disappeared FIRST.  Eggplant Parmigiana Pizza 1 pizza crust Sauce 1/4 cup good quality stewed tomatoes, pureed 1 Tsp olive oil salt, pepper, and dried oregano Toppings 1/2 medium-sized eggplant, cut into thin slices 2 Tbsp olive oil salt and fresh cracked black pepper 1 ball fresh mozzarella cut into rounds 1 Tbsp grated Parmigiana Fresh basil leaves 1 small fresh ripe tomato cut into rounds 1 Tbsp olive oil
 Cook on the grill or bake in a 500 degree oven for 15 min. Friday night is pizza night so get your grills fired up and have a pizza party!!
Ciao! |
