{H}ash: #AtoZChallenge 2016

At one time or another you’ve had a meal that included hash.  I consider hash a ‘dump meal’ *and I mean it luv-ingly. Really*.  Got left-overs in the fridge? – Veggies? Meat? Onion? Garlic?  (or both). Add a potato.  Throw it all in a well- oiled skillet with your favorite seasonings

And there you have it. Hash.

The corn beef  version is the most well-known but once you realize that this is reeeally a meal made from anything in the fridge, it’ll soon be in the rotation for breakfast,  lunch and dinner.

No. Really. Just remember these few simple steps:

☆ Choose your Meat. Not a meat eater? Skip this step.

This is where you throw it into a skillet with a little oil. Cook until crisp.  Transfer to a plate – when done. Use a spoon with slots so that you leave the fat and juice.  The fat is where the flavor lives!

☆ To the fat left in the skillet, add anything that had an ‘onion-y’ taste.  Yep!  That means shallots,  garlic,  leeks even onions.  Season to taste (that’s if the fat is not already flavorful enough for you).  

☆ Remember to add in your potatoes.

Cook to your liking.  Want more veggies?  Add them now.

☆ Remember that meat that you cooked earlier?  Yep!  It wants back into the party.  Add it back into your skillet of goodies.  Again, cook to your liking.

{Didn’t use meat? Skip this step}

For more protein, add an egg.

Finish with your favorite cheese topping .

☆ Plate

Enjoy!

I’d luv to know your favorite Hash recipe

Do tell….

Next.  Letter {I}

It’s National Pound Cake Day!!! … Five Hyped-up Recipes You Shouldn’t Pass Up!

Happy Wednesday Luv-lies!

According to the weatherman, I’ll be stuck in the house, again, tomorrow due to another round of snowfall!

Made sure that I picked up all of my comfort foods  today before hunkering down for tomorrow’s storm.

I’ve been trying to limit my snacking, especially while I’m snowed in.  I wonder why we snack much more when we’re stuck indoors?  Don’t you?

Well, today is National Pound Cake Day and although I won’t be celebrating it with a cake of my own, I feel compelled to give this simple, but delish dessert a #ShoutOut!

This lip-licking version is made over at The Pioneer Woman Cooks. Here secret ingredient to assuring that it’s moist? … Pop!(Not sure what ‘Pop’ is? She’ll let you know when you hustle over there for the recipe)

Whenever I want to know the history of food, I always take a hop-skip and a jump over to John-Bryan Hopkins’  fun and information filled { not to mention the mouth-watering foods that are featured} Blog.

Although I know how the Pound Cake got its name, here are a few 3 Interesting  Facts from his blog:

* The British are said to be the creators of the Pound Cake

*  On your next trip to Britain, when ordering Pound Cake , you’re more apt to be understood if you ask for it by either ‘Sponge cake’ or ‘Madeira cake’

* When in Germany, order  Eischwerkuchen.  It’s very similar {in ingredients} to the Pound Cake

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 The traditional, seven ingredient Pound Cake recipe may suit you just fine.  But I have Five hyped-up Pound Cakes that you may not want to pass up.

1.  Lemon Blueberry Pound Cake

 Two of my favorite things!  Cake! And. Blueberries!

‘Thank You’ *doing a perfect curtsy* to  Chef in Training – Nikki

2. Pistachio Pound Cake

Never thought of putting pistachios in a cake, but… ohh lala

I’m Thanking  The Candid Appetite’s Jonathan Melendez for this

decadent creation!

3. Rose Chiffon Pound Cake

I’ll take my roses any way that I can get them…

*another curtsy is order* to Kristina Gill over at DesignSponge for this beautiful slice of heaven

4. Marble Pound Cake

Okay.  I think that we can agree that ‘marbled’ anything is just plain good.

Always With Butter makes good on this one

5. Lemon Pound Cake

Just two words.  Simple. Elegant.

via Sweetie’s Home

So there you are.

You should be able to find at least one Pound Cake to eat with your favorite drink.

You might even want to try your hand at whipping up one of these beauties.

Although there are only seven main ingredients, take your time so that you won’t end up with a Pound Cake fail!

What’s your favorite Pound Cake?

Do Tell …..

{ManDay} Monday … I Like My Shots in Chocolate Chip Form

Good Monday Morning Luv-lies!!!

Dominique Ansel Bakery is the man behind today’s ManDay Monday inspiration.

Known for such bakery delights and the ‘Cronut‘ {pictured above} – a hybrid pastry fancied out of combining the donut with the croissant.

Or

this sweet and gooey taste of nostalgia with the clever handle – ‘Fro Smo’.  Did I say that its made ‘torched to order’?

#Yumlicious!!!!  … just add cracker… graham.  of course.

With the temperatures still in the single digits, I think that I’d like to snuggle up to one of ‘Chocolate Chip Cookie Milk Shot’ inspired dessert

I’ve got to get the ingredients before the next snow storm!!

Watch the video and get the recipe.

You won’t regret it!!

What delish culinary delight is keeping you warm tonight?

Do tell …

 

Happy World Pistachio Day!!!

Happy World Pistachio Day! Luv-lies

  Here’s a few Fun Facts about the pistachio nut:

~  Native to Central Asia & Middle East, they made there debut in the United States in 1880

~  it is related to the Cashew Nut

~  it is a desert plant

~  In 2013, the City Council of Avenal, California, proclaimed the city to be the Pistachio Capital of the World

~  The FDA says that they help to lower heart disease

~  Americans consume about 45,000 tons of pistachio a year

~  Here’s the ‘FAT’ breakdown:

roughly 14% saturated fat, 54% monounsaturated fat

and 32% polyunsaturated fat. A 1-cup serving of pistachio seeds contains 6.143 g

~  They are antioxidant rich and high in fiber, copper, manganese, and vitamin B6.

{source}

Need more reasons to consume this delicious excuse to eat salt?

 The World’s view of the Pistachio Nut

Here’s some Fun, Fast Pistachio Recipes

How will you celebrate World Pistachio Day?

Do Tell …

I’m Thinking Something with a Tortilla Chip…

Good Tuesday! Luv-lies,

I’m sure that, with The Fourth of July being a couple of days away,  your weekly ‘To-do’ list is as jammed packed as mine.  I haven’t quite figured out what’s on the menu.  Frankly, it’s past the point of worrying about the menu.  It’s times like this that I am sooooooooo  glad for the blogosphere! 🙂

I’m thinking simple.  Simple ingredients.  Simple in preparation time.   But not simple in flavor.

Maybe some type of  ‘taco inspired’ dish

Maybe one of these …

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My first #RuleOfFood is … You should always have a ‘Great Go-To Salad’

This one’s made my list

Mexican Shrimp Avocado Salad with Tortilla Chips

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Fine Cooking has my mouth-watering with this one

Fennel & Mint Infused Summer Squash Taco Salad

~~~~~~

Want Burgers?!

Taco Rubbed Burger W/Avocado & Crushed Tortilla Chips

 

~~~~~~

I would have never thought of raspberries and tortilla chips, but this looks salsa looks refreshing

Fresh Raspberry & Tortilla Salsa

What’s on your holiday menu?

Do Tell ….

‘Top Chef’ … for a moment

Hello Luv-lies,

Hope that your weekend was a relaxing one.

I spent most of the weekend lazy-ing around scouring through my many stockpiled magazines.   The mags run the gamut – fashion, interior design, business, science, catalogs (loads of catalogs) and, of course, food! (even more loads of these)!  Now, over the year (or three), I’ve taken to tearing out pictures of the most enticing recipes with inflated intentions to ‘some day [I’m going to] make this’.  My cyber recipe box consists of Pins and/or saves to the recipe section of my Evernote folder.

Just wanted to make this  quick Monday post.

When I  posted all of this deliciousness on Facebook, I got a good deal of requests to post the recipe.

 

After an early morning run to the market where picked up all of this summer seasonal goodness, I recall one of those stowed-away recipes.  Didn’t use all of the goodies from the market run, just most.

* Those are oysters mushrooms in the lower left corner … got that question a lot too:/

~~~   ~~~   ~~~  ~~~   ~~~

By the end of my ‘Top Chef’ cooking moment, I had this savory and flavorful little ditty:

Turkey and Quinoa Stuffed Pepper with Roasted Tomatillo Avocado Sauce

 

~~~   ~~~   ~~~   ~~~   ~~~

This pic is of the finished Stuffed Pepper as it appeared in the recipe {along with the some of the individual ingredients}

And now for the Recipe…

 Don’t like or have Quinoa on hand?

You can use any kind of grains or rice.  This dish will love it!  Trust me.

 

While all of that is simmering, you can turn you’re attention to the making the ‘dish topper’ — The Roasted Tomatillo Avocado Sauce

So How’d  You Do?

Isn’t it Yumlicious?!

I’ll definitely be making this again.  Will you?

… do tell?

Drink Up!!!!

Hello Luv-lies, 

I’m not much of a water drinker *I know.   That’s not a good thing*.  So I’ve been trying to find different ways to get in at least the daily requirement of this must have goodness.

I came up with this deliciousness !!!!
It’s chock full with lemons,  oranges, strawberries, blueberries,  ( the infuser has blackberries and cucumbers). And from my herb garden ( first time ever growing herbs ) –   spearmint and mint leaves ….

#Yumlicious !!!!!!
Any other healthy suggestions?
Do Tell. ….

{Post Update}:: 6/14/2014 @ 1620hrs
….. Hey Luv-lies,
I received this nice comment from someone near and dear to me, requesting that I post a pic of a better another bottle of this thirst quenching magic.

Soooooo *drum roll puh-leaze* without further ado….
…..

‘The Seeds of Joy’

Good Morning Luv-lies,

Over the last year, I have fallen in love with the wide variety of grains that are out there!  Until recently, my  grain diet consisted of whole wheat bread, tortillas, and brown rice.  Pretty pathetic limited. I know.

Well, since discovering the exciting and nutritiously colorful world of Farmer’s Markets, my marketing list always has what I have named –  ‘Seeds of Joy’ – at the top of the list.  What I’ve also learned about these beauties is that, the plant producing these seeds are called ‘grain crops’.   And that there are two type of  commercial grain crops –  cereals (wheat and rye) and legumes  (beans and soybeans).  *That’s probably TMI!*   Anywho….

This is my Ode to the ‘Seeds of Joy’.  My Pick? …

Quinoa.

Why quinoa?

I love the texture.  It’s a quick fix – fifteen minutes and voile.  It can be seasoned to any flavor.  It’s high in protein. And it lacks gluten.

Perfect!

So, without further ado – 5 delicious meals made with Quinoa

                                                                                                                                      ~ 1 ~

Sautéed Shrimp over Lemon Quinoa from The Kitchen  

~ 2 ~

How Sweet It Is serves up this delicious Sweet Potato Quinoa Cakes with Blackberry Salsa

~ 3 ~

These Blueberry Quinoa Pancake are almost too beautiful to eat!!!

~4~

How about something on the grill? – like a Grilled Veggie Quinoa Wrap

I absolutely LUV! a Wrap!

~5~

Here’s What’s for Lunch –> Quinoa & Veggie Patties

So there’s my list of Quinoa *delicious-ness*.  Not bad, huh?

What’s food are you giving ‘ode’ to?

Do Tell …..

[Recipe]: Feta & Veggie Frittatas

Hello Luv-lies,

Just a quick post this afternoon.  I posted this picture, on my Facebook Page,  of a very easy and super delicious,  Feta & Veggie Frittata breakfast. After a super intense work out this morning, I couldn’t wait to dig into this!

 One of (the many) reasons that I luv! luv! luv! Frittatas is that you can kinda dump all kinds of veggies right into the egg white base.  I luv to mix in tons of veggies!  I try to include veggies that have vibrant colors (like peppers, spinach, scallions).  The colors add a little ‘eye-candy’ kind of appeal to the look.  And the extra nutrition isn’t all that bad either.   I also play around with different herbs and spices (I’m veeeerry light-handed on the salt, though).  The aromatic scent of the combo of fresh veggies, cheese & spices in mouth watering!   This meal is one of my many ‘go to’ meals that is pleasing on the eye, delish on the palate, and sparing on my time.  All great reasons to put this in your recipe rotation!

My decision to write this post came at the request of TaVona Boggs  {click the link the follow TaVona’s Fitness Journey on Facebook} – a woman who I have the pleasure of sharing membership in the – Femme Fitale™ Fit Club.   Actually, she only requested the recipe.  I thought, ‘this might make a great post’.  So, at Your Request TaVona, below is the recipe {Thanks so much for your interest and feedback.  This is one of the beauties of social media – the ability to share good stuff with incredible like-minded people!}

RECIPE

INGREDIENTS:

4 Sprays cooking spray

6 large eggs   *I leave out the yolks.  Purely your option*

4 large eggs whites

1 Tbsp water

1/4 tsp table salt *optional.  This is where I substitute herbs*

1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper  *I also use red pepper as well*

2 cups fresh baby leaf spinach – coarsely chopped  *add loads more veggies if you wish*

1 cup artichoke heart   *as an option you can use frozen or canned artichoke hearts* – cut in chunks

 1 cup crumbled feta cheese  *sub you fav!*

 1/2 cup chopped roasted fresh red peppers

1/2 cup sliced uncooked scallions

 1/4 cup low-fat cream cheese (room temperature)

PREP::

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Coat two 8-cup muffin pans with cooking spray

In a medium bowl – beat eggs, egg whites, water, salt/herbs and pepper until well blended

Stir in spinach, artichoke hearts, feta, roasted peppers, scallions, and cream cheese; mix well

Spoon approx. 1/4 cup egg mixture into each prepared muffin cup.  Bake until just set, about 18-22 minutes.  Cool in pans on a wire rack for at least 5 minutes.  Loosen edges of frittatas with a rubber spatula, sliding spatula underneath frittatas to loosen bottoms and lift them out of pan.  Serve warm.

ENJOY!!!

Do you like this recipe?

Do tell….  and do send all of your friends to take a gander.