July 10, 2025
by Ashley
Comments Off on Broccoli Salad

Broccoli Salad

8 cups broccoli florets, cut into bite sized pieces
1/3 cup diced red onion
1/2 cup dried cherries
1/4 cup pepitas
1/2 cup bacon bits

Dressing
1 cup mayo
3 tbsp red wine vinegar
2 tbsp granulated sugar
salt & pepper to taste

Whisk together the dressing ingredients and set aside.

Wash and dry the broccoli well. Cut into bite sized pieces.

In a large bowl, combine broccoli, onion, cherries and pepitas. Pour the prepared dressing over and mix well. Sprinkle with bacon bits and refrigerate for at least one hour.

Leftovers can last 4 – 5 days in the fridge.

July 10, 2025
by Ashley
Comments Off on Popovers

Popovers

3 large eggs, room temp
1 1/2 cups milk, room temp
1 1/2 cups bread flour
1 tsp kosher salt
3 tbsp melted butter

Preheat the over to 425F. Grease a 12 cup muffin tin with butter.

Make sure that your eggs and milk are room temp. Puree eggs, milk, flour and salt in a blender until completed blended together. About 30 seconds. It needs to be smooth. Add the melted butter and blend another 20 seconds. Pour batter into the muffin tins, make sure they are evenly distributed. Bake for 20 minutes in the preheated oven. Bring the temp down to 350F and bake another 10 minutes. Do not open the oven until finished. Serve immediately.

June 27, 2025
by Ashley
Comments Off on Marinated Shrimp Kebobs

Marinated Shrimp Kebobs

3 cloves garlic, minced
1/3 cups olive oil
1/4 cup tomato sauce
2 tbsp red wine vinegar
2 tbsp fresh basil (I have also used cilantro before)
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
2 lbs raw shrimp, unpeeled
Skewers

In a large bowl, stir together the marinade. Add defrosted, raw shrimp to the bowl stir until shrimp is well covered. Cover the bowl and refrigerate for 30 minutes to 1 hour. Get your grill prepped and ready. Once the coals or grill is preheated, skewer the shrimp. Discard the marinade. Cook shrimp until opaque on each side (about 2 -3 minutes per side).

June 27, 2025
by Ashley
Comments Off on Mustard Quick Bread

Mustard Quick Bread

2 cups bread flour
3 tsp baking powder
2 tsp dijon mustard (or other strong flavored mustard)
1 tsp kosher salt
3/4 cup water

Knead the ingredients together until it becomes a ball. Roll out really thin to about 13 x 17inches. Cover with olive oil and rollup like when making cinnamon rolls. Don’t cut them, twirl the roll together as if a large cinnamon roll or a snail shell. Flatten with a rolling pin until it is about 12 inches around.

Heat up a cast iron pan on the stove until medium high heat. Cool the bread in a dry pan and flip after 3 – 4 minutes. Cook again on the other side. I take another step at this point to ensure that it has been cooked through. I put the bread into an oven for 10 – 15 minutes until the internal temperature reaches 200^oF.

Also in the original recipe by Jamie Oliver, he crushes the bread from the sides to the middle to “fluff” it up. Not exactly sure why, but that is what he does.

June 27, 2025
by Ashley
Comments Off on Poke

Poke

12-16oz sushi grade tuna, cut into 1/2in cubes
1/3 medium red onion, thinly sliced
2 green onions, thinly sliced
2 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp sesame oil
3/4 tsp honey
1/2 tsp garlic/ginger paste
Chili flakes
2 tsp sesame seeds

Combine all ingredients except for sesame seeds. Marinate in the fridge for 2 hours, stirring once. Remove from fridge, add sesame seeds, stir.

Serve with kettle chips.

June 27, 2025
by Ashley
Comments Off on Patatas Bravas

Patatas Bravas

4 Potatoes, any type (but fav is red potatoes)
Oil for pan frying

1/4 cup ketchup
1/4 cup mayo
1/4 tsp garlic, minced
1/4 tsp dried thyme
1 tsp paprika
5 dashes Tabasco

Mix together ketchup through Tabasco in a microwavable dish. Microwave for 45 seconds. Stir and set aside.

Poke the 4 potatoes with a knife all over and microwave until cooked through (about 10 minutes). Chop into bite sized pieces and then fry in vegetable oil until crisp on all sides.

May 16, 2025
by Ashley
Comments Off on Creamy Chicken Pasta

Creamy Chicken Pasta

I made dinner the other night and sort of threw all of this together. The kids really loved it, so I am going to try to remember how I did it, and then make updates once I try this again.

Creamy Chicken Pasta
1 lb pasta
1 chicken breast, sliced thin
1 small head of broccoli, washed and cut into bite sized pieces
1 small onion, diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp crushed pepper
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 cup cream
1 cup Parmesan

Boil the pasta in salted water until finished. Reserve 1 cup of pasta water while draining the finished pasta into a strainer.

In a high sided skillet, cook the thinly sliced chicken with a little olive oil. Season with a little salt and black pepper. Once you have flipped the chicken to cook the other side, add in the onions and broccoli and put a lid on the skillet to help finish the chicken and steam the broccoli at the same time. Add in the garlic, crushed pepper and a little salt (1/2 tsp). After a minute, letting the garlic cook, add in the cream, pasta water and Parmesan. Let this come to a simmer and thicken. Lastly add in the pasta. Stir so everything is combined. Add more Parmesan if desired and black pepper.

March 11, 2025
by Ashley
Comments Off on Tortillas

Tortillas

Making tortillas is very easy, it is just a little time consuming. These are pretty worth it though.

2 cups Masa Harina
1 1/2 cups warm water
1/2 tsp kosher salt

Mix everything in a bowl, adding the water slowly to incorporate it well. Once everything has come together, set aside (covered) for at least 10 minutes.

Start a cast iron pan heating on the stove top. Turn the dough out onto a silpat and divide in half. Cover the other half you aren’t working with. Cut the half of dough into equal 8ths. Roll into small balls. Flatten between plastic sheets (I use ziploc bags) in a tortilla press.

Use the heated skillet. Add a tortilla and flip after 10 seconds, then cook each side for about a minute each side. Set aside on a covered plate. I usually use foil and a hand towel to keep in the heat.

Serve with any toppings that you wish.

If using the leftovers, heat up again using a dry cast iron skillet. Heat them for 30 seconds a side before using.

March 11, 2025
by Ashley
Comments Off on Good Harissa Soup

Good Harissa Soup

Chicken Italian Sausage
1 lb ground chicken breast
½ tsp oregano
½ tsp basil
½ tsp onion powder
½ tsp fennel seeds
½ tsp paprika
¼ tsp red pepper flakes
½ tsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp black pepper

Vegetable Base
3 large carrots, washed and roughly chopped
1 large fennel bulb, quartered
1 large yellow onion, quartered
4 garlic cloves
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper

3 tbsp Extra-virgin olive oil, divided
2 tablespoons harissa paste
2 tablespoons tomato paste
3/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1 lemon, zest & juice
12 cups water
2 tbsp Chicken Broth base
1 1/2 cup green lentils
1 large bunch kale
1 cup shredded Parmesan and Parmesan rind
2 dried bay leaves

Homemade Croutons
2 tbsp olive oil
4 cups 1/2-inch cubed bread
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

Add the carrots, fennel bulb, onion and garlic cloves into a food processor. Pulse until very, very finely chopped.

Heat a large dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add in the ground chicken and spices with a little olive oil. Cook for about 5 minutes, breaking up the meat. Transfer the meat out of the dutch oven to a plate and set aside. Leave any leftover grease and bits in the pot.

Add about 2 tablespoons olive oil to the pot, then stir in the finely chopped vegetables mixture. Cook, stirring often, for 5 minutes, then partially cover and reduce to medium-low for an additional 15 minutes or so, stirring occasionally. The vegetables shouldn’t brown, so turn down the heat if needed. Stir in harissa, tomato paste, cumin and zest. Continue cooking to about 1 minute.

Wash the kale well. Tear the kale into small bite sized pieces and discard of the stem.

Stir in 12 cups of water, 2 tbsp chicken stock base, green lentils and chopped kale. Cut the rind off of the Parmesan and add it to the soup. Also add 2 bay leaves. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce to low. Cover and cook for about 45 minutes until the lentils have cooked through.

While the soup is cooking, make the garlic crunchies. Chop the bread into bite sized pieces, spread on a sheet pan and drizzle with olive oil. Sprinkle and garlic powder and bake until crispy. It took about 10 minutes on 350^oF.

Once the soup has completed its 45 minute simmer, add in the cooked chicken mixture and juice of 1 lemon. Remove the rind and bay leaves.

Ladle the soup into bowls. Top with crunchies and shredded Parmesan.

March 5, 2025
by Ashley
Comments Off on Chicken Meatloaf

Chicken Meatloaf

1/2 cup onion, finely chopped
1 celery rib, finely chopped
1 carrot, peeled and finely chopped
1 green onions, finely chopped
3 cloves of garlic, minced

1 chicken breast
1/3 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 tsp Worchestershire Sauce
2 tbsp bread crumbs
1 egg
3 mushrooms, chopped
1/2 cup spinach

1 tbsp ketchup

Chop onion, celery, carrot, green onion and garlic. Add to a pan and saute until carrots are cooked through. While the veggies are cooking, add the chicken to a food processor. Process it until is has been chopped into tiny pieces. Add in the salt, pepper, worchestershire, bread crumbs, egg, mushrooms and spinach. Process again. Add in the cooked veggies and process again until everything comes together. Put the meatloaf into three ramekins. I was able to make two 8 oz and one 4 oz. Top with ketchup. Bake at 350^oF for 30 minutes.

1 point per serving.