Avocado Salad with Tomato and Radish for Two
I’ve been reading about the health benefits of avocado, in particular an article that stated this; past studies have shown that eating a lot of avocados is associated with lower blood cholesterol. In one study that involved putting people with slightly elevated levels on a diet rich in avocados for just seven days, researchers saw a 17 percent decrease in cholesterol levels. Since my cholesterol is a little elevated I though I’d start adding more avocados to my diet.
There is also a study that avocado has potential cancer fighting properties. Read more about it here. These are all good reasons to add more of this creamy, buttery vegetable to your diet! I decided to make a salad and I didn’t want it lost in a bunch of leafy greens but instead to be the star of the dish. This salad is bursting with nutrients and flavor. The juicy tomatoes and the crunchy radish give it some textural contrast.
Go ahead and thinly slice the shallots and get them in a bowl of ice water and let them sit for 30 minutes. Dry them in between paper towels. Chop the tomatoes in quarters, slice the radishes and finely chop the basil. Cut the avocado in 3/4 inch pieces.
Whisk vinegar, garlic, mayonnaise, 1/8 teaspoon salt, and 1/8 teaspoon pepper in a nonreactive bowl until the mixture appears milky and no lumps remain. Whisking constantly, slowly drizzle in 1 1/2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil.
Gently toss the avocados, 1 tablespoons of the dressing, and 1/4 teaspoon salt in a bowl. Transfer the avocados to a serving platter.
Toss the shallot, tomatoes, radishes, and basil with the remaining dressing. Spoon the tomato mixture over the avocados and sprinkle with ricotta salata or feta. Serve immediately.
Easy Chicken Cutlets for Two with a Quick Sun-Dried Tomato Sauce
I admit it. I’ve never really liked chicken breast. My husband does however, so I set out to find a recipe that I could love too. I wanted chicken breast that wasn’t bland and dry. Cooks Illustrated had a recipe that was super simple with very little time investment and it turns out that’s the trick. Cooking chicken cutlets should only take a few minutes or you start getting into that dry territory. Having the cutlet tender was one thing but I still want flavor and lots of it! The quick sun-dried tomato sauce is THE answer to flavorful and NOT boring chicken! You can make the sauce during the weekend and just toss it in the fridge and when you’re ready to saute the chicken cutlets during the week you can have dinner on the table in nothing flat!
This sauce is loaded with flavor and only takes about 5 minutes to put together. You’ll start with oil-toasted bread and pine nuts which add richness and texture. Next you’ll add in some no-cook ingredients to build up the sauce and then finally add in fresh herbs and spices for a boldly flavored sauce.
For the chicken breast you’ll need to slice them in half horizontally and then pound them between two sheets of plastic wrap to about 1/4 inch thickness. It’s easier to slice the breast if you freeze them for about 15 minutes first. All you need for seasoning is salt and pepper and then a quick two minute saute in hot oil set over medium-high heat, don’t add the chicken until the oil is starting to smoke though. Once you place the cutlet in the pan don’t touch them for two minutes so they get nice and browned. Flip them over for a minute more. Remove them to a plate and loosely tent them with foil for 5 minutes before serving.
I’m so glad I found a chicken breast recipe that I could love! This one’s just too easy not to try, so make it for dinner and let me know what you think!
Lasagna for Two
Tom and I never go out on Valentine’s Day. Everything is so crowded so I make something special at home. Last year we had steak but this year I wanted something else. My son and his wife are in Italy right now for their wedding anniversary as well as Valentine’s day…seriously, how romantic is that?! They have sent me some amazing photos of landscapes, architecture and food and I got very inspired to make something Italian! Here’s a gorgeous shot they took in Como.
I might not be able to eat in Italy this Valentine’s Day, maybe next year, 
but we will eat like we are! If you haven’t read our love story head over here to check it out. I bet it’s not like most you’ve read! Now onto the lasagna!
This is super easy to put together and even though I don’t usually use no-boil lasagna noodles, I did in this dish and it really turned out great! Just go through the list of ingredients and get everything prepared ahead and the recipe will come together much easier. I used my food processor to chop the vegetables and shred the cheese.
mise en place
Next, you’ll heat the oil until it shimmers and saute the onion for 5 minutes before adding the garlic, cook for another minute or until the garlic is fragrant. Toss in the ground meat and brown it until no longer pink. Stir in the cream and keep cooking until the liquid is evaporated. Stir in the tomatoes, reserved juice and tomato sauce and simmer for a couple of minutes. Taste it and add salt and pepper, I added an 1/8 tsp of each. In a separate bowl combine the ricotta, 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, egg, basil and 1/8 tsp of both salt and pepper.
Spread 1/2 cup sauce over bottom of loaf pan that’s been sprayed with cooking spray. Lay 1 noodle in pan, spread one-third of ricotta mixture over noodle, sprinkle with 1/4 cup mozzarella, and top with 1/2 cup sauce; repeat layering 2 more times. Lay remaining noodle in pan and top with remaining sauce, remaining 1/4 cup mozzarella, and remaining 2 tablespoons Parmesan. I had quite a bit of sauce left-over at the end to pour on top and you might too. Don’t be worried, just pour it all on and it will be perfect! I also wanted a bit more mozzarella on top so I sprinkled a little more on top, I like it ooey and gooey!
Wrap it all up in aluminum foil and bake it at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes. Remove the foil and bake it for 10 more minutes or until the cheese starts to get brown in spots. Let it stand for 20 minutes before diving in. That’s the hard part but you can do it! Set the table, light the candles, pretend you are in Italy! Buon Appetito!
Valentine’s Day Strawberry Cake for Two and a Love Story
My “Gamer” Valentine’s Day Love Story
We met in an online game. Star Wars Galaxies to be exact.
It’s weird telling people how we met, “How’d you meet?” “umm…in an online game…” We are met with either blank stares or “That’s so cool”! You’re never sure what you’re going to get. Even in this tech savvy world we live in it still seems weird to some people, like it can’t be taken seriously. For instance we can’t say, “Yeah we met at the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity or something important sounding like that and to make matters worse it’s a Star Wars game…geeky AND weird!
(There’s more to read below!)
I ended up in his guild, (for you non-gamers that’s a group of like-minded people that share common goals in a game, like taking down the baddest boss (monster) in the game. We started talking some or rather typing and eventually ended up curious about each other’s real names and he miraculously guessed mine on the very first try! I was pretty astounded and he had my attention after that!
I have to say that meeting in this way turned out to be really important in that we got to know each other without any physical distractions. It was just what we typed to one another and nothing else. Our thoughts and our feelings only. This built such an intimacy between us that I never knew could exist. That beginning bonded us in a special way. We knew each other, I mean REALLY knew each other before we ever physically met…not to mention my typing skills improved dramatically!
(Keep reading!)
We eventually moved on from Star Wars and onto the world of Azeroth (World of Warcraft) where our relationship grew until we finally decided to meet! It had been nearly two years since we’d met online and finally meeting in person was one of the most exciting, thrilling, heart-thumpingly nervous days of my life! Meeting him really “sealed the deal” in my heart and I have never looked back!
Now we get to game side by side instead of over 1000 miles apart and we look forward to “leveling” together offline and on for the rest of our lives!
Happy Valentine’s Day and….May the Force be with You!
Pasta with Cauliflower, Bacon, and Bread Crumbs for Two
It’s 19 degrees outside right now with snow covering everything, but inside it’s toasty warm and smells like bacon and herbs. Smelling fresh herbs in the winter makes me happy! Smelling bacon ALWAYS makes me happy!
Easy weeknight meals also makes me happy but I also don’t want to sacrifice flavor for ease. This recipe delivers on both. Pasta, nutty cauliflower, meaty bacon and crispy bread crumbs are a wonderful combination and the flavors are so well balanced. The lemon juice at the end really helps to brighten it all up. Browning cauliflower in a skillet develops its flavors and cooks off some of the water to keep it from becoming mushy.
Cooking the pasta in a small amount of water skips the draining step and makes a creamy sauce as the pasta cooks. Topping the pasta with bacon-flavored bread crumbs adds texture and another layer of flavor.
Healthy Grab ‘n Go Breakfast Muffins
Do you eat most meals alone? I know I do.
I was reading where people are eating alone more often and I always eat breakfast alone during the week. Most weekday mornings are a rush for my husband to get out the door so eating breakfast together is definitely out, as it is I believe for most people. I have been trying to make breakfasts easier, faster and healthier so make-ahead, grab and go meals are the perfect solution. This healthy breakfast muffin has everything you need to feel like you’re starting your day off on the right foot!
Flavorful add-ins like carrots, banana, and dried cranberries keep these muffins moist while ground flaxseed adds a gold mine of omega-3 fatty acids; just two tablespoons contains more than 100% of your recommended daily intake for those heart-healthy fats. Flaxseed is also rich in fiber and lignan, an antioxidant that’s been shown to protect against breast cancer. I threw in some toasted pecans to amp up the nutrition even more. Pecans contain more than 19 vitamins and minerals including vitamins A, B, and E, folic acid, calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, and zinc! Holy moly that’s a lot of nutrition! Make a batch of these on Sunday and store them in the fridge. Microwave them a few seconds before heading out for the day and feel really great about your delicious, healthy breakfast! If you have to eat alone, make these and make the best of it! If you guys have great grab and go breakfast ideas, I’d love to hear about them, just comment below!
Farmhouse Vegetable Soup
As I was peeling potatoes for this soup I thought of my Grandmother peeling a potato. She could peel an entire skin of a potato in one long, curling peel! I’ve tried, I just can’t do it! That got me to thinking about my parents house where she lived and where my parents still live. Tom and I just spent a wonderful Christmas there with my family and I loved it!
The house…it’s a large old frame house with huge old oak trees dripping with Spanish moss. You have to drive down a winding dirt road canopied with those old oaks to get to the house. My children call it “The Farmhouse”. We have had a lot of fun there, and the house has seen many seasons. My family likes to laugh and we have had plenty of silly times! They have had large vegetable gardens, roosters, chickens, (did you know that chickens will peck your toenails if you have a bright polish on them?!) geese, and lots of cats have come and gone. It is in the country in the middle of Florida and the acreage it sits on is lush and green and pretty wild. Some of the elephant ears are so large you could set up camp under them! The mosquitoes will carry you off in the summer but still, I love it! Sitting on the steps on the front porch sipping my coffee first thing in the morning surrounded by all those old oak trees is about my most favorite thing to do. The birds are happily singing, the tree frogs are chirping and we even saw a fox run across the yard on this last trip!
Inside, there are old hardwood floors, scuffed and scratched from lives lived on them and really just perfect like that. All of the windows are old double hung windows with sash pulleys to raise and lower them. The windows in the front of the house are said to be salvaged from some old governor’s mansion and they are unique and so pretty. A cozy fireplace graces the living room which is an unusual thing to have in Florida but it gets chilly once in a while in the winter and gets put to good use then.
I love the reflection of the oak trees in the glass.
I mentioned cats and funny times, well one memory comes to mind. We had an old cat named Pixie, who died peacefully in her sleep one night and my oldest son Donnie, who was about 8 or 9 at the time, decided that he wanted to be in charge of the burial so he set off with a shovel and thought a nice place would be right under one of the lovely old oaks. Well, if you have ever tried to dig a hole under an oak tree you know that the roots and the ground around it are pretty unyielding! He was gone for quite a while before he came back in and asked us to come on out and pay our last respects. Well, I guess he got pretty tired trying to dig through all those roots and only dug a small hole. When we went out to have a look, all four of poor Pixie’s paws were sticking up out of the ground like some kind of kitty paw plant sprouting through the dirt! I know it sounds awful but it was the funniest thing! I tried not to laugh but you just couldn’t help it! (my Dad re-buried Pixie later so don’t worry )
The house has hosted weddings, parties and holidays and ALWAYS centers around good ole’ southern food! Which brings me back to this Farmhouse Vegetable Soup that is simmering on the stove. It’s full of all kinds of good things that comfort and nourish the body and soul. It reminds me of home and my Grandmother and what on earth more could you ever want from a humble bowl of soup?
On to the recipe! I found this recipe on Cook’s Illustrated who I trust since they test their recipes so thoroughly but this one missed the mark for me. It was just too bland and watered down for me so I adapted it by substituting chicken broth for the water and leaving out the soy sauce which was just weird to me in this soup. I loved that they used humble ingredients though like turnips and cabbage along-side fancier ingredients like white wine and porcini mushrooms (I used morel because that’s all I could find) but honestly you can really play with this recipe and make it your own.
Substitute whatever you have on hand. I’ve used onions instead of leeks. I’ve left out the wine and replaced it with chicken broth. I’ve left off the powdered mushrooms altogether and honestly didn’t miss it much. You can sub all of the broth for vegetable broth if you like. My favorite way to eat it is with crumbled bacon on top!
Cranberry Cherry Ribbon Cookies
You need to try these fun to make cookies! I got this recipe from a book I bought several years ago called The All American Cookie Book by Nancy Baggett. This book has been one of my favorites and I have a TON of cookbooks! Her recipes are all perfect, you seriously can’t go wrong whatever you choose to bake from it and her photos are gorgeous, but what I love the most is the history of each recipe and where it comes from. She also has the most entertaining excerpts from very old cookbooks when they were using wood burning stoves to get their baking done! For instance some of the kitchen wisdom that comes from Estelle Woods Wilcox from the book Buckeye Cookery and Practical Housekeeping, 1880 is this; “Many test their ovens in this way: if the hand can be held in the oven from twenty to thirty-five seconds (while counting twenty or thirty-five), it is a ‘quick’ oven, from thirty-five to forty-five seconds is ‘moderate,’ and for forty-five to sixty seconds is ‘slow.’ ” Can you imagine cooking like that?! I LOVE little glimpses into the past like this though!
This recipe involves placing alternating layers of cranberry-cherry filling and vanilla dough in a loaf pan and freezing the stack until firm. The frozen loaf is cut crosswise into three long blocks, which are than cut lengthwise into pretty red and white striped ribbons and then baked.
These cookies have a great chewy-crispy texture and an exceptional fruit flavor and keep very well. The tart-sweet flavors are perfect together!
Fruitcake Cookies
I first made these cookies for my Dad’s 80th birthday celebration. We did a 1930’s theme and I wanted to make a few things that people were eating in the ’30’s and fruitcake was on the list. Since we were having a lot of people over I decided that fruitcake cookies would go further and be easier to serve.
I’ll be honest, I don’t like fruitcake. Not even a little bit. I was hesitant to even bake these but I figured someone might like them…well…that someone turned out to be me! I LOVE these cookies! You seriously cannot eat just one! They are very different than my last recipe that I posted, the ooey-gooey Mississippi Mud Brownies, in that they are a more refined cookie…if a cookie can be refined. They are seriously these elegant little lightly sweetened and spiced cookies perfectly studded with fruit, nuts, and a hint of sherry and are perfect with a cup of tea or coffee.
The really do feel like Christmas on a plate! I seriously challenge you. If you don’t like fruitcake, try these, see what you think. I bet you can’t just eat one!
Here are a few pics from that party I thought I’d share just for fun! I <3 my Dad!
Top left to right- Dad, Yes, I have a big mouth, 1930’s candy, the cigarette candy was a big hit! Bottom left to right-Guests with 1930’s clothing, kids loved the homemade photobooth, my pretty Mom
Mississippi Mud Brownies
I was seriously craving chocolate after seeing all the Christmas dessert recipes all over the web and this brownie really delivers on ooey-gooey, nutty, chocolatey yumminess!
These brownies have lots of chocolate! There is a dense, chocolatey, nutty brownie layer on the bottom, on top of that are the marshmallows, and then you top all of that with a layer of chocolate frosting! You really need to try these for yourself!
You’re definitely going to want a glass of milk with these! These are super easy to throw together. You’ll definitely want to share these, well maybe… This recipe makes 24 brownies and I don’t think even I can eat that many, and I LOVE brownies!
So don’t make regular ole brownies when you can take your brownies to the next level with these!
