Braised Short Ribs

This is the only photo I have of this dinner.

1) because it was date night and I was trying not to be rude

 and spend more time taking pictures of the food 

than sitting down and eating it and holding a conversation

and

2) because it was really, really good and I scarfed it all down pretty fast.

I'd never eaten, much less prepared, short ribs.

But oh. I will again, my friends.

It's like the most tender, flavorful pot roast

On A Stick.

My only complaint is that because the meat is so fatty,

I found the best way to serve it was to cut the meat 

off the bones and trim it completely before 

returning it to the cooking liquid. 

I didn't figure this out until after it had been served,

 but leftovers were much less hassle after this was discovered!

Also, I don't own a Dutch oven, but I just prepared 

everything stovetop in my large soup pot,

and then transferred it to a Pyrex baking dish 

and covered with foil to go in the oven.

Works for me!

What You'll Need

• 8 whole Beef Short Ribs
• Kosher Salt and Pepper To Taste
• 1/4 cup All-purpose Flour
• 4 pieces Bacon, Diced
• 2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
• 1 whole Medium Onion, Diced
• 3 whole Carrots, Diced
• 2 whole Shallots, Peeled And Finely Minced
• 2 cups Red Or White Wine
• 2 cups Beef Or Chicken Broth (enough To Almost Cover Ribs)

What To Do:

Salt and pepper ribs, then dredge in flour. Set aside.

In a large dutch oven, cook bacon over medium heat until complete crispy and all fat is rendered. Remove bacon and set aside. Do not discard grease.

Add olive oil to pan with the pancetta grease, and raise heat to high. Brown ribs on all sides, about 45 seconds per side. Remove ribs and set aside. Turn heat to medium.

Add onions, carrots, and shallots to pan and cook for 2 minutes. Pour in wine and scrape bottom of pan to release all the flavorful bits of glory. Bring to a boil and cook 2 minutes.

Add broth, bacon, 1 teaspoon kosher salt, and plenty of freshly ground black pepper. Taste and add more salt if needed. Add ribs to the liquid; they should be almost completely submerged. 

Put on the lid and place into the oven. Cook at 350 for 2 hours, then reduce heat to 325 and cook for an additional 30 to 45 minutes. Ribs should be fork-tender and falling off the bone. Remove pan from oven and allow to sit for at least 20 minutes, lid on, before serving. At the last minute, skim fat off the top of the liquid. (Can also refrigerate mixture, then remove solid fat from the top.)

Adapted from The Pioneer Woman

Make Ahead Fruit and Yogurt Parfaits

I don't know about y'all,

but I kinda hate getting up in the morning.

I am not bright and sunny and wanting to bounce downstairs 

and create a beautiful and healthy breakfast.

So a lot of mornings I end up with frozen waffles or toaster strudels or bagels, 

that get cold by the time I grab them on the way out the door.

This is one of the things that I can prepare the night before

that makes me actually want to eat breakfast.

Just layer sliced fruit

yogurt

and some homemade granola for topping!

I use a little Mason jar so I can just pop the lid on and refrigerate.

And because it's cute. 

I'm more willing to eat cutely packaged food in the morning.

You could make it more presentable by using a piping bag to 

layer the yogurt in the jar, but I'm not too picky.

This is also one of my ways of breaking 

myself from stopping at McDonald's.

There's one right by our church

and although I haven't been in a VERY long time,

I had a really unhealthy period of time where I stopped there

at least three times a week on the way to the office.

Ugh. 

Cheers to homemade

and healthy

and cute!

Homemade Granola

This was so simple to make

and can be personalized to include your 

favorite nuts, dried fruits or flavors

I made 1/3 of this recipe, and left half of it without dried cranberries and chocolate to layer with fresh fruit and yogurt in parfaits. The other half I eat over yogurt or with milk. It's so good- definitely better than any store bought granola I've had!

Plus, no processed sugars

no preservatives

just natural goodness.

What You'll Need:

2/3 cup pecans, coarsely chopped
2/3 cup almonds, coarsely chopped
6 cups old fashioned rolled oats
6 tbsp. canola oil
1 cup honey
¼ cup ground flaxseed (optional)
½ tsp. ground cinnamon
½ tsp. salt
2 cups dried cranberries
8 oz. bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped

What To Do:

Preheat the oven to 325˚ F.  Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.  Place a large skillet over medium heat.  Add the chopped walnuts and almonds.  Cook, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned, 3-4 minutes.  Stir in the oats and canola oil and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until the oats are lightly toasted, about 3 minutes.

Transfer the oat mixture to a large bowl and stir in the honey, ground flaxseed, cinnamon, and salt.  Spread out onto the prepared baking sheet in an even layer.  Bake, stirring every few minutes, until the granola is light golden brown, about 15 minutes.

Stir in the toasted coconut and dried cranberries.  Move the granola to one side of the baking sheet and press gently into a thick slab.  Let cool to room temperature.  Break the dried and cooled granola into small clusters, mix in the chopped chocolate, and store in an airtight container.

Adapted from Annie's Eats

Southwest Quinoa Salad

So, quinoa recipes have been popping up

all over my favorite food blogs

and all over Pinterest

Then, my parents' doctor recommended it to them

as part of a healthier diet

so I figured I really needed to give it a try.

And I'm so glad I did!

It was as simple as rice to prepare

and easily takes on flavor.

This one cup of dry quinoa ended up making four servings!

I just prepared the quinoa according to the package instructions 

and then mixed in the rest,

but I've included the original instructions for you!

This would also be great cooked in broth,

or with additional add-ins of your choice, such as corn.

There's a lot of flexibility in this recipe.

• What You'll Need:
   

• 1 cup dry quinoa, rinsed
 

• 1 tbsp olive oil or coconut oil
 

• 1 3/4 cup water
 

• 1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
 

• 1 avocado, chopped into chunks
 

• handful cherry tomatoes, quartered
 

• 1/2 red onion, diced
 

• 1 small clove garlic, minced
 

• 1 red bell pepper, chopped into chunks
 

• small handful cilantro, diced
 

• 1 limes, juiced
 

• 1/2 tsp cumin
 

• 1/2 tbsp olive oil
  

• Salt

 

• 
  What To Do:

Warm the olive/coconut oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Once it’s hot add the rinsed quinoa and toast for about 2-3 minutes until it starts smelling nutty and lovely. Add water, stir once, cover, and simmer with a lid on for 20 minutes.

While the quinoa is cooking, prepare all other ingredients. Prepare the dressing by combining the lime juice, oil, cumin, and salt. Whisk it aggressively. Adjust seasoning as necessary.

When the quinoa has finished cooking, remove it from heat and fluff with a fork. Add black beans and toss to warm them through.Let the quinoa cool for about five minutes and then add all the remaining ingredients, including the dressing, and mix. Adjust seasoning if necessary.

From Turqoise and Teale, originally from Eating for England

Green Monster Smoothie

This has helped me to increase my daily servings of 

fruits and vegetables at the same time

Plus, as much as I hate to admit it, 

it helps my energy more than coffee. 

If you like your smoothies more creamy, add a little yogurt to the mix.

Plus you can always mix and match whatever fruits you have on hand.

Just know if you add strawberries, like I did, it will be an ugly brownish color.

still pretty tasty though!

What You'll Need:

1/2 banana (frozen or not)
1/2 cup chopped frozen pineapple
1/2 large apple, peeled and coarsely chopped
3/4 cups orange juice

1 1/4 cups baby spinach leaves, rinsed and dried
1-2 tbsp. honey (optional)

What To Do:
Combine all ingredients in a blender or food processor and puree until completely smooth.  Taste and adjust sweetness with additional honey, if desired.  Serve immediately.

From Annie's Eats and Confections of a Food Bride,

 originally from Une-Deux Senses

Yeah, so I've made this a few times this week...

it's just that good, and good for ya!

Chocolate Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting

I christened my new stand mixer 

by making these beauties

The great part was that I had all the ingredients already 

and didn't have to go buy anything

the other great part was that they came out moist and fluffy, 

but still firm enough to hold a pretty shape and some yummy frosting

And since one roommate doesn't eat gluten and one doesn't eat refined sugar,

I'm enjoying these a LOT more than I should :)

What You'll Need:
for cakes:3/4 c. cocoa powder
1 & 1/2 c. all-purpose flour
1 & 1/2 c. sugar
1 & 1/2 tsp. baking soda
3/4 tsp. baking powder
3/4 tsp. coarse salt
2 eggs
3/4 c. warm water
3/4 c. buttermilk
3 tbsp vegetable oil
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
for frosting:
2 8 oz pkg cream cheese, softened
1 cup powdered sugar
1 tbsp vanilla extract 


What To Do:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line 18 muffin tins with cupcake liners; set aside.

With the whisk attachment of an electric mixer, whisk together cocoa powder, flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Add eggs, warm water, buttermilk, oil, and vanilla, and mix on low speed until smooth, about 3 minutes. Scrape down the sides and bottom of bowl as needed.


The batter is very wet. Pour into a large glass measuring cup to easily pour into muffin cups.

Fill baking cups 2/3rd full of batter. Bake about 20 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean and the tops bounce back when lightly pressed. Cool on wire racks 10 minutes, then invert and remove from pans.  Cool completely on the wire racks.


Meanwhile, on medium speed beat together cream cheese, vanilla, and powdered sugar until fluffy and well blended. Check frosting for sweetness. If you like it sweeter, add another 1/2 cup powdered sugar, blend well and taste. (I don't normally measure out sugar for this part because I don't use a whole lot.)


Once cupcakes are completely cooled, fill a piping bag or Ziploc bag with frosting and pipe a generous amount of frosting in a swirl on each cake.

Cupcake recipe from Bake at 350, originally from Martha Stewart Cupcakes

Breakfast Banana Splits

Breakfast is the most important meal of the day,

so do it right.

These banana splits include:

One banana 

(obviously)

Vanilla Greek Yogurt

(stick in the freezer for a little while before serving 

to help it keep its shape. Then, scoop with ice cream scoop.

 Clearly, I did not do this.)

chopped fruit of choice-

 strawberries and blueberries here

toasted nuts

Bridget at Bake at 350 drizzled her's with warm Nutella.

Maybe if I had a squeeze bottle, or had used a pastry bag 

I could have done that,

but I just added a couple of plops of Nutella right on top

You could also keep it healthy with some honey, or warm jam

This is definitely going to become a breakfast staple

Tons of fruit, plus the goodness of Greek yogurt

This would be a great way to get kids excited about breakfast

without giving in to sugary cereals or toaster items...

because I eat Peanut Butter Cap'n Crunch and 

Cream Cheese Toaster Strudels like nobody's business

and this worked on me!

From Bake at 350, originally from The Kitchen 

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(circa 2006?)

Chicken Parmigiana

I loved reading through Elly Says Opa's Eat to the Beat entries. 

They brought music and food together 

in  such clever and delicious ways! 

This "Mambo Italiano" Chicken Parm really caught my eye because 

1) it looked scrumptious, 

2) the directions are actually pretty simple and 

3) Mambo Italiano is such a fun song. Hit play and read on!

We made this for roommate dinner night 

and served it with salad and spaghetti.

We used tomato sauce and seasonings because 

it's what we had on hand, but you could also 

use homemade marinara or store bought spaghetti sauce. 

What You'll Need:
(serves 4)4 boneless chicken breasts, pounded thin (butterfly first if necessary)
2 cups Italian bread crumbs
salt and pepper
2 eggs, beaten (add about a tablespoon of water to thin them out)
extra virgin olive oil
1 can tomato sauce (14oz- 16 oz)
seasonings: basil, oregano, garlic, salt, pepper
fresh mozzarella cheese, sliced 
grated pecorino romano cheese
fresh parsley, chopped

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Lightly sprinkle chicken cutlets with salt and pepper, then dip in egg, followed by bread crumbs.  Shake off excess and set aside. 

Heat oil in a large skillet.  Add chicken (do not crowd the pan) and turn after brown on one side.  Brown other side and remove from pan.  Continue until all chicken is cooked.  Place on paper towel lined plate to drain excess oil.

Spread a thin layer of tomato sauce on the bottom of 9x13 pan.  Add chicken, then top with mozzarella and more tomato sauce. Season generously with Italian seasoning; basil, oregano, and garlic; or whatever seasonings you prefer.  Sprinkle some pecorino romano on top.  It's okay if you need to stack some chicken on top of each other...just make sure each piece is covered with cheese and sauce.

Bake for about 30-35 minutes, or until cheese and sauce are bubbling (check after 20-25 minutes).  Top with fresh parsley and serve.

The fresh mozzarella is a stand out in the dish. 

It can be a little pricey but we got ours at half price 

from the deli counter because it was close to the sell by date. 

If you're shopping for this dish day-of, 

I'd definitely recommend checking for this!

Hope you all have a wonderful weekend!