STUFFED & FRIED ZUCCHINI FLOWERS (SQUASH BLOSSOMS)

Okay so these fried zucchini flowers are actually amazing!!! I learned about them on my recent trip down to Todos Santos, Mexico and they are now one of my favorite new things. Think fried artichokes but stuffed with whatever your palate desires. You dont need to dip them in anything because they are delicious and flavorful all by themselves. You just need to try them! TRUST ME!

INGREDIENTS:

Stuffing - You can honestly do whatever you want here. I did the following:

1-2 Cups of Chorizo (taken out of its casing and pre-cooked)
1 Cup of Quinoa (pre cooked and cooled)
1/2 Cup of Cubed Cheese (I used a soft white cheese)

Olive Oil
12-20 Zucchini Flowers (washed)
2 Eggs (whisked)
1-2 Cups of All Purpose Flour
Salt (as desired)

DIRECTIONS

Cook your quinoa and let it cool.

Take your Chorizo out of the casing and fry it up. Once finished set aside to cool.

Once cooled mix your Chorizo, quinoa and cheese together. This will be your stuffing. Open the center of the flower and add in your stuffing (1-2 TSP) and set aside till all flowers are stuffed.

Once you are ready to fry up the flowers add oil to a pan and let it heat up on medium heat.

Roll your stuffed flowers into your flour followed by your egg wash and again in your flour before plopping it in the oil. Once four or five of them are in your pan make sure you rotate them so they dont burn and allow those to cook until they are golden. (If you notice that they are cooking to quickly and getting burnt turn the heat to low)

Once ready remove the flowers from the the pan and set aside on a plate covered in paper towel to absorb excess oil.

Continue battering and cooking the rest of your flowers until you are done. Lightly salt the plate full of flowers before serving!

I hope you enjoyed this recipe as much as I do. If you have any comments please leave them below and I'll be happy to answer them as soon as I can! Happy cooking!!!

FOOTBALL PEPPERONI PIZZA PIES

Now that's a real pizza pie. Note that I only did this with pie crust because that's what I had in the fridge. They tasted great but personally as a pizza connoisseur I would have preferred to use pizza dough! I just like that texture better but that's just me. They still taste great it just depends on what you like. You do you! Anyways for Superbowl 50 I would totally add these to my menu. They are easy and filling and dont take to much time or effort to make. Your guest will definitely enjoy these little pizza pies and how they look like little footballs!!!

Yields: 3 Pie's

INGREDIENTS:

200 Grams of Pillsbury Pie Crust (you can also use pizza dough)
Tomato Sauce
Pepperoni Slices
Mozzarella Cheese
Garlic Powder *forgot to add this to ingredients photo

Ingredients for Egg Wash (Optional)
1 Egg (beaten)
1 TBSP of Milk
1 TSP of Salt

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat over to 375 degrees.

Roll out your pie crust and using a bowl imprint your football shape or use it as a guide. Cut out your football shapes - you can get about 6 of them out of 200 grams of dough. (If you need to roll up the dough in a ball and roll it out again to get another piece, do so.

Next add your toppings starting with tomato sauce. I did pepperoni and mozzarella cheese. I also sprinkled the pizza with garlic powder at the end for extra flavor. Using a clean brush use the egg wash along the edge of the football. Place another layer of dough on top and with a fork press down the sides to seal the football.

Egg wash the top of the football before cutting your football laces into the top of the football.

Bake in the oven for 20 minutes before removing and allowing to cool slightly.

Serve with a side of tomato sauce for dipping.

I hope you enjoyed this recipe as much as I do. If you have any comments please leave them below and I'll be happy to answer them as soon as I can! Happy cooking!!!

CRACK CHICKEN MARINADE

This is one of my favorite marinades my boyfriends dad uses to make chicken thighs. The chicken comes out moist with a crispy outside layer. It smells and taste delicious and is not overly spicy. I really enjoy this chicken recipe and I'm sure if you like dark meat so will you.

INGREDIENTS

12 Boneless Skinless Chicken Thighs (rinsed)
1-2 TBSP of Olive Oil
1 TSP of Ginger
1 TSP of Celery Salt
1 TSP of Cayenne Pepper
2 TBSP of Soy Sauce

DIRECTIONS

Add all ingredients to a flat bowl and allow chicken to marinate for at least 30 minutes before cooking. Store in cool place while marinating.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Place marinated chicken thighs on a baking tray lined with aluminum foil.

Bake or 30-40 minutes.

If you want them crisp broil them for an additional 10 minutes at the end.

I hope you enjoyed this recipe as much as I do. If you have any comments please leave them below and I'll be happy to answer them as soon as I can! Happy cooking!!!

BEEF AND BARLEY SOUP

Beef and Barley soup is the quintessential fall/winter hearty soup. There are so many nutrients and vegetables in this soup that will pick you up if you are felling sick.  The beef and broth will also warm you right up on a cold day and give you the energy to continue on. My mom always made this soup when I was sick because she knows it was my favorite and I guess its only right to pay that forward. When I asked me mom to send me the recipe I was not really surprised to see it was a Barefoot Contessa recipe. Of course it is, she is queen - all hail the Contessa! Ill post the original link below. ENJOY!

INGREDIENTS:

1 TBSP of Olive Oil
2 Lbs of Stewing Beef
2TSP of Salt (divided into 1 TSP portions)
2 TSP Pepper (divided into 1 TSP portions)
2 Cups of Leek (clean and chopped white bit - green bit is no good)
2 Cups of Carrots (peeled and chopped)
1 Large Spanish or Yellow Onion (chopped)
1 Cup of Celery (copped)
3 Bay Leaves
2 Stings of Thyme
8 Cups of Beef Broth
1 Cup of Uncooked Barley (rinsed)

DIRECTIONS:

In a large pot heat up your oil on medium heat. Once ready throw in your stewing beef. Add 1 TSP of salt and pepper. Allow to cook for about 10 minutes stirring periodically. You want the beef to be browned on all sides and to let out the fat and juices.

Once the beef is browned remove the beef and set aside but leave the juices!! We are going to use the juice to cook the vegetables so once the beef is out throw in the leeks, carrots, celery, and onion! Let that cook releasing the water from the vegetables and cooking them down for 10 minutes. They will also absorb some of the oils/fats left behind from the meat - YUM!

Once the vegetables are cooked down you can add your meat back in as well as your 2 springs of thyme, bay leaves, and beef broth. You can also add in your remaining salt and pepper at this time. Bring to a boil before lowering to a simmer and covering. You will need to let the soup continue to cook on a simmer for an hour.

In the meantime, we are going to cook the barley so bring four cups of water in a separate pot to a boil and throw in your barley and reduce to a simmer. Let the barley simmer UNCOVERED for 30 minutes before you drain and set it aside.

When the 60 minutes are up for the soup throw in the barley and continue to cook for 15-20 minutes. Depending on how you like your soup you may want to add some salt and pepper before serving. Also, I like to remove the thyme and bay leaves so that they don’t get in people’s bowls.

Original Recipe -> http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/rich-beef-barley-soup-recipe.html

I hope you enjoyed this recipe as much as I do. If you have any comments please leave them below and I'll be happy to answer them as soon as I can! Happy cooking!!!

SMOKE SALMOM SANDWICH ON PUMPERNICKLE

I love lox bagels but I sometimes feel guilty about all the calories in bagels. Who needs all that calories, right? Pumpernickel bread is made with coarsely ground rye flour and therefore it has a much lower glycemic load then white bread. That means that when you eat pumpernickel your body which turns carbs in the bread to sugar doesn't have as much carbs to turn to sugar as regular bread which is great if you have diabetes. Salmon is a great source of Omega 3 as well as protein, B vitamins, vitamin D, magnesium and selenium which is essential for daily body functions. Enjoy guilt free.

INGREDIENTS:

100 Gr Of Smoke Salmon
Light Cream Cheese
2-3 Branches of Chives (diced)
1 Small Red Onion (sliced)
1 Vine Ripe Tomato (sliced)
2 Pieces of PumperNickle Bread (toasted)


DIRECTIONS:

Take both of your toasted pumper nickle bread and cover in light cream cheese.

Sprinkle your cut chive on either side of the bread you just dressed with cream cheese

Next start to build up your sandwich with tomato slices and onion and lastly with smoke salmon.

Next add more tomato and onion and the other sandwich, cream cheese side down. Serve!

I hope you enjoyed this recipe as much as I do. If you have any comments please leave them below and I'll be happy to answer them as soon as I can! Happy cooking!!!