Green Jelly Tropical Fruit Mix

This is a quick item you can make for a pot luck, or if you're like me, just to have at home. Its really super easy to make and can be done the day before if you are tight on time.

What you need:
One can of each of the following

• Logan
• Jackfruit
• Palm Seed
• Green Jelly

You will open and drain the first three of the cans of their syrups and pour into a large container (use one with a lid if you plan on storing it). You will then rip with your hands the jackfruit into smaller strips.Then you open and pour the contents of the green jelly into the bowl as well, but don't get rid of the liquid. You then use a knife to cut the jelly into cubes as big or small as you like. Mix the whole thing add some ice cover and let sit in the fridge, until it gets cold.

Last minute Chicken Noodle Soup

I orignally got this recipe from allrecipes.com when I got sick some time last year. Since then I've made this a couple of more times when I'm looking for a filling yet simple and quick meal. What I have below is what I've done to make this more of my own. If you'd like to see the original recipe, just follow the link above.

This is a very quick recipe 30 minutes from start to finish, which you can make even quicker if you buy ready-cut veggies.

What you need

• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 1/2 cup chopped celery
• 4 boxes of Kirkland Signature (KS) chicken broth
• 1 (14.5 ounce) can vegetable broth
• 1 can of KS chopped cooked chicken breast
• 1 1/2 cups egg noodles
• 1 cup sliced carrots
• 1/2 teaspoon dried basil
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• salt and pepper to taste

What to do

In a large pot over medium heat, melt butter. Cook onion and celery in butter until just tender, 5 minutes. Pour in chicken and vegetable broths and stir in chicken, noodles, carrots, basil, oregano, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer 20 minutes before serving.               

Goat Cheese Antipasti

Goat Cheese Antipasti


This is a very simple recipe that anyone can do. Don't feel that you have to only make the two that I did for this post. Get creative and see if you can make something that to your fancy.


What you need:

• Goat Cheese
• Chives
• Pistachio nuts, de-shelled

What you do:

1. Take the chives and slice it thin. Place in a tray.
2. Take the pistachio nuts and crush them. Place in a tray.
3. Take the goat cheese and roll them into small spherical shapes. That those and roll and cover them in either the crushed nuts are or the chives.
4. Serve.

Something simple to remember to help you create your own

Scallops with Cherry-Tarragon Sauce

I got this recipe from Whole Food's website. The first time I made this was about a year ago, and it was just so good. However, I had to wait until cherries were back in season.

Serves 4 to 6

The combination of rich sea scallops with sweet and tangy cherries is exceptionally satisfying. Scallops are at their best and most tender with short cooking at very high heat; make sure to have the scallops as dry as possible and your pan so hot that the oil is shimmering--but not smoking--before you add the scallops.

Ingredients

1 1/2 pounds wild-caught sea scallops 
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt 
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper 
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil 
2 shallots, chopped 
2 tablespoons rice vinegar 
1/2 pound cherries (about 2 cups), pitted and quartered 
1 tablespoon chopped tarragon

Method

Pat scallops dry with paper towels. Sprinkle on both sides with salt and pepper. Heat a large, heavy skillet over high heat until very hot. Add oil and heat until very hot. Add half the scallops and sear, turning once, until lightly browned, 2 to 3 minutes per side. Transfer scallops to a platter and cook remaining scallops; cover and keep warm. 

Lower heat to medium and add shallots to the skillet. Cook, stirring, until softened, about 2 minutes. Add vinegar and cherries. Cover skillet and cook, stirring occasionally, until cherries are softened, 4 to 5 minutes. Stir in tarragon, then pour cherry sauce over scallops.

Lasagna Cupcakes

Yes, it has finally arrived, Lasagna Cupcakes. Quick, easy, simple, and impressive.


For all you confused men (and women) out there, here is a recipe that you can do real quick.


What you need:

• 2 cups marinara sauce
• 2 lbs. ground beef
• 36 wonton wrappers
• 16 ounces shredded mozzarella
• 6 ounces grated Parmesan cheese
• 8 ounces Ricotta cheese
• (optional) basil for garnish

What you do:

1. Season the beef with salt and pepper. I also use italian seasoning to give it more flavor, but you don't have too. Brown the beef and drain. Set this aside, you'll need it later.
2. Preheat the oven to at least 375 degrees (I use 400).
3. Use a cooking spray on a muffin tin (it's used to make cupcakes).
4. So now comes the fun part, the layering.
1. Wonton Skin - place in the tin, and press it down to the bottom.
2. Parmesan - sprinkle just a bit, followed by
3. Ricotta - then
4. Mozzarella
5. Meat
6. Marinara
7. Repeat (quick tip, once you place the next skin on, press down to pack down the bottom layers.
5. After putting on the final layer of sauce, place about 1 teaspoon of mozzarella and parmesan each on top.
6. Bake for about 18-20 minutes (edges should be cooked well). Take it out and let cook for 5 minutes. Using a knife, loosen the edge from the tin and remove.

All together this should take more than 35 minutes to complete.

A quick salad

So the other night I went running with a friend. Afterwards we were hungry. She wanted to go out, but I had food at home. So I told her I'd make us a salad. This us my creation.

What you need
Romaine lettuce
Goat cheese
Plums
Grape tomatoes


Dressing
One lemon
EVOO
salt &pepper

Chop the romaine and crumble the goat cheese. plums are pitted and sliced. Add the sliced plums and grape tomatoes to the mix.

For the dressing, take the juice of one lemon, add salt and pepper and evoo to a container that can be tightly sealed. Shake and pour over salad. Serve and enjoy.

Baked Eggs and Mushrooms in Ham Crisps

Baked Eggs and Mushrooms in Ham Crisps

I saw a friends photo on facebook and thought this was a wonderful idea. So off onto Google I searched and I got this from epicurious.com and have yet to try it out. I plan on giving it a try very soon though. As of right now all I have are the directions. So have at it people. Enjoy.

What you need:
3/4 lb mushrooms, finely chopped
1/4 c. finely chopped shallot
2 tbsp. unsalted butter
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. black pepper
2 tbsp. creme fraiche or sour cream
1 tbsp. finely chopped fresh tarragon
12 slices Blackforest Ham
12 large eggs
1 muffin tin with 12 1/2 c. muffin cups


What to do:
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.


Cook the mushrooms and shallots in butter with salt and pepper in a large heavy skillet over moderately high heat, stirring, until mushrooms are thender and liquid they give off is evaporated, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in the creme fraiche and tarragon


Fit 1 slice of ham into each cup of the muffin tin. Make sure to lightly oil them also, it makes taking everything out much easier. and yes some of the ham will stick out, don't cut it!. Divide the mushrooms/shallot mix into 12, and fill the ham cups, crack 1 egg into each. Now place the tin into the center of the oven and bake for about 15 minutes (until the whites are fully cooked, but the yolks are still runny). Season with some salt & pepper, remove the whole cup, ham, egg, and all from the tin using 2 spoons or small spatulas. Serve and enjoy!

Quick Curry

Quick Curry


So, I'm not sure how much you all like to eat curry, but if you're like me, it's very yummy. Yes, I said yummy. So I'm going to go over how to make curry yourself at home. Now this is a quick method, and isn't making it from scratch.


What you need
2-3 lbs Lean Beef (or Chicken, Lamb, or Shrimp)
2 1/2 lbs Onions
4 tbsp Cooking Oil
6 cups Water
1 box S&B Golden Curry Sauce Mix


What to do

1. Cut up the meat into cubes and chop up the onions finely. 
2. Stir-fry the meat and onions in the cooking oil (or use butter) in a large skillet until the onions are lightly browned (about 3 minutes). If you wish, add carrots, celery, bell pepper or other vegetables.
3. Add the water and bring to a boil, Reduce heat, cover and simmer until meat is tender (about 15 minutes).
4. Remove from heat, break the sauce mix into pieces and add them to the skillet, stir until completely melted. Simmer another 5 minutes, stirring constantly
5. Serve hot over rice or noodles.

Chicken Salad w/Garlic Lemon Dressing

So the other day I was home and decided to make something for dinner. I had some Roman Lettuce, and some chicken breast and said to myself, "Let's make a chicken Salad. I made a quick marinade for the chicken, chopped some lettuce, and made a quick dressing. It turned out great.

What you need:
2-3 heads - Roman Lettuce


For the Chicken
2 - Whole Chicken Breast
3 Tbsp - Agave
1/3 cup - Balsamic Vinegar
1/4 cup - EVOO

For the Dressing
1 - Lemon
Salt & Pepper (to taste)
Minced Garlic (I love garlic, so I use a lot!)
EVOO

So place the chicken breast in a small dish that can be placed in the oven. Add the Agave, Balsamic, and EVOO in the same dish. Mix it around a bit, and then place in the over at 350. You're going to cook this for about 20-40 minutes, depends on how thick your breast is.

While that is cooking, take out the Roman Lettuce and chop.

Now it's time for the Dressing. Using a container that you can cap and shake, place the following into the container in the order listed above. Place the cap on and shake vigorously.

Once the chicken in cooked all the way through, take it out of the oven and cut it into strips or large chunks. Place in the same bowl as the roman. If you'd like, you can take the drippings and add it to the salad dressing (giving it another good shake) and then toss it with the chicken and roman.

Plate and serve. This is a quick and easy meal...hope you enjoy.

A part of our body that shrinks when we eat junk food?

So I was on FB today and a good friend of mine posts a article on how eating junk food can actually shrink a part of our body. I know, I was thinking the same thing as you are right now...this can't be real. Well, it is real. Unfortunately, we aren't shrinking anything we actually would like to shrink...like our waist lines, no, that would be just too convenient. No it turns out that our brains are actually shrinking. For this this explained a whole lot.


This can lead to all kinds of discussions, such as how the poor are the ones that primarily the ones that eat junk food. That it could be a conspiracy to keep poor uneducated people in the same social economic status that they are in. Yes we could go on and on about what the implications of all this could be, but hey, I'll let you read the story for yourself.


Check it out, at "http://www.vancouversun.com/touch/story.html?id=5919814"

Honey Baked Chicken

This is something I've been trying for years to get from a good friend of mine, his famous Honey Baked Chicken. I always thought it was something that was hard to make, but it turns out, not so much.
Men, this is an easy recipe that you can make that will really impress the ladies (or fellas, whatever floats your boat).


What you need

• 2 lbs of Chicken Thighs or cut up fryer
• 1 stick of butter
• ¼ cup prepared mustard
• ¼ cup honey
• 1 teaspoon Salt
• 1 tablespoon of Indian Curry

Combine the butter, mustard, Salt, honey and curry in a saucepan. Cook on low heat until are ingredients are combined into a creamy sauce. Arrange chicken in a baking dish and pour sauce covering all the chicken. Bake at 350 degrees for about an hour and a half. Serve with mash potatoes and steamed carrots. Use juice and drippings from chicken to pour over your potatoes and carrots.