Holiday Dinner Party

During the winter time I love to bring all my favorite things together...food, family and holiday cheer. I love dinner parties, they are a fantastic way to create delicious foods and share them with those you love. Plus they are a perfect way to spend some quality time together.

The first thing you want to do is create your menu, which should be based on the season and to include foods that every guest will feel comfortable digging in to (aka know your crowd).

My dinner menu consisted of:

• Pumpkin-Cider Cocktail
• Winter lager (for the men)
• Brie en Croute with cranberries and walnuts
• Prosciutto Stuffed Figs Stuffed with Goat Cheese
• Acorn Squash Soup with Fresh Sage and Parmesan
• Arugula Salad with Dried Cranberries, Walnuts and Goat Cheese
• Savory Pumpkin Lasagna 
• Apple Tart

My menu consisted of ingredients I knew my guests would love, full of comfort, spirit of the season and a hint of culinary flair. 


Pumpkin Cider Cocktail

1 liter of apple cider (the good stuff)
1 liter of ginger ale
1 can pumpkin (or one cup of real pumpkin puree)
1/4 cup pumpkin pie spice (cloves, nutmeg, cinnamon, ginger, sugar)
Add vodka, rum or bourbon to spike it up a bit

Mix all together, chill and serve with frozen cranberries as a garnish. Your guests will LOVE this cup of cheer.

Winter Lager

Our personal favorite is Shiner Cheer with hints of toasted pecans and peaches. When you set out drinks you wish to keep cold, put them in a nice bucket with ice instead of a cooler, it's much more becoming and easy for guests to see where the drinks are. 

Brie en Croute

1 medium-small wheel of brie
1 puff pastry
1/4 cup dried cranberries
1/4 cup chopped walnuts
2 Tbsp agave nectar (or honey)
1 Tbsp brown sugar

First, pull your puff pastry out to thaw then mix your cranberries, nuts, agave nectar and brown sugar together. Make sure the filling has enough agave nectar. Cut the brie in half so you have two big flat pieces, spread 3/4 of the mixture in the middle, place one half on top. Wrap up your stuffed brie with the puff pastry, putting the wrapped side down. Put the other part of the mixture on top of the brie and bake at 350 degrees at 20 minutes or until golden brown. Serve with water crackers.

Proscuitto-Stuffed Figs

16 small fresh figs
1 package of proscuitto
1/4 cup goat cheese
1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1 tsp agave nectar (or honey)

Clean and wash all of your figs then gouge a small hole in each fig. Then grab a piping bag (or make your own with a plastic bag), soften your goat cheese and spoon into the piping bag. Stuff each fig with a generous squirt of goat cheese, then wrap each one with proscuitto. Drizzle with agave nectar mixed with the pumpkin pie spice and back for 12 minutes on 350. These will melt in your mouth!

Acorn Squash Soup

I have blogged about this one before and it was so good I had to make it again for my dinner party.

3 acorn squash (one half per person)
1 bunch of fresh sage
1 carton of chicken stock
3/4 cup heavy cream (or milk)
parmesan cheese
6 shallots
1 leek
bay leaf
olive oil
salt
pepper

Slice the acorn squash in half, slice up a few leaves of sage, a bit of leek, one shallot and place inside of each half. Drizzle with olive oil and a little shake of salt and pepper. Bake at 400 degrees for one hour until soft. While the squash are softening in the oven, slice the rest of the shallots and leek and place in a generous portion of olive oil in a Dutch oven on medium heat.

Once the shallot mixture gets golden add chicken stock and bay leaf.  Once the acorn squash is soft, remove from oven and let cool. Once cooled, peel off skin and dice into inch size pieces and add to soup. Blend soup with emulsion blender until smooth, add heavy cream, more leaves of fresh sage, salt, pepper and simmer for 15 more minutes then it's ready to serve. This velvety, savory soup is so comforting your guests will beg for the recipe.

Arugula Salad

I wanted the salad to be a palate cleanser before the main course, I made it pretty simple and the peppery arugula did the trick.

1 bunch of arugula
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1/2 cup halved walnuts
3 Tbsp crumbled goat cheese

Lemon-Agave Dressing

juice from two lemons
1/4 cup agave nectar
salt
pepper
olive oil

Squeeze the lemon juice into a bowl, agave nectar, salt and pepper then whisk in the olive oil to taste.

For the salad simply assemble in a nice wooden bowl, layering the arugula, nuts, cranberries then top with the goat cheese. Let guests drizzle their dressing up their salad.

Pumpkin Lasagna

This lasagna is savory and fantastic for guests.

1 box of lasagna noodles (oven ready, wheat or regular)
1 can of pumpkin puree
1 package of sweet Italian sausage
1 yellow onion
1 package of fresh mozzarella
parmesan
fresh basil
1 zucchini
tomato sauce (homemade or jarred)
bechamel sauce
1 egg
salt
pepper
fresh sage

Dice up your onion and saute in a pan on medium heat, in a separate pan cook the sausage (out of the casing). Once onions and sausage are cooked, add tomato sauce and start on your bechamel. To make a bechamel sauce start with butter in a sauce pan on medium heat, when melted add a bay leaf then whisk in the milk until nice and thick. Set aside and make sure not to burn.

Mix pumpkin puree with the one egg and set aside. Slice up mozzarella into thick slices, chop up fresh basil, slice zucchini in small, thin slices and grate fresh parmesan. Choose a fancy 9x11 dish and start to layer. Start with tomato sauce at the bottom, then noodles, pumpkin sauce, bechamel, mozzarella, parmesan, basil, zucchini and sage. Then continue to layer until you've reached the top of the dish. Save enough tomato sauce, bechamel and cheeses for the very top. Bake at 350 degrees for 35-40 minutes. This lasagna perfectly balances the zesty tomato, heaviness of the pumpkin and lusciousness of the bechamel plus the buttery cheeses. Your company will definitely be wowed!

Apple Tart

6 granny smith apples
1 pie crust
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp cloves
apricot jam

Skin the apples and slice up into thin parts, toss in a bowl with apricot jam and spices. Then pile onto the crust which has been rolled out. Overlap parts of the crust onto the edges of the apples. Brush a bit of rum on top of the tart and bake at 350 for 20 minutes. Serve with a scoop of pumpkin ice cream. This is an excellent way to end your meal, it is light, crunchy and the pumpkin ice cream makes everyone go back for more.

Enjoy this fantastic menu with your loved ones this holiday season!

xoxo Lo

Big fish in a little pond

With all the mix of chicken and beef sometimes it's nice to grub on some fresh seafood. One of my husband's favorites is fresh tuna steaks. Now you have to be cautious because tuna tend to be unusually high in mercury levels which in big doses can be toxic to our bodies. But if you shop for your seafood at a local market and they catch wild then you should be better off.

My favorite way to eat tuna steaks is rare, sashimi style with a wasabi-soy sauce drizzle but my husband likes his seared. So I decided to cook for my sweet husband that evening.

Tuna Steaks with Brussel Sprouts and Black Rice

1 tuna steak/person
1 package of brussel sprouts
1/2 yellow onion
1 garlic clove
1 1/2 cups of chicken stock
1/2 cup black rice
olive oil
salt
pepper

This is a pretty simple meal, you want to save the tuna til last. If you want to flash marinate that is great or else keep cool in the fridge. I drizzled mine with olive oil to keep it moist and sprinkled salt and pepper on each side and set back in the fridge.

Next, I sliced up my onion and garlic and added that to a saute pan on medium heat. Once they were golden I added the brussel sprouts. I had chicken stock in a small sauce pan awaiting a boil, once the liquid starts to bubble drizzle in 1/2 Tbsp of olive oil and the black rice, stir occasionally.

When the brussel sprouts start to soften and sear turn the heat down to keep them toasty. Continue to stir the rice, adding more chicken stock if needed. Sprinkle salt and pepper into the rice for additional flavor. Black rice is extremely nutritious and adds a lil depth to your dish.

Once the rice is practically finished heat your saute pan or grill pan, drizzle with olive oil and place your tuna steaks on the pan. Depending on how "done" you prefer your tuna to be, you really should only cook each side for about a minute. Usually tuna is best served with a nice sear on the outside and rarity on the inside.

Plate your dish and serve. This meal is packed with protein, omega-3s, healthy carbohydrates and will give you a great kick start to your week or weekend.

Enjoy! xoxo Lo

Acorn Squash Soup

Nothing is better than a hot bowl of comforting soup when the winds are chilly and the clouds unleash rain across the city.

I stumbled upon this recipe as I looked in my fridge and found an acorn squash, the only thing I had made before with this gorgeous ghourd was chutney but this time I wanted to make something good for the soul.

Acorn Squash Soup with Fresh Sage

1 acorn squash/2 people
1 yellow onion
1 leek
1 bunch of fresh sage
1 carton of chicken stock
1/4 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
2 garlic cloves
3 Tbs olive oil
1/2 cup milk (or heavy cream)
salt
pepper

I started as you would with any squash, you cut them in half de-seed them and place on a baking sheet. Pre-heat your oven to 400 degrees. While the oven is heating up, slice up some onions, garlic, bits of fresh sage and leeks place those inside of the hole of the squash and drizzle with olive oil. Place the squash in the oven for one hour to soften and bake.

While the squash is baking light your Dutch oven or soup pot on low heat, add olive oil and the rest of the onion, leeks, a few sage leaves and garlic. When they become golden (30 minutes) add chicken stock, salt and pepper. Once the squash is done, remove from oven and let cool for 10 minutes. Once the squash are cooled pour the contents inside the squash into the pot. Strip off the squash skin, chop up into inch cubes and add to the pot. Raise the pot's temperature to medium heat and stir. After 15 minutes use your hand emulsion blender to blend the squash soup together. Be careful not to raise the blender above the soup, blend for 10 minutes until creamy and smooth. Then add your milk/heavy cream. Let the soup finish for five minutes then you are ready to serve.

Once you pour the incredible soup into your serving bowls, grate fresh parmesan cheese on top, sprinkle with salt and pepper and garnish with fresh sage leaves. This soup will knock your snuggie right off, it is down right delicious! Perfect for entertaining or as a quiet Sunday meal.

Enjoy! xoxo Lo

Campfire Cookin'

My husband and I went camping this weekend and realized that many people don't understand how delicious your meals can be cooked over an open-fire with a starry night while spending quality time with those you love.

Our first night we chose something pretty simple:

Beer Brats with Blue Corn Tortillas and Mustard

1 package of beer brats
1 package of tortillas
mustard

First you need hangers, sticks or some long fork skewers to fire roast the brats over the open flame. Once the brats are sizzling and brown you toast the tortillas and add the brat, squirt a lil mustard on top and ta da! Simple and delicious.

We spent that evening laughing and holding hands in the middle of the woods.

The next day we planned a big breakfast:

4 eggs
6 slices of thick-cut bacon
2 red potatoes
2 slices of toast (preferably homemade)

Firstly, when you are cooking while camping you want to start with the bacon because it naturally creates grease that you can use to cook everything else. Place bacon in the pot and set over the open flame, take one strip of bacon and slice it up into little pieces. Place these pieces into a separate pot with the chopped potatoes. Once the bacon is sizzled, remove from pot and add to a paper towel and crack the eggs into the greased pot. Once the potatoes are done, pile them into the serving bowls, add bacon on top. Place bread in a pocket of foil and toast on fire grate. Once the eggs are done place them on top of the bacon/potato pile and lastly grab your toast.

For dinner our last night camping we had to create something out of nothing, we had a backpacker's meal of freeze dried chicken and dumplings. Which didn't seem like enough so we had two red potatoes left, some bacon and some extra barbeque sauce. We decided to bake the potatoes, sizzle up the bacon and crumble it on top of the potatoes with barbeque sauce on top...that was a surprisingly, yummy side dish!

Use your imagination while camping, anything you want to have you can...you just have to be creative.

Enjoy life every moment at a time! xoxo Lo

Wowza White Chicken Chili

Now that the fall months are among us and colder weather has started to prance its way into the day...it is time for comforting, warm meals.

One of my family's absolute favorites is white chicken chili...for some reason I've never been a huge fan of regular ole joe red bean and beef chili. Maybe it's too filling, maybe it's too heavy but this particular type of chili is not only scrumptious but it is packed with healthy nutrients and not too heavy.

White Chicken Chili

4 chicken breasts (or thigh meat)
6 cans of Great Northern beans
1 package of chicken stock
3 celery stocks
2 medium yellow onions
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp paprika
1 tsp oregano
1 bunch of cilantro
avocado
1/2 cup monterrey jack cheese

Grab your Dutch oven or stock pot and add 1 Tbsp of olive oil on medium heat, when the pot starts to sizzle add the chopped onion and chopped celery. Once the onion and celery turn golden add the chicken (cut into inch size pieces). After a few minutes add the beans and chicken stock. Stir and add the spices. After about 20 minutes taste and add more spices if necessary. Cook another 10 minutes then the magnificent chili is ready to serve!

Once you add the chili to the serving bowls, add sprigs of cilantro, chopped avocado and shredded Monterrey Jack cheese then take a bite and savor the explosion of fantastic flavors!

Enjoy! xoxo Lo

Trick or Treat Casserole

My mom used to make this warm, comforting casserole dish with chicken, orzo, cream of mushroom soup, mushrooms and any other veggies we had at the time. I decided to recreate this delicious meal from my childhood. I already had beer brined chicken, the orzo and cream of mushroom soup, I just needed to put the rest together.

Since Halloween is right around the corner, I decided to make my casserole similar to the traditional outing every child makes on October 31st, decked in their best costume to boot. My casserole would be full of treats and would remind adults why they love Halloween and the Fall season so much.

Trick or Treat Casserole

2 chicken breasts (marinated in whatever you prefer)
1 package of orzo noodles
6 button mushrooms (rinsed)
1/2 head of cabbage
1 can of cream of mushroom soup
2 cups of chicken stock
1 small yellow onion
2 Tbsp olive oil
salt
pepper

Heat your Dutch oven or large pot on medium heat, add olive oil and start chopping your onion. Add onion to the Dutch oven and start chopping your mushrooms. Add mushrooms and dry orzo to the pot. Let the orzo crisp up with the onions and mushrooms before adding any liquid. (You may need to add more olive oil, to prevent sticking to the bottom or getting too dry). Next add the chicken stock and stir around. Chop up half the cabbage and add that to the mixture. Pour in the cream of mushroom soup, salt and pepper. Then chop up the chicken into small pieces and add to pot. Place lid on the Dutch oven and cook for 10 minutes. Then finish the casserole in the oven at 375 covered for 15 minutes then lower heat to 350 and remove lid to let the top crisp up for 10 minutes before serving.

This meal will feel like your mouth is trick or treating, full of flavors, textures and nutrients this meal is Halloween approved!

Happy trick or treating! xo Lo

Spooky Spaghetti Squash

During the Autumn season there are several different kinds of produce to take advantage of, there are many squashes, gourds, etc to dive into for your meals. One of my favorite kinds of squash is the spaghetti squash, not only is this squash pretty awesome in creation but it's tasty too. The best part about spaghetti squash is you can make savory or sweet dishes when using it. This time I decided to go savory.

Spaghetti Squash with Baby Portabella Mushrooms and Marinara Sauce

1 spaghetti squash
1 package of baby portabella mushrooms
1 jar of marinara sauce (or see recipe below to make your own)
1 yellow onion
3 garlic cloves
olive oil
fresh oregano
salt
pepper

Firstly, you want to get your spaghetti squash tender, cut in half length-wise, de-seed and bake at 425 degrees for an hour.

Meanwhile, saute mushrooms, onion and garlic in a saute pan over medium heat until tender. Put marinara sauce over medium heat to warm and add mushroom mixture.

Once the squash is tender, let cool for 10 minutes then take a fork and scrape the squash, as you scrape pieces that look similar to spaghetti pasta should start to come off. Scrape all of the "spaghetti" into bowls.

Homemade Marinara Sauce

3 12 oz cans of plain tomato sauce
1 12 oz can of plain tomato paste
2 12 oz cans of tomato pieces
2 yellow onions
5 garlic cloves
1 bay leaf
1 bunch of fresh basil
1 bunch of fresh oregano
water (as needed)
salt
pepper
meat (if you are making a meat sauce, use ground beef, ground turkey or turkey sausage)

Cook tomato sauce, paste and pieces over medium-low heat. Add in spices (if dry), water, onion, garlic and herbs. Let simmer for one hour and add fresh herbs for last 15 minutes. Marinara sauce should reduce down, add any veggies or meats you like to it.

Pour marinara sauce over spaghetti squash and grade a little bit of mozzarella or parmesan over the top and dig in!

xoxo Lo

Pork 'n Pumpkin Chili

For those of you who are getting to know me...I LOVE the holidays. Any holiday...I will go above and beyond to celebrate, in a classy way of course! :) When Fall arrives, which is my favorite time of the year, I love to cook with seasonal produce (aka pumpkins), watch scary movies, sip on Pumpkin Ale and submerge myself into the season.

The other day they had sugar pumpkins at the market so I grabbed three and a massive piece of pork butt to make some fabulous, comfort food.

Here's the recipe:

3 medium sugar pumpkins (or as many as people you have plus one extra for in the chili)
1 package of 15 bean soup (15 different kinds of uncooked beans, discard seasoning package)
5 lbs pork butt
1 bunch of mustard greens
5 cups of chicken stock
1 yellow onion
3 garlic cloves
salt
pepper
nutmeg

First I put the oven on 425 degrees and baked the pumpkins (after de-seeding the inside) for about an hour. Meanwhile I started slicing up the pork butt into inch cubed pieces. I placed my Dutch oven on the stove on medium heat and drizzled some olive oil inside. I chopped up the onion and garlic and let that saute for a few minutes, until golden. Then I added the chicken stock and beans. After cutting up the entire pork butt, I placed that into the chicken stock and cover for 30 minutes.

Once the pumpkin is tender the skin should peel off easily, chop up one of the pumpkins into one inch cubed pieces and add to the chili. (The other pumpkins are for serving in.) Add nutmeg, cook for another hour on low heat while stirring occasionally. In the last 10 minutes add chopped, mustard greens.

While chili is cooking, make the pumpkin-nutmeg cream sauce with:

1/2 cup sour cream
1 tsp nutmeg
2 Tbsp pumpkin (from cooked pumpkin or canned pumpkin)
salt
pepper

Mix all ingredients up until smooth and refridgerate until serving. Once beans are tender and pork is cooked through then served the chili inside the sugar pumpkins and top with cream sauce.

If this recipe doesn't get you into the Halloween/Autumn mood, then I don't know what will...maybe put on Hocus Pocus while eating and sip on a Pumpkin Ale...that should do the trick!

xoxo Lo

Autumn-Inspired Butternut Squash Gnocchi

Hello! Hope you are all having a marvelous Monday! I made a delicious Autumn-inspired recipe last night and thought I would share it with you all J 

Butternut Squash Gnocchi with Fresh Sage

2 lbs of butternut squash (or pumpkin, or acorn squash or any potatoes)

2 cups flour

¼ cup yellow onion

2 garlic cloves

3 Tbsp olive oil

6 leaves of fresh sage (or any other fresh herb you like)

Salt/pepper

3 egg yolks

Place butternut squash in large pot or Dutch oven and fill with water, have heat on high to boil. Once water is boiling, keep on a rolling boil until the squash is tender. Meanwhile, heat sauté pan and chop up onion, garlic and three leaves of sage, very small. Drizzle 1 Tbsp of olive oil in sauté pan and cook onion, garlic & herb mixture til crispy.

When squash is tender, drain and set aside to cool for 10 minutes. Once the butternut squash is cool, cut off ends, slice in half length-wise and de-seed/peel. Chop up into small pieces and place in a large bowl. Mash squash like you would with mashed potatoes. Add 1 Tbsp of olive oil to keep smooth, add in egg yolks, flour, salt pepper and other three leaves of fresh herbs. Fold together with a spatula then you might want to start using your hands as the dough forms.

Once the dough is firm, roll out onto a floured surface and slice into long strips. Then slice the strips into little squares about one inch x one inch. Heat salted water again on the stove and drop gnocchi pillows into the boiling water. Once the gnocchi rise to the top (like dumplings) they are done (about 3-5 minutes) depending on the thickness of the gnocchi.

Once the gnocchi is done, drain and place on a paper towel to air dry (about 5 minutes). Then place them in your bowl, drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with crispy onion, garlic & sage and shave chunks of parmesan on top and ta da! So delicious! My husband approved too J

xoxo Lo

Southern Breakfast with a Flair

Every weekend I wake up slowly without an alarm and dream about what breakfast might be. This particluar morning I decided to go with my Southern roots, an egg sandwich with cheesy grits and homemade bread.

Firstly, I started off by cooking my grits, I added water to a sauce pan and once it came to boil I added grits, salt and waited for them to absorb. While that was cooking I took two links of chicken, feta and spinach sausage out of the casing and made a patty then I put that onto a bit of olive oil to cook. In the meantime the grits had absorbed the water, one of the best things about grits is it is so versatile. You can pretty much add anything to them and the flavors will blend in. I decided to make cheesy grits and grated up some colby jack cheese and stirred that into my grits.

Next I flipped my sausage patties and added two thick slices of homemade white bread to the pan to get a nice crispiness to it. Once the cheese melted into the grits I added some salt and pepper to taste and put them on low heat to keep warm. Once the patties were done and bread was crisp, I removed them from the flame and cracked a few eggs into the pan. After my eggs were ready to go I plated my bread, sausage patty then egg on top with my cheesy grits on the side. Poured a mimosa & ta da!

Enjoy xo! Lo

I'm turning Japanese, I think I'm turning Japanese I really think so

Take an edible tour into the Asian island of Japan with this delicious, nutrient-rich, flavor-popping meal. One Friday night my husband and I were craving Japanese but we didn't want sushi...what were our options? We found some sushi grade tuna that was encrusted with black peppercorns, we grabbed two tuna steaks and at home we had edamame and arborio rice to make risotto.

I kept the tuna steaks in the fridge to chill as I prepared the rest of the dinner items. Risotto would take the longest, I drizzle my dutch oven with olive oil then pour in a cup of arborio Italian-style rice, I toast the rice and then fill with half water (2 cups) and half chicken stock (2 cups). Cover the rice and let cook for five minutes, stir and add salt and pepper. Cook for another five minutes. Once the liquid starts to absorb in the rice you can add any ingredients you desire. I chose to add sliced mushrooms, onions and goat cheese. Cover once more and the goat cheese should melt into the rice adding a velvety, bold flavor.

Once the risotto is done, set on low heat to keep warm and add olive oil into a saute pan. Then add in the edamame with some salt and pepper. Allow the edamame to saute and become tender. Once the edamame is warmed throughout then plate the edamame with the risotto. Take the tuna steaks out of the fridge and plate. Create a soy, wasabi sauce by mixing a teaspoon of wasabi with each tablespoon of soy sauce. Dip your tuna into the Japanese sauce and enjoy!


Enjoy! xo Lo

My First Emergency Chef Wound

I recently decided to embark on a fantastical, delicious, healthy meal of raspberry and pistachio encrusted chicken. As the chicken bathed in the aroma of raspberry, hints of mustard and crushed pistachio, I decided to move the sizzling pot from the top of the stove and into the oven at 375 degrees. After some time, I pulled the grill pan with plump chicken out of the steaming oven. Then after a few more minutes my buzzing mind seemed to have forgotten about the sizzling grill pan handle and as I grabbed the handle which it's appearance lied about just how hot it actually was. I simply wanted to serve the meal that I strived to make so perfect, the pan was extremely heavy and as I grabbed the silver pan handle, I gripped tightly in order to not drop the marvelous meal I revered over for an hour. Once my nerves alerted my hand which alerted my brain that my skin was now touching a handle of 375 degrees I dropped the pan and ran hysterically across our apartment.



This being our first emergency (knock on wood) in our marriage, my husband leapt up and tried to be of assistance to me in my time of painful need. If you ever burn your hand on extreme heat, the first thing you need to do after you are done screaming out in immense pain. Run that body part under cool water from the faucet for about 30 minutes, then make sure you have a lot of extra strength ibuprofen, do not cover for at least 12 hours until the painful heat feeling ends. Once you stop letting water run over your body part you'll probably want to submerge the burned area into icy cold water. This is fine, then eventually you will want to cover the wound and use some burn gel to relieve the pain. The skin will eventually start to bubble up, do not pick at the blisters, let them heal slowly, you do not want an infection to occur. If the blisters start to crack, put neosporin on them to help keep them supple and from breaking open. Eventually the new skin will take over. If you ever see bone, muscle, if your skin is melted you need to go to the emergency room as soon as possible.






The pictures I posted are after one day, after four days and after one week. After I finished running my hand under water I dunked it in a icy bath. My husband tried to help bandage it but that just seemed to trap the heat (aka fiery pain) inside my hand. I screamed and hollered and we eventually figured out that bandaging my wound was not a bright idea, so then I dunked my radiating hand back into the icy water. I had to keep an ice pack on my hand for the next 12 hours before the fiery pain would finally stop. Then the bubbly blisters started to appear, I kept my hand bandaged and kept taking 3-4 ibuprofen every four hours to keep the pain away. It has been 9 days so far and my blister on the lower part of my palm is still there but the rest of my hand has pretty much healed.




Take care of yourself and try not to get so caught up in your cooking where you get harmed.

xoxo Safety first! xo Lo

Rockin' Ribeye & Fresh Veggies

My husband and I are definitely carnivorous people; after a long week we crave protein and iron. I purchased a beautiful ribeye from my local market and picked out some fresh veggies to pair it with. We had a big dinner the night before so we need something that wouldn't bog us down.

Ribeye is hard to mess up, you sprinkle with salt, pepper, drizzle with olive oil and throw it on the grill (or grill pan).

As for the veggies I sliced up some broccolini, onion, red pepper and garlic. Sprinkled them with salt, pepper and olive oil then sauteed them until nice and crisp.

This is an easy, healthy, five ingredient or less meal. Enjoy!

xo Lo

Cakes 'n Eggs

One ridiculously hot Sunday morning...I awoke with a grumbling stomach yearning for an all-around awesome breakfast! While my handsome husband, caught up on his zzzs, I started my into the kitchen.

After assessing my fridge and pantry I scrounged up: eggs, pancake batter (thanks to a friend's wedding favor), blueberries and veggies.

I decided to make fluffy scrambled eggs with a short stack of buttermilk-blueberry pancakes accompanied by Vermont Maple syrup.

For the eggs I started with chopping some onion and mushrooms, then I threw them in the saute pan with a touch of olive oil to get nice and golden. Next I beat up the eggs, added a touch of water and poured that into the saute pan, covering the veggies. I immediately added salt and pepper to the eggs, while stirring them often, to make sure they wouldn't stick to the pan. The heat should be on medium to make sure the eggs don't overcook.

Meanwhile, I was given pancake batter as a wedding favor gift, all I needed to add was water and an egg, once that was beaten up, I decided to add some blueberries. Then I made sure the skillet was hot, added olive oil and poured in the batter using a 1/3 measuring cup. Once the pancake bubbles on the side flip over for a few minutes.

Once the eggs are nice and fluffy, grate your favorite cheese on top, sprinkle with green onion and serve. Pile the stack of pancakes, drizzle with syrup. Ta da! Dive in to an all-around awesome breakfast for anyone!

Ahoy Matey! Come aboard for some Seafood Pasta!

Boy has it been crazy lately! My husband and I just started back to school as teachers and he as a football coach, so our lives are pretty hectic. Regardless of our schedules, we vow to slow down and eat healthy meals together. After I visited my brother up in Boston, I came back to an empty fridge with a lingering craving for seafood.

I decided to make a stop at our local market for some fresh squid and Cherry Stone clams. Once I got home I found some tomato sauce, onion, garlic, broccoli and whole wheat penne pasta. My menu had begun to form in my chef-tastic mind.

Seafood Pasta

1 lb squid (or shrimp/lobster/crab)
2 lbs cherry stone clams (or oysters or regular clams)
1 box whole wheat penne pasta
1 large 13 oz can of tomato sauce (plain)
1 small yellow onion
3 cloves garlic
1/2 head of broccoli
5 cups seafood stock
salt
pepper

First thing you want to do is put one cup of seafood stock and two cups of water into a pot to boil for the pasta. Next chop up your onion, crush your garlic and add that to a saute pan on medium high heat, with olive oil. Once the water is boiling, pour in the penne with a bit of olive oil. Stir it around so it won't stick. Stir your onion and garlic, once it's golden, add the tomato sauce- let simmer for 20 minutes. Meanwhile, pull out your squid and begin to cut up the body into inch size pieces. If you have tentacles, leave them as is. Put the squid back into the fride to keep cool before cooking.

When the pasta is done, pour in a colander and set aside. Stir the tomato sauce occasionally, add in salt and pepper to taste. Grab your clams from the fridge, throw them in a sauce pan, add some seafood stock and cook at medium heat, covered. Once the twenty minutes are up, add the clams (they should've popped open), cover the sauce and clams for five minutes. Add in the squid for two minutes and serve over penne pasta. Top with a bit of crushed red pepper and basil if you feel a bit festive!

This dish will satisfy any seafood craving, take a bite, close your eyes and pretend you're sitting seaside with waves crashing on the sand.
Enjoy! xo Lo

Sassy Southwestern Beef Tacos

Lately, schedules in our house have taken a turn into c-r-a-z-y. My husband is a football coach and I am a teacher...our school year is about to start and two-a-days are in full throttle, for football season. Finding time to make healthy, fast meals out of leftovers, is crucial this time of year. The other night I had put some beef chuck into the fridge, from the freezer to thaw. I had leftover corn-on-the-cob, white corn tortillas, veggies and canned black beans.

I decided to marinate the chuck in a simple, zesty marinade, sear it on the grill pan, roast the corn and saute the veggies. The assembly would transform the ingredients to Southwestern beef tacos with a side of corn and black beans.

Zesty Marinade

2 Tbsp Worcestireshire
1 Tbsp brown sugar
1/2 tsp red cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp chili pepper
1 tsp italian seasoning

Once your chuck is thawed, rub this marinade all over and let sit in the fridge for at least 30 minutes. Afterwards, add a bit of olive oil on the grill pan and place the chuck to grasp beautiful sear marks. Cook for 15-20 minutes (depending on how you prefer your beef to be cooked.)

Roasted Parmesan Corn

Take the corn on the cob, drizzle with olive oil, parmesan, salt and pepper. Roast in the oven at 400 degrees for 30 minutes.

Sauteed Onions and Mushrooms

Slice up 1/2 batch of mushrooms and 1/2 an onion. Heat a saute pan with olive oil, add veggies, salt and pepper then cook on medium-low heat for 20 minutes.

Black Beans

Place the black beans in the sauce pan with a bit of salt and pepper and heat on low.

Assemble by frying up your tortillas in a touch of olive oil, slice your beef into strips, layer on your sauteed veggies, grate your cheddar or colby jack cheese. Ladle your beans into a side dish, top with a bit of grated cheese and green onion. Place corn on the plate and your mouth should be watering.

Enjoy! xo Lo

Whippin' up a snack!

While I was running around my home washing dishes, doing laundry, vacuuming the carpets my stomach started grumbling. I looked at the clock, and completely forgot to feed myself breakfast, during my cleaning frenzy.  So I took a break, peeked inside my fridge, to see what goodies I had, to whip up into something spectacular. I had recently made a loaf of homemade white bread, I had leftover cream cheese, fresh cucumbers and soft-boiled eggs.

Instantaneously, I knew I wanted to pile them all up together, into a delightful mid-morning snack. First I toasted my fresh bread on a grill pan until it was crispy and golden. Next, slice your cucmbers and egg. Lather on your luscious cream cheese, top with cucumbers and the slices of soft-boiled egg. Sprinkle with a touch of salt and pepper and voila! Dig in...you can thank me later :)

xo Lo

All-American Cuisine

I pride myself on being able to create leftovers into fabulous, healthy meals. Do you ever end up with a ton of extra bread, that you don't know what to do with? I have a savory, tasty recipe that will help use up that leftover bread!

Savory Bread Pudding

a loaf leftover bread (hamburger buns, bagels, etc)
1 cup milk
3 eggs (I didn't have eggs so I used this substitution: 1 egg= 2 Tbsp water + 2 Tbsp flour + 1/2  Tbsp butter + 1/2 tsp baking powder)
1/2 package of mushrooms
1/2 yellow onion
Italian seasoning (oregano, basil, thyme)
salt
pepper

Cut your bread into cubes, place into a bowl. Add milk, eggs (or substitute) and seasoning on top of bread. Let bread soak up wet ingredients for at least 30 minutes. Meanwhile, saute onions and mushrooms with 1 Tbsp of olive oil. After bread has soaked up wet ingredients, pour mushroom mixture on top. Fold ingredients together. Spoon mixture into small bowls and bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes. Ta da! Great usage of leftover bread!

Fresh Summer Salad

Mixed greens
1/2 cucumber
cherry tomatoes
strawberries

Rinse lettuce, slice cucumbers (keep the skin on for more nutrients), slice tomatoes in half, slice strawberries. Toss salad in a bowl.


Honey-Lemon Vinaigrette

1/2 cup olive oil
2 Tbsp agave nectar (or honey)
1/2 lemon juiced
salt
pepper

Whisk olive oil, agave nectar, lemon juice and seasoning together until they meld together. Add more honey or lemon depending on taste.

Easy NY Strip Steak

The best way to cook a steak is with simple seasoning of salt and pepper, place on a grill or saute pan. Cook 5 minutes per side or however you like your steak cooked.

Meals with Four Ingredients or Less!

My best friend mentioned to me she wanted to see some meals with four ingredients or less so here ya go D! During the week it can be hard to plan meals, your brain is often somewhere else, kids may be screaming, a home may need cleaning. Well no worries: I've got just the thing! Here are two delicious, healthy recipes you can make with four ingredients or less, and serve for breakfast, dinner or snack.

Banana Disks with Peanut Butter & Agave Nectar
1 banana
3 Tbsp peanut butter
2 Tbsp agave nectar

Slice up your banana into thick disks and scoop a bit of peanut butter on each disk. Drizzle with agave nectar (or honey) and enjoy! My mom always made breakfast for my brother and I growing up, this was one of my favorite breakfast dishes! Now I crave it for a snack or a simple breakfast. Full of protein and potassium, this dish will knock your socks off.

One Pan Chicken

4 chicken cutlets
1 cup frozen peas
1/4 cup onion
1 can black beans
salt
pepper

This dinner can be made in one pan! Add your frozen peas to an oiled pan, dice up your chicken and add that to the pan. Open your can of black beans and pour the beans with the sauce into the pan. Sprinkle the top with sliced onions, salt, pepper and cover for 10 minutes. Stir, cover for another 7-10 minutes and serve.

These are for you busy moms, stay at home dads, workaholics, healthnuts and college kids!

xo Lo

Sunday Funday Burgers and Mac n Cheese

What Sunday wouldn't be perfect without a juicy burger and creamy, cheesy mac n cheese? We are pretty healthy in our house but every so often we crave a big burger and some smack your lips macaroni and cheese. This can be easy to throw together from leftovers!


Bacon-Monterrey Jack Burger with Sauteed Onions and Mushrooms

1 lb of ground beef (or turkey)
1/2 cup monterrey jack cheese (shredded)
1/2 cup crisp, crumbled bacon
5 mushrooms sliced
1/4 onion sliced
salt
pepper
whole wheat buns (or bread)

Saute mushrooms and onions on medium-high heat with olive oil. Meanwhile, pound out your ground beef add bacon and cheese, then create patties about 1/4 lb (about an inch thick). Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Heat up grill pan and grill burgers for 5 min per side or less depending on how you prefer your burgers to be cooked. Place buns or bread slices on the grill pan to toast, pile on your sauteed veggies and let the devouring begin!

Creamy Macaroni and Cheese

1 box of rotini pasta (or elbow, penne)
2 cups of cheese (I used a combination of colby jack, queso fresco, habanero and cream cheese)
1 cup of milk
3 Tbsp butter
salt
pepper

Heat water on stove til boiling, sprinkle with olive oil and add pasta. Cook til al dente then add cheese, milk, butter, salt and pepper (preferably in a dutch oven or large sauce pan). Cover and let sit for 2 minutes to melt. Stir, cover and let sit for another 2 minutes over low heat. Assess and add more milk if it isn't creamy enough. Plate with your fantastic burger and indulge in your Sunday Funday meal!

Enjoy! xo Lo

Egg-tastic Omelet!

I am so used to making fried eggs that every now and then I try to think of other ways to fix my eggs. On this morning I had leftover pork chops from the night before, queso fresco and dill. Omelettes are super easy, first you want to heat up or cook the inside goodies.

I poured a lil olive oil into the saute pan and added the chopped up porkchops, onion and mushrooms. Once they were cooked, I set them aside on a plate. Next, make sure the saute pan is oiled then crack two eggs into a bowl and whisk them up, add a tidbit of water and continue to beat the eggs. When the pan is hot, pour the eggs into the pan. Sprinkle a bit of salt and pepper and let cook for a few minutes. Once the sides start to bubble, take a large utensil and flip the omelet over. Then load up your inner goodies (for me it was pork, queso fresco, onions and mushrooms) but you can put anything in a omelet. It's important to add cheese that way there is glue to keep everything together. Flip half the egg over so it looks similar to a taco, once cheese melts plate your delicious omelet and dig in!

xo Lo

Laisser les bons temps rouler!!!

As the Cajun's like to say...let the good times roll! New Orleans is a great place to visit, when you live in Texas it feels like a grand vacation! Delicious food, great sights, drinkable hurricanes...what else could you ask for?! 


I felt like bringing a bit of New Orleans into our kitchen so I grabbed my leftover turkey cutlets, butter beans and brussel sprouts out of the fridge and worked up a 'magnifique' Cajun concoction! 


Cajun Turkey

turkey cutlets (or chicken)
1/8 tsp paprika
1/8 tsp garlic powder
1/8 tsp onion powder
a pinch of cayenne pepper
1/8 tsp salt
a pinch of pepper
1/8 tsp thyme
1/8 tsp oregano

Rinse the turkey and mix the spices together, sprinkle the spices over the cutlets, place on a saute pan with olive oil and cook for 20-25 minutes.

Creamy Butter Beans


I love beans, they are high in protein, filling and go with any meal. Lately I've been exploring more bean options (I'm a sucker for black beans), I found butter beans (if you don't have butter beans use Great Northern beans, cannelini beans, kidney beans or black beans). They are larger and very creamy in texture. I added them from the can to a sauce pan with a touch of olive oil, milk and a sprinkle of flour on medium-low heat. The combination of milk and flour will create a luscious, creamy sauce with the beans. 


Brussel Sprouts with Red Onion and Garlic

I had frozen brussel sprouts in the freezer, I threw those in a saute pan with a bit of olive oil along with sliced red onion and crushed garlic. Sprinkle a bit of salt and pepper and let saute for about 10-15 minutes.

This meal is easy to prepare and sensational on the palate! Pair this dish with a chardonnay, rum hurricane or red zinfandel.

Bonjour mes amis! xo Lo

Impromptu breakfast sandwich!

Every weekend my husband and I peer into our fridge to figure out what breakfast masterpiece we'll create. We are breakfast people. No toast and OJ for us, we want meat, eggs, potatoes...the whole shebang!

On this lovely Saturday morning, we had leftover smoked salmon, whole wheat bagels, cream cheese and eggs. Instead of creating a regular bagels and lox we layered the bagel with a fried egg. Super simple! 

First thing you want to do is toast your bagel on a grill pan or in a toaster. Next fry up your egg in a bit of olive oil, sprinkle on some salt and pepper. Next smear your cream cheese on your bagel, I always add some capers then layer on your smoked salmon then top with the fried egg. When you bite into this open-faced sandwich, instantly the yolk will flow, the velvety taste will be combined with the smokiness of the salmon and creaminess of the cream cheese. D-elicious! I hope you will enjoy your next impromptu breakfast sandwich!

xo Lo

Let's Thai this together!

I love Thai food! Some people may think that different culture's food is hard to make but it isn't. Don't know what to do with your leftover pasta, peanut butter, chicken and soy sauce? I've got the answer for you...a Thai feast.

Thai Chicken and Noodles with Peanut Sauce

1/2 box whole wheat spaghetti noodles (or whatever noodles you have)
6 cutlets of chicken (whatever chicken or turkey you have)
1/2 cup natural peanut butter
1/2 cup coconut milk
3 Tbsp low-sodium soy sauce
1/4 cup yellow onion
2 garlic cloves
green onion (for garnish)
peanuts (for garnish)

First thing you need to do is put a pot of water on the stove for the noodles. In the meantime, chop up the yellow onion and garlic, put that into a saute pan with a bit of olive oil. Once the onion is golden, add in your chicken (chopped up). As chicken cooks, push it to the side and start with your peanut sauce. Add in a large spoonful of peanut butter into the pan, as it melts add in a tablespoon of soy sauce. Stir the peanut butter and soy sauce together until it melts then mix with the chicken. Add in the coconut milk to make it creamy. Add in the rest of the peanut butter and soy sauce. Cover and let the chicken mixture sit for 5 minutes on medium-low heat. When the water is boiling add in the spaghetti with a tad of olive oil. Check on chicken and taste sauce, add more coconut milk, peanut butter or soy sauce as needed. The peanut sauce should taste like a salty, peanuty, creamy flavor. Once noodles are done, drain in a colander. By this time chicken should be cooked. Put noodles in the bowl top with chicken and peanut sauce. Garnish with peanuts and freshly chopped green onion.

This dish had my husband doing the happy dance, he was definitely impressed and very happy! I hope your company feels the same. This dish is loaded with protein from the chicken, peanut butter and healthy carbs with the whole wheat pasta.

Enjoy! xoxo Lo

Bakin' it up!

Some days are just great days to spend in the kitchen, hands deep in flour with an apron on. I love baking! For my wedding I created welcome bags for all my out of town guests...and all of my family were out of town guests. So with 30 welcome bags to be made, there needed to be a sweet, homemade element. I had once seen a Texas sugar cookie with a mini red heart on it in a bakery, every since then I knew I wanted to make this for my wedding. Since all of my family came from all over the United States, this Texas cookie would work perfect.

You of course do not have to make Texas cookies, they could be in any shape. What I really want to show you is the wonderful sugar cookie recipe. I also added the blue heart because my favorite color is blue, you could dye your dough any color to your lovely cookie confection.


Texas Sugar Cookies

1 large egg
2 1/4 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup unsalted butter (2 sticks)
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 tsp salt
2 cups flour

Whisk egg and vanilla into a small bowl and set aside. In a standing mixer, cream butter until fluffy, scrape sides of bowl and add sugar. Beat until light, add egg mixture and beat for about one minute. Add the salt to the flour in a separate bowl, reduce speed and slowly add flour mixture to wet ingredients. Just mix til blended, do not over mix.

Remove dough from the bowl and place on a floured surface. Roll out dough to about a 1/4 inch thick surface. Use your cookie cutters to make whichever patterns you'd like. If you want to create a colored cookie part to place on your sugar cookie, take part of your dough, add whichever color you'd like and mix thoroughly. Bake cookies for 8 minutes at 350 degrees.


Cherry Brownies

1 cup softened butter
4 squares of semi-sweet chocolate (4 oz)
2 cups sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1 Tbsp ground coffee
3 eggs
1 cup flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup chopped candied cherries (you can use fresh or dried as well)

My husband and I were invited to a pool party a few weeks ago, I decided I wanted to make brownies with my new standing mixer. I didn't have any nuts but we had ground coffee and candied cherries. First I put a double boiler onto the stove to melt my chocolate squares. If you don't have a double boiler, simply put a metal bowl over a sauce pan which has about a cup of water in it. You don't want the water to touch the bottom of the bowl.

Place butter, sugar and vanilla into the mixer, mix for about 30 seconds. Turn the speed up and beat for about two minutes. Turn the speed down slightly, add eggs, one at a time. Stop and scrape the bowl. Add melted chocolate mixture, turn down speed. Add all remaining ingredients and mix til blended, do not over mix (30 seconds). Pour into a greased and floured baking pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes.

These delectable desserts will have your mouth jumping for joy! Simple sugar cookies with a little flair and chocolatey brownies with soothing hints of coffee and gooey pieces of candied cherry. YUM!

Enjoy! xo Lo

La Ti Da Leftovers!

After making some divine chicken enchiladas, I had leftover red sauce. I decided to marinate this sauce over some chicken cutlets for a few hours. I also had okra, corn, onion and red pepper- with that I decided to make a cajun gumbo succotash. Lastly, my husband and I recently purchased a mandolin, we wanted to use that with a sweet potato.

Leftover Enchilada Marinated Chicken

1/2 cup of leftover enchilada sauce (marinara sauce or tomato compote)
2 chicken cutlets
salt
pepper

After letting 1/4 cup of the enchilada sauce marinate over the chicken for a few hours, I placed the cutlets on the grill pan, which was on medium heat. I poured the other 1/4 cup of the sauce over the chicken to keep the chicken moist. Grill for about 25 minutes.

Cajun Gumbo Succotash

1/2 cup okra
1/4 cup chopped red pepper
1/2 cup corn
1/4 cup chopped onion
salt
pepper

Combine all veggies into a saute pan on medium heat with olive oil. Sprinkle on salt and pepper. Saute for about 20 minutes then turn heat down to keep warm.


Salt and Pepper Sweet Potato Chips

1 sweet potato
salt
pepper
olive oil

Rinse the sweet potato under cold water, trim off the ends. I kept on the skins because they are loaded with nutrients and add to the color. I used a mandolin and put my setting on thin chip slices. You can also cut your own slices with a serrated knife (be careful!) After slicing up my sweet potato, I coated them with olive oil, salt and pepper. Then I spread them on a baking sheet and baked them at 400 degrees for 30 minutes.

All of these recipes are sure to impress any last minute company, kids and spouses! Leftovers can be a lovely gift in the kitchen, this meal shows how to take this to another level.

Enjoy! xo Lo

Refreshing Picnic Lunch

Summer days are perfect for lazy, picnic lunches under an Oak tree. Too bad in Texas that would only be possible @ 7 am or 9 pm...but luckily the Northern states have gorgeous summers which are perfect for picnics.

If I was living in say Connecticut, upstate New York, Northern California or Washington state... I would make these lovely, refreshing, healthy items; tropical fruit salad, field green salad with strawberries and soft-boiled eggs as well as homemade, freshly baked sesame seed French bread.

Tropical Fruit Salad

3 kiwis sliced
2 mangos sliced
2 bananas
3 Gala apples
3 nectarines
squeeze of fresh lemon juice
1 Tbsp lemon zest

After slicing up all the fruit, place in a bowl and toss with fresh lemon juice and lemon zest to keep the fruit fresh and tasty. Super easy and healthy.

Field Green Salad with Fresh Lemon Vinaigrette

2 cups field greens
1 English cucumber
handful of strawberries, sliced
2 Roma tomatoes
3 soft-boiled eggs (bring eggs to boil then turn off heat & let sit for 15 minutes)

Agave-Lemon Vinaigrette

1 lemon
1/2 cup olive oil
pinch salt
pinch pepper
1 tsp parsley
1 Tbsp agave nectar

Squeeze lemon juice into a bowl, whisk in olive oil, agave nectar and seasoning.

Once you assemble the salad, drizzle the fresh dressing over the top. The lemon will bring out the flavors in the strawberries, tomatoes and cucumber.

Sesame Seed French Bread

5 1/4 cups organic unbleached flour
1/2 cup organic low-fat milk
1 cup warm water
2 packages of active dry yeast
3 Tbsp of butter
2 Tbsp sugar
2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp sesame seeds
pinch salt
pinch pepper

Add milk, sugar, salt and butter into a saucepan over low heat. Let butter melt and sugar dissolve, add active dry yeast packages to lukewarm milk mixture. Once the yeast has dissolved, pour into mixer. Add in 4 1/2 cups of flour and warm water- mix on level two for one minute. Slowly add in the rest of flour 1/4 cup at a time. Keep mixing at level two until the flour begins to stick together and pulls off all extra dough off the bottom and sides of bowl. Knead dough on level two for one minute then place dough into a greased (with butter or Pam) bowl. Cover bowl with a damp towel and place in a warm, room temperature area to rise. Let dough rise for one hour. Once dough has doubled in size place on floured surface and punch out dough. Split dough into two halves. For one half I cut three long strips and braided them for a pretty bread design. I drizzled with olive oil, salt, pepper and sesame seeds then placed on a greased baking sheet into the oven at 400 degrees for 25 minutes.

For the other half I rolled the dough out, drizzled with olive oil and sprinkled on salt, pepper, oregano and basil then rolled the dough up almost like a jelly roll. This would fold in all the spices. Then I placed in a greased bread pan, drizzled the very top with olive oil and sprinkled with stone-ground oats for a nice finish.

Pack all these homemade items up in a picnic basket, grab a blanket, ice tea and spend a lazy day outside snacking on these refreshing, healthy foods!

Enjoy xoxo Lo

Quick & Healthy Summer Meal

Summers as much as we'd like them to be relaxing, oftentimes are not. Moms are running around shuffling kids from summer camp to sleepovers. My husband starts two-a-day football practices in August and I have to keep him eating healthy and quick because he is always trying to get work done.

On this night in particular, I had some pre-seasoned BBQ chicken, frozen corn, cucumbers and extra Mexican Crema. I decided to put the chicken in the oven and while that was baking, I decided to make a fresh cucumber salad.


Dill-Cucumber Salad

1 large English cucumber
1/4 cup Mexican Crema (sour cream, plain yogurt or Creme Fraiche)
1 tsp dill
pinch salt
pinch pepper

First thing you need to do is slice the cucumber and place the slices in a colander covered in salt. This will help release the moisture inside the cucumbers so your salad isn't runny. Let the cucumber slices sit for 15 minutes. In the meantime, combine your crema and spices- place that into the fridge to chill. Once cucumbers are drained and rinsed, pat them dry with a paper towel. Add slices to the crema, smother and let chill in fridge.

Onion-Garlicky Corn

1 cup corn
1 clove garlic
1/4 yellow onion
salt
pepper

Chop up onion and garlic, place into a saute pan with olive oil. Once onions are golden, add corn, turn heat down and cover. A few minutes later add salt and pepper, cover until ready to serve.

Once the chicken is ready, plate the corn top with chicken and put the cucumber salad into a separate dish to keep the crema from getting on the other dish items.

This dish is a perfect summer dish, pair with some pinot grigio, moscato d'asti or Shiner Bock's Ruby Red summer beer!

Enjoy! xo Lo

Easy, Elegant Entertaining

One of my ultimate favorite things to do is to celebrate life by entertaining. To most entertaining is a daunting, stressful idea...I am here to clear the air and help you realize that entertaining can be easy and elegant. The first thing you want to do is come up with your theme, this is what you'll usually center your food and decor around. Being creative with serverware is another tidbit I love to focus on, the details will truly pull in all your guests and having them saying, "Wow!" all event long.

The first thing I love to do is have a beautiful arrangement of flowers, candles, glasses as a tablescape for my guests to see. With the help of my fabulous friend, Amanda Kordes, we found some wild sunflowers that I picked, which looked lovely for our Southern Ladies Cooking Club. We then surrounded the sunflowers with beautiful glasses, antique pieces and some chocolate-berry compote cupcakes.

Chocolate Berry-Compote Cupcakes

2 cups organic unbleached flour
1 1/4 cups sugar
1 Tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
pinch salt
1 cup organic skim milk
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup butter
2 eggs
3 oz semi-sweet chocolate

Combine soft butter and sugar until creamed. Add dry ingredients, mix until blended. Add milk and vanilla, blend well. Melt chocolate and add with eggs, slowly. Pour into greased cupcake pan and bake at 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes.

While the cupcakes are baking put blueberries, blackberries and raspberries into a sauce pan with sugar on medium heat.

Berry Chocolate Icing

1/2 cup butter
2 Tbsp light corn syrup
4 cups powdered sugar
2 oz semi-sweet chocolate

Add soft butter into mixer, mix until creamy. Add corn syrup, mix on high til creamy. Slowly add in powdered sugar. Melt chocolate in a double boiler (if you don't have one put a metal  bowl on top of a sauce pan with a bit of water, make sure the bottom of the bowl cannot touch the water, bring the water to boil, once boiling turn heat down, chocolate will melt, stir constantly to avoid burning). Add in chocolate, put in a piping bag or ziploc bag to ice cupcakes.

Meanwhile, stir berries until the sugar has reduced the fruit into a jelly-like compote. Remove from heat to cool. Once cooled put into a piping bag or ziploc for cupcake filling.

When cupcakes are down, let them cool, then poke little holes in each cupcake, fill with berry compote and ice with piping bag. Ta da!

The next thing I like to have out when my guests arrive is a few things to snack on, when I was registering for my wedding I found this tri-bowl serving set that I just loved, it was perfect to put a few snacks in when entertaining. You could put in almonds, cubes of cheese, cherry tomatoes, dark chocolate, granola, berries, etc.

After my wedding I received some really fun serverware plates from Martha Stewart's Living collection. They are all different pattens of various leaves, this one in particular I used for some cajun jalapeno poppers that delighted any palate!

Cajun Jalapeno Poppers

My husband and I decided to make two different kinds, one had a batter on it and one was left simple. We took 1/2 package of cream cheese, cajun seasoning, fresh jalapenos (completely de-seeded and cleaned), bacon, 2 Tbs flour, 1/4 cup milk. For the battered poppers we first mixed the cajun seasoning into the soft cream cheese (and in the flour), filled each half jalapeno, wrapped in bacon then dipped into the cajun spice flour, dip into milk then back into cajun spice flour mix.

For the un-battered jalapeno poppers we mixed the cajun spices into the soft cream cheese, wrapped in bacon. We baked all of the jalapeno poppers into 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes. Cream cheese should be bubbly and bacon should be crisp.

Enjoy all these lovely recipes and ideas for your next girl's night in, birthday party, dinner for the in-laws or for your special someone.

xo Lo