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