Next conquest: Chocolate Mousse!

Shhh! My mother-in-law shared a secret with me: tofu can taste good. Better yet, tofu can be used in a super delicious chocolate dessert. Sounds impossible, but this Cooking Light recipe will please your taste buds and your waist-line!

After she shared the recipe with me, I have made it my goal to make this recipe my next! Can't wait to try it and share my thoughts, opinions, and any alterations... :)

Ingredients
3/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips, melted
1 (12.3-ounce) package reduced-fat extra-firm tofu
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 large egg whites
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup water
Fat-free whipped topping, thawed (optional)
Grated chocolate (optional)

Directions
Place chocolate and tofu in a food processor or blender, and process 2 minutes or until smooth.
Place salt and egg whites in a medium bowl, and beat with a mixer at high speed until stiff peaks form. Combine sugar and water in a small saucepan; bring to a boil. Cook, without stirring, until candy thermometer registers 238°. Pour the hot sugar syrup in a thin stream over egg whites, beating at high speed. Gently stir one-fourth of meringue into the tofu mixture; gently fold in remaining meringue. Spoon 1/2 cup mousse into each of 8 (6-ounce) custard cups. Cover and chill for at least 4 hours. Garnish with whipped topping and grated chocolate, because it looks pretty and there is something to be said for food looking good!

Mediterranean Style Egg's Benedict

My husband and I were away for the weekend attending his cousin's wedding. We spent the weekend in this delightfully lavish hotel that was very modern chic. Nearby was a quaint little chain restaurant called "The Village Inn." With similar breakfast choices to Perkins but a higher food quality, we decided to go there for breakfast both mornings we were in town. Glad we did!

My husband ordered some Mediterranean Style Egg's Benedict breakfast that ended up being just wonderful! We wrote down everything that was in it so that we could replicate it when we got home. Potato pancakes with onions mixed on for the bottom layer; scrambled eggs with artichokes, tomatoes, and spinach for the next layer; add a slice of swiss cheese; smother in tomato basil hollandaise sauce. So replicate we did...

Ingredients (for 2-4 servings)
Potato pancakes:
4 Potatoes
1 tbsp Margarine
2 tbsp Milk
McCormick's Montreal steak seasoning
Garlic to taste (freshly minced or powdered)
Pepper to taste
1 medium vidalia onion, diced
1 tbsp olive oil

Scrambled Eggs:
1 tbsp margarine
1/4 cup spinach, chopped
1/4 cup artichoke hearts, chopped
1/3 cup tomatoes, diced
3 eggs
2 slices of Swiss cheese

Tomato Basil Hollandaise Sauce:
3 egg yolks
1/4 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/2 cup light butter
1 tsp Classico basil pesto
2 tsp tomato paste

Directions
Peel, rinse, and slice the potatoes. Put them in a medium pot with water until potatoes are fully covered. Bring water to a boil and reduce heat so that it doesn't boil over. Boil until potatoes are tender (about 8-10 minutes, depending on the size of the potato slices).
Meanwhile, dice the onion and put it in a medium frying pan. Add olive oil, steak seasoning, garlic, and pepper to the onions. Cook until onions are browned and tender.
Then, dice the tomatoes, artichoke hearts, and spinach. Scramble the eggs in a bowl using a fork or whisk.
When the potatoes are done boiling, pour the water into the sink. Add the 1 tbsp of margarine and 2 tbsp of milk. Mash with a potato masher until well-combined and all lumps are gone. Mix in the onions.
Spray a griddle with butter-flavored cooking spray. Then spread the mashed potatoes evenly across the griddle. Cook at medium-high heat for about 5 minutes on each side, or until golden brown. When they are done, place them on a plate as they are the first layer of our awesome breakfast treat!
While the potato pancakes are cooking, heat up 1 tbsp of butter light (or magarine) in the pan you cooked the onions. Add the spinach, tomatoes, and artichoke hearts. Cook for 1-2 minutes. Then pour the scrambled egg mixture over the top and stir until the eggs are fully cooked.
Put a slice of Swiss cheese on top of the potato pancakes. Then divide the scrambled eggs and pour on top of the Swiss cheese potato pancakes.
Cut the 1/2 cup of butter up into tbsp size pieces and place in a microwave safe container. Microwave on medium heat (about 4 or 5 power) for 1-2 minutes or until completely melted. Meanwhile, in a blender, combine the egg yolks, lemon juice, and dijon mustard. When the butter is melted, carefully remove the piece that sits inside the lid (or lift the lid to your blender partly up) and pour the melted butter in while the blender is on. If your lid is completely off, the butter will splatter everywhere! When the butter has fully combined with the mixture and thickened, add the tomato paste and pesto.
For the finishing touch, pour about 1/4 cup of tomato basil Hollandaise sauce on each scrambled egg dish.

This is truly an incredible breakfast! And trust me when I say, it gets easier to make the second time around! :D

Best Darned Cake Ever! (if you like chocolate, caramel, & cream cheese frosting)

I am always trying out new recipes and experimenting with them until I've found something I really enjoy. Every once in a while, I even stumble across something particularly awesome.

Our new favorite cake consists of Devil's food cake, caramel, hot fudge, toffee pieces, and homemade cream cheese frosting! It is a delightfully decadent cake for all to enjoy!




Ingredients
Betty Crocker Devil's food cake (follow directions on box)
4 tbsp hot fudge topping
4 tbsp caramel topping
4 tbsp toffee pieces
3 1/2 cups powdered sugar
8 oz cream cheese, 1/3 less fat
1/2 cup margarine
1 tsp vanilla

Directions
Bake the Betty Crocker Devil's food cake according to the directions for two round cakes. Allow to cool completely.
When the cake is mostly cooled, beat the powdered sugar, cream cheese, margarine, and vanilla on medium until well-combined.
Use the back of a wooden spoon to poke holes around the bottom layer of the cake. Then fill the holes with 2 tbsp of caramel, 2 tbsp of hot fudge, and sprinkle 2 tbsp of toffee pieces across the whole cake.
Spread about 1/3 of the frosting across the bottom layer of the cake, making sure to get the frosting all the way to the edges.
Next, put the top layer of cake on the bottom layer. Again, use the back of a wooden spoon to poke holes in the cake. Then cover with 2 tbsp of caramel, 2 tbsp of hot fudge, and 2 tbsp of toffee pieces. Use the remaining frosting to cover the top and spread it along the edges. The entire cake should be frosted.
Allow to cool for 1-2 hours before serving so the frosting sets.

This cake is absolutely incredible and relatively easy to make! Yay for boxed cakes! :)

Swedish Meatballs (courtesy of my mother-in-law!)

The other night my husband requested one of his old favorites: Swedish meatballs and spaetzle. I have never made meatballs of any kind, so I was excited at the challenge of a new food. It was just cold enough that the idea of Swedish Meatballs sounded really good. Thus, I called up my mother-in-law, who was in possession of my hubbie's favorite recipe, and now I shall share it with you!

Ingredients for Meatballs (serves 4-6)
¾ cup (medium) red onion, finely chopped
½ cup Panko bread crumbs
¼ cup half & half
¾ lb. lean ground beef
¾ lb. ground pork
2 T. honey
1 large egg
Kosher salt and ground pepper to taste
2 T. Olive oil
1 T. Butter

Directions for Meatballs:
Saute the onion in 1 tbsp olive oil until tender. Meanwhile, soak the bread crumbs in the half and half. Then mix the sauted onion, meat, honey, & egg. Add seasoning. Add bread crumb mixture. Mix throroughly, using hands.
With wet hands*, make 24 golf ball sized meatballs. Place on slightly wet plate.
In a clean skillet, melt olive oil & butter over medium heat. Add meatballs, turning often, until browned and cooked (about 7 minutes). Transfer to a clean plate and keep warm.

*If you have a squeeze-action handled scoop (like Pampered Chef sells), I recommend using the medium-sized one. It makes 32 meatballs quickly and all the same size.

Ingredients for Sauce:
1 Tbls flour
1 cup chicken broth
½ cup half & half
¼ c cranberry sauce with whole cranberries
2 Tbls dill pickle juice (from pickle jar)
Kosher salt & pepper to taste

Directions for the Sauce
Discard all but 1 Tbls of the fat from the meatballs. Whisk the flour into the fat to make a roux. Whisk the chicken broth, half & half, cranberry sauce, and pickle juice into the skillet. Simmer. Season to taste.
Add meatballs, reduce heat to medium and simmer until heated through and sauce is slightly thickened. Serve with Späetzle or egg noodles.

This fillling meal will please the soul on a cold day! Enjoy!

Easy Chicken, Mashed Potatoes and Gravy!

Fall has hit, the leaves are turning colors, and the temperature has dropped. It's my favorite time of year! Growing up my ultime favorite meal was chicken, mashed potatoes, and gravy. My mom had a quick and easy recipe that is very Minnesota.

On those cold days when you want a home-cooked meal, but you don't want to put forth too much effort, here's a simple way to make a delicious meal.




Ingredients (makes 4 servings)
1 lb chicken breasts, boneless, skinless
salt and pepper to taste
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 can cream of chicken soup
8 medium potatoes, peeled and sliced
1/2 cup milk
2 tbsp butter

Directions
Wash and trim the chicken. Then cut each breast into about thirds. Place in a 9" x 13" baking pan, salt and pepper to taste, and bake in the oven at 350 degrees F for 30 minutes.
While the chicken is cooking, peel and cut the potatoes. Cover with water and boil until potatoes are tender (about 15-20 minutes).
After 30 minutes, pour the cream of mushroom & cream of chicken soups over the chicken. Mix with a spoon. Then place in the oven for another 10 minutes, or until chicken has reached an internal temperature of 165 degrees F.
When the potatoes are done, drain the water. Then add the milk and butter. Next, mash the potatoes with a standard potato masher until free of lumps.
Finally, dish up the mashed potatoes, chicken and gravy on a plate.

Goes great with a side of corn, bread, and/or salad! Enjoy your easy yet tasty meal!

Pesto Sauce for Pasta / Gnocchi

Because the school year presses me for time but I still enjoy eating delicious food, I have had to come up with creative ways to make quick and delicious meals. Fortunately, Betty Crocker was there for me!

I have always been a fan of cream based sauces, but they can be kind of putzy. When all we want is a quick cream sauce to go with our pasta, my husband and I turn to our new favorite pesto sauce. When you see how easy it is to make, it will become your new favorite too!

Ingredients (makes 4 servings)
1 cup Light sour cream
2 tbsp Classico basil pesto
1/2 tomatoes, diced
8 oz of your choice pasta / Gnocchi

Directions
Boil the water and cook your pasta according to the package directions.
While your pasta cooks, combine the sour cream and pesto in a small saucepan. Heat on medium-low heat and mix until well-combined. Add the tomatoes and cook until heated through. Cover and remove from heat.
Drain pasta and put into bowls. Add the pesto cream sauce.

It really is that easy and it tastes incredible!! We especially like ours with a side of cheesy garlic bread and Caesar salad. Enjoy!

School and Teaching has cut into posting!

Just a quick note: September hit with a whirlwind force and I have had limited time to blog about food. That being said, check back about once a week for updates. I have recently made the following tasties that I intend to share with you all:

Swedish meatballs
Better than ykw Cake!
Biscuits and Gravy
Pesto sauce with gnocchi
and many more delicious foods. I just have to type up the how to and share them with you!

Chili: a filling, tasty meal!

My mom always made this chili growing up that wasn't really chili at all. Apparently my dad was a picky eater and disliked all the fun parts of chili... you know, like the beans, tomatoes, etc? So I essentially grew up with chili flavored ground beef.

Later in life I discovered that all those ingredients I'd been missing out on were amazing in chili! I mean, they are chili! So, here's a take on my mother's old recipe of flavored ground beef and real chili! :)

Ingredients
1 lb of ground beef
1 medium onion, diced
1 box of Carroll Shelby's chili seasoning kit
1 8oz can of tomato sauce
8oz of water
1 14oz can of diced tomatoes
1/3 cup of water
Masa flour (part of the chili seasoning package)
1 can of kidney beans
Sour cream
Grated cheddar cheese
Saltines

Directions
Cook the ground beef and diced onion. Drain the fat. Then add the chili seasoning packet, tomato sauce, 8oz of water, and diced tomatoes. Cover and simmer on medium-low heat for 15 minutes. Mix 1/3 cup of water and masa flour together. Add flour mixture and kidney beans to the chili mixture. Cook for another 5 minutes.
When your chili is nice and thick, dish it up in bowls with sour cream, cheese, and saltines. Makes about 6 servings.

Enjoy!!!

Biscuits and Gravy!

I used to dislike breakfast foods. It would be 9:00 in the morning and the whole family (cousins, uncles, aunts, etc) would go out for a good, Sunday breakfast at Perkins or a similar establishment. Everyone would be psyched to order omelets, pancakes, bacon, eggs, etc.... everyone except me. For years and years I would always ask the server if they could please bring me a sandwich.

It wasn't until college that I really started to enjoy breakfast food. I learned to love eggs and bacon for breakfast. I was introduced to the wonder that is Egg's Benedict. Then, I came to love biscuits and gravy! My family was close friends with a family that was originally from the South before moving all the way up here. I got to watch as they cooked these amazing dishes that we generally didn't eat up here. Everything from fried chicken to brisket to biscuits & gravy.

I have used those memories and my own knowledge of cooking to "create" this classic (and relatively healthy) recipe of biscuits and gravy. Yum!

Ingredients (for 2)
2 1/4 cups Bisquick
2/3 cups milk, fat free
4 sausage links (Little Sizzlers are my favorite)
1 tbsp flour
1 cup milk, fat free
Pepper
Garlic powder (or Garlic Pepper if you have it)
McCormick Montreal Steak Seasoning

Directions
Pre-heat the oven to 450° F. Then combine the Bisquick and 2/3 cups milk into a medium bowl. Mix until just blended. Sprinkle Bisquick on top of the mixture and knead 5-10 times. Drop 9 biscuits onto a non-stick cookie sheet. Bake for 8-10 minutes or until golden.
While the biscuits bake, start cooking sausage links until browned on the outside and it reaches an internal temperature of 160° F. Put the cooked links on a plate and cover to maintain heat.
Use the same pan that you cooked the sausage in to make your gravy. We want all that delicious fat and flavor in our gravy! In our sausage pan and on a medium heat, add the tablespoon of flour. Whisk until browned. Then reduce the heat to low and whisk in the milk. The gravy will take about 5-10 minutes to thicken.
Put 2 sausage links on each plate. Then cut 2 biscuits in half and place a set on each plate. Next, pour spoonfuls of gravy over each biscuit. Now you are ready to eat!
Store the leftover biscuits in an air-tight container to make more biscuits and gravy later!!!

I like to serve this breakfast delight with a side of fruit. Hope you enjoy!

Peachy-Keen Crisp!

It’s 84 degrees here in Duluth, not an overly common occurrence. So naturally I was craving fruit crisp. . . haha. And seeing as I had just purchased a gigantic can of peaches (to freeze for smoothies and such) it made sense that I make peach crisp! MMMmmmmm. However, it is in the 80’s today so turning on the oven wasn’t really something I was looking forward to. So, you may be wondering what the next best thing to the oven is?? The Toaster Oven! This recipe is just something I cooked up hoping it would turn into a crisp . . . which it did!

Peachy-Keen Crisp

12-16 oz can of Peaches
2 TBSP Orange juice
2 TBSP Brown Sugar
1 tsp. Vanilla Extract
¼ tsp. Cinnamon
¼ tsp. Nutmeg

Crisp:
¼ cup all-purpose flour
¼ cup old fashioned oats
¼ cup white sugar
¼ cup brown sugar
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
A pinch of teaspoon salt
¼ butter or margarine

1. Preheat an oven or toaster oven to 375 degrees F and grease an 6x6x2 inch square baking dish (small pyrex) OR 4 Ramekins.
2. Place the peaches (mostly drained) in the bottom of the baking dish, and sprinkle them with orange juice, brown sugar and vanilla extract. Stir and coat all peaches. Sprinkle with cinnamon and nutmeg.
3. In a bowl, combine the flour, sugar, brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt. Cut the butter into the flour mixture with a pastry cutter or a fork until the mixture resembles crumbs.
4. Sprinkle the flour mixture in an even layer over the top of the peaches, and bake in the preheated oven for about 20 minutes, until the peaches are bubbling and the topping is browned.

This was very very good, but it was also pretty sweet. I enjoyed it with a small scoop of ice cream, but you could also top with whipped cream! Because this was designed to be baked in the toaster oven it is a small portion- enough for 3-4 servings but could easily be doubled for a larger gathering!

Marisha's Favorite Smoothie!

Last week was my 25th Birthday. Where did the time go!? I am finally 25 and haven't really decided how I feel about it yet . . . Though; all of my friends are going on 26 or 27 now so it does make me feel a little better :) The benefit of birthdays at any age is that they usually mean a gift or two and this year I received one of the best inventions ever made- A Ninja 1100. Truly it is AMAZING! Yes, it’s a blender and an awesome one, but it really is a multi-use tool. So far I’ve perfected my smoothie making, but I am now planning on venturing out into bread doughs, sauces, cookies-the options are endless – So excited! On that note I did start this post to share my favorite Smoothie Recipe . . .

Banana Pineapple Smoothie – From the Ninja Cookbook

2 Cups Pineapple Juice
1 Cup Pineapple Chunks
1 Ripe Banana
¼ Cup unsweetened Coconut Milk
1 TBSP Honey
3 Cups Ice Cubes

Pour all ingredients into a 72 oz Blender; I advise starting with the ice or it may not all blend! Blend until very smooth. Pour into glasses and serve.


So Tasty!! Enjoy!


Because I started using the Ninja daily (yes daily) and I quickly realized it would be expensive to continuously buy fresh ingredients. I decided to buy the giant containers of fruit instead. I brought them home then separated them into freezer baggies and now I have enough fruit to last me quite awhile! Today while I was separating the canned peaches I decided to make a quick peach crisp. I mean who doesn’t love a fruit crisp really!? That recipe is coming up soon so watch out!

Delicious, Homemade Ice Cream Sandwiches!

I spent the day care-taking for two elementary aged children and one of our adventures included making our very own ice cream sandwiches! The children enjoyed mixing the ingredients together for the sandwich part and loved the end result: Neapolitan ice cream sandwiches! Next time we're even going to make our own ice cream to go in them, but we'll save that for a later recipe...


Ingredients
1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted *(I used half a stick of low fat butter and half a stick of regular)
1/2 cup white granulated sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup all purpose flour
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa
1/4 teaspoon salt
4 cups (about 2 pints) of ice cream

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Then grease a 10" x 15" baking sheet with edges.
First, melt the butter. Whisk the butter and sugar together until smooth. Then whisk in the egg and vanilla extract. Add the flour, cocoa powder, and salt and stir until combined and smooth.
Spread the batter evenly in the prepared pan. It will be about 1/4" thick.
Bake for about 5 minutes, turn the pan around, and bake for 5 more minutes. The cake is done when it is dry to the touch and the edges just begin to pull away from the sides of the pan.
Remove from oven and place on a wire rack to cool. Gently lift the cake onto a cutting board and cut in half.
Get out a medium piece of wax paper and a large piece of plastic wrap. Put the wax paper on the plastic wrap. Then place one half of the cake, top side down, on the wax paper.
Spread with the softened ice cream of your choice, smoothing with a spatula. Top with the remaining half of cake, top side up. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap. Place in the freezer until firm (30 minutes will be soft set; 2 hours will be firm).

We only put ours in the freezer for 30 minutes, so it was soft set but we used spoons to eat it as the ice cream would squish out the sides. However, if you have more time, feel free to leave it in for the full two hours and you should get a nicely firmed ice cream bar! Either way, it tastes DELICIOUS! Enjoy! :)

As promised: Fried Rice!!!

I love love love fried rice! So I spent a day searching online comparing various recipes for fried rice and utilized this information to create my own, delicious fried rice!


It doesn't taste dry like the cheap stuff from Chinese restaurants and is made from brown rice (not the nutrient free white rice most restaurants use), so it will be different... but in a good way!

Check it out...


Ingredients
2 tbsp of vegetable oil
2 cups of brown rice, cooked & refrigerated (see below for microwave recipe for rice*)
1 cup of green onion, chopped (or 1 medium vidalia onion, diced)
1/4 soy sauce
2 cups of vegetable medley (carrots, beans, peas, & corn), fresh or frozen
2 large eggs

Directions
Heat the oil in the pan for 2-3 minutes. Then add the two cups of rice and "fry" it up for about 5 minutes. Add the green onion & soy sauce and cook for 3-5 minutes. Next, add the vegetable medley and cook until vegetables are warmed, but still crisp. Finally, add the two eggs on top and stir them into the fried rice.
If you like having egg pieces in your fried rice, make sure to allow the egg to cook some before stirring it in. Otherwise, just go ahead and stir it in. The eggs help make the fried rice sticky and add just a little flavor to the dish.

Hint: It's best to use cold rice for this dish as it will fry better. However, warm rice works too!

*Microwave Brown Rice
Start by washing 1 cup of rice in a small-holed strainer. Then put the rice in a large bowl (that has a lid) with 4 cups of water. Cover the bowl and microwave on high for 10 minutes or until the water boils. Carefully remove the cover and microwave uncovered for 20 minutes or until most of the water absorbs. Allow to cool for a few minutes before placing in the refrigerator.

And that's all there is to it!!! Now you too can have tasty fried rice with delicious homemade egg rolls. :)

Egg Rolls from Scratch; baked, not fried!

My mom always used to make egg rolls growing up and they were amazing! Nothing in the restaurants compared to mom's egg rolls. However, she would only make them for special occasions because they were so putzy. One day, she taught me how to make them and I've been experimenting with them ever since.

I discovered one day that egg rolls could be baked and made to taste almost as awesome as the fried ones but much healthier. Now, I will share that secret with you...


Ingredients
1 lb chicken (or pork), cubed
1 tbsp olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
1 14oz bag of cole slaw (aka shredded cabbage)
1/3 cup hoisin sauce
1/3 cup plum sauce
1/2 cup water
15 egg roll wrappers
2 eggs
duck sauce

Directions
Wash and cube your chicken into about 1/2" cubes. Then put into a large, deep frying pan with the olive oil. Salt and pepper to taste. Then cook until all chicken is just white. Hint: don't overcook the chicken as it will be cooked in with the cabbage mixture as well is baked in the oven.
Next, pour the cole slaw mixture in with the chicken. Add the hoisin sauce, plum sauce, and water. Bring the cabbage mixture to a boil and reduce to medium heat. Cook down for about 15 minutes.
Scramble the eggs with 2 tbsp of water in a bowl. Then prepare one egg roll wrapper at a time by brushing each corner with the egg mixture. Put about 2-3 tbsp of the cabbage mixture in the center of the wrapper. Pull one corner toward another corner, stopping just after you have covered the mixture. Then pull the two side corners into the middle. Finally, roll it toward the remaining egg brushed corner until you have an egg roll shape.


Spray a non-stick baking sheet. Then place each egg roll on it as you finish making them. Lightly spray the tops of each egg roll before placing in a 400 degree F oven for 8 minutes. Flip each egg roll over and bake for 3-5 more minutes. The tops should be a golden brown color.
Serve your egg rolls with duck sauce and some fried rice! It's an amazing combination and far healthier than most egg rolls served in restaurants!

Coming soon: how to make fried rice from scratch!!!

Egg's Benedict makes for a Stellar breakfast, albeit slightly messy in the blender...

My husband and I are big lovers of Egg's Benedict, in large part because of the tasty hollandaise sauce that smothers this breakfast delight.

This morning I was inspired to try my hand at making the sauce from scratch once more. I used the "blender method" this time and while it worked spendidly, my blender did manage to spew melted butter across the countertops and nearby appliances. I will have to perfect the use of the blender...

Ingredients for Sauce
3 egg yolks
1/4 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 dash hot sauce or taco sauce
1/2 cup light butter
dash of salt

Directions
Separate the yolks from the whites in a bowl. Put the three egg yolks in the blender along with the mustard, fresh squeezed lemon juice, and a dash of hot sauce. Blend for about 5 seconds.
Then, cut up the light butter into a microwavable liquid measuring cup and microwave on medium heat for one minute. It should be mostly melted by this point. Then microwave on high for 20-30 seconds or until bubbling.
Turn the blender onto a low mixing speed and slowly pour the melted butter and salt in. It should thicken immediately and will hopefully not spray all over your kitchen (as it did with mine at first). When the sauce is thick and well-combined, set the blender container in a bowl of hot water until you're ready to use it.

Egg's Benedict Ingredients (for one)
1 English muffin, split and toasted
2 slices of ham or Canadian bacon
2 eggs, poached
1 tbsp vinegar
1/4 cup Hollandaise sauce
paprika

Start by poaching (or frying in a pan with margarine) your eggs. In a medium pot, fill halfway with water and add 1 tbsp of white vinegar. Bring the water to a boil and carefully break two eggs into the boiling water without cracking the yolk. Reduce to low heat and simmer for 3 minutes or until whites are fully cooked.
While you wait for the eggs to cook, toast the English muffin and put a little bit of margarine on it. Then, cook the ham in a frying pan until slightly browned and warm.
Put the ham on the English muffin and the egg on top of the ham. Finally, drizzle 1/4 cup of the Hollandaise sauce across both of the English muffins and sprinkle on some paprika!

The sauce is incredible with the combined textures and flavors of the egg, ham, and English muffin! I recommend serving this meal with a side of fruit. Enjoy!

Fantastical Granola Bars

I’m all about on-the-go snacks but when you buy granola bars or packaged breakfast bars they always have strange chemicals added to allow a longer shelf life or add artificial colors and flavorings. I’m also allergic to peanuts and it would amaze you how many products are made in or on the same equipment as peanuts! That is what drove me to find a homemade alternative. Which ultimately brought me to this website; the author of this blog has a lot of great recipes which are easily changed or are already designed for people with allergies. The original recipe seen here was designed to be dairy and gluten free; I changed a couple things for my version below as I don’t have intolerances to dairy or gluten and the gluten-free products are spendy!

Fantastical Granola Bars
3 cups Oatmeal
1 ¾ cups chopped pecans
1 ¼ cup coconut
¼ cup sliced almonds
5 TBSP SmartBalance ( or butter)
1 cup honey
1/3 cup dark brown sugar packed
1 tbsp. vanilla
½ tsp. salt
6 oz Raisins/Craisins/any dried fruit
1 cup choc chips (Ghirardelli Semi-sweet are dairy free)

Preheat oven to 300. Line a pan (9x13 pan for 24 thicker bars; I use a large jelly roll pan and end up with 48 thinner bars.) with parchment paper- do not skip this step it makes it much easier later.

Sprinkle Chocolate Chips in the bottom of your pan.

Place butter, honey, brown sugar, vanilla, and salt in a small saucepan. Do not heat yet. It’s just easier to prep everything before.

Toss oatmeal, pecans, almonds and coconut together on a sheet pan and toast for 10 minutes@ 350. Until lightly browned. Or you can do this over a large center burner in a large saucepan. Either way works. Transfer to large bowl.

Heat butter honey mixture bring to a boil over medium heat. Cook and stir for a minute, then pour over the toasted oatmeal mixture.

Add the Raisins/ fruit of choice and stir to combine. Make sure all of the mixture is wet otherwise it will not hold together.

Quickly dump and press the oat mixture in the pan (I use a square of parchment so my hands don’t get sticky!) and bake for 25-30 for the 9x13 (16 minutes for the large jelly roll pan) until golden brown.

Cool for at least 2-3 hours before cutting into bars.

Truly these are delicious! If you decide to make a large batch they freeze very well. If you like more of a chewy bar don't cook as long and add a few more oats. Another tid-bit I love love love chocolate- but as a granola bar there is quite a strong chocolate taste to these bars. I’ve made them twice and each time I’ve decreased the chocolate by a little bit - next time I will probably cut it completely in half!

The best Lasagna ever! (or at least, the best I've ever had...)

My mother has always made the BEST lasagna I've ever had. Whenever we went to a restaurant or over to someone else's house and they were serving lasagna, it just never compared to my mom's homemade lasagna. The sauce wouldn't be quite right or there wouldn't be enough cheese or, worst of all, there would be sausage in the lasagna! I mean, sausage?!
One day, my mother showed me the secret to her amazing lasagna and now I shall pass that secret on to you!

The first key is to make the sauce from scratch.

Sauce Ingredients
28 oz of canned tomatoes (they can be tomatoes you have canned or store bought)
6 oz can of tomato paste
Italian seasoning
Salt and pepper

Sauce Directions
Strain the canned tomatoes into a large bowl leaving only the juices. Tip: I like to throw the canned tomatoes in the blender for a few seconds then strain it in a basic wire strainer. It's a quick and efficient way to get all the juices.
Once you've finished straining your tomatoes, pour the juices in a large pot and add the tomato paste and seasoning. Stir until smooth. Then cook on low for about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Lasagna Ingredients
Homemade sauce (see recipe above)
1 box of lasagna noodles
1 lb ground beef (extra lean)
12 oz mozzarella, sliced
2 eggs
1/3 cup grated parmesan
15 oz fat free ricotta
15 oz fat free cottage cheese
Parsley flakes

Lasagna Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
While you're making the homemade sauce, put water into a large pot and heat to a rolling boil.
Next, add some spices to your ground beef. I'm a fan of Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper, but feel free to experiment!. Then, cook the ground beef and drain the extra juices. When the beef is done and the sauce is ready, pour the meat into the sauce and stir. Allow to simmer while you prepare the rest of the dish.
Slice 12oz of mozzarella thinly. You will need approximately 42 slices of cheese to cover a 9" x 13" pan adequately.
Next, combine the two eggs, parsley flakes, parmesan, ricotta, and cottage cheeses in a large bowl and mix with a blender.
When everything is done cooking, you are ready to assemble the layers. Get out a 9" x 13" baking pan, preferably glass. Start by adding a small amount (about 1/2 a cup) of the meat sauce to the bottom of the pan. Spread evenly. Then add a layer of noodles. You will want the noodles to overlap about one inch so that the dish will hold its shape when cut. It will usually take about 5-6 noodles to do so.
Add half of the cottage cheese mixture to the top of the noodles and spread evenly. Then carefully space out the mozzarella cheese to cover the dish (about seven slices by three slices). Add a second layer of meat sauce, noodles, cottage cheese, and mozzarella slices. Finish the dish with a small layer of sauce on the mozzarella cheese, a layer of noodles, and a final layer of sauce. Make sure the top is fully covered in sauce*, or the edges of the noodles will burn.
Place in the oven on a middle rack and cook for about one hour. Remove from oven and allow to set for about 5 minutes before serving.

*Tip: if you get to the top layer and you are running low on sauce, it is ok to open a can of whatever plain spaghetti sauce you have around and mix it to your homemade sauce. It will taste just fine and it's important to have enough sauce to cover the top layer. :)

I usually have a small, side salad and some garlic bread with this meal! It's a really incredible lasagna full of flavor from the homemade sauce to the seasoned meat to the cheeses. It also makes amazing leftovers that are almost better the second day!

If you're a fan of garlic bread, a quick and easy way to make some at home is to buy some Italian bread from your local bakery. Get out a piece of tin foil large enough to wrap around however many slices of bread you're using. Then butter one side of each slice you're going to make and add some garlic salt. Make sure that the end slices are buttered on both sides. Wrap the tin foil around the buttered bread and bake with the lasagna for the last 20 minutes. The bread will have toasty crusts and melted garlic butter centers. It's a really quick and easy way to make amazing garlic bread!

Enjoy your lasagna! :)