Brown Sugar Apples with Brie and Almond Crunch

I don't know if you guys have noticed, but I cook for one person (that would be me). Sometimes I cook for two people (me and my boyfriend).

Leftovers are growing on me (as I mentioned in my Eggs on Leftover Taco Hash post). But sometimes you only have a little bit of something. Not enough to be eating off of it for the next week (or even the next day).

A quarter of an onion, a handful of noodles, 2 carrots...you can't make a casserole out of these things! Well, at least, not a sizeable one. But more on this later. I plan to blog about this when my Le Creuset baby casserole dishes come in (#IAMSOEXCITED!!!)!!!!

But that is what lead to me to make this breakfast. 

Ladies and Gentlemen, welcome to the breakfast of your dreams. Or maybe it's my dreams. Either way, this is some good sh*t.

As per usual (shame on me!) I didn't record any measurements or times with this one. Everything is a guess.

Here is said guess:

-I peeled and chopped up a granny smith apple (my favorite), and tossed it with some brown sugar, a liiiittle slice of butter (a little goes a long way), and a hefty amount of cinnamon. 

-Then, I layered the apple with some leftover brie that I had lying around. I made sure to slice the brie thinly as possible so it could have an easier time melting into the apple.

-I chopped up some almonds (there might be walnuts in there too...? dunno.) and tossed them with pure maple syrup, a little bit of honey, a little bit of brown sugar, and more cinnamon.

-After spreading the nut mixture on top, I popped it into my oven, heated to 350º*, and cooked it until the liquid was bubbling.

THEN I ATE IT! Ah, it was good! I typically don't do sweet breakfasts...I usually crave bacon. Wait. AWESOME IDEA!!! I'm totally adding bacon to the top next time I make this. 

Image recycling!!! I should probably take a bunch of key ingredient photos for visual variety in the future, but...I might be too lazy.

* I don't remember how hot the oven was. But that's my default temp so it's a good guess.

Healthy Wizard Pancakes - Redux!

I just drooled. No, really. I drooled on myself looking at this.

For those of you who don't know, Wizard Pancakes are magical. That's because the only ingredients are a banana and two eggs.

The first time I tried to make them, I had the pan too hot and poured them a little too big, so they burnt and then fell apart.

But this time, I nailed it. 

It's weird to think the only ingredients are bananas and eggs. o_O #MAGIC

Here's what I learned this time around:

~ Every stovetop is different, but on mine (which is electric) the "3" setting on the dial worked very well (on a scale of "Low" to "High", with numbers 1-9 in between).

~ The pancakes should sizzle juuuuust a little bit when you drop them in. And they actually stop sizzling as they cook (approx. 1 minute per side). So even though it seems like nothing is happening, don't worry! It is!

~ Just be sure to make them small enough that whatever spatula you are using can slide under the entire cake, which will help avoid breakage! I've found success using a Tablespoon of batter for each pancake.

~ Homemade strawberry syrup is pretty freakin' good.

These strawberries gave their lives to by my breakfast. Never forget.

I did also add a little bit of almond pulp for some texture, but that's not necessary; I was just experimenting. I do think you should add a hefty amount of cinnamon, though!

And remember to double the recipe if you want to make an extra stack for a friend or loved one. Or just for yourself. I won't judge you, I promise.

Sunny-Side-Up Eggs

Isn't this photo great? It's from my Great-Grandma's Betty Crocker Cookbook.

Ever been at a restaurant, and they ask you how you want your steak cooked? Well, that's pretty straight forward. But I've been privy to wayyyy too many blank stares over the years when the waitress starts listing off how they can prepare your eggs.

Usually, whoever I am with defaults to scrambled. Because everybody knows what that is. There's no confusion. But I die a little bit inside whenever that happens, because the world of eggie weggs is so bright and has endless possibilities!

I get it, it can be overwhelming. There's Over-Easy, Over-Medium, Over-Hard, Scrambled, Soft Boiled, Hard Boiled, Baked, Poached, and my personal favorite: Sunny-Side-Up!

Today I will teach you lovely people how to make a delightfully runny egg.

This is what it looks like:

RIP, eggs. They've gone to a better place. My belly.

Oh, wait. No. That's what it looks like when I've finished eating them.  My bad. Here's the before photo:

This is the stuff of dreams. 

I like to put cilantro and freshly ground salt & pepper on mine. Try it!

Here are some steps to help you achieve egg greatness:

- Make sure there's enough oil in the pan to create a nice ring around each egg.

- The pan should be heated to a medium-low setting; The eggs should sizzle slightly when you drop them in.

- Before dropping the eggs in, run some water on the underside of a lid, and place it on the heating pan. This will introduce some more moisture into the pan, helping to cook the top side of the eggs evenly.

- While the eggs cook, spoon some of the oil / water that has fallen into the pan over the egg whites. This will help them to cook, while the yolk remains golden and runny. 

If you're patient, and continue spooning then covering for several minutes, you'll end up with pretty eggs and runny yolks, perfect for dipping bacon, sausage, or toast into. Or, whatever else you can think of. I'm not here to tell you what to put your yolk on.

Part of this complete breakfast.

Just remember, eggs are people too. Actually that's not true. They aren't people at all. But they should be treated gently and with respect. Until you eat them, that is.

"Do unto eggies what you would have eggies do unto you."

Spicy Fall Colors Soup

Sometimes, experiments fail.

That's why they're experiments, I guess. You find out if something works or not.

In the case of this soup....SUCCESS!!!

I like it. It's nummy. Great for cold nights when you need some comfort food...but guess what? It doesn't have the characteristic high fat content of comfort food. Actually, it's pretty healthy. Okay okay, so there's bacon. Sue me.

Honestly, I don't claim to be a genius on this one. It was kind of just...stuff that I had in my fridge that I had to use up. Go figure they all go awesome together. EXPERIMENT WIN!!!

Curse my phone for taking such awful, out-of-focus pictures. I will take better ones when I make this again.

     I know the photo doesn't look appetizing. I feel bad about that. Especially because the tagline for this blog is "Food porn for everyone". This is like, bad porn. Really bad porn. Like, in the 4 dollar bin at a sketchy porn store. Ick.

But regardless of the lackluster photography (which I will remedy once I actually cook in daylight and remember to have my nice camera at the ready), this is a tasty, tasty dish. Let me lay it out for you, sans measurements (as you all know, that's how I roll):

- 1/4 of a medium sizes butternut squash, cut into small cubes
-  A few stalks of kale (stems and spine removed), chopped up
- 1 large carrot, peeled and chopped into circular slices
- 1/4 cup celery, sliced into small pieces
- 1/2 cup Veggie Penne Pasta (this stuff rules, it has tomatoes and squash in it!)
- 1 cup spinach
- Dash red pepper flakes
- Dash cayenne pepper
- 1 clove garlic, finely diced
- Juice of 1/2 lemon
- 5 Strips bacon
- Salt & Pepper (the bacon is going to add quite a bit of salt, so go easy on it at first and add more as needed)
- 1/4 cup parmesan cheese (or a parmesan rind would work probably, too)
- Enough chicken stock / broth to cover everything (I kept adding throughout the process because the veggies kept soaking it up, so I don't have a good idea of how much I added. Probably somewhere around 2 1/2 - 3 cups)
- 1 can cannelloni beans

Mounds of Bacon. That should be a band name, for sure.

Here's how it goes down.

- Sauté the butternut squash, celery, carrots, and kale in heated oil and large enough pot until kale has begun to wilt.

- In a separate pan, cook bacon on low until crispy.

- Add spinach and garlic, and cook for another couple minutes, until spinach has wilted and garlic is fragrant but not burnt.

- Add beans.

- Add salt, pepper, red pepper flakes, and cayenne pepper.

- Add chicken stock.

- Add lemon juice.

- Add parm.

-Bring to a boil, and then bring it back down to simmering. I covered my pot in attempts to keep moisture in.

- Once bacon is done, remove from pan and place onto paper towels to soak up grease. Let cool slightly, then chop into bite-sized pieces. Add the bacon to the pot.

-Simmer for about 20 minutes or so, then add pasta. Bring pot back up to a boil, and cook about 10 minutes, until pasta is done.

-Freakin. Eat it.

Look at all the greens!!! 

I gotta tell ya --- the bacon adds so much great flavor to the soup!!! It's actually pretty cool. The kale and pasta just soak it right up. Way to go bacon.
The soup turns out salty and hot from the spices and bacon. It's also creamy and sweet thanks to the softened carrots, white beans, and butternut squash. And it's the perfect amount of carbs with that little bit of pasta. If only I had bread to dip it in. Le sigh. Next time!

Eggs on Leftover Taco Hash

I have become a master of leftovers.

They used to scare the crap out of me. I didn't like the way they smelt or looked. I don't like how cold and firm food can get after being refrigerated. I don't wanna see solid fat. The idea of eating old, pre-prepared food has never been appealing. Especially someone else's leftovers. That person's saliva-covered fork was allllll up in that. 

Eew. Okay, now that I think about it, I still have a smidgeon of fear when it comes to leftovers. No one's perfect.

But I've learned to face that fear! Mainly out of laziness and trying to save money. But it doesn't matter why you face your fears...it just matters that you do it! ...Right??

So, here's homemade chicken taco filling mixed with some homemade salsa underneath an egg and some fresh avo. 

Sunny-side-up egg and avocado are creamy. Taco meat was spicy. Kinda perfect, no???

It looks good, right?!?

Well, it was good. The key thing to take away here is that leftovers don't have to be what they were originally intended to be. You don't have to have tacos every night just because you made too much. 

Put the taco meat under an egg (that probably should be the title of this blog, but that's a conversation for another post), broil it in individual soufflé cups with some pasta covered with cheese, put mashed potatoes over it and have a Mexican Shepard's Pie, add canned tomatoes and chicken broth and some more spices and make a soup...the possibilities are endless!!!!!!

And, I am sorry for not having the taco filling recipe ready to report. I was improvising. It did turn out well though, so next time I "improvise", I'll be sure to share the wealth with you all.

In the meantime, put your face in your fridge and boldly go where no one has gone before! Give your leftovers new life. And let me know how it goes!

Healthy Wizard Pancakes

BUT HERE'S SOMETHING FUN!!!~1!1

Healthy Wizard Pancakes.

Guess what is in these pancakes?

Okay, I don't feel like playing a guessing game. Sorry. I'm just going to tell you. 

1 (ONE) BANANA

2 (TWO) EGGS

SOME (SOME?) CINNAMON

That's it!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Now you know why I included the "Wizard" in the title.

I had to taste him first to see if he was eligible to have his photo taken and be featured on the blog. WINNER!!!

All you do is mash up a banana. Add two eggs. Mash them up some more to get all the lumps out. Add some cinnamon. Put them in a pan with some oil or butter. Put them on a plate. Put syrup on them. Then eat them.

It's easy! And as long as you don't overdo it with the syrup...super healthy.

Try this. If you do, here are some tips:

WIZARD TIP #1: When mixing the ingredients, I used my immersion blender to ensure smoothness. Just make sure you mix them well enough.

WIZARD TIP #2: Don't make the pan very hot. I'd say medium low heat works well. In the photo above, I had the heat a little too high, and they sort of burned before they actually set, so I ended up with a dually crispy/soggy mess (which was still pretty delicious, actually).

WIZARD TIP #3: You have to make them small. There's not much binding these suckers together, so put a few Tablespoons in the pan at a time. Otherwise, you'll have trouble flipping them. They'll fall apart. And you'll be sad.

Next time, I'm going to try to add some protein powder or maybe smear them with some homemade nut butter.

(PS, I just want you to know, initially when I tried to type "nut butter", it came out as "butt butter". I laughed. Good thing I proof read)

If you guys try this, let me know how it goes!

'Til then, happy wizarding!