First Try Homemade Marinara

Sunday, Sunday, Sunday! Ok it's Tuesday but I made this on Sunday. I was Suzy homemaker on Sunday (mainly because I was bored) and tried out homemade marinara as part of my make from scratch obsession. It was easyyyyy. For someone who doesn't eat a ton of pasta and only buys sauce when it's on sale and have a coupon (obvs), it always seemed easier to buy than slave over the stove but let me tell 'ya...I was wrong! This is so easy to make as long as you have the time to let it simmer. It's basically a throw it together and wait kind of recipe and who doesn't love that? Now I am not an Italian grandmother (obvs again) but I think this is pret-tay good! Just the right texture, salt, and spice to make the perfect pizza or pasta. Mangia!


Ingredients
1 24 ounce can crushed tomatoes
2 tbsp. olive oil
4-5 cloves of garlic, minced
1/2 white onion, minced
1 tsp. salt (season to taste as it simmers)
1 tsp. pepper
1/2 tsp. red pepper flake
2 tsp. dried basil
1-2 tsp. dried oregano

To start the sauce heat a large saucepan over medium heat. Chop the onions and garlic until you feel like your eyes are going to fall out (maybe that's just me). I even tried wearing sunglasses, cool look in the kitchen BTW. Coat the bottom of the hot saucepan with olive oil and saute the onions and garlic until they are soft and translucent.

Here's where it gets difficult. Add the tomatoes and...everything else and turn down the heat. Let it simmer for about 2 hours. Taste as you go and season to your liking. 

Not exactly chemistry, right? You can do it! Once it has finished cooking let it sit in the fridge overnight so the flavors can mingle and develop. Did I say this was easy or did I say this was easy? 

I should work for Ball Mason Jars :)

Grilled Balsamic Vegetable Sandwich

I am feeling so blessed and excited about this blog right now! I have gotten so much positive feedback and love from everyone that it brings tears to my eyes. This blog has become an amazing way for me to positively channel my feelings and ideas and also distract me from the stress of a long distance relationship. Getting a call from one of my favorite people tonight who was making one of my meals truly made my day. I can't begin to tell you how inspired I feel when I hear from friends and family about my recipes! This blog has become so much more to me then just food. I feel reconnected, reenergized, and motivated again. I wanted to share this affirmation I found that conveys how I am feeling today.

"I am ready to meet life's challenges. I choose to face each day with an open mind and a happy heart. I will not allow others to dictate my mood or my direction. I choose joy and success for my life. I love who I am and know I am getting better day by day."

Now that I have gotten the sappy stuff out of the way onto the food and witty banter. I'm watching one of my favorite trashy, guilty pleasures...Mob Wives. Oh em geeee it cracks me up. After last night's nacho fiesta of fat I decided to go a little lighter with dinner today and stick with veggies. As a former self proclaimed veggie hater for the majority of my life I can say I never would have thought I would taste, much less make and enjoy this sandwich! This recipe is versatile to whatever is seasonal and local and you can always add meat (or tofu) if you are looking for something more substantial. For tonight this was more than enough to make me feel full and healthy. Use whatever you have on hand or looks good at your farmer's market or grocery store. Told you I wasn't a complete carnivore :)

Ingredients (1 large sub)

1/2 zucchini, sliced thin, lengthwise

1/4 eggplant, sliced thin, lengthwise

1 large portobello mushroom cap, sliced thin

1/2 tomato, sliced thin

1/2 cup light balsamic vinaigrette (I used Ken's)

1/2 small whole wheat baguette

2-3 thin slices of fresh mozzarella

Salt and pepper to taste

Slice the zucchini, eggplant, and tomato vertically into thin, even slices. I use a mandoline to ensure consistent slices and even cooking times. Remove the gills of the portobello (brown underside of the mushroom) and slice into strips. 

Marinate the veggies for at least 30 minutes in the vinaigrette of your choice. I marinate the tomatoes separately because they are so delicate and I don't grill the tomatoes with the rest of the veggies. 

I grilled the veggies (minus the tomatoes) on the outdoor grill but this could also be done on a grill pan or under the broiler. I grilled over medium heat for a few minutes per side but this will depend on the thickness of your slices. Keep an eye on them because they will burn fast if they are thin.

Yeah that's right boys, I can grill with the best of 'em!

When the veggies are good and grilled remove them and throw the bread on there to get it good and charred. Once it gets slightly browned add the mozzarella and lower the heat and let it go until it starts to melt. 

 Now to put it all together! Add the grilled veggies to the bread.

Top with the fresh tomatoes and drizzle with balsamic glaze (which is just balsamic reduced with brown sugar to a syrupy consistency). I used 1 cup balsamic vinegar to 2 tbsp. brown sugar. 

Top it, slice it and eat it! This pairs well with my favorite wine ever....Cupcake Sauvignon Blanc! It's fruity, crisp, and light to accompany a fresh sandwich. Who knew a vegetable sandwich could be so satisfying!?

Veggie lovers rejoice! Veggies haters...try it!

Container Garden Week 2

I cannot believe how much my garden is flourishing! It has already doubled, if not tripled, in one week! I am having so much fun with my new hobby. I wanted to share an update of my planties each week and encourage everyone to try out container gardening (or regular gardening if you have a yard). I am really enjoying watching them grow everyday and keeping up with them. I am already using my herbs in my recipes and cannot wait to have fresh, homegrown veggies to try out. Love it!

Jalapeno, Serrano, Eggplant, and Cucumber

Peyton guarding his babies!

Tomato, Parsley, and Zucchini

Lemon Thyme and Dill

Cinco de Mayo Nachos!

Oh man this is unhealthy. So so very unhealthy. But it's Cinco de Mayo and I didn't go out so it all evens out (especially after a gym session tomorrow). Sometimes you just have to be bad. I actually wasn't planning on making anything tonight because I spent the day at the beach and was exhausted but I started missing B and decided to distract myself in the kitchen and on the blog. I am watching the UFC fight and drinking Sauvignon Blanc with the pup as I write this so I am laughing at myself the whole way. Don't hate. Back to business, I LOVE nachos. If they are on the menu I will try them. They are hard to mess up and can be dressed up a million ways. I also LOVE jalapenos. I love a lot of things I guess. But jalapenos are in every part of this recipe  so be prepared. Think of this more as a guideline for delicious nachos that you can make your own. Get creative and add what you love...pulled pork, shrimp, crab, steak, veggies, oh my I just got hungry all over again!

Cheese Sauce Ingredients
1 tbsp. butter
1 tbsp. all purpose flour
1/2 cup milk
1 1/2 cups cheddar cheese
1 tbsp. pickled jalapeno juice (just the juice from the jar of pickled jalapeno)
1/2 fresh jalapeno, diced, keep seeds for heat (or just use diced, pickled jalapeno, whatever you have on hand)
Salt and Pepper to taste


Nacho Assembly Ingredients
1 grilled chicken breast, diced
Corn tortilla chips
2 tbsp. buffalo wing or hot sauce
1/2 tomato, seeded and diced
Jalapeno, diced (to taste, I use a lot because I love them!)
Lettuce
Diced Onion
Sour Cream
Guacamole (recipe below)

Quick Guacamole 
1 ripe avocado
1/2 lime, juiced
Salt and Pepper to taste
Couple dashes of hot sauce
Diced fresh jalapeno to taste
1 clove of garlic, minced
1 tbsp. minced fresh parsley (or cilantro if you are into that)
1 tsp. pickled jalapeno juice (told you I LOVED jalapenos!!)

To start this craziness of fat and flavor you need to make the cheese sauce. It starts with a basic rue of flour and butter. Combine the flour and butter until melted and light brown. Add the milk and slowly whisk in cheese 1/2 cup at a time. Once the cheese has melted add the jalapeno juice, salt, pepper, and diced jalapeno. Adjust seasoning to your tastes. Allow the cheese to simmer on low while you prep all the ingredients.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. On a foil lined baking sheet (standard for those like me who don't do dishes) spread tortilla chips in a single layer and cover with nacho cheese. Add the diced chicken and drizzle with buffalo or hot sauce. Put in the oven until chips begin to brown and the sauce is bubbly. 

Hellooooo gorgeous! Once the nachos are bubbly and ready to eat top with whatever your little heart desires. I use lettuce, tomato, onion, and jalapeno because that's what I had on hand and what I like on my nachos. Add a dollop of sour cream and guacamole (and probably some extra on the side). Also delicious with Chipotle Salsa to spice it up even more.  Now to what matters...the fat kid pics.

Baked Pork Egg Rolls

Oh Thursday night, how I love you! Especially since the semester ended yesterday, woohooo! Had a kick booty spin class today followed by going back to work at preschool (love those kids), and trying a new recipe and a new wine! Simple pleasures of life. Egg rolls are kind of a mystery to me. I didn't grow up eating a lot of chinese food and I have a serious aversion to rice (it's a texture thing, I know it's weird) so I didn't experience many egg rolls. B loves chinese food, or should I say sesame chicken, and he got me...intrigued. I was wandering around the gro' sto' as I like to call it and I saw egg roll wrappers and impulse bought. Then I had a coupon for ground pork and it went on sale and here we are now. That's how decisions are made in my life. Side note: I have turned into my mom. There was a $2 off coupon on the ground pork that the cashier forgot to pull off. I went back to Harris Teeter with my receipt today and the coupon and got that $2!!! Every dollar counts!

Egg Roll Ingredients
1 package egg roll wrappers (usually in the produce section)
1 lb ground pork
1 tbsp. olive oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tbsp. ginger, minced
1 tbsp. shallot, minced
Salt & Pepper to taste
1/8 cup low sodium soy sauce
1/2 cup shredded carrot
1/2 cup mushrooms, chopped
2 cups shredded cabbage
1 tbsp. minced chives, extra for garnish

Spicy Dipping Sauce Ingredients
1/8 cup low sodium soy sauce
1/8 cup teriyaki sauce (I use Lawry's)
1 tsp. Japanese White Sauce
1-2 tbsp. prepared wasabi (depending on taste)
1 tsp. mined garlic


Preheat a nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add olive oil, and saute garlic, ginger, and shallot until soft. Add ground pork and cook until it's no longer pink. Season with salt, pepper, and soy sauce. Add the mushrooms and allow to cook for 1-2 minutes to soften. Add the carrots, cabbage, and chives, and warm through.

Allow the mixture to cool for a few minutes before wrapping. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

To make the egg rolls place one wrapper diagonal on the cutting board and spoon in about 2 tbsp. of the mixture. I used a wooden spoon full. Add the mixture to the center of the wrapper.

The rest I will describe in pictures. Because I am lazy.

Fold the bottom to meet the center.

Bring in the sides. Wet the ends of the top triangle to seal the egg roll as your roll it over. Spray a foil lined baking sheet and drizzle the egg rolls with olive oil. Bake for 12 minutes or until lightly browned.

Assemble the dipping sauce by combining the above ingredients. This recipe will make a ton of eggrolls. I didn't even use all the filling. Way too many for one person. Invite some friends over or freeze for later or just gorge yourself. Whatever works for ya! I got photo happy :)

Yep that's my electric yellow nails! 

Jerk Chicken, Pineapple, and Jalapeno Quesadillas

I wish I could take credit for how mouthwatering and tingling this recipe is, but it's not my original thought. The fab Pioneer Woman blogged this, I saw it and had to try and make it my own! My mouth was burning and I loved it! Shocker...sometimes I don't feel like cooking. It was almost a random snacks for dinner kind of night after my yoga class but I pulled it together and decided this was more than worth the (little) effort. I used a jerk marinade instead of BBQ sauce...it takes me back to spring break in Jamaica, oh lord! Play some reggae, and enjoy a Red Stripe or a Ting while you make this spicy snacker. Try not to put on a dance show on your patio or backyard, we are too old for that now. Sad face!!!

Ingredients (for 1 stacked quesadilla)

1 boneless skinless chicken breast
2 whole wheat flour tortillas
1/4 cup jerk marinade (I used Lawry's, it's buy one get one free often, and coupons are easy to find)
1 whole jalapeno, sliced (remove the seeds if you aren't into spice)
1 small handful parsley, chopped (or cilantro, I have a love/hate relationship with cilantro)
1/4 - 1/2 cup cheddar cheese (or as much as it takes to cover the tortilla....I <3 cheese)
1/4 cup pineapple, sliced into sections (I use the precut stuff)
BBQ sauce for drizzling (try the Homemade BBQ sauce or whatever you have on hand)
Sour Cream for serving

Start by marinating the chicken in the jerk marinade for at least 30 minutes. Jerk marinade has a ton of ingredients in it, so for a girl on a budget it's easier to buy the prepared marinade. Don't reinvent the wheel. Skewer the pineapple pieces and place both the pineapple and the chicken over medium heat on the grill (or grill pan). Grill the pineapple until it starts to get brown and caramelized. Grill the chicken until the juices run clear and it's white in the center. Remove the chicken and pineapple from the grill to assemble. While you are getting everything together preheat a nonstick skillet. Slice the jalapeno into thin slices, removing the seeds if you don't want the heat.

Chop the parsley, pineapple, and chicken and layer onto the tortilla with half the cheese. Add the jalapenos.

Drizzle the BBQ sauce over top and add some more cheese and the top tortilla.

In a nonstick skillet heat the quesadilla on both sides until brown and the cheese is melted. It should take a couple minutes per side depending on what type of tortilla you use. Once it's melty and yummy cut into quarters and serve with sour cream and garnish with parsley.

It's so spicy, and sweet and naughty! The combination is perfect. It keeps you eating, and eating, and eating. Not that I need any help with that!!! :)

My First Try at Container Gardening!

As part of my obsession of making things from scratch I started a container garden! Who knows if I will get anything from it but it's such a fun new hobby! I have four containers and I'm growing herbs, which are pretty fool proof, and trying out some vegetables. My mom and I spent our Sunday morning at Lowe's getting everything together and we are soooo proud. We started from seedlings, rather than seeds to help ensure a harvest. So far I am growing sweet basil, lemon thyme, dill, flat leaf parsley, eggplant, zucchini, tomato, jalapeno, serrano peppers, and cucumber. I want to add another container of lettuce, baby carrots, and radishes too. I have to make sure there is room for all the plants to get sun, and still allow room for Peyton's watch dog bed. He gets pretty upset when his turf is infringed upon. I get way to into these domestic things. B thinks I am going to have a farm by the time he moves home. Ya never know!!! :) Here are my planties...