Thanks for being our (muddy) buddies

Valentine's Day is just around the corner. Serene and Valor have a little party with the other kids in our church's children's program tonight, so we brainstormed some valentines to pass out. I had everything in the pantry for muddy buddies, which was a fun and easy treat to make with Serene. Her favorite parts were mixing the chocolate into the cereal, dumping in a whole ton of sprinkles, and shaking the bag to mix everything up into a sweet, crunchy, chocolatey concoction. There are a ton of recipes for muddy buddies, but here's what we did according to the ingredients we had in the pantry:

Muddy Buddies
Ingredients:
1 box Chex cereal
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
1 1/2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 cup peanut butter
1/4 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups powdered sugar
Sprinkles (optional)

Directions:
1. Pour Chex cereal into a large bowl and set aside.
2. Heat butter, chocolate chips, and peanut butter in a saucepan over low heat. Stir until melted and smooth. Add sea salt and vanilla extract. Stir until combined.
3. Pour chocolate mixture over cereal. Stir until coated.
4. In a large paper bag, pour in powdered sugar and sprinkles. Add coated cereal. Fold bag tightly over and shake until all coated.

To package the valentines, I  poured some muddy buddies into mini kraft bags, taped them shut with washi tape, and wrote "Thanks for being our (muddy) buddies! Love, Serene Joy & Valor Zeal." The kids passed out healthy valentines last year. The year before that, Serene passed out non-candy valentines. This year, we're embracing the sugary sweet holiday with these no-fuss and tasty valentines. I bet the muddy buddies would look even cuter with heart sprinkles. Whip some up for your loved ones this lovely holiday! We don't have grand plans for Valentine's Day, but we are looking forward to celebrating love with one another. Alex and I will probably go out for dinner one night, and we'll take the kids on father-daughter and mother-son dates another day.

Capellini with chicken and summer vegetables

Today is the first day of fall, but the summer heat lingers around here. Which means we're still eating foods featuring fresh, summery produce. Like capellini with chicken and summer vegetables. It is my most preferred pasta to make when the weather is warm. Better yet, it's one of my all-time favorite meals, period. I love a light oil sauce on pasta paired with tons of fresh vegetables. If you do too, you must try this! It's basically a decked out capellini with tomatoes and basil. This version is more robust in flavor, precisely because of the added protein and freshly sauteed veggies. Technically, only the tomatoes and basil are summer vegetables, as broccoli and mushrooms are not, but they're all so tasty together in a light, summery smorgasbord kind of way. It's great with spinach too, and I'm sure a ton of other veggies you may have on hand. It's easy to throw together on a busy weeknight and simple to make for groups, especially when using grilled chicken or leftover rotisserie chicken that's already ready to serve. I'll be keeping this in our meal rotation until the stores are no longer stocking fresh basil.
Capellini with Chicken and Summer Vegetables (adapted from here)
Ingredients:
1 lb angel hair or capellini pasta
3/4 cup good extra virgin olive oil
3 tbsp garlic, minced
2 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp freshly ground pepper
1 lb mini pearl grape tomatoes, halved
2 oz fresh basil leaves, julienned
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes (optional)
1 head of broccoli, cut into small florets
1 pkg (8 oz) white mushrooms, sliced
1 1/2 cups grilled chicken breast, diced
2 cups freshly grated Parmesan cheese
Extra julienned basil and freshly grated Parmesan cheese for serving

Directions:
1. Boil a large pot of water. Add angel hair or capellini and cook for 2 minutes, or until al dente so that it is firm to the bite. Watch your pasta carefully as it cooks so it doesn't get soggy. Drain the pasta, and shock with cold water. Reserve some of the pasta water.
2. While pasta cooks, saute broccoli florets in extra virgin olive oil until bright green and tender. Set aside in a bowl. In the same pan, saute mushrooms in extra virgin olive oil until browned and tender. Set aside in the bowl with the broccoli.
2. In a large saute pan, heat extra virgin olive oil over medium heat. Add garlic and cook until slightly browned. Add tomatoes, basil, salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook for about 5 minutes, tossing occasionally until tomatoes are softened and slightly wrinkled.
3. Place pasta in a large serving bowl. Add sauce and Parmesan. Toss well. Add some reserved pasta water if pasta seems too dry. Fold in grilled chicken, broccoli, and mushrooms. Top with fresh basil and Parmesan. Serve immediately.

Our day on a plate

Breakfast: breakfast burrito comprising of scrambled eggs, sharp Cheddar, spinach, and avocado in a whole wheat and corn tortilla with pico de gallo and Greek yogurt on the side; cantaloupe.

Alex has been craving breakfast burritos, so we had them a couple of times that week. Serene and I had the breakfast burrito version pictured above, and Alex had one with bacon, without spinach, and topped with light sour cream instead of Greek yogurt. I like to use Greek yogurt in place of sour cream for whenever the occasion calls for it, but Alex is not (yet) convinced it is healthier and tastes the same. We were going to have tacos for dinner so making fresh pico de gallo made sense. All I put in the pico de gallo is chopped tomatoes, onions, cilantro, lime, sea salt, and freshly ground pepper, all according to taste. We're not really into spicy foods, so I don't ever really use jalepeños or chili peppers.
Lunch: zucchini fritters on a bed of spinach topped with avocado and a Greek yogurt sauce.

Zucchini squash was only 3 lbs/$1 at the local farmers market, so I didn't hesitate to pick some up. It's my second favorite veggie (after spinach), and I recently saw this zucchini fritters recipe that I wanted to try. I pretty much followed it but substituted whole wheat flour for flour in the fritters recipe and Greek yogurt for sour cream in the sauce. They were so yummy; Serene ate quite a few too! We topped them with the Greek yogurt sauce and fresh avocado. We like avocado on everything. Serene will hold out her food and say "peas" (please) to indicate that she wants more "avo" (avocado) on it.

Dinner: chicken tacos in corn tortillas with spinach, pico de gallo, sharp Cheddar, guacamole, and Greek yogurt; corn on the cob.

We had some church family over to plan an upcoming conference, so I decided to have a taco bar for dinner - easy for me, fun for guests, and tasty and healthy for all. Since I whipped up pico de gallo in the morning, all I had to do was prep and shred the chicken, make guacamole, and put all the other ingredients in bowls for self-serving. Another taco bar ingredient I included was hash browns because we love California-style burritos with hash browns or fries in them (totally not healthy, but so crispy and good!). Those disappeared by the time I took the picture above. Nevertheless, a friend said, "These are the cleanest tacos I've ever eaten." We also had an elote bar; most people love to slather a combination of butter, lime, mayonnaise, Parmesan cheese, and chili powder on their corn on the cob for the Mexican-style street corn, but I like my corn on the cob plain. Now that I look through the food we ate on this day, I realize that we eat meals featuring a lot of recurring ingredients like spinach and avocado. They are frequent purchases during grocery store runs, and I tend to put them in almost everything we eat.

See other foods we eat on a typical day here.

Our day on a plate

Breakfast: multigrain berry oatmeal with flaxseed and chia seeds, bananas, and frozen wild blueberries; dry roasted unsalted almonds.

I've been on an oatmeal kick. I like my oatmeal made with half soy milk and half water, sprinkled generously with seeds, and topped with fruit. Add a side of almonds, and I am good to go! I introduced oatmeal to Serene before she turned one, but she wasn't a fan of the texture. These days, she gobbles up oatmeal as quickly as I do, which makes me pretty happy.

Lunch: open-faced pesto, light mozzarella, romaine lettuce, spinach, tomato, cucumber, avocado, and alfalfa sprout sandwich on whole-wheat bread; blackberries and blueberries.

I love fresh veggie sandwiches, especially when there's a hefty bunch of alfalfa sprouts in it! Sprouts add the perfect crunch and texture to a sammie, I think. Whenever I happen to be eating at a deli, I'll always order their fresh veggie sandwich (if they have one). Yum. Serene had a variation of the sandwich with just pesto, light mozzarella, spinach, and avocado. We finished with tons of sweet blueberries and blackberries.

Afternoon Snack: almond butter "ice cream"; berry "ice cream."

I had a couple of overripe bananas so I decided to make "ice cream" out of them. The two scoops of ice cream pictured above are made with just two ingredients each! Just dice up the bananas into even-sized coins and freeze them overnight. The next day, throw the frozen banana slices into a food processor and whiz them up until you have the consistency of creamy ice cream. You can eat the banana ice cream plain, or toss in some toppings for different flavors. I added a dollop of unsalted almond butter to half of my banana ice cream, and some frozen berries to the other half. You can eat the ice cream right out of the food processor, but I think it tastes better (and more firm) after being put into an airtight container to freeze again until completely solid. Both the almond butter and berry "ice cream" were so yummy. Serene loved it too. I think she thought she was eating real ice cream. I had no qualms about her eating this kind since it's sugar-free, healthy, and so good for the body! I think this will be my go-to to-do for overripe bananas from now on. I'm looking forward to throwing in different ingredients next time.

Dinner: kung pao chicken with bell peppers, zucchini, and bok choy over brown rice; bean sprout banchan.

I wasn't keen on cooking an extensive meal this night since we scheduled an evening of visits with our neighbors, so I unearthed a bag of Trader Joe's kung pao chicken from the freezer. It's one of their westernized Chinese dishes that is convenient to have for a quick-I-don't-feel-like-cooking-much meal. I stir-fried the meat in a jiffy and added fresh bok choy, bell peppers, and zucchini to incorporate lots of veggies before tossing it in some soy ginger sauce and peanuts. We served it over steamy brown rice with, per Alex's request, some fried eggs on the side - which made it an ultimate comfort meal. I've been whipping up bean sprout banchan every week for the past three weeks adapted from this recipe. It's so good, simple to make, and stores in the fridge for an easy snack or side dish. I just blanch a pound of bean sprouts, chill it, and then mix in 1 tsp sea salt, 2 minced garlic cloves, a handful of chopped green onions, 1 tsp reduced sodium soy sauce, 1 tsp sesame seeds, 2 tsp sesame oil, and Japanese red pepper to taste. The bean sprout banchan gives a nice, refreshing crunch alongside the kung pao chicken.

See other foods we eat on a typical day here.

Soy braised pork with tofu and boiled eggs

I mentioned experimenting with homestyle Chinese cooking here, and this soy braised pork with tofu and boiled eggs was a winner in our home. It's best if eaten over steamy white rice, and goes well when accompanied by sides of sautéed veggies or a clear, homemade broth. It reminded me of my childhood - can't get better than that!
Soy Braised Pork with Tofu and Boiled Eggs
Ingredients: 
1 lb pork belly or pork tenderloin, sliced
6 boiled eggs
1 1/2 cups fried tofu
1 garlic clove, minced
1 shallot, minced
Up to a thumb's worth of fresh ginger, peeled and cut into matchsticks
1 onion, diced in half
3 tbsp soy sauce (I used reduced sodium)
2 tbsp fish sauce
1 tbsp brown sugar
1 cup water (start by adding 1/4 cup first, then more)
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil for frying
Sea salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Directions:
1. In a large heavy-bottomed pot, heat extra virgin olive oil over medium heat. Add garlic, shallot, and ginger. Stir to cook until fragrant and translucent, about 2 minutes.
2. Add pork and onion halves and cook for about 5 minutes. Add soy sauce, fish sauce, and brown sugar. Reduce heat to low, cover the pot, and braise for 2-3 minutes. Add 1/4 cup water and continue to braise on low, covered, for 10-15 minutes, continuing to add water in 1/4 cup increments.  Add salt and pepper to taste.
3. Add eggs and tofu and continue to braise for another 15-20 minutes, or until pork is tender and soft and the tofu absorbs some of the sauce.
4. Serve over rice and enjoy!

Salmon poke bowl

Hearsay is that one shouldn't eat sushi while pregnant. Well, I'm doing it anyway. I lasted for about 3 months without sushi when I was pregnant with Serene, then ended up eating it, and continued to do so a few times after that. I can't stomach any seafood during the first trimester, but during the second and third trimesters, sushi's a go for me! Of course, I try to be careful and only order from reputable restaurants or buy fresh sashimi to prepare at home. Like poke. Ever since we had legit poke in Santa Cruz last summer, I've been on a poke kick. Casual poke restaurants have been popping up in our parts since then too. But of course, it is more economical to buy fresh sashimi and prepare poke at home. Toss in rice and some sides, and you've got a tasty meal. I shared a poke recipe on this space before, which uses mainly Hawaiian salt. This poke recipe features soy sauce and is therefore sweeter. I've been preferring this one lately, as I made it with tilapia sashimi here, and then went on to make it with salmon (perhaps my favorite sashimi, along with white tuna). You can definitely switch it up with different kinds of fish though!
Salmon Poke Bowl (adapted from here)
Ingredients: 
3/4 lb sashimi grade salmon, cubed
2 tbsp soy sauce (I used reduced sodium)
1 1/2 tsp lemon juice
2 tsp sesame oil
1/4 cup chopped green onion
Furikake seasoning to taste (the one with sesame seeds and seaweed)
Japanese red pepper to taste (optional)
Japanese white rice, cooked
Persian or English cucumber, diced
Avocado, sliced
Roasted seaweed for topping
Chopped green onions for topping

Directions:
1. In a medium bowl, combine sashimi cubes, soy sauce, lemon juice, sesame oil, and green onion. Add Furikake seasoning and red pepper to taste (I love Furikake seasoning so I sprinkled it generously and added just a dash of red pepper since I'm not a big fan of spicy food). Mix well. Refrigerate at least two hours before serving.
2. Serve on a bed of warm Japanese white rice with avocado slices and cucumber on the side. Top with roasted seaweed and additional green onions. Enjoy with a side of edamame!

Our day on a plate

Breakfast: unsalted almond butter on whole-wheat toast, chia seed pudding topped with fresh blueberries, banana.

Chia seed pudding is a newfound favorite. So good, and so good for you, since it's a source of fiber, protein, and omega 3. I just mixed 1/4 cup chia seeds, 1 cup unsweetened soy milk, and some clover honey (to taste) together, soaked it overnight so the seeds can plump up, and topped it with blueberries for breakfast in the morning. I heard you can substitute for coconut/almond milk and agave nectar as well. Serene loves chia seed pudding too; it tastes like tapioca pudding, but is way healthier. We had it with toast spread with almond butter and banana - I had more toast than banana, and Serene had more banana than toast.


Lunch: baby spinach and tri-colored quinoa salad with Persian cucumbers, grape tomatoes, Clementine oranges, avocado, and blueberries for mama. A deconstructed salad of quinoa, cucumbers, grape tomatoes, Clementine oranges, blueberries, avocado, corn on the cob, crunchy broccoli florets, and a pita wedge for baby.

I'm so happy to have finally checked out a local farmers market that sells fresh produce for so cheap, thanks to a friend's recommendation. I was elated in there; I think I bought a gigantic box of different fruits, veggies, and herbs for only $9.00. Therefore, we made use of some of the tastiness for lunch, with quinoa for protein. I like my salads dressing-free, and Serene is not a fan of raw leafy greens (yet?), so I made her a deconstructed salad of sorts comprising of everything in my salad except for spinach, and added a pita wedge, crunchy broccoli florets, and corn on the cob. She loves corn on the cob, and would happily eat through a few cobbettes for a meal. She ate everything else, except for the cucumbers and most of the quinoa. This was her first time sampling the seed, so I'm not surprised. Here's to hoping she'll develop a liking, or tolerance, for quinoa in the future.


Afternoon snack: baby carrots dipped in hummus, yellow cherries, grapes.

I don't like condiments in general, and will often use hummus, pesto, or avocado as substitutes. Like baby carrots dipped in tasty hummus. Serene can't have them yet, but she had cherries and grapes with me. Yellow cherries are my favorite fruit, and I was so happy to find them at the farmers market, even though it isn't exactly cherry season. Serene loves fruit in general, especially yellow cherries. She is fond of grapes too, just as Alex is.


Dinner: soy braised pork with tofu and boiled eggs over Japanese white rice, garlic sautéed bok choy, chicken soup with carrots and potatoes.

As I get older, I miss my mom's cooking more and more. We always had humble, comforting dishes over white rice as I was growing up, and I've been itching to learn how to whip up more Chinese home cooking. I think my mom makes the best Chinese food in the world, but she's so pro that she never measures her ingredients. I've been asking other family members and friends for basic recipes, and I was so excited to try a couple of them out. A Chinese meal at home almost always requires a clear soup, a protein dish, and a veggie dish. My dearest friend gave me some tips on making chicken soup with carrots and potatoes; it turned out being super easy, refreshingly tasty, and reminiscent of my childhood. The veggie dish was bok choy sautéed in a bit of extra virgin olive oil, garlic, shallot, and ginger. My sweet cousin shared a basic template for soy braised pork, so I played around with what I had in the kitchen, and adapted it into a yummy soy braised pork with tofu and boiled eggs. We all loved it, and I think I'll be making it more often (and will be sharing the recipe on this space soon).

See other foods we eat on a typical day here.

Our day on a plate

I was making our breakfast yesterday, and thought it might be fun to document the food we eat on a typical day. Perhaps I'll do this periodically. Either that, or I'm running out of post ideas.

Breakfast: avocado on whole-wheat toast, eggs scrambled in a bit of extra virgin olive oil with baby spinach. Water for mama and unsweetened soy milk for baby (tried-and-true beverages during all our meals).

Avocado toast is my favorite go-to breakfast. It's fast, easy, and so insanely tasty. I'm pretty biased as an avocado aficionado. I love them in almost everything. I will always ask Alex if I can add avocado to my order at a restaurant. Serene loves avocado too, which we call avo around here. She could eat avo toast and eggs with spinach every day. Thankful for that, because this is an easy, nutritious breakfast that we eat often.

Lunch: mini hand rolls, sides of edamame and Clementine oranges. Mama's rolls are stuffed with Japanese white rice, tilapia poke, avocado, and baby spinach. Baby's rolls are stuffed with any combination of Japanese white rice, avocado, egg, corn, and spinach.

I usually look for a quick and easy-to-prep lunch most days, like steamed chicken and veggie dumplings from Trader Joe's, or cheese and veggie quesadillas, or more often, leftovers from dinner the night before. On this day, I found frozen tilapia sashimi in the freezer that I forgot we had. It was a jackpot moment because I had been craving sushi (my favorite food). I knew we had leftover rice in the fridge, avocado, and snack-sized roasted seaweed, among other things with which we could make impromptu hand rolls. I cut up the tilapia sashimi and dressed it to make poke (I will probably share the recipe soon). I prepped the other ingredients, which just meant cutting up avocado, putting spinach in a bowl, heating up the edamame, corn, and rice, and frying an egg. We typically eat brown rice around here, but when I'm pregnant, I want white rice all the way. Serene loves bits and pieces of everything in a roll. Mama gets her poke, and baby gets food in a fun roll. We're both happy, and Alex was thrilled for our budget's sake when he found out my sushi craving had been satisfied for free when I had been asking him to take us to my favorite local all-you-can-eat sushi joint.

Mid-afternoon snack: multigrain and seed crackers spread with Brie cheese, semi-defrosted frozen wild blueberries.

Serene always wants a snack after she wakes up from her afternoon nap. Dinner is still at least an hour and half away, and she gets hangry (hungry + angry) waiting - very much like her mama. She loves crackers, especially since she's currently teething (her top two front teeth are emerging!). Usually she'll have a graham cracker and some fruit, but we had some cheese left over from our quiet New Year's Eve celebration, so we're all too happy to down some fancy cheese and crackers. Blueberries, or berries in general, are some of Serene's favorite fruit. I just bought frozen blueberries at the grocery store this week since fresh blueberries aren't in season, and are therefore pretty expensive.

Dinner: whole-wheat spaghetti in marinara sauce topped with baked garlic and herb-stuffed turkey meatballs, garlic roasted broccoli topped with parmesan.

Dinner is always special, because Alex is home to eat dinner with us. We're a pasta-loving family, and spaghetti and meatballs is a favorite, specifically when the meatballs are homemade. I use dear Ruby's recipe as a template, and we are all fans. Alex, as an unabashed meat lover, loves these meatballs because he says they taste like they're bad for you. I love them because they're not bad for you at all since they're made of lean ground turkey, some fresh Parmesan, and tons of herbs. I'll usually make a big batch of whatever we're having for dinner so that we have leftovers for the following day, which is partly how we survive around here with a fifteen-month-old and another babe on the way.

See other foods we eat on a typical day here.

Beef sliders

When food preferences fall on opposite ends of the culinary spectrum, compromise oft occurs. Alex salivates at the thought of a manly (meaty, saucy, preferably bacon-featured) hamburger from time to time. I resort to its turkey or veggie counterpart on a wheat bun when we're at a burger joint. When he requests homemade burgers for dinner, compromise manifests itself in these sliders. We recently tasted some burgers with tasty, homemade, cilantro-filled patties at a birthday party, so I tried to recreate the patties with 96% lean/4% lean (organic grass-fed) ground beef from Trader Joe's. The cilantro upgrades the patties to near legendary status. Though these baby burgers are teeny, they tower with all of our favorite fixins and burst with intensely delicious flavor! They're particularly irresistible with baked sweet potato fries. I may be sliding over more to the red meat side when it comes to these sliders. You may, too!

Beef sliders
Ingredients:
1 lb organic ground beef (96% lean/4% fat)
1 1/2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, plus more for frying
1/2 cup cilantro, chopped
2 1/2 tsp steak seasoning
2 tsp freshly ground pepper
2 tbsp garlic, minced
8 mini burger or brioche buns
2 slices sharp Cheddar, quartered
2 large eggs
Baby spinach leaves
Tomato, sliced
Mushrooms, sliced
Avocado, sliced
Condiments (BBQ sauce/ketchup)

Directions:
1. Combine ground beef, cilantro, extra virgin olive oil, steak seasoning, and pepper in a bowl. Mix gently but thoroughly to combine. Cover and refrigerate for at least an hour for beef to absorb spices.
2. Saute mushrooms over high heat in extra virgin olive oil and 1 tbsp garlic. Set aside.
3. Fry eggs over high heat. Season with pepper. Set aside and cut each fried egg into quarters.
4. Heat extra virgin olive oil in a frying pan over very high heat. Divide beef mixture evenly into 8 flattened patties. Brown 1 tbsp garlic in pan. Add patties, cooking the first side for 3-4 minutes. Flip patties to other side. Place a quartered Cheddar slice on top of each patty. Cook other side of patties for 3-4 minutes, letting cheese melt on top of patties. Set aside.
5. Toast burger buns until lightly golden brown. Assemble sliders in the following order: bottom half of bun, condiments, spinach leaves, tomato slice, beef patty with melted Cheddar, fried egg quarter, avocado slices, sauteed mushrooms, top half of burger bun. Enjoy immediately with baked sweet potato fries!

Ahi tuna poke

I crave sushi at least weekly. Unfortunately, Alex doesn't. It's also not wise to frequent sushi restaurants all the time. That's when I resort to making poke. I've been storing ahi tuna steaks in the freezer because I have been making poke weekly. It is the ideal sashimi fix: quick to throw together using simple ingredients that enhance the flavor of the fish. I eat it alone, atop wonton crisps, as a salad on a bed of mixed greens and sliced English cucumber, or as a side with (brown) rice. If you're a sashimi aficionado, this shall be your go-to when that craving strikes. I've also made poke with sashimi grade albacore and tilapia. The recipe is so versatile; you could make poke out of any sushi-friendly fish. Yum!
Ahi Tuna Poke
Ingredients:
1 lb ahi tuna, cut into 3/4" cubes
Hawaiian salt to taste
2 tsp sesame oil
Red chili pepper flakes to taste
Furikake rice seasoning (includes seaweed and sesame seeds together) sprinkled generously
1/4 cup chopped green onion
1 avocado, sliced

Directions:
1. In a medium bowl, combine ahi tuna cubes, Hawaiian salt (I use about 1 tbsp), chili pepper flakes, green onion, and Furikake rice seasoning. Drizzle sesame oil on top. Mix well. Refrigerate at least two hours before serving.
2. Serve with avocado slices. Enjoy with wonton crisps, rice, a salad of mixed greens and sliced English cucumber, or alone!

Guacamole and baked tortilla chips

As I mentioned before, we were gifted a trove of homegrown lemons from sweet friends, and avocados have been on sale at the store, so it has been a no-brainer to whip up one of my favorite snacks: homemade tortilla chips with guacamole. I'm pretty confident I could eat guacamole every day. My grandparents had an avocado tree while I was growing up, and I would snack on the creamy fruit with a sprinkle of salt pretty often. The tree is long gone by now, and if we were ever blessed with a home that featured a backyard, I would advocate for an avocado tree. For now, store-bought avocados make a frequent appearance in our kitchen, usually in the form of these easy-to-make, so-good, and good-for-you homemade guacamole and chips. I prefer my guacamole pretty pure - just large chunks of avocado, a bit of red onion, a generous squeeze of lemon or lime, some garlic salt, and freshly ground pepper. The avocado's creamy taste is highlighted, and, when paired with freshly-baked tortilla chips, make for the tastiest snack. I don't have specific measurements for the guacamole, only because it really is suited to your preferences. Just sprinkle a bit of this and that until it is to your liking!

Guacamole and Baked Tortilla Chips
Ingredients:
1 pkg (18 count) corn tortillas
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Sea salt
Freshly ground pepper
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp cayenne pepper
2 large avocados, halved, seeded, and peeled
1/4 red onion, minced
1/2 small lime or 1/3 lemon
Garlic Salt

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Stack your tortillas into groups of 6, and cut each stack into sixths, so that you have chip-sized wedges. Throw wedges into a large bowl. Add extra virgin olive oil, 1 tsp sea salt, pepper, paprika, cayenne pepper, and 3 tbsp lime (or lemon) juice. Toss until all seasonings are well distributed onto the wedges.
2. Lay tortilla wedges into a single layer on a baking sheet. Bake until crisp, or about 10-15 minutes.
3. Slice avocado halves into large (1/3") cubes. Place into a large bowl and toss in red onion and the juice of about 1/3 of a lemon or 1/2 of a lime. Sprinkle with dashes of garlic salt and freshly ground pepper, a little bit at a time until the taste is to your liking. Fold all ingredients gently so that avocado cubes do not get too mashed. Enjoy with freshly baked tortilla chips!

Fictitious fried chicken with creamed corn

Blustery wintry weather has been yielding a pattern of hearty, comforting meals at our dinner table. The husband has had a hankering for Southern comfort food this season, as evidenced by meals of the past few months: barbecued ribs, seared pork chops, and creamy mac n' cheese. We love comfort food, especially when I can ensure that its made up of way fewer calories and fat content than if we were to eat it at a restaurant. The Mister's been asking for fried chicken lately, and because exceedingly greasy, fried edibles are not welcome in our home, I ended up making fictitious fried chicken one evening with no oil and baked via the oven. It was marvelously yummy, and made our consciences happy. Our sides were simple sauteed veggies and creamed corn. Creamed corn became a family favorite over the holiday season, and I had leftover ingredients for another batch, so it was an insanely tasty complement to the fictitious fried chicken.

Fictitious Fried Chicken with Creamed Corn (oven fried chicken recipe adapted from here)

Ingredients:
3 lbs chicken
1/2 cup nonfat milk
4 tbsp garlic, minced
1 lemon
2 tsp dried basil
2 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1/4 cup cornmeal
6 tbsp organic breadcrumbs
2 tbsp grated Parmesan cheese
Sea salt and freshly ground pepper
1 cup whipping cream
1 lb frozen kernel corn
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tbsp whole wheat flour
1 1/2 tbsp sugar
3 tbsp fresh Parmesan cheese

Directions:
1. In a large tupperware container, combine milk, garlic, juice of 1 lemon, 1 tsp basil, 1 tsp oregano, sugar, and cayenne pepper. Whisk until mixed and sugar is dissolved. Pierce each piece of chicken with a fork several times and cover in marinade. Turn chicken pieces in marinade to coat well. Cover and refrigerate overnight.
2. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. In a shallow dish, combine cornmeal, breadcrumbs, 1 tsp basil, 1 tsp oregano, 2 tbsp Parmesan, 1 tsp lemon zest, and season with sea salt and freshly ground pepper to taste. Mix well.
3. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and top with a wire rack. Spray rack with nonstick cooking spray.
4. Remove each piece of chicken from the marinade, letting the excess drip off. Press into breadcrumb mixture until well coated on both sides. Place on wire rack.
5. Bake until chicken is crisp, about 50-55 minutes.
6. While chicken is baking, make creamed corn, first by combining whipping cream, corn, 1/4 tsp salt, sugar, and 1/2 tsp freshly ground pepper in a pot and bring to boil. Simmer 5 minutes.
7. Whisk extra virgin olive oil and flour in a small saucepan over medium-low heat until you have a roux. Add to corn, and mix well until corn mixture is thickened and creamy. Remove from heat.
8. Transfer corn mixture to a casserole dish, sprinkle with 3 tbsp fresh Parmesan, and brown under broiler for 5-8 minutes. Enjoy with fictitious fried chicken and sauteed veggies!

Turkey bacon cream cheese puff pastry bites

Bite-sized appetizers are a surefire method to entice the stomach to grumble for the main course, whatever it may be. These savory turkey bacon cream cheese puff pastries are one of the first creations I attempted in the kitchen adapted from a magazine clipping, back in my early teen years. I had forgotten about them until recently when my sweet auntie and little cousins requested them for a spontaneous tea party. Not only are they easy to make, but their bitty size, endearing shape, and flavor-packed taste make them a flaky and comforting winner at get-togethers of all sorts. Perhaps these shall make it onto our Thanksgiving menu this year!

Turkey Bacon Cream Cheese Puff Pastry Bites
Ingredients:
16 oz crescent roll dough
8 oz reduced-fat cream cheese
8 slices turkey bacon, cooked until crisp, crumbled
1/4 cup onion, minced
2 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
1/3 cup fresh Parmesan cheese
1 tbsp fat-free milk

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a large bowl, mix cream cheese, turkey bacon, onion, parsley, Parmesan, and milk until well blended. Set aside.
2. Divide crescent roll dough into 4 rectangles. Spread each rectangle evenly with 2 tbsp cream cheese mixture.
3. Cut each rectangular piece of dough into six smaller rectangles. Cut each of the six small rectangles diagonally into triangular wedges. Fold a side of each triangle down so that there is a flap of dough over the cream cheese mixture.
4. Place puff pastry bites onto a greased baking sheet. Bake for about 12 minutes, until golden brown. Serve immediately.

Gourmet caramel apples

When we moseyed on over to the apple orchard over the weekend, we inevitably picked too many apples to eat on our own. Though many remedy that situation by turning them into apple-centric baked goods, I'm not the biggest fan of apple pies or tarts. I enjoy the flavor of fresh apples, and I love when that tart and crisp flavor is encased in caramel and other confections. Candied apples are the best way to eat an apple, methinks. In fact, I am the biggest fan of these cheesecake apples, and used to succumb to them so often that dear friends would give me gift certificates for them for my birthday or for Christmas. So I thought it might be fun to make candied apples. It was my first time concocting them, and they were so simple to make, and thoroughly tasty, primarily because we used the crisp and tart heirloom Winesap apples we picked, which were perfect for caramel apples. The confectionery possibilities are endless with the variety of chocolate, chopped nuts, candies, and cookies out there, but I made cheesecake apples (because they're my favorite), and chocolate Butterfinger apples (because they're the husband's favorite). The husband has declared that we shall never buy a caramel apple ever again. I served them at a dinner party over the weekend, and had enough to bestow unto friends too. To spruce up their festivity, I wrapped the sticks with baker's twine, put the caramel apples in decorative goodie bags, and decorated the packages with washi tape and personalized manila tags. These gourmet caramel apples are perfect for the upcoming holidays, especially Thanksgiving, and even today, for Halloween. Happy Halloween!

Gourmet Caramel Apples
Ingredients:
6 medium apples (Winesap or Granny Smith varieties are best)
3 pairs of wooden take-out chopsticks or 6 wooden popsicle sticks
Homemade caramel or 1 11 oz. pkg caramel bits and 2 tbsp water
Chopped nuts (e.g. toasted almonds, pecans)
Crushed cookies (I used graham crackers)
Crushed candies (I used Butterfinger)
White chocolate chips
Milk chocolate chips
Dark chocolate chips

Directions:
1. Wash apples thoroughly, remove stems, and insert sticks in through the stem end. If your apples have a natural wax coating (which most apples do), dunk them quickly in a pot of boiling water to remove the wax. Dry thoroughly and refrigerate apples overnight (which will allow the caramel to harden more quickly the next day).
2. If using caramel bits, put them in a large bowl with 2 tbsp water and microwave in 30 second increments. Stir well after each interval until melted and warm, approximately 2 1/2 minutes. If using homemade caramel, melt in the microwave in 30 second increments. Stir well after each interval until melted and warm.
3. Dunk each apple into caramel, swirling to coat the apple, and spooning caramel over the apple if necessary. Let excess caramel drape off, and scrape off excess with a spoon. Caramel will continue to pool at the bottom of the caramel, so scrape off excess as much as possible.
4. For cheesecake apples, roll caramel apples in crushed graham cracker bits. Press in with hands to help the bits set. Place on a sheet of parchment paper coated with cooking spray. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes to chill and set. Melt white chocolate chips in 1 minute intervals in the microwave for 2 minutes. Stir well at each interval until melted. Spoon melted white chocolate into a Ziploc baggie. Cut a tiny corner off of the baggie. Use baggie as an icing piping bag. Drizzle white chocolate swirls all over your graham cracker caramel apple. Let candied apples dry on parchment paper and refrigerate - they will keep for up to 1 week. Enjoy!
5. For chocolate Butterfinger apples, roll caramel apples in crushed Butterfinger candies. Press in with hands to help the candy bits set. Place on a sheet of parchment paper coated with cooking spray. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes to chill and set. Melt milk and/or dark chocolate chips in 30 second intervals in the microwave for 1 1/2 minutes. Stir well at each interval until melted. Spoon melted chocolate into a Ziploc baggie. Cut a tiny corner off of the baggie. Use baggie as an icing piping bag. Drizzle milk and/or dark chocolate swirls all over your Butterfinger caramel apple. Let candied apples dry on parchment paper and refrigerate - they will keep for up to 1 week. Enjoy!