Bacon, Eggs, Toast....

... does it get any better for breakfast? YES IT DOES!!! I've recently become addicted to the website pinterest.com. I don't know if you've seen it, use it or even heard of it but it's a great way to share the things you love with people and to learn about new things. I have a board on their called NOM NOM... it's all about FOOD. Not too long ago I saw a friend pin something to her food board that intrigued me so I pinned it to mine. It was a Martha Stewart recipe for breakfast. They are called Bacon, Egg and Toast Cups and they looked amazing, so I gave them a try.



Just click on the link above to see how to do it step by step. I made some little variations to mine in order to suit my flavour palate( Chipotle Tobasco, smaller pieces of bacon and fresh, shaved Parmesan on top). I also slightly overcooked mine (I got distracted by laundry and dishes and didn't keep close enough of an eye on them to bake just until the whites set). They were DELICIOUS and I think it's something you could do with kids (so easy to assemble) and yet they look all fancy, schmancy so you could do them for a brunch and really impress friends.

Happy Eating!

My Kind of Carbonara

Having just got back from Italy, I still crave the delicious food there and want to be able to make some on my own. On of my favourite pasta sauces is the incredibly UNHEALTHY but DELICIOUS carbonara. I love the rich creaminess and the bacon... oh the bacon!! ;) So since I have some of that deliciousness in my freezer and I know how to make a simple cream sauce I went ahead and made it with some little twists.

You will need:

bacon (mine is frozen so it's easy to chop and you don't need to measure, just as much as you think you'd like... I guess I had about a handful of chopped bacon - enough for 2 people)
a pat of butter
about 1 1/2 cups of milk
1 tablespoon of flour (as a thickening agent, although if you can't have wheat or gluten, you can use whatever alternative works best for you)
1 egg
tabasco (I used the Chipotle one so that I could have that smoky flavour... so yum... and this you need to add to your own spice specifications)
a dash of oregano and a dash of basil and a dash of fresh garlic
cooked pasta for 2

I started by sauteing the bacon in the butter until the butter was brown and the bacon got crispy.

I also sauteed the herbs and tobasco in at this point.

Then I added the milk and flour that were already combined with each other. Now you have to stir constantly.

In went the egg, still stirring...

Now in goes the cooked pasta, still stirring...


Plate it up and EAT!! YUMMMMMY!!!!

Smoothie Madness

I know I've posted about smoothies before but I haven't been really that good at actually making them Typically I like to have a smoothie for breakfast and in the mornings I am often too tired or slow moving to actually make the smoothies and then the fruit goes off so quickly here since it is picked ripe as it's grown within Turkey and there is no need to pick it early and let it ripen. So, long story short, I never end up making smoothies I love so much... so I came up with a simple solution (even for a teeny tiny freezer such as mine): make the fruit and yogurt part up, bag them and freeze them. That way in the mornings all I need to do is throw the contents of the baggie in the blender with a little juice or soy milk and instant, HEALTHY breakfast!! YAH. Here is what it looked like to do this:




It was great fun because I got to play with a lot of different flavour combos, no two baggies is alike and there are 8 of them... that's a lot of yummy breakfasts for me!!

Happy Eating!

Italians REALLY do do pizza best!!

So I am in Naples, the home of PIZZA among other great traditional Italian foods that are eaten in other locations around the world. Today is my FIRST day in Naples and I hit the ground running, so to speak.

One of the things I was really excited to do here was to eat a Margarita pizza. I even wanted to try and eat it at the famous Pizzeria Da Michele (yes, the one that is in the movie Eat, Pray, Love). As I was wandering the streets today (basically I was lost... let's be honest), I stumbled upon said pizzeria and decided to try and find my way back (being that it was 10 am and just too early for pizza). Lucky for me, the chaotic streets of Naples have some order to them and after doing a little shopping and sight seeing, I was able to get back there for about 1:30. It looked like this outside:

Not knowing the procedure for how to get a seat or get food, I simply went inside and to the man at the cash. He asked how many I wanted to seat and I said that it was just me. Well, minutes later I was seated and my bira was placed in front of me (Italian beer is VERY light).

My pizza took a little longer and I'm pretty sure that my adorable singing waiter actually gave my order to another table at least once, but I'm not mad. The place was popping with people and pretty much everyone was getting the same thing. Hard to keep track really. Eventually, this:

was laid before me. *sigh of gargantuan happiness* If you are looking for crispy pizza, don't come to Italy. The tomato sauce is the most flavourful and plain sauce I've ever had.. it's very wet never mind all the water that comes off the FRESH mozzarella cheese, there is just a tiny bit of basil (I wish there was a tiny bit more) and then they drizzle olive oil over it. So needless to say the dough is a little soggy and a knife and fork are required for eating... but its SOOOOOOO good!!! The dough is a little salty and chewy and the flavours are... well... perfect. In a word, I could eat this meal every day while I'm here, and I just might since it only costs 6 Euros including the drink and I was so full that I couldn't finish... and I tried... trust me, I tried!!!

Nummy, Yummy Potatoes

I forgot to take a picture (I was rushing out the door with these little gems hot from the oven).

Here is what I did:

I sliced potatoes and purple onions (as many or as little as you like... I know, I know it's very irritating for the exact measuring people out there), about enough to do 2 thin layers of each in a 9"X13" Pyrex baking dish.

Then in a big pot I made a roux with butter (melted and almost about to turn brown), garlic (powdered or real), flour and milk. I melted the butter and sautéed the garlic first. Then I added the flour until I had a thick paste. Then I added the milk slowly until I had a smooth and slightly thick sauce. Do not let it boil. I then added smoked guyere cheese and some regular white cheddar cheese. I continued to cook and stir until the cheese was all melted. I put this on top of my potatoes and then sprinkled more cheese and some chopped up bacon on top. Cover with foil and toss in the oven at 350* F or 175/200*C for about an hour. Take the foil off the top for an additional 10 minutes at the end and serve... it was rich, cheesy, buttery, smoky goodness!!!

Happy Eating!

Best Chicken Soup EVER!!

So my friend Jordan is the soup king around here. He makes the most amazing soups and while I tend not to make a lot of soups, I've gained a new appreciation of them and just how many flavours you can build into a soup. Well, Jordan was away for a little while and his poor girlfriend, also my friend, Charity was surviving on cereal (or at least that is what I tell myself in justification for making the soup for us). She invited me over to watch a movie and I offered to make dinner.

I jetted home and put this together (makes enough for 2-4 people depending on portion sizes):

1/3 cup chopped up chorizo
1/3 cup diced purple onion
2 cloves finely chopped/minced garlic
2 or 3 chicken thighs chopped up
1 medium sized carrot sliced thickly
1 medium potato cubed
2 or 3 mushrooms chopped up
1 or 2 cubes of chicken bouillon
1 small can of corn
a sprinkle of dill, cayenne pepper and oregano
1 tbsp olive oil.
1 litre water

I put the olive oil into the pot and got it good and hot, added the chorizo, garlic, onions and mushrooms to sautee. Then I tossed in the chicken cubes in order to get them good and browned. Then I added the water, spices and other ingredients. I brought it all to a boil for a few minutes and then let it simmer for about 1 1/2 hours. I thought it was super tasty and my dinner guinea pig seemed to agree! :) No pictures this time, sorry!!

Happy Eating!

Quick and Easy Pasta

I love a pasta dish (perhaps it's the Italian in me) and while I love the fancy ones, sometimes something simple and tasty is just what I need. The other night, I felt like I could really use a yummy dish that was simple to make and so I threw together some ingredients and this is what I came up with:


All it has is whole wheat bow tie pasta, chopped and sauteed chorizo sausage, blue cheese (just a little for creamy texture and flavour), oregano, dill and some small chunks of cheese that get all melty when you stir them in with the pasta. It was a quick dish that was easy to make and SOOOOOooooooOOOOOO tasty!!

Happy Eating!