So nice, we had it twice.

It had to happen again.  It was just TOOOOO much of 'love at first bite.'  And since yesterday was suppose to be the coldest day of the week (around 43!  NOT in the low 20's as per usual in January in NJ), I figured I'd take advantage and make Lasagna soup again!

Not since Baked Caprese Salad has a dish had us so smittned that we had to have it TWICE IN ONE WEEK! 

AKA.-Make this one N-O-W!!!!!!!!!!!

My few little 'change ups' for last night:

1.- I found this cheese & garlic chicken sausage (45% less fat than regular sausage) at the grocery store yesterday.... 

I had sent Scott to the store to get 'turkey sausage' last time and the only thing with the word 'turkey' on it was apparently kielbasa! hahahahahhahaha...I have to say, both were just as good as the other, thoughJ

2.-I filled AND topped our bowls with the last of the leftover "Quattro Formaggio" for a little extra tangy CHEESE KICK! 

3.-And finally, along with my rotini pasta, I also threw in a couple handfuls of Orecchiette pasta.  This created....READY??????????? ....LITTLE CUPS OF CHEESE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 

oooooooooooooooooooo yeaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!

So that wraps up what I have for you today.  But no worries!  I'll have a NEW recipe to share with you tomorrow.  Complete with a boat load of memories from on of our FAVORITE. TRIPS. EVER!

Have a great, Tuesday!

Back on Track...albeit, a bit more tired ;)

Hey everyone!  Hope you guys had a great weekend.  Ours flew by in a flurry of painting, parties and...Chinese foodJ  But I thought I'd show you my favorite recipe from the last few days! 

Remember I said I had a good idea for pizza???  Well...how does Caramelized onion & Leek pie sound??

We started off by caramelizing 3 onions.  Which means dicing them up and letting them cook on low heat, stirring frequently for about 20 minutes or until they go from this...

...to this!  Golden brown deliciousnessJ

Once the onions were cooked, I tossed in a few handfuls of diced leeks (the last of our "freezer reserves"...sniff, sniff!)

While the leeks & onions were cooking, I rolled the dough out and baked it for a bit to crisp up the bottom.  For some reason the homemade dough took longer to cook than the store bough, so I wanted to give it a head start.  But don't let it cook too long!  The dough starts to bubble and shrink when there's nothing on top to weigh it down.   

Once it was browned a bit, I added a layer of diced garlic...

...and a layer of cheese.  This time I went with the "Quattro Formaggio": a mix of provolone, asiago & fontina.  I thought it would add a little ZIP to the white pieJ

...and finally, topped it off with the leeks & onions.  Making sure to ALSO layer those ALL the way to the edgesJ

Popped into a 450 degree oven until the cheese was melty & gooey.  My first bite literally produced an "oh my God"...it was just so FLAVOR PACKED with all the sweet & tangy onions and gooey, salty cheese.  Yummmmm...another good pizza in our arsenalJ

And in other news for Monday, my workout schedule...which I got BACK ON TRACK after last week!

Monday:  1+ hours beginners power yoga

Wednesday:  1+ hours Power yoga (my new favorite class!  The teacher teaches this class like it's 'yoga dance.'  Lots of different & unique poses and lots of movement.  Love, love, love!)

Thursday:  3 mile "Walk away the pounds" with 4 pound weights + 1 round of 8 pound weights  (interrupted by stepping on a piece of glass...awesome)

Friday:  1+ hour Power Yoga class

Sunday:  40 minute walk in the park + 1 round of 8 pound weights

Not sure if it was my 'slower paced' week prior OR it being my 35th week of pregnancy, but this week certainly felt like more of a challenge.  Even the walk in the park took my breath away a bit easier than before.  Oh well, I do what I can do and that's all we can EVER do, right??

Well, that about wraps it up for me!  Hope you guys are ready for the week ahead.  Looks like it's suppose to be a gorgeous one in NJ.  Scott & I didn't end up taking Penny for a walk last night until nearly 5:00 and said how ODD that was to be able to do that on JANUARY 29th!!!!!!  We would have been bundled up in the house slurping some variation of soup by 5:00 normally this time of year.  Hope those Mayans weren't right!J

Have a good Monday, everyone!

Warm & Cheesy. Do I have your attention?? ;)

So I'm TRULY starting to believe that when you are pregnant, you take on all of the characteristics of an infant & child.  You have your days & nights mixed up, you can't figure out how to get comfortable, you cry occasionally for absolutely no reason whatsoever and my example of the day:  the ever present mystery for kid's love of food one day and then their non-interest in it the next.  I have gone through that faze with Doritos (thankfully, that passed quickly!), orange mango juice and lots of other stuff.  HADDDDDD to have it in my fridge & pantry 24 hours a day...then one day I would just wake up & have ZERO interest anymore.  I say all of this to you because apparently it's STILL going onJ

Last week, I couldn't LIVE THE DAY without a couple of these...

Wheat + Flax pancakes = my nirvana last week.

This week??  Be goneJ

Back in the picture this week???  Ye ole green favorite.  This takes me about 3 minutes to whirl together and even THAT was NOT FAST ENOUGH yesterday morning.  I have a bizarre "caged animal" craving for spinach when I get on a kick of these!

And even though their not as 'natural,' I must say I LOVEEEE making these with the vanilla protein powder over the peanut butter sometimes.  It REALLY takes them up to 'milkshake' proportions.

In review:

• 1 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk
• 1 scoop vanilla protein powder (or 1 tablespoon peanut butter)
• 1/2 scoop chia seeds
• 1 frozen banana
• 1/4 cup dry instant oats
• a packed blender of spinach

BLEND & LOVE!

ANYYYWAAYY after all that breakfast talk, I have something else VERY important to share with you.  Not only did we have yet ANOTHER awesome CHEESY dinner last night...but I may have just discovered my ALL TIME SECOND FAVORITE SOUP (behind Baked Potato, of course)

LASAGNA SOUP!!!!!!  And while this may look like an innocent bowl of deliciousness, just wait for the big SURPRISE at the endJ

You start off by browning up the good stuff:

• 1 pound diced sausage
• 2 diced onions
• 4 minced garlic cloves
• 2 tablespoons oregano

Then it's time for the 'soup' ingredients:

• 6 cups chicken broth
• 1 28oz. can diced tomatoes
• 1 small can tomato paste
• 2 bay leaves

Bring the soup to a boil and let it simmer for 30 minutes...

Then it's time to add your pasta for about 8-9 minutes.  Be sure to check frequently...you don't want your noodles to be too al dente OR too mushy! 

I used rotini because of the curls, but you can use whatever you have on hand (about 1/2 a box).

And when the noodles were just about done, I threw in a couple handfuls of torn FRESH basil...ahhhhhh...what a scentJ

And are you ready for the SURPRRRIIISEEEE PART OF THE SOUP??????

You mix 8 oz. of ricotta with 1/2 cup of Parmesan cheese, salt & pepper and add a dollop to the bottom of each bowl.

Along with a little sprinkle of mozzarella cheese!!!!  DOUBLE CHEESE = YES, PLEASE!

Once the pasta was cooked and the soup was thickened, I ladled it on top of the cheeeeeeesssseeeeeee.....

....and added just another sprinkle of mozzarella for good measure!

Woah...like, hella woah was this outstanding!  OK...so I took this picture RIGHT after I ladled the soup and before I really chowed down.  But once I did and the cheese got all meltyyyyy...you literally needed a bib to keep your clothes from being stained by loooooooooonnnnnnngggggggg strands of stringy cheese.  THAT combined with the melty ricotta...heaven, I tell you people, HEAVEN!

I already can't wait to make this AGAIN.  This is gonna be a FALL/WINTER staple in our house, I guarantee!!!  Try this on the next chilly day...which may or may not be soon here in NJ!!

And in the "just. so. wrong." category:  My dessert was a few squares of this little number that I picked up on the VERY BOTTOM of the 'impulse purchase' shelf at Trader Joe's...

Yes...that as in DARK CHOCOLATE FILLED WITH THE MOST MAGICAL OF INGREDIENTS:  COOKIE BUTTER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  So wrong.  So right.

Well, I think I yammered enough for today folks!  Have a good Thursday!

We have a winner...

Soooo I told you yesterday that dinner was one item on Scott's 'not a fan' list.  What would you think that would be??

Hummus with tabbouli?  Nope...he loves it.

Polenta with pumpkin, spinach & white bean?  Nope...we have this at least once every few months.

Instead on Scott's short list of non-favorites, the one that I had yet to crack was......ready????....

MAC & CHEESE!

I KNOW!  In the gaggle of foods we've learned to cook & love since we started living together, that is one food I could never sneak on the menu without a crinkled nose and a "eeeeeeh."  (the other being CHICKEN POT PIE, which I think he's finally come around toJ)  But when I spotted this recipe for Cheesy Couscous in Rachael Ray's magazine, I thought I might finally have found the components to welcome 'mac & cheese' into our houseJ

The main selling point was that we weren't having MAC & cheese, but rather COUSCOUS & cheese!  This somehow made it 'safe,' and that is A-OK with me! 

While I boiled up some Israeli couscous for about 4 minutes, I also...

...crisped up some bacon and set it aside to drain... 

And into the 'bacon pan' went 1/2 bag of roasted corn & 3 chopped scallions.  I mixed it all together and let it cook for a couple minutes.

Once the couscous was cooked, I drained it and added it to the corn while I worked on the next part... 

THE CHEESE SAUCE!

Ohhhhh yesJ  First I made a quick roux by whisking together 2 tablespoons of melted butter & 2 tablespoons of flour.  Let that cook for a few minutes before adding about 1/2 cup of chicken broth and 3/4 cup 1% milk.  Let this simmer for a few minutes to thicken up. 

Next, it was time to add the good stuff!  1 cup of cheddar cheese.... 

...and my secret weapons:  4 torn slices of smoked gouda, a few dashes of Worcestershire sauce, a sprinkle of garlic powder & sea salt.   

ohhhhhhhh yeahhhhhhhhhh.... 

Let it all cook together until the cheese is melted & the sauce is thickened.  And then it's time for.....

Couscous to meet cheese sauce.....yummmmmmmmmmmm! 

Oh man...could this even BE bad??  Smokey & creamy cheese sauce mixed with chewy couscous and studded with corn, scallions and BACON????  Talk about over the top while still feeling NOT too heavy.  LOVEEEEEEE this dish.  So much in fact that it's currently a struggle not to run to the fridge and chow down on the leftoversJ 

And guess who ELSE was a fan????? 

We have a winner!!!!!J

Soooo another 50+ degree day on tap for Jersey today.  So what's on the menu for tonight??  SOUP.  I'm just ALL sorts of messed up this weekJ  That snow sent me off and running for cozy ingredients....EXCEPT on the one day that snow was still on the ground....heheheheheheJ  Oh well, at least their all tastyJ

Have a good MIDWEEK everyoneJ

Missed the memo...

So yesterday was the EPITOME of 'winter nights.'  It wasn't cold, but what it WAS was damp, rainy, gloomy & foggy.  So please explain why I chose last night to have not only a CLASS-A "summer dinner," but also gave up lounging on the couch to drive to the gym in the fog??  Guess ye ole bod craves what it craves & weather be damned...hahahahhhahahaha....

And our 'summer in the dead of winter dinner' last night?  Golden corn salad with fresh basil

I think I was drawn to this recipe at the moment because it had TONS of fresh veggies...but the MAIN one??  Potatoes!  And I think you may know how much I LOVEEEE potatoes right nowJ 

The base of the salad consisted of:

• Diced red potatoes, boiled for 10 minutes & cooled
• Roasted halved cherry tomatoes, cooled
• 1 diced red pepper
• 1/2 bag frozen corn

I mixed the potato & corn mix with some fresh dressing....

Whisk together:

• 1 diced shallot
• 3 tablespoons white balsamic vinegar
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

I love, love, love making my own dressing.  Not only do you KNOW what you're eating and none of it involves corn syrup & crazy ingredients (like some bottled dressings), but it tastes just sooooo light, fresh and flavorful.  Oh...and did I mention it only takes about 3 minutes to make??  Bonus!

Next, I mixed the potato/corn/dressing mixture with a bag of lettuce....this time some spring mix (on sale for $1 this week at the AcmeJ) 

And finally, the KEY reason this dish is super summer worthy:  Chopped fresh basil.... 

I look forward to summer in ZERO capacity, but for whatever reason, the scent of the basil made me weak in the kneesJ  It just smelled SO. DAMN. DELICIOUS!

Top this bad boy off with a little herbed garlic goat cheese and you are ready to roll! 

Bright, vibrant, super textures & majorly healthy = GO MAKE THIS SALAD NOW!  Ok, Ok...you can wait a few monthsJ  But if you're looking for a quick, fresh dinner...give this one a whirl.  It's so light & delicious.

Well, the sun has returned today...so what's for dinner tonight???  COZY!!  hahahahhahahaa....I'm actually SUPER excited about my dinner recipe tonight!  It's nothing overly extravagant, but it might be a fun way to get Scott to eat one of my favorites that he doesn't really love...but he might like this one!

Have a good Tuesday, everyoneJ

Warm & Cozy Sunday...

Sooooo....my biggest project of late has been trying to get the baby's room in order...ya know, before they graduate kindergartenJ  And this week we finally chose a paint color.  The irony?  It's called 'Baked Scone'....appropriate, right??J

Photo source

So in honor of our first 'snow Sunday' of the year!...

...and OUR little baked sconeJ, Scott whipped up a batch of...what else??  Pumpkin sconesJ 

My lunch has been the same lunch I've had for the last...hmmmm.....4 days, I think??  Strawberry & Pineapple smoothie.  I'm obsessed! 

Blended up:

• 1 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk
• 1 scoop vanilla Protein Powder (I use Biggest Loser Vanilla Bean)
• 1/2 scoop chia seeds
• Frozen Strawberries
• Frozen Pineapple
• 1 tablespoon honey

These keep me full the ENTIRE AFTERNOON.  Could be the protein powder & chia combo...OR my shrinking stomachJ hahahhhahahahha....

And finally for dinner, between the snow AND the dueling playoff football games, I could just FEEL that homemade pizza HAD to happen!  I whipped up some quick pizza dough with help from my bread machine...

• 1 & 3/4 cup cold water
• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 4 cups bread flour
• 1 packet yeast
• salt

I let the bread machine do all of the 'dirty work' of the mixing and kneading and then I let it sit for about 2 hours before rolling it out onto my baking sheet. 

ps-the recipe made 3 more dough 'loaves'. They are going RIGHT in my freezer for a quick dinner next time....which will probably be at the end of this weekJ I have a gooooood pizza idea...mwahaha!

Ironically, I made my own dough...but bought my pizza sauceJ  This was one my Grandmom always used...so if it was good enough for her, it's good enough for usJ 

I topped the pizza with the sauce, a gaggle of garlic...

...and per Scott's request, his side got a sprinkle of peppers & onions.  These ones from TJ's go from frozen to warmed in the pan in mere minutes.  Perfect for a quick dinner topper. 

Finally, Scott took on the job of sprinkling the mozzarella very seriouslyJ  He said it's ESSENTIAL to spread all of the toppings RIGHT TO THE EDGE.  No messin around from this one! 

15 minutes at 450 and we were in business.  I have to say AGAIN that Scott's side was the winner.  The peppers & onions reallllly made the pizza! 

And finally, what's a snowy/football Sunday without a homemade dessert??  And since I have been craving homemade brownies since...hmmm...NOVEMBER, I finally caved in and made a batch of frosted & cream cheese filled.  H-A-P-P-Y! 

So that wraps up my weekend!  The only other thing I have to share is my workout schedule. 

Ummmmmm...but did I mention about getting the baby's room together??  Yeah...most of my workouts last week ended up coming from lugging the likes of couch cushions, old books & computer parts up & down the steps dozens of times a dayJ hahahahhahahaha  I did manage to squeeze two power yoga workout classes into the week, which held me over enough to keep my eating in check, but cleaning took over all things last weekJ hehehehehehhehehehe

Anyway!  Hope you guys had a nice, relaxing weekend and are ready for the week ahead.  Have a great Monday!