Mushroom Thyme Pot Pies

Now, to be clear, these were SUPER YUMMY...but...

They were just too much dang work. Even when I wasn't a mom, these would have been too much work in my opinion. I will use the dough in the future for a different pot pie, but I will not be putting in 3 days worth of work for something like this again.

Please note the Picture is not mine. This is the photo from Bon Appetit Magazine that made me want to make them.

Mushroom Thyme Pot Pies

Ingredients

Makes 8 Servings

Dough

2¼ cups all-purpose flour

1½ teaspoon kosher salt

½ cup (1 stick) chilled unsalted butter, cut into pieces

1 large egg, beaten to blend

1 tablespoon distilled white vinegar

Mushroom Gravy

2 tablespoons olive oil

5 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided

1 medium onion, chopped

1 tablespoon tomato paste

1 pound crimini mushrooms, stems trimmed, quartered

½ cup dry sherry

4 cups low-sodium chicken broth

¼ cup dried porcini mushrooms

3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

Assembly

½ fennel bulb, chopped (I used a bit of fennel seed with celery instead)

1 cup red pearl onions, peeled (I just used diced white)

3 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided

Kosher salt, freshly ground pepper

2 sprigs thyme, plus leaves for serving

8 ounces oyster or maitake mushrooms (I just used crimini)

All-purpose flour (for surface)

1 large egg

Flaky sea salt

Special Equipment

Eight 6-oz. ramekins

 

Preparation

Dough – I made this on Monday before I made this dish on Wednesday

Whisk flour and salt in a large bowl. Work in butter with your fingers until only pea-size pieces remain. Combine egg, vinegar, and ⅓ cup ice water in a small bowl and drizzle over flour mixture; quickly work in with your fingers until a shaggy dough forms.

Turn out dough onto a work surface and press together, working just enough to form a smooth ball with no dry spots. Wrap in plastic and chill until very cold, at least 2 hours.

Do Ahead: Dough can be made 3 days ahead. Keep chilled.

Mushroom Gravy – I made this on Sunday before I made this dish on Wednesday

Heat oil and 2 Tbsp. butter in a medium saucepan over medium. Cook onion, stirring occasionally, until very soft, 10–12 minutes. Add tomato paste and cook, stirring often, until color darkens and paste completely coats onion, about 1 minute. Add button mushrooms and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened and any liquid has evaporated, 12–15 minutes. Add sherry and cook until almost completely evaporated, about 5 minutes. Add broth and porcini mushrooms. Bring to a simmer and cook until reduced by half (about 2½ cups), about 1 hour. Strain mushroom broth through a fine-mesh sieve into a medium bowl, pressing down on solids; discard solids.

Heat remaining 3 Tbsp. butter in a large saucepan over medium. Whisk in flour and cook, whisking often, until flour begins to smell nutty, about 4 minutes. Whisking vigorously to prevent lumps, add mushroom broth and increase heat to medium-high. Bring to a simmer and cook 1 minute. Remove from heat.

Do Ahead: Gravy can be made 3 days ahead. Let cool; cover and chill.

Assembly - I assembled them on Tuesday before baking them on Wednesday

Place a rack in middle of oven; preheat to 425°. Combine fennel, onions, 1 Tbsp. butter, and 1 cup water in a small saucepan; season with kosher salt and pepper. Bring to a boil over medium-high, cover, and reduce heat. Simmer until fennel and onions are crisp-tender, 5–8 minutes. Uncover; cook until liquid evaporates, 15–18 minutes. Let cool.

Heat remaining 2 Tbsp. butter in a large skillet over medium. Cook thyme sprigs and mushrooms, tossing occasionally, until mushrooms are browned and tender, 6–8 minutes. Let cool; pluck out thyme.

Divide fennel mixture and mushrooms among ramekins. Spoon gravy over top. Divide dough in half. Working with one at a time, roll out to ¼" thick. Cut out 2 rounds about ½" wider than the diameter of ramekins. Gather up scraps, reroll, and cut out 2 more rounds (for 8 total).

Whisk egg, a pinch of kosher salt, and 1 tsp. water in a small bowl. Brush dough with egg wash; place over ramekins, brushed side down. Press firmly around sides to adhere. Brush tops of dough with egg wash; sprinkle with thyme leaves and sea salt. Set pot pies on a rimmed baking sheet and bake until crusts are golden brown and domed, 25–35 minutes.

Do Ahead: Pot pies (without brushing outside of pastry and topping) can be assembled 1 day ahead. Cover pot pies and extra egg wash separately and chill.

Fondue dinner!

Finally got in the mood to do some coking again after a 3 month hiatus of doing anything outside of my family standards which I have already posted on. I was reminded by my dear friend "Hey what happened to you blog?" so I figured it was time to post, even if there wasn't a lot of content.


This past week I made Fondue cuz it is cold and it was appropriate. I served it with a side salad which I totally didn't eat. Ain't no one got time for salad when cheese is on the line!

Classic Swiss Fondue

Ingredients

½ clove of garlic

4-6 fluid oz. dry white wine

1 teaspoon lemon juice

8 oz. grated Gruyere cheese

8 oz. grated Emmental Cheese

1 teaspoon cornstarch 

1 tablespoon kirsch

Method

Rub inside of the fondue pot with cut clove of garlic and put wine and lemon juice into the fondue pot and heat over medium heat until bubbling

Reduce heat and carefully stir in the grated cheese. Keep stirring always until the cheese is melted and well combined. This takes a long time but do not be tempted to turn up the heat. Just Keep Stirring

Blend Cornstarch with kirsch in a small bowl and then add to cheese mixture. Cook for another 2 – 3 mins, stirring always. Do not let fondue come to a boil.

Transfer to table burner and serve.

Serve with:

Green apple

French bread

Mushrooms

Asparagus

Thai Peanut Sauce Chicken

So sometimes you just get a flavor that you crave and you can't stop craving it until you have some. That is what happened to me with this guy:

Thai Peanut Noodles

Ingredients

1 lb. whole wheat linguine or soba

1 recipe thai peanut sauce

½ oz. sesame seeds (optional)

½ bunch green onions, sliced

Instructions

Cook the pasta according to the directions on the box (boil for 10 minutes or until al dente). Meanwhile, slice the green onions.

Drain the pasta in a colander and then toss with Thai Peanut Sauce, sesame seeds and green onions while still warm. Eat and enjoy!

Thai Peanut Sauce

Ingredients

¾ cup natural style peanut butter

¼ cup coconut milk (optional)

juice from ½ a lime

1 inch fresh ginger, peeled, grated (optional)

1 clove garlic, minced $0.06

1 tsp sriracha sauce (rooster hot sauce)

1 Tbsp soy sauce

½ tsp sesame oil (optional)

1 Tbsp brown sugar

¼ bunch cilantro

¼ – ½ cup water

Instructions

Make sure your natural style peanut butter is thoroughly mixed before measuring (you don’t want to get all oil or all solids). In a blender or food processor combine all of the ingredients except the sriracha sauce. Begin with only ¼ cup of water and add more until you get the consistency you want (I used ½ cup total). Add the sriracha sauce a little at a time (blending between) until it is to your desired heat (I used about ½ tsp).

Enjoy the peanut sauce on salads, pasta or as a dipping sauce!

Black sesame seeds are so yummy.

This dish was super delish and incredibly easy as well. You should try to make this. I threw in some shredded chicken as it was already cooked and ready to be eaten, but it was not needed at all. One word of warning though, do eat it quickly. The next leftovers aren't better than the fresh as the sauce looses it spark.

Until next time...cook it up.

BFMH: Not quite to the recipe: Banana Chocolate Chip Bread

This is one of those Pinterest Recipes that I have been wanting to try for ages, but kept putting off for some reason. It was incredibly easy and has proven to be a rather solid substitution for the full recipe. 

Cake Mix Banana Bread

Ingredients

1 box Betty Crocker™ cake mix

1/3 cup oil

3 eggs

1 ½ cups mashed bananas (3-4 bananas)

I added 4 oz of chocolate chips that I had leftover

Directions

1 Heat oven to 350°F. Generously spray 2 (8x4-inch) loaf pans with cooking spray; lightly flour pans.

2 Select your favorite banana bread recipe variation from those below.

3 In large bowl, beat all ingredients above plus ingredients from selected variation below until well mixed. Divide batter evenly between pans.

4 Bake 45 to 55 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center of loaves comes out clean and inside of cracks do not look wet. Cool 15 minutes in pans on cooling racks. Remove loaves from pans to cooling racks. Cool completely, about 2 hours, to prevent crumbling when slicing. For easier slicing, store loaves tightly covered 24 hours. Cut with serrated knife, using a light sawing motion.



Look at that loaf, loafing about...

So I failed this loaf slightly. For some reason, last night, the formatting on my phone screen didn't show that I needed to add 3 eggs. I swear that I checked 2 different times because I was thinking, "GEE, this really should have some eggs in it...".  Whelp, I didn't triple check and so I didn't add any eggs. The good news is that it still taste really good! It has turned out to be a very delicate bread and very soft on the inside, but the flavor and texture are good. So we frozen the 2 loafs. Hopefully the cutting process of the frozen bread won't prove to be too difficult.

Creamy Tomato & Spinach Pasta

I hit up a really lovely Pasta thanks to Budget Bytes....again. She loves her Carbs and knows how to use them well.


This is called Creamy Tomato and Spinach Pasta and, boy, is it divine.

Creamy Tomato & Spinach Pasta

Ingredients
1 Tbsp olive oil $0.16 ($.10)
1 small onion $0.25 ($.29)
2 cloves garlic $0.16 ($.05)
1 (15 oz.) can diced tomatoes $0.59 ($.79)
½ tsp dried oregano $0.03
½ tsp dried basil $0.03
pinch red pepper flakes (optional) $0.02
freshly cracked pepper to taste $0.05
½ tsp salt $0.03
2 Tbsp tomato paste $0.11 ($.10)
2 oz. cream cheese $0.48 (Free from work left overs)
¼ cup grated Parmesan $0.42
½ lb. penne pasta $0.89 ($1.00)
1 pound fresh spinach $1.50 ($1.75)
Instructions
Bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook until tender (7-10) minutes. Drain the pasta in a colander.
While waiting for the pasta to cook, dice the onion and mince the garlic. Cook both in a large skillet with the olive oil over medium-low heat until softened and transparent (about 5 minutes).
Add the diced tomatoes (with juices), oregano, basil, red pepper flakes, salt, and some freshly cracked pepper to the skillet with the onions and garlic. Stir to combine. Add the tomato paste and a ½ cup of water to the skillet and stir until the tomato paste is dissolved into the sauce.
Turn the heat down to low. Cut the cream cheese into a few pieces and then add them to the skillet with the tomato sauce. Use a whisk to stir the sauce until the cream cheese has fully melted in and the sauce is creamy. Add half of the Parmesan to the skillet and whisk until it is melted in. Add the remainder of the parmesan and whisk until melted in again.
Add the fresh spinach and gently stir it into the sauce until it has wilted (3-5 minutes). Add the pasta and stir until it is well coated in the creamy tomato sauce. Taste and adjust the salt and pepper as needed. Serve warm.


Total for my version of the dish: $4.66 and by my math there are 10 “Ram size” servings in the dish so that makes a serving $.47.
Pigeon had 2 servings and I had 1 so we ate a very yummy meal for only $1.41 and we have enough for 3-6 upcoming meals (depends on who eats it)!

Gotta love the Parm!

Until next time....Cook It Up!

BFMH: Breakfast Club: Hashbrown Casserole

So I finally had a chance to get to bring in food for the Breakfast Club at work and I decided on this one:






Crockpot Hashbrown Casserole


Ingredients
1 - 26-32 ounce bag frozen hash browns
1 - 8 oz container sour cream
1 - 10.5 oz can cream of chicken soup
¼ - cup onion, chopped fine
1½ - cups shredded cheddar cheese
½ - cup butter, melted
salt and pepper, to taste (about ¼ teaspoon each)
Instructions
In a large bowl add the hash browns thawed or frozen, sour cream, soup, onion, shredded cheese and melted butter.
Mix to combine.
Spoon hash brown mixture in a 4 quart slow cooker that has been sprayed with non stick spray (I had put in a liner and sprayed the liner too).
Sprinkle salt and pepper on top cover, and cook on low for 4-5 hours or until done.
The casserole should be crispy on the sides and bubbly throughout.
Serve and enjoy!




and here is how it turned out:

Not low calorie, but it was a crowd pleaser. Any don't worry, Husband got some and he liked it as well.


Until next time....Cook it up

BFMH: Peaches and Cream Tacos

I found this idea and got really excited about it. So I decided to make it one morning to discover there were no tortillas in the house. Thus, I make a crepe to act as the tortilla.

No recipe today. Just sliced up peaches, mixed together cream cheese with cinnamon and sugar, and used my regular crepe recipe with a little less sugar to balance the cream cheese.

A loverly lite breakfast.

Cream Cheese with Cinnamon and Sugar? Yes, Please!

Look at that sexy color on that crepe. Work it, gurl...

Avocado Egg Rolls are amazeballs

I know you have ALL ordered this sort of dish before, but split it to not feel quite so much like a fatty. Now you can make them at home and now one has to know you ate ALL OF THEM.....

Avocado Egg Rolls

Ingredients

1 large avocado, peeled, pitted, & diced

2 tablespoons tomatoes, diced
1 tablespoon minced red onion
1 tablespoon corn
1⁄2 teaspoon fresh cilantro, chopped
1 pinch salt
3 egg roll wraps
1 egg, beaten
Method
Gently stir together avocado, tomatoes, onion, 1/2 teaspoon cilantro, and salt.
Distribute filling evenly onto center of each egg roll wrapper.
Position a wrapper so that a corner is pointing toward you; fold the bottom corner up, 1/4 of the way over the filling.
Brush remaining corners and edges of the wrapper with egg, roll up from side to side, fold top corner over all and press to seal.
Repeat with remaining wrappers.
Continue by deep-frying the egg rolls in 375 degree oil for 3-4 minutes, until golden brown.
Drain on brown paper bags.
Slice egg rolls diagonally across middle and enjoy!

Mine became a bit more like a guacamole...

Nothing about this was bad, except the calorie count.

Yes, they were as yummy as you think they would be. No, I will not order them at restaurants any more now that I can make them at home.
Until next time...Cook it up!

Green Beans and Onions of Yum

Another thing that really sells the summer to me is the magic of fresh vegetables. One veggie that really tickled my palate this year are Green Beans. MiL made some AMAZING versions of roasted green beans too, which definitely makes me want to eat all of them. This is a Tyler Florence recipe that I really like to use every year.

Green Beans with Onions and Crushed Almonds

Ingredients
Kosher salt
3 pounds green beans, trimmed of stem end
1/2 cup skin on sliced almonds
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 large onions, sliced thin
Freshly ground black pepper
Method:

Fill a large high sided skillet with some water, adding enough to be just shy of the rim of the pan by about 1 inch. Place over high heat and bring up to boil; add a big pinch of salt and the green beans. Cook for about 5 minutes, the beans should still be crisp. Drain the beans and then run them under some cold water to stop them from cooking. Reserve the beans while you start the onions.

Return the skillet you cooked the beans in to the cook top over medium heat. Add the almonds and toast stirring every now and then until golden, about 3 to 5 minutes. Remove the almonds from the skillet and reserve. Return the skillet to the heat and add the butter and olive oil and heat until the butter has melted. Add the onions, season with salt and pepper, and cook stirring frequently until the onions caramelize, 20 to 25 minutes. Add the cooked cooled green beans and almonds, and stir well to combine. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.




This dish is a one pot delight that everyone should try. Tyler Florence adds Thyme as well to his, but I don't care for that usually. You might love it though so give it a whirl!


Until next time...Cook it up!

The best Roasted Cauliflower EVER

This little Recipe has proven it self worthy of a post.

I would like to introduce to you, Parmesan Roasted Cauliflower with Garlic and Onion aka pure heaven.

Ingredients

1 head cauliflower

1 sliced medium onion

4 thyme sprigs

4 unpeeled garlic cloves

3 tablespoons olive oil

Kosher salt

Freshly ground black pepper

1/2 cup grated Parmesan

Preparation

Preheat oven to 425°F. Cut 1 head cauliflower into florets; toss on a large rimmed baking sheet with 1 sliced medium onion, 4 thyme sprigs, 4 unpeeled garlic cloves, and 3 tablespoons olive oil; season with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper. Roast, tossing occasionally, until almost tender, 35-40 minutes. Sprinkle with 1/2 cup grated Parmesan, toss to combine, and roast until cauliflower is tender, 10-12 minutes longer.

I would like to introduce to you, Parmesan Roasted Cauliflower with Garlic and Onion aka pure heaven.

nom nom nom

I was blown away by how delicious this was. Make it. For realz...

Until the next meal...Cook it up!

Beet Hummus

I am on a beet kick, I know. MiL has had a BUNCH come up from the garden so I have been working with them way more than I ever have before. This turned out to be a good spread for sandwiches, not for dipping. I would have a half batch next time and then make a batch of regular hummus with the other half a can of Garbanzos.

Here is a quick recipe (if you have a food processor) for Beet Hummus:

Ingrdeints:

1 cup beets

1 can garbanzo

3 cloves garlic

1 tbs lemon zest

1/4 lemon juice

Blend until smooth.

Food Processors make life SUPER easy.

While the taste is so-so, the color is amazing!

Until the next less than awesome dish...Cook it up!

Beets Citrus, Tomatoes, Oh My!

You have probably gathered that it is hot here in St Louis...like ick.

So here is another dish for those of us who find when it is over 95 degrees, you don't want to eat something hot.

Today's salad is made up of very basic (and chilled) ingredients:
Pickled Beets (pickled with Apple Cider Vinegar, Sugar, Salt and Cinnamon)
Mandarin Oranges (I got a can of them)
Tomatoes (Sliced and Deseeded)
and
Goat Cheese
with Balsamic Reduction

No, it isn't filling in the long run, but it saves you from bubble gut as I call it. When you get so warm after you have eaten, you feel like your stomach just keeps expanding every which way. OH, it's just me that gets that? Well, I like this dish for summer.

Until the next unbearable day....Cook it up!

Beet and goat cheese

This guys is SO easy and yet so yummy....

All you need is a bit of Goat Cheese, Balsamic Reduction, and a Roasted Beet and you are in heaven.

This is the reason I started to like beets in the first place.

Until next time...Cook it up!

Pickled Onions

So you have a red onion about to turn...what do you do? 

Make pickled onions, of course! 

Not the BEST picture, but dang are they tastey! 

The recipe was super easy:

1 medium red onion, finely sliced

1 cup water

1/2 cup apple cider vinegar

2 TBS honey

2 tsp salt

Let sit for at least 2 hours, then enjoy on samdwiches, salads, and tacos! 

Until next time...Cook it up!

BFMH: Strata

So we had a big grill day the other day so instead of using English muffins, I am using grilled bread and instead of ham, I am using pork sausage. This dish is LOOSELY based on this recipe I suppose.

English Muffin & Ham Breakfast Strata (adapted from a Martha Stewart recipe)

Cooking Spray

English Muffins

1/2 lb. sliced ham, or Canadian bacon, cut into halves

8 eggs

2 egg whites

2 cups milk

1/2 cup sour cream

1/4 cup parmesan cheese, shredded

2 1/2 cups cheddar cheese, shredded

Prepare 9x13 baking dish with cooking spray; set aside. In dish, alternately arrange muffin halves and meat, overlapping slightly. Sprinkle with cheddar and Parmesan cheeses. Set aside.
In a large bowl, whisk together eggs, egg whites, milk, sour cream and pepper until combined. Pour over muffin, ham and cheese layers.  Cover entire dish tightly with plastic wrap.  Refrigerate at least 2 hours and up to overnight.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Bake strata, uncovered, until puffed and set in the center, approximately 60-80 minutes.  If strata begins to brown before puffing up, cover loosely with foil to prevent burning.  Let stand 10 minutes before cutting and serving.

All the In Laws liked this dish. I really enjoyed the easiness of this dish. A great chio e for Christmas Morning of New Year's day. Gotta love the make ahead breakfasts.

BFMH: Egg Crust Pizza

Yup, thank you Kalyn's Kitchen, as always, for this great recipe, even though I took out the olives. I am always down to try carb less meals and such so this seemed like a great one to try.

Egg-Crust Breakfast Pizza with Pepperoni, Mozzarella, and Tomatoes
(Makes 1 or 2 servings, depending on what you serve it with; recipe created by Kalyn after lots of experiments that weren't quite "the one.")
Equipment:

You'll need an 8-inch nonstick omelet pan to make a breakfast pizza that looks like mine.  (When I used a bigger pan, I didn't like it as well with more egg.)

Ingredients:
1-2 tsp. olive oil (depending on your pan)
2 eggs, beaten well
4-5 small grape tomatoes, thinly sliced
6 slices turkey pepperoni, cut in half to make half-moon pieces (leave out for vegetarian)
1 oz. low-fat mozzarella, cut into small cubes
Spike Seasoning, to taste (about 1/2 tsp.)
dried oregano, to taste (about 1/4 tsp.)
Instructions:

Preheat broiler in oven or small toaster oven.  Break eggs into a small bowl and beat well. Slice tomatoes and olives, cut pepperoni in half, and cut mozzarella into small cubes. 

Add olive oil to the omelet pan and heat over medium heat until the pan is starting to get hot, about 1 minute.  Add the eggs, season with Spike Seasoning and oregano, and cook until eggs are starting to set on the bottom, about 2 minutes.

Sprinkle on half each of the tomatoes, pepperoni, and mozzarella, followed by a second layer with half of each.  (Be sure there is plenty of cheese on the top layer.)  Cover the pan and cook until the eggs are mostly set and cheese is starting to melt, about 3-4 minutes. 

Put pan under the broil and cook until the cheese is nicely melted and the top is starting to brown,  about 2-3 minutes with oven broiler or 4-5 minutes in a small toaster oven broiler.  Serve hot.

Well this was more work than I usually like to put forth for a basic breakfast, this was delicious! Nice and crisp crust with a cheese crispy top. I have been eye balling this recipe for quite awhile, but I hadn't made because I didn't have an appropriate pan. MiL had one for me and I am exceedingly happy I remembered this dish. If you are craving pizza, this is a solid substitute that isn't all the rigamaroll of a veggie crust.

Everything tastes better as a pie

So I don't know why this keeps popping up with I look up things that are low carb on Pinterest, but it does. The pie crust makes it obviously not low carb, but I decided to make it for my family any way.

Tomato Pie Recipe

Ingredients

1 pre-made or homemade pie crust
1 large sweet onion, sliced
5 - 6 very fresh, preferably farmer's market or garden tomatoes, sliced
1 cup mayonnaise (I halved it with Greek Yogurt)
1 cup cheddar cheese
1 teaspoon dried Italian herbs
1 cup sliced fresh mozzarella
salt and pepper

Method

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place pie crust in pie plate. Prick piecrust with a fork and pre-bake pie crust for 10 minutes. Arrange onions in the bottom of the pie in a circular formation. Then arrange sliced tomatoes, around in a circle, and some in the middle. Add salt and pepper. Combine mayonnaise, cheddar cheese and dried Italian seasonings in a small bowl. Mix well and spoon over tomatoes, leaving about 1 inch gap in between mayo and the edge of the pie so you can still see the tomatoes. Place sliced cheese on top of mayonnaise layer.

2. Bake for about 30 minutes, at 350 degrees, or until cheese is golden.

Notes: I totally didn't use that many tomatoes, nor a whole onion. I use about half an onion and only 5 Roma Tomatoes. I suppose that it depends on your pie dish size.

Until the next challenge...Cook it up!

BFMH: Portablla Eggs

This was a bit lack luster for me, but still very yummy after I jazzed it up with a bit of Sirracha post cooking.

Portobella Mushroom
1 portobella mushroom cap
1 egg
Olive Oil
Salt and Pepper
Method
Pre heat oven to 350 degrees
Drizzle olive oil on cooking sheet
Rub caps with olive oil and salt and pepper
Crack an egg into the mushroom cap
Bake for 10 - 15 minutes depending on how you desire your eggs
Serve with hot sauce of your choice

This wasn't my best work. Next time, adding some onion might help, or just taking the time to marinate the cap with some Italian dressing.

I will try this again some time, the only problem is that portobella mushroom caps are pricey. I feel like it is my duty to fix this guy up for y'all, so I will.

Until the next breakfast,

BFMH: Quinoa Parfait

I made this bad boy today. Parfaits always make me think of T.C.B.Y. and the day my twin brother decided to buy the family Frozen Yogurt (this was before if was called "froyo") with his allowance.
It is funny to me how the things that my Twin Broder brought for me and our family stand out so very much in my memory. Earning and saving our allowance was something we talked a lot about together as children so the moments that he decided that he would treat us or buy me a present from my allowance always have struck me deeply.

So in honor of happy and poignant memories, I share this not frozen yogurt parfait recipe. It is SUPER yummy, Enjoy,

Berry Quinoa Parfait

Ingredients

½ cup quinoa

½ cup water

1 teaspoon vanilla

¼ teaspoon cinnamon

1 cup greek yogurt

2 tablespoons honey

1 cup (or more) of your favorite berries 

2 tablespoons sliced almonds, lightly toasted

Mint leaves (optional)

Instructions

Use my directions for cooking quinoa as a basic or follow package directions adding the vanilla and cinnamon to your water. Allow to cool.

Mix the greek yogurt and honey together in a small bowl.

Using a spoon add a ⅓ of the yogurt mixture into your glass.

Top with ⅓ of sliced strawberries and blueberries then add ⅓ of the quinoa. Sprinkle with toasted almonds.

Repeat with the remaining yogurt, berries, quinoa and almonds until you have three layers.

Finish with your mint leaves.

Garlic Roasted Cabbage

I love garlic. I don't love Cabbage. I really liked this dish! it really evened out nicely

Garlic Rubbed Cabbage

Ingredients

1 (approx 2lb) head of organic green cabbage, cut into 1″ thick slices

1.5 tablespoons olive oil

2 to 3 large garlic cloves, smashed (I used minced garlic that comes in a jar)

kosher salt

freshly ground black pepper

spray olive oil OR non-stick cooking spray

Directions

Preheat oven to 400F and spray a baking sheet with non-stick cooking spray. Pull outer leaf off cabbage (it’s usually dirty and nasty looking), cut cabbage from top to bottom (bottom being root) into 1″ thick slices.

Rub both sides of cabbage with smashed garlic

Use a pastry brush to evenly spread the olive oil over both sides of the cabbage slices

Finally, sprinkle each side with a bit of kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper.

Roast on the middle rack for 30 minutes. Carefully flip the cabbage steaks and roast for an additional 30 minutes until edges are brown and crispy. Serve hot and Enjoy!

Before Roasting

I ended up only cooking it for 30 minutes on the bottom shelf (with out a flip) of the oven as Kris and I were busy making Salt Baked Salmon as well. I think that it I had made it the way it is directed to be cooked, it would be even better. Ours were a little crispy, though really quite delish with the smoky flavor. Sorry, I failed to take an after photo because we were so ready to dig in.

Try this out, even if you don't really care for cabbage. Roasting and garlic always makes it better.