one of my favorite foods

ah. summer. it's summer where my california roots really begin to show. i love everything about california- the beach, the salt smell in the air, wide open spaces, driving on the 110 to the 405 to get anywhere, disneyland, but especially the food. for me, nothing says summer more than a bowl of guacamole. mostly because there are avocados in guacamole. one of my most favorite foods in the whole world are avocados. oh my, i could eat them all day long. i used to babysit a family whose dog would devour avocados whole. smart puppy. so, aside from guacamole, how else do i eat avocados? i love them on a open-face sandwich and my favorite open-face sandwich is this one-

it's so simple and delicious. a slice of country harvest stone-milled whole wheat bread, one wedge of laughing cow spreadable cheese, a couple slices of a vine-ripened tomato, and a sprinkling of salt and ground black pepper. you could add a splash of lemon juice, but i prefer to taste the avocado as is. however, you must make absolutely sure the avocado and tomato are ripe. unripened avocados and tomatoes have no taste and whole point of this sandwich is to allow the natural ripe flavors of the ingredients to be the center of attention. 

i just love the colors! the creamy green of the avocado, the glossy red tomato and the smooth creamy white of the cheese...these three together are my sandwich trifecta. you can use any type of bread you prefer, toasted or not, your preferred spreadable cheese- cream cheese, brie, goat cheese- but the best part is that this sandwich is just the base of so many other sandwiches. you could add some grilled chicken, some salmon- smoked or grilled- some cucumber, sliced red onion, alfalfa sprouts- oh i crave these- the possibilities are as endless as your taste buds. 

until next post- maggie

kind of paleo

have you read about the paleo diet? i've heard bits and pieces and didn't think it sounded like something i would want to try...until i found this recipe- an almost 5 ingredient pizza spaghetti pie. it looked amazing, so, obviously, i needed to try it out. being me, i made some changes and added a few more ingredients, but the results are still paleo- i think- if you're into that. me? i just want my food to taste good.

spaghetti squash primavera

two spaghetti squashes

1 1/2 cups of favorite marinara sauce

2 zucchini- diced

1 small eggplant- skinned and diced

1 1/2 pounds italian sausages- casings remove and the meat broken up 

1/2 cup parmesan cheese

1 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese

salt, ground black pepper, garlic powder, dried basil

1 tablespoon olive oil

preheat oven to 400⁰F or 375⁰F for convection ovens. slice the squashes in half lengthwise, remove the seeds, and place onto a baking dish with the insides facing down. add about 1/2 inch of water into the dish. bake for 30- 35 minutes, until the tops are browned. remove from water, drain any excess water, and allow to cool. once squash is cool enough to touch, remove the threads by scraping a fork along the insides. place into a large mixing bowl and season with salt and pepper. set aside for later. 

preheat the oven down to 350⁰F or 325⁰F for convection ovens.

over medium high heat, add the olive oil and sausages to a large nonstick pot. season with salt, pepper, garlic powder, and dried basil. saute until the meat is browned. add the zucchini and eggplant, season, and saute until everything is soft. add the marinara sauce. turn the heat to medium low and simmer. taste and re season if needed. remove from heat.

pour the primavera sauce into the squash bowl. sprinkle the parmesan cheese over everything and gently mix to combine. 

spread mixture evenly into a 9 x 13 baking dish. cover with shredded cheese.

bake for 40 minutes, until the cheese is browned and the sauce is bubbling. remove from oven and cool before eating. serve with a crusty bread to sop up the sauce. 

this tastes so good and is so good for you!

until next post- maggie

quick and easy and delicious

i don't like to throw perfectly good ingredients away, so if i have something leftover, i'll either freeze it or use it right away. i had three egg whites lying around and some vegetables that needed to be used, so hubby and i had a cheesy egg white scramble for breakfast.

i love this dish. you can use whatever veggies you want- spinach, peppers, tomatoes, potatoes, onions, mushrooms- and whatever cheese and meat you like. it's so quick and easy and delicious.

cheesy egg white scramble

3 egg whites

1/4 onion, finely diced

1 orange pepper- finely diced

1 cup dice meat- i used sliced deli ham because that's what was in my fridge

1 cup shredded cheese- i used harvarti because that's what was in my fridge

salt, ground black pepper, garlic powder

1/2 tablespoon olive oil

optional- minced green onions or chives

add onion and oil to a nonstick pan and season with salt, ground black pepper, and garlic powder. turn burner on to medium heat and saute onions until caramelized. add the peppers and meat, season and saute until soft. 

add the egg whites and gently scramble. if using green onions or chives, add now. 

add the cheese and cover to melt the cheese.

once the cheese is melted, gently mix everything.

plate and enjoy. 

until next post- maggie

first attempt

i love introducing my kids to new foods. they love being introduced to new desserts, so when i brought home a box of profiteroles, they happily bounced on them, devouring the entire box. i love profiteroles and i love cream puffs even more, so i decided it was time to learn how to make them. years ago, i had looked up a recipe but was very intimidated by the instructions. i don't know why i was, but it seemed like a finicky recipe- any time you're working with boiling sugar, things can get finicky. today i did it! i made beautiful cream puffs on my first attempt! i was so excited, i jumped around my kitchen.

there it is, in all its puffed up glory. when i pulled these out of the oven i though to myself "why didn't i try this sooner? i could have been eating this!" i made a scrumptious lemon curd to go with it, but you can use any filling you like- pudding or whipped cream, with or without fresh fruit- and you can slather or drizzle melted chocolate over the top for a boston cream pie- esque dessert. there are endless possibilities with this dessert and all of them are good. 

cream puff with lemon curd

for the cream puff-

1 cup of hot water

1/2 cup of unsalted butter, diced

pinch of salt

1 1/2 tsp of granulated sugar

1/4 tsp of nutmeg

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 cup all purpose flour

3- 4 eggs, at room temperature

preheat oven to 425⁰F. if using a convection oven, lower to 400⁰F. line a baking sheet with silicone mat.

in a large, nonstick saucepan, combine the water, butter, salt, and sugar together. bring to a boil over medium- high heat. simmer for about 1 minute, gently stirring the entire time. remove from heat, add all the flour at once, and stir quickly. the batter will resemble play-doh. lower the burner to medium heat, and return the pot to heat and stir for about 30 seconds, just to evaporated some moisture.

scrape the mixture into a stand mixer with paddle attachment. on medium speed, beat the mixture for about 2 minutes. lower the mixer to low speed and add one egg, beating the mixture after each egg and scraping down the sides. mix the dough until smooth and shiny. the dough will be thick and is ready when the dough slides easily off the paddle and doesn't stick to the paddle. if dough sticks, add last egg and beat again. 

using two serving spoons, drop the dough onto the silicone mats, about 2 inches in width. 

bake for 15 minutes at 425⁰F, then lower the oven temperature to 375⁰F. if you're using a convection oven, start at 400⁰F and lower the temperature to 350⁰F. bake for another 12- 15 minutes on the lower temperature, or until the puffs are light golden brown. turn the oven off and leave puffs in the oven for another 5 minutes. remove from heat and cool.

for the lemon curd- 

3 large eggs

3 large egg yolks

1 cup of granulated sugar

2/3 cup lemon juice

zest of 2 lemons- if this is too tart for you, use zest of 1 lemon

4 tablespoons of cold butter, diced

pinch of salt

fill a large sauce pan 1/3 full with water and bring to a boil. 

while the water is coming to a boil, combine the eggs, yolks, lemon juice, zest, and sugar in a medium- sized heat-proof bowl. once the water is boiling, place the bowl over the pot, making sure the bowl does not touch the top of the boiling water. whisk the mixture slowly, until the curd starts to thicken- the consistency will be similar to pudding. remove from heat and add the butter, one cube at a time, whisking after each cube. 

pour into serving bowl and refrigerate for at least half and hour before using. 

to assemble- 

make a small cut into the side of a puff and gently pry apart, keeping one side attached. the inside is hollow, so you don't need to slice all the way through.

 spoon filling of your choice into the center of the puff and cover with top portion.

dust powdered sugar over cream puffs. 

aren't they just beautiful? almost too pretty to eat. 

almost.

until next post- magge