Bacon Burgers

IT'S MARCH MADNESS TIME and even though my Buckeyes already blew it, it still justifies me eating a burger!  These are DELICIOUS, I may be eating another one tomorrow already!!  I mean anything with bacon inside of it, sign me up!  Thanks Annie!

I served mine with a side of grilled pineapple and asparagus that was thrown in some olive oil and sprinkled with salt and pepper.

Onion Mixture:

 5 slices of bacon of your choosing

1 thinly sliced red onion

Salt and Pepper

1/3 Balsamic Vinegar

1/3 Cup Water

1/2 Tsp Dijon Mustard

Directions:  

1.) Slice the bacon into small square pieces and heat in skillet over medium heat until it's slightly cooked but you don't want it completely done or crisp just yet

2.) Move bacon to paper towel and then toss onion in the leftover bacon grease with salt and pepper and cover for about 2-3 minutes.  Uncover and scrape bottom of pan and add 2 tsps of water and cook until onions are a bit brown and tender (it took mine about 12 minutes)

3.) Add Vinegar, Water, Mustard and Bacon to pan and cook until most of the liquid is absorbed and then set aside until the burgers are made

To make the Burgers:

Mix 1 1/2 lbs of ground beef (I used 95% lean, all natural beef) with 5 more slices of finely diced raw bacon, 1 Tsp of Salt and Worcestershire Sauce and 1/2 Tsp Pepper

Form into patties and grill

Top burgers with some swiss cheese, the onion mixture and make some homemade buns like the ones above, DELICIOUS!!

Coconut Chicken and Baked Broccoli

So this is my ALL TIME FAVORITE recipe.  I have made it countless times and I never get sick of it.  It is extremely versatile.  I have tried this breading on chicken tenders and breasts and even tilapia and it has all been delicious.  I got it from my most favorite food blog Our Best Bites from Sara and Kate!!  The Apricot glaze is a must, I can honestly eat it by the spoonful on its own!  I paired the chicken with baked broccoli because this to me, is the best way to prepare and eat it.  I also made these cute little pineapple stars which made the dish really fun and pretty to look at.    

Coconut Chicken:

1-2 packs of chicken tenders (It depends on the size of the tenders)
2 eggs for dipping
1/2 Cup of flour
1 Cup of finely chopped sweetened coconut flakes
1 Cup of Bread Crumbs (I used half plain and half gluten free)
1 1/2 Tsp Garlic  Powder
3/4 Tsp Salt
3/4 Tsp Curry Powder
1/4 Tsp Onion Powder
1/8 Tsp Cayenne Pepper (Doesn't add much heat so I would add it for great flavor)

Directions

-  Preheat oven to 450
-  Chop coconut so that its the size of the bread crumbs roughly
-  Combine bread crumbs, coconut and spices in one dish, the egg in another, and the flour in another shallow pan 
(I have a trifold prep pan that makes dipping very easy, I would highly recommend purchasing one)
-  Dip tenders in flour, then egg and then the coconut mixture and then place on greased lined baking sheet
(I used two packs of chicken tenders.  Mine were pretty small but I still didn't use all the coconut mixture, so before I started I put about 1/4 to 1/2 of the mixture aside so I can save it and use it for another round)
- Spray Pam on top so it gets nicely golden and crisp
- Cook about 15-25 minutes depending on the size of the tenders (my small ones took about 18-20 minutes in my oven.  Watch them closely because they can easily dry out and that would be devastating)
- Serve with Apricot Glaze (Recipe Below)

* Note:  If you don't want to bake them all or if you want to make extra you can always put on baking sheet uncooked and toss them into the freezer until they could be stacked and save them for another day.  You can then defrost and cook them the same way at 450.  I love freezing them, they are so easy to grab when you are too lazy to cook anything after a long day.  


Apricot Glaze:

1 Cup of Apricot Preserves
1/4 Tsp Curry Powder
1/2 Tsp Dijon Mustard
2 Tsp of Soy Sauce

Directions

Just whisk all ingredients together and adjust if you need to.  Sometimes I find the mustard to be a bit powerful, so I cut it back to 1/4 Tsp sometimes


Baked Broccoli:

Take a bunch of broccoli and toss it in olive oil until its all coated.  Place on lined baking sheet and sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Bake at same temperature as the chicken and put it in the oven at the same time because it should take 15-20 minutes also.  The broccoli should be a little brown on top, crisp and green; not soggy!

Pineapple:

I sliced the pineapple width wise into thin strips.  I took a cookie cutter and cut out the center where the core was.  I then took a knife around the outsize of the big star and made it into a 5 sided star to match.  They added an extra something special to the dish AND they matched my pineapple star shaped ice cubes I put in our drinks.  ADORABLE!!  

I hope you enjoy this one.  For dessert I made individual pineapple upside down cakes.  I'll post the recipe soon.  

Happy Sunday everyone.

"What we love determines what we seek.  What we seek determines what we think and do.  What we think and do determines who we are and who we will become" - President Uchtdorf -

Sarah's Cassata Cake

I grew up in Cleveland, OH and I am Polish so baked goods were a huge part of my childhood.  It was a rare occurrence when I didn't visit my grandmother's house and spend half the time in the kitchen baking and cooking.  Palachinkas, homemade Pierogi's and homemade baked bread were my favorite things to make with my grandmother and sisters.  Homemade is always better in my eyes because it's made with love and brings a lifetime of memories with it.  I lived near Colozza's Bakery and they made the most delicious Cassata cake that became a family favorite.  We always bought one for birthdays, graduations and shoot my own sister had a similar cake baked for her very own wedding.  Why, because it's DELICIOUS!!  

So when my mother's birthday grew nearer my first year out here, I made it a goal to make a cassata cake for her.  For the last two years, I have "failed."  The cake was good but it didn't have that same taste.  Well this year, I am proud to report I have come close to perfect!  My mom said the taste was there, and she is a cassata cake snob so that approval was all I needed.  

First, you make two 8 inch round cakes (I'd stick with a white cake or french vanilla recipe).  

Then you make a delicious pastry cream for the filling.

Cut some strawberries

And then assemble, frost and decorate!!!

* Best purchase I have made was a cake leveler so you can get that nice flat top!

So you can make this cake two different ways.  

1.)  I like more filling then cake, so I cut each round cake into two separate pieces and then use a leveler to make them flat and stack them that way, with the filling in between each layer.  I'm not much of a cake person so the more filling the better.  The cake won't keep as long that way because it can get soggy quicker.  

2.)  Or you can just level each cake so they are flat and a bit shorter then when it came out of the oven and end up having two cakes with one layer of filling in between. 

 Both ways are delicious, the second will keep longer, but honestly, this cake isn't going to last long in the fridge anyways so do whatever you'll like most.  If you love cake, make the second version, if you like more filling and less heaviness of the cake use the first version!

For the Cake:

1 Box of White Cake/French Vanilla Cake - I used French Vanilla by Betty Crocker

1 Cup Flour

1 Cup Sugar

3/4 Tsp Salt

4 Egg Whites (Save two of the yolks for the pastry cream)

1 1/3 cups water

2 Tbsp Vegetable Oil

1 Cup Sour Cream

1 Tsp Vanilla (Clear or if you don't have clear just regular)

1 Tsp Almond Extract

- Preheat oven according to your package of cake directions.

- Spray and flour two 8 inch round cake pans (Make sure they are the same size, mine were a bit off which I didn't realize until I went to assemble, it won't make much of a different but it will be prettier).

- Mix dry ingredients, then add all the wet ingredients and stir until incorporated

- Pour evenly into two pans

- Bake according to the instructions on the box 

* When cakes are done, cool the pans on a rack for 5 minutes.  Then take two pieces of long plastic wrap creating a t-shape over one cake and then flip over to completely cover the warm cake.  Then repeat with the other cake.  It's important to do this step 5 minutes after coming out of the oven, because wrapping them up will retain all that moisture and prevent them from becoming dry.  Set to cool, then pop them in the freezer until read to use.  

For the Pastry Cream:  You'll have more cream then you need if you only do one layer, but then you can use it on something else, it's great as a filling for cakes or other pastries

2 Cups of milk (I used 1% milk)

1/4 Cup Sugar

2 Egg Yolks

1 Egg

1/4 Cup Corn Starch

1/3 Cup Sugar

2 Tbsp Butter

1/2 Tsp Vanilla

3 Snack Pack Vanilla Pudding Cups

- In a medium saucepan, combine milk and the 1/4 cup sugar and bring to a boil

- In a medium bowl, whisk yolks and egg

- Mix Corn Starch and 1/3 cup sugar and then add to egg mixture and stir until smooth

- When milk reaches boiling, remove from stove and slowly and consistently add to egg mixture while stirring consistently so you don't cook the eggs

- Add entire mixture back to pan and bring to boil.  Stir constantly so it doesn't burn to bottom.  It will thicken, when it gets to a boil and thickens, remove from heat

- Add butter and vanilla and stir until butter has melted

- Pour in container and cover with plastic wrap so it doesn't get a film on the top and pop into your fridge until it cools  

- When it finishes cooling, add snack packs and stir it in until it's incorporated

For Strawberries:

I cut almost 2 packs of strawberries into thin slices.  I sprinkled some sugar on them. 

* If only using 1 layer of filling, cut in half *

For the Whipped Cream Topping:

Use 1 cup of Whipping cream, add a packet of Whip Cream Stabilizer so it keeps the frosting together.  Whip on high speed until it starts to thicken, then add a little vanilla and some powder sugar to your taste.  Beat until soft peaks form.  Make the whipped topping when you are done assembling the cake.

To Assemble Cake:  

- Take cakes out of freezer and defrost just a bit but keep a little frozen when cutting, it will be easier to assemble, cut and frost

- Put one cake on a plate or buy a cheap cardboard circle from your local bakery store.  Cut one cake in half and set the top half aside.  Use a cake leveler to make the top flat.  Use spatula to spread pastry cream over top and add strawberries in a smooth layer.  

* If you want the cake to absorb a little of the red liquid from the strawberries, put the strawberries on first then the cream, adds a little bit of fun, I didn't this time around.  *

- Then level the top half of the first cake and then add on top of the filling layer.

* Don't try to level on cake, you'll want to do it on flat solid surface otherwise the cake could break or slide around on the top of the cake *

- Put more filling on top of the second layer of cake and then repeat with the other cake

- Frost cake when final layer of cake is on top.  To make that nice wavy design, I just took the back of a spoon and pressed it into the whipped cream once it was on the cake and flip up and out a bit.  It made it kind of fun

- Then decorate however you want.  I used pearl sprinkles because I think they are pretty and cute!!

Put in fridge and eat cold, it tastes better!  

Look at all those pretty layers, eat up!  Happy Birthday Mommy!! 

Pancakes Just For ME

I had the day off and was craving pancakes because I LOVE pancakes.  I honestly don't really like making them though because I hate re-heated pancakes, defrosted pancakes out of the freezer and pancakes that are made with the same batter the following day, because they are just NEVER quite the same as that first time off the griddle.  So I made these wonderful pancakes that were delicious and I got to eat them all guilt free!!  I love recipes that are made for one.

Mix Dry Ingredients together:

5 Tbsp of Oat Flour (just grind up oats in a food processor) - you can play around with different types of flour, you may need to adjust the milk, I just love Oat Flour

1/2 Tsp Baking Powder

1/4-1/2 Tsp Cinnamon

Add Wet Ingredients into Dry:

2 Egg Whites or Egg Beater Equivalent

3 Tbsp of mashed banana (If you don't like bananas you can use mashed cooked apple with cinnamon, or PUMPKIN for the fall or even Greek yogurt)

1 Tbsp Almond Milk

1/2 Tsp Vanilla

Stir in Chocolate Chips (optional) or anything else you want to throw in there.  

I topped mine with a little bit of almond butter, walnuts, and strawberries with a lot of Maple Syrup.  

* Mine made 3 pancakes and you better believe I ate them all.  Serves 1

This recipe is so adaptable, make it your own!

Spiced Grilled Steak

So since my body is running on a low amount of iron I have succumbed to introducing more red meat into my diet at least once a week so my body remains in a healthy state.  I used a New York Strip of steak that I picked up at Whole Foods Market.  If you prefer your red meat like myself, mine was very very lean with no added hormones, organic from grass fed cows so make sure you do not over cook it or it will be dry.  The steak was seasoned with all my favorite spices and then grilled by my favorite man in the world,  Cy the Grill Master!!


Mix spices together:

A heaping Tsp of Chili Powder
Tsp garlic powder
1/2 Tsp Cumin
1/2 Tsp Coriander
1/2 Tsp Dry Oregano
1/8 Tsp Chipotle Chili Powder
3/4 Tsp Salt
1/4 Tsp Pepper

Mix spices with juice from one lime and a Tbsp of Olive Oil

Rub room temperature steak with spices and let rest for about 20 minutes and then grill to your liking  

I paired it with a nice spinach salad topped with tomatoes, cheese, avocado, red onion and mango

Cy was so proud, I ate that whole piece of steak!!  Delicious!!

Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies

Sometimes I just never feel like making the actual cookies because I don't even like cookies that much, I like the dough.  A lot of times I will roll the dough up into balls, place them on a cookie sheet, freeze them and then munch on the dough balls until I finish them in their entirety!!  But if you want to make a delicious tasting gluten free cookie, here you go! 

1 1/2 Cups Gluten Free All Purpose Baking Flour

1/2 Tsp Baking Powder

1/2 Tsp Salt

1 Cup of Unsalted Butter, softened but still cool

1 Cup Light Brown Sugar

1 Cup Sugar

2 Eggs

2 Tsps Pure Vanilla

3 Cups of Gluten Free Old Fashioned Oats

1 1/2 Cups Semisweet Chocolate Chips

Preheat Oven to 350.  Line Baking Sheet with Silicone Mat

Mix flour, baking powder and salt in small bowl.

Cream butter and sugars on medium speed until fluffy.  

Beat in eggs one at a time, then mix in vanilla

Stir in flour with spoon then stir in oats and chocolate chips

Roll dough into balls 2 inches apart.

Bake about 12-14 minutes, 12 was perfect for my oven.  Cookies should be golden brown on edges but still pale on inside.  

*Rotate cookie sheet half way for time

Cool a couple of minutes on sheet then cool completely on rack.  

Adapted from Sports Illustrated

Butternut Squash and Red Lentil Curry

Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1 Chopped Sweet Onion

3-4 Cloves of Minced Garlic

2 Tbsp Curry Powder (I use a lot because I love it, you can scale back)

4 Cups of Vegetable Broth

Cup and a Half of Red Lentils

One Chopped and Cooked Butternut Squash

1 1/2 Cups of Spinach

Ginger (fresh or powder) to taste (I love ginger so I used about 1-2 tsps)

Salt and Pepper to your Tasting

Cook chopped butternut squash on cookie pan at 425 until tender but not to soft where it mushes up in soup.  I just tossed mine in a bit of olive oil with salt and pepper

Sautee onion and garlic in olive oil over medium heat until a bit wilted

 Add half of curry powder to onions and sauté until fragrant for about another minute

Add vegetable broth and red lentils and bring to a boil for a couple of minutes then reduce to medium low until the lentils are enlarged and are tender

Add butternut squash, and spinach and cook a bit longer until spinach is wilted

Add ginger and salt and pepper to taste

* Makes about 4-5 servings

 Quinoa Energy Balls of Goodness

A few days ago I found out that it was in my best interest to change my diet.  To be frank, I am probably one of the healthiest eaters and bakers out there.  My mom says I eat like I a bird and I am ok with that.  Yes I am a bit of a food snob when it comes to processed foods, potlucks, high fructose corn syrup and fast food meals.  Not interested, why would I be when healthy food has never tasted so good! 

 I am now on an iron rich diet along with going gluten free.  I never understood the whole gluten free diet and thought it was a fad for people to think they were cool.  However, after several days of being gluten free I am an avid believer in it.  My blog contains healthy and delicious recipes that are gluten free and delicious.  I am collecting my favorite recipes I have found online and including some of my very own recipes.  I am a perfectionist and will only be posting recipes that get the Sarah approval of deliciousness!!

1 Cup Gluten Free Oats (I used old fashion)

Cook 1/4 Cup of Dry Quinoa

1/4 Unsweetened Coconut

1/3 Cup Sunflower Seeds

1/3 Cup Cranberries

1/3 Cup Honey

Tsp of Pure Vanilla

1Tbsp Peanut Butter

1/2 Tsp Salt

Dark Chocolate Chips to your liking

Combine everything above until the honey in a bowl. 

Heat honey a little bit over the stove so it bubbles over medium high heat and stir in the vanilla. 

Pour honey mixture over the oat mixture and stir. 

Let mixture cool then stir in peanut butter and salt until combined then stir in the chips. 

I put in fridge for a couple of hours to harden the mixture, then I rolled into balls and placed on cookie sheet and froze them, then stored them. 

My mix made 18, even after I ate probably two balls worth of the mix!!

I love eating these after a good long work out or a power snack during my work day!