BLT Poached Eggs with Avocado Hollandaise

This is kind of a spur-of-the-moment post, as I actually just made this dish the day before yesterday. I say "spur-of-the-moment" because usually I spend weeks or months working on a post. Making and remaking a recipe so I can take and retake photos. Rearranging the pictures in the post. And then, I usually spend a couple of weeks looking at the photos daily, deciding if I want to share them.

Things sure have changed since I first started the blog 😂 

This dish is so tasty though, I couldn't wait to share it. It's pretty darn easy and fool-proof for how delicious it is. You won't believe how simple it is to make the Avocado Hollandaise, I think it's 100 times easier than real Hollandaise! I also like the flavor better than the real stuff, but I digress. Let's talk about this dish and my inspiration for it! 

Jalapeño Popper Pizza

It's Friday and we're going to talk about pizza. As such, I hereby open with this quote,

"You can't have Thanksgiving without turkey! That's like Fourth of July with no apple pie, or Friday with no two pizzas!"

I bet you can guess what show that quote is from... 

If you guessed 'Friends', you guessed right 😜 What can I say? I was picking up the house this morning, doing my normal chores, making the bed, and thinking about what I was going to write today. I started thinking about pizza... and that it's Friday... and the quote just popped into my head. Quotes from 'Friends' strike my mind every day in almost any situation, and while we won't be having 2 pizzas this Friday, the quote still made me smile. 

Short Margaritas

I've got an easy, short, FUN recipe on deck today!

I know I've shared margarita recipes before. First my Mangling Margaritas, and then my old stand-by, my Special Margaritas.  But sometimes you want a margarita and you don't want all the sugar from the mix. Sometimes you want just one margarita, and not a pitcher. What's a girl to do?

Enter the short margarita. Also known as the fresh margarita, the margarita for 1, and in some places, the authentic margarita. 

Books Read in 2016

You guys...

I almost didn't share the books I read in 2016. I'm embarrassed. I only read 13 books in 2016, and 31% of them were those fluffy romance novels you buy at the grocery store. The kind of books that you would never review and probably not recommend either. Fun for you, but they are what they are- brain candy. The literary equivalent of a pint of ice cream. It goes down smooth and easy with no thought whatsoever. Ironically, I also read 31% of the years books in the last 2 weeks of the year, while I was on my Oregon vacation. It was a tough year. Dealing with my back injury for the entire year took its toll. Along with the injury, I also fought depression for most of the year. And when I'm depressed, my concentration is affected. My attention span is nil. It makes it tough and sometimes impossible to read. That being said, I did read some wonderful books that I'd definitely recommend. I hope next years list is more prolific but 2016 was what it was. In 2016, I read-

Turkey Bacon Avocado Paninis

It has been one of those kind of weeks.

Last Monday, a familiar but most unwelcome acquaintance set up shop in my house- the common cold. And ugh, it has been anything but fun. I've been running the gambit from sore throat to fever to head fog to a lost voice. Truly, by the end of the day Saturday, the hubby and I were communicating by text. I'm normally a very quiet person, but found the sensation of not being able to talk very unpleasant. Not cool when you are trying to watch Oregon football! 😡 Luckily, I'm on the mend. My voice is back and with only a nasty cough left, I'm pretty much over the hump.

Good thing too, because I'm doing the Thanksgiving shopping today 🙀

Easy Tortellini Bake

You guys.

I seriously meant to blog this weekend. Truly, madly, deeply, I did. And then... it was like vacation mode. I didn't even open the blog. I didn't read any blogs. I just watched football. And it was wonderful.

Granted, it was technically a terrible weekend of football. Just terrible. The Duck's had an ugly game on Saturday, and let me tell you, the Steeler's on Sunday was no picnic either. But it was nice to just relax. Drink some wine. Yell and throw my slippers at the TV every so often. 

But now it's Monday and I haven't posted in almost a week. Eek. Luckily, I've got something on board that is easy. Delicious. And most of all, comforting. 

Oven-Roasted Sea Bass with Spiralized Veggie Stir-Fry

Today, I feel like posting something pretty. Oh, I know those Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cupcakes were gorgeous in their own way 😉 But this dish is beautiful in it's own way! I mean, who doesn't love colorful food? That little saying "Eat the rainbow" comes to mind for me. I love eating the rainbow! And that's kind of what I was aiming for with this dish...

Raspberry Peach Jam

Fall is coming!

Yeah, it's still August, but it's starting to feel a bit like fall around here. Some of my trees are changing color and losing leaves already. The hummingbirds are beginning to get fatter and there's a lot more of them around the last couple of days, something that usually doesn't happen for a couple of weeks around here. This morning when I let the dogs out, my glasses didn't fog up which means... dun dun dun...no humidity. Always a sign of fall around here. 

How can this be happening already? Wasn't I just lamenting that late frost we had in March? Didn't I just get tomato starts to baby before planting in the raised beds? How does summer always go so fast?

Pesto Zoodles with Grilled Chicken & Burst Tomatoes

Today, folks, might actually be a sunny day!

Indeed, I've been (impatiently) waiting for a sunny day for almost a week now. The hubby worked his tail off last weekend to finish the patio and the garden area out back for our rained-out 4th of July barbecue. The area frankly looks amazing, and I've had no chance to take pictures of it all week thanks to clouds, rain, and general gloominess. But not today! It's finally sunny, and I plan on taking full advantage of that. And I can't wait to share the results. The hubby is truly a miracle worker.

Garlicky Caprese Flatbread

There are no words.

I can not express how much I love to make this flatbread. Literally, there are no words. 

Well, I probably shouldn't say that, because let's face it- it's me we're talking about here. Girl who has something to write about almost anything. Girl who may not talk that much, but girl who writes prolifically. And yeah, I guess I do have words that describe how much I love this flatbread.

Homemade Salmon Shmear

Sunday recipe, what up!

What better for Sunday morning brunch (or lunch! Or dinner!) deliciousness than bagels with extra-whipped and fluffy flavored cream cheese? Not a lot, my friends. Not a lot. 

Recipe Redux: Tortellini Pepperoncini Salad

It's been a stormy morning y'all.

The hubby woke me up at 6 this morning to let me know a monster storm was on the way. I roused myself from slumber, shuffled my way to the den window that faces the northwest, and took a peep. Oh yeah, I could see the storm coming. I could see the lighting from miles away! We are prone to losing power out here in the country with these big wind storms, so I booked it to the coffee machine. I brewed 2 cups before the storm hit. I figured if I lost power at least I would have a 2nd cup of coffee, even if it turned out to be lukewarm. Lukewarm caffeine is better than none I figured :-)

Arancini with Homemade Marinara

I have opened my blog several times since Sunday, with the intention to write a recipe. Each time, I sat there, staring at the screen, searching for the words that will not come. Everything I started to write didn't sound appropriate. It felt... meaningless. 

On Monday, I was reading the latest post on one of the blogs I follow, Pinch of Yum. Lindsay practically took the words from my mouth on how she was feeling. Right now, after the worst mass shooting in US history, I feel empty. Why does this keep happening? Everyone and their mother has an opinion. Most of the opinions I don't want to hear. If you can't muster the empathy to feel for the victims, people who were in that building, relatives who've lost someone that meant everything to them... I don't even know what to say to you. Here in my small corner of Kentucky, people are pretty judgmental about the fact that this shooting happened at a gay club. I overheard a lady at the grocery store in front of me in line tell the cashier that at least it was "a bunch of gay people" that died. 

Lemon Garlic Shrimp Zoodles

After the sheer insanity of last weekend, this weekend promises to be a bit calmer. The hubby is scheduled to work today and tomorrow (boo!), and the weather is rainy. It's as if I woke up this morning and the universe told me to take it easy. Stay inside, read a book. Bake yummy carbohydrate-laden pasta into something comforting, take pictures of it. Put on Gilmore Girls and grab a mugful of tea. 

Recipe Redux: Tomato Cucumber & Mozzarella Salad

Time for this month's Recipe Redux! Truth be told, I've been dying to "redux" this recipe for awhile. It's one of my most popular "old" recipes and one that I make a ton of during the summer. This truly is a summer salad, as there are only 5 ingredients consisting of tomatoes, cucumbers, mozzarella chunks, lime juice, and olive oil. Well, I guess there's also salt and pepper but do people really count those as ingredients? I'm not sure... Anyways, when you are making a simple recipe, the ingredients you use really need to shine. And shine they do in this awesome, yet uncomplicated side dish. 

Cherry Berry Power Smoothies

Let's talk smoothies.

I don't post a lot of smoothies. In my mind, they could be considered one of those things that doesn't even need a recipe. I always tend to hesitantly publish smoothie recipes, bracing myself for anyone that might comment that smoothies are hardly recipes. People do make those comments! Just the other day, (no names, y'all) a blogger posted a strawberry parfait that really was just strawberries layered with piped whipped cream, and someone left a comment on her post saying "Um, when did strawberries and whipped cream become a recipe?". I hate seeing comments like that. I mean, for one, even if I was thinking that myself, I would never say it. We all work way too hard on posts to be harassed by mean-spirited comments. And two, I started wondering if people thought that about my recipes.

It's a slippery slope. 

Garlic & Herb Roasted Salmon

Salmon!

Oh my gosh you guys. I finally found some acceptable salmon. FINALLY! Oh, it feels like it's been way too long. I used to eat salmon once a week, and now, for the last 5 years, I feel like I have salmon once a blue moon. Until now!

Last time I was at Sam's (you must be thinking, 'Does this girl live at Sam's?') I was perusing the frozen seafood section. I always do, just wishing and hoping they'll have something new. My persistence paid off when I spotted some frozen wild-caught Alaskan salmon fillets. Alarm bells went off in my head. My heart exploded with happiness as I eagerly loaded a big bag into my cart. Just what I'd been waiting for.

Fresh Salsa Verde

Happy Cinco de Mayo!

Those that have been following the blog for awhile know that Mexican food is my favorite! I can't help it, I love those fresh flavors. Tomatoes and peppers and cilantro, oh my! And Mexican chip-dippers are one of my specialties. Salsa has been one of my favorite snacks since I was a kid. There were years where I snacked on chips and salsa every day. I'm not even kidding you. This lasted through college (there were classes all I could think about was salsa, but that's another issue entirely), and years after. Sometimes I take short breaks from salsa, but they never stick. Last summer, I ate guacamole almost every day from June until October. This summer however, I have a feeling it's going to be all about the Salsa Verde.

Naan Pizzas with Chicken, Asparagus, & Egg

Yes. You want this. Right now. For breakfast. For lunch today. For dinner tonight. Eat it for every meal! One bite and you'll be in love :-)

I love flatbread pizza. Does it get any easier? I love homemade pizza dough just as much as the next person, but there's something to be said about a meal that's ready in minutes vs. a meal you had to plan all day. And these pizzas really did take just minutes. I used leftover rotisserie chicken, because, hello, it's me. I seem to always have rotisserie chicken in my fridge. Pair chicken with leftover roasted asparagus from the night before, and pretty much the only work you will have to do will be making a couple of sunny-up eggs.

3 Solid Recipes from 2015 That Never Made The Blog

Ok friends. Over my break, I cleaned up the innards of the blog. Mainly, I went through the posts I hadn't published yet to see what I had. There were a few recipes I knew I had (the 3 below) and a couple I'd forgotten about (the last 5). All the photos for these recipes were taken with my old lens. I've finally come to conclusion that I'm done with all those old photos. Some of the recipes were over a year old! I decided that if I hadn't posted them in the first 365 days that I'd finished the pictures, that I never was. A few of the recipes were solid, delicious and share-worthy. A few were what I finally deduced as "worthless". Recipe that would need to be completely reworked, therefore needing completely new pictures. So, to get rid of anything having to do with the old camera lens, I'm going to share the 3 recipes that were really quite tasty and deserving of a repeat. 

Here we go!

Blackberry-Swirled Peach Pops