Day 177: Reboost Amuse Bouche

Yield: 1 serving
Time (Start to Finish): 5 min

Ingredients:
¼ cup vanilla yogurt
2 tsp honey
¼ cup mango/orange juice
5-10 blueberries

Directions:
1. Mix the yogurt and honey together
2. Find a clear glass and put the yogurt in the bottom trying not to let it drip down the sides. Half of this treat is the look
3. Add the juice on top making sure not to mix the 2
4. Sprinkle the blueberries on top and serve between courses

Rating: 4 strawberries
Notes: I love this little treat for a number or reasons. The first is I love the name. an amuse bouche is a little one or two bite serving given between courses or when you first sit down in a restaurant. This is small and quaint, so I love it. It perks you up so quick. I also love this because I just spend 4 days dancing, ice skating, and working New York City to a pulp, and this was a perfect boost to make it the rest of the way. It is light, refreshing, and I really loved it. The mango juice added a lot, and I feel recharged to go root for the Jets!

Day 176: Dessert Goat Cheese

Yield: 1 log
Time (Start to Finish): 5 min

Ingredients:
1 log FRESH goat cheese
1 orange, rinded
¼ cup shredded coconut
¼ cup pecans, chopped super fine

Directions:
1. Buy goat cheese from a farmers market or a very good local vender, this is all about the cheese
2. Add the orange, coconut, and pecans and mix. Then form into log or scoop into a bowl

Rating: 3.5 strawberries
Notes: This would not have been made without my girl Heather! I went into Brooklyn to check out the green market she runs and I got some fresh goat cheese! I got to mix it with yummy things and let me tell you, it is pure heaven! I would serve it with slices of poundcake and fruit, a great thing for a buffet. You can mix anything into this cheese, but these couple of things really add to the flavors. Thanks Heather!!! It was such a fun thing to do! Cooking in New York is hard, mainly because it is a short trip, so I want to fill it with seeing people and doing things. That is why I gave this a lot rating, because I didn’t spend much time on it. It works and is great, but I could have gotten a poundcake or made one with it. Enjoy guys!

Day 175: Blueberry Vodka Soda

Yield: 1 drink
Time (Start to Finish): 5 min

Ingredients:
1 oz vodka
¼ cup sprite
5-10 blueberries
squeeze lime

Directions:
1. In a glass, lightly crush the blueberries in the bottom
2. Add the vodka, soda and lime juice and stir
3. Enjoy before heading out!

Rating: 3.5 strawberries
Notes: I don’t give this a high rating because it was thrown together, but it tastes SO good! I made this real quick with blueberries bought from a street vender, and vodka from the liquor store I used to go to after working at magnolia bakery. Cool huh? It was a pick me up after a nice morning and getting ready for going out and seeing some live music and dancing all night long. The blueberries must have released their power to keep me going all night. You can add ice to this if you like, and I hope it picks you up like it did me.

Day 173: Coffee Granita

Yield: 2 cups
Time (Start to Finish): 4 hours

Ingredients:
2 cups fresh strong brewed coffee
1 tsp vanilla
3 Tbsp sugar
dash kalua

1 scoop vanilla ice cream

Directions:
1. Take the coffee and add the vanilla, sugar and kalua (leave out if you are serving to kids! But you shouldn’t serve them coffee anyways..)
2. Put into a shallow bowl and into the freezer
3. Every 45 min, with a fork, go in and scrape to break up the crystals
4. When it is fully frozen and flakey, take out and put in a bowl or cup with a scoop of vanilla ice cream in the center

Rating: 4 strawberries
Notes: I let it freeze a little too hard, so my scraping wasn’t so good, but this tasted delicious. Creamy, sugary, and coffee flavored. Use good coffee for a better taste. My favorite is gorilla from new york! I made this in the upper west side kitchen, and I swear it helped me stay awake for the craziness I got into!

Day 172: Caramelized Banana Oatmeal

Yield: 1 person
Time (Start to Finish): 20 min

Ingredients:
1 banana
¼ cup brown sugar
¼ cup steal cut oats
1-1 ½ cup water
¼ cup pecan pieces
2 Tbsp flax flour

Directions:
1. In a pot on the stove, cook the oatmeal with the water according to the directions
2. Add the brown sugar (saving a little) pecans and flax
3. Preheat the broiler
4. Take the banana and slice
5. Put on a cookie sheet
6. Sprinkle brown sugar on each banana making sure not to mound it too high
7. Place under the broiler, and KEEPING AN EYE ON IT wait until it bubbles and begins to brown. This will happen fast so do not leave it alone
8. Take them and place them on the oatmeal and dig in!

Rating: 4.5 strawberries
Notes: I made this before hopping on a plane to NYC!! It was SO GOOD! The crunchy bananas added a whole new element that I think is fantastic, and the flax is just always good for you. You can add these bananas to anything, dessert, ice cream, whatever. They are killer, so you gotta try it. It gets that sugar need out of your system right away in the morning.

Day 172: Chocolate Toffee Reeses Pieces Cookies

Yield: 2 dozen cookies
Time (Start to Finish): 45 min

Ingredients:
1 cup flour
1/8 cup cocoa powder
½ tsp baking soda
½ tsp salt
1 stick soft butter
¾ cup brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1 egg
1 cup reeses pieces
½ cup toffee pieces

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350F
2. In a mixer, mix the butter and sugar until smooth and fluffy, about 2 min
3. Add the vanilla and the egg
4. Add the flour, cocoa, baking soda, salt and mix on low until it comes together
5. With a spatula, add the toffee and the reeses pieces and mix until combined
6. Spoon mixture onto a lined cookie sheet about 2 inches apart and bake about 10 min until cooked though
7. Make SURE to grease the pan!! Toffee gets sticky! And use your sense of smell to tell when they are done, chocolate is hard to notice.

Rating: 3 strawberries
Notes: This only gets this much because of the reeses pieces. These cookies aren’t that good because I mixed up a butter cookie recipe instead of using a chocolate cookie recipe. If you make it, make a chocolate cookie recipe and add the toffee and pieces. They tasted good (the 12 I didn’t burn) and I made them for my ride to the airport. Thanks mac! Nothing better than reeses pieces..i may try to make more things with them. These are thin, and if you want them less flat, sub some of the butter with shortening. Try them out if you want, but there are lots of changes to be made!

Day 171: Orange Pecan Sticky Buns

Yield: 6 buns
Time (Start to Finish): 1 hour

Ingredients:
1 sheet puff pastry
6 Tbsp room temp butter
¼ cup brown sugar
¼-1/2 cup pecans

1 Tbsp melted butter
I orange, juiced
1 orange fully rinded
1/3 cup brown sugar
1 tsp cinnamon

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 400F
2. Make sure to defrost the puff pastry in the refrigerator overnight
3. In a bowl, take the 6 Tbsp butter, ¼ cup brown sugar and mix until smooth
4. In a muffin tin, spoon mixture into 6 muffin cups evenly, and then sprinkle the pecans evenly inside as well
5. Tale the puff pastry and spread onto the counter
6. Mix the melted butter with the orange juice and brush over the entire pastry
7. In a bowl, mix the brown sugar, cinnamon and orange rind until combined
8. Spread evenly over the pastry, leaving a 1 inch boarder along all sides
9. When done, roll the mixture (tightly but not TOO tight) and then slice the log with a sharp knife into 6 pieces. Feel free to cut the ends off that don’t have any brown sugar goodness
10. Place each slice into the muffin tin so when you look down into it you see the spiral and bake for about 25min
11. Make sure to keep checking it, you don’t want then to burn, and remove them from the pan right when they come out buy taking a lined cookie sheet and flipping them over. BE CAREFUL. The sugar is VERY hot and may burn you.

Rating: 4.5 strawberries
Notes: These are incredible!!! They are quick to make, if you want a better thicker bun, try a yeast dough, but this is good in a pinch or for something yummy fast. They are best right out of the oven, and get more crunchy the longer they are out, but pop them in the microwave for a few secs and they soften back up. I won the roomies over big time with these, and even brought one in to share at work..after I ate 3…

Day 170: Breaky Rice

Yield: 1 person
Time (Start to Finish): 20 min

Ingredients:
1 cup cooked brown rice
1 egg
1/8 cup milk
bacon bits
¼ cup shredded mozzarella
½ tsp oregano
½ tsp rosemary
salt and pepper

Directions:
1. Preheat a skillet to med/med high
2. Mix the egg and the milk
3. Throw into the pan and scramble
4. When the egg is almost done, add the rice, cheese, bacon bits and spices to taste and stir until cheese melts
5. Serve alone or with a big glass of juice

Rating: 4 strawberries
Notes: I love rice for breaky, and I don’t know if that is because I love I love Lucy and she used to make it for Ricky all the time, or if I actually like it. This is so yummy and filled me up big time!! I have a ton of bacon bits for some reason, so im trying to use this up, and as a warning, I added a lot of salt, but the cheese and bacon are salty, so be careful. A great start to a long day ahead. It sticks with you for sure.

Day 169: Almond Granola

Yield: 2 cups
Time (Start to Finish): 1 hour

Ingredients:
1 cup rolled oats
¼ cup honey
¼ cup sliced almonds
¼ cup shredded coconut
¼ cup flour
1 tsp vanilla

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350F
2. In a bowl, mix honey and vanilla
3. Add the oats, coconut, almonds and flour and mix until combined
4. On a greased cookie sheet, spread the mixture and bake, stirring every 10 min
5. Bake until golden brown and falling apart and serve!

Rating: 4 strawberries
Notes: so, I didn’t put the almonds in the mix until after, so the pic is not of them toasted, and I would for sure add them when you bake it. This is really quick and easy, and you can add dries fruit, or other nuts if you like. I always forget how easy and cheap it is to make granola and it is SO worth it if you eat it all the time…it is pricy in the stores! Try this simple recipe out and enjoy it.

Day 168: Strawberry Black Bottom Cupcakes

Yield: 12 cupcakes
Time (Start to Finish): 1 hour

Ingredients:
4 oz strawberry cream cheese
1/8 cup sugar
½ beaten egg
pinch salt

1 1/8 cup flour
¾ cup sugar
1/8 plus 1 Tbsp cocoa powder
¾ tsp baking soda
pinch salt
½ beaten egg
¾ cup water
1/8 cup veggie oil
1 tsp vanilla

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350F and line a cupcake tin with papers
2. In a bowl, whisk the cream cheese, sugar, ½ egg and salt until smooth and set aside
3. In a separate bowl, sift the flour, cocoa, baking soda. Add the sugar and whisk.
4. Add the egg, water, oil and vanilla and mix until combined.
5. Pour chocolate batter into cupcake tins so it is 1/3 of the way filled in each tin
6. Then take the strawberry batter and fill so it is ¼ to the top.
7. Bake for 15-20 min until they are baked through

Rating: 3.5 strawberries
Notes: There are 2 things I would change about this recipe. The first is I would make my own strawberry cream cheese by taking strawberries and regular cream cheese and blending them together. The second is using a different chocolate cake recipe. Maybe even the hershey’s one which I think is the best chocolate cake ever made. But, nonetheless, these are pretty killer and have been eaten up quick. They are moist because of the oil and creamy on top! You can make any flavor cream cheese too, but chocolate and strawberries are by far the best combo. The lightening is off in the pic, but they are a nice pink color which makes them cute too!

Day 167: Hamburger 2.0

Yield: 2 burgers
Time (Start to Finish): 25 min

Ingredients:
½ pound grass fed beef
blue cheese
bacon bits
2 brioche buns
sprinkle cinnamon
butter
pepper

Directions:
1. Spread a very thin layer of butter on a split open brioche roll and toast it
2. Take the meat and mix it with a sprinkle of cinnamon and pepper. Don’t add too much cinnamon, just a pinch to bring out the meat flavor
3. mix the cheese with bacon bits
4. take the meat and split into 2 burgers. You want to take the cheese bacon mixture and but in the center of the burger so the meat is totally covering it. Also make the meat as flat as possible and larger than the bun because it will shrink
5. cook on a grill until it is the done you like, I like it a tad pink
6. serve with condiments of your choice

Rating: 4 strawberries
Notes: These are so good! I know I use cinnamon a lot, but im telling you, it draws out a lot of the meat flavor. The cheese and bacon combo also add a lot of flavor. I like grass fed beef too because it is much more moist (thanks to a taste test with my mom!) These burgers turned out perfect and the bun, im telling you, seals the deal. I dunked mine in ketchup which is why it isn’t shown in the pic.

Day 166: Peanut Butter Ice Cream

Yield: 1 quart
Time (Start to Finish): make: 30 min, freeze: 2 hours

Ingredients:
1 cup heavy cream
2/3 cup powdered sugar
1 cup whole milk
1 cup creamy peanut butter
1 tsp vanilla
½ tsp cinnamon

2 cups recess peanut butter cups

Directions:
1. Make sure you have an ice cream maker and that it holds a quart and it is ready to make ice cream (I forgot to freeze part of my machine)
2. With a whisk in a bowl, mix the peanut butter with the powdered sugar
3. Add the cream slowly so to not to create lumps
4. Add the milk and whisk
5. Then add the vanilla and cinnamon
6. Put into your ice cream maker and let it go
7. When it is almost done, add the peanut butter cups
8. Pour into a container and freeze and enjoy

Rating: 4.5 strawberries
Notes: This is So good! I am going to make so many more ice creams now! You must get an ice cream maker. I am telling you, they are incredible. I love this ice cream so much. I would even go on a limb and say add peanut butter cookie pieces. This is so tasty. I love anything with peanut butter, so you have to try this. It is creamy and perfectly smooth. Sorry this picture isn’t so amazing, but it wasn’t fully frozen when I took it. I had to go to sleep. I hope you like this guys!

Day 165: Wilted Greens

Yield: 1 serving
Time (Start to Finish): 20 min

Ingredients:
2 cups mixed greens
2 gloves garlic
salt and pepper
cayenne pepper
olive oil
nutmeg scrape

Directions:
1. Heat up a skillet on med heat and add the olive oil
2. Chop the garlic and add to the pan and slowly cook until it is soft
3. Add the mixed greens and toss until they begin to wilt
4. Add salt, pepper, cayenne and a scrape or shake of nutmeg to taste
5. When fully wilted, take off the heat and serve

Rating: 4 strawberries
Notes: These were so tasty, but I made them a little spicy and a little too garlicy…I know, me saying something has too much garlic! They would go great with a steak or mashed potatoes, but I ate them all alone, so they were a little much. You could even add some toasted pine nuts on top. Enjoy you guys!

Day 164: Pasta 'Salad'

Yield: 1 person
Time (Start to Finish): 25 min

Ingredients:
2 cups mixed greens
½ avocado
bacon bits
1 cup cooked pasta

2 Tbsp butter
¼ cup heavy cream
3 Tbsp parm cheese
scrape nutmeg
salt and pepper

Directions:
1. Melt the butter in a sauce pan
2. Take off the heat and add the cream, salt pepper and nutmeg and add back to the heat
3. Heat until smooth and melted but before it comes to a boil.
4. Add the cooked noodles and bacon bits to taste
5. On a plate, but the mixed greens, and the avocado sliced into pieces.
6. Add the cooked noodles over it, and more parm if you need.

Rating: 4 strawberries
Notes: Pasta salad, get it? You can also cool it off if you want a cold salad you can do that too, just be careful of the sauce separating. I like the bacon bits because it adds a smokiness, but you can add read bacon too if you like! Anyways, this one isn’t too inspired, but I love alfredo, and this one is so quick.