Day 324: White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies

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

Ingredients:
½ cup butter
¾ cup sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
1 ¼ cup flour
½ tsp cinnamon
½ tsp baking soda
pinch salt
½ cup chopped macadamia nuts
½ cup white chocolate chunks

Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 350F
2. Cream together the butter and the sugar until light and fluffy
3. Add the egg and vanilla and combine
4. Add the flour, cinnamon, baking soda and salt
5. Fold in the chocolate and the nuts
6. Chill for about 30 min
7. Drop batter in 1 inch balls onto a greased cookie sheet. You can flatten a little with your hand
8. Bake for about 10-12 min or until they begin to brown

Rating: 4.5 strawberries
Notes: Yummy in the sun, and look at the picture! It’s the perfect round cookie! How rare that is at home! These were pretty amazing, and I once again need some sweetness, so white chocolate is ideal! These are pretty quick to make, a one bowl treat, and can be made in the morning, chilled all day, and baked at will. I must admit I didn’t share many of these and ate them with a big ol glass of milk! If you want a softer cookie, sub half of the butter for shortening.

Day 323: Chocolate Strawberry Muffins

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

Ingredients:
1 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1 cup flour
6 Tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp vanilla
2/3 cup milk
2/3 cup butter
¾ cup chocolate chips
6 big fresh strawberries

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350F and line a muffin tin with papers
2. In a mixer mix the eggs and sugar until light
3. Add the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, alternating with the milk
4. Add the vanilla
5. Melt the butter and add it as well
6. With a spatula fold in the chocolate chips and pour into each muffin tin
7. Chop up the strawberries and put each one in the center of each muffin, making sure the tops are covered. You can sprinkle more chocolate chips on top
8. Bake for about 20 min until they are cooked through the center

Rating: 4.5 strawberries
Notes: I always have trouble with chocolate muffins because they are so dessertlike I just cant eat them for breakfast! Chocolate and strawberries are my FAVORITE combo, and this is just what I needed today. A bit of a hangover, just broke up with my boy, and about to go play slosh ball in the park with a group of college boys…a muffin made from my 2 favorite things is just the ticket. They are light and fluffy, and I even thought they would be good with peanut butter chips in them. This recipe was one of the hardest for me to make...i just did not want to bake today, but I am so close to the end I cant quit now! I hope you make them and love them guys, they sure as hell perked me up and put a fat ol smile on my face.

Day 322: Breaky-Schetta

Yield: 2 servings
Time (Start to Finish): 45 min

Ingredients:
2 eggs
2 tomatoes
basil
salt and pepper
olive oil
2 pieces baguette

Directions:
1. Brush the bread with olive oil and a little salt and either grill or put in the oven until toasty
2. In a bowl, combine the tomato, chopped up, basil, salt and pepper, and olive oil until combined. Taste to adjust seasonings
3. In a frying pan with a little oil, scramble the egg with salt and pepper
4. Take the bread out and put the egg on top
5. Add the tomato mixture on top of the egg and serve

Rating: 4.5 strawberries
Notes: This recipe is all to do with the ingredients…if they are fresh and good the meal will be. If they are old, it will not taste good at all. I made this before a long say of work hiring people, and it was a nice protein fresh boost. Nothing makes me more awake than fresh fruits and veggies. The bread was super yummy too, nice French baguette. Go ahead and give this breakfast a go!

Day 321: Left Over Thai Wrap

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

Ingredients:
1 spring roll wrap
1 carrot
1 cucumber
left over red curry, about ½ cup
handful fresh cilantro
1 green apple
water

Directions:
1. Take the carrot, cucumber and apple and cut into long think ¼ inch thick strips
2. Take the cilantro and cut up
3. In a bowl put the veggies and the cilantro and pour in a little of the red curry and mix up
4. Take the spring roll paper and dip it in water to soften
5. Fill with the veggie mixture and wrap up so all sides are closed
6. Heat up the rest of the red curry liquid and serve on the side as a dipping sauce.

Rating: 3 strawberries
Notes: What a weird invention. I mean, it was good tasting, but I don’t know when I would really serve this. The left over curry sauce was from my red curry with chicken last night and all that was left was the sauce and bell peppers, so I had to use the sauce for something and dump the peppers as fast as possible. My roomie left some spring roll wraps, and I had some veggies, and you know how I am with green apple, throwing it in everything, so I thought this was a fun little dish. I also liked how it was a hot sauce and a cold wrap, which is not normal. I would only really try this if you had the stuff, I wouldn’t seek it out, but I must say, it felt healthy and tasted yummy and was a great use of leftovers.

Day 320: Sticky Rice, Kind Of

Yield: 1 cup rice
Time (Start to Finish): 45 min

Ingredients:
½ cup rice
½ cup water
1 cup coconut water
4 Tbsp honey
pinch salt
splash coconut milk

Directions:
1. In a pot, put the rice, water, coconut water and salt and cook. You want to cook until the rice is cooked through and not wet. Cook in a rice maker if you have it, we are just making classic rice here, but with mainly coconut water
2. When the rice is cooked, take out, splash a little coconut milk and add the honey. You can add more if it is not sticky enough, and enjoy alone or with fruit!

Rating: 3.5 strawberries
Notes: Tricked you didn’t I? sticky rice…haha, its sticky from the honey, not because I am competent enough to cook classic thai sticky rice..HAHA, I am so funny…but seriously, this is really tasty and a nice little snack. Honey makes anything better I am telling you, and coconut milk does also. This is just a nice dessert thing to kill a sweet tooth and fill you up. I made this and watched the bachlorette. Hahaha…I think the sugar rush put me in a silly mood. Try this guys!

Day 319: Cinnamon Refried Beans

Yield: 2 cups beans
Time (Start to Finish): 15 min

Ingredients:
1 can refried beans
½ yellow onion
olive oil
salt and pepper
cinnamon to taste

Directions:
1. Cook the onion in olive oil on med until it is soft and cooked
2. Add the can of beans and stir to combine, heating through
3. Add a touch of salt and pepper and cinnamon until you can taste it, usually about 2 Tbsp. serve warm

Rating: 3.5 strawberries
Notes: I gave this a low rating because I didn’t do too much to it. I could have made the pinto beans from scratch, but really it is quite tasty. Where would you serve these? At a 4th of july party, any type of bbq. The cinnamon is a cool twist on classic pinto beans, so I really suggest trying it. It is much tastier than it may appear. I wouldn’t really use this if you were making burritos, but as a side it is perfect. They are quick when in a pinch, I am in a rush today, hah!

Day 318: Macaroni Potato Salad

Yield: 4 servings
Time (Start to Finish): 1 hour

Ingredients:
1 cup macaroni noodles
6 red potatoes
¾ cup mayonnaise
2 Tbsp mustard
1 Tbsp white wine vinegar
1 small green onion chopped
2 sprigs dill
salt and pepper
1 tsp onion powder

Directions:
1. Cook the macaroni noodles and the potatoes separately. Cook the noodles through and the potatoes, precut into cubes, so that they are a little uncooked. Let both cool
2. In a bowl, combine the mayo, mustard, vinegar, dill, onion powder, salt and pepper. Taste and adjust seasonings.
3. Chop up the onion and add to the mix
4. Add the potatoes and the macaroni and chill. Again, taste and adjust seasonings.

Rating: 4 strawberries
Notes: I was inspired by my brothers baby shower to make macaroni potato salad. This one is pretty simple, I made it while in a rush, but it would taste killer with some hard boiled eggs in it or a caramelized onion. You can make more of the dressing too, but I kept it light on this batch. You could also add shredded carrots or cabbage and make it more like a macaroni salad if you like. Check this out, its pretty awesome on a summer day.

Day 317: Oatmeal Health Freak Pancakes

Yield: 10 pancakes
Time (Start to Finish): 40 min

Ingredients:
1 ½ cup rolled oats
2 cups whole milk
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 tsp brown sugar
¼ cup flax powder
1 tsp baking powder
½ tsp cinnamon
2 eggs
¼ cup melted butter
¾ cup pecans
1 tsp vanilla
more butter for cooking

Directions:
1. Warm the milk and in a bowl add the milk and the oats and let stand for 3-5 min
2. Add the flour, sugar, flax powder, baking powder, cinnamon and eggs and mix. You can add a touch more milk if they are super thick
3. Melt the butter in your skillet and then pour it into the batter with the pecans and vanilla and mix until just combined
4. On a well greased skillet pour ¼ cup batter per cake and cook on each side until it begins to brown. Repeat process until batter in gone.

Rating: 4.5 strawberries
Notes: Improvements include adding bananas and yogurt for some of the milk…other than that, MAN these are good! They are heavy, sit hard for the day, and really pack a killer punch in the morning. You can serve them with strawberries and cream, or just some syrup like Mac and I did. Perfect! I have been wanting to make a healthier pancake, and this one steals the show. They are also good cold with a little peanut butter. A great thing to bring on a trip as a snack. This is seriously a must try. If you are using steal cut oats, cook the oatmeal first and cut back on the milk.

Day 316: Lemon Honey Ice

Yield: 2 cups
Time (Start to Finish): 20 min plus 6 hours

Ingredients:
1 cup lemon juice
½ cup honey
3 Tbsp sugar
½ cup water
1 mint leaf

Directions:
1. Mix all ingredients together and taste. Adjust according to the flavor, add more sweetening, or more lemon
2. Remove the mint leaf if it holds too much flavor and put liquid in a freezer able container.
3. Every 30 min, stir mixture with a fork
4. Ad it crystallizes, break them up so it becomes a soft ice
5. Serve in a bowl on a hot day

Rating: 4 strawberries
Notes: So this wasn’t the warmest of days, but this was a nice treat nonetheless. It is like frozen lemonade! I like adding the honey to mix up the sweetness from always just sugar. It does make it take longer to freeze then, but it is worth it! It I best to serve this the day you make it or a day after because otherwise the ice crystals become too big. I hope you like this little treat!!

Day 315: Spicy Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

Yield: 2 dozen cookies
Time (Start to Finish): 1 hour

Ingredients:
¾ cup butter
¾ cup brown sugar
¾ cup sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup flour
1 tsp baking soda
¾ tsp cinnamon
pinch salt
3 cups rolled oats
1 cup raisins
3 tsp cayenne pepper
¼ cup chopped candied ginger

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 375F
2. Combine the sugars and butter and cream in a mixer until smooth and fluffy
3. Add the eggs and vanilla
4. In a separate bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, salt, oats and cayenne pepper
5. Add the dry mixture to the wet and stir until combined
6. With a spatula add the ginger and raisins and mix until evenly distributed
7. Chill dough for about 20-30 min
8. Form into balls and flatten a little on the cookie sheet about 2 inches apart
9. Bake for 12-15 min until they begin to brown. Try not to overbake to get a softer cookie

Rating: 4 strawberries
Notes: ok, I MAY have added a little too much cayenne, but I think it is awesome. The ginger really seals the deal. I am not a raisin fan, but I though I might as well make some cookies at least a little like they are supposed to. These are pretty killer, and with the amount of cayenne I added they can easily be a prank to play on someone…the innocent cookie in reality is a deadly spice trap! Try them out on someone who likes oatmeal raisin. I know they will crave the classic, but they will for sure enjoy these too

Day 314: Chocolate Chip Cookie Cupcakes

Yield: 12 cupcakes
Time (Start to Finish): 45 min

Ingredients:
¼ cup butter
1/3 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup flour
pinch salt
½ tsp baking powder
¼ cup milk

1 package chocolate chip cookie dough

1 package vanilla frosting

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350F and line 12 cupcake tins with papers
2. In a mixer, cream the butter and the sugar until smooth
3. Add the eggs and vanilla and scrape the bowl
4. Combine the flour, salt and baking powder and alternate with the milk, adding half at a time
5. Take the batter and fill each cupcake tin about ½ filled or a little less
6. Take the cookie dough and make a ball about 1 inch across
7. Place it in the center of each cupcake
8. Bake for about 20 min until they are cooked though
9. When cooled, take the frosting and with a star tip pipe it onto the top of the cupcakes

Rating: 4 strawberries
Notes: ok, my cupcakes fell in the center, did yours? They still tasted awesome, but they didn’t have the best mouth feel, or look so good. I think something went wrong in my cupcake base…maybe try just granulated sugar next time, or if you are really nervous, use a box mix for this. I thought of this idea when I was asking people what I should make today and someone said cupcakes and someone else said cookies. Why not please two people at the same time!! The icing can be cream cheese if you like, but I though a classic simple box buttercream is where its at. I hope you like them and try them. They would also be good with oatmeal cookie dough I think..maybe next time.

Day 313: Lemon Thyme Risotto

Yield: 2 servings
Time (Start to Finish): 45 min

Ingredients:
½ cup risotto rice
1-2 cups vegetable stock (you may need more)
2 lemons, zested and juiced
4-5 sprigs fresh thyme
1 clove garlic
olive oil
salt and pepper
1 tsp honey
¼ cup parm cheese


Directions:
1. Heat up the vegetable stock in a separate pot
2. In a sauce pot, add the olive oil, chopped garlic and stir until it begins to soften
3. Add the rice and cook for about 30 sec on med heat
4. Add ½ cup veggie stock and stir until it is dissolved
5. Keep adding veggie stock a half cup at a time and let it be combined before adding more and until the rice is soft
6. Add the lemon juice, zest and honey and stir
7. Add the parm cheese and combine until melted
8. Salt and pepper to taste, and add the thyme
9. Taste to adjust seasoning, and always you can add a dash of cayenne for a hint of spice

Rating: 3.5 strawberries
Notes: I have had lemon risotto once before, and it was yummy, but something I learned is you cant eat a whole bowl of it like you can other kinds of risotto. It is a very dessert like flavor, and just a little will do. I suggest serving this as an appetizer instead of a main course and serving less per person. The honey is there to add a little sweetness to it, and if it is not lemony enough, add more zest or even a drop of lemon flavor. The garlic can be left out, and you can add onion if you like. I like this dish, but really in just a couple bites, hehe.

Day 312: Cauliflower Soup

Yield: 2 cups soup
Time (Start to Finish): 25 min

Ingredients:
1 cup cauliflower, cooked in salted water
½ cup heavy cream
½ cup vegetable stock
salt and pepper
2 garlic cloves
1 tbsp butter
½ cup parmesan cheese
½ tsp onion powder
sprinkle of thyme

Directions:
1. Take a frying pan and heat up the butter on med
2. Add the chopped garlic and cook until softens and begins to brown
3. Take a blender, add the cooked cauliflower, garlic, and veggie stock and blend until smooth
4. Add to a sauce pot and add the cream, parm cheese, onion powder, thyme, salt and pepper and taste
5. Change seasoning according to taste

Rating: 4.5 strawberries
Notes: yummy!! I might add some green onion to this, but other than that I really think this soup is killer. Maybe even a sprinkle of cayenne! I had all that left over cauliflower and this is a perfect little treat. You can add broccoli to this for some color, or different cheese, and of course serve this with some yummy bread. Nothing tasted better than soup with good bread.

Day 311: Cauliflower Gratin

Yield: 1 med casserole dish
Time (Start to Finish): 1 hour

Ingredients:
½ head cauliflower, cut into pieces
2 Tbsp butter
2 Tbsp flour
1 cup cream, warmed
salt and pepper
nutmeg
cayenne
½ cup asiago cheese
¼ cup parmesan cheese, plus 2 Tbsp
½ cup Italian seasoned bread crumbs

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 375F
2. In boiling salted water, cook the cauliflower for about 3 min until it is still firm but just softening. Remove from hot water and plunge in ice water
3. Melt the butter in a pan and add the flour with a whisk and then add the cream. Whisk until it begins to thicken
4. Add the cheeses (minus the 2 Tbsp), salt, pepper, scrape of nutmeg and cayenne and stir until it until it melts
5. Add the cauliflower, stir, and pour into the saucepan
6. Combine the bread crumbs with the parm cheese and sprinkle on top of the casserole and bake for 25-30 min until the top begins to brown

Rating: 4.5 strawberries
Notes: I remember working in New York at a catering company in their food design department and we would be able to taste a lot of the food they cooked. They made a KILLER cauliflower gratin and it is all I think of when I think of cauliflower. This is cheesy, yummy, and a great sub if you don’t want to eat mac and cheese. You must try it. It is also a great spread on toasts or pita pieces. I hope you guys make this. You can even change the cheese around to cheddar or jack or all sorts of stuff!