Birds Eye Voila

Being a part of Foodbuzz has many delicious perks and whenever I get a package in the mail from them I get so excited. The other day I received a free coupon for one Birds Eye Voila meal and 100 buy one get one free coupons for family and friends as part of Foodbuzz Tastemaker program. Yep you read that right 100! Wow. At first I thought it was a mistake but nope, Birds Eye is just that generous. So of course I went right to the store and stared at the frozen meal section for about 10 minutes. I had 1 coupon and so many choices. I finally settled on the Chicken Florentine. It consisted of penne pasta, sliced white meat chicken, tomatoes, squash, spinach, and a Parmesan sauce. The directions couldn't be easier or faster. The dish had a great fresh flavor even though it was a frozen meal. I can be weird about frozen chicken but this chicken had a great taste and texture. The whole dish was seasoned well and the perfect amount for myself and the hubby. Can't wait to try some of the others. So friends and family, hit me up for a buy one get one free coupon and try them out for yourself.

Greek Pizza Pie

Hi guys! I'm sorry. I've been a lousy blogger lately. Please forgive me. I made you a delicious and easy Greek Pizza. Pretty please with feta on top.

Greek Pizza Pie
- 1 pizza crust (I used premade store bought cause I'm lazy today)
- Olive oil
- Diced tomatoes
- Rough chopped spinach
- Diced red onion
- Sliced black olives
- Sun dried tomatoes (optional)
- Feta cheese

Start by preheating your oven. The crust I used required a temperature of 450. Lightly brush crust with olive oil. Top with tomatoes, onions, olives, spinach, sun dried tomatoes, and feta. I sprinkled a little salt and pepper and drizzled the top with olive oil. Bake for 10-15 minutes. You could also use some mozzarella if your heart desired.

New York Part 4

I'm back! Every once in awhile my brains goes on hiatus from blogging. This was one of those times.

Anyways, remember that trip I took to NYC way back in May? Well I'm still blogging about it. :)

A month or two before out trip, my amazing friend Lydia sent me a picture text of Barefoot Contessa (Ina Garten) having brunch a few tables down in a restaurant called Tipsy Parson.

Of course when I was planning our trip to NYC, Tipsy Parson was on the list. If Barefoot Contessa eats there it must be amazing.

The restaurant was sooo tiny but so cute...like you were eating at a friends house in the french country maybe (not that Ive ever been there but hey). This was the view from our table.

I ordered the Migas. The ingredients were so fresh and flavorful and the guacamole was some of the best.

I had to try a side of mac and cheese. So creamy with a nice crunchy topping. Just the way I like it!

Chad ordered the Spoonbread (kinda like a mix between bread pudding and corn bread) with the most amazing pulled pork slathered in the most amazing bbq sauce topped with two perfectly fried eggs. We both agreed it was the best brunch dish we had even eaten.

Chad wanted to go see the Statue of Liberty and I was trying to be a good wife and pretend like I'd like to go see it again. Thankfully the line was like 2 hours long and we didn't have time to wait :)

Chad settled on taking some funny pics of it from across the river.

New York Part 3

Hello! I've been avoiding my blog lately. Why? Not sure. I think I have so much stuff/recipes to post that I'm getting overwhelmed. By the time I finish blogging about NYC it will be 2012.

Chad and I ventured down to Little Italy for lunch one day.

It was like we were on our honeymoon again.

We found a cute little restaurant and enjoyed our food al fresco style.

There is nothing like homemade fresh pasta!

Is your mouth watering yet? Cause mine is.

Dessert was from Crumbs Bake Shop and it was AMAZING. I picked the cookies and cream cupcake and the guys working there recommended the very berry cupcake. I wanted to try them all but decided that wouldn't be good for the waistline. They also ship there cupcakes so check out there website.

New York Part 2

On our first full day in NYC, we heading out to Times Square for a little sightseeing and to purchase tickets for the double decker sightseeing bus (which I highly recommend if you've never been to NYC before. It was a great way for the hubby to see the entire city and you can get off and on whenever you like).

You gotta take a picture in front of Times Square 

 Empire State Building...my neck hurts just thinking about looking up at it.

 We kept walking and walking until we were so hungry and on the verge of being grumpy people. I wanted to eat at a diner cause well that's what people do in NYC. We finally settled on the Tick Tock Diner. I had the creamed spinach benedict with hashbrowns. It was tasty!

I forgot the name of the hubby's dish but it was an english muffin with bacon, poached eggs, and hollandaise served with a roasted tomato and hashbrowns. It too was delicious and satisfying.

The Easiest Cookie Ever

Need a fast easy cookie for a cookout, get-together, or just to satisfy your sweet-tooth? Well, you've come to the right place. Most of you have probably already made and/or eaten these cookies but for those who haven't...welcome to the wonderful world of Peanut Butter Blossoms (Blossom always makes me think about a former patient who called her you know what, Blossom. Funny yes, appropriate for a food blog, no. But I just couldn't resist)

All you need is a package of Betty Crocker Peanut Butter cookie mix, water, oil, eggs, Hershey kisses, and sugar.

Prepare the peanut butter cookie dough as directed on the package. Roll dough in a ball (about the size of a Ping-Pong ball). Bake at 375 for 6-8 minutes. The cookies will still be soft but that's the best part. As soon as you take them out of the oven, pop a Hershey kiss right in the middle and sprinkle with sugar. Let cookies cool completely before removing from baking sheet. Enjoy!

*Note- this is not my recipe. I give Ms. Betty Crocker all the credit with a little help from Hershey.

New York Part 1

The hubby and I recently took a vacation to the Big Apple. The hubby had never been before and I couldn't wait to go and show him one of the most wonderful places in the world. So our bags were packed and we we're heading to the airport when I realize I'd forgotten the memory card for the camera (after Chad asked me if I had it before we left) Ooops :)

 Quick detour to Walgreens

 We finally arrived in NYC and we were starving. We headed down to Schnippers Quality Kitchen for a great hamburger.

 Chad's blue cheese burger (which I took a bite of cause I thought it was mine)

 My burger.. the Schnippers Classic consisted of a special cheese blend, caramelized onions, arugula, and the secret Schnippers sauce. It was delicious after a long day of work then traveling.

We stayed in midtown and this was the view from our hotel room. I have lots more eating and sightseeing to post we will just call this an appetizer of NYC. Stay tuned for more...

How to make asparagus unhealthy...

While planning our Easter dinner, my mom called and said we needed a vegetable on the menu. Because I've known my mother for, well, my whole life :) I knew that what she really meant was we need a vegetable smothered in butter. I remembered this recipe a co-worker had shared with me awhile back (thanks Emily!) and knew it would hit the vegetable spot. We could feel good at Easter with a nice green vegetable on our plate surrounded by ham, deviled eggs,  cheesy potato casserole, buttery rolls, and coconut cake.

Asparagus Bundles with Soy Garlic Sauce

Start by preheating your oven to 400. Then wrap a slice of bacon around 5-6 stalks of asparagus and place in a baking dish.

Combine the following ingredient in a small saucepan:

    - 1/2 cup brown sugar

    - 1/2 cup butter (1 stick)

    - 1 tablespoon of soy sauce

    - 1/2 teaspoon garlic salt

    - 1/4 teaspoon fresh ground pepper

Bring to a boil and pour over asparagus bundles.

Bake for 25 minutes.

This sauce is SOOOO good. I seriously just ate spoonfuls while I was making this dish. I'm thinking it would be good poured over just about anything edible.

Huevos Ranchero Cups

Cinco de Mayo is just a few days away! If you read my blog regularly you already know my love for all things Mexican and Huevos Rancheros is one of my favorite breakfast meals. While visiting me in Nashville, my mom saw this recipe on the food network. After she returned home, she gave it a try and after a few tweaks it was a huge hit.

Ingredients
8 (5-inch) flour tortillas
3 tablespoons butter, melted
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 cup prepared chunky cilantro salsa, divided
3/4 cup cooked black beans
8 eggs
1/2 cup shredded pepper jack cheese
1/2 cup sour cream

Special Equipment: 12-cup muffin tin

Directions
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
Cut off the outer edge of each tortilla and remove so that the tortillas fit snugly into the muffin tin cups. Brush both sides of the tortillas lightly with the melted butter and sprinkle with salt. Press the tortillas into the muffin tin, creating little tortilla cups. (Note- this works much better with large oversized muffin pans)
In a small bowl, mix half the salsa with the black beans and season with salt and pepper. Spoon a heaping tablespoon of the black bean mixture into each tortilla cup. Crack an egg into each of the eight cups. Bake until barely set, about 10-12 minutes. Top with cheese, cover with aluminum foil, and then bake for 4 to 6 minutes more. To serve, spoon the sour cream and remaining salsa on top of the eggs. This is also good with some guacamole and/or hot sauce.

Recipe Source: Food Network

Welcome Home

Chad, Marley, and I enjoyed a nice Easter weekend at home with our families. When we came home, Marley helped welcome us back by running upstairs to the carpet and spraying vomit EVERYWHERE. Wasn't that nice of him. Instead of vomiting downstairs on the hardwood, he decided the carpet was a much nicer place to empty his stomach. I realize this makes the delicious garlic shrimp recipe suddenly look not so good but hey its life. Any suggestions for stain removal?