Leap Year!

Ah yes! What better day to blog than today. There is one tradition of this extra day that a lot of people got to know when the movie Lear Year came out. On this very special day in some countries like Ireland, Britain, Finland and Denmark women propose marriage to their significant others in hopes to have a "happily ever after" story to tell. Not in Greece though...apparently it is bad luck to marry on this day and many engaged couples are very careful to not pick this particular day for their wedding. Whether you believe or not, all I know is that a day like today deserves something sweet and yummy. 

As some of you who follow my blog know, I bake for American soldiers once a month. Last round, I had a wonderful co-worker and friend help me out and thanks to a small mistake in ingredients we ended up with a great recipe for rum raisin spiced cookies. Even though it may seem like a lot of ingredients, these are super easy to make and will for sure tingle your taste buds. So baking my friends!

What you will need:

2 C quick cook oats
1 1/2 C all purpose flour
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp allspice
1/2 tsp ginger
1/2 tsp ground cloves
1 tsp baking powder
Pinch of salt
1 C (2 sticks) sweet butter
1 C sugar
1 C light brown sugar
1 C raisins
2 eggs
1/2 C rum

How to make:

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. Soak the raisins in a cup with the rum and set aside.
Combine the oats, raisins, flour, spices, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl and set aside.
Beat the butter and sugars until smooth. Add to this mixture the eggs. Beat until blended. Stir in the dry ingredients.
Drop spoonfuls of the batter about 1 1/2 inch apart on baking sheets and bake for 12-15 minutes. I like to use an ice cream scoop to make sure they bake evenly. Allow to cool. Serve with vanilla ice cream or hot chocolate.

~Enjoy!

Orzo MIO!

Nothing beats being able to do something quick and healthy when you are on the go. That is the focus this month of February...not the cheesy-not-for-girls-like-ME yucky "Valentine’s Day"...Yes, I said it...I am one of those anti-vday gals out there who rather spend some time with family and friends rather than on an overpriced meal that I could probably make at home. And you know what? that just may be more fulfilling than anything else. May studies show that by truly enjoying the little things in life is what brings the most gratification to us and in turn our moods get a boost that is oh so good to the point where we feel better and ready to take on the world.

With that said, how about taking a little advice and putting things into practice. Yes, I know it may sound silly but you lose nothing by trying. Keep a mental note of all the things you are grateful for during your day and when you get home at night write them down and keep a journal of it. At the end of the week take a minute to look back and be amazed at all the cool little things that we take for granted and have the potential of giving you that warm fuzzy feeling inside.

I'm thankful for my followers! =)

Now..on to the yummy food!

Orzo Pasta Salad

What you need:

1 Box of Orzo Pasta

4 C Low Sodium Chicken Broth

1 Can of garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed

½ Can of Kalamata Olives, drained, sliced

1 C of Grape Tomatoes, halved

¾ C Feta Cheese

Salt and Pepper

Flat Leaf Parsley

Red Wine Vinaigrette (recipe follows)

Boil orzo with chicken broth (more flavor than water) for about 7 minutes. Drain and set aside in a large bowl. Add tomatoes, cheese, garbanzo beans, olives and mix well. Add vinaigrette and top with flat leaf parsley.

Red Wine Vinaigrette

What you need:

1/3 C red wine vinegar

¼ C fresh lemon juice

1/3 C honey

½ C EVOO

Salt & Pepper to taste

Mix the vinegar, lemon juice, honey, salt, and pepper in a blender. With the machine running, gradually blend in the oil. Season the vinaigrette, to taste, with more salt and pepper, if desired. Combine with orzo and serve room temp.

~Enjoy!~

Casserole in a Jiffy!

Hello 2012!

Nothing like starting a new year full of hope and plans to do great things. I had my list of resolutions ready since Christmas and I am very excited to be able to complete each one. This year I have 12, one for each month. Now I know it may sound a little OCD but fear of failure is NOT an option.... Life is too short and this year it's all about making a difference somehow and really just being happy. With that said- I am happy to report that I received a little note from one of the recipients of my home made cookies to an oversears military hospital. It feels fantastic to know that so many soldiers enjoyed themselves with goodies from back home. Thanks to my friends at Operation Baking Gals for making this happen. Totally worth all the baking hours! Please look them up and join us in this humbling experience.

Now the good stuff....

Here is a recipe that is so simple it will leave you wondering…how the heck?? Well, sometimes we need a little help from the store to put something together. This one is great for both a quick dinner or for a dinner party. You can also make it your own by adding more veggies or using cooked chicken breast, or turkey. You can even do it with whole wheat pasta to put a healthier twist on it. Try it! You won’t be disappointed…

Ham and Pasta Casserole

What you need:

One box of spaghetti – cooked

¾ c sour cream

1 (10oz) can of condensed cream of chicken soup

About 8 thick slices of ham (brown sugar glazed preferred)- cut in cubes

1 bag of Shredded Cheddar Cheese

½ can of Corn Kernels (add more if you want)

Parmesan Cheese

¼ c Italian Bread Crumbs

Lemon Pepper

Garlic Powder

How to Make:

Once the pasta is cooked, add the ham, the cheddar cheese, the corn, sour cream and the soup and combine well. If it looks too dry, refill the soup can with water and add to pasta. Season with lemon pepper and garlic powder to taste. Pour into a casserole-oven safe container, top with bread crumbs and as parmesan cheese. Cover with foil and bake for 20 minutes at 350 degrees. Uncover and broil on high for 5-7 minutes until golden brown.

Enjoy!

Time to end the year!

Ahh and the time has arrived to make resolutions, party, spend time with family and get ready to welcome a brand new year. Nothing like being able to enjoy the holidays, eat good, and most of all be thankful for all the wonderful things and the lessons learned throughout the year. I am not going to lie to you though, nostalgia often takes over and makes me really sit down and re-evaluate what I have accomplished and what will come next...which is a great thing.

So, what are some of those lessons learned? well let's just say that 2011 brought me many happy moments like obtaining the Magnet Nurse of the Year award at my place of employment, I got to travel to Minnesota, California, Colombia and Washington, we had the largest family reunion in 19 yrs, my mother survived triple bypass surgery and last nut certainly not least...I became a citizen. --Talk about an emotional roller-coaster!

What are you waiting for? Make that bucket list...revise those resolutions and get going..Life is too precious and short to be sitting around waiting for the world to come to you. How about doing a couple of these to make yourself a happier person...A little effort can take you very, very far.

*Volunteer- locally, online, abroad...there are tons of things to do-trust me!
*Olive oil- yes, that's what I said- mentally olive oil yourself before facing a bad co-worker/boss/"friend". In other words, do NOT let them get the best of you
*Enjoy the little things- Stop, look around you...enjoy your surroundings, they are the best gifts the world has to offer
*Travel somewhere- get in your car and drive, hop on a plane to some little town, just go and explore!
*Learn and read- yes, be a nerd! WHO CARES??? read about a place you never heard of, learn how to cook, or a new hobby.

And now...on to the gooey, sticky, wonderful, decadent...ahh well you'll have to make it so you can see what I mean. I know it's another cake recipe but it's new years baby!!!

Caramel Pecan Ring of Sin!

What you need:

1/3 c  Chopped Pecans (Dry pan saute to bring out essential oils)

¾ c   Sugar

4 tsp Cinnamon

2- 11oz packages (12each) refrigerated bread sticks

1/3 c Butter- melted

½ c Caramel  Topping

2 tbsp Maple Syrup

How to make:

Grease 10 inch fluted tube pan. Sprinkle with half of the pecans and set aside. In a small bowl, stir together sugar and cinnamon and set aside. Separate each package of bread stick dough along the perforated lines into 6 spiral pieces, making 12 pieces. DO not unroll. Cut the pieced in half crosswise. Dip each into the melted butter, roll in the sugar mixture to coat. Arrange in the prepared pan. Sprinkle with remaining pecans. In a cup mix the caramel and syrup and drizzle over bread. Bake at 350 for about 35 minutes, covering with foil the last 10 minutes to prevent burning. Let it stand for 1 min, and invert onto dish. Serve warm.

*Make it better: Change the nuts to your liking, add a little pinch of nutmeg for heartier flavor.

Enjoy!!! And Happy Holidays 2011~2012.

Pumpkins Everywhere!

Life comes at you in unexpected ways, and sometimes it is hard to understand why things happen the way they do. On October 20^th, my mother had triple bypass. To this day we are in shock about what happened simply because she is an incredibly healthy woman. Now, on the road to recovery, she is looking at life in a different way. She is no longer caring about doing everything at work at an exact time, she is telling us all to slow down and stop stressing the little things—which is simply great. With that being said, she continues to be an exceptional woman, who is a fighter, full of strength, and most of all- my hero. I cannot begin to tell you how hard this has been, I doubt anyone can understand unless you have lived through such an experience. All I know is that, it made me appreciate even more, my family and all those wonderful moments we share together. THAT is what I am thankful for this thanksgiving month…My family, my supportive friends, my job…What are you thankful for?

Here is a super easy and quick recipe so you can wow at any holiday party-

Super Yummy Moist Pumpkin Cake:

What you will need

1 Can (15Oz) Pumpkin

1 Box yellow cake mix

4 Eggs

½ Cup of sour cream

1/3 Cup of dark rum

How to make

Preheat oven at 350 degrees. Mix all the ingredients and add to baking pan. Bake for 45 minutes or until fork comes out clean.

Make it better:

Add walnuts to the bottom of the pan for extra flavor. You can also frost this with a mix of vanilla frosting and pumpkin spice or you can make a rum glaze.

Rum Glaze:

½ Cup Sugar

¼ Cup Water

¼ Cup Dark Rum

½ Cup Butter

On high heat, allow all the ingredients except the rum to melt and boil for about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and add the rum. Let it sit for a few minutes before drizzling over the cake.

~Enjoy!

Hello Fall!

October has arrived! You know what that means??? Cooler weather here in Miami… (Crossing my fingers) and best of all it just means that we are 2 months away from my favorite month- December. I am also very excited to be on vacation for the next couple weeks and I just cannot wait to share my trip adventures to Washington D.C. with you all. I will be sure to come back with some great ideas to spruce up your everyday meals just like today’s recipe.  Here is the thing about cooking- you cannot be afraid to change ingredients and make it better and to your taste. This is exactly what happened with this potato salad that I am sharing today. I am currently doing weight watchers and I have to get real creative so that I stay within the points required and not get bored.

Like any diet…at the end of the day it is still a diet. However this one actually allows you to cook and eat normal food as opposed to processed bought stuff or dietary supplements. So I had to jump on that, and make small changes in my cooking. Bottom line, I still make the yummy stuff for the family because otherwise they would die! Ha! Pls…PLS try this one…it is quick and can be multiplied to serve tons of people, I guarantee you that you will enjoy it. And remember, IT IS HEALTHY! So, you cannot go wrong with that.

Potato Salad:

What you need-

2 Lbs cubed cooked potatoes

3 Hard Boiled Eggs

4 Tbsp Apple Cider Vinegar

½-2/3 C Plain Greek Yogurt (start with ½, add a little more if you’d like)

¼ C Mayo

4 Tbsp Minced Shallots

1 Tsp Splenda

1 Tbsp Thinly Sliced Scallions

½ Tsp Salt

½ Tsp Pepper

How to make:

For the sauce- Mash 1 of the yolks with the vinegar until smooth and set aside. On a separate bowl mix all the other ingredients except the potatoes, scallions and eggs. To that mix add the vinegar with the egg yolk. Allow the potatoes to cool down. Chop the eggs, add to potatoes and mix with sauce. Garnish with sliced scallions. Serve room temperature.

~Enjoy!