starting the year...

...off right with...

it has been FOREVER since i have done a post about food....i am making this one well worth the wait :)

i have had the honor of being off work since early last thursday afternoon...knowing that we would have a low key weekend i decided to stock pile the house and do some cooking! we had a couple home improvement projects going on (post later!) so we needed some good ol' stick to your bones comfort food...i found all these recipes on-line and will link to their original sites seeing as they need all the AMAZING credit for these dishes..

Friday Night

Steak, Crashed Potatoes & Steamed Broccoli

here is the recipe for the potatoes....figured the steak and broccoli were easy enough...

Crash Hot Potatoes

via Pioneer Woman

12-15 baby red potatoes
1 tbsp olive oil
Sea salt and fresh cracked pepper

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Boil the potatoes for 10-15 minutes or until fork tender. Place on a cooking sheet coated with cooking spray or drizzled with olive oil. Place the potatoes on the baking sheet and with a potato masher, gently smash each potato. Drizzle with olive oil, sea salt and pepper (add a bit of your favorite dry herbs if you like).

Bake in the oven for 20-25 minutes or until crisp and golden brown. Eat plain or top with a little sour cream and green onions.

Friday Night Dessert

...which turned into our weekend long dessert

Slutty Brownies

via the Londoner 

yup, you read that correct....i just baked it, not named it :)

1 Box of cookie mix, 

1 Box of brownie mix, 

2 Eggs,

2 Packs of Oreos (double stuffed ones are even better if you can find them)

Some oil 

& your favourite ice-cream (optional)

Preheat your oven to 350°F

Line a baking tray with grease proof paper.

Follow the instructions on the cookie mix box & stir furiously until you have gooey cookie dough, I usually add a little extra water and oil to what they suggest, it just keeps it moist as you'll be baking it for longer than suggested. An extra teaspoon of each is just right. 

Squidge (technical term) the cookie dough into a lined baking tray, until it covers the bottom. 

Cover this layer with your Oreos. Don't use the broken ones, eat them as you go. This recipe is too glorious to use substandard Oreos.

Mix up your brownie batter. Just stick to the recipe on the box for this one.

Bake for 30mins. (i had to do mine a bit longer)

Remove from the oven and leave to cool. 

When its still a little bit warm, use the paper to lift your creation out of the tray and rest it on a chopping board. 

Use a large, sharp knife to cut it into manageable chunks, sections, slabs... depending on how many calories you think you can handle in one sitting.

Drop onto a plate and scoop on your ice cream.

...yeah, they were pretty great and pretty rich!

Saturday Morning Breakfast

Egg in Hole 

because the night before wasn't filling enough...wow! these were great....i knew we were going to have dinner out at mexican saturday night and wanted a big breakfast to sustain us the day...yup, this did it!

Egg in Hole or Egg in a Basket

via Pioneer Woman

• 1 slice Of Your Favorite Kind Of Bread
• 1 Tablespoon Butter
• 1 whole Egg
• Salt To Taste
• Pepper To Taste

With a biscuit cutter or the rim of a glass, press a hole in the center of the slice of bread.

Next, heat a skillet over medium-low heat and melt a Tablespoon of butter in it. When the butter is all spread out, place the piece of bread in the skillet and crack the egg straight into the center of hole.

Cook for at least 30 seconds or so before attempting to move the bread or things could get messy. Sprinkle the egg with salt and pepper to taste. After about a minute, flip it over with a spatula and salt and pepper the other side.

Now move the whole piece of toast around the skillet, soaking up all of the glorious butter. Let it cook until the yolk feels, to the touch, still soft without feeling over-jiggly. Here’s the key: golden brown toast, white (not brown/burned) whites, soft unbroken yolk.

Here’s the other secret: just one of these suckers is all I need to feel whole, happy and free.

Sunday Lunch

Chicky Nuggets, Collards, Black Eyed Peas and Cornbread

well i knew we had to have collards and peas seeing as it was new years day but i wanted something a bit more kid friendly for the meat...well these nuggets were FAMILY friendly!!....as soon as i would pull them out of the oil to drain everyone would start eating them...LOL!...i had to put a limit until they hit the table...no lie, they taste so, so much like chik-fil-a nuggets...AWESOME!

Chicky Nuggets

via Snickerdoodle

(i doubled this...should have tripled it!)

2 skinless and boneless chicken breasts
1 cup milk
1 egg
1 1/4 cups flour
2 TBSP powdered sugar
2 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
peanut oil (is best) or canola oil

In a medium bowl whisk the egg and stir in the milk. Trim any fat away from chicken. Cube chicken into bite size pieces. Place chicken in milk mixture,and cover. Let it 'marinate' for 2-4 hours in the fridge (i was only able to marinate for about 30-40 mins and they still tasted great!). This will make the chicken very nice and tender. In a gallon size resealable baggie combine flour, powdered sugar, salt and pepper. Seal and shake to combine. Place about 2 inches of oil in a medium deep pot. Over medium high heat (more towards the high side) heat oil until hot. If using a thermometer let the temperature reach 375°. If you don't have a fancy gadget like most people, I always test my oil by dropping a few drops of water into it. You want it to sizzle and not pop too much. Adjust your heat if necessary. Using a fork or tongs remove cut chicken from milk mixture and place in the flour mixture. Seal and shake until nuggets are completely coated. Place about a 6-8 nuggets into hot oil and let them cook until golden brown, turning half way through once the edge of your chicken starts to turn white. About 1 minute each side. Always double check to see if any chicken you make is cooked through. I always just make a tiny cut to see if it's pink. Remove and drain on a paper towel. Repeat until all nuggets are cooked. Serve with your favorite sauce!

and last but not least...

Monday Dinner

Alfredo Mac & Cheese or Three Cheese Pasta

i don't care what you call it....this was good stuff! it's like a mix between alfredo pasta, mac & cheese and lasagna...yummy!

Three Cheese Bake

via Southern Living

• 1 (16-ounce) package ziti
• 2 (10-ounce) containers refrigerated Alfredo sauce
• 1 (8-ounce) container sour cream
• 1 (15-ounce) container ricotta cheese
• 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
• 1 1/2 cups mozzarella cheese

Prepare ziti according to package directions; drain and return to pot.

Stir together Alfredo sauce and sour cream; toss with ziti until evenly coated. Spoon half of mixture into a lightly greased 13- x 9-inch baking dish.

Stir together ricotta cheese and next 3 ingredients; spread evenly over pasta mixture in baking dish. Spoon remaining pasta mixture evenly over ricotta cheese layer; sprinkle evenly with mozzarella cheese.

Bake at 350° for 30 minutes or until bubbly.

....needless to say we have TONS of leftovers in our house :) i knew i would be getting serious and back on the healthy-eating-i-need-to-shed-some-extra-weight bandwagon as soon as the new year kicked off...these past few days i let loose and LOVED it...oh well, reality hits tomorrow...i'm back at work...UGH...and i'm back at the Special K...double UGH! but i have to splurge now and then, nice to know i've got lots of yummy recipes to return too :)

Enjoy! Bon Appetit!