Spinach Macaroni and Cheese

I got the idea for this recipe from an episode on "The Chew" where "Weelicious" blogger prepared her "Green Mac and Cheese".  I love spinach and like the idea of incorporating it into anything possible.  My recipe is a bit different and slightly more simple. 

This is probably about as healthy as macacroni and cheese is going to get.  Despite the fact that I used whole wheat pasta and added spinach, it's still tastes very much like your regular cheesy and delicious Mac and Cheese.  Great way to get your comfort food along with some nutrition!

Ingredients

1lb whole wheat pasta 

1 1/2 cups 2% milk

1 cup whole milk

1 1/2 cup spinach

2 cups sharp cheddar cheese

2 cups mozzarella cheese

1/3 cup butter

3 tablespoons all purpose flour

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Boil salted water and cook whole wheat pasta until al dente.

3. Blend milk and spinach together.

4. In a pot melt the butter and then slowly whisk in the flour over medium heat. Make sure you don't have any flour chunks.

5. Mix in your spinach/milk mixture and bring to a boil.

6. Lower heat and add both cheddar and mozzarella cheeses. Mix until cheese has completely melted.

7. Take off of heat and then mix in the pasta. Transfer to a greased baking pan and bake for about 30 minutes or until the cheese starts to bubble and the pasta turns a golden brown. 

8. Let cool for about 10 minutes before serving. 

Lake Tahoe 2013

Cayson and I recently took a trip with his mom, Candace, to the beautiful Lake Tahoe.  I had been to Tahoe once before for on a New Years trip but it was snowy and stormy so I didn't get to experience much other than my ski cabin.  Cayson's family was originally from Lake Tahoe before they moved to Hawaii and he spent many of his summers working at his brother's burger joint, The Char Pit.  A friend of Candace's was nice enough to let us stay in one of her rental apartments just right across the street from the Casinos in King's Beach!

Our first day out on the boat with Candace and Anne.

Cayson swimming in the freezing cold water... I only went in knee deep and it was literally hard to breath. No thanks. 

We hiked around and found a "Secret Cove".  Accidentally came across some nude sun-bathers, not so pleasant! I guess that's a regular thing in this particular cove. :/

Looking forward to our next trip to Lake Tahoe!

Chia Seed Pudding

Chia Seed Pudding

I am completely OBSESSED with this chia seed pudding recipe.  I came across a couple of different recipes in magazines and online and thought that it sounded kind of strange.  Pudding made from seeds?? I've been sprinkling chia seeds on my cereal for a couple years now because I know how loaded they are with omega-3 fatty acid, fiber, minerals, and protein.  My kitchen is always stalked with chia seeds so I decided to concoct my own simple (very very simple) recipe based on other ingredients I already had on hand. Here it is...

Ingredients

1 cup almond milk (you can use whatever kind of milk you want!)

3 tablespoons chia seeds

1 tablespoon honey

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 cup sliced almonds

1/4 cup shredded coconut (sweetened or unsweetened)

3 strawberries

1/4 cup blueberries

1. In a bowl, combine almond milk, honey, and vanilla extract. Stir until the honey is dissolved.  

-You do not have to use almond milk! Cows milk or coconut milk would do just fine. I prefer almond milk because it is lower in fat and full of calcium and vitamins E, D, and A. Not to mention I really like the taste.

2. Add the chia seeds to your milk mixture then cover the bowl with plastic wrap.  Place the bowl in the refrigerator for about 2 hours.  

-I like to make this recipe before I go to sleep.  That way the chia seeds have had plenty of time to soak and create a thick jelly like texture.  

3. Toast your sliced almonds and shredded coconut until just golden brown. Slice up your strawberries. 

4.  Sprinkle toasted almonds, coconut, sliced strawberries, and fresh blueberries on top of your now pudding-like chia milk mixture. That's it! 

This recipe is great because you can change it up with different fruits or nuts.  This flavor combination just happens to be my favorite.

A little info on Chia seeds...

Chia seeds come from the plant Salvia Hispanica, native in Mexico and Guatemala.  Chia seeds were a huge part of the Aztec and Mayan's diets and are thought have been their main source of fuel during conquests.  Rich in omega-3 fatty acids and fiber, they are incredibly healthful! 

Blackberry Jam Scones

I like these scones because they are much fancier than just your basic mound of a scone.  You can substitute whatever kind of jam you like most (blackberry is my favorite) or make a variety! The lemon glaze drizzled on top adds a nice touch of tartness and prettiness. 

Ingredients

2 cups all purpose flour

1/2 cup granulated sugar

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 and 1/2 sticks unsalted cold butter

1/4 cup whole milk

1 1/2 cups blackberry jam

1 lemon

2 cups confectioner's sugar

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Sift together flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt into an electric mixer.  Cut cold butter into small cubes and mix into flour until it resembles coarse sand.  

Add the milk and mix until completely combined.  The texture of the dough is very important.  You do not want the dough to be very moist because the scones will flatten out and lose their shape when baked.  The drier the dough the better, trust me.  

Take the dough out of the mixer and roll out to about 1/2 an inch on a lightly floured surface.  With a 3 inch round cookie cutter, cut out circles.  Makes 7 to 8 rounds.  Using your thumb, gently press a circular indentation into each scone.  You can make the indentations as large as you want depending on how much jam you want them to hold.  I like a lot of jam!

Lightly spray a baking sheet with nonstick cooking spray.  Transfer your scones to the sheet, leaving a couple inches between each.  Bake for about 20 minutes or until the edges turn golden brown. Take out and let cool for about 25 minutes.  

Once the scones are completely cool you can drizzle on the lemon glaze...

Mix together 2 cups of confectioner's sugar and the juice of 1 lemon.  The glaze should be not too liquidy but not too thick that you can't "drizzle" it.  Using a spoon drizzle on top of each scone. Let sit for about 30 minutes until glaze has hardened. 

Cheddar Cheese and Bacon Popovers

I tried this recipe not only because I love bacon and I love cheese but also as an experiment.  I wanted to see if it was possible to make presentable popovers in a muffin tin instead of a popover tin.  My cabinets are already overflowing with kitchen crap and I really didn't want to have to purchase another item to add to the chaos.  

Popover tins are a bit deeper than muffin tins and there are a couple inches of space between each cup.   The space between the cups is what's important.  Popovers puff up into a large cloud over the top of the tin, requiring a lot of space.  So...I used a regular 12 cup muffin tin but only filled 6 of the cups leaving an empty cup between each one filled with batter.

Ingredients

4 large eggs

2 egg whites

1 3/4 cups whole milk

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

3/4 teaspoon salt

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

nonstick cooking spray

5 pieces cooked and chopped bacon

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  In your electric mixer, mix together eggs, egg whites, milk, flour, and salt.  Stir in cheddar cheese and cooked/chopped bacon.  Spray six muffin tins with cooking spray.  Remember to leave a space between each tin.  Bake until popovers have puffed over the rims, about 30 minutes.  Popovers should be a dark golden brown.  Pay attention to the color! If not baked long enough the popovers will deflate and flatten when taken out of the oven.  

Enjoy!

Fruit Tart

Fruit tarts remind me of summertime with their bright fruity colors.  I whipped up this beauty in honor of the beginning of summer!  They might look like a lot of work but are actually pretty simple.  

The greatest part about making this tart is obviously decorating it with the fruit of your liking in a pretty fashion.  I chose to use blackberries, strawberries, and kiwis.  Love these colors together, so pretty! 

Ingredients

Crust:  

2 1/2 cups all purpose flour

2 1/2 tablespoons sugar

1 cup cold unsalted butter

2 egg yolks

3 tablespoons ice water

Vanilla Cream Filling:

2 cups whole milk

1/2 cup sugar

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

4 egg yolks

1/4 cup cornstarch

Apricot Glaze:

3 tablespoons apricot jam

2 tablespoons water

Crust:

Combine flour and sugar in electric mixer. Cut butter into small chunks and mix into flour until mixture resembles a coarse meal.  In another bowl, beat together egg yolks and ice water.  Combine egg and flour mixture in electric mixer.  Mix until the dough holds together, it should not be too sticky.  Pat into a disk and wrap in plastic wrap. Put in refrigerator.  

On a lightly floured surface, roll out dough until it is about 12 inches around and 1/4 inch thick.  Transfer rolled dough to your tart pan with removable bottom.  Press the dough into the edges and trim edges to be even with the rim of the pan.  Chill in refrigerator for about 25 minutes. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prick the dough bottom all over with a toothpick then place in oven for about 25-30 minutes, until edges are golden brown.  Take out of oven and let it cool completely.

Vanilla Cream: 

Bring milk and vanilla extract to a simmer over medium heat.  Remove from heat and let it sit covered for about 20 minutes.  Whisk egg yolks and sugar together until light and fluffy. Add corn starch and mix until completely combined.  With mixer on low add the milk mixture to your egg yolk mixture.  Put back on the stove and mix constantly over medium heat until it starts to thicken.  As soon as it starts to thicken into a custard like consistency remove from heat and cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate until cold. 

Spoon vanilla cream into crust and smooth out evenly.  Arrange whatever kind of fruit you like on top. Make it pretty!  The apricot glaze is optional...

Glaze:

Heat jam and water over low heat until thin.  Pass through a seive then brush glaze over fruit with brush. 

All done, enjoy!

 Veggie/Fruit Juice

I finally purchased a juicer and I have to say it is one of the best investments I've made.  I can't tell you how much money I have spent buying juices at Whole Foods and Lazy Acres.  They are ridiculously priced, around 5 bucks for a small juice! Seriously?! Now I can make my own juices every morning for  a fraction of the price.  

I like to pack in as much variety of fruits and vegetables as possible but too much variety can sometimes  make a not so delicious juice.  So here is my go to juice combo...

4 whole carrots

1/2 orange

1/2 grapefruit

1/2 lemon

1 medium sized apple

1 tablespoon ginger

2 large handfuls of spinach

1/2 a large golden beet or two small regular beets

2 large leaves (including stem) of swish chard 

Cut your apple into pieces and your lemon, orange, and grapefruit in halves.  Make sure to take off the peels and remove any seeds.  Cut up all your veggies and the ginger.

I like to know what goodness I'm getting from everything in my juice so here ya go...

Beets and beet greens: 

-Vitamins A, C, chlorophyll, and B6

- Minerals calcium, potassium, choline and iron

Carrots:

- Vitamins A and C

- Minerals potassium, calcium, phosphorus and carotene

Spinach:

- Vitamins A, B complex, chlorophyll

- Minerals calcium, iron, magnesium, phosphorous, potassium

Apples:

- Vitamins A B1, B2, B6, biotin, folic acid and pantothenic acid

- Minerals choline, copper, iron, magnesium, manganese, phosphorous, potassium, silicon, sodium and sulfur

Grapefruit: 

- Vitamins B-complex, C, E, K, biotin and insitol

- Minerals calcium, iron, phosphorous, potassium, and enzymes

Lemons: 

- Vitamins C and citric acid 

Oranges: 

- Vitamins A, B-complex, B1, B2, B6, C, K, biotin, folic acid and niacin

Ginger:

- Vitamins A, C, E, K, B12, Thiamin, Riboflavin, Niacin, B6

- Minerals calcium, iron, magnesium, phosphorous, zinc, copper, manganese

Swiss Chard:

- Vitamins A, C, E, K, Niacin, Riboflavin, Folates

- Minerals Calcium, Copper, Iron, Magnesium, Manganese, Phosphorous, Selenuim, Zinc

Looks gross but tastes delicious!

Strawberry Pockets 

Ingredients

2 1/4 cups all purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

1 stick cold butter

2 egg yolks 

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

3/4 pound strawberries cut into 1/2 inch pieces

3/4 cup confectioners sugar

3 tablespoons strawberry jam

1 tablespoon granulated sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  In your Kitchen Aid combine 2 cups flour, baking powder, and 1 teaspoon salt.   Cut butter into small squares and mix into flour until it looks like coarse sand.

  Add 1 egg yolk, 1/2 cup water, and vanilla.  Mix until it is just combined. Knead dough on floured surface then put in the refrigerator.  

Meanwhile, make filling.  Combine chopped strawberries, jam, and confectioners sugar in a bowl.  Add remaining 1/2 cup flour.  

In another small bowl, beat egg and 1 tablespoon water together.  Roll out dough to 1/2 inch thickness and cut into 3 inch round circles with cookie cutter.  Roll each round circle into 6 inch circles.  

Scoop 2 tablespoons of strawberry filling onto one side of the 6 inch round circle leaving 1/2 inch of dough border.  Fold the dough over the filling and pinch borders together with a fork.

  Move pockets to parchment paper lined baking sheet.  With a toothpick, poke several holes into top of pocket then brush with egg wash.  Sprinkle a little bit of sugar on top of each pocket and stick in oven for about 30 to 35 minutes.  Bake until golden brown. Let cool for about 20 minutes. 

I highly recommend eating your strawberry pockets with some vanilla ice cream.  Yummy : )

 Santa Barbara Courthouse

The stunningly beautiful Santa Barbara Courthouse is only a couple blocks away from my apartment.  I drive by it several times a day but haven't taken the time roam around it in years.  Santa Barbara is full of beautiful buildings but, in my opinion, the courthouse takes the cake.  It was finished being built in 1929 after it was severely damaged in an earthquake in 1925.  It was designed by William Mooser III and has been called the most beautiful government building in America ( not to brag )  It's the perfect example of the Spanish Colonial style seen in many buildings throughout the city.  You can take an elevator to the "El Mirador" clocktower to get an incredible view of the city! 

Here I am, bundled up and sitting just outside the front of the courthouse.  Enjoying a rare rainy day! 

 Cheddar Cheese and Rosemary Biscuits

I've been a little bit obsessed with rosemary lately.  It grows like crazy all over Santa Barbara so I've been trying to utilize it as much as possible. Cheese and biscuit in the same sentence is always a good thing. Throw in a little rosemary and waahlaa! 

Ingredients

4 cups all purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

2 teaspoons baking powder

2 teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon paprika

1 teaspoon sugar

1/3 cup fresh and finely chopped rosemary

2 1/4 cups grated cheddar cheese

3/4 cup cold unsalted butter

2 cups buttermilk

1 extra tablespoon buttermilk

1 egg

In your Kitchen Aid mix flour, salt, sugar, baking soda and powder, and paprika. Add cheddar and rosemary. Chop cold butter into small squares and then mix into flour until it is a coarse meal texture. Pour in buttermilk and mix until it is a sticky dough. Turn dough out onto a floured surface and knead until it comes together.  Roll the dough out until it is about 1 inch thick.  With 2 /12 inch circular cookie cutter, cut out at biscuits and place on baking sheet. Beat together 1 egg and 1 tablespoon of buttermilk together and brush over each round dough of biscuit.  Stick in oven for 15 to 20 minutes. Take out and let cool. Eat.