slap chop

.....this is the exact kind of comic relief I've needed after the week I've had!  This is so funny.  I love it.  I think I need one.  Screw the Magic Bullet I've been wanting.....I need a Slap Chop!!  It would make a fine addition to the George Foreman Grill and the Popcorn Popper I found in the garage today (which I was actually excited about).

apples for jam

Apples for Jam: A Colorful Cookbook by Tessa Kiros


My rating: 5 of 5 stars
I loved the simple recipes, and the author's childhood stories.  It was also fun that the recipes are color coded!

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weeknight brushetta

Weeknight Bruschetta

french baguette

can of diced tomatoes with onion and garlic flavor

fresh basil

shredded mozzarella cheese

olive oil

 Preheat oven to 350.  Slice baguette.  Pan grill bread slices in olive oil over medium high heat.  This will take a few minutes for each side.    Set bread slices aside.  Chop basil.  Drain tomatoes.  Spray a cookie sheet with cooking spray.  Arange slices of bread on cookie sheet.  Place a few tomatoes on each slice.  Sprinkle on basil and cheese.  Bake for 5 minutes or until cheese is melted.


This was such a simple recipe to throw together, and it turned out to be a big hit.  Fresh tomatoes would make it better of course, but they aren't in season here yet, and I really don't like chopping tomatoes (too gooey).  We made pasta with a simple butter herb sauce too!  I just boiled mastacholi noodles (adding olive oil and sea salt to the water), then drained the noodles and returned them to pan, added fresh chopped herbs (basil, oregeno, rosemary, and sage) and a half a stick of butter, some shredded parmesan, a little more olive oil......bliss. 

This would also make a great date night meal, or a good appetizer for late night guests.  I would imagine it pairing well with a fresh salad, and some Riverboat Red. 

Lock Down French Toast

Ok. So I decided to declare Sundays French Toast Day.  My boyfriend LOVES french toast (sometimes more than me), and I love him so......I dug out and dusted off my Bitchin Kitchen cookbook and found this recipe for Lock Down French Toast and it looked simple enough, so I gave it a try.  The verdict- it may just become a once a week staple in our house.

The cookbook calles for a vanilla bean.  Let me just tell you that vanilla beans are expensive, and extremely hard to find.  I ended up paying $5 for 2 beans at Hy-Vee.  Sheesh!  But vanilla beans are really fun to work with (to get the beans out cut your vanilla bean lengthwise.  Scrape seeds out with your knife.  They look like coffee grounds and are really sticky so they clump together. Mix well to distribute in your mixture) , they smell amazing, and add great flavor so it was worth it.  They also add pretty homemade like flecks to the french toast.  My heart sank a little when I threw out the first empty vanilla bean shell ( 5 bucks, are you kidding me?!), so I googled things to do with an empty vanilla bean shell and I came up with this:  Vanilla Sugar.  Who wouldn't appreciate vanilla flavored sugar?!  And it's super easy to make.  Here's what you do.........

Vanilla Sugar

1 vanilla bean

2 cups of sugar

Dry empty vanilla bean shell on windowsill overnight.  Place sugar and vanilla bean in an airtight container.  Seal up and give it a good shake.  Put sugar container in a dark cupboard for 2 weeks, shaking occasionally.  Discard vanilla bean after the 2 weeks are up and voila!  Vanilla Sugar.