Spaghetti Squash

I've been craving fall weather hardcore lately... Prep football has started, my friday nights have turned into Saturday mornings... I had my fantasy football draft the other night, RVTV is just around the corner (the sports guys drive an RV across the state getting psyched for the Iowa State vs. Iowa football game, and I go along for the ride.  But I sleep in a hotel, not in that RV with the boys) and there's a chill in the air. 

Wait, no there isn't, that's the chill of my AIR CONDITIONER going FULL BLAST because it's stinkin' 90 degrees in this town!

Ahem... anyway, every fall I OD on squash and swear I'll never eat it again in my lifetime, and ever fall, I do it all over again. 

This week I spotted a spaghetti squash calling my name, so I dropped $2.50 for this little fella and got to work. 

Squash is SO SIMPLE.  You slice it in half and bake it for 45 minutes at 350 degrees. 

I forked it to death after it was nice and tender. Then I dressed it up with a bit of butter, parm cheese and a layer of mozzarella cheese. (don't forget the salt and peppa)

Put it in the broiler for another 5 minutes and you've got yourself a lunch.   Word to the wise, you don't need much butter... I was a little heavy handed with this.  The squash will carry the taste of whatever you add to it.  You don't want butter for dinner... Or maybe you do.

It turns into these delicious looking "noodles" that are perfect with some marinara or even alfredo sauce. 

At 42 cals a cup, I'll take seconds! 

Creme Cupcake Is Finally Here

I've been excited for Creme Cupcake to come into town for AGES.  I mean, months...  But anyway, they're about 2.2 blocks from my apartment, and totally worth the jaunt.

I went opening night with my coworkers Krystle and Brandon, but they weren't serving cupcakes anymore, just desserts.  We were on our break, so we left empty handed.

Then I went on a Saturday night with my friend Emily for dessert.  I got the lavender pavlova with lemon curd filling... Remind you of something? 
And then we split the savory cheesecake.  Pavlova- good, cheesecake- OUT OF CONTROL.  Prices- ouch...

I get that it's a place to get dessert on a fancy date night, but I just don't have that kind of cash.  I don't drop $60 on drinks every Friday night, I don't buy expensive things... If I did, it would be my dream shop, but I'm paying off debt and saving for a car... On this salary, $10 drinks paired with an $8 dessert just aint gonna happen.

BUT you know what IS gonna happen?  Cupcakes.  4-bite clouds of "what dreams are made of".

I went back this weekend during the day with Krystle to get some cupcakes, and they were delish.

Clockwise from the top, left we have: Fried Ice Cream, Cherry Cheesecake and Dirt Cake. 

The fried ice cream was SO good.  Moist, fluffy, ice cream-ish.  I wanted 6 more.

The Cherry Cheesecake was equally as good.  Super sweet and delicious with a cream cheesey frosting. 

And then there was the dirt cake...  After two amazing cupcakes, I was pumped for this over the top green frosted chocolate cupcake named for a pudding/cream cheese/whipped cream dream... And it fell a little flat.  It was really dry... That made the chocolate less appealing, the frosting didn't really "go".  It seemed like a gimmicky cupcake for a boy who likes gross things and neon green... Case in point, my boyfriend about lost it when he saw the gummy worm on top... 

I'm excited to see what other flavors they have to offer.  They had a bananas foster cupcake that I might try sometime soon.  I'm excited that they're just a hop, skip and a jump away!

Ricotta Pancakes

I'm a sucker for breakfast-for-lunch, breakfast-for-dinner... or really breakfast any time of the day.

I was sifting through my proteins (eggs and lamb) and wondering what to concoct for lunch that would satiate my hunger pangs following a wicked run.

I decided I wanted pancakes, but I didn't want to negate all that good work I had done on the trails, so I sifted through some of my favorite magazines to find a good healthy alternative.

I finally landed on this one because I had a half-tub of low fat ricotta cheese from a failed attempt at stuffed squash blossoms...  The original recipe had blueberries, which would have been AWESOME in this recipe.  It would have added some sweetness.  But instead, I topped them with a dollop of cherry pie filling.  It didn't disappoint. 

Ricotta Pancakes
Recipe adapted from Fitness Magazine.

 Ingredients

1/2 cup  whole-wheat flour

1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons  all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon  sugar

1 teaspoon  baking powder

1/4 teaspoon  baking soda

1/2 teaspoon  freshly grated nutmeg

3/4 cup  low fat ricotta cheese

1   large egg

1   large egg white

1/2 cup  nonfat buttermilk, (see Tip)

1 tablespoon  lemon juice

2 teaspoons  canola oil, divided

Directions

1. Whisk whole-wheat flour, all-purpose flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and nutmeg in a small bowl. Whisk ricotta, egg, egg white, buttermilk, lemon zest and juice in a large bowl until smooth. Stir the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until just combined.

2. Brush a large nonstick skillet with 1/2 teaspoon oil and place over medium heat until hot. Using a generous 1/4 cup of batter for each pancake, pour the batter for 2 pancakes into the pan, sprinkle blueberries on each pancake and cook until the edges are dry and bubbles begin to form, about 2 minutes. Flip the pancakes and cook until golden brown, about 2 minutes more. Repeat with the remaining oil, batter and berries, adjusting the heat as necessary to prevent burning.

Tips:

Tip: No buttermilk? Mix 1 tablespoon lemon juice into 1 cup milk. (I do this all the time)

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They were incredibly fluffy and moist and they were just sweet enough with these cherries on top.

I couldn't even tell that I had used 1/2 wheat flour.  Sometimes wheat pancakes are flat and gummy, but these were perfect! I even have some leftovers for a late-night snack.  

NOM!

Greek-Inspired Chicken Wrap

I've just had a great day today!  Do you ever have those?  It's Friday, I woke up early to have breakfast with my boyfriend, I went on a 4-mile run/walk around Grey's Lake, I made a GREAT lunch, my hair looks phenomenal, and I have a great weekend planned full of cupcakes, volunteering, Fantasy Football Drafting and a hot date. 

The delicious lunch I speak of was a Greek-inspired chicken wrap complete with a tasty tzatziki sauce. 

I marinated 2 hormone-antibiotic free chicken breasts (one for today, one for later) in:
1/2 cup plain Greek Yogurt
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 teaspoon of oregano
1 teaspoon olive oil
1 Tablespoon white vinegar
Juice of 1/2 lemon
salt and pepper

And then I slapped that baby on the mini Foreman and took a shower.

I really did take a shower... How else was I supposed to fit that all in before I went to work?!

The tasty Tzatziki is:
1/2 cup plain Greek Yogurt
1/2 cucumber shredded and rung out.  You want to get as much liquid out as possible
1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
1 Tablespoon of white wine

I layered some chopped chicken with the Tzatziki sauce, some thinly sliced onions and diced tomato on a tortilla. 

It could have used some feta... but everything's better with cheese, amiright?

Omelet in a Bag!!

My dear friend Stephanie Moore (you might know her from tv...) is an avid reader of this blog, and she's always telling me what she's making for her husband Ryan... So the other day when she mentioned this crazy-cool omelet recipe with ZERO clean-up, I jumped on the chance to have her guest blog it.  

So, read and enjoy! 

I first saw this amazing feat of omelet creation while vacationing in the Ozarks with my family.  Making a custom made omelette for all 20 plus of us that were there would have been too difficult and a BIG mess for Grandma to tackle.

What you need:

-freezer ziplock bag (quart size works)

-eggs

-fixings (green peppers, red peppers, onions, ham, cheese whatever you would put in an omelet)

-a large pot

First get your large pot of water boiling.

 

While that is getting ready take your ziplock and crack 2 eggs inside (can do three if you are really hungry) 

 

 

Fill the bag with your fixings. My husband and I included onions, red and green peppers and cheese.

 

 

Next close your bag and try and get all the air out.

 

 

Once you know its secure comes the fun part, smash all your ingredients together so it's all mixed up.

 

 

Once the water is boiling, drop the ziplocks in the water.  (tip: if you have more than one, you can label the bags with peoples names)

 

 

Boil for 13-15 minutes on high.

 

Then remove your bags using tongs, the bags get hot!

 

 

 Then it's easy, unzip your bag and slide out your perfectly shaped omelet onto your plate and ENJOY!

 

Once you try this, I promise you'll never go back!

Custom made, no mess omelets all with the slide of a ziplock!

Chocolate Covered Cherry Cupcakes

I did some serious cooking and baking this weekend.  And it had me thinking about the difference between the two. 

I always thought cooking was on the stove-top and baking was in the oven... But then why aren't cookies called bakies?

Anyways... that's not why you came to my blog.  You came to see THIS!

Oh yeah baby, go ahead and zoom in on that one.  It's a chocolate covered cherry cupcake. 

I made a not-so-simple vanilla butter cake cupcake.  SO good.  There are quite a few steps in this cupcake, but I think it's my new favorite cupcake base recipe.  You fold in the egg whites/sugar like you do with waffles to make a light and fluffy cupcake. 

And, you wouldn't believe it if I told you, but the frosting is only TWO ingredients.  Yup. 

Let's get down to business. 

(From www.simplydeliciousblog.blogspot.com)

Classic Butter Cupcakes with Whipped Vanilla Frosting 

adapted from Sweetapolita

makes 28 cupcakes (which was a little awkward with a 12-cup tin)

Classic Butter Cake

ingredients:

4 large eggs (separated), at room temperature

3 1/2 cups sifted cake flour (I used 3 cups of regular AP flour)

4 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature

2 cups granulated sugar, divided

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

1 cup milk, at room temperature

1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

directions:

Preheat oven to 350°F. Line 2 muffin tins with cupcake liners. Set aside

While eggs are still cold, separate the eggs, placing the yolks in one bowl and the whites in another bowl. Cover the two bowls with plastic wrap and allow the eggs to come to room temperature before using (about 30 minutes).

In a separate bowl, sift the flour, baking powder, and salt.

In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the butter until soft, about 1-2 minutes. Add 1 1/2 cups of the sugar and beat until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add egg yolks, one at a time, beating after each addition. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add the vanilla and beat until combined. With the mixer on low speed, alternately add the flour mixture and milk, in three additions, starting and ending with the flour mixture.

In a clean bowl of your electric mixer, with the whisk attachment, beat the egg whites until foamy.  Add the cream of tartar and continue beating until soft peaks form. Gradually add the remaining 1/2 cup sugar and continue to beat until stiff peaks form. With a rubber spatula gently fold a little of the whites into the batter to lighten it, and then fold in the remaining whites until combined. Do not over-mix the batter or it will deflate.

Fill each prepared muffin cup 3/4 full. Bake, rotating the pans halfway through, until the tops are just firm to the touch and a tester inserted in the center of a cupcake comes out clean, about 20-25 minutes. Let the cupcakes cool completely before frosting, about 1 hour. 

Chocolate Buttercream Frosting

ingredients:

1 cup unsalted butter
1 cup chocolate chips

Melt the butter and chocolate chips in a double boiler until it is all melted and combined. 
Put it in the freezer while you whip up your cupcakes.  When it is firm, take it out and whip with an electric stand mixer until it's light and fluffy.  I didn't let it get firm enough in the freezer, so I added a touch of powdered sugar... maybe 1/4-1/2 cup to help it firm up.  The frosting was still soft, but it held its shape. 

I cut little wells in the cupcakes...

and filled them with cherry pie filling. 

I brought a bunch in to work for some of my coworkers' birthdays.  I got some rave reviews! 

And I have a few left to enjoy myself. 

What I'm not good at

I've been struggling through 1.2 miles 3-4 times a week for a few weeks now...  (I'll wait while you get a calculator) And I'm not getting anywhere.  I cut about a minute off my run everytime, but I don't run any further.  I need to get to 3.2 miles by October! 

Anyway, all this time running has me thinking about what else I can't do...  Not to be all Negative Nancy on you or anything... These aren't depressing, don't worry. 

#1) I can't run.  I'm slow, I shuffle, I look like... well... this--

#2) Steak.  I can't make a steak to save my life.  It's always overcooked and tough and it shrinks into a little steak nugget. 

#3) I can't keep my apartment clean.  I try, really... but I always come home from work and wonder who put all this stuff around my place... 

#4) I can't take pictures...  Lighting is not my forte, and all my photos are taken from my phone because my digital camera broke a few years ago. 

But, my mom's buying me a new camera for Christmas and she's getting me some adult ed photography classes to go with it! woot!