Trick Or Treat! Here Are Some Friendly Ghosts To Eat...

10/30/13

Since Halloween is tomorrow, I thought I would share a cute halloween treat I found on my favorite site, Pinterest. I love chocolate covered pretzels... but I love them even more when they are festive! This recipe is simple and quick, yet fun to make and share! You can get even more creative and dye your white chocolate chips with green or orange food coloring to make frankenstein pretzels or pumpkin pretzels. I just stuck to these cute little ghosts. They make great gifts to either give out to friends, family, or trick or treaters. Happy Halloween!

Spooky Chocolate Covered Pretzels

Ingredients:

1 Bag Pretzel Rods
1 Bag White Chocolate Chips
1/2 Tbsp Vegetable Oil
1 Cup Black and Orange Sprinkles (These may be hard to find, but if you make friends with the bakery ladies like I did they may sneak you some free ones! =))
1 Tube Black Icing
2-3 Sheets Aluminum Foil

Directions:
1. Lay out the sheets of aluminum foil on flat counter space.
2. Pour the chocolate chips and vegetable oil into a microwaveable-safe bowl and heat for 90 seconds. Stir the bowl and heat for another 15 seconds until the chocolate is completely melted.
3. Pour the chocolate on plate so that it is easy to roll the pretzels in.
4. Roll the top half of the pretzel rods in chocolate and place on the foil to cool.
5. Cover half of the pretzel rods in sprinkles and allow those to cool as well.
6. Once the pretzels are fully cooled, use the black icing to draw goulish faces onto your ghosts. Leave them set until the icing is dry.
7. If you desire, package them up in clear goodie bags and tie the top with ribbon.

Now its's time to dress up and have fun! This year I was Rapunzel, Justin was Flynn Rider, and Nala was the cutest cat horse.

Fall Flavors

10/25/13

Happy Friday! Since fall is upon us (even though it feels like winter already), I thought I would try out some recipes that involve the comforting and warm autumn flavors. We had a large bag of plain almonds that have barely been touched, but by adding some cinnamon, sugar and pumpkin spices, we could not keep our hands off of them. In addition, I had always been wanting to try out spaghetti squash. Since it is a great fall vegetable, I thought it would be a perfect time to give this recipe a whirl. If you love pasta, but are trying to watch the calories, I definitely recommend trying spaghetti squash. At about 40 calories/serving as opposed to 200 calories/serving and additional vitamins such as vitamin A, potassium, and beta-carotene, it's definitely a healthy alternative. Fall is one of my favorite times of the year because I love to cozy up and indulge in all the delicious flavors of the season!

Pumpkin Spice Almonds

Ingredients:
2 Cups Raw Almonds
4 Tsp Cinnamon
1/8 Cup Sugar
3 Tsp Pumpkin Pie Spice
4 Tbsp Honey
1 Tsp Vanilla Extract
1 Tsp Salt

Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.
2. Combine almonds, cinnamon, sugar, pumpkin pie spice, honey, vanilla extract, and salt into a bowl until almonds are completely coated.
3. Spray a baking sheet with cooking spray and spread out almonds.
4. Cook 20 minutes, flipping the almonds midway through.
5. Sprinkle additional sugar over the almonds and snack away!


Parmesan-Garlic Spaghetti Squash

Ingredients:
1 Large Spaghetti Squash
2 Tsp Olive Oil
1 Tbsp Capers
2 Cloves Garlic, Minced
1/8 Cup Grated Parmesan Cheese
1 Tsp Dried Oregano
Sprinkle of Salt & Pepper

Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
2. Cut spaghetti squash in half lengthwise and using a spoon, remove the seeds as you would a pumpkin.
3. Place the squash haves in a roasting pan face down and fill water up to about 1/2 inch in the pan.
Cover the pan with foil and bake in the oven for 45 minutes.
4. Remove pan from oven and flip the squash halves over, facing upwards. Cover the pan with foil and bake for another 15 minutes.
5. Remove from pan from oven again and let the squash cool for a few minutes.
6. Using a fork, scrape the inside of the squash so that you create strands of spaghetti. Once the insides have been removed, use a strainer to remove as much excess water as you can.
7. Heat a saute pan with oil and add garlic. Add the squash, parmesan cheese, oregano, capers, salt, and pepper and allow everything to heat and incorporate flavors.
8. Consistently stir the squash for about 3-5 minutes and remove from pan.
9. Add squash to a bowl, sprinkle with parmesan cheese, and fill yourself up on this low calorie dish!
*If you prefer marinara sauce, you can use your favorite pasta sauce in a jar and use it with your squash instead. I gave both kinds a try and they both worked great!

Spice Up Your Pasta!

10/18/13

If you are tired of the same old pasta and marinara sauce from a jar, it's time to spice things up! Justin and I have been staring at the same box of farfalle pasta in the pantry for months and finally decided it was time to whip up a pasta dish. If your pasta dish seems like it will be bland, you should search around your kitchen for some ingredients that will liven it up with flavor! We rounded up some onions and leftover chicken sausage from the freezer and found some red pepper flakes along with dried oregano to intensify the sauce. Adding some extra ingredients to your pasta makes your night in at home feel like a night out in Rome =).

Spicy Chicken Sausage Pasta

Ingredients:

1 Box Farfalle
1 Jar Marinara Sauce
2 Chicken Sausage Links
1/4 Cup Chopped Onions
1 Clove Chopped Garlic
1 Tbsp Olive Oil
1/2 Tbsp Red Pepper Flakes
1 Tsp Dried Oregano
*add parmesan cheese if you wish!

Directions:
1. Cook pasta as directed on package.
2. Heat up saute pan with the olive oil and add the onions, sausage and garlic.
3. Pour sauce into the pan and sprinkle in the pepper flakes and oregano.
4. Lower heat and allow the flavors to cook and blend together.
5. Pour the sauce over pasta and sprinkle on some parmesan cheese.
6. It's that simple! Buon appetito!

It's Always a Fiesta at Que Rico!

10/15/13

Since I have been living in the city for just over a year now, I think my favorite restaurant in the area still has to be Que Rico. It is a quaint little mexican restaurant right around the corner from my apartment. Their food is outstanding and the ambience makes you want to hang out forever with friends, family, and never-ending margarita pitchers. Whenever I eat at mexican restaurants, it is very hard to resist filling up on chips and salsa. Trust me, this is a place where you need to try and save room for your meal as well! Their salsa is perfectly spicy, their chips are thick and authentic, and their margaritas are never syrupy and probably the best i've had! When I come here I usually order the Chicken and Shrimp Fajitas. I came here the other night and spent a wonderful time with my family. I highly suggest doing the same with yours! =)

Our waiter even threw in an extra pitcher for us...yikes! =)

I loved their Halloween decorations! The place was covered with spooky decor.

Fish Tacos, Lemon Chicken, and Fajitas- you can't go wrong here!

Easy Cheesy

10/15/13

During our trip to Madison to visit Molly and celebrate homecoming, we had the opportunity to try the famous cheesy bread from the local farmers market. It was so fresh and tasty that when Kim brought it back to us at the KK bar, we couldn't keep our hands off of it! (It didn't help that we had some drinks in us either ;)). Last night Justin and I were both suffering from cheesy bread withdrawal, so we decided to make our own! Warning: THIS IS ADDICTING!

Stuffed Italian Cheesy Bread

Ingredients:
1 Large Italian Loaf
1 Stick Butter, Melted
1/8 Cup Olive Oil
3 Tsp Minced Onion
1-2 Tbsp Minced Garlic
1 Tbsp Dijon Mustard
12 Oz Grated Cheese (Your Favorite)

Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 350 F.
2. Mix the melted butter, olive oil, onion, garlic, and mustard in a bowl.
3. Cut the bread diagonally in order to form small cubes without cutting all the way through.
4. Fill the cracks with the butter mixture and follow by stuffing the cheese on top.
5. Wrap the entire loaf with foil and bake for 15-20 minutes. Remove the loaf from the oven and unwrap. Bake for another 10 minutes until the cheese is all melted and the top of the bread is slightly crispy.
6. Enjoy this snack or appetizer while it is nice and hot!

It Takes Two To Tango

10/7/13

If you are ever looking for a romantic date night spot in the Lakeview area, there is no better place than Tango Sur. I have been here many times and it never disappoints. The entire restaurant is dark and lit with only candlelight. Their Brazilian food is hearty, delicious, and filling that includes steaks, chicken, empanadas, and pasta. I just love the romantic and cozy atmosphere! The best part of this restaurant other than the food is that it is BYOB! Be sure to bring your favorite wine and enjoy a relaxing night with your significant other... or in our case great friends! =)

The only downfall is their salad...you may mistake it for burger toppings

This is a split portion of the El Filet. They give you two filet mignons with a side of spinach mashed potatoes...YUM.

Hot Potato, Hot Potato!

10/3/13

Although I enjoy eating healthy in general, I try and stick to healthy dishes on weekdays and let myself indulge a bit on the weekends. Justin sent over a recipe that he received in a daily health newsletter at work and it looked like a perfect weeknight meal! We both LOVE avocados and sweet potatoes, so we couldn't pass up this recipe. The sweet potato provides more nutrients and health benefits than a regular potato and the turkey chili is lower in fat and cholesterol than if you were to use beef. This is definitely a "feel-good" meal loaded with nutrients and it felt great to eat after my run last night!

Avocado Turkey Chili Stuffed Sweet Potatoes

Ingredients:

1 Ripe Avocado (Seeded and Cubed)
2 Medium Sweet Potatoes
1 Tbsp Olive Oil
1/2 Cup Diced Onion
1/4 Cup Diced Red Bell Pepper
1 Clove Garlic, Minced
3/4 Tsp Chili Pepper
1/2 Tsp Dried Oregano
1/4 Tsp Salt
8 Oz. Ground White Meat Turkey
1 (14 Oz.) Can Petite Diced Tomatoes

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 400
2. Using a fork, pierce holes all over the sweet potatoes several times. Place on a baking sheet and bake for 45 minutes-1 hour until soft and tender.
3. Heat oil in a saute pan over medium heat. Add the onion and pepper and cook until tender. Stir in oregano, salt, and chili pepper.
4. Add the turkey into the pan and cook until it is no longer pink (about 3-5 min). Stir in the tomatoes and reduce the heat to medium-low. Cover and let cook for 20 minutes.
5. Remove baked potatoes from the oven and slice them in half. Using a fork, fluff up the insides of the potato while also removing some potato from the middle to allow room for the chili. Scoop turkey chili mixture into the center of the sweet potatoes. Top the stuffed potatoes with the diced avocado and finish off by sprinkling them with salt and pepper. Enjoy!