A Celebration & Meal Planning

Last night was definitely an eating healthy “off day” but man oh man was it ever the best meal!  We were celebrating my sweet Auntie’s birthday and picked “The Range” in Santa Margarita for the dark cowboy steakhouse charm and great food.  The decor is beyond charming.  The food is ridiculously good.  I wanted to get one of everything on the dessert menu.  But I picked the Creme Brulee cause I’m a sucker for a good one.

We were celebrating this cutie patootie:

After the meal we had last night and what I am sure will continue to be an unsavory food weekend, I am planning for lots of healthy meals next week.  Here’s what I’m thinking:

Monday: Baked Herb & Pistachio Falafel

Recipe here

Tuesday: Spring pea salad with Burrata + Fish

No recipe for this lovely but I’m thinking keep it really simple with some arugula, fresh peas, burrata, garlic olive oil, and pink salt.  And then I’ll have Sean grill up some fish.

Wednesday: Indian Cauliflower Crust Pizza

Recipe here

Thursday: Peach & Roasted Vegetable Salad + Fish

Recipe here

Friday: Portabello & Peach Burger (on 100 cal thin bun) + Baked Sweet Potato Fries

Recipe here

Midnight Snack

If only all snacks were so chic as the one pictured above.  The perfection of this photo inspired me to do some virtual re-creating:

1) Straws:

Availiable Here

2) Vintage Milk Bottles:

Availiable Here

3) Cake Plate:

Availiable Here

A Little Pizza Post

Who doesn’t love pizza? The options are endless…and so are the cute/functional pizza accessories. My favs:

1) Pizza Knife:
http://www.laguiolecheeseknives.com/pizzaknives.html

2) Pzza Crisper (Makes perfectly crispy pizza every single time) : www.williams-sonoma.com

3) Your friends will love you forever if you bring homemade pizza over in these cute little pizza boxes:
http://www.samsclub.com/shopping/navigate.do?dest=5&item=397917&pid=_Froogle&ci_src=14110944&ci_sku=243887

Write down the recipe please…

One of my magillion New Years Resolutions (why do I set myself up for failure like this??) is to organize my recipes in some logical way that doesn’t involve stained printouts off Food Network and faxes of recipe card copies from my mom.  Commence recipe organization eye candy…

1) Martha Stewart Recipe Box: www.macys.com

2) Rifle Paper Company Recipe Cards:
http://www.riflepaperco.com/category/Recipe_Cards/c23

3) Cute little recipe box, card, divider setup:
http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=37801670

4) Sunny bright recipe cards, a steal at only $5:
http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=37473090

5) Printable/Editable PDF recipe cards and more for all you that are lucky enough to be not-technology-challenged:
http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=37836815

6) Kitchy Recipe Journal:
http://www.fredflare.com/customer/product.php?productid=1998&cat=316
#

7) And a must to keep all your hard work protected from pasta sauce splatters, recipe card sleeves!

Bake Me a Batch

To be honest…I’m really not much of a baker.  But when I do bake, its usually for a special occasion, a party, or as a gift.  Hence the necessity for adorable cute baking cups, toppers, packaging, and the like.  Here are my favorite resources for acoutrements to jazz up your baked goods:

1) www.layercakeshop.com

2)
http://www.etsy.com/shop/goosegrease

3) www.fancyflours.com

 

 

Breakfast For Dinner

Breakfast is my favorite meal, especially when it is served up at dinnertime, and extra-specially when it involves some form of egg & some form of bread.  One of my all-time favorite recipe’s (and I actually came up with it on my own, even though I now know it is far from original) is a recipe that involves both!  It is so simple & you can use the remnants of the past week’s meals & switch it up to include whatever ingredients you have lying around in your fridge.

 Breakfast Casserole

Serves 4 People

 8 Eggs, Beaten

¼ Cup Cream, ½ & ½ , Milk, Crème Fraiche, etc… (Whatever dairy you have in your fridge)

3 Tomatoes, chopped

Lots of Chopped Garlic

Lots of Chopped Fresh Thyme

Shredded Cheese (½  – 1 Cup)

Day old (or even older) Fresh Bread-Cut into 1 Inch Pieces

1 tsp. Salt (or to your preference)

1 tsp. Coarse Ground Pepper (or to your preference)

½ Tsp. Paprika (or to your preference)

Olive Oil

Preheat the Oven to 400 Degrees.

Drizzle olive oil in the bottom of an 8 ½ by 11” Pan to coat.   Lay bread at the bottom of the pan to form a layer.  Mix together all other ingredients and pour over bread. 

Cook at 400 Degrees for approximately 45 minutes, until center is set and bread peaking out is golden.