Heart Egg

Breakfast for my sweetie.
Just a little something to show how much he means to me.

Take a piece of bread and cut out the shape you want. Use thicker sliced bread to hold your egg.

Heat a frying pan and add oil or marg. Sit your cutout in (I should have toasted it in the pan both sides a little longer, next time).

Break an egg in the cutout and cook until set enough to flip.

Carefully turn your egg and don't forget to put your heart shaped toast in the toaster!

Bon Appetit!

Chocolate Wasted !

This is the mother of all chocolate desserts!
And you make it in a slow cooker.

Use a 4 quart slow cooker because this lava cake will fill it up.

Just take one 2-layer Chocolate Fudge cake mix. Mix the batter up as directed on the box.

Prepare the crockpot with cooking spray and pour the cake batter in.

Next whisk together a 6-serving size chocolate pudding mix (the one you need to cook) with the ingredients called for on that box.

Carefully pour that over the cake batter.

And because you can't have too much chocolate, sprinkle in 3/4 cup chocolate chips. Do not stir.

Put the lid on the slow cooker, set on high and walk away for 2  1/2 hours.

When you come back your pudding and cake will be ready to serve.

More chocolate? Why not!

Add a scoop of chocolate ice cream and a drizzle of chocolate syrup to top off this moist and decadent dessert.

Secret Ingredient Steak Fajitas

Believe it or not....pineapple juice. It helps with the marinating process and gives the meat just a little sweetness.

Marinade:
1/4 cup lime juice
2 tbsps pineapple juice
1 tbsp worcestershire sauce
2 tbsps olive oil
1 tbsp minced garlic
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp cumin
2 tsps chili powder
a squirt of srirracha
Himalayan salt and ground black pepper to taste

1 lb inside round steak, cut in strips
olive oil
1 onion
1 red pepper
3-4 mushrooms
341 ml can kernel corn
4 soft tortillas

Start by mixing up the marinade ingredients and pour into a plastic bag. Add the steak strips and refrigerate 5-6 hours.

Slice the vegetables. Heat a couple of tablespoons of olive oil in a large skillet and toss in the steak. Cook until pink is almost gone then add the veggies. Stir and cook until tender-crisp.

Place tortillas out on the counter and lay steak and veggies down the middle of each. Fold sides over and carefully lift into the previously used skillet. Brown lightly on each side and serve with your favourite rice. Here with a plain brown rice and sundried tomatoes.

Serves 4 (or 2 extremely hungry people)

Another good side choice would be this Bar-B-Barn Style Spanish Rice

http://hotandcoldrunningmom.blogspot.ca/2014/03/bar-b-barn-style-spanish-rice.html

Fruity Bulgar Chop Salad

If you are a salad lover you have got to check this out!

1/2 cup bulgar
1/2 cup boiling water

2-3 cups chopped spinach
2-3 cups chopped romaine lettuce
1 pear, cubed
3/4 cup English cucumber, cubed
1/3 cup dried cranberries
1/2 cup whole pecans
2/3 cup fresh blackberries

Dressing:
8 oz vegetable oil
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup white wine vinegar
1/3 cup sugar
1/4 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp onion powder

Put the bulgar in a bowl and pour boiling water over it. Stir then let sit for 30-40 minutes, or until all the water is absorbed. Chill in the fridge until ready to use.

Combine all the fruits and veggies in a large bowl and stir in the bulgar.

Mix all the dressing ingredients together in a jar.
When ready to serve, give the jar a shake and pour some on. Give your salad a good toss. If there is dressing left over refrigerate it for a later use. 

Enjoy it as your main dish or as a side to chicken or pork.

Raspberry Filled Lemon Poppyseed Muffins

Lemony muffins with a pop of raspberry.

2 cups flour
3 tbsps poppyseeds
1 - 1  1/2 tbsps lemon zest (2 lemons)
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt

2 tbsps vegetable oil
1 egg
1 tsp almond extract
2/3 cup sugar
1/2 cup Greek yogurt (vanilla, lemon or berry)
3 tbsps fresh lemon juice
1/2 cup milk

1/2 cup raspberry jam

Mix the first 6 ingredients together in a bowl. Set aside.

In a large bowl mix the vegetable oil, egg, almond extract, sugar, yogurt, lemon juice and milk together.

Add the dry ingredients to the wet and mix just until combined. 

Line a muffin tin with papers and drop a big heaping tablespoon of batter in each. Dollop about 2 tsps of jam in each and spoon on the remaining batter.

Bake at 350 F for 17-20 minutes. 
Cool no more than 10 minutes before removing to a rack to cool completely as any jam oozing out will stick to your pan.

Put your feet up and enjoy one with a cup of tea.

Beef Stroganoff from Leftovers

Got leftovers?

This dish is a make-over made almost entirely from leftovers.
And you don't need sour cream or canned soup to make it.

3/4 lb cooked roast beef, cut in strips
3/4 lb cooked linguini
a few cooked pieces of broccoli 
1 onion, sliced
1 tbsp olive oil

Sauce:
2 tbsps butter or marg
2 tbsps flour
1/4 tsp salt
1  1/4 - 1  1/2 cups milk
1/2 cup cream cheese (regular or cheddar flavour)
pepper to taste

Get a large pan and brown the sliced onion in olive oil, then toss in the roast beef and broccoli. Cover to keep warm.

In a small saucepan melt the butter and add the flour and salt. Whisk in the milk and cook until thickened. Start with 1 1/4 cup milk, only adding the extra 1/4 cup if you want your sauce thinner. Stir in chunks of cream cheese and warm until melted. Sprinkle pepper to taste.

Pour the sauce into the roast beef and stir together.

Reheat the linguini in the microwave and toss with a little butter. Put some on each plate and top with warm and creamy beef stroganoff.

Serves 2

Honey Roast Pork

Why wait until Sunday to have a roast?  

2 - 2  1/2 lb boneless pork loin roast
3 tbsps honey
2 tsps balsamic vinegar
1 tsp garlic powder
a few whole cloves
pinch or 2 of rosemary

Score any fat and poke the roast with whole cloves.

Mix honey, balsamic and garlic powder together and spread over the roast. Sprinkle with rosemary.

Refrigerate minimum 4 hours or overnight.

Roast, uncovered at 350 F for 1 - 1  1/2 hours. Let rest 10 minutes.

If you want roast potatoes, toss cut potatoes in olive oil and add to the roasting pan for about 1 hour.