Time Out

So- for the very few people that read this from time to time- I am sure you have noticed I have been MIA...Lots of things going on- and the poor blog has fallen to the way side.....Since there are so many things going on- I am going to put the blog on hold for a while- in the next few months I will be moving, becoming a home owner, going back to school and leaving my beloved NYC(which I plan to continue to visit constantly) so until the water has settled a little I will be absent from the blog world! Hopefully one day I will return!!

Simply the Best Brussels Sprouts

So for most of my life brussels sprouts got a pretty bad rap.....and steamed brussles sprouts(aka the kind out parents grew up on) are pretty darn nasty! Luckily these little bites of heaven have made a big resurgence in the past year are so- and now they are everywhere! While you can prepare them SO many ways, and add all sorts of yummy things (Pancetta) to make the tasty- this is recipe yields a very simple, but intensely wonderful brussels sprout!

Roasted Brussles Sprouts:

Ingredients:
Brussels Sprouts(I usually make about a skillet full)
1 1/2 tbsp butter
2 tbsp olive oil
salt
garlic salt
pepper


Directions:
-Preheat oven to 350
-So even though this recipe is for roasted brussels sprouts there is a step that involves the stove- and this is a crucial step- Clean your sprouts and cut them in half (make sure to remove any loose outer leaves and the entire stalk when cleaning)

-melt the butter in a skillet over medium heat and sprinkle some salt and garlic salt into the melted butter
-place the brussels flat side down into the skillet and sauté for about 5 minutes- while the are cooking coat the backs of the brussels with olive oil as well as salt and pepper- 
-once the middles begin to brown slightly you can stir them around in the pan for a minute or two to coat the entire brussel in oil and seasoning. 

-place the brussels flate side up(my picture us from before I turned them all over) on baking sheet and cook for about 15-20- shaking the pan and allowing them to turn at least once during the baking time!




This is so simple and easy- but the skillet portion of this recipe makes a big difference! This recipe makes the most tender and tasty brussels sprouts I have been able to produce at home- and I have gotten in the habit of eating this about 3 times a week! enjoy!

Pinterest Tuesday: Golden Graham S'mores Bars

A few weekends ago we had a couple of visitors coming in- which officially put our stuffed apartment into the completely over capacity category. Since it was going to be a lot of people in a little space- I figured no better way to keep everyone happy than to supply ample snacking options! I found these on Pinterest and not only did they look delectable they also took about 12 minutes to make which was 3 minutes less than the time I actually had to dedicate to this project. 

Golden Graham S'mores Bars

Ingredients:

1 bag mini marshmallows

1 package semi-sweet chocolate chips

5 tbsp butter(I only had 3 and it worked just fine!)

8 cups golden grahams cereal

1 tsp vanilla

Directions:

-Put the chocolate chips in the freezer while you prep the rest of the ingredients

-In a large pot melt the butter, once butter is melted add marshmallows and stir until marshmallows are melted then  add the vanilla

-Remove from heat and add cereal and chocolate chips and stir until well combined

-Transfer to a greased dish and refrigerate for at least an hour before serving

So I know these are not super exciting or adventurous- but oh my were they good! Also as far as desserts go, these are pretty low cal- so that's always a plus- especially when four girls come home late one night and eat about 1/2 the pan! These were so good that I made the original batch Friday night- and on Sunday not only were we out but one of my roomies went and got the ingredients so that we could make more! 

Recipe Thursday!(Italian Style Beef with Polenta)

So I had a brief falling off the wagon with the blog so to speak- but I am back! This is a recipe I saw on another blog and thought it looked fantastic. It is from cooking light- so you can see the original recipe here! This also gave me the opportunity to finally break open the box to the my kitchen aid mixer meat grinder attachment(Thanks Rex). There is something kind of gross but also kind of awesome about grinding meat at home- it seems fresher- and I swear the fresh ground meat had more flavour than store bought- it was without a doubt a successful venture!

Italian Style Beef and Cheesy Polenta

Ingredients:

1 cup dry-coarse polenta

1 tsp dried oregano

Kosher salt

2 cups water

1 cup milk

3/4 cup grated parmigiana cheese

1 pound ground sirloin

1 cup chopped onion

1 tsp crushed red pepper

3 cloves minced garlic

2 cups marinara

Directions:

-So first off I cut up my sirloin steaks into 1/2 cubes and used my mixer to grind it up! I was surprised at how effectuation this little attachment is, super easy to use and almost all of the pieces are dishwasher safe!

                                        

-Once the meat was ground I seasoned it with salt, pepper, and a little Worcestershire- then I browned and drained the meat-

-Next I sautéed the onion,garlic, red pepper and salt in two tablespoons of olive oil for about 5 minutes or until the onions are soft. 

-Once the onions were soft I added the beef and tomato sauce to the onion mixture and let it simmer until the rest of the meal was prepared(around 20 minutes) I used scarpetta brand tomato sauce and it was delicious!

-In typical NYC fashion I was not able to find the kind of polenta I really wanted and ended up getting frustrated and going with a semi instant box version I found at the Gourmet Garage- it turned out alright but I am not sure I would use it again- if the beef/sauce had not been so awesome I am not sure this would have been a successful venture.......

-I followed the direction on the box to cook the polenta, and added extra cheese, salt and dried oregano- It took a lot of whisking- but the cheese integrated well and added good flavour!

-So once the polenta was done, I spooned it onto a plate and covered it with a hearty helping to the beef/sauce mixture- served with brussels sprouts and a simple dinner roll this was a really great Friday night dinner, and everyone in the apartment seemed to enjoy it! I think this was also the night I finally mastered the art of roasting brussels sprouts- so that recipe is soon to follow!

Pinterest Tuesday: Amazing Lemon Cookies

So I am going out on a limb here, but I feel pretty confident that this is my best Pinterest find so far! My room-mates and I all LOVE lemon cookies so there were very high expectations set here- and these cleared the bar with room to spare! 

Lemon Cookies with Lemon Glaze

Ingredients:

(cookies)

2 Cups all purpose flour

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1 Tbsp finely grated lemon zest

2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice

1 stick butter(room temp)

1 Cup sugar

1 egg

1tsp vanilla extract

(Glaze)

2 Cups powdered sugar

2 Tbsp finely grated lemon zest

1/3 Cup fresh lemon juice

Directions:

-Preheat Oven to 350

-In medium bowl wish together flour, baking soda, salt and lemon zest

-In a separate bowl beat together egg and sugar until fluffy(about 4 minutes)- Add egg, vanilla, and lemon juice and beat until combined!

-On low speed beat the flour mixture into the egg/sugar mixture until thoroughly combined. Drop the dough onto a greased baking sheet by the spoonful and bake for 15-20 minutes(Mine were all the way done at the 14 minute mark, so keep an eye on them!) Edges will begin to brown which means they are ready!

-My cookies came out cooked to perfection but were not particularly uniform- So I took a round cookie cutter and cut perfect round cooked out of the middle!

-Once the cookies had cooled(and we had consumed all of the discarded edges) I mixed up the icing(all you have to do is whisk together the listed ingredients) and I put a hearty spoonful of icing over each cookie and let it set for about 30 minutes. 

-These cookies were fantastic and would be great for a luncheon or bridal/baby shower! They are pretty and delicate- but OH so tasty! I also obviously have discovered the wonder that is instagram- so hopefully this will help my picture quality until I can get around to getting a proper camera!