Weekend Burgers

this post is part of my 31 Day series. here is the beginning

Sometimes burgers are good on Saturdays, huh? I got these two patties from Safeway, on sale for only a couple bucks! We already had most of these toppings and condiments so this meal was cheap and filling. 

I made a makeshift broiler pan for these burgers with foil, a small, shallow pan, and a cooling rack. Season with your favorite herbs and spices and set under broiler. After about 5 minutes on each side, your burgers should be nice and juicy!

Stack with lots of veggies and your favorite sauce, then open wide! I topped mine with Pepperjack cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, pickles, and BBQ sauce. Burgers are a fun, easy meal. Perfect for weekends, even in October!

What do you like to stack on your burgers?

xoxo
Joy

Broccoli, Ham, & Pasta

this post is part of my 31 Day series. here is the beginning

Caroline cooked dinner for us the last night, what a treat! There were only a couple ingredients but it was a really, really, tasty meal. And she's going to share it with you, luckies! 

Step One: Steam broccoli until just before tender. You'll sauté it a bit later so don't cook it all the way! Step Two: Put spaghetti on to boil Step Three: Dice the tomatoes, garlic, and ham Step Four: Heat oil over medium high heat and add garlic, sautéing for just a minute. Then add ham, cook for a couple minutes, until slightly browned, and then add tomatoes. Add steamed broccoli and cover, turning down to medium low and simmer. When the pasta is al dente, drain and melt the butter in the hot noodles. Add the meat and veggies, mix, and enjoy! Okay, that last step was kind of a long one…ha! 

I found out this was one of Camillo's favorite dishes growing up. Isn't that fun? Thank you, Caroline, for teaching me so I can make this great meal for Camillo and Ollie :)

Obrigada!
xoxo
Joy

General Tso's Chicken with Coconut Rice

this post is part of my 31 Day series. here is the beginning

Our family really likes Chinese food. We have pretty high standards, though, so we have yet to find the perfect place to eat it. This recipe for General Tso's is pretty good if you ask me. I found it on Pinterest in a crockpot version here. Since we like a saucier dish, the recipe below is double the original. It's simple to make and really hits the spot when we're craving something Chinese.

Let's start with the rice. Growing up, I was taught that rice had to be made very specifically or else it would be ruined. Measure the water, boil it, measure the rice, time it perfectly. Imagine my horror when Camillo came into my life and just sort of haphazardly threw rice together! If you are OCD about your rice cooking regime, I suggest skipping over this part. But if you're up for trying something new and living on the edge, read on!

Coconut Rice
About 3 cups of dry rice, rinsed (see below)
1 can coconut milk
Water
Salt

Camillo taught me what a difference rinsing rice can make. At first, I kinda thought he was full of it but now I'm a firm believer and rinse it every time! Pour your rice into a large pot and cover with water, using your hands to mix it around, then strain it. Do this 2-3 times until the water is clear, and you will have light, fluffy rice once it's cooked!
After you've drained your rice the final time, pour coconut milk into the pot and stir until saturated. Here's the part that used to bug me ... Add just enough water so that it is about 3/4 inch deeper that the rice. Or, to get real technical 'one knuckle worth'. ha! Add some salt to taste, mix again, and set the pot on a large burner. Turn the burner on to High and wait for the water to start boiling. Once you get a good boil going, give your pot of rice one last stir and reduce heat to low. Let it cook for 15 minutes (perfect amount of time to cook your chicken!). When your timer goes off, check the rice. If it has a little bit more moisture, let it sit on the burner a couple more minutes. If it's dry, light, and fluffy, smelling deliciously like coconut, it's ready!!

General Tso's Chicken

1 pound chicken, cut to one inch cubes
1 1/2 tbs minced garlic
6 tbs brown sugar
2 tsp ground ginger
4 tbs soy sauce
1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes (optional)
1-2 cups mixed veggies (more or less depending how you like it)

Over medium-high heat, cook chicken until browned. In the meantime, mix garlic, brown sugar, ginger, and soy sauce in a small bowl. When the chicken is nearly cooked through, pour sauce mixture over chicken and heat to a light boil. Add the mixed veggies and reduce heat to medium-low. Simmer for 5 minutes. Pour your chicken and veggies over the coconut rice and voila!! A delicious Chinese meal, sans the takeout boxes ;)

享受! 
xoxo
Joy

Vanilla Pudding Chocolate Chip Cookies

this post is part of my 31 Day series. here is the beginning

The long awaited cookie recipe! I finally got my cookies today and they are so good. I found them here a couple months ago and have made them way too many times since. But did you hear me? They're so good. 

Vanilla Pudding Chocolate Chip Cookies

1 cup butter, softened

3/4 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup sugar

3.4 oz package instant vanilla pudding

2 eggs

1 1/2 tsp vanilla

2 cups flour

1 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

1 cup chocolate chips

1/2 bar dark chocolate, cut into small pieces

Cream butter and sugars. Mix in dry pudding package, eggs, and vanilla. Next, baking soda, salt, and flour. Finally, stir in chocolate chips and chunks. Drop on parchment paper covered pan, about an inch and a half apart. Bake at 350* for 8-10 minutes. Enjoy with a nice, cold glass of milk!!

xoxo
Joy

Vegetarian Stuffed Shells

this post is part of my 31 Day series. here is the beginning

Tonight was another vegetarian meal (assuming vegetarians eat cheese) and we all loved it. I'm noticing that we eat a lot of pasta though. Is that normal? Last night we had steak and rice with stir fry veggies. So..I guess pasta isn't on the menu every night. 

Anyways, I adapted tonight's dinner from a recipe in my Cook Yourself Thin cookbook. I put it all together while Ollie was napping so I only had to pop it into the over 20 minutes before we were ready to eat. Sweet!!

Vegetarian Stuffed Shells

15 jumbo pasta shells

6 ounces spinach

1 medium zucchini

1 1/4 cup of ricotta cheese

1/4 cup grated parmesan

1/4 tsp salt

1 1/2 cups pasta sauce

1/2 cup mozzarella cheese

To start this meal, bring a large pot of water to boil. Cook 15 jumbo pasta shells for 6-7 minutes so that they're just undercooked. Drain and lay out on a greased cookie sheet to cool. Don't let them touch each other or they'll stick together and then tear when you try to fill them later! 

In a skillet, wilt the spinach over medium heat, drain, and set aside in a big bowl. Grate one medium zucchini and, using the same skillet, cook until tender. Add to the bowl of spinach.

Add 1 1/4 cup of ricotta cheese, 1/4 cup grated parmesan, and 1/4 tsp salt to your green veggies and mix until well combined.

Spread a thin layer of pasta sauce onto the bottom of an 8x8 pan. If your shells have cooled enough by now, fill each one with cheesy filling - probably 1-2 tablespoons per shell. Cover with more sauce, about 1 1/2 cups (more or less depending how you like it). Sprinkle with a little bit more parmesan, and then top with 1/2 cup mozzarella.

Loosely cover with foil and bake for 15 minutes at 350*. Remove foil and bake another 5-8 minutes, until cheese is melted and slightly brown. Let cool slightly and then dig in!

Every night this week Camillo has complimented how good I'm getting at cooking. I don't think I'm doing anything better than before, it's just that I'm planning ahead and putting thought into our meals. That results in some tasty dishes and it makes me feel good to know Camillo is impressed!

xoxo
Joy

A Few of Ollie's Faves

this post is part of my 31 Day series. here is the beginning

I started writing about our dinner but then remembered today is Ollie's 14th month birthday! So let's talk about some of his favorite foods.

He's been working on his eating-by-himself skills and as you can see, the spoon is making it into his mouth. All of his food? Eh, different story. But he's better today than even yesterday and I'm really proud of him! He really likes greek yogurt, cottage cheese, and applesauce. Not mixed together. Ha!

I've picked up a couple of these pouches for when we're out and about during lunch time. They're really handy, even though I've always thought it was super weird to just give my kid a bag of food. Really, that's all it is, isn't it? But it's cool, they're an occasional treat.

We discovered that he loves corn on the cob! And he insists on eating it like a big boy. Most of the time he just skims off the top of the kernel but every once in a while he gets all the way down to the core! It's so funny to watch him :) He has also started eating his own whole apples. He holds it with both hands and just keeps digging at the same spot until he busts into the core. It's quite possible he's eaten a couple seeds..I'll be on the look out for them ;)

Every once in a while I'll let him eat his snack at the dining table. I can't believe my little is already big enough to climb into a chair and stand at the table to eat.  Obviously, Horsey was hungry so Ollie shared his crackers with him. (Uh, let's not acknowledge the safety hazard that is that pen sitting right there...?!?!)

He also has the funnest time eating edamame. He just pops 'em into his mouth, one after the other..I can hardly get them out of their shell fast enough! These are packed with protein and I feel really good that he likes them. Something else packed in protein? Tortellini! I buy a package when they go on sale and they're just the right size for him to scoop up. Yum! 

At this age, he's pretty much eating everything we eat. He wants to try it all! He even ate little chunks of steak with us tonight! I love that we can share new food with him. Being responsible for what goes into his little body has inspired me to cook healthier so we can all eat healthier. 

xoxo

Joy

Spicy Sausage Pasta

this post is part of my 31 Day series. here is the beginning

This was all that was left of our dinner tonight. It took me about 20 minutes to prep and when we were done, Camillo said 'oh man, I love Pinterest'. haHA! He was amazed by this amazingly flavorful meal!! And I can't get over how easy it was to make. It will definitely be in our dinner rotation from now on - it's a keeper! 

I got this recipe from Amanda and she took some pretty awesome photos to go along with it. So head on over here and make some dinner!!

xoxo

Joy

Chocolate Chip Cookies (Or, The Lack Thereof)

this post is part of my 31 Day series. here is the beginning

So I get home from my photo shoot this afternoon, right? And I'm all, like, 'Woo! I'm gonna make the chocolate chip cookies I've been waiting for all week!' Open the fridge only to be reminded that we used the rest of the eggs for family breakfast yesterday!! Dang. It. You guys, I'm only eating sugar once a week, on the weekends, and I've been looking forward to these cookies for seven days. HOW did I forget to pick up some eggs today? Tragedy.

That means I don't have any pretty cookie pictures for you. You'll have to wait another seven days. But in the spirit of sharing sweet treats with you, go ahead and look through my Pinterest board of delicious goodness that I'm totally gonna make someday. Enjoy!

xoxo
Joy

Mmm..Pizza

this post is part of my 31 Day series. here is the beginning

We, the Candidos, could eat pizza every night. I'm just going to admit that to you. So to save money, I've gotten creative and started making it at home! I buy the Trader Joe's pizza dough for $1.29 and can get two medium pizzas out of it. I top with all sorts of things: red sauce or white sauce, barbecue sauce or olive oil. Spinach or tomatoes, or both! Chicken or pepperoni. Olives, mushrooms, peppers, or pineapples. Yum!

This has definitely been my favorite combo so far. Oh my. The creamy gorgonzola sprinkled underneath the mozzarella is amazing. Then, add a little zing from the barbecue sauce and dang, girl. My mouth is watering, excuse me.

This is a fun meal I like to cook on the weekends when Daddy is home to play with Ollie. It's easy but time consuming so I need the babe to be distracted while Mama's in the kitchen for a while. I roll out the dough and pop in the oven at 500* for just a couple minutes. Doing so helps the crust get a tiny bit crispy before the toppings go on. Carefully take the crust out and spread with barbecue sauce. Layer with spinach (I leave mine raw, no need to cook it first), and then with cooked chicken. Next, sprinkle some gorgonzola crumbs. Gorgonzola can be very strong so don't use too much, okay? Finally, top with mozzarella cheese. Bake for about 10 more minutes (keep an eye on it) or until cheese is melted and golden.

What are your favorite toppings?  

xoxo
Joy

Roasted Veggies // Dice Toss Bake

this post is part of my 31 Day series. here is the beginning

I've mentioned before that Camillo is definitely a meat eater. I am, too, but sometimes I get tired of it. For a while, I thought about ways I could take meat out of a couple dinners each week. Sometimes my imagination came up empty and I thought 'then what the heck will we eat for dinner?!'. I know. A little dramatic. But then I saw a picture on a friend's Facebook page and it looked so good. SO GOOD. Sometimes I just crave veggies. Anyways, Ollie and I got packed up and walked to the store. I loaded the stroller with some produce and just like that - a vegetarian dinner was planned!

This dinner was, like, really hard to make. So, just be prepared. Here's what you have to do:

Roasted Veggies

Prep time: 10 minutes   Bake time: 30 minutes

Choose your favorite vegetables (the ones I chose are seen above)

Dice your clean veggies into (almost) same size chunks

Toss in large bowl with about 2 tbsp olive oil and sprinkle in some garlic seasoning and parmesan cheese, as much or little as you'd like

Spread veggies onto a large, sided pan (I don't know what it's called but it's a cookie sheet with an inch of siding. Ha! Told you there wasn't anything fancy going on in here!)

Sprinkle with a bit of sea salt (my garlic seasoning was salt free so I didn't double up on saltiness)

Bake for 15 minutes at 350* then take them out and stir them up on the pan. Sprinkle a bit more sea salt and put back in the oven for another 15 minutes or so

Poke a couple veggies with a fork and if they're tender, they're done!

Serve hot in a dish..like a pie pan!  

And that's it! If you didn't catch my sarcasm before, this was not a hard recipe. It took me 10 minutes to wash and dice my vegetables and then I just let them roast in the oven! Camillo really liked it and I was so glad he didn't miss the meat. We'll be eating this more often, for sure. There are so many possible variations! I also used a bit of left over cauliflower sauce for dipping. And these leftovers will probably find themselves in a frittata this week. Yes! 

What vegetables would you choose?

xoxo
Joy

{Delicious} Healthy Pumpkin Bread

this post is part of my 31 Day series. here is the beginning

Would you guys believe me if I told you I've never tried a Pumpkin Spice Latte?! I know. What's wrong with me? I lovelovelove pumpkin and stock up on it during the holiday season so that I can bake with it all year. Like this pumpkin bread. I searched for a healthy version months ago when I was craving something pumpkin-y. This recipe only calls for 1/3 of the sugar that others call for, and has oats in it, too. I don't feel so bad eating it any time of day, even for breakfast! Add a bit of cream cheese frosting (and maybe a Pumpkin Spice Latte?!) and you've got yourself a delicious, healthy treat! Enjoy!

xoxo
Joy

Chicken "Alfredo" Bake

this post is part of my 31 Day series. here is the beginning

My, oh my! This was a huge hit in the Candido house tonight! Camillo was ranting over it and Ollie wolfed down so much, I could hardly believe it. This Chicken 'Alfredo' Bake is a delicious meal that I felt really good serving my boys. Wanna know why? There's not a hint of cream or flour..The alfredo is actually cauliflower puree!! I found the recipe for this tasty sauce on Pinterest and was excited to try it. So good!! 

It was also a great meal to make throughout the day. I made the sauce during Ollie's morning nap, and then cooked the pasta and baked the chicken during his afternoon nap! By the time 5:30 rolled around, dinner was practically made, I just had to mix all components together and bake it! Here's how you can make it for your family:

Chicken 'Alfredo' Bake

1 lb chicken, cooked and cubed 

1 box penne pasta, cooked al dante

2 cups creamy cauliflower sauce (more if you like it extra creamy)

1 1/2 frozen peas

1/2 cup shredded cheese (I used colby jack)

Once you have your chicken, pasta, and sauce prepared accordingly, pour all ingredients into a large bowl and gently stir until coated with cauliflower sauce. Add more until you get the creamy consistency you like. Pour into medium casserole dish and top with shredded cheese. Cover loosely with foil and bake at 375* for 15 minutes. Remove foil and bake for 5 more minutes, until cheese is golden crispy. 

Bon appétit! 

xoxo

Joy

Breakfast For Dinner // Cheesy Bacon Biscuit Pull Aparts

this post is part of my 31 Day series. here is the beginning

Today was a really, super long day. Enjoyable, but long. I got home at 6pm without a clue as to what to make for dinner. Thankfully, I had all the fixins to make this, and Camillo didn't mind having breakfast in the evening! Add a couple scrambled eggs and OJ..another quick, easy meal. Can I get an Amen!?

Some things I'm really grateful for today:

the perfectly gorgeous weather (for reals)
the two hour walk me and Ollie enjoyed
a spontaneous trip to a dear friend's house
coming home to an empty sink (it was full of dishes when I left - thanks so much, babe!)
clean, folded laundry (thanks again!)
Ollie's tight bear hugs
and his sweet dance moves
an easy dinner
time to rest

Hope you all enjoyed your weekend..tomorrow is Monday already!!

xoxo
Joy

Coconut Banana Bread // A Saturday Sweet Treat

this post is part of my 31 Day series. here is the beginning

I kind of love banana bread. And by kind of, I mean with my whole heart. It's something my mom used to make a lot when we were kids and it reminds me of my childhood home whenever I eat a toasted slice spread with peanut butter. Yum!

This recipe was adapted from my Better Homes and Gardens cookbook. Instead of using white flour, I used whole wheat flour. And instead of regular cooking oil or butter, I used a half cup of coconut oil! Oh man, it was so moist, and had a sweet, subtle coconut taste. You gotta try it! Here, I'll tell you how to make your own batch:

Coconut Banana Bread

1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg

2 eggs, beaten
1 1/2 cup bananas, mashed (about 5 medium)
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup coconut oil

Turn the oven on to 350*. Grease the bottom of one 9x5x3in pan, or two 71/2x31/2x2in pans. In a large bowl, combine dry ingredients. Set aside.

For the wet ingredients, I whip out my NutriBullet! This helps get the bananas creamy and combine everything super smooth. No NutriBullet? Try this with your blender! Either way, just do a couple pulses, so the eggs don't get too whipped up. Or, you can totally go the traditional route and mash with a fork ;) Once it's smooth, add to dry ingredients. Stir just until everything is moistened, not too much.

Spoon batter in to pan(s) and bake for 55-60 for 9in pan, 40-45 mins for 71/2in pans.

Now, the recipe says to wait until the next day to serve but I can't usually wait that long so..what the heck. Grab a spoon full of peanut butter and have at it!

I hope you like the coconut oil substitute! If you make your own banana bread, I'd love to hear how it goes!

xoxo
Joy

Spicy Beef and Black Bean Chili

this post is part of my 31 Day series. here is the beginning

Tonight's dinner is so easy, you're gonna love me for it! If you have any leftover meatloaf from yesterday, you can use it! Assuming you don't have a whole pound of it left, you can just cook a little more turkey or beef accordingly.

I found this recipe a couple years back in a Weight Watchers cookbook and it's been a family favorite ever since! 22 grams of protein, 8.6 grams of fiber, and only 6 points per 1 cup! And the leftovers? Pair with a bit of rice, roll it up into a tortilla shell, and voila! A burrito for lunch!

Spicy Beef & Black Bean Chili

1 pound ground turkey and/or beef
1 tbsp taco seasoning
1 can (15oz) whole kernel corn, drained
1 can (15oz) black beans, undrained
1 1/4 cup pico de gallo
1 cup water
Pepper to taste

Cook beef in large pot over medium-high heat. Drain if necessary. Add the remaining ingredients and bring to a boil, stirring frequently. Reduce heat to medium-low and let simmer for 7 minutes, until heated through. Serve hot with a dallop of sour cream and a couple fishy crackers. Or tortilla chips ;]

Enjoy!
xoxo
Joy

Southwest Turkey Meatloaf

this post is part of my 31 Day series. here is the beginning

 my feeble attempt at making meatloaf look sexy

Nothing defines comfort food for me quite like a good loaf of meat. Ew. I shouldn't have called it that. Sorry. But seriously, meatloaf with a side of potatoes and veggies. I mean, comforting. One night, I was planning to make a good ol' classic meatloaf when I realized I didn't have a few of the ingredients that the recipe called for. This was back before I planned my meals ahead of time. Like, last week. So, I had to get creative. The result? Delicious! By using some pico de gallo, barbecue sauce, and some fancy spices, I turned this meaty meal into a Southwest fiesta. Despite what these photos look like, it was really, very good. Wanna try some?

Southwest Turkey Meatloaf

2 eggs, beaten

1/2 cup milk

1/2 cup barbecue sauce

2/3 cup bread crumbs

1/2 cup pico de gallo (drain the liquid as best you can)

A hearty dash of cayenne pepper (depending on your spicy hot preference)

1 tbs ground cumin

Salt and Pepper to taste

1 1/2 pounds lean ground turkey 

In a medium bowl, combine eggs, milk, bbq sauce, bread crumbs, pico de gallo, and spices. Add ground turkey and mix until all ingredients are blended well.

TIP: If you have a weird aversion to raw meat like I do, 

try putting all these ingredients into a gallon sized 

ziploc bag. Then, you can gently mash it all up 

without having to touch it! Ha!

I like to bake my meatloaf on a broiler pan. This helps drain the fat! Mold into a loaf-like shape, about 2 inches thick. If you don't have a broiler pan, you can bake this in a 8x4x2in loaf pan. Just spoon the fat off the top before serving. Since we used ground turkey, there will be a minimal amount of fat compared to the other meat choices. Bake at 350* for 60-75 minutes. 

Serve hot with a little extra barbecue sauce, mashed potatoes, corn on the cob, and carrots. Yum! Have leftovers? Put them in the fridge and come back for dinner tomorrow. I'll show you how to put them to good use!

What's your favorite comfort food for this season?

xoxo

Joy

Beans & Rice: A Recipe

Before I met Camillo, I didn't like beans. Like, hated them. When we started enjoying each other's company, I realized that I should probably get over it since beans are a staple in Brasilian cuisine! I specifically remember the day we were eating lunch at my parent's house. Camillo's sister was visiting and had made us all lunch! I stood at the stove with a plate of rice and peered in to the pot of bubbling beans. I thought 'oh, just tough it up and eat some'. And the rest is history!

Camillo's sis taught me how to make feijoada (fayj-wada) that day. We even served it at our wedding! It's very good and pretty easy to make. Ya wanna try some?

You'll need:
a small onion, finely chopped
2 tablespoons oil
2 garlic cloves, minced (or in my case, a tablespoon of garlic paste, ha!)
package of bacon (I like turkey bacon)
package of kielbasa (again, I go with turkey)
3 cans of black beans
salt and pepper to taste

In a large pot, heat oil over medium high. Add onion and sauté until browned, then add garlic. Slice the bacon into small pieces. (A tip? Put your bacon in the freezer the night before you make your feijoada. It's so much easier to cut up when it's not soft!) Add to the onion and garlic, stirring frequently and cooking until crisp. Cut the kielbasa in 1/2 inch slices, then again crosswise and add to the pot. Once the meats are cooked, add all three cans of beans. Bring to a boil, stirring frequently. Turn down to simmer - the longer the better! I like to make mine in the morning during Ollie's first nap, letting it simmer until dinner. Serve over warm rice, salt and pepper to taste.

The first night we eat feijoada, that's our meal - just beans and rice with a side of salad. The next night (sometimes two!), since it's mostly beans that are left, we'll eat it as a side dish to chicken or steak (gee, Brasilians like their meat!). This recipe has a lot of room for..personalizing. I like to make it heavier at first, then add water to the leftovers later. But sometimes people like it more of a stew from the get go. I guess what I'm trying to say is, have fun with your feijoada! Don't be worried about messing it up, you probably can't. 

Oh, and Ollie loves it, too. He thinks it's arm lickin' good!! Man, I'm sure glad I gave beans a try!! 

If you have any questions, feel free to ask in the comments below! And if you make your own batch, I'd love to hear how it goes!!

xoxo

Joy

Apple Crisp

Two weeks ago I started a couple of my New Year's goals early. I've been doing great so far and am really proud of my self discipline. This weekend, all I wanted was some apple crisp and a scoop of ice cream for my treat. So, I made just that! It's such a simple recipe, you should try it!

Apple Crisp

You'll need:
About 5 medium apples, peeled and sliced thinly
    (I like to use a variety of sweet and sour apples to give the
     most exciting flavors!)
2 TBS sugar (optional)
1/2 cup regular rolled oats
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup all purpose flour
1/4 TSP nutmeg or cinnamon
1/4 cup butter or margarine

Put your apples into a 2 quart baking dish.

Sprinkle 2 TBS sugar over  the apples and lightly toss.

(You can omit that extra sugar step, I usually do)

In a medium bowl,combine oats, brown sugar, flour, & nutmeg.

Next, cut the butter into dry ingredients until it makes 

crumbly , coarse crumbs.

(I don't have the right kitchen utensils to do this very 

easily, but I just cut the 1/2 cube of butter into small 

chunks, then toss it around with a fork..)

Finally, scatter the topping over your dish of apples. 

Bake your tasty treat at 375* for 30 minutes, until

the top is golden and bubbly.

Serve warm with a scoop of ice cream..yum!!

I used the Better Homes and Garden's recipe for this crisp. There's a lot of room for experiment so don't be afraid to add chopped nuts, extra oats, or use peaches or pears instead! 

Happy Baking!

xoxo

Joy

Today I'm thankful...

For my dad and the time we get to spend together

That I've been doing well at resisting sugar!

Because I had a good dose of ambition today and got the house cleaned up

Dinner Disaster

In my quest to find an awesome recipe using left over mashed potatoes, I found this one for gnocchi. What?! It's that easy to make it?! And I already have all {four} ingredients it calls for? Yes, I am making this!

Camillo loves gnocchi and I was super excited to show him what I'd made. Everything was going great; pretty fun actually. Until I cooked them.

I poured the little nuggets into the boiling water and, as directed, fished them out once they floated to the top. Hmm..these were the first mushy gnocchi I'd ever had. My guess was that they needed another minute or two. Well, after in-ing and out-ing them a couple times to no avail, I decided I had failed. Uh, sorry babe. What had I done wrong?! For a split second my head cold fog lifted and I realized I'd used mashed potatoes. Um, duh. The extra ingredients (who knows how much butter, milk, sour cream, etc) were the culprit. And my cute little gnocchi nuggets were the victims.

Okay, so that didn't work out. Camillo was proud I'd tried something so 'fancy' (let's not tell him how easy they actually are..) and was fine with a plan B dinner. Good thing I had one. Except that I didn't. Let me tell you that I haven't been grocery shopping for 2 weeks. Thankfully, there was a can of soup in the pantry. Chicken tortilla something or other. Fine, soup it would be. Once I poured the can into the pot, though...I realized that wouldn't be enough to feed us both. The next few minutes went like this:

Here, I know. I'll put some corn in it. We like corn.

..

Woah. Okay, Camillo would probably like some soup with that corn..what else could I..Oh, black beans! We need more fiber anyways. 

..

Dangit. That didn't help. What if I..turkey! I have left over turkey! 

..

There, that might be okay. Don't I have some..oh here! Salsa! I'll put some salsa in it!

Phew. That was a close one. What started out as a scarce can of soup turned into some sort of chicken turkey chili. It was really good and, paired with a quesadilla, hit the spot. 

So, that's my dinner disaster for the week. It all ended well and at least now I know I can make gnocchi. Next time I'll bake the potatoes. And leave out the extra mush. 

Now it's 6:52pm on Wednesday and the microwave is humming as it heats our left over chicken turkey chili. Cuz this mama can't get out of this head fog to whip up anything better.

And I still haven't gone grocery shopping. 

Have you ever made a tasty meal kind of on accident? Share some recipes with us in the comments!

xoxo

Joy

Today I'm thankful..

For friends with babies

That my husband doesn't mind leftover soup

Because Ollie slept 8 hours straight last night. And he's gonna do it again tonight (right, baby?)