Apple Chicken Sausages with Sauteed Apples and Onions

This is a really simple and delicious meal.  It's a fairly versatile dish and can be served for dinner or even brunch.  This would be great with a french toast casserole.  :)  I served this alongside brown rice and broccoli, but I'm sure this would be great with some stuffing or a baked sweet potato.

My favorite part about this meal is the sauteed apples and onions.  They have a slight sweetness from the agave syrup and a warm, homey (not as in the clown, as in feeling like home!) flavor from the poultry seasoning.

Apple Chicken Sausages with Sauteed Apples and Onions
Serves: 2

One package of apple chicken sausage (I used Nature's Promise)
Nonstick spray
One large onion, thinly sliced
One medium apple, thinly sliced and skin on (I used a delicious since that's what I had on hand but any type will work)
1 T agave syrup
1 1/2 t poultry seasoning
Salt & Pepper to taste

Preheat two skillets - One for the sausages and one for the onions and apples (this one should be large enough for the onion mixture and sausages).  Spray both skillets with nonstick spray.  Preheat oven to 350℉.  Once the skillets are warm, add the sausages to one skillet and the onions to the other.  Turn the sausages to brown on all sides.  You don't need to worry about cooking them all the way through as they will finish cooking in the oven.

Cook the onions until almost tender and add the apples.  Cook a few minutes more until the apples are almost done, but not too soft.  Add agave syrup, poultry seasoning and, if using, salt and pepper.  Stir to combine.  Add the sausages to the onion mixture and place in the oven until the sausages are thoroughly cooked, about 10-12 minutes (when sliced, the juices should run clear).

Enjoy!

Toaster Oven Tostadas!

That's right.  Your eyes didn't fool you.  This is a recipe for tostadas...  Made in a toaster oven*.  They took me about 15 minutes total - From gathering the ingredients and making the tostadas to sitting down and enjoying them with a glass of Rioja.  The best part of this is there is little to no clean-up which is always a bonus on a work night.  They're healthy, filling and delicious.  Although this recipe is for one serving, you can quite easily make it for more.

¡Olé!

* While this recipe was made in a toaster oven, you can easily make these in a standard oven.

Toaster Oven Tostadas
Servings: 1

Two corn tortillas
Nonstick spray
1/2 cup canned black beans
A couple dashes of chipotle tabasco sauce (optional)
1/2 cup reduced fat shredded cheddar
2 T reduced fat sour cream
2 T salsa
1/4 cup lettuce, shredded
1/4 cup tomato, seeded and diced

Line a cookie sheet with foil and spray with non-stick spray.  Place the tortillas on the cookie sheet and lightly spray with nonstick spray (this helps crisp the tortillas).  Toast the tortillas on a low to medium setting until the tortillas' edges just begin to curl (about 3-5 minutes).  Remove the cookie sheet from the toaster oven and turn the oven to 300℉.

Place 1/4 cup of black beans on each of the tortillas.  Sprinkle tabasco sauce over the beans and top each tortilla with 1/4 cup of cheese.  Place the cookie sheet back in the preheated toaster oven and cook for about 10 minutes or until the cheese is melted.  Divide the lettuce, tomatoes, salsa and sour cream between the tortillas and enjoy.

Milk Chocolate Ice Cream with Brownie Bits

Yum.  All I have to say is yum!  I decided to make this ice cream because I'd baked some brownies for my running group and they did not come out the way I'd planned.  The tester came out clean, but sadly when I went to cut the brownies they were grossly undercooked.  So, when life hands you undercooked brownies...  You make ice cream!  Sorry, I couldn't resist!  :)


This was my first try at making ice cream in the ice cream maker I received as a birthday gift in July.  I have to say the process isn't nearly as scary as I'd thought.  In fact, it's pretty simple!  The hardest part is waiting for the ice cream to freeze so it can be eaten!  This recipe came together really quickly.  You can use the following brownie recipe (which is my favorite!) or you can use your own favorite.  I'd even suggest picking up some already made brownies to make this simple process even easier.


For the Ghirardelli brownies
2 large eggs
3/4 cup sugar
1 t vanilla extract
1/2 cup butter, melted
3/4 cup Ghirardelli sweet ground chocolate and cocoa
2/3 cup unsifted flour
1/4 t baking powder
1/4 t salt
*I added about 1/4 cup of mini chocolate chips as well as 1/4 cup of caramel bites.  The caramels can be found here at Nuts Online.


Preheat oven to 350°F.  Coat an 8x8" or 9x9" pan with nonstick spray.  Using a spoon, stir eggs, sugar, and vanilla; add butter.  Sift together Sweet ground chocolate, flour, salt and baking powder.  Stir into egg mixture.  Spread into 8" or 9" square baking pan.  Bake 20-30 minutes.  For chewy brownies use 8" pan and less baking time.  For cake like brownies use 9" pan and more baking time.


For the ice cream (from: Annie's Eats):
8 oz. milk chocolate (at least 30% cacao solids), finely chopped
1½ cups heavy cream
1½ cups whole milk
¾ cup sugar
Pinch of salt
4 large egg yolks


To make the ice cream, combine the milk chocolate and heavy cream in a heatproof bowl set over a pan of simmering water.  Heat, stirring occasionally, until the chocolate is completely melted and smooth.  Remove from the heat and set a mesh sieve over the top of the bowl.

In a medium saucepan, combine the milk, sugar and salt.  Heat until the sugar is dissolved.  In a medium bowl, whisk together the egg yolks.  When the milk mixture is warm, slowly add to the bowl with the beaten egg yolks, whisking constantly.  Return the mixture to the saucepan and continue to heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture thickens just slightly and coats the back of a spoon (170-175˚ F on an instant-read thermometer).  Remove from the heat and pour the custard through the strainer into the milk chocolate mixture.

Cover and chill the mixture thoroughly in the refrigerator.  Freeze the batter in an ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions.  Once frozen, fold in the brownie bits with a spatula.  Transfer to an airtight container and freeze until ready to serve.

Spinach and Asparagus Frittata

I love frittatas!  They're quick, easy and versatile.  Best of all, you can use whatever you have in the fridge. It's a great way to use leftover veggies from last night's dinner!  This frittata has the asparagus that was leftover from last night as well as the egg whites I had set aside when I made ice cream (post to come soon!).  :)

Like many frittatas, this one came together pretty quickly.  From start to finish, it took about 15 minutes which would make this a great weeknight meal or a last minute brunch dish.  Frittatas are great since you can add just about anything and can be served at any meal - Hot or cold!  The best part is that one serving of this frittata is 210 calories.  I served it along some Ezequiel toast (yum!) and grapes for some added, delicious fiber.

Recipe:
Serves 2

2 whole large eggs
3 egg whites
A couple tablespoons of water (optional)
1 cup raw baby spinach
1/2 cup cooked asparagus, cut into bite sized pieces
Salt & pepper to taste
1/2 cup shredded asiago cheese (or any cheese you like)
Nonstick spray

Heat a nonstick, oven safe skillet and coat with nonstick spray.  Preheat broiler on high and move one of the racks directly under the broiler.

Beat the eggs.  If you'd like to slightly increase the volume, add 1 - 2 T of water (I added about 1T).  Once the skillet is warm, add the asparagus and heat through.  Add the spinach and toss with asparagus to wilt slightly.  Pour eggs over the veggies and stir slightly and sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Cook until the eggs are almost done and sprinkle with the cheese.

Place the skillet under the broiler and cook for a few minutes until the cheese is melted and browned.  I usually leave the door propped open while the frittata is cooking because the frittata can go from browned to burned in a matter of seconds!  Cool slightly and cut frittata into quarters.  Enjoy!

New Look!

Hi,

I thought I'd mix things up a bit and slightly change the look of the site with an Easter theme.  Jelly beans are one of my favorite Easter treats, so this background is perfect!

Quick Post - Disney Princess 1/2 Marathon Tiara Sugar Cookies

It's been a while since I've posted.  I've been busy baking and cooking...  And running a 1/2 marathon!  I need to burn off all the calories I consume from my baking (and taste testing), right?  Anywho, three of my friends and I ran in Disney's Princess 1/2 Marathon last weekend.  It was so much fun!  My favorite part?  Running through Cinderella's castle!  I wanted to bring a treat for the girls to celebrate our accomplishment.  What a better treat than tiara sugar cookies?  I found the perfect cookie cutter and went to work.

This was my second try at decorating sugar cookies with royal icing.  I'm far from perfect, but I feel more confident than I did my first try.  Plus, these were really fun to make and all things princess-ey are right up my alley!  With a little time, creativity and sparkle, these came out really pretty (if I do say so myself)!

Snowed In and Rockabilly Birthday Cupcakes!

If you live in the Northeast of the US (or any region this winter!), then I'm sure you can easily relate to this cupcake.  I found the idea on one of my new favorite blogs - The Daily Mixer and I just had to make them!  Of course I ordered everything needed to decorate the cupcakes from www.layercake.com...  Do you think that was the intention when they posted the idea on their blog?  :)  Same with the Rockabilly cupcakes I made for a coworker's birthday.  I purchased a kit that contained various decor - nonpareils, cupcake toppers and papers.  I decided I'd just sprinkle the cupcakes with nonpareils and top each with one of the various toppers included in the kit.  They're very kitschy, which I love!

Oh, by the way - The cupcake is a gingerbread cupcake which is topped with a lemon cream cheese frosting.  Uh-may-zing!