Brownies

Brownies are sublime. I love them. I was at the store and wanted to buy a box because it was easy. But I remembered how much better everything I make homemade is better. 

Here is my brownie recipe. 

Ingredients

1/2c +3tbsp flour

1 1/2c sugar

1tsp vanilla extract 

1tsp almond extract

2 eggs

3/4c cocoa powder 

1/2c flour

1/4tsp baking soda

1tbsp cornstarch 

1/4tsp salt

1/2c chocolate chips

Method

Preheat oven to 325. Grease 8x8 pan or line with foil. Melt butter and mix with sugar, 

add extracts and then mix in chocolate. 

Add one egg at a time and mix completely with wisk. 

Combine dry ingredients 

separately them mix into chocolate mixture until fully combined. 

Fold in chips

Pour in pan and bake 30 min. Let cool for 20 min until set.

French Onion Pork Chops

I love creating new recipes. I took a blend of two delicious things to make this dinner. My husband was in food heaven. 

I made French onion soup and porkchops. Put it together 

Ingredients 

3 pork chips

Garlic salt

Pepper

Smoked paprika 

Flour

French onion soup. 

Swiss

Method

Season chops on both sides. Dust with flour on both sides

In medium pan brown pork chops on both sides

Add soup to the browned chops and cook down until cooked fully

Add more soup and cook down until nice and thick gravy develops. 

Serve on mashed potatoes top with Swiss.

French Onion Soup

I love love love French onion soup. Whenever it's on the menu I'm all in. The other day I had a bunch of onions and I was making pork chips for dinner so I decided to make French onion soup porkchops. So first we make the soup.. I researched like I always do. I read 4 different recipes on some renound cooking sites and decided on my own.      

Ingredients

1/2c butter

4-5 onions sliced thin

2 cloves garlic, chopped 

2 sprigs of Thyme or 2tsp thyme

1tsp herbs de Provence

1/2 bottle of red wine 

4c water

4tsp better the bullion beef stock

French baguette 

Swiss or Gruyere cheese

Method

In a large sock pot melt butter

Slice onions

On medium heat sauté onions with ryme and garlic 

Sauté onions on low heat for 1 1/2 hours

When onions are sautéed and carmelized  turn up the heat to medium and add the wine

Let wine simmer, add Herbs de Provence reduce heat and cook until the wine reduced down about a half an hour.

Make beef stock by heating water and adding bullion. Add to the onion wine mixture

Let simmer on medium.  Cook so flavores can blend about 20-30 min on low heat. 

Heat oven to broil, put baguette in a oven safe ramekin

Pour soup over 

Cover with cheese and cook under broiler.

And devour!

Coconut Basil Chia Pudding

I have been making my yoatmeal at work for months and it is loved by all. I love this breakfast so much but recently my Dr. Told me to cut gluten and dairy from my diet :(  Sad but it's for a greater good. At work we had an Amazing Vietnamese food truck called Little Green Cyclo. They had a chia seed dessert, it was amazing. I decided to try this for my breakfast. It was a big hit. So delicious and easy! I will be incorporating this into the Yoatmeal choices. I made a big batch but here is a recipe for a smaller serving.

Ingredients

1 14oz can coconut milk

1/2c Unsweetened Almond Milk

1-2tsp Agave Nectar 

 5 or 6 Basil leaves chopped

1 tablespoons Chia Seeds

Method

Mix together all ingredients, in a mason jar shake to combine

Chill in a jar overnight

Serve with fresh fruit!

Yoatmeal (overnight oats)

When I moved to California I lived in Palo Alto. I came across this breakfast spot called Fraiche. My daughter and I walked down there one day and it was a yogurt shop. We both tried a yogurt/oatmeal combination. 

Since I tried it I have seen quite a few posts on Pinterest showing overnight oats. These posts were inspiring. I started working at Quantifind and I do breakfasts twice a week. I tried a yogurt bar and that was successful, so I decided to try overnight oats. It was so popular my co-workers were eating seconds and thirds for days. Since I was feeding a large group I made 1/2 gallon ball jars. The recipe I came up with was 3 equal parts so if you make a smaller portion it's easy 3 equal parts oatmeal yogurt and milk. It's 1:1:1. Make smaller individual jars for quick on the go breakfast and snacks. You could also make a large batch and keep it for days. It's delicious. 

Ingredients

2c rolled oats (not instant)

2c milk or almond, soy milk

2c Greek yogurt (preferably Fage or Greek Gods) or soy/almond for dairy free

1/2gallon jar

I made a few kinds for choices and methods of sweetening

Almond

1/4-1/3c brown sugar

1tbsp almond extract

Honey

1/3c honey

Vanilla

1/4-1/3c brown sugar

1tbsp vanilla extract

Maple

1/3c pure maple

Method

In clean jar pour in oats, cover with milk, 

add yogurt 

and preferred sweetener. 

Put on lid and shake it up. 

You can customize these oats and mix in fruit dried or fresh, nut butters, nuts, seeds, whey, protein powder, spices, granola, flax, wheat germ, chia seeds, whatever you wish. 

Fruit Salad yummy yummy

Fruit salad is so yummy and fresh. There are many recipes out there but they are either fruit in whipped topping or fruit in yogurt. No that's not the perfect fruit salad. I decided to make my own. And with this you can't substitute the brands. I've taken this to a few picnics and bbq's and yea I've been told it's the best fruit salad that they have ever tried. When I make it the little one eats only it for days till she has eatin it all gone. So here you go it's easy and delish..

Ingredients 

1lb strawberries quartered

4.4oz blueberries 

6oz raspberries 

6oz blackberries

2 mangos cut up

3-4 bananas sliced

1c green grapes cut in half

8oz Cool Whip

1c Greek Gods or Brown Cow vanilla yogurt 

1tbsp sugar

*Optional

Orange wedges

Pineapple

1c mini marshmallows 

Method

Wash and prepare fruit. Put all together in a bowl and mix up. 

If you are serving later wait for bananas and marshmallows 

Mix all fruit 

Mix together whipped cream and sugar and yogurt. 

When ready to serve finish with bananas and cream topping, and marshmallows. 

Mix and serve