Salty & Sweet Breakfast

Well this morning's breakfast wasn't the most aesthetically pleasing, but it was pretty darn tastey if I do say so myself. It's really easy & a great twist on the traditional morning meal.
Sweet potato hashbrowns & dippy eggs served on toast (& if you do it my way, everything will be covered in brown sugar & salt).

The midwest is being taken by storm with sweet potatoes. It's like we can't get enough. Sweet potato tots, sweet potato fries, sweet potato skins. I'm all about this craze!
I didn't mean to buy the largest sweet potato ever grown, but it was the nicest looking one, so I had to get it. If you're leaving the skin on, wash it really well.

Then shred it up.

Once it's shredded, put it into a mixing bowl & layer the top with brown sugar & salt. Then mix it really well.



Coat a frying pan with a very thin layer of oil & turn burner on to medium-high heat. Take a small amount of potatoes in your hands & squish it together like making a hamburger patty. Let them cook until one side is crisp, then flip it over and cook the other side.

Make some eggs however you like them. I usually go with dippy.

When the goo starts to turn white, push the bread down in the toaster.

Now, obviously you can use whatever you want, but I haven't used real butter in years. I go with Brummel & Brown Yogurt Spread. It's still melty with a hint of saltiness.

Once the toast is done, butter it up & place the eggs on top.

Sprinkle the top of everything with a little bit of brown sugar & salt for the ultimate sweet & salty treat.

Bon Appetite!

xo

{Healthy} Baked Macaroni & Cheese

Lately, I'm all about being healthy & eating healthy. That's why tonight J & I are eating baked macaroni & cheese with a cauliflower filler.

Ingredients:
1 fresh cauliflower head
2 C macaroni (I used shells, but spirals or elbows work great too)
3 tbsp sour cream
Swiss cheese
American cheese
Salt & pepper if you wish

First things first- put a pot of water on the stove to cook the macaroni. Follow the instructions on the package.
While you're waiting on the noodles, chop up some cheese. I used 5 or 6 slices of each type of cheese. I love this market I have nearby that sells the freshest cheese. Go for the low fat or 2% cheeses because just eating the cauliflower in the dish isn't quite healthy enough...

Set the cheese aside for now while we concentrate on the cauliflower. I've never worked with this veggie before, so you're not alone if you're not a cauliflower expert. Throw the whole thing in a strainer and run it under cold water. Rinse it really well, then start pulling the white tops off.

I used the whole head, then chopped it up into pretty small pieces.

Throw the cauliflower in a large bowl & mix with your cooked noodles.
Now would be a good time to turn your oven on to 375 degrees.
Put the sour cream & cheese in a microwave safe bowl & cook until melted, stirring every 30 seconds. When completely melted, pour it on top of the cauliflower & noodles. Mix very well, then pour everything into a 9x13 baking pan.

If you're feeling extra cheesey, break up a few pieces of cheese & scatter across the top of the dish.

Bake about 20-30 minutes or until the top becomes slightly brown.

The cauliflower will become very soft & soaks up the cheese. Once it is done baking, sprinkle the top with salt & pepper.

Ohh I can't wait to dig in!

xo

Shredded BBQ Chicken Sandwich

Last night I decided I should actually make Hubby a warm meal instead of making him fend for himself. One of the easiest, fastest things to make is shredded barbeque chicken sandwiches.

Here's what you need:
Chicken
BBQ sauce
Bread

Easy right?
Cook the chicken to your liking. I cooked mine on the stove over medium-high heat. Once the chicken was cooked through, I took it from the stove to a cutting board.
Now shred it like this...

Once everything is shredded, put the chicken back in the pan & pour on the BBQ sauce- I used Jack Daniel's No. 7 Original.

Then mix it up & cook on medium heat.

After a few minutes, it will be warm and full of flavor. Pile it on to a piece of bread & add extra BBQ sauce if you'd like.

Then enjoy open faced with a fork or add another layer of bread.

J is used to eating chicken or turkey for dinner, but he insisted on telling me over & over again how delicious this tasted.
Bon Appetite!

xo

It's Getting Braid-y In Here

I've been completely swamped the last two days. All I have for you today is a picture I took as I was running out the door of my hairdo (or hairdon't, you tell me!).

I'm all about braids this season!!
P.S. don't mind the tired-eyed look.

xo

Perfect Poached Egg

I don't know about you, but I'm a breakfast for dinner kind of girl. In fact, I'm pretty sure I could just eat cereal for every meal. The only thing that sounded good for dinner tonight was poached eggs & I know how to make them without creating a disaster.

Fill a small sauce pan with water & about a tablespoon or so of vinegar- you won't taste the vinegar, it's just to help keep the egg white together. Heat it to just below a boil. Give it a vigorous stir, creating a whirlpool.

Crack the egg right in the middle of the whirlpool. It won't look pretty at first, but have a little faith.

Let it sit in the pan for about 90 seconds. Then scoop it out with a slotted spoon & place it on top of a piece of toast (or 2). Check it out, it's almost perfectly round!

Break the yolk & let the bread soak it up.

It's incredibly easy, you really can't screw it up!

Enjoy!

xo

In The D

The D has a really bad reputation. With drive-by shootings, projects & an insane homeless/jobless rate, why wouldn't it? Before & after baseball & hockey games, you would never know you're in a city with a bad rap. The streets are flooded with friendly, outgoing people bar hopping, wandering around, eating street food & starting sports chants.

We started in Greektown, where there is an enormous hotel/casino & tons of restaurants to choose from.

After a few margs, we hopped on the people mover & headed to the Joe.

Ahh my Slurricane- pina Colada & strawberry daiquiri mixed with an extra shot of rum.

We settled into our seats with extra drinks just in time for the game to start.

WINGS WIIIIIIIINNNNNN!!!!!!

Girl picture time.

When the night ended, our entire walk back looked like this...

These girls are my random college roommates that turned into two of my best friends. When we get together, it feels like time stood still from the last time we saw each other... what a great feeling!

xo