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Avocado Toast

avocado toast

What day is it?!

That above is my new obsession. It’s sooooo easy and absolutely delicious! All you have to do is toast some bread, slice up an avocado, squeeze a little lemon juice on top and add some salt and pepper, fry up an egg, and throw it all together. Chris and I have been eating this for breakfast almost every weekend and we haven’t gotten tired of it yet. Avocados are pretty much my favorite food ever and I like to keep a few on hand at all times. The egg part can be changed up depending on what you prefer (poached, fried, over easy, scrambled) and if you want a little extra kick throw on some red pepper flakes. You can also mash the avocado if you prefer that texture. If you haven’t joined the avocado toast craze yet, you should jump on it!

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Southern Style Green Beans

My love for green beans started with my grandma, one of the most amazing cooks I’ve ever known. My grandparents on my mom’s side canned green beans every year and we enjoyed them throughout the year at various family meals. I always looked forward to the side of green beans and relished each and every delicious bean. My grandma always added extra pepper and I learned to love them that way too. After my grandma passed away, I mourned all the things I would miss about her. We pulled the leftover green beans from her basement and broke them out at major dinners, such as Christmas and Thanksgiving. When it got down to one jar, I realized I would never again taste one of my favorite things.  I toyed with the idea of canning green beans myself but haven’t quite figured out how I’m going to accomplish that task so when I began browsing Pinterest for recipes, I hoped to come across one that was similar to grandma’s green beans. Well, I found them! The first time I made these, they weren’t quite right. The second time, perfect. I included the right amount of salt and pepper so when I took that first bite, I was reminded of one of my favorite persons in this world. Now, I hope to continue cooking green beans like this so my future children and maybe even grandchildren can enjoy a piece of my Grandma Moore. Continue reading “Southern Style Green Beans”

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Black Bean Quinoa Chili

black bean quinoa chili

Quinoa and black beans are two of my favorite ingredients. I came across a recipe on Pinterest that combined both and I knew I had to try it. I love chili, especially on a cold day, so I made sure I had all the ingredients for this black bean quinoa chili (I did) and threw them all together in a pot to make a delicious meal. We both were surprised how flavorful this healthy chili was and loved how to addition of Mexican-inspired toppings made it even more delicious. The sour cream and cheese bring down the health factor but are totally worth it. This meal helps with my attempt to eat less meat but still has some protein, thanks to the beans. Continue reading “Black Bean Quinoa Chili”

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Annual Corn Freezing

annual corn freezing

One of my favorite family traditions happens every summer around the end of August/beginning of September. It began long before I was born, but my family has husked and frozen 20-30+ dozen ears of sweet corn annually. We used to do it with my dad’s family but over the last decade or so we have done it as an immediate family. We always purchase the corn locally (this year, Yutzy’s Farm Market) and get together to husk the corn and prepare it to be frozen. It’s an excuse to sit around and listen to some oldies while enjoying all the fresh corn you want. Most people just don’t get it when I explain this tradition to them but once you have a taste of our frozen corn, you’ll never buy it from the store again. It’s so much sweeter and fresh tasting than traditional frozen or canned and the quart size bags we freeze the corn in are the perfect size to have as a side for a family meal. It’s so nice to enjoy this delicious side all year long. Continue reading “Annual Corn Freezing”

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Easy Scrambled Eggs

So scrambled eggs were probably the first food item I learned how to make. It’s simple enough. You crack some eggs, whisk them together, and scramble them in a hot pan for a few minutes. Serve them with toast or biscuits and you’re golden. I was watching some Gordon Ramsay on BBC one day and saw him make easy scrambled eggs in a different way. First, he used a pot instead of pan and used higher heat (medium-high) than I usually used (medium). He constantly whisked the eggs and took them off the heat occasionally. He added a spoonful of butter/margarine pretty early on to achieve a velvety texture and finished off with some sour cream to prevent overcooking. I decided to give this new way a try and man were those some of the best scrambled eggs I’ve ever had! Seriously, I’ll never make scrambled eggs a different way again. Want to give it a try, check out this YouTube video below. Continue reading “Easy Scrambled Eggs”

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Grilled Herb Shrimp

Last night I decided I wanted to try something new for dinner that wasn’t too much work. I have been wanting to try grilling seafood instead of the typical steak or hot dogs. I could not for the life of me find frozen salmon filets at the grocery so I just went ahead and grabbed a bag of frozen shrimp. After a quick browse of recipes online, I decided to mix up some herbs and try marinated shrimp on the grill. After thawing the shrimp in a strainer with cold water, I was able to prepare a delicious dinner in only 15 minutes. I decided to pair it with grilled vegetables and it all turned out delicious. I’m usually only a fan of shrimp when it’s breaded and fried but I loved this grilled herb shrimp! It was the ultimate summer entree and you can make kabobs out of it for entertaining.

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Cinco de Mayo

cinco de mayo cocktail recipe

This Cinco de Mayo is much cooler than those past. Though the high is only in the 50s, it’s a beautiful sunny day with blue skies. I’ve been combatting a migraine over the last three days so forgive me that this post isn’t as full as I had hoped. Cinco de Mayo is the perfect excuse to gorge myself on some of my favorites, guacamole, tacos, and margaritas. Now that we finally have a decent blender, we are going to attempt to make margaritas for the first time. I already had a bottle of St. Germain so this recipe is the perfect margarita recipe for me because it does require me to purchase more liquor. It’s been an especially difficult Monday so I’m looking forward to staying in and make my own delicious Mexican meal. For those who also wish to celebrate Cinco de Mayo at home, I have gathered up a few different recipes for you: Continue reading “Cinco de Mayo”

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Easy Guacamole

easy guacamole

A few years ago I discovered the wonderfullness that is guacamole. I didn’t have much exposure to it growing up and typically avoided it because it’s green color and chunky texture. I decided to give it a try at a family gathering on Easter one year and immediately fell in love. I order it every chance I get at Mexican restaurants (and Chipotle!). This is the first time that I actually attempted to make my own, but thankfully this is an easy guacamole recipe. I pulled the ingredients that I like most from various recipes of guacamole that I’ve tasted and decided to just throw it all together. Unfortunately, the avocados I picked up from Giant Eagle weren’t quite ripe enough so I had a little trouble removing the insides from the shell. I don’t think that affected the taste at all, though. Continue reading “Easy Guacamole”

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Roasted Garlic and Parmesan Asparagus

roastedgarlic parmesan asparagus

If you’re looking for a side dish that’s a bit more sophisticated than green beans, check out asparagus. I’m not usually a fan but this simple roasted garlic and parmesan asparagus recipe began my conversion. They were super easy to prepare and I think this recipe is a great way for the asparagus novice because it features common flavors (garlic, butter, olive oil). Give this recipe a try and I don’t think you will be disappointed.

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Turkey Meatloaf

turkey meatloaf

Now, I’m not a huge fan of meatloaf but Chris loves it. I came across this turkey meatloaf recipe while watching a TV show and thought it was worth a try. I’m a huge fan of vegetables so any recipe that mixes them in in unexpected places will win me over. I’ve never made anything with ground turkey so I was also excited to compare the flavor to regular beef meatloaves I’ve tried. I made a trip to the grocery for all the ingredients and got to work. If you haven’t used a food processor before, you’re missing out. I used it for the first time for this recipe and it was life changing. If you don’t have one, get one. Continue reading “Turkey Meatloaf”