My Favorite Things

Posted in Recipes Reel by meganandeggs

My Favorite Things

Last month I decided I was going to make an attempt to be more open on this here blog. To be a better writer, especially when I am writing about my finances, my readers need to understand who I am and I need to be comfortable being open and honest. Here is a little collection of my favorite things:

Holiday: Thanksgiving. Everything from Thanksgiving Eve (biggest bar night of the year), Thanksgiving football games back east, the Macy’s parade, and the food is amazing.

Music Artist: Miranda Lambert and Lady Antebellum. And pretty much anything country.

Pizza: Mushroom and onions

Wine: Almost any and all Central Coast red wines. Pinot Noir and Zinfandel are amazing.

Tourist attraction: Disney World, need I say more? I love going to Disneyland but nothing compares to Disney World.

Restaurant: Mr. Macs, a small burger joint back home with literally the most amazing burgers, breakfasts and fries ever. I think Dinners, Dives, and Drive-ins needs to stop in and check them out!

Movie: the Holiday. I love watching that movie in the middle of winter. It makes me want to cuddle up with some hot coco in my sweats and relax.

Sports teams:
Baseball: NY Yankees
Hockey: LA Kings
Football: NY Giants

13Jul2014

Mama Bartlett’s Pasta Salad

Posted in Recipes Reel by meganandeggs

This weekend we are having Chris’s family down to our new place for the first time since we moved. Last weekend we had a few friends over for the fourth and Chris requested some of the same barbecue foods for this weekend while we relax by the pool. I will be making my Aunt’s Baked Beans which are super easy and equally delicious andmy best friend’s, mom’s Pasta Salad. It is one of my favorites!! To be honest I’m not sure if my family or her family actually introduced me to this salad, both families have been eating it for as long as I can remember. Well now you can all enjoy at your next picnic.

Mama Bartlett’s Pasta Salad

1 lb Tri-Color Pasta
½ red or orange bell pepper
1 can olives, halved
10 oz grape tomatoes, halved
1 cup broccoli, cooked
½ block of cheddar or Colby jack cheese
Pepper
¾ cup Zesty Italian salad dressing

Cook pasta, rinse and drain. Return to refrigerator and let cool for two hours. Prepare veggies and cheese by cutting them into bite sized pieces. Mix all veggies and cheese in with pasta. Sprinkle with black pepper. Pour salad dressing on top and fold together.

9Jul2014

Auntie Barbara’s Boston Baked Beans

Posted in Recipes Reel by meganandeggs

Fourth of July is one of my favorite holidays. Like I mentioned earlier: it is a big holiday in my family. My uncle’s birthday is on the fourth and my grandmother’s was a few days later. We have had a standing Fourth of July party at my aunt’s house for as long as I can remember. My favorite part of my family gatherings is the fact that they are usually a pot-luck style. Everyone brings something to contribute. To feel a little closer to home I pulled out my recipe book and found my aunt’s famous Boston Baked Beans. They were an instant hit. Our friends and Chris ate them up, and Chris even requested them for this weekend when his family comes to visit us. Good thing it’s a pretty wallet friendly recipe. Enjoy!

Auntie Barbara’s Boston Baked Beans

2 large cans baked beans
¼ cup molasses
3 Tbsp ketchup
3 Tbsp brown sugar
1 tsp dry mustard
6 bacon strips, cooked
Paprika

Mix all ingredients together except for the bacon and paprika. Put mixture into 13 x 9 inch pan. Cut bacon into bite sized pieces and layer on top of the bean mixture. Sprinkle paprika on top of beans and bake at 250⁰ for at least 3 hours.

Fried Ice Cream

In my early twenties I worked in a Thai restaurant that my friend’s family owned. The food that was introduced to me was amazing. From traditional Pad Thai, to Lemongrass Beef and Panang Duck we got to pick anything we wanted off the menu, twice a night. Amazing. This is a little recipe that I picked up from my four years at the restaurant.

Fried Ice Cream

6 scoops vanilla ice cream
6 slices of store bought pound cake
1 ½ cup milk
2 cups vegetable or peanut oil

Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. Place 6 scoops of ice cream onto the parchment paper. Make sure the scoops are rounded and not touching each other on the cookie sheet. Freeze for two hours.

Slice 6 slices of pound cake in half making 12 thinner slices. Dip ice cream scoops into milk and quickly coat scoop with two thin slices of pound cake. The milk allows for the cake to form easier and stick to the ice cream, Mold cake around ice cream and place back onto parchment paper lined cookie sheet.Repeat until all ice cream scoops have pound cake around them. Freeze for another 2 hours.

Bring oil to a boil in small sauce pan. Once oil is brought to a full boil place ice cream into sauce pan using a long handled spoon. Let fry for a minute and a half per side slipping only once.

Scoop fried ice cream out of oil using a slotted spoon to allow oil to drip out as much as possible. Serve in bowl with a dollop of whipped cream. Left over fried ice cream can be wrapped in plastic wrap after being casted with pound cake and fried at a later time.

29Jan2014

Lemon Crusted Tilapia

Posted in Recipes Reel by meganandeggs

Lemon Crusted Tilapia

20140121_184156
4 tilapia fillets
2 cloves garlic
1 lemon
2 Tbsp butter
Salt, pepper, parsley
Spray cookie sheet with non-stick spray and pre-heat oven to 375⁰. Lay fish fillets on cookie sheet in a single layer. Squeeze half of lemon over fish. Chop, or slice garlic cloves thinly and scatter over fish. Sprinkle with seasonings and place ½ Tbsp butter on each fillet. Top with a slice of lemon and bake for 30 minutes.