Grilled Beet & Goat Cheese Salad

Posted in Recipes Reel by meganandeggs

Welp I did it kids! Actually I am kind of surprised how long it has taken me to pop this cherry. And even more surprised how I totally lost any bragging rights on this one. No, no friends, get your minds out of the gutters. I set off the smoke alarm in our apartment for the first time.

I mean, at our last apartment I set our entire grill on fire. A grill which was set under a tree, in Southern California, in a drought. Like that’s a good story. (FYI when making bacon wrapped asparagus, put some tin foil under the bacon to catch the grease. It catches on fire & makes really high flames. Woops)

Tonight was not such an exciting story. Chris & I were rushing dinner, settling on some leftovers & easy Trader Joe’s quick fixes before we headed to Starbucks to do some work. He was having some left over pasta & I was pan frying a Mahi Mahi burger to go on top of my salad when I looked up & the entire kitchen was filled with smoke. I ran to the window but it was too late. The damage was done.

Such a bad, bad fail. I know, you don’t want to take any cooking advice from me anymore. But it’s okay, this salad has zero protein on it at all. That means no possibility of burning the house down over a simple little salad. But it sure is full of amazing flavors & veggies.

I am obsessed with weird veggies. I love any type of vegetable that 6 year olds, or my 30 year old boyfriend, would call icky or gross. Beets, Brussels sprouts, artichokes, cabbage and collard greens are just a few of my favs. And this salad has one of my favs featured right on top. Arugula, topped with goat cheese, almond shavings & amazing grilled beets. If you want, I guess you could throw on a juicy grilled chicken breast but you in no way need to. All you need to do is have some supervision while you grill the beets for 45 minutes then throw everything together & enjoy.

Even better, if you could get your hands on some of this amazing pomegranate balsamic dressing from Temecula Olive Oil Company you should. It adds an amazing sweet tang to the salad which is perfection. Try this amazing salad, full of flavor, & if you can handle pan frying a Mahi Mahi burger from TJs, throw it on top.

Signature

1 medium beet
1 Tbsp olive oil
Salt and pepper
2 cups arugula
5 oz goat cheese
2 Tbsp sliced almonds
Black pepper to taste
2 Tbsp pomegranate balsamic
1 Tbsp olive oil (for dressing)

1. Pre-heat grill to medium high heat.
2. Wash beet thoroughly and pat dry. Place on the middle of a 12 x 12 inch square of tin foil and drizzle with olive oil. Salt and pepper to taste.
3. Loosely close tin foil around beet and cook on grill for 45 minutes on medium high heat. Once you can pierce the beet with a fork it is done.
4. Allow the beet to cool to touch. Using a paper towel, remove the outer skin of the beet. Cut into small bite size slices and place in refrigerator to cool.
4. Assemble salad with arugula, goat cheese crumbles, sliced almond. Top with grilled beet, black pepper, balsamic and olive oil.

22Mar2016

Simple Crock Pot French Onion Soup

Posted in Recipes Reel by meganandeggs

Back in January, when we were in Connecticut, it was cold. Like freezing cold. Especially for us California kids, but it was even pretty cold for my cold-blooded Connecticut folks. One night my cousins, sister, mom & I drove up to northern Connecticut to visit with another cousin & her brand new baby. It was even colder up north!!!

She made us two options for soups & then my aunt showed up with a few more options. And then I needed make them all! My cousin made an amazing French onion soup, which she had all of the fixings for. Gruyere cheese & crusty bread. I died! And then went home & made it. I didn’t care that once we got back to California it was 80 degrees! I wanted the soup!

And then I made it 4 more times!

I’ve tried adding things in, & changing it up a little. But I keep coming back to that original recipe. There is literally nothing better than the smell of fresh herbs cooking throughout the house all day. I am obsessed with it. Try it out. The fragrances are amazing & it tastes even better than it smells.

Signature

3 onions, thinly sliced
1 shallot, thinly sliced
Worcestershire sauce
2 Tbsp olive oil
14.5 oz beef broth
½ Tbsp pepper
½ tsp salt
3 cups water
3 beef bouillon cubes
2 Tbsp fresh thyme

1. Slice onions and shallots in ¼ inch slices.
2. Put olive oil, onions, and shallots in sauté pan. Add desired dashes of Worcestershire sauce to onions.
3. Cook on medium low tossing onions regularly. Allow to cook down until just about translucent.
4. Add salt and pepper. Cook for two minutes and add beef broth from can.
5. Cover and cook on low for 10 minutes.
6. Add cooked onions and broth to crock pot. Top with water and bouillon cubes and add in thyme.
7. Cook on low for 6 hours.
8. If desired top with crusty bread and cheese, or eat plain for a healthier option.

29Feb2016

Blueberry Cupcakes with Goat Cheese Frosting

Posted in Recipes Reel by meganandeggs

Last summer my friend, the other Megan, took a month long, whirlwind trip around Europe. She is a teacher & took the summer, with another teacher friend, to enjoy the history around some of the oldest cities in the world. She left on her birthday since she would be gone for her birthday I did what any friend would, & should, do.

Made cupcakes, filled with wine, & helped her weed through her suitcase.

Okay, honestly I probably was no help to her at all. I told her she needed to bring a few… okay, a lot… of things she never ended up wearing. Hey! I like to be prepared. And that’s a lot of pressure. What if she was out for a night & thought damn it, I really wish I had those strappy heels Megg told me not to bring. I would not be that girl!

Anyway, truth be told the frosting was just not good & I have yet to go back to that recipe to figure out where I went wrong. But the other night I wanted to bake, & I had a lot of blueberries. So while blueberry muffins just sounded far too cliché, I thought I’d give it a shot to bake with blueberries again.

(Please note, I am sitting next to a 30 year old man who is holding his breathe until I get him one of these bad boys… literally. Make it stop!)

I thought what type of frosting can I make that will go good with blueberries & the obvious is cream cheese frosting. Hell I am from the tri-state area. We live on flavored bagels. But I hate cream cheese frosting more than almost anything in the world. Cream cheese I love. Cream cheese frosting is literally heinous. So I dug through my refrigerator & found some of my fabulous goat cheese medallions that I get at T.J.s. Umm yumm! Goat cheese frosting. Now just an FYI this frosting recipe actually makes enough for 12 cupcakes so if you are making a full batch no need to double the frosting recipe. Try it out & let me know what you think!

Signature

Makes 6 cupcakes
½ cup granulated sugar
1 egg
¼ tsp vanilla extract
1/3 cup blueberries
4 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted
½ tsp baking powder
½ cup all-purpose flour
1/8 tsp salt
¼ cup milk

Goat Cheese Frosting
1 tsp vanilla extract
5 oz goat cheese
½ cup whipping cream
1/3 cup sugar

1. Preheat oven to 350⁰ and line your cupcake tin with baking cups.
2. In a large bowl beat together your egg and sugar until mixed thoroughly. Add in your blueberries, vanilla and melted butter and continue to mix.
3. In another bowl, combine all of your dry ingredients. Salt, flour and baking powder.
4. Add half of your dry ingredients to your wet and beat until mixed throughout. Add in milk while continuing to mix in mixer. Then add remaining dry ingredients. (I used my Kitchen Aid and just kept the mixer on as I added in the ingredients slowly.)
5. Distribute the batter amongst the cupcake tins and bake 18-20 minutes.
6. For the frosting, add all ingredients to a deep bowl. Mix on high, with an electric mixer, until you reach your desired texture. The longer you beat, the stiffer the frosting becomes.

15Feb2016

Last Minute Tips for a Successful 24 Hours in Las Vegas

Posted in Recipes Reel by meganandeggs

At the beginning of 2015 we made a pact that in 2015 we would focus on work. Chris & I both decided to put ourselves last & work on getting me getting a promotion & he taking classes to get certified in his field. Then December came around & we realized we hadn’t seen our friends as often as we would have liked, we had only been able to go visit Chris’s dad’s side of the family a few times & we hadn’t been to Connecticut to see my family since the year before. So although I got a promotion & Chris passed his certification test, we had no lives.

This year our “resolution” was to live life as hard as we work… So far we have been doing terribly. Chris has been working 10-11 hour days regularly & I have been working each weekend day since we’ve been back from Connecticut. So when I got one single Saturday off last week, we decided to get away & go to Vegas for a little night trip. And let me tell you, there is no better time of the year to go to Vegas last minute then in January when the high is in the 50s. Hotels are amazingly cheap!!

So how did we fly a last minute weekend trip to one of the busiest cities in the country?

Check Out What Deals You Have Available

One of the reasons we decided to go to Vegas was our M Life points got us amazing deals at half the hotels on the strip. Signing up for M Life was one of the best things we have done in Vegas. We earn points at casinos, restaurants & pools associated with MGM Hotels & in turn we get discounted prices for … well … everything. It’s great. Look into it next time you’re in Vegas!!

Make Plans

Research what is going on while you will be in town. In Vegas there are always new shows, clubs & restaurants. For us we decided we wanted to have a relaxing, but fun weekend so we decided to skip out on the club life & check out a show that neither of us had seen before. Lucky for us, we were able to get gifted show tickets to see Jennifer Lopez’s new show. AMAZING!! Best show I have seen in a long time! She is not performing right now but she will be back for a few more mini-residencies. Go! You will not be disappointed!

Pack Light

Since we were only going for two nights, & we knew Saturday our night would be taken up by the J. Lo show at Planet Hollywood packing for us was pretty easy. All I needed was a casual outfit for Friday & one semi dressy outfits for Saturday. After throwing in a simple outfit to hang around the casinos in during the day, & one to drive home in, my weekend bag was packed and ready to go.

Hit the Road

Okay, this may only really be the difference between life & well, wanting to run in front of a car, here in SoCal but making sure you leave to be Vegas bound is essential!! I have been stuck in bumper to bumper traffic in the middle of the dessert too many times!!! A few years ago there were two cars of us heading out there. My car left at 5pm and we got in 7 hours later!!! Chris’s car left at 10pm and he got there at 2am… How is this fair? We left at 9pm this time & were checked in by 1am. Just enough time for a drink at the hotel bar. Now go have fun!!! Enjoy Sin City!

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1Feb2016

Buffalo Chicken Pasta

Posted in Recipes Reel by meganandeggs

I am actually pretty excited about this Super Bowl this year. I am a Giants fan & Chris is a huge Steelers fan & even though both teams are out of the running, I am pretty excited to see the Broncos kick butt this Sunday. I’m not going to lie, I am a sucker for a Manning. I have actually probably watched more Broncos games this year than Giants, a fact I am not proud of.

Anyway, I will be working Sunday night, & watching it via the NFL app updates as I am sure my store will be absolutely dead. But to get in the football spirit, I decided to watch some of my favorite football movies. A little Remember the Titans, Friday Night Lights, & We Are Marshall marathon with some homemade Buffalo Chicken Pasta. Ummm… give me a nice, cold IPA & yes please!

I made this a few weeks ago for the first time & let me tell you, the first time was not the best. This time around… way better. Amazingly creamy & spicy. I cannot get enough. And best part… no messy fingers like when you eat Buffalo wings. That is literally the worst part of eating wings. I hate it!

Chris doesn’t love creamy pastas the way I do, so for this recipe I actually cut out a quarter of what I would have liked to put in of cream cheese. I suggest you put the entire amount in & indulge. After all… it’s Super Bowl! Day of football, food, & beer.

Signature

1 lb boneless skinless chicken breast
1 lb linguini
1 bunch of broccoli
1 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
8 oz cream cheese
2 14 oz cans of chicken broth
¼ tsp salt
¼ tsp pepper
½ tsp garlic powder
½ cup buffalo wing sauce

1. Boil chicken breast for 15-20 minutes in salted water or until chicken is cooked through.
2. When cooked completely, use two forks and shred chicken into small pieces.
3. Cut broccoli off stalk and clean thoroughly.
4. Boil pasta to time on box, 4 minutes before pasta is done cook broccoli in pasta water. Drain pasta and broccoli and set aside.
5. Add cream cheese, cheddar cheese, chicken broth, garlic powder, and salt and pepper to the pot. Simmer on medium high mixing regularly.
6. Once the block of cream cheese is completely melted down, mix in buffalo wing sauce.
7. Mix in pasta and broccoli and stir so all pasta is coated and enjoy.