Spinach Cake

I am really proud of this one!  What a yummy treat and change from eggs...

Naturally sweet with the cooked Spinach, Pine Nuts, and Currants.

I served this with Ham and Strawberry, Banana, Sliced Almond fruit salad for breakfast.

Preheat oven to 350.

Makes about 12 pieces, serves 4.

Almond Chicken Salad

This is a great Salsa for lunch or a picnic.
Serve with Orange slices with Coconut.
Serves 2.

Cauli-Rice with Chicken and "Casey Salsa"

"Wow!  It's just like rice!"  This is a wonderful alternative to rice and beats the craving!

This also makes a great side, just leave out the Chicken.

Serves 4-6

Casey Salsa

This is just a quick note on how to make your own Salsa for any dish.

I put this, or a variation, on Eggs, Cauli-Rice, Chicken, etc...

Poached Eggs

Poached Eggs are my favorite type of egg!  They are daunting though to make so here are few tips.
Best of all would be to get some of those poaching pods.  They will make adding and retrieving your eggs more enjoyable.

Here they are being served with Prosciutto and a Fruit Salad of Melon, Blueberries, Figs and Walnuts.
I have also served them with Smoked Trout and in just about every dish where you would be asked "how would you like your eggs?"

Meat Fist Doneness Test (MFDT)

This is a fast way to check your Steaks to see how done they are!
Remember, cutting into a steak will also tell you how done it is, but this also lets out the juices and can cause the meat to be dry.
Lastly, when you take the meat off the heat, you want to let it rest, under some tinfoil, to let the juices reabsorb into the meat so that they will not run off when you cut it.  Letting it rest a few minutes will also let the meat cook a little longer, so do not over cook steak!!!

Flank Steak

Flank steak is one of the leanest cut you can get!  This means optimum protein and less fat, still with lots of flavor.

I am not saying that fat in a steak is bad though, very yummy!

You can serve this with any vegetable you want!  This time I served it with Ratatouille.

This is my favorite meal to date in my job.

Serves 2.  Broil.

Green Goodness Soup

I love this soup!  This is the "Chicken Noodle Soup" we thought we would never live without!
And here it is, sans noodles, plus so much more!
I don't know why all Mom's don't add Kale to their Chicken Soup, it adds such a great dimension of flavor, color and texture!  Not to mention all the nutritional value!!!

Serves 6 - 8

Salmon with Pistachio Salsa

I love this Salmon!  It is so easy to make and a little different than your normal Salmon because of the Pistachio Salsa.

I pair it with Applesauce and Asparagus.

Preheat oven to 350, bake 20 minutes.  Makes 4 servings.

Flaxseed Focaccia Toppings

These are some topping ideas for the Flaxseed Focaccia also in this blog.

Flaxseed Focaccia

This Focaccia is really good!  Super satisfying for the craving to have a sandwich with bread.
You can put any type of sandwich filling in it and add any topping to the focaccia when baking.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Makes 3 sandwiches worth of bread.

Measuring Cups and Spoons

These are some of my favorite measuring cups and spoons:

The first set of cups and spoons is amazing with its variety and is pretty cheap too.
The second item, Adjustable Measuring Cup is very handy for measuring Nut Butter or anything sticky.
Next is the Pyrex liquid measuring cups, these are very important for measuring hot items, as well as being very sturdy.
Finally is the OXO liquid measuring cup.  As you can see, you can easily tell the amount you have without bending over to look at the side scale, cool.

Find at:
Amazon - Cups and Spoons
Sur La Table - Adjustable Cup
Sur La Table - Pyrex Liquid Cup
Sur La Table - OXO Liquid Cup

Mixing Bowls

Ok... Mixing Bowls.
You definitely need more than 2 bowls.  Here at the kinds I have:

A set of Glass Bowls that are perfect for prep-ing and tasks like whipping cream and making mayonnaise.
Prep bowls are very under rated!!

Next a set of bowls that have rubber rings on the bottom and pouring spouts.  I use these for everything, the spouts are really helpful and the rubber keeps them from slipping around on the counter while mixing.

Find at:
Williams Sonoma - Glass Nesting Bowls
Williams Sonoma - Melamine Mixing Bowls

Food Processor

A food processor is extremely helpful for so much!  Chopping, slicing, mincing, etc...

You can use a smaller size processor but then you will have to do everything in small batches.  I make salsa, cauli-rice, bread, and pie crusts.

Find at:
Sur La Table

Stick Blender

I CAN NOT LIVE WITHOUT MY STICK BLENDER!!!!

Truly, I use this every week at least from making soups, chopping veggies, and whisking Cashew Cream.  There are Stick Blenders that are sold separately, but this is a great set and very reasonably priced.

Find at:
Sur La Table

Pie & Tart Pans

These are things that you will probably not need right away.

However there are many yummy things that you only make with these pans, Apple Tart Puffed Oven Pancakes, etc...

Good Christmas or Birthday gifts!

Find at:

Sur La Table - Tart Pan

Sur La Table - Pie Dish

Baking Trays & Silicon Mats

These baking trays are very good quality and sturdy!
If you skimp on baking trays they will torque and if you get ones without sides they will be useless for roasting.

Also as seen in this picture is a Silpat Mat, Silicon Mat.
I use mine all the time for baking, roasting, and oven grilling.  No more sticking or tons of spray that turns your tray black!!  It is incredible, try it once and you'll be hooked!

Find at:
Sur La Table - Baking Trays
Sur La Table - Silpat Mat

Muffin Pan

A Muffin Pan is very useful for many things more than just Muffins!  This combo is my solution to a non-stick Muffin Pan/ Silicon Muffin Pan.  Not to mention Silicon pans are a pain in the butt to get in and out of the oven without spilling unless you use a baking tray too.

You will never need to grease the cups and the reusabe-ness of these Silicon liners are very eco friendly!

I use my Muffin Pan for making Paleo friendly Mini Quiche, when I am not making yummy Gluten Free cupcakes!

Find at:
Sur La Table - Muffin Pan
Sur La Table - Silicon Liners

Sauce Pot

So there are 2 types of Sauce Pots I would recommend.

Although I do not own either of these specifically here are my thoughts...

The Le Creuset set would cover both the Cast Iron and Sauce Pot needs.  Other than the color matching other Le Creuset items you may have this pot has a light colored enamel which is important when making sauces or browning buttery things.

If a simpler model is what you are looking for the Sur La Table Sauce Pot is a good choice, or any Stainless Steal Sauce Pot of about this size.  Again not being black inside is important.

I use this type of pot for making oatmeal, boiling eggs, sauces etc...

Find at:

Sur La Table - Le Creuset

Sur La Table - Stainless Steal

Fry Pan

Ok ok... I know I said "never be afraid of Stainless Steal" but a good non-stick is really useful too!

I make eggs galore in this pan!  It is the perfect size for omelets or a few fried eggs.  Having a back-up pan for quick sautéing is useful as well.

Find at:
BBB

Sauté Pan

Don't be afraid of the Stainless Steel, no need for Non-Stick in a Sauté Pan!!  The trick is LOW HEAT and nothing will stick!

There are higher quality Sauté Pans out there, ones with copper cores etc... however I have found this one to be the right size and perfect for all my sautéing needs.

Find at:
Sur La Table

Cast Iron Skillet

A good Cast Iron skillet is essential!  Lodge Logic makes great ones, I go with the small or medium, perfect size for bacon etc...

Find at:
Sur La Table

Stock Pot

This is a great stock pot by Le Creuset.  It is just the right size,  reasonably priced, and very sturdy, as Le Creuset is known to be.

Find at:
Sur La Table

Mom's Applesauce

This is my mom's Applesauce recipe!  I substituted the sugar for honey to keep this Paleo friendly.
This is a fast go-to recipe that goes good with just about anything.

No Pasta Lasagne

This was amazing!  I didn't miss the pasta at all, and neither did my "People".

I served this with a simple spinach salad and homemade Applesauce.

Preheat oven to 250
Serves 6