Caprese Avocado Breakfast Toast

Ingredients:

• 1 cup grape tomatoes, halved
• 1 cup Galbani® Mozzarella Fresca™ Ciliegine, halved
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
• 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon olive oil
• salt and pepper
• 1 avocado, pitted and mashed
• 4 slices crusty bread such as como
• 4 whole eggs

Instructions:

1. Combine tomatoes, Galbani® Mozzarella Fresca™ Ciliegine, basil and 1 teaspoon olive oil together in a bowl. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cover and let sit at room temperature for 25 minutes. 
2. Heat remaining tablespoon of olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Cook eggs just until the whites are cooked, 1 - 2 minutes per side. 
3. Toast bread if desired.
4. To assemble the toast, spread avocado on top of bread, top with a fried egg and top with 1/4 of the caprese mixture. Repeat with remaining ingredients until 4 toasts are made. Serve immediately.
5. Enjoy! 

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The Best Soft and Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies

INGREDIENTS:

3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened (1 1/2 sticks)
3/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
one 3.5-ounce packet instant vanilla pudding mix (not sugar-free and not 'cook & serve')
1 teaspoon baking soda
pinch salt, optional and to taste
one-12 ounce bag (2 cups) semi-sweet chocolate chips (I use Trader Joe's)

DIRECTIONS:

1. To the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or large mixing bowl and electric mixer) combine the butter, sugars, egg, vanilla, and beat on medium-high speed until creamed and well combined, about 4 minutes.
2. Stop, scrape down the sides of the bowl, and add the flour, pudding mix, baking soda, optional salt, and beat on low speed until just combined, about 1 minute.
3. Stop, scrape down the sides of the bowl, and add the chocolate chips, and beat on low speed until just combined, about 30 seconds.
4. Using a large cookie scoop, 1/4-cup measure, or your hands, form approximately 14 equal-sized mounds of dough, roll into balls, and flatten slightly. Tip - Strategically place a few chocolate chips right on top of each mound of dough by taking chips from the underside and adding them on top.
5. Place mounds on a large plate or tray, cover with plasticwrap, and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, up to 5 days. Do not bake with unchilled dough because cookies will bake thinner, flatter, and be more prone to spreading.
6. Preheat oven to 350F, line a baking sheet with a Silpat or spray with cooking spray. Place dough mounds on baking sheet, spaced at least 2 inches apart (I bake 8 cookies per sheet) and bake for about 11 minutes, or until edges have set and tops are just set, even if slightly undercooked, pale, and glossy in the center; don't overbake. Cookies firm up as they cool. Allow cookies to cool on baking sheet for about 10 minutes before serving. I let them cool on the baking sheet and don't use a rack.
7. Cookies will keep airtight at room temperature for up to 1 week or in the freezer for up to 6 months. Alternatively, unbaked cookie dough can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days, or in the freezer for up to 4 months, so consider baking only as many cookies as desired and save the remaining dough to be baked in the future when desired.

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Raspberry Balsamic Meatballs (Slow Cooker)

Ingredients

• 1 batch Easy Baked Meatballs, or a 2 lb package frozen meatballs
• 1 cup raspberry preserves
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• 1 and 1/2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
• 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 1 tablespoon fresh ginger, grated or minced
• sliced green onions, for garnish
• Sesame seeds, for garnish

Instructions

1. Spray your crock-pot with nonstick spray. Add the raspberry preserves, sugar, vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, and red pepper flakes, and stir together, using a whisk if you want.
2. Once combined, remove a 1/2 cup of the mixture and set aside.
3. Add the meatballs (it's okay if they are frozen) and stir to coat.
4. Cover and cook on low for 5 hours, or on high for 2 and 1/2 hours.
5. Remove the lid to add the ginger and reserved sauce. Turn the Crock pot to High if it is not already there. Cook for another 15-20 minutes, or until the sauce has thickened slightly.
6. Garnish with green onions and/or sesame seeds.

Notes

These make great appetizers, but they can also be eaten as a meal. Serve with hot rice and a big salad.

This recipe doesn't have to be made in the slow cooker. You can bake these with the sauce in a baking dish. I would start with 30 minutes at 350 degrees.

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Savory Parmesan French Toast with Hollandaise Sauce

Ingredients

For the French toast:
• 4 large eggs
• 1/2 cup whole milk
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan, plus more for garnish
• 1/2 teaspoon dry mustard powder
• 1/2 teaspoon hot sauce (I used Tabasco)
• freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• 1 large garlic clove, crushed with the side of a knife
• dash salt
• medium-size loaf of good-quality bread, cut 1-inch thick
• butter, for frying
• flat-leaf parsley or chives, for garnish
For the hollandaise:
• 3 egg yolks
• 1/4 teaspoon dijon mustard
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1 dash hot sauce
• 1/2 cup butter

Instructions

For the French Toast:
1. Turn your oven on to the warm setting (170 F). Set a cooling rack over a cookie sheet and place in the oven.
2. Add eggs, milk, cream, Parmesan, mustard powder, hot sauce, black pepper, garlic, and salt to a blender. Blend until smooth. Pour liquid into a pie plate or an 8x8 dish. Rinse out your blender immediately.
3. Slice the bread into 1-inch pieces.
4. Heat a griddle or a large skillet to medium-high heat.
5. Soak the bread in the egg mixture 1-2 minutes each side.
6. Grease the griddle or pan with butter.
7. Fry each piece of bread for about 2-3 minutes, until golden brown. Flip and cook the other side for 1-2 minutes or until browned. Continue with all the bread pieces, replenishing butter as necessary.
8. Place each finished piece of toast on the cooling rack in the oven.
For the hollandaise:
9. In the rinsed-out blender, add the egg yolks, dijon mustard, lemon juice, and hot sauce. Blend until smooth. (It's not very much liquid, so I tipped the blender on it's side to help it blend up. See photos.)
10. In a small bowl in the microwave, melt butter completely so that it's very hot.
11. Open the top spout of your blender. Turn the blender on low and pour in the hot butter. It should thicken immediately.
12. Immediately pour the sauce into a measuring cup or bowl. Place the bowl into another bowl of very hot water. (You want to keep the sauce hot, but if you microwave it, it will curdle.)
13. Pour the sauce over each serving. Whisk the sauce if it starts to separate.
14. Top each French toast with fresh herbs and extra Parmesan.

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Cranberry Orange Walnut Bread

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts, toasted
• zest from 2 oranges (at least 2 tablespoons)
• 1/2 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
• 1/2 cup half and half
• 2 cups flour, spooned and leveled
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 large egg
• 1/3 cup oil
• 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste (or regular vanilla extract)
• 1 or 2 cups fresh or frozen cranberries, roughly chopped

Instructions

1. Start by toasting the walnuts. Add a half cup to a small dry frying pan and set to medium heat. Stir occasionally until the nuts become fragrant and barely start to brown, about 5 minutes. Set aside and cool completely.
2. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 9x5 inch loaf pan with parchment paper, or grease well and set aside.
3. Zest the two oranges into a large bowl.
4. Juice the oranges in a glass measuring cup until you get 1/2 cup juice. Add the 1/2 cup half and half to the orange juice, stir, and set aside.
5. In the bowl with the zest, whisk together the flour, white sugar, brown sugar, salt, baking soda, baking powder.
6. In a medium bowl, whisk together 1 egg, the oil, and the vanilla.
7. Add the chopped cranberries and the cooled nuts to the flour mixture and stir to combine. Add the wet ingredients to the flour mixture and stir until just barely combined.
8. Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes.
9. Remove the bread from the oven and cover with tin foil. Bake for another 15-25 minutes. You will know it's done with a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Notes

You don't need to chop the cranberries perfectly. If some of them are left whole, it's cool. I prefer to add a full 2 cups, but it's still really good with just one cup of cranberries.

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Prosciutto-Wrapped Chicken with Asparagus

Ingredients

• 1 pound chicken breast, sliced thin (2-3 breasts)
• salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 2 tablespoons flour, or more
• 4 slices prosciutto
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 bunch asparagus
• 1/4 cup basil pesto
• 1/3 cup cream

Instructions

1. If the chicken breasts are thick, slit them in half lengthwise to make them thinner. Pat them dry with a paper towel, then sprinkle with salt and pepper; go easy on the salt, the prosciutto is salty.
2. Rub the chicken with the flour. Wrap each piece of chicken with a piece of prosciutto.
3. In a large skillet, heat the olive oil on medium. When it is hot, add the wrapped chicken. Cook for 5-6 minutes, then flip and cook for another 4-5 minutes or so, until browned and it reaches 165 degrees.
4. Meanwhile, add about 3 inches of water to a small pot, cover, and put it on to boil. Wash the asparagus and snap off the woody ends. Cut the asparagus into 2 inch pieces. Add to a steamer basket, and when the water in the pot is at a rolling boil, put the basket on top and cover. Cook for about 5 minutes, or until tender. Immediately rinse with cold water to stop the cooking and set it aside. (If you don't have a steamer, you can roast the asparagus, or saute it with some oil).
5. In a small bowl whisk together the pesto and cream. When the chicken is fully cooked, pour the mixture over the chicken, and add the asparagus. Bring the mixture to a boil, then turn off the heat. Serve with potatoes or crusty bread.

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Asian Marinated Cucumber Salad

Ingredients

• 1 large English (seedless) cucumber, very thinly sliced
• ¼ of a sweet onion, very thinly sliced
• 1/3 cup rice vinegar
• 1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds
• 1 tablespoon minced fresh dill or ½ teaspoon dried dill weed
• ¾ teaspoon salt
• ¾ teaspoon sugar
• ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

Instructions

1. Slice the cucumbers as thinly as you can without slicing your hand. Or go buy a mandoline.
2. Throw your tablespoon of sesame seeds into a small dry frying pan. Set over medium heat and stir occasionally until the seeds just begin to brown. You don't want to overdo it.
3. Gently toss together all of the ingredients until everything is evenly coated. Put in a container with a tight fitting lid and refrigerate for at least an hour before serving. Marinated salads like this always improve with time, so feel free to make this ahead of time. Refrigerate for up to 5 days. Gently toss again before serving.

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Beef Fajitas

When I get a hankering for beef fajitas, I pretty much can think of nothing else until I eat them. I made them over the weekend after a profound craving set in—and no, I’m not pregnant I think as far as I know—and ohhhhh, was the reward so sweet.

Here’s how I like to make ‘em.

Start by drizzling some olive oil into a dish…

Then add some Worcestershire sauce.

And there you have it! Beef fajitas.

Just kidding.

Then slice up a bunch o’ limes…

And squeeze the juice on in.

Then chop up some garlic…

And throw it in, too!

For the spices, I used cumin…

Because I love cumin and I associate it with anything Tex-Mexy.

And some chili powder…

And red pepper flakes for heat.

Bada BING!

I have no idea why I just said bada bing.

Sometimes these things just come out.

Add some salt…

Some black pepper….

And just a little bit of sugar, because it makes the savory even better.

Now, whisk the whole mess together…

And pour half of it into a second dish.

I’ll tell you why in a minute.

Grab your hunka beef and throw it into one of the dishes…

Then turn the meat over to coat it in the marinade.

Now for the veggies, which are an important part of fajitas: slice up a couple of onions…

A red bell pepper…

An orange bell pepper…

A yeller bell pepper…

And a green bell pepper.

I love all the colors.

But you can just pick one or two.

You can also do diced zucchini.

Sliced mushrooms.

Any vegetables you love.

Throw them into the second dish of stuff…

Use your hands to toss the veggies around and coat them in the marinade. It won’t totally gloop them up, it will just give them a little coating of spice.

And here’s the thing: A lot of people just throw the meat and veggies into the dish together. A lot of people like to just marinate the meat and veggies together.

I’ve done it a lot myself.

But some people don’t like the idea of marinating raw meat and raw veggies together.

I’m that way with chicken. But not with beef.

But for the purposes of this post, I showed them marinating separately to show you how easy it is.

Now, just stick ‘em in the fridge and let ‘em marinate for a good couple of hours.

When you’re ready to make the fuh-hee-tus, heat a skillet over medium-high heat and drizzle in a little olive oil or canola oil. Throw in the veggies…

And cook them, stirring them around…

Until they’re nice and golden, with some flecks of brown and black. I don’t like to let the veggies get soggy; I still want ‘em to have a little bite!

Remove the veggies to a bowl or plate, then get the fixins ready: I crumbled up some queso fresco, which I love, but you can use any grated cheese, too!

I just grabbed some salsa and sour cream to go with the cheese, but if you want to whip up some pico de gallo and/or guacamole, I wouldn’t blame you one bit.

Drizzle some oil in the same skillet or on a grill pan if you have one, and throw on the flank steak. The heat needs to be very high!

Grill it for a minute at first, then rotate it 45 degrees on the same side to make lovely grill marks.

No more than a minute later, flip the flank steak…

To the other side and cook it, rotating it 45 degrees again, for a total of a minute, minute-and-a-half.

You don’t want to overcook the flank steak, and because it’s thin, it will cook in no time! So probably a total of 3 to 4 minutes is all you want to do…maybe even a little less.

I’m so terrified of overcooking beef. I avoid it at all costs.

Unless it’s ground beef. Then I cook the heck out of it with wild abandon.

When it’s done? Ta-da!

This looks good enough to eat.

Slice up the steak into thin strips…

And be sure to sneak a couple of bites. You have to confirm everything tastes good, right?

Then, when you’ve confirmed this, sneak a couple more bites.

Repeat as needed.

I think it’s fun to serve both the steak and the veggies directly on a cutting board.

It makes it appear very grabbable.

At the end, bring out some very, very warm flour tortillas so everyone can start to build! I started with veggies…

Some strips of beef…

Plenty of fromage, I mean queso…

A nice spoonful of very spicy salsa…

A dollop of sour cream…

And then, for a little freshness, a few cilantro leaves.

Uh…yum!

This is divination right here, baby.

Pure divination.

(And “divination,” I now know, means “fortune telling.” I’m awesome with vocabulary! Not.)

Here’s the handy dandy printable!

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