{Eat It}...Morning Treat

My favorite morning delight is a coconut cherry parfait. I like to use a basic vanilla yogurt with fresh cherries. I pit and quarter them. For every 3/4 cup yogurt, I find 6 or 7 cherries are a nice ratio. Although you don't have to, I like to layer my fruit and yogurt in a pretty stem glass. I feel so fancy! Top it off with whole granola, coconut; drizzle with honey, and drop on a cherry to finish it off! Yum! This is so fresh and sweet. The cherries and coconut are seriously amazing. 

What's your favorite breakfast treat? Parfaits can be great for those days you're feeling healthy. They're also fun if you have some friends over for brunch. Build your own parfait bar? Delicious!

{Eat It}...Chewy Ginger Cookies

It seems like ages ago since the Olympics started. For the opening ceremonies, my family had a little viewing party, complete with all the fixings; burgers and brats were grilled, berries picked, desserts made. Abby and I were in charge of desserts, so instead of going with the classic chocolate chip cookie, which can feel a little heavy and overly sweet in summer, we opted for a chewy ginger cookie. Since it wasn't a snap, but a softly dense cookie, it was the perfect dessert. 

Ginger also helps settle upset stomachs (that's why you should have ginger ale when feeling queazy), so after a huge dinner the cookies were actually just right. I know it seems like a winter cookie, but with cold milk, or iced coffee, they're a great dessert for any season. Bonus: your house smells amazing throughout the whole process. I just love how fragrant ginger is. It's not overly sweet and is almost savory. Fantastic. 

{Eat It}...Let's Roll

Ages ago I actually made dinner. Can you believe it? I've always been a huge asparagus fan...then tomatoes entered the picture. And I liked them! They look beautiful together, so they must taste amazing when paired, right? Right! Oh, and did I mention I'm a chicken? Well, sort of. I've never really cared for red meats. I don't know why, but given the choice between a fancy steak and a piece of chicken, I'll take chicken. I'm a poultry junkie. So I was craving this delicious pairing and followed this recipe. They're chicken roll ups with asparagus and tomato. Add a little parmesan cheese and some tooth picks and you have yourself a great meal! Note, they look ultra fancy and elegant on a plate, but are sooo easy to make!

If you try these, I'd love to see what you think of them! What else would you do with a chicken roll up? I'd love to try rolling in onion and pineapple and then serving with a sweet & sour sauce! What about you?

{Eat It}...Good on Toast

I love breakfast, but I'm not the biggest breakfast chef. In the morning I just want to roll out of bed and have a quick (but delicious) bite to eat. Enter, Strawberry Rhubarb Jam! It's easy enough to make and will knock your socks off! Depending on the size of your rhubarb crop, you might have enough jars to last you all year. It's a real treat in the winter. 

Abby and I planted two rhubarb plants a few years back. We desperately wanted a garden, but in the city all we had room for were the two plants. It turns out, rhubarb is the plant that keeps giving! Coming back every summer, we now enjoy jam, crisp, pie, and tarts. Delicious to the last stalk!

Let your diced rhubarb sit overnight in water and sugar. In the morning it will be super gloppy. That is a good thing!

Get some strawberry Jell-O, which you will add to the boiling sugar-water mixture.

Let boil and cool; then transfer to mason jars. Put the caps on immediately and let sit. The tops will make a popping noise when completely sealed. Refrigerate one and put the rest in the freezer!

RECIPE

5 cups of finely cut rhubarb

3 cups of sugar

Mix and let stand overnight

In the boring, boil for 15 minutes and add 1 package of strawberry jello.

Put in jars and seal.

Cool before freezing.

Feel free to double, triple, quadruple! Trust me, it'll go fast! 

{Eat It}...Lemon Loaf

How often do you open the cupboards and have everything you need to make a yummy dessert? For me, hardly ever! I don't make much here in Minneapolis as of now, because the kitchen is kind of nasty. Saturday was sunny with just the right amount of chill so that I was craving a delicious dessert. I opened the refrigerator and there were lemons! Perfect. I instantly thought of the tangy lemon loaf they sell at Starbucks. It's surprisingly a perfect pairing with coffee. I used this recipe and it turned out great. All the ingredients are probably found around your house. It makes two loaves, so you can share! Or not. 

For the frosting, I used the basics of this recipe, but modified it a little bit by adding a splash of milk. It sounds insane! But trust me. Without milk, it will be ultra tart, if you like that. I like the frosting to be both creamy and lip puckering. 

 I couldn't find a lemon juicer! So I really worked my hand muscles and just squeezed those lemons! I actually got about a half cup of juice from two lemons! Crazy!

Be warned... if you grate lemons with a standard grater, use a tooth brush to clean it.

For the frosting, I used the basics of this recipe, but modified it a little bit by adding a splash of milk. It sounds insane! But trust me. Without milk, it will be ultra tart, if you like that. I like the frosting to be both creamy and lip puckering.

I also added some sugar sprinkles to make to pretty. The loaf was so moist, the frosting so creamy that the sprinkles added a very slight crunch that made it so much fun to eat!

Eating this makes me feel like this. Enjoy!

{Eat It}...Late Night Snack

Every slumber party requires a few essentials. Painting nails, gossiping about the Kardashians & taking movie breaks for late night snacks!

We girls decided it was high time for some comfort food fun! Thus, we made some little weenies! I know, funny name. They are basically mini pigs in a blanket. To keep us guessing, some had a pinch of shredded cheese for a surprise every time! Warm bite size yummies!

I'm sure you know how to do it, but just in case.... 

Get a package of lil' weenies, or lil' smokies. Whichever you prefer. Cut a package of crescent rolls into  strips. Instead of tear them apart into triangles, keep two together making a rectangle and cut width wise so you get about eight to ten strips. Wrap lil' weenies in dough and add your extras as you roll. Perhaps you like cheese, or some garlic salt, peppers, etc. Bake about 8 to 10 minutes at 375 degrees. Enjoy!

{Eat It}...Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

     Ever since Christmas we have been eating the left over Christmas ham. Don't get me wrong, I like ham sandwiches. But after a while, I need something different! So this morning, I made omelets with Abby. I am not an omelet genius. (That means I'm a bad, bad omelet maker!) Therefore, you will not see pictures of the finished product!

We used some of the many bell peppers left over from the New Year's Eve veggie tray. Of course, we used fresh ones, not the one that had been out for people to grab several nights ago. Normally, you see green peppers in omelets. We decided to use red, orange & yellow.

Abby & I also diced up the ham that we are storing in the refrigerator from Christmas. The nice thing about ham is that once it has been roasted & sliced, you can eat it for what seems like ages if kept well in a cool place. We cut up some cherry tomatoes & added lots of shredded mozzarella & cheddar cheese. 

There was a great debate over how many eggs to use....we decided upon 2 egg omelets for ourselves. Then we added skim milk & whisked. I would love to claim that there is a science to this, but I seriously add the milk measuring with my eyes. I've never actually had a specific ratio. 

 

Abby's omelete. :( It's a little sad, but better than mine!

Do you have any recipes for using random left overs? How do you quickly (but also deliciously) get rid of all your Christmas ham?

     

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{Eat It}...Cut It Out

Cut out cookies are some of my favorite snacks. Although appropriate all year, I find them especially enticing during the cold winter months in Wisconsin. There is nothing better than the smell of fresh butter cookies the day before Christmas. This year, they were such a hit that I made some in the shapes of stars & moons only for our New Year's Eve shindig. (We're still munching on them.)We also make our own frosting. Both cookie & icing recipe are from my Grandma Esther. Finish them off with some pretty sprinkles & you're ready for the perfect midwest winter! Yum!