I was craving something creamy and while digging through some old Cooking Light Magazines the other night this Ziti With Spinach, Cherry Tomatoes and Gorgonzola Sauce recipe caught my attention.  If you’re a regular on my food blog you know I’m always looking for Spinach recipes and I can’t believe how incredibly tasty this is for it being a low calorie dish!  At first when I bought this cheese that I’ve never cooked with before,  I opened the package and my first thought was, wow this cheese stinks…really?  But yeah, really this cheese stinks but after you cook it and melt it down, it tastes so creamy, simply delicious and the cherry tomatoes and garlic take over the smell in that pan.  Definite recipe keeper and it was so quick and easy to make that it’s definitely hitting my lunch time meals again soon.  All you have to buy is package of Spinach, Cherry Tomatoes, Gorgonzola cheese and pasta shells. It is low cost, quick and low calorie….how can you go wrong?  Perfect if you want to go meatless too!

Ingredients

• 4 ounces uncooked ziti
• 1/2 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil $
• 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved $
• 1/4 teaspoon salt $
• 1/8 teaspoon crushed red pepper
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 6 tablespoons half-and-half
• 3 tablespoons Gorgonzola cheese, crumbled
• 1 cup fresh spinach $

Preparation

1. 1. Cook pasta according to package directions, omitting salt and fat; drain.
2. 2. Heat extra-virgin olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add cherry tomatoes, salt, crushed red pepper, and minced garlic to pan; cook 1 minute, stirring occasionally. Stir in half-and-half and Gorgonzola cheese; cook 2 minutes or until slightly thick, stirring constantly. Stir in spinach and pasta; cook 1 minute or until spinach wilts, tossing occasionally.

Today is game day, that’s right Laker Game and what I hear was a really good tennis match this morning with Novak and Nadal, don’t click on this link if you haven’t seen the match yet.    I made a repeat recipe for lunch today and it looks like maybe even a repeat for dinner….lol  One of Cooking Light’s tasty Spicy-Poblano burgers.   I love this damn burger it’s right up there with my favorite burger joint Umami Burger which is opening up in my neighborhood soon, I can’t be more excited about this news.  I’m going to support your business Umami, you will be staying in my neighborhood for a long time because of me…hehe.

I had a craving for a snack and I remembered I came across a yummy fruit salad recipe in Cooking Light, it makes the perfect snack or breakfast meal.  In Southern California the weather is always up and down during the winter months and since it’s been hanging around the upper 70′s to low 80′s lately I’ve been craving summer type meals.   The two changes I made to this recipe was I used Greek Yogurt vs. the Vanilla it calls for and I didn’t have any almonds on hand so I went with Walnuts.  Really tasty and filled my snack craving.

I had a lady ask me the other day how is it that I have two little ones and manage to look the way that I do.  Besides weekly exercise  I try and have healthy snack choices and keep my meals enriched with vegetables, low oil cooking and I try a variety of foods so I don’t get bored of the same  foods.  I don’t eat pure healthy foods as I do have  sweet tooth cravings and I do eat sweets but it’s all about moderation, good healthy food choices and exercise for without all three getting to your goal weight would be impossible.

Ingredients

• 1 cup vanilla low-fat yogurt
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 1 1/2 teaspoons grated lime rind
• 3 cups cubed pineapple (about 1 medium)
• 1 1/2 cups chopped Braeburn apple (about 1 large)
• 1 cup orange sections (about 2 oranges)
• 1 cup chopped peeled kiwi (about 2 large)
• 1/3 cup flaked sweetened coconut
• 1 medium banana, sliced
• 1/4 cup slivered almonds, toasted

Preparation

1. Combine yogurt, honey, and lime rind in a small bowl.
2. Combine pineapple and next 4 ingredients (through coconut) in a large bowl; toss gently to combine. Just before serving, stir in banana. Top fruit mixture with yogurt sauce; sprinkle with almonds.

Ingredients

• 2 1/2 teaspoons olive oil, divided
• 1/2 cup diced prosciutto (about 2 ounces)
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 4 cups thinly sliced shiitake mushroom caps (about 10 ounces)
• 1 1/2 cups chopped leek
• 3 cups diced plum tomato (about 1 pound)
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 (10-ounce) package fresh spinach, coarsely chopped
• 1 cup torn fresh basil leaves
• 4 (6-ounce) cod or other firm white fish fillets (1 inch thick)
• 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour

Preparation

1. Heat 1/2 teaspoon olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over low heat. Add the prosciutto; sauté 5 minutes. Stir in garlic; remove from pan. Set aside.
2. Heat 1 teaspoon olive oil in pan over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms and leek; sauté 8 minutes. Stir in tomato, salt, and pepper. Gradually add the spinach to pan, and stir until spinach is wilted (about 3 minutes). Stir in the prosciutto mixture and basil. Remove from pan; cover and keep warm.
3. Heat 1 teaspoon olive oil in pan over medium-high heat. Dredge fillets in flour. Add fillets to pan; sauté 3 minutes on each side. Cover and cook 2 minutes or until fish flakes easily when tested with a fork. Divide spinach mixture among 4 plates; top with fillets.

2 Wine Tasting Machines both with different wines- all set up for you to do your own tastings of the variety of wines they have on display. You can also keep track of how much your spending during your tasting as it all goes on a card you hold on to and you go as many times as you like to the machines and it gets tacked on to your meal at the end. Pretty cool!

They gave us a Complimentary Wine Tasting of this really good wine-

The meat was nice and tender and melted on my tongue….I don’t like meat any other way, I highly recommend this dish.

Tender and cooked to perfection – The Scallops with Asparagus in a nice Olive Oil Pesto Sauce.

This next dish had interesting flavors- it was lamb meat with feta cheese and  mint over thinly cut fries with a salty finish.

Aside from being a huge fan of other fabulous food bloggers I’m also a fan of little miss fashion blogger “Fashion Chalet.”  She puts together really cute outfits and takes pictures of all her beautiful shoes, clothes and purses and makes the rest of us girls drool over her belongings.  Now,  I’m not someone that likes to shop, I use to love  putting the cutest trendy outfits together it was fun and creative but I now just buy what I need.  I’m a tom boy if you will and can live in my yoga pants and jeans but I still and will always have the biggest shoe fetish ever!  I’m always looking at people’s shoes,  it is an addiction of mine.  Thanks to Fashion Chalet my addiction will never go away….haha.  Fashion Chalet has some really awesome giveaways on her blog too and you must check out what she is giving away this week!!!  Yes, I want to win that Balenciaga purse because I know I would never ever spend $1500 dollars on a purse….never!  I rarely ever add purses to my collection just because if I don’t need it than why buy it but hey if I can win this really awesome purse I’d probably be carrying it around with me for many years before my next purchase…lol

click here and check her blog out now!   and make this sandwich to enjoy while your reading her blog.

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
• 1 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary
• 4 (4-ounce) chicken cutlets
• 1/4 cup chopped drained oil-packed sun-dried tomato
• 1/8 teaspoon crushed red pepper
• 8 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
• 1 (6-ounce) package fresh baby spinach
• 3/8 teaspoon salt, divided
• Cooking spray
• 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 8 (1-ounce) slices country-style Italian bread
• 1/2 cup (2 ounces) shredded fresh mozzarella cheese

Preparation

1. 1. Combine 2 teaspoons olive oil, rosemary, and chicken in a large zip-top plastic bag. Seal and marinate in refrigerator 30 minutes.
2. 2. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add remaining 4 teaspoons oil to pan. Add sun-dried tomato, red pepper, and garlic; sauté 1 minute or until garlic begins to brown. Add spinach; cook 1 minute or until spinach barely wilts. Stir in 1/8 teaspoon salt; set aside.
3. 3. Heat a grill pan over medium-high heat; coat with cooking spray. Sprinkle chicken with remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt and black pepper. Cook chicken 3 minutes on each side or until done. Remove chicken from pan; keep pan on medium-high heat.
4. 4. Top each of 4 bread slices with 1 tablespoon cheese, 1 chicken cutlet, one quarter of spinach mixture, 1 additional tablespoon cheese, and remaining 4 bread slices.
5. 5. Recoat grill pan with cooking spray. Arrange 2 sandwiches in pan. Place a cast-iron or heavy skillet on top of sandwiches; press gently to flatten. Cook 4 minutes on each side (leave skillet on sandwiches while they cook). Repeat procedure with remaining 2 sandwiches. Cut each sandwich in half; serve immediately.

Quick note: I cooked it slightly longer than indicated in the recipe in order to get the rice to a nice soft texture so definitely taste your rice before thinking it’s done.  I used my Iphone 4S for the pictures.

Ingredients

• 6 chicken thighs (about 1 1/2 pounds), skinned
• 1 teaspoon chopped fresh or 1/4 teaspoon dried rosemary
• 3/4 teaspoon salt, divided
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 2 teaspoons vegetable oil
• 1 (4-ounce) link hot turkey Italian sausage
• 1 cup chopped onion
• 1/2 cup chopped red bell pepper
• 1 1/2 cups uncooked Arborio or Valencia rice
• 1/2 cup diced plum tomato
• 1 teaspoon Hungarian sweet paprika
• 1/4 teaspoon saffron threads, crushed
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 3 cups fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
• 3/4 pound large shrimp, peeled and de-veined
• 1 cup (1-inch) diagonally cut asparagus
• 1/2 cup frozen green peas, thawed

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 400°.
2. Sprinkle chicken with rosemary, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and black pepper. Heat the oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken; cook 3 minutes on each side or until lightly browned. Remove chicken from pan; cover and keep warm.
3. Remove casings from sausage. Add sausage to pan; cook 1 minute, stirring to crumble. Add onion and bell pepper; cook 7 minutes, stirring constantly. Add rice, tomato, paprika, saffron, and garlic; cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Return chicken to pan. Add broth and 1/4 teaspoon salt; bring to a boil. Wrap handle of pan with foil; cover pan. Bake at 400° for 10 minutes. Stir in shrimp, asparagus, and peas. Cover and bake an additional 5 minutes or until shrimp are done.

I wanted to try something new to add to the table of desserts at my Parents house this year so after having the Peanut Butter Cheesecake at The Cheesecake Factory recently all I can think about is trying to mimic that amazing cheesecake.  I had to find something online that would at least resemble it’s goodness and I came across this recipe from Food.com.

This is my Peanut Butter Cheesecake Recipe in the making….using my new iphone 4S camera

Placing Cheesecake in a water bath and into the oven.

Adding Reese Peanut Butter Cups to my Cream Cheese Filling

Mixing blended Oreo’s with Blended Peanuts for the crust

We do Christmas Eve at my Parents house every year and  my parents have always made Christmas truly memorable for me and my sisters.   When we were little we often spent Christmas in Mexico with my Dad’s side of the family and it was so much fun seeing my cousins, we would play all day long and the house would smell of tamales, Champurado and Posole.  Christmas Eve we celebrate from my Mexican roots and Christmas day if we don’t’ have anything planned with anyone I usually do the traditional American food of Bourbon Glazed Ham.  My mom is of Irish and German decent and my husband from India, so I get the opportunity to experience different cultural ways not just during the Holidays but always.

So, the only thing that can make this Christmas Day sweet….is the Lakers wining the game today.

Champurado

Vegetarian Posole

Tamale

Ingredients:

• 4 1/2 cups crushed Oreo cookies
• 1 cup chopped roasted peanuts
• 1/2 cup butter , melted

For The Filling

• 2 lbs cream cheese , softened
• 5 eggs , at room temperature
• 1 1/2 cups firmly packed brown sugar
• 1 cup smooth peanut butter (not natural-style)
• 1/2 cup whipping cream
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 12 Reese’s Peanut Butter cups , broken into small pieces

For The Topping

• 3 ounces sour cream
• 1/2 cup sugar

Okay, so this was my first attempt at making a Gingerbread Roll and it was a challenge for me.   The hard part was actually rolling the cake up,  I made several mistakes, one I used a shorter pan than I was suppose to, so the cake was a bit thicker making it harder to roll and I tried cutting the cake and that made it not look so pretty and 2nd I put too much cream cheese mixture on it making it even more difficult to roll it.  I wasn’t about to give up on it as this was a very lengthy process with several bowls and mixers going on to put this thing together in the first place.  I made myself a promise as I was preparing gift boxes of goodies for people that this was going to make it in those boxes especially since my other baking disaster with the cupcakes didn’t go over to well. I must say the flavors of the gingerbread and cream cheese combination was soft, sweet and it smelled so heavenly when I took it out of the oven.  It was in no way overpowering as I get when I eat gingerbread of any kind, this was the perfect combination of flavors and I highly recommend you to give it a go, just don’t make the mistakes I did and you should be fine.  This fabulous recipe came from Food and Wine December 2005 issue.

I have this notebook when I first took on the challenge of wanting to be an awesome baker of everything.   I cut out magazine recipes from different magazines and I pilled them in this notebook,  I’ve yet to conquer this book.   I spend more time skimming through it saying to myself, “Yep…that looks good but it would take me all day to make.”   No more procrastinating, I want to open a bakery some day so my New Year’s Resolution is to conquer this book and I will make several attempts at these recipes especially the ones that become disasters or mere saves. This recipe I pulled from this book, and yes it was difficult and yes I will be attempting it again with different flavors next time.  :)

Folding the Egg Whites into the Cake Batter Mixture

INGREDIENTS

1. 5 large eggs, separated
2. 1/2 cup molasses
3. 1/4 cup plus 1/3 cup dark brown sugar
4. 2 tablespoons finely grated fresh ginger
5. 3/4 cup cake flour
6. 1 teaspoon baking powder
7. 1 teaspoon ground ginger
8. 3/4 teaspoon ground allspice
9. 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
10. 1/4 teaspoon salt
11. 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
12. 1 teaspoon unflavored gelatin
13. 1 tablespoon cold water
14. 4 ounces cream cheese, softened
15. 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
16. 12 ounces crème fraîche
17. 1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar
18. 1 stick (4 ounces) unsalted butter
19. Two 4-inch cinnamon sticks
20. 8 whole cloves
21. 2 tablespoons dark rum
22. 2 tablespoons apple cider
23. Confectioners’ sugar, for dusting
24. Toasted pecans and dried cranberries, for garnish

This is the name of the Market we took a couple of visits to while in Barcelona.

It’s all about the Jamon in Spain, so many different cuts and brands and I’m pretty sure we’ve tasted them all as this stuff is addicting. It’s sliced so thin and it’s so soft and moist in the olive oil.

Mmm…will have to do some importing of this stuff.

Animals before being cleaned and cut up… for sale.  :/ I had to cover my daughter’s eyes at the sight of this.  Here’s a good way to turn an American girl Vegetarian.  Those poor little bunny rabbits…..I’m always trying to feed the ones in my front yard carrots….

Salted Codd is also their thing and man is that fish so good.

Also known for their cheese, we had some incredible cheeses during our stay.

Chocolate

Candy Variations- all of different fruit flavors….really good.

I’m not use to seeing meat sold like this in America.  

Tapas Bars…Galore…

So….while roaming around Barcelona, I saw these people window shopping,  for a long time they stood there  just gazing into this window. I took a picture and decided  to go check out this window display….

oh yes….this will make any sweet tooth person stop for a moment of drool….

Those are really big cupcakes….right?  With all that whip cream..

Though we did not buy anything here…we did stop for a chocolate tasting at Vicens

…

We bought some Praline Marzipan

Street performers…my daughter loved this…and that’s her there in awe of it.

But…the Barcelona Cops didn’t care for it…so it was over quickly.

Another interesting name for a store….my friend posing in a happy pose for this shot…

So…on with more beautiful work of art from Gaudi…

This is located in Park Guell

This is all done from Rock, it’s gorgeous.

Isn’t it just beautiful?  I love Antoni Gaudi’s perception.

This the view of that church he started working on that I covered in my previous Barcelona post, was able to see it from the top of this park off in the distance.

Goodnight Barcelona……

Ingredients

• 2 teaspoons olive oil
• 12 garlic cloves, crushed
• 1 (2-pound) boneless chuck roast, trimmed and cut into 2-inch cubes
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, divided
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, divided
• 1 cup red wine
• 2 cups chopped carrot
• 1 1/2 cups chopped onion
• 1/2 cup less-sodium beef broth
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• 1 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary
• 1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme
• Dash of ground cloves
• 1 (14 1/2-ounce) can diced tomatoes
• 1 bay leaf
• 3 cups cooked medium egg noodles (about 4 cups uncooked noodles)

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 300°.
2. Heat oil in a small Dutch oven over low heat. Add garlic; cook 5 minutes or until garlic is fragrant, stirring occasionally. Remove garlic with a slotted spoon, and set aside. Increase heat to medium-high. Add beef to pan; sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Cook 5 minutes, browning on all sides. Remove beef from pan. Add wine to pan; bring to a boil, scraping pan to loosen browned bits. Add garlic, beef, 1 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon pepper, carrot, and next 8 ingredients (through bay leaf), and bring to a boil.
3. Cover and bake at 300° for 2 1/2 hours or until beef is tender. Discard bay leaf. Serve over noodles.
4. Note: To make in a slow cooker, prepare through Step 2. Place beef mixture in an electric slow cooker. Cover and cook on high for 5 hours.