CAN'T GET ENOUGH

Hello there 2019! Wow, writing it the other day was rather ( I mean trying it, who I'm I kidding )  interesting, I know I would pretend this year was here. I would laugh with friends and just say imagine we are in 2020, HOLD UP, this literally next year, I always thought it looked funny when writing it ( back them we wrote things down). Oh the times  have changes and so have you, wait so have I. I had a NYE brunch on Saturday and whipped up this breakfast casserole. OK so it took me two days because I wanted to make sure it was perfect, the potatoes were delicious but it should only take you 30 prep and 50 mins cook ( then cheese topping 5 mins ) total 1hour and 15 mins.... OR you can cheat and use frozen hash. This recipe will have a way to make real potatoes each time, sooo the 30 minutes prep will already be done. NOW I got you back. I know busy life, busy mom, OK well as a single women with no kids who just bought their first home in the last few months I finally made...

I've been into cooking with my cast iron skillet. I have a recipe that I did last night that will knock you out of your morning or evening seat. One thing you need to remember is over time when using it, it gets better, which I will say this is very true. I got the Pioneer Women cast iron skillet about 6 months ago and every month I challenge myself to try something new and fun. Over the winter time I cooked a lot of roasts and searing the meat in the cast iron skillet before adding to the crockpot is a true NEED in life. It locks in the juices and your meat comes out super tender. I was watching the testing kitchen and they previewed a steak being cooked and it had was the best juicy locked in juices and that nice crust on the edges, mind blowing what this little guy can do. Then this recipe happened last night and I had to share it with you right away. Its so delicious and if this recipe is going to get me into blogging again so be it! I had it for the first time at...

 I enjoy everything about our sun/bbq/drink times in Long Beach with our friend Lori. She has a house right next to the beach. (7min walking distance). We arrive at the beach and its full of warm vitamin D, it smells great, and feels slow pace but we all need this. My first time coming to LONG BEACH was Fourth of July weekend of 2015. My arrival started on Saturday morning early (no traffic). Although this weekend was a little different, we hit a lot of traffic, saw many rubber necks, several accidents, and hit a bunch of stop and go spots on the way home. It didn't matter, we started around 630pm and knew we were in for it. We just had our treats and coffee and just relaxed. I had Katie's cake so I was fine! Our Beach time was great. We had drinks on the beach, music, food, sun, and water time. That's all a person really needs. I enjoy my time shutting my eyes and falling asleep and catching up on my cooking and gossip magazines. Katie...

Ingredients 2 tablespoons yellow onion; finely diced one garlic clove;  finely diced 1/2half a cup of broccoli parsnips yellow squash zucchini and carrots These vegetables are about a quarter cup corn celery and Roman tomato ( diced ) 2 tablespoons of tomato paste 1 cup of water 2 cups of chicken broth 2 Bayleaf Pinch of salt and dash of pepper (you can add some when serving) 1/4 tsp of finely diced Rosemary 1 tsp of finely diced parsley, save  another 1 tsp for later half a slice of bacon; don't slice or dice (optional) Rainbow and red kale; diced and washed 1 chicken breast with salt and pepper; diced and set it aside Directions Sautéed onion and garlic until transparent (lid off). Add broccoli, parsnips, carrots as these take a little longer to cook. Sauteed these vegetables for 20 minutes (close lid). Add the rest of the vegetables; yellow squash, zucchini, corn, tomatoes. Added chicken broth, water, tomato paste, and bacon. Add bay leaf, parsley, and k...

Garlic Shrimp and Sun Dried Tomatoes with Pasta in a Spicy Creamy Sauce I got this from Pinterest and LOVED it, however I've added a few changes in the recipe, so its mine now. 6 to 30 small shrimps; cut into halves with shells on 4 oz sun-dried tomatoes in olive oil (half the 8 oz if that is all you can find) 1 tsp salt (pasta and for the desired amount ( just to give you an idea) 1/4 teaspoon paprika 4 garlic cloves, minced 1 or 3/4 cup whole milk (half and half or other milk options) - I used less bc I used less shrimp (6 count- diced) 1 teaspoon dried basil ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper ( ½ packet that the pizza man delivers) 1 cup Parmesan cheese, freshly grated (ask your local grocery store to cut a chunk for you) 8 oz fettuccine pasta (organic or from your local farmers market is great) – Support Locals   Drain the sun dried tomatoes in the jar, but set aside 2 tablespoons for reserve later in the recipe. (DO NOT FORGET) In a large skillet...

I have been here before with my cousin, but the experience was much different. I honestly didn't feel like I was even in NYC when we arrive at 11:00am on a Saturday Fourth of July. We drove in the city where people were walking around in no flip flops, the streets were clean, the people were friendly, and you could pet anyone's dogs walking down the street. It was a very welcoming neighborhood all the way through. We arrived to Lori's place on Ohio Street (I'm not telling you her exact address or even street). She lived in an area, where all the neighbors knew of each other, the people would engage in conversations, and 90% of the time everyone was outside hanging out. Most people had porches in the front of their houses and you would hang out there. I loved how walking/driving down the street each house had its uniqueness. People had signs in, on, and around their homes. I love the BIG stars that people have on their homes. I love the porch furniture. Some houses wer...

Hello, I'm sorry for the delay in writing to my readers. I have been working on getting my life together and figuring out my next chapter in life. I also stopped by saying my computer was down and this was the reasons I was not able to blog daily, weekly, or even monthly. I'm looking to get a few things on this blog. I have been exploring Seattle city. I lived here for over 11 years of my life, however I lived a completely different life. I was doing and making moves differently and have to say 2017 was amazing, but proud to say looking forward to 2018. I have been all around the Seattle Metropolitan area trying delicious dishes, but please believe I haven't stopped cooking. I wanted to share a few dishes that I believe are oh so important and have made weekly staples. Mexican Night is pretty much weekly. Its easy. Its a crowd pleasure, easy to carry to and from work. I pinned these little treats many years ago on Pinterest and have remade them the way I like th...

Homemade Belgian Waffle Mix What you will need for the mix: 4 cups of white flour 2 cups of wheat flour (you could go all white, or go half white/half wheat- I wanted to add *a little* more whole grain & fiber to my mix) 4 tablespoons of sugar 4 tablespoons of baking powder 3/4 tsp salt When you are ready to make waffles, just measure out about 2 cups of the mix (above) into a medium bowl.   Wet ingredients: Pour in 1 3/4 cups of milk, 1/2 cup canola oil, 2 eggs, and 1 tsp of vanilla extract and then mix well.  I found that this recipe makes about 4 good sized round Belgian waffles. The older the waffle maker the better, I have been using a friends grandmothers and its legit! Enjoy

For those of you who know me I love remaking recipes and this one I had to share and also post my first recipe in over a year. As you may know this week marks one year living back in Seattle, WA. I would love to share with you what I found online and then saw Ree Drummond making on Saturday at her home. This is mighty delicious and I'm eating it right now with homemade BBQ meatloaf. Ingredients: 1/2 Butternut Squash, baked @ 350 for 30-40 mintues (salt and pepper and olive oil drizzled) thinly sliced yellow onions (2 slices), then half chopped 1 - 2 teaspoons of butter dash of raw sugar (optional) 3/4 cup 2% milk 1 cup cheese (cheddar, white cheddar, or a delicious creamy cheese) 1/2 box of medium shell pasta, cook al la dente and drain. Directions: Halved the butternut squash at 350 degrees,  cook until the fork can scoop it out, then add the scooped pieces to the same pan and bake for 10 more minutes, some recipes called for the butternut squash to be blen...

I love living in NYC. I also enjoy my ME time. I've been here for about 2.5  years now and believe a lot of my friends have came and gone. A lot of the people I was close with moved back to Seattle. I think its funny when I am out and about and end up meeting new people its always from the west coast. I never thought myself as a WEST coast gal, but I know that's where my heart will always be. I know you've heard the saying "follow your heart", and I did to realize I love living in NYC for the exploring, building foundations/connections/new relationships. I also realized that people come in and out of your life here or maybe I'm getting older. I had excuse me HAVE many friends back in Washington state and sometimes I wish I could move NYC lifestyle to Seattle. I would have friends and be able to explore and enjoy life without ever being bored. NYC is never boring. Ive also learned a new lifestyle of living. Here are a few tips I believe you will need to reali...

I wanted to share with you  a little something from my childhood. I remember me and my papa would get tasty platters of cookies from my aunties mother in law. She would slave all weekend long or maybe longer making a variety of cookies, treats, fudges and more. We would get one of the see through like platters (a real plate) none of that dollar store plastic plates. She was legit. She later down the years opened up "Patty's Chocolatier". It was a cute little spot in my home town and I do believe she shared wonderful holiday joy.  Christmas Cookies I decided to start off a few years ago by making the peppermint candy canes ( I loved these the most). I wasn't into baking but a realize why I wasn't as good. Everything is very precise, therefore keep measuring all the ingredients carefully. Butter needs to be softened when asked, don't mix baking powder with baking soda. In the end you will thank me. As my friends would say "Auntie Daish...

At the end of August I went home after living in NYC for 2.5 years (time flies) I felt like I needed to go home an do the things that I miss most. Eat Teriyaki Teriyaki and Wok Have a maple bar donut at Top Pot Donuts Go to Pikes Place Market and view all the tasty fruits and veggies Hang out at Kerry Park and take a photo Take a road trip to Portland (I miss driving a lot). Enjoy an evening at Joeys South Center with my dearest friends Joeys Southcenter Go to my old house in Interlake and see my favorite cat Snug (he missed me a lot) Check out the city and breath in the fresh air, yet travel with NO one else on the road but me It was an eventful trip. I was gone for five days and it was the best trip I had in a while, besides D.C. wait Philly was fun too, oh but I did enjoy my road trip to Cincinnati, Ohio. Then again I really need to think about the few road trips to CT. I really love and enjoy traveling and it allows me to really focus on what others are doing in their li...