Kale Frittata

 

You know how sometimes you "find" ingredients in the refrigerator that were really meant for this one thing you were going to make, but now it's a week and a half later and you don't really want to make that dish anymore but you don't want the ingredient to go bad?

Yeah.  That happened.  So then this frittata sort of happened.

First of all, I have to (have to, have to!) state that I KNOW the first sentence is a run-on sentence.  It annoys me and my grammar sensibilities to no end that it's a run-on sentence, but I'm owning it today.  I own you, you run-on sentence.

But...frittata.  I re-discovered some kale in my fridge the other day.  It was originally meant to make a kale salad that was going to be fresh and crisp and delicious in every way.  Unfortunately, I happened to have a ton of additional salad ingredients in the fridge as well. Since I like a little variety in my life, I made the executive decision to turn this kale into something else.

Yep.  Frittata.

Whiskey Chocolate Banana Bread

 

It's time once again!  SRC time, that is (or Secret Recipe Club time, for the uninitiated).  We took a break during December to account for the hectic life that we all experience during the holidays, but now we are back with a vengeance.  And by vengeance, I mean I put whiskey all up in this banana bread situation.

This month I was paired up with Robin, from Robin, Restored.  I like her style.  Looking at her website, I found a lot of things that I enjoy, namely desserts, breads, and breakfast recipes.  I seriously was having a tough time deciding what to recreate for this assignment when I stumbled upon the recipe for Bourbon Chocolate Banana Bread.  Seeing as I had some overripe, mashed bananas taking up room in the freezer, and I was craving something sweet, I knew I needed to make this.  Do I even have to mention that I was super into the fact that this bread contains alcohol?  Nope, let's not mention it.

OK, I also chose to use whiskey in this recipe instead of bourbon simply because I don't have bourbon.  My roommate and I don't drink it on the regular, so there's really no reason for it to be around.  I improvised and used the huge bottle of Jameson Irish Whiskey we do happen to have.  Improvisation at its finest.

Almond Crescent Cookies

Ladies and gents, we are now 7 (seven!) days into 2013.  Are you tired of trying to workout like a maniac?  I am.  But that's probably because I can't workout.  Last week I got this little foot surgery thing done.  So yeah, I've been (mostly) laid up on the couch/bed waiting for my bones to heal so I can do some back flips or something just as cool.

Whether or not you're restricted as I am, I have cookies.  I have almond crescent cookies for you whether or not you just made a resolution yesterday to stop eating cookies.  These are good and these are worth "tweaking" your resolutions.  Maybe you can have 3 cookies instead of none.  More is always better.  Always.  Unless it's something foul-tasting.  And these cookies will never be called that.

Asparagus & Grilled Onions with Mozzarella

Happy New Year everyone!!!

I would like to take a pause and momentarily provide you with a salad.  A vegetable salad.

I am a fan of this sitch.  It's really been too long since I've made asparagus.  Since my mom is staying with me for a few days and she loves it, I decided to dig up some bookmarked recipes and see what was what.  I mean, I could use some health up in my life.  Who doesn't?

I eventually picked out this salad because, beside the asparagus being present, of course there are grilled onions.  Just say yes to onions.  Grilled onions deserve a double-yes.  Can we make that happen?  Thanks. Theeeeen, we also have the almonds and cheese and olive oil and vinegar....Was someone watching me in the kitchen to figure out everything I like and then make a salad out of it?  This is just genius.  Let it happen.

Oh, and just so you know, I amped things up a bit by drizzling Herbes de Provence olive oil over everything.  Have I told you that I'm into olive oils recently?  There may possibly be a new bottle of Trader Joe's Black Truffle olive oil in our pantry as well.  I just imposed a January 2013 "no-buy" on myself so hopefully these impulsive purchases will stop.  Like now.  Except I just bought a new shirt online last night.  But that was with a gift card, so technically, I didn't actually buy it.  See how that works?

I'm digressing.  Where was I?  Oh, this vegetable salad.  Let's get at it.

Red Velvet Cheesecake Brownies

Just so you know, I still fully intend to blog about desserts that are bad for you but oh-so-good for your tastebuds.  Really.  Your tastebuds will thank you for these.

I constantly reaffirm how much I'm not on the "red velvet" bandwagon.  But these brownies are thought-provoking.  As in, "I think I may be in love with these red velvet brownies".

Let's break this situation down:

1. There's cheesecake involved.  Actually, there's cream cheese involved that turns into a cheesecake-like batter.  Gimme.
2. I melted some high quality dark chocolate all up in this piece.  Things went down like that.

3. I'm a sucker for a good swirled dessert.  It could be a simple marble cake that gets me.  In this case, it just happens to be a fudge-y, rich red-and-white brownie.

On a related side note, do you know what I DON'T have in my kitchen?  An 8- or 9-inch square pan.  Exactly the pan that I need to bake brownies.  I guess I just never bake brownies enough for this to be a problem.  For about 3 minutes, I entertained the idea of running to Target to pick up a new pan.  Then I realized I didn't have enough time to do that.  Then I tried to use two loaf pans instead.  Um, these will make thin brownies.  Thin brownies are no bueno.  Finally, I ended up using an 8 x 10 inch casserole dish.  So maybe I should have asked for a brownie pan for Christmas.  Only need to wait 360-something more days for it to come...

Candy Cane Vodka

This year, a few friends of mine decided to set up a Secret Santa exchange.  We got really into it and it ended up being more than awesome.  As I was deciding which gifts to give, Tracy from Shutterbean got all up in my face.  You know what she did?  She showed me how to make Candy Cane Vodka.  I was beside myself.

I'm not typically a fan of vodka.  Did you know that?  Probably not.  But I do make certain exceptions.  The first is for Strawberry Infused Vodka.  The second is for this Candy Cane Vodka.  I love the way it looks so pink and pretty.  It also tastes amazingly peppermint-y.  And it's hella strong.  Yeah, I said "hella".

Anywaysssss, I got super excited about this.  I knew I had to make this goodness for my Secret Santa and also the other ladies in the exchange.  Because why not share all this wealth?  I picked up some containers from Michael's (which, by the way, is the death trap for all things Christmas-y) and got to work.

Honey Greek Yogurt with Pomegranates & Pistachios

 

Dessert for breakfast is where it's at.  I know this because I just experienced this fact this morning.  In fact, I may also experience this again tomorrow morning.  That's just how I roll.

I'm deeply involved in an illicit affair with yogurt, honey, and pomegranates.  Seriously.  I can't get enough of them.  I am writing this as I sit with a tub of pomegranate arils on my stomach.  I am force feeding them into my face with a spoon.  Things are getting real rough around here, people.  Real rough.  So I decided to roll all this fun stuff together.  Adding some pistachios ain't so bad either.  Oh yeah.  Make this happen.

I wish I could say I was clever enough to think of this all by myself, but I'm not.  I totally "borrowed" this recipe from Gina over at Skinny Desserts.  Let's be honest.  We could all use a low-calorie dessert/breakfast in these overindulgent times.  However, I still want something scrumptious.  And this is that.