Pappadew Veggie Sandwich

Have you ever had Panera Bread's Medditeranean Veggie? Me too! And I can't get enough of it!

So much so, that I decided to make my own version. And fall in love with it, instead. And save some moolah in the process.

So, after carefully reading and finding all most of the ingredients listed on their menu, I made a sandwich that will change how I eat lunch forever. Or at least for the next couple of weeks until I get sick of it.

First, I must introduce you to the Pappadew:

He's jarred, he's sweet and he also has a zip at the end after you bite him. Him and his friends will cost you $7.00 a jar (ugh) but it will be worth every penny. Because these guys are fun to eat by themselves, or on any other sandwich you may or may not be making.

Pappadew Veggie Sandwich

2 tablespoons of your favorite hummus. (I used HT garlic hummus)
2 slices of tomato
Salt and Pepper, to taste
2 large slices of cucumber
2 mediun slices of Onion
Dash Cilantro
2 tablespoons Pappadew Peppers, diced
1 slice pepperjack cheese, or 2 tablespoons Feta Cheese
1 Roll, split in half

Assemble sandwich. Spread hummus on inside half of roll. Add tomato, sprinkle with salt & pepper, add cucumber, onion, cilantro, pappadew peppers, and cheese.

Eat, say mmmmmm. Eat some more...

"For all things are for your sakes, so that the grace which is spreading to more and more people may cause the giving of thanks to abound to the glory of God." 2 Corinthians 4:15

Hummus Dolloped Cucumbers

I like the word "dollop". It makes a sound in your head like "plop" when you say it. It also reminds me of the Daisy sour cream commercial..."it starts with a spoon and a dollop, a dollop, a dollop, of Daisy."

So, anywho, moving along to what is soon to be your new favorite party hors d'oeuvre (or appetizer for all you non-fancy folks.)


I found this recipe idea on my new favorite Tasty Kitchen website from blogger The Realistic Nutritionist: Avacado Hummus Cucumber Bites.

And I lurve hummus and cucumbers. I usually dip cucumbers into my hummus. And then I sing in my kitchen about how good it is. But what really got me excited about these is the fun and fancy way you display them.

I made these for a baby shower this week and decided rather than making my own hummus and adding avacado, I would take a short-cut. I am a lover of short-cuts when it comes to food.

Short-cuts make me think of my little sis. And this one time when we were in highschool me and we decided to race back to our beach house. And she took a short-cut to beat me. And then I yelled "SHORTCUTS MAKE YOU FAT". And she stopped and looked at me and laughed. Well this shortcut doesn't.(Make you fat). It makes you skinny and happy.

Hummus Dolloped Cucumbers:

Take 1 cucumber, and peel it. (I like to only remove some of the peeling for an added crunch and dramatic effect.)

Take your favorite hummus- these are my 2 fav brands: Sabre and Harris Teeter (yes, its new and tasty!) I love these because both brands put these yummy little treasures in the middle of their hummus:

For these cucumbers (as you can see by the empty container), I used the HT version with pine nuts. I scooped a little dollop of plain hummus from the outside of the container on a spoon and slid it onto the cucumber with my (clean) finger. Then I picked up a little treasure pine nut and seasoning from the middle of the container and placed it on top of the hummus dollop to make it fancy.

These were a huge hit at the shower. Everyone wanted to know what they were and what was on top of the cucumber and commented on how pretty they were. It really does change the flavor some how. I think its in the "dollop-ing". It somehow makes the hummus become a fluffy poof of chick-pea heaven in the middle of your cucumber bite.

I highly reccomend making these for your next shindig.

Busy Morning Buritto

I have a confession. I love breakfast! But I never have time to sit and leisurly eat breakfast while enjoying a steaming cup of coffee. Nope. I reserve that time for sleeping. Because it makes me feel good. And less tired.
So, when I am cooking breakfast, it has to be quick, and something portable I can eat in the car on the go. (While safely holding the wheel at 10 and 2, yes, of course.)

And lately I have been craving McDonald's Sausage Breakfast burrito. I decided to whip up my own version this morning, but a far less greasy-make-you-feel-sluggish version. And it's full of spinach! So you get points for being healthy and it counts as a 3 mile run. (Right?)

Busy Morning Burrito

1/4 cup spinach (I used frozen, either is fine)
1 egg
2 tablespoons pre-made salsa
2 tablespoons shredded cheese
1 small tortilla shell
Dash Red Pepper flakes
Salt & Pepper, to taste
1/2 tbsp butter

Sautee spinach in butter over med-high heat until spinach is tender, add red pepper flakes while cooking. Crack egg into pan and scramble egg and spinach around, until egg is no longer runny (unless you like that sort of thing). Add salt and pepper, to taste.

Assemble burrito: On Tortilla shell, place egg and spinach mixture in middle. Layer salsa and cheese on top. Fold into a neat little burrito.

Wrap in aluminum foil or paper towel to eat as you run out the door.

Printable Recipe

Oh--remember my post about the Chalkboard wall preview? Well we finished it! And it has been a super fun thing in our house to leave notes on, write menus (yes I know thats cheesy), and such.

And even to draw pictures of pigs on, whereby your husband will later come along and rename said pig after your very fat and snorty dog, Roxy:

*no, we did not hang the outlet crooked. This is user error of the camera*

Pinning for Pinterest

So I don't know if you were as out of the loop as I was. Before I heard about it. It is called Pinterest. And it will change.your.life. OR seriously change what you do with your free time. Either way--you will be changed.

Step 1: Request a login at www.pinterest.com. Due to the amazing cool-factor of this website it will take anywhere from 15 minutes to 3 days to get your login from them. Because they are just that cool.

Step 2: Take new login, link to Facebook or Twitter (I think you have to do this), and then browse. To your little hearts content. Browse away. And then the "pinning" begins....

Pinterest has food, home decor, and even style ideas that you can browse about and add to virtual pin boards (think bulletin board-but less cluttered).

Ex 1) The other day, I fell in love with this hairstyle someone pinned:

 

How-to Here

With a how-to video attached, and today I tried it:

*clearly not as fantastic but close enough!

Ex 2) Today I found this that I can't wait to make!:

Recipe Here

Ex 3) I also decided I need one of these, for when the Hubs makes the house really, really cold:

So, there you have it. Three AMAZING, life-altering reasons to sign up for Pinterest. You won't be dissappointed. And you will never have "free time" again.

Snickerdoodle Cupcakes

Let me share a secret with you. I can't bake. Nope. I love to bake and I wish I had the patience for baking, but I don't and I've come to terms with it. And I leave that to my sisters. One of them even blogs about it here: Olive it all.

Instead I take shortcuts. I get help from Betty Crocker and the like. And I'm not ashamed of it.

This weekend I had a hankerin for cupcakes and snickerdoodle cookies at the same time. And then I thought, how hard could it be?

So, after doctoring up a boxed cake mix, I got these tasty cupcakes:

Snickerdoodle Cupcakes: 


1 box Betty Crocker yellow cake mix
1 stick butter
3 eggs
1-1/4 cup water
2 tsp cinnamon
1 container of cream cheese icing

Mix cake mix according to package directions. Stir in cinnamon. Bake according to directions. (See... I can't bake- 350 degrees for 15 minutes did the trick. ) Add cream cheese icing and sprinkle with cinnamon!

Hurricane Soup

So we have had a Cat 3 hurricane looming out in the Atlantic for the past week, spoiling beach plans and threatening the entire Eastern coast. I went to "stock up" my pantry at target with  chicken stock (har har get it) and staples JUST IN CASE...and decided if we got holed up I would attempt a chicken soup. 

Luckily we've only had some large wind gusts big enough to scare the dog from going outside, and the power went out for 30 seconds (yes in the middle of my chicken soup.) So, needless to say we're fine in Raleigh, but interested to see what the coast looks like when the storm passes!!

This soup ended up being the perfect thing to have on a stormy windy day! Nutty and rich yet light and broth-y with flavors of parmesan and nutmeg swimming the backstroke in this silky soup.

Hurricane Soup

2 Chicken Breasts

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 small Onion, diced

2 boxes 32 oz. chicken broth

Rind of Parmesan cheese

1/2 cup mushrooms

1/2 cup frozen peas

1 cup cooked rice

1 Bay leaf

4 Tbsp butter

1 Tbsp EVOO

1 tsp. nutmeg

Dash Pepper

Parsley and parmesan cheese to garnish

1. In a large pot, cook onions and garlic in EVOO until onions are translucent and garlic is lightly browned. 

2. Add 2- 32 oz boxes of chicken broth, raw chicken breasts, butter, parmesan rind, bay leaf, pepper and nutmeg to pot. Boil for 15-20 minutes until chicken is tender and cooked throughout. Remove chicken, cut in to cubes and set aside. 

3. Add mushrooms to the pot and cook for 5 minutes until tender. Add frozen peas and cook 1-2 minutes until thawed and bright green. 

4. Add chicken and rice into pot and stir. Take 1 minute to smell the Ah-mazing aromas that come from the pot. Garnish with parsley and parmesan cheese and enjoy!! 

Printable Recipe

Crunchy Tomato Cucumber Salad

I'm always craving a light salad to go as a side for dinner. One of my go-to favorites is my Crunchy Tomato Cucumber Salad.

Have fun with it! Add cheese, try heirloom tomatoes, cut your cucumbers into sassy shapes. It will feel different (and delicious) every time!!

Crunchy Tomato Cucumber Salad

1 cucumber (peeled in stripes for fun)
1/2 pint grape tomatoes
1/4 red onion, julianned
Salt
Pepper
2 tbsp EVOO
1 tbsp Balsamic Vinegar

Add first 3 ingredients to bowl, toss with EVOO and Balsamic, add Salt and Pepper to taste!!

Printable Recipe