So, now that we have that out of the way (mmm this is so good!), I’m not sure how frequent I will be posting recipes in the upcoming months, but hopefully good things will come and this nausea will soon pass and I will have new energy for sharing some recipes. For now, I leave you all with this trusty recipe for my chopped bruschetta… when all else fails and its too hot and humid to eat anything else, you can’t go wrong with this. I hope you enjoy it as much as I have!

You will need:
1 loaf of french bread or a large french baguette
8 Roma tomatoes
1-2 large cloves of garlic
5-6 fresh basil leaves
1 package of Bel Gioioso fresh Mozzarella pearls
Balsamic vinegar
extra virgin olive oil
kosher salt
black pepper

Step 1: Rinse and chop Roma tomatoes and place in a medium size serving bowl or plastic bowl, whatever you have on hand and don’t have to bend over to pick up.

Step 2: Mince the garlic cloves and add to the tomatoes.

Step 3: Break apart the Bel Gioioso Mozzarella pearls and then add them to the tomato mixture.

Step 4: Pick 5-6 large basil leaves and rinse them. Then pat dry with paper towels. Stack leaves and roll up lengthwise. Cut diagonally with a knife and spread strips apart with fingers. Then roughly chop strips and add basil leaves to the tomato mixture.

Step 5: Add the vinaigrette in this order – olive oil, balsamic vinegar, kosher salt, black pepper. Drizzle ingredients over the top and then mix with a spoon until all the ingredients are well coated with the mixture.

Step 6: This is the best part…now slice the french bread into thick slices and top with a heaping spoonful of the mixture. Then enjoy it. I recommend covering the bowl with plastic wrap and marinating for a few hours in the fridge before serving. Also if you want to be more fancy you can toast the baguette slice in the oven and then top with the bruschetta mixture. But, in my pregnant world, this worked just fine cold and without toasting the bread. Enjoy!

This is a simple and delicious meal I often make on weeknights. It is healthy and hearty and my whole family loves it. It isn’t completely homemade, but I never feel a meal has to be to be good. This saves a lot of time and makes a satisfying meal your family will be sure to love. I hope you enjoy it as much as we do! You can also easily make this meal vegetarian by simply not adding the chicken and only using vegetables, or adding some tofu.

You will need:
1 jar of Trader Joe’s brand Red Curry Sauce
1 small head of cauliflower
1 Red pepper
1 onion
1 – 1 1/2 cups of broccoli
1 large carrot, or 2 medium carrots
2 large chicken breasts (you can use more if desired)
1 can of light coconut milk (optional)
1 cup of Basmati Rice, uncooked
2 cups of water
1 package of storebought naan bread (package usually comes with two pieces of naan)
olive oil
2 cloves of garlic
Red pepper flakes
chopped cilantro

step 1: Rinse the rice under cold water in a fine sieve to remove residue on the rice. Place rice into a medium saucepan and add two cups of water. Cover with a lid and cook on high until bubbling, then reduce head to medium-low and cook until rice is tender. DO NOT STIR THE RICE!.

step 2: Meanwhile, chop all the vegetables into bite size chunks, except for the carrot. Then add to a large skillet. For the carrot, use a vegetable peeler and peel off the rough outer skin. Then continue to use the peeler to shave long thin strands of carrot and add it to the other vegetables in the skillet. Add about 2 Tbsp. of water to the vegetables and cover the skillet with a lid. Steam the vegetables on a medium heat until just tender. Remove the vegetables from heat and set aside in a bowl.

step 3: Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Rinse the chicken and pat dry with a paper towel. Remove fat and discard. Cut chicken in bite size chunks and add to the skillet with a drizzle of olive oil. Saute over medium heat until no longer pink. Add salt and pepper to taste.

NOTE: once your rice is done cooking just remove the pan from the heat and leave the lid on until ready to serve to keep rice warm.

Step 4: Add vegetables back into the skillet with the cooked chicken. Add in the entire jar of Trader Joe’s Red Curry Sauce. Simmer on low and stir occasionally until everything is coated and heated through. If you desire, add int he coconut milk and stir until well blended into the curry sauce. Cook until heated through.

Step 5: Meanwhile, while the curry is simmering, Place the naan bread slices onto a baking sheet and brush with olive oil. Then crush one clove of garlic per piece of naan bread and spread evenly over the surface. Place tray of naan bread into the oven and cook for about 8 minutes until crisp and heated through. Remove tray and cut naan bread into slices.

Step 6: Serve curry over a bed of the rice garnished with red pepper flakes, cilantro, and 2 wedges of naan bread. Enjoy!

This meal, yet simple, is quick and easy and tasty.  It’s a traditional Polish dish that I’m sure many of you have heard of before.  I’m not Polish, but I LOVE perogies enough to be.  I’ve promised myself that one day I am going to make perogies from scratch for my blog, I have the recipe sitting in my binder, but have yet to get around to doing it.  Anyway, that was a little off topic, but since we’re talking about Polish food I thought everyone might like to know that someday there WILL be a perogie recipe on here.

Kluski noodles are something I remember my mom making every once in awhile for dinner or buying at sport’s games in high school from the concession stand.  It was literally like 5 ingredients, but so addicting.  I will warn you, this is one of those dishes that requires a lot of salt for seasoning or you can experiment with other seasonings to your liking, but this dish can lean towards the bland side, so don’t be afraid of the salt shaker… otherwise you may write this dish off as not so tasty when in fact if you add the salt it will end up being very addicting, like french fries.. well maybe not QUITE THAT addicting, but close.

P.S. for those of you who don’t know what “Kluski” noodles are, it is basically just a homemade Polish egg noodle.  The noodles are thicker than the curly egg noodles in the store and when cooked they are soft and thick, kind of more like a dumpling, but cut in strips. Most grocery stores carry them, but sometimes they are hard to find.  I substituted Kluski noodles with a similar noodle i bought from Wal-Mart called “country noodle”, but it was the same texture, so it worked exactly the same.

INGREDIENTS:

makes about 8 -10 servings

8 oz. Kluski noodles
1 head of cabbage noodles
1 lb. ground beef (Optional)
1 small onion, chopped
1/2 stick butter
1 large clove garlic
olive oil
salt and pepper
Paprika

Boil water for your noodles. Meanwhile, Saute the ground beef, crushed garlic, and chopped onion over medium heat until browned and onion is soft.

Add noodles to boiling water and cook according to package directions. Transfer cooked ground beef to a bowl and drizzle the same pot with 2 Tbsp. olive oil. Turn the heat down to medium-low.

Next, rinse the cabbage head and chop into big chunks of cabbage (see below). S

1. place cabbage head onto a large cutting board.

2. Cut the cabbage head in half with a large sharp knife and lay flat side down on the cutting board.

3. Cut the cabbage half in strips lengthwise.

4. Rotate by placing your entire palm over top of the cabbage strips and rotate with your wrist 90 degrees so the strops are now horizontal. Cut strips lengthwise again to form chunks of cabbage. Repeat with second half of cabbage

Scrape all cabbage into the pot of oil and saute until tender. Remove noodles when done and drain in a colander.

The cabbage should look something like this when it is ready.

Once cabbage is soft, add in the cooked noodles and the ground beef. Stir together until well combined and heated through. You want the flavors to adhere to the noodles. Season generously with paprika, salt and black pepper. Feel free to try other spices as well (sometimes I like to use Cajun spice). I recommend letting it sit for awhile before serving.

Step 1: coat a bread pan with vegetable shortening and dust with flour, then set aside.

step 2: preheat oven to 350. Blend together the flour, baking soda, and salt in a bowl and set aside.

step 3: mix together the egg, sugar, and vegetable oil until well combined.

It should look something like this…

step 4: Next, peel the bananas and mash them in a bowl, then set aside

step 5: Add the flour mixture a little at a time to the egg/sugar mixture; then add in the buttermilk, vanilla, and mashed bananas, mixing after each addition until well combined and until it forms a batter-like texture.

… this is what it looks like after the flour is added.

… the buttermilk and vanilla.

… then the mashed bananas.

step 6: Fold in the chocolate chips and scrape into the loaf pan. Bake at 350 for 1 hour or until top crust is golden brown and a toothpick inserted comes out clean.

My loot! Notice the cute bags and logo! Also, not sure if you can see really well or not, but I purchased these hysterical party cups called “pick your nose”… the idea is that each party guest has a cup with a different design of a person’s nose on it, so when they drink out of the cup it looks like they have the nose on the cup. Looks like a really fun party gig! If I ever get around to having a pick your nose party I will have to snap a few pictures of the different noses.

cute cupcake papers! I loved the different patterns they had (striped, polka dots, etc.).

… and paper straws! This is the first time I’ve ever purchased paper straws.. and these were just TOO adorable to pass up. Plus, I’ve been coveting the cute paper straws I see on blogs and Martha Stewart.. they always make the lemonade and iced tea look SO good!

… and last but not least, THE CANDY! Complete with bottlecaps, chewable hot fire balls, a few old fashioned candy bars, salt water taffy, cow tails, etc.

Curried Beef Short Ribs
2 tsp. olive oil
1.5 – 2 lbs. of beef short ribs (you can also substitute “country style beef spare ribs” as well)
sea salt
black pepper
1 small onion, chopped finely
2-3 garlic cloves, crushed
2 tbsp. minced, fresh ginger (or you can substitute dry powdered ginger)
1/2 c. – 3/4 c. of water or chicken broth
2 tbsp. red curry paste
1 can of light coconut milk
1 tbsp. sugar
1 tbsp. fish sauce
1 regular sized can of diced tomatoes
2-3 tbsp. fresh lime juice
1 cup of basmati rice (makes 4-5 servings of rice cooked)

step 1: Heat the olive oil in a medium to large skillet over medium-high heat. Sprinkle ribs with salt and pepper on each side and cook in pan browning all sides (about 1-2 min. per side). Transfer meat to the crock pot.

step 2: Add onion, garlic, ginger, water or broth, and red curry paste to the pan and saute over medium-low heat until onion is just tender; scraping the browned bits of the beef ribs from the bottom of the pan. Stir in coconut milk, sugar, fish sauce, and diced tomatoes and cook for a few minutes until ingredients are well combined. Pour coconut milk mixture over the top of the ribs in the crock pot. Cover with the lid and cook on LOW for 6 hours.

step 3: A half hour before cooking time is done measure out 1 cup of basmati rice. Rinse in a bowl with several changes of water. Drain water, then transfer rice to a medium sized saucepan. Add 2 cups of water to the saucepan. Do not stir the rice while cooking! Cook rice covered with a lid on high heat until it begins to boil and bubble; then turn down the heat to medium-low (about 3 or 4) and cook until liquid is evaporated and rice is tender. Note: if the liquid is evaporated, but the rice is still a bit too chewy, just add a few Tbsp. of water at a time and continue cooking the rice until it becomes tender.

step 4: I like to shred the beef ribs with two forks and break it up (as shown in the picture above). Then I scoop a serving of rice onto a plate and ladle some meat and curry sauce over the rice. You may like to garnish the dish with lime wedges and cilantro if you like. Enjoy!

Meat Stuffed Shells
Makes approximately 18 stuffed shells

3/4 – 1 lb. lean ground beef
3 links of Italian sweet sausage, removed from the casing (may use hot sausage as well… i just accidentally pulled out the sweet from the freezer, but either works!)
2 large cloves of garlic
salt and black pepper
olive oil
Red pepper flakes
Fresh basil leaves (8- 10 leaves)
Dried oregano
1 small onion or shallot, chopped finely
1 c. Asiago cheese, grated
1/2 c. Romano cheese, grated
1 package of Jumbo shell noodles
1 jar of Dellalo brand Pink Vodka Sauce (feel free to use any regular spaghetti sauce for this, I just wanted to spice up the dish a bit, so I used something a little less traditional)

Step 1: Bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat.

Meanwhile remove meat from package and place in a skillet over medium heat, drizzled with 1/2 tbsp. of olive oil. Be sure to break the meat up and the links of sausage to cook faster.

Season the meat with salt and pepper.

Step 2: Add the crushed cloves of garlic into the meat.

Then sprinkle in a large pinch of red pepper flakes if you are using sweet Italian sausage.

Add in the shell noodles to the boiling water and cook according to package directions until noodles are el dente.

Step 3: The chopped shallot or onion should be added into the meat here as well, but like a lot of times, I forgot, so if you forget like me, just add them to a skillet afterwards and saute them lightly in olive oil then add them to the meat mixture.

Once meat is browned through. drain the excess fat and then place the meat into a large mixing bowl.

(Apologies for how disgusting this looks haha! I figured i needed to show you…)

Step 4: Remove pasta from water and cool in a colander.

Add chopped basil leaves to the meat mixture (this is what makes it delicious in my opinion!)

Add a large pinch of dried oregano to the meat mixture.

Step 5: Add in the Asiago and Romano cheese. Then stir the meat mixture together so the seasonings are well blended into the meat.

Step 6: Add about a 1/4 c. or so of the pink vodka sauce to the meat mixture and stir until coated throughout the meat (this will moisten the mixture so that it doesn’t become too dry while baking and also add in a punch of tomato flavor).

Step 7: Place about 1/2 c. sauce in bottom of baking dish to keep it moist while baking.

Take one large shell noodle and stuff with a large spoonful of the meat mixture. Place noodle in the dish, open end up. Repeat until all the shells have been filled and lined into the baking dish. Top shells with the remaining sauce.

Cover dish tightly with aluminum foil and bake at 350 degrees for 35 minutes.

Serve hot. Goes nice with a mixed green salad and slice of crusty bread. Enjoy!! Sorry I don’t have a final picture of them on a plate… we were too hungry by the time they were done we just gobbled them down! They were delicious! I plan on definitely making these again and again.

Bruschetta Chicken
Serves 4

2 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut in half lengthwise, or 4 small/medium sized chicken breasts
3-4 Roma Tomatoes, diced
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
4-6 leaves of fresh basil
freshly cracked black
Coarse salt (sea salt or Kosher)
Extra virgin olive oil
Balsamic Vinegar
1/2 c. – 3/4 c. Asiago cheese
1/4 c. crumbled feta cheese

Step 1. Heat a large skillet with a 3 second drizzle of olive oil over medium heat. Meanwhile, trim fat from chicken breasts and rinse. Pat dry with a paper towel. Season with salt and pepper on both sides of chicken breast. Then place in skillet and brown both sides until cooked through and no longer pink. Remove from heat and set aside.

Step 2. Dice Roma tomatoes, garlic cloves, and basil. Place ingredients in a bowl and drizzle with olive oil enough to coat the tomato mixture. Then drizzle with about 1/3 c. – 1/4 c. balsamic vinegar. Season with a pinch of black pepper and coarse salt. Mix ingredients until all the tomatoes are well coated (feel free to make this mixture ahead of time and just simply cover and place in the fridge until you are ready to use…the longer it sits the better the flavors bind together and create deliciousness).

Step 3: Place each cooked chicken breast onto a rimmed baking sheet. Scoop a heaping spoonful of the tomato mixture over the top of the chicken breast. Sprinkle some Asiago cheese over the top of each chicken breast. Repeat sprinkling with the feta cheese crumbles over top each chicken breast. Then pop the tray in the oven and Broil on high until just heated through and the cheese is melted. Serve immediately.

This dish goes well with roasted asparagus spears or a mixed green salad. Enjoy!!

Grilled Chicken Shishkebabs
Ingredients:
1 – 2 lbs. chicken breasts cut into large chunks
button mushrooms
green peppers
Red onion
grape tomatoes
1 whole pineapple
1 bottle of Italian Dressing or Lawry’s brand Garlic Steak marinade
Skewers

The night before or several hours before serving, cut chicken and vegetables into large chunks, except the pineapple. Place chicken and veggies in a large gallon ziplock bag. Pour marinade or Italian dressing over the meat and veggies. Marinate in the fridge for at least 4 hours, but I recommend doing it for at least all day or the previous night to allow the meat and veggies to soak up the juices of the marinade.

Place skewers on a flat work surface. Remove ziplock bag of marinated chicken and vegetables. Cut up chunks or slices of pineapple. (if you bought a whole pineapple, start by cutting off each end of the pineapple. Then cut the pineapple in half, then cut each half in half; so you are left with quarters. Cut the inside core of the quarter off. Then shave or slice down the outer shell surface of the quarter. Place the yellow part of the leftover pineapple down lengthwise and cut in half then cut in chunks). Skewer the chicken, vegetables, and pineapple, alternating with a piece or two of chicken, a mushroom, pepper, onion, tomatoe, chicken, then a piece of pineapple. Just so you get a taste of each piece on each skewer you can combine and layer however you like. You may also separate everything on skewers by threading all chicken on skewers, all vegetables on other skewers, and then all pineapple on the leftover skewers. It is up to you how you want to create your Shishkebabs. I think they are much more colorful and presentable if you mix the meat and veggies together.

Heat the grill to medium heat. Place skewers and cook about 5-8 minutes per side, or until chicken is no longer pink and cooked through. Remove from grill and place on a platter. Enjoy with a side of wild rice!

Bacon Wrapped Asparagus
Ingredients:
Asparagus spears
Extra virgin olive oil
Kosher Salt
Bacon

Rinse off the asparagus and pat dry with paper towels. Chop off tough ends of the asparagus and discard. Place spears of asparagus on a baking tray. Rub spears with olive oil until all the spears are coated. Sprinkle lightly with kosher salt, since the bacon will already be salty. Grab 3 spears and wrap a piece of bacon around it to create a “bundle”. Place the bundle back on the tray. Repeat process until all the asparagus is used up. Place the tray of asparagus bundles into the oven and broil for 8-15 minutes, until the bacon is crispy and cooked enough to eat. Remove bundles onto a platter and drain bacon grease from the tray. Enjoy!