Waylaid for nearly two years...

Hello again! Sorry for my lack of attention to this blog since September 2012; that is when I found out I had breast cancer and then a subsequent BRCA2 diagnosis, which led to a mere 5 surgeries including the preventative steps I decided to take to avoid future high-risk cancers.

Skip Over Recipes...

...and go back to May 15, 2011! I got sidetracked with cooking and using my blog here to store my favorites...and to share with all. BUT for my more serious blog posts, they can be found from May 15, 2011, and back...enjoy!

Fresh, Simple, Cheap, YUMMY, Lemony Pasta

If you like a lemon taste, here is a fantastic, fresh, SIMPLE and cheap recipe I have been making all week>
Trader Joe's AMAZING Lemon Pepper Pappardelle Pasta
Trader Joe's jar of Artichoke Antipasto
Make the pasta, then combine with antipasto in a big serving dish.
Add the juice of a fresh lemon and stir together. 
* For my tastes, I also add crushed red pepper flakes, topped with slivered almonds or pine nuts if I have them.
You can also add shrimp or langostinos if you like.
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You can really do any variation of this recipe to suit your tastes; I just made it up!
It's THAT easy!

Cheesy Breakfast Casserole or Muffins

A Guamanian winner for breakfast; not the healthiest but if you're like me and eat one decent-sized meal daily, a little is OK!

CHEESY BREAKFAST CASSEROLE
Recipe by: Annie Merfalen from 671 Recipes

Ingredients:
Cooking spray
1/2 cup breadcrumbs
1/2 package (about 8 slices) bacon, cooked and broken into small pieces
1/2 cup diced onions
1/2 cup diced bell peppers
1/2 cup sliced mushrooms
1 can sweet kernel corn, drained
4 large eggs
1/4 cup flour
1/4 cup melted butter
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1 teaspoon garlic powder

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9x13 baking pan with cooking spray.
Spread breadcrumbs on the bottom of the baking pan. Mix together the cooked and crumbled bacon, onions, bell peppers, mushrooms, and corn; pour the mixture over the breadcrumbs.
In a small mixing bowl, beat the eggs. Using a whisk, mix in the flour, butter, baking powder, and garlic powder. Stir in 3/4 cup of the shredded cheese. Pour the mixture into the pan.
Sprinkle the top of the casserole with the remaining 1/4 cup of shredded cheese. Bake for 60 minutes or until a knife inserted in the middle of the casserole comes out clean.

Options: add sliced black olives to the bacon and vegetable mixture; also optional--serve with a side of salsa.


BREAKFAST MUFFINS
Recipe courtesy of Janyce Sprinkle (modified for my tastes)

Hashbrowns line bottom topped with egg, turkey breast or tofu, shredded cheese, bell peppers or any peppers and veggies of your choice, ground flaxseed...
Bake at 350 for about 25 minutes.
Serve with salsa or hot sauce and a dollop of Greek yogurt.

Delicious, Healthy, Beautiful Salad

Linda McConnell's Recipe for an Interesting Salad
Slight variation of my sister’s recipe..chopped strawberries, yellow pepper, tomato, red onion, blueberries, and feta with balsamic vinaigrette…delicious, healthy, and beautiful!

Greek Halva -- Really Yummy...Pragmatika Nostima

Greek Halva is a sweet that is cheap, easy, and quick to make...and is eaten even faster. I use walnuts, almonds, pine nuts and raisins, for extra goodness and flavor.

Halva

1 cup sunflower or corn oil

2 cups semolina

 Half a cup of walnuts cut up in small pieces

Half a cup of almonds, either slivers or cut up in smaller pieces

Half a cup pine nuts

¾ cup raisins

 

Syrup

3 cups of sugar

4 cups of water

½ cup of honey

1 cinnamon stick

4 – 5 cloves

1 star aniseed

A piece of lemon peel

A piece of orange peel

A squeeze or so of lemon juice

Put the walnuts, almonds and pine nuts in a small pan and roast them for a little on a medium fire. They burn very easily, that’s why you must watch them and move the pan. When they are lightly brown place them on a plate and put them aside.

Put the ingredients for the syrup in a pan and bring to the boil. Remove the foam, reduce the heat and keep it hot until needed.

Place the oil in a large bottomed pan and stir in the semolina. Keep the fire low because it burns easily. Keep stirring and you will see the semolina turning a nice nutty brown. Don’t let it burn, because then it will be bitter. When it is nicely browned, add the walnuts, almonds, pine nuts and raisins and stir well. Remove the pan from the heat and leave it for about two minutes to cool down a bit.

Remove the cinnamon, cloves, aniseed and peels from the syrup. Now take some syrup with a ladle and add it to the semolina mixture. Stand back and be very careful, as it splatters! Continue stirring the mixture and adding the syrup until it is finished. Return the pan to the fire. Keep stirring the halva so that it doesn’t stick to the bottom. When the liquid is absorbed, take the pan off the fire and let it stand for five to ten minutes.

Put the halva in a cake mould, or in individual bowls. Dust the top with powdered cinnamon. Let it cool. When it is cold, you can invert the mold on a platter. Dust again with cinnamon. It is eaten at room temperature or straight from the fridge.

Strawberry Ice Cream Topped with Balsamic Vinegar Strawberries

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Strawberry Ice Cream Topped with Balsamic Vinegar Strawberries

1 quart strawberries, washed, stemmed, halved
1/4 cup sugar
3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 cup strawberry ice cream
Directions
Place strawberries in a bowl. Sprinkle with sugar, vinegar and pepper. Toss until well combined. Let stand 1 hour or all day.

Divide the ice cream into 4 serving dishes. Top with 1/4 of the strawberries and the juice. Serve immediately.
* I served in martini glasses with Asian Pocky chocolate/almond sticks and strawberry creme cookies; you can add anything like that to doll it up!