Friday, July 17, 2015

Eating Healthy for One

My boyfriend recently got a second shift job, therefore I eat dinner alone now :( But rather than taking this sadness and alone time to craft amazing and wild dinners, I started exploring with different stir fries, salads, and much more light and healthy options that I usually just don't do because I am feeding a male. I've had a few great meals that were super light but filling and delicious! I thought I had to share for any others out there that want a good and healthy dinner on the lighter fare. I don't have any pictures of the ones I've made so far but I will start taking pictures soon.

Fun Fact: Spinach is the only vegetable that is more vitamin rich when cooked!


1. Ahhhmazing Summer Salad
2. Sautéed Broccoli Salad
3. Refreshing Greens Salad
4.  Rich Veggie Delight
5. Homemade Balsamic Vinaigrette

1. Ahhhmazing Summer Salad

Ingredients:

• Rinsed Spinach
• Sliced Strawberries
• Crumbled Goat Cheese
• Glazed Pecans or Walnuts

2. Sautéed Broccoli Salad 

Ingredients:

• 1 Head of Broccoli
• 1-2 Cups of Spinach
• 2-3 Cloves of Garlic
• 1/4 cup Chopped Onion
• 1/4 cup of cilantro
• Black Pepper
• 2 tbs of Butter
• Parmesan Cheese
• Balsamic Vinegar

Simply douse a large skiller in butter and saute garlic. Add in onion then broccoli. Cover and stir occasionally until cooked. Add in spinach and cilantro and stir with desired amount of pepper and balsamic. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese and serve!

3. Refreshing Greens Salad

Ingredients: 

• Spinach
• Arugula
• Sugar Snap Peas
• Avocado
• Parsley
• Cherry Tomatoes

4. Rich Veggie Delight

Ingredients: 

• 1/2 cup Chopped Onion
• 1/2 cup Shredded Brussel Sprouts
• 1/4 cup Chopped Carrots
• 1/4 cup Chopped Celery
• 3 Cloves of Garlic, Diced
• 2-3 tbs of Butter
• Salt and Pepper
• Dash of Cinnamon
• Tomato Sauce

Simply sauté all ingredients together until browned. Add tomato sauce and simmer shortly. serve with parmesan cheese.

5. Homemade Balsamic Vinaigrette

Ingredients: 

• Balsamic Vinegar
• Lime Juice
• Black Pepper
• Olive Oil
• Finely chopped Garlic

Whether you are on a diet, always eat healthy, or just want to eat better, I hope these recipes serve you well! Enjoy :)


Tuesday, February 3, 2015

Super Bowl XLIX

So many great things about this years Super Bowl! 

Not only did the game hold my attention, the Half Time Show was impeccable... Katy Perry riding a giant robot tiger...Missy Elliot... The costumes! All of it was great, even the brief few moments that Lenny Kravitz was there.
Commercials were... so-so, kind of a hit or miss if you ask me. Oddvertising, emotional reckage, some of those ads were just a bit too much for me, but I'll be showing some of my favorites below.

Of course my favorite part of the Superbowl, as always, is the opportunity for appetizers. Every year I try and outdo myself for creative appetizers. This year I decided to remake an appetizer that I had tried about ten years ago. Baked Ravioli! Super simple and incredibly delicious, just glad I was able to snap a picture before it was gone!

Ingredients

• 1 bag Frozen Mini Ravioli (or normal sized, or tortellini)
• 1 cup Tomato Sauce
• 1/4 cup Pesto Sauce
• 1 cup Olive Oil
• Seasonings of Choice (garlic powder, pepper, salt, parsley and cilantro are what I used)
• 1/4 cup Parmesan Cheese
• 1/4 cup whole milk or cream

Instructions

Begin by pre-heating the oven to 300 degrees. In a medium sized bowl, mix together oil and seasonings and ravioli. Lightly grease a cookie sheet and pour mixture directly on. Stick in pre-heated oven for 15-20 minutes, possibly shorter depending on amount. Check and stir every 5 minutes or so. While cooking, begin adding sauce ingredients together in a medium saucepan on medium heat. Add milk and cheese last. Ravioli and sauce should be done around the same time. Pour sauce into bowl and display ravioli on a plate and serve to the wild beasts. Just make sure to get a few in before they are ravaged by your guests who will act as if they haven't eaten in a week. Happy appetizing! 


Now for the commercials! 

#3 Come Back to the Sea - Carnival Cruise

Those emotional strings were pulled...



#2 Budwiser's Lost Puppy

What can I say, I love puppies, horses, farms, and Budwiser... it got to me.



Drumroll please...

#1 First Draft Ever - Avocados From Mexico

Yes, my favorite ad was the quirky First Draft Ever! I loved everything about this ad; it was funny, cute, and damn do I love avocado's! 



That's all folks, until next year... Happy end of football season ;)

Sunday, January 4, 2015

Online Portfolio Creator

I decided I needed to get my online portfolio started and get my work into the view of the public. I believe it is a good idea to have all of my digital works that I am proud of available at the click of a button to anyone that wants it. For any digital media professional, having your works in a collaborative space is a smart thing to do. Even if  you are not looking for work, someone may find something they like and connect with you regarding it or your future. It is never a bad idea to make yourself more known and enhance the opportunity for networking.

After researching hard on online portfolio creators, I landed on Coroflot, an awesome website that allows you to create your own custom profile and portfolio, as well as apply for jobs and search salaries, read media related articles, and much more. this site has changed the way I search for jobs and has given me a lot of insight into the digital work world. I highly recommend this site for someone who has digital and media skills that they'd like to show off but don't have the time or skill to code a website themselves.

I was able to make my landing page profile with a short description about me and a few examples of my work. It then leads you to my portfolio where I can add as many projects as I want. Within these projects I can add pictures, videos, documents, or anything else that went into that particular project. Take a look for yourself at my online profile!

If you have any feedback, inquiries, or suggestions, please leave a comment. Also if you think you have a better site than Coroflot, let me know! Thank you and I hope this helps you on your search for a good place to create your online portfolio.

Monday, December 22, 2014

Children's Art & Science Program

My Kickstarter got accepted!


I am trying to achieve my goal of starting an art program for kids focusing in science and nature. This after school program would start in Boulder, CO and help kids create and learn about nature and science, and hopefully spread to other parts of the country. Field trips, science lessons, and many many art projects to enhance children's love for the outdoors and expressing themselves creatively are my main goals. With technological advancements, so many kids these days come home from school and sit in front of a TV or computer screen, with their minds numbed. It is important to get children using their imagination, getting their hands dirty, and exploring the area in which they live.  This program is here to create that excitement and challenge that they are missing in the afternoons. CASP's mission is to have these kids be with other children in the same age group, learning about geology, chemistry, physics, and art in a simple way that will entice them to want to learn and create more! Donations would fund rent for a studio/class space, art supplies, guest speakers, van rental and gas for field trips, and legal certifications and forms that must be processed in the event of opening a business. 

Please help me reach my goal of $5,000 to get the program up and running to begin Summer 2015 for day camp! Learn more here!

Wednesday, December 17, 2014

Avocado Slicer & De-pitter Invention Review

Holy Guacamole!

This thing is awesome! My boyfriend gave it to me as an early Christmas gift while I was making breakfast on Sunday. Normally I wouldn't accept an early gift, but I asked if it would make breakfast better, and it sure did. Not only is this nifty gadget super functional, I found it fun to use. Maybe I'm just a freak, but I went out and bought a bunch of avocados and am planning on making the best guacamole ever for a party tomorrow night. I have always loved avocado, and even cutting it normally with a knife, but now... now, I better watch myself before I go eating 12 avocados a day. They are delicious, and in moderation good for you, so I must pace myself and feed others because there is no way I can not use this thing everyday. It's awesome!

You can buy it online at Williams-Sonoma for $9.95 or find it on amazon

Sunday, December 14, 2014

Apple Rose Tarts

Holiday Baking?

Try a tasty yet beautiful dessert that won't put you in a food coma after dinner!

Ingredients:

4-6 Apples of choice
1 cup sugar
1 tbsp Cinnamon
2 tbsp brown sugar
1 1/2 cups flour


Instructions: Boil 1 1/2 cups of water in a medium saucepan with 1 cup of white sugar. Thinly slice apples and add to saucepan, boil for 3-5 minutes. Cooking time depends or the variety of the apples, but slices should be transparent in the end. While boiling, prepare the dough, flatten and cut into 1-2" by 5" rectangles and drizzle with brown sugar and cinnamon. Let the apple slices cool aa bit in a colander and place on paper towel. Place the slices horizontally while layering slightly over one another until the rectangle is mostly covered. Roll from one end tightly and pinch the dough when you reach the other end to secure the rose. Place on parchment paper or in cupcake liners. Repeat until desired amount are created. Bake for 20-25 minutes at 350.


diy apple roses tarts dough slices rolling

Thursday, December 11, 2014

Magic Milk

Arts & Crafts: Indoor Fun when the Outdoors Act up.

When the snow won’t stop falling, the rain keeps coming, or the wind won’t slow down, sometimes you have to choose the indoors and get creative. Although you don’t have nature to learn from, there are experiments that and science projects that can teach you other things, like physics and chemistry. Here’s a fun trick that will allow you to see some crazy colors and flows in a way that nature cannot replicate.
Ingredients
whole milk
food coloring
dish soap
salt 
oil (vegetable or canola)

Directions
In a wide shallow bowl or deep plate (the shape of the container alters the design, so play around a bit if you’d like). Fill the container ¾ with whole milk. Use the food coloring, 2-4 colors, about 3 drops each, in varying areas of the milk. Following, add a few drops of dish soap, or draw a circle of dish soap, or any other design (different designs will alter reactions). Watch for a few minutes as the colors swirl in various vortexes and flows. You can add more dye for less white in the designs. By adding salt, you will see a reaction in the flow of the colors. Adding oil traps the colors to create color bubbles that don’t mix with the flow. 

              Before Salt                                                                                  After Salt


          

Monday, September 29, 2014

Sausage Stuffing Stuffed Squash

That's a mouthful! Not just the name, when this meal is done no one goes hungry, not even the broke roommate in my case. Inspired by wanting to stuff an acorn squash given to me by a friends mom from her garden, and the first cold day of fall, which to me means holidays, and therefore stuffing, I created -deep breath- sausage, cranberry and apple stuffing stuffed squash.

Total time: 2 hours, serves 6-ish

Ingredients

• 1 large sweet onion
• 1 celery stock
• 20 oz italian ground sausage
• 2 gala apples
• 5oz dried cranberries
• 4 tbsp butter
• 3 eggs
• 1 acorn squash
• salt & pepper
• mustard powder
• 1 loaf wheat or white bread
• 1/2 loaf light rye bread
• 1 can Campbell's cheese soup 





Instructions

Begin by preheating the oven to 400 degrees. Dice the onion and celery and add to a large skillet with 4 tbsp butter, salt, pepper and mustard powder. While this is sautéing, begin toasting bread and ripping into quarter sized pieces into a large bowl. When celery and onion are soft, add into bread bowl and use the skillet to then heat the sausage. Continue toasting and ripping until you have finished the loaf and a half. Flip sausage and continue stirring until fully cooked, then add to the bread mixture. Heat cheese soup with 1/2 cup water, stir, and add to the mixture. Dice apples, and add, along with cranberries. Lastly, add eggs and (remove jewelry from hands) begin to mush with your hands, mixing everything completely until you reach a nice consistency.  Chop the acorn squash in half, scoop out guts, and drizzle with melted butter or olive oil. Fill with stuffing until overflowing and place in greased baking dish. Dispense the remaining stuffing into its own greased baking dish. Heat in oven for 1 hour with the solo stuffing covered for the first 30 minutes. To serve, slice squash into halves again. Bowl recommended. Enjoy. 

Friday, September 26, 2014

Homemade Strawberry Jam

So there was a sale on Strawberries last night...


So I decided to buy 4 packs and make strawberry jam without looking at any recipe, just cooking from the heart ya know?

Time: 2 hours + cool time

Ingredients

• 4 Packs of Strawberries
• 1/4 cup Coconut Water
• 2 tbsp Lemon Juice
• 3 tbsp Honey
• 1/2 cup Granulated Sugar
• Nutmeg
• Salt


Instructions

Begin by heating the coconut water in a large pot. One by one chop the strawberries and throw them in with the coconut water. I left my strawberries mostly whole, up to preference. Bring to a boil stirring consistently. Drop down to simmer and add honey. Bring back to boil stirring and scraping the bottom of the pan to avoid crustiness. Simmer again and add sugar. repeat the boil and simmer, add lemon juice. After the last boil, turn the heat off and add a dash of nutmeg and salt. Keep stirring for about 10 minutes. Once cool enough pour into jars or tupperware and refrigerate  overnight, or 2 hours. Enjoy on toast, granola, with dessert, or just with a spoon :)

Tuesday, September 16, 2014

No-Mayo Coleslaw and Pork Sliders

I Hate Mayonaise!! Yeughlk (yuk)


I decided that I wanted to make a version on pork sliders and coleslaw, but didn't have much time for my hungry boyfriend was urging me to make dinner quickly. So I took the challenge and still attempted to make it, and succeeded.

Serves 2-3, 25-30 min

Coleslaw

Ingredients

•1/2 cup shredded Broccoli
•1/4 cup shredded Carrot
•1/3 cup shredded Red Cabbage
• 2 shredded Granny Smith Apples
• 1 tbsp White Vinegar
• 2 tbsp Lemon Juice
• 2 tsp Mustard Powder
• 1 tsp Lemon Pepper
• 1 tsp Cilantro
• 1/4 cup of Yellow Tomatoes



Pork Scramble

Ingredients

• 2 Italian Sausages
• 1/2 cup Sweet Peppers
• 1/4 cup Sweet BBQ Sauce

Begin by putting a large pan on medium heat. Chop the end of the sausages and squeeze the ground pork into the pan, leaving the skins behind. While occasional flipping, begin chopping sweet peppers and shredding coleslaw ingredients into a medium sized bowl. When pork browns, add the sweet peppers and let that simmer for about 2-3 minutes. use this time to finish up shredding and stirring together coleslaw. Add the BBQ sauce to the pork and let simmer for another minute or two. Whenever the coleslaw is done, put it in the the fridge. Slice buns or bread and put in toaster or toaster oven until desired crispiness. Turn the heat off the pork, take the coleslaw out of the fridge and begin making your slider sandwich! Enjoy.

Homemade Chicken Pot Pie

Make Classic Dishes Your Own by Adding Some of your Favorite Ingredients!

I have never made Chicken Pot Pie before, nor have I ever had it made for me. But I wanted to try and make a version of it without looking at any recipe, just going for it based on what I think would taste good.

Ingredients

• Pie Crust (was short on time     :/)
• 4 boneless chicken thighs
• 1 box of angel hair pasta, or   other pasta of your liking
• 1 can cream of celery
• 1 can chicken stock
• 1/4 cup peas
• 1/3 cup corn
• 1/4 cup diced carrots
• 1/2 sweet potato
• 1/2 sweet onion
• 1/4 cup butter
• salt and pepper
• 1/3 cup parmesan cheese
• 1/3 cup flour

Directions

Boil a medium sized pot of water and add in noodles. While water is heating, cook chicken in large/deep skillet with salt and pepper. Chop sweet potato and onion and replace with chicken when it is browned. Chop chicken into thin strips and add back into skillet. pour chicken stock and cream of celery and allow to boil. Add in flour and butter and mix. Finally mix in the remaining vegetables and cooked noodles. Simmer on low and prepare pie crust in a greased casserole dish. Pour the contents of the skillet into the crust laden dish slowly and carefully. Sprinkle the top with most of the parmesan cheese, add the top of the crust and use the rest on top. crinkle the edges to form a seam and make an X shaped slit in the center. Cook for 50 minutes to an hour on 400. Recommended beverage: 1% Milk. Enjoy!

 


Sunday, April 7, 2013

Baked Sweet Potato Fries with Bacon and Gouda

For all of you sweet potato fans out there, I highly suggest you start making your own. It is easy peasy and you can add whatever you may please to enhance the flavor.

 Ingredients

  • Sweet Potatoes
  • Gouda cheese
  • Bacon bits
  • Vinegar or Vinaigrette
  • Seasonings as you please
    • salt
    • pepper
    • garlic powder
    • basil
    • BBQ seasoning
    • Red pepper flakes


Instructions


Start by pre-heating the oven to 450. Slice up potatoes and put in large baking dish greased with oil and vinegar(or vinaigrette). Add seasonings and bacon in layers so that no potato gets cooked naked. Place in oven before it reaches 450 -around 250 degrees. Leave in bottom rack until it reaches 450. Take out, stir around, and put back in oven for 7 minutes. Take out and sprinkle, or drench, in shredded gouda cheese. Place back in oven and watch until cheese begins to bubble... then they're ready!


Monday, March 4, 2013

Soooo...I accidentally made chinese food lol

Potato and Carrot Stir Fry

Vegetables

  • 2 yukon gold potatoes
  • 2 carrots
  • 2 yellow squash
  • 3 stocks of celery
  • 1 onion
  • Spinach leaves
  • Arugla leaves

Spices & Seasonings

  • 1/4 cup rosemary
  • 1 tbsp basil
  • Pepper to preference
  • Red pepper flakes to preference
  • Garlic powder or garlic
  • Italian seasoning

Other Ingredients

  • Salsa
  • Parmesan cheese
So I've been working all weekend and haven't gotten to the store so for dinner I had to improvise a bit. I pulled out all the vegetables I had, chopped them up and threw them into a frying pan. I am a little sick right now so I threw in a bunch of pepper and red pepper flakes to clear up my sinuses. As well as the normal seasonings I put in just about every. Cooked all that up on medium heat, stirring frequently and covered whenever I wasn't stirring for about 20 minutes. Poured it over a bed of spinach and arugla leaves and added salsa and parmesan cheese to cool it off so I could eat it immediately. I wish someone was around to see me realize I made Chinese food. I got so excited but also thought it was the funniest thing. It was so good. I was planning on taking half to work tomorrow but I ended it up eating all of it and wanting more. Easy Chinese food, I'm so glad I discovered you. 

Monday, January 28, 2013

Granny Smith’s Pork Roast



Ingredients


  • Boneless Pork Roast
  • 3 Granny Smith apples
  • 1/2 cup brown sugar
  • 1/4 cup sugar
  • 1 cup blue cheese
  • salt & pepper
  • lemon pepper(optional)
  • Parmesan risotto
I’d been wanting to try this recipe for quite a while now, and since it was just going to be Brian and I eating, I thought there was room for experimentation. Boy did experimenting turn out to provide great results for this uniquely flavored meal. Start by pre-heating the oven to 350 and getting the risotto started in a medium sized saucepan. While the rice is browning peel two of the apples and cut them into thin slices. Mix in a bowl with both sugars until the apples are completely soaked with the sugary syrup. Cut a pocket in the center of the pork and stuff it generously. Place pork, slit side facing up, in a greased baking pan. Coat the roast with the remaining sugar mixture along with the salt and pepper. Place in the oven and resume cooking the risotto. At some point before it is done, cut up the remaining apple into small pieces. Once the risotto is done leave it on a very low simmer and take out the roast. Switch the oven temp. to broil hi and cover the roast with the blue cheese and the apple slices. Place back in the oven until the apples blacken(don’t worry they don’t taste burnt) and the cheese browns. Remove from the oven, let cool, and cut yourself a slice, or as we did cut in half and enjoy over a bed of risotto. This recipe does have a bold and different flavor to it, so for those of you who don’t like to confuse your taste buds, do it anyways cause it’s awesome.

3-Cheese Spaghetti Alfredo Pesto... with some other stuff

So I was going to be filmed for a short cooking clip and couldn't decide what I wanted to cook. I had a lot of ideas at once and everything sounded good so I ended up mixing everything together, including sautéed sweet potatoes with onions. Don't be scared, it's delicious; this bowl below was full and I finished it clean

Ingredients


  • 1 1/2 lb. Ground beef or turkey
  • 1 pack Spaghetti
  • Red pasta sauce of choice
  • 2  Red Peppers
  • 1 1/2 Onions
  • 1 Sweet Potato
  • 1/2 cup Parmesan Cheese
  • 1/4 cup Flour
  • 1/2 cup brown sugar
  • 1/4 cup 2 other cheeses, I used Mediterranean Herb Gouda and a Romano Parmesan
  • 8 oz. Whipping Cream
  • 1 tbsp Basil
  • 4 cloves Garlic
  • Salt & Pepper
  • Butter, Margarine, or oil
First start by taking out everything your going to need, makes it a LOT easier. so you'll need a large frying pan for the meat, a large pot for the water, and 2 medium pots for the sauce and veggies, one of which you can turn on low to medium heat. I know a lot of pots and pans, but it's worth it trust me. Ok now get a large cutting board, wash and dry the sweet potato and chop into thinnish, whatever you can do size (I had some trouble cutting). Throw those on the medium pot with some butter. Chop up the onion and throw that in after. Continue stirring every couple minutes. Next fill the large pot with water and let boil. Get the meat in the large pan on low to medium heat and add seasonings as you please. Continue stirring that as well. Now add brown sugar to the potatoes and onions. Your not in the circus yet, wash and dry the peppers and chop up. Get that in the last pot with some butter. Chop up the garlic and add that along with the basil. Go ahead and add the pasta into the water about now. If meat is about done, pour the heavy whipping cream in and add the parmesan and flour. Pour the red sauce over the red peppers and garlic and add the rest of the cheese. Strain pasta and mix everything together. Use salt and pepper to season and Enjoy!

Thanks for reading, comment if you attempt to make.

Thursday, January 24, 2013

Homemade Chicken Fingers and Fries





This Fast and Delicious meal will satisfy everyone!


Ingredients
  • Thinly sliced chicken breast
  • Bread crumbs
  • Pancake mix (Bisquick)
  • Parmesan cheese
  • Eggs
  • Cheez Its
  • Panko Bread Crumbs
  • Whipping cream
  • Potatoes
  • Seasoning (Famous Dave’s Rib Rub)
Directions
 Pre-heat the oven to 350. Prepare the cream and eggs in a bowl and the dry ingredients on a plate. There should be about 1/4 bread crumbs, 1/4 Cheez Its, 1/4 parmesan cheese and 1/4 pancake mix. Estimate the proportions based on how large a serving. Mix seasonings in until it is consistent. Grease a baking pan to have prepared once the chicken is ready. Dip each piece of chicken into the egg/cream mixture, then coat in the dry mix, repeat. Place each chicken on the pan and bake for approximately 30-40 minutes. Now that you've got some time why not be useful and make the fries. I cut the potato into circles and fry them on a pan on the stove, but preference of shape is up to you, get creative!  Use whatever seasonings to flavor the fries you can find: seasoned salt, garlic powder, italian seasoning, lemon pepper, rosemary, red pepper flakes, even chili powder or cajon seasoning. Cut potatoes, sauté in large skillet with butter or oil on medium heat. Check and flip the fries frequently, they burn fast! Once everything is complete, serve with condiments of your choice and devour!

Tuesday, October 30, 2012

Man's Night

Home-spun Sloppy Joe’s

Ingredients

  • Ground Beef
  • Ketchup
  • Barbecue sauce
  • Bisquick
  • Milk
  • Water
  • Lemon Pepper
  • Parmeson Cheese
  • Red pepper flakes
  • Famous Dave’s Rib Rub*
  • Cheddar cheese(optional)
  • Buns
If you’re craving rich homestyle version of sloppy joe’s, than this is the meal for you. I discovered this meal when my two friends, Nate and Brian, asked me to make them dinner. If you read my profile, you’ll know that cooking is one of my favorite things to do, so cooking them food every week doesn’t really bother me. It actually allows me to express my creative food genius skills and helps me to become a better cook. Anyways, enough about me, Begin cooking the beef in a medium to large skillet(depending on serving size), with a small dose of butter to grease the pan. Wait until it begins to brown, all the while adding in the seasonings to your preference, but be careful with the red pepper flakes. Now would be a good time to put the buns in the toaster. Stir in the ketchup and barbecue sauce until fully saturated, then add in the bisquick at a slow rate while stirring, add in milk, cheeses, and water until the texture reaches a think, creamy consistency. After the buns pop up, stuff them generously, and enjoy!

Farmer's Market Dinner

Savory Warm Salad
Ingredients

  • Kale and Spinach leaves
  • Peppers of your preference (mine being orange)
  • Sweet onion
  • Goat cheese
  • Walnuts or Pecans
  • Squash
  • Mushrooms
  • Seasonings/dressing ( red wine vinaigrette and pepper)
Directions
    The Farmer’s Market is coming to the end of its season so I thought I could create a healthy salad from the ingredients that I bought. If you have never been to a farmer’s market, I recommend it; not only is your food fresh, you get to actually talk to the people who made it. It really connects us to our food, it’s a blast, and there's so many samples. This meal is definitely an easy one, but it sure was tasty. All you have to do is chop up all of the ingredients and throw them on the stove in a large-sized pan. Peppers, squash and onions should be put on the stove first, since they take the longest, followed by mushrooms, then the greens, with the rest drizzled on top afterwards. This meal was one of the first ones that I cooked solely for myself; I might have to slowly get the boys used to vegetables that aren’t fried or hidden in a chicken. I hope all you veggie eaters out there enjoy, and to those who aren’t, give it a try, I didn’t try a lot of vegetables till I got to college, and they’re quite delicious.
http://www.boulderfarmers.org/home.html 

Pesto Dal Cuore


Ingredients

  • Chicken breast fillets
  • Creamy pesto mix packet
  • Avocado
  • Mozzarella slices
  • Wild mushroom ravioli
  • Marinated artichoke hearts
For tonight's dinner I thought I could make something Italian, for it is my favorite type of food to cook, and probably eat. Start by pre-heating the oven to 350. Once that’s out of the way start the pesto sauce in a small to medium sized pot. While it is cooking, lay the chicken breasts in a medium to large sized baking pan. As soon as the pesto reaches a creamy light consistency, drizzle about a quarter to a half of it over the chicken. Place the chicken in the oven and begin to boil water on the stove in a medium pot. Meanwhile, mash up the avocado in a small bowl and put the sauce back on the stove. Cook the ravioli according to package directions, but mix in the seasonings with the pesto. Add milk to the sauce until it reaches your preferred thickness. Once the sauce and raviolis are done take the chicken out of the oven. Change the settings to broil- Hi. Spoon a generous layer of the avocado on top of each chicken breast, topped with  slices of mozzarella cheese so it surrounded completely. Finish by arranging the ravioli and artichoke hearts around the chicken and pouring the sauce over it all. Place in the oven checking frequently until the cheese begins to fry. For a more crunchy texture, leave in a bit longer. Hopefully when you take this masterpiece out of the oven, you’re as stoked as I was to devour it. Be safe, you might go into food comma if you attempt to eat all of it, and enjoy!