Eat.Drink.Americano.

How incredible are these photos?  Especially the typography wall a few photos down.  Thank you to b for bonnie for sharing.  The rustic and vintage swanky style of this restaurant is cool and welcoming and there is no doubt the food is top notch.  If you're in the LA area, give them a try:  Eat. Drink. Americano. 923 E. 3rd Street, Los Angeles. 213-620-0781.

A-MAZING Homemade Applesauce

I am all for homemade culinary experiments and luckily, this one was a good one!  Homemade applesauce is incredibly delicious and very simple to make.  I chose to make mine in a slow cooker which took about 3.5 hours but you can make it on the stove in a fraction of the time.  I just prefer slow cooking.  Scroll down to grab the recipe...

Give it a try:

(6) Medium apples - peeled, cored and chopped

(1) cup and (2) tablespoons of water

(1/4) cup and (2) tablespoons of white sugar

(1) teaspoon ground cinnamon

In a slow cooker, combine apples, water, sugar, and cinnamon.  Cover and cook on high for 3-4 hours or until apples are soft.  Allow to cool, then mash with a potato masher or fork.

A Lot to Love About Olives

Photo by woodsy

While often mistaken as vegetables, olives are fruits with a bevy of health benefits, including the following:

Olives are rich in Vitamin E, a potent antioxidant that prevents free radicals from damaging healthy cells.

Olives are a good source of iron, which helps in the production of healthy red blood cells.

Olives are, of course, the source of olive oil, one of the healthiest fats that can be consumed. Despite its being fatty oil, it is not the unhealthy type of fat and is, in fact, very helpful in preventing heart disease.

Olives are a good source of dietary fiber, aiding in good digestion and digestive tract cleansing.

(C) 2012 Charleston Gazette. via ProQuest Information and Learning Company All Rights Reserved.  Articles featured in Life Extension Daily News are derived from a variety of news sources and are provided as a service by Life Extension. These articles, while of potential interest to readers of Life Extension Daily News, do not necessarily represent the opinions nor constitute the advice of Life Extension.

Sunshine in a glass

Found these great ideas for flavored water at the Nancy Creative blog and I absolutely LOVE the use of citrus and fruit to water! Talk about refreshing... It's like sunshine in a glass!  These a great, healthy and smart alternatives to the sugary sweet carbonated sodas and fruit juices. 

Add a slice of your favorite citrus to a tall glass of ice water.  Try lemon, lime, or orange slices. Or combine slices of lemon and lime…orange and lime…or try all three together!

Fresh mint is always a great addition to a glass of ice water.  Combine lemon slices with fresh herbs in your water.  Try lemon with mint, rosemary, thyme, or sliced ginger root.

Cucumbers are great in water, too! Slice up a large cucumber and add it to a pitcher of water…it’s really refreshing. You can also try cucumber with some fresh thyme added in. Or cucumber slices with lemon or orange slices.

If you want a more intense flavor to your glass of water, squeeze the citrus and/or twist the herbs you are using before you add them to your glass.

Besides lemons, oranges, and limes, you can try adding other kinds of fruit to your glass or pitcher of water…a small handful of your favorite berries (or mixed berries) is a nice addition to a glass of ice water. Other fruits you can try alone or in combination are: watermelon, cantaloupe, mango, pineapple, grapefruit, grapes, and kiwi.

Thirsty yet? 

{Superbowl Sunday} Guinness Stout Brownie Pretzel Bars

Time for some game-day-appropriate-deliciousness!  Found this on Hostess Blog and had to share.  It's a beer & pretzel inspired brownie recipe with homemade butterscotch ganache.  Salty and sweet is always a crowd favorite.  See below for the recipe...

Jot this down...

FOR THE BROWNIES:

Ingredients:
– 4 oz Bittersweet Chocolate
– 8 oz Butter
– 1 Egg
– 3/4 cup Sugar
– 
1/2 cup Brown Sugar
– 
1/4 cup Cocoa
– 1 1/4 cup Flour
– 1/2 tsp Salt
– 
2 tsp Vanilla
– 1 standard can of Guinness (14.9 0z)
– 
8 oz Semi Sweet Chocolate

Instructions:
1.    melt 4 oz bittersweet chocolate & butter (in microwave or double boiler)
2.    beat egg, sugar and brown sugar for 3 minutes
3.    while eggs & sugar are mixing, mix dry ingredients: cocoa, flour, salt
4.    add melted chocolate to egg mixture
5.    mix in dry ingredients
6.    add vanilla and beer until incorporated
7.    add semi-sweet chocolate
8.    bake at 350 for 35 minutes until knife comes out clean

FOR THE BUTTERSCOTCH GANACHE:

Ingredients:
– 7 oz Condensed Milk
– 3.5 oz Butterscotch
– 
2.5 oz White Chocolate Chips
– 1.4 oz Heavy Cream

Instructions:
1.    combine butterscotch, white chocolate and heavy cream in a small bowl
2.    microwave in 30 second increments, stir until melted and smooth

FOR THE TOPPING:

Ingredients:
– 1/3 cup Crushed Pretzels
– Flakey Sea Salt  (maldon salt works well)

Instructions:
1.    top baked stout brownies with ganache
2.    refrigerate until firm, cut and serve
3.    top each piece with crushed pretzels and flakey sea salt

Eat up!

Source:  Hostess Blog.

La-Dee-Dahs Whimsical Candy

Need a little pick-me-up?  I saw these handmade gems on Pinterest and couldn't resist sharing.  They are made of swirls of sea salt caramel, nougat, and fair trade dark chocolate and are equal parts fun and delicious. One box (choose from red, white, or brown) contains 3 yummy candies. Handmade in small batches by Whimsical Candy in Chicago, Illinois.  Grab a box here for only $6.50.

+ single box with 3 handmade candies

+ box is 6" wide x 2" tall 

Feast your eyes on this: Cruise food!

Cruising is my absolute favorite way of vacationing.  In December 2011, I took a Royal Caribbean cruise with the fam and loved every minute of it...including the food.  The presentation of the food is always thrilling. These are some of the dishes I had (and some were my husbands - specifically the beef, the duck, and the chocolate desserts - yuk):

These photos explain why I gained 3.5 lbs in 1 week.  It was well worth it. :)

Crispy Chicken Fingers

You really CAN have crispy chicken fingers without frying them.  Baked chicken fingers that you make at home have more flavor anyway because you can spice them up however you choose. My favorite spices for this recipe are garlic powder, onion powder, pepper, cumin and just a tiny dash of himalayan salt.  

If you have any "baked, not fried" recipes you would like to share, 

I would love to hear about them!  

Here is a short video of how to prepare Crispy Chicken Fingers by The Food Network's, Ellie Krieger:

Ingredients

• 1 1/4 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut across into 1/2-inch pieces
• 1/2 cup lowfat buttermilk
• Cooking spray
• 4 cups whole-grain corn cereal (recommended: Corn Chex or cornflakes)
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• Freshly ground pepper
• Honey-Mustard Sauce, recipe follows

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Combine the chicken and buttermilk in a shallow dish. Cover and chill for 15 minutes.

Spray a baking sheet with cooking spray. Put the cereal in a sealed plastic bag and crush with a rolling pin. Transfer the crumbs to a shallow dish. Season the chicken with the salt and a few grinds of pepper. Dip each piece of chicken in the cereal to fully coat and arrange on the baking sheet. Bake until cooked through, about 8 minutes. Leave the chicken on the baking sheet to cool slightly. It will become crispier.

Serve with the mustard sauce.

Honey-Mustard Sauce:

1/2 cup Dijon mustard

1 tablespoon mayonnaise

3 tablespoons honey

In a small bowl, stir together the mustard and mayonnaise until smooth. Stir in the honey.

Yield: 1 1/4 cups

Recipe courtesy of Food Network, Ellie Krieger.

What's so great about Kale?

Oh, pretty much everything!  Kale comes from the family of plants that includes mustard greens, broccoli and other foods in the cabbage, or cruciferous, family. These vegetables are loaded with vitamins (such as A, C, K and B), iron, calcium and fiber.  As a bonus, scientists claim kale contains anti-oxidant properties that reduce inflammation and repair damaged cells. Kale can be boiled, which decreases its cancer-fighting ability, stir-fried, steamed or microwaved. But the way to make a can't-stop-eating-'em treat the whole family will crave is to bake it until crispy and crunchy. The sturdy leaves hold their shape better than other leafy vegetables when baked.

Kale "Chips"

Kale chips are super healthy and really tasty!  And very simple to make.  Follow this recipe and you will soon be pushing aside the greasy traditional potato chips and reaching for the green stuff...

Step 1.  Heat oven to it's lowest temperature...mine is 170 degrees.

Step 2.  Strip leaves from kale stems by pulling with your fingers from the bottom to top of each stem. 

Step 3. Rinse and carefully dry the leaves.  A salad spinner works great!

Step 4.  Place the washed and dried kale in a large zip lock bag. Put about 1 tbsp of olive oil into the bag and give it a good shake.  Just make sure all parts of the kale are coated.

Step 5.  Then, line your baking sheets with either foil or parchment paper and distribute the kale onto the pan(s).  Sprinkle with salt.  They are now ready to bake!

Step 6.  Bake until the kale turns darker and crisp, 2 hours, 15 minutes.  It seems like a long time but in my opinion, the chips taste better when cooked low and slow -vs- at higher temps for a shorter time.  I think the higher the temps, the more bitter the chips (and they leave a slight after taste but not when cooked  at lower temps). 

The finished product!  You will end up with crispy, darker, airy and healthy chips.  p/s..be sure you floss after eating Kale Chips...they tend to linger between your teeth. 

Nutrition information:

Per serving: 169 calories, 42% of calories from fat, 8 g fat, 1 g saturated fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 22 g carbohydrates, 7 g protein, 160 mg sodium, 8 g fiber.