7 Superfoods to Add to Your Dog’s Diet

If you use Facebook and are interested in the things I may not devote an entire blog post to: things like health articles, my favorite recipes, fun drinks, food facts, nutritional information, restaurant reviews, photos and other things that make my mouth water, I have a very active page on Facebook you can visit too: https://www.facebook.com/ThisGirlLovesHerFood

Valentine’s Day Quick Carnitas Tacos

On a whim, I decided to make carnitas tacos for Valentine’s Day dinner at home. I didn’t have to worry about not thinking ahead because my pressure cooker would cook the meat even if it wasn’t all the way thawed in time. Whew!

Thankfully I’d thrown a pork shoulder in the freezer when they’d been on sale at the grocery store, so I’d just have to rummage through the refrigerator and cupboard to see what I could cobble together to make a meal.

Appetizer: Spicy Pickled Carrots & Jalapenos

6 Carrots
2 Large Jalapenos
1 Medium Yellow Onion
3 Cloves Garlic
2 tsp Whole Peppercorns
1 tsp Salt
1 1/2 Cups Apple Cider Vinegar
1 1/2 Cups Water

Boil the water and apple cider vinegar in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. When at a full rolling boil shut off the flame and immediately add the rest of the ingredients. Stir once and let stand for about an hour. Serve at room temperature, or if you have time, refrigerate to bring out even more flavor. Store in a tightly sealed container in the refrigerator and eat within a week.

Now on to the main course.

Pressure Cooker Carnitas

1 TBLS Olive Oil
2 tsp Freshly Ground Sea Salt
1 1/2 tsp Ground Cloves
Freshly Ground Pepper
3 Pounds Pork Shoulder
1/2 Yellow Onion, Sliced
3 Cloves Garlic Peeled
4-6 Sprigs Fresh Cilantro
1 Large Fresh Lemon
1 Jalapeño Sliced in Half
1 1/3 Cup Chicken Broth

Preparation

Set the pressure cook to brown setting
Pour the oil into the pressure cooker
Sprinkle the salt, pepper and cloves on all sides of the pork
Place the pork in the pressure cooker and brown on all sides
Squeeze the juice from the lemon over the pork, add the onion, garlic, cilantro, halved jalapeño, the squeezed lemons and the chicken broth
Cover the pressure cooker, lock on the lid, and bring to high pressure
Cook pork at high pressure for 45 minutes
Turn off and allow pressure to release naturally
Transfer pork to a baking sheet
Preheat the broiler to high
Shred pork with two forks on baking sheet
Broil until the pork starts to crisp, about 3 minutes.
Serve with warm corn tortillas, sliced avocado, shredded cabbage, pepper jack or cojito cheese, hot sauce and wedges of lime

A can of refried beans, a couple of street tacos and a beer and it’s a meal!

Broccoli and Chicken Noodle Soup

broccolichickensoup Cooking Light is my favorite “Go-To” resource for a quick and healthy weeknight meal. It’s been cold and blustery this week and the last thing I wanted to do was put together a big fussy sit down meal, but I wanted something hearty enough to be filling.

This soup, that they did a recipe rescue on, has 40 percent fewer calories and 62 percent less fat than the heavy original. It satisfied the need for something hearty and filling without completely blowing the diet while also giving a big sit down meal feel with some crusty bread and a glass of wine!

Broccoli and Chicken Noodle Soup

Ingredients

Cooking spray
2 cups chopped onion
1 cup pre-sliced mushrooms
1 garlic clove, minced
3 tablespoons butter
1.1 ounces all-purpose flour (about 1/4 cup)
4 cups 1% low-fat milk
1 (14-ounce) can fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
4 ounces uncooked vermicelli, broken into 2-inch pieces
2 cups (8 ounces) shredded light processed cheese (such as Velveeta Light)
4 cups (1-inch) cubed cooked chicken breast
3 cups small broccoli florets (8 ounces)
1 cup half-and-half
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3/4 teaspoon salt

Preparation

Heat a Dutch oven over medium-high heat.
Coat pan with cooking spray.
Add onion, mushrooms, and garlic to pan; sauté 5 minutes or until liquid evaporates, stirring occasionally.
Reduce heat to medium; add butter to mushroom mixture, stirring until butter melts.
Sprinkle mushroom mixture with flour; cook 2 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Gradually add milk and broth, stirring constantly with a whisk; bring to a boil.
Reduce heat to medium-low; cook 10 minutes or until slightly thick, stirring constantly.
Add pasta to pan; cook 10 minutes.
Add cheese to pan, and stir until cheese melts.
Add chicken and remaining ingredients to pan; cook 5 minutes or until broccoli is tender and soup is thoroughly heated.

Nutritional Information

Calories 317 Fat 12.3g Sat fat 6.8g Mono fat 2.9g Poly fat .9g Protein 27.5g Carbohydrate 23.8g Fiber 1.9g Cholesterol 74 mg Iron 1.6 mg Sodium 723 mg Calcium 179 mg

Chocolate Stout Layer Cake

There is just something amazing about chocolate cake that’s made with beer!

This recipe from the archives of Bon Appétit (October 2009) looks like something I can throw together for a day of Super Bowl munching without investing too much time hunting down out of the ordinary ingredients.

Bon Appétit says, instead of cold milk, to serve this cake with glasses of the same beer you used in the cake batter. They even suggest making the stout into a float by dropping a couple of scoops of vanilla ice cream to the beer for a grown-up float. Yum!

Unless we just want to skip the cake and drink stout floats, we’d probably better get to work making the cake. 😉

Chocolate Stout Layer Cake:

3 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped
2 1/4 cups all purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
14 tablespoons (1 3/4 sticks) salted butter, room temperature
1 1/4 cups plus 3 tablespoons sugar
3 large eggs, separated
3/4 cup chocolate stout, regular stout, or porter
2/3 cup freshly brewed strong coffee

Bittersweet – Espresso Chocolate Frosting:

1 pound bittersweet chocolate (54% to 60% cacao), chopped
2 cups heavy whipping cream
1 teaspoon instant espresso powder

Preparation

For cake:
Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 350°F. Butter and flour two 9-inch-diameter cake pans with 1 1/2-inch-high sides. Line bottom of each cake pan with parchment paper round; butter and flour parchment. Place chopped chocolate in medium metal bowl. Set bowl over saucepan of barely simmering water and stir until chocolate is melted and smooth. Remove bowl from over water and set aside.

Whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in medium bowl to blend. Using electric mixer, beat butter and 11/4 cups sugar in large bowl until fluffy and pale yellow, about 2 minutes. Add egg yolks 1 at a time, beating until well blended after each addition. Beat in lukewarm melted chocolate, then stout and coffee. Beat flour mixture into chocolate mixture in 2 additions just until incorporated.

Using clean dry beaters, beat egg whites and remaining 3 tablespoons sugar in another medium bowl until stiff but not dry. Fold 1/3 of egg whites into cake batter to lighten, then fold in remaining egg whites in 2 additions. Divide batter between prepared cake pans (about 3 cups for each); smooth tops.

Bake cakes until tester inserted into centers comes out clean, about 30 minutes. Transfer cakes to racks and cool in pans 20 minutes. Invert cakes onto racks; remove parchment paper and cool completely.

DO AHEAD: Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and store at room temperature.

For frosting:

Place chopped chocolate in medium heatproof bowl. Combine whipping cream and espresso powder in medium saucepan. Bring cream mixture to simmer over medium-high heat, whisking occasionally. Pour cream mixture over chopped chocolate; let stand 1 minute, then whisk until chocolate is melted and mixture is smooth. Chill chocolate frosting until slightly thickened and spreadable, stirring occasionally, about 2 hours (or for quick chilling, place frosting in freezer until thickened and spreadable, stirring occasionally, about 30 minutes).

Using a serrated knife, trim rounded tops from both cake layers so that tops are flat. Place 1 cake layer, trimmed side up, on 9-inch-diameter tart pan bottom or cardboard round, then place on rack set over baking sheet. Drop 1 1/4 cups frosting by large spoonfuls over top of cake layer; spread frosting evenly to edges with offset spatula or butter knife. Top with second cake layer, trimmed side down. Spread remaining frosting evenly over top and sides of cake.

DO AHEAD: Can be made up to 1 day ahead. Cover with cake dome and refrigerate. Let cake stand at room temperature at least 1 hour and up to 3 hours before serving.

Ingredient tip:

If you can find it (try Total Wine they have a great selection), use a chocolate stout (Brooklyn Brewery and Oregon’s Rogue Brewery for example) in the cake batter. The chocolaty flavors in the beer come from dark-roasting the malts. Some brewers even add a little chocolate to the beer as well. If you can’t find chocolate stout, use another stout, such as Guinness. Sierra Nevada Porter and Samuel Adams Honey Porter would also work well in this recipe.

Napalm Spicy Chicken Wings

napalmwings

I usually spend half the day to treat my family to my decadent buffalo chicken macaroni and cheese on Super Bowl Sunday. This year we aren’t particularly interested in the game, so we won’t be having a crowd over and it’s far to much effort (and way too many high fat/high calorie leftovers) to make for just the two of us.

Don’t get me wrong. We’ll watch the game, but we don’t have a vested cheering interest in the game and Budweiser has opted for a political ad in place of the usual feel-good puppy and Clydesdale buddy commercial, so we won’t be glued to the TV just mindlessly eating for 5 straight hours (hopefully).

That doesn’t mean we won’t be eating something amazing though. 😉

I came across this recipe for chicken wings that claim to be beyond “inferno” hot in, of all places, the December 2015 issue of Wine Enthusiast Magazine. The funniest part of the recipe, as written, is that there is nothing in it to make them “Napalm Hot.” How hot you make them is based entirely on the heat level of the hot sauce you choose to add to the recipe, so the decision is entirely yours. In my case, to make them scorchingly hot, I will be searching for a sauce that is based on Ghost Peppers or Habañero Peppers. They will be far too hot for me to eat, but my husband will be more than happy to burn his face off eating them!

Napalm Spicy Chicken Wings

3 pounds chicken wings, patted dry with paper towels
Coarse kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons peanut or vegetable oil, plus more to fry
6 tablespoons unsalted butter
2–3 tablespoons honey
¼ cup hot sauce
2 limes, zested and juiced, plus lime wedges for serving

DirectionsPlace the chicken wings in a large bowl and season generously with salt and pepper. Refrigerate, uncovered, for at least 30 minutes and up to 24 hours.

Preheat an oven to 400˚F. Spread the chicken wings on a rimmed baking sheet in a single layer and drizzle with 2 tablespoons of oil. Place in the oven and roast until the chicken wings are firm but not fully cooked through, about 20 minutes.

In a small saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter. Whisk in honey, hot sauce and lime zest, and let simmer for 1 minute. Stir in the lime juice and remove from heat. Season with salt and pepper.

Using a large pot, pour in enough of the vegetable oil to reach 5 inches up the sides. Place over high heat and heat the oil until it registers 375˚F on a deep-fry thermometer.

Working in small batches, fry the wings, turning occasionally, until they are crisp and golden brown, 5–7 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to remove the wings from the oil and drain on a paper towel–lined baking sheet. Put the wings in a large bowl and toss with the hot sauce butter. Transfer to a platter and serve hot with additional lime wedges.

The Best Foods to Eat For Breakfast

Creamy Avocado Bomb Sauce

This sauce, found on Pinterest, could be used on anything from salad, to tacos, quesadillas, taquitos, egg rolls, or just eaten with chips. The best part is you won’t need to feel guilty, at least about the dip…

1 avocado
1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt
1/2 to 1 jalapeno
3 cloves garlic chopped
1/2 bunch fresh cilantro
1/2 fresh squeezed lime
Pinch of salt
Freshly ground pepper

Wash ingredients well, especially the cilantro because it can hold in a lot of dirt.
Cut lime and avocado in halves.
Remove the avocado seed
Scoop the avocado from its shell in put into Vitamix or food processor.
Add 1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt, 1/2 jalapeno, 3 garlic cloves, pinch of salt and 1/2 bunch of cilantro into Vitamix/food processor.
If you do not like your dip/dressing super spicy, remove seeds of jalapeno beforehand.
If you want it extra spicy, add an entire jalapeno or substitute a habanero or hotter pepper.
Squeeze 1/2 lime into mix.
Blend for 3 minutes.
Do a taste test. You may need to add more salt, pepper or lime juice, depending on your personal taste.
If you would like a thinner sauce, if you are using as salad dressing, add just a touch of water to thin out. Start with a tablespoon and thin a bit at a time.
Blend another 1-2 minutes.
Pour into a sealed container, refrigerate until ready to eat.

Paula Deen’s Pumpkin Gooey Butter Cake

I’m not someone that thinks pumpkin desserts are only for the fall. I love pumpkin pie and get out of my way if there is a moist pumpkin bread in the building!

I don’t know if you have ever had Paula Deen’s Gooey Butter Cake, but if you haven’t, let me tell you it is a chunk (you cannot call a portion of this merely a piece) of heaven on earth! Leave it to Paula to springboard off of that delight and create something even more decadent starring pumpkin and, of course, her favorite “heart stopping” ingredient, butter. 😉

Pumpkin Gooey Butter Cake

Ingredients

Cake:

1 box yellow cake mix
1 egg
8 tablespoons butter, melted

Filling:

1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, softened
1 (15-ounce) can pumpkin puree (NOT pumpkin pie filling)
3 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
8 tablespoons butter, melted
1 (16-ounce) box powdered sugar – equivalent to 3 3/4 cups (reserve 3 Tbsp for dusting)
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon nutmeg

Directions

Preheat oven to 350° F.
Combine the cake mix, egg, and 8 TBLS butter and mix well with an electric mixer.
Pat the mixture into the bottom of a lightly greased 13 by 9-inch baking pan.
In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese and pumpkin until smooth.
Add the eggs, vanilla, and remaining 8 TBLS butter, and beat together.
Add the powdered sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and mix well.
Spread pumpkin mixture over cake batter and bake for 40 to 50 minutes.
Check after about 35 minutes so you make sure not to overbake. The center should be a little gooey.
Let the pan cool completely before you cut the squares.
You could even pop the cooled pan in the fridge before cutting to get extra clean cuts.
Dust squares with powdered sugar before serving.

I like to serve with a small scoop of vanilla ice cream and a sprig of fresh mint. Yum

Bacon-Gouda Mac & Cheese

I love Trader Joe’s Parmesan Gouda so much I just had to figure out a way to incorporate it into my other favorite (besides a grilled cheese sandwich) Macaroni & Cheese!

A couple of trials later, finally a dish I can serve to guests!

Bacon-Gouda Macaroni & Cheese

Ingredients:

16oz Cavatappi pasta (it’s very important to use the right pasta)
8-10 Slices thick cut bacon (from the butcher)
2 1/4 cup skim milk
1/4 C butter (4 TBLS) melted
1/2 cup flour
1 1/4 cup heavy cream
2 tsp fresh ground kosher salt
1 tsp fresh cracked black pepper
1/2 tsp dry mustard
2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
16 oz Trader Joe’s Parmesan-Gouda cheese, shredded
1/2 lb sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
1 Sleeve Crushed Ritz Crackers
1/4 C butter (4 TBLS) melted

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375°F
Butter a 13″ X 9″ Pyrex Baking Pan
Prepare Cavatappi according to package directions. Drain and pour into a large mixing bowl – cover with foil to keep pasta warm.
Cook bacon until crispy but not overcooked. Drain, cool, crumble and set aside.
Melt butter and whisk flour into it
In large pot heat milk to nearly boiling.
Reduce heat to medium and stir in flour/butter mixture. Whisk vigorously over medium heat for 1-2 minutes. Mixture should be thick and boiling.
Slowly whisk in cream.
Add in salt, pepper, mustard and Worcestershire sauce.
Reduce heat to low and continue to stir for about 5 minutes.
Remove from heat and stir in shredded Parmesan-Gouda and Cheddar cheeses until completely melted.
Pour sauce over cooked pasta in large mixing bowl.
Add in 3/4 of the crumbled bacon. Combine using a rubber spatula.
Transfer to prepared Pyrex baking dish.
Combine the sleeve of crushed Ritz crackers and remaining crumbled bacon with the remaining 4 TBLS of melted butter. Sprinkle over pasta in Pyrex baking dish.
Bake uncovered in a 375 degree oven for 25-30 minutes.

It’s rich, so a small side salad would be great alongside, or even nothing at all. Except, of course, a glass of wine. 😉

Pet Treats People Can Eat Too!

carrotoat In the event of a zombie apocalypse, you’re getting off the grid, bugging out, planning a hike or outdoor adventure and need to make dual duty rations for you and your canine companions, or if you just forget to grab snacks at the grocery store, these treats for your pups are a healthy snack you can feel good munching on too! A word of caution: if there’s any chance these might do double duty as emergency snacks, you might want to rethink the bone shaped cookie cutter. 😉

Apple, Carrot & Oat Dog Biscuits

1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
2/3 cup chunky carrot juice
3 tablespoons creamy peanut butter
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
2 large eggs
3 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup coarsely ground almond meal (roughly ground almond flour)
1/2 cup rolled oats

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F, with a rack in the center of the oven. Line a baking sheet with a silicone liner or parchment paper and set aside.
Make your chunky carrot juice: I take 3-4 carrots, cut the tops off, peel them and toss them into the Vitamix until they are pureed. I then add a bit of water and blend again on high to get the consistency closer to a pulpy juice. If the final product doesn’t measure 2/3 cup I add a bit more water until it does.
Combine all ingredients in bowl of your stand mixer (or other large bowl) and stir to combine until a thick dough forms.
Flour a wooden cutting board or similar surface well, and turn the dough out onto the board.
Sprinkle flour on top of the dough and onto a rolling pin, and roll the dough to approximately 1/4″-1/2″ thickness. Be sure to use plenty of flour, as this dough is very sticky!
When the dough is rolled out, dip a cookie cutter into flour and cut out the biscuits.
Transfer the cut out biscuits to the prepared sheet pan, leaving about 1/4″ of an inch between each treat. These don’t spread out, so you can fit 30-40 onto a baking sheet at a time (depending on the size of your cookie cutter).
Bake at 400 degrees F for 15 minutes, or until light golden brown.
Remove the baking sheet from the oven and allow the biscuits to cool completely.
Transfer the biscuits to an airtight container, where they will keep at room temperature for up to two weeks.

If you don’t use all of the dough you can freeze it for up to a year as long as you wrap it well with plastic wrap and place it in a freezer-safe Ziplock™ bag. All you need to do is thaw it (still wrapped) in the refrigerator overnight and you’ll be good to go.

Share this:

Appetizer: Spicy Pickled Carrots & Jalapenos

Pressure Cooker Carnitas

Share this:

Ingredients

Preparation

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Pumpkin Gooey Butter Cake

Share this:

Bacon-Gouda Macaroni & Cheese

Ingredients:

Directions:

Share this:

Apple, Carrot & Oat Dog Biscuits

Directions:

Share this: