Brussel Sprouts and Kale? Oh my!

As many of you know, I love bread. I don't just mean, prefer it over other things - I mean love it. Stomach hurts? It's time for bread and ginger ale! Staying in for movie night? How about a warm grilled cheese? In fact, back in the old days (read: a few years ago), if I had a bad day at work, I would stop and pick up a loaf of warm french bread from the market, come home, and eat the whole damned thing. Not a great habit.

For Crossfit, I signed up for my I Am Crossfit Challenge - the same one I did last year, but in a heavier/harder weight class. Not that I'm heavier (though now that I think about it...) but I'll be using heavier weights, and having to do band pullups instead of jumping. Running portion is still the same, though I hope to not stop to walk at all this year. That's a big goal for me in and of itself. In order to not revamp my whole eating style when this kicks off this weekend, I've been sneaking in little changes here and there since after Christmas.

Currently, I'm opting for a more paleo/zone style of eating. No bread. None. It's a little rough the first week, but now I'm rocking! :) In this quest, I have discovered that I actually like brussel sprouts. No really. I do. Same with kale! You might not want this recipe as it's got some fat going on (DELICIOUS!) but it's a good way to start expanding your circle of veggies in a delicious way.

Kale or Brussel Sprouts with Pancetta, Shallots and Garlic

• Either one bunch kale or half pound of brussel sprouts
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced
• One shallot, minced
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 2-3 ounces of thickly sliced pancetta (you can sub bacon!)

If you're using kale - make sure you rip the leafy parts off and discard the stem. It's very, very bitter and doesn't cook into anything you'd want to eat. If using brussel sprouts, cut them either in half length-wise, or in quarters length-wise.

Turn your stove on medium heat, and melt the tablespoon of butter in the pan. Once this is melted, toss in your pancetta and let it cook 5-7 minutes or until they're deliciously cruchy browned bits. Add in the shallots and the garlic and stir around for a minute or so until they start to soften. Do not let the garlic burn!

Now, if you're using kale - you toss it in here and let it cook for 6-8 minutes until it's turned a deeper, electric green color and is wilted and cooked. Raw kale is not great. Make sure you're moving the pancetta and the garlic and tossing it all together. This will make sure that the garlic doesn't burn and that your leafy greens are covered in deliciousness.

If you're using brussel sprouts, toss them in the pan and leave them alone for about 5 minutes. You want to stir them once to make sure they're covered in the butter/rendered pancetta. You want to get those crispy brown spots on the brussel sprouts. If you're worried that you're going to cook them too long - you can always cook them before the garlic and shallots, and then add those last (make sure to cook the garlic for at least 2 minutes to get rid of that raw garlic taste!)

I promise, it will taste much better than you think!

Spicy Corn Salad

Summertime was my favorite time growing up, as I'm sure it is for any kid. Living in Texas, well - not so much my favorite anymore. But summertime in California, is amazing. It reminds me of beach bonfires, kabobs on the grill and the smell of the ocean in the air. Since we are a bbq family, I spend a lot of time experimenting with sides. Here's one of our favorites.

Spicy Corn Salad

• 8 ears of corn, husked
• 1/2 red bell pepper, diced
• 1/2 red onion, chopped
• 2 tablespoons sliced green onions
• 2 chipotle peppers, minced
• 3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• 1 lime, juiced
• 1.5 tablespoons kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon coarsely ground pepper

Preheat your grill to medium. Lay the corn on the grill and cook for 12 minutes, turning frequently to avoid burning. Remove the corn from the grill and set aside to let cool. Once cool, take a knife and remove all the kernels into a large bowl. Add all the remaining ingredients to the corn and toss to combine.

Better Potato Salad? Just add Bacon!

I love bacon. It's a simple but true fact that I literally eat it daily. Crunched on top of salads, crumbled into my omelets, sometimes stolen right out of the pan as I'm cooking it. It's my bacon-given right as the chef - or so I tell my husband as I steal it all. :) Here's a new twist on a summertime classic - potato salad. Just add the bacon!

Creamy Bacon Potato Salad

• 5 hardboiled eggs*
• 4 slices crispy bacon (i prefer the center cut!)
• 2 tablespoons of Dijon mustard
• 3 stalks of celery, minced
• 2 pounds of small red potatoes
• 1 cup mayonnaise
• 2 tablespoons Flat-leaf parsley, chopped
• salt & pepper

Place the potatoes in a large pot with enough water to just cover the potatoes completely. Bring them to a boil, cook for 20 minutes and then drain them and let them cool. Peel the eggs, place them in a large bowl and mash them to little bits with a fork. Stir in the celery, mustard, mayo, salt and pepper. When combined, crumble 3 pieces of the crispy bacon into the mayo mixture and set aside.

Chop the potatoes into bite-sized pieces and stir into the mayo mixture until well coated. Garnish with the rest of the bacon crumbled on top with the parsley. Best cool or at room temperature - let it sit for a bit so the flavors can combine!

I apologize for the mini-break I took from posting. Work, garage sale, new car for the hubs, etc sort of took over for a bit! But I'm back with my recipe for Tomatillo Salsa. I'm not generally a fan of the green stuff (guac, tomatillo,etc) but this one with it's hint of spice has got me hooked. I use it sometimes in my Green Chile Chicken enchiladas... but sometimes I just shovel it with a chip.

Tomatillo Salsa

• 1 small white onion


• 10 tomatillos (husked)


• 3 garlic cloves, chopped


• 2 jalapeno peppers, chopped (and deseeded if you want)


• 1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped


• salt and pepper to taste

In a pan, cover the tomatillos with water and cook over medium-high heat until it comes to a boil. Lower heat to medium, and simmer until tomatillos soften and begin to burst - about 10 minutes.

Drain tomatillos and place in a food processor (or blender, if you don't own a food processor that will fit them all!) with onion, garlic, jalapenos, cilantro, salt and pepper. Blend until it's how you want it - I blend until almost entirely smooth.

The Real Reason I moved to Texas

I love Shiner Bock. It's 30% of the reason I moved here - with the other remaining 70% going to the hotness that is my dear husband. ;) One of my favorite things in the world is Shiner Bock Beer Bread. When you add in my special honey butter, it's better than finding the perfect shoes, in your size, on sale and then what? You get another 40% off? It's that good.

Shiner Bock Beer Bread

• 2.5 cups self rising flour
• 1/2 cup all purpose flour
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
• 3/4 teaspoon italian seasoning
• 12 ounces of Shiner Bock
• 1/4 cup, melted butter

Honey Butter

• 1/2 cup butter
• 1/3 cup honey

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees and grease and flour a 9"x5" baking pan. In a large bowl, mix together the self-rising flour, all purpose flour, brown sugar, salt, baking powder, onion powder, and italian seasoning until combined. Next, pour in the beer and mix until JUST moistened. Pour into the greased baking dish and top with the melted butter. Bake 40-50 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean!

For the honey butter, use room temperature softened butter and mix in the honey until combined. It's easy, and delicious.

Wait anxiously until the bread has cooled off then eat like crazy with honey butter.

Delicious, delicious cornbread.

There is no possible way to make homemade cornbread without butter. Embrace it. If you wanted to eat well - you wouldn't be making cornbread in the first place, right? Right.





Homemade Cornbread - From Scratch!

• 1/2 cup butter
• 1.5 cups buttermilk (lowfat works fine)
• 2 medium eggs
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup yellow cornmeal (you can grab this in bulk bins at Sprouts or Whole Foods as well)
• 1 cup flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda

This is best made in a cast iron skillet - if you don't have one, it's not the end of the world, you can use a 9" baking dish or a 9" cake pan if you're truly desperate.

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. In a large mixing bowl, combine buttermilk, eggs, sugar and salt and whisk together until well combined. In another small bowl, microwave the butter until completely melted. Butter the bottom of your baking dish (or pan) with just a little bit of the melted butter. Pour the rest of the melted butter into the buttermilk mixture, being careful not to scramble your eggs and mix until thoroughly combined. Add in the cornmeal, flour and baking soda and mix with whisk until mixture is mostly smooth. Pour mixture into the pan/dish/skillet and bake in the oven for 20 minutes before checking. Mine generally takes about 25 minutes to cook and get golden brown on top. It's difficult but let it cool before you serve it!

Time for Some Veggies

After my ode to peanut butter and chocolate the past few days, I feel the need to impart some healthier recipes. Call it guilt. Call it the fact that I'm reasonably sure after the past few days that I am at least 1/8th Reese's Peanut Butter Cup now. I'm going back to Crossfit tomorrow consumed with guilt and ready to take my 800m unlimited runs as punishment. These roasted veggies are a real time saver for my household during the week - it makes a pretty decent amount and the leftovers reheat really well. Delicious with a rotisserie chicken from the store when you're not in the mood to cook the next day. :)

Roasted Vegetables*

• 2 red bell peppers


• 1 green bell pepper


• 1 sweet yellow onion


• 1 bunch asparagus


• 7-8 red potatoes


• 1 head broccoli


• 1 tablespoon salt


• 1.5 teaspoons pepper


• Extra virgin olive oil (enough to drizzle, not drown)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Chop all the vegetables into 1-1.5" pieces. In a large shallow baking dish or on a large cookie sheet (must have sides to it!), place all the chopped vegetables in a single layer. Sprinkle liberally with the salt and pepper (they take more than you think they need, trust me!) and drizzle with olive oil. At this point you get dirty - toss the vegetables together with your hands to coat. Rearrange back into a single layer and pop the tray in the oven. Every 15 minutes, take a spatula and "shake up" the vegetables, so they do not stick to the tray or burn! Anywhere from 45 minutes - 1 hour depending on how you like your veggies and they're done! How easy was that?

*The secret to this recipe is - there is no secret. Whatever veggies you have will work here - squash, broccoli, carrots/baby carrots - whatever. This is the easiest side dish AND it's delish!

Getting ready for grilling!

Aaron's birthday is coming up and in honor of that fact, I intend to char some meat on the grill. Not just meat, but my famous corn on the cob which if it's 20 below or you don't have a grill can also be made in the oven. I'm handy that way.

Kelly's Garlicky Corn on the Cob

• 6 ears of corn - sans anything but corn & cob - no silk, etc.
• 1 stick of room temperature butter
• 2 minced cloves of garlic (or more, depending on love of garlic)
• salt
• pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder (optional also depending on love of garlic)
• Aluminum foil - 6 pieces, enough to wrap the corn in

Preheat oven to 350 degrees (or grill to medium). De-husk and de-silk the cobs of corn. In a small bowl, mix together the soft butter, minced garlic, garlic powder, salt, and pepper until thoroughly combined. On a sheet of aluminum foil, place 1 cob of corn. (here's where it gets messy since I generally use clean hands for this part). Slather cob of corn in the garlic butter mixture, coating all sides. Roll the corn on the cob up in the foil. Repeat with other cobs of corn.

If using oven - place corn directly on the rack in the oven. Rotate every 6-8 minutes, rotating until 25-30 minutes cooking time. If using grill - place foil-wrapped corn directly on the grill, reducing the heat to medium. Roll the corn, rotating to a different side every 3-4 minutes for a total of about 15 minutes. Check the corn by gripping the foil with tongs and slowly unrolling. When the corn is a dark yellow/lightly browned ( a few darker spots never hurt anyone either) - it's ready and delicious. Give it a few minutes to cool off or you'll burn your tongue!

Warning: Do Not Eat This Alone

I warn you not to eat this alone because you will eat the whole loaf. A guest will at least add a sense of shame if you ignore the main course and eat all the bread instead. Plus, you'll have to share. Or kick them out and wolf it all down. ;)

The Most Delicious Homemade Garlic Bread

• 3/4 cup softened butter
• 1 teaspoon, garlic salt
• 1/4 teaspoon dried rosemary
• 1/4 teaspoon dried basil
• 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• 2 tablespoon grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 loaf of French bread

Preheat oven to 300 degrees. In a small bowl, mix the butter, garlic salt, rosemary, thyme, basil, garlic powder and Parmesan cheese. Cut the french bread in half, length-wise. Spread the butter mixture equally on both insides of the bread. Feel free to add as much extra Parmesan cheese to the bread as you want - it's delicious.

Place the bread halves crust-sides down on a baking sheet. Bake in the oven for 8-12 minutes until lightly browned.

Coleslaw is rapidly becoming one of my favorite summertime side dishes. It's perfect to take to a bbq or to enjoy with your family and friends. This is my recipe for it, hopefully it'll be one that you enjoy enough to make it yours.

Kelly's 'Slaw

1 small head cabbage, shredded *
3 medium carrots, shredded *
1 cup mayonnaise
1/3 cup sugar
1/4 cup cider vinegar

*Feeling lazy? Buy two packages of the premixed cabbage cole slaw mix and take it from there!

In one bowl, mix the cabbage and the carrots together (or bust out your cabbage mix!). In another small bowl, mix together the mayonnaise, cider vinegar, and sugar. Pour about half the mixture into the bowl of carrots and cabbage and mix together. You can always add in more of the mixture, but can't take it away if you overload it! Add in as much or as little as you want. I let it marinate for at least 4 hours and serve it cold.