Burgers w/ an Asian twist

shown here with a Quinoa Side Salad

  

Ingredients:

1 lb ground beef

1 tbsp chopped garlic

1 tbsp soy sauce

1 tsp ginger paste

1 tbsp sesame oil

2 tbsp chopped cilantro

Directions:
Mix all ingredients together, marinate at least one hour. 
Shape into patties. Cook at 400 degrees for 10 minutes, 
then switch your temperature to broil for 5 minutes. 
(The time really depends on how you prefer your burgers cooked, this recipe make a medium-cooked burger. Broil longer for medium well or well done result.)

Quinoa Side Salad

Ingredients: 

 Salad: 

1 cup of prepared Quinoa 

2 cups chopped raw broccoli 

2 cups cherry tomatoes, sliced 

1/2 cup of toasted cashews

 Dressing: 

2 tbsp chopped cilantro 

1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil 

1 tbsp sesame oil 

1 tbsp soy sauce 

1 tsp prepared wasabi 

1 tsp lemon zest 

2 tbsp olive oil mayonaise (optional)

Prepare 1 cup of Quinoa as directed on your package.

Above are the ingredients for the marinade to dress the veggies below. (see Ingredients: Dressing for specific measurements)

 Raw broccoli chopped and cherry tomatoes sliced into halves.

Cashews toasted, then chopped.

This is how the Quinoa looks after it's cooked, add a drizzle of sesame oil, mix gently and set it aside to cool.

When the Quinoa has cooled fold all the above ingredients together and sprinkle your toasted cashews on top. Serve with your favorite main dish and enjoy! ♥

Barley & Broccoli Salad

Who knew barley could be so delicious? Not me. I'm trying to eat healthier, so I've been looking into some different options. Here's one of the recipes I came up with and even the hubby liked it! WOW.

Ingredients:

1 cup prepared barley, cooled

2 cups chopped broccoli

1 cup chopped dried cherries

1 cup light ranch dressing

2 tbsp of chopped onions

1/2 cup chopped cashews, toasted

Directions:

Start your barley cooking, regular medium barley has a cook time of 45-50 minutes.  

 

  

Chop your broccoli, dried cherries and onions and mix with ranch dressing to start to the dried cherries softening. 

Toast your cashews and chop.

When the barley is done cooking, drizzle it with olive oil. Let it cool and then fold it in with the toasted cashews and other ingredients. Serve as a side dish or as your main meal, either way it will be delicious!

Enjoy! ♥

Pasta a la Melissa

So last Friday night, I made dinner for my step-mom at her house. I had to fly by the seat of my pants cause there was no planning just a casual, "hey, can you make dinner?" 

I found some things in the refrigerator and pantry and just went for it. 

It turned out very delicious, so I thought I would share...

Ingredients:

 3 tbsp of salted butter

half an apple, chopped

half a green pepper, remove seeds and chop

1/4 of an onion, chopped

 

3 sausages, cut into 1 inch slices

(shown here are chicken apple sausages, but you could use any type)

a big chunk of goat cheese

1/4 cup walnuts, toasted then chopped.

1 pkg of noodles (whatever kind you like)

Directions:

Melt butter in a large skillet. Add onions, reduce heat and cook until soft. 

Get your pasta ready to cook, as most pastas may take anywhere from 8-15 minutes. 

Add sausage to skillet, cook about 8 minutes. 

Add green peppers and apples, cook another 2-3 minutes. Cover and turn off heat.

When pasta is finished, drain and add pasta to skillet with onions, sausage, green peppers and apples. Crumble goat cheese over the top (save a little to sprinkle on top at the end) and slowly begin folding contents of the skillet together. When blended together, it should start to look like a sauce. When you are happy with the consistency, plate your dish. 

Sprinkle the toasted walnuts and the remaining goat cheese on top for your final step and serve.

Enjoy! ♥

JJ Essentials Diaper Bag Sling

 So I just pulled this out of the back of my closet and my child is 5, so personally I can't call it a diaper bag. I got it for my baby shower, but it never seemed big enough to carry all of our stuff and I forgot I had it until this weekend. We spent this past weekend sightseeing around Washington DC, and I discovered the beauty of this bag. It held everything we needed (displayed below) each day and best of all, it leaves your hands free cause you wear it like a sash, slung across your body.

Where can I get one you say? Unfortunately, I guess JJ Cole doesn't make them anymore cause I searched their website thoroughly and found nothing like it. I did find some on eBay when I typed "JJ Essentials" into the search bar. Generally, they are running up to $24.99 and worth every penny! I will be taking this bag on many more day trips, it's awesome!

Upcycled Little Girl's Dress

BEFORE

I found this skirt at Goodwill when I was hunting for some furniture. The pretty floral pattern caught my eye and I thought, "wouldn't that make a super cute dress for my daughter Shelby?" So I paid the whopping $3, and took it home. I spent most of Good Friday, in between my other household duties, turning this Old Navy skirt into a very cute Easter dress. 

Not only that, but I made a matching headband and bracelet, I would say for my first attempt at "upcycling" a clothing item, I did a pretty great job! 

Here's the finished product:

AFTER

 

 

Blueberry Sauce (paired with Lemon Bars)

So here it is, confession time, while I may be a whiz in the kitchen,
I absolutely suck at baking! 

Whew! Glad that's out in the open... 

I rely on mixes in the "baking" aisle of the grocery store to make the sweet treats at my house. One of my favorite brands is Krusteaz. Today I'm making their lemon bars, but I did make a kick-ass blueberry sauce to go on top of them that I thought I'd share with you guys!

 :: Ingredients :: 

2 cups frozen blueberries, thawed 

1/3 cup powdered sugar  

1/2 tsp lemon zest

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice 

(or just squeeze the juice out of a lemon, that's what I did)

1/4 - 1/2 c. water

4 teaspoons cornstarch

1/2 tsp almond extract

:: Directions ::

  Combine all ingredients in a medium saucepan; bring to a boil. 

NOTE: For the water, measure a 1/2 cup of water add half of it to begin with
and if it thickens too quickly as mine did, add more water
until you're happy with the consistency.

Cook 3 minutes over medium to high heat or until thick
and stir constantly or the sauce will harden up.

Remove from heat; cover and chill.

If you make this ahead of time, like I did, you may want to pop several spoonfuls of the topping in the microwave for 20 seconds or so and then dollop on top of the lemon bars.

Enjoy!