Fast and Fresh

Ahhh the kitchen. One of my favorite places to be. One thing I am known for is loving magazines. Probably because it's a faster read than a book. Recently I picked up Food and Wine's "Fast + Fresh". Because I don' t think there is a better food combo. What I didn't realize is it also pairs a wine with each recipe. Um that means me in heaven. I'm sure there will be more to follow but I wanted to share my first recipe from this amazing mini cookbook.

Sichuan-Style Green Beans with Pork

• 2 Tbsp oil
• 1/2 lb ground pork
• 3/4 lb green beans, sliced thin and clockwise
• 3 small red peppers (the recipe called for chilies but I couldn't exactly locate them so I improvised)
• 2 minced garlic cloves
• 1 1/2 lime juice and the same for soy sauce

How to: Cook the pork in oil, then add green beans and peppers (or chilies I guess, haha) and garlic, cook until the green beans are crisp-tender, then just throw everything else in and season with salt and pepper.

Wine pairing: German Riesling

I don't know about you but I'm in love with fast, fresh, and ..wine. This is a must try for a quick weeknight dinner.

Have a lovely Wednesday!

xoxo

Eat Colorfully

As of lately I've been completely obsessed with fruit salads not just any fruit salad but this one in particular. One of my friends brought this to my house and I've been addicted. If you make a bunch you can snack all week long. 

So here are the health benefits of this quick easy fruit salad. 

Strawberries help burn stored fat, they are low in calories and high in fiber. 

Grapes can prevent cancer, high blood pressure, and heart disease.  

Blueberries are the king of antioxidants! They help prevent aging, and improve brain function.  

Watermelon boosts cardiovascular and bone health. It's an ant inflammatory and supports your nervous system, and kidney support.

The real question is why are you not eating this every day?! Enjoy! 

My Favorite Meal Is Brunch

One fact about me is that I love Brunch and everything it involves. This weekend, MK and I had my parents over for Brunch. When the thought of creating a menu enters my mind I can hardly think straight due to the excitement! Especially for my favorite meal. Along with what is pictured I also had chicken pesto crepes and dark chocolate, Brie, and balsamic strawberry sandwiches for dessert.

For starters, Caesar Salad Canape's and I cannot take total credit for this as the idea. A few weekends ago I went to an event for work to benefit Breast Cancer. It was a beautiful gathering and one of the appetizers they had were very similar to this. I immediately put it on the backburner to use and what a better time than Brunch?

Being that Valentine's Day is only five days away I thought of course we needed bacon but what we really needed was heart shaped bacon!  

In my humble opinion I truly believe that Brunch must involve Quiche. The beautiful thing about this dish is that you can really clean out your fridge with it. In my case I made mine with Pancetta and Cheddar although the possibilities are endless.

Last but most certaily not least Bloody Mary's!! Arguably the best part of this meal. When I used to bartend back in the day, I would make tons of these but of course I had to make them the way the restarunt wanted me to. This was actually the first time I had made them "from scratch". Here is my recipe:

• -1 1/2 oz Vodka
• -3 oz Tomato Juice
• -1/2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
• -3 drops Tabasco sauce
• -Pepper
• -salt (just a tad) 
• -celery, lime, lemon (my favorite fixens) 
• Add the ingredients in this order, shake, and pour over ice.  
  Enjoy!