Category: Recipes

Iced Coffee

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I love my coffee and as soon as the weather gets a little warmer, I like to switch over to iced coffee.  On a lazy Sunday like today, it’s nice to be able to make it at home.  The nice thing about iced coffee, is it stays pretty fresh for a couple days so I made some extra for Monday morning too. 

Directions:

  • Brew your favorite coffe as normal.  Turn burner off and let cool until room temperature.
  • Pour some coffee into ice cube tray and put in the freezer.
  • Put coffee in large container or big jars and refridgerate for about an hour.
  • Once ice cubes are completely frozen, put in a cup and pour iced coffee in.  Add cream&sugar as desired.

*My favorite part of this homemade recipe is the coffee ice cubes because I hate when iced coffee gets watery! 🙂

Tomato, Basil Mozzarella Skewers

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I threw my Dad a surprise Birthday party on Saturday & it was a hit.  It was the first picnic of the season.  It was so nice to sit outside under tents, have the grill cooking, and have a blast.  This got me thinking to my favorite party appetizers.  I like making appetizers that I can eat and I will not feel guilty about.  One of my favorite appetizers that is so simple and a hit at all parties is Tomato, Basil Mozzarella Skewers.  You can easily make for a small group or for an extremely large group and it’s virtually no preparation required.  I got this recipe from my future mother-in-law.

Ingredients:

  • Bamboo skewers
  • Package of grape tomatoes
  • Fresh basil
  • Fresh mozzarella balls (bocconcini)
  • Balsamic vinaigrette dressing

Directions:

  1.  Skewer 1 grape tomato, a basil leaf, and a mozzarella ball. Repeat to desired amount of skewers.
  2.  Make sure the sharp edge of the skewer is not sticking out of the tomato.
  3. Place on a large tray and drizzle balsamic vinaigrette dressing on top.
  4. Refridgerate until ready to serve. 

Happy Earth Day! Easter Recipe.

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Happy Earth Day to you!  Today is a great day to think about what you do to help the environment, conserve energy, and what you can improve on.  I know I am far from perfect but I am always looking for ways to improve.  I try to always recycle, reuse items such as shopping bags, containers, donate my clothing (to my family in Poland) and try to buy local produce.  However, I do admit I drive way too much and can be very wasteful at home with bottles, jars, etc.  So my goal is to ride my bike more when I am getting something in the neighborhood (plus that will have a dual benefit on my physique) and recycle wayyy more! 

One of my inspirations for going green is my friend Kelly.  She was my college college roommate at UCONN and is one of my bridesmaids in my wedding!  She is a vegan and has an awesome blog called Party Like a Vegan.  Even if you are not vegan or vegetarian, her recipes are awesome because she uses natural products that are way more healthy than processed and other foods.  The other day she posted this AMAZING recipe for Vegan peanut butter eggs so instead of sharing one of my recipes, I am going to direct you to her recipe! 🙂  ENJOY!

Vegan Peanut Butter Cups: http://www.partylikeavegan.com/2011/04/19/vegan-peanut-butter-cups/

Death by Chocolate

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Ok, so I know I usually post healthy recipes but Easter is coming up and you have to bring a dessert that everyone will like- kids, adults, grandmas, grandpas… everyone is a chocolate lover!  Death by Chocolate is always a dessert that will fly quickly with no doggy bags to take home.  This dessert also looks awesome too because it has gooey layers of deliciousness!  You will need a deep glass dish in order to really give it the mouth-watering appeal.
And no… there really is no low-calorie version for this one but it is worth every calorie!

 

Ingredients

  • 1 package brownie mix
  • 2 packages instant chocolate pudding mix
  • 1 package frozen whipped topping, thawed
  • 3 bars chocolate covered English toffee
 

Directions

  1. Prepare brownies according to package directions. Let cool.
  2. Mix pudding according to package directions.
  3. In a glass punch bowl, layer in the following order: 1/2 of the brownie, crumbled; 1/2 of the pudding; 1 toffee bar, crushed; 1/2 of the whipped topping.
  4. Repeat layers in the same order. Save the last toffee bar to crumble and sprinkle on top before serving.
  5. Refrigerate and serve!

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Spaghetti Squash Recipe

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One of my favorite healthy meals is spaghetti squash!  It gives you the satisfaction and fullness of a huge pasta dinner but at about a fourth of the calories and virtually NO carbs! 

Spaghetti Squash

  • 1 spaghetti squash, halved lengthwise and seeded
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 onion, chopped
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • 1 1/2 cups chopped tomatoes
  • 3/4 cup fresh mozzarella
  • 3 tablespoons sliced black olives
  • 2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
 

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease a baking sheet.
  2. Place spaghetti squash cut sides down on the prepared baking sheet, and bake 30 minutes in the preheated oven, or until a sharp knife can be inserted with little resistance. Remove squash from oven and let cool.
  3. Heat oil in a skillet over medium heat. Saute onion in oil until tender. Add garlic, and saute for 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in the tomatoes, and cook only until tomatoes are warm.
  4. Use a large spoon to scoop the stringy pulp from the squash, and place in a medium bowl. Toss with the sauteed vegetables, mozzarella, olives, and basil. Enjoy guilt-free!