Hey Good Lookin' What's You Got Cookin' ?

I love to cook and bake! I always have and always will. I am trying  not to consume processed junk. Now that I'm on summer break I have more time to cook at home. Yum-o! So here is just a snippet of what's been on the stove lately! So my  {LOVE THEM SO MUCH <3 } neighbors, Shannon & Chris, are always willing to be taste testers and give me feedback! (Sniff Sniff  they are moving a few miles up the road. Sad Day Very Sad Sad Day. )  

1). French Bread Pizza with Peppers and Onions

2). Homemade Coconut Organic Whole Wheat Almond Brownies

3). Lasagna Roll-ups! 

Cooking is relaxing because I turn on my music and go to town! (If the walls could talk right?! HAHA! ) I have no desire to be a chef or cook. However, one upping Martha Stuart Camp Cupcake Queen is fun. Have you ever watched her show? I DVRed it. She is mean! ( Miss Thang could make the devil cry) I found myself annoyed. Everything has to be look perfect. Well keep it movin' sister! This is the college-early 20's something edition! So consider this your fair warning. Hold on and hope that I don't light my eyebrows on fire! :) (Seriously though, with all the make-up I wear it's a wonder I haven't light up like a Christmas Tree. that would be FUNNY though. )

The French Bread pizza I had once at a party with-old-what's-her-head-I-haven't-the-slightest. So here is the break down. 

Cut a baguette or the Hill Jack Indiana word French Bread! ( Are you happy now Taye Taye?! baguette- It's French and worldly. hehe. Love you ! Can't wait for you to come down) 3 Medium Bell Peppers. 1 medium onion. I bulb of Garlic. Garlic Powder or Garlic Salt. 2 C. Moz or Parm Cheese. Oilve Oil. 2 Cans Diced tomatoes.  

1). Cut baguette in half. Coat with olive oil. 2). Put on cheese any cheese that you like will do. 3). Chop up and saute peppers,onions, tomatoes, and garlic all together in a pan with a little olive oil. Cook long enough until you can smell all of the veggies! 4). Add garlic salt if you love garlic (like me) to the veggie mix! 5). Transfer veggies to bread. 6). Add the rest of the cheese & bake at @ 375 for 15 min. Baking times will vary. My oven is weird. Remember everything is cooked already so you are just browning the cheese and the crust! *Some people say this is wonderful with Italian sausage* Go for it baby! :) I just chose to use what I had on hand. This doesn't reheat well.

The Brownies are the best. (Duh) This recipe is from my mama. Thanks Tarmy :O 

1 C. Organic Sugar in the Raw

1/2 C. Coco (Love me some Trader Joe's Unsweetened Coco!) 

1/2 C. Organic Coconut Oil 

1 Tsp. Vanilla 

1/2 C Whole Wheat Flour

1 Pinch of salt 

3 Farm Fresh Eggs 

1/4 C. Raw Almonds

Mix all ingredients in a bowl. Add batter to a greased pan. Bake. Eat. Wash down with a glass of milk. Repeat. Bake at 425 for 30 minutes. Again oven times are iffy at best. This worked for me though. I also use 3 eggs because it makes them a bit fluffier. If you have a nut allergy and you don't want your face to swell like a balloon simply don't add the nuts :) Remember I know CPR ;) I am obligated by law to save you ,if you do something stupid. I ain't afraid to throw down ! :)  

These are my new favorite! Well Garfield and I. ( Fun Fact. I loathe cats. However,one that likes lasagna is the only one that I like. ) 

1 Jar Pasta Sauce

6 Lasagna noodles

2 C grated Cheese -I used Chedder and some Italian blend

1 Container cottage cheese

1 Egg

1/4 C.  Diced Onion

This recipe is amazing because it is super easy! You can use hamburger or not. Again, I used what I had on hand. I am trying to do at least 3 meatless meals a week. So this is one of them. If you don't put it in you won't miss it I promise! I need a red bumper sticker that says I'm a carnivore. Hehe. Nuts to you PETA! 

This looks and is messy. I promise you though it is scrumptious.*Cough Cough Toot Toot My Own Horn Beep Beep* There are are 1,258,599.6 different recipes for Lasagna. So I encourage you to use whatever works for your budget,waste line, and family. 

First, boil noodles. While the noodles are boiling cook pasta sauce. I add the onion in while it is cooking. I also add Garlic powder. (Tip # 2 See all the garlic I use. I meant what I said about being careful with food allergies. You don't want my garlic breath coming at you. :) While all of this is cooking mix together 1 egg. 1 Container of cottage cheese and 1 C of your grated cheese into the mix. Drain noodles. In my efforts to save time and not dirty up every pan in my apartment, I have a handy little work station. Refer to above picture.  Carol Engle, (Love you so much!) Gave me big glass cutting board. This is the secret to my perfect little work station. I placed the pan of pasta sauce on a hot pad thing? (Yes I know Martha would know the proper name for it. She probably also sells one at the K-Mart! Blue Light Special ) Ha. Anyway, I also used the sauce pan lid to hold my noodles. I spread about a 1/4 C of pasta sauce on the bottom of my pan. Then lay out all of you noodles and begin. Spread your cheese mix on first. Next, add your sauce and do the tootsie roll. THIS WILL BE MESSY, BUT WHO CARES? Do you own hand soap and a clean towel? Then it's no worries :) After  you roll these up and place them in your pan, wash your hands. After that get a spatula and put all of that sauce and cheese mix in your pan. Didn't your mother teach you not to waste good?! Any left over sauce can be added as well. Then add remaining cheese & bake! Bake at 425 for 30 min. until the cheese bubbles. This dish can be made up the night before. I made two pans of this last night. The first batch was for dinner guests, the other was for work lunches. I let it cool and place one roll in foil. I am not sure how long these last in the freezer. (Why? I eat them within a few days. Ha.) So how long you keep them in the freezer is in your hands! 

I have made the switch to whole wheat pasta and grains. You might call Bull Crap! The noodles above are white, yes you are right! However, I wasn't going to chuck those noodles because they are white. My new box is whole wheat. Make the switch, it is weird at first but worth it. I feel better eating healthy. It is also relaxing and fun to cook my own food.(Dancin' around my kitchen singing loudly and off key to country music or Gaither songs! )  There is also a sense of accomplishment in knowing my hands nourish other people. Use whole wheat flour in the brownies, no one will know the difference. If they do, well then more for you! :)  

Recently, I have also made Whole wheat organic chicken and broccoli Pita pockets, Organic Ranch and Cheddar burgers, Organic parmesan zucchini bites, Homemade Chicken Parm. It feels good to eat real home made food. This makes week number 3 of no fast food! 

SO I GOTTA ASK......WHO WANTS TO COME OVER FOR DINNER :)