cheddar bay biscuits and the day i ate 4 biscuits and really wanted to eat 3 more

i want you to know, dear friends, that what i said in the title of this post is true- i inhaled 4 of these and may have just kept on going until there was nothing left but crumbs, but my good sense came back and told me that was a bad idea. i had already posted photos on facebook and my husband would have found out the truth.

yes, that is all that stopped me.

seriously.

i really feel like i need to (gently) urge you to get on this. this is the second time i have made these broccoli, chive + sharp cheddar twice-baked potatoes and i'm already wishing i would have made even more so that i can hoard them in my freezer.

make them.

you must.

recipe here.

corn burritos and a birthday week

in our house, when your birthday rolls around, you get an entire week, not just a day. one full week of getting out of dishes, being allowed the privledge to pick as many meals for the weekly menu as you want, enjoying multiple dinners out with family and friends (birthday person picks where, of course) and just generally a week all about you.

i, of course, installed this tradition (after i tried out a birthday "month" a couple years ago and it didn't quite fly). 

vegetarian southwestern salad with easy taco ranch dressing

doesn't that salad look colorful, healthy and scrumptious? don't you want it on your plate, like, now?

we can make that happen!

chinese long beans with ground pork

the long beans were looking so lovely at farmers market this morning, and as soon as i saw them i remembered a sunset magazine recipe, showcasing those fresh beans, that i had bookmarked a few weeks ago. i love it when the local produce at the market makes deciding what to make for dinner so easy!

broccoli and cheddar twice baked potatoes

i was in folsom last weekend, dogsitting for some sweet friends, and as i was trying to figure out what i wanted for dinner the first night there, i remembered- they now have a whole foods! yah, yah, "whole paycheck" and all that jazz, but i can't help myself, i love that place.

roasted herbed potatoes

i don't know about you, but on weekend mornings all i want is coffee, my comfy couch and an easy breakfast. none of this standing at the stove all morning, covering, uncovering, stirring, lowering and raising the temperature to try to give the potatoes a golden brown crust on the outside and get them perfectly fluffy on the inside.

crispy, crunchy baked zucchini fries

these super crunchy zucchini fries will satisfy your french fry craving with way less fat, no frying and (don't tell anyone) zucchini is good for you!

asparagus + goat cheese quiche

the mister was out of town this week. the lucky so and so went to san francisco for a work thing and so i was on my own for meals for a couple nights. 

i don't know about how things work in your house, but around here, when one of us is absent for dinner, the other takes full advantage of that and eats the stuff that we like (and the other isn't a fan of). for me, that means that when the mister is not here, i like to eat mushroom laden food, goat cheese, foods dotted with olives and quiche.

glorious, lovely, silky quiche.

cheesy baked spinach

this baked spinach recipe is a mash-up of several of julia child's spinach recipes. deb from smitten kitchen found this to be the winning combo and i definitely agree. 

black beans with cumin, lime and cilantro

these tasty beans come together lickety-split and are an inexpensive, low-fat, high fiber vegan base to be used for...

 

burritos

tacos

nachos

huevos rancheros

taco salad

are you ready? this is so easy...

homemade salad dressings

(image via real simple)

a simple and delicious way to control how much fat and sodium is in your food is to make it at home. many home cooks will turn to salads for a quick and healthy dinner, but as soon as they grab that bottle of creamy blue cheese/ranch/thousand island dressing and douse their poor little greens with it, they are undoing any good that could be done by eating a veggie packed salad. store bought salad dressings are full of fat, sodium and weird stabilizers that are no bueno for your body. 

don't worry, i have an easy solution for you- homemade salad dressing. there are so many delicious and healthier dressings that you can make in about 5 minutes, and the jar of dressing will keep in the fridge for the entire week, just remember to give it a good shake, shake, shake to help it re-emulsify before you use it each time.

tuna, lemon and garlic pasta with buttery breadcrumbs

the other night i (quickly) whipped up this tuna pasta for dinner. i must say, i had my doubts about how it was going to turn out (hot tuna? um... ick) but i was pleasantly surprised by how delicious it was. the lemon adds a nice brightness and acidity to it and the parsley adds a fresh note. i added a few pinches of red pepper flake for a little heat and it was a welcome addition. 

potato + kale cakes with rouille

these potato and kale cakes were a big hit, they were creamy and fluffy on the inside with a crispy crust on the outside. we had just them for dinner the first night and then i used the mashed potatoes + kale as a side for our awesome fried chicken the next night. i think next time i make these, and there will be a next time, i will add a bit more kale than the recipe asks for.

real-deal holyfield fried chicken

listen up, dear friends.

i will not apologize for shoving this crispy, crunchy, slightly spicy, juicy fried chicken photo in your face first thing in the morning. 

i will not apologize for all the oil that you are going to need to sizzle the chicken up in.

i will not apologize for the calories (oh, the calories) in this delectable dish.

here's what i will apologize for- i'm so very sorry for not making this sooner so that you can get it in your belly! 

because you must. you really must.

mama's chicken adobo

chicken adobo is a simple one-pot dish of chicken, vinegar, water, soy sauce, black peppercorns, garlic and bay leaves. every filipino family has their own recipe, some using more soy sauce or less vinegar or adding onions, but all use the same basic ingredients.

huevos rancheros

we just had this for dinner and i strongly urge you to make it and put it in permanent rotation on your meal list. it comes together quickly, consists of just a few ingredients that you are likely to usually have on hand and it hits the spot every time. i can't believe it took us so long to finally make it.

again, learn from my mistakes, people.

here's the recipe. make this. you can thank me later.

paleo italian sausage, mushroom, olive,red pepper and spinach pizza

i was so happy with the results of this pizza. so happy! 

the texture of this crust reminds me of a cornmeal crust and was a little crisp on the outside but tender inside. i broke off a little hunk of it when it came out of the oven, after i par-baked it, and dipped it in the still-warm homemade pizza sauce and i concluded that these would make awesome breadsticks dipped in warm pizza sauce.

italian sausage frittata

you all know how much i love a good frittata. they are always quick, easy, delicious. but, the best thing about a nice fluffy frittata is that you can put whatever you have on hand in it and the possibilities are endless.

paleo stuffed red bell peppers

i've been feeling very full lately and feeling the need to cut back on carbs, so i have been peppering the weekly menu with paleo(ish) recipes.