Author Archives: jenuinelyhomemade

Bacon Brussel Sprouts

brussel sproutsBrussel sprouts are little gems of deliciousness. They have quickly become one of my family’s favorite veggies. So I was really excited when I saw my brother-in-law making them as a side for Christmas dinner. And they were really tasty. I’ve always baked them in the oven and although very yummy, that recipe takes 45 minutes and requires me to shake the pan every 5-7 minutes. This recipe is so much quicker and so very good that it’s a must try.

Bacon Brussel Sprouts

  • 1 lb. brussel sprouts, rinsed, trimmed, halved & dried as much as possible
  • 4 bacon slices, cut into pieces
  • 1/2 c. chicken broth
  • 2 tbsp. brown sugar
  • Ground pepper, to taste

Heat a sauté pan on medium. When heated, add bacon pieces and cook until crisp. Using a slotted spoon, remove bacon to a paper towel to drain. Very important, LEAVE all that wonderful bacon grease in the pan. Add the brussel sprouts and sauté for a few minutes, until they are browned. Pour in the chicken broth and reduce heat to medium low. Put a lid on, leaving it a little to the side for steam to escape. Let cook for 5-7 minutes. Remove lid and sprinkle with brown sugar and pepper. Add the bacon back in. Stir to melt the sugar and eat!

bacon brussel sproutsI’m pretty sure you will inhale these scrumptious brussel sprouts!!

Get to Grillin’!

asparagusIt’s a little cold out for most people right now, but that doesn’t mean you can’t grill. I live in Southern California, so we can pretty much fire up the BBQ any time of year. However, sometimes I like to use my grill pan indoors, and for those of you experiencing a frigid winter, take this tip and grill inside!

Grilled asparagus. Super easy, super simple, and so flavorful. My kids are not partial to asparagus because of the after effects….if you know what I’m saying. But they ate this! And I definitely like asparagus prepared this way much better over steaming.

Grilled Asparagus
1 bunch of asparagus (the skinny kind), washed and trimmed
1- 2 tbsp. olive oil
Dash of salt
Dash of pepper
Parmesan cheese

Heat a grill pan (I used cast iron) on your stovetop over medium high heat. If using cast iron, they take a bit longer to heat up.

asparagus 2Sprinkle asparagus with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. When the grill pan is hot, add the asparagus. When the asparagus gets nice grill marks, turn over and cook the other side. I kind of just move mine around a bit on the pan to make sure the asparagus gets evenly cooked. I like my asparagus crisp tender so I didn’t cook mine long, maybe 5 minutes total. The skinny kind cook up much quicker. Transfer asparagus to a plate and sprinkle with parmesan cheese. *You can use a microplane hand grater to grate your cheese. If you don’t have one, you can use a box grater or the parmesan cheese in a container is fine too!

asparagus 3Have fun grilling indoors!

Panko Fried Shrimp

fried shrimpOne word to describe these fried shrimp? Yummy. Wait! Another word? Crunchy! Okay so that’s two words, but if you like yummy and crunchy shrimp, then TRY THIS. I seriously cannot wait to eat this again.

Panko Fried Shrimp

  • 1 lb. jumbo shrimp (21-25 count) peeled, deveined and butterflied (tails off)
  •  1 c. flour
  •  1 tbsp. cornstarch
  •  1 tsp. sugar
  •  1 1/2 c. very cold water
  •  2 c. panko crumbs
  •  1/8 tsp. white pepper
  •  1/8 tsp. garlic powder
  •  Canola oil

Peel, devein, butterfly and rinse the shrimp. If you’ve never done this before, it’s easy but takes time. Don’t know how? I’ll try my best to help you out. Slip your finger under the shell and gently pry off. Take a small knife, run it down along the length of the entire top of the shrimp, cutting about halfway into the shrimp.

My 8 year took this for me because my hands were in use, as you can see

My 8 year took this for me because my hands were in use, as you can see

Scrape out the nasty stuff. You’ll see it, sometimes it’s a pale peach color, brown or black. After you take that out, you can lay the shrimp on the cutting board and gently press it down to flatten it.

Child photographer at work

Child photographer at work

Just make sure you don’t cut all the way through or else it won’t be butterflied, it will be in two pieces and that’s what you don’t want. Rinse and dry the shrimp.

This is what the shrimp should look like when you're done

This is what the shrimp should look like when you’re done

Heat a skillet (again I used my cast iron) filled with oil on medium to medium high (about an inch up the sides). This is a shallow fry. While this is heating up, mix together your batter.

Add the flour, sugar, cornstarch and cold water to a bowl. Using a fork or whisk, stir until combined. In a shallow dish, mix together the panko, white pepper and garlic powder.

breading stationHere’s how it goes. Take a butterflied shrimp and dip it into the batter. This is a loose batter so not much will stick. Then press the shrimp into the panko, making sure to coat both sides. That’s what you will do for each shrimp. When the oil is ready you can start frying. To make sure oil is hot enough, you can drop some panko crumbs in there and if they sizzle and brown up, it’s ready. If the oil is smoking, it’s way too hot. If you’ve fried before, you’re familiar with how it works.

frying shrimp

That little blur to the left? I think that’s a puppy face in motion.

Gently lay the shrimp into the hot oil. It only take 2-3 minutes per side. Turn the shrimp over when the underside is a nice golden brown. The other side will fry up even quicker. Drain shrimp on paper towels and serve immediately.

I served this with sweet chili sauce and it was in my opinion (and my husband’s) the perfect compliment to the shrimp. I also think sweet and sour would be a great choice as well.

This shrimp was served along side some white rice and cabbage salad with peanut & sesame dressing. OMG. Yes, it was that good.

fried shrimp 2

Spicy Mexican Style Marinated Carrots

marinated carrots 5Ever had those carrots at a taco shop? If you have, then you know what I’m talking about. If you haven’t, WHY NOT?!? They are so good! And you’ve been missing out. Spicy, tangy, and at some places, crunchy. Most taco shops I’ve had them at lean towards the softer side, but I prefer them to have a slight crunch. If you plan on having Mexican food at home, you must make these to have on the side.

Spicy Mexican Style Marinated Carrotsmarinated carrots

  • 1 lb. carrots (approximately 6 medium sized), peeled, and cut on the diagonal about 1/4″ thick
  • 1/2 of a small onion, sliced into 1/8″ rings (I used a mandolin to slice the onions)
  • 3 garlic cloves
  • 3 cups warm water
  • 2 tbsp. canola oil
  • 1/4 c. pickled jalapeno slices
  • 1/4 c. pickled jalapeno juice from the jar
  • 3/4 c. apple cider vinegar
  • 1 tsp. dried oregano
  • 3 bay leaves
  • 2 tsp. peppercorns
  • 1/2 tsp. crushed red peppers

Saute garlic, carrots, onions in a pot on medium high heat for 2-3 minutes. Add the remainder of the ingredients and bring to a roiling boil. Turn off the heat and let cool for 2-3 hours. Put into a jar/container and refrigerate for up to 1 week. *If you like your carrots on the softer side, let boil for up to 5 minutes, then turn off the heat.

marinated carrots 2Do I think these will last a week in your house? Absolutely not!

Meatless Monday

lasagnaCutting out meat for one dinner a week actually adds up to quite a bit of savings in the long run. Carnivores live in my house so we don’t always do this, but we try.

This recipe is a great meatless Monday entrée and is quite filling. Plus, my dad gave the thumbs up on this one, and he literally cannot have a meal WITHOUT meat. He was so surprised that he didn’t even miss it with this dish!

P.S. This dish was a real time saver for me. I put it together and baked it in the morning, let it cool for quite some time and then put it in the fridge. We had a super busy night ahead of us and all I did was cut out some portions, heat them up in the microwave and served with a salad. Saved me lots of time in the evening.

Spinach Lasagna

My mom turned me onto this stuff. Perfect in this recipe.

My mom turned me onto this stuff. Perfect in this recipe.

  • 2 cans (15 ounce) tomato sauce
  • 1 can (15 ounce) diced tomatoes
  • 1/2 onion, chopped
  •  2 garlic cloves, minced
  •  1 tbsp. olive oil
  •  1/4 c. white wine (I used Chardonnay)
  •  2 basil cubes (fresh or dried basil will work too)
  • 1 tsp. salt
  • 1/2 tsp. sugar
  • 1 1/2 tsp. Italian seasoning
  • Pepper (to taste)
  • 1 container (15 ounce) ricotta cheese
  • 1/4 c. grated parmesan cheese
  • 2 1/2 c. shredded mozzarella
  • 1 egg
  • 1 package of frozen chopped spinach (10 ounce or half of a family sized bag), thawed and squeezed dry
  • 1/8 tsp. ground nutmeg
  • Pinch of salt and pepper
  • 6 uncooked lasagna noodles
The frozen basil I'm always using

The frozen basil I’m always using

First, start off by making the marinara sauce. Heat olive oil in a large saucepan on medium. Add onions and sauté for a few minutes, then add chopped garlic. Pour wine into the pan and let cook for about 3 minutes. Then add the tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, and seasonings. Bring to a boil and then reduce to a simmer, for approximately 20 minutes. Turn off heat and set aside.

marinaraPreheat the oven to 350 degrees. In a bowl, mix together the ricotta, parmesan, 1 cup of the mozzarella, spinach, egg, nutmeg and salt and pepper. Set aside.

lasagna 4In a lasagna pan (the disposable ones are perfect) pour about a ladle full of sauce on the bottom of the pan. Lay three noodles side by side. Top with half of the cheese mixture and then a little less than half of the remaining sauce. Sprinkle with approximately 3/4 c. of the mozzarella. Add 3 more noodles, the remaining cheese mixture and pour the rest of the sauce over the top. (It will look like a lot of sauce) Top with the remaining mozzarella cheese.

lasagna 3Cover the pan with foil and bake for 45 minutes. Remove the foil and let cook for an additional 10 minutes. Take out of the oven and let sit for about 20 minutes before cutting into it and serving.

lasagna 2

Best part of this is that if you’re using the disposable lasagna pan which I highly recommend, you can throw away the pan when it’s all gone. Who likes scrubbing a lasagna dish anyways?

Ch, ch, ch, CHIA!

chiaThese tiny crunchy little seeds pack a healthy punch! If you’ve never tried them, give it a shot. According to research, they were a diet staple of the Aztecs and Mayans and are supposed to provide sustained energy. Not to mention, only 1 tablespoon has 150% of your daily recommended value of Omega-3! The suggested serving size per day is only 1 tablespoon and it’s so easy to find ways to sneak them into your food.

My personal favorite way to eat them (Monday-Friday this is my go to breakfast) is oatmeal! I’ve tried to cut back on sugar consumption in the morning time (at least during the week), even though I love a sugary breakfast. If you absolutely cannot live without it, you can add sugar to this but it’s totally optional, and the dried cranberries have sugar in them and add just the right amount of sweetness. And I swear this breakfast starts my day off right.

Oatmeal with Chia Seeds (makes one serving)oatmeal ingredients

  • 1/2 cup quick oats
  • 1 c. water
  • 1 tbsp. chia seeds
  • 1-2 tbsp. almond milk
  • 1 tbsp. sliced almonds
  • 1-2 tbsp. dried cranberries
  • 1 tsp. sugar, (brown, white, turbinado) optional

Put oats and water into a microwave safe bowl and stir. Heat in the microwave for one minute. Add the rest of the ingredients and stir.

Another great way to incorporate chia seeds into your diet is in smoothies. This is a recipe that is definitely kid approved.

smoothie ingredientsMango & Chia Smoothie (makes approximately 3 1/2 cups, or two smoothies)

  • 1 c. plain greek yogurtblender
  • 1 c. coconut water
  • 1 tsp. honey
  • 1 tbsp. chia seeds
  • 1 banana
  • 1 mango, cut into chunks (no skin)
  • 1 pear, cut into chunks (optional if you want to leave the skin on)

Put all ingredients into a blender and blend on high until smooth.

mango smoothie

Feel the power of Chia course through your body and start your day like a super hero!

Gray Hair, Don’t Care (Just Kidding!)

Although I’m not a beauty blogger, I still think this post qualifies under the “Jenuinely Homemade” theme, as it’s done at home! So, a little break from the food posts, to pass on a money saving tip. In the beauty form. Got gray? Unfortunately, I do. After I turned 30, that’s when I decided I needed to handle my business. Although I don’t really think it’s my age that was the cause, but more specifically, THIS person!

Plotting destruction...

Plotting destruction…

That’s my third child, and she’s a handful! Each and every child is so different but in my experience, the last one gives you the most trouble. I joke that every time she does something bad, a gray hair shoots out of my head. Kidding aside, I think it may actually be true.

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERASo this is me and #3 the day of her birth. Look at my glorious natural dark hair. I miss it! She was a great baby, but once she hit one year old, oh my. (See first picture). Ages 1, 2, 3 and 4 for her, and us, have been tough. Moms, I KNOW I’m not alone in experiencing this, right? Please tell me I’m not alone! So then the gray arrived, and dye it I must!

I have had a professional color it in the past but it’s just so expensive to maintain. And if you have to dye your roots frequently like me (about every 4 weeks), then finding a less expensive alternative is necessary. Store bought “box” dye can range anywhere from $5-$12, depending on the brand, and in my experience, doesn’t last as long. I’ve noticed grays coming back within a few days of using that stuff. So I tried these products and I’m glad I did. It’s stronger and pretty easy to use. On a side note, I’m not a licensed cosmetologist. Just a mom with gray looking to save.

Hair coloring essentials

Hair coloring essentials

So the actual color, Clairol Professional Crème Permanente, cost me about $6, and I can use it at least THREE times to dye my roots. The developer was around $8 and I don’t know if I’ll ever run out of the stuff. All the other items (gloves, brush and bowl) cost me less than $5 and can be used countless times, as they are washable. See the savings? You can find all this stuff at your local Sally Beauty Supply.

Not too shabby for a home dye job

Not too shabby for a home dye job

Now, I just want to finish by saying I do love that little girl very much. And although I don’t like my gray hair, and I do care, it’s an easy fix! Good luck gray haired moms! We need it!

Her 4th birthday and she thought the boy on the bag was cute. We're in trouble.....

Her 4th birthday and she thought the boy on the bag was cute. We’re in trouble…..

Top O the Morning to Ya!

So this post has nothing to do with Irish food. I just wanted to say good morning in a less traditional way. So top O the morning to ya! This should give you a hint that I’m going to talk about breakfast. On Saturdays in my house, my family looks forward to a nice home cooked breakfast. It’s our one day that we are not rushed to go anywhere or do anything (except during softball season).

Look at those "farm" fresh eggs! Beautiful!

Look at those “farm” fresh eggs! Beautiful!

On a recent Friday when I was at the grocery store, I found some great looking chicken apple sausage links on manager’s special. Only about $2 and I figured I could use them to make some kind of yummy Saturday breakfast. We also have an abundance of brown eggs because we do the whole backyard chicken thing. So I get fresh eggs on a daily basis. With this in mind, I thought of hash!

This breakfast turned out to be so good, (and pretty looking too!) so I wanted to share it with you. Feel free to substitute the chicken apple sausage for any other sausage you’d like (or can find on sale). Make it your own, and use what you have!

Not done yet, just you wait!

Chicken Apple “Hash” w/ fried eggs (serves 4-5)

¾ pound chicken apple sausage, removed from casing

½ green bell pepper, chopped

¼ onion, chopped

1 garlic clove, minced

½ c. aged white cheddar, shredded

4 potatoes or 5 small potatoes, baked and cut into cubes

4-5 eggs, fried

Pepper to taste

Sliced green onions

Add sausage to a pan (cast iron works great), along with onion and bell pepper. Break up sausage and cook until no longer pink. Add garlic, cooked potatoes and pepper, stirring until combined. Add shredded cheese on top, put a lid on it and turn heat off. To fry eggs, spray your non stick skillet with cooking spray. I use canola oil cooking spray. Heat on medium heat. When skillet is ready, crack eggs, season with a little salt and pepper, and cook on one side for approximately 2 minutes, flip over, and cook for a couple more minutes. Cook the eggs for as long or as little as you prefer. It just depends on how much you like the yolk cooked. Scoop a generous portion of the hash onto a plate, top with the fried egg and sprinkle with the green onions.

*Use your microwave setting for baking potatoes for this recipe. It takes much less time than actually baking them in the oven, and I always do this for any type of breakfast potatoes.

Now THAT'S pretty!

Now THAT’S pretty!

Flax & Almond Crusted Cheesecake French Toast

cheesecake french toast

Yes, I’m posting another “cheesecake” recipe. That’s because I had some leftover cheesecake filling from the no bake apple cinnamon cheesecake bites and there is no way I was letting that go to waste.

If you don’t have any leftover cheesecake filling like I did, don’t fret! You can make a slightly simpler version to speed things along.

Now, if you like sweet breakfast treats, then try this one out. I have a big sweet tooth, but of course, my kids have even bigger ones. Especially #2 (the one who doesn’t eat but surprisingly loves sweets). Hmmm…. Of course, right? So treat yourself and your kids to this delightful breakfast. P.S. It doesn’t even need syrup!

Flax & Almond Crusted Cheesecake French Toast (makes 4-5 whole “sandwiches”)

015

  • 8-10 slices bread (I used whole wheat)
  • 3 eggs
  • 3 tbsp. heavy cream (or milk if you want to lighten it up)
  • Dash of cinnamon
  • 1 8 oz. package cream cheese, softened
  • 2 1/2 tbsp. sugar
  • 1/2 tsp. vanilla
  • 1/2 cup flax
  • 1/2 cup sliced almonds, and then roughly chopped
  • Canola spray
  • Sliced strawberries, optional
  • Powdered sugar, optional

Mix together the cream cheese, sugar and vanilla until smooth. In a separate dish, whisk together eggs, cream and cinnamon. And in another separate dish, add flax and almonds and mix together until combined.

Heat a griddle or non stick skillet over medium low heat. You can either spray with canola spray (my preferred method) or melt coconut oil or butter.

Take a piece of bread and add 2 heaping tablespoons of cheesecake mixture and spread around evenly. Place another slice of bread on top. Dip into egg mixture, making sure to flip over and coat both sides. Then add to the flax and almond mixture. Put the “sandwich” on the griddle. Cook on each side for about 3 minutes. This will just depend on your stovetop. You want the exterior of the bread to get a nice toast on it.

cheesecake french toast

So yummy that it’s pictured a second time!

Cut each “sandwich” in half diagonally and place on a plate. Garnish with some powdered sugar and sliced strawberries. Lick the cheesecake filling as it oozes out. Dig in!

*This recipe will leave you with leftover cheesecake mixture. Do with it what you must, whether it be dipping strawberries into it, eating it by the spoonful, etc. If you do not want leftovers, cut that part of the recipe in half.

No Bake Apple Cinnamon Cheesecake Bites

apple cinnamon cheesecake bites
I heart dessert! I love eating sweets, but not so much baking them. Not to say I don’t bake, but I just don’t enjoy it as much as cooking a delightful dinner. But this dessert is no bake, so it’s perfect for the “non baker” in you.

This is a super cute dessert that is great for serving to company. It looks pretty and is easy to eat. These mini cheesecakes are a perfect combination of crunchy, sweet, tart, all in one little bite.

No Bake Apple Cinnamon Cheesecake Bites (makes 30 bites)

These can be found in the freezer section

These can be found in the freezer section

2 packages mini phyllo shells (15 in each box)
1 large apple, peeled and cut into small pieces
2 tbsp. butter
2 tbsp. brown sugar
1/8 tsp. cinnamon
pinch of nutmeg
juice from half a lemon
1/2 c. heavy cream
1 tbsp. sugar
1 8 oz. package cream cheese, softened
2 1/2 tbsp. sugar
1/2 tsp. vanilla

Thaw mini phyllo shells. Optional, if you’d like them extra crispy, bake at 350 degrees for 3-5 minutes. If not, just let them thaw. Set aside. Melt butter in a saucepan on medium heat. Once melted, add apples and sauté for about 4 minutes. Add brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg and lemon juice. Stir together and once it’s melted and gooey looking, turn heat off and let cool.

Silky, smooth, soft whipped cream

Silky, smooth, soft whipped cream

Add cream and sugar to the bowl of a stand mixer (if not a hand mixer will do) and whip until cream has nice soft peaks, about 3-4 minutes. Start off slow and then up it to a higher setting (I use a 6 on my stand mixer).The cream should look silky and soft. Let it go too far and it starts to look chunky and heads toward butter.Set aside in the fridge.

Fold in the whipped cream and be gentle!

Fold in the whipped cream and be gentle!

 

 

Add cream cheese, vanilla and sugar to the bowl of a stand mixer. Mix until the cream cheese is smooth looking. Add whipped cream to cream cheese mixture and fold together. Once combined, add to a piping bag (or a Ziploc bag with a corner of the bag cut off) and pipe into the phyllo shells. piping

Add apple compote to the top and refrigerate until ready to serve.

Pretty, delicious and easy

Pretty, delicious and easy