May 31 2012

Feta, Spinach & Cranberry Stuffed Turkey Breasts

OH.MY.GOSH.

Feta, spinach, & cranberries, all stuffed into a turkey breast? Yes, please!

I’ve mentioned before the “mmm” factor – that is, I judge how good a meal is by how many times the hubs says “mmm” while he’s eating it (and how emphatic his “mmm”s are, ha!).

This one was off the charts. Like, on another planet.

I’d have to say that I agree.

The turkey, cranberry, and spinach blend together like a Thanksgiving dish. The addition of the Feta transforms it into a dish that can be served year-round. Oh, SO good!

Best of all, it is so easy to make!

The hubs told me to never stop making this. I’ll take that as a good sign

Ingredients:

1/2 cup frozen spinach, thawed & squeezed dry (you should have ~1/4 cup when squeezed)
1/4 cup red onion
1 clove garlic
1-2 TBSP dried cranberries
1 TBSP + 2 TBSP olive oil
1/2 cup crumbled Feta cheese
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp poultry seasoning
1/4 tsp lemon pepper
salt + pepper, to taste
1.5 lbs turkey breast

Directions:

Heat 1 TBSP olive oil over medium heat + sautee onion, garlic, spinach and cranberries until soft.
Lay out turkey breasts and season both sides with garlic powder, poultry seasoning, lemon pepper, salt & pepper.
Once the cranberry and spinach mixture is done, spread evenly between turkey breasts onto just one half of the breast. Then, top this with the feta, also spread evenly between each turkey breasts. Fold the empty side of the turkey breast over the side that is stuffed.
Heat 2 TBSP olive oil over medium high heat. Sear and brown both sides of your turkey breasts (just a couple minutes on each side).
Cover pan and cook until turkey is done all the way through. Use a meat thermometer to determine when the breast reaches 175°. Be sure to check at the thickest part of the turkey and place the thermometer in the center of the meat. The thickest part on this recipe is going to be where the breast folds over.

Serves 2 people

May 30 2012

One year since his proposal

Recently, my hubby and I celebrated the one-year anniversary of his proposal. In honor of that, I wanted to share our proposal story. It’s one that, even if it weren’t my own, would never get old to me. Marcos certainly made it a day to remember. That day not only marked the beginning of our life together, but also an even greater journey to become even better for each other, through God.

Marcos and I met at his aunt’s house on New Years Eve 2009. You see, our lives crossed paths for many years but we never met. Timing really is everything. My cousin just happened to be Marcos’ first friend when he moved here as a middle-school aged kid from Mexico. My cousin doesn’t speak Spanish. Marcos didn’t speak English at the time. I still don’t know how that friendship developed and lasted, but I thank God that it did!

Marcos and I hit it off as soon as we met and the distance wasn’t going to stop us. At the time we started dating, Marcos lived 6 hours away from me. Soon after, he moved back home with his parents, making him just 2.5 hours away. This was still a killer but much better … we would have never seen each other if we lived 6 hours away from each other! Thankfully, the shorter distance allowed us to see each other at least once a month, and a year after we started dating I moved over to his city to be closer. I got an internship during my last semester of college and moved into my aunt’s house (the mom of the cousin who’s also the best friend … following me still?). On April 30, 2011 I graduated from Florida State University. Marcos paid off the ring he had on layaway on May 5 (in true Mexican style on Cinco de Mayo, ha!).

On Wednesday, May 18th I got dressed and went into work just like any other day. In the middle of the afternoon, my boss called me into his office to ask if I could run out to the beach to pick up a package for him. He said it was very urgent and he had asked other people in the office but everyone was busy with something. I had no problem with it – who wouldn’t want a little get away in the middle of a work day? So off I went to pick up a package from the Courtyard Marriott.

When I got to the hotel, I walked into the lobby and asked for the package for my boss. It was handed to me and then to my left I heard a familiar voice call my name. It was Marcos’ sister. She and her cousin were at the hotel (coincidence, huh?). They said that they were waiting on a friend who was in town and staying at the hotel. He was in his room getting ready and they were going to go get something to eat. This same “friend” spent all morning building a huge sandcastle on the beach and they were trying to get a good picture of it but were not having any luck. Since they knew I liked to take pictures, they asked me if I could run outside on the beach real quick and catch a picture before I went back to work. Sure, no problem.

When we got out there, I started snapping some pictures. Right then, I heard someone run behind me and fall into the sand. I was supposed to go over and ask this “random guy” if he was okay. I wasn’t doing it … my mind was racing … why does this guy look strangely like my boyfriend, even though he is covered up in a sweater? Why do I recognize those ugly shorts he is wearing? And … are those his legs?

After waiting on me to ask him if he was okay – which I never did because, as I said, my mind was racing – Marcos’ sister walked over and said “sir, are you okay?” at which point this “random guy” turned around and yep, sure enough, it was Marcos.

Now, anyone that knows me knows that I ask a million questions. So at this point I start questioning Marcos.

“What are you doing here?!” To which he replies “What?! I just wanted to go for a run!”
“Ummm… but you’re wearing a sweater in 95 degree heat! On the beach!”
“So what?” he says.

In an effort to get me to shut up – ha! – he flipped it around and started asking me questions.

“Do you like the sandcastle?” Of course, it was pretty cool.
“What if I told you that I built that for you?” Okay, now my mind is really racing.
“What if I told you that this package is for you?” Okay, someone tell me what is going on! At this point I’m still asking “What’s going on?!” every 5 seconds … gosh I must be annoying. haha!

He starts to open the package that is for my boss and out comes a ring box. I start freaking out, thinking “This is it!” and begin to mentally prepare myself. He begins … “Baby, will you …” (he opens the box) “take these earrings?”

Okay, that is the cruelest trick in the world, and I told him before he proposed that if he ever pulled that one on me that I would kill him (obviously not seriously). But I did hit him a little bit. A playful hit, but man I was still completely confused! Why would he do all of this just to give me earrings? Especially the huge sandcastle!

Now he tells me that he does have one more thing for me. He asks me to reach down into the sand and pull on a string. So I do. And this string connects to a drawbridge on the sandcastle. As the drawbridge comes down, it reveals what is written in the sand underneath: “Will you marry me?” Uh, heck yes I will marry you!

Now his sister and his cousin have been there the whole time, but at this time his other cousin and two friends also pop out from their hiding places. He had someone taking video and someone taking pictures. Man, this guy thought of everything, didn’t he?! Well he wasn’t finished yet …

He tells me to turn around, look up, and wave to his dad. He rented out one of the rooms at the hotel so that his dad could watch me arrive in the parking lot and alert everyone, and then come outside the back balcony and watch the entire proposal. And there were snacks and drinks upstairs, along with his mom and a couple of his aunts. And this was after he took me for a little walk on the beach to a nice restaurant to get a drink at their bar. This is the same restaurant that we ended up having our rehearsal dinner at, and across the street from the place we got married.

Once we got up to the hotel room after having a drink, we had some snacks with his family before he told me about our dinner reservations. Man… could he have any other surprises up his sleeve? Oh yes he can, because at this point, he opens up the closet and shows me three dresses that he went out and bought. I could choose any of these three dresses to wear that night. I felt like Cinderella. The best part – they all fit perfectly.

All in all, up until our wedding day, it was the most magical day of my life. I truly have a guy that loves me – and I love him more than words can express. Now we’re just here, on our little journey through life, watching God’s miracles and loving every second of it. We are so blessed.

May 15 2012

Making Almond Flour at Home

Almond flour is my newest baking assistant in my kitchen. You can use it to replace flour in many recipes (breads may be one of the only exceptions). The biggest problem with almond flour? The price. I never baked with almond flour until recently because I just could not bring myself to buy a bag. At $36.99 for a 5lb bag, my wallet was staying shut and the door was slammed. But I’m cheap like that.

So, in comes my VitaMix. My best friend. My sidekick. Miss Vita is used every day in our household, usually multiple times a day. She really is awesome. Now, don’t stop reading if you don’t have a VitaMix. I hear you can make almond flour in a food processor as well, although it doesn’t come out quite as fine and may affect the texture of the cookies. But in some recipes, that doesn’t really matter, like my Almond Flour Banana Bread Cookies, which are chunky anyway!

The first thing you should know about making almond flour is that if you blend/process it too long, you are going to have almond butter. If this happens, don’t worry, as that is equally delicious and nutritious and can be used to make nut butter cookies. In order to avoid the nut butter, blend no more than 5-10 seconds (possibly longer in a food processor), and add no more than 1 cup of almonds at a time.

You’ll want to use raw almonds. Whole and slivered will both work. I buy a 3 lb bag of raw almonds from Sams for $10.99. You can’t beat it.

Your almond flour should look like this when it’s blended. I haven’t tried storing it for an extended period, as I always just make what I need for the recipe I’m making, but I’m sure it would keep in the fridge for at least a week. Good luck and happy baking!

May 15 2012

Almond Flour Banana Bread Cookies

Almond Flour…my new best friend in baking. I am SO excited! My nut butter cookies have been a success so far, and I can’t wait to experiment with this as well! Keeping it grain free and healthy with all of the usual unhealthy treats is an awesome feeling. I have such a huge sweet tooth, and almond flour is going to be yet another way for me to make healthy baked goods that I don’t have to feel guilty for enjoying!

May 15 2012

Individual Turkey Meatloaves

I love these little ramekins. They have made my life so much easier since I have started to only make enough food for dinner for us to have one serving (you see, the Hubs and I have very little willpower with leftovers). I bought these to make individual chocolate souffles for Christmas dessert last year, and since then they have cooked more meals then I can count.

You’ve got to try this recipe!