If there’s one thing that messes me up during the week, it’s forgetting to get stuff prepped for dinners. I’m usually good about writing myself a note to take something out of the freezer in the morning, but if I don’t get the note written OR actually remember before we leave for work….it doesn’t leave us many options.
Except eggs. There’s always eggs.
And as much as we love breakfast for dinner, it’s nice to have some different egg dishes to throw into the rotation.
Some of our regular easy, weeknight meals are omelets, or biscuits with eggs and bacon, or something like waffles or pancakes. But a few months ago (when I had forgotten to take something out to thaw), I wanted something non-breakfasty that was still quick + easy to make.
Enter the tostada!
Sure you can make these with any meat or veggies you like, but this has turned out to be our very favorite version. The eggs are poached in salsa while the tortillas + beans + cheese heat up. Then all you have to do is get the toppings chopped, and you’re good to go!
I know it’s cliche to post a salad recipe as the first recipe of the year. But it’s a total accident! And I’m pretty sure my next recipe will be stromboli….so we’ll have a good balance going to start 2015.
Even so, I’m so excited to share this recipe!
See, I’m usually at a total loss when it comes to celery. I get stuck in a huge rut when it comes to this veggie, so I am PSYCHED that I have a new way to eat it.
It seems any time I have celery in the fridge, I have it one of two ways: sliced and dipped in hummus, or chopped and put into some kind of soup. And that’s usually it. And as much as I love those two things, that gets sooooooooo boring.
So – I’m challenging myself to come up with new ways of using celery (and lots of other ingredients) this year so I don’t get stuck in so many food ruts. This will also mean that we use up everything in the fridge each week! I hate wasting food, so the more recipes I can have on deck for, well, everything, the better!
Even though I love celery on its own, it’s hard for me to picture it being in an actual “dish” with other ingredients. After only really having it covered in hummus or stuffed with peanut butter, it’s just tough to come up with new ideas.
But thankfully, olives save the day.
Do you like olives? I love olives. I love olives so much that I used to sit and eat an entire can of them as a snack growing up. Thankfully, we have a pretty good olive bar at our Kroger, so we have access to much better olives than the ones I grew up eating. And tossing them into just about anything is a good way to make it a dish that I love.
I’m not normally one to make your “typical” resolutions. I always have goals that I’m working towards, but I’ve never been good at making ones focused only on working out or losing weight or saying that “I’ll never have chocolate again!”. Because one, that sounds like a really sad and depressing life, and two, the only way I’ve found that works for me is to gradually work on changing something. I can’t do something cold turkey or instantaneously. The small steps work better for me. Maybe this is because of my naturally obsessive nature and how easily I can get stuck on ONE thing.
I tend to easily get consumed by one thing at a time (lately: breaking bad. serial. all things french parenting), but the downside to this personality trait is that I can lose interest just as quickly. For me to make lasting changes, I have to take things in small bites. One day at a time. Telling myself I’m going to work out every day just isn’t going to work. Talking myself into a walk most days at work to take a break from the computer? That’s easier. It’s not a boot camp class, but I’m also sporting a pretty impressive baby bump these days, and I’m enjoying the calm before the baby storm by trying my best to relax and stay calm and do things I enjoy, just because I like it.
Regardless of my non-traditional resolution pact with myself, I definitely have some goals for the coming year.
I want my cookbook to be the best it can be. I’m working on recipes behind the scenes and can’t wait to share everything with you!
I want to get back to cooking things that I want to do, things on my to-try-and-conquer list, rather than sticking to any kind of calendar for the year. Maybe I’ll make something green around St. Patrick’s Day, but only if I want to. Not just so I have something to post.
I want to gradually get our house the way we want it. We’ve been working on projects the past few weeks again (mostly pulling wallpaper and painting) and have cleared out quite a bit of clutter. We rearranged furniture, and it’s crazy what a difference it makes. Next up? Finding a desk for me! I think having a defined work space will do wonders on my productivity….because honestly, it’s hard to get things done quickly/efficiently when I’m on the computer on the couch (like right this minute), watching Friends reruns. Fun? Yes. The best use of my time? Probably not.
I know – Thanksgiving is over. BUT the holiday season is still here AND turkey is a great ingredient year round, so you really can’t go wrong.
As much as I love cooking new dishes with turkey during the year, I still think my favorite way to eat turkey is using some of the leftovers from Thanksgiving or Christmas, or anytime you have extra from a full bird.
This year, instead of roasting the turkey, Nick and his dad grilled it, which is basically the best way to eat turkey. There’s the slightest bit of smoke flavor and it is insanely juicy.
Lucky for us, we had Thanksgiving at our house, so we ended up with all the leftovers.
And what better way to re-purpose turkey than in a big pot of turkey and dumplings?
And not just any turkey and dumplings. This turkey is smothered in a green chile and cilantro studded sauce and topped with green onion and cornmeal dumplings. Delicious multiplied.
Just enough spice, a little sweetness from the cornmeal, and perfectly creamy and comforting. I don’t know about you, but that’s pretty much what I want on a cold winter night.
