mango salsa... and taco night

taco night is epic at our house. I am known for my obsession with condiments, so we always have about 8 different types of sauces or dips whenever we do mexican food.

Here is an easy, and all-time favorite at our house.

mango salsa

taco night!

guacamole

cilantro lime sauce

yum.

Mango Salsa
2 ripe mangos, peeled and chopped
1 avocado, pitted and chopped
juice of 1 lime
1/2 cup chopped cilantro
2 tomatoes, chopped
1 teaspoon salt
2 garlic cloves, chopped finely

Throw all the ingredients together in a bowl, and stir well. Serve right away or let the salsa sit for a couple hours so flavors blend.

toasted coconut cake

toasted coconut cake with homemade vanilla cream icing

birthdays are the best.
especially 30th birthdays for my sister in law. Over the holidays, we got to throw Danielle a surprise 30th birthday party. It was a great night... My oldest brother played bartender, my sister was the DJ, and by the end of the night, my entire family busted out into a dance party in the middle of the living room. It was grand.
We had a huge assortment of appetizers and snacks, and did a toasted coconut cake with homemade vanilla cream icing. So good.

yum. let's eat cake.

toasted coconut cake:
box of duncan hines vanilla cake mix.
1 cup toasted coconut
Follow the directions on the back of the box and mix in toasted coconut. Pour batter into 3 greased round cake pans. Bake until set in middle. Remove cakes from oven and let them cool completely. Meanwhile, make the icing.

homemade vanilla cream icing
1 cup butter
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup milk
6 Tablespoons flour
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups toasted coconut
Cook flour and milk in a saucepan until so thick that you can't stir it. Let it cool.
Cream butter and sugar in a mixer until smooth. Add milk mixture and vanilla and beat for about 8 minutes, or until very thick and creamy.

Place 1/3 of icing on 1st layer of cake. Sprinkle with 1/2 cup of toasted coconut. Repeat layers, adding the extra coconut to the top of cake. Top with sliced strawberries.

{almost} the best thing i ever ate

a london fishcake... so amazing.

I was in London during the month of December. London gets a bad reputation for their food... but I have to say I was remarkably impressed with their cuisine. I practically ate my weight in clotted cream and scones, inhaled ridiculous amounts of shepherds pie, and fell in love with their assortments of chocolates and treats.


On a lovely Saturday afternoon, I went to a darling french cafe with a friend Toby. While there, I ate one of the most delicious things ever... It was called a Fish Cake, and was drizzled with Hollandaise sauce and on top a bed of baby spinach. It was all topped with a poached egg. They cake was crab, salmon, and all other kinds of phenomenal. I don't think I am going to attempt to recreate this masterpiece. Un-believable.  

honey rum chicken.

honey rum chicken

Roommate dinner is back.
I have MISSED them.
Seriously, I have the best roommates ever, and though I was gone for only two weeks, it felt like so much longer.
After countless stories, and lies about the happenings of the past few weeks, we sat down to a great meal of honey rum chicken. Its so easy, and fast, and warming for the winter.

honey rum chicken
2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken
2 sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed
1/2 red onion, sliced
2 large carrots, chopped
3 cloves garlic, chopped
3 Tablespoons Honey
1/4 cup rum
2 Tablespoons olive oil
1 Tablespoon Italian seasonings.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
Coat the bottom of a 13x9 pan with 1 Tablespoon olive oil.
Arrange the chicken in the bottom of the pan.
Toss the remaining ingredients in a large bowl.
Pour over chicken. Bake for about 30 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through and vegetables are tender. It may be a good idea to shake the pan halfway through to evenly distribute juices.
Remove from the oven and let it sit for 5-7 minutes. 

This is a great dish served with rice. 

honey and banana crunch pancakes.

honey and banana crunch pancakes

back to breakfast.
always.
it's my thing i guess.

honey and banana crunch pancakes:
1.5 cups all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons white sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 3/4cups buttermilk
2 eggs
2 Tablespoons butter, melted
3 Tablespoons honey
2 sliced bananas
2 Cups Honey bunches of oats cereal, crushed slightly

Blend all the ingredients except for bananas and cereal.
Heat skillet, pour half cup of batter onto the skillet and top with sliced bananas and cereal. After golden and bubbly, flip and cook for about 2 minutes on the other side.
Serve with a honey glaze (2 Tablespoons honey, 1 cup powdered sugar, milk to desired consistency)

with a scrambler

glazed with a honey sauce

easy cinnamon multigrain coffee cake

cinnamon multigrain coffee cake

Holidays are foodie times. Here is an easy brunch recipe to throw together last minute for family guests or Christmas morning.

crumbly

with homemade icing

easy cinnamon multigrain coffee cake: 
2 cups multigrain pancake mix 
1/2 cup melted butter 
2 eggs 
2/3 cups brown sugar 
2/3 cups milk


Mix all ingredients and place in a greased pie pan. 
 

1/2 cup butter 
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 cup brown sugar 
1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup oats


Mix all ingredients until crumbly. Pour over coffee cake.


Bake at 375 for 20-25 minutes. Top with a homemade glaze. {powdered sugar, 1 Tablespoon butter, and milk until desired consistency}

roasted potato salad

We had a lot of leftovers from various Thanksgiving dinners. As I was  meandering through our refrigerator for ingredients for roommate dinner, I stumbled upon some leftover roasted potatoes. I re-tossed them in a bit of olive oil, added some spices, and made them into a delicious side salad. Easy, and so far from wasteful.

roasted potato salad:
5 cups spinach
Two cups roasted potatoes
chopped carrots
chopped celery
chopped onion
chopped cucumbers
Sesame soy vinaigrette from Trader Joes

Divide all the ingredients, except potatoes, evenly among five salad bowls. Broil the potatoes until golden and crispy. Evenly distribute among salads. Drizzle each salad with sesame soy dressing, or dressing of choice. This makes a great side salad. Add chicken or beans for extra protein.