My Recipes // Donut Cookies (Just in Time for Valentine's Day!)

Every year, I bake Valentine's Day themed cookies or cupcakes and send them out to my 

family and friends with little love notes. It's been a favorite tradition of mine and this year 

was no exception. Whilst cruising Pinterest for inspiration, I came across a recipe for donut 

shaped cookies. Are you kidding me!? As if normal cookies aren't cute enough, they came 

up with DONUT SHAPED COOKIES! Radical.

So, last night I baked and frosted almost 50 cookies while drinking wine and listening to 

Billy Holiday. It was my own little version of therapy without the shrink. Seriously, I love 

laying out the ingredients, rolling the dough into perfect little balls and then baking and icing them 

into sweet, delicious perfection. Yes, I may have burnt my prized ham and bean soup while 

cooking the cookies, but it was worth it cause these things were GOOD!

   

Ingredients: 

1 Box Krusteak sugar cookie mix (yeah, I cheated. Sandra Semi-Homemade Cooking right hurr!)

I Cup Betty Crocker Whipped Strawberry Frosting

1/2 Cup Powdered Sugar

Sprinkles or sugar crystals to decorate 

Directions:

Bake cookies according to package. Let cool completely. Stamp out the middle with a round object hollow object. I used the cap from the sprinkled bottle because… necessity is the mother of invention. A round cookie cutter would have worked better but oh well! Whip together frosting and powdered sugar with a spoon. Ladle icing into a piping bag or Ziploc and pipe onto cookies. Smooth frosting into desired shape with a spoon and to with toppings of your choice. Yeah, it's that easy.

My Recipes // Breakfast Egg Fried Rice

Our life is getting a little bit back to normal {a.k.a. no epic work weeks, weddings or baby showers} so I have been able to get back in the kitchen and it feels so good! 

I love cooking and the rituals it brings about: cruising foodie websites to pull inspiration, writing up grocery lists, perusing the aisles at the local grocery or farmer's market, cuttting/slicing/sautéing/baking and serving the food on pretty plates. Oh, and the ritual part where you actually eat is pretty cool too.

I also love cooking for Clint. I guess it's the 1950's housewife in me that loves preparing a good meal for my man and watching him enjoy the fruits of my labor. It's very satisfying to see Clint clean his plate and then clean mine too :) And this meal was no exception.

Last week, my boyfriend and I went to our fave restaurant in Ocean Beach, OB Noodle House. If you live within 100 miles of San Diego, make it a point to visit OB Noodle House. It has the hands down BEST pho on the face of the planet! As is typical with us foodie fatties, we ordered w-a-y too much food and ended up taking home a bunch of leftovers. Feeling inspired the morning after our pho feast, I decided to whip up some Breakfast Egg Fried Rice using our leftover rice. 

Prep: 5 Minutes | Cook: 5 Minutes | Yield: 6 Servings {or 1 if you're hungover}

Ingredients:
4 cups cooked cooked white rice
3 eggs
2 tablespoons butter
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1 small onion, finely chopped
4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
4 tablespoons soy sauce
2 green onions, finely chopped
1/2 teaspoon fresh clack pepper
1/4 teaspoon garlic salt
Flat parsley or cilantro for garnish
(If you have some chicken, shrimp, beef or spam {I swear it is delicious in this dish} on hand, feel free to throw it in too! The same goes with frozen vegetables!)


Directions:
Saute butter and onions over medium heat for 3-4 minutes in a large skillet or wok. Add garlic and continue sautéing for another 2-3 minutes. Crack the eggs directly into the skillet and cook for about 1 minute, stirring often. While eggs are still a bit runny, add in the rice and the remainder of the ingredients and stir-fry toss the mixture for about 3 more minutes. Add in salt, pepper and soy sauce as needed to suit your taste. BAM! Breakfast is served.

My Recipes // Adobo Chicken Tacos with Cilantro Slaw

San Diegans are incredibly lucky to live to close to Mexico. We carry the luxury of having authentic Mexican food at our fingertips at all times. Literally, there is a Roberto's Mexican Food on almost every street corner in the city and they are typically open 24-7... which is dangerous for those of us who like to have a late night snack after an evening of a few cocktails! There have been plenty of mornings when I wake up with a California burrito wrapper next to my bedside... my friends and I have even taken to calling the chain "Regretto's" because of the regret you feel the morning after stuffing our faces late night style with carne asada goodness!

With the Mexican food influence being so strong in my town, I have taken up trying to mimic the Mexican tastiness right in my own kitchen and the result is my Adobo Chicken Tacos with Cilantro Slaw! I created this recipe on the fly using chipotle in adobo sauce as the main star of the dish. If you haven't tried chipotle in adobo sauce before, you need to hop to it. The spicy, smoky flavor adds depth and lots of flavor to any dish. Boyfriend approved, these Adobo Chicken Tacos with Cilantro Slaw are a hit!

Prep: 5 Minutes |  Cook: 10 minutes | Yield: 3-4 servings

Ingredients:
1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breasts, cut into 1/4-inch strips
1 chipotle in adobo sauce, finely minced
1/8 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1 tablespoon cooking oil
1 tablespoon lime juice and lime wedges for final product
1 cup packaged angel hair slaw
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
salt and pepper to taste
8 6 inch flour or corn tortillas
1 sliced avocado

Directions:
Heat a large skillet over high heat. Add oil and garlic and sauté for 1 minute. Add chicken and sprinkle evenly with minced chile in adobo sauce, chile powder, garlic salt, cumin, and lime juice. Add salt and pepper to taste. Cook 4-7 minutes or until chicken is cooked through. Divide chicken evenly among tortillas and top with slaw, cilantro and avocado. Serve with some lime wedges and some extra slaw on the side to make it pretty, eh? Cause beautiful plating is half the fun! Enjoy!