Mango & Kiwi

I was leaving town for 4 days and had two large mangoes and 4 kiwi fruits. I cut them up and mixed them together for a quick snack. The sweetness of the mango and tartness of the kiwi fruit was actually very balanced and went well together...and also very pretty!

Heart Pastries 4 My Valentine

We typically don't do much on Valentine's Day. I usually make dinner and this year I made a pepper-crusted filet mignon with veggies for dinner. And for dessert...I made these heart pastries because it's obligatory to make something heart-shaped on this "holiday." I filled them with peaches and brown sugar, popped them in the oven until they were golden and he ate them up. I have to admit, I did also cut his apples into heart shapes for breakfast - and yes, he enjoys these things...that's why I do them!

* These photos were taken on my phone because I'm not using the DSLR when I'm working with flour!

Pulled Pork Sandwiches

I made some awesome pulled pork sandwiches last week in the crock pot. This is the kind of meal I can appreciate while busy working from home. Unfortunately, I don't have any photos to share with you. But, you have to trust me that they were delicious and simple and effortless! You can even ask my brother and his girlfriend who came over unexpectedly, hence the reason why I didn't take photos.


Ingredients (just four if you count salt & pepper!):
- Pork butt (I used the smallest piece available at the store - about 3 lbs.) - you can also use shoulder
- Salt & Pepper
- A can of Coke (not Diet Coke - regular Coke)

1. Generously salt & pepper the meat.
2. Place in your slow cooker.
3. Pour the can of Coke into the slow cooker.
4. Cook on low for 8 hours
5. After 8 hours, remove the meat and dump the remaining juices (save about 3/4 cup of the juice to keep the meat from drying out.
6. Place the meat back in the slow cooker and shred with forks, pour some of the remaining juice back in to moisten.
7. Toast buns (I used dinner rolls, so they were more like sliders), top with your favorite barbeque sauce.

Serve with coleslaw, cornbread, mac & cheese, potato fries - whatever you like. Yum yum and so EASY!

Leek & Gruyere Pastries

I made these pastries twice this week. I made it twice because it was delicious. J really liked it and sent me this email while he was at work today:

Subject: Thinking about...
Message: ..my breakfast pastry w/ bacon thingy.  Can't wait to eat it tonight.  Haha.. ;)

Yeah. He already had breakfast with his mom when I pulled these out of the oven this morning. Needless to say he had two after work today.

This recipe is also from Food & Wine Fast. Which, I love - because the recipes really are fast and don't take much effort and will turn out delicious.

Ingredients:
Frozen Puff Pastry (thawed)
1 Leek
Shredded Gruyere cheese
3 ounces thinly sliced prosciutto (in my case, cubed ham - it's what I had in the fridge)
1 teaspoon fresh chopped thyme
Olive Oil
Salt & Pepper

1. Preheat oven to 475 degrees. On a floured surface, roll out the pastry puff. Cut into 4 equal squares. Fold the corners and edges.
2.  In a skillet, heat the olive oil until shimmering. Add the leeks and thyme, season with salt & pepper and cook over moderate heat, stirring until softened (about 5 minutes).
3. Sprinkle half the gruyere cheese over the pastry, spread the leeks over the cheese. Cover with proscuitto (or ham, whatever); sprinkle the remaining cheese. Season with s&p.
4. Bake for 15-20 minutes until golden or bubbling. Blot any excess fat with a paper towel. Enjoy!

Quick & Easy Salad

I've been eating lots of salad for lunch. My favorite and it's so easy:

Baby Spinach
Heart of Palm
Roasted Beets
Sweet Corn Kernals
Cherry Tomatoes
Blackberries
Almonds

I just throw what I have on top of a handful of spinach in a bowl. I love beets so I usually roast 2-3 beets slice them up and keep them in the fridge.