Spontanious Moment #26: Warm on a Cold Night

On cold nights like these, nothing is better than a warm cup of soup. When I was little, my mom solved that problem with a nice bowl of French Onion.

I like making this delicious soup in a slow cooker. Not only is it easy to make, but it smells up the entire house. When you walk in the door, it instantly hits your nose.

SLOW COOKER FRENCH ONION SOUP

Ingredients:

• 4 tablespoons butter
• 4 large onions, sliced
• 1 packet Truvia
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 cup cooking sherry
• 5 cups reduced-sodium beef broth
• 2 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth
• 2 tablespoons Worchestershire sauce
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 bay leaf
• 2 tablespoons chives
• (Optional) sea salt to taste... I use 1/2 teaspoon
• Loaf of French bread
•  Gruyere Cheese
• Parmesan Cheese

Recipe:

Melt the butter in a large pan. I've found a large Le Creuset cast iron skillet on medium-high heat does just the trick. Put in the onion rings and cook for 10 minutes or until they've loosened up a bit.

Sprinkle the little packet of Truvia on top of the onions for caramelization. Reduce the heat to medium and cook for 30 minutes, stirring constantly until the onions are soft.

Stir in garlic and cook an additional 2 minutes.

Add sherry and 1 tablespoon of chives to the onions and cook for one minute.

Transfer onion mixture into the slow cooker. Pour in beef and chicken broth. Stir in Worcestershire sauce, dried thyme, black pepper, and the bay leaf. Add the sea salt if you want.

Cover the slow cooker and cook on low for 8 to 10 hours. If you need the soup to be ready sooner you can cook it on high for 4 to 6 hours, but for best results, cook it on low.

20 minutes before you serve the soup. Pre-heat the broiler. Slice French bread.

I always enjoy a glass of wine while prepping dinner

Pour soup into oven-safe bowls. Place French bread slices on top of the soup. Sprinkle the Gruyere and Parmesan cheese on top (I like A LOT of cheese on mine).

Getting ready to go into the broiler

 Place in the broiler for 2 minutes. Make sure the cheese looks completely melted before you take them out.

After taking them out of the broiler

Mmmm Melted Cheese!

Add the rest of the chives to sprinkle on top. You can also add a little black pepper on top to taste.

I always go back for seconds and thirds... and fourths...


Optional:

If you want to mix it up a little bit, add a 1/3 cup of Malbec wine in the slow cooker with the beef broth. Replace the chicken broth for two additional cups of beef broth. It will give the soup a little bit of a sweet taste to it.

If you don't want to put the wine in the slow cooker, you can pour 1/4 cup of wine on top of the onions when caramelizing them. Enjoy!

Spontaneous Moment #25: Brilliant Breakfast

The breakfast bundle

Almost everyone enjoys a delicious breakfast of eggs and cheese, bacon and a side of bread. Sometimes, it can get a little old after awhile. You feel like you've made yourself the same breakfast day in and day out. Well... let's shake things up, shall we?!

Using the same ingredients, you can put together this simple meal in a cinch!

Bundled Up Breakfast

Ingredients:

5 eggs

1 cup Pepper Jack Cheese

1 cup Cheddar Cheese

10 strips of bacon

Pillsbury Crescent rolls

Sriracha sauce

Pepper

(Optional) Salt
(Optional) Chives

First I cook my bacon. I like to cook it the day before so that I can just throw it on. Another easy way is to buy already cooked bacon. Then, I prep my eggs. I sprinkle a little pepper jack and cheddar cheese in the bowl along with a dash of milk and a few squirts of Sriracha sauce. (Optional) Toss some chives in the bowl too before mixing.

Mix up your eggs and then cook them on the stovetop. While the eggs are cooking, lay out your Pillsbury crescent rolls on the cooking sheet.

This is how I like to lay out my crescent roll

The fluffy eggs are cooking while the bundle is prepped

Lay the bacon on the crescent rolls and then sprinkle the pepper jack and cheddar cheese on top.  Add a few pinches of pepper.

Take the scrambled eggs and put them over the bacon and cheese. Then add another layer of bacon strips and cheese.

Sprinkle some chives on top, give it a squirt or two of Srircha sauce and then slowly pull the crescent roll tips to the center, one at a time.

(Optional) Sprinkle cheese on top of the  breakfast bundle.

Bake in the oven for 375 degrees for 15-17 minutes or until golden brown. Once out of the oven, I like to sprinkle some chopped chives on top. 

Slice in between each crescent and serve!

Spontaneous Moment #24: Mini Meal in a Cup

When you're single and cooking for one, sometimes it's annoying to have to throw out your leftovers because you couldn't eat it fast enough (Or that moment when  you can look at your leftovers anymore because you've had it for lunch and dinner three nights in a row). It gets frustrating. Well, here's a way for you to have portion control AND not worry about throwing away leftovers... CUPCAKE MEATLOAF!

I'll eat the amount I want and then put the leftovers in a ziplock bag and keep in the freezer.

I like attempting to make healthier versions of everything so here is my version of meatloaf.

Morgan's Spicy Turkeyloaf

Ingredients:

• 1 lb ground turkey
• 1 bottle Sriracha Garlic Chili Sauce
• 1 packet Lipton Beefy Onion soup & dip mix
• 1/2 cup Italian bread crumbs or Panko crumbs
• 1 egg
• 1/2 cup dice green onions
• Optional: If you buy lean turkey or 99% fat free turkey, add 1/2 cup water
• Optional: If you don't want  to use an entire bottle of Sriracha Chili Sauce, use a cup of Ketchup mixed with 1/4 cup brown sugar

Heat the oven to 400 degrees. Mix the dried onion with the bread crumbs and diced green onions. I'll take those ingredients and mix it with the ground turkey. Then take half of the bottle of Sriracha Chili sauce and mix it in. Crack the egg into a bowl and beat it. Pour the egg on top of turkey mixture and then stir. Now is also when you add the 1/2 water IF you decide to use it.

 Grease the cupcake pan and then place the turkey loaf into the cupcake pan. Bake the loaf in the oven for 10 minutes. Pull out and add the rest of the Sriracha Chili Sauce OR the ketchup/brown sugar mixture on top of the meatloaf. Cook for 25 to 30 more minutes or until meat is thoroughly done.

Spontanteous Moment #23: Crockpot Cravings

The other day I randomly had a craving for beef stroganoff. Whenever I think of beef stroganoff though, I think of heart burn and some quality time in the restroom.

I figured if I was going to make myself a treat, I need to at least make it a skinnier version. Here is my attempt at a healthier version.

Beef Stroganoff Recipe

2 pounds cubed stew meat
2 cans Condensed Golden Mushroom Soup
1 large onion, diced
4 tbsp of low sodium Worcestershire Sauce OR 3 tbsp low sodium soy sauce
1/2 water
8 oz of fat free cream cheese
1 cup of sliced mushrooms
1 clove garlic, minced
3 squirts of Srircha Sauce
Pinch of Pepper (to taste)
(Optional) Pinch of Paprika (to taste)

Spontaneous Moment #22: Cinammon Sugar Delight

When cooking biscuits for breakfast, there are always more than my little heart desires.

Instead of making 8 Pillsbury Grands Biscuits, I decided to only make half the biscuits and attempt another meal with the other half.

Cinnamon- Sugar  Breakfast Bites

Cut biscuits into fours

Combine Cinnamon and Sugar in a Bowl

Mix together

Plop biscuit slices in a pot of hot vegetable or canola oil

Roll balls in the cinnamon-sugar mix

Once coated, place on a plate

The end results

TA-DA!

They were absolutely delicious!!

Warning: Be careful when heating up the vegetable oil. It won't boil. Set it on medium heat and let it sit for about 5 minutes. To test your oil, wet a hand and splash the oil to see if it bubbles.

The bread bites cook really quickly. They only need to cook in the oil for 30 seconds on each side.

Put the bread bite immediately from the oil pan into the cinnamon sugar and then onto a plate.

If you let the bread bite sit on a plate before putting it in the cinnamon sugar mixture it have a harder time sticking to the bread bite.

Spontaneous Moment #21: Wrap It Up

One of my favorite parts about the holiday is wrapping and decorating presents. I pretty much enjoy wrapping presents as much as I love giving the gift!

The little boys at Christmas even voted my gift the prettiest one of them all.

Here are a few tricks up my sleeve for how to make your present sparkle and stand out.

How to Make a Flower Bow

You'll need...
-  One large sheet of tissue paper
-string
-scissors


First: Take your large sheet of tissue paper and cut them into equal sized strips. I usually make four or give long strips out of one large piece of tissue paper.

Drinking a glass of wine during arts and crafts time is a must ;)

Second: Fold tissue paper back and forth ( a little over under action) to make it in the shape of a fan.

Third: Tie off the center with string.

Fourth: Take your scissors and cut the two ends of your paper. Round them into the shape of a petal.

Last: Slowly pull each piece of tissue paper away. It's best to do it one at a time.

Like so...

TA-DA!

Final product

You could also end up with presents like this...

Purchased regular & glitter styrofoam to create this little creation

I took the leftover wrapping paper and made it into a bow

I cut out snowflakes and made them a centerpiece

Glitter wrapping paper always perfects a gift

Spontaneous Moment #20: Christmas Casserole

I've never really made a breakfast casserole before (cue gasp now). Yes, I grew up in Texas where a breakfast casserole is sacred, but I was always a cereal girl.

In John's house it's tradition to eat casserole for breakfast every Christmas morning. With such high expectations, I wanted to make sure I didn't disappoint. I endlessly searched the web and cookbooks for the PERFECT recipe, until I finally gave up and decided... HELL, I'll make my own!

Ignore the remote... Casserole, Mushrooms, and Fruit Salad finished with pomegranate champagne

Ingredients: 

-One bag of Ore Ida shredded hash browns
-Half a package of bacon
-Jimmy Dean Premium Pork Hot Sausage
-Packet of shredded sharp cheddar cheese
-Chives
-One medium onion (thinly diced)
-Block of mozzarella cheese
-1 can Nestle Carnation Condensed Milk
-Two eggs
-Sea Salt and Pepper
-Mama Cholula Hot Sauce or Srirachi sauce

I cooked the bacon and sausage the day before and left the frozen Ore Idea hash browns in the fridge overnight. I cut up the onion the day before as well.

I woke up early Christmas morning to cook our mini feast and put a few stocking stuffers around the house. Then preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

I greased the casserole dish first and then put in  hashbrowns, bacon, sausage, onion and cheddar cheese. I mixed the ingredients around in the dish until it was a nice and even spread. I sprinkled a little more cheese on top. Cut up chives were then sprinkled around the top of the dish.

In a mixing bowl, I combined the condensed milk, two eggs, sea salt and pepper (to taste) and a dash of Mama Cholula. The combination was then evenly distributed around the casserole dish.

The casserole baked in the oven for 55 minutes. I took it out, added a few more chives and shredded mozzarella cheese on top with a cheese grater. The casserole was then placed back in the oven for another five minutes.

The outcome? HUGE SUCCESS!! Probably because I'm eating my entire day's worth of calories, but it's worth it. John and I couldn't stop eating it.

I served the casserole with fruit salad, sauteed mushrooms and helped finish it off with pomegranate champagne (POM, pomegranate seeds and champagne). It was the perfect holiday dish.

Pomegranate Champagne

Sauteed Mushrooms