Spontaneous Moment #28: Coffee Filter Flowers

I love peonies, but they only last so long. So how about replace the real flowers with something much longer lasting. So here's how to make gorgeous white peonies from coffee filters.

What you'll need:

Coffee Filters

Floral Wire

Floral Tape

Glue (any will do)

Scissors

Take out your coffee filters. Take two or three together and fold them in half.

Fold again towards the right.

Fold over once more.

Last time to fold over. Make sure it's nice and tight. Feel to trim off a little from the top if these are the inner parts of the flower.

Cut off the side of the filter that is folded.

When you unfold the first part, it should look like a heart.

Unfold all of your coffee filters and crinkle them a little bit.

Grab the floral wire and bend it at the top.

Poke a hole into your coffee filters.

Push your coffee filters to the bottom of the floral wire all the way to the loop.

Glue the coffee filter to the floral wire.

Twist the bottom of the of the coffee filters. Repeat steps with more coffee filters.

Once you're done with adding all of your coffee filters and twisting the bottom, wrap the floral tape around the stem and continue down the floral wire.

Fluff out your pedals and TA-DA!

This is what the final product looks like. I kept the background dark so you can just focus on the flowers.

An ugly washed out version.

The final product.

Spontaneous Moment #27: Easter EGGS

I wanted to make a little something special for Easter. So instead of making your typical deviled eggs, I made some festive deviled eggs. Not just festive, but HEALTHY.

Hard boiled eggs

My ingredients: Greek yogurt, honey, mustard, chives, paprika and chili powder.

Slice dem eggies

My pink and green eggs soaking

The final product!

Healthier Deviled Eggs:

6 hard boiled eggs
6 teaspoons of Greek yogurt
2 teaspoons of Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons of honey
2 tablespoons of paprika
chili powder (to taste)
2 teaspoons of chives (optional)

Peel the eggs and then cut them in half.

Put the egg yolk into a bowl and mash them up.

Mix in the Greek yogurt, mustard, honey, and paprika.

I like to chop up chives and mix those in as well. 

Sprinkle the top with chili power and stir.

Then place your egg mixture in a piping bag or use a plastic bag with the tip snipped. Put about a teaspoon full in your hard boiled egg whites.

Sprinkle the top of each egg with paprika and chives.

Serve!

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.