This Valentine’s day, consider making up a special breakfast for your loved ones.  There is nothing better than sitting down to a delicious breakfast to start the day off right.  Here are some of our favorite breakfast recipes that you could whip up on Tuesday to impress your sweeties and tell them how much you love them.

Orange Scented French Toast with Nutella

Baked Apple Pancake

Cinnamon French Toast with Cranberry and Orange Chutney

Monkey Bread

Bacon Artichoke Souffle

Miss Amy Muffins

I’ve been dreaming about their Slow Roasted Pork Sandwich ever since so I took a crack at replicating it at home.  I was super pleased with the results!  Not only was it easy (thanks, slow cooker) but it was a good way to switch up our standard BBQ pulled pork.


Pulled Pork Sandwich with Ginger Cilantro Mayo and Pickled Vegetables
serves 4
1 lb pork shoulder
1 Tbsp kosher salt
1/2 Tbsp ground black pepper
1/2 Tbsp ginger powder
1/2 Tbsp garlic powder
1 1/2 C orange juice
2-3 C water
4 pretzel buns or foccacia buns

Place pork shoulder in slow cooker. Season well with spices, working spices into all sides of the meat. Add liquids to slow cooker until they cover about half of the meat and roast on low for 8 hours. Remove meat from slow cooker and use two forks to shred apart. Place meat on a sliced bun and top with pickled vegetables. Spread a generous amount of mayo on the bun and serve!

Ginger Cilantro Mayo
1/2 C mayonnaise (I like the olive oil kind)
1 inch piece of ginger, peeled, grated
1 Tbsp cilantro, finely chopped

Scoop mayo into a small bowl. Chop cilantro and stir into mayo, mixing well. Grate ginger using a microplane grater into mayo and mix well.

Quick Pickled Vegetables
*adapted from Whole Foods
1 cucumber, very thinly sliced
2 carrots, very thinly sliced
1/2 small red onion, very thinly sliced
1 inch piece of ginger, peeled, grated
1/4 C white vinegar
1/8 C sugar
1/2 tsp salt

Using a knife or a mandoline, slice vegetables very thinly. Place in a medium bowl and toss to combine. In a small bowl, whisk together vinegar, sugar and salt. Drizzle over vegetables and toss well. Refrigerate vegetables for at least one hour prior to serving.

This Buffalo Mac ‘n Cheese blends all the flavors you love from your favorite Super Bowl treat into the perfect comfort food. With its spicy touch of hot sauce and pepper jack and its crunchy cracker crust, this mac ‘n cheese is the right blend of creamy texture and sharp taste. The addition of cheese cracker crust, paired with the spicy sauce and cheese mocks the taste of a crispy chicken wing. This Wisconsin-style meal tastes great with a cold glass of ale, or two!

Buffalo Mac ‘n Cheese
Servings: 2 cups, Yield: 6-8 servings

Ingredients
1 lb cellentani or cavatappi noodles
2 TBSP Extra Virgin Olive Oil
2 C rotisserie chicken, shredded
2 stalks celery, diced
1 small yellow onion, diced
½ tsp garlic salt
¼ tsp ground black pepper
1/3 C Buffalo-style Hot Sauce (I use Franks)
2 C 2% milk
1 ½ C half and half
6 TBSP butter
½ C flour
2 C Mexican blend shredded cheese
3 C pepper jack cheese, shredded
2 C store-bought baked cheese crackers (like Cheez-Its)
¼ C blue cheese

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add pasta and boil for 12 minutes.

In a skillet, heat olive oil. Add celery, onion, garlic salt and pepper and cook until softened. About 5 minutes. Add chicken, mix thoroughly. Add hot sauce and simmer on low heat until heated through.

In a small saucepan, heat milk and half and half on medium heat. Stir occasionally, do not burn. In a large saucepan, melt butter. Slowly add flour and whisk to form thick roux. Slowly add warm milk mixture, whisking continuously. Continue to whisk mixture and slowly add cheese until cheese is melted and sauce is thick.

In 9×13 casserole dish, layer noodles, chicken mixture and cheese sauce. Mix thoroughly.

Add cheese crackers to food processor and pulse until small crumbs are formed. Sprinkle blue cheese and cracker mixture on top of noodles. Bake at 375 for 30-35 minutes, until bubbly crust forms around the outside. Allow to sit for 5 minutes before serving.

Note:  this recipe calls for steal cut oats.  If you use quick cooking oats or old fashioned rolled oats, you will likely end up with mush.  Steal cut oats are often found in the bulk bins at the grocery store and look like this:

Slow Cooker Oatmeal

1 tablespoon unsalted butter
2 cups steel-cut oats
8 cups water
1/2 teaspoon salt

In a large skillet, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the oats and toast over medium heat until lightly brown, stirring constantly. Once they become fragrant and light brown, remove from heat.

Add the oats into the slow cooker and pour water on top. Cook on low for 4-6 hours. Mix well and serve warm with your favorite toppings.  I like to eat mine with chopped almonds, dried fruit and a small amount of brown sugar.

Sometimes my mornings are so hectic that I need to eat breakfast at work.  I simply portion out the oatmeal into individual bowls and put the toppings in a separate bag.  Couldn’t be easier to grab and go.

Panfish Tacos
serves 2-3
2 C panko bread crumbs
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
3 eggs, beaten
3/4 C flour
1 C vegetable oil
16 panfish fillets (8 panfish) or 2 lg tilapia fillets, sliced into small chunks
4-6 small flour tortillas
Chipotle Mayo
hot sauce (I like Crystal brand)

Set up two shallow bowls, one with flour, one with eggs. Pour panko into a large Ziploc bag or bowl (I like a bag because it makes it easy to toss). Add salt and pepper and mix well. Meanwhile, add vegetable oil to a cast iron skillet on medium-high heat and begin to heat oil. Oil should be about 1/4-1/2 inch deep in pan. Use a kitchen tongs to dip each piece of fish first into the flour, coating lightly on all sides, then into the egg wash and finally into the panko. Place several pieces into the panko bag and pat the bag to toss the fish within so that the breadcrumbs coat each piece fully. Remove each piece and place on a separate clean plate.

Test temperature of oil by carefully flicking a tiny bit of water or 1-2 panko crumbs into the pan. Oil should pop if it is hot enough. If oil is not hot enough, your fish will soak up oil and be greasy instead of crispy and flaky. Carefully add fish pieces to the hot oil, frying for 2-3 minutes per side and turning with a tongs part way through the process. While fish are frying, set up a plate with 1-2 paper towels. Extract one fish and double check that it is done. Fish should be golden brown and flaky in the center. Transfer fish to the towels to absorb any excess oil. Assemble tacos immediately.

Cilantro Apple Slaw
1/2 granny smith apple, julienned
2 C broccoli slaw mix
2 Tbsp cilantro, chopped
3 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tbsp lime juice
1/4 tsp cumin
dash cayenne
dash salt

In a medium bowl, combine apple, slaw mix and cilantro. In a small bowl, whisk together olive oil, lime juice, cumin, cayenne and salt. Drizzle over slaw and toss well to coat.

Spread a thin layer of mayo on each tortilla. Top with several pieces of fish and slaw. Sprinkle with hot sauce.

So here are some pictures of what our kitchen looked like prior to the changes:

How about that floor? Gross. My husband and I agreed. It had to go. But first, we decided to attack the walls and cabinets. And by “we,” I mean, I did some wall painting and my husband attacked all the rest. We followed the same steps that Anne and her family used for painting kitchen cabinets and it worked fabulously. It is a lot of taping and draping, but once the process gets going it is pretty smooth sailing.Though hanging cabinets back up is not fun, especially if they were not hung correctly from the beginning.

I had a vision of a bright garden kitchen. I decided to take a huge leap and paint the walls and backsplash a bright green. We used Behr Thyme Green paint. I was a bit nervous as we started slathering it on that I was transforming my kitchen into that of an over zealous Packers fan (being an avid Bears fan, this did not sit well). As you can see from the picture below, the green paint made the kitchen look very dated when next to the old wood work and dark blinds. We fixed that later by painting all of the trim and adding bright white blinds.

After painting the walls and cabinets, next came the floor. We have a bit of a strange set up with our kitchen/den like area. Before taking up part of the carpet from the den, we got used to the idea of eating in the “other” room. We moved the table over by the small bay window. In doing that, we had room to add a kitchen cart for storage and extra counter space (and maybe some day a whole wall of extra counter). Best decision we made! It makes the kitchen look ten times bigger and allows for much more space to move around while cooking.

My dutiful husband did lots of internet research and with no prior experience, tore up the old floor and installed new laminate wood flooring. We decided to go with a dark cherry laminate. It is easy to clean, saves money and is durable with the likes of a little Bam-Bam running around.

When the big stuff was complete, I moved onto the small touches. I switched out the old curtains for airy and flowery floor length ones. I received the adorable hanging fruit plates from my brother-in-law and sister-in-law as a wedding thank you gift. Perfect little space saver for all of our fresh fruit and vegetables.

I ordered the rustic mason jar key holder from the Etsy store Old New Again. I contemplated recreating this, but loved their version so much I decided to make the purchase. I did, however, create my own chalkboard from an old window I found at a flea market, similar to Katie’s post awhile back.

My friend’s sent me the awesome donut print for my birthday, something I had “pinned” from an Etsy shop. I’m not shy about my love for donuts and this just shouts it from the rooftops, with a slight bit of subtlety. I also designed a few whimsy kitchen prints to hang on the walls. I found I liked everything better on the green when surrounded by white. Hence, the white frames and matting.

While our kitchen is likely to undergo at least some other minor changes here and there, I am pleased with my new kitchen. Look for a future post on how I am filling that blank wall by our kitchen table.

A thousand thanks to my hubby for making it happen! A happy kitchen makes a happy cook!

Key Lime Tarts

10 mini graham cracker crusts
5 egg yokes
1  14oz can sweetened condensed milk
1/2 cup key lime juice or fresh lime juice – do not use the imitation juice out of the bottle, only the real stuff!
2 drops of green food coloring if you would like your tarts to have a little more color

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and place your mini pie crusts on a baking sheet.

In a large bowl, mix the egg  yokes, sweetened condensed milk and lime juice until well combined.  Add your food coloring to adjust the color if you would like.

Distribute the mixture evenly among the pie crusts.  Bake for about 11 minutes.

Cool, chill in the refrigerator and top with whipped cream right before serving.

The Butternut Squash Pasta Sauce recipe I shared last week does double duty for me in this veggie-focused lasagna. I add Italian sausage at the request of my husband but you could easily skip it or substitute with portabellas for a completely vegetarian meal.

Butternut Squash Lasagna
1 pkg lasagna noodles
1 1/2 lb ground italian sausage
15 oz low-fat ricotta cheese
1 C parmesan cheese, shredded
1 egg, beaten
1 pkg frozen spinach, thawed & drained
2 C mozzarella, shredded
salt, pepper
Butternut Squash Pasta Sauce
2 9×9 aluminum foil roasting pans
heavy duty aluminum foil
parchment paper

In a large stockpot, boil enough water to cover the lasagna noodles. Once water comes to a boil, heavily salt water and add noodles, cooking according to package directions until al dente. Rinse with cold water to prevent sticking and set aside. Meanwhile, in a saute pan, cook italian sausage completely, about 8-10 minutes. In a medium bowl, combine egg, ricotta, 1/2 C parmesan and spinach. Season with salt and pepper.

Trim a noodle to fit your pan using a kitchen shears. Use that noodle as a template to trim the rest of your noodles. You’ll have some small loose end pieces, which can be used for your middle layer of noodles without sacrificing the structure of the lasagna. Begin by layering three full, trimmed noodles in the bottom of each foil pan. Visually divide cheese and sausage into 4 portions in your head. Spread 1/4 of the cheese mixture on top of the noodles in both pans. Top with 1/4 of the sausage. Top with a layer of squash sauce. Next, sprinkle each pan with 1/3 C mozzarella cheese.

Add another layer of noodles, using end pieces as needed. Repeat layers. Finally, top each pan with another layer of complete noodles, a thin layer of squash sauce and the remaining 1/3 C mozzarella. If freezing, trim a piece of parchment paper to fit the top of each pan and cover lasagna. Use two layers of heavy duty foil to wrap tightly around pan.

If serving, bake at 400 for 50-60 minutes or until center is fully cooked and cheese topping is golden.
If freezing and serving, remove from freezer about 24 hrs before serving to partially thaw. Bake at 400 for 60-75 minutes. NOTE: I recommend setting your timer for 60 minutes and checking the temperature from there. Depending on how thawed your lasagna is your baking time will vary.

Each pan serves 4 large servings.

Beef, Barley & Sweet Potato Stew 

1-2 lbs. beef stew meat
2 sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed
1 can diced tomatoes
1 medium sized yellow onion, diced
2 whole carrots, peeled and diced
2 TBSP diced sun dried tomatoes
1 TBSP minced garlic
2 C beef broth
1/2 cup marsala wine
1 tsp pepper
1/2 TBSP oregano
1 C barley
2 TBSP flour

Layer vegetables on bottom of slow cooker. Pour broth and wine over vegetables. Add barley, mix until all barley is covered in liquid. Lay beef over top and add spices. Cook on low for 6-8 hours. In last 30 minutes of cooking, add 2 TBSP flour and mix thoroughly.

Banana Chocolate Chip Pancakes

2 cups flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 Tbsp sugar
2 cups buttermilk
1/4 cup melted butter or oil
2 eggs
2 bananas, chopped into small pieces
1/2 – 1 cup mini chocolate chips
(optional – 1/2 cup chopped walnuts)

Mix the dry ingredients in a large bowl and set aside. Mix the buttermilk, melted butter or oil and eggs in a small bowl until combined.  Mix the wet ingredients to the dry.

Finally, mix in the chopped banana, mini chocolate chips and nuts if you are using them. Mix well, smashing the banana chunks as you go.

Ladle into a well oiled pan (that makes them nice and crisp on the outside) and flip once you see bubbles form on the top.

Eat them warm with syrup. They are sweet, indulgent and oh so delicious!