Lobster Rolls

A few weeks ago my husband and I decided to splurge on groceries for the week and make these lobster rolls. Let me tell you, it was worth it! Imagine sweet, buttery lobster placed over crisp lettuce, and topped with a spicy mayo all on a grilled bun. Delicious. 

To make 4 lobster rolls you will need:

• 4 steamed LOBSTER TAILS
• 3 Tbs + 2 Tbs BUTTER, melted
• 1/4 of an ONION, finely chopped
• 4 NEW ENGLAND STYLE BUNS (you could just square off the sides of 4 hot dog buns)
• 8 BIBB LETTUCE LEAVES (I used romaine because my grocery store was out of Bibb lettuce)
• 2 Tbs OLIVE OIL
• 1 Tbs RED WINE VINEGAR
• SALT & PEPPER, to taste
• 1/2 cup of SPICY MAYO (see recipe below)
• 1 Tbs CHIVES, minced
• Optional: LEMON WEDGES

For the spicy mayo you will need: (DON'T SKIP THIS! It makes the whole dish! (I also put this on sandwiches!))

• 1/2 cup HELLMANN'S MAYO
• 1 Tbs DIJON MUSTARD
• 1/2 tsp MUSTARD POWDER
• 1/2 tsp LEMON JUICE
• 1/4 tsp OLD BAY
• 1/4 tsp SRIRACHA HOT SAUCE (add more if you like spicy food!) 

Start off by making the spicy mayo. Put all of the ingredients into a small bowl and mix!

Whisk up the olive oil and red wine vinegar with a pinch of salt and pepper. Then dress the lettuce with the mixture. 

Take 3 tablespoons of melted butter and brush it onto the cut (outer) sides of the buns.

Grill each side of the buns until golden brown. 

Take the cooked lobster meat out of the shell and cut it into bite sized pieces.

Melt 2 tablespoons of butter in a small pot and then saute the onion in the butter.

Toss the lobster in the butter and onion.

Assemble the lobster rolls by placing the lettuce leaves into each bun, add the buttery lobster, drizzle on the spicy mayo, and lastly garnish with chives and lemon juice.

Then enjoy!

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Lobster Rolls

Ingredients:

To make 4 lobster rolls you will need:

• 4 steamed LOBSTER TAILS
• 3 Tbs + 2 Tbs BUTTER, melted
• 1/4 of an ONION, finely chopped
• 4 NEW ENGLAND STYLE BUNS (you could just square off the sides of 4 hot dog buns)
• 8 BIBB LETTUCE LEAVES (I used romaine because my grocery store was out of Bibb lettuce)
• 2 Tbs OLIVE OIL
• 1 Tbs RED WINE VINEGAR
• SALT & PEPPER, to taste
• 1/2 cup of SPICY MAYO (see recipe below)
• 1 Tbs CHIVES, minced
• Optional: LEMON WEDGES

For the spicy mayo you will need: (DON'T SKIP THIS! It makes the whole dish! I also put this on sandwiches!)

1/2 cup HELLMANN'S MAYO
1 Tbs DIJON MUSTARD
1/2 tsp MUSTARD POWDER
1/2 tsp LEMON JUICE
1/4 tsp OLD BAY
1/4 tsp SRIRACHA HOT SAUCE (add more if you like spicy food!) 

Directions:

1. Start off by making the spicy mayo. Put all of the ingredients into a small bowl and mix!
2. Whisk up the olive oil and red wine vinegar with a pinch of salt and pepper. Then dress the lettuce with the mixture. 
3. Take 3 tablespoons of melted butter and brush it onto the cut (outer) sides of the buns. Grill each side of the buns until golden brown. 
4. Take the cooked lobster meat out of the shell and cut it into bite sized pieces.
5. Melt 2 tablespoons of butter in a small pot and then saute the onion in the butter. Toss the lobster in the butter and onion.
6. Assemble the lobster rolls by placing the lettuce leaves into each bun, add the buttery lobster, drizzle on the spicy mayo, and lastly garnish with chives and lemon juice.

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This original version of this recipe can be found at the following link: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/geoffrey-zakarian/lobster-roll.html

Sausage Gravy

Last weekend my husband and I had some friend over we and made breakfast for dinner! We made an egg casserole, bacon, and biscuits with sausage gravy. Now, I had never actually made sausage gravy before and I have to tell you, it was so simple! I didn't expect it to be difficult, but I had no idea just how simple it would be! 

To make enough gravy for 4-6 biscuits you will need:

• 1/2 lb. GROUND SAUSAGE
• 4 Tbs FLOUR
• 2 & 1/2 cups MILK
• 1/2 tsp SALT
• 1/2 tsp PEPPER

Start off by browning the sausage in a skillet on the stove. 

Once the sausage is cooked, sprinkle the flour over the top. Stir the flour into the sausage and allow the mixture to cook for another 3 minutes. 

Next, pour in the milk. 

Stir to combine and add the salt and pepper. (I ended up adding an extra 1/2 tsp of pepper.)

Allow the gravy to cook over a medium heat until it thickens, about 10 minutes. Be sure to stir the gravy frequently to keep it from burning on the bottom of the skillet. 

If you have trouble getting the gravy to thicken stir in a little bit more flour. If the gravy become too thick, just add a splash of milk!

Bake up some biscuits to serve it over...

 ...and enjoy!

Perfection. 

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Sausage Gravy

Ingredients:

• 1/2 lb. GROUND SAUSAGE
• 4 Tbs FLOUR
• 2 & 1/2 cups MILK
• 1/2 tsp SALT
• 1/2 tsp PEPPER

Directions:

1. Start off by browning the sausage in a skillet on the stove. 
2. Once the sausage is cooked, sprinkle the flour over the top. Stir the flour into the sausage and allow the mixture to cook for another 3 minutes. 
3. Next, pour in the milk. Stir to combine and add the salt and pepper. (I ended up adding an extra 1/2 tsp of pepper.)
4. Allow the gravy to cook over a medium heat until it thickens, about 10 minutes. Be sure to stir the gravy frequently to keep it from burning on the bottom of the skillet. 
• If you have trouble getting the gravy to thicken, stir in a little bit of extra flour. If the gravy become too thick, just add a splash of milk!
5. Bake up some biscuits to serve it over and enjoy!

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Chocolate Zucchini Bread

It is no secret that cakes and breads are not exactly "healthy." This is a problem because I love to bake and I especially love to eat what I bake! This chocolate zucchini bread is great because it is fluffy, moist, chocolaty, AND relatively healthy! There is absolutely no flour or sugar in this recipe but you would never know it by tasting the bread! I think it actually tastes more like a chocolate cake than a bread!

To make this chocolate zucchini bread you will need:

• 1 cup ALMOND BUTTER
• 3 Tbs HONEY
• 2 Tbs COCOA POWDER
• 2 LARGE EGGS
• 1/8 tsp SALT
• 1 Tbs VANILLA
• 1 tsp APPLE CIDER VINEGAR
• 1/2 tsp BAKING SODA
• 1 cup ZUCCHINI, shredded (squeeze as much of the excess water out as possible)
• Optional: 1/3 cup NUTS (I used pecans)

Start off by preheating your oven to 400 degrees F. Then put the almond butter, honey, cocoa powder, eggs, salt, and vanilla into a medium bowl. Use a handheld mixer to blend on a medium speed for 2 minutes.

Add the vinegar and baking soda to the mixture and blend for another 30 seconds.

Next, fold in the zucchini and the nuts with a spatula.

It won't exactly look pretty... but I promise it tastes good!

Pour the batter into a loaf pan that has been lined with parchment paper and sprayed with cooking spray.

Bake the bread for 25-35 minutes depending on how much water you were able to get out of the zucchini.

Note: I would recommend checking the bread with a toothpick every few minutes after the first 25 minutes until it comes out clean.

You can serve it warm or at room temperature!

I cut my bread into pieces that were 3/4 to 1 inch thick which gave me about 10 slices.

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Chocolate Zucchini Bread

Ingredients:

• 1 cup ALMOND BUTTER
• 3 Tbs HONEY
• 2 Tbs COCOA POWDER
• 2 LARGE EGGS
• 1/8 tsp SALT
• 1 Tbs VANILLA
• 1 tsp APPLE CIDER VINEGAR
• 1/2 tsp BAKING SODA
• 1 cup ZUCCHINI, shredded (squeeze as much of the excess water out as possible)
• Optional: 1/3 cup NUTS (I used pecans)

Directions:

1. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F. 
2. Put the almond butter, honey, cocoa powder, eggs, salt, and vanilla into a medium bowl. Use a handheld mixer to blend on a medium speed for 2 minutes.
3. Add the vinegar and baking soda to the mixture and blend for another 30 seconds.
4. Next, fold in the zucchini and the nuts with a spatula.
5. Pour the batter into a loaf pan that has been lined with parchment paper and sprayed with cooking spray. 
6. Bake the bread for 25-35 minutes depending on how much water you were able to get out of the zucchini. Note: I would recommend checking the bread with a toothpick every few minutes after the first 25 minutes until it comes out clean.

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I adapted this recipe from the following blog: http://wholelifestylenutrition.com/recipes/organic-chocolate-zucchini-bread-recipe/

Spinach Alfredo Pizza

One of my favorite types of pizza is spinach alfredo. Even as a kid I loved it! When my family would go out to dinner at a pizza buffet restaurant I would always head for the spinach alfredo. It might sound weird at first, but it is so good! In just one bite you get the creamy, cheesy flavor of the alfredo sauce with baked spinach and even more more cheese on top of a softy and chewy crust. Yum!

To make this pizza you will need:

• PIZZA DOUGH (click here to get the recipe I use!)
• 2 Tbs BUTTER
• 1/4 cup HEAVY CREAM
• 1/2 cup PARMESAN CHEESE, grated
• 2-3 cups of FRESH SPINACH
• 1 & 1/2 cup MOZZARELLA CHEESE

Start off by preparing the dough. If you decide to use the recipe that I use, follow the directions at this link. Once the dough is ready, prepare the sauce. Now, you could just use a jar of store bought alfredo sauce but I like to make my own (It's really easy!). To do this I melt the butter in a small saucepan, then stir in the heavy cream, and lastly whisk in the parmesan cheese. Boom! Alfredo Sauce!

Next, preheat your oven to 400 degrees F, roll out your dough, and spread the sauce on top!

Then layer on the spinach! Don't be afraid to add a lot (the picture below is not what I would consider "a lot," I just forgot to take a picture after we added more). The spinach will shrink up a lot in the oven!

Lastly, sprinkle the mozzarella cheese on top and pop it in the oven! Bake for 15-20 minutes depending on how thinly you rolled out the dough.

Mmmmm just look at that cheesy goodness!

Slice up the pizza and dig in!

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Spinach Alfredo Pizza

Ingredients:

• PIZZA DOUGH (click here to get the recipe I use!)
• 2 Tbs BUTTER
• 1/4 cup HEAVY CREAM
• 1/2 cup PARMESAN CHEESE, grated
• 2-3 cups of FRESH SPINACH
• 1 & 1/2 cup MOZZARELLA CHEESE

Directions:

1. Start off by preparing the dough. If you decide to use the recipe that I use, follow the direction at this link. 
2. Once the dough is ready, prepare the sauce. Now, you could just use a jar of store bought alfredo sauce but I like to make my own (It's really easy!). To do this I melt the butter in a small saucepan, stir in the heavy cream, and lastly whisk in the parmesan cheese. Boom! Alfredo Sauce!
3. Next, preheat your oven to 400 degrees F, roll out your dough, and spread the sauce on top!
4. Then layer on the spinach! Don't be afraid to add a lot. The spinach will shrink up a lot in the oven!
5. Lastly, sprinkle the mozzarella cheese on top and pop it in the oven! Bake for 15-20 minutes depending on how thinly you rolled out the dough.
6. Slice up the pizza and dig in!

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Strawberry Scones

I made these scones last weekend and they turned out to be delicious! I ran across this recipe online when I was searching for new things that I could make with some leftover buttermilk. I rarely buy buttermilk, so when I have it around I want to use it!

To make 6 large strawberry scones (or probably 8-10 medium sized scones) you will need:

• 3/4 cup (FROZEN or FRESH) STRAWBERRIES, chopped
• 2 & 1/4 cup FLOUR
• 1/2 Tbs BAKING POWDER
• 1/2 tsp BAKING SODA
• 1/4 cup GRANULATED SUGAR
• 1/2 tsp SALT
• 1 stick very cold UNSALTED BUTTER, cubed
• 3/4 cup BUTTERMILK
• 1/2 tsp LEMON JUICE
• 1 tsp VANILLA EXTRACT

For topping:

• 1 & 1/2 Tbs UNSALTED BUTTER, melted
• 2 Tbs LARGE CRYSTAL SUGAR or GRANULATED SUGAR

Start off by chopping the strawberries into bite sized pieces. Then stick them in the freezer while you prepare the dough. Freezing the strawberries will prevent the juices from oozing when you mix them into the dough making the dough too wet. (If you use pre-frozen strawberries you obviously don't have to wait around for the strawberries to freeze which makes the process go faster!)

Cut the stick of butter into cubes and then put it in the freezer with the strawberries to allow the butter to get very cold! When your strawberries are pretty frozen (this could take about an hour if you use fresh strawberries) preheat your oven to 400 degrees F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda, sugar, and salt into a large bowl. Mix well to make sure all of the ingredients are equally dispersed. Next cut the cold butter into the flour using either a pastry cutter or two knives. You want to end up with pea sized balls of butter in a coarse flour mixture.

In a small bowl, mix the buttermilk, lemon juice, and vanilla extract. Pour the buttermilk mixture and frozen strawberries over the flour mixture.

Gently mix together the wet ingredients and dry ingredients with a spatula until the dough just starts to form. (I had to add a few extra tablespoons of buttermilk to get the dough to come together. If you need to add more liquid be careful to not add too much, add it one tablespoon at a time!)

Once the dough will just hold together, (I should still be kind of crumbly!) form it into a rectangle on a floured surface. Press the dough out to be about 1 & 1/2 inches thick.

Next, brush the melted butter onto the dough and sprinkle the sugar on top. The sugar will almost create a crust on top of the scones once baked.

Cut the large rectangle into 6 pieces and then transfer them to the baking sheet. You could cut the scones into smaller pieces if you don't want such large scones.

Then bake for 25-30 minutes! Look how much they grew!

 Don't they look yummy!

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Strawberry Scones

Ingredients:
To make 6 large strawberry scones you will need:

• 3/4 cup (FROZEN or FRESH) STRAWBERRIES, chopped
• 2 & 1/4 cup FLOUR
• 1/2 Tbs BAKING POWDER
• 1/2 tsp BAKING SODA
• 1/4 cup GRANULATED SUGAR
• 1/2 tsp SALT
• 1 stick very cold UNSALTED BUTTER, cubed
• 3/4 cup BUTTERMILK
• 1/2 tsp LEMON JUICE
• 1 tsp VANILLA EXTRACT

For topping:

• 1 & 1/2 Tbs UNSALTED BUTTER, melted
• 2 Tbs LARGE CRYSTAL SUGAR or GRANULATED SUGAR

Directions:

1. Chop the strawberries into bite sized pieces. Then stick them in the freezer while you prepare the dough. 
2. Cut the stick of butter into cubes and then put it in the freezer with the strawberries to allow the butter to get very cold! 
3. When your strawberries are pretty frozen (this could take about an hour if you use fresh strawberries) preheat your oven to 400 degrees F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. 
4. Sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda, sugar, and salt into a large bowl. Mix well to make sure all of the ingredients are equally dispersed. 
5. Cut the cold butter into the flour using either a pastry cutter or two knives. You want to end up with pea sized balls of butter in a coarse flour mixture.
6. In a small bowl, mix the buttermilk, lemon juice, and vanilla extract. Pour the buttermilk mixture and frozen strawberries over the flour mixture. Gently mix together the wet ingredients and dry ingredients with a spatula until the dough just starts to form. (I had to add a few extra tablespoons of buttermilk to get the dough to come together. If you need to add more liquid be careful to not add too much, add it one tablespoon at a time!)
7. Once the dough will just hold together, (I should still be kind of crumbly!) form it into a rectangle on a floured surface. Press the dough out to be about 1 & 1/2 inches thick. 
8. Next, brush the melted butter onto the dough and sprinkle the sugar on top. The sugar will almost create a crust on top of the scones once baked.
9. Cut the large rectangle into 6 pieces and then transfer them to the baking sheet. You could cut the scones into smaller pieces if you don't want such large scones. Then bake for 25-30 minutes! 

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I adapted this recipe from a recipe I found on the following site: http://www.breadtastic.com/quick-breads/tartines-strawberry-buttermilk-scones/

Beer Brats

A few weeks ago we made these bratwursts and they were delicious! We boiled the brats in Guinness and then seared them in a pan to get as much flavor as possible out of them! Top that with some onions, sauerkraut, and mustard and dig in!

To make some beer brats for yourself you will need:

• 5 BEEF BRATWURSTS (we used Johnsonville)
• 1 small ONION, sliced
• 2 cloves GARLIC, minced
• 2 bottles of GUINNESS (or other stout beer, but I think Guinness tastes the best!)
• 1 (14.4 oz.) can SAUERKRAUT 
• YELLOW MUSTARD
• 5 BUNS

This recipe can be easily scaled up if you need to feed more people, but in most cases you can't buy fewer than 5 brats so that is what I have based this recipe on. 

Pour the Guinness into a large pot and bring it to a boil. Chop the onion into slices and throw them in the pot!

While you are waiting for the Guinness to boil, poke each brat several times with a fork to allow the flavors to seep into the meat.

Once the Guinness is boiling, throw the brats in! Boil the brats for 10-15 minutes.

After the brats have are fully cooked, transfer them to a skillet and cook on medium-high for a few minutes to get some color (and more flavor!) on the brats.

While the brats are cooking in the skillet, pour the sauerkraut into a small pot and heat it on medium for a few minutes to warm it up. Stir occasionally.

Once the sauerkraut is hot and the brats have some color on them, assemble your brat! I like to squirt mustard strait onto the bun and then place the brat and sauerkraut on top! You can also top them with the onions that were boiled in the Guinness and just skip the sauerkraut!

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Beer Brats

Ingredients:
This recipe can be easily scaled up if you need to feed more people, but in most cases you can't buy fewer than 5 brats so that is what I have based this recipe on.

• 5 BEEF BRATWURSTS (we used Johnsonville)
• 1 small ONION, sliced
• 2 cloves GARLIC, minced
• 2 bottles of GUINNESS (or other stout beer, but I think Guinness tastes the best!)
• 1 (14.4 oz.) can SAUERKRAUT 
• YELLOW MUSTARD
• 5 BUNS

Directions:

1. Pour the Guinness into a large pot and bring it to a boil. Chop the onion into slices and throw them in the pot!
2. While you are waiting for the Guinness to boil, poke each brat several times with a fork to allow the flavors to seep into the meat.
3. Once the Guinness is boiling, throw the brats in! Boil the brats for 10-15 minutes.
4. After the brats have are fully cooked, transfer them to a skillet and cook on medium-high for a few minutes to get some color (and more flavor!) on the brats.
5. While the brats are cooking in the skillet, pour the sauerkraut into a small pot and heat it on medium for a few minutes to warm it up. Stir occasionally.
6. Once the sauerkraut is hot and the brats have some color on them, assemble your brat! I like to squirt mustard strait onto the bun and then place the brat and sauerkraut on top! You can also top them with the onions that were boiled in the Guinness and just skip the sauerkraut!

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