A Personal Journey

Well, I haven’t posted on the blog since May. So much has happened since then

that it’s time to fill you in. I’ve been battling hear loss in my right ear for some time now,

but about a year ago it started getting really bad to where I couldn’t even use

the phone on that side. I decided it was time to see an ENT to

possibly get a hearing aid. To my surprise the ENT sent me for a MRI.

Wasn’t really concerned about having a MRI at all, actually thought it was

a waste of time & money. I was so sure they weren’t going to find anything.

To my surprise again the ENT wouldn’t give me the results over the phone & scheduled another

appointment for me to come in to discuss. The horrible part was he called

me on Friday to schedule a Monday appointment. All weekend to sit & think about what

could possibly be wrong. Grr!

So, Monday!

Monday was the worst day of my life.. pretty sure it was for my husband too.

The doctor told me my hearing loss was due to a acoustic schwanoma brain tumor.

Imagine how stunned I was to hear this news. I just sat there listening to this doctor

talk & talk & talk while trying to understand everything he was telling me. Did I mention

I went to this appointment alone because I still thought it wouldn’t be that serious!?

He showed me my MRI results & told me I needed to see a specialist because he

could no longer help me.

Now the fun part of calling my husband to break the news to him. : /

Needless to say the next few weeks were very very rough. I spent lots

of time on the phone with the insurance company & plenty of time in

& out of doctor offices. The conclusion was this:

My brain tumor was the size of a golf ball & the doctors

thought it would be best to fly to California to have one of the best surgeon in

the world preform my surgery.

2 long months of waiting before my family & I could fly out to California.

My poor little blog suffered during this time. As you can probably imagine, I didn’t

feel like doing much.

Luckily for me my husband was super supportive during this time &

completely took things over for our little family. He broke the news to our

families, made the flight arrangements & even planned a trip to Disney Land

for our daughter before my surgery. He tried to make things as easy as

possible in this very trying time. What a lucky lady I am!

July:

We arrived a few days early so we had some family time.

Disney Land, Vince Beach, Hollywood sight seeing all crammed into 3 days.

Then it was surgery day. The hospital staff was super nice & tried to make me as

comfortable as possible. The doctors were also very nice & took GREAT care of me.

10 long hours later, they moved me into ICU where my family could visit see me.

I don’t really remember them coming in but they said I was talking.  That’s always a good sign.:)

What seemed like a long journey just to have surgery,  would continue a little longer.

I wasn’t really prepared for all the things I would have to over come in the weeks to follow.

Seeing, walking/ keeping balanced, being deaf (right ear) & not being able to taste my food.

My eyes were super sensitive to light which meant wearing sunglasses all time.

That also meant no tv. Walking without holding onto someone or the wall was

very tough! As much I wanted to do it on my own, I couldn’t.

My taste is the only thing I’m still battling. Everything taste horrible!!

While you might think this is a great dieting trick, it’s really frustrating not being able

to enjoy your meals.. I miss the sweet taste of chocolate the most!

Hopefully they return soon so I can continue to cook.

You have no idea how hard it is to make a meal you can’t taste.. lol!

Luckily, I have a few recipe to post from awhile ago. Maybe they’ll be

back by the time I get them all posted. One could only hope right.

 

Stuffed Green Bell Peppers

We’ve made these in our house a few times.

They are relatively easy to make & they taste great!

My favorite part about these, 3 different cheeses all packed into one little dish!!

I also think serving a stuffed bell pepper just makes a cute presentation. 

This recipe makes 4 very stuffed peppers with a little left over.

If you have a larger family make sure to adjust the

ingredients accordingly.

Cut the tops off & scoop out the insides.

Spray the cooking dish with non-stick spray.

Stuff the peppers until they are almost full.

Top with lots of mozzarella.

Ingredients

12-16 oz lean ground beef

1/2 white onion, finely chopped

1 tsp Italian seasoning

3 Roma tomatoes, diced

1-2 cloves garlic, minced

2oz feta cheese

1/2 cup Parmesan cheese

3-4 green bell peppers

1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

cooking spray

Preheat oven to 350. Spray baking dish with cooking spray.

In a large pan brown the beef over medium to high heat.

Once meat has been browned, drain.

Add onions, garlic, seasoning & tomatoes to pan with the beef.

Simmer on low for 10 minutes.

Stir in feta & Parmesan cheese.

Remove tops & insides of the peppers.

Fill the peppers with the mixture & place in the baking dish.

Top each pepper with mozzarella cheese. Bake for 20 minutes

or until cheese is browned.

Serve on a bed of whole grain brown rice.

 

Blueberry & Lemon Buttermilk Breakfast Cake

I have been craving blueberries like crazy the last few weeks.

Partially eating them each & every day.

Last week I made Blythe’s blueberry muffins &

was VERY disappointed. The light fluffy muffin I was looking

forward to eating, was a dry crumbling mess.

Back to the drawing board & by that I mean Pinterest!

What a fantastic site!

My second attempt at a yummy blueberry treat was

way more successful & tasty!!

I LOVE the taste of blueberries & lemon. The combination

is absolutely wonderful. You’re going to love this recipe.

MMM.. doesn’t it look good?

Ingredients

½ cup unsalted butter, room temperature
2 tsp. lemon zest or more
7/8 cup* + 1 tablespoon sugar**
1 egg, room temperature
1 tsp. vanilla
2 cups flour
2 tsp. baking powder
  1/2 tsp. salt
2 cups fresh blueberries
½ lemon – squeezed
½ cup buttermilk

* 7/8 cup = 3/4 cup + 2 tablespoons
** This 1 tablespoon is for sprinkling on top

Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Cream butter with lemon zest and 7/8 cup of the sugar until light and fluffy.

Add the egg and vanilla and beat until combined. Meanwhile, toss the blueberries with ¼ cup of flour, then whisk together the remaining flour, baking powder and salt.

 Add the flour mixture to the batter a little at a time, alternating with the buttermilk. Squeeze in lemon juice from 1/2 lemon. Fold in the blueberries.

Grease a 9-inch square baking pan (or something similar) with butter or coat with non-stick spray. Spread batter into pan. Sprinkle batter with remaining tablespoon of sugar. Bake for 35 minutes. Check with a toothpick for doneness. If necessary, return pan to oven for a couple of more minutes. (Note: Baking for as long as 10 minutes more might be necessary.) Let cool at least 15 minutes before serving.

Try to control yourself.

These were the Blythe blueberry muffins.

 

Turkey Gyros

Let me introduce you to my version of a Greek Gyro.

My version uses turkey in place of lamb.

How could anyone eat those cute little lambs?!

I know a lot of people can, but I am not one of them.

I won’t eat goat either. Growing up my mother raised pygmy goats

& I made a couple of them my pets.

My first pet goat was named Murphy after Murphy Brown. lol.

Do you remember that tv show? I think she worked for a news room called F.Y.I..

Anyway, I have a hard time eating cute little animals that remind me of my pets.

I think the turkey is a delicious substitute. It’s juicy, flavorful & healthy.

I’ve never had a true gyro but this one was pretty darn tasty!!

I used some Greek seasoning in the turkey & a little in the cucumber sauce.

I did use a 100% whole wheat tortilla in place of a pita.

Ingredients

1lb ground turkey

1 tsp Greek seasoning

1/2 tomato, diced

1/2 onion, sliced

1/2 head lettuce, shredded

feta

olive oil

tortillas or pitas

Heat olive oil in a large pan on medium to high heat.

Brown turkey until no longer pink. Make sure to break turkey up into small pieces.

While cooking add Greek seasoning to the pan. Stir.

Heat tortillas or pitas. Once warm, fill each one with turkey, tomatoes, lettuce,

onion & feta. Drizzle the cucumber sauce on top. 

Cucumber Sauce

1/4 cup mayo

1/2 tsp pepper

1/2 cucumber, finely diced

Mix all ingredients in a bowl. Drizzle on top.

Enjoy!

 

Huevos Rancheros

Meant to post this sooner but with so

much going on I haven’t been blogging every often.

I REALLY enjoy searching for new breakfast ideas since breakfast is my

favorite meal of the day. I love this because it introduces

new dishes to my 9 year old who can be very picky. She sees

that breakfast doesn’t always have to be a sugary treats.

Which I’m not going to lie, I LOVE sugary treats for breakfast but I like

trying new things like huevos rancheros.

As much as I love Mexican food you’d think I would have tried

this classic Mexican breakfast before now.

It was so good, I can’t wait to make it again.

A little salt, black pepper, cumin, oregano & cayenne pepper to season.

Fresh veggies.

Beginning to cook the veggies for the sauce.

I love how bright & bold the veggies look in the pan. 

Make sure you break your eggs in a separate dish before putting in a pan.

This helps make sure no egg shell gets into the pan.

Ingredients

3 tbsp olive oil, divided
1/2 yellow onion, chopped
1/2 red bell pepper, chopped
1/2 green bell pepper, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
1/4 tsp dried oregano
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
1 1/2 cups tomatoes and their juices, chopped
1/2 cup chicken stock
1 tbsp jalapeno peppers, finely chopped
2 tbsp fresh cilantro, finely chopped
corn tortillas
large eggs

To make the Rancheros Sauce, heat 1 tbsp oil in medium pan over medium-high heat. Add onion, bell peppers & garlic. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 6-8 minutes, or until onion begins to soften. Add salt, cumin, pepper, oregano & cayenne pepper. Stir. Add tomatoes, chicken stock & jalapenos. Bring to a simmer. Cover while simmering for 15 minutes. Remove cover, add cilantro & cook an additional 5-8 minutes, or until sauce begins to thicken. Season with salt & pepper to taste.

In a small skillet, add 1/2 tsp oil over medium-high heat. Add 1 corn tortilla at a time & cook on each side until golden brown. About 30-45 seconds per side. Keep warm by wrapping in tin foil while you cook the eggs.

Heat remaining 1/2 tbsp oil in large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the eggs to the pan & lightly season with salt & pepper. Fry eggs until the egg whites no longer giggle on top and turn white. Cover pan with lid & cook additional 1 1/2 to 2 minutes, or until eggs are cooked sufficiently.

 

Substitute & Measuring Charts

I have come across a lot of wonderful blogs

& have signed up to receive emails from almost all of them.

Recently I received an email containing these charts which I

thought were extremely helpful. How could I not share these with everyone!?

There are times when I want to make a recipe & I have everything

but that one ingredient. Instead of running to the store for that one thing,

I now how a substitute chart to reference. Genesis!!

Cooking just became a little bit easier.

The chart below is wonderful for measurements.

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve needed to know a measurement

& I turned to google to find my answer. lol

 

Lemon Snap Peas

What a tasty little side dish these are!!

I’m always looking for new sides to try because it seems like we

always have the same thing. Broccoli, zucchini, squash etc. 

After awhile those become very boring.

Lemon snap peas are anything but boring.

Fresh organic snap peas, freshly grated lemon &

freshly squeezed lemon juice.

I seriously think I could eat these as a main dish.

They are the perfect compliment to my Cajun pan fried tilapia.

Aren’t they just beautiful!? So vibrant.

Served with tilapia.

Ingredients

1 tbsp. unsalted butter
12 oz. fresh sugar snap peas, de-stringed
1 tsp. lemon zest, freshly grated
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
1/4 tsp. ground black pepper

Melt butter in a medium pan over medium-high heat. Add the snap peas and toss to coat. Cook snap peas over medium-high heat for 2 minutes, stirring frequently. Add the lemon zest, salt and pepper (and thyme, if you wish) and cook an additional 3-5 minutes, until the snap peas begin to puff up and are crisp, yet tender.  Squeeze a little lemon juice over top right before serving. 

 

 

Teriyaki Chicken

I’m on a quest to make my own Chinese food.

Since moving to our house 2 years ago, we have been unsuccessful

with finding a really good Chinese restaurant close by. We have tried all within our

area & have resorted driving  25 miles round trip to our favorite spot.

Two weeks ago, we discovered our favorite spot closed. The owners retired.

Oh No!!!

So my quest begins.

First dish I am across to try was teriyaki chicken.

Homemade teriyaki sauce is sooo good & it smells great!

Easy to make & much better than the bottled stuff you’d get at the store.

NO high fructose corn syrup and unnecessary preservatives here!

If you look closely you can see a little bit of fresh ginger.

A little green onion to garnish.

Served on a bed of jasmine rice.

This rice really is wonderful. Compliments the chicken well.

Ingredients

Teriyaki Sauce

1/3 cup (low sodium) soy sauce
2 tbsp. honey
1 tbsp. brown sugar
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp. fresh ginger, minced
1 tsp. apple cider vinegar
1/3 cup water
1 tbsp. cornstarch

In a medium saucepan, combine soy sauce, honey, brown sugar, garlic, ginger and vinegar over medium-high heat, stirring frequently.

Dissolve cornstarch in water in a separate mixing bowl and then add to the saucepan. Cook for 6-8 minutes, stirring frequently, until thickened.

Set aside.

Chicken

1 tbsp. olive oil
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
pinch kosher salt
pinch ground black pepper
optional: sliced green onions

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Heat olive oil in large, oven-safe skillet over high heat. Season chicken liberally with kosher salt and ground black pepper.

Place chicken into skillet and cook until golden-brown on one side, about 5-6 minutes. Flip pieces over, pour the teriyaki sauce over and between the chicken and place into the oven.

Bake chicken for 15-20 minutes, until no longer pink in the middle.

To serve, slice against the grain and drizzle teriyaki sauce from the skillet over the chicken.

Serve over steamed rice if desired. Garnish with sliced green onions if desired.

 

Pizza Margherita

I’ve really been into cooking things I’ve never had before.

That’s kind of the point of cooking right!?

Well, Yes & No.

It’s about trying new things & trying to recreate things you love.

AND..

I LOVE pizza so this really isn’t a new thing but having a pizza Margherita is.

Apparently there is a bit of history surrounding this particular pizza. When I 

came across this blog not only did I get a recipe,  I got a little history lesson too.

So here are a few fun facts.

Pizza is Greek in origin. Modern pizza originated in Italy as the Neapolitan pie with tomato.

Basil & Mozzarella.

In 1889, cheese was added.

Homemade pizza dough.

In 1889, during a visit to Naples, Queen Margherita of Italy was served a pizza resembling the colors of the Italian flag, red (tomato), white (mozzarella) and green (basil). This kind of pizza has been named after the Queen as Pizza Margherita.

Ingredients

1 pizza crust/ dough
1 14-oz. can whole peeled tomatoes, not including juices
1 tbsp. olive oil
1 tsp. dried oregano
1 tsp. dried basil
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
1/4 tsp. ground black pepper
2-3 Roma tomatoes, thinly sliced
7-8 oz. fresh mozzarella, thinly sliced
1 oz. fresh basil leaves, torn into pieces

Heat oven to 450 degrees.

Drain tomatoes and puree in a food processor (or blender). Add olive oil, oregano, dried basil, salt, pepper and pulse to combine.

Spread sauce over pizza dough, leaving a 1/2-inch border around the edge for the crust. Create a layer of the thinly sliced tomatoes over the sauce. Line the sliced mozzarella over the tomatoes.

Bake pizza for 8-10 minutes until cheese is melted and the crust begins to turn golden brown. Remove from oven.

Toss fresh basil over cooked pizza and let sit for 3-5 minutes.

Slice and serve.

 

Homemade Pizza Dough

Have you ever made homemade pizza?

I mean real homemade pizza right down to the pizza dough?

No, me either until a few nights ago. 

WOW, what a difference fresh dough makes! I will NEVER buy

prepackaged dough again. It’s SUPER easy!!

The hardest part is waiting for the dough to rise.

The recipe I found was a little intimidating at first because it calls for a 

bread machine & of course I don’t own one. Reading through the comments,

I’m not the only one without a bread machine. Luckily for me a couple pioneers tried

making this dough by hand or with their mixer & bread hook.

Success!!

The bread hook did all the work. No bread machine or kneading involved.

There is enough dough to make 1 really large or 2 medium size pizzas.

I chose 1 really large pizza, the size of my pizza pan & still had a little left over.

Before adding toppings, use a fork to poke little holes around the dough to keep from bubbling.

Ingredients

1 cup water
3 cups bread flour
1 tbsp. sugar
1 tsp. kosher salt
2 tbsp. olive oil
2 tsp. yeast

Place all ingredients in your kitchen-aid mixer, attach bread hook. 

Turn on low until dough is pliable & elastic, rather than sticky.

Let rise for about 60-70 minutes. Dough should double in size.