It’s time, y’all! The granola is going on the Market. I’m still working on some last bits of business planning, but my Cottage Food Home Business – Unfolding Lovely Eats – is official!
The first thing I’ll be selling is the artisan granola I’ve worked hard to master over the last several years. A friend told me yesterday that this last batch was, “the best she’d ever eaten!” and I’m so happy! It’s the right time, and we’re just gonna go for it!
I have a few varieties I’ll be selling to start and I’ll also have the ability to custom make orders for people! I’ll be selling 10 oz packages, beginning at $10. The “Ultimate Granola” will be $14 for a 12 oz bag.
I feel incredibly lucky to make delicious things for people! I hope this is just the beginning!
Until I have a business bank account, I’ll be accepting payment through CashApp or Venmo to start. But once that business account is open and I can figure out how to set up a shop online, it’s gonna happen! 😉
After working all day, I traveled to three stores last night to find egg roll wrappers. Who would’ve thought they’d be so hard to find! Eventually, I gave up. Instead, I looked up the ingredients of egg roll wrappers and set my sights on making it happen in my kitchen. And it happened. And I’ll never buy them again because these were just too easy. I noticed they didn’t crisp up quite the same, but it’s easily fixed with a quick bake in the oven after frying them or tossing them in a dry skillet to “toast” them once they’re done. But, in all reality, I just ate them as is and didn’t miss the super crisp bite. It was crispy enough for me. 😉
Ingredients: 2 1/4 c flour 1/2 ice cold water 1 t. salt 1 large egg, beaten
Mix all ingredients in a large bowl until combined. Cover and let rest for up to an hour. Turn out onto a floured surface and knead for about 3 minutes, adding flour to the workspace if needed. The dough should be soft, pliable, and have good elasticity but not too sticky. Cut the dough into 12 equal(ish) pieces. Do the best you can, but there’s no need to bust out the scale here.
Use your fingers to gently flatten the dough, and then using a floured rolling pin, roll out the dough into a very thin piece. Mine had no actual shape to them. I started with wanting them square, then moved to circle, then just wanted them thin enough to do what they had to do.
Use wax paper or parchment paper to separate them as you make them (don’t be like me). You definitely don’t want to stack the raw egg rolls on top of each other. When I was ready to fill them, I pulled the edges a bit to restretch the dough… think of what it looks like when someone is working a pizza dough. Fill them with your desired filling (I’ll post one soon). Once I have my filling in there, I fold the sides in and roll it up. I use a bit of egg to seal the dough on the seam.
Warm a cast-iron skillet that’s filled about halfway with vegetable oil over medium heat. Cook the egg rolls for about 3 minutes or until the desired color, turning often.
We’ve talked before about how we can roast gnocchi instead of boiling it – you can see the recipe for Roasted Veggies and Gnocchi here.
Did you know you can also cook shelf stable gnocchi in a skillet? You can, and I’m going to show you how. 😉
First, you pour your favorite wine into your favorite wine glass.
Ingredients: 10 oz shaved brussels sprouts 500 g shelf stable gnocchi, uncooked Zest from 1 lemon 4 T butter (in 1 T pats) Olive Oil Kosher salt Pepper Red pepper flakes 3/4 c shredded parmesan cheese
Heat a large skillet over medium-low heat. Drizzle about a tablespoon of olive oil into the pan and add the brussels sprouts. Sprinkle with about a teaspoon of kosher salt and cook for 5-7 minutes, stirring often. Add 1/2 the lemon zest and cook for another 5 minutes or until done. Remove to plate.
Into the same skillet, add another drizzle-1 tablespoon olive oil and add gnocchi in a single layer. Cook for 3-4 minutes without stirring. Continue cooking, stirring often until soft and golden on all sides. Add butter the skillet (separate it through the pan, though, don’t drop it all in one spot. 😉 ) and allow it to cook down until it’s browned and smells a bit nutty.
Add brussels sprouts back to skillet, add salt and pepper to taste. To serve, top with red pepper flakes, lemon zest, and fresh parmesan. Enjoy!
I’m not one to toot my own horn. Like, if I were on a cooking show and had to taste my own food and then swoon over it, I’d fail. They’d kick me off the show.
But… this right here. #itsswoonworthy and so freaking good, y’all!
I don’t even know how this came into my brain, but it did, and it lived there for a solid 30 minutes while I sorted it out, and I knew I had to make it.
It’s the best of all worlds – lots of protein, great benefits from the nut butter, yummy bananas, and just a touch of honey. Ahh.. who am I kidding? I’m trying to pass it off as “somewhat healthy,” and it’s all the way not. 😉
Ingredients: 4 slices of thick-cut bread, brioche or Texas toast or just a solid thick-cut would work. 2 eggs 1/4 c heavy cream 1/2 t. cinnamon 1/2 t. vanilla 2 c. pecans, chopped 2 bananas, sliced nut butter of your choosing, mine is pictured below honey, warmed butter, for the skillet
To make: Preheat the oven to 350 and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Beat 2 eggs together with the heavy cream, cinnamon, and vanilla. Pour half the chopped pecans onto a plate and make yourself an assembly line.
Melt butter in a large skillet or on a griddle. Coat your bread, one piece at a time, in the eggs on both sides and then dredge it through the pecans on both sides, place on griddle or skillet. Cook the toast for about 2 minutes on each side, enough to toast the pecans. Move to the prepared baking sheet. Once all four pieces are done, add them to the oven and bake for 10 minutes.
Remove from oven and add the bottom piece to a plate, add your favorite nut butter, and half a banana.
Add the second piece and more nut butter, bananas, chopped pecans, and drizzle with warmed honey. Enjoy!
Okay, so hear me out. I’ve never had picadillo that hasn’t been made in my kitchen. I didn’t even know what it was until May 2020, when a friend mentioned it was his favorite meal. Of course, anyone’s favorite is something I want to conquer – we already know this about me! 😉
This recipe makes a lot. If I had to guess, I would say 8 healthy servings if you’re eating it without rice. Feel free to cut the recipe in half if that makes more sense for you!
Ingredients: 2 1/4 lbs ground beef* 3 russet baking potatoes, peeled and diced 2 red peppers, diced 1 large sweet yellow onion, diced 8 cloves garlic, roasted and smashed* 2 c. Beef broth or 2 cubes bouillon + 1 1/2 c water 29 oz can tomato sauce (you won’t use all of it) 1 T. cumin 1 T. coriander 2 bay leaves Salt and pepper
Heat a large dutch oven over medium heat and drizzle with olive oil. Add ground beef and cook until mostly done – we want the meat to remain soft. Remove from burner and drain off fat. Add vegetables–except garlic, mix it with the beef, and cook for about 10 minutes or until the onions and peppers soften. Add garlic and cook for another minute. Add about 3/4 of the tomato sauce, the beef broth or bouillon/water combo, and mix. Add all the seasonings and stir well to combine. Add bay leaves and gently mix them in. Lower the heat to a low simmer, cover, and cook for about 10 minutes.
Remove lid and cook for another 10 minutes or so until the potatoes are done, and the liquid has reduced. In fairness, I cook mine for nearly 40 minutes because I think it’s one of those dishes that tastes better the longer it cooks. We don’t want the potatoes to break apart, so stop short of that, but feel free to cook it as long as you want.
Remove bay leaves and serve.
You can eat it with rice, on its own, with tortillas, or however you fancy. I top mine with crushed red pepper and eat it with fresh tortillas! If I had any cilantro (I think it’s lost in a supply chain), I would’ve topped with some of that, too!
*about the beef – you could sub ground turkey here, but I wouldn’t. The richness of the beef is essential. I also wasn’t entirely sure how much meat it was since it was broken down from another package, so I made an estimate. It was definitely more than 2 pounds, but not too much more.
*about the garlic – you don’t have to roast it if you don’t want to roast it — you can easily use fresh garlic but use half the amount – Roasted garlic is much more subtle than fresh garlic. However, I think roasted, smashed garlic adds a whole different flavor to it.
To roast garlic (you may as well do a few heads at once and keep it on hand!), preheat the oven to 400. Remove the loose, papery skins, cut the top off each head, exposing the garlic cloves, and place in a small baking dish. You can also use muffin tins, ramekins, or whatever is easiest. I have a perfect little baking dish that holds about 7-8 heads of garlic, and I do them all at once. Drizzle with olive oil and cover each head with foil. Roast until they’re a nice caramel color and soft to the touch, about 30-40 minutes. Allow to cool and then squeeze the cloves gently out of the skin, using a cocktail fork or small knife to help.
I had an incredible amount of tortillas left after an event we did last week. And not just like the regular make a taco or burrito ones, but like the x-large, super grande, massively huge flour ones. Y’all… there is not one thing on this planet I can use those for outside an event and I have no events on the horizon.
I had to get creative!
Can a person make French Toast with a tortilla? I wasn’t sure, but I was definitely going to find out. The answer is a solid yes!
To make these, my tortillas were at room temperature and that made them a bit more pliable.
Ingredients: 3 large flour tortillas 2 eggs Healthy splash of milk or cream 1 t. cinnamon 1/2 t. vanilla Butter
In a large shallow bowl or pan, mix all the ingredients, except the tortillas and butter. Feel free to adjust the cinnamon and vanilla if you’d like a little more. Adding maple extract is also a great option instead of the vanilla!
Heat a pan over medium heat, add butter and melt. Fold a tortilla in half or fourths, whatever necessary to fit it inside the dish with the egg mix. Be sure to coat all sides. It’ll have to be folded and unfolded a couple ways to make sure it’s all covered. (or you can be normal and use smaller tortillas!)
Place the tortilla in the hot pan and cook until both sides are golden brown, flipping back and forth as needed to not burn either side. They will bubble up as the air gets in between the layers of the tortilla and that’s okay! It should only take about 3 minutes per side.
Remove to plate. Cook the remaining tortillas.
Now, there are lots of ways to go here because it almost becomes crepe-like and we can fill, stuff, and top it so many ways! You can spread a layer Nutella or other nut butter inside and then roll it up, or slather on some butter and crushed pecans before rolling it and topping it with maple syrup, or roll it up and drizzle it with chocolate, like I did here, or fill it with fruit! The choices are endless!
Next time I make them, I’ll try a more savory approach which will probably turn into a HUGE breakfast taco! 😉
What you do: Melt butter in a large skillet over medium low heat, add sliced peaches. Cook, turning gently for a couple minutes, then add a generous sprinkle of cinnamon. Cook for another couple minutes. Remove to plate.
Add pita to skillet and toast on both sides in the cinnamon butter beautifulness happening, and remove to plate. Smother as much ricotta as you like – I used about 1/2 a cup, layer peach slices, add almonds, and drizzle with remaining butter on the peach plate. Sprinkle with turbinado sugar. Enjoy!
I’ve never made bread pudding. In fact, I don’t think I’ve ever eaten bread pudding. I had things in my kitchen that needed to be used, though, so I made some. I looked at so many recipes trying to understand the ins and outs of it, to soak overnight or not, what kind of bread was best, etc. It really just boiled down to me using what I had on hand.
What you’ll need: 8-9 thick slices of brioche, cubed 2 1/3 cups heavy cream 1 cup milk (I used 2%) 1 Tbs salted butter 1 1/2 tsp vanilla 2/3 cup sugar, plus 1/2 cup 4 large eggs 4 egg yolks 2 apples, grated 4 oz dark bakers chocolate, chopped
What to do: A few hours before you get started, pull out your bread and cut it in cubes. Set it aside and leave it to dry out for a few hours. I don’t know if this is necessary, but we really want it to soak up the custard and that seems easier with drier bread.
Preheat oven to 350. Butter a deep 8×8 casserole dish, and then use about 1/4 cup of the sugar and sugar the pan (I honestly don’t know how to say that differently… do you know what I mean?? :p You want a layer of sugar to cover all the buttered surface area of the dish). Using a box grater, grate two apples, I used a fuji and a honeycrisp, and I imagine you could use other varieties, too. I would stick with crisp apples that don’t have mealy flesh. Set aside.
In a saucepan, add the heavy cream, milk, and 2/3 cup of sugar. Heat through over medium-high heat until the sugar is melted and the cream is warmed. Be careful not to let it scald. Remove from heat.
While the cream is cooking, add whole eggs, egg yolks, and vanilla to a mixing bowl and whisk together. Slowly mix the warm cream into the eggs. Start with a very small amount to temper the eggs – we don’t want the warm cream to scramble the eggs, but we do want it to warm them slowly. Continue to whisk until all the cream and egg mixture is incorporated – and now it’s custard!
Add the cubed bread to the custard mix and turn to make sure all the bread pieces are coated. Add the shredded apple, mix. Pour the mixture into the prepared pan and add the dark chocolate throughout, using a spoon to push it under the surface a bit. Sprinkle about a 1/4 cup sugar over the top. Cover with foil and bake for 45 minutes. Remove from oven, remove foil, and bake for another 20. If the top hasn’t browned nicely, feel free to place it under the broiler for a minute or two. I didn’t need to do that step, but all ovens are different. 😉
Hello! It’s an odd name for a recipe, I know, but I’ve made it with so many types of meat, I don’t want to tell anyone they can’t do what they want! 😉
Last night, I made this meal with ground turkey. I’ve also used ground beef, chicken breast, and beef stew meat. It’s really versatile.
What you need: 1 pound ground turkey (or whatever you like) 2 crowns fresh broccoli (sorry, no frozen for this one) 1 small onion, diced 2 cloves garlic, minced Olive oil and sesame oil Hoisin sauce Soy sauce Salt and pepper
Heat a large skillet with drizzles of both sesame and olive oil over medium heat. I’m not a *huge* fan of sesame oil, but I appreciate the flavor add it brings to this party. I use equal amounts here. Once the oil is warm and shiny, add the onions and cook until they’re soft and translucent. While those are cooking, grate your broccoli crowns using a normal, ol’ box grater, and set aside. When onions are nice and soft, add garlic and cook for another minute. Add grated broccoli and cook for about 2 minutes. Add salt and pepper. Remove to plate.
In the same pan, add another drizzle of olive oil, and add ground turkey. Cook and crumble meat until no longer pink. I wish I would’ve measured the sauces, but – you know me, I didn’t. I added a *few circles” of soy sauce and “one circle” of hoisin sauce – then I tasted, and you should, too. You can always start low and add more as you like for your personal tastes. Add salt and pepper. Remove cooked meat and place it atop the broccoli. Enjoy!
Have you had a Monte Cristo before? Well, this is kinda like that but different. 😉
I love egg sandwiches, so I’m always looking for new ways to make them. This was really easy to make, and it will “WOW” company, or maybe just your family.
Trader Joe’s has really yummy brioche, and I bought some. It just made sense to make french toast with it, but I’m not a big fan of french toast. I mean, I am. But I trick myself into not liking it because I really have no self-control with any type of bread. So, I’m not a fan of it, and that’s my story.
Here’s what you’ll need: 2 eggs 2 slices thick-sliced brioche half & half vanilla cinnamon thinly sliced turkey 2 slices cheese of choice, I used American butter powdered sugar, if desired syrup, if desired
Here’s what I did: Heat a large skillet over medium heat, and melt a tab of butter. Scramble 1 egg with a bit of half & half, a sprinkle of cinnamon, and a few drops of vanilla. Coat both sides of the brioche and add to the warm skillet. Cook about 3 minutes on one side, over medium heat, and then flip. (At this point, I added my turkey to the skillet to warm up because I think cold meat on a warm sandwich is disgusting. I just kept it to the side of the french toast while it finished cooking.)
Once you flip the toast, crack your remaining egg into an egg pan that’s been warmed with some melted butter. Cook until set and then flip. Check your toast, and flip one more time, lay cheese slices–on each side of the bread, turkey on each side, and remove to a plate. Lightly salt the egg while it’s still in the pan and then transfer on top one of the bread slices.
Close sandwich and sprinkle with powdered sugar and drizzle syrup. Enjoy!
unfolding lovely eats 