Shrimp Butter Lettuce ‘Tacos’

Heya Trusty Readers!

So I finally actually have a decent excuse for being so absent :0

Sweets and I got MARRIED!  It was a ridiculously amazing day and I’d gush and gush but know you all probably don’t come here to read stuff about weddings… but if you want to check out our wedding blog.

OK so now back to the grub!  This post is dedicated to all those folks out there who enjoy making food at home… but don’t necessarily enjoy all the chopping/prepping that goes hand and  hand with cooking.  Specifically my super-awesome friend Drew Lage! (hi DREW!)

And really, who am I kidding, this goes out to pretty much everyone out there.  Because even if you do find your happy place in the kitchen – who hasn’t found themselves getting off late work late, still  needing to go grocery shop, and still wanting to whip something special up to celebrate your ONE MONTH wedding anniversary.

Shrimp Tacos with a Green Shell!

Stuffed Bell Peppers (like no Caveman made them before)

The latest health  craze has made its way into the little kitchen of Sweets and I.

Inspired by the way cave-folks ate – Paleo – is meant to include foods that Tarzan ate.  Lots of meats, fish, eggs and veggies and all the spices your heart can dream of and a big fat NO to most of that white fluffy stuff – pasta, bread, sugar, pastries.   And a very tragic no to dairy… sweet delicious dairy… in all the cheesy goodness forms it comes.

At this very moment there is a montage playing of me enjoying cheese in various states… the song Secret Lovers by Atlantic Starr is playing.  It’s a beautiful moment.

So that’s a pretty simplified and maybe slightly uneducated description of what Paleo means but you can find a fancier explanation here.

Most meals you make at home can be modified in some shape or form to meet Paleo standards – replace bread with butter lettuce or cabbage – sub cheese for avocado – instead of ice cream blend up a frozen banana with some coconut milk – don’t eat a bag of Cheetos.

And for this meal in the kitchen of Sweetie and Kneez – sub couscous for Cauliflower “rice.”  And yes I know what you’re thinking – chances are cavemen did not dust off their food processor to “rice” a head of Cauliflower.

But alas it’s 2013 and that’s just want these cave-lovebirds did.

If rice-rice is more your thang than cauli-rice (or couscous) – have at it – carb this sucker up.  But one day you should try to sub rice with cauliflower – just to switch things up or try something new – it’s quite delicious!

Spicy (paleo) Stuffed Bell Peppers

Spaghetti Squash with Basil & Arugula Pesto

As ya’ll have noticed… I’ve recently fallen trap to being a lazy blogger.  And given that when I decide on something (i.e. being a lazy blogger) I like to go all out – I usually don’t plan on blogging our meals – which means I don’t take any photos of the cooking process.

But then the dish is complete, and it’s effing amazing and I really want to share it with you!  And then I realize I have a green pesto dish piled into a green bowl, and the photo kind of sucks.  But I have a hunch you don’t read this blog for my mad photography skillz… so I go ahead and snap a photo for the sake of having at least one picture and I’ll tell myself: “Don’t forget to blog this recipe.”

But I forget.

And then a few weeks go  by and I’m purging my 600 plus iPhone photos and see that green-on-green dish and remember my promise and log into to your very favorite cooking blog (right?) and start this post.

Side Note: We’ve been cutting carbs and sugar out of our home-diet and Spaghetti Squash has to be one of the best vessels for anything we may have made with pasta/rice/quinoa before.   I can’t believe it’s taken me so long to discover it!

Side-Side Note: As of Saturday I started an 8-week Paleo Challenge, which along with carbs and sugars means no dairy (SAY WHAT?!?!?!) so as much as I loved the cheese in this dish you can certainly leave it out, which I will be doing next time I whip this gem up.

Basil & Arugula Pesto over Spaghetti Squash “Noodles”

Blue Sky Bakery Bran Muffins

Photo Courtesy: http://www.lindaandharriett.blogspot.com

Blue Sky Bakery.

Brookyln, NY. Park Slope to be exact. 5th Avenue between St. Marks and Bergen to be really exact. And about one block from my apartment above that noisy Cuban place to be even more really exact.

The coffee was really good – and strong. Iced in the summer and hot in the winter.

But I didn’t go there for the coffee.

Photo Courtesy: The New York Times

I went there for the muffins. The bran muffins filled with an endless variety of fruity concoctions.

There are plenty of things I miss about living in Brooklyn and working in New York City. But for the most part I miss those muffins. I’m not alone in saying that they’re probably some of the very best muffins around.

Seriously, Google it.

“Blue Sky Bakery, Brooklyn NY”

You’ll find yourself plenty of 5 star reviews and people saying things like:
“I don’t like muffins, but I love these muffins.”
“Best muffins ever”
“So delicious I could cry”
And finally…
“I usually only like a muffin top, but these are good on the top and on bottom”
You see these muffins turn even a strict top, into a bottom too! Make of that what you will 😉

I left Brooklyn about four years ago and for about that long I’ve been searching the entire WORLD WIDE WEB for “Blue Sky Bakery, Brooklyn NY Bran Muffin RECIPE.”

Nothing.

I even called the place. And left a message. Not a text message people… an actual voice message. Begging for the recipe.

Nothing.

But then last week I gave the old Google another try and Voila! There it was! Google Books hooked me up! Or I guess the cookbook “Table of Contents: From Breakfast with Anita Diamant to Dessert with James Patterson” hooked me up. Because they had the recipe, courtesy of Blue Sky Bakery – for none other than my beloved muffin.

I’ve made bran muffins before, and they were no doubt good. But they were not these.

Blue Sky Bakery’s Bran Muffins

I made these last weekend and they were every bit as delicious as if they were eaten fresh from Blue Sky Bakery with a small to-go coffee, right of a the brown paper bag while strolling along 5th avenue.

Although I think they were even better last weekend because they were fresh from my oven, eaten on a small rose-glass plate, paired with coffee from my little stove-top Bialetti and I was eating them with my most wonderful Sweets in our cozy home. And it was Sunday and I love Sundays.

And on a tad less romantic note, these muffins are some serious movers if you know what I mean.  My friend Amanda has dubbed them Colon Cleansers Muffins – just a little tit-for-tat.

OK, OK enough mushy stuff. Now to the muffins.

Tacos (in a Salad)

I love tacos.  Like really love them.  Like I’d maybe consider marrying them.

And while I’m not quite ready to say I love tacos more than pizza at this exact moment, I’m sure there are times when such a proclamation might be made.

I love the crispy shells.  The soft shells.  The spiced ground beef.  Tacos with cilantro lime marinated chicken.  Shrimp tacos with fruit salsa.  The taco truck tacos.  The overpriced restaurant tacos.  The Taco Bell tacos.  Tacos in foil.  Tacos on plates.  Tacos with sides of beans and rice.  Tacos with sides of lime wedges and cabbage.  Tacos with salsa.  Tacos with sour cream.  Tacos with avocado.  Tacos in my mouth.

I am an equal-opportunity taco eater and lover.

But you see the thing is… tacos… well much like pizza… I can’t exactly justify eating them on the regular.  Because according to my hips, they’re not the healthiest thing in the world.  And according to Shakira, “Hips Don’t Lie.”  Jerks.

Although just a few months ago I was visiting my lovely friend Paloma, who is also an avid lover of tacos, and her wonderful Momma introduced me to a whole new world of tacos.

Taco Salads!

And before you tsk, tsk, tsk… I should forewarn you there is no taco shell involved and the dressing isn’t creamy.

These are basically a deconstructed taco and can be as healthy or unhealthy for that matter, as you want them to be.  And since I’m getting all fixed to get married and stuff, this recipe errs on the side of healthy.

Sweets and I throw this easy dinner together probably once a week.  It’s become one of our favorite go-to quick and easy dinners.  It’s also the perfect thing to make when we have friends over for din-din.  I can think of at least three pals who’ve enjoyed this particular meal at Casa de Krajewski-Sharpe.

A few of those dinner guests have actually reported checking S&K for the recipe… and I’ve failed them!  And failed you!  But not for long!  I’m redeeming myself right NOW!

Stuffed Bell Peppers Soupy-Style

I know I’ve neglected this blog lately.  And I know I’ve started several posts with an excuse of some sort and apologies if I’ve actually used this one before.  But.

Blogging is hard work!  And food blogging is extra hard work.  But truth be told, it’s the pictures that make it such a pain in the arse.

Pictures of the ingredients maybe, the prep and of course the final project.  And if you’re being extra ambitious maybe photos of you actually eating the food, or an empty bowl or something to imply “action” of the food.

And then you’ve gotta edit the photos, maybe crop them, brighten, lighten or accent.  It usually involves Photoshop – and just launching that program can be a pain in the ass all on it’s own.

Long story short – I’m sorry for not blogging as much these days.  And more importantly – I’m sorry these two pictures kind of suck – they don’t do this soup justice.  But I wasn’t planning on blogging this recipe but  it’s just too good not to share.  No joke, I’d be a jerk to just keep and eat it to/by myself.  And while I’m fully cozy in my laziness, I don’t wanna be a jerk.

This tasty, warm & cozy, perfect for winter and red wine soup is inspired by In the Kitchen and on the Couch  (is that not the best blog name ever?) but modified just a tad for Sweetie & The Kitchen!  And it can totally be modified to tickle your own fancies!

Strawberry, Goat Cheese and Almond Salad

Strawberry season is upon us!!!!!

Are you excited? You should be.

Sweet, delicious, perfectly plump strawberries! I’ll any them in any shape and/or form and in whatever dish they find themselves in, sweet or savory, I do not discriminate.

Most of the most delicious things in life have some sort of strawberry influence.

Strawberry milkshakes, strawberry cobbler, strawberry cake, strawberry shortcake!, strawberry jam, strawberry rhubarb pie, strawberry chapstick, strawberry tequila, strawberry margaritas… and… like a billion others.

My Dad’s favorite is strawberry sandwiches; I’m still not quite sure how you make those, but he WILL NOT stop talking about them.

You know what else is ridiculously delicious?

Strawberry salads…

Mix some fresh strawberries in with greens, slivers almonds and goat cheese and you’ve got yourself quite the treat for dinner or lunch or brunch or whatever meal it is you’re eating.

Sweets and I made this salad a week ago for dinner and topped it with some grilled bird and it was SPECTACULAR!

I’ve had a variation of the salad at a billion restaurants but I think my own take on it was much better, probably because I got to add as many strawberries as I wanted! Success!

Strawberry Salad with Goat Cheese and Slivered Almonds

Zucchini & Lox Carpaccio

It was really hot today, like really REALLY hot, like swamp coolers can’t hang kind of hot.

But mostly it was like there is NO WAY in – starts with an H rhymes with smell – I am going to turn on my oven to make dinner kind of hot.

And so Sweets and I made a summer friendly din-din thanks to a little “pinspiration” from my friend Isa.

The original Pin was just for a simple Zucchini Carpaccio but I thought adding some Lox would give it the substance it needed to go from being a side-salad to a full on dinner.

Albeit a light dinner, which was just perfect for this hot summer night.

Super Woman/Man Cookie Dough Bites

It’s Girl Scout Cookie season… and they’re everywhere.

Awkward 10-12 year-old girls wearing their green badged-clad vests making their annual pilgrimage through town with boxes full of cookies for sale.

They’re outside of the grocery store, just stopping through your doctor’s office, chilling around your Gym’s lobby, taking an impromptu tour of your office and sitting right outside your bedroom window. They’re everywhere you are, just waiting for you to cave and buy a case of thin mints, 5 boxes of Tagalogs and 3 more of Samoa’s.

And even if you manage to resist buying $300 worth of cookies, that doesn’t mean you coworkers did which means at least half of their stash will end up at your office and eventually in your mouth.

But this year, 2012, I have resisted.

The Great Girl Scout Resistance.

It’s not that I don’t enjoy a frozen Thin Mint as much as the next gal, I do – actually I probably enjoy them even more, but since I’ve already gone this long so far without 2012 Girl Scout Crack I’m curious to see if I can just all out resist it.

I imagine this is what a 25 y/o virgin feels like too?
If I’ve already gone this long…

OK maybe that’s a bad metaphor – you see my point?

But just because I’m resisting the GCC doesn’t mean my Sweet Tooth has been pulled.
It hasn’t – and fear not readers – I’ve found an alternative!

This super healthy alternative will satisfy just about anyone’s sweet treat craving, and I’m going go out on a limb and say they’ll quench your GCC cravings too, while giving you a pretty fierce dose of protein.

Protein you can use to fight evil!  Like Girl Scout and their cookies!

Back to these treats, there little frozen balls of delight and they taste JUST like Cookie Dough!

But you see, they’re not dough.  Or at least not what you usually think of as dough.  There’s no egg, flour or sugar (except for that in the chocolate chips) in this  batter.

It’s just nuts, chocolate chips, oats, a shot of agave nectar, a dash of cinnamon and a pinch of salt.

That’s it.  Seriously.

So health nuts and sweet treat lovers everywhere… get ready to make some sweet fuel fit for a SUPER HERO!

Super Person Cookie Dough Bites

Asparagus Lovers Soup

After my last post on the best tomato soup you will ever make/eat a friend pointed out that January was National Soup Month.

Say what?

That’s right folks an actual month (one of the longer months too) 31 whole days devoted to soup.

That’s what I’m talking about.

31 days dedicated to the warm (and sometimes cold) tasty delicious flavory goodness party that happens in your mouth, when you eat soup.

Specifically one of Sweetie & the Kitchen’s soups.

Caldo Tlapeno, Chicken Tortilla, Black Bean, Roasted Tomato and now Asparagus soup.

A healthy twist on the better known Cream of Asparagus.

But don’t let that “healthy twist” reference dry up your saliva glands… you can continue drooling.

Excuse me, you should continue drooling.

You’re still going use a little butter and even a little cream but neither come anywhere close to being the main ingredient.

OK folks, get out your ladle and soup spoons we’re almost there.

Oh-so-Delicious Asparagus Soup