Breakfast Polenta

The first question of the weekend is simple:  Sweet or Savory?  You wake up Saturday morning, stretch, pet the pooch/pussycat/parakeet/pet, and immediately begin thinking what kind of breakfast is going to help your weekend start off on the right side of the bed.  It's the most important meal of the day and an equally important question.  Sometimes a little something sweet hits the spot - tender french toast, sweet cinnamon rolls, scones with fresh jam.  But other days you may crave something savory - rich bacon, salty cheddar, soft poached eggs.  We usually tend to split up our weekends with one sweet, one savory (girl vs. guy....guess who's who?!)  And if it's a savory day, we often go with Breakfast Polenta.

Hummus & Avocado Pasta

Happy Tuesday!  Sure, this weekday does not contain the same giddy delightedness as Friday, but it's one day closer than Monday.  And man oh man...have I been having some Mondays.  I've broken dishes, lost keys and collided with every knee-high piece of furniture in our house.  I even attempted to pull off the yogurt I spilled on my pants at work as the "new" hombre effect (so far, it hasn't caught on).  With all of these ridiculous mishaps, I've been enjoying the uneventful Tuesdays that follow.  But even with this lingering case of the Mondays, we've still managed to stay well fed.  I just opt for recipes that require less knife work and am sure to steer clear of deep fryers.

Grilled Ricotta Cakes

I have a new favorite patty.  Ms. Mayonnaise from Doug was a long time favorite of my younger years, while adulthood has been mostly dedicated to quinoa and black bean.  But now there's a new little patty in town...my yummy little ricotta patty.  You know that delicious, creamy ricotta that typically fills lasagna?  Well that's exactly what these taste like.  All the delicious tenderness of lasagna filling, but with a crispy exterior....yum.  Plus you don't have to make an entire casserole.  Super versatile, these little patties are my new favorite side.

Cinco De Mayo Baked Breakfast Peppers

Feliz Cinco de Mayo, todo el mundo!  (And thanks for your assist on that one, Google translate.)  I absolutely love this holiday.  I don't really need an excuse to eat Mexican food, but will take advantage of one when it comes strolling by every year.  We've been embracing the Mexi-spirit all weekend by sipping La Palomas and noshing on Chopped Guacamole.  But I would have to say that breakfast is my favorite time of day to head south of the border.  Nothing quite wakes you up like a side of spicy salsa with your eggs.  So in honor of today, we're sharing our Baked Breakfast Peppers with a Cinco de Mayo twist.

Spring Veggie Ricotta Pita - Two Ways

Meatless May is off to a delicious start!  Lunch on day one was a bit rocky due to a lack of planning prior to my trip to the market, but a quick extra ingredient stop quickly smoothed it all out.  Outside of snubbing a delectable-looking cheese ball at work and avoiding the chorizo samples at the store, we really haven't missed meat at all.  It's giving us lots of room to be creative with our cooking, and this little lunch is a perfect example of thinking outside the box done right.

Mediterranean Avocado Spaghetti with Shrimp

Today was a very important day in our household.  It's the last day of April, and therefore our final day before launching into Meatless May.  Now you can either cheer or laugh at that last sentence, but we decided to go vegetarian for a month.  We're keeping eggs and dairy, but goodbye meat.  For me it's not a big deal...I went through that collegian-vegetarian phase that so many Portlandians experience.  But it's my hub's first attempt at a meat-free diet.  We're looking forward to 31 days of alternative protein sources....but only after enjoying one final day of meat.  Naturally, today was filled with our favorites.  In parting, we supped on one of our best easy meals - Mediterranean Avocado pasta.....with lots and lots of shrimp.

Slender Cinnamon Roll Pancakes

Whenever the hubs wants a sweet breakfast treat, he requests cinnamon roll pancakes.  They are his absolute favorite.  When I first made the original version from Recipe Girl, he though he had died and gone to breakfast heaven.  Deliciously sweet and fluffy pancakes topped with cream cheese frosting...what's not to love?!  Um....how about the half stick of butter?  Yeah...not so much.  As he began requesting them more and more, I began slowly but surely slimming them down.  The end result is this delicious Slender Cinnamon Roll Pancake recipe.  It has the great flavor of the original recipe, but with a third of the fat and almost half the calories.

Grilled Brussels Sprouts & Strawberry Salad

I am a huge fan of a hearty, healthy lunch of fresh fruits and veggies.  On a lazy Saturday, it's the perfect recovery meal after a decadent breakfast of sugary carbs, evening out the playing field before dinner rolls around.  During the week, it receives envious stares from co-workers as they attempt to microwave life into their frozen entrees.  This is one of those dishes that fill you up (not out) and leave you feeling completely satisfied.  Easy to make for a quick bite or pack in a picnic basket, Grilled Bussels Sprouts and Strawberries is a winner of a combo.

Grilled Vegetable Tzatziki Salad

Nothing says SUMMER quite like dinner from the grill.  After all that cold weather, it's nice to give your burners, oven and broiler a little break and get back to those glorious grill lines.  In our home, the hubs is King of the grill, capital K intended.  I may assist in the protein preparation, but I depend on his magical internal BBQ-clock to cook it to perfection.   While he reigns as King of the meat, I rule as Queen of the veggies.  From artichoke to zucchini, I grill them all.  Who says that your barbecue side has to be a fresh salad or coleslaw?  Grill while the grilling is good.  This recipe is one that I make over and over again....(and again, and again.)  Incredibly easy and tasty, this one is sure to wow the flip flops off your friends at a cookout.  

Caramel Corn Cookies

This has been the most bi-polar weather week I've ever experienced.  We've had temperatures in the high 70's, washed away by power outages due to thunder storms, snuggled up next to a freeze warning.  And as I look out the window with the pups by my ear (she likes to lie on the back of a couch like a cat....good thing she's small) we have glorious sunshine again.  I wish nature would pick a season and stick with it!  To go with this unusual weather, I decided to make an unusual cookie that I've been dying to try ever since I first read it in my Smitten Kitchen cookbook.  Popcorn cookies!  What a delightful concept!