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Tortilla Free Burritos + Garlic Fries

This dish was a total accident. I originally was going to make salad, but the longer my day was the more I craved a burrito. The problem with burritos in our house is we love choices. I try to only buy the 100 calories tortillas, but how much can you really fit in there? So burrito bowl it is.

Somehow by the time I started cooking fries appeared on the menu. My boyfriend stayed in California for a while and obsessed over the food trucks that served burritos stuffed with French fries. I discovered this one night when I made fajitas and he insisted I make fries as well.

Crispy potatoes covered in burrito toppings is definitely the greatest combination discovery this year. 

This recipe is really easy to make healthy as well. I actually almost forgot to shred cheese on top after I started assembling because the plate was so full and colorful. 

This sauce is the star of the show. If you do not like spicy you can skip this, but I love spicy. This sauce is a thin vinegar with tons of pepper. If you google gunshot sauce you can find a list of retailers. I buy mine from the hot sauce store at our local mall. 

I hope you enjoy this creation inspired by California food trucks :)

What you need:

2 chicken breasts 

1/2 tsp cumin

1/2 tsp sea salt

1/2 tsp pepper 

1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

1 tsp olive oil

1 ripe avocado 

1/2 cup shredded cheese 

1 cup black beans rinsed 

1 vine ripened tomato 

2 cups steak fries (or russet potatoes sliced thick)

Garlic powder

Pepper

Salt 

Jalepenos optional

Sour cream optional 

How to make it: 

Preheat your oven to 350 and prepare grill. 

I pound my chicken until it is about 1/2 thick then leave on the cutting board until I am ready to grill. 

Rinse beans and heat up on the stove. Set to the side. Chop tomato and shred cheese of your choice. (I used extra sharp cheddar) 

I had a bag of steak fries hiding in my freezer, but you can definitely make your own.  I spread mine out on a baking tray and liberally coated with garlic powder, salt and pepper. Bake for 20-30 minutes until crispy. 

Season the chicken with cumin, cayenne, salt and pepper. Grill for 3 minutes on each side then use a pastry brush to lather either side of the chicken with the gunshot sauce. Cover and cook until internal temperature is 165. 

For the avocado, you can eat as is or drizzle with olive oil, salt and pepper and grill for 3-5 minutes. I love grilling my avocado! 

The assembly- 

Start with fries then layer chicken, black beans, tomatoes, cheese, avocado, sour cream and jalepenos. I drizzled a little more gunshot sauce on top too!

Ricotta Meatballs

Meatballs are a classic dish in Italian homes. My mom always made the best homemade meatballs when I was growing up. The whole house would smell like garlic and sausage. 

Ricotta and I have a love hate relationship. I hate the texture, but when it is mixed into meats and sauces I love the moisture it adds. These meatballs are sure to satisfy any Italian craving.

What you need:

1 cup skim ricotta cheese

1/2 pound ground pork

1/2 pound ground sirloin 

1 egg

1 tbsp parsley

1 tbsp garlic chopped

1 tsp salt

1 tsp pepper

1/2 tsp crushed red pepper

1 can crushed tomatoes 

1 cup of your favorite pasta sauce

Olive oil 

A sauté pan with lid.

Directions:

Heat pan over medium heat. Add in oil. Enough to just cover the bottom of the pan. Mix all ingredients and shape into equal size balls. You can use a cookie scoop here. Drop all the meatballs carefully in the oil and cook until brown on all sides. About 5 minutes each side. Lower heat to medium low and add tomatoes to the pan. Cover and simmer for 20 minutes or until meat is thoroughly cooked.

Serve with pasta or alone and enjoy!

Searching For That Idiot Proof Chocolate Chip Cookie

  What is "idiot proof" ? I myself could be considered a chocolate chip cookie "idiot". For something we make so often how are there so many variations of the same cookie? 

It seems like every time I find my perfect recipe- I move. This doesn't sound like a big deal, but it is. Getting to know your oven is a long process. When I first moved to Georgia I lived in an apartment with a new electric oven. My go to recipe was the one on the back of the nestle bag. So easy and simple. (You would think) After the apartment I lived in a house with my first gas oven. A dream for cooking, but my nightmare for baking. I switched to the New York Times perfect cookie recipe there. Then last year this time I rented a room in a very old lake house. The electric oven there would heat to 350 then take a little break so I was never exactly sure how my cookies would turn out. Usually undercooked. Now I am in my own home with a new gas oven. Again a total dream to cook with, but baking ... It has been taking some time. Until now. This recipe after 6 months of testing is it! 

It is not as over the top sweet as most recipes, but the perfect soft gooey middle and thick crunchy crust is my favorite. 

(Adapted from bromabakery- the best baking site ever)

Idiot Proof Chocolate Chip Cookies

What you need:

1 stick unsalted butter room temp

3/4 cup light brown sugar packed

1/4 cup granulated sugar

1 1/4 cups king aurther all purpose flour

1/2 tsp kosher salt (or fine if you don't like to taste the salt)

1 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 tsp baking soda 

1 tbsp cornstarch ( make sure this is not expired) 

1 large egg

1/2 cup dark chocolate chunks

1/2 cup milk chocolate chips 

Preheat your oven to 350. 

Mix together butter, sugar and eggs until you have a fluffy light brown concoction. Add in vanilla. In a separate bowl mix the flour, cornstarch, baking soda and salt. 

Stir the dry ingredients into the butter sugar mixture until just mixed. Do not over mix. That will create a dense cakey cookie. Add in the chocolate chips by just folding the batter a few times. 

Put mixture in the freezer for about 10 minutes. I highly recommend doing a test cookie first. 

Roll mixture into balls and top with kosher salt, natural sugar or more chocolate! Bake for about 10-12 minutes depending on your oven. The sides will be golden brown and the middle will have just set. Let cool on a baking rack.

Enjoy with a glass of milk!

20 Minute Tuesday

What do you do when you are starving, but really just do not feel like putting the effort into cooking? I usually keep a few staples around the house just in case I have a night when my fingers start itching to dial delivery.

#1. Grilled Chicken. I usually buy huge family packs of chicken and freeze them in individual bags for the week. I try to grill off at least 3 chicken breasts to keep in the fridge ready to add to a meal. My favorite marinade is salt, pepper, garlic powder, balsamic vinegar, and olive oil.

#2. Pasta. We try not to eat pasta more then once a week, but some how I always have a plethora of pastas in the pantry. I like whole wheat linguine and fiber enriched angel hair. Gluten free options are great as well. Just remember not to cook those as long.

#3. Bottled Organic Marinara. Tomato sauce is huge in our house. We eat it on everything. I just discovered Bertolli premium sauces at Target. The caramelized onion and balsamic vinegar sauce is the best!

#4. Parmesan Cheese. Enough said.

I completely forgot to plan something for dinner tonight. When I got off work I was so tired and just did not want to think about cooking anything. When I started looking through the pantry I realized I had plenty of things to make one of my favorite meals in a matter of minutes. 20 to be exact.

What you need:

Pre grilled chicken breasts (2)
One jar of marinara
Whole wheat linguine
Fresh mozzarella
Fresh Parmesan
Crushed red pepper
Sea Salt
Crusty garlic bread (optional, but sooooo worth it)

How to do it:

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Bring some salted water to a boil and add in the pasta. Cook as directed. In an oven safe pan/skillet add 2 cups of marinara, sliced grilled chicken, and fresh mozzarella. Bake for 15 minutes until cheese is melted. Drain the pasta, reserving 1/4 a cup of pasta water. Add pasta and reserved water back into the water pot. Pour the skillet of sauce, chicken and cheese into the water pot. Toss everything together. Season with sea salt and crushed red pepper. Top with fresh grated Parmesan cheese. Enjoy with bread. You can thank me later ;)

Sweat Proof Makeup- How I Get My Makeup To Last Outside

Wearing a full face of makeup in the Georgia heat is tricky. I filmed a tutorial so you can see step by step what I did before spending the day in the sun. This is not a "by the pool" look. This is a full makeup look for those days when you are going to be outside, but still need to look your best. 

http://youtu.be/tQoyYMcqeZQ

First step- moisturizer 

I washed my face and used a light moisturizer about 30 minutes prior to starting my makeup. This is going to give your makeup something to stick to. 

Using a long lasting foundation. Relvon color stay whipped is my favorite formula for outside. It does not budge!

Apply cream products with your fingers. I applied my concealer, bronzer and highlighter with my fingers. Heating the product with your fingers really allows you to push it into your skin. 

Waterproof eyeliner to tight line

Setting cream with powder. I used powder versions of each product to set my creams. This is going to prolong the wear.

Use a matte lip stick or just lip balm. If you want to do a bright color stay with a stain or matte product. I also love gloss for easy touch ups. 

Setting spray. I use rose water spray, but anything to set your makeup will help keep it from streaking.

I hope you enjoyed my tips! This look lasted 2 hours at an outdoor festival in 90+ degrees without any need for touch up!

Products used: 

Revlon color stay foundation

MAYBELLINE lumi concealer

Rimmel translucent powder

Urban decay basics pallet

Buxom blush

Lorac tantilizer bronzer

MAYBELLINE bb bronzer 

Buxom liquid highlight 

The balm mary loumanizer highlighter

Urban decay perversion mascara 

MAYBELLINE matte lipstick 

Mac eyeshadow texture

Mac gloss (discontinued) 

Rimmel scandal eye liner bronze 

Kat Von d water proof eye kohl 

Lazy Sundays

Normally, I am stuck at work on Sunday mornings. This weekend we went to the Atlanta BBQ festival and I decided to take a long weekend. 

Our church message today was on finding happiness. I felt like it was completely appropriate seeing as how that is typically what everyone is striving for on a day to day basis. 

Isn't it funny how every time you are going through something you are suddenly given the exact message you need to hear? Whether it be a sermon or devotional, a news report, even just a friend calling to check on you the exact time you need someone. 

Two months ago I was having a hard time seeing what was in my future. In reality you can never know what the future holds, but it is good to have goals. 

Some of my goals were to find a job that I truly loved, to invest more time to blogging, to consistently go to church, to finally live the healthy live style I knew so much about.

I'm happy to say that these goals really pulled me out of a tough spot. A lot of opportunities have presented themselves and I am excited to see what my future holds. 

Do not be so hard on yourself. Today I enjoyed pancakes, steak, hashbrowns, and eggs. Not really part of my diet, but the pancakes are an organic mix from trader joes, the steak was a half portion of extra lean top round, the hashbrowns were cooked in a little light butter rather than oil. There are lots of things you can do to enjoy a "cheat" meal without feeling like you have ruined the whole day. 

Set goals. Do what makes you happy. Stop living a life that doesn't feel like your own. 

Enjoy your Sunday!