Chicken Sausage & Pepper Jack Frittata!

Alright y'all I'm gonna go ahead and apologize for accidentally making it breakfast week on unBearablyGood. It was an accident I swear. I've just been all about breakfast foods lately! I mean, why not- you can eat them for breakfast, lunch, brunch, dinner, late-night snack, etc. etc. Breakfast is good ALL THE TIME. I love breakfast. If you've never made a frittata before, let me introduce you to the easiest breakfast meal of all time. Whisk all your ingredients together (which could be an endless combination of your favorite veggies, meats, and eggs), pour into a skillet, cook until the edges are browned a little, throw in the oven (obviously this has to be an oven-safe skillet), and cook for 15-20 minutes or until cooked through. Serve & enjoy. Combinations are endless and you could make a different frittata everyday of the week. Obviously this recipe isn't Paleo because I added cheese, if you are keeping it paleo just subtract the cheese and add some chopped veggies- I think jalapenos and tomatoes would be fab-you-lous!

I use chicken sausage in this recipe because I am currently OBSESSED with chicken sausage. Feel free to use reg. pork sausage or bacon or ground beef (you get the picture whatever meat you like, or skip the meat and keep it vegetarian). If you don't like spicy, replace pepper jack cheese with something milder like cheddar. 

Ingredients:
5 eggs
3-4 sausage links, chopped
1/2 cup pepper jack cheese
1/4 cup milk

Step 1: Heat a skillet sprayed with non-stick spray or coated with oil on medium-high heat. Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Whisk together eggs and milk until combined. Stir in sausage and cheese and pour into hot skillet.

Step 2: Let cook until the edges start to brown and it's clear the bottom is cooked. Transfer the skillet to pre-heated oven and cook 15-20 minutes or until top is browned and frittata is cooked through. ENJOY :-D

2 Ingredient Banana "Pancakes"!

Happy Wednesday Everyone! So today's recipe almost didn't happen. Actually at one point I was 100% sure that I would not be posting anything today- except for maybe a Facebook status saying "hey everyone, my recipe experiment this morning was a big fat fail." Because I thought it was. Because these were the world's ugliest "pancakes"... Why pancakes in quotations? Well, to answer that question I have to explain something else I've been doing lately (why do I sound like Ted on How I Met Your Mother?). For about a week (maybe more, I'm horrible at keep track of time) I've been experimenting with a new way of eating, it's called Paleo. You may or may not have heard of it before, but chances are if you have you probably thought it sounded in-sane. Trust me, I did too when my husband told me about it maybe 2 years ago. He's been trying to eat as close to "paleo" ever since- which is not an easy task when I'm cooking. I told him he was crazy. "Paleo"- the gist of it anyway- is eating like our primal ancestors (cavemen!) would have eaten. Lean protein (poultry, beef, pork, eggs, etc), vegetables, fruit, and some nuts. No bread, grains, legumes, dairy, etc. My initial response- "heck no, I love bread. I love cheese. I love sandwiches. I love bagels. No way Jose" And so 2 whole years later I read a book called "The Paleo Solution" by Robb Wolf, it totally changed my thinking. I'll speak another day on why I even picked the book up, but you should definitely check it out if you have any interest in the Paleo diet. I'm not going to preach here, because ew I hate when people do that. I'm not going to say that from here on out I'm going to be 100% Paleo either, because whoa I just started and that's a big step. BUT I am going to be sharing a lot of my new grain-free recipes, along with normal stuff too. Ideally I would like to eat 85% paleo. You'll probably see 50% paleo recipes on here, because really a lot of the things I eat are just boring. I don't think anyone needs a recipe for a salad with grilled chicken, or scrambled eggs (but if you do, totally e-mail me and I will help you out:)). The MAIN reason I'm doing this, I just feel better when I don't eat bread. I have more energy, I sleep better, I don't get groggy mid-day, my skin is better, I just FEEL better. No science, no miracle pill, just better. Okay back to the "pancakes". As you can now understand the reason I was looking for no flour pancakes- flour is definitely not paleo. And breakfast has been the hardest paleo meal for me, eggs EVERYDAY? Eek.

See? I told you. Ugg-leeeeeee. Whatever, this is a "don't judge the book by the cover moment". When I took the first "pancake" off of the griddle I was going to just throw it away, accept failure, and head to the mall (I need some new gear for the Jags game tomorrow!) But a little voice in the back of my head said "No, Brittany- you made these, you wasted 3 eggs in there. You will at the very least TRY one!" So I very tentatively took a bite (you know one of those minuscule bites little kids take when you make them try something new. I'm a big baby.) and holy heck! It tasted like a pancake. Like a banana pancake. Topped my next bite with a little maple syrup and downed that beast. Yeah, it was ugly- but it was a pancake. Tasted just like one. Where did I get this insane recipe from? Well I got the idea from an Instagram photo I saw (you can follow me on Instagram @ Unbearablygood- I post some food pictures, but mostly random pix from my totally random life) but the description of the picture was simply "egg whites and banana"- no amounts. So I just kinda experimented. Maybe a different ratio would lend to prettier pancakes? I don't know. I'll try later. For now I'm going to finish my pancakes... and I hope someone out there has the courage to try these ugly pancakes too! PS: Sorry for the insanely long post today, hopefully some of you stuck with me :-D and big happy birthday to my mother-in-law Mary Ann, Love you!

Ingredients: (makes about 4 "pancakes"
1 banana, mashed
3 egg whites
2 Tbsp. chopped nuts (optional)

Step 1: Pre-heat a non-stick skillet on medium high heat and spray with cooking spray. Mash your banana, I always mash mine in a Ziploc to protect my hands!

Step 2: Whisk together your mashed banana and egg whites.

Step 3: Pour batter onto skillet into "pancake shapes" 

Let cook until it looks like the bottom is cooked through, mine took about a minute, top with nuts if desired and flip.

Cook a minute more and serve with favorite pancake toppings. 

Oh also, when I tried to top mine with syrup, the top came off and poured EVERYWHERE as you can see from the puddle at the top of this picture. Seriously, this was the cooking session from you-know-where!

ENJOY your ugly- protein packed pancakes :-D

Sweet Potato Hash Browns!

Happy Monday everyone! I hope you all had a fantastic weekend. I had a very good weekend, got to go out dancing Friday night (I love to dance!), had a little family shindig Saturday night, and spent yesterday with my doggies for our traditional Lazy Sunday. So this Monday is kind of a good, bad, & ugly day for me. We'll start with the good- today marks 50 days left for my husband's deployment! YAY! He's officially been gone 130 days today, that is way too long! I am sooooo ready for my honey to come home! The bad? I've been fighting a tickle in my throat for about 4 days now and when I woke up this morning it was a full blown sore throat. Which leads me to the ugly, that would be the cayenne pepper water I've been gargling all day. Yuck. But it works. But still, yuck. Which leads me to today's recipe, sweet potato hash browns! Whenever I'm sick breakfast food is ultra comforting to me. I don't know why, I think it started when I was a kid and my mom used to make me dry toast and eggs when I was sick. This is my grown-up answer to dry toast & eggs:-) And you need not be sick to enjoy it...

These hash browns are an idea I've had in my head for awhile and just used my sick day to finally bring them to fruition. If you've been following me on here at all you probably already know of my love for sweet potatoes (see: crispy baked sweet potato chips with Sriracha dipping sauce! & sweet & spicy sweet potato wedges!) These new hash browns will be my go-to breakfast side dish. They were fantastic! The brown sugar helps them caramelize and get all crispy, they taste like little sweet potato candies! Bonus: sweet potatoes are loaded with vitamins and nutrients, good for a sicky like me! 

UPDATE: So I created these on my sick day, and I've made them almost EVERY SINGLE DAY since. I'm obsessed. I crave them. I can. not. live. with. out. these. SERIOUSLY. Go buy a sweet potato and make them, now. Also, I now make them with coconut oil for added healthy fats & nutrients- feel free to use whatever oil you have on hand but they are fab with the coconut oil!

Ingredients: (I used 1 sweet potato, and ate the whole thing- double if it's for more than 1!)
1 sweet potato, rinsed and cut into wedges
2 Tbsp. olive oil, divided (or enough to coat all wedges & the skillet)
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper (skip if you don't do spicy)
1/2 Tbsp. brown sugar (Or sub 1 Tbsp. honey)
1/2 tsp. paprika

Step 1: Add about 1 Tbsp. (or enough to coat pan completely) olive oil to a skillet and heat on medium high heat. Cut sweet potato wedges and put in a medium sized mixing bowl. Toss in olive oil to coat.

Step 2: Add salt, cayenne, brown sugar, and paprika to wedges and stir to coat. Throw into hot skillet, cook stirring often for about 10 minutes or until hash browns are crispy and golden brown.

Pretty, crispy hash browns!

ENJOY :-D

7-Up Biscuits

Looking for the perfect biscuit recipe can be frustrating. Most of the time it seems (at least to me) that the best biscuits come from one of those cans. These do not come from a can, and like Gwen Stefani would say they are "b-a-n-a-n-a-s!" They taste almost identical to those light flaky biscuits from that one Cajun fried chicken place (you know, Louisiana Fast!) Seriously, identical. They are without a doubt the best biscuits I've ever made.

With just 3 ingredients (4 if you count the butter in the pan) they come together in no time at all and make a perfect complement to your dinner or breakfast! I got this recipe from Steph over at Plain Chicken: http://www.plainchicken.com/2010/04/7up-biscuits.html and I am soooo glad I did. This will be my new go-to biscuit recipe :) 

Ingredients: 
2 cups Bisquick baking mix
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup 7-up (I used Diet because that's what I had.. worked great!)
1/4 cup melted butter

Step 1: Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. In a medium sized mixing bowl cut sour cream into Bisquick and combine until crumbly.

Step 2: Add 7-up to bowl and stir until a light dough ball forms.

Step 3: Cover the counter top with some baking mix and place your dough on top of the counter.

Step 4: Roll dough over in baking mix until it's workable (it'll be a little sticky at first) pat it out flat.

Step 5: Use a biscuit cutter or cookie cutter to cut biscuits out of dough. I couldn't find a biscuit cutter so I used a coffee cup sprayed with non-stick spray :-D

Step 6: Pour melted butter into a 9x13 pan and add biscuits.

Step 7: Bake 15-20 minutes or until golden brown.

As you can see, mine got really big! Next time I will cut them out into smaller sized biscuits before baking. 

 

{Thirsty Thursday!} Light Fruity Sangria!

Summer's not over yet folks! Today I wanted to work with those last beautiful days of summer and make a fruity little cocktail to enjoy on the porch (or in the living room, or the pool, or the beach, etc. etc...)! So I was thinking sangria. I've been seeing a lot of fantastic white wine versions on Pinterest lately and been dying to try one. The only kind of sangria I had made previously to this one was a red wine based version, and it was delicious- but for me it held a lot of autumn-y flavors so perhaps we'll Thirsty Thursday that one in a couple months...

Okay so I did a fab little mini photo shoot of my drinks down by the river :) I had to... it looks so pretty! Big thanks to my mom who helped me lug my goodies down there to take the pictures (wasn't a huge task actually this spot is maybe 50 steps out our back door... I know spoiled Floridians!)

Okay, enough about the pictures back to the drink. It is soooo yummy! I'm drinking one right now. It's delicious. You should make it. ASAP! I used White Zinfandel because that's what I had in the fridge, but feel free to use your fave sweet rose or white wine. Also, add your fave fruits- I used an orange, strawberries, and lemons because I love those flavors together. Some other fruit I think would be fan-freaking-tastic? Peaches, limes, cherries, tangerines, and pears! Your fruit choice will lend loads of flavor to your sangria so choose your fruit wisely!

Ingredients:
1 orange cut into rounds or wedges
1 lemon cut into rounds or wedges
1/2 cup of sliced strawberries
1 (750 mL) bottle of White Zinfandel 
1/2 cup white rum
Sprite or 7-up to top glasses (I used diet 7-up because that's what I had!)

Step 1: Cut up your fruit and toss in the bottom of a pitcher.

My pretty fruit!

Step 2: Top fruit with rum and wine, stir to combine. Cover and refrigerate for 4-5 hours.

Step 3: Fill your glass with ice. Fill half the glass (or more if you want a stronger drink!) with the sangria mixture, top with sprite & fruit, stir to combine.

ENJOY :-D and some more of the pretty river pictures for the road...

 

Chocolate Cupcakes for 2! (or 2 for You;))

What's better than a moist, chocolatey, homemade cupcake? To me, not much. I LOVE cupcakes. Sometimes you just need a lil chocolate. You want a baked homemade goodie but you don't want 30 of those goodies sitting around for your consumption all week. If there are 25 cupcakes sitting on my counter, I'm in trouble. So today I bring you a recipe for just 2 perfect chocolate cupcakes. Eat them both yourself. Or share. Or eat one and save one for later. :)

I made these this afternoon when my cousin Paulina was over hanging out. It was the perfect little afternoon treat. Takes just a couple of minutes to prepare, and they are so yummy and chocolatey! I got the recipe here : http://www.brettbara.com/baking/recipe-two-exactly-two-chocolate-cupcakes/ and I am just so pleased with it. What else could I make just 2 of? Vanilla cupcakes? Brownies? It's so exciting and perfect because I always have these ingredients on hand, I could have a cupcake to myself anytime I want :-)!

Ingredients:
3 Tbsp. flour
2 Tbsp. sugar
1 1/2 tsp. cocoa powder
1/8 tsp. baking powder (just half a 1/4 tsp.)
Pinch of salt
2 Tbsp. cold water
1 Tbsp. vegetable oil
Splash vanilla extract
1 Tbsp. chocolate chips (optional* or white choc. chips, or butterscotch chips, or nuts, etc!)
Frosting:
1 Tbsp. melted butter
1 Tbsp. + 2 tsp. cocoa powder
3 Tbsp. confectioner's sugar
1 tsp. milk
pinch of salt

Step 1: Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. In a small bowl whisk together flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt.

Step 2: In a separate bowl whisk together water, oil, and vanilla extract.

Step 3: Whisk together flour mixture and wet ingredients until combined.

Step 4: Pour batter into 2 cupcake liners in a muffin pan. Top with chocolate chips.

Bake for 15-20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean (mine took closer to 20 min)

For Frosting:
Step 1: Whisk together melted butter, cocoa powder, confectioner's sugar, milk, and salt.

Refrigerate for 5-10 to let it set a bit before frosting cooled cupcakes.

ENJOY :) I recommend enjoying with a glass of cold milk... :)

My cousin Paulina modeling with her cupcake! She was very excited, can you tell?!

Caprese Skewers!

Since last week I posted a bunch of football friendly not-quite-so-healthy recipes, this week I will be posting some lighter fare. Today's recipe came out so, so, so (I could go on for about a billion so's here) GOOD. I love caprese, there's just something about the tomato + mozzarella + basil combo that just pairs together so well. Traditionally I would slice a tomato, top with a slice of mozzarella and a few pieces of torn basil, and then probably eat it with a fork. A couple of weeks ago while mindlessly browsing Pinterest I saw a version with a grape tomato, piece of mozzarella, and basil skewered up on a toothpick. It was so adorable! I immediately knew these mini caprese skewers would be in my future.

These would be the perfect appetizer for a party, they're very elegant looking! Plus they're already skewered up in a little handheld treat. So easy and delicious!

Ingredients:
Grape tomatoes (I used about half a carton, around 20 little tomaters)
Fresh basil
Mozzarella (I used about half a block, cubed)
Toothpicks
Pinch kosher salt
Fresh ground black pepper
1 tsp. balsamic vinegar
2 tsp. olive oil

Step 1: Take your block of mozzarella, cut it in half and cut that half into little bite sized cubes (or any shape your heart desires!)

Step 2: To build the skewer: string the basil leaf through one side of the toothpick

Yes, I have clue sparkly nail polish this week :-D

Push the grape tomato onto the toothpick under the basil leaf

Add a piece of mozzarella on the end, string the other half of the basil leaf behind the mozzarella (some of my leaves were too small for this and were just strung through the top of the toothpick, not the bottom- no big deal still look gorg!)

Continue with desired amount of skewers and place on a plate.

On this blue plate they looked very patriotic! Didn't even mean to do that...!

Step 3: Sprinkle skewers with a pinch of salt (about 1/2 tsp.) and freshly ground black pepper to taste. Drizzle balsamic vinegar and olive oil evenly on top of skewers. Serve & Enjoy!