For years, I refused to eat eggs. I had eaten them as a kid and somewhere along the way, I decided I didn’t like them. Then came the college years, and one morning while peering into my fridge, looking for something to eat, I decided if I put enough cheese in a scrambled egg it might be edible. Surprise! It was!

So for a few more years, I only ate scrambled eggs, with a liberal amount of cheese. Then I branched out to scrambled egg with cheese and sausage, or basically an omelet. Then one day, sitting down to breakfast at Brennan’s, I decided, “What the hell! Let’s try an Eggs Benedict!”. A discovery was made. I don’t really like my eggs scrambled. I love runny egg yolk. Poached, over-easy, sunny-side-up, fried – eggs are friggin’ delicious this way. There’s really not much better than sliding your fork into the yolk area and watching it pour out everywhere.

Which leads me to this Sunday morning breakfast. Had I not had the epiphany while sitting at Brennan’s, sipping a Mr. Funk, I would have never tried this recipe. And I never would have discovered how perfect the combination of tomatoes, spinach, and egg yolk is. (more…)

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Breakfast, Dairy free, Gluten free, Vegetarian by Courtney

A while back, I had some friends over, and I didn’t have the time to concoct any elaborate dessert (or even an easy dessert that takes time, like cupcakes). So while I was at the store, I picked up a bag of sugar cookies and figured those would be just fine set out in a little bowl. Sweet snack done!

Of course, the day of the friends coming to visit, I felt bad that I was just going to throw out some sugar cookies from a bag, no matter how nice of a bowl I sat them in. I remembered I had some chocolate chips left over from some failed magic cookie bars, and an idea struck! I could dip the sugar cookies into melted chocolate, and it would seem a bit more special! (more…)

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Dessert, Quick and Easy, Vegetarian by Courtney

Once upon a time I used to make this meal a couple of times a week. Then I wandered a bit, trying new things, new flavors, and I no longer had time for my tried and true couscous recipe. This week I decided to bring it back, and I’m glad I did. I missed you so, couscous salad.

I first started making this dish when I stumbled upon Near East couscous in the store. I decided to give it a whirl, and given the Mediterranean bent to the flavors (garlic, olive oil) I decided to top this with a Mediterranean salad, and a bit of chicken for good measure. (more…)

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Dairy free, Dinner, Gluten free, Lunch, Quick and Easy, Salad, Vegan, Vegetarian by Courtney

It doesn’t really get much simpler than a Nutella and banana sandwich, even if you slightly doll it up as I have here. Today is a gray day, and I can’t think of anything better than some quick comfort food. Since my hubby bought me a breadmaker for Christmas, we’ve had fresh bread available at all times (a nice honey whole wheat, mmmmm!). So I sliced off a couple of pieces, slathered Nutella on both sides, sliced up a bit of banana to squish in the middle, and grilled my masterpiece in a non-stick pan with just a spritz of olive oil. To add a little sweetness and a lot of visual interest, I dusted the sandwich halves with a bit of powdered sugar before sitting down to devour my sweet, sweet lunch.

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Comfort food, Dairy free, Lunch, Quick and Easy, Vegetarian by Courtney

Earlier this week, while persuing the Kitchn, I stumbled upon this recipe for Kale and Ricotta Salata Salad. I must have been craving greens that day, because immediately upon seeing the picture, the first thought to cross my mind was “MUST MAKE!!!” (you can also insert a drooly face here). So I popped over to Kim Severson’s site to get the recipe, and off to the store I went to procure the ingredients. (more…)

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Dinner, Gluten free, Salad, Vegetarian by Courtney