QUICK SHEET PAN DINNER :: MAPLE-MUSTARD ROASTED CHICKEN W/ SQUASH & BRUSSELS SPROUTS...

So during my little break I took after Thanksgiving, I pretty much lived in my kitchen. I haven't shared many food related things here lately, so it may not seem like it, but I have. My kitchen and I are quite tight these days. Having a really limited diet for a period of time can really make you get to know food I guess... I'm staring to seriously develop my own recipes and get really, really acquainted with food - which is fun for me, but very time consuming! I'm hoping to be able to share more with you this year. BTW, if you are new here, I have the autoimmune disease, Hashimoto's Thyroidis, which I've kept under control through the Autoimmune Protocol Diet (which is stricter than Whole 30 if you can imagine!!) and lifestyle changes. You can read more about my journey here, here, and here... 

Anyway, I'm slowly starting to add foods and certain ingredients back into my diet (so excited!!), but the base of my diet is still somewhat the same for now. The good thing is that I've been able to find and make a ton of good recipes that anyone would like, irrespective of their diet. This sheet pan dinner is the perfect example. Quick and easy healthy recipes, dinner recipes especially, are like gold these days and this one is DELISH! The chicken is incredibly flavorful and not dry at all - as most chicken breasts tend to be. The vegetables cook to perfection and are full of flavor as well. I actually made this, chopped up the chicken and put the chicken and vegetables over salad greens to make the perfect salad. So not only is the recipe really good and quick, it's versatile! The leftovers are also quite tasty... :)

Here is what you need and what to do:

Recipe adapted from Cooking Light
Gluten Free, Dairy Free
Prep Time: 20 minutes, Cook Time: 40 minutes
Serves 2

Ingredients

2 tsp chopped fresh sage
2 tsp good Dijon mustard
2 tsp pure maple syrup
2 bone-in, skin-on chicken breasts (organic if possible - they are more flavorful and juicy!)
2 cups butternut squash, about 1in cubed
1 medium red onion or 2 medium shallots, peeled & quartered
2 cups Brussels sprouts, trimmed & halved
2-3 Tbsp olive oil
Salt & pepper

1. Place a large, rimmed sheet pan in the oven and preheat the oven to 425 degrees.

2. Combine the sage, mustard, and syrup in a small bowl and whisk to combine. Once the oven comes up to temperature, carefully remove the sheet pan. Add the chicken to the pan (you should hear a good sizzle!) and evenly brush the chicken with the maple-mustard mixture. Place the chicken in the oven and bake it for 20 minutes.

3. While the chicken is cooking, add the squash, onion, and Brussels sprouts to a bowl. Season the vegetables with olive oil, salt, and pepper. Stir to make sure the vegetable are evenly coated.

4. After the chicken has baked for 20 minutes, carefully drain the excess juices (from the chicken) from the sheet pan. The vegetables will brown and crisp up better if drain the juices. Distribute the vegetable evenly in the pan. Also, season the chicken with salt and pepper.

Quick Tip: If you like a more crispy Brussels sprout, then be sure to place each Brussels sprout flat side down on the sheet pan before returning it to the oven. Doing this will create a good crispy crust!

5. Bake for an additional 20 minutes at 425 degrees or until the chicken is done and browned on top. Remove the breasts from the bones before serving.

Enjoy and maybe make something like this for dessert!.

Images by me

OUR THANKSGIVING DAY MENU...

So after I finished my last post, I thought it would be fun to share our actual Thanksgiving Day menu. Many of you have asked me what I'm eating this year and the answer is a LOT of good stuff! My thyroid antibody level is still slightly high (I am SO close to normal though!), so I am sticking to the Autoimmune Protocol Diet (AIP) and this routine for a bit longer. As much as I hated it in the beginning, I am actually starting to like it. Most importantly, I feel about 98% better than I did this time last year. And when it comes to food, there are actually a lot of foods that I can have - I just have to figure out ways to get creative and incorporate lots of flavor without adding flour, butter, eggs, cheese, refined sugar, and a few other things that are in practically EVERYTHING - especially Thanksgiving food. That has been the tricky part, but I've learned a lot over the past 8 months and I will be incorporating what I've learned into our Thanksgiving Day meal. 

Below is a list of what we are having! Gosh my mouth is watering... I would never want my family to be deprived of things like mac & cheese, dressing, and pound cake because of my issues, so my mom and I are still cooking those things for them. The things I will be eating are denoted with a (*), which means they are mostly AIP or can be easily adapted into an AIP recipe. Also, all of the ingredients in the AIP recipes will be organic. I have included links to the most of the recipes in case you are interested!

Main Course

Cajun Turkey

Braised Turkey Legs & Wings *

Orange-Cranberry Chutney *

Soups + Sides

Butternut Squash Soup *

Macaroni & Cheese

Country Cornbread Sausage Dressing

Country Collard Greens (my mom's recipe) *
Honey-Glazed Sweet Potatoes w/ Baked Pink Lady Apples *

Roasted Brussels Sprouts w/ Caramelized Onions & Bacon *

Desserts

Southwest Georgia Pound Cake w/ Vanilla Ice Cream

Nada Moo Chocolate Coconut Ice Cream topped w/ Cinnamon Baked Apples *

What are you having???

Image by Matt Armendariz for What's Gaby Cooking

13 AMAZING DESSERTS FOR THANKSGIVING...

Pumpkin Cupcakes w/ Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting

It's almost Thanksgiving!!! I admit that I was a little down about it due to my current dietary restrictions, but I'm good now! My mom and I have planned an amazing menu - one that doesn't make me feel left out, so I'm excited! I'll be sharing our menu with you later this week! I know some of you are in the midst of planning your menu, so I thought I might be of help and share a few desserts with you that would be perfection!!! These are a few of the most popular, easiest, and delicious recipes I've posted here. I hope they help you out! :)

Easy No-Bake Cheesecake

Spiced Pumpkin Bundt Cake

Chocolate Peanut Butter Oatmeal Skillet Cookie

Strawberry Brownie Cake

Chocolate Chunk Blondies

Beatty's Chocolate Cake

Southwest Georgia Pound Cake

Here are a few additional desserts that might be worth trying...

Banana Pudding

Chocolate Pecan Tart

Glazed Pumpkin Cookies

Salted Caramel Brownies

Streusel Cake (a good dessert for breakfast! :)

All images by me 

THE BEST SLOW COOKER BUTTERNUT SQUASH SOUP...

If we were face to face and you asked me what I was smiling about these days, I would say fall. I am SO excited that fall is here. It's my favorite season - and even if it wasn't, it would probably become my favorite because I feel like we all fried to death this summer! 

Anyway, one of my favorite things to do in the fall is curl up on the couch in a warm blanket and eat soup while watching TV. I recently found and tried a soup recipe that I'll be doing just that with this season. Butternut squash and in-season apples are two of my favorite fall vegetables. I adore them And I adore my slow cooker - like more than life - especially now that I cook ALL the time. I recently found this butternut squash soup recipe that uses all of those things and it is so good!!! It has earthiness from the butternut squash, garlic, cinnamon, and sage. It has a good amount of sweetness from the fresh Granny Smith apple, and it has a little richness from the splash of creamy coconut milk that is stirred in right at the end. It's easy to make, makes your house smell divine, and warms your soul. It's kinda perfect... :)

Prep Time: 15 minutes (YES!!)
Cook Time: 3-4 hours (using the high setting)
Gluten-Free, Vegan

Recipe adapted from Gimme Some Oven


Ingredients

• 2 cups vegetable stock 
• 2 cloves garlic, peeled and pressed (or minced if you don't have a garlic press)
• 1 carrot, peeled and diced
• 1 Granny Smith apple, diced
• 1 medium butternut squash, uncooked, peeled and diced (I peel mine with a y-shaped peeler and dice it with a sharp knife!)
• 1 sprig fresh sage
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 - 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 cup canned coconut milk

Directions

• Add the vegetable stock, garlic, carrot, apple, butternut squash, sage, onion, cinnamon, and salt to the slow cooker. Stir. You might feel like you need to add more stock, but you don't!! 

• Cook on high for about 3 hours or low for 6-8 hours until the butternut squash is tender. 

• Once it is done, fish out the sage. Pour in the coconut milk. Stir to combine. Taste for seasonings and add more salt or cinnamon to taste. 

• If you want a chunkier soup (that's how I like it), use an immersion blender to blend the soup up while it's still in the slow cooker. If you want a creamier soup, transfer the soup in batches to a blender and blend until smooth. 

• Then, ladle some soup into a bowl. Drizzle a little more coconut milk on top if you prefer. Then curl up on the couch with a blanket and a bowl of this soup and enjoy. It tastes even better when you eat it that way... :)

You might also like this Butternut Squash Black Bean Chili!

Images by me

ENJOY TODAY + LINKS...

The weekend is here! So excited as always. What's on your agenda?? This is my one busy month of the year at work, so I gotta work a bit in between my workout, errands, a dinner, finishing this book, and watching the last few days of the Olympics. The Olympics have been a complete obsession of mine as of late. I don't have a thing for track and field, beach volleyball, water rafting, or long-distance biking, but I've watched all of those events plus more. I just think it's incredible to see people's hard work pay off and dreams come true in real time. Fascinating. Anyway, I hope you have a great weekend and enjoy the links!

Good Things
The print above that bed is only $5... Such a cute shop.
My first purchase for fall... $25 well spent.
Pretty for work or a wedding I think...
A new favorite fashion blog. Simple style done so right...

Good Spaces 
A city hall wedding done so beautifully. That dress though...
She's moving again!! This is going to be good...
Ina Garten has a new apartment that's obviously lovely...
Dream closet. Just a dream...
I could sleep here every night. Could you?
And I could cook here every day...

Good To Know
I suffer from anxiety and I swear this helps...
I'm moving to Sweden. They have 6-hr workdays...
A prescription for a full day of happiness...
This girl is just amazing... Fun presentation of the article, too.

Good Food & Drinks
How pretty is this???
Now this should be interesting...
The fastest way to find your new favorite food blog...
21 things to do with those overripe bananas on your counter...
The first thing I would eat if I could suddenly have dairy. It HAS to be good... 

Image via Luminous Prints / Etsy

A FEW OF MY FAVORITE FOOD PREP TIPS...

I got my camera out and took photos of food! Can you believe it?? I can't either... I know it's been a while since food has made an appearance on the blog. It's all because food and I have been redeveloping our relationship over these last few months. My new diet has required me to eliminate lots of foods that were familiar and easy for me to make for foods that are mostly organic and freshly prepared. That's fine, but preparing food like that takes lots of planning and time! Foods like that either taste really good or really bad, can go bad fast, and can get boring. So once I find, make, and tweak recipes, I then focus on finding ways to save time on making them so that I'm not living in my kitchen! I figured I would share a few simple fruit and vegetable food prep tips today for some of my go-to quick recipes- tips I think would be helpful for anyone no matter what! I promise I will share some more in-depth recipes soon, but this post will at least give you some good basics!

SPIRALIZED VEGETABLES

I've been substituting vegetable noodles for pasta and I LOVE them!! It's true that you eat with your eyes first, so just looking at these for me makes me want to eat them. I use this spiralizer (love it!) to make cucumber, sweet potato, zucchini, squash, and carrot noodles. They look so pretty and they can be spiralized ahead of time. 

How I prep them: I typically spiralize the vegetables on Sundays and simply store them in a container in the fridge. They will keep for up to 3-4 days, and cook quickly, which are huge time savers for me.  

How I cook them: I simply saute zucchini, and squash noodles to make a quick side dish or base of a "pasta" dish. I start by sauteing some onion and garlic in a pan with a little olive oil. I then add the vegetables and cook them for about 5-6 minutes or until they are mostly soft, but still have a slight bite to them. If I am cooking zucchini or squash noodles, I season them with salt and pepper at the end. Seasoning them while they are cooking draws out their water, leaving you with a watery, gloopy mess once they are done. I cook sweet potato noodles the same way, except  I use coconut oil instead of olive oil. I also add a little cinnamon. So good. Raw spiralized cucumbers and carrots make great ingredients for salads...

ROASTED VEGETABLES

Roasting vegetables in the oven during the summer months may be a bit much, but the way they taste makes a hot kitchen so worth it!! Roasting them really boosts their flavor and they make the perfect easy side dish, base for quick soups, or tasty addition to salads. 

How I prep them: Vegetables like carrots, sweet potatoes, broccoli, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts have longer shelf lives than other vegetables, so I like to prep and wash them early in the week. I wash and cut up the broccoli and cauliflower into florets and store them in a container for up to 3-4 days. I make sure they are the same size in case I decide to roast them together. I sometimes "rice" cauliflower using a box grater. I store the rice in a large freezer bag so that I can whip up some cauliflower rice (I use this recipe) in a pinch during the week. I wash, trim, and halve brussels spouts and store them in a container in the fridge as well. 

How I cook them: 

Roasted Vegetables: I love mixed roasted veggies just as much as I love them roasted alone. If I roast mixed veggies, I preheat the oven to 400 degrees and line a large sheet pan with parchment paper. I add the veggies to the pan (make sure they are the same size so they cook evenly). I spread them out (so they roast instead of steam) and drizzle them with either avocado oil or olive oil (about 2-3 tablespoons for a large batch) and a sprinkling of salt and pepper. Roast for about 30-40 minutes, or until they are golden and tender. 

Roasted Broccoli: Preheat the oven to 400 degrees and line a large sheet pan with parchment paper. Spread the prepared broccoli florets out on the pan and season it with salt, pepper, and lemon zest. Don't forget the lemon zest!! Toss them in some olive oil, spread them back out, and roast them for about 20 minutes, or until they are kinda toasty on top. A little drizzle of fresh lemon juice is really good to add at the end, but that's optional... 

FRUIT

Fruit is the only sweet thing I can have these days, which means fruit is everything to me. I buy all kinds of it and eat it in lots of different ways! Here's some of what I do with them:

How I prep and eat it:

Bananas: I use fresh bananas in my breakfast smoothie each day and I make ice cream out of them! I simply freeze 3 or 4 whole ripe bananas (minus the skins). I then chop them up, put them in a food processor, and blend for about 5-7 minutes until really smooth. You have to scrape the mixture down a few times during the process, but what's left is soft serve banana ice cream. HEAVEN! Sometimes I'll add cinnamon, vanilla extract, or melted high-quality non-dairy dark chocolate chips. This diet always gives me major FOMO - but I don't feel that way when I eat this "ice cream." It's that good... 

Berries: Berries are at their finest and cheapest in the summers, so I take advantage of that. I will often buy them in bulk, wash them, and freeze them for my smoothies. Buying them and freezing them on your own in the summer is often cheaper than buying them in the freezer section of the grocery store. However, the frozen berries at Costco are always a good deal... 

Salad Dressings: If I have some fruit that is about to go bad, I love to make homemade salad dressing out of them! I simply put about 1/2 cup of fruit in my Vitamix with about 1/4 cup olive oil, salt, pepper, lemon zest, and lemon juice - then blend! Strawberry salad dressing is my fave. I often add fresh chopped basil to the mix when I make that. Oh and peach salad dressing is amazing, too... 

Green Juices: I make a fresh green juice about every other day. So sometimes on Sundays, I will make "juicing bags" that include all of the ingredients for one juice. My favorite green juice mix is a handful of a dark leafy green, parsley, 1 carrot, 2 stalks of celery, 1/2 cucumber, 1 apple, and 1/2 of a peeled lemon. I chop those ingredients up, divide them into single servings (minus the greens - otherwise they get soggy), and place each serving into a plastic bag. I squeeze the juice of the lemon into the bag to keep the apple from turning brown, then toss in the flesh. Once that's done, all I have to do during the week is grab a bag from the fridge, dump the contents in my Vitamix, add the greens, add a tiny bit of water, and blend! I then strain it using this nut bag to get a smooth juice. I don't have a juicer and this method works perfectly... 

Phew!! I know this was long, but I hope it's helpful! I promise I will share actual recipes with you soon!

CHOCOLATE GUINNESS CAKE...

So I thought I would start off the week with something sweet that has a little stout in it. How's that for a Monday?? That might sound strange, but I PROMISE it's so good... You guys know I love chocolate, so I'm always on the hunt for a new chocolate-y recipe to try. This is one of Nigella Lawson's delicious, unfussy, super easy cakes that has the most intense chocolate flavor and is so moist (I know so many people hate that word, but it's the perfect word for this cake. Sorry... ). Guinness has a supporting role in this cake, yet a very important role. The stout itself has a bitter-ish flavor that pairs surprisingly well with the chocolate. You can't necessarily taste the stout itself in the cake, and the cake is definitely not bitter, but you can tell that something special is there... If you want to make a special homemade birthday cake for someone or want to impress your dinner guests with something that tastes like it took you all day to make, hook them up with this cake. They'll love ya... :)

Here is what you need and what to do:

Cake

Room temperature butter for the pan
1 cup Guinness stout
10 tablespoons of unsalted butter (1 stick + 2 tablespoons)
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa
2 cups granulated sugar
3/4 cup sour cream
2 large eggs
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 1/2 teaspoons baking soda

Frosting

1 1/4 cups confectioners' sugar
8 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
1/2 cup heavy cream


To make the cake:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Generously butter a 9-inch springform pan and line the bottom with parchment paper.

2. In a large pot set over medium-low heat, combine the Guinness and the butter. Melt the butter then remove the post from the heat. Then add whisk in the cocoa and the sugar until smooth. Set pot aside to cool.

3. In a small bowl, whisk together the sour cream, eggs, and vanilla. Add that mixture to the Guinness mixture and whisk. Add the flour in three batches and whisk until each batch is incorporated. Add in the baking soda and give it one more good whisk.

4. Pour the batter into the pan and bake for 45 minutes to an hour until a cake tester (i.e. a toothpick) inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.

5. Let the cake cool for an hour and then release it from the pan.

To make the frosting:

1. Add the confectioners' sugar to the bowl of a food processor. Mix it up for a few seconds to break up the lumps. Then add the cream cheese and blend until smooth.

2. Add the heavy cream and blend it again until smooth.

3. Generously ice just the top of the cake.

Enjoy!

Images by me

EASY SKILLET APPLE PIE...

So I'm fully aware that it's not apple season, but I can't recall a season when I've ever turned down an apple pie. I LOVE apple pie - but I've never made one...until now. A friend of mine told me about this version of a "fake-out" apple pie last week and I immediately knew I had to try it. Well I tried it - and I'm truly amazed at what a 10in cast iron skillet, two store-bought pie crusts, a few fresh apples, traditional apple pie seasonings, and 10 minutes of my time created. Oh and did I mention that there is a layer of homemade caramel on the bottom of the pie??? It's SO GOOD! It tastes and looks exactly like a homemade pie from my grandmother's kitchen. It's pure heaven when it's served piping hot with a side of ice cream. If you are already planning ahead for Easter, Mothers Day, Thanksgiving (anyone other than me already thinking about Thanksgiving??), then this pie would be absolute perfection... :) 

Here is what you need and what to do:

1 10 in cast iron skillet
3 large granny smith apples, peeled
3 large braeburn apples, peeled
Juice of 1/2 a lemon
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 tablespoons flour
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
6 tablespoons butter, melted
1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
1 egg white
2 store-bought pie crusts (a14oz package)

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

2. Cut the peeled apples into 1-in slices and place them in a bowl. Add the lemon juice, granulated sugar, flour, cinnamon, and nutmeg to the bowl. Toss the apples and make sure they are completely and evenly coated with the other ingredients. Set the bowl aside.

3. Add the butter to the skillet that is set over medium heat. Once the butter is melted, add the brown sugar. Stir continuously until the sugar is melted.

4. Take the skillet off the heat and add the first pie crust over the top of the butter-brown sugar mixture. Pour the apples over the pie crust. Make sure they are evenly distributed in the skillet.

5. Place the remaining pie crust over the apples. Cut a few slits in the crust to allow the steam to escape while backing. In a small bowl, whisk the egg white until frothy. Then brush the egg white evenly over the top of the pie crust. Then sprinkle the crust with about a tablespoon of granulated sugar.

6. Bake for about 1 hour or until the top of the pie is golden brown. You might want to place a cookie sheet on the rack under the skillet just in case the filling spills out of the skillet while it's baking. This didn't happen to me, but just in case! If the top is browning too fast, cover it with aluminum foil until the filling has baked. Again, this didn't happen to me, but just in case!

7. Once it has baked, remove it from the oven and let it sit for about 15-20 minutes. Scoop it out with a spoon (because trying to cut it like a regular pie just won't work!). Top with ice cream and or whipped cream. It's best eaten the day it's baked!

Enjoy!

Images by me

ORANGE LIQUEUR TRUFFLE BARS...

Happy Monday! So I know that searches for the best chili, hot wings, dips, sandwiches, etc. are probably the most popular this week due to the Super Bowl happening this weekend. I know, I know, I know. But you will have to forgive me for skipping right over the Super Bowl food and heading straight toward something that is probably more suitable for Valentine's Day. I mean, I personally could watch the game with this recipe alone in hand and be fine because it's CHOCOLATE, but still...

So last week I was looking through one of my favorite cookbooks, "The New Classics," by Donna Hay (It's well worth the investment if you love good cookbooks and stunning food photography). I ran across her simple recipe for truffles and it just looked too easy and good to ignore. So I whipped it up a version of it yesterday and well, it's official. These are the truffles I will make when time permits instead of buying them at the store. These are the truffles I will now make for my friends on special occasions. These are the truffles (minus the liqueur) that I will sneak into my future children's lunchbox. They are SO GOOD! The key here is to buy the best quality chocolate you can get (i.e cacoa content of 70% or higher). It makes a huge difference. The truffles have a rich taste and texture with this hint of orange flavor that just takes these over the top. AND if you sprinkle them with a little cocoa powder or sea salt (my fave), then your taste buds are in for the most perfect explosion of chocolate-y flavor. The bottom line is that if you love chocolate and have 10-15 minutes of prep time to spare, then make these for yourself or for someone you love. They will love you right back. Promise. :)

Here is what you need and what to do:

300g dark chocolate, chopped
300g semi-sweet chocolate, chopped
3/4 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons orange liqueur, optional (I used Cointreau)
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Sea salt (I used Maldon sea salt)
Cocoa powder

1. Line an 8x8 baking pan with parchment paper and set aside. Cut the paper a little long so that it hangs over the sides of the pan. This will make it easy for you to lift the chocolate out of the pan when it is ready.

2. Start a bain-marie by adding a small amount of water to a medium sauce pan. Bring that water up to a simmer. Then turn the heat down to low.

3. Add the chopped chocolate to a heat-proof bowl that will eventually fit over the pot of simmering water. The add the heavy cream to a small saucepan over medium-low heat and bring it up to a tiny simmer.

4. Once the cream starts simmering (you will see tiny little bubbles on the edge of the saucepan), turn off the heat and pour the cream over the chopped chocolate. Place the bowl over the pot of simmering water and stir until the chocolate has completely melted.

5. Add the orange liqueur and vanilla to the melted chocolate and stir until they are incorporated. Pour the chocolate into the pan and spread it out evenly with a spatula. Place it in the refrigerator for 2-3 hours until it has completely set.

6. Once the chocolate has cooled, lift it out of the pan and let it come to room temperature. Then cut it into bars or squares. Sprinkle a little sea salt and/or cocoa powder over the bars and serve!

Images by me

NEW YORK CITY: THE FOOD WE ATE

{ Best Bagel & Coffee }

So since I had been to NYC a few times before this trip, I was most excited about the food as opposed to the sites. I started researching restaurants before anything else, so you know I was excited! It seems like there are MILLIONS of restaurants in NYC, so the three ways I was able to find some really good eats were:

1. My friends

2. Yelp and Open Table

3. The size of the crowds or length of lines inside of the restaurants...

Obviously it was easy to ask my friends who lived there or who travel there often about their opinion on the best places to eat - and they had some great recommendations. But I have to say that I found some really great places by relying on Yelp and Open Table. I simply filtered my searches by popularity and location and found some good eats that way. The other way a good restaurant was obvious was by the size of the crowds and the lines inside or around the restaurant. If I saw a place with a huge crowd and a long line, I would make a note of it and research the details and reviews on Yelp and Open Table. 

I honestly didn't take many photos of the food we ate. It was either too dark inside or I was too impatient to take a photo! But below I've listed out each place we ate along with my review in case you are interested! 

{ ABC Kitchen }

{ Balthazar }

{ Don Antonio by Starita }

1. Best Bagel & Coffee: If I had to rank my most favorite meal while I was there, the bagel from this place would almost be 1st... SO GOOD! I found this tiny little place by searching breakfast spots on Yelp that were near our hotel. When we got there, the line was out the door, so I knew we hit a goldmine. The bagels and cream cheese are made fresh in-house daily and they had so many different varieties of each. We each opted and egg, cheese, spinach and avocado bagel and a cinnamon raisin bagel to snack on during sight-seeing. They were so fresh and good! I'm still thinking about that dang egg & spinach bagel! The place is super tiny with very limited seating, so getting food to go is best. They have the ordering process down, so the line moves pretty quickly!

2. Tony's Di Napoli: My dad loves Italian food and requested we eat that before going to our play on Broadway. This restaurant was located in the Theater District - and it was packed! All of the dishes were served family style (although smaller portions are available upon request), so we ordered the Caesar salad, which was made table-side, and the seafood pasta. It was really fresh and delicious. But my favorite part of the meal was dessert. We had a classic NY cheesecake and it was quite divine. It was really light and fluffy - yet very rich! I would definitely eat here again. Reservations can be made using Open Table and I suggest you make them ahead of time to avoid the massive line that I saw on our way out!

3. ABC Kitchen: This was my second time going to ABC Kitchen and I already know I will go again the next time I'm in NYC. It was probably my most favorite meal that I had during this trip. The only food they serve is GMO-free seasonal food that is cultivated properly, and free of pesticides, antibiotics, synthetic fertilizers, and hormones. That may sound boring to some, but let me tell you - it's the BEST. I don't eat beef often, but when I do, it has to have those characteristics. We were there for lunch and I had the Akaushi burger (i.e. Kobe beef) with fresh hot fries and I about died. I ate every last crumb of it! My dad had the Kasha Bowtie Pasta and he loved it as well. Oh and we shared and scarfed down a bowl of the best Brussels sprouts I've ever had at a restaurant. The restaurant is right next to ABC Carpet & Home, which if you love interior design, then you'll pretty much be in heaven. Note that this place is always packed, so making reservations via Open Table is highly recommended.

4. Balthazar: Two of my friend recommended this wonderful little French bristro, so I knew I had to try it. And I'm so glad that I did! I think I may have had the best brunch of my life there... My dad and I both ordered the apple cinnamon pancakes and we shared a side of eggs and breakfast potatoes. It was HEAVEN ON A PLATE! It is pricey (the eggs and potatoes were $21!!), but I promise you it is well worth it! I made reservations via Open Table (highly recommended on weekends) for Sunday at 9AM to avoid the regular brunch crowd. And I'd go again in a heartbeat. So good...

5. Don Antonio by Starita: If you love pizza, then you can't be in NYC without eating a slice of NY style pizza! This place kept popping up on my Yelp searches, so we tried it out. Again - another winner of a restaurant. The pizza - specifically the ingredients on the pizza were super fresh. We kept it simple and ordered a margarita pizza with prosciutto & mushrooms and a white pizza with burrata, cherry tomatoes, and basil. The dough was thin and crispy - as a good NY style pizza should be. But I just remember thinking about how fresh and authentic everything tasted. Super good...

6. Buddakan: My dad had a taste for Asian food one night, so at a friend's recommendation we tried Buddakan. Wow is this place is fancy - but really fun!! The atmosphere and chic decor inside blew me away. The food was super tasty, too. They offer so many different types of dishes, but we kept it simple by sharing the General Tso dumplings, lobster fried rice, and vegetable fried rice. All of that came out to the table pretty quickly and it was really good!! Just a side note - this was the restaurant that Big and Carrie had their engagement party at in Sex & The City the movie.

7. Pret A Manger: Dad and I mostly had only one big fancy meal each day (with the exception of maybe one day), so this was a place that I retreated to a few times to get something quick, light, and healthy that would tide me over to our big meal of the day. Pret A Manger is just about on every other block in Manhattan and it is really good. I noticed my first day there that all of them always seemed packed. So one day I ducked in there to see what was going on. Their food is made fresh daily and is all-natural if not organic. And gosh it was delish!! I stocked up on a few fresh green juices and had a small lentil soup for a quick lunch one day. That was honestly one of the best lentil soups I'd ever had. It was hot, fresh, and not too salty (like most take-out lentil soups are).

What are your favorite NYC restaurants?? I'm already taking notes for my next visit! :)

EASY CHEDDAR BUTTERMILK BISCUITS...

I'm from the south and I grew up eating my aunt's and my grandmother's biscuits on Sunday mornings. I still think about them and I want my kids to be thinking the same about my biscuits when they are my age. So I thought it was high time I learn how to make a homemade biscuit! Yep, what you see there is my first ever homemade biscuit and it is DELISH! Even though they are super easy to make, I have always been horrible at anything that involves dough and rolling out dough. But I took a sugar cookie class right before Christmas and was able to apply a few dough rolling skills I learned there to this biscuit recipe. This biscuit is buttery, cheesy, and honestly tastes like a southern cheese straw in the form of a flaky biscuit. I love cheese straws... It's certainly a biscuit that would be perfect for breakfast, brunch, and beginner biscuit makers... :)

Here is what you need and what to do (makes 6-8 biscuits):
Adapted from Ina Garten's "Back to Basics" cookbook

2 cups all-purpose unbleached flour
12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, diced
1 tablespoon baking soda
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 cup cold buttermilk
2 eggs
1 heaping cup extra sharp cheddar cheese (freshly grated is best here)


1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.

2. Place the flour, butter, baking soda, and salt into the bowl of an electric mixer. Turn the mixer on low and mix until the butter resembles the size of peas.

3. Add the buttermilk and one egg to a small bowl and whisk them together. Turn the mixer on low and slowly add the buttermilk mixture to the flour mixture. Mix until the mixture is just moistened.

4. Add a few pinches of flour to the grated cheese and mix it up with your fingers. The flour will keep the cheese from sinking to the bottom of the biscuit. Add the cheese to the mixer and mix on low until the cheese is just combined.

5. Pour the dough out onto a floured surface. Bring the dough together and knead it 5 or so times. Kneading might sound intimidating, but it's not hard! There are tons of short YouTube videos out there in how to do it... Lightly flour a rolling pin and roll the dough until it is about 1/2 in thick. Use a sharp knife to cut the dough into 6-8 rectangles and place them on the lined baking sheet.

6. Add an egg and a few drops of water or buttermilk to a small bowl (I used the same small bowl I used earlier) and mix them together to create an egg wash. Brush the tops of the biscuits with the egg wash. Bake the biscuits for 20-25 minutes until they are browned and cooked through.

Serve hot! Enjoy!

Images by me

STACKED APPLE, PARMESAN, AND WALNUT SALAD...

Yep. My first recipe of the year is the requisite salad. BUT my reasons for that are beyond the fact that it's "Get Your Life and Diet Together " month. I personally don't resolve to eat healthier this year. I've thankfully got that down and things are on track in that department. However, I do often get bored with healthy food and tend to make the same things over and over, so this year I want to diversify my stash of healthy meals. And I want to host a few dinner parties/brunches. And I want to sharpen my food styling skills. So this post for me is my way of working on all of those things together. This post for you is a way of showing you a menu item that looks really pretty and would take you 10 minutes to prepare just in case your goals are similar to mine... :)

Dinner parties should be underwhelming and fun and this salad is definitely those two things. It has the simplest combination of ingredients that go so very well together. The crunch and freshness of the apples pair incredibly well the creaminess of the cheese. The amazing apple cider vinaigrette is really what brings it all together. It's homemade, takes 2 seconds to make, and it's sweet and tart all in one. And isn't the salad pretty??!! I served it with some homemade cheddar biscuits that I will tell you all about soon, so stay tuned!

Here is what you need and what to do (makes 2 salads):

Salad
2 apples (I used Red Delicious)
2 big handfuls of arugula
Shavings of Parmesan cheese
Juice of 1 lemon
Walnuts, chopped or whole

Dressing
2 teaspoons dijon mustard
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
1 teaspoon pure maple syrup
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
Pinch of Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper

1. Add all of the ingredients for the dressing into a small bowl. Whisk until thoroughly combined. Set aside.

2. Use a sharp knife or a mandolin (I used this one) to cut the apples into 1/8in slices. Squeeze some lemon juice over the tops and bottoms of each slice to keep it from turning brown. The lemon juice also adds great flavor, too! Place a handful of arugula on to each plate. Stack a few slices of apple on the middle of the salad. Sprinkle the salad with shaved Parmesan cheese and a few walnuts. Pour a few spoonfuls of dressing right over the top.

Enjoy!

Images by me

SIX BEST RECIPES OF 2015...

{ 5-Minute Peach Frozen Yogurt }

Hi! Did you have a good Christmas?? I hope you did... So I thought I would pop in on my little break to share some of our (mines and yours) favorite recipes of 2015. I didn't blog as much this year as I have in the past. But I have to say that this year I made it a point to put more time, effort, and thought into the posts that I did do - especially when I came to my recipes. My passion for food and food photography has grown exponentially over the years - so much so that I have thought about turning this blog into a food blog. Maybe that will happen, maybe not. But one thing is for sure - my love for food and food photography is not going anywhere, so I look forward to sharing more good eats with you next year. In the meantime, here are a few favorites from 2015. Happy New Year!

{ Warm Kale Apple, & Cranberry Salad }

{ Italian Turkey Sausage Pasta Sauce }

{ Strawberry Brownie Cake }

{ The Best Vegetable Soup... Ever. }

{ Massaged Kale & Roasted Sweet Potato Quinoa Salad }

WEEKNIGHT PARMESAN BRUSSELS SPROUTS...

Can I just say that I LOVE brussels sprouts... But can I also say that I rarely used to make them on any other day other than Sunday. I would roast them in the oven the regular way at about 400 for 35-40 minutes until they were browned and slightly crispy on the outside. They were always lovely. But a friend of mine recently told me about a way to make them taste even better in half the time. And that way, my friends, is to simply place them in a cast iron skillet and cook them under the broiler! If you love brussels sprouts and don't have a cast iron skillet, then go buy one immediately - or go ask your mom or grandmother if you can borrow theirs... The heat from the cast iron skillet speeds up the cooking process and makes them a little crispy on the outside. BUT they are still super tender on the inside. The Parmesan cheese added at the end adds this bit of cheesy saltiness that make them extra tasty. They take a little babysitting to prevent burning, but it's so worth it!

Here is what you need and what to do:

10in cast iron skillet

1 lb fresh Brussels sprouts, trimmed (cut smaller sprouts in half, and larger sprouts in quarters)

Olive oil (extra virgin or regular)

Kosher salt

Freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

1. Preheat the broiler. Add the brussels sprouts to the skillet. Toss them in a light coating of olive oil and sprinkle them with salt and pepper to taste. You might go a little light on the salt if you are adding the Parmesan cheese at the end.

2. Place them under the broiler for about 15-20 minutes or until they are lightly browned. They will need to be tossed well about every 5 minutes or so - especially towards the end once the skillet really gets hot.

3. Remove them from the oven and sprinkle them with the Parmesan cheese. Toss and serve immediately.

Enjoy!

Images by me

SECRET INGREDIENT CHRISTMAS CRANBERRY SAUCE...

Hi there!! Sorry for the silence here last week... I wasn't feeling that well and needed a moment! I felt much better over the weekend, so I got my camera out to photograph this amazing sauce that would be PERFECT to serve with a holiday appetizer or dinner. This year for Thanksgiving, I wanted to make homemade cranberry sauce. We've always eaten cranberry sauce from the can (so bad I know but SO good!), but this year I thought I would make my own. So I made up a recipe using a combination of different recipes that I researched. My recipe included the zest and juice of an orange, so I asked my mom to pick up some oranges from the store. She mistakingly picked up small grapefruits that looked like oranges, so I ended up using the grapefruit instead. And I have to say - that was the BEST cranberry sauce I've ever had. Hands down. It's tart and sweet - but not too sweet - and the grapefruit zest and juice is perfection with the cranberries. Everyone really enjoyed it and I even caught my grandfather eating it out of the serving bowl with his fork after dinner! It tasted so good with our turkey, but have you ever had cranberry sauce with cheese?? I paired it here with a little cheese board and it is delish! I think the sauce pairs really well with cranberry cheddar, brie, and swiss. It's so good and so worth the 10 minutes it takes to make on your own! :)

Here is what you need and what to do (makes about 2 cups):

2 12oz bags fresh cranberries
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup light brown sugar
2 cinnamon sticks
Zest of 1 grapefruit
Juice of 1 grapefruit
1/2 cup water
Pinch of nutmeg

Add all of the ingredients to a pot over medium heat. Bring it to a boil them simmer for 5-7 minutes or until most of the cranberries have popped open. Turn off the heat and let the sauce cool and thicken. Once it has thickened, remove the cinnamon sticks. Serve warm or at room temperature.

This can also be made up a few days in advance! Just store it in the fridge after it has thickened and cooled completely.

Enjoy!

Images by me