Italian Style BLT...with Avocado (of course....)

Yesterday was an extremely productive day for me around the house. From the second I woke up I had an ever growing list of things I wanted to get done around the house. Having gotten so much done, I decided that I deserved an actual lunch. I decided to make a Caprese (tomato, mozzarella and basil) sandwich...then the wheels in my head started to turn...I got to thinking about how the Caprese sandwich is an Italian version of a BLT, minus the "B"..so of course I had to add a little "B"...BACON.... my lettuce would be basil..instead of mayo I decided to use pesto...So, the Italian style BLT was born...bacon, basil, mozzarella, tomato and pesto sandwich..well, I realized there was one thing missing...I always have to have a little "A" (avocado) in my BLT...So now we have the bacon, basil, mozzarella, tomato, pesto and avocado sandwich!! Phew!!! Deliciousness is what was.

What you'll need:

-Slices of sourdough or french bread (I had a loaf of it, so I just sliced it myself)
-Fresh tomato, sliced and patted dry
-Fresh basil
-Pesto
-Mozzarella (do NOT use fresh mozzarella...trust me on this one, you will end up with a soggy, milky mess!!), sliced as thinly as you can get it (it'll take forever to melt if it's too thick)
-BACON...really, who am I to tell you how much bacon to use?
-Ripe avocado, sliced
-Butter, for the hot skillet

Assemble your sandwich as desired, butter both sides of the sandwich, and put it on a hot skillet. Cook until the bread is golden brown and the cheese is melted. I usually "tent" it with foil, so make sure the cheese melts more quickly.

That's it! Pretty darn easy!! 

Banana Muffins

These days muffins in general seem to be a thing of the past..they've been shuffled to the back seat, and replaced with breakfast sandwiches, cereal bars and the like. Some places still serve "muffins", but, let's be honest...they are often cold, dry and a crumbly mess. Muffins are meant to be warm, moist, and taste like your mom made them.

I rarely make muffins, but every time I do, I wonder why I don't make them more often. They're easy to make, and like so many other things, you most likely have all the ingredients sitting in your kitchen already..This morning I made banana muffins with a cinnamon sugar topping. Simple and delicious. I didn't follow a recipe, so yet again, please forgive my estimated measurements.

What you'll need:

-1/2 stick unsalted, softened butter
-3/4 cup granulated sugar
-1 egg, room temperature

-1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
-1 cup AP (all purpose) flour
-About 1/2 cup of buttermilk
-1 teaspoon baking powder
-1/2 teaspoon baking soda
-2 bananas, mashed up
-About 2 or so tablespoons of granulated sugar, and half that amount of cinnamon

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a muffin tin with cupcake liners. Stir together 2 or so tablespoons of sugar and the cinnamon.

In a large bowl, whisk together softened butter and sugar until it's light and fluffy. Add the egg and mix well, then add the vanilla. Add the flour 1/4 cup at a time, alternating with the buttermilk, until it is well incorporated. Add the baking powder and baking soda, making sure it's mixed in really well. In a separate bowl mash the two bananas until it looks kind of like baby food. I use a potato masher, I find it works best. Using a spatula, fold the bananas into the muffin mixture. Using a spoon, spoon two scoops of batter into each muffin cup so that it's about 3/4 full. Top each muffin with a few pinches of the cinnamon sugar mixture.

Bake for about 23 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean. When the muffins are out of the oven, top with another sprinkle of the cinnamon sugar.

White Chocolate and Blueberry Cupcakes

A few months ago I decided that I didn't want to have to rely on someone else' recipe in order to bake whatever it is I'm wanting to bake. I don't follow recipes when I'm cooking, so why do when I bake?? So I decided to start messing around and try to figure it out on my own. Turns out, it's not all that hard! This gives me the freedom to experiment with new flavors and ingredients, and take the credit when it turns out great =)

Safeway has a white chocolate and blueberry bar that is delicious, and was the inspiration for these cupcakes. I have made them multiple times, and they always turn out great. In my moms very unbiased opinion (haha) these are the best cupcakes she's ever had. I wouldn't go that far, but they're good enough to make them again. Since this is my own recipe, please forgive me for my very rough and approximated measurements! 

What you'll need:


-3 8ounce bars of good quality white chocolate
-1&1/2 cups AP (all purpose) flour
-2 cups white sugar
-2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
-1 egg, room temperature
-1 tablespoon of baking powder
-1 teaspoon of pure vanilla extract
-1/3 cup very hot water
-1/4 cup milk
-Bag of frozen blueberries
-1 cup heavy cream plus another splash or two
-2 tablespoons AP flour
-Cupcake liners

Preheat the oven to 350.

In a medium sized microwave safe bowl, heat 1/3 cup water for about a minute and a half. Break up one of the white chocolate bars and add to the hot water, and stir until it is all melted. Set aside.

In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream together 1 stick of butter and 1&1/3 cups sugar until it's light and fluffy. Add the egg and mix well. Add the vanilla extract. Slowly add the 1&1/5 cups of flour. Make sure to set the mixed on low so you don't get flour everywhere. Add the baking powder and mix well. Add the white chocolate and water mixture. Add 1/4 cup milk.

Line a muffin pan with cupcake liners. Using two teaspoons scoop a small teaspoon amount into the bottom of each liner, and spread to cover the bottom of the paper. Using the tbsp measuring spoon, scoop some of the blueberries over the cake batter. Scoop another dollop of cake batter over the blueberries. The liners should be 1/2-3/4 full (1/2 is ideal). Bake for 20 minutes. They might need to bake for longer, depending on your oven.

While the cupcakes are in the oven, start on the frosting. In a small pot, heat 1 cup of heavy whipping cream, 1&1/2 bars of white chocolate (broken up), and 2 tablespoons of flour. Whisk constantly until it is very thick (almost the consistency of pudding). Pour it into a tupperware (glass retains heat, so it will take longer for it to cool down), cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate until it has cooled, but is still slightly warm (not hot). When the white chocolate mixture has cooled, in the bowl if the electric mixer, whip 1 stick of softened butter and 1/2 cup of white sugar until it is light and fluffy. Slowly add the white chocolate mixture. Keeping the white chocolate mixture slightly warm will help the sugar to dissolve, so the frosting is smooth, and not grainy. You may want to add a splash of heavy cream while whipping the frosting, depending on your desired consistency. Break up the remainder of the chocolate bar and use as a garnish.

Ice the cupcakes once the cake is cooled to room temperature.

Suggestion: A few suggestions, actually...first, I would suggest not to buy your white chocolate in chip form because chips have added sugar, and will make your batter and frosting grainy.  Also, don't skimp and buy the store brand white chocolate because you'll be sorry. Buy Ghiradelli or better quality. It's worth it. Also, I layer the cake and blueberries because of personal preference. If you mix the blueberries into the batter you will end up with a murky looking purple colored batter, and it's not very pretty..Lastly, make sure you use room temperature eggs. It will make a huge difference in your batter. It will make it chunky instead of smooth. I always forget to pull my eggs out ahead of time, so I pop mine in the microwave for two rounds of 5 seconds.

Laura's Salad

My family went out to eat maybe a handful of times every year, so eating out was a BIG deal for my brothers and I. The "almost never" trip to every kids favorite, McDonalds, was particularly special. So what did I order, you ask? Not a Happy Meal, if that's what you were assuming. I ordered....(drum roll please!!)....a chef salad. Yep...a salad...My parents thought there was something wrong with me, and would triple and quadruple check to make sure that's what I really wanted before placing my order. I was as happy as a clam with my salad, while my brothers ate chicken nuggets and cheeseburgers. I do, and always have, love salad.

About a year and a half ago we had some friends over for dinner, and decided to make it a pot luck style meal. Our friends, Laura and Doug, brought the salad. I found myself only wanting to eat salad, instead of whatever else was being served. I decided to get the recipe, and add chicken and bacon to make it into a meal. I would easily order this salad in a restaurant, it is that good!!


What you'll need:

-Package of butter lettuce
-Chicken (I cut corners and use the Just Chicken from Trader Joe's, in regular or teriyaki)
-Bacon cooked and chopped up (as much as you'd like...after all, bacon makes everything better =)
-Candied walnuts, chopped
-Green apple, sliced into bite sized pieces
-Blue cheese (optional, I don't use it)
-1/2 cup of Mayo
-1/4 cup of Extra virgin olive oil
-1/4 cup of white vinegar
-1-2 cloves of chopped garlic
-Salt and pepper, pinch of each


Whisk together the mayo, extra virgin olive oil, white vinegar, garlic, salt and pepper. Your dressing is done.

Place desired amount of lettuce onto a plate or bowl,  drizzle salad dressing over the lettuce, top with the desired amount of chicken, bacon, apple, and walnuts.

And you're done...easy, right?