Cranberry and Peanut Butter Bagel

Mini plain wheat bagels spread with peanut butter and sweet dried cranberries on top. An amalgate of flavors – tart, sweet, and salty. Not too much and not too little. Healthy.  Antioxidants. Only need to watch the cranberries – they usually have a lot of sugar. 

One of my favorites!
 

Best Omelet yet!

Since I’ve been out of school for the summer, I have been cooking every day and finally, yes finally, I made my best omelet yet! Oh, so exciting et miam miam! It really does help to have a good pan, trust me.

2 eggs
chopped peppers
chopped onions
shredded cheddar cheese

In a hot skillet, cook up the chopped vegetables in olive oil.
Whisk 2 eggs in a bowl.
Pour the beaten eggs in the same pan.
When the egg begins to cook (and looks white underneath) and is easy to lift with a spatula, sprinkle the cheese on top and flip the omelet halfway over.
Continue to cook and flip it to let the other side cook.

I like mine to get a little brown and slightly crispy.

Spicy Rice with Fried Egg Riz épicé avec oeuf sur le plat

Riz épicé avec oeuf sur le plat

Jasmine Rice

1 can of green beans

1 can of whole sweet kernel corn

1 can of chopped tomatoes with chile

2 tbsps. of Sofrito

quick dashes of  Louisiana Hot Sauce

sprinkle of black pepper

Once the rice is done cooking on the stove, mix all the other ingredients together in the same pot to keep it hot.

For one serving, fry one egg in olive oil in a separate pan and place on top of the rice and vegetables.

I thought of creating this nice dish after trying “Chinese style” bi bim bap at a restaurant. This bi bim bap was absolutely delicious and flavorful beyond measure, not to mention spicy too. My dish has a very different flavor, but with a nice latin kick and vegetarian too.

"Chinese style" Bi Bim Bap from the restaurant

If you prefer some type of meat in the dish, I would suggest shrimp, fried in a pan with olive oil.

Cucumber Pizza

I wanted to add some more flavor to this frozen pizza and to try something different. I’ve never stir-fried cucumbers with anything, but it sounded good, even though cucumbers are not my favorite vegetable to eat.  I really liked this quick dish and will definitely be trying it again.

I fried sliced cucumbers, sliced onions, sliced green peppers, a teaspoon of minced garlic, and Italian seasoning in olive oil on medium to medium-low heat. I used just a regular, medium-sized skillet. I think keeping the skin on the cucumber helped to keep them firm and not get squishy. 

For the pizza, I just followed the directions on the packaging. Uh, I know, pizza in a box. It’s not the best, of course, but that’s all I had at the time and you know what? It didn’t taste too bad, especially when I topped it with my veggies. In fact, it tasted really good, scrumptious! Oh yes, all vegetarian too.

Feeling Beautiful Clay Mask - Avocado and Oatmeal

So far, I am finding the Freeman Feeling Beautiful masks to be very cleansing and purifying. Over the years, my skin has improved considerably, before I used these masks, but the mask did not cause any break-outs or dryness, which I was very pleased with. The Avocado and Oatmeal mask package says it "purges pores" and I feel my skin felt rather clean afterwards. The mask is a minty green color, very thick, with a slaty smooth clay texture. This mask goes a long way and one package can be used twice.

Whenever I do masks, I always use it on my neck, not just my face. And whenever I put anything on my face, I always smooth the product with an upward motion.

In the little green jar lies vaseline, very moisturizing for my lips. When my face is all stiff with a mask on, I hate to have dry lips, so I rub on vaseline or Palmer's Cocoa Butter Formula stick.

Fajita Chicken Vegetable wrap

Since I started college (this year), I have not been able to cook as I normally like to. Now that I am home for the holidays, I can take over the kitchen! Campus food isn't always the best, so I am glad I can finally make something the way I want and like it to be, including wraps.

Recipe:

Plain white medium-size tortilla
Ranch
'Baby Greens Salad' (baby leaf spinach, lettuce, shredded carrots)
Romaine lettuce
Tomato
Sliced green pepper and sliced onion
Tyson Grilled and Ready fully cooked Fajita Chicken Breast Strips
The Spice Depot salad seasoning

Heat cooked chicken with green pepper and onion in skillet.
Once heated and a little browned, place in a separate bowl.
In the same skillet, heat the tortilla on both sides, browning it.
Take tortilla out of skillet and spread a little bit of ranch on the tortilla, then add the green lettuce, chicken with green peppers and onion, sliced tomato, and sprinkle seasoning on top. Fold and enjoy.

It's Christmas It's Christmas

I made almost the WHOLE Christmas meal by myself! Everything except for two things. Helpful hint: start making some of the dishes the day before, the ones that do not need to be made fresh. This saves a lot of time, trust me.

Stuffing (Turkey and Cornbread stuffing with Jimmy Dean Hot Sausage, chopped green peppers and chopped onion, chopped green apple)

Cook the sausage with the green pepper, onion, and apple

 Turkey with gravy
Kale (cooked in fresh water with 2 tablespoons of olive oil, sprinkle of salt, 1 tablespoon of sugar) We usually have collard greens, but decided to go with something else equally delicious.
Homemade Potato salad
Ham (I know, pork - just for the holiday. Check my blog post about my no pork for 30 days http://www.candleinthecorridor.blogspot.com/2011/10/30-days-no-pork.html)
Nancy's Petite Quiche swiss and bacon (I know! :)
Green bean casserole
Sweet potato soufflé
Devilled egg
Cranberry sauce
Homemade macaroni and cheese



Store-bought quiche for hors d'oeuvre