Just in time for Christmas

This recipe is an adaptation from my mothers Peanut Butter no bake cookies, but I just had to fiddle with it to make it my own!  Plus I needed something to take to the cookie swap at work! 

4.5 cups frosted flakes

1.5 cups sugar

1 cup Karo syrup

3/4 cup cashew butter

1 cup pecans

1 tablespoon sesame seeds

3 lavender flowers

1 tablespoon vanilla

Smoked salt (optional)

In a saucepan combine vanilla, syrup, sugar, and lavender, let come to boil.  Remove from heat and stir in cashew butter.  In large bowl combine pecans and cereal, pour over syrup mixture.  Stir well, drop by spoonfuls on wax paper lined cookie sheet to set, sprinkle with sesame seeds! 

*Optional, for an extra pop, sprinkle with course smoked sea salt for an extra dimension! I also sprinkled with powdered sugar just to make them look nice! 

Also, I don't like to drop by spoonfuls, I'd rather pour it all out, let cure, then cut into squares, it's just faster! 

Super Simple Sauce for Pasta

The other day I bought some artisan Lobster stuffed ravioli at an "organic" store.  They looked so perfect... big and puffy!   FULL of LOBSTER.

I got them home, boiled them in lemon and salted water till just done.  But what was I going to use as a sauce that didn't completely mask the perfection of lobster?  So I came up with this.

2 tbsp butter
1 tbsp olive oil
1 teaspoon prepared pesto
1 tbsp pasta water
1 tbsp fresh chopped parsley
Salt and Pepper


In a pan on medium heat, melt the butter in the oil.  Swirl in the pesto and let cook for about 30 seconds.  Splash in the pasta water and the chopped parsley.  Add the ravioli to the sauce and turn over a few times.  Slide onto a plate and top with some extra parsley and you will be amazed at how good this dresses these ravioli without masking their amazing flavor.

Life lessons

There are things in the kitchen that are not taught, you have to learn about them through trial and error.  

1) don't cook eggs in coconut oil

-trust me, they just turn out nasty!

What lessons have you learned that we can share? 

Tweet me @TeeJayToday 

Perfect Summer Pasta Recipe

I was trying to come up with a light pasta recipe that would be good for the summer, after a little playing around, I came up with this!  All measurements are for one person, please double or quadruple depending on your family.

 1 C spinach egg noodles (any thick noodle is good)

1 t pesto (the good stuff)

1 t olive oil

1 T butter

1 T ricotta cheese

Save 2 tablespoons of the pasta cooking water

S&P to taste

Cook noodles according to package, drain well (but save 2 T pasta water) add rest of ingredients to warm noodles and toss until butter has completely melted, serve warm.  

*Serving Suggestion* maybe add some roasted tomatoes on the side for a more complete summer brunch/lunch.

My New Favorite Thing

Fads come and go and right now I am in love with Ricotta Cheese.  Most people think that this bland cheese is just a layer in lasagna.  Lately I have been using it for so much more!

For breakfast I like to add a touch of salt and honey, smear it on a some puff pastry, bake it off and it is amazing!

For lunch it goes well in a frittata or quiche, I have also had it on pizza instead of tomato sauce.

For dinner, I have used it as a sauce for pasta... just add a little pasta water to thin it out, some olive oil, little seasoning, a few peas, top with freshly grated parm, and it coats pasta very well!

My new all time favorite way to eat ricotta is simply spread on a crispy thin cracker with maybe a tiny piece of prosciutto on top. 

To make the spread:

1 Cup ricotta
1 lemon, juiced and zested
2 tablespoons finely chopped parsley
1 tablespoon olive oil
pinch of garlic powder (dont use fresh garlic, too strong here)
S&P to taste

mix everything together in a bowl and let set in the fridge for at least an hour before you serve it.  You can even mold into fun shapes for cheese platters for when you have guests coming over. 

*Serving Suggestion*  drizzle with some good aged basalmic vinegar to help make it POP!

Let me know how you eat ricotta!

Summer Ceviche

Ceviche has always scared me.  Eating raw fish with nothing but lemon on it cant be good right?  Well, I eat sushi (devour it is a better description) so why wouldn't I like ceviche?

Here is a recipe that I came up with while in the grocery store, it turned out so good, and even better the next day as I took some to work for lunch.

Ingredients
1 stalk celery finely chopped
1 avocado finely chopped
3 tomatoes seeded and finely chopped
1/2 of a red onion finely chopped
1 mango finely chopped
1 jalapeno chopped finely
4 limes
2 lemons
1 tbsp chopped parsley
1 tbsp chopped cilantro
1 lb scallops raw
1 tbsp olive oil
S & P to taste

First, we need to prep the scallops, if they are thick, slice them thinly, if they are small, leave them as is.  Put in a bowl with the zest of one of your limes and the juice from all of the limes.  Let this set in the fridge for about 30 minutes (while you prep your other ingredients)

Mix all other ingredients into a bowl except the lemons.  Once the scallops have turned white, they are ready, drain the juice off of the scallops and add them to your vegetables.  Add the juice of the lemons with salt and pepper to taste.  Let set in fridge for 10-20 minutes before serving.

Serving suggestion
Always serve cold, and I ate mine with regular Saltine crackers.  I also served mine in a martini glass with a wedge of lemon on the side.  So good, AND HEALTHY!

Let me know what you do differently when you make ceviche!

Cured Salmon, easier than you think!

Curing your own salmon is EASY!  Here is how I did it...

What you will need: 

2 lbs salmon (get the good stuff) 

1 lemon

1 orange

1 small beet

1 lb sea salt

1 tsp dried dill

1/4 cup sugar

1 tsp fennel seed

1 tsp black pepper

1 oz vodka

Deep dish (I used glass)

First, check your fish for bones and scales, you don't want these in your finished product.  Rinse off your fish and dry with a paper towel, set aside.  Using a grater, grate the beet into a bowl.  Zest the orange and lemon and add to the bowl.  Now juice the orange and lemon into the bowl.  Add the rest of the ingredients (except the fish) to the bowl and stir well.  You should have a "slush-like" consistency.  Into you deep dish, spoon approx 1/4 cup of your salt slush into the bottom of the dish to make a base for your fish.  Add the fish, skin side down.  Pour the rest of the slush atop the fish, making sure every part of your fish is covered.  Cover with plastic wrap and place into your fridge for 48 hours.  After 48 hours take the fish out of the bowl and rinse well under cold running water.  Slice thinly and enjoy!  Change the seasoning to get a completely different flavor, I like the citrus with the fish.