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Lynsey Lou's

Enjoying Life One Bite at a Time!

Archives for January 2013

2012 in Review: My Favorites

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2012 was a whirlwind of events, to say the least.  It was packed full of so many different things; some good and some bad but I survived them all and made it to another year.  I hope 2013 proves to be a little less crazy and stressful, but regardless of what’s to come I can’t wait to see what all 2013 holds in store. 

I had so much fun looking through all the recipes I had made throughout the year when I was putting together the 2012 reader’s choice.  I must say, all of you had a sweet toothe in 2012!  I love my sweets just as much as you and can’t wait to share some more goodies with you.  While I loved each and every recipe that ya’ll loved, there on some that didn’t make the “Reader’s Choice” list that I wanted to re-share with you.  I hope you all had a safe and wonderful new years, I know we did!  I can’t wait to share more craziness and delicious recipes with you this year!

Goat cheese and roasted poblano guacomole is a mouthful but it’s so worth it.  I think goat cheese was my favorite ingredient of the year; I love the creamy texture and the tangy taste, and it brings so much to any dish.  This guacomole was a hit from the first bite; it has a smokey flavor fromthe roasted poblanos, creamy butter flavor from the avocado and a slight tang from the goat cheese.  

I love anything with bacon and BLT’s are one of my all-time favorite sandwiches.  When I found a recipe for BLT Biscuits I was ecstatic, to say the least.  This is one of those things that can be enjoyed as an appetizer or a main dish.  It’s basic ingredients and is a perfect twist on a classic sandwich.  It’s a biscuit base with a creamy, mayonnaise baised topping with bacon and herbs then topped off with grape tomatoes.  It’s delicious and a recipe that Spencer continues to drool over and talk about to this day.

The first time I had Avocado enchiladas was when I was visiting one of my cousins.  We went to this little hole in the wall Mexican restaurant and he said their avocado enchiladas were amazing.  I was intrigued so I tried them.  My life changed, they were incredibly amazing; creamy, cheesey, gooey and delicious.  I honestly couldn’t get enough.  When I got home I knew I had to recreate that meal, and so I did and that’s how these babies came about.  

Mongolian beef is one of my “go to’s” when we eat Chinese.  I love the sticky, salty and sweetness of this dish.  Put it over rice and it’s a complete meal that is sure to please.  I was tickled when I came across this recipe and even more pleased when I made it and it resulted in the same flavors that I enjoy in the restaurant.  It’s definitely dangerous knowing how to make one of my all-time favorites!

Homemade bread is one of my, many, weaknesses.  What can I say, I love it!  This white bread was definitely a favorite thing of mine this year.  It reminds me of the bread a family friend made for us when I was growing up; light, buttery and fluffy.  So good and delicious fresh from the oven.

We enjoyed this Lemon garlic linguine with Mascarpone and Shrimp for our Valentine’s meal and I must say it was a hit.  I made this several times throughout the year and when other’s asked for a simple, yet impressive meal this was always one of my first recommendations.  It’s a simple dish full of big flavor.
 
 
Chiles Rellenos with tomato sauce was definitely a favorite of ours.  I think Spencer was even more impressed with this one that I was.  I can’t tell you how many times this has been requested and made this year.  It’s a simple recipe with tons of flavor.  A roasted poblano stuffed with cheese and corn, battered and lightly fried then topped with a slightly sweet tomato sauce.  It’s a definite winner and a recipe that will stay in our rotation for quite some time.

Browned butter cookies with caramel frosting were a surprising hit.  I’m normally not one to be wowed by a cookie that doesn’t include chocolate in some form, so when I tried these and instantly loved them I was kind of surprised.  This cookie has opened my eyes and helped me to learn to give those non-chocolate desserts a fighting chance.  They are chewy, almost melt in your mouth cookies that are topped with a soft caramel frosting.  In a few words, these cookies are to die for!

Bacon pecan brittle, to say this was a winner would be an understatement.  This stuff is amazing and I can’t tell you how proud I was of this creation when I made it.  It has the whole sweet, salty, savory thing going and it’s so good.  The salty bacon really helps to cut the sweetness of the brittle, the buttery pecans also add a whole other level of flavor and texture.  Every single person that tried this sweet and salty delicious could not get enough. 

It’s no surprise that this Brownie Pie was a hit with everyone that tried it.  It was a “go to” dessert for me in 2012.  It’s all the goodness of a brownie in the form of a pie; crispy edges with a fudgy, gooey center.

I could honestly continue listing more and more of my favorite recipes from 2012, but I’ll stop.  I hope you enjoyed this little trip down memory lane, I know I have!  These pretty much hit all the high notes.  I can’t wait to share more goodies with you throughout 2013.

What would you like to see more of on Lynsey Lou’s this year?

  

Sauteed Brussel Sprouts with Bacon

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Happy new year, everyone!  How is 2013 treating you so far?  Good, I hope.  Well, 2013 started out pretty great for me and my family!  With the new year starts resolutions and all that fun stuff.  How many of you have made new year’s resolutions?  Okay, for all of those hands raised, how many of you will actually keep them?  Isn’t it funny how everyone, myself included, has all these great plans to get in shape, eat right, get organized and all these other fun things but we never get that far before that resolution is out the window? 

Well, this year I’m going to try to keep the resolutions simple so maybe I can actually keep a few of them!  This year I want to stay consistent with my blogging; I want to update on a regular basis and not go in spurts of being consistent then falling off the planet.  I think I resolved to do this last year, as well.  While I think I did better last year than in years past, I still had a few months where I kind of took a hiatus.  So this year, I will TRY to do better!  I also want to try to incorporate more “quick”, yet health (ier) meals into our routine.  While I think I’ve done well with the weaknight meals, there were still times where I found myself in the kitchen a lot longer that I wanted to be on weaknights.  I want to be able to provide my family with a delicious, well balanced meal, as well as spend time with them before it’s bedtime for my little man.  I would also like to get out and do a little more around with our family and really take advantage of what our town has to offer.  My last thing is I have a list of recipes I want to try before the end of the year, I’ll post that list soon and keep you up to date on how things are progressing!  I think that list is pretty simple and manageable!

So did all of you have your black eyed peas, greens of some sort and corn bread on New Years?  You know you’re supposed to have all of those things for luck and money for the new year!  Well, we had a delicious meal for new years packed full of all that stuff and then some.  One of the sides we enjoyed was a brussel sprout gratin (recipe to come).  Brussel sprouts are one of those veggies that have a bad name.  Unfortunately, I think that they are one of those things that people eat only because they have to.  I really think a lot more people would actually like brussel sprouts if they just tried them!  We are among the minority when it comes to brussel sprouts, because we simply love them.  Lately I’ve been trying to cook more and more variations of brussel sprouts, and try out different techniques and recipes using them. 

This recipe was actually one that was recommended to me by my sister-in-law.  It’s one of their favorites, and actually their “go to” recipe when it comes to a quick and delicious recipe.  I must say, they did not lead me in the wrong direction when they gave me this recipe.  It’s delicious.  It’s simple, easy and quick to throw together and tastes so good.  But how can anything involving bacon and balsamic be bad? 

This recipe comes together very quickly.  The bacon is cooked until crisp then removed to drain.  The thinly sliced brussel sprouts are then cooked in the bacon drippings, along with water for a very short time.  After they are tender the bacon is crumbled over the sprouts, along with a drizzle of balsamic and lemon juice.  A quick stir then season with salt and pepper and it’s ready to be enjoyed.  I love this recipe because it’s simple, comes together quickly and it’s delicous!

Sauteed Brussel Sprouts with Bacon

Ingredients:

8 slices bacon
1 Pound brussel sprouts
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
1/4 Tsp fresh lemon juice

Directions:

Wash brussel sprouts and trim off the ends.  Using a sharp knife, or mandolin, thinly slice the brussel sprouts and set aside.

Place a large skillet over medium-low heat.  Once the skillet is heated, place the bacon in the skillet and cook until crisp.  Reserve the bacon drippings.  Remove bacon to a paper towel lined plate and set aside.  When bacon is cool enough to touch, crumble and return to plate.

Turn heat to medium.  Place 1/4 cup of water in the pan with the bacon drippings.  Add the sliced brussels sprouts along with salt and pepper and cover.  Allow the brussel sprouts to cook until tender, about 5 minutes. 

Remove pan from heat and add bacon, balsamic vinegar and lemon juice and stir to combine.  Adjust seasonings, if needed and serve immediately.

Recipe source: adatped from “How to Cook Everything” by Mark Bittman

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