on the go

the secret i have sound (this would my sixth) to a successful day in my college/working phase of life is to spend the least amount of time getting ready in the morning. this allows for more time to sleep and more time to spend with God in the morning, a win win situation. they key to achieving this i have found is to be prepared and ready for the next day before going to bed and to have breakfast food you can grab on the go. this eliminates extra time spent getting ready to head out the door. i have found that frozen muffins are the ultimate grab and go breakfast item because: [1] they last for ever in the freezer (muffins for days). [2] i love muffins. [3] i love warm muffins. so i ask, what could be better than running out the door with a warm muffin that was previously frozen 15 seconds ago, but seems like it was freshly baked? 

this is my go to muffin recipe. i almost hate to share it as it is a recipe i have been perfecting over the past three years (my whole college career thus far), and there are still a couple of small tweaks i want to try. i'll keep you posted on how those turn out.
Cinnamon Streusel Muffins
Yields: 24 Muffins

Topping:
1 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup rolled oats (optional)
1 1/4 cup flour
9 Tablespoons softened butter

Cinnamon Mixture:
6 Tablespoons softened butter
1 cup brown sugar
3 Tablespoons ground cinnamon

Batter:
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, melted
1 1/2 cup milk
4 large eggs
3 1/2 cup flour
1 cup rolled oats
1 1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 Tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 400, line or spray muffin pans.
2. Prepare the topping by mixing the ingredients together until crumbly, set aside.
3. Prepare the cinnamon mixture by mixing the ingredients together until they've become paste-like. Set aside.
4. For the batter: In a large bowl, whisk together the melted butter, milk and eggs. (allow melted butter to cool and bring eggs and milk to room temperature so milk and eggs don't curdle).
5. In a separate bowl whisk together dry ingredients.
6. Add the dry mixture to the liquid stirring just until combine.
7. Pour cinnamon mixture over batter and swirl to combine.
8. Fill muffin tins with batter just a little under 2/3 full. Sprinkle about 1 Tablespoon of the topping over muffin.
9. Bake muffins for 15-20 minutes, or until they're golden brown. Remove from oven and wait 5 minutes before transferring them from the pan to a rack to cool. Drizzle with a powdered sugar glaze, if desired (i desired not to).

brussel sprouts

Brussels sprouts are one of those vegetables. you know the ones that maybe you've never actually tried before, but heard were disgusting so why chance it? until a couple of years ago i had no clue what Brussels sprouts tasted like, but i knew they had to taste disgusting. when i finally tried one i found that they were just as i thought, disgusting. but, my parents loved to eat Brussels sprouts (another sure fact i that they must be one of those vegetables, a vegetable only grown-ups like) and i would try just one every time to see if my taste buds had changed. well, the disgusting taste never changed until just last month. for the first time i ate a Brussels sprout and it was a pleasant experience. my dad had roasted them in olive oil and seasonings and somehow it had done the magic trick.
the other day i saw a recipe on pinterest for roasted sweet potatoes and Brussels sprouts. i couldn't help but make them. they were delicious! i do not know what is happening to me. i guess i must be growing up or. either that or my taste buds are slowly dying. the roasted vegetables went perfect with some pork loin leftovers from my mom (secret 5 to surviving college: always steel leftovers from home). it was such a beautiful day yesterday that i was able to eat my dinner on the stoop of my back porch, my favorite place to eat at my apartment.

Roasted Sweet Potatoes and Brussels Sprouts
Yield: Serves 6-8
Adapted from: The Food Charlatan

Ingredients:
1 pound brussels sprouts, trimmed
1 large sweet potato (1 pound)
1/3 cup olive oil
1 teaspoon cumin
1/4 or 1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
1 teaspoon salt
pepper to teaste
1 Tablespoon red win vinegar (i did not have this luxury so i had to with out)
fresh thyme, to garnish (optional, another luxury I didn't have so i sprinkled some ground thyme on)

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 400. Line a pan with alumn foil, drizzle a little olive oil and rub it all over foil.
2. Cut brussels in half and peel and chop sweet potato into 1-2 inch pieces. Add to a large bowl.
3. In a small bowl mix olive oil and seasonings to taste.
4. Pour olive oil mixture into larger bowl and toss vegetables to coat. 
5. Spread veggies evenly on pan.
6. Roast in oven for 40-45 minutes or until veggies are browned and soft. 
7. Place the veggies in a serving bowl and toss with 1-2 tablespoons of red wine vinegar to taste. Garnish with fresh thyme if you like. 

reinventing an old classic

there's nothing better than reinventing an old classic. today it was my chicken salad's turn to be reinvented. typically i add some carrots, nuts, and grapes to jazz up my boring old chicken salad, but today i tried using avocados! not only was it delicious, but way healthier as the avocado and dollop of yogurt take the place of mayo. i garnished my sandwich with thinly sliced tomatoes. this is a great quick, easy, and healthy make-ahead lunch. thankfully i still have some this chicken salad leftover to use another day (secret four to surviving college: always make extra)

Avocado Greek Yogurt Chicken Salad
Yields: 5 sandwiches

Ingredients:
3 cups shredded chicken
1 avocado, mashed
1 Tablespoon plain greek yogurt
1 Tablespoon lime juice
1 Tablespoon finely diced red onion
3/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

Directions:
1. Mix shredded chicken, mashed avocado, yogurt, and lime juice. If mixture seems dry add more yogurt.
2. Add diced red onion, salt, pepper, garlic powder, and stir to combine. Taste to adjust spices, if desired.
3. Serve on wheat bread, a sandwich thin, crackers, bed of lettuce, and the possibilities are endless!

the perfect crepe

...because let's be honest why would you wait a whole day to go out and buy an over priced crepe when you could make a perfect crepe for free. free meaning i was at home (food at home is free: secret three to surviving college). i fee like crepes get a bad rap just like cheesecakes. homemade in your own kitchen crepes and cheesecakes are delicious and not a complicated process, contrary to popular belief. the everyday common at home cook has been deceived into think these are both complex things to make. the key is in knowing the secrets. the secret for making crepes? refrigerate your batter for at least 1 hour before cooking. this allows the bubbles in the batter to subsided so they will not tear. i learned this trick from my personal favorite chef, Alton Brown.

my long lost cousins and i made these crepes when we were craving the so badly and didn't want to wait to go out to eat for them the next day. we filled them with scrambled eggs & a homemade cheese sauce.

Crepes
Adapted from:Food Network
Yields: 12-17 small crepes

Ingredients: 

2 large eggs
3/4 cup milk
1/2 cup water
1 cup flour
3 tablespoons melted butter
Butter, for coating the pan

Directions:

1. In a blender, combine all of the ingredients and pulse for 10 seconds. Place the crepe batter in the refrigerator for 1 hour. The batter will keep for up to 48 hours.
2. Heat a small non-stick pan. Add butter to coat. Pour 1 ounce of batter into the center of the pan and swirl to spread evenly. Cook for 30 seconds and flip. Cook for another 10 seconds and remove to a plate separating crepes with small sheets of wax paper. 

Leftover crepes can be kept in a sealable plastic bag in the refrigerator for several days or in the freezer for up to two months.