Vacation Eats

Sorry for being all lazy poster, but I just got back from a week long visit to Florida and it was heaven. I loved every second of it. It was also my boyfriend's first visit to the ocean, which was incredibly adorable...till he threw me in fully dressed.

As we all know, vacation is ALL about food. I wanted to take pictures of everything delicious I ate, but alas I was too obsessed with the seafood and key lime goodness to keep to the plan. But I snapped a few!

When you look below, you may think, "Kara, where are all the pictures of seafood?" I'm glad you asked! Seafood is my favorite ever. Trust me. I ate it every single day. From grouper sandwiches to blackened sword fish. This girl was happily satisfied by ocean critters. I was just too lazy to take pictures :)

Here's some eye candy of just a smidgen' of the deliciousness that was my vacation:

King Crab Legs- I think Caleb seriously high off of how delicious these were.

Dreamciscle Pina Colada. Very Girly. Very Delicious:

Rib dinner from a local guy with a smoker at the outdoor market. THAT RICE! Wow. Incredible. It has pieces of smoked chicken in it.

Just Ribs, for the BBQ purist:

My Mom's incredibly excessive Chili Dog:

Gyro from Hella's in Tarpon Springs, FL. Seriously the best Gyro I've ever had. Ever. (don't mind the sunburn)

Thanks for Stopping By!

~Kara

One Speedy Potato

I did a quick post about this website on by other blog. However, this very cool idea needed to be shared with the Kara cooks community. I'm SO trying this next time I make some mashed taters, which just happens to be my favorite food in the entire world.

Check it out...



Has anyone tried this before?

Want to know how to repaint a piece of furniture? Check out Inspired Kara, my new blog!

Thanks for stopping by!
~Kara

Chicken Enchillada Dip... a Guarenteed HIT!

I love cheese, chicken, and enchiladas so why not make them into a dip?!! I first had this at my aunt and uncle's place in Cleveland. I've been obsessed ever since. This is one of the EASIEST dishes to throw together for a last minute gathering or BBQ. I always try to keep the ingredients on hand so I can grab them in a pinch. This stuff is SERIOUSLY delicious. I've never gotten less then great things to say about this dip. Warning. It's addictive, very addictive.

The key to this recipe is a QUICHE pan. A pie pan would probably work, but for my purposes I use a Kitchen Aid Ceramic Quiche Dish. It is the perfect size. I purchased it from Tuesday Morning. Have you guys heard of this place? I love it!! Nothing glamorous about it, but tons of home stuff on major markdowns!


Here's the Recipe:

- 1 cup mayo (the real stuff)
- 1 package softened cream cheese
- 1 large can of chicken (the kind you get next to the tuna)
- 1 - 1.5 cups of your favorite shredded cheese
- 1 can of diced chilies
- 1/4 teaspoon cumin
- 1/4 teaspoon Cayenne pepper
- A handful of shredded cheese for the top

Combine all ingredients together in a large bowl. You can either use a spoon or dig down in there with your hands. Then, spread the sticky, semi-gross looking mixture into your dish, sprinkle with remaining shredded cheese. Cook at 350 degrees for about 10-15 minutes, or until very bubbly. Serve with some scoops, or your favorite tortilla chips!

Here's What I Got: (Warning, no FINAL picture. I had to run out the door to a party before I could snap a pic.)

The cast of characters. Yes, I'm a generics girl. I hardly ever buy name brands.


The pre-baked dip in all it's gooey glory


Sorry for the missing pictures. There should be one of it all spread out with shredded cheese on top, and one after I pull it out of the oven with it all bubbly and chickeny and cheesy and gooey and yummy.

What I learned:
- ALWAYS, I repeat, ALWAYS ask for a recipe when somebody makes something delicious. It's worth it!!!
- I love this dip for the days I'm feeling non-impressive and non-domestic. It's SOOO easy
- Plan for some time for the dip to cool just a bit, instead of trying to immediately head out the door with a 350 degree dish in your hand, not that I would EVER do that

Thanks for Stopping By!!!
~Kara

Fresh Herbs for Spring/Summer

I'm trying something very out of the ordinary for me...growing plants. I tried to have a garden as a small child and became traumatized when the rabbits ate all my flowers. I have not been able to keep plant-type things alive very well sense.

But in the spirit of cooking, and spring, I'm giving it another shot with a few fresh herbs. I have the world's best boss, and she has been teaching me about different types of plants and gardening and such. One Monday morning she bought be some little planted herbs from the farmer's market as a gift! Thus, I needed to get a cute pot to plant them in. And, of course the pot I wanted required a few more plants, and so the adventure begins.

For my lil' fancy herb pots I have planted:

- Regular ol' Basil

- Thyme

- Cilantro

- Spicy Globe Basil

Here's What I Got:

All of my plants all lined up

My cute planter. All three pots are connected to the same drain pan type thing. Sorry for the poor quality photo, but you get to see the cute colors of the planter!

I stole some of my mom's miracle grow potting soil.

Here they are all planted!

Spicy Globe Basil. This stuff smells REALLY good.

Cilantro! I feel some fresh salsa coming on....

And finally... Thyme

What I've Learned:

- Learning to have a green thumb may just be fun!

- Check back with me when I actually make something using the herbs. I'll let you know how it turns out!

Thanks for stopping by!

~Kara

Ginger Cookies for Mom

I love my Mom and my mom loves ginger snaps and baking. Coincidentally, so do I. So, I thought what better Mother's Day present than some home made treats. So, I made her these oh-so-yummy, deliciously chewy, not-so-springtime, but who cares? chewy ginger cookies.

Here's the Recipe:

INGREDIENTS :
2 1/4 cups whole wheat pastry flour (you get it in that funky little box section in the baking aisle where all the flax seed and crap like that is)
2 teaspoons ground ginger
1 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup margarine, softened
1 cup white sugar
1 egg
1 tablespoon water (use orange juice if you want to bring out the ginger flavor, I did!)
1/4 cup molasses
2 tablespoons white sugar

DIRECTIONS:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

2.Sift together the flour, ginger, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves, and salt. Set aside. In a large bowl, cream together the margarine and 1 cup sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the egg, then stir in the water and molasses. Gradually stir the sifted ingredients into the molasses mixture.
Shape dough into walnut sized balls, and roll them in the remaining 2 tablespoons of sugar. Place the cookies 2 inches apart onto an ungreased cookie sheet, and flatten slightly.

3.Bake for 8 to 10 minutes in the preheated oven. Allow cookies to cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely. Store in an airtight container.

Here's What I Got:

Gritty delicious batter. It's quite the quick mix, and quite simple.


Little ball of dough all rolled up in sparkly sugar


Fresh from the oven


Taking time to cool down.


Wrapped up and ready for my mom


What I learned:
- I miss cooking/baking and blogging
- These cookies are so simple, yet so delicious
- Baked goods make the best gifts
- I wouldn't change a thing about these
- I LOVE MY MOM!!

Thanks for stopping by!
~Kara

Dear Costco, Will you Marry Me?

Costco-
You make me so happy. You're produce? DELICIOUS. The Samples? The best part of the trip. The random kitchen items and cute tops? a wonderful combination. Unnecessarily large boxes of cereal and bags of almonds? irresistible. The bargains? RIGHT UP MY ALLEY!

Love,
Kara

This past weekend I hijacked my mom's Costco card and loaded up on TONS of food. Fresh organic fruits and veggies, meats, breads, cereal, the works. In fact, I just ate one of the most yummy plums of my life. While I was there, I picked up a box of individually packaged roasted red pepper and mango glazed mahi mahi. I couldn't wait to try it!

Now, I'm a convenience girl. So I just popped that lil' fishy right into the microwave for 6 minutes and let it cook, you could bake it if you want. In the meantime, I needed some sides. So I busted out the ol' George Foreman, some fresh asparagus, and THESE!!!!

Please tell me these are not the cutest little peppers you ever did see!!



I didn't really "cook" anything in this meal.
Here's what I did:

- Put package of fish in Microwave
- Sprayed George Foreman with olive oil cooking spray, threw on the asparagus, some kosher salt, and fresh ground pepper, then I topped it off with a little dusting of Parmesan
- Cut up those tiny little bits of joy called peppers and grilled them up
- CHOWED DOWN

It was such a satisfying meal, in such a short amount of time, I couldn't help but post it.

Here's what I got:
Roasted red pepper and mango mahi mahi with grilled asparagus and peppers


What I learned:
- I may try baking the fish next time, I may not
- I'll go home and figure out what brand this stuff is and let you know
- I rekindled my relationship with the Foreman
- I still love you Costco

Thanks for stopping by!

~Kara

Pasta Al"fake"o

Call me fat and happy! I have fallen into that trap of being in a great relationship, and enjoying great food together, and not enjoying my weight gain. So I went on a rampage of produce, protein, and light food shopping. Now my fridge is full and there are no excuses for not cooking, or updating the blog for that matter!

Last night I got home and decided to throw together a fake Alfredo sauce made with The Laughing Cow light cheese wedges. These things aren't really as wonderful as nice, real, yummy cheese, but they do make for a great sauce! I've seen this recipe all over the place, so I'm not quite sure who to attribute it to.

All in all, al"fake"o sauce is NOT as good as the real thing, and even after years of eating it, I'm still trying to get used to whole wheat pasta. But this was a great dish for one, and so filling I thought I was going to EXPLODE! Although it did remind me of a frozen dinner, I think I'll make it again. It's quick, simple, and healthy.

Here's the Recipe:

Sauce:

- 3 light Swiss Laughing Cow cheese wedges

- 1/2 Tablespoon margarine or butter

- 1 Tablespoon Parmesan

- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

- 1/2 cup skim milk

Combine all in a sauce pan and stir until smooth, might take up till 20 minutes. Pour over pasta

Pasta:

- Eyeballed amount of whole wheat pasta you think you can eat

- Water

- Salt

Cook according to package directions

Others:

- Steam fresh broccoli in the microwave

- Pre-cooked boneless, skinless chicken breast

Combine into pasta, after heating each in the microwave, or any other method you desire

Here's What I Got:

All the goods for the sauce:

The rest of the dish:

I kind of love the look of steamed broccoli (please notice my Amish Friendship Bread started in the background. This is an upcoming blog post):

Whole Wheat Pasta, cooked and ready to go:

The sauce:

All together now!

What I Learned:

- I don't like garlic powder, and I would've rather just used fresh garlic, I'm not sure why I didn't

- This is a good fast "I live alone meal" and I'll make it again

- I LOVE FRESH PRODUCE! I'm in such a better mood when I'm eating healthy fresh veggies and fruits. In fact I'm snacking on blueberries, blackberries and strawberries as I type! yum.

Thanks for stopping by!

~Kara