It was a lonely Saturday night...

...and I had a fridge full of sweet Italian sausage, a counter full of red peppers, and a bottle of my favorite Hungarian Merlot...not so lonely after all.

Anyhow, this is one of my very very very favorite meals. It's simple, but extremely hearty. The sausage is cooked alone with roasted garlic, the tomato sauce is homemade and chunky with a bit of sweetness, and the peppers are carmelized. It takes a little time, but the end result is outstanding! You like?

YES...my kitchen is still alive

I'm sorry, I know I always say I'm busy...but I am. So there's that. Anyhow, I figured since I can't take time away from writing about 'sociolinguistic disparities in rural american health care' to write in my blog, the LEAST I can do is post pictures of what's been strolling through my kitchen. So...here ya go!

bought out Eastern Market's supply of bell peppers and poblano peppers to freeze for winter use

Monstrosity of a vegetarian breakfast, Mexican-Angie infused (note the whole wheat tortilla and use of egg whites)

This is what happens when you only have a few ingredients left and no money, but need to eat for days. Take your frozen veggies, brown rice, can of black beans, and onion, and seasonings. Voila! I am fed :)

Double-decker turky/swiss burger on one of those super thin wheat buns. I won't try to describe the taste....tooooooo goood!

Be patient. I WILL be back. I've got tons of recipes to try and am determined to make more time for blogging this winter. I prooooomise! xoxo

Edible Derangement

If you're anything like me, you are in udder shock and disgust at the price of edible arrangements (if you're not, this will change your mind: http://www.ediblearrangements.com/fruit-baskets.aspx?CategoryID=35&ArrangementID=16&Section=3). So, now that you know they charge 90 bones for a few slices of cantelope, I think we're on the same page. I won't get started on how sick it is to make a healthy gift so inaccessible to those who aren't Daddy Warbucks...it's just sick.

Well, I put an end to the madness. My very good friend, Kate, wanted an edible arrangement the months leading up to her bday. Knowing me and my comical salary, that wasn't gonna happen. But I did what I always do when I need something I can't afford. I freaking made it...so that is what you're seeing here, Kate's happy bday homemade edible arrangement. Let it be inspiring to you to get creative and stick it to the man!

as promised...Wonton Fruit Cups!

First things first, I have to thank my favorite website http://www.eatbetteramerica.com/ for this fan-freakin-tastic recipe. They are soooo fancy looking but soooo simple. Can't wait to make them again!

Two wonton wrappers for each cup. brush a tiny bit of melted butter over the wontons, place them in cupcake tins, bake at 350 for 8-10 minutes. Pull out and let cool a bit. Insert flavored yogurt (i added honey and berries to the yogurt) and top off with gorgeous berries. VOILA!

I will admit that they're difficult and a bit messy to eat, but most fancy desserts are. The taste is outstanding and each is only 100 calories (for those of you who count them). Enjoy!

RIP Billy D. Basil

The last of my basil plant, Billy D. Basil, has sacrificed himself to make this enticing dish. It's not really a pizza and it's more than a focaccia. I don't have a name for it, but I can promise you it's is nothing but DE-LISH! My genius friend, Lisa, suggested I use pesto for a pizza sauce and ever since then, i've been stalking Billy, urging him to grow grow grow!

Whole wheat flaxseed crust, pesto spread on the crust (artichoke hearts, basil, lemon, garlic, and olive oil), and sauteed squash and red pepper. I didn't have the right cheese in the house so I made this sans the cheese. I was pleasantly surprised and will probably be skipping cheese on many of my pizzas from now on...depending on the toppings of course.

What would you call this dish?

Let Them Eat Carrot Cake!

I love the idea of eating carrot-cake, such a novel concept to me. I could never have it growing up because people littered it with walnuts and well....tree-nuts are my cyanide. Anyhow, even better is relatively bite-sized servings of carrot cake so that it lasts foooorrrreeevvveerrr! Wheeeeee!

So, my ma gave me this recipe for clean carrot-cake cookies that she found in the newspaper. I went a step between cookies and cake and made carrot cake muffins. they have pineapple and currants and carrots and honey and oooohhh so much good stuff. Let me know if you want the recipe, but for now...bask in the glory of their pictures.

Bonkers for Brunch!

One of my very favorite things to do while vising NYC is walking in the morning til i get super hungry and then sliding into one of their THOUSANDS of awesome brunch spots. Seriously, New Yorkers know how it's done. For Detroiters, imagine clean and relatively healthy Coney Island restaurants on every corner and they somehow ALL look like the Seinfeld restaurant...but alas, no Seinfeld.

Meanwhile, sometimes on the weekends I like to make giant healthy brunches if I have time in the morning. This time, I did something extra good. Egg white omelette which contains sauteed onion and spinach, thyme, swiss cheese, and sea salt. Seriously, excellent flavor and the egg whites and cheese have so much spinach I was full for soooo long.

Peach yogurt with a peach chopped on top of it and wheat toast is the rest of the meal, but that's a given with any brunch, right? Seriously, skip the hash browns and grease and get creative with your omelettes, you'll be so pleased :)