Perfection Ingredients:  Crust:  1 cup graham crackers crushed  1 cup of pecans crushed  5 tablespoons of sugar, or monk fruit, or Stevie, or a combination of each 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon  6 tablespoons of butter melted Mix all the ingredients together and pat down in the bottom and sides of a cheesecake pan or 9" baking pan. Bake in a 350-degree oven for 8 minutes and then take out to cool.  Filling ingredients:  24 ounces of cream cheese  1 cup of sugar or sugar substitute for baking  1 tablespoon vanilla extract  1 tablespoon of lemon or lemon zest (grated lemon rind) 5 eggs 1/4 cup of heavy cream  2 tablespoons of sugar or monk fruit, or Stevie or a combination of each First mix the following with your hand blender or mixer:  24 ounces of cream cheese  1 cup of sugar or monk fruit or Stevie or a combination of each Add-in:  1 tablespoon of vanilla extract  1 tablespoon of lemon juice or grated peel th...

I like cooking, but I can't wait to be able to go out, sit at a table in a restaurant, order, eat, and enjoy family and friends. The only thing I won't like is the bill, but it will be so worth it. During this quarantine, if you have the funds and can help out your favorite local eateries, do so. They are struggling and take-out orders can help keep them in business. 

When I cook brown rice on the stovetop it is never sticky like the white sticky rice that I love so much! Tonight we cooked brown rice in our Instant Pot on the multigrain setting for 35 minutes instead of the standard 40 minutes - 1 cup of rice to 2 cups of water - and it was sticky like the white rice and tasted so good!  I was shocked to say the least because I didn't expect it!  If you love white rice and have an instant pot try it! You shouldn't be disappointed. I know I wasn't! 

Seasoned ground Turkey and vegetables  The picture above is a mixture of ground Turkey, bell peppers, onions, cilantro and lots of spices! The spices are turmeric, garlic, pepper, fajita seasoning, pepper, basil, and ginger. My husband has reactive hypoglycemia and I have high cholesterol so trying to balance the two can be difficult. He can eat any type of meat but I need low fat so we have to compromise now when eating at home.  Bell Peppers ready to go!  This bell pepper dish is actually an old classic that we both enjoy so happy to make it for the first night that we have to throw out all of our junk and medium to high sugar food, and buy no refined sugar, potatoes, and to my husband's detriment white rice dishes!  I studied everything I could on "Dr. Google" (as my physician would say), but next week we will be going in to see a dietician to answer all our questions to make sure we have it right. This morning I went through our pantry...

Strawberries are perfect for the FridgeSmart or Freeze-It containers My food stays fresher when I use my Tupperware products, whether for freezing or in the refrigerator! I signed up originally to buy from Tupperware but ended up selling as well. Why? Simply because I LOVE their products! Check out my Tupperware website to view all the new, updated and on sale products sold by Tupperware! Click here to view or order:   Earthsflowers I love the FridgeSmart products because when I buy cilantro and/or other herbs/vegetables they stay fresh longer and I don't end up throwing them out if I haven't used them within a week. The Freeze-It ® Plus containers are one of my favorite because I can put leftovers in the individual containers and they are easy to remove the food, and re-heat even if they are frozen. The Zest 'N Press gadget is easy to use for squeezing lemons, limes and small oranges as well as zesting with the same tool. 

Ingredients: 10 Vanilla bean stalks 1 L. Bottle of Vodka Have you ever tried to make vanilla bean extract homemade? I just did! I am so excited about the project and I'm hoping for a tasty outcome. Here is a picture of my jar, along with 10 grade A Madagascar bourbon cured vanilla bean stalks sitting straight up and not bent. I ordered them from a company selling on Amazon. They are not cheap but in the long run, I believe they will be worth the money. The clear liquid is from a full bottle of vodka. I may have a lot of explaining to do when my husband finds the empty vodka bottle in our recycling bin. Vanilla Bean Extract I also ordered a glass leak-proof swing top cap jar that is slightly taller than the vanilla bean stalks so the liquid will fully cover them. Now, I just need to place the jar in the pantry waiting for the vanilla beans to flavor the vodka and change it into vanilla bean extract.  This will take months, but I believe it is well worth the eff...

Ingredients:  ½ cup black pepper ¾ cup dried minced onion 6 tbsp. garlic powder 3 tbsp. caraway seeds 1 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes ¼ cup coarse kosher salt I love making this dry rub for my grilled steaks and red meats. Just mix it all up, and you have the best rub that can be used for up to 6 months in a Tupperware container!  Check out my link for purchasing Tupperware containers to store your spices by  Clicking here! Don't forget to click on your social media to share: 👇 👇 👇

Cauliflower Nachos I LOVE 💗 nachos! I use to think I lived on them the majority of time I went to college and after I had my first child.  I have slowed down on eating too much cheese or fried chips lately so nachos haven't been on my list to order or make in the last few years. That changed recently when I saw a simple recipe on line that called for cauliflower instead of chips and I had to try it.  I modified it to fit my taste.  Here is a sample of what I like. I may have it too hot for most people but you  can omit the  jalapeños  and use mild salsa.  Ingredients:  (serving size for one person) 1/2 head of cauliflower cut up Ingredients:  (serving size for one person) 1 fresh  jalapeños sliced 1/2 head of cauliflower cut up 4 habanera green chile natural chicken meatballs cut in half Use approximately 5 TBS of olive oil poured over cauliflower mixture I used lots of different spices, such as basil, salt, peppe...

Well, you have heard of crab cakes but my favorite is chicken cakes!  Made the same way but I use the white chicken breast in the can since it has about the same consistency. Ingredients: 8 Tbs of olive oil (reserve 4 Tbs) 1 Tbs of butter 2 large bell peppers chopped (any color - I prefer red and organic) 1 yellow sweet onion chopped (substitute yellow or red) 2 Tbs of minced garlic 1/4 cup of chopped cilantro (fresh)  2 Tbs of dijon mustard 2 cans of white chicken breast drained 2 eggs slightly beaten 3/4 cup of panko fine bread crumbs (substitute any fine bread crumbs) Spice to taste - I use the following: 1 Tbs of black pepper 1 Tbs of cayenne pepper (less if you don't like spicy) 1 Tbs of turmeric 1 Tbs of ground ginger 1 Tbs of dried parsley 1 Tbs of dried basil  1 Tbs of salt ( optional - I don't use it because the canned chicken as salt in it) Heat oil and add the bell peppers, onions, garlic and cilantro.  Cook about 10 minutes on medi...

Chicken Crockpot Meal Ingredients: 4 boneless chicken breast 1 can of Mexican style tomatoes 1 can of green chilies 1 can of red kidney beans or black beans 1 Tbs of Olive Oil or any other type of oil you like 12 corn tortillas - soft or hard Rub for chicken:  2-3 Tbs of Olive oil or any other type of oil you like 1 Tbs of chili powder 3/4 tsp of Cumin 1 tsp of tumeric 1 tsp of fajita seasoning (optional) 1 tsp of mesquite seasoning  (optional) 1/2 tsp of ground ginger 1/2 tsp of ground pepper 1/2 tsp of sweet ginger garlic (optional) 1/2 tsp of cayenne pepper (optional) Rub the crock pot all over with the oil or you can spray it with your favorite oil spray.  Add in the crock pot Mexican style tomatoes, green chilies, and beans.   Rub the chicken breast with oil all over front and back.  Mix all the spices together and rub all over on both sides of the chicken breast - use generously so all of the chicken is coated. ...

Located in north Ballard Crown Hill neighborhood We decided to stop in for happy hour and check out this small eatery in the north Ballard Crown Hill area of Seattle off Holman road NW.  We were delightfully surprised to find out how good it was and so reasonably priced.  We have now found a jewel of a place for awesome Mexican food not far from where we live and have been back several times.  Taquitos They serve a good selection of Mexican beer on draft as well as a popular IPA along with other bottle beer and wine on the menu.  The happy hour menu is just right or you can mix and match off the main menu.  Happy hour is from 2pm -6pm and again after 9pm.  Don't take our word for it.  Try it out today!  They are directly across the street from Dick's on Holman.

My Sweet Bread The smell of sweet bread or any bread for that matter is pleasing to most people!  Bread is an ancient art and can be made so many ways that a person in one lifetime could never get bored with it.  Bread seems to be in some ways a part of all cultures at some point in time, just different names and different way of making it. INGREDIENTS: 1/2 cup milk 1/3 cup water 2 large egg 1/3 cup ...

What better appetizer to start off a gourmet feast of healthy delicious Greek food.paired with your sweet red wine!  Ingredients: 20 oz Grape tomatoes 10 oz 4 Tbs 1 pinch 1 Tbs 20 Mozzarella cheese cubed Extra Virgin Olive Oil Salt and pepper each Italian seasoning  toothpicks Directions: Simple enough – take the toothpicks and put one grape and one cube of mozzarella cheese on each.   I like putting them all in a glass container with a lid along with the olive oil, Italian seasoning, salt and pepper to taste.   Shake it around to fully coat and then leave in the fridge for a few hours to marinate or overnight.   Pull the container out and serve.   Just about the easiest appetizer to make!

Blueberries I saw this French recipe on Facebook made with cherries.  I tried it and loved the custard taste and cherry flavor.  I decided to try it with blueberries and take both the cherry and blueberry to a community party.  The blueberry pie didn't last long but I still had a little left over from the cherry one.  I highly recommend this pie made with either cherry or blueberries.  I can't wait to try different variations! Ingredients: 18 oz fresh blueberries, washed and set aside to dry* 2 Tbs. of butter, melted and set aside to cool 4 eggs 1 cup of milk 3/4 cups of flour 1/4 tsp of salt 1/2 cup of sugar 1 tsp of vanilla extract 1 tsp of almond extract Dust with powdered sugar   * substitute blueberries with 20 oz of clean and pitted cherries for the Cherry Clafoutis Take a 9 inch pie pan and grease the bottom with the butter on bottom and all sides. Sprinkle and coat the pan with the sugar.  Add the blueberries and mak...

While walking in the Balłard area of Seattle we stumbled on this quaint restaurant pub that offered a selection of spirits, beer, wine and unique menu items.   We were feeling adventurous so my Husband Kurt and I decided to try a thin crust all natural garlic fennel sausage pizza with ricotta and mozzarella cheese.   I have to admit I had never tried pizza with ricotta cheese but since I love lasagne how bad could it be?  Well, it wasn't bad at all, quite the contrary!  It was absolutely delicious!  The service was friendly and attentative...meaning they didn't make us wait from the time we walked in the door to taking care of the bill.   We will go back again so that says something in itself.  The atmosphere, food, drinks and service got an A+++++. The only problem was walking the 2 miles home but that's another story..... Visit their website at www.patxispizza.com for a local one near you or for your next travel adventure!

I had the opportunity to go to lunch at McMenamin's Brew Pub awhile back and they had this delicious cheeseburger on the special menu.  It looked so good when they brought it to the table that  I had to take a picture!  It not only looked good, it was perhaps the best cheeseburger I have ever had!  The beer that I paired it with was their most popular Hammerhead brew which is a pale ale.  Usually I can't decide which beer to order since I happen to like them all.  They are all handcrafted brews that pair with their excellent choice of food offered on their main and weekly specialty menus.   The selection is great and so is the service.  McMenamins has a lot to offer if you are traveling in Washington and Oregon.  They have many locations that also offer hotel accommodations along with their restaurants. I highly recommend them so check out their website for more information:  McMenamins

Homemade Pasta I bought a pasta making machine with the drying rack but let it sit in my closet close to a year before actually using it.  I had been so eager to buy but so reluctant to use!  I finally overcame my fear of failure when I pulled it out of the box and made the decision to try it. Add the eggs in the center and beat them with a fork Ok, there is really only two ingredients that are listed on the instructions that came with the machine.  How bad can it be?  Well, for starters instead of talking while measuring it may be better to stay quiet and pay attention!  I actually doubled the flour and didn't have enough eggs to compensate so my Husband being the hungry man he is obliged and went to the store to get the eggs. Adding the seasoning Now, I was ready to knead and knead until I got the dough the way I wanted it.  I used 4 cups of flour, 10 eggs (room temp) and even though the recipe didn't call for it I added lots of drie...

Do you ever get sick of just drinking protein shakes in the morning?  Well, I do!  I decided to use my waffle iron and make protein waffles filled with fruit and ground flax seed.  They are great! I start out with the waffle iron getting hot and spray it with Pam.  In the meantime I mix up the following ingredients to equal 1 cup. 1/2 cup of  pancake mix ( I like buttermilk Bisquick) 1 scoop of Whey protein - vanilla flavor 1 teaspoon of real pure vanilla or extract will work too! (optional) 2 heaping tablespoons of ground flax seed which will digest better than seeds. 1/4 cup of fresh blueberries and/or strawberries - not too many or the batter will be too thin You can use regular milk, coconut or almond milk - just enough to get the batter to the right consistency...I prefer a blend of coconut and almond milk.....approx. 1/4 cup or less. Makes 2 waffles Top with pure maple syrup in moderation!

The Healthy Nutty Food Critic: GREEN JELLO SALAD : I love this recipe!  My Mother-in-law always made it for Thanksgiving and Christmas so it is extra special as well as tasty! Ingredients: ...

The Healthy Nutty Food Critic: Krumkake (cookies) : Ingredients: 4 eggs  1 1/2 cups of all purpose flour  1 cup of sugar  1/2 cup butter or margarine, melted (this is one stick)  2...