Favorite Spring Recipes!

I’m so glad Spring has finally arrived. I’m about to embark on a new adventure with my boyfriend. We are driving from El Paso, TX to Augusta, GA within 5 days and then we have 10 days to find a place to live! Things will be crazy but I know the experience will be a good one. Things will slow down at Fallon’s Cucina during the month of April but I’ll be back. Don’t worry!

In the meantime I’m going to share with you some delicious spring recipes. This will be split into several parts since I have so many wonderful recipes!

Enjoy,

Fallon

Breakfast

Overnight oats one and two

Greek Yogurt with Nectarines, Blueberries and Raw Walnuts

Kodiak Cakes one and two

Breakfast Cookies!

Chunky Monkey Granola 

  Green Peanut Butter Smoothie

Blueberry-nana Smoothie

PS: Don’t forget to check out my updated recipe page!

Strawberry Daiquiri Shortcakes

I recently won a giveaway and received a new cookbook called Booze Cakes by Krystina Castella and Terry Lee Stone. This is a grown up cookbook where every recipe uses alcohol in it. There is a booze meter ranging from lightweight to totally tipsy. These desserts make for a great ending to a fabulous dinner party. The authors took traditional recipes using alcohol by adding a twist, to making a dessert inspired by a drink.

During dinner one evening my boyfriend was looking through the book and was pointing at pictures of desserts he liked. He likes dessert that is light and with some kind of fruit. I viewed his selections and went with the Strawberry Daiquiri Shortcakes. We are moving in two weeks and this recipe listed everything we kept in the kitchen. The only item I needed was mascarpone cheese. This was mixed into the heavy cream of rum and strawberry jam resulting in a fluffy topping. I went to several stores in El Paso because I swore I’ve seen mascarpone cheese somewhere. I had no luck and decided leaving it out wouldn’t be such a big deal.

The shortcakes had a booze meter of lightweight. They were made in muffin pans with simple ingredients like butter, sugar, flour, and eggs. I added 1/4 cup rum to the mixture with some strawberry yogurt and fresh strawberries. They baked up in a little over 20 minutes. Once cooled I set them on a rack. The cakes were dense and crumbly. The fresh strawberries kept the cakes very moist.

The cream whipped up in no time by adding powdered sugar, a little rum and strawberry jam. I crumbled the cakes in cute, single serving bowls, topped with a mound of cream and fresh strawberries on top. It was the perfect ending to a perfect day. It was a nice welcome Spring dessert to have this past weekend.

The cakes tasted great and the rum flavor was a nice surprise. I’m sure the mascarpone cheese would of made the dessert stand out more with its thick and sweet flavor.  Although the dessert didn’t remind me of a strawberry daiquiri that might be a good thing. ;)

I’m glad I won this cookbook because I don’t think I would of ever ventured out of my comfort zone. I can’t wait to try out other recipes like Mocha Rum Brownie Bites, Black Jack Praline Cake, Chocolate Lava Cakes, Spiked Ice-Cream Cake, Pink Champagne Cake and Tipsy Tiramisu.

 

Check out Booze Cakes here! Do you own this cookbook? If so, what have you made from it? If you don’t have the cookbook what are some recipes you enjoy baking with that involves booze?

Always,

Fallon

Green Peanut Butter Smoothie with Chunky Monkey Granola

This is currently one of my favorite ways to make a smoothie. It comes out thick and creamy, perfect for a granola topper. My chunky monkey granola works great on top of this smoothie. This is the perfect smoothie to have after a sweaty workout! It is packed with nutrients (spinach, banana) and protein. I recently picked up xanthan gum when I was in Las Vegas. I started adding 1/2 teaspoon to my smoothies and it really helps binding everything together so it stays super creamy. I’d highly recommend the purchase, it will last you a while!

Green Peanut Butter Smoothie                                                               Serves 1 hungry person

Ingredients

4 ounces almond milk

4 ounces water, chilled

1/2 banana, sliced and frozen

1 heaping tablespoon peanut flour (Trader Joe’s or PB2)

1 scoop vanilla protein powder

1/2 teaspoon xanthan gum

Dash sea salt and cinnamon  

Handful baby spinach

4-5 ice cubes

1-2 tablespoons chunky monkey granola

Directions

Put ingredients in order and blend away. Depending on consistency you can add more liquid or ice. I tend to add more ice, for a thicker smoothie. Pour in a huge glass and top with chunky monkey granola. Eat with spoon and enjoy!

           I do the straw/spoon combo!

Fallon

My Review of Pure Indulgence 2 Qt. Frozen Yogurt-Sorbet & Ice Cream Maker

Originally submitted at CSN Stores

What's better than a quart of luscious homemade ice cream, sorbet or frozen yogurt? Two quarts! The fully automatic Cuisinart Pure Indulgence makes 2 quarts of your favorite frozen desserts or drinks in as little as 25 minutes. It's easy, an integrated motor, double-i...

Pure Indulgence 2 Qt. Frozen Yogurt-Sorbet & Ice Cream Maker

Love this ice cream maker!

By Fallon's Cucina from El Paso, TX on 3/20/2011

5out of 5

I've been wanting an ice cream maker for so long and I finally decided it was time to get one. Just in time for summer. I made vanilla ice cream and it came out perfect. It was fun making homemade sundaes with fresh vanilla ice cream. This maker is probably best for beginners in ice cream making. It is very simple to put together and clean. I've been told to make homemade ice cream can be messy but I had no mess at all. Very easy clean up and a great outcome!

Ice cream done in 30 minutes!

Tags: Ice cream, Made with Product, Using Product

Homemade sundaes were a lot of fun to make.

Tags: Made with Product

(legalese)

Giveaway winner!

The winner of the giveaway selected by the random number generator is:

Congratulation’s to Nidia who said, “My food staple is almond butter and spinach. I always have to have those two in my house! Congrats on the 10,000 views!”

I love almond butter and spinach too! I will get into contact with you for mailing information, so I can get these goodies sent to you ASAP!

Thank you to everyone else who participated. I hope to do more giveaways like this in the future. Please don’t be shy about leaving comments!

Always,

Fallon

3 Hours To Go!

Hey guys don’t forget tonight is the last night to leave a comment on my Thank You Giveaway post!

I’m giving away all these items

Plus I added some other goodies like the 90 calorie Barney Butter packets and a dark chocolate bar with sea salt added!

They are yummy goodies and it can be yours! Just click my link here and leave a comment stating what your favorite staple food item is!

Always,
Fallon

Chunky Monkey Granola

Katrina from Baking and Boys! likes to call it Banana Dark Chocolate Chunk Granola but I’m more fond of the Chunky Monkey Granola. Either way it is a healthy granola! The extra ripe bananas act as the glue to this granola by adding the right amount of sweetness and practically no added fat. The only fat, which is good fat comes from the nuts and flaxseed. I’m very picky when it comes to buying granola and making granola. We all know granola “sounds” healthy but it is usually very calorie dense with a high amount of sugar and fat. When I see homemade granola recipes calling for 3/4 cup of fat and sugar, I stay away from it. This granola recipe Katrina came up with is great. I don’t feel guilty eating it! The addition of dark chocolate chips is an added bonus too. I always need my chocolate fix daily and sometimes I get this out of the way during breakfast!

 

I love this granola topped on frozen yogurt, Greek yogurt, vanilla soy milk, or as a smoothie topper! Next time you want to make homemade granola I’d recommend this recipe. It is very simple to make and all ingredients are pretty standard in most kitchens! I followed Katrina’s recipe but I adjusted some of the ingredients which is posted below. To get the original recipe for Chunky Monkey Granola head on over to Katrina’s blog by clicking this link HERE.

Chunky Monkey Granola

Adapted from Katrina of Baking and Boys!

Ingredients:

4 cups old fashioned oats

2 tablespoons ground flax meal

1/2 cup unsweetened, flaked coconut

1/4 cup raw sunflower seeds

1/4 cup salty almonds, chopped coarsely

3 small bananas, overripe

1/2 teaspoon almond extract

1/4 teaspoon table salt

2 tablespoons brown sugar

3 tablespoons hot water

1 teaspoon cinnamon

Handful of dark chocolate chips

Direction:

Preheat oven to 300 degrees F. In a large bowl, combine oats, flax, coconut, sunflower seeds and almonds. In another large bowl, combine the bananas, almond extract, salt, brown sugar, water and cinnamon. First use a fork to mash the bananas down and then change to a wooden spoon to mix everything together until smooth but slightly chunky from the bananas.

Pour banana mixture into oat mixture and stir together with a wooden spoon until all the oats are moistened. Transfer the granola onto rimmed baking sheet and spread evenly. Stir every 12-15 minutes and bake for an hour (longer if you like it extra crunchy). Remove from oven and allow to cool completely before adding chocolate chips. Store granola in an airtight container. You can keep in a cool spot or store in the refrigerator.

   

Please don’t forget I am hosting a giveaway!!! I’m going to go ahead and extend it till Saturday, March 19th till midnight! So you have today and tomorrow to submit your comment(s). Click this link to head on over to the giveaway page and read the following. I’m going to add a few more things to the package but that will be a surprise to the winner! If you like almond butter, then you will like the surprise!

Much love,

Fallon

Spinach Salad with Warm Bacon Dressing

Don’t forget to leave me a comment to be submitted into my giveaway! Friday is the last day. Extended till Saturday, March 19th till Midnight!

My father use to work in an Italian restaurant that was 5 stars in Las Vegas. When I was younger he invited my best friend and I for dinner. I think we were 16 or 17 at the time. We got really dressed up for the occasion and couldn’t wait to have a really delicious dinner. My dad had it all planned out with what we would be getting at the table. We had 6-7 dishes served to us, including a palate cleanser. Everything was delicious but the spinach salad always comes back to memory for me. The salad was made at our table with crispy bacon and a warm Dijon bacon dressing that wilted the spinach perfectly. This was the best spinach salad I’ve ever had and usually no other restaurant can compare.

My good blogging friend Shelby from The Life & Loves of Grumpy Honeybunch made a delicious spinach salad with shrimp. I on the other hand made the same salad, minus the shrimp. Remember I don’t like dish or seafood! I added crumbled goat cheese instead. It reminded me of the salad I had at my father’s restaurant flavor wise. I didn’t make enough of the dressing so the salads were slightly dry but they still tasted fabulous. I blame those mushrooms for soaking up all the liquid! I didn’t realize making a spinach salad with bacon dressing could be so easy to make. The version below is for 2 people but I made mine for 3 people.

Spinach Salad with Warm Bacon Dressing                                    Adapted from Cook This! Not That!

Ingredients

3 strips bacon

1/2 red onion, sliced

2 cups mushrooms, sliced

Salt and black pepper to taste

1 tbsp Dijon mustard

3 tbsp red wine vinegar

1 bag (6oz) baby spinach

2 hard boiled eggs

1.5oz crumbled goat cheese

Directions

Heat large skillet over medium heat. Cook the bacon until crisp, 5-7 minutes. Transfer to a paper towel on a plate and reserve.

Add the mushrooms and onions to the hot skillet and cook until the onions begin to brown, about 3 minutes. Stir the mustard and vinegar into the pan; season with salt and pepper. If the pan looks dry, add a splash of extra virgin olive oil. To serve, top spinach with mushroom and onion dressing. Sprinkle bacon, goat cheese and chopped egg on top.

 

Buon Appetito!

Fallon

Fallon’s Thank You Giveaway!

Hey Bloggers! I have a really fun giveaway coming up for you today. Here are a few reasons why I’m doing a giveaway:

• My blog will be almost 2 years old in June and I’m happy to announce I’ve surpassed the 10,000 page views of all time history!
• These are the top 2 posts viewed on my blog: here and here
• Without you guys this wouldn’t be happening, hence a giveaway!

During my little vacation back home in Las Vegas I picked up some staple items that I enjoy daily. As for the sunbutter, coconut butter and raw pecan butter packets I found those in a healthy food market in El Paso. I know crazy right?

• 3 Larabars: apple pie, peanut butter chocolate chip and coconut cream pie
• 1 Swiss dark chocolate bar
• 1 Just mango slices
• 1 Raw pecan butter
• 1 Raw coconut butter (delicious!)
• 1 Sunbutter
• 1 Justin’s classic peanut butter
• 1 Green superfood in chocolate

There are two ways you can enter into this giveaway and have two entries into the giveaway.

Leave me a comment with something that is a staple in your daily diet. Mine might possibly be a toss up between nut butters and dark chocolate!

For an additional entry, post this giveaway on your blog, linking back to my blog. Then come back here and leave me a comment.

This giveaway will end on Friday, March 18th at 5pm Saturday, March 19th till Midnight (this is an extension). I will randomly select a number using the random number generator.

Good luck and thanks again to all my wonderful readers and followers!

Always,

Fallon                                                                                                      PS: I’m hosting this giveaway on my own terms and using my own money to purchase the items. You guys are special to me! Thanks again.

Spinach and Artichoke Dip

Here is a delicious recipe to make for a hungry crowd, Spinach and Artichoke Dip from Serious Eats. With the healthy additions she made like using light cream cheese and sour cream, you’d never guess it was made to be healthy. I’m sure Greek yogurt be a great substitute as well. Huge flavors of garlic, chunky artichokes and nutty parmesan cheese shines in this dip. We used some delicious tortilla chips that were made fresh from a Mexican market in El Paso as chosen dippers. My girlfriend Nidia made this during the superbowl (I realize this was a month ago!) and all I could remember was going back for seconds and thirds! I definitely knew I’d have to share this on the blog as well, so I can look back for the recipe one day.

You’ve got to try out this recipe. I’ll be making it again because my boyfriend really enjoyed this dip. Winner!

  

For the Spinach Artichoke Dip click this link HERE.

Enjoy,

Fallon

Spinach, Mushroom and Steak Quesadillas

I was inspired by this wonderful quesadilla posted by Pioneer Woman. I made a few adjustments from the original recipe and it made one very happy boyfriend. I added some leftover steak by slicing it up and using pepper jack cheese to add a little spice! You can easily add in chicken or leave the meat out of it! I lightened up my version by using only 1 tablespoon of butter for flavor and using whole wheat tortillas to get an extra fiber boost. I cut the recipe in half since lunch was only my boyfriend and I, which is the version below. You can easily double it, if feeding for more people. This makes for a great weekend lunch when you don’t know what to make or have very little time!

 

Spinach, Mushroom and Steak Quesadillas

Adapted from Pioneer Woman

Ingredients

1 tablespoon butter

8 ounces white mushrooms, sliced

2-3 tablespoons chicken broth

Salt and pepper to taste

Several handfuls of baby spinach

4 whole wheat flour tortillas

2-3 ounces pepper jack cheese, grated

2 ounces, goat cheese (chevre)

Cooking spray

Salsa, for serving

Directions

Melt butter in a large skillet and add sliced mushrooms. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, then saute over medium-high heat for 2 minutes, then pour in chicken broth. Add salt and pepper. Continue cooking for 6 to 8 minutes, or until all liquid is evaporated. Add the spinach to the mushrooms and mix around gently until it starts to wilt. Remove from heat and set aside.

To assemble the quesadillas, arrange grated pepper jack, spinach, and mushrooms on top of one flour tortilla. Dot with goat cheese. Top with a little more pepper jack, then top with second tortilla.  Spray the tortillas on the outside with cooking spray and place on a hot skillet. Cook till golden brown on both sides and until cheese is totally melted. Repeat for remaining quesadillas. Slice quesadillas into four wedges and serve immediately.

   

Enjoy,

Fallon

Stuffed Dates with Balsamic Reduction

One of my favorite restaurants back home is called Firefly. They serve tapas and delicious sangria! I don’t go very often because I get myself into trouble. I order the sangria, I order their parmesan fries, the manchego mac ‘n’ cheese, the bacon wrapped dates are a must, the gazpacho and I could just go on. I really enjoy everything on their menu, it’s hard to choose a favorite. Well I take that back. Bacon makes EVERYTHING taste better, including dates that have been stuffed with a smoked almond and blue cheese, wrapped in bacon. You can’t  just eat one either, so you must order at least 2 plates. I decided to do my own take on the bacon wrapped dates. After seeing all this bacon lately, I’ve been inspired. I don’t know if I’ll bake with it but cooking more with it I don’t have a problem!

 

Stuffed Dates By Fallon

Makes 18

Ingredients

18 whole pitted medjool dates

18 whole smoked almonds

9 strips of low sodium bacon, cut in half

1/4 cup goat cheese (chevre)

18 toothpicks

2/3 cup balsamic vinegar

1/2 teaspoon sugar

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Prepare a baking sheet with foil. You can spray with cooking spray to make sure they don’t stick, but I think the bacon will take care of that!

Cut a slit into each date and remove the pit. Set an almond into the dates and stuff with 1/2 teaspoon of goat cheese. Place on a baking sheet. Cut 9 slices of bacon into half. Take a date and wrap the half slice of bacon around it. Take a toothpick and insert to insure the bacon won’t unwrap. Bake for 25 minutes.

On the stove top, in a medium sized pot, heat up the balsamic vinegar till it starts to boil. Stir every so often so it doesn’t stick to the bottom. Once it comes to a boil, reduce to medium-low heat and add in the sugar. Continue to cook and stir gently till it starts to reduce and becomes like a thick syrup. Keep on very low heat till ready to drizzle on top of dates.

After 25 minutes take the dates out of oven and they should already be crisp on the top. Flip them over and bake for 5 more minutes. Remove from oven and rest.

Place on a plate and drizzle balsamic reduction on top. Sprinkle with remaining goat cheese and serve!

                 

While I’m home this week I’ll be enjoying myself at Firefly. Bring on the stuffed dates!! I can’t remember the last time I dined there, so this will be a treat. Can’t wait!

Buon Appetito,

Fallon

Fallon and her ABC’s

I’m currently back home in Las Vegas visiting my parents, beautifying myself, seeing best friend’s and a small doctor’s appointment. I won’t be posting much till I get back home but be on the lookout for a giveaway hosted by myself. I decided my blog has been doing really well and the readership is starting to increase. You guys deserve a little something! So stay tune for that when I get back. In the mean time enjoy getting to know me a little bit more!

The trend of late is posting your ABC’s… about yourself! So here is a way to get to know me a little bit more. Enjoy!

A. Age: 24

B. Bed size: King

C. Chore you dislike: Ironing.. eww!

D. Dogs: One day I’d love to have a pug or a baby goat. ;)

E. Essential start to your day: Something with almond butter gets me going.

F. Favorite color: Blue, so relaxing!

G. Gold or silver: I like both really, depends on the piece of jewelry.

H. Height: 5’4’ 

I. Instruments you play(ed): ZERO and that’s probably a good thing. LOL

J. Job title: I work part-time in retail at the moment, Hopefully that will change soon!

K. Kids: I want 2-3 kids!

L. Live: El Paso, TX currently

M. Mom’s name: Amy

N. Nicknames: Fal, Fally

O. Overnight hospital stays: Luckily I’ve never had to stay overnight in a hospital, I’ve always managed to stay late and go home to get some rest.

P. Pet peeves: dirty dishes left in the sink, stepping on crumbs, those are my current peeves! 

Q. Quote from a movie: Movies are hard for me to remember but I like the phrase, “OH YEAH!” from Jersey shore. ;)

R. Righty or lefty: Righty

S. Siblings: None! I wish I had a brother or sister.

T. Time you wake up: Monday-Friday anywhere from 5am till 7am. Got to get my workout in before work! Luckily I’m super tired before it is even 10pm.

U. Underwear: I have many!

V. Vegetables you don’t like: Fennel, just not a fan.

W. What makes you run late: Trying to clean up after myself IE. dishes and laundry, when I know I should just wait till I get home.

X. X-rays you’ve had: Teeth when I go to get my cleanings and for my wrist. I had a roller blading accident and this cyst started to form on my wrist. I had a hard time putting pressure on it IE. pushups and pull-ups. I had surgery to remove it and now I’m all better! Sometimes I have an “odd” pain when pressure is added but definitely nothing like it use to feel. 

Y. Yummy food you make: Wheat berry salad!

Z. Zoo animal favorites: The monkeys!

Cuisinart 2Qt Frozen Yogurt, Sorbet & Ice Cream Maker

After over a year of saying, “I really want an ice cream maker,” I FINALLY have one. Thank you so much to Wayfair for allowing me to have this opportunity to own this wonderful piece of kitchen equipment. It honestly felt like Christmas in February! I finally received the service I knew Wayfair had to offer. I couldn’t be more happier and I can’t wait till I work with them again!

I made a batch of vanilla ice cream (recipe via Cuisinart handbook) to break in my new ice cream maker. I figured it is best to start with the basics and then get fancy and create my own versions, like dairy free! I decided to go the lighter route by using 2% milk and half and half. My mixture came out icy and I knew right away it was because I didn’t use fattier ingredients IE. whole milk and heavy cream.

I did some research and many people insisted that the ice cream base should be refrigerated for a few hours before mixing it up. I kept the ingredients out for a few minutes to mix together and they already started to warm up, then I placed them into a really cold bowl to churn the ice cream. That reaction right there will cause the ice cream to not be as creamy. Other than that issue, the vanilla ice cream tasted fabulous! Just what I wanted for some homemade ice cream sundaes. The taste was right on and it even had my boyfriend’s approval. I can’t wait to make gelato and some dairy free ice cream with coconut milk and/or almond milk varieties!

Simple Vanilla Ice Cream

Adapted from Cuisinart

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups 2% milk

1 1/8 cups granulated sugar

3 cups half and half

1 1/2 tablespoons pure vanilla extract

Directions

In a medium mixing bowl, use a hand mixer on low speed to combine the milk and sugar until the sugar is dissolved, about 1 to 2 minutes.

Stir in the half and half and vanilla. Turn the machine on; pour mixture into the freezer bowl and let mix until thickened, about 20 to 25 minutes.

OOPS!

The ice cream will have a soft, creamy texture. If a firmer consistency is desired, transfer the ice cream to an airtight container and place in the freezer for about 2 hours. Remove from freezer about 15 minutes before serving.

The best part was making ice cream sundaes at home! My boyfriend had a mixture of banana, dried cherries, homemade ganache and salted nuts. Mine had homemade ganache, dried cherries, shredded coconut and salted nuts.

What are your favorite ice cream recipes? Please share in the comments below!

Fallon