PAID HOLIDAY

orlando is now a full-time employee at jp morgan chase {hooray!} which means he gets paid holidays! and to celebrate his first, we played all day on monday. orlando, who knows the way to my heart, suggested breakfast at butters {only the best breakfast EVER!} followed by a day at the zoo. it was warm and sunny and perfect! luc loved the zoo, lia loved being outside all day, and i love love loved breakfast. an all-around fantastic holiday with my family!

{strawberry cheesecake french toast. you can't see it, but in between each slice of perfectly fluffy bread is a layer of strawberry cheesecake. oh. my. heaven.}

CHEESECAKE HEAVEN IN 20 MINUTES

this is a SUPER fluffy, delicious cheesecake recipe, and it's so easy. luc and i make it in about 20 minutes! (he LOVES the electric mixer. like almost too much.)

you'll need:
-1 graham cracker pie crust (i buy mine. feel free to make your own if you want!)

-2 (8oz) packages cream cheese (room temperature)

-2 tsp lemon juice

-1 pint heavy whipping cream

-1/2 cup white sugar

-any fruit sauce or topping you desire

in a medium bowl, use an electric mixer to beat together the cream cheese (if it's cold, it's very hard to get a creamy texture) and lemon juice until soft. add the whipping cream and beat until batter becomes thick and creamy. add the sugar and continue to beat until stiff peaks form. (this takes a few minutes. also, i always taste it right about now and make sure it's sweet enough. i usually have to add a pinch more sugar)

when your mixture is very thick and fluffy, spoon it into your graham cracker crust and spread evenly. chill several hours or overnight (THIS IS IMPORTANT. it melts fast if you don't chill it. overnight is best.)

just before serving, top with whatever fruit or sauce you desire! we are strawberry people, so that's usually what we dump on ours. but trust me, you can't go wrong.

also, think about how great this would be if you added NUTELLA to it. oh baby, i'm so doing that next time!

GREEN BEAN CASSEROLE

this is a thanksgiving classic, but it's so delicious, we like to eat it year round!

it's one of my sunday dinner go-to sides. stick a roast in the crockpot, bake this and it'll be the best meal of your week. 

you'll need:
-about 30-36 oz frozen whole green beans
-2 cans cream of mushroom soup
-2 TBSP soy sauce
-1 1/2 cups heavy cream or milk
-1 container french's onions
-salt and pepper to taste

thaw your green beans in a strainer under hot water. let them sit to dry.

in a large bowl, mix your two cans of cream of mushroom soup, soy sauce, and heavy cream or milk. (NOTE: i've made this recipe with either one and it always turns out yummy. milk is, of course, the healthier of the two options so i use it most often. however, the cream gets you this amazing, thick sauce that's totally worth the calories) mix these together until you have a smooth, creamy sauce. add salt and pepper generously, and stir some more.

when your beans are dry and thawed, stir them into your sauce until they are all covered. then dump them into a 9x13 glass dish and cover with tinfoil.

bake at 375 for 25-30 min or until bubbly.

remove from the oven and generously sprinkle french's onions on top, covering the entire dish. leave the tinfoil off and bake for an additional 5-10 min or until onions are crispy and browning in places. remove and EAT!

p.s. this is a really easy recipe to make smaller or bigger:
for every bag of frozen green beans, it's 1 can of soup, 1 TBSP of soy sauce, and 3/4 cup milk.

CORN SALAD AMAZINGNESS

Corn Salad 

Recipe by Our Best Bites 

Ingredients:
4 cups fresh or frozen corn kernels
8 ounces queso fresco or cotija cheese***
1 large red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
1 small red onion, finely chopped
1 jalapeño pepper, seeded and chopped***
1/2 recipe (about 6 ounces) Cilantro-Lime Vinaigrette (click the link to find the recipe!)
1 large avocado, pitted, peeled, and cubed
Kosher salt to taste

Instructions:

Bring about 1 inch of water to a boil in a large stock pot. When the water boils, add the corn and cook for 2-3 minutes. Drain and rinse and then add to a large bowl. Toss together the corn, red bell pepper, red onion, jalapeño pepper, and crumbled cheese. Toss with Cilantro-Lime Vinaigrette. Chill until ready to serve. Right before serving, gently toss in the avocado and season with salt. It's AMAZING with tortilla chips! Serves 10-12.

***i used feta cheese and a green bell pepper instead of queso fresco and a jalapeño AND i threw in a diced tomato and it was still madly delicious!

our new favorite snack

luc and i fight over the last bite of this deliciousness almost daily! it is seriously sooo good, especially with lots of salt {i'm a salt addict}. plus it's healthy so, BONUS!

wash, peel, and cut a cucumber. slice it however you fancy.

squeeze lime juice all over your cucumber slices- the more the better!

salt liberally.

enjoy!

GERMAN OVEN PANCAKES

pretty sure part of the reason orlando married me was for my german oven pancakes. 

they are heavenly, especially when you get liberal with the butter.

1 cup milk

1 cup flour

6 eggs

1/4 tsp salt

1 stick butter

makes a 9x13 pan of deliciousness

preheat oven to 350 degrees

mix first four ingredients in a large bowl with a hand mixer until runny and yellow.

then take as much butter as you want- no less than 2 tbsp, no more than 1 stick {i like to use a little more than half a stick of butter} and plop it in your glass/metal 9x13 pan. put pan in the oven for about 2-4 minutes, just long enough to melt the butter completely. 

take out your pan of melted butter, swirl it around to coat the pan, and then pour your batter in. bake at 350 for 15-20 minutes. it's done when the top of your edges is golden brown.

enjoy with syrup, strawberries, powdered sugar, or anything else you fancy!

best fettuccine alfredo

fettuccini alfredo is one of my favorite comfort foods. when the weather is bad or i don't feel great, there's nothing like a hot bowl of alfredo sauce (noodles optional) to warm my toes and make me feel better. plus it's super easy and downright delicious! i have been working on the perfect alfredo sauce for a few years now, and YOU GUYS. i've finally struck gold. everyone i have made this for so far has LOVED it. personally, i think it's better than any restaurant alfredo out there. try it and let me know if you agree (which of course you will!)

you'll need:

-1 pint heavy cream
-1 stick of butter (=1/2 cup)
-2 or 3 tablespoons cream cheese
-3/4 cup parmesan cheese (real shredded parmesan, not powder)
-1 teaspoon garlic powder or garlic salt
-salt and pepper to taste
-fettuccini noodles (i eyeball this)










in a saucepan, combine butter, heavy cream and cream cheese (sounds delicious already, no?). simmer until all is melted and mixed well- DO NOT allow it to boil. add the parmesan cheese and garlic powder. simmer for 15 min on low heat, stirring often. again, DO NOT boil it. the sauce separates when it boils.

pour the sauce over your cooked noodles and toss together until everything is coated in the deliciousness you just created FROM SCRATCH. salt and pepper if desired (i find salt isn't really needed, but pepper is lovely)

eat.

swoon.

eat more.

you're welcome!

homemade whipped cream

you'll never go back to store-bought, i promise.

1 pint heavy whipping cream
2 tablespoons powdered sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla

whip heavy whipping cream with a mixer until it thickens. add powdered sugar and vanilla. whip until stiff peaks form. taste. add more powdered sugar as desired. whip it, whip it good.

refrigerate for at least 1 hour. then top everything delicious with your domestic triumph, you goddess, you!

crockpot heaven: black bean soup

this soup is hands down, the best crockpot soup in my arsenal. it's amazing, especially on those freezing cold winter evenings that call for a little mexican food heaven.

trust me on this one, and make extra.

dump into your crockpot:

2 {15.5oz} cans black beans {don't drain}

1 can water

1 {14.5oz} can diced tomatoes

1 green pepper, chopped

1/4 chopped onion

2 shredded chicken breasts

1/2 packet fajita seasoning {or season to taste, however strong you want the flavor}

lime juice to taste

stir well and simmer on low for 4-6 hours

serve with shredded cheese and fresh avocado on top, or break out the tortilla chips

{makes about 4 servings}