Pot Roast

This post will come as a surprise to my family, I'm sure, who will tell you that the last thing they could've ever imagined me eating was pot roast.  I hated it growing up, all meaty and potatoey and carroty.  YUCK. 

This pot roast involves mushrooms and green peppers, meat, and some saucy goodness that I'm not ashamed to say I LOVED. 

Just LOOK at all of that saucy goodness.  Served with some tasty biscuits, this was a super-filling and super-delicious meal that has me on record with this:  I don't hate pot roast.  There. I said it.

These booties are in no way practical, and I don't even know if I like them that much.

Nicholas Kirkwood via Bergdorf Goodman

Then again, I didn't think I liked pot roast.  Opinions can change.  Obviously I'll need to purchase them to find out my true feelings.

Contributing!

It's the last Monday of the month, which means one thing . . .

Today, you can find me over at:



  Check it out!

Quickie Friday: Mexi-Baked Chicken

This is just a little something I whipped up a couple of weeks ago.

I sprinkled the chicken with cayenne, white pepper, and cumin, baked it, then topped it with pepperjack cheese for the last 5 minutes of baking.  Served atop some store-bought Mexican rice (made with a can of diced tomatoes and 1 cup of corn), this couldn't have been easier!

The BF and I are taking a little weekend getaway for labor day, and these sandals would work perfect:

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More on the vacay later, peeps!  Have a great weekend!

English Muffin Bread

WARNING!  This bread is like crack (if one can make the comparison between carbs and drugs, that is, which I feel confident doing, despite never having used crack, myself).  Once this bread is present in the Cookin' in Heels household, there is no going back.  It is usually gone in a day, if not in hours.

This is a pic of the important first step, greasing (I use cooking spray) a loaf pan, then coating it with a thin layer of yellow cornmeal.  Don't skip it!  You'll regret it. 

Here's the recipe, peeps:

5 1/2 - 6 cups flour
2 pkg. rapid rise yeast
1 Tbsp. sugar
2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. baking soda
2 c. milk
1/2 c. water
yellow cornmeal

Combine 3 cups of flour with the yeast, sugar, salt and soda.  Heat the liquids until very warm (120-130 degrees) (i put mine in the microwave for about 2 minutes and it was perfect).  Add the warm, wet mixture to the dry mixture and beat well (I do this in my stand mixer, with a dough hook).  Stir in enough flour to make a stiff batter, then spoon into two loaf pans that have been greased and sprinkled with cornmeal.  Sprinkle the tops of both loaves with cornmeal.  Cover the loaves and let them rise in a warm place for 45 minutes.  Bake at 400 for 25 minutes and, when they're done, remove from the pans and immediately cool.

Then eat.  And eat.  And eat some more.  I am a huge fan of eating this bread toasted, with butter, all by itself, but it makes a great egg sandwich (or any other kind of sandwich). 

After you eat a loaf of this, I recommend a pair of these:

Nike via Nordstrom

You'll need 'em.  Especially if you eat one loaf by yourself, in less than an hour.

Not that I've done that, or anything.

Stuffed Pork Loin

I love stuffing things.  Turkey.  Chicken.  Pork loins.  My face with delicious food.  Stuffing is good.  This pork loin is no exception.

This pork loin is butterflied, then spread with pesto, spinach, and feta cheese.

Rolled up, secured with toothpicks, and topped with canned, fire-roasted tomatoes, then baked at 425 for 20 minutes, this recipe couldn't have been easier, or looked more fancy.

I served the pork loin on top of some garlic couscous, and it was SO GOOD.  I'm going to make the bold statement that this was my favorite stuffed dish EVER.  That's huge.

These are also huge (and by huge I mean tall?  high?  both?):

Proenza Schouler via Barneys

Those ankle straps are pretty intense.  And with as much as I love PS and all that they do, these look a little like stripper shoes.

I can't believe I just said wrote that.

Quickie Friday: Egg and Cheese Breakfast Sandwich

Things have been CRAZY around these parts, peeps, so I apologize for slacking on the posts.  This week's quickie Friday brings you another easy breakfast recipe, that is so quick to make that you won't think twice about whipping up some scrambled eggs in the morning!

This, ladies and gentlemen, is an egg sandwich made entirely in the microwave (atop a toasted english muffin, of course).  I spray a bowl with cooking spray, then whip up one whole egg and one egg white.  Microwave for 30 seconds, stir, then continue microwaving for 10 second increments until the eggs are perfectly cooked.  I topped the eggs for this sandwich with a slice of pepperjack cheese and voila!  Easy breakfast that takes less than 3 minutes to make!

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I am totally digging these sandals with the small wedge heel from Target.  The only nice "sandals" currently in my closet are a flat pair of Sam Edelmans, and I think that needs to change.  Don't you, peeps?

Chicken with Mustard Sauce

I feel like a broken record sometimes, on this blog, talking about how quick, easy and delicious all of these dishes are, but it's TRUE!  So easy!  So quick!  And SO delicious!

This chicken started off with a marinade of whole grain dijon mustard, rosemary, and a little olive oil.  From there, you just grill the chicken, then combine it with a sauce of mayo, sour cream, and more whole grain mustard, with a little bit of water.

It really doesn't get much easier, quicker, or more delicious than that.  (As an aside, I hate mayo.  This recipe (from my favorite cookbook that I won't even bother naming again) says the sauce should be made with just mayo; I subbed half of the mayo [fat free, of course] with sour cream and the tang was perfect).

Don't worry, peeps, my booty fever didn't go away during my brief hiatus.

Giuseppe Zanotti via Bergdorf Goodman

These are just so gorgeous, I don't have words for them.  I love that teeny tiny peep toe.  Love it!

Quickie Friday: Another Day Off

Big news, peeps!  My BFF from ND and her daughter are in town, so we are VERY busy doing VERY fun things.  Like this:

This:

And this:

I know you'll miss me (and that you're jealous of all of the fun we're having) but I'll be back on Monday!

*images found here, here, and here

For the Love of Breakfast

The BF found it hard to believe that I haven't posted pancakes on this blog yet, and I actually thought that I had.  I LOVE pancakes and, growing up, the only time we didn't make our pancakes from scratch was when we were camping (making pancakes with faucet water on a picnic table necessitates the use of bisquick, regardless of its inferiority).

My pancake recipe comes from the old version of the Better Homes and Gardens New Cook Book, and it's the recipe my family has used since I was a little kid.  The trick to a perfect pancake is to pour the batter on the griddle and LEAVE IT ALONE until bubbles form and they don't refill with batter.

Served with pepper bacon and a whole lot of syrup, these pancakes are one of my favorite things, and really give me (and the BF) an appreciation for foods made from scratch.

Today, on top of appreciating delicious foods made from scratch, I am also appreciating these:

Via Spiga via Nordstrom

I am already planning a birthday ensemble in my head, and these booties are DEFINITELY a part of it!

Balsamic and Mustard Marinated Flank Steak

Another day, another recipe from my favorite cookbook (Cooking Light Fresh Food Fast: Over 280 Incredibly Flavorful 5-Ingredient 15-Minute Recipes, for those of you not yet in-the-know).  Truth be told, I didn't whip up the marinade for this meal, the BF did, but I did all of the cookin' so I believe it still belongs on the blog!

That, peeps, is a big old hunk of meat, marinating away while resting on top of the cookbook!  The recipe states that this only needs to marinate for half an hour, but I figure a little longer never hurts (I think ours was in the bag for about an hour).  After marinating, the steak was grilled, the marinade was placed in a saute pan and reduced, and dinner was served!

Reducing the marinade into a tasty sauce is what made this recipe so spectacular.  It was rich and tasty and the balance of the balsamic with the whole grain, dijon mustard was just perfect!

I have been eyeballing these nude, studded Sam Edelman's for quite some time, and believe they would be a great addition to my wardrobe:

via

These babies would certainly make a statement with my graduation regalia, wouldn't they?  I can already see the outfit in my head . . .

Quickie Friday: Chicken and Spinach Roll-Ups

This is a quick, easy lunch idea for this quickie Friday:  lay a tortilla flat and spread it with hummus (I like spicy red pepper hummus), then lay down a layer of spinach and a layer of store-bought lunch meat (I use chicken).

Roll it up, skewer it twice, slice it in half and enjoy!  This is easy to pack and quite filling, and hummus is a great substitute for mayo or other traditional "sandwich" condiments!

I am loving the scalloped detail on these cheapies from Forever 21.

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I'm sure they're unbearably uncomfortable, but they'd look good sitting at a casual dinner (preferably overlooking the ocean)!

Baked Buttermilk Chicken Strips

These chicken strips (from that infamous cookbook that I refer to again and again) are BY FAR the best, tastiest, and healthiest thing that has been on the menu lately.  Add to that the fact that they're quick and easy, and they're definitely a recipe to go back to regularly!

Dip the chicken strips in a cup of buttermilk, then roll them in panko (mixed with a little bit of parmesan cheese) and (this is very important, according to the recipe), place the strips on a cooling rack for 10 minutes. 

After the rest period, bake the chicken strips at 350 for about 20 minutes, then serve with any sauces that you like (or no sauce at all . . . these are tasty with or without sauce).

I served my chicken strips with a variety of sauces (the BF would have thrown a FIT if there was no sauce) including light ranch dressing, Frank's red hot wing sauce, and a spicy mustard that we picked up at a local farmers' market.  Saucy, eh?

Manolo Blahnik via Barneys

These are also saucy.  And on sale.  And available in my size.  That is a lethal combination.

Garlic-Crusted Pepperoni and Onion Pizza

The BF and I are both huge fans of pizza and whether we order it or make it from scratch, it's a staple on the menu.  I used this recipe recently, for the dough, and was thrilled with the results.

While the dough was rising, I added some minced garlic to two tablespoons of olive oil.  After I rolled out the dough on my baking stone, I brushed the garlic olive oil on the crust, then pricked it (all over) with a fork and par-baked the crust for 12 minutes at 350 degrees.

After the par-baking was completed, I topped the crust with a thin layer of store-bought pizza sauce, thinly sliced white onions, pepperoni, and mozzarella cheese.  The whole thing went back in the oven for 15 more minutes before we dug in!

I can't stop looking at all of the fall shoes, even though most of them are wildly inappropriate for Florida weather.  That goes for these, especially:

Fendi via Saks

Nothing about fur in Florida makes sense, especially on one's feet.  But I love these all the same.  If we ever move north (which is highly unlikely, if it's up to me) these will be first on my to-purchase list!