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Cheers to the Weekend: Avocado and Crab Toast

March 17, 2017

Recipes that don’t require any cooking at all, short of toasting some bread, are the perfect recipes for the weekend. Don’t you think? This post is for everyone out there that loves avocado toast just as much as I do, and at the same time, for anyone who rolls their eyes at avocado toast as well. Let’s face it, it’s everywhere and we probably all talk about it way too much, so I don’t blame you. But don’t worry, this isn’t your every day run of the mill avocado toast. There are no instagram worthy fried or poached eggs on top. We’re stepping up our game this time around because it’s St. Patrick’s Day today, and because it’s finally the weekend, and let me tell you that after a looooong work week, this is a much needed treat that requires all but 10 minutes, if that, to put together. Did I mention there is no cooking involved? It’s the perfect appetizer, starter, snack or even a light lunch or dinner for when you’re just too tired to cook or even eat. Too tired to eat, that’s a thing. Help me Cheers to the Weekend with this Avocado Crab Toast. You bring the cocktails and I’ll bring the toast. Deal? Deal.

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Easy Braised Cannellini Beans with Chorizo

November 11, 2016

Easy Braised Cannellini Beans with Chorizo is the name of today’s game. Most braised white bean recipes go from dry beans, to soaking them overnight, to then braising, but who has that kind of time? Also, who can remember to soak the beans the night before to begin with? I for one can never remember! As a matter of fact, I still have a bag of red beans in my pantry from weeks ago of when I was supposed to make Red Beans and Rice and I just keep forgetting to soak them overnight. It’s a constant battle for me, and one that I always seem to be losing. Can’t a guy have red beans and rice for dinner whenever he wants?! Anyhow, so I decided to use canned cannellini beans for this recipe instead, because it’s quicker and a lot easier to deal with. I promise you’ll still get tons of flavor out of the beans because I’m sharing some of my tips and tricks on how to get the most flavor out of those cans and into this delicious dish. So whether you’re in need of a new irresistible appetizer, or looking for a quick and easy meal to make when you really don’t feel like cooking, these braised beans have your name all over them. Grab the ingredients from the store and give it a try this weekend, you won’t be disappointed. I do have to warn you though, this will quickly become your new favorite dish. Don’t let the brown color and mushy appearance throw you off, because this is one of the best recipes I’ve ever shared on here (and that’s really saying something).

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Spicy Mediterranean Meatballs

April 7, 2016

I’ve been on a major appetizer kick lately, as you can tell from all of the appetizers I’ve been posting recently (there are still some great ones coming up really soon so I hope you’re not tired of this direction). I feel like everyone needs a good arsenal of appetizers up their sleeves to choose from, just in case you need to entertain a horde of people at the very last minute. Starters for some reason are always the hardest for me to decide on. I want that first bite that people taste to be very special, so I take my time in deciding what to make. I figure that with all of these appetizers on the site, it’ll make it easier on you when you go to plan your next dinner party or celebration. My newest addiction comes from my love of tapas restaurants. The idea of having an entire meal comprised of small dishes that are meant to be shared with your friends and family, with a few cocktails in hand obviously, just sounds fun and exciting, doesn’t it? It does.

I’ve been to a few restaurants that actually serve spicy meatballs as an appetizer. I order them all the time because what’s not to love about meat rounds cooked in a red tomato sauce, sans pasta? Most of the time they’re always Italian flavored, which makes sense because spaghetti and meatballs, but I wanted to think outside of the box and give this favorite appetizer of mine a makeover. Whenever I want to make anything over, I automatically think Mediterranean because I feel like those fresh flavors have so much potential and can really transform almost anything. These Spicy Mediterranean Meatballs taste just like a Greek salad, if a Greek salad was filled with ground beef and pork. The ultimate Mediterranean meatball would actually be made with ground lamb, because that just makes sense to me, but I’m not always a fan of lamb so I decided to keep some traditional things the way they were hence the ground beef and pork. So the next time you’re looking for a great appetizer to impress a crowd, remember that I made these meatballs once and they were irresistible.

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