I woke up Sunday morning hungry, and with the urge to cook.

The urge / my hunger was so great that I threw on shoes and a jacket, didn't even bother to change and headed to the grocery store with no craving in mind.

 Once I walked through those electric sliding doors I knew... I was going to make chili!

With no recipe on hand, and no recipe in mind I set out to grab what I thought a basic chili would need.

So here you go.

 I've never had butter beans, to be honest I thought I was grabbing Cannellini beans, but was too distracted debating with my roommate over weather or not  she could indeed eat an entire DiGiorno pizza. (She can't)

 Not pictured:

Turkey chili

Onions

Salt

Pepper

Paprika

Cumin

Cayenne

Red pepper flakes

Garlic powder

Oregano

Then it was time to eat. My little brother showed me this tortilla heating technique.

It's a time saver, and looks pretty bad ass

 Comer bien mis amigos! 

My friend Gabi came over on Friday for a little cooking, and a lot of eating

Gabs is known for keeping her liquor cabinet well stocked, and well dressed!

This little reindeer was the perfect holiday gift! Thank you!

After a series of nearly 50 text messages we finally settled on naan pizzas 

I had recently acquired some random fridge ingredients and felt it was perfect way to clean house, while making something delicious

 Spread a little garlic olive oil on the naan and were ready to get creative

Our pizza bar:

Tomato Sauce

Basil

Roasted Artichokes

Caramelized Onions

Mozzarella

Goat Cheese

Roasted Peppers

Pepperoni

Parmesan

Pesto

We were serious

 We each made a pizza, and then collaborated on the third.

 (AKA threw on all the ingredients)

 Baked at 350 for about 20 minutes and then BAM

Dinner was served

To top it all off, we added a little balsamic reduction to some of the pizzas

A perfect way to spend Friday night

Allison: The queen of evenly slicing cheese

Cooking is dangerous.

My most interesting lunch craving.

Peanut butter and jelly with potato chips.

A Friday night meniscus.

Years of cooking has taught me one thing.

Anything can be wrapped in bacon.

We currently have two clients in our office whose love affair with bacon goes beyond that of the average American.

To help appease their cravings I wrapped their number 5 favorite food, with their number 1 favorite food.

 A breakfast of champions

I cooked these in the toaster oven at 400 degrees for about 20 minutes.

Baking them on the rack was definitely a plus, there tends to be quite a bit of grease when wrapping a hashbrown in bacon.

 Let the day begin!

Something I tried once, that I will not be trying again...

Dried baby shrimp.

Tuesday night I went over to Kerry's for a little R&R

She had dinner prepping in the oven, and wine on the table

My kind of meal

 Kerry is probably my only NYC friend that decorates for each season

Autumnal pumpkins? You got it!

I'm always on the hunt for balsamic glaze, making it on your own is a timely and often smelly process. Ker purchased a perfect reduction from Citarella

 We sat back, enjoyed some grilled vegetables, episodes of the New Normal and a Cabernet

Thanks being a lovely host!

What to eat?

'Wichcraft's marinated chickpea sandwich.

Chopped chickpeas, roasted peppers, green olives, lemon & organic arugula on a ciabatta

You wont regret it.

I saw this sandwich on Pinterest and have been eager to make it

Marinated beets

Arugula

Goat Cheese

Bam!

I definitely suggest marinating the beets longer than I did (20 min)

I ended up sautéing them towards the end in a blend of olive oil, balsamic vinegar, brown mustard and garlic powder. 

It added a lot to the sandwich having the beets seared, and helped the goat cheese melt.

Add some fresh arugula and ideally a balsamic reduction.

Since I wasn't able to reduce the vinegar I opted for a sweeter balsamic that really helped make the sandwich pop!

I will definitely be making this again!

Lemon Orzo with Spicy Sauteed Shrimp

Step1:

Be too lazy to go to the grocery store so cook only what your parents have left for you in the pantry

Step 2: 

Defrost and marinate the frozen shrimp you found in olive oil, minced garlic, salt, pepper, cayenne, red pepper flakes, and cumin

Step 3: 

Cook the orzo, when done, drain and mix with fresh lemon juice, lemon zest, salt, pepper, and a little parmesan

Step 4: 

Sautee the shrimp on medium until they turn pink. 

Step 5: 

Top orzo with shrimp, garnish with a little lemon zest

Step 6: Enjoy!

A dinner of favorites.

While I was home my friend Alexis stopped by for some dinner. I let her dictate the menu in which she chose all of her favorites.

1. Steak

2. Brussel sprouts with bacon and onions

3. Mashed potatoes

I marinated the steak only with salt and pepper and then topped with a chimichurri sauce

 Then the brussel sprouts 

( I find it's fairly easy to overcook brussel sprouts and the last few times I've ordered them they're a little mushy - I prefer my sprout al dente)

 Mashed tater time

(Cutting back on calories? Use plain greek yogurt instead of sour cream to whip these spuds into shape)

Another successful NJ meal!

Roasted Cauliflower. 

The tale of a vegetable disguised as "fried" deliciousness

I cut one head of cauliflower into florets, tossed with a little olive oil, salt, and pepper.

 Then threw on a baking sheet at 400 degrees for 25 - 35 minutes.

It was that easy.

 Roasted cauliflower really tastes like french fries...

Says the girl who hasn't had french fries in 3 -years. Nevertheless they are a perfect healthy alternative to anything else breaded and fried.

Enjoy with some ketchup, hot sauce, or even ranch is suggested. 

I prefer mine straight up.

Snack away!

 That is one monochromatic spread.