2015 Recipe Chase | Candied Pecans

I'm pretty sure that when you combine brown sugar and cinnamon you're transported into heaven.

Like, wham, bam, hello Jesus.

These pecans are delectable. They would be my kind of drug. I mean, delicious? Check. Extremely addicting? DOUBLE CHECK.

You can pretty much use any nuts with this recipe, I just had pecans on hand. My sister-in-law made an almond version for Christmas. I ate the entire container. Poor Ryan had crumbs. Until I ate those too.

These would be the easiest and best tasting gift ever. Husband? Take note!

Candied Pecans

Makes: 20, 1 oz servings

Prep Time:  5 min          Oven Time: 60 min

Ingredients

16 oz   pecans (or your favorite nut)
  1        egg white
½  cup brown sugar
½  cup white sugar
 1 tbsp cinnamon
 2   tsp vanilla extract
½   tsp salt

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 250°F and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper (or cooking spray).
2. In a large bowl, beat the egg white until foamy. Add the pecans and mix until the pecans look wet.
3. In the bowl, add the remaining ingredients and stir to combine.
4. Layer the pecans onto the baking sheet in a single layer and bake for one hour, stirring every twenty minutes. The nuts will still seem wet after the first twenty, done after the second, but crispy after the last.
5. Allow the nuts to cool in the pan for two hours (or overnight) before eating.

Calories: 97 per serving

This recipe was inspired by my sister-in-law and Instructables.

Can someone figure out how much it would take to overdose on these? I'll eat one less.

2015 Recipe Chase | Pot Roast Sandwiches with French Onion Soup

You know that quote about train wrecks?

The one about how they're so terrible but you just can't look away? That is exactly like the whole first season of Married at First Sight. I just watched every single episode. You watched it too right? Do you feel as bad as I did/do for Vaughn and Doug? Vaughn was attacked like the whole experience (although some of his comments were in really poor taste) and Doug? Poor Doug. First no sex. Then Jamie's got babies on the brain like a mofo. But we've all been there, done that, right?

No? Just me again? Huh. Anyway...

You want to know what's not a train wreck? This sandwich. It's fantastic. The only thing terrible about it is how at the end of the day you have absolutely no good light to take delicious looking pictures.

Oh, the best part of that show? Watching it with Ryan. His peanut gallery commentary? Hilarious. His perfectly timed snorts and chuckles? Made me laugh even harder.

Although for some of them, I think he's recalling some strange memories of other baby-obsessed people...

Not like his wife though. Because, me? I'd never be that crazy.

At least not run to the pharmacy and pick up his and hers fertility tests. Although it doesn't hurt to know, right? Just to make sure everything's working?

Just kidding! I feel like that just crosses a line. A very fine line between concerned and crazy. This recipe? Goes leaps and bounds over the delicious line. I want to make it every night. 

And the soup? It works double duty as an au jus and onion soup. Loaded up with onions it's pretty much like perfection in a bowl.

Now I'm pretty sure these are going to have to be on the menu for this week. Like 100% sure. Unlike how some of these marriages start off in this ridiculous show.

Can we just take a moment to appreciate the meat and cheese and onion-y goodness, right there? We don't have to talk about my insane photo editing skills right now. It can wait.

Like forever.

Pot Roast Sandwiches and French Onion Soup

Makes: 4 Servings

Prep Time: 15 min          Crockpot Time: 8 hours          Broil Time: 2 min

Ingredients

1 lb beef chuck roast
2¼ cups beef broth
1 10½ oz can of condensed french onion soup
1 large yellow onion
½ cup dry red wine (like merlot)
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
1 tsp granulated garlic

1 cup (4 oz) of swiss cheese (or provolone)
8 slices of bread or 4 small sub rolls

Directions

1. Thinly slice the onion and place in the bottom of a medium-sized slow cooker.
2. Add the beef broth, wine, and condensed onion soup to the slow cooker. Mix in the granulated garlic.
3. On a cutting board, sprinkle salt and pepper over the chuck roast, letting it rest for 5 minutes.
4. Place roast in the slow cooker and cook on low for 8 hours. It may be done sooner, but will pick up flavor and moisture as it cooks.
5. Once done, remove the roast in tact to a cutting board and allow to rest for 10 minutes. In the meantime, spoon out equal portions of soup into bowls.
6. Using a fork, shred the roast into large chunks and layer onto rolls and cheese.
7. They're fully ready to enjoy but if desired place in broil for 2 minutes to melt cheese and toast bread.

Calories: 637

This recipe was inspired by Baking Bites.

Doesn't that just make you want to drool? Go on. I won't judge.

2015 Recipe Chase | Strawberry Yogurt

Can I just tell you about my favorite breakfast food ever?

I mean, I've liked yogurt for a long time but it's recently become my favorite. A month of free personal coaching with a coach obsessed with protein intake will do that. Hello 21 grams of protein!

And I like this so much better than the prepackaged flavors. As much as I trust Chobani, I trust myself and what I buy a heck of a lot more. And I can totally customize the flavors. I haven't been too too adventurous, just Apple Cinnamon and Strawberry Vanilla.

Fruity yogurt is ridiculously easy to throw together and you can prep it Sunday night for a week full of healthy breakfasts. There's no measuring or thinking in the morning, you know, when brain power is at a premium.

Strawberry Yogurt

Makes: 5 Breakfasts

Prep Time: 15 min

Ingredients

38oz plain greek yogurt (like Chobani)
2½ cups frozen strawberries
5 tbsp sugar
5 tsp vanilla

Directions

1. Lay out five separate tupperware containers.
2. In each tupperware container, measure out a half cup (or 70 grams) of frozen strawberries.
3. Sprinkle one tablespoon of sugar over the strawberries of each container.
4. Spoon a teaspoon of vanilla extract over the fruit.
5. Measure out 217 grams (yes, really) of yogurt into each container on top of the fruit and sugar. If you don't have a scale, it's a little less than one full cup. This makes an even number of portions from the yogurt container.
6. Refrigerate in layers to let fruit break down and create flavors.
7. When ready to eat, stir all ingredients together and enjoy!

Calories: 203

The recipe is a little tart from the yogurt but there's still a good balance of sweet from the strawberries and added sugar. And as a warning, it sounds super funny when you mix this up. So make sure you're in good company. Then make them jealous with how delicious it looks.

Playing with more flavor combinations is definitely going on the weekend to do list.

2015 Recipe Chase | Apple Chips

This year, I made a resolution to try fifty-two new recipes.

I've gone a little crazy and tried at least a dozen new recipes. So I'm amending my resolution. To finding fifty-two new recipes worth keeping. 

I think that's the best way to expand my list of rotating recipes. Andddd I get to try all these new fancy things. Like apple chips. Who knew they were so fantastic?

They're totally healthy too. I mean apples? Fruit. Lemon juice? Zero calories. Cinnamon? Helps fight the common cold. Brown sugar? Well, that's just delicious.

Apple Chips

Makes: 1 Snack

Prep Time: 15 min          Bake Time: 120 min          Cool Time: 60 min

Ingredients

1 hearty apple (like red or golden delicious)
2 tbsp lemon juice
2 tbsp brown sugar
1 tbsp cinnamon

Directions

1. Preheat your oven to 220° F and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.

2. In a bowl, mix together the brown sugar and cinnamon, breaking up the brown sugar as much as possible to fully combine the spices. Pour the lemon juice in a separate bowl. 

3. Using a mandolin (or super awesome cutting skills), thinly slice the apple (1/8" to 3/16" thick).

4. Dip the apple slices in the lemon juice to wet both sides before coating with the brown sugar mixture. You may need to rub the coating to get it to an even appearance.

5. Place the apples on your baking sheet close together but not touching and bake for one hour.

6. Flip the apples and bake for another hour.

7. Remove from oven and let the apples cool in the pan for an hour before handling.

8. Once cooled the slices should have a fruity, leathery texture. They're perfect for snacks and you can store them in tupperware for a few days. (Mine were gone in three so I'm not sure after that!)

Calories: 200

This recipe was inspired by The Italian Dish and Frugal by Choice, Cheap by Necessity.

This is the perfect snack to take to work and make all your coworkers jealous. Unless you share. Then you're their hero and they beg you for the recipe. True story. It happened on Monday.

Don't you want to be a hero? Make these this weekend, you totally won't regret it.