Breakfast Taco Tuesday Recipe

Summer's coming to a close and I'm trying to use up all the 'fruits' of my friend's labor. He has one killer garden on the rooftop of our apartment building. We actually spent the 4th of July up there with a bunch of neighbors and friends and watched the fireworks. This past weekend he gifted us a gigantic bag of tomatoes and I'm trying to use as much as I can before they start to get old. I hate wasting food!

Ever since I was a little girl I despised breakfast. To be honest, for several years, my ideal 'breakfast of champions' was coffee & cigarettes. For a long time, the very thought of eating something in the morning revolted me. Now older, I'm trying to take better care of myself and have really gotten in the habit to eat 3-square meals a day. However, when I'm having a good writing day, I can't move, let alone bother to feed myself, and yes, still will sometimes skip a meal if it's going very well. I'll always stay hydrated though. Fun fact: I haven't had a soda in 2 months! Keeping it healthy with water and non-sugary drinks!

One of my favorite quick-and-easy, on-the-go breakfasts are tacos! Yes, I'm one of those New Yorkers who's running around while simultaneously shoving food into my mouth.

Check out the recipe and photos below.

Let's Eat!

Breakfast Tacos (Serves 4)

4  flour tortillas (8 inches) 

1  cup canned refried beans 

1  tablespoon butter 

8  eggs, beaten to mix 

Salt and pepper, to taste 

1  cup shredded Sharp Cheddar cheese

12  cherry tomatoes, halved 

1. To heat the tortillas: Place a tortilla directly on a medium gas flame for a few seconds, or until it starts to puff and is slightly charred at the edges. Using tongs, turn it and let it heat for a few seconds on the other side. Or, heat the tortillas in a heavy, ungreased skillet over medium heat. On a plate lined with a cloth napkin, stack the tortillas and fold the napkin over them to keep them warm. Continue until all the tortillas are warm.

2. In a saucepan over medium heat, warm the refried beans, stirring often, until they are hot.

3. In a skillet over medium-low heat, melt the butter. Add the eggs, salt, and pepper. With a large spoon, stir the eggs until they form small curds.

4. On each of 4 breakfast plates, set 1 tortilla. Spread with 2 tablespoons of beans, 1/4 of the eggs, 2 tablespoons of cheese, and 6 cherry tomato halves. Fold in half. Repeat with remaining tortillas and filling.

* You can also add in salsa, onion, avocado, bacon/sausage etc. Use what you like! :)

Enjoy!

Love & xx's,

maQ + suz

Turkey Gumbo

Hey Everyone! With all that leftover turkey from this year's Thanksgiving I knew I had to do a totally yummy leftover recipe - and what better leftover than something from the south? ;)

It's what's for dinner this week!

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Gather up some kielbasa, bell pepper (I used green), celery, white onion, couple cloves of garlic. Chop everything else up except the garlic - this we mince :)

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Next, in a big pot on medium heat, stir in butter with flour every 30 seconds for 10 minutes until the mixture turns into a peanut butter-like color.

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See?

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Add everything from the first step including some diced tomatoes (canned is okay), along with a bay leaf, and some oregano & thyme.

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Bring to a boil, then cover and simmer for 1 hour.

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Lookin' good! :)

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After an hour, put in some sliced okra.

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Cook the okra for a couple of minutes, in the meantime shred the leftover turkey meat.

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Add into the pot!

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Add some white rice into a bowl, then serve gumbo on top.

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And there you have it folks! A simple but delicious fixer-upper of your turkey leftovers!

Stay tuned for next's weeks: It's What's For Dinner Part 8!

<3 Suz

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Meatloaf Sunday's

Hey ya'll!! Hope you enjoyed the rest of your Thanksgiving weekend! I know I sure did!

Last night was my traditional 'Meatloaf Sunday's', where my husband and I, scarf down my meatloaf while watching 'The Walking Dead'. We are huge fans of the show and have been zombie addicts ever since the first season! It would seem rather strange to some, I guess, given that hamburger meat looks like brains and we're watching zombies eating people alive... I know a lot of friends who just can't even stomach watching the show, but for me the more gruesome it is the better! ;)

It's your typical classical meatloaf. Very easy to make and super delish! Check it out - if you are looking for full recipes send me a shout out at suzanne@suzannespiegoski.com

Cheers to a great week!

xo

<3 Suz

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Some ingredients: Chopped onion, breadcrumbs, eggs, milk, dried basil leaves, salt & pepper.

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First mix in 2 eggs and milk.

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Then mix in breadcrumbs, onion, basil, s & p, and some chopped parsley.

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Lastly, throw in your choice of ground meat (beef, lamb, turkey etc.)

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And then, the best way to make meatloaf imo, mix all together with your hands! :)

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Put in loaf pan, cover in aluminum foil and bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 1 hour and 25 minutes. In the meantime, make your sauce which will consist of mostly ketchup, brown sugar and a little bit of mustard to put on top of the meatloaf after baking.

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After 1 hour and 25 minutes, take the meatloaf out and spoon off the fat. Then spread the ketchup sauce on top, baking uncovered for 10 minutes.

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Smash a clove of garlic and sautΓ© with spinach and a pinch of salt for a brief 2-3 minutes.

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Finished result! :)

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Add some mashed potatoes with some brown gravy into the mix and we got ourselves a whole hearty meal! Enjoy and see ya soon!!

 

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Thanksgiving | 2013

Happy Belated Thanksgiving everyone!!! This year was the best! I have so much to be thankful for, not just on a Holiday, but all year-round - each and every single day!

I'm so eternally thankful for the family I have made my own. To my husband - thank you for your constant support and endless love. You are my rock and without you I really don't know where I would be right now. Thank you for saving me and always having my back - I am so proud to be your wife!

To our furry child, our baby boy Maq: Thank you for your magical healing powers, your unconditional love and just being the silly ole goofball that you are! Your fierce loyalty has nicknamed you the'velcro-dog' because no matter where I go, you're stuck right next to me! Every day with Maq is a gift.Β Thanks bubba, for always being by my side! Love you always and forever, my good boy!! <3

Lastly, I am forever grateful for all of your support, far and wide; all walks of life: my friends, whether longtime or new, my colleagues, my skaters and clients - without you all I wouldn't be who I am today!!

Now onto my favorite part of Thanksgiving: COOKING!

This Turkey Day I made, of course, the big bird (all 13 lbs!), homemade stuffing, mashed potatoes, turkey gravy, cranberry sauce, fresh whole wheat baguette bread, rosemary roasted acorn squash, cranberry pecan Brussels sprouts with crumbled bleu cheese and homemade pecan pie! I think I did a pretty swell job as a wife's first Thanksgiving meal! ;)

Check it out:

eggavocado

For Thanksgiving breakfast, we had whole wheat toast open sandwich with avocado (straight out of CA - thanks to our new awesome friends Jim & Natasha!) and a fried egg, with a sprinkle of black pepper. YUM!!!

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Fresh pecans

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Add rising flour to below mixture - shout out to Aunt Jemima! ;)

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Mixture of brown sugar, light corn syrup, vanilla extract and rising flour.

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Mixing all the ingredients together!

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Stir butter and beaten eggs into the mix.

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Add pecans after completing mix.

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Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 45 minutes.

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Now onto stuffing made from scratch! Mushrooms, celery, white onion, fresh parsley, sage, rosemary, thyme and Italian sweet sausage.

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Close - up

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Who doesn't love sausage?!

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After prepping my goodies for the stuffing, I toast my bread next. I do 4 slices of whole wheat and 4 slices of white bread and bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for about 7 minutes.

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While the bread is toasting in the oven, I start cooking the rest. Brown sausage first with EVOO.

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Next (in order) - onions, celery + herbs. Cook for a couple of minutes.

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Now add mushrooms last.

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13 - Pounder!!

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Final prep shot of my turkey! This bad boy took over 5 hours of cooking time this year!

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Two acorn squash.

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Cut each acorn in half.

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Cut each halve in fours, totaling 16 slices. Drizzle with EVOO and salt, bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for about 20 minutes.

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Make a paste of brown sugar, softened butter and chopped rosemary to put on the squash.

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Spread paste on squash evenly so they can all get some of that yumminess! Put back in oven for another 30 minutes. :)

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End result! Make sure to spoon some of that yummy sauce onto the squash one last time before serving!

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A bouquet of Brussels sprouts!

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Cut off the ends of each sprout, rinse in cold water then dry. Roast sprouts in EVOO for about 10 minutes, then mix in chopped pecans, dried cranberries and crumbled bleu cheese.

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End result: can you say nom-nom time? :P

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Can't forget the French wine! ;)

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Pecan pie is ready!

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Turkey success!

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Full display.

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Yes, I hate that entire plate and I am not the least bit ashamed! Fully stuffed.. even today!

I hope you all had a Happy and healthy Thanksgiving with your loved ones!

Stay tuned for next week's food blog: Sunday Meatloaf (too appropriately coinciding with our favorite TV show, The Walking Dead!) :) ;)

xo,

Suz <3

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NYC Carmine's Country - Style Rigatoni

It's What's For Dinner Part 4! I did it - 4 weeks in a row!

Check out some parts of this week's cookin' - can't wait for my next food (Thanksgiving) post! :) xo -S

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Parsley

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Some prosciutto for flavoring..

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Sweet Italian sausage, rigatoni pasta, yellow onion, chicken stock and butter.

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Final result with broccoli, white cannellini beans and fresh basil.

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With fresh grated romano cheese... mmm! :-P

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