I Forgot to Mention...

I made an amazing dinner tonight... And I was looking at some of my favorite cooking blogs. 

Welcome back to my undercover Betty Crocker self! I can't wait to get innovative in the kitchen and then share! (I've been missing my Stove Top Science Fair)

Here's a little sneak peak of what's to come! 

First Edition of the Simply Sweet Sunday Ingredient Challenge

Here goes nothing! Our first ingredient is going to be none other than the dark leafy greens...

kale!

These dark leaves known for their bitter taste are great for every single part of your hot bod! Check out all the nutritious benefits that come from this sweet little leaf: 

1. High in calcium which is good, not only for your bones and teeth, as well as your brain and nerve functions! 

2. It's cholesterol lowering... Wonderful! 

3. Provides support for the detoxification system throughout the body.

4. It helps fight cancer because it's packed with anti-oxidants! 

5. The number of vitamins that come from this little leaf is greater than the number of eggs you get in a carton from the grocery store! 

So, here's the plan. Visit your local grocery store or farmer's market and pick yourself up some kale (some is more fluffy than others, pick whichever you like!). Then head home to make a delicious meal using your kale... Soup, salad, bread, cupcakes... Whatever you want! 

On April 3rd (or the 2nd if you like to be ahead of the game), we will post all of our recipes on our respective blogs... I will link to everyone's so you can see all the different things we came up with! Also on the 3rd, I will put out the next ingredient! If you haven't joined the S&S Sunday Ingredient Challenge you are cordially invited... Just leave a comment and I'll email you! 

Best wishes for your cooking and concoctions! I can't wait to see what everyone comes up with! 

Eggs in Purgatory at a Kitchen Floor Picnic

Being the church going gal that I am I wouldn't usually drool over something called Eggs in Purgatory... However, this was worth every sinful drool I committed! It's just delicious and the flavors together are amazing, especially considering I would NEVER have thought of putting something together like this! 

Thank goodness, Food Network Magazine put out an all Italian issue and included this dish. (Random fact: It's an Italian peasant dish that has made itself into culinary royalty!) I promise it won't disappoint! I changed the recipe a bit so it wasn't quite as much food (this still solidly serves four) and so it fit the flavors that I already know my Best Friend and I love! 

The dish was so steamy that it steamed up my camera lens! And the first bites burnt our tongues!

Ingredients:

• 2 Tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 cloves minced garlic
• 4 ounces deli-sliced salami, chopped
• 1/2 medium onion, thinly sliced
• 1 Italian green frying pepper, thinly sliced (My store didn't have these so I got two little sweet Mexican peppers that were rated as mildly spicey) 
• 1 small yellow bell pepper, thinly sliced 
• A splash and sprinkle of red pepper flakes
• 1 cup of marinara sauce 
• 4 eggs
• A handfull (or two!) of mozarella cheese
• A loaf of bread to serve with (I used French because it's my favorite!) 

Directions: 

1. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high. 
2. Add the garlic and cook until it's golden brown (3 or so minutes). 
3. Increase the heat to high and add the chopped salami, sliced onions, slivered peppers, and splash on those red pepper flakes. 
4. Cook, stirring lots, until the salami is brownish (about 5 minutes). 
5. Add the marinara sauce and 1/2 a cup of water.
6. Cook until the vegetables are tender (about 5 minutes).
7. Reduce the heat to medium. 
8. Make 4 indentations in the pepper mixture for the eggs. 
9. Break one egg into each indentation (Be careful with the shells! Use a bowl to crack them if you're a little rough like me!) 
10. Cover and cook until the eggs whites are white and the yolks are cooked to your liking.
11. Serve with slices of your bread of choice! 

It was so absolutely delicious on a piece of bread! 

The special thing about this sweet little dish was that J and I had it on a picnic... In the middle of my little kitchen floor! It has been beautiful in San Diego, but the sun is still setting absurdly early, so I decided this would be a cute way to make it seem more like summer (it really seems like it with the 75 and sunny weather!). J was such a sport sitting on the floor and listening to me rave about how sweetly romantic I felt like we were just sitting there. 

Here's the scene of the crime... Our offense: drinking beer with Italian which always calls for a nice wine!
But the floor is freshly cleaned if that makes up for anything. :) 

Timing the auto-timer on my camera proved to be a tough task, but this one turned out cute!
And yes, I'm still in my running clothes from that morning, talk about a lazy Saturday!

This summer activity in my kitchen was all started in looking at the so sweet blog of Laurie at Food is Love. Check out her summer in the kitchen challenge and try something out for yourself! It definitely doesn't have to be eating on your kitchen floor!