Sweet Potato Egg Pillows with Lemon Thyme

The light was just so pretty this morning that I had to take advantage of the cool warmth with a steamy cup of coffee in my PJs, alone! 

The entire house was so still and quite that I tip toed around so not to wake the zoo. I sneaked into the kitchen and enjoyed a silent cup of coffee and dare attempted to crack open a book. With a little extra time on my hands I have been devour books left and right and needed a little mental massage with a playful page turner. I have embarked on the Harry Potter collection, proofing the quality of writing for Baby Nephew, of course. It's so playful and exactly what this morning calls for. Coffee and Potter. 

As the house began to lowly murmur, I ear marked my spot in the book and pondered about our morning routine.

Hmmmmm... What should we have for breakfast today? Eggs and toast? Same old, same old. As the house was becoming alive with playful puppies, sleepy chickens and a very hungry Caveman, I pulled out the most beautiful farmers market sweet potatoes, lemon thyme from my deer friend's garden and of course the bounty of eggs that our sweet girls bless us with every day.

SERVES 2, Sleepy Herbivore and Caveman 

Ingredients for HERBIVORE + CAVEMAN alike:

2 Sweet Potatoes (Save yourself some time and pre-cook these beauties and cool them for easy handling)

4 eggs

4 Sprigs of Lemon Thyme

Salt and pepper to taste

HINTS:

Preheat oven to 350 Fahrenheit.

To prep these beauties scrub skin under cool water to remove any noticeable debris. Dry completely and rub olive oil over skin and sprinkle with salt. Poke with a fork and bake for 1 hour at 350 degrees or until a fork or knife is easily poked into the middle of the potato. Cool at least 30 minutes before continuing with the recipe or risk playing Hot Potato. 

Now to the good part, cut the cooked sweet potato in half. Using a spoon, scoop out a least 1/4 of the sweet potato out of each half, leaving the skin intact with a small layer of sweet potato inside to hold the egg. Reserve the scooped out sweet potato for your puppies, chickies or for another recipe. Sprinkle the inside of each sweet potato with salt and pepper as desired. Top each sweet potato half with a whole egg and sprinkle again with salt and pepper. Place gently in the oven and bake for 15-18 minutes. Sweet Potato Pillow are done with the whites are completely set and yolk is still running, but if you are like me you may want to cook them a little longer so that the yolk is a little more cooked.

Pair with a cup of coffee and a good book and your set for a fantastic Saturday morning!!!

Enjoy!

Spaghetti Squash Pancakes with Sriracha "Aioli"

What a whirl wind! Have you ever had one of those weeks where you wondered where the hours have gone, and dare I say you just need one more day. Well, it's 5:00 PM and my phone just started dinging. Eeek, it's Girls Night In and I committed to hosting! Good thing I have a few tricks up my sleeve, such as these crowd pleasing Spaghetti Squash Pancakes with Sriracha "Aioli"!

Last minute entertaining is kinda my forte. How quickly can I get home from work, straighten up the house, give the chickens a pep talk and pop something in the oven before guests start arriving. It may just be the adrenaline talking but, it's kind of a fun challenge. Weekday entertainment can be so easy and stress free if you gleam these tricks and commit to not cooking a Thanksgiving meal for your friends.

Tip One: Keep it handy! I always like to have a few items on hand such as healthy dips, veggies and olives. Hummus and guacamole are my go to's. I love hummus, it's a perfect snack at work but, an even better starter for the girls so that their stomachs don't start growling while the dinner is finishing up. Veggies like carrots, peppers, cucumbers all provide the perfect crunch for guests and olives simply placed in a bowl for noshing is easy peasy!.

Tip Two: You don't have to do it all! Ask a friend to be in charge of cocktails and tell the other one to bring salad fixin'. The more friends coming over, the less work for you!! That leaves plenty of time to put out some non-cook snacks and focus on the main dish. 

Tip Three: Cooking is Entertaining!  Don't feel like the table needs to be set and the meal perfectly curated before your guests arrive. Half the fun of Girls Night In and entertaining is cooking together and chatting while the meal is being assembled and placing finishing touches. 

On the Girls Night In Menu tonight, Spaghetti Squash Pancakes!!! Lucky for me I have cooked quinoa in the fridge and a beautiful spaghetti squash that will be gracing our dinner plates. Grab your cosmo or glass of wine and take a seat at our kitchen island and enjoy my Girls Night In tips and these crazy-good Spaghetti Squash Pancakes slathered with Sriracha "Aioli".

SERVES 4, 14 pancakes (For Girls Night In) 

Ingredients for HERBIVORE + CAVEMAN alike:

2 eggs

2/3 cup flour

2 cups spaghetti squash, cooked and wring out ((Bonus points round - cook ahead!)

2 cups quinoa, cooked (Bonus points round - cook ahead!)

1 cup Parmesan cheese, freshly grated

1/2 cup fresh spinach, sliced into ribbons

1  1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup of Sriracha "Aioli"

HINTS:

Preheat oven to 425 Fahrenheit.

Cut the squash in 2 halves (may need a chainsaw, jk), scrape out the seeds out of each half. Lightly coat with oil over the cut sides of the squash. Oil baking sheet and place the squash on the baking sheet cut side down.

Bake for about 30-40 minutes. It is done when soft to the touch. Fun part - scrape squash with a fork to create noodle like strands

Bonus Round: Squish as much moisture out of the squash by wrapping small chunks in a towel and squeezing over the sink.

Cooked spaghetti squash can be refrigerated for 5 days. It is so easy if you cook the squash before hand do that during dinner time hangrys everything is quick to assemble.

ON TO THE GOOD STUFF:

In a large bowl, using electric mixer or whisk, beat 2 eggs. Add flour and continue beating for about 30 seconds to thoroughly mixed.  Add cooked spaghetti squash, cooked quinoa, grated Parmesan cheese, spinach ribbons, and 1 teaspoon of salt. Mix well. 

I know this sounds weird there being raw egg and all BUT, taste the mixture and play with the flavors. This is really the only time you can make modifications.

Heat a large skillet on medium-high heat. You want the skillet screaming hot before you add the oil or the oil will just burn. Add oil once a splash of water beads off the skillet and evaporates.  With two tablespoons, scoop the mixture and scrape the tablespoon-ful into the skillet with the second spoon. Press down on the lump with the spoon a little to flatten and shape.

Cook until golden brown, roughly 1-2 minutes, reduce heat and flip and cook for an additional 1-2 minutes. on each side and repeat until mixture is gone. Crispy on the outside and pillowy on the inside!! Yum!

Devour as is for a quick snack or even better top with the Sriracha "Aioli"!!!

Mayonnaise-Aïoli Hybrid

Holy moly A I O L I ! ! !  What a craze this aïoli business is but, I totally get it, I'm a sucker for something to slather on anything. Harnessing the french inspired chef that is inside us all (duh, Ratatouille), I started doing some aïoli "research" and getting down to the business of "Why"!  Why are boutique restaurants charging an arm and leg for that fancy garlic aïoli to be spread on your burger bun. 

With my whisk in hand and a million blog posts open on my IPad I proclaimed like Archimedes -- Eureka! It's Just Mayonnaise!!!  I think he said something like that?!? Those little sneaky sneaks. I get it, I get it...Black Truffle Aïoli sound so much better than Black Truffle Mayo but, that is exactly what is on your hipster burger. I swear!. People, what we have been dipping our truffle fries in at that hispster dining spot is FLAVORED MAYO! and it is so easy to make!

HISTORY ALERT! Skip over if you want to get down and dirty with the recipe.

Classic aïoli is the delectable sauce hailing from the south of France, a region known as Provençal. The biggest difference between aïoli and mayonnaise is the use of oil and egg. Aïoli literally translates to "garlic oil" which makes sense that it should only contain garlic + oil. But due to the crazy amount of muscle power it takes to emulsify garlic and oil (one would have to pick up Crossfit and that's just crazy-talk) some include egg yolk to help with this process. The second biggest variation between these two dreamy sauces is the type of oil, mayonnaise calls for mellow flavor oils such as canola, while aïoli's gets its nutty floral notes from extra virgin olive oil. The two words have become interchangeable: Olive Oil Mayo, Garlic Mayo, Garlic Olive Oil Maya...wait that's aïoli!

Harnessing my inner Julia Child I began a quest to perfect homemade mayonnaise. Which I then made with extra virgin olive oil and added in crushed garlic making the most amazing aïoli/mayonnaise hybrid! I don't care what the french cooking teachers say, I'm excited! With an abundance of freshly laid eggs (thanks girls) and my brand new whisk, I found that with the freshest ingredients, a little French-y technique and French cafe music on in the background, mayonnaise is so easy. Once you go homemade, you can't go back!

After you make your first batch you will be just looking to shmear it on something, how about these AMAZING Spaghetti Squash Pancakes - Caveman approved!

TIPS:

• I know that whisking sounds dreadful but, you will be soooo proud of your concoction AND you get a workout!!! It's a labor of love.
• Make sure all ingredients are at room temperature. Place everything on the counter and go finish that last chapter or pour yourself a bottle of wine for a couple of hours. The wine may help with the whisking. 
• Beat egg yolks for a minute or two before adding the oil, they need to get thick and glossy to prepare the yolks to better absorb the oil.
• Add the oil very slowly, a droplet at a time, until you notice the oil is easily blended (emulsified) into the egg yolks mixture. Once you see this tale sign you can begin pouring the oil quicker.
• Note to self: 1 egg can absorb about 3/4 cups of oil, anymore than that and the the eggs will give up (the binding properties of the egg break down) and your mixture will break (thin and curdle). To be on the safe side I like to start with 1/2 cup of oil per egg yolk, until you have built up those arm muscles and you can begin to increase the oil amount. 

SERVES 2-3 cups (for your French-y friends) 

Ingredients for HERBIVORE + CAVEMAN alike:

1 tablespoon lemon juice, more drops as needed to taste (Try wine vinegar in your next batch, yummy!)

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon dry mustard, you can also used prepared mustard, how fun (sometimes if I'm not in the mustard mood I will omit).

1-1/2 to 2 cups of extra virgin olive oil

2 tablespoons boiling water

2 cloves of garlic, crushed

Sriracha to taste

HINTS:

Warm the bowl in hot water; dry it. Add the egg yolks and beat for 1 to 2 minutes until they are thick and glossy

Add the lemon juice, salt and dry mustard (if you so choose). Beat for 30 seconds more

Are you ready? Have you stretched? Now add olive oil drop by drop and don't stop beating until the sauce has thickened 

Okay, fine! You can switch hands or switch directions, as long as you keep going.

After you have whisked in 1/3 to 1/2 cup of oil, the crises has be averted. The sauce should be nice and thick, resembling the texture of mayonnaise and the crisis of potential curdling is over. 

Go on and give that arm a rest for a minute and then get back to whisking the remaining oil 1 to 2 tablespoon at a time.

If the sauce because too thick for your liking, mix in drops of lemon juice to loosen it up. Then continue with the olive oil.

Anti-curdling bonus points - blend in boiling water into the sauce. Don't be scared, adding hot liquid to a cool mixture creates a moment of texture change. Keep mixing and your gorgeous sauce will smooth out.

Now you have this beautiful blank canvas to season to your hearts desire, garlic, truffle oil, Srirachi, Oh My! My heart desired the ever so addicting spicy Sriracha. Squeeze teaspoons at a time, tasting while you go until you have reached maximum yummieness! 

Spoon it over these AMAZING Spaghetti Squash Pancakes or store in an air tight container in the refrigerator.

This recipe has been adapted from the beautiful Julia Child.

Tickled Pickled Green Beans

Bathing suit packed, sunblock stashed, flip flops on...what else do I need. Oh yes, these AMAZING green beans for the loads of cocktails and charcuterie platters that are on the menu for this boushy Palm Springs Birthday Weekend!

We were so excited when we got the invite to spend this blistering august summer in Palm Springs with our sister-in-laws. We feel like real adults being invited for a Palm Springs weekend. AND we aren't messing around, we rented a beautiful classic Palm Springs retro house and have the most amazing dinner reservations set up all weekend. It's going to be amazing...did I mention our fabulous boushy weekend is also landing on the hottest heatwave to hit Southern California. Here we come 118 degree weather, nothing is going to stop us!!! Let the birthday festivities begin!

I'm not sure if our sister-in-laws know what's going to hit them when we roll up to this Modern Spanish Style Hacienda with a Palm Springs twist. Cause we are rolling deep with our bean bag toss game, bottles and bottles of vodka (for martinis of course, shaken not stirred), and dare I say it...hopefully a Slip n' Slide!! That's what happens when you invite your little brother and his wife, we bring the party!!!

But let's get back to the real point of this weekend, not that we are celebrating these beautiful ladies birthdays or anything BUT these green beans should be on everyone's packing list. Paired with cheese and meats for a delicious pool side snack, or slipped into a spicy Bloody Marry, these things will go FAST! Make a huge batch or you will need to ration them out.

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Serves a bunch of fancy friends 

Ingredients for Herbivore + Caveman alike:

Beautiful container to pickle your green beans in

Green Beans, ends trimmed (As many as you can fit in the container that you are choosing)

3 cups White Vinegar

4 cloves of Garlic, sliced

2 Tbs coarse Salt

1 Tbs Black Pepper, coarsely ground (I like to leave big chunks)

2 tsp Sugar

1 Tbs of Chili Pepper Flakes (In my book the hotter the better)

HINTS:

Smoosh green beans and sliced garlic into your beautiful container

In a saucepan, combine vinegar, salt, pepper, sugar and Chili pepper flakes and bring to a boil

Gingerly pour hot liquid into jar ensuring you don't scold yourself in the process like me.

Seal and close your container and let goodness cool to room temperature before moving the green beans to the fridge.

Pair them with meats and cheeses for a fancy cheese platter, dunk them in a Bloody Mary or just snack on them al natural. Seriously soooo good, devour them as soon as they are nice and cold or let them sit as long as you can hold off. They are the kind of snack that just gets better and better as it sits in this beautiful liquid gold!

"Dreaming of the Mediterranean" Pasta

Let's go on a picnic! Let's sprawl a beautiful blanket on a sandy beach and lay under a shady umbrella. I'll be dreaming of the Mediterranean, since that is all I can think about with vacation talk floating around. But, until then this AMAZING pasta will do the trick!!!

The Caveman and I always try and plan at least one vacation a year. It can be something simple like camping in Yosemite (granted Yosemite is fairly close to us) or scuba diving in Belize. What ever the adventure is we often save our money and plan things to "do" versus have. This became a kind of mantra for us after one nutty holiday season. All I know is that I should have invested in wrapping paper or tape!!!

Often after a wrapping paper tornado, aka Christmas you forget all the tangible gift you many have received but, you will never forget about an amazing trip. Memories in my book are invaluable. So as we research this year's vacation and study the cheapest way to get from point A to point B I want to share with you this dreamy pasta dish! 

A one pot wonder makes this pasta dish the most easiest meal so that you have plenty of time to pack your picnic, potluck or simply day dream about your future vacation plans. 

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Serves 6 (day dreaming herbivores and cavemen)

Ingredients for Herbivore

12 oz. container of regular or whole wheat pasta (whatever you do, don't use gluten free as the gluten-y goodness helps make the sauce)

1 can of black olives, rinsed and sliced

1 can of marinated artichoke hearts, drained and sliced

1 can of cooked chickpeas, rinsed well cooked chickpeas

2 tablespoons of capers

Half of a large yellow onion, chopped

2 cloves of garlic, minced

1 can of diced tomatoes (my favorite is San Marzano)

1 tablespoon of Herb de Provence

1 tablespoon of oregano

1 teaspoon of red pepper flakes (let your taste buds guide you on this one, I LOVE spicy)

1/2 teaspoon of ground black pepper

Salt to taste (because this quick meal relies on canned goods, I suggest waiting until you are at the table before salting your beautiful bowl of pasta)

3 cups of vegetable broth, again try and get low sodium otherwise you will be drinking water like a camel

Ingredients for Caveman:

Heaps of Feta Cheese

1/2 a lb. of large shrimp

Hints:

1.) Place all ingredients (except feta and shrimp) starting from top to bottom of ingredient list in a large pot. 

2.) Bring to a boil of medium-high heat.

3.) Once boil, reduce heat and simmer, covered for 8-10 minutes or until pasta is al dente.

4.) Lightly salt and pepper the shrimp and place in a oiled skillet for cooking. Cook for 3-4 minutes or until shrimp is pink and not translucent.

5.) Once pasta is done to your likely place heaps in a bowl and top with sauteed shrimp and yummy feta.

Blueberry + Ricotta Goodness

I think my friend is trying to kill me. Who knew going from sea level to high elevation does a number on your respiratory system? 

I was blessed this week to see my beautiful friend in Boulder, Colorado! Between the sensory overload of the most beautiful landscape and iron flats I was gasping for air.  I love to hike and play and play and play but, in Boulder I was pooped after walking the dogs. P.S. walking the dogs for Boulderians might as well be a hike!!!  She totally tricked me but, not my lungs!!

I needed my dosage of hippie soul sister and that was exactly what was in store for this trip. Between our Goddess Yoga classes and Reiki Healing sessions I was determined to feed my sister the most delicious meals as my gift for hosting me. 

But, you know, sometimes you wake up and all you really want is every meal on a crostini! It's like a fun challenge, today is that day for me and I am dragging my friend along for this adventure...hopefully she will forget about the big hike she has planned for us today (cross your fingers and toes). Maybe I can distract her with how many meals and snacks I can ensure are hearty and totally serviceable on a toasted piece of carb.

B E S T   D A Y   E V E R ! ! !  

The highlight of my carbo-loading day (preparing for my hike, duh!) is the beautiful Blueberry + Ricotta Goodness.

There is so many options with this beautiful crostini meal but, I would highly recommend utilizing these antioxidant punched berries fresh for this recipe. But imagine them roasted - Mind Blown - you know me and my roasting obsession! Give it a whirl!

Wish me luck in this ultra marathoner, trail running town!!

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Serves 6 (air deprived Californians or hiking obsessed Boulder friends)

Ingredients for Herbivores + Cavemen alike:

1 crusty baguette

1 carton of blueberries

1 cup of organic ricotta cheese

2 tablespoons of local honey

1 tablespoon of lemon juice

3 large sprig of fresh basil sliced into ribbons (keep a few ribbons for garnishing)

Pinch pink Himalayan sea salt (and another pinch for garnishing)

Hints:

1.) Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2.) Cut your beautiful crusty baguette into thick slices and distribute on a baking sheet. Brush slices with olive oil and toast in the oven for 5-7 minutes or until crostinis are a light golden brown.

3.) In a medium bowl mix together remaining ingredients and combine well.

4.) Slather toasted crostinis with organic ricotta cheese and top with beautiful blueberry mixture.

5.) Garnish crostinis with reserved basil ribbons and pink Himalayan sea salt.

6.) Devour! 

Roasted Tomato Heaven

Roasted Tomato Heaven Happy belated 4th of July! I am so excited to share with you my rom-com with tomatoes!!! 

I wouldn't touch them with a ten foot pole!  

I love the theory behind these little rubies, their color, their smell, the burst of sunshine...  and then I remember the texture and immediately turn into a 7 year old school girl.  

Now that I am an "adult"?!?!?!!? I have decided to become obsessed with tomatoes. First I started growing my own!!!! Can anyone say h . e . i . r . l . o . o . m ??? I was so proud of my little babies that when the time finally came for my to try the fruits of my labor I couldn't contain my excitement. I popped the most beautiful jewel into my mouth and immediately regretted my mission.

So maybe raw tomatoes aren't my thing but, what do I do with my "crazy tomato lady" harvest?

On to roasting...

These amazing roasted tomatoes are like a drug...crack tomatoes!!!  The tomatoes are roasted in high heat with handfuls and handfuls (and if you are like me, another handful) of garlic cloves, doused with extra virgin olive oil and snowed with sea salt flakes!  You will want to put this concoction on everything but, tonight I placed them on a bed of linguine. 

Versatile enough to keep vegan and paired with the perfect protein suitable for a caveman. I kept my batch classic, topped with torn fresh basil with a side of Cabernet! For the dude I dotted his tomatoes with warm goat cheese and topped with roasted chicken. Obsessed!

So how would you devour your Roasted Tomato Heaven???

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Serves 4 (hungry friends)

Ingredients for HERBIVORE:

1 container of your favorite organic cherry/grape size tomatoes

1 head of garlic (or two if you are like me and love garlic breath)

1/2 cup of extra virgin olive oil 

Fresh pasta such as Linguine or Pappardelle (I can't resist the broad ribbons)

For your CAVEMAN:

Goat cheese

Roasted chicken breast (Optional)

Salt + Pepper

HINTS:

Pre-heat oven to 400

Bring a pot of water to a boil for pasta

Wash and dry your favorite cherry/grape size tomatoes and place in a oven safe casserole dish. 

Peel garlic and place in casserole dish with tomatoes

Drizzle olive oil over tomatoes and garlic

Sprinkle with salt and pepper

Bake for 20 minutes or until tomatoes begin to burst with goodness and garlic is soft

While your down there add your chicken to the oven and bake for 30 minutes (for the caveman)

Salt the boiling water (this is your only opportunity to jam pack your pasta with flavor) 

While tomatoes are baking cook pasta to packaged directions

When pasta is el dente remove from heat and drain

When your timer goes off for the chicken remove from oven

Get ready to make dinner art and assemble your Roasted Tomato Heaven on a plate!!!

Marinara Therapy

As I am writing this I am huffing and puffing, trying to keep up with my eight year old nephew! Hold on, let me just catch my breath!

Let me tell you the entire zoo needs to recover from this nephew weekend.  Baby Nephew, who isn't very baby anymore, is leaving for Italy next week with his Nona and we are so jealous...I mean excited for him. 

Baby Nephew has been practicing his Italian; Mi scusi, dov'è il bagno? and Un cono con due gusti, per favore. Now that he knows how to ask where the bathroom is and to specify that he wants two scoops of gelato I think it only makes sense to prep him for the world of marinara!!! Since he is Italian this should come as second nature to him. But, let me tell you making marinara from scratch is by far the easiest thing to make. In the amount of time it takes to boil water for pasta and open the marinara jar you could have made a crowd pleasing, "Ooooo" provoking homemade marinara sauce! Plus, it's uber therapeutic stirring that sauce until its fragrant and has a moment of messiness that is perfect for little boy hands. 

This batch of marinara makes about 1 1/2 cups of sauce that can be used for ANYTHING!! Gnocchi, pizza, dipping, come on...Spaghetti! Tonight we decided to smother veggie and turkey meatballs for Ciao Bella Italiano Submarines!!! Perfect for your Caveman or your little Nephew Caveman.

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Serves 6 (hungry nephews)

Ingredients for HERBIVORES:

2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil

8 cloves of garlic, peeled and sliced (Come on you should know me by now, I don't really even count my garlic. I just stop when the house gets nice and stinky)

2 lbs of fresh roma tomatoes or 1 (28 oz) can of peeled tomatoes. (This is the most important part, this is the essence of your marinara. Let me tell you fresh tomatoes are the way to go but, if you are in the middle of winter I'll forgive you for buying canned. Just be sure you buy a good quality brand that you trust. Personally, I am obsessed with San Marzano tomatoes, come on their from Italy!)

A daring pinch of crushed red pepper flakes

1 1/2 teaspoons of coarse salt

1/4 teaspoon of dried oregano

1/4 teaspoon of black pepper

1 large sprig of fresh basil

Hints:

Heat oil in a large sauce pan over medium heat

Add sliced garlic to olive oil and simmer til fragrant and golden

Let's get messy - In a large bowl, crush your tomatoes and keep all their juices

Add and combine tomatoes and spices to the garlicky sauce pan

Place the sprig of basil on top of the sauce and scoop sauce on top of the basil.

This is the painful part - Let simmer for 15 minutes - Do as I do and sneak tastes through out this whole simmer time!!!

Smoother anything in sight with this stuff!!!!

Ciao Bella Submarine

We are going through some CRAZY weather here in Southern California, like Costa Rica, Maui weather, just without the mosquitoes. T H A N K  H E A V E N ! ! ! Weather like this all you can do is hide out in your house and watch Netflix all day, right?? With the house like a icebox I have a hankering for comfort food, it might just be the heat exhaustion talking.  

I don't know about you but, I have had my fair share of watermelon, summer fruit and seasonal salads. But, with the winds changing (in our case the lack of any breeze to cool us off) and moving into late summer I think I am ready for some cozy meals. Something with in-season tomatoes, peppers and squash. Something that allows me to turn on my oven for a little bit. SERIOUSLY...it might be heat exhaustion! 

My nephew has been staying with us which turns on mommy mode, hard core. Stop touching that, stop running, stop chasing the dogs, stop chasing the chickens, stop playing on your Kindle - your eyes are going to turn into squares. That last one doesn't work on this generation. But, when he asked for Meatball Subs on a 90 degree July day, I said YES!!! Let's put that Marinara Therapy to good use and crank up the AC. 

This recipe is mostly assembly if you have already stashed away some Marinara Therapy but, I do have a sneaky little treat in here for you! Auntie needed a little glass of wine today so, she made Pinot Noir Caramelized Onions!!!

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Serves 6 (hungry nephews on a 90 degree day)

Ingredients for Herbivores:

1 large red onion thinly sliced

2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil

2 cups of Pinot Noir

16 oz bag of frozen meatless meatballs (my favorite are Trader Joe's Meatless Meatballs)

1 Stash of "Marinara Therapy"

Ingredients for Caveman:

Yummy thick sliced provolone cheese

*Turkey meatballs (optional)

Hints:

1.) Heat oil in a large sauce pan over low-medium heat

2.) Add thinly sliced onions to olive oil and simmer til fragrant and becoming that beautiful carmel color

3.) Once the onions are nice and soft start adding the Pinot Noir large splashes at a time. Let the liquid evaporate and continue til you have added all the yummy Pinot. This is a slow process but, will be well worth it!!

4.) Combine meatless meatballs and "Marinara Therapy" in a deep skillet and bring to a boil. Once at a boil, reduce heat and simmer until the meatless meatballs are cooked through

*If your caveman opts to have meaty meatballs, at this point combine meaty meatballs with 1 cup of the "Marinara Therapy" in a seperate skillet and follow the same directions as the vegan option. Please follow the directions on the meatballs that you have selected for cook time, please ensure meatless meatballs are cooking throughout. Best part is taste-testing one before committing.

5.) I like my buns toasty so if you do too, the very last step before assembly is to place the buns on a cooking sheet and place in the oven at 350 until they have a nice golden crust look to them.

6.) Assembly time!!! Stuff each bun with a messy yummy meatball mix, top with Pinot Noir onions. For your caveman top with thick slices of provolone cheese (yuuuummmmm) and place back in the oven to get them all melty! About 1-2 minutes.

7.) Shove your faces full of yummy warm goodness!

Sweet Polenta Pancakes with Last of Summer Berries

Okay so this one is crazy easy!!!  I actually feel kinda silly posting about a recipe that is so incredibly easy but I can't resist!  These Sweet Polenta Pancakes are irresistible. Because Saturday mornings are meant for yard sales and feeding the chickens I am keeping this recipe uber uber simple and telling you to "just do it", buy the pre-made polenta that comes in a tube. Just slice it up and it's already pancake shaped.

As a vegan, polenta is an amazing "creamy" base for beautiful veges, thick stews and gravies. It's an ode' to Italia and makes me feel like I'm cooking an old family recipe. But swwweeetttt??? Say, what? When polenta is a staple in your pantry you begin to dream up amazing possibilities for this little wonder. 

Pancakes it is!!!

This comfort food is pulling double duty and providing the most amazing breakfast this morning.  Pan fried in coconut oil lends its sweet nutty flavor and smothered with warm summer berries makes my heart sing. Add organic free range eggs and turkey bacon and your have just made your Caveman's Saturday morning bright!

Did polenta surprise you?

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Serves 4 (hung over friends)

Ingredients for HERBIVORES:

1 (18 oz.) tube of easy peesy tube of plain polenta (Or feel like a true southerner click HERE)

2 tablespoons of coconut oil

1 carton of strawberries

1 carton of blueberries

1 carton of raspberries

2 tablespoons of maple syrup

For your CAVEMAN:

2 eggs

3 slices of turkey bacon

HINTS:

Wash and dry fruit and place in saucepan

Add maple syrup to fruit and simmer on low

Slice polenta in 1/2 inch rounds

Heat coconut oil in pan

Pan fry polenta rounds in coconut oil until golden brown

Feel extra chef-y and crack two eggs in a pan and start frying turkey bacon in the same pan

Get your artsy-fartsy on and plate your creation