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i'm dancing for real about this: i've got a new blog home! click here to find me (or copy and paste http://www.dancingwithmyfather.net !!!) 

and MUCH thanks to our dear friend ky and my studly husband for tireless work (still-in-progress) getting this up and running!!!

 hugs!!! - angela

turkey-sweet-potato hash with fried eggs

the fork pierces buttery-brown-edged egg white and warm, gooey egg yolk drizzles onto crispy fried sweet potatoes scrambled with turkey sausage.  who needs a diner this saturday morning?  we've got it going on in this kitchen.

eggs are very important in this house; they must be properly cooked.  for me, that usually means butter-crisped edges on the whites, and a soft, slightly runny but almost-creamy yolk.  i had two sweet potatoes left from the week's menu; not enough to bake even "fries" for this household-of-seven.  so i decided to make my own version of the "skillet" we'd order at a diner if we had the option.

super-easy:

peel and chop two sweet potatoes and one onion.  

drizzle coconut oil and a pat of butter into a hot skillet.

add one pound of turkey sausage.

(ground turkey will work here, also; just add sage and garlic with it.)

stir and cook until sausage and potatoes are browned and onions are translucent.

set individually plated servings in oven to stay warm;

top each with an egg-over-medium.

sprinkle with chopped chives or green onion.

enjoy!

simplest and sweetest snack.

the peaches were divine for a couple weeks. and they were reasonably priced. and then the husband went hunting with Papa Dale in georgia, and they brought back a case (yes!) of fresh, for real ripe from the tree peaches from this beautiful "little" place that they were privileged to tour called Lane Southern Orchards.  it was peaches for breakfast, snack, and dessert. we were eating peaches in crisp and peaches with yogurt and peaches baked and topped with a dollop of ice cream (whoops! never did make that recipe!) 

but i think this was my favorite.  sweet.  simple.  perfection.

fresh peaches with raw salted caramel sauce.  this was my afternoon snack, but it'd be perfect for breakfast, maybe with greek yogurt or nuts?

the raw caramel sauce was a snap to make in my mini food processor.

Raw Caramel Sauce

1/2 cup pitted medjool dates (soak in 1 tablespoon warm water for 5 minutes if desired)

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon vanilla or caramel flavoring (opt: use ground vanilla bean)

just give it a whirl and drizzle over the peaches.  enjoy!!!

savory beef tenderloin

garlic might could become its own food group. sauteed with a little butter and herbs, this simple little steak topping found its place on our new favorites list. 

while we were all trying to be nice and polite and share, we noticed Little had grabbed the bowl and was happily dipping his steak (which he's taught himself to cut solo now, by-the-way and thank-you-very-much).  

a buttery pan-fried steak - next time i plan to serve this with a tomato-avocado salad with a lemony dressing.  i think the creamy avocado would compliment, and the tartness of tomato and lemon would be the perfect foil, for the rich garlicky steak seasoning.

find the recipe here.  enjoy!

this month as an allrecipes allstar, i've been trying out some goodies from Goya.

the recipes we chose have fit well with the way we're trying to eat these days: food that's simple to prepare, but full of flavor, and focused on fruits and vegetables, quality meats and healthy fats, including nuts and seeds.

this recipe for roast adobo pork loin fit the bill.  the "secret" addition of cinnamon added the perfect amount of sweetness, and i think it might be a great autumn dish.  we served our with sweet potatoes and onions that we roasted right in the pan.

true confession: i've had a tendency to overcook my pork lately.  don't do this.  :)

it makes it dry and unappetizing!  although i wish i'd left this one a little more pink (note to self: if it seems like it's been a while since you checked the timer, it has), the flavor was still good!

having a Mexican-food-loving husband has made testing these Goya recipes easy.  he even forgave me the over-cooking.  next time, i'm trying this one in the slow cooker.  with the longer, slow-cooked method, i think it might be even better.

for always.

sometimes things get out of order. 

the not-exactly-vital somehow seems life-necessary, and the only "thing" that matters seems mundane.  deceptively, deadlines and external gratification become front-burner and real relationship gets lost.

and then sometimes, you do hard things.  you say "no" to not-forever-important,

and you say "yes" to the people.  and the laughter.  and the quiet conversations.

dinner becomes about "always" and about the heart of the partakers.

 

sure, it's great recipes and steak-in-the-teeth and use-your-napkin and be-kind-to-your-sister.  and it's really about moments that are for always. 

curious your thoughts...

i'm a chipotle girl. i'm a mojo girl. i like hot-and-spicy. but i have to admit, i didn't fall in love with the new Goya Mojo Chipotle. i'm going to try it again to see what i think, but next time i think i'll do a recipe with some maple syrup and lime added.  this was our first run with grilled pork chops with onions.

you can find the recipe in the Goya hub at allrecipes.com, HERE. 

we served ours with roasted green beans.  it was just a bit more spice and a bit less flavor-depth than i like - i think i like the more traditional mojo.  and last time i shopped, i saw a bitter orange variety.  i think i might give that one a try, as well, just for kicks!

give it a try - what do you think?