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Congratulations Lulu!

If you didn't win, don't worry! Jo will be back in the fall with some fresh new designs.

Jalapeño Ginger Chicken

This recipe is a fast, easy, healthy way to make some exciting chicken! I could seriously eat this every day for 2 weeks and not be tired of it. 

I think it would work great as fajitas too! (If anyone tries before I get to, let me know how they turned out.)

Jalapeño Ginger Chicken
serves 2


Ingredients:
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (thawed if using frozen)
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 teaspoon honey (or about 6-10 drops of liquid stevia)
1-2 tablespoons lime juice
1 jalapeño
1/2 inch fresh ginger, grated (about 2 tablespoons)




Start by removing the veins and seeds from your jalapeño, unless you like the added kick, like I do. 


After you've gutted the pepper, cut it up onto small, uniform pieces; because I left my pepper intact, I just sliced it into thin rings.


Once the pepper is cut, add it and the remaining ingredients into a plastic bag, making sure to mix well and refrigerate for 30 minutes, up to 4 hours. (Any more and the acid from the lime juice will break down the chicken too much.)


Remove chicken from refrigerator and let come to room temperature while you pre-heat the oven to about 400F/200C.


Remove chicken breasts from plastic bag and wrap each breast in a foil packet. 


When the oven is at 400F/200C place the foil packets on a roasting pan or directly on the rack and cook for 25-30 minutes, or until juices run clear and chicken is done.


Remove from oven, and let sit for a few minutes before serving.

Next time, I will be sharing my recipe for the roasted vegetables I made to go along with this chicken dish.

Giro d'Italia

Last week, Denmark hosted the first stage of Giro d'Italia, and the towns were painted pink, literally. 

Photos taken by my friends: Amanda and Shrabony

Over in my neck of the woods, the Gågade (walking street/shopping street) was filled with people. On the Church Square, there was an International Market, a free brunch, and a performance by Jasonitterne, Odin Theatre's Italian "friendship" troupe. They also had shopping, kayaking, spinning, and rappelling. 

Photos taken by me

The Giro d'Italia riders arrived around 4:30 on Sunday afternoon, but I was far too short to  see them! Thankfully, I have a very tall husband, and he loved me enough to get some video of the riders passing through.

Here is the first, small group of riders passing through.


Followed by the second, larger group about 2-3 minutes later.

The race was a nice end to a rather long, busy, weekend. 

Giveaway from Joanniel Creations -Raffelcopter

I've got another awesome giveaway from Jo over at

Jo is getting ready to close her shop for the summer and everything is on sale! 

She's got something for every woman, from earrings, to rings, necklaces, and even hair pins! She has some beautiful pieces and her inventory is always fresh. 

Jo has decided to give one of my readers the opportunity to pick ANY one item in her shop. 

Just stopping by quickly to let y'all know I have another awesome giveaway starting tomorrow from Joanniel Creations. She's having a summer closeout sale going on now and the giveaway winner will get to choose 1 of ANY item in her shop! So I will see you tomorrow!

Sorry I've been away again, Hans' morfar (mother's father) passed away this past Saturday. The funeral is today, and I'm planning for things to be a bit more normal tomorrow.

Oven Roasted Parmesan Zucchini Bites

This is a super simple and tasty way to eat your veggies. 

I am seriously addicted to them!

Oven Roasted Parmesan Zucchini Bites

serves: 4, or 1 very hungry person

2 small-medium zucchinis (about 500 grams)

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon pepper

1 teaspoon garlic or onion powder

1 teaspoon olive oil

2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese (about 25 grams)

Preheat oven to 400F/200C.

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Cut zucchini into strips about the size of a steak fry and place them on your baking sheet.

Spray or brush with olive oil. (A sprayer works best because you can coat more with less.)

Sprinkle salt, pepper, and garlic powder (if 1 teaspoon each is not enough, adjust to your taste).

Add Parmesan cheese to the top and pop in the oven for about 20 minutes, or until cheese has browned.

Let cool about 3-5 minutes and eat them all up!

Nutritional Value:

Per serving:

46.9 calories

2.04 grams of fat

1.08 grams of saturated fat

3.9 grams of protein

2.6 grams of carbohydrates

0.05 grams of sugar

1.38 grams of fiber

...or if you want to eat the whole thing

187.75 Calories

8.15 grams of fat

4.33 grams of saturated fat

15.63 grams of protein

10.3 grams of carbohydrates

0.23 grams of sugar

5.5 grams of fiber

Linking up here:
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Avocado Egg Salad

After eating too many of the cookies I made, I decided I needed make up for all those empty calories with something much healthier. I may be biased, but this was definitely the best egg salad I've ever had!

Avocado Egg Salad

4 Servings

4 large (about 50 grams each) hard boiled eggs, peeled

1 large (about 100 grams), ripe avocado

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon black pepper

1 teaspoon cumin

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1/2 tablespoon lime juice

Halve avocado, remove seed, and scoop the 'meat' into a small bowl.

Add lime juice and spices.

Smash together all ingredients until you have a chunky, applesauce-like consistency.

Take hard boiled eggs and tear into small pieces that are similar in size.

Add eggs to the avocado mixture and stir to combine.

Nutritional Value:

104 calories

8.2 grams of fat

1.7 grams of saturated fat

6.2 grams of protein

2.6 grams of carbohydrates

.25 grams of sugar

1.8 grams of fiber

Serve on rice cakes with fresh baby spinach and tomato slices for a healthy, but filling lunch, with only 45 calories more per serving!

Linking up here:
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Homemade Chocolate Lofthouse-Style Sugar Cookies with Frosting

If you're on Pinterest then chances are, you have seen all of the Lofthouse copycat recipes. Most of them are exactly the same, a few call for salt while others dot not. I looked at the recipe for Soft Sugar Cookies over at The Novice Chef and decided I could make the same cookies for my Husband's birthday.

Since my husband is a chocolate whore (pardon my language), I decided to see if I could find a recipe for chocolate Lofthouse-style sugar cookies. I was very surprised to see that there weren't any. So, I decided to wing it.

Homemade Chocolate Lofthouse-Style Sugar Cookies with Frosting


Yield: about 4 dozen cookies


For the cookies:
6 cups (596 grams) all purpose flour, divided
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cups (84 grams) cocoa powder, unsweetened
1 cup (229 grams) butter, at room temperature
2 cups (383 grams) granulated sugar
3 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups (181 grams) light sour cream


For the frosting:
1 cup (229 grams) butter, at room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1-2 cups (130-260 grams) powdered sugar
3 tablespoons cocoa powder, unsweetened
6 tablespoons heavy cream
Sprinkles (Optional, but fun!)




Directions:
In a medium bowl, whisk 5 cups of flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and cocoa powder; set aside.


In the bowl of a stand mixer with the flat beater attached, cream the butter and granulated sugar at medium speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Scraping down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula, as needed.
**If you aren't fortunate enough to own a stand mixer, like myself, Using the regular beaters on a hand mixer, cream together ingredients.


Add the eggs, one at a time beating until each is incorporated. 


Add the vanilla and sour cream and beat at low speed until combined.


Add the dry ingredients and beat at low speed until just combined, scraping down the bowl as needed.
**If this proves difficult with a hand mixer, switch to dough hooks.


Dough should be the right consistency for rolling, so add additional flour, about 1/4 cup at a time, until this is achieved (up to 1 cup more flour). 


Divide dough into two sections. Flatten into rectangles about 1 1/2 inches thick and wrap with plastic wrap. 


Chill in the refrigerator for 6-8 hours or overnight, do not skip this step.


After the dough has chilled, remove from the refrigerator and preheat the oven to 425F/218C. 


Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper or spray them with nonstick cooking spray, set aside.


Generously dust a work area and rolling pin with a mixture of flour and cocoa powder. 


With a rolling pin, roll the dough out to 1/4-inch thickness.


Using a 2 1/2-inch round cookie cutter, cut out circles and transfer to a baking sheet. 


Bake for 7-8 minutes. 


Immediately transfer cookies to a wire rack to cool.




For the frosting:
To make the frosting, in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together the butter and vanilla.
**Again, use a hand mixer with regular beaters if you lack a stand mixer.


Slowly beat in cocoa powder, followed by powdered sugar. 


Once smooth and creamy, add in heavy cream, 1 tablespoon at a time until the desired spreading consistency is achieved.


Once cookies have cooled completely, frost and add sprinkles.


Let frosting set and store in an air-tight container, allowing cookies sit overnight before serving to allow the flavors to develop.

Linking up here:
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Strawberry Shortcake

My brain is STILL on summer, even after waking up to a temperature of 23F/-5C! Perhaps I'm just trying to will summer to Denmark, or maybe it's because we've booked our flights back home for June/July. Either way, I'm ready for some heat! Of course, I will be eating those words come June/July when I am melting in the hot Texas sun.

The other day, Hans and I came across a kilo (2.2 pounds) of huge, fresh strawberries for 40kr. ($7). Not a bad price at all, around here. As soon as I saw them, in all their glory, I had to make some strawberry shortcake. 

Last night, we had an early dinner and afterwards I put Hans to work hulling and slicing strawberries while I worked on the shortcake.

There are so many different versions of strawberry shortcake out there, but the one I am most familiar with is a sweetened biscuit-like dough.

Strawberry Shortcake

Strawberries:

2.2 pounds (1 kilogram) strawberries, hulled and quartered

9 drops liquid Stevia (or 3 tablespoons of sugar)

Mix strawberries with liquid Stevia (or sugar, if using) and let macerate in the refrigerate, at least 30 minutes.

Cake:

4 cups all-purpose flour

4 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

15 drops of liquid Stevia (or 5 tablespoons of sugar)

2.5 teaspoon salt

2 cups skim milk

1 cup heavy cream

Preheat the oven to 400F/218C.

Sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl. 

Add liquid Stevia (or sugar), milk, and heavy cream. 

Mix until just combined. 

Place mixture in lightly greased 9X13 pan and bake until golden, about 25 minutes.

Remove shortcake from pan and place on a rack to cool slightly. 

Cut cake into 12 pieces and split each piece in half horizontally.

Spoon some of the strawberries with their juice onto each shortcake bottom. 

Top with a generous dollop of whipped cream and then the shortcake top, followed by more whipped cream and strawberries.

Whipped Cream:

3 cups heavy cream, chilled

9 drops liquid Stevia (or 3 tablespoons sugar)

2 teaspoons vanilla (or almond extract)

1 teaspoon freshly grated lemon zest (optional)

Using a mixer, beat together all ingredients, until soft peaks form - about 2 minutes. (5-7 minutes is using a reduced fat whipping cream.)

Bruschetta with Lemon and Rosemary Chicken

This is a super simple, throw together meal, that is full of flavor! 

Here in Denmark we got a taste of spring last week, too bad it didn't last very long. This week it's been flirting with freezing during the day, and dropping a bit below at night, but my brain is stuck on warm, sunny, summers. 

Yesterday while grocery shopping, I made the executive decision to have a light summer time meal. After my husband denied me sushi, I decided that bruschetta would be a nice alternative.

For those of you who like measurements, I apologize in advance. This recipe has no measurements, it's all about how strong (or mild) you like it.

Bruschetta:

6-10 cloves of garlic, peeled and smashed

1-2 medium onions, quartered (I used white, but red/purple onions are fabulous in this)

10 + Roma tomatoes, diced (or you can cheat and add canned tomatoes)

a lot of fresh basil, I used about 1 cup chopped - just gave my basil plants a badly needed haircut

lemon juice, about 1/2 - 1 lemon's worth

1 glug or so of olive oil +1/4 cup or so reserved

1/4 cup of Parmesan cheese (fresh is best, but the stuff in a can works fine)

crumbled feta cheese (more or less to taste)

salt & pepper to taste (always wait until Parmesan and feta have been added before adding salt)

1-2 french baguettes (or more)

herb mix (I used Greek seasoning)

Turn oven on to broil.

Add garlic to your food processor (or mince by hand). After it's minced, reserve about 1/3 for later.

Toss in the onions and mince, followed by the tomatoes, lemon juice, olive oil, cheeses, and basil. Check flavor and season as needed.

Transfer mixture into a bowl and refrigerate at least 30 minutes, but a few hours is even better.

Combine the reserved olive oil, garlic, and about a tablespoon or so of the herb mix in a small bowl. 

Set aside.

Slice your baguettes thinly on the diagonal and arrange on a parchment lined baking sheet in a single layer.

Brush on your oil mixture, making sure to cover the bread well, but not drenching. *Optional - you can add feta or Parmesan to the bread before baking.

Pop in the oven for about 5-10 minutes, paying close attention that you don't burn your bread.

Remove from oven and let cool.

To serve, top each bread slice with a heaping spoonful of bruschetta mixture.

Lemon and Rosemary Chicken:

1 chicken breast per person, cut into fillets or chunks

a few glugs (yes it's a word) of olive oil

lemon juice (about 1/2 a lemon for 1 breast)

1-2 teaspoons dried rosemary per breast (fresh is always better)

1 teaspoon or so of pepper per breast (black, white, pink - your choice - all work well)

Mix spices, chicken, lemon juice, and oil together and let marinate for about 30 min.

Heat a skillet (or frying pan....I'm a Texan, we say skillet.) on high heat, and reduce to med-high.

Add chicken and stir-fry until cooked through, about 5-10 min.