I LOVE WAFFLES

.....and The Hubster.  I love him enough to do THIS to his waffles.  I mean, let's be real here: marriage is hard work in order for it to be successful, and the only extra time this took was about a minute longer to use a cookie cutter to cut them out.  That's not hard work.  That's love, if you'll pardon the cliché.  I used a mold for the egg and fixed the plate up all purty-like and he loved it!  And he loves me.  And I'm ever-so-grateful.  Grateful enough to share my vanilla waffle recipe with you!!  It's fast and easy, and you'll love them!  (And maybe you'll learn to love me, too.)

VANILLA WAFFLES

2 cups flour

1 1/2 tbs baking powder

1/4 tsp sea salt

2 tbs sugar

2 eggs, beaten

2 tsp vanilla

1-1/2 cups milk

1/4 cup canola oil (or other medium-to-high heat oil)

Get your waffle iron going by preheating it while you make your batter.  Combine the flour, baking powder, salt and sugar.  Make a hole in the center of your dry ingredients and and add the eggs, vanilla and milk. Stir like a crazy person until well-combined, though your batter may be just a tad lumpy.  Add the oil to your batter and stir again.  Using a ladle, pour desired amount of waffle batter onto your preheated waffle iron, and cook until desired brown-ness (is that a word?).

NOTES: Since carbs, sugar, and flour are a treat in this house, I at least use all-organic ingredients, including the oil, but this is not a necessity in order for the waffle to taste crazy-amazy.  #LoveYou

SCALLOPED PLATE

SHE2016©

Fast, easy, healthy, DELICIOUS!  The night I made this I was cooking all week for a catering gig and needed to be able to put dinner on the table without fuss.  I heated some fettuccine foodles (my name for organic tofu shirtaki noodles) and seasoned them with sea salt, pepper, and garlic powder and made them the resting place for these gorgeous scallops, so it was not only low-carb, it was super-fast!  I had some baby bok choy in the fridge that I got from the Asian market (have I mentioned I LOVE the Asian market??) so I threw them in a pan with some extra virgin olive oil for about five minutes and seasoned them with sea salt, pepper, Chinese five spice, and a dash of soy sauce at the end.  Boomshakalaka.  Literally done in about five minutes.  So below is the recipe for the perfect scallop.  The PERFECT scallop.   

THE PERFECT SCALLOP

sea scallops, patted dry with a paper towel (in this case, there were 10)

extra virgin olive oil (evoo)

1 tbs butter

sea salt 

pepper

In a heavy pan (I use my cast-iron, of course!) on medium-high heat, sprinkle enough evoo to cover the bottom and add the butter.  While the oil is heating, sprinkle your scallops with sea salt and pepper on both sides.  When your butter is melted and your oil gives a little smoke, carefully add the scallops, making certain they do not touch.  Cook for about a minute-and-a-half to two minutes on each side, depending on the size.  Each scallop should have about 1/4-inch crust before turning and removing.  Remove from heat and serve immediately.

NOTES: Fresh cracked black pepper is best for this recipe, but if you don't have that, regular ground pepper will work.  Get that pan screaming hot before placing your scallops in the pan or else they will steam cook and you won't get that beautiful golden brown crust.  

Steak-Garlic Vinaigrette

This image is © 2015 by Life As She Does It. Please link back or credit if any content or images are used. 

Two cloves of garlic, used from Under Five-Minute Steak, chopped finely

1/4 cup balsamic vinegar

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

1 tsp sea salt

1 tsp pepper

Place all ingredients in a small jar with a lid - I just used an old mason jar.  Shake until good and mixed up.  Pour over hearty lettuce, like Romaine, to go with your awesome steak.

This image is © 2015 by Life As She Does It. Please link back or credit if any content or images are used. 

This turned out to be one of the most-flavorful (but also one of the fastest AND easiest!) dinners we have ever had, believe it or not!  Now, to finish it off, a friend of ours, Terry McCanless (we call him T-Bone, totally appropriate for this particular post!), created a masterpiece that The Hubster ate after this steak-creation.  

Boys and girls, don't try this ooey-gooey goodness at home!  Oh, who am I kidding?!?  DEFINITELY TRY THIS AT HOME!!  (Thanks, T-Bone!!)

This image is © 2015 by Life As She Does It. Please link back or credit if any content or images are used. 

Wanna see how the Under Five-Minute Steak was made?  In REAL-TIME?  Click HERE!  Don't forget to like the video and subscribe to the channel!

Mexi-CAN Chalupas

This image is © 2015 by Life As She Does It. Please link back or credit if any content or images are used. 

There should be a Chalupa Crush Wednesday on social media....because I am crushing on THIS!!  I USUALLY have a two-week grocery shopping list and meal planner, but for some reason since we got back from New York, I have been VERY out-of-sorts!  So fast and easy is what's for dinner lately, and this DEFINITELY fit the bill!  

CHALUPAS

1 pkg tortillas

3 pkgs ground turkey

2 cans refried beans

1/2 bunch cilantro, chopped coarse

1/4 head small purple cabbage, sliced fine

1 head Romaine lettuce, sliced fine

8 grape tomatoes, diced fine

8 green onion, diced

diced avocado, sprinkled with a little lime

2 jalapeno, seeded, diced fine

3 pkgs taco seasoning

1/2 cup water

sea salt

pepper

garlic

cumin

extra virgin olive oil (evoo)

Sprinkle enough evoo in heavy pot or Dutch oven, cook turkey meat on medium-high heat, and sprinkle the top with sea salt, pepper, cumin and garlic, mixing and then cooking until browned.  Meanwhile, in a saucepan, heat refried beans and chop all your veggies.  Once the meat is browned, add taco seasoning and water (see notes), and let sit a minute or two to absorb the liquid and flavor.  While it is resting, heat enough evoo in a heavy skillet to cover bottom.  Add a drop of water; once the water sizzles, add your tortillas (see notes) and brown on both sides.  Stack your tortilla with your beans, meat, veggies and cheese.

NOTES: I use organic ingredients whenever possible, but it is not always available.  For the taco seasoning, I simply made sure there was no MSG, synthetic ingredients, or preservatives.  The tortillas I use are low-carb, but you can use the tortillas of your choice!  This was a big batch of meat, but it made dinner for four, and lunch for The Hubster AND me for the next day!!

WANNA SEE IT IN REAL TIME?  CHECK OUT MY YOUTUBE CHANNEL HERE. Don't forget to like it and subscribe!