Now look at me.  I’m covering my sweet potatoes with the stuff. 

I strategically sliced my sweet potatoes into rounds rather than fries, so that each little piece could carry the mother-load of both blue cheese and cheddar cheese.  

We ate these three times last week.  When something  gets made (and demolished) more than twice in one week at our house, it’s definitely blog worthy.  So here you have them.  Dig on in.  

Oven Baked Blue Cheese & Cheddar Sweet Potato Rounds

2013-06-16 18:49:14

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Ingredients

1 large sweet potato, peeled

1/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese

3-4 tbsp crumbled blue cheese

2-3 tbs extra virgin olive oil

1/2 tsp garlic salt

salt & pepper

Instructions

Preheat oven to 425.

Slice sweet potato into thin round discs (using a knife or mandolin).

Toss with oil and season with garlic salt & salt and pepper.

Spread out on a baking sheet in a single layer. Bake for 20-30 minutes, or until rounds are slightly browned and crispy, turning once half way through.

Remove from oven and move sweet potatoes closer together. Sprinkle with cheeses and return to oven for another 3-4 minutes or until cheeses are melted.

By Sweet Treats & More

Sweet Treats & More http://sweettreatsmore.com/

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© Kristy for Sweet Treats & More, 2013. | Permalink | 7 comments | Add to del.icio.us
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BUT! I had so much fun, met some amazing people and came home feeling inspired and excited about baking and cooking, photographing, writing about and sharing food with you.  And really, it felt like a super fun girls trip.  Can we go back next month please? 

Probably not.  On to the eggs.  Brett and I have been on an egg kick for the last month or so.  They’re our go-to when we don’t have anyting else to eat (meaning I didn’t plan dinner), which seems to happening more frequently lately.  I blame summer.  

Egg white omelets are the latest fav, and I love this one stuffed with cheese and smashed avocado.  Using avocado, you replace the egg yolks with a much healthier (and tastier) source of fat.  I mean c’mon, it’s avocado.  So I might use a little more than necessary:)

So feel free to do the same…

Smashed Avocado & Egg White Omelet

2013-06-11 23:09:30

healthy and delicious, egg white omelet stuffed with cheese and smashed avocado.

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Ingredients

4 egg whites

2-3 tbsp shredded cheddar cheese

1/4 of a ripe avocado, smashed

salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

Beat egg whites together in a bowl, season with salt and pepper and set aside.

Place a non-stick omelet pan over medium-low heat. (If you don't have a non-stick omelet pan, coat a small cooking pan with a dab of coconut oil)

Pour egg mixture into the pan and as the egg starts to firm up, use a small rubber spatula to gently pull the edges away from the pan. Starting at the edge and working to the middle until you can shake the pan and the egg easily slides around.

Flip the egg (easier said than done). Use a large spatula to flip it or go for the old air flip (as my husband does).

Once flipped, spread smashed avocado all over one half of the cooked side. Top with cheese. Fold edge over to cover the cheese and avocado. Remove from heat, season with more salt and pepper if needed, and sever with salsa.

By Sweet Treats & More

Sweet Treats & More http://sweettreatsmore.com/

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© Kristy for Sweet Treats & More, 2013. | Permalink | 17 comments | Add to del.icio.us
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Hey y’all.  Just got back from the BlogHer Food Conference in Austin, Texas.  I’m tired (stayed up way too late with girls chatting) and still stuffed from all the food I ate (think- chips and guac, tacos, fried avocados, and more tacos), but wanted to remind you about this last chance to win a trip to the Duncan Hines Test Kitchen this September.  I’ll be there and I’m bringing along one reader, but there’s still a chance for YOU to come along.  

And after this last weekend in Austin, I’ve decided trips like these are opportunities to create new friendships and make lots of fun memories! 

Visit duncanhines.com/springbake to see the rules and enter their Spring Bake Contest.  HURRY contest ends tonight at midnight! 

© Kristy for Sweet Treats & More, 2013. | Permalink | One comment | Add to del.icio.us
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On the rare occasion we eat fast food we always prefer Chick-Fil-A.  It’s one fast food restaurant I fell in love with when I moved to Utah over six years ago.  We didn’t have one where I grew up nor where I went to college, but there’s a couple here in Utah and Utah folk are crazy for some Chick-Fil-A!  There’s one just five minutes from my house and on any given day of the week it’s jam packed.  Swarming with moms and kids–it’s the best lunch play date! 

I’ve always loved how fresh their food tastes, especially their chicken.  Ohhh the chicken is so good. Nine times out of ten I order the chicken nuggets along with my three year old:) But Chick-Fil-A just came out with some fresh new salads that I love!  And a few weeks ago, the restaurant hosted ten of me and my girlfriends for a Salad Tasting Party.  

We toured the kitchen (I can’t believe how clean it was), learned all about how FRESH their food is, and had fun sampling each of the new salads along with anything else on the menu!  Did you know that all of their chicken is made fresh daily?  I love that, no wonder it tastes so good. Here’s a look at each of the salads….   

 Chick-fil-A Cobb Salad: Chick-fil-A Nuggets, pressure-cooked, sliced and served hot on a fresh bed of chopped romaine lettuce and baby greens, topped with shredded red cabbage and carrots, roasted corn kernels, a blend of shredded Monterey Jack and cheddar cheeses, crumbled bacon, diced eggs and grape tomatoes. Made fresh daily. Served with Charred Tomato Crispy Red Bell Peppers and Avocado Lime Ranch dressing (or guest’s choice of dressing). The salad is 430 calories and contains 39 grams of protein. 

 Chick-fil-A Asian Salad: Chick-fil-A Nuggets, pressure-cooked, sliced and served hot on a fresh bed of chopped romaine lettuce and baby greens, topped with shredded red and green cabbage, carrots and mandarin orange segments. Served with Honey Thai Almonds, Chinese Garlic & Ginger Wontons and Honey Sesame dressing (or guest’s choice of dressing). The salad has 330 calories and 13 grams of fat.

 Chick-fil-A Grilled Market Salad: Grilled and sliced chicken breast served on a fresh bed of chopped romaine lettuce and baby greens, topped with shredded red cabbage and carrots, crumbled blue cheese and a mix of red and green apples, strawberries and blueberries. Served with Harvest Nut Granola, Roasted Nut Blend and Zesty Apple Cider Vinaigrette (or guest’s choice of dressing). The salad has 180 calories, 4 grams of fat and includes two servings of vegetables and one serving of fruit.

My favorite is the Grilled Market Salad! I love the grilled chicken, all the yummy toppings, and the Apple Cider Vinegar is pretty tasty.  Thanks for the night out with my girlfriends Chick-Fil-A, we love your new salads!!

Have you tried the new salads at Chick-Fil-A?  Do you have a favorite? Want to try all three? I’ve got THREE  Chick-Fil-A gift cards up for grabs.   You’ll get to try all three of the new salads!  Leave a comment to enter and I’ll announce three winners Monday, June 10th!! 

I received free product for this post, all opinions are my own. 

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This Cheesy Italian Meatball Penne Bake has become one of my family’s  favorite dinners.  Owen thinks meatballs are the coolest thing.  He sticks them with his fork and shoves the whole thing in his mouth at once.  And Miles can eat more of it than his big brother.  The kid loves the stuff.  And my husband, well, he can just about eat the entire pan.  What man doesn’t love meatballs?  Can you guess what I love about it?  The cheese! It’s fully loaded with cheese and I love it. 

The one hang up with this dish?  It’s a mess of a dinner.  My boys are a mess , the pan’s a mess, even the oven is a mess.  A messy oven is my worst nightmare!  When was the last time you cleaned YOUR oven? 

I refuse to answer…

I’ll be honest, cleaning the oven isn’t at the top of my priority list.  In fact, one of my least favorite things about being a food blogger is the absurd amount of dishes I wash and the number of times I clean my kitchen in a day.  So adding the oven to the list sometimes slips my mind.  I’m typically the clean as you go type and like to have the dinner mess cleaned up right after dinner.  But the second my kids’ plates are clean they are ready to play.  We try to do something together as a family in the evenings, whether it’s just playing together with toys or walking to the park.  Clean up either has to be really quick or just has to wait.  As much as I want my kitchen clean I’d much rather spend time playing with my family. 

Which is exactly why my oven has been neglected.  Doesn’t an oven take hours to clean? (It really has been that long for me)

The solution?  The LG EasyClean™ Double Oven Range.  Have you heard about it?  

LG’s EasyClean™’ mottos is:  A Clean Oven in Minutes, Not Hours.  (Just what I need!)

Not enough time to clean your oven? (no, never!) No worries. LG brings you the new generation of oven cleaning with EasyClean™. All LG double oven ranges provide a quick and convenient way to clean your oven, while still being able to use the conventional self-clean method. EasyClean works in three simple steps. Spray the oven interior with water, press the EasyClean button, then in just 20 minutes, wipe away any residual bits of grime*. No chemicals or high heat needed to keep your oven sparkling clean. (*Heavy build-up may require additional manual effort or use of the full self-clean feature). To learn more about LG EasyClean click here.

A clean oven in 20 minutes? Now that I could make time for! Especially after a messy meal that bubbles and splatters all over the oven.   

That is of course after I clean up my messy kids….

What is YOUR family’s favorite meal that leaves your oven messy?  Leave a comment telling me for a Chance to Win an LG EasyClean™ Double Oven Range! 

Sweepstakes Rules:

No duplicate comments.

You may receive (2) total entries by selecting from the following entry methods:

1. Leave a comment in response to the sweepstakes prompt on this post
2. Tweet (public message) about this promotion; including exactly the following unique term in your tweet message: “#SweepstakesEntry”; and leave the URL to that tweet in a comment on this post
3. Blog about this promotion, including a disclosure that you are receiving a sweepstakes entry in exchange for writing the blog post, and leave the URL to that post in a comment on this post
4. For those with no Twitter or blog, read the official rules to learn about an alternate form of entry.

This giveaway is open to US Residents age 18 or older. Winner  will be selected via random draw, and will be notified by e-mail. You have 72 hours to get back to me, otherwise a new winner will be selected.

BlogHer will pool entries from participating blogs and select a sweepstakes winner at random and will contact the winner with details about fulfilling the prize.

The Official Rules are available here.

This sweepstakes runs from 5/22/13 – 7/15/13.

Cheesy Italian Meatball Penne Bake

2013-06-03 13:57:08

cheesy Italian penne pasta bake, loaded with meatballs!

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Ingredients

1 1/2 lbs extra lean ground beef

1/2 cup Italian bread crumbs

1 egg

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

1/2 tsp garlic salt

1/2 tsp onion salt

1/2 tsp oregano

2 Tbs grated Parmesan cheese

1 (13.2 oz) box of whole grain Penne pasta

4-5 cups marinara sauce (2 1/2 24oz jars)

1 1/4 cup mozzarella cheese (1/4 cup reserved)

1 1/4 cup shredded parmesan cheese

salt & pepper to taste

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350.

In a large mixing bowl combine ground beef, bread crumbs, egg, and seasonings. Mix with clean hands until well incorporated.

Form golf ball sized (1-inch) meatballs and place on a lightly greased one-inch deep baking sheet (it’s better to use a baking sheet with an edge). Bake for 20-30 minutes turning once half way through (cook until no longer pink in the middle). Set meatballs aside.

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Stir in penne pasta and boil for 9-10 minutes or until al dente.

Drain pasta and pour into a large bowl. Gently toss pasta, 1 cup of each mozzarella and parmasen cheese, four cups of marinara sauce, and meatballs together.

Pour into a greased 9X13 inch pan. Top with remaining 1/4 cup mozzarella and parmesan cheese and cover with foil. Bake for 20-25 minutes covered, then remove the foil and finish cooking for another 5-10 minutes, until cheese is melted and sauce is bubbly.

By Sweet Treats & More

Sweet Treats & More http://sweettreatsmore.com/

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© Kristy for Sweet Treats & More, 2013. | Permalink | 87 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: cheesy, Italian, meatballs, pasta

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