Caramelized Onion and Goat Cheese Tarts

For me when it comes to entertaining I like to keep things somewhat simple, full of flavor, and a presentation that is happy on the eyes and appetite. I especially like to apply this to appetizers, when having friends over you want to be able to engage with your guests, keep the wine flowing, and check in on the cooking main dish from time to time. I like to go with no muss no fuss appetizers, which I think this one is.

The last time I needed an appetizer I tried out the below recipe for caramelized onion and goat cheese tarts. They did not require too many ingredients or too much work. My guests were happy with the outcome and so was I. So next time people show up at your door, give these a try, you will be happy you did.

Caramelized Onion and Goat Cheese Tarts

• 1 tbsp unsalted butter
• 1 large onion, thinly sliced
• 1/4 cup of water
• 1/2 tsp chopped fresh thyme leaves, plus more for garnish
• 1 puff pastry sheet, thawed- the sheets I used were thicker than what I would have liked but oh well, next time I will use the thinner ones
• 1 oz soft mild goat cheese at room temperature

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees
In a heavy skillet, melt butter over medium-high heat. Saute onion, stirring occasionally

Add water and deglaze the skillet, scraping up any brown bits and cooking until the water evaporates. Stir in the thyme and cook until onion is even a deeper brown, about 10 more minutes.

While the onion is cooking, cut off 1/3 of the pastry sheet, cutting lengthwise along the perforated line. Halve the piece again lengthwise to create two 10x3- inch strips. Cut each strip into 8 triangles.

Place triangles on a parchment-lined baking sheet, prick pastry all over with a fork; bake until golden, about 10 minutes. Careful to not let it burn.

Spread goat cheese onto pastry triangles; top with caramelized onion, and garnish with fresh thyme leaves and serve immediately.

To Juice or Not to Juice

To Juice or Not to Juice... That is the question! Is it just me or all over LA are there people walking around with their beloved concoctions of green juice? I feel like now more than ever juicing is the new hot thing. Whether you use a Vitamix and brave making your own juice at home, or you head out to many of the juice spots popping up all over, like Nekter and Kreation.

When Kreation popped up in my neighborhood, and I was feeling, let's be honest, a little full, bloated, and out of shape from a few bender weekends. I decided to give their three day juice kleanse a try. Not eating for three days seemed almost impossible for this foodie, I am not going to lie to you it was not a walk in the park, but I got through the three days a lot lighter, feeling less bloated, and had an overall more lean appearance! Oh and I lost close to 6 lbs!!!

This is what is included in the three day cleanse I chose to partake in which is called 'The Reboot' and here is what to expect if you decide to do one yourself.

Reboot:
Intended for the beginner, the Reboot combines the Master Cleanse juice with several fruit juices and a single green juice. While you receive all the required calories and nutrition from approximately 15 pounds of fruits and vegetable, you are still taking in roughly over 1,000 calories a day so you are not starving yourself or attempting anorexia.

Day 1: If you are someone who enjoys coffee every morning, this will probably be the biggest shock to your system, I experienced sluggishness from not having my morning caffeine jolt, and headaches due to the caffeine withdrawals. Cravings for solid food is par for the course.

Day 2: Your body is still craving solid foods but it is getting used to the all liquid diet. I felt a little crabby and tired in the afternoon of day 2, but by the evening was feeling good, apparently this is due to the toxins leaving my body.

Day 3: You are in the home stretch, you made it this far, why give up now! By day three I was noticeably slimmer, and shockingly had more energy! When on a cleanse rigorous workouts are not suggested but I did feel like I could workout but was advised against it. By the evening I was almost in a state of euphoria!

Day 4: The cleanse is over! Start welcoming solid foods back into your diet gradually, if you go crazy and eat everything in site you are going to pay for it, since your system is not used to solid food.

The best thing I noticed post cleansing aside from a little weight loss, were the lack of cravings. For days and almost weeks after the cleanse, I was eating much lighter and healthier and was not craving heavy rich foods that I typically divulge in. My portion control was a lot better too!

So if you decide to cleanse good luck to you, it is a commitment but it is only three days, so you can do it! I am happy I did!

Baked Eggs

Hi! I am back! I know it has been quite some time since my last post, but what can I say with wedding planning and work, I have been one busy bee! I am still having fun at the beach and experimenting in my kitchen, so I am hoping to catch up on some of the things I have been up to, and have not been able to get on the blog until now!

For Mother's Day this year my mom came to visit us up in Manhattan Beach, we kicked off the morning with mimosas and bakes eggs, and later had a lovely brunch at the The Strand House. Knowing we were headed to brunch later that afternoon, I wanted to have a small bite for breakfast. I found this recipe and split it in half. The breakfast was a total hit and my mom appreciated the thought and effort!

Eggs with Cream, Spinach, and Country Ham
Serves 8- I adjusted the recipes to serve 4

Dinner Party

Post holiday season the last thing I want to think about is cooking or a big meal. Let's just say I am still feeling full from all of the food and booze throughout the Christmas season.

Prior to Christmas we had my bff and her now fiance' (he proposed the night after they came over for dinner!) over for a special meal. It was a great dinner with even better friends. Everything I cooked was super easy, and I was able to prep almost everything prior to our friends arrival so more time was spent chatting than cooking.

We started with Pear, blue cheese, and honey appetizer toasts, I followed this recipe that I found on Pinterest. For the main course I tried another new recipe I found on Pinterest for prosciutto wrapped chicken thighs with Rosemary, this recipe said to grill the chicken thighs, but I baked them at 370 for 40 minutes which worked perfectly and allowed me to stay out of the kitchen and entertain our guests. For a side I cooked up these Brussels Sprouts with Pancetta. Our lovely guests brought the dessert, peppermint ice cream sundaes!

Here are some pictures from the evening!