After you’ve peeled and cored your apple, slice it into about 1/4 inch thin pieces and then cut those pieces into 1/4 inch pieces so you are left with little sticks. I would say the size of a thin french fry. Do the same with the cheese and add them both to a medium bowl.

In a small bowl whisk together the apple cider vinegar, olive oil and salt to taste. When it’s tangy but not overwhelmingly tart, add it to your apple and cheese sticks, stir to coat and stack neatly on your serving plate.

For the finishing touch, chop up some smoked almonds and sprinkle on top! This salad really is too easy to be this good. The flavors are simple, clean and balanced, I hope you enjoy it as much as we do!

Add all the Burger ingredients into a large mixing bowl and get your hands dirty. Mix until all ingredients are just combined but be careful not to over work the mixture, as this could make your meat tough.

Shape the mixture into a ball in the bottom of your bowl and with your fingers place an X on top, this makes it easier to get equal portions for your patties.

Take the portioned out mixture and form into patties, I roll them into a ball, slightly flatten between my palms and use my thumbs to make a shallow center and thick edges. Burgers tend to puff up in the center when cooked, make them like these and you will have flat, uniform burgers. Perfect for stacking

I made mine on a lightly oiled HOT grill pan to get a sear and turned the heat to low so they would evenly cook.

Once you’ve put them not the grill or stove don’t touch them until they are ready to flip. Mine took about 5 minutes on the first side, then I flipped them and added the cheese.

After the cheese is on, top the pan with the biggest lid you have to help the cheese melt and the burgers cook through. If you don’t have a large enough lid, tin foil would certainly work, and if you are on the grill put the lid on. I let them cook for about 6 more minutes, which is about how long it takes to cook an egg over easy.

I start with a medium-hot pan for my eggs, melt the butter, add the eggs and turn the heat down to low. When the egg whites are mostly hardened I flip them and turn off the heat and let them sit for about 30 seconds. They usually come out perfect. Unless I break one, which ends in me cursing and Tom offering himself as sacrifice. He’s not picky… I would love nothing more than to throw it away and start over. My biggest peeve.

Start stacking your masterpiece! One patty with cheese topped with hot, hot beans to start…

Add another patty with cheese, an over easy egg and feast! You can thank me later.

That fabulous little side dish you see is not a stack of fries, but a tangy little salad of apple, manchego cheese and smoked almonds. Super simple wildly addictive and our new favorite. I’ll post the recipe tomorrow!

Add all of the ingredients except the olive oil and whisk together.

Now slowly stream in the olive oil while whisking. Taste.  I started by adding only 3 limes but when I tasted it I decided it needed more lime and a pinch more salt. Add whatever you feel it needs, and voila, you’re done.

Salt all of your chicken right when you get home from the store, even if you’re not using it all right then, it will be more tender and keep better in the refrigerator. I used 3 small chicken breasts cutlets because it was only Tom and I. For a four person serving I would use 4 large chicken breast cutlets. I like the quicker cooking time of cutlets on a grill pan.

Pour 1-2 tbsp of the dressing on each cutlet. Toss to coat thoroughly and replace in the fridge to marinate for at least an hour.

I brushed my corn with a small amount of butter and grilled it on a grill pan until it had a good amount of color.

Run your knife down the cob as close to the core as you can get to separate the kernels from the cob. I did it in the bowl that I assembled the salad in so all that lovely corn juice didn’t go to waste.

Layer in your ingredients and you can let it sit until you are ready for it.

Theres no importance to how you layer it. I was letting my beans drain for a bit so they ended up on top.

I cut a lime in half and dip the cut sides into some cumin and threw them on the grill pan with the chicken, they were really yummy squeezed on the chicken….

Because the cutlets had so much marinade on them i didn’t add any extra oil to the pan and they came out perfect. They should take about 4-5 minutes per side, or until the chicken is firm. If you push on the chicken and it gives easily it’s probably not cooked all the way through.

While your chicken is cooking you can crumble your cotija. It falls apart perfectly when you scrape at it with a fork. Tom and I love this stuff, he actually suggested a bowl of it soaked in the dressing for dessert, apparently those were his two favorite ingredients.

Let your chicken rest for about 5 minutes before chopping. This will let the juices redistribute and help keep them moist.

Meanwhile add a few tbsp of dressing to your salad and toss, add more as you toss, you want it to be lightly dressed. I used about a quarter of a cup of dressing altogether.

Plate your salad and add some crumbled cheese on top.

Add chicken and squeeze some lime on top!

Add the minced shallot, half of the thyme, the balsamic, and the mustard to a small bowl and whisk.

Stream in the olive oil while whisking your mixture. Add a pinch of salt and pepper and taste. Add more if needed. And that's it, you're dressing is ready.

You can add the dressing to your pork whenever it is convenient for you. So from the morning before you leave for work to five minutes before cooking, (I would advise at least 4 hours before cooking) it's up to you. When you are ready(your pork should already be salted), add the other half of the thyme, and 3 tbsp of the dressing to the pork and toss to coat. Cover well and return to fridge.

Pour the rest of the dressing into the bottom of a large bowl.

Add the greens and set aside until you are ready to eat.

Slice your grapes in half lengthwise, crumble your gorgonzola and toast your pine nuts so everything is ready for you when its time to plate.

Set your grill pan or grill to medium high and get grilling. They should take about 3-5 minutes per side, depending on the thickness. These took about 8 minutes per side! Way too thick, I'll cut them in half next time if they are this thick.

Toss your greens while the pork is resting and plate it up.

Add the grapes, gorgonzola and pine nuts.

Top your pork chop with a little extra toppings and EAT!

Cream together the butter and sugars on medium speed with a hand mixer.

Add eggs and vanilla, beat until well combined.

Add flour, salt, baking powder and baking soda. Mix until well combined.

Gently mix in chocolate chips.

Spread your dough into a greased baking dish. The recipe I found called for a 9x9 pan but all I had was an 8x12 pan. So thats what I used. They came out a little thinner but just as delicious!

Layer your Oreos on top...

In a medium sauce pan, heat the butter on medium heat, add sugar and cocoa powder once the butter is melted. Whisk until well combined and remove from heat.

Add salt, vanilla and eggs. Whisk until eggs are well combined.

Add flour and mix until batter is smooth.

Now all you have to do is pour your brownie batter on top of the Oreo cookie layer and pop these little devils in the oven for 30-35 minutes!

Do your best to get it as even as possible. Make sure to save some batter to get the sides and fill in any spots you may have missed.

Oh my... SHARE!

Add your jalapeño, shallot, garlic, red pepper flakes, olive oil and a pinch of salt and pepper to a medium sauce pan with a tight fitting lid. Sauté for about 2 minutes or until fragrant.

Add the rice and let toast for about 2-4 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Add your can of tomatoes plus two cans filled with water, salt, pepper and 1/2 tbsp red pepper flakes. Bring to a boil, lower to a simmer and cover. Leave it be for about 35-40 minutes on low heat.

The rice will still be a bit wet, take the lid off and stir in your cilantro. Taste for seasoning. Add more salt and pepper if you need it and stir frequently for about 10 more minutes or until rice is thick and sticky.

Serve with a sprinkle of torn cilantro!

Set up a breading station: One plate with your flour, mixed with a pinch of garlic salt and pepper. A bowl with your egg whites, milk and a pinch of garlic salt and pepper. Another plate with bread crumbs, parsley, grated fresh parmesan, garlic salt and fresh cracked pepper (shown).

First dredge chicken in the flour, then the egg mixture and lastly the bread crumbs. Making sure at each step that the chicken is well coated.

Place the chicken on a greased sheet pan. Bake for 20 minutes or until cooked through.

Serve with your favorite dipping sauce.

In a medium bowl beat the butter and sugar with an electric mixer until well combined.

Add your flour, cake mix, vanilla, salt and milk(at this point I had added 3 tbsp) and mix together. I was left with a really dry batter.

I added only one more tbsp of milk because the recipe only called for 3-4 tbsp, and I got this.

I added two more tbsp of milk and voila, it looked about right to me.

I gave it the finger test and it passed. Just apply pressure to any part go the dough and if it sticks together and makes an indent, you're ready to roll.

Add your sprinkles and mix in with your hands, not too much or they will discolor your dough, just until incorporated.

Roll into 1 inch little balls and place on a parchment lined sheet pan.

When your finished rolling out your balls, put them in the fridge until you're coating is ready for them.

To coat simply prick one with a fork...

Dip the ball into the chocolate and coat thoroughly, tapping the fork on the side of the bowl to shake off the excess.

Use your finger to help it along if the ball doesn't come of the fork easily. Don't worry if there is a void of frosting where the fork was, just dip the fork back into the coating and lightly touch the top of the ball.

Add the sprinkles after every dip or the coating will dry and the sprinkles won't stick well.

Enjoy♥

In a small sauce pan add butter, jalapeño, shallot, garlic, half of your red pepper flake, and a pinch of salt and pepper. Be careful with your salt at first unless you bought unsalted beans. Sauté over medium heat for about 4 minutes.

Pour in the entire can of beans with their liquid. Stir well and taste. Always taste your food at every step, this helps you become more familiar with the development of flavor and keeps you from serving not so tasty food. If it could use a little more spice add more red pepper, if it needs salt give it a pinch, and so on. At this point your beans will be a bit soupy, which is normal.

Try to smash your beans a bit. If you have a potato masher, us it! I don't so I used to backside of my spoon against the side and bottom of the pan. I didn't take them too far, I like a variety of textures so mine ended up being about half whole.

They will start to thicken after about 10 minutes of simmering and intermittent smashing. You don't have to baby sit them, just make sure they don't burn or dry out. You can put a lid on them after they thicken until the rest of your dinner is ready.

There you go, a low fat, high protein, delectable side dish.

With a fork, stir together the salt and masa.

Stir in your water.

Don't be fooled by how dry it looks. If you press it down with your fingers and it leaves an indent its ready to start working with your hands. If not add water a tsp at a time.

Pour the contents of your bowl onto a clean dry surface and push it together until it comes together and theres not much loose masa.

If there's dry masa left over like this, wet your fingertips slightly and do your best to form into a log.

Like this...

I used the board to make it into a rectangle shape by pressing down lightly to get a flat bottom, then turning 90° and flattening each side until they are mostly uniform.

It doesn't need to be perfect. Now cut the dough in half, and cut those halves in half, so you have 4 pieces.

Then cut those in half and you have 8 little pieces of dough.

Squeeze each piece a few times and then roll them into little balls.

Now your ready to flatten them out. Get them started with your palm. Don't worry about the edges splitting, this is normal.

Place the tortilla in a ziplock bag or in a piece of plastic wrap folded in half. The ziploc method is way easier and I'm assuming you don't have a tortilla press. Once the tortilla is inside the ziploc, grab a pot with two handles so you can apply even pressure in your tortilla flattening. Push down as hard as you can then flip the bag upside down and a have another go at it.

They should take shape pretty nicely, like so.

Stack them on a plate until they are all finished.

Heat a pan on high heat. (preferably a cast iron skillet, but i don't have one ) Cook on each side for exactly one minute.

Transfer to a lined plate and cover to keep the warmth in. I put them in the oven to keep them warm until the rest of dinner was ready. Worked like a charm.