~ The Crystal Dish ~

This 2017 is going to be my year of new recipes. I have been trying new recipes and I'm ready to share them all with you. Most will probably be healthy because Jack and I are on a new journey together. A new journey of healthy living, staying healthy and being active with our children. So far this lifestyle has been going amazing. Along with trying these new recipes, I am going to be writing more, sharing these recipes, the ups and downs along this journey. We're very optimistic about what is in store for us and it's going to be AMAZING! Last week I had some of my girlfriends over for our weekly girls night so I tried this 21 day fix recipe and it was so good I had to make it again on Sunday for my parents. I made way too much of course, so Jack got to indulge in the leftovers for work. He was very pleased with the meal too. So this meal was definitely a WIN in my book. Ingredients: - 2 tbs. olive oil - 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, pounded to unifo...

Who doesn't like pies for dinner? So this is another "kid" recipe and this is something you can all make with your kiddos and have them help out in the kitchen. The kids wanted to make this one for dinner, so I prepped all the ingredients for them. When it came time to cook, neither of them wanted to budge helping... however once I cooked everything, they wanted to do the fun part and put the pie crusts on top of the ramekins. As Brooklyn made a border around the ramekin, she shrieked, "Mommy! This dough feels like Play dough!" She loved it. The kids did so great putting the crusts on and my little mini Brooklyn is a perfectionist like me, her dough had to be perfect on top of each pie. Chicken and Ham Pies Ingredients: 2 tbs. butter 2 tbs. all-purpose flour 1 cup chicken stock (I used homemade chicken bone broth.... so good) 1/2 cup milk 2 tbs. crème fraiche 1 tsp. dried herbs salt and pepper 1 tbs. vegetable oil 1 small ...

Man.... Life can sure throw you for a loop sometimes... The life of a stay-at-home police wife.... I keep telling myself I need to update my blog with new recipes and then life happens and a day turns into a week, a week turns into a month and a month turns into several months. My last entry was in May, and I am sorry to all you viewers who have missed my cooking and haven't had the chance to try a new "Crystal dish" recipe... I am going to honestly try to make more time for all of you... try new recipes and share those recipes with you. Since my last entry, I have done a lot more cooking with my little ones in the kitchen. It's been great and they actually want to try and cook, so I got a Childrens Cookbook. They are having a blast picking out the menu items for the week and love helping. I am trying to do more natural cooking for the kids and trying to eliminate anything processed from our households so that we can nourish our bodies with greatness. This gra...

So much has happened since I last blogged..... I completely fell off track with blogging and fun new cooking ideas, but I'm back and so excited to share some new recipes with all of you.... I recently gave birth to my third child and although my nights seem to be sleepless, I've had so many cooking ideas on my mind.... There's a lot in store for the future and I cannot wait to throw some new recipes out at you!!!! Here's my latest attempt. I got this recipe from the wonderful Anne Burrel and I altered her recipe a bit...  I absolutely loved this meal. My husband doesn't like the small couscous so I was hoping he would like this couscous, but no luck.... I guess he's just not a couscous kind of guy.... But here you go, for those of you who need a little couscous in your life.  Ingredients: 2 whole garlic bulbs 1 lemon, zested and juiced 1 large bunch thyme, leaves only 1 tablespoon cumin seeds, toasted and ground (I toasted in a pan and gr...

Every year for Valentine's Day I have to top what I made the year before... This cake definitely topped any cake, pie, cookie I have ever made. Just as an FYI, this cake is very time consuming, but trust me, it's definitely worth the time you put into it once you take a bite of this decadent piece of heaven cake. Ingredients For the Brownie Layer: 3⅓ oz (3/4 cup) all-purpose flour 2 oz (2/3 cup) unsweetened cocoa powder ½ tsp salt ½ tsp baking powder 4 oz unsalted butter 7¾ oz (1 cup +2 tbsp) granulated sugar 2 large eggs, at room temperature 2 tsp vanilla extract For the Chocolate Mousse: 9 oz semi-sweet chocolate, finely chopped 1¾ cups heavy cream, divided use Pinch salt 2 tsp unflavored powdered gelatin 2 tbsp water For the Raspberry Mousse: 1½ cups fresh raspberries 9 oz white chocolate, finely chopped 1½ cups heavy cream, divided use Pinch salt 2 tsp unflavored powdered gelatin 2 tbsp water Pink food coloring, optiona...

I've been waiting all week to try this recipe. My kids were such great helpers making the meatballs. Nicholas loved mashing the beans and Brooklyn was my little meatball helper. She loves trying to roll into meatballs. I was a little nervous about making this because I've personally never even tried red pepper soup so I wasn't sure what to expect. I've also tried several meatless meatballs and patties and only a handful of them were amazing, but these are my new favorite. I think next time I'm going to sauté the shallots before putting them into the mixture, or maybe even some caramelized onions!  I was surprised my kids ate the soup, but theirs had shredded cheese on theirs! Mine was healthier and rather than sour cream, I put a little fagé yogurt in. This was so yummy! It's definitely a must try! Ingredients: For the soup: 1 tablespoon olive oil 1 medium onion, sliced 3 cloves garlic 2 tablespoons white wine 1 16-ounce jar roasted red pep...

For those of you who know me well, know that I LOVE LOVE LOVE Seafood! Whenever I find new recipe, I always want to try it. This recipe was AMAZING!!!! I decided to just eat over brown rice with a side of broccoli, but I bet it would be amazing on  flour tortillas with a fresh cabbage slaw!  CILANTRO LIME SHRIMP AND ROASTED POBLANO SAUCE INGREDIENTS 2 pounds shrimp, peeled and de-veined marinade juice of 2 limes (about 4 tablespoons) 2 teaspoons garlic, minced ⅓ cup cilantro leaves, finely shopped   ½ teaspoon  chili powder ½ teaspoon cumin poblano sauce 3 poblanos ½ cup cilantro leaves, roughly chopped 2 teaspoons garlic, minced ½ teaspoon salt juice of ½ of 1 lime (about 1 tablespoon) 4 tablespoons greek yogurt (I used fagé) INSTRUCTIONS Whisk together all of the ingredients for the marinade. Pour the marinade into a large zip lock bag and add the shrimp. Seal the bag and toss to coat the shrimp. Place in the fridge and mari...