Smashed White Bean and Avocado Club.

I love this veggie sandwich. It is the perfect meal when it is too hot to cook. And because a veggie sandwich would never fill up my husband, I add turkey breast & provolone to his.

2 15-ounce cans white beans, rinsed and drained

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

12 slices multigrain bread

1 small red onion, thinly sliced

1 cucumber, preferably hothouse (seedless), thinly sliced (peeled, if desired)

1 4- to 5-ounce container sprouts (such as alfalfa, radish, broccoli, or a combination)

2 avocados, pitted and thinly sliced

In a medium bowl, combine the beans, oil, salt, and pepper. Roughly mash the mixture with the back of a fork.

Place 8 of the bread slices on a work surface. Divide the mashed beans among the slices. Top with the onion, cucumber, sprouts, and avocado. Stack the open-faced sandwiches on top of one another, avocado-side up, to make 4 double-decker sandwiches. Top with the remaining 4 slices of bread. Slice each sandwich in half, if desired, and serve.

Tip: You can make this quick sandwich even more quickly by using store-bought hummus in place of the smashed white beans.

Makes 4 servings

[via Real Simple]

Strawberry Shortcake.

Perfect summertime dessert.

2 1/4 cups flour

2 tsp baking powder

1/3 cup sugar

1/2 cup butter, cut into small pieces

1 egg, beaten

3/4 cup milk

3 cups sliced strawberries

1 cup whipping cream, whipped with about 2 T powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Combine flour, baking powder and sugar. Mix in butter until coarse crumbs form {I do this with my hands}. Combine milk and egg in a separate bowl. Add milk and egg mixture to dry ingredients. Stir until just combined.

Drop onto a greased cookie sheet in a large mound {about 2-3 inches in diameter}. Cook for 18 minutes. Let cool. Slice in half horizontally. Place a generous dollop of whipped cream on bottom of biscuit, top with about 1/2 cup of strawberries, each. Place top of biscuit back on and add whipped cream to the top with a more strawberries.

Makes 6 large servings.

[via Internecipes]

Welcome to IHOP!

24-Hour Breakfast
Serves 12

12 slices bread, cubed
1/2 pound (2 cups) cheese, grated, divided
2 to 3 cups ham or sausage, cooked, cubed
8 eggs
2 cups milk
1 tsp salt
1/2 cup butter melted

Grease a 9x13" baking dish. Place half of bread cubes on bottom. Cover with half of the cheese and ham or sausage. Repeat layers. In a medium mixing bowl, combine eggs, milk, and salt. Pour over casserole and drizzle with melted butter; refrigerate overnight. Bake at 350 degrees, uncovered, for 1 hour 15 minutes.

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This is such a great recipe to use up almost-stale bread and older eggs! I always half this recipe, though, except for the cheese :) !!! It is so good! When I half it, I use a 8x8" pan and bake it for 30-40 minutes. Also, when I make this, it's always for dinner, so don't let the title limit your meal options. Because of this dinner meal, I have never refrigerated it overnight. It makes enough for me and my husband for dinner and a meal for the next day, whether it's breakfast, lunch or dinner. Welcome to IHOP!

Lemon Chicken

4-6 Chicken Breasts
1 C. Lemon Juice
1 C. Water
1/2 C. Soy Sauce
1/2 C. Vegetable Oil (or Canola Oil)

Add the liquids together and pour on top of the chicken. Let marinade at least an hour, but it's better if you marinade overnight. Cook in a skillet until chicken is no longer pink inside (about 10-15 mins).

Serve with rice (we love sticky or brown rice).

So Yummy Whole Wheat Buttermilk Pancakes

These are the best pancakes that I have ever had, and they are pretty healthy for ya with whole wheat flour and flaxseed. Sorry I don't have any pictures.

1 ¼ C whole wheat flour

½ C all-purpose flour

3 Tablespoons ground flaxseed, oat bran, or wheat germ

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

Splenda (optional), to taste (I put a teaspoon of regular sugar in mine)

1 teaspoon cinnamon (optional) (We added this and it was extra delicious)

Pinch of nutmeg (optional) (Didn't use this)

Pinch of salt (optional) (Used this)

1 ¾ C buttermilk (we used lemon juice and reg. milk--you can google how to sub for buttermilk)

¼ C milk

½ C. white grape juice concentrate or honey ( I used honey and mixed it with the milk to dissolve)

2 large eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 Tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons canola oil (I used vegetable oil)

1. Place the whole wheat and white flour, flaxseed, baking powder, baking soda, Splenda, if using, and the cinnamon, nutmeg, and/or salt, if using, in a medium-size bowl and stir to combine.

2. Place the buttermilk, milk, grape juice concentrate or honey, eggs, vanilla, and 2 tablespoons, of oil in another bowl and whisk to mix. Pour the buttermilk mixture into the flour mixture and beat just until smooth. If possible, let the batter rest for up to 30 minutes at room temperature before cooking pancakes.

3. Heat the remaining 2 teaspoons of oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Cook the pancakes using ¼ C of the batter per pancake, until the batter bubbles on top and the pancakes are firm on the bottom, about 3 minutes. Turn the pancakes over and continue cooking until the second side is brown, about 3 minutes.

*The pancakes can be frozen for up to 2 weeks. Let them cool completely, then wrap them in a single layer or individually in aluminum foil. To reheat, unwrap a pancake and microwave it on high power for 2 minutes or heat in a 350 degrees oven for 10 minutes.

Makes about 18 pancakes

You can add fruit or nuts into the batter. We used banana and pecans!

These are super sweet and so good that you don't even need syrup.

-This recipe is courtesy of Eating Well When You're expecting (Heidi Murkoff)

Tomato Basil Soup with Tortellini

This soup is fast, easy, and of course, delicious!
2 Tblsp butter or margarine
1 medium-size onion, chopped
1 large carrot, peeled and chopped
4 cups regular-strength chicken broth
1 can (15 oz) tomato puree (or sauce)
1 can (15 oz) stewed tomatoes (optional)
3 Tblsp dry basil leaves or 1/3 cup chopped fresh basil
3/4 tsp sugar (this is to taste)
pepper
4-6 oz cheese tortellini (the frozen is better than the boxed)

In a 3 to 4 quart pan, melt butter over medium low heat. Add onion and carrot and cook, stirring occasionally, until both the onion and the carrot are sweet tasting and tender when pierced, about 30 minutes. Stir broth, tomato puree, stewed tomatoes, basil, sugar, and pepper into pan. Bring to a boil. Cover and simmer to blend flavors, about 15 minutes. Meanwhile, cook tortellini according to package directions in separate pan. With a slotted spoon, scoop vegetables and a little of the broth into a food processor, whirl until smoothly pureed. Pour vegetable mixture back into pan. Drain tortellini and add to soup. Heat till soup is steaming.

Flirty Aprons!

Since this is a cooking website I'm going to take a second and announce mine and my husband's new business. That's right, we're selling cute, trendy, kitchen aprons. Our company name is very easy to remember-Flirty Aprons. Check us out at http://www.flirtyaprons.com/

And if you want to help us spread the word add us as a link on your blog. Thanks!