Just Jodi Style

Hump Day Treat – Cauliflower Mash

 Happy Wednesday from chilly New York City! One of my favorite things during the fall / winter is finding new recipes that keep me feeling all warm and fuzzy without having to make soup. I have recently in the past year fallen in love with cauliflower. If you ask my Mom she will tell you that I would not even take a bite of cauliflower as a child. I only started to have interest in cauliflower after one night at home in Miami my brother roasted some cauliflower in the oven with some olive oil and paprika and it smelled so good that I had to taste it. Needless to say I am now on the hunt to find recipes that incorporate cauliflower.
Personally I love mashed potatoes and have always loved them since I was a little kid. What I didn’t know was there was a way to make this same delicious tasty side dish with cauliflower. I overheard someone talking about this at Whole Foods one day and I immediately started googling recipes on my phone in the store. I am all about the easy recipes as I like to come home from work at the end of the day to my puppy Stella and an easy to cook meal. Thanks to steamy kitchen I have found the perfect recipe for cauliflower mash.
Ingredients:
  • 1 head cauliflower
  • 3 tablespoons milk
  • 1 tablespoon butter
  • 2 tablespoons light sour cream
  • 1/4 teaspoon garlic salt
  • freshly ground black pepper
  • snipped chives
Directions
1. First separate the cauliflower into florets and get rid of the core.
2. In a pot bring 2 cups of water to a simmer. Once you have done this then add the cauliflower. Cover and turn the heat down on the stove. Cook the cauliflower for 12 – 15 minutes or until very tender. I checked it with a fork just like I would with asparagus.
3. Drain and discard all of the water. The drier the cauliflower is the better. The reason for this is when adding the rest of the ingredients there won’t be any excess water in the mix. Add the milk, butter, sour cream, salt and pepper.
4. Mash all the ingredients until it looks like “mashed potatoes” and if you like top the dish with chives.
I cooked this last night with some pesto shrimp and I have to say I wish I got a little more of the water out from the cauliflower, but it still tasted very good to me! If there is a recipe you all are looking for or want t me to try and do on Just Jodi Style comment below on this post and let me know!

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Humpday Treat – Everything But The Bagel

Happy Wednesday! So for the past few months I have season at least a dozen of my friends post, tweet, instagram, snapchat and tell me about this amazing seasoning I need to try. Now I am an avid Trader Joe’s shopper and I am very lucky that there is one conveniently located only two blocks away from my apartment in New York City. Today I finally said I was going to see what all the hype was about and try out this seasoning on my chicken I was planning on cooking for lunch. From everyone that I spoke to and everything that I read online it said that you could basically put this seasoning on anything. I tried it today on a plain piece of chicken breast that I cooked with some coconut oil in a frying pan. I barely put any on the chicken out of fear of over seasoning and I am glad I did. With just a little seasoning on my chicken it was full of flavor and was so delicious that I wanted more after I was all done. Trader Joe’s you really hit this one out of the park! If you haven’t already tried this seasoning you need to right away. It can literally be used on just about anything to add a little something to your meal. Hope everyone is having a great day and for those of us in New York City stay dry! This rain always makes me want to stay in and cuddle up on the couch. <3


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Hump Day Treat – Green Chef

 

Happy Wednesday everyone! I hope that we are all recovering from the long holiday weekend. I know that I am especially since my sweet puppy Stella was really afraid of yesterday’s fireworks. We al have heard of these meal prep programs where they send you everything you need already portioned out for the perfect meal. I have tried blue apron before and I just never loved it. I personally never liked their menu options that they had. There was always something I didn’t like in the recipe or when I actually made the recipe of that day it just didn’t turn out right. My good friend Lauren texted me one day if I have ever heard of this company called Green Chef and I said no. She then sent me a coupon for a free box of meals! First off so sweet of her to do that and second off Green Chef is AMAZING! Everything that they offered on their site was just so well explained and well done that I couldn’t say no. Everything that they send you in the box comes with the recipe with step by step instructions. Since they send you three different meals in one box sometimes it can be confusing if you use the same ingredients for the same recipes. Green Chef fixed that problem by color coordinating the recipe with the labels of the ingredients you will need for that specific dish. Unlike other meal prep programs you can cancel and re activate your account at any time. You also can skip weeks if you are going out of town and even add more to your order if you are having people over. If you are looking for a healthy meal prep program that is not only filling, but different than all the other companies out there go and try Green Chef. I have attached images of their Buddha’s Delight recipe that I made for lunch today. Hope you all have a great day! <3

 

Click Here to be connected to the Green Chef website 


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Hump Day Treat – 4th of July Themed

Happy Wednesday! With the holiday weekend coming up I thought I would make today’s treat themed for this upcoming 4th of July. One of my favorite treats of all time are funfetti cupcakes. In middle school I used to make these for all of my friends birthdays. You can easily make them your own by just a few drops of food coloring into the cupcake mix. I have in the past used the red food coloring for cupcakes, but it always seemed to turn out more pink than red. This time I added about half a dozen drops of red food coloring and it seemed to have done the trick. Now I know that everyone thinks that vanilla frosting is all the same, but the funfetti frosting is something way different. I don’t what it is about it that makes it taste so good. If you can’t find it in your grocery store check your local CVS. Thats where I found it when Fairway didn’t have it. To make my treat fully patriotic I added some blue sprinkles on top to give it that final touch.  If you are looking for some other fun July 4th treat ideas here are some fun ideas for you to try out.

  • Red white and blue cookies – take sugar cookie dough and add food coloring and roll it all together then back
  • Red and blue jello cups with whip cream on top – make red jello in a cup and put in fridge then make the blue jello and pour on top of the red jello then put it in fridge until firm
  • patriotic pretzels – pretzels sticks drizzled with white chocolate and red and blue sprinkles

Hope everyone who is going out of town for the 4th has a safe and fun holiday! For those of staying in Manhattan make sure to find a rooftop or a balcony to see the fireworks this year. I saw them practicing them last night on my way home from Brooklyn. I just hope my sweet puppy Stella doesn’t get scared by them this year <3


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Hump Day Treat – Oreo Cheeseake

Happy Wednesday Everyone! Sorry that I have been MIA here on Just Jodi Style. I have been in Miami up until this past Sunday and then my sweet Stella got sick. Did you all know that sugar free gum is just as dangerous as a dog eating chocolate? Stella somehow found gum in a Taxi cab after our flight thankfully she is okay and doing well! While I was home my brother Ira decided he was going to finally make his famous Oreo cheesecake for the entire family! His first stop was going to Whole Foods. Obviously Whole Foods is the place to go when you are looking for healthier alternatives to the not so healthy ones. He found there the “healthy” Oreo alternative and all I have to say is WOW! These faux Oreos were unbelievable so creamy and delicious that I hate to say it gives the original Oreo’s a run for their money.

I always thought my brothers famous cheesecake was super complicated to make, but its really super simple! Here is what you will need:

Ingredients:

-36 Oreo cookies, divided

-1/4 cup butter, melted

-4 pkg. (8 ox. each) Philadelphia Cream Cheese, softened

-1 cup sugar

-1 tsp. vanilla

-1 cup breakstone’s or knudsen sour cream

-4 eggs

-springform pan for cheesecakes (very important otherwise it will be difficult to get it out of the pan

Directions:

1. Heat Oven to 325 F

2. Take 28 cookies in a plastic bag. Flatten bag to get rid of the excess air then seal the bag. Finely crush cookies by rolling a rolling pin across the bag. Place crumbs in bowl. Add butter and mix well. Press onto bottom of 9 inch springform pan.

3. Beat cream cheese, sugar and vanilla in a large bowl with a mixer. Add sour cream and mix well. Add eggs 1 at a time and beating after each until it is fully blended.

4. Chop or crush remaining cookies and gently stir the chopped cookies in the batter. The chopped cookies should be 1 – 1/2 cups.

5. Pour the batter over crust and sprinkle the remaining chopped cookies.

6. Bake 1 hour and 10 minutes or until center is almost set. Run knife around the rim of the pan to loosen the cake and make it easier to remove. Let the cake cool before removing from the springform pan.

7. Refrigerate for 4 hours.

8. Take out of the refrigerator and enjoy!

 

Hope everyone is enjoying the first official day of SUMMER!!!

Recipe was taken from Kraft Recipes Online Click here for the full recipe 


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Hump Day Treat – Negroni Week

Happy Wednesday everyone! I have been feeling under the weather the past few days with a nasty cold, but I am starting to finally feel better just in time to head to Miami this weekend  to spend some quality family time. Now when it comes to cocktails I am the girl that loves a sweet drink. I also love anything that involves my favorite fruit in the entire world….Strawberries. You could put any kind of alcohol in any alcohol as long as it involves strawberries there is a 99% chance I will drink it. I quickly found out via Instagram this week that it was #NegroniWeek and I wanted to make my own cocktail to celebrate it. Even though it may not feel like summer in NYC right now I thought why not prepare with a frozen drink. I made this frozen strawberry Negroni in my NutriBullet and it is honestly AMAZING!!! Here is what you will need:

Ingredients

-1 ounce Campari

-1 ounce Bulldog Gin (or really any kind of gin)

-1 ounce Cinzano 1757 Sweet Vermouth

-.75 ounce Orange Juice (No pulp)

-.5 ounce simple syrup

-1 strawberry

Directions:

-Blend all the ingredients together with some ice and garnish it with some strawberries or like me cut up some and put it inside the drink for a delicious frozen treat at the end of your cocktail.

Hope everyone is having a great week and enjoys today’s cocktail recipe <3


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Hump Day Treat: Bar Pitti – Rigatoni Pitti

Happy Wednesday everyone! Since moving to New York City there are a few restaurants that I have come to love more than most. Ask any of my friends and if I could I would eat at Bar Pitti every week. The only flaw is that it is cash only and like most people I know no one rarely has cash on them. One of my best friends Rachael was determined to find a recipe for my go to dish the rigatoni pitti and I am here to tell you that she found it! I have personally made this recipe a handful of times and it is almost spot on to the classic rigatoni pitti at Bar Pitti. Here is what you will need:

Ingredients:

  • 1 lb. rigatoni pasta
  • 4 ounces fresh peas
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 8 ounces fresh turkey sausage, cut into 1/2″ pieces
  • 1 14.5 ounce can crushed tomatoes
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 3/4 cup heavy cream
  • Freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Directions:

1. In a large pot cook the rigatoni pasta ( al dente) while you are cooking the sauce so they are ready at the same time

2. In a pan that is large enough to fit the cooked pasta in it to heat up the 2 tablespoons of olive oil on a medium heat

3. Add the turkey sausage and fry until lightly browned on both sides

4. Remove the sausage from the pan and put aside (I usually put it on a a small plate). Remember do not remove any of the oil or anything from the pan after removing the sausage. You will want these juices for the next step.

5. In the pan with the olive oil and removed turkey sausage add the crushed tomatoes and salt. Simer for a few minutes then lower the heat to low.

6. Add cream and stir allowing sauce to heat up for a few minutes. Make sure the sauce does not boil.

7. Add the sausage back to the pan and then add the peas. Mix it all around

8. Then add the cooked rigatoni and toss and mix everything around so that the sauce covers all the pasta.

9. Top each plate with parmesan cheese and serve immediately!

 

Hope you all enjoy today’s Hump Day Treat recipe <3


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Hump Day Treat: Vegetarian Chili

It’s Wednesday so it’s time for another hump day treat recipe for you all! Now every Monday night a bunch of my friends and I gather together to watch The Bachelor / Bachelorette / Bachelor in Paradise depending on the time of the year. One of my friends came up with the idea that each week we would rotate who would bring either alcohol, appetizers, main course and dessert for the week. If you cook the main meal one week that means the following week you don’t have to bring anything! The only problem is in our group we have a lot of allergies including gluten free, dairy free and vegetarian. Try finding a main course that fits all of those criteria’s people! Not to worry this week I found something that worked for everyone. Recently I got a slow cooker from my Mom and needless to say I am very excited about it. I decided to make vegetarian chili in the slow cooker for Bachelor night. Anyone else remember those infomericals where the guy said, “Set it and…FORGET IT!” That is how I feel about a slow cooker. I just put all of the ingredients into the slow cooker and set it on high for two hours and like magic it was ready to go. Thanks to allrecipes.com I was able to find the perfect vegetarian chili. There are a few changes I made to it personally. I didn’t add peppers into my chili and I also used a sweet onion when the recipe didn’t specify what kind. Here is what you will need:

Ingredients:

  • 1 (19 ounce) can black bean soup
  • 1 (15 ounce) can kidney beans, rinsed and drained
  • 1 (15 ounce) can garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained
  • 1 (16 ounce) can vegetarian baked beans
  • 1 (14.5 ounce) can chopped tomatoes in puree
  • 1 (15 ounce) can whole kernel corn, drained
  • 1 onion, chopped
  • 1 green bell pepper, chopped
  • 2 stalks celery, chopped
  • 2 cloves garlic, chopped
  • 1 tablespoon chili powder
  • 1 tablespoon dried parsley
  • 1 tablespoon dried oregano
  • 1 tablespoon dried basil

 

I personally added sliced avocado on top and for the few of us that could eat dairy I added a sprinkle of Mexican cheese on top. This recipe makes enough to feed 5 people at least 3 bowls each! Crazy I know, but it’s true. Two hours on high in the slow cooker like I said is all you need. Hope everyone is ready for Memorial Day Weekend! Have a great day <3

 

Link to the Full Recipe


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Hump Day Treat – Duck Bacon Mac n Cheese

You now what day it is….. HUMPDAY!!! We are half way through the week everyone! I am so excited that here in New York City it is starting to finally get warm and feel like SUMMER!!! There are so many times that I have different things in my fridge and I don’t know how some ingredients could work together and make something different. I will be the first to admit that I have made some dishes in the past that in theory should have been good, but in reality were really horrible. One of those ideas that wasn’t horrible was Bacon Mac n Cheese. As I have previously posted before I am normally not a huge bacon eater and haven’t been my entire life until I tried duck bacon. Duck bacon is thicker and in my opinion juicier than regular bacon. When making bacon mac n cheese there is no need to cook the two together if you just want to eat the two together. My go to mac n cheese has been the new Cracker Barrel white sharp cheddar. In my house one of the staple appetizers that my Mom puts out for our guests are slices of sharp cheddar Cracker Barrel cheese. Now if you are looking for a great sharp cheddar cheese that isn’t expensive Cracker Barrel is the answer. When making bacon mac n cheese make your mac n cheese like it says on the box and once that is finished mix in your crispy thin slices of duck bacon. I suggest that if you are mixing your mac n cheese together in the pot you cooked your noodles in (which is what I normally do to avoid more dirty dishes) I would then suggest you putting the pot cover over the mac n cheese for about 3 minutes. This will allow the bacon juices to be absorbed into the mac n cheese. If you want to do something even more creative with your dish here is an idea for you all. After mixing the duck bacon with the mac n cheese take a pyrex dish and pour in your bacon mac n cheese mix. Cover the top of the bacon mac n cheese with more bacon and some bread crumbs. Use the broil function on your oven and place the pyrex in the oven until the top is golden brown. This will give your dish that extra crunchy taste. Hope you all enjoy today’s humpday treat recipe. <3


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Hump Day Treat: Sweet Potato Fries

Happy Wednesday! One of my favorite things to get when I go to Bareburger in New York City is there sweet potato fries. I have never made them for myself, but I thought this week I would give it a try. I gave it my own little twist to make them a little bit sweeter than they normally are. Here is what you will need

Ingredients:

– sweet potato ( if you are making for more than just yourself then add more)

-olive oil

-salt

– pepper

-cinnamon sugar

Directions

1.Preheat the oven to 450 degrees

2.Line cookie sheet with aluminum foil ( you can use parchment paper as well).

3.Coat the cookie sheet with cooking spray.

4.On a cutting board peel the sweet potato then cut it into slices.

5.In a bowl place the sweet potato slices and pour enough olive oil to coat all the slices. Sprinkle some salt and pepper and mix it all around.

6.Lay the slices on the cookie sheet in a single layer.

7.Sprinkle some cinnamon sugar on top of the slices.

8.Place in the oven and cook for about 15 minutes.

9.Take out of the oven and flip each slice over. If you want sprinkle a bit more cinnamon sugar on the other side. Then cook for another 10 – 15 minutes.

10.Take out of the oven and let them cool for about 10 minutes before eating.
ENJOY!


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