The Best

I finally made the chocolate chip cookies that Emily swears by and oh my goodness gracious are they good. Perfectly crisp, yet chewy and gooey - pretty much everything you would ever want in a cookie. If you haven't tried out this recipe yet, I highly suggest you do. They truly are the best chocolate chip cookie I've ever had. Trust me on this one! If you want a more detailed recipe, click here. 

Happiest of Monday's to all of you and be on the lookout for the new TBB!

Blueberry Cake Bars

I love a dessert that doubles as a breakfast treat. Behold these yummy blueberry {breakfast} cake bars. Loaded with fresh blueberries this might be my new go-to blueberry recipe... it's that good. I used this wonderful recipe from Alexandra Cooks and it turned out so good! It's super easy to make and it doesn't get dry and crumbly after a day like many muffin or cake recipes I've tried. I made these last Friday night and even this morning they're still delicious and moist. Hope you enjoy! 

Also, what do you think about weekly recipe posts? I would love your feedback! And yes, same picture - one with text, the other without... which do you prefer?!

Ratatouille

Ah yes a recipe post! I'm so excited to share one of my favorite dishes that was popularized by the movie, Ratatouille. It's a rather easy vegetarian dish to make, especially if you have a mandolin! It's also one of my favorite dishes because it's just so pretty to make and yummy to eat.

Cookies Galore

Last week I made probably the best cookies I've ever made in my life. And yes, I'm being completely serious. These cookies were actually perfect. They were thick, chewy, but not too chewy and had the perfect amount of m&m's and chocolate chips. They were pretty easy to make, not to mention fun and it's a recipe I'll probably be using from now on. So cheers to two dozen cookies being eaten in one weekend! Not all by me, I swear. 

Recipe via Averie Cooks 

Get To Baking: Fall Edition

Fall is my favorite season for so many reasons. One reason is because apples come in season which means apple pies begin to bake. My family isn't a big sweet family, but we do love a good apple pie. (Who doesn't?) None of these are apple pies, but I just couldn't pass them up. Do you have a favorite fall food? Which of these will you be trying out first?  

Left to Right:

Apple Pie Panini 

Baked Doughnuts 

Chocolate Chip Cupcakes sans Icing 

Apple Pie Bars 

Caramel Covered Apples 

Mini Apple Pies 

To find more great recipes follow my "Recipes To Try" board on Pinterest.  

Oh and be on the lookout for a Butternut Squash Lasagna recipe later this week! 

Streusel Topped Blueberry Muffins

Blueberry muffins might be my favorite breakfast food. Considering the fact that I love blueberries it would make perfect sense. I found this recipe via Pinterest and automatically had to make it. Simple and easy, just the way I like it. The recipe is available here and below. 

Streusel Topping: 

1/4 cup flour 

1/4 cup packed brown sugar 

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon 

2 tablespoons cold butter 

Blend ingredients together until crumbly - use fork. 

Muffins Mix: 

3/4 cup milk 

1/4 vegetable oil 

1 egg 

2 cups all purpose flour 

1/2 cup granulated sugar 

2 teaspoons baking powder 

1/2 teaspoon salt {I used a 1/4 teaspoon}

1 cup fresh blueberries {I used a little over} 

Mix milk, oil and egg together with wire whisk or fork then add all dry ingredients at once. Stir until lumpy then add blueberries. Fold them in and stir gently. Evenly pour mixture into baking cups then sprinkle the streusel on top. Bake for 20/25 minutes or until golden brown at 400 degrees. 

Potato Salad

Ingredient List:
- 1lb of fingerling potatoes or small red potatoes 
- 1/2 of peas {fresh or frozen} 
- 1 small onion diced 
- 1/2 of a celery stalk diced 
- 1/3 of a red pepper diced 
- Pepper and Parsley {a dash of each} 
- 1 1/2 tablespoon of low fat Mayo or Chobani greek yogurt 
- 2 teaspoons of parmesan cheese 

Sautee onion, pepper, and celery in pan while potatoes boil - drain potatoes and add all ingredients together in large bowl and stir together. 

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Summer Means Salad Time

Summer is when all the fresh fruit and veggies arrive at your local farmers market so that means endless salad possibilites. I personally love salad - any and all types, so this summer I'll be running a little salad series. This simple chicken salad is the first one up and while it's beyond simple, it's so good. 

Ingredient List: 
- Lettuce, whatever you prefer, I made mine with Romaine and Iceberg 
- Spinach, just a handful 
- Carrots, I cheated and bought shredded 
- Tomatoes {cherry}
- 1 Stalk of celery 
- 1/4 cup of garbanzo beans 

Layer is up like the photo shows, add a sprinkle of parmesan cheese and whatever dressing you like!

Recipe: Summertime Risotto

One of my absolute favorite dishes is Risotto and so this summer version is high on my list. It has fresh English peas, straight from the local farmers market, making it very colorful {along with the shredded carrots}.

- 1 cup dried Risotto rice 
- 1 1/2 cups chicken broth, I used Swansons
- Fresh English Peas, I used close to two cups 
- 1/2 cup of shredded carrots 
- 1 medium onion diced 
- Pat of butter 
- Dash of pepper and parsley 

Here's a link on how to cook Risotto properly, A Basic Risotto Recipe  - hope you like this recipe, it's sure to be a fan favorite!

Colorful Spring Salad

• Dice the above ingredients into medium sized cubes 
• Take all ingredients and saute in a non-stick pan until tender 
• Boil Orzo for 8-10 minutes (or until done)
• Let Orzo cool and then add to the vegetable mixture 
• Stir in Parmesan cheese and sprinkle salt and pepper too   

• For a little something extra add some fresh corn off the cob
• And some fresh diced tomatoes too 

Volia! That's the final product which is great when served with grilled shrimp!

Hope y'all enjoy this quick and easy recipe! 

Be sure to follow @thebluebijou on Instagram for sneak peaks of posts!

Sunday Brunch

This may not be the healthiest breakfast but it is good. It's comprised of what cardiologists tell you not to eat! But hey if you make this dish just once a year you'll be fine, for that's what my family does! So here's to this special Sunday brunch...

Ingredients You'll Need:
- 6 eggs
- Milk (whatever floats your boat)
- A bag of shredded hash brown potato mix
- Sausage (of your choice) [I removed the casing of 12 breakfast links]
- Bacon
- 1 medium onion
- 1 green bell pepper
- 1/4 cup shredded cheese (I used a Mexican mix)

Dice the onion & bell pepper \\ take the sausage of your choice and begin to cook \\ add in onion & bell pepper \\ take 4 pieces of bacon and dice then add to the sausage, onion, bell pepper mix \\ meanwhile take the hash browns and place in the bottom of your desired baking dish \\ once cooked add the meat mixture on top of the hash browns \\ whisk the 6 eggs and add 1/4 cup of milk in a bowl \\ add in the cheese and whisk together -- once blended pour the egg mixture over the hash browns and meat mixture \\ place in oven set to 375* \\ bake for approximately 40 minutes \\ let stand for 5 minutes and cut into appropriate squares

Depending on your taste you can add more or less
Enjoy!

XO

Simple Favorite: Risotto

Risotto has been one of my favorite side dishes since I was a little girl. It's rich and creamy and oh so yummy! Some people have never tried to so this recipe post is just for y'all! 

- 1 cup Risotto 

- 1 3/4 cup Chicken Stock {Swansons} 

- 1 medium onion {diced}

- A pat of butter 

Optional Items: 

- Milk 

- Pepper

- Parsley 

- Parmesan Cheese 

Dice the onion || Place onions and butter into non-stick pan || Sautee onions || Add dry risotto || Cook for minute || Add 1/2 cup chick stock & let simmer || Once it simmers down a little more stock || Optional: At this point you can add a splash of milk to make it extra creamy -- and a shake of parsley,  pepper, and some parmesan cheese of course || Stir throughly || Serve || Quite simple if you ask me.... 

It's a very versatile dish for you can add carrots, peas, seafood or really anything to it!

XO