My Site » I love food, travel, and being creative in the kitchen. I keep my recipes simple and fresh so you can make them around your table too.

Pumpkin Gingersnap Oatmeal

I’ve been loving oatmeal for lunch lately and this is my favorite combo so far. INGREDIENTS: Instant steel cut oats Almond milk Ricotta cheese Pumpkin Butter Toasted Pecans Crushed Ginger Snap Cookies METHOD: Make oatmeal according to package directions and use almond milk instead of water. Top with Ricotta (use good quality), pumpkin butter, pecans, and crushed ginger snap cookies. *All ingredients can be found at Trader Joes. I’m loving another one of my @taipantrading trays they really have such unique serving dishes.

One Year Anniversary

It’s been ONE YEAR since I started this tiny little food Instagram with a couple of followers. I never would have dreamed how much fun this hobby of mine would be and how much joy it would bring. THANK YOU friends for following along and supporting me! XOXO, Kristin

Andrus Family Pics

Poached Eggs in the Microwave

Sunday morning poached eggs in the MICROWAVE! 1 min 45 seconds for runny eggs and 2 min 15 seconds for soft boiled. Crack two eggs in 2 cups of water and cover with a paper towel. Easy like a Sunday morning!

Squash, Wild Rice, and Brussels Sprout Salad

This is the perfect hearty fall salad. Serve it as a side or with Rotisserie Chicken and dinner is done! INGREDIENTS: Wild rice blend Butternut squash, cubed Brussels Sprouts, thinly sliced Arugula Dried cherries Pecans, toasted Brown sugar Maple Vinaigrette 1 C EVOO 3 TB Apple Cider Vinegar 1/2 C Balsamic vinegar 1/4 C Maple syrup 1 TB Dijon mustard S&P METHOD: Cook rice according to package directions. Roast butternut squash (Costco has the best cubed) at 425 for 30-40 minutes until browned and tender. Sprinkle brown sugar and S&P on squash once out of the oven. Thinly slice Brussels sprouts (or use Trader Joes packaged ones) and spread on cookie sheet with a generous amount of EVOO and S&P. Roast at 425 for 10-15 minutes until browned and crispy. Combine all salad ingredients in a large bowl. Combine dressing ingredients and pour over salad and let sit 10 minutes before serving. This salad was just as good the next day!

Cinnamon Almond French Toast

My favorite new Costco find is Hoody’s Cinnamon Toasted Almonds. Using them with this French toast was genius if I do say so myself! 😊 INGREDIENTS: Brioche bread, sliced Cinnamon Almonds, ground Egg Almond milk Dash of vanilla Cinnamon Dash of salt Maple Syrup METHOD: Cut thick slices of bread and soak in egg mixture (eggs, milk, cinnamon, vanilla, and salt). Pulse almonds until fine in blender. Dip bread into ground almonds, shake off excess and cook on buttered griddle.

Ahi Tuna Stack

My present to you on this beautiful Friday morning. This Ahi Tuna Stack looks gourmet but it’s actually so easy! Frozen brown rice, (TJs has the best) Avocado, smashed Ahi tuna, chopped into small pieces Green onions, sliced 3 dashes Soy sauce 2 dashes Toasted Sesame Oil Pepper Fried onion pieces (TJs or Frenchs) Sriracha Use a food stacker / pastry form / food ring mold found on Amazon or any cooking store for around $10. You can make your own too! Stack brown rice and push down. Layer avocado with S&P on top of rice. Mix tuna chunks with soy, green onion, sesame oil, and pepper. Stack on top of avocado. Push down on stack as you pull up food stacker. Top with fried onions, more soy sauce, and Sriracha. ETC. This is perfect as an appetizer or serving a crowd too. Later on platter or plate and serve with serving spoons.

Gorgonzola and Honey Toast

When you’re out of your normal breakfast and you need a lot of energy for the Kindergarten field trip! Fresh Whole Wheat Bread, toasted (Great Harvest) Gorgonzola cheese Local Honey Dash of salt ETC. Roquefort and Gorgonzola are two kinds of blue cheese. Roquefort is a French sheep’s milk cheese and Gorgonzola is Italian and made from cow’s milk. Roquefort has a sharper flavor, but is not as strongly flavored as robust and aromatic Gorgonzola.

Southwest Panzanella Salad with Cilantro Vinaigrette

As if you needed one more reason to make my cornbread croutons! INGREDIENTS: *Cornbread croutons Tomatoes, chopped Avocado, chopped Grilled or Frozen Corn Black Beans, rinsed and drained Feta Cheese Cilantro Vinaigrette 1 part freshly squeezed lime juice 1 part EVOO or Grape Seed Oil Dash of chili powder and cumin Handful of cilantro, chopped S&P to taste METHOD: Combine all salad ingredients. Combine dressing and pour over salad 20 minutes before serving. *Recipe for cornbread croutons on kristinandrus.com

Smashed Potato with Feta

Smashed Potatoes are my favorite way to eat potatoes! They’re half French fry, half baked potato, and super flavorful. INGREDIENTS: Small red potatoes EVOO Rosemary S&P Parmesan or Feta METHOD: Boil potatoes until a fork easily inserts. Lay on cookie sheet and cool for 5-10 minutes. Smash with potato masher or spatula Drizzle a generous amount of EVOO (this is how it crisps) Sprinkle Rosemary and S&P Bake at 450 or #traeger on high for 15-20 minutes or until crisp. Add Feta or Parmesan the last 5 minutes of baking. ETC. 📍I really have no idea how long it cooks so watch them. May be 10 minutes may be 30. 😁📍 Feta is optional but really shouldn’t be, it makes it! Unfortunately I was all out when I made it this time. 📍Any cheese would be great. 📍The more olive oil you use, the crispier they’ll be. 📍Don’t crowd the cookie sheet or they won’t crisp. Leave space between each potato.