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Rows of cooked rotisserie chickens in hot racks for impromptu keto meals
5 Lazy Keto Meals You Can Make in Under 10 Minutes Without A Recipe
April 8, 2026 Amy
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If you’re still trying to eat healthy, or even healthy-ish, but it’s getting difficult to keep up, this easy keto blog post is for you. (TLDR: lazy keto recipes to make a fast and easy meal.)

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Hi, again, Dear Readers:

Today’s blog post is courtesy of one of my AI BFFs, ChatGPT. I asked for ideas and it provided. It’s spring now, and we’re heading into the middle of the year. Summer is always coming, as my favorite fashion designer says, and we’re back at full steam after the holidays. So, my AI BFF has some ideas to offer.

Before we jump in, let me tell you about our little road trip last week.

Another Culinary Disagreement

Longtime readers may remember our incident with overnight oats a few years ago. James never lets me forget this along with a few other “food incidents.” But last week, we had another one. (Aunt Ruth and another friend have already read this story.)

James needed to go to Baton Rouge to drop off some parts at a local machine shop. When he told me he was going, I asked if I could tag along and maybe we could visit Trader Joe’s while we were there. He reluctantly agreed. I only wanted to stop in for a couple of things, such as the Salmon Rub Seasoning Blend that I like. I just opened the last bottle we bought in the recently opened NOLA Trader Joe’s by the VA Medical Center, and I wanted to get another.

Last Thursday was one of those days with heavy rain that came ahead of a brief cold front. When we arrived, James dropped me off at the door and parked the vehicle. When he walked in, I was already at a sampling station and waved him over.

The Big “Oops”

“Come here!” I said enthusiastically when I saw him walk inside. “You gotta try this!” The sample was a small bit of graham cracker and a small dollop of Whipped Carrot Cake Cream Cheese Spread, a seasonal product for Easter.

Picture of Trader Joe's Whipped Carrot Cake Cream Cheese Spread

Source: Trader Joe’s website

He picked it up and ate it without looking at what he was sampling. The look on his face told me everything.

You see, it was in that moment that I remembered: James doesn’t like carrot cake.

His first words through the frown: “you got me again!” I apologized profusely because I really did forget. (The kid sampling wasn’t sure what was going to happen next.) James hustled us out quickly and refused to go to the back corner of the store where there are usually more samples. We spent $10.50 on the salmon rub and one other item.

Last year I made some of these Keto Carrot Cake Bars from Carolyn Ketchum’s All Day I Dream About Food, and he really enjoyed those. I need to make more of those carrot cake bars soon, because they’re delicious.

We did make one more stop on our way back to I-10 East. In the strip mall across the street from TJ’s, James visited the AT&T store, and I went next door to a little place called Coffee Joy. It’s on Perkins Road in the LSU area. It’s not the kind of place James would frequent. But like TJ’s and other places, he’ll take me because I want to go. Highly recommended.

Let’s talk about eating healthy and maybe keto on days you just don’t wanna.

The Lazy Keto Meals

Do you feel like life is dragging you around by a rope some days? Yup, me too. When James does, he finds solace in a drive-through or at the Piggly-Wiggly near his workplace. Me, I just want some food and just don’t want to mess with anything. That’s usually how I end up doing the drive-through at Taco Bell, or walking into Aldi or Walmart for a pricey frozen cauliflower crust pizza.

Let’s be honest: most of us don’t fall off keto because we love carbs. We fall off because we’re tired, hungry, and the idea of cooking feels like a full-time job.

This is not that.

These are the meals you make when your energy is low, your patience is gone, and you still want to stay healthy and low-carb or keto. No recipes, no measurements, no fancy ingredients or equipment, and no nonsense. Just food that works.

The “Whatever’s in the Fridge” Egg Scramble

If you have eggs, you have a meal.

Carton of brown eggs held up in a grocery store

Source: Google Images

Crack a couple into a pan, toss in whatever you find—cheese, leftover meat, spinach that’s one day from going bad—and call it done.

  • Add butter if you’re feeling fancy
  • Add salt if you remember
  • Eat directly from the pan if it’s that kind of day

Why it works: High protein, high fat, and endlessly customizable.

Deli Meat + Cheese Roll-Ups

This is barely “cooking,” and that’s exactly why it’s perfect.

Italian Deli Rollups on table

Source: Tablespoon.com

Take slices of deli turkey, ham, or roast beef. Add cheese. Roll it up. Done.

If you want to upgrade:

  • Add mustard, mayo, or cream cheese
  • Throw in a pickle spear for crunch, if you like pickles (and James does not)

Why it works: Zero prep, zero cleanup, and still totally keto.

This recipe for Italian Deli Rollups on Tablespoon.com is a bit more complex. I just liked the picture. But you get the idea.

Cottage Cheese Power Bowl

I know, it’s not for everyone, especially for those of us who grew up with mothers and other female relatives who ate it with pineapple or something. But hear me out—cottage cheese is underrated.

Rows of various brands of cottage cheese in a refrigerator case

Source: Google Images

Scoop some into a bowl and top it with:

  • Nuts or seeds
  • A drizzle of olive oil
  • A few berries, if you’ve got the carbs to spare
  • Sugar-free chocolate chips, if you really need chocolate

Why it works: High protein, surprisingly filling, and takes about 30 seconds to assemble.

What About Greek Yogurt?

This can also work with Greek Yogurt but skip the nonfat kind. If you can find Cabot Creamery’s Whole Milk Plain Yogurt with 10% milk fat, get that.

2 lb carton of Cabot Creamery Greek Yogurt next to a bowl of yogurt with granola and blueberries

The best Greek yogurt I’ve tasted. Source: CabotCreamery.com

If you flavor and sweeten it enough, you’ll feel like you’re having ice cream. Winn-Dixie had it, but they’re gone, so I can’t get it locally anymore.

Rotisserie Chicken + Bagged Salad

This is your “I refuse to cook but still want to eat like an adult” meal.

Rows of cooked rotisserie chickens in hot racks for impromptu keto meals

Source: Google Images

Grab a pre-cooked rotisserie chicken and pair it with a bagged salad.

  • Use half the dressing (those packets can be sneaky)
    • Alternate: make your own salad dressing, it’s easy
  • Add extra olive oil or avocado if you need more fat

Why it works: It feels like a real meal with basically no effort.

The Microwave Keto Bowl

Yes, the microwave. We’re going there.

Throw this in a bowl:

  • Frozen low-carb veggies: broccoli, cauliflower, etc., or a blend
  • Pre-cooked protein: chicken, sausage, ground beef
  • A big pat of butter
    • Maybe a light drizzle of olive oil
    • Maybe a small handful of cheese on top if you have some handy

Microwave until hot, stir, eat.

Why it works: Hot, filling, and ready much faster than takeout. No picture because it probably won’t be pretty for Instagram.

When Lazy Keto Is Exactly What You Need

Not every meal needs to be Instagram-worthy. Some days are about survival and staying on track without overthinking it.

If it takes longer than 10 minutes, it’s not on this list for a reason.

The 5-Minute Lazy Keto Grocery List

Keep these on hand and you’ll always have a backup plan:

  • Eggs
  • Deli meat
  • Cheese: blocks, slices, etc.
  • Rotisserie chicken
  • Bagged salad kits
  • Frozen low-carb veggies
  • Butter
  • Olive oil
  • Nuts and seeds
  • Cottage cheese

If you’ve ever stood in your kitchen thinking, “I don’t have time for this,” here is your solution.

Lazy doesn’t mean failing. Sometimes it’s exactly how you stay consistent.

Stay lazy, my friends, because you can still have a healthy meal without too much trouble or thought.

Coming Soon: Shopping Local

That trip to Baton Rouge wasn’t over when we left Trader Joe’s. We also stopped at a local business closer to home we’re happy to know about. More on that soon, and I haven’t forgotten about long-term storage food blog, either. I’m still trying to keep the pantry in some kind of order.

Until then,

Enjoy!

 

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Shittake Mushrooms raw on table
The Mushroom Post
November 24, 2025 Amy

Do mushrooms get enough respect? Maybe they are now. Mushrooms are “having a moment” and are becoming the new “superfood du jour.” With some help from my BFF (ChatGPT), let’s dive into the mushroom patch.

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Hi, Again, Dear Readers:

It’s been a minute, and I apologize again. Things got away from me, as they often do here, and ten days went by. Now it’s the week of Thanksgiving: are you still making plans? Have you decided what to make yet? In our little neck of the woods, I was thrilled when the Lodge Cast Iron posted this one-pan Thanksgiving dinner on Instagram the other day. It’s greatly appreciated, and so far, it’s just James and me, anyway. (I think.) And it’s good for any time of year, too.

One thing that’s going to make it to our Turkey Day dinner is mushrooms, and I’ll share that recipe in this blog post with a printable version for you, too.

Are Mushroom-Based Foods the New Cauliflower? What to Try Now

Move over, cauliflower—there’s a new shapeshifter in town. And no, it’s not another vegetable trying to pretend it’s a pizza crust. It’s mushrooms. Yes, the humble fungi that used to be the sad, rubbery afterthought on a questionable slice of delivery or frozen pizza have reinvented themselves. Mushrooms are having a glow-up, a moment, a cultural reawakening, whatever you want to call it. And honestly? They deserve it, too.

Slate plate with cremini mushrooms on table

Source: Google Images

If you’re into low-carb, keto, gluten-free, or just “please-don’t-make-me-eat-a-bowl-of-pasta” cooking, mushroom-based foods are about to feel like someone tossed you a culinary life raft. They’ve quietly crept into everything from faux noodles to snack chips, and people are searching for them like crazy. So let’s dig into why mushrooms are suddenly the new cauliflower, and which products and recipes are actually worth your time.

Why Mushrooms, and Why Now?

Cauliflower had its moment (several, actually). Rice, pizza crust, nachos, tortillas, mac and cheese—we owed a lot to that pale, unassuming hero. I like cauliflower, but for many people, there is one giant downside: it always tastes like cauliflower, no matter how much cheese you bury it under.

Mushrooms? Whole different story.

Sliced shittake mushrooms sauteeing in pan with wooden spoon

Source: Google Images

They’ve got:

  • Natural umami
  • A chewy, satisfying bite
  • Shockingly good versatility
  • Almost no carbs
  • No gluten, no dairy, no fuss
  • The ability to disappear into the background or be the star, depending on how you treat them

 

Plus, mushroom-based products aren’t pretending to be healthy food. They are a healthy food. Low-calorie, nutrient-dense, fiber-rich. They basically walk into the room wearing a quiet “I’m good for you” confidence without lecturing anyone.

The Rise of Mushroom-Based Alternatives

Here’s where the fun starts. Food companies have realized mushrooms can be turned into, well, almost anything.

And for those of us who want low-carb recipes that don’t taste like punishment, this is extremely good news.

1. Mushroom-Based Noodles

In my last post, I discussed shirataki noodles (which are sometimes blended with mushrooms now), but pure mushroom-based noodles are showing up everywhere. These aren’t mushy. They’re not spongy. They’re pleasantly chewy, neutral in flavor, and ready to soak up whatever sauce you throw at them.

They work beautifully in:

  • Casseroles
  • Keto pasta salads
  • Pad Thai riffs
  • Soups (they don’t disintegrate!)
  • Stir-fries

The magic, of course, is that mushrooms don’t have a strong flavor of their own. They act like little sponges (in the best possible way), soaking up garlic butter, tomato sauce, pesto, or Thai curry. Much like the hearts of palm and shirataki pastas, your sauce becomes the star. The noodles just show up and do their job without drama.

2. Mushroom “Rice.”

This isn’t quite as common yet as cauliflower rice, but give it a year. It’s already popping up in the low-carb world.

Mushroom rice has:

  • A firmer bite
  • A deeper savory flavor
  • Better performance with meals that need more texture (think jambalaya or burrito bowls)

Use it anywhere you’d use cauliflower rice, but especially in dishes where cauliflower’s water content has betrayed you one too many times. (Looking at you, cauliflower fried rice.)

3. Mushroom Snack Chips

I haven’t tried these yet, but I’m informed that these are dangerously good.

Where kale chips crumble if you look at them wrong, mushroom chips hold together, crisp beautifully, and still feel like a real snack. And they’re low-carb, which feels like a miracle, because some keto snacks taste like someone dared a food scientist to see how much erythritol a human can tolerate.

Try them:

  • With dip
  • Crushed over salads
  • Straight out of the bag while pretending you’re “just having a few.”

Now that I’ve discovered they exist, I’ll be on the lookout for them.

4. Mushroom-Based Meat Alternatives

You don’t have to be vegetarian or vegan to appreciate these. Mushrooms make a fantastic stand-in for meat because they actually chew like something substantial. Companies are starting to use them in crumbles, burgers, and even jerky. They work great for:

  • Low-carb tacos
  • High-protein salads
  • Quick throw-into-a-skillet weeknight dinners
  • Replacing ground meat in casseroles

 

Bonus: no soy (or soy overload), no mystery ingredients, no weird aftertaste. Will only try when James is not around, even though he likes mushrooms. If I unleash this on him without trying it myself first, much like the overnight oats incident, I’ll never hear the end of it.

How to Cook with Mushroom-Based Foods (Without Overthinking It)

Here’s the best part: mushrooms don’t ask for much. Give them heat, seasoning, and maybe a little fat, and they rise to the occasion. Portobellos, for instance, can be grilled like a burger:

Portobello mushrooms upside down on grill pan

Source: Google Images

When you’re using pre-made mushroom-based products, it gets even easier. A few no-fail tips:

  1. Treat mushroom noodles like regular noodles. Heat them, sauce them, boom — done. No complicated prep. Just make sure your sauce is flavorful, because the noodles are basically blank slates.
  2. Roast the mushroom rice for better flavor. Toss with oil, salt, and pepper; roast on a sheet pan at high heat. It brings out a nutty, almost toasty flavor you’ll love.
  3. Season mushroom meat alternatives with a light touch. They’re tasty, but a dash of taco seasoning, garlic powder, or smoked paprika goes a long way. You can always add a little more if needed.
  4. Don’t be afraid of browning. Color = flavor. Pale mushrooms are sad mushrooms. Cooking all the water out in just a little oil and/or butter really brings out the mushrooms’ flavor and character, and crisps them up if you cook them long enough.

Recipe: Mushroom Sausage Stuffing

With Thanksgiving this week, I decided to revisit this recipe from the late Suzanne Somers’ first book, Eat Great, Lose Weight, page 167. I haven’t made it in many years, and decided on it when I found fresh tarragon over the weekend in the Hammond Albertson’s. (James didn’t want to be seen buying mushrooms in our local Walmart.) It’s been years since I made it last, but it’s so good, and lots of tasty mushroom goodness.

Sliced and whole white button mushrooms on white background
Suzanne Somers

Mushroom Sausage Stuffing

A low-carb alternative to bread stuffing for your Thanksgiving dinner or anytime.
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Servings: 6 cups
Course: Main Course, Side Dish
Cuisine: American
Ingredients Method

Ingredients
  

  • 4 onions thinly sliced
  • 2 to 4 tbsp olive oil
  • 4 cups coarsely chopped shiitake and oyster mushrooms or regular white button mushrooms
  • Salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • ½ cup dry white wine
  • 2 tbsp butter
  • 2 pounds spicy turkey sausage meat, removed from casings can also use non-spicy
  • 1 bunch fresh tarragon leaves no stems

Method
 

  1. Saute' the onions in olive oil over medium-low heat until caramelized, about 30 minutes.
  2. Turn the heat up to medium-high and add the mushrooms. Saute' until the mushrooms are crisp around the edges, about 15 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
  3. Turn the heat to high and add the wine. Let the wine cook off for a couple of minutes, then lower the heat and simmer with the mushrooms for another 10 minutes. Stir in the butter 1 tablespoon at a time until combined. Remove from the heat and set aside.
  4. In a large skillet, brown the sausage. When cooked through, about 5 to 7 minutes, add the mushroom mixture along with the tarragon and combine thoroughly.

If you don’t want to use wine, a little chicken or turkey broth would work. This “stuffing” doesn’t need to be cooked inside the bird, either. You could make this the night before and reheat it for dinner. Just know that caramelizing the onions and frying up the mushrooms does take some time, so plan accordingly.

Are Mushrooms Really Replacing Cauliflower?

Honestly? In many ways, yes.

Small "baby bella" mushrooms on a table

Source: Google Images

Cauliflower gave us options, but mushrooms give us confidence. They do the job without making the entire dish taste like a cruciferous fog. They’re friendlier to beginners, easier to cook, and—dare we say it—more satisfying.

Plus, cauliflower had a long run. It deserves a rest. Let it retire peacefully into your favorite roasted veggie medley.

Five Mushroom-Based Products Worth Trying This Week

If you want to dip your toe into the mushroom pool (and by pool, I mean skillet), you can start here:

  1. Mushroom-based noodles: Any brand. They all behave politely.
  2. Mushroom jerky: Surprisingly addictive and great for low-carb snackers.
  3. Mushroom broth: Swap it into soups and sauces for a savory punch.
  4. Mushroom meat crumbles: Great for tacos, chili, or quick stir-fries, or just trying out.
  5. Mushroom chips: Just buy two bags.

I’m keeping my eyes open locally for some of these myself, but haven’t seen any yet. There is also mushroom coffee, and there are devotees, but I’m not brave enough to try that one.

The Fungi Have Earned Their Crown

So yes, mushrooms absolutely might be the new cauliflower. They’re versatile, they’re easy, they play well with low-carb and keto cooking, and they don’t hijack the flavor of every dish they touch.

Mushrooms can play a part in your Thanksgiving dinner as well as dinner any night of the week. Last week we had our regular spaghetti, and I drained two small cans of mushroom pieces, fried them until they were crispy, and added them into the pan after the meat was finished browning. Simple and easy, he liked it, and we’ll do that again. You can also fry them like this, raw or canned, and add them into an omelette or scrambled eggs, too. Just get ready for the spattering, which you can mitigate with a splatter screen. (I need to find mine, it disappeared.)

For carnivores and vegetarians alike, mushrooms are a nice little addition to your repertoire that can either sit in the background or play a starring role.

Happy Thanksgiving!

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Palm tree
For Those Of You Missing Pasta
November 14, 2025 Amy

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colander basket of cut zucchini
Zucchini and Suzanne Somers
October 23, 2023 Amy

Zucchini is one of those plants that overloads gardens. I was gifted some recently, and didn’t make zucchini bread. Plus a tribute to the late Suzanne Somers, RIP.

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Hello again, Dear Readers:

It’s been a month, and I apologize. I’ve got several things to tell you, but I’ll have to limit that in this blog.

Finally, fall has arrived, and the temperatures have gone below 100 degrees every day. So far, our highs have been in the mid-80s, but we’ve had some chillier weather than that. It doesn’t last too long, but it’s enough to make us turn the heater at night sometimes.

Following last month’s trip to Trader Joe’s, one of my copywriting clients’ project managers BN told me that she was able to get some of Trader Joe’s coveted pumpkin spice body butter. She lives in coastal Florida, and apparently near a Trader Joe’s that’s not near LSU or other place with college students. I am so jealous! Well, OK, just a little jealous. I am enjoying the body scrub, though.

Much has happened since my last post.

Come and Knock On Our Door. . . .

By now, you’ve heard the sad news that Suzanne Somers has passed away from an aggressive form of breast cancer. She was an actress, author, gourmet cook, health advocate, entrepreneur, and businesswoman. I was a huge fan, and I still am, but did not know the lady personally. Long-time readers know that I have and love all her cookbooks, along with several of her other books. I know there are a few of her books that I don’t have, but I should probably get and read. We don’t have Half Price Books here, so I can’t get them cheap anymore.

She passed one day before her 77th birthday, holding her husband’s hand. Her family was at the house to celebrate her birthday with her. They had a beautiful heart-shaped purple cake made for her with lots of white piping.

Her husband and business partner of more than 50 years, Alan Hamel, and her son, Bruce, along with family members, lit candles and blew them out in a short video posted to Instagram on her birthday (Monday October 16th. ) Just prior to the birthday cake video, Alan and Bruce did a 14-minute interview with Entertainment Tonight about her passing, her legacy, her love of cake, and how they will move forward and keep her legacy going. If you have a few minutes, give it a watch.

The Legacy

Many people only know Suzanne Somers as an actress, primarily as Chrissy Snow from Three’s Company. The show is still in reruns, and there is currently a channel on streaming service Pluto TV that runs the show 24/7. I’ve watched a few of them this week. If you’re interested, you don’t have to register, you can start watching either live TV or on-demand on your smartphone, tablet, laptop, desktop, smart TV, or Roku. (You may be able to watch it on an Amazon Fire Stick, but I don’t know.)

Note: Pluto has plenty of classic TV shows to watch, including a channel of The Tonight Show With Johnny Carson. Hint: He’s still funny, especially if you remember the events he’s talking about in his monologue. I haven’t seen one yet where Suzanne Somers is on, but there are three on YouTube, plus a number of more recent clips.

Of course, there were more acting roles later, plus stints in Las Vegas, a Broadway show called The Blonde in the Thunderbird, and most recently, a stint on Dancing With The Stars in 2015. Never mind that she was a headliner in Las Vegas, danced and sang on TV and in USO shows, not to mention the legions of her longtime fans like me who repeat-dial voted for her on the show. She was voted off rather quickly, which I thought was, well, not nice. But her performances are all on YouTube, and her partner on the show, Tony Dovolani, also spoke with ET after she passed.

The Business of Suzanne Somers

Beyond her acting, She was also an author of 27 books, many of them best sellers. The last one I have was her book called Two’s Company, on her 50-plus year long relationship with her husband, Canadian talk show host Alan Hamel. She discusses a wide range of topics related to their relationship, including the business side of being “Suzanne Somers.” It’s truly a family business with nearly everyone involved in some fashion.

Over the years Suzanne sold a wide range of products on her website besides the obvious. For several years she had some lovely violet serving dishes named after her granddaughter Violet. She had small kitchen appliances, including a bread maker, a hand mixer (I still have mine and it works great), an ice cream maker, a small countertop convection rotisserie oven, a stovetop pressure cooker (this was before the Instant Pot) a deep fryer, an ice shaver, and several other things I can’t remember now. They are well-made, of course, but they still remind me of Suzy Homemaker appliances.

The books, the famous (or infamous) Thighmaster (yes, I have one), the 3Way Poncho (I have a few, and they are still available from some vendors as well as resellers eBay and Mercari) and a wide range of food, supplements and other products on her own website, SuzanneSomers.com. Her products aren’t cheap, but they aren’t rubbish, either. I was a big fan of SomerSweet, but as I wrote about several years ago, that’s gone now, and Swerve can be used in its place.

I’ll be making my birthday cake from Suzanne’s Desserts book this week. Instead of SomerSweet, of course, I’ll be using Swerve. And we’ll have a slice to celebrate the lady who did it all with grace, right up to the end.

The Zucchini

So, last week, BF came home with a bag full of great big zucchini and two crookneck squash, and said, “T says hi.” That’s one of his car guy friends, and apparently knew I would appreciate them. Because BF doesn’t eat anything called squash, including zucchini, spaghetti, or acorn, my favorites, and will let me know about it immediately.

I can only wish I had such an abundance of zucchini that I had to give it away. But I’m happy to accept the wonderful gift of excess from those fortunate enough to have such a nice garden surplus. One of these days, I keep telling BF, we’re going to have a fantastic garden from which we enjoy a great harvest.

Here’s how it ties into the late Suzanne Somers.

Zucchini Ribbons

My first thought was to make some zucchini noodles from Suzanne Somers’ Fast & Easy book (the purple one.) I haven’t made that in a very long time, and it’s simple. Cut the ends off the zucchini, then use a vegetable peeler to make long, thin ribbons. When you get too far in to keep using the peeler, just thinly slice the remainder with a sharp knife on a cutting board until you’re done. Cook in a skillet with a little olive oil, salt and pepper until they’re just done. Delicious.

You can cook as many zucchinis this way as you like at once. Eat them as is, or add them to any kind of pasta sauce you like. Fast & Easy was published before the veggie noodle makers became popular, and in a later book she uses zucchini “noodles” made from her own Su-Chef appliance. It wasn’t available for long, apparently, and it isn’t even available on eBay or Mercari, but I did find a picture.

I Thought About Her

As I took the book off the shelf, I wondered how Suzanne was doing. I remembered that she’d been ill again, but I was sure she would be getting better. Is she writing a new book? There probably won’t be any more cookbooks, I thought, but an important topic, for sure. But I knew it would be an interesting subject, well-researched and well-written, like Tox-Sick. Admittedly, I didn’t get her last book but will source it for my shelves soon.

The next day, BF sent me a message on Facebook Messenger that she’d passed away, one day before her 77th birthday. The breast cancer she’d been fighting for more than 20 years finally overtook her.

The next night, I made a Cappuccino Chocolate Chunk Cheesecake from Get Skinny on Fabulous Food, page 246.

For breakfast one day last week, I made some of Alan’s Fried Eggs In Onion Nests on page 115 for us to enjoy with breakfast. Hint: open the windows and turn on your exhaust fan before you get started cooking the onions.

I also want to purchase Served By Caroline Somers, Suzanne’s daughter-in-law, chief chef, and right-hand-gal in the business for thirty-plus years. Her stepdaughter, Leslie Hamel, is a fashion designer who designed the 3Way Poncho, as well as hundreds of Suzanne’s red-carpet items and many pieces of her clothing lines. I own a few 3Way Ponchos and made some from a Simplicity pattern published shortly after the released. There’s some fabric in my stash that will be perfect to make a couple more.

The Rest: Zucchini Sotolio

I only cooked that one zucchini on Saturday night, because I had a plan for the rest of them. I’ve done this before, but just never quite got around to posting the recipe. This recipe is *not* from Suzanne Somers, but from TV chef Giada de Laurentiis. It’s on page 226 of Giada’s Italy: My Recipes For La Dolce Vita, called Zucchini Sotolio. It’s not difficult, and it’s a great way to make those garden extras last a bit longer.

First, you cut the zucchini into 1/3” rounds. Drop them in the colander, sprinkle salt over them, and let them sit for ten minutes.

colander basket of cut zucchini

There were a couple of yellow zucchini in the bag.

But because I was sitting with BF, it ended up more like 30 minutes. But the salt seasons them nicely.

While that’s going on, boil up 1½ cups of water and 1½ cups of apple cider vinegar in a big pot.

Now, open up a window, (or turn on the exhaust fan) because it’s going to smell in your kitchen and your house if you don’t. Trust me on this, I speak from experience here. Especially with someone around like BF who can’t stand the smell of vinegar at all.

Add in your sliced zucchini and turn the heat down to a simmer:

Sliced zucchini in cooking pot

Yes, there were some yellow ones, and they tasted the same.

Cook the slices for about five minutes, until they’re cooked but not mushy and overdone.

zucchini cooking in pot

If you have as much as I was given, you’ll need to cook them in batches.

Two batches of zucchini

Then take them out:

Removing Zucchini from cooking pot and adding into bowl

And put them into a bowl.

Zucchini cooling in bowl

You may find they’re still kind of watery, so you might want to drain that off too. Add in the mint leaves, basil leaves, chopped garlic:

Adding chopped aromatics into bowl

And a tablespoon more of apple cider vinegar:

Adding ACV to bowl

Toss the zucchini to mix in the rest of the ingredients. Leave them to cool for a little while.

And here comes the fun part: cover them with olive oil:

Coating zucchini with olive oil

The recipe calls for extra-virgin olive oil, but I didn’t have enough. So, I just used regular olive oil.

When you have enough oil, pack them in jars or just store them in the fridge in a tightly sealed container:

Packing zucchini into a container

This is a container I like to use for the freezer, with a rubber gasket in the lid and snapping closure tabs.

Zucchini in storage container

This delicious recipe will stay in your fridge for about three weeks. Serve them at room temperature. Giada says that having a jar or two of this around means you’ll always have a “quick side.” It’s also good as a starter or part of an antipasto spread. Got eggplant? It works here too, just grill the eggplant first. (No, I still hate eggplant.)

Here’s the recipe if this looks like something you’d like to try soon.

Zucchini in storage container
Amy

Zucchini Sottolio

From Giada's Italy, page 226. This recipe has bold, tangy flavors that make the zucchini really shine.
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Servings: 5 cups
Course: Appetizer, Condiment, Side Dish
Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients Method

Ingredients
  

  • 1¼ pounds zucchini sliced into ⅓ inch rounds (about 3 small zucchini)
  • 1¼ tsp kosher salt
  • 1½ cups apple cider vinegar plus one tablespoon for the end
  • 10 fresh mint leaves
  • 10 fresh basil leaves
  • 2 garlic cloves, smashed and peeled
  • ½ tsp crushed red pepper flakes (Amy's note: optional)
  • 2 to 3 cups extra-virgin olive oil (Amy's note: I used regular this time)

Method
 

  1. Place the sliced zucchini in a colander that is set over a bowl. Sprinkle with the salt and toss well to combine. Allow the zucchini to sit for 10 minutes.
  2. Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan, combine 1½ cups of water with 1½ cups of apple cider vinegar and bring to a boil over high heat. Add the salted zucchini to the pot and return the mixture to a boil. Reduce the heat to maintain a simmer and cook for 4 to 5 minutes, or until the zucchini is cooked through but still has a little texture. Drain the zucchini and place it in a large bowl.
  3. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon vinegar, the mint, basil, garlic and red pepper flakes to the zucchini, and toss well. Add enough olive oil to cover the zucchini and allow the mixture to cool to room temperature. Pack the zucchini in jars or a storage container with a tight-fitting lid, making sure the zucchini is fully covered with the oil. Store in the refrigerator for up to 3 weeks. Serve at room temperature.

Fancy another cuppa?

I’ve got another tea blog coming, but I’m not saying anything just yet. But it will be interesting—and very strong.

Enjoy!

 

 

 

Chocolate,Cookbooks,Desserts,Fresh from the Garden,Health & Wellness,Ingredients,Low Carb,Special considerations ,,,,
Double chocolate mug cake on a plate
Double Chocolate Mug Cake
November 22, 2022 Amy

Chocolate cake in a single serving is always a good thing, especially when it’s keto. I’ve got a quick and easy chocolate mug cake that you can make and enjoy anytime.

Find me on Bloglovin’

Hi again, Dear Readers:

It’s been over a month since my last blog post, and for that, I apologize. We did a little traveling, and it’s been go-go-go since we got back. Maybe I need to listen to Stephanie O’Dea’s Slow Living Podcast, if I could find the time. I’ll tell you more about our trip in a future blog post.

I intended to post this much earlier. With the Holidays bearing down on us there’s a lot happening for nearly everyone. Things are about to get very busy and complicated for many people. As I was once told by a former supervisor at Boeing, “we’re getting into the time of year where a month is not a month.” For those working in the corporate sector, it means vacations, either yours or someone else’s. Many people will be gone for days, and probably when you need them the most. That’s been my experience, so be forewarned.

But at the Casa de Rurale, we’re debating on whether we want to tackle that backroom area where all the Christmas stuff is stored behind a bunch of other things or leave it for another year. I’m guessing we’re probably going to try later.

Meantime, let me catch you up on our recent happenings.

My Birthday

Before our trip, it was my birthday. I did make a Swerve chocolate keto cake, although we didn’t “do” anything because we had a trip the next week. I made some chocolate buttercream icing from Suzanne Somers’ book Somersize Desserts but using the same 1:1 sweetener you see in this post. Then rushed the process so the icing’s texture was a bit clumpy:

Chocolate layer cake on a white plate

Chocolate birthday cake!

But it was still delicious and we enjoyed a keto/low-carb/Somersized (sort of) chocolate cake. Earlier in the day, I made it to Starbucks for my birthday treat: 

The protein box wouldn’t ring up, so it ended up being the drink that was free. I was also running errands so I needed a bite.

The Banana Rat Gets Married

We went to Houston for a few days, finally. It was a short trip with multiple mishaps, but we made it there and back just fine. After hiring a local sitter on the Rover app, we solved the problem of who to ask to take care of things while we were gone.

Cat held up next to a sign telling you not to let her out

Yup. This little cutie loves to sneak outside. Thank heavens she’s chipped.

We couldn’t see everyone and go everywhere, but we did make it to our intended destination and made a few in-person visits. Zoom calls just aren’t the same. It was good to see some folks after so long away. BF was his usual very entertaining self.

The focus of the trip: our favorite web guy, Rafael, aka “Banana Rat,” recently married his longtime partner, Carmen. It was a beautiful wedding at an incredibly gorgeous place called The Springs of Magnolia. The venue is in Magnolia TX, north of Katy, and about a 45-minute drive north from Katy on the Grand Parkway.

Their wedding was at the Stonebridge venue. The actual ceremony was outside, with cocktail hour on the porch including delicious appetizers, then the full reception inside. The building is nestled in a grove of pine trees with fountains and bridges for picturesque views. Pinehaven has a long porch area that goes around the entire building. The weather was perfect, and I’ll tell you more about the wedding and the wonderful food in a future blog post.

Meantime, here’s a picture that Rafael put on social media not long after the wedding.

Rafael and Carmen holding hands right after wedding on November 5, 2022

They just look so good together.

I managed a selfie with Rafael during the busy reception, too:

Amy and Rafael at Rafael's wedding reception

My buddy and “Boeing Brother.”

We took our own pictures, of course, and were close enough to get some great shots. I’ve since shared them with Rafael, once I figured out the most efficient method to do that. More in a future blog post.

The Double Chocolate Mug Cake

I’m piggybacking on my last blog post about the new book Easy Dirty Keto by Emilie Bailey. I decided to try this recipe after I published that blog. I intended to publish either before we left for Houston, or right after we got back. That didn’t happen. Finally, when I’m caught up a little bit, I have the time to finish up.

To make things easy, I’ll put the printable recipe right here so you can print your own copy. It’s an easy, fast recipe, and it takes just a few minutes. If you don’t have sugar-free chocolate chips on hand, you can skip it—because, let’s face it, you may just snack on the chocolate chips anyway. There’s also an unusual ingredient that you might not be expecting, but it works well here.

Double chocolate mug cake on a plate
Amy

Double Chocolate Mug Cake

A fast, easy, keto dessert from Easy Dirty Keto by Emilie Bailey, page 142
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 2 minutes
Servings: 1
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: Tex-Mex
Ingredients Method

Ingredients
  

  • 3 tbsp Keto yellow cake mix (from a box) See note below if you don't have a box of this
  • 1 tbsp cocoa powder
  • 1 tbsp mayonnaise
  • 1 large egg
  • 2 tsp water
  • 1 tbsp sugar-free chocolate chips

Method
 

  1. In a mug, combine cake mix with cocoa powder and mix well. Add mayo, egg, and water; stir well to combine. Mix in the chocolate chips
  2. Put the mug into the microwave and cook on high for 1 minute to 1 minute and 20 seconds, until the cake is firm but still glossy. If you're using a large mug, you may need to cook for a few more seconds.
  3. Top as desired and enjoy.
  4. NOTE: if you do not have a boxed keto cake mix, stir together 2 tablespoons of almond flour, 1 tablespoon of 1:1 granulated sweetener, ¼ teaspoon of baking powder, and a pinch of salt. Mix together, then proceed with Step 1.

Now let me show you how to make one when you just really need some chocolate cake.

How To Make It

Like many of the mug cake recipes you see on Pinterest, Instagram, and other places, there are only two steps here, and the third is optional.

 

Ingredients to make a chocolate cake in a cup

The setup

First, you mix the cake mix and the cocoa powder in a cup.

Adding cocoa powder into a cup

Just a little

Then add the wet ingredients: mayonnaise, egg, and two teaspoons of water.

Putting mayo into cake

Yes, mayo. No, you can’t taste it.

Stir it well, then stir in the chocolate chips if you’re using them.

Chocolate chips stirred into the chocolate cake in a cup

Just a tablespoon

Stir them in:

Next, microwave it on high for one minute to one minute and 20 seconds. Emilie says, “until the cake is firm but still glossy.” A larger mug takes a few more seconds or a microwave that’s not as powerful. I think our microwave takes one minute and 30 seconds to be completely done. Just don’t cook it too long.

Double chocolate mug cake on a plate

Easy!

At this point, you can sprinkle on a little bit more of the 1:1 sweetener, you could put a little whipped cream on it, or just eat it as is. I usually skip the embellishments because I think it’s fine right out of the microwave. But if you put, say, some sugar-free raspberry preserves on top when it’s done, I won’t judge.

Mayonnaise In Cake?

Yes, you read that right, and I’m guessing Aunt Ruth and Aunt Kathy are nodding their heads in agreement. I’ve heard of it before, but never tried it myself, until now. And, honestly, I thought it was a horrible idea. But Emilie comments in the book that she’s tried multiple recipes for cake in a cup but they tended to be too dry or too “eggy.” The addition of a tablespoon of mayo makes it rich and fudgy, just like a cake should be. You don’t taste the mayo, honest.

No, I haven’t told BF.

You can read more about mayo in cakes in this article on Epicurious’ website with links to other recipes, including this one by BestFoods/Hellman’s using their own mayo. Apparently it’s a “secret ingredient” in chocolate and other cakes that gives it richness and moistness. Here’s another chocolate mayo cake recipe from Taste of Home. Warning: unlike Emilie’s recipe, these cakes aren’t keto, and are both whole cakes.

The Keto Cake Mix Dilemma

Like many people, I haven’t bought much in the way of prepared keto products. There are so many keto things in most grocery stores now. Of course, you must read through everything to know if it really is keto or just something with the “keto” name pasted on it. I’ve seen a few things that claimed to be keto, but they contained wheat or other things in them that disqualified them from being “keto.” But then again, there’s “dirty” keto, too, but I don’t want wheat at all.

What I really like about this recipe, and what made me try it, was Emily’s note to tell you how to make it with other ingredients. Well, I had them, and I appreciated the note on making them without buying a full box of cake mix. Since discovering this little variable, I’ve enjoyed this chocolate cake in a mug several times.

Instead of the boxed mix, you simply whisk together 2 tablespoons of almond flour, one tablespoon of granulated 1:1 sweetener, ¼ teaspoon of baking powder, and a pinch of salt for your cake base.

ingredients for chocolate cake base

The setup, part 2

That replaces the three tablespoons of the boxed yellow keto cake mix. Just mix it up and proceed with the recipe.

mixing cake base in bowl

Just Like this

Easy!

Ready For A Little Keto Chocolate Cake?

Really, I wish I’d done this before, but I’m glad I finally got around to trying this recipe.

Miss Alice has not had the pleasure of making any recipes from the book yet, but she’s planning on doing some while she’s off for Thanksgiving break. I highly recommended this recipe and a couple of others to her so that she and her daughter don’t have to rely on mac and cheese or some other “instant” thing when they get home at night. But they still haven’t gotten around to using a slow cooker during the week just yet.

This chocolate cake is an easy and fast keto dessert that makes just one serving whenever you’re ready. You don’t have to make an entire cake, just one little cup of cake. And isn’t that what you need sometimes just to hit the spot?

Enjoy!

Considered opinions,Desserts,Fast & Easy,Keto,Low Carb,Microwave,Sugar-free ,,,,,,,

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