Lovin' From the Oven

Bacon Avocado Pasta

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Let’s be real here. I eat A LOT of pasta… probably not as much as I would if I wasn’t dating my DB. If it were up to me, I’d make pasta for dinner every night. My DB, on the other hand, always vetoes my decision for pasta making because it isn’t exactly the healthiest dish. There are too many carbs and not enough working out.

As much as I’m ashamed to say it, we don’t really workout. Like… at all. A workout for me means chasing kids around the house and walking around the airport in heels. As for my DB, he does Insanity workouts every once in a blue moon. We really need to change that.

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Sometimes, I’ll make pasta just for myself, justifying the carbs by adding avocados and other assorted vegetables. Whenever I do that, my DB won’t go anywhere near it so it’s all for me. It’s one of my secret tactics so I get the pasta all to myself. *insert maniacal laugh here*

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This is the perfect summer salad since it isn’t served piping hot. The avocado and tomatoes provide that “cooling” effect which makes it a great dish to be served alongside your BBQ.

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A new 4th of July dish for tomorrow, maybe? I’m sure your guests would appreciate it!

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Be safe on this four day weekend! Even if you aren’t lucky enough to have a 4 day weekend (I’m included in that category), at least enjoy tomorrow outside!

This dish could easily be doubled or even tripled to accommodate your party.

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Bacon Avocado Pasta

Ingredients

  • 8 oz penne pasta
  • 2 avocados, chopped
  • 2 roma tomatoes, chopped
  • 4 slices cooked thick cut bacon, crumbled
  • 2 tablespoons lemon juice
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1/8 tsp oregano
  • 1 tsp italian seasoning
  • freshly ground black pepper to taste
  • pinch of garlic salt
  • 1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese

Directions

  1. Cook the pasta according to the directions on the box, until al dente.
  2. Once cooked, strain the pasta and place it in a large bowl.
  3. Toss the pasta with the remaining ingredients, until thoroughly combined. Serve immediately.
  4. I saved some parmesan cheese and threw it on top after plating, but you can toss it in as well.
https://lovintheoven.com/bacon-avocado-pasta/

Turkey Sloppy Joes

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When I was little, I always wanted to try a sloppy joe. Remember the movie It Takes Two with Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen? And that one scene where she rubs the sloppy joe all over her face after having the first bite? Well, it looked delicious to me when I was 8 years old. All I ever ate were Happy Meals and home made Vietnamese food. I had no idea what a sloppy joe was.

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Ironically, I think I had my first sloppy joe at summer camp. It must be a common camp food. I’ve probably only had two sloppy joes in my twenty five years of living. Is that normal? Do people make sloppy joes at home on a daily basis? I’ll never know.

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Actually, I just asked my mom right now since I’m currently at home and she claims that she’s made it before when we were little. She was curious at the grocery store and bought the premade packets that you just mix in with the meat. When I told her that I never remembered eating sloppy joes at home, she said it’s probably because the meal wasn’t very successful.

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We normally just stick to Vietnamese dishes in my parent’s household. It’s the safest bet.

I have yet to try making any Vietnamese dishes in my kitchen, though. I’ll need to remember to write a few pointers from my mom.

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This recipe comes from the The Pioneer Woman. The only difference is that I subbed ground turkey for ground beef since that’s what I had on hand and it’s healthier. The buns that I used were from Trader Joe’s and went great with the dish. They were fresh and fluffy, perfect for the tangy spoonful of turkey that was going to be shoved in between it. I did find that using an entire green bell pepper was a bit much, even for me. My DB probably would have liked it even better if I completely omitted it, but hey, you have to eat your greens somehow.

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Turkey Sloppy Joes

Ingredients

  • 2 Tablespoons Butter
  • 2-1/2 pounds Ground Turkey
  • 1/2 whole Large Onion, Diced
  • 1 whole Large Green Bell Pepper, Diced
  • 5 cloves Garlic, Minced
  • 1-1/2 cup Ketchup
  • 1 cup Water
  • 2 Tablespoons Brown Sugar
  • 2 teaspoons Chili Powder (more To Taste)
  • 1 teaspoon Dry Mustard
  • 1/2 teaspoon Red Pepper Flakes (more To Taste)
  • Worcestershire Sauce, To Taste
  • 2 Tablespoons Tomato Paste (optional)
  • Tabasco Sauce (optional; To Taste)
  • Salt To Taste
  • Freshly Ground Black Pepper, To Taste
  • Kaiser Rolls (I used burger buns)
  • Butter

Directions

  1. Add butter to a large skillet or dutch oven over medium high heat.
  2. Add in the ground beef and cook until brown. Drain most of the fat and discard. Toss in the onions, green pepper, and garlic, cook for a few minutes.
  3. Add ketchup, brown sugar, chili pepper, dry mustard, and water. Stir to combine and simmer for 15 minutes, adding salt and pepper to taste. Also add tomato paste, Worcestershire, and Tabasco if using.
  4. Taste and adjust seasonings as needed.
  5. Spread rolls with butter and brown on a griddle or skillet. Spoon meat mixture in between the rolls and serve hot!
https://lovintheoven.com/turkey-sloppy-joes/

BLT Sandwich with Avocado

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Some days, you just can’t get yourself together to make a real meal, despite the fact that you’ve been starving for the past two hours. Enter the BLT– the solution to that problem. It takes a whole 5 minutes to make and you have a hearty, mouth watering sandwich.

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You can add more of, take out, and include any ingredient that you want without being judged for it. Don’t really like lettuce? Change it to spinach. How about that meat? Bacon’s just not satisfying your manly cravings? Throw in some turkey, ham, and roast beef.

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This is my version of the perfect BLT. I like having a lot of veggies and just a tad bit of saltiness from the extra crispy bacon. Everyone’s is different.

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The ingredient list for this sandwich isn’t very specific, so feel free to adjust any way you want. Seriously, the possibilities are endless.

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BLT Sandwich with Avocado

Ingredients

  • 2 slices of bread
  • butter or margarine
  • mozzarella
  • 2 slices of bacon, cooked
  • half of an avocado
  • handful of spinach
  • cherry tomatoes, cut into halves

Directions

  1. Heat a pan (one big enough that will hold your sandwich!) over medium heat.
  2. Butter both sides of your bread and put them on the pan to warm.
  3. Flip the pieces of bread over and add all of your ingredients to one side. I like to put the cheese as the first layer so it's thoroughly melted. Put the other piece of bread on top of your ingredients to close the sandwich.
  4. Using a spatula, gently press down so that the bread becomes a nice, golden brown. Once the level of crispiness has been reached, flip the entire sandwich over and repeat for the other side of bread.
https://lovintheoven.com/blt-sandwich-with-avocado/

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