Quick Bacon, Avocado and Egg Breakfast Sandwiches

I've mentioned before that I was raised on the old adage that breakfast is the most important meal of the day, though I admit it's not always the easiest one to get on the table. That's especially true on school days and busy work mornings around here, so it helps to have a few tried and true shortcuts up your sleeve.

I love getting the chance to try out new OXO kitchen tools and gadgets, and then sharing them with you. Today I'm going to introduce you to four products that have recently become invaluable to me in the kitchen on those busy mornings. Actually, I've found myself using them even when I'm not in a rush, because they're so darn convenient.

Double-Ginger Molasses Cookies | #CookiesForKidsCancer

Every year OXO supports Cookies for Kids' Cancer during Pediatric Cancer Awareness month, donating up to 100,000* to support the cause. I'm happy to once again join them in baking a difference as I share some great OXO baking products that I used to test out a delicious recipe from the soon to be released Dorie's Cookies from Dorie Greenspan!

In case you're not familiar with the cause, Cookies for Kids' Cancer was founded by two OXO employees who were "inspired by their son Liam's battle with pediatric cancer, a disease which claims the lives of more children in the US than any other disease. Cookies for Kids' Cancer provides inspiration and support to allow anyone to easily get involved in fundraising to find a cure for pediatric cancer."

Pork Picadillo Bowls

Isn't it funny how you can cook a certain dish for years without really thinking about its origins? Okay maybe not for everybody, but for me, a girl who has a thing for history, culture, roots, and tradition as they relate to food, it is. For example, I've been making these empanadas for several years now. They are my absolute favorite empanadas in the world and if my stomach (and conscience) would allow, I'd eat an entire batch all by my lonesome.

They have an awesome pastry case that uses not only butter, but also cream cheese, which I just know adds to their perfectly tender and flaky texture. But it's the pork picadillo filling that I just can't get enough of. Okay, so picadillo is actually a dish all on its own...I knew that. But until today, I'd never actually made it to eat any other way than inside an empanada.

Mashed Butternut Squash and Potatoes w/ Roasted Garlic, Smoked Gouda & Bacon

There was a time when I did all of my potato-mashing by hand...and then I discovered the hand mixer method. At first I was resistant, perhaps even a little indignant. I gave my friend the cautious side-eye as she plunged the beaters into a pot of drained potatoes. I'd been mashing potatoes with the pure power of my arm for 22 years (okay, I didn't mash potatoes straight out of the womb, but it was close), why did I need a machine to do it for me?

I didn't say anything then, I just tucked that novel idea into my back pocket for another day. You know, a day when I actually owned a hand mixer. Fast forward a few years to dinner preparation in my own kitchen, steam rising up from a giant pot of potatoes that were ready to be mashed with warm butter and milk.

Tangled Apple, Pistachio, and Golden Raisin Salad

It's transition time in the world of food. Peaches, corn, tomatoes and zucchini battle apples and pumpkin for our attention on food blogs, twitter, and pinterest. And I'll be honest—I'm torn. I'm totally an autumn kinda girl, willing the cooler air, football games, and apple orchards in with all my might. But, there's still about a month left of summer, and now is the time for trying to keep up with the summer harvest.

There are worse dilemmas to have.

I think August and September just have to be transitional months. A little bit of summer and a little bit of fall. That's a compromise I can work with. Today I'm looking forward to fall with a fresh, simple apple salad that lends itself nicely to cool weather lunches and potlucks.

Mixed Seafood Fried Rice

In case you hadn't noticed—maybe you haven't been here in a while or maybe this is your first time visiting—I'm craving fish and seafood hard lately. I can't seem to get enough of it. While I am happy to eat it absolutely any time of the year, there's something about the Lenten season that brings it to the forefront. I'm sure it's the fact that I watch too much tv, and all the fast food places are advertising their fish sandwiches at every commercial break (because I'm not Catholic). Whatever the reason, I'm taking full advantage of it and working daily to satisfy that craving.

The other day at the market, I was passing a little freezer case, one of the kinds that's open like a table, not shelves enclosed by doors. There amongst the packages of frozen mussels, clams, and lobster tails, there were a few packages of a cooked seafood mix that were labeled as "paella mix". It included individually quick frozen octopus, squid, mussels, shrimp, and surimi (aka fake fake crab legs or pollock). This triggered a memory of seeing Nigella use a bag of frozen seafood to make a speedy seafood supper once upon a time. I remember wanting to make that; into my cart it went. Okay, into my cart went 2 packages, because if you're gonna do it, you might as well do it right.

One package is still hanging out in the freezer awaiting it's seafood supper fate a la Nigella Lawson. The other package made its way into a big batch of fried rice. Does that sound strange?

Mission Organize Pantry: a #POPtober Challenge

I organize. I am an organizer. I feel better when things are organized. Order feels better than chaos. My inner hippie-chick is frowning. She wants to be carefree, to go where the wind carries her. Fortunately (I guess), outer responsible-adult usually quashes those notions of yesteryear.

However, just because being organized makes the world seem a saner place, it doesn't mean that I actually am organized. There are not enough hours in my day, nor room in my "cozy" house to make it so. I do my best, but...well...you know how life usually has its own ideas. So, when OXO and The Container Store issued me a challenge to (re-)organize an area in my kitchen, I took it as a sign. Challenge accepted.

Oh crap. That meant facing something very scary, something insanely out of control, something overrun by a few too many months of neglect {duh duh duhhhhh!!!!!} — my pantry. I'm embarrassed to show you this, and you may want to brace yourself. Are you ready for it? Okay, here goes....

Triple-Chocolate Brownie Cookies with Zucchini

As if the fact that they are studded with zucchini, white chocolate, and walnuts weren't tempting enough, these cookies also have the fudgy, chewy texture of a brownie. Let's just call that double-your-pleasure.

I've mentioned this before, but I thought it was worth saying again—I have some pretty great neighbors. For many reasons, but why I bring it up now is because of our little "food trade system" we've fallen into over the years. For the most part, they share raw produce and I share prepared food. This would be because they tend to their garden and even forage for mushrooms once a year, while I seem to spend all of my time in the kitchen developing and testing recipes.

They hand over large bags (seriously) of produce, and I come back at them with jars, boxes, and plates of jams, preserves, breads, and other baked goods. It's a fairly great system. I like to offer up  goods from my "wild garden" like grapes, mint, chamomile, compost squash, and wild garlic, but lately that's all I seem to have since time is something I'm always chasing and rarely catching up with. I've never been fond of running.

Grilled Steak Salad w/ Corn Salsa

You probably don't want to hear me say once again how much I love firing up the grill. So, I won't. Instead, I'll share some must-have tools and gadgets for those who use their grills as much as we do in my house; specifically OXO brand tools. I did receive these tools at no charge, but that doesn't influence my thoughts on them. I was using and loving OXO for many years before I even started food blogging, so please trust that all opinions I share are truly my own.

I want to start by sharing one tool that I have always wanted in my own kitchen. I've mentioned it before numerous times: a meat tenderizer. When we buy skirt steak (which is often), we always ask the butcher to "run it through the machine". That machine would be a small conveyer with numerous tiny and ridiculously sharp blades that pierce the meat as it goes through. OXO's Bladed Meat Tenderizer is a smaller, handheld version that actually fits in my kitchen. It has 50 sharp and durable blades that create air pockets in the meat. This helps to tenderizer less expensive cuts, and reduces both marinating and cooking time.

It has a non-slip grip and the blades lock in place for safety. So, in choosing some steaks adorn my salad today, instead of choosing one of my favorite break-the-bank cuts like tenderloin or NY Strip, I chose Eye of Round steaks, instead. They don't have much marbling, so they benefit greatly from help in the tenderizing and marinating department.