Showing posts with label sun. Show all posts
Showing posts with label sun. Show all posts

Wednesday, April 12, 2017

A Day In the Life: April 2017


I haven't done a "Day in the Life" post in forever (since February of 2013!!), so today I thought I'd have some fun. I'm also changing the format of the traditional "Day in the Life" post, just cause I can 😜

I woke up yesterday with the intention to blog. It was one of those mornings where I felt completely uninspired and couldn't come up with anything to say. I wrote out a post and then I reread it. Even I was bored. Deleted. One of my intentions since coming back from my break was to share quality work, not just sharing work for the sake of sharing. So I decided to take the day off from posting. To work in the garden. To do some yoga. To enjoy my pups. It was then that I had the idea to do a "Day in the Life" post so I decided to take some pictures throughout the day.

Oh yes, it's definitely time for a fun post! Let's get started-

Friday, March 31, 2017

Jalapeño Popper Pizza


It's Friday and we're going to talk about pizza. As such, I hereby open with this quote,

"You can't have Thanksgiving without turkey! That's like Fourth of July with no apple pie, or Friday with no two pizzas!"

I bet you can guess what show that quote is from... 

If you guessed 'Friends', you guessed right 😜 What can I say? I was picking up the house this morning, doing my normal chores, making the bed, and thinking about what I was going to write today. I started thinking about pizza... and that it's Friday... and the quote just popped into my head. Quotes from 'Friends' strike my mind every day in almost any situation, and while we won't be having 2 pizzas this Friday, the quote still made me smile. 

Tuesday, March 21, 2017

It's Almost Spring!


Actually, I guess it is spring. 

Hello!

I know it's been awhile, but I'm feeling ready to get back in the swing of things. There's something about spring that's just so inspiring for me, I'm starting to burst from wanting to share recipes and photos again. Winter is my least favorite season, it always feels bleak to me. I know there's many wonderful things about winter, and I appreciate them... for awhile. But then I'm ready for renewal. I love when the early daffodils pop, when there's buds on all the trees, when I start seeing juvenile cardinals and gold finches at the feeders again. It's magical. I have a few items in my garden that just pop up all on their own, like little gifts from nature. Such as my chives, above. They just burst from the ground one day, green and beautiful, full of hope.

Saturday, June 11, 2016

3-Cheese Risotto


Friends, I'm currently in a "creation" frenzy. I've been churning out the recipes here at home, night after night. Which has been unusual as of late. The hubby returned home from work the other night and exclaimed, "You made dinner again? Wow!". Ha ha. And the next thing he said? "You must be running out of back-up posts on the blog." 

He hit the nail on the head. Sometimes I go through weeks-long phases where all I want to do is write. Sometimes the phase is creating the recipe and taking pictures, and that's where I am currently. Taking lots and lots of pictures, and wracking my brain for any ol' little thing to write. In truth, I'm trying to create a big backlog because my parents are coming to visit next month! It's going to be a longer visit and I know I won't be doing any work while they are here. 

So, that's where my head is at. Must. Take. More. Pictures!!

Wednesday, May 4, 2016

Soft & Chewy Salted Chocolate Chip Cookies

aka The BEST Chocolate Chip Cookies ever!



I told you they were coming. Let's kick off May recipes with a bang! A little chew. Lots of chocolate. And just the tiniest, tastiest smattering of salt. These cookies will rock your world!

I'm not kidding. These are famous at the hubby's work. In fact, when their Spring project started at his office, people who'd been there before and had these cookies requested them. People had heard about them. This tickles me to no end!

Wednesday, November 4, 2015

Grown-Up Tuna Salad


Admittedly, it's November. That time of year when the weather is turning chilly, and everyone is craving food that's warm and comforting. Lasagna. Chili. Chowders. Meats slow roasted in the crock pot. Beef stews with potatoes and carrots. You get the idea. This salad is none of those things. But, if you are going to have all that comfort food for dinner, what are you going to have for lunch??

Wednesday, October 28, 2015

Blackberry Mojitos


Cocktail time!

This might seem like a summery drink to you. I say, what better time to remind myself of summer than when the remnants of Hurricane Patricia are passing over our parts? Our weather has rapidly changed from a mild, sunny Indian summer to a soggy, gray, dreary mess. Our leaves had turned the most beautiful colors, and now the wind has selfishly knocked most of them to the ground. Luckily, the hubby and I went out the day before the weather hit and took tons of fall pictures around the area. I took a lot of photos, so I'm hoping to edit them and post about fall leaves this weekend. Maybe I'll edit them tonight with a Blackberry Mojito in my hand? Hehe :-)

Monday, October 26, 2015

Beer-Battered Fish & Chips


This one's for you Dad! :-)

I cannot tell you how much my family loves fish and chips. When my younger brother and I were little, little kids, I can remember Skippers being a family favorite destination. We would get soooooo excited if my parents said we were going there. I mean, I know we loved the little red jello's that Skippers hands out with every meal, but we also liked the fish. And the chips. While Skippers is kind of a no-go these days, fish and chips is still a classic. It's one of those meals where if it's on a menu at a restaurant I'm currently calling on, I'm likely to choose it. That being said, the selection of fish and chips around these parts is sadly, nonexistent. The hubby and I love to go to our local brewery for pizza and beer, but I expressly avoid their fish and chips. First of all, they use haddock. Not a favorite of mine. Plus, they bread theirs and it doesn't have a lot of flavor. The other restaurants in town? They all seem to order (and serve) exactly the same frozen food, so I can honestly say, there's no where to get fish and chips around here. We'd have to drive an hour to Huntington, and needless to say, we don't do that often. 

Tuesday, April 14, 2015

Spring 2015 aka Chipmunkpaloosa



Hello from Kentucky this wonderful Tuesday morning!

I'm not so sure about the wonderful part, since I've gotten up early for an appointment plus it's raining. But, to look on the bright side-

1. I got to see a big frog this morning, since it's raining. Just chilling on the driveway, enjoying the early spring rise in temperature.

2. I don't have to water anything I planted over the weekend. 

Monday, March 16, 2015

Chocolate-Dipped Malt Cookies


I figured since it's been 364 days since I last posted a recipe with malt powder in it, it's time for another one. Yep, that's right. On March 17, 2014 I posted Chocolate Malt Cupcakes with Malted Buttercream. How's that for a throwback? There must be something about this time of year that causes my brain to be dreamily preoccupied with malt powder...

Friday, December 12, 2014

Creamy Shells and Cheese

-with broccoli and grilled chicken



If December were to call for any kind of food, I would think it would call for comfort food.

Yes, December is a month for indulging in all things food, it's true. However, you also have to keep in mind that December brings cold, cloudy, gloomy weather. It always seems to bring a time crunch. I mean, doesn't it seem there is never enough time this month? Between shopping for gifts, baking and cooking, relatives in town you only see but once a year, Christmas decorating, Christmas recitals and pageants... Where's the time to breathe? To sneak in some yoga? To calm down? There's not a lot. My advice? Slow it down at dinnertime a little bit. This recipe is super-quick and easy, but it's guaranteed to get your family in the kitchen to enjoy it. What's not to love? It's a one pot meal slathered in delicious cheese sauce. Yep, sure to be a hit :)


Call me crazy, but I enjoy grilling year round. I may not sit around on the patio in the snow and sleet while the meat cooks on the grill, but I'll run in and out of the house to do some flipping. I just set my timers, and run. This year is a lot better than last though, because I have a garden path to run along to the grill. You know, instead of running and tripping through mud. Grilling is my preferred method with chicken. It gives it the best flavor, and comes out juicy every time. 


The pasta is customizable. Throw in your preferred shape. I'm obsessed with mini-pasta right now. I used these mini-shells for this dish, but I am pretty preoccupied with mini-farfalle right now too. 


While you can definitely use fresh broccoli, I use frozen most of the time. I have frozen broccoli on hand 100% of the time, making this recipe a complete pantry recipe for me. Something I can always throw together without having to make a trip to the grocery store. I steam the broccoli in a little steamer basket over the boiling pasta, it's a complete time-saver. I love steaming broccoli whenever I make pasta simply because of that reason- two things cooking at once. With relative hands off-ness. 


Here's another benefit of making this dish- Just as the pasta is customizable, so is the rest of the recipe! You could sub in a different vegetable, such as cauliflower, zucchini, asparagus, or even something like spinach. And you could totally use a different protein, such as shrimp, pork tenderloin, ground beef or turkey, or even something vegetarian like tofu. Or heck, you could even make the shells and cheese with no protein or veggie. Call it a side dish and watch the kids go nuts.

I cannot guarantee the kids won't turn up their noses and ask for Kraft mac-n-cheese, however. Only because I know that's what I did as a kid :)


It's Friday! Another week of Christmas shopping in the record books, though I can't say I've done any. Procrastination is my Christmas game, although I will be starting cookies probably on Monday. I can't wait! The hubby is working this lovely, sunny weekend so here's my agenda:

1. Run today, rest tomorrow, yoga and toning on Sunday.
2. Bake cupcakes (Vanilla Bean with Eggnog Frosting, yum!).
3. Take beautiful pictures in the sunlight of said cupcakes and the Salted Caramel Milkshakes I created (double yum!).
4. Finish my gosh-darn library books to leave my end-of-year book list at 24. Which would mean I averaged 2 books a month in 2014. A good jumping off point for 2015. 

The sunshine is making it soooooo easy to love life today :)

Have a great weekend everyone!


Ingredients (serves 4):

1 chicken breast
salt, pepper, garlic powder
8 oz mini shell pasta
12 oz broccoli florets
2 tbsp unsalted butter
2 tbsp flour
2 cups milk (I used 1%)
3/4 cup cheddar cheese
3/4 cup white cheddar cheese
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp dry mustard
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp black pepper

Directions:

1. Season chicken breast with salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Heat gas grill over high heat. When hot, turn middle burner down to medium. Place chicken on grill, grill for 4 minutes with lid closed. Flip chicken, and grill another 4 minutes. Flip chicken again, grill for 2 more minutes. Flip chicken one more time, and grill for a final 2 minutes. Remove from heat, and allow to rest while preparing recipe.
2. Bring a large pot of water to boil. Add pasta to water, stir. Place broccoli in a steamer basket, place over pasta water. Steam broccoli for 4 minutes, remove from heat and set aside. Continue to boil pasta for another 2-3 minutes or until tender. Drain pasta, and set aside. Add a little olive oil to pasta to keep from sticking.
3. In a large skillet, melt butter over medium-high heat. When melted, add flour and cook down for 2-3 minutes. Slowly pour in the milk in 3-4 additions, whisking constantly. When milk/flour mixture is smooth and slightly thickened, add cheeses, salt, mustard, garlic powder, and pepper to skillet. Stir constantly until cheese is completely melted. 
4. Chop up chicken breast into bite-size pieces. Add chicken and broccoli to pan, toss to coat with cheese sauce. Cook for 1-2 minutes or until everything is heated. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve immediately. 


Recipe adapted from Eat, Live, Run
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Monday, October 27, 2014

Cancun: Part Uno


I'm back!

From outer space!

Wait. No, that's the start of a different post. LOL. But yes, I am back! Refreshed and re-energized, and thrust back into reality with a very busy week. I was going to try to post tomorrow morning, until I looked at my schedule and realized I have an 8 am doctors appointment. Yeah, no time for writing tomorrow morning. But that's boring, let's talk about Mexico! And by the way- this post is picture heavy

We had the best time. Ever. We both told each it was the best vacation either one of us had been on. The beach was gorgeous (see picture above!). The weather was, eh, pretty good considering a tropical depression formed on top of us while we were there. We had a couple of either mornings or afternoons that were rainy, but we didn't lose any full days. And even though there was rain, it was still 85+ degrees, so no complaints there! I'm in love with the wildlife-


These are coatimundas. They are relatives of raccoons but waaaaay tamer. They were all over the resort. They traveled in big packs, scouring the ground and overturning rocks for bugs. And maybe potato chips :) The packs they travel in are about 20 of them, and there are usually numerous babies with them. They were so darn cute! They would eat potato chips right out of your hand. I was in love, and almost sad to leave because I wouldn't see any more of them. 


One of our first beach days, I believe this was Sunday after we got there. The weather was gorgeous. That's me and the hubby's legs, in case you are wondering. We did go with a group of 8. We went with 2 of the hubby's cousins and their wives, along with another couple. 


Hubby and I on the beach.


Nothing like a beach selfie.


I'd never seen so many wild iguanas before! They were everywhere. You couldn't walk 10 feet in the resort without seeing numerous lizards sunning themselves. They move surprisingly fast. I was startled multiple times by a large lizard running out in front of me. Of course, after I jumped 5 feet in the air, it always made me smile. The hubby and I saw one lizard (not an iguana) that ran on 2 legs, like a raptor! It was small, but it still freaked me out!


In fact, that's a large lizard right behind me.


A very small lizard. More my style :)


This is how close these coatis get to you! Actually, this was the resident restaurant coati that never leaves. The staff calls him "Poncho". He runs all the other coatis off, because the restaurant is his territory. Several mornings he was asleep on the roof, and all you could see was his tail. The waiters said he loves sweet breads and will come up to the tables at the edge of the restaurant and beg for bread.


Like this!


Needless to say, Poncho got quite a bit of sweet bread from us.


One of the hubby's cousin's wives and I soaking up the sun.


A drink in hand at all times!


The day before we left was just gorgeous. Enjoying this view for a week went so fast!


I went back to my room to nap at some point, when I noticed a pack of coati outside my room. I couldn't resist, I crushed a bag of potato chips and gave it to them. It's funny, sometimes you start out with 1 and then they call their buddies with little squeaks. Then you end up with this!


This was a little baby. I loved the baby ones so much. Another funny thing is that after they eat all the potato chips and you go inside to hide from their demanding ways, they'll all come on the porch and stare in the glass door at you. As if to say, "What are you doing in there?? Give us more food!". It's amazing how different these guys are from raccoons. There didn't even seem to be a similarity, other than kind of looking like one. 


Playing a little beach volleyball. Beach volleyball is so hard! I played regular volleyball in high school, inter mural in college, and also coached while I was in college, but let me tell you, sand sucks. It's like jumping with your legs weighed down with concrete. On the plus side, I was always dying by the end of the game, so it was definitely a good workout. And after a couple margaritas, I would dive all over that sand court! LOL. 


Crab enchiladas at the Authentic Mexican restaurant. The hubby got these as an appetizer, they were so yummy. We ate some amazing food while we were there. The resort had 6 restaurants, all different types of cuisine. We are talking Japanese, Italian, Indian, French, Mexican, and an American Steakhouse. The French restaurant was my favorite, hands downs. I tried escargot, foie gras, and a tasty French Onion Soup for the first time. I finally know what real French Onion Soup tastes like, and I'm excited to recreate it :) Oh, and the escargot and foie gras? Simply amazing. Yes, escargot is snails. But damn! They be good. And the foie gras was so creamy, salty, and delicious. It's good to step out of your comfort zone. I will say, the only meal I didn't enjoy was Lamb Vindaloo at the Indian Restaurant. I did not enjoy their red curry. I'm left wondering if I just didn't like their red curry, or if maybe I don't like red curry at all? Experiments are in order for that one. 


Kissing under the sombrero at the Mexican restaurant. 


A shot of the main pool. It might look stormy in the background, but most of the time, it was just clouds passing over. It was still super warm. Just the way I like it :)


Another ocean shot. The water was so warm and clear. A 180º difference from the water on the Oregon Coast where I grew up. 


Hubby and I taking a shadow selfie.


Hubby and I on the beach.


Our group, minus one of the hubby's cousin's wives. It seemed difficult to get the whole group in one shot. It seemed someone was always missing. Isn't that how trips go with a big group? And it's kind of the best part. You can always sneak off to catch a little alone time or a much needed nap. This introvert took advantage a couple of times too :)


A picture of all the boys. The hubby, 2 of his cousins, and the guy with his thumbs up is half of the other couple who traveled with us. I just love this underwater shot.

I apologize for all the pictures, but we ended up taking 300! There were just too many to share. In case you were wondering about the "Part Uno" part, I do have more pictures to share. The story is this: When the hubby and I got engaged, we were planning on getting married in Las Vegas and honeymooning in Jamaica. The hubby ended up getting laid off during this time period, due to the crash in the commercial construction industry in Portland. We scrapped all of our plans, got married in my parents backyard, and spent 3 days on the Oregon Coast as our honeymoon. We never got a lot of things that went along with a traditional wedding, most specifically professional wedding pictures. So we ended up buying a lot of professional pictures of the hubby and I when we were in Cancun. And on Wednesday, I want to share a few. So, look forward to "Cancun: Part Dos" when I return on Wednesday.

Happy Monday friends!

Tuesday, June 3, 2014

Oreo Birthday Cake Bites


Fun post today! This recipe is barely a recipe, and a riff off my Mint Chocolate Truffles. These are delicious and fun, and best of all, NO-BAKE. I just love no-bakes. These would be perfect for a last-minute invitation where you need to bring something quick. They take all of 15 minutes to make, and probably 15 minutes to set. Your friends and family will love these, indeed the hubby's family was enamored by these moist, flavorful bites of birthday cake. 


You're going to need a package of Birthday Cake Oreo's. These special edition Oreo's actually come in 2 flavors- chocolate cookie and golden cookie. I originally went to the store scouting out the golden Oreo's but never came across them. Never one to be deterred by such details, my eyes strayed across the chocolate package. It was a done deal.


Thanks to the birthday cake flavored creme in the middle of the cookie, these little no-bakes taste exactly like birthday cake. Don't these just look perfect for a kid's birthday party?

Or an adult birthday party? Methinks these would go perfect with Kahlua and coffee :)


I actually made these by request! It was one of those days that I went craaaazy on Pinterest. I have those days once in awhile. You know, the days where you can't even be bothered to change out of your pajamas or to brush your hair... or teeth... or even to wipe the coffee off your face. Oh come on, everyone has those days! Anyhoo, it was a Pinterest day. I'd been pinning for quite a while, I'd probably pinned 100-200 images. One of those images was these Fruit Punch Oreo Truffles. Later that day, I received a text from the hubby's aunt. She'd seen those fruit punch truffles, and just had to have em'. Being the nice kid that I am, I offered to make them for her. Little did she know, I couldn't wait to make them!

Fast forward to even later that day, and I received a call from her. She was at the store and confronted with Birthday Cake Oreo's. They had tempted her to the point where she now wanted birthday cake truffles, the fruit punch truffles long forgotten.

To quote Barney Stinson, "Challenge Accepted".


And the rest is history. I had some real fun with these, and used 4 different gel food colors to color my melted candy coating. Just for giggles. By all means, there's no requirement to color the candy coating. A white candy coating with a smattering of sprinkles would look just as delicious. I, however, had picked up 8 different gel colors at Hobby Lobby in December and I was dying to try them. I went with yellow, pink, purple, and blue.

Let me give you this piece of advice- if you make these, have a plan to get them out of your house. They are perfectly "poppable", making them extremely tempting when sitting on your kitchen counter. It's beyond easy to walk in the kitchen, and before you know it, have gobbled up 3 or 4. This could be a problem for bikini season :)


Happy Tuesday friends! Another week is well underway in these early weeks of summer. Early summer is one of my favorite times of year. Everything is in full bloom, the humidity isn't overbearing yet, the sun is out almost every day, the birds and critters are everywhere, and the veggies in season at the grocery store, oh my! I'm a happy girl. I was walking into my backyard yesterday morning, and was certainly startled when I rounded the corner only to be confronted with a rather large deer. Our eyes met, and 2 graceful bounds later, he was gone. I'm not sure what he was doing in my backyard, seeing as the grass hasn't grown in yet and it's still a rather large mud pit, but it was nice to see him. I heart deer :)

Speaking of which, I'm off to mow the lawn and see if I can scare off any more critters :)


Ingredients:

1 package (12.2 oz) Birthday Cake Oreo's
4 oz cream cheese, softened
1 package (16 oz) vanilla candy coating
gel food coloring (optional)
sprinkles 

Directions:

1. In a food processor, pulse Oreo's until they resemble a coarse crumb.
2. Add cream cheese to food processor. Pulse until mixture resembles a large ball of dough.
3. Using a 1 tbsp cookie scoop, roll dough into balls. Place balls on a cookie sheet.
4. Melt candy coating according to manufacturer directions. Add desired amount of food coloring, if using. Using a skewer, dip truffles into candy coating. Place on a piece of parchment paper to harden up. Dust with sprinkles before candy coating dries.
5. Allow to dry completely before storage. Store in an airtight container. 


Recipe adapted from Love Bakes Good Cakes.
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