Fresh Guacamole

Holy guacamole! Ooh lord child, I love me some guacamole. Funny story- I hated avocados when I was young. Absolutely hated them. You couldn't have paid me to eat guacamole. I actually didn't start liking avocados and guacamole until I was in college. This was also the time in my life I decided I would eat eggs and clam chowder. Yes, I had quite a different palette as a young adult.

It's easy to just pick up some prepared guacamole at the grocery store, but you really don't know what you're missing until you make your own. The ones you buy at the grocery store are full of preservatives, and I've found most contain dairy to make them creamy. That's fine and all, but traditional guacamole doesn't contain dairy. My guacamole has 5 ingredients. It's super-easy and fast to make, and best of all, the flavor is out of this world! Especially if you are used to buying the less-flavorful grocery store variety.

A couple of tips- I've found if you sprinkle the top of the guacamole with a little lemon juice before you store it, it will ward off the brown color a bit longer. Don't sprinkle too much, you don't want to add flavor to the guacamole. I also store mine with a little piece of plastic wrap tucked inside the tupperware, pressed down onto the guacamole. This  also aids in keeping the bright green color of the guac. Eat this fast though, it's better in the first 2 days post-preparation. I think this recipe makes the perfect amount for a dinner, meaning eating some guacamole with chips before dinner and then adding some guac to whatever dish was prepared.

Happy Tuesday friends!

Ingredients:

2 ripe avocados (make sure they are SOFT)

2 tbsp red onion, minced

2 tbsp cilantro minced

1/2 tbsp lime juice

1 tsp salt

Directions:

1. In a small mixing bowl, combine all ingredients. Mash with a spoon until you reach your desired consistency. Season to taste with more lime juice and salt, if desired. Store in an airtight container in the fridge for 1-2 days.

My 2014 Goals

Yes, I'm a little late to the party. Sue me :)

My goals would have been here a lot sooner, but I really have been thinking about what I want to accomplish this year. I love New Years' and the feeling of a blank slate. Like anything is possible. As I was thinking about my 2014 resolutions, I happened to ponder if I had accomplished my 2013 goals (you can read that post here). After re-reading the post, I concluded I did a pretty darn good job. I did get back in shape. I kept a food diary for half the year, until July (I should write a post on why I stopped because the conclusion I came to is that a food diary is completely unnecessary for me, and somewhat unhealthy). I successfully learned how to roast a chicken. I did improve my photography, however I now know I will probably be improving my photos until the day I die :) And while we did save a lot of money, we did have an extremely decadent month in Oregon. YOLO, right?

I've put a lot of thinking into 2014. Here goes-

1. Run a 10K.

In 2013, I successfully ran my first 5k. Heck, I started running successfully period. The hubby and I ran (4) 5k's last year, and we are definitely planning on running more. I would like to get my time under 30 minutes for the 5k. I've been doing a lot of speed training at the gym, so 2014 looks like the year of "The Under 30 5K". A 10K will happen this year too! I've conditioned myself to run 5 miles, I'll definitely be able to add one more mile. I hate long distance running on the treadmill though (too boring), so I'll be working on my endurance when I get back outside.

2. Plant my first garden.

The hubby and I are composters now! My parents have been into composting for awhile, and I really got bitten by the bug when I was out in Oregon. As of last Thursday, we've started. I've got my little house compost bucket, and we've got a bigger one for the back yard.

What does composting have to do with a garden? It's simple, really. Our soil on our property is almost pure clay, which is not conducive for growing anything really. We are going to need nutrient rich soil to grow my vegetables, and this seems to be the way to do it that makes the most sense. We've got one composter in the backyard so far. We will be investing in another when we fill this one, since it will take 10-12 weeks to make compost once the contraption is full.

Another reason for planting the garden? Another one of my 2014 goals is to eat more whole foods and drastically less processed foods. Having fresh fruit and vegetables in the garden will help with that goal, plus I plan on canning and/or freezing as much of my garden harvest as possible to have on hand for next winter.

3. Read more!

Through trial and error over 30 odd years, I've discovered I'm a lot happier off the Internet. There's a lot of awful news, and bad images out there. While I'm by no means saying I want to be an ignorant ostrich who sticks her head in the sand, it's enough for me to say I'm aware of certain bad situations but I don't need to know every detail. Getting caught up in the fantasy of a fiction novel, or being fascinated by a how-to book can be a lot healthier for the psyche than reading about the situation in Syria for the 100th time. I got a library card at the local library, and I plan on taking full advantage this year.

4. Increase charitable donations.

Beginning of 2014's Salvation Army donation.

Beginning of 2014's Animal Shelter donation. 

In 2013, I made donations to the local women's shelter, the Salvation Army, and my local animal shelter. I also participated in the March of Dimes, and each 5k the hubby and I ran was for a local charity. I still plan on participating in the March of Dimes, and competing in those 5k's. I've also begun donations for the Salvation Army and the animal shelter. My plan this year is to add to my donation boxes (buying items free or close to free with coupons), and have really nice donations for my local charities at the end of the year. I think this is one of the projects I'm most excited about, I can't wait to see what I have to donate at the end of the year! I hope I can provide my readers with pictures of overflowing boxes to take in :)

5. Save MORE money.

Here's what's cool about my goals. They all tie in to each other quite nicely. Running outside is FREE, achieving my goal of saving money. It gives me the energy to do yard work, and makes me want to eat healthy. It also relieves my anxiety, which makes it easier for me to focus on reading. Planting a garden will also help save money, since the majority of my grocery budget is spent on fresh produce. Reading more means more trips to library, where I'm not spending any money. And I'm trying to increase my charitable donations while spending as little money as possible.

-There you go! My 2014 resolutions. I think it's going to be great year! I hope everyone had a great weekend :)

Pizza Margherita

Pizza Margherita is one of my favorite pizzas. Simple, elegant, and oh-so tasty. There's no sauce and not many toppings, so the individual ingredients really shine. Everyone needs to try this pizza, it really shakes up the American ideal of "pizza". You know, greasy, cheese-ladden, smothered with toppings, and with thick, ropey crust. Instead, this pizza gets back to pizza's roots with simplicity (something I seem to be seeking out more and more these days).

Switching topics to something non-food related- I'm really upset by this water emergency in West Virginia (you can read up what's going on here). I should also mention I live about 40 miles west of the affected area, and about 65 miles from the actual leak site. Lets not even mention the damage done to the environment by having a toxic chemical dumped in the river and released into the air, but the fact that so many people have been affected. I had to run to Sam's yesterday (my area's Costco) and I couldn't believe the chaos. Families were pushing 3-4 carts loaded down with 20+ cases of water. The area where the water was located was worse. People were arguing over cases of water. When I was checking out, someone came to tell the cashier the store was out of water. Even today as I'm watching the news, the water ban in 9 counties in West Virginia remains indefinite. I felt spoiled yesterday as I used my water to make my pizza crust. Washed dishes in the sink. Took a long, hot shower. Americans take so much of their daily lives for granted.

All right, I'll hop off my soapbox and allow everyone to get back to their weekends. The hubby and I are having double-date night tonight with one of our couple friends, so I'm excited about today's potential. And... Zumba in a couple of hours!

Tonight's gonna be a good, good night ----> A little Black Eyed Peas reference for this lovely Saturday morning :)

Ingredients:

Basic pizza dough
1 garlic clove, halved
1 tbsp olive oil, divided
4 large plum tomatoes, thinly sliced
1 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded
1/3 cup basil, thinly sliced
1/2 tbsp balsamic vinegar

Directions:

1. Prepare pizza dough according to directions. Preheat oven according to directions.
2. Once your pizza dough has been rolled into the desired shape, take the cut side of the garlic half and run it over your pizza dough. Repeat with the other half. Brush 1/2 tbsp of olive oil onto dough. Place tomatoes on pizza in a single layer. Cover with cheese. Broil in the oven 3-7 minutes, or until crust and cheese is browned and blistered. Remove from oven.
3. Sprinkle basil over pizza. Combine remaining olive oil with balsamic vinegar in a small bowl. Whisk furiously to combine. Drizzle mixture over pizza. Cut pizza into 8 slices, and serve immediately.

Recipe adapted from Cooking Light

Winter Minestrone

Tis' the season for soup! 

When it's -21º (with wind chill) outside, what's better than soup? NOTHING. I'll tell you right now. Nothing. Soup epitomizes comfort food. And minestrone is such a satisfying choice on a cold day. Chock full of veggies in a cozy, flavorful broth with chewy pasta lazily floating around the bowl? Yes, please! Take that, polar vortex.

As many of you may know, one of my New Year's goals for 2013 was to conquer roasting a chicken. I did accomplish this. I roasted 4-5 chickens in a row that were perfection. Enter the somewhat-cold chicken I roasted on Monday. I pulled it at the perfect 145º, and the bird was still somehow undercooked. I determined it was my thermometer, and promptly tossed it. But I was boiling. So mad. I turned it all into chicken broth which was the base for this wonderful soup, so it's wasn't a complete waste.

The hubby and I enjoyed our soup while watching the latest episode of "The Biggest Loser". And you know what? We didn't guilty at all. I'm sure Jillian would approve of this soup :)

Have a great weekend everyone!

Ingredients:

1 tbsp olive oil

1 medium onion, diced

1 large carrot, peeled and diced

2 stalks celery, diced

3 garlic cloves, minced

8 cups low-sodium chicken broth

1 (28 oz) can diced tomatoes, undrained

1 (14.5 oz) can Great Northern Beans, drained and rinsed

1 tbsp dried thyme

1 tbsp dried basil

2 tsp salt

1 tsp black pepper

1/4-1/2 tsp ground red pepper

1 medium zucchini, diced

4 cups kale, chopped

1 cup ditalini

garnish- parmesan cheese

Directions:

1. Add olive to a large stock pot, heat over medium heat. When heated, add onions, carrot, celery, and garlic. Saute 4-5 minutes, or until tender.

2. Add chicken broth through ground red pepper to the pot. Bring to a boil, then lower heat to a simmer. Simmer for 45 minutes, stirring occasionally.

3. Add zucchini to the pot. Simmer for another 15 minutes.

4. Add kate and ditalini to the pot. Simmer for another 7-8 minutes, or until pasta is done and kale is tender. Season to taste, if needed.

5. Ladle soup into bowls, garnish with fresh grated parmesan cheese. Serve immediately.

Linked to: Weekend Potluck

Single-Serving Apple Spice Cake

Mmmm, dessert for one!

In terms of dessert, what could be better than a single serving? A single serving means there's no leftovers lying around the house, hissing at you every time you walk by the tupperware. This appealed to me, as it is the new year and what person isn't massively detoxing after an indulgent holiday season?

Having never forayed into single serving desserts, I wasn't sure what to expect. One benefit of single serving desserts is that the majority of them you can make in the microwave. This recipe is one of them. I don't really use my microwave for much, save heating up the arbitrary leftover. I was slightly worried that the results would be dry. Very much NOT so. This cake turned out moist, delicious, flavorful, and best of all, contained a finite amount of calories.

I feel like I've stumbled into a pristine new world! It's safe to say you'll be seeing a few single serving desserts on the blog in 2014 :)

Oh, and for all you smarty-pants out there, yes, there are 2 cakes. The hubby needs one too!

Ingredients (makes 1 cake):

Cake:

1/4 cup & 2 tsp flour

3/4 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp baking powder

1/8 tsp salt

1/2 apple, shredded (I used a box grater!)

1/4 cup applesauce

3 tbsp brown sugar

2 tbsp canola oil

1/4 tsp vanilla

Glaze:

1/4 cup powdered sugar

1/4 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp milk

Garnish- whip cream (optional)

Directions:

1. In a small mixing bowl, combine flour through salt. Whisk to combine.

2. Add apple through vanilla to the mixing bowl. Stir to combine.

3. Coat a baking ramekin with cooking spray. Fill ramekin with batter. Place in microwave and cook on 50% power for 1 minute. Cook for 3-4 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the cake comes out clean. Do not overbake.

4. Allow cake to cool before removing from ramekin. In another small bowl, whisk powdered sugar, cinnamon, and milk until smooth. Drizzle over cooled cake. Top with whip cream, if using. Serve immediately.

Recipe adapted from Dollhouse Bake Shoppe

Linked to: Weekend Potluck

Homemade Egg McMuffins

The Egg McMuffin. The breakfast sandwich. The everlasting combination of English muffin, egg, cheese, and bacon or sausage (depending on your preference). I, myself, am a sausage girl, but the hubby is parked firmly on the bacon side. He's also a big fan of McDonald's, but at this stage in our lives, it's just not healthy to eat there often. I've been making the hubby breakfast burritos to freeze, but I've also been getting the impression he was needing some variety.

I think homemade Egg McMuffins was one of the first pins and/or ideas I pinned on Pinterest. That was over a year ago. Today seemed like a good day to seize the opportunity to experiment. The basic idea is to the bake eggs in a muffin tin or ramekin to ensure they are the perfect round shape for an English muffin. After studying my jumbo muffin pan, I came to the conclusion that the base of the pan is no bigger than my regular muffin pan. I opted to bake my eggs in these ramekins instead.

And the ramekins worked perfectly. The eggs were perfectly cooked and they slid right out of the ramekins (the ramekins were coated with cooking spray). I wish I'd tried this recipe before! It was super easy, pretty fast, and now the hubby's stocked up on breakfast sandwiches and burritos. Wife score! I wrapped these up to freeze, but by all means, assemble these for immediate consumption.

Happy Hump Day everyone! I hope you are having a fabulous, if cold, week :)

Ingredients (makes 4 sandwiches):

4- eggs
Salt and pepper
4- whole wheat English muffins
4- strips of thick cut bacon (double if you are using regular bacon), halved
4- thin slices of cheese

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350º. Coat 4 ramekins with cooking spray, set ramekins on a cookie sheet for easy access. Break 1 egg into each ramekin, slightly scramble it with a fork. Season with salt and pepper. Bake in preheated oven 20-25 minutes, or until egg is set. Remove from oven, set aside.
2. Cut English muffins in half. Using a toaster, toast each half until golden brown. Set aside.
3. In a large skillet, fry bacon until crisp. Remove from pan, place on a paper towel to dry.
4. Assemble the muffins. Place 1 egg on each muffin. Egg should slide out of ramekin, if it sticks a little, run a knife around the edge to loosen. Place a piece of cheese and 2 bacon slices on top of the egg. Place remaining English muffin half on top of bacon. Serve immediately, or wrap sandwiches in aluminum foil to freeze.

Vegetable Beef Soup

For the first time in my life, I hosted Christmas dinner at my house this year. Er, last year? Whatever, Christmas 2013 is what I'm talking about. I chose to do roast beef. I've never made roast beef in my life, and I've heard a million times that you never make something for the first time for a crowd. I knew that advice was based on sound experience. I chose to ignore it, thus ensuring it would be a chaotic and perhaps, unsavory day.

Don't ask me what I was thinking, just try to remember that I am still learning about cooking. I thought my 6-lb roast was going to take 6 hours, so I got up extra early to prep my roast and make sure it was in the oven by 6 am (dinner was being served at 1). Sure enough, my roast was the perfect temperature in 4 hours. My roast, needless to say, had a lengthy nap prior to dinner. Luckily, the meat was perfectly pink and still warm when the hubby carved it up.

It turns out a 6-lb roast will feed 5 adults and 3 kids, all while leaving the cook with substantial leftovers. Whether or not the extensive appetizer noshing pre-dinner had anything to do with the amount of leftovers remains to be seen. The point is, I had a lot of leftover roast beef and not the foggiest idea what to do with it. Thank goodness for Pinterest. One of the first ideas I had was Vegetable Beef Soup. We are soup lovers here, so this idea was a keeper! This recipe is pretty versatile, you could pretty much use whatever vegetable you wanted and/or had on hand. I also happen to be a veggie lover, so I like to pack my soup with my cruciferous friends. Serve on a cold day (no problem here in NE Kentucky!) with lots of crusty French bread.

Ingredients:

1 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, diced
2 celery stalks, diced
1 carrot, peeled and diced
1 cup dry red wine (I used Yellowtail Cabernet)
8 cups low-sodium beef broth
1 (28 oz) can diced tomatoes
1 (14.5 oz) green beans
1 small potato, peeled and diced
1/2 tbsp dried basil
1/2 tbsp dried thyme
1 bay leaf
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp ground red pepper
2 cups cooked roast beef, diced

Directions:

1. Heat olive oil in a large stockpot over medium heat. When heated, add onion, celery, and carrot. Saute until tender, about 5-7 minutes.
2. Add red wine to the pot. Bring liquid to a boil, then lower heat to a simmer. Simmer until the wine has been reduced by half, or a little more.
3. Add the beef broth through the ground red pepper to the pot. Bring soup to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer. Simmer for 45 minutes, or until the potatoes are done.
4. Add cooked roast beef to the pot. Continue to simmer for another 5 minutes, or until the beef has been warmed. Salt to taste. Remove from heat, and serve immediately.

Caramel Mocha Poke Cake

I can't say enough good things about my birthday cake. Maybe it's because this is the first birthday cake I've ever made myself, or maybe it's just because this cake is so dang awesome. It's chocolatey, moist, and fragrant from the strong coffee. The whip cream frosting with a caramel drizzle adds the perfect final touch to this likeness of the caffeinated beverage. I honestly can't stop eating it! One other interesting tidbit- I challenged myself to make a birthday cake using only ingredients I had on hand. I'm proud to announce that I completed that challenge, thanks to a can of Dulce de leche that I just happened to have on hand.

My 31st birthday turned out pretty good. The hubby had to work on my actual birthday, so he took me out the day before my birthday. We had planned to go for a run, but inevitably we woke up that day to a monsoon. Seeing as how we were celebrating my birthday, neither of us felt like 5 miles of mostly-likely soaked running. So, we did a little shopping instead. I got my traditional birthday bag-o-candy, and the hubby took me out for a Bloody Mary soaked brunch. And then...

We came home and ate cake!

Happy Birthday indeed! Plus, the Ducks beat Texas in the Alamo Bowl, so my birthday couldn't have got any better :)

Happy Thursday everyone!

Ingredients:

Cake:
3 cups flour
1/2 cup cocoa
3 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup butter, softened
3 cups brown sugar
4 eggs, room temp
1 cup milk
1 cup strong coffee
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 (15.8 oz) can Dulce de leche

Frosting:
1 cup milk
5 tbsp flour
1 cup butter, softened
1 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350º. Grease a 9x13 sheet cake pan.
2. In a large mixing bowl, combine flour through salt. Whisk to combine. Set aside.
3. In another large mixing bowl, cream the butter and sugar until well combined, 3-4 minutes. Mix in eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Mix in milk. Mix in coffee. Mix in vanilla. Add flour mixture to the bowl, and mix until combined. Pour batter into prepared pan, and bake in preheated oven 25-30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
4. While cake is baking, prepare Dulce de leche. Using a double broiler method, heat caramel over low heat until the caramel reaches a perfect consistency for pouring. Remove cake from oven. Using a toothpick or skewer, poke holes all over the top of the cake. Reserving 1/4 cup of caramel for drizzling, pour the remainder of the caramel over the top of the cake. Allow cake to completely cool before frosting.
5. To prepare frosting: In a small saucepan, combine flour and milk. Heat over medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixture becomes very thick. Set mixture aside to cool. In a large mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar until pale and very creamy. Mix in cooled flour mixture. Mix in vanilla. Beat mixture until it reaches the correct consistency of frosting. Spread mixture on top of cooled cake. Using reserved caramel, drizzle it over the top of the cake.
6. Serve immediately with lots of cold milk.

Linked to: Weekend Potluck

Most Popular Recipes of 2013

Happy New Year! I'm hoping everyone had a fun-filled yet safe New Year's Eve. This newly 31 year old fell asleep around 10. Yep, feeling a little sheepish and lame this morning. Yet, well-rested. Maybe there are some perks to this getting older thing...

My birthday was on Monday, and I've got my birthday cake to blog about. That's right, I made myself a cake! YOLO, I say. However, I'm still too busy stuffing my face with it to blog about it. Y'all are going to have to wait on that one. In place of that blog post, I'll give way to the mathematician in me and present you with some stats. Ha! If you know me, you know there isn't a mathematician in sight. Blogger does gift me with stats though, which I can now pass on to you without fear of mathematical blunder. So, yeah, here are the top-10 most popular recipes of 2013 :)

10. Root Beer Float Cookies

9. Mint Chocolate Truffles

8. Easy Homemade Salsa

7. Raspberry-Banana Oat Muffins

6. Spiced Caramel Apple Cupcakes

5. Potato Soup

4. The Best Blueberry Muffins

3. Creamy Broccoli Cheese Soup

2. Snickerdoodle Blondies

And the most popular recipe of 2013...

1. Weight Watcher's Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bars

~Make 2014 great!~