Blue Skies and French Fries

Change

2011-06-01T19:03:00.001-04:00

What do you think about me switching to WordPress? This blog doesn't really inspire me to write (obviously) and I want a new look!

Do you have any blog name ideas? I certainly don't have any yet! I would like to have a slightly more professional sounding blog title as I will be a registered dietitian within a couple of years.

Ideas? Ideas?
Bueller?

Edible Printed Food

2011-03-03T13:21:00.000-05:00

I can't even begin to wrap my head around this.

1) 3-D Printers
2) Amazing Food
3) Combine and PRINT YOUR FOOD!

Yeah, I don't get it either, but obviously these guys do.

Of course, as an RD-to-be, my first thought was: What do they make it out of? Will it still have the same nutrients as regular food? Interesting thoughts for the future of food science...

Wordless Wednesdays

2011-02-02T22:19:00.000-05:00

Straight from the Recipe - Lentil and Eggplant Chili Mole

2011-02-01T08:00:00.000-05:00

This one is pretty much a straight recipe follower. We like to do that on the first time with the recipe to see how the author intended it to taste - then we'll play around with it! It's a Lentil and Eggplant Chili Mole - vegetarian AND vegan for anyone curious.

The bread is very nostalgic for me. I used to make a bread from an old kids cookbook I had. I lost it when I was around 16 and have thought of that bread often. I recently came across the recipe on the internet but was a bit nervous to try it. What if my 8 year old palate wasn't as sophisticated as I remember? Consensus between my husband and friend (and me!) was that it is delicious! Here is the recipe if you want to give it a try (I never do the turtle styling but if you've got kids or really like turtles - give it a try!)

Black bean tacos with cabbage and feta

2011-01-30T22:00:00.000-05:00

I had no clever or catchy title for today's post. Just a delicious and super easy recipe for you!

Please excuse if any of the pictures are blurry or terrible quality. Pretty much all of my food pictures are from my iPhone at night now because I'm too hungry to get out my regular camera!

First you make some delicious black beans ...

Ingredients:
- 1 can of black beans
- 3 green onions
- a handful of cilantro
- cumin
- garlic powder
- lime juice (optional)

Method:
1. Saute black beans in some olive oil for a few minutes.
2. Add in green onions and spices to taste.
3. Sprinkle cilantro (and lime juice if you have it, if not - no prob) on the top.

Then you make some cabbage ...

Ingredients:
- 1/2 head of green cabbage (washed and ribboned, you just slice down one of the sides)
- 1 tsp or so of sesame oil (I have toasted sesame oil from Trader Joe's)
- 1 tbsp or so rice wine vinegar
- sriracha (or other delicious hot sauce)
- dash of salt
- lime juice (optional)

Method:
1. Cut up the cabbage and wash and dry.
2. Meanwhile, heat up some sesame oil on medium heat.
3. Throw in cabbage, vinegar and salt (I also threw in some lime juice because I had it from the black beans). Put the top on the pan and let it stew for a bit.
4. Check on the cabbage after a few minutes, toss some sriracha in and cook for a few more minutes until tender.

Put together some scrumptious tacos ...

We added in feta cheese (which is awesome because the tang gives it something special). I happen to really like hard corn tortillas but you can use soft corn or flour tortillas as well.

So basically, cook some black beans and cabbage and put in tortillas with cheese. I have some friends out there who are a bit afraid to cook - so I'm looking at them to give this recipe (or use your own flavors!) a go!

Wordless Wednesdays

2011-01-26T08:00:00.001-05:00

Tuesday Recipe Links

2011-01-25T08:00:00.001-05:00

Here are some great looking recipes that I would like to make in the future. If you make any, please comment and let me know how they turn out!

Green Curry Broth courtesy of 101 Cookbooks
Lemony Chickpea Stir-Fry courtesy of 101 Cookbooks
African Chicken Peanut Stew courtesy of Simply Recipes
Hasselback Potatoes and Spinach Cashew Pesto courtesy of Joy the Baker
Spice Cupcakes with Brown Sugar Icing courtesy of Dinner with Julie

Happy National Pie Day

2011-01-24T08:00:00.001-05:00

Apparently yesterday was National Pie Day.

Neither my friend or I knew this but we subconsciously decided to partake.

Damn.

Everything in moderation (even Boston Creme Pie).

A Sick Plate of Butternut Squash Pasta

2011-01-20T22:16:00.006-05:00

Siiiiiick, man. Yeah I'm from 80s... but also really spectacular at puns (not really). Because I'm actually pretty sick.

My second semester of graduate school just started up again and I am ready to get blogging!

This recipe was pretty sick - and in the surfer slang way too. It is adapted from Roasted Butternut Squash with Penne. (Pretty much all ingredients are the same, just adjusted amounts based on my squash amount).

First of all, my head is so stuffed I wrote Buttersquash about 20 times thinking, "that doesn't look right". Well yeah it doesn't look right! My snot has officially taken over my brain people. It's like that mucus family from the commercial...

I have a family of lazy, horrible spellers living in my brain now... but they just experienced a delicious meal and no Mucinex so they are going to have to stay in there for a bit.

Ingredients

1 package of pre-cut butternut squash (a whole butternut squash would work here too)
 2 tablespoons olive oil
 2 shallots, minced 
4 cloves garlic, minced 
1 sprig dried sage leaves from Mother-In-Law's garden or grocery store
 1 dash of thyme
 1 1/2 cups chicken stock 
1/2 cups low-fat milk and 1/2 cup full fat milk 
salt 
fresh ground black pepper
1 pound pennette pasta
~1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
~1/3 cup grated mozzarella cheese

To Make:
1. Preheat the oven to 400° F. Roast squash for about 45 minutes. Obviously if you have a full squash, it'll depend on how big it is.
2. Puree squash in food processor with about 1 cup of the chicken stock.
3. In medium saucepan, saute the shallots and garlic in olive oil. Add the pureed squash and the other 1/2 cup of chicken stock, all the milk, sage, thyme, and salt and pepper to taste. Reduce heat to medium-low and let that baby thicken.
4. Meanwhile, get your pasta cooking.
5. Put the oven down to 350° F. You may have had to turn it back off and on because you mistimed everything and you thought your tootsies were going to fry off in the kitchen because it was so hot.
7. Pour the sauce over the pasta in the pot and pour the mixture into a 13X9 baking dish. Sprinkle Parm and Mozz on top. Bake for 15 minutes until it is hot and delicious. Just like your bad self.

Pair with a salad or your favorite veggie and enjoy!

Sorry for the Delay in Your Regular Programming

2010-09-07T17:08:00.003-04:00

But we are experiencing time management difficulties. We will be back on track soon.

Hope everyone had a great Labor Day! I can't believe I'm back in school!

Dyanomite!

2010-08-12T20:37:00.003-04:00

My friends are from Rhode Island and tell me that there is a sandwich called "the Dynamite" that is basically like a pepper filled sloppy joes. I got to try some of their yummy leftovers and decided to try my own version. If you are from Rhode Island and I'm butchering this recipe, please feel free to leave me a comment - but I DID warn you that it is my own version!

"Dynamite"/Homemade "Sloppy Joes"

- 1 pound ground turkey

- 2 bell peppers

- 1 onion

- 1 15oz can tomato sauce (or more)

- spices/condiments to taste - this is what really makes or breaks it - make sure you taste!

Cook turkey in some oil (as to not stick until the turkey's own fat gets into the pan) until cooked through. Meanwhile, saute onion and sliced bell peppers in olive oil. Combine when done with tomato sauce and spices. We used a good splash of the beer we were drinking, several good squeezes of ketchup, oregano, basil, cayenne, paprika, and chili powder. Toast some hot dogs buns and all set!

Yum!

Wordless Wednesdays

2010-08-11T21:35:00.004-04:00

Black Bean Salad

2010-08-10T21:31:00.004-04:00

I have a delicious recipe for you all that is super easy to make and doesn't require too many ingredients outside of your pantry. Nick and I eat it for dinner with some bread on the side and we are full after.

Heidi from 101 Cookbooks created this black bean salad recipe so I'm going to link to it so you can look at her lovely site and explore the other recipes there.

Our changes to the recipe include using salad or spinach (instead of arugula) depending on what we have and doubling the dressing because it is so tasty. Also, I don't use mustard in the vinaigrette as the husband is still learning to like it and the dressing still works perfectly. Do

n't forget the feta - it makes the dish irresistible!

Monday Links

2010-08-09T21:18:00.004-04:00

If you look at any blogs besides mine (I don't know why you would bother anyway), but IF YOU DID, you will notice that most bloggers do some form of weekly column. I'm into peer pressure so I'm going to join.

Monday will be links day - at least one link from each of the 4 categories: crafting, food, style and a funny, interesting or just plain pretty article. Some may overlap if I decide the interesting article is food related or the crafting is something that may fall under the style category.

Crafting:

Fat quarter handbag

Food:

Ice cream, you scream... we all get fat.

Style:

Adorable shoes that are too much money

Interesting:

Time to plan your next vacation

And because every post needs a picture, here are my feet.

All three of them?

Update - New Beginnings ... Again

2010-08-08T16:14:00.008-04:00

Well it's been awhile and there have been a lot of changes in my household - including up and moving it to a different state!

1) I quit my job.

2) We moved to the Boston area.

3) I started a graduate program to get my Masters in Nutrition.

Now that I'm done with summer classes, I have the freedom that every working adult dreams of for the last month of summer. So logically, I've decided to sche

dule in my blogging.

If I'm left to my own devices while Nick is working, I'll watch crappy TV shows and bore myself to sleep by 10am on the first day of my break. And yes, I know it's Sunday. I haven't lost track of the days quite yet.

So there you have it, this is truly a new beginning and although I don't have that new dSLR that was originally delaying my blogging, I'm going to start again anyway. I'll just have to dazzle you with interesting information, recipes and links to distract you from my iPhone pictures that I don't have the software to edit.

So here is a link to get started: Couch to 5K App AKA - Get off your lazy ass - "everyone is doing it!"

I've always been theoretically interested in running. Very theoretically. I jogged last summer about 5 times, and that was enough practicality for a lifetime. Recently I've been actually getting moving and walking again so I thought this app would help me get that walk back up to that so, so hated jog. Maybe I can pretend I'm a runner for just one day but not until 9 weeks from now.

I'll let you know how that goes.

Source

Link Love

2010-03-09T13:50:00.003-05:00

Things that I'm thinking about... or drooling over:

Meat lover's delight - bone marrow/short rib hamburger
Never eating cattle from CAFOs again
Lovely lists and loads of inspiration
Pineapple = summer and tropical weather
Spring cardigans
Summery sandals
Italian getaways

Red Pesto Ravioli

2010-03-06T12:00:00.001-05:00

This recipe is absolutely delicious - we substituted in spinach and ricotta raviolis because those were the cheapest fresh raviolis in the store. They were delicious and worked well with the bed of spinach anyway.

Recipe at 101 Cookbooks.

Five Senses Friday

2010-03-05T12:00:00.002-05:00

I'm obsessed with memes. In middle school and high school I would always fill out those quizzes and surveys that you would send around about yourself and your friends.

Abby Trys Again has been doing one every Friday called "Five Senses Friday" and suggested playing along. This will be a reflection on the week - not what I'm sensing literally at this moment.

Tasting: Surprisingly delicious vegan oatmeal date scone from Whole Foods (while I'm on doctor's orders of lactose free for 2 weeks)

Hearing: Spring birds chirping

Seeing: Snow melting and rivulets of water running down the road

Smelling: First Pad Thai in months at a great Thai restaurant

Feeling: Desperate for spring to come!

Source

Mix Tape

2010-01-19T12:30:00.004-05:00

When I was in high school, I was the mix tape queen - with my now-husband (then boyfriend) being the king. We made them for ourselves, to give to each other, and to give to family or friends. I still shuffle my music and get bored if I listen to one sound too long.

I came across a new blog (this is a theme this year) and one of her posts was a compilation of new music, a lot of which I enjoy! I thought I'd spread the love.

Also, Girls Gone Child has introduced me to some new music. Here is one of my new favorite songs.

Choir of Young Believers - Action/Reaction from jeff hamada on Vimeo.

Oatmeal

2010-01-18T14:32:00.003-05:00

I always tried to eat instant oatmeal because it was "good for you". The fiber, the "heart-healthy grains", supposedly filling... Either way, I found oatmeal boring and was often hungry right after. I didn't realize the problem wasn't the food itself, but me. I was doing it wrong.

Enter the star: Rolled Oats.

I understand that may not look all that appetizing because at this point
I had shoveled down about half and had been mushing it around to get all the flavors.

I came across a new blog 2 weeks ago called Kath Eats Real Food and she has a tribute to oatmeal. I thought I'd check it out since obviously any one who actually likes the mushy, sticky mess of oatmeal is crazy. The tribute has about a hundred different styles of oatmeal, all containing the basic ingredient "rolled oats". I thought I'd give oatmeal one last try, this time using the real deal, oatmeal that doesn't take a minute in the microwave! I even made apple cinnamon muffins to crumble on top (that was a rare ambitious weekend). I made my rolled oats with 1/2 milk and 1/2 water and topped it with a teaspoon of TJ's organic creamy peanut butter, TJ's Golden Berry Blend (dried golden raisins, cherries, cranberries, and blueberries) a sprinkle of shredded coconut and the top of one of my small apple cinnamon muffins.

It. was. delicious.

So forget instant oatmeal - it takes a minute compared to the 5 minutes that rolled oats oatmeal takes, and I think that 4 minutes is well worth the difference!

2010 - The Year of Food

2010-01-08T14:10:00.002-05:00

Perfect New Year's Resolutions or Goals

From Phoodie and Michael Pollan:

"From Michael Pollan’s book In Defense of Food, the rules seem more 1910 than 2010, but offer practical advice for those of you who like to have a friendly reminder around this time of year:
1. Don’t eat anything your great-grandmother wouldn’t recognize as food.
2. Avoid food products containing ingredients that are a) unfamiliar, b) unpronounceable, c) more than five in number, or that include d) high-fructose corn syrup. Pollan’s example: Sara Lee’s Soft & Smooth Whole Grain White Bread, which fails every test proposed by this rule. “If not for the indulgence of the Food and Drug Administration, (it) could not even be labeled “bread.”
3. Avoid products that make health claims. The FDA’s “qualified” health claims” are all but meaningless.
4. Shop the peripheries of the supermarket and stay out of the middle. “Processed foods products dominate the center aisles of the store while the cases of ostensibly fresh food–dairy, produce, meat and fish–line the walls.”
5. Get out of the supermarket whenever possible. Head to one of the many farmer’s markets. In January it’s not just root vegetables that are in season: grapefruit, pears, brussel sprouts, kale, and spinach are on the list."

Bye 2009

2009-12-31T22:41:00.004-05:00

You've been a weird year. I don't feel like Christmas happened yet, how is it already New Years? Well I'm off to eat some popcorn and pet a cute kitty with my husband. Our New Year's party plan is out the window since I've caught the flu but I'm determined to at least stay up to the ball drop!

Since I've been focusing on the negative recently in life, I thought I would make a list of 9 things (get it, 2009) good that happened this year or that I'm grateful for.
Not in any specific order...

1. I got married to my absolutely wonderful husband.
2. We went on an amazing honeymoon to Hawaii - one of my favorite places in the world.
3. One of my best friends is pregnant, very happy for her.
4. Another of my best friends just (before Christmas) got engaged.
5. We got to take a short but very sweet trip out to one of my favorite cities - San Francisco.
6. We moved into a bigger apartment in the suburbs. Quiet, greenery, and an extra bedroom for crafting!
7. Husband got a job in February after 8 months of unemployment.
8. We hosted Thanksgiving at our place this year and my parents got to join us. First time since before California!
9. And last, I'm grateful that my family is all healthy, happy and safe!

Happy New Year!

Story Time

2009-08-21T11:26:00.004-04:00

Everyone knows what it feels like to begin something new. Your mind is racing with new ideas and trembling with excitement. But on the other hand, you are scared – change is different and failure is always a possibility. I have a problem. I expect to be good at something the moment I start doing it. Sometimes the possibility of this not occurring deters me from even trying, as crazy as that sounds. In physics, I was taught Newton's First Law - "The Law of Inertia". A thing in motion stays in motion. A thing at rest stays at rest unless an external force is applied. I am most certainly not in motion. If I am, it seems the only direction I'm moving is backwards. This is where this new blog comes in.

I’m using this as an opportunity to hold myself accountable and bring all of you along for the ride. You’ll come along with me as I start really quilting, sewing, knitting, cooking and baking (and blogging). I’ve obviously been cooking for quite some time – a girl's got to eat! - but I’d really like to start expanding my cooking and baking into more difficult and interesting foods. Also, I rarely rely solely on taste and often use recipes to completely design my meal. I’d like to learn to be more innovative in my food choices. I’d also like to spruce up my writing since I haven’t done much writing since college.

I feel a bit like a librarian reading a classic story to the children at her feet...

So come with me children,
we will go on a journey of
chocolate ganache,
scratchy fibers
and coq au vin.