Grub

A Few of my Favorite Things / Fashion / Grub / Life — No Comments
5
Sep 10

I LOVE THE FALL!

It is undoubtedly my favorite season, and I’d like to dedicate an entire blog post to the subject.

So when Kris and I woke up this morning, the temperature hadn’t broken 70 degrees.  You have to understand.  We have been living in a FURNACE this summer.  So to actually put on a cardigan to sit outside to sip coffee was a milestone in our year.  And, oh my, it was glorious.  We even spread out in the grass in the shade once the sun came up a little more just to revel in the lack of heat.

Thank you God for sweet relief!  I wore a long sleeved dress to church!

Okay.  On to Fall.  Even though I’d love to jump straight to CHRISTMAS!!!, I’m not going to do that because I feel like the Fall needs her own blog post.

One thing that I love to do is cook.  And eat.  And research recipes.  And look at pretty pictures of food and dream about how gloriously delicious said food would taste.  I guess you could say it’s a hobby of mine.  There’s nothing more fabulous than the change of the season and baking with yummy SPICES!!  But even bigger than that, I’d like to introduce the return of… (drumroll please, Dad):

Image from Dietsinreview.com

YAY!  The Pumpkin Spice Latte from Starbucks!  Now, I have yet to purchase one because I want it to be nice and chilly and I want to be wearing jeans and a sweater.  And I’d like to drink it outside.  I’m going to predict that this will happen in October, and I will be sure to let you know when it does.  I promise.

Another of my Fall staples is my hot apple cider.  Kris looks forward to it all year long – as do I – and I usually make it during our first fire pit evening of the season.  It’s a crock pot cider made with whole cinnamon sticks and whole cloves and allspice.  I’ll share the recipe in a few weeks!

Now, if you haven’t recognized my love for the Pioneer Woman’s cooking, … now you know.  Her food is the jam.  I make it like, 3 times a week.  Simple ingredients, a great use of spices, and it’s hearty.  Kris loves it.  We are happy campers.

The PW has some phenomenal recipes, but here are a few that I will be adding to my repertoire this Fall:

Dulce de Leche Coffee – You know we love coffee in this house, and this will be a yummy treat on a chilly evening!
Cinnamon Rolls – Is there anything better on a Saturday morning?
Pumpkin Spice Muffins with Cream Cheese Frosting – I feel like I need to start moving away from the sweets…
Spanish Green Beans – OKAY.  Much healthier than the above!
Roasted Carrots – YUM, and easy.

NOW PUT ON YOUR BOOTS LADIES.  It’s time to talk about that front porch.

I have a wreath made of natural twigs that I purchased from Hobby Lobby two years ago that I’ve switched up every year for some Fall goodness.  The first year, I hot-glued small pumpkins to the wreath and adorned it with a black bow for a “Halloween feel.”  Last year, I removed the pumpkins and just left the bow, which I then removed after Halloween.  This year, I’m going to use the same wreath, and find some new ribbon with Fall colors that will transition from Halloween to Thanksgiving.  I’m also going to use purple mums and orange pumpkins on the steps, and Kris likes to string white Christmas lights in a zig-zag pattern over our patio and inside of the Man Shed for some ambiance.

Our steps in October of 2009.

Are you getting excited yet?

How could we close this post without a mention of Fall fashion?  I feel like pictures speak more than words…

Image from Anthropologie.com

30 Day Blog Journal / Grub — 2 Comments
22
Aug 10

Day 22

Day 22 – A Website

MING MAKES CUPCAKES!

Don’t worry about what I have to say. Just look at those cupcakes.

In the words of my friend Heather, YUM-O.

30 Day Blog Journal / Grub — 3 Comments
21
Aug 10

Day 21

Day 21 – A recipe

Well dang! This is what I did yesterday! But I have plenty to share, so no prob.

And I’m not really going to share… I’m going to redirect you to one of my favorite reads, The Pioneer Woman. If you’re not reading her blog, why not?

Yeah, she lives on a ranch. And I pretty much envy that she gets to wear jeans and boots every day.

So not only does she blog, but The Pioneer Woman COOKS. When I say cook, I mean like seriously, she has her own cookbook.

Here is Ree’s recipe for Kris’s favorite pasta.

And family – if you’re reading this – Ree’s cookbook would make a great Christmas present.

Just sayin’.

30 Day Blog Journal / Grub — No Comments
20
Aug 10

Day 20

Day 20 – A hobby of yours

My favorite thing to – besides geek out on the interwebs – is to cook. I zone out and enjoy the simple act of creating delicious food. But, I’m not a baker. I have butchered some cookies in my day. Below is one of my favorite recipes of all time! And it would be great for you to make it now that the weather is still quite warm and the lime/cilantro flavors will seem relevant.

(Originally posted August 25, 2009)

Lime Infused Flank Steak with Black Bean, Corn, and Avocado Salad. (Is your mouth watering yet?)

Ingredients
1 pound(s) raw lean flank steak
1 medium garlic clove(s), peeled and smashed with side of a knife (I used minced garlic out of a jar)
1 tsp fresh lime juice
1/8 tsp table salt
1/8 tsp black pepper, freshly ground

Salad
1 Tbsp jalapeno pepper(s), minced (do not touch seeds with bare hands) (I didn’t have these…so I didn’t use them)
1 small corn on the cob, cooked, kernels removed (I used a drained can of corn)
1/2 medium avocado, peeled, pitted and diced (I used one whole avocado)
1 cup(s) canned black beans, drained and rinsed
4 tsp fresh lime juice
2 Tbsp cilantro, fresh, minced
1/8 tsp table salt
1/8 tsp black pepper

Instructions:
Preheat grill to medium hot. (I used a deep frying pan on the stovetop and put the heat on medium-high)

Score steak on one side by making shallow crisscross slashes with a sharp knife; rub garlic over cut surface of steak. Brush steak with lime juice and season with salt and pepper; set meat aside for 10 minutes to allow meat to absorb flavors.

Meanwhile, combine salad ingredients in a medium bowl; stir gently and set aside.

Grill steak for 5 minutes on first side; flip and grill until well-browned on outside and medium-rare inside, about 5 to 6 minutes more.
(If you’re cooking stovetop, sear the steak on one side for 2-3 minutes, then flip and sear for 2-3 minutes on the other side. Then turn the heat to low and cook for 5-10 minutes more or until the steak is done to your likeness.)

Immediately remove steak from grill and set aside on a clean plate for 5 minutes for meat to reabsorb juices. Thinly slice steak across grain and serve with salad.

Image from svgopen.org

Image from svgopen.org

Image from Sciencedaily.com

Image from Sciencedaily.com

Image from Simplyrecipes.com

Image from Simplyrecipes.com

Image from funadvice.com

Image from funadvice.com

Image from Cunion.com

Image from Cunion.com

Image from Audreycooks.com

Image from Audreycooks.com

Baby Meade / Grub / Puppy Parenthood — 3 Comments
11
Jul 10

Topsy-turvy Baby Meade, our stroller of choice, and a dairy-free quiche recipe.

Kris and I spent our second weekend in a row at Ocean Isle with my parents, and on our way home from the beach today, Baby Meade tumbled, bumbled, and kicked his/her way around my belly for the major part of 2 hours!  Plus, it probably didn’t help that Kris and I stopped in Gallivants Ferry at the General Store for boiled peanuts and glass-bottled Sun Drop.  Oh. My. Stars.  It was worth it.

We picked Nimbus up from the country and he is flat exhausted, except we bought him a new Chuck It ball today.  So he’s prancing around the backyard like the King of Persia with his new prize.  He couldn’t be a happier dog.

This evening, we visited Babies ‘R’ Us, and I’m not going to lie, we were totally disappointed with the selection.  It was like a glorified Big Lots.  So we drove over to Target and were much more impressed with the selection there – but we’re still being super picky about our stroller.  I think we’re going to invest in a used Bugaboo Cameleon stroller off of eBay.

Image via BabyStrollerReviews.org

Not sure what color we’ll get… probably something neutral so that if Baby Meade is a boy and Baby Meade #2 is a girl, and vice versa, they’ll both be able to use it.

I need to use up some of the items in our pantry, and as you know, we are a dairy-free home.  Here’s the quiche recipe that I’m using tonight!

Dairy-free Broccoli & Onion Quiche

(Note: This recipe makes enough to fill two 9” frozen deep pie crusts)

Ingredients:
- 2 frozen deep 9” pie shells
- 1 small red onion, chopped
- 4 broccoli spears, chopped (I thawed and chopped the frozen kind)
- 2 bags of veggie shreds (I used one mozzarella-flavored and one cheddar-flavored)
- 3 tablespoons of all-purpose flour
- 5 eggs
- 1 1/2 cups of soy milk
- salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In one bowl, mix together the flour and veggie shreds. In another bowl, mix together the eggs, milk, onion, and broccoli. Pour the flour and veggie shred mixture into the egg mixture, and combine well. Add salt and pepper to taste (I used a good bit of pepper). Divide mixture between the two pie shells (and then I grated a little more pepper and sprinkled a little more kosher salt onto the tops of the quiches).

Bake at 350 degrees for 60 – 70 minutes.

I love quiche because you literally can use ANYTHING that you have in your pantry in them. Instead of the broccoli and onion, you could use bacon, diced tomatoes, and basil. Or, you could use ham and spinach. The possibilities are infinite. Also, if you are a dairy-eating home, substitute the soy milk for half and half or milk and the veggie shreds for your favorite cheese.

Bon appetit!

Grub — No Comments
30
Jun 10

Leftovers?

So maybe you made the barbeque from last night, and now you’ve got leftovers. (I know that you do, Elizabeth!)

A barbeque sandwich doesn’t seem that appetizing.

I understand. I’m in the same boat!

How about a barbeque pizza?

Barbeque Pizza

Leftover barbeque
1 cup of thinly sliced red onion
1/2 cup of sliced black olives
Sweet Baby Ray’s barbeque sauce
1 teaspoon of honey
Minced garlic
Cheese! Or in our house, mozzarella-flavored Veggie Shreds
Pizza crust

- Prepare the crust as directed on the package.
- Heat the leftover barbeque in the microwave with just enough barbeque sauce to moisten the meat, and mix in a teaspoon of honey.
- Remove the crust from the oven, spoon barbeque sauce onto crust to form a light, even coat. Spread a tiny bit of minced garlic throughout the sauce. Like, 1/2 of a teaspoon.
- Top pizza with barbeque, sliced onion, sliced olives, and cheese.
- Place into oven for the remainder of the cooking time (as directed by pizza crust package). Really, you want the crust to be nice and crispy and the cheese to be melty and delicious.

Bon appetit!

I know this has nothing to do with barbeque pizza, but look where little Nim likes to hold down the fort while his dad edits video. So cute!

Grub — 2 Comments
29
Jun 10

What’s cookin’, good lookin’?

Well, you’ve got ‘em! The first baby bump photos! It has grown significantly in the last week, and for that, I am grateful. I was kind of freaking out to my mom last Monday that I wasn’t showing “enough.” Now, we’ve got a little bump!

Tonight, I made my favorite slow cooker barbeque recipe from my go-to recipe website, AllRecipes.com. It is delicious and includes my favorite barbeque sauce, Sweet Baby Ray’s. I served it for Kris on hamburger buns and ate mine with a fork with a side of arugula.


*Image from Sweet Baby Ray’s

Crock Pot Barbeque

- 2.5 to 3 lb. boneless pork ribs
- Beef broth
- Sweet Baby Ray’s barbeque sauce
- Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

1. Place ribs into crock pot. Season with kosher salt and freshly ground pepper. Cover the ribs until all are fully submerged with beef broth. Place lid on crock pot and cook on high heat for 5 hours.
2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Drain meat and discard any large pieces of fat. Shred meat with two forks and mix in barbeque sauce. Some people like a “saucier” barbeque, and some like it drier. You decide how much you want – you can always add more.
3. Remove meat from crock pot and place into a dutch oven or baking dish. Place into 350 degree oven for 30 minutes.
4. ENJOY!

It is so easy to make and tastes delicious. I came home at lunch time to put the meat in the crock pot. I didn’t want it to cook for 8 hours… it would have gotten too “mushy.”

Baby Meade / Grub — 1 Comment
8
Jun 10

It’s almost Wednesday.

Not that Wednesday is important or anything, but it’s better than saying “It’s Tuesday.” Why? Because no more LOST.

I’ll get over you, I know I will, I’ll pretend my ship’s not sinking…

SO HEY! Guess what! We heard Baby Meade’s heartbeat yesterday! IT WAS AWESOME! I am so happy that Baby Meade is healthy. What a blessing. Guess what else! We have baby names picked out! But I’m not going to tell you yet. Since I have to wait until July 14 to find out if Baby Meade is a he or a she, you will have to wait until then, too. But I will share both names either way :)

In other news, this is the conversation that my husband had with the rotating OB/GYN. (My practice has three OB/GYN’s. Hopefully, you get to deliver with your OB/GYN, but if she’s not on call, you deliver with one of the other two. So they make you take appointments with them so that you get to know them. Whatevs, they’re awesome.) On to the conversation.

Doctor walks in. Nurse, who happens to be my friend Katey’s mama, introduces Kris to the doctor.

Doctor: Oh! So are you the baby daddy?

Kris: I am the FATHER.

::chirp chirp::

And the doctor laughs.

I am making Pioneer Woman’s Crash Hot Potatoes for dinner. I think they’ll be great. Why? Because they combine two of my favorite things. #1, potatoes. #2….uh, potatoes.

I’d also like an ice cream sandwich please.

Baby Meade / Grub — 1 Comment
5
May 10

The science of pregnancy food.

You probably don’t care what I’m eating.  But I am chronicling this entire pregnancy, so that’s what we’re going to chat about today!

In the mornings, I am not interested in coffee.  Not one bit.  There were a couple of days this week where I tried drinking it and made it to about 1/2 of a cup before literally saying “gross” out loud.

BUT WHITNEY.  YOU LOVE COFFEE.  IT’S LISTED IN THE “ABOUT ME” SECTION OF THIS WEBSITE.

I know this.  Pero no me gusta el cafe.  Sorry.

Things I am interested in in the morning: Water.  My Zofran.  My gummy Flintstone’s vitamins.  A piece of fruit.  More water.  (Or two McDonald’s hashbrowns if it’s the weekend!)

Then, at about 9, I want a bagel or a couple of pieces of toast with cream cheese.  But this morning, I had applesauce.

Around 11:30, I get hungry again.  So that’s lunch.  Usually, it’s something like soup and another bagel.  Or Chick Fil A.  Or lo mein noodles. (Yeah, that was today.  Intense craving for it and I rang up Jin Jin for my fix.)

After work, I am too tired to cook dinner and food doesn’t interest me much.  So I eat some more soup and a piece of toast, or Kris whips up something for us and I eat a little bit of it.

I am exactly 2 months pregnant, so I am looking forward to the end of the third month where (hopefully!) I’ll feel more like myself and have an appetite again.  I was talking to the girls in the office today, and I was like, “I’m so worried that I’m doing this the wrong way.”  And they were like, “Girl, don’t worry about that baby.  The baby will take from you what it needs!”

In other news, I got a haircut last week and it is GLORIOUS.  Why didn’t you people tell me that my hair was too long?  Ew!  This new style is super cute and it takes like, 5 minutes to blow it dry.  I’ve shaved 30 minutes off of my morning routine!  Do you know how important that is?  I now have time to eat my gummy Flintstone vitamins and drink my water while watching Matt and Meredith!  This is huge!

Grub / Life — 2 Comments
10
Feb 10

how i lost the weight.

so i told you the other day that i’ve lost close to 15 pounds (13 to be exact) since mid-november.

it’s not dramatic, but it’s substantial enough that my self esteem has returned.

when we got married, i experimented a lot with really intense and rich cooking.  i cooked a lot.  i made elaborate meals and paired them with yummy wines, and we both packed on the pounds.

after the revelation that we needed to cut dairy out of our diet for some health reasons, i had to stop cooking with those things.  no more cheese, butter, milk, cream, cream-of-anything-soups, sour cream, cream cheese…nada.  so that cut a lot of my cooking options.  so we’ve “lightened up” our meals in that way.  we eat a lot of veggies and grains, and occasionally some meat.  even when we do eat meat, it’s fish, boneless & skinless chicken breasts, ground turkey, or lean ground beef.  we splurge on steaks about once every 3 months.

with my new job, i walk about a mile a day in heels.  seriously.  i think this factor has had the most impact on my weight loss.  i went from sitting at a desk 8 hours every day to powerwalking the halls of a vast complex all day long.  i have also started being conscious of my portion sizes.  i realize now that last summer (when i was hitting some low points with my previous job and some major D-R-A-M-A was going on in our lives), i was eating emotionally.  so that contributed as well.

i am by no means “skinny.”  i am naturally a curvy girl.  i haven’t been “stick-thin” since i ballet danced for 4 hours every day after school.  i’m still on the road to getting more fit and i have another 10 pounds or so to go.  but, that’s the story of how i’ve gotten to where i am so far!

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