Tag Archive for 'recipes'

Fruits and veggies, happily ever after: A guest blog by the lovely Jen of Bliss Home Goods

Published by Sarah Bray on April 14, 2008 in Food, Glorious Food. 2 Comments

My good friend Jen, blogger and artist/creator at Bliss Home Goods, is joining us today to share her experience with eating healthfully. She and her husband Erick have two ADORABLE boys (and I do not exaggerate…I wish they lived closer so I could see their antics in person!) and are two of the smartest people I know. Well, I don’t know Erick very well, but he married Jen, so…you know. He’s got to be pretty bright. Their only flaw is that they live quite far away from me. So sad. Without further ado…

…

I love food. I’m particularly fond of carbs (bread, pasta, potatoes) and sugar (dessert? who, me? Yes! of course!) Oh, and I can’t forget cheese. Of almost any sort. I also truly love fruits and veggies, although I can guarantee you I don’t get enough of them in my diet…so lately I’m trying to whip myself into shape and have discovered a few meals that I’m absolutely crazy about, fruit and veggies included.

Breakfast:
We have a waffle iron and put it to good use around this place. Butter and syrup are standard toppings, but recently we thawed out the remainder of our strawberries that we picked last summer, and combined that deliciousness with a dollop of Stonyfield Yogurt as well. Skip the standard fare! Yogurt and berries piled atop a steaming waffle? I don’t think I can go back! Makes for an excellent Saturday morning treat.

Lunch:
Friday nights are pizza nights around this household, most often of the homemade variety. Although I’m a sucker for good ol’ pepperoni (I can out eat my husband in pizza), we went half and half last time. Half sauce/cheese/pepperoni, and half cauliflower/spinach/feta.
I’m a convert! I couldn’t believe how much I appreciated the veggie side. It was incredibly simple; we used frozen spinach and let it thaw before sprinkling it over the dough. cauliflower came next (rubbed in a bit of olive oil…you don’t have to cook it ahead of time), and then the feta. The feta makes it. (Told you I was a lover of cheese!) Anyway, this might be a mommy-special. Good lunch while the boys are at their grandma’s house and the hubby is at work. (Don’t believe the male side of the household is too inclined to convert like myself just yet.)

Supper:
Everyone loves this meal, and it’s another easy one to throw together. Cooked pasta (we’ve used every variety and they all work), doused in a cup or so of cream that has simmered for about 6 minutes. I used to use whole cream, but started using half, and it’s just as good for us! Throw in around a pound of roasted1 asparagus, cut into bite-sized pieces, and dice up some good ol’ sliced Virginia baked ham to toss in as well. Add some parmesan cheese to taste, and voila! The “fresh” of the asparagus and the salty ham makes for a fantastic combo.

There you have it! Change things bit by bit and I’ll get ever-closer to the recommended 5 a day…

  1. We have begun to roast ALL of our veggies. A bit of olive oil, a sprinkle of salt, and roast in the oven until tender! Better taste, and you don’t lose as many nutrients. [↩]

Food, glorious food

Published by Sarah Bray on March 31, 2008 in Food, Glorious Food. 5 Comments

Oh I’ve missed doing menu plans. But ever since we opened the web design studio, things have been…different around here. I always thought that John helped with stuff, but I didn’t realize how much I had taken upon myself without even noticing. Then when I didn’t have that time available anymore, boy. I noticed. He noticed. Anyone within a five block radius probably noticed. Things were crazy.

But we’ve come up with some new rules. One is that the whole family cleans together every night for 20 minutes. I mentioned that a few posts ago. Another is that we cook together. We fold a little bit of laundry (together). When John gets home from work, the computers go off until the kids go to bed.

Surprisingly, I didn’t come up with these rules. Okay, I came up with the first one. And the second one. But he came up with the last two. I love that everyone in our house realizes that they’re part of a community, and in a community, everyone has a part to play. It is not one person’s job to do everything for everyone else (well, maybe it is in some houses, but not in ours). We’re a young family, still learning the ropes, but I think we’re on the right track.

Okay, so what does this have to do with food? I’m supposed to be writing about food. Oh yes. We don’t have menu plans anymore. We don’t cut coupons anymore. We’re spending a little more for the convenience of going to the grocery store that’s right around the corner.

We’re also planning things based on how the day is going. Sometimes we order out, sometimes we all make a field trip to the grocery store and have fun picking out the things we’re going to make for dinner. I admit it’s not that most frugal way, but it’s made our family life more enjoyable and more doable. I’d imagine you sometimes “plan” that way too.

Here are a few things that look yummy to me this week:

For when you’re feeling like a light, vegetarian meal1…
Baked pasta casserole at 101 Cookbooks. My husband wouldn’t stand for this as a main dish (no meat), but I think I’ll have a go at it sometime when he’s at school. I just love the idea of a light pasta casserole. I didn’t even know it was possible. Another thing I love? I think I have all of the ingredients already.

Because it’s not quite spring yet, and there’s still time for comfort food…
Indian-Style Tomato Soup with Lentils from delicous:days. Since it’s been chilly the last few days, I really am craving some soup. A spicy tomato soup seems like it would fit the bill rather perfectly. And it takes less than half an hour!

For when you need a healthy snack break…
Sun-Dried Tomato Hummus from Happy Foody. I never knew you could make hummus without beans, but apparently you can! I love the idea of a different twist on traditional hummus. It sounds like a dish that would just make me feel good inside and out.

For when you’re feeling like you need more greens in your diet…
How to Make a Green Smoothie from Happy Foody. They swear these are delicious. I know several people personally who have gotten on board with these smoothies. I have not tried one yet, but if I ever get a blender that powerful, I absolutely will.

For when you have a dinner party to go to and you’re asked to bring dessert…
Orange Yogurt Bread from Pinch My Salt. I have a thing about dessert breads. I love how soft and melty they are. I can eat about five slices in a row and not feel sick until much, much later.

For when you want to pamper yourself in the morning…
Poppyseed pancakes from 101 Cookbooks. I love lazy mornings (though I don’t seem to have many of them, since I’m a night owl and generally wake up cranky). I think I’ll plan one this week, even if this ends up being our lunch instead of breakfast. I love poppy seeds and sunflower seeds. And it will give me a chance to try that agave nectar that everyone’s talking about.

For when you have a whole lot of chicken to use up…
Chicken and Mushroom Marsala from Smitten Kitchen. Though I don’t usually buy chicken breasts with the skin still attached, perhaps I will…or perhaps this can be modified into a skinless version. At any rate, chicken marsala is one of my favorite dishes, so it would be blissful to be able to make it at home.

For when you need a side dish that doesn’t require much hands-on time…
Spicy Sweet Potato Wedges from Smitten Kitchen. I love the idea of the spicy/sweet combination in these potato wedges. And I like that you just toss them in the spices and oil and roast. Very simple.

For when you’ve been a very, very good girl…
Hazelnut Raspberry Cake from Baking and Books. It is impossible not to love this cake simply because it is so girly and pink. I imagine its decadence has the power to transform your day in a matter of seconds.

  1. could be modified for vegans [↩]

Friday Favorites

Published by Sarah Bray on March 28, 2008 in Favorite Things. 2 Comments

Oh yes, the Friday Favorites. Silly me, I’d forgotten all about them! Well, not really. You see, I’ve been developing a different system for collecting all of my favorite stuff because I’m now using a browser that does not support StumbleUpon. Bother. But I do have to admit…I’m not wasting half as much time now! So here we go…the week’s best according to moi.

  • Alltop - Are you getting tired about hearing of this awesome site yet? Because I’m not. Guy Kawa…ummm…Kawasaki (not that hard Sarah…geez) is a genius. And he’s also guest-editing over at sk*rt (another site that is tres fabulique1), which makes him permanently cool for being the first guy to do that. Go Guy.
  • Polyvore - I haven’t figured out the name of this site yet. Is it for people who eat polyester? Hmm. Anyway, this site is a very cool social network for fashion geeks. It kind of smells like flickr. You can put together entire ensembles snipped from different online stores and, get this, you can actually order by clicking on any of the items in your clothing montage. Or so I’ve heard. I have to admit I haven’t actually tried it, but I have been admiring other people’s creations all over the place.
  • Piper and Paisley - Stop my heart, these hats are CUTE. Cute cute cute. I want ten, please. One for each day of the week, and then a few for emergencies.
  • Bucket Boffing - I can see this being the perfect party game (For kids, of course. I’m much too sophisticated.) It reminds me of the old American Gladiator shows for some reason. Two people stand on buckets opposite each other while holding big pool noodles (what else do you call those things?). They proceed in batting each other over the head and around the legs and wherever else. The last one standing wins.
  • Pingg - I guess this is the week of the Web 2.0 applications. Here is one that I’m pretty excited about because of how annoying Evite insists on being. Instead of flashy ugliness, pingg offers stylish modern-inity2. I haven’t actually sent any invitations with it yet, so let me know what you think. [via How About Orange]
  • Lines & Shapes - Next completed website launch, I am going to get a subscription to this wonderful indie publication. It is collaborative artistic beauty. Worth every penny, I have no doubt.
  • See Kai Run - The most adorable baby shoes in the entire world. [via Design Mom]
  • Sausage and Capsicum Linguine - I’ve already forgotten what capsicum is, but this looks so yummy. No thanks to Jen for making me crave even more pasta.

That’s it for the week, everyone. Enjoy a lovely, lingering weekend!

  1. Yes, just made up that term. Remember, you heard it here first, folks. [↩]
  2. I’m having so much fun making up words today! [↩]

Friday’s challenge: Bake something

Published by Sarah Bray on March 7, 2008 in Food, Glorious Food. 2 Comments

Do you ever just get sick of cooking? I think sometimes we get sick of doing household stuff because we feel like we “have” to. Like someone out there is holding a little pen and notepad and jotting down all of the things that we’re not doing that we “should” be doing.

Well, I don’t cook anymore. At least not out of that mentality. When I cook or bake, I’m doing it because I can’t wait to taste the flavors. I am excited to create something out of raw ingredients. I’m doing it because it’s a fun thing to do with my husband and my kids. I’m not their personal chef. We all do our part to make the house a fun place to be.

So today I’m going to find a recipe that is really indulgent. I’m going to get the ingredients and I’m going to bake. Maybe I’ll try some Apple Dumplings made with Mountain Dew (did I really SAY that?!). Or maybe a homemade ding dong. Why am I finding all of the redneck recipes this week? Of course I MEANT to say black-bottomed cupcakes (these are aMAZing) or chocolate truffles. Now I’m in heaven.