Thistle Thursday: Scottish Dessert

Hello. I haven’t been blogging lately, because I’ve had insomnia. You think staying awake all night would give me more time to blog, but I didn’t. This insomnia has been ongoing for two weeks and I attribute it to stress and not owning a bed. Money comes my way tomorrow, though. And like Michelle Tanner’s pencil bed, I will have paid for my own big girl bed. I hope this puts an end to staying awake until the wee hours. It is driving me crazy.

You know what else is driving me crazy? I think I have a toothache, which isn’t surprising considering I spent 2 months in Scotland. These people love sugar and I love them for it. My dentist will be pissed off, though. He usually is with me. But who flosses, right?

Anyway, today I’m going to express my love for all things Scottish and sweet. Some of things may not be “Scottish,” but they made them better. So, holler. In no particular order.

Sticky Toffee Pudding

Alright, this was my favorite thing I had over there. And, if you come back next Thursday for Thistle Thursday (what a damn ugly name) I will be making Kate Middleton’s favorite sticky toffee pudding recipe. So, stay tuned for that and the creepiest picture of her and me (just wait).

So, sticky toffee pudding. Have you ever had gingerbread in its cake form? It has a taste similar to that, with warm toffee sauce dumped over it. It is usually served with cream, ice cream, or whip cream. My favorite sticky toffee pudding had to be at the Rick Steve’s recommended Reverie in Edinburgh. I ate at this pub 6 times while in Scotland. Six times!!!!

Scottish Snowballs

Do you like jam and coconut? I do, too. I had Scottish Snowballs several times while in Scotland. Imagine raspberry jam sandwiched between two slices of sponge cake and then covered with frosting and coconut. There you go. I’ll be making these soon, trust me.

There are more, but I’m too tired (insomnia people!) to go through my collection of pictures. Please visit next Thursday, because it will be an entire blog post devoted to my unhealthy obsession to Kate Middleton and sticky toffee pudding.

Short Hair and Waffle Sandwiches

So, it has been a while since I have posted. My PhD work has been demanding and, although it will get worse, I am getting better at prioritizing and managing my time. This blog will become quite frugal in the next month, because there is a lot of traveling in my future. I have a conference in Atlanta, GA and I am studying abroad for two months in Scotland. So, get ready to see a bunch of coupon clipping. Here is my first favorite, cheap treat: PB&J Waffle Sandwiches.

1. Toast two frozen waffles. Mine are low fat. I’m so healthy, right?

2. While those are toasting, get the best peanut butter and jelly you can find. In my case, strawberry “fruit spread” will do. I miss the farmers market.

3. When the toaster pops, grab those warm waffles and slather them with peanut butter and jelly.

4. Then slap them together for the perfect, to-go breakfast/lunch sandwich.

It is good, because the jelly and peanut butter melt into the little crannies. I know this isn’t glamorous, but it is perfect for those who throw out loaves of bread each week. So for now: this is my breakfast.

Oh, and by popular request: here is my new haircut. Why did I do it? Well, my static winter hair was DRIVING ME CRAZY. I had to cut it all off. I woke up with no plan to cut my hair. I decided at 10 AM, called at 11:45, and got in at noon. I didn’t even think twice about this. I am on crack. I like it though; easier to manage. But I keep petting my phantom hair.

Apparently, I have PB&J still on my mouth. Hope your Sundays are fantastic.

Not Fine Dining

So apparently I cannot function. Last week I left my coffee at home, twice. I also forgot both copies of a textbook I teach with at home. I mean, really? Get it together, Ashley. Instead of waking up at 6 to rush around like a mad woman, I slept in until 7. I planned on going to campus just for class and office hours, thus I could park in one of the 2-hour spaces closer to campus. Double thus, I took my sweet time this morning. I made some coat throat tea and a toasted challah roll with both strawberry and black raspberry jam. It was my last roll, which was sad. I also had an apple and some pineapple. Pineapple is my favorite, I think. But, I also eat a bag of apples a week. Who said I needed to choose a favorite, anyway.

I made it to campus with my bottled water and coffee. Glory! I did my teaching thing, then headed back to the office for some fine dining and office hours.

I don’t like to eat frozen food that often, but I’ve been busy lately. I bought this Lean Cuisine Panini. Are you cringing? Really? Chill out, it was actually decent. Processed, but decent. Stop cringing, seriously.

The rest of my day was devoted to reading and grading. I went to the local coffee shop and sat outside. BAD IDEA. It was HOT outside, but then the wind would blow and I would be freezing. It switched back and forth the entire time I was outside. What the hell, Indiana? Make up your mind. I switched between sips of coffee or water, depending on the weather. I also chowed down on some dried apricots. Do you like them? I feel like the only one that does. I like to tear them apart into two halves, and then eat them. It is the adult-version of eating the head and then the legs on you Teddy Graham.

Lars and I were able to eat dinner together, which is now becoming a rarity. I made us grilled cheese sandwiches with baby swiss on Great Harvest Bread Company’s rye. Their caraway rye  is fantastic. I also had a boring bowl of canned chicken noodle stop. If you cringe one more time!!!!!

To celebrate life and the second new episode of House (thank YOU for being good again), I enjoyed a triple berry fruit bar from Great Harvest. Okay, I love their fruit bars. I hate cherries in my baked goods, though. I don’t know why. It was still good, but I may just stick to a simple blackberry next time.

Is there a food you hate, but everyone seems to love. I hate cream cheese. I wish I liked it so I could hang with the cool kids.

The Ashley Challenge is going smoothly so far (I am devoted to posting EVERYDAY this week).

Farmers Market Adventures on a Sicky Saturday

Hello. I am here to narrate my Saturday of sicky-awesomeness. I have been feeling under the weather lately, but I refused to be a sloth. I slept in Saturday, which probably was the best thing to ever happen to me…this week. Also, my sick body appreciated it. My body recovering from Step class appreciated it. Have you been to a Step class? I went on Thursday and couldn’t even complete it. They are NOT MESSING AROUND. For sure.

Well, I slept in. Then, I poked Lars in the face until he decided to go to the Farmers Market with me. Overall: a successful trip. I picked up some Challah rolls (with tofu as a listed ingredient…is that normal?), dried apricots, strawberry jam, black raspberry jam, green beans, and the largest sweet potato I have ever seen.

For breakfast I toasted the tofu challah roll and covered it with some strawberry jam. Thank you rural Indiana for a fantastic start to the day.

I walked around the apartment most of the day and moaned in pain. I hate sore throats. I just drank tea and watched Lifetime, Mother May I Sleep With Danger? was on. The freezer provided my quick and delicious lunch. I love MorningStar Veggie Buffalo Wings, a lot. I’m not even a vegetarian. Doesn’t my picture look similar to the box? I didn’t even do that on purpose.

Lars and I decided to take it easy that night since I was whiny. I cut up the largest sweet potato I have ever seen and made some baked fries with some sea salt and olive oil. Lars boiled burgers. Boiled? Oh yes, he did. We have been watching a lot of shows about hamburgers. People grill them, boil them, and steam them. He was feeling adventurous and it worked. It doesn’t make the most attractive hamburger, but it was juicy. I still preferred them grilled, I think. BUT, this is a great method when you are unable to thaw out hamburger patties in time.

Also, the Great Harvest hamburger buns pretty much rocked my world. I was out of yellow mustard, though. Wah, wah.

Lars and I enjoyed dinner and watched Angels in America: Disc 1. I am anxious for the next disk; a great film.

Tomorrow starts the week of the Ashley Blogger Challenge! I am going to blog EVERYDAY. Can she do it? Who knows, but she is going to try!

Stay tuned…

A Bittersweet Friday

Friday was a good day. It was the last Friday of summer. It was a bittersweet situation, but more sweet because it ended with cake.

I had a very random lunch. I had a leftover slice of our deep dish pizza. It tasted like really good leftover delivery pizza. I also needed some veggies. Do you ever get crazy veggie cravings? Well, I made some quick green beans. Random, but delicious.

I have to read a bunch of articles before Monday, so I walked to the local coffee shop. I ordered an iced latte, which is always a special splurge. I read one article (it was 30 pages), and I had to walk home. This is going to be a long school year.

A Kashi TLC Fruit and Grain Bar provided some subsistence, but not enough to get me reading again.

When I got home I was starving. I had a toasted slice of Great Harvest’s Hi5 bread with some local Very Berry Jam. Jam is one thing I will always splurge on. Always local, I say.

Then it was date night! Lars and I walked downtown to a organic eatery, Copper Dog. The place is very new and we were their first reservation. We are torn on this place. We will definitely visit again, but we were confused about their objective. The food was very casual, but the decor was very fancy. The owners and employees were extremely nice, so it is impossible to hate the place. The food was good, too.

As an appetizer we ordered the hummus with the pico de gallo. I loved the pairing of the fresh tomatoes with the hummus. The only issue we had was the “pita chips.” They were really slices of soft pita, which made it hard for scooping both the hummus and the pico de gallo.

We both ordered the “haute” dog. I am very particular about hot dogs, and rarely eat them. I thought this was a good quality dog, but the bun was rather flimsy. The highlight of the plate was the veggie stix, which I found out were from Trader Joe’s.

The dessert was the overall highlight, though. Lars ordered the red velvet and I ordered the golden chocolate. They did not make the cakes, but they did get them from a local bakery. The red velvet was extremely moist and the chocolate frosting on mine was very rich (in a good way).

I had a fun time at this place and I hope this local business stays open. We need more local eateries (esp. organic/natural) at Purdue.

After dinner, Lars and I walked over the Wabash River to the movies. We saw Scott Pilgrim vs The World. This movie rocked, seriously. It is innovative and fun. I highly recommend seeing it.

Saturday is dedicated to reading, after I finish watching The Jersey Shore.

MIM

Today for breakfast I wanted to try something new. I know, I am very crazy and spontaneous. Watch out world!

I have been looking for a way to get flaxseed in my diet. You may have seen this before on the blogs, but I thought I’d share it just in case. I first saw this on Kat’s blog, but you can explore the web for variations if you’d like.

Muffin in a Minute (MIM)

3 tbsp flax seed meal
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp splenda (I used real sugar, because I have this thing with Splenda)
1 tsp cinnamon
1 egg

Put dry ingredients in a coffee mug and stir. Then add an egg (I whisked mine first in another container) and stir completely. Pop in the microwave for only 1 minute! It slides right out. You can top it with peanut butter, other nut butters, or jam.

Also, feel free to explore other flavor options. You can add pumpkin for example. Just google it and you will find new ways to muffin.

For information on the benefits of flaxseed check out this article from WebMD.

A Good Food Day

Ever had a good food day? Like everything just hit the spot? You are eating just the right amount and every bite tastes awesome? That was my day.

I started off the day with a blogger staple: oatmeal. I mixed in pecans (from Green Valley, Arizona, holler at my G-Ma!), strawberries, and brown sugar. I ate this while watching Pretty Little Liars on Hulu. I’m not afraid to say it, but that show rocks.

I took Bob’s Red Mill corn muffins out of the freezer (I had saved them from earlier) for lunch. They tasted better than I remember. I slathered them with strawberry jam. I also had an apple and sliced carrots.

After lunch Lars and I ran some errands. We got to take another tour of our new apartment for next year. I love the place! It has so much windows; I’m a fan of natural lighting. I’ll post pictures once we move in and get settled.

The highlight of my day was the chocolate I received in the mail from Hannah over at Wayfaring Chocolate. Thanks Hannah! It was wonderful. Hannah sent Dark Chocolate with Strawberry and Sichuan Pepper (made by the The Curious Chocolatier). The pepper added a gingerbread-type taste. I loved it. Loved it. I couldn’t wait to eat it, so I brought in the car on the way to our new apartment.

Cute package, right?

Lars and I had pizza for dinner. We used panini grilled flatbread again. I topped mine with olive oil, sliced roma tomatoes, mozzarella cheese, diced prosciutto, fresh basil, and oregano. I popped it in the toaster oven, and then enjoyed!

Up close.

Our new apartment is next to a Great Harvest Bread Company, so of course we stopped by. I bought a Blackberry Fruit Bar for Lars and I to split for dessert following dinner. It got a little damaged in my purse, but it was still the best fruit bar I have ever had. They used shredded coconut in the streusel, which added a nice sweetness without overpowering the natural sweetness of the blackberries. I also appreciated the amount of fruit they actually used. I’ll buy this all the time after the move.

What is the best treat you’ve had lately? The chocolate and fruit bar made for an awesome food day!

Jammin’ Pancakes

I finally got my butt out of bed at 7. Holler! Word.

I went to the gym and did some elliptical work. I was dripping in sweat. I was intimidated by this girl next to me. She looked like the Tomb Raider and continuously punched the air while on the elliptical, all while going extremely fast. I found myself speeding up. One day I will be the Tomb Raider of the gym. Now, I’m just Carrie Bradshaw. I’m also that girl that randomly laughs, because she’s listening to goofy podcasts.

After a nice shower, I made pancakes! I used a recipe from Whole Grain Gourmet for Light and Fluffy Whole Wheat Pancakes. These turned out fantastic. They have a nice sweetness to them, even when I left out the orange zest. I cut the recipe in half. I also substituted eggs with Egg Beaters because I was out of eggs. (Note: go to grocery store)

Enough with the pretty presentation…I attacked my pancakes with triple-berry jam. RRRRRrrr!

This was a delicious treat, because jam pretty much rocks, especially when the Amish make it.

What is your favorite jelly/jam flavor?

Stay tuned for the flavors of lime, coconut, and chocolate!

Sleeping would be great.

I slept in again, but I was tossing and turning the entire night. I feel pretty awake and alert now, but it was impossible to wake up for my 7 AM workout. I suppose I’ll workout after all my errands/to-dos today. My hot apartment may have something to do with it; we have horrible circulation. For breakfast I decided to use my new breakfast bowl/cup from Crate and Barrel. I filled my cup with strawberries and apples, and also snuck a toasted whole wheat muffin with triple berry jam onto its saucer. It was good after a night of not sleeping. The iced coffee may help me wake-up even more.

I have so much to do today: bills, paperwork, mailing Hannah chocolate (sorry it took so long), and some thesis formatting. It will get done. It must get done! I’m off to take a nice cold shower to cool off, then off to work!

What are methods you use for a good night sleep? Tea? Pills? Exercise? Wine?

Muffins on Muffins

Muffins on Muffins is general “Prep” slang for Arguing over the same general principle, agreeing, and not realizing your both on the same side of the argument. It was created in early 2005, and spread wildly through the east coast of the United States. It was mostly used by people tripping on acid at Techno gigs, who were arguing over pseudo-politics. People who were also on “A” would call the two participating, “Arguing about Muffins on Muffins” -urbandictionary.com

What up, what up!

This morning I slept in again, but I did spend the weekend sleeping on an uncomfortable leather couch. It was like being in the frats all over again. I think I am just catching up on a lot of lost sleep. Listen to your body, folks!

For breakfast I got one of those Starbucks’ Vivanno Smoothies in Orange Mango. I think this is my favorite flavor there.

I went to another farmers market in town. It was a row of 5 tents. What? What? So, I left. I think I need to go on Saturday.

I went home and ate a mini bite of my ooey gooey brownies. Still ooey gooey, still awesome.

The brownie reminded me of my mad baking skillz (note the z) and I decided to bake again. It was a mix, but it was delicious. I decided to make muffins. These are not flavorful enough to eat on their own, but these pair well with jam and honey. I might add ham and cheese next time to make these savory! I think this mix would be great for some corn muffin experimentation. I also made sure to spray the muffin cups so that the muffins just rolled out.

For lunch I ate one corn muffin with Amish triple-berry jam and another with honey. I also cut up some fresh strawberries.

Lars and I are finishing up a documentary titled Inside Deep Throat. Yes, it is about a porn, but it is actually very interesting and funny. I always think it’s hilarious when the elderly talk about their days of sexual exploration. Then Lars and I plan on kicking the soccer ball around. I insist on playing 1 v 1, but he thinks it is unfair. I reminded him that I play his video games. So, I win. Then this evening, Lars and I have a double date with one of my new colleagues!

What if your favorite type of muffin? I love any muffins with cinnamon and fruit!