Post Party Bum

Last night I actually celebrated New Year’s. I usually sit at home with a couple of friends and watch Anderson Cooper. This year a bunch of my colleagues got together to welcome 2011. It was a fantastic evening and I am definitely feeling it today, along with a sore throat. UUUUGH…boo.

I wanted to bring food to the party and since I refused to leave the house until the party, I had to use the ingredients that I had. I found a box of cake mix. I got it on sale and I like to have it around for baking emergencies: laziness.

I made the peanut butter frosting, though! I found an easy recipe on about.com for vegan peanut butter frosting. I will admit this wasn’t vegan when I made it, because I didn’t have vegan butter. It was  a good recipe and I recommend it for vegans that can follow directions or for non-vegans that only have cow butter. The frosting was a little thick for devil’s food cupcakes, but they were delicious. YUM.

After I made cupcakes, I tried on my red party dress. It fit, but I felt HUGE in it. I was already getting  a cold, meaning I was already annoyed with life, and could not handle that the dress made me look bloated. Luckily, I had my green dress from H&M. I think the dress was a hit, but my pride took a major blow. I wish my body weight/shape was consistent, because I would spend less money on clothes. Wah, wah. Maybe it will work another day. I suck at maintaining body weight. It just goes all over the place.

I guess dress #2...

Today has been spent watching Jerseylicious and eating a lot of carbs to absorb the wine consumption of New Year’s festivities. I look forward to a body detox in the following days, but for now I need to  acknowledge that I need some post-drinking foods and rest. Plus, I have this sore throat. I have been gargling salt water every couple hours (a remedy Lars was taught by a Iranian friend). I pray for recovery, because I drive back home tomorrow to spend time with my brother before he returns to Air Force training. Well, back to bumming.

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.

Chained to the Oven

I woke up at 7AM hoping to work out. My throat was sore and my lower back was aching. The workout would have to wait! So, I went to my safe place: the kitchen. I made Lars and I Oven-Puffed Pancakes (kinda like Dutch Babies or German Pancakes) from Cooking Light. They didn’t turn out as puffy as planned, but they still rocked my pjs (which I am still wearing).

I slathered my pancake with strawberry jam. I also had apple slices, which ate I while baking. Only two survived for the picture.

Next was Operation Peanut Butter Cookie. We are meeting our friends in Bloomington, IL (because it is halfway between us) for dinner. Since they run a frugal living site (thriftshoppin.com), I thought I’d bring homemade dessert to them. I didn’t have to buy any ingredients. So frugal, right? Now I can afford wine at dinner. I asked what their favorite cookie was and they answered, “Peanut Butter!” I found a great recipe on a site I trust, Smitten Kitchen, for Peanut Butter Cookies. I picked these because they used both chocolate and peanut butter chips. This is the best peanut butter cookie I’ve had. Go me. Well, go Smitten Kitchen for rocking it out. I’ve been doing the “Surprise Me” search option on her site all day. There is some great stuff I’ll be trying soon.

Before I devoured it!

I am feeling much better, but I have to rush to get everything done. Lars and I are going to clean a bit, play some soccer, get ready, and hit the road. I’ll make sure to take a lot of foodie (and not so foodie) pictures.

Pasta by Lars

Lars made pasta for dinner and it was the best yet! I found chili pepper spaghetti from Target in his cabinet and demanded (nicely) we use it sometime during my visit.

Lars’s Extravaganza in my Mouth Pasta (modified from Mark Bittman’s How to Cook Everything)

• 1 package Chili Pepper Spaghetti (Archer Farms)
• 6 cloves of garlic, crushed and pulled apart
• 1/4 white onion, diced
• 3 medium slices of prosciutto, diced
• 1 can whole, peeled tomatoes
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• about 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1 1/2 tbsp dried oregano
• 1 1/2 tbsp dried basil
• salt and pepper (fresh ground) to taste

Directions

1. Pour olive oil in cast iron skillet or cast iron dutch oven on medium heat.
2. Sauté onion, garlic, and prosciutto in skillet until garlic is browned and onion is translucent (Lars had to cover the skillet with a lid for a few minutes to speed the process).
3. Bring approximately 2 quarts of water to a boil (let it come to a boil as you proceed with making the sauce)
4. Remove lid from can of tomatoes and gouge the tomatoes with a knife or crush them with your hands. Remove approximately 1/2 of a cup of the tomato juice from the can (unless you want your sauce more watery).
5. Pour tomatoes and juice into skillet with sautéed ingredients.
6. Raise heat to medium-high on the skillet until the mixture becomes more like a sauce. Bittman suggests 10 minutes, Lars’s usually takes closer to 15.
7. While the sauce heats, salt the boiling water and prepare in the pasta. Follow the directions on the package. Time everything so that the pasta is done before the sauce-  even if the sauce is a bit thicker than you would like it (see next step)
8. (KEY) As soon as the pasta is finished, get it into the sauce in the skillet or dutch even before it cools. You can strain most of the water and then add the pasta and the leftover water to the sauce, as Lars did, or you could probably transfer the pasta directly from the pot to the skillet using tongs. This is the point at which it would be an advantage to have used a skillet large enough to accommodate both the sauce and the pasta. Lars did not, but it still turned out great.
9. Serve with fresh Parmesan!

Now, the pasta did not necessarily have a distinct chili pepper taste (they did have a slight kick). Although, they were the best spaghetti noodles we have ever had. Thanks, Target. Keep on, keepin’ on.

While Lars cooked, I baked. I wasn’t as successful. Lars and I are meeting our friends halfway from both our locations tomorrow for dinner. I wanted to bake them something, but I’ll try again tomorrow.

In summary, I made two different cookies from Cooking Light:

Cookie 1: Peanut Butter-Chocolate Chip Brownies (pictured left). I recommend not making these. The end.

Cookie 2: Pecan Bar Cookies (pictured right). The recipe recommended baking in a cast iron skillet in the oven (to make bars), but I baked them as cookies at 350 for 8 minutes. These cookies were good. They tasted like autumn, pancakes, and homemade goodness. Lars ate a lot of them.

Time to watch Sunshine Cleaning with Lars. I have a busy day making peanut butter cookies (as they requested) tomorrow. I’m excited about our mini-food road trip later in the day, though. Pictures to come.

Ooey-Gooey Brownies

Hey party people!

It has been a great evening, and tonight will be fun too.

After our nap, Lars and I went shopping. I had an apple and Starbucks Via Iced. We went to Dick’s to buy some new soccer things, since I have to learn to play again for the upcoming high school Alumni soccer game.

I bought a new soccer ball and shorts. I’m like the new Mia Hamm.

Lars and I had Trader Joe’s Artichoke Ravioli with his world-famous marinara sauce and Caesar salad for dinner. I loved this ravioli!

I had dinner with a glass of Chuck’s Merlot.

But, the highlight of the night was when I made my first batch of brownies from scratch. I went to Cooking Light and found a recipe for Ooey-Gooey Peanut Butter-Chocolate Brownies. These were awesome! I’m so proud of myself. Lars and I had to have two! I recommend cooking them for only 18-20 minutes during the second baking. The full 30 minutes will surely make them bricks. These were also fun to make…you get messy! If you love chocolate and marshmallow, you’ll love these.

We are off to get drinks with friends! Have a great night.

What is the best brownie you’ve ever eaten?

Birthday, Part 2: Blast from the Past

Happy Birthday, me! Okay, it was June 11th. Although, if you remember…I was sick. Thus, I get a do-over. Right? Well, it is my birthday, so I’m the only one that gets to make that decision.

Today is a day packed of errands, reading, and baking. I am baking my own birthday cake, because I want to. And, this is the first cake I will bake…from scratch. I will take lots of pictures! For breakfast I had a quick PB&J; I am having an early lunch. I tore off the crusts, because it is a habit I have not been able to shake off from childhood. EVEN if I leave the crusts on other sandwiches. Weird. Nora from Live Life, Eat Right shared her habit this morning and asked others to share theirs. So, the PB&J was perfect because I had my answer within seconds! Oh, habits. I’m going to try to sneak in a workout before errands and lunch with my mother. I have to buy some cake pans!

Do you like giveaways? Well, check out the latest one on Simply Shaka! It is a prize with so many cool and different items. DO IT.

I’ll be back soon with cake pictures! Hopefully, I don’t have to check the “Kitchen Mishaps” category.

But wait: Did anyone watch Kathy Griffin last night? Well, she worked for a kiddie pageant as a judge. When talking about judging the baby round, she said it was like judging “meat loafs with bandannas.” I lost it. I guess you had to be there? Anyway, have a great day!

No Bluffin’ with these Muffins!

Hello friends.

I have been missing, I know. But, I am back and here to stay. I finally finished and sent my thesis revisions. I’m sure I’ll have to fix something else, but it feels good to have one obstacle out of the way. Lars’s birthday was yesterday and in this post (I’m going to do a couple of posts to make up for lost days), I will share this awesome recipe I found.

Lars had friends over for this birthday, so I decided to make some treats.

1. These don’t need no introduction: Flourless Peanut Butter Cookies. These were a big hit at the party.

2. After the last muffin incident, I thought I would try a new recipe. I made my own version of Cooking Light‘s Low-Fat Strawberry-Cinnamon Muffins. I followed the recipe exactly, but instead used Amish Triple Berry Jam. Thus, my version is called Low-Fat Triple Berry and Cinnamon Muffins of Awesomeness. This recipe was easy, and the muffins cooked perfectly…perfectly! The muffin itself had a light cinnamon taste, which paired well with the robust fruity flavor of the jam.  If you like jam, make these. Trust me. Further, the recipe recommend using foil cups for the muffins. AND, it also asked that you spray the inside of the cup. I never knew this trick, but it stopped the muffins from attaching themselves to the foil cup and thus breaking in half.

Here I am filling each cup with batter, jam, and then batter again.

YUM!

Rewarding Myself

Hello folks. Although I am still a bit cough-y, I decided to hit the gym. I did the elliptical for about 35 minutes. Embarrassingly, this is the first time I’ve worked out in a good while. Now that the thesis is done-ish and I have my life back, I can finally have “me” time for a decent workout.  It felt great! AND, I didn’t pass out!

When I got home I searched the fridge for some ice cream for my throat. I found one last Skinny Cow Ice Cream Sandwich (Peanut Butter and Chocolate). I am doing an excellent job of cleaning out the kitchen before my big move.

It was a refreshing end to a roller coaster of a day.  I also grabbed a Trader Joe’s Sparkling Water out of the fridge. I prefer this water over other brands that taste…artificial?

I will spend the rest of the night watching a four-hour Lifetime movie (Seven Deadly Sins) and packing for my KY/Indy vacation. Oh, this Lifetime movie is ridiculous a.k.a. awesome so far.

Side note. Thanks everyone for making my first week (and slightly more) so much fun in the blog world. I’m still getting the hang of food blogging, so thanks for your patience and insights.

boo.

I woke up today with a sore throat and a stuffy nose. What the heck? I’m assuming it is because I slept in a freezer last night. I was planning to work out, but I am going to wait until I get back to school. I am going to go running. Isn’t that very exciting? I’m not too excited. All my fellow bloggers are kicking running butt, so that is an inspiration!

I didn’t want to eat breakfast, at all. I ended up forcing myself to eat, because I knew I would just feel worse if I did not. I am so excited about going back to my apartment with my food.

I was able to find a wheat frozen waffle so I toasted that and covered it with peanut butter. I also found a V8 fusion, which was great because I did have a craving for juice. Also, one of my cookies from last night got onto my plate. I don’t know how that happened.

To keep this post exciting, I thought I would share some of my favorites. Today’a category is FOOD.

• Breakfast Food: Eggs Benedict. Whenever I travel somewhere, I have to try their Eggs Benedict. I am on a mission to find the best Eggs Benedict in the United States. Thus far, New Orleans is in the lead. I’m sure this egg-cellent journey of mine will pop up on my blog!
• Favorite Dessert: Derby Pie. Anyone from Kentucky? This pie is essentially pecan pie with chocolate and bourbon.
• Favorite Restaurant: Anything that is breakfast-oriented. Going out for breakfast is my favorite activity, especially after an “interesting” night.
• Favorite meal of Mom’s: (my father doesn’t cook) Chicken Fried Rice, bread sticks (see last post), and potato chip chicken.
• Favorite Beverage: Coffee, Wine, Latte.

My question for you: What is your favorite breakfast food?