return to regularly scheduled programming?

It's been a lonnng time. So sorry. I plan to make up for it with this picture-laden post.

Can I be honest with you though? (yes? thanks!) The weirdest thing has been going on with me. Lately I've felt sort of indifferent about food. There, I said it. SO weird.
I usually fall asleep thinking and planning what food to make next (sad? maybe), now I just fall asleep trying to plan Christmas presents.
I usually live to eat, but lately it's more like eat to live. Does that ever happen to you?

pumpkin streusel pancakes

 Actually, this is probably the first time it's happened to me. I still like food, and good food at that, but I haven't been making very much of it at home.  I'm also trying to eat well/not eat a lot of meat, so that narrows options when trying to select a restaurant to get takeout from, but I can't really place a finger on what I want to eat even then. I just shrug and let my husband decide and then eat what he gives me. That may be a very slight exxageration, but just a slight one.

smoky spinach and mushroom breakfast hash

I think it's a combination of previous overeating (think Thanksgiving, etc.), being very busy, and being uninspired. Sure, I've made things here and there, mostly sweets, but that's no surprise. We've had black bean burgers and butternut squash fries, lemon/parsley/olive quinoa cakes, and husb's favorite breakfast hash. I've made these amazing pumpkin streusel pancakes, some yeast-free cinnamon rolls, and rather failed at an eggnog breakfast cakes attempt. They weren't bad, just not eggnog-y enough. And a little dry. They looked good though! (see picture)

eggnog breakfast cakes

However, yesterday when I was making cookies for someone (these, one of my favorites), I got a twinge of that old excitement/sense of peace that I usually get when I bake. I actually started thinking about what I wanted to bake next. So maybe it's back.
 

 

In the meantime, Pinterest has been doing it's part in providing exciting/dangerous food pictures.

Let me try to entice us with a couple of them:
 

cookies and cream oreo fudge brownies...

And just so you don't go into sugar shock from all these sweets pictures, here's a picture of a savory (but still unhealthy) thing.
 

fontina mac and cheese with spinach and bacon!!!

Happy carbing!

smoky spinach and mushroom breakfast hash

I am the worst planner.

My husband's birthday was on Tuesday and I spent the last couple weeks planning on planning something really awesome for him. As it got closer to the date and I realized that I hadn't actually planned something but had only kept turning it over in my head, I vowed to get my act together. Then suddenly it was Sunday and I.had.nothing. I did have a really busy and stressful work week, so I could use that as an excuse, but not really, because there are people (my husband is one of them) who can plan amazing events and parties in the middle of their incredibly busy schedules. 

I doubled my research efforts and finally planned a mini getaway (mini like one night). I made the calls. I committed. One of my biggest problems with planning is my fear of committing to something because I think there might be something better out there that I'm missing. It's really weird.

Anyway, it all worked out. Fun was had by all. I'm glad I finally committed.

So why am I telling you all this?  It started because I was thinking about how out of it I must be to sit my butt down on exactly the wet part of the couch that I had just cleaned (oh, because I spilled my grapefruit cup on it) and then take a good 10 minutes to wonder why my pants are wet. It got me wondering how I got to be so mentally absent today. And I'm going to chalk it up to a combination of the work stress of last week and the planning stress that put me out of my comfort zone.

And while I say it put me out of my comfort zone, I'm really not complaining. I'd do it again in a second because it's totally worth it. It helps me grow and learn and be better. It makes loved ones happy. Nothing beats that.

Now. Speaking of loved ones being happy, I need to tell you about this breakfast hash. Few breakfasts make my husband happier. He says this should go on the menu if I were ever to open a café, and that makes me happy because it's possibly the highest compliment he gives.

This stuff has it all. Sweet crunch from the corn, deep earthy flavor from the mushrooms (and I don't even really like mushrooms, usually), saltiness and smokiness from the bacon and seasoning, spiciness from the jalapenos...it doesn't get much better.

Smoky Spinach and Mushroom Breakfast Hash
Serves 2

2-3 pieces of bacon, depending on its size
1 medium-large yukon gold potato, diced into small squares
1/4 cup onion, chopped
1 T. jalapeno, chopped
3 mushrooms, sliced
1/3 cup corn
2 cups spinach
South African Smoke seasoning blend or other spicy/smoky seasoning of your choice (I got the South African smoke from Trader Joes, it's just paprika flakes, sea salt, garlic and basil)
Kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper
2 eggs, cooked to preference

Cook bacon in skillet. Remove and drain on paper towels.
Add potatoes to skillet with some seasoning and some pepper. Cook for about 3-5 minutes on medium heat until starting to brown. Add onions and some salt. Cook for about a minute. Add jalapenos. Cook all for about 5 minutes.
(Meanwhile, start heating a separate pan for your eggs.)
Add mushrooms and more seasoning and cook and stir another minute or two.
(At this time, you may want to start cooking your eggs in that preheated pan.)
Add corn and a pat of butter or swirl of olive oil if your mixture is looking dry. Cook and stir for another 2-3 minutes if you're using frozen corn, or just a minute for fresh or canned corn. Add spinach and bacon. Toss a few times and remove from heat.

Spoon into bowls and top with eggs.

And now my skin is kind of burning from the chemicals in that couch cleaner. Just trying to keep you updated.

vegan week recap

Well, vegan week is over. I promise I meant to update sooner than this, but vegan week also turned out to be sick week and crazy work week. C'est la vie.

breakfast veggie hash

Let's get straight to it, shall we? I liked vegan week. Really liked it. I didn't miss meat at all, and I barely missed cheese and milk, thanks to the presence of the So Delicious coconut milk in my fridge, as well as the Earth Balance vanilla soymilk that made morning lattes a pleasure to drink. But wait, it's not like I normally hate drinking them. But nevermind.

vegan carrot cherry breakfast cookies

I actually didn't get around to making all the recipes I picked out, due to the aforementioned sick/work thing, so that was a little disappointing. I still want to try them. The one thing about eating this way is that it takes a bit of effort. It's not as easy to just heat something up or order something when you're trying to eat a fresh, plant-based diet.

carrot cake oatmeal

It feels really great though. It feels like you're doing yourself a favor. It's something I want to keep in mind from here on out. I'm not going to be a vegan or even a vegetarian, but I think I'll cut a lot of meat and some dairy from my diet, simply because I don't feel like I need them as much as I thought I would. Especially meat. (Bacon isn't meat, right?) Cheese may be another story.

vegetarian burrito bowl

Recap of the week's eats:
Some breakfasts:  Carrot Cake oatmeal, veggie hash, vegan carrot cherry cookies
Some dinners: Quinoa and black bean burgers and butternut squash fries with chipotle BBQ sauce, homemade vegetarian chipotle-style burrito bowls, spicy sweet potato and coconut soup with detox salad, colorful quinoa salad

detox salad

Favorites:
-The carrot cake oatmeal, which I made twice.
-The butternut squash fries with the chipotle BBQ sauce, which I didn't get a picture of because they were devoured in about 3 minutes flat.
-The sweet potato soup
-The quinoa salad, cause it was so easy and delicious.

-Husband's fave was the burrito bowl, which I put too many onions in for my taste, so my perception of it was skewed. I would make them again, with less onions.

 colorful quinoa salad

spicy sweet potato and coconut soup

pumpkin scones

My pumpkin was blurry. I bought it that way.

Apparently Starbucks sells pumpkin scones.

I wouldn't know.

I either ignore the display case (except when I need the very berry coffeecake), or I eye it up and down with cool disregard (except when I need the petite salted caramel square). 

You can't tempt me, gooey apple fritter. Keep wishing, old-fashioned donut. I'll spend 500 calories elsewhere, perhaps on something that I won't inhale in under 3 minutes.

But then I made these pumpkin scones, allegedly a la Starbucks. And then I think I ate 3 of them the first day. They are so light and fluffy and not dense that I really don't think it counts. Psh. And stuff you make at home is way better for you, obviously.

These scones have just the right amount of spice, and with the hint of pumpkin and the added sweetness of the icings, well, they're irresistible. Not unlike potato chips, or peanut butter m&ms.

 

P.S. I made my own pumpkin puree (using steaming instructions from here), which was kind of fun, and then I roasted the seeds, which was also fun and made me feel resourceful and old-fashioned. My pumpkin puree was enough for two batches of these scones (I made another batch a couple days later but don't worry, I gave some away), and some pumpkin white chocolate chip cookies, which are waiting to be baked as we speak, and if they are delicious, I will surely let you know!

 

I used this recipe from Moms Who Think (without any modifications), but I will copy it for you here:

Starbucks Pumpkin Scones

Makes 6 scones

 

Scones:

2 cups all-purpose flour
7 Tablespoons sugar
1 Tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
6 Tablespoons cold butter
1/2 cup canned pumpkin
3 Tablespoons half-and-half
1 large egg

Sugar Glaze:
1 cup powdered sugar

1 Tablespoon powdered sugar
2 Tablespoons whole milk

Spice Glaze:

1 cup powdered sugar
3 Tablespoons powdered sugar
2 Tablespoons whole milk
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 pinch ginger
1 pinch ground cloves

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.

2. Lightly grease a cookie sheet or line with parchment paper.

3. Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and spices in a large mixing bowl.

4. With a fork, pastry knife, or food processor, cut butter into the dry ingredients until mixture is crumbly and no chunks of butter remain. Set aside.

5. In a separate mixing bowl, whisk pumpkin, half and half, and egg.

6. Fold wet ingredients into dry ingredients. Form the dough into a ball.

7. Pat out dough onto a lightly floured surface and form it into a 1-inch thick rectangle (about 9 inches long and 3 inches wide).

8. Use a large knife to slice the dough into three equal portions. Cut diagonally to produce 6 triangular slices of dough.

9. Place on prepared baking sheet from step 2.

10. Bake for 14–16 minutes until scones turn light brown.

11. Place on wire rack to cool.

strawberry-banana bread

When life gives you rotten fruit...

make bread.

I don't know who first thought to combine strawberry and banana. Was it Jamba Juice? Starburst? A caveman sitting in his cave with a strawberry in one hand and a banana in the other who suddenly decided to shove them both into his mouth at once? (Which, if you think about it, doesn't even sound like the most pleasing combination.)

Whatever. It's a genius pairing, that's really all we need to know.

This is tasty business. Have it with coffee. Have it warm with butter. Have it with another banana if you like.

Strawberry-Banana Bread

Adapted from You made that?

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 cup rolled oats

1 cup sugar

1 1/2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. cinnamon

1/4 tsp. allspice

1/3 cup buttermilk

1/2 cup melted butter (I browned mine), cooled (If you brown the butter, remove it from the saucepan to a separate bowl to let it cool)

2 eggs

1 1/2 tsp. vanilla

1- 1 1/2 cups chopped strawberries

1 cup mashed bananas (about 2 bananas)

Preheat oven to 325. Grease a loaf pan.

Whisk together all dry ingredients in a large bowl. Set aside.

In a small bowl, whisk the eggs, buttermilk and cooled butter together. Whisk in the mashed bananas. Pour the mixture into the dry ingredient mixture. Gently stir or fold until incorporated. Fold in the strawberries. Pour into the prepared pan and bake at 325 for about 1 hour, or until inserted toothpick comes out clean.

a week in food

Breakfast: Open-faced egg, bacon, and blue cheese sandwich. Topped with tomatoes and green onions.

 Lunch: This amazing Fried egg and Avocado sandwich. In case you were wondering about the apparent lack of variety in my meals(I would be), I should note that this lunch did not happen on the same day as the breakfast above.

 

  

Dinner: veggie kabobs, roasted corn couscous, leftover chicken and tzatziki from this recipe (which I HIGHLY recommend making...which I don't have any pictures because...well, you know. Cameras are often the last thing on my mind when I set a plate of food down in front of myself.)

Dessert: Carrot-Coconut Cupcakes with Brown Butter Frosting

Breakfast/All day long: Strawberry-Banana Bread (recipe coming soon!)

Snack: The only most sensational S'mores cupcake that I have ever eaten. Like spectacular. From Sugar Fixe Patisserie.

Dinner x 2: Buffalo Chicken Tacos (this dinner was a double dip dinner...it was that good.)

mixed berry baked french toast

Jetlag is good for some things.

It's good for inappropriately long naps at weird times.

It's a good excuse for being useless at work.

It's good for eating 6 meals in a day because your flight started at 11am in Paris and you got fed meals on the flight but then you arrived in Chicago at 1pm and you still had to eat lunch again and dinner too.

It's good for making someone who normally cringes at the thought of any hour before 9am into a perky morning person who gets up and takes long walks and plants flowers and makes beautiful breakfasts...all before 9am.

I don't really ever make breakfast except for on weekends and holidays. I always vow to be cute and wifely and get up early enough to prepare an enticing breakfast for my husband before he goes to work. Then I sleep instead.

But this is the second weekday in a row of inspired early morning breakfast-making. And this particular one turned out decadently delicious.

So in other words, jetlag is good for my husband.

We'll see how long this lasts.

Baked Berry French Toast

Serves 3-4

1/2 loaf of day-old french bread/baguette, sliced into 1-inch slices (I used 8 slices)

Berry mixture

1 cup mixed berries (I used fresh strawberries, blueberries and raspberries)

zest from one lemon

1/2 T. sugar

1 T. A/P flour

Egg mixture

3 eggs

1/2 cup milk

1/4 cup heavy whipping cream

1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

1/2 tsp. almond extract

2 T. sugar

1/2 tsp. cinnamon

Streusel mixture

4 T. butter

1/4 cup chopped pecans

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 tsp. cinnamon

Toppings

Additional fresh berries

Homemade whipping cream, if desired (I whipped about 1/2 cup of heavy whipping cream with about a tablespoon of confectioner's sugar and 1/2 tsp of vanilla. Delish.)

Maple syrup

Butter an 8x8-inch glass pan. Place bread slices in two rows in the pan, slightly overlapping each slice. (This makes the part of the bread that is sticking up get caramel-y and crusty so all your bread isn't soggy.)

Combine the ingredients for the berry mixture in a bowl. Spoon this over the bread in the pan.

Combine the egg mixture ingredients in a medium bowl. Pour this evenly over the bread and berries, covering all the bread as much as possible.

Cover with foil and place in the fridge for 30 minutes to an hour (depending on how much time you have/your hunger level).

Preheat oven to 350. Combine streusel ingredients in a small bowl. Remove the bread from the fridge and spoon the streusel over the bread/berries, making it as evenly distributed as possible. You may try to spread it a bit if you like.

Cover with foil and bake at 350 for 30-35 minutes, until the mixture on the bottom is good and bubbly. I removed the foil for the last 10-15 minutes of baking to try to get a nice crustiness on top.

Top with desired toppings.

Die and go to heaven.