Chocolate Chip Cookies...and they're Vegan!

Ever get a craving for something and you just don't quite know how it's going to happen?  Well, since we've been seriously cutting back on dairy and eggs as we inch ever further into our veggie lifestyle, I thought that finding a cookie recipe that would make a craving like that disappear was a thing of the past.  I thought I'd just have to settle for whatever was out there and hope for the best.  These cookies gave me hope that there will be deliciousness over here on the "V" side of life.

[caption id="attachment_934" align="aligncenter" width="819"] Chocolate Chip Cookies...can you even tell they're vegan? Nope!![/caption]

I found the recipe at Happy Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies and I did make a few adaptations after reading the comments...

Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients:

• 1 c whole wheat flour


• 1 c all purpose, unbleached flour


• 1/2 t salt


• 1 c organic sugar


• 1/2 c canola oil


• 1 t vanilla


• 1/4 c water


• 1/2 c chopped dark chocolate (not vegan but it was all I had in the house at the time)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350


2. Mix all dry ingredients except chocolate.


3. Add wet ingredients to dry and mix.  Add chocolate and incorporate well.  Batter will be stiff.


4. Drop batter by teaspoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheets.  Flatten slightly as batter will not spread much.


5. Bake in preheated oven for about 10 minutes.  Check after 8 minutes and remove when edges are slightly browned.


6. Let cool for a minute or two on the cookie sheet before transferring them to a cooling rack because otherwise they are a bit crumbly when hot.

And watch out, cookie thieves.  Sometimes people are photographing as you're trying to swipe the cookies in between shots and you might just get caught.

Enjoy,

Sheri

Peanut Butter Multigrain Granola

Granola is a staple in our house.  We eat it plain, as cereal, as an ice cream topping.  You name it, we've tried it.  But, for some reason I've never made it.  We buy it in bulk usually, occasionally getting a bag of it here and there from Nuts About Granola but we go through so much of it that it is an expensive staple.  I decided to change that.  I made up my mind that I was going to make it and that was just that.

[caption id="attachment_928" align="aligncenter" width="819"] One of my favorite breakfasts...a cut up banana, some granola sprinkled over it and topped with some homemade almond milk. Great start to a day![/caption]

Wow.  I can't believe I have BOUGHT something for so long that literally took about 15 minutes start to finish and is so completely awesome tasting.

I went to a few blogs and recipe sites, trying to find at least a framework for what I was thinking of and settled on this recipe for Peanut Butter Granola from Hillbilly Housewife. I made a few of my own tweaks and added in some extras to make it what I was looking for, but it was a great start.

[caption id="attachment_929" align="aligncenter" width="819"] My delicious Peanut Butter Granola. Okay, so I'll share but it might take some convincing![/caption]

Peanut Butter Granola

adapted from Hillbilly Housewife

Ingredients:

• 2 T sesame oil (or any lightly flavored oil)


• 1/3 c crunchy organic peanut butter


• 1/3 c honey


• 1/2 t vanilla


• 1/4 t salt


• 2 3/4 c rolled oats


• 2 T quinoa, toasted


• 2 T flax seeds


• 2 T chia seeds


• 2 T sesame seeds

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375.


2. Over low heat, mix peanut butter, honey and oil until well blended.


3. Mix all remaining ingredients except vanilla,  in a separate bowl.


4. Add vanilla just before mixing the peanut butter mixture into dry ingredients.


5. Mix ingredients until all dry is incorporated.  If mixture is too wet, add a T at a time of rolled oats.  This will depend on how many additional seeds and nuts you add.


6. Turn mixture out onto an ungreased cookie sheet and cook for about 7 minutes.


7. Remove pan, turn mixture over a bit and then put back in oven for about 5 minutes.


8. Let granola cool in pan, and then remove to an airtight, dry container.  I used a recycled 32 oz yogurt container and it was the perfect size.

Notes:  Any combination of seeds, grains and oats will do.  It should be about 3 cups of dry ingredients to set properly.

Enjoy!

Sheri

Who Wants Cupcakes???

Of course you do!  I love cupcakes.  They are a perfect treat.  Whenever I have a craving for cake (which happens more frequently than I'd like admit!)  I usually make cucpakes.  I think it's the portion control aspect of it that draws me in, but who has ONE cupcake?  I mean, that's lunacy.  I try to at least limit my icing intake and call it a day.

So, I made some cupcakes.  Not just any cupcakes but Black Magic Cupcakes with a Peanut Butter fudgy icing...yum.  And that's all I'm saying.  I used the same recipe as I did in the original post but put in cupcake form.



There's nothing more to say...that picture really does it for me.  I mean, you are craving a cupcake right now.   Aren't you?  Come on.  Admit it.  I won't tell anyone.  :)

I also have to share what my wonderful hubby had me sent for our anniversary...



I was so surprised.  He is a great guy.  Getting those flowers just made my day!  Every time I walk by them, I smile.  Flowers do that.  I know, I know...cut flowers are the epitome of waste but I don't care at all because these flowers are special to me.  I'm such a romantic.

Now, to balance all the mushy sweetness of flowers and cupcakes, I have a very healthy dinner to share!!



One of our favorite meals used to be buttered egg noodles tossed with fried cabbage and studded with kielbasa medallions.  That just won't cut it anymore.  Too unhealthy!  So, I decided to give it a facelift and created this beautiful dish for dinner...

It's more guideline than recipe.  Toss some veggies in olive oil and cook down until they're soft and then add the cabbage because it won't take long to cook.  Once all of that is cooked, toss in cooked egg noodles and serve.  I left the butter out and replaced it with the olive oil and instead of just cabbage, I added some sliced yellow beets, mushrooms, onions, and carrots.  Best part of it?  Everything except the egg noodles came from either our garden or a local farm!  I swear, it was a fabulous dinner.  Everything married perfectly together and it was worth a second bowl.

Happy Wednesday everyone!

Enjoy,

Sheri

Eighteen years...and Still Looking Forward to Every Day!

Today is my hubby and I's 18th anniversary.  It seems like yesterday that we said those "I-do's" and walked into our new life together.  I won't say that it was always easy but I do know that every struggle, obstacle or challenge we faced only cemented us closer together.  We've never been willing to give up, and I think that's the key.  There are times when you look around and feel so lost and things look hopeless and it is so tempting to walk away...but then you miss the best part.  God has done amazing things out of the chaos that we've had in our lives and I know I am blessed to share my life with this amazing man.  We are better together than apart and that's the whole story right there.

Just as our marriage has changed and evolved, so has our household.  The life we're living now that is so steeped in making things from scratch, living a bit more frugally, and even the fitness and almost vegan diet would have been laughable things if you'd told me that 18 years ago!  Our diet consisted of packaged foods like Hamburger Helper, hot dogs, boxed macaroni and cheese.  Blech.  When he went back to school we thought we had to exist on those types of foods to save costs.  I remember our weekly groceries costing $50 and being nothing but those boxes and hot dogs and cheap ground meat.  Now, I know with $50 I can do so many more things but it took a long time to get there!!

It has been a journey - food and fitness.  When the hubby and the boy started mountain biking seven years ago, I was completely not on board.  I was shocked at the cost of the bikes, and once he took me out there with him on a cheap bike I had but never used and I cried.  Seriously.  I cried.  It would take two more years before I would get on a mountain bike and eventually get one of my own.  I will say that I am still not an accomplished mountain biker and I'd prefer to bike just about anywhere else but that's the thing...I bike.  At that time, I wasn't biking, wasn't running, wasn't doing anything really.  He started on his path to fitness before me and I was resistant.  I didn't want to move out of my comfort zone but once I did?  It was like the floodgates opened!  I started running, biking, walking and hiking so much and loving it!  And along the way our diet started changing little by little to a more and more healthy one.  I went vegetarian for about three years, only giving it up when I thought it was hurting my endurance while running and biking.  I know now that it was the types of foods I was choosing and I'm being much smarter this time around.

Watching movies like Forks Over Knives has shown us the benefits of a plant based diet and we're working on making small changes to limit our dairy and egg intakes as well as eating no meat.  It's a change but we're working together on making it and it's actually fun to find new favorite foods!  I made wild rice burgers for dinner the other night and they were pretty awesome tasting.  That recipe has made the short list.  (And I'll share!)

All in all, I guess what I'm trying to say is that life doesn't have to be one way or another.  It's constantly evolving and changing and our marriage has been lucky enough to be one that can roll with those changes and come up stronger.  I am looking forward to whatever lies ahead for us and I'm so glad I'll be sharing my life with him.

Wild Rice Burger recipe

Makes 8 burgers

Ingredients:

• 2 eggs, beaten (I know this is not vegan, but I think with some tweaking ground flax seeds would be a great complement in their place)


• 2 c cooked wild rice mixture


• 3/4 c bread crumbs, more if mixture is too wet


• 2 tsp seasoned salt mixture


• 1/4 c nutritional yeast

Directions:

1. Preheat skillet to medium high and coat surface with cooking spray or oil for more of a crust on the burger.


2. Mix all ingredients together and form into patties.


3. Place patties in heated skillet and cook for about 3-5 minutes on each side.


4. Serve on a bun with whatever toppings you life.  I love tomato and avocado and it paired perfectly!

 

My Week in Dinner

We've had a delicious week of dinner around here...I was going to go on and on about them and then just thought it would be more fun to show you...

[caption id="attachment_906" align="aligncenter" width="640"] Spaghetti Squash tossed with veggies and feta cheese...yum![/caption]

[caption id="attachment_908" align="aligncenter" width="640"] Fried zucchini and tomato sandwich with horseradish sauce. Wow...[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_907" align="aligncenter" width="640"] I LOVED my fried zucchini! And this was a new multigrain bread I've been working on and it was absolutely perfect![/caption]

[caption id="attachment_909" align="aligncenter" width="640"] You can't go wrong with Pineapple and Tofu fried rice. It really is one of my favorite, favorite meals! And I used wild rice for a change of pace...![/caption]

So, are you hungry for dinner yet?  It has been a great week with NO leftovers.  Yup, we've finished everything every evening.  Either we're hungrier or the food is just that tasty.  I'd like to think it's the latter...  But, being outside running and biking in this heat we're having tends to make you hungry too so I'm trying to make sure I feed my body well.

Here's to great dinners that are as healthy as they are tasty!

Enjoy,

Sheri

Blueberry Topped Buckwheat Pancakes

Growing up, we had all sorts of interesting combinations of foods.  It's funny in retrospect because some of the things I hated at the time, I have looked back on fondly and even have recreated in my adulthood.  It's interesting how life can be like that.  One thing that I didn't mind at all growing up was buckwheat pancakes.  I loved them and they always were served with blueberries.  I still remember the first - and, previous to this meal, last - time I made them for my husband.  He was not impressed at all, and I quickly threw away any ideas of serving those at my own home.  Fast forward eighteen years and this was our breakfast recently...beautiful buckwheat pancakes with homemade blueberry sauce.



And he loved them.  He has made such great changes in his diet over these years that it is a joy to cook for him, to try new things and to share the good and bad recipes with someone who appreciates the effort as much as the result.

This recipe was interesting because in my own true fashion, I tweaked a recipe I'd never made.  It's just more fun that way!!!  I mean, what do you have to lose??

My recipe was...

Ingredients

• 1 cup plain yogurt


• 3 egg whites (supposed to be 1 large egg but I had these leftover from making ice cream and thought it would be a shame to waste them just sitting there...)


• 3 T melted butter


• 1 c buckwheat flour


• 4 T ground walnuts


• 1 T sugar


• 1/2 t salt


• 1/3 t baking soda

Directions

1. Mix yogurt, egg and melted butter.


2. In separate container, mix remaining ingredients together.


3. Combine wet and dry until mixed, but not overworked.


4. Let sit for a few minutes.  If batter is too thick, milk can be added to thin it.


5. Cook on hot griddle until edges are dry and surface bubbles.  Flip and cook other side.

Blueberry sauce:

Mix 1/2 c blueberries, 2 T water and 3 T sugar in medium saucepan and gently bring to a low boil.  Watch carefully and let it cook until blueberries are softened.  Remove from heat and let sit to cool.  It will be thin but if you want  a thicker sauce, more sugar can be added.

Pancakes are second in line as favorites in this house after waffles.  There are endless combinations of ingredients, but we love whole grains, nuts and all kinds of heart healthy mixes.  I love that pancakes are versatile enough to incorporate fruits and nuts and still have some of the heaviness that the grains provide.  Well, not that buckwheat is a grain, but still...

Anyway, it only took 18 year but my childhood favorite is back on the menu!  :)

Enjoy,

Sheri

Weekends are Made for Running

Sometimes it's figuratively running, sometimes it's just plain old literal running.  This weekend was a lot of both.

The hubby and I started our weekend off with a half marathon road race close to our house.  For some reason, we've done more long trail races than road, so this was his first road half marathon and my second so we figured on decent times for both of us.  The weather was perfect and we had a good run.  I set a new personal record with 2:17 but was a little disappointed that I didn't come in under 2:10.  Oh well.  They'll always be another race.  We enjoyed it, supported a good cause and ran a nice course.



The rest of our day was spent working around the house, running errands, heading here and there and even included a stop at a small airshow a few miles away.  Finally, we headed home and I made some yummy chocolate ice cream...recipe was exactly as in the link I gave.  Not one modification and it is delicious!  I had to get over myself and my aversion to raw things since it includes raw eggs, but it's fantastic enough that I've been able to fool myself into going along with it. And, yes, I know that the picture above is NOT chocolate ice cream...I will give you that picture soon enough.  See?



No, the first ice cream picture is the mysterious cheesecake ice cream I alluded to at the end of last week.  I was sad when we no longer had any of that in the freezer.  But there is a recipe and I will make more.  That is for sure.  It's just Father's day weekend and the hubby complained that I've not made chocolate ice cream in awhile so I did it for him.  I'll have my cheesecake another day...

If you want this deliciousness for your own, here's my recipe..

Ingredients

• 6 oz softened lowfat cream cheese (regular would work too, I just had lowfat in the house)


• 2 c milk - any kind really.  Obviously whole would be creamier, but it's personal preference I think.


• 3/4 c cream


• 2 t vanilla extract


• 1/3 c brown sugar

Directions

1. Blend all of the ingredients on low in a blender.  I used our Vitamix and have to always be careful not to overmix the cream because it hardens up quick in there!


2. Pour blended mixture into ice cream maker

This was the most delicious ice cream it doesn't need a topping, but strawberries were a great choice because strawberry cheesecake is always delicious!  This ice cream has an almost caramel taste from the brown sugar and it is heavenly.  I really, really liked it.  Can you tell??

Before I get completely sidetracked with ice cream...which happens because I. LOVE. ICE. CREAM.  I have to thank Leslie on my Facebook page for commenting about using roasted beets in a salad with blue cheese and walnuts because I took her advice and ran with it...



Yep, that is a roasted beet, walnut and blue cheese salad on naan bread, and broiled to perfection.  I mean, this is awesome.  Loved it!!  My readers are pretty awesome too for these kinds of suggestions!  Naan bread is so tasty when it gets crispy and the bite of the blue cheese against the sweetness of the beets and creaminess of the toasted walnuts????  It will be made again.  For sure.

So, this morning we went out to a bike crit.  (I didn't know what it was either, but here's a wikipedia link to clue you in.)  anyway, a few friends were racing in this crit and we've never been to one so we headed out bright and early.  I was able to practice taking action shots - I've been branching out a bit from the inanimate food to try out some action.  Still using a stock lens so nothing spectacular but I'm enjoying it.  Anyway, it was interesting seeing how much change happens in such a short lap (.8 mile!) and how close those cyclists really are to each other.  Insanity.  True insanity!

After watching them compete, we headed back to the restaurant by the river, John Wright for a Father's Day brunch.  Place was packed but the food was awesome!!  Then it was home for more catching up and a trip to the dog park for the puppy...while daddy got some much deserved rest. He's not always a patient doggy when people in the house want rest so a trip out and about was just what they both needed!



So, our weekend of running has come to an end...but it was a blast!!  I hope your weekend was great whatever you did!

Enjoy,

Sheri

It's Friday! What a week!

I have been so busy this week that I have not made it to my blog to actually post since Tuesday.  I am a bad blogger.  I'm sorry.  I do expect more from myself but there is only so much me to go around sometimes and I have to choose.  This week has been a blast...we've been busy but it's been a good kind of busy and we've gotten so much accomplished that it's all worth it in the end.  Or at least that's what I tell myself.

I made some pretty tasty food this week too.  I was going to wait to tell you because I have not gotten around to uploading photos of it and posted a recipe but I made what may be the most delicious ice cream I've ever tasted.  Really.  I mean it.  At least it's the most delicious to date.  It's a cheesecake ice cream that tastes like it has some kind of browned butter caramel thing going on.  I took a bite of it, and was instantly in love.  I did manage to control myself enough for a picture and had enough wits about me to remember ingredients to tell all of you but that was it.  It was full on ice cream time after that!

I've been having some fun times with the daycare kids this week.  Our summer is going so well and we're just enjoying all the special themed days.  This week we had a teddy bear picnic, ocean themed water play, a trip to the park and library where we met up with one of our favorite friends, Leah, and a trip to Miss Karen's daycare.  It has just been so much fun!  I love the freedom that summer seems to bring to our daily schedule.  It's a break for the kids and me!

Our kitchen has been hopping too!  I love that we spend so much time there and that food is such a central part of our lives.  Thinking up new recipes and trying them out together is something that the hubby and I both enjoy.  We love thinking outside the box but staying close to what we know and love as well.



This was one of dinners this week that I was completely so glad I made.  I was worried it would be too warm out when I decided to make this dish but then we had a cool rainy night and I knew it was the right night for this!  It was super simple and just uses root veggies roasted ahead of time tossed into some fried potato and sweet potato chunks with some kale added in for the last five minutes or so.  It was very satisfying and I was glad there was leftovers because it became my lunch the next two days.   This dish reminded me so much of my grandmas - both of them - because so many of the elements of their lives that I was a part of are reflected.  I have been so blessed in my life to have such strong women as examples to follow and I am thankful that my husband is the man that he is and appreciates those qualities.  :)



My daycare kids love cooking with me and they are a lot of fun in the kitchen.  Sometimes a little too much craziness fun but that's okay.  I want them to have an appreciation for making the foods that they eat and that's where it starts.  Case in point, these little nuggets of granola cookies we made this week.  They were delicious and the kids had a blast making them! I was glad to be using up some granola that had gone a bit "soft" and wasn't as tasty in my almond milk in the morning.  I hate wasting things so anytime I can reuse or recycle in some way, I'm much happier.

I found a recipe on Brown Eyed Baker for these Granola Cookies (seriously, is there anything that she doesn't have on that page?!?) and made a few tweaks to suit our needs.

First of all, our granola had nuts in it so I took out the added nuts.  I didn't have wheat germ so I substituted a bit of extra whole wheat flour that I milled so I figured had a bit more germ in it already.  I only used the brown sugar and didn't replace the granulated, I just took it out.  Other than that, it was her recipe that is in the link above.  It was a tasty little cookie!  We rolled ours into balls because that was just fun and they cooked perfectly.  I had a few just to try them out...yep, that's why.  But the kids had seconds, and then thirds after lunch and I think these are going on the "gotta make again" list.  Maybe I won't even wait for stale granola.

Now, the weekends here and there's more running to do.  Literally.  The hubby and are running a half marathon tomorrow in our hometown.  It's his first road half marathon and I haven't done a road one since my very first race almost 4 years ago.  It should be a fun opener to our Saturday.  I'm looking forward to just getting out there and enjoying the run!

Enjoy your weekend!

Sheri

A Very Veggie Weekend of Fun!

Yes, it is now Tuesday and, yes, I am just now posting.  It's been a few days and I hope you all forgive me.  Weekends around here seem to blur by and by the time I realize it, we're halfway through the week!

So, here's our weekend in review...

First of all, we did no running and no biking.  Who are we???  What we did do was spend our last weekend alone together picking out plants to add to the garden, working on the house and sightseeing.  I'm not sure if sightseeing is the correct term when you've visited a place as many times as we've been to Gettysburg, but we felt like tourists!

We decided that Friday night's dinner would be our only meal out this weekend because why wreck perfection?  That in mind, we made sure meals and snacks were planned so we weren't caught out and about and tempted to go back on our promise.  And it worked.  The rest of our weekend was "homemade served here!"

[caption id="attachment_878" align="aligncenter" width="640" caption="Veggie Panini and Strawberry Pecan Studded Salad"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_879" align="aligncenter" width="640" caption="Veggie Panini close up!"][/caption]

After working outside all morning and afternoon, this sandwich/salad combo sure was a great way to wrap up the evening!  Not to mention a fantastic use of the last picking of this season's strawberries.  I will be sad to see only frozen strawberries from here on out until next year.

Dinner on the deck was a treat too!  Lentil burgers with quinoa and corn pasta made into macaroni salad! I had my first taste of a homemade sangria and of course we had to add strawberries to the table!!  Another big first, I made the mayo for the macaroni salad!!  It certainly was easy and the next time I need mayo, I will know how.  It doesn't happen often but it's good to have that tidbit saved up!

[caption id="attachment_883" align="aligncenter" width="640" caption="Eating outside is the best!!"][/caption]

Sunday morning came and we had planned a long run, we were just trying to decide between roads and trails when hubby had the brilliant idea of heading to Gettysburg for the day and walking all of the places we usually drive.  It was a hot morning and we were careful to pack snacks and water.  What a great time!!  Seeing all of the monuments we usually drive by up close and spending time in the fields on the little side trails was amazing.  There is something different about stepping foot in the same fields and paths as so many young men who fought and died in that same place than sightseeing by car and hopping out occasionally.  We saw a lot of bikes out too and next time we will definitely be packing the road bikes over to do some riding around.  We got to see re-enactors and encampments as well, which always is a fun addition to the trip!  One year were there for the actual battle anniversary and saw cannons being fired!

[caption id="attachment_882" align="aligncenter" width="640" caption="Firing guns!"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_881" align="aligncenter" width="640" caption="It would be a hot day for camping!"][/caption]

A pretty darn good weekend!  The boy is home now from his grandparents and we're back to being mom and dad but we had a great week as empty-nesters!  I've been busy prepping for the boy's senior year and getting all of our curriculum planned.  I can't believe this is my last year as a homeschool mom.  Sigh.  It's bittersweet.  But I won't miss the planning!

I hope you all had a spectacular weekend whatever you were doing too!  This weekend is our next half-marathon and here's hoping for some good weather.  I ran last night in the heat for nine miles and was a little scared by how badly my body handled the heat and humidity.  I finished it but I was a mess.

Time to go do some cleaning...have a wonderful afternoon!

Enjoy,

Sheri

It's Official. I am one lucky girl!

 

I haven't had to cook dinner two nights in a row and it has been a delicious escape!

In September, I will head to Ocean City, Maryland for Winefest for a girl's weekend with friends for what will be our third year.  Our group has grown each year and has not been the same group yet!

[caption id="attachment_871" align="aligncenter" width="491" caption="Winefest 2011"][/caption]

This year, we couldn't wait until September and decided to a do a mid-year Girl's Night Out.  It was a blast and we were having so much fun that the adjoining tables either wish they'd come on another evening or just wished they could join us!  And the food...oh my goodness.  Delicious!!!

[caption id="attachment_872" align="aligncenter" width="640" caption="Goat Cheese and Marscapone Ravioli with Roasted Vegetable Sauce"][/caption]

It was a great night of conversation, laughs and perfect food!  I shared a creme brulee with my friend, Lisa and I am sorry to say I didn't get a picture of it.  But it was the best way to cap off a great meal!!

So, tonight, the hubby and I decided to head back out to a restaurant we'd run some trails near earlier this week.  Their menu had looked so delicious but I was covered in sweat and wasn't looking to go eat dinner just then.  It's a place I've been wanting to try for forever and I'm so glad we made the trip.

My meal started off with Fried Green Tomatoes with a Buttermilk and Peppercorn Aioli.  Wow!  I was expecting the kind of fried tomatoes my grandmother used to make and I was in for a surprise.  A good one...but still a surprise!



I tried my best not to just pick them up and dive in because I wanted to make it last as long as possible.  It was too delicious to just shove them in my mouth like I wanted to!  And the aioli was just right.  At first, I thought it was a little peppery but it mellowed out and blended just right on the tomatoes.

Next up was my dinner salad. This was THE dish that had made me want to come to John Wright Restaurant in the first place.  Roasted Beet and Baked Goat Cheese on a bed of greens with red onions (which I forgot to ask be kept off, oops) and a balsamic vinaigrette.

This dish did not disappoint at all.  Oh. my. gosh.  I was in love with this salad.  The goat cheese was completely amazing and paired with the beets?!?  Words just can't do it justice.  I would eat this every night if it was possible.  I am a cheese fanatic and I love goat cheese especially, so for me, it doesn't get much better than this.

Oh, and while I'm mentioning it not getting better...this was the view we had while downing all this delicious food...Really.  It was the best date night.  Awesome food with my wonderful hubby and a great view.  See, I am one lucky girl.

Now, I have to see what I can do about not making dinner tomorrow night and keep this streak on a roll.  But then, I guess, homemade served here isn't the right blog name for this post though.  Hmmm.   I guess it's back to the kitchen for me.  Maybe.

Enjoy,

Sheri

 

Is it Friday yet???

Some weeks just go on forever...or at least it seems that way.  This week started off like it was going to be a perfect summer start.  The kids were in great moods, we were getting out and biking or running daily and we had the pseudo empty nest while the boy is visiting his grandparents.  I can't put my finger on where it all went wrong, but I think it's the daycare kids just getting a tad bit out of control.  My kiddos are creatures of habit and two days of busy summer play was great but movie day in the middle of the week put them over the edge.  I hope they settle into the routine soon and we all get back to just enjoying our days and each other!

I tried yesterday to cajole them into better moods with their favorite side dish for lunch.  Apple Carrot Raisin salad.  No dice. It was a good effort though.

They ate it up.  And still grumped.  How is that possible with such a cheery salad??  Oh well.  I had a secret weapon that I deployed once the house was quiet and the hubby and I grabbed a few minutes of peace...

Homemade vanilla ice cream, homemade strawberry syrup and some yummy granola to top it all off!  I swear, I have dubbed this combo "Faux Strawberry Scooter Crunch" because it tastes JUST like those ice cream bars I used to down in middle school with my leftover lunch change I saved up.   Do you remember those?  Well, this brings back lots of memories of how good those bars were.  Worth scrimping to save up!

Speaking of scrimping to save up...the hubby and I have seriously been talking about changing our finances much in the way we've done our food.  Quality vs quantity is definitely something that can apply here as well.  We eat better, but eat less and enjoy our lives more as result.  I think the same principles can be applied there as well.  I think it will be a great journey and well worth the changes we will definitely be going through but we want to change our lives.  We may be worried to the extreme, but we've just become distrustful of the banks and the government and I don't want to feel that we have to rely on either one.  Is that crazy?  I don't know anymore.  It seems that there is just so much going on that the people aren't considered in.  I don't want any debt and all of the strings that come with it.  I will try and share our journey as we make these changes as well so that maybe somebody else out there will be blessed and encouraged by it just the same.  I know that God is in control, but that doesn't mean we shouldn't be doing what we can to be where we need to be.

Okay, now on to the recipes.

Apple Carrot Raisin Salad

Serves 6

Ingredients

• 1 large carrot; peeled and julienned or shredded


• 2 medium apples; peeled, cored and chopped


• 1/4 c organic raisins


• 2 T poppy seed dressing

Directions

1. Toss all ingredients together and serve

Vanilla Ice Cream

Ingredients

• 1 c heavy cream


• 1 c skim milk


• 1 c almond milk


• 1/2 c sugar


• 2 t vanilla extract

Directions

1. Mix all ingredients together until sugar is dissolved


2. Pour into ice cream maker and process until no longer soft

Strawberry Syrup

Ingredients

• 2 c strawberries, capped and either whole if small or quartered if larger


• 3/4 c sugar

Directions

1. Put ingredients in medium saucepan and bring to a rolling boil


2. Stir frequently to avoid boiling over and cook for about 10 minutes


3. Remove from heat and cool before using

 

 

Why I Blog...

I asked a question about one of the blog networking/advertising sites on my Facebook page and when I commented back about the monthly revenue I am currently getting, it made me think about why I'm here.  What are my goals?  Who am I doing this for?  And, you know, there aren't easy answers to those questions.  Why do we choose to do any of the things we do in life?

Okay, I'll admit it.  When I first started food blogging, visions of being the next Pioneer Woman or Chef Tess were dancing around in my head. These were two bloggers that I followed pretty religiously and I loved them.  I wanted to be them.  But, somewhere along the line, I realized I'm not them and that's okay!  I'm me.  And whether that me is a blogger or not, I still enjoy sharing what I do every day with anyone who'll listen.

So, if I'm not the "next big thing" why spend hours documenting our meals, creating recipes, trying new things?  Easy.  Because I love it.  I love the photo shoots with our food.  I love looking back at my early pictures with fondness in the same way I look at my new pictures with pride and I hope that a year from now, I'll be doing the same thing with a whole new set of pictures.  It's a growth process that has given me a whole new arena to play in.  I mean, I love being a child care provider and there is a certain amount of creativity and play that goes into that career choice but the writer in me sometimes just needs to write.  I've done child care articles, written a curriculum but it's so familiar to me that it's too close for comfort at times.  Food blogging is not.  It's always new, always different because I'm always pushing myself to find that new thing for our family.  Changing up the old recipes and finding new ones is like a treasure hunt.

As far as goals go, I don't know if I have a lot of them for my little blog here.  I mean, my personal 2012 goal is to have 1000 likes or subscribers but that's just me.  Wouldn't that be cool?  Just to see a 4 digit number.  But if I don't make it, that's okay too.  I'd rather have a couple hundred subscribers who know me and love the recipes than 1000 who just passed through and never stop back at all.  A few months ago, I was contemplating a giveaway and I emailed another blogger who I adore...Anne at From My Sweet Heart asking for help on setting it up.  Her response?  Why do you want to do one?  And she went on to explain that the likes you get from making a giveaway "like-based" for lack of a better term only drives traffic in the short term.  It's better to slowly grow and build a base of fans who really appreciate what you do.  Okay, I am paraphrasing because there was much more to her email than that, but that's the general meaning behind it.  And she was right.  That was what I wanted.  So, not giveaways yet.  Maybe someday if some generous company wants to help out but if not, that's not why I'm here.  I'm here to share, to write and to enjoy the back and forth among bloggers and readers.

So, now that I've gone through and explained why I blog and what I do, I do think that I should mention that Foodbuzz, while not a big moneymaker as I probably thought it would be for me when I started a year and a half ago, has been a great partner for my site.  I hosted my first 24X24 dinner party with them in May and I was amazed at how helpful and quick they were to respond with payment, to questions, etc.   Sure, I make anywhere from .83 to 1.87 a month on click throughs and that isn't a lot of money but it pays for my hosting and it lets me keep blogging.  Isn't that what it's about?  Well, it is for me anyway.

I hope that you like the blog, that you enjoy coming here and reading my little observations and my crazy little recipes.  And now that the hubby and I both have gone vegetarian, there's a whole new journey afoot.  So, I hope that you keep reading and I'll keep writing...

Enjoy!

Sheri

Oh, and if you are interested in trying to make a living at your blog...there is a good post on Christian Personal Finance about it.  It's ALOT of work and requires dedication and persistence but it can be done.  And while you're there, just spend some time reading.  A lot of great info on that site!!  It's one of my favorite non-food blogs!

Multigrain Bread II

I've been playing around with bread recipes, trying to make it the right blend of grains to be healthy, still taste good and have a nice texture.  A tall order for sure, but since I make bread just about every other day, I had plenty of opportunities for practice.  Finally, I got to the point that the taste was right, and it had a decent texture but it just wasn't "fluffy" enough for me.  I hope you know what I mean because I just don't know how else to describe it.  I love the light texture of bread but I love whole grains and sometimes those aren't exactly easy to accomplish in the same loaf.

Until...I feel like shouting "ta-da" like the kids would do.  This loaf really was perfect.  I had a slice, or two, today and it was equally good plain or covered in some creamy peanut butter.  True test of any bread - does it pair well with peanut butter???

So, really all I did was tweak my oatmeal bread recipe. Funny, the answer was right there all the time and I kept trying recipe after recipe after recipe.  Well, you get the idea.   Either way, stroke of genius was just a bit late on this one.

Here's my bread after the second rise, just ready to pop into the hot oven!  I think the grains are showing through a little more easily and you can see the texture of the bread as well.  I can usually tell by the second rise whether a loaf is going to be light or dense.  Just  reading the dough without even touching it.  I think as you become more experienced at bread making those sorts of signs can pop out at you.

I've been helping a friend as she is transitioning to making her own bread and I feel helpless at times that I can't be there and see what's happening or tell her exactly what went wrong.  I know that trial and error is a part of the process but just the same, I've invited her to join me in the kitchen to make bread so when she joins me, I am thinking of making a step by step tutorial on making bread.  I'd love to hear if that's something that anyone out there is interested in!

Anyway, on to this recipe...before I start listing ingredients, I wanted to mention that this bread can EASILY be adapted to whatever grains you have on hand.  Don't feel that you need to get some obscure grain to make it work.  Just use what you have and go from there.  Some things to avoid though are things that contain high protein amounts like ground flax seed.  It will change the recipe.  A lot.  Just keep that in mind.  Also, I use a bread machine set on the dough cycle.  It can be done by hand, and it can be done in the bread machine.  I just like the loaf size of baking it in the oven.

Multigrain Bread II

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 c hot water


• 2 T butter


• 3 T honey (or sugar, maple syrup, agave nectar, etc.  Pretty flexible)


• 1 1/2 t salt


• 1 c oats (regular rolled oats are fine. I use quick cooking)


• 2 c bread flour


• 1 c whole wheat flour


• 2 T each: ground kamut, ground millet, ground buckwheat, quinoa, sesame seeds, flax seeds


• 4 T sunflower seeds (I've used pumpkin seeds with good results as well.)


• 2 1/2 t yeast

Directions

1. Add hot water, honey, butter, salt to bread machine pan.


2. Add oats and flours on top of water. Do not stir in.


3. Gently sprinkle yeast on top of flour


4. Set machine to dough cycle and start cycle


5. When add in beep occurs, add quinoa, sesame seeds, flax seeds and sunflower seeds.


6. As dough cycle finishes, sprinkle kneading surface with flour and turn dough onto it.  Punch down dough and knead a few times, adding flour if needed.  Don't overwork the dough but be sure to press out as much air as possible.


7. Roll the dough into a rectangle, roll up like a jelly roll and turn ends over to be a loaf shape.


8. Put in oiled pan, and cover until risen about 1" above pan top


9. Preheat oven and bake at 375 for about 22-25 minutes.  Be sure oven is to temperature before putting bread in.  It needs that hot shot of air to finish the rise before baking.  Otherwise, it may fall flat.

Enjoy!

Sheri

 

Picnic Time...Empanaditas and Corn & Black Bean Salad

Today we were going to a cookout/picnic and each person was asked to bring a dish to share.  Since there are two of us, I opted to bring a salad and a dessert, one from each of us.  My choice for the salad is one of my favorite ones...Corn & Black Bean Salad.  I can't believe how unhealthified I used to make this...ranch dressing, cheddar cheese...ugh.  Not these days though.  It was perfect just like this!

It is just a combo of black beans, corn, tomatoes and garbanzo beans splashed with some olive oil, balsamic vinegar, sugar, salt and cilantro.  I did sprinkle a little feta cheese on just before serving.  It was so bright and crisp.  And it went quickly at the cookout.  We brought home very little of it.  I'm glad so many people enjoyed it!

My real test was making Empanaditas.  Now, I have been on a folded dough kind of kick since making Empanadas a few weeks ago, but these were different.  I found them on Eating Well's site listed as Pineapple Empanaditas but I saw something different reading the recipe.  I made a few swaps (of course!) and cut the cream cheese in half and substituted goat cheese for the missing half.  I also used almond milk instead of milk.  I thought the dough turned out well flavor-wise but it was a bit difficult to work with.  I had to be very gentle in handling it. I also swapped out the pineapple filling for 1/2 blackberry and 1/2 strawberry and used organic jams for the filling.

First, it was time to cut out all of the circles for filling..

Next, time to fill them...

First ones done are the blackberry filled ones..

Strawberry ones get a nice coating of confectioner's sugar.

These little beauties were perfect!  Small, easy to manage and I was happy we still got to bring some home.  Not that I wasn't willing to share, but it's always nice when you have a few leftovers to enjoy!

While I'm sharing, I realized I never shared my black bean burgers from last week...these are fantastic!  The recipe is from Eat, Live, Run and it's a keeper!



Enjoy!
Sheri

 

Cranberry Toasted Walnut Quinoa

Up until now we have really avoided quinoa.  Once, about 2 years ago, I tried making it for the family and was given a quick thumbs-down on my meal.  So, I mentioned that I was making it for dinner and the hubby was less than enthusiastic.  And then, once he had it, he had seconds.  I think I won him over...and me too!

This was super easy to make and it came out delicious.  It was similar to a pilaf, but with the quinoa and the walnuts, it made for a heartier meal.

I know my friends are out there saying, "I told you so!" and to them I say, "thank you."  It's great to have people telling you over and over how awesome something is until you finally listen.  I'm glad they didn't give up because I have lots more plans for that bag of quinoa I got from the grocery store today.  :)

Cranberry Toasted Walnut Quinoa

Ingredients

• 2 c cooked quinoa, cooked in vegetable broth for more flavor


• 1/2 c dried cranberries


• 1/4 cup of chopped toasted walnuts


• 1 1/2 c cooked mixed vegetables; I used thai blend from Cascadian Farms.  Blanched, chopped spinach or kale could be used too.

Directions:

1. Mix all ingredients together.  That's it.  Too easy!

I love recipes like this because it reaffirms that quick doesn't have to mean unhealthy.  Cooking all of the separate ingredients and then mixing together probably took about 20 minutes and while we were waiting, we had a nice salad.  It's about finding those foods that work well for your body, your budget and your time!  They're out there!  Just be open to them, like we were open to quinoa.  We got the reward of a healthy, tasty supper...what's your reward?

Enjoy!

Sheri

 

Weekend + Fun with Family & Friends = Loving My Life!

Have you ever had a day that you wanted to capture and keep close at hand for those days that aren't as wonderful?  Saturday was that day for me.   I actually felt sad when it was time to go to sleep because I just didn't want the day to end.  We spent the whole day just enjoying our life and all of the little things that make it so special.  Beautiful weather and blue skies greeted our morning and there was even a chill to the air.  Perfect weather our first 5k of this year!  The race was Hope for Cope 5k and I was proud to wear their racing shirt.  It is a great organization and this was my first time running this course.  I was hoping for a PR (personal record) time but when I realized the run was almost all grass, no pavement, I wasn't sure it was possible.  And it wasn't.  I finished with a time of 30:14, about 3 minutes slower than my PR.  Ugh.  More grass running is in order!  But my disappointment was abated watching my niece, my nephew and my sister all running out there too!  Being joined by one of my favorite people in the world to run with, Kathleen, was a great treat too!  We all had a wonderful day and my hubby did PR it!  22:33 was his time.  Go hubby!

Time for some nourishment so we headed to Neato Burrito.  I don't know if they have one of these where you live, but it was my first time.  It was delicious!  I got a black bean hummus burrito and pretty quickly had an empty plate!  Next on the list was a bike swap where I scored some killer clothes deals!  My first matching jersey and shorts for biking! Grocery store was up next and while we were shopping, hubby mentioned that there was a Sweet Frog nearby.  You might have one of these places near you...it's a frozen yogurt and toppings bar where you can put whatever you want in the cup and pay by weight.  And it's pretty delicious!  I had a red velvet/cheesecake swirl with all kinds of yumminess on top.  Best way ever to end grocery shopping!

And now, it's time to get cooking!  I had so much food to make...corn and black bean salad, almond coconut milk, empanaditas, and while I'm at it, my cucumbers are getting soft so some refrigerator pickles are just the thing!  What a list!

First up, the milk.  We tasted a new product called Almond Coconut milk from Almond Breeze last week and I decided to make it ourselves.  We already make almond milk, it couldn't be that hard to add coconut, right?  Right.  It was super easy.  I just added coconut to my sprouted almonds in the vitamix, filled it up with water and turned it on.  It smelled pretty awesome!

I wonder if I need to change the writing on my pitcher?  I mean, it is almond coconut milk in there.  And it's delicious!  If you need the recipe, it's pretty simple.  I soak my almonds for a day, changing the water about 2-3 times or when it's cloudy.  I have a ratio of about 2 cups soaked almonds to about 5 cups of water and mix in the vitamix.  Then, I strain off the pulp with a jelly strainer bag and the milk that's left is the almond milk.  It's so easy.  We stopped buying processed almond milk long ago!

The pickles were equally easy but be warned, our house smelled while I was cooking the vinegar!  I used 1 cup vinegar, 1 cup sugar and 1 tablespoon salt.  I slow boiled the mixture until the sugar was dissolved and poured over the cucumbers.  (I added carrots too, aren't they pretty!?!)  Then I popped it in the fridge.  This was what I saw this morning...

They were so tasty!  A restaurant around here, Isaac's Deli, has little dishes of these types of pickled veggies they bring to the table while you're waiting.  Biting into one of those pickles made me think of all the lovely long lunches I've had there with my friend, Cindy.  I'm always amazed at the ability of food to transcend time and bring so many wonderful memories to wherever you are.  Food is the connection we all share.

I've good more stories and recipes to share but they'll have to wait...

Enjoy!

Sheri

The Best Blueberry Muffins. Ever. Seriously.

Dramatic?  Just a bit.  True?  Absolutely.  I wouldn't lie.  I loved these muffins so much more than I thought I would.  As I was making the recipe I thought it seemed like I was making cookies, not muffins, because the batter was SO thick.  I'm glad that I didn't tinker at all and let the magic happen.  And, yes, it was magic.  These muffins had a tenderness to the crumb that is really hard to find.  It was more like a fruited cupcake.  And delicious.  Did I mention that yet?  That's hard to believe because they were so delicious.  The daycare kids of course were also in love and had 2 muffins each.  My niece and nephew seemed pretty happy to take the leftovers (3 muffins out of 24 the day before!) this morning for breakfast.  Even so, I think we're all looking forward to the next time I make them.

I didn't even mention the crust on these muffins.  To die for.  I am not kidding when I say these are "must make!"

I found this recipe for Blueberry Muffins on The Pioneer Woman's page...I knew they had to be good :)  I just wasn't prepared for how good.

Some changes I made...I know I said I didn't tinker, and I really didn't BUT....I did not put sugar on top, we did not make a sauce , I used vanilla greek yogurt and I used frozen blueberries.  And those are my confessions for today's post.  :D

Please if you make them, let me know if you LOVED them as much as we did.  I'd hate to think I was all alone in my longing for more blueberry muffins!

[caption id="attachment_817" align="aligncenter" width="640" caption="A few more muffins to take with you on your travels..."][/caption]