May 21, 2009

Tomato Basil Pasta

I’m a busy bee lately! Soo much to do….Sooo little time.

Which means that I’ve stepped away from the kitchen for a bit….

But when I’ve been in there, I’ve concocted quick little breakfast sandwiches like this one:

(a whole wheat English muffin with egg, cheese & turkey bacon)

It’s worth waking up for in the mornings. I’m kinda obsessed with them.

Tonight I roasted some tomatoes (not from my garden-yet)

I picked some fresh basil from my little garden I’ve been working on-

Boiled some Whole Wheat Spaghetti…Tossed in a HUGE handful that basil.

Added:

-red pepper
-extra virgin olive oil
-those tomatoes
-a splash of red wine vinegar (It brings out the sweetness in the tomatoes and adds a nice kick)
-fresh ground pepper
-topped with a little grated parmesan…..

My hands still smell like basil, and I am totally loving that!

I’m dreaming of getting back in the kitchen (soon).

I could really use a challenge of making something fun/tasty/good.

You should see what I’ve clipped out to try….

recipes, Uncategorized

May 17, 2009

Gluten Free Peanut Butter Cookies

I’ve seen versions of this cookie everywhere on the internet! It was this post at kitchn.com that pushed me over the edge.

I had to try them!

They don’t disappoint, folks!
Easy. SUPER Easy. Easier than cake mix!

Gluten-free Peanut Butter Cookies

(recipe from thekitchn.com)

-1 cup peanut butter (i used chunky)
-1 cup sugar
-1 egg
-1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
-1 teaspoon baking soda

Preheat oven to 375. Mix all the ingredients together. Drop cookies on baking sheet. Smoosh with fork. Bake for 10 mins. DONE. DONE!!!!

You won’t miss the flour.

around the home, Uncategorized

May 8, 2009

lately

i’ve been….

obsessed with eating Greek salads.
Chop Chop Chop & Grill some pita and I’m soo there.

There was seriously a week last month where I ate Greek Salad at least 6 times. No lie.

I made a Black Bean soup (like I’d been craving) for Cinco De Mayo. It was fantastic!

I even made my own little tortilla strips!

Problem is–I started writing down the recipe as I was going and then I started adding soo much other stuff to get the taste & thickness right– that I forgot what happened!
Next time I make it, I’ll remember to be more diligent!

I’ve also been working a lot in the backyard lately…tending to my veggie garden!

I never thought I would get soo excited about gardening!
It’s a healthy obsession! There’s soo much more I want to plant and I am really looking forward to this summer now!

It’s especially fun now that I have a little helper. He loves the cool breezes and all the green!

Cooper is 7 months old already. He has 4 teeth and crawls!

And this weekend I am celebrating my first Mother’s Day!

I have to say that things are pretty good these days!

Happy Mother’s Day to all you mommas!

xoxo

around the home, recipes, Uncategorized

May 3, 2009

Makeshift Pizza!

Before we had Cooper, I used to have a weekly girl night with two of my friends.

Those days seem sooo far away now….

One of the nights, my friend made us pizzas using this flatbread from Trader Joe’s. I fell in love. I couldn’t believe how simple it was, and how easily it all came together. I decided that this past Friday would be date-night (at home). So I threw together some pizzas…poured us some wine…and we chowed down and watched a movie. Casey loved them and I was stoked that we didn’t have to shell out $20+ for a pizza.

Here’s the flatbread- Pick some up at Trader Joe’s next time you are there!

I spread some sauce on top. Added some toppings. Threw them all in the oven on a cookie sheet. Temperature was set for 400 degrees. About 20 minutes later- TADA!

Combos included-

Sausage, Basil, Red Onion & Cheese

Pesto, Red Onion, Mushrooms & Cheese

Soooo good. SOOOOOO good.

The flavor combos are endless.

around the home, Uncategorized

April 27, 2009

finally i can breathe!

my desk looked like this earlier today:

and now it looks like this:

around the home, Uncategorized

April 27, 2009

productive sunday:

I woke up kinda hungover, but powered through. Soo much to get done! This is Spring Cleaning weekend!!!

Casey cleaned the kitchen for me and I immediately started cracking on my chores. It’s soo nice when someone cleans your kitchen for you. It wipes the slate clean and the stress… THE STRESS of having to clean ANOTHER bowl makes me throw in the towel…over and over. I make such a mess in the kitchen and cannot keep up with my brain. It was the equivalent to an 80 minute back massage. I am serious about this.

I went through the freezer and tossed out old crap to make room for the baby food I made this AM. This should last a little while:

I made some croutons out of sourdough wheat bread:

I whipped up some pesto for sandwiches & some pasta this week:

recipes, Uncategorized

April 24, 2009

Light & Crispy Coconut Almond Granola

I watched an episode of Martha Stewart last night and saw them making granola. I had no idea how easy it was! Although I didn’t follow the recipe they made on the show, I used the fundamental steps and a combo of what I had laying around in my pantry and I am happy with the results!

It’s really crispy & light—not super dense like some granolas can be. The coconut is yummy and the slivered almonds make me swoon. The taste of it all kinda reminds me of Honey Bunches of Oats cereal-but with a little kick from the ground ginger! I guess what I was excited by most- was the fact that there infinite combos to granola making. Now I can channel some of my inner hippy and go nuts.

This is what I came up with last night:

Granola!
-2 cups rolled oats (not instant)
-1/2 cup slivered almonds
-1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
-1/2 cup sweetened coconut
-1/4 cup maple syrup
-1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
-1/4 cup brown sugar
-1 teaspoon sea salt

Directions-
Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Mix ingredients together throuroughly & spread out on a large rimmed cookie sheet. Put it in the oven and stir every 10 minutes. 40 minutes total.

enjoy! I’ll let you know what I come up with next. Or if you have a good combo, let me know!