Quinoa Lunch

I am OBSESSED with quinoa! it's just so good and can be flavored any way you want! it's quicker to cook than rice and it's texture is so light! 

Here is a lunch version i made yesterday:

Ingredients: 

• leftover quinoa from the night before :) (keep reading if you want to know how I cooked mine)
• 1 can black beans
• shredded sharp cheddar cheese
• roughly chopped cilantro

directions: reheat leftover quinoa in the microwave for about a minute and a half, stir *tip: place a wet paper towel over quinoa bowl in the microwave to keep it full of moisture. rinse the beans in a strainer place in a microwave safe bowl and heat for about a minute. mix beans and quinoa together then add in cheddar cheese and microwave again for 30 seconds and stir. then roughly chop some fresh cilantro and mix that in. 

That's it! such a quick lunch!

here's how I made my quinoa:

1 cup of dry quinoa, rinse in a mesh strainer, put it in a medium pot with 2 cups of water and 1 tsp pink sea salt and 1/4 tsp garlic powder. bring to a boil. once it's boiling set the heat to low and let it cook 15 minutes. at this point all the liquid should be absorbed and the quinoa looks almost clear except for the little c-shaped white part ;)

one of the fun things about B working from home some days is having lunch with him!

Tonight's dinner made with love...

Hey! I just had to write this right now because I'm jazzed about a tasty quinoa pilaf I just made!!

my quinoa creation:

Ingredients:
 cup dry quinoa
1 can chicken broth
1 teaspoon dried rosemary
1/4 teaspoon pink sea salt
ground black pepper
1/8 garlic powder (not garlic salt)
splash of olive oil


Directions:
Rinse quinoa well in a fine mesh strainer rubbing gently (do this for longer than you think you should...like 2 minutes) I know it's like "nah dawg I'd rather skip that" but it will turn out bitter if you don't rinse it. toss some olive oil onto a skillet and toast/dry the quinoa. Add seasonings (rosemary, garlic powder, salt, pepper) Put chicken broth in a medium sauce pan add the quinoa and seasonings put the lid on and bring to a boil, once it's boiling set the timer for 15 minutes. After it has cooked for fifteen minutes turn of heat and let sit for 5 minutes. Fluff with a fork and enjoy!


Fun facts about quinoa (as told by me): It's pronounced Keen-wah... ancient grain... healthy... lots of protein... delicious... fun texture... many flavor options... it looks neat when cooked... fiber... I want to make it for breakfast...i think i'll stop now.

*1 cup of quinoa dry will yield 3 cups wet


I paired this with lemon infused boiled chicken breast, which was slightly lacking in flavor but was still good. I simply boiled boneless skinless chicken breasts in water with fresh lemon juice and lemon pepper seasoning. I enjoyed the subtle flavor of lemon on the out side of the chicken breast but it was very faint and once chewing the chicken it mostly tasted like plain 'ol chicken breast so this one needs some tweaking ;) That's the fun in cooking though trying new things and learning.

Boxed Brownies Transformation!

It seems like every time I go to our local grocery store the first thing I see is boxed brownies mix and Oreos. It's like my eyes zero on their target, anything chocolate! haha! So anyways, I try to keep one box of brownie mix in the pantry at all times just in case ;) When I asked my handsome hubby this morning if there was anything I could get him from the store, he said "we ran out of chocolate almond milk yesterday" and then he mentioned that the last two bananas we starting to look pretty old. I offered to freeze them for smoothies but he said "how about making some banana bread instead of freezing them this time?" I deliberated and I was like: "ok, sure!" (it's weird to quote myself lol!) I reminded him that we need to finish the brownies we had already made a few days ago (that are now sitting on the counter getting old) and it's a beautiful thing that us ladies can do, we can have a conversation that flows over many topics changing the subject with ease but our men just don't think in this way. In his brilliance he exclaimed, "Banana Brownies!" this is where this post gets fun! 

disclaimer* baking is not my strong suit, I would much rather saute something, or boil it, or grill it, but when it comes to baking I usually don't get it right. These turned out good though, so if you are among the baking challenged this is a no judgement zone and feel free to give these a whirl because they are easy to make!  

here's what I did! 
Easy Banana Brownies: 

Ingredients: 

1 box of brownie mix 

2 ripe bananas  

1/2 cup (divided) mini chocolate chips

these are the items the box suggests:

1/4 cup water (I used 1/4 cup milk instead, mine is on it's final week so I'm trying to use it up) 

1/2 cup oil (I used canola oil)

1 egg

Directions:

pour the brownie mix into a mixing bowl. mash the two bananas with a fork in a separate bowl. lightly whisk in the egg, milk, and oil into the bananas. Using a mixing spoon make a well in the center of your brownie mix to pour in the wet ingredients. pour your banana mixture into the well and stir until incorporated. fold in half of the chocolate chips. grease your pan and pour in the mix. top with the rest of your chocolate chips. bake at 350 or according to your brownie package. also refer to package for baking times per type and size of pan you choose. 

These Brownies turned out super moist and fudgey! To cut out some of the moisture you could play around with how much oil and water/milk you add since the bananas are a wet ingredient. next time I think I will lessen the oil for sure but I did love 'em how they were. 
**baking is not my forte, I only use boxed stuff and even boxed cakes prove to be too much of challenge for me. haha! My cookies from scratch never turn out right, either fluffy cakes or completely flat (like my gingersnap fail post from Christmas) So please feel free to comment and send some baking tips and encouragement my way. Thanks!

love, Cait

Iced Green Tea (gone ahhh-mazing!!!)

I just made a fantastic brew of iced green tea and I'm feeling so accomplished! I love to make iced tea but I usually make it with black tea for that stronger flavor and caffeine kick. This time I decided to go for a lighter and more antioxidant rich green tea version. 

I'll let you in a little secret, I don't like green tea! UNLESS it's ice cold! haha! That's probably weird but my taste buds seem to have preferred temperatures for foods and drinks. Here are some examples: coffee must be piping hot and stay that hot for the 30 plus minutes it takes me to drink it ;) Food must be hot as opposed to warm, and I like water at three different temperatures: hot, room temp, and ice cold but of course not luke warm! So there you have it, just a little insight into my taste buds but back to iced tea!  

Ingredients:

4 cups (32 fl oz) of very hot water

2 green tea bags (matcha types have extra antioxidants or so I've read)

juice of 1 and a half small lemons (to taste) 

1 (1/2 ) table spoons honey (to desired sweetness or even omit if you don't want it sweetened) 

Dash of pink sea salt and a sprinkle of lemon zest

24 ice cubes

Directions:

Heat the water to very hot, I use an electric tea kettle. Pour the hot water into desired container over two tea green tea bags. Let brew for five minutes. Remove tea bags and stir in the lemon juice, honey, dash of salt, and sprinkles of lemon zest. Once everything is dissolved into the tea add the ice cubes and refrigerate for 4 hours.

* It may be ready before the four hours especially if you fill a glass with ice and then pour but that just a note for those who can get a little impatient at times like myself ;)

** if you like stronger tea flavor add more tea bags to the brew.

and here's a bonus cat pic:

 Kirby enjoying the special present we brought home for him from Pismo! An empty shopping bag!!! :P 

Beau's Birthday!!

Yesterday was my man's birthday!!! WooT! 

We had a small get together to celebrate him by having our parents over! This is the first birthday of his that we've been married and this was the very first time we've had our parents over and cooked for them. I was feeling the pressure but once our guests came we had a great time, they enjoyed the food we made and we all had fun celebrating Beau!!! 

Here's some of the pictures, recipes, and activities of the night: 

Father and son...and grandson (Kirby) haha!

They are happy he was born :)

My birthday man!!


Beer Cheese Appetizer:

in a small sauce pan I heated up a 12 oz bottle of blue moon beer (use a beer you like because the taste will come through!)
1 teaspoon dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
I whisked theses together and kept it heating up on low while I turned my attention to grating the cheese. We have a really handy 'salad shooter' we got as a wedding present and it makes grating cheese so simple. Anyways I used approximately four cups of shredded sharp cheddar cheese. Slowly add the cheese along with 2 tablespoons cornstarch. Whisk it up until it's smooth and creamy. 
Slice up your favorite bread for dipping ...we used sour dough but french bread or a multi-grain baguette would work well also. I also I sliced up a granny smith apple I liked that with the cheese dip as well. I finally got to use the beautiful serving dish from my friend Heather! 

Our mac n' cheese: 
This is a recipe we have been perfecting since about two months into our marriage! Haha! Mac n' cheese is beau's favorite dish and we have made many variations from this main recipe. Bring water to a boil in a medium pot. Boil two cups of noodles (macaroni, large elbows, small shells, endless other noodles work here too...) follow package directions for cooking length. Meanwhile grate 3 cups of preferred cheese, we like sharp cheddar the best but we have tried many others. In a small mixing bowl add 6 oz. evaporated milk, 1 egg, 1 teaspoon ground mustard, salt, and pepper. Whisk together. (I love to add in more spices like red pepper flakes, chili powder, onion powder, oregano, and garlic powder are some of our favorites.) Beau has taught me that it is so fun to cook with spices! He has helped me get out of the recipe box and try making my own dishes and renditions. Once the noodles are done strain and discard water. Melt a half a stick of butter in the pot  (we continue to use the same pot that we used with the noodles) add the noodles back to the pot and add the milk/egg mixture. turn on the stove top t low heat and stat to slowly melt in the three cups of cheese. Once it's all melted and the mixture is creamy and smooth it's ready!!!

We also had a spinach salad, with optional mix-ins of blueberries, blackberries, and slivered almonds and a homemade olive oil and balsamic vinaigrette.  

And the main dish was our mini corn dogs in the fondue pot.This is a testimate to my parents first months of marriage when they lived in a temporary apartment in Florida while my dad finished a training before being stationed in Hawaii. (but something went wrong with either the heat of the oil or the batter mix because it kept falling off of our hot dogs.) we enjoyed them anyways and also just heated the dogs up in the oil. 

All his birthday cards were great! Janay and Steven's unicorn card is hilarious, the chef from my mom and dad is adorable, the one from Beau's parents is beautiful, and my homemade one.

so much birthday love! 

Here's a picture of our spread: We have a small table for four so I put two of our TV stands together and covered them with a table cloth :) 

After dinner and presents we played UNO!!!

uno is such a fun game with a big group and we like to add in some fun rules to keep it interesting. Our favorite optional rule is to allow jump ins. This means that if someone plays a card and you have the exact same card in your hand you are permitted to play out of turn and the play continues from you so players get skipped. It's exciting and fast paced. 

Homeade Marzipan

There seems to always be that person at Christmas who is the toughest to shop for. Every family has one. In ours it's Beau's dad Gary. He never says what he wants if you ask him but he does have his favorite things in life so usually we just capitalize on those things: the green bay packers, fox news, pigs, cats, and marzipan. (He's an unexpected character in the story, so random and so funny!) Anyways Marzipan is his favorite Christmas time treat and we usually raid our local Cost Plus World Market for the selection of it but this year I wanted to add a special touch so I wanted to try and make it myself! It's not the same as the store bought stuff for sure but it is very yummy with a sweeter flavor and more texture. 

Here's how I made Marzipan: 

For the Marzipan:

2 cups almond meal (I bought blanched and slivered almonds from the bulk section of our grocery store and ground it myself in the food processor)

2 cups powdered sugar

1/2 teaspoon almond extract (approximately I didn't really measure just poured a splash in :)

Water

For decorating:

1 cup of semi-sweet morsels

sprinkles for that Christmas time flare

Red and/or Green food coloring

Directions: 

Mix almond meal and powdered sugar in a large bowl. Add almond extract and then SLOWLY add water to the mixture while stirring until it forms together in a large clump. 

(Mine was too wet because I poured the water in too fast :/ so to recover I just pulverized some more almonds and added an equal amount of almond meal and powdered sugar to get my marzipan more dry. That last pick is the fixed up version, so nice)








Decorations:


Next I separated the marzipan into 3 sections. Well actually two equal sections and one of those sections into two sections, but you can ration it how ever you want. The two smaller portions I used food coloring on. One red and one green then rolled them into little balls for eating. With the larger portion I rolled it all in to balls and dipped them in melted chocolate and topped with sprinkles. Yum! 

leave the chocolate dipped ones out to dry before storing. store best in zipper bags, or air tight containers.

I brought over a few pieces for Gary to try the other day to see if he would approve, being the connoisseur of marzipan in the family, and he never put them down. He said they're great but there's only enough for tonight :) Yep, I know what I'm making him for Christmas!

Cookie Fail and Learning to Recover

Here's the story of how I failed at making my favorite Christmas cookie:

Beau and I have made it a habit of making ginger snaps at Christmas time and they usually turn out wonderful, soft, fluffy, with the cracks and delicious sugar coating. Seeing as how this is our first year married and first with our own kitchen, I was so excited about the baking for this year.

Beau wasn't as excited, he was very busy this week working full time, finals week for us, and playing guitar at church on the weekend. Our original plan was to bake the gingersnaps on Friday night but then ended up being postponed to Saturday night. Saturday night wasn't as good for me because I had gotten up early and went out shopping with my mom and sister in a few towns over and then went straight to church and we weren't back home until 8:30 or so. Then we ate dinner and relaxed a little while... we didn't end up baking until 10:30!

The dough just never was right and I think it has something to do with the butter being too soft, it's a very sensitive part of making cookies, and I've always been better at whipping up a meal than baking something. Baking is so precise! Sure it seems real easy when Martha does it but it's not for noobs. (noobies, beginner, novice) lol!

Anyways the first round just flattened out like those lacey looking crispy cookies and were all wrong! I did two minuets less time on the next tray but no luck, same outcome only a little lighter in color. 

I know it shouldn't be such a big deal but my heart just sank. No amount of my husband tasting them and saying "but Bug they taste good" would help. Bless his heart though! 

Failure is not a feeling I enjoy but the truth is I fail, and I fail often. I'm far from perfect and I can't stand the feeling that I've come up short and if I can't contribute these cookies to Christmas somehow I'm not worthy to partake. I know, dramatic right? but these are real feelings. The sermon this weekend was about the real reason for the season and, this did come as a shock to hear my pastor say, but he said Jesus isn't the reason for the season, sin is. His point being that because we have failed to live according to his glorious standard we needed a savior. I still think Jesus is the reason for the season because He is that Savior for us but I loved the point of saying it that way. 

I need a savior, not because my cookie failed but because I was born this way, broken, a sinner. I fail. But Jesus came as a humble baby to live a perfect life and die on the cross to take my place. He then raised from the dead and raised me with him. Now I am saved, redeemed and I'm worth something to Him. I'd say I'm worth a whole lot considering all He did for me. 

He did it because he loves mankind! He created us and He loves us! Amen?! 

God has changed my life forever by giving me life, real life, eternal life with Him. He's taken this hunk of flesh, full of failure, and made me something special. So this I what I needed to do with the remainder of the ginger snaps cookie dough. 

The next morning I surveyed last night's mess and saw the dough in the fridge... I decided I would turn these into a cookie-cake-brownie of some sorts and hope for the best. I pulled out the brownie pan and filled it with the rest of the dough. I pressed it in to the corners of the pan and sprinkled sugar over the top. I watched t closely as I cooked in the oven at 350 degrees Fahrenheit. 10 minutes, then another 10, then five more, then 2 more and finally I decided it was done. I pulled it out and let it cool as we ate lunch. I cut it up into squares and Beau was eager to try them :) he's so kind! They turned out great! Oooy gooey ginger goodness with crunchy edges. Much better than the crispy flat cookies haha! 

I hope you all have a wonder Christmas and you make ginger cookie-brownies out of your problematic dough. hehe!

Ginger Snaps! Recipie:

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups butter

2 cups sugar

2 eggs

1/2 cup molasses

4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

3 teaspoons baking soda

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon ground ginger

1 teaspoon ground cloves

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

additional sugar for rolling 

Directions:

In a mixing bowl cream together butter and sugar. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each one. Beat in molasses. In a separate bowl combine the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, salt and nutmeg. gradually add the dry ingredients to the creamed mixture. Refrigerate for an hour or until the dough is easy to handle (because it is very sticky at first.) Roll into 1 inch balls , roll balls in sugar. Place 2 inches apart on baking sheet. Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 8 to 10 minutes or until puffy and lightly browned.  Cool on the cookie sheet for a minute before placing them on a wire rack to continue to cool.

I have successfully made this recipe many a time with my bear but this year God had a different plan ;) I'm glad I could share this tragic cookie story an I hope I've in some small way encouraged you today.

Love, Cait

The most DELISH breakfast for fall!

Pumpkin Pie, Sweetie Pie Yogurt

This is a super yummy breakfast I've been making the past few years in the fall! When I start feeling those intense pumpkin cravings...like August, haha! nah just kiddin' October usually :) The best thing about this recipe is: it's super delicious, it's stupid easy, and it's fast! 

I'm calling it Pumpkin Pie Sweetie Pie yogurt because I had started making it mid October and my hubby cautiously watched me eat it while eating his regular yogurt or a bagel. Sometimes he doesn't like to try new stuff but I don't push. One day I offered him a bite and he said he really liked it. The next day I offered to make him some but he still said no, sad face :(  probably just didn't want yogurt but whatever... Then a few days later I offered again and He ACCEPTED!!! "Here's my chance!" I thought, and he loved it! Now he asks for it every so often and I think to my self "he's such a sweetie pie!" ;)

You will need:

yogurt of choice: I use greek gods greek yogurt the honey flavor. It's decadently thick and creamy and perfect sweetness. I use about 1 cup (I don't like getting measuring cups dirty for b-fast and if you measure it once and continue to use the same bowl you can eye it)

two to three tablespoons pumpkin puree not the pie filling but ironically there is a pie on the can...

1 tea spoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1/4 teaspoon cloves

 *for the spices add what you like! pumpkin pie spice is great because its got cinnamon cloves nutmeg and allspice all bundled up together but I love cinnamon so I add extra and same for cloves it you like extra spicy-ness add extra nutmeg whatever YOU like!

stir it all together  and top off with your favorite granola

There you have it!A delish breakfast that is festive for the season filled with pumpkin,a super healthy vegetable that contains lots of good vitamins and fiber. 

Vegan Pumpkin Muffins

Hello friends! I'm just loving this fall! It's a wonderful time of year as it is but this year especially so since I'm newlywed to my wonderful hubby and this is our first fall married! This has been the best fall yet! We've been snuggling up together, wearing fuzzy socks, and making tons of new pumpkin creations in our very own kitchen!! Now I must confess that I'm not vegan or even vegetarian but I happened to be out of eggs and I really wanted to make pumpkin muffins for breakfast the other day so... I improvised and came out with a delicious, moist, and just so happens to be vegan pumpkin muffin!      *note: This recipe makes great pumpkin bread too :)

Here's how i did it:

Ingredients:
1 3/4 cup unbleached all purpose flour
 (or if you have it on hand you can use 1 cup regular flour and 3/4 whole wheat flour)
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
dash of salt (preferred is sea salt or even better yet pink sea salt)
1 cup dark brown sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon (I always use a little more just because I love cinnamon)
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
1 cup pumpkin puree
1/2 cup coconut oil
2 tablespoons unsweetened apple sauce
2 tablespoons maple syrup
1 tablespoon honey
  

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F
Mix flour, baking soda, baking powder, brown sugar, salt  and spices in a large mixing bowl. In a separate bowl mix pumpkin, coconut oil, apple sauce, maple syrup, and honey. The coconut oil will stay a solid in the liquid mix especially if your apple sauce or pumpkin were in the refrigerator but this is not a problem. Next mix the wet ingredients into the dry and work the two together into dough with a wooden spoon (i do not use a hand mixer at all for this recipe) Grease loaf pan for pumpkin bread or standard muffin pan with whatever you prefer, or you could also use muffin liners if your pan is not non-stick. I used a non-stick muffin pan and had no trouble without liners but I did grease it with coconut oil. Fill muffin pan 1/2 to 3/4 in each hole thingy :p and bake for 25 minutes. If making pumpkin bread bake it for 35 minutes. 

My baking times are approximate so be sure to keep an eye on them and when in doubt insert a tooth pick in the middle of you bread or one of your muffins. If it comes out clean then it's done if it comes out with dough still on it is not quite cooked all the way through yet.

I topped mine of with whipped cream cheese regular flavor! Oh so yummy! 

PS: Kirby liked how they smelled but he didn't get any closer than that! We're still working on keeping him off the table. Let me know what you think of my Vegan Pumpkin Muffins recipe and if you have any kitty training tips :)