Need I say more?
{ 18 comments }
September 2010
Holly is on Faces of Beauty today! Stop by and show some love 
Please vote for me to make it to Round 3 in Project Food Blog…only a few hours left!
You guys know about my love of butter. Seeing as how each dessert I make for the most part has about a pound of butter in it, it’s really not a secret.
But Nate and I have recently realized that we are going on 2 vacations (a wedding and a beach vacation) in the coming month and want to start eating a little healthier. So when all of my birthday meals and festivities were over we decided to start eating a little healthier.
This recipe has 3 main ingredients, and the rest you can improvise on. Plus you’re getting a big hefty serving of cauliflower in every scoop! And y’all? For people like my husband who really doesn’t enjoy cauliflower, this is a very good thing.
CAULIFLOWER WHIPPED POTATOES
- 1 16-oz bag frozen cauliflower (or 1 head of fresh cauliflower, cut into florets and steamed)
- 1 huge Yukon Gold potato
- 1 8-oz container of cream cheese (I used the light chive and onion flavor)
I admit, I have tried the mashed cauliflower thing before and even I didn’t like it. And I LOVE cauliflower! Roast it up with a little olive oil, garlic powder, salt and pepper and you’ve got one happy girl. But the texture is just not there when you steam and mash it up. Adding a potato will help with this, and since we’re not adding loads of butter, milk, and cheese, I’d say it’s OK to take a chance on throwing a potato in there.
Come on, live a little.
Where were we? Oh yes…peel the potato and cut into chunks. The smaller the chunks, the faster the cooking time. Start in cold water and bring to a boil, boiling for about 10-15 minutes until the potatoes are done (i.e. a fork can slide easily into a chunk of potato). Drain and dump into your food processor. While the potatoes are boiling, steam or microwave your cauliflower. I did mine in the microwave and took about 5 minutes til it was thawed and hot. You’ll want to leave these in the strainer for a little bit and then dump in the food processor right before you drain the potatoes. I’ve found cauliflower has a decent amount of water that will make the end result a little watery if you’re not careful!
Now the reason I use cream cheese is because it’s got such a great creamy, tangy flavor that it takes the place of butter, buttermilk, and cheese really well. If you get the lighter version more power to you! There are so many great flavored cream cheeses out there, and you could change the flavor of the whipped cauliflower potatoes anytime you want!
So yes, dump in that 8-oz thing of cream cheese. Season with a little salt and pepper if you’d like. Hit the pulse button a couple of times, then whip on the high setting until you’ve reached a desired consistency.
I knew Nate wouldn’t be happy if there were chunks in there, so I processed mine for 2-3 minutes.
Babe, I love you. But your occasional pickiness has given me glimpses into how to prepare food for our children. I’ll make sure to have them say thank you
The end result is a creamy, healthful side dish that pairs well with just about anything! We had baked crusted salmon (store-bought) and roasted green beans.
Also, as Jessica said, roasted green beans are life-changing. I actually used my potatoes as a dipping sauce for them. And any meal that gets us using one veggie as a vehicle to eat another can’t be bad, right?
I’m off to garner more healthy cooking ideas. It seems that somewhere in between learning to love myself and starting to cook butter-laden recipes again I lost all healthful creativity. Don’t worry though – it’s all coming back (it’s all coming back…) to me now!
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pDxoj-tDDIU&fs=1&hl=en_US]
On a final note, thank you all so much for your sweet and thoughtful comments on yesterday’s post. This is a hard time for my family right now, but our ultimate wish is to see my grandparents with zero pain and living the most comfortable life they can because they so deserve it. I’ll keep you guys updated when I know anything.
Happy Thursday!
{ 33 comments }
Please vote for me to make it to Round 3 in Project Food Blog!
Hey, guess what?
It’s pumpkin season!
{ 15 comments }
Shanna is on Faces of Beauty today! Make sure you stop by!
Please vote for me to make it to Round 3 in Project Food Blog! 
When I was younger I always dreamed about what being 21 would look like. And then 25…surely 25 would be the golden age where everything would be right in the world and I’d have everything together. Life would be perfect. I never dreamed about what it would be like to be 27.
Shocker: it’s no different than any other age Although I suppose I’m one year older and one year wiser, right?
Yesterday started off great! Nate took me to Panera Bread for breakfast where we split a cinnamon roll the size of my head:
And I ordered my favorite sandwich, the breakfast power sandwich. You guys, it’s not to say that the other Panera breakfast options are bad, but this one is just SO GOOD. The sharp Vermont cheddar gets me every time…in fact I’m drooling just thinking of it now.
We got to work where there were more cinnamon rolls and a birthday cake for me (READ: SUGAR OVERLOAD) and all of the sweet people I work with were so kind and stopped by to say hi and wish me a happy birthday.
However, around mid-day I got a call from my dad saying that my grandfather’s health is rapidly deteriorating. Enough so that my dad and his siblings and their spouses are all flying out to California to be with him and my grandmother. I had no idea this was happening until he was actually IN California, which definitely threw me for a loop. Instantly I was transported back to a similar situation 8 years ago.
My Mimi had had colon cancer for a long time, and we all knew that it was bad, but she was so joyful about celebrating life in the moment. I loved that she would lay in her bed and talk about totally inappropriate things she’d seen on Oprah like it wasn’t a big deal that my sister was barely in high school. Hey, she was our Mimi – who cared what she talked about?! We were just glad to hear her!
A few months later (a week before my 19th birthday) we got a call saying that she’d only been given a few months to live, so my mom and I picked up and drove down to the Texas Hill Country to the hospital she was at. When we got in that night Mimi was awake with a smile on her face and a hug for everyone. Her husband and daughters and I huddled around her, soaking in everything we could. That night I slept on the floor of the hospital outside of her room.
The next morning I woke up to hear her moaning and looked around for a nurse or my mom or her sisters. No one. I went into the room. Mimi needed to go to the bathroom, so I pulled the portable potty over and helped her to it. I’m not going to describe what I saw, but it was enough to make me choke back tears while I helped her. And I will remember that forever. At this point she was incoherent, and by that afternoon I was being rushed into her room to say good-bye. I don’t know if she could hear me, but I spoke about how I loved her, how I loved that she would yell and curse just because, how her booming laughter brightened my day, how watching her with her daughters made me so happy to have her as a Mimi, and how her marriage to my Grandpa was something beautiful to see. I watched as my mom, aunts, and grandfather cried around me, and how we all breathed a sigh of relief for Mimi when she was gone. She wasn’t hurting anymore. She was happy. And she was with Jesus.
The next couple of weeks were a blur. And to be honest I don’t think it really hit me what I had experienced until a few months later. To this day I can’t hear “It Is Well With My Soul” without sobbing and calling my sister. That was my first true experience with death, and even though I know that Mimi is happy now, it’s taken a while to let her spot in my heart be filled with joy again.
All that to say I’m heartbroken to know that my Papa is in a similar situation now. I wish airfare wasn’t so expensive to fly to California. I wish I could go hug him, just in case it’s the last chance I get. I wish I could see him smack my Grandma on the butt and call her a hottie one more time. I don’t know if I’ll ever get to do that, but I do know that he is being loved on and cared for by his family as we speak. So Papa: whatever happens, I love you. I hope that you are comfortable and happy and able to smile and rejoice in the life around you. And just know that when you leave us, whenever that is, you will be leaving a group of people who love you so very much. But we will rejoice in your incredible life and give thanks that we got to know you for even a second on this earth. I love you!
Sorry guys, it was a hard birthday and I had to just write. Just document. Just spill my guts a little. Thank goodness I have an incredible husband who was willing to change plans because I was too sad to get dressed up and go to the nice Italian restaurant we’d planned on. All I wanted at the end of the day yesterday was to put on workout clothes and go to Rock Bottom Brewery for nachos and a sampling of fried green chile mac ‘n’ cheese. I wanted to sit outside and talk to my husband. I wanted to eat something familiar. And he blessed me by letting me pick anything I wanted. Thank you sweetie, you are the best husband I could ever dream of!
I know this post is pretty heavy, but my hope and prayer for every single person who visits this page is that you would tell the people you love that you LOVE them. That you would celebrate life to its fullest. That you wouldn’t waste a single second of your time here in a dead-end job, a crappy relationship, disordered thinking and/or eating. That you would love, laugh, forgive, cry, and never forget that you are a beautiful, amazing creation just the way you are.
I love you guys
{ 55 comments }
Please vote for me to make it to Round 3 in Project Food Blog!
In between the cover of another perfect wonder
And it’s so white as snow
Running to the field where all my tracks will be concealed
And there’s nowhere to go
When to descend to amend for a friend
All the channels that have broken down
Now you bring it up, I’m gonna ring it up
Just to hear you sing it out
Step from the road to the sea to the sky
And I do believe what we rely on
When I lay it on, come get to play it on
All my life to sacrifice
Hey oh, listen what I say, oh
I got your hey oh, listen what I say, oh
{ 10 comments }
Come say hi to Anna on Faces of Beauty!
Please vote for me on the Next Food Blog Star! Just click here
I’m not really the kind of person who likes to share that it’s her birthday. I both love and hate the attention at the same time and feel weird about bringing that internal conflict upon myself.
And so I just don’t say anything at all and hope that people find out some other way.
And I also hope that they don’t. I know I’m weird…seeing this in writing is just affirmation!
So yes, today is my birthday. There, it’s out there. Do with that what you will.
Nate “surprised” me last night with part of my birthday present: some Vibram Five 5Fingers!
I say “surprise” because I actually have known about having these for almost 2 weeks now. Hey, I had to try them on!
But kudos to Nate for holding off and ignoring my incessant whining about “needing” them immediately. That’s a strong man!
It just so happens that our neighbor, Aaron, actually has the same birthday as me! So last night we went and celebrated at 3 Margaritas. You know I had to get a margarita, right?! Strawberry, please, with extra sugar on the rim – YUM! (10 points to anyone who can name that movie…college roommates excluded).
This was a lot bigger than I imagined, and let’s just be honest here: I’m pretty much a huge lightweight. This massive margarita could be dangerous!
All I have to say is thank goodness for chips and salsa.
Nate and I split a burrito with beans, rice, and carne asada topped with chipotle sauce, sour cream, and guacamole. Heaven I tell you! I could eat Mexican food for the rest of my life. Really though. I could.
But I won’t.
So today? Today I’ll be working and kicking myself for not asking off. And the rest is unknown! I know I get another birthday dinner at a restaurant of my choosing, but I’m not sure what I choose just yet. I can promise you this though: it will be good!
Finally, I’m going to milk it for all it’s worth: a perfect birthday present would be to make it to Round 3 of Project Food Blog! Please vote for me by clicking here. Side note: you do have to be a member of Foodbuzz to vote, but joining is easy (wink, wink)!
Happy Tuesday guys
{ 54 comments }
Please vote for me to make it to Round 3 in Project Food Blog!
No, not Austin, Texas.
Although Austin is from Texas.
One of my favorite friends, a ridiculously good athlete, and hilarious.
I miss you friend! Move to Colorado.
Please and thank you.
{ 14 comments }
Heather is on Faces of Beauty today! (Not me Heather, another Heather) Come say hi!
Please vote for me on the Next Food Blog Star! Just click here
My life is awesome. There’s not a thing I would change about it. Except maybe adding a beach across the street from our house.
What do you think?
But the past 2 months of Sunday nights have been completely slammed with things to do. It always involves spending time with friends, but to be honest I really just needed a break before starting the work week again. Last night was the first time in a long time that Nate and I were able to sit down and relax before going to bed, and it was just what I needed to unwind. When I called him from the store to see what he wanted to eat for dinner I was met with the response, “Just a good sandwich would be nice!” It’s rare that we ever are on the exact same page as far as dinner suggestions go, but I couldn’t have agreed more!
First things first you have to assemble the ingredients:
- Organic Girl baby arugula
- Oscar Mayer roast chicken
- Classico sun-dried tomato pesto
- provolone
- ciabatta roll
- leftover grilled onions and peppers (unpictured)
Now you can use whatever ingredients float your boat. This is just what sounded good to me last night but today I would probably choose to do a chipotle sauce and cheddar cheese for a more Southwestern feel. Really, whatever you want will work!
I always like to slice the bread down the middle…
…and then flip it over so that you’re making the sandwich on the crust of the bread. I don’t remember where I first saw to do this, but it makes for a much prettier presentation when it’s all said and done with! Brush the cut side lightly with olive oil (~1/2 Tbsp total). Spread whatever spread (if you’re using a spread) on the crust of the bread.
Top with whatever cheese you might be using.
I added a huge handful of arugula, probably the equivalent of 1-1.5 cups. Clearly I love me some arugula.
The onions and peppers made their home on the other side.
Here’s the trick: since you’re making the inside of the sandwich on an uneven surface, it’s kind of hard to get it to stay perfectly together. IT’S OK. Don’t freak out. I can say that because I did the first time I ever made a panino like this.
Don’t freak out.
Just smush (yes that’s a word) it all together and hope for the best. It’ll all stay in eventually but you have to press it first.
Another tricky thing: pressing a sandwich when you don’t have a sandwich press. But look on the bright side: this forces you to be creative. Why do the Rachel Ray method of another pan weighed down with bricks or cans of soup when you can just fill a water pot with water and try to balance it on top?
Cook for 3-4 minutes on each side over medium-low heat until golden brown and then flip. Repeat. When it’s done the outside will be golden and crusty and the inside will be gooey and melty. You might die of happiness, and for that I take zero responsibility.
For the dying part that is.
We enjoyed ours with roasted asparagus and a scoop of boxed mac ‘n’ cheese, and then sat back and watched football games, 30 Rock (probably one of my favorites so far – Matt Damon is hysterical!), and The Office. Perfect Sunday night, don’t you think?!
***Today marks the start of voting for the next round of Project Food Blog! Remember, if you’re a member of Foodbuzz you have 200 votes…I’d love it if one of those votes was for me Also, if you’re in the competition please leave your link in the comments section so I can vote for you too ***
{ 34 comments }
As much as I talk about my love for Italy and the fact that I’m Italian by marriage, I am extremely proud of my heritage from my side of our family. You see guys, this blond-haired, blue-eyed girl is actually not Italian.
No sirree.
I’m actually a German-Swedish hybrid; German from my father’s side of the family (hence the maiden name Schoenecke) and Swedish on my mother’s side (Hawkinsen). So when I found out (ecstatically I might add) that I’d made it through to the second round of Project Food Blog, I immediately thought of making an ethnic food that has everything to do with my heritage. I have to admit there was a lot of second-guessing myself, and even Nate pointed out that different types of Asian cuisine seemed a lot more ‘ethnic’, but in the spirit of staying true to myself and the things I love about where I come from, I knew that German or Swedish food was the way to go.
I present to you Rökta laxknyten (crab-stuffed salmon), Vitkålssallad med gurka (coleslaw with cucumbers), and Räkor i dillröra (shrimp in a dill cream sauce)! The best part about all of these dishes is that they are fresh, light, full of flavor, and so uniquely Swedish.
The simple flavors come together incredibly well, and served with a side of fresh rye bread and apples you can have a complete meal in less than 20 minutes. This is also a meal that is naturally healthy and can also be served as a series of appetizers at parties. Does it get much better? I think not!
Rökta laxknyten (Crab-Stuffed Salmon)
- 6 red leaf lettuce leaves, washed and trimmed
- 2/3 cup sour cream
- 1 Tbsp lemon juice
- 5 tsp hot horseradish
- 1 Tbsp stone ground mustard
- 3/4 pound crabmeat, picked through for shell pieces
- 6 slices smoked salmon
- salt and pepper to taste
- 6 sprigs of dill (optional)
In a bowl whisk together the sour cream and lemon juice. Add in the horseradish (more if you like the heat, less if you don’t) and the mustard. Whisk until totally combined. Set aside 6 teaspoons of the mixture. Fold in the crab meat and season to taste with salt and pepper. Lay out the slices of smoked salmon and add about 2 Tbsp of the crab mixture to the middle of each piece. Roll the salmon around the crab mixture and secure with a toothpick. Top each roll with a little of the sour cream mixture and a sprig of dill. Set each roll on a lettuce leaf. Serve chilled.
Vitkålssallad med gurka (Coleslaw with Cucumbers)
- 1 small head of green cabbage, sliced very thinly
- 1 leek, washed and sliced thin
- 3 large carrots, peeled and sliced into very thin strips
- 1/2 red onion, sliced thinly
- 1 English cucumber, sliced very thinly
- 6 Tbsp olive oil
- 5 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 1 Tbsp lemon juice
- 2 Tbsp sugar
- 2 tsp pickling spice
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp pepper
After slicing all of the vegetables, put them in a large bowl. In a saucepan combine the oil, vinegar, lemon juice, sugar, salt, and pepper over medium heat. Bring the mixture to a boil. Boil for 1 minute and then pour over the vegetables immediately. Toss (be careful!) and set aside to let the vinegar wilt the cabbage a bit and to let the flavors marry together, about 10 minutes. Serve either chilled or at room temperature.
Räkor i dillröra (Shrimp in a Dill Sour Cream Sauce)
- 1 lb shrimp, peeled and deveigned
- 1/2 red onion, chopped
- 1 large bunch of dill, chopped
- 1 cup sour cream
- 2 Tbsp sherry
- salt and pepper to taste
Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Poach the shrimp, about 3-4 minutes, or until they shrimp are pink and firm to the touch. Drain and set aside. In a bowl, whisk together the sour cream, sherry, red onion, and chopped dill. Add salt and pepper to taste. When the shrimp are cool fold them into the sour cream sauce. Serve chilled with toasted rye bread.
__________________________________________________________
Guys, this food reminded me so much of my Mimi and brought so much joy to prepare. It’s not that we all just sat around and ate German and Swedish food growing up, but the pride in where we come from was always there. I miss her every day, but her legacy lives on in me, and for that I could not be more joyful!
I’m constantly amazed by the diversity of this great country, and how all of that incredible culture is shown in the food that we eat every day. Thank you so much to everyone who got me through to this second round of the Next Food Blog star. My hope and prayer (obviously) is to get to round three! Voting begins tomorrow, at which point I’ll be posting the link, but for now I encourage all of you to sit back and think about where you come from and rejoice in that. I know I am by going and eating more stuffed salmon rolls with my sweet tea 
{ 42 comments }
It seemed simple enough. Just follow the instructions.
I mean, I was using a candy thermometer for crying out loud. But I suppose a candy thermometer is only really good if it measures temperatures accurately.
I used Jenna’s Brown Sugar Buttercream recipe, and followed it step by step. But the syrup hardened too fast, leaving half of it out of the egg whites. And therefore the buttercream was bland and not sweet.
I freaked out and put it in the freezer just to get away from it. At least it looked pretty though!
Why was I making Italian buttercream you ask? I was in charge of cupcakes for the first baby shower I’ve ever hosted, and I had visions of wowing the crowd with my fancy shmancy frosting. But you know what I found out? Although I prefer to make my own stuff, canned frosting piped out of a baggie and topped with animal crackers works great too.
Especially when you have both chocolate and cream cheese frosting. These guys went fast!
The baby shower itself was a blast! I got to hang out with great friends and celebrate a new life coming into this world very soon…what more could you wish for on a Saturday?
There were beautiful gifts…
Beautiful flowers…
Biscuits (and an egg casserole and hashbrown casserole I made but botched the pictures on…oops…)
Gorgeous fresh fruit…
Baby stuff galore…
But most of we all got to do a little bit to bless one of our beautiful friends with love, laughter, food, and gifts as she and her husband prepare to bring their second baby boy into this world. And that alone how you make for a perfect Saturday!
I’ll be back later to share my ethnic dish with y’all for the next Foodbuzz Next Food Blog Star challenge! Stay tuned!
{ 14 comments }
