Tag: salad

Halloween Weekend Things

Lauren1 Comment

Friday

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Sneaking out of the office early on Friday when you were out of the office Monday through Wednesday is a no go 😦 but it’s okay because once we got home, we made Roasted Veggie Mac and Cheese and all work stress instantly evaporated.  Poof!  Eating a bowl of comfort food while watching Season 2 of Stranger Things is a happy moment, indeed.  And don’t even pretend you weren’t doing the same!

We also carved two of our pumpkins (they’re already all wilty…) and sorry for that blurry photo but it was cold and I was standing outside in my pajamas, so this is the best I could do.

Saturday

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My plate looks like a melty sundae because cold coconut whipped cream + hot off the griddle pancakes = whipped cream waterfall.  Will I ever learn?  But tasted amazing all the same!  Afterwards, we took ourselves to the Union Station Farmers’ Market for the last time this year and I was met with a mixture of sadness that market season was ending and pure delight over finding those baby butternuts.

Who knows what I did all afternoon but later on, we headed to Bobby’s 30th Birthday/Halloween party as Max and Roxanne from A Goofy Movie.  All I can say is you don’t realize how much you touch your nose until you can’t touch your nose!  Also, I hadn’t dressed up for Halloween in a few years and it felt simultaneously fun and nerve-wracking.

Sunday

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Started Sunday with a pretty latte and even prettier fall leaves ♥  Followed by trips to two different Whole Foods (Whole Foodses?) for cupcake ingredients, but more on that in a moment.  When I got back home, Joey had already headed out to watch football so I took that time to do… uh nothing?  I read, lunched in the backyard and thought about how it was 70° but supposed to snow the next day.

As for those cupcakes, they’re naturally-dyed.  How cool is that?!  The cream cheese frosting is made orange by goji berries and the cupcakes themselves get their color from black sesame seeds.  I tried to make minis but they stuck in the pan SO BAD that I had to abort mission immediately and just make regular sized ones.  Overall, they don’t taste amazing but it seemed like a fun Halloween treat for the office.

What did you do this weekend?  Did you (or are you going to) dress up for Halloween?

Make This Now: Summer Time Recipes!

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It’s summer and every meal must be eaten outdoors!  Okay, not every meal (sometimes something really good is on TV!), but as many as possible.  Mainly to escape the heat of our house, but also because sitting at an actual table without our distraction, surrounded by natural light and the lovely sounds of summer — aka, the kids next door setting off fireworks, but also birds chirping and a slight sweet breeze through the trees — is the epitome of happiness.

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Simple Flaky Crab Cakes + Roasted Carrots and Red Leaf Lettuce Salad with Buttermilk Herb Dressing

Two recipe repeats that I had been dying to make again since last spring!  They were every bit as delicious as I remembered them being.  Get that good crab from Slidell, LA and maybe put some of that buttermilk dressing on the crab cakes too then let that wave of euphoria wash right over you.  Because Katie Lee is my food spirit animal, she is a trusted salad recipe resource!

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BBQ Chicken Burgers

I’ve had these burgers pinned for SO LONG and we just finally made them.  What a mistake that was!  I should have made them so so long ago and I could have been enjoying them for so much longer.  DO NOT MAKE THIS LIFE MISTAKE.  They could not have been fatter or juicier or more BBQ flavor-packed.  We loved them SO MUCH!

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Sesame Soba Noodles + Ginger-Miso Grilled Asparagus 

I’ve made about 50 iterations of sesame soba noodles in my life but I really and truly loved this version!  The ingredient list was short and I had it all on hand, plus the noodles were perfectly coated.  Also, soba noodles only need to cook for something like 3 minutes, which is key if you’ve yet to install your window A/C unit and are looking for things that minimally heat your kitchen.  All sesame soba noodles aside, THESE ASPARAGUS!  I love a ginger-miso situation and I’d never grilled asparagus before so it felt life-changing.

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Summer Bliss Bowls with Sweet Potato Falafel

I’ll be upfront and tell you this recipe does not provide clear falafel frying instructions.  Is it a pan-fry?  A deep-fry?  How hot does the oil need to be??  Ahh!  But relax, because I’m here to guide you to sweet potato falafel success.  Put a 1/2″ of vegetable oil in your cast iron skillet, turn that heat HIGH, then fry each falafel for 3-4 minutes, flip to the other side and repeat.  But these babies are just half the fun because jalapeño ranch, grilled corn, goat cheese, heirloom tomatoes and a sprinkle of fresh dill = a bowl of pure summer… uh bliss.  Okay, this recipe is aptly named!

Curried Grilled Chicken Thighs + Curried Cauliflower Salad with Yogurt

Remember when I came home from a weekend facial and Joey was in the kitchen, making yellow curry paste from scratch and I was like “who are you and what have you done with my husband?!”  This is where that curry paste went and HOLY MOLY so worth making from scratch and so very delicious.  Chicken thighs for president!  It’s maybe not cauliflower season but whatever because these two recipes went together so well.  We were both so delighted by this dinner.

In conclusion, Summer ’17 is off to a delicious start.  Where can we go from here?!