Tag: soup season

Weekend Things

LaurenLeave a comment

This morning, I woke up BEFORE my alarm and it WASN’T pitch dark (the best part about daylight saving time ending!).  And as I got ready, I thought back over the weekend.  I remembered how I ordered chicken liver mousse on Friday and quickly realized I am NOT a chicken liver mousse person.  How we tried a new-to-us restaurant on Saturday and were sorely disappointed in the experience.  How the movie we saw was just okay and how I chipped my brand new manicure by washing the dishes on Sunday.

And while that might sound like a series of disappointments, I thought our weekend was PERFECT.  Because the things that first come to mind aren’t soggy pizza or how I forgot to pick up my contacts AGAIN.  Instead, I’m thinking about being blown away by Amos Lee’s voice, and waking up to Joey making me pancakes on Saturday and the most perfect running weather, and getting to order a beer and settle into our seats at the Mayan early enough to laugh at every one tripping on the exact same stair (WHY??).  Plus Sunday breakfast sandwiches and the reason I had to wash so many dishes?  Because I got to spend the entire day in my kitchen ♥

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We saw Amos Lee at The Buell on Friday night and WHOA, his voice.  I was watching it come out of his mouth and I still couldn’t believe it!  And not only can he sing, but he interacts with the crowd so naturally.  He encoured THREE times!  P.S. I was very into the 4- sister band that opened for him.  They’re called SHEL and they really rocked it.  Oh and I teased this picture of our dinner at The Nickel before the concert, and even though it looks like something that was burnt to a crisp, it was actually a charcoal-encrusted poblano, stuffed with mashed sweet potato and it was maybe one of the best things I’ve eaten this year.

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Saturday was so plan-less and perfect.  I went on a nice long run before walking myself to Base Coat for a mani/pedi.  I went the dark red route, even though Joey tried to tell me it wasn’t close enough to the holidays for red manicures.  What does he know 😛  My thoughts on Moonlight are complicated.  On the one hand, it was so powerful and heartbreaking, on the other, it was slow and lacking resolve.  But still, I’m my happiest self once I step into the Mayan.

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Sunday breakfast at Port Side, where breakfast sandwiches were enjoyed and Pumpkin Spice Lattes were sipped.  Afterwards, Joey headed out and I headed to the store before doing that new Sunday routine of prepping lunches and such for the week.  Also, I spent a good couple of hours making the chicken/broth for this Lemony Chicken and Rice Soup that we finished and ate for dinner.  Bon Appétit recipes can be a little complicated sometimes but if you have the time and patience, they can also teach you new techniques, like tempering eggs.  Result: a soup that was too velvety to be true!

Happy Monday!

What We’ve Been Cooking

LaurenLeave a comment

Aka all the recipes we’ve used and loved recently.

But first, can we talk about skunks for a second?  As in the family of skunks we have making a home under our house.  Yeah, not just one, skunks live in families.  Why?!  We hired an animal removal company to deal with the skunk issue and they have already caught two.  I am trying not to wonder what they do with those skunks after they remove them.  And I’m also imagining that a real life skunk probably isn’t as cute as the cartoon version I have in my head right now.

But aside from dealing with skunks (I swear that’s the last time I’ll write that word), we’ve also been cooking up some really delicious and fresh and comforting meals lately, so I thought I’d share.  I think I kind of fell out of love with cooking for a minute there but I am so back!

Kale Salad with Butternut Squash, Chickpeas and Tahini

Nine times out of ten, I see the words “kale salad” and decide “say no more, I need that!”  This salad was so dang good.  It was green but somehow felt like comfort food too?  I think it was the addition of curried squash.  But a word to the wise, those sugared pecans are ADDICTIVE!

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Minestrone Verde

Soup season is the best season.  I made this one night when we got home late and needed something quick to put together for dinner.  I think this took all of 30 minutes and the flavor was awesome!  I added some green lentils because what’s minestrone without some kind of legume and because they fit the whole verde thing.  Best part: this soup got better and better every day.

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Goat Cheese Scrambled Eggs with Pesto Veggies

You know you’re married when you get in a fight about the proper egg scrambling technique.  But first bite into these cheesy eggs and it no longer mattered.  Also, for being so simple, that kale salad tastes so good!  Oh yeah, that kale salad thing I have again…  Biggest Take Away: to make the best scrambled eggs ever, just add a bunch of goat cheese.

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Noodle Bowl with Tahini

I guess I’m really into tahini lately, huh?  This is actually one of our most repeated meals.  It’s A) super simple and B) really quick.  If that doesn’t sound like perfect weeknight dinner material then I don’t know what does.  Plus as long as you have the dressing ingredients and noodles, you can play around with the veggies you use.  We went the baby bok choy, bell pepper, edamame, carrot route this time around.  Oh and peanuts on top, gotta have those.

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Pumpkin Pizza Dough

From deep within the archives of my first blog!  This dough never disappoints.  It gets all fluffy and golden-orange (is that a color?) and soft and delicious.  Also, it’s pretty foolproof.  As in, I went through not one, not two, but three packets of yeast (that would not foam up) before deciding to just “try it” and it still rose perfectly.  Win!

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Soft Batch Pumpkin Cookies

Alright, I’ll be honest, these have a bit of that “healthy cookie” taste to them.  But “healthy cookie” in that oatmeal cookie kind of way.  And I’m a big oatmeal cookie fan so I loved these.  Plus I topped them with those addictive sugared pecans and that almond butter glaze and everything was right in the world.

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Hearty Chicken Sausage, Roasted Pepper and Whole Wheat Orzo Soup

On a soup-making roll (I also made our favorite white bean chili last week and gosh, that stuff is good)!  I’m not actually going to take credit for making this one (it was all Joey!) but I will take credit for eating a majority of it.  The combo of sausage, roasted red pepper and orzo was just insanely good.

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Currently Lusting After:

Cheese Stuffed Naan Bread <— The recipe pictures are killing me!

Crunchy Stuffed Buffalo Chicken <— You had me at buffalo.

Asian Broccoli Salad <— Peanut sauce, nuff said.

Spiced Cider Margaritas <— Because I needed a way to make my marg obsession seasonal.

And all the kale salads of the world!

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I’m off for a little trip to New Orleans with my mom this weekend and I’m so excited to see my uncle, celebrate my aunt’s birthday and be a guest in my cousin’s new house.  Oh and to eat all the foods.  Happy Friday!