themostcolorfulone - blog

19 for 2019 Updates

2/12/2019

It’s February, the middle of it, how does that make you feel?

Studies have shown that less than 25% of people actually stay committed to their resolutions after just 30 days, and only 8% accomplish them.*

Woof, that’s some real talk, even though it is nothing new. Let’s not feel badly about these statistics; let’s set up a plan of attack instead.

I promised I'd share my 19 for 2019 list, but I've also been nervous that I would not be on track come February and, quite honestly, didn't want to showcase my failures. (Check out my post about 19 for 2019 and the template I shared too).

Here they are, my 19 for 2019:

Follow through on skincare routine (ie. properly wash my face every night)
Got out for monthly date nights
Complete Luke’s baby book
Notarize wills and distribute info to key players
Make baby food
Make 10 new dinners
Send birthday cards
Send our Goddaughter a monthly prayer
Use daily devotional
Overhaul underwear drawer after finish nursing
Clear everything out of storage
Invite pastor over for dinner
Write or call in to one of my favorite podcasts
Play Scrabble twice a month
Go to 4 concerts or shows
Learn how to curl my hair
Get a new family portrait taken at the beach
Reinstate our annual Christmas party
Post “Just 3 Things” monthly

19 for 2019

Having my list posted and making myself interact with it daily to check things off has really helped to keep me engaged and on track. I added SQUARES for daily items, CIRCLES for weekly/monthly/quarterly/countdown items, and DIAMONDS for one-time items, so they can be marked completed accordingly. And I framed the list so that I can use a whiteboard marker right on the glass.

I have other goals for the year related to health and finance, but I am keeping those separately. Maybe I will make a framed tracker for those to help with accountability. It would be fun to have a nook with these items posted with inspirational images or messages to keep motivated throughout the year. I am pumped just thinking about it.

I get that this is kind of intense and that crazy list-making isn't everyone's thing. You do you! If you want to try it out, here is the link for my template again.

Many of the items on my list are not hard and several of them are really meant to remind me to do things that bring me joy. My true resolution and the theme of my entire list is to get out of my own way and enjoy 2019. Hopefully, I’ll be able to make a habit of this year after year.

*Check out full article here.

Just 3 Things No. 3

1/30/2019

We are trying to cut down on meat intake around here in 2019. Our rule of thumb is to only make 3 meat dishes a week. The trick is that we have to find vegetarian meals that are as filling as the meaty meals we are used to. The name of the game is to not hear “will there be chicken with this” from my husband. Here are three recipes never posted to the blog that have been approved for our standard rotation.

Weeknight Vegetarian Dinner Recipes

Butternut Squash Quesadillas

Butternut Squash Quesadillas

Chickpea Curry with
Mashed Sweet Potatoes

Chickpea Curry

French Onion
Noodle Soup

French Onion Noodle Soup

We will be building on this list as we take on our meat limit challenge this year. More to come on our other 19 for 2019 because I am determined to show that there is still some success carried into February at least.

[Repost / Update] The State of Our Union

1/1/2019

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

We've been to a lot of weddings this past year and there are several save the dates on our fridge. And we've been shelling out unsolicited advice to everyone (you know who you are) to have a State of Our Union meeting at the beginning of the year or on an important relationship anniversary. We know it sounds corny and ridiculous, but it has been a great help to our personal development, family development, and our marriage. This is a post I wrote in January 2016 (with mentions of President Obama and all). It outlines what we do in our meeting format and provides some examples of our goal-setting.

PLUS, this year I am adding "19 for 2019" -- not sure if Michael is game yet -- based on Happier with Gretchen Rubin. I will reveal my list after our SOOU meeting. In the meantime, why not make your own. List items can be small, like "get an electric toothbrush" or big, like "run a marathon." I made you this handy template on Google Slides, just save a copy and starting typing in your 19. It is 8x10 so you can even print it out, stick it in a standard frame, and use a dry erase marker to cross things off or mark it up.

Click here for 19 for 2019 Template.

19 for 2019 Template - Free Download

And now for a walk down memory lane to January 2016...

Just when you thought you were all Happy New Year'ed out, I hit you with a New Year's post. Today, Obama will give his final State of the Union Address -- it is the start of the New Year and a great time to set some goals for the country. Each year, on or around New Year's day, Michael and I sit down (then stand up and applaud a few times) to discuss the State of Our Union. It's a bit different, but then again quite similar -- we reflect on our democracy's accomplishments over the previous year and discuss our personal and mutual goals for the year to come. If you read this far, you've accepted the cheese factor and recognize the value in formally examining relationships, goals, grievances, and expectations annually to move into the New Year positively and on the same page as your partner. You may want to grab some wine and/or crackers before you get to the next few paragraphs.

To get started, we review all of our notes from the previous State of Our Union and provide accolades for the attempts and successes we have made over the year. We show great excitement by standing and applauding (seriously). It is easy to lose perspective over the course of 365 days, but on this particular day we celebrate our accomplishments together. This year we celebrated Michael's race accomplishments: 1 Half Marathon, 1 Half IronMan, and 2 Marathons -- that's worth standing for five seconds of applause.

Our conversation is broken into categories. We each reflect on and respond to the categories individually before sitting down at the table. And then we work through our notes, category by category together.

Immediate Action Items
These are deliverables we want to move on right away -- things we didn't finish up before year-end. We add to this list as we move through our conversation, delegating tasks that should be addressed in the first few weeks of the year.

Health + Wellness
Fitness and diet goals for the year to come. It is important to talk through these with your partner to make sure they are reasonable, attainable, and fit within your mutual lifestyle.

New Frontier
Are there things you want to try this year, big or small? Last year, one of my New Frontier goals was to read 4 books -- small, right? I had not really been reading and wanted to get back on track. And I read more than 7 books in 2015 (stand and applaud).

Educational
We are only a few years out of school and want to maintain a culture of learning in our household, so we set some educational goals. This could be as specific as taking a course at the community college or as broad as planning to read more about a new career field of interest.

Finance, Home + Purchase
We are homeowners, but we are also paying student loans and enjoy going out on the weekend. So, we need to be on the same page about what home improvements we want and can afford to make in the coming year. We also need to agree on big purchases, like if one of us really wants to buy a new car in the coming year [cough]. We linger on this category to review our monthly budget and discuss if we want to make any changes to spending and saving plans.

Travel
In line with Home + Purchase, get on the same page about short term and long term travel goals. This will allow you to plan your savings of both money and vacation days to jet-set accordingly.

Family
This is where we hit on how we want to be better members of our extended family. Shake off any arguments you may have endured at Christmas dinner and think about the importance of your loved ones and how you show them their value to you.

Personal + Professional
We talk about our days at work every night, but we don't talk big picture about the promotions we want to get or the transitions we are strategically trying to make in our organizations. At the State of Our Union, we make these ideas known and discuss how they may affect our day to day to day lives.

Community + Philanthropic
This was a big one for me this year -- while in school, I was extraordinarily engaged in community and volunteer activities. Michael has kept this up with international medicine endeavors, but I want to find ways that I can give back in 2016.

Weekly Basis
There are some things we want to do more routinely. Writing down ideas and talking about how we can build them into our weekly schedules helps us to start and stick to such activities.

Long-Term Family + Career
How many kids we want to have, when we want to have them, where we want to live, what kinds of organizations we want to work for etc. -- these are big things to think about and our thoughts on these matters changes each year. While we are open with one another about these life decisions, they can be a bit too heavy for any given weeknight dinner's conversation. The beginning of the year is a great time to address big, future plans head on and give them the time and attention they deserve.

Still enjoying the cheese? I recognize that this sounds out of control. But I can say, with some experience now (4 years into our union), that taking the 2 or 3 hours to really talk through these matters provides a great sync between Michael and me. We are supportive of each other and make reference to this discussion when making decisions throughout the year. Most significantly, we hold each other accountable to meet goals or make strides toward meeting the goals we set out in the State of Our Union.

2016 is young, prep some cheese and crackers, then hand off this post to your partner and tell them you want to build this practice into your relationship. You can blame it on me when they mock the idea and when they thank you for it later.

Finally, don't forget to pepper in the most important phrases of the event: The State of Our Union is Strong. AND God bless us and God bless the United States of America.

Happy New Year!

Click here for the original post.

Slow Cooker Steel Cut Oats

12/20/2018

With New Year's resolution time upon us, meal planning and prepping are noble means to save money and limit food waste. But, they are really tough too. We plan our menu weekly and there are still weeks that I make too much or we change our plans and I don't think to freeze unused ingredients. So, here's an idea, start one meal at a time. I don't mean one single meal, I mean one mealtime -- breakfast.

We have two breakfast options that we switch between every other week in our household. Both have limitless mix-in combinations and are protein-packed. First, is quiche (check out quiche ideas here and here) and second, is steel cut oats, prepped in the slow cooker. We’ve only tried a few different mix-in options for the steel cut oats and the most successful recipe combo is blueberry banana.

Don’t forget to use a slow cooker liner for fast clean up. Check them out here.

Here’s what you need…

1-1/2 cups steel cut oats
1/2 cup uncooked quinoa (optional)
1-1/2 cups frozen blueberries
3 ripe bananas, mashed
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 cup maple syrup
1 15oz can coconut milk (unsweetened)
1 cup applesauce
4 cups water
Sliced almonds or other nuts for garnish

Let’s get started…

Slow Cooker Steel Cut Oats

1. Combine all ingredients in slow cooker. Mixture will be very watery.

Slow Cooker Steel Cut Oats

2. Cook on low for about 4 hours or until consistency is similar to cooked oatmeal. If possible, stir every hour or so to keep oats from sticking to the bottom of the mixture.

Slow Cooker Steel Cut Oats

3. Enjoy immediately or separate into servings with almond garnish and store for breakfasts. Simply reheat in the microwave.

This warm, delightful treat can be the foray into your meal planning or simply your Christmas morning breakfast offering.

Thanks so much for jumping back on board with me this year. Happiest holidays to you and your family! We will be seeing you in the New Year.

Just 3 Things No. 2

12/5/2018

I think there is a lot of pressure on stay at home partners to keep everything tightly organized. When I was pregnant, both Michael and I were thinking it would be no problem for me to manage Luke and to create seamless organization systems for all the things. Not the case from the get-go, but we are trying to find a balance of building Luke’s best life and optimizing household activities from finances, to laundry, to travel planning. And what do you know, it’s consuming and exhausting. So, we wanted to share the tools we use everyday and some ideas for gifts to help new parents in your life too.

Just 3 Things No 2

Life Organizing Tools:
I plan to do deeper dives into how we use these tools in our household. If you are thinking about trying to use new apps in the New Year, here are some ideas for places to start.

Evernote - I’ve been a loyal Evernote user for years. I keep so much of our lives organized here with weekly to do lists, menus, grocery lists, work notes, holiday, and travel planning, not to mention my entire archive of blog posts. In my opinion, it is mush simpler to work with than OneNote and the sync is spot on.
LastPass - I know that Google and Apple may have you covered on password storage, but LastPass adds a layer of information to help you keep track of memberships and other details. Not to get too morbid, but we are using LastPass to assemble personal information that needs to get to our family in case of an emergency too.
Mint - Consolidating financial information is the only way I can conceive staying on top of our credit card churning — we’ll save that for another post too. I use Mint so that I can export all of our transactions monthly to review spending and saving.

Self-Care for New Moms:

Microfiber Hair Towel Wrap - I had considerable postpartum hair loss and I made it worse by throwing my hair in a messy bun after every shower instead of properly drying it and leaving it down. Hair wraps like this one keep your hair out of the way whenever you do have a chance to shower. And they help dry your hair more quickly so you can cut down on blow-dry time when you are trying to get out of the house.
Fit4Mom - When Luke freaked out at the sound of the treadmill (months ago), I just up and stopped going to the gym…great. However, I recently found Fit4Mom stroller fitness classes. Luke and I gear up and head out to these kid-friendly, butt-kicking classes. Fit4Mom is franchised and available in many cities.
Shower Speaker - Can you tell that the shower is my escape space? I try to shower while Luke is asleep, but sometimes I just have to take a shower. Although Luke is safely situated, he will still cry and I drown out his cries with music or podcasts broadcast to our bluetooth shower speaker. Terrible? No shame here.

Parent Helpers:

Stroller Wrist Strap - For the paranoid mama or papa bear in your life, a safety wrist strap for the stroller is an added comfort for keeping a firm grip.
Mommy Hook - It’s a big carabiner, nothing special there. However, it really is a huge help with diaper bags, groceries, and shopping bags that can be clipped quickly. These are all about getting your hands freed up quickly. Comes in a pack of two; so, one you accidentally leave one on the grocery store shopping cart, you have a backup — speaking from experience.
Baby Carrier Jacket - People stop us all the time to find out more about our baby carrier jacket. Some are parents, but most are just jealous of how cozy the setup looks and wish they could be snuggled up as well. This jacket works on any baby carrier, but then also converts to a stroller blanket. I love the fleece lined pocket for my hands on the front.

Just 3 Things No. 1

11/8/2018

Is it intimidating that my last post wast on June 3, 2017 (yikes 2017)? Yes.

Many have asked if I will be transitioning into the "Mommy Blog" sphere, since leaving my full time job to stay at home with Luke who was born in March. The short answer is, "I don't know." What I do know is that I've listened to many life hacky and motivational podcasts and skimmed personality, work/life balance books to try to find an answer. But guess what, my answer is still, "I don't know." My brain is really trying to believe that I can pick up the blog and maintain the same audience, but I know that since Luke came into the world, our lives have completely changed and my voice and viewpoints will never be the same. When I said to another mom in passing that I am not qualified to be a "Mommy Blogger," she refuted my self-doubt immediately and reminded me that I certainly am because the only qualifier is being a parent.

I want all to feel welcomed, inspired, and entertained, parent or not. So, I will give it a go--writing as a lady, wife, mom, friend, who enjoys making things, doing things, learning things, and sharing the things with you.

Previously in catch up posts, I've listed what's been going on, but today I want to talk through some everyday things I've found myself being thankful for since ... being pregnant, quitting my full time job, having a baby, moving to Philadelphia, moving to another apartment in Philadelphia, and practicing parenthood. No need to be overwhelmed, let's look at this as "just 3 things" in a few categories so you can take-away something quickly (and maybe I can find the time to do another post like this in less than a year's time).

In the kitchen:

Crockpot liners - huge timesavers with minimal cost. They take the cleanup anxiety out of making a delicious, slow-cooked chili, soup, overnight oats, and more.

Ground mustard - where has this spice been all my life?! It was probably hidden away because I was allergic to mustard as a kid. I use onion powder and black pepper as my main flavor providers, but mustard is great in so many dishes.
Frozen pearl onions - don't worry about chopping onions. These bad boys can be dumped into your recipe and soften nicely so you don't have to worry about chomping down into a hunk of onion.

***Looking for a crockpot recipe for the weekend? Try Steak + Sweet Potato Chili from our 2014 Great Chili Cook-Off (other recipes available in the Recipe Index).

Around the house:

Cloth napkins - sounds like a hassle, but not really. Cloth napkins are environmentally-friendly, fun to look at, and make for a great low-cost item to find when you need a shopping fix.
Fresh flowers - nothing revolutionary here, fresh flowers make our home friendlier. Trader Joe's offers great deals on small bouquets that you can vase up or deconstruct to use in several vases. We put ours in no-frills IKEA glasses and they make a huge difference in our decor.
Glass water bottles - we've been using glass water bottles for years, so hipster, right? Glass bottles make your table look complete when you have dinner guests and make it easy to refill your glass when you are sitting on the couch watching Netflix. Win win.

In your ears and eyeballs:

MamaMia Out Loud - three Australian ladies talking about all the things. Pop culture, politics (yes, the rest of the world talks about the US's mess too), and fun recommendations. They have 2 episodes a week and I look forward to them both.
Happier with Gretchen Rubin - I am in the Gretchen Rubin rabbit hole. Creator of The Four Tendencies, Gretchen and her sister, Elizabeth Craft, talk about strategies for improving happiness in your day to day life. I highly recommend the podcast and Gretchen's books.
Girls' Night In (GNI) - weekly email newsletter with funny memes and interesting articles. This was shared with me and I like to pass it on to my lady friends for a Friday morning dose of ideas for the weekend and week ahead. Great conversation starters for Friday night dinner.

***Looking for more of my favorite podcasts? Revisit #TryPod 28 of My Favorite Podcasts.

And, in other news, Luke.

Luke@7months

Chicken & Dumplings Casserole

6/3/2017

Summer has arrived. We have some exciting weeks ahead, but until then we are homebound and in need of comfort food. What sounds more comforting than chicken and dumplings -- perhaps a casserole? Bingo, chicken and dumplings casserole. In addition to our quiche of the week plan, we are also powering Michael up with some comfort desserts and we definitely recommend that you revisit the Earl Grey Lemon Squares, Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Shortbread Cookies, and Cornmeal Berry Sheet Cake recipes. Let's get some food in our stomachs before diving into all this sugar.

Here's what you'll need...

1 bunch celery washed and chopped
1/2 sweet onion chopped
1 cup cauliflower pearls
1/2 stick margarine
1 tablespoon olive oil
salt and pepper
3 cups shredded chicken
1 cup self-rising flour
1 1/4 cups buttermilk
1 10oz can cream of chicken soup
11/2 cups chicken broth
parsley

Prep required...

Cook 3 chicken breasts with 1/4 cup chicken broth, salt, and pepper in crockpot for 4 hours on high and shred.
Chop onion and celery, saute with cauliflower, salt, pepper, butter, and oil until soft.

Let's get started...
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Layer onion, celery, cauliflower mix in bottom of lightly greased casserole dish.

3. Cover vegetables with shredded chicken.

4. Whisk together flour and buttermilk. Spread batter mixture over chicken. Do not combine layers.

5. Combine soup and broth until even in texture. Pour over casserole and top with parsley.

6. Bake for about 55 minutes or until top is golden.

Serve with a cold side, like cucumber salad or try my Green Bean Salad recipe from summer 2015.

Power Breakfast Mini Quiches

4/6/2017

Power Breakfast Mini Quiches

We have instituted a Quiche-of-the-Week at our house over the last few months. It started as a weekly dinner and morphed into a quick to-go breakfast for Michael to eat between his morning gym session and work. This week, we tried more portable mini quiches without crust.

Here's what you'll need...

3 potatoes grated (press out as much liquid as possible)
Olive Oil
Salt + Pepper
5 eggs
3/4 cups milk
Tarragon
Fillings of your choice | shown with...
Sliced ham, diced onion, + tomatoes
Other favorites...
Sweet potato + goat cheese
Mushroom, sausage, + rosemary
Broccoli, sausage, + cheddar
Spinach, tomato, + ricotta

Let's get started...

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

2. Toss grated potato with olive oil, salt, and pepper.

3. Thoroughly grease muffin pan.

Power Breakfast Mini Quiches

4. Press potato into bottom of each muffin cup. Bake for 20 minutes to crisp potatoes

5. Whisk together egg, milk, tarragon, salt, and pepper.

Power Breakfast Mini Quiches

6. Remove potatoes from oven and add fillings to each muffin cup.

Power Breakfast Mini Quiches

7. Remove potatoes from oven and add fillings to each muffin cup.

Power Breakfast Mini Quiches

8. Bake for 25 minutes.

9. Let cool thoroughly in muffin tin to store or serve warm.

You can try any spices in your quiche, but I always put tarragon in our quiche or scrambled eggs. I can so vividly recall my Aunt Monica telling me that tarragon makes scrambled eggs. I had never heard of tarragon at the time. And I have never made eggs without tarragon since.

#TryPod 28 of My Favorite Podcasts

3/25/2017

#TryPod #NPR @themostcolorfulone

NPR is heading up a month-long campaign called #TryPod (ie. Try Podcasts) to promote growth for the podcasting media outlet. We are unabashedly podcast consumers out our house. As Michael puts it, "we are in a golden age of media," regarding the innumerable options we can scroll through on our podcast and video streaming services. We each have our go-to shows, but I do my best to regularly explore the "Discover" section of Pocketcast, my listening app of choice (free on mobile devices and one-time $9 fee for the web app). Still not sure how to get started? Check out this article for step by step instructions on using Pocketcast.

I have built listening into most of my daily activities -- driving, housework, walking around the neighborhood, even showering. And, I at this point I look forward to new episodes, like I used to look forward to the release of a new weekly television series episode.

Enjoy the golden age of media and share what you find out there, so we can have a listen too. #TryPod.

Here's what I've been pumping into my ears. Give them a try! Disclaimers: most of what I listen to is not safe for kids and the shows are listed in alphabetical order.

My Never Miss an Episode Listening Lineup

#TryPod Mamamia Out Loud

#TryPod Gilmore Guys

#TryPod Gimlet Reply All

#TryPod Serial

#TryPod Gimlet Homecoming

#TryPod Gimlet StartUp

#TryPod LadyGang

#TryPod Young House Love Has a Podcast

Criminal
Phoebe Judge digs into obscure criminal stories from recent years and centuries ago. The stories are engaging, disturbing, and fascinating glimpses into peoples' lives and relationships.

Gilmore Guys
Admittedly, this is a niche listening pleasure. Kevin Porter and Demi Adejuyigbe launch a weekly rap session about writer Amy Sherman-Palladino's shows, namely Gilmore Girls. They take over-analyzing to a new level with episodes running for 3+ hours regularly. The show is a pop-culture stream of consciousness that tends to make me laugh out loud.

Heavyweight
Jonathan Goldstein has a great, unique voice. He does stories on This American Life, but Heavyweight refocuses his storytelling on reconnecting people with their pasts and often their regrets. I hold onto lots from my past, so this one really pulls on my heartstrings.

Homecoming
Media is cyclical -- Homecoming harkens to the days of radio broadcasted storytelling by delivering a fictional story week by week. It is complete with a foreboding theme song and very familiar [celebrity] voices.

LadyGang
Three working Los Angeles ladies talk mostly about how to make it through the day with all of the first world lady insecurities that many of us carry around. Light-hearted and usually embarrassingly funny, these girls make me laugh while walking around the block...alone.

Mamam!a Out Loud
Three working Aussie ladies talk pop culture, politics, and womanhood. Representing women in their 20s, 30s, and 40s, I can always relate to at least one of the Mamamia ladies' takes on the day's topics. Mamam!a is the largest women-run podcast network in the world -- very cool.

Reply All
A podcast about the internet. PJ Vogt and Alex Goldman investigate interesting human interest stories that are rooted in internet technology -- ranging from pieces how mothers can donate/source breast milk, figure out the stories behind long lost photos, and solve super tech problems all via the web.

Serial
The biggest podcast in the world -- Serial dissects a singular criminal situation in a chapter by chapter recap and deep dive over the course of a season.

StartUp
Alex Blumberg took grassroots marketing to a new level in the creation of his podcasting network, Gimlet Media. He started with one podcast, detailing the ups and downs of starting Gimlet in real-time, thereby building the listening audience for subsequently launched shows. Whoa. All of my adult work experience has been with startup companies, so that listening to other people talk about their daily and big picture struggles helps me to put mine into perspective.

Young House Love has a Podcast
Named simply to match the brand, the creators of Young House Love, talk home and family weekly. In this week's episode, co-creator, Sherry Petersik talked about the one thing keeping their family from cutting the cable cord, BRAVO!, so this duo has cemented my weekly listening habit.

Sweet Potato Bread Pudding

3/5/2017

Sweet Potato Bread Pudding

I am impressively skilled at making things more complicated than they need to be in all aspects of life. Most of the time, this is not so great. But, one area this added complication is welcome is...in making our Sunday dinner side dishes. Sweet potato bread pudding brings together sweet potatoes, spinach, bacon, and bread in a savory and filling side. Remember that time I made a Kitchen Bucket List in 2015? -- whew, that's a throwback. Anyway, this is a late submission for KBL #9: New Side Dishes. Let's get into it.

Here's what you'll need...

~1 1/2 pounds sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1 1/2- to 2-inch cubes
olive oil
salt and pepper
8 thick-cut bacon slices
1/2 cup chopped sweet onion
1 (5-oz.) pkg. baby spinach
8 slices French bread loaf, cut into 1-inch cubes
1 cup grated parmesan cheese
5 large eggs
1/2 cups half-and-half
1/2 teaspoon cardamom

Sweet Potato Bread Pudding

Let's get started...

1. Pre-heat the oven to 400 degrees. Lay out bacon strips on a rack on top of a foil-lined baking sheet.

2. Toss potatoes with olive oil, salt, and pepper and spread on another foil-lined baking sheet.

3. Bake both sheets for about 25 minutes, flipping potatoes and bacon halfway through.

4. Take oven temperature down to 375 degrees.

4. Over medium-high heat, cook onion with oil until transparent. Add spinach, then add potatoes (once soft), stirring continuously.

Sweet Potato Bread Pudding

5. Add cubed bread and continue to stir until softened. Remove from heat.

Sweet Potato Bread Pudding

6. Grease a 13x9 baking pan and add bread potato mixture. Fold cheese into mixture.

Sweet Potato Bread Pudding

7. Whisk together eggs, half and half, and cardamom.

8. Pour egg over casserole.

Sweet Potato Bread Pudding

9. Bake for 45 to 50 minutes or until golden brown.

10. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving.

I used a biscuit cutter to portion rounded servings, but it can be cut and served in squares or scooped.

This recipe was adapted from Southern Living (September 2016).

Did you like how I chose not to address the 4-month gap in posts up top there? Very suave, cool as a cucumber. A few things have happened:

Viewed Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life (#gilmoreguysshow #supergillypartypeople) with my really great cousins, uncle, and parents
Had a very Merry Christmas with the rents
Thoroughly enjoyed Lauren Graham's Talking as Fast as I Can
Spent a weekend in Knoxville with my favorite sister, brother-in-law, niece and nephews
Deeply dove into the Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up -- our closets are getting very tidy
Celebrated -- read "freaked out about" -- turning 28
Watched Michael travel the country interviewing for fellowships
Planned a very exciting international vacation for June (by way of Las Vegas for Backstreet Boys: Larger than Life)
Secured Hamilton (Chicago) tickets

#blessed

Couponing to Self-Affirmation

10/29/2016

Best Coupon Apps

Clipping coupons is not glamorous, but seeing cashback and savings rack up can be make you feel like you are really doing something right. There are great apps that can get you to these savings quickly and give you that self-affirming feeling after just a few shopping trips. And we are not just talking toilet paper and laundry detergent coupons. Let's dig into 6 apps that I have been using with savings success:

ibotta
Do you watch tv? Me too, so use that time in front of the Housewives for something a little bit more productive. Scroll through weekly offers for cashback on grocery purchases and other in-store shopping -- unlock offers by answering quick brand-related questions or watching short ad videos. Once you hit the $20 mark you can cash out to Venmo, Paypal, or a selection of gift card brands. I got into my Christmas shopping today and will be breaking $100 in cashback with today's purchases after using ibotta for less than a year.

Pro tip! Link your grocery store loyalty card so your offers are automatically redeemed and to eliminate the worry of scanning barcodes and uploading receipts.

Pro tip! Share with friends to get added bonuses, including $5+ for referrals. Use my referral code to reward us both: jmsjkyn.

coupons.com
Ok, this is going to take you a little more effort. Browse through coupons that you are missing out on because, surely, you don't get a Sunday newspaper. Digitally clip the coupons you will use on your next trip, then email, or print the coupons to take to the store. This is instant savings, so you can spend less and not wait for cashback.

Pro tip! Most coupons are redeemable for several weeks, so try to clip coupons for your next few shopping trips in one go.

Checkout51
Make sure to hold on to your receipt. Checkout51 features grocery offers for any grocery store as well as specific store offers. After making a purchase, you upload a photo of your receipt and scan the barcode of the products with cashback offers. Once you earn $20, you can cash out to a physical check that arrives in the mail.

Pro tip! Checkout51 offers cannot be combined with other coupons.

Ebates
Let's go shopping! If you do any online shopping, you might as well check in with Ebates. Simply input the credit card you use for your online shopping and launch the shopping site through the Ebates app or website. Cashback through Ebates is not immediate. Instead, cash out occurs quarterly via physical check, Paypal deposit, or donation to charitable organization.

Pro tip! If you want to use Ebates and another promo code, make sure the shopping site will accept multiple codes.

Pro tip! Cash out only occurs if you have at least $5.01 earned in your account.

Plenti
Plenti can drag you in hard with minimal reward, but if used moderately, may earn you a free tank of gas. Plenti is the rewards program shared by Macys, Exxon, and RiteAid. But, you can link many grocery store cards and unlock weekly offers on various items to earn rewards quickly. Plus, Plenti partners with several travel vendors so you can earn rewards quickly if planning a trip online.

Pro tip! Bookmark Plenti and check in when you are booking a trip or making an online purchase.

Pro tip! Try linking a credit card that you use at restaurants. Many restaurants are affiliated and can earn about 3 points per dollar.

ShopYourWay
Similar to Plenti, ShopYourWay is the rewards program shared by Sears and Kmart. ShopYourWay has also partnered up with other vendors. Opportunities for earning extra points or discounts if you spend a certain amount at Sears or Kmart come up via email frequently.

Pro tip! Since Lands' End has partnered with Sears, so discounts can be used on online Lands' End purchases.

Go on, get saving and let me know how it goes.

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Shortbread Cookies

9/18/2016

Peanut Butter Shortbread Cookies

Fall starts this week. Hooray for cute boots and scarves, boo for raking leaves every weekend. To really get things going, I bought a pumpkin scented candle and kicked off my Christmas shopping. Why not get a jump start trying out cookie recipes too? I love shortbread cookies. They are dense, sweet, and melt in your mouth. These cookies take it to the next level with peanut butter and chocolate chips. Give yourself some time, they need to spend at least an hour in the refrigerator. Otherwise, these are almost as easy as my 4-Ingredient Cookies.

Here's what you'll need...

1/2 cup margarine (room temperature)
1/3 cup creamy peanut butter
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 cup powdered sugar
1-1/4 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup chocolate chips

Peanut Butter Shortbread Cookies

Let's get started...

1. Cream margarine and peanut butter in mixer until smooth.

2. Mix in vanilla.

Peanut Butter Shortbread Cookies

3. Whisk together sugar, flour, and salt.

Peanut Butter Shortbread Cookies

4. Combine wet and dry ingredients slowly, mixing until forming dough.

5. Fold in chocolate chips and mix thoroughly.

6. Transfer to wax paper and form dough into log about 8-10 inches long.

7. Wrap and refrigerate for about 1 hour or until firm.

8. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

9. Slice log into 1/2 inch thick rounds and place on parchment papered baking sheet.

10. Bake for 14 minutes. The cookies will not rise or brown, so be careful not to over-bake or burn the bottoms.

11. Let cool on pan for about 5 minutes, then transfer to cooling rack.

Peanut Butter Shortbread Cookies

This dough is quick and easy to make and is egg free. It is perfect for sticking in the fridge or freezer to bake on demand for a weeknight dessert or your for your next event. I may try baking the dough into brownies or cupcakes -- chocolate chip cookie dough cake -- yes please and thank you.

Raisin Bran Cereal Muffins

8/28/2016

Raisin Bran Cereal Muffins

Remember that time I had a blog? Yes - but just vaguely though, right? You can feel it coming back to you now. Oh yeah, themostcolorfulone, on food, family, and home, just like all those other blogs. What better way to move on from the last several months of life without the blog than...muffins? I can't think of one.

This is one of those recipes that I have seen on the side of the cereal box since the times when I actually sat at the breakfast table reading all sides of the cereal box. Twenty years later, it seemed time to try making Raisin Bran Cereal Muffins. I dressed up the side of the box recipe with a few extra spices and a sweet, nutty topping.

This recipe is a great base muffin mix, consider livening these muffins up with ripe banana or canned pumpkin.

Here's what you'll need...

1-1/4 cups milk
1/3 cup honey
1 teaspoon vanilla
1-3/4 flour
2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 egg
1/4 cup oil
1 tablespoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon cardamom
1/3 cup chopped pecans (or other chopped nuts)
1/4 cup oatmeal
1/3 cup brown sugar

Raisin Bran Cereal Muffins

Let's get started...

1. Pre-heat the oven to 400 degrees.

Raisin Bran Cereal Muffins

2. Pour the milk, honey, and vanilla over the cereal and let soak until the cereal softens, about 3 to 5 minutes.

3. Combine your flour, sugar, salt, and baking powder in a large mixing bowl. Set aside.

Raisin Bran Cereal Muffins

4. Beat egg and oil into the cereal mixture and add in the cinnamon and cardamom. Mix throughly

Raisin Bran Cereal Muffins

5. Combine the cereal and dry mixture and mix thoroughly. If mixture is too thick, add milk to thin.

6. Spoon batter into muffin cups.

7. Combine chopped pecans, oatmeal, and brown sugar.

Raisin Bran Cereal Muffins

8. Top each muffin generously with brown sugar mixture.

Raisin Bran Cereal Muffins

9. Bake for 20 minutes or until fork comes out clean of center muffin.

10. Serve warm or store in an airtight container.

I love cereal and I love muffins, so I am pretty pleased with myself on this one.I found some similar recipes that can be stored in the refrigerator as batter for several days. These sound like great make-ahead options for brunch or holiday breakfasts for a crowd.

Thanks for sticking with me. I appreciate you.

The State of Our Union

1/12/2016

Just when you thought you were all Happy New Year'ed out, I hit you with a New Year's post. Today, Obama will give his final State of the Union Address -- it is the start of the New Year and a great time to set some goals for the country. Each year, on or around New Year's day, Michael and I sit down (then stand up and applaud a few times) to discuss the State of Our Union. It's a bit different, but then again quite similar -- we reflect on our democracy's accomplishments over the previous year and discuss our personal and mutual goals for the year to come. If you read this far, you've accepted the cheese factor and recognize the value in formally examining relationships, goals, grievances, and expectations annually to move into the New Year positively and on the same page as your partner. You may want to grab some wine and/or crackers before you get to the next few paragraphs.

To get started, we review all of our notes from the previous State of Our Union and provide accolades for the attempts and successes we have made over the year. We show great excitement by standing and applauding (seriously). It is easy to lose perspective over the course of 365 days, but on this particular day we celebrate our accomplishments together. This year we celebrated Michael's race accomplishments: 1 Half Marathon, 1 Half IronMan, and 2 Marathons -- that's worth standing for five seconds of applause.

Our conversation is broken into categories. We each reflect on and respond to the categories individually before sitting down at the table. And then we work through our notes, category by category together.

Immediate Action Items
These are deliverables we want to move on right away -- things we didn't finish up before year-end. We add to this list as we move through our conversation, delegating tasks that should be addressed in the first few weeks of the year.

Health + Wellness
Fitness and diet goals for the year to come. It is important to talk through these with your partner to make sure they are reasonable, attainable, and fit within your mutual lifestyle.

New Frontier
Are there things you want to try this year, big or small? Last year, one of my New Frontier goals was to read 4 books -- small, right? I had not really been reading and wanted to get back on track. And I read more than 7 books in 2015 (stand and applaud).

Educational
We are only a few years out of school and want to maintain a culture of learning in our household, so we set some educational goals. This could be as specific as taking a course at the community college or as broad as planning to read more about a new career field of interest.

Finance, Home + Purchase
We are homeowners, but we are also paying student loans and enjoy going out on the weekend. So, we need to be on the same page about what home improvements we want and can afford to make in the coming year. We also need to agree on big purchases, like if one of us really wants to buy a new car in the coming year [cough]. We linger on this category to review our monthly budget and discuss if we want to make any changes to spending and saving plans.

Travel
In line with Home + Purchase, get on the same page about short term and long term travel goals. This will allow you to plan your savings of both money and vacation days to jet-set accordingly.

Family
This is where we hit on how we want to be better members of our extended family. Shake off any arguments you may have endured at Christmas dinner and think about the importance of your loved ones and how you show them their value to you.

Personal + Professional
We talk about our days at work every night, but we don't talk big picture about the promotions we want to get or the transitions we are strategically trying to make in our organizations. At the State of Our Union, we make these ideas known and discuss how they may affect our day to day to day lives.

Community + Philanthropic
This was a big one for me this year -- while in school, I was extraordinarily engaged in community and volunteer activities. Michael has kept this up with international medicine endeavors, but I want to find ways that I can give back in 2016.

Weekly Basis
There are some things we want to do more routinely. Writing down ideas and talking about how we can build them into our weekly schedules helps us to start and stick to such activities.

Long-Term Family + Career
How many kids we want to have, when we want to have them, where we want to live, what kinds of organizations we want to work for etc. -- these are big things to think about and our thoughts on these matters changes each year. While we are open with one another about these life decisions, they can be a bit too heavy for any given weeknight dinner's conversation. The beginning of the year is a great time to address big, future plans head on and give them the time and attention they deserve.

Still enjoying the cheese? I recognize that this sounds out of control. But I can say, with some experience now (4 years into our union), that taking the 2 or 3 hours to really talk through these matters provides a great sync between Michael and me. We are supportive of each other and make reference to this discussion when making decisions throughout the year. Most significantly, we hold each other accountable to meet goals or make strides toward meeting the goals we set out in the State of Our Union.

2016 is young, prep some cheese and crackers, then hand off this post to your partner and tell them you want to build this practice into your relationship. You can blame it on me when they mock the idea and when they thank you for it later.

Finally, don't forget to pepper in the most important phrases of the event: The State of Our Union is Strong. AND God bless us and God bless the United States of America.

Happy New Year!

Butternut Squash Soup

11/1/2015

Butternut Squash Soup

I took a cue from my co-workers a few weeks ago and made a pot of butternut squash soup for the first snowy day of the season -- in October. As we start out November, consider this recipe makes for a great dinner, half-time snack, or Thanksgiving starter. We even used the leftovers as sweet and savory gravy over beef stew.

Butternut Squash Soup

Here's what you'll need...

~2 pounds butternut squash
1 large yam
1/4 cup butter
3/4 cup brown
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp ginger
1/2 tsp cloves
1 1/2 cups chicken stock
1 cup unsweetened applesauce
1 cup heavy cream
salt and pepper to taste
goat cheese
bread or croutons

Let's get started...

1. Wash your squash and yam thoroughly and prick with fork. Microwave on high, individually, for 2 minutes or until soft.

Butternut Squash Soup

2. Peel, remove seeds, and cube the squash and yam.

3. Melt butter over medium high heat and add in sugar and spices until creamed.

5. Add chicken stock and applesauce and bring to a boil.

6. Add squash and yam and simmer until mashable over medium heat.

7. Mix in heavy cream and salt and pepper.

8. Blend mixture with and blender or immersion blender and return to heat.

Butternut Squash Soup

9. Ladle into serving bowls, top with goat cheese, and serve with bread or croutons.

This soup is creamy and very filling. Try adding some extra stock to thin it out to your liking. I don't think I am going to make it all the way through by January 1st, but getting closer with each recipe -- soup ideas for you are #11 on my Kitchen Bucket List.

How to Spend a Long Weekend in Denver

10/4/2015

How to Spend a Long Weekend in Denver

We are a few weeks back into work mode after a great vacation to Colorado. We are doing our best to take advantage of off-season pricing and activities for every vacation we take. For this year's vacation we hit up Denver and Aspen in September -- before ski season and after the summer tourist season. We spent three days in Denver: Saturday through Monday and then relaxed in Aspen for the next three days. I was pretty pleased with our 3-day plan to visit and eat our way through Denver. We certainly did not experience all Denver has to offer, but recommend the following long weekend plan.

Quick Tips

Purchase a Mile High Culture Pass. There are two options 3 attractions for $25 or 7 attractions for $52.80. We stuck with the 3-attraction option for our 3-day visit. If you forget to buy the Culture Pass in advance, you can stop in at the Tourist Information Center and get some other travel recommendations and pick up Denver swag while you are there.
Reserve your US Mint tour. We missed out on the opportunity to visit Denver's US Mint because tours can be reserved as early as 90 days in advance and book up quickly -- so reserve your tour soon as you know your travel dates.
Use UBER. We had lots of fun with our UBER drivers and found it was the easiest and cheapest way to get around the city as a group of three visitors. Also, purchasing a Mile High Culture Pass qualifies you for discounts on the Denver Bike Share program. Make sure to pack a helmet!
Bring your BFF. We were lucky enough to spend our Denver days with our best friend. We met at the airport for a long weekend together.
Skip or Savor the Brewery Scene. Don't get too hung up on brewery tours. We enjoyed a brewery-free weekend and didn't feel we were missing out. You can get some local brews to accompany your dinner at most downtown restaurants.

Long Weekend Plan

SATURDAY

Denver Botanic Gardens

Visit the Denver Botanic Gardens  Our first stop with our Mile High Culture passes was the Denver Botanic Gardens on Saturday afternoon to have a friendly photography contest. The grounds are beautiful and you can certainly make a game out avoiding or sneaking into wedding photos on a Saturday.

Dinner @ Linger  Linger offers a world of flavors with tapas style offerings listed by continent on the menu. We loved the Roasted Beet Salad. You will definitely want to make a reservation to snag a indoor, open-air table, particularly on Saturday night. The rooftop has great views of the neighborhood, but is first come, first serve seating. So, plan to arrive early for your reservation and have a drink up there before taking your dinner seats.

Dessert @ Little Man Ice Cream  Luckily, Linger is right next door to Little Man Ice Cream. The line for this infamous ice cream wraps the block -- but don't miss out on the Express Line, with a curated selection, but plenty of options to get a taste appreciation for this magical ice cream, including vegan offerings. Based on the line, chatter, and deliciousness, you would think this ice cream has been around for a hundred years, but in fact it was founded in 2008 with a great mission -- "For every scoop of ice cream purchased, Little Man matches that scoop with a donated scoop of rice or beans to a community in need somewhere in the world." And they have the friendliest staff around!

Take your ice cream cone on a walk. The Highland neighborhood was designed for walking and you won't want to resist the urge to snap some selfies or super artsy Instagram photos on the Highland Bridge.

Check Out a Show at Dazzle Jazz  The night is young! Catch the second Saturday night show at Dazzle Jazz. A night at a jazz club certainly out of our everyday routine and a great way to unwind from a day of traveling and touring.

SUNDAY

Denver Art Museum

Culture it Up at the Denver Art Museum Our second Mile High Culture adventure was to the Denver Art Museum. For this blogger with an architecture degree, the Frederic C. Hamilton Building, designed by Daniel Libeskind, was a bigger draw than some of the art inside. We walked away from the exhibits with newfound interest in some American artists including Keith Jacobshagen. From the art museum, you will have great views of the State Capitol and Denver City Hall -- remember to check for them through windows you pass especially in stairwells.

As you walk around town, make sure to snap a picture with the Big Blue Bear.

Brunch @ The Squeaky Bean Don't just brunch, BINGO brunch on Sunday afternoon at the Squeaky Bean. Play a few rounds of BINGO with strangers while you chow down on sweet Monkey Bread and savory grits. You may just win a pitcher of mimosas -- and then another that you can share with the table next to you.

Shop Larimer The 16th Street Mall and Larimer Square offer some boutique (expensive) shopping, but also a good selection of national standard brands. If you have room in your suitcase, you can definitely find some new items to stock your closet.

Laugh at the Comedy Works (21+) Much like jazz clubs, we don't frequent comedy clubs, so we added it to our vacation lineup as something to try. We enjoyed front row action at the Comedy Works Downtown for Jamie Lee's last show of the weekend. Tickets are very affordable, particularly on Sunday night, and the wait-staff was not pushy on the two drink minimum.

Late Dinner @ Rioja Admittedly, we stumbled upon this one -- Rioja was a great sidewalk dining venue for sampling shared plates of their artisanal pizza.

MONDAY

Denver Zoo

Hang out with the animals at the Denver Zoo Happy Monday! While everyone else heads to work, you should go to the Denver Zoo.

Grab a Delicious Bite at Olive & Finch Before heading out of the city, fuel up in City Park West. Try a delicious salad or sandwich at Olive & Finch. Get a treat from the bakery as a last hurrah to your long weekend in Denver.

Buttermilk Pie

8/30/2015

I tore this recipe out of Southern Living last year, but was intimidated by it for some reason. Maybe I was still not over the failed watermelon tart I tried a few summers ago -- and that has been keeping me from attempting new pies and tarts. But, I am back in the saddle and buttermilk pie is what got me up in the stirrups. This is a great summer dessert because it is essentially a sweet base for cream and in-season tart berries. And it is really easy, perfect for Labor Day barbecues coming up this weekend.

Here's what you'll need...

Pie Crust
1-1/2 cups sugar
3 Tbsp all purpose flour
3 large eggs
1 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup margarine (melted)
1 Tbsp lemon zest
3 Tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp vanilla extract
Fresh Berries
Whipped Topping

Let's get started...

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

2. Whisk together sugar and flour.

3. Beat eggs, buttermilk, margarine, lemon zest, lemon juice, and vanilla extract together.

4. Combine dry and wet ingredients. Mix until smooth.

5. Lightly grease pie plate and lay down crust.

6. Pour filling into pie.

7. Bake for 45 minutes (shield pie crust with aluminum foil if browning quickly).

8. Cool on wire rack thoroughly before cutting.

9. Slice and serve with berries and whipped topping.

The article title on this recipe was Bake a Sweet Memory, sealing the deal that this is the best dessert for your end of summer weekend. Luckily, in our house Labor Day means we are only a few days away from celebrating our wedding anniversary. So our summers always end on a sweet note.

KBL #9: New Side Dishes: Green Bean Salad

8/2/2015

We are in summer, really in the thick of it now. Once August hits, it's time to grab hold of summer and make sure to enjoy every day of its warmth and activity -- even if that means taking a Sunday afternoon to read, type or sleep with the windows open. Such a turning point in the season helps me to shake up my schedule and plans for the year. There are many tracks I need to get back on with regard to work, relationships, and personal goals. One of those tracks is my 2015 Kitchen Bucket List. This week I am starting to tackle #9: 5 New Side Dishes - that can be added to the rotation, aka, have less than 3 ingredients and take less than 20 minutes.
Green bean salad is not something I came up with on my own, it is the result of searching "summer side dishes" on Pinterest. It would never have crossed my mind to eat cold, cooked green beans tossed with dressing. But, I have been missing out. I adapted a recipe for Greek Green Bean Salad from Peas & Crayons. I am pumped to see what else we can mix with green beans as sides or full meals!

Here's what you'll need...

For the salad:
8-10 oz fresh green beans, trimmed
1 chopped red bell pepper
8 oz chickpeas, rinsed
1/4 cup crumbled feta

Other things to add:
Grape tomatoes, halved
Pickled red onions
Almonds
Orzo pasta

For the dressing:
4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup white wine or salad vinegar
2 tablespoons mustard (I used spicy brown mustard with horseradish)
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon parsley
1 teaspoon oregano
Salt and pepper

Let's get started...

1. Bring a small stockpot of water to a boil.

2. Wash your green beans and trim ends. Then chop in half or quarters.

3. Add beans to boiling water and simmer at medium heat for 3 to 4 minutes.

4. Prepare a medium bowl of ice water.

5. Wash and chop your red pepper, set aside in salad serving dish.

6. Drain boiling water and transfer green beans to ice water. Let sit for 4 minutes.

7. Rinse your chickpeas and add to red pepper.

8. Add feta and green beans to salad dish. Toss and set aside.

9. In a small container, combine all dressing ingredients and stir or shake until combined.

10. Toss dressing with salad and serve cold.

We are off to a great start with this recipe, one down and four to go on new side dish ideas.

Double Dark Chocolate Zucchini Cake

7/19/2015

The zucchini at this week's Forest Hills Farmer's Market looked way to good to pass up this week -- and at 3 for $2, I could not walk away. Now I have to incorporate 3 zucchinis into our menu for the week. I'm not worried. We are going to have steamed zucchini and squash with chicken on Monday and grilled zucchini with steak later in the week, leaving us with a whole zucchini for...chocolate cake.

This recipe is pulling as close as we are going to get to dumping everything in a bowl and then being done. And the end result is very chocolatey.

Here's what you'll need...

2 large eggs
1/3 cup honey
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce (instead of using vegetable oil)
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/3 cup cocoa (I used Hershey's Special Dark)
1 2/3 cups flour
2 cups grated, peeled zucchini
1 cup chocolate chips
Vanilla or Cream Cheese Frosting

Let's get started...

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

2. Grease and 8 x 4-1/2" loaf pan. Set aside.

3. Peel and grate your zucchini(s).

3. In a large mixing bowl, beat eggs, honey, applesauce, and vanilla extract.

4. Combine salt, baking soda, baking powder, cocoa, and flour. Add in batches to mixed wet ingredients.

5. Once thoroughly combined, add the zucchini and chocolate chips to the mixture. Mix until batter is pourable.

6. Pour batter into loaf pan.

7. Bake for 75 minutes or until a fork comes out of the center clean.

8. Cool in pan for about 15 minutes, then transfer to wire rack and cool completely.

9. Drizzle frosting over top of the cake and cut into slices once frosting has hardened.

This cake is heavy and dark. It lives up to its name. If you have lots of zucchini, but find this dessert to rich for summertime, slice and freeze a loaf to enjoy on a crisp fall evening.

4th of July Cornmeal Berry Sheet Cake

6/28/2015

We are a week away from the 4th of July. You have a picnic to go to and you are on the boards to bring dessert. And you are still in need of something delightfully patriotic. How about a cornmeal berry sheet cake with cream? Martha even has a video to walk you through this one. It just feels right -- summer sweet corn, seasonal berries and a healthy heaping of whipped cream.

Here's what you'll need...

1 1/2 sticks margarine
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup fine yellow cornmeal
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoon coarse salt
1 1/2 cups sugar
3 large eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
3/4 cup buttermilk
18 oz mixed berries (fresh or frozen)

Let's get started...

1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.

2. Combine flour, cornmeal, baking powder and salt.

3. Cream butter and sugar with mixer on medium-high speed. Add eggs, one at a time, and beat until well combined. Beat in vanilla.

4. Alternate adding flour mixture and buttermilk to the creamed sugar.

5. Line 13x9 baking pan with parchment paper. Allow paper to hang over edges. Grease the parchment paper.

6. Spread batter in prepared pan.

7. Sprinkle berries and sugar over batter.

8. Bake until golden brown and center is set, about 1 hour.

9. Let the cake cool on a wire rack completely before cutting.

Happy fireworks and freedom celebrating!

Kitchen Bucket List #5: Baked Donuts

2/15/2015

Since we're not coming up roses yet, we're coming up donuts. Sugary, sticky donuts -- just in time for Fat Tuesday. I started with #5 on my Kitchen Bucket list, where else really? I bought myself a donut pan for my birthday, what else really? Okay, focus we've got donuts to bake.

Michael is a big fan of pistachio pudding and I am a big fan of donuts, thus their union.

Here's What You'll Need...

For the donuts:
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup sugar
1 package pistachio pudding mix (do not use sugar-free)
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup buttermilk (plus additional as needed)
1 large egg
1/4 cup canola oil
1/4 teaspoon pure almond extract

For the glaze:
1 cup confectioners' sugar
1 tablespoon honey
1 tablespoon milk
3/4 cup roughly chopped pistachios

Let's Get Started...

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and grease your donut pan.

2. Combine flour, sugar, pudding mix, baking powder, and backing soda. Set aside.

3. Whisk together buttermilk, egg, canola oil, and almond extract.

4. Pour wet ingredients over dry and mix. Add buttermilk if batter is too doughy, but final consistency should be thick.

4. Spoon batter into the pan and smooth.

5. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes or until a fork comes out cleanly from center donut.

6. Whisk together sugar, honey, and milk until glaze is creamy and pourable.

7. Cool donuts on a wire rack.

8. When completely cool, dip each donut in the glaze and top with chopped pistachios.

These beauts are going to go great with any green, purple and gold you don for Mardi Gras this year!

Bucket List Lessons Learned...

1. Don't overfill the donut pan.

2. Less milk in the glaze will allow it to harden -- more like donut shop donuts.

2015 Kitchen Bucket List

1/25/2015

We've been through this before. I disappear for awhile, but then I come back. It doesn't have to be the elephant in the room. It is out there and it's okay. And I am fairly certain you weren't on the edge of your seat awaiting those last few soup recipes anyway. Since we last gathered here, I:

One of those resolutions is to spend some more time with you. I don't want to make any promises as I have a history of disappearing. But we just decided that elephant is friendly and approachable, so we will keep rolling along.

While we have been doing an okay job of sticking to our weekly menu plans, I have slowed down my exploration of new recipes and we need to move back into the fast lane. To jump in, I am putting together a 2015 Kitchen Bucket list and we only have 340 days to go to make it through:

Slow Cooker Baked Bread - sounds like magic.
Flavored Applesauces - to put my new immersion blender to good use.
Cornish Hens - for a meal that sounds fancier than it is.
Granola Gifts - for myself and to share.
Baked Donuts - always have my eyes out for a pan at TJMaxx.
Homemade Snapple Substitute - because Michael's Snapple spendings are breaking the bank.
Baked Oatmeal Granola Bars - simple enough.
Minimally Ridiculous Freezer Make-Ahead Slow Cooker Meal Plan - cautiously boarding the Pinterest bandwagon.
5 New Side Dishes - that can be added to the rotation, aka, have less than 3 ingredients and take less than 20 minutes.
Re-boot previously posted recipes - fix them, update them, or remind myself that I ever made them.
Finish those soups I promised you last year - three recipes to go.

This doesn't feel overwhelming...yet. We'll see how 2015 treats us all in the kitchen. Thanks for coming back to hear me out.

Spent a weekend with my favorite San Franciscan - complete with manicure Monday (Lincoln Park After Dark).
Hosted our 3rd Annual Holiday Party - out of hand in a good way - party recipe plan to be shared soon.
Had a Tender Tennessee Thanksgiving and a Pennsylvanian Christmas - warm and wonderful.
Heard that USA's Playing House finally got picked up for a second season - yes!
Read Mindy Kaling's Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? (And Other Concerns) - a Merry Christmas gift from Michael.
Ran a half marathon half in Disney World - crowded, but highly recommended.
Ripped the carpet off of our staircase - it was time.
Started checking off New Year's Resolutions - and flaking out on a few.

Soup #2: Crockpot Chicken Tortilla

11/4/2014

The only good about it getting dark at 5:00 PM is that I can more easily hide my TSwift sing-along sessions on my way home from work. For these next few weeks, before the Christmas lights go up to distract me from the darkness, I am grappling for the energy to do anything at the end of the workday. Enter my favorite kitchen appliance -- the crockpot. For this week's soup recipe, we tried a reader suggestion, chicken tortilla soup. I scoured Pinterest for recipes and ended up sort of winging it, keeping a few of them in mind...

Here's what you'll need...

3-4 skinless chicken breasts, halved
28-oz can diced tomatoes, do not drain
14-oz can black beans, drained and rinsed
Small can diced green chilies
14-oz can creamed corn
1 sweet onion, chopped
1 packet taco seasoning
1/2 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 tablespoon siracha
2-3 cups chicken or vegetable stock
1 cup heavy cream
shredded cheddar cheese
1 avocado diced
sour cream
tortilla chips

Let's get started...

1. Combine tomatoes, beans, corn, onion, and chilies with seasonings and siracha in your crockpot.

2. Nestle chicken breasts in among the vegetable mixture.

3. Cover with chicken stock. Cook on low for 6-8 hours, making sure chicken is cooked to a safe temperature.

3. Shred the chicken in the crockpot.

4. Mix in the heavy cream and turn the pot to high for about 20 minutes.

5. Serve soup with cheese, avocado, chips and sour cream.

This is a no-brainer that makes for an easy dinner with leftovers for tomorrow's lunch. Not really in the mood for soup? Use less liquid and serve over rice.

Soup #1: Seafood Chowder

10/26/2014

For the last two years, we have coped with the colder seasons with The Great Chili Cook Off. This year, we figured we would warm our cold hands and with bowls of soup instead of chili. In the coming weeks we will try out 5 new soup recipes and let you know our favorites. First up was a seafood chowder adapted from Movita Beaucoup.

Here's what you'll need...

1 stick of margarine
2 medium sweet onions, chopped
2 stalks of celery, diced
3 potatoes, diced
3 cups chicken stock
1 tablespoon dried basil
1 tablespoon dried oregano
2 tablespoons paprika
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon Tabasco sauce
2 tablespoons Siracha
1 cup heavy cream
1 lb white fish (haddock, cod, sole), cubed
1 lb shellfish (scallops and/or lobster)

Let's get started...

1. In a Dutch oven or stock pot, melt the butter and saute the onions and celery over medium heat, until soft.

2. Add the potatoes and cover with chicken stock. Continue to stew over medium heat until the potato is soft.

3. Add spices, Tabasco sauce, and Siracha.

4. Add add of the fish on top and cover with chicken stock. Cook until the fish begins to flake.

5. Pour the cream over the soup, then fill the pot with milk.

6. Stir and heat until thickened.

7. Serve with toasted bread.

We only used one potato, per the original recipe, and I think that's where this one was a little lacking in creaminess. But the soup made for great lunch leftovers, especially with some shredded cheddar mixed in.

We are still picking recipes for Soupfest 2014, let us know if you have something for us to try -- stovetop, crockpot, stewed in the oven -- we are ready to spoon, soak and slurp it up.

I have posted a few soup recipes in the past few years, remember to check them out if you are looking for some cold-comforting meals: Creamy Zucchini Spinach Soup and Creamy Broccoli Potato Soup.

Sweet Tea Cake with Lemonade Frosting

9/1/2014

80 years later. We are wrapping up a holiday weekend and unofficially summer together. I hope that you ate all of the things and ran around all of the places as much as I did this weekend. The Tuesday after a long weekend is rough, but keep in mind, we are looking at a 4-day work week ahead. We can do this.

When Saturday rolls around next week and people are talking about fall activities and you are trying to ignore them with all of your might as you keep your sights on summer -- this adapted Southern Living recipe will help to lure them right back to August memories. WARNING: cake should not be ingested after 6:00 PM to avoid poor sleeping patterns (Michael Yannes MD). TRANSLATION: Lots of sugar.

Here's what you'll need...

11/2 cups boiling water
5 (black) tea bags
1 cup butter, softened
2 cups granulated sugar
1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
5 large eggs, at room temperature
3 1/2 cups cake flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoon table salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
cannister of cream cheese frosting
3 tablespoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon lemon zest
2 lemons sliced

Let's get started...

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 13- x 9-inch pan with cooking spray. Set aside.

2. Pour 1 1/2 cups boiling water over tea bags in a heat-proof glass bowl. Cover and steep for about 10 minutes. Then, remove the tea bags and let the liquid cool for about 20 minutes.

3. Cream together butter and sugars until fluffy with an electric mixer. Add the eggs, one at a time, blend thoroughly before adding each egg.

4. In a separate bowl, whisk together cake flour, baking powder, salt, and baking soda.

5. Begin to add dry ingredients to the butter mixture. Alternate dry ingredients with tea to mix all gradually until batter forms.

6. Pour batter into greased pan and bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes or until fork inserted in center comes out clean.

7. Cool on wire rack.

8. While the cake cools, beat together frosting, lemon juice and zest. Slice lemons evenly for topping.

9. Once cake is cool, spread your lemonade frosting and top with lemon slices.