Tag Archives: ingredients

nutter butter

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homemade-nutter-butters

picture and recipe from the fabulous emily schuman @ the cupcakes and cashmere blog

cupcakes and cashmere strikes again.  miss emily is so lovely and smart.  her blog always inspires and encourages me to try new things…and throw a party!  because, well…why not?

this time, my eyes settled on homemade nutter butters.  genius.

just to be transparent here, i go through a big tub of chunky peanut butter every single week.  i am sure that i am single-handedly keeping the whole foods pb segment going with my weekly purchases.

anywho…back to cookies.  nutter butters pretty much take the cake when it comes to grocery store cookie aisle purchases.  i could eat a sleeve without batting an eye.  but then, all that processed gobbledygook tends to leave my tummy feeling less than happy. now i could just have one or two and be okay.  but who can stop at one?  that is is silly talk.  go for the gusto, am i right?  i know they use all those preservatives and concoctions to give them a longer shelf life…but really?  i mean, how long do they need to stay fresh after you’ve opened them.  like, three, maybe four days tops?  i don’t know about you but when there are cookies present in our home, they don’t last long.  hubby and i get the job done.  no preservatives necessary.  maybe if i were stocking up on snacks for my fallout bunker and wanted to make sure i had some peanut buttery morsels around for during a 2045 nuclear attack…

so, a real food recipe – with ingredients that i can pronounce and purchase without any chemistry necessary – that i can make in my own kitchen is the solution here.  a cookie that has the perfect balance of crunch and creamy and salty and sweet.  with ingredients like peanut butter and eggs.  you know the perfect treat that i don’t feel {as} badly about eating a handful at a time.

 

dinner, deconstructed

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since i have been really wanting some yummy asian dishes, i decided to hunt for some recipe ideas and make it happen at home.  last night, i made some honey sesame chicken.  i mixed and matched recipes and came up with a pretty tasty result.

sauce ingredients: 

low sodium soy sauce

oyster sauce

honey

ketchup

chicken stock

pepper flakes

onion powder

garlic powder

sesame seeds

first things first…take about 3-4 chicken breasts and cut them up into bite-sized pieces.  heat some olive or [or ghee, which is my preference] in a non-stick pan.  toss the chicken in a mixture of flour [i like gluten-free options like rice flour], salt, and pepper.  just enough to lightly coat.  toss the chicken into the pan and brown.  remove the chicken from heat and set aside.  meanwhile, cook some rice or noodles or quinoa according to the package directions.

using the same pan, add splashes of the sauce ingredients to the pan.  i just eyeballed it and tasted to get it to the right flavor.  you are going for sweet and spicy.  let the sauce bubble away and start to thicken.  about five minutes.

add the chicken back to the pan with the sauce and let the sauce coat and simmer for about five more minutes.

remove the quinoa from the heat and fluff.

now, just plate it!  add some quinoa to a plate and spoon over the chicken and sauce.  sprinkle with sesame seeds to finish.  and…dinner is served!

the casablancas at blanco

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ben & rachel whitehouse took a little trip to blanco tacos + tequila.  it is another favorite of ours.  bustling atmosphere.  perfect chips and salsa (not too much cilantro!  cilantro, yuck).  clean and flavorful food.  this place is so good.  plus, because we live in a lovely climate, the front of the restaurant has these garage doors that roll up and stay open about 95% of the year.  this makes for a breezy and al fresco-esque dining experience.  so nice. and boy oh boy, did we munch on some tasty grub.

driving to date night…so happy to spend time with my hubby enjoying some modern mexican fare in this casual-chic setting + ahhh…there she is + super cool decor with the most fantastic mosaic tile wall! + my handsome hubby + eagerly awaiting our entrees + the menu + oh-so-good chips and salsa [bottomless!] + baja chicken tacos with grilled onions and peppers, shredded cabbage, and cotija cheese…with a side of black beans and buttered rice

…

it was a good night.  i love dates.

the saturday evening post

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another week has whizzed by!  i can’t believe that the weekend is here!  it has already been full and fun…with much more in store!  my sweet hubby volunteered to play “back up” on the violin for a youth concert at our church last night [he is a good man] and then we were able to spend the remainder of the evening relaxing and enjoying some down time together [with our cute little furry critters].

today started with a trip to the market to stock up on our goodies and ingredients for the week. we’ve also been munching on some goo-ood food.  all in all, not too shabby for a saturday!  we have big plans for a movie night at home tonight because tomorrow we will be busy buzzing around town from church to home to the whitehouse family’s house.  whew!  lots to do and lots of fun to be had!  i am looking forward to sharing some time with ben’s family since it has been weeks since we’ve seen his mom and we have much sharing to do.  speaking of travelling mothers…yes, my mom is still up north in the motherland.  geez.  it has been for.ev.er.  not to worry, my dad is gallantly joining her next week to visit my grandma, help out, and then bring her home to us on easter sunday.

busy busy.  but oh so good.  i will fill you in on all the delicious details come monday.

toodle-oo for now!

spring has sprung

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it’s here!  it’s here!  it’s officially here! and the signs are everywhere…

this spring i want to spend more time in the fresh air of the outdoors, have more fresh flowers in the house, and try some fresh recipes that incorporate springtime ingredients.  what are your fresh ideas for spring?

this week, in food…

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we’ve had some goo-ood eating this week.  lots of nights at home cooking delicious food together in our kitchen.  as much as i love date nights out, there is something simply wonderful about the clanging of pots and pans, the aromas of sizzling ingredients, and a table set for two in our very own dining room.  plus, when you have two foodies under one room, weekday meals at home are bound to have a gourmet twist.  this week, ben and i made some knockout dishes…

monday’s dinner

spice-rubbed sockeye salmon with grilled asparagus

tuesday’s dinner

chicken, chickpea, and cauliflower curry

wednesday’s dinner

extra spicy italian sausages with carmelized onions and sweet peppers…plus some pale ale mustard for dipping

…

it has been a great week.  i am looking forward to next week’s menu…

what are some of your favorite home-cooked dishes?

snaps & snippets & blurbs

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according to the standards set forth here, this was a stellar weekend.  cook some good food.  check.  do some laundry.  check.  give the dogs a bath.  check.  go for a run with ben…well, not quite…but it is happening tonight!  plus, we even enjoying some extra fun together with family.  here are my favorite snaps and excerpts from the weekend.  happy monday, folks!

enjoying some time together +  sunshine & warm weather + a deliciously spicy dinner at chipotle [two scoops of extra hot salsa on mine, yes please] +  my handsome hubby + saturday morning relaxation time with the buddies…they sit on the couch and stare at us longingly until we come and join them.  too cute to resist + working on a little project with my dad…charlie likes to help as long as he can use the iPad + the glorious outdoors! + picking some dinner ingredients from my dad-in-law’s garden: lettuce and mint and rosemary.  fresh and aromatic + a gourmet meal at home…pan chicken and savory navy bean mash with a drizzle of crispy oyster mushroom and sage butter sauce.  thank you ben for making eating a home a treat + a sunday afternoon excursion to true food [yes, again.  we were there last week.  and a few weeks before that.  it is amazing, okay?] to celebrate my sister’s 22nd birthday [wow.  time flies] +  the boys…my dad and bree’s boyfriend paul + opening gifts + sunday evening was spent rotating laundry and giving the buddies baths.  first charlie, then coco + then, we spent the remainder of the evening curled up on the couch watching some 30 Rock on DVD.