A Little Food Post

I've had a bit of free time, so I have been happily spending it in the kitchen. I was talking with my friends a few weeks ago about the challenge of using what you already have on hand and cooking fabulous (new) recipes with those ingredients instead of finding the recipe and then having to go out and buy the ingredients. Liking this idea, and what it would mean to the many neglected odds and ends in my pantry, I decided to do just that. Below are some of the recipes that came from my odd collection of ingredients. I'm big on bread, can you tell?

Cheesy Garlic Bread Sticks

I didn't use Lauren's pizza dough recipe, but instead used my simple recipe from my Better Homes and Gardens cookbook. Dipped it in some pizza sauce and it was pretty amazing :)

Beer Bread

This recipe is ridiculously easy. It's fabulous for that can of beer that someone brought over to your place and left and has been sitting in your fridge for months...This would be amazing with a fresh bowl of soup.

Raspberry Muffins

So see these 6 beautiful muffins? That's all this recipe makes! It's amazing. I'm always nervous about doubling or halving new recipes, afraid that my proportions will be off. Uma has already done the dirty work and here's a lovely recipe if there's only one or two of you in the house. I used butter milk instead of regular milk (yes, ridiculous that that's what I had on hand) and of course added a bit more vanilla :)

Lemon Basil Pesto Pasta

picture from here

If you've got fresh herbs and want a very flavorful side, this recipe is great. I did not use anchovy fillets (shockingly I did not have any on hand) but did have capers, that are who knows how old, that were dieing to be used. Also, I feel like I never have the right type of mustard for recipes. I just used plain old yellow mustard in this recipe and it turned out quite nicely.

How about all of you? Any clean out the pantry recipes you've found and love?

What a Weekend!

It's September, it's beautiful, fall is almost here :) I had a lovely weekend with friends.

I attended the Wisconsin State Cow Chip Festival, I figured I had to do it, and since I was actually in the state this year for Labor Day weekend I figured this was the perfect year. They have a different theme each year and this year's was Pirates of the Cowwabean.

It was a bit intense.

Look at the dedication!

It was also a lot of fun

Saturday I had the pleasure of attending a friend's beautiful wedding.

 

It was a wonderful day with college friends. Everyone had a fabulous time!

 

Sunday I was off to the Taste of Madison. Amazing! The capital square was filled with people and such a great combination of food.

Here's my friend with some chocolate covered bacon on a stick :)

The rest of the weekend was spent at my friend's house on the lake, complete with kyaking and pontoon boating, guitar sing-alongs and games. Then it was over for dinner with the boyfriend. All in all it was a pretty fabulous weekend! 

I hope you all enjoyed your weekend and are having a wonderful week thus far!

 

What I've Been Up To (Summer Vol. 2)

Alright, since it's the end of August and I've been slacking on the whole actually posting regularly I thought I'd do another quick run through of my life, for all you interested folks and share some of the fun stuff I've been up to...

What I've been reading.

 My Life with the Saints by James Martin, S.J.

My friend Katie did a great review over at Look to Him and Be Radiant, Check it out! (oh and that's where the picture is from)

What I've been baking/concocting.

Super Chewy, Really Awesome Chocolate Chip Cookies

Picture from Here

butterscotch chips + chocolate chips + peanut butter chips = AMAZING! 

(cleaned out my stock of chips :)

Foolproof Cinnamon Buns (with no yeast!)

 Picture from Here

My go to Summer cupcakes (Lemony Goodness!)

Picture from Here. 

 I've made them before and had to do it again :)

And, a whole lot of these recipes, including Salsa, Blueberry Lemon Tea Bread and Crispy Coconut Chicken

What I've been making.

Remember This picnic blanket that I was going to make? Well everything is cut out, but that's as far as I've gotten, so maybe I'll finish that in September...hopefully!

I've actually been making a lot of greeting cards. Yeah, I used to it all the time but got out of the habit, picking up a card is so much quicker, but not nearly as fun and personal. Some of my current inspirations have come from Busted Button.

I Love her work, especially the four seasons. Head over and check it out! (Picture from bustedbutton.com)

What I'm listening to (Music).

Pontoon by Little Big Town, love it!

 Sound of Music Record

Fiddler on the Roof Record

What I'm listening to (books)

 

Garlic and Sapphires by Ruth Reichl

Picture From Here

So far so good. I just started it, so we shall see...

The Total Money Makeover by Dave Ramsey

Picture from Here

This one I felt like everyone my age/within 10 years of my age, had read/was doing. I actually found it extremely helpful and I love that it is very Christian based.

What I've been doing to enjoy the Season of Summer.

Camping

I went with this cute boy over the weekend, and despite the rain it was a lot of fun.

Canoeing

Lots of Birthday Celebrations (Lots of good times at the Nitty Gritty)

Quality time with family and friends

So that's me. Hope all of you are fabulous and enjoying the end of August, end of Summer, and return to reality.

7 Quick Takes (vol. 9, because aparently last week I couldn't count)

Alright, so in the original 7 Quick Takes fashion, this post will be random, no theme this week. Just what's going on with me :)

~~ 1 ~~

I've been cooking, imagine that. I have actually been on a pizza kick lately.

You see, I have all this amazing fresh oregano that must be used in something equally amazing.

So of course, I had to make up some pizza sauce

I absolutely love this recipe. I cut back on the wine and throw in some sugar and it is pretty darn tasty.

~~ 2 ~~

See the fabulous ingredients above, fresh basil, bacon, balsamic vinegar...
well they all came together to make this fabulous pizza.

 

I got the recipe from over at White and Rice Couple.

I just used what I had on hand, so feta instead of blue cheese, sungold cherry tomatoes instead of the regular red, canola oil instead of olive oil (I can't believe I'm out of olive oil!). It was soooo good. The combination of flavors put this at the top of my list of favorite pizzas.

~~ 3 ~~

Last weekend I had the pleasure of getting together with some college friends. It was wonderful. I loved it. The babies were cute, the people were amazing, the food was fantastic, the conversation was excellent as always. Sadly, I failed in the picture taking department, so just the memories remain.

~~ 4 ~~

Last week (Sunday - Wednesday) I helped chaperone an awesome mission trip in our area, Love Begins Here. I went with a friend who is a local youth minister and her group of middle schoolers. It is always refreshing to see the eagerness of kids to learn more about their faith and the willingness to help others. It was a wonderful boost to my sometimes stagnant faith life.

~~ 5 ~~

 

 picture from here.
I'm not big on the actual logo and liked the above one much better.

The Olympics start tonight! I hope you are all going to watch and appreciate the hard work and amazing talents of the athletes from all over the world. I love it! A friend is having an opening ceremonies party so I will be there, watching it all :)

~~ 6 ~~

August starts next week. I am still trying to wrap my mind around that.

~~ 7 ~~

I have a packed weekend, all kinds of little fun stuff. A friend's birthday party, a concert in the park with the boyfriend, a visit to a friend in the lovely state of Illinois on Sunday and a day off of work on Monday. I am sure there will be much more thrown in throughout.

 

 Alright, that's all from me. Enjoy the weekend! 

For more Quick Takes, visit Conversion Diary!

7 Quick Takes (Vol. 7)

So I have seem some awesome videos lately, many of which have made me laugh out loud, so for the first few of this week's 7 Quick Takes I thought I'd share the joy :) Take some time off from your busy Friday and enjoy a little lighthearted fun!

~~ 1 ~~

Jimmy Fallon doing Neil Young doing Will Smith - "Fresh Prince Theme"

Yes you read that right and yes it's awesome.

I was introduced to this lovely gem over at A Cup of Jo. Check out her Friday links, they are always great.

~~ 2 ~~

Gotta love a good vocations video. Seminarians singing boyband songs + dance routine = Amazing!

Sr. Helena Burns over at Hell Burns posted this one.

~~ 3 ~~

 This is for all my farmer friends. It's been making the rounds lately. My favorite part... 

"I work out...SIDE" :)

~~ 4 ~~

I'm still working through the last few books in the Chronicles of Narnia. So far my favorites are "Prince Caspian: The Return to Narnia" and "The Horse and His Boy" love them!

~~ 5 ~~

See This adorable kid?

 Well, he's kind of a miracle and his story is being submitted as the official alleged miracle for Venerable Archbishop Fulton Sheen's beatification. Super Exciting! Check out his story and while you're at it, check out Bonnie's blog Learning to Be a Newlywed. (Kind of old news, but still awesome!)

~~ 6 ~~

A seminarian from our parish was ordained a priest on June 29th. It was beautiful.

~~ 7 ~~

I have a free Saturday. Very unusual for me, sadly, I think I'm going to spend it doing things like cleaning and packing. I'll be sure to get in some fun stuff to, one must on a weekend :)

 

 Alright, that's all from me. Enjoy the weekend! 

For more Quick Takes, visit Conversion Diary!

What I've Been Up To

What I've been reading.

Tea With Jane Austin by Kim WIlson

Picture From Here

Unplan.ned by Abby Johnson

Picture From Here

Still reading Style, S.ex and Substance edited by Hallie Lord

Picture From Here

What I've been baking/concocting.

No Bake Coconut Cookies

 Picture From The 36th Avenue

 Throw these in the freezer and enjoy on these hot summer days.

 Summertime Bliss

My own summertime mojitoish drink (adapted from this simple recipe):

• 1/2 orange, cut into 3 wedges
• 1/2 lime or lemon, cut into 3 wedges
• about 1/4 cup blueberries
• about 1/4 cup strawberries
• 2 teaspoons sugar
• 1 or 2 sprigs fresh mint
• 2 1/2 ounces Malib.u (or flavored ru.m of choice)
•  ice

Put the oranges, lime or lemon, blueberries and strawberries, sugar and mint in a shaker and "muddle" (or smash up) the leaves, citrus and berries by pressing them with a pestle or a wooden spoon until juicy and fragrant. Add the Malib.u and ice. Cover with a cocktail shaker and shake vigorously, or stir, until combined and chilled, about 30 seconds. (In general, by the time the shaker mists up the drink is ready.) Enjoy.

What I've been making.

This picnic blanket

Picture and Tutorial from Centsational Girl

I'm kind of excited for it to be finished, not excited to be cutting, ironing and pinning. The bottom is a table cloth so it's waterproof and has ties so it can be rolled up and secured :)

What I'm listening to (Music).

Punching Bag by Josh Turner (more specifically this song)

Take a Back Road by Rodney Atkins

There are so many great songs on this CD, here's one of my favs.

Barton Hollow by The Civil Wars (love them!)

What I'm listening to (books).

The Horse and His Boy by C.S. Lewis

My favorite of the Chronicles of Narnia series so far.

Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me [And Other Concerns] by Mindy Kaling

Hilarious, loved it!

Picture From Here

What I've been doing to enjoy the Season of Summer.

Biking

Finding new parks to frequent

Concerts on the Square

Farmer's Markets

Long Walks

Ice Cream

Sitting on my little patio block of cement with a glass of ice tea and a good book

Visiting friends and family/Road Trips

Alright, that's the "DL" on me (are people even saying DL anymore?). I hope you are all enjoying a fun kind of busy summer!

Thankful Thursday

So it's been crazy, to say the least, around here. I've had some fun in the sun, still can't believe June is halfway over. Seriously! Celebrated the life of an amazing priest who passed away last week. Been trying to schedule all the must do summer activities (baseball games, canoeing, hiking, biking, concerts on the square, road trips, etc.). I've been enjoying some fresh herbs, fruit and veggies from my little patio garden and the amazing local farmer's markets. So I suppose I'm trying to make the most of the summer, because that's what summers are for :) Alright, since it is Thursday and I do have so many things to be thankful for, here's my list.

At this moment I am thankful for...

 picture from here

(1) An amazing woman's book study group. We have a small group of 6 amazing women who are currently reading "The Authentic Catholic Woman" by Genevieve Kineke. We have had some great discussions on faith and life in general.

(2) Opportunities. Saturday I was able to go paddle boarding (which was fun to try, and I'm glad I went, but I don't think it's my thing). I am so blessed to live in a place and have the means to so many avenues, whether it be outdoor activities, concerts, speakers, art shows, the list goes on and on.

(3) Fr. Pat. This wonderful man was a priest at the parish I work at for 21 years and after he retired he continued to do at least one weekend Mass here each weekend for the past 10 years. He was an extremely intelligent and caring pastor who loved being a servant of Christ. He will be greatly missed but I am so blessed to have know him, even if it was only for a few short years.

(4) My happy little patio garden. I have a monstrous mint plant that has been put to good use lately, lovely cilantro, lettuce, basil, oregano, parsley and spinach. Fresh is always better :)

(5) Answered prayers. God is pretty great, He has a way of sending little reminders of how much we are loved and that He really is listening to us. Makes you feel loved :)

  Picture From Here

(6) Good Books. As always, I have a stack of books I've started and haven't finished. I am currently LOVING "Style, S.ex and Substance" edited by Hallie Lord. It's a pretty awesome book with chapters by various Catholic Bloggers, writers, etc. This review is awesome, read it then read the book.

(7) TV Series on DVD. So I love the fact that I don't have to wait from one week to the next, or the entire summer, for a new episode of a show I like. I don't watch a lot of TV, but I do have a few shows I love, so I am thankful that I can rent an entire season all at once. Shows I am currently loving include "Downton Abbey" (yes, it is as good as all the hype makes it out to be), "Mercy" (only lasted 22 episodes, but I still like it), "The Good Wife".

Alright, that's it for me. Enjoy the rest of your Thursday!