April 6, 2015

Strawberry Chia Jam

One of the reasons why I’ve kept this blog up for so long (YOU GUYS I THINK I JUST PAST MY 8 YEAR ANNIVERSARY HERE) is my undeniable quest to try new things. I am constantly looking for something to add to my cooking arsenal/weekly meal prep. Read:Strawberry Chia Jam

And since I have a somewhat hectic life in addition to blogging, a recipe that requires little effort with few ingredients is totally in my wheelhouse (haha! wheelhouse!). I also love when simple ingredients can combine forces to make something new and different. And let’s be real, it’s nice to have homemade things in my fridge…. I love any excuse to label mason jars & containers with washi tape & a sharpie.

I peeped this recipe in the My New Roots cookbook and knew I had to try it because I was a little overzealous buying strawberries this past weekend. It helps that there aren’t that many other ingredients required. I even found a rogue vanilla bean in the back of my cabinet (I totally need to clean out my spice cabinet–perhaps a High Straightenance post soon?).

The two main ingredients are strawberries + chia seeds. When you combine the two, the pureed strawberries thicken up and gel without having to be cooked in a pot over the stove. I am not entirely sure how to describe the taste but the jam is the essence of strawberries and less like a jam. I mean, the thickness and consistency is there but it’s pure strawberries, not a condensed/concentrated version of strawberries. You’ll be wanting to eat it directly from the jar. Promise.

Inspiration

April 5, 2015

And I Quote:

my everyday life, Photography

April 4, 2015

My Everyday Life: Week 14

Here’s what this past week looked like:

MY BROTHER GOT MARRIED!!!

It was beautiful!

They had the wedding at the Hotel Bel-Air in Los Angeles. We drove down for it.

Allison + Ryan

Right before cocktail time.

The bridesmaids dresses. Mine is the dark chocolate one on the left.

My sister-in-law looked amazing.

Love these two.

My niece & I.

April 3, 2015

I love lists, Friday!

Would love to stumble upon one of these sculptures.
Some ideas for next year’s April Fools’ Jokes.
I just bought myself one of these planners. SO excited.
I’d wear this outfit in a heartbeat. Except…these legs can’t do skinny jeans.
Whoa. Holy stain fighter!
Beautiful flowers made from egg cartons!
Books that will change your life.
We’re gonna need some gorgeous wallpaper in my house.
Love these mini mason jar cheesecakes.
What do you think of Amazon’s new Dash Button?
Added two cookbooks to my arsenal this week: My New Roots: Inspired Plant-Based Recipes for Every Season & The Sprouted Kitchen Bowl and Spoon: Simple and Inspired Whole Foods Recipes to Savor and Share
Speaking of…check out this dessert. The photos are gorgeous.
I love Chuck Close portraits. Check out these celebs.
Waves are beautiful. Especially when they’re long exposure waves.
Might have to make this cake for Easter.
Also Shot on an iPhone 6
This print is darling.
Would love a giant roll of paper in my kitchen.
Things you’ll never hear me say…
Taking passive aggressive notes taken to a whole new level!

recipes

April 2, 2015

Single Serving Nachos

We don’t always have the time to make nachos from scratch…and sometimes we lack all of the ingredients. But! If you have a microwave (or oven/toaster oven), tortilla chips and cheese you can make single serving nachos in less than a minute. I wanted a snack yesterday so I stuck 5 tortilla chips in the microwave in a circle and popped them in the microwave for about 2o seconds. Once the cheese was melted and topped each chip with a dollop of salsa and pickled jalapeño. A little cilantro leaf to make it fancy! The toppings are all up to you and based on what you have. I would have put sour cream or Greek yogurt on top..or maybe even a sliver of avocado. Next time! The trick is to not make them more than a single serving. Good luck with that.

If you love nachos, make your own nacho sauce OR check out these breakfast potato nachos.

To see more of my Thursday Snack Ideas, follow my Pinterest Board!

recipes

April 1, 2015

Spicy Coconut Noodles

Just when I thought I tackled all my stacks of rogue recipes ripped out from magazines, I went through one of my old purses and found a treasure trove. For the record, this is how I organize some of my recipes to make. So, this recipe is something I’ve had in my possession for almost 9 years. You should have seen how discolored it was! And as I was meal planning for last week, I thought these Spicy Coconut Noodles would go really well with the Sambal Chicken Skewers I grilled. I love when things magically work out like that.

I took a big risk with those two recipes in the fact that my husband isn’t into chicken as much as I am and I wasn’t really sure how he feels about coconut in noodles. I don’t really have a history of making us dishes with rice noodles, so I was pleasantly surprised that my risk paid off because he told me the combination was “REALLY GOOD.” Then he proceeded to get a second helping and then told me I should make it again. Hallelujah!

I suspect he loved the creamy sauce on the noodles…the spice…the basil (although I should have used Thai Basil!) and the fish sauce. He’s a sucker for fish sauce. It’s like a creamy Thai alfredo. Winner winner chicken dinner. Literally.

recipes

March 30, 2015

Sambal Chicken Skewers

Sambal Chicken Skewers!!,

Someone asked me if I’ve made plans for the Summer and all I could say was that I’m gonna do a lot of grilling. I definitely have my priorities straight.

Last week we had a beautiful week of a weather so I dusted off our grill…with a cocktail and flip flops. I know, I know! I’m annoying. I am sorry that you’re in cold weather on the east coast. I really hope that we get the rain we need. I digress…

In a quest for a simple grilled recipe, I found this winner in my stack of ripped out pages from magazines. This will definitely be a staple in our Summer 2015 Rotation. I imagine we’ll do a version with pork tenderloin or steak. Nothing like sweet/spicy/crispy chicken pulled right off a skewer. I made these beauties with a spicy coconut noodle dish that I’ll be sharing on Wednesday. Stay tuned!