I am such a sucker for the reduced price produce at the grocery store. I save at least half of the original price for stuff that might look a little weird or have a brown spot or something. Sometimes I can’t believe what ends up on in the bin, stuff that I wouldn’t consider reduced bin material, but hey, if they want to stick it in there, then I will be more than happy to buy it.A couple days ago I found some good looking roma tomatoes in that said reduced produce bin..the skins the tiniest bit wrinkled (like I could care less), least hen 50 cents a pound. Um, yea, I bought those and put them to good use. 

Tomatoes roasted until they fell apart with a few other chunks of stuff, then piled onto a base of spinach and couscous.  This meal cost me pennies and was stupid easy and fast to make. And pretty to boot. Perfect for a quick healthy meal on a busy day or maybe for those people looking for a tasty, not too completed dinner to make for  a special someone for Valentines day? Or make just for yourself…its pretty much the perfectly dish. Anyone can get into it. And if you don’t happen to have a grocery store with a reduced produce bin full of tomatoes…it’s cool, you’ll just have to pay full price for the perfect ones.

So simple. A little olive oil in pan. Chunk the tomatoes and throw in pan with the chopped onion, carrot, cauliflower, garlic and chick peas. Drizzle a bit more oil and top with salt and pepper. Give it all a toss and stick into oven. That’s that. Just leave it in there until everything is so nice and soft and falling apart.

One of the best things about couscous is that you don’t even need to dirty a pot or a bowl to make it,  just add dried couscous to the bowl you are going to eat out of with a cup of boiling water and a pinch of salt.  (I added the spinach with the water too) After about 8 minutes, the couscous absorbs all the water and you just fluff it up with a fork. Easy, freaking Peasy!!! Out of the oven and piled on…..

I mean, if this isn’t one classy looking meal, then I don’t know what is.

Sprinkle with a little parmesan or nutritional yeast if you want and step back and admire. And now eat it to you face.

And barely any dishes to wash. No big mess to clean up.  I could get used to that. 

-C 

Serves 2

• 3/4 cup Couscous
• 1 cup boiling water
• Handful of chopped spinach
• 4-5 roma tomatoes chopped
• 1 medium carrot diced
• Half of an onion diced
• Cup or so of cauliflower (fresh or frozen)
• Cup of prepared chick peas
• 4 or 5 cloves garlic minced
• Olive oil to drizzle
• Salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 400

Place onion, carrot, cauliflower,tomatoes, chick peas and garlic into a large skillet. Drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and give everything a light toss. Stick into oven for 35-40 minutes until tomatoes are falling apart and everything is nice and roasted.

In a medium bowl, (or serving bowl) add cup of boiling water to dry couscous and spinach. Sprinkle with salt and cover. Let sit for at about 8 minutes, or until the couscous had fully absorbed all the water. Fluff with a fork and top with roasted tomato stuff.

Top with parmesan or nutritional yeast if you are into it.

Enjoy!

I don’t think I need to tell anyone about how weird the past few weeks of weather have been, so I will just leave it alone because we don’t need to keep thinking about how stupid cold it is outside or that the next week is only suppose to get worse. Booooo, but oh well. More time for cooking, reading, and trolling the internet (I have spent a little more time then usual getting sucked into the world-wide web.) Beacause I have been spending a little more time interneting, I have added an addition to  my usual happy bits,  a few links that I have stumbled upon that I think are cool and of things that I want or want to make… Cool internet stuff…..a bit of internet happy. 

• So I recently discovered that I can waste a good amount of time on pintrest, especially looking at interiors and architecture and clothes (which I found really weird, but with one pin, an open can of worms…Dangerous stuff). I have a long way to go before I have nearly as many pins as other folk, but I am getting a good a start. Check out my boards…
• I smiled so much when I read   this article.    So sweet and are some of the coolest tattoos  ever.
• The original nomad. I am not a hot tub person (it makes me feel like I am being cooked..) But I might be able to get into one of these when doing some camping.
• I practically started salivating when I saw this falafel.  I am so going to make it for a special mister and me dinner!
• I don’t have any big kitchen utensils… like a kitchen aid or a panini grill, and for now, I am ok with that, but I really want this waffle iron. I could so use the crap out of it.

So that’s some internet stuff and here are a few life moments…..

I got to hang out with my little sister for the first time in like a month… She is just so busy being busy. I guess high school,play practices and boys and friends can fill up ones time at 15… but I miss her so much! I was very excited that she was able to hang out with me this week.  What did we do? Well we spent most of out time together taking pictures of her in my glasses, making food and then taking pictures of her eating food.  (She is eating whipped carob moose… like one should eat it) A fantastic day of silliness. 

I have been feeling like I might be fighting off an illness so I have been eating this Turmeric Ginger Garlic Carrot soup which I have been adding cabbage and topping with these pickled heart beet, all week long. So tasty and full of so much good.

 Oh yeah. Me, the mister, my sister, and her lovely little little went to Ikea this week. (the littles first international trip!!! Over the border and into Montreal) And of course at the end of any good shopping trip there is some type of food…. She  was so excited for the hot dog and frozen yogurt cone at check out. Champion food eater this one is.

And what’s not to love about pretty flowers (primrose)…..Sadly this is not a current picture. I need to get me some color today. 

Which leaves me with my goals for the day..

• Get 2 new library books (and return the huge stack by the door)
• Make something tasty good for dinner and prep food for the week
• clean bathroom and change sheets
• buy flowers
• Take a nap

Hope you all have a great day and the most splendid week!

Stay warm!

-C

One of the best things about winter is that I can have something in the oven at any time and not worry about how hot the house is going to get.  I get to spend my free time (or my in between free minutes) baking up all the thing that I would not dare bake in the summer. (lots of bread and cakes) Yeah, I might complain a little about how cold it is outside (to my defense, -20 is kind of a bitch) but then I think of the super hot humid days that come during the summer and cringe.  At least when its cold out I am able to get warm, (que oven)  but when its super hot and humid, I just turn into something that border lines a wet towel and the rabbit animal… Not so pleasant.   I much prefer cooler weather. So no big surprise….I made bread.. or focaccia to be exact. And now you should too because first off, you want to eat it, and secondly, you can probably whip this up faster then it would take to get all of you winter warmies on and leave the house. Don’t leave, just turn the oven on.  The stuff, which isn’t a whole lot… Flour and salt.  A mixture of honey, water, and yeast. And olive oil. Its pretty much my pizza dough recipe, tweaked with the addition of oil, less flour and no kneading.  Mix together the wet and dry…I used my nifty dough whisk, but a wooden spoon or even your hand works. Mix mix mix. The dough should  be really slack and sticky.  And guess what.. no need to knead! Just make sure the dough is uniformly incorporated…hehe.. uniformly incorporated… sounds weird.         Drizzle the dough (don’t worry about making it into a ball, a blob is good) with a little oil and place in a nice warm place topped with a towel to rise for about an hour or until dough has doubled in size. Once is has fully risen, drizzle 2 tablespoons oil in two 9 inch cake pans.  Divide dough in half, and kind of smoosh dough into pans. Cover and let rise for another 20 minutes or so. When dough has finished its second rise, drizzle each  with another tablespoon of oil and with your fingers, fill out the pan and indent the dough, kind of like playing a piano or tickling a puppy(?)….Then layer your toppings (if you want any)  Start with any herbs, then the veggies. Then last, any cheese you got. I used thyme, cracked black pepper, tomato, onion, topped with parmesan cheese. And the other one is just plain old salt.  Pulled from the oven when nice and golden brown..set on a wire rack to cool for a few minute and removed from the pans. The mister was practically salivating waiting for a slice… and he was so not disappointed. Crispy outside with soft airy insides… Everything a perfect focaccia should be. The one with the toppings was the favorite for the first night, but for a peanut butter and cheese panini for lunch the next day…plain is the way to go.. My suggestion, do what I did, jazz one up and leave one plain. And then make more if you need too because the forecast call for another week of below zero!!! Oh the things that I’ll get to make! (me being positive) Stay warm! -C

Focaccia with out without stuff

• 3 cups all-purpose flour 
• 1 tablespoon salt plus 2 teaspoons for topping (can use more or less if you want)
• 2 teaspoons active yeast (or one package)
• 1 1/2 cups warm water
• 1 tablespoon honey (or sugar if vegan)
• 6 tablespoons olive oil

Optional toppings

• Fresh cracked pepper
• Thyme or any other spices
• Thinly sliced tomato
• Thinly sliced onion 
• Parmesan Cheese 
• Anything you want!

In a bowl or jar, mix honey (or sugar), yeast and warm water together and let sit for about 5 minutes or until yeast is activated and starts to foam In a large bowl, whisk together flour and 1 tablespoon of salt. With either a wooden spoon, dough whisk, or if you have one, a stand mixer with a dough hook, mix the yeast mixture with the flour. The dough is going to be really sticky so mixing might get a little gloppy, but keep at it until everything is full incorporated.. for about 3-5 minutes and don’t be afraid to use your hand… you can wash it off.  Once mixed drizzle with oil and cover with a towel. Let rise for about an hour or until dough has dubbed in size. When dough has double, coat two 8 or 9 inch cake pans each with 2 tablespoons olive oil. Dump dough onto floured surface and cut in half. Take each half a place in pan. cover and let rise again for another 20ish minutes. preheat over to 400 degrees After second rise, lightly take your fingers and push down dough, making little indents all over the surface. Drizzle each with another tablespoon of olive oil and sprinkle each with a teaspoon of salt. If using spices or any other toppings, nows the time to layer them on. And do any cheese last! Place in oven and bake for about 30 minutes or until the tops are golden brown. When done, place on a wire rack and let cool a bit before removing  from pans. Done!!  To store, place in a paper bag.. best eaten within a few days!

Because I love beets, I love celeriac and I love to pickle things…. And I love hearts. And Valentines Day is just around the corner so I though it appropriate to share these little darlings with you because even if you are not a fan of pickled beets or celeriac, you have to admit that these are just the cutest pickles you have ever seen. I have made a batch, sitting in the fridge, awaiting some sweet little dinner date that me and the mister will have come Valentines day. Or not, we might just eat them all before hand… because everyday is like Valentines day for us! (blah, barf, but awe, we are so cute!)

This is my basic pickling recipe….I figured you will want to pickle everything and anything once you realize (if you haven’t already) how amazing pickled everything is! And how easy it is to do it yourself.

My Pickling method……

1. Choose the jar that the pickles will live in
2. Prepare and pack the stuff  that is going to be pickled into the jar… leave about and inch of head space
3. Fill the jar to the top with a half water and half vinegar solution (I usually use apple cider vinegar because I think it adds a bit of sweetness.. I don’t like to pickle with sugar)
4. If going for a crispy pickle (like green beans or crunchy carrots)…. strain liquid into a pot with a teaspoon of salt per cup of liquid and any spices* that you want to use and bring to a boil  Add back to jar
5. If going for a more tender pickle (like beets or celeriac), dump the liquid and the veggies into a pot with a teaspoon of salt per cup of liquid and any spices* you want to use. Bring to a boil for a few minutes, then remove and replace back into jar.
6. Place lid and stick in fridge for at least a day….(I alway cheat and end up taking a bite within the first few hours) The flavor only gets better after being in the fridge for a couple of days.

*You can spice your pickles anyway you see fit…. I like to use peppercorns, garlic, mustard seeds, celery seeds red pepper flakes. Or for a little sweeter and more fragrant pickle, cinnamon stick, cardamom pods or star anise…the possibilities are endless.

Pickles are usually good for about a month, but I have never been able to keep them that long!

A little about these specific pickles……

I used one medium celeriac root, and 2 small beets. Sliced about a 1/4 inch thick and then used a cookie cutter to make the hearts.  The chosen vinegar was apple cider, and yeah ,you must pickle both the inner and outer hearts….don’t waste the outer heart! And the spices I used were black mustard seed and peppercorns. 

And they be amazing!!!!

Have a Fantastic Weekend!! Hopefully full of  warm weather, fluffy clouds, and lots of pickles!

-C

I eat vegetables like I breath air… constantly and almost mindlessly.  Some people are addicted to sugar or coffee, but me, I am addicted to veggies. ( I am also extremely addicted to coffee) This is my truth, but I am ok with it.  

All week long I have been hearing about this big game going on this weekend, something to do with a ball and running up and down a field….not quite sure, but I think it might be a big deal to some people.(I know it’s the Super Bowl, and I have heard about some deflated balls, but that’s the extent of my knowledge)  I have also have been hearing a lot of party planning around this game, food planning, which is something that I do understand. So I wanted to bring a party snack to the mix, and because of my addiction, my mind goes straight to vegetable. I know that there is traditionally a lot of meat, cheese and hot sauce at these said parties, and that’s totally cool, but I think everyone wants to have a least one awesome meatless cheese-less piece of food to snack on during half time.  So I give the people what they want. 

So simple, fast and easy to make. Tasty and healthy as can be. Grab and eat with you hands…. and nice to look at. We got the whole package here.   

Pretty much a little bit of everything that I have in my fridge….Shredded red cabbage, carrots, beets. Some sliced of red onion, tomato and red pepper. Hummus and a little mashed avocado

Yes, it may look like a mess, but that’s just me trying to make five different things at once. But really, making  these wraps are simple simple. Just take rinsed and dried green or red leaf lettuce, smear on hummus and mashed avocado and pile on the veggies. Roll and stick with a toothpick to keep from unrolling. See…. simple.So many colors…… so much pretty. Wrapped and rolled…Sliced down the middle, just to see all the pretty inside.

These might be veggie wraps, but man, look at those sausage fingers…(hehehe)

Make for lunch, dinner, party, or snack. Eat them for breakfast, dessert or midnight nosh. Whenever, wherever…..YUMMY YUMMY YUM! 

Happy hump day! 

-C

Lettuce Wraps 

Ingredients

Use whatever you want… but this is what I included in mine

• Green leaf lettuce
• Shredded red cabbage
• shredded  beets
• shredded carrots
•  thinly sliced tomato
• thinly sliced red pepper
• thinly sliced red onion
• hummus
• avocado

With each wrap, take a large lettuce leaf and cut out the crunchy rib.(you can slice it up thinly and add to wrap. Smear  leaf with hummus and smashed avocado, then layer on a bit of each of the veggies. Wrap or roll leaf in on the veggies and stick a toothpick in center to keep from unrolling. 

Place on a plate and eat or share… Extras are fantastic to have in the fridge!

 How awesome will you be when you bring the most freaking amazing tortilla chips to the party this weekend? You will be like..”what, it ain’t no thang.. I am just good like that” Yes, yes you are.

And yes, I am assuming that you will be making these awesome chippers to share at a Super Bowl part this weekend. I say this because even as I sit here writing this (with the TV on) there has been nothing but football talk…deflated balls, hot wings, half time shows and commercials. It’s almost as big as Christmas.  Got to get the decorations, the special game day food and your football jerseys. It’s crazy and all over the place. So that’s why I am assuming you are making these for the game.  But if you not going to be participating in any football parties.. by all means, make these chips for yourself anyways. Celebrate you day! Have a non football watching party. Or just make these whenever.  Jalapeño Lime chips for everyday! 

Note: You can make these chips without the jalaeno and or the lime if you need or want to. You can also stop after the first step and have some dank corn totillas for tacos ands stuff..But definitely make the chips… worth it for sure!

All the stuff.. Masa harina, hot water, salt, a lime and a jalapeño. Zest lime and place half the zest into a glass bowl with oil and either sit on warm oven or microwave for 30 seconds to infuse.  Puree the jalapeño with a cup of hot water and add the puree and half the zest of a lime, plus salt, to the masa harina. Mix it all up with another 1/2 cup of water or enough to make the dough resemble play dough… You can add more water or masa if you dough is to wet or dry. 

Knead dough a few times just to make sure it’s completely uniformed and divide  into 12-14 equal pieces. Place balls on a plate and cover with a wet paper towl to keep from drying out.

 I do not own a tortilla press so I used what I had… wax paper, a wooded cutting board and brunt force. I took each ball and place it between the two pieces of the waxed paper, placed the cutting board on top, and with all my might and body weight, pressed down to smoosh.  It works like a charm.

My cast iron skillet is big enough to cook 2 -3 at a time, but doing one at a time is cool too. Preheat the skillet to medium heat. Cook each tortilla for about 2-3 minutes ( or until starting to brown) on each side. Half way there to chips!!!

With my fingers ( you can using a basting brush for sure), I rubbed a little of the lime oil all over  both sides of each tortilla. Stacked a few high,  then sliced those tortillas into triangle shapes. If you  want to go crazy, you could cut them into strips or even use a cookie cutter and do some fun shapes… but triangle are easy, classic, and practical. A good shape for dipping!

Placed all nice and cozy on a baking sheet. trying not to overlap. Into a 400 degree oven for about 20 minutes to complete the chip making process.. After about 15 minutes, check for doneness. When nice a crispy, remove from oven, squeeze  lime juice all over and sprinkle with salt. I then stuck them back in the oven for a few more minutes just to dry the lime..

After cooling down, take those chips and stick them in a bowl. 

Eat a few, but wait and save them for the party. Or better yet, make a few batches. Bring a batch, eat a batch. (Its ok, you are allowed)

Eat with some salsa, maybe some of this guacamole, or just as they are…Anyway is the right way as long as you are eating!

Have fun making these and have fun getting read for the party this weekend (Super Bowl or not!)

-C

Jalapeño Lime Tortilla Chips

Makes 12-14 tortillas.. then made into a medium bowl of tortilla chips.

Ingredients 

• 2 cups masa harina
• 1 1/2 to 1 3/4 cups hot water
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 lime (juice and zest)
• 1 large or 2 small jalapeños 
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• salt

To start, zest lime and add 1/2 of the zest to bowl with the oil. Place oil on warm spot on stove to let the oil infuse the limeness. 

Take jalapeno and puree with 1 cup of hot water. In a large bowl, add puree  and remaining lime zest to the masa harina and mix, adding an additional 1/2 to 1 cup of hot water until the dough  resembles  play dough, not to soft, but not to dry and completely incorporated

Divide dough into 12-14 balls and place on a plate  under a wet paper towel to keep dough from drying out. 

One at a time, take a dough ball and place between two pieces of wax or parchment paper. Place either a plate or cutting board on top and press down as hard as you can (you could even stand on it). Remove flatten tortilla from paper and place in medium hot skillet. Cook each tortilla for 2-3 minutes on each side.

When all tortillas have been made, lightly rub lime oil on all over both sides. Stack a few on top of each other and cut into triangles. Place pieces on a baking sheets (I used 2) and bake at 400 for 15- 20 minutes or until lightly browned and crunchy. When chips are done, remove from oven, squeeze or sprinkle lime juice on chips and sprinkle with salt. Stick back into oven for another 2 or so minutes to re-crisp from the lime juice. 

Remove and let cool completely, then dump into a bowl

Enjoy!

I was informed yesterday that if I was going to make tortilla chips, that I better make some sweet ass dips to go with them.  I kind of agree… tortilla chips need dip… or better yet, two dips. Queso and guacamole. It’s what needed to be done, and so I did it.

Guacamole is amazing… anything avocado is amazing…this guacamole is amazing. White bean guacamole is amazing. And not that we really care, but this guac is half the fat then straight up guacamole.  Plus it’s packed full of protein making it a kind of super duper, must eat all of it, kind of dip.  And sweet potato anything will make me happy.  Making queso dip with sweet potato and cauliflower is probably one of my best food combos so far. (after eating a butt load, I felt like I was a genius and made an amazing discovery) Again, not that we need it to be, but this is also a fat-free, vegan, gluten-free, super healthy, packed full of B12,  fiber and nutrients, dip for all kind of dip.…. just another reason why you cannot feel bad when you finish off half a batch before you get a chance to stick it in a serving bowl. (I might have done that)

 Here is what you need for a good time:

−These tortilla chips ….Check.

−Some  Chopped Veggies (I want the veggies)…..Check

−Cauliflower Sweet Potato Queso.…Check.

−White Bean Guacamole…Check. 

You are now ready for it. It being this party, that party, the Super Bowl, or a Wednesday afternoon.  

To the left we have the makings for the cauliflower sweet potato queso.. Steamed cauliflower, a baked sweet potato, nutritional yeast, garlic, and chopped up red onion, red bell pepper and jalapeño. To make all you need to do it take the chopped peppers, onion, and garlic and sauté for a few minutes just to slightly soften and bring out flavors. While that’s going on, take the steamed cauliflower and sweet potato(skin off..but eat it, or save it for soup or feed it to the dog) and puree together with a blender or food processor. Add in nutritional yeast, about a tablespoon or two of hot water and, salt and pepper to taste. Blend for about 5 minutes until super creamy smooth. Add in sautéed stuff and pulse just enough to incorporated the veggies but not complete blend in.  Stick in a bowl.

To the right we have white bean guacamole stuff.  Two cups (or one can) rinsed white beans, one ripe avocado, a lime, a few cloves of garlic,(I also added a bit of garlic powered…I like my garlic) and some chopped up red onion and tomato.  Place beans, garlic, avocado and lime juice in a blender or food processor and blend until smooth. Add salt to taste and toss in the chopped tomato and onion. Blend for sec to mix that in…Stick in a bowl 

Perfect…

To think that both of these dips took about 10 minutes total to make. (I had pre baked the cauliflower and sweet potato)  And for real, I would spend much more time if I had too because both of these dips are so freaking good, I definitely will be making these on the regular.

So there , dips for those sweet ass chips or whatever you want to dip or them spread them on. 

And he guys…It’s FRIDAY! Have a fantastic day!

-C

White Bean Guacamole 

• 2 cups white beans (or 1 can) rinsed and drained
• 1 ripe avocado
• 3 cloves garlic
• 1 lime
• 1/4  small red onion
• 1 small tomato
• 1-2 teaspoons salt

Finley chop onion and tomato. Set aside. Place the beans, avocado, garlic, garlic powder, 1 teaspoon salt and the juice from one lime into a blender or food processor and blend until smooth. Add a splash of water if needed to help keep things moving. Taste and add more salt if needed. When smooth, add  the onion and tomato and pulse a few times to mix in. Scoop into a serving dish and finish with a squeeze of lime and a bit of chopped onion and tomato. 

Cauliflower Sweet Potato Queso

• 1 1/2 cups pre cooked steamed or roasted cauliflower
• 1 medium pre baked sweet potato
• 1/2 cup nutritional yeast
• 1-2 tablespoons hot water
• 1/2 a small red pepper
• 1/4 small red onion
• 1 jalapeño
• 3 cloves garlic
• salt and pepper

Finely dice the red pepper, jalapeño, onion and garlic and sauté in a skillet for a few minutes until slightly soften and fragrant. Take the pre-cooked cauliflower, sweet potato (skin removed), and nutritional yeast and place in a blender or food processor. Blend for about 5 minutes until creamy and smooth. Add in a tablespoon  of water  to keep things moving. When completely smooth, add in sautéed veggies and pulse a few times to combine. Scoop into a serving dish. If your feeling it,  top with scallions and cracked pepper.

Serve dips with chips, veggies or anything you want. Also make great spreads for sandwiches and crackers too!

It hasn’t stopped snowing, the temperature is dropping fast (it’s getting to the point the dog doesn’t even want to be outside) and the mister is busy hand shoveling three long driveways. So I figured that in between all the laundry folding, plant watering , and all around sitting on my butt  that I am doing  INSIDE, that  I would be so super nice and crank the stove up and make my love some cookies.I love making cookies, especially when I have chores to do. I think part of it is that cookies are baked in batches which breaks up the chores and gives a sort of rhythm to things. Plus everything is nice when the house smells like cookies.  I was going to make chocolate chocolate chocolate cookies, but realized that I didn’t have cocoa powder, so I went with fresh cranberries (I just scored a pound of organic cranberries for 89 cents!) coconut flakes and chocolate chips. Plus I wanted to make them oatmeal because the mister likes oatmeal and oatmeal makes the cookies a little more hardy. (We need hardy when the temperature dips below zero)The verdict….. chewy, soft, slightly sweet oatmeal, bittersweet chocolate, nutty floral coconut, and the zing and pop of the fresh cranberries. He told me to hide them… hide so he will stop eating them….. because they be amazing!

The base of this cookie….We are using regular old fashion oats and flour.  Salt, baking soda and baking powder.  Vanilla, chia seeds in hot water, coconut oil  white and brown sugar…. You know, all the cookie stuff.  Then all the goodness.. Chocolate chips, coconut flakes, and fresh cranberries. Goodness.Oh yeah, and they are vegan…if that matters to you.Warm the coconut oil and mix with the white and brown sugars. Then add the chia seeds soaked in hot water.  Stir until nice and silky smooth.In goes some more stuff.  I just dumped all the dry right on in that bowl and mixed it up nice and nice.Chopped the fresh cranberries into chunks… One at a time……Just kidding, I actually laid a cutting board on top of the cranberries, applied a little pressure and sliced through the cranberries.. Does that make sense? I hope so, because its is much easier and faster and the cranberries don’t all roll away.The chopped cranberries, coconut flakes and the chocolate chips go in to be mix all up. I used my hands to form the balls and gave each mound a little smoosh, but not completely flat.  Then into a preheated 375 degree oven for about 13-15 minutes or until a nice golden brown.A cup of hot coffee and a plate of warm cookies… I am the nicest, right! (After his nice cookie rest I proceeded  to do a little nagging, so the day evened out)So today is probably a great day for everyone to make cookies. It’s freezing out,  its saturday and well, just cause. You might even be looking for a great recipe to make for that big party your going to.You should make these cookies. Have a Fantastic Weekend!!!-C

Oatmeal Fresh Cranberry Coconut Chocolate Chip Coookies

Ingredients

• 1 cup old fashion oats
• 1 1/4cup all purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 cup coconut oil
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 3/4 cup brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 tablespoon chia
•  4-6 tablespoons hot water
• 1/2 cup chocolate chips
• 1/2 cup fresh chopped cranberries
• 1/2 cup coconut flakes

Preheat oven to 375To start, take the chia seed and soak them in the 4 tablespoon hot water for a few minutes. Then in a large bowl, mix together the white and brown sugar with warmed coconut oil. Add in the gelled chia seeds and vanilla and stir until silky and combined. (the warm chia seeds will help everything mix together nicely) Now mix in all the dry. I start with the oats, dump on flour, toss in the baking powder and soda and salt. Mix until fully combines. If the dough seems to dry, add in another tablespoon or two of hot water. Chop the fresh cranberries into halves or smaller and dump them, the coconut and chocolate chips into the bowl of dough and mix.Using a scoop, spoons, or your hands, make little balls and place on a cookie sheet, giving each ball a little smoosh. Into the oven for 13-15 minutes or until golden brown.Remove and cool on rack.Eat a few and hide the rest for later.

No matter what is going on in my day, seeing a blue sky like this puts a smile on my face….To bad that smile turned to ice and my face froze in place. Because for some reason, winter around here now means below zero all the time. I mean, I love winter, but I am not going to lie… I wouldn’t mind if the wind would stop blowing and we had a couple of days of above zero weather.. and maybe a good foot of snow. I guess I’ll just have to be patient, cause its bound to happen. I mean, we live in Vermont, and if nothing else, we get weather. 

Anyways.. another week full of stuff that fills. I am a little taken aback that its already February… when was it January? Time just keeps going by fast and faster, (especially when I get cabin fever) and I think, “What have I done in the past year?” Well, I have done a lot. I was just looking through pictures from a year ago and found some of our tiny home in working progress. Not to many people can remodel a five unit house and a meat locker to live in, within a year.. by ourselves. (ourselves being Nick and I)..So yeah, that made me feel pretty freaking awesome and accomplished. (I needed to remember that because I haven’t been feeling it) But now I am feeling inspired and am looking forward to some new projects and fun things to come! (hopefully getting my pottery studio up and running, maybe another house remodel and lots of traveling!!…. take that winter blues!) 

Anyway.. here are a few little bits from my week that made me happy.

The mister called these snow mounds goosebumps… I think that is exactly what they are 

The only warm day this week. (20..woo whoo!) Took the little out for a sled ride. She spent the entire time dragging her hands in the fresh snow. 

And oh how I cannot  handle how freaking cute she is!! Plus, a shout out to my brother in law….MADLOVE!

Fresh snow..Even though it was -15, I had to stop and take this picture. The colors were amazing

Cabbage at the farm share pick up! Love ICF!!!

89 cents a pound for fresh organic cranberries. Score!! Made these Oatmeal fresh cranberry coconut chocolate chip cookies with them. Big hit.

This picture was taken exactly a year ago…..The mister and I were finally putting in the bathroom of our tiny little home…. And look at that awesome sink! (another amazing salvage yard find) If you ever need or want to remodel a bathroom, I suggest using a old cast iron utility sink. So practical, so functional, so pretty.….it makes me happy everyday!

Happy Sunday!

Happy February!

And if you are into it….

Happy Football Super bowl Game and or party! ( If you need any awesome fast party recipes, I have bunch, just check out the recipes page!)

-C

There is a joke about Vermonters, that all we talk about is the weather. Well, it’s kind of true. But to our defense, we get a lot of weather, and it’s always changing and intense and both lovely and crazy and all over. So yeah, we talk. A lot, about the weather. And on that topic, I am trying so hard not to complain, but honestly, I am getting a little sick, both physically and mentally from all of these  super, to freaking cold temperatures. Yesterday the high was 0 ( which was at like 2 in the morning)  and factor in the windchill, the temp stayed at like 25 below. It f**king sucks. I can’t  stay outside for too long or else I will probably die. The dog  is having a hard time making it around the block before he gets ice paws, and the mister, well he even started wearing gloves (he wears a sweater all winter and never gets cold…..he is officially cold)

 And not only is the cold keeping us all indoors, but its making us all borderline sick. We both have been fighting something for the past few week. The headaches, stuffy nose, chest congestions. The puppy is getting super dry skin and gave himself a hot spot. BLAh!! Ok, enough! No more complaining

Because  I do really love the winter and all the pretty snow!!!!

But we are feeling kind of sick so to make us feel oh so much better, a fantastic, super tasty, healing, good for me, good for you, soup. Turmeric ginger carrot… oh man. Made with lots of ginger, turmeric and garlic and finished with a drizzle of raw honey. This soup is exactly what we need. All ingredients scream.. FEEL GOOD, BE WARM AND COZY! Almost everything in it has antibacterial and anti inflammatory properties. The veggies are hearty and heathy and just eating soup helps to keep hydrated. And the best part..it tastes so freaking amazing. 

So whether  you are feeling a little mah, or just a little hungry.…this soup is where it’s at!

Lots of chopped up carrots, a small onion, a little bit of cauliflower I had left over and a small beet. If you don’t have the cauliflower and or a beet, just use  ares pepper or another 2 carrots.. no biggy. 

Then we have the fresh ginger ( you can use powdered) turmeric and garlic.  All the good healthy spicy and yummy stuff. 

I accidentally spilled the turmeric on the counter..but it kind of looks like I might have done it on purpose… yeah, let’s go with that.  Chop the garlic and he ginger into    chunksAnd toss into the pot to warm and activate. Just a little toasty toast. 

And the veggies are roasted and tender and smell so good.  It took a lot of will power to not eat the whole pan right there.

I added the roasted veggies and 3 cups water straight into my pot  with the spices because I used an emulsion blender. If you are using normal blender, add the veggies, the toasted spices and the water to the blender and blend until smooth. Then transfer to a pot.

Pretty much all blended together….(I left a few big chunks in there to snack on while I was waiting to eat serve…I was really hungry) and let to simmer for a little longer…

And now ladle into a bowl and get ready for a fantastic finish… drizzle a spoonful of raw honey into soup…….so so good. You could add the honey before serving, but heating it kills all the good antibacterial stuff so that’s why we wait. Then  I sprinkle some chopped kale and chives. (do it if you want, but not necessary)

Now enjoy. Let the warmth wash over you and feel all those good spices helping to fight the good fight to keep you well and all the yummy to satisfy your hunger.

And lets hope for some warm (above 0!!) weather!

-C

Turmeric Ginger Carrot Soup

Ingredients

• 5 large carrots
• 1 small onion
• 1 small beet*
• quarter head cabbage ( or a cup of frozen)*
• 2-3 teaspoons  turmeric 
• 2-3 tablespoons fresh  ginger (1/2 teaspoon if using powdered)
• 4-6 cloves garlic
• salt pepper
• raw honey (omit if vegan)

* If you don’t have or want to use beet and or the cauliflower, you can use a red pepper, a small sweet potato, or just use a few more carrots. 

Chop all veggies into similar sized chunks and toss into a lightly oiled pan or on a baking sheet and sprinkle with salt.  Stick in oven at 425 for about 30 minutes or until all veggies are fork tender. 

In a large soup pot or dutch oven, toss chopped garlic, ginger and the turmeric and place on medium heat for a few minutes to activate the spices. Add the roasted veggies and 3 cups water to pot (if using emulsion blender) and blend until smooth. If using a blender, add the toasted spices, roasted veggie and 3 cups water and blend until smooth then transfer to a large pot or dutch oven. Add salt and pepper to taste. Turn heat down to  simmer and let cook for an addition 10 minutes. 

When ready to serve, ladle soup into bowl and drizzle a spoonful of raw honey into soup. Garnish with fresh chopped kale, chives, cabbage or whatever you want. (or nothing is good too)