Memorial Day Cookin'

Adult Cupcakes

I had a very nice and relaxing memorial day weekend. Some festivities included going to a bbq, hiking, yoga class, tequila tasting, and relaxing by our newly opened pool.

It wouldn't be a holiday weekend without some yummy food so I gave this recipe I made last summer another try - Watermelon Tomato Gazpacho. It is absolutely delicious and refreshing. This will be a summertime staple for sure.

On a not so healthy note, I whipped up some cupcakes for a co-worker's birthday. I don't have much experience baking, so I used funfetti mix for the cake portion, but I decided to take a stab at some cream cheese frosting. I love this website because after you read the recipe you can read reviews and modification suggestions.

I used the above recipe and combined it with another one by adding 1 tablespoon Irish Cream and 1 tablespoon bourbon. That added a nice little kick and gave the icing some complexity. I topped them off with some sprinkles. I think they turned out adorable and tasty!

Smoothie Recipe

A friend of mine told me about this Smoothie he tried the other day. It sounded so yummy, I created my own version of it. The combination of these ingredients sound a little odd, but it tastes so good–like pumpkin pie in a cup!

Nutty Pumpkin Pie Smoothie

3/4 cup nut milk (I used Hazelnut)
5 oz. fresh carrot juice
1/3 cup canned pumpkin
1 heaping tablespoon almond butter
a few dashes of pumpkin pie spice
1 pinch salt

Resolutions

It's that time of year again. I'm thinking if I write my resolutions for all the world to see, I will be more likely to actually keep them. Here we go:

Exercise - Yep. Not original. At all. Still, I know how good I feel when I actually do it, and how yucky and sluggish I feel when I don't. This resolution is not about losing weight, but being healthy and feeling great!

Juice it up! - A couple of years ago I bought a juicer after reading the book The Raw Foods Detox Diet by Natalia Rose. Juicing is a wonderful way to get essential nutrients, stay hydrated, and counter act some of the harmful things that we do to our bodies (stress, caffeine, junk food, etc.). I stopped juicing because I found it to be a hassle, but that is no excuse. 2011 I am making it a priority!

Here is a recipe from crazysexylife.com

Green Drink

    •    2 large Cucumbers (peeled if not organic)
    •    Big fist-full of Kale
    •    Big fist-full of Romaine
    •    3 stalks of Celery
    •    1 Pear or Green Apple
    •    1-2 big Broccoli stems
    •    1/2 inch of Ginger

Art - Although I am a graphic designer by profession, I do not consider what I do at work art. Art has always been a big part of my life and I find it so rewarding to express myself creatively. I have not always been great about making time, but at least once a week I want to work on some sort of project whether it be sketching or practicing guitar.

Here's to a fabulous 2011!

Chocolate + Bacon?

I have been CRAVING chocolate chip cookies this week. Last night I indulged in a small bag of Famous Amos cookies but being store bought, they did not hit the spot. I found this recipe for maple bacon chocolate chip cookies and think I will give it a go.

There was a time when I would have scoffed at the thought of combining bacon and chocolate - until I visited coco sala a couple of years ago. Their bacon mac and cheese is topped with a nice crispy piece of chocolate covered bacon - indeed 'twas divine!

5 Things

With Thanksgiving right around the corner, I thought I would take a moment to be thankful for a few of the little things in life that bring me joy.

Homemade Chicken Pot Pie - Got this recipe from Allrecipes and made it Sunday night. It was a hit with our dinner guests and even made great tasting leftovers.

Hauschka - Dusseldorf (love that word) based pianist and composer. Interesting, complex, ambient arrangements are perfect on the job tunes.

Herbal Tea - Trader Joe's Bedtime Tea is my current fav.

Dark Chocolate Covered Almonds - Once again, Trader Joe's

Kundalini Yoga - Since I started my current job, I have not been great at making a yoga practice priority. I just re-started working the desk at Radiance Yoga in Alexandria and took my first Kundalini Yoga class in quite some time. It really helps to keep me calm and centered.

Yogi Bhajan

Raw Foods "Cookin'"

When I was in NYC a few months ago, I had the pleasure of visiting an amazing restaurant called Pure Food and Wine. Although I've done a little reading and experimenting with "raw foods" this was my first RF restaurant experience. We sat on the patio and enjoyed some yummy sangria, then ordered from the prix fix menu. The food was FANTASTIC! And even filling! Mike, who is more of a hamburger and fries kind of guy was even impressed.

A couple of weeks ago, I was thrilled to find chefs' Matthew Kenney and Sarma Melngailis' book "Raw Food Real World". Their story is fascinating and the food is even better. So far, I've only tried one recipe, but it was so yummy I made it twice! Each time, I played with some of my own variations (mainly because I didn't have all the ingredients) but both times, it came out great! Here is the recipe:

Watermelon Tomato Gazpacho

3 cups watermelon - seeded and pureed in a blender
1 cup seeded watermelon - diced small
1 cup seeded tomatoe - diced small
1 cup peeled, cucumber - peeled, diced small
1/2 cup red or green bell pepper -- seeded and chopped
2 tablespoons lime juice
1 small handful cilantro leaves
1 teaspoon chopped fresh ginger
1/2 small jalapeno -- seeded and minced
1 scallion -- white and 1-inch of green, chopped
1 teaspoon sea salt -- or to taste ( I used less )
black pepper -- to taste

The book gives more detail, but you basically combine and serve! I refrigerated the leftovers and ate the next day.