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Today I had indulgences on my mind. After the feast of Fat Tuesday, this is the day of fasting. Missing even one meal made me hyper-aware of all the food around me. Coworkers bringing in snacks from nearby vendors, Valentine's treats beginning to find their way into the break room, even the notices at the gas pump proudly proclaiming "quick munchies" from the convenience store on my way
Do you believe in love at first sight or do I have to walk by one more time? Have you been drinking milk, because it sure did your body good. Do you like raisins? How about a date? Let us face it, I am not going to find my Valentine with bad pick up lines -- but I may entice someone to a date with a cup of spicy Aztec Hot Chocolate. Play to my strengths, after all, they
Admittedly, I have nothing against gluten. I do not suffer from any gluten intolerance, nor do I adhere to a gluten-free diet. I do, however, like a challenge. Try to find a gluten free recipe for brownies that does not necessarily taste like it is trying to be gluten free -- the bar is set. This is my first trial, and based on the original recipe by David Lebovitz. I have to
Trying to keep warm before the Seattle Half Marathon this morning, I stayed in the building that houses the Repertory Theatre. Deciding their restrooms were a slightly warmer, and cleaner option to port-a-potties, I came across this little gem. It does not fill my appetite, but it did fill me with a little chuckle before I went out to the starting line. Say hello to a little elephant
Fall is without a doubt my favorite time of year. The change in colors, the drop in the temperatures, and the seasonal foods make my heart do little back-flips. I am starting to dig out my favorite fall recipes, but for one last nod to summer, I brought out my tabletop grill to try out this Grilled Veggie Salad that I originally found on The Kitchy Kitchen. A couple of Beloved Green
This is where I toot my horn just a little bit. One of my favorite recipes, Gratin Dauphinois, was featured on Huffington Post's food section. This is the second time one of my recipes has been featured on their website, and I am just as giddy the second time around. I am doing a virtual happy dance right now. In fact, I kind of look like a very happy Tube Dude.
My new quest in life should be finding foodie gems. You know the places, those little local restaurants that are typically passed up by most folks. Then one day rolls along, your hungry, and it is right there for an adventurous soul to check out. You walk in, ask the waitress for some recommendations and order something new for you. Food is served. Your taste buds sing. You digest with
I bookmarked a recipe back in August for Zucchini Muffins. It sounded so delightful, and I kept thinking about it but never actually headed to the kitchen to bake a batch. With a fist full of zucchini's in hand this weekend, I finally pulled out the muffin tin and modified the recipe a bit to satisfy my never satiated stomach. The Shopping List: 2 zucchini 1 cup wheat flour 1 cup
Sometimes a pop song says it all. No cooking for me today, just going to console myself with chocolate and snuggle up with a photo of Clay Matthews. Le sigh. Okay, I feel better now.
Every once and a while I like to see where the traffic to my website is coming from. This is how I found out my Caprese Salad was featured recently on Huffington Post's Kitchen Daily. My liberal kitchen spatula is just tickled pink with excitement.
This little gem is actually attributed to my lovely co-worker, Annie. I have to record it here in my digital cookbook so I do not forget about it. Today was the day to try out this snack food, a slightly healthier take on the traditional game-day fair. Since it is the opening weekend of the regular season of football and all. Of course my beloved Green Bay Packers did not start out the
A couple weeks ago I had some visitors from my native Midwest. Having lived in the Puget Sound area for a year now, it was high time I put to use my new-found knowledge about the area and be the tour guide. To be quite honest, I have not done a lot of the usual tourist activities someone might do if they visited Seattle. I told myself I would wait to do them when I had visitors from out of
Pesto is such a staple in my cooking, and with my basil growing out of control it is the perfect time to make a batch and trim my herbs back. I usually try to make a large batch of basil at a time, and then freeze cubes of it for use later on. In the refrigerator it will last a couple weeks, but frozen it can last several months. I put my extra pesto into little ice cube trays and then
Lisa Congdon is an illustrator who is making a handwriting picture every day for a year. These two are brilliant and I desperately hope she offers some up to purchase because they would look adorable in the kitchen. Check out all of Lisa's work on her blog right here.
Not only are these adorable plates made in the US from 100% recycled milk containers, the company that makes them, Green Eats, also looks for ways to reduce greenhouse emissions during the manufacturing process. Definately impressed by the sustainable initiatives in this company and excited to see what products they introduce in the future. (via swiss-miss)
hangry (han-gree) adj a state of anger caused by lack of food: hunger causing a negative change in emotional state This pillow is also a nice shade of green. For some unknown reason, it is calling to me. Perhaps it is because I can relate. Nah... Hangry pillow is available on etsy, just in case someone is looking in advance to get me a birthday gift.
Lemon Curd is one of my favorite breakfast treats. Just eating it on a piece of toast makes me feel British. One day, I will find at least one English branch on my family tree, I'm sure of it. Until then, I will drink from my Brown Betty teapot, and make my own lemon curd goodness. What I love about this treat is that it not only makes a great spread on bread, but it is also great for
This makes me so very happy. August 15th would have been Julia Child's 100th birthday. "This is what good cooking is all about, this is what good cooking is all about." Oh Julia, you make me smile! And kudos to PBS for putting this together.
Last summer I wrote several posts about my time in Scandinavia. I mentioned my new-found love of Guf, the field kitchen we roughed it with in Silkeborg, testing out some Swedish beer, but most importantly checking out some true Scandinavian food. After my time in Denmark, Sweden, and Norway I am more appreciative of their everyday living designs. The best examples were at the
This is my lazy, sweet summer salad. It is summer. And I am lazy. Yup, a lazy summer salad. With just a handful of ingredients, it cannot get much simpler--or lackadaisy. Today, I do feel like I have earned my lazy mood. This morning I was out for my morning run when I came across two dogs, different breeds, running across a busy street. I whistled them over, and discovered they were
This is my go-to snack of the moment. Eons ago, before I even knew that edamame was the same as a soybean, I went out with a good friend who studied abroad with me. She ordered some of this mysterious "edamame" and then proceeded to pluck the beans from their pod and devour them. "Try one," she said nodding to the basket. And then I proceeded to eat the entire basket. I'm a horrible
I love this mantra, "She Believed She Could, So She Did" I think this beautiful piece of artwork should hang right next to my bathroom mirror. That way, once the sleep has cleared from my eyes, and I put in my contacts, the first thing I see clearly in the day is this affirmation. On that note, if you are ever in the Seattle area, I am going to highly recommend the Portage Bay Cafe for
This was a little something I made a while back and brought in to work. It received rave reviews from my taste-testers, so I knew it was imperative to post it and remind me to make them again in the future. It has also been a constant light rain here in Seattle today, so I am looking back at these photos to remind myself that the sun does peak out every once and a while around here. And
"I don't sprinkle nutmeg, I have nutmeg on tap." - Kyle Mallinson While might say some of the verbiage about food is slightly over-the-top, the passion for the recipe is there. Not to mention his dedication to cinnamon is spot on.
I have a secret love of asparagus. When I was about five years old, I remember my grandma sending me outside her house to pick it from the ditches. I would come back into the kitchen with literally buckets full and help clean it before she started on dinner. Asparagus to me has a certain nostalgia, for my grandmother and her sassy tongue and willingness to say I was one of her favorite
We were chatting at work about food (a favorite topic of mine) and we somehow happened on the discussion of avocados. I mentioned that I add them to some smoothies which raised a couple eyebrows. And then I hit'em with a bang when I mentioned that I also throw in sprouts. But I can assure you, the taste is quite delish. I was inspired by the original recipe from Golubka, and made one small
I loved all of the great healthy tips you guys left in the comments of the Beloved Green OXO 5lb Food Scale Giveaway. Before I announce the winner I did not want those fabulous suggestions to go to the comment graveyard, and decided to give them their moment to shine. So without further ado, I put everyone's entries onto a spreadsheet with a total of 39 entries. I put that i
This recipe is in the same vein of another favorite recipe of mine, White Chocolate Cranberry Oat Cookies. Where this one differs is in one major ingredient, lemon jello pudding. I had read a recipe recently that used lemon jello pudding to soften the cookie. This appealed to me for one specific reason, these cookies were being mailed to my Mom.My Mom's birthday was on Friday and
It has been a while since I collected some of my favorite links from around the foodie blogosphere. Without further ado:+The Art of the Menu is a delightful visual display to see the creative and functional design in which restaurants display their culinary creations.+These beater whisks are a ray of fresh air for a kitchen-space challenged foodie. If I was not on a Lenten spending
As part of the Foodbuzz Tastemaker program, I received a Good Grips 5 lb Food Scale to try out. And so far, I've been loving it. I am one of those foodies who usually just estimates weights, and for the most part this works out for me.But every once in a while there is a recipe that calls for things to be a little more precise. That is where this little bugger comes in.What I lo
@font-face { font-family: "Cambria"; }p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal { margin: 0in 0in 10pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman"; }div.Section1 { page: Section1; } “May the odds be forever in your favor.” ~ The Hunger GamesRight now I feel like a 12 year old fan girl eagerly waiting to see The Hunger Games on the big screen. I can say this is a huge thing for
This post is dedicated to April--and all of my fabulous co-workers who surprised me with a treat to Williams-Sonoma, I'm thinking this is a hint that I need to bring something in next week. Not only did she taste test it, but she is reminded me that some of my favorite blog readers were looking for an update.I recalled reading a recipe a few months ago with roasted broccoli and chili flakes,
It is no baked bread from Peeta, but a good baked potato will always be a favorite side dish for me. Speaking of Peeta... let me get a little fangirl on this little bloggy-blog.The Hunger Games are opening up in just a couple weeks, and as a part of their promotional tour, the three stars of the movie, Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson and Liam Hemsworth stopped by my neck of the woods in S
My favorite iPhone running app is without a doubt Runmeter. Not only does it integrate with Dailymile, but followers can send you messages that will be "read" as encouragement during a run. It also uses the phone's GPS to create a map of the run, clock distance, and give you updates on your pace. During my last run, which is a 5K circuit, I noticed something amazing, something ab
I am on the hunt for a more natural version of yogurt covered raisins. After scouring through recipes that were not quite what I desired, I finally decided to try creating one on my own.That is why this is labeled V1, aka Version 1.Why I will try to refine it is because aesthetically it still looks kind of blah. Taste-wise, this is quite yummy. And that, is why I will share V1, a
I have been dreaming about these little muffins for a few days now. One of my favorite light tasting desserts is Strawberry Ricotta Cheesecake, these little beauties are a nod to that recipe.Of course, no recipe can go off without a hitch in my home. I spilled some demerara sugar on my counter and my delightful cat, Oxford, jumped up and plopped right down. So right now he litera
One of my personal goals this year is to start my own mini-garden on my apartment patio. With space constraints, I have to be selective and really plan everything out. The first item on my to-do list is how to create a herb garden. I dream of having a fresh variety that I can grab at anytime and throw into my favorite recipes. This is something I can start now when it is st
When I think about the south, I think of southern hospitality, good ol' fried foods, homemade jam and Rodney Atkins singing, "What I love about the south".So when I saw this fun little Jam Labelizer on How About Orange my first thought was how I wanted to channel my inner southern girl.Make your own custom jam label here. I loved the book The Help by Kathryn Stockett, my aunt had given me a gift c
My healthy foodie friends, please turn away from the screen. And if you are still looking, the only way I can make this healthy is to repeat the mantra, portion control, portion control, portion control...I love the taste of a good sweet, yet tart, Meyer Lemon. And when it mixes in with berries and almonds, my head rolls back and a bit of drool starts to descend from my lips. Because
This week Beloved Green is going to celebrate the 84th Annual Academy Awards with a week of movie inspired recipes, dining tips, and foodie style celebrations. The first recipe is inspired by the Best Picture nominee, "War Horse". What better to feed your favorite equine war hero, then a tasty apple treat. And it is not bad for humans.So for a guilt free snack to munch on w
Sometimes the simplest things in life are the most delightful.And I need to focus on not over complicating my life. So today, my dessert du jour are little fresh raspberries stuffed with dark chocolate chips thanks to the advice of Saucy Sprinkles. Who would have thought that a chocolate chip was just the perfect size to slip right inside a raspberry?It's kismet I tell you. These will be great for
Yesterday, the sun shined briefly in the Pacific Northwest, and I celebrated it with a little winter yoga and some spicey soup.I found a gorgeous recipe for a Southwest Soup at The Edible Perspective and knew I had to adapt it for my kitchen. I am trying to become more conscious of what I put into my body. The idea that in order to really nurture it, I need to be more focused on whole
I cannot take credit for this little piece of brilliance, that belongs to my beloved coworker. We had a gathering and she pulled out some veggie dip in a Greek yogurt container and told us to all give it a try. I honest could not believe that it would taste anything like the real, calorie infested, veggie dip we all know and love.I was wrong.It. Was. Amazing. This Greek veggie dip tast
In the course of three days, beautiful Puget Sound went from that to this:My power went out early this morning, but thankful has since come back on. Some folks in the area have been without theirs for the last couple days. We had a good dose of snow, then bombarded with a rain/ice mixture, and finally are looking out for urban flooding. And unlike the Midwest which anticipates sn
I have been trapped inside my home for the last two days during the Pacific Northwest's version of Snopocolypse 2012 raged on outside. First the unprecedented snow, followed by the freezing rain, and tomorrow we will battle urban flooding.And here I thought the weather situation would improve once I moved out of the Midwest.With all this extra time on my hands, I could not help but catch up
There is something about a well-written biography that entraps me. Even if the author does not reveal all of his secrets, the tone and direction it takes often reveals a great deal. While the snow has continued to fall in the Pacific Northwest (worthy of this Mid-westerner's nostalgia) I have thoroughly enjoyed discovering Judith Jones' The Tenth Muse. Although not as famous as the chef and coo
I went home early and walked a couple stores down to the Barnes and Nobles' that is slated for the chopping block after the holidays. I will miss walking in after a long shift and just enjoying the feel of being surrounded by books and coffee beans (even though have not inherited the Seattle mentality and despise drinking the stuff).I pick up a copy of Bon Appetit from the periodicals and fi
I am officially unpacking the kitchen boxes. This foodie is back in business, OH YEA! This move certainly tested my patience and appetite. There is only so much I can do with two plates, an oven, and a fork. The next time I move, there will be an emergency cooking set going into my car.To celebrate I am making myself a little post-run smoothie fit for a perfect fall day.&n
Day 13 of being without my kitchen gear. In an effort to console myself, I took a drive up to the Fremont Sunday Market.I am going to digress a moment to my brief time studying in London. As a college student on an exceptionally tight budget, I remember writing down in a journal every single expenditure I made down a pence. Wasting money was not an option, but neither was sacrifi
Day 11 of being without my kitchen supplies. Moving across country kind of stinks. When the cupboards are bare, I start to think about filling them with pretty things.And then my credit card starts to cry.But then I find these lovely ceramic bowls designed by Geraldine de Beco for Bernardaud. When the bowls filled about three-quarters full, a lovely kitty silhouette is featured.
