26 Saturday May 2012
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These watercolor cards are easy to make and work for any occasion. I made one for my mom for Mother’s Day and then whipped up a few extra for thank you’s and “just because” notes. All you need is a watercolor palette and a brush.
25 Friday May 2012
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Maple-Roasted Brussels Sprouts With Toasted Pecans
Adapted from the New York Times Vegan Thanksgiving
The brussels sprouts are roasted at a high heat to bring out the natural sugars and caramelize the edges, then tossed with toasty hazelnuts and a kick of maple syrup.
1 1/2 pounds brussels sprouts
1/4 cup olive oil
3/4 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 teaspoon (or 10 grinds) black pepper
4 tablespoons maple syrup
1/2 cup toasted pecans, coarsely chopped (optional)
1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
2. To prepare the brussels sprouts, remove any yellow or brown outer leaves, cut off the stems and cut in half.
3. Toss the brussels sprouts, pecans, olive oil, salt and pepper together. Once coated in oil, spread into a 9- by 13-inch baking dish or cooking sheet to roast. You may want to line your sheet tray with foil for easier cleanup. Place in oven.
4. Place in oven. After 15 minutes, stir with a spatula or large spoon to even out the browning. After 30 minutes, stir in the maple syrup.
5. Continue to roast the brussels sprouts for about 15 more minutes, or until they are fork tender (about 45 minutes total).
Yield: Serves 6.
23 Wednesday May 2012
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This is a healthier version of that old take out staples. Edamame is one of my favorite healthy protein sources and kimchi is full of probiotics (lactobacilli).
Edamame and Kimchi Fried Rice
Adapted from Skinny Taste and Koko Cooks
Ingredients
6 cups of cooked brown rice
4 eggs, scrambled
2T peanut oil
1 large onion, diced
1 c. kimchi, diced (I just used the whole jar)
5 scallions, chopped, whites and greens separated
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 c. shredded carrots
2 c. shelled edamame
3T soy sauce
2T sesame oil
salt and pepper
1. Heat 1T peanut oil in large wok and cook the whisked eggs. Remove to plate.
2. Heat remaining tablespoon of peanut oil until almost smoking. Add onion, garlic, scallion whites and carrots. Cook about 60-90 seconds, careful not to burn.
3. Add kimchi and a little bit of kimchi liquid and stir fry another minute.
4. Add rice and stir fry another minute, breaking up clumps
5. Add cooked egg and edamame and cook while mixing well, 2-4 minutes.
6. Remove from heat and add sesame oil, soy sauce and scallion greens
20 Sunday May 2012
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I originally started this blog as a way to keep a record of my races and workouts when I was neck deep in the triathlon and cycling scene four years ago. Loyal readers (Hi Dad!) may even remember when I had a race calendar and training plans posted on the site. The combination of med school and overtraining injuries sidelined me for the last two years, but I’ve been getting back into running in the past few months. This time, I’ve added mileage gradually and really focused on listening to my body. To really kick my butt into gear, I accepted an entry to the Rock ‘n’ Roll Chicago Half Marathon in July. Now that I have a reason to train – not embarrassing myself in front of my Brooks ID colleagues and friends – I’ve kicked my mileage up to about 35 miles a week. This is far more running in a week than I ever did when training for cycling or triathlons. So far the results are paying off. I feel fitter than I ever have.
As a “tune up” I signed up for the Follow the Child 5K put on by the Madison Montessori School District. I wanted the pressure of a race situation and the race fit my schedule. Needless to say, the event today was very low-key. There were no mile markers, no timing chips and no…. Regardless, I felt enough pressure to push myself so the mission was accomplished. Timing wise, I was close to a 5K PR, but the 90 degree heat made the race much slower than I had hoped. It was definitely a suffer fest!
I did manage to get first place overall (med and women) in the race. It was a family-focused run, but it still felt great to cross the finish line first in my nightlife yellow Brooks ID kit!
20 Sunday May 2012
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A few weeks ago I hosted a “Ladies Who Brunch”. Brunch is one of my favorite meals to cook – and eat! Because it was close to Earth Day, I decided to make little party favor/place cards inspired by this post on One Charming Party.
Repurposed Egg Carton Party Favors
You will need:
Egg Carton Uncooked Eggs Egg cutter (optional), like this Potting Soil Baker’s Twine, like this Seed packet of your choice (I used zinnias) Card Stock, like this Washi Tape, like this Alphabet Stamps, like these Embossing ink pad, like this Embossing Powder, like this Heat Gun, like this1. Crack fresh eggs to create a bowl shape. You can also use an egg slicer for this part, which I don’t have so I just carefully picked off pieces of shell until the edges were fairly even. Empty egg and rinse clean
2. Fill shells with potting soil and a few seeds
3. Cut your egg carton to make a top and bottom to hold each egg
4. Place your potted egg shell gently into the carton
5. Use baker’s twine or pretty string to secure the carton
6. Emboss the name on a piece of cardstock cut into a flag shape, using the rubber alphabet stamps, embossing powder and heat gun. Cover the opposite side of the cardstock with washi tape, fold in half and loop through the baker’s twine.
15 Tuesday May 2012
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This is the simplest recipe on the planet but it gets rave reviews every time I make it. It brings me back to childhood a little bit; this is the kind of thing that people would bring for birthday parties and sleepovers.
You will need:
~Equal numbers of pretzels, rolos and pecans
13 Sunday May 2012
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04 Wednesday Apr 2012
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After the modest success of my last sugar cookie/royal icing attempt, I decided to try a project that was a little more ambitious. My friends and neighbors, Daniel and Nadia, were having a braai (South African BBQ) and I figured some fun cookies would be a great trade for some good grilled meat and whatever else was brought to pass.
Even though I really liked the recipe I used to make the bridal shower cookies, it was a very involved process with multiple refrigerations and weighing of ingredients than I have time or patience for. The following recipe, from The Sweet Adventures of Sugarbelle‘s blog, was just the thing. The recipe doesn’t need any chilling and has only basic ingredients.
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Sweet Sugarbelle’s Basic Sugar Cookies
Sweet Sugarbelle’s Royal Icing
03 Tuesday Apr 2012
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Even though our wedding is a year away, it’s never too early to get started on the DIY-ing, especially when you have lazy weekends and girlfriends willing to help out. Our first project was decorating the invitation envelopes. The envelopes were part of the paper supplies we purchased in Thailand. Because the envelopes are nice enough on their own, I chose a simple stamp to decorate one corner. To add some “pizazz”, we then embossed the design. With two people, it was quick work and took less than 30 minutes to do 50 envelopes.
Easy Embossed Envelopes
Supplies:
3. Sprinkle liberally with embossing powder
4. Tap off excess powder
5. Heat the stamped image until the powder changes to a shiny liquid and rises
6. Let cool
I ordered a personalized return address stamp on Etsy. I’ll post the finished product when the stamp comes and I can emboss the return address on it!
17 Saturday Mar 2012
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Oh yeah, this is our backyard.
