I heart food

So let me just be real. I love food, probably too much. Cooking it, eating it, playing with it (bad habit) and ruining my clothes with it (yep, still a 5 year old).

During school Robert would always beg (really, though) me to let him cook so that I would have more study time, but I always declined his offer- not because he doesn't have mad cooking skills but because I find cooking therapeutic. There is just something about making something, not only edible, but absolutely delicious out of random things in our pantry that I found so profoundly satisfactory. So at the end of a long day, the first thing I want to do is whip up a nice well rounded dinner for my dear rubbertoe and I.

And in honor of my food obsessed brain today (and making a bomb.com meal tonight) , here are a few of my favorite go-to dishes. Are they healthy? That's relative. Do I have a major sweet tooth? No. Do I love ethnic food and spice? Yes. With those precautions, here you go- a list of my favorite foods that I think everyone needs to try because they rock my world:

My favorite well-rounded, feel-good, "clean"  meal:
Last week my sister and I were talking about how much we love well rounded meals when we feel clean, light, and satisfied afterwards, so this is mine!

• Salmon. There are a few recipes that I like, and I always seem to go back to my mom's marinade or a nice herb crusted salmon. 
• Mashed Cauliflower. My sister(s) Micah and Collette first taught me how to make this, and I make it differently every time. I did find a similar recipe that I have used a few times and enjoy. Mashed potatoes go well here, too.
• Spinach Salad. 
• Jim Lahey's No Work Bread. My sister and I found this recipe a few years back in my cooking bible How to Cook Everything by Mark Bittman. I have finally figured out how to use Robert's sourdough start (yes, his Christmas present) with it, and let me tell you, it makes a KILLER sourdough artisan bread. Divine.

Go-to Desserts:

• Cherry Slab Pie 
• Deep Dish Cookie Pie I 1/4 this recipe and it was perfect for Robert and I (and probably a 3rd person). I also found that you could probably cut the sugar down by about half and still have it be too sweet. 
• Pierre Mineral Water + Crushed Ice + Stevia's Flavored Sweetners

Breakfast-ish:

• Peanut Butter-Banana Bread This was a Cooking Light recipe I found a few moons ago. I ended up cutting down the sugar down and adding more banana because bananas are so sweet. 
• Peanut Butter Cup Baked Oatmeal We literally have this for breakfast 5 times a week. 

Main Dishes:

• Homemade Indian Naan
• Sopa Tarasca (Bean and Tomato Soup) My sister first introduced us all to this soup from NPR's Kitchen Window at our Christmas Eve Palooza. Rocked my tastebuds.
• Tomato Basil Creme Pasta

And so there it is. A list of my favorite foods that may or may not make me want to weep because they are just that good.

Happy Sunday!

A little BNS

If I lived in a perfect world.....

I would be living in London while still attending BYU-Idaho while having a job as an airline stewardess while participating in a flash mob daily; there wouldn't be a 6 week wait for medical school application, there would be fifty hours in one day, the so called "high salary" at BYU-I would be above $9 an hour, Joshua Radin would be my personal troubadour, and most importantly my butternut squash plant wouldn't look like this:

Back in June Robert and I planted in our square foot garden. I don't have any good pictures of our beauty before it bit the dust, but it was quite lovely. We had a voluminous butternut squash plant, peppers, beets, basil, (a) tomato (that died), and cauliflower that was attacked and then killed by aphids. Okay, so about half of our garden was successful, but I can't even begin to tell you my excitement for this squash. 

Two years ago I was living in London, and my parents came to visit for Thanksgiving. We took a lovely trip over to Plymouth. For Thanksgiving dinner we ate at this incredible restaurant that completely changed my palate. It was a fancy restaurant that may or may not have been owned by Jamie Oliver (by far the fanciest I have ever been to). Layne and I both had a butternut squash risotto (which I want to weep thinking about) that gave me a strange fascination with the squash. 

The thing I looked forward to most about Autumn (besides the colors) this year was the chance to eat my homegrown butternut squash. FAIL. An early Rexburg frost robbed me of that opportunity.

 But, when the weather fails, WINCO doesn't (bonus points, it also doesn't force me to break my wallet). Butternut squash was eighty cents a pound, and I jumped all over that one. Good thing my husband is a good sport, and will eat whatever is put in front of him (except butter, cream, grease, overly sweet things, or high fat foods. but that is another story). The last few days our dinners have consistently been orangey, and delicious. 

butternut squash risotto (a favorite), butternut squash curry, roasted butternut squash, butternut squash macaroni, butternut squash soup, mmmmmm. Did I mention I heart butternut squash?

peachy keen

A week and a half ago I thought it would be a good idea to order a 20 lb box of peaches in my our Boutiful Baskets. A week and a half later, I can see now it wasn't the most brilliant idea this brain of mine has come up with. The pro of all of this? I would be okay considering myself an experienced canner.

In this lovely process I found my most favorite peach recipes of all time; I knew some good would come out of all this. Some of them are canning recipes, and some are not (because I am fully aware that not everyone cans peaches in their spare time).  

peach and creme fraiche pie (via smitten kitchen)

peach butter (via smitten kitchen)

spicy peach bar-b-que sauce (via ball)

If you are not one for spicy foods, that lovely condiment is probably not for you. Robert and I are both lovers of a little spice for the palate and it is perfect for the both of us. You know, the kind of spice that livens up your food while still letting you enjoy the flavor. Yesterday we went camping with our friends Sarah & Chase and had it with our little campfire bratwurst. It was to die for.

mango salsa (recipe via & picture via)

I know you are all thinking "claire, mango's and peaches are not created equal". Alas, BB gave me five mangos as well, and I was getting carried away. But the recipe is to die for. The website, all though not the most aesthetically pleasing is a great little resource for all things canning, growing, and picking. 

Of course, I had to make jam as well. I think it's just an unspoken rule that if you are canning, and canning with fruit you are obviously going to make jam. I found a sugar-free spiced peach jam recipe in the holy bible of canning "The Blue Book", and added some huckleberries from our adventure. It was pretty good- if I say so myself. 

Lesson: being bored can be beneficial, but also detrimental. Lucky for me, it turned out to be okay. We will see if that still holds true after I conquer painting our nightstands tomorrow.

the bitter truth

A while ago my mom saw this clip on CNN, and shared it with me. Since I am a promoter of all things health (if you remember from my 23 1/2 hours post), feel free to watch and share this with your friends. I found this clip absolutely fascinating, considering it's not just "fat" that makes our cholesterol levels go up, and the way sugar affects our brain. Anyway, enjoy! 

Have a happy and above average Thursday :)

summer pride days

I love summer. I love the sun, light until ten o'clock at night, sno cones, going on walks with Robert, the sun setting over fields, gardening, watermelon, BBQ's, and family. But most of all, I love being in Idaho where the high is 90 and the low is 50. (as opposed to 120 for LV).  School ends in 10 days, and we plan on having seven weeks of summer heaven before the Fall semester begins.

This past weekend my family flew up from Las Vegas to visit my Grandma, who lives just an hour south of us.  

A summary of our weekend is as follows:

A six mile run- turned into a ten mile run

family dinners

family history (stories)

watermelon

walks

The Cosby Show

sno cones

snow mobile races on the lake

Bob's Cafe

Maggie crying every time she saw Robert,

and an awesome family

Needless to say, it was a pretty good pre-finals weekend.

Now just to get through the actual finals part.

Pig + happy husband = successful date

Robert and I aren't usually ones to go out to eat for some roasted pig. It's just not really our scene. BUT, we (and I really mean I) am trying to become less of a food snob (it's not my fault- but I will fully admit to it.) -unless it is a fried heart-attack-on-a-stick.

 When I was at Student Ambassadors on Thursday night a few of the other kids told me how good Blisters was. Since this was about the tenth good thing I had heard about the place, and since my Physiology professor was taking his advanced Phys. class there, I thought we could give the hole in the wall gas station a try. 

The baked beans were to die for.

Something important to know about my dear husband is that he isn't a picky eater, meaning he will eat anything that is put in front of him and say "yeah, it's good". There are a few meals he will get genuinely excited about. By few I mean about three or four. I knew this place really had to be good when Robert got excited about how good the food was.

Long story short: Blisters BBQ @ Mother Hibbards gas station was probably the best southern bbq food party my mouth has ever had. My husband liked loved it. It was cheap. win, win, win.

You should probably go.

Happy Weekend! :)

our square foot garden

The weather has finally brightened up here. It's official-  June first has made it's way and Spring has finally sprung. This also means time to get out the [land lord's] shovels and plant our little square foot garden. If you recall, our square foot garden was Robert's favorite part about the new abode. His excitement has definitely lasted. We got our first vegetable seeds a few weeks ago and he has been giving them a lot of TLC (it's actually kind of cute). After about five hours of studying for a Chemistry exam and Robert studying his little heart out for Histology, we finally found the time to plant this afternoon.

We are so excited about our little tomatoes, cauliflower, peppers, onions, beets, zucchini and butternut squash! Although, I am not wishing for Fall to come any more quickly ( I can't believe I am already registering for Fall classes)

Hope everyone had a lovely and above average Saturday! :)

My Best Friends Wedding

Today was my best friends wedding. Sarah was beautiful, Chase was handsome, the food was delicious, the cake was perfect (my awesome lil sis, Layne made it.)  the decorations were perfect, the friends were fun, the colors were whimsical; I loved every minute of it, but most of all: I loved the Bride & Groom. {now Mr. & Mrs. Chase Wasden}

It was one of those weddings where everything seemed to be exactly what it needed to be. The coupled just glowed and everything just felt, right.

Being there in the midst of it all brought me back to 8 months and 28 days ago when my Mr. Right and I walked out of the same doors.

I love weddings.


I love what they represent, I love all the family and friends that are brought together, but mostly, I love weddings because it reminds me of how lucky I was to have that day with my perfect groom.

Red Velvet Pancakes, Thai Food, and Valentines Day

Monday night the festivities began. First, we had the Davis' annual dinner and dance. I don't have any pictures, but it was so much fun! A perfect way to start off Valentines.

Tuesday morning Robert-o and I woke up to make Red Velvet Pancakes. They were delicious.

I got the idea for the recipe from my favorite dessert blog. I didn't really use her recipe just the idea to dye it red with purred raspberries. (genius I tell you, genius!). Robert and I aren't eating sugar, and so the idea was perfect. I can't exactly remember how I made them (I need to write it down next time I make them),  but essentially it's like you are making pancakes form scratch, but sub 2 T of flour for dark cocoa powder, and 1/2 C milk for 1/2 C of pureed raspberries. Topped it with carob sweetened chocolate chips. Divine.

 At the end of the day we also all came home to gluten free, sugar free cookies. (I know, I know, you all probably think I am crazy; but, they were amazing.) 

By sheer luck, I was able to finish Robert's present in time! (I engraved the inside of his ring)

We decided to break the tradition of making home made pizza, and my parents took all of us out for Thai food! I was okay with it since Thai food is probably my most favorite food in the whole world. It was this cute hole in wall restaurant called the King & I. It's a keeper. 

To top it all off: 

A Vegas sunset.

This year was the second Valentines Robert and I have spent together. Last Valentines Robert and I had just started dating, and when he came over he brought me a beautiful bouquet of tulips. Being a girl, I was convinced the tulips were a sign to tell me that he wanted to be friends. This year he came home with roses, just to make sure I knew that he wants to be more than just friends. Although it's kind of an awkward stage in our lives, living with our parents and all, Robert made it an incredibly special Valentines for me. I couldn't be happier.

Hope everyone had a marvelous Valentines Day. :)

Faux Olive Garden Breadsticks

Once upon a time I was supposed to be grading Physiology Lab assignments, but decided to experiment instead. With what? (Because the title doesn't give it away) breadsticks. They came out of the oven and I about died. Not kidding.

Just tell me your mouth isn't watering.

Because I am just that awesome, here is the recipe. Keep in mind I just made this up, today. I have tried it once, and it may have just been a "hitting a bulls-eye on the first try" sort of thing. (I don't think so though)


Faux Olive Garden Breadsticks


Dough:
4.5 C. Flour (bread flour or all-purpose). You could also do 1/2 and 1/2 (wheat & white)
1.5 C warm water
1 pkg of active dry yeast or 2 1/4 tsp.
1 T Coconut milk (or milk of choice)
3 T Agave Nectar (or sweetener of choice) - divided
1 T melted butter (unsalted)
2 tsp garlic powder, or more. I eyeballed it, let's be honest.
1 tsp salt
2 tsp dried basil


Topping:
2-3 T melted butter OR Olive Oil
salt
garlic powder


Here is what you do:
1. Prep your yeast. Mix your 1.5 C of warm water (not hot, or else it will kill the poor little yeast) with yeast, and 1 of the Tablespoons of your sweetener of choice. Wait for it to get all bubbly, about 10-15 minutes.
2. Mix the dry ingredients and add the wet last (making the yeast the very last). Mix, and knead. (If you have a handy Kitchen Aid, use your dough hook)
3. Once your dough has formed a slightly (very slightly) sticky ball, let it rise until it doubles in size (about 1-1.5 hours)
4. Roll the dough into breadsticks, making them smaller than usual because they will rise again. I used a class baking dish and found it to work better than a metal cookie sheet (it made the bottom a little harder than the delicious, soft bottom). Cover and let rise for 45 minutes. Preheat oven to 400.
5. Before you put your rolls in the oven, sprinkle them with garlic powder, and basil. Bake for 10-12 minutes.
6. Before the breadsticks finish, melt the butter (if using EVOO, don't melt it:) and combine the salt and garlic. Once removed from the oven, quickly spread the topping on, and just eat one. So. Good.

Corner Love

So here is the deal:

When I was in London last year I fell in love with a few things, other than the city itself. One of those was corner yogurt. Haven't heard of it? Well, you probably won't until you head to Western Europe in the near future. Until then. Let me explain.

Take plain yogurt. In Europe it has far less sugar, but it is even more delicious. Everything is more delicious in Europe. Okay, remembering an English breakfast makes me take that last comment back.

With that plain yogurt, add a little fruit, granola, cookie crumbs, etc.  in the corner, in it's own separate compartment. It's beautiful. Even better?

+

I can not even begin to tell you how many times my breakfast, lunch and dinner consisted of this combination. I am sure the London Centre cleaned the local Tesco out of corner yogurts on multiple occasions.

Today I was sitting here on my little laptop, not having the best of days. Do you know what made it better? My cute husband brought me home flowers, and my mom made a trip to Costco. I have seen Fage's attempt at Muller's Corner Yogurt, but hadn't tried it, until today. Completely worth it.

It's not a real corner yogurt, but until Tesco ships internationally, it will do. :)

Happy Thursday!