not so MANIC MONDAY

"it's just another manic monday..."

FLASHBACK a few weeks ago
FINALLY!! we pick up our csa veggies (click here to learn more about community supported agriculture) and get bell peppers. big, fat, red bell peppers. the bk starts complaining that we never have stuffed peppers. hmmmmmm. i wonder why not?
FLASH FORWARD a few days later
i search the web for a good stuffed pepper recipe. i'm not really feeling any of them. then, i remember, my sissie in~law posted one on her blog a loooonnnggg time ago (click here for her original recipe). let's try that!!

EASY PEASY STUFFED BELL PEPPERS

ingredients:

4 bell peppers (i used 2 red and 2 yellow)
2 pounds of ground beef (can substitute ground turkey)
1 medium onion, chopped
1 14 oz can of diced tomatoes
1 c water
⅔ c jasmine rice (you can use whatever, jasmine is my favorite)
2 tbsp worcestershire sauce
1 tsp dried oregano 
salt and pepper to taste
dash or two red pepper flakes (not in original recipe but i wanted to add a little heat)
1 c shredded cheddar cheese

cut the tops off the peppers. remove seeds and membranes.  place peppers into boiling water for 3 minutes.  sprinkle insides with salt and place upside down on a paper towel to drain.
in a deep skillet, cook the meat and onions till meat is browned, drain fat. stir in undrained tomatoes, uncooked rice, worcestershire sauce, and oregano, 1 cup of water and a dash of salt and pepper, and red pepper flakes. bring to boiling; reduce heat. cover and simmer for 15 minutes or until rice is tender. stir in cheese. remove from heat.  place peppers into a baking dish and fill with meat mixture.  If there is any remaining meat mixture just put in dish around peppers. you can sprinkle shredded cheese on top of peppers, if you want. bake at 375 degrees for 15 minutes.
serves 4.

yummmm!!! enjoy!!!

A WEEK IN THE LIFE: INSTAGRAM EDITION

"snapshot image froze without a sound..."

i've learned a few things in the past week, like: never leave your dishes for the next morning; dogs will protect you from zombie cats; and starbucks refreshers are delicious, low~cal, refreshing (duh doy, it's in the name) treats...

^my morning...every morning^

^early morning disaster^

^first pumpkin ale of the season AND cool label^

^her icing melted but it was still delicious^

^the boys of fall^

^my new favorite thing^

^hydration is important^

^almost the end of summer vegetables^

^stay away from her, she's a zombie^

^shadow dancing^

HAPPY INSTAGRAMMING!!

TASTY TUESDAY

you guys!! i came home from work, sunday, and the bk had cooked dinner. it was fabulous and i just had to share!!

HAWAIIAN CROCKPOT CHICKEN

ingredients:

4 boneless chicken breasts (original recipe called for 12 drumsticks)
1 c ketchup
1 c packed dark brown sugar
½ c soy sauce
1 tbs grated fresh ginger (or ¼ tbs ground, because who has fresh ginger just laying around)
a splash of sesame seed oil

cover chicken with sauce and cook, on high, for about 2 hours. shred chicken with a fork and return to crockpot. cook an additional 2~3 hours. (you can shred chicken before serving, he just preferred it to simmer in sauce a bit).

we served over jasmine rice with a side of sauteed vegetables. you could, also, serve on hawaiian bread as sliders.

happy crockpotting!!!

not so MANIC MONDAY

"if i knew you were coming i'd have baked a cake..." or a cobbler!
FLASHBACK summer of 2012
we pass it every sunday, on our way to the lake. a farm fresh veggie stand. we stop every sunday, on our way home from the lake. zucchini, yellow squash, ears of corn, beefsteak tomatoes, watermelons, cantaloupes, and plums. 

FLASH FORWARD spring 2013
the bk is thinking we should join a csa. a what? csa means "community supported agriculture". basically, farmers sell off shares of their crops. you buy in for the season and receive a box of seasonal fruits and veggies each week. the farmer does all the work and you reap all the benefits. also, you share in the risk. hail knocks out all your corn, you're disappointed along with the farmer and all the members of your csa...it's YOUR farm. 

how is this a benefit? why not buy veggies from the grocery? well, #1~this keeps your money local...most of the veggies at your big chain retailers are not locally grown. #2~it's money saving...our co~op breaks down to approximately $15 per week...i priced our same items, at the grocery, and we saved $10. #3~being introduced to veggies you would never buy at your grocery...i have never ever ever bought garlic scapes. the first week of the season, we got a ton of them...an internet search later, i was using them in everything from salads to pasta sauces!  interested in joining a csa? localharvest.org is a good place to locate your area csa's. just enter your zip and BOOM! you're provided a listing of farmers, near you, and their contact info...

FLASH FORWARD today
we get up every saturday and head to the local farmer's market to meet up with our csa and pick up our goodies...this week: corn, tomatoes, radishes, egg plant, watermelon, and blackberries. yummmmmmm....blackberries!!! a search of pinterest takes me to ree drummond's recipe for blackberry cobbler!!! PINTEREST SUCCESS!!!!!

PIONEER WOMAN'S BLACKBERRY COBBLER

ingredients:
½ cup butter (1 stick)
1 ¼ c sugar
1 c self~rising flour
1 c milk
2 c blackberries

pre~heat oven to 350°. melt butter. combine 1 cup of the sugar and flour. whisk in milk until smooth. whisk in melted butter until well combined. generously butter baking dish. pour batter into baking dish. rinse blackberries and lightly pat dry. add to baking dish making sure to spread them evenly. sprinkle ¼ cup of the sugar evenly over cobbler. bake for 1 hour.

**note: i didn't have self~rising flour and wasn't going to make a trip to the store just for that. to make your all~purpose flour "self~rising" simply add 1¼ teaspoons baking soda and ¼ teaspoons of salt to each cup of all~purpose flour.**

national farmer's market week is august 4~10. support your local farmers!!

A WEEK IN THE LIFE: INSTAGRAM EDITION

6. flashback: second first date

"i got a nikon camera...i love to take a photograph...mama don't take my kodachrome away..."

summer...time for chocolate, anniversaries, tequila shots, and fresh veggies. and taking pictures of it all on instagram...because what good is all of this if you can't share it...
happy instagramming :)

1. chocolate frog from honeydukes...................

2. again. so sad bk won't let me eat it..............

3. celebrating national ice cream day...yummo

4. it was national tequila day....no worm required

5. corn and maters....best lunch ever................

A WEEK IN THE LIFE: INSTAGRAM EDITION

   

^john mayer on vine"

"i read the news today oh boy...about a lucky man who made the grade...and though the news was rather sad...well i just had to laugh...i saw the photograph..."

i hope everyone has been enjoying their summer as much as i have...vacation and the "summer of music 2013" have been the highlight of the season, so far...check out what we've been up to thru the magic of instagram (and a little vine)!!

1. beating the heat with a napping kitty

2. when it's 45000 degrees at an outdoor concert, this is as good as it gets, john mayer don't care!

3. a tad cooler at concert number 2..dave matthews

4. clear skies and beautiful music

5. crash into me

6. lazy sunday because it's just too hot outside...jesus be a raindrop!!

7. delicious summer snack: cucumbers and hummus!!

and because instagram decided to add video: 

TASTY TUESDAY

"girl you thought he was a man but he was a muffin...he hung around till you found
that he didn't know nuthin'..."
FLASHBACK may 2013
the bk and i join a farm co~op. why? because we love farm fresh veggies...AND veggies at the grocery are ridiculously expensive...AND because we can't really have a garden in an upstairs apartment. this is a great way to support your local farmers and enjoy garden veggies without the work.

FLASH FORWARD july 2013
finally, zucchini is in!! my favorite veggie! you can grill it...sauté it...fry it...and, best of all, bake it! so i set out to bake my, first ever, zucchini bread. the bk shredded the zucchini because, evidently, sharp objects are dangerous...and i was off and running. wait? what? we don't have a loaf pan? i'm not sure how that happened but i had to improvise. zucchini muffins it is!!

CARDINAL'S ZUCCHINI BREAD PAULA DEEN STYLE
ingredients:

3 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3 cups sugar
1 cup vegetable oil
4 eggs, beaten
1/3 cup water
2 cups grated zucchini
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1 cup chopped walnuts or pecans

directions:

preheat oven to 350 degrees F. in a large bowl, combine flour, salt, nutmeg, baking soda, cinnamon and sugar. in a separate bowl, combine oil, eggs, water, zucchini and lemon juice. mix wet ingredients into dry, add nuts and fold in. bake in 2 standard loaf pans, sprayed with nonstick spray, for 1 hour, or until a tester comes out clean. alternately, bake in 5 mini loaf pans for about 45 minutes.

*this recipe made 24 medium~sized muffins. just bake for 20 minutes, or until toothpick comes out clean.

**try not to mix ingredients while talking on the phone. it might cause you to use tablespoons of cinnamon and nutmeg, instead of teaspoons. however, this is a DELICIOUS mistake!!

happy baking!!!