IN THE KITCHEN: HOMEMADE PIZZA.

During the work we week we like simple and quick meals. There isn't enough time in the day for fancy dinners, projects, down time, and everything else in-between! Homemade pizza is easy and fun, and since Nate and I have very different tastes its the perfect way to customize your meal.

We started with a gluten-free pizza crust ...

Her pizza:
olive oil
fresh basil
roma tomato
sauteed onions
feta cheese

His pizza:
BBQ sauce
grilled chicken
shredded colby jack
onion

See? Very different indeed :)

Xo-
Janae

WHAT WE ARE NOT.

Nate and I have learned lately that we are not wine drinkers. Actually, we are not drinkers of the adult beverage genre at all. In fact, that bottle of Jam Jar was the first alcoholic beverage I have ever had. And I am 25 years old (I thought it was about time I at least tried it). And the verdict? Not really a fan. I will still always pick a Diet Coke over a glass of wine.

However, I still enjoy the pretty labels of these bottles and think they are super pretty :)

Do you have any favorite beverages? I like sweeter things- any suggestions I will gladly take!

Xo-
Janae

MOCKTAIL MONDAY.

We tried this mocktail this past weekend and it was really yum!

You will need:
Pineapple Juice
Grape Juice
Diet Sierra Mist
Mint leaves
Fresh Blueberries
Lime wedges

In your shaker place ice, a splash of Pineapple juice, a splash of grape juice, a few mint leaves, blueberries, and a squeeze of a lime wedge and shake. Strain into your glass.

Add your Sierra Mist and a few blueberries for garnish ... Enjoy!

Xo-
Janae

IN THE KITCHEN: COLD BREW COFFEE.

It is no secret that we love our coffee around here, and with the warmer weather we have attempted to make iced coffees a few times but they weren't quite like what we wanted. After some research I learned about cold-brew coffee, which is, in fact making coffee sans heat. Brewing hot coffee ups the acidity and therefore the bitter taste which is amplified when chilled (we had been using morning coffee leftovers and chilling them in the fridge). So no matter how much cream or sugar we used it still had bitter under tones. Ick.

Here is the method I modified to make us a yum ice cold cup of coffee!

Supplies: 4 cup measuring cup, strainer, coffee filter, bowl (with a spout if possible) coffee grounds. You can grind fresh beans, we use good old fashioned Folgers.

 Step 1: Measure 1 cup coffee grounds into your measuring cup. Add water up to the 4 cup line.

 Step 2: Cover your cup securely and leave sitting out for 12 hours. I started mine the night before so it would be ready when we got up!

Step 3: Place your strainer in your bowl with a coffee filter. Slowly pour mixture into the filter- this portion takes a little bit of time to fully strain the grounds.

 Step 4: Fill your glasses with ice cubes and pour your coffee in, add any cream or sugar you like, stir and ...

Xo-
Janae 

IN THE KITCHEN: VEGGIE SLOPPY JOES.

Its actually quite simple- this here veggie sloppy joe. An American classic, a summer tradition, an easy meal in 15 minutes! (My favorite kind of meal) All you do is take your normal sloppy joe recipe and sub in Boca Crumbles in place of beef. I would give you my recipe but alas, my seasonings come from a packet. Toast your buns, bake up some fries, dress them up with sour cream, cheese, and a little chive and then all you need is a delicious soda.

And that friends, is a yummy dinner.

Xo-
Janae

IN THE KITCHEN: GLUTEN FREE PASTA SALAD.

I have been cutting Gluten out of my diet more and more and finding yummy alternatives to my favorite foods  hasn't always been easy. It has been really hit or miss with gluten free pastas but I really enjoyed the Brown Rice variety I tried with this recipe. This is a great side to a cook out or taking to work for a light lunch!

You will need:
12oz Gluten Free Pasta (I used Tinkyada Brown Rice Elbow Pasta)
1/2 small red onion, diced
1 medium avocado, peeled and cubed
1 lemon
1 cucumber
1 cup Greek Yogurt
1/4 cup lite mayo
1 tbsp vinegar
1 tbsp white wine vinegar
1 tsp sugar
2 tbsp fresh dill

1. In a small bowl place your chopped onion and vinegar and let sit while you prepare the rest of the dish. This will help soften the flavor of the onion.

2. Prepare your pasta according to the packaging- drain, rinse in cool water and let it cool completely.

3. While your pasta is cooking and cooling, in a medium mixing bowl mash the avocado with a squeeze of lemon juice and a pinch of salt.

4. Stir in yogurt, mayo, cucumbers, white wine vinegar, sugar and another squeeze of lemon juice. Mix well. Drain onions of vinegar and add to bowl. Add the dill.

5. Put your pasta in your serving dish and fold in the dressing. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours and let the flavors develop.

Serve chilled- would be delicious with a sparkling lime water on your picnic blanket!

Xo-
Janae

SUNDAY DINNER.

 his and hers

Last night the mister and I tag teamed on making this amazing dinner ... the recipes are the Chicken Stir Fry and Fried Rice from Gwenyth Paltrow's My Fathers Daughter. Umm delicious!  I made beets to go along with mine- beets always remind me of my grandma, she used to make them all of the time. I love nostalgic foods!

We have the heart measuring cup set from UO and I had to snap this of the brown sugar- shaped measuring cups are the best :)

Xo-
Janae

CHANGE IS GOOD.

 That people, is me planning out our weekly meals. And a detailed grocery list. That people, is something that used to never happen. I was more of a fly by the seat of my pants kind of gal when it came to dinner preparations- which may be the culprit of our becoming regulars at just about every nearby restaurant/take out. Not a proud moment of realization, let me tell you.

So we went grocery shopping, we used our reusable shopping bags, and we spent under $100 for a weeks worth of meals. Not too shabby. There may have been a few meltdowns in the kitchen as mentioned in the post about the mac n cheese earlier in the week, but over all, I like to think that I am getting a little more comfortable in my role as chef. 

I am looking forward in the coming weeks sharing with you the recipes I find that I can't resist and ones that are a big hit with the mister. Nate is a hard core carnivore, I am of the vegetarian variety, so finding a harmonious meal can be hard some times. Hmm, new series perhaps? :)

Happy cooking, friends- I hope your Sunday is perfect!

Xo-
Janae

NEW FOODS.

 homemade spaghetti sauce with penne and fresh Parmesan, garlic toast (broiled),baby spinach salad with avocado, chive, and balsamic vinaigrette.

This week I have successfully cooked more meals than ordered take out meals. Huge. Step. This is one of the meals I made earlier in the week- I am a big fan of the homemade sauce! It had such a fantastic natural taste to it.

Do you have any go-to recipes?

Xo-
Janae

LOVE.

I am loving this stuff lately. Loving.

Xo-
Janae

IN THE KITCHEN: RED VELVET WHOOPIE PIES.

 I made these yummy Red Velvet Whoopie pies for work last week and I got rave reviews! And they were from a box ha ha. Hey, cut a working girl some slack. Thanks to Mr. Duncan Hines a lot of people had happy taste buds!

Ingredients...

• 1 box Duncan Hines® Red Velvet Cake Mix
• 1 large egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup butter
• 1 can Duncan Hines® Creamy Home-Style Classic Vanilla Frosting

Baking Instructions...

1. Melt butter; set aside to cool. Place cake mix, egg, cooled butter and vanilla in large mixing bowl. Mix by hand until well blended and dough is formed.
2. Form dough into a smooth 12-inch log on wax paper or parchment making sure it is even in thickness end to end. Wrap in wax paper; seal in plastic wrap. Refrigerate 1 hour or overnight.
3. Preheat oven to 350°F. Lightly grease baking sheets. Unwrap dough log and set on wax paper. Using a sharp knife, cut into 48 slices about 1/4- inch thick. Place on cool baking sheets about 2 inches apart.
4. Bake, 1 sheet at a time, in center of oven for 10 to 12 minutes or until set. Cool 1 minute. Transfer to wire rack to cool completely.
5. Spread frosting on half the cookies. Top each frosted cookie with another cookie. Gently press together.

I used pink frosting to write initials and doodle designs- these were the ones for my merchandising team. The kitchen was pretty warm and the frosting decided to get all melty so things got ... interesting. But I highly recommend this recipe, box or not, its delicious!

Happy Baking!
Xo-
Janae

BRUSCHETTA.

in this Bruschetta: a simple mix of onion, red pepper, salami, basil, salt and pepper. Fresh grated parmesan on top.

Lately I have been on a Bruschetta kick- this is the base recipe I use, there are so many ways to customize this delicious appetizer!

Ingredients:
8 pieces of French Bread
1 tomato finely chopped
1 large onion, chopped
1/2 red bell pepper chopped
1/2 orange bell pepper chopped
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
1 basil leaf, chopped (or a sprinkling of dried to taste)
2 tablespoons of olive oil
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
Fresh mozzarella or my favorite- parmesan

** you can also add a meat if you like- salami or pastrami would be yum!**


Lets get cooking!
Heat one tablespoon of oil in a frying pan over medium high heat. Add onions, garlic, and peppers and cook for about 2-3 minutes. Add tomato and cook until veggies soften- about 3 minutes. Add your spices and remove from heat. Make sure you mix well!

In the same pan, heat another tablespoon of olive oil over medium heat. Add the bread slices and cook until a golden brown on both sides. Remove from heat and transfer to a plate.

Add your toppings to your bread slices and grate fresh cheese over your veggies.

Bon appetite!

Xo-
Janae

HOMEMADE GOODNESS.

 This was my first attempt at making anything vegan and I was not disappointed! These muffins turned out so soft and delicious, a new favorite for sure (and they aren't from a box, so 'go me!')

Ingredients:
2 Cups All Purpose Flour
1.5 Teaspoons Baking Soda
1/2 Teaspoon Salt
2 Lemons for Zest
3/4 Cup Sugar
1 Cup Soy Milk
1/3 Cup Conola Oil
1 Tablespoon White Vinegar
1.5 Cups Blueberry (I used frozen given the season)

Preheat oven to 375F. If you aren't using paper lining- lightly grease your pan.

In a medium bowl mix your flour, baking soda, salt, and lemon zest.

In a large bowl mix your sugar, milk, oil, and vinegar. Mix well!

Add your dry ingredients to your wet ingredients in the large bowl. Fold in the blueberries.

Bake for appx. 22min or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Let cool for 5 minutes before removing from pan.

*** Note: For a moment I was kinda bummed that they turned out so hard on the outside even though I watched the bake time carefully. However, after an hour or so they were super moist again. So don't be sad- they soften up!***

Enjoy!
Xo-
Janae

SUMMER TIME COOK IN.

Oh thats right, we have cook ins instead of cook outs :) Call us pansies but we just don't like the heat, or the bugs. So we fired up the George Foreman, baked some fries and I learned that watermelon salad is like the best thing since ... well, watermelon! 

Watermelon Salad:

3 cups watermelon

3 Tbl. Fresh Mint, torn

1 medium shallot sliced thinly

1/4 cup feta (or more if you are a feta junkie like me!)

White Balsamic Dressing

White Balsamic Dressing:

2 tbl. White Balsamic Vinegar

2 tbl. White Wine Vinegar

1 tsp. Kosher salt

2 tsp. Sugar

1/2 cup Extra Virgin Olive oil

Prepare your salad and set aside while you make your dressing. Toss together right before serving!

(I wish I could remember where I got this recipe and sadly I cannot, my apologies for no source!)

The whole meal was simply delicious and I was happily reminded that sometimes it is fun to cook your own food ha ha

Xo

Janae