recommendation: risotto leftovers for breakfast

I got a little crazy with my breakfast the other day. After a straight week of my pina colada oatmeal, hubby needed a break so we switched to scrambled eggs. The problem with eggs is, I normally eat my breakfast an hour later. Don't get me wrong, reheating eggs is fine and I do it often (sometimes making scrambled eggs the night before and reheating on the go is such a time saver!) but for some reason at 6am, my brain cannot function to make more than his 3 egg portion and so when my breakfast time finally rolls around, I normally just eat cereal or toast instead of making myself eggs.

Well. NOT THIS TIME! Here's how it went. Open the fridge, decide to make myself a quick fried egg - this is my favorite for mornings because it takes like 3 minutes. Trying to decide what I should eat it with... on toast? With cheese? Plain? My eye caught leftovers from dinner the night before...parmesan and pea risotto (my shiitake and sweet pea recipe minus the mushrooms).

And then I thought about an email I got from Smitten Kitchen a few days prior for bacon, egg, and leek risotto. Now my dish is in no way even close to how amazing hers looks. But I wouldn't have even considered putting an egg with risotto had Smitten Kitchen not shared this genius recipe.

End result? It was awesome. The creamy risotto was the perfect bed for an egg (I like mine over hard, I can imagine this would be quite nice if it was over easy). If you have risotto leftovers, this is a definite recommendation on how to use them up! Enjoy!

p.s. And if you are ever curious how to order your eggs, here's a cheat sheet from Wikipedia:

North Americans use many different terms to describe fried eggs, including:

• A style known simply as 'fried' — eggs are fried on both sides with the yolks broken until set or hard.
• 'Sunny side up' — cooked only on one side; yolk is liquid; the egg white is often still a bit runny as well. This is often known simply as 'eggs up'. Gently splashing the hot cooking oil or fat on the sunny side uncooked white, i.e., basting, may be done to thoroughly cook the white. Covering the frying pan with a lid during cooking (optionally adding a cover and half-teaspoon of water just before finishing) allows for a less "runny" egg, and is an alternative method to flipping for cooking an egg over easy (this is occasionally called 'sunny side down').
• 'Over easy' or 'over light', cooked on both sides; the yolk is a light runny and the egg white is not fully cooked. "Over easy" fried eggs are also commonly referred to as dippy eggs or dip eggs by Marylanders, by Pennsylvania Dutch persons living in central Pennsylvania and those living around them, mainly due to the practice of dipping toast into the yolk while eating.
• 'Over medium' — cooked on both sides; the yolk is of medium consistency and the egg white is thoroughly cooked.
• 'Over well' — cooked on both sides until the yolk has solidified.
• 'Over hard' or 'hard' — cooked on both sides with the yolk broken until hard.
• 'Overcook' — cooked on both sides until the egg white and yolk have hardened and started to brown.

recommendation: container garden, part 4 of 4 - where to plant

Part 4: Where to plant?
(Find Part 1, What to plant, here)
(Find Part 2, How to plant, here)
(Find Part 3, How to pretty up the pots, here)

This past weekend I finished up my project and boy oh boy am I happy with the result! After all the planning, potting, painting and pondering, I realized I had to do something more with my pots than just let them sit in a pile on the deck. It looked a little messy. Hubby and I were at Meijer getting a trellis for the side of the house and he pointed out the store's genius way of displaying their flowers on sale. And so simple! Wood planks and cinder blocks. That was IT. Some displays had a built rack for hanging plants too but the only extra requirement was 3 planks and some nails.

After days of researching folding plant stands that were turning up beautiful but $100 (pretty, no?), I knew I HAD to do this project. I lucked out because I was able to save on wood costs because my parents had a bunch of old flooring in the basement. If you were to do this on your own, decide how big you want it to be and Home Depot or Lowes will cut the wood for you so its the perfect size for your space. Wood will be about $2-5 each plank so up to $50 for the project but I'm positive you can find cheaper wood somewhere - lumber yard? Yard sale? Side of the road? Look around. Cinder blocks were $1 each, so for me, the project cost $12. How?!?!

I feel like the project was pretty self explanatory - stack 4 cinder blocks on each side, put the planks across, stack 2 cinder blocks on each side in front, put planks across. Done. You can paint it, stain it, or just let it be as is. I took the three extra pieces of wood and stood two up in the cinder block slots and nailed one (with 3 nails on each side) across to hang lights or hanging plants. (And I did this whole project while hubby was taking a nap, GO ME!)

Here are my before, inspiration, and after pics! Enjoy!

BEFORE:

INSPIRATION:

AFTER:

Hope you enjoyed this series! I can't wait for things to start growing, its so satisfying knowing that you did it yourself! Happy Spring/Summer and have a fun Memorial Day weekend!

recommendation: container garden, part 3 of 4 - how to pretty up the pots

Part 3: How to pretty up the pots?
(Find Part 1, What to plant, here)
(Find Part 2, How to plant, here)

I've been on the hunt for cheap containers! This was a project I was excited about but I wanted to keep it inexpensive. I had a lot of leftover pots from last year but needed even more this year. I found two GIANT faux wooden pots (they are metal) at Salvation Army for $8 each. A steal considering pots of that size at Home Depot were $25+. I bought three lime green plastic pots at Home Depot. Other places I saw pots at great prices were: Meijer and The Dollar Store (not sure how good they actually are, but price may be worth it). I originally bought some at Kmart but later returned as I realized their prices actually weren't great and Meijer was less expensive.

My plan was originally to get tons of pots and spray paint them lime green but honestly, sometimes its just not worth the effort.

The price to buy them already green at Home Depot was worth it (they are plastic) vs the price of buying terra cotta pots and spray painting them - the terra cotta color plastic is the same price as the green. And also I was a little nervous about committing to lime green for ALL of my pots. The brown pots are fine, why paint over them? I did however buy some glossy white spray paint just in case I change my mind as white is a little easier to stick with.

Boring or classic? I used it on two terra cotta pots from my grandma's collection and some old izzy bottles (vases for outdoor space). No picture of this (yes, I am too lazy to walk outside right now) but the pics in the linked tutorial are close, mine just didn't come out as milky because I used gloss paint vs satin. As always, spray paint rules: don't spray paint in a windy spot, always put down a tarp or newspaper, wear a mask or bandana, gloves and spray paint comfort grip are helpful!

Spray painting done, plants planted, what's next? Plant markers!

I found colored popsicle sticks at a garage sale, 100 for 50 cents. Spray painted with some chalkboard paint, used Galaxy Markers (markers that write on dark paper or surfaces, they are like paint markers) to write the plant and poof, instant (and adorable) markers! I had so much fun making them I have a ton extra now (I might have been a little spray paint crazy that day), so I'm thinking about posting some on Etsy next week!! Why not?

Here are some other pictures from the spray paint and garden marker project, enjoy!

I know the question you are all dying to ask... what are those wood planks under the pots? Well... Next up - where to put the pots...stay tuned!

recommendation: container garden, part 2 of 4 - how to plant

Part 2: How to plant?
(Find Part 1, What to Plant, here)

Well - this part was new for me. LAST YEAR when I got tomatoes, green peppers, eggplant, hot peppers and radishes in seed form, I put everything straight into potting soil in the pots and it grew from there. Well that project last year was in June and I wanted to start sooner this year!

Like I said in the last post, here is what I planned on planting:

- In Seed form: hot peppers, cauliflower, cabbage, carrots, cucumbers, radishes, tomatoes, green onions, onions, lavender
- Starter Plant: mint, basil, cilantro, chives, thyme, sage

A lot of the seeds I bought said if you are starting in May, to start inside because frost could still come. When I was at Home Depot I saw this pellet pack by Jiffy. Super easy to use - I got the 36 pack for $4.29, instructions are on the back. Basically you carefully rip open the pellet's netting, move around a little soil, put the seed in and recover it, add water, pop the top back on and wait for sprouts. Seeds ranged from $1.00 - $1.50 per packet. I'm still waiting to plant all of my pellets, some of the sprouts seem to frail to put out into the real world, so I'm babying them by slowly taking them outside in the afternoons and back in at night. Once they get a little thicker/taller I will plant them in their proper pots.

The starter herbs I did not purchase until about a week ago and those I stuck straight into the potting soil in individual pots. Water right away! Some plants like basil and mint are never ending, so give them their own pot so they can have their space.

The herbs I got were $3 for 10 at Whole Foods, and all from a local vendor here in Michigan. How great is that? Look around, you don't have to get everything from the same place. I liked their selection much better than the ones at Home Depot & Meijer.

So what you need for any veggies & herbs that are starter pots, are full size pots (make sure to get appropriate sizes for what you are planting so you don't crowd the roots), potting soil, and water. That easy. Don't these projects always seem bigger than they actually are?

Next up - how to pretty up my pots (the fun part)...stay tuned!

recommendation: container garden, part 1 of 4 - what to plant

This weekend, I completed the project of all projects, my container garden. I've been working on putting it together for a little over two months now. I did one last year and was happy with my peppers and herbs but wanted to try out a few new things this year. I'm splitting this project up into 4 posts for the week - 1. How I figured out what to plant. 2. How I actually planted it. 3. How I made it pretty. 4. And where I put the plants!

Part 1: What to plant?

I was sick of winter weather in February and wanted to be proactive about spring projects so I started planning my garden. I had already found out that it was too late to grow some things I wanted to because I should have planted them in the fall (garlic!). Oops. I had been reading different articles and found this awesome resource called Sprout Robot that my friend Jenny pinned.

This site is super helpful. I'm not even doing the paid version so I can only imagine. Basically you pick if you want to grow your garden in containers or a bed. And then you pick what you want to grow - and you can change this list at any time. Then they put together a master wonderful amazing list, of what you need to plant each week and how to do it and everything you need to know about it. how awesome is that?

Unfortunately I got caught up in other projects so after signing up and figuring out what I wanted to do, it pretty much ended there for a while. Last month, late in the game for starting seeds (you are supposed to start them indoors 6-8 weeks prior to the last frost), I decided to pull this project back out. To figure out what else I wanted to plant, I spent some time at Home Depot looking through the seed packets. It does take some time so don't go on a weekend when the place is packed! Any garden shop - big or small, local or chain, will have seed packets. I went through and read the backs to figure out which ones can be planted in the next few months. I decided to get the basics and then take a few risks to try something new. Here is what I got:

In Seed form: hot peppers, carrots, mini cucumbers, radishes, tomatoes, green onions, lavender and just for fun: cauliflower, cabbage, onions. giving it a try, why not!

Starter Plant: mint, basil, cilantro, chives, thyme, sage (by accident! someone stuck the wrong marker in it! thought it was lavender but it doesn't look or smell like it! hmph!)

I think there are a few important parts to figuring out "What to Plant"...

• Be reasonable. Don't waste money, soil, effort planting 15 pots if you can't remember to ever water your one indoor plant.
• Plant veggies & herbs that you will actually use, or gift. Otherwise what's the point? I'm thinking about returning the sage. I grew sage one year before and oregano last year and learned my lesson - they are two fresh herbs that I don't care for as much and its kind of a waste. Oregano is great dried but at $3 an herb plus a whole summer of watering plus the effort to dry it out, grind it and preserve it - just spend $3.99 and get a whole jar of it at the grocery store. Cilantro on the other hand, I don't like and feel like I'm wasting money every time I get a bundle for garnish for my hubby. Now I can just go pluck some from my garden.
• Have realistic expectations. By this, I mean read the stats on what you are planting. Some things take a long time to come to life. I waited all summer last year for my eggplants and got two that didn't turn out great, they were split and one was kind of rotten, I should have picked it sooner. Trial and error. But don't expect things to grow right away and provide bountiful amounts. These things take time!

Its not too late to start a container garden - not all plants have to be started in advance. With some veggies you can take the seeds and put them straight into the pots and after May 21st, its OK to plant outside so get to the store try planting something this Memorial Day weekend!

Next up - how I planted everything...stay tuned!

recommendation: best guac and salsa recipes

i love Mexican food. on a different level. i could eat a taco a day. enchilada's, quesadillas, tostadas and burritos, I love it all. and I don't know how I got this lucky but my sister makes the worlds best guacamole and my sister-in-law makes the best salsa, both of which go perfect with all of my favorite Mexican entrees! how great is that? Jennifer made this guac for a Mexican family feast and Hannah made the salsa for our super bowl party, so I can attest to the yumminess of both! here are their recipes!

Jenn's Guac from Vegonomics:
3 avocados, smashed
1/2 red onion, diced
1 tomato, diced
1 tsp garlic, minced
salt, pepper for seasoning
1/2-1 tsp red pepper flakes
1 lime, squeezed for juice

directions: combine all ingredients in a bowl and mix together.

Hannah's Salsa:
Chili's Copycat Salsa Recipe: (Recipe from Deals to Meals)
2 cans (14.5 oz each) whole tomatoes, drained
1 small (4 oz) can diced or whole jalapenos (not pickled)--about 4-5 jalapenos (or less if you don't like a lot of spice)
1/4 c. yellow onion, cut into quarters (you can also use dried minced onion)
1 tsp. garlic salt
1/2 to 1 tsp. salt (depending on how much you prefer)
1 tsp. cumin
1/2 tsp. sugar
1 tsp. lime juice

Place all of the ingredients together into a food processor or blender and puree until smooth. Serve with tortilla chips.

enjoy and TGIF! Have a great weekend, weather is supposed to be LOVELY! I'm finishing my 'container' garden on my deck this weekend so be on the lookout for a post on that next week!

recommendation: actually DO the things you pin, apple coffee cake

I love writing about recipes and projects from pinterest because isn't that the whole point? To pin thinks you want and actually DO them instead of just looking at them?

reason: I wanted to bake for mother's day but wasn't sure what to make. Sometimes when you go on google and just randomly search ideas, the options are endless and kind of overwhelming. So I decided to go on pinterest and instead of randomly searching, I went to my mother-in-law's board to find a recipe she wanted to try. Genius! I decided to go with: Apple Cake with Brown Sugar Glaze. It was super easy, amazing and made a lot of coffee cake! I decided to do loaf pans and it made 2 regular size and 3 mini disposable pans, so I was able to gift a few of the mothers in my life!

steps:

Fresh Apple Cake with Brown Sugar Glaze from A Whisk and a Spoon (recipe adapted from Southern Cakes by Nancie McDermott)

Makes one 13x9inch sheet cake or two 8-9inch round cakes. Note: 1/3 of a recipe makes one 8.5”x 4.5” loaf pan

Fresh Apple Cake
3 cups all purpose flour (can substitute 3/4 cup with whole wheat flour)
2 cups sugar
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
3 eggs
1½ cups vegetable oil (or 1 cup oil plus 1/2 cup unsweetened apple sauce)
2 tsp vanilla extract
3 cups finely chopped apples
1 cup coarsely chopped pecans or walnuts

Brown Sugar Glaze
1 cup tightly packed light brown sugar
1/3 cup butter
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 tbsp evaporated milk, half-and-half or cream

Method – Fresh Apple Cake
-Heat the oven to 350F. Grease a 13 by 9 inch pan or two 8-9 inch cake pans.
-In a medium bowl combine the flour, sugar, baking soda and salt. Stir with a fork to mix everything together well.
-In a large bowl, beat the eggs with a wooden spoon or a mixer at low speed until pale yellow and foamy. Add the oil and vanilla and beat well. Stir in the flour mixture with a wooden spoon and continue stirring the batter just until the flour disappears. Add the apples and nuts, stir to mix them into the batter until fairly uniform. Scrape the batter into the prepared pans.
-Bake for 45-50 minutes (start checking at 25 minutes if making a 1/3 recipe loaf) or until the cake is golden brown, springs back when touched lightly near the center and is beginning to pull away from the sides of the pan. Place the cake (still in the pans) on a wire rack and spoon over the glaze while still hot.

Method - Brown Sugar Glaze
-Combine all the ingredients in a medium saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring often, until the mixture comes to a gentle boil. Then cook for 3-5 minutes.

To Finish
-Spoon the hot glaze all over the hot-from-the-oven cake. Let the glazed cake cool completely before serving straight from the pan.
Here is the printable recipe.

final product: I was really happy with the finished product. I was a little nervous giving away the cake before tasting it but I tasted the Brown Sugar Glaze which tasted like caramel and had put so much on the tops that I knew even if the cake was eh, the glaze made up for it. Luckily the cake was YUM! I did the adjustments and substituted 3/4 cup of AP flour with whole wheat flower, and 1/2 cup oil with unsweetened applesauce. I didn't notice either and was happy to make the change! Will definitely make again and I think this would be great in the fall too!!!

recommendation: oatmeal mix-ins

Ok, when I say mix-ins, I'm not talking walnuts and dried fruit. I've been making oatmeal for my hubby for breakfast because its easier to eat than cereal in the car and more filling than a piece of toast. I knew I needed to kick it up a notch - here's what I came up with. I've been using Quaker Oats (regular, not quick cook) but I also have quick cook steel cut oats from Trader Joes. Both the oatmeal and steel cut cook in 5-8 minutes!!.

Note: when i say TSP here, I'm talking about a teaspoon as in the utensil, not the measuring teaspoon. I normally eyeball it anyway, so put in whatever feels right. You can't really mess this up.

Pina Colada Oatmeal

What you need: oatmeal, water, salt, brown sugar, flax seed, coconut extract, frozen pineapple, shredded coconut, bananas. Most of these things are optional!
*these instructions are for oatmeal, not steel cut oats. follow instructions on back of container
*with fixings, this normally makes enough for both my husband and I for breakfast

Boil 1.5 c water with dash of salt, when boiling, add 3/4 cups of oatmeal

After 5-7 minutes when water is mostly absorbed, add 2 tsp of brown sugar (or more or less depending on how sweet you like it). Add 1/2 tsp coconut extract. I also take this as an opportunity to mix in 2 tsp of ground flax seed. I don't eat fish so any chance to get in some omega 3's, and they are disguised by all of the great toppings so you don't even notice. Stir sugar and flax into oatmeal until well blended.

Add 1/3 cup frozen pineapple bits (Trader Joes sells these) - I'm sure you could use fresh or canned too if you have it in the house. Stir in shredded coconut, I normally add about 2-3 spoons.

Last but not least, take 1 banana (this is a GREAT use for brown bananas that are almost ready for trash but you feel horrible wasting them and want to do something with them!). Cut it into chunks and with a fork, mash it into the oatmeal. This really thickens up the oatmeal and makes it heartier. I leave the banana out all the time if I don't have it in the house, so this is totally optional!

Stir all together and enjoy! Can add almond slices or walnuts too. This also heats up really well the next day so if you only want half a portion, don't be afraid to put it in Tupperware and reheat in the microwave the next day.

Another mix-in option I've been making is with strawberries. I buy them frozen and the night before, put a few in a container and sprinkle a little sugar on them. In the morning, they are defrosted and have a great syrup - like the kind you eat with angel food or pound cake for strawberry shortcake. You can do this with fresh strawberries too.

Similar steps - make the oatmeal, when water is absorbed, stir in brown sugar and flax seed, but use vanilla extract instead of coconut. Spoon oatmeal into bowl/travel cup and add strawberry mixture to top. This strawberry mixture works great with yogurt and granola too to make a parfait!

Easy and yummy breakfast!

recommendation: easy mango smoothie

I've decided that I'm going to try to make 'real' Indian (read: not frozen boxes) once every few weeks, so I can practice and get good. I'm going to try 1 new recipe each time and while doing this, I'm also working on mastering a few staples. Raita, the yogurt that cools your mouth down when you ordered too spicy, I've got. Matar Pulao (Rice with Peas) I've almost got. Not perfect but always fine. My last cooking session I wanted to tackle the Mango Lassi - a smoothie like drink that is super easy and is another great way to cool your mouth down! A great treat for the summer too.

I learned from my cousin visiting from India this past weekend that a Mango Lassi in India does not exist! Lassi's are made with yogurt. Shakes are made with milk. Because Mango Puree is heavier, she said its used primarily in shakes, and Lassi's are normally plain flavored. Huh! I guess we Americanize a lot of things here to make it fit our tastes better.

Well here is what you need:
1/2 cup Mango Puree
1 cup Non-Fat Plain Yogurt
6 Ice Cubes
Sugar to Taste

Yup, its that simple. The mango puree is so sweet that you don't need the yogurt to be vanilla but if you want to add some sugar, go for it. Non-fat makes it healthier, you don't miss the fat. Blend everything together and enjoy. Serves 1.

Here are a few other notes:

• Some say LAH-SEE, some say LUSS-Y. I say LAH-SEE. Either way, its NOT LASS-Y.
• This is a great base to start with and then make your own. Add spices (ginger? cardamom?), change puree flavor, booze it up, fatten it up, or keep it simple!
• Where do you get Mango Puree? :) Indian grocery stores are the easiest and cheapest, but if you are too scared to go in one, use fresh fruit! Rumor has it Trader Joes carries mango puree (might be frozen) but I have yet to see it. If you are in Chicago - Patel Brothers on Devon is my fav, Ann Arborites go to Foods of India on Broadway or Bombay Grocers on Packard.
• If you are using fresh fruit - here's how to pick a ripe mango: It will smell great, be soft to touch (but not mushy), no brown marks, and they are sometimes colored - red, yellow are good. Green is not yet ripe but color isn't always an indicator, always test the softness and scent.

recommendation: smart shopping tip

When grocery shopping, I always struggle between what's the better deal - spending less or getting better price per oz. After watching that TLC Extreme Couponing show, it makes me want to ALWAYS buy the better deal, even if it means stockpiling or buying more than necessary. If I know I will eventually use the rest of the product or can plan multiple meals around it, I'll spend more money to get a better deal. Things like a big box of goldfish crackers, buying a multipack of peppers vs single green peppers, a block of cheddar I shred myself vs a bag of shredded cheddar. But sometimes when its a fresh product - produce, meat, dairy - its not worth it to get the deal.

Growing sick of having stuff go bad in my refrigerator, I decided to follow the advice of my sister in law this past week. I often purchase things off the salad bar, especially when I'm making omelets and don't want to do a lot of chopping, or want to get a few things for my hubby that I won't eat (ie/ mushrooms). You just grab a few small scoops of toppings and its an inexpensive option.

My sister-in-law recently told me she got spinach from the bar instead of buying a whole bag. I've bought a small scoop for omelets but never a bunch of it as replacement for a whole bag. I tried it on Tuesday as I needed 2 cups to mix into a pasta dish. A bag was $2.89, the box version $3.99. Apx two cups (a tiny bit more) from the salad bar.... .72 cents! It is so lightweight that it won't cost much, this is a great option when you don't want to waste food! Sometimes paying less is saving more!

recommendation: cookie butter

I have a confession. But you have to listen to the whole story. See, it started like this. I had a day of errands all planned out, and only because I was going to be on the other side of town at Home Depot did I add Home Goods to my list. I went in, circled around. Pondered a few things. And walked out. Did you get that people? I went to Home Goods and DID NOT BUY ANYTHING!!!!

But that is not my confession. I was holding in a smile as I walked out, filled with pride at my self-control. In fact I was so proud of myself when I got back to the car that I lost all of that self-control and rewarded myself with a bite of a treat. Which I purchased only because I don't go to TJ's as often anymore so when you go you have to stock up. This is all making complete sense, right?

Ok so here's my confession. I bought cookie butter.

And I had more than a bite. I can't explain it, just buy it. If you don't like it, you only wasted $4. And if you love it, don't hate me for leading you there. It's not my fault. Trader Joes makes and sells it, blame them. It is not healthy, it is habit forming, and everything including but not limited to pretzels, toast and your finger tastes good dipped in it.

Its not butter, its same texture as peanut butter but tastes like crushed spiced biscuits (biscoff). You know, the kind you eat in Europe? Or on your Delta flight to Vegas? The label at the store describes it as similar to gingerbread, but don't let that deter you. Gingerbread seems wintery but its just the idea that its a spiced cookie spread. I tried dipping plain pretzel slims to make it a little less guilty - they snap easily but the salty taste is great. You can find this product right next to the peanut butter - its labeled as Speculoos Cookie Butter.

Try it! Seriously.