Thoughts

Blissful Saturday

/ jennced15 / 2 Comments

Not going to lie . . . it’s not really Friday. In fact, it is Saturday and a very busy one at that. My house is a HUGE mess right now. I have laundry cycling through the washer and dryer. I have a box from storage and about six smaller boxes sitting all around my front room while I decide what to use for a special Mother’s Day at church tomorrow. I have a kitchen and dining room table taken over by the food that I am going to be serving on the items in the boxes at church tomorrow. I have the sheets off of two beds and a thousand pillows all over the floor in the two bedrooms and another bed with an open suitcase sitting on it with the start of a packing session. Needless to say, my house is in complete disarray . . . total chaos.

But . . . I find myself perfectly content. I am glad that I get to use my mad cooking and party skills tomorrow. I am happy to be getting some cleaning done in the house and I even find myself secretly excited about my upcoming business trip. A week away sounds like a lot of fun until I realize that all of the days in their ENTIRETY will be monopolized by work (including next Saturday) which is why I am sitting down a week early and writing my Friday post. Can’t always be running a marathon.

I am looking at everything; not sure where to begin again but I find myself content. I stepped out on to the back patio tonight. The wind is rushing through the trees every now and then like swells in the ocean. I feel the earth breathing and living and it makes me feel peaceful. I get little shafts of light glinting around me like the sun on water and I realize that this is what happiness looks like. I  hear birds chirping to each other. A cat came and drank water out of my bird bath and another one was slinking through the trees in search of something. There truly is beauty all around when there is love.

Today is high on my perfect but perfectly normal days. What is your perfect but perfectly normal day?

Food! Glorious Food! Part 2

/ jennced15 / 2 Comments

So what would be food without dessert? Dessert can elevate us from mere mortals into super heroes without too much effort. So below are some of the desserts that I have made recently for people who I love.

  1. In my house they are called Brownie Bombs. If you ask a kid it is because they are the bomb! If you ask an adult it is because they will completely derail your healthy living lifestyle. If you ask Food Recipe’s Book they are called Oreo and Peanut Butter Brownie Cupcakes. 
  2. Gina at Home: Chewy Coconut Cookies. I have been looking for a great coconut cookie recipe and I have finally found it. IMG_7700
  3. Floating Kitchen: Grilled Pineapple with Coconut Whipped Cream. So this really is the bomb! 
  4. Chocolate Peanut Butter Grahams. Probably the easiest thing you will make. Take chocolate graham crackers, spread peanut butter on one side. Spoon cool whip on the other side. Press together and freeze. They are awesome!
  5. I needed something elegant and easy to make for Mother’s Day and here it is. White Lights on Wednesday: Blackberry Napoleons. IMG_7704

P.S. Here are some pictures of spring to enjoy!

Food! Glorious Food!

/ jennced15 / 7 Comments

I have decided that I have been cooking enough lately to start sharing with everyone all of the yummy things that I have been making. The funny thing is—I have been making a lot of vegetable inspired dishes for my meals but I have had numerous requests for dessert items from others. All in all I have had a little bit of something floating through my house for the last month. I have it broken down by entree’s this week and I think next week I will share some of the desserts.

Remember to get out there, try something new and eat something great!

  1. Clean Eating Magazine: Tuna Nicoise Casserole I thought this was possibly one of the best things ever and I love this different take on a traditional Nicoise salad. I made no changes to their recipe. 
  2. Clean Eating Magazine: Asian Beef Lettuce Wraps I really love lettuce wraps when done right. They are super filling but light at the same time. Translation: you won’t need to take a nap after eating them! I did make a couple of changes; the first being that I switched out the beef for turkey (I don’t eat beef) and the second, I added fresh mango slices. 
  3. Grown Up Grilled Cheese Sandwich: There really isn’t much to this sandwich. It is your basic grilled cheese but . . . I like to grill asparagus with a little salt and pepper. I then make sure I have some great crusty to bread to slice up. For the cheese, I have to use Tillamook Garlic White Cheddar (really you need to use it). IMG_7677To assemble:
    1. I spray the outside of the bread with olive oil
    2. One slice down in pan and then top with a slice of cheese
    3. Add 4-5 grilled asparagus spears then another slice of cheese
    4. Top with bread and spray with olive oil.
    5. Cook low and slow so you get a nice crust on the bread and melted cheese dripping over the asparagus.

Yeah, it is pretty much heaven.

  1. Power Breakfast: I really like to use things up in my kitchen so I am the queen of throwing things together and calling it a meal. My go to breakfast lately has been the following:
    1. Leftover quinoa from the dinner the night before
    2. Tossed with either sautéed spinach and garlic, broccoli, or asparagus and matchstick carrots
    3. Top with an over-easy egg and call it good. Really, call it good.
  2.  Basic Pizza: You know those Friday nights when really all you want for dinner is pizza but you are sick and tired of the choice and the price of eating out. Guess what?! Pizza is SUPER cheap to make and easy as well. To make my pizza I start out with my basic dough recipe (found on this site), I top it with pesto, throw vegetables on it that are in my fridge and give it a dusting of cheese. Voila! Dinner in 20 minutes and it usually only costs me about $6 not to mention I have pizza for a week to eat since there is only one of me.

What I Did New in PDX This Week

/ jennced15 / 3 Comments

I had half of my family in town this past week and it was WONDERFUL!! I am so blessed to live close enough that I can visit family members and they can visit me. But this time around I didn’t just want to do the same old “haunts”. I wanted to give everyone a reason to keep coming back and seeing me. So below are 5 new things we did in Portland while they were here and it was WONDERFUL!!

Get out there and re-explore your neighborhood. I can guarantee you haven’t seen or done everything your “neck-of-the-woods” has to offer.

  1. Witches Castle or MacLeay Trail: We actually never made it to the “castle” since the area was closed off for re-vegetation but we did get a hike in (pulling a wagon–I don’t suggest it), found salamanders, and carried on a conversation with an owl and vulture at the Audubon Society. 
  2. Portland Aerial Tram: This was kind of funny since my brother, sister and one niece are a little afraid of heights. Once they got past the initial swinging; I think everyone had a very enjoyable time. Too bad it was hazy and we couldn’t see Mt. Hood and Mount St. Helen’s. 
  3. Vista House: I actually stayed home sick in bed this day but my sister and her roommate had a wonderful time up at the Vista House and got to see the beautiful layout of the Columbia River and the mountains. 
  4. Twilight Film Sites: I sent my sister and her roommate on a Twilight film tour day while I was at the office. While I am not a huge fan of touring film sites; this is actually a good way to get out and see more areas than you would otherwise go. 
  5. McMenamins Kennedy School Soaking Pool: Once again, this was on the day that I stayed home sick in bed. My sister and her roommate had a wonderful time but because it was a great day outside the pool was a little crowded. Off-season is always the best time to travel. 

All of this was wonderful to see and explore but what made it the best was having family here to share it with. So I am sharing with all of you, some of the people I love best.

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