Confessions Part II

I went home (to my parents' house) last weekend. When I packed up to leave I raided their pantry and freezer and came home with enough groceries for the week. I feel like this isn't ok considering I am a "grown-up" now.

I run a Twitter handle for work. Every time a business/organization follows my on Twitter I wonder, "What human is behind this Twitter account reading all my tweets??"

I cut five inches off my hair last weekend.

Speaking of haircuts, my nephew got his first haircut last weekend. If this isn't the cutest thing you've ever seen, I don't know what is.

I am now a contributor to Lubbock in the Loop! You can check out my posts here and here. Right now I've done solely wedding-related posts, but there are more things coming soon!

Happy Friday! Pin It

On the Menu: Fourth of July

Reagan and I spent our holiday hosting friends for a barbeque.  Reagan manned the protein portion of the meal with our new grill, and I of course handled all the (mostly gluten-free) sides.

Our Fourth of July menu included: slow cooked ribs, BBQ chicken, pepperslaw, baked beans, rolls, and skinny margaritas.

I tried out a new coleslaw recipe from Cooking with Paula Deen, and it received rave reviews! To be exact, it was described as "fresh and not swimming in mayonnaise." Can I get an amen?

Pepper Slaw (from Cooking with Paula Deen)
makes 6 servings

1/2 cup mayonnaise
2 Tablespoons white wine vinegar
2 Tablespoons whole grain mustard
1 Tablespoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon celery salt
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 1/2 cups thinly sliced bell peppers (about 4)
3 cups shredded cabbage
1/2 cups matchstick carrots
1/4 thinly sliced sweet onion
**I used one pre-packaged bag of coleslaw instead of the cabbage and carrots.
In a large bowl, whisk together mayonnaise, vinegar, mustard, sugar, and salts.

Stir in bell peppers, cabbage, carrots, and onion. Toss to coat.  Cover and chill at least one hour, or until ready to serve.


Like any good barbeque, we had to have baked beans. These came straight from D'Ann Wiley's recipe book.  Although, I think most southern moms have their version of this recipe!


Mom's BBQ Baked Beans
makes 8 servings

1/2 onion, chopped
10 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled
2/3 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup BBQ sauce
1 can kidney beans, drainded and rinsed
1 can great northern beans, drained and rinsed
1 can red pinto beans OR pork 'n' beans, undrained
2 Tablespoons molasses
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon chili powder

Saute the onion (in the bacon drippings if you're brave!) Stir in the other ingredients. Spoon into a baking dish and bake for one hour.

Since Reagan was using the oven to cook his ribs, I put the beans in the crockpot on low for about three hours, and they still turned out great. 

Happy 4th of July! Pin It

Friday Favorites

While I will be spending a lot of time in my office this summer, I'll also be frequenting Austin, Texas. I can't wait for weekends this summer with the Lawyer Man!

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Try Something New

Reagan was in Chicago this past week and weekend, so that means I tried out some new recipes.  Kind of like the soup I made last time he went out of town, these weren't exactly man-friendly recipes.

First up, we have Black Bean Quinoa Burgers from Clean Eating Chelsey.  The burgers were actually a lot more involved than I anticipated, but I have to say they turned out great. 

Black Bean Quinoa Burgers (makes 6-7 large burgers)
from Clean Eating Chelsey

• 3 cups (or 2-15 oz cans) of prepared black beans
• 2/3 cup quinoa, dry
• 2/3 cup water
• 2/3 cup vegetable broth
• 1/4 white onion
• 3 baby carrots (I think about the equivalent of 1/2 of a regular carrot?)
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1 tsp. chili powder
• 2 tsp. ground cumin
• 1/2 tsp. granulated garlic
• 1/2 tsp. black pepper
• 1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper
• sprinkle of sea salt

Directions:

1. In a small saucepan, bring 2/3 cup quinoa, 2/3 cup water, and 2/3 cup vegetable broth to a boil. Once boiling, reduce the heat and cover for 15-20 minutes until all liquid has been absorbed. Remove from the heat and let the quinoa cool 5-10 minutes
2. Place quinoa and remaining ingredients in a food processor. Pulse the food processor until the ingredients are combined, but not smooth or pureed. The burger should hold together nicely in your hands if you want to check to see if your consistency is okay.
3. Using your hands, shape 6-7 equal sized burgers. Heat a greased skillet to medium high heat and cook for 6-8 minutes on each side, flipping once.

**At this point, I put my burgers on the grill to “bake” the insides a little more so they would stay together a bit better. If you aren’t grilling, I would say to cook them in a 375 degree oven for 5-10 minutes to cook the centers of the burgers a bit more. It’s not 100% necessary, but my burgers did stay together a bit better!
Store in an airtight container in the fridge for 4-5 days or freeze leftovers. Enjoy!

My parents came to visit this weekend! (Number one reason why Lubbock is great!) Since I had houseguests, I cooked our favorite Maple Ginger Pork Chops. 

Maple Ginger Pork Chops

The recipe was not new to me, but it was new to my parents and grandma.

Last, but not least, my mom and I decided to try out a Glowing Green Smoothie.  I've read a lot about Kimberly Snyder and her eating philosophy.  Since I have so many eating restrictions now, I'm interested in what people eat that have similar restrictions or lifestyles. 

Glowing Green Smoothie

I sent Reagan the above picture and he asked if it was chimichurri sauce. I wish.

The verdict on the smoothie: not for me. It has celery in it, and I hate celery. I thought the other ingredients may camouflage the celery (umm.... 8 CUPS of spinach?!) but no such luck.

I immediately made brownies. Much better! Pin It

Look who's visiting...

My favorite six month old is coming to Lubbock tonight! Pin It