Nothing to Do With Cooking, But I Couldn't Resist...

Apparently, this was part of the reason for my long commute to work this morning... PIGS!!



Can you believe it?

B-E-A-utiful Kitchens

It's another gloomy, cold day in North Carolina.  It was nearly impossible to get out of bed this morning with little-to-no sunlight in our apartment, making the morning all the more dreadful.  Yesterday was equally as dreadful outside, so I spent my evening perusing the internet looking for recipes, pictures, cooking gadgets, and kitchens that piqued my interest (or at least made me smile).  

I have shared numerous recipes with y'all, but what I really enjoyed looking at last night were all the beautiful kitchens.  I'd LOVE to take a little from this one here, and add a bit from that one, a dash from another, and a hint of another to combine into my ultimate dream kitchen.  Like a great big island from one, windows from another, a breakfast nook from another, granite countertops from this one, cabinets from that one, a pot-filler faucet above the stove, a hood from that one, a SubZero fridge from here and a double sink plus bar sink from there.  A girl can dream, can't she?

And I found so many kitchens that I just loved, I can't help but want to share them too!  There are plenty more to come.

I love the bookshelves built into the end of the island; they are perfect for storing all of your cookbooks and family recipes.  The warm wood, floating cabinets above the island, and U-shaped design make for an almost perfect kitchen!

These funky cabinets add color without overwhelming the space and keep the stainless steel hood and stove in check, making it not too funky and not too modern.

The hard wood floor is painted with a decorative diamond pattern and provides a great alternative to tiles... and paired with the teal cabinets and a wall full of windows -- perfection!

  

I love this neutral kitchen - keeping the materials grounded in nature (the wood stools are awesome!) offset the harshness some kitchens can take on with too much stainless steel and hard surfaces

I've always liked the idea of chalkboard paint in a kitchen ever since a childhood friend had it in their house.  Here, it adds fun to an otherwise sterile black-and-white kitchen.

Normally I don't like dark kitchens because they can feel dark and overbearing to me, but this kitchen kept it light and airy, even with dark granite and dark wood cabinets, by incorporating light walls, floors, and great big windows.  The huge island is amazing (especially with the stainless steel hood as a focal point), but the movable butcher's block cart makes it flexible and great for entertaining.

The lighting in this kitchen is to DIE for - warm and inviting with the mix of wood stains and stainless steel appliances.  This kitchen also has great drawer pulls - sleek and not too dainty.

And the ultimate dream -- a pot filler faucet above the stove!  Plus, the stainless against the neutral granite and subway tile backsplash is beautiful.

  

Ahh... Someday....

(all kitchen photos are from myhomeideas.com)

Mac Monday may be on a hiatus, but I'm still cooking...

Tonight I'm cooking Vegetarian Thai Curry Soup.  I found a Real Simple recipe and embellished it a bit to make it my own.  It's been beautiful here in Chapel Hill -- getting up to 84 degrees last Tuesday -- and somehow today, it was 44 degrees and sleeting when I left for work this morning.  It was a miserable, gray day with a low of 29 degrees - perfect soup day, and even better day for a Thai curry dish.  Spicy food can cure anything -- especially a dreary Monday.

This is a vegetarian soup, with lots of veggies and tofu.  The great part about this soup is that it'd be equally as good with chicken, or shrimp for that matter.  I stuck to tofu, but I added chopped red bell pepper for some extra color.  I doubled this recipe and made a huge spaghetti-pot-size batch of yummy soup.  I like spice, so I used extra Thai red curry paste, extra ginger, and a little crushed red pepper for an extra pop.

This is a super easy soup to make; you just throw everything into the pot and cook (adding one or two ingredients, cook, another few, cook, etc).  And I promise it's a pick-me-up, yummy Monday dinner!  (Plus I doubled the recipe so we have leftovers for the week!)

Thai Curry Vegetable and Tofu Soup

Serves: 4
Total Time: 30 minutes

...from Real Simple (because although mine was delish,
it didn't look as pretty as this!)

Ingredients:
1 tbsp Thai red curry paste
1 tsp grated fresh ginger
2 cups low-sodium vegetable broth
1 14-oz can coconut milk
Kosher salt
1/2 lb shiitake mushrooms, stems removed and caps thinly sliced
4 oz green beans, halved
2 carrots, sliced
14-oz extra-firm tofu, drained and cut into cubes
4-oz snow peas
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1/4 cup torn fresh basil leaves
Asian chili garlic sauce (optional, for serving)

Directions:
- Place the curry paste and ginger in a medium saucepan. Whisk in the broth, coconut milk, and 1 tsp salt and bring to a boil.
- Add the mushrooms, green beans, and carrots to the saucepan and simmer until just tender, about 3 to 5 minutes.
- Add the tofu and snow peas and simmer until the snow peas are bright green, about 1 minute more.
- Stir in the lime juice.
- Sprinkle with the basil and serve with the chili garlic sauce (if you decide).

Cow Fail

And yet another "Cow Fail."  This photo somehow managed to be adorably sweet and yet disgusting, all in one shot!  I think this guy got a little confused...

Cow Fail

Continuing the hi-larious series of "Cow Fails," I had to share this one because it makes me giggle.

I've Got Sunshine, On a Cloudy Day (and Chocolate on the Brain)

On this rainy day, I can only hope that all of this rain is just prepping for some beautiful spring flowers.
Now I did give up sweets for Lent, but Godiva sent me this offer and I just couldn't believe how cute they were.

(Thanks for tempting me on Day 1 Godiva, BTW)

Goidva Chocolate Tulips (on sale - 3 for $15)

Check 'em out and enjoy them for me...
Spring Flower Lollipops - Set of 3 at Godiva.com

And of course you know the trick with real tulips... 

add a penny to the water in the tulip's vase to keep them from opening to soon!

My Love Affair with Peanut Butter Has Gone Too Far...

I hate to admit it, but I'm involved in an affair... with peanut butter.  I don't know what it is about the delicious spread, but I find it nearly irresistible.  I love putting it on apples as a healthy snack (great for post-workout) or on a banana for breakfast.  It is to DIE for melted on an english muffin, maybe with banana slices on top or honey.  Sometimes, it's simply spoon-to-mouth or if I'm desperate for lunch at work - simply mixing PB & J in a bowl (extreme desperation, I know).  And who can deny the wonderful comfort of a traditional PB & J (except for those of you with nut allergies -- sorry!).

Desperation at its finest

Well I've adapted two recipes into one to make two of my favorite things combined - cookies and peanut butter.  I decided to give up sweets for Lent (what was I thinking?), so these will be strictly to share with others.

The best part is this recipe is rather large - great for bringing baked goods into the office, for a cookie exchange party, or for a gathering of friends.  It makes about 75 decently-sized cookies (depending on how big you make the dough balls).

TIP:
I whisked the dry ingredients together instead of what the recipe called for - sifting.  I mean really, who has a sifter besides your mom?  No first apartment-renter I can think of actually owns a sifter.  So whisk away!

PEANUT BUTTERY DELICIOUSNESS COOKIES

Ingredients:
3 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
16 tbsp (2 sticks!) unsalted butter (at room temp)
3/4 cup sugar
1 1/4 cup packed dark brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup creamy (I prefer crunchy) peanut butter

Preparation:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Whisk together flour, baking soda, and salt in a bowl.
- Using an electric mixer on medium speed, beat the butter with both sugars for about 3 min (until it's light and fluffy).
- Add the eggs and vanilla; beat until smooth and well combined... then beat in the peanut butter.
- Scrape down the sides of the bowl (easiest with a rubber-tipped spatula).  Reduce the speed to low and beat in the dry flour mixture (from the beginning) in 2 batches (1/2 at first, combine well, add the other 1/2).
- Form dough into 1-in balls and place on non-stick baking sheets.  Flatten each by pressing them with the tines of a fork in a criss-cross pattern.
- Bake until golden brown on the bottom and barely colored on top (between 14-16 minutes).
- Let them cool on wire racks completely.


Now a few questions for you (really just to start the good ol' heated debate):
1. Jif or Skippy or Peter Pan
2. Creamy or Crunchy

(Personally, I grew up a Skippy Chunky, but have graduated to Jif Crunchy - partly because of Miss A!)

Dinner Tonight... Celebrate Fat Tuesday with New Orleans Creole Jambalaya

Fat Tuesday is a great day each year to celebrate one of the things I love most--FOOD!  It's the day before Ash Wednesday and the beginning of Lent.  From Ash Wednesday to Easter, many people "fast" or abstain from certain foods or physical pleasures, for 40 days. This is done by many Christians to imitate Jesus' 40-day fast in the wilderness.

Regardless of religion, many use Fat Tuesday as an excuse to eat great food and celebrate Mardi Gras.  So in honor of any food-related holiday, I like to celebrate with an appropriate recipe.  New Orleans is the home to one of the biggest Mardi Gras celebrations in the world - so what better to do than to enjoy a New Orleans style Jambalaya??


Jambalaya is a Louisiana Creole dish of Spanish and French influence.  It's like a spicy surf-and-turf if you make it with sausage and shrimp like I do.  And here's a tip -- save time by buying frozen shrimp already peeled, deveined, and tail-off; then thaw it in the refrigerator or under cold, running water when you're ready to cook!


I know the ingredients list is going to look long and intimidating - but the majority are the added spices for the New Orleans kick!  Otherwise, it's simply rice, sausage, shrimp, red bell pepper, onion, tomatoes, and chicken broth.  And I put the ingredients in order of which you add them... it's not that hard -- I promise!

New Orleans Jambalaya 

with Shrimp and Andouille Sausage

(from Cooking Light)

Ingredients:
1 tbsp olive oil
1 cup chopped onion
1 cup chopped red bell pepper
1 tbsp minced garlic
6 oz andouille sausage (sliced)
1 cup uncooked long-gran wild rice
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1/4 tsp garlic salt
1 bay leaf
2 cups fat-free, low-sodium chicken broth
3/4 cup water
1tbsp tomato paste
1/2 tsp hot pepper sauce
1 can (about 15oz) no salt-added diced tomatoes (don't drain!)
1/2 lb shrimp
2 tbsp chopped, fresh parsley


Preparation:
- In a large pot, heat oil over medium-high heat.
- Add onion, bell pepper, garlic, and sausage; saute 5 minutes (or until veggies are tender).
- Add rice and next 7 ingredients (paprika through bay leaf) and cook for 2 minutes.
- Add next 5 ingredients (chicken broth through the can of tomatoes), and bring to a boil.
- Cover, reduce heat, and simmer for 20 minutes.
- Add shrimp and cook an additional 5 minutes (make sure the shrimp are pink).
- Let stand for 5 minutes.
- Discard the bay leaf (it's only added for the flavor) and stir in some parsley.


AND VOILE!

Beads, Creole food, and lot's of fun... 

It will be a party second to none!

Happy Fat Tuesday!