2015 is off to a pretty good start! {knocks on wood}

Have to say, 2015 is starting out fairly well. At least to this point. It is, after all, *only* January 12. 

In short, there's still time for everything to get completely bolloxed. BUT let's focus on the positive, shall we? 

Oh hai, 2015! How did 2014 goals end up?

Well, hi there. Remember me? #Oops

I'd say I was busy, but my Best Workout Bud detests that word (and I agree - we overuse it). Let's just go with it wasn't you, it was me. I needed some space. And move on. 

Holidays were groovy - too damn fast. New Year's was quite delightful, and filled with just a touch of gluttony (no hangover) and time spent with humans (and a canine) I adore. So what to you say to bringing on 2015? 

Oh Autumn. You are entrancing.

Autumn. I just love you. Leaves of all colors, crisp air, the return of gourds in all manner of colors, shapes and textures. <sigh>

This past weekend, I made three very Autumn inspired dishes to share with friends, and I'm just going to say it: I am a cooking/baking genius. Ok, not really, but dayum - tasty eats y'all. 

We hadn't hung out with our besties in quite a while, due to crazy schedules, so chose to do so Saturday night. It ended up to be a most fortuitous scheduling because Saturday was also the day the brought their new puppy home!!!!! 

B&K had a doggie for 15 wonderful years, who we just adored. A pup of surpassing beauty (really, he was gorgeous), character, personality, and joy and his passing, well, it sucked donkey balls. I still think about Tundra, a lot actually, and sometimes still tear up. He was such an amazing fur friend. 

LOOK AT THAT SWEET FACE!!!!

Clearly, his passing was way more deeply felt by his mom and dad, and they knew they'd find a new fur friend to hang out with them and started putting toes back into the waters in late summer. 

Enter Mesa. She is a shepherd / Norwegian Elk Hound mix and 4-6 months old. Vet can't pinpoint because some ASSHAT dumped her and at least one litter mate in the woods at some point after her birth. What.A.Dick.Move. Anyhoo, she's hit the jackpot this lil pup has. 

But so have they, because so far, she is calm, snuggly, sweet, and very clever, and she has already brightened up their lives, their home, and their faces, which as their long-time friends, makes me really happy. 

Brig & I yakked about menu for dinner, and since I knew they'd be wanting puppy time, offered to bring two things, and they would grill the chicken & steam broccoli. Then came up with an awesome idea for dessert and decided to make it too. (Normally, we get spoiled because they do all the cooking, so I loved doing more!).

I had a pound of locally grown brussel sprouts that I mainly quartered, after removing the harder parts of stems and some of the outer leaves. Tossed them in about 1 T of olive oil, and a sprinkling of salt and pepper. Since Spouse detests brussel sprouts (which means his Brother-From-Another-Mother, Kurt, probably does too), I put the sprouts in a foil packet in case Kurt wanted to throw it on the grill but mainly to cut down on the smell, which Spouse finds so offensive. #Boys

So in this instance, not so much a genius, just a gal with awesome taste in veg. 

Second dish, Brig loves maple syrup. I'm pretty sure I could make a cake from cow pats and so long as they was a shit-ton of maple syrup on and in it, she might just try it - that's how much she loves maple syrup. While I know she's so happy I'm not living in The 'Shire anymore, part of her is secretly sad because I don't have as quick access to Vermont Maple Syrup as I did before - that's how much she loves maple syrup. 

Spouse found a recipe for Maple Butternut Squash, so decided to give that a whirl. Freaking easy and delicious. I could have added a bit more syrup, to be honest, so I will add a skosh more next time. But SkinnyTaste, thank you for the recipe!!

Third dish, and truly the most deserving of my <self-appointed> baking genius moniker: Apple Graham Crumble. 

Here's how it went: had 6 gorgeous organic gala apples and was worried they'd rot before I got to them. Realized I had graham crackers in the pantry. Googled "apples + graham crackers". Found this Food Network recipe. Realized I had everything in the house. BOOM!

It was disgustingly easy to make, smelled heavenly baking and wuff. Tasty doesn't begin to describe it. B&K and Spouse had vanilla ice cream on top of theirs; I refrained, but even without the creaminess, it was awesome. 

Ingredients
6 apples, cored and diced into 1/2" pieces
1/2 of a lemon, juiced
1 teaspoon of cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon of ground nutmeg
2 tablespoons of granulated sugar [I used demerara sugar]
1/2 cup ground graham crackers or flour [I used one package from the Honey Maid box]
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 stick of butter

Instructions
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. 
2. Combine the apples, lemon juice, cinnamon, ground nutmeg and 2 tablespoons of granulated sugar in a 9" x 12" baking dish.
3. In a small bowl, mix the ground graham cracker crumbs (or flour), brown sugar, and butter with the tines of a fork, until small, even sized crumbles form.
4. Sprinkle the crumble mixture evenly on top of the apples. 
5. Bake uncovered for 15-20 minutes, until the apples are tender and the topping is golden brown. 
6. Let sit for 10-15 minutes, if you can stand it. 
7. Serve with vanilla ice cream, or ice cream of your favorite Autumnal choice. 

Jen's Hacks
- I used demerara sugar with the apples
- I didn't actually measure the graham cracker amount - just ground up one whole packet but seemed to work well. Used 7/8 of it all. 
- I added 1/4 teaspoon of ginger powder to the apple spices as well. 

Since I was going to put it together at B&K's house, I made the dish like this:
- Cored and chopped the apples and tossed the small pieces in the lemon juice, then put them in a large container to keep in the frig until ready to assemble.
- Mixed the cinnamon, ground nutmeg, ginger powder and demerara sugar together and put into a clean, dry spice jar for traveling.
- Ground up the graham crackers until fine, and added the brown sugar, then put the topping into a baggie to take with me.
- Took the 1/2 cup of butter and just made small dollops, which I put on top of the crumb mixture instead of working it into the crumbs & sugar mix. Seemed to be just fine. 
- Brig suggested adding a sprinkle of quick oats on the top too, so we did that. Added a great texture and flavor!

Assembling was super easy from there and way better to make fresh. 

I thought of a couple of things I'd try next times, like maybe add in some real vanilla extract/bean paste or drizzle maple syrup over it next time. Or honey. I mean, there's a ton of interesting things one could do. Add nuts. Dried fruit. My tummy just growled. 

The thing I love about cooking and baking is, if you are willing to expend the time and ingredients, the most amazing dishes are usually the ones where you just grab stuff and make a dish out of it. 

Have you had a recent cooking or baking adventure?
How'd it turn out?

hi·a·tus: (noun) a pause or gap in a sequence, series, or process.

Well. Didn't mean to take a hiatus of *quite* that length, but well, you know. Life. 

Been a weird few weeks, I'll be honest, but here we are. You and me. What's been going on? 

Dublin Irish Fest hanging out with We Banjo 3, and friends (one was very much new!) 

Gearing up for hockey season at some fan events. Go Columbus Blue Jackets!! #WeAreThe5thLine

 

 Gallivanting about this summer.....
such a wonderful summer we had here in Central Ohio. 

Adventures in Juicing.

Man, last week was weird, eh? I needed to marinate on some things, as I suspect many did. Spouse & I were super lucky to have great bookend weekends, connecting with family and it really reset things. I'll write more about the weekends in another post soon. #SillyPeople #Beer #Fun 

Wanted to post the last part of my juicing adventures, which is, um, actual juicing and combinations of juices. 

I am pretty lucky in that I don't have a lot of aversions to fruits and vegetables. I adore brussel spouts, beets and kale. I do still really dislike lima beans but luckily for me, I don't believe they would be a good juicing choice. As far as fruits, my only "dislikes" are grapefruit and mango. I like a hint of grapefruit, and I love the smell of mango but the texture is what really bothers me. 

So juicing as an addition to my menus is pretty easy. The added bonus of it is you can be really creative with your concoctions. I have to say there was only one combo I made that got poured down the drain, and honestly, had I not run out of lemon and lime juices, may very well have been salvageable. #TheMoreYouKnow

A'Juicing We Will Go.

My body has declared war on dairy. I won't go into the specifics because, ewwwww. 

I figured it would be a really sad transition, as I have always joked that right thigh was named Goat Cheese and left thigh was Super Sharp White Cheddar. Also, I adore ice cream. But the whole endeavor hasn't been nearly as painful as I expected it to be. Even Spouse is surprised. 

Lemon Blueberry Muffin Bread - for Angela!

One of the most brilliant things about summer is the varieties of fruits and vegetables that are bursting all over. I am pretty sure I could eat blueberries all day long, every day, and still not be sick of them (although my body may disagree!). And I know I'll never fall ill with scurvy due to my love of all things citrus, especially lemons and limes. 

A fabulous combination of tastes is blueberry and lemon, and I love making this bread because it's wickedly easy. Honestly, it's more like a cake, because it is extraordinarily moist, but bread-like enough that you can toast it (in a toaster oven anyway) if you like. 

Photo from the PBS Food website, as I didn't take any. Oops.

I found this recipe in an email from PBS Food, as I am a huge PBS nerd (mainly thanks to my dad), and it is really easy to make!

Lemon Blueberry Muffin Bread

Ingredients
2 cups all purpose flour (I've used gluten free flour before and it turns out well too)
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 stick unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup sugar (I've used refined and demerara sugar - the refined makes for a smoother batter, but the demerara makes for a tastier break in my opinion)
2 eggs, room temperature
2 cups (12 oz.) blueberries, organic is best - rinsed and de-stemmed
2 tsp lemon zest
1/2 cups plain yogurt, room temperature

Directions
1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees, and spray a loaf pan with nonstick cooking spray and set aside.
2. In a medium sized bowl, whisk together your flour, baking powder, and salt. Add the blueberries and zest, and toss to combine together.
3. Cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. 
4. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. 
5. Add the yogurt, then the dry ingredients, mixing only until incorporated, and being careful not to crush the blueberries.
6. Scoop the batter into your prepared loaf pan, and bake for 1 hour 10 minutes, until golden brown.
7. Let cool in the pan for 10 minutes before inverting gently onto a plate.

Photo from the PBS Food website.

Tips
- Wrap the bread tightly in plastic wrap, so it stays as moist as possible.
- I usually add more than 2 tsp of lemon zest, because I love a palate forward lemon flavor with the blueberry.
- Room temperature really is best for the butter, eggs, and yogurt - makes for an even creamier bread.
- I use my homemade yogurt, of course. 

I've made this as a breakfast accompaniment, as a dessert, and just had it as a snack (toasted with real butter). It's just the right amount of sweetness, without going overboard. 

Had already planned to post this, as I made it for a Fourth of July picnic, and received a special request from my friend, Angela, who is learning the joys of Oregon farmer's markets of late. I can't wait to visit her in Oregon!!! Happy Baking, my friend!

Do you have a go-to bread that you like to make? 

Or a quick bread? Share the recipe!

Adventure: Brewery Ommegang Game of Thrones Release

I'm really behind in adventures, and in looking at what needed blogging realized a huge oversight. Talk about a serious oversight, seeing as it was in MARCH. Egads. 

Have a dear friend, Adam, who I've known since college which was.....a while ago, let's say. He & his wife are beer nerds like us (actually, bigger beer nerds - which is a compliment). They hang out with a legitimately-knighted-in-Belgium-beer-nerd, with whom Brewery Ommegang trusted to hold a celebration dinner for the second Game of Thrones inspired beer, Fire and Blood. 

Biltmore is nothing when compared to good friends.

Got some awesome news about a friend's new job this week, and it jogged my memory that I hadn't written about hanging out with her (her hubby, and another delightful friend) in February. #BadFriendAndTraveler

My friends, Angela and Ashley, have been in my life since 2005 and 2002 (not 2022 as I originally typed. Derp.) respectively. We all worked for the same unit here at the university, and even though since 2007, we've all been long-distance friends, we still talk, visit when possible, etc. They are both just delightfully beautiful women, inside and out, and I just adore the stuffin' out of them both. Angela is a double joy, because with her, is her amazing hubby, M. 

When Ashley moved to DC (where she still lives), Angela & I were still in the same city, so she & I flew out for a girls' weekend there, and had a really fun time. Both enjoy traveling a lot, and are fun partners-in-crime. We visited the all of the memorials, including the WWII, which I had not yet seen. We went to Mount Vernon, which was really lovely. We went to the Native American Museum on the Mall. In short, we did that city up. 

My favorite photo from our girls' trip to DC. 

#DeathByFun

One of Spouse's dearest friends, Reverend Al, goes on jags of time he titles "Death By Fun", which generally involve a LOT of activities crammed into a short amount of time, with little sleep in-between. I feel that is a great definition of what the last few weeks have been, and this weekend was no exception. 

I was celebrating a milestone of a high school reunion. Twenty-five years. Ouch. 

Jen's Lunches This Week (#3)

Man, talk about doing something unwell. C'est la vie!

Monday's lunch was a cup of homemade Greek yogurt, sliced strawberries, whole blueberries and 1/3 cup of Love Grown Simply Oats gluten-free granola. 

Tuesday's lunch was same as Monday's. 

Wednesday's lunch was as Monday's and Tuesday's. 

Thursday's lunch was a cup of Dr. McDougall's Vegan Tortilla Soup (which was really quite tasty), a cup of steamed snow peapods & red peppers in sesame oil and sesame seeds that my friend got but couldn't eat*. Oh and a small handful of my maple oat scone bites. And 2 cups of cinnamon popcorn from this super adorable place in Greenville, South Carolina, that I'd been saving. Even after a month, it was fresh tasting and really delicious. (Also reminds me that I need to write about my super awesome trip there in Feb!)

Sounds like a lot, but only 487 calories (remember lunch is my biggest meal of the day so try and do 400-600 calories). 

Today, I have more homemade Greek yogurt and blueberries, plus some leftover appetizers from our St. Pat's party: cream cheese, horseradish and corned beef on rye cocktail toasts. Not a corned beef fan per se, but these are really tasty. I'll warm them in the microwave here at work, so won't be as yummy as oven warmed. Continuing my celebration of St. Patrick's Day, for as long as I can. 

Lá Fhéile Pádraig and Sláinte.

Oh, St. Patrick's Day. What a split personality you have! I'm old enough now that I do not remember it being such a drunk fest, keg & eggs, kind of culture when I was younger. It was a day to wear all the green you had, go to Mass, eat funny foods, and be thankful that there are no snakes in Ireland. 

Green stone and Trinity knot earrings - present from Bratty Sister;
Crochet flower pin, by Edel MacBride, purchased in Oct, 2013 at Mourne Antiques in Letterkenny, Co. Donegal;
Celtic Cross necklace, a confirmation present (I only wear it on St. Patrick's Day for my Grandma Nash).

My family has a strange relationship with the day as well, which is that my dad's parents passed away on days very close to (or in the case of my grandma, ON) St. Patrick's Day. So for me, it's a bit melancholy. More so this year, than in recent years past.

Adventure: January's Trip to My Beloved 'Shire.

I haven't been complimentary to 2014. I feel, I have solid reasons for it, but I should point out that it started out nicely. The high point was a visit back to My Beloved 'Shire, to see My Lovelies, and former colleagues. 

You know you have awesome friends when, even after a year since laying eyes on each other, you just launch back into the same rhythm you had when you did see them most every day. Such is the case with My Lovelies.

The entire long weekend+ was jam-packed with fun, good food, delightful company, more adventures than any one adult should have in a six-day period.

So far, I give 2014 a solid D+.

I don't really like to make generalizations or be negative but. Yeah. So. 2014. Can basically suck it at this point. 

Please Stay On Path. More or Less.

If age has taught me anything, it is to truly expect the unexpected. Hopefully, with an open heart and mind; lacking that, at least some patience. I'd be lying if I said it always goes with a zen-like attitude,  but it is for what I strive. 

In creating my list of goals for 2013, I started putting together a list of goals for 2014 in December, and referred to it a few times until 2014 was right.there. I think it's always a struggle in putting together a list like that; one wants to be optimistic and challenge oneself, but there is also reality to keep in mind. And the inevitable happenstance of chance and change and LIFE, which means one never has any idea what will happen between January 1 and December 31. 

Note: noticed today that Spouse has one breakfast burrito left, so guess what one of my chores is tonight? :)

Reflecting.

It's that point in the year, when everyone seems to be reflecting on the year that is almost over, and looking ahead to the year that is coming. My Pea-In-A-Pod Friend posed this earlier today, and I have to agree with her (as usual - there is a reason we are peas-in-a-pod after all): 

Truth: I've never understood New Year's celebrations. Out with the old, in with the new! Next year is going to better! Now is the time for change! We can finally hope for something different, something better despite the fact that tomorrow is likely going to be the same agent as today! I don't really *get* it. 

I believe that every sunrise is the opportunity to celebrate the newest new, the freshest fresh start and the cleanest clean slate one can have. And I personally like to celebrate that moment from the comfort of my bed, with my eyes closed. I may need to re-evaluate, but for now, that's the reality of my gratitude. Note to self: be more aware & grateful. Also, get your lazy ass out of bed more/earlier/without fuss. 

And so, here we are: the entire world* celebrating NEW! and POSSIBLE! and CHANGE! and BETTER! this *one* day when perhaps we should actually acknowledge this Every Day. 

But then I think, at least the entire world* celebrates together. And THAT, my dear, is truly a miracle. For today, the human race is largely in harmony. AROUND THE GLOBE, people are engaging in local traditions to celebrate the very same thing. Synchronicity. Commonality. Shared humanness-ity. When I think about *that*, it's actually kind of miraculous & beautiful. All the humans rejoicing together, celebrating together, hugging together, hoping together, fireworks at midnighting together ... 

New and Possible and Change and Better: I'll take it. On this and every new day.

Well said, my friend. 

If there was one lesson that I learned from 2013 (and frankly, 2012 too), it's that today is an awesome day, and the perfect day to try anything, especially something new. 

Holy Hosting, Batman.

In the last two weeks of the year, the Chez will have hosted 4 gatherings. The smallest a group of 7, the largest a group of <approximately> 36. We love to host gatherings and house guests, and are really lucky to have a home large enough to accommodate both with relative ease. But wuf. 

To date, three gatherings have happened: two were potluck, which was super fun, and by virtue, fairly stress free. The one for my family's holiday gathering was the simplest of them all though. I have a smallish nuclear family, and with Mi Madre living out of state, it was the 5 Nashes + my brother-in-law (Spouse's lil bro), who was visiting from out West, and his sweetie, who arrived on Christmas Eve.

This year, keeping in mind food preferences, and my family, I went with a menu of two soups, a delicious artisan made bread loaf, and butter. 

For the meat eaters, our friend's fantastic Green Chile Chicken Noodle soup and for the vegetarians, a very easy Red Lentil soup, recommended by a friend at work. 

Spouse and his brother hit up the North Market on Christmas Eve Eve Day and bought a fabulous light sourdough loaf from Omega Artisan Baking that turned out to be perfect. Crusty (but not hard) on the outside, and wonderfully chewy and dense (but not too dense) on the inside. Held up super well to the soups, a great companion to the Kerrygold (unsalted) butter we had decided on, and poof, by the end of the dinner, was gone, baby, gone. 

I had previously made the Green Chile Chicken Noodle soup, as Reverend Al swears by it for when one feels icky, but had never made the Red Lentil. Both are simple and really flavorful, esp with hacks. And I have to say, quick to make. 

The Doctor *is* always right.

I have met an incredible number of dedicated, passionate students studying medicine in the last 7 years. One of my absolute favorites from The Ohio State University College of Medicine, Dr. HB, also had a master's degree in nutrition, so in addition to being an incredible doctor, she is also an amazing cook and baker. 

I remember the time she gifted me with homemade marshmallows. 

To this child of the 70's and 80's, marshmallows were the puffy, uber white creations you got in a plastic bag - more often than not for either hot cocoa (in the winter) or s'mores (in the summer). I naturally assumed there were 86 ingredients, 3 hours of time and a legion of baking utensils and such needed, and said so to Dr. HB at the time - marveling that she went to all that trouble. She said very matter-of-factly, is my recollection, that no, they were not really hard to make, and I should try it sometime. 

That was 2008, possible 2009. 

This being the year of 95% home-made & heart-felt gifts, I started pondering handmade prezzies, mainly for the aunts, uncles, and cousins on Spouse's side, as we'll see most everyone during the end of December. The ladies are not difficult, but as a fairly girlie girl, what could I make for the uncles to enjoy? Homemade marshmallows, because who doesn't love marshmallows? NOBODY, that's who.

Thank you, Nelson Mandela.

My freshman year of college was remarkable, not just for the obvious reasons of being my first year "on my own", away from my family. I started college in August, 1989, and had no idea of the amazing events that would take place that (academic) year. 

First, in the late fall, the Berlin Wall fell. The symbol of The Cold War, and the ideals that came with it, gone. I remember watching on my 13" tv, in my dorm room, as people came together with sledge hammers and power tools to make it happen, and seeing East Berliners & West Berliners shaking hands and hugging, without guards in-between. It was so amazing to me. 

It's beginning to look a lot like Thanksgivukkah.

Thanksgiving in one of my favorite holidays. The food is delightful, the concept simple yet elegant, and there's no major decorations/presents/buying crap pressure. 

This year we get the special addition of the first night of Hanukkah, so that November 28 becomes the Super Holiday of Thanksgivukkah. 

You had me at latkes, thanks.

Add in the rest of the winter holidays: Saturnalia, Solstice, Christmas, Festivus (you know for the rest of us), Kwanzaa, Hogmanay/New Year's Eve, New Year's and with all of them falling within 35 days of each other, and it is the express lane of holidays. Pretty interesting.