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!

Lunches This Week (#16 & 17): Back to Business.

Spouse & I had a family wedding the weekend before this past one, and extended it, to take advantage of being near to other family members.....the Adventure update coming.....needless to say, with all of the travel and re-entry into "Real Life", life was a wee bit bollixed last week. 

Lunches last week were a total hodgepodge, enough that I contemplated just not even bringing it up, but....in the interest of the high quality journalism you've come to expect from this blog. <ahem>

Week #16: The Foraging. And we shall leave it at that, eh? 

This week though - Week #17: Back to Business. 

Ennui, and Lunches This Week (#14)

Ennui.
A feeling of listlessness and dissatisfaction arising from a lack of occupation or excitement.

Inertia.
The state of being inert; disinclination to move or act. 

I am experiencing states of Ennui and Inertia of late. It sucks. Professionally speaking, these have been my homes for the last few, uh, years, due to leadership changes, etc. I get it, I do. I also get that existentially, "my" job isn't "my" job - it is the position of my employer, and thus, it is up to them what I do, or do not. 

However, at a certain point, no matter how zen, how chipper, how chill with life one is - it gets to you. And this is where I am. 

Fails in Baking.

Back in July, 2013, when I started this blog, I said I'd post things, even if they are epic fails. Today is your lucky day, reader, because you get not just one epic fail but TWO. And both in apple tarts. Not sure if the universe is sending me a signal, or I'm just that big of a dork but here goes. 

Lunches This Week - #10

Man, we had a fast weekend. Good thing I've been cooking ahead, otherwise, lunches this week would cause me much sorrow - and potentially coin. 

Monday - today was a defrosted section of my recent casserole hack, 1 cup of homemade whole milk yogurt with 1 cup organic raspberries, and a Slim Cake, which really hits a sweet spot for me. 

Tuesday - serious splurge, as I'm taking myself either to Chipotle or a local joint called Yabo's Tacos. It'll be a game day decision. 

Wednesday - repeat of Monday, except that I'll use defrosted peaches instead of raspberries in my yogurt.

Thursday - Monday's menu but with strawberries, instead of peaches or raspberries.

Friday - unless I get cooking this week, as in a week night, Monday's menu, but with strawberries again. 

Short post but never forget that:

Have a fabulous week!!!

Lunches The Last Two Weeks - Oops

Bad Yennifer. I have excellent reasons for my tardiness though, I swear! 

Last week, I had an event (honestly, the very best part of my job), so there was the mad rush to get it all together, then the event, then the mad rush to clean up, thank, collate, etc. 

I'm going to gush a bit about it, so bear with me, I will get to the recipes, etc. I promise! There was a luncheon and then also a panel, in which I partnered with The Office of Military and Veterans Services at my university. The events last week were actually the second time in seven months in which we've partnered with them, so I think part of my enjoyment of the planning portion was, we recreated certain elements from an event in September, and with most of the same people on board, there wasn't a lot of rushing before hand. 

Anyhoo, our special guest speaker is one of the most amazing young women I've ever met (and brag, I've met some really incredible young people in my time in Higher Education....). Captain Jenna Grassbaugh is finishing her Juris Doctorate, and will join JAG after she graduates next month. She is also a Captain in the U.S. Army, and sadly, for being so young, a Gold Star wife. 

Here's the kicker: Jenna took the insurance money she received from her husband's death, and started an endowment fund, which provides legal assistance to veterans. They don't have to be affiliated with my university in any way to receive the assistance and/or don't have to be combat veterans - simply have served their country in any possible way, and need help. And the law school here is working to match her original endowment amount. 

WOW. Talk about impact. Talk about a perspective moment.
And holy flarking follow-up: she enjoyed it enough to write about it herself. I.am.speechless.

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. 

A Watermelon Summer Cocktail

One of my favorite summer fruits is watermelon. I've always loved the flavor and even not being a huge melon person, there's something very refreshing about watermelon. Side note: watermelon was also my favorite Jolly Rancher flavor, so there's that.

As part of my Azoti farm share a few weeks' back, there was the cutest little butterball of a seedless watermelon. It was totally fun sized. I should have taken a picture of it whole but I didn't. Pooper.

This is it cut into two quarters though:

It was completely perfect in sweetness, consistency, meatiness - just perfection in melon form. 

Baby watermelon was a lot to eat, especially as Spouse is not a fan (I know, it is truly inexplicable), so I was trying to decide what to do with it. Ohio went through the last gasp of Summer and a watermelon cocktail sounded pretty delish at the time. 

Updates GALORE. Plus homemade toothpaste.

Chez Nash Humphrey has had an influx of visitors in a short time, so evenings have been mashed into chores and chillaxing because I'm tired from the chores. Oh and it's football season, so work has been all a flurry. 

I'll get back to regular posts shortly but did have some updates planned so I'm smushing all of them together into one, fairly lame, post.  Sorry, peeps but I am throwing in my homemade toothpaste recipe and review. I know you are on the edge of your seat.

Summer in the Dead of Winter.

I love cold weather – so much in fact that in making the decision to live in The ‘Shire, weather was a pro, not a con for Spouse and me. But what I miss in the colder months is the variety of fruits and vegetables one can readily buy/grow in the warmer months. Things like strawberries, blueberries, cherries, sweet corn, etc.

I spend a lot of time in the warmer months, washing, drying, chopping and freezing these items so I have them to enjoy in the colder months. It’s so flarking easy, I thought I’d share with y’all how to do it.

It is really easy and yet, the first summer I froze my veggies and fruit, I did a super poo-poor job – which I’d rather you not have to suffer through. What did I do, you ask? Well, I didn’t dry the items very well and instead of freezing them on a cookie sheet, just stuck the wet items in a freezer bag.

Yeah, everything froze into one fruit/veggie-sicle to the point that everything was badly freezer burnt and gross/unusable when defrosted. Had I found this blog post before I went hog wild on my own, it probably would have saved me the time and money I basically wasted. Owel.

A weekend at home means cooking. WOOT!

For the past two weekends, we've been gallivanting about - drinking micro-brews, visiting with old friends, meeting new friends, and jamming out to some seriously awesome music. Posts to come on all the fun we've had. 

Needless to say, zilcho has gotten accomplished on the home front - although Spouse was Master Launderer on one of his vacation days, so at least we have clean knickers, eh?

We have a local farmer, who stops by my workplace, once a week in August to sell his homegrown beefsteak tomatoes and melons. It's a total bargain for homegrown 'maters: 3 for $1 American dollar. I picked up 6 nice looking ones today. No melons because I'm the only one that will eat them and I'm expecting good stuff in my CSA bag tomorrow. 

Farmer Dave 'maters - yummmmmeeeeeee

On the to-cook list this weekend:

• Roasted tomatoes from the cherry ones I'll get in my CSA bag tomorrow
• Tomato sauce from the 6 Farmer Dave tomatoes I just bought (+ herbs from my garden)
• For lunch next week: wild rice, quinoa & spinach casserole (recipe coming soon)
• Yogurt - my Green Bean Delivery every two weeks includes 2 half gallons of Hartzler's Dairy Milk
• Tzatziki because my CSA bag will have cukes in it
• If I'm feeling super cuckoo, maybe homemade pita (from Frugal By Choice, Cheap by Necessity)

We'll see how far I actually get as this is a fairly ambitious list and we do have social engagements and all. I also need to spend some time with my baby garden. It hasn't rained much this week and I'm sure all my plants are thirsty. Reason #2 why I'm really a horrible gardener. Owel.

Are you thinking about your plans for the weekend? 

Any cooking or baking in store?

Gardening in the 'Burbs, Part Deux.

This summer has been rather bi-polar - for lack of a better term. June was chilly & rainy (had a spate of 20 days straight with at least some rain). July for the most part has been hot, humid, and hellish. The last two days have been absolutely gorgeous: low humidity, lows in the 50s, highs in the 70s, sunny - just perfection in meteorology. 

It's worked out well for *most* of my 'lil plants. 

Garden timeline

• Plants picked up May 15
• Potted late-May-ish

Update, as of July 25
Beefsteak tomatoes: kicking a$$ and taking names. Need to have more next year but take a gander. 

Roma tomatoes: also doing well although not growing super big. 

Lettuce plants: one making a roaring comeback, the other eeking along.

  

Herbs: Basil, Thyme, Oregano, Sweet mint and Spearmint plants kicking it. 

 

 

Shallots: coming along. The maturation period is 90-150 days so thinking late next month, I'll pull one up and see how it's doing. I use these a lot in my dishes as I prefer the flavor over regular onions.

Peppers: there's one red pepper coming along and three jalapenos that are getting there. 

 

Cucumbers: most excited about these because I had no idea what to expect but there are some on the vine. Not sure how big they will get. Next year, I'll be better prepared and have a larger pot - maybe more like a window box or something. 

And then........there are my abject failures: cilantro and dill. 

Wah wah. I normally have much better luck with cilantro. Owel. You win some, you lose some.

How are your gardens faring? 

Smell ya later, peeps.

What to do with a LOT of fresh tomatoes.

I work for (and matriculated from) a large public university in the Midwest. It's very proud of the THE in its name and worships a poisonous nut. But is also large enough (both in terms of geographical acreage and students/employees) that is does a great job of leveraging its size for the good of its students and employees. 

One of the many benefits available to me as a staff member is easy access to a Community Supported Agriculture (or CSA) program. There are actually three CSAs to choose from: fruits and veggies, meats and/or dairy. At this point, I participate in just the fruit and veggie program, which is once a week delivery for 24 weeks, basically from May to October. 

Since my household is just me and The Spouse, I get the small bag which generally has about 5-6 types of items - but no choice as to what. That's cool - so far it's all been stuff I know. Just one week we got a kohlrabi. That was interesting. 

Um, yeah. I don't *do* spiders.

Quick note. I was enjoying myself in my kitchen: listening to quality tunage, boiling potatoes for potato salad, slicing strawberries to freeze (1st qt.) and eat (2nd qt.) and MINDING MY OWN BUSINESS...

when...

in the bottom of the second quart, was a SPIDER. Kinda drowning b/c I had washed them (of course) and was letting them drain a wee bit. 

But yikes. 

Mr. Spider is now living (eek!) in the bottom of my trash can. It's not like I could kill him.

I should note there was no girlish shriek (actually no utterance of any kind as I recall), or hopping. There may have been a few hand shakes (the eww-gross-get-it-offa-me kind). And I am vaguely itchy all over as I type. 

Ugh. Back to my chores. Smell ya laters, peeps.