Ice storm Anniversary

Sunday was J and my official anniversary and I had big plans to make this big fancy dinner.  I planned the menu, placed a big grocery delivery from fresh direct...then the sky opened up and dropped frozen rain over our entire area and didn't stop.

It was impossible to walk anywhere, sidewalks, streets, trees, mailboxes all covered in a thick shiny layer of ice.  It was kind of pretty and if you were able to slide your way somewhere it was silent out and so peaceful.

All of this peace and quiet could also be attributed to the fresh direct truck's noisy absence.  We had almost no groceries, so our fancy dinner became thawed meat sauce that I made  too much of a couple months ago, some penne from the cupboard, and a salad made from questionably old spring mix. 

It was a far cry from delicious but it was kind of a nice way to mark a year.  It was a night that was a quiet reminder of  the day to day greatness that we enjoy even when we're not having a lavish dinner or trip to the opera.

Pancake Friday

After feeling like a total Debbie Downer yesterday, I decided to celebrate one of the perks of being jobless...time to make pancakes on a weekday!

I still had a bunch of blueberries left, so I tossed them in my go-to pancake batter and made one enormous pancake just for myself (and 2 for the refrigerator, lol).  It was seriously the perfect pancake, but maybe it just felt extra perfect because it was such an indulgence to make pancakes all for myself and on a weekday morning! 

Meatless Monday: Loaded Veggie Tortilla Soup

It's official.  We're "New Year's Resolutioners!"  I always try to avoid becoming one of "them," like I was avoiding the plague.  I go around wearing an imaginary new year's resolution mask and gown to shield myself from the infection.  If asked, I proudly tell people that I have no new year's resolutions...by proudly, I mean semi-apologetically smugly.  This year, thanks to the inability to avoid far too many tastings of food and alcohol alike over the past month of vacation, I've been infected.  Something must be done.  

Bring round the "Meatless Monday" bandwagon so I can hop on...

This Monday I made this amazing soup I came across on Pinterest. I thought I might be sad that there wasn't chicken stock.   You should have seen me in the grocery aisle picking up the chicken stock, then putting it down in favor of veggie stock, then repeating the process a few more times before J joined me in the aisle and I was left with whatever I had in my hand...a stock hot potato if you will...I ended up with veggie stock.  The strange thing is, I didn't miss the chicken stock one bit.  If you're not going vegetarian, I'm sure it would be tasty with some chicken stock, and shredded chicken thrown in, but it's just as delectable all veggie all the time.

Loaded Veggie Tortilla Soup

*The author, Minimalist Baker (who btw has a ton of other great recipes) called it nacho soup, but I think it's more like tortilla soup than any nachos i've ever eaten.

Ingredients: 

• 1 TBS olive oil
• 1/2 large onion, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, diced
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1/2 tsp chili powder
• 1/2 tsp each sea salt and black peper
• 1 can tomato paste
• 2 1/2 C water
• 2 C low sodium vegetable broth
• 1 cup your favorite fresh, chunky salsa**
• 1 4-oz can mild diced green chilis
• 2 15-oz cans black beans, lightly drained
• Optional toppings: tortilla chips, fresh onion, cilantro, avocado, grated cheese, sour cream, hot sauce, lime juice, etc. 

**I used a canned organic chunky salsa

Directions:

1. Heat a large pot over medium heat. 
2. Add olive oil, onion, garlic, and stir.  Cook for about 5 mins or until softened and transparent.  Turn down the heat if the garlic starts to brown. 
3. Add salt, pepper, cumin, chili powder and stir to coat.  Then add tomato paste, water, veggie broth, salsa, green chilis and stir to combine.  Bring to a simmer, then add black beans.  Bring to a simmer again, reduce heat to low and cook for another 20-30 mins. 
4. Taste and adjust seasonings as needed, adding more spices, salt or pepper.  Add hot sauce for more heat.  (I didn't adjust the seasonings at all, everything was spot on)
5. Serve hot with tortilla chips, and optional toppings. 

Blueberry Orange Quick Bread

Our grocery store had blueberries on sale the other day.  It's the kind of sale I love and hate...buy one get one free.  The problem is that you can't get a deal without getting more than you actually need, but at the same time, I wanted blueberries anyway, and so it gave me an excuse to make this delicious bread.  

  

This recipe is just slightly modified from the one I found online here.  I don't think it's necessary to change a thing, but I didn't have enough lemon so I threw in some fresh orange juice, and made an orange glaze instead, and it's so yummy.  The lemon might have added more of a zing, but the orange and blueberry were a little sweeter.  

Blueberry Orange Quick Bread

Ingredients: 

BREAD

• 1/3 C butter, melted
• 1 C sugar
• 1 TBS lemon juice
• 2 TBS orange juice (fresh)
• 2 eggs
• 1 1/2 C flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 C milk
• 1 C fresh blueberries
• 1/2 C chopped walnuts
• 2 TBS combination of grated lemon & orange peels (mine was mostly orange)

GLAZE

• 2 TBS orange juice (fresh)
• 1/4 C sugar

Directions:

1.  In a large bowl, beat the butter, sugar, lemon/orange juice and eggs.  Combine flour, baking powder, and salt; stir into egg mixture alternating with milk and beating after each addition. Fold in the berries, nuts, and peel.
2. Transfer to a greased 8"x4" loaf pan.  Bake at 350 for 60-70 mins or until a toothpick comes out clean.  Cool 10 mins before removing from pan to wire rack. 
3. Combine glaze ingredients; drizzle over warm bread.  Cool completely.

Happy Stretchy Pants Day (aka day after Thanksgiving)!

Good morning! Are you all wearing leggings today?  I am! I'll probably be wearing them the rest of the week too.  Who needs skinny jeans, it's officially the holiday season! Eat, drink & be merry!*

How was your Thanksgiving?  It was my first Thanksgiving with J's family, so it was a little nerve-wracking even though it went great.  It's just hard integrating into someone elses family traditions, and letting go of your own.  Thanksgiving has never been my favorite holiday, I don't dislike it, but it was a little easier to let go of my family traditions for Thanksgiving and embrace his family food fest.  

I thought everyone had the same food for Thanksgiving, and maybe it's a Greek thing, but I was a surprised (and glutinously a little sad) that there where no mashed potatoes and gravy, instead they had roasted potatoes, still delish.  Or maybe I just missed my own family, so the lack of creamy potatoes was a reminder of how far away everyone is.  Big events always make me want to call my family a million times a day.  I think I talked to my dad 3 or 4 times on Thanksgiving.

Anyway, back to food...the stuffing was rice rather than bread, which again, was so incredible, but I was shocked at how much heavier my family Thanksgiving is.  They had a ton of food too, an enormous turkey, lamb, a gazillion veggie sides, but for the most part they were veggie based and light.  Maybe the heavy meal is an American thing.  The good news was that after I ate, I was stuffed but I didn't feel like I had a brick in my stomach, lol.  Maybe it's why Greeks live so long.  

Since it was my first Thanksgiving with them, I had to make a good impression so I was definitely agonizing over what to contribute the entire week leading up to Thanksgiving.  I knew I was going to make my famous rolls, but I originally planned to make individual apple bourbon pot pies. That idea was scratched when the guest list kept changing.  I was so worried I wouldn't make enough, or I'd make a lot and no one would eat it.  So I went with a pear with candied lemon peel pie.  Both turned out incredible, but again, bread isn't the focus of the meal like it is at my house, and only a few people ate rolls with dinner...more left overs for me.  

The pie was a Martha Stewart recipe, and it was surprisingly easy...except the lemon peel candying, which isn't terribly difficult, it was just time consuming.  I think in the future I'll make a big batch of the lemon peel and then save it in an airtight container ahead of time.  Then the pie will be a breeze.  Also, Martha had the pie served with this fancy butter crust, but I don't have a food processor, and didn't want to chance it not turning out, so I just used a pre-made Pillsbury one, and it tasted amazing.

On A Roll - Friendsgiving

Tuesday night we had a pre-Thanksgiving Friendsgiving, and for me Thanksgiving is all about the sides.  It's about the roasted vegetables, the stuffing, the rolls.  Oh, yeah, the rolls.  My dad is famous for these rolls, they only come out 3 times a year because they're kind of labor intensive (Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Easter) but everyone always stuffs themselves with them whenever they make their rare appearance.



Since my dad is across the country, I decided to try my hand at these rolls...such pressure! Not only was I raving about them to friends before attempting myself, but I had a lot to live up to in order to protect the family name.  I'm kidding, but not really.  These rolls are famous in my circle. 

So, after an emailed recipe and multiple phone calls discussing logistics, I was off.

Zombies & Cookies

Oh my goodness I'm sick.  J is annoyed that I keep saying I'm better so that I can go to holiday, but I love holidays!  Especially when get-togethers call for themed sugar cookies, I must have washed my hands a million times, and these were SO tasty. 

We went to J's friend's Halloween get together where everyone drank, and ate cheese platters until we convinced the host that we were too hungry for cheese platters and zombie cookies.  The cookies were a huge hit, and are enjoying some Instagram fame.  Unfortunately, I'm the zombie now, no voice at all and so tired, but must rally for the Great Jack-O-Lantern Blaze on Tuesday night!

Target had this zombie sugar cookie kit on sale, but I just swiped the cookie cutters and used my mom's standard recipe and homemade icing

Easiest Cobbler Ever!

Over the weekend I had some peaches, some blueberries, and some time so I decided to make a delicious cobbler.  It was so easy to make and didn't last long at all. 

Ingredients:

• 2 cups ripe (but still firm) peaches
• 2 cups blueberries
• 4 tbs butter
• 1 1/2 c flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 1/2 c milk
• 2 tbs sugar

Sign of Trouble: Vegetables star of Meal

J and I have been together 6ish months.  I would say I have probably gained at least a pound for every month that we've been dating.  Haha.  I don't mean to make it sound like I'm walking around going, "poor me"...my clothes all still fit, I'm fine, but it is an alarming trend should the relationship continue on this path.  You always hear about how people in relationships gain weight, and it's totally true.  Suddenly you're eating out, sharing desserts you wouldn't have eaten otherwise, getting drinks you probably wouldn't have had otherwise, and forget about working out!  You'd rather be sleeping in on a Saturday morning than going to work out.

Don't get me started on the number of pancakes I've consumed this year...

So, in an effort to get back into the swing of things I decided to cook on Friday night.  I love cooking, and I'm really not supposed to eat a bunch of gluten/corn/dairy...I'm one of those controversial "gluten intolerant" people that may or may not scientifically exist (my very real symptoms are a story for another day, but lets just say I can tell when I've been eating this gluten/corn/dairy cocktail) so cooking at home is always fun/easier.

Look how beautiful!

I decided to go with a nice baked salmon, lightly seasoned with salt/pepper and olive oil then topped with lemon and shallots along with baked green beans & mushrooms.  You basically drizzle with oil, salt/pepper, all on one foil/parchment lined baking sheet and pop it into an oven at 350 for 20ish mins...

I also made some wild rice...far less beautiful! My lids for my pots don't form a tight seal and the water always evaporates too fast so I have to Macguiver it.

 

Unfortunately it didn't taste as good as it looked.  :(  The salmon was ok, it could have used a little something extra.  Maybe some garlic?  Not sure.  It wasn't bad. 

The rice was seriously the most disgusting wild rice I've ever eaten.  I think it was just the brand though, I finally got the moisture ratio worked out thanks to some tin foil (pictured above), but it just had this weird flavor that neither J nor I were fans of. 

And then the veggies were the stars of the show.  You know it's trouble when simple green beans and mushrooms are the best part of the meal, and you practically fight over seconds on green beans.  

Caipirinha, Capoeira, & Tina

In case you weren't cool enough to have your own viewing party, and your World Cup runneth under, here are some related things to get you through.

Perhaps you should start by filling that cup with a Caipirinha (pronounced kie-purr-REEN-yah), Brazil's national drink!  It is made with cachaça, an intensely sweet Brazillian style of rum that is made from sugarcane juice. Enjoy! (recipe)

photo credit

Total Time: 3 minutes

Yield: 1 Cocktail

Ingredients: 

• 1 lime, quartered
• 2 teaspoons fine sugar
• 2 ounces cachaca

Preparation: 

1. Place the lime wedges and sugar into an old-fashioned glass. 
2. Muddle well. 
3. Fill the glass with ice cubes. 
4. Pour in the cachaca. 
5. Stir well. 

Note: Keep the sugar mixed in the drink by stirring often

Welcome to Apt. 224 Meadowlake Street!

Welcome to Apt. 224 Meadowlake Street, because sometimes you wanna go...where everybody knows your name, and they're always glad you came. You wanna be where you can see, our troubles are all the same, you wanna be where everybody knows...your name. Tell me you can't hear that song right now? (I'm sorry, or you're welcome.  You choose!) Or maybe you don't hear it because you have no idea who Sam and Diane are.  I'm starting to really feel that I'm getting older because things I assume everyone knows are no longer common place...and I actually NEED anti-aging under-eye cream and I'm not just using it for the heck of it. (Both stories for different days). 

Anyway, welcome! I'm Tanya.  I moved to Brooklyn, NY from the Evergreen State in September 2013 and so far it has been one of the hardest, and best decisions I've ever made.

224 Meadowlake Street is my home.  It is where my love of the arts, making messes, and watching bad movies with great friends spills out onto the streets of New York (sometimes literally...ask me some day about spilling a latte in the front row at The Killers).  I hope you stick around!

 XOXO
Gossip Girl
(a reference for those of you not using anti-wrinkle eye creams)