There are veggies in my bread...

“Vegetables are a must on a diet. I suggest carrot cake, zucchini bread, and pumpkin pie.”

-Jim Davis 

I'm not usually a "drop everything and cook" kind of person, but I had a hankering for zucchini bread this weekend. So, I picked up a few locally grown zucchinis at the store and entertained myself yesterday afternoon while Rob was at work.

I used this recipe (inspired by "Mom's Zucchini Bread Recipe" found at AllRecipes.com):

• 3 cups all-purpose flour 
• 1 teaspoon salt 
• 1 teaspoon soda 
• 1 teaspoon baking powder 
• 3 teaspoons ground cinnamon 
• 2 teaspoons nutmeg 
• 3 eggs 
• 1 cup vegetable oil 
• 2 1/4 cups white sugar 
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract 
• 2 cups grated zucchini (I'm really glad I had this grater that fits over the top of a bowl!) 
• 1 cup chopped walnuts

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
2. Sift flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and nutmeg together in a bowl.
3. Beat eggs, oil, vanilla, and sugar together in a large bowl. Add sifted ingredients to the creamed mixture, and mix well. 
4. Stir in zucchini and nuts until well combined. Pour batter into two prepared pans.
5. Bake for 60 to 70 minutes, or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in pan on rack for 20 minutes. Remove bread from pan, and completely cool.

The recipe makes two loaves, but of course I only have one loaf pan, so it took twice as long. Gotta remember to put that on my wish list.

When he got home, Rob was totally thrown off by the sweet smell of baking bread. He wondered what was going on and was surprised when I told him the loaves were for us.

And, wouldn't you know... baking bread brought a spark back to my kitchen. I am even inspired to restart the Iron Chef Sisters challenge that Callie and I started last year. Click here to follow along!

Oven Sweet Potato Fries

“Cooking is at once child's play and adult joy. And cooking done with care is an act of love.”
-Craig Claiborne

My husband chooses restaurants based on the fact whether they serve sweet potato fries. He also makes food choices based on how cheap it is. (Going to the grocery store with him yesterday was quite painful!)

Needless to say, he was excited to see that the local McDonald's has 99-cent McNuggets on Mondays. I was not so excited to add another fast-food meal to our meal plan. So for the last couple of weeks, we have compromised...

On Monday evenings, he picks up nuggets on his way home, while I make sweet potato fries and steamed veggies as sides.

Want to know my super-easy (healthy-ish) version of oven-roasted sweet potato fries??

All it takes is sweet potatoes (two small ones is plenty for the two of us), olive oil, salt, and pepper. Read on!

Peel the potatoes and then slice them lengthwise. The original recipe I read mentioned that you should keep them dry to help the olive oil adhere and to avoid soggy fries. That's how I've always done it, so I also recommend it!

Lay the slices out on a cookie sheet, spacing them out as evenly as possible. Coat with olive oil, salt and pepper. Slices should be shimmery but not drowning.

Heat oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit and bake for 30 minutes. Take them out after 15 minutes to flip them over and then put them back in. It wouldn't hurt to add a little bit more oil, if they're looking dry. Watch them carefully in the last 5 minutes--you don't want to burn them! We like ours dark but not burnt! As the original recipe says, "BURNT SUGAR = NASTY!"

 

If you're lucky enough, plate with McNuggets and a steamed veggie. Serve and enjoy!

A neighborhood of cookies...

“God gave you a gift of 86,400 seconds today. Have you used one to say “thank you?"
-William A. Ward

One of the few blessings of the home sale process (besides finally closing that chapter of our lives!) was meeting and getting to know our real estate agent. His name is Robert Delay, if anyone in the Atlanta area is in need! To thank him for his awesome work (he basically sold our house three times before it was all over!), I put a box of sweet treats in the mail to him today.

I had an idea for sugar cookies in my head, and I spent the last couple of days making it happen... after watching several videos (here's a good one from JoyofBaking.com!) about cookie decorating and making a trip to Hobby Lobby for icing tips.

Of course, a good blogger stops along the way to snap some Instagram shots!

I carefully stacked the cookies in an empty (and decorated!) Pringles can, and then stuffed a bunch of bubble wrap and tissue paper so the tube wouldn't wiggle. Topped it off with a personalized card, and sent it off on its journey. Hopefully Bob enjoys the small token of our appreciation!

If you, too, want to show some gratitude to someone in your life, feel free to use this thank you printable. You can cut out the graphic itself and adhere to kraft paper card like I did, or just cut out on the outer lines and fold in half.

To download the printable, right-click the image below, and click "Save Image As."

Picture Fall: Day 17

"We can only be said to be alive in those moments when our hearts are conscious of our treasures."

-Thornton Wilder

Yesterday I was stuck in traffic during my errands. Apparently the interstate was shut down nearby, and all of the tractor trailers, etc were being redirected down my neighborhood streets. As I "patiently" waited to move from one stoplight to the next, I found myself overwhelmed with gratitude for supermarkets and superstores. I have more than six different superstores in a half mile radius from my current home. Not only am I able to pick up everything from fruit, meat, and cereal to laundry detergent and prescriptions at one spot... I also have choices of which brand to buy and which version is cheaper. Bounteous goodness, indeed.

Picture Fall: Day 10

“One cannot think well, love well, sleep well, if one has not dined well.”
-Virginia Woolf

Lately we've often been having a house guest over around dinnertime. Rob's friend Thomas is regularly been at our apartment working out or just hanging out. My initial reaction is, "oh no, my go-to frozen stir fry meal is just not going to cut it." But, then once I realize I can justify making a big bowl of mashed potatoes and that we'll have rousing conversation along with the meal, it's hard not to embrace the extra mouth to feed.

Hub City: The Beacon...

"French fries. I love them. Some people are chocolate and sweets people. I love French fries."
-Cameron Diaz 


Introducing a new feature, "Hub City Highlights," to share our adventures in and around Spartanburg SC. A little bit of trivia for you... the city got its nickname because of its location at the intersection of quite a few train tracks. A map of the tracks looks like the hub of a wheel. It doesn't hurt that it has also been designated as a "Bicycle Friendly Community."

First up... the Beacon Drive-in Restaurant. It's a bit of a local legend and Southern tradition. It's been featured on the Food Network's show Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives and been advertised on billboards as far away as California. And, on Saturday Rob and I got our own taste of Spartanburg.

 

Friday night delight...

“If one advances confidently in the direction of his dreams, and endeavors to live the life which he imagined, he will meet with a success unexpected in common hours.”

-Henry David Thoreau

We were looking forward to spending our first weekend in this new city of ours. To wander. To explore. To dream. Unfortunately though, Rob ended up having to work all day today, which is a real bummer. And, last night he was just plain tired, so we had to downgrade our plans of wandering and exploring.

Instead, we wandered over to the pizza place next door and explored the menu. Turns out it's a pretty popular place, and we grabbed the last table in the dining room. We filled our bellies with pizza (me!) and chicken bacon ranch pasta (Rob!).

Then, we wandered over to the grocery store and explored the frozen food aisles. We each treated ourselves to a Butterfinger ice cream bar.

Finally, we wandered home and explored our dvd collection to find just the perfect James Bond movie to wrap up the night.

There will be other days to wander and explore the city.

I've never promised gourmet...

"You can say this for ready-mixes - the next generation isn't going to have any trouble making pies exactly like mother used to make."

-Earl Wilson

Although the Iron Chef Sisters project is inspiring me to innovate a little bit more in the kitchen, the reality is that those types of meals are few and far between. Most of our dinners these days come from a bag. I pull a skillet meal out of the freezer and throw some rolls on a cookie sheet... voila, 9 minutes later, dinner is served. Hey... at least it's not fast food...

Join us...

"Cooking is like love. It should be entered into with abandon or not at all."

-Harriet Van Horne

Join us... as Callie and I cook our way through 2011. There might be some good recipes, might be some disasters, but with me in the kitchen, I'm sure there will be plenty of adventure. And, we're documenting it all over at Iron Chef Sisters. Head on over to catch the first couple of posts.

Let there be peace on earth...

"Our hearts grow tender with childhood memories and love of kindred, and we are better throughout the year for having, in spirit, become a child again at Christmas-time."
-Laura Ingalls Wilder

We've been in South Carolina for three and a half days, and finally this afternoon it started to feel like Christmas. Up to now there's been a lot of complaining, negativity, and just being annoying for the hell of it.But this afternoon while Rob and his grandpa were out on the golf course, the merriment, sounds and smells of Christmas finally arrived at my in-laws' house. I was kneading dough for our homemade rolls tomorrow. My mother-in-law was cutting out sugar cookies for baking. And, my father-in-laws' baritone "How Great Thou Art" could be heard from the living room.It may not last long, so I'm going to cherish these few moments of peace on earth.

Tacos diablos...

“I often quote myself. It adds spice to my conversation.”
-George Bernard Shaw

A shot of our fateful dinner.

Dialogue from dinner tonight...

R: Do you want to go out for mexican or make it here?
J: Make. I've already got the ingredients for our own Cinco de Mayo celebration.

[later]
J: Dinner's ready.
R: Mmmmm... tacos, guacomole, salsa, refried beans.
[J takes a big bite of taco, and it is so spicy it takes away her breath]
J (whispering): DO NOT EAT IT!
[Not heeding directions, R takes a big bite, too]
R: Oh....wow.....

[Sweat pours down their faces as they work their way through the meal. J stops at two bites, but R hurries to try to get both tacos down.]
J (trying to hold back her giggles): I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry.
R (as he runs to the bedroom to turn the fan on): On The Border is looking better and better.

Needless to say, the dinner ended up in the trash. We never even made it to the tequila shots. Our tummies (and our tongues!) will ache tonight.

The crazy thing is that I've used the same recipe before, needless to say, with much better results.

EDITED TO ADD:
This morning I found the problem. I mixed up the teaspoons and tablespoon, twice! I guess it's official... I'm definitely too tired to cook.

Halloween wrap-up

"Where there is no imagination there is no horror."
-Arthur Conan Doyle, Sr.

Long time, no blog. I'm not making any promises for the future, but I did have to share photos from our "spooky" Halloween night.

While Callie did this:I did this:
Luckily the result was this (tacos with "eyeballs," if you were wondering):
and this (a spooky dinner with candy corn cakes):
Luckily for us, we didn't give the cakes out to the neighborhood kids and luckily for the boys, there were no candy corns used in the cakes. :)

While we ate, we took turns opening the door for trick-or-treaters, that is, until we ran out of candy. Then, we headed upstairs for a scary movie marathon. Another wonderful weekend in my world.

Firecracker Favors

"And I'm proud to be an American, where at least I know I'm free. And I won't forget the men who died, who gave that right to me."
-Lee Greenwood

Callie and Jana. What a team we make! This afternoon project is just the beginning for the dynamic duo. There is nothing we can't accomplish! I'm so glad we can be partners in crime again--that is, partners within 30 miles of each other!
We needed an idea of a treat to bring to the Fourth of July bash at my aunt's house tonight. We didn't want to ruin her menu (which almost always includes dessert), so we decided to go the party favor route, aka the "fireworks-watching-snack" route. A trip to Kroger for ingredients, a raid of the craft room for supplies, a little bit of girl talk while we worked, Lee Greenwood's music in the background, and.... kaboom! (pardon the fireworks pun!) the chocolate-peanut butter-powdered sugar-marshmallow-m&m-chex mix treats came together quite splendidly.

Happy Birthday, my biking boy

"It takes a long time to grow young."
-Pablo Picasso

FYI... did you know that both Rob's and my birthdays can both fall on Father's Day?!?! I was born on Father's Day, and his birthday is today.

25 may be too old for themed birthday parties. But that doesn't really stop us! (We're young at heart!!) This year to honor Rob's fairly new hobby, almost every gift he received was related to cycling. A pair of gloves, a wallet made of recycled tires, a new jersey, money to buy a hydration backpack...

So while he was at work this afternoon (it sucks to work on your birthday!), I attempted to make him a bicycle cookie cake. Using a Betty Crocker sugar cookie mix (guess I don't love him enough to bake cookies from scratch!) and a page from the Cannondale catalog as a guide, I set about to form the dough into the shape of a bicycle.I set it in a 375 degree oven as the package suggested and left it for 15 minutes.
Of course, I had forgotten that the dough would expand in the oven, so when I pulled it out I was surprised by a bloated bike. Nervous but determined, I prodded forward, icing the large cookie with white icing. After that cooled and set, I traced the shape of the bike with green icing.
I'm pretty tickled with the way it came out (despite my cookie decorating inadequacies!) and hope that Rob is too, when he gets home.

Al Fresco

"April hath put a spirit of youth in everything."
-William Shakespeare

Of all the things my mom and I brought back in the moving truck, I was most excited about the patio furniture from my grandfather's house.

This photo DID have Rob in it, but he specifically told me that I could not post a photo of him without a shirt. Apparently he's not yet buff enough.

And last week after a long day of work, Rob and I grilled hamburgers and ears of corn. We took advantage of the pleasant weather, pulled out a new tablecloth, and dined al fresco on our patio.Now... this is why I love being a homeowner!!

Our favorite potatoes, besides mashed, of course

“What I say is that, if a fellow really likes potatoes, he must be a pretty decent sort of fellow.”
-A. A. Milne

Our favorite green beans

"An empty belly is the best cook."
-Estonian Proverb

Dinner at our house

"When baking, follow directions. When cooking, go by your own taste."
-Laiko Bahrs

I'm no chef, and I don't pretend to be. I do try to cook on weeknights, even if it's just pasta. I enjoy cooking, but I'm such a picky eater and we're on a budget, so it's not usually as fun as it could be. But, I'll do anything to wear a cute apron like this!!
The other day after I tried a new recipe, Rob complimented my skills in the kitchen, saying that "the meals we've had in the last year or so have been on a completely different level than those that he grew up with." Well, I try to keep it interesting, but there are certainly a couple of staples in our weekly routine.

Two of which I paired with a pre-seasoned pork loin for dinner on Friday night. Recipes to follow...

Potluck party

“When we recall Christmas past, we usually find that the simplest things - not the great occasions - give off the greatest glow of happiness."
-Bob Hope

Last night was our annual company Christmas party—my last one—pause to celebrate! In light of the economy, this year we decided to just have a potluck dinner at one of my coworkers’ loft, instead of the usual company-paid restaurant dinner and creative activity. Easier said than done when you’ve moved an hour away and the party doesn’t start until 7pm.

After I finally got away from work yesterday evening at 5:15 and finished up a last minute trip to the supermarket at 5:45, I gathered up all of my cooking supplies and ingredients and settled for the next best kitchen, other than my own—the church kitchen. I boiled my potatoes in a giant industrial-sized pot, heated the stovetop of two ovens, and ran around opening cabinets, thinking they’ve got to have some salt and pepper stored around here.

I planned to document my progress with photos, but mashing potatoes and sautéing green beans for twelve people in an hour leaves little time to snap photos. This is the only one that I captured.
I also brought fancy jewelry and different boots to morph my day outfit into my night outfit as they always demonstrate on makeover shows; however, those makeover experts never take into account the fact that you might have bits of mashed potatoes flung at your versatile clothing in between a day of work and an evening out. Just in case you’re wondering, I think I picked all of the food off of me before I entered the party.

And what a dinner party it was… I’m not usually a fan of potluck dinners—I’m just too picky (“Hi, I’m Jana, and I’m a picky eater.”) But this dinner, it just came together—it made a real meal, a real yummy meal. I work with some really good cooks--perhaps I'm figuring this out a little too late. There was mojito chicken (the juiciest, most melt-in-my-mouth chicken I’ve ever had), marinated pork loin, mashed potatoes (not the best I’ve ever made, but still complimented the rest of the meal), green beans (my best and favorite recipe ever—I mean, it’s got nutmeg in it, who doesn’t love nutmeg?), and corn pudding. And for dessert, pumpkin pie, chocolate flan, and thumbprint cookies.

Good enough to eat

“Put on your yarmulke, Here comes Hanukkah! So much funukah, To celebrate Hanukkah! Hanukkah is the festival of lights. Instead of one day of presents, we have eight crazy nights.”
-Adam Sandler
Going to the grocery store hungry last night = enjoying Hanukkah cookies for lunch today.