Welcome!

Saturday, August 18, 2012

hungry?

hey there!

this is a favorite at our house- easy, pretty healthy, delicious.

happy eating!

spinach roll-up

what you will need:
1. pizza dough...here is a good recipe to make yourself, or you can always pick up a bag from trader joe's...their whole-wheat variety is what we used this time
2. marinara...a great staple recipe to keep handy...i'm forever making marinara and trying out new variations; this is a good thing to have stocked in your freezer
3. one box of frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed out {microwave the spinach to thaw it quicker}
 NOTE: i love veggies, so i try to get them in wherever i can...this time, i had 2 zucchinis in the fridge, so i grated them; on other occasions, we've added sausage or pepperoni...this recipe is very forgiving- try new things, see what you like
4. mozzarella cheese
5. garlic, lots
6. spices, olive oil, etc...

step one: roll out your dough into an oval shape.  try to get it thin, but not so thin that it tears {you will be rolling this later}...add a little flour to your surface to make transferring it easier.




step two: make sure your spinach is pretty dry after being thawed...add about a cup of mozz and a handful of garlic {chopped}, as well as some salt & pepper

ahh marinara...
 step 3: spoon marinara onto your dough, leaving about a one-inch border at the edge of the dough


step 4: my favorite: toppings.  add your spinach/ zukes/ sausage/ anchovies...whatever...add what you like, again keeping that one-inch margin. try not to load up the dough too much however, b/c remember you'll eventually have to roll this on top of itself















ok, the photo below is actually from when we made a sausage roll-up, but it shows how you get the rolling started.  start from one of the wider sides of the oval, you want a long thin roll-up

keep that up, rolling all the way to the end...when you get to the end of the dough, sort of pinch the dough to itself...then make sure the seam is on the bottom and transfer this to a baking sheet.

{TIP: use parchment paper under the dough when rolling- makes transferring it to 
the baking sheet oh so easy}

{don't forget to brush your roll-up with olive oil }

look at that baking beauty...about 350 degrees, for about 20 minutes, but since everyone has a different oven, just keep an eye on it.  you want the outside to be crusty...sometimes it helps to turn it around midway through cooking



YUM!!



this keeps well in the fridge for a day or two, but if you're like us, we don't have too many 
leftovers of this dish (:

let me know how this worked out for you!


new leaf

 i've been thinking a lot about this blog, and my purpose behind it.

i love that this has been an effective way to stay in touch with far away friends, and for that i feel ok about my random life posts, together of course with my love for cleaning {who knew?}...

but to be honest, i have felt that this forum lacked real direction.  and when i sit down to truly think it over, the things outside of my friends & family which get me going the most are food and where you eat it. 

so there might be a few growing pains {bear with me} as i transition to a more concise message.

to kick things off, please enjoy the new layout, together with a photo that upon closer review appears to catch me smooching my ice cream.  hey, it was delicious.  you would've kissed it too.

also, in keeping with the new theme, look out for a recipe heading your way later today...



stay tuned!! (:

Sunday, August 12, 2012

keeping it green



new green cleaning addition!

check out this article by national geographic...includes some good info and good recipes.

also, that article clued me into tea tree oil...
this stuff has natural anti-microbial properties, which i jumped on right away...why use chemicals when something natural can give you the same results?  i recommend reading up on it, however...you only want to use a little bit, and while some people will tell you they put it on scraps and cuts, i wouldn't advise that- once you get a whiff you'll know why - this is strong stuff.  {also, it goes without saying: not for ingestion, so keep this away from kids and pets...as with any cleaning supplies, green or not}

for my local friends, i price checked between trader joe's and the heritage market and tj's was the best deal by far: about $6.50 for an ounce.


i know it sounds like a lot for a little, but you seriously only need a tiny bit for this to work.  i use a straw and drop 1 or 2 drops into my cleaning solutions for an extra boost.  also, it makes sheets smell oh so nice if you add a bit to your laundry.   

let me know how this works for you!

Friday, August 10, 2012

ready...set...



SPAIN!!!


it. is. OFFICIAL.

we bought our tickets earlier this week- we are really going!

i cannot tell you how excited this makes me!
{in case you can't tell?}

everybody has their happy place, where you feel at once comfortable but also energized, and very much yourself...for me that place has always been spain.

i visited twice while i was studying in belgium, then followed with an internship in madrid in 2005...and sadly that was the last time i have been to the fair country. 

luckily for me, my in-laws have not yet been to spain...which i saw immediately as a sign: i was meant to take them!  so this fall, early november, we're packing up {yes, i have already started my packing list: i love a list} and heading over!  

12 days.

3, 4, 5...however many cities we can squeeze out of our rail pass...

the food...the art!...the parks...the wine...i'm in heaven just thinking about it.

so this is where my mind has been for the past week, i'm more or less in charge of planning this shin-dig, so i've been hot to trot setting up a rough schedule, to be ironed out as the months progress.
 

have you been??  what are your favorite memories?  suggestions??
  
where is your favorite place to visit?








Saturday, July 28, 2012

something new


a little bit ago, with the help of our good friend JC, we cut our age by about 20 years and experienced one of the most fun things about being a kid

flying a kite!

and not just any kite...a 10-foot wide kite that will {if you know how to fly it} lift you off the ground...it's what they call a jumping kite...


we loved it!  {of course those of us lacking upper-body strength had a little trouble} but the wind was perfect, the weather not too hot and the beach wasn't too crowded.

so. much. fun!

j picked it right up...look at that air ;)

this kite has looong -um- strings? {technical term}...so it was tough to get the kite and the flyer in the same frame, here's the kite itself:


giving it my best shot

determined!


got it!!


jc, giving us a little help





and then making it look easy

thanks for a great time jc!



eats

more from the salad series i started a few weeks ago...


caprese!


easily one of my most favorite salads - i love the freshness of the basil, and the mozz does a great job of filling me up...i also think i saw an idea somewhere to add avocado to this salad- i can't remember where i found that, but it sounds delish

next up: potato salad

i should say right now that neither my dear husband nor i are huge fans of mayo...and since it's usually a main ingredient, we haven't really been "potato salad people"

enter: potato and snap bean salad

the dressing is really just olive oil and lime/lemon juice, jazzed up with some salt & pepper, add a few fresh herbs, onion, and of course the pomme de terre and voila !  a potato salad we can call our own.

it's the little things.

 a few of the 2 million beans from our garden this year



looks tasty, no?


as always, happy eating!!



Friday, July 27, 2012

happy friday y'all!

...and i'll jump the gun by saying happy weekend too!

{we're only a few hours away!}

this weekend i'm looking forward to...
 catching up with a good friend

beach time!

cooking a good meal

what's in your plans??
 


Sunday, July 15, 2012

...



{via}


i hadn't yet seen a "keep calm" slogan with which i identified enough to make any mention of, until i ran across this little gem.

for someone who can always be counted on to have a bottle of champagne {ok ok, it's cava} on ice, 
i like this message a lot.

every day is worth celebrating.

here's to finding something toast-worthy in the little moments.

cheers!

Sunday, July 8, 2012

summer salads

this year, we're expanding our definition of salad

saturday's dish was one of our new faves: quinoa tabbouleh.
it's just your normal tabbouleh {tomatoes, cukes, red onion...}, but we copied my mom's good idea and used quinoa in place of bulghur ...then added whatever else we had:
edamame, peas, jalepenos, and as many fresh herbs as we could chop
voila!

this also gives me opportunity to highlight the wonderful bowls we have in our house...they are all
handmade by my talented mother-in-law.  {isn't she great?!}
in fact, all of our bowls and plates in the house have been made by her over the years.
we think they makes everything taste better. 


stay tuned for more salad creations!

Sunday, July 1, 2012

visitors



my cousin jenny was in town last weekend and we had a ball.  or more appropriately perhaps, a bag...as in beanbag, as in cornhole.  here my dad and sister are involved in fierce competition...i do not honestly recall who won, but i do remember what we had for dessert afterwards.


holy-moly.  yes.  individual tiramisu in mason jars.  country chic at its best. 



most of the weekend with jen was spent at the beach, which was in perfect sunny form for our wisconsin visitor.

sunday night before heading to a fun concert at the beach, we played some madgab and had a little cookout on the porch, such delicious fun. 



thanks for coming, jen!! come back anytime (: