French Bread

Last week, a stray pup started hanging around the rail yard Mr. Incredible works at. It had been raining and the poor thing was cold, tired and hungry. She took shelter underneath one of the workman's trucks. The men gave her food and a bowl of clean water each day, but she still wouldn't go near them. Mr. Incredible bought her doggie treats to try to coax her out from under the truck, but she would run away frightened. He kept trying and after a while, the dog started following him around the rail yard. Mr. I, would send me updates via text message saying, "She let me get 5 feet from her without running" and "she runs after my truck when I leave."

Long story short, I had to meet her. So I went down to the railroad, befriended the furry little thing, took her home, gave her a good bath, scheduled a vet appointment to get her shots and spayed and am hoping to find her a good home. I have to admit, in the short amount of time I've known her, I've become attached. Maybe Mr. I. will let me keep her :) I've already named her Sadie.


In other news, spring break is finally here! I get a full week to do whatever I want when I want, so I plan on tackling the list of recipes I've been wanting to make. First up, French bread. This was my first attempt. I found it fairly easy to prepare, although I do recommend starting early in the day, because it will take quite a few hours to rise properly.You can't rush the rise, baby.

Blackberries and yogurt

Today marks the 10 year anniversary of the catalytic event that prompted me to change my lifestyle and eating habits. 10 years ago I was a 21 year old college student and was at my heaviest at 168 pounds and a tight size 14. This may not sound like much, but on my 5'0 frame the extra weight was unforgiving. 

Anyone who has ever started their own weight loss journey has that one trigger that made them lose the weight. Mine came in the form of an older lady, whom I had never met, who struck up a conversation with me at a local bookstore. She talked about her son and how he was single (and ready to mingle). She showed me his picture and said she would like for us to meet, but that "You need to lose weight first." Ouch. "At least 30 pounds." Really?!

Wanting to date this complete stranger's son was NOT what prompted me to lose weight, because honestly he looked like if Geico caveman had a baby with Screech Powers (Not medically possible, just trying to give you a visual). I was angry that someone thought I wasn't good enough because of my weight. So I challenged myself to take better care of my health and land myself a guy who was way hotter than caveman, Jr. Mature, right? 

The first year I lost 45 pounds and the next year, another 20 lbs, giving me a healthier Body Mass Index for my height. There were three things that made the weight drop off. No magic pills or potions, just portion control, exercise and consistency.

It has been 10 years since starting the journey towards better health and I'm still on it. I've realized it doesn't end once the weight is off. The "maintenance" component is just as challenging as initially losing weight. Some days it's easy to make healthy choices and other days it's a struggle. I'm still learning to balance it all out.

Speaking of healthy choices, I want to share a healthy snack with you today. It only has 4, (Four. Cuatro. Apat. Quatre) ingredients and there is no cooking or baking involved. GASP!

Pineapple Habanero Pepper Jelly

I grew up in the little town of Knob Noster, Missouri, population 2,400. A few miles from Knob Noster (no really, that's what it's called) was the town of Windsor, which had established Amish and Mennonite communities. Several Amish stores popped up around the state tempting those with their delicious home made jams, jellies and soup mixes.. This was my first encounter with pepper jelly.

I've tasted pepper jellies that were more like candy in their sweetness but with little to no spicy heat and others with a hint of spicy. I prefer pepper jellies that bite back  ;). So I was delighted when I saw that Pham Fatale's Habanero jelly recipe called for 15 habanero peppers! I've adjusted her recipe to suit my taste and I advise you to do the same. If you prefer a medium to hot jelly, then use 6 habaneros. If you like it extra, extra hot, then follow the original recipe and use all 15 peppers.

Baked Egg Boats

       
Making these egg boats brought back repressed memories of my short, 2 week career as a Sandwich Artist at Subway. It was around the time they used to cut a v-shaped wedge out of the middle of their sandwich bread. We were told cutting it this way turned the roll into a mess free container for the meat. It was a technique I rarely did correctly. Too shallow of a channel and you wouldn't be able to fit in the all of the exorbitant amount of toppings the customer demanded. I found myself apologizing over my inept carving skills. "I'm so sorry. I could only fit a slice of turkey and a few pickles in there." Didn't always appease the customer. It's OK. I realize now they were speaking out in hunger (I read that once on Pinterest).

Too deep and you risk cutting all the way to the bottom of the roll. By the time you've carved out the perfect groove, you realize you've gone through half a dozen rolls and there's a long line of impatient customers. Ah, yes. 2 long weeks as a Sandwich Artist. Anywhoo...

Remember that time we made brioche and eggs for breakfast? The folks over at Spoon Fork Bacon have taken the egg bake to the next level with the addition of the killer trio: bacon, cheese and heavy cream. I highly recommend practicing the v-shaped wedge cut before proceeding. Let's get to cooking shall we?

English Muffins

For those who enjoy a warm, toasted English muffin every morning for breakfast, may I suggest making your own? It's not as complicated as you think and if you set an afternoon aside to make them, you can have fresh muffins for the entire week or a few weeks if you double the recipe.

While some English muffin recipes make a spongy batter, this recipe forms a soft dough, so you will not need muffin rings to make these. If you have a round cookie cutter and a griddle or pan, then you're set. Happy griddling!

Sriracha Glazed Wings

Sriracha: A Poem

Sriracha, oh how I love thee. Let me count the ways.
I love how you make my mouth burn

at every meal, it's what I do yearn.

I love your heat with a hue so red

without you, my meal would taste dead.

To me you are liquid gold

you make everything taste so bold

Oh Sriracha you've hijacked my palate

This is the end because what word rhymes with palate?

Dark Chocolate Stout Bundt Cake

 
I woke up this morning with every intention of baking a wonderfully frilly and delicate strawberry layer cake with Chantilly cream. But I didn't. If there's one thing I'm good at it's talking myself out things. Ok...maybe with exception of talking myself out of things I really need of course (refer to this post).

"A layer cake, really? You know it'll turn out lopsided." ..."do you really want to wash all those dishes?" Curses! So instead, I talked myself into a simple fuss free recipe that incorporates chocolate and booze. Mmm booze.