Breakfast Salad

Yep, you read that right. Breakfast...SALAD. I had never thought of such a thing until I read an article recently at Cooking Light and had my eyes opened - why not?

So I made a simple salad of arugula, chopped tomatoes and avocado, leftover toasted pine nuts and drizzled it with a little extra virgin olive oil. Topped that with a basted egg (similar to a poached egg, click here to see how to make them), season with salt and pepper. The runny egg yolk mixed with everything and made sort of a "dressing" for the salad. I know it's weird. It is. But so, so, surprisingly good! Will you try salad for breakfast? If so, let me know what you come up with!




one year ago today: birthday dessert assortment ice cream sandwiches, mini banana pie, brownies

Zucchini Muffins

 The original title of this recipe is "the best zucchini muffins" (click here for post and recipe found at melskitchencafe) and I baked them thinking "right, sure, the best..uh huh, whatever" - I had the ingredients and I like this blog so I figured what the heck. Even after making them I wasn't convinced they were "the best" but then I started getting feedback about them - Brooke's friend Erica requested that I make more just for her and my friend Rhonda B. said "they are recipe book worthy" to which I replied that I'm quoting her on the blog and she said that's fine as long as I share the recipe. Which makes me want to hoard the recipe and not tell anyone since they are that great hahahaha. But I wouldn't do that :)

So here ya go Rhonda!

Ingredients (I'm giving you how I did it, Mel's options are in parentheses):

• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1/3 cup canola oil (you can substitute avocado, vegetable, or coconut oil)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour (you can substitute white whole wheat)
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 cups finely shredded zucchini lightly squeezed of excess water
• 1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips, optional (you can use milk chocolate or bittersweet)
• coarse sugar for sprinkling on top, optional 

Directions:

1. Preheat oven 350'. Line a standard 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners or grease with nonstick cooking spray.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together the sugar, eggs, oil, and vanilla until well-combined.
3. In another bowl, whisk together the flour, cinnamon, baking soda, baking powder and salt.
4. Add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture and stir until the batter is just mixed together, do not over-mix.
5. Stir in the shredded zucchini and chocolate chips if using. It's ok if the batter is still slightly lumpy.
6. Divide the batter evenly among the prepared muffin tin. Add a few chocolate chips to the top of each muffin for presentation (note: I did it but it is totally not necessary), or sprinkle with coarse sugar if you omit the chocolate chips.
7. Bake for 16-18 minutes until the tops spring back lightly to the touch.
8. Let cool for a few minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.                    Makes 12 muffins

my notes:

• this made 12 standard size muffins filled 2/3 full, plus I had enough leftover batter for 11 mini muffins. If you make minis they bake for about 8 minutes.
• I shred the zucchini using my food processor with the shredding disk. You could use a box grater instead.
• to squeeze the water out of shredded zucchini  - I gently press handfuls between my palms over the sink, then put on a paper towel and press a little more. It doesn't have to be bone dry, just remove the excess.

one year ago today: mason jar lunchables. I still think this is a genius idea!

Candy's Corn Shortcut

After I posted last week about my lazy girl way to microwave ears of corn (click here for that post) Candy sent me this even easier trick:

"Leave corn in husk, put in microwave for 4 minutes per ear (only do 2 ears at a time for a total of 8 minutes). Remove from microwave and using hot pads (super hot!) to hold the ear, cut off the bottom including about 1/2" of corn, then shake out the ear by holding the top (with a hot pad). Voila! No shucking!"

There are several examples on youtube you can search for if you want to watch a demo.

Cool! Thanks Candy  :)

PS: this post title made me chuckle - instead of "candy corn" it's "Candy's Corn" ;)

one year ago today: Mickey made a Hello doormat that I love.

Pompom Throw

Remember the small pompoms I made into earrings last month? Now that I've learned how easy it is to make pompoms I found another fun thing to do with them - tack large ones onto the corners of a throw. I bought this throw for cheap planning to use it to back a crocheted afghan, but I've been seeing these pompom throws everywhere and wanted to make one...and since I've mentioned before what an instant gratification kind of crafter I am (using whatever I have on hand when the whim strikes) I'm using the throw for this project and will get something else for the backing!

Click here to see how to make your own pompoms (quick reminder: make 2 circles and cut a smaller circle from the middles, notch it so they make a "c" shape, wind yarn around, cut between the 2 circles to make a whole bunch of fringe, thread a long piece of yarn thru the 2 circles and tie the pompom together, remove the cardboard) - for these I increased the size of the cardboard to 4 inches with a 1 inch circle cut out of the middle. Then just wind the yard all the way across and back - I repeated across and back to make sure they're thick enough, you want nice full pompoms. Follow the instructions I showed you when making the earrings - carefully cut between the 2 pieces of cardboard (you really have to hold this good, it's now so big if you let go of any of the ends you'll have a big old mess and a pile of little bits of yarn!), run a long length of yarn between the 2 pieces and tie very tightly, then trim the pompom into a nice round shape. Then simply stitch to the corners of a throw - I just ran my needle threaded with embroidery floss thru the pompom and attached to the corner a couple times.

Cute, right? Let's call this "Christmas in August" (it's a new thing I just made up hahah) and plan ahead for some easy fun gifts!

Note: by the time I made the fourth pompom I had an idea to make this even easier - put the long piece of yarn between the 2 pieces of cardboard before winding on the yarn, you have to sort of work around the long piece but once you're ready to cut the pompom the long piece is right there ready to hold everything together...one less thing to try to maneuver while holding the lose yarn in your hand.

PS: these are super thick and you'll want to use scissors that can stand up to the heavy cutting - I actually broke a pair trying to get thru all the yarn!

One year ago today: roasted tomatoes, zucchini, and white beans. We still eat this all the time, so good...

Corn Salad

Today's post should just be titled "I love corn" and then have no words - just pictures -  because really, any way you make it is good. Doesn't matter what you do to it. Don't even need a recipe hahaha!

Having said that, I still want to share this terrific salad that I found in an All Recipes magazine (do you get these? I have no idea why I do - and with every issue I receive there is a notice that this is my last one unless I renew...but I didn't sign up to start with!), even though you can't go wrong doing whatever with fresh corn in my book,  this is fantastic.


CORN SALAD WITH CREAMY ITALIAN DRESSING

1/2 teaspoon black pepper, plus more to taste
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1/4 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste
2 pinches cayenne pepper, or more to taste
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1/4 cup plus 1 Tablespoon olive oil
2 teaspoons water
4 ears corn, husks and silks removed and kernels cut off cobs (about 4 cups of kernels)
1 cup diced roasted red bell peppers (or tomatoes, see my note)
5 fresh basil leaves, thinly sliced, or to taste

1. Whisk together first 9 ingredients (only using 1/4 cup olive oil, reserve the 1 tablespoon) until dressing is thick and creamy. Cover tightly and chill until ready to use, up to 5 days ahead.

2. Heat remaining 1 Tablespoon oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Stir in corn and cook until light golden brown and toasted, about 15 minutes.

3. Transfer to a bowl and stir in red bell pepper. Pour enough dressing over corn mixture to coat completely (you'll probably only need 6 Tablespoons or so). Season with extra salt, pepper, and cayenne to taste.

4. Stir in basil just before serving.

per 3/4 cup serving: 183 calories, 9.5g fat


NOTE: I omitted the red pepper and used chopped tomatoes instead. Also added a little crumbled goat cheese. SO GOOD!!

served with grilled chicken and steamed broccoli

Porch Sittin'

We have a screened-in area under our deck that is the perfect spot to be when the weather is as hot as it's been lately (well I take that back, hanging in the basement in front of a fan is the perfect spot in the house haha - but if you want to be outside this is the place, it's shady and no mosquitos). We had outdoor furniture and a table with chairs already, but it wasn't really "done" and every time I go down there I wish it was fixed up...so I finally did it.

Moved the furniture around to make it cozy, added pillows and plants, outdoor lamp and big clock on the wall. That all helped but the best part is the lights we strung on the ceiling. We put up this plastic sheeting stuff on the ceiling to keep the debris and rain from coming thru the deck above so we can't put holes in it to hang anything - I really, really want to put a swing out there but no way to attach it! - so I stuck a bunch of those Command hooks up there and after a couple failed attempts (you really need to clean the surface good to get them to hold) finally got them to stick and then I just hung up some indoor/outdoor Christmas lights back and forth over the seating area. This has made a huge difference in how the space feels, especially at night (I don't have a good picture of that - the metal ceiling makes the light glow even more). I absolutely love the screened porch now! Little changes can make such a big difference.

A couple other cute things - got a few paper lanterns from a dollar store to hang from the ceiling (also using stick on command hooks), and put a bench cushion over 2 dining chairs to make it look like a bench when the chairs aren't needed.

one year ago today: fidget stress balls. 

For some reason the video isn't working for that post, but use your imagination for what they look like - little squishy balloons! 

California Roll...by Brooke

This kid amazed me with her mad sushi rolling skills! Who knew (or my new favorite word from Candy "whodaknew")?

She bought me a "sushi kit" for Christmas (because she is addicted to sushi and every time we go to lunch that's what she wants...so my "gift" was to be able to make it at home with her) - all the kit has in it is a rolling mat and a small instruction pamphlet. I had my doubts.

I made sticky rice in my rice cooker (I've found that medium grain white rice is the way to go to get it good and sticky!),  once it was cooked spread it on a cookie sheet to cool, then sprinkle with white vinegar. Meanwhile Brooke sliced cucumber, avocado, and imitation crab legs in long thin strips.

I didn't help her at all - just stood back and observed. Apparently from watching the restaurant guys making this for so long she knew just what to do. Put down a sheet of nori (I found this at our regular grocery store in the Asian ingredient aisle) on the mat, cover with a layer of sticky rice, spread with cream cheese (optional), layer the veggies and crab, roll up tight using the mat, and slice. Seriously, look how professional this looks!

Impressive, right? Aunt Jill was lazy and made herself a "deconstructed" bowl of california roll hahah. Skipped the nori and the rolling and just put all the ingredients in a bowl :). Tastes the same, but nowhere near as pretty!


one year ago today: short hairstyle ideas

Glass Garden Angel...by Deanna

Here is another super cute project idea from Deanna (remember her? We totally hit it off on a flight in January, she gave me the garden dish flowers from a couple weeks ago - click here for that post). She glued clear glass pieces together to make this angel - I especially love how the relish dish wings look. Between this and the dish flower project I am planning to go to Goodwill and flea markets in the next couple weeks to get some pieces and make them for myself (ok, ok - maybe I'll give them away...but they are so cute I don't know if I can hahahaha).

Thanks again Deanna - keep these cute projects coming'!

Here are her easy instructions:

 I did do one other project that was really nice for my daughter in law when her grandmother passed away – it was a garden angel made out of a vase (body), 2 relish dishes (wings), a round bowl (head) and a flat dish for the halo.  I just used the E6000 for that as well.  It turned out super cute. 


















one year ago today:
popcorn toffee crack bars. Yep, I said it - crack bars. 

Chocolate Marshmallow Cookies

My friend Teri went on a road trip with her husband and boys, and just before they left I decided to make a treat for them to take...but just like with my sister's road trip granola bites I thought about this at the last minute and only had like an hour to make a treat before she was leaving. So once again I didn't have time to go to the store and had to make something using what I have on hand...I'm down to cocoa powder and an a half-empty bag of marshmallows (it's time to grocery stock and get my supplies back up!) so googled ideas for something using those two ingredients and came up with this (click here for source) - and they turned out pretty good! They are a little gooey and messy but the flavor is really good so it's worth needing a wet wipe after eating them hahaha. Teri said her boys loved them :)

Ingredients:

• 3 cups flour
• 34 large marshmallows (or if you cut each one in half you'll need 17. see below)
• 2/3 cup cocoa
• 1 t. baking soda
• 1 t. salt
• 1 cup (2 sticks) un-salted butter, softened
• 1 cup sugar, plus additional for the outside of the cookies
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 t. vanilla

Directions:

Cream butter and sugars. Add eggs and vanilla and mix well.

In another bowl, mix flour and other dry ingredients.

Add dry ingredients to the creamed butter mixture. The dough should be thick enough that you can shape it into flattened disks. 

To assemble: make balls of dough using a 2 T. cookie scoop, then flatten into a disk big enough to cover a marshmallow (or half a marshmallow if you prefer). 

wrap the dough around the marshmallow

Put a marshmallow in the center and close the dough up around the marshmallow making sure you completely cover it, you shouldn't be able to see any white at this point. Roll each ball in granulated sugar, place on parchment lined baking sheet and bake at 400' for 8-10 minutes.

completely cover the marshmallow

They are done when the cookies start to crack open and you can see melted marshmallow. Remove from oven and cool, leave on the baking sheet for a couple minutes before transferring them to a cooling rack - letting them set up a bit makes it easier to remove the baking sheet. 

Makes about 33 big cookies.

the difference between a whole marshmallow (on the left) and half (on the right)

Note: when I did a whole marshmallow they worked good but lots of marshmallow runs out and it gets quite messy. So I switched to half a marshmallow and not so much ran out but also there wasn't as much marshmallow "filling" that way - I'd recommend making a couple each way before doing the whole batch so you can see which you prefer. The ones with more marshmallow probably taste better 'cuz they are gooier but they are also quite delicate because they crack so much, not as "pretty". The half marshmallow still tastes good and holds it shape better, but not as "marshmallowy"...so depends on what you're going for!

one year ago today: fix those uncomfortable (but cute) shoes! 

Microwave Corn Shortcut

Today it's a quickie kitchen tip for making corn if you don't already know this...

When you only need to cook a couple ears, wrap them individually in microwavable plastic wrap, poke a couple holes in them to vent, and microwave until done. I'll do 2 or 3 minutes and check them, add more time if needed. Super easy and no pot to wash :)



one year ago today: my awesome fish lure earrings! Not gonna lie, I did poke myself once when wearing these....but they're cute and it's worth the risk.