Art in the Baño

As I've mentioned before, I've been dragging out the apartment decorating process for some time now. It's been nice to make the transition from student to adult, but I still find myself fighting my underlying, and perhaps child-like, instincts more often than not. I had a long love affair with all things polka dots from freshman year of college until I gave myself a talking to about a year ago and decided it was time to refine my tastes and no longer live in a rainbow. Don't get me wrong, I will still stop and gush over a good dot ensemble more often or not, but they will no longer come into the home with the same level of dominance they once did. 

So, seven months after moving in, my apartment is slowly starting to come together. The effort is being helped along with the addition of several new works of art created by yours truly. The third work to be debuted in my home landed on a barren wall in the baño (I took Spanish for about 6 years and this is one of about 5 words that I retained). This painting was also a lot of fun to make and a prelude to a much larger version I hope to create some day when I have many more walls to work with.

Backstory: A couple weekends ago, TF and I decided to trek out to the Home Depot (or the HD as I so fondly refer to it). I love a good trip to the hardware store, seriously, I could stay there all day. We went with the intention of getting a couple pints of paint, but ended up finding some even smaller (and cheaper) tubs. I was like a kid in the candy store (enter my above referenced love of color as I scoured the paint sample wall trying to limit my selection to a mere 3 colors...talk about a difficult task!). My three favorite base colors for decorating right now are plum, charcoal, and black, so ultimately I went with those. I also got a canvas tarp as I was quickly getting tired of spreading my Sunday Post out every time I wanted to paint. Plus, the canvas just made me feel more like a real artist! After a somewhat messy afternoon of splatter painting by us both, my newest work of art was complete.

Close Up

Full bathroom shot

Unraveling Spaghetti Squash

Despite my love of winter, I must admit that the gorgeous weather this weekend was an absolute delight and I found myself spending my days outside and away from my kitchen. It's starting to get me excited for spring! I know Baxter concurs. Not only does she not enjoy being cold, but warmer days mean more walks and trips to the dog park...without me coaxing her to hurry before my hands and face freeze. She's only lived in DC with me since June, but she's really come to love city life, especially our local dog park (as long as I remain within her line of sight...the idea of being left there does not excite her). I think because most of the dogs are her size and she can let her inner herding dog come out, she always seems to have a good time. It's really quiet entertaining to watch them all in action. Plus, since I love any excuse to pet and play with dogs, it's a win for me as well! 


Nonetheless, it's largely because of the dog park and the sunny weekend that I am sharing a recipe I made a couple weeks ago but somehow never got worked into the blog. It was a lot of fun to make and a great substitute for pasta.


Spaghetti Squash

Slightly adapted from Martha Stewart

Ingredients

• 1 spaghetti squash (about 4 pounds), halved lengthwise, seeds removed
• Extra-virgin olive oil (for sautéing veggies and and brushing squash)
• Salt and freshly ground pepper
• 1-2 fresh tomatoes, diced
• 1/2 medium onion, diced
• 3-4 garlic cloves

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Brush cut sides of squash with oil, and sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste. Place squash, cut sides down, on a rimmed baking sheet. Roast until tender, about 45 minutes. Let cool slightly on sheet on a wire rack, about 10 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, sauté garlic and onions in olive oil (2-3 minutes) until they begin to become tender, add tomatoes and continue to sauté until cooked through. Season to taste.
3. Scrape squash with a fork to remove flesh in long strands. Place in a large bowl. Add onion, garlic, and tomato mixture. Toss, and serve immediately. 

*This made so much that I began to experiment with other veggies after the first day and also added mushrooms and broccoli to the mixture which was equally delightful. 

This part was my favorite...I will admit that I'm easily entertained :)

Delicious use of winter veggies

My Love Affair with Apples

Warning, my life-long love of apples has reached new heights as of late. Since I spent most of fall obsessed with all things pumpkin (beers, lattes, baked goods...it's amazing I didn't turn orange), I feel like my body is now trying to make up for all the apples I missed consuming! As a result, I've been cooking with apples every chance I get (hence my apple banana oatmeal bread and crock pot applesauce...which I made again last Monday because I loved it so much). Today, thanks to my following of Whole Foods on Twitter, I found a way to incorporate apples into my dinner and I could not be more pleased.


As a new cook, I recognize my limitations. I have "prime" cooking days and "never going to happen" cooking days. Friday and Saturday generally fall in the former category, with Thursday as a close third...especially this week. Cooking was the last thing I wanted to do when I got home today. Enter Whole Foods. When this recipe crossed my Twitter feed I couldn't not make it...quick, easy, I had all the ingredients, AND it included apples! HUGE win. It was delicious and hit the spot. My love affair with apples is stronger than ever!


Apple Cheddar Whole Wheat Quesadilla
Courtesy Whole Foods


Ingredients [serves 6, but easy to adjust accordingly]

• 1 1/2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese
• 6 whole wheat tortillas
• 1 large or 2 small apples, cored and thinly sliced 
• Natural cooking spray

Preparation

1. Sprinkle 2 tablespoons cheese over one half of each tortilla. Arrange apple slices, barely overlapping, on top of each pile of cheese then sprinkle 2 more tablespoons cheese over apples on each tortilla and fold each in half.
2. Generously spray a large skillet with oil spray and heat over medium high heat. Arrange half of the quesadillas in the skillet without overlapping and cook, gently flipping once, until cheese is melted and tortillas are golden brown on both sides, 2 to 3 minutes per side. Transfer to plates and repeat process with natural oil spray and remaining quesadillas; serve warm.

Yummy..plus the extra apple slices made a delightful side!

Living Room Art

Taking a break from all the new recipes I've been trying lately, I decided today was the perfect time to share my second work of art. To date, this one has been both my favorite to create and my favorite overall.


For Christmas, with my new interest in art in full swing, I was the happy recipient of a slew of new art supplies (apparently everyone...Santa, Sister, TF... had the same idea). I was gifted everything a budding artist needs to practice their craft and I was thrilled. I was the first Christmas in many years that I anxious to play with my new toys! Then, while still home for the holidays, mother and I stumbled upon a delightful sale at one of my favorite craft emporiums (Michael's) and I acquired enough canvas to last me into spring (or at least I hope). And with that, I returned to the District and this masterpiece was born....

Ready to put my new art supplies to use

'

Finished product...a great addition to my living room

Up close. Like I said, I'm kind of in love with this one!

Snow Comes to the District

I love, love, love winter. I love running in the cold temperatures, accenting my outfits with scarves and boots, and sipping a hot beverage during my morning walks to the metro. My first winter on the east coast was the year of Snowmageddon, or as I like to call it, indoctrination by fire. While I was slightly traumatized by the feet of snow that seemed to never leave, part of me has spent the years since craving the return of such a wondrous display. So far, my dreams have not come true. In fact, most of the time this year I'm fairly certain I will never see winter. While I didn't have high expectations for this weekend's snowfall, awaking to a mini-winter wonderland still made me smile...and want to bake. 

In honor of spending the afternoon nestled inside with my Aussie, Bax, today's new recipe: apple banana oatmeal bread. Having gotten the opportunity to visit my beloved Costco last weekend, I had a plethora of both oats and apples that I was dying to incorporate into my cooking. After spending some time on the google, I found a recipe that, with some alterations, hit the spot. First loaf = major success!

Apple Banana Oatmeal Bread

Ingredients

• 1 ½ cups old fashioned oats (I also used additional oats as a topping prior to baking)
• 1 cup whole wheat flour
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 2 tsp baking powder
• ½ tsp salt
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 2 eggs
• 2/3 cup buttermilk
• 1 cup chopped apple
• 2 mashed bananas

Pre-Baking

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 375
2. Combine all dry ingredients in a mixing bowl
3. Add eggs and milk, mix until well blended, mix in bananas
4. Fold in chopped apple
5. Coat loaf pan with non-stick cooking spray, pour in batter, top with oats (and cinnamon if desired)
6. Bake for 25-30 minutes

Finished product!

And, in honor of this semi-snow day, some additional fun pictures completely unrelated to cooking

View from my apartment. By the time I thought to take a picture of my snow covered neighborhood it had sadly already started to melt 

While I was cooking, Bax chose to spend the day sleeping. She loves nothing more than to be warm and dry

I'm often jealous of her life

Happy Weekend!

New Recipes for the Long Weekend: Part II

Over the long weekend, I spent a day visiting my parents in Baltimore. Because my type-A personality makes it such that I am the only one that can pack away our family Christmas ornaments in a manner that won't result in me having a heart attack when it's time to put them up the following year, this task has been reserved for MLK weekend for as long as I can remember. From birth, sister and I have acquired a new ornament each year (sometimes more than one if it was a big year). Although I greatly enjoy putting up these ornaments each Christmas and remembering years past, putting them away is a different story. Since we're both well into our 20s, the number of ornaments that we've amassed by this point in our lives is fairly large. Combine that with all the other ornaments that adorn our 7 foot tree and the process of putting every one of them back in the correct box because rather daunting, often resulting in my mood deteriorating rapidly along the way. This year, the only thing that got me through was getting to try out a new recipe on my family for dinner!

I'm convinced that no matter how old I get, rarely a weekend will pass that the 5 year old inside of me doesn't crave pizza. As I've gotten older, although my tastes have evolved (pepperoni used to be my pie of choice), my love of all things pizza remains. Since I'm always trying to make my favorite foods healthier, I was delighted to find this delicious white bean pizza recipe. Not only did it taste delicious, but it was a huge hit with my non-vegetarian parents as well! 

White Bean Pizza

Adapted from Eating Well

Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 large onion, thinly sliced lengthwise
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 20 ounces prepared whole-wheat pizza dough, (I wasn't ready to undertake making my own this time around, but will definitely try next time)
• 2 tablespoons minced fresh oregano, or 2 teaspoons dried
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
• 1 15-ounce can white beans, rinsed (see Note)
• 3 tablespoons water
• 2 teaspoons white-wine vinegar
• 2 plum tomatoes, thinly sliced (I used more, just because I love tomatoes on pizza)
• 1 cup finely shredded cheese

*I also added bell pepper and mushrooms to the pizza for some added veggie nutrients. If I'd been making it just for myself, I would've added my favorite pizza ingredient, spinach, as well....sadly, I couldn't get the others on board this time around.

Pre-Cooking/Cheese

Preparation

1. Place oven rack in the lowest position; preheat to 450°F. Coat a large noninsulated baking sheet with cooking spray.
2. Combine oil, onion and salt in a medium saucepan. Cover and cook over medium-high heat, stirring often, until the onion is softened, 5 to 7 minutes. Reduce heat to medium-low, uncover and cook, stirring occasionally, until very soft and golden, 5 to 8 minutes more.
3. Meanwhile, roll out dough on a lightly floured surface to the size of the baking sheet. Transfer to the baking sheet. Bake until puffed and lightly crisped on the bottom, 8 to 10 minutes.
4. Stir oregano and pepper into the onion. Transfer half the onion to a small bowl. Add beans to the remaining onion; cook over medium heat, stirring often, until heated through, 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer the bean mixture to a food processor, add water and vinegar and pulse until a coarse paste forms.
5. Spread the bean paste over the pizza crust. Top with the reserved onion, tomatoes, cheese, and any other veggies. Bake on the bottom rack until the crust is crispy and golden and the cheese is melted, 11 to 13 minutes. Slice and serve.

Another new favorite to add to my repertoire

Enjoy!

New Recipes for the Long Weekend: Part I

As an adult, long weekends have become my version of summer vacation. I look forward to them with great anticipation and love planning activities to make the most of my time away from the office. With my love affair with cooking in full swing, I decided one activity that was a must for my time off was trying out at least one new recipe...maybe two. 

The month of December was consumed making more varieties of cookies and chocolate-based treats than I care to remember, resulting in my usually dominate sweet tooth taking a slight hiatus. This weekend, however, it returned when I discovered a delightful new cookie recipe that incorporated two things I'm LOVING right now--dried cranberries and oranges! Definitely hit the spot. 

Cranberry-Orange Cookies

I adapted this recipe from one of my favorite recipe hubs (eatingwell.com), but made it healthier by substituting more applesauce in place of the oil. I also omitted the walnuts, but that's just because I hate nuts in cookies. The egg-free dough was delicious, but made me want to sample even more of it than usual! 

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups whole-wheat flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup chopped dried cranberries
• 1 cup plus 3 tablespoons sugar, divided
• 3/4 cup smooth, unsweetened applesauce
• 1 tablespoon freshly grated orange zest
• 3 tablespoons orange juice

Preparation

1. Whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a large bowl. Stir in dried cranberries
2. Whisk 1 cup sugar, applesauce, orange zest and juice in a medium bowl until smooth. Make a well in the dry ingredients and pour in the wet ingredients. Mix until well blended. Cover with plastic wrap and chill for 30 minutes
3. Preheat oven to 350°F
4. Put the remaining 3 tablespoons sugar into a small flat-bottomed dish or pan. Roll the dough with floured hands (it will be very moist) into 1 1/2-inch balls, then roll in sugar to coat. Place 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheet
5. Bake the cookies until barely golden brown, 12 to 15 minutes. Cool on the pan for 1 minute; transfer to a wire rack to cool completely

Nice to Meet You Quinoa

Since becoming a vegetarian a year ago, I am always on the prowl for new foods that will help me incorporate more protein into my diet. While browsing my beloved pinterest (I'm seriously obsessed with this site...it has, perhaps mistakenly, made me believe that I can make anything), I found a slew of recipes that incorporated quinoa. If there's one thing that draws me to a recipe, it's a good, colorful picture. And there they were, by the dozens! I brought some quinoa before the holidays, but I basically didn't cook anything that took longer than 5 minutes between Thanksgiving and Christmas, so it went unused...until today.

During lunch, Alicia (a fellow food and running enthusiast with equally fun recipes you should check out) and I were comparing recipe ideas, as we often do, and she unintentionally planted the seed of making stuffed portobello mushrooms in my head. After lunch, it was all I could think out. I thought I could hold out until next week, but alas I could not and ended up stopping at the store on my way home to gather the few ingredients I didn't have for the wonderful creation I envisioned making in my kitchen this evening. 

I have a surprisingly good streak with recipes going, but lets be honest, it has to end soon...just not today! Today, I present to you my version of stuffed portobello mushrooms. They came two to a package and I will definitely be making the second one in the very near future. Another delicious and protein filled meal for the books.

Quinoa Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms [makes enough for 4-5 mushrooms]

Adopted from The Magazine of Yoga

Ingredients

• Portobello mushrooms (inside gills scooped out)
• 1/2 medium onion (diced)
• Garlic cloves (1-2 diced)
• 1 medium tomato (chopped)
• Baby spinach, uncooked (enough to create a layer on the inside of the mushroom)
• Quinoa (1 box, 4.8oz)--I had a quinoa/brown rice rosemary and olive oil blend on hand and used that
• Rosemary* (to taste) 
• Feta cheese (to top mushrooms with)
• Salt (to taste)
• Black pepper (to taste)
• Olive oil (for brushing mushrooms and sauteing veggies)

*I used this because the quinoa was already blended with it, and I love rosemary, but any herb can be used here

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 400F. Clean mushrooms and brush both sides with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper
2. Cover baking sheet with foil (lots of liquid will come out of the mushrooms during cooking) and bake mushrooms for 10-15 minutes on each side
3. Cook quinoa according to instructions 
4. While mushrooms are baking, sauté onions and garlic until tender (2-3 minutes)
5. Add chopped tomatoes, season with salt, pepper, and rosemary; sauté til tender 
6. When mushroom and quinoa are done, combine onion/garlic/tomato mixture with quinoa. Layer the inside of the mushroom with baby spinach (I left it uncooked because it cooks so quickly, but it's your choice). Top spinach with quinoa mix and feta cheese. (I also sprinkled a little rosemary on top the feta, but again, I love this stuff). 
7. Broil filled mushrooms for 2-3 minutes, until feta starts to brown

This recipe is very versatile and can pretty much be edited depending on what you're in the mood for or what veggies are in season. Enjoy!

A Budding Artist

I started this blog with the intention of writing about several topics. Cooking adventures will always be the main focus, but since I'm currently saddled with more black bean soup than I can handle (despite TF joining me for dinner and actually liking my creation...a rarity that I'm still thrilled about), it's art's turn.


About two months ago, TF and I took a wine and painting class (thanks to my groupon obsession). It was a delightful time (as are most things when wine's involved) and we were both instantly hooked. Despite my best efforts, my painting from the class turned out absolutely dreadful (see below). I do not have a steady hand and really have no interest in recreating pictures. Freestyle is my jam. I love modern art. My dream adult house is covered in modern art from local galleries. Since I'm still a few raises away from fulfilling that dream, I must improvise. 


I moved into my studio apartment in June and for various reasons, didn't really get around to decorating until a few months ago. I was determined to make grown up decisions this time and spent a lot of time really thinking about what I wanted my new home to look like. Because the space is so small, I was determined to keep the walls as de-cluttered as possible. I'd taken the painting class with the vision of hanging my masterpiece up and building the living room around it. As you can see, my painting from class was way too dreadful to hang in my home, but at the same time I didn't want to throw a perfectly good piece of canvas out. Thus, I decided to make some modifications to it, save the canvas, and create something I was actually proud of. After about 30 minutes, I had a painting I actually wanted to hang up! And so began my newest obsession...painting. I've made two other works since and will post about them soon! 


My first attempt at painting:  (I won't post a picture of what it's supposed to actually be, but just know it's not that. I basically sensed things were taking a turn for the worst early on and just decided to go down in flames, using every color they gave us along the way)

And, after some revisions, what currently hangs above my couch...

Snowy Monday Soup

Mondays have, and likely always will be, my least favorite day of the week. This hatred has been diminished only slightly over the last few months by the fact that I work from home on Mondays, I've found it helps ease me back into the week. This particular Monday I decided to use my day at home to try out crock pot recipe numero dos. I hadn't planned to use my crock pot again so soon, or at least not to post about it, but I'm so in love with my latest creation that I just had to share. 


Today's recipe(s) du jour: black bean soup and whole wheat drop biscuits


First, a little background. For the last 5 years, instead of new year's resolutions (which I hate, but that's a separate rant), I have picked a "food of the year." This is a food that don't like, wish I did, and want to make myself like by year's end. It began easily enough, with tomatoes, but has increased in difficulty with each passing year. Year 2 was actually a two-food year because I conquered the first one (black beans) quicker than expected and then added avocados (thanks to this place) to my list. Oatmeal in year 3 was my hardest feat to date (I'm very particular about my food textures....as many who have dined with me can attest). Finally, last year, I went big--vegetarianism was appointed "food of the year." Although I was more giving up the few meats that I still ate (chicken and turkey....I'd given up pork and beef a few years prior) rather than learning to eat something new, I decided it would count as I still had to learn to alter my eating habits. And, for good measure I perfected my enjoyment of oatmeal during year 4 as well. It was the one food from years past that I still wasn't comfortable with (now I eat it every day at work). And that brings us to year 5. This year's food of the year is oysters. It shall be my greatest food challenge to date!


So, the "food of the year" story was told with the hope that you will better appreciate today's recipe. I used to hate all beans and not only have I come to love beans, but I'm now in love with a soup (another food that I have a love-hate relationship with depending on the season) made in large part with black beans! Thus, without further ado:


Crock Pot Black Bean Soup

Pre-slow cooking--ingredients: black beans, stewed tomatoes, veggies, seasoning

This recipe became even more exciting when I found out I was able to use another of my new Christmas toys--my stick blender!

Stick blender did not disappoint...and neither did this soup. I also made some easy whole wheat drop biscuits (another first).

It's a good thing I'm so in love with this recipe because it made a TON. If I can't convince TF to like it then I'm going to be eating it for the next week. For the time being, it definitely hit the spot on a cold, snowy Monday!

Black Bean Soup Recipe

Ingredients

• 3 cans of black beans
• 1 can of stewed tomatoes
• 2 cups of broth (vegetable or chicken)
• 2 tbsp salsa
• 1 1/2 cups chopped vegetables

Preparation

* I made some modifications to the original recipe and just threw in the veggies I wanted to use and then diced them all at the end with the beans and tomatoes

1. Empty all cans into the crock pot insert. Do not rinse the beans or drain the tomatoes
2. Add broth and salsa
3. Mix with spoon
4. Cook on low for 8-10 hours or high for 5-6
5. Before serving, use an immersion blender to soupify the beans, tomatoes, and veggies
6. Serve with some shredded parmesan cheese and a dollop of sour cream (optional)

*Original recipe can be found here

Fluffy Whole Wheat Drop Biscuits

Ingredients

• 1 cup milk
• 2 tbsp lemon juice
• 2 cups whole wheat flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp sugar
• 3/4 table salt
• 8 tbsp (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly (5 min)
• 2 tbsp melted butter for brushing biscuits [optional]

Preparation

1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 450 degrees. 

2. Mix the lemon into the milk. set aside and allow to curdle, about 5 minutes. Milk mixture should be cold before mixing with butter. *This part can be omitted if buttermilk is used instead.

3. Whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda, sugar, and salt in large bowl.

4. Add melted butter to milk mixture; stir until butter forms small clumps.

5. Add milk mixture to dry ingredients and stir with wooden spoon until just incorporated and batter pulls away from sides of bowl forming a sticky ball. if batter feels too firm and dry bits are not gathering into a ball, sprinkle on more milk, about another tablespoon. Be careful not to overmix, as that will give you a less fluffy biscuit.

6. Spoon batter into approximately 1/4 cup portions and drop onto parchment-lined rimmed baking sheet, about 1 1/2 inches apart. Bake until tops just begin to brown and become crisp, 12 to 14 minutes.

7. Brush biscuit tops with melted butter, if you like. Transfer to wire rack to cool.

*Original recipe can be found here

Stay Warm!