Weekend Giveaway Winner

 

  {Emily and Brian who are getting married in May!}

Happy Monday, everyone! Have I told you all how much I love you? You seriously rock. I now have a whole lot of 'fun homework' ahead of me this week, checking out the blogs and magazines you all recommended, and I have a feeling my Google Reader is going to get lots of fun, new additions!

And while we're on the subject of giveaway entries, let's get to the real good news....

Congratulations to Saf Mohsin! Please e-mail me (madisonjanemayberry@gmail.com) with your name and address and I'll get your Silpat baking mat in the mail right away!

In other news, this weekend I had a full apartment! Joey arrived on Friday night and my friend Emily and her fiancée Brian showed up on Saturday morning. Emily, who is the maid of honor in my wedding, has been my best friend since freshmen year of college, and although we are now separated by about four hours, every time we get together it feels as if no time has passed since I last saw her. I've been pushing for her to start a fashion blog and will make sure to let you know if she does.

We drank plenty of coffee, took a trip to the mall so Joey could make a long-awaited purchase and ate plenty of delicious grub. A personal highlight for me was dinner Saturday night at a place in the East Village of Des Moines called Open Sesame. The Falafel Salad was to die for. Remind me that I must recreate this at home soon.

I've got a healthy little dessert coming your way tomorrow, so stay tuned! 

{Can you tell he's excited about his new iPad?}

Silpat Giveaway!

(Source)

For Christmas I got many beautiful, useful gifts, but none have been used as often as my new favorite kitchen mate. My Silpat baking mat. You may have noticed that I have been calling for the use of a Silpat in many of my recipes, and for good reason. This thin, silicone baking mat that is used in many professional kitchens.

In its simplest form, the Silpat frees you from having to use parchment paper or nonstick cooking spray when you bake. Which, if you're anything like me, will save you a bunch of money in the long run and will result in a whole lot of perfect cookies.

So today, because I love you all and because I feel guilty about calling for a Silpat in my recipes without giving you the opportunity to cook with one of your own, I'm giving away a Silpat Petit Jelly Roll Mat! 

To enter, leave a comment below telling me about either a new blog you have discovered (I'm looking for things to add to my Google Reader) or a magazine you can't live without by Sunday, January 30 at 10 p.m.! 

I will announce the winner on Monday morning and ship the Silpat to its new home.

Happy Friday!

Madison

Pizza Hummus

 I would like you to meet someone. Her name is Morgan and she's pretty much my best friend. (Hi Morgan!) We met for the first time at Joey's family vacation last summer in Indiana and became the best of buds right away. She's energetic, adorable, smart and loves salad. Seriously.

This past fall we met up with Morgan and her family in Minnesota to watch Joey's brother play football. I arrived at the hotel late on Friday night, went swimming with everyone, and completely forgot about how hungry I was until 10 pm, when most of the usual restaurant options were closed. So Joey, Morgan and I headed to the grocery store in search of grub. What we ended up with was a bag of whole wheat pitas and a container of pizza hummus.

And while the pizza hummus didn't get Joey all that excited, Morgan and I couldn't get enough. I'm not ashamed to say we finished of the entire container in under ten minutes. But it wasn't until this week, when I picked up a container of Trader Joe's Tomato Basil Hummus that I realized I could make something similar at home for a whole lot less.

Pizza Hummus

Ingredients
*1 (8.5-oz.) jar sun dried tomatoes in oil
*1 (15-oz.) can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
*2 Tablespoons marinara sauce
*Olive oil 
*1 tsp. Italian seasoning
*Salt and black pepper
*Additional olive oil (optional)

Instructions
*Place sun dried tomatoes and oil into the bowl of a food processor. Process for 3 to 4 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary. Add in the chickpeas, marinara sauce and a long drizzle of olive oil (about 2 to 3 tablespoons), Italian seasoning and a sprinkle of salt and black pepper.
*Continue to process for another 5 to 6 minutes, until hummus is well blended and smooth, adding additional olive oil as necessary. Transfer to a resealable container and store in the refrigerator until ready to use.

Happy Cooking!

Madison

A Day in the Life: Monday's Eats

More often than not, I get asked about what I eat. Sometimes the question comes from ardent meat-eaters who can't fathom going an entire day without consuming animal protein of some sort. Other days it's simply from those who are serious about health, eating well and cutting out processed food from their daily routine.

In both cases, I am by no means an expert, and I don't intend to start blogging every meal I eat. However, I thought it might be fun to document meals every now and again, if nothing more than to provide a bit of ordinary inspiration.

Breakfast
*1 large (1/2 cup batter) Buttermilk Blueberry-Lemon Pancake drizzled with 1/2 tablespoon of natural peanut butter and a 1/4 cup light pancake syrup
*4 oz. of 2% Fage Greek Yogurt sprinkled with cinnamon
*2 cups of dark roast coffee with a dash of 2% milk

Lunch
*2 slices of Trader Joe's Sprouted Grain Bread, toasted, with 1 oz. cheddar cheese topped with sliced cucumber, tomatoes, Trader Joe's Tomato Basil Hummus and lettuce
*1 medium pear, sliced, drizzled with 1/2 tablespoon of natural peanut butter, sprinkled with cinnamon and a dollop of 2% Fage Greek Yogurt
*Glass of water

Snack
*A couple bites of a cheesy broccoli-pasta bake at a recipe taste panel
*More water and a cup of peppermint tea

Dinner
*1 Trader Joe's Bean and Rice Burrito
*2 cups roasted broccoli, drizzled with olive oil and topped with chopped shallots and kosher salt
*More water

Post-Workout Snack
*Fruit smoothie made with 1 cup frozen mixed berries, 1/2 cup Naked Juice Berry Veggie Machine, 1/2 cup water and 3 ice cubes
*A handful of Trader Joe's Cat Cookies

Happy Tuesday, everyone!

Madison

Buttermilk Bluberry-Lemon Pancakes

Some of you may be issuing a sigh of frustration upon the realization that I'm posting yet another pancake recipe. But if you're anything like me, there is never such a thing as too many ways to fry up a breakfast cake.

Up until this summer, I wouldn't have given a second thought to pancakes. They didn't interest me, seemed unhealthy, and couldn't hold a candle to a bowl of Greek yogurt or oatmeal. But at some point in the last few months my indifference toward the pancake shifted to like and then full-blown love.

And while I typically fall head over heels for dense, hearty hot cakes, this time I was drooling over a softer, fluffier cake. Speckled with blueberries, brightened with lemon juice and buttermilk, these little babies are enough to make even the biggest pancake skeptic take another look at breakfast.

Buttermilk Blueberry-Lemon Pancakes
Ingredients
*1 cup whole wheat pastry flour or whole wheat flour
*1/3 cup self-rising flour
*1/2 tsp. baking soda
*3 tsp. stevia
*1 1/3 cups buttermilk
*1 tsp. lemon juice
*1 large egg
*1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
*1/2 cup fresh blueberries
*Maple syrup 

Instructions
*In a large bowl, combine the whole wheat four, self-rising flour, baking soda and stevia.
*In a second bowl, combine the buttermilk, lemon juice, egg and nutmeg. Beat until well-combined. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and beat until just combined.
*Lightly grease a nonstick skillet with butter. Heat over medium heat. Add batter, a 1/4 cup at a time, to the skillet. Sprinkle with some of the blueberries. When bubbles form on the surface of the pancakes, flip and continue to cook for about 2 minutes more.
*Serve with maple syrup.

Happy Cooking!

Madison

Favorite Cookie Round-up

{Nutella Chocolate Chip Cookies}

 

{Molasses Crinkles}

{Alfajores}

{Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies}

{Oatmeal and Golden Raisin Cookies}

Have a wonderful weekend, everyone!

Madison

Freezer Lasagna for Two

Tonight I'm posting something unlike anything I've posted in the last 10 months. You see, as most of you know I have been a vegetarian for almost a year, meaning the recipes containing meat on Espresso and Cream have all but disappeared. What hasn't changed during this time is Joey's love for beef, chicken, pork and the like.

Most of the time when we're together, we find some sort of compromise. When we eat out, the places we frequent are those with options that are both friendly to my diet and appealing to him. Ethnic restaurants are great for that very reason. And when I cook for us, meat is usually a side-dish to whatever meal we are having. A few grilled chicken breasts here, some meat sauce there, a veggie burger for me - a real burger for him.

Fact: During our marriage counseling, when asked what type of food we would be eating as a married couple Joey responded (on his own prompting) "flexitarian." I was so proud.

So even though I may not be eating meat, it is most certainly being consumed by the man I love. That said, I thought that for my upcoming trip I'd fix him something special to keep in the freezer on the nights I'm not around. So, my friends, I give you Freezer Lasagna for Two (aka: Lasagna for Bachelors, Fiancées, and Helpless Husbands).

Freezer Lasagna for Two
(Printable Recipe)

Ingredients
*1 tablespoon olive oil 
*2 shallots, chopped
*2 cloves garlic, minced
*1 lb. ground pork or beef
*1 tsp. Italian seasoning
*Salt and ground black pepper 
*6 no-boil lasagna noodles
*1 (15-oz.) container whole milk ricotta cheese
*1 large egg, lightly beaten
*1 medium zucchini, thinly sliced
*1 1/2 to 2 cups marinara sauce

*2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
*Chopped fresh tomatoes (optional) 

Instructions
*In a large skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add in the shallots and garlic. Cook 2 minutes, stirring frequently. Add in ground pork or beef and cook until browned, stirring frequently and breaking into small pieces. Remove from heat and stir in the Italian seasoning. Sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper.
*Lightly grease three miniature disposable loaf pans. Place 1 no-boil lasagna noodle in the bottom of each pan.
*In a small bowl, stir together the ricotta cheese and egg until well combined. Spread some of the ricotta mixture atop each of the noodles in a thin even layer, followed by some of the zucchini, marinara sauce, pork mixture and cheese. Repeat with remaining ingredients one more time.
*At this point, you can either cover the lasagnas with aluminum foil and freeze until ready to use. Or, preheat the oven to 375°F and bake for 30 minutes, or until cheese is bubbly and lasagna noodles are soft. Top with fresh tomatoes, if desired.
*If you do decide to freeze the lasagnas, thaw them in the refrigerator before use and cook as instructed above.

Happy Cooking!

Madison

A Few of My Favorite Things...This Week

While this is a departure from my usual posts, rest assured that a new recipe is coming Thursday! Until then, here are a few things that have been making me swoon this week....

{The view from my parents' future backyard in Idaho. Breathtaking}

{Reading. Specifically American Wife by Curtis Sittenfeld. Can't. Put. It. Down}

{Spring-like paper flags and whimsical, Victorian-inspired table tags}

{An empty frame for guests to take pictures inside and leave messages}

{Katie over at Ever After Honeymoons for her creativity}

Wedding inspiration photos courtesy of Style Me Pretty.

Snacks and Sleep

This weekend my grand plans for a weekend up in Minneapolis were sidelined by the cold I've been attempting to ward off for over two weeks. You see, I'm not all that good at accepting that I'm sick. Even when my throat is burning and my chest is heavy, I've been known to head for the gym. Seems as if exercise and good food aren't the solution to everything.

So instead of heading up north for a couple days of fun, I surrendered to my cold and took it easy for the last 48 hours - sleeping over 20 hours in two days. Turns out sleep is completely underrated.  Joey arrived on Saturday, fresh from sales training, to oversee my recovery...

Aside from laying on the couch and watching entirely too much football, I snacked on a lot of pretty food. Maybe it sounds silly, but the way some people see God's glory in nature, I see it in food. Seriously. Look at those pears, dusted with cinnamon and dripping in nut butter. Now that's my idea of beauty, and an unbelievable snack.

Whole Wheat Apple CInnamon Bread

I have the most delicious bread for you. Serious goodness coming your way. It had such a profound impact on me that I made it last weekend, and then I baked another loaf this week and am already down to a single piece. In my own defense, I brought four slices to work yesterday.

While writing about this apple bread, I began to realize that I have a slight obsession with quick breads of every kind. So if, for some unknown reason, apple bread isn't your thing, maybe one of these is:

Butterfinger-Pumpkin Bread 

Whole Wheat Flax Seed Banana Bread  

Banana Bread Ultimate

Since the snow keeps falling and the wind keeps blowing here, I don't think I'll be getting sick of hearty quick breads any time soon. Anyone else out there have a favorite quick bread recipe? Share them in the comments below! 

Whole Wheat Apple Cinnamon Bread
Adapted from The Hummingbird Bakery Cookbook 

The first time I made this bread, I skipped the refrigeration stage. While the bread was still delicious, it didn't hold together like I wanted it to. The second time, with refrigeration, yielded a much more pleasing result. Don't skip this step and save yourself some grief. 

Ingredients 
*3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons whole wheat flour
*1/4 cup all-purpose flour
*2 tablespoons ground flax seed (optional)
*1 tablespoon baking powder
*1/4 teaspoon salt
*2 large eggs
*1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
*3/4 cup granulated sugar 
*2 tablespoons apricot or peach preserves
*1 teaspoon ground cinnamon 
*2 medium Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored and chopped

Instructions
*Preheat oven to 325°F. Grease a 9x5-inch loaf pan and line the bottom with parchment paper. Set aside. In a large bowl, stir together the flours, flax seed, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
*In a second bowl with an electric mixer or by hand, beat together eggs, butter and sugar until creamy and well combined. Stir in preserves and ground cinnamon. Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and stir until just combined. Stir in chopped apples.
*Transfer batter to loaf pan and smooth top with a spatula. Refrigerate in the loaf pan for 1 to 2 hours, or overnight. Bake for 55 to 60 minutes, until golden brown around the edges and just slightly soft in the center. Cool in pan on wire rack for 15 minutes. Run a knife around the edges of the loaf and turn out onto wire rack to cool completely. Cover with plastic wrap until ready to eat.

Happy Baking!

Madison

Pie Bites

One of my earliest food memories is of baking pies with my mom. Thinking about it now, I'm not sure my mom made that many pies, but the times she did burn bright in my memory. Not of the actual pie, but of the scraps. My mom would brush the scraps of pie crust with cinnamon sugar and put them in the oven with the pie as a special treat for me to eat. Flaky, delicious finger-food. Perfect for little hands that couldn't wait for a pie to bake and cool.

So last week, instead of baking a whole pie, I put together a batch of flaky pie crust and cut it out like cookies. And you know what I realized? It's a whole lot more fun than a whole pie. A perfect sweet bite at the end of a meal, and great for people like me who like to mix it up. Smears of Nutella, fruit preserves, and yes, peanut butter, keep things interesting.

And this pie crust? To die for. Flaky, light and, most importantly, easy. For anyone who has struggled with flaky pie crust, I know your pain. My grandmother makes the world's best pies, and my mom knows it. So growing up, her standards for the pie crusts I made were very high. In fact, it wasn't until this year that I felt I was getting closer to pie crust perfection. With this crust, you, too, can get there.

So here's to pie and desserts to get you thought the week!

Pie Bites
(Printable Recipe)

Ingredients
*1 1/4 cups flour
*8 Tbsp. unsalted butter, cubed
*1/4 tsp. kosher salt
*1/4 cup ice water
*1 large egg yolk, lightly beaten
*2 Tbsp. sugar
*1 tsp. ground cinnamon
*1/2 cup Nutella or Fruit Preserves

Instructions
*Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a Silpat mat. (I recently got a Silpat for Christmas and can't say enough good things about it!)
*In the bowl of a food processor, combine the flour, butter and salt. Pulse 5 to 10 times, until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Be careful not to pulse too many times. The butter should still be slightly clumpy.
*Combine the water and egg yolk. Add in the water and egg yolk mixture and pulse until dough starts to come together. Press the dough into a disc and wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for an hour.
*Roll dough into 1/4-inch thickness on a lightly floured surface. Cut into circles with a cookie cutter of the top of a drinking glass. Transfer to baking sheet. Combine the sugar and cinnamon and sprinkle over circles.
*Bake for 16 to 20 minutes, until edges are just slightly browned. Remove from oven and cool slightly. While circles are still warm, spread with Nutella.

Happy Baking!

Madison

Asian-Sesame Fried Rice

 

THIS crazy kid is coming to visit me in less than 12 hours. And although I can't wait until the days that we no longer have to visit one another, there is something exciting about the anticipation of the weekend. Cleaning the house, putting makeup on and getting ready for him to arrive makes each and every weekend feel special. I love dating my fiancé, and I'm looking forward to dating my husband, too.

And until he arrives, I'll be eating fried rice. Sort of. Except way healthier than anything you might find at a restaurant. But before I get ahead of myself, I need to give some serious props and credit to my inspiration for this dish, Emily over at Daily Garnish. I've talked about Emily before, when her blog was still called The Front Burner. Now it has a pretty new name and design that's definitely worth checking out.

So when Emily posted a recipe a while back for fried rice, my taste buds started watering and I new I needed to come up with a version of my own. Since I am big on hearty, veggie-dense portions, I boosted the veggies in my fried rice with a combination of peas and edamame, and used a little bit of Trader Joe's Asian-Sesame Soy Ginger Vinaigrette. The whole process was so super easy, it had me wondering why I hadn't tried something similar before.

Have a happy weekend, everyone!

Asian Sesame Fried Rice
(Printable Recipe)
Note: The recipe calls for edamame and peas, which I ended up adding in the second time I made this dish. Hence, the photo has no peas and edamame but the recipe does. Since the weather in the mornings around here has been dreadful and cloudy, getting a second shot at taking a photo worth sharing wasn't going to happen!

Ingredients
 *2 large eggs 
*2 Tbsp. light margarine (I used "I can't Believe It's Not Butter Light")
*2 cups brown rice, cooked
*1/2 cup shelled edamame
*1 cup sweet peas
*2 Tbsp. Asian-sesame sauce or teriyaki sauce (I like Trader Joe's Asian Sesame Soy Ginger Vinaigrette)
*Drizzle of soy sauce

Instructions
*In a small bowl, beat the two eggs until well-combined. Set aside. 
*In a large nonstick skillet, heat butter until melted, about 1 minute. Add in the brown rice, edamame, sweet peas and Asian-sesame sauce. Continue cooking for 1 to 2 minutes more, until edamame and peas are heated through. 
*Slowly pour the eggs over the rice. Stir with a rubber spatula and continue to cook for 2 minutes more.
*Transfer the rice to two bowls and drizzle with soy sauce, if desired.

Happy Cooking!

Madison

Hair Color Evolution

Slowly but surely working my way back to blonde for our wedding! It's not a glamourous process in the least bit, and a bit hard on my hair, too. But a girls gotta do what a girls gotta do, right?

Six months and counting!

madison

Vegetarian Sausage and Egg Strata

Happy Monday, everyone! I'm beginning to think that no matter how many days of vacation I take, there will always be that feeling that it was just one day too short. After looking at my piles of laundry, some clean and some not, I feel like I could use one additional day to sort, clean and lay around in my pajamas. Anyone with me?

But back to work I go, and to start off the new year and work week right, I made myself a Vegetarian Sausage and Egg Strata. Because if one thing was made apparent to me over the past week, it was the fact that cooking for a vegetarian seems to cause many people a whole lot of stress.

In my neck of the woods, the concept of vegetarianism is a little bit uncommon, meaning that putting together a meal for someone like me makes them cringe just a bit. Of course, I would gladly just have everyone make what they normally would and eat whatever I could, because having people make special arrangements for me isn't my style. But people often cook to please and delight those they love, so making something vegetarian-friendly becomes a priority.

I hardly expect anyone I visit to start making veggie-centric meals any time soon, but if you're hosting a vegetarian for breakfast anytime soon, this would most certainly be a pleasing option for all. And if you don't have access to vegetarian sausage links, go ahead and substitute a cup of chopped raw broccoli or some diced red and green peppers.

Vegetarian Sausage and Egg Strata
(Printable Recipe)

Ingredients
*2 whole wheat English muffins, cubed 
*6 large eggs
*1/2 cup milk
*1/4 tsp. black pepper
*1/4 to 1/2 tsp. salt
*1 tsp. Italian seasoning
*2 vegetarian sausages, chopped
*1/4 cup Swiss cheese (optional)

Instructions
*Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease an 8x8-inch baking dish. Place the cubed English muffins in the bottom of the dish. Set aside.
*In a medium bowl, beat together the eggs and milk until well-combined. Add in the pepper, salt and Italian seasoning, followed by the vegetarian sausages and Swiss cheese, if desired. Stir to combine.
*Pour the egg mixture into the greased baking dish. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, until the center is set and the edges are golden brown.
*Allow mixture to set 10 minutes before serving.

Happy Cooking!

Madison