Greek Yogurt Raisin Pie and Chobani Giveaway

When Joe and I first got married, Joe's mom, Lisa, gifted me with a recipe book filled with her grandmother's recipes. This binder, filled with scans of recipes both handwritten and clipped from various sources, is called 'Grandma Jacobs Recipe Book', and boy is it a gem. Although I don't think I'll be making many of the entrees or 'salads' out of this book, the desserts immediately won me over. As someone who develops recipes for a living, I was intrigued by the different methods and ingredients used to make many commonplace treats, like cookies and pies.

As I browsed through the dessert section of this book, one recipe stuck in my mind: Sour Cream Raisin Pie. Growing up in a Dutch community in Iowa, sour cream raisin pie isn't anything unusual; in fact, it's a recipe that many people I know hold near and dear to their hearts. Personally, I had always thought it sounded like a strange concept. A pie developed around sour cream and raisins?

I made the original Grandma Jacobs recipe a couple weeks ago and was shocked and how quickly Joe ate the entire pie in a matter of days. I'll be sharing the recipe with you later this week, for those of you who want the real deal. But when Chobani (Thank you, Lindsay! Your bosses should know how good you are at your job.) sent me more Greek yogurt than I know what to do with (a very good problem to have, indeed), I decided to whip up a healthier version of the pie.
Plain Greek yogurt and sour cream are nearly identical substitutes in cooking and baking, so I couldn't imagine a more natural way to incorporate the yogurt into a healthier dessert. While the calories aren't all that dramatically different between the two versions, this Greek yogurt version has twice the protein of the original, half the sugar, much less fat and just as much flavor.

Since I despise sour cream and love Greek yogurt (figure that one out), I enjoyed this version, complete with chopped pecan crust, much more than the sour cream original. That being said, the similarities between the two pies is astounding. And while sour cream raisin pie purists say you can serve this pie room temperature, I highly recommend serving it as chilled as possible. Somthing about the custard-like consistency just seems to call for being eaten cold.

A Food Editor's Take on How to Write a Recipe

Developing recipes, formulating story concepts and writing about food accounts for a large chunk of my day-to-day at work. That's not to say the less glamorous aspects don't exist. Budgets, schedules and scouring recipes for errors and misplaced commas also take up a good chunk of my day. But let's not focus on that right now.

The point is, I've become very familiar with recipe structure and formatting over the past four years, since the beginning days when I was an intern at Better Homes and Gardens. Before starting at the magazine, I actually had very little knowledge about what made up a complete, well-formatted recipe. And while there are many different ways to style and structure your recipe (it really depends on the magazine or company you work for), I thought it might be helpful to do a little post on recipe-writing 101. Whether you're a blogger who posts recipes or someone who enters recipes into cooking and recipe competitions, writing a recipe that is well-formatted can go a long way.

Let's break down a recipe, shall we?

 

 I realize this is a little hard to read in it's current form. If you click on the image, you can enlarge the photo to see the comments in closer detail. A few other things to note:

-This is just one way to write a recipe and by no means an exhaustive list of the do's and don'ts of recipe-writing. If you have any questions, leave a comment below and I'll get back to you!

 -Although I aim to write my recipes this way, I don't always include all the information above. It's something I'm working on doing a better job of in the future.

-I don't include nutritional information on most of my recipes, unless it's a recipe that is created specifically for health purposes (low calorie, high protein, etc.). If you're looking to calculate nutrition information Spark Recipes has a great tool online that I use frequently.

-Prep times can vary greatly. It really just depends on the cook and how quickly they move in the kitchen. Most of the time, I find it takes me longer than the suggested prep time listed in a magazine. 

Happy Cooking!

Madison

No Fat Talk Tuesday: Iradis's Story

Today's No Fat Talk Tuesday post comes to us from Iradis. She wrote her No Fat Talk story and sent it my way over a month ago, and I've been excited to post it ever since. A frequent commenter on Espresso and Cream, I feel as if I know Iradis personally. Her story about learning how to love and appreciate her body is something I think we can all relate to. -Madison

Honestly, it has taken me a long time to find the right words to tell my story. Everyone has a story and my struggle with weight and health is no more important than your story. Today, my hope is that for anyone else struggling with their self esteem, know that you are already beautiful! To borrow a phrase from one of my favorite songs by Jonny Diaz, ''You were made to fill a purpose that only you could do, so there could never be a more beautiful you"

Nine years ago, I thought I was healthy. Anyone from the outside looking in would see that I ate three solid meals a day and did plenty of exercise. You know the old phrase "gaining the Freshman 15"? Well, that applied to me but in the reverse. In fact, if anything, I lost weight between high school and my college years, and not in a healthy way.

Garlic Feta Burgers

 

Hey, everyone! How was your weekend? We had a wonderful weekend over here. My mom arrived on Friday night and stayed until Sunday after church. And she brought Nutmeg with her, too! I can't tell you how good it feels to be reunited with our little fur baby after two weeks without her. 

The weather in Iowa was absolutely unreal this weekend, too, so we made the most out of it by spending a lot of time outside. Tennis was played, more than one long walk was taken and we grilled out, too! Since we don't have a deck or much outdoor space in our apartment, Joe and I are stuck grilling on our little baby grill (pictured below), which I realize is incredibly lame. But I'm shocked at how well it works. I think it will have to do until we have a larger place to store a grill. 

I made these Garlic Feta Burgers for my mom and Joe on Saturday night and served myself a veggie burger. And we paired it with a fresh salad and steamed green beans. If the calendar didn't say it was March, I could swear that summer is already here. 

Back to the burgers...

Out of the pound of ground beef that I had on hand, I made three burgers. I seasoned the meat with Worcestershire sauce and salt and pepper, then formed it into six small patties. For the filling, I combined chopped garlic, feta cheese and oregano for a little Mediterranean flair. Then the filling was placed in the center of three of the patties and topped with the remaining patties for a salty, juicy filling. Just be sure to seal the edges of the patties completely in order to be sure the cheese doesn't come in contact with the grill.

The burgers were a huge hit with my mom and Joe, and I enjoyed my veggie burger, too. ;) Now let's bring on summer!

Garlic Feta Burgers

Ingredients

*1 lb. ground beef

*1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce

*1/2 teaspoon salt

*1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

*2 ounces crumbled feta cheese 

*1 clove garlic, minced 

*1/2 teaspoon dried oregano 

*3 hamburger buns

Instructions

*In a bowl, combine the beef, Worcestershire sauce, salt and ground black pepper. Stir until well combined. Form the meat mixture into six thin patties, about 4- to 5-inches in diameter.

*In a small bowl, combine the feta, garlic and oregano. Place some of the feta mixture into the center of three of the patties. Top each of the feta-topped patties with the remaining patties. Seal the edges tightly with your fingertips to completely cover the cheese. Form the patties into well-formed circles.

*Preheat grill to medium high heat. Grill the burgers for eight to ten minutes, flipping once halfway through cooking. 

*Transfer cooked burgers to buns. Serve immediately.

Happy Cooking!

Madison

Slow Cooker Pulled Pork Sandwiches

You know me. I'm all about simple weeknight meals. In fact, I think everyone I talk to is looking for more easy meals that don't require a bunch of ingredients or a lot of time. This is especially true when it comes to meat. Being a vegetarian, most of my meals are quick to prepare. Roasted veggies, sauteed tofu, loaded up salads - they're all quick and easy. So it's probably no surprise that I have less patience when cooking meat for the hubs on weeknights.

Before we got married, I had never cooked with a slow cooker. After seven months of being married, I'm not sure I could give mine up. Singe Joe is happy to eat meals that are much heartier than my preferred fare, the slow cooker is my savior. It cooks meat to absolute tenderness and does everything for me while I am away at work.

This 'pulled pork' (I'm using the term loosely for the barbecue purists out there) was a big hit tonight. Yes, it uses bottled barbecue sauce, ketchup and a tenderized pork loin. But it's also practically ready to eat the minute you walk in the door. All you have to do is mix together the ingredients for the sauce and shred the pork. It's really that easy.

And what did I have for dinner you might ask? Greek yogurt, Kashi Go Lean Crunch cereal, peanut butter and mixed berries, of course. :)

Slow Cooker Pulled Pork Sandwiches
*1 Hormel Always Tender Pork Loin (27 ounces)
*1 cup beef broth
*3 cups water
*Salt and black pepper
*1 cup bottled barbecue sauce
*1/2 cup ketchup
*1 teaspoon white wine vinegar
*1 tablespoon brown sugar
*Hamburger buns or kaiser rolls

Instructions
*In a 6- to 8-quart slow cooker, combine the pork loin, broth and water. Set the slow cooker on low. Cover and cook for 8 to 10 hours, until the loin shreds easily when pierced easily with a fork.
*Remove the loin from the slow cooker. Discard the liquid. Place the loin in a large bowl and shred with two forks. Add in the barbecue sauce, ketchup, white wine vinegar and brown sugar and stir into the meat until evenly combined. Transfer shredded pork to buns and serve immediately. Store unused pork in an airtight container in the fridge. Makes 4 to 6 servings

Happy Cooking!
Madison

Nutmeg Takes a Vacation

A week and a half ago when we were home for my grandma's funeral, we left Nutmeg with my mom for two whole weeks. Since I'm the type of puppy parent who hated the idea of leaving my dog at a kennel while we vacationed with Joe's family in Arizona, I figured leaving her with my mom would be the best option.

Of course, my mom has loved taking care of Nut and having her around. Me on the other hand? I've been dying. So please indulge me while I post a few pictures of Nutmeg that have been taken over the past couple months. Can't wait to have her back with us tomorrow!

Madison

The Hofmeyers Take Scottsdale

The 'craziness' I've been talking about has actually been a good sort of craziness. Last Friday night, Joe and I hopped a plane and headed down to Arizona for a little spring break vacation with Joe's family. We rented a house in Scottsdale for the week, and although the weather was unseasonably cool for Arizona, we managed to have a wonderful time despite the cooler temps and rain. And yesterday finally cooperated with us by providing temps in the upper 60's and lots of sunshine.

Spending time with Baylen was one of the highlights of the trip. He's such a cute, happy baby and did great with all the traveling and the two hour time change.

 Baylen and mom, Joe's sister Amber. There is NO way this pretty lady just had a baby less than six months ago.

Baylen spending a lot of time with Grandma Lisa.

And with Uncle Joe, who never fails to make him smile. I think it's because of all the silly faces Joe makes when playing with Baylen.

Thanks to a recommendation from Fitnessista, we hit up the local Lululemon store on a rainy Sunday for some free (!!) Sunday yoga at the store. It was one of the highlights of the trip! I left feeling so relaxed and energized, and even a little sore the next day.

The cooler temps meant there was time and a reason to do a little shopping. Scottsdale's shopping was amazing, especially Fashion Square. If you have time in Scottsdale, I highly recommend making a stop.

Jason and Ali are getting married in four months, so we did a little shopping for Lisa, looking for a dress for the wedding. We didn't have any luck this trip, but we made some progress.

 

The house we stayed at had a putting green, which entertained the guys for hours during our trip!

 

Pool time!

Jason and Ali floating the day away...

I finally found a suit that I was happy with. Every time I buy a suit from J. Crew I'm always satisfied with the suit I purchase. They last forever and fit great.

Ali, Amber and Baylen (hiding) taking in some of the sun that decided to appear on our last day there.

The final day of our trip, we decided to go out to dinner. It was so much fun to get dressed up for dinner after a day lounging around in our suits. And with that, our vacation is a wrap!

Madison

No Fat Talk Tuesday: True Beauty from Natalie

We're going to mix things up for today's No Fat Talk Tuesday! Regular posts will resume next week, but for this week my blog-friend Natalie of Thoughts by Natalie is guest posting. I've talked about Natalie's blog before, but I can't say enough great things about it and Natalie's perspective on true beauty. She brings an uplifting, unique perspective to the topic that I think all of us following No Fat Talk Tuesday can appreciate. - Madison

I read a blog post last month about how we need to not only stop chasing our skinny obsession, but also actively pursue what's healthy (a refreshing and much-needed perspective, if you ask me).

In my life, that looks like eating a whole foods plant-based diet--the kind of food that nourishes my body and delights my taste buds. It means that I tie up my shoes and head out the door for a jog in the morning, not timing myself or creating grand expectations for distance and speed. And it also means that I take time to nourish my soul, tending to my emotional needs by reading, journaling and spending quality time with my husband and close friends.

When I'm tempted to make a choice that will damage my health, instead I think it through and choose the option that promotes my health and fills me with the energy needed to love the people around me.

Rather than obsess over being skinny like I used to, I now choose to be kind to my body by the way I talk to it, what I put into it, and what I use it for. That means no fat talk (my favorite topic discussed here on Espresso and Cream), no emotional eating, and no excuses for not using the perfectly functional and strong body God has given me.

I hope and pray that I always be mindful of my health, which I know am so blessed to have. I am young and healthy now, and I want to be old and healthy one day! In order for that to happen, obsessing over being skinny will only rob me of the joy of becoming a true beauty--someone who has a radiance that comes from a kind, generous and confident, not self-obsessed and self-critical.

How do you pursue healthy habits in your own life, while ditching negative, self-critical ones?

Whole Wheat Pumpkin Cupcakes with Vegan Cream Cheese Frosting

Happy Sunday, friends! How have your weekends gone thus far? Besides watching my March Madness bracket get torn to shreds, our weekend has been pretty relaxing and blissful.

I'm gearing up for a pretty crazy week, which I'll fill you in about later. So before things get busy, let's finish the weekend up with cupcakes, shall we? Most of the time I avoid doing any serious baking unless I know that I'll have a place to bring the baked goods I make. I mean, do two people really need an entire cake sitting around, begging to be eaten? I would argue no.

Thankfully Christina over at Dessert For Two has those of us baking for two covered. Christina has made a wonderful blog based on scaled-back desserts that taste just as delicious as their larger counterparts, so when a craving for cupcakes hit a while back, I knew where to go. Of course, I couldn't help but tweak the recipe to make it a little healthier - swapping out whole wheat flour for all-purpose and cutting back a bit on the sugar. Since I made the 'cream cheese' frosting vegan, I also included an option to make the cupcakes vegan as well. Though in my version (pictured above) real eggs were used.

And while I know that pumpkin desserts don't exactly go hand in hand with the month of March, I'm guessing a few of you out there have some leftover canned pumpkin that could stand to be used before summer hits. Not that I'm saying you need a reason to eat canned pumpkin. Personally, I could eat it all year round.

Whole Wheat Pumpkin Cupcakes
Adapted slightly from Dessert for Two
*7 tablespoons whole wheat flour
*1/2 teaspoon baking powder
*1/8 teaspoon baking soda
*1/4 teaspoon salt
*1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
*1/4 teaspoon ginger
*1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
*1 large egg (make this recipe vegan by substituting a flax egg: 1 Tbsp. ground flax and 3 Tbsp. water mixed together)
*1/2 cup pumpkin puree
*2 tablespoons brown sugar
*2 packets stevia
*3 tablespoons vegetable oil

Instructions
*Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a muffin tin with four paper liners. Spray lightly with nonstick cooking spray. Set aside.
*In a medium bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg.
*In a second bowl, combined the egg, brown sugar, stevia and oil. Stir to combine.
*Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and stir until just combined. Spoon batter into prepared muffin tins. Bake for 24 to 26 minutes, until toothpick inserted in the center comes out almost completely clean (small crumbs are okay). Cool completely. Frost with Vegan Cream Cheese Frosting. Makes 4 servings

Vegan Cream Cheese Frosting
*2 tablespoons vegan cream cheese (I use Trader Joe's Non-Dairy Spread)
*1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
*2/3 to 3/4 cup powdered sugar

*In a small bowl, combine all the above ingredients. Stir until well combined and smooth. Add additional powdered sugar if necessary to reach desired consistency (if you aren't using vegan cream cheese, you may need to add a splash or two of milk). Spread atop cupcakes.

Happy Baking!
Madison

Inside My Fridge

Good morning and happy Friday, everyone! Do any of you have fun plans for this weekend?

One of my favorite parts of the weekend is grocery shopping. Call me strange, but I could spend forever at the grocery store, browsing the isles and checking out the new and quirky products. I also love seeing inside the fridges of strangers. Maybe it's a bit nosy on my part, but I can't help but love it! Today, I'm spreading the fridge-peaking love by giving you a glimpse into my own. Let's take a look, shall we?

Top Shelf: Greek yogurt, light (80-calorie) yogurts, ricotta cheese

Other top-of-the-fridge items: Better 'n Eggs liquid egg replacement, leftovers (steamed broccoli for lunches), large eggs, fresh strawberries, canned pumpkin puree

Moving further down: Leftover sparkling apple cider (from NYE), whole wheat bread, boneless, skinless chicken breasts, Leinenkugel's Honey Weiss (for Joe)

The produce drawer: Cauliflower, red peppers, carrots, oranges, grapefruit, apples, lettuce and broccoli

And the condiments: Mustard, Dijon mustard, soy sauce, poppy seed dressing, ketchup, barbecue sauce, sugar-free pancake syrup, raspberry vinaigrette

 

And because your Friday needs a little cute in it, a picture of this little Nut...

Make it a good one!


Madison

Maple Glazed Grilled Chicken

Before Joe and I got married, one of my greatest stressors was what we were going to do career-wise. I was working (very happily I might add) in my current job in Des Moines and Joe was searching for a job back in Iowa (he was working in Illinois at the time). Knowing how much we both loved our jobs, I was worried about one of us having to sacrifice a career we loved.

Thankfully, Joe's company ended up giving him a work territory in eastern Iowa, meaning we could live halfway in between his territory and my work. And since that meant I would be over an hour from work, my company allowed me to work two days a week from home in order to save money and my sanity.

Initially, it was a little difficult to adjust to working at home. So many distractions, poor internet connection at home, you get the picture. Thankfully, Joe and I discovered that a building right across the street from our apartment rents out office cubicles. I can promise you that once we decided to rent out a space, my work situation improved immensely. It's so nice to be able to have a little work/life separation during the days I work from home, and I feel as if I get so much more accomplished.

Of course on the days I work from home, I have two extra hours on my hands (!!) In the morning, I use my extra hour to get caught up on blog work, do laundry or clean up around the house. And in the evening, I usually spend my extra hour preparing meals that are a little above and beyond what I would normally make on a weeknight.

This week I put my efforts into making this Maple Glazed Grilled Chicken for Joe*, paired with homemade mashed potatoes, which I never make. The sauce that goes atop these chicken breasts is incredibly easy to make and packed with flavor. If you have even more time to spare, I imagine that this sauce would make a great marinade for the chicken a couple hours before putting it on the grill. But, if you're anything like me, planning that far in advance is not going to happen. In that case, using it as a barbecue sauce (as in the recipe below) works out nicely, too.

*For those of you wondering, I made myself roasted kale and roasted sweet potato fries with cumin and ground mustard.

Maple Glazed Grilled Chicken
Loosely adapted from Cooking Light magazine 
Ingredients
*1 large boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut in half width wise to make two thin chicken breasts
*Salt and ground black pepper
*1/4 cup maple syrup
*1/4 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth
*2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced 
*1 tsp. dried oregano
*1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
*2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar 
*1/2 tsp. Worcheshire sauce
*2 tablespoons ketchup

Instructions
*Preheat grill to medium high.
*Meanwhile, season chicken breasts with salt and pepper. Set aside.
*In a medium nonstick skillet over medium high heat, combine the maple syrup, chicken broth, garlic, oregano, Dijon mustard and balsamic vinegar. Bring to a simmer, stirring frequently with a silicone pastry brush or rubber spatula. Add in the worcheshire sauce and ketchup and continue to cook for 3 to 4 minutes, stirring frequently, until the liquid is reduced slightly and the mixture has thickened to resemble thin barbecue sauce. Remove from heat.
*Brush chicken breasts with some of the sauce. Lightly grease the rack of your grill with nonstick cooking spray.
*Place chicken breasts on grill and brush with some more of the sauce. Grill for 3 to 4 minutes. Flip chicken. Brush with some more of the sauce. Cook for 3 to 4 minutes more or until chicken is cooked through and no pink remains. Remove from grill. Serve with mashed potatoes.

Happy Cooking!

Madison

No Fat Talk Tuesday: Amanda's Story

Today's No Fat Talk Tuesday post comes to us from Amanda of the ever-informative food and fashion blog, Slow Like Honey. I've been following Amanda's blog for over a year now and am constantly amazed with how she manages to blog while working her full-time job in fashion. This girl is superwoman or something. Thanks, Amanda, for being willing to share your story! -Madison 

Looking back, I can pinpoint the minute I started fixating on my weight and it was a sunny day in 8^th grade. I had just walked home from school and decided that instead of eating my daily snack of apples and peanut butter, I’d eat nothing. Because I had to lose weight.

That was me, at 13. And this vicious cycle didn’t end for another 13 years.

The minute I turned 13, everything changed. Hips suddenly sprouted, boys started flirting and all of a sudden, the only things my friends ever talked about were dieting and exercise. On top of that, these same friends started getting very judgmental. I mean, everything bugged them. What I said, what I wore. It was like Mean Girls but without Tina Fey. It was rough and this lasted all through high school. I wish I could say that I got stronger, that I stood up and walked away from these toxic friendships. And, in a way, I guess I did. I started developing better, more meaningful friendships with two girls who I’m still close with today. But my relationship with myself never improved. 4 years later, in high school, I was 30 pounds heavier with zero confidence and raging eating disorder. I purposely avoided shopping for clothes, I binged and purged 3-5 times a week, I avoided hanging out with friends. I kept telling myself that it was going to get better, that once high school ended, I would stop hating myself. But after my first year of college, I was worse than ever. I had moved out with a friend (which ended pretty badly), met a few boys (which ended pretty badly) and got stuck at a government job that left me miserable.

The entire time, I told myself it was all my fault. You are the reason you are alone. You are not worthy to be loved. You are fat. You are ugly. Hurtful, vicious and degrading, these were the thoughts I had. I remember one day deciding to just start restricting, thinking that if I was skinnier, I’d be more lovable. Calorie counting became my obsession. I was a woman on a mission, and hey! Guess what? I lost 30 + pounds. It was divine! I could fit into clothes and felt like I was finally ready to live my life. Except, my minor hobby reared its ugly head and developed into something bigger, stronger. Each day I battled with myself, to the point where I couldn’t focus on anything else. Eventually, I reached a breaking point. Binging, purging, starving. None of it had made me love myself any more. In fact, I hated myself more. I remember sitting in a parking lot, tears streaming down my face, thinking that this was it. My life would never start until I dealt with the tiny voice in my head was silenced.

I picked up the phone, and called a therapist.

The next two years, I underwent cognitive behavioral therapy and started my self-exploration quest. It wasn’t easy; in fact, I can’t count the times I left that office a total wreck. But I truly believe therapy saved my life. Without it, I would have been lost.

Now, I am 26, living in New York and making my dreams come true. Instead of being fearful of food, I run a food blog and exercise daily (yoga + running) to make myself strong and feel more alive. I’m not perfect and sometimes fall into my old patterns but now I know how to pull myself back up after beating myself down. My struggle with body image and self-love has taught me more than I could have ever imagined and I’m stronger because of it.

If I could tell one girl out there who is going through the hell I put myself through it would be this: you are worthy of every ounce of love that is out there in this world. Don’t ever tell yourself otherwise. And, when you feel like the whole world is going against you, know that you can always reach out and find help. There is always an answer.

If you're interested in sharing your No Fat Talk story, e-mail me (madisonjanemayberry@gmail.com) for more information! 

Tamale Casserole

 

Being someone who loves to cook, I didn't anticipate the stress that would come from having to prepare a meal for our little family every night. Before Joey and I got married, dinner used to be the meal I used to round out my day. If I had eaten a lot of fruit for breakfast and lunch, I would choose whole grains and veggies for dinner. And if I was low on protein earlier in the day, dinner would be based around something like beans or a veggie burger. 

But now that I live with a guy who likes a good square meal on the table each night, it's not quite so simple. Meal planning must not be in my DNA because I find the task of finding new weeknight recipes that are quick, simple and healthy a bit of a chore. Anyone with me?

Most weekends when I'm looking for recipes for the week ahead I go to Cooking Light magazine. Their recipes are health conscious, easy to prepare and don't require a host of expensive ingredients. And for someone who is watching their grocery budget that's a major bonus.

I made this Tamale Casserole from Cooking Light for dinner a couple weeks ago and it received rave reviews from Joe. Since he loves casseroles, I searched out a healthier casserole recipe that I could easily make vegetarian. Although the recipe calls for putting chicken atop the entire dish, I left off the chicken on about a third of the pan so I could enjoy it, too.

This dish is dense, flavorful and reheats well the next day as leftovers. And if you make the chicken breasts ahead of time, it comes together in no time at all. While the original recipe called for an entire can of enchilada sauce, I cut it back to a half cup since it seemed like an entire can would make the dish soggy. But if enchilada sauce is your thing, feel free to add more than the half cup I call for. 

Do any of you feel the stress when planning meals for your family during the week? What's your solution?

Tamale Casserole

Adapted slightly from Cooking Light 2010

Ingredients

*1 cup shredded Mexican cheese blend

*1/3 cup fat free milk

*1/4 cup egg substitute

*1 teaspoon ground cumin

*1/8 tsp. ground red pepper

*1 (14 3/4-ounce) can cream-style corn

*1 (8.5-ounce) box corn muffin mix (I used Jiffy brand)

*1 (4-ounce) can chopped green chiles, drained 

*1/2 cup enchilada sauce

*2 cups shredded cooked chicken breast

*1/2 cup fat-free sour cream (optional, we didn't use it)

Instructions

*Preheat oven to 400°F. Lightly grease a 13x9-inch baking pan with nonstick cooking spray. Set aside. 

*In a bowl, combine 1/4 cup of the cheese, the milk, egg substitute, cumin, red pepper, cream-style corn and corn muffin mix. Bake for 15 minutes or until set. 

*Remove dish from oven. Pierce the surface liberally with a fork. Pour enchilada sauce on top. Top with the shredded chicken breast and the remaining cheese. Bake for 15 minutes more. Remove from oven and cool for 5 minutes. Cut into squares. Makes 8 servings

Happy Cooking!

Madison

{Cupcakes from our pastor's wife, Karen. They were amazing!}

{Our nephew, Baylen, hanging out with Nutmeg.}

{Nutmeg went on a lot of long, muddy walks, meaning she also took a lot of baths.}

{Dedicated dog washer: Joe!}

{Self-portrait, camera-style.}

Although our weekend was, undoubtedly, a sad occasion, we did have some wonderful time with family over the past four days. We took countless walks with Nutmeg and my mom around the golf course, ate a lot of wonderful meals with family members and reminisced over family memories. My uncle Alvin also shared a bit of family history over dinner on Friday night, which all of us soaked up. 

Now that I've returned home, I'm realizing how exhausted this weekend left me. Thankfully, we are enjoying a day of relaxation - watching basketball, going for a jog outside, and spending a quiet night in preparing to get back to a semi-normal routine. 

I hope you had a wonderful weekend, all!

Broccoli Beef

Before I say anything else, I want to thank all of you for your kindness and support during this bittersweet time for our family. Although I knew the community found though blogging was supportive, I can't begin to describe how supported I felt by the community created on this site. Through Tweets, Facebook messages, e-mails and blog comments, you made your support known. Thank you!

Funerals and visitations aren't really picture-taking affairs, so I only have a couple photos from the last couple days. One was, not surprisingly, of food and the other of family. I would imagine that Grandma Dorothy would have been okay with that. We celebrated her life in a beautiful way, with music and worship and lots of hilarious stories. Oh, and did I mention good food? It was all as beautiful as a funeral could be.

I intended to post the following earlier this week, but with all the craziness going on, it got pushed under the rug. So without further ado, here is a little tasty inspiration for your weeknight dinners that will have your family begging for more.

Living in Iowa, I'm a big fan of the blog Iowa Girl Eats. Kristin is bursting with energy and her blog is packed with creative recipes and challenging workout routines. She seems to abide by the 'workout hard, eat well' mentality, which I love.

Joey has always had a soft spot for Chinese food, so when this recipe for Easy Broccoli Beef popped up on Iowa Girl Eats last week, I knew it would be the perfect meal to make for dinner. Although I don't eat meat, I do get excited about cooking with different cuts of meat. Even if you don't see flank steak in the butcher's counter, make sure to ask. My local store had frozen flank steak in the back that suited this recipes just fine.

This recipe was a huge hit at our house, and I was happy that I could enjoy the broccoli, along with a little brown rice. I can't say for sure, but this seems like a dish that could be made with Tofu quite easily, too. Just a thought!

Hop on over to Kristin's site for the quick and easy recipe, which can be found HERE!

Saying Goodbye

On Monday morning after almost 91 years of life, my Grandma Dorothy passed away after suffering a stroke the week before.

To say she was an amazing woman would be an understatement. An educated woman and teacher by trade, my grandma devoted much of her life to being a wife, raising her five children and managing life on the farm - which from what I've been told was packed with hard, physical work.

Dorothy's greatest joy was, without a doubt, her family. She lived for her kids and grand kids, always calling to see what they were up to and making sure everyone was safe and doing well. Dorothy was a devout, if not the most devout, reader of Espresso and Cream, and never did a ball game, school play or musical pass without grandma in attendance. And, most importantly, her greatest desire was that her family learned to love and serve the Lord in all situations and circumstances.

For me personally, my grandma's legacy lies in the kitchen. I remember my mom telling me that no one could make a pie (and more specifically a pie crust) quite like her. Although her pies would never win awards based on presentation, they certainly delivered on taste. She was the keeper of our family's Thanksgiving stuffing recipe and even taught my cousin, Angela, and me how to make Saucijsjes this past Christmas.

Perhaps one of the more amazing facets of Grandma Dorothy's personality was how humble she was. Even in areas where she excelled (trading stocks, baking and cooking, etc.) she was not one to brag or talk about herself. Her interests were, first and foremost, for those around her, and it showed by the way she impacted so many.

I suppose this is more a string of random thoughts than a cohesive post. But I'm finding it a bit difficult to put a lifetime of experiences and sweet memories into a few short paragraphs. I just wanted to share with you a little glimpse into what an amazing woman she was and share with you where I am at this week.

Thanks for your support.
Madison