Today I am thankful for not being washed away by tropical storm Debby. We apparently were in the “bad” area and it literally rained alllllll day yesterday and it’s supposed to continue all day today and into tomorrow. The storm is just sitting above us. We get a lot of rainy afternoons in Florida during the summer. I love a good rain storm. However, I only like it when I am home. In sweatpants, laying on the couch, watching tv, or reading a book, taking a nap, etc. Being out in the pouring ran just blows. This tropical storm has reminded me of a few important lessons:
1. Wear close-toed shoes. Even if you live in FL, don’t wear flip flops. Especially ones that are made of leather or that have a slippery bottom so that when you are walking, the flip flop slides right off your foot and you find yourself walking without a shoe on the cold, dirty ground and you almost slip and fall and sprain your ankle for the 15th billionth time.
2. Wear capri pants or roll up the bottom of your jeans. Nothing is worse than when you step in a huge puddle and your pants get all wet. And then you get super cranky because it feels weird when your pants are all wet on the bottom. It’s gross and I hate it. So much.
3. Don’t drive like a dumb fool. If a truck is trying to pull into a driveway, slow down. First, it’s a truck. Of course, it needs to slow down in order to turn into the driveway. Also, it’s raining cats and dogs. Don’t be an idiot. Don’t be all up on a truck’s arse so when the truck slows to turn, guess what happens? Yeah. BAM! Right into the back of the truck, trashing your car. (Don’t worry, this did not happen to me, but I witnessed it while getting gas).
and finally, 4. In a tropical storm or hurricane, umbrellas are totally useless.
There, I hope you learned something. Ok, now onto the food. Welcome to the second installment of Skinny Bitch Tuesdays!
This week Claire chose the Chive and Dill Biscuits. It was a great choice. Who doesn’t love a good biscuit? These biscuits were pretty easy to throw together and made a great side with some soup I made for lunch the other day. I made a few changes to the original recipe. First, the recipe called for 8 tablespoons of butter. I wanted to cut down on that, so I swapped half of the butter for Greek yogurt. I also used buttermilk instead of regular milk and I used some whole wheat flour.
I did have one issue making these. I found the dough to be very, very sticky. I ended up having to knead in some extra flour in order to be able to work with the dough. My recommendation is to either add some additional flour or perhaps cut down on some of the milk. Pour about half in and see how the dough feels. My biscuits also did not rise very much. I’m not sure if I overworked the dough or if they are supposed to be flatter. However, despite my problems with the dough, the biscuits tasted really good and I would make them again!
Why is goat cheese so fantastic? I mean, honestly, I want to smear it on everything. Omelets, sandwiches, bread, pasta, crackers, a spoon, my finger, etc…
If you love cheese as much as I do, boy, do I have a treat for you today! I was recently contacted by Daelia’s Biscuits for Cheese, a new company that creates delicious crackers for cheese pairings!
They asked me to come up with a cheese recipe to go with their crackers. You know I had to accept this challenge! Imagine my excitement when I received this box of goodies!
I received three different kinds: almond and raisin, hazelnut and fig, and pumpkin and rye. Daelia’s provides a list of cheeses that pair with each biscuit. I knew I wanted to do something with goat cheese! So, I whipped up a quick spread with lemon and honey mixed in! It was suggested that goat cheese pairs well with the almond raisin biscuits. Boy, were they right about that! First, the biscuit is slightly sweet, very similar to a biscotti cookie! Then you get a hint of black pepper which gives it a nice little kick! And paired with the sweet goat cheese spread, it was perfection!
I also paired the goat cheese spread with the hazelnut and fig biscuits, which for me, was my fave hands down of the three flavors! I also enjoyed the pumpkin and rye biscuits and I don’t even like rye! Though, this one did not pair so well with the goat cheese spread I made.
Ok, well, actually, May 19th should have been the celebration, but that pesky dissertation I have been working on got in the way of all the fun! I know, how terrible am I? But, better late than never, right?! So without further ado…
Happy Birthday to you, Happy Birthday to you, Happy Birthday dear bloggyyyyyy! Happy Birthday to you!
Yeah, Eat. Drink. Love. is 1 year old! Starting this blog was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made. I had wanted to start one for years and I finally decided to just do it! This blog has become more than I thought it ever would and I am so thankful for each and every one of you who stop by to read my rants and recipes! Here’s to another great year of fun!!
I made these Chai Cupcakes for my friend and labmate, Melissa. Melissa defended her dissertation today and cupcakes were definitely in order! I’ve been holding onto this recipe just for her because like myself, she loves chai tea lattes! I don’t consider myself the best baker, but I was happy with how these turned out! The cake was very moist and not too sweet. It almost tastes like banana or pumpkin bread (even though there is no banana or pumpkin in the recipe). Hand me anything chai-flavored and I am a happy girl!!
Summer makes me want to eat a lot of ice cream. Ice cream is one of the best things ever. I wish it was acceptable to eat for breakfast, brunch, lunch, linner, dinner, and dessert. Oh, the cruel world we live in…
I have been obsessed with making my own frozen treats lately. And I am all about making ice cream that I can feel less guilty about eating. I’ve professed my love for peanut butter and chocolate many, many, many times on this blog. It was time to make this dreamy combination into something frosty and wonderful.
I had to tell a little fib before serving this ice cream to my husband. Actually, I didn’t lie. I just chose not to say anything. He doesn’t like it when I try to “healthify” things. So, I just didn’t tell him what I did to this ice cream. First, instead of using 5 or more egg yolks, I only used 3. And instead of heavy cream, I used reduced fat half and half. But, my favorite tweak in this recipe is that there is NO added sugar! I used agave nectar as a sweetener and I am really pleased with how it turned out. The ice cream was plenty sweet.
I eventually told my husband as he was eating a bowl of the ice cream that I used agave instead of sugar. His reply was, “So, what you’re saying is that this ice cream could be even better had you used real sugar?” Ass.
When it comes to packing lunches for children, a lot of parents eventually find themselves in a lunch rut. Kids get bored of the same thing day after day and need some variety, but you don’t always have to drive yourself totally crazy coming up with completely new ideas. These sandwich kabobs are an easy way to make lunch more exciting!
These are pretty easy to make. All you need is your favorite sandwich fixings like bread, meat(s), cheese, and veggies! You will also need some type of skewer (see note at bottom of the post) or popsicle stick and some small cookie cutters! There is really no right or wrong way to make these. It’s totally up to you and what your kiddos enjoy. This is a fun lunch idea that the kids can also help you make as they enjoy cutting out the fun shapes with the cookie cutters.
And how great would these be for a birthday or pool party?! The possibilities are endless!
I mean, seriously, look how cute they are!! And they are so easy to make! I also mixed up a strawberry blueberry smoothie to go with them!
Yield: 2 servings
Sandwich Kabobs
Make lunch more fun with these customizable sandwich kabobs!
Ingredients
whole grain bread (or bread of your choice)
cheese(s) of your choice in block form (so you can cut out the shapes)
turkey and/or ham, sliced
suggested veggies: cherry tomatoes, romaine lettuce, carrots, green pepper, etc.
ranch dressing or veggie dip for dipping
Materials:
wooden skewers
small cookie cutters
Instructions
Using the cookie cutters, cut your bread and cheeses into desired shapes. To cut the cheeses, cut off a piece large enough to accommodate the width of your cookie cutters. Then slice the piece into thirds. Use the cookie cutters to cut the shape into each piece of the cheese.
Layer the ingredients however you desire on the skewers!
Notes
If you have young children and don’t like the idea of giving them sharp wooden sticks, then just skip the skewers!
Nutrition Information:
Amount Per Serving:Calories: 175
*I have gotten some questions regarding the safety of using wooden skewers for children. Obviously, I would not recommend giving young children the wooden skewers unless you feel they can safely eat from them. If you are concerned about this, you can always just skip the skewer all together and just place the cut up pieces in a container or sandwich bag. You can also try using popsicle sticks since they do not have pointy ends!
Welcome to Skinny Bitch Tuesdays! I’m so excited to be teaming up with Claire, Kelly, Michelle, and Jennifer to cook our way through the kick-ass healthy cookbook, Skinny Bitch by Kim Barnouin! When Claire first contacted me to ask if I wanted to be a part of this awesome group, it was an easy answer! I’ve been wanting to get the book and this was the perfect opportunity!
We will be cooking a recipe from the Skinny Bitch cookbook twice every month. One of the great things about our little group is that we can change up the recipes however we want so you can plan to see different takes on each recipe we make out of the book!
One thing to note about Skinny Bitch is that the recipes are vegan, which I have no issues with, but I am not personally a vegan. I will definitely make some of the recipes vegan as written in the book, but some of them might be changed up a bit. Especially if I am making them for my sweet, but picky husband! :)
Our first recipe is the Wild Rice Pilaf with Pine Nuts, Currants, and Caramelized Onions. While I love rice, I don’t eat it too often as quinoa is my grain of choice so the first thing I swapped was the quinoa for the rice. One great thing about this swap is that it cuts a lot of prep time as rice takes longer to cook than quinoa. I also added sauteed mushrooms and left out the currants as I didn’t really want this to be sweet. If you want a more wild rice look, try using tricolor quinoa!
Welcome to Eat. Drink. Love.! My name is Stephanie. Here you will find healthy and easy recipes with a few indulgences thrown in for good measure! Why the name Eat. Drink. Love.? Well, I think this is what life is all about!
