My Way, No. 25

*If you’re new to my blog, you may want to read this for info on what ‘My Way’ posts are all about. 🙂 *

— I hope you had a wonderful weekend! I really saw a lot accomplished this weekend. Just odds and ends, but it feels so good to ‘check things off your list.’ Lists are one of my main motivators, I’ve found. I’m a firm believer in “Write the vision.” Writing a blog post was also on my list, so that’s one more goal down. A former work supervisor (who is a psychologist), told me there’s a physical chemical reaction when we check off our goals. It gives us a natural high, I think she said (or something to that effect). I haven’t researched it, but I think she’s right!

— Today’s Adventures in Food: Don’t laugh, but…inspired by my post Which ‘wich is Which?, I decided to have a 3 o’clock in the morning tea party. I woke up, wanted a snack, and remembered the post’s story about how tea service began…just a little bite to tide you over until the main event. I took a pic because I wanted to remember that even with leftovers and inexpensive foodstuffs, you can create a fun meal (it was early, don’t judge too harshly 😉 ).

If you have tuna and egg salad already prepared in the fridge (as I know you do…OK, maybe not 🙂 ), then your tea party-for-one is just minutes away. I took a lot of cues from the tea sandwiches I posted. Earlier in the day, I had prepared 2 different loaves of bread, so I was all set on the bread front (more on that in a bit). I used pretty standard fillings/spreads. I don’t care if folks think they’re over done, cucumber sands are still one of my fave things…so, I went with that first. The recipe in the post calls for a butter-herb spread, but I made use of my homemade yogurt cheese. A leftover boiled red potato provided a base for spicy egg salad with fresh horseradish & homemade mustard. I also mimicked the post’s peek-a-boo round, but I didn’t have a fancy fluted cutter. I used a cuke slice for curried tuna salad (w/ mashed avocado for a little creaminess), and I used the tuna for a sand, as well. Leftover sweet mini peppers provided garnishes, and I stacked them with cukes and yogurt cheese for a small sand. My thought was to have a few celery sticks with peanut butter, but I started to crave the tender, yellow inner stalks. They are my fave part. These sandwiches made for a delightful light snack, and I didn’t feel too weighed down when I had to do my morning workout a few hours later, haha.

— As I’ve said before, I usually try to not alter baking recipes too much…but, I ran out of regular yeast and wanted to bake a 2nd loaf of bread. The first loaf was a whole wheat-Yukon potato bread and was nice and dense. The 2nd loaf was a whole wheat-teff bread. I decided to try the instant yeast I had. I followed the food processor method I posted here, but allowed for only one rise time. The normal recipe calls for (2) one hour rises. Well, after 45-50 minutes, I went to check on it. It was HUGE — like molten lava! The pic of the potato bread (L) is about what the loaf would have looked like had I prepared it the normal way:

The potato bread actually has more flour as well. Besides the dough volume increasing, the texture also became light and airy. It reminded me of a loaf of squishy store-bought bread. I like this kind of bread for simple tuna salad or pb&j. So, I think this was a terrific accidental experiment for me.

— I did get to have my raspberry pie I wrote about in the 4th of July post. I took a big shortcut, though, and prepared a whole wheat pastry crust round, then plunked it atop the raspberries. I put it in a tea cup, so I could feel like I was having something special (instead of just pi-ah, lol). I subbed raw almond butter for the crust’s butter/lard.

I had a teacher who would always tell this joke, “Pie R square, cornbread are round.” lol. He had a wooden paddle that he kept for students who got out of line. He would say, “I’m going to have to perform an operation on you.” Anyway, troublemaking classmates knew to wear a couple pair of underpants just in case, haha.

Raw Salad Bowl with romaine and beet greens, julienne beets, zuc, and carrots, scallions, shaved Brussels,cauliflower, and creminis. I went with a creamy version of the salad dressing used in the previously posted Mung Bean Salad. Tasty!

And, lastly, to get myself out of a banana pudding smoothie for breakfast rut, I made a fruity smoothie bowl.

No, it’s not dragon fruit (though that would have been yummy). That bright pink hue is homemade non-fat yogurt, strawberries, beets, banana, oats, and flax. Make sure to check out that homemade yogurt post if you haven’t already! What I like about the particular slow cooker method used is that a thermometer is not required. Just keep track of your cooking times, and you’re good to go. Or, just go get Noosa Honey Yogurt, haha. I punched up the pink base with a few summer berries, kiwi, oranges, banana, homemade maple-flax granola, goji berries, and chia seeds.

— Apparently the new thing with a few people I know is a sort of clothing roulette site called Stitch Fix. It started with one of the cohorts and then spread. Only, it’s not too much of a gamble, as you give a stylist the low down on your tastes, preferences, etc., and they select items for you based on that info. “For busy women on the go, Stitch Fix is the personal styling service tailored to your taste, budget and lifestyle that helps you look and feel your best every day.” The woman who gave me the scoop told me she’s taking a few of the pieces on her upcoming honeymoon. When she told me she was having a big military production-type wedding, I said, “Oh, just like I Dream of Jeannie.” She said they are going as Jeannie and the Major to a costume party, haha! Awesome. Some days, don’t you wish Jeannie would come and blink your problems away?

Cute rockabilly hairstyle:
Cool Rockabilly Hairstyles 2014 | Cute Hairstyles 2015.

— 23 garden stepping stone ideas | How To Instructions.

Time To Feed The Hummingbirds | Cooking And Living It Up On A Ground Beef Budget.

— Food for Thought:

Iced Coffee Cubes | hotbeautyhealth.com.

Ramps Burgers with Goat Cheddar & Ramp Pesto | erinmerhar.com.

Green Tartine, or, Radish Top Toast | Emmy Cooks.

Chocolate chip cookie dough brownie bombs – recipe on comments | Matthew 4:4 | Pinterest.

Cucumber Salad with Lemon Balm and Comfrey Flowers | foragerchef.com

Healthy Green Kitchen Spring Tonic Soup with Wild Greens.

Pizza Cake | The WHOot.

Watermelon Keg Recipe from Georgia Pellegrini.

Take care! See you next time!

Which ‘wich is Which?

10 Tea Sandwich Recipes We Love | Rivertea BlogRivertea Blog

On one of my recent urban nature walks, the reality of the “urban-ness” of my location hit me: signage for Baggin’s, a local sandwich shop. I was just smacked down with a brown bag craving. Ah! What was I to do? Go home and make a sandwich for lunch, I reckoned. Would it be as good as theirs? No, but I would make do. I had a whole wheat bread that was intended to be a braided challah. I ended up being lazy and stuck it in a loaf pan, though. It was not Kosher, as I decided to replace some of the oil with non-fat yogurt. I had pinched some of my mom’s chicken, so my brown bag was chipotle-ranch roast chicken (I used chipotle in adobo), a homemade garlic pickle, and home-pickled pepperoncini. I started to make potato chips, but went with the roasted chickpeas from the Caesar salad I just posted for the 4th.

How do you know God loves you? You keep craving a Baggin’s sandwich, and He sends someone to give you one. I was helping out a few folks, and like an angel, a Baggin’s delivery driver appeared.


Long story short, I was soon satisfied with turkey-avocado-bacon goodness. Baggin’s has several Tucson locations, so check the bag pic for their website, if you’re so inclined. Though I can’t have a ton, I love the cream cheese they put on many of their sandwiches. It makes them extra-yum. Even after my sand-stravaganza, I’m still on the lookout for a few good sandwich, spread, and toast recipes/ideas. So, I thought I would share this tea sand post I came across.

Hope you enjoy it, & I’ll see you soon!

Recipe: Memorial Day: Chickpea Spätzele with Shallots and Collard Greens + Blasts from the Past

Recipe: Chickpea Spätzele with Shallots and Collard Greens | mynameisyeh.com.

I think this recipe would be a great addition to your Holiday. I considered the standard macaroni salad, but then I saw this. If you don’t have a fancy pasta machine, but still want a good, homemade hearty dish…spätzele is a fab choice. It’s so simple and quick, and again, another dish children will have fun participating in. Holidays are the perfect opportunity to get kids into the kitchen (if they haven’t been coaxed already). As I’ve said before, my family loves greens of all types, and they’ve always been one of our household staples. So, this recipe leaped into my heart when I saw it. Utilizing a nutty, nutritious chickpea flour base, this recipe is also perfect for those requiring a wheat-free pasta.

I’m on to a busy rest of the weekend, but I thought I would post links from a gaggle of previously blogged about recipes. Many, many wonderful selections and blogs to choose from! Please search through their entire blog, though, for an even more comprehensive list.

One easy non-recipe recipe idea from me for the Holiday is frozen chocolate-covered bananas, or I made these Chocolate-Covered Coconut Ice Cream Pops:

Just homemade coconut ice cream dipped in melted dark chocolate (I used store-bought chocolate to save time, but you could certainly make your own): fresh coconut milk/cream, maple syrup, and organic coconut extract (my mom happened to have some, so I pinched a bit from her…not absolutely required. You could add any flavoring you like, or none at all). If you use an ice cream machine, I would just follow the manufacturer’s instructions. And, you could skip the chocolate altogether and just make coconut ice cream or ice milk pops.

Past posts:

I know I just posted this, but to consolidate:

 Homemade Hamburger and Hotdog Buns & Chocolate Chip Cookies

Rhubarb-Wrapped Pineapple Mousse Cake

Homemade Ketchup

8 Fruit & Herb Honey Syrups

Labor Day Recipes 

Homemade Cream Cheese

Crab and Goat Cheese Guacamole

What’s Cookin’? Food for the Fourth

Raspberry Lemon Curd Madeleines

Pan Bagnat

Maple-Shallot Brussels Salad

Tiramisu Cupcakes

If you want to whip up your own mascarpone for those cupcakes (it’s SO simple), or if you want recipes for other quick cheeses, check out this post:

Homemade Cheese

Patriotic Pops

All of these links can be found under the category of Recipes, Food, and Drink on my blog menu. Also, do please check ‘featured’ My Way recipes for more inspiration.

Hope your Holiday is grand! I’ll be back sometime next week.

Recipes: Healthy Work Lunches

29 Healthy Work Lunch Ideas | sweetpeasandsaffron.com.

“Are you stuck in a lunch rut?” this blog post asks. Sometimes, my on-the-go lunches can become routine — I lean towards leftovers, veggie & rice bowls, homemade sushi, soups, simple salads, veggie burritos, and egg sandwiches. I made the Fritaffles I posted in the last ‘My Way‘ post, so that started me on an expedition for other take-with ideas. I usually have fruit for breakfast (smoothies, of late), so I don’t have to really concern myself with that. The fritaffles were fab for lunch! Very easy, and you can re-heat them or have them room temp. I made them with tri-color bells, spinach, red onion, garlic, asparagus, and sweet potatoes. Please check out the recipe if you love eggs. Make sure you set the waffle iron lid down without ‘smashing’ the frittata. I made that mistake with the first one and had a mess, haha! Pic:

90 Healthy No-Heat Lunches for Taking to Work | kalynskitchen.com.

I also wanted to share this blog post because heating up your take-with food is not always an option. Great ideas in this post, including lots of salads. I will admit that I like cold lunches for another reason: it lets you avoid lunchroom traffic with co-workers who do not respect that you are on a break. Someone always needs something when you are taking a break, lol. I guess I could be calloused, tough, firm, aggressive, etc., and tell them to get lost…I’m on a break! But, I’m still working on those confrontational issues. Closing my office door, turning out the lights, and eating in peace always seemed easier (passive, I know). When that didn’t work (and they still knocked on the door because they knew I was in there, haha), I started having to leave the building if I really wanted to eat, 😀 .

I actually didn’t allow myself to even have a lunch break for the longest time. I would always work at my desk while eating. So much work without adequate staff! It took being near exhaustion to change my ways. In case anyone reading has the same sort of habits, I thought I would link you to this thought-provoking article: 7 Tips for Healthy Lunches While You Work. Your workplace can be so much more enjoyable if you don’t need 5 cups of coffee without any downtime to make it through the day!

I hope you enjoy these recipes, and I’ll see you next week!

My Way, No. 12

*If you’re new to my blog, you may want to read this for info on what ‘My Way’ posts are all about. 🙂 *

— I was extremely busy this past week and could not find the time to blog. So, I will try to let you know some of the things I’ve been up to. But, before we get into all of that, I wanted to express my deepest appreciation to the late Martin Luther King, Jr. and his family. I, like so many others, would have never had the opportunities that have come my way without them. I believe MLK’s legacy has been felt across all of the nations. So, today, we honor that legacy. It encourages one to stand up for what one believes in. Common men and women have sometimes had as great an impact on society as royalty and world leaders (if not greater, in some instances, perhaps).

— From the Arizona Jewish Post, I thought this was a very thoughtful MLK, Jr. Day article.

— You know I love food and often write up all sorts of food-related tidbits on this blog. On this MLK, Jr. Day, I thought it would be cool to showcase a few chefs and recipes from the US and Britain (as you know, I adore British culture & food). Speaking of Britain, have you ever seen the television show Chef? I do not recall when it ran because many times we (the US) receive British programming much later than the original air dates. Perhaps it was from the 90’s…it was such a fab and funny show. I’m sure it’s in some sort of digital format, so check it out if you get the chance.

Avocado Tacos & Brown Butter Roasted Tomato Pasta by Latrice Fowler, African-American Chefs Shine in Atlanta, Black America Cooks, The Top Black Chefs Around the World, 3 Black Vegan Chefs You Should Know. From Britain: Mustard, Bacon, and Caramelised Onion Scones & Pea, Courgette, and Parmesan Rosti w/ Tangy Tomato Dressing by Ainsley Harriot, Spicy Curry Carrot Chutney by Jo Wesley and Avril Rogers, Pancetta Wrapped Scallops w/ Quince and Pear by Patrick Williams, Chai-Spiced Ginger and Date Tea Loaf by Kimberley Wilson, Pumpkin and Sunflower Seeds Savoury Biscuits by Enwezor, Lamb, Yam, and Butternut Squash Soup by Lenny Henry, Nice and Spicy Thai Chicken Salad (Larb Gai) & Vegetarian Nut Roast Pie w/ Cranberries by Lorraine Pascale, Citrus and Pomegranate Salad w/ Chili Honey Dressing & Lime and Cranberry Bread and Butter Pudding by Levi Roots.

— Also from Britain: Is the Media Industry Sufficiently Diverse?

— Have you ever been under a time crunch and forced to go to places and do things you would rather not? That’s how last week was for me. Sometimes, my whereabouts/locations can make things difficult. I managed to make the Minimalist Entryway Organizer I wrote about. Instead of bungee cords and a wood frame, I went for a solid wood plaque and elastic. I attached the elastic with a staple gun and drilled a hole in the back for hanging. Such a practical idea for your keys, glasses, etc.:

Also, I’m making a shelf, so I stained a cedar board (after power sanding) with a mixture of coffee and black tea (as I wrote about in my post on The Many Uses of Food Powders). I used soybean oil for finishing, but I’m sure you could use any fixed drying oil (like linseed, hemp, walnut, or sunflower). Super easy and inexpensive. The lighting wasn’t great, so I do not think the pic (before and after) does it justice. It’s a rich caramel color — turned out beautifully:

— I had to pick up a few items for my mom and snapped a couple of cute DIY craft pics:

These DIY’s were made by the store staff. The ‘button letter’ would be totally fun in a child’s room. Or, if you have a more eclectic decor, you could probably make it work in any setting (possibly changing up the color scheme). First initials for couples would be a neat idea.

— What have I been eating this past week? Well, I made a few more of the Detox Drinks with a repeat of the Grapefruit-Cado. I forgot to mention that anytime the recipes call for juice, I use whole fruit. It was such a busy week that I didn’t get a chance to make granola bars. Luckily, I found some organic store-bought ones that were wickedly reduced in price. SQUEAL DEAL! They saved me! I always like to carry some sort of snack bar with me when I go out (so I don’t grab at the nearest candy protein bar in a vending machine, haha). And, I had a couple for snacks in place of my (of late) usual nuts, figs, oatmeal & honey, or za’atar roasted chickpeas. I’ve found the chickpeas curb my cravings for sweets (as you know, I have a sweet tooth). I did have time to whip up a quick cream of roasted garlic and white asparagus soup (with olive oil roux & skim milk, finished with a little extra-virgin and chiles):

And, the Sicilian Roasted Potatoes I made for Christmas have made an appearance 4 or 5 times now. Perhaps I will take a pic soon. I’ve started using a mix of baby Yukons and sweet potatoes. Really quite delicious. As I had a lot of running around to do, I made a batch of egg sandwich fillers. I reheat them in the oven or on the stove, but I suppose you could use the micro (not too long, they might get rubbery). I just used leftover veggies and cooked them in oval rings to fit my homemade bagels. I start them on the stove top and then give them a hit under the broiler:

1) Spinach, Red Bell, White Asparagus, Garlic 2) Kale, Black Olive, Red Onion 3) Broccoli, Feta, Chile (just a little bit of cheese, and my body seemed to handle it OK) 4) Marinated & Grilled Artichokes, Capers, Tomatoes.
Other than that, I began to have a few heavier meals starting with a yummy hamburger (on a bagel, of course 😉 ) and a side of healthy Brussels and smashed baby Yukons bubble and squeak.

— I love to collect tea tins, so I was excited when my fave step-uncle brought me back this Burapa Bird’s Nest Beverage from his trip to Malaysia:

— I was inspired by this Pitaya Breakfast Bowl to purchase dragon fruit for the first time. Wonderful! I consumed some raw and threw the rest in the freezer for smoothies:

— Remember the DIY Silk Scarf Kaftan I posted? Well, here’s a DIY Kimono Cape along the same lines. While running errands for my mom, I saw someone with a gorgeous kimono fabric. You can make this piece with just a couple of scarves, needle & thread, though. Also, make sure to check out the link from this blog post on how to dye shoes.

— From organization to DIY suds: 8 Laundry Room Hacks, Tips, and Ideas.

Take care! See you next time!