Pi Day Cupcakes!

HAPPY PI DAY!

In honor of pi day (celebrating 3/14), I made cupcakes that look like little pies!

If you go here you can learn a little more about pi. The Mr. helped quite a bit, too, since we ended up making FOUR DOZEN!!

I basically just tried to mimic this and this and think we ended up doing a pretty good job, after the learning curve!  My biggest tip: Cut off the rounded muffin top so that the 'pie' parts can lay flat- that way the M&Ms won't fall off.  We decided that red = apple pie, orange = pumpkin pie, yellow = lemon meringue, green = key lime pie, blue = blueberry, and brown = French silk pie. Boy- they were tasty!!!

Hope everyone's doing well - take care!

Bread con queso! and some facts.

Hola!

So, Superbowl Sunday has passed and the Mr. has had a birthday since I've last posted. (Lots of food, but we're trying to stay in shape by running a little more than usual!) I made the bread pictured below, and have also found out that picnik.com (my favorite photo editing site) will be closing in a few months, which is sad. However, the "premium" features are now available to everyone, so I edited the same picture a few different ways to mess around and see what I liked.

Original photo

 Here is a recipe for the Cheesy Jalopeno Pull Bread recipe - it's very easy, and very yummy.

And remember if you make this: the more places you cut the bread loaf, the more places there are to stuff cheese!!

postage stamp

 So, I saw that em at then along came the boy tagged me in a game!

Here are the rules:

1. You must post the rules.

2. Post eleven fun facts about yourself on the post.

3. Answer the questions the tagger set for you in their post, and then create eleven new questions to ask the people you've tagged.

4. Tag eleven people and link them on your post.

5. Let them know you've tagged them.

reflection frame

 11 Fun Facts About ME!

1. Green has always been and always will be my favorite color. 
2. I like rollerblading, but hate finding sidewalks/streets that aren't covered in gravel.
3. Horror movies are SO not for me.
4. Some of my favorite TV shows right now are 30 Rock, Parks and Recreation, Arrested Development, and It's Always Sunny.
5. I like pea coats and wouldn't mind having one in every color. So far I have green, yellow, and black.
6. I know how to play the cello and piano and would like to play more often than I do now.
7. (I asked the Mr. for one fact) He said I am "straightforward".
8. Crafts are fun in my downtime: cross stitching, sewing, crocheting, jewelry, making cards.
9. Cooking is generally fun and relaxing for me. My baking skills are improving, but cooking still wins.
10. Caterpillars are GROSS.
11. I lose my cell phone quite often, especially when it's on silent.

squares

Questions from em to answer:

1. What is your favorite vacation destination and why? Of places I have visited: Hawaii. Per degree of weather, it is the warmest place I have ever been with the least amount of bugs. That's a winning ratio in my book. :)
2. What is your favorite color? Green!
3. Cats or Dogs? Dogs, definitely.
4. What is the one consumable item you cannot live without and why? Vitamins? or water!
5. Do you know multiple languages? If so what are they? Just English. I have dabbled in Spanish and German, but nothing fluent.
6. What is your favorite hobby? Cooking
7. Who is your favorite singer/band? I really have a hard time picking favorites...
8. Who is your favorite author? Um... Clive Barker? or Stephen King? I like a variety of authors.
9. If you could have one do-over in your life, what would you do-over? I've previously thought I'd re-pick my college major, but I actually like the experiences I've had along the way because of it, so I don't think I'd do that over. 
10. Do you like to bake or cook, or both? Seriously, I did not read these questions before I listed my 11 facts about myself. COOKING, yo.
11. What type of footwear do you have on right now? No footwear, just socks. My feet are covered- don't worry!

newspaper print

Feel free to participate- I won't be offended if you don't.
People I tag

1. Tadoette! - Tadoette
2. Joy! - Christmas Spirit All Year Long
3. Melanie! - Happy Jax
4. Ana! - Sixty-Two
5. Patty! - Finding Serendipity
6. Megan! - Loving the Little Things
7. Nancy! - A Rural Journal
8. Mountain Mama! - Mountain Mama
9. Jaymi! - Live, Love, Travel
10. Jodi! - Sweets and Shutterclicks
11. Jennifer! - Mommy Y

Questions for the people I tag

1. What is your favorite TV show?
2. What character is most similar to yourself from #1?
3. What do your like to do to celebrate your birthday?
4. Are you a tea or coffee drinker?
5. How many pairs of shoes/boots/sandals do you own?
6. Do you wear a watch?
7. What is the worst food you have ever eaten?
8. Do you believe in ghosts?
9. What does your hair look like right now (style/cut/color)?
10. Aside from paying bills, do you ever send snail mail?
11. Do you prefer mittens or gloves?

BTW- What was your favorite bread photo edit? Just curious!!

Berry Muffin Recipe

Don't these look tasty? I've made these a ton of times... sometimes I add cocoa or change the flavor of the yogurt.  I've made them in regular 'muffin' sizes, but I am really enjoying eating the mini-muffin size. :)  They are great with coffee, tea, or water...it's a fact! The recipe is below...

Ingredients
1 3/4 cup flour
1/4 cup flax
1/3 cup sugar
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
6 oz. berry flavored yogurt (raspberry, mixed, blueberry, blackberry all work)
1/2 cup canola or olive oil
1 egg
1 cup frozen berries (rasberries, mixed, blueberry, blackberry work- whatever you want, really!)

How to do it:

1. Preheat the oven to 375* F.
2. Mix all of the dry ingredients together (flour, flax, sugar, baking poweder, baking soda, salt)
3. Mix all of the wet ingredients together (yogurt, oil, egg).
4. Mix all of the dry and wet ingredients, but do not overmix.
5. Mix in the berries, do not overmix.
6. Either use oil spray or liners to prepare the muffin pan.
7. Fill the cups about 2/3 full for 'regular' sized muffins and about 1/2 full for 'mini' muffins.
8. Bake 15-18 minutes, or until lightly browned on top. Small muffins take less time than big muffins.

While they are baking, I prepare a glaze for the top mixing together lemon juice, powdered sugar, a dash of vanilla flavoring, and sometimes a little flax. There you have it! It makes slightly more than a dozen regular sized muffins and about 18 mini-muffins. Let me know if you try it....they're really tasty!

New wheels, winning crepes, and free shipping

The whole time I've had Happily Going, I thought I was showing my pictures as big as Blogger would allow. It turns out, my pictures were practically tiny. I apologize, and am excited to have larger pictures now, without ruining the bloggy format. Three things on the agenda:

#1: The past few weeks we have busy with the car business of selling and buying, and here is our new purchase!  It's a blue Prius and I really like driving it- it's very smooth on the road and has a much tighter turning radius than I'm used to. The Mr. loves watching the fuel economy. We are exciting like that.

#2: I n-e-v-e-r win raffles or drawings, so I was super excited when I checked my e-mail this morning and found that I won a gift certificate to a restaurant! The restaurant is called Ravenous and they make some pretty fantastic crepes and pommes frittes (Belgian French fries). The last time we were there, the Mr. had the Blueberry Zeppelin (blueberries) and I had the French Kiss (chocolate-hazlenut). Their other specialty is pommes frittes which we chose to eat with aioli and a horseradish sauce. YUM!!

#3: We, at The Crafty Bees, are offering FREE SHIPPING on all card orders to US and Canada until December 1st!! Just enter coupon code FREE11 at checkout.Just look at all that awesome, crafty goodness!

Does anyone have any suggestions for which kind of crepe I should try next? You can find Ravenous' menu here. I hope everyone is having a great start to their Thanksgiving week!

Unfortunate events

One day, a lovely couple planned on going hiking, having a picnic, and playing some games outside. So, they dressed in appropriate hiking attire and they packed the tastiest food they had for a picnic lunch. Even though it was gorgeous and sunshine-y outside, they checked the weather online to make sure it would stay that way.

Once they arrived at the trailhead/park area, it began to sprinkle. And then it turned to rain. And then it began pouring. And thundering. The two decided to play on the playground for awhile, since, gosh- they were dressed for hiking afterall. They figured they'd wait it out.

Until it began lightning. At that point, the couple decided that hiking probably wouldn't happen. So they went home.

Then they decided to have lunch on the balcony {since that's kind of like having a picnic}. Soon, the appetizers, fruit, and main course vanished into their bellies. Finally, it was time for dessert. Each had their own dessert to eat. The lady began to eat her bar. One bite was extraordinary! The second, third... not so much. 

"This is gross, and feels nasty," the lady said.

"Let me check it out," the gentleman said.

"Petewy," the lady said, as she spat out the contents of her mouth.

The couple examined the bar. The lady thought it was a big strip of cardboard at first, but the gentleman's guess was probably more apt: a paper towel used for hand drying in public restrooms.

The lady wasn't sure if she totally cared what it was, because if it is not food, then it is not meant to be eaten. 

Not eating anymore, the two wandered inside. Remembering the candle outside, they blew out the flame, picked up the candle, and....candle wax spilled all over the gentleman and the deck.

They decided to stay inside and agreed that sitting still, being quiet, and staying inside would probably keep them out of harm's way. Hopefully.

Moral of the story: Keep your expectations low.

 (Edited: I am not publicly disclosing the company's name. Also, I  contacted the company on 9/4 and am hoping for a response.)

Gone last week, gone next week, and apple swans

Instead of a regular blog post, here is a cloud of words that I made using Wordle. Seems like summer is going so fast that I can barely think enough to make a coherent blog post! 

We had family visiting last week, so that's why I've been away from the net for so long. Aaaaand, I'll be gone for awhile on vacation to see more family this next week. School starts right when I get back, so I hope I'm ready!

HONK HONK- I made a swan out of an apple!  Sadly, I do not yet know how to make an apple out of a swan. That might take a little more gene splicing and a lot less fruit slicing. Ha ha ha.

I followed this video on how to make a swan out of an apple. Not really sure how I came across this video.

Isn't it pretty? It will be tasty!

Baked Breaded Eggplant with Marinara

Baked Breaded Eggplant with Marinara

The ingredients and instructions might look daunting, but it's really easy to make! As long as you can slide, dredge, dunk, and spray, you'll be able to make this. I usually enjoy this as the 'main course' of the meal, and two stacks of three eggplant slices are plenty filling for me. This could also be a side dish, too. Enjoy!

Ingredients
1 large eggplant  (or 2 medium eggplants)
1 c. egg substitute (or 2-3 eggs)
1 tsp. oregano
1 tsp. basil
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 tsp. black pepper
2 c. crumbs
2 c. Parmesan cheese
2 c. mozzarella cheese
2 c. marinara sauce (or any other tomato/pasta sauce)

*For breadcrumbs, I use whatever I have on hand and pulverize it using a food processor.  Sometimes I'll make breadcrumbs from toast in the food processor.  This time, I used a combination of leftover Cheerios, Club crackers, and graham crackers which were left over from this recipe.

Preparation
Heat the oven to 400* F. Coat a baking sheet with cooking spray.

Instructions

1. Wash the eggplant, trim the ends off, and cut into 1/2 inch thick slices.
2. Whisk together the egg, oregano, basil, garlic powder, black pepper, and 1 c. of Parmesan cheese in a shallow dish.
3. Dredge each eggplant slice through the egg mixture (making sure it is entirely coated) and then through the crumbs, pressing down to make sure the crumbs get all over every part of the slice.  Place on the baking sheet.
4. Repeat steps 4 and 5 until all the slices have been coated with crumbs. Spray the top sides of the eggplant slices with a coat of cooking spray.
5. Bake for 20 minutes then flip the slices over. Coat the new "top" sides with a layer of cooking spray and bake for 20 more minutes.
6. Take the baking sheets out of the oven. Sprinkle the remaining Parmesan on each slice and bake for two more minutes, or until the cheese melts.
7. To serve, put one eggplant slice on a plate, top with marinara, and add mozzarella. Repeat the process with two more slices stacked on top of the first slice.  

Egg mixture, crumbs, and a happy eggplant

ready to go!

baking in the oven

prepared and ready to enjoy. yum!

I used two eggplants, which made plenty of leftovers for just the Mr. and I. I store the eggplant slices just as they are straight out of the oven. Don't put the marinara and mozzarella on until right before you serve it. It seems to keep it's freshness best if the leftovers are made that way, instead of assembled and then stored.

Also, I tried to put this recipe up on this website so that it could be formatted better, but I'm not sure if I have the hang of posting recipes yet. If anyone has any tips on how to get Google's recipe search to integrate with recipes on blogger, I'd be more than happy to hear how that works!

No-Bake Twix Bars

This recipe came in a bound collection of favorite recipes which was a wedding present from a few friends. {Thanks, again!!} It is a delicious version of "Twix" bars. I don't think I've posted it before, so I figured I would share the recipe. It's pretty fun, quick, and easy to make.

Ingredients
1 c graham cracker crumbs
1/2 c white sugar
3/4 c brown sugar
1/2 c margarine
1/3 c. milk

Club Crackers
2/3 c peanut butter
1 c chocolate chips (I use dark chocolate chips)


Instructions

1. Butter a 9x13 pan and line with a layer of Club crackers.
2. Boil the graham cracker crumbs, white sugar, brown sugar, margarine, and milk for 5 minutes.
3. Pour over the crackers and add another layer of Club crackers.
4. Melt the peanut butter and chocolate chips together. Spread this mixture over the crackers.
5. Chill until firm and then cut into bars.

layered the bottom

making graham cracker crumbs

middle layer

top layer

the whole pan

close-up of the layers

I don't cook/bake/buy desserts too often, but these are definitely one of our favorites! :)

Also, I'm linking up with and then, she {snapped}. Lots more to check out over there, too. 

It's been a long week already & Chex Mix

Ooooh boy...it's been a long week already, and it's only Tuesday. I miss having a regular schedule...already...again!!! No work/class/volunteering for me right now, but I'm working on fixing that! 

I'm catching up and doing more tasks that I had to delay while in summer session since I finally have "free time". I haven't updated my passport since the name change, so I had to pay $110 to "renew" my passport book, along with fees for new passport pictures, which went something like this:

I would have gone for something even half as nice as the 'acceptable'. Though I did not get a mullet-esque haircut,  I did, however, have to tuck my hair behind my ears (so they can see my ears). I was also supposed to smile without showing teeth, which I am terrible at. Also, my eyebrows decided to go crazy at the moment the dude took the picture, so I'm sure my new passport book will be absolutely stellar!!

If I get my passport book back in time, the Mr. and I might be going to Montreal in September.  Hopefully it doesn't take too long to get back. *fingers crossed*

Besides passport paperwork, I've obviously been spending a lot of time looking at graduate/medical programs and their corresponding tests/deadlines/etc. (MCAT, PCAT, GRE, etc.). In conjunction with that, I have been trying to study the job markets by spending a bunch of time over at the Bureau of Labor Statistics with the Occupational Outlook Handbook. Exciting, right?

Aaand, to increase the fun factor, I've also updated my resume to include my most recent college coursework and GPA. With that, I've applied to a few jobs, but- *le sigh* -none of them have anything to do with biology. It can't really hurt to get my resume out there, so that's what I'm doing when I take a break from school searching. I wouldn't mind getting my foot in the door with a company that would pay for most any Master's/PhD , so that is definitely on my radar, too.

If you've read this far, you deserve to look at a picture of some Chex Mix that I made awhile back. Yes I am changing the subject, and yes it was delicious to eat. =]

It was almost full when I made it, but I didn't remember to take a picture right away.

I think we need more Chex Mix...Stat!

Video games, outside, and good food

Yesterday, the Mr. had the entire day off!! He has been super busy since June and it looks like August will be another busy month with more project deadlines, travelling, and other commitments. To take full use of his day, after doing necessary paperwork,  we went for a walk, played catch with the Frisbee, and played some video games.

 He ended up beating it all without warps the first time through, and then warped through to beat the 'star' worlds pretty quickly again. I played as Luigi, who needs to jump a little higher and run a little faster, imho.

For supper, we had brussels sprout salad and a veggie bake casserole.

The salad has mandarin oranges, pomegranate seeds, lettuce, brussels sprouts with a dressing.

The casserole has noodles, a tomato mixture, spinach, cottage cheese.

If I remember, I might reuse these pics to post the recipes. Both are DEEEELICIOUS.

And I'm not sure why my camera kept blurring up, but this was the best picture I could take. Also, I wanted to get to the "devouring" part of dinner. :)

Hope everyone is having a happy Monday!

Pizza from Ingredients :P

I was initially going to write 'Pizza from Scratch' for my title, but I didn't really scratch it out, and ingredients are what I used to make the pizza...so that makes sense, right? hardy-har-har-har.

The first thing I did was prepare the tomatoes for the oven, since I wanted them to cook at a really low heat for quite a long time. {Ideally, I was trying to follow Nigella's 'Moonblush Tomatoes' recipe here, and you're supposed to cook them overnight.Unfortunately, I rarely plan ahead so I just kind of altered the duration and temperature.}  I also must have forgotten to take a picture after I added half a chopped red onion to this cookie sheet.  The recipe version doesn't add the red onion, but I wanted more of a baked, onion-y spice to the sauce. This went in the oven while I prepared the rest of the pizza.  This becomes the pizza sauce.

Then I made a basic pizza dough {following this recipe}, let it sit, saved half, flung it around/rolled it out (which I managed to do without a rolling pin!), added pesto, added the pizza sauce from the oven, and added chopped green peppers.  I meant to put mushrooms on the pizza, but had used two pints in a soup instead of just one.  Oops!  This was just as tasty, anyway.

Next, I sprinkled mozzarella cheese and spices on top and then stuck it in the oven!

 We cut it up, and it was time to dig in!  {Notice in the picture that we ate a few pieces right away before I remembered to take a picture before it was all gone.}  At least I get points for remembering.

Our Cinco de Mayo Feast!

I had the smaller pan (left), the Mr. had the larger pan (right). We basically just piled lots of chips, salsa, beans, and cheese together and stuck it in the oven.

The Mr. put the #5 in honor of CINCO DE MAYO!!!

Sticking the first one in the oven...

...and the second one.

Salsa with guacamole on the left, guacamole on the right. Tasty additions!

COWBOY STYLE! See? He has a cowboy hat and everything!  Disregard the very 'cowboy' bananas in the corner.

COWGIRL STYLE!  I have a hat, too!

His finished product. 

Party time!

We ate our food and it was delicious.  We'll have to eat these nachos more often.  Hope everyone had a great Cinco de Mayo!