Honey Curry Bread

Hey friends. Do I even need to mention that I miss you? Cause I do.

Tiffy and I made this a long time ago, then Heika and I made it later. I got the recipe out of The Bread Machine Cookbook II that Eric Price got at the unorganized book store and gave to me. See, food follows a web of people.

On another note, I’m running a marathon in three days. Things that I’m feeling: nervous, excited, eager (to just have it over), sad (to have it over), tired, energized, anxious, and ready. Actually, I’m feeling all the feelings in the world, these just stand out right now. I had a stupid foot injury a month ago that really messed up my training. Now my foot is fine, but I can’t get that time back. So, I’m looking to finish and finish strong. All my time goals are kind of out the window, but success will be counted if I do my best. I know that sounds cheesy, but I mean it.

Please try this and change it around. I’m sure other spices could be substituted for the curry if you want to try it. Let me know what you think.

Miss and Love you.

Honey Curry Bread

1 ½ cups Milk/Water

1 1/3 Tbs Vegetable Oil

2 Tbs Honey

1 tsp salt

2 tsp curry powder

4 cups flour (half whole wheat, no problem)

2 tsp yeast

Put this all in a bread machine in order. It’s a 2 pound loaf. It makes great toast. Especially with avocado and tomato on it. Mmmm, I think I want some now.

Chai Tea Pancakes

Pancakes. They are so good. Chai. It is so good. Let’s put them together and watch them fall in love.

Fall would be the perfect time to fall in love. Everything sounds and smells and tastes just as it should. So, let’s give this pair a chance.

Got this from Joy!

Your ingredients:

2 eggs

2 cups flour

3 tablespoons sugar

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

healthy pinch of ground cloves

scant 1/8 teaspoon ground ginger

1/8 teaspoon crushed black peppercorns (or a dash of freshly ground black pepper)

1 cups milk (I used almond milk and added some chai mix)

1/2 cup brewed black chai tea

4 tablespoons butter, melted and cooled

½ teaspoons vanilla extract

oil or cooking spray (for cooking)

In a large bowl beat eggs. Add milk, chai tea, butter and vanilla and mix well. Add flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, spices and salt. Mix well until mostly smooth. Let batter set for a few minutes. Cook two tablespoons at a time.

We added some strawberries and banana slices and maple syrup. It was a love connection for sure.

What else was full of love? The Friday morning breakfast Tiff, Lynn and I had.

High Fashion Ice Cream

I'm so lucky to be sandwiched by these two people.

When Tiffany came, we made so many treats. It was so nice. One night, Jordan came over and we smoked clove cigarillos and had some ice cream.

Did we just have a good, old-fashioned American scoop of ice cream? No. We are much too fat on the inside to waste our time with such things.

High Fashion Ice Cream

1 solid scoop Vanilla Bean Ice Cream (slow churned yogurt if you want to pretend it’s healthy)

1 similar scoop of French silk ice cream

1 sloppy tablespoon All natural chunky peanut butter

1 teaspoon cinnamon

½ cup frozen mixed berries

(There are obviously plenty of other things that would be so good in this. How about graham crackers? Oreos? Endless possibilities.)

So we sat on my tiny porch on my too tiny chairs and we enjoyed a moment. It was a nice moment. All the smells and taste were pleasant and the people even more so.

Wild Rice Salad with Yogurt Vinaigrette

Sometimes, being healthy means being weird. Sometimes, being weird means being healthy. Both times, I like it.

Here is something that I need to explain. I don’t have Internet at my house. Why? Because I don’t make enough money to do the things I want and I barely have enough to do the things I need. So, I can’t post all of the things I’ve been cooking and baking. I’m sorry. Trust me though, when I cook and bake, I think of you. Sorry I’m going to ambush the blog again with things, it’s just that I’m at my parents’ house and they have Internet.

So back to weird healthy and happy things…this salad is all of it! I got it from Joy the Baker and I changed only a couple of things.

Ingredients:

5 cups of cooked wild rice

1 (15 ounce) can garbanzo beans, drained

1 (15 ounce) can marinated artichoke hearts, coarsely chopped

about 3 cups coarsely chopped cooked sweet potatoes

1 cup raw almonds

1 cup fresh blueberries

2-3 cups fresh baby spinach leaves

for the yogurt vinaigrette, whisk together the following:

1 heaping spoonful Dijon or whole grain mustard

1 heaping spoonful of honey

1/4 cup red wine vinegar

1 - 1 1/4 cup Greek yogurt (i used vanilla Greek yogurt)

salt and pepper to taste

about 1/3 cup chopped fresh parsley

about 1/4 cup chopped fresh chives

a few mint leaves chopped

a small garlic clove, finely chopped

Mix it all together and drop a healthy dollop of dressing on it. Enjoy, my weird friends!

Curry Chicken Salad Sandwiches

Ok, look. Some people don't like curry. Others, like myself, do. So take it or leave it, here's a recipe for an awesome sandwich.

this recipe was inspired by a sandwich at Simple.

I was really proud of myself for this one. Have you ever had chicken salad with sweet potatoes in it? What about coconut milk instead of mayo? I don't know, I think I invented it.

Try it, change it, let me know what you think!

3 chicken breasts

1/2 lemon

1 half of a beer. just chug the rest. Party party party let's all get wasted. (chill, it's a song haha)

salt, pepper and curry to taste

1 cup of sliced grapes

1 half of a sweet potato

1 stalk of celery sliced thinly

3 chives, sliced

1/4 cup coconut milk

salt and pepper

In a medium pot, cover the chicken with boiling water. Boil until it is almost cooked, shred it and then put it in a fry pan.

squeeze the 1/2 lemon on the chicken and add the beer. Salt, pepper and curry that mess until it's cooked, moist and delicious. (I believe chicken should be good on it's own before you turn it into chicken salad. The rest of the ingredients should enhance it, not cover it)

Put the chopped sweet potatoes on a plate, cover them and microwave them for 4 to 8 minutes. or until cooked.

Next, add all the remaining ingredients into a bowl and adjust to your liking. Let it cool completely before serving. Serve on toast, or Naan if tiffy posts her recipe for it.

What is that tasty salad next to it? Grilled peach salad, I'll post it later. :)

Last Minute Lunch Date Salad

For one reason or another, I guessed that I could go a day without seeing Jordan. I needed to wake up early this morning and I didn’t think it would be wise to stay up late. Well, I texted him and told him I wouldn’t be able to hang out that night and it wasn’t long before we solidified plans for him to come for lunch. He knew us better.

Let me tell you about Jordan. He is adorable. He has blonde hair and blue blue blue eyes and he says more with one facial expression than a thousand words could touch. He’s funny, he’s passionate, and he’s sweet. He wants me to have everything. More like he wants to give me everything. In a way, he does.

What can I give him in return? Well, I make barely enough money to make ends meet (I can’t buy a 3 ring binder to hold recipes in until next month, ugh). I have a dog that keeps being expensive even though I tell him not to. I exhaust myself emotionally at work and I barely get sleep these days. So, it often times feels like I can’t give him anything. I don’t know how I deserve him or how he feels the way he claims to about me. He just blows my mind. Anyway, one thing I can do is put a lot of thought and energy into things I cook him. He gets all pissy when I ask if I can take him out to dinner and pay for him so I just cook for him at home instead. It makes me feel sneaky and like I’m taking him on a date.

I had half an hour to get ready and make lunch and I hadn’t gone grocery shopping in a long time. This is what I came up with while I was in the shower. I started by making him a mixed CD (his entry to Indie music) and then made us salad. Sure, call it unoriginal. Call it predictable. I call it serving those you care about with something you put energy into. I also call it Last Minute Lunch Date Salad.

1 half vidalia or white onion

1 chicken breast cut into strips

1 zucchini green or yellow

1 clove of garlic chopped

2 teaspoons of dried oregano

2 teaspoons of dried basil

salt and pepper to taste

some olive oil

some balsamic vinegar

1 ripe avocado

1/2 cup of black beans

1/2 cup golden raisins

4 cups of mixed greens

for the dressing, I just used one of those italian seasonings packets that you mix oil and balsamic into it was good.

Saute the onions, garlic, and slices of zucchini on medium heat with a splash of olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Also add a little dash of oregano and basil if you want.

In a separate grill pan, cook the chicken strips with olive oil, salt, pepper, basil and oregano.

when it was all done, I assembled it, sprinkled it with a four letter word and called it a date.

You. you.

Honey and Beer Spice Cake

Honey and Beer Spice Cake

When I open the door of my fridge, it rattles and clangs from 5 beers just sitting there. It makes me crazy. I’m gonna use them all, I swear it. So, today, while I procrastinated working out, I made some beer cake. Oh man. I could have eaten the batter all day. It was so good. This cake has so much potential to add and change things, I’ll let you know what I change next time I make it. I put on the Arcade Fire album and got to work.

adapted from Booze Cakes and from Joy the Baker. makes one 9×13-inch cake

3 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

2 teaspoons baking powder 1/2 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon cinnamon (or just triple that) 1 teaspoon all-spice 3/4 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves zest and juice of 1 lemon 1 stick (4 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperature 1/2 cup sugar 3/4 cup light brown sugar 4 large eggs 1 cup honey 12 ounces (1 1/2 cups) pale ale beer or honey beer I actually used another miller high life haha)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Butter and flour a 9×13-inch pan and set aside.

I a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Set aside.

In a bowl cream together butter, sugars, spices and lemon zest. Mixture may look crumbly, but mix for about 3 minutes. Add the eggs one at a time, beating for 1 minute after each addition. Beat in the lemon juice and honey.

Add the flour mixture and beer. Alternating. First add a third of the flour mixture, mix. Add half of the beer, mix. Add the second third of flour, the rest of the beer. Mix. Then finally add the last third of the flour. Beat the batter real fast for 30 seconds. The batter will be loose and smooth.

Pour into the prepared pan and bake in the upper third of the oven for 45-50 minutes, or until a cake tester inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean.

Mine cooked fast I would time it for 35 min and check on it from there.

When it was done, i just melted some butter on the top and rubbed cinnamon and sugar on it and it was great. It stayed moist for like 4 days.

Hope you like it party animals!