Recommended with pureed cauliflower

A friend of ours invited us over last year and prepared pureed cauliflower, which I'd never had or heard of before.  It sounded strange to me at first, I'll admit.  I've only had cauliflower raw from a relish dish or baked or maybe steamed, and I'd never had it much at all until a year or two ago.  After my third helping of this pureed cauliflower (I'm not even kidding), it was obvious that I was a believer.

I tried making pureed cauliflower myself last week, and we enjoyed it so much it's made the grocery list twice more already.  It's so simple to make and so wonderful to eat.  Much like mashed potatoes, pureed cauliflower is a cozy dish that goes well with chilly nights, and I think it just feels healthful and good to eat.  The texture is a bit smoother than mashed potatoes, though the flavors can be similar.  I put in sour cream and butter to add flavor and body, then salt and pepper to season, but you could put in other ingredients to suit your preference or your pantry like heavy whipping cream or spices.

photo by Joy via Flickr (under creative commons)
See her recipe for cauliflower steak and pureed cauliflower here!

My Recipe for Pureed Cauliflower

Ingredients:

• 1 head of cauliflower
• Sour cream
• Butter
• Salt + pepper to taste
• Steamer + big pot
• Blender (an immersion blender is fine)

Recipe:

• Cut off the stem end and leaves of the cauliflower and discard.  Cut off the florets and place into a steamer in a large pot that will hold the steamer and all the cauliflower.  
• Put water in the bottom of the pot and steam over high heat until the cauliflower is soft for about 10-15 minutes.  (Make sure the water doesn't evaporate away.)
• Once soft, blend the cauliflower until smooth then transfer cauliflower to a bowl.
• Add in sour cream (start with 4 oz) and butter (start with 2 tablespoons) until you reach desired flavor and consistency.  Then add salt and pepper to taste and serve.  (I've never measured this part, so just wing it!)

And that's it!  I hope you get a chance to try this out, it's been a wonderful addition to our winter table.  Let me know what you think or if you have any other cauliflower recipes you'd like to share!

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And now recommended with pureed cauliflower, I think I have a collection of higher-than-usual quality links for you all!  Now that I've finally gotten back into the groove of reading blogs instead of just writing my own, I've been able to find a few deeper and better posts to share.  Enjoy!

Cooking Around the World

I'm starting to think more seriously about the possibility of a new challenge for Caleb and I.  I'd really like for us to go through the each country by making a traditional dish in our kitchen.  I think it'd be really adventurous, educational, and exciting.  We already enjoy trying new things and exploring cuisines, in fact we could probably already cross off quite a few countries already, but I'd like to make it a proper challenge and then blog about it, too!

via Digital Trends via Shutterstock

In case you didn't know (I didn't), there are 196 countries in the world.  I imagine it's going to take some strategy in order to not spend lots of money on little jars of things we'll only use once.  Maybe we'll magically only choose recipes we end up finding delicious, and then we'll just keep making the same things until we run out of the ingredients.  Either way, our pantry will get much more full.

Oh, and what about commonwealths?

Anyway, I've already mentioned the idea to Caleb.  He's not as keen on the idea as I am, but maybe if we start out safe and cook food from Western Europe first he'll be more receptive down the line.  We just looked through this picture list of grandmothers around the world and the foods they cook, and it got me excited all over again.  Caleb, too, was starting to think this wouldn't be such a bad idea after all.

I'd love to hear your thoughts!  Do you have any recommendations for dishes from other countries to try?  Any ideas for keeping costs low?  Any dishes to definitely NOT try?  Let me know in the comments below!

How to forgive old hurts when you're supposed to be acting like a grown up!

Last month, I was reading through my old journals and accidentally dredged up a memories of a friendship I was able to identify as unhealthy and hurtful.  It feels weird and silly to see how I got angry about how our relationship played out only years after the relationship ended, and the realization added a lot of weight to my life even after I put the journals back on the shelf.  Besides trying not to think about it, I had no idea how to resolve the unrest I'd brought into my heart.  It's not like I could interrupt this person's life, tell them how they hurt me, and then expect to feel better about it, right?  Right.  Very right.  Don't do that, Lindsay, you're a grown up.

I was able to talk with some friends last week about my dilemma.  Each of them are at least a few years older than me and have had their own hurtful relationships, too.  It was a comforting thing to remember that I'm certainly not the only one who's been through something like this and I'm not the only one who's made stupid friendship and relationship mistakes.  My friends reminded me that that's how we learn.  That's how we grow and discover more about ourselves and each other.  I don't have to be embarrassed, and I don't have to let this situation have control over me.

As for getting over the hurt and frustration and utter lack of closure, the only route I've found toward peace is through God.  I was taught a good deal about forgiveness growing up, but I was never very good at it.  Even now, I often have to forgive someone many times in my mind in order to continue letting go.  In this case, something's that's helped me significantly is releasing restitution and justice and any other responsibility over to God.  I'm not going to hold this person responsible for how they treated me anymore.  It's over and done.  What's happened has happened, and what will, will.

I believe that God will make everything right in the end.  He will heal my heart and He will heal the hearts of those I've hurt and who've hurt me.  One day, this frustration won't even be remembered, and when I put everything into this perspective, I can live with my stories and mistakes.  When I trust God to take care of me and my hurt and pain (and to take care of the other person, too), I don't have to worry about making others apologize.  It's freeing, as it should be.

image by NASA via Unsplash

I also believe that I have already been forgiven of more than I could ever pay for.  My relationship with and understanding of God is greatly humbling, and I hope to better live out what I believe through forgiving others and being a source of dependable grace and mercy.  I don't always act like a Christian should, but God help me, I will keep trying till my dying breath.

Whether we share the same worldview or not, I do hope that you find the freedom that comes with forgiveness, too.  May the best come your way.

Recommended with this podcast about North Korea

Okay friends, it's study time.  I don't get political on this blog very often, but I think this is important to share.  I hope it's clear after following me for a while that I care deeply about North Korea and its people.  Learning about the country and its extremely oppressive government is critical to the government's inevitable downfall, which is why I'm choosing this podcast as this week's recommendation.  (And if you want to skip it, don't worry, I did include my regular collection of links below, too.)

Michael Malice is the author of the book Dear Reader, which is an unofficial autobiography of Kim Jong-Il, and he did an amazing amount of research in order to write the book.  He brings an important perspective to the conversations about North Korea that I think everyone needs to hear.  Last month, Tom Woods interviewed Michael Malice about the recent nuclear test North Korea conducted.  The two of them chat around for a bit, so if you want to get to the good stuff, start at 6:05.

Take a listen to learn about why tourists are now allowed to visit outside the NK capitol, why North Korea feeds its citizens such bizarre propaganda, how they play the Western media and the US government like a violin, and what the Kim regime really wants.  For one last teaser, here's my favorite quote from the podcast: 

"[The leaders of North Korea] are very, very clever and they are very, very evil, and the idea they're crazy is simply false because the data doesn't support that in any way whatsoever." 

- Michael Malice @ 13:25

 

Recommended with important education...

If you've been on the fence about starting to make your wardrobe more minimalist, here are some tips for purging your closet.

You can now put your pictures on marshmallows!

These Jedi Disney princesses look epic.

This SNL "Bad Girls" parody is equal parts hilarious and awesome.

Friends of mine showed me how to make popcorn without all the additives.  Totally worth it.

NASA's giving away free retro space exploration posters.  The one for Europa is my favorite.

I've been hearing a lot about how essential these packing cubes are for travel packing lately.  Have you tried them?

Over the weekend

I wanted to share a few things from this weekend that made me especially happy!

We visited Atlanta China Town's Lunar New Year festival, and I painted my nails to match.  There were many folk dances we got to watch, and there was also this funny but endearing performance by old Chinese ladies.

I spent time Saturday night working on adding a drop-down menu to my blog (which you can see now!), and I'm really proud of it!  This is the tutorial I used, but I had to figure out a few things on my own with the CSS.

Caleb and I hit up Scott's Antique Market in Jonesboro to check out their custom furniture.  We're collecting ideas for a new desk and coffee table we now have money to afford!

I noticed some really cool street art near one of my favorite restaurants and got to take a picture of it later, which you now see here!

As part of our Valentine's Day celebration, we finished reading The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy together out loud, which I highly recommend for best friends.

I bought plane tickets to Norway!  Norwegian Air had some killer deals, and Caleb and I were able to snag 2 tickets from JFK to Oslo for around $605!  I'm super excited to get to see my parents this December!  Aaaah!!!

How was your weekend?  Did you do anything special to celebrate friendship or love?  I'd love to hear!

Recommended with Galentine's and Valentine's Day Weekend

This weekend, do something special for yourself, reach out to those you love, and eat something sweet and terrible for you, if you can.  Whether you're celebrating Galentine's, Valentine's, or just making it to another weekend, I hope you have a great time and that you feel important and loved, because you are!

Image by Christie Graham Photography via Verily Magazine

Links I'm loving this week...

This first link is the most important.  Make sure you prioritize what you love!

Watch strangers kiss while blindfolded!  I'm such a sucker for things like this, and moments end up being so incredibly tender.  (Think what you will, but it's a secret dream of mine to kiss a stranger.)

The most lovable basket of puppies you'll see all day.

What a pretty new idea for making valentines.

I love the soft, romantic look of this low chignon!

Check out these courting tips for men from the Victorian era.  "A man should never make a declaration [of love] in a jesting manner. It is most unfair to a lady. He has no right to trifle with her feelings for mere sport, nor has he a right to hide his own meaning under the guise of a jest." (1881)  Sounds like the 1800's wasn't such a bad time to be courting!

I just found out about The Bouqs, a company that will ship some of the loveliest bouquets.  They're so so pretty!

Actually Life Changing Products from last year

I came across a few new things last year that actually changed my life, and even though I'm not being paid for it, I wanted to tell you about them so they can change your life, too!

Saddleback leather

I've used cross-body purses for years, and for years they've been made of fake leather and they fall apart after months.  For my birthday last year, Caleb gave me a large cross-body purse made of real leather, and I'm still so excited to have it!

We read about Saddleback leather on Reddit's Buy it for Life forum.  Turns out the company has a very loyal following, and now I'm part of the fandom, too.  Their 100-year warranty is wonderful, reading through the funny blurbs in their FAQ section makes me laugh, and watching their video on how to knock off a saddleback bag just seals the deal of me being a lifelong groupie.

Squarecash

My coworkers told me about this super handy app when we were eating out together.  Instead of splitting the tab at the restaurant and giving the waiter three different credit cards to charge, we're able to put all the tab on one card and then pay each other back through the Squarecash app!

It sends money from debit card accounts to debit card accounts for free, and you can use a credit card, too, but you'll incur a 3% fee for using a credit card.  Debit's worked just fine for me, and it's been a real sanity saver for those group meals!

Garlic rocker

I'd seen this version of a garlic press online, and when I saw one at TJ Maxx, I decided to try it.  It's possibly the best impulse buy I've ever made.  The garlic rocker is faster than a garlic press, it's easier to get the garlic out of the tool, and it's easier to clean!  I feel like buying them for everyone in my life, because they've made mincing garlic so much easier in our home! 

Seche Vite top coat

This top coat is magic.  I've never seen a top coat dry so fast, and with how often I paint my nails, it's become a permanent fixture in my polish collection.  You can buy it at any drug store or beauty supply store, or online!

TMI BONUS LIFE-CHANGING PRODUCT MENTIONED BELOW!

Stop here if you don't want to read about feminine hygiene!  :)

Menstrual cup

After reading some raving reviews about menstrual cups from girls online, I did my own research and decided to buy myself a Lunette cup.  It took a while to get used to and to figure out how to use it properly, but I'm so glad I stuck with it.  I've already saved lots of money by not having to buy tampons and pads for a year, and I've saved time by not having to run to the store to buy those things and by not having to change the bathroom trash as often.  If you're interested in hearing more or if you have any questions, please let me know in the comments or in an email.  I'd love to share more, and I think everyone with a period should give a menstrual cup a try, but I'm just not sure how much people want to know.

Recommended with Shrimp and Grits

Last night was my second time making Epicurious' recipe for shrimp and grits, and man, is this stuff delicious.  There are a lot of variations used for shrimp and grits.  My mom used goat cheese, which added a tasty tartness to the dish.  Epicurious includes some peppers and canned tomatoes, which reminds me of Charleston's heavy use of tomatoes in their seafood dishes.  It also lets me feel just a little bit healthier eating this super comforting comfort foot.

When I make this recipe, I omit the bell pepper, Tabasco, and the garnishes, and I'll either include just a few chopped jalapeños or exclude them all together and let Caleb add in pickled jalapeños at the table.  Other areas for wiggle room are the kind of cheese you use or probably even the vegetables included in the shrimp side of the dish, but I would definitely recommend keeping the tomatoes involved, maybe just adjust how much or how little you include.  When I tasted the shrimp part of the dish last night, it tasted way too tomato-y to be a comfort food, but once paired with the smooth, creamy, and cheesy grits, everything mellowed out and the flavors complemented each other very well.

I'd also recommend getting the freshest shrimp you can.  I used some pre-cooked shrimp last night because I hate peeling and deveining, but the texture of the shrimp had clearly suffered from all the heating, freezing, and reheating it had gone through.

I hope you get the chance to try this recipe out, because the finished product is wonderful.  I'd recommend doing a proper mise en place and chop, grate, and prepare everything needed before getting started on the cooking, because the cooking ends up going pretty quickly.  You could have this meal all ready in roughly 20 minutes, and most of it will require your full attention during the process so grits don't get stuck to the pan and so butter doesn't burn.

Good luck and let me know how it goes!