Recommended reads

Happy Friday, friends!  Here are a few things I've been digging lately.

golden cocoa via the kitchn

Golden cocoa (haldi doodh from India) :

I first heard about golden cocoa from Local Milk.  It sounded really strange, but I like trying new things and I've been dipping my toe into herbalism this year, so why not go for it?  (Turmeric's supposed to be an antioxidant and anti-inflammatory agent.)

I'm pretty flexible with my recipes at home, so I guessed at my measurementswhile adding the ingredients I had on hand.  After taking a peek at Wooden Spoon Herb's powder recipe, I decided to add some ginger and cinnamon to my cup, along with the cocoa, turmeric, butter, and milk (no ashwagandha).

My first attempt was best described as sludgy, but it wasn't bad.  Later I adjusted my ratio of powders to milk, and then at work I got to try it with almond milk (a mix of sweetened and unsweetened almond milk).  That's where I found my sweet spot.

It's not for everyone, but I enjoy the earthiness, the savory and calming heaviness of the drink, and the process of building the drink and whisking it with my matcha whisk.  Also, I absolutely love butter and pretty much anything that contains it, so I was already predisposed to like this thing.

Have you tried golden cocoa?  Do you think you will?  What warm things have you been gravitating toward since the weathers become colder?

And some extra reading for your weekend...

Just interesting

• K-Beauty's takeover of the West
• Did you know that you can buy pho soup base cubes?  They're like bouillon cubes, and my Vietnamese friend recommends these ones.  Look for them at your local Asian food store!  I've made the soup twice in the last 3 weeks and I'm craving it right now.
• Oysters on the half shell are saving New York's eroding coastline! 
• 100 websites that changed the internet

Social issues

• This Twitter thread on the real root behind abortion and how to solve it.  What do you think?
• Women are better leaders than we've been told!  This is so validating for me.  I've always wanted to lead, and I've rarely been told I can, let alone that I'm allowed to.  Here are some next steps advising leaders to embrace the feminine of leadership.
• Vintage ads showing a different kind of sexism.  (It's supposed to be offensive.)
• How should the church really respond to sexual abusers?  I really appreciate Samantha speaking into this space.

Design inspiration

• Regulating facial recognition because this stuff is creepy and I don't want to live in a Black Mirror episode.
• Preventing suicide through design
• I love these beautiful and delightful mini animations!

Recommended from July (whith whisky chocolate chip cookies)

I've been keeping track of links to share like I used to, but for a while, I'll be running a big Recommended post each month instead of each week.  Hopefully three weeks absence will make the heart grow fonder when a new Recommended post rolls out!

via Bon Appétit

First, a recipe!  I highly recommend these chocolate chip cookies made with whiskey and rye.  A friend of mine made them, and they blew me away!  These are in my top 3 favorite cookies I've ever tasted, no lie.  I haven't made them myself yet, but I hope that when I do, they turn out just as good!

An amazing story of a man harnessing the seas in an entirely new way to provide for the future.

A funny bit for your weekend: Kittens vs Thugs

I love this idea for chore dates!  Maybe it's just my get-things-done nature, but I really do think this would be fun.

Great encouragements on being a Girl Boss collected by Joanna from Cup of Jo -- This quote is my favorites:

“I always did something I was a little not ready to do. I think that’s how you grow. When there’s that moment of ‘Wow, I’m not really sure I can do this,’ and you push through those moments, that’s when you have a breakthrough.” — Marissa Mayer

I love this series from Cup of Jo about parenting around the world.  You may have seen it, it's pretty popular, but it's always worth another look, in my opinion.

Tips on how to make your clothes last longer (and save $$).

Shut the front door.  There's an otter preserve in California where you can swim with otters!  Here's a video.  Time to move to the West Coast!

Did you know that King Tut's sword was made with the metal from a meteorite??

The adorable frustrations that come with being a baby panda zoo keeper

Hope you have a great weekend!  See you again in August!

Recommended with Sukiyaki

I'll stop you right there.  No, this is not what authentic sukiyaki looks like.  Sukiyaki is a Japanese dish prepared similarly to a hot pot, and I'm 99% sure it isn't usually paired with rice.  It does, however, go well with rice, so that's how I built my dinner when making sukiyaki for the first time.  It was so delicious with rice, in fact, I'll probably always include rice in the meal!  So yeah, I know, this isn't the real deal, but the recipe I got for the sukiyaki meat and vegetables is legitimate, and I highly recommend it!

I will say, the first time I made sukiyaki, I made it by the book and followed all the ratios exactly (but I had run out of mirin, so I had to use my expensive sake instead 😭).  It came out quite salty and quite sweet, so my second time making the recipe, I toned down the soy sauce and sugar, and I enjoyed it better.  I'm still looking for the best blend to suit my tastes, but don't let that dissuade you.  The flavors are strong, but they are also good.

Sukiyaki is traditionally prepared over a portable stove at the table with everyone around the table dipping and adding to it and eating from the pot all together.  Thankfully, Chef Marc describes how you can still cook sukiyaki without a portable stove.  I made mine on the stovetop, and it turned out just fine.  I like using a round steak cut for the meat and for the vegetables, I use two different kinds of mushrooms (shimeji and enoki), white onions cut lengthwise, the whites of leeks cut crosswise, the whites of green onions cut into 2-inch sections, and canned bamboo shoots.

I have no problem with chopping veggies for 15 minutes or so, but slicing the pound of beef I use has given me serious trouble.  I've permanently delegated that task to Caleb, but before I did, I used my carving knife on the frozen beef and sliced off very thin slivers for forty minutes, which is why I won't be doing it again.  It might be worth it to ask if your butcher can slice the meat for you at the market.

Adding lots of vegetables help to bulk up the meal, and again I know it's not authentic, but everything goes so nicely with white sticky rice.  It mellows out the flavors so well.  Both times I've made this, it's produced a lot of food, and it ends up being pretty cheap per serving.  Yay for budget-friendly, yet exciting dinners!  Let me know if you try it!  (Here's the recipe to the link again.)

Recommended with sukiyaki...

Did you know that hearing and tasting what you see is a thing for some people???

How peacock feathers look under a microscope

I just discovered Atlas Obscura's website, and I think everyone should know about it!  Check out the hidden secrets of your area or the city you're visiting on your next vacation.  Turns out there's a hidden alternate universe here in Atlanta right underneath my favorite ice cream shop!

I ran with a small dream and submitted an application to Anthropologie earlier this month (and got a job offer!), which got me more curious about the company's inner workings.  Check out this detailing of the Anthro store aesthetic and these 18 facts.

I've never had it before, but I think this "New Orleans" coffee drink is worth getting super coffee snobby for.   I read about it on Cup of Jo, and it sounds like such a wonderful cup!  Have you tried it?  Is it worth it?

By the way, who knew there were so many different ways to prepare coffee?  Before seeing this list of brewing guides, I only knew about regular coffee pots (which aren't even mentioned in the list), the Chemex, French press, and pour over cups.  From what I can see, I think I would really like coffee made from a Hario Nel.

I met a very cool cat this month (I literally mean a cat), which makes me really wish my husband weren't allergic.  To satiate my new and unexpected cat love, I've found this new Adventure Cats website!

Have a great weekend!

Recommended with pan-seared salmon

via Serious Eats

My sister is allergic to salmon, so whenever my mom prepared it at home (usually when my sister was away for a party or something), it was always a treat.  Since marrying and learning how to cook with Caleb, I've found that he unfortunately doesn't like the baked salmon I grew up with.  Instead of giving up on my favorite fish, I searched for other ways to prepare it, which led me to J. Kenji López-Alt's incredbly in depth article on Serious Eats about how to pan-fry salmon.

Fair warning: this is a long read, but it is so worth it.  My first time frying salmon after reading this piece, the fish had been infused with magic.  Soft center, crispy-crispy skin, and flavor everywhere.  Never will I ever prepare salmon any other way!  I do want to say that following this recipe and cooking the salmon correctly is not easy.  When you reach perfection, you know it, and when you miss the mark, you know it.  I've probably missed the mark a few more times than reaching perfection, which is always disappointing to me, but an imperfect salmon filet is still tasty, so I don't miss out on much.  All that to say, I wouldn't be too worried about not getting it just right when you're starting out.  I've found that it's hard to get the hang of it, and even harder to be consistent.

Go ahead and dive into the article and soak in as much as you can, but I also drafted up a helpful paraphrase to have handy when you finally get the fish to the frying pan.  I also want to add my own tip: make sure your salmon filets are of even thickness throughout as much as possible.  This will allow the fish to cook evenly.  If my filets are uneven, I'll sometimes cut them so I  can cook one batch of thick filets and one batch of thinner filets to hopefully get better results.

How to pan-fry salmon, as per J. Kenji López-Alt:

1. Preheat the oil over medium high heat.
2. Pat the salmon with paper towels to get it as dry as possible, then season with salt and pepper on both sides.
3. Once the fish hits the pan (skin side down!), immediately reduce the heat to medium low.
4. Also once the fish hits the pan, press the salmon firmly against the pan for the first minute or two to set the skin to the pan.  Use a flexible fish spatula.
5. Don't force the food out of the pan!  When the skin is crispy, it will release easily, which will be after about 6 minutes.
6. Use a meat thermometer to tell you exactly when the fish is ready.  You should be looking for 120°F in the center.
7. Flip salmon and let is sit on pan for just a brief moment, about one minute longer.  Then you're finished!

Let me know if you try it, and enjoy these links with your weekend!

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This butterfly print and these postcards from Idlewild are so beautiful!  (And how pretty a word is "Idlewild," by the way?)

The message on this mug, especially in picture #2, might be the story of my life.  Whups.

Hilarious.  16 of the worst DIY projects on Pinterest.

Check out these awesome bookshelves and bookends.

I enjoyed reading through this article on strong female characters vs strong characters who are female.  There is a difference!  The first time I remember being frustrated with a female lead was when I watched Blake Lively's character in Accepted.  The character was so flat and pointless in the story of the plot.  I've come to really appreciate female characters who are complex and driven in their own lives.  (This is also another reason why I recommend watching Avatar: The Last Air Bender!)  If you can get past the patriarchy hate and get through the article, could you tell me what your thoughts are?

When meeting a new baby... this is (sadly?) how I feel every time.

How interesting!   This startup is working on making crowd-sourced solar energy a reality!  You go, techy nerds!

April Showers season is in full swing here in Atlanta, and I think having this raincoat (in jewel, please) would make the weather easier to get along with.  By the way, check out the rest of the company's products!  They make sure everything they sell is slavery-free!

In the same vein,  why caring about who made your clothes isn't just for rich people.

Good news!  There's an illustrated version of Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets coming out this October, and it is beautiful!!  I love the phoenix illustration.

Enjoy your weekend!

Recommended with Caribbean Salad

I had the usual good intentions of publishing this on Friday, but I ended up having a rough emotional day, and then to distract myself, I've fallen down the delightful hole of Ancestry.com!  I favor my father's side, because I still love my maiden name so much, but there's a lot more work that's been done on my mother's side.  I'm lucky to have an uncle who's done so much research!  Turns out I'm descended from kings, knights, witches, crusaders, and saints, all on my mom's side.  I hit a veign of gold when I found someone in my ancestry who matched up with a Wikipedia article.  Old time Western European aristocracy did a great job of tracking their lineage.  So, that's what my entire weekend's being spent on!

I do want to give you a recipe, though, the promised side salad I usually make with jerk chicken.  My mom made this for us a lot in Puerto Rico, and it was one of the few dishes she made that used cilantro.  Now, whenever I have cilantro, it takes me back to my childhood in Puerto Rico.

This dish is perfect for summertime, and it's very versatile.  Just deduct whatever ingredient you don't like.  I usually make two versions at home: one without jalapeños for me and one without beans for Caleb.  The salad tastes best when all the flavors are allowed to marry.  I like it best after about a day.

Caribbean Salad

(I'm not sure what else to call it.)

• 1 red bell pepper, diced
• 1 green bell pepper, diced
• 1 japaeño pepper, diced small
• 3 green onions, chopped
• 10 oz. frozen corn, thawed
• 1 can black beans, drained
• 2 tbs cilantro, chopped (though I usually put in tons)
• 3 tbs fresh lime juice (though I've used lemon, and it's fine)
• 2 tbs olive oil
• 1/8 tsp salt

Just mix everything together, and you're done!  This recipe makes enough for probably at least 8 servings.  It makes a lot.

And links for the second half of your weekend!

I often work from home, which means Mako gets to play intern, but I would love to work at a place like this super dog friendly office.

I've always been interested in mythology and old superstitions.  I just learned about the Icelandic vegvísir symbol, which is supposed to keep travelers safe in dangerous weather.  I think it's fascinating to learn the meanings of ancient runes!  I really wish I could know the full story behind the butterknot, though, which was used "to ensure butter was procured through non-magical means."

My most recent bra purchases came from AdoreMe.  I find their sets flirty and within my usual price range.  But!  This list of 4 upcoming lingerie lines makes me curious about branching out.  This one, though, Edge O' Beyond, is crazy luxurious.  I signed up for their newsletter last year, but I know I'll probably never own any of their fancy lacy things.

This made me laugh.  If cities were your boyfriend.

Did you see Marvel's new contest for girls changing the world with science?

Check out how these iconic logos have changed since their creation.  Fascinating.

My friend Stephanie Whitacre sharing another bit of wisdom about encouraging your future self.

I don't know what it is, but I seem to have a hard time with shoes.  In the summer, I'm almost always in my clunky but comfy Chaco sandals, and all the other girls seem to look much cuter in their booties and espadrilles and even super new sneakers.  I think I've found a way to break into the cute shoes game, though, with these cross-strap flats.  And for under $30, too!

It's all advice you've heard before, but maybe you forget like I do.  How to have a better morning.

Recommended with Crockpot Jerk Chicken

This chicken, y'all, is where it's at.  I don't know how else to introduce this dish.  Bright, juicy, flavorful, and healthy, I want to eat this chicken every week.  It's also crazy easy to make.  No, really.  I take the time to skin my chicken pieces (or Caleb sometimes volunteers for the job), but besides that, the recipe is as difficult as measuring spices and rubbing them on raw chicken.  That's pretty much all you have to do besides turn on the crockpot.  It is important to make sure you don't overcook the chicken because the dryness will overwhelm the dish, but as long as you keep that in check and follow the ratios of the recipe, you can't go wrong.

I decided to try out making jerk chicken when I was in a culinary lull.  This addition to our menu brought a brightness among our winter usuals.  When paired with the bean and pepper salad and platanos, it felt like we were having a Caribbean feast!  I use the recipe as written by Stephanie on A Year of Slow Cooking.  The only thing I change is that I use only dark meat pieces instead of a whole chicken.  I find dark meat to be tastier and less prone to dryness, so I usually opt for dark meat when it's an option.

I'll be sharing the recipe for platanos and my mom's recipe for the bean and pepper salad in the next couple weeks, so stay tuned and enjoy!

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Recommended with the tastiest and easiest crockpot jerk chicken...

A powerful quote:

"Your value does not decrease based on someone's inability to see your worth."

- Unknown

A new way to make a stay-put bun

International Women's Day was this past week (yay women!).  As we celebrate how far women have come in many parts of the world, I encourage you to take look through this post about the importance of separating Girl Power from Boy Hate.

16 tips for much better small talk.  I've used one of these lines already, and I got into a delightful conversation that went nowhere near what we do for work.

Which fast food restaurant serves the best milkshake?  The definitive research is in, and I'm not the least bit surprised.

This dog + elephant friendship

This post about having it all as a woman is... legit.  I've read lots of opinions about this topic and all the little branches that come from this topic, and I think this author nails it on the head.

Unroll is an email life saver!  It allowed me to automatically unsubscribe from 24 newsletters at once, and my email is so much cleaner now!  On the other hand, I also feel a lot less popular because I'm getting about 30% fewer emails now, ha!

This post shares some sensibility and challenges around what and why we should post on social media.  I've talked with a few different friends about this very topic, and authenticity seems to be a very important thing that we want from ourselves and our friends, but I think that it's not always something I require from everyone I follow on social media.  Most of the accounts I follow on Instagram, I follow because they post pretty pictures.  If pictures of my friends pop up, too, that's great, and I'd expect them to share their highlight reel more than their bloopers, but I expect the artists and professionals I follow to post a higher curated quality.  What do you think?

I've been working on my winged eyeliner, and it's pretty much going like this.  Can someone teach me how to do this right?

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The Having It All article, Unroll, and the eyeliner video were found via Yes and Yes guest post by Andrea Isabelle Lucas, which I also recommend checking for a few more link goodies.

Recommended with Chicken Marsala

I'm running a day late with this post, and I don't even have any good pictures to put with it, either!  I can 100% vouch for this recipe, though.  I had a failed attempt making chicken marsala our first year of marriage that scared me away from trying again for a long time.  Late last summer, I decided to give it one more go, and I'm glad I came across Tyler Florence's recipe for chicken marsala instead of whatever other recipe I'd tried before. 

This dish is very, very simple, and it always turns out great for me.  It does end up taking more time than I think it should, but I think that comes down to all the different steps.  Cut the mushrooms, cut and pound the chicken, dredge the chicken in flour, cook the chicken, cook the mushrooms, simmer the sauce.  Each step doesn't take long in itself, so it doesn't feel like it takes a long time to make, but when the clock shows it's forty minutes later by the time I'm finished, it makes me appreciate the tasty meal all the more.  

I've only used the recommended prosciutto once; the recipe is totally fine without it and without the parsley garnish, too.  I've also never used the recommended type of mushrooms.  (Where does one even find cremini mushrooms?)  I like to serve the chicken marsala over angel hair pasta with something vegetable-y on the side.  Find the recipe and a video here!

And now some links to rove through this weekend!  Enjoy!

I was sent a fascinating podcast about a creepy part of the K-pop industry, which I'd recommend checking out, but I also want to tell you about the accompanying K-pop playlist.  It's really good!

I had blood work done this week as part of an annual physical, and it turns out I'm deficient in vitamin D!  I did some brief research, and there are some pretty scary symptoms from vitamin D deficiency (who knew?), but thankfully I like a lot of things on this list of foods high vitamin D.  Just wanted to pass on the info!  Get your sunshine, friends!  Let's ward off schizophrenia together!

I've developed a small obsession for colormelt hair in vibrant, bold colors.  Warm, cool, and very cool.  I just love it! 

You need to watch these parrots show you how to dance to club music.  (The deep house and dubstep parrots are my favorites.)

Check out these beautiful photos Commander Scott Kelly took while in space.  I love the one of the Bahamas and the lake in Tibet.

The Downton Abbey finale is this Sunday!  Will you be watching for these last minutes hopes for the characters of Downton?  I'm so sad for it to be over, and I think my only consolations are the new seasons of House of Cards and Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.  They're both the complete opposites of Downton, but Caleb and I have been big fans.

Relevant for many of us city living folks

How is it that soft buns and relaxed, comfortable clothing make girls look so tied together?  Exhibit B just to prove my point.

Did you see my post from Wednesday about indoor plants?  This post about trees you can grow indoors came at the perfect time.  I want all of them.

Have a great weekend!

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!

Recommended with Borscht

I had the privilege of visiting Russia in the spring of 2005 for a missions trip.  I spent time at two orphanages and helped share the gospel and new hats and shoes with the kids.  While I was there, I tried hot tea for the first time.  Oh the memories!  They served it with sweetened condensed milk, so of course I loved it.  I also got to try borscht, a soup made with beets.  I really liked it, and when I was wanting to expand my cooking options this winter, I decided to try making a batch.

I blended together this recipe from Natasha's Kitchen and this recipe from All Recipes.  I'll often go off book when testing our a recipe, and thankfully, that worked out just find with this dish.  I ended up using three beets, some potatoes, cabbage (of course), carrots, oinion, and celery for my vegetables.  I didn't have any caraway seed, so I used fennel instead, which was fine.  I also did not use any ketchup, toamatos,  tomato paste, beans, or honey, and I used apple cider vinegar for my acid.

I loved my borscht!  The broth's flavor turned out just how I wanted it to!  The flavor of the beets came through really nicely, and I also liked how hearty the soup felt with all those vegetables in every bite.  I topped it with sour cream, but without it, the soup is very, very low fat.

I took some of my borscht to work, and I have a Russian friend there I asked to taste it.  He said that he'd recommend shredding the cabbage thinner, but other than that, he said it was good!  He also said that there' no such thing as traditional borscht, because every home makes it differently.  Let that be an encouragement if you're thinking about trying this recipe!  Feel free to adjust ingredients like I did or even bring in new ideas!  My mom made a version once that had very few vegetables and included mushrooms.  Let me know if you try it!

And now, recommended with borscht...

I love all of these tips from Design*Sponge for a happy home, but #4 (treat yourself like a guest) might be my favorites.

This dog is a prefect representation of how I am in my relationship with Caleb.  Haha!

And wow!  These dogs are so well behaved!

I had to recently take apart our bed and move our mattress to the floor.  Our box springs had become very squeaky, and I wasn't getting any sleep.  Now that we sleep with our mattress on the floor, I've been tempted to go all out Japanese design in our bedroom!

The most beautiful bra

Any Jessica Jones or Doctor Who fans out there?  This made me laugh.

Now that I'm older, out in the world, and no longer in college, I spend a lot of time with people who are different than me.  We make different decisions, and I know that I sometimes stand out because of how I live my life.  That's why I want everyone to read this post from Yes and Yes.

Recommended with bulgogi

Since living in Korea for 16 months a while back, I've been a huge fan of Korean food.  Surprisingly, it's been a slow process of bringing good Korean recipes into our home cooking repertoire.  Honestly, I'm usually worried to try making a new dish because I'm afraid that I won't make it right and I'll just be disappointed.  Thankfully Caleb doesn't have that same perspective.  Last month, he whipped up some bulgogi using this recipe by Maangchi, and I'm so glad he did!  It became an instant favorite and we've had it once a week ever since.

Caleb's said that this recipe is very easy, and I can vouch for how delicious it is.  I highly recommend trying it out!  We like to eat it over rice with an egg fried over easy, some kimchi, and some mung bean sprouts sauteed with a little bit of kimchi juice.  The meat makes for great leftovers, too!  Let me know if you try it!

Recommended with this super awesome delicious Korean bulgogi...

This quote from Levi Lusko.  I got to volunteer at the Passion Conference this last weekend.  I didn't get to hear much of the speakers, but I did hear this.  Levi's little girl died a few years ago, and he's been sharing about the depth of that experience.  What he has to say is absolutely amazing, and I highly recommend checking him out or reading his book.

Two things you should do to communicate better by John Saddington (quick read!)

Oh my gosh, this puppy!

Christmas has past, and getting presents for others probably isn't on the radar anymore.  Now is the time to read this post!

Atlanta people, if you've been wanting Japanese food but don't want to go to Burford Highway, just come to West Midtown!  Ginya Izakaya rocked my taste buds last weekend.  Here's the review I wrote!

A 500-year-old love letter that might make you cry

One of my beefs with modern feminism is how often they make men out to be an enemy to be treated poorly.   If feminists truly cared about equality like they say they do, you'd think they'd speak out against things like the unfairness toward men in divorce.  This article focuses on the processes in England, but a lot of the same prejudices and favoritism is in practice in America, too.  (Anyone see Ant-Man?  Or this story from HONY?)

A beautiful picture of Yosemite Valley by Phil Hawkins

Recommended with Smitten Kitchen's One-Pan Farro

 I've found another go-to recipe, y'all!

via Smitten Kitchen

 A college friend posted the link on Facebook last week along with high praise, so I tried it after my next grocery trip.  I sliced some andouille sausage and cooked that separately then combined everything once all was cooked.  This stuff was delicious!  Hearty, healthy, and best with lots of basil, in my opinion.  Check out Smitten Kitchen's one-pan farro recipe here!

Now for the other recommendations...

Recommended with the Best Scrambled Eggs

Caleb recently discovered Gordon Ramsey's recipe for scrambled eggs.  He tried it out for the first time last Saturday and brought me the most delicious breakfast in bed, and then we've made these eggs two more times in the last 7 days.  If you follow the recipe, they turn out so light and fluffy and creamy.  In a word, perfect.

Now for the links I recommend with scrambled eggs...

(It's hard to believe it's been such a long time since I've done one of these collections!)

A fascinating collection of postcards from Google Earth

Even more fascinating: these stills from Google Street View

These doggy fetch fails remind me of my own pup.

An open-ended write up of some positive strategies for coping with stress

Have you seen everyone making a big deal of Becca the Badass?  I'm a fan.

Skateboard cat!

If I didn't share a bedroom with a boy, I'm pretty sure my room would look like this.

Recommended with Steak Salad

Caleb and I read an article this week that pushed us to cut out even more refined sugars and refined carbohydrates than before, and we were already doing pretty well, by regular standards.  Well I'm glad for the new challenge, because it brought about this new delicious meal!  Steak salad!

I don't have a recipe for you, but it's pretty simple to figure out.  Wash, dry, and chop your veggies and plate.  I used tomatoes, mushrooms, and avocados over romaine lettuce.  Caleb had cucumbers, tomatoes, and grated cheddar cheese.  Caleb seared a New York strip steak in butter on a cast iron skillet until it was rare/medium rare, then sliced it thin to top our salads.  I used salt to top mine off, and Caleb used ranch.  Delicious perfection, folks.  We're already looking forward to the next time we have this dish!

Homemade Masala Chai!

I am so excited to share this recipe with you all!  I love-love-love chai, and I felt like a thrilled little kid when I found out I could make it at home last year.  It wasn't until this summer that I had all the ingredients I needed for a good chai, and to be honest, there's still one ingredient I leave out, but I am very pleased with what I have, and I want to tell you about it!

Recommended with Miso Ramen

Guys.  I made Japanese miso ramen two weeks ago, last night, and I'm making it again on Sunday because it is awesome.  I'm so glad I decided to make not just the ramen soup but also the shoyu eggs and chashu (pork belly) to go on top.  It brought the ramen from amazing to killer amazing.  So really, I have three recipes to share with you today.  Even if you don't have the pork belly, though, this stuff is so darn good, and there are plenty other creative toppings you can use!  Mung bean sprouts, seaweed, chili oil, carrots, etc.  I'd love to know what new things you come up with if you try it.

Recommended with Carnitas

I've got an awesome recipe to share with you.  Slow cooker carnitas!  I've made it twice, and it's a favorite.

I got the recipe from The Noshery.  I almost followed it perfectly. I used all the same ingredients exactly like prescribed, but I didn't cut the meat before hand.  I actually just cut the huge pork shoulder in half and plopped it into the crock pot and continued with the rest of the steps.  When it was finished cooking, the first time I made it I fried up some of the meat, but I found that took away the moisture, so the second time I made it, I didn't fry it, which makes the recipe that much easier.

Put meat in crock pot > Put ingredients on top of meat (you don't even have to mince the garlic if you don't want to) > Shred meat in its juices once it's finished cooking > Serve with tortillas!

Bada-bing!

My favorite toppings are pictured above.  A little bit of sour cream, avocado, radishes, and fresh cilantro.  It's the perfect bite of summer!  (I'd love to have people over for an end-of-summer party and serve these carnitas and this cilantro lime shrimp I tried last week.)

Bonus: You can use some meat and its juices to make this great and hearty Puerto Rican soup called posole.  See the recipe here.

Recommended with carnitas...

Recommended for Celebrating

How do you like to celebrate your birthday?

Now that I have a husband, I've found that I want extra focus on me for my birthday (2 days!).  I swear this is a new development.  Put into action, I've decided that I'll be choosing the dinner menus for the week before my birthday.  I want to be sure that we have macaroni and cheese and that I make myself an artichoke (a very special treat).

For the actual day, I already have plans for us to go to the aquarium.  In the evening, either Caleb and I will have dinner at Sufi's or, if my girlfriends are able to meet up, we're going to hang out somewhere and I'll bake and bring some lemon cake cookies!

These lemon cake cookies.  Oh my gosh.

My mom made them for one of her Bible study groups last year, and I could not stop eating them.  They are so soft and that perfect bright blend of sweet lemon.  I'm not sure where my mom got the recipe from; it's all over the internet, and for good reason.  It's also very, very easy.  Definitely a keeper.

Recommended for celebrating...

Reccommended with My New Favorite Sandwich

The BLTCE.

Bacon, lettuce, tomato, cheese, and egg grilled sandwich.

I saw the idea while browsing through Pinterest, and knew it would be a winner.  Millie's tried it, too, and we're all big fans.  I realized yesterday that I've had some left over tomato and lettuce in the fridge for a while, and I sure don't want those to spoil, so Caleb and I are having BLTCEs tonight, too!  They are so savory and hot and crispy and exciting.

If you want the recipe, here it is, but we just wing it when we make these, and we use sharp cheddar.

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Recommended while you lick your fingers after eating your sandwich...

Recommended with Crockpot Butter Chicken Curry

Another one from Damn Delicious, butter chicken curry from a crock pot!
We have a new favorite in our house!  My first time cooking curry, my first time carting the crockpot to work so I could have the food cooking for only 5 hours, and Caleb's first time trying the dish.  Guys, the hard work and bravery were worth it.  We give this one 5 our of 5 stars.

It took a while to gather all of the different ingredients, we haven't had any need for masala before, but I'm glad I made the effort.  This hearty, filling dish made for a meal almost by itself.  I'm used to scooping up curry with naan (we used flat bread when we tried it at home), but Caleb had no problem just digging in with a spoon.

Creamy, healthy, and delicious, I can't wait to try this again!  I want to experiment with the spice proportions, and I want to see if I prefer the curry thick or thin.  I added in more flour after cooking the curry so that it would be thick this time.  Also, I am very tempted to try making naan at home, but I haven't done bread before, so I'm a bit nervous.

Let me know if you try this recipe!  Eventually I want to test out this other recipe for butter chicken, too.  I'm waiting because I know it will take a lot more time (no crockpot for this recipe), and saffron is expensive, but I'll let you know when I get around to it!

via Damn Delicious

Recommended with Crockpot Butter Chicken Curry... 

Kitchen Experiment: Ice Cream Bread

I heard about this cakey, ice creamy, bready dessert first on this thread in Reddit.  I'd bookmarked the other recipes mentioned, but for some reason gave the Ice Cream Bread recipe a second look.  I talked it over with my sister briefly, and we decided it was a ridiculous idea.  So, what the heck, we tried it.

Peach Cobbler ice cream is supposed to be amazing in this recipe, but we only had lactose-free vanilla, caramel, and strawberry.  The lactose-free stuff is usually saved for my mom, and my sister thinks the caramel is too sweet, so strawberry it was.

I mashed the flour and ice cream together Cold Stone style.  It tasted like a strawberry Pop Tart.  It was also hard to mix very well, so I let it sit and warm for a while.

Once it was all moist and in the too-big pan, it looked more like it could be bread.

Here you can see clearly how the pan was too big or the portion was too small.

Tada!  After 45 minutes we had what Taylor likened to a scone and I likened to a biscuit or shortcake.

I think that, with the proper amounts of ingredients, the ice cream bread would come out more cakey.  As it is, I cut all the portions in half because I wasn't sure if I would like it.  Less food being cooked for the same amount of time prescribed in the recipe is what made mine an ice cream biscuit.

I put ice cream on mine.  Don't judge.

I'd like to try the recipe again with a different flavor and definitely with the correct portions.  I believe in its potential.  The stuff I ate just now is pretty good, but I'd really like to try it in its true form.