Taking a Break ... Now and Then.

The last couple weeks have been pretty crazy.  I have read over 100 articles just this week, and have had very little time to cook and clean, let alone have fun.  I basically come home from work, do research, eat, and then do more research.  

I have been fueling up on veggies to get a bunch of vitamins and help keep me from getting run down.  My latest favourite snack has been a giant bowl of brussels sprouts.  I have also been juicing:

On Thursday I took 1/2 hour to make risotto to go with the turkey sausage that the hubby made:

 

Also, I was very thankful that the generous people at One Earth sent me some Quinoa Crunch Chocolate Square Mix, that allowed me to bake something in 5 minutes.   

All I needed to add was eggs, butter and oil. 

 

I went out last night for the first time in a couple weeks.  After a long day of a thesis seminar, and making notes, I needed a break.  We decided at the last minute to dress up and head to our friends' Halloween party for a couple hours.  We only went out from about 8:30-11:00, but it was nice to step away from papers and my computer for a while.

I dressed up as Minnie :-)  

Did you go out this weekend to celebrate Halloween?

Are you handing out candy on Halloween, taking someone trick or treating, dressing up, going out, or none of the above?

Enjoy your Sunday peeps!  

I will be writing all day, and praying that it goes smoothly.

Ridiculously Easy Beer Bread

This recipe literally took me 2 minutes to throw together yesterday after work.  My friend over at Simply Life made it with pumpkin beer, but I didn't have that, so I worked with what I had.  It turned out beautifully, and is so moist.  I made a sandwich with it today.

Easy Beer Bread

Adapted from: Simply Life

2 cups whole wheat flour

1 cup white flour

1 T sugar

1 tsp sea salt

1 T baking powder

14 oz beer (I used Kilkenny)

Preheat oven to 375.

Mix everything except beer into a bowl.  Add beer.  Stir.

Spray a loaf pan and pour in batter.

Bake 45 minutes.

Before:

After:

Have you ever made your own bread?  

What is the easiest, most delicious bread you make?

Feel free to leave links!

Another super easy, amazing bread that I love to make is this one.

Dinner Party and Thesis Research

Last night our friends Emma and Dalton had us over for a dinner party to celebrate Dalton's birthday.  We started with some delicious edamame beans with olive salt, lemon, and olive oil.  We also had 2 delicious salads and fresh bread. My favourite salad was this one:

 

The main course was a cheesy, delicious manicotti.  

I loved every bite, and went back for seconds:

We had a huge selection of desserts.  I brought burnt grapes, and some of Angela's pumpkin pie brownie 'cupcakes':

They were the first thing that I baked this fall, and it felt good to get back in the kitchen, if only for a short time.  

Today I have a date with this stack of articles:

Dear Thesis Research,

You suck.

    

How was your weekend?  

What was the highlight? 

Eating from the Freezer

I had class on Wednesday night, and had to do homework before heading to class.  The hubby took some bolognese sauce from the freezer (I made a bunch before the semester started), and we had dinner together in no time.  

A few weeks ago he baked 4 loaves of my favourite bread, so that mornings could be quick and easy as well.  Yesterday I toasted two slices of homemade bread, to enjoy with my perfect scrambled eggs.

 

Another quick meal ... 

Hot dogs.

I just can't let go of summer. 

Happy Friday! What do you have planned for your weekend?

Missing the Kitchen

Thank you for all the wonderful birthday wishes!  I had a great time celebrating, and was able to enjoy one of my favourite meals ...

Bee Bim Bop

I also ate more kimchi than everyone in Korea combined on Saturday.

It was nice to get our for dinner, as I haven't had a lot of time to go out lately.  I also haven't had much time to cook, and I am really missing it.  I feel like I haven't done any cooking in the past two months, and truthfully it has not been a lot.  I have a major itch to get in the kitchen and try some new recipes.  

I haven't even made anything with pumpkin yet!

The hubby has been awesome, as he has been making supper most evenings while I research or write.  He has also been on his own for house cleaning, grocery shopping, etc..  I am excited to have more time to help out in about 6 weeks when I am done all my classes for the degree I am working on.

Last night he made some chicken with Indian spices and brown rice.

What are you missing right now?

Last Year of My Twenties ...

Today is my 29th birthday, and I woke up to this lovely breakfast made for me by the hubby.

After that it was 3.5 hours at the spa ... and tonight we are going out with a bunch of friends for a Korean dinner, and a night of fun at our local Oktoberfest. 

Not a bad way to start out my 29th year ...

My New Addiction

My dinner of spaghetti squash and trout was fantastic this evening, but by about 8:30 I was craving a snack, and a grapefruit just wasn't going to cut it tonight.

The hubby and I dug into our new favourite snack - Veggie Straws (from Costco).  We have been nibbling on these for a couple weeks now and are hooked.

The hubby told me he could easily eat the entire bag to himself.  

He's not alone.

The crunch of these french-fry like snacks is so satisfying. They are totally addictive.

Random Fact: The word "addicting" is a pet peeve of mine.  I much prefer "addictive"

Example: "These chips are so addicting!" - BARF

Example: "These chips are so addictive." - Not barf

Have you tried veggie straws?

What snack do you find to be highly addictive?

Do you say "addicting" or "addictive"?

Thankful

Today is Canadian Thanksgiving, so I want to wish a very Happy Thanksgiving to all my fellow Canadians.

Today I am thankful for my loving husband, who made me waffles this morning. 

I love him more and more each day. 

Today I am thankful for my family, and the time we get to spend together.  My dad had us over for a delicious turkey dinner this evening.  He can pull off a Thanksgiving feast on his own, at 70 years of age, and make it look easier than making toast.  If I have any skills in throwing dinner parties, they have been passed on to me by my parents - both of whom have talents in the kitchen, barely batting an eyelash while having 7 or 8 dishes on the go.  It is really impressive.

What are you thankful for today?

House Guests and Weekend Wedding

We hosted some house guests this weekend.  Some friends of ours were in town for another one of our friend's weddings, and so we made up a guest room for them for a few nights.  They arrived on Thursday evening, and we went out for some authentic Thai food.

The hubby and I shared some wraps, and then I had the Pad Thai.

 

Last night we had a fabulous time at our friends' wedding, dancing, eating, and visiting.

It was an Italian wedding, so as we went through the receiving line we were given a little snack, and a shot.

The meal started with antipasti, which was followed with lasagna, and then chicken, carrots and potatoes.

The bride and her family made the cake, and there were four different kinds.  I had the some of the coconut cake with almond butter cream.

And if that wasn't enough food, there was also a midnight lunch, and a candy bar.

We were at a friend's wedding in the US a couple years ago, and since the groom was a Canadian, they decided to include a midnight lunch in the wedding.  The Americans hadn't heard of this tradition.

Not everyone has a midnight lunch, but it is quite common where we are from.

Have you ever heard of a midnight lunch at a wedding?  

Do people do this where you are from?

Craving New ...

I haven't had the time this semester to do a lot of cooking.  Luckily I cooked about 20 meals for my freezer at the end of summer, and did 3 months worth of meal planning to make things easier during these busy few months of full-time grad school and full-time work.  It has definitely helped keep me sane.

I have the major urge to try something new, and if it can't be a new recipe, then it will have to be a product I haven't tried before.  The kind people at Artisana sent me some samples of their products, and yesterday morning I tried the walnut butter.  I used it in a bowl of banana, maple walnut oats.

Luckily, yesterday I also had the time to try a new recipe.  I made Angela's Creamy Roasted Tomato, Garlic & Onion Coconut Soup.  It was full of flavour (I added extra Garam Masala), and good for a cool Fall day.

Today I had a simpler, very-easy to make dinner - a Hippie Bowl.  

You can find my recipe for it here.

Have you been trying any new recipes lately?  

Are you having a busy Fall so far?

I'm Totally Transparent

In class on Wednesday my sweet friend Vanessa told me she had something for me ...

She bought me this bookmark :-):

She thought it was sooooo me.

I have absolutely no idea what would give her that idea.  

Hehe - thanks Vanessa!

What are you up to this weekend?

I am attempting to do homework, but really I am thinking about buying this.