Friday Love! {6.10.16}

one // These pictures of Lydia eating corn last weekend. She was all about that corn and wasn't about to share with anyone either!

two // Buying 10 plantains for $1.99 and yucca for $0.69 a pound in New Jersey… It made part of me miss living in Jersey. We used a few of the plantains for tostones on Tuesday and now that the rest of them are ripening I'm going to make a pastelon tomorrow! And instead of making yucca fries, I'm going to boil chunks and serve them with mojo because it's been a while!

three // This blog post on protecting your marriage. Such encouraging list of things I know and have heard in different ways but always need reminded of. IE: raying for Michael, doing more of those little things, making time for him, etc. Life gets hectic being a mom, and unfortunately I haven't been making my most important relationship top priority. The list reminded me that I need to spend more time praying for Michael and being present for him. Fortunately we are going on a date tonight by ourselves to catch and spend much needed alone time with one another!

fresh out of the oven; feelin' confident with my results!

the next day after being transferred, prayin' ice cream will cover this up!

four // I learned a little lesson in pie baking. I baked a cherry pie with frozen cherries and it resulted in an extremely loose/watery filling, and then I transferred it all the way to New Jersey. Unfortunately when I took the pie out of the foil it was covered in the cherry filling and the once flaky crust became soggy. While I did have a mini meltdown, the pie was still 100% edible and was an excellent base for ice cream. I learned that next time I will be using fresh cherries in my next pie : )

five // Our CSA begins this Wednesday and I am so excited! It'll be our third year subscribing and I feel much more confident with knowing what to do with all the produce. I got a spiralizer attachment for my Kitchen-Aid on Christmas so I'm seeing a lot of zucchini pasta in the future, and possibly use my juicer to make fresh juices. (Confession: I've had my juicer for 4 years and only used it twice in my life!) Though I might need to do more research on kohlrabi and what the heck to do with it. That vegetable befuddles me. Any suggestions? 

source

six // I made these mini oatmeal cream pies and they were really quite good! I didn't get a chance to take my own picture but I found them to have the perfect balance of sweet & salty, the cream filling was delightful and not too sweet, the cookies had a nice kick from the cinnamon and were exceptionally soft as any oatmeal cookie should be!

Hope you all have a beautiful weekend!

My Method of Meal Planning and What We Ate Last Week

I thought it would a fun post to share how I plan out my dinners for the week. Menu planning is essential in our family because I don't like the feeling of not knowing what's for dinner and I feel more at ease when I have everything decided for the week; that way when I go grocery shopping I avoid buying unnecessary ingredients and not wasting food is such a rewarding feeling! However, if I'm being honest I don't always have a clear idea what to cook on the weekends, those days are either leftover central or something really simple like a grilled cheese or BLT sandwiches or if my in-laws are free we use it as an opportunity to go on a date!

So here's how my planning usually goes.

• On a Saturday I’ll take out a notepad and pen, write down: Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday. Sometimes we eat leftovers in between days, so I usually cook 3-4 dinners a week. Leftovers are wonderful and should not be underestimated because as much as I love to cook, life gets busy!!

•  I seek some inspiration. If I’m having a hard time choosing meals for the week I’ll pick up an issue of Bon Appetit, Every day with Rachael Ray, or Real Simple and check out their recipes. Or I’ll just go onto Pinterest or The Kitchn blog. Sometimes I don’t even use the recipe’s I find but get inspired by the ingredients and flavor profiles.

• I use meal templates. A meal template is like a formula for a meal. For example: fish or chicken + grain or starchy vegetable + roasted vegetable, homemade pizza + salad, tofu/beans stir fry + grains, etc. I like cooking at least one meatless meal a week to save a little money and because sometimes I need a break from eating meat. I like to use meal templates because they help me stay focused, adapt a well-balanced meal and at the same time be changed based on what we're in the mood for. 

• and sometimes I’ll ask Michael if he has any requests! :)

• We typically go grocery shopping on a Sunday afternoon. Most of the time it’s just Whole Foods, sometimes we go to Costco and Whole Foods! My husband is such a trooper and helps keep Lydia entertained while I do my thang. I don’t know where I would be without him;)

• On Sunday evening I schedule the meals for each day of the week and because I’m a silly girl who thinks I own a café I write down the first dinner on our chalkboard wall. 

And that’s it! Hope I can inspire you by sharing what we ate last week based off of my own little method:

Monday:

Turkey Meatloaf with Batata Fries and Roasted Asparagus

Tuesday and Wednesday:

Pork Chops with Parmesan Roasted Cauliflower and Tostones

Thursday: 

Black Bean Burgers with Smoked Gouda Cheese and Sauteed Baby Broccoli with Spinach

Friday:

Grilled Coconut Lime Honey Shrimp, Mango Salsa, Coconut Rice and Blackberry Margaritas to drink. (A rare Friday that I cooked)

I was feeling ambitious last weekend and actually cooked Saturday evening too, the thing is I didn't photograph any of it. My bad it was a late dinner!! We had roasted Korean glazed chicken wings, leftover coconut rice and mango salsa. And on Sunday we ate leftover wings, only I had to make more rice so I made ginger brown rice and huge kale salad. Deeelish!

How do you plan your meals for the week?

Lydia Renee's First Birthday Party!

Just a small collection of photos from Lydia's first birthday party. While I didn't quite capture every detail on my camera (I somehow forgot to photograph lunch and another banner, whoops!), I am glad I have these pictures to look back on! I'm super grateful for all the help my family handed to bring this party to life and also keeping me sane. Michael helped with the decorations, the cake bunting banner, and made that beautiful flower garland! I made slow roasted pulled pork. I had it cooking throughout the night and before we went to bed, I made Michael pray that it would cook thoroughly before the guests arrived! Thankfully it was perfect, and there was more than enough food to go around.

Mom made chicken empanadas, bacalao salad, a big pot of yellow rice, and salad. She also made those darling brown paper goody bags filled with double chocolate macadamia cookies, sesame cookies and my chocolate dipped coco's. Mom W. made adorable bunny deviled eggs that were also incredibly delicious! I put out some homemade chex mix, a cheeseboard with crackers, some of mom W's jalapeno jelly (so good!) and my brother-in-law's girlfriend made a tasty enchilada dip. For dessert, I had baked yellow layered cake with  chocolate sour cream frosting and vegan dirt cake served with dye-free gummy worms, and of course cafe con leche. Leftovers for days!

The birthday girl slept a little during her party and was initially confused/cranky from the large crowd of people but she eventually adapted, and was enjoying herself! I can't believe she is already one years old. The first 12 months have been such a fun ride and we look forward to new adventures with our daughter, and many more birthdays!

23 things for 2016

Cheers and an abundance of praise to another year of good health, happy memories, blessings and delicious food! I picked 23 things because I'm 23 years old. So here's my list of 23 realistic goals:

1. Memorize scriptures; I have a few favorites but want to add more to my memory to fall back on for encouragement, praise, peace of mind and strength.

2. Pray more; whether it is for praise, family, my congregation or big things that are going on in our country, I need to be praying more.

3. Commit more time to studying the bible; whether it’s in a group setting or on my own time.

This past year, I wrote a short list of things that trigger my anxiety and rated them on a scale of 1-10; 1 being very mild anxiety and 10 being “!!!!” anxiety. I got the tip when I was searching “how to overcome anxiety” and found it to be extremely resourceful. I decided the two that I wanted to overcome this year had to do with everyday encounters.

4.Get over my fear of calling people (that aren’t family) first, and not feeling like it is the scariest thing in the world.

5. Saying what’s on my mind (within context, of course), share my ideas with others and do it all without the fear of sounding stupid. And if I do sound stupid to them, then oh well! I may think I’m going to die from embarrassment but I haven't died from it yet.

“The only real stumbling block is fear of failure. In cooking you've got to have a what-the-hell attitude.” –Julia Child

6. Hone my knifing skills… Relearn how to debone chicken, segment citrus, filet a fish, etc. 

7. Improve my pie/pastry and cake decorating abilities; I got the taste down, but presentation is where I lack and want to practice.  

8.Try to make more foods from scratch. Pasta, bread, stocks, and maybe even goat’s milk yogurt and ricotta cheese just to name a few...

9. Invest and use a kitchen scale for more accurate baking measurements.

10. Learn the basics of building delicious cocktails.

11. Throw dinner party or two! 

12. Take more pictures because there is no such thing as taking too many, and I did't take that many in 2015.

13. Develop recipes, perfect them and post them on this blog with confidence.

14.Create something lovely out of all the wine corks we’ve collected over the course of a year.

15. Learn a new creative skill. Perhaps sewing, pottery, or dancing? Decisions, decisions.

16. Seek out a hobby that Michael, Lydia and I can all do together. And also go on more dates with Michael, and be more present with each other.

17. Walk the Miss Zoe more. Poor thing is getting fat again.

18. Paint and decorate Lydia’s bedroom, and successfully wean her out of our room, have her sleep in the crib, peacefully and without force. Tell me, am I being overly ambitious with this one?

19. Organize the cabinets, closets and dressers. Make this the year be the year, I don't lose any important papers because they are neatly put away in their proper place! 

20.  Similar to the one above, organize the abyss  basement, get rid of the things we truly don't need and then figure out what we can do with the space.

21. Visit my grandparents in Puerto Rico sometime in the spring or summer.

22. Start a garden behind the shed in our backyard, know my plants and treat them with much love.

23. Create new traditions with Michael and Lydia for next Thanksgiving and Christmas. 

I'm feeling more inspired already!!

PS: Those are Michael's beautiful shelves in the photo above, and yes I am obsessed with them.

A Happier Cooking Experience

It’s already August can you guys believe it? I’m excited to say that I started a new chapter in my life as a chef in training at the Natural Gourmet Institute! Currently I’m on a “vacation” (I use air quotes because the school is undergoing maintenance) and I will be back in action in a couple of weeks. I’ve only spent two weeks in the school, and can honestly say that I already love what I’m learning and can’t wait to go back! I love the lectures and even when I’m sleepy I can’t refrain from being deeply engrossed with all the topics. For example I learned that a spoonful of Umeboshi paste can be eaten to alkalize the body, promote concentration and also help with digestion. Bring on the paste!
I think it’s so awesome this school promotes the healing benefits of whole foods and how to cook for people who suffer from various illnesses. It’s not only going to be beneficial for me and my health, but for the health of those who are around me as well. NGI will give the tools to make a difference in someone’s life by doing what I love and that’s more than I could ever ask for. The only challenges at the moment are A) cutting carrots into matchsticks B) working in a tight space with fifteen other people and C) not being allowed to wear nail polish. Challenges that I can’t do anything about but A) practice B) accept and C) deal with it (it’s a safety hazard!) But like anything else worthwhile, challenges will always come and go, and I am prepared for that.
Before, I go I wanted to share a list of tips that could be useful for your happy kitchen endeavors. They are just some of the random considerations that have been truly beneficial throughout my experiences in cooking. I hope that you could benefit from them as well!
For a happier kitchen experience consider:

1. Having patience because you’ll need it. Cooking requires tons of patience and you’ll find that out when you first begin your endeavors. Whether you’re cooking for a bunch of people or making something from scratch, you’ll need to sacrifice your time and give it your best effort. The best way I find patience is reminding myself that the end results will be worth it. If the food isn’t what I expected, then I simply try again and again; patiently trying to get it right the next time.  Your kitchen should not be your worst nightmare but instead it should be your best friend and a happy place for you. So please be patient and continue cooking, because practice only makes you better!
2. Cleaning your kitchen before you start cooking. A dirty kitchen is not only unsanitary but cooking in clutter may cause you frustration, and unnecessary anxiety. By nature I am not the neatest person in the world, just ask anyone who knows me! So I push myself to tidy up the little messes around me before I make an even bigger mess. I do not spend hours cleaning. I simply wash the dishes that are already in the sink, sweep the floor and make an effort to clean as I’m cooking. I promise you, this in the long run this method will save you lots of time and energy; not to mention make your cooking experience far more pleasant!  A clean kitchen really is a happy kitchen.
3. Gathering all your ingredients beforehand or as the French say Mise en place which is used a ton in the culinary world and it literally means “putting in place.” I can’t tell you how many times I’ve decided to bake cookies, and skipped the process of checking my inventory by gathering my ingredients beforehand. A true story: I grab the flour and baking soda, start pouring them into a bowl and then come to the conclusion that I don’t have enough sugar, butter and/or chocolate chips! See what I mean? That could’ve easily been avoided if I would’ve gathered my ingredients beforehand! When following “mise en place” I’m not only being organized, I am checking to see if I have everything I need. This method also saves me time because I have all the ingredients I’m going to use in my sight.
4. Following a new recipe as it is written. Have you ever come across a recipe with really long and detailed steps and just skimmed through the ingredients list, without really looking at the steps? I have. And almost always regret it! I usually only skim a new recipe if it’s something real simple like a one pot meal, and even then it’s comforting to know where the ingredients go. I challenge you to read the recipe from start to finish before you even begin cooking, and acknowledge where those ingredients go in that recipe. It’s important to remember that cooking & baking are also a science, and there’s a reason behind every step. Allow your cooking experience to be a learning experience and I promise you’ll get optimal results!
5. Tasting as you cook. Recipes usually say things like “salt to taste” or “a pinch of paprika” but, you’re not going to know if you’re using too little or too much of an ingredient to your taste, if you do not taste it. I think it’s best to use less salt in the beginning and then add more as needed, same with other flavors. It’s especially important to taste when you’re cooking for other people, because by tasting you’re in control of the original delicious of your dish. That’s pretty empowering if you ask me!  Just make sure you’re using a clean spoon when you taste and please do not double dip, thanks.
6. Testing a recipe beforehand. This rule isn’t always applicable because some recipes have familiar ingredients that almost always taste yummy together. But I feel safe if I test a recipe before serving it to other people. It saves me time, gives me confidence and sometimes it saves me some grief. Tasting and testing go hand in hand, and it’s awesome when your family offers their taste buds for moral support. Sometimes if I don’t hear an “mmm” I’m not a sold on that recipe.  Let your food make an impression! I don’t know about you but, “the girl who can’t cook for beans” is not something I like being remembered by :x! So avoid that by testing a new recipe for yumminess or if I’m in a pinch, I’ll just make something that always pleases.
7. Finally a bonus tip: always have fun and don’t be afraid to try something new! To me the key to being successful in my kitchen is not letting a little mishap discourage me from cooking, but instead it makes me want to try again until I get it. Let your kitchen to be your happy place and I guarantee you’ll come up with delicious wonders!

-Jessica