Tuesday, January 29, 2013

Life tastes good

These are some recipes that I have tried out lately. Sometimes I am more inspired than others to bake and actually take pictures of it. I guess I got inspired to go a step further this time and make some cute little pictures with text as well :) 

1. Black Bean Enchiladas:

I have never made enchiladas before, mostly because all the recipes I looked at used cans of sauce. I knew there was a way to make it, but I was never inspired enough to look one up. Then I stumbled upon this recipe and I can't believe I waited so long! I hope to make them again soon ;) 

You can get the recipe here: The Garden Grazer


2. Yeast-less Cinnamon Rolls. 

I don't know about you, but when I want Cinnamon Rolls, I want them quick! Out here I can't get the little Pillsbury or Trader Joe's tins of Cinnamon Rolls. Since I must make them from scratch, I found a quick-prep recipe that is better than most other recipes that I have tried with yeast. 

You can get the recipe here: food.com 

I also added an egg to the dough as one reviewer suggested and make sure to use lots of flour when rolling because the dough is quite sticky. There are other recipes out there for quick cinnamon rolls, but I have made this several times and people are always asking for the recipe, so I definitely recommend this one :) 


3. Chocolate Birthday Cake 

A good double chocolate recipe is a must have for any serious baker's recipe collection. This is my go-to recipe for a quick and delicious chocolate birthday cake.

I could not find the source. I remember finding this recipe on pinterest, but not repinning it. So I will post the ingredients and my apologies to the originator of this recipe. I DO NOT take credit for this and if you know the source, please let me know and I would be happy to give them credit :)


Chocolate Cake Recipe:
cake: 
2 cups sugar
1 3/4 cup flour (that's right, more sugar than flour ;) 
3/4 cup cocoa
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
2 eggs
1 cup milk
1/2 cup melted butter
2 tsp vanilla
1 cup boiling water
directions:
mix dry ingredients, add eggs, milk, butter & vanilla. mix well. add boiling water, mix slowly! pour into 2 greased and floured round pans. bake at 350f for  25-30mins. cool completely before frosting. 
frosting:
6 TBS softened butter
3 cups powdered sugar
1/2 cup cocoa
1/3 cup milk
1 tsp vanilla 
I used only 1/2 the original frosting recipe. so this is modified. this was enough to frost the top and the middle, as well as a batch of 12 cupcakes. So basically you could use this recipe to frost the top, middle and sides generously.

Hope you can enjoy one or more of these recipes :) 

Tuesday, January 15, 2013

Sunday, January 13, 2013

Spinach Parmesan Quinoa


I posted this photo about a week ago and got several requests for the recipe. I found this recipe on pinterest and it was super easy, quick and healthy too! 
Here is the link of the original recipe with step by step directions:                               Spinach Parmesan Quinoa  
Here is my KZ modified version: (italics=modified) 
1/2 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic pressed
1 tbsp olive oil
salt and pepper
1 cup quinoa
2 cups water
1 bouillon cube
2 handfuls frozen spinach
2 handfuls of frozen red pepper
1/2 cup parmesan cheese (original recipe calls for fresh, but I used the kind that they sell in containers and it was delicious
Directions
1. Grill the onions in olive oil. Add in quinoa, water & bouillon. 
2. Defrost the spinach and red pepper in a separate pan. Then add to the quinoa mixture when water is about halfway absorbed. Stir together.
3. Cover for about 10-15 minutes until water is completely absorbed. Add parmesan cheese. Add Salt & pepper to taste. Stir well and enjoy :) 

I posted this photo about a week ago and got several requests for the recipe. I found this recipe on pinterest and it was super easy, quick and healthy too! 
Here is the link of the original recipe with step by step directions: Spinach Parmesan Quinoa  
Here is my modified version: (italics=modified) 
1/2 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic pressed
1 tbsp olive oil
salt and pepper
1 cup quinoa
2 cups water
1 bouillon cube
2 handfuls frozen spinach
2 handfuls of frozen red pepper
1/2 cup parmesan cheese (original recipe calls for fresh, but I used the kind that they sell in containers and it was delicious
Directions
1. Grill the onions in olive oil. Add in quinoa, water & bouillon. 
2. Defrost the spinach and red pepper in a separate pan. Then add to the quinoa mixture when water is about halfway absorbed. Stir together.
3. Cover for about 10-15 minutes until water is completely absorbed. Add parmesan cheese. Add Salt & pepper to taste. Stir well and enjoy :) 

Thursday, January 3, 2013

Talk about Joy


This is such great advice. It’s tempting to dwell on the problems that we are facing and just talk about the difficult things about our day. I know it’s healthy to process things correctly, but when we start to focus on our joys, our whole outlook can change. The reality is that may not need to talk about our problems to ‘process’ them correctly, what we may really need is just a change of perspective! 

This is such great advice. It’s tempting to dwell on the problems that we are facing and just talk about the difficult things about our day. I know it’s healthy to process things correctly, but when we start to focus on our joys, our whole outlook can change. The reality is that may not need to talk about our problems to ‘process’ them correctly, what we may really need is just a change of perspective! 

Tuesday, January 1, 2013

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year!! 

Favorite Moments of 2012

Looking back I realize how truly blessed I am. This year was difficult in many ways, but also very full of life and joy and great gifts! Every day is filled with gifts, we just need to open our eyes to them.
I am excited to open my eyes more to those gifts in 2013. But it’s also good to look back and remember the gifts that we were given before and the joyful moments that make up our lives.

To view a slide show just click on one of the photos.
This photo represents all the time I spent in the Cafe this year. 



The Amazing memories made in Istanbul in March


Concerts in the cafe were a big highlight this spring


Our trips to the mountains were filled with awe and wonder at the work of our creator's hands
Hong Kong was a very special trip. The most memorable part was meeting this special group of kids from Northern Ireland on fire for their creator. 
Really great time with Curtis' family. Seeing Theresa thriving at Teen Challenge and driving up North to visit Ricky were real highlights. 


All the time that I got with my brothers and sisters this summer was amazing! 


Had a really special time in Sedona with my parents.


Sisters night for the first time in years! I love my sisters!


My cousin Julia's wedding. The first time in a long time that we were all together.


Coming home. for the first time ever, coming back overseas felt like coming home. 


Five year anniversary! Here's to another 105 years!


First time hosting Thanksgiving.