A place to share a little about my crazy life filled with food, friends, faith and freedom.

Saturday, March 30, 2013

Colorado.

Hi y'all. In less than 6 hours I will be all packed up and headed to Colorado. Skiing, Hiking, Comfort Food, Family, Friends, and peace await me in those beautiful mountains. I cannot wait. I hope y'all have a great Easter weekend [Yay Jesus!!!!] and great first week of April. I will be off the grid for awhile. Praise Jesus this weekend, because he has RISEN.

Beautiful. 



                       "I will rise, when he calls my name, no more sorrows, no more pain."

Thank you, Jesus. 



Monday, March 25, 2013

Your Love Never Fails.


Thank you, Jesus.

If you haven't heard "Your Love Never Fails" by Jesus Culture...go watch this video. . Right now.

Broccoli Cheddar Chicken Mac n Cheese.

Oh my gosh, y'all. This weekend I discovered a recipe that changed my life forever. Broccoli Cheddar Chicken Mac n Cheese. Ahhhh. I will never go near a blue box again. I found this recipe over at Eat Live Run, and, once again, my world was rocked. This classic comfort food is boosted up with some fresh broccoli and chicken bites (a perfect dish for leftover chicken breasts). Thickened by a Roux, it is super creamy and has the perfect consistency. If you are having a little snow (like we are- in MARCH!!) and need somethin' to warm you up a little then grab a block of fresh cheddar and grade away, cause this comfort dish will not disappoint!


Find the recipe over here at PBS Foods.


Mmmhm. 


Sunday, March 24, 2013

Chocolate Fudge Brownies with Peanut butter Frosting.

Do you like ooey gooey super easy brownies? What about smooth and salty peanut butter frosting? How about both of those together. Yep. I thought so.


I found this deliciousness over at Annie Eats and it rocked my world. For realz. So you should go try them. Like now. :)

Yum. 

Yum. 



Yummiest. 

Chocolate Fudge Brownies with Whipped Peanut Butter Frosting

Total time: About 40 minutes 
Yield: 12-16 brownies

Ingredients:

For the brownies:

  • 10 tbsp. unsalted butter, at room temperature
  • 
1 cup sugar

  • ¾ cup plus 2 tbsp. unsweetened cocoa powder

  • ¼ tsp. salt

  • ½ tsp. vanilla extract

  • 2 large eggs, cold
  • 
½ cup all-purpose flour

For the frosting: 
  • 
6 tbsp. unsalted butter, at room temperature
  • 
¾ cup creamy peanut butter
  • 
1 cup confectioners’ sugar

  • Pinch of salt
To finish: 
Additional sea salt for sprinkling

Directions: 
 

For the Brownies:
1.)  Preheat the oven to 325˚ F.  Line an 8 x 8-inch baking pan with lightly greased parchment paper.  Cut the butter into chunks and place in large heatproof bowl.  Add  sugar, cocoa powder and salt. Place the bowl over a pot of simmering water so that the steam from the water heats the contents of the bowl (double boiler method).  Stir occasionally, heating until the butter is fully melted.  Whisk until evenly combined.  Set aside and let cool briefly until just warm to the touch (not hot).

2.) Stir in vanilla and then the eggs one at a time, whisking just until smooth.  Fold in the flour just until incorporated and no streaks remain.  Spread the batter into the prepared pan and bake 20-25 minutes, until just set.  Transfer to a wire rack and let cool completely before proceeding.

For the Frosting:
1.) Combine the butter and peanut butter in the bowl of an electric mixer.  Beat on medium-high speed until smooth, about 2 minutes.  Blend in the confectioners’ sugar and salt on low speed, then increase to medium-high and whip until light, fluffy and completely smooth, about 3-4 minutes.

2.) Spread the peanut butter frosting in an even layer over the cooled brownies.  Sprinkle with additional sea salt.  Slice into bars and serve.

All Credit to Annie Eats!

Sunday, March 17, 2013

Mid-Night Dabbles.

It is 12:12. {Offically St. Patrick's Day!} I am totally not asleep. For the first time in way too long of a while I got 10 hrs of sleep. My body isn't quite adjusted. I claim I am practicing being a College student. My mom kindly reminds me I am, in fact, still a senior in High School. And, also in fact, I should not be texting past 10 p.m. You know you're still in high school when...right? Well, Momma is sound asleep, so how about a little rehash of my crazy weekend?

Starting with...Advanced Foods Class Thursday. {Ok, So not the weekend quite yet} We made some yummy Veggie Calzones.

Awh. Love them :) 
I have to admit, I got a 58/60 because one of my Calzones oozed a little...whoops!

We also made some Challah Bread. Puffy, doughy, salty goodness. Recipe/pictures to come.

On Thursday night I made miracles in our almost empty kitchen with Daily Garnish's Lemon Parsley Pasta Salad. This stuff rocked. I only added a little bit of salt and some steamed broccoli to this super simple, refreshing salad and it was perfect :)

 Seriously, go check out the recipe over here- Lemon Parsley Pasta Salad.



Gotta love O.J with Dinner. 
Then....today I headed up to Cincinati with a couple of friends to see the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center Museum- showcasing both past and modern-day slavery. It was seriously so awesome.

Yay for Car Rides. 

This was part of the Half the Sky exhibit-
"Turning Oppression into Opportunity for Women across the Globe"

Modern Day Abolitionists. Join the fight, y'all. 
My experience at the NURFC was incredibly moving. One thing that really stuck out to me was the way they described how we can fight Modern-Day Slavery. Three words. Educate. Advocate. Support. Learn it exists. Tell other people it exists. Support organizations fighting slavery, practice ethical consumerism. We really can end slavery for good. Are you in it to end it?

I know I have a looong way to go- a lot of changes I can/need to make in my life- but I have decided to start with something small. As consumers, we have power. Power to purchase 3.00 Forever 21 shirts {F 21 is rated a D- in ethical production according to Free 2 Work organization- check out the ratings of your favorite brands}, and ridiculously expensive Nike tennis shoes {Pricy does not mean ethical-Lacoste brand is rated an F!}, or we can become concious consumers. We can research our brands with the Free 2 Work  app. We can support fair trade. 

So...I have decided to put aside my cravings for a while and only buy fair trade/ethical chocolate and sugar. First off, let me just say I am definitely not one of those girls that buys everything organic/fair trade. While I wish I rode my little thrifted bicycle down to the cute little health foodie store with my recycled bags and Chai Tea Latte in hand, that is totally not me {At least not yet :)}. So this is gonna be kinda hard. But it is worth it. Even if only one less hand picks a heap of sugar cane for me. It is worth that hand. 

I hope y'all will check out some of these resources, and join the fight against Modern-Day Slavery. 

Educate
Advocate:
  • Sign the pledge to raise your voice- IJM
  • Tell EVERYONE Slavery is Real. 
Support

Donate to these organizations- 
Thanks y'all. Have a great day :) 

Sunday, March 10, 2013

Sunday Truth: Isaiah 41.

"I took you from the ends of the earth, from its farthest corners I called you. So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand." Isiah 41:9-10



I needed to hear that. God is so good. Have a great day of rest, y'all.

Thursday, March 7, 2013

Snowday Cookies

It's March. We had a snowday yesterday. It was awesome.

I love Kentucky weather.

My snowday was very exciting. I babysit till 1 pm and promptly went on to veg the rest of the afternoon. Veging in the form of crunchy brown sugar cookies and Pretty Little Liars with my German sister Charlaylay. It was so lovely.

These delicious cookies were just the perfect snow day treat.

Mmmhm. Next time you have a few minutes to spare whip up some of this crunchy deliciousness.

Brown Sugar Cookies

Author: Pinch of Yum
Prep time:  5 mins
Cook time:  12 mins
Total time:  17 mins
Yield: 1 1/2 Dozen

Ingredients:
  • ½ cup white sugar
  • ¼ cup brown sugar
  • ½ cup shortening (I used butter)
  • 1 egg
  • 1 cup flour
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ½ teaspoon baking soda
  • ¼ teaspoon vanilla
  • ½ teaspoon cream of tartar
  • sugar for rolling
Directions:

1.) Cream sugars and shortening. Mix in the egg, then add dry ingredients.

2.) Use a cookie scoop to form nice round 1 inch balls and roll each dough ball in white sugar. Don’t flatten.

3.) Bake at 350 degrees for 12 minutes.


Printable Recipe Here!

Wednesday, March 6, 2013

Kale.

It happened y'all. I officially consumed Kale. And I survived. I don't know about y'all, but I feel like Kale is the epitome of healthy, noncupcake, non brown butter cookie, eating. Like, if you eat Kale on a regular basis, you are pretty legit with this healthy living thing. Let me just say that no matter how many Self Magazines I read about Superfoods or how many blogs I read about women having their "early morning Kale," I don't think I'll ever be that girl. But,  because these past few weeks I have downed way too much sugar, and the manager's special happened to be this foreign, green substance, I went for it.

And Here is my proof.

I have to say- It wasn't too terrible! I'm even gonna try some cooked Kale tomorrow night with dinner. Let's see how Momma feels about that!

 Awh, look at my girls. Love them! Yay school lunches :) 

Tuesday, March 5, 2013

Poems.

Ok, I am starting to really like poems. Like the John Donne kinda poems. Especially this one-


A VALEDICTION FORBIDDING MOURNING. 
by John Donne

A virtuous men pass mildly away,
    And whisper to their souls to go,
Whilst some of their sad friends do say,
    "Now his breath goes," and some say, "No."                     

So let us melt, and make no noise,                                     
    No tear-floods, nor sigh-tempests move ;
'Twere profanation of our joys
    To tell the laity our love. 

Moving of th' earth brings harms and fears ;
    Men reckon what it did, and meant ;                            
But trepidation of the spheres,
    Though greater far, is innocent. 

Dull sublunary lovers' love
    —Whose soul is sense—cannot admit
Of absence, 'cause it doth remove                                   
    The thing which elemented it. 

But we by a love so much refined,
    That ourselves know not what it is,
Inter-assurèd of the mind,
    Care less, eyes, lips and hands to miss.                           

Our two souls therefore, which are one,
    Though I must go, endure not yet
A breach, but an expansion,
    Like gold to aery thinness beat. 

If they be two, they are two so                                        
    As stiff twin compasses are two ;
Thy soul, the fix'd foot, makes no show
    To move, but doth, if th' other do. 

And though it in the centre sit,
    Yet, when the other far doth roam,                              
It leans, and hearkens after it,
    And grows erect, as that comes home. 

Such wilt thou be to me, who must,
    Like th' other foot, obliquely run ;
Thy firmness makes my circle just,                                  
    And makes me end where I begun.  


Ok, so y'all probably didn't read that whole poem. But it's super, super sweet and romancy. So you totally should. The entire poem evolves around the metaphor of two lovers compared to a compass- just as the compass needs an anchor in the middle so that the other part can revolve around it perfectly, a man that travels away needs a woman to be his anchor, waiting for him, calling him home. With his woman as his anchor, their love only grows stronger. He desires for her not to mourn, because their love transcends distance. They walk in step, no matter how far away their steps are. They are not complete without eachother. Ahhhh 1600's romance. It gets me every time.

Well, I hope you enjoyed a little food for the soul in the form of metaphysical poetry. My English teacher would be so proud.

Chicken Tortilla Soup

Awhile ago I promised  y'all Chicken Tortilla Soup. Thank you for waiting oh so patiently. Cause it is totally worth it. So, without further ado, here's to My Aunt's famous Chicken Tortilla Soup!  Mmhm.

This is a Graham Family favorite that should never be limited to the winter months. My Momma loves to make this yumminess all year long, especially when my sis comes back to town. She whips it up the night before and throws it in the crock pot all day long. One of my  most favorite things in the world is when I get home from track practice- sweaty, tired, gross- and I smell dinner cooking right as I walk in the door. Thank goodness for crock pots. And Thank you Momma. I am so blessed :)

I hope y'all enjoy this one.

Chicken Tortilla Soup 

Prep Time: 40 minutes 
Total Time: 3 hrs 40 minutes (or crock pot all day) 
Yield: 8 large bowls 

Ingredients: 
  • 2 tbsp butter
  • 2 chopped bell peppers (1 red and 1 green)
  • 2 cloves garlic, pressed 
  • 8 pieces boneless, skinless chicken breast 
  • 1 large can green chilies chopped 
  • 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes 
  • 2 boxes Swanson's Chicken Broth
  • 2 cans tomato soup
  • 2 cans original Rotel tomatoes 
  • 1 large can petite diced tomatoes 
  • 2 cans whole kernel corn 
  • 2 tsp chili powder 
  • 2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce 
  • Salt and Pepper to taste 
Directions: 
1.) Sauté first three ingredients until soft. 
2.) Boil 8 pieces chicken breast then chop into bite size pieces 
3.) In a large soup pan combine the sautèd peppers, chicken, and the rest of the ingredients. 
4.) Bring to a slow boil. Reduce heat. Cover and cook for 3 hours or place in crock pot on low heat all day

Printable Recipe Here!

Saturday, March 2, 2013

Saturday Morning Rehash.

Hi y'all. Other than some Eggs Benedict, I've been pretty distant from here lately. And I miss you all! There are several reasons for my absence, most of them leaning towards the fact that we had to read Crime and Punishment in English Class. Yep, Crime and Punishment. 500 pages of absolute craziness. But I survived, and, to be honest, I sort of liked it. In that, I would never ever choose to read this on my own but I enjoyed the  mind blowing, psychologically intense meaning, sorta way. Plus, there is a happy ending and even a little romance. Seriously, romance in a book called Crime and Punishment. Who would have thought. Anyways! I came here to give you a little rehash of my crazy week. Here is a list of the most important things!


  • I got asked to PROM (!) by this awesome guy :) 

End it movement shirt and Lecrae Mixed CD. Yay Prom! 

  • My awesome prom date won "Mr. WCHS"- the "pagent" for guys our school puts on to raise money for our senior prom. Free Prom tickets, wass up! 
  • We launched the #enditmovement at school- the movement against modern day slavery. Join the fight at Enditmovement.com. FREEDOM is COMING. 
Moden-day Abolitionists. 

  • My first track meet is tonight. I'm running the 400 meter dash, 4X4 relay, and 4X2 Relay. Eeeek. Im nervous. 
  • I made a skirt. Sewing is pretty much a requirement for a future Home Ec teacher, soo i've gotta brush up my skills. 

  • I went to waffle house last night. Waffles and Chocolate milk. Yes. 
  • I have offically become obsessed with Jesus Culture. 
  • My sis is in town and we are about to go consignment store prom dress shopping! 


 I got races to run and dresses to find, so I best be goin'. Have a great weekend y'all. 

Eggs Benedict.

So when I got home today after track, I had the crazy idea to whip up Eggs Benedict for my whole family. Great idea right? Well thats what I thought until I realized that Eggs Benedict is not the best thing to just whip up all alone. Soo...I called Momma to the rescue. And she saved me, as usual :) With a little team work and some deep breaths, our decadent egg dish was served. Yummmmm.


A little too much Hollandaise. But Hey! Who is counting? 
 Did I mention we ran out of english muffins before I got any? When in doubt, grab ice cream for dinner.



I hope y'all enjoy this one! :)

Eggs Benedict

Prep/Total Time: 35 Minutes

Ingredients for Hollandaise Sauce:
  •     4 egg yolks
  •     3 ½ Tbsp lemon juice
  •     1 pinch ground white pepper
  •     1/8 tsp Worcestershire sauce
  •     1 Tbsp water
  •     1 cup butter, melted
  •      ¼ tsp salt

Ingredients for English Muffin, Eggs & Bacon:
  •     8 eggs
  •     1 tsp distilled white vinegar
  •     8 strips Canadian style bacon
  •     4 English muffins, split
  •     2 Tbsp butter soften

 Instructions:

To make hollandaise:
1.      Fill  a double boiler part way with water, making sure the water does not touch the top of the pan. Bring water to a gentle simmer. In the top of the double boiler, whisk together egg yolk, lemon juice, white pepper, Worcestershire sauce, and 1 Tbsp water.
2.     Add the melted butter to egg yolk mixture 1 or 2 Tbsp at a time while whisking yolks constantly. If hollandaise begins to get too thick, add a tsp or two of hot water. Continue whisking until all butter is incorporated. Whisk in salt, then remove from heat. Place a lid on pan to keep sauce warm.

To prep eggs, eacon and English Muffins
3.     Preheat oven on broiler setting. To poach eggs: fill large saucepan with 3 inches of water. Bring water to a gentle simmer, and then add vinegar. Carefully break eggs into simmering water, and allow to cook for 2 ½ to 3 minutes. Yolks should still be soft in the center. Remove eggs from water with a slotted spoon and set on a arm plate.
4.     While eggs are poaching, brown the bacon in a medium skillet over medium heat and toast the English muffins on a baking sheet under the broiler.
5.     Spread toasted muffins with softened butter, and top each one with a slice of bacon, followed by one poached egg. Place 2 muffins on each plate and drizzle with hollandaise sauce. Sprinkle with chopped chives and serve immediately. 

Printable Recipe Here!