Today

Hello! It's been awhile since I posted, I have many things to share!

First, this morning I made chocolate sauce from a Teenage Gourmet.  I put it in my coffee and added skim milk and a bit of extra sugar for a delicious mocha!

I enjoyed it with a really good book  on the porch, basking in the sunshine. I don't know about y'all, but I'm having more and more visions of myself, looking tan and lovely, lying on the beach in my new sunglasses, sipping lemonade or sweet tea or maybe some sparkling grape juice. I don't know, I haven't given it that much (cough) thought. 

Except I'll never be tan and lovely, just pale and freckly. Whatever.

Lunch was a salad:

Swiss Chard and Romaine Lettuce, chopped

3 strawberries, sliced

1 tbsp walnuts

1 tbsp almonds

1/2 tbsp feta 

1/2 tbsp parmesan

1 tbsp dried cranberries

freshly ground black pepper (I just recently discovered how good it is on salads!)

balsamic vinegar (I'm normally not a dressing girl but this was good)

 Jenna @ eat live run posted something similar the other day. I'm not a spinach lover, though.

Then I made some banana bread from Jan Karon's Mitford Cookbook and Kitchen Reader:

1/3 c vegetable oil

1 1/4 c granulated sugar

2 large eggs, beaten 

3 large very ripe bananas, mashed

1 1/2 c self-rising flour (the original recipe calls for 1 1/2 c all purpose flour, 1 tsp baking soda, and 1/4 tsp salt)

1/3 c buttermilk

3/4 c chocolate chips (My own addition)

Preheat oven to 350. Cream oil & sugar till light and creamy.  Beat in eggs. Add bananas, mix well. Add 1 c flour and mix well, then add half the buttermilk and mix well. Add remaining flour, then add remaining buttermilk till just blended.  Pour batter into greased 9x5 in loaf pan, bake 45 min.

To spread on the bread, I made peanut butter cream cheese from teenage taste. Sooo creamy and delicious!

Oh, I also did a Pilates workout today. Who do you think I am?

Overall, it's been a delicious day. Thank you to Jenna, Erika, Sami, and Jan Karon for the recipes!

Have a good rest of the weekend!

Love,

Mellie

PS I know colored words are a poor substitute for pictures; it's not my fault the computer won't read the memory card!

Happy Easter!

Happy Easter!

What did YOU do today? My family went to church (well we do that every Sunday but the service was special today) and when we got home we had a delicious easter dinner:

-Ham (the real thing not lunch meat-of course! who wants that crap on a holiday?)

-biscuits

-cooked broccoli and bell pepper with terriyaki sauce (yes I eat vegetables, lots of them! I just haven't posted any recipes)

-potato salad (recipe below)

-orange dream pie

Confession! Confession! Confession! Even with all this good, real, homemade food, I still LOVED the malted milk eggs in my Easter basket!

I'm the enemy of all foodies, especially hip and cool healthy eaters. well maybe not cool healthy vegans. I don't think malted MILK balls are vegan but I'm learning that all kinds of things that shouldn't be vegan are, like butter flavoring, pillsbury frosting, and oreos. But I digress. You would too if you were sleep deprived.

Here's the potato salad recipe! Classic spring/summer food. Like something you would bring on a picnic-why would anyone go on a picnic? 

Potato Salad

(Adapted from Jan Karon's Mitford Cookbook and Kitchen Reader)

7 medium russet potatoes

1 tbsp+1 1/4 tsp salt

4 medium hard-cooked eggs, mashed

1/2 c thinly sliced celery

1 3/4 c light mayonnaise (or if you, like me, hate mayonaisse, use just enough to make everything stick together)

2 tsp yellow mustard

2 tbsp sour cream

2 1/2 apple cider vinegar

1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper

6 slices cooked bacon, crumbled

parsley flakes and paprika, for garnish

Peel and cube potatoes. Place them in a large saucepan, add water to cover and 1 tbsp salt. Bring to a boil over high heat, reduce the heat, cover, and simmer till just tender. Drain potatoes in a colander. Let them cool completely. 

In a large bowl, combine potatoes, eggs, and celery. Stir in mayonnaise, mustard, sour cream, and vinegar. Add 1 1/4 tsp salt and 1/2 tsp pepper. Just before serving, adjust salt and pepper. Garnish with bacon, parsley, and paprika. Makes:6 generous servings.

Don't you love Easter? I do. 

Have a happy Easter night!

 Mellie

Last Weekend...

...I went to Asheville, which is THE ONLY thing even REMOTELY worth seeing in Appalachia. 

Of course, there are rednecks there, and hiking trails, and gift shops with cheesy deer head-black bear-rustic cabin decor, but there are fun things, too. Like... funky hippies. And good food. And shops. And a mall. Yes, there are malls everywhere, except my town. We go to an endless variety of stores: Cato, Bealle's Outlet, and Wal-Mart. I hate it. But I digress.

Friday night we went downtown to Dok Chey's thai restaurant. We got a shrimp roll appetizer and it was amazing!! We also got green beans with soy sauce. To die for! I ordered spicy thai basil pasta with chicken. So good! It was VERY spicy, and very flavorful. The noodles were cooked to perfection. To drink I got housemade ginger ale. Uhh.. good, but EXTREMELY hot. Like chewing a ginger root. I think I would've liked it better if my meal hadn;t also been spicy.

Other Doc Chey's picks:schezwan (sp?) stir fry, pad thai noodles (my favorite), thai fried rice.

For dessert we went to French Broad Chocolate Lounge! It's also downtown. I got a piece of  Quintessential Chocolate Cake. Three layers of incredibly moist chocolate cake, sandwiched with delicious chocolate frosting, topped with bitter, rich ganache and chocolate shavings. Amazing, and I don't even like things that chocolatey. 

I've also had the chocoalte chip cookies which are great, and chocolate creme brulee, which is my favorite. I hate pudding but I love the contrast of the creamy, rich chocolate bottom and crunchy top. 

Saturday the adults went to the Fresh Market and got Toffee chip and peanut butter chocolate cookies. They were amazing; i usually prefer homemade but these were great.

Last but not least, at TJMaxx my aunt bought fig balsamic vinegar. Oh, my. So good. Much better than plain balsamic vinegar. We mixed it with olive oil and dipped french bread in it, I could live off of it.

I love it. I love Asheville. Even if you're not a foodie, you'd love it. There's so much to do, and believe me, Downtown Asheville is the closest you can get to heaven- in the mountains, of course.

Sorry for the long post!

Love,

Mellie

Easy Pizza Quesadilla

So,I didn't just make ONE cheesy delicious thing on Monday.

I have no self-control. After I made my delicious grilled cheese for lunch, I had to make a quesadilla for supper. But not just a quesadilla. A PIZZA quesadilla.

When I was little, I would make "pizzas" with mozzarella, pepperonis, and tortillas. But now my tastebuds are more mature, I add things like olive oil and mushrooms.

Here's the recipe!(still no pics, sorry!)

1 tortilla ( I used whole wheat)

mozzarella cheese

parmesan cheese

2 tbsp pizza sauce (plus more for dipping)

1-2 tsp olive oil

other toppings (mushrooms, pepperoni, olive, whatever!)

place all ingredients on tortilla, broil till cheese is melted and tortilla is brown. Serve with extra pizza sauce, if desired.

I'm going to see my family in Asheville this weekend, so next week I'll be back with more reviews, recipes, and books! Until then, goodbye!!

Love,

Mellie

Putting the "move" in Read Eat Move

If you read this blog you probably think I'm fat and lazy.

Which is sometimes kinda NOT AT ALL TRUE. 

Here's my favorite way to work out:

OK, never mind, the computer's not reading the camera memory card so I'll just tell you. The name of the DVD is Weight Loss Pilates with Kristin McGee. Here it is  on Amazon. It has 2 pilates and cardio workouts. Not only is the workout good, but the woman is a great instructor, she is neither rude nor obnoxiously cheerful, she just demonstrates the workout with a smile and encouraging words.

Now, your going to need that workout because this is what you're having for lunch, if your tastebuds are the

least bit normal!

I can't show a picture, so just imagine a grilled cheese sandwich. But not just any sandwich. One made with ciabatta bread, olive oil, and 4 different cheeses. 

 Here's the recipe!

Best grilled cheese 

1 ciabatta roll

1-2 tsp olive oil

1 small slice extra-sharp cheddar ( I like Cabot's because it doesn't have the orange dye)

1 small slice parmesan (or use shredded- but don't EVER use the powdered stuff in the green bottle again!)

1/2 wedge Laughing cow lite creamy swiss (or plain cream cheese)

Sprinkling of feta cheese

lettuce

basil, rosemary, and oregano

Pre-brown the bread on your grill or panini maker. Add cheese and olive oil. Grill till cheese is melted. Add herbs and lettuce. Enjoy!

The only thing missing is bacon! I would've added some but I didn't have any, isn't that sad? Canadian bacon or ham (real ham, not lunchmeat) would be good too.

Off to do pilates! Bye!

Love,

Mellie

Sunshine

Hi!



It's springtime! The sun is shining! The grass is green! The flowers are blooming!



 Remember how Friday night I was in a bad mood? I recovered quickly! How can you stay grumpy when it's FINALLY warm and sunny?
If it's warm and sunny where you live, celebrate with a springy, delicious treat!
If it's NOT warm and sunny where YOU live, you should make something springy and delicious anyway. One bite of these lemon bars will send you to sunny, southern shores. Your winter blahs will be blown away into oblivion... well, not COMPLETELY. Food isn't almighty.

Well, anyway, it might KINDA blow your winter blahs away, for a little while.


Here's the recipe!

1 1/4 c flour
1 c sugar
1/3 c margarine or butter
1/2 c egg beaters (or 2 eggs)
3 T lemon juice (I used a little more)
powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 350. Combine 1 c flour and 1/4 c sugar, cut in margarine till mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Press mixture onto bottom of 9x9x2 in dish. Bake for 15 min. Blend egg beaters, lemon juice, and remaining flour and sugar, pour over crust. Bake 15-20 min or until set. Cool, sprinkle with powdered sugar.

Have a good week!
Mellie

My Life

Spring break is next week.

I'm totally looking forward to going to the beach,

and shopping,

and enjoying the warm weather,

and having the best spring break ever!

APRIL FOOLS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I NEVER go anywhere,

and it feels like February here,

and I'm just gonna sit here all week!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The REAL reason I blog is because I'm bored. I don't have texting. I don't have facebook or twitter. I'm almost 15, but I've only been to the beach 7 times my ENTIRE LIFE! And I've never been anywhere besides Tennessee, North and South Carolina, Alabama, Georgia, and Florida. And I don't play sports and I don't have a job, and all I ever do is SIT HERE!!!!!!!!!!!I'm the most lifeless teenager I know!!!!!

I know this post is negative, but that's OK. My next post will be happier. Remember Scarlett O'Hara's words: "After all, tomorrow is another day." Tomorrow has promises of pilates, strawberries, books, chocolate, and coffee. Tomorrow will be different. maybe.

Hope your life evening is better than mine.

Mellie

PS: I know there are people who are dying and homeless and losing their jobs. I know my life isn't that bad. I can still be grumpy.