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

Biscuits

Every proper southerner loves biscuits in every form or fashion.

Clearly, I am not a proper Southerner.  I would much rather eat (and bake) a yeast roll or French bread or a muffin.  But I  DO love my grandma's and my mom's biscuits!

My mom told me she would show me how to make my Granny's biscuits, but I'm not sure.  Something about dumping ingredients randomly into a bowl bothers me. Fortunately, my mom has a real recipe for biscuits that is delicious and easy!

  Biscuits: 

2 c flour

1 c heavy cream or half and half

mix everything together till just combined. Pat out on a floured surface. Cut into circles. Bake at 475-500 for 10 min.

Tips: 1. Do not overmix or overhandle, or biscuits will be tough.

2. When you the dough is on the floured surface, don't get much extra flour in the dough.

See? Very simple, very little time, and very very good!

 MMM!!

Happy evening,
Mellie =)