hello again.

and i'm back by popular demand! hah, not really.

what have i been doing since i last blogged?

well i've been adjusting to my new job (love it!), trying to transform my arms into rocks (it's about to be wedding season), reading my new camera manual (yes, it's true), snuggling up with a good book and hot tea, watching entirely too much tv on hulu, and just re-lax-ing.

did anyone ever tell you a first job is exhausting? well, i'm here to tell you it is!

so here's a couple of things you missed.

i participated in the great food blogger cookie swap, where i mailed and received some yummy cookies to and from great bloggers across the country.

and i planned, prepared, cooked, and decorated for a sweet friend's bachelorette party.

that's all. i'll see ya next time.

cookie swap

(hershey kiss cookie recipe found here)

see that little badge to the left? the one with the yummy looking cookie and the words "cookie swap" slapped across it?

i just signed up to be apart of a huge cookie swap for bloggers. (i always like a good excuse to whip up a batch of made-from-scratch cookies.) on november 21, i'm going to get a little email with the names of 3 fellow cookie-loving bloggers. then i'll crank up the christmas music and get to baking so that i can mail those bloggers a batch of cookies! and then guess what happens? i wait patiently for 3 other bloggers to send me their cookies in the mail. oooh baby my mouth is watering just thinking about it!

want to join? click the badge and it will take you right over to where you can sign up. happy baking, my dear bloggers!

p.s. when i used to go to cookie swaps as a wee child, i'd always have my mom make those peanut butter cookies with the hershey kiss stamped on top.

blog love: sprouted kitchen

this morning i have been drooling over sprouted kitchen, a heavenly foodie blog. it's one that makes me want to hop in my car and speed over to the closest farmers market to snatch up some fresh fruits and veggies.

feast your eyes.

urban acres

hey dallas, have you heard of urban acres?

it's an organic food co-op in the heart of the bishop arts district. they are committed to providing local and organic food to dallas. almost like a mini farmers market. i'm just waiting for some free time to make a little visit to their shop!

p.s. they've got a rockin' blog packed with info, recipes, and articles on healthy eating.

yellow = yum!

for the longest time i've been a big believer in skipping out on the yolk when ordering and cooking anything with eggs. the yolk is the bad part, right? wrong! i've been missing out on extra protein and nutrition.

check out what the lovely ladies at healthy eats think about that yellow center. eat up, egg lovers!

a bit of chocolate

sometimes i just want some chocolate. ok not sometimes, ALWAYS!

there's just something magical about unwrapping your favorite bar. always makes me feel like i am in willy wonka and the chocolate factory.

these two brothers have mastered the art of creating chocolate. and i'm absolutely enamored by their elegant wrappers. i'm so tempted to order some, but my goodness you pay a pretty price (10 bars for $80)! maybe i'll just have to someday make a stop to their shop in brooklyn.

while you're at their website, check out the beautiful video about their craft.

"for the Father loves the Son and shows him all he does. yes, and he will show him even greater works than these, so that you will be amazed."

john 5:20

morning treats

i love breakfast. take that back, i love food in general. sometimes i'm excited for bed at night because i know that breakfast is right around the corner. feel the same way?

i could eat waffles, pancakes, granola, cereal, and toast all day long (note the all-carbness of those foods). but every morning i try to start it off right with a creamy bowl of oatmeal and steaming cup of coffee.

here's a blog dedicated solely to breakfast. awesome, right?

“'so may all your enemies perish, LORD! but may all who love you be like the sun when it rises in its strength.' then the land had peace forty years."

judges 5:31

cookie cravings

whenever i am forced to study for long hours, i always crave sweets. it's not a good thing.

but how awesome do these cookies look? they have chocolate chips, butterscotch chips, graham crumbs, pretzels, potato chips, oats, and coffee grounds. ok yes, when you list out the ingredients it sounds a little weird, but i have a very good feeling it tastes delish.

the momofuku milkbar store makes these little guys, along with other weird cookies containing corn, blueberries, and cornflakes. and with a name like momofuku, the cookies have to be wack.

just like the levain cookies, their recipe is super secret. so i'll start by trying one of these recipes here, here, and here. what about you, have you ever tried (or made) these cookies?

"he gives food to every creature. "his love endures forever."

psalm 136:25

banana, chocolate AND pb for breakfast?

i just about died when i saw this recipe. it comes with everything i love...bananas, peanut butter, chocolate, and pancakes. don't these look absolutely fabulous? i might just have to make them tomorrow morning and blog about it.

"but I trust in your unfailing love; my heart rejoices in your salvation."

psalm 13:5

cereal bar

have you been to a cereal bar? ever since one of my groupon coupons was for the cereal bar in the colony, tx, i have been intrigued by this idea. it's basically like a froyo place, but with cereal! you pick either a hot or cold cereal, add toppings like berries or nuts, and finish it off with your choice of milk.

i can't wait to make a trip to colony to try it for myself. how will i ever decide what cereal to get?

"love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth."

1 corinthians 13:6

tofulicious

confession: i am now a proud eater of tofu!

it all started this summer when my family and i ate at the meddlesome moth in dallas. when they had tofu on the menu i couldn't resist jumping out of my norm and trying something new.

since then, i can't seem to get enough of it. tofu itself has little flavor, but when cooked with all kinds of spices, it smoothly takes on the flavors and ends up being a wonderful dish.

a little hesitant? try pei wei's broccoli chicken dish with tofu as the protein. cross my heart, you won't regret it.

"the LORD gives sight to the blind, the LORD lifts up those who are bowed down, the LORD loves the righteous."

psalm 146:8

p.s. i have yet to try to cook with tofu. maybe i'll start out with this recipe (pictured above) from the one and only martha stewart.

best homecoming yet

prepare yourselves for lots of pictures...i just can't contain everything in a few photos.

remember how i was wishing for a win for baylor so that we could make it to a bowl game? we did it! AND the rangers are going to the world series! good weekend for sports...yes!

i spent saturday with my family and one of our good family friends, the shelbys. just as we were complaining about how we have the same routine every year for homecoming, we visited a quaint village of amish-like people (they said they were conservative christian people, NOT amish) called homestead. it was the cutest little village where we had lunch and watched them weave scarves, hammer metal and carve wood. and the food was out of this world. everything was organic, local and free range (and delicious).

after homestead, we spent our time visiting the floats (pi phi's and kappa sig's is below) and exploring waco.

oh and today, we found out that baylor football is ranked #25 in the ap poll. sic 'em bears!

"though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy"

1 peter 1:8

p.s. congrats to julie and kerr on the engagement!

p.p.s. all those pics are taken via my iphone. amazing, right?

free snacks

Kashi is on a mission: get rid of all the bad snacks in the world and replace them with healthier ones. So they are offering free snacks to anyone who swaps a bad snack for a good one on their snack-o-meter. today waiting for me in my mailbox was my reward for swapping out a bad snack. i just love their fresh and clean packaging!

"from him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work."

ephesians 4:16

the do's and don't of organic

i have literally grown up eating organic...my mom was one of the few to shop at dallas' first whole foods with her hot pink bow and matching 90's sweatshirt + sweatpants outfit (picture that amidst their earthy, natural workers)

so i've heard a lot of "why do you eat organic?" well, cascadian farms provides a lovely list of the do's and don'ts of the foods that are grown organically.

Don't use synthetic pesticides, herbicides and soil fumigants.

Don't use genetic engineering

Don't use sewage sludge as fertilizer

Do improve the quality and fertility of the soil

Do protect water quality

Do reduce soil erosion

Do rely on natural biological systems for pest and weed control

Do reduce the impact of agriculture on our environment

Do produce high quality, great tasting food

"the earth is filled with your love, o LORD; teach me your decrees."

psalm 119:64

p.s. i think nature's path has got it goin' on in their section about eating organic

sweet treat

i have a very large sweet tooth. if it's sweet, i'll take it!

so to satisfy my cravings of sweetness, i think i'll make this recipe today. i have made it in the past, and my goodness is it good!

{healthier} crispy rice treats

(thanks to my favorite healthy chef, ellie krieger)

ingredients:

• 1/2 cup honey
• 1/2 style chunky, natural-style peanut butter
• 6 cups of brown rice cereal
• cooking spray

directions:

1. combine honey and peanut butter in a large pot and heat over medium heat.
2. add brown rice.
3. stir until combined and sticky.
4. press firmly into 9 x 13 in pan that has been sprayed with cooking spray (with wet hands to avoid stickiness).
5. let cool, then chill in the fridge for about 30 minutes.
6. cut and serve!

these are great because they remind me of rice crispy treats, without all those calories and high fructose corn syrup! enjoy!

"'though the mountains be shaken and the hills be removed, yet my unfailing love for you will not be shaken nor my covenant of peace be removed,' says the LORD, who has compassion on you."

isaiah 54:10

grilled cheese cravings

right now i could really go for a grilled cheese. this one's packed full with avocado, pepper jack cheese, bacon and slices of apple.

"save us and help us with your right hand, that those you love may be delivered."

psalm 60:5

p.s. my favorite grilled cheese can be found here.

p.p.s. this pic is via foodgawker, my new mouth-watering-favorite website.

reusable envelopes

these felt envelopes are precious!! i would use them over and over and over again.

"dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God."

1 john 4:7

p.s. every tuesday in august, twisted root is giving a free home-brewed flavored root beer popsicle from 11am to 2pm. today's flavor is butterscotch! yum!!

taste + see

calling all chocohalics!

this week's taste + see is...

2010 chocolate conference in addison

cost: $15 per person

date & time: saturday, august 14th, from 10am to 5pm.

location: addison conference and theatre centre

details: my mouth is watering just thinking about this weekends event! learn everything imaginable about chocolate at this years chocolate conference. taste some scrumptious samples, learn about baking with chocolate, and discover how to be a true chocolate connoisseur. come hungry!!

"it was just before the passover feast. Jesus knew that the time had come for him to leave this world and go to the Father. having loved his own who were in the world, he now showed them the full extent of his love."

john 13:1

quinoa

i have a new foodie obsession: quinoa

it's this grain that is totally delish!! super healthy and loaded with protein, this little seed is now on my favorites list. every time i see a recipe with this in it, i have to try it!

so far, giada has made my favorite. (added bonus that it allows us to use up all our home-grown herbs)

Quinoa & Herbs

Ingredients:

2 3/4 cups low-sodium chicken stock

1/4 cup fresh lemon juice

1 1/2 cups quinoa

Dressing:

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

1/4 cup fresh lemon juice

3/4 cup chopped fresh basil leaves

1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley leaves

1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme leaves

2 teaspoons lemon zest

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions:

For the quinoa: In a medium saucepan, add the chicken stock, lemon juice and quinoa. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat to a simmer, cover the pan and cook until all the liquid is absorbed, about 12 to 15 minutes.

For the dressing: In a small bowl, mix together the olive oil, lemon juice, basil, parsley, thyme, and lemon zest. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.

Pour the dressing over the quinoa and toss until all the ingredients are coated. Transfer the quinoa to a bowl. Season with salt and pepper, to taste, and serve.

"come, let's drink deep of love till morning; let's enjoy ourselves with love!"

proverbs 7:18

p.s. thanks letincelle for the yummy picture

p.s.s. in order to sound really sophisticated when on your next trip to whole foods, pronounce quinoa like:

KIN + WHAH

foodie photos

this blog makes my mouth water every time i look at it.

beautiful photography + delicious recipes = my weak spot.

browse these enticing pictures on flickr.

"because he loved your forefathers and chose their descendants after them, he brought you out of egypt by his presence and his great strength."

deuteronomy 4:37