Happy Saturday, y’all! For many of us, summer is winding down and the start of another school year is just around the corner. While I thoroughly enjoy the slower pace of summertime and the freedom that comes with a more flexible schedule, I also get excited to jump back into certain routines. My favorite routine, of course, is more regimented meal planning. I know, as I was typing that I realized how unfun and drill sergeant-y it sounds, but meal planning actually eliminates a lot of stress (not to mention money and weight-gain) that can often surround the eternal question: “What’s for dinner?” With that said, my husband and I typically plan about 3-5 meals a week to cook at home, (and yes–we take turns!) However, we leave it pretty flexible in case anything out-of-the-ordinary pops up, which happens more often that not. Also, we always try make extra so lunch is taken care of, too. I’m sure when we add members to our clan one day, this “plan” will look very different, but for the newlywed, cooking-for-2 phase of life, it definitely works!…
Archives for August 2014
Green Chile Mac ‘n Cheese
With the languid days of summer dwindling down to hours, I am set on savoring every last morsel of solitude. For me, this means a few more healthy doses of sun and sleep, losing myself in embarrassingly too many abandoned novels, and long afternoons spent flipping through cookbooks and creating in the kitchen. Did you know that creating, in whatever capacity, is the highest form of self-expression and intelligence? (Bloom’s taxonomy) We can only learn and retain so much information, repeat so many ideas. At some point, we have to make something that is truly ours (even if it is influenced by lots of somethings that aren’t “ours”). If you really think about it, one of the purest forms of satisfaction stems from creation. Think about the satisfaction the Creator of our universe felt upon completion! “God saw all that he made and it was very good.” Genesis 1:31…
Sweet Potato Muffins with Pistachio
Guess what, foodie friends? It’s Gouramanda’s 2 year blogiversiary! (Ok, actually it was yesterday, but who’s counting??) I was thinking of celebrating with an over-the-top, homemade, triple layer yellow cake with chocolate buttercream frosting and colorful sprinkles, but you know, I just felt like making muffins instead. And I’m so glad I wasn’t in the overacheiving mood today, because these muffins in particular are freakin’ delicious, unbelievably easy to make, AND they’re vegan/super healthy. What what. Yeah, I’m not sure I’d be able to veganize the aforementioned cake (though I bet it’s too much work totally feasible.) Also, I have an unjustifiable fear of cake-baking (they put it in a box for a reason, people!) and don’t feel in the mood to conquer that particular fear today. It’s just one of those days, y’all!…
Watermelon Agua Fresca
It’s another beautiful Sunday in Austin, Texas! Typically during this time of year, I relinquish the oven from its faithful service and my cooking domain switches over to the counter top OR I kindly coax my chivalrous husband to man the grill. But it’s August 3rd and we’ve hardly hit the triple digits. My body is so seasoned in terms of the August + Austin = Melting equation when I temporarily become a “no” person in regards to any and all outdoor activities sans cool body of water, that I’m a bit at odds with what to do! The options are so bizarrely ubiquitous. Picnic in the park? Don’t mind if I do. Leisurely jog around the lake, sure! Watch in reverie as the glowing sun plunges beneath golden horizon from my back porch? Absolutely. I’m just in awe that I can walk outside and not immediately start to “glisten” (that’s a Southern euphemism for sweating your face off). I [don’t] apologize if you are reading this and live in a more temperate climate. We ramble on about the weather around here not because we are simpleminded, but rather because its capriciousness equally captivates and bewilders us (and our wardrobe!)…