- Page 5 of 11 - gour·mand: one who is heartily interested in good food and drink

Pumpkin French Toast with Bacon Maple Syrup

12 October, 2014 By Amanda Munden Leave a Comment

The easy thing for me to do right now would be to talk about fall, cooler weather, leaves changing, and all things pumpkin- including this delicious french toast. I think I talked about all of those trite (yet wonderful) fall topics in my half-hearted blog post last week. I get it though. If anyone is guilty of breaking out the boots before the temperatures have even dipped into the 70s, it’s me. Autumn is my favorite season. However, I feel like there are much bigger things going on in the world than my pumpkin spice latte or who won the football game yesterday. In my heart of hearts, when I write about those things, I feel a searing jab in my soul. It’s like when the nun in Madeleine starts singing “something is not right.” Kind of? (Oh man, my points of reference are becoming a dead giveaway for my profession!)…

Chocolate, Coconut and Peanut Butter Energy Truffles

3 October, 2014 By Amanda Munden Leave a Comment

You can already taste the excitement in the air for one (now two) of Austin’s most beloved weekends, ACL fest. It’s a sweet time of year when the weather starts to cool if we’re lucky, and when renowned and latent musical talent reverberates throughout the city on a gargantuan scale, whether you like it or not. As an Austin native, ACL certainly holds a special place in my heart. However, my concert-culture has “shifted” over the years, to put it nicely. Nowadays, as opposed to my 17 or 18 year-old, dare I say impetuous self, I like to think I’m a little more practical when it comes to, well, most things, especially food things….

Spinach and Artichoke Dip

21 September, 2014 By Amanda Munden 1 Comment

Happy Sunday, foodie friends! With football season in full swing, I thought I’d share my super simple recipe for spinach and artichoke dip. You can literally throw all of the ingredients in the crockpot in the morning, and this decadent dip will be ready by game time (or party time). ¡Buen provecho!…

Greek Turkey Meatballs with Easy Tzatziki

14 September, 2014 By Amanda Munden Leave a Comment

Sometimes, all you need in life are meatballs. Recently, I read this article about how to change your life with meatballs, and it got me thinking about all the time I spend rushing through life and haphazardly flailing from point A to point B, whether A is the moment I wake up and B is a chaotic Monday morning at work or A is where I am and B is where I want to be. How much better would life be if I could actually learn to embrace the messy, ambiguous in-betweenness and enjoy the moment I am in right now with the person/people in my company right now, whatever the circumstance? Why is it that I allow clean, folded (and PUT AWAY) laundry dictate my sense of calm and a busier, fuller schedule puff up my sense of self? It’s all bass-ackwards, just like our culture and my whacked-out prioritization habits. …

Avocado and Cucumber Soup

7 September, 2014 By Amanda Munden 1 Comment

When the fall months roll around, it’s second nature for me to start dreaming up recipes for heartwarming soups, satisfying stews and all of those dishes that mae you want to curl up next to a fireplace with some fuzzy socks and a captivating book. However, much to my chagrin, the forecast doesn’t anticipate even a hint of a cold spell anytime soon. But I’m not going to let that stop me from making soup! This avocado and cucumber soup is a refreshing, light, get-you-back-on-track kind of meal and it’s perfect for this late-summer, early-fall in-between season. ¡Buen provecho!…

Chipotle Black Bean and Mushroom Burgers

1 September, 2014 By Amanda Munden Leave a Comment

Happy Labor Day! To honor all of the hard-working men and women out there, I thought I would share my simple and scrumptious recipe for chipotle black bean and mushroom burgers. These burgers are easy to make, chock-full of nutrients, and something the whole family can enjoy. I like to make some extra to freeze for school/work lunches. It’s one less thing to worry about during the week so you can stay focused on everything else that’s important to you! Buen provecho!…

Sesame Cashew Chicken Stir Fry

23 August, 2014 By Amanda Munden Leave a Comment

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!…

Green Chile Mac ‘n Cheese

15 August, 2014 By Amanda Munden Leave a Comment

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

7 August, 2014 By Amanda Munden Leave a Comment

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

3 August, 2014 By Amanda Munden Leave a Comment

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!)…

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