Logic Versus Laziness and Lentils

I was going to write yesterday, but my accidentally over-caffienated self did not want to write.  Yesterday me more like felt the need to talk incessantly to anyone who would listen, which was mostly my husband and my friend, Dina.  I made the best listener for myself, however, based on the fact that I was clearly listening and responding quickly.  While I was in this mood, I decided to test a recipe that I found very recently through a Pinterest pin that contained six meatless burger recipes.  The most appealing of these (to me) was the Lentil burger.  So last night I gave it a try.  It was delicious to say the least.  The link to these recipes is http://www.prevention.com/food/cook/meatless-monday-veggie-burgers/lentil-burgers-all-fixings.  I have never directly linked before but these recipes deserve it.  I loved the Lentil burgers and they loved me.  The recipe (as I did it because I didn't have certain ingredients and substituted others) follows.

Lentil Burgers

• 1 1/2 cups brown lentils, rinsed
• 6 cups vegetable stock (I used my homemade vegetable stock, directions below)
• 4 garlic cloves, smashed
• 1/4 red onion, diced
• 5 sprigs fresh thyme, roughly chopped
• 2 slices wholegrain bread, roughly diced or 1 1/2 cups freshly made breadcrumbs
• salt and pepper to taste,
• 2 eggs, lightly whisked
• 1-2 tablespoons whole-grain flour
• Other burger fixings:
• Whole grain Buns (duh)
• Tomatoes
• Avocado (this is practically required)
• Cheese (I highly recommend Land of Lakes white american)
• Spinach (or lettuce, I guess)
• Dill pickles because sweet is gross
• Mayo, Ketchup, Mustard

First, boil lentils and garlic in vegetable stock in a medium sized sauce pan for 20-25 minutes or until tender.

While that is cooking prepare your other ingredients.  Put the onion, bread, and thyme in a food processor to blend and put in a medium-large mixing bowl.  

When lentils are done, drain, and add to the bread crumb mixture.  Mix.  Add salt and pepper to taste.  Add egg and flour (I added some extra bread crumbs just to be safe) until the mixture holds together.  Form into eight patties.

In a large skillet, coated with olive or vegetable oil, cook burgers for 3-4 minutes on medium heat and then flip and cook for another 3-4 minutes.

Assemble and serve!  They are delicious and nutritious.  Bonus: they are high in fiber and protein so they are well worth the less than 400 calories!

To make the vegetable stock, if you want to make it on your own, save the pieces of vegetables (herb stems, outer layers of onions, innards of peppers, cucumber and carrot skins and ends, celery and lettuce roots, etc.) you would normally throw out in an airtight bag in the freezer until you have enough to fill a large soup pan half way or so. Add 8-10 cups of water depending on how many vegetables you have and boil for 15 minutes.  Thoroughly strain and measure broth into freezer containers.  Label containers with how much broth is in each container.  I prefer 1-2 cups measurements but have done larger.  Freeze it until you use it.

Other fun...

Next came the fun of experimenting with different beauty pins I have found.  These pins seemed highly illogical but so convenient so why not give them a try?  The first had to do with drying nail polish quick.  The instructions were to spray Pam on wet nails, wipe it off, and then it would be completely dry.  Worth a try, right?  Nope.  Maybe it is because I used the Wal Mart brand and it was butter flavored, but I tend to doubt it.

The other one was even more illogical but if it worked, it would be so convenient and so much better than having to flat iron.  If you have seen my first blog, you know my hair is naturally curly and frizzy.  That is why this pin was of so much appeal.  ...Don't judge me.  The directions were to add two tablespoons of brown sugar to one cup of water, mix and put in a spray bottle.  Spray onto wet hair and let it air dry.  Your hair will be straight, right? No.  Tasty and controlled as it might be, my hair is not straight.  BTW, if you want your hair stiff, this definitely works for that.  It was not the easiest thing to pull it into the ponytail you see in that picture. 

In conclusion, my response to these two Pinterest finds can only be exemplified by grumpy cat.

Superbowl Snacks and Drain "Un"clogger

Yesterday was the Superbowl and the stores were packed with people going in for last minute chips and soda and all other sorts of junk food.  In spite of my unwillingness to participate because my favorite team was knocked out in the conference championship games, I decided to get festive and make some dip, guacamole, and fries.  Oh, and put some fruit by it to make it look healthier, of course.  All three of the recipes were inspired or created by friends of mine, but have been modified to fit my taste.  

The first of the three was the guacamole that my Mom and my mother-in-law inspired.  My Mom inspired it in the way that she used to make an avocado salad that I loved and my mother-in-law in the seasonings.  (Just a note, today was my mother-in-law's birthday.  She was an amazing woman and we miss her dearly.)  Anyways, the recipe is as follows (beware, I cook a lot of things to taste, so you will want to make sure that you taste the guac as you season to make sure you like the way it is turning out).

Moms-Inspired Guacamole

• 2 Ripe avocados (Make sure they are soft, but not mushy)
• 7-10 cherry tomatoes, diced into small pieces
• 1 medium green onion, chopped
• 1/2 bunch of cilantro, finely chopped (I love cilantro, feel free to use less if you think that is too much)
• 1 TB Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 1 TB Lemon Juice
• Sea Salt, pepper, garlic powder to taste.

First, dice the avocados and pour into a bowl, add tomatoes, green onion, cilantro, olive oil, and lemon juice.  Use a fork to mash it all together.  I like it chunky so I mix everything together first and use a fork.  If you like it smooth, use a food processor to whip the avocados, olive oil, and lemon juice into a smooth mixture, then add the tomatoes, cilantro, and green onion.  After that, add the seasonings.  Go easy at first to make sure you don't overdo it.  This recipe is good for about four people.

The next recipe was introduced to me in High School by a friend of mine named Kelley.  She brought it to school and shared one day and I fell in love.  I couldn't get enough of it.  She told me how to make it and I have been making it for fun ever since.  I did add some garnish to it out of guilt of it being too unhealthy, but it remains pretty much unchanged.

Kelley's Famous Dip

• 2 cans vegetarian or fat free refried beans
• 1 16 oz. container of low-fat sour cream
• 1 taco seasoning packet
• 1 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese (or Pepper Jack if you like it spicy) 
• 1/2 small white or vidalia onion, diced (about 1/4 cup)
• 7-10 cherry tomatoes, diced into small pieces (optional)
• 1 green onion, chopped (optional)
• Sliced black olives (optional)
• Chopped avocado pieces (optional)
• Coarsely chopped cilantro (optional)

Spread beans in a casserole dish so that they are about 3/4-1 inch high.  I use my 2 1/2 quart oval casserole dish.  Sprinkle half of the diced white onion over the beans.  Next, in a small mixing bowl, blend the sour cream with the taco seasoning.  Use a spatula to smooth it over the beans in a nice even layer.  Sprinkle the rest of the onion on top.  Next, add the cheese in an even layer on top of that.  Sprinkle the tomatoes, green onion, black olives, avocado, and cilantro over the top and serve.

The last recipe was inspired by my Mom who made "healthy" fries in the oven.  I modified it and consequently made it less "healthy" and less effort.  They are absolutely delicious and are easily modified.

Oven Baked Fries

• 6 White or Red potatoes, sliced into about 3/4 centimeter thickness, and then sliced into 3/4 centimeter width.
• About 1/4 cup light Olive Oil
• About 1/4 cup melted butter
• 1/2 TB Italian Seasoning
• 1/2 TSP Black Pepper
• Sea Salt

First, wash and slice the potatoes.  Mix oil, melted butter, italian seasoning, and pepper in a medium sized mixing bowl.  Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Add about 1/4 of the fries to the bowl and coat the fries in the mixture.  Take the fries out and spread them out on a cookie sheet.  Continue coating the fries in the mixture (1/4 of a time) and spread them out evenly on the cookie sheet.  Make sure they are spread out evenly, not stacked so that they can cook evenly.  Once spread out on the cookie sheet(s) sprinkle salt over the fries.  Bake in the oven for about 15-20 minutes until a fork goes goes in smoothly and edges of fries are starting to brown.

Note: Instead of half oil, half butter, you can use 1/2 cup oil or 1/2 cup butter.  I do half and half to cut down on the amount of butter I use, but still get that nice buttery flavor.

DIY Drain Unclogger

Recently, I have found myself with a slow shower drain that is getting pretty annoying.  Because I don't like going to the store, I decided to look up a DIY drain unclogger that I could make myself and use.  Sadly, it didn't work for me but it might work for you.  As I said, I found it on Pinterest, but the link was broken so I had to rely on the picture caption the pinner put on it.  It said to pour 1/2 a cup of baking soda down the drain, then 1/2 cup of vinegar.  Cover it with a wet washcloth and let it sit for five minutes.  After that, run hot water down the drain to wash it out.

Unfortunately for me, I couldn't get the stopper out of the drain (it's the kind you twist down to plug and twist up to unplug) so I had to push the baking soda down with my fingers.  It got clogged with baking soda then and I couldn't even finish putting it all in there.  I wasn't ready to admit defeat yet, however, so I poured the vinegar on it slowly so it wouldn't pool up and then put the washcloth on top. I let it sit and then turned on the hot water only to discover that it was a failed effort and the drain was still slow.  I might have to break down and actually use a chemical unclogger or get the hubs to snake the drain.  Oh well.  First recorded Pinterest fail.

Cooking with the Hubs

Two of my most anticipated recipes have just been sitting on my boards on Pinterest for just way too long.  Today had to be the day.  Tonight was a pseudo-date night for my husband and I and I thought it would just be peachy to spend it watching a movie, cooking together, and eating.  Of course, I would have to make my most anticipated recipes tonight... These recipes were highly anticipated for three reasons: mac and cheese, avocado, and cinnamon toast crunch.  Yum.  

The first recipe I found on Pinterest, of course.  The pin originated from twopeasandtheirpod.com.  When I saw the picture, my mouth started watering.  Tonight was the night.  After months of waiting and wondering, tonight was the night.  

I started off by making my husband do all the things I dislike doing, shredding the cheese, juicing the lime, paying for the groceries...  Putting the avocado mix together was pretty much just making guacamole, but with fresh garlic.  This was the main mistake.  I trusted in the fresh garlic.  Don't repeat my mistake.  The recipe calls for two minced garlic cloves.  This is going to be a bit strong.  Next time I will do it just like I make my guacamole, to taste.  The following is my modified recipe.

• 10 ounces dry pasta (I used rotini because the ridges absorb the sauce nicely)
• 2 avocados, peeled and pitted
• 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
• 1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro
• Salt, pepper, and garlic powder to taste
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 cup milk
• 1 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
• 1 cup shredded Pepper Jack cheese
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• Fresh tomato wedges, for garnish

1. Bring water to a boil in a large pot. Salt the water and add in pasta. Stir and cook until Al Dente, about 8-10 minutes. Drain and set aside.

2. While the pasta is cooking, make the avocado sauce by placing the avocados, lime juice, cilantro, salt, pepper, and garlic powder into a food processor or blender. (The trick the garlic powder is to add a little at a time and taste it after mixing it all in - go easy.  It's better to have to add more and blend again than to have too much.)  Process until smooth and creamy. Set aside.  (Or leave it a little chunky if you want a chunkier sauce in the end.)

3. To make the cheese sauce, place butter in a small saucepan and heat over medium heat. When butter is melted, whisk in flour to create a paste. Whisk in milk until smooth. Stir until the sauce starts to thicken. Add in Pepper Jack cheese and stir until cheese is melted and sauce is creamy.

4. Place macaroni in a large bowl. Pour the avocado sauce over the macaroni and stir until well coated. Add the cheese sauce and stir until macaroni is coated and creamy. Serve warm. Garnish with fresh tomato wedges, if desired.

Delicious.  

The next recipe was simple, to the point, and my childhood dreams fulfilled.  Cinnamon Toast Crunch Cupcakes.  Yes, I'm serious.  I would rename them Little Pieces of Heaven Cupcakes or maybe even Magical Crack Cupcakes because of their addictive quality.  I found this recipe in a dream, or a vision, whichever.  This dream happened when I was exploring a favorite blog called Baked from a Box.  To get to the point...

• Vanilla cake mix and it's required ingredients (eggs, oil, water...)
• 2 cups Cinnamon Toast Crunch
• 1 tablespoon Cinnamon
• Buttercream Frosting

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Blend Cinnamon Toast Crunch with cinnamon in blender until it is like dust, but still has some chunks in it. 
2. In a large bowl, beat the cake mix and necessary ingredients together according to the directions on the box.  
3. Line cupcake pan with cupcake paper cups.  Fill cups one third full.  Sprinkle some of the cereal dust on top of the batter.  Add more batter until cups are two thirds full.  Sprinkle more dust on top and mix each one gently with a fork.
4. Bake in the oven for 15-20 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.  
5. Let them cool completely before frosting.  After putting the frosting on, sprinkle lightly with more of the cereal dust on top and garnish with a whole Cinnamon Toast Crunch square.

Tips:  If you have a cupcake batter dispenser (mine is the Tovolo Cupcake Batter Pen Dispenser)  it makes life so much easier (except when you have to clean it), but if you don't, fill a baggie with the batter and cut a corner off to keep things cleaner and help make filling the cups a lot easier.  When you are ready to frost the cupcakes, put the frosting in a bowl and whip it with an electric beater to aerate it.  This will make it fluffier and easier to spread.  Then (if you don't have a frosting tube) put it into a baggie, cut off a corner and apply it that way.  It is cleaner, easier, and more attractive than spreading it on with a butter knife.

Make sure you fold the top down and use your hands to scrape the frosting off the spatula.

I started with one layer on the bottom and added another layer to add some height.

Monkey see, monkey exfoliate.

As I was browsing through Pinterest today through the beauty section, I found a recipe for an exfoliant and method for your legs.  The post came originally from Gluten Free Navy Wife on blogspot.  The recipe reminded me of another sugar scrub I have tried that works really well and is super simple.  So why not give this a try for my legs.  Especially since it is winter and my legs are starting to look a little bit like teen wolf.  I was a little hesitant to give it a try at first because I just got back from Colombia and have a nice (although unintentional) tan.  But, once again, it is winter and showing off my tan is something my face and neck are responsible for.  Sooo... here goes nothing.

The Process

First things first, gather the ingredients,

• 2 1/2 cups of sugar
• 1 cup of oil (Any old kind, I used vegetable oil because that's what I had, but I would much rather prefer coconut, almond, or almost anything else with a nice scent to it.)
• 5 tablespoons of citrus juice (I used lemon.)
• A few drops of some kind of essential oil (Optional, but I used Tea Tree Oil)

Next mix 'em up in a bowl.  

Get the bath ready, make sure you have your razor blade ready because it's about to get some exercise.  

When you are in the bath, enjoy a nice soak for about five minutes (which is as long as I find baths enjoyable anyway).  After that, use the sugar scrub on one leg, use circular massaging motions and make sure to spend some time on your knees where skin tends to get dull.  If you feel like it, get your feet too, they will thank you later.

After rinsing, shave the leg.  Exfoliate again. Yes, that's right, again.  Then, shave it again.  Excessive, nope.  The first shave gets rid of the hair and skin you sloughed off the first time, the second shave gets rid of even more skin your sugar scrub just removed.  Repeat with the other leg.

When I filled the bath tub up, I put some bath salt and shower gel for bubbles in the tub.  I really didn't want to smell like olive oil when I was done and I might as well make this bath enjoyable.  One Republic channel on Pandora? Check.  Even with the music and the bubbles, I still got impatient waiting for my five minute soak to be over.

Then the scrubbing and shaving happened.  It took a good ten minutes.

The Result

After doing this, my legs felt so silky and I had so much of the sugar scrub left over that I decided to do the rest of my body (without the shaving step...).  Now my whole body feels super smooth and the peeling burn/tan I had on my shoulders and back is more evened out, but there was a whole lot of dead skin just pouring off my body.  It was really quite gross.

Afterward, I felt pretty oily and the bathwater was absolutely disgusting, so I drained it at the same time as taking a shower and washing with my regular body wash to get some of the oil off.  Pampering myself like this felt so good I continued the fun to my face with a charcoal mask.  The multitasker that I am did my nails as well while I waited for the mask to dry.  I also lotioned my entire body.  Back, chest, and neck with pure aloe vera gel and the rest of me with my favorite lotion, Curel Ultra Healing Intensive Lotion.  I am now fighting the urge to drive around to hair salons and find someone to cut my hair and wax my eyebrows.

Overall, I loved it.  I would do it again, but cut the recipe in half so that I don't have to find a way to con my husband into using what's left again.  In the beginning I was worried about scrubbing my tan away, but it turns out my tan just looks better, more even, and glows nicely.

Edit: I tried this again with coconut oil and I loved it!  It is thicker so it makes it easier to use the scrub and smells so much better.

Best part of being in a foreign country: learning how to do your hair all over again.

During some time spent in Colombia, I decided that my usually curly/wavy hair needed to be put up as the climate was making it a little bit high-maintenence.  Where I'm from, all I have to do is massage in some leave-in conditioner and let it air-dry.  My layered haircut is really perfect for the look I like so that's all I need.  Colombia, however, made my hair bigger and frizzier.  So one night, before going out I decided to do something different.

I knew I was going to leave it natural and I was thinking of sweeping it to the side into a side pony.  But that can't be all because of the layers in my hair would come out and curl around it with their big frizzy selves.

So I did what anyone would do.  I put in a waterfall braid from behind my right ear going to my behind my left ear where I completed the braid and let it hang.  Then I secured it (and some of the cascading hair) with a couple large bobby pins (the kinds you would use for rollers).  The braid and the pins secured my hair to the side and some pretty tendrils were loose as well.

Then, I used a long necklace I have and wrapped it around my hair for fun.  I then secured the loose ends with bobby pins, also making sure to secure the whole thing to my head.  I only had to use four bobby pins, two for each side of my head.

This is the result.

Then, because my hair was so frizzy in this wonderful climate, I used a shine spray to smooth it out and give it some shine.  This also helped to define the natural curls.  As far as glossing sprays go, I like Garnier Fructis Brilliantine Shine Glossing Spray because it gets the job done well, smells pretty good, and only costs $3.47 at Wal-Mart.

Wish I had taken more pictures now, but you know what they say about hindsight, it's always 20/20.