Wednesday's Words of Wisdom

"Falling in life is inevitable -- staying down is optional."  -- Carrie Johnson (two time Olympic kayaker)

I've finally finished one of my classes and although it was a bit of a struggle and I felt kicked at times (namely during the tests) I'm ready to pick myself up and move on with  my next classes.  And with the Olympics around the corner, who better to inspire me than a female Olympian.  That is one experience that I wish I could have had.  Representing your country on the world's stage would be an enormous honor.  Can't wait to cheer on the athletes in February!!

Banana Cardamom Mini Loafs

Two things I love in life, bananas and cardamom, have come together into an adorable tasty little loaf.  Ever since I spent a summer in Sweden I have fallen in love with this unique spice.  I'll add a dash to my oatmeal here, sprinkle some in my tea or coffee there, and try to blend it into as many baked goods as possible.

Once I saw this recipe from Bob Vivant I knew that I had to try it.  Instead of making a cake though I decided to use my new mini-loaf pan to make precious little loafs.  I have to say it was a success and I didn't even make the frosting.  That is saying something seeing as though I have such a sweet tooth and love a good frosting!

Wednesday's Words of Wisdom

"All the best heroes are ordinary people who make themselves extraordinary." -- Gerard Way

I just finished redecorating my bulletin board by filling it with inspiring words, quotes, and most importantly my training schedule (for the upcoming LA marathon).  One quote that I really love is this gem from Gerard Way.  Reading these words I think of the people who are my heroes and how they aren't celebrities or people who are famous.  Rather they are ordinary people; nevertheless they are really not ordinary to me because they have done something amazing which has made them extraordinary.  This is for all of the people who have made something of themselves.  YOU are somebody's hero.

Pumpkin Pecan Streusal Bread

Its fall, and you know what that means ... pumpkin season!!

When I was in Trader Joe's I had to buy some canned pumpkin puree.  I knew it that sometime in the near future I would be using it.  I simply needed to find a good recipe to try. 

After a few minutes of browsing I found the perfect recipe with the perfect add in ... nuts!! 

I have to say it was quite a success!  It tasted delicious, but there was way too much streusel.  Next time I think I'll only make like 1/4c worth of streusel. 

Oh I also used pecans instead of the walnuts that were suggested!

Wednesday's Words of Wisdom

"Nothing can stop the man with the right mental attitude from achieving his goal; nothing on earth can help the man with the wrong mental attitude."  -- Thomas Jefferson

Life is full of tests.  Whether you take actual tests like those in school, whether you take "tests" at work by writing reports or giving presentations, or whether you're patience is tested by other people, attitude is everything.  I am a firm believer that if you believe you can and if you put in the effort than somehow you will make it happen. 

Prune and Pecan Bliss Balls "Healthly Chocolate Truffles"

In my world sweets rule all, which leads to a wonderfully delicious yet very unhealthy diet.  I've been trying to rectify this problem by finding some new sweet alternatives to replace my sugar heavy, cream rich, and fat laden sweets. 

I saw a recipe for a some prune and pecan treats which I have since dubbed my "healthy choco truffles."  They are very sweet and delicious and I'm happy to now have an option for those times (and less face it there are many times) where I binge on sweets.

I halved the recipe that I found on instagram so I wouldn't eat too many at once and it made about 11 1" diameter "truffles."

Wednesday's Words of Wisdom

“Do the one thing you think you cannot do. Fail at it. Try again. Do better the second time. The only people who never tumble are those who never mount the high wire. This is your moment. Own it” – Oprah

Oprah is such an icon in our day of age and she not surprisingly has many quotable moments.  Here is one such quote that is both motivating and inspiring.  Hope you're inspired like me!

Veggie Green Chile Enchiladas

Because I'm generally a sweets girl I tend to only be intrigued by blog posts having to do with delicious looking pastries, desserts, and sweet baked goods.  However I've decided to try to turn a new leaf and experiment with some savory options as well.  Here is my version of feed me Phoebe's Green Chile Enchiladas.

They turned out alright even with the adjustments I made:

• 2 instead of 1 shallot (I like the more oniony taste it gives)
• grape tomatoes cut into quarters instead of cherry tomatoes
• sub edamame for spinach (added a good texture to the mix)
• definitely added more cheese, but used Trader Joe's diary free shredded cheese mix instead
• 12 instead of 16 ounces of green chile salsa (the only size TJ's had)
• ~5 ounces Greek yogurt (the only reasonable size TJ's had)
• used a mixture of flour (8") and corn (6") tortillas
• I like the corn better

I ended up cooking them for about 30 minutes to try to get the cheese to melt nicer.  Sadly the cheese didn't melt like I wanted it to but I'm going to chalk that up to the fakeness of the cheese (b/c it was non-dairy).  I also ended up making only 8 enchiladas with extra filling and tortillas, but that will be a nice snack with later. 

Overall, a success!

Wednesday's Words of Wisdom

The darkest places in hell are reserved for those who maintain their neutrality in the times of moral crisis.  - Dante Aligheri

While reading Dan Brown's latest page turner Inferno, I was struck by the powerful effect of Dante's words.  I immediately ran to my room to grab a pen and paper to write them down.  They are now up on my bulletin board and watch over me daily.  I view them as a constant reminder to steadfastly stand by what I believe in.

A new direction -- spiced up granola

Beginnings are always interesting.  They are fresh, new exhilarating, sometimes terrifying, but nonetheless they are part of life.  I am beginning a new chapter in my life and I thought it would be nice to get some consistency back.  Thus I am going to resuscitate this blog from its dying last legs and give it some new life.

In the spirit of beginnings, I'm going to take this blog in a slightly new direction.  I'm going to attempt to start trying some of the many recipes from the many blogs I follow.

Here it goes...

Granola.  There is something so satisfying about pouring some in a bowl with a splash of milk in the morning.  Heck any time of day.  I decided to finally try making some from scratch instead of just buying it from various sources.



It should stay fresh if kept in an airtight container for about 1.5 - 2 weeks.

I was inspired by Cookie + Kate's Gingerbread Granola so I put a little twist on it and it turned out quite wonderfully.

The only changes I made were adding:
- 1/3 cup flax seeds (about a 1/3 cup worth because I had them lying around)
- substituting an equal amount of honey for the molasses
- omitting the ginger (sadly didn't have any around)
- and substituting dried apricots for the dried cranberries
- substituting 1 T of ground cardamom for the ground ginger (I fell in love with cardamom after spending a summer in Sweden)

I've got to say I'm quite impressed by my first shot at this, and hope that this is what all of my future endeavors will be like instead of this being just beginners luck.


Birthday Getaway Weekend in Stockholm

Tea at the Grand

a Swedish Flag for my birthday.

(whipped cream, sweet vanilla cream cheese, whipped butter, lime curd, and strawberry preserves)

my favorite was a combo of vanilla cream cheese and lime curd.