I am torn between writing about the lush green beauty surrounding my home and telling you about all the great culinary feats I have recently achieved.
How about both?
Yes, I think both.
It started raining yesterday evening and it’s been drizzling nonstop since. Besides falling asleep to the soft pitter-patter of falling moisture and a dose of much-needed humidity, the rain has provided me with a mopey Chihuahua Chihuahua
I think my lovely American habitat has been transformed into a little piece of the Emerald Isle. Every tidbit of color that thought it could hide from view has been put on display, its suddenly intense beauty in stark contrast with the scene it blends into. The light grey clouds cast gentle, illuminating shadows and remind the world to reflect on the less obvious joys in life. Most of the early-spring blossoms are wilt and faded, but even these convey a hope of something new, perhaps the warmer days of summer.
In other words, it’s a perfect day for soft sweatshirts that are 3 sizes too big, a good book, and a cup of hot chocolate. However. I am currently wearing a coral-hued, flowery-printed sweater and plan on enjoying a half-price Frappachino later this afternoon. Hmmm…
And speaking of beverages! Actually, I’m not going to talk about beverages. But I am going to talk about aforementioned culinary achievements. And I shall explain to you why I titled this post the way I did. Do you think I’m sneaky?
(RANDOM FACT: I tend to pick up on other people’s grammar mistakes all too often. Like someone had written ‘sneaky suspicion’ when it should have been ‘sneaking suspicion’. Another person wrote ‘weather’ instead of ‘whether’. Then there’s always the ‘loose’ when it was supposed to be ‘lose’, even though phonetically, it should be the other way around. I’m telling you, people. Maybe I’m destined to be an editor. Eeesh, I don’t know if I’d like that…)
Anyhoozers, back to the topic at hand: food. On Saturday, I made Morning Glory Bread. It was a sweet quick bread with pineapple, coconut, raisins, and carrots in it. It was so good! I used a recipe but altered to the point that it wasn’t really the same recipe anymore. That night, I made chicken with garlic and balsamic vinegar—SO good. I paired it with some Rice-a-roni with chopped broccoli thrown in. Then, the other night I made chicken pot pie. From scratch. The crust, the filling, the chicken…everything. I was rather proud of myself, because the chicken turned out so tender, the crust was thick and flaky (and was thoroughly cooked, too), and the filling was so wonderfully flavorful! Again, I used a recipe altered to my liking.
My new favorite website is allrecipes.com. That is the place I got all of the above recipes and I could spend five days straight on there and not even get bored. (Provided, of course, that I could take several breaks to make all the delicious recipes I discover.) They’ve got every single recipe you could ever think of, and they also have lots of how-to videos and everything. So. You should check it out if you want to be chef for the day.
Now, why did I say applesauce goes with everything? Because it does.
Observe: It can be used in place of oil in bread recipes. It adds texture to sauces and smoothies. It is an easy and convenient little snack or side dish for any ol’ meal. It can be used as a topping for oatmeal or ice cream or toast or even be used as shampoo! (Mm, well maybe those are a stretch.)
The best part though? It’s healthy (think vitamins) and low calorie (big time!) and once you pop it in a recipe, it doesn’t even taste appley!
I rest my case.
One thing though. You have to get the UNSWEETENED kind. Repeat after me: “I will buy unsweetened applesauce, and use it in everything.”
There, you said it.
Before I go, I would like to share with you a recipe someone showed me a couple of years ago that my family has enjoyed countless times since…Five Minute Chocolate Cake.
It’s true! You can have a yummy, chewy, warm chocolate cake in 5 short minutes. Although it should probably be modified to Ten Minute Chocolate Cake because that’s really about how long it takes.
The secret? The microwave. Just as a disclaimer though, the first time you try it, you might not be a huge fan. It has a texture similar to a sponge cake slash brownie. And since it’s baked in the microwave, it’s bound to turn out slightly different than regular cake anyway. However, it is worthy of your time and taste buds, trust me.
Five Minute Chocolate Cake
3-1/2 T. flour
4 T. sugar
2 T. cocoa
3 T. oil (I actually prefer applesauce; makes it more moist)
3 T. milk
1 egg
splash of vanilla
lots and lots of chocolate chips (3-4 T.)
In a two-cupper measuring cup, mix dry ingredients with a fork. Beat in wet ingredients and mix very well. Stir in chocolate chips. Microwave on high for 2 minutes and 15 seconds. (You want it to be moist, but if it’s still runny on top, try another 15-30 seconds.)
Turn onto a plate, top with powdered sugar, ice cream, or whipped topping/cream, and maybe even garnish with sliced fruit. The possibilities are endless.
Do you like how I have so far given you two chocolate recipes? Those are the most important recipes.
Now that this post has taken me two days to write, I now publish it with love.
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