veggie quinoa soup

Well, it's the second day of Spring here in Missouri, and this is what it looks like in my backyard:

I know, it's kind of depressing. Missouri, I moved south so I wouldn't have more Winter. Lame.

So this day called for some soup. It's packed with good for you veggies, and a touch of quinoa for some protein and goodness. I just kind of threw this together, so no real recipe, and I'm sadly lacking in pictures, but here goes.

I started with a small onion in a big pot with some olive oil. I added a giant sweet potato all diced up (and I do mean giant. If you can't find a giant sweet potato, I suggest using two smaller ones).

To this I added 3 carrots and 4 stalks of celery that I sliced. I put in one container of veggie broth (4 cups?). Then I threw in a head of broccoli florets. I added some cayenne, turmeric, curry powder, cumin, ground ginger (I was going to use fresh, but sadly mine had gone bad), cinnamon, crushed red pepper flakes, dried basil, and chili powder.

I added a large can of diced tomatoes and about half of a small can of tomato paste. Then I filled the diced tomato can with water and added that. Then I put in 1 cup of quinoa.

I let this boil and then simmer for a while, letting the quinoa cook and the veggies get softer. After letting this cook for a while, I tore up a bunch of kale and added it in. Let it cook a little longer and voila! Dinner!

I would serve this with biscuits or cornbread, but sadly I am out of milk, so I had to settle for some saltines instead. Enjoy!

Oh, and I was featured over at my friend Hannah Cole's blog because back in September I did the cupcakes for her wedding with a little help from my cupcake Elves: me mum and the lovely Stephanie Grace over at Gracie's Bakes.  

Stir Fry

I had a friend over for lunch the other day, and by the other day I mean it was probably 2 months ago now. My how time flies! When I asked if there was anything specific that she wanted to eat, she said that she had really enjoyed the curry I made, so maybe something like that. I decided to make stir fry, mostly because I hadn't made it in a rather long time, and it sounded good to me.

Stir fry is super easy to make and can be altered so easily to fit different dietary needs. It is also super healthy and delicious.

Start by setting your rice to cooking because that will take the longest. I made sushi rice with coconut milk.  Next cook a couple of chicken breasts that have been cut into chunks. I cooked these in a little coconut oil and seasoned with curry powder, turmeric, cayenne pepper, garlic salt, cinnamon, and pepper. When the chicken is finished cooking set aside and keep warm.

Add to the wok cut up veggies of your choice. I think I used onion, carrots, broccoli, mushrooms, asparagus. It is best to use fresh veggies. You can also use bell peppers, zucchini or yellow squash, green beans, peas, really any vegetables you like. Allow these to cook until they are a little soft, but not all the way cooked. This gives you a nice crunch. Add the chicken back in and cook just a little longer.

Serve with the rice and eat right away. You can also use some soy sauce if you want that flavor.

This is a really great meal to make because it is fast and easy, but can be easily modified to suit almost anyone's taste buds. It is also really easy to make this a vegetarian meal.

Quick Fixes

I am big on quick, easy to throw together meals because let's face it, life is crazy. As much as I would love to spend all day in the kitchen making meals that require my time and attention for multiple hours, I just don't have that luxury at this time in my life. Therefore, I like making meals that I can make in a short time that are still delicious and healthy and homemade.

Chicken is such an easy to make and versatile food to make. (Confession: I'm pretty sure I made this last summer and I'm just getting around to blogging about it. . .oops!) I love to use the grill (when it's summer), so I grilled this chicken breast, and added a pasta and white sauce on the side.

To make white sauce (not from a can. . .have you ever actually read the ingredients on a sauce can?) start with a couple of tablespoons of butter (or olive oil or other type of oil depending on the flavor you want) in a saucepan. Allow this to melt, and then add a couple of tablespoons of flour. I prefer to use unbleached all purpose flour for something like this, but you can use whatever you feel like. Stir this. It will be sticky. Add in half and half (or milk or almond milk) and continue stirring. You do not want this to boil or it will be scalded. Keep stirring until the sauce thickens. If you want it to be thicker add a little more flour, but be careful that it doesn't clump. Add in whatever seasonings you like. I like to add basil and Italian seasonings to mine, but it's your preference. Herbs of Provence are also good in white sauce (this is a premixed seasoning that you can fine at most grocery stores or international food stores).

White sauce makes a great base to which you can add many things. I usually add in green peas, carrots, and asparagus which I have cooked until soft along with pasta. For the final product, mix together cooked pasta and veggies with white sauce and toss until coated. You could also cut up the chicken and toss it with this, or you can leave it on the side like I did here.

And there you have it! Delicious, nutritious, and easy! Enjoy!

and over three months later. . .

. . .here you go!! Julia Child's Boeuf Bourguignon* with my own little twist. I'm going to be honest with you it was a while ago when I made this so I don't exactly remember everything I put in but I did try to follow along her recipe as closely as possible. Also I just want to state that the beautiful pot you see in the pictures was a birthday present from my parents a couple years ago. My dad brought it back from Mexico for me. How sweet is that!?!?


Preheat your oven to 450 degrees. In an oven proof pan saute stew meat in olive oil. I used about 1 - 2 pounds. Julia's recipe calls for 3 lbs. but I was just cooking for two, so I decreased the amount a little.


When the beef is slightly browned on all sides, sprinkle it with salt and pepper and whatever other seasonings you like. (I think I added some cinnamon and maybe some chili powder. This is one recipe, though, that I would be careful not to over season.) Then sprinkle in about 2 Tbsp. flour and toss lightly to coat. Put it in the preheated oven for about 4 minutes and toss it again and return to the oven for about 4 more minutes. Reduce oven heat to 350 degrees.


Next you are going to add a small onion that has been sliced and a sliced carrot as well. I may have used two carrots, but I can't remember exactly. I guess it depends on how well you like carrots how many you should use.


Return to the stove top and add 1 Tbsp. tomato paste, 2 cloves mashed garlic, 1/2 tsp. thyme and a crumbled bay leaf.


Next stir in about 3 cups of red wine, such as Chianti and enough beef stock to cover the ingredients. Bring to a simmer on the stove top.


Then cover the casserole dish and return to the oven. Allow to cook for 2 1/2 to 3 hours. I let it cook for about 45 minutes to an hour and then stir it and then repeat the process until it is done. The beef should be very tender when it is done.


Remove the casserole from the oven and either cool the stew and refrigerate for later use or if serving immediately prepare as follows. Quarter about a pound of button mushrooms and saute them in butter.


Add to the stew and stir to coat.


Then serve with boiled potatoes and buttered green peas and of course a glass of red wine. Enjoy!!



*Recipe adapted from Mastering the Art of French Cooking by Julia Child, Louisette Bertholle, and Simone Beck.

the makings of something delicious

Get ready for some Julia Child deliciousness a la Meli.

muffins for a friend

Okay, first I just have to tell you. . .this lovely guy and I are celebrating 1 year of being in each others lives. He was my birthday present from mis padres last year, and I decided he was a he because he does the heavy lifting in our relationship. I have this thing about personifying inanimate objects, so yes, I am acting like my mixer is a person. I do have to confess, though, that while it has been a year, I have yet to name him. So if anyone has some good name suggestions, I would love to hear them. Alright, moving on. . .


A dear friend of mine had a houseful of guests last weekend, and as she is always busy and stretched out over so many things and also because she does not enjoy baking, she asked if I would make her some muffins to share with her guests. I was delighted to be able to help her out, especially since she had a new muffin recipe that she wanted me to try. I adapted the recipe that she gave me which was torn out of a magazine.

Monster Muffins
2 cups whole grain flour (I believe I used a combination of whole wheat and oat flour)
1 cup oat bran
1 cup pecans, chopped
1 cup raisins (approximately)
1 cup raw sugar
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1 1/2 tsp. sea salt
1 1/2 Tbsp. cinnamon (I used up all of my cinnamon on this)
a dash cloves
some fresh ground nutmeg
1 cup almond milk
2 eggs
3 Tbsp. applesauce
1 tsp. vanilla
1 cup canned pumpkin
2 cups shredded carrots
3 Granny Smith apples, peeled and shredded
some shredded coconut

In a large mixing bowl, mix the flour, oat bran, pecans, raisins, raw sugar, baking powder, baking soda, sea salt, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, almond milk, applesauce, eggs and vanilla. Mix until just blended. Stir in the pumpkin, shredded carrots, apples and coconut. Mix thoroughly. Bake at 350* for 20-30 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool and enjoy.



A muffin fresh from the oven with a bit of butter. . .so wonderfully delightful!! My batch easily made 24 muffins.

chicken curry

Thai food holds a very special place in my heart. I love Thai food. I am blessed to have a good Thai restaurant (or a couple) in my town. However, I have never made Thai food at home. Today I did, and it was delightful!! My friend, A, came over to cook lunch with me today. When I asked what she wanted to eat, she replied something with chicken. Since I have been craving curry lately, I decided to try my hand at some chicken curry.

I used this recipe as inspiration and then proceeded to do exactly what I pleased. I started with 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts and cut them into nice sized chunks, not too big, not too small, just nice. Then I cooked them in a skillet with some olive oil, minced garlic, diced onion, and a bit of fresh ginger as well as garlic salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, pepper, turmeric, curry powder, thyme, and a touch of cayenne. Once again, do what you like with your seasonings. Get a little crazy with it. Once the chicken was cooked through, I removed it to a plate and poured some chicken broth into the skillet along with a little more olive oil. While I cooked the chicken, A was graciously cutting up the veggies for me.

We added a red bell pepper, a yellow squash, a zucchini squash, some onion, and a carrot. We let this cook for a little while and then added a mango and some fresh pineapple as well as a can of coconut milk to the mix. Then came a second round of seasonings. Lastly we threw in some fresh cilantro because I had some on hand. Check the flavor of the sauce and adjust seasonings as desired. I think I would add some more curry and a touch more spice to this.


Serve with rice. I picked up some sweet black Thai rice the other day at MJ's and was eager to try it. It adds a nice color variation and has good flavor. I did cook it kind of fast (because I forgot to put it on before we started the curry), so it was a little crunchy, but all around good.


We had a delightful lunch at the table in the backyard. Thanks A for coming over and having lunch. I loved having you to cook with!!

the healthiest cupcake you will ever eat

Okay, please don't let the healthy part of this drive you away. Cupcakes can be both nutritious and delicious. These are simply healthy because of the substitutes and additions that I made. I was also making these so the roommate could have some. She's back from vacation, so I get to cook for her again instead of filling that void by cooking for other people. (Don't worry, other people, you will still get treats too.) This recipe is adapted from Ming Makes Cupcakes.

Carrot Cupcakes
1 cup flour (I used unbleached all-purpose)
2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. salt
6 Tbsp. applesauce (just an fyi, I use unsweetened in everything)
1/2 cup sugar (I used dark brown)
1/2 cup canola oil
crushed pineapple
2 cups grated carrots
flake coconut

Start with your grated carrots.


Add dry ingredients. Hmmm. . .at this point I may have also added a bit of nutmeg and ground ginger, but I like adding spices. You may do what you like.


Add applesauce.


Add sugar and coconut. (Okay, I admit it, I randomly thought that this would be good with coconut in it, perhaps because I love coconut, and so I randomly added some. Feel free to leave it out if you aren't as obsessed with it as I am.)


Give it a good mixing up.


Fill cupcake papers and bake at 325* for 35 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. My oven runs a little warm, so I think mine were done in about 30, but I could just be making that up.


Ready to be iced and garnished.

Cream Cheese Icing
4 oz. cream cheese, softened
1/2 stick butter, softened
1 cup confectioner's sugar

Mix all ingredients together and spread on cupcakes.

I garnished with sliced almonds and a sprinkle of cinnamon.