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Fast Forward

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So, I pretty much forgot about this blog. There was this insane pandemic situation and all, so the past 2+ years have been quite the blur. I literally laughed out loud at the fact that my last post was May 1, 2020. After May 1, 2020, so much in my world changed. There were definitely highs, lows, and bunch of things in between. When I started this blog, this was an outlet for all this newfound free time I had during the shelter-in-place order. It definitely helped to keep me busy while I waited to return back to work. I didn't end up starting to go back to the office until the latter part of May. So, what happened? The short answer: Pickleball. My dad transitioned from racquetball to Pickleball a couple years before he retired. So when he retired at the end of 2019, he was excited that he could now play everyday without any other obligations. When COVID happened, everything got shut down- including the Pickleball courts. My dad was getting restless, waiting for the courts to reopen
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grain-free granola

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Recently, one of my friends asked me for my grain-free granola recipe. Her inspiration to make it truly inspired me revisit this goodness by whipping up a batch, as well. I can't tell you how long it has been since this granola has made an appearance in my life. Definitely too long. I created this grain-free granola back when I was doing paleo. But even when I'm not eating strictly paleo, I still enjoy it. It is like a combination of a granola and trail mix. The surprise with every bite makes it fun to eat. Grain-Free Granola Yields about 7 cups INGREDIENTS 1 1/2 cups sliced or slivered almonds (or a combination of both) 1 cup roasted, unsalted sunflower seeds 1 cup roasted, salted pepitas 1 cup roughly chopped/crushed unsalted cashews 3/4 cup chopped unsalted walnuts 1/2 cup dried blueberries 1/2 cup dried cranberries 1 cup shredded coconut 1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon 1/4 cup honey (I use a dry measuring cup) 2 tsp melted coconut oil DIRECTIONS 1. Preheat o
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shakshuka

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I have been a little MIA on this blog and in life. A week ago, my friend shared a sourdough starter with me. I never had one before so I did not quite know what to expect. Nurturing a sourdough starter does take some work- it has a regular feeding schedule and needs to be fed very specifically. I did not do so well keeping my herb garden alive, so I was slightly worried that my sourdough starter could potentially not last very long either. I took a chance on this new venture. Since things are, well, very uneventful right now, I figured I could manage taking on the responsibility of being a new sourdough starter mom. It has been great. I have made four loaves since I got the starter last week. Of course, we can't eat that much bread, so I have been distributing the sourdough goods to anyone who wants a loaf. I recently experimented with making an olive sourdough loaf which turned out delicious. My first thought after making the olive loaf was how great it would be paired with a sha
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fusilli all'amatriciana

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We celebrated another birthday in this shelter-in-place. Ryan's birthday was yesterday. I asked him if he wanted a unicorn princess birthday party like Bella but he declined. His only request for his birthday was his favorite meal- Fusilli all'Amatriciana. So, I made sure I had all the ingredients I needed in order to make his wish come true. I also made his favorite butter toffee cookies. A lot  of butter toffee cookies. But, I will save those for another post. When Ryan and I first started dating, he requested Fusilli all'Amatriciana. To be honest, I had no clue what it was so I had to do some research. It sounds super fancy but, surprisingly, it is actually not difficult to make. It has all good things like pancetta, garlic, red onion, and lots of freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano. Although, Ryan will argue that the most important part of the dish is the fusilli pasta. It has to be fusilli, because it is the most fun shape pasta to eat.  Fusilli all'Amat
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blueberry cornbread muffins

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I finally got a time slot to get a Costco delivery. The one caveat is that the expected shop and delivery time given is considered a "fast and flexible" five-day window. Still, I thought I would give it a try because it would save me the headache of entering the madness that is Costco and we are not completely depleted of groceries. I had a very busy week- two Zoom meetings and a webinar. That was sarcasm, in case it did not come across on page. My life is very much not busy at all these days. Though, it has been nice to catch up and reconnect with people during this time. It seems like most people are still somewhat working for the most part. Funny enough, the reason I chose my profession is because I wanted a job that I can physically go to and do not have to bring any work home. But now I realize that, in times like these, maybe it is not so great to have a job in which working from home is entirely impossible. Oh, well. I have been making the most of the time I have o
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cheddar jalapeño buttermilk biscuits

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It has been over three weeks since I have worked. Although some may say that tending to all the cooking and cleaning around the house is a full time job, as well. It feels like one around here, at least. At the beginning of this whole thing, I really wanted to make my favorite cheddar jalapeño bagels. They are a real winner. But with no yeast or bread flour to be found for the past three weeks, I have given up on making those pillows of goodness for now. Hoarders, you have crushed my dreams. Just so you know. Unfortunately, I jumped the gun and already bought a whole bunch of jalapeños thinking it would not be difficult to find yeast and bread flour. Big mistake. Learned my lesson the hard way. For the past couple of weeks, I just stare into my refrigerator produce drawer and it's like those jalapeños are sitting there mocking me- reminding me of the bagels they could have been. I knew it was time to take action. I could not stand another day of watching those jalapeños wasting
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instant pot chicken noddle soup

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It was a very gloomy and rainy weekend over here. Since I had some extra carrots, celery, and onion after making the Instant Pot Beef Stew , I decided that I would attempt chicken noodle soup in my handy dandy Instant Pot. I did some searching on the Internet and came across a popular recipe that fit with the ingredients I already had. Instant Pot Chicken Noodle Soup Recipe by Kristine's Kitchen INGREDIENTS 1 Tbsp olive oil 1 medium onion, chopped 4 medium carrots, peeled and cut into 1/4-inch pieces 4 ribs celery, chopped 3 cloves garlic, minced 1 tsp dried oregano 1/2 tsp dried thyme 1 bay leaf 3/4 tsp salt  1/4 tsp black pepper 4 cups low sodium chicken broth 4 cups water 1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts (I used chicken boneless skinless chicken thighs) 6 oz. egg noodles (I used fusilli noodles) chopped fresh parsley, optional for serving DIRECTIONS 1. Press the SAUTE button on the Instant Pot and add the olive oil to the
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