Get yo' greens! (Banana and Kale Smoothie -- A 'Sundays with Joy' Post)

Let's talk kale, shall we?  I had no idea what this stuff was until I was 25 years old and I spent a summer in Brazil with my future-at-the-time-in-laws.  Every once in awhile my mother-in-law would make this dish of a kind of bitter, but very delicious, green stuff.  That man of mine loved it.  LOVED it.  When I asked what it was the answer came back as couve.  So then I asked what it was in English, and the answer came back the same, couve.  Interesting, I had never heard of couve before...

A few years later, after the wedding bells had rung and the thought of cooking didn't intimidate me so much, I set out to find couve.  Lo and behold, it was something so simple to find -- kale.  Once we figured out that we could find it here in the States, my husband practically begged and pleaded for me to make things with it, as it is no doubt his favorite vegetable.  Sauteed kale with garlic, kale and potato pancakes, chicken and kale casserole... I graciously gave him what he asked for.

I bet he never thought I would turn it into a smoothie, though!

Yes, that's right.  This weeks recipe as we are working our way through Joy the Baker's cookbook (which you should totally go buy!) is kale and banana (and other stuff) smoothies.  Yes, a little odd, I know... but odd is not always synonymous with "bad", right?  Sometimes odd is "just right".  In this case, it means the latter.

I had the privilege of watching Joy at the Sunset Magazine Celebration Weekend a few weeks ago, and guess which recipe she shared?  This one.  Along with two others that I will share with you when the time is right.  She made a great suggestion -- peel and freeze bananas to put in smoothies so you don't need ice.  Brilliant!  Later the night I went home and made this smoothie with soy milk and guess what?  Instant healthy goodness.  So good you actually don't even realize it is healthy... Actually, it just tasted like you were eating a banana with peanut butter.  All you moms out there, here you go -- time to be sneaky ;)

And that lover of kale that I am married to?  He liked it so much he even asked me to tell him how to do it so -- get this -- he could make it himself. 

WOW. 

That must mean it was good ;)

Cost: $1.70    Cost per glass (2): $0.85

PS - In Brazil they call smoothies just as "vitamins"  I could never figure out why, but today I put the ingredients into a nutrition counter and holy cow -- this thing is basically equivalent to a multivitamin!  221% of the daily recommended amount of Vitamin A?  Tons of other vitamins and minerals represented?  NOW I get it.  Drink your greens and live long and healthy!

Lots of good, all around. (The Wednesday Files)

Who says the Wednesday Files need to happen on a Wednesday?  Not me!  It may be Thursday, but here are my thoughts from yesterday.  Sharing while sitting in the sunshine, still in my jammies, munching down on avocado pound cake is kinda the best blogging situation ever, and I wouldn't have been able to do that yesterday, in the midst of my super Spring/Summer Cleaning Extravaganza. 

Wedding Bells are Ringin'...

You probably already know this if you have read this blog at all this week, but my friend got hitched last Thursday.  I was there as (1) bridesmaid, (2) back-up photographer, and (3) "translator" for all the Brazilians present (when there was no better translator around).  Without this girl in the white dress I would not be where I am at today.  Porque?  Por que she is the one who introduced me to my man!  She is already a pretty darn-awesome friend, but that makes me forever grateful to her.  She was my first Brazilian friend and used to tell me, "Someday you will marry a Brazilian and live in Brazil so we can be neighbors, OK?"  I said no.  She insisted.  I said no even louder, she got a hold of a friend in Brazil and told him she had the perfect English-practicer for him (because I love to talk, ha!), and then forced me into to talking to him.  Deep inside of me there was a hint of annoyance, but I am kind, so I went along with it... 5 years later, here I am married to the best man I have ever met, and it all started that evening!  Now she is definitely not my only Brazilian friend, as I have many both here (in the States) and there (in Brazil), but she is still my favorite.  I did marry a Brazil, but she is the one who will live in my country forever, although in a state far, far away...

Friends, it was a BEAUTIFUL wedding.  I cried.  A lot.  Actually, there are some pictures of my trying to sniffle up the snot that was starting to trickle down while up front.  Yeah... that's how much I cried.  I was so happy for her, not just for getting married, but for getting married to a great man with a wonderfully supportive and welcoming family.  If she is going to live all the way across the world from her own loved ones, she needs this kind of family that I speak of to open their arms to her.  I spent a few days at the groom's parents house during the wedding week, and I love them all!  Great people who have become instant friends.  She is blessed, and I am grateful for that!

Then & Now

Remember when MySpace was all the rage?  I certainly do.  The other day I visited myspace for the first time in... well... a LONG time to see if I had a picture there that I was looking for.  WOW.  It was like a blast to the past, even though this past I speak of was only 3 1/2 years ago. 

My switch from MySpace to Facebook happened at a very specific time.  I had MySpace, got married, went on my honeymoon, and when we came back I listened to my dad when he said, "Tiffany, you need facebook.  You will like it better, I am sure."  Trusting him immediately, as I have always done (Ok, yeah, we all know that is not true ;) ) I made the switch.  That left my MySpace account which I just never deleted a wall of memories from my single days and my Facebook account a record of days that I had my married name (except for the first week when I forgot that I had a new name and was going by my maiden name until someone pointed it out to me -- HA!  Old habits die hard, I guess).

Things were different, for sure.  My house was empty in the pictures, not the home we have created today.  My hair was shorter, I was a tad bit skinnier...  pictures of our first Christmas, with no furniture and just a little pile of tiny presents on the table with the dinner that was a miracle because I had cooked something; wow.  Times have changed in three years.

But then I found the "About me" info and I thought it was incredibly interesting.  Let me share...

About me:

I have two eyes, two ears, a nose… you know, the usual. A face that smiles, a heart that laughs, a brain that likes to think. And I desire to forever have arms that hug and feet that go where God leads...

I think this might still be the most accurate definition of me.  My talents and hobbies may have changed, but this is the core of who I am.  This has remained the same.

Interests:

General -- riding on the back of pick-up trucks through the jungle, laughing my head off, being warm, playing in the water, chilling in jammies some days, getting dressed up on others, going through customs, living life to the fullest. (oh yeah, and brownies. I love brownies.)

All still so very true.  I may not be able to ride on the back of pick-up trucks through the jungle anymore (see picture above) but I would choose that over driving a sedan on the freeway ANY DAY.  And the rest?  I think I do no need to say more...

Music -- a little bit of this, a little bit of that...

Yup.  Give me dance, give me classical, give me country, give me pop.  I am pretty picky about the words I listen to, but almost all styles are represented in my playlists.

Movies -- it is more about the company you keep while watching the movie than the movie you watch.

Right?  Well said, Young Tiffany, well said...

Television -- Friends makes me laugh every time. CSI makes me think that I could really, one day, be a crime solver. But not having tv channels makes me think that there many other wonderful ways I can spend my time...

Still don't have TV channels, but with the advent of Hulu I can continue to solve crimes with the CSI teams.  And man, I'm good at it ;)

Books -- I wish I lived in Borders. I could eat in the cafe, sleep on the chairs, shower off in the sink. But at least I would have the books.

It was a sad day when Borders closed.  Let's take a moment of silence... *tear*

Heroes -- people who live the love of Christ

YES!  Actions speak much louder than words.

So yes, things are different, but honestly, I am not.  More mature (hopefully), a little bit wiser, sure.  But different?  Nah... 


My last MySpace profile picture, taken on our honeymoon, December 2008.

Bloggy News

In the last few weeks a couple rather prominent people/corporations have given me a shout out, which has exposed this little blog here to many more people than would otherwise see it.  For example:

That's right, Whitney Port gave my avocado fries a cyber high-five. 

Ok, can I tell you a secret?  I didn't even know who Whitney Port was.  (No channels, remember?)  But thanks to a handy little tool called Google, I was able to discover that she is an MTV celebrity.  And clearly people like her because this recipe quickly started climbing the ladder of most viewed.  It has settled at third from the top, after two that the Google search engine LOVE.  Not too shabby, Whitney, not too shabby!

The other one was this little picture I created about a month ago:

I pinned it, and then others repinned it, until Starbucks found it and they pinned it, and now a kajillion (give or take a few) have pinned it.  I am getting hits like crazy because of this little picture.  So, if you see this floating around out there in Pinterest-land, remember that you know where it came from :)

And last, but not least, I met Joy the Baker.  Pretty rad, if you ask me.  I have a lot more to say about the day that I met her, but I am saving that for a day I do not have the time to cook... sometime soon, I am sure :)  Anyway, here we are, two smiley happy blog people.  She is big time, I am small fries, but whatever, the passion is the same. 

Until next time, Friends! 

Tchau!

Strawberry Chocolate French Toast

Normally I wake up at the crack of dawn (or before), schluff off to the kitchen, pour a bowl of cereal and milk, and chomp down, just trying to wake up.  Then about 30 minutes later my husband wakes up and does the same thing.  It is one of the things that just is what it is.  When you have to head out at 7:10 in the morning -- and you are not really a morning person -- that is as good as it gets.

But not during summer!  Whenever I have time off of work I get to sleep in until 7:10 (yes, I try to wake up at that time even though I have nowhere I need to be) and I can enjoy my breakfast. 

So.

Much.

Better.



Surprisingly, that "All I need for breakfast is cereal, every single day, nothing different ever, please" man of mine was down for this, as well.

Really, who wouldn't be?

Nutella (or in my case, cocoa almond spread) sandwich fried into french toast, with strawberries and powdered sugar on top...  Even though he does not believe bacon and eggs are breakfast food, this counts.  Ok, ok... we can save bacon and eggs for dinner.  But this is a new breakfast favorite for us!

INGREDIENTS:

1/2 lb. of strawberries, tops cut off and sliced in half

3 T of white sugar, divided

8 slices of bread (white, preferably)

Nutella or Cocoa Almond Spread

3 eggs

1/4 cup milk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

a few dashes of cinnamon

2 T butter, divided into for parts

powdered sugar

DIRECTIONS:

1. Mix strawberries and 2T of sugar together.  Set aside.
2. Make four chocolate sandwiches. 
3. Mix eggs, milk, cinnamon, remaining white sugar, and vanilla together.  Dip on sandwich at a time into mixture, putting on non-stick skillet with butter melted, medium heat.  Make sure to get both sides eggy.
4. Fry each sandwich until light golden color on each side.  Top with powdered sugar through fine mesh seive (if you have one) and put strawberries on top.

Cost: $3.80   Cost per serving (4): $0.95

Sandwiches really are food... (Chilled Pea Soup with Egg Salad Sandwiches)

I grew up eating sandwiches.  Lots of PB&J (because it is THE BEST), tuna, turkey and avocado, ham and cheese, egg salad sandwiches, grilled cheese... shoot, I could keep going, but I won't.  The point is this: I ate sandwiches and they were good and I was full and that means they are real food.

Except, not everybody agrees with me. 

The first time I encountered this attitude was in college.  It was a rainy day, grey and cold.  Perfect for grilled cheese and tomato soup, right?  Right.  Especially grilled cheese with tomato and avocado.  But a friend of mine (from Guatemala) saw what I was making for dinner and said, "Aren't you going to eat real food?"  WHAT?  That sandwich and bowl of soup was real food.

A couple of years later I was visiting my boyfriend (now husband) in Brazil and there was interesting conversation I had with someone there.  It went something like this:

Her:  Here in Brazil we eat natural sandwiches, not like you guys in America.

Me:  What do mean? 

Her:  We don't eat hamburgers all the time.  We eat sandwiches with vegetables in them... like carrots and lettuce.

Me:  We do, too... that's what a sandwich is, most of the time...

Her:  No, you guys just eat hamburgers.  But we have real sandwiches.  With real food.

Me:  But that's what a sandwich is.  A hamburger is not a sandwich, it is a burger; they're different.

Her:  No, at McDonald's it says, "Sandwiches" and then there are hamburgers and cheeseburgers.  That's it.  But we have real food in our sandwiches.  That's why they are called natural sandwiches.

Me:  *Just shakes head*  Ok...

Leave it to McDonald's to teach the world that we only eat hamburgers and have no idea what a sandwich can actually be...

Fast forward to now.  My husband has always understood that we have "real food" in our sandwiches.  That has never been the question.  But whether or not sandwiches are "real food" is another debate all together.  He willingly eats them but tends to have a hard time believing sandwiches, especially when paired with soup, can be a light meal.

Gratefully for me, he is a fan of sandwiches.  We frequent Togo's often and hit up Giugni's whenever we are in the area.

Shoot, who am I kidding?  We have been known to make the 6 hour round trip just to get Giugni's.  So yes, we eat sandwiches.  Me.  Him.  Both of us.  And we like them.

I pointed out one day that when we eat, say, a grilled cheese with turkey, avocado, tomatoes, and a side of tomato soup, we have all the elements we would have if it wasn't in sandwich form.  Meat/protein?  check.  Veggies (or fruit that masquerades as veggies)? check.  Bread?  check.  It is just all squished together. 

"Good point," he said.

But when I asked him today if he considered them to be "real food" yet, he said, "Well, it is different than I am used to so I never crave it, but yeah... it counts.  I guess." 

I guess.

Oh well, you can't win them all, right?

That doesn't mean have I to surrender, though.  So chilled pea soup and egg salad sandwiches it was last night.  PERFECT for a warm summer evening.  Well, the soup was a little interesting, but I think with some green onions, maybe some turkey bacon crumbled on top, and a little bit of cheese it would be fabulous.  And egg salad sandwiches with arugula?  Win!

Pea soup with egg salad sandwiches (AKA Real food)

Soup recipe adapted from EVERYDAY FOOD, June 2012. 

FOR THE SOUP:
3 Tablespoons butter
1/2 sweet onion, chopped
3 cloves of garlic, chopped
4 cups shelled English peas
2 cups buttermilk
salt and pepper

In medium pot, melt butter over medium heat over medium heat.  Add onions and garlic and saute.  Add one cup of water and let cook 7 minutes or until onion is soft.  Add peas and cook about 4 minutes.  Put in blender along with buttermilk and blend until smooth.  Using a fine-meshed sieve with a large bowl underneath, separate solids from liquid.  Push down on solids to extract as much liquid as possible (this part takes time and patience).  Add salt to taste.  Put soup in fridge to cool, one hour.  Sprinkle pepper (and any other toppings you like) on top when ready to serve. 

FOR THE SANDWICHES:
6 hard-boiled eggs
2 Tablespoons mayo
1 teaspoon mustard
1 rib celery, diced
baby arugula
bread

Peel the eggs and cut into small pieces.  Mix with mayo, mustard, and celery.  Build sandwiches, placing arugula in the sandwich.

COST: $7.79     Cost per serving (4): $1.95

Snow Pea Salad

This past week when I was gone I had the privilege of eating good food without any thought put into it.  Dinners out, dinner in, breakfast and lunch, it was all provided.  One of the perks of being a guest in a very kind home. 

And it was great!  Everywhere we went, whether in the house or out and about, the food was GOOD.  This was how I always imagined my life would be -- great food and little effort.  I used to have it all planned out... you know, marry someone who loves to cook and then I would be in charge of the dishes.  Sounded great to me. 

But I can tell you that times have changed.  Yes, I loved having all this food just appear -- it is like magic.  No thought, no planning, just sit and eat.  How easy!

It only took a couple of days, however, before I missed my little kitchen.  Not neccessarily the food in it because I was truly enjoying all the food there, but I missed the time spent in my little kitchen. 

I missed chopping vegetables.

Crazy, I know.

So this week, back in my own home, I am setting out to try new dishes.  The days are long and summer is here, perfect for preparing light and simple fare.  The first thing I tried out was to go with the beans, rice, and chicken I had left over in the fridge: snow pea salad. 

Let me warn you, the dijon makes it a tad bit spicy, but not spicy spicy, just a little bit spicy.  Good spicy.  But go easy on the Dijon or else it will be spicy spicy.  And if you are looking for some fiber in your life, this is your dish.  Super simple and just the right bit of zest to go on a bright colored plate along side kebabs or whatever else you like to eat on warm summery nights.

 

SNOW PEA SALAD

Recipe adapted from EVERYDAY FOOD, June 2012

INGREDIENTS:
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons champagne vinegar
1/4 cup olive oil
1 pound snow peas
salt to taste

DIRECTIONS.:

1. Mix mustard, vinegar, and olive oil together.
2. Shred snow peas.  I used the food processor with the blades out and the shredder side up on the slicer.
3. Mix and put salt.  Serve cold.

Viola!

COST: $2.70       Cost per Serving (4):$0.68

Sundays with Joy -- Avocado Pound Cake (Tiffany Style)

I have been on an avocado ROLL these past few weeks!  And here I am again, bringing that delicious green fruit (although commonly thought of as a vegetable) to you.

This is my first time making pound cake, and yes, the ingredients are a little different that one would normally use.  What can I say?  Joy (the Baker) shares my love of avocados, and I am grateful she does because that means my weekly recipe handed out by our group has had a lot of avocado recipes.  No complaints there!

I made the cake just following the directions straight as written, except I omitted the cornmeal.  I don't like it that much.  Other than that I just followed orders, and it turned out quite nicely. 

It is good by itself, don't get me wrong.  But when I think of pound cake I think of strawberries and whipped cream on top.  However, that didn't sound right for this.  So after a moment or two of pondering what would be good with it I decided that since avocado is one of my husband's favorite fruits (and he really eats it like a fruit, with sugar and everything), I would put his other favorite fruits on it... bananas and maracuja, or passion fruit to you non-Portuguese speakers.

Armed with a pint of heavy whipping cream and a canister of passion-orange concentrate, I set to work.  It really is simple: pour 1/2 of the carton of cream (or buy the one-cup carton instead) and scoop out a tablespoon worth of concentrate.  Stir and add some sugar, if you want (I used about 1T).  Using a cake mixer, beat the mixture together for about 2 - 3 minutes until the cream is getting kind of stiff.  That's it.  Flavored whipped cream.  And you can use any concentrate you like, really.

Random fruit mixture?  Maybe.

Good fruit mixture?  Definitely.

I found out it also tastes really good with a spread of butter on top.  Yum oh yum.  Now we have one and a half loaves of avocado pound cake on the counter, a tub of passion-orange whipped cream in the fridge, and happy tastebuds in our mouths. 

Head on over to Joy's page to get the recipe, or better yet, pick up her book to find this and many more unique-yet-yum things to try!

MORE AVOCADO RECIPES YOU MIGHT LIKE:

//avocado pineapple salsa//

//chocolate avocado vegan cupcakes//

//avocado fries//

//avocado pizza//

 

COST: $8.60         COST per serving (20): $0.43

(Cost includes pound cake, whipped cream, and bananas.  It is the whole package.)

The Making of a Bride (Houston, Texas)

I have seriously disappeared, I know.  I have a good reason, I promise...

Isn't that a beautiful dress?  Wait until you see the girl who went in it...

Maybe you remember the engagement pictures I shared a few months back, maybe you don't.  Being asked to take the engagement pictures was an honor, but being a part of the wedding day is much more special!  I was a bridesmaid AND I had the privilege of taking the "before" pictures.

Hair is done, card has been written and delivered to the groom, and it is time for make-up...

Querubia's mother passed away a couple of years ago and her father was unable to get a visa from Brazil in time to come to the wedding, but her sister was there to share the day with her.  I was blessed to be able to witness many special moments between them during the few days I was there, like this one.

Despite many loved ones so far away, she was not alone.  About 200 people were in attendance and over 200 people watched the wedding via the internet in Brazil.  Two of her bridesmaids came straight from Brazil, two came from New Jersey, and four came from California.  She is well loved and well supported.  What a great send off into a new life!

But if you knew her, you wouldn't be surprised.  Not only is she stunning on the outside, but she is on the inside as well.  I have never cried as many tears at any wedding as I did at this one.  Everything was beautiful, from the bride down to the dress, the vows, and everything in between.   


(Four of the eight bridesmaids, ready to help her finish up and send her on her way!)

So, yes, I was gone.  But I told you had a good reason ;)