To Each His/Her Own

When I make myself a tuna sandwich, it is a pretty easy thing. I just take a can of tuna; add a little bit of light mayonnaise and my lunch is ready to go. If I'm feeling really fancy I add cheese and lettuce. It is a simple and easy meal that is totally satisfying.

Josh, on the other hand, takes his tuna sandwich to a whole other level. The care he takes in crafting his perfect tuna filled lunch is as if he were creating art. He mixes, measures, and concocts his ideal sandwich and enjoys putting it together as much he loves eating it.

Hey, I don't get it, but he loves it. Check out all of the ingredients Josh uses just to make a 'simple' tuna sandwich.

How do you eat your tuna?

Secrets Revealed

A while back I told you that Josh was the Burger King. And he is. His burgers are to die for, truly fantastic. But his hamburger making ability pales in comparison to his turkey burger making skills.

You doubters out there might be questioning how making a hamburger and a turkey burger are different. All I can say is, they are and trust me. As the girl who is barely eating poultry, I can't get enough of these!

After months of begging, he finally let me share his 'secret recipe' with you. Trust me, if you try these turkey burgers, you will not be disappointed.

The true secret ingredients for Josh's famous turkey burgers are the seasonings. He uses everything! The more he adds, the better they taste. The measurements are fuzzy, but with this combo, you can't go wrong.

Ingredients:

1 pound of extra lean ground turkey

Black pepper

Lawry's 

Paprika 

Garlic powder 

Onion powder 

Bread crumbs

Garlic
chopped onion

BBQ sauce

Directions:
Mix everything together really well.
Do not skimp on the BBQ sauce.
Add breadcrumbs as needed to ensure that the patties will stay together.

Mold the turkey into patties.
We like to make 2 different size patties, Josh size and Samantha size.
Grill to your desired taste.

Add your condiments and enjoy! Just writing this post made me hungry for a turkey burger. Good thing we have leftovers. YUM.

What is your burger making secret?

Well Hello There Allergy Season

3 surefire ways to tell that it is allergy season:

1. We go through tissue boxes faster than an entire elementary school
2. Sneezing is the hot, new accessory of the season
3. I am walking around with a black eye...or two

Every year it is the same thing. The weather changes. The snow finally melts. The trees start to bud. I can't breathe. That's right, I am the allergy kid. I really should live in a bubble. No amount of medicine, product, or home remedy can help me. Not only do I have numerous food and pet allergies, but I am allergic to the outdoors. Seriously, trees, grass, flowers, plants...you name it, it makes me sneeze.

With all of the sneezing, congestion, and dripping eyes (attractive right?) the worst part about allergy season is the black eyes. Yes, black eyes. You see every year, just as allergy season starts to creep up on me, I find myself absentmindedly rubbing my eyes. I do it without even noticing it, day and night. Inevitably I wake up one morning with a big, fat black eye... or two. I swear, only I could give myself a black eye! It is totally embarrassing and I really should learn my lesson. But I never do. Instead, I get to walk around, sporting a black eye, trying to explain that I really did inflict this absurdity on myself.

File under: Only Me!

Meatless Monday: Tofu Stir-fry

In honor of Meatless Monday, check out one of our go-to meals, tofu stir-fry.

Tofu stir-fry is one of our favorite meals because it is so easy, doesn't take much planning, and always tastes good. One of the best things about stir-fry in general is that no matter what is in the refrigerator, there is always something to use. Any and all veggies work great in stir-fry, as do nuts, and a myriad of marinades.  In just 6 simple steps you too can have a tasty and unique stir-fry. It is so easy! 

Step 1: Press your tofu.
Step 2: Make the rice of your choice.
Step 3: Cut up the tofu and veggies you are going to use.
Step 4: Stir-fry the veggies while you bake the tofu.
Step 5: Combine the veggies and tofu in a fry pan and add some sauce.
Step 6: Serve and enjoy!!!

Such an easy and tasty way to go Meatless on Mondays. You should try it.

How do you go meatless?

Back To Reality

It is time for both Josh and I to get "Back to Life, Back to Reality."



We both had a blast last week. While Josh was away, I was busy beyond belief hanging out with friends and family. While I had fun here, Josh was back in New Orleans volunteering with lowernine.org and St. Bernard Project. As he does every year, he had a wonderful trip, did meaningful work, and instilled the value of service in his students. (He promised to do a recap soon!)

But also, all good things must come to an end. It is time for us to get back to our 'normal' life. Good thing we love our reality :)

Family Memories

I have 2 very different, very distinct memories of mandelbread. The first is of my grandmother teaching me how to make it. Well, actually, the memory is of the power going off just as she was about to teach me how to make it, so we went to the pool instead. Despite having a very fun day, I never did get another chance to learn how to make this traditional dessert.

The second is actually a borrowed memory from my mom and aunt. Their mother used to bake by the dozen and freeze everything so there would always be tasty treats for anyone who stopped by. (sound familiar?) When they were younger, my mom and aunt and all of their friends used to sneak the treats from the freezer, leaving only the paper cup behind. Then, when my Nana went into the freezer to get snacks for her friends, she would be out! Let's just say that she was not too happy with her daughters when this happened.

When I was flipping through Paula Shoyer's The Kosher Baker and saw her recipe for mandelbread I was overcome with both of these memories. I knew I had to finally learn how to make it on my very own. I know it is cheesy, but I love how this cookbook is helping me reconnect to my family in a way that I was never able to before.

Ingredients:
3 cups of all-purpose flour
1 cup of sugar
2 teaspoons of baking powder (not baking soda like in the picture, close call!)
Dash of salt
1/4 cup orange juice
3 large eggs
1/3 cup canola or vegetable oil
1 teaspoon of pure vanilla extract
10 ounces pareve semisweet chocolate chips

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Line a jelly roll pan with parchment paper.

In a large bowl, mix together the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, orange juice, eggs, oil, and vanilla.

Combine until the mixture forms a dough.

Add the chocolate chips and mix again to evenly distribute the chips.

Divide the dough in half and shape each half into a log, about 10-12 inches long by 3-5 inches wide.
Flatten each loaf slightly.
Place the 2 loaves on the prepared pan, about 5 inches apart.

Bake for 35 minutes...

Or until the loaves look golden brown on top.

Slide the parchment and logs off the pan and onto the counter.

Slice each loaf crosswise into 3/4-to-1-inch thick slices.

Don't worry if the insides of the sliced cookies seem unbaked.

Place the sliced cookies on a new piece of parchment back on the pan, cut side down.

Place the pan in the oven and bake for 4 minutes more.

Slide the parchment off the cookie sheet and onto a cooling rack.

Let the cookies cool and enjoy!

I decided to put some in the freezer (of course!) so I could enjoy a few right out of the freezer like my mom and aunt used to. I'm not sure which way I enjoyed eating the mandelbread more: fresh and hot out of the oven all gooey and yummy, or from the freezer, a little cooler and crisper. Both were delicious.

Thank you Paula Shoyer for another great baking experience!

Whirlwind Week

What a week! Waking up this morning I am exhausted, but happy. Generally Josh and I have a pretty simple routine during the week. Wake up, work, come home, go to the gym, eat dinner, relax, go to bed, repeat. We try to catch up with friends one or two nights and pack as much fun as we can into our weekends, but weeknights are generally quiet nights. Sure my 22-year-old self would find this life boring, but at 29 I could not ask for a more perfect life.

This week, however, I let my 22-year-old self take charge. With Josh busy I was left on my own to play, and play I did. In the last 7 days I have:

Friday- met 2 old friends from high school for shopping and dinner
Saturday- enjoyed coffee and catching up with Amy
             - had a memorable meal with the Core 5 (Me, Mom, Dad, Auntie and Leon)
Sunday- shopped till I dropped with my mom
           - had one our family's all time favorite dinners (no pics, sorry!)
Monday- met one of my oldest friends in the world for dinner
Tuesday- went to Caleb's Morry and Rachel's house for dinner and drinks
Wednesday- did laundry and cleaned the house met Amy for impromptu drinks and apps
Thursday- had a fun filled dinner with Emily

I had a blast this week! But let me tell you, I am not 22 anymore. This 29-year-old is daydreaming about a quiet weekend at home with Josh.