Monday, November 28, 2011

Roasted Tomatoes with Shrimp and Feta

After one too many unhealthy dinners I have decided it is time to start cooking again. David and I had been doing a great job cooking delicious healthy meals over the summer but with the cold weather our healthy eating habits took a hit. So, I decided to get us back on track with a favorite recipe that I got from my Aunt Robin, roasted tomatoes with shrimp and feta. It is super easy and super delicous. Below is the recipe:

Roasted Tomatoes with Shrimp and Feta


Ingredients:
- 5 large tomatoes cut into eigths (I used grape tomatoes)
- 3 tblsp olive oil
- 2 tblsp minced garlic
- 3/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
- 1 1/2 lbs medium shrimp, pelled and deveined
- 1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley
- 2 tblsp lemon juice
- 1 cup feta crumbled

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
2. Place tomatoes in a large baking dish. Spook the olive oil and garlic over the tomatoes. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and toss.

3. Place on top rack of oven and roast for 20 minutes.
4. Remove baking dish from oven and stir in shrimp, parsley, and lemon juice. Sprinkle with feta.

Getting ready to cook the shrimp
5. Place back in oven for another 10-15 minutes or until shrimp are cooked.

Shrimp cooked for 10 minutes...beautiful pink color
6. Serve with warm crusty bread.



I hope you enjoy it as much as we did. For the two of us we had a huge dinner and two more lunches afterwards so this dish goes a long way!

Saturday, November 26, 2011

Go Hoos Go!

Disclaimer: If you are a Hokie then you should probably stop reading this blog post now. Although I will say nothing bad about Virginia Tech I will begin to gush about UVA.

Today is the big game! Usually we walk into the UVA v. Tech game knowing that we will probably lose. But this year we have hope. This year our beloved Hoos have had their miracle season and are playing Tech for the ACC coastal title. Now I am very much aware that UVA is not known as a football school but  to see our team finish out the year on a winning note would be so fulfilling! So go Hoos go! And whether we win or lose I will always be proud to be a Hoo!

Some of the reasons I am thankful to be a Hoo....


The Lawn


My amazing boyfriend is a Hoo as well (and he lets me steal his hat)
 
<>
The beautiful gardens that surrond the grounds


 My sister is a Hokie and it provides a great family rivalry (Here we are at Madline's VT graduation)

The amazing football stadium that has provided a home for our dream season
I will leave you with my new favorite poem!

And then they'll do something I hate most of all!
Every Hoo down in Hooville, the tall and the small,
They'll stand close together, with wine glasses brimming.
They'll stand hand-in-hand, and those Hoos will start singing!
And they'll sing! And they'll sing! And they'll SING! SING! SING! SING!'
And the more Bud Foster thought of this Hoo football Sing,
The more Bud Foster thought, 'I must stop this whole thing!

With just minutes left to play, all the Hoos, small and tall,
Were cheering their loudest when UVA got the ball

Backed up at their twenty, Rocco’s best they would need,
If they wanted to erase the three-point Hokie lead.

Bud sent Exum to blitz, but UVA went play-action,
While Bud smugly turned round to see the Hoo faithful’s reaction.
"Pooh-pooh to the Hoos!" Bud was grinchily grinning.
"They're shaking right now that the Hokies are winning!
They're just giving up! I know just what they'll do!
Their mouths will hang open a minute or two
Then the Hoos here in Hooville will all cry boo-hoo!

That's a noise," grinned Bud Foster, "that I simply must hear!"
He paused, and then Bud put a hand to his ear.

And he did hear a sound rising over the land.
It started in the band, then spread all through the stands!

But this sound wasn't sad!
Why, this sound sounded glad!

Every Hoo down in Hooville, the young and the old,
Was singing with joy and elation untold!

He hadn't stopped London from winning! He’d won!
Somehow or other, the Tech streak was done!

And Foster, with his teeth and his beard clenched with rage,
Waved his fists and shrieked like an ape in a cage!

“They won without Wilson! They won without Coale!
They won without Hosely, Thomas, or Coles!"

He complained to the refs till his jaws were sore.
Then Bud thought of something he hadn't before.

Maybe London, he thought, isn’t just some dumb heel
Maybe London, perhaps, is the real freaking deal!

Now lets go Hoos!



Wednesday, November 23, 2011

Poppy Seed Bread

Since my family of four will be staying with my grandmothers for Thanksgiving we decided we should bring something festive for us to eat each morning. My family's go-to breakfast bread around the holidays is a  poppy seed bread with an orange glaze. It is actually more like a desert but around the holidays sweets are appropriate at every meal. Below is our delicious poppy seed bread recipe. 

Getting all the ingredients together

Poppy Seed Bread:
Ingredients: 
- 3 eggs, slightly beaten
- 2 1/4 cup sugar
- 1 1/2 cup vegetable oil
- 1 1/2 cup milk
- 3 cup flour
- 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 1/2 tbl poppy seeds
- 2 tsp almond extract

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour 3 loaf pans. 
2. Beat together eggs, sugar, vegetable oil, and milk. 
3. Sift together dry ingredients. Then beat into egg mixture.

Dry mixture sifted together

4. Stir in poppy seeds and almond extract.

Adding the poppy seeds and almond extract

5. Divide batter into prepared loaf pans. 
6. Bake 1 hour or until toothpick comes out clean.

The pans filled and in the oven

7. While the bread is cooking begin to prepare the glaze.


Ingredients for the delicious orange glaze


Orange Glaze
Ingredients: 
- 1/4 cup concentrated orange juice thawed
- 3/4 cup powdered sugar
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp almond extract

Directions: 
1. Combine orange glaze ingredients.
2. Mix until the glaze has no lumps remaining.

Mixing the glaze....once complete there should be no lumps

3. Cool bread in pan 10 minutes. Top with glaze while the bread is warm.


Bread straight out of the oven

Bread freshly glazed


Monday, November 21, 2011

Sugar Cookies Part II

Tonight I finished one of the more time consuming parts of sugar cookies...the icing. I had about 5 dozen cookies and it took almost 3 hours but in the end they are always worth it.

Sugar Cookie Icing

Gather your supplies
Ingredients:
- 1 cup confectioners sugar
- 2 tsp. milk
- 2 tsp. light corn syrup
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Directions:
1. Stir together sugar and milk
2.  Beat in corn syrup and extract (you can also add food coloring as desired)

Finished Icing
I outline each cookie before spreading with the filler color. The outline color should be a little thicker so it does not run off your cookies and can support the filler color. I make my outline frosting, put it in a ziplock bag, and snip the corner to get a nice thin line when I squeeze it out.

My outline color in my handy ziplock bag
Make sure to let your outline color dry for a few minutes before putting the inside color so it can support the slightly less thick frosting.

Cookie with outline icing and filler color
I also like to apply sprinkles to add additional depth. I added red and yellow for the leaves and added frosting detail for the acorn top with additional icing.

Leaves with additional sugar details
Acorns with additional frosting detail at top

Finished sugar cookies

Sunday, November 20, 2011

Let the baking begin...sugar cookies

With Thanksgiving only a few days away it is time to start baking. Since we will be traveling to North Carolina I knew I had to bake something that traveled well. So I decided to go with the classic and crowd pleasing sugar cookies. While I love the end result this is one recipe that takes a while to make. Below is my recipe which is perfect for sugar cookies with small details like the sharp points on the leaves I cut. This recipe does not spread or rise much like other cookies which makes it perfect for detailed cookie cutters.

Sugar Cookies

Ingredients:
-          6 cups flour
-          3 tsp. baking powder
-          1 tsp salt
-          2 cups butter
-          2 cups sugar
-          2 eggs
-          2 tsp. vanilla

Getting the ingredients together

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and cover baking sheets with parchment paper. (This will ensure your cookies do not stick.)
2. Cream butter and sugar (Make sure the mixture is creamy before moving to the next step.)
3. Add eggs to butter and sugar mixture one at a time. Beat well between each addition. Then add the vanilla.
4. Combine all dry ingredients in a separate bowl. Slowly add dry ingredients to butter and sugar mixture.

Adding the dry ingredients to the egg mixture

5. Chill at least 2 hours. (I chill overnight since this is what will keep the mixture from sticking while you roll it out.)

The dough ready to chill
 6.      Roll out  dough to about ¼” thick and cut cookies. (Remember this will be about the thickness of your finished cookies since this dough does not rise much.)

1/4" thick dough

Cookies ready to be baked on the cookie sheet

 7.      Bake for 8-10 minutes (You will want to watch your cookies closely. They will only brown on the edges and the remainder of the cookie will remain the light dough color. If you wait for the entire cookie to brown then they will burn. I usually cook them for 10 minutes.)

Cookies straight out of the oven

At this time you have finished your sugar cookies. However, they are not complete until the frosting has been added and the cookies are decorated. I will be completing this step tomorrow since it is very time consuming….stay tuned for additional directions.


Friday, November 11, 2011

Camera Purse

After years of wanting a DSLR camera I finally bit the bullet and bought a Nikon D3000. In order to get the best deal I ordered it online and I am patiently (or not so patiently) waiting for its arrival a week from today. So while I've been waiting I have been looking for a great camera bag. Not one of the big bulky ones that is impossible to balance with my purse but one that serves a dual purpose...ahh a camera purse! So, I went online in search of the perfect bag. My favorite bag was from Emera, it reminded my of a Kate Spade bag but for your camera. However, it was $170 and after spending so much on a new camera I couldn't bring myself to buy the bag.

So, bringing my crafty side out I decided to make my own bag. Below is a quick tutorial on how I made my fabulous camera purse!

First, I bought a new bag that would work. I needed the right dimensions, a zipper, and preferably some outer pockets for easy access. I found my bag at TJ Maxx for only $25. I then went to the craft store and bought 1" foam, 1 yard of fabric, and velcro. I also gathered my quilt batting from home to use for additional padding.


Everything I need for my camera purse

Great space inside for my new camera and all my other stuff


To start I measured all the dimensions of my bag. I then cut foam and quilt batting for the bottom of my bag and all 4 sides.

Foam and quilt batting cut to the correct side
Before I began sewing my fabric covers I put the pieces in my purse to make sure they fit correctly.

Checking to ensure the foam fits
Once I knew the foam fit I began cutting my fabric. Unfortuntaley, I picked a directional fabric which meant I had to pay a little more attention to how I cut my fabric and where I placed my seams (to make this project even easier I would suggest using a non-directional fabric). I cut and sewed the fabric to make a pillow case for each foam piece. I then ironed each case, stuffed the foam and quilt batting inside, and sewed it shut. I machine sewed the final seam shut and hide the seams between the other pieces.


From left to right: Pillow case, foam wrapped in quilt batting, and the final foam piece sewed shut

At about this point I realized, Opps! I had covered all my foam pieces and forgot to sew on the velcro. So, I decided to make the two final inserts without velcro and hoped that they would stay up based on making them a bit larger than I had planned.

Purse with main padding in...but opps forgot the velcro
After putting my inserts in without velcro it was obvious that they fit well and were not going to move. Yay, success and an even easier project! In less than 2 hours I had a great camera bag that I didn't pay $200 for.

Purse with inserts in. They fit perfectly without velcro!



Camera purse! Looks awesome inside and out!


Thursday, November 10, 2011

My Other Hobby and Love.....Exercise

UVA is not the normal college experience. The girls at UVA do  not gain the freshman fifteen and there were often times when getting ready for the gym was just as important as getting ready to go out on a Friday night. UVA is where I learned to hate and to love my body. I have struggled with my body image for a long time but know that the one thing that does make me confident is feeling strong after a great workout.

My reward for getting up at 5:30am every morning to workout….super cute gym clothes!

The summer between my junior and senior year of college I had a boring internship and an awkward living situation preempting me stay out of the house as much as possible. It was this summer that I ate less, worked out more, and lost 10 pounds. 10 pounds isn't a ton of weight but for someone 5'3" and already at a healthy weight it was a lot. When I went back to school I was complimented for my weight loss and it felt good. I knew that I could not continue with my unhealthy eating habits so I turned to exercise to keep the weight off. At this time my same elliptical and free weight routine became monotonous so I began to take classes. My spin and body pump classes my 4th year at UVA changed my life.

One day after a body pump class my roommate and I asked our instructor how we could get rid of the extra fat on our legs. Our instructor turned to us and said, “You are perfect. You need to enjoy exercise for how good it makes you feel, not how badly you want it to change you”. I had never considered how strong I felt after a class and how I actually had more energy in the day after a great workout. This one simple statement truly changed how I viewed exercise and my body.

My awesome bike which provides me with one of my favorite forms of exercise

I still struggle with body image, as I think most women do, but I truly love my time spent exercising. The time I spend outside running or biking helps me to clear my mind and feel ready to take on the day ahead. And the time I spend in my boot camp, body pump, and spin classes makes me feel strong and fuels my competitive spirit. While my relationship with food and exercise has been a difficult one, it has sparked my interest in nutrition, cooking and fitness. Stay tuned for more yummy and healthy cooking blogs to come.

My favorite exercise partner, Grace




Tuesday, November 8, 2011

Cut, Design, Sew


This weekend I finally started to feel like the UVA quilt was coming together. After spending several hours squaring what felt like a million quilt squares I was ready to start piecing the squares together.

The million scraps left after I had trimmed each quilt square


All of the trimmed quilt squares sorted by fabric type (yes I am a little neurotic)

In order to make sure that I liked the final layout of the quilt I first arranged each square block on background fabric to get an idea of the overall flow of the final quilt. For this quilt I wanted to make sure the same patterns were never touching and that there was a balance between the more heavily blue, orange, or yellow squares. I also wanted to balance the large patterns with the small patterns and the direction of each block. I placed each square on a large piece of gray fabric which will be what the sashing is completed with to get an even better idea of the final look of the quilt.


The blocks laid out on the gray fabric….finally starting to look like a quilt J

For some reason my dog, Grace, feels the need to lay in the middle of the quilt whenever I start to lay out the quilt blocks. She did this with my mom’s quilt as well. While she is very much in the way it is very hard to get mad at such a sweet puppy just trying to give you love.


Grace hanging out on the quilt squares

I have sewn together 2 of the 8 rows of squares and I think I am loving it! Hopefully I will be able to sew the remainder together this weekend and have a completed quilt top to show you next week. Although, it always seems to take longer than I think it will….we shall see!

Friday, November 4, 2011

Ironing and Ironing

So I must confess that my least favorite part of quilting is the ironing. With my latest pattern I have had to iron each block 3 different times during the piecing process. When I iron my blocks I iron the seams out towards their respective sides. I do not iron the seams to one side because I believe it adds more bulk and is harder to quilt through once you begin the quilting. I know there is a lot of debate about which ironing method is best but so far I have had luck with this method and like that there is less bulk at the seams. Below are some pictures from my hours of weekend ironing.



The next step in my quilt will be to lay out the blocks and then cut gray strips for sashing. I have never attempted sashing and read some horror stories about the sewing machine pulling the fabric one way or the other so that your sashing does not look straight. I will be sure to fill you all in as I take on squaring all the blocks, laying out my quilt top, and begin the sashing this weekend.