sometimes the quiet is a blessing....

This week I did not have a whole lot going on.  Both YL and my awesome BStud start next week and my roommate was busy preparing for her sister's bachelorette party this weekend.  I took this to my advantage and just spent some time with the Lord, worked out a lot and cooked up a yummy meal.  It was truly relaxing!

I had the inkling for some beef broccoli stir fry so here we go!!

get out your olive oil, corn starch, soy sauce, salt, pepper, garlic and 1/2 lb. beef (i buy the stir fry pack in the meat section at the store)

Combine 2 tsp. corn starch, 2 T. soy sauce, 2 cloves garlic, 2 tsp olive oil, a sprinkle of salt and the beef to a bowl and stir it up.

Cut off one of the ends of the ginger root.

Grate about 2 tsp worth of ginger into a pan with some olive oil and heat for a minute.

When the pan is hot add your veggies.  I prefer snow peas, carrot slivers and broccoli but you could also use onions, peppers, asparagus, etc.  Stir fry for 3-5 min.  I recommend using a wok or a bigger pan than this one.  I was not using my head and had to pick up broccoli and carrots off the stove every time i stirred. lame. 

transfer the veggies to another plate.

put the beef into the hot pan and stir fry for about 5 min.

transfer the veggies back into the pan and add a little water.  stir fry until the liquid thickens a little.  In the meantime get some rice going on the stove.

put the rice and stir fry in a bowl, add a glass of delicious wine and a really great book and you have the perfect night.

I hope you all got a chance to just sit and be quiet this week and enjoy this time in your life!  Busy schedules are great but nights with a good workout, great food and a great book are just one of the little things that we need every once in a while.  :)

The Heart of Life is Good: i love no work days!

The Heart of Life is Good: i love no work days!: In high school one of my favorite things to do on a school holiday was to have my best friends over for a pancake party! We used to make cr...

i love no work days!

In high school one of my favorite things to do on a school holiday was to have my best friends over for a pancake party!  We used to make crazy pancakes with chocolate chips, bananas, peanut butter, etc.  it was epic and we always ate way too much.  This week I was reminiscing on that and really missing my friends that I hung out with all summer at Mr. Dog Monday (MDM) so I decided to host a breakfast potluck with all of my favorite GBC friends.  We had a great turnout and tons of yummy food!

For my contribution I experimented a little bit.  I had seen a few variations of "egg cups" on pinterest and  various cooking websites that I look at and wanted to create some of my own.

 To prep, I cut up some grape tomatoes (my fave), sauteed some fresh spinach and garlic and cut some ham into fourths:

notice my roommate's awesome piggy cutting board.  all of the women in her family have one and i think it is so cute!

i drained the spinach on a paper towel to get rid of some of the juices.  i wanted the egg cups to stick together and not be all liquidy!

next i was ready to assemble!  I sprayed the muffin tins with some non-stick cooking spray and lined them with ham (i used two pieces in each cup) and then put a little bit of spinach in them.

i topped off the spinach with a few tomatoes and some shredded colby jack cheese.

last but not least (especially because the name of this dish involves this ingredient) i cracked one egg per cup.  for these particular egg cups i broke the yolk with a knife and kind of stirred it around but you could also leave it whole and get sort of a sunny side up egg kind of thing going with the yummy runny yolk you could sop up with some toast.  yum!

i cooked them in the oven at 375 for about 15 minutes (may vary for your oven and depending how runny you want the eggs to be).  all in all, my experiment worked out well and they tasted delicious with a little bit of homemade salsa on top!

Today's breakfast made me so thankful for community.  It is such a blessing to have a group of people at your church that you feel at home with.  God definitely put these people in my life for a reason and i am so thankful to know each and every one of them and to have opportunities to invite them into my home and play hostess.  it puts great joy in my heart.  :)  i hope that each of you have the opportunity to spend this day off of work with people that you enjoy who bless your life in so many ways!

Houston Restaurant Month

Last month was Houston Restaurant Month.  For those of you who don't know, this means that a large number of restaurants in the Houston area put together prix fixe menus that you can order 3 course meals from for $35 and a portion of that meal goes toward the Houston Food Bank.  This is a really great deal because a lot of the restaurants are really nice so going there and just ordering an entree would be $35 and none of us, at this time, make that kind of money!  My favorite group of girls to explore restaurants with is my best friends from college (shout out to Emily, Becca, Jessica, Ashley and Jenn!).  Last year we discovered the amazingness that is Haven Restaurant and this year we decided to venture to a different part of town and check out the glass wall.

For the first course we had three choices:  crab cake, chicken and tarragon ravioli and some sort of caprese salad.  The majority of the group ordered the ravioli and Becca and I got the crab cakes, but they were both delicious.  Sadly I forgot to take a picture of this course!  i need to get better at not getting so excited and remembering to document!

For the second course we had a choice of stuff quail, some sort of fish and a short rib.  I ordered the short rib and it was phenomenal.  super tender and served with a delicious fresh salsa and this potato stack thing that was to. die. for.

For dessert we had a few options but I honestly do not remember what they were because we all unanimously chose the drunken cherry chocolate bread pudding.  AMAZING.

I was so full at the end of the night that all I could do was go home and lay in bed but it was so worth it! I encourage y'all to check it out next August and try a fancy restaurant that you've never been to before!  it's a great girls' night idea!

pinterest

so I am semi-addicted to this website called pinterest.  basically pinterest is the mecca of all things creative - whether you are into cooking, clothes, photos, interior decorating, etc.  you will find something on here that you just have to have/do.  so amazing!  needless to say i have received a lot of inspiration lately from this website.  y'all need to check it out and follow me!!

first I made this delicious dish called Taco Chicken Bowls (creative, i know) in the crockpot.  this was my first meal to make in the crockpot and leave all day while i was at work.  i have to say this is a phenomenal concept.  you walk in the door after work and your apartment smells amazing and all you have to do is cook some rice and your dinner is ready!  fantastic!  unfortunately i was way too excited about the fact that i was actually using the crockpot and failed to take pictures.  boo.  but here is the link to the site where the actual recipe is because it was amazing:  Taco Chicken Bowls

next, my lovely roommate Michelle made a super tasty chicken dish.  I do not have the actual recipe but i can tell you the gist of what went on.  Basically you make the pesto seen in one of my previous posts and sub half of the basil for parsley.  you also use boursin cheese in the pesto to make it creamy. yum!  Butterfly the chicken breasts and spread the pesto in the middle.  sprinkle the chicken with salt and pepper and then top them with mozzarella and tomatoes.

we chose to put it over pasta and it was excellent!  but you could pair it with green beans, asparagus, spinach or anything really that makes you happy.  :)

my next inspiration spurred from the many many s'mores inspired desserts that i have seen on pinterest.  I love s'mores.  well, mostly i love love love marshmallows and s'mores include those so it makes me happy.  Anyway, in college i used to make s'mores brownies a lot.  Basically i would make regular old brownie batter and when the brownies were almost done i would take them out and add marshmallows and graham crackers on top and stick it back in the oven for a few minutes.  this time, i decided to go a little extreme....

i mixed the marshmallows in the batter!  along with...

graham crackers!

I let it bake in the oven like the box said and then I took it out and put more graham crackers and marshmallows on top along with mini chocolate chips!

Then i put them back in the oven until the marshmallows were brown just like they would be if you were making s'mores over a campfire.  SO DELICIOUS!!

all in all, pinterest is making cooking so much fun and extra creative!  enjoy!

No Barriers Bash

For the past two years I have had the privilege of serving on the Young Professionals Board of Camp For All.  Camp For All is a truly special place where kids with all sorts of disabilities and illnesses can go and spend a week as a camper with kids who are living life with the same struggles as they are.  It is a "no barriers" camp which means that even the kids in wheelchairs can do everything!  Camp For All partners with different organizations in Houston (and now Austin) to provide this opportunity for hundreds of campers a year.  As part of the YP Board one of our charges is to have an annual fundraiser.  This year it will be at the Czech lodge in the Heights and will have live music by Emory Quinn.  Last year was a blast and I suspect this year to be even more fun!  Please check out the flyer below for more info and click on the link to buy tickets!!

Click here to purchase your tickets today!!  

...and i'm back :)

Hey y’all!  I apologize for slacking off these last few weeks!  My life has been a little crazy and I have had very little time to be creative in the kitchen. sad.

Here is a glimpse of a few things I have made, though:

This is frozen tilapia that I sprinkled with Adobo All Purpose Seasoning and baked in the oven.   I topped it with this delicious cucumber and avocado salsa that Michelle and I discovered at Whole Foods.  Definitely one of my favorite dishes.  I adapted it from one of my fave things to order at Good Company Seafood – Catfish with salsa verde. :)

My favorite salad to make – spring mix with feta cheese, craisins, mixed nuts, pumpkin seeds, grape tomatoes, cucumber and a balsamic vinaigrette.

I made pesto from scratch!  It tasted just like Italy and it was so simple.  I found the recipe here: http://www.marthastewart.com/337337/basil-pesto

My favorite pasta dish:  assorted pasta with pesto, fresh veggies, fresh mozzarella and sometimes chicken – YUM!

Almost 2 weeks ago was the premiere of the last Harry Potter movie.  So bittersweet.  Michelle and I had a small get-together at our apartment beforehand.  Here is a glimpse:

I made butterbeer cupcakes that I found on this website. DELICIOUS!

Last week I headed to Colorado with my YL team to take some high school kids to Frontier Ranch.  It was incredible.  It was such a joy to be in the midst of God’s creation teaching high school friends about Him!  I have never fought and prayed so hard for the salvation of a group of people and it was exhilarating!  Young Life is truly a unique organization!  When I get a little bit more time I will upload some pictures.  As for now i'm off to the reunion! woo!

Bottles and Bestsellers

My best friends and I are in a book club that we have labeled Bottles and Bestsellers.  It's a pretty stellar group and I always look forward to the time spent with them drinking wine and talking about books.  This week my roommate and I hosted B&B at our apartment.  This time we had the pleasure of reading Bossypants by Tina Fey.  It was a delightfully funny book with a lot of great discussion topics.  It had been a while since each of us had read it though, due to summer being crazy, so the discussion didn't last as long as our discussion of vacations and weddings. lol.

Typically at book club we just have dessert and wine but I enjoy cooking for this group so much that I decided to make some Baked Ziti for them.  We started with some caesar salad, at the ziti with some delicious rosemary garlic bread that you can get in the freezer section at HEB and finished it off with an amazing creme brulee cheesecake that was an impulse buy at Costco one Saturday.  A perfect meal.  :)

Here's the recipe:

Ingredients:
1 lb penne pasta
medium container of ricotta cheese
2 cups mozzarella cheese
1 jar of tomato sauce
6 links of mild sweet italian sausage (or whatever kind you prefer)

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Boil the pasta and stick the sausage in the oven on 350 until fully cooked.  While you are waiting on the pasta and the sausage mix up the rest of the ingredients in a bowl.  When the sausage is ready cut it up in small links so that it is spread throughout the casserole.  Mix the sausage and the pasta in with the cheese and sauce mixture.  Take out a 8"x16" casserole dish and spray with PAM.  Spread the mixture into the dish.  Place the casserole in the oven and bake for 45 minutes.

As you wait for the ziti to be done prep whatever else is involved in your meal.  Once finished pair with your drink of choice and ENJOY!

Lemon Oregano Chicken with Veggie Rice

Happy Wednesday y'all!  I hope your week is going great so far and that you're relaxing with a great glass of wine (or chocolate milk like I am) and regaining some energy for the rest of the week.

So last night Michelle (my roomie) and I had our great high school friend Gerrie over for dinner to celebrate her ENGAGEMENT!!  I offered to cook for them for the sole purpose of having something to post for y'all!  This meal is delicious and summery and really great with a glass of champagne for a little celebration.  I adapted the chicken recipe from recipegirl.com and the rice recipe from myrecipes.com

What to take our of your pantry/get at the grocery store:
1 lemon
oregano
chicken
dry rice
grape tomatoes
mushrooms
frozen corn
zucchini
olive oil
minced garlic
salt & pepper

Marinade and Chicken:

Grate the lemon rind.  The recipe called for 1 Tbsp but i just grated the entire rind of 1 lemon.

To the lemon zest add a swig (about 1 Tbsp) of olive oil, a sprinkle of salt and pepper, the juice from the lemon and about 2 Tbsp oregano (I used dried).  Mix that all together and coat the chicken in it.  You can either do this in a bowl, on a plate or in ziploc bags.  Let sit for 30 minutes. (I apologize for the lack of pictures of this step - I'm still getting the hang of this.

As you get to end of the rice-making process stick your chicken on your George Foreman and cook until no longer pink.

Rice:


Cook 2 cups of rice (I used brown) according to the directions on the box.  Slice a handful of grape tomatoes in half and cut up the zucchini.  If you didn't buy already sliced mushrooms go ahead and cut those up too.

Heat about 2 Tbsp olive oil in a pan on the stove.  Add 3/4 cup frozen corn, the zucchini, the mushrooms and 2 Tbsp garlic to the pan.  Saute for 2 minutes.

Add grape tomatoes and saute until tomatoes are slightly wilted.

Add rice to the veggies and stir adding salt and pepper to taste.

...and you're done!  Now you can put some chicken and rice on a plate, pour yourself a glass of your beverage of choice and enjoy!

First Post + South Africa!!

Hey guys!  Welcome to my blog.  I have been thinking about doing this for a while and thought that since I just got back from South Africa there has never been a better time!  The title of my blog is "The Heart of Life is Good" like one of my favorite John Mayer songs.  I truly believe this phrase.  The heart of my life is the Lord, travel, food and friends and plan to share all of that with you through this blog!!


For my first post, I am going to share with you about South Africa!  I went for about a week and a half with my mom and my sister to celebrate my sister's graduation from Ole Miss (Hotty Toddy!).  We toured Johannesburg and spent six days at two of the Ezulwini lodges near Krueger National Park.  It was truly an incredibly unique experience.


Each Game Drive we went on was like an exciting scavenger hunt looking for amazing animals to watch and take pictures of.  It was spectacular to see all of the animals in their natural habitat.  The whole time we were there we were searching for "The Big Five" which includes leopard, lion, elephant, rhino and water buffalo.  They are called this because they are the most dangerous hunted animals.  As you can see in the pictures to follow...we found all of them!

We saw a ton of animals, ate some interesting food and had a really great time just relaxing and spending time together.  I hope that each of y'all get to have an experience like this at least once in your life!  If you want to see more pictures feel free to check out my album on facebook or just come over and hang out with me and i'll show you all 500+!