emily audette.com

Succulents

Tue, 08 May 2012 21:34:39 -0500

If you follow me on pinterest, (which you really should because I’m obsessed with it and there are far more interesting things from me on pinterest than there are on this blog!) then you know that I’m having a major moment right now with succulents. I think they’re so adorable and beautiful.

Therefore I am very proud to show you that I’ve bought some succulents for my place and made really cute little pots of them.

I bought five assorted succulents at my local flower shop. I arranged the three smallest ones into a little pot I got at Marshall’s and decorated it with some rocks from the yard and some pebbles I shamelessly bought. But that’s what people do with succulents to make them even cooler put little pebbles around them. That gorgeous bundle is sitting happily in my sunny office making me smile every day. It’s on top of my bright blueish/turquoise CB2 file cabinet (the one thing I actually bought for my office, the rest is all hand me downs).

The other two plants went in random little clay pots the people that lived here left on my back porch. Works for me! I haven’t quite decided yet where I want to put these bad boys so for now they are on my kitchen table. I love the pretty little orange flowers on the one plant.

The best thing about succulents? They only need to be watered sparingly, as in once a month sparingly. That’s right up my alley!

This is the first of what I hope will be many more little posts about my new place here in Nashville! I seem to be in quite the little nesting phase right now making everything around me homey and happy. More to come!

PS: I created the photo collage with this cool free app for iphone called Pic Collage. Isn’t technology cool?

Leftover Remix: Quinoa Tabbouleh Topped with Poached Eggs

Sun, 22 Apr 2012 13:36:00 -0500

If you haven’t noticed I’m sort of in love with eggs lately. It started with eggs on my oatmeal and has spread to putting an egg on anything. It’s as if eggs have been missing my whole life and I suddenly discovered them. Maybe it’s that I finally learned how to do something with eggs besides scramble them. For the last 25 years that’s the only way I’ve known how to cook them!

Out of my love affair with eggs came this morning’s gem of a breakfast.

Leftover quinoa tabbouleh + poached eggs + avocado slices

I love to make a big batch of a grain salad before traveling because it’s the perfect lunch to bring on a plane. It’s healthy, delicious, packed with protein and doesn’t really need refrigeration. Which is how I had a huge bowl of this quinoa tabbouleh hanging out in my fridge. This particular batch uses quinoa instead of bulgur, red peppers instead of tomatoes, omits cucumbers, and has some chickpeas thrown in. Here’s a link to the recipe from Cooking Light I used as a base.

QUINOA TABBOULEH TOPPED WITH POACHED EGGS

1 cup leftover quinoa tabbouleh
2 eggs
avocado slices, as many as you want, go for it!

Heat the leftover quinoa tabbouleh in the microwave for a minute while the eggs are poaching. Top with a few avocado slices.

To poach your eggs bring a shallow wide pan filled with water and a little vinegar to boil, crack the eggs into the middle, reduce heat to a gentle simmer, simmer eggs for no longer than 4 minutes. Remove eggs with a slotted spoon and blot excess water on a paper towel. Transfer your poached eggs to your quinoa bowl. Yum!

Want more help on poaching eggs? Check out this post from the kitchn. It seems writers like to act like poaching eggs is much more complicated than it really is. Maybe I’m missing something but everything seems to turn out fine with my novice lazy approach!

Emily Sandwich

Sat, 21 Apr 2012 14:50:00 -0500

No, I’m not talking about me and Em both giving you a hug (I would call that an Emily sandwich too though)! I’m talking about a sandwich I made for lunch that was basically quintessential me in sandwich form.

Grilled cheese + hummus + avocado + fried egg = Emily sandwich

Here’s how I made it:

Heat a cast iron skillet over low heat.
Butter the outside of your bread; or in my case don’t butter your sprouted whole wheat bread.
Spread hummus all over the inside of one slice of bread
Add 2 slices cheddar cheese
Top with several avocado slices
Grill your sandwich, be patient. That’s the hardest part.
When your sandwich is done set it aside on a plate.
Crack an egg into the skillet and cook until the egg is set.
Peel the lid off your sandwich and slide on your sunny side up egg.
Put the top back on, slice it on the diagonal.

Enjoy your oooey gooey yummy yum yum Emily sandwich!

Leftover Remix: Brussels Sprouts + Tomato Soup

Mon, 16 Apr 2012 20:54:16 -0500

Hey friends!

I love happy surprises. Like when you mix and match your leftovers to come up with something even better!

I had a random burst of inspiration tonight and came up with a delicious dinner.

Roasted Brussels Sprouts + Tomato Soup + Chickpeas = Smokey Tomato Soup with plenty of protein!

Here’s the concept and general measurements:

SMOKEY TOMATO SOUP WITH BRUSSELS SPROUTS

1/4 cup roasted brussels sprouts
1/4 cup chickpeas
1 cup tomato soup

Serves 1. Combine all ingredients (leftovers) in a bowl and heat on medium low until heated through.

I had all of these as leftovers already in the fridge and here’s the original recipes:

High heat roasted brussels sprouts. Be warned: cooking them this way does cause severe smoke and will probably set off your smoke detector, but it’s so worth it! They have an unbelievable smokey charred flavor which lends itself perfectly to the addition of the tomato soup.
Tomato soup. Very easy and quick, skip the canned stuff!

Fridge Clearing Time

Fri, 24 Feb 2012 20:42:00 -0600

Well my friends, it’s getting near that time. Three weeks left until I bid adieu to Minneapolis and head off to the South.

Which means…I have to clear out my fridge and freezer! Don’t worry, I started about a month ago even before I knew I had the job. But I know a challenge when I see it. Of course I want to try and actually eat everything in there. Crazy yes, but the more people tell me I shouldn’t bother the more I want to see if I can do it. And here’s the thing I refuse to accomplish it by just eating a veggie burger 3 meals a day. I will do it in a delicious well-balanced meal way.

With 3 weeks to go here’s what I’ve got left. Clearly Costco has gotten the best of me more than once.

FREEZER

1 cinnamon raisin english muffin
2 whole wheat english muffins
small bag of cooked noodles (I saved this for soup)
7 veggie burgers
loaf of bread
2 misc leftover stir fry veggies
1 leftover brown rice
2 cups black beans
8 cups veggie stock
2 cups chicken stock
6 slices of veggie frittata
3 lbs of cranberries (why did I buy this?!)
3 servings misc soups/stews
2 bags of unshelled edamame
1 bag shelled edamame
2 bags frozen corn
2 bags rice pilaf with veggies
1 cup shredded zucchini
1 cup shredded spaghetti squash
2 slices butternut squash potato pizza
14 chicken sausages
2 ahi tunas
4 chicken breasts
1 chicken carcass
1 bag of veggies for veggie stock

“Hey Em what’s that yellowish stuff in that little container?”

“Oh that? It’s chicken fat.” WTH? Yes. I am crazy. That absolutely is not on my to eat list. I saved it with the intention of using it to flavor soups/stews if needed. I won’t tell you if any soup you’ve eaten from me had it in there. I bet you liked it.

Onto the fridge.

FRIDGE:

tube of tomato puree
3 sticks of butter
pumpkin seeds
sunflower seeds
tahini
lemon juice
lime juice
ginger marinade
rose balsamic vinaigrette
honey mustard
big container of minced garlic
big container of sundried tomatoes
jar of flaxseed meal
4 wheels of laughing cow wedges
1 container feta
4 pieces of misc cheese
1 block of tofu
maple syrup
dates
10 limes
7 lemons
bag of potatoes

Clearly I’m better off in the fridge than the freezer and I’m willing to ditch the condiments.

I have to admit I’m kind of enjoying this challenge. It’s forcing me to get creative. A few things I’ve made using random stuff include the squash potato pizza, smoothies with big handfuls of frozen cranberries, and sausage cabbage soup which is simmering right now.

I like seeing all the ingredients listed out because then I start seeing the possible combinations. I’m seeing ginger ahi tuna with a side of brown rice and stir fry veggies. Honey mustard chicken with sun-dried tomatoes or ooh how about STUFFED with feta, sun-dried tomatoes and spinach? Zucchini cranberry bread with pumpkin seeds.

First up tomorrow for breakfast is a cheese and chicken sausage omelette.

What do you think? Think I can do it?

quinoa with brussels sprouts and pumpkin | Sassy Radish

Wed, 01 Feb 2012 21:10:56 -0600

quinoa with brussels sprouts and pumpkin | Sassy Radish:

I made this for dinner tonight because I was craving brussels sprouts. I know what you’re thinking, “who craves brussels sprouts?” Me apparently.

Anyway, the recipe is absolutely amazing, you should try it. I only made a few substitutions/changes:

Regular quinoa for red quinoa
3/4 t paprika + 1/4 t cayenne pepper for Aleppo pepper

Note that the recipe makes 8-10 servings. I definitely should have halved it!

By the way, for those keeping track (no one) I am down to only 2 squash + 1 giant pumpkin squash mutant left in my pile of squash!

Sweet & Spicy Pumpkin Seeds

Sun, 29 Jan 2012 17:20:00 -0600

These seeds were so good I had to stop what I was doing to tell you about them. Addictive. Amazing.

Here’s the recipe adapted from Cooking Light magazine:

1 cup unsalted pumpkin or squash seeds
1 T canola oil
3/4 t agave nectar
1/2 t cumin
1/2 t chile powder
1/4 t salt
1/4 t cinnamon

1. Heat the pumpkin seeds in a large skillet over medium heat. Cook for 6-10 minutes or until toasted. Stir constantly so they don’t get burned.

2. Mix all the ingredients in a large bowl, add seeds and coat. Cool on a paper towel lined baking sheet.

…and then I found out I’m allergic to agave nectar! Aye aye aye, at least it’s not a deadly allergy. Next time I’ll sub honey or maple syrup instead of the sugar which was originally in the recipe.

New Layout thanks to Consumer Demand

Thu, 26 Jan 2012 22:35:25 -0600

You may notice my blog looks different. Hopefully you like this better. Hopefully it’s more “consumer” friendly. It’s just for you my friend.

My New Favorite Cracker

Thu, 26 Jan 2012 22:30:00 -0600

I have a new favorite snack. It’s the best cracker on the planet (bold statement I know). It’s all good ingredients, nothing bad or overly processed. Plus it fits perfectly with my renewed dedication to eating clean!

Enough anticipation, my new favorite cracker is…

FLACKERS!

Ok, so I suppose technically they are not a cracker. What qualifies as a cracker anyway? These babies are flax seeds smashed together with nothing but spices. Sounds weird, but they are utterly delicious.

Here comes the bad part: they are holy expensive! $5 a box, and a box only contains 18 crackers which is 6 servings. Yikes. But in this case it’s definitely you get what you pay for: amazingness. They have been on sale for $3.50 a box at Whole Foods all month which is what led me to finally try them. I had been admiring them on the shelf for awhile. Since trying them I’ve been picking up a box every time I’m in the store (about once a week, sometimes more) since they’re still on sale.

This evening I was reading the box while I was waiting for my pot pie (clean from scratch) to bake and I noticed they are made in Minneapolis. ”Huh that’s cool.” I thought, BUT THEN I had a mini panic attack. What if they don’t sell these in Tennessee?! What am I going to do? I had to go grocery shopping tonight anyway so I picked up 2 boxes instead of one. I should chill out and not be a hoarder right?

Ohhhhh no. I looked up their website just now and they most certainly are not in distribution near Nashville! Well there’s 4 days left in the month with the sale still on so I know what I have to do.

The movers are going to take one look at my cupboard and say “man this girl is crazy (and maybe a hoarder)!”

Hey, you gotta do what you gotta do. And you gotta try these!

PS: I got so wrapped up in my soon to be distance from flackers I forgot to tell you what they’re great with: peanut butter (soynut in my case), hummus, cheese, plain, you name it.

New Year's Resolution 2012

Wed, 04 Jan 2012 21:39:06 -0600

I have a new year’s resolution for you: how about trying a new fresh veggie or fruit once a month? Sounds fun to me, I’ll do it with you!

This month (ok today) I bought a fresh pomegranate for the first time. I love pomegranate arils, but they are expensive and seem to spoil quickly. I was surprised how easy it was to seed the pomegranate, and it had a zillion arils! I’m definitely going to begin eating pomegranate arils all winter long, what a treat!

I used them tonight for this Quinoa, Fennel, and Pomegranate salad from Bon Appetite. It was quite delicious. The fennel roasted up nicely in my cast iron skillet. Maybe fennel is a new veggie for you to try? It was new last year for me.

As for my real new year’s resolution I plan on being a better friend. I’m terrible at keeping in touch and remembering birthdays (I don’t look at birthdays on facebook, sorry). I promise to get better this year! In fact, send me your address now so I can actually surprise you with a birthday card!

xoxo happy 2012, I feel like it’s going to be a good one!

Dutch Oven-less

Wed, 04 Jan 2012 21:30:17 -0600

Remember how much I loved my mustard colored dutch oven from Macy’s Martha Stewart line? I blogged about it and all the awesome things you could use it for.

Well it’s gone now. Macy’s recalled the dutch ovens because apparently the enamel coating could crack under high heat and explode in the oven. That doesn’t sound like a safe product to me. I hauled my well-loved dutch oven back to the store and got a $75 refund since they weren’t offering replacements. To be honest I just wanted a new dutch oven, but I guess $75 (which is probably more than I paid to begin with) will have to do.

I think I might save up for a bit and just go for the real deal with a Le Creuset in cobalt to be exact. But at $250, ugh! I tell myself it will last forever, but still.

In the meantime I have a new love: my new (old) cast-iron skillet! While I was home for Christmas my mom was giving up on her various cast iron skillets and let me have what I wanted. Obviously, I could only bring back one in my carry-on since they are so heavy. I chose the 9” skillet and intend to go back for the others someday!

I’m using the cast iron skillet for everything: eggs, roasting vegetables, reheating leftovers, veggies, and more veggies. It’s so fun, gives the food a nice sear and color, and other than the over easy egg I tried to make for Emily doesn’t stick one bit! And who doesn’t love a pan you don’t really have to clean?

Get yourself one, better yet steal one from a family member that’s not using theirs. The best part about that is that it comes already seasoned with years of cooking. For me that probably included lots of savory meaty cooking flavors which I could never reproduce (since I don’t eat red meat).

How to re-heat leftover pizza so the crust is nice and crispy!...

Mon, 02 Jan 2012 21:19:53 -0600

How to re-heat leftover pizza so the crust is nice and crispy! It uses a non-stick pan on the stove and is much faster than the oven. This is potentially life-changing information people.

Spaghetti Squash With Avocado and Parmesan

Mon, 02 Jan 2012 21:17:29 -0600

Spaghetti Squash With Avocado and Parmesan :

I had this for dinner tonight, it combines a few of my favorite things. It’s a great quick meal when you use leftover spaghetti squash (which I currently have a lot of).

Roasted Chicken Hash

Sun, 04 Dec 2011 10:21:00 -0600

The wonders of a fully-stocked fridge struck again this morning. Due to last week’s cooking fever that over took me I was left with lots and lots of leftovers which all need to be eaten by tomorrow!

How to eat all these leftovers by tomorrow with a full freezer? My first idea was to just eat leftovers for breakfast so that it’s one extra meal. Then this morning I had a stroke of genius. Yesterday I went out for brunch at Barbette and got the roast chicken hash. It’s good, but not quite as flavorful as I expected. Why not re-create it at home with all my leftovers?

For the record, in case anyone randomly has these same leftovers at home here is what I created. I have to say I liked it more than the hash from Barbette! Somehow I had just the right ingredients in my fridge!

Roasted Chicken Hash, serves 2

2 cups leftover roasted potatoes and squash
1/2 cup chopped red peppers
1/2 cup chopped onions
1/2 cup leftover roasted chicken
pinch of lemon zest
1 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 T chopped parsley

Directions: Using a medium frying pan (not non-stick) cook onions and red peppers in a small amount of olive oil (I used my Misto) until soft. Add leftover roasted potatoes and squash, chopped up into smaller pieces if needed. Hopefully your leftovers have plenty of butter/oil to add to the pan because your veggies probably need it. Add chopped chicken, cook for a few minutes on medium low while you prepare the eggs. Cook 2 eggs over easy or try poached eggs if you know how (which I don’t). Finally add the lemon juice, pinch of lemon zest and some extra herbs. I tossed in some dried rosemary and sage. Stir and cook for another minute until the juice is absorbed. Serve in a bowl topped with an egg, sprinkle parsley over the top.

You can tell a few things from this photo. #1 I did not remove my eggs from the pan very elegantly. #2 I did not properly arrange my hash so that you could see all the various things mixed in. #3 I don’t care it was amazing.

Slow-Cooker Moroccan Turkey Stew

Thu, 01 Dec 2011 20:24:00 -0600

I tested out my new “fancy” slow-cooker with a really great slow cooker recipe. Moroccan Turkey Stew. It’s got some of my favorite foods, including squash!

Check out the recipe from the Food Network Magazine here. One big thing to note: the recipe amount is enormous! It will not fit in your slow cooker until you have a GIANT one. I halved the recipe and it filled my 5 quart slow cooker to the brim. The leftovers freeze really well and are also good in wraps as the recipe suggests.

PS: I said my new slow-cooker is fancy because it switches to warm automatically after a designated cook time. Fancy! But it still only cost $10!

A Reflection on My Cooking Beginnings

Sun, 27 Nov 2011 20:14:14 -0600

I just pulled a roasted chicken with potatoes out of the oven. While I’m waiting for it to rest I started thinking about how far I’ve come with cooking.

It will be 5 years ago this coming January that I began to teach myself to cook. I graduated college and started my first full time job in the summer of 2007. By the winter I had a few extra pounds around my waist and asked for the You on a Diet book for Christmas. After all, If Oprah and Dr. Oz say it works, I’m in.

I read it from cover to cover over Christmas break. It teaches the basics of healthy nutrition while explaining how your body works and reacts to certain foods. And there’s recipes and meal plans in the back. I decided to try a meal plan and the recipes word for word at least for 2 weeks. By then I realized I needed to learn to feed myself. What had I been feeding myself the past few years? I still don’t really know, lots of oatmeal, pasta, and frozen meals for one.

At this time I still didn’t like vegetables. So I ordered myself to buy all the veggies and ingredients listed and just try it. Somewhere in my mind stuck the tidbit that you sometimes have to try a new food more than 10 times before you like it. Then I followed directions. That’s all. The first week I made chili, lentil soup, even salmon (for a girl that didn’t like fish either!).

I don’t know how I eventually went from that book to where I am now. Somewhere along the lines I subscribed to Cooking Light magazine after reading my new friend Alison’s copies. Then a few years ago I started reading the blog the Kitchn which really expanded my knowledge of some of the basics like making your own stock and cooking dried beans. It’s hard to believe that simple book is what started it all. Now 5 years later I love veggies, I love cooking, and I can hardly imagine going back to not cooking. I still make some of those You on a Diet recipes. The veggie chili is my standard chili recipe. I use the veggie soup as a starting point when I’m inventing my own soup.

Moral of the story: if you want to learn something just try. You’ll get there eventually.

My Cozy Cowl

Fri, 25 Nov 2011 20:32:33 -0600

This post is long overdue as I finished this gorgeous cowl a few weeks ago. And have been cozying up with it ever since.

I worked on it during my many many hours of layover and flight time to Portland and back. I think it turned out really well!

Here’s a link to the pattern on Ravelry if you’d like to make it yourself. It’s very easy and only requires knowledge of knitting and purling. Nothing more complicated than that!

Tahini Dressing

Sat, 05 Nov 2011 19:07:54 -0500

While I was in Portland I picked up this little book called Very Salad Dressing. It’s a book of entirely salad dressings. I like making my own but most of the time make it up. I figured I could use a little structure.

I’m sharing this dressing because I know Al will love it. Try it out, it’s delicious.

Tahini Dressing

1/3 cup canola (or other vegetable oil)
3 T lemon juice
2 T tahini
1 garlic clove, minced
dash of tabasco sauce
freshly cracked salt and pepper

Combine and mix. Keeps for 2 weeks in the fridge.

Project #2

Tue, 25 Oct 2011 21:38:05 -0500

Hey guys, what do you think? Here’s my second sewing project. A little pin cushion! It was super easy and quick, much faster than the first tea towel.

You can hardly tell from this photo, but I need some real work on my hand sewing. As my mom always (annoying reminded me) says “practice makes perfect!”

Galapagos Islands Lodge to Lodge - Adventure Travel Trips from REI Adventures

Mon, 24 Oct 2011 22:43:38 -0500

Galapagos Islands Lodge to Lodge - Adventure Travel Trips from REI Adventures:

You may know that I’ve been dreaming about going to the Galapagos Islands ever since I heard that you could actually go there.

Check this out I read about it in the newspaper today. Apparently one of the best ways to see the islands is to stay on land because everyone else does the cruise option. Which is awesome because the cruise option does not appeal to me at all!

It’s about $2500 in total for 5-6 days. Who’s going with me?!