OAIJ x 2 …and other matters

Before I get too far (well, before I get anywhere at all), let me just tell you all how HORRIBLE I feel about not blogging in like, FOREVER. It’s not that I’m wracked with guilt (except that I am), but I just enjoy blogging, and I miss it. What can I say? I’m a writer. Alas, time is not my friend these days… I honestly don’t know how Kath does it…three times a day! I know her posts aren’t long or eloquent, but it still takes time to take, download and upload photos, in addition to writing a snippet here and there. I find myself saying, “I don’t have time for (fill in the blank), and I don’t even have kids yet!” Seriously, how does one fit them in?!?! I suppose children are just like any other top-priority item; you just do.

All that to say, I’m sorry I haven’t blogged in awhile. No, I haven’t dropped off the face of the earth (although it sometimes feels like I have) and yes, it’s good to be back.

And, as usual, I have lots to say!

(I’ll use bullet points to avoid the number-conundrum…my OCD tendencies make it hard to end on anything other than 10.)

-Check out my Maple Syrup post for the co-op. The maple-bacon cupcakes (muffins if you want to sound “healthier”) are the perfect brunch item and will send the eyeballs of everyone to whom you serve them rolling into the backs of their skulls. Make them this weekend!

-We went to Ohio this weekend to visit our friends, Emily and Dan, and Dave and Jen, and their new baby, Aiden. I also got to see Susy, another dear friend and running-mate. We had a fabulous time, although I didn’t take enough pictures (I never do). I’ll be posting about our trip soon.

-I’m officially on “Easter Break” right now. Except that I still get up at 0-dark-30 to drink coffee/eat breakfast/workout. And I have school work to finish. In fact, I’m going to the chem tutor this morning. Oh, and I have tests in all my classes when I get back next week. Not to mention the mile-long list I’ve made of stuff to bake. So, really, I’m not taking a break at all–I just don’t have to go to class.

-A miraculous thing happened the other day: I finished off not one, but TWO jars of nut butters! If you don’t know already, this means I get to enjoy a rare treat TWICE–OIAJ!

-I made oats in the Smucker’s jar (left) yesterday for lunch: oats, flaxseed meal, chia seeds, flax seeds, a splash of strawberry kefir, dehydrated strawberries, cottage cheese and granola on top. (Thanks for the granola, Susy!) Of course, all that with a little peanut butter swirled in. This baby filled me up for hours! Yay for having another one (Crunchy Barney Butter) in the fridge.

-Andrew and I fasted last night while praying for some friends who are going through a rough time. I’ve never fasted before. I’ll be honest, food is kind of a big thing for me (as I’m learning through the Made to Crave Bible study–more on that later–I’m doing with Emily), so when Andrew first proposed the fasting idea last week, I was pretty against it. But, God totally changed my heart and by yesterday morning I was pumped and ready to go! I had my last snack at about 4:45 (we haven’t been eating until 7:30, so snacking at that time is normal for me) and we prayed together in two sessions. God totally provided (I thought I would be in agony; my tummy was growling, but I–obviously–made it through) and not only was it a great time of prayer and bonding with Andrew, but it also helped get me off my sugar-kick from this weekend and take one step further in my journey of leaving my food issues behind me.

-Speaking of food: I made Pioneer Woman’s Simple Sesame Noodle salad with Beef the other night and it was wonderful! This is something I saw on her blog ages ago and is included in her new cookbook. Andrew also really liked it, but I thought it was way too oily, so I’ll be reducing that next time. I added the beef to make it more of a meal (it’s a variation in her cookbook, not sure if it’s in the online recipe) and bell peppers for more color and nutrition. Topped with chopped peanuts–yum!

-I’ve come to the (sad) conclusion that I need a cup of coffee to get me through my T/Th Statistics class (1-3 p.m. yikes!) without my eyes uncontrollably closing on me. Guess that’s what happens with a 5 a.m. wake-up time and swim practice. I’ve done recent “taste tests” and I’m not a huge fan of Tim Horton’s (unfortunate since they are EVERYWHERE around here) or the cute little local place here in the Orchard Park village, Orchard Perk, (although they may have more than one roast…). I’d make some at home, but at the moment have no good coffee thermos with which to actually transport the coffee. To-do for this weekend: find one!

-Easter is this weekend and Andrew’s grandma is coming for a visit! SO EXCITED! I’m running in the Bunny Hop 5K, which goes right by their house (neat! I might have a cheering section), and I’m hoping to spend as much time with everyone this weekend as possible = get as much work done as possible before Friday night, and what in the world do we do with Hadrian??

-Did I tell you all I’ve officially gotten into the Dietetics Program at Buffalo State? Well, I have. I have one summer class before I start full-time in the fall. I’m a little anxious about scheduling my fall classes since I schedule last (as a new transfer student) and the classes I need are small with only 1 or 2 sections. I think the professors will provide an ‘override’ if I can’t get into something I must have, but I’m still nervous.

-I’m making steakhouse mac and cheese today from Cooking Light. CAN. NOT. WAIT.

Whew! I think that’s about it… Or at least a good start getting caught-up!

Alright, sun’s coming up and I have dishes to put away and a hubby to wake up! Happy Wednesday/first day of Easter Break/day I get to bake 🙂

homemade coffee creamer

So, I’m trying to kick my coffee creamer habit.

I know, this is drastic. Very. But it just means I’m one step closer to going all-organic, all-natural, all-local… At least for the most part. I, obviously, eat out with no problem, and when I saw that an organic pork loin was $15.99 a POUND at Wegmans last night (should’ve bought the one from Arden Farms yesterday morning at the co-op…grrr), I almost passed out. Seriously, I had to double-check to make sure the price was right. Yup, it was… And I’m sorry, I’m willing to pay more for organic produce and milk, but be reasonable people! FIVE TIMES the price is insane!

Anyway, back to creamer. If you’re just joining me, you can read about my thoughts on coffee creamer here.

A little bit ago, a friend of mine left a comment here on the blog about Deliciously Organic’s homemade coffee creamer recipes. I was intrigued, to say the least. I’ll be honest, I always felt a little guilty touting all this healthy-food info, all while keeping my fridge stocked with something so blatantly UNhealthy. (When I say ‘unhealthy,’ I’m usually referring to something processed or from a box, as opposed to actual fat and calorie count. Real food is what I’m after, not necessarily low calories.)

Anyway… I decided I’d give it a try. I finished up what remained of my Cinnamon Sugar Latte flavored creamer and purchased the ingredients to make the Cinnamon Streusel flavor. (I’m a huge cinnamon fan.)

Whole milk, heavy cream, maple syrup, cinnamon and vanilla and almond extracts. Simple enough. One of my main concerns with making my own creamer is that it won’t last as long in the fridge, since it isn’t chock-full of artificial stuff and preservatives, obviously. I ended up making the whole recipe (end product is about 2 C), and I’ll see how long it lasts.

You heat the milk and cream just until it starts to steam, then add your flavorings. The recipe recommended straining out the spices, but I didn’t have anything fine enough (note to self: buy cheesecloth), so the cinnamon that didn’t settle to the bottom make it in. It has since settled to the bottom in the container (below) so it’s not a problem in the coffee.

I have one of those handy-dandy Tupperware salad dressing shakers that I don’t use (I usually make so little at a time that I just whisk it together in a small bowl), and I thought it would be perfect for this, and it was. The 2 C fit perfectly and it seals well with a great pour spout–hurray!

And the verdict on the creamer is…

….unfortunately, only so-so. It’s not as sweet, which isn’t that bad since it’s probably better for me to get used to a less-sweet cup of joe, but I still want SOME sweetness. In terms of texture, the creaminess of it was great. And there are definitely hints of cinnamon and the extracts, but overall, I don’t think it added much flavor. So, I think I’m going to try another recipe next time. Or adjust on my own. I’ve been adding about a teaspoon of sugar to my cups in addition to the 2 tbsp (72 calories = about the same as the bottled kind) of homemade creamer. Deliciously Organic has some additional recipes that seem to have a different ratio of cream to sweetener, so I might try one of those next (after calculating the calorie-count!) to see how I like it.

However, making my own creamer has made me wonder, do I even NEED a flavored creamer? Wouldn’t sugar and milk or half-and-half do just fine? Maybe. But I do want to enjoy my coffee, and I really like tasting a distinct flavor. Which brings me to my next point: the flavor of coffee.

One day, when our little Keurig bites the dust (it’s actually starting to make some funny noises), I’d like to get a really nice coffee maker and grind my own beans. I mean, if I’m going to have a cup every morning, I’d actually like to (one day) be able to really TASTE the coffee itself, and have an appreciation for a certain type of bean or roast. I mean, if I’m going to grind my own beans and make it in a french press or something like that, I don’t want to dumb-down that hard-earned flavor with bottled crap!

So, perhaps I’m just starting out on this journey to transition from Kuerig coffee with creamer to good coffee in a coffee maker. For now, I think I’m still interested in experimenting with homemade recipes–one that will give just enough sweetness and actual flavor, without breaking the caloric bank or pumping me full of artificial ingredients.

I’ll keep you posted! Happy SUPER BOWL Sunday all–I’m off to the pool for a swim before church 🙂

Zebb’s

We were feelin’ a night out yesterday since we’d been in all day. Well, that’s not true–I did my usual Saturday morning routine of: eating a huge breakfast, hitting up Wegmans around 8 a.m. (before it gets busy), then swimming at the gym and returning home at 11, and Andrew was at the office from 10-3–but when it was pushing 4 p.m. and both of us were still in sweats, we needed a change!

We headed out for a visit at the in-laws’ before stopping at Taste for coffee (decaf for me), then running some errands at the Verizon store (clear display covers for my phone–post coming soon to show you my new case!) and shovels at Lowe’s. You know, because we live in Buffalo now and it snows here…a lot. We’ve gotten by so far this year on a metal dirt shovel and we’ve been lucky to have a mild winter. (I think God is smiling on us transplants since we don’t have a garage for our cars–NOT fun.)

Anyway, we ended up at Zebb’s, a sport-bar-like place I drive by all the time and that Andrew frequented a bit in high school.

It’s a bar and grill and they’re known for their burgers. They also have entree’s, wings (of course) and sandwiches.

We asked to sit in the bar area and were seating long before some who had arrived before us. We also had some of the best service I’ve had in awhile, if not ever. Colin was awesome.

We both ended up with Blue Moons (the pint for me, the tall for Andrew) and a sample of Sam Adam’s Cherry Wheat because, well, I wouldn’t be ‘me’ if I didn’t have a sample of something. The cherry wheat was good, but not as good as a Blue Moon.

We got wings as an appetizer. I swear, since moving here, I’ve eaten more wings in these few months than I ever have before in my life. This is, of course, both good and bad. Good for my sense of ‘culture’ and assimilation into my new surroundings; bad for my hips. And thighs. And arteries.

I saw the “ZebbOriginalWings” and immediately wanted them, but the bleu cheese turned Andrew off, of course. Awesome Colin said we could split an order and I eagerly anticipated their arrival.

And yes, they were everything I hoped for, and more. They had enough “buffalo” flavor to fulfill that ubiquitous ‘wing taste,’ but with a kick of something more. Not spicy, just really flavorful. The bleu cheese wasn’t a dominant flavor, and Andrew was brave enough to give it a try. We just might be ordering those next time…we both ended up saving the sauce to dip our fries!

Andrew had ordered a medium on the spicy-scale when we thought we were sharing, but Colin got the impression Andrew wanted a bit more heat than me, so he went ahead and bumped Andrew’s up to HOT… Talk about great service! Andrew enjoyed his wings, but they were no Pasquale’s.

Hockey is KING here, in case you didn’t know, and a tournament was on TV. Really, all sports are pretty big here–the Bills Stadium is just a mile or so from Zebb’s–and watching football and hockey is very much a part of life here in Buffalo. Guess I’m going to have to get a t-shirt…

Zebb’s is known for their burgers and topping bar (think Fuddrucker’s), and I’m a junkie for anything a restaurant is “known for,” so I went with the smallest burger and added cheese. I mean, doesn’t cheese just make it? A burger without cheese, to me, isn’t worth eating.

Speaking of eating… I was good and only ate two of my wings in order to save room (and calories!) for my burger and fries. But the angelic behavior ended there; I DEMOLISHED my burger and fries, with mayo, no less! I must have been hungry. And honestly, the burger wasn’t THAT good. Definitely not good enough to eat it all. Next time, I’ll stick to wings and fries 🙂

Meanwhile, it was snowing outside:

When we entered, there wasn’t really any snow on the ground. By the time we left, it was blizzarding enough for us to have to drive slowly and there was about an inch or so on the ground. It may sound odd, but I love that about living here–I love that you can go see a movie and come out to a completely different scene than when you entered. (This, I’m sure, will get old after awhile. But for now, it makes me smile.)

We’re going out, again, tonight to meet friends at Pearl Street (yay!), which might just mean more indulgent food for yours truly… Good thing I did a tempo run this morning before church!