Everlasting Light

 Digging this The Black Keys song right now.

 

Warmly,
Jamie

Curry Cauliflower Salad

There's a good lunch place in Venice called Lemonade and they serve an assortment of salads to choose from. One of my favorites is their curry cauliflower salad, so I tried to make it at home!
This salad is creamy, earthy, and reminds me of the classic broccoli salad that I ate in the summer months growing up.

Curry Cauliflower Salad

1/2 of head of cauliflower florets

2 tablespoons of vegetable oil

1 teaspoon on curry powder
3 tablespoons sliced almonds

3 tablespoons of golden raisins  
salt and pepper to taste

Dressing:
3 tablespoons of Greek Yogurt
1 tablespoons curry powder
1 teaspoon agave

salt to taste

Directions:

- Pre-heat oven to 375 and line a baking sheet with foil

- Mix the florets, oil, 1 teaspoon of curry powder, salt, and pepper together and pour over foil

- After 9 minutes in the oven, stir

- Pour the sliced almond onto the foil and cook for another 3 minutes

- Bake until golden, approximately 12 minutes total, then let cool
- Combine dressing ingredients together, add raisins and room temperature cauliflower, then taste to see if it needs anything else

Enjoy,
Jamie



Green Tip

The green tip for this week is to vacuum your fridge's coils twice a year. The kitchen is a high traffic area and your fridge's coils get surrounded by dust, dirt, and pet hair quickly! When dust builds up on the coils, your fridge then works harder to keep everything cool, so more energy is used.

Before

 After

You'll need to remove the bottom cover and use the vacuum tube to remove the extra dust, then your fridge will run more efficiently and save you money!

Warmly,
Jamie

Green Tip

This week's tip is avoid using products that has the chemical bisphenol A (BPA) in it. BPA is usually found in plastic products like water bottles, food storage containers, and toys. Also, it can be found in the lining of metal food cans and soda cans.

Scientist are still gathering data on BPA, but the the main concern is that BPA "can mimic actions of estrogen, a reproductive hormone. Most health risk studies have been done in animals and have found breast- and prostate-like cancers and altered growth of these and other reproductive organs during development" (LA Times).

 While scientist are still researching BPA, it is wise to avoid it in the meantime by:

1) Look for products labeled BPA-Free. These labels are becoming fairly common on kitchen appliances and tools, but I still haven't seen this on food or soda cans.

2) Avoid plastics with a recycling label on the bottom with a 7 in it

3) Use glass, ceramic, or porcelain instead

4) Do not heat up plastics containing BPA--no microwaves, no dishwashers

Warmly,
Jamie



Greek 7 Layer Dip

Ryan loves watching sports, but a lot of game day food is unhealthy, so I have been the hunt for healthy alternatives that are still satisfying.

Here is a recipe I made last weekend that was filling, zesty, and unique--Greek 7 Layer Dip! It takes the same concept of the Mexican 7 Layer Dip, but uses Greek ingredients like olives, onion, and feta. Definitely would make this recipe again whether it is for a football game or hosting a dinner!

Greek 7 Layer Dip

1 cup of humus (store bought or follow below recipe)

1/4 cup of red bell pepper

1/4 cup of cherry tomatoes diced

1/4 cup of cucumber cubed

1/4 cup of crumbled feta

8 olives diced

2 tablespoons of onions diced

salt and pepper

Directions:

- Smear 1 cup of humus on the bottom of the serving dish. 

- Scatter chopped ingredients on top of the humus, then add salt and pepper to taste. 

- Serve with pita slices.

Humus Recipe:

1 can of chickpeas or garbanzo beans drained

3 tablespoons of tahini

1 clove of garlic chopped

1/2 lemon juiced

3 tablespoons water

1/4 cup of olive oil

1 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

Directions:

- Add all ingredients to a food processor and mix until smooth. 

- Try it and see if needs anything else (lemon, oil, salt, etc.), then mix

- Pour into bowl and enjoy with veggies or pita.

Enjoy,

Jamie

Mika

This songs reminds me to have fun and my love to dance!

Enjoy,
Jamie

Green Tip

This week's tip is unplug appliances when you're not using them. When appliances are plugged in, they still have energy running through them whether you are using them or not, which is also known as phantom energy or standby power. This phantom power becomes very cumulative and ends up wasting money, electricity, and resources.


A few easy ways to stop phantom energy is to unplug your coffee maker or toaster or phone charger or fan when aren't using them.

Another solution is to get a smart power strip and it does this work for you! For example, it can tell when you "turned off" your computer or DVD player, etc. and will stop sending electricity to that device. When you press on, your device will turn right back on.

Warmly,

Jamie

Dining w/ cell phones

I thought I was a little "old school" in my philosophy for not checking my cell phone during meals because I felt I was in the minority for it, but now there is a game that is gaining in populating that supports my view found here.

Rules:
1--The game starts after everyone has ordered.
2--Everybody places their phone on the table face down.
3--The first person to flip over their phone loses the game.
4--Loser of the game pays for the bill.
5--If the bill comes before anyone has flipped over their phone everybody is declared a winner and pays for their own meal.

Variations/house rules:
-Starting the game after everyone is seated.
-In the rare event that multiple people flip their phones simultaneously, the bill is split between said players.
- Feel free to invoke penalties/strikes systems.

Thoughts on using your cell phone during meals and this game?

Warmly,
Jamie

Chicken Curry Crockpot Recipe

The crockpot has become my favorite kitchen appliance due to the ease of cooking with it and the tasty meals it creates. I spend 5-10 minutes cutting and pouring everything into the crockpot before work, then when I come home 9 hours later, dinner is ready! This is a great $20 investment.

Here is a new dish that I will be served at my dinner table once a week--chicken curry. I enjoy eating curry when I eat out because it was a dish I knew I couldn't master at home, but I was wrong...

Chicken Curry Crockpot Recipe

2 chicken breast, cut into thirds

1 sweet potatoes, peeled and largely diced

1 can of chickpeas (garbanzo), drained 

1 onion, roughly chopped

1 garlic clove, minced

1/4 cup sour cream

1 cup orange juice

1 tsp salt 

1/2 tsp pepper

1 tsp cumin

1 tsp ground ginger

3 teaspoons curry powder

Directions: 

- Place chopped onion in crockpot, followed by chicken, garbanzo beans, sweet potato, garlic, salt, pepper, cumin, ginger, curry powder, and orange juice, then cover.

- Cook on low for 6 hours.

- 10 minutes before serving, add sour cream, stir.

- Serve over rice.

Enjoy,
Jamie

Mark's Gardens

Every arrangement I have seen from Mark's Gardens has been amazing! This florist gets their flowers fresh daily, they smell incredible, and the arrangements all look uniquely beautiful. Here a few shots of my recent thank you flowers.

When I have ordered from them in the past I tell them the color palate I want, any flower requests, and price range and they create phenomenal pieces. You can find their contact info here.

Warmly,

Jamie