Healthy Tex-Mex Stuffed Peppers

I've had a lot going on lately and the rest of this month is not going to be slowing down. I'm going to Orlando for work this Saturday-Wednesday (I know, poor me, right?), my roommate/best friend is moving out next weekend, Tom is moving in the weekend after, my semester is coming to an end soon, and I have another conference in Connecticut toward the end of the month. Lots of good things in the works, but it all makes me a little anxious. I used to jam pack my schedule as much as possible in high school and college, but these days, I really enjoy (and need) my down-time.

Things I Love Thursday and Meatless Monday All Rolled Into One

Last week was my First Day of Spring Edition of Things I Love Thursday. Since last week New England seems to have done a complete 180 and headed back toward winter. Poor Cape Cod got pounded with hurricane force winds and over 6 inches of snow! My neck of the woods luckily only had a lot of wind, causing my office to lose power (yay for work-from-home days!) and the railing on my rickety front porch to blow clean off (yay for having a landlord to fix things!). 

Anywho, here are a few things that make me really happy these days.

• Spring Blackberries
• Impending summer movie trailers

Things I Love Thursday - First Day of Spring Edition

It's the first day of spring and I have a lot of great things on the horizon! A couple of big trips and vacations I'm excited about and one really big step for me and my guy at the end of next month! :) But here are a few things that I love from this week:

1. I got new glasses this week (see pic above) and I absolutely love them! They have a little more personality than I originally thought I would want, but after getting some feedback from my co-workers and friends, the response seemed to be unanimous: YES! The new sassy glasses are making me want to get a new sassy tattoo!

Here are some more things I love from this week:

Happy St. Patty's Day! Irish Soda Bread

Happy St. Patrick's Day! On my weight loss journey, I'm down 3 pounds and I couldn't be more thrilled. I've been eating a higher protein, lower carb diet, cut out sugar, processed starches, most dairy, and I'm eating more veggies and seeing the numbers on the scale is definitely encouraging. That being said, I gave myself a pass to have a little traditional corned beef and cabbage dinner this weekend, and that comes with Irish Soda Bread.

Recipe Reviews: Lemon Chicken and Cauliflower Rice

Ratings

Shutterbean's Lemon Chicken: A+
Nom Nom Paleo's Cauliflower Rice: A+

Do you ever have those meals where everything just seems to go together perfectly? A beautiful symphony of mingling flavors and textures that make your taste-buds shout for joy? That happened for me last night, and the whole meal was very healthy! Healthy food that tastes good? What?

As soon as I saw Shutterbean put out this recipe for Lemon Chicken I couldn't wait to try it. Lemon is one of my favorite things to add to cooking and we're all familiar with my obsession with Lemon Squares. And the fact that she used chicken thighs intrigued me. I don't use chicken thighs often but they're on sale frequently, so when my local store had boneless, skinless chicken thighs on sale, it was like it was meant to be. 

In my continuing effort to be healthy I was looking into paleo recipes. The concept has always been interesting to me, and since I'm trying to be careful about blood sugar, cauliflower rice seemed like the perfect solution. I found Nom Nom Paleo's version by doing a search in Pinterest. Her Cauliflower Rice recipe was simple, and used coconut oil (another ingredient I've always been interested in trying out but was always intimidated.

Both recipes came out absolutely amazing. I wish I hadn't been so hungry that I didn't stop and take the time to take pictures with my real camera (sorry about the Instagram pic). The only change I made to either recipe was the addition of parsley to the rice instead of Trader Joe's 21 Seasoning Salute. I didn't have any on hand, and since parsley tends to go with lemon flavors and also the thyme and oregano used in the chicken, I gave it a go and I was not disappointed. I roasted a little asparagus in olive oil, garlic, lemon juice, salt and pepper, and it was a perfect meal. Tom had most of his plate cleared before I even sat down. 

I can't wait to try variations of both of these recipes in the future. I'm already thinking cooking Cod or another type of white fish would be perfect in place of the chicken. And I can't wait to add different spices to the basic cauliflower rice recipe depending on what it's going with. Maybe a little saffron with a Mexican recipe? Mmmm. Look like I'll be buying cauliflower regularly now!

Frugal Foodie Makeover: Tex-Mex Breakfast Scramble

I've known it for a while. How could I have missed it? Buying bigger clothes to fit my expanding ass and out-of-control boobs. And those stretch marks? No, I didn't give birth recently, those are from cupcakes and brownies. Last week my doctor talked to me about weight loss. It's the first time I've had this talk with a medical professional but it was only a matter of time. She wants me to come back in 6 months to check in and see how I'm doing. Opportunity presents itself in weird ways sometimes, right? 

Dark Chocolate Nutella Cheesecake Brownies

Well longtime no talk! I apologize for my absence. Grad school had been kicking my a** and I have been spending pretty much any time that I'm not working, studying or reading trying to unwind. Although I've been busy, life has been great, except for all this snow. I've had about all I can take at this point. I've started painting my nails hot pink again to hopefully usher in spring. Or it really just makes me happy to look at something bright when the weather is so dreary.

I'm Back! And I Have Apple Cider Cupcakes!

Hello you beautiful people. I've missed you! It's been over a month since my last post and things have just been completely chaotic lately. I started my masters program a couple of weeks ago, had a trip to Savannah that lasted a bit too long for my taste (delayed flights and unexpected overnight stays in Charlotte) and then I had a bad allergic reaction immediately following the trip resulting in a severe sore throat and a bad case of hives that kept me out of work all last week. Needless to say things have been nuts, but they're finally settling down now. 

Maple Bacon Cupcakes

To start out, I would just like to thank everyone for your kind words and huge amount of hits to my blog in response to the 25 Things I've Learned in the Past 25 Years post. It was a wonderful birthday gift and I hope to add more of my personal thoughts and feelings into normal posts from now on.

25 Things I've Learned in the Past 25 Years

I was always one of those kids who couldn't wait to grow up. Not so I could drink or drive a car, but so I could be an adult. To me, 25 was going to be the perfect age. I pictured myself as having a short, mom hair-cut with kids, a husband and a house, and I would definitely have the whole life thing figured out. Clearly, to younger me, 25 seemed much further off than it really was. While I'm not where I thought I would be at 25, I'm in a pretty great place and wanted to share some insights that guide me through life every day. There will be no recipe at the end of this post, so now is your chance to escape if reflection and life lessons aren't really your thing...

Those of you who know me know that I'm not really a touchy-feely person. I usually have to make a concerted effort to open up in any capacity, but lately I've been thinking about how far I've come in the past couple of years and wanted to put it out there. I've made a complete overhaul of my life, from taking on destructive thought patterns, to putting myself out there in ways that make me uncomfortable on purpose (hence this post). 

I always lived by a few credos. Don't get too close, you'll just get hurt. Don't make too much noise, no one wants to listen to you. When you're upset, stuff it down because no one cares, so don't put your burden on them. The world was completely black and white and I felt comfortable in my little box, until the bottom rotted out.

Since then I've met some wonderful people and leaned in to the ones who were already there for me. The result: Molly 2.0. I'm a happier, more thoughtful, and all-around lighter human being. I'm with a wonderful guy who makes me very happy, but for the first time, I know that if for some reason it doesn't work out, I'll be okay, because I have built a strong but soft foundation for myself that will catch me when I fall.

Here are the things I've learned over the last 25 years that have helped to shape me as a person today (in no particular order):

1. The best friends you'll ever make are the ones who have seen you at your most vulnerable and love you because of that, not in spite of it. Let your walls down and you'll see who your true friends are.

The Best Hollandaise Sauce You'll Ever Eat

I'm a big fan of breakfast. On lazy weekends, I lay in bed and think about what I'm going to make for breakfast when I get up. Even when I was in high school my parents frequently had to vacate the kitchen while I made waffles, pancakes, breakfast burritos, or any other egg dish that tickled my fancy that morning. Eggs Benedict was always a treat growing up and I never even attempted to make it on one of those lazy mornings because my mom's Hollandaise sauce was so delicious I was always intimidated to try it on my own. Since then I very rarely order Eggs Benedict when I go out for breakfast and I always rave to whoever I'm with about how my mom's recipe has ruined all others for me. Well, it was time to ante up. I tried making the recipe without my mom's instruction, for the sake of judging the recipe to a true Eggs Benedict fan.

White Russian Cupcakes and Family Reunions

I've always gotten along better with people older than myself. During the reunion, this picture surfaced and it brought a tear to my eye. When I was younger I was pen pals with several of my relatives, two of whom, my Aunt Charlotte and my cousin Dawn are pictured above. My Aunt Charlotte passed away quite some time ago and it has been many years since I've seen Dawn. I didn't even know this picture existed, so this was definitely the highlight of the picnic for me. 

Due to the fact that I've always been more of a baker than a cook, I usually get asked to make some sort of dessert for the reunion, so I opted to try out an idea for a recipe I had several months ago: White Russian cupcakes. Because what could be better than alcohol and dessert in one?

Date Night Meal: Chicken Stuffed with Prosciutto, Bleu Cheese, and Figs

Whenever I start seeing someone, my blog inevitably comes up in conversation. Everyone always says "the way to a man's heart is through his stomach" and I have found that to be true more often than not. Even if things don't end up working out, guys (especially guys who can't cook for themselves) usually find it very intriguing that I can cook. When it came time to show my skills, we were struck with a heat wave that made me want to do the bare minimum of cooking (hence my Curry Chicken Salad Recipe), but since the weather has cooled off, I wanted to show my skills. When it came time to figure out what to make, I realized most of the recipes I usually cook are quick and easy meals, nothing too impressive, so I turned to my friend Benny for help.

Curry Chicken Salad

As much as I would love to deny it, I am definitely one of those New Englanders who complains about the cold in the winter, and then complains about the heat in the summer. It's just been so hot for so long this summer! And the humidity, ugh, don't even get me started. I've never owned an air conditioner in my life but I caved and bought one this past weekend. The heat officially won this year. Don't get me wrong, I love summer, but it definitely makes me not want to be in a kitchen or turn on the oven or stove, that's for sure. Here's a recipe that my mom relied on heavily growing up for just this type of weather: curry chicken salad.

Holy Moly Guacamole!

When summer comes all I want to do is eat fresh produce. My body craves vine ripened tomatoes and lush avocados. I also love having the margaritas that usually go with making guacamole. In college, my friends and I used to go to an amazing restaurant in Northampton, MA called Mama Iguana's. They have strong margaritas and table-side guacamole. I remember watching the ingredients and the process very carefully one time. I was determined to make guacamole that was just as good without having to drive to Northampton to get it.

Mmmm Steak

I love steak. Who doesn't, right? Unfortunately, I'm famous for buying different cuts of steak because they're on sale and then way over-cooking them. I'm also abysmal with a grill. I was determined to make this time different, so I turned to Google for help. I Googled
"how to cook petite sirloin steak" and what came up? Alton Brown's ridiculously easy and genius solution for broiling steak. The recipe was great, but if your steak is closer to 1 inch thick, I would shave 1 minute off of the close-up broil time.

And what goes better with steaks and hot weather? A beer! I was first introduced to Slumbrew at a beer tasting I attended last summer, but now that I live closer to their Somerville home, I can luckily find this beer on tap pretty often. It's a light beer will delicious citrus and floral notes. It's absolutely delicious!

Sorry to make this such a short post. I got home from Las Vegas yesterday and am off to the Cape tomorrow until Friday. Las Vegas was awesome and I posted pictures of the delicious food I got to eat on my Instagram. One of the highlights was a happy accident. I went to Bouchon Bistro for breakfast one morning because I could see it from my room and there was an outdoor eating area that looked gorgeous. When I arrived I saw a cookbook that I own in the lobby area. The restaurant was Tom Keller's! I was thrilled and I was not disappointed in the least. I could have eaten at that restaurant every day for the rest of my life. I'm talking homemade corned beef hash and brioche toast. I'm talking sourdough waffles with strawberries and candied pecans with Tahitian vanilla butter. Mmmmhmmm it was to die for. 

The weather is hot and humid, and I'm going to attempt to make a watermelon margarita to help cool off and cheer on the Bruins tonight! Hopefully I'll have a recipe to report soon!

Key Lime Pie and Lime in the Coconut Margaritas

It's no secret by this point that I love just about anything citrus-y. Key Lime Pie is one of my favorite desserts, so when I saw a lighter version in my Cooking Light magazine last week I knew it would only be a matter of time before I tried it out. It was meant to be.

Cheap and Fast: Red Beans and Rice

This is an extra special post. Wanna know why? 2 reasons:

1. This is one of my favorite pantry meals to make.
2. I cooked this meal while wearing heels, so it's extra fancy.

It's been one of those paycheck cycles where certain...surprises came up. For instance, my car insurance jumped an extra $50/month without them telling me because of an accident I was in back in December (12/12/12 to be exact). Liberty Mutual apparently doesn't increase rates mid-contract cycle. Would have been nice to know! I also had to buy some new shoes for my trip to Vegas next week for work, so naturally I had to break them in--hence the cooking in heels bit. In general though, this meal is about anything but fancy.

Lemony Summer Quinoa Pilaf and Ricotta Tart

I love lemon. I worked for a year or so on a Perfect Lemon Square recipe because the other recipes I tried weren't lemon-y enough. I frequently make mini cheesecakes with pure lemon curd on top. And I love roasting asparagus with lemon and garlic. The smell, the taste, the vibrant yellow color. Everything about lemons just make me happy. ANYWHO, I've been working on modifying two recipes that were fine on their own but weren't quite right for me.

Smoked Gouda Mac and Cheese

It's been too long my friends and I am very, very sorry. It's been a long past couple of weeks. Preparing for a week-long conference in Chicago, putting on said week-long conference in Chicago, a weekend of camping in the rain. Whew! Like I said, it's been a long past couple of weeks.