Category: recipes

Weekly Roundup: A few things from the interwebs

Photo by Nataliya Vaitkevich on Pexels.com

Here’s my roundup of things of interest that I saw around the web this week. Of course I avoided all of the crappity crap news, because I’m sure we’ve all seen plenty of that. UGH. My roundup is as follows…

FOOD: Today we had a southwest chicken and veggie soup which we’ve made quite a few times. In general, whenever we make it, the soup has the same ingredients, but it depends on what we have on-hand. Our version is very similar to this recipe by The Blond Cook. We usually have shredded chicken, onions, diced tomatoes (seasoned with basil, garlic and oregano), spinach and/or kale, corn, black beans, some mixed veggies, chicken broth, and taco seasoning. Top with a little shredded cheese, cilantro, and/or tortilla strips. It’s a no-fail soup. Healthy, filling, and so good! This is a great soup to throw into the crockpot and let do its thing for a few hours.

WEDDING DECOR IDEA: I’ve been doing a lot of random craft projects that involve embroidery hoops so when I saw this idea on rockmywedding.co.uk, I just thought it was super cute and super simple. Such a whimsical way to include important moments and people without being super fussy.

PAPER: I’ve tried for years to slow down on needlessly buying paper but unfortunately, my love of stationery is a battle that I always lose. With an accumulation of notebooks, list pads, binders and planners, sometimes they just sit idle until I figure out how I want to use them. So I was happy to see this list by lavendaire.com of 11 ways to fill your notebooks. It also made me feel less alone, since clearly other people buy notebooks first, then figure out what to do with them second. The list includes some things like gratitude journal, success journal, and sketches. If you’re looking for ways to use your notebooks, this may help.

HEALTH: Spring is springing where I live. While it did just snow two days ago, there are still some signs that spring is afoot. With spring of course comes allergies. So I thought this article about 7 natural ways to combat spring allergies was actually quite informative. One of the common sense tips includes removing your clothes as soon as you walk in to prevent spreading pollen around your home…I mean, duh! Such a simple thing to do yet I don’t typically do this. It makes so much sense and would probably help keep the pollen spread in my home to a minimum.

JOURNALING: Journaling has become a really popular way to help clear your headspace, track habits, and document things going on in your life. I love this list of nighttime journaling topics that I spotted on pinterest. And of course, this is something else you can put in those notebooks you purchased.

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My Bestie Made Chocolate Zucchini Bread For Me

{ Click here for the amaaazinggg zucchini bread recipe by Two Peas and their Pod }

I know a lot of people will brag about their bestie. And maybe they have a legit reason to. But mine is effing awesome. Like forrealsies.

I spent a couple days with her this week and, as usual, she fed me and fed me and fed me! One of the things she made was this chocolate zucchini bread, and it is so damn good. We are both cake and chocolate lovers but I tell you, I wasn’t sure I wanted any parts of zucchini mixed with chocolate.

This is probably a good time to note, I long ago vowed I would NEVER put zucchini into my mouth EVERRRR! I love a lot of veggies, but zucchini AINT one of them! Quite honestly, I steer clear of the entire squash family. I know…that’s quite controversial, but…I likes what I likes, and I hates what I hates. And this girl HATES zucchini! lol.

OK, so back to my bestie trying to force feed me a veggie I hate… She covered it in chocolate and baked it, and told me “no really, you HAVE to try this!!” I felt like an animal being tricked…like…I know you’re just trying to make me do something I don’t want to do, but you covered it in something that I love and now I’m completely confused. GAAAAHHH!!

OK yall, long story short…I fell for it. I took the bait. The chocolate was just too enticing and I gave in. It. Was. DELICIOUS!!!! I don’t know what happened to the zucchini, and I started wondering if I completely misunderstood what she said about zucchini being in it, but she confirmed, YES it has zucchini in it! It tasted like chocolate cake with chocolate chips on it. lol. Like…you would not know there was any veggie involved in the recipe at all.

So I thought my mother, who loves chocolate but is extremely health conscious, would also love to try this magic veggie cake, so bestie made some for her. And she allowed me to film her doing it so here we go!

She actually told me that she uses a recipe that she found online on the Two Peas and Their Pod blog. She loves their site and owes all of the credit to their recipe. (I won’t rehash their recipe. Definitely go to their site for the ingredients and steps!). I even asked if she altered it in any way, and she said nope! So that’s where she found this decadent trick veggie chocolate cake recipe.

So here’s a little recap here of her baking one.

{ whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and sea salt }

{ combine the the eggs, melted butter, oil, vanilla extract, and brown sugar }

{ this is the mountain of shredded zucchini }

{ combine the wet, dry, chocolate chips and zucchini }

Literally the ONLY thing I would MAYBE change is use milk chocolate chips instead of semi sweet. Or maybe use a mix of the two. But that’s literally the only thing. This recipe is a banger!

{ after the cake has been baked and cooled and put on a cute cake plate }

It seems like it would be a million calories and just an entire plate full of sin, but it’s legit zucchini, so you can eat it and not feel guilty. At least that’s what I did…lol.

{ oh so chocolate }

Have you made chocolate zucchini bread? How did it come out? Do you have something that seems like it should not taste good but actually tastes amazing?? Lemme know!!

justamarylandgirl

Easy Broccoli and Cheese Quiche Recipe

I promise you, I will not load you down with a bunch of text before this  recipe. But I will say this. I’m NOT a very good cook. I don’t particularly enjoy cooking, and it doesn’t soothe me or relax me in any way. But every once in a while, I do get the urge to do a little something in the kitchen.

So earlier this week, my bestie said she made a quiche and it just got my mind spinning. After looking up a few recipes, I pulled from a couple, went to the store, and got to cooking. I came up with my rendition of a broccoli and cheese quiche and I present to you the recipe!

Here are the ingredients:

  • 1 pie crust 
  • 3 large eggs
  • 1.5 cups taco blend shredded cheese
  • 1.5 cups whole milk
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp pepper
  • 1 cup chopped onion
  • 1 small head broccoli
  • 2 TBS olive oil

Here are the directions:

  1. Thaw and bake the pie crust according to instructions on the package
  2. Heat oven to 350 degrees and place one of the racks into the bottom third of your oven
  3. Chop onions and broccoli
  4. Heat a medium sized skillet on medium high
  5. Add olive oil
  6. Sautee onions and broccoli until the broccoli is charred
  7. Take the broccoli and onion mixture out of the skillet and place to the side
  8. In a medium sized bowl, add the eggs, milk, salt and pepper
  9. Whisk together until the eggs become frothy
  10. Spread half of the shredded cheese into the bottom of the pie crust
  11. Spread the broccoli and onion mixture on top of the cheese layer
  12. Add the remaining cheese on top of the broccoli and onions
  13. Pour in the egg mixture, evenly distributing it into the pie crust
  14. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil
  15. Place the pie crust onto the lined baking sheet
  16. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes, until the top is browned
  17. Cool for 20 minutes before serving

Now that that’s out of the way, I’ll add the discussion about how quiche is amazing and wonderful.  How it’s perfect for breakfast, lunch, or dinner, and how it would be wonderful if paired with a nice salad or a croissant.  And if you’re having company, quiche is a wonderful dish to serve that makes you look fancy smancy.  Add your favorite prosecco or cocktail, and you’re a brunch superstar!

Let me know if you try the recipe!

Bon appetit!

justamarylandgirl