Coachella Smoachella

Is it just me, or does it seem that tumblr users are primarily composed of 15-year-old girls?

I've been trying to get into the whole tumblr thing, but I still don't really get it to tell you the truth. Must be a generational gap (kidding, sort of). I feel so out of the loop. I don't even really know how to use Facebook anymore. I slow down when I'm driving past the nearby high-school during lunch-time just to check out what the girls are wearing these days. I bet all of those girls have tumblrs.

Made a group decision to skip Coachella this year, even though the lineup looks killer:

In other news, I made an awesome soup last night for dinner! Pumpkin-tortilla. Click here for the recipe.

Try it out, you won't be disappointed! Keep in mind though that you might want to add a little more broth than the recipe calls for as the soup condenses down a lot after an hour of simmering. Enjoy!

What's for Dinner: Turkey Brie Burgers

I'm a big cheese fan. In fact, I love cheese so much that I try to incorporate it into every meal and snack for that matter. After all, everything always tastes better with cheese. Watermelon and feta cheese, for example: delicious.

One of my favorite cheeses is brie, especially warm brie. I just can't resist that ooey-gooey, soft, salty goodness. Last night, we had turkey brie burgers for dinner (well I had a turkey brie burger...my anti-bread boyfriend who is on a "paleolithic diet" just had the patty). It's a quick and easy dinner that is super savory. Here's what you need to make it:

1 packet of ground turkey breast, about 1/2 of a medium-sized, white onion, brie, olive oil, and salt and pepper.

Here's what you do:

Dice the onions. In a small bowl, mix together the ground turkey, the onions, and a pinch of salt and pepper respectively.

One packet of ground turkey will yield about 4-5 patties. With your hands, make a thin disc and top with about a tablespoon of brie. Then fold another portion of the turkey mixture around the brie. The key here is to make sure the cheese is completely covered by the meat. This way, when you cook it, you'll avoid "oozage".

These are what your patties should look like more or less. As you can see, I got a little carried away with the cheese. Now, you can either throw these puppies on the grill or cook them in a large skillet. I've made them both ways, and I have to say, they turned out much better when they were grilled. However, we don't have a barbecue, so last night, they were made on top of the stove. Make sure to brush some olive oil on both sides of the patty beforehand. Cook for about 4-5 minutes and then flip. Then cover the pan and cook for about 8-10 minutes more.

In the meantime, you can throw together a salad real quick:

You can also get out some jelly (trust me). In a perfect world, I would have fig preserves in the refrigerator. But this is not a perfect world. I don't have a barbecue and I don't have fig preserves. Apricot had to suffice.

Dish it up! Forget the ketchup and instead, shmear your buns (or your Village Mill Pioneer Bread in this instance) with fig (apricot) preserves. Sounds weird, but please just go with me on this one.

Other burger garnishes to consider: arugula, green apple slices

Enjoy!

The week (or so) in pictures

My apologies for the lack of entries lately. The truth is, I've been much too busy antique shopping:

And marveling over collections of vintage owl pins:

And rubbing beast bellies:

And catching rays at the beach:

And watching laser light shows at parties full of hippies:

And tuning into cinematic classics (like Pretty Woman) at Salvation Army:

And watching tennis matches:

And making eggplant pizzettes (these were really good):
My boyfriend keeps a "primal diet", which basically means he doesn't eat the foods I love, like pizza. When we first started living together, it was a bit challenging cooking meals that the both of us (caveman and carb-a-holic) could enjoy, but after a few months, I think I have it down to a science. These eggplant pizzas were actually so good (and easy to make) that I have to share the recipe.

What you need:

1 large eggplant

Shredded mozzarella cheese

Pizza sauce

Mushrooms

Artichoke hearts

1 small onion

1 tomato

Oregano

Olive Oil

Garlic Salt

Italian Seasoning

What you do:

Preheat the oven to 425. Slice eggplant into half-inch discs. Coat both sides of eggplant in olive oil, garlic salt, and Italian seasoning. Place eggplant slices on cookie sheet and bake for about 15 minutes (make sure to flip halfway through!) or until both sides of the eggplant are browned.

While eggplant is cooking, cut onion, mushrooms, and artichoke hearts and briefly saute. Now you're ready to dress your "pizza crust" (the eggplant). Lay down some pizza sauce and mozzarella and then get to stacking! Garnish with a slice of fresh tomato and oregano. Bake for about 5 minutes, or until cheese is melted.

Try it out and tell me what you think!

What's for Dinner: Kale Frittata and Baked Tomatoes

Here's a little frittata number I whipped up the other night for dinner:

Here's the recipe:

-1 bunch kale

-1 medium-sized white or green onion

-4 chicken apple sausages (look for the brand, "Aidells" in the meat section of your local market)

-1 cup feta cheese

-olive oil

-8 eggs

-1/2 cup milk

-garlic salt

-salt

-pepper

-cooking spray

Preheat the oven to 325 F.

In a pan coated with olive oil, saute the kale. Dice up the onions and the sausage and add to the kale once it has started to wilt and reduce down in size. Stop sauteing when the onions look translucent and/or when the sausage is browned on the outside.

Crack the eggs into a large bowl. Add the sausage-kale-onion mixture as well as the feta cheese. Add garlic salt, salt, and pepper. Mix it all up with a whisk.

Pour the mixture into a greased 8x8x2 oven-safe pan (or a pan of similar dimensions). Put it in the oven for about 40-55 minutes, or until the center of the frittata has solidified.

Fun to make, delicious to eat, and makes for great leftovers!

Now for the side-dish... baked tomatoes!

Here's how:

Cut tomatoes into 1/2 inch slices. Place them on a baking sheet (I lined mine in aluminum foil for easy clean-up) and give em a generous drizzle of olive oil. Sprinkle a pinch of minced garlic on each one and season with salt, pepper, and garlic salt. Finish them off with some parmesan cheese and throw them in the oven (400 F) for about 10-12 minutes, or until the cheese starts looking toasted. These are great a la carte, but they're also pretty delicious on a piece of toasted bread. If you'd like, doll them up a little bit with basil, oregano, and/or bread crumbs!

Try it! You'll like it!

What's for Dinner: Shrimp Ceviche Salad

What to do when you have avocados in the fridge that are on the verge of becoming over-ripe? You could make guacamole I guess. Or... you could make shrimp ceviche instead! It's so easy to make, delicious, and nutritious! Here is my recipe:

This recipe yields either 2 entree-sized portions or 4 appetizer salads:

-1/2 pound of cooked, deveined shrimp
-1 lime
-1 lemon

-olive oil

-garlic salt to taste

-pepper to taste

-2 tomatoes
-1-2 avocados
-1/2 yellow onion
-1 small jalapeno (optional)
-cilantro

-mixed greens

-tortilla chips

Cut the tails off of the shrimp and cut into bite-sized pieces. Transfer to a small bowl. Squeeze the juice of one lime and 1/2 of a lemon over the shrimp. Season with salt, pepper, and garlic salt. Cover tightly and put in the fridge for at least half an hour. (Real ceviche is cured in lime juice, but you can fake it... I won't tell if you won't tell) In the meantime, dice up the onion, avocado, tomato, cilantro, and jalapeno. Mix it in with the shrimp. Scoop out ceviche onto a bed of baby greens. Squeeze half of a lemon and a drizzle of olive oil on top. Garnish with tortilla chips. Happy scooping!

What's for dinner: scallops, marshmallows of the sea

It got a little fancy last night: roasted vegetables, Japanese Kale Salad, and Sea Scallops with Cilantro Gremolata and Ginger Lime Beurre Blanc Sauce (click the link for the recipe - it requires only a few ingredients, does not take that much time to make, and is absolutely delicious if I do say so myself):

I'm particularly proud of the the Kale salad - Kale is really hot right now. It's like the hipster collard greens. I was looking for a kale recipe and ended up combining 2 or 3 of my favorites. It ended up tasting like a seaweed salad, except warm. Here's what I came up with (again, super easy to make, only a few ingredients, and delicious):

What you need:

-Olive oil

-1 packet of mushrooms (or roughly, 2 cups)

-1/2 an onion

-1 bunch of kale

-Lemon

-Soy Sauce

-Garlic salt

-Pepper

-Sesame seeds (optional)

What you do:

In a large pan coated in olive oil, saute the mushrooms until they begin to brown. Chop the kale into 1/2 inch strips and add to the pan. Cover for 3-4 minutes, or until the kale begins to shrink. Chop the onion and add, stirring until they turn translucent.

Mix in the juice of half a lemon, add a drizzle of soy sauce, and salt and pepper to taste. You can also add the sesame seeds at this time (I would have added them in last night, but I didn't have any).

Enjoy!