Nostalgia over mom’s pans/cookware

Posted by random olio

I was cleaning up the kitchen the other night and realized the 9×9 inch pan and large mixing bowl I was washing used to be my mom’s. The spoon I had put in the dishwasher was the one we used to make cookies with (in addition to the large mixing bowl). As I added dishes to the dishwasher and washed the pans, I had a nostalgic moment where I just cherished the idea that I still had these items. Gratitude that they were still in great shape and that I had kept them all this time. I also had a long moment of thinking of all the coffee cakes, cookies, and other baked goods that were made with these kitchen tools. I do not have a lot of physical reminders of my mom, but these little items made me grateful for all the years I did have with her, all the summers of 4-H where I learned to bake and we would sample my good batches and my not so great concoctions together.

My mom has been gone more than half of the years that I have been alive. This August it will be 18 years, and even though I do not always remember her voice, or know what advice she would give me now as a grown woman, I still love the moments when I see her so visibly. Even if that is while washing a pan she used to use, or taking a bite of her yummy coffee cake.

my mom before kids

To all moms out there, know that you are cherished and appreciated.

Start your day with a green smoothie

Posted by random olio

Since it is Monday, I thought I would start the week out with how I start each day out. I live for my daily green smoothie. Even if we are going out to breakfast or brunch, I do not leave the house without first having my green smoothie. It is filling, nutritious, and starts the day out right. The way I have found to make it easy to have one each day is to stock up at Costco first. You can stock up on bags of mixed fruit and bags of mixed berries (and then you do not have to go to the store as often). I usually use spinach as my green of choice, only because it is easier and you can purchase it in a large bin, rather then taking the time to clean kale. If I stock up on the mixed fruit then I only have to purchase the bananas and spinach/kale each week. I also found that other leafy greens such as green leaf, romaine, etc left the smoothie with a bitter taste. Sometimes I have to add a second banana for consistency depending on the size of the first banana.

Green smoothie recipe:

8 oz water (or to desired consistency)

1 tablespoon flax seed oil (optional)

1-2 large scoops of an organic protein powder (optional)

Large handful of spinach, kale (or other leafy green)

1 banana

1-1 ½ cups fresh or frozen fruit

before

after

I have been having this smoothie every day for the past 5 years. Try it out, and do not worry about the color. If it sits for a while it might start to turn green, however, it will still taste the same.

Enjoy and let me know if you try it!

I am Addicted to Feta.

Posted by random olio

Thanks to my mother-in-law I have a feta addiction. I am addicted in a big way. Last summer, she made a salad for me with feta on top, and well I got hooked and have not been able to stop making it since last July. I know I am boring that I make the same salad everyday. But when the craving is there, feed it right? I wish I could say that I have a fabulous recipe to share with you, but the fact is I do not. I like feta in its purest form. Basically I put a massive amount of lettuce on a plate, add carrots and sweet peppers (in my current iteration) and then add crumbled feta on top. Then for the dressing part, I add olive oil and balsamic vinaigrette. I learned the hard way that the brand/flavor of the olive oil matters, as does the feta. At least to my taste it does. After going through so many bottles of olive oil so quickly, I decided to purchase a large bottle of olive oil at Costco. NOTE: it does not taste the same! I also once ran out of feta in the middle of my work day and by the time I was able to get to Costco, it was closed. Safeway was the closest solution, so I got what they had, and the results did not make me a happy camper. So you can guess I made a visit to Costco the next day. Here are the brands that I found work best together:

Olive oil: Filippo Berio Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Balsamic Vinegar: Colavita Balsamic Vinegar of Modena

Feta: President – Crumbled Feta

mmm feta...

What are you addicted to that you cannot live without?

Nom Nom – Pretzel rolls

Posted by random olio

Oh man. I’m addicted to pretzel rolls.

So on the ‘About’ page on my site you will see that at the moment I have a salt addiction (it has been a very long moment). I can remember my mom having a pretzel addiction growing up. You would find partially eaten bags all over the house, as though she needed to have them a hands reach away when the urge hit. So far I have not really had any interest in pretzels unless they are dipped in white chocolate. What I do have is a newly found interest in pretzel rolls. Last July, I had them in the form of pretzel breadsticks at Stonewood Grill in Raleigh, N.C. (which I have recently learned has closed). Major bummer, it was a great restaurant. Then in November, I had them on a plane flying back from Amsterdam. Yes, I said it, I had an amazing pretzel roll on an airplane. Then, last week, at a local bakery.

The domino effect (and to my husband’s great excitement) led me to track down a good recipe for pretzel rolls. This one is very simple and tastes so yummy. The actual recipe is at the bottom of the post. The difference between a regular yeast roll and a pretzel roll is what they call the ‘lye’ bath, details, further explanation, and photos at the above link. Basically you are poaching the rolls before baking, and that gives the pretzel roll the darker brown/harder texture.

The great thing about this recipe is that they freeze well, and are just as good warmed up after pulling out of the freezer (no need to thaw), making this recipe last a long time! Well, maybe not a long time (they go fast at my house). They take about 2 hours to make, but most of that is in the rising of the dough.