Now don’t get me wrong. I love lettuce. All forms of it…despite a recent terrible experience when I attempted to braise radicchio. I’ve been especially fond of buying the big containers of spring mix lately. Not exactly the cheapest option, but so much more satisfying and I’m a lot more likely to use all of it because the flavors are so versatile when you like to add fruit to your salads like I do.

Somehow apples and craisins on …romaine… just doesn’t seem quite as delicious as on a bed of mixed greens or baby spinach.

And I still eat a lot of lettuce.

But back to the topic at hand. When it comes to sandwiches, lettuce and I are on a break.

I mean really. When there are so many other affordable and delicious options out there, why stick to just lettuce?

For example. Take the average ham sandwich. Two slices of bread, cheese, ham, mayo, and lettuce.

Booooorinnnggg.

I’ve discovered that it is actually no more difficult to take a burrito-sized tortilla, slather on some garden-veggie cream cheese, layer on just a bit of ham, then pack in the lovely pea shoots (found at most grocery stores) pictured above with just a smidge of Ranch dressing for moisture, and ladies and gentlemen, we have got ourselves the lunch of champions.

(Brief aside: I have a love affair with garden-veggie cream cheese. On wraps. On bagels dipped in tomato soup. And most especially, as the sole topping on a baked potato. It rocks my world.)

(Thank you for listening.)

Another recent discovery is broccoli slaw mix.

No, it’s not gooey and covered in dressing – it’s just a pre-julienned mixture of broccoli, red cabbage, and carrots usually. In fact, I don’t think I’ve walked into a grocery aisle that doesn’t carry broccoli slaw mix. (This includes Target and the Wal-Mart.)

My favorite thing to do with broccoli slaw (so far) is make a Buffalo Chicken wrap.

It really is one of my favorite lunches to pack. It’s chock full of veggies, it’s simple, and it is still fantastically crunchy by the time I get around to eating lunch at work.

I’m actually kind of wanting to eat one now. Hmm.

Here’s my basic recipe:

Buffalo Chicken Wrap

• 1 burrito-sized flour tortilla. Go ahead, get a little crazy and use a spinach or sun-dried tomato if you want.
• 1 small cooked chicken breast, thinly sliced
• Buffalo seasoning. I use the pre-mixed, Pampered Chef seasoning. I’ve also seen versions where you just dump on as much hot sauce as you want. I’m not a huge fan of my taste buds burning off when I eat, so I like the powdered seasoning. I still need to look into a non-Pampered Chef version as I’m starting to run low.
• Small quantity shredded cheese. I use cheddar – I’m pretty sure any kind would be wonderful.
• As much broccoli slaw as you can comfortably cram into a wrap. You’ll be surprised at how much you can squeeze in – it compresses!
• Ranch dressing – as much as you want. It’s definitely a necessary ingredient as it cools down the Buffalo seasoning and adds moisture to the broccoli slaw.

Favoring one side of the tortilla, spread out a row of chicken. Top with buffalo seasoning, cheese, slaw mix, and ranch dressing. Wrap it up by folding in two sides first, then rolling the rest of the way up.

Great secret of wraps – lay it out on a piece of plastic wrap first so that when the wrap inevitably tries to unwrap itself, you can quickly wrangle it into a nice little package.

I’m still exploring new vegetables and ways to incorporate them into my diet without too much extra labor. Here are a few things I’m lusting after on Pinterest and most likely trying very, very soon.

Simple Edamame Toasts

California Sandwich – Avocado, Tomato, Sprouts, PepperJack & Chive Spread

Source: foodgawker.com via Megan on Pinterest

Mmm. Veggies.

What delicious veggies have you been eating lately?

It’s been sitting in my one of my cupboards just looking at me.

Longingly.

Like only Bundt cake pans can.

“Use me…”

“I make sweet, delicious, heavenly goodies…”

“Take me out of the cupboard…please…”

This past weekend I finally had some spare time and freed my precious little Bundt pan from its prison.

Every time I think of Bundt cakes I think of one of my favorite scenes from My Big Fat Greek Wedding.

Ohhh…I know! It’s a keck!

(Dees keck has a HOLE in it.)

But back to the business at hand.

I cracked open my handy dandy Cook’s Illustrated cookbook and narrowed it down to two recipes: Lemon Bundt Cake or Chocolate Sour Cream Bundt Cake.

I decided to be a good wife and let Scott choose which one he wanted. And he chose the chocolate.

He really is the best husband.

So I dove in.

First you chop up some chocolate.

(Hello gorgeous…how are you today.)

Mix it with some cocoa powder, and if you have it (which I did – THANK YOU CHRISTMAS!!) – espresso powder.

Pour some boiling water over it and cover it up for five minutes while it melts into an aromatic…gooey…delicious mess.

Then whisk it up.

And if it didn’t look delicious enough already, whisk in the sour cream.

I just got shivers.

Seriously.

(I might need a life.)

Moving on…

In a mixer bowl, cream together some butter and brown sugar.

Gradually mix together flour, salt, baking soda, vanilla extract, and that marvelous chocolate concoction.

It will produce quite possibly one of the most attractive, creamy batters you will ever see.

I regret to inform you that you’ll have to lick the beater. (And the spatula.) (And the bowl.)

Instead of greasing the pan with the usual cooking spray, the smart folks over at America’s Test Kitchen checked it out and came to the conclusion that spraying the pan leaves a white film over the cake. They suggest making a paste of melted butter and cocoa powder.

That, ladies and gentlemen, is decadence.

So you make this paste and spread it all over the pan.

Try not to be too impressed with the pretty designs it makes.

Now pour that batter in your pan.

At this point in time I would like to point out that the recipe produced a bit more batter than would fit into my particular pan. Being the first time I’ve ever baked a cake in a Bundt pan, I not-so-intelligently decided just to pour it all in anyway.

I just couldn’t bear to waste a drop of that chocolate heaven.

Which means that in this next photo, my pan is a smiiiiiidge more full than it should be.

Take note.

Bake it, and BAM.

This, my friends, is a sexy cake.

It sort of tastes good too.

Especially warm, with vanilla ice cream dripping down the sides.

Not that I’ve tried that.

But that cakes looks lovely, you say. Why does it matter that you over-filled the pan?

This is why it matters.

It’s amazing how deceptive photography can be. And also further proof that if you’re baking for a special event and have a cake pan disaster, there’s usually some way to fix it. I just cut it into a half-size portion, and Scott and I have been eating the crumbled parts with ice cream for a week.

It’s a tough life. Someone had to deal with the mess.

Long story short — don’t over-fill your pan. Your cake gets grumpy when it’s time to come out, and you end up with burned cake batter all over the bottom of your oven.

I guess I’ll be nice and share the recipe with you now. I wish I could take credit for it but all the glory goes to the incredible people over at America’s Test Kitchen / Cook’s Illustrated.

Let’s go give them a hug.

Click here for the recipe!

And have a wonderful day!

Something I had been drooling over for many, many months.

A Dutch Oven.

And not just any Dutch Oven, but one in the exact hue I had been searching for. It really is lovely.

I don’t have fantastic photos of it because I was too anxious to devour the two delicious dishes that it produced (like magic!) over the weekend, but I just had to share because now I’m a firm believer that everyone needs a Dutch Oven. It’s not quite as simple as a Crock Pot, but not quite as time-consuming as a stir fry. And anyone who knows me also knows that I’m a big fan of “One-Pot-Wonder” meals.

I decided to break it in with a traditional Beef Stew recipe from my Cook’s Illustrated cookbook. Which there was VERY little left of after being devoured by two hungry men (and me).

And my second recipe, which I found on one of my new favorite blogs – A Cozy Kitchen, was a tweaked version of  traditional Spanish Arroz Con Pollo.

Adrianna had me sold when she described it by saying, “it tastes like home.”

Yes please.

I was so pumped about how it tasted that I actually texted a friend of mine a photo raving about it.

Best. Recipe. Ever.

And really fairly simple to make!

I want to show you Adrianna’s photo just so you can understand the beauty of this dish, rather than base your opinion of it off my icky photo above.

Beautiful.

Tastes like home.

So yes. I was just so excited I had to share my Dutch Oven adventures.

More to come, as long as I don’t throw my back out pulling it out of the oven.

Pretty sure this is my only kitchen tool that I feel like I need to start working out so that I can use it.

Probably need to start working out after eating what it produces too.

Ahem.

I’m more than slightly ashamed. 

But…I loved this particular post, and thus I’m willing to embarass myself a bit so that you can check this out!

While Scott and I were on our mini-vacation in Pennsylvania, one of our first stops was at the Park City Center Mall in Lancaster. Why stop at a mall on vacation? Because that is the home of the brand-spanking new Walk In Love store, recently opened by our friends and the amazing photographers of our wedding, Brooke & TJ Mousetis.

You probably remember the name of the store from my shameless promotion of their fundraising efforts earlier this year. It was absolutely fantastic to get to see where our donation went! (Not to mention being able to take a shopping spree in the store).

If you live anywhere near Lancaster – go pay them a visit. They have fantastic, disgustingly soft t-shirts with a message worth spreading, and other adorable merchandise like incredibly comfortable and cute headbands by the talented Folding Chair Designs.

If you don’t live anywhere near Lancaster…never fear – you can always order online, here!

Spread the love….walk in love!

They're on the map!! (and next to Cinnabon. Can we say deadly??)

Brooke! I'm pretty sure I have some embarassing high school memories with this girl, as her cousin just happens to be my best friend. Hmm.

I was able to live in denial for the two years we lived here, because I hadn’t accumulated nearly as many bottles. But as I’ve been stretching my diet to healthier things and eating lots more homemade Asian foods (which typically require a large variety of spices), I found myself getting more and more frustrated.

You know it’s time for a change when every time you cook you start yelling, “WHY can’t I EVER find ANYTHING IN HERE?!?!?!?”

Not that I did that or anything.

Ahem.

So, I went out and bought a spice rack. For the second time. And I wound up returning it, for the second time. Which not only served to highly amuse my darling husband, but also to get me even more frustrated. Is there such a thing as a spice storage system for people with no counter or drawer space and the inability to put any major holes in anything?

This got me searching. And searching.

One of my favorite blogs – Apartment Therapy – did a feature earlier this year on spice racks.

Yes, I’m way too excited about it.

Go read their feature on 10 Practical Ideas for Better Spice Storage here.

My particular favorite, which I’m actually considering doing someday, is this one shown here on Traveler’s Lunchbox (and the photo below) made out of an old printer’s tray. Brilliant! I love that it has room for labels, since I’m not skilled enough to quickly recognize all my spices by sight and would most likely end up making some horrible errors.

However, time nor budget have allowed me to try this particular method yet.

Finally, I came up with my own solution. And that was to separate all my dear friends into two categories, thus keeping them in two separate places.

Spices that don’t get used very often like cinnamon sticks, marjoram, bay leaves, etc.,  got set aside to be put into a box, while ones that I use very regularly like cinnamon, garlic powder, and italian seasoning, made the cut to stay on my tiny shelf.

Now wait a minute, you say. How do you ever remember what spices you have if half of them are boxed up?

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve used these labels to figure out if I’ve got something. No more digging, no more swearing loudly at the spice cabinet.

And I actually have extra space in there now!

It’s a beautiful, beautiful thing.

How about you? Any secrets to spice storage and organization? How do you maintain your sanity in the kitchen?

Andie’s post, Food I Prepare Ahead of Time, featured her breakfast of choice during the week – banana oatmeal.

via Can You Stay for Dinner

I love oatmeal.

I love bananas.

I love anything made with bananas.

WHY had I never thought about mixing the two of them?

So this morning I decided to whip up a batch of my own.

Old fashioned oats. Heaping spoonful of brown sugar. Dash of cinnamon. Splash of vanilla. Chopped walnuts. A little bit of cream. And one ripe banana.

Oats were cooked according to the package directions, all else was added afterwards. The heat of the steaming oats was enough to warm up the bananas and turn them into a delightfully moist addition.

I should have known it was fate for me to make this recipe. After all, Andie and I have the same bowls. Although hers are photographed much more beautifully.

Scott liked the oatmeal too. He’d tell you himself, but he curled up in the fetal position and died from happiness when he tasted it, considering he loves anything and everything banana-flavored.

Enjoy, my friends!

It really is a sickness.

I took advantage of several long weekends recently (thank you holiday season!) to tackle the ominous project of all the recipes I’ve collected over the years.

If I see a recipe I like in a magazine, I rip it out and save it.

If I see a recipe online, I print it out and save it.

Which makes for a lot of paper.

Lots. Of paper.

Six 1.5-inch binders, hundreds of sheet protectors, and several hours later — my hard work has paid off in a most satisfying way.

Behold…my recipe collection.

Yes. I have two binders for desserts. Don’t judge me.

2012 is going to be an exciting year for my little family, bringing with it a tremendous amount of changes. Life will remain fairly predictable until about June, following which our lives will be flipped upside-down. Scott will be graduating and we’ll be packing up our tiny little city apartment – our first home as a married couple – and moving away from Baltimore. (Can I get an amen?)

I’m very optimistic that the changes will be wonderful, but the giant question mark looming after that point is making my everything-planned-to-the-letter heart quake at its core.

Because we’re going to be experiencing so many changes, I’ve come to the conclusion that any resolutions I make need to be in very small increments. Instead of a looming list of self-improvements to tackle all at the same time, I’m going to be working on habits – one per month, one month at a time.

Most of my resolutions are similar to the typical litany of oaths made on January 1st. However, health issues I’ve been battling the past few years at much too young of an age have gotten me to really examine the way I live, so my resolutions aren’t just focused on weight loss and running marathons. My goal is for healthier living in general.

You won’t see me resolving to:

• run a 10k
• lose 15 pounds.
• become a vegetarian
• be stress-free

You will see me resolving to:

• read more
• go on more dates with my husband
• eat less processed food
• explore one new art museum
• take at least five lessons on the violin
• eat at least one meatless meal a week
• keep a gratitude journal

…among other things. Small changes. Small steps towards a healthier Megs, both physically and mentally.

And I mean LOVE.

I’m one of those obnoxious people who loves the thrill of the hunt. I don’t necessarily try to talk my way into bigger discounts – to me part of the excitement is actually stumbling upon that awesome deal.

And today was a good day.

Because the stars all aligned in a convenient and totally unplanned manner, I managed to find myself in a very nice Target store around 8:30 this morning…just as they were marking ALL the Christmas products 70% off. And I do mean ALL.

$39.19 later, here’s what I came out with. The poor man at the check-out didn’t even know what hit him.

In case you can’t see everything in the photo, let me break that down for you.

• 27 gift bags of all shapes and sizes
• 8 rolls of wrapping paper
• 5 fake poinsettia stems
• 5 “sprays” of berries/pinecones for wreaths/general decoration
• 4 types of tissue paper
• 2 containers of ornament hooks – one fancy, one plain
• 2 large bags of bows
• 1 spool of 200ft of wire-edged ribbon
• 1 set up of cupcake wrappers
• A partridge in a pear tree. Except not really.

Which means that I got 55 individual items. Roughly averaging to $0.71 an item.

I need to sit down – I’m weak at the knees.

And the best part is that I absolutely adore everything I got. Usually when I hit the after-holiday sales to pick up the next year’s Christmas cards/wrapping, I usually don’t like what I see. And every single item today is something that given a larger wallet, I might have spent full price on anyway.

Happy sigh.

I’m off to go roll around in wrapping paper now.

Happy New Year everyone!

This particular year feels like we’ve either been out of town or have had a home full of guests every weekend since Halloween. Not that I don’t love cookies. And I may or may not have indulged in a number that should remain undisclosed. But this party year is one that seems like a happy ending to our last year in Baltimore.

For our Christmas party this year, we joined the crowds and threw a Tacky Tinsel party. And it was delightful.

A great big thanks goes out to our friends Wes, Theresa, & David for hosting the party this year. Their home was so cozy!

One of my favorite parts of this party was the food.

I let the frosting-gods decide the fate of the cake I was baking for the event. Frosting turns out good, make it a pretty cake. Frosting turns out sketchy, make it a tacky cake.

Tacky cake definitely won out.

Without question, the show-stealer was our friend Pay’s veggie platter.

How can a veggie platter be exciting, you ask?

Just take a look at this guy.

Frosty the Veggie-Man!

I’m still so impressed by this I can hardly stand it. Three cheers for Pay!

She took two styrofoam balls and secured them with a rod through the center, and then skewered in cauliflower and peeled radishes for the main body portion. The rest is fairly self-explanatory.

And major discovery? I actually really enjoy radishes when they’re peeled. They’re significantly more mild and still have a great crunch. Helloooo new vegetable!

Frosty the Veggie-Man didn’t last very long. He wasn’t too happy about it.

We also braved freezing temperatures and snow flurries and ventured out to see the neighborhood’s infamous house of lights. Nothing says Christmas like Griswold-family-style decorations!

It was fabulous.

I might want to do this to my own home someday.

It’s a dream of mine to have my home seen from outer space.

I hope you’re all enjoying the final days before Christmas. Indulge in Christmas movie marathons…eat all Santa’s cookies, and take an evening to do nothing but bask in the glow of Christmas lights.

Merry, Merry Monday!