I made this just for you. š
Happy birthday Greg!
Now blow out the candles and make a wish.
And enjoy a piece of cake.
I hope that every moment of your day is just as sweet as you. š
This amazing carrot cake recipe is from one of the very best, Sally’s Baking Addiction. Thank you so much, Sally!
Have you heard of a buddha bowl?
I have, but I can’t remember from where.
I think I remember reading about it. That someone ate a “buddha bowl.” A bowl full of goodness. A bowl full of foods that are just simply good for you. Foods that don’t necessarily go together, until theĀ momentĀ they come together in the bowl. Then they go together just perfectly.
I’ve had the idea of a buddha bowl in my head for awhile. I didn’t know if or when I would make one. Until one night, I just needed a buddha bowl.
You should know, I’m a big believer in giving my body what it’s asking for. My body is asking for a good night sleep? I put off work that was supposed to be done to give it a rest. It’s asking for a big cone of ice cream? I satisfy the craving, happily. My body feels like just doing yoga instead of running too? I just do yoga. That’s how I work. I do what I feel in my body.
One particular night last week my body was asking for a buddha bowl. I was recovering from some sort of flu-illness. I was craving goodness in my body. I needed food that was light, pure, good for me. I made a buddha bowl.
In my buddha bowl I put broccoli and cauliflower, roasted with curry powder. Quinoa. White fish. Garlic. Lemon. All of these flavors together in one big bowl. It was delicious. Fresh. Literally felt like the best breath of fresh air.Ā It made me feel good. It was just what I needed.
Method:
This was enough for one. This can be easily doubled, tripled, etc. for more than one person.
1/4 c. quinoa
1 c.Ā vegetableĀ broth
A handful of chopped broccoli
A handful of chopped cauliflower
2 Tbsp. olive oil
1.5 tsp. curry powder
1 medium filet of white fish
1 clove of garlic
1/2 lemon
Preheat oven to 350*.
Thoroughly rinse the quinoa with water. Add the quinoa and 1/2 c. of vegetable broth to a saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a boil and then cover, turn down the heat, and let cook until all liquid is absorbed.
Meanwhile, add broccoli, cauliflower, 1 tablespoon of oil and curry powder to a bowl. Toss to coat and combine well. Transfer to a baking sheet and roast in the preheated oven for about 15 minutes, or until veggies are soft and lightly brown.
Add 1 tablespoon of olive oil to a pan over medium heat. Add garlic and cook for about 2 minutes, to flavor the oil. Once the oil is hot, add fish and let cook for about 3 minutes on each side, or until cooked through. This will depend on the thickness of your fish. Once the fish is close to being done, add a good squeeze of lemon juice.
Heat the additional 1/2 c. of vegetable broth on the stove or in the microwave.
To a bowl, add the quinoa then the veggies, fish, warmed broth and another squeeze of lemon.
Enjoy the goodness!
Two people sitting on a recliner made for one.
Drinking beer out of bottles.
Eating dip with spinach and artichokes.
Watching basketball.
Thatās how I enjoyed this dip. Even for a girl who doesn’t love sports, it was the best way to enjoy it.
The dip, the beer, the company. It was the perfect combination that made for the perfect evening.
As far as the dip, it is the best.
I’ve tried many spinach and artichoke dips and this one is by far my favorite ever.
Itās creamy but not too creamy. The veggies stand out. Itās filled with spinach and artichokes. It packed with flavor.
The next time youāre looking for a good dip, I highly suggest making this.
Thank you to White on Rice Couple for the recipe.
To read my first post on my trip to Washington D.C., click here.
I’m so excited to tell you about and show you more from my trip to Washington D.C.! When planning our trip, my mom asked everyone going what their priorities were. My one and only request? To eat at Good Stuff Eatery.
We ate there a couple of years ago while in D.C. and I have never stopped thinking about it! I could go on and on about it and my love for it, but I’ll try to keep it short. š
Good Stuff takes pride in making “handmade burgers, hand-cut fries and handspun ice creamshakes.” Let me tell you, they do all of those things so, so well.
Both times I was there I ordered the ‘shroomĀ burger and was sooo happy with it! It is a cheese stuffed, flash fried portobello mushroom cap, thrown onto a bun with onion, tomato, lettuce and Good Stuff Sauce. I’m not sure what is in the sauce but I do know that it is perfect for the burger and just so good.
The fries are hand-cut and delicious. I ordered Spike’s Village Fries which are topped with fresh thyme, rosemary and sea salt. So, so good. Especially dipped in an array of different mustards offered at the condiment bar.
And. The milkshakes. I can’t possibly tell you how good they are. Thick, creamy and so full of flavor. This time I tried the toasted marshmallow shake and the salty caramel kiss shake. They were both out of this world good but the salty caramel kiss is still in my dreams! Is that weird? š It had the perfect balance of sweet caramel and salt all swirled into a thick dreamy milkshake.
You have to try Good Stuff if you are ever in the D.C. area. Also, good news for me, I found out that a Good Stuff is opening in Philly. I can’t wait for that day!
Now that I’ve told you all about it, let me show you. Some scenes from our first evening.
The crew. Mom, Dad, John, Shawn, Erin, Greg and me.
The good stuff.
I love this photo. A celebratory beer.
Food.
Basketball watching.
Love this place.
If you’ve been reading my blog for the past week or so, you know I went to D.C. over spring break.
While there, we were hoping to see the famous D.C. cherry blossoms. We went during the National Cherry Blossom Festival after all. Well, the blossoms had not yet bloomed.
It was okay, though. We still had a great time and seeing the blossoms is still on our list of things to do and see.
We ate so much good food while in D.C. Sweets were consumed multiple times daily. I was not complaining about that at all.
We visited a bakery in Georgetown called Baked and Wired. It had to be my favorite sweet place we went to all weekend. The selection of sweets was impressive. The atmosphere was cool. The location was amazing. It was an all-around lovable place.
The cupcake I got? Out of this world. It was a special for the weekend — a cherry blossom cupcake.
I took one bite and couldn’t help but just devour the rest (really fast). It was undeniably good. Sweet, fluffy and full of cherry flavor. It reminded me of cherry vanilla ice cream, which I just love. I knew I had to recreate that cupcake.
I thought and thought and here is what I came up with.
This cupcake is sweet. I did not make the cupcake part itself overly sweet because I knew the icing would make up for it. The vanilla bean studded batter is made even more fantastic by chopped up maraschino cherries. I love the texture they add to the cupcake.
The buttercream icing is sweetened with maraschino cherry juice. It is sweet, smooth and delicious on top of this cupcake.
These were loved by my family, I hope that you love them too!
Makes 24 cupcakes
For the cupcake:
3 c. flour
1 Tbsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
2 sticks of butter, softened
1 1/2 c. white sugar
2 eggs
2 egg whites
1 cup milk (I used almond)
1/3 c. maraschino cherry juice
Seeds scraped from 1 vanilla bean
1 1/2 cups chopped maraschino cherries
Preheat oven to 350*. Prepare your cupcake pan. Place cupcake liners in pan and lightly grease, if desired.
In a bowl, mix together flour, baking powder and salt. Use a whisk to stir. Set aside.
Pour milk and cherry juice into a bowl and add seeds from vanilla bean. Mix well, to incorporate vanilla bean. Set aside.
In another bowl, beat together butter and sugar. Beat very well, until light and smooth. Add eggs and egg whites, one at a time, beating well between each addition. Next, add a little bit of the flour mixture, mix and then add a little bit of the milk mixture. I added 1/2 cup each at a time and mixed between each addition. Repeat until all ingredients are combined. Gently stir in chopped maraschino cherries.
Scoop batter into muffin liners. Bake for 15-25 minutes, until a toothpickĀ insertedĀ comes out clean.
For the buttercream icing:
2 sticks of butter, softened
2 c. powdered sugar
6 T. maraschino cherry juice
2 T. milk
Add butter and sugar to a bowl. Mix with a handheld or stand mixer until well combined, soft and light. Add cherry juice and milk, slowly until you reach a consistency and sweetness that you like. I used 6 Tbsp. cherry juice and 2 Tbsp. milk total, but adjust according to your taste.
Once cupcakes are completely cool, top with buttercream.
Enjoy!