Tag Archives: yum

Feb17

Surprise! I Can Cook!

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Surprise! I Can Cook!

So! A little known fact about Lil Red is that on the rare occasion that I feel like it, I can cook! This doesn’t happen often, but when it does, I’ve been known to make a pretty bangin meal. Today is a special occasion because my oldest brother, Peter (who lives in Wisconsin) will be home for an entire week because he’s going to be laying down some chemical engineering knowledge at a local college. #boygenius Because I’ve been looking forward to this for weeks, I decided to make a family dinner….apparently excitement makes me want to cook. Go figure. Anyways, I whipped up some Chinese stir fry for the fam this evening and it turned out fabulous. Chinese is always a good option for my family because half of us (including myself) are vegetarian, so there’s a lot of tasty meat free choices to pick from. I normally never take pictures of my food, but I was so proud of this meal that I just had to, so here’s the final result:

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Preparing this meal honestly wasn’t hard at all, it just took some time management to finish all of the dishes at the same time. Here’s a list of all of the dishes made by yours truly tonight:

  • Top Right – Sesame Tofu Stir Fry: This mix included hokkien noodles, steamed snow peas, and tofu with a sesame sauce. I just kind of free styled this one.
  • Bottom Right – Sweet & Sour Stir Fry: A fantastic mix from Aldi’s was used for this dish. Snow peas, carrots, red pepper, pineapple, and sauce were in this mix. I added the hokkien noodles to this as well to make it a bit more filling.
  • Middle – Steamed Snow Peas
  • Top Left – Brown Rice
  • Bottom Left – Vegetable Spring Rolls

Dinner was a success and my whole family really enjoyed it! I guess I should start cooking more often! Today has been wonderful. School this morning was boring as usual, but I actually learned a lot which was fun, I got tons of homework done this afternoon, and my brother should be home any minute now! There’s only one song that can give the fantastic mood I’m in justice, and it goes a little something like this….

Hahahaha ^^^^ SO, this weekend my mom and I were driving around running errands and she happens to have Sirius radio in her car. There’s a great station on Sirius called “80’s on 8” which plays all of the beloved one hit wonders of the 80’s. Wang Chung’s “Everybody Have Fun Tonight”  played when we were in the car and we almost died laughing over the lyric “everybody Wang Chung tonight.” Ever since this past weekend my momma and I have been quoting it, and it’s obviously become our new favorite. EVERYBODY WANG CHUNG TONIGHT!!!!!!!!!!!!! #loveit

Alright guys, I hope you have a fabulous night doing whatever it is that you’re doing! I know I will – Brother/sister time is on the horizon! What’s your favorite meal to cook? What are some of your favorite vegetarian recipes? I’d love to hear from you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Oct18

The Best Tomato Soup You’ll Ever Have

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The Best Tomato Soup You’ll Ever Have

So my mom does a lot of cooking and baking, and she stumbled upon this recipe on http://www.kingarthurflour.com that’s too good not to share with the world. This tomato soup will change your life! It’s SO easy to make and completely delicious.

  • 5 tablespoons butter
  • 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
  • 1 cup chopped onions
  • 1 28 oz can tomato puree
  • 1/2 teaspoon basil
  • 1/4 teaspoon thyme
  • black pepper to taste
  • 3 tablespoons flour
  • 1 can vegetable broth
  • 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 to 3 tablespoons sugar, to taste (we only use one tablespoon!)
  • 1 12 oz can evaporated milk
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt

In a large saucepan, heat the butter and vegetable oil over medium heat. Add the onion and saute until softened and golden. Add the tomatoes, basil, thyme, and black pepper. Bring the mixture to a simmer and cook for ten minutes

In a small bowl, combine the flour and broth, whisking until smooth and add this mixture to the soup, stirring constantly. Cover and simmer slowly for 25 minutes, stirring occasionally.

If you’ve used diced tomatoes, puree the soup in a blender or food processor, or use a hang blender. If you’ve used tomato puree, there’s no need to blend; the onion bits will give the soup a bit of body. Return the soup to the stove, and set it on a burner over low to medium heat. Stir in the baking soda (the soup will foam up briefly – don’t worry – but be sure it’s in a big enough pot) the sugar, the milk, and the salt. Heat, stirring to a bare simmer.

The nutrition information is listed right here, along with photos of the recipe: http://www.kingarthurflour.com/recipes/creamy-tomato-soup-recipe

All credit to this goes to the fantastic chefs and bakers at King Arthur Flour. Make sure you check out their blog Baking Banter, which you can find on their website.

If you make this recipe, leave me a comment and let me know how you like it! I’m about to go have a bowl now! -Sarah

Oct10

Blue Door Cafe

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Blue Door Cafe

If you’re ever in the Akron, Ohio area, I cant recommend going to the Blue Door Cafe enough. It’s located in Cuyahoga Falls, which is lucky for me because it’s right down the street from my house! The Blue Door is probably one of the best hole in the wall food establishments I’ve ever dined at. Their menu changes frequently, and a lot of their options accommodate to dietary considerations such as vegetarian (which is great for me!), vegan, gluten free, and dairy free. Whenever I go for brunch or lunch with my best friend Kate, I always order the exact same thing – their grilled cheese sandwich! It’s hands down the best grilled cheese I’ve ever had. The changes they made to the sandwich for their fall menu was delicious – it included thick pieces of cheddar cheese and diced apples in the middle to add the perfect amount of seasonal flare. The meal also includes a bowl of their tomato soup which was especially tasty when I went yesterday. There were hints of what tasted like red wine for a unique touch. You also get the option to pick between fresh fruit, greens, or home baked potato chips to accompany your meal. I always pick the fresh fruit. The medley of pineapple, strawberries, blue and black berries, and grapes was just gorgeous yesterday. The colors were vibrant and they tasted as sweet as sugar. The Blue Door Cafe also boasts a lovely bakery where the pastries and breads used in each meal are made daily. You can also purchase their bakery items there as well. My grilled cheese sandwich was made with thick slices of freshly baked Challah bread. Delicious! Kate usually opts for the Tartine when we go to the Blue Door. I’ve gotten it once before and it’s great! The Tartine is a dark chocolate filled croissant with three dipping sauces on your plate – blackbery jam, melted white chocolate, and melted milk chocolate. This treat also comes with fresh fruit. Yum!! The croissant is to die for – it’s the perfect balance of crisp and soft with a sweet butter glaze to top it all off. I’m getting hungry just thinking about it.

Not only is the food at the Blue Door Cafe incredible, but the service there is fantastic too. The servers and chefs are so great at what they do. One of the managers, Wes, is just the sweetest guy in the whole world. He usually takes care of me and Kate – we’re his favorites! Especially me. Yesterday when he brought me my coffee, he also returned with a flower he made out of parchment paper.

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So. Sweet. My heart absolutely melted! Swoon!

If you’d like to learn more about the Blue Door Cafe, here is their website: http://bluedoorcafebakery.com/ . Make sure you check it out!

What’s your favorite hole in the wall establishment to eat at? What do you like to order there? Leave me a comment and let’s chat! Happy Friday! -Sarah