Monday, February 13, 2012

Shiitake Hot & Sour Soup

I happened to catch an episodes of Dr. Oz while my girl was napping last week. While I'm not typically into daytime TV, I'm glad I stumbled upon this episode because it gave me some great recipe inspiration, including this one I whipped up for dinner last Saturday. This soup contains several immunity boosting ingredients like mushrooms, onion, ginger and garlic, making it a perfect cold and flu fighter.  Plus it's got a definite kick, making it a winner with my husband!

I would only make the following changes next time to make it even better: 1) reduce the amount of lemon juice by about 2 Tbsp, and 2) add some Chicken Bullion to enhance the depth and flavor.In my personal opinion, it would take this recipe from great to superb!

Shiitake Hot and Sour Soup
Recipe  from Dr. Oz

1 tbsp grapeseed oil
1 jalapeño, minced with seeds
1 tbsp minced ginger
1 tbsp minced garlic
2 bunches scallions, green and white parts sliced, 2 tbsp greens reserved
1 lb shiitakes, stems removed and tops 1/4-in sliced
2 1/2 quarts chicken stock or low-sodium chicken broth
2 tbsp naturally brewed soy sauce
Juice and zest of 2 lemons
1 block silken tofu, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
2 cups shredded carrots
Freshly cracked black pepper

Directions
In a stockpot over medium-high heat, add oil and swirl to coat the bottom. Add jalapeño, ginger, garlic and scallions. Sauté until aromatic, about a minute. Add shiitakes and sauté 2 minutes, until softened.

Add stock and soy sauce, bring to a simmer and reduce by 20%, about 5 minutes. Add lemon juice, tofu and carrots and cook gently for 2 more minutes to heat tofu through. Season with black pepper.

Ladle soup into serving bowls and garnish with reserved scallion greens and lemon zest.





Friday, February 10, 2012

For The Love of Coffee

It's a known fact around here that I love good coffee. Which is why I was thrilled when we were given the Cuisinart Grind and Brew for our wedding. It makes an excellent, fresh pot of coffee by grinding the beans just before brewing. The only downside is the self-grinding feature is a pain in the neck to clean! So much in fact that it became routine for me to weigh how much I really wanted a cup of coffee because I didn't want to deal with the mess. And after having the pot for nearly four years, it was getting reeeally old!

My husband, being the thoughtful and practical man that he is, surprised me this year with a Keurig for Christmas! Prior to owning one myself, I completely missed what was so awesome about the machine. And being the frugal gal that I am, I made an assumption that the individual K-cups made it too expensive to give a second thought. But it turns out, for people like me, it's not actually that much more. On a typical day, I only drink a single cup, so I ended up wasting the rest of the pot anyway. Before purchasing it, my husband did a little research and discovered with the Keurig each cup comes to about $.60 (since you can buy large cases of the K-Cups at Costco), making it just pennies more than a traditional coffee pot!

After having the machine for nearly two months, I am a complete Keurig convert! I can't stop singing its praises because not only does it make great coffee, but clean-up is so easy. While I don't generally mind a little more work for a little savings, in this case, the convenience makes it totally worth the slight cost difference! I love that at any given time, I am exactly one minute away from a great cup of coffee (even if I happen to have a sleeping baby in my arms) and there is no waste! Plus, it has definitely upped the frequency of my hubby bringing me coffee in bed-always a bonus!

It's also good to know that it makes more than coffee, but K-cups come in tea and hot cocoa as well!

Bottom line: The Keurig was the best gift I never knew I wanted!


Anyone else on the Keurig bandwagon? What are your thoughts?

Wednesday, February 8, 2012

Week In An Instagram

My favorite thing about the iPhone is how easy it is to capture everyday, sweet moments like these! Here's a look at the past week in a simple collage of Instagram photos. 

p.s.- Instagram is probably my favorite app of all time!

Clockwise from  top left:
1. Lunch and shopping date with daddy!
2.Waking up from a nap after a long and fun day with new friends!
3. Claire's 11 week birthday
4. Tutu love!
1. Happy February!
2. Lunch break
3. Hubby surprised me with flowers
4. Only a sweet baby's bottom could pull this off!

Tuesday, February 7, 2012

Fathers & Daughters

"The greatest thing a father can do for his daughter is to love her mother."
Elaine S. Dalton
 

Watching my husband father our daughter has been completely amazing, but I am also deeply thankful for how well he loves me. He is already setting a beautiful example for her of how a man should treat her and for that, I love him even more than I thought possible!

{Alright, now I'm crying}

Monday, February 6, 2012

House Tour!

Happy Monday, friends! I wanted to let you know of a little update I made to the links above. I have finally added our house tour to Our Nest! There you will find pictures of our humble abode in its current state. Keep in mind that it will be constantly changing as we continue updating rooms. We've got awesome projects on the horizon this year, so stay tuned!


Thursday, February 2, 2012

Entryway {Re-Done}

For several months now I've been plagued with the dilemma of how to control the pile of shoes at our front door. Since our entryway isn't very big, I didn't want anything that would be too obtrusive and possibly be a tripping hazard, but I knew I wanted it to look like a designated entryway.

After finding what I believe to be the perfect solution, I am entirely convinced that this piece was made for our space! We went with this shoe organizer from Ikea's Hemnes collection. Once Chris finished putting it together we both stepped back and fell completely in love. It couldn't be a more perfect fit! I've got to hand it to Ikea, they sure do have a knack for making the most of small spaces!



It fits up to 8 pairs of shoes (and more if they're flip flops or flats!). Amazing for such a slim design!


I'm so excited to have another thing crossed off of our list! Next up: the laundry room!

Wednesday, February 1, 2012

{California Girl}

Yesterday we made the most of the sunshine and lunched in the backyard. There's nothing quite like a picnic in January! 


 

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...