Monday, November 26, 2012

Giving thanks, in review

Thanksgiving! I hope you all had really lovely holidays, and that you got a break from whatever you needed a break from. We headed to Tennessee on Wednesday night right after work. My family are all there, and I hadn't spent more than a weekend there in awhile. It's been a strange few years for my family, but it was so good to just be around everyone again. There was the usual cooking (and eating), napping, reading, chasing dogs. And there was also a lot of catching up and meeting new additions! I forgot my real camera, so these are all iPhone which means they're pretty crappy. I'd spend time telling you how annoyed I am, but that would seem a little out of place in a holiday/Thanksgiving post.


I posted this on Facebook before the holiday, my favorite Thanksgiving-ish NPR story. A nice reminder that as much as it's our job to help one another, it's also our job to be helped. "I've only slowly come to realize that good givers are those who learn to receive with grace as well. They radiate a sense of being indebted and a state of being thankful. As a matter of fact, we are all at the receiving end of a huge gift simply by being alive. Yet, most of us are no good at being helpless, humble or indebted." Onwards to Christmas! Where's my tinsel?!


Exile on Sunnyside


A+Bro=Bromance


A+TinyBabyTyler=no, we are not yet procreating


Homeward Bound, Saturday


Aunt's house

Turkey Bowl Beginning


Dad+TinyBabyTyler (don't step in that puddle of my melting heart)


Love, real love, y'all


A+Bro+K=Bromantic Bromance

**Lastly, we saw Lincoln when we were in town. Daniel Day-Lewis, of course, right? Of course. But Joseph Gordon Levitt, get that scenery outta your mouth, you're chewing it all up!

Monday, November 12, 2012

Chemex Brewing

I'm off today, so it's an extended weekend! I've been mesmerized by this video from The Sprouted Kitchen about Chemex brewing your coffee. Yes, that's two mentions of Sprouted Kitchen in just as many blog posts! Be back tomorrow, hope your Mondays are rolling along!

Tuesday, November 6, 2012

Pecan Walnut Butter

I picked up a copy of The Sprouted Kitchen cookbook this weekend. I'd been planning to grab it from Amazon soon, but I saw it on the shelf and just snatched it up. And I'm so glad I did! The book is full of great recipe ideas, some of them simple and a few that are more complex. As I flipped through, I immediately wanted to make a riff on her Almond Butter.


Pecan Walnut Butter

I used a mixture of walnuts and pecans and stirred in a bit of honey, some coconut oil to hold it all together and a few dashes of salt. I think you could play around with the combo, mixing in whatever you have around or especially like. I used a super strong raw honey here, so you might prefer more.

1 cup walnuts
1/2 cup pecans
1 teaspoon coconut oil
1 teaspoon honey
2 pinches salt

Place walnuts and pecans in food processor. Process until a sandy texture. Add in coconut oil and honey. Pulse until desired texture is reached. You may need more oil. Finish with salt and pulse a few more times. Place in airtight container, refrigerate until ready to use.


Monday, November 5, 2012

Weekend, in review

It was Homecoming weekend at my alma mater, so there were lots of friends in town and lots going on. I spent most of Saturday at a work-related event, but it included lots of time outside so it wasn't so bad. I caught up with some old friends, listened to some nice live music and remembered why I generally avoid the campus after 10 pm. Sunday was spent saying goodbye, writing postcards, experimenting the kitchen and napping while catching up on Boardwalk Empire (yikes!) Pics time!

Postcardin'

Cocoa + hemp seed milkshake

Sunday view

Experimenting


Look at this dog!
Let me sleep
Destination: friend breakfast