Hello Again

Hello Dear Readers. I'm sorry that it has been such a long while since my last post, summer has been a whirlwind of excitement at Chez McMollie. We've been to three weddings, two camping trips, one beer festival, down to The Magical Land of Ojai, and...we got a doggie!

May I present, Dear Readers, Mr. Pfeiffer Chewbacca:

We are in love with all fourteen pounds of him! He does not currently get a long with Ms. Bear the Cat but we're hoping for some good manners from both of them in the near future. 

I do not have any delicious recipes to share with you today, but I do have a great video article about the return of Downton Abbey. I cannot wait!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B_ZrOHGOFyw

Hopefully this week this little delinquent domestic diva will actually cook something and share it with you, Dear Readers. This time I promise the next post won't be too far away!

Taylor Swiftly Passing Out

I am the first one to admit that I don't like most popular music. There are definitely exceptions (I have hardcore music crushes on Fun. and The Civil Wars) but generally it just doesn't do anything for me. I could also care less about celebrity gossip (unless, of course it's about a Downton Abbey character in which case I'm all over that business!). So when my seven year old student told me she wanted to sing a Taylor Swift song I died a little inside and then had to google her.

This is what I found:

http://youtu.be/H7bPdQhEUhM

If you don't feel like watching that whole business, here's the gist:

Let's get real here, T Swift: we all know you have friggin' awesome locks but if you flip that mane of yours any more you are going to pass out. Onstage. Seriously. How embarrassing.

In other news, my friend sent me this recipe:

http://www.biggirlssmallkitchen.com/2012/11/sweet-and-sour-tofu-with-bok-choy.html

It was delicious, seriously was the closest thing to Chinese take-out you will probably ever recreate at home. A few tips:

• Definitely let the sauce reduce for at least ten minutes--the longer you wait the thicker it will get.
• If you aren't a tofu fan never fear--chicken breast will do just fine. 
• You can add any other veggies you have on hand. I ended up doing broccoli, baby bok choy, shitake mushrooms, and green onion. SO good, this will definitely be a new weeknight staple. 
• Cook this in parts. I browned the chicken/tofu first and set it aside. Then I did the broccoli and mushrooms, and added the bok choy. THEN I added the meat back to the pan and added the sauce. 
• Next time, I would reduce the sauce with the meat in it and add the veggies back at the very end--they were good but a little mushy.
• You can serve it with some quinoa or brown rice but it definitely is pretty much a meal on its own. It's even better the next day so make extra for leftovers!
• If you live in a small apartment open the windows! My place still smells like Chinese food. 

We are off this weekend to the Russian River where we will eat the best salmon ever, float down the river, and generally have an awesome time. 

Recipe for best salmon ever to come next week!

Veggie Frittata

After a weekend of gluttonous beer-festing at the Firestone Walker Invitational Beer Festival, it has been great to enjoy some light dinners this week.

On Monday night I wanted to get as many vegetables in us as possible. Usually I would make a smoothie but I was a little smoothied out, so I decided to make a veggie frittata with green salad. It was SO delish and I ate the leftovers cold for lunch the next few days.

Frittatas are practically the easiest thing in the world to make. I even made it a little healthier by only using 2 whole eggs and the rest egg whites.

Into my veggie heavy frittata went:
Mini red and yellow bell pepper
Onion
Garlic
Spinach
Broccoli
Baby Heirloom Tomato
Avocado (on top)

I cut the broccoli into tiny pieces first so it would cook better, and also sliced the tomato and laid it on top right before putting it in the oven. You can basically use any veggies you have on hand.

Recipe: Veggie Frittata w/ Green Salad

Serves 4 (or 2 w/ leftovers)

Frittata Ingredients:
10 egg whites + 2 whole eggs
Unsweetened coconut milk
Broccoli (cut into small pieces), about half a head.
Red and Yellow Bell pepper (2 minis, also finely chopped)
1/2 Onion finely chopped
4 cloves garlic finely chopped
Baby tomato (or normal) thinly sliced
Spinach (about 1/2 a bag of baby spinach)
Sliced Avocado
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Feta Cheese (just a sprinkling for taste)
Salt and Pepper to taste

Salad:
Trader Joe's Power Greens (1 handful per person)
Trader Joe's Bruschetta Sauce

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. While the oven is preheating, chop those veggies!

Heat up an oven-safe medium-sized pan over medium heat with a little olive oil. Drop your broccoli in the hot pan. While broccoli is cooking whisk eggs together with a dash of coconut milk (or other unsweetened milk). When broccoli is about halfway through cooking add garlic and bell pepper. After a minute add spinach. When spinach has wilted down pour in eggs. NOW DON'T TOUCH! When the eggs have begun to cook around the edges, lay sliced tomato and cheese on top, remove from heat and place in oven for 10 minutes (or until eggs are set).

While frittata is in the oven arrange your greens on the plate with a dab of bruschetta sauce on top (ta-da! salad!).

Remove frittata from oven and let set for two minutes. Slice and serve w/ avocado on top!

I want more Downton Abbey and I want it now!

Hello again, Dear Readers. I know, I know... I am so silly, but I want more Downton Abbey and I want it now!

While having serious withdrawals and procrastinating about packing for this weekend I stumbled upon this little gem:

http://youtu.be/9O41N2biauc

If you don't want Downton Abbey there is seriously something wrong with you I hope this inspires you. Seriously, if you don't watch it go grab a glass of wine and some toast (you'll understand later) and  prepare for some sleepless nights (just one more episode...).

This weekend I'm off for a bachelorette party in the hottest place on earth Palm Springs. I love packing for hot places because I can pack so many things and it still looks like so little because it's all little dresses and bathing suits. My favorite thing (besides fro yo, bread pudding, and sushi...and oysters...and my cat...oh, and my husband) is laying by the pool with my girlfriends so I'm over the moon excited to be hot in the shade!

Next time I see you I still won't have a tan, but I'll still be fabulous!

These are a few of my favorite things.

Hello again, my dear readers. I have been thinking of you lately because I have been eating so many delicious things! I have been eating so many delicious things because I was in Las Vegas for a week and then it was my birthday (oh the bread pudding*).  In the last two weeks I have gotten to eat all my favorite foods!

Firstly, let's chat about bread pudding. I am so serious about bread pudding that we had it at our wedding instead of cake. NOLA in Palo Alto has the world's best bread pudding. No joke. It is rustic and delicious and to top it off it's covered in bourbon sauce and whipped cream. We went to NOLA to celebrate my mom's birthday and my birthday and I got to eat oysters AND bread pudding. I couldn't have been happier.

NOW let's talk about fro yo. I am the queen of fro yo. I have been known to skip several meals to eat a GIANT bowl of fro yo. Usually I go for coffee flavor and chocolate and just a touch of vanilla...but...at Fraiche (also in Palo Alto and just a few blocks from NOLA) they had MEYER LEMON* fro yo, AND olallieberry puree. I know you're thinking WTF is an olallieberry? The olallieberry, my friends, is a cross between a loganberry and a youngberry (each of which is a cross between a blackberry and something else). They are delicious, and I grew up on olalliberry pie...so puree just basically takes the best part and gets on my yogurt!

That's all for now, my dear readers, more recipes coming soon.

*In case you aren't aware, bread pudding is my all time favorite thing. Frozen yogurt, oysters, and sushi are close behind (and sometimes tied, depending on what day of the week it is). I ate all these things in the last two weeks.

*I also really, really, really love lemon.

My two favorite things!

Hello Dear Readers! I know you have been waiting with bated breath for another installment of Miss Mollie's Guide to Life!

Bated. Bated breath.

Never fear, my friends, you shall not be disappointed because this week I have TWO new favorite things!

1. My first new favorite thing: Trader Joe's Orange Muscat Champagne Vinegar

I love salad, I do. I always make my own dressing (cheaper, yummier, healthier) but on Monday I was le tired and the thought of making dressing was just too much! So what did I find?

This TJ's vinegar is not super vinegary...and sprinkled on top of salad is a perfect dressing all on it's own. The label also suggests adding it to sparkling water with ice for a nice beverage, which I did with a squeeze of lemon and a little tequila. It was an excellent skinny margarita.

2. My second new favorite thing (thanks Mom): Pumpkin Smoothies

I know that that cup of green stuff doesn't look delicious, but it is. Here's what's in it:

• 1/2 banana (or whole if it's smallish) - I usually use a frozen one
• Scoop of raw canned pumpkin
• Unsweetened almond milk
• TJ's Power Greens (baby spinach, kale, other stuff...)
• Pumpkin spice (or cinnamon and nutmeg)

If you are afraid of green you can leave the greens out, but I PROMISE you can't taste them. I usually use a frozen banana but I didn't have any today.

There you go my Dear Readers. Go get it!

Pinteresting

Dear Readers, I have a confession:

I love pinterest. I'm pretty sure if they ever start hiring professional pinners, I would be the perfect candidate. I would be AWESOME at that job.

My new favorite pinterest recipe is this gem I made last night:

http://www.ladybehindthecurtain.com/slow-cooker-mediterranean-chicken/

Oh my dear readers, it was SO delicious. I tweaked the recipe a little. Also, I don't eat rice so Mr. McHusband roasted some brussels sprouts (just olive oil, salt, and lemon pepper) and we ate it on top of those.

• Instead of 2 TBS brown sugar I put in about a teaspoon of agave, put next time I'd just leave it out. The prunes are sweet enough.
• I didn't measure the prunes or the olives, I just threw 'em all in. Classic me. 
• I used 4 boneless skinless chicken thighs instead of what the recipe calls for.

I added a half cup of (homemade! what!) chicken stock because it needed a little more liquid. We had seconds!

This brings me to my new favorite thing: Homemade Chicken Stock!

Don't be scared, dear readers, it was SO easy (and you know I love easy). I made a roast chicken for dinner on Monday and really wanted to try making stock BUT it was late, I was tired, etc. So what did I do? Give up? No way suckaz! I put that carcass in the crockpot with pretty much all the veggies I  had some carrots, onion, garlic, salt, and pepper, covered it with water, and turned that sucker on low. In the morning BOOM DONE! 

Now, if I hadn't been late to get moving I would have used my handy-dandy fat separator, but I was so I put it all in a big tupperware. When I got home that night and it was cold I scooped that fat right off. For dinner that night I roasted some brocolini, warmed up the leftover chicken, and put it in the broth. Simple, delicious, and healthy!

With that, dear readers, I leave you. But not before sharing a really lovely song with y'all.

http://youtu.be/w0CdXaOS5_o

Happy weekending!

Dryer Sheets and Java

Hello Dear Readers! I know y'all are thrilled to be getting another dose of Miss Mollie so soon. Normally I like to be fashionably late with my blog posts, but I've had a request to tell you about my favorite trick:

Dryer Sheets. These little suckers have endless possibilities but we'll keep it short and sweet today. Here are my top two favorite uses for dryer sheets.

1. Got a gross pan? Stick a dryer sheet in that bad boy with a little water and soak away while you do the other dishes, by the time you are done all that grossness will wipe right off. (Gotta thank my godmother for this trick). 
2. Baseboards! Baseboards suck, they are always dusty. Dust that dirty birdie with a dryer sheet! It will stay dust-free much longer. 

Now, it's almost nine and I'm procrastinating getting ready for my meeting so let's talk about my other new favorite thing, my chemex. I LOVE my chemex, it makes the best coffee. 

With that, Dear Readers, I bid you adieu and wish you a happy weekend. I shall leave you with a diagram.

In red are people who are breaking my heart. In blue are people who are shaking my confidence daily. Where they meet = Cecilia. Thanks Marshall.

Refrigerator Oatmeal and Sock Buns

Welcome, Dear Readers, to another installment of Miss Mollie's Guide to life.

It was quite the weekend.

Thank you, Countess.

My sister set off for Israel this morning so I went down to Ojai to surprise her for her birthday, help my mom Casey pack, and help keep the sanity. For her birthday we ate at my new favorite restaurant (which is sadly a whole plane ride away for me), Lure, in Ventura. Oysters, sand dabs, and cioppino, oh my!

Happy Birthday, Casey!

Then when I got home, Mr. McHusband picked me up from the airport and we went and bought a car! It took all friggen day but I can't wait to go pick up our new CR-V! 

But, I know the news you have all been waiting for is....

How to make refrigerator oatmeal and why I put a sock bun in the title of this post.

I love oatmeal but I hate making oatmeal on weekdays. It takes forever, it's not portable, and...well, that's it. It's a pain and instant oatmeal is gross so don't even give me that crap. Refrigerator oatmeal is basically just muesli but made in individual mason jars. I found the original recipe on pinterest (where else) but I've doctored it a bit so I'll just share mine. 

Start with a quarter cup of rolled oats per mini mason jar. If you are gluten free, they have great gluten free oatmeal available at my favorite store, Trader Joes.

   Add 1/3 of a cup of unsweetened vanilla almond milk (or coconut milk, or non-fat milk) to each jar.

I forgot to take a pic, but also add 1/3 of a cup of non-fat greek yogurt to each jar. 

Add 1 1/2 TBS of ch-ch-ch-chia seeds to each jar.

Stir that sucker around (or just put the lid on and shake it)

Add a handful of blueberries (or whatever fruit you have on-hand, last week I used mango too) to each jar.

Stir it!

Put those lids on and stick those puppies in the fridge. Portable, healthy, breakfast for the week!

Mollie's Muesli (Refrigerator Oatmeal):

What you need per jar

• 1/4 cup rolled oats (gluten free if you wish)
• 1 1/2 TBS ch-ch-ch-chia seeds
• 1/3 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk (or coconut, or soy, or non-fat milk)
• 1/3 cup non-fat greek yogurt
• Handful of blueberries or favorite fruit
• Optional: sweetener of choice, vanilla extract (if using non-fat milk)

Directions

• Add all ingredients except fruit and stir or shake
• Add fruit and stir again
• Put in fridge overnight. I usually make 4-5 jars and they last all week.

And now...

SOCK BUNS!

Why, Dear Readers, do you care about my sock bun? 

Sock buns are my favorite thing. No joke. I wear them when I don't want to wash do my hair and still look fab. If you don't know how to do a sock bun here's a great tutorial. http://youtu.be/koRcJhZEWao

Ojai is pretty far from the airport and I hadn't washed my hair in four days so to speed the morning up I went sock bun. LESSON LEARNED ABOUT WEARING SOCK BUNS TO THE AIRPORT. The lovely members of the TSA did not understand what the heck was in my hair and I had to have a "hair pat-down". It was a little awkward. Luckily I was wearing industrial strength hairspray so no hair-dos were harmed in the process.

Halibut Puttanesca

This week has been a little busy...but let's get real, every week is busy. Being busy doesn't mean you can't eat delicious and healthy food that you cook at home, it just means you have to plan a little better. I'm trying to take my own advice here because sometimes I get home at 8pm and just want to eat a box of crackers and call it a night...which is why I don't keep them in the house.

Confession: I did NOT plan well this week but I made it work! I also can't remember what we ate for dinner on Monday.

On Tuesday I made one of my favorite dinners that is SO easy. Trader Joe's Indian Masala Burgers (Vegetarian) with salad.

• Grab some lettuce
• Sprinkle some white balsamic vinegar on it (or whatever your favorite is)
• Heat up your burger
• While your burger is heating, mix some non-fat greek yogurt with a little TJ's curry sauce.
• Put burger on a plate w/ salad
• Top w/ curry yogurt and mango chutney.

YUM!

Yesterday was bliss because my afternoon lessons were cancelled, which meant I had time to both go to the grocery store* and cook dinner. They had fresh wild halibut on sale so how could I resist making one of my favorite dinners? Halibut Puttanesca. Seriously, dear readers, this is SO good.

What you need:

• Halibut (I do about 1/3lb per person, sometimes less)
• Green beans (about a handful per person)
• Anchovies
• Kalamata olives (pitted, in water)
• Roasted red peppers (in water), cut into small strips
• Cilantro
• Garlic (I buy the fresh pre-minced kind, easy peezy)
• Baby tomatoes, cut in half.
• Aluminum foil (for making a bag for the fish)
• Olive Oil
• Salt and Lemon Pepper
• Lemon

What you do:

Preheat the oven to 450. While the oven is pre-heating, tear of 2 pieces of foil, about twice as big as your pieces of fish (this is for two people, for four tear off four, etc.). Place a handful of green beans on each piece of foil and drizzle with a little olive oil. Place a piece of fish on each pile of green beans.

On top of the fish put: 2 anchovy pieces (lay flat, and don't worry, it's just for flavor, they will literally MELT away), a few kalamata olives, some red peppers, about 1 clove of minced garlic, a handful of baby tomatoes, and a few sprigs of cilantro. Squeeze some lemon on that sucker, drizzle a teeny bit of olive oil, grind some lemon pepper, and sprinkle a tiny bit of salt. 

Seal your foil bags (either with another piece of foil, or if yours is big enough just use the one), and put in the oven for about 20 minutes. Depending on how hot your oven is you may want to check it after 10. Our oven is stupid so things always take longer

Halibut Puttanesca.** A truly terrible food picture, but you get the idea.

*Confession: I just went to the organic market because I knew I could get fish there. Usually I need to go there, Trader Joe's, AND Safeway. Ugh.
**This recipe came from my mom! I can't take credit for it.

Miss Mollie's Fabulous Friday

A great night in:

• I shopped online:
• http://www.shopconversationpieces.com/perfect-shirt-charcoal/
• Cute no? Thanks Pinterest. 
• I ate a healthy dinner of grapes and yogurt.*
• I watched whatever I wanted on TV which may or may not have included Sex and The City (the first season with Aiden, duh), and Law and Order: SVU.
• And, of course, spent some quality time with Bear:

Hi Bear!

*Clearly by a healthy dinner of grapes and yogurt I mean a fabulously unhealthy dinner of wine and fro yo. 

Pork Pozole Soup and Downton Abbey

I have unsuccessfully tried to write a blog for years. I have tried a blog about food, a blog about travel, a blog about blah, to no avail. I forget to write, lose inspiration, and there it sits in blog limbo.

So here's to a new start, to a blog about me. Maybe I'll write about what I cooked last night for me and Mr. McHusband (pork loin pozole soup--HELLO! SO GOOD), my mom's adorable response to my sadness about the latest Downton Abbey episode, how I vacuumed up my computer cord, and let's be honest...I'll probably post pictures of my cat, Bear. Bear has six toes and she's awesome.

I know you've all been waiting to hear about my mom's cute text message so here it is. If you aren't caught up on Downton Abbey you should probably skip this part:

Me: OMG, I finally watched the new Downton Abbey last night... :(

(Disclaimer, sad face does not do my sadness justice. There were tears, real live tears people).

Mom: I know. Poor Sybil. I hope the Patrick guy comes back and is real and he and Edith get married and are happily ever after! And Bates and Anna get back together and live on the Downton Property and have two children named Mollie and Casey*.

*Casey is my little (not-so-little-anymore) sister, who just graduated from college and is moving to Israel in February.

I know y'all have been waiting with bated breath for my pozole recipe, so here's the delicious (EASY!) goodness:

Into the crockpot, dump:

• One can of pozole, drained
• One can of white beans, rinsed and drained
• One can of fire-roasted tomatoes
• One can of fire-roasted green chiles
• One can of El Pato jalapeno salsa
• 5 cups of water
• 2 TBS chicken "Better than Bouillon"(or 5 cups chicken broth, whatever you have on hand)
• 1/2 lb pork loin (raw)*
• 2 pinches salt
• A few healthy grinds of Trader Joe's "South African Smoke" seasoning 

*I saved half of a small pork loin from our dinner the night before, next time I would probably add more pork and make this a true two-night dinner, or dinner for four.

Put the lid on, put the crock pot on low and cook allllll day. I made this before leaving the house around 8:30 and we ate it when we got home at 8 that night.

• Garnish with avocado, chopped onion, cilantro, greek yogurt (or sour cream if you prefer), and a squeeze of lime.

This recipe made enough for me and my husband for a healthy sized dinner on it's own, as well as a smaller dinner the next night with a simple salad on the side.

To send you with happy thoughts, here's my new favorite tumblr:

http://edithwithgooglyeyes.tumblr.com/