Vegetable Lentil Soup

Wow! It’s been forever since I’ve had the time to write…but if anything is going to motivate me to get back into the swing of things, it’s a good recipe! I like this one because it’s so versatile and cost effective – just use what you already have!

I found this recipe for lentil spinach soup from the Garden Grazer on pinterest, and altered it based off of what I already had in my pantry. Being snowed in for the second day in a row will do that to you!

Ingredients

• 1 onion
• 3 carrots
• 2 zucchini
• 4 cloves of garlic
• 2 C dry lentils
• 14.5 Oz can of diced tomatoes
• 4 C chicken broth
• 3 C water
• 5 Oz spinach
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp nutmeg
• 1/2 tsp ground red pepper
• Salt and pepper to taste

1. Dice onion, carrots and zucchini. In a large stockpot over medium heat, saute vegetables for about eight minutes.

2. Peel and grate garlic, and rinse lentils. Add garlic, cinnamon, nutmeg, ground red pepper, salt and pepper to the pot; saute for one minute.

3. Add broth, water, tomatoes and lentils. Increase heat and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and allow to simmer for 30 minutes or until the lentils are cooked through.

4. Add spinach during the last few minutes of cooking.

5. Enjoy with freshly baked bread, or crackers!

Note: Next time I want to try adding cubed sweet potatoes or butternut squash. If one of you tries it before me, let me know how it turns out! You could also add broccoli, or substitute kale for the spinach….I really can’t wait to hear your combinations!

Book Review: Melanie Shankle

I recently finished reading all three books by Melanie Shankle’s of thebigmamablog.com. Her blog is hysterical, so I knew I was in for a treat!

A couple of mommy friends recommended her book, Sparkly Green Earrings, since I’m a new mom to a little girl. It was adorable, and such a sweet book! I laughed, cried and felt refreshed spiritually in a way that I really didn’t expect! Once I finished her first book, I HAD to read the others!

The Antelope in the Living Room was about her relationship with her husband, and the journey that brought them together. The part about shopping for jeans at Gap literally had me doubled over. That is so my life!

However, her most recent book, Nobody’s Cuter Than You, was my absolute favorite! It tells about her relationships with her girl friends growing up, and her three best friends she met in college. It was such a relateable book! And it makes you realize just how special your girl friends are!

If you have read/read any of these book, I’d love to know your thoughts! Also, Melanie, you need to write more books! 🙂

[Mini] Easter Carrot Pancakes

Celebrating Easter this year was so much fun! Kate participated in the neighborhood egg hunt, and we spent Easter Sunday at my parents’ eating good food and playing corn hole. It was a lovely day!

As you know, I’ve been trying to get Kate to eat lots of veggies, however, since she really only wants to eat bread I’ve been disguising healthy veggies in carbs. So far so good. For Easter I made carrot pancakes! I made a fairly large batch and put the rest in the freezer for us to use in the coming days. This has been so helpful! Now we don’t have to rack our brains to come up with creative ways to make sure she’s getting the nutrients she needs. Here’s the recipe I followed:

Ingredients

• 1 1/4 C flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 C walnuts, chopped (I omitted these)
• 3 tsp brown sugar
• 3/4 C buttermilk
• 1 Tbs vegetable oil
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 2 large eggs, whisked
• 1 1/2 C carrots, shredded
• Non-stick cooking spray

1. Place flour, baking powder, cinnamon, salt and walnuts (if desired) in a bowl and stir.

2. In another bowl, mix sugar, buttermilk, oil, vanilla, carrot and eggs.

3. Add the dry ingredients to the wet and fold.

4. Heat a large griddle over medium heat and lightly coat with cooking spray (I have found things burn a lot easier when I use butter).

5. Spoon batter on the griddle and let sit until bubbles are visible, about 2 minutes. Flip and let cook for 2 more minutes. Enjoy with honey or syrup!

[Mini] Spinach Muffins

Happy St. Patrick’s Day! What better way to celebrate the day than by eating something green! Since Kate loves muffins (and carbs in general), I decided to try to incorporate foods she doesn’t like (like spinach) into something she loves (like muffins). I found this recipe after doing a quick search on Pinterest, and I think it turned out really well. Adam, who doesn’t like any vegetables, thought the muffins were actually pretty good. Most importantly, Kate really liked them!

I even wore my green apron! 🙂

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 C flour (I used all-purpose)
• 1 C packed baby spinach leaves (I sauteed them until tender)
• 2 Tbs coconut oil, softened
• 1/4 C applesauce
• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp nutmeg

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Puree spinach in food processor. Add all other ingredients and blend.

2. Spray muffin tin with no-cook spray (this recipe made nine muffins). Fill 3/4 quarters full.

3. Bake for 15 minutes. Serve while warm with a little butter.

Looks good enough to eat!

Kate loved the spinach muffins!

Kate’s One-Year Portraits

We received Kate’s one-year portraits last week and I am in love! Lundies did a great job and were phenomenal to work with! I recommend them for studio sessions hands down.

Here are a few of may favorites!

[Mini] Trail Mix

We’re going through a bit of a food strike over here…Kate only wants to eat crackers, pasta and cheese. I have been searching the entire Internet (blogs, Google, Pinterest, etc…literally every inch) for toddler-approved recipes. I have tried a few, the first one was this super easy “trail mix.”

And Kate loved it! Especially the goldfish…

Ingredients

• Pepperidge Farm’s Goldfish
• Cheerios
• Plum’s Mighty Puffs, Cheesy Broccoli Carrot

1. Combine all ingredients and enjoy! Store in an air-tight container.

For more inspiration follow my Mini Meals pinterest board.

Pasta Cooking Class

Monday night a couple of friends and I attended the pasta-making class at Catering Works. It exceeded my expectations in every way! When we arrived we were shown to the kitchen where they had set up wine and appetizers. The kitchen was huge and full of all sorts of tools and large, restaurant equipment. Once everyone was in attendance we began learning about the techniques and tools we would be using. The instructor gave just enough direction; she wasn’t intrusive but was there when you needed her.

The first pasta we made was the Farfalle since the dough has to rest for 30 minutes before shaping. In my opinion, this was the most time-consuming and while delicious, didn’t compare to the other two dishes we made. Since the three pasta making machines were spoken for before we knew what was going on (I blame it on the wine…), we got stuck with the rolling pin. At first I was disappointed, because the whole point of the class was to use the pasta maker machine, right?! But what we learned, which turns out to be a reoccurring lesson when making pasta, is that old school is good and sometimes even better! We were finished before the other three groups, and our pasta was really “rustic” and pretty.

Farfalle with marinara sauce

Next was the potato gnocchi. I love gnocchi so I was most excited about this dish. The instructor had made a Basil Cream Sauce (recipe at the end of this post), that I couldn’t wait to try and I knew it would pair perfectly. We grabbed a couple of potatoes and got to work. Shaping the potato dough took a while, but it was totally worth it. Unlike the Farfalle, I would make this recipe at home.

The last dish we made was Ricotta Ravioli. The first group called dibs on the form pan. We got the vintage stamper, and once again, we learned that the most simple, straight forward way is the best. The other group’s pasta got stuck in the pan! They basically had to start all over…meanwhile we were on a roll. While cooking our ravioli, the instructor complimented our efforts and said we had the best looking raviolis in the class! Way to go team “JER!” (We even made it on to the Catering Works the facebook page!)

If you’re looking for a cooking class, I can’t recommend Catering Works enough. The class size was perfect, the instructors were great and it wasoverall just a really fun night. Check out their schedule here. She mentioned they are planning to do a grilling class in June…I’m thinking double-date night! 🙂

Potato Gnocchi with Basil Cream Sauce

Basil Cream Sauce

Ingredients

• 1 shallot
• 2 Tbs butter
• 1 quart heavy cream
• 4 Tbs pesto
• 2 Tbs fresh basil
• 1/3 c shredded Parmesan cheese
• S&P

1. Saute 1 shallot in 2 tablespoons of butter until soft and translucent.

2. Add in 1 quart of heavy cream and reduce over medium low heat by half.

3. Stir in 3 – 4 tablespoons of prepared pesto, 2 tablespoons of chopped fresh basil and 1/3 cup of shredded Parmesan cheese.  Season with salt and pepper.

Fun in the Snow

So I caved and we played in the snow, all six inches of it! It was short lived, about 10 minutes, but it was fun! 🙂

French Toast Casserole

Taking a look at all of the snow from inside our cozy, warm home.

I cannot believe the amount of snow we’ve had recently, but honestly, I am so over it! I’m am not a cold-weather girl, that’s for sure. My favorite part about the winter weather is that I get to stay home with my little family and have an official snow day!

Someone couldn’t wait until the casserole was done!

Snow days call for cooking. And cooking = baking something sweet and delicious! My MIL made this recipe when Adam, Kate and I visited Pittsburgh in December. She was sweet enough to share her recipe with me and I’ve made it twice since: Christmas Day brunch and this past snow day. I’m happy to share it with you all! If/When you make it, let me know what you think! 🙂

Ingredients

• 1 C Brown Sugar
• 1/2 C Butter
• 2 Tbs Corn Syrup
• 7 Eggs
• 2 C Milk (I always use whole milk when baking)
• 1 tsp Vanilla (I’ve probably shared this before, but this is my favorite and worth the extra $)
• 1 Loaf Cinnamon Swirl Bread*
• Butter for top
• Pecans for topping (if desired)

1. Slice bread into thick slices, cube, and set aside.

2. In a medium sauce pan over medium heat, mix and melt the brown sugar, butter and corn syrup.

3. Spray 13 x 9 baking dish with nonstick spray and fill with butter mixture.

4. Beat eggs, milk and vanilla.

5. Arrange bread in baking dish over the butter mixture. Pour egg mixture over the bread. DO NOT MISS ANY SPOTS! And use all of the mixture – the bread will absorb it!

6. Dot with butter and pecans.

7. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate over night.

8. When you’re ready to bake the casserole, uncover and bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until golden brown.

Serve the casserole alongside some bacon and you’ve got yourself a comfort meal.

*I typically use Pepperidge Farm Cinnamon Swirl Bread, however, since it was a snow day and I didn’t have a loaf of the usual stuff, I used store brand hot dog and hamburger buns and it turned out just fine! I just added a little extra brown sugar and about 2 Tbs of cinnamon. So get creative and use what you’ve got!

Kate’s [1st] Birthday!

A couple of weekends ago we celebrated Kate’s big day! I was literally looking more forward to her party than Christmas…and y’all know how I love Christmas! But this was such a huge milestone…and it’s hard to believe how quickly we’re already here. Celebrating ONE YEAR! Woohoo!

Another reason I was so excited was because we were literally going to have most all of our families together at our house! We love hosting, and we really love our families so this was going to be a super fun weekend. Adam’s parents came from Pittsburgh, and his aunts and uncle came from Michigan and D.C. Of course, my family only lives 40 minutes away, so they were coming, plus our close friends that are more or less like family.

We kicked off the weekend with a celebratory dinner at Shucker’s (one of my favorite places! Check out my recommendation here). As you may recall, Kate shares her birthday with Adam’s Uncle Jim, so we wanted to make sure he knows that even though there’s a new kid in town, we’re still happy he was born. 😉

When Kate was just a few days old I had already decided I wanted to do a ladybug themed first birthday party. I love how black and red look together (Go Pack!), and seriously, how cute are little ladybugs? I had a lot of fun prepping for the party. I had all of these things I wanted to do (thanks Pinterest), and spent time each night after she went to bed to make the invitations, banner and put everything together. I am so thankful I had the help I had to make it all possible! Adam’s mom and aunts were God sent! I couldn’t have pulled it off without them.

First off, the invitations. I found the tutorial here, and then went off to Michael’s for my supplies. I’m really happy with how they turned out, however, I wouldn’t recommend making these for parties larger than 20…they are pretty time consuming. If you want me to send you the Word doc file so you can edit the invite for your party, send me an email at themillerliteblog@gmail.com and I’ll be happy to send it to you!

Then I hit Etsy, another one of my favorite sites, and searched for something for Kate to wear. I ended up with a long sleeve onesie and a dress (that came with a matching bow!)…I love both of these so much! I also found a custom cake bunting. The awesome chalkboard sign was made by my friend Carley with Life Passionately. We also used all of these items in Kate’s one-year portraits, but more on that later…

The food was my favorite part! It was so fun coming up with bug themed dishes. The menu included butterfly pasta, ants on a log, grasshopper cookies, ladybug caprese salad, bugs in a blanket, caterpillar fruit skewers, ladybug (chocolate) cupcakes, yellow cake, bumble bee lemonade (lemonade with blueberries) and sweet tea.

Believe it or not I bought most of the decor from WalMart.com. I shopped online and had everything shipped to the store; it was the easiest shopping experience! Their selection was cuter than any other I found, and everything was super inexpensive! (Side Note: There is an instagram account called @whoawaitwalmart that you NEED to follow. You’re welcome.)

The party was so much fun! Lots of friends and family came. Kate LOVED the cupcake, she even cried when I tried to take it away from her. For party favors, I just got little red bags from Michael’s and put miniature candy bars in them. I printed a simple label to thank everyone for “buzzing” by. The ladybug on the door came from Carolina Pottery. Here are a few more photos from the party…enjoy!

We did one-year portraits at Lundie’s, and we should be getting those proofs next week. They were a lot of fun, and from what I saw on her camera, she got some really cute shots. I can’t wait to share them!