Five Senses Friday – April 5

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5senses

Sight - I watched a documentary on Netflix this week called Bully. Bullying is a subject that I feel very passionately about and one that I plan on addressing every year when I become a teacher. It is heartbreaking to see what these kids go through and it is unacceptable that it is allowed to happen in schools. All I have to say is that WORDS HURT. Be nice to each other. We are all human beings trying to achieve the same goal. Happiness.

Hear - There are birds chirping outside my window as I type this. This may not be a very exciting to some people, but to Chicagoans it means that spring is here! I think spring might be my favorite season. I love the idea of rebirth and fresh starts that come with the spring season.

Feel – Anticipation. With spring just around the corner, that is what I have been feeling all week! I can’t wait to plant our garden and enjoy fresh produce from our backyard.

Smell – I love the smell of coffee brewing in the morning. A few weeks ago my brother sent me this article on cold brewing coffee. Apparently, heat makes coffee super bitter and acidic. Cold brewing it helps develop flavor and makes the coffee taste smoother. I am going to give it a whirl tomorrow. I’ll report back!

Taste – The New York Times article The Extraordinary Science of Addictive Junk Food by Michael Moss was floating around Facebook for a few weeks last month. I finally sat down to read it in its entirety. It’s a long read, but very interesting and worth a look if you’ve got the time. It brought the perspective of the processed food industry into light and I found myself understanding their point of view more than I thought I would.

April Photo A Day – Day 4: “This Happened Today”

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My new and improved (mostly) Paleo pantry!

My new and improved (mostly) Paleo pantry!

I finally got around to cleaning out my pantry. While I was at it, I decided to give my pantry a Paleo makeover. There are a few non-Paleo items in there, but it is very close to being 100% Paleo. Any unopened items that were not expired will be donated to a local food bank. Happy spring cleaning!

Oven-Baked Sweet Potato Fries with Homemade Sriracha Mayonnaise

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I have never like mayonnaise. I can’t even tolerate it when the flavor is masked and mixed into things. Potato salad? No, thanks. Ranch dressing? Bleh! Sandwich spread? I prefer mustard. Can you imagine my surprise when one night I was craving mayonnaise? I imagine that my body wasn’t craving mayonnaise as much as it was craving fat, but either way I was too lazy to drive to the store, and I decided to make some. Yup. On a whim I decided to whip up some homemade mayonnaise.

I read this recipe from The Clothes Make the Girl and this recipe from Alton Brown and decided to combine the two. I must have gotten lucky because it came together beautifully, tasted amazing, and was super easy. Apparently, mayonnaise is rather finicky and can separate easily if not prepared correctly. 

I will be up front and honest, I have only tried this recipe once, and like I said, I may have gotten lucky. But, if you are a fellow mayonnaise hater, I strongly urge you to make some from scratch. You just may be a convert. I am!

Homemade Mayonnaise
Yields ~1 cup

Ingredients:

  • 1 large egg yolk
  • 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
  • 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
  • 1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt or to taste
  • 1 cup safflower oil

Directions:

  1. In a food processor, combine egg yolk, lemon juice, white wine vinegar, mustard and salt. I used the blade attachment and let it whirl for about 20-30 seconds.
  2. SLOWLY drizzle the oil into the food processor. Pour as slowly as you can and then slow it down even more. This part should take about 3-5 minutes.
  3. When you have poured all of the oil into the food processor, let it whirl for another 15-20 seconds.

Oven-Baked Sweet Potato Fries with Sriracha Mayonnaise

Sweet and Spicy

Sweet and Spicy

Ingredients:

  • 1 small sweet potato
  • 1 teaspoon coconut oil, maybe a little more depending on the size of your sweet potato
  • Seasoned salt
  • 3 tablespoons homemade mayonnaise (see above!)
  • 1 tablespoon Sriracha sauce

Directions:

  1. Heat oven to 425˚.
  2. Peel sweet potato and cut into strips about 1/2 inch thick.
  3. Toss in melted coconut oil, season with seasoned salt, and spread evenly on a baking sheet.
  4. Roast in oven for 20-25 minutes or until they brown evenly. If you are feeling extra enthusiastic, flip them at the halfway mark.
  5. In a small dish, mix 3 tablespoons homemade mayonnaise and 1 tablespoon Sirarcha sauce until well combined.
  6. Dip sweet potato fries into the Sirarcha mayonnaise and enjoy the flavor explosion!

April Photo A Day – Day 3: Something That Begins with A

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My favorite vegetable of all time!

My favorite vegetable of all time!

I flew back to Chicago this morning. I had to fly somewhere on American Airlines before June in order to keep the miles I have accumulated active. I managed to get an inexpensive flight and spent Easter with my family. I carried four of these on the airplane with me and they caused a bit of a stir at security. Whoops!

Photo A Day Challenge – Day 1: “Play”

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My high school playground

My childhood playground

Last week my husband I were watching TV and he asked me, “Did you ever hang out at the mall as a teenager?” I replied, “Nope. We hung out at the beach.” At the beach we’d play in the water, play in the sand, and play in the sun until dusk. We’d gather at night and have bon fires and make s’mores and surf before school on Thursday mornings. As much as I love Chicago, California will always be home.