How I Pack Light for any length of trip

I see TONS of different Pins on Pinterest of how to pack light or two weeks in a carry on. I blame it on my Maman teaching me to pack my own bag as a child then talking over what was and what wasn’t used (or should I say necessary) on the trip we just got home from. Because of this, I have always stressed to myself that Packing Light is a virtue.  After a bit of a travel dry spell, I suddenly realized that my mind was cloudy about what was really important for trips of different sizes. So I drew up my own “How Cat Packs Light” Formula and I would love to share it with you. 

Photo of one of the best bags ever created: The Rick Steve Rolling Carry On.
It can fit so much and still fit in the overhead compartment!

This is by no means something set in stone, but it IS a good outline depending on your style of travel.

Even I don't adhere to it every time I jump on a plane, but I hope it helps all y'all!

How Cat Packs Light:

Packing Outline

My basic formula is that for every week of travel you need 3 outfits.

Outfits:

All outfit pieces are interchangeable and most can double as PJs. When I say interchangeable I mean anything in your bag can be worn with anything else (or at least most everything else). Choose a color palate or family and stick with it and center every piece around it. Stick to neutral colors with dash of color to simplify your life and suitcase. Be sure there is some combination of something a little dressier, something more active, as well as comfy and loose for Travel days. Don’t bother packing heels, unless you absolutely must, which in my experience, is never. This mentality of thinking in OUTFITS works great for me, but ITEMS might work better for others.

Weather Appropriate Accessories:

Going someplace sunny and hot? Bring a sunhat and sunglasses as well as maybe a swimsuit and sarong (can double as a skirt). Going someplace cold? Bring a Jacket, Scarf, Hat, Gloves, and Long Johns.  Wet? Bring a water resistant coat, rain hat, and shoes.

Remember that most Accessories are EXCESSORIES. Besides, if you REALLY need a pair of earrings, why not buy some where you are traveling to and make them your souvenir?

LENGTH OF TRIPS

Weekend Trips (ITEMS: 2 Bottoms, 2 Tops, <or 1 Bottom, 1 Top, 1 Dress> 2 Sets Undies)
Pack only in my Personal Item Bag, no Carry on Suitcase needed

Travel Outfit

Dressy Outfit

Weather Appropriate Accessories

(Depending on events, you might need a Casual Outfit verses a Dressy one)

5-7 Day Trips (ITEMS: 2 Bottoms, 2 Tops, 1 Dress, 3 sets Undies, 1 PJs)
Pack only in my Personal Item Bag, but if I am headed some place cold, I use my carry on due to bulk

Travel Outfit

Casual 1 Outfit

Dressy Outfit

Specifically PJs “Outfit”

Weather Appropriate Accessories

10 Day Trips (ITEMS: 2 Bottoms, 3 Tops, 2 Dress, 5 sets Undies, 1 PJs)
Personal Item and Carry on Suitcase

Travel Outfit

Casual 1 Outfit

Casual 2 Outfit

Dressy Outfit

Specifically PJs “Outfit”

Weather Appropriate Accessories

14+ Day Trips (ITEMS: 2 Bottoms, 4 Tops, 3 Dress, 7 sets Undies, 1 PJs)

Personal Item and Carry on Suitcase
Travel Outfit

Casual 1 Outfit

Casual 2 Outfit

Casual 3 Outfit

Dressy 1 Outfit

Dressy 2 Outfit

Specifically PJs “Outfit”

Weather Appropriate Accessories

3oz bottle of detergent to wash certain clothes in sink at hotel

BAGS
I find that for me, I like having different bags for different things. This might not work for everyone, so if you don't like this, then don't do it! I have two primary bags: my Personal Item Bag (it is normally my purse or a backpack/messenger bag, depending on the location of the travel and if I need a hefty day pack or just a slightly larger purse to carry my camera) and my Carry on Suitcase

Personal Item (aka day pack)

Personal Item Bag is either:
A) Purse - Thick strap with cross body action so it can be worn in front of me

B) Back pack/messenger bag - If a back pack, I utilize small locks for most of the zippers
Within my Personal Item Bag of choice I carry:
Clutch Wallet – If dressy events/plans suggest it is necessary. Make sure it can fit in your purse

Travel Folder – Holds reservation and flight information as well as plans for trip and copy of necessary cards/passport (some trips this is just a piece of paper with the Reservation numbers needed tucked into my clutch wallet

Electronics bags – Keep a check list within to ensure you don’t forget any valuables and will keep you organized

Liquids Baggie – Quart size bag with TSA 3 oz approved liquids. Pack in an outside pocket or on top of main pocket for easy TSA access.

Weather Appropriate Accessories – certain ones of these might be worn depend on destination

Suitcase (Carry on Size)

Toiletries Bag – Holds all toiletries that aren’t liquid and that we haven’t doubled up on with Husband.

Makeup Bag – Bring only the basics

Worst Case Scenario Bag – First Aid and Sewing Kit

Gallon Sized Ziplocs – Pack clothes and press out air for easy packing as well as dividing the dirty clothes from your clean ones

Shoe bags – cuz shoes are germy. You can also use hotel shower caps to keep icky germs away from clothes.

PERSONAL ITEM BAG:

Purse

Ear Plugs

Sleep Mask

Travel Pillow

Hand Sanitizer

Sanitizer Wipes

3 Pens

2 Pencils

1 Sharpie

Journal/paper (I get really good ideas while on a plane)

Chewing gum

Mints

Sweets

Snack

Self Filtering Water Bottle

Tissues

Book

Flashlight

Change of Clothes (Just in case)

Jewelry (Please don’t bring this unless absolutely necessary)

Clutch Wallet

Credit Card

Debit Card

Driver’s License

Cash

Numbers with times and locations of reservations and flights

Travel Folder

This is the neuroticism of me in action. Most people don’t need this, but I find have a stack of papers in my personal item (verses depending solely on an electronic device) with all the information I might need for the trip makes my travel a little easier.

Hotel Reservation Information and Number

Credit and Debit Card Information

Travel Reservation Information and Number

Emergency Contact Information

Medical Insurance Card

Medical History in Brief and List of medications and prescriptions

Travel insurance

Car insurance (if renting a car)

Addresses for Postcards

Copy of Travel Membership cards (if applicable)

Copy of House keys

Copy of Itinerary

Maps and Directions to places on Itinerary

Guidebooks/printed out information

Electronics Bag

Don’t pack an electronic you only “might” use. Only take it if it is necessary.

Checklist of contents of the bag

Kindle/Ipad

Kindle/Ipad charger Cord

Iphone

Iphone Charger Cord

USB Wall Charger for Cords, more slots the better

Headphones

DSLR

DSLR Spare Battery

DSLR Battery Charger

Lens

2 SD Cards

Point and Click Camera

Rechargeable AA Batters

Battery Charger

SD Card Reader (I bring this to back up photos if I think I will have computer access/the Ipad with adapter, just in case)

USB Stick (I bring this to back up photos if I think I will have computer access/the Ipad with adapter, just in case)

Binoculars (no, it isn’t an Electronic, but I would call it a Gadget)

Liquids Baggie

Here is what is listed otherwise that would need to make it into the Liquids Bag.

Toiletries Bag

Sunblock

Lotion

Shower Gel

Shampoo

Conditioner

Makeup Bag

Concealer

Foundation

Nail Polish

Worst Case Scenario Bag

Eye Drops

Anti-Itch Cream

Stain Remover

Personal Item

Hand Sanitizer

Weather Appropriate Accessories

Hot/tropical

Sunglasses

Swimsuit (can double as undies)

Sarong (can double as a dress or skirt, but bring safety pins just in case)

Sun Hat

Fan

Cold/snow

Thermal Top

Scarf

Long Johns

Gloves

Warm Hat

Rain

Rain Coat

Rain Hat

Umbrella

SUITCASE:

Toiletries Bag

A full list is listed below, I find that I can either double up with Husband or live without certain things depending on the location of travel, hotel, and events that will be happening over the trip.

Hair

Shampoo

Conditioner

Comb/Brush

Hairspray

Hair ties

Headband

Hair Clips

Hair Dryer

Utilities

Q-tips

Cotton balls/Swabs

Tampons/pads

Nails

Nail Clippers

Nail File

Nail Polish

Nail Polish Remover Pads

Mouth

Tooth Brush

Tooth Paste

Floss

Mouthwash

Toothpicks

Skin

Lotion

Deodorant

Perfume

Razors

Razor Holder

Shaving Cream

Face Wash

Hand Soap

Shower Gel

Loofah

Double Up Optional Toiletries:

This simply depends on you and your travel partner’s preferences. For example: I don’t mind using men’s deodorant and my Husband doesn’t mind if I use his while we travel.

Hair

Shampoo

Conditioner

Comb/Brush

Hairspray

Hair Dryer

Nails

Nail Clippers

Nail File

Mouth

Tooth Paste

Floss

Mouthwash

Skin

Lotion

Deodorant

Razor Holder

Shaving Cream

Face Wash

Hand Soap

Shower Gel

Makeup Bag

A full list is listed below, I find that I only pack makeup if an event is already planned for that would need it. Otherwise, I pack a pair of tweezers in my First Aid kit, a tinted lip stain that also can be blush, a smudgable eyeliner that I can double as eye crease shadow, and some mascara. Granted, I am blessed with decent skin that is pretty even toned. This is up to the user.

Skin

Concealer

Foundation

Powder

Blush

Powder Brush

Concealer Sponge

Blush Brush

Eye

Mascara

Eyeliner

Eye shadow

Eye Shadow Brush

Eyelash Curler

Lip

Lip Liner

Lip Stick

Lip Stain

Lip Balm

Utility

Makeup Remover Pads

Eye Makeup Remover Pads

Travel Mirror

Tweezers

Worst Case Scenario Bag

This bag is simply because I find that it is easier to have these on hand, then not. This is the neuroticism of me in action as well. The pills are all in the same container and I have a description with dosages listed with a picture folded up inside the pill container. I know this really isn’t necessary, but a comfortable trip is a happy trip.

Sickness Pills

Tums

Alka-Seltzer

Pepto Bismol

Dramamine

Allergy Meds

Benadryl

Mucanex

Aspirin

Ibuprofen

Acetaminophen

Melatonin

Cough Drops

Cold and Flu Meds

Emergen-C

Daily Medication/Pills

Multi Vitamin

Folic Acid

Birth Control Pills

Any other prescriptions, with note from doctor if traveling abroad.

First Aid Kit

Band-Aids

Neosporin

Antiseptic

Eye Drops

Anti-Itch (bug Bit) Cream

Burn Cream

Clothing Kit

Tide Stain Remover Pen

Lint Roller

Mini Sewing Kit

European Needs in Personal Item

Purse

Language Book (with quick reference guide for pocket)

Money Belt

Clutch Wallet

Currency Cash (I like to pack enough for approximate food budget)

Passport/Visa

Traveler’s Cheques (do people use these anymore?)

Travel Folder

Copy of Passport/ Visa

Electronic Bag

Travel Locks

Alarm Clock (if not taking Iphone along)

IPod Touch (if not taking Iphone along, this can be used for Skype and basic internet access  with WiFi without being a tablet)

Conversion Adapters

BFMH: Breakfast Quesadillas

So Hopeforbeer came up to visit me a few weeks ago! How lucky am I?!? Since she came to visit, I figured that I should of, course, make a

Breakfast Quesadillas

makes two quesadillas

Ingredients:

3 large flour tortillas

4 eggs, lightly beaten with a pinch of salt and a splash of milk
1/3 cup of red onion finely chopped

1 cup raw baby spinach

6 pork sausages (I used Uncle John's), cooked and roughly chopped

1 tbsp butter, divided

3/4 cup of Mexi Cheese Shredded

Salsa, Greek yogurt or sour cream, hot sauce to taste

Directions:

Scramble the eggs in a small skillet with half of the butter. Once scrambled, scoop eggs into a small bowl and set aside.

Heat up a large skillet and drop the rest of the butter in. Lay a tortilla flat down then sprinkle with a third of the eggs, sausage bits, onion, cheese, and spinach. fold and press the tortilla in half. Cook quesadilla until golden brown on both sides. Repeat with remaining ingredients.

Slice into quarters and serve.

Time: 15 minutes

The beginnings of the stuffing process..

Folded and frying.

Fried to a nice, crisp outside with gooey insides full of flavor.

This turned out perfectly. Super yummy, a little less food than a full out breakfast burrito, and incredibly personalizable. I was actually treated to this dish a couple days after hopeforbeer left as Husband wanted to make me breakfast. Absolutely NO complaints here! trust me, DO THIS.

Week 8 & 9 in review...

These last two weeks of happy have focused on friends, crafts, and family. My youngest niece took her first steps (on camera) and it is SUPER adorbs. I might be biased, but she can draw a smile out of my heart faster than most. Plus, the happiest baby I know ALSO took his first steps this week. Crazy, huh?

The things that make me happy vary daily. Things touch a person in a different ways today then they did a week ago or how they will in 40 years time. I am enjoying this 100 days of Happy challenge mainly because it is chronicling what brings me joy, what drives me, and what I desire to be better at. It makes me look for the happy in the mundane and routine of everyday life. I find I look forward to getting to look back on my day and talk about what was the best or happiest moment of it.

With that being said:
This pin showed up in my feed. It made my heart stupid happy. Enjoy!

100 Days of Happy Photo Challenge: Week 9

Week 9

Day 57: 9/19: Watercolor dyeing

Day 58: 9/20: Massive Game Night

Day 59: 9/21: The Silliness of Sunday Dinner

Day 60: 9/22: My niece is walking!

Day 61: 9/23:Wardrobe Malfunction

Day 62: 9/24: An Autumn Garland

Day 63: 9/25: FB return

Bread Pudding Part 2: Savory

...and now for Part 2: The savory portion!

SAVORY BREAD PUDDING

I had left over asiago, onion, and balsamic stuffing from my Stuffed Mushrooms which I made while Auntie was in town as well. So I decided to attempt to make a bread pudding surrounding that flavor for the savory one. This is a fine example of how I just sort of "wing it" in the kitchen. Baffles Husband as he and MiL function off of recipes. Granted, there is no guarantee that this is going to turn out..

Leftover Stuffed Mushroom Filling Bread Pudding

Ingredients

About 1 1/2 cup of Stuffing for Mushrooms which is normally made like this:

1 whole yellow (red is good too) onion, finely cut

sautéed and reduced in 3 T Balsamic Vinegar, 2 T olive oil, 2 cloves of garlic, minced, and Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste. Cook till Balsamic is reduced and absorbed.

Combine cooled onions with 4 oz cream cheese and 6 ounces Manchego cheese, (or Asiago or Parmesan,) coarsely grated

PLUS:

3 large eggs

1 cup heavy cream

1 cup milk

1 tsp lemon juice

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

3 cups of cubed bread
1 1/2 cup left over Stuffed Mushroom Stuffing
1 clove garlic - minced
Method:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. 

Grease a 9X5 pan (in my case, muffin tin) with 1 tablespoon olive oil.
Combine eggs, cream, milk, lemon juice, salt, and pepper well.
Put cubed bread in and allow to sit for 15-20 minutes until "custard" is absorbed.
Pour excess custard in to a pouring measuring cup and save for later.
Break up Mushroom Stuffing into bread and stir gently until stuffing is evenly distributed through the bread.
Spoon mixture into greased pan (or muffin tin) pressing lightly every so often to pack in the bread and stuffing.
Pour remaining "custard" over bread and then dust with Parmesan.
Bake for 35-45 minutes ensure custard is cooked and bread is set.

Really needed some green on the plate...sorry future children.

This was so much better than I though it was going to be. I am a bit relieved to be honest. I served it with a lightly seasoned, baked chicken breast. When I put it down in front of Husband and myself, I said "If this bad, don't eat it. I will make something else". Fortunately, it was quite edible and yummy. While I think the lack of substance means I won't be making it again when I could just stuff a chicken boob with the left over stuffing, but I am glad I tried this out. Plus I made another excellent dessert bread pudding. :)

Until the next bread pudding...

Coco for Coconut Fried Chicken

I love coconut. You may or may not have known this prior, but it is seriously, like my favorite thing now. I really enjoy coconut shrimp, but then I saw a post about Coconut Fried Chicken. This the original post that got me all "gee, I want some coconut chicken", but then I found this one. So, I decided to go with the second, even though I didn't have stuff for the dipping sauce.

Also, I didn't use chives (didn't have them) and I substituted the flour with almond meal, vegetable oil was halved with coconut oil, and the sweetened coconut with unsweetened coconut.

Coconut Crunch Chicken Strips with Creamy Honey-Mango Dipping Sauce

Ingredients:

• Vegetable oil for frying
2 chicken breasts (skinless and boneless), sliced length-wise into 4 strips, then those strips sliced length-wise in half, making a total of 8 strips per breast
• Pinch curry powder
• Salt
• Pepper
• Pinch cayenne pepper
½ cup flour
2 eggs
2 cups sweetened, shredded coconut
1 tablespoon chives, finely minced
• Creamy, Honey-Mango Dipping Sauce (recipe below)

Preparation:

-Begin by filling a medium-sized pot about half-way with the vegetable oil (roughly 6-8 cups), and bring the temperature of the oil slowly up to 350° while you prepare the strips.

-Place the chicken strips into a bowl, and add the pinch of curry powder, a couple of pinches of salt and pepper, and a pinch or two of cayenne pepper, to the strips; toss the strips to coat them in the seasoning, and set them aside for a moment.

-Set up your “coating” station by putting the flour, along with another couple of pinches of salt, pepper and cayenne pepper, into a medium-sized bowl and blending to combine; put the eggs into another medium-sized bowl and beat them, and put the sweetened shredded coconut into another medium-sized bowl; to coat the chicken strips, dredge one strip at a time into the seasoned flour and coat it well; next, dip it into the beaten eggs, and then into the shredded coconut; press the strips into the coconut very well to coat them thoroughly, and place the coated strips onto a plate to hold until all strips have been coated.

-To fry the strips, work in batches by adding about 4-5 strips into the hot oil, and allow them to fry for about 1 ½ – 2 minutes, moving them very gently with tongs every now and then, until they are a deep, golden color; remove from oil and place onto a paper towel-lined platter to drain, and sprinkle each batch with a pinch of salt and pepper while they’re still hot; repeat the process until all strips have been fried.

-Serve the strips hot, garnished with a sprinkle of the minced chives and a side of the Creamy, Honey-Mango Dipping Sauce.

Creamy Honey-Mango Dipping Sauce ingredients:

½ cup mayonnaise
½ cup frozen mango chunks, thawed
2 tablespoons fresh cilantro leaves
1 tablespoon honey
• Pinch (small) curry powder
3-4 drops Sriracha sauce (add more if you like it a bit more spicy)
½ teaspoon fresh lemon juice

Preparation:

-Add all ingredients into the bowl of a food processor, and process until completely combined and well-blended; serve immediately, or cover with plastic wrap and store in the fridge for a couple of days.

Served with some Roasted Green Beans.

Crispy Crunchiness.

Oh man.

This turned out quite nicely. I got impatient and cooked the chicken on a high temp than I should have, but it still turned out great. I served it with  I look forward to making this dish again with the sauce they suggest though the one I made turned out just fine. I made a dipping sauce with some General Tso's Stirfry sauce, ketchup, soy sauce, honey, and a splash of lime juice.

Until next time I make this wonderful dish...

Ooopsy Rolls: only slightly

I found this recipe back when I was looking for alternative to bread. I decided it was time to give it a try and to see how they turn out.

Ooopsy Rolls

Ingredients: makes 6 rolls

cream cheese - 3 ounces

eggs - 3 large

cream of tartar - 1/8 teaspoon (or a dash)

MEthod:
Oven temperature: 300 degrees Fahrenheit

Separate the eggs and add the cream cheese to the egg yolks. A standard package of cream cheese is 8 ounces, so I eyeball what half of the package would be (4 ounces) and then cut off a little less to get 3 ounces. Mix the egg yolks and cream cheese until combined. 

In another bowl, beat the egg whites and dash of cream of tartar until they are stiff. Really stiff... as in, you can turn the bowl upside down and they won't move. The cream of tartar helps with this. 

Next, fold the egg yolk/cream cheese mixture into the egg whites until just combined. You want to stir as little as possible to keep the air you just worked so hard to create in the egg whites. 

Spoon the mixture onto a cookie sheet that is lined with parchment paper or has been lightly sprayed with cooking spray. 

Slightly flatten each mound with the back of your spoon.

Bake for 30-40 minutes in a 300 degree oven. When done, carefully remove with a spatula to a wire rack to cool. 

Consider adding about 1/8 teaspoon of dry mustard and a dash of salt for a savory dinner roll.
When it comes to tweaking the basic recipe, let your imagination run wild!

Whip it good.

Attack of the blobs!

They are like little souffles almost.

Meatloaf, Taters, and Ooopsey Roll

These were ok. They won't keep well, so next time I will only make up 1 egg worth. Be careful to not add too much cream of tartar. I don't care for the flavor and it was rather distracting in the side dish.I look forward to attempting different seasonings in them, but I am not too excited about making another batch anytime soon.

Until the next side dish...

BFMH (and DJ): Stuffed French Toast

We had a surprise over night guest (my little "sister" DJ) so I had to make a solid breakfast since she was over. I had the making for French toast but then I decided to up the ante. I found this recipe, an though I left our the blueberries and powdered sugar, it was solid.

Stuffed French Toast

INGREDIENTS

1 loaf braided challah bread, cut into 6 (1 1/2-inch thick) slices

8 ounces cream cheese, softened

1/4 cup Strawberry Jam (I used raspberry preserves)

1/2 teaspoon lemon zest

1/2 cup fresh blueberries, plus more for garnish

1 cup whole milk

1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted, plus 2 tablespoons not melted

1 tablespoon brown sugar

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

3 large eggs

Powdered sugar, for dusting

Maple syrup, for serving

STRAWBERRY JAM:

3 cups fresh strawberries, hulled and sliced (about 1 pound)

1 cup sugar

1 medium lemon, juiced (about 2 to 3 tablespoons)

DIRECTIONS

Using a paring knife, cut through the bottom crust of each slice of bread horizontally, to create a pocket that your fruit filling can be stuffed into.
In a small mixing bowl, combine the softened cream cheese, Strawberry Jam and lemon zest. Fold in the blueberries. Place the mixture into a re-sealable bag. When you are ready to stuff the bread you will snip off a corner of the bag and pipe the filling in.
In a baking dish, whisk together the milk, 1 tablespoon melted butter, brown sugar, vanilla, cinnamon and eggs.
In a large, heavy bottomed skillet melt the 2 tablespoons butter over medium heat.
Using the re-sealable bag as a pastry bag, stuff each slice of bread with about 2 tablespoons of the cream cheese mixture. Once the slices are stuffed, place each slice into the milk and egg mixture for about 10 seconds per side. Once the slices are coated with the custard base, place them into the skillet to brown. Work in batches. Cook each slice of stuffed French toast until golden brown, 4 to 5 minutes per side. If cooking a large batch, transfer the cooked French toast to a baking sheet and keep warm in a 200 degree F oven while you cook the rest of the slices. Repeat the process with the remaining French toast. Serve warm, topped with extra berries, powdered sugar and maple syrup.

In a saucepan over medium-high heat, bring the strawberries, sugar and lemon juice to a boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer and stir often until the fruit thickens and becomes syrupy, 5 to 10 minutes.
Fill a large bowl with ice and a little water. Have a smaller mixing bowl that can sit within the larger bowl of ice. Once the fruit has cooked, add it to the smaller bowl and set it in the ice bath to cool. As the fruit cools it should become gel-like. Once the jam has cooled it can be stored.

Served with pork sausage...

This turned out very nicely as the bread was of a thick crusty kind. The stuffing was mild and flavorful. A very nice kick off of a day with sister. Husband liked it too.

I am grateful for...

A couple weeks ago I got "nominated" to do the 3 things you are grateful for over 5 days. I declined to do it on Facebook as I had been doing 100 days of Happy which I thought covered it. I think that 57 photos I have taken do cover the top 15 things I am grateful for, but I decided that I would make my list here either way.

...

1) My Lord. Psalm 106:1
Praise the LORD. Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his loves endures forever.

2) My Husband. Ephesians 5:25, 28
Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her...In the same way husbands should love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself.

3) My Mother. Proverbs 6:20-21
Keep your father's commands and do not forsake your mother's teachings. Bind them uppon your heart forever; fasten them around your neck.

4) My Twin. Ecclesiastes 4:10 (our birthday day is April 10th, too)
If either of them falls down, one can help the other up. But pity anyone who falls and has no one to help them up.

5) My Father. Ephesians 6:1
Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.

6) My Older Brother. Psalm 133:1
Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brother to dwell together in unity.

7) My Auntie. Proverbs 31:10
A woman of noble character who can find? She is worth far more than rubies.

8) My Step Family.1 Corinthians 1:4-5
I always thank God for you because of his grace given you in Christ Jesus. For in him you have been enriched in every way-in all your speaking and in all your knowledge.

9) My In Laws. Ruth 2:11-12
May the Lord repay you for what you have done. May you be richly rewarded by the Lord, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have come to take refuge.

10) My Church. Matthew 18:20
For when two or three have gathered together in My name, I am there in their midst.

11) My Job. Colossians 3:17
And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

12) My Past. Isaiah 34:18
Do not call to mind the former things or ponder things of the past.

13) My Friends. Proverbs 18:24
A man of many companions may come to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother

14) My Toxic Friends. Proverbs 27:17
Iron sharpens iron, and one man sharpens another.

15) My Dreams. Romans 8:28
And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.

100 Days of Happy Photo Challenge: Week 8

Week 8: Halfway Done!

Day 50: 9/12: Dapper Day With Husband and Best Friends! 

Day 51: 9/13: New Recipe: Stuffed French Toast!

.

Day 52: 9/14:  Disney Date, Halloween Time, and surprise concert by the Suburban Legends.

Day 53: 9/15: A Comfort Food Cupcake 

Day 54: 9/16: Texting with Erin!

Day 55: 9/17: Homemade Junk Food!

Day 56: 9/18: The beginning stages of going to visit Twin Broder!

A Hope/Bock Tradition: Repeat Dinner

So my long time friend, hopeforbeer, came to visit a couple weeks ago and we have a little tradition called Repeat Dinner. It is a very decadent meal. 

We rotate the side dishes, but the main point of Repeat Dinner is Steak with Port Reduced Red Onions and Blue Cheese.  

A basic outline of how we make this traditional meal.

Caramelize the onions in butter and salt. Add some garlic if you want.

Cover with good quality port and allow to reduce to a sticky, yummy mess.

Remove onions from the pan, heat a bit of butter over hot and sear steaks. Normally they are Filet Mignons, but with the cost of food in general, we opted for New York Strip.

This time for a side, we seared Brussels Sprouts. I cut of the fatty piece of the steak
and reduced the fat to give the sprouts a really nice flavor.

After steaks are seared, combine blue cheese and bread crumbs and then place on top of meat
and put under the broiler for 30 seconds to a minute. Bread crumbs mellow out the flavor of the blue cheese a little.

While not the prettiest of Repeat Dinners, it was most certainly a yummy one!

The big trick is keeping the meat Medium rare. It makes the meal all the more decadent.

Bread Pudding Part 1: Sweet

So, those of you who read this bad boy with any regularity will know that I made less than awesome tasting bread a week or so ago. What does one do with bread that seem rather inedible...MAKE BREAD PUDDING!

The big question is what type of bread pudding to make and how much of it...

Whelp, I had quite a bit of bread between what was made in the Crockpot (bleh) and what was cut off from when I made French Toast Roll Ups. As I had enough, I decided to make a sweet and a savory bread pudding this time. Since Husband and I have a couple smaller casserole (like 9X5) dishes, I find I can get away with making small meals in them very well. I was planning on using them for these dishes, but then I though of my AWESOME food savor and decided to make single serving bread puddings with my muffin tin to food save as quick dishes for Husband and myself! BOOM! Watch out!

SWEET BREAD PUDDING:

As I had a surplus (well, 3) of apples that were about to go bad (but thanks to the Food saver I was able to prolong when I had to make this dish), I decided to do the sweet one with apples. I had to half up the measurements, not totally sure it will work yet. Might increase/decrease as I go. Also, the cooking time from the recipe was iffy since I made them in the Muffin Tins.

APPLE RUM BREAD PUDDING WITH BUTTERSCOTCH RUM SAUCE

Ingredients
3 cups of bread
1/2 cup whole milk
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 eggs
2 egg yolks
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp + 1/4 tsp cinnamon
1 tbsp rum
2 large apples, peeled and cored, cut into thin slices or cubes (whichever you prefer)
To make the bread pudding:

Lightly toast the bread cubes in the oven or in a small oven toaster until very light brown with a slight crunch, 5 to 10 minutes should do. Remove and set aside.

Heat the milk with the brown sugar and granulated sugar in a pan on low heat until completely dissolved. Remove from the heat and let cool for 5 minutes. Transfer this mixture to a bowl and mix in the heavy cream. Whisk in the eggs gradually until well combined. Add the vanilla, 1/2 tsp cinnamon and rum and mix well. Set aside. 

In another bowl, sprinkle the 1/4 tsp cinnamon over the apples and mix until well coated.

Butter an 8x8 inch square baking dish. Arrange half the amount of bread cubes in a single, even layer. Spread the apples evenly over the bread cubes. Top with the remaining half of bread cubes. Carefully pour the custard mixture evenly over the whole thing. Set aside for 30 minutes at room temperature or overnight in the fridge, covered. Gently press down the bread cubes with the back of a wooden spoon to properly soak all the bread cubes every 10 minutes.

Bake at 350 degrees for 45-50 minutes until the pudding is set. Best served warm drizzled with the butterscotch rum sauce.

BUTTERSCOTCH RUM SAUCE

1/3 cup heavy cream

2 1/2 tbsp + 1/2 tsp butter

1/2 cup brown sugar, tightly packed

1 tbsp honey

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 tbsp rum

Put everything together, except for the rum, in a saucepan on low heat and boil gently for 10 minutes, stirring once in a while until nice and thick. Remove from the heat and stir in the rum. Drizzle warm pudding slices with the sauce before serving.

Cutting up the apples.

Ready to be baked!

Sauce it up.

Bubble Bubble toil and trouble!

Two pieces each.

The sauce made this dessert.

These were very well received. I served them at Sunday night Doctor Who Dinner and everyone gave a resounding YES to them. The sauce was most certainly the kicker with the Honey, Butter, and Rum. I prepped all this in about 20 minutes (granted the apples were sugared and cinnamoned prior).
I then took the muffin tin down to our friend's house and baked them there and thickened the sauce over their stove top. With the muffin tin approach, they really only needed 35 minutes of baking versus 45, but every oven is different! Watch them if you decide to try the muffin tin approach.

Until part 2...

...it starts hissing and spitting like an angry ferret...

Husband and I are trying to not spend much money. Our paychecks haven't been as they normally have been in months passed. Nothing to worry about, just something to mindful of, so Husband, the great and powerful budget maker, has request that we try to save where ever we can. So I am attempting this month to cut out food budget by a quarter. This isn't easy, living in California, where there is a stupidly severe drought and the cost of food has risen quite a bit in the last 3 months. Nonetheless, Husband and I are a team, so I figured that I could at least try.

In response to the idea of saving money, I have returned to the goals of eating vegetarian at least once a week. Here is a little recipe that is good for those on a budget wanting to save money, but keep the flavor and nutritional value of their meal. Plus, these would be quick and easy things to have to reheat for a light meal thanks to the food saver. Squee!

Black Bean Fritters

16 oz can of black beans, rinsed and drained

1/2 a red, orange, or yellow bell pepper, chopped finely 

1/4 cup of cooked corn kernels (frozen or canned)

Zest of 1 lime (Didn't have it so I left it out)

4 scallions, diced (Didn't have it so I left it out)

1/2 a cup self-rising flour or vegan pancake mix

2 tablespoons non-dairy milk

Egg replacer (enough to replace 2 eggs if vegan)

1/4 teaspoon of cumin

1/2 teaspoon of smoked paprika 

Salt

Pepper

Olive oil

Add all ingredients but olive oil together, and use a potato masher to crush the beans slightly. Let sit for about 5 minutes, and adjust the flour/pancake mix as needed (it should be neither too liquidy, nor too thick. If you need to thin it out a bit, add water or more non-dairy milk). Heat a teaspoon or so of oil in a large, non-stick skillet, and once it starts hissing and spitting like an angry ferret, turn the heat down to medium and drop the batter in by the spoonful. I like to make this 1/4 cup at a time so they're bite-sized, but make whatever size you like.

Cook until they're nice and brown on both sides, and serve hot. They're great on their own, or topped with vegan sour cream or guacamole.

Mashing it up!

All fried up!

These were much more flavorful than I thought they would be. I think I need to make them thinner next time as they were a little soft on the inside, yet crisp on the outside. These will be made again for sure as I like them a LOT more than my corn fritters I made a while back. Easy and I normally have everything the recipe calls for in my kitchen.

Until the next meal...

BFMH (and Auntie): Chocolate Banana Bread

I am so behind on the baking side of cooking. This is one of the delights I made while Auntie was is town. Here is my first ever attempt at a Banana Bread:

Chocolate Banana Bread

Ingredients

1 cup sugar

3 eggs

1/3 cup veg oil

1 and ½ cup mashed banana

1 t vanilla

1 and ½ cup flour

½ cup unsweetened baking cocoa

1 t baking soda

½ t salt

1 cup semi sweet chocolate chips

Method

Preheat oven to 350

Beat sugar, eggs, and oil together until combines. Beat in mashed bananas and vanilla. Combine flour, cocoa, baking soda, salt and chocolate chips.

Stir into wet mixture until just combined.

Spray and standard loaf size pan with non stick spray and dust with flour, then pour in batter.

Bake for 60-70 minutes until top is cracked and bread is cooked through (if you touch top of loaf and it should spring back).

Bread may also be baked in 3 small loaf pans for about 45 mines (watch though, as different pans vary)

As you can see below, I decided to make the baking time go a bit faster by dividing it into 2 standard size pans verses a single pan. This cut baking time to 30 mins

While the flavor is very nice, I would not call this banana bread. I would call this Brownie with a hint of Banana Bread. Don't get me wrong, the flavor and moistness are solid, it is just not very bananananananananay. I only had 3 bananas, so I probably missed about 1/2 a cup of the amount called for in the recipe, even then though, I don't think it would have a very strong banana flavor with 2 more bananas in it. 

I will try to make another Banana Bread here soon, but not one with competing flavors I think, as Husband really likes the fruity flavor of said dish.

A positivity check in...

While making the patches wasn't really joyful, what is a joy is the sense of accomplishment and anticipation of the event they will be worn too.

Hopeforbeer came to visit after that, and I got to make repeat dinner for the two of us. my life kicks butt. Then Doctor Who Dinner Night with Bread Pudding and Husband Brought me flowers the day after that.

More visitors from Oceanside came to visit when the Yoakem siblings and efrances's boy friend, Sig, came over for dinner. My Husband is the an amazing Host, FYI.

I got to watch The Winter Solider with Kim and her new roommate Felicia after a dinner of Stew and AMAZING Apple Streusel Pie.

Then, after much talk, we sisters three finally got going on the magic that will be our Halloween Costumes!

Love abounds to me with people traveling out of their way to come visit me or to take time out of a busy week to allow me to cook for them.

I remember in high school how I didn't think anyone actually liked me. I think that I was far to hard on my 16 year old self. I come from a family that can be critical and guilt givers so I assumed everyone functioned like that. I am enjoying being an adult and not worrying if I am too fat or ugly.

I have a husband who loves me for who I am and what I stand for, not for my physical beauty or attractiveness. Not to say he doesn't think I am beautiful and sexy, but he also thinks my mind is as well.

My friends and adopted family love me for me as well. For my humor, outrageousness, and my heartfelt companionship. I love them for what they bring to my life and the bedlam that is the world we live in today. I am blessed by the people I surround myself with, no matter if they are Christian, Atheist, Agnostic, or a whatever. I am blessed by them and our fellowship together is life, not just beliefs or religion.

I am stupid fortunate.