Homemade Protein Bars + A Havasupai Hike

I’m not going to rehash my constant struggle of healthy eating and weight loss with you. I’m certain we’ve discussed that topic before. But one thing I will mention, and surely I’m not the only one in a constant diet cycle who feels this way, is how much I loathe store bought protein bars. Somehow though, they’re always a staple on my grocery list and they can always be found in my desk drawer at work. But just as certain as this, is the fact that you will almost always find the opened wrapper still gripping to half of that partially eaten protein bar. In the trash bin. You see, I have a very hard time choking the whole dry and mealy thing down.

Fresh Fig Bruschetta

Let’s talk about simplicity. It can be used to describe so many different facets of life and it’s something I strive for in almost each and every one of them. Simplicity in the way I dress, the overall design and aesthetic of my home, my weekly schedule, and even in my morning routine.

Knock You Naked Brownies

If you knew me well, you would know that I can almost always relate a life experience to an episode of Friends.  It’s one of my many valuable and indispensable traits.  Quoting one-liners from Ross, Rachel, Chandler, Joey, Monica or Phoebe has become almost a pastime for my family.  We do it so often, in fact, that it has really become second nature.  It’s scary sometimes.  Perhaps though, it’s because I can relate to those characters so much, especially Monica with her obsessive behavior and OCD like qualities where everything has to be in its place and freakishly clean.  Yep.  That’s me.

There is one particular episode where Monica physically exhausts herself to make the apartment guest ready, complete with a presentation of baked goods, and as the other Friends arrive, she proclaims in a voice of exasperation, yet contentment “I’m always the hostess.”  Well, that’s me too.  I feel such a burning need to provide and impress guests sometimes that it can become overwhelming and stressful.  I know I’m not alone in these emotions, but even when I tell myself that there is simply not enough time or resources to project the welcoming I intend to, my need to be a good hostess almost always takes over. 

Cheesy Zucchini and Red Onion Flatbread

A weird thing happens when you become involved in the catering business.  You begin to hate, detest, even loathe your own food.  After week in and week out of making the same things over and over, the monotony of it all starts to get to you.  Tasting the same flavors, sniffing the same smells- it can become almost unbearable.  There was a time when I truly felt that if I had to look at even one more crab cake or caramel bar, I might just lose it.

Luckily for me, I’ve been out of the catering grind for almost a year and a half now, and oddly enough, I’ve been finding myself craving some of those dishes that I at one point used to abhor.  Crab cakes are once again becoming desirable.  I enjoyed making that batch of caramel bars a few weeks ago.  As of last week, I even succumbed to my craving for Cheesy Zucchini and Red Onion Flatbread.

Homemade Mac & Cheese (with Bacon and Tuffle Oil)

It came to my attention last week that I had never attempted to make Homemade Mac and Cheese.  My mom had asked me if I had a good recipe that I could share with her.  She was wanting to make Mac and Cheese as a dish to take along with her to a weekend get together at her friend’s lake house.  I racked my brain (I have a complex filing system stored up there) and came up short.  I had nothing.  Is this right?  Is this true?  But how can that be?  How is it that I have never melted cheddar into a creamy base and stirred in pasta to culminate in a gooey, cheesy, comforting dish that almost everyone has grown up on in some form of the matter?  I guess Velveeta had sufficed for the last 27 years.  That is, until now.

Once I realized that I didn’t have a macaroni and cheese recipe in my repertoire to pass along to my mom, my first instinct was to reference The Pioneer Woman.  I guess I just figured that a woman who has based her blogging career on cooking down-home, family friendly, comfort food should probably have a stellar Mac and Cheese recipe.  It wasn’t but a day later when my mom reported back to me its success and popularity.  It was a winner according to her.