The difference is stunning

Well this week has flown by.  My little boy has been sick for a few days, so my usual routine has been interrupted.  I absolutely don’t mind the interruption, and like having him home with me all day again, but I just hate it when my little ones are sick California Fitness.  Since he hasn’t been eating a whole lot (sore throat), I’m so thankful to have frozen broth at the ready for both the ease and the nourishment that it can give to him.  I guess this is as good a time as any to post this recipe, then.

Making broth isn’t a new concept, but it seems as though the foodie/health world has rediscovered it lately.  There’s a good reason for that.  Making broth is simple and it offers so many healthy benefits that store-bought versions simply do not.  They also taste so much better.  Make a homemade broth and then do a taste-test with a store brand.  I have.  The difference is stunning California Fitness.

For my beef broth, I start with finding some good, properly-raised beef.  You know I’m a grass-fed beef advocate.  So, I suggest you find some grass-fed beef bones (you’ll want a mix of marrow bones and some with a bit of meat on them) to make the healthiest, most nourishing broth possible.  Soup bones can easily be found at a good co-op or grocery store, your local butcher, or from the farmers market. They’re cheap.  Sometimes they’re even labeled “pet bones”– which is kind of odd.  But trust me, they’ll make a rich broth that you’ll love.

The other ingredients you likely already have at home– carrots, celery, onion, garlic, cider vinegar, and some dried or fresh herbs.  It’s a simple process that involves roasting the bones and vegetables first– to really amp up their flavors– then simmering on the stove for hours with water, herbs, and vinegar.  The vinegar is added to, supposedly, draw out some of the minerals from the bones California Fitness.  I’ve read conflicting information on this, but I finally decided that since I love the flavor it imparts, I’m going to go with it.  Simmer this broth as long as you can.  The longer you do, the more nutrients it will draw out of the bones.

The flavor will be good after three hours, or so– but shoot for 8 or even 24, if that’s a possibility for you. Also, after simmering for about 2-3 hours, I remove the bone with meat on it, and trim the cooked meat off. I put the bone back into the broth and save the meat to use another time. At this point it hasn’t been overcooked, but it has still added plenty of flavor to the broth already. If you don’t want to bother, just leave it in the broth for the duration of the time. As long as you hit that three-hour mark, the broth will taste amazing! Use it in soups like this Paprikash that is one of our family favorites. Fill your freezer up with both this beef broth and this chicken broth for quick, healthy soups this winter.

present wrapping

I am so happy it’s the holiday season! Well, I mean, now I am, after my annual early-December freak out last night over the stress that this month brings (my busiest work month, two birthdays and Christmas all wrapped up into one not-so-calm package). But now, with the freak out officially behind me, I am ready to dive into present wrapping and cookie baking!

I started the whole holiday baking shebang with these chocolate-dipped peppermint shortbread cookies. I’m a sucker for shortbread. No, really, I kind of can’t control myself around the stuff. I decided to give my favorite shortbread recipe a holiday twist by incorporating chocolate and peppermint. The twist worked beautifully. And now there are about 30 ridiculously-adorable and delicious cookies taunting me in my kitchen.

These cookies are peppermint perfection. Even though there is peppermint in every element of the cookie, the peppermint flavor is not overpowering. The shortbread, which has just a hint of peppermint, is then dipped in high-quality dark chocolate, also sporting that peppermint hint. Top it all off with crunchy peppermint pieces and you’ve got yourself a COOKIE, filled with flavors and textures that work together oh so nicely. And they look crazy cute!

In addition to these lovely cookies, I have some lovely dishes to share with you today, too! You all know how much I love Q Squared. Well, I love them even more now that their holiday dishes are out! When I put in my order for the Winter’s Eve collection, I knew the dishes would be cute but I was not prepared for how much I would love them once I saw the dishes in person. Serious love, people.

Today we are giving away a complete set of the Winter’s Eve collection from Q Squared! One randomly-selected winner will receive 1 large platter, 1 serving bowl, 6 dinner plates, 6 tapas plates and 1 coaster set. To enter, please do the following by midnight PT on Tuesday December 9, 2014 (prize must be shipped to a US address):

Good luck with the giveaway – I wish you could all win! And now for the recipe!

my manuscript

This weekend was exhausting. Although I love consulting, and enjoy the fact that I live a creative life without being chained to a desk five days a week, sometimes my flexible schedule means I have to work nights and long weekends. I wrote a lot this weekend, so much so that all I want to do is lie supine and not write. From finalizing the final draft of my novel for submission to creating recipes for a fun work project to writing positioning and marketing copy for an appliance and a new type of agency, I’m a little spent. Exhilarated for what’s to come, but spent. So apologies for the super short post. I did want to pop in and humbling thank everyone who sent me kind notes regarding the first chapter of my new book. I’ve been tethered to these characters for so long it feels as if I’ve been writing in a black box, a box so dark no light gets in. Imagine me putting on blinders after sharing 14 pages and getting such a warm reception, suggestions from friends on editors to whom my agent should submit

Thank you! Your fist pumps mean the world and back, and then some.

So don’t mind me as I lie on the floor, spooning this guacamole into my mouth.

INGREDIENTS: Recipe from The Oh She Glows Cookbook
2 medium avocados, pitted and roughly chopped
1/2 cup finely chopped red onion (I nixed this as I don’t dig onions in my guacamole)
1 fresh mango, pitted, peeled, and finely chopped (about 1 1/2 cups)
1 1/2 cups finely chopped hulled strawberries
1/2 cup fresh cilantro leaves, roughly chopped (optional)
1 to 2 Tbsp. fresh lime juice, to taste
Fine-grain sea salt
Corn/gluten-free chips, for serving

DIRECTIONS
In a medium bowl, gently mash the avocado, leaving some chunks for texture. Rinse and drain the chopped onion (if using) in a strainer to wash off the sulfurous compounds. This makes the taste of the raw onion more pleasant. Fold the mango, strawberries, onion and cilantro (if using) into the avocado. Season with the lime juice and salt to taste.

Serve immediately with your favorite corn or pita chips. Avocado tends to spoil quickly, so leftovers won’t keep for longer than 12 hours or so. Makes 3 cups.
my manuscript, and virtual fist pumps.

quinoa salad

It is well documented that I am a woman who is not shy about eating carbs, red meat, or decadent desserts. In fact, I don’t think I have ever been shy about eating any type of food. My husband and I have a joke that we’ll try anything twice; once to try it and a second try to make sure it wasn’t a fluke, ha! That love of all things food has started to expand to things I didn’t really grow up with, like quinoa and kale. Those two ingredients have been fairly recent revelations for me and I am hooked. It’s fantastic to know that there are these amazing, healthy power foods that also are so tasty to eat. Case in point is this warm Middle Eastern quinoa salad hong kong business school. I’ve put the deep flavors of my beloved Middle Eastern cuisine into one power packed salad that acts as a complete meal.  The best part is I got it on the table in less than 30 minutes! I got a large rondeau pan on my stove and heated a dash of my favorite truffle infused olive oil in it over medium high heat. Then a big can of chickpeas went in with half of the bean liquid along with a bunch of diced up butternut squash. My little shortcut here was that I bought the butternut squash already pre-diced! I let that all simmer together for 2-3 minutes. Then I added a ton of kale, dried apricots, dried currants, garlic, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, turmeric, coriander, chopped walnuts for crunch, two different vinegars (blueberry balsamic and apple cider vinegar) for a sweet acidity and veggie stock. That all got a big old stir. How I did that without getting the mixture everywhere, I do not know. That pan was full but it all cooks down, I promise glass tea infuser pot!

I turned the heat to low and let that mixture meld together for 15 minutes to let everything get tender. Meanwhile, I made the quinoa part of the warm Middle Eastern quinoa salad. In a small pot I brought two cups of veggie stock to a boil and added a pinch of salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, turmeric and coriander to spice it up. When it was boiling I got a cup of uncooked quinoa into it and gave it a stir. Then the pot got covered and the heat was turned to low. The quinoa needed to cook for about 12-15 minutes, until the liquid was absorbed and it was tender. When it was done, I fluffed it up with a fork cloud solution.

I transferred the quinoa into the pan with the rest of the glorious warm Middle Eastern quinoa salad and gave everything a big toss. It was as easy as that! I scooped it out into big bowls and topped the salads off with roughly chopped cilantro for some extra freshness. Oh my goodness, this salad was the total package. I may sound bizarre saying this but it was meaty without having one bit of meat in it. Marc and I were stuffed just having one serving, so there were leftovers for the next day! Quick, so flavorful and really healthy…this warm Middle Eastern quinoa salad was my kind of meal!

the flavor possibilities

Oh how I love a good cocktail. No matter where I am drinking one, even if it’s on my couch, I feel like I’m somewhere special having a grand time. It could be simple like my go to Jack & Coke, or you can get fancy, like this Ginger Julep! I adore mint juleps and this one takes that classic drink and spices it up with ginger. There’s also a touch of orange juice to round out the flavors. The drink starts by making your own ginger-mint syrup. It’s really quite easy to make simple syrups and the flavor possibilities are endless. This one has mint, ginger, and orange peel. Once your syrup is ready and cooled, pour it in a glass with orange juice and good bourbon. Garnish with crushed ice and more mint and you’ve got one fancy cocktail! (Even if you’re like me and drink it on the couch in your yoga pants diabetes.)

So, how’s it taste?

I really liked the addition of ginger in this drink, but I couldn’t taste it as strong as I wanted to. I really wanted to be slapped in the face with that spicy ginger goodness. So next time, I’m going to amp up the ginger in the syrup big time. Even though the ginger wasn’t so prominent, I loved this drink. I added a bit more orange juice to mine because what does slap you in the face is the bourbon. I love me some bourbon, but it was too strong for my taste. So in my cocktail I added another tablespoon of the ginger-mint syrup and a few more splashes of o.j. Perfect! I’ll be sipping on this baby come gameday…which we we are sooooo close to football season! Squee company seal hong kong!

Anyone watching Orange is the New Black? I think I’m the last person to catch on to it, but it’s awesome! The characters are so over-the-top ridiculous and the stuff that happens to the main character is so funny. It does have its touching moments telling the backstory of each inmate. It also has some Whoa simmer down! moments since it’s not on regular TV. I hate when shows on those networks push it too far because they can. I don’t need to see an image of a hoo-haa to get the storyline about an image of a hoo-haa. Okay? I’m almost finished with the first season and I’ll be binge-watching the second. What are you watching these days Gemstone jewelry?