Tennessee (There Ain't No Place I'd Rather Be)

I have been kind of MIA this past week, because I have been busy exploring Tennessee with the family.  My sister Leiah goes to PA school in Memphis, and my cousin August goes to Pharmacy school in Nashville.

After a random conversation with Leiah about a month ago, I had a spur of the moment decision to buy a plane ticket.  I have spent the last week in Nashville/Memphis eating and walking and drinking and shopping.  Wow, are those my favorite things or what?!

Anyone from the Midwest knows that this winter has been BRUTAL.  So, a little break from bitter cold was fabulous.

It was mid 50s-60s the whole time.  Yay!

Also, right when I arrived in Nash, I was promptly greeted with a cheese platter from Gus, haha. :)  Me + Vacations = free for all.  I don't really like to eat healthy when I'm anywhere but where I live.  WHO CARES. Gotta live a little, right?

We had some quality family time, and my friend Lindsey came to visit since she lives in Atlanta now.  I killed 3 birds with one stone in this trip.

Gus showed us around downtown that night, and we went to a bar called Losers.  Apparently Sam Hunt goes there from time to time and he is one of my favorite, new Country singers.  Plus, he's really good looking, so that doesn't hurt.  They had live music there, and the drummer was wearing a Packer shirt, so of course we started a "Go Pack Go" chant.

The next day we went around to Broadway where all the fun happens.

Love this sign at Biscuit Love Brunch

This picture was at Honkey Tonk Central, which is 3 stories and had balconies so we could be outside.  Also, if you didn't know, it isn't illegal to smoke in bars here, so it was nice to get some fresh air.  It was so weird to see/smell when you're so used to not being around that. Yuck.  

The rest of the week Leiah and I spent together doing random/fun stuff.  We made sushi and watch The Bachelor, of course. I still can't even talk about how annoyed I am with the new season of The Bachelorette...ABC fail.

Where was Matt Neary when you need him to roll?

Lei and I got massages, did some exploring, went to the zoo.  I don't think I have ever seen a panda so this was a big deal.

Jelly Belly collection dedicated to Ashlie Jones, duh.

Downtown Memphis

How cute is this?!

I had tons of fun and it was so nice to have a relaxing little week.  I can't wait to come back and visit! 

PIZZA.

It's time for a crowd pleasing favorite: pizza.

Of course, I'm going to ruin the fun and tell you about a healthier way to make this pizza.

I made a cauliflower crust.  I was absolutely skeptical about this, because who wants a pizza crust made out of a vegetable? Not me.

However, I've seen a million recipes online, so I figured I might as well give it a try.  Here is where I found mine.

After making this recipe, I have a few comments.

First, HOLY COW.  It was AMAZING.  I was so surprised.  It's one of those situations where you don't expect it to taste as good as the original, but it did.  And, it was SO simple to make.  How great is that?!

Seriously, I'm getting hungry just thinking about it.

Second, it makes A LOT.  I would recommend making half the recipe, so that's what I'll include down below.  If you'd like the two pans of it, then go ahead and make the original! I just personally did not need that much.  However, I definitely finished it all anyway.  (over the span of a couple days, not all in one sitting)

Third, I made both the pizza option and the cheesy "bread" option, because I had so much.  I, myself, preferred the cheese bread option the best.  I don't know why, I just like it much better. I can't explain that one.  Pizza, though, you can add your own toppings.  So, that's definitely a close second.

Lastly, almost every recipe I have seen for cauliflower crust calls for using a cheese cloth to ring out the moisture from the cauliflower.  This helps the crust become more crisp.  I chose the lazy route with this recipe and refrained from buying a cheese cloth. I would recommend doing this, however, because I know it will help get that texture!

I am planning on buying a cheese cloth or a nut milk bag asap, though.  I am dying to make my own cheese from almonds and make homemade almond milk.  I'm super cool and exciting.

Anyway, here is the result/recipe!!!! ENJOY

Cauliflower Crust

• 2 Cups cauliflower, riced in a food processor (about 1/2 head cauliflower)
• 2 Eggs
• 1 Cup shredded Mozzarella Cheese 
• 1 1/2 tsp Oregano
• 2 Cloves of garlic, minced
• salt & pepper, to taste
• 1/2-1 Cup shredded Mozzarella Cheese to top
• Optional: veggies for pizza, marinara (desired amount) 

1.  Preheat oven to 425.  Prepare pizza pans with parchment paper

2.  Add roughly chopped cauliflower florets to food processor and pulse until rice-like texture

3.  Put in microwave safe container with a lid and microwave for about 6-8 minutes

4.  Once microwaved, place cauliflower in a large bowl, and add eggs, mozzarella, oregano, garlic, and salt and pepper.  

5.  Place mixture on pans and shape into pizza or breadstick form.

6.  Bake for 25 min., or until golden brown. Once golden, sprinkle with remaining cheese and bake for 5 more minutes if doing cheese bread.  If doing pizza, top with marinara, toppings, and cheese.  

I topped my pizza with some spinach

Welcome to March

**Written while binge watching The Walking Dead**

It's finally March!

That means a few things.  My social media gets bombarded by March Madness talk, Shamrock Shakes are back, Girl Scouts will tempt you with cookies, and most importantly, Spring is approaching.  I can start to slowly switch my coffee to iced.

Newest obsession: Chai Tea Lattes
I tried the Starbucks one a couple months ago, and I am HOOKED.  If you have never tried one, they are creamy, warm spicy drink.  Highly recommend.  I like to buy from local, small businesses, and Moka is pretty amazing.

Craving one now.

Since, ya know, the seasons are starting to change, I'm trying to spruce up my breakfast situation.

My quest for a healthy lifestyle is forcing me to be creative and stuff.

I have major culinary skills now, because I finally learned how to poach an egg.

This was my biggest accomplishment of the day, considering it was my lazy day off work.

I bought some gluten free English muffins.  Yum! Maybe it's sad that these types of things make me excited, whatever.

My little creation today was delicioso.

If you've never poached an egg before, it's pretty simple.

Fill a sauce pan or a skillet with 2-3 inches of water and bring to a boil.  Reduce to a simmer.  Use a spoon to create a "whirlpool" in the pan.  Break egg into a small bowl, and pour in close to the water's surface, in the center of the whirlpool.  Cook for 3-5 minutes, and use a slotted spoon to remove from the water.

Easy!

I just topped a toasted English muffin with spinach, sliced tomato, egg and some salt and pepper.  

*Optional add-ons: cheese, avocado slices, hollandaise, HoT sAuCe, that's all I've got for you.  

NYFW Favorites

New York Fashion Week was last week, and I'm a little behind.

There was one trend that I am really loving right now.  Sometimes when it comes to fashion, I see styles that I wouldn't necessarily wear, but I can appreciate it anyway.

Not every personality or body type can pull off every style or clothing trend, so it's important to find out what works for you.

My cousin, Jacquelyn, came over a couple days before fashion week wearing an adorable outfit, so I was really excited to see it was a big trend.

How precious is she?!

Oh, by the way, the big trend was OUTERWEAR.

I love coats and jackets and fur.  It's fun to see how other people put together outfits.  

Here are some of my favorites that I saw :

BBC & Sweet Potato Tacos

**Written while watching The Chew**

I made these Black Bean and Corn Sweet Potato Tacos the other day, and it was a major learning experience.

Like I said in a previous post, I am not perfect when it comes to making certain recipes, but I learn from them and adjust along the way.

I found this a long time ago and finally got around to making it.  I am a huge fan of sweet potatoes, and I had never tried them until high school.  We had them at lunch one day and I was so confused by them and didn't even know how to eat them.  But, you can make them so many different ways, so it's awesome!!

I tried to make my own gluten free tortillas for them and failed HORRIBLY.  The recipes I tried were terrible and basically made the consistency of silly putty.  I was extremely frustrated.  I gave up and went to the grocery store (it was -10 this day) and bought the best kind of whole wheat I could find.  SO, if anyone has a great gluten free tortilla/wrap recipe, please let me know!!!  (I tried one that worked, but it tasted too much like egg, so I won't be using that again)

Then, I made the meal and struggled a bit with that, too.

First, they say to bake the sweet potatoes for only 15-20 minutes! I should have realized this was not enough time to make sure they are tender anyway, but I didn't.  They were NOT.  I would recommend maybe double the amount of time, around 40 minutes.  However, I was already making the other ingredients while it was baking/really hungry, so I sucked it up and ate them anyway.  They were kind of hard, but oh well.

Either way, these were really great and I topped them with hot sauce and avocado.  For a lighter cheese option, I do recommend feta.  It is delicious and flavorful, so you really don't need a lot anyway.

This made a good amount of food, so there was plenty for leftovers, and it's very easy to make!

LOTS of hot sauce because I love the spice!

Style Watch: Oscar Edition

I'm finally writing about something other than food! I didn't know it was possible, but the Oscars happened and I felt it was a good time.

I have never been a huge "award show season" person, but this year I watched practically all of them.

The only reason I really watch them besides the fashion is to see Taylor Swift's dance moves, and she never disappoints.

Since T-Swift wasn't at the Oscars, I'll stick to the dresses I loved or loathed.

Picking a favorite is so hard.  I over think it, because I love fashion and seeing what everyone chooses.

It might be a 3 way tie for me.  I can't just choose one! Here are my top 3

Rosamund Pike just killed it.

My picks for worst dressed:

Some worst dressed weren't even worth mentioning. i.e. Lady Gaga

Honorable Mention-Dresses I also loved:

I have a short attention span, so I don't like to write a whole lot sometimes, because I normally just skim things myself anyway.  So, sorry for the limited context.

But I'll leave you with this picture I saw tonight:

TGIF!

It's Friday! I decided to switch up my usual breakfast today for something more exciting, because it's the end of the week.  

On a typical morning, I have two eggs scrambled with a handful of spinach.  Kind of boring, but I actually crave it, oddly enough.  

I don't know why I already had a picture of this...it wasn't planned

BUT, today I did something different! *woah* Strawberries are currently on sale at the Co-Op for $1.99! So, in true Kirsty fashion, I bought them just because they were on sale and not because I actually needed them.  

I made PANCAKES.  Yum.  I used to make them all the time and haven't had them in a while, so I thought, I need to use up my last banana and I have strawberries so, why not?

Yum yum yum yum.

I have TWO variations because I have made them different ways before.

1: 

• 1 ripe banana
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup oats
• splash of vanilla
• cinnamon

blend in a food processor until smooth! 

2:

Found here

I do everything a little different, 'cause that's just me.  I don't have any pure maple syrup.  Sadly, the kind I bought was purchased almost 2 years ago, so it has tons of gross stuff in it, and I should probably just throw it away.  Here's what I did:

I used the second recipe this time.  Made the pancakes with my protein powder, not the one listed.  Because it's me, I accidentally got some egg yolk in there. Oops!  I topped it with sliced strawberries, banana, unsweetened coconut flakes (I think I'm obsessed with coconut), and blue agave nectar.  

Happiness

Seriously delicious and eaten in 1 minute.  

And of course, my coffee: Hazelnut with a splash of almond milk and honey in the super cute mug I got from my cousin, Andrea, for Christmas. 

Ok, I'm going to go back to doing productive things now like my laundry or eating leftover Valentine's Day chocolates.