Kale Fried Rice

This dish was inspired by leftover rice in the fridge.  It was my first time making fried rice and I'm going to keep this recipe in my main rotation because it is very adaptable.

  Exact recipes are great, but I also like to wing it and know that it's going to come out delicious every single time.  For this variation I chose kale, carrots, and red bell pepper. But you can choose whatever ingredients you want to use.  Make it your own. 

Right now kale is my go to girl.  I am completely infatuated and obsessed.  I find myself only wanting to look up kale recipes, but I am trying to exercise will power.  Now is not the time to churn out kale salad after kale salad (Note- if I wasn't concerned with boring people to death on this blog, I totally would).  Now is the time to expand my horizons.  Soo I present to you a non-salad kale dish.  #compromise

Also I have shared a few dessert recipes as of late so I feel I owe you guys something savory and healthy.

Adios for now! 

Kale Fried Rice
Slightly adapated from cookieandkate.com

• 2 tbsp. vegetable oil
• 2 eggs beaten 
• 2-3 cloves of garlic, finely minced
• 1 bell pepper thinly sliced
• 2-3 carrots finely sliced
• 1-2 bunches of lacinato kale*
• 1/4 tsp. sea salt
• 2- 2 1/2 cups cooked and chilled rice
• 1 tbsp. soy sauce
• 2 tsp. chili garlic sauce
• 1 lime cut into wedges 
• Optional: Fresh cilantro for garnish 

*Lacinato kale is smooth as opposed to it's curly sister.  It's my personal favorite, but both will work fine in this recipe.  Against my better judgment I used only 1 bunch of kale. Use two if you're like me and you like a sea of green when you look at your plate. 

Directions

1.  Heat a large frying pan or wok over medium heat with 1 tsp. of oil. Pour in the eggs and stir continuously until you have scrambled eggs.  Remove from pan and store in a bowl off to the side.  Wipe out the pan to clean it and then place one tbsp. of oil into the pan.  Add the garlic, carrots, and bell peppers (or whatever veggies you choose: onions, mushrooms, zucchini etc).  Cook until the veggies are tender.  Add the kale and 1/4 tsp. of salt.  Once kale has wilted, add the veggies to your bowl with the eggs.

2.  Add 2 tsp. of oil to the pan once again and pour in the rice.  Stir until rice is evenly reheated and hot.  Add 1 tbsp. soy sauce and 2 tsp. chili garlic sauce and stir.  Add veggies and eggs, stirring until everything is evenly incorporated. Serve with fresh lime on the side and cilantro on the top. 

Maine Molasses Blueberry Cake!

I LOVE THIS CAKE!!

It is a very special recipe from Chris' (my boyfriend) family; it's his grandmother's recipe to be exact. The first time I had it was last summer when I was visiting with his family and I was instantly hooked. And when I found out it was a family recipe? I died.  There is something about recipes passed down from generation to generation that is so sweet and comforting to me.  When I made this cake a few days ago I was instantly brought back to all the good times I have had visiting his family last summer.  I know people say baking is a stress reliever or they bake when they're homesick and it's no wonder why.  Food has such a strong tie to memories and places.  It made me happy to make this cake as a tribute to the good times I had visiting and getting to know Chris' family. And then to be able to share that with my family?  Well, that was the icing on the cake.

{//     Not that this cake has icing!!! (see corny joke below)  //}

This cake is perfect because it can be eaten at anytime. What constitutes as a cake that can be eaten whenever, you ask?  No frosting.  No frosting on cake= free pass! Kiddinggg but behind every joke is a little bit of truth, right?

What is so great about this cake?  Well missy or mister.. it has a pronounced gingerbread flavor with sweet blueberries that keep it light and summery. And that's all you need to know.  It is simple and delicious. It is made in a 9 x 13 pan so invite some friends over for coffee and share the love.  {truthfully I can imagine this cake eaten in a variety of scenarios but that is my #1 all time, hands down favorite suggestion and way to dream up serving... Coffee +Friends}

Little squares of love in my mouth

Chris said he could tell I liked it a lot because I kept going back for little slivers at a time.  Oops.  It's true.. I'm a picker.  Especially if I think its really really goood.


Lastly, I'm not going to type out this recipe because I have a picture of the original recipe Chris' mom uses from a community cookbook that Chris' grandmother submitted this recipe to.  I love how worn it is and I think you guys will appreciate this more than me typing it out.

Nom nom nom.

Happy 4th of July & Brenda Sues

I hope everyone has a great 4th of July tomorrow!  Today I come to you with one of my family's favorite desserts.  I like to call em' Brenda Sues after my dear momma, but versions of this recipe are floating around everywhere, so call it what you please.  

While some recipes are a labor of love-- you know, the ones that take forever but they're worth every tedious second?-- well.. this isn't one of those. It will probably take you 15 minutes from start to finish. But hey, didn't you learn not to judge a recipe by it's time? It's plenty delicious and I promise you'll love it.  And here's why: 

1.  It's Easy.  Your 4th grade cousin could make this all by him/herself.

2.  It's Striking.  Layered desserts always look so grandiose, no?

3.  I like it even more the next day.  This is because you'll hit little dissolved nuggets of meringue cookie and oh/my/word.  It's my favorite part. 

4.  It's theme-y.  I love love love food that matches whatever holiday is going on at the moment. And you should too. 

This isn't just a 4th of July recipe however.  This is a make-it-anytime-you-want-recipe.  In my family we typically make it all summer long with only strawberries, but use whatever you'd like.  You can't go wrong.  Don't you just love when you find recipes like that?

So in conclusion, make this recipe sometime this summer! It's a real gem.

Brenda Sues

From my mom

• 1 pint of heavy whipping cream 
• 1 container of strawberries
• 1 pint of blueberries
• 1 tub of meringue cookies [we like vanilla]

1.  Pour heavy whipping cream into a bowl and beat on medium/high speed until cream starts to get thick and turns into whipped cream.

2.  Crush meringue cookies into whipped cream and gently fold to mix well.

3.  Get out a glass and layer in this order until dish is full: sliced strawberries, blueberries, whipped cream mixture

4.  Garnish with a strawberry

Next year I'm totally making a flag cake!