My Twenty-Something Friend: Jennifer Juni

IT'S THAT TIME AGAIN!! Can we just say we LOVE this series!?

Jenny, Whitney and I grew up together in a northern Minnesota! Jenny is a fellow wedding photographer like myself; we have always bonded over photography and trying to live life to the fullest! This girl is a GEM! I am so happy she is with us today sharing this A-MAZ-ING recipe. 

One Bowl Brownies

I got this recipe from my Aunt Karen when I was out in Fremont, California last January. Joel LOVES brownies and this is his FAVORITE brownie recipe ever! They are best when topped with ice cream or eaten with a cold glass of milk!

Ingredients:

4 Baker's Squares
3/4 Cups of butter or margarine (I've made it with both, they're both wonderful)
2 cups of sugar
3 eggs
1 tsp of vanilla
1 cup of flour
About 1/2 cup of chocolate chips

How to:

-Heat oven to 350 degrees.
-Microwave Baker's Squares and butter/margarine for 2 minutes or until melted and pour into mixing bowl.
-Stir in sugar and blend with electric mixer. Stir in eggs and vanilla. Mix in flour until well blended.
-Spread mixture in a greased 9x13 pan.
-Sprinkle chocolate chips on top.
-Bake for 30-35 minutes (I pull them out when they're still a little soft in the middle, they end up being the perfect amount of chewiness.)

Joel suggests you take a shot of insulin after eating them

I hope you enjoy!

Love,
-Jennifer



THANKS JENNY!!
-Beth & Whit

Better Call Popeye.. I see Spinach

Don't know what to with the last of your spinach that's going bad? I DO! This short recipe will help you use that last bit of the bag of  fresh spinach.

 WARM SPINACH SIDE DISH:

So this is it- grab some fresh minced garlic toss it in a pan with olive oil, let it heat for a few minutes. Stir in a few hand fulls of spinach until it cooks down (for about 2-3 minutes). That's all!! So easy and a great side dish for any dinner you have planned. 

It's really good too!!

Happy Cooking!

Love-
Bethany

Mini Stuffed Peppers

Hi friends! My hubster Ryan bought all these mini sweet peppers because he is on a Mexican food kick. we had a lot left that needed to be used up quickly and I had always wanted to try stuffed peppers. I didn't follow a recipe, I just winged it. They turned out awesome!

MINI STUFFED PEPPERS:

Small sweet peppers (I had about 15)

1 cup quinoa

1/2  cup tomatoes, diced

1/2 cup cooked corn

1/2 cup black beans

1 cup salsa

1/2 cup Mexican cheese

1 jalapeno, diced

1/2 Tbsp hot sauce 

Cilantro to taste

Salt & pepper to taste

First cook the quinoa according to package directions. If you haven't used quinoa before I highly recommend you start eating it. Quinoa is high in protein and is very good for you. It cooks in about 10-12 minutes.

Wash the peppers, cut the tops off, and hollow out all of the seeds. Set aside. 

Mix cooked quinoa, tomatoes, corn, beans, jalapeno, hot sauce, salt, and pepper in a large a big bowl. 

Next, take the quinoa mixture and start stuffing the peppers. Place in a non-greased baking dish and top with cheese and bake at 350 degrees for about 20 minutes.

Add cilantro to the top each pepper, serve with salsa and enjoy!  

-Bethany

Make Ahead Breakfast Sandwiches

When time is short twenty-somethings often turn to expensive alternatives for convenience.

I had a roommate who worked a physically demanding job in the summer and he needed a hot breakfast and coffee to start his day. Rather than waste precious sleeping hours making breakfast in the morning he chose to grab a fast-food sausage and egg sandwich several days a week on his way to work.

The idea of fast food makes me cringe but I knew my rommate was pressed for time and energy.  In an effort to help him save time I suggested that he buy the breakfast sandwiches in the frozen food section.  After looking at the price in the grocery store and asking him what he spent on the fast-food sandwiches, I decided I could make them ahead of time myself for less money, preservatives, and calories.

McDonald's Breakfast Sandwiches

{Bacon, Egg, and Cheese Biscuit}

420 Calories
$3.15 a sandwich

Holiday Gas Station Breakfast Sandwiches

{Sausage, Egg, and Cheese Muffin}

390 Calories
$2.20 a sandwich

Jimmy Dean Breakfast Sandwiches 

{Sausage, Egg, and Cheese Muffin}

350 Calories
$6.10 for 4 sandwiches or $1.53 a sandwich

Homemade Breakfast Sandwiches

{Bacon, Egg, and Cheese Muffin}

287 Calories
$14.25 for 12 sandwiches or $1.19 a sandwich

FACT:  If you had the homemade sandwiches 4 days a week, in one year you would have saved:

$400 and 27,664 calories over McDonald's 

$210 and 21,400 calories over Holiday Gas Station

$70 and 13,100 calories over Jimmy Dean 

DIY Tastier, Cheaper, and Healthier Breakfast Sandwiches

Yields a dozen sandwiches.

1 dozen eggs

1/2-3/4 lb of bacon (12 slices)

1 brick of cheddar

2 packages of English muffins

Cooking spray

Plastic wrap

Gallon plastic bags

Fry bacon in a pan over medium heat.  Remove and pat dry with a paper towel. Set aside.

Lightly coat a new frying pan with cooking spray or a little leftover bacon grease. Warm on a medium stove until a drop of water sizzles lightly. Crack eggs into frying pan so that they have room to cook evenly, 3 eggs is typical for most pans.

Cook eggs until the whites start to turn opaque on the underside, lightly break the yokes on top so that they mix with the whites. Once you can cleanly put a spatula under the eggs, flip them and cook for a few more minutes until they are no longer runny.

While the second side of the egg is cooking put a few slices of cheese on top of each egg. When the egg is done and the cheese is slightly melted remove them from the pan to cool on a plate.  Repeat until you have the full dozen cooked.

Slice English muffins. Layer the cooled egg and cheese with a split slice of bacon between the muffin slices.

Once the sandwiches have cooled significantly (this prevents freezer burn) wrap each individual sandwich with plastic wrap.  Place them in quart freezer bags and freeze for up to two months.

To prepare, unwrap the sandwich from the plastic wrap (save for the next batch to avoid waste) and wrap in a single paper towel. Microwave on high for one minute.  Enjoy!

Here's hoping you can save some money, time, and taste buds by making your breakfasts homemade ahead of time!

Love for all-

Whit

Fancy Ramen

You read it right.  Fancy Ramen is the perfect food bridge between your college days and your adult days. Using leftover staples and some inexpensive additional ingredients you can dress up this noodle soup in a flash and for cheap.  

Bethany and I were shopping for one of our cooking extravaganzas and brainstorming ways to save money. Ryan (Beth's husband) mentioned that he was looking for ways to use up the bean sprouts he'd used for stir fry.  I recommended Fancy Ramen, a dish I dreamed up when I was fantisizing about take-out but still learning the ins and outs of bills and stretching a budget. The only ingredient we didn't have were radishes and I've incorporated them into my salads and sandwiches at lunch this week to make sure they don't go to waste.

I don't know about you, but Bethany's pictures of the radishes leave me hopeful for spring...which will not arrive for several weeks here in Minnesnowta.

Fancy Ramen

Serves 1

1 package of Top Ramen (I like Oriental)
1 radish, sliced
1 Tbls of cilantro leaves
1 lime wedge
1/2 a handful of bean sprouts
1 Tbls of green or red onion, sliced
Desired amount of shrimp, chicken, beef, or egg (for added protein; we all know ramen isn't that healthy)

Prepare ramen as directed.  If you choose to add egg to your noodle soup crack the egg open in a separate bowl to avoid shells and add directly to boiling water with almost cooked noodles.  Stir and break until well cooked and combined.

Prepare meat separately. You can slice and fry left over stir fry steak, bake and shred a chicken breast, or cook shrimp in a little olive oil.

Pour ramen into a bowl and top with meat, radish, cilantro, bean sprouts, onion, and a squeeze of lime. Stir in ingredients to warm them.  Add soy sauce or my favorite, Sriracha, for added flavor.

It may not be as authentic as take-out but it is cheaper and still mighty delicious. I hope you enjoy reliving your college days but with a little more class.

Love for all-

Whitney

HOW TO: Dice an Onion

Bethany and I are excited to start yet another ongoing series.  As Twenty-Somethings we are just getting started with our cooking adventures and it is important to learn some basic techniques and procedures.  We hope our How To segments bring you some tricks to use in your own kitchen.

How To: Dice an Onion

1. Cut off one end of the onion.  

2. Peel off outer layer.  

3. Score across and through the onion five times from the cut end down to the non-cut end.  Do not cut all the way through as the non-cut end will hold the onion in place while you slice.  

4. Turn onion 90 degrees and repeat Step 3 so the onion is scored almost all the way through in a grid like pattern. 

5.  Hold onion at the non-cut end and slice off desired thickness of onion all the way back to the end of the onion.  

6. Chop any larger pieces down and voila! You have quickly and evenly chopped any onion! 

See pictures below for extra guidance in this tutorial. 

Homemade Vanilla Extract

My mom made homemade vanilla extract for Christmas presents this year, and I fell in love with them! What a great idea for gifts! I was thinking that  it would be a cute party favor idea. It's really easy to make and you will impress all your friends!

HOMEMADE VANILLA EXTRACT:

3 vanilla beans, split in half with the ends still attached
1 cup vodka
glass jar with tight fitting lid

In a small saucepan over medium flame, heat vodka. Place split vanilla beans in a jar with a tight fitting lid and pour heated vodka over to cover.  Allow to cool completely before putting the lid on.  Screw on lid and store in a dark, cool place for 8 weeks (give jar a shake every week). Mixture will get darker and darker over time.

Why not give it a go!
-Bethany