Chicken Tacos

So, is anyone else tired of February? I am getting more and more drained by the freezing cold and non-stop snow. The days are still long and I am living in winter boots and knit sweaters. Because I am ready for some warm days I decided it was summer today and I made a great summer meal: Spicy Chicken Tacos. So. Good.

MID WINTER PICK ME UP TACOS:

2- Chicken breasts

1- Cup rice

1- Can black beans

1/4- Cup onion

1- Cup salsa

Green, Yellow and Jalapeno peppers to taste

1- Tbsp chopped cilantro

1- Tbsp lime juice

6- Mini soft tortilla shells

Recipe takes about 25-30 min cook time. 

Follow instructions on label to make rice. After you have made your rice, add the cilantro and lime juice to it, mix well and set aside. 

While the rice is cooking boil chicken in water until it is white all the way through (fully cooked). Shred the chicken with two forks and place in a bowl with the cup of salsa, set aside. Cut up all of your veggies, place them in a heated skilled and add the chicken and remaining salsa. Cook for about 5-10 minutes, you want your chicken to stay juicy so don't over cook. 

Simmer your black beans in a pot until warm (this is only takes a few minutes). Then take your tortilla and heat for a few seconds on each side in a dry skillet on the stove top to get them extra soft. Annnnd you're done! Pile the rice, beans and chicken onto a tortilla and enjoy!

Note: Use what you have in your kitchen, if you have extra stuff laying around that you know would go great in tacos use it! Have fun and experiment with cooking! Thats the beauty of it! It can be what you want it to be!!

Love-

Bethany 

Sippin' on Gin and Juice

Did I say that I love grapefruit? Well, I do! That's why we are putting out a bonus post.  I hope you got a lot of grapefruit for your salad yesterday because you are going to want to try this drink! The citrus blast will have you laid back, with your mind on your money and your money on your mind.

Laid Back Gin and Grapefruit Cocktail

4 oz of London dry gin
6 oz freshly squeezed grapefruit juice

Pour juice and gin into a shaker with ice and shake.  If desired, rim a glass with sugar and fill with ice.  Poor mixture over ice and enjoy!

Love for all-
Whitney

Salad with a Grapefruit Vinaigrette

I love grapefruit! This citrus fruit is packed with tons of vitamin C and is currently in peak season.  (While you may not be able to get it locally grown where you live, like me, it is better for the environment than buying an off season fruit.)  While the tartness of grapefruit is always good sprinkled with sugar it can be fun to pair with unexpected savory flavors to add a kick to your regular winter food routine.


Making your own salad dressing is a good way to save money and calories.  Vinaigrettes are the easiest to make and are often times better for you than the ranch you are used to grabbing. The great thing about vinaigrettes is you can wing it with whatever seasonings best fit your salad; just remember the 3 to 1 ratio of oil to vinegar/citrus.  My twist on the classic French vinaigrette will have you seeing grapefruit in a whole new light.

Leafy Salad with Grapefruit Vinaigrette

Mixed greens
Feta cheese
1 ruby red grapefruit
1 Tbls balsamic vinegar
6 Tbls extra virgin olive oil
1 Tbls poppy seeds
Salt and pepper to taste

Cut your grapefruit in half (along the "equator") and slice and remove sections of grapefruit, set aside. Squeeze juice from grapefruit halves and portion out one tablespoon.  In a small bowl, combine the tablespoon of grapefruit juice, balsamic vinegar, olive oil, poppy seeds, salt, and pepper.  Whisk together and let sit for 30 minutes.

Top mixed greens with grapefruit segments and feta cheese. Give the vinaigrette a final whisk and lightly drizzle over the salad.  Make sure to refrigerate any remaining dressing.

Enjoy!

Love for all-
Whit

Smoothie

 I am SO pumped to show you this recipe I made up! Woot, woot. One of my good friends Kerry is always saying, "OHHH YUUUP," when something is really, really good. So that is what I named this really, really delicious smoothie. 

OH YUUUP SMOOTHIE:

1-Banana 

1-Cup frozen berries

1- Cup greek yogurt

1- Tbsp lemon juice

1/4- Cup protein powder

1 1/2- Orange Juice

Delicately take the banana with one hand, from the top of the banana and start to peel the outer layer off. When you have successfully done this,  get your best knife and cut the peeled banana in three or four parts, place banana in a clean blender. Next, remove the frozen berries from the freezer, with both hands open the plastic bag, without freezing yourself remove the berries and place into the blender. When getting the greek yogurt of the refrigerator you want to be sure you don't hit your head on the top of the refrigerator, this can cause a lot of pain to the back of your head and may induce lots of profanity. After you have been cleared from the refrigerator you may add the greek yogurt to the blender. When I say "lemon juice" I don't mean buy an already juiced lemon, I mean go to the market, buy the prettiest lemon, take it home and spend the time juicing a tablespoon of fresh lemon juice, this will make or break your smoothie, trust me on this. Put Protein powder in blender. The orange juice can often times be the hardest part of making a smoothie, sometimes it takes two or three tries to open the bottle of orange juice, it's always a good idea to have a friend or neighbor around just in case this task can be overwhelming for you. Use the resources around you to help you create and enjoy this amazing and life changing "OH YUUUP" smoothie. 

hahahaha
-Bethany :)

Boozy Chocolate Cupcakes {Valentine's Day}

This Valentine's Day Beth and I decided to bring you two posts to capture the various relationship statuses that are held by twenty-somethings.  Bethany brought you a post about cooking with your special someone (because she has the best husband ever) and I am bringing you a recipe that ends in chocolate and a lot of left over Irish booze (because I have cats).

This is a recipe for decadent chocolate, stout cupcakes filled with a whiskey ganache and topped with an Irish crème frosting.  This recipe may seem more appropriate for St. Patrick’s Day but trust me, the chocolate and liquor are more suitable for the single guys and gals struggling through all the romance Valentine’s brings. 

These cupcakes might set you back a little bit in price but just think of all the money you save not having a significant other.  So go ahead, splurge on this decadent chocolate treat and some Fancy Feast for your cat(s).  You won’t have to share the left over Bailey’s with anyone but yourself! 

Valentine's Cupcakes for the Single Twenty-Something

Yields 20 to 24 cupcakes

Cupcakes

1 cup of stout (I prefer the traditional Guinness)

1 cup (2 sticks) of unsalted butter

¾ cup unsweetened cocoa powder

2 cups all purpose flour

2 cups sugar

1 ½ tsp baking soda

¾ tsp salt

2 large eggs

2/3 cup sour cream

Ganache Filling

8 oz bittersweet chocolate

2/3 cup heavy cream

2 Tbls butter, room temperature

2 tsps Irish whiskey (Jameson, anyone?)

Bailey’s Frosting

3 to 4 cups powder sugar

1 stick unsalted butter, room temperature

3-4 Tbls Bailey’s Irish Crème

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line 24 cupcake cups with liners.  

Bring stout and butter to simmer in a large saucepan over medium heat.  Add cocoa powder and whisk until smooth.  Let cool until slightly warm.

Using an electric mixer, beat eggs and sour cream.  Add stout and chocolate to egg mixture and beat to combine. Whisk flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl to blend.  Add flour mixture and beat on slow.  Using a rubber spatula, fold batter until completely combined.  Divide batter among cupcake liners, filling them 2/3 of the way up.  Bake for about 17 minutes, rotating front to back half way through.  Make sure to test the center of the cupcakes and that the tester (toothpick or fork) comes out clean.  Cool cupcakes completely (important for ganache filling and frosting).

Chop the chocolate and put in a heatproof bowl.  Heat the cream in a small saucepan until simmering and pour it over the chocolate.  Let it sit for one minute and then stir until smooth.  (If the chocolate is not melted all the way, you can return it to a double-boiler to melt what remains.) Add the butter and whiskey and stir until combined.

Let the ganache cool until thick but still soft enough to be piped. You can speed this process up by putting it in the fridge but be sure to stir it every 10 minutes. Meanwhile, using your apple corer cut the centers out of the cooled cupcakes. You want to go most of the way down the cupcake but not cut through the bottom, about 2/3 of the way. A slim spoon will help you get the center out. Put the ganache into a piping bag with a wide tip and fill the holes in each cupcake to the top.

Whip the butter in the bowl of an electric mixer, or with a hand mixer, for several minutes. You want to get it very light and fluffy. Slowly add the powdered sugar, a few tablespoons at a time. When the frosting looks thick enough to spread, drizzle in the Baileys and whip it until combined (I added some extra chocolate because I could). Frost and decorate the cupcakes to your liking (added a dab of caramel).

Get your cats that Fancy Feast you promised them, grab the left over Guinness (or Jameson) and a boozy cupcake, pop in Love Actually, and DIG IN!

Happy Valentine’s Day everyone! Remember to share it with all the people (and animals) you love!

Love for all-

Whitney, Tobias, and Deaner (the best kitties in the world)

Dinner for Two Made by Two {Valentine's Day}

I am going to be completely honest in saying that I don't really care about Valentines Day.  Now hear me out, what I mean is I don't expect Ryan to go above and beyond on Valentines, I don't need a gift or a huge boutique of flowers, I just need a night in with him and some quality time together. I really like Valentines because it is a day that celebrates love and that's nice.

Ryan and I wanted to write this post together because Valentines is all about doing something you love with your honey. Lately we have really enjoyed cooking together; it's fun and gets us away from the TV, computer and phones.

***

Hey guys, Ryan here. I feel like a lot of women are starting to say things like, "I don't care about Valentines Day," or, "We really don't have to do anything special."  This would be cool with us dudes...except it's pure lies. Of course she wants to do something! However, your plan for the 14th doesn't have to be some elaborate scheme that involves a 30 pound pink teddy bear and 6 dozen roses.

Look, we are all grown adults here, we can talk about what the ladies are REALLY looking for... chocolate.

It's pretty easy to plan a sweet valentines day that will surprise her, impress her, and get all her friends to think your pretty amazing without blowing your whole paycheck. Instead of being buried in a figurative avalanche of restaurant reservations and a literal avalanche of pink frilly crap try cooking at home! There are a ton of good recipes on this blog and an infinite number of recipes all over the internet. Just type the names of the things in your fridge into google with the word "recipe" after and you will find great and easy to follow meal ideas. (Or, you know, plan ahead...) Even if you screw it up, you tried and you were cute in your kitchen catastrophe.

Here are other things you can do too to bring the romance:

• Cook the meal together!
• Go for a walk
• Go ice skating
• Watch her pick of movie
• Write her a love note and leave it for her in the AM
• Get her a cute useful thing like a design-y journal or something
• Look at old photos of the two of you
• Play music that reminds you of her
• If you are musical, write her a song
• Take a photo together (or do a wintery photoshoot with a pro photographer like, say, Beth and myself!)
• Pick up a board game you both like
• Get her the wine she likes
• Make a snowman
• Make a craft or something she'll like to hang up in the house
• Etc, Etc, Etc. 

And the list goes on. See? She may say she doesn't need to do anything special but what that REALLY means is that she just wants you to man up and plan something cute for her. It doesn't have to be groundbreaking but as long as it's not you tossing a card at her and playing Black Ops till 2 am she will be happy. 

***

OK! On to the cooking. Ryan and I tried something new! Yay!

COUSCOUS STUFFED CHICKEN:

Two chicken breasts
1 tbsp dried rosemary
1 tbsp dried sage
1 tbsp dried oregano
2 tbsp olive oil
1/2 cup couscous
salt & pepper

Start by making the couscous (we used boxed couscous that takes five minutes to make) after you have made the couscous, set aside. In a small bowl combine all of your herbs, olive oil, salt and pepper. Take the chicken breast and cut a slice down the center, making a flap. Take both chicken breasts and put then in a baking dish. Take your herb mixture and rub that over the two pieces of chicken, then take the couscous and place it into both pieces of chicken. Bake at 350 for 35-40 minutes.

Along with the chicken we made steamed broccoli and rosemary mashed potatoes. YUM!

We had a great time in the kitchen together! 

Love-
Bethany & Ryan

Minnesota {Wild Rice} Chili

I would take my crockpot to bed and snuggle it every night if I didn't think my roommate would commit me. Who doesn't LOVE having a home cooked meal ready when you walk through the door after a long day of work?  Having a slow cooker is like being married to a 1960's housewife without all the horrible sexism and inequality.  I have come to learn that crockpot meals cure a case of the twenty-something lazies in a flash.  This slow cooked wild rice chili will quickly become a regular in your rotation of favorite meals.

Wild rice is common in Minnesota dishes and while the grain is a slightly expensive ingredient, it is a healthy addition to your diet.  My coworker first introduced me to wild rice chili and with a bit experimenting I have found a hearty combination that will work for any night of the week. Throw this together before work and dish up in the evening for family, friends, and significant others. 

Minnesota Chili

1 lb ground beef or turkey

2 ribs of celery, sliced and chopped

1 yellow or orange bell pepper, chopped

1 Spanish onion

2 cloves of garlic, chopped

1 can (30-46 oz) tomato juice 

1 can (14.5 oz) petite dice tomatoes

1 cup uncooked wild rice

1 Tbls chili powder

2 tsps cumin

Salt and pepper to taste

1 tsp of dried oregano or parsley

2 cans (16 oz each) spicy chili beans

Cook beef or turkey in a skillet over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until no longer pink.  Drain fat. Place into a 6-quart slow cooker.  

Add all ingredients EXCEPT for chili beans and stir.  Cover and cook on low for 7-8 hours or on high for 3-4 hours.  When rice is tender stir in chili beans (do not drain) and cook for 10 more minutes. Enjoy! 

Suggestions

Top with sour cream, shredded cheese, avocado, and/or fresh cilantro. 

If you like your chili a bit chunky, like I do, add enough tomato juice to cover the ingredients by about an inch (around 30/32 oz of tomato juice).

Make it veggie and substitute the meat for favorites such as mushrooms or peppers. 

Much love and laziness-

Whitney

My Twenty-Something Friend {Joy Ebel}

Whitney and I are so thrilled to start this series, My Twenty-Something Friend. When we were first talking about our blog the one thing we kept coming back to was that we wanted this to be a blog about all people our age, what we can learn from each other, and how we can all relate. My Twenty-Something Friend is just that, a place to get to know someone new and take away some of his or her talents. 

 Ladies and gents, I give you Joy Ebel.

-Bethany

 Hi guys! So I work a lot, and I often find myself longing for that day off when I can wake up slow, stay in my comfies, and take my time making a good hot breakfast (instead of grabbing something quick before I run out the door). I have always loved the traditional eggs and potatoes for breakfast. This version has developed through trial over the past few years. I make it often, and it never gets old for me! 

Purple Rosemary-Sage Home-Fries & Eggs In a Basket (a twist on a traditional breakfast)

(Makes 3-4 servings)

3-4 med. purple potatoes. Purple potatoes can be found at most grocery stores/markets. They have more nutritional value than white or red potatoes, and they are really pretty... but any ol' potato will do.
2-3 tsp. olive oil
1 medium to small onion
2-3 cloves of garlic
1/2 tsp. sage (fresh or dried)
1/2 tsp. rosemary (fresh or dried)
salt and pepper to taste
crushed red pepper to taste (optional)

4 slices of rye bread 
4 eggs
1/2 tsp or butter or oil
and a cookie cutter or a small glass

Start by washing the potatoes and sticking them in a pot of boiling water for 15 minutes or in a bowl in the microwave for 3-5 minutes (this speeds up the fry time by a whole lot). When the potatoes are doing their thing, take this time to slice up the onions and garlic. I like to have bigger chunks of onion, but diced will work smashingly. 
When the potatoes are done cut them into cubes and set aside (we don’t want them fully cooked, just a little soft).

In a medium to large fry pan heat oil. Add onions and garlic and cook until soft. Stir in herbs and spices then add the potatoes. Cook on medium-high, stirring often until you reach desired crispiness (I like mine really crispy so it takes a while).

When the potatoes are cooking get the bread slices and cut out the center. I like to use fun cookie cutters, but a small glass would work just as well. Heat up oil on medium-high, place bead in skillet. Crack 1 egg into the hole of each bread slice, make sure the pan is nice and hot or the egg will not stay in the hole. Cook on both sides. 



Serve it up and enjoy!

peaceandlove- Joy

{Super Bowl Series} PIZZA PIE

Do you remember that Mary-Kate and Ashley movie where they had a sleep-over, made the nastiest looking pizza ever, and they sang that awesome song "Gimme Pizza"?  Well, do me a favor a watch THIS and be amazed. Seriously, that will be stuck in your head all day AND I hope you sing it when you make this yummy, yummy PIZZZZZZA.

Ok, let's get down to biz. Everyone, and I mean everyone, orders pizza for the Super Bowl. It has become a real American tradition. The past two years I have decided to make my own pizza for the game and it has been so much more satisfying.

The really great thing about homemade pizza is it can be as healthy or unhealthy as you'd like. I mostly go for the simple margarita pizzas, like the one I am about to show you. However, you can make any kind you want for the game! Be creative, it gives you a chance to one up someone who brought a boring pack of off-brand Oreo's (thanks guy, I'm glad you spent $2 on"Oreo's"). Anyways rant aside, have fun with this and enjoy a pizza thats not covered in grease.

ZAZAZA PIZZA:

1 Pkg pizza dough (store bought) 
2 1/2 cup tomato
2 cups fresh basil
4 cups mozzarella cheese
1 jar marinara sauce 

Make two equal size balls with the dough, roll them out into 14 inch circles, or one big one pizza. I typically make two because I like my pizza thin, if you want a thick crust just do the one pizza. After you have your dough rolled out, put them on a pizza baking sheet. (I once made my whole pizza without doing this first. Not good.)  

Add half a jar of the sauce to one pizza then add half of the cheese your cheese. Top with all the delicious tomatoes and basil. Do the same for the second pizza. Bake in the oven at 350 degrees for about 20 min. 

Make this pizza your own, do whatever you'd like, that's the fun of it all. 

Love-
Bethany

{Super Bowl Series} Ham Sammies

I have made these ham sammies for a couple of parties now and they go over like Ryan Gosling at Forever 21.  I got the recipe from a coworker when I was planning my sister’s Dr. Seuss themed baby shower and from then on they have proved to be a fairly inexpensive and simple recipe.  This satisfying treat will have your friends begging you for the recipe! 

Ham Sammies

1 package of 12 Hawaiian Sweet Rolls

1 onion, minced or grated (smaller than a dice)

1 stick of butter

3 Tbls Dijon mustard

2 tsp Worcestershire sauce

3 tsp of poppy seeds

½ lb shaved ham

8 slices of Swiss cheese

Melt butter over medium heat in a skillet.  Add onions, mustard, Worcestershire sauce, and poppy seeds. Simmer for several minutes. 

While the onions are simmering, slice rolls as an entire group lengthwise and place bottoms in an aluminum foil lined 13”x9” pan. 

Spread ¾ of the onion mixture on the bottom slice of the rolls.  Follow with a layer of the ham and then cheese. Top with the roll tops and spread remaining onion mixture over the top.  Cover with aluminum foil and refrigerate until ready to bake. 

Bake covered with foil for 20 minutes at 350 degrees. 

Slice rolls and serve immediately. 

I hope that this recipe treats you and your football fans well.  I also hope that you do run into Ryan Gosling at Forever 21.

Love for all-

Whit