the perfect breakfast sandwich

i find it hard to eat breakfast. don't get me wrong, i LOVE breakfast foods; it's eating in the morning that i don't enjoy too much. example: i can't have just eggs in the morning; my tummy will get queasy. to be able to stomach food in the morning, the meal either needs to be very neutral (like toast or an avocado) or just the perfect combo. i think i found the perfect combo. it is full of flavor, yet not too many flavors that conflict each other. the ingredients in the sandwich add up perfectly.

 

the perfect breakfast sandwich

 ingredients:

2 slices gluten-free bread (i use udi's for this meal)

1/2 avocado

1 egg, fried over-easy

2 slices turkey meat

1 slice raw mild cheese (i used monterey jack)

 

directions:

1. place cheese and slices of turkey on one slice of bread.

2. place bread (both plain slice and slice with cheese and turkey) onto baking sheet and broil in oven until lightly toasted and cheese begins to melt.

3. after placing bread in oven, crack an egg and start frying on medium low.

4. while bread is toasting and egg is cooking, mash 1/2 avocado with fork or potato masher.

5. take bread out of oven and spread avocado on slice without cheese and turkey.

6. egg should be done (over-easy) by now; place egg on top of turkey.

7. taking the slice of bread with avocado, place on top of the rest of the sandwich.

8. slice on the diagonal, making sure you are slicing into the yolk of the egg.

9. let sit for a second before spreading sandwich apart so sandwich can soak up most of yolk.

 

tips:

- of course, if you get queasy with over-easy (heh), you can always sub with a scrambled egg. that would be good too.

- don't let bread toast too much, you want the bread to be able to soak up the yolk.

- to make sure you aren't cooking the egg too long, while frying, tap yolk every once in a while with spatula. if it is still jigglin, then it's still easy. you don't want an over-well egg. talk about a dry sandwich.

to whom it may concern: part 2.

don't mind me, it was just another pet-peevy day.
 

dear 'new neighborhood' sign:

i get confused when you say that there are houses from the low 200's. 200's what? OOOH you meant 200s. you see, using an apostrophe denotes ownership. we only learned that in junior high. next time, use an editor before you pay for advertisement that thousands of people will see.

seriously,

concerned citizen

dear average junior higher:

sorry, but your parents have a responsibility to 'control' you. they pay for your clothes. your food. your fun. no, you are not entitled to anything. anything at all. just because you want something doesn't mean you should have it. you should help out around the house not for money, but because your parents gave you life. look around you. life is beautiful.

praying for you,

the previous generation

dear duck-face users:

no. it is not cute. it will never be cute. (if you're making kissy-faces to your newborn baby, maybe that can be cute. but probably not.) especially when i can see your camera and i know you are taking a pic of yourself in the mirror...not cute. if you must take a pic of yourself in the mirror, smile. you look pretty that way. i promise. right now you just look constipated.

muah!

bailey

dear hubby:

when i say 'what?' i need you to repeat what you said, but at a higher level. i couldn't hear what you said the first time, so say it louder the second time.

istillloveyou :),

wifey

dear airplane stewardess:

kindles do not turn off. they just don't. even when i put it to sleep it uses the same amount of juice (barely any) to display a 'screen saver' as it does when it is on a page of a book. i want to scream this at you every time you ask me to turn off my electric device. you guys need to take an e-reader awareness class.

i just want to reaaad,

bk

dear college students that hate school and just want to graduate already:

no you don't. the real world is hard, man. "stay there. stay as long as you can. for the love of god, cherish it."

jealous,

college grad '08

p.s. name that movie!

parsley chimichurri sauce

chimichurri is an argentinean sauce that is very versatile (think of a latin version of pesto). there are sooo many ways to make chimichurri. here is one of them!

  

parsley chimichurri

ingredients:

1 cup curly- or flat-leaf parsley, packed

1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil

2 tbsp lemon juice

5-6 large garlic cloves

1 or 2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes (i like mine a bit spicy, so i used 2)

 

directions:

1. combine everything into food processor or blender and blend until smooth.

2. add sauce to dish, and serve.

 

tips:

- chimichurri is good with steak, fish, chicken, potatoes, other veggies, and even eggs. chimichurri can also replace salsa on breakfasts tacos for a fun change.

- once again, i like mine spicy, so if you can't take the heat, try 1/2 tsp red pepper, then move on up from there.

- store in fridge for up to a week.

a long weekend.

sorry for the absence. since thursday, i've been in san marcos, tx enjoying graduations, graduation parties, an engagement party, friends, the river, the sun, food, volleyball, frisbee, and fun. i'll be returning to my regular blogging soon.

but i had to make an important announcement. we got to bring quinn, our son (great dane) with us this weekend. at the river one day, he waded into the water willingly!!! can you believe it?! he loves chasing the frisbee when people throw it back and forth, and i guess that is what tempted him!

it's just so amazing. i'm so proud of him. okay, i gotta go now, i need to record this in his baby book. 

jkjk. ;)

wednesday.

ahh, spring. a time when flowers are blooming, birds are chirping, the sun is shining... and brothers get together and come up with new ways to hurt themselves.

yes, that is my hubs, along with his older brother, matt (driving), and younger brother michael. can't you just feel their joy? ;)

happy hump day!

if i could throw a mother's day party...

i know it's late and almost not mother's day, but if i had the money, means, resources, time, and energy to throw the perfect party for my mom, this is how it would be. maybe someday i will.

my inspiration, because my mom would love the colors:

via here.

it would be a picnic, definitely. we'd have picnic benches but also a lot of picnic blankets and pillows to sit on. mhmm.

via here, here, and here.

there would be lotsa pink flowers all over the place; my mom loves flowers.

via here, here, here, and here.

we'd have tons of fun blue jars and vases, and there would be books as centerpieces.

via here and here.

the party favors would be garden- or picnic-themed, either seeds or a small plant/succulent inside a teacup!

via here and here.

and there would be ribbons everywhereeeee. fun and good for photos.

via here, here, and here.

there would be fun extras, like james taylor (one of my mom's faves) playing from an old record player, old photo memories in jars or vases for decoration, and we'd have a couple polaroid cameras to pass around to take photos of the day and then hang up for everyone to see.

via here, here, and here.

for the food....we would have tons of fruit, of course. there would also be small heart of palm and citrus salads that i have yet  to learn to recreate. but i will. soon. we'd also have pink lemonade in jars with blue ribbons tied around them. and there would be a sandwich bar, with all the fixings. including pesto, of course. there would also be white zin a-plenty. for mama. her fave. :)

via here, here, and here.

the desserts! this cake looks good and pretty, but i'd have to make it gluten-free. can do! also: raw, vegan, gluten-free strawberry cake pops, (real) fruit bars, and i'd figure out how to make these strawberry lemonade cupcakes gluten-free. yum.

via here, here, here, and here.

we would have lawn games to play at the party, like bocce ball, croquet, horseshoes, and badminton.

via here and here.

and all the women would have to wear hats, because that's just fun.

via here, here, here, here, and here.

and i would wear one of these outfits.

via forever21 and anthropologie.

mom, i know you'll read this...happy mother's day! one day we'll all throw a party like this for you because we love you!

this week's honor roll - DIY homemade maps

i told you there was gonna be a part two. i love maps. and these homemade maps are so great. 

1. u.s. travel cork map via design sponge.

2. scrap map via see kate sew.

3. world map mural via quirky momma.

4. u.s. interactive cork map via crate paper blog.

5. world map wall art via save it for a rainy day.

6. u.s. topographic cork map via design dump.

7. world interactive map wall art via kojo designs.

8. world travel cork map via man made.

celiac awareness - what you can do to help!

one in one-hundred and thirty-three people are diagnosed with celiac disease. celiac disease is an intolerance to gluten, which is found in wheat, barley, and rye. consequences of a person with celiac ingesting gluten can range from gastrointestinal issues to joint pain and even infertility, among many other symptoms.

i have celiac disease. i am completely gluten-free. it is not a fad that i am trying, or something i'm doing to lose weight. for me, it is a life or death situation. eating gluten-free should not be a fad. but because it is right now, and because of the lack of regulation that dictates what can be labeled as 'gluten-free', manufacturers of food products get to cash in on this 'fad' and take advantage of people who eat gluten-free. for people who are trying it out as a fad, it doesn't make any difference, but to a person who eats gluten-free in order to live, the lack of regulation in product manufacturing causes this person to have a reaction because of those few specks of gluten left in the food.

in other words, until the FDA set up proper governmental standards for gluten-free labeling, there is no way to tell what the 'gluten-free' label means on a package of food. someone with celiac could be eating products laced with harmful ingredients and not even know it.


this is where you can help. 1 in 133, an organization to spread awareness of celiac disease, is asking us to speak out. here's what you can do:

• sign the 1 in 133 petition. it only takes a few minutes, and all they want is your name and e-mail.
• donate.
• send a letter to the FDA.
• if you blog, share this info about 1 in 133 with your readers.

do one, or do them all. even if you're not gluten-free, just sign the petition! anything will help. thanks so much!

spinach & artichoke hummus

my lovely sister-in-law, jana, introduced me to this amazing hummus. while i can't take credit for the recipe, i AM going to share it with you, because it's awesome.

mark and i are still trying to find ways to eat more raw veggies, and this recipe may even have me eating raw celery! it is super healthy and it even tastes cheesy, but there is no cheese in it whatsoever.

spinach & artichoke hummus

 

ingredients:

1 can garbanzo beans, drained

3 tbsp water

3 tbsp tahini

2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

1 tbsp canned or jarred artichoke hearts

1 tbsp lemon juice

2 medium garlic cloves, chopped

1 1/2  tsp salt

2 oz frozen spinach, thawed

  

directions:

1. in food processor or blender, blend first 8 ingredients for about a minute, until smooth.

2. add spinach and pulse, until just mixed.

3. serve with your favorite veggie for dipping.

what are some fun things to dip in hummus? i've come up with the following:

raw carrots

raw bell peppers

raw celery

raw cauliflower

raw broccoli

raw asparagus

raw onion

cherry tomatoes

sliced zucchini

sliced yellow squash

sliced cucumber

sliced jicama

sugar snap peas

chips or crackers

toasted bread

pretzels

spread on grilled veggies

spread on a sandwich

what else can you think of?