Every year when Valentines day rolls around TMV and I sit down with our calendars and pick our alternative V-Day date night.  Which ultimately means that my super girly romantic self is never with-date on the actual V-Day.  While I CAN hear you saying, "aww" don't worry -I've come up with a solution over the past four years of our married life that I believe ultimately serves a better purpose than chocolates and roses (although I do have to say that when the alternative V-Day date rolls around TMV is a 5-star date planner.  :)  Not to rub it in, or anything....).  Here is my go to V-Day ritual: I focus on the opportunity this love based holiday has granted me and reflect on how much love I have going on in my life.  To take a minute or ten and be GRATEFUL.

So here are some pictures so that you can have some bonus joy in your day.  :)  These faces sure bring me lots of joy, so why not share them, among the skimming of the jug of things that make me thankful for my life.

First and foremost I am thankful for TMV.  For everything he does, and everything he sacrifices.  

No matter how hard it is right now, I can't wait to see what life brings us in the future because of all of this hard work.  Also -isn't he handsome in his geekyness???  *cough*

swoon

Second I am thankful for the people in my life that helped make me who I am today.  Of course that includes these wonderful people...

Mom and Seester

OGO and Seester

And tons of other wonderful people that I don't actually have pictures of/with....  Added THAT to my list of MUST do's.  :)

My handsome NEWPHEW!  I can't wait -I get to meet him for the FIRST TIME in just over a week (I had the plague when he was born, so I've TOTALLY missed out -seeing everyone ELSE post photos of him has been a total bummer).  :)  My excitement overflowith.  Be ready to see a gazillion photos.  Truly -a gazillion.

Munchkins like this little scooter (who is supposedly now practicing her walking instead of her walk-face planting....)

And like these cheerful kiddos who are always the first to blow kisses via Skype (that I am SO thankful for).  Miss their snuggles!

And last but certainly last but not least........

Friendship.  No matter the distance (and no -no picture for this one.  Too many specials in my life to pick JUST ONE.  So you'll have to be creative.  Don't worry -I have faith in you!).

So this Valentines Day is for you.  I am so grateful to have you in my heart.  :)

-XO-

ME!

The Great Prep

-Warning: story time first, then regularly scheduled message towards the end.  But you should read all of it, because it's worth it!!-

Growing up I always admired my mother's cooking style.  True southern comfort, always served with a side salad.  Some of my childhood favorites were/are pot roast, shake and bake chicken with mashed potatoes, her fresh made chicken soup, and those oatmeal chocolate chip cookies.  To this day those are my favorite cookie.  Now my Mema -she made killer chicken and dumplings, chicken pot pie, and both women make killer biscuits.  Mmmmm!!!  My mouth is watering at those biscuits....  *sigh*  Growing up my sister and I were invited into the kitchen where we learned various methods of chopping, sautéing, and baking.  One of the skills I, in particular, didn't learn was recipe reading.  It wasn't until I got to college that I realized that people cooked with recipe's!  WHAT?  My world was shattered....  MOM!  How could you?!?!?

No -just kidding.  But it really was a shock.  Because I went from being directed in the ingredient inclusion (ok -now we need 1/4 brown sugar from that shelf right there) to being completely flabbergasted that I didn't know how to make my beloved cookies I had to work my way through developing my own prep style.

So the transition began.  Each time I returned home for a holiday or mini-vacation (because we all know that musicians only take working vacations...it's true.  Don't be ashamed!) I was sent out of the kitchen!!!  WHY?!?  Besides the fact that it was embarrassing, I didn't understand that my foody transition had happened and was throwing off their game.  I looked on as my mother and sister co-habitated the kitchen, moving like clockwork doing their thing -walking to and from the ingredient locations almost silently, getting what their minds told them they needed from the various shelves and pantry.  While they used recipes, they didn't really.  It was mostly just to remind them of that random spice, or that 1/4 tsp of whatever.

Since they didn't need me I practiced.  Trumpet is a good sound track for cooking.  Trust me.  ;)

Recently my sister was on bed-rest (did I mention that I have a cute nephew??  His cheeks kill me!!!  So cute!) my mother and I made the short hike down to visit her.  Not just to cheer her up (because GIRL TIME is THE BEST TIME!!!), but to also stock her freezer so that she wouldn't have to stress over food and a new baby.  BEST IDEA EVER.  I'm never giving diapers again.  I'm just going to stock your freezer.  You're welcome.

So I'm in the kitchen with my mother, and she's making a mess!  Mommah -you know I love you, but this is SO true!  She's got everything piled high on the counter and is digging into her first recipe.  I'm starting to hyperventilate.

Pause -I'm not OCD and am just a tiny bit of an organization freak but I was truly struggling in this moment. -ok -GO!

She started looking on her recipe list as I frantically put pastas with pastas, sauces with sauces, spices with spices, and meats with meats.  Sorting was my only hope of personal survival, and you're welcome because as things really started cooking I was the only one who knew where everything was.

It was during that moment of sorting panic when I realized how different my cooking prep was as an adult than as a child.  I can think back to any number of cooking experiences and one of the first memory flashes that pops up are the MESSES we made.  Not sure if it was me or my loving sister that made them, but everything was always a mess.  A fun, awesome, blessedly hot togetherness mess.  My childhood rocked, y'all!  Standing in my sister's beautiful new kitchen, everything was a hot mess.  I was a hot mess.

I ran around wiping down counters and washing pots and pans, and cutting and prepping veggies and measuring out spices all while my mother asked me what the heck I was doing.

It has officially happened.  I AM one of those people who, while in the kitchen, prefers to have everything ready to go into the ___ (mixer, pot, casserole, crockpot, etc) before the cooking/baking adventure begins.  And I AM that person that will hand wash all excess dish clutter in between projects (like the baking phase and the frosting phase).  And I AM that person that told her mother that she was going to lose it if there wasn't a clean pot ready for the next freezer meal (just in case you were worried, she says she still loves me).

I also happen to be the person, because of this prep obsession, that manages to use practically every bowl in the house to enable my calm cooking atmosphere.  *shrug*  It could be way worse!  My next prep step that needs work is execution.  I frequently get SO incredibly excited about the current project that I misread or forget to read recipe instructions.  Or drop fully loaded cake pans on the floor....  Proud.  I'm so proud.

Thank goodness no one's perfect!  I'd love to hear how y'all prep for food projects!  Also -I'd love to hear that I'm not alone.  Which is mostly why I'd like you to tell me how you prepare!  Leave me a message, or write a post on it, and let me know!  Who knows -you may have a better way, and I'm always looking for new ways and things!!!

Happy cooking!
-XO-
ME!

Taking Space and Making Cakes!

It just dawned on me that my quick start blogging had taken a bit of a hiatus.  How shocking!  Heh.  Frequently, in the world of social media, I think we (and I say we because it makes me feel better about my social media obsession) as a society feel the pull to constantly be in contact with everyone, via every social media tool, every minute of the day.  That sometimes if we don't express something -good or bad, that we'll just explode.  I'm sorry.  I don't really care to continue along that path.  It's overwhelming.

One of my new favorite bloggers, Beauty That Moves, posted not too long ago about how she's trimming the iPhone fat.  She has been successful, and I greatly admire that.  Seeing as I do basically everything on my iPhone I think it's time to do that too.  The exceptions being, of course, when I'm using it to cook...and talk to my women...and...take pictures...and....update my blog....  UGH!  *face palm*  I will overcome the urge.  

{Picture 1}

Anyway, I'm trying to take space for myself.  Through, as you already know, cooking/baking, yoga (I totally fell over today...scared the dog...heh), and tea-time-meditation.  It's working!  I am continuously shocked by how wonderful that space and silence is.  No TV, no iPhone, no radio.  Just pure unfiltered silence.  *swoon*  If you're not into silence, you should try it.  Seriously -a musician is telling you to try silence...?  Must mean it's good.  Just sayin'....

*cough*

Philosophy stint over.  Now -on to the food!

Tis' the season for birthdays!  I LOVE birthdays!  Mine is a particular favorite, but coming in a VERY close second is TMV's, which was just last week.  He had multiple celebrations, but I only made one cake.  One FABULOUS cake.  *swoon*  It was this precious little tasty in picture 1.  Spice cake.  

This has been one of the most gratifying baking projects thus far.  Not because it was for TMV, which is definitely a bonus, but because it was a hot mess.  Yes.  A hot baking mess.  I managed to plan ahead (a HUGE accomplishment for me -short attention span + plus large project = recipe for disaster...anyway...) and create something that was spectacularly edible.  I'm still at that, "yay it's edible phase" even though I've been majorly successful.  Thank ya', Geezus!

Right...I digress...distractions...

{Picture 2, of Shame}

So, in the process of this cakey goodness I managed to do this...Picture 2 (see how I made it small?  It's because it's a picture of shame...)!  I got SO excited by it's aroma that I dropped an entire cake pan on the floor.  GAH!  Of course after I panicked, I rescued what was left in the pan and managed to only have to scrub my mat for 10 minutes (there was crisco in that cake mix....*sigh*).  Don't worry -I didn't feed anyone icky-mat-cat-haired-cake batter...except the cat.  Who, despite her plumpness, is quite fast.  She didn't mind the cat hair.....

All's well that ends well because the cake turned out beautiful AND tasty!  I learned a little about my own rhythm, which has helped me SO much.  If you haven't found your prep rhythm you should do it.  It's amazingly helpful.  And totally came through in this production.  I'll write about that next, since I think it's interesting to watch others prep and execute!

So -the good stuff.  You've been been so patient, so I'll get on with it.  :)  This recipe is from Pinterest, from a blog called Portuguese Girl Cooks, from a cook book.  It's a long string of locations, but I managed to make it just as wonderful with a few adaptations of my own.

Here she is, folks:

Holiday Spice Cake with Eggnog Buttercream

Prep Time: 40 minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour, 30 minutes

Yield: One 8-inch 3 layer round cake

A rich and moist gingerbread spice cake filled and frosted with an old fashioned eggnog buttercream frosting.

Ingredients

For the Spice Cake
• 2 1/4 cups cake flour
• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 4 ounces (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1/2 cup vegetable shortening, room temperature
• 2 cups sugar
• 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 large egg, plus 3 large egg whites at room temperature
• 1 1/2 cups ice cold water
• 1 tablespoon cinnamon
• 2 teaspoons ground allspice
• 1 teaspoon freshly grated ginger
• 3 tablespoons molasses
• 1/4 teaspoon cream of tarter
For the Eggnog Buttercream
• 1 1/3 cups sugar
• 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 cups whole milk
• 1/3 cup heavy cream
• 12 ounces (3 sticks) unsalted butter, cool but not cold, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
• 2 tablespoons dark rum
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

Instructions

For the Spice Cake
1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Grease three 8-inch round cake pans with butter, and line the bottoms with parchment paper. Set aside.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together both flours, the baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
3. In a small bowl, combine the cinnamon, allspice, ginger, and molasses. Set aside.
4. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the butter and shortening on medium high speed until creamy and well combined, about 3 minutes. Add in the sugar, and beat on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, and add in the vanilla, and the whole egg, beating until just combined.
5. With the mixer on low speed, add in 1/3 of the flour mixture, then half of the water, then 1/2 of the remaining flour, then the water, and ending with the remaining flour. Scrape down the bowl, and turn the mixer to medium for a few seconds to ensure all the components are well combined. Be sure not to over mix. Add in the cinnamon molasses mixture, and mix on low speed to combine.
6. In a medium bowl, whisk together the remaining 3 egg whites and cream of tarter until soft peaks form. You can simply do this by hand with a whisk. It takes a little bit of elbow grease, but it only takes about 3 to 5 minutes. Gently fold the egg whites into the batter by hand.
7. Divide the batter among the three pans, and smooth the tops. The batter may look a little bit separated. I like to weigh my batter into the pans to ensure even cake layers. Bake the layers for 25 to 30 minutes, until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Transfer the cakes to a wire rack and allow them to cool in the pans for about 20 minutes. Then turn them out and remove the parchment to cool completely.
For the Eggnog Buttercream
8. In a medium saucepan, whisk together the sugar and flour. Slowly whisk in the milk and heavy cream. Cook the mixture over medium heat, whisking constantly for about 8 to 10 minutes or until the mixture has come to a boil and has thickened. I find it helpful to switch to a heatproof spatula halfway through to be able to reach the edges of the pot. Remove the pan from the heat, and strain the mixture into the bowl of a stand mixer.
9. Using the paddle attachment, beat the mixture on high speed until it is cool, about 10 minutes. Reduce the speed to low, and add all the butter. Increase the speed to medium high, and beat until all the butter is combined and the mixture is light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. It may not look right at first, but keep beating it, it will come together.
10. Add in the rum, vanilla, cinnamon, and nutmeg, and mix until throughly combined. Add in about 1 heaping teaspoon of lustre dust if using and combine. If the frosting is too soft, refrigerate it for about 15 minutes, then beat again until light and fluffy.
Assembly
11. Place 1 cake layer on a plate, then top with about 1 1/2 cups of frosting and smooth it to create an even layer. Repeat for 2nd and 3rd layer. Apply a thin layer of frosting to the outside of the cake to create a crumb coat. Refrigerate the cake to allow the crumb coat to set for about 10 minutes. Remove from the fridge and apply another layer of frosting to the top and sides of the cake.
12. To create the look in the photos. Try to smooth the top and sides as best you can. I like to use a small offset spatula to fill and frost the cake. Then, use a bench scraper to smooth the sides, then the small offset spatula to smooth the top. This doesn't have to be perfect.
13. Using a large angled spatula, starting at the bottom, apply slight even pressure to spatula against the cake, and turn the cake to create a slight indentation. Do this all the way up to the top of the cake. For the top, start at the outside of the cake, and work your way in without stopping the motion to create a swirl pattern. I find using a turntable is the best way to do this.
14. Sprinkle the top of the cake with some sprinkles or nonpareils of your choice, or leave it plain.

Notes

This cake will keep at room temperature covered for up to 3 days. I like to cover all my cakes with a cake dome. Otherwise, cover tightly and keep refrigerate for up to 2 days, allowing the cake to come to room temperature before serving.

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I found that her instructions yielded a wonderful product, and that she's much better at following and creating directions than I am.  So here are a few of my own notes:

1. Follow her directions.  

2. I used two 9" rounds because that's my preference.  My cakes only required 3 more minutes of cooking time, but that's probably because there was less batter due to the dropping....

3. I used two tbs of pumpkin pie spice instead of what is listed.  My cake eaters had specific preferences, so I evened the playing field a little, exception being cinnamon.  I added cinnamon additionally.

4. I am NOT ocd, and don't really care how much frosting you get in between each layer.  So just be smart, ok?  Don't let yourself run out. 

5.  Be creative!!  Yes -her cake is beautiful but yours doesn't have to look exactly like hers or like mine.  Be your own version of cakey-awesomeness, ok?

Now -go out there and cook!  I'll be back soon with a food-prep post for your enjoyment.

-XO-

ME!

Oatmeal: Long Time Love Affair

Since I was a small child (we're talking age two or three) I have LOVED oatmeal.  I remember my Me-Ma making it for me with warm milk, butter, and brown sugar.  Essentially, it was like dessert for breakfast!  To this day, that is my FAVORITE way to eat it.  But let's be realistic: while tasting amazing, this compilation of tastiness isn't the best for my body AND my blood sugar!  Another problem I have is that buying a box of Quaker Oatmeal is about $4 at Kroger.  They have everything from low sugar to low carb, to blah blah blah.  I'm a sucker for "low sugar", so I always buy some (remember -oatmeal obsession!).  Well, I hate to break it to ya Quaker, but I've found a better-for-me way to consume my beloved oats.

Remember how I talked about being agog during my first trip to the co-op?  Remember how I said I picked up some quick oats?  Well here's what I did with them!  

First, I photographed them.  See?  Lovely, yes?

After I snapped a few pictures, I put them in my bitty food processor.  While I LOVE my gigantic and heavy Cuisinart food processor, it's just...well, it's HEAVY, cumbersome, and a little too large for a project like this.  So I dumped the sack of oats into my bitty food processor by Black & Decker and gave it a chop-chop.  I will admit to perhaps being a tad overzealous with my chopping -they were a little more powdery than I expected.  But it's just that the button is so nice to push....

Anyway, the oats were chopped and fit nicely into a quart mason jar.  Because I enjoy cinnamon in my oatmeal, I added a tbs of cinnamon to the recently chopped oats and gave it a shake.  After the shaking (and of COURSE there was vocal accompaniment and dancing...) I settled myself in to have some!  How could I create it and NOT give it a try!!!

The beauty of this recently chopped quick oats combo?  It's now INSTANT oatmeal!  Bingo-bango-you're-welcome.  I put the kettle on (and joyfully sang, "Suki put the kettle on....") and once whistling, I added water slowly while stirring the quickly expanding INSTANT oatmeal!  It was like magic, y'all. No joke.

After the oatmeal sat for a few minutes (not so that it would taste better, it's just that the bowl was so hot that I scared the dog yelling after it burned my fingers...), I added some honey and then I ATE IT.

There wasn't any butter, there wasn't any brown sugar, there just wasn't anything that needed to be added.  It was rich and thick, gently sweetened, and had a nice cinnamon kick.  I ate the entire bowl while it was still steaming!  To try my hand with a few additional flavors towards the end of the bowl I added some nutmeg (tasty!), a light sprinkling of raw cane sugar (totally worth the addition!), and a little bit of powdered all-spice (that was a little much).

This was not only EASY, but is so healthy!  Whole grain quick oats, and whatever you want to mix in?  YES!  This has quickly become a family (TMV likes it alright, which means he eats it if I fix it for him!  Heh) favorite, right along with the crisp clean chai tea lattes!

Happy eating!

-XO-
B

Beans!

I've got so many beans that they're coming out of my ears.

I've got garbanzo beans and black beans.  And now they're beautifully packed away in my freezer.  But they didn't come that way....  I got these beans dried at the co-op, which is AMAZING!  When choosing where to start (after giving myself a pep talk that beans are good...beans are good...beans are good), I thought about which beans we would really eat.  That answer was easy.  We enjoy hummus, so check on garbanzo/chick peas.  I also like black beans in chili and stews (just a few...not a million!), so check on black beans.

Feeling empowered, I stood facing the beans. I looked up and down the amazing row that encompassed flours, oats, sugars, beans, pastas, and granola.  I could have stood there all day just drooling onto the floor.  Flattering vision, I know.  Expecting it to be intimidating I was shocked to realize that I was making quick plans to take home as much as I could.  Split peas, mixed beans, quick oats, turbinado sugar, stevia extract, whole wheat pasta....swoon swoon swoon.  Once I got a hold of myself, I merrily scooped up some of the black and garbanzo beans, and a little of the quick oats just because (home-made instant oatmeal?  HECK YES!) and went upon my merry way.

Once home, it dawned on me that I had to cook said beans.  Crud.  So I googled and googled, and then looked on allrecipies (because theirs is my favorite site -has a free app, which is nice).  Everyone was telling me something DIFFERENT!  Oh the distress....  So I asked a girlfriend, who not only told me that I needed to plan something else in my day while re-hydrating the beans, but that they also needed to soak with a BAY LEAF.  Yep -you know what they say about beans?  It helps with that.  ;)

So I started with the garbanzo beans.  12 hours to soak, 3 hours to boil.  They were great.  Nice and easy, didn't make my house stinky, and chopped up really nice into some hummus!  YUM!  But the black beans -not so nice.  They were a tad stinky, and took 7 hours to soak, and 2 hours to boil, and turned my stove top purple (perhaps I was ambitious with the amount of water I added to the pot...boil over!).  Overall, however, I used them in my great cooking adventure (more to come on that), and things worked out beautifully.  The rest, well I filled up mason jars and stuck them in the freezer!  :)

So all in all, my first beans experience was important.  I learned about consistency and texture of what is cooked and what isn't as well as what is re-hydrated and what isn't, what to change and what to keep doing for next time, etc.  I also learned a little about myself in that tasting raw ingredients, formerly deemed frightening, is really important.  It teaches us to identify what we're really cooking with and what we're drawn to, and how we like it!

So far, I'm loving this adventure!  Who knew....

-XO-

B.

Sooo..."the zen cookie"? Why?

Hi!  Welcome back!

I'd like to share with you the birth story of "the zen cookie...gets real."  No gory details, I promise!  Just  a little humor and insight.  :)

Haha (laughing just thinking about it...this is also why I'm bad at telling jokes...)!  I was speaking to a friend the other evening, whilst cooking away joyfully, about the humor that is inherent in the name of this blogging adventure.  This blog name was suggested to me, and after laughing hysterically I thought, "yeah, actually -that sounds awesome!"  Here's why.

First, I have something to confess.... I'm not zen.  I'm WAY not zen -I'm...well, I'm not in general.  :)  I'm excitable, enthusiastic, and loud about everything.  This is how I choose to live my life.  Being Briana brings me joy, and I LIKE THAT!  If you're curious if I'm ABLE to be calm and still the answer is yes, also when I choose to be.  I'm sure that this blogging process will expose my inner zen, but I like feeling excited and passionate -it allows me to express how and what I'm feeling most accurately.

Second -I LOVE cookies (this statement was intended to show excitement, therefore accurately expressing my love for cookies.  Did you get that?)!  I love to eat them mostly, but I do enjoy baking them.  I prefer them to be crunchy instead of raw-like in the center.  Sorry, y'all -I'm not a gooey cookie kinda gal.  Makes me wonder what I'm eating....  Just sayin'...

Third -this is a blog about getting and being real.  Real food, and real sass.  You read that right.  I said SASS.  Because I'm SASSY!  *snap snap*

And there you have it, folks.  "the zen cookie...gets real" birth story.  The humor in this, to me, is part of the fun.  I want you to imagine me calmly mixing up a batch of...whatever.  CALMLY.  See -I can't help but giggle.  Because to me, I'm wearing flour, listening to Bach (don't judge!), and skipping around my kitchen.  I'd love to hear your visions.  Ohh -I wonder if even some of them will be zen.  HA!  A girl can hope!

Maybe tomorrow I'll whip up a batch of celebratory cookies...on the crunchy side, of course.  :)

-XO-
B.