Recipe inspiration can come from anywhere.
I like to think this excuses my aimless wandering in Whole Foods.
This particular meandering trip paid off! It resulted in a copycat Pumpkin Tomato Sauce recipe that’s a lot less expensive and *almost* as easy as the jarred version at Whole Paycheck.
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Staple foods. We all have them.
Some of us have them literally.
When my boss referred to Amy’s burritos as a staple food… he meant literally. He opened this little gem and found something shiny in it. Normally I like shiny things, but a staple in my burrito? I’ll pass.
He emailed Amy’s and got a scripted response from customer service about an hour later. The person didn’t seem too concerned,but said they send the pics to someone else int he company. Well see… in the mean time, I’m especially grateful I go my food prep!
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There’s a nasty rumor that weekends are for resting.
Rest… such a mysterious word…
My version of resting is seeing how many non-work activities I can cram into a couple of days. It turns out that number is pretty high!
The weekend started out strong with the Atlanta TECHmunch Conference. These are held across the US, but this was the first one in ATL. I wasn’t sure what to expect, but when I heard it was to be held at one of my favorite local breweries I had no choice but to sign up!
Monday Night Brewing hosted ~100 bloggers, and was to kind as to get us tipsy after the day’s learning ended. Before the boozing, we had pumpkin donut holes, snacks from Beyond Meat, and lunch catered by my favorite MetroFresh.
The holes were ok… I’m more of a Krispy Kreme gal. The Beyond Meat was really impressive – those beef crumbles are scarily similar to the real deal. And MetroFresh was amazing as always. Somehow I still managed that red velvet Sprinkles cupcake.
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There is a distinct crispness in the air.
Before the sun comes up… after that… hey, we are in the South.
Fall is one of my favorite seasons. The colors, the refreshing coolness… and the food! Everyone goes pumpkin crazy, but one of the best things out of Georgia in the fall is apples.
We make the requisite pies, doughnuts, compotes, cider, and various other treats, but I like to use them in savory dishes. They add a great texture and a strange (but good) shot of sweetness to dinner salads. I’ve been known to make them just for snacks.
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Mail days are the best.
Thanks to e-bills, actual mail is a treat 80% of the time!
The awesome people at PopSugar sent me a Must Have Box to try this month. I was really impressed! The Tilo scarf alone was worth it (retails at $125!). It’s high-quality and incredibly soft. Soft kitty, warm kitty…
Those Ghirardelli sea salt chocolates do not suck either. I love that they are bite-sized… it (moderately) slowed me down as I worked my way through the bag. I’ve already replenished with the dark chocolate variety. #sorryimnotsorry
Working out in the morning was a little more fun with my fancy blue Nicole Miller ear buds. They matched my shoes today. #winning
The fuel made the workout more fun too. A raw Almond Brownie bar from Urban Remedy. It wasn’t too sweet and had a hint of salt to it. Someone at PopSugar knows I love a sweet & salty combo!
They hooked me up with a discount code to share with you guys if you’d like to check it out: SEPT14SELECT will get you $10 off a 3 month subscription (offer expires 9/30/14).
*Disclaimer: POPSUGAR provided me with a complimentary POPSUGAR Must Have box. The opinions I have shared about the box are my own and POPSUGAR did not tell me what to say or how to say it.*
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Sometimes there’s no shame in staying in bed half the day.
Especially when the last couple of weeks have been chaos!
Last Monday I depicted pre-conference life. This Monday is recovery life. Marvelous recovery. Recovery life started with sleep. Since I couldn’t take pictures of that, we’ll pick up with the wakeful part of the weekend.
Agreed.
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I’ve had lots of bad ideas.
I’m talking about recipes here… 😉
As I was mixing these up I thought “this is either my best or worst [waffle] idea ever.” Turns out, it was the best… in a strange way, of course. 😉
I’ve made a lot of unusual stuff with cauliflower. One of my go-to is this pizza crust. I also rocked some pancakes with this versatile vegetable. So why not a waffle?
I decided on a savory waffle, but you can easily change up the spices to make it sweet. For “brinner,” savory seemed the way to go. It’s a thinner batter, but if you grease the waffle iron liberally it wont stick. I used coconut oil cooking spray.
My veggie toppings were easily prepped while I was making the waffle. I sautéed bell peppers, onions, and mushrooms. It looked like a fiesta!
You could stop with the veggies to keep it vegetarian. I used a little turkey to get more protein, and added a quick sauce made from hummus mixed with hot sauce and a little ACV.
Preheat waffle iron. Place ingredients in a blend or food processor and mix until batter is (mostly) smooth.
Grease iron very well (I used coconut oil). Cook according to your waffle iron’s instructions.
Plate and top as desired. While my waffle cooked, I sautéed bell peppers, onions, mushrooms, and turkey to use on top. I also sauced my waffle with a mixture of hummus, hot sauce, and a little apple cider vinegar.
How have you enjoyed making co-workers, friends, or family stare with strange but good creations this week? The link up rules can be found here or by clicking on “Strange But Good” in the menu bar above. In short, I want to see what concoctions have earned you weird looks from co-workers, family and friends! Post your Strange But Good creations, grab the logo below for your blog, and link up here.
Remember to use #strangebutgood in any Tweets and Instagrams of your creations. 🙂
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I just realized… this is my 1,000th post! Thank you to everyone who’s taken the time to read over the past (almost) 4 years!
What would you top a savory waffle with?
Did anyone try the sweet eggplant french toast (waffle)?
The big day has arrived.
Hold me.
At work, we host a 3 day conference every year. This year’s being today. It’s been a little nuts (<– understatement) leading up to it… but I am really excited! Here’s a little bite of what life has looked like the past few days.
There have been early mornings.
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