The June Bug Theory

Homemade Granola Bars

2013-07-05T12:28:00.001-04:00

At Whole Foods they have these yummy sesame seed bars baked in honey until they are almost like candy bars. I thought I would give it a try. I didn't really have enough sesame seeds, so I kind of substituted with other nuts. And so, Mo's Granola Bars were born.

What you'll need:

1/3 c of almond meal* (ground up almonds)
2/3 cup dried unsweetened coconut flakes (tiny)
1/3 c ground oats*

1/3 c slivered toasted almonds chopped coarsely
1/3 c toasted pecans chopped coarsely
1/3 c raw pumpkin seeds (green ones)
1/3 c raw sunflower seeds
2/3 c sesame seeds

2/3 c honey
5 dashes cinnamon
8x8 baking pan

1/2 T butter (to butter the pan, and whatever is left just throw in with the honey)

*If you can't find ground almonds in the store and to grind your oats, all you need is a coffee grinder or food processor.

Set the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter the 8x8 baking dish with 1/2 T of butter. In a small sauce pan, heat up the honey to a very liquid state - not boiling though. If you have left over butter, just throw it in with the honey. No point in wasting it. You can also heat up the honey in the microwave, but I like to watch it, so it doesn't boil.

Mix all dry ingredients plus Cinnamon in a large mixing bowl. With a spatula, stir in the heated honey and coat evenly. Transfer to your buttered baking dish quickly and press firmly into the pan, spreading the mixture as evenly as possible.

Baked for 20 minutes in 350 oven. Let cool for 15 to 20 minutes until firm but not hard. Cut into squares, bars or whatever sized pieces you prefer.

To keep fresh, I wrapped each bar in parchment paper and the sealed them in an airtight container.

Enjoy!

Freedom of Speech

2013-07-04T10:46:00.000-04:00

On this Independence Day, I'm going to take a minute to exercise my right to free speech and get on my soap box. I'll try to make it short though...

I've often thought that for my generation freedom and independence was a given, and something we take for granted. Because, it's not like we've had a hand in fighting for it.

However, as I was reading the news this morning about more unrest in Egypt, coupled with a recent conversation with my Dad and thoughts about last weeks SCOTUS ruling, I took a moment to reflect. We (and by we, I mean Americans) may not be fighting for freedom and independence from government rule, but we are still fighting for freedom of oppression from each other.

It is our constitutional right to have beliefs and opinions, but it's how we act upon them that either sparks a fire for bias and prejudice, or cultivates a deep reverence for diversity.

Unfortunately, bias seems to come much easier than understanding. I suppose because you don't have to educate yourself...I think the saying is "ignorance is bliss." Except that it's not. It's just lazy.

We've all succumb to laziness in some form or fashion, whether we want to admit it or not, but we have to keep pushing ourselves to fight for and towards the founding principles of this country...freedom and equality. We are the melting pot of the world after all, so if we can't embrace our differences and see the beauty in that, then we've failed ourselves, and as a role model to those who are literally still fighting for this dream.

-Mo

Rose Raspberry Popsicle

2013-06-13T13:15:00.000-04:00

I got a ZOKU popsicle maker for Christmas, and now that it is summer and steaming hot outside, I'm bustin' it out for some yummy frozen treats.

The easiest recipe so far has been pouring Simply Fresh Orange Juice with whole berries mashed or thrown into the popsicle slots. Basically, no mixing or thinking required. Just freezing and eating!

However, I have experimented with blending strawberries, honey and greek yogurt, which is really good as well. But, my favorite concoction so far is mixing Rosewater with fresh mashed up raspberries and some greek yogurt. It tastes like it should be full of calories, but it's nice knowing that the yummy treat is good for you.

Recipe for Rose Raspberry Popsicles

Equipment Used

Zoku Quick Pop Make (Original - 3 count)

Ingredients

1/2 cup plain greek yogurt (I used Fage 2%)

2 tablespoon sugar (could substitue honey)

1 pint fresh/frozen raspberries

1 tablespoon rosewater*

1 to 2 tablespoon milk

*You can find online or in specialty stores such mediterranean markets or Whole Foods.

Reserve a few raspberries (10) to slightly mash and fold into popsicle mixture later. Take all ingredients - yogurt, raspberries, rosewater and milk - and blend together in a blender. Fold in reserved mashed raspberries. Pour into prepared Zoku quick pop maker. Follow freezing times instructed for the pop maker. Makes 4 popsicles.

Enjoy!

Postcards from San Diego - Parks & Photography

2013-05-26T10:00:00.000-04:00

So this wraps up my Postcards from San Diego Series...at least for now.

And I'll let the photos speak for themselves - photos taken at Balboa Park and Presidio Park.

"Postcards from San Diego - Parks & Photography"

"Postcards from San Diego" - Pass me the wine, please

2013-05-20T18:23:00.002-04:00

"Postcards from San Diego - Pass Me the Wine Please"

San Diego may be known for beer, but if you go about an hour and a half north towards Ramona, there is a great little winery by the name of Hellanback Ranch. Not easy to find, so be sure to get directions. To learn more about the Winery and its owners check out this fun video:

Earning our keep...
So, we actually had the opportunity to help in bottling 40 cases of wine while visiting.
This was truly a great experience, and I'm really hopeful that we'll get to make it back for the harvest this year!

On bottling....
Even though bottling is just one part of the process of wine-making, I have a whole new appreciation for every bottle opened. Because when it's a small-boutique style winery, believe me, there's a lot of love and care that goes into that bottle. My arm can attest...I sealed roughly 480 bottles by hand!

So after earning our keep and bottling, I got to snag a few shots around the ranch, dogs, pigs and all.

Postcards from San Diego - Food & Drink Recommendations

2013-05-13T16:29:00.001-04:00

"Postcards from San Diego - Food & Drink Recommendations"

Recently I traveled to San Diego for a little fun in the sun, beer tasting and wine bottling.

And before I get to the posts highlighting my photography excursions, I thought I would share a snapshot of all the great food and drinks we got to check out while there.

Mission #1: Find Pliny the Elder. And the results....

Well, I finally got to try this famous Double IPA (Pliny the Elder) by Russian River Brewing Company...and I have to admit, I understand what all the hype is about. It was one of the best IPA's I've ever had. Hoppy, but super floral, and so smooth that it goes down way too easy. It's worth the trip out to the west coast and searching for the bar that has it on tap.

Mission # 2: Eat, drink and be merry. And so we did, at the following:

Alpine Beer Co. - A short drive outside of San Diego. Recommended Brews (besides all of them): Pure Hoppiness and the Mandarin Nectar.

Tiger Tiger - Great beer selection and phenomenal food like pork belly sandwiches slathered with pâté and fries covered in gravy (otherwise known as poutin).

Polite Provisions - Crazy good cocktails are served up at this trendy little spot. Just check out their phone number - 691.677.DRUG, and you'll have no doubts that as manufacturers of local tonics, elixirs and cures that you will find a remedy for whatever ails you.

Green Flash Brewing Co. - What can I say. It's really great beer, and they have a lot to sample. Opt for the samples sizes, so you can taste a variety, and definitely try the Palette Wrecker, but please save it for last. It is named this for a reason.

Alesmith Brewing Company - They have a really fantastic nut brown ale, among other things. Definitely worth a visit, since they're only available right now in California.

Hamilton's Tavern - Amazing beer selection. No frills bar scene.

Toronado - Amazing beer selection, and pork belly skewers are a must try appetizer.

Small Bar - Amazing beer selection. I'm beginning to see a pattern here.

So as you can see from the sampling of local fare, I left San Diego, not hungry or parched by any means.

-Mo

"Postcards from Portland" - Cannon Beach & Coastal Concoctions

2013-01-07T18:50:00.000-05:00

"Postcards from Portland" - Cannon Beach & Coastal Concoctions

I know it's been sometime since my last blog on Portland (or in general), but I didn't quite anticipate my intense travel schedule last Fall, or, the rest I would need following. But, it's a new year. I'm feeling refreshed after the holidays, and I am looking forward to writing more this year. So here's to Day 3 of the "Postcards from Portland" series, and a big Happy New Year for all those who continue to stop by The June bug Theory Blog!

Day 3 of our adventures in Portland led us out of the city again, this time, to the Pacific Coast towards Cannon Beach, where we took in some local organic coffee, saw a rather large protruding rock in the sea, tested our tootsies in the frigid waters of the Northwest, and drove to a seaside town straight out of the Goonies, where we picked up some more local brews and tried some oyster shots.

But, before we could pack that all in, we had to get some goodness stuck to our ribs, and what better way than with a second helping of Pine State Biscuits. Yes, ladies and gentlemen, those biscuits are that good, so much so that we sought out the location on SE Belmont Street in Portland. And the second time around with the Money Ball Double Down, Biscuit with homemade Pimento Cheese and coffee, was just as good as the first time.

My mouth is watering now just thinking about these and seeing the pictures again...

The Money Ball Double Down (translation - two eggs on top of a biscuit smothered in gravy)

Homemade Pimento Cheese (yummy)

Bellies full and caffeine kickin', we headed for the coast. And did I mention our ride (aka rental car)? None other than a Subaru Outback, which felt kind of like we were living the Subaru ads, as we drove through the West Coast forests just twisting and turning on the roadways with the low lying clouds just above our heads.

Alas, we emerged from the fog like state, arriving at Cannon Beach, which was about an hour and half outside of Portland. First stop, a local coffee shop, called Sleepy Monk Coffee Roasters where the coffee is roasted locally. Then a short walk over to the beach and there it is...Haystack Rock.

Haystack rock

If you're a child of the 80's, I would expect the photo above and those below, might strik a sense of nostalgia and familiarity as the backdrop to the infamous GOONIES movie, which was filmed in Astoria, Cannon Beach (Haystack Rock) and Ecola State Park.

We took a nice stroll on the beach, took way more photos than you probably would care to see, and remember earlier that I said we tested our tootsies in the frigid waters...well, I think this says it all...

The water was only in the 50 degree range, but to this southern girl, it felt icy cold.

After drying off, we headed up to Ecola State Park for some scenic views of the area and a peek at the Tillamook Rock Light (a deactivated lighthouse on a rock less than an acre, which now acts as a columbarium...for cremated remains).

Ecola State Park View

Tillamook Rock Light

Ecola State Park View

Ecola State Park View

By now, it was getting well into the afternoon, and we needed some fuel...so we drove up the coast towards Astoria to Fort George Brewery + Public House.

For more details about this historic brew house, the original settlement site of Astoria, click here.

Upon our entrance into Fort George, this beautiful menu of coastal concoctions was on the wall to greet us....

If my memory serves me correctly, we chose the Sunrise Oatmeal Pale Ale, and the Vortex IPA, and purchased the 22 oz. Roses on Roses in a bottle to take back to Portland.

In addition to our brews, we opted for some unbelievably fresh oysters from Willapa Bay, shot-style with lemon and spicy cocktail sauce. This might have ignited our love for Oysters...if only they could be so fresh all the time.

Willapa Bay Oyster Shots

Fort George Brews

After all the fresh fare (Albacore Tuna Fish & Chips, Sausage) and brews, and some discussions with our bartender, we contemplated driving to Eugene, OR, which apparently is home to some other really great breweries....but, reality set-in, and we decided that this would have to wait for another trip to the Pacific North West.

So, we headed back to Portland. All in all day 3, and a well-spent birthday for Vladi, was complete with a visit to Cannon Beach and bellies full of Coastal Concoctions.

Stay tuned...I promise, day 4 will be posted much sooner.

Thanks for Reading and Happy New Year,

PS - I will leave you with this one more tidbit...for those of you wishing to re-live the 80's for a few minutes.

Thanksgiving 2012

2012-11-22T23:57:00.000-05:00

Another year, another turkey

Wine, and pie, and now it's time for some shut eye.....

I promise I won't try to rhyme anymore, but the photos below sum up the day, but I do have one more thing to say (oops, was that another rhyme)....

Last year, I did 24 days of Thanks, but this year, I've done a little less blogging because life has been happening and happening rather quickly. I still have blog posts to write from our Portland trip and Charleston, Country Klub and so much more, but I guess that's the point of my blog post this evening, as Thanksgiving 2012 comes to an end. Live in the moment...

Blogging is great, and so is the age of social networks and a mobile society in order to stay connected with all the things we're interested in and ones we love and want to keep close..those far away or those in the next room, but remembering to actually enjoy the time spent with family and friends, and doing the things we love is sooooo uber important. More so than worrying about how/when to blog about it or send out the next tweet, facebook post and/or status update. I guess what I'm saying is that in this age of fast-paced life, be thankful for every moment spent doing what you enjoy and being with those you cherish....I know I do, or at least I'm trying.

And with that said...

Thanks to my wonderful family and friends who bless me everyday, encourage me, support me and love my quirks. Life wouldn't be as grand without y'all!! (And yes, I said y'all...I am a Texan after all.)

A few snapshots from today....

cranberries & sunflowers

smoked turkey from the green egg

the junebug...after turkey and playing with her pals - vincent, potato & pedro... I think she might have the right idea, so I'm signing off for this thanksgiving.

Happy Thanksgiving,

Mo / Mel

Bailey & Sydney Go For A Walk

2012-09-19T20:40:00.000-04:00

Bailey and Sydney are my parents new beloved little furry companions. You see about 10 months ago, we had to say goodbye to "Annie the Wonder Dog" ... aka Annie and the Rocket Dog. Annie, over came several illnesses throughout her life that would have broken the spirit of most dogs, but not "the wonder dog". She had an unrelenting drive...for food, walks and attention, even up to almost the very end. So, it was really hard to say goodbye, but solace comes with tears, time and knowing she had it pretty good...actually, probably couldn't have had it any better. Here's the cutie:

"Annie the Wonder Dog"

Sigh....well, they say the best thing to do to help the pain, is to go looking for other furry little friends, who need you just as much as the ones before them. So after roughly 4 months, I think my Mom caved in, and found Bailey, and then it wasn't long before Sydney came along, which in my opinion looks like a mini Annie.

Puppies are always a challenge. Bailey and Sydney are testing the definition of challenge!

But they are cute, and the Junebug seems to like them too. Sydney is providing payback for all the relentless puppy moments in Juno's not so distant youth.

And this week, marks Bailey and Sydney's first sleepover/vacation, while the parents took a much needed vacation...however, I'm not sure if the parent's vacation is much needed from work and the everyday stresses of life, or rather from these little puff balls. And with that said, Bailey and Sydney definitely don't allow for any dull moments.

And today was no different. Bailey and Sydney went for their first walk....was it success or failure?

Scroll to find out......

Juno is thinking yes, we are going for a walk

(she loves them; walks that is)

If I could guess, Bailey is thinking, I'm not so sure about this....

Sydney (the black streak in the bottom left corner)

is trying to go the other way.

Out the door we go, and curiosity ensues.....

(Just to clarify, now that they are visible,

Bailey is the brown one, and Sydney is solid black)

Bailey seems to be happy!

And we are walking!!!!

And if you could see Sydney in action,

this is the equivalent of success.

Most of the time she is just a blur in photos

because she's bouncing and charging around

like a "mini rocket dog"...a little uncanny if you ask me

So, the official results...success it was. Not with out a few tangles along the way, because of course Juno came with us, and that made it all the more fun. But, we did make it around the block. And when you are 10 pounds, that is a long way.

Mom & Dad...if you're reading this, you have a new evening activity waiting for you upon your return!

-Mo

"Postcards from Portland" - Sights, Sails & Sauces

2012-09-10T21:55:00.000-04:00

Postcards from Portland - Sights, Sails & Sauces

I know it's been a couple of weeks since the last post, but it takes me a while to go through all the photos and decide which ones best depict the day, and we've done a little more traveling in the meantime... Boston and Charleston. I think more postcards are in the future because there were just too many yummy spots not to share.

But for now...day 2 of our adventures in and around Portland, OR.

Portland Day 2 consisted of a lot of nature and sightseeing outside of the city, which led to a quaint little town that is known for several different types of sails.

But to get this long day started we began with breakfast at our hotel (The Nines) at Urban Farmer Restaurant, which was probably t-h-e best hotel breakfast I can recall devouring, which included avocado eggs benedict (could that be any more sinful or rich), bacon-cheddar biscuits and chicken-cherry sausage.

After breakfast, we headed out for our first sight of the day, Mt. Hood.

The trek out to Mount Hood is about an hour east of Portland. Once you're there, you have so many options to see the mountain...aka dormant Volcano. You can visit timberline lodge, drive around and stop on the side of the road to take pics, or checkout one of the many nature trails in the park. Just be sure to pick up your recreation park pass (which costs $5 for the day), so you're not worried about getting a ticket.

up close at the timberline

from the other side headed towards Hood River

a little hiking...so many trails forgot the name

And then there was this mountain...St. Helens, Adams?

After sightseeing, we headed north towards Hood River to checkout some breweries (Full Sail and Double Mountain). Hood River, Oregon is a great little place to visit. Nestled just off the Columbia River Gorge, it's very windy, so in addition to being the home of some great brews, it's also a great place to catch some wind surfing.

After you've tried your hand at some kite sailing/wind surfing (I won't lie, we didn't event attempt), you can check out the local brews.

Right as we started planning our trip to Portland I discovered a new Pale Ale by Full Sail. When I went to look it up one day, I was so delighted to find out that another one of my fav brews - Sessions - was also made by the same brew masters and it was located outside of Portland. This ultimately fueled me to do more research on getting us out to PDX and Hood River. So of course this was our first brew stop in Hood River. During the tour at Full Sail, we discovered that the brewery was founded and started by a woman in the 1980's, and today, is owned by the employees, who work 4 days a week (10 hours each). I knew I liked this beer...work hard, play hard...just check out their Mantra.

Our awesome tour guide!

Beer, beer and more beer

So of course not only did we do the tour, but we did some tasting as well. On tap: The Full Sail Ltd. 3 and the IPA. Quite tasty I must say, and so much better on site. We also purchased some souvenirs, which included a water bowl for the Junebug.

After our treks around Mt. Hood and Full Sail, we needed some food. So we headed over to Double Mountain Brewery, which was a great tip from that Portland Resident. On the menu was pizza (the kind that gets charred in a 700 degree oven) and a dry hopped pale ale called the Vaporizor. In three words...it was awesome.

I have to admit, I didn't really want to leave Hood River. There was something about it there that just kind of drew me in. Maybe the wind and beer got to me.

As we headed back to Portland, we stopped in at Multnomah Falls for some great photo ops and a nice little hike. I'll let the photos speak for themselves, but if you get the chance, you really must go to appreciate the sight from the bottom and the top.

View from the top of the falls...it's quite a trek

Sun setting, meant we had to quickly get back to the bottom of the falls, which was much easier than going up.

Back in Portland, and to end our day, we decided to check out another one of the city's late night happy hours at Saucebox. This place had a great vibe and some tasty bites from Sweet Potato Spring Rolls and Pad Thai to yummy concoctions...such as the Thai Basil Gimlet.

And that folks was Day 2 of Portland....

complete with sights, sails and sauces.

Stay tuned for more!

-Mo Vid

"Postcards from Portland" - Biscuits, Beer & Books

2012-08-25T20:20:00.000-04:00

Postcards from Portland - Biscuits, Beer & Books

Thanks for tuning in to my "Postcards from Portland" series documenting the delights this pacific northwest city has to offer.

Portland Day 1 consisted of, as the title lends itself to, a day full of culinary and literary delights...plus new friends made along the away.

We (the hubby and I) arrived in Portland late on a friday night. We checked into The Nines, and decided to head upstairs for a drink and bite to eat at Departure, which is ironic, since we had just arrived. Departure is a posh little spot perched on the top of The Nines Hotel, boasting modern Asian cuisine, and a late-night happy hour menu - specials on drinks and small plates, which can be found in a variety of locations throughout the entire city (the late night happy hour that is).

With full bellies, and a night of good sleep, we were set to embark on day 1 of our Portland adventure.

We started the day off in search of coffee, Portland style. Feeling a little jet-lagged and trying to get our bearings, we ended up at a Starbucks to our own regret, but we needed the jolt to get things going. Portland coffee would have to come later.

Coffee in-hand, we headed off in search of the famed Portland Farmers Market. And boy, did it deliver. This farmers market alone, had me won-over and ready to pack my things and move across country.

Here's a few snapshots....

After seeing all this...our mouths were watering, but with multiple vendors, how to choose what to eat for breakfast. Well thankfully, I had the opportunity to sit next to a Portland resident on the flight out, who graciously provided a lot of great tips and must-see spots to check-out, and Pine State Biscuits was one of these. (Which happened to have a cart at the market!)

I must say, I've never been crazy over biscuits and gravy (yes, I admit this, even being a full-blooded southerner). However, the Pine Street Biscuits made me a convert. I'm still craving these biscuits and more so, the gravy, weeks after we've arrived home.

On the menu:

I opted for The Reggie - biscuit complete with fried chicken, bacon, cheese and gravy. The hubby opted for The Moneyball - a biscuit (I think there was one on the plate) topped with gravy and an over-easy egg.

Fat & Greasiness...y-u-m-m-y is all I have to say.

The Moneyball

The Reggie

And before we left the market...a little music to go on the side...

With some food in our bellies and a few extra calories sticking to the ribs, we could set off to explore the beer capital of the world. And when I say that, this is why...Portland has 40+ craft breweries within its city limits. In my books, that makes it the beer capital of the world.

So, we hopped on to the MAX Light Rail, and headed over to Widmer Brothers Brewery.

Remember the Portland resident I mentioned earlier. Well, this person also happened to be an employee of Widmer, which I'm very grateful to for not only providing us some great tips, but also, for getting us in on a brewery tour Saturday...apparently, these tours fill up fast.

Widmer was a great way to start out some beer tasting, as well as, beef up our beer making knowledge.

These 4 massive tanks produce some absolutely delicious beer...

Hops in a bucket

At the end of the tour was a tasting consisting of the Hefeweizen, Citra Blonde Summer Brew, Drifter Pale Ale (my favorite), and the Rotator IPA: Shaddock IPA.

Happy Tasters

After the tour and tasting, we decided to head on over to the Widmer Gasthaus Pub for a couple of more samplings and some grub.

The tasting menu (of our choice) included the Marionberry Hibiscus Gose, Oatmeal Porter, Nelson IPA, Rotator IPA: X-114, and unfortunately, I can't remember the last two. I suppose the the beer already drank might have had an impact, but I do remember that one tasted like pineapple.

Let's just say out of the tastings...the Marionberry Hibiscus Gose was the clear winner. So good, and super refreshing for a beer!

After Widmer, we were off to Tom McCall Waterfront Park in downtown Portland for the largest Craft Brew Festival in the country. Why, I ever thought this would be a great idea to do on a Saturday has failed to escape me. It sounded good...over a 100 beers at your fingertips, $6 dollars for a mug and $1 per token for samples.

What we realized is that after an hour in line for one beer, we decided that sampling was out of the question, and we would have to fork over 4 tokens for a full glass of Terminal Gravity's IPA.

However in the process, we made some new friends - Kim & Matt - a really nice couple from Wisconsin.

After all the beer, crowds and heat (75 degrees...what I'm talking about), we decided to check out Henry's for dinner with our new friends. Henry's is located in the Pearl District, in a historic brick building...and of course, they serve beer and good food. This is Portland after all.

After dinner, we set off to explore Powell's City of Books...a book store that literally takes up an entire city block and houses more than 1 million new, used and out of print books. Let's just say the first trip there was a little overwhelming. I didn't even know where to start, so I took photos instead.

After soaking up some literary culture, we, and new friends headed over and up to the Portland City Grill at 111 SW 5th Ave. on the 30th floor, for a nightcap and an amazing view of downtown Portland and the Cascade mountains.

And that ladies and gentleman was Day 1 of Portland...
complete with Biscuits, Beer & Books.

Stay tuned for "Postcards from Portland" - day 2.

-Mo Vid

Portland

2012-08-11T23:04:00.000-04:00

Portland....is definitely a city with more to offer than 5 days could lend itself to.

About a year ago, the hubby and I decided we needed to check out this happening metro area that prides itself on being one of, if not "the" greenest city, as well as, a land of bridges, roses, outdoor activities galore, music and of course who could forget craft beer and farm-to-table cuisine along with the famed food-truck craze.

That's a lot to pack in 5 days. And, I'll just say this...we need to plan another trip...Or, consider relocation options.

So please stay tuned as I kickoff my "postcards from portland" blog series over the next few weeks, but first here's a snapshot of what's to come:

The Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall

7 Craft Breweries visited, a Craft Brew festival, and I lost count of the # of local brews tried
A Farmers Market that would make any foodie think they'd died and gone to heaven
A snow capped mountain 11,000 feet up and a seaside stroll that was straight out of "Goonies"
Satisfied (and slightly larger) bellies full with fresh oysters, ranier cherries, figs, biscuits and out-of-this-world gravy, thai style chicken wings and donuts with maple frosting and bacon.
Coffee. Coffee. Coffee.

Stay tuned...

Smyrna Food Truck Tuesday, July 24th

2012-07-24T22:26:00.002-04:00

The popular trend has finally hit Smyrna...the food truck craze that is! And oh, how excited was I.

It started 3 weeks ago, but tonight was our first venture out to the Smyrna Food Truck Tuesday in Taylor Brawner Park. Have I ever mentioned, how much I love my little town! If not, let me divert for one second to tell you how awesome this little place I call home is.....

Smyrna has not only put together a food truck event, but they encourage people to walk and bike there. This is one of the reasons we fell in love with Smyrna - it's a city that works on projects that reflect community such as widening sidewalks and creating pedestrian bridges that make it easier to be mobile in something other than a car to get to great events like Food Truck Tuesday or the various festivals in the Market Village.

Ok....diversion over. Back to important stuff like Food Trucks and the food coming out of these kitchens on wheels.

On tap tonight...we opted for Ibiza bites and King of Pops.

Ibiza bites was something of a southern latin fusion that included (from left to right in the pic below):

Waffle fries with a lemon sauce and maple syrup...yes, I said maple syrup, and believe me the combo may not sound complimentary, but it worked!
Lobster Mac 'n' Cheese with grilled corn....need I say more.
Coconut Fried Chicken with Slaw and Coconut Mango Rice...a little piece of paradise. (Just needed a pina colada or mai tai to top it off!)

And of course the June bug was there to do a little begging....and drooling.

King of Pops...these craft popsicles are pure frozen fruit fabulousness...flavors of choice this evening included Raspberry Lime and Apricot & something...we forgot.

Overall, a very enjoyable first Food Truck Tuesday for these Smyrnites and the June bug. We braved the 90+ degrees, but we got to spend some quality time with our neighbors and their new baby; plus we walked there, so the indulgent food was guilt-free...at least that's what I'm telling myself.

This weekend we head out to the Food Truck and Craft Beer Mecca...Portland, OR.

Stay tuned for Our Portlandia moments.

-Mo

Thunder & Mint-Raspberry Gin and Tonics

2012-07-21T19:27:00.000-04:00

A little clip from our Saturday evening as we listen to some thunder on our deck...

A couple of Minty-Raspberry Gin and Tonics with a twist of lime and M.Ward playing on Pandora while listening to the thunder makes for a relaxing Saturday evening.

Even Juno is braving the Thunder...........

Lemon Blueberry Cupcakes

2012-07-16T21:30:00.000-04:00

Need a dose of summer sunshine...for your belly rather than your skin? Try my latest cupcake experiment...Lemon Blueberry Cupcakes.

The Lemon Blueberry cupcake is based on the Ultimate Vanilla Cupcake recipe (from the cupcakeproject.com) with the addition of lemon zest from 1 1/2 lemons, and 1 1/2 cup of blueberries. And to top it off, I decided to try what I think would be the ultimate vanilla frosting/icing...a modified version of my Strawberry-like ice cream icing (sans strawberries).

To make, follow the vanilla cupcake recipe link above, and fold the lemon zest and blueberries into the batter at the end before you scoop everything into your cupcake/muffin pans. In my oven, it took about 18 minutes to cook the cupcakes, and my batter produced 18 cupcakes (ironically).

Let cool.

My version of the Ultimate Vanilla Icing:

5 Tablespoons Flour
1 cup Milk
1 Vanilla Bean
1/2 teaspoon Vanilla
1 cup Butter
1 cup Granulated Sugar

Directions

In a small saucepan, whisk flour into milk and heat, stirring constantly, until it thickens. You want it to be very thick, thicker than cake mix, more like a brownie mix is. Remove from heat and let it cool to room temperature.

Remove/de-seed the black gooeyness from the vanilla bean and add to granulated sugar in a small bowl. With the back of a spoon, break up any clumps of vanilla bean and incorporate it into the sugar. (You basically now have vanilla sugar). Transfer to a mixing bowl.

For info on how to de-seed, the vanilla bean, checkout this helpful video: http://youtu.be/nD3zH-43duA.

In the mixing bowl, add the butter to your vanilla-sugar combo. With an electric mixer cream the butter and vanilla-sugar combo together until light and fluffy. You don’t want any sugar graininess left.

Then, add the completely cooled milk/flour mixture and beat the living daylights out of it. Beat it until it all the ingredients are combined and it resembles whipped cream. If you love lemon, you could always add some more lemon zest, but it's just fine with out it.

Frost your cupcakes before you eat all the icing!

5 month hiatus...

2012-07-01T19:07:00.001-04:00

Hello out there. I feel guilty that I haven't blogged in 5 months. Yes, it has been a little too long.
I don't have a good excuse, other than I've been focusing on a lot of different things such as:

a new job
trying to work out / run on a more consistent occasion (I'm getting ready to run the Peachtree on July 4th...there may be a little walking involved too.)
go to bed earlier
read more
spend more time with my hubby & the junebug
not watch so much TV (except for my absolute musts - New Girl and Grimm, which I'm totally in withdrawal from right now)
oh yeah...and a major overhaul to our yard

Anyway, I think it's time to get blogging again...I still owe some Country Klub Recipes, and I'll be traveling to Portland later this month for some craft beers, good food and time outdoors, so lots to come.

Country Klub

2012-01-31T20:30:00.000-05:00

A couple of months ago, with our good friends Traci and Aaron, we decided to spice up our dinner get togethers, and hold a themed dinner around dishes from Spain. It was awesome!

Aaron and Traci made Romesco sauce, which my husband loves (this is an understatement, believe me). We made steak that had a yummy sauce made of orange juice, onions and blue cheese.

Little did we all know that this dinner would spark a culinary journey. After some wine, the four of us decided this needed to be a regular event, and our very own Country Klub was founded. This one however, does not come with membership fees or fancy pants; instead, the only requirement is that you come with a love for food and an a appetite of course!

We created a list of countries/places; put the list in excel and created a randomized sort. This way, it was completely at random as to which place would be next on the list. And so, the journey begins (already began actually).

Here's the list:

Spain

Corsica (Italy)

Polynesia

Japan

Greece

Bangladesh

South African

China

Chile

Mexico

Hawaii

Mongolia

Lebanon

Ethiopia

Australia

Sri Lanka

Switzerland

New Zealand

India

Russia

Serbia

United Kingdom

Germany

....and who knows what will be next on the list.

Next blog post....a recap of Spain, Corsica, and Polynesia.

Change

2012-01-27T00:04:00.010-05:00

If there's anything I've learned in the past 6 months, it is this...Change is inevitable. Change is good. Change is hard. It is scary, and it is sometimes a necessity. But with change, comes new adventures.

In the last two months, I decided to limit my blogging to focus on a little soul searching. And among all the things I needed to weigh, I needed first to decide whether I would let the fear of change paralyze me from taking action, or if I would put my big girl shoes on and walk straight into embracing change.

Well, I put the big girl shoes on, not without struggle, or a lot of support, and went forth. And guess what...change was going to happen whether I wanted to welcome it or not, but it is much better when you do, because you can have some say in that change.

You might ask what's all the fuss about. Well, I decided to change jobs. I know people do this everyday. But I had spent almost one-third of my life with this company and the people (often spending more time with them, than my own family). So, the people factor made it really hard. But the personal and professional part really needed the change.

So as I said before, with change, comes new adventures. I set the chain of events in motion for my own change, and found out, this chica is ready! So, here's to new adventures. New job starts next week!

And thank you Vladi, Dad, Mom, for dealing with me and for supporting me. Love you guys.

Happy Friday

2012-01-20T07:49:00.004-05:00

Been busy lately...I will reflect on this later, but for now, I'm happy it's friday.

And, I thought a perfect way to kick it off, would be to share a some images that make me smile.

Sweet Face (or should I same Game Face On...mission cupcake)

Really workin' it now...

Moocher

Mission accomplished!

A little sugar high...poor Papa Smurf

Happy Friday!

Vanilla Bean Cupcakes

2011-12-31T15:00:00.000-05:00

Don't you want to just sink your teeth in?

This absolutely delicious vanilla bean cupcake is brought to you by cupcakeproject.com and is noted as the ultimate vanilla cupcake.

I will agree about the cake part. It was out of this world! For the icing, I went with the recommended vanilla bean buttercream frosting. It's good, but I'm not sold. With a cupcake that tastes that unbelievable, I was expecting something else. I have a feeling, if I made my strawberry frosting from earlier this year, strawberry or vanilla flavored, it would have been heaven.

One last photo just for fun!

And with that, I hope 2011 was just as sweet for you, as it was for me.

Happy New Year!

The Dish: Thai Red Curry Mussels

2011-12-30T09:38:00.005-05:00

I know I took a little hiatus from blogging, but there have been other priorities lately...family and myself. This time of year, I always find to be a good time to recharge my batteries. So, that's just what I've been doing with a little retail and cooking therapy.

And, if you're looking for something to spice up your everyday go-to-meals, then check out this recipe for Thai Red Curry Mussels on the Food Network.

My only deviations from the recipe were the following:

Crushing a lemongrass stalk seemed a little agressive (maybe if you've had a bad day, this would be an option). Instead, I sliced the stalk lengthwise into 4 strips and then chopped the stalk. I placed the chopped lemongrass in cheesecloth, tied it up and threw it in with the liquid. (See the big white looking ball in the photo below.)
I added about 2 garlic cloves crushed (literaly smashed with the back of a sturdy knife, and skins removed) to the liquid.
I actually mixed and whisked all the liquid in a separate bowl before placing in the pot to heat. The coconut milk is really thick, so I recommend this part, especially if using an enameled pot to cook your mussels.

Ingredients prepped.

Mussels, debearded and washed.

I purchased from Whole Foods, and for the most part, they were ready to go, but a few still needed debearding, which is literally tearing out this fiberous little tuft from the side of the mussel. After this, I let the little guys sit in cold water for about 30 minutes to flush out any remaining sand. After 30 minutes, lift the mussels out of the water. Don't poor into a strainer, because all the sand will just end up back on the mussels. Also, be sure to ditch any mussels that are cracked or wide open, or don't close when tapping/pushing on them. And if they don't smell like the beach, the word is they're not fresh.

Check out Allrecipes.com for a step-by-step "how to" on cleaning and prepping mussels.

For a short demo on debearding, check out this video:

And the best part....enjoy. Oh, one more thing, I highly recommend eating this with a baguette to soak up the yummy juices!

Happy cooking and yummy eating.

The Dish: Scallops Provencal

2011-12-05T20:44:00.006-05:00

So, tonight's dish was so good that we forgot to take a photo before we scarfed it all up.

So what could have been so finger lickin' good? Scallops Provencal, by none other than one of my favorites...Barefoot Contessa. And yes, this recipe has butter, so be prepared, or go for a run. Because you just can't make this right without butter.

Click below for the full recipe...get a nice baguette to soak up all the yummy goodness!

Scallops Provencal on the Food Network

Even Juno loves scallops ;-)

I might be in love...

2011-12-03T01:49:00.003-05:00

I have just experienced Modcloth.com, and I might be in love.

If not for this t-shirt alone. Excited to read the blog too.

History of the Cupcake

2011-11-30T19:02:00.007-05:00

Today, while celebrating a colleagues birthday, with cupcakes of course, they asked, "where do cupcakes originate, they are definitely American." Let me note, the individual lives in France and it's possible the cupcake craze might be a little more evident here in the US. Anyway, this really got me thinking...(as I pretty much think about cupcakes everyday...by the fact that last night, I started researching what it was going to take to make the ultimate vanilla cupcake per cupcakeproject.com's recipe)...i digress as usual....anyway, it got me thinking, where do these personal, pint-sized joy's come from. Who invented them???

With a little internet research, information can be found.

There actually seems to be two theories of the origination of the name cupcake:

1. by the measurement of ingredients in the cake...cup of flour, cup of sugar, etc.

2. by the fact that they were originally baked in cups.

The first reference can be traced back to 1796 in a recipe written by Amelia Simms, the American Cookery, with a notation about a cake to be baked in small cups.

So was it America or somewhere else?

Well there are other references to Queen Cake that was apparently a lighter version of fruitcake that was popular in the 18th century in England.

It's possible we may never know, but America has a close tie and history with Great Britain, so...

it's food for thought.

24 Days of Thanks in Review

2011-11-28T19:00:00.000-05:00

During the month of November, I set out on a mission to capture 24 things I'm thankful for leading up to Thanksgiving. The assignment was very thought provoking and made me realize that I have so much to be truly thankful for...and there are way more than 24 things, people, places, etc. that I'm thankful for. And I should remember to be thankful everyday, not just the 24 days I have been concentrating on doing so.

And with that in mind, I have one more thank you to write for the moment...a thank you to all of you, who have been reading my blog for the last 11 months, and for those who have continued to encourage me. Thank you for stopping by The June bug Theory blog and letting me share just a few of my thoughts.

And in case you missed the list, here it is in it's entirety...24 Days of Thanks:

24. My birthday
23. My house
22. Good luck charms
21. Built-in Dishwashers
20. The ability to travel
19. Caffeine
18. Laughter
17. Music
16. Health
15. Wine
14. The Internet & Wikipedia
13. The little things in life
12. Nature & Animals
11. Friends
10. Technology
09. Freedom
08. Sweets
07. Great Neighbors
06. Grandmother
05. Mom
04. Dad
03. Juno
02. Hubby
01. Family

Be sure to check out my next assignment...the 12 days of Christmas...coming soon.