Healthy Peanut Butter Dip

A quick yummy treat that I've been obsessed with: Healthy Peanut Butter Dip! This is a Pinterest WIN!

What you will need:

5.3 oz Vanilla Greek Yogurt (This is the personal size container at the store, but if you buy large containers like me, its just about 2/3 C. I buy Oikos or Yoplait brands and with Greek Yogurt, IT DOES make a difference)

2 tbsp Peanut Butter (I like creamy)

1 tbsp Honey

1/8 tsp cinnamon

Mix everything together and get dipping! It is especially yummy with apples and celery but is pretty amazing with just about anything. 

This makes 5 - 60 calorie protein filled servings! 

Enjoy!

Credit goes here. But I also found this a ton of other places

Quick and Easy From Scratch Brownies

It's Steve's week for dinner so in the interest of not letting the blog lag in the mean time I'm going to share one of my all time favorite and most versatile dessert recipes. They are more of a cake-y dense brownie, which I prefer, so don't go into this expecting fudgey and gooey... unless you undercook them :)

What you'll need:
9x13 baking dish
Large microwavable bowl
1/2 c butter (I use unsalted when baking)
5 tbsp unsweetened coco powder
2 c white granulated sugar
1 tsp vanilla
4 eggs
1 1/2 c flour

Preheat your oven to 350*
In large bowl, microwave butter until completely melted.
Stir in coco powder until mixed well
Stir in sugar and vanilla and mix well
Stir in eggs ONE AT A TIME (I've forgotten the one at a time part before, and it won't ruin the recipe, but it does make it easier to get a smooth batter)
Stir in flour.
TIP: I NEVER use a mixer with this recipe. This makes a THICK batter and you may burn out your motor. You're probably safe in a kitchen aid, but really this is so simple you might as well just use a spoon.
THOROUGHLY grease and flour your baking pan OR line REALLY well with parchment paper. These will stick and it is very sad when that happens.
Bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick/knife inserted to the center comes out clean.

That's it. You now have the perfect, most versatile brownie EVER. Here are some suggestions...

Bake plain batter. Cool, and sprinkle with powdered sugar.
Sprinkle batter w/ mini m&ms before baking.
Sprinkle batter w/ any kind of chocolate or flavored chips before baking.
Sprinkle batter w/ nuts (or nuts and chocolate chips!)
Bake plain batter, frost with mint frosting and top with ganache.
Sprinkle batter with almonds, bake as usual. Pull out your brownies, turn oven to broil, top warm brownies with marshmallow, pop them back under the broiler til puffed and golden brown. Let cool. Top with a light chocolate frosting. (This is a favorite!)

See you can pretty much do anything you want with these! They are perfect with ice cream. They work great in different size pans (try a mini muffin tin for brownie bites but watch so they don't burn!), and I almost always have everything on hand for these when I'm craving a treat.

ENJOY!

This has been a standard family recipe for as long as I can remember so credit goes to my mom.

Homemade Tomato Soup

I've really be disappointed this week that Utah forgot about Spring after just one week of sunny skies. I've been tempted to slip back into winter mode, and I've been craving yummy soup. Steve and I just treated ourselves to a new Blendtec so I decided to try out a  fresh soup. One of my favorite meals is a good grilled cheese sandwich with tomato soup so I asked my mom for some tips and this is what I figured out...

What you'll need:
A good blender - my soup turned out amazingly smooth and yummy in the Blendtec, but you can do this in any good blender.
2 cans of diced tomatoes OR 6-8 fresh tomatoes
1 onion (yellow or white)
1 - 2 cloves garlic
fresh or dried basil
extra virgin olive oil
heavy whipping cream (optional)
foil
baking sheet
salt and pepper

Preheat your oven to 450*
If you're using fresh tomatoes you'll want to cut and seed your tomatoes. I wouldn't worry about peeling them unless your blender can't handle the skins. If you are using canned tomatoes, strain the juices into a bowl and SAVE the juice.
Peel and dice your garlic. I used a heaping 1/2 tsp of the bottled diced garlic. Use as much or as little garlic as you'd like.
Slice or roughly chop your onion. I used about 1/2 of a medium onion, but you can use as much or as little as you like.
Line a baking sheet with foil and spread out your tomatoes and onions. Sprinkle with diced garlic, and drizzle with olive oil. Salt and pepper everything generously. I like to use Kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper.
Put your baking sheet in the oven for about 20 minutes (until your onions start to soften and brown)

If you used canned tomatoes, pour your juice into your blender cup. If you used fresh, you can either use extra chicken broth or tomato juice, but I had about 2 cups of liquid between my canned tomato juice and my chicken broth. Add your roasted veggies and a few leaves of fresh basil, or a tsp of dried basil. My blender has a "soups" button, but you'll want to run your blender on high for about a minute and 1/2. Check your consistency. I like mine nice and thick so I didn't add any more broth. I did run my soup cycle one more time with about 1/8 c of heavy cream, but that is purely optional. My soup turned our very creamy and smooth.

Taste your soup and adjust spices to your liking. I added about a tsp of Lowry's Seasoned Salt and a few more basil leaves and blended things up again and it was JUST how I liked it.

Unless you're running a Vitamix or Blendtec you may need to warm your soup a bit. I ran 2 soup cycles on my blendtec and my soup was plenty warm. The microwave is always an option but I would recommend pouring it into a pan on the stove and letting it warm up that way.

This recipe is another easy very flexible one. I've made this before with celery and carrots, but just didn't like the way the flavors got in the way of my tomatoes. If you're inclined to add more veggies, add about a cup of each (chopped and cooked til soft) to your blender cup. You may need a little more liquid to compensate.

This will keep well in the fridge for 2-3 days and reheats VERY well.

ENJOY!

Green Enchiladas

I've decided that my blog needs to turn into something more interesting and useful than my everyday ramblings. I'm going to start sharing some of my favorite things... recipes  projects, tips & tricks... whatever. A LOT of these are pinterest successes, but I figure someone has to try them and find out if they work. So I'm going to try and tell.

First, a little everyday rambling. Steve and I have been adjusting to married life rather fantastically. Mostly we are really great at compromising. One of our very early compromises was that we would take turns with dinner. I've LOVED this for two reasons. One, Steve is an excellent cook and it is great to sit back and let him worry about grocery shopping and planning for a whole week and not have to eat mac n' cheese. Two, it has made be work up the courage to try some new recipes on my week. I've tried to be a little bit better at planning out a week to use up leftovers and make shopping efficient. Last week on Monday I threw some chicken in the crock pot for quick and easy tacos, and knew I would have leftovers to try a recipe for enchiladas. I thought that we might not love the enchiladas after having had tacos earlier in the week, but these we AMAZING. Wish I could claim it was because of my amazing skills, but really this is just a very easy, simple recipe that is just straight up yummy.

WHAT YOU WILL NEED:
2 Tbs Butter
2 Tbs Flour
1/3- 1/2 C Milk
1 C Verde (Green Chili) Salsa
Chicken or beef for filling
2-3 C shredded Mexican blend cheese
8-10 burrito size flour tortillas
foil
9x13 pan
small sauce pan
whisk

GREEN ENCHILADA SAUCE
Heat a small sauce pan over medium heat
Add Butter and let melt (I watch it and whisk it as it melts so it doesn't burn)
Add Flour whisk until completely mixed with butter and it begins to bubble
Slowly add milk - the more milk you add, the runnier your sauce will be. I usually stick to around 1/3 to 1/2 of a cup, but this recipe is very forgiving so don't be afraid to play around with it. You can also change the ratio of milk to verde depending on how strong of a flavor you like. 
Keep whisking until the mixture begins to bubble and thicken.
Add the Verde. Again, I usually add about one cup, but the more you add, the runnier your sauce will be so don't be afraid to adjust this measurement.
OPTIONAL: I have added some cream cheese to this recipe in the past and it makes for a nice creamy sauce. I put a few tablespoons in after the verde and let it melt and mix in before I turned the heat down.
Your sauce is all set! I usually turn the burner down to LOW and let it sit on the stove while I prepare the rest of my dinner, but it won't hurt to pull it off and let it cool down.

Grease your 9x13 pan, and add a thin layer of your sauce to the bottom to make sure your enchiladas don't stick.
Put some meat down the center of a tortilla, add a little cheese and roll your enchilada. Line the enchiladas in your pan. I usually get about 8 in a pan, but it all depends on how full you make them.
For this recipe I used my left over crockpot taco chicken. (That recipe will come later) You can use whatever you'd like but I'd recommend something with some bulk to it instead of ground beef. You can also add whatever you like inside your tortillas. I like to add toppings to my enchiladas instead of filling.
Once your pan is full, pour your sauce over the tortillas, top with cheese, and cover with foil. Bake in a 375* oven for 25-30 minutes or until all your cheese is melted and the enchiladas a warm through. Everything in this recipe is cooked, so you're really just warming everything up.

TADA! Super easy recipe with little clean up. I serve my enchiladas with lettuce, sour cream, sliced olives, avocado, diced tomato, and cheese. You can add whatever other toppings you like! These make GREAT leftovers, and keep in the fridge well for 2-3 days.

I love this recipe because it is pretty much fool proof and is very flexible.

Hope you like it!

(The credit for this recipe goes to trial and error. It is a basic white sauce that I twisted to my own uses.)

So I'm a little passive aggressive...

I am very much the passive aggressive, non-confrontational type... but what should I do when a coworker, who has worked here for longer than I have, but in a position below me, talks down to me, checks on my work 50 times a day, and is generally condescending? She is constantly interrupting me, ruining my focus, and generally just BUGGING ME... ALL THE TIME! For example, she has already called me 4 times today about the same, non-priority issue that I haven't gotten to, asking if I've done it, when I'm going to do it, and if I understand what I need to do.

This is mostly venting but PLEASE PLEASE leave suggestions if you have them!

2012

It's that time of year again people! Another year has come and gone! (HOLY CRAP) It has definitely been an eventful year and I love going back through my fun memories of the last year to welcome in the new one.

First trip to Moab
Having Call Me, Maybe stuck in my head for months...
Going to one of the most fun weddings I have ever been to (well done Max DeBenito)...
and vowing to show him up
Moving into my very own corner office (with windows!)
Hiking boots as a birthday present
Camping in the rain and playing cards in the tent
"Wait for iiiiiittttt...."
My dad telling me my lemon bars are better than my moms
Buying a crock pot
Moving away from the Rabbit Hole
Pinterest
Steve admitting he is more high maintenance than I am
"Did you hear about Pluto... that's messed up."
Adele (again)
Heroes
Pitch Perfect
Tracey Aviary
Power Grid
Yoga and ballet (and failing to be consistent with either)
First ever gym pass.... and actually using it
Being proposed to... and saying yes
The Melting Pot
Psych
"You mad bro?"
Cooper finally learning how to say my name
Photo shoots
Best race car cake EVER
Most epic pumpkin carving date ever
Girl time in St. George
New Girl
Urban Dictionary Names
Front row seats at the Jazz!
Wedding dress shopping
Giving blood... and passing out
This Means War
New grown up apartment
Game nights
New furniture
Teaching Steve about make up
Bright pink hair... oops
H&M
Expecting a new NIECE and NEPHEW!
Realizing that I totally lucked out in the in-law department
Laughing all the time
Skyfall
Crying a fair amount too
Realizing that my sister will always be right when it comes to shopping
Backwards kisses
Burlap and lace
Hitchcock
Getting a passport
Shellac nails and nail art
Bridal fair
Pearls
Girl talk with mom
Summer hikes
Comic book movies
Popping a tire
Mercury glass
Making a pirate costume
Charcoal, ivory, steel blue, and blush
Making new friends
Loving the old ones even more!

How did this even happen?!

I'm sitting here eating lunch, enjoying a piece of pie (compliments of a coworker's birthday), staring out the window, letting my thoughts wander and I'm completely dumbfounded. "Why?" You may ask... well let me tell you about my life right now...

I've been working at a new job for about 4 months. I work for a law firm in downtown Salt Lake City. Not just any law firm, a well respected, been around for years, treats their employees really well law firm. I took the job and got an INSANE (in my opinion) pay increase. I come to work every morning and walk into one of the coolest historic buildings in the city. I have my own office on the 5th floor. My office is actually in the corner and has HUGE amazing windows. While I sit here and eat my pie, I can watch bustling city traffic, see some beautiful urban buildings (including the Matheson Court House, which is really a great view). In the past week I've been constantly distracted by at least two different movies being made. They are probably extremely low budget, but its still a movie set outside my window. There are CONSTANT family portraits, bridals, engagements, etc being taken in the plaza. I've found some delicious little hole in the wall places to eat, and actually walk around downtown at lunch time. Needless to say, the city girl in me is absolutely thrilled to be here!

This job VERY much intimidate me when I accepted it. I applied on a whim and figured I wouldn't even get an interview. Steve and I worked for a few hours re-vamping my resume and SURPRISE! Not only did I get an interview, I got the job. I still feel like I don't really know what I'm doing sometimes, but I stay busy and actually have attorneys going behind their own paralegals' backs to ask me to help with cases. That's a great sign! I have a grown up job, and it kind of freaks me out.

In exactly 4 weeks I will be moving into my first legit apartment. It's going to be my home. I'll be on my own for awhile and then, come February, my only roommate will be my husband. Sure, I've lived away from mom and dad plenty, but in all honesty... they've all been dives. I've met amazing people and had some great memories, but this apartment is amazing. It is on the top floor and has amazing vaulted ceilings, and I CANNOT wait to move in.

I am engaged to my best friend. (See last post for details). We have an amazing relationship. He deals with all my oddities (and let's face it... I have more than a few), and makes me laugh, and holds me when I cry, and regularly kisses me on the forehead. I'm not sure why but a forehead kiss make me melt. Anyways, to avoid getting to mushy... I'll just get to my point.

HOW DID ALL OF THIS EVEN HAPPEN? Most of you reading this know me.... You all know my track record with men kinda sucks. Ok really sucks. I have a knack for picking out guys that are no good for me. Then BAM! Steve comes a long and I couldn't be happier... and I'm getting married. To prove my previous point, I resisted dating him at first. I should've seen that as a sign but he was persistent and I fell for him. HARD.

The job I guess is less surprising. I've always worked hard, have great reccommendations from past employers, and did by best to put myself through school. Its a blessing to have a job in this economy, but there are SO many things that make it amazing and perfect, and just for me. It's like I special ordered it and Heavenly Father said, "Ok, sure." I'm still not sure I quite deserve it.

I'm living in the CRAPPIEST place I have ever lived and will soon moving in to an apartment, and all my hostessing dreams can come true! I have been hoping for years that someday soon I would have my own home with my own furniture, and dishes, and messes. Now it is just weeks away.

I know this is a long post, but it really just hit me hard. All of this went through my head in a matter of seconds. It was like in the movies when the star had an epiphany and the screen flashes between all these little details.... okay I've been watching a lot of Psych....

I can't help but have a smile on my face. It is the perfect time of year to realized how BLESSED I really am.