Spring Salad



I was watching Giada at Home day before yesterday and the large-chested Italian wonder (sorry...it's true) made a California Chopped Salad that looked delicious. I was craving it all day yesterday and today, so after Zumba I went to Kroger to pick up some delicious romaine lettuce. If you look closely at the photo above, you will see NO delicious romaine lettuce. Nor will you see any romaine lettuce. That's because every bit of lettuce in the dang store was rotten (except for the boxed arugula and one head of boston red leaf...which are found in the photo above). Boooo. I think I'll be shopping at Publix from now on.

Anyway, back to the salad. It was pretty darn simple and so very tasty (even without the romaine)! I used me golden rule (except for the lettuce) and used what I had! I chopped up an avocado, a tomato, a mango, and a few strawberries. I put them in the salad bowl. There they be:

Then I added the lettuce and some leftover chicken breast and drizzled on some homemade dressing (fresh squeezed orange juice, balsamic vinegar, honey, dijon mustard, and EVOO).

Then I tossed it all together and topped it with some toasted slivered almonds! The avocado and chicken added protein and the fruit added vitamin C and other goodies! It was quite healthy and very delicious. The perfect spring salad!

 Happy Spring everyone! :)

~ Mari

Homemade Granola Bars

Granola bars are great. Quick, tasty, and very portable. You know what's not great about granola bars? They aren't the best things for you. Even if you get the 90 calorie kind (Ryan's personal favorite), they still have things like caramel color, corn syrup solids, and all kinds of other lovely things I can't pronounce. In other words, they are processed. Plus, they only have about 1 gram of fiber each! So, I decided to take a crack at making a healthier, more protein-filled granola bar that isn't too hard on the wallet either. I've made a few different versions, but I like this one best. Keep in mind you can substitute things to your liking. If you don't like almonds, use walnuts. If you don't like chocolate chips (you're an alien), use carob chips or dried fruit. Get the idea? Good.

Chocolate Chip Granola Bars

1 cup organic rolled oats, toasted

1 cup crispy rice (that's Rice Krispies to you)

3/4 cup wheat germ (you can find this at health food stores and Publix)

1/2 cup toasted & chopped pecans

1/2 cup toasted & chopped almonds

1/2 cup chocolate chips

1 cup nonfat dry milk

1/3 cup whole wheat flour

1/4 cup crunchy peanut butter

1/4 cup real maple syrup (you know how I feel about Mrs. Butterworth...)

1/2 cup no sugar added applesauce

3 eggs

1 egg white

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Combine all dry ingredients in a large bowl. Stir to combine. Heat peanut butter and maple syrup (in a microwave safe bowl) in the microwave for 30 seconds. Stir to combine. Add peanut butter mixture to dry ingredients. Beat eggs and egg white in bowl and add. Next, add applesauce. Stir to combine. Mixture should be moist, but not runny. Spray a 9x13" pan with cooking spray. Place a piece of parchment paper in the pan so that two sides (the 13 inch sides) of the parchment stick out over the sides. This will make is super simple to pick up the granola bars out of the pan and cut them. Now, bake them for 20-25 minutes (until set and lightly browned). Take them out and let them cool. Then lift them out of the pan using your parchment paper handles and place on a cutting board. Cut into rectangles and wrap individually with cling wrap. Refrigerate half and freeze half. Or don't. Whatever you want!





Hope you like them! :)

~ Mari

Herb Garden Transformation

I'm back! I've been a bit on the busy side lately (catering in Atlanta, social media marketing, writing dessert articles, writing videography proposals, helping at an elementary school, working in the yard, etc.), but I've missed you! So, I thought I would post some transformation pics of the herb garden! Who doesn't like some good "before & after" shots? Exactly.



So... here is the herb garden from last year: mint, sage, and basil.
(Not pictured: parsley and oregano)



Here it is a bit later in the summer... I added some sunflowers that promptly died.
Awesome.

And here it is at the beginning of this Spring.
OMG Weeds.

Whew. No more weeds.
I also added a little mulch... because I only had one bag.
Clever, right?



Then I added a few little guys: basil (it's an annual, so it died at the first freeze), dill, and thyme
(Notice how ginormous the mint has gotten! Yay!)



And then.... there was pine straw. :)

So - there you have it! The above photo is what it looks like at this very moment (I literally took the picture about 8 minutes ago). I'm quite pleased with the transformation and I can't wait until the dill and basil get big enough to actually use them! Stay tuned for more yard updates...

Thanks for looking!

~ Mari

I'm Still At It...

I haven't stopped writing articles for M Food & Culture Magazine, I've stopped posting about my articles. Oops! That's the only problem with doing a fun blog like this for myself - there's no one there giving me a deadline and telling me I must post! So, just like everything else in life, it sometimes falls by the wayside.

So- here is my newest article (page 62, of course) about Creme Brulee from The Downtown Grill in Macon, GA.

Thanks for looking and keep on cooking! (that could be the worst ending ever. but I like it.)

~ Mari

If You Can't Buy It, Make It

Remember that Pottery Barn wreath I posted about a while back while dreaming of spring decor? I didn't buy it. But, I made my own version and I'm quite happy with it! And, in case your door is looking a little drab, here's a little how- to:

What you'll need:



Twig wreath ($6.99 from Hobby Lobby)

Glue Gun (heavy duty one from Home Depot)

Assorted Faux Eggs, Feathers, Bird Nest, Assorted Floral Stems, and inexpensive wire 

First, hot glue some feathers and the eggs into the bird nest (remember to put only an odd number of eggs in the nest - it just looks better).

Next attach the nest to the twig wreath with the wire. Last, stick the floral stems into the wreath around the nest and any other place you think needs a little extra love. I just stuck the stems in and they stayed, but if you have trouble, you can wire them into the wreath or use hot glue to secure them. I only used greenery on my wreath (since that's what they did at PB), but if you want to use floral stems, go for it!

There it is hanging on our front door!

Just leave a comment if you have any questions! It really is THAT easy to get the Pottery Barn look... and it doesn't have to be as hard on your wallet! Hope you enjoyed this post, and happy crafting!

~ Mari