The Dish That Keeps on Giving

Thursday, I made my first pot of black beans.  I followed a basic recipe that I use for most of my slow cooked beans, and mixed it with a few others that I found online.  J  They turned out delicious… and were even husband approved.  Since then, I’ve used the slow cooked beans to make black bean and cheese quesadillas for dinner, and a Santé Fe style black bean dip for our Saturday MMA fight night .  The best part is…I still have leftovers! 

Slow Cooked Citrus Black Beans

Ingredients

1 (1 lb) bag of black beans

2 chopped yellow onions

5-6 cloves of garlic, minced

1 chopped green bell pepper

Juice of 1 lime

1 (7oz.) can of green chilies

¼ cup of orange juice concentrated or ½ cup of orange juice

2 T rice vinegar

2 T olive oil

1 teaspoon chili powder

2 teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon pepper

½ T Sage

2 bay leaves

1T fresh cilantro

1T oregano (I used fresh from my herb garden, but dried would work as well)

1 T cumin

1-2 teaspoons Tabasco (depending on how much spice you like)

Mix all ingredients in a slow cooker and add 4 cups of water or enough to cover beans. (You can also use broth if you aren’t worried about keeping it vegetarian)

Cook on low for 8-10 hours.  They are great served over rice with corn bread muffins. J

Black Bean and Cheese Quesadillas

These are so simple and so delicious!

Ingredients

Whole-wheat tortillas

Monterrey Jack cheese

Cheddar cheese

Leftover black beans

Olive Oil (I use a spray for this)

Warm both sides of a tortilla in a large greased skillet.  Sprinkle with both cheeses, add a few spoonfuls of the left over Citrus Black Beans, sprinkle with more cheese, and top with a tortilla.  Allow cheese to melt and bottom tortilla to brown; then flip and brown other side.  Serve with sour cream and salsa.

Santé Fe Dip

Saturday night, Jason and I were looking for a little snack to go with our lazy night filled with watching his favorite MMA fights.  I didn't feel like fighting the crowd at Walmart, or getting out of my lazy clothing gear; so I made this with what was on hand.  It turned out so yummy...  I will definitely make it again soon!  

Ingredients

1 cup of leftover Citrus Black Beans

2 T of sour cream

½ of a tomato (chopped)

1 Cup of cheese + a little extra to sprinkle on top  (I cleaned out my refrigerator and used a mixture of Cheddar, pepper jack, and Monterrey jack)

1 T chopped jalapeño

1 teaspoon of Tabasco

½ can of corn (I used no salt added)

Salt, pepper, and cayenne to taste

Dash of Chili Powder

*Mix all ingredients together, sprinkle with cheese, and bake for 30 mins on 350F.  Serve with corn chips.

Citrus Summer Salad

    I'm a creature of habit (to say the least), but yesterday I ventured out of my basic lunch, a balsamic vinegar salad, and decided to attempt making a new dressing.  To my surprise, it turned out great... So, I thought I would share it with you!  : )

   Jason and I have been packing for a big move (which I'll expand on in another blog soon!), but  because of the move and to save a little money... we haven't wanted to buy any extra groceries that we can't take in a cardboard box or finish in two weeks. :) This dressing was honestly just an experiment with ingredients that I had on hand.  It's super simple... Hope you enjoy it!

Citrus Summer Dressing

-6 tablespoons of orange juice

-1 tablespoon of Balsamic Vinegar

-1 tablespoon of Apricot Jam 

(I'm sure a peach or whatever you have on hand would taste great too)

-1 pinch of Kosher salt 

-1 pinch of fresh ground black pepper

Mix all ingredients together and toss over a bed of fresh spinach with fresh strawberries,  dried cranberries, sliced red onion, cashews and feta cheese.  I ate mine with a Morning Star Veggie patty, but it's also great plain, and I'm sure it would be yummy with grilled chicken.  :)

*This recipe makes about 1/2 a cup of dressing*

Fresh Paint Brings Second Chances

The flea market finds continued last week with an amazingly fantastic owl wall decor and a great old mirror.

They might not look so charming pre paint, but with a little TLC - they ended up being great apartment additions for quite a charming price.  The mirror was a mere five dollars at the flea market, and the owl decor was only two!  I used paint that I already had on hand and bought a three dollar pack of paint brushes... making the grand total for both projects only ten dollars.  However; I will admit that next time I have a project that requires painting, I'll splurge on the paint brushes.  I was constantly picking out the brush's bristles from the sticky paint.  I should've listened to my dad... he always said not to buy cheap paint brushes or knock off diet coke.  :)  Lesson officially learned.

The owl decor went perfectly in my bathroom, and I also had quite the epiphany while hanging them.  Many years from now, when I finally have a little girl... I'll name her Stella or Anabelle, paint her room pink, fill it with blue owls and hang powder blue curtains with pink polka dots on her bedroom's windows.   : )

After I finished the mirror, I realized I really didn't have the space for it.  So a friend of mine and I bartered a little...  The yellow mirror now has a gorgeous new home in downtown Lewisburg, and I have a much needed kitchen table.  "WINNING!"  : )

.finished blue owls.

  

The lovely mirror's new home.

Flea Market Finds

Recently, I've been spending time with a great friend who is well versed in flea markets and DIY projects.  Our newest addiction is the flea market in Fairlea, WV.  They have vendors every Tuesday and Saturday and it's only about 5 minutes from Lewisburg.  I can't promise that you will find great stuff every time, but it's always fun to walk around.  Together,  I'm sure we have spent too much money on random things, but we have also found some amazing pieces!  My newest find... An old door that will soon be my new headboard.  Words cannot express the happiness of finding the door last week.  I've been on the hunt for over a year now, but every one I've found was at least $100 or more... which doesn't exactly fit into our medical school budget.  However; with a little perseverance, I was able to find this amazing door for only $20!  We spent the weekend sanding and moisturizing the old door with linseed oil.  Next, I'll attempt to turn it into a gorgeous master bedroom headboard.  I'll keep you updated as the project moves along.  Let's hope for the best!

Unfortunately, I forgot to take the before picture before starting.... So the before picture is the back side of the door (which I haven't finished yet).

Here's the progress...

Before

After (Somewhat finished)

A little picture to help you imagine it as a headboard...

Jillian would understand. : )

Lately, I've been hitting the gym and Jillian Michael's videos pretty hard... Which makes it harder to want to make yummy food.  But, I have a rule that every holiday (no matter how hard I'm dieting) I splurge.  : )  Not great for shaping up for bikini season, but great for an Easter Sunday sweatpants and movie night.

This Easter was a milestone.  Jason and I spent our first holiday away from home, and I made my very first Key Lime Pie (with the help of my mother-in-law's recipe and a few looks at Allrecipes.com).  I doubled the recipe and was able to make 18 mini pies plus one large pie.  We passed them out to stressed out med school students and friends.  Needless to say... They were a hit!

  

Key Lime Pie  (by Nicole Green)

3 cups condensed milk

1/2 cup sour cream

3/4 cup lime juice

1T lime zest

Mix all ingredients together and bake at 350 for 5 mins.

Graham Cracker Crust

I did not make my own crust this time, but just in case you're feeling very Martha Stewart-esque....I did find a great recipe at http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Graham-Cracker-Crust-I/Detail.aspx  : )

Whipped Cream

1 cup heavy whipping cream

1 teaspoon vanilla extract 

3 T confectioners' sugar

Whip heavy cream until it starts to thicken.  Add in vanilla extract and sugar until soft peaks form.  Spread over pies using a spatula or piping.

Serve with love, and ENJOY!  :)

Happy Spring!

Is it settling?

  Dreams are a wonderful thing to have.  They keep us striving for more, and constantly working toward a goal.  But what if what we had was all we needed?  What if our Corolla and two bedroom apartment could be enough?  I love dreaming of moving to the Mediterranean sea and never turning back.  I love dreaming of having a house with a greenhouse full of tulips and lavender on the top floor, a movie theatre in the basement, a couch in the bathroom, a red front door, and light blue ceilings on my front porch, with an ocean for my backyard... but I've decided that for now, I will enjoy my morning coffee, springtime in Lewisburg, and my big, comfy couch.  Because enjoying what I have is far more pleasurable than dreaming of what I don't have.  

Just a thought. :)

"I'm gonna quit my job, and move to New York. Somebody told me that's where Dreamers should go"

  Some cities were meant for certain people, and after a whole five minutes in New York... I realized this city was meant for me.  There is something about bright lights, culture, and a Starbucks on every corner that just screams out my name.

  I met some friends in the city, and managed to spend a mere $215 on a flight, taxi, food, and even a little fun. Which I hear is unheard of.  So, if you need a cheep trip to the city...  Apparently, I'm your girl.  ; )

Thanks to Delta, my flight into the city was 15 dollars... Honest.  So, as aggravating as it is to have your flight canceled; just write a little detailed email while you are at your most irritated state, and picture a free flight to NYC to calm you down.  : ) We stayed at Sohotel, which is located right by Greenwich Village, Little Italy, and a subway.  I must admit I didn't pay for the hostel with cash.  Instead, my friends let me pay them with knitted goods, haircuts, and a few nights stay at my place.  However, for the travelers who do not barter for hostels; the hostel was amazing, and only $150 a night for an upgraded room.  We had two full sized.. extremely comfortable beds, wood floors, a flat screen television, and our very on bathroom.  The service was great, the lobby was stocked with hot coffee every morning, and the whole hostel had a great NYC hip feel to it.  The rooms were small... but when you are in New York, you won't want to be in your room for anything other than sleeping and showering.  Promise.

  As far as the city, there wasn't anything I didn't want to see or experience.  Little Italy was great, and so was Times Square, but for me... nothing beat SoHo.  I wanted to grab a bed, and camp out for the rest of my life on Broadway in front of Bloomingdales and Sabon.  But.. I had to settle for a postcard and memories for now.  ; )

Here's a few pictures to hopefully spark your drive for a New York trip soon... ; ) 

Subway Funday

Bryant Park

Friends  :)

moments before making my world go round

.chubby birds.

The Statue of Liberty and Battery Park