Parmesan Spinach

There are a couple restaurants in town that serve parmesan spinach as a side.  I've been going to these restaurants for a few years now, but never tried the parmesan spinach sides, because I thought I didn't like cooked spinach.  Well, I was wrong!

I'm now obsessed with parmesan spinach!

-Heat a tablespoon of canola oil in a pan.

-Put in a tablespoon of jarred minced garlic.

-Put in a bunch of fresh, raw spinach (I pulled off the stems).

-Saute.

-Spoon the cooked spinach in a bowl and toss with shredded parmesan (not that dry stuff you put on pizza).

-EAT!

Spinach shrinks down quite a bit when cooked, so if you want a lot of cooked spinach to serve, buy several bunches of raw spinach.

Boneless Buffalo Wings (GLUTEN FREE--YAY!)

If you're not gluten free, you're still going to want to try this out!

For those of us that can't have gluten, missing out on breaded chicken can be frustrating.  And breading your own chicken at home can sometimes be a let down, because the flour doesn't always stick to the chicken.  So don't use gluten free flour.  Use cornstarch!

-Cut up 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts into bite size pieces

-Batter them with cornstarch (it sticks evenly to the chicken without needing to bathe it in butter or eggs)

-Drop the battered chicken into a skillet of hot oil

-Cook till golden brown

-Sit the cooked chicken on a paper towel to drain any oil

-Toss with buffalo sauce (I just bought some at the store!)

I served it with baked broccoli to even out the fried chicken ;)

I'm loving this recipe!

Lentils, Lentils Are Good for Your Heart...

I love beans.  Which I was embarrassed to admit growing up, because apparently kids aren't supposed to like beans.  And if you're a kid and you eat beans in front of other kids, you will likely hear "beans, beans are good for your heart...".  You know how it ends.

One bean I somehow had never tried was lentils.  I had them for the first time this week.

I'm not sure how I hadn't had these before.  They're cheap, easy to fix, and taste good.

If you're looking for a good lentil recipe, try this one from Real Simple.

I had to make a few substitutions to fit what I had in the fridge and pantry:

curry paste instead of curry powder

no bay leaf

vegetable stock instead of broth

spinach instead of arugula/watercress

pre-cooked smoked sausage

This makes a large portion.  I'm going to see if it freezes well (I'm all about freezing leftovers for an easy meal later!).

What's even better than the amount that it makes for such a cheap price is that it tastes really good, and it's hearty!  It's Colin approved.

Why eat lentils?  They're apparently amazingly good for you!

Don't take my word for it!  Check out these sites:

9 Reasons to Love Lentils
Livestrong
Livestrong Again- They really love lentils!

New York Fashion Week 2012

I wonder what it would be like to be at New York Fashion Week....

Thanks to the interweb, I can get a sneak peek.

Nylon has some videos that let you see runway collections and interviews.

I'm still checking out all the collections and trying to decide which designers had the best looks.

What do you think?

Websites to Check Out

Here are a few sites you need to check out!

Cute Overload

This website is too much cuteness-- in a good way!  I was going to link to my favorite posts, but I gave up after I realized I "awwwed" at every post!  This site is great when you need some brightening up.

Pinterest

I know, I know, you know what Pinterest is!  I have a love/hate relationship with Pinterest.  I think that it can be a huge time waster and it can lead to copying what you see rather than being unique and original.  But I think it can also be a great resource.  I've used it most for recipes.  I can find a recipe in a snap and read what other people think about it.  If you're not on Pinterest yet, and you're trying decided whether or not to join, I say go for it.  Just don't lose your own creativity or let yourself be overwhelmed by it all.

coreylauren.com

I was in college with Corey, and she's now started a styling blog.  I designed her blog and business cards.  Her blog is new, so go give her some love!

EDIT:

I can't believe I forgot this site...I had to come back and add it!

Food On My Dog

Each day (sometimes multiple times a day) this adorable dog patiently sits while food is put on her head.  She should be featured on cuteoverload!  I also love that she looks like my dog Ruby :).

What websites are you loving right now?

Hi loves.
Have a good Friday.

Katie's Potato Soup

About a month ago, I went to have lunch at my friend Katie's house.  She made a potato soup that was delicious!

It's been chilly here this week, and I wanted some of that soup for dinner this week.  I texted Katie and asked for the recipe.  When I went home at lunch, I hadn't heard from her yet, so I went ahead and made it the best I could remember.

When I got back to work, I had an email from her with the recipe.  So, here's Katie's recipe for potato soup:

Ingredients

green onion diced (I use around 5)

block of cream cheese

2-4 cups of diced potatoes (we like ours chunky)

1 can chicken broth

2 cups of milk

1 package of real bacon bit pieces

Put bacon in pot and heat until it starts to shed some of the grease.
Add onion and saute a little bit.
Next pour in chicken broth and milk.
Add cream cheese and let the cheese melt.
Finally add potatoes and cook on low until they are tender.

Top with cheese, sour cream, gluten free croutons etc.!

She added the gluten free croutons for me ;)

So, remember that I said I didn't have her full recipe when I made mine?  Here's how I threw it together:

-Sliced the potatoes

-2 cups of vegetable broth

-2 cups of milk
-block of cream cheese

-5 strips of cooked bacon-- diced

-salt, pepper, garlic salt, onion powder, cayenne pepper (I like spice!)

-Threw it in the crockpot and cooked on high for 4 1/2 hours

-Put green onions in for the last 20 minutes of cooking

-Topped with shredded cheddar and sour cream

It tastes almost exactly the same both ways.  It just depends on what ingredients you have in the pantry that day!

This is a great winter meal, so make it before winter is gone!

Free Etsy Shipping

I am offering free shipping in my etsy shop.

This isn't a limited time offer.  While there may be items that one day need to have shipping costs tacked on (or they would otherwise look overpriced), for now there is no shipping fee.

I didn't go in and raise prices on the photography.  There were $10 before.  They're $10 now.

This is just my way of streamlining things and saying thank you to customers.

Sure, I'll lose a bit of money doing this, but I'd rather someone enjoy the photo.

So, say hello to free shipping!

~Marla

Click here to visit:

Marla, Plain & Small etsy shop

Valentine Popcorn

Need a sweet treat for your sweet?

This snack would be great for kids.  I don't have kids, so I tested it on adults at work.  And they loved it!  I finally had to hide the bowl in my office so I could take some home to Colin!

I made this on my lunch break, so it's quick and easy to whip up.

-3 bags of 100 calorie one-serving popcorn (I used this)

-3 squares of almond bark (I used 3 squares of this)

-8-12 large marshmallows (I used strawberry flavored, giving it a pink tint)

-1/4 cup butter/margarine

-I popped 3 bags of popcorn (not all at once!) and emptied the bags into a bowl.  I only had the one serving bags, so that's why I needed 3 bags.

-In a microwaveable bowl, put in the marshmallows and butter.  Microwave for about 30 seconds and then stir until smooth.  Microwave for a little longer if needed.

-Pour the marshmallow mix over the popcorn and stir it all around until the popcorn is evenly coated.

-Melt the almond bark in the microwave, stirring occasionally.

-Pour the melted almond bark over the popcorn, making sure to evenly coat the popcorn.

-Let it sit for a few minutes to cool off.

It's like you made popcorn balls and then coated them in almond bark!

It's a great mix of salty and sweet!

Warning: you may want to eat it all in one sitting and not share!

Crockpot Pork & Parmesan Broccoli

This meal was slap yo momma good!

The potato salad is the Red Skin Potato Salad from Walmart.  I think it's the best store bought potato salad ever.  Ever.

The pork was based off of a crockpot recipe I found on Pinterest.  I used Coke Zero and added brown sugar and honey.  I also only used about 1/4 small bottle of bbq sauce.  Two thumbs up for this pulled pork!  I think this would be great for chicken too.

The broccoli was also a Pinterest recipe (thanks, Pinterest!).  This broccoli is ahhhmazing!  I wanted to go out and buy more broccoli to make more of it!  I highly recommend this recipe!!!  This will be a regular in our house!  I used the same recipe on cauliflower, but I definitely think the broccoli wins out in this round.

This is a great, round meal with lots of flavor, and it's simple to make!