Insta-Recipes 3.0

Today's Insta-Recipe roundup is full of dishes perfect for summer!

Homemade Pasta Salad

This is a great side dish for a summer potluck!

-One box of pasta, cooked

-2 carrots, shredded

-1 raw zucchini, chopped

-Handful raw mushrooms, chopped

-1/4 red onion, chopped

-1/8 cup feta cheese (or more!)

-White balsamic vinaigrette dressing (pour about half a bottle, stir, taste, add more as needed)

-Chill in fridge for a couple hours

*I think it would be yummy with olives thrown in and would make a main dish with shredded chicken or tuna!

Naan Pizza

I ate a lot of naan when I went to India a few years ago.  I picked up a package of naan at the grocery store the other day and used it to make a quick "pizza"

-Stonefire tandoori baked naan

-Sabra roasted red pepper hummus (instead of pizza sauce)

-Red onion

-Cilantro

-Sunflower kernels

-Goat cheese

-Grilled chicken, shredded (seasoned with cajun salt, garlic powder, dill)

Sweet Potato Hash

There are a ton of recipes for sweet potato hash on Pinterest.  Search there for one that looks yummy to you.  I added red onions and carrots.

*Insta-recipe posts are inspired by dishes I throw together and post on my personal Instagram account.

Chipotle Cranberry Chicken Salad

This chicken salad is one of my favorite things to make!  I make a big batch so we have lunch for a few days.  I wasn't a huge fan of chicken salad until I whipped this up (I avoid celery at all costs), and now I can't get enough!  I could grab a fork and just eat it out of the bowl.  I like it on just about any type of bread.  Just to be safe, you may want to make this when you will have lots of people will be around...just so you don't consume it all by yourself in one sitting!

Chipotle Cranberry Chicken Salad

-1.5 pounds of skinless, boneless chicken breast

-1 cup almonds

-1/2 cup dried cranberries (Craisins)

-1/4 cup mayo

-1/2 cup sour cream

-1/4 cup chipotle mayo (I use Kraft) *see note

1)Boil the chicken.  Be sure to season it while it's boiling.  It will make the salad so much more savory.  I like to season it with coriander, dried herbs like thyme, rosemary, and marjoram, garlic powder, and cajun seasoning.

2)While the chicken cooks, throw your almonds and craisins in a food processor to chop them into smaller pieces.  Set aside.

3) Put the cooked chicken in the food processor and pulse a few times to shred the chicken.  You can shred it by hand if you're not lazy like me.  :)

4) Combine the chicken, almonds, craisins, mayo, sour cream, and chipotle mayo.

**Note: If you are not able to find chipotle mayo, you can just use plain mayo for the entire recipe.  It will still be good!  If you want the chipotle taste (which really sets it apart), you can blend 1/4 cup of mayo with chipotle peppers in a food processor.  You can buy the chipotle peppers in a jar or can.  Another option is to mix the mayo with a tablespoon or two of the juice in the jar/can.

5) Set in the fridge for a few hours to chill and for flavors to combine.

6) Grab a fork and eat it straight from the bowl.  Spread on bread and share with friends.

I strain the water the chicken was cooked in and save it for broth for soup or to use in other recipes.  Winning!

Spaghetti Squash with Buttery Kale

I tried spaghetti squash a few years ago but didn't really know what to do with it.  It has recently become a huge craze, and now, thanks to Pinterest, there are lots of yummy recipes out there!

I'm giving this funny squash a second chance, and we're off to a good start!  I made a stir fry a couple weeks ago and knew I wanted to try a few other variations.

I also have started making zoodles-- zucchini noodles!  I'll share more about that in the future, but I promise they tie in to my spaghetti squash post!

I asked my instagram friends for zoodle recipes, and I got some good ones that I've pinned for later.  Ramona sent me a recipe for butternut squash noodles with kale.  It looked soooo good!  The problem was I didn't have butternut squash on hand…or a few other needed ingredients.  I did have a spaghetti squash in the fridge that needed to be used asap.  I decided to adapt the recipe to fit what I had in the fridge and pantry.  Deliciousness was born.

Spaghetti Squash with Buttery Kale

adapted from Snixy Kitchen

Ingredients:

1 spaghetti squash

1 bag of frozen kale

6 tbsp. butter

nutmeg

1/2 cup sunflower kernels

1/8 cup of goat cheese

1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Directions:

• Cut spaghetti squash in half, brush with olive oil, and cook for 45 minutes at 375 degrees.  Let cool.  I let it cool in the fridge overnight.  Once cooled, shred the squash with a fork.  It will look a bit like spaghetti!
• Toast the sunflower kernels in a dry, hot pan.  Set aside.
• Melt the butter and add a sprinkle of nutmeg.  Once the butter foams and starts to brown, pour into a large bowl.
• Pour the frozen kale in the skillet.  Cook through, adding a bit of water if needed.  Salt if desired.  Pour the cooked kale in the bowl with the butter and stir to coat the kale.
• Put the cooked spaghetti squash "noodles" in the skillet and cook until warmed through.
• Add the buttered kale, goat cheese, and cheddar cheese.  Stir together and cook until cheese is melted.
• Stir the sunflower kernels throughout the squash and kale mixture.
• Serve warm!

How do you like to cook spaghetti squash?  Gimme those recipes!

Insta-Recipes 2.0

Here's another round of recipes I've posted to Instagram!

I have been loving some flavored tea!  My favorite combination for the last few months has been brewing two bags of black tea with two to four (yes, four!) bags of peach tea.  Leave the peach tea bags in, and the flavor will get stronger the longer it sits.

A Beautiful Mess did it again with a spring roll recipe and dipping sauce that is oh, so good!

Smoothie: banana, cashew milk, almond butter…mmm mmm

Roast some chickpeas and then toss in vanilla, cinnamon, and pinch of sugar

Cut a head of lettuce into quarters for each serving.  Add purple onion, tomatoes, strawberries, avocado, Mini Babybel cheese, vinegrette, and leftover brussells sprout salad if you have any ;)

Banana Berry Butter Smoothie: banana, strawberries, cashew milk, almond butter

Okay, okay….here's one more from A Beautiful Mess.  This spaghetti squash stir fry is soooo good!

I love a good veggie recipe if you have any to share!

*Insta-recipe posts are inspired by dishes I throw together and post on my personal Instagram account.

Blue Kite Update

When I closed Blue Kite Boutique in mid-August of last year, I had no real idea of what would become of it down the road.  I originally thought I would go to all online sales after taking a few months of maternity leave.  I planned on selling clothes and my handmade items along with a few other handmade items from vendors that I worked with at the store.  This was the plan.  It’s what seemed logical and desirable at the time.

My daughter was born in October, and from that day forward (really much earlier than that), I knew I had made the right decision to stay home with her.  I have not missed my store one bit, and I think that’s confirmation that I’m doing what I’m supposed to be doing.  I loved having a store, but I did not love working almost every single weekend for two years.  My husband and I finally have Saturdays together again (that don’t include him sitting at a counter eating lunch in between helping customers).  I think it is so crucial for us to have that time again, especially now that we have a daughter.

I have to be honest in that I never planned on having a brick and mortar store.  My original plan for Blue Kite was much different.  The store thing came to be along the way, and I’m so glad it did.  I learned so much, met so many people, and was able to experience the fun adventure of having my own store.  I still have a dream for what could be with Blue Kite.  My original idea is still in the back of my head, waiting for the right time if that time should ever come.  I’m learning to never say never to what might be and to not write plans in concrete.

When I was praying over what direction to go with the store legally, financially, and physically, it all pointed to me resting for awhile.  If you’ve never owned a business, let me let you in on a little secret-- the government requires a lot of taxes out of you!  In order to just keep the business open, I have to pay yearly taxes to a few different government offices.  That’s required even if I don’t sell a single penny’s worth!  I couldn’t justify working and selling enough just to pay those taxes every year.  There are so many other legal and financial requirements I won’t bore you with that helped me make the decision not to continue the business for now.

I’m not sad not to have the store.  Being at home with my baby and having more time with my husband is the best thing ever.  My only sadness was coming from feeling like I might disappoint others or seem like I was giving up.  I had to come to a realization that it doesn’t matter what others think as long as I’m doing what God is telling me to do, what my husband and I feel like is best for our family, and what gives me peace (all of that falls into place when you listen to what God says).  I struggled with making an announcement, because what if I change my mind in a year or so?  Well, we’ll take that road when we get there.  I really couldn’t take the plunge to tell everyone my decision until I saw a video (you can view at the bottom of this post) of Joanna Gaines (from HGTV) telling her story.  It was such a familiar feeling!  Now, I’m not saying I think I’m going to have the fame and TV show and all that she has!  What I’m saying if that we never know what the future holds.  I might have a store again someday.  I might just spend the rest of my days working at home, and that sounds just as fantastic!

Thank you for being so supportive for the two years the store was open.  I am amazed at the friendships that were made.  Through your giving at the store, you helped raise money to help people all over the world and here at home.  You also helped me and my family live a dream for two years.  Colin and I thank you so much and hope you’ll say hi if we see you around town!

Love, Marla

-----------------------------------------------------