baking

A night out!

/ Melissa (I Crashed the Web) / 6 Comments

What a weekend. B and I finally had a laid back weekend with not much planned and it was much needed. We were able to have some fun, relax, run, be productive AND get a night out!

Friday was a good night and our night out. B and I had a babysitter (his sister) because we had plans to go out! I had an event that night – the 25 under 35 Movers and Shakers Awards where I was being recognized!

After the awards, we hung out a bit with Christy and Cari and then B and I went out for dinner!  We went to Alley Cat and had some great food – we shared some clam chowder, oysters and an amazing lobster roll.

I’m still drooling over that lobster roll. It brought me back to the East Coast – and trips to Maine and Cape Cod. YUM!

Saturday morning started out with a run, 4 total miles (3 at 9 min/mile pace). Followed by a trip to West Side Market and Gallucci’s to pick up some groceries for the week. I am trying to do better at meal planning and we have dinners for all week planned out!

both are so excited to be photographed at the market

For lunch, we hit up Boaz Cafe which may be my new favorite restaurant. B had a lamb roll up and I had a make your own bowl – chicken, baba and so many more great toppings. The food is so good and so fresh and so affordable (his lamb roll and my giant salad were $11 total!!).

Saturday afternoon I did something I haven’t done in forever- i baked cookies while B and FW napped! It was great- I made something quick (bars) but it was so nice to get back to baking. I’ve missed it!

That evening we stayed in and after FW went to bed, made some pizza and watched a movie. I love homemade pizza, especially when B is the one making it! (which is always)

We ended up watching Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates, which was just an okay movie. The real reason we watched it is because I went to high school with the real Mike and Dave (Dave was my year) and I had to see what the movie was about. I know it is only loosely based on the story (the real wedding wasn’t in Hawaii – it was in NY and my friend’s sister ended up going ha) but it was still funny to watch. Would I recommend the movie? Ehh, it was okay …

Sunday morning started with 6ish miles on the treadmill and then some meal prep.

Then it was time to check out some Open Houses! FW actually was napping and we missed one of the houses but the second one was nice. I really liked the house, so we shall see … then we ran some errands – and FW sat in the grocery cart for the first time!

And I got kombucha. Yum!!

That night we spent the evening at B’s parents house for our traditional Sunday dinner but this time WE cooked for B’s mom’s birthday! We made homemade pasta, with asparagus, peas and onions. I didn’t get to snag a photo, but it was great!

And that was about it. The weekend ended and now it’s time for conquering Monday. Here we go!

Some questions for you:

  • Do you ever make homemade  pasta?  Yes, B and I make it probably about once a month or so?
  • Do you like kombucha? Yes, I’m addicted to it, especially the homemade kind from my local tea shop!

I’m linking up with Katie and the weekly wraps.

Homemade Gingersnaps

/ Melissa (I Crashed the Web) / 1 Comment

I know, I know. When was the last time I posted a recipe?! This blog used to be all about recipes – but suddenly it’s become about eating, weekends, relaxing, being a mom and running. In all honesty, I haven’t had much time to bake lately. And when I do find time to bake, finding time to write down the recipe is waaaay last on my list.

BUT when I made these gingersnaps, I knew I had to share them. They were easy and so perfect to make now – right before the holidays – and any time of year! They’re quick to make, make enough to share (mine made about 33) and the best part – they taste great! I’d never tried to make gingersnaps before because I know I can always buy them if I want; but I highly recommend you make these. I’m so excited to bake them again and try different add-ins next time – candied ginger, dried cranberries, etc.

homemade-gingersnaps-cookies-recipe

Homemade Gingersnaps

Here’s what you need:

  • 3/4 cup shortening
  • 1 cup granulated sugar, plus 3 Tablespoons for rolling
  • 1 egg
  • 2 Tablespoons molasses
  • 2 Tablespoons honey
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 2 tsp. baking soda
  • 2 tsp. ground ginger
  • 1 tsp. ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 tsp. salt

Here’s what you do:

  1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and grease a baking sheet. (Or use a nonstick surface, I like to use my silat and they don’t need greasing)
  2. In a small bowl, combine flour, baking soda, ginger, cinnamon and salt. Set aside.
  3. In a large bowl, cream shortening and 1 c. sugar. Add in egg, molasses and honey and continue to mix until combined.
  4. Slowly add in flour mixture to sugar mixture.
  5. Roll dough into small, Tablespoon-ish size balls. Dip balls into the 3 Tbs. granulated sugar and place onto baking sheet. Bake until light brown, 12-14 minutes. Cool completely on wire rack.
  6. Enjoy! Makes about 30-36 cookies.

homemade gingersnaps cookies

Some questions for you:

  • Are you a ginger fan? Yes! I love everything ginger. ginger tea. pickled ginger. gingersnaps. gingerbread. ginger candy. yum yum yum!
  • What’s on your holiday baking list?

October Weekends=One Sentence Per Photo

/ Melissa (I Crashed the Web) / 8 Comments

Welcome to my weekend update, one sentence per photo style. I’m coming down with a cold and feeling not-so-hot, so this is the best way to share everything from the past two days, without using too much of my brain. Here’s a quick summary of my weekend.

Started Saturday morning off with a 4 mile run.

20161022_102555

We did shopping for the week at the West Side Market (here is what we are eating this week!).

westsidemarket

We enjoyed good food (and beer) at Ladies Craft Beer Society, October edition.20161022_160121

The craft included mason jars. 20161022_162002

Finished product= mason jar candle holders!20161022_174509

B made me dinner – braised veal breast with artichoke hearts and onions. 20161022_204734

FW turned four months old and we somehow managed to snap a photo.20161023_083127-copy

And did lots of Nose Frida-ing – he’s got his first cold.

img_20161020_184204

A Sunday morning walk because I wasn’t feeling well enough for a run 😦

20161023_112412

At least it was a gorgeous morning!

20161023_113319

After some afternoon relaxing, some afternoon baking.

20161023_171551

And B and I made pasta for dinner.

20161023_175115

So B could make this deliciousness.

20161023_185431

And that’s a wrap! I’m linking up with Erin, Katie and the weekly wraps.

Energy Balls – a.k.a. Boobie Balls

/ Melissa (I Crashed the Web) / 3 Comments

One of the things I’ve noticed as a breastfeeding mom is that some days I am ravenous. Some days I need two breakfasts. Other days I’m not hungry until 10 but then I need two (or three) snacks!

While I’m not yet actively trying to lose weight (in case you couldn’t tell by my double the ice cream day What I Ate Wednesday post), I am trying to make healthy-ish choices sometimes – for me AND for FW. So I’m so glad to have found these delicious energy balls.

I’d had energy balls like these before becoming pregnant (they’re good for everyone! not just breastfeeding moms!), and Anson had made me some when she and her daughter came over to visit FW and I. But these are a little different. Why? They have ingredients that are supposedly good for breastfeeding – Brewer’s yeast, oats, flaxseed. And yes, these are supposedly good for non-breastfeeders, so feel free to make them, share them with your BF friends and eat some yourself! I’ve been known to share some with B as well:)

energy balls - boobie balls - breastfeeding snacks

Energy Balls – a.k.a. Boobie Balls

Slightly updated from here  

Here’s what you need:

  • 2 cups old-fashioned oatmeal
  • 1 cup peanut butter or other nut butter (I like Once Again almond butter or Peanut Butter & Co crunchy peanut butter– I’ve also made with creamy peanut butter and it’s just as good!) (NOTE: the quantity of peanut butter you use will depend on the type/consistency. The more runny the peanut butter – like in many natural kinds – the less likely you’ll need a full cup because it’s so wet. The more dry the peanut butter – as is with a low fat kinda like low fat JIF – you may need more)
  • 1 cup ground flaxseed
  • 1.5 cups shredded coconut
  • 1/2 cup of honey
  • 1 Tablespoon Brewer’s yeast (I buy my Brewer’s yeast from Swanson Health* online)
  • 1 Tablespoon vanilla
  • Optional: 1 cup add-ins – a mixture of chocolate chips, dried fruit, etc. I like craisins and/or chocolate chips, white chocolate chips or mini m&ms

20160819_133252

Here’s what you do:

  1. Combine peanut butter, honey, and vanilla in the bowl of a stand mixer. Mix on medium low. (NOTE – I’ve also done this by hand with a large spoon)
  2. Add in the dry ingredients: oatmeal, coconut, Brewer’s yeast, flaxseed and any adding (I added 1 cup chocolate chips).
  3. Roll into small balls, about 1-inch thick. Store covered in the refrigerator and enjoy!

20160819_135053

*Disclosure: I was not compensated for this post, but some of the products mentioned were provided to me by Swanson Health. My views and comments are solely my own and do not represent those of Swanson

HOT in Cleveland (The Weekend We Bought a Car)

/ Melissa (I Crashed the Web) / 3 Comments

Well, we survived a HOT weekend in Cleveland, after a HOT week with the RNC in town. A heat wave came into town and it was already 80 by the time I woke up on Sunday morning. Yup, 80. Still,  we did manage to spend some time outside.

Some of the highlights:

Some baby wearing. Because FW seems to like that.

20160720_112554

Friday night patio beers to celebrate the weekend. Again, I finished half of one. 20160722_194349 20160722_194723

Saturdays at the West Side Market.20160723_123334

Buying a new car! Yup, we bought a new car.

20160724_171047_001

And celebrated with a drink on another patio.20160723_170421

Sushi.

Screenshot 2016-07-24 09.23.03

Oh, and I worked out for the first time since FW was born 4 weeks ago!! I ran 2 miles (slowly) on the treadmill and did some arms. Nothing big, but I was so excited! AND I ran 2.3 on Sunday. And my hips were a little sore!

Snapchat-7296365126280160920

Baking some healthy-ish PB&J muffins (from Running with Spoons) for breakfast/snacks this week.

20160724_153302

And spending some time with B’s family for Sunday dinner. FW got in some quality great grandma time!

20160724_171316

Some questions for you:

  • What’s the longest you’ve taken off from working out?
  • Did you have a heat wave where you are?

I’m linking up with Erin, Katie and the weekly wraps.

Peanut Butter Coconut Flour Banana Bread

/ Melissa (I Crashed the Web) / Leave a comment

Some blogkeeping- there is still one more day to enter the Cleveland Marathon race entry giveaway!

My friend Cuoghi is allergic to coconut. Can you imagine being allergic to coconut? I LOVE it so much and cant imagine not being able to experience all the gloriousness that is coconut. Coconut flakes. Special K cookies. Almond Joys. Coconut ice cream. Coconut oil. Fresh coconut right from the tree!

mekong delta trip in vietnam

You get the picture. BUT up until recently I had never tried coconut flour. It intrigued me but I was intimidated. I knew you couldn’t use it as a replacement for traditional flour in a 1:1 ratio, but was really eager to try it out. Thank goodness the first recipe I tried came out GREAT. Here is a recipe for peanut butter coconut flour banana bread. The texture of this bread reminds me of bread pudding or pastel de elote – it’s really moist (Favorite word!) and not really quick-bread like but still so so so good. I’ll definitely be making this again!

Peanut Butter Coconut Flour Banana Bread

Peanut Butter Coconut Flour Banana Bread

modified from Ambitious Kitchen’s paleo banana bread recipe. This is not paleo-sorry;)

Here’s what you need:

  • 3-4 medium ripe bananas, mashed
  • 1/4 cup sugar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1/2 cup natural peanut butter*
  • 2 eggs, at room temperature
  • 1/2 cup coconut flour*
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2 cup peanut butter chips

Here’s what you do:

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a loaf pan with nonstick cooking spray.
  2. In a small bowl, combine coconut flour, baking soda and baking powder. Set aside.
  3. Combine bananas, sugar, vanilla and peanut butter with an electric mixer and mix until smooth. Add in eggs and mix until combined.
  4. Add in coconut flour mixture; mix until just combined – do not over mix.
  5. Pour batter into the prepared pan and sprinkle peanut butter chips on top.
  6. Bake for 45-55 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into middle of pan comes out clean.
  7. Cool completely before cutting. Texture will be somewhat mushy – not undercooked but more like a bread-pudding texture. Enjoy!

Peanut Butter Coconut Flour Banana Bread-icrashedtheweb

*Disclosure: I was not compensated for this post, but some of the product (nut butter, coconut flour) was provided to me by Swanson Health. My views and comments are solely my own and do not represent those of Swanson.

Some questions for you:

  • Now that I have all this coconut flour – what should I make with it?
  • Do you like coconut?

 

Perfectly Ordinary Weekend

/ Melissa (I Crashed the Web) / 12 Comments

I had the perfect weekend. It may have been just perfectly ordinary, but it was perfect. It was a great mix of relaxing (definitely needed – I still feel like I’m playing catch up from last week!), catching up on work (again, still playing catch up), seeing friends, being productive and enjoying the outdoors. The only thing missing? Maybe some family time and a long run, but it will be a while until I’ll get in either of those!

Friday night started out with dinner/drinks with friends. One of B’s coworkers who moved to Seattle was in town and we were meeting up with her and some other people at 8 for dinner and drinks. Let me admit something – I haven’t met at 8 for dinner in a few months. Since being pregnant, my 8 p.m. often looks like PJ and TV time. But it was GREAT to feel like an almost normal person and meet up! We went to Bar Cento for some meatless Friday eats (pomme frites with their dipping sauce and pizza) and a few drinks (obvy none for me). Note – I didn’t take the pics below, I was actually not on my phone most of the night!

Not our pizza. This is from their website. And ours didn’t have meat. (Friday Lent)

Image via cleveland.com

Saturday morning B and I decided to be productive and start our baby registry. I’m not going to lie – setting up a baby registry is not as fun (at least for me) as a wedding registry. Mostly because the entire time these are the thoughts running through my mind:

  • Do we even need that? I don’t think those existed when I was a baby.
  • HOW many options exist for that?
  • Wait, that costs how much?
  • Half of the reviews say this is a life changer and the other half say DO NOT BUY or your baby will end up mangled, blind in one eye, allergic to every single nut, seriously traumatized, etc.

And there went our Saturday morning. Seriously, I think we spent four hours at Starbucks and registered for four things. Before we knew it, it was time to go view some houses. No – we’re not moving; but we’ve been looking at houses for several years now. We decided to go for a walk after looking at houses and came across the A Christmas Story House! (confession – I’ve lived in Cleveland for almost 10 years and I still haven’t seen the whole movie AND this was my first time seeing the house)

20160305_145846

We then hit up the West Side Market for the first time in a while and I was SO happy. We have been either out of town or busy on Saturdays and it was great to pick up some things again. I ❤ the Market!

20160305_153350

And it was already around 3:30 pm and we hadn’t eaten lunch yet, so we made a quick stop to Souper Market. Their curry cauliflower and chickpea soup hit the spot! Large chuck of bread not included.

20160305_160135

After Saturday afternoon Mass, B had plans to go to a high school basketball game. I decided to stay in and do some baking. Double fudge brownies. Yes, please!

20160305_205215

20160306_125648

Sunday morning started off a little early – I couldn’t sleep Saturday night (is this going to become a normal pregnancy thing?) because I couldn’t get comfortable, so I spent the morning cleaning a little and catching up on some work. I dilly dallyed until B got up and then finally got off my butt and went for a run.

Screenshot_2016-03-06-13-14-57

20160306_115346

It was the first run in a while that I’d run outside by myself. I don’t know why, but since I started to seriously show, I’d been a little anxious about running alone outside. But today, B didn’t feel like running and I knew I could do it on my own. So I did. Yup, it’s the little things – I’m proud.

The afternoon included some meal prep and grocery shopping.

My grocery store is prettier than yours, isn’t it?

20160306_141946

Oh and my favorite yogurt was on sale. Little things make pregnant me super happy 🙂20160306_140933

Speaking of being pregnant, I’ve really really popped. I’m a little more than 6 months now and can’t imagine 4 more months of this!

24 weeks 5 days

Our Sunday ended with a walk and Sunday dinner at B’s parents’ house.

chilly but nice day for a walk

chilly but nice day for a walk

Spaghetti, meatballs and gelato!

20160306_184456 20160306_193409

Some questions for you:

  • Do you have any Sunday night dinner traditions?
  • What’s your favorite yogurt? Do you like yogurt?

I’m linking up today with Erin for my weekend snapshot post, Katie for MIMM and the weekly wraps.

February Fun

/ Melissa (I Crashed the Web) / 9 Comments

Two people asked me at work on Monday if I was tired. Yikes. I’m going to take that as a sign that I had a good weekend? Because I did – and I guess my Monday morning face showed it.

Friday night, B and I had tickets to a Cavs game.

20160205_194217

We bought fundraising tickets with a board that we’re on and unfortunately that meant nosebleed seats. (And sadly, a loss. I’m beginning to think it’s B and me because we haven’t seen a Cleveland sports team win since October (and yes, we’ve seen the Browns and Cavs play since then)

Saturday morning, it was too nice outside not to run. I hadn’t run outside all week and it was sunny and in the 30s and really felt great to be outdoors and get in a short run with B. We only had time for a 5k-ish but it was so nice to be out!

Screenshot_2016-02-06-10-55-54

20160206_103841

After the run, I had plans for an all-day baking fest with my friend Cuoghi. I didn’t end up with pictures of everything we’d made, but between the two of us we made 2 different batches of cookies, popcorn, cupcakes, fudge and some cornflake/marshmallow treats.

20160206_145621

My baking buddy. Confession – she made the majority of the treats.

20160206_143628

Saturday night, B and I had a movie date at the Capitol Theater. We saw the Oscar live action shorts. Wow. We love seeing the Oscar shorts before the awards ceremony, but some of these this year were SERIOUS movies.

You can see trailers for all of them here. One of my favorites was Stutterer (and it was less serious):

Sunday was somewhat uneventful. B and I had to go to a wake a few hours away or a friend’s dad who had died, so that took up most of the day. We did get home in time to go for a nice walk, though. It was 50 degrees out and I couldn’t miss the chance to go outside without a coat for probably the last time in a while.

20160207_164624

And of course, Sunday night was the Super Bowl. I was able to share some of the baking day treats wth the party we went to, which actually had a BUFFALO SAUCE FOUNTAIN. That’s right – like a chocolate fountain – but with buffalo sauce.

20160207_185350

The game was alright – I’m not a big football fan and I typically just enjoy the game for the social aspect, the food and of course, the commercials. Here are the cupcakes we brought that I made:

hummingbird

It was a later-than-usual Sunday night for me, thus the tiredness Monday morning. And delay in sharing this post with you. Hopefully you’re off to a great week!

Some questions for you:

  • Did you watch the Super Bowl? Do you watch for the commercials? The game? Both?
  • Do you like buffalo sauce?

I’m belatedly linking up with Erin and the weekly wraps.

Cranberry Pistachio Biscotti

/ Melissa (I Crashed the Web) / Leave a comment

I LOVE biscotti. I grew up with biscotti – my mom seemed to always have a package of Nonni’s biscotti on hand for desserts, snacks (breakfast…shh), etc. There’s just something deliciously satisfying about the crunch of a good biscotti, paired with some coffee or hot tea. Amiright? And now that I know how to bake them (I’ve made a few different kinds before, including chocolate pistachio biscotti and pumpkin biscotti), I am loving them even more!

Seeking a last minute cookie to bake for the holidays? Okay, I guess it’s not quite last minute yet, but these make the perfect Christmas cookie. The green pistachio and red cranberries are festive – but these really are great all year round. I made these for a holiday party/cookie exchange and recommend you try them out too. The recipe is from B’s mom, and I was so grateful that she shared it with me – so now I’m sharing it with you!

cranberry pistachio biscotti-icrashedtheweb

Cranberry Pistachio Biscotti

Here’s what you need:

  • 2 ½ cup flour
  • 1 cup sugar
  • ½ teaspoon baking soda
  • ½ teaspoon baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 3 eggs + 1 egg set aside for egg wash
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 1 ⅓ cup dried cranberries (soak 5 min in hot water)
  • 1 cup pistachios, chopped

Here’s what you do:

  1. Preheat oven to 300°.
  2. Combine first five ingredients.
  3. Add eggs and vanilla. Work into dough using hands.
  4. Drain cranberries and add to dough with pistachios.
  5. Roll into two logs. Flatten slightly and place on greased pan. Brush with egg wash (1 egg plus 1 Tablespoon cold water).
  6. Bake for 50 minutes, slice into pieces and bake an additional 10 min. per side. Makes approximately 36 biscotti cookies. Enjoy!

cranberry pistachio biscotti~icrashedtheweb

I also made this recipe sheet if you’d like to print out the recipe (click here to download the pdf).

CRANBERRY PISTACHIO BISCOTTI-icrashedtheweb-recipe-small

Some questions for you:

  • Do you like biscotti?
  • What’s a favorite family cookie recipe?

Chocolate Dipped Heath Bar Shortbread Cookies

/ Melissa (I Crashed the Web) / 2 Comments

Have you been baking Christmas cookies yet? If your schedule has been anything like mine, you’ve been busy baking up a storm for cookie exchanges, holiday parties and office gatherings.

For this year’s work cookie exchange, I opted to make these cookies. I knew I wouldn’t have time to make them completely the night before, so I actually made the dough, froze it, and then baked and dipped them in chocolate and sprinkles the night before. These cookies are good – not too sweet, but delicious and festive (if you add rainbow sprinkles)! A great cookie exchange addition.

Chocolate Dipped Heath Bar Chip Shortbread-icrashedtheweb

Chocolate Dipped Heath Bar Shortbread Cookies

Recipe from the kitchn. The original recipe says it makes 70-75 cookies. Don’t know what I did differently, but mine made about 45. If yours makes 70, PLEASE let me know what you did!

Here’s what you need:

  • 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
  • 1/2 cup powdered sugar, sifted
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 cups mini semi-sweet chocolate chips
  • 3/4 cup Heath toffee chips
  • 1 cup chocolate melting wafers

Here’s what you do:

  1. Cream together butter, powdered sugar, and salt until smooth. Add vanilla.
  2. Using a hand or stand mixer on, low speed, mix in the flour until combined and a dough is formed. Fold in 1 cup of the chocolate chips and the Heath Bar chips.
  3. Divide the dough in half and shape each half into a log about 10-12 inches long. Wrap both logs of dough in parchment or plastic wrap. Refrigerate the rolls until firm (a few hours, or up to three days). The logs can also be frozen if you don’t plan on baking them within a few days, just make sure to thaw in the fridge overnight before baking.
  4. When you’re ready to bake the cookies, cut the logs into 1/4- to 1/2-inch thick slices. Preheat the oven to 350°F and line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Arrange slices slightly apart on the baking sheets.
  5. Bake the cookies for 13 to 15 minutes, until the edges just start to brown brown. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheets before removing from the pan.
  6. Melt the 1 cup of chocolate melting wafers in the microwave in 15-second intervals, stirring between each interval. Dip one end of each cookie into the chocolate and use a butter knife to scrape off the excess chocolate. Place the dipped cookies on parchment paper. Optional: while still wet, add festive/colorful sprinkles. Wait until set before storing or tasting.
  7. Enjoy!

Chocolate Dipped Heath Bar Chip Shortbread~icrashedtheweb

Some questions for you:

  • What twists on traditional cookies do you make to give them more of a holiday appeal? I like to shape them into fun holiday shapes (candy canes, snowmen) or add red/green sprinkles (like these!).
  • What’s your go-to cookie for cookie exchanges?