Random Tuesday Ramblings

Hello, hello!

It’s fence day at my house!! Whoop!!

I’ll be honest. When they scheduled it for today, I was a wee bit afraid it was going to turn out to be an April Fool’s prank.  PHEW! 🙂

I CAN.NOT.WAIT. to let my dogs out into the yard OFF LEASH and not have to worry about whether or not they will take themselves for a walk.

So, while I’m being honest, I think you should know that I just ate 5 Milk Duds. I even ate one of them BEFORE my lunch.

I know, I know. So bad.

Hey, at least it was only 5! This way, I’m guaranteed to not lose a tooth.

Okay, so anyway, this is me hemming and hawing my way into a complete blog post.

Believe it or not, I don’t always have that much stuff to say.

I know, shocker, right?

Stop laughing.

I’m trying to be serious here.

I’m really a quiet and kind of shy person!

Fine.

Look at what I did earlier!

Isn’t that cool?!

I used an app on my phone called paper picture.

Yes, it is a slow day at the office. And the sun is shining. And I want to be outside.

So, I made a loaf of each of these breads this past weekend.

Vegan Banana Blueberry Bread

Apple Cinnamon Bread

So. Stinkin. Good.

You should try them. Furreals.

Talk to me: Are you having a random day today too? I blame winter.

– jennifer

Tuesday things: running, cleaning, and baking Apple Spice Bread

Hello! Happy Tuesday!

I started off my morning with a beautiful run!

Okay, so, it wasn’t really beautiful – it was pretty darned cold, as a matter of fact.

But, I like cold so I wasn’t complaining.

Well, much, anyway. 🙂

And, honestly, my weekend of excess eating and drinking – okay, mostly drinking – really made the first few miles a little difficult.

But, it WAS a great weekend and excess, in moderation, is okay. 😉

Right? You should definitely agree with me.

Anywho, post run was some yummy Irish oats and a nice warming cup of coffee.

YUM!

And then, I got down to business.

When I went out on Black Friday, I picked myself up the coolest. thing. ever.

No, it’s NOT a vacuum cleaner.

Sheesh, what do you think I am? Some kind of cleaning nerd? Pshh. Besides, I already have one of those.

This is a a Hoover hard floor cleaner!

It scrubs and then dries both my hardwood and tile floors!

Okay, so maybe I AM a cleaning nerd.

Don’t judge me.

I totally cleaned all the floors in my house this morning.

And it was SO EASY!

So much better than a mop and a bucket. Just saying.

And then, I totally had to make some bread!

This bread. Oh my. Apples. Cinnamon. Nutmeg. Brown sugar.

Heavenly smells and heavenly taste!

Apple Spice Bread
makes 1 loaf (about 20 slices)

1 cup shredded apple (about 1 medium)
1/4 cup non-fat plain Greek Yogurt or sour cream
2 egg whites
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons packed brown sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a loaf pan with nonstick cooking spray; dust with flour.

2. Mix apple, yogurt, and egg whites in a large bowl. Stir in remaining flour and ingredients. Spread into pan.

3. Bake 35 to 40 minutes or until golden brown. Cool in pan 5 minutes; remove from pan. Cool completely on wire rack before slicing.

4. At 45 calories a slice, enjoy one with a cup of afternoon tea and then with your coffee in the morning! Just try not to eat the whole loaf in one sitting. Om nom nom!

Question: (If you have one) Does your cat eat your plants/flowers/etc or is mine just weird?

– jennifer

Sunday morning treats – Cinnamon Pecan buns

Hello!

Happy weekend!!

Holy cow, has it been a crazy week!

We’re full on in move prep – the movers show up to start packing in a week!

EEEP!

I can’t believe it’s that soon!

I don’t feel ready.

I know I’m not ready.

My last day at work was Friday – but, now, the real work begins.

We have a week to “de-junk.”

Seriously, we need to learn how not to “junk” to begin with!

The home-buying process is moving along quite nicely and hopefully, we’ll only be “homeless” for a few days.

*fingers crossed*

100 day burpee challenge – day 13!

Have you been keeping up?  I didn’t get my 12 done yesterday.  So, that means I have yesterday’s AND today’s to do.  Um, that’s 25 burpees.  *sigh*

Missing a day SUCKS!

So, I decided today was a cinnamon roll kind of day.

What?  You don’t agree?  Well, you’re missing out. 🙂

I found a recipe for Cinnamon Pecan buns that are absolutely amazing!

These don’t have the traditional icing but, you know what, they don’t need it.

The combination of brown sugar, cinnamon, and pecans makes a delicious topping and the icing would be too much.

The bonus about these buns?

They are made without any butter or oil in the dough!

The secret ingredient?

Cottage cheese!

I know!  I didn’t believe it either!  But, it really works – trust me!

AND, these are made without yeast so you can actually make them in less than an hour. 🙂

So, what are you waiting for?

Cinnamon Pecan Buns
makes about 15 buns

4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled
3/4 cup pecans
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup cottage cheese
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 egg yolk
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 teaspoons finely grated orange zest (optional)
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon fine salt

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Brush the bottom and side of a 10-inch springform pan with half of the melted butter.

2. In a food processor, combine the pecans with the brown sugar, cinnamon and kosher salt; pulse until the nuts are almost finely ground. Transfer the mixture to a bowl and sprinkle a scant 3/4 cup over the bottom of the prepared pan. Wipe out the food processor.

3. Add the cottage cheese, buttermilk, egg yolk, granulated sugar, vanilla and orange zest to the processor and puree until smooth. In a medium bowl, combine the 2 1/4 cups of flour with the baking powder, baking soda and fine salt; whisk to mix. Add the flour mixture to the processor and pulse just until the dough comes together; it will be quite soft and sticky.

4. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and gather it into a smooth ball. *NOTE* They weren’t kidding when they said the dough will be sticky. It is VERY STICKY!!! Make sure you keep the flour handy – you’re going to need it!
Roll out the dough to an 11-by-16-inch rectangle, flouring the work surface as necessary. Brush the dough with the remaining melted butter, leaving a 1/2-inch border all around. Sprinkle on the remaining pecan-sugar mixture.

5. Working from a long side, roll the dough into a tight cylinder and cut it into 1-inch slices. Arrange the slices cut side up in the prepared pan. Bake the buns in the middle of the oven for about 25 minutes, until lightly browned on top and slightly firm to the touch. Transfer the pan to a rack and let cool for 5 minutes.

6. Run a knife around the inside of the pan to loosen the buns. Remove the springform ring. Invert the buns onto a plate and carefully remove the bottom of the pan. If any of the pecan mixture sticks to the pan, simply scrape it onto the buns. Serve warm.

Recipe from Food and Wine

Question: What’s your favorite weekend morning treat?

– jennifer