NaNoWriMo Win!

I did it, folks! I wrote a 50,022 word novel in the month of November. 

And there was much rejoicing...

Happy (One Day Late) Thanksgiving!

My hubby and I made our first turkey yesterday--and it turned out delicious! It really felt like such an accomplishment. Now for turkey leftovers galore...

Delicious Escarole Soup with Turkey Meatballs

My sister-in-law threw this recipe in my general direction and I snatched it up. I honestly wasn't even sure what escarole was  but I thought I would give it a chance still since I'm always looking for easy, tasty soup recipes. I gave it a whirl and I am so glad I did!

Let's jump in, shall we?

For meatballs you need:

1.3 lb ground turkey breast
1/4 cup seasoned breadcrumbs
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
1/4 cup parsley--chopped
1 large egg
1/4 cup onion, minced
1/4 tsp salt

Combine the ingredients and form small meatballs.

For soup you need:

8 cups broth
1/2 cup orzo
1 head chopped escarole
Sprinkle of pepper

In a large pot, bring broth to a boil on medium heat. Add the meatballs, escarole and orzo when it boils.  Add fresh pepper and cook for 10 minutes or until orzo is done.

Enjoy, eat up, and try not to fight over the leftovers.

Stumbled Upon Favorite Videos

Here are a few videos that have been distracting me as of late. 

The Record Breaker

A Volvo Commercial

Girl Power

Albuquerque Balloon Timelapse

Bob Dylan's Rolling Stone Music Video

History of English

Don't Stop Lovin Me

Enjoy!

Pom Pom Flowers

My sister in law sent me this adorable vase for my birthday and I've been itching to make some little pom pom flowers to put in. I finally got around to it today and am so happy with the results. I used this pom pom tutorial and then used hot glue to attach the sticks.

Easy Turkey Meatloaf

So I was totally that weird kid that listed meatloaf as their favorite food for years. Kinda weird, right? I loved it! And I still do. I haven't had meatloaf in a really long time so I got super excited when I saw this recipe. I gave it a try tonight and...delicious!

Does meatloaf ever photograph well?

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a small bowl, combine:
1/4 Cup Plus 2 Tablespoons Ketchup
2 Teaspoon Mustard
1 Teaspoon Soy Sauce

Saute on low until translucent:
1 Teaspoon Olive Oil
1/2 Small Onion, Chopped

In a medium bowl, mix:
Cooked, Chopped Onions
1.3 lb 99% Lean Ground Turkey
1/2 Cup Breadcrumbs (Seasoned flavored)
1 Egg
1 Teaspoon Marjoram
A Pinch of Salt

Once mixed, pat mixture into a loaf pan. Spoon sauce on top. Bake for 55-60 minutes and let cool for five minutes. 

Enjoy!

National Novel Writing Month

Have all of you heard of NaNoWriMo? I happened to find out about it on October 31 this year...just in time to jump in head first on November 1. During the month of November, nearly 300,000 people are trying to write a 50,000 word novel. So far I have just over 16,000 words done...not even half way yet. It is a bit overhwelming to think of writing 34,000 more words this month but I'm trying to take it one day at a time. It has been such a great kick in the butt for me to get writing which is something I've been wanting to do for years!

Knit Headband

I love knitting headbands and I love wearing headbands. 

It really works out quite well for me...

Banana Bread Oatmeal Bake

Over the weekend, I found myself hungry with almost nothing in our cupboards. (I find that this occasionally happens when you grocery shop by bike only...) I saw this recipe over here and somehow had all of the ingredients!  So I whipped up a pan and devoured it. Delicious!

What you need:

2 cups old fashioned oats
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 ripe bananas, mashed
2 eggs, lightly beaten
2 cups milk
2 tablespoons maple syrup
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Here is what you do:

Preheat the oven to 350. Lightly grease an 8x8 pan.

Combine and mix all of the dry ingredients in a mixing bowl. In a separate mixing bowl, mash the bananas. Whisk in the eggs and then mix in the remaining ingredients.  Pour the dry mixture into the wet mixture and stir. Once mixed thoroughly, pour into the 8x8 pan. 

Bake for 35 to 40 minutes until set.

Enjoy!

Eugene's Weather Halloween Costume

The one thing I am guaranteed to remember about Eugene, Oregon is its weather. Rain, rain, and more rain. I thought for Halloween I would embrace the rain and become an Oregon rain cloud. I went a little further and added some rainbow socks, a yellow shirt for some sunshine, and a teeny tiny lightning bolt on my headband.

I thought it was ironic that it rained on me as I was biking to a Halloween party....

 And now for a close up on that smiling lightning bolt...

Happy Halloween!

This is one of my favorite costumes from several years ago--a carrot to my college roommate's rabbit! Looks pretty scary doesn't it?! Anyways, I hope you all have a fun and safe Halloween!

Bicycle Love

I've been commuting by bike for over a year now. In honor of this, I thought I'd spread the bicycle love. Enjoy these bicycle themed links!

Life is All About Balance Print

3144 Bicycle Sculpture by Ai Weiwei

Cute bicycle shirt.

Turn signals!  Brilliant.

Bicycle pint glasses...love all those colors.

I'm intrigued by this lock holder...could be pretty handy if it worked well.

How to Ride a Bicycle print

I want this bicycle scarf.

Such a lovely print.

I like this photograph.

And this one, too.

Bicycle fabric

Bike planter! Awesome.

I would love to have a chalktrail.

Biking and reading? Hmm...sounds dangerous but delightful.

A Rainy Day at Silver Creek Falls

 

Mom's Apple Cobbler

I love apple cobbler in the fall. I may be partial but I think my mom's recipe is the best.

Follow these steps for a delicious outcome:

Fill a 9x13 pan with about 6 cups peeled, sliced apples.

Mix:
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup flour
1.5 tsp cinnamon

Sprinkle mixture over apples.

For delicious crunch topping mix:
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup oatmeal
1 cup flour
1/2 tsp soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp baking powder

Mix together and cut in 1/2 cup butter. Press crunch mixture on top of apples and bake for 1/2 hour at 350 degrees.

Coloring Book Obsession

In case you've been wondering where I've been this past week...you can blame my husband. He gave me this coloring book for my birthday and now for the past two days, the only thing I've done after work is color.

Its been a while since I've colored...it is so relaxing. And highly addicting.

Healthy Snack: Parmesan & Wasabi Edamane

I saw this recipe over here on A Beautiful Mess and thought I'd give it a try. I couldn't quite remember the recipe when I was making it so I basically just combined cooked edamane, parmesan cheese, and a tiny bit of wasabi paste. These lasted approximately ten minutes between me and my husband...let's just say they make a great snack for Sunday football!

An Oregon Corn Maze

My husband and I are pretty much corn maze professionals. We've been corn mazing every year since we've been together. Actually...even before that! The couple that corn mazes together, stays together...right?

Stumbled On Favorites

Made these cookies this weekend...nummy!

This is the cutest video ever.

Flying from an eagle's perspective...whoa!

Lip synch battle...made me laugh.

This would be awesome!

This is a funny prank.

I like this quote.

Water bicycle! I almost wish I had a lake to cross on my morning commute...

Another reason for me to read literary fiction! 

Cheesy Quinoa Bake

This is the perfect meal for a cold, rainy day!

What you need:

1 cup prewashed quinoa, uncooked

1 tablespoon & 2 tsp olive oil

2 cups chicken stock

1 cup onion, diced

1/2 green pepper, chopped

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

1 cup zucchini, cubed

1 15 oz can black beans, rinsed and drained

1 4 oz can diced green chiles

1 28 oz can diced tomatoes, drained

1 cup frozen corn

1/2 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp oregano

1 tsp chili powder

2 tablespoons lime juice

Salt

2 cups shredded cheese

What you do:

In a saucepan, heat 2 tsp olive oil over medium heat. Add quinoa and cook, stirring, for about one minute--it will pop a bit! Add chicken stock, stir, heat until it boils.  Turn the heat down to low and cook, covered, for 15-20 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and let stand, covered, for 5 minutes. 

Preheat the oven to 375ºF. Spray a 9x13 with cooking spray. Set aside.  

In a large skillet, heat 1tablespoon olive oil over medium heat. Add onions & peppers and cook for 7 minutes--stirring occasionally. Add garlic and zucchini and cook 3 minutes. 

In a large bowl, add quinoa (fluff with a fork prior). Add onion/pepper/zucchini mixture, beans, green chiles, tomatoes, corn, cumin, oregano, chili powder, lime juice, and salt to taste. Mix thoroughly and transfer to 9x13 pan. Bake 30 minutes, mix in cheese, and bake 10 minutes more.

Head over here for the original recipe!

Faux Fire Fireplace Insert

My husband and I live in an apartment with a nonworking fireplace. During the winter a lot of our hot air escapes up the fireplace so I wanted to seal it up this year. I thought it would be funny to make it look like a fire was in our fireplace so I cut out a bunch of yellow, red, and orange flames and brown logs and sewed them onto a black backdrop. I tacked it to our fireplace and...voila!...we have a fire in our fireplace. It makes me chuckle every time I see it.