Tag Archives: simple

Extract Beginnings

May 7, 2013

This week has been a mix of contradictions. Sunny skies have been lighting up these early May days, the warmth nearly tricking us into thinking that summer has arrived. We spent much of yesterday relaxing in the backyard as we donned swimsuits, enjoyed sprinkler-running and bubble-blowing, and ate our dinner in the grass. Better weather hasn’t been seen in Seattle for quite some time, and while I don’t yet know what the rest of this season will bring, it has, up to this point, completely exceeded my expectations. In contrast to the beauty of my surroundings, I’ve found myself in …

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Easy Raspberry Sauce

May 3, 2013

These last few weeks, I’ve been getting back to my roots in the kitchen. No fuss or complicated blah blah blah, just enjoying the process of cooking for my family and friends, even if “cooking” means running to Safeway for a last minute birthday cake for Eowyn because I botched the homemade one (true story). Honestly, though, it’s been a good thing for me to step away from blogging for a bit and from the silly pressures I was putting on myself. Living life in the flesh is way more gratifying than writing about it, and I’ve needed to dig …

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Roasted Beet and Greens Salad with Pistachios and Goat Cheese

April 12, 2013

It’s been a good several weeks here in the Ellis house, and while I’ve shared with you the highlights of my cooking with some amount of regularity, a personal update has been a long time coming. In considering where to begin, I suppose it makes sense for me to start with myself. You all know about my struggle with depression, fatigue, and chronic joint pain, right? These issues hit me hard last summer and, when combined, were almost completely debilitating. Even “simple” things like caring for my kids at home seemed like an overwhelming task. At the time, I recall …

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Roasted Garlic White Bean Dip

April 5, 2013

Maybe you’ve got it together and can eat your fruits and veggies by the fistful without any trouble at all. Or, perhaps you’re like me and need a little coaxing. Something to make it fun, interesting, and, well, less of a chore. I hear ya. It’s in this spirit that I’ve been making so many smoothies lately, which have certainly been effective in helping me increase my fruit intake, but as for the vegetables, I find that having a flavorful dip on hand is key to healthy snacking success. I love that it’s easy to make, full of good-for-me ingredients, …

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Quick Roasted Tomato Soup

March 31, 2013

We are on the precipice, friends. It’s drawing near, this season of plentiful produce and easy cookouts and salads that are bursting with so much flavor that we wonder how something so intense and lovely could be born of the earth. Grocery store selections are already starting to perk up thanks to the parts of the world that enjoy a warmer climate, and soon Washington farm stands will be bustling with activity. In my book, there’s no better (or simpler) season for eating. You see, the thing about fresh fruits and vegetables is that, per God’s design, they taste pretty …

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Crustless Cheesy Spinach Quiche

March 5, 2013

The thought of eating gluten-free has entered my mind on many occasions over the last few years; however, until recently, I avoided the experiment because I couldn’t really get my mind around not eating wheat. As a busy mom of two, I felt that my life was crazy enough without adding the stress of having to closely monitor everything I put into my mouth, plus I was hesitant to jump on the bandwagon that so many others seemed to be riding. I in no way doubt the legitimacy of those suffering from Celiac disease and other medically documented conditions, but …

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Parmesan-Crusted Ravioli with Easy Microwave Marinara

March 1, 2013

These nuggets of baked ravioli goodness take me back. It’s been 8-ish years since I frequented “Ernie’s,” the only cafeteria on the campus of the small engineering college I was attending at the time, and as I recall, there weren’t many things on the menu I enjoyed. Fried foods were a staple, and while they technically had a salad bar, the always-brown-and-wilting iceberg lettuce was kind of a turnoff. It wasn’t all bad, though. Call me crazy, but I loved when they’d serve up green, gloopy, definitely-from-a-box-and-not-made-with-actual-pistachios pistachio pudding. I didn’t care at the time that it wasn’t a nutritious …

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Chicken, Mushroom, and Brown Rice Soup

February 16, 2013

This soup is one I’ve made twice in the last week. Once to share with others as we celebrated the birthday of a friend and then again to tweak it just a touch and take pictures in the daylight. Last night, we contemplated going out for dinner, but in anticipation of a Friday-night-after-Valentine’s Day restaurant rush, feasting on leftovers at home seemed a more sensible option. One last bowl remained in the pot that I had lazily placed on the top shelf of the refrigerator. It had been 3-4 days since I’d made the soup, and I’d either forgotten how …

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Samoa Orange Coconut Milk Ice Cream

February 13, 2013

A lot has changed since my days as a Girl Scout in my youth, but one thing has not: my undeniable weakness for Samoas! The crisp cookie base, made chewy by the addition of caramel and finished with scrumptious toasted coconut and drizzles of dark chocolate, is utterly irresistible. If ever a cookie was made to match my taste buds, this one is it. They are a once a year treat, a splurge to be sure, and quite frankly, it never occurred to me to do anything with them other than eat them straight out of the box with a …

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Split Pea Soup

February 6, 2013

Split pea soup is one of those things that I intentionally avoided for the first 27 years of my life. No matter how you slice it, it’s just not pretty to look at. Add some croutons or a dollop of sour cream if you want, but you’ll find it’s nearly impossible to disguise its unattractive, dull green hue. In addition to this soup’s homely appearance, I also thought of it as essentially pea puree, an adult version of baby food, if you will, which was not exactly an appetite-whetting image. It seemed like a dish of a bygone era; something …

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