Home Away From Home

Hey there! If you’re at all curious as to why posting didn’t occur yesterday, it was because my roommates and I cancelled our cable/Internet service, so I was essentially disconnected from the outside world the latter half of the day. When I told my mom that we had cancelled our cable, she couldn’t believe the words she heard. “How are you going to blog!?”, she exclaimed. Haha… oh Mother, it’s temporary – duh. I could not imagine not having constant Internet access. It’s probably not a bad thing that I can’t hop onto the world wide web at the click of a finger for a few days, seeing as I spend an ungodly amount of time in front my screen. There are actually other activities to do in life, such as go see a chick flick with your roomie. Letters to Juliet was adorable, no? I promise you though, hooking up the Internet is at the top of my list of things to do when I return.

Return? Yes, I may have made a spontaneous trip today to Sonoma County [hi, Jenna!] for the holiday weekend. It’s sort of nice not having any obligations; I can just get in my car and go. The normal 3-hour drive took closer to four with the holiday traffic, but it wasn’t too terrible as I had some car snacks to nibble on during the stop and go.

Crunchy Flax PB + 1/2 Banana on Quinoa – I’m obsessed – Wheat Bread [all courtesy of TJ’s]

Organic Carrot + Cuc Stix

Little Blue got me safely to my grandparent’s house – with 200+ miles added to her odometer – where my mom had happened to arrive just a few minutes earlier. It was so good to see family – I’m quite the homebody. We chit-chatted it up for a bit before I broke out my computer to connect to the wireless Internet. I was having withdrawals already. Then we enjoyed hearty homemade vegetable soup, a splendid salad, and locally-made multigrain bread for dinner – mmm.

I provided the dessert for tonight:

I’ve had a serious itch to bake lately. Yesterday afternoon I whipped up a batch of Congo Bars. I called up my mom for the ‘blueprint’ of our traditional recipe, and then added my own style to the sweet batter.

Chewy Congo Bars

Dry.

• 2 c. whole wheat flour + 1/2 c. all-purpose flour
• 1/3 c. unsweetened coconut
• 1 T baking powder
• 1 tsp. salt

Wet.

• 2/3 c. unsalted butter, melted
• 1 c. brown sugar
• 1 c. granulated sugar

plus…

• 3 eggs
• 1/2 T pure vanilla

Additional.

• 1 c. toasted, chopped almonds [toast @ 350* for 10 minutes]
• 1/2 c. each Guittard extra dark & milk chocolate chips

You know the deal: Mix together dry ingredients. Set aside. Mix butter and sugars together. Add eggs + vanilla to butter mixture. Combine thoroughly. Pour into dry mixture. Mix just to combine. Fold in additional ingredients [nuts + chips]. Reduce oven to 325*. Spray baking dish with chlorofluorocarbon-free canola oil, plop batter into pan evenly and bake for ~30 minutes — until golden brown + a pretty ‘cake’ tester is free of goop. Let sit, then cut into gigantic bars. Take a plate with you to a picnic or the park, and I guarantee you’ll make a few new friends.

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Speaking of yesterday…

Breakfast

1 c. TJ’s High Fiber O’s + 1 T walnuts + 1 tsp. unsweetened coconut + 1 small organic peach + 3/4 c. unsweetened vanilla almond milk

I wouldn’t mind being a fish in this bowl ; )

Dinner

Organic Baby Spinach, Organic Strawberries, Red Onion, Avocado, Chevre, Honey, Olive Oil, Balsamic + Fresh Black Pepper

BTW, this is last photo shoot on my u.g.l.y. [but clean] carpet. It can make the most delicious eats look entirely unappetizing. My apologies. I’m “pulling a Jenna” at the moment living sans furniture. 

Rumor has it I’m making waffles for my grandparents in the mornin’. Mama Hill must catch some zzz’s before she has to get back to the kitchen. Night!

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Do you have a “home away from home”?

What are your holiday weekend plans?

Do you go nuts, too, without Internet?

Tagged as: Carrots, Cereal, Congo Bars, Cucumber, Peanut Butter, Quinoa, Salad