muesli

I am so in love with muesli right now! It's about the easiest breakfast to make, it fills me up, and it can be customized any way you like!

All you need is:

1/2 cup old fashioned rolled oats

milk

fixings!

It's very important to combine the oats and milk first so the oats have a chance to soften. I find that by the time I've decided on add-ins and added them in, the oats have had the perfect amount of softening time. About 5 minutes or so (if you really need a time limit). 

I don't have an amount of milk for you because I've never measured it. Just pour a little in until the oats are covered. Remember that the oats are going to soak up some of the liquid so if you want your cereal more liquidy, like typical breakfast cereal, you should add more milk. I prefer it if the oats soak up almost all of the milk so I err on the lighter side. It would probably take you a couple breakfasts to figure out what you like best. You can also use any type of milk you want. I've used unsweetened soy milk and plain almond milk.

Once you've started your oats softening, you can go ahead and add whatever the heck you want! Regardless of what I'm adding, I always start with a teaspoon of vanilla. It really adds a nice flavour. And while I've tried other extracts, vanilla is the only one that doesn't taste out of place (or strange and alcoholic).

I also prefer to sweeten it with sweetened shredded coconut. It's weird, I know. But it adds a nice flavour (cuz I love coconut) and I've found that it's easier to measure out and combine with the whole mixture than honey. (Although honey is very good when I've used it.) Of course, you can sweeten your muesli with regular sugar, brown sugar, Splenda, or nothing. And if you're adding really sweet fruit like bananas or raisins, you might not even want to bother. Again, this is really a breakfast option that's customized for you. You make it the way you like it!

My favourite bowl is cinnamon raisin (with almonds and coconut, obviously) and it's kind of my default bowl if I've run out of fresh fruit. But that's cool with me cuz raisins are like candy!

fast weekend

{also Idle Husband is awesome and such}

blue, white, and pink

About an hour and a half away there're some amazingly tall and bushy delphiniums that are currently packed with flowers. I brought a humongous bunch home with me.

I wanted to show you the rose I planted earlier this summer.

I guess this means it likes its new home. (*smiles)

guest post with Hot Polka Dot: vanilla mint chocolate chunk ice cream

What can I say about my blogger pal, Lindsey? Well, for starters, her blog, Hot Polka Dot, is fantastic. She's always coming up with new and exciting recipes with amazing pictures and stories to go along with them. But she's not only baking and cooking. Oh, no. She posts great tutorials, how-tos, kitchen tips, fashion inspiration, and DIYs. You'll just have to click on over to her blog to see all of the inspiring things she's got going on. I swear you won't be disappointed.

I won't keep you from this dessert any longer (although I suspect you've probably skipped all of this upon reading it was about ice cream). Here's Lindsey with the most delicious and refreshing vanilla mint chocolate chunk ice cream recipe:

I'd like to tell you that this lovely mint came from my own personal garden. I'd like to tell you that I whispered sweet nothings to it as I lovingly raised it from a seedling to glorious maturity. I'd like to tell you that my backyard looks like something out of a Barefoot Contessa with a lush jungle of waist high rosemary, basil, and thyme. I'd like to tell you that when planting my herbs this spring, I had the forethought to include mint. But I can't. I won't lie to you.

The truth is my sad little herb garden -- which consists of six dollar store terracotta pots with the wrong potting soil -- is infested with aphids and hasn't been watered in three days. It's dry, brown and rather piddly. It's not pretty.

So no, I will not be making fresh pesto from my own basil. And no, I will not be garnishing my pasta with chopped parsley. And no, I will not be stirring chives into my sour cream to make baked potatoes extra special. And I will most certainly not be making creamy potato salad with my own sprigs of dill.

Let's just be real here. I buy my herbs from little containers at the supermarket. Frequently they're wilted and often smushed. I buy hot house tomatoes because they're cheaper than the vine ripened tomatoes. I am a dirty dirty herb killer.

Now that we've gotten that out of the way, let's talk about ice cream. I've always wanted to make vanilla mint chocolate chunk ice cream with fresh mint and real vanilla bean and, I've got to tell you, I wasn't disappointed. The mint leaves create a cool mint flavour with a bright fresh from the garden taste that just can't be replicated with all the extracts in the world. The unexpected bonus of using fresh mint was the subtle hint of green that tinted the custard. The vanilla bean sweetens and deepens the flavour while adding yet another layer to the experience. Of course, it couldn't be complete without chocolate! I promise you'll never want that grocery store mint ice cream again!

{vanilla mint chocolate chunk ice cream}

makes about 10 servings

source: adapted from KitchenAid's French Vanilla Ice Cream

printer friendly

2 1/2 cup half and half cream

1 vanilla bean

3 cup mint leaves, packed

8 egg yolks

1 cup granulated sugar

2 1/2 cup heavy cream

1/8 teaspoon salt

2 cup milk or semisweet chocolate chunks

In a medium sauce pan, heat the half and half cream, whole vanilla bean, and mint leaves on medium heat until it starts steaming. Take it off the heat, cover it, and set it aside for an hour to allow the mint flavour time to infuse.

Reheat the cream mixture on medium heat until it's very hot but not boiling. Strain out the mint leaves and set aside the vanilla bean.

In a large bowl with an electric mixer, beat the egg yolks and sugar on low speed until they're blended and slightly thick, about 30 seconds. Pour the hot cream gradually into the egg yolk mixture while it's mixing on low.

Slice open the vanilla bean and scrape out the seeds with the edge of your knife. Stir in the vanilla seeds, whipping cream, and salt then refrigerate it for at least 8 hours or overnight.

Once it's sufficiently chilled, mix it in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer's instructions. In the last few minutes of mixing, add the chocolate chunks.

Serve it with a garnish of fresh mint leaves. Enjoy!

how to idly clean jewelry

Grab your tarnished piece and try it on in every possible combination cuz obviously you haven't worn it in a while. (Please choose only your cheapy-fakey pieces for this method.)

Then take it off your finger, dummy. It's easier to clean that way.

Grab the toothpaste you used to brush your teeth this morning (or at least I hope you used it this morning).

Plop some on your ring.

Smear it around and really rub it in. If you have an old toothbrush, that'd be handy, too.

Depending on whether you're cleaning one piece really quick or all your pieces at once, you may or may not end up with super cool mint hands.

Rinse off the toothpaste and check it out. This is after one rubbing. You might have to go through the steps a few times to get what you want.

This is after two scrubbings. Good enough for me!

Supa clean!