Magnificient Mushrooms Morsels

Happy Wednesday!!

So I am still trying to stay a little more consistent with this blog so I am going to do my best to get at least one post out a week, more if I have the time.

Tonight I wanted to share this DELICIOUS recipe that I made for dinner!! Going along with wanting to eat more vegetables I made mushroom burgers that I found on Brit Co.

Here is the finished product (note the carrot and fruit side dish, I was proud of the healthiness of this meal!)


I also wanted to share the recipe because it was so easy to make!

First off...here are the ingredients:

Burgers
- 2 cups mushrooms, chopped fine
- 2 green onion stalks, chopped fine
- 1 cup bread crumbs
- 1 ½ cups grated cheese
- 2 eggs, beaten
- 1 tsp. chili powder
- 2 tbsp. olive oil

Mustard Aioli
- 4 tbsp mayonnaise
- 2 tbsp Sierra Nevada Porter
- 2 tbsp spicy brown mustard
- 1 pinch of cayenne pepper

Garnishes
- toasted wheat english muffins
- lettuce
- pickled onions

And then the creation begins....
1. Chop the mushrooms as fine as you can, I used one of those chopper things which made that process much faster


2. Add the bread crumbs and the shredded cheese to the chopped mushrooms


3. Whisk the egg, oil, and chili powder together and then add to the mushroom mixture


4. Shape the mixture in to patties like you would regular hamburgers


5. Cook the patties in a pan for around 3 minutes on each side. Assemble the aioli and toast the english muffins. Put the lettuce, aioli and pickled onions (recipe below) on the bun.



6. And Ta Da!!! The finished product is not only pretty but also really tasty!!


And now for the VERY easy pickled onions recipe:

Combine 1 onion, thinly sliced in a bowl with 1 cup water, 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar, 1 tbsp sugar, and 1 1/2 tsp salt. Let sit out on counter for at least 1 hour.

Technology Gadgets vs. Houseware Gadgets

Hello!!! So unfortunately the last month has been insane and I have not been able to post as much as I would like to. However, I am always saving ideas and gadgets that I want to blog about. So as most of you know I am both obsessed with tech gadgets as well as housewares, specifically anything that helps organize things :) So this post is going to be some of my favorite new tech gadgets that I have found online (some may have been purchased :)) and some of my favorite houseware/organizational gadgets!

Let's start with the tech gadgets because quite frankly I am obsessed with the latest and greatest tech stuff (Yes I am definitely my fathers daughter haha)

1. Pivot Power Mini

This is a great little surge protector that has both regular outlets and USB ports. Now this isnt totally new, because I do have one that is similar made my Belkin, however, I like that the electric outlets are spaced out on the device. I have found with other ones where the outlets are right next to each other that sometimes two larger plugs dont fit next to each other!


2. PowerCurl Cord Manager

So I am always annoyed with how my cords are always getting either tangled with eachother, collecting tons of dust behind my desk, or getting caught up in my feet when I am sitting at my desk. This is a GREAT way of keeping the cord managed, especially when you have multiple cords under your desk (mine is RIDICULOUS!)


3. Cordies Cable Organizer

I LOVE the idea of having a place to hold my plugs in place. I am always taking my computer away from my desk and I always end up crawling underneath my desk like an animal trying to grab my cords and thread them back up behind my desk which is such a pain! I have seen these before but never in such a cute pink color (I am such a sucker for pink!)


Okkk so now to housewares! Here are a few of my fave things I have found online:

1. Broom Groomer

THIS IS JUST BRILLIANT!! I cant tell you how many times I have sat over my trash can and pulled lint and hair off my broom (having all hardwood requires a lot of sweeping, NOT MY FAVORITE!). If this works well I think its an amazing gadget!!

2. Tether Stemware Saver

So basically every time I put my wine glasses in the dishwasher I always pray to the Wine gods that my glasses wont break during the crazy washing cycle. At times my dishwasher sounds like it is going to take off, so I dont have much faith in its ability to not break my glasses. I swear sometimes I open the dishwasher and my bowls are right side up (when put in the opposite way) and I really wonder what happens during that crazy cycle. Needless to say, this is an AMAZING way to keep those pretty and NECESSARY glasses safe :) Yes of course I could hand wash these puppies but reality is sometimes I just want to be able to stick them in the dishwasher and know that they will come out safe! So this is a great answer to that.

3. Citrus Fruit Juice Sprayer:

So I couldnt resist putting this one because it just looks so cool to me!! I question how well it works, but if it does then its amazing! There are SO many things that I use lemon juice on and to be able to just spritz it on to things would be amazing!


I hope everyone is having a GREAT start to their week!!

A couple quick things...

Ok so I just had to share a couple things that I found to be fabulous last night and this morning...

I have had this gadget for awhile but I just love it and had to share it! I am always finding recipes online (via Pinterest normally!) and love that I can see my recipe so easily while I am cooking with this ipad kitchen cabinet mount.

I have been wanting to try these pancakes from Biggest Loser for awhile now but normally I am too rushed/sleepy/lazy in the morning to do any kind of recipe. Getting coffee made and cereal poured is a pretty big feat for me in the morning. However, this morning I decided to be productive and try these little gems and let me tell you, they were DELICIOUS. I was actually really surprised how tasty they were!! And reality is they were really easy and quick.

Here is the recipe:
(this is for one serving)
2 Egg Whites
1/3 cup oats
1/3 cup cottage cheese
1/2 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/4 tsp cinnamon

Put all ingredients in blender and blend until smooth. Pour 1/4 cup in to pan (spray with Pam first) on low-med heat. Wait until bubbling and then flip. This makes 3 pancakes.
I put a tiny bit of margarine and a tiny bit of real maple syrup on these and it felt like such an indulgent breakfast.

Nutrition Facts: 3 pancakes
Calories: 180
Fat: 2.7 grams
Carbs: 20 grams
Fiber: 2.8 grams

Lastly, I tried to Roasted Beet Salad that I put on the blog week before last. It was SOOOO good and looked so pretty on the plate. Roasting the fresh beets took awhile but it was worth it! I would definitely used canned beets if I was crunched for time, but if you have the time to roast them it is really yummy and fresh tasting that way. Here is the recipe again since i know the links were messed up on the last post: Roasted Beet Salad

Alright back to work for me!!

All about Pictures!

So any of you who know me know that I am pretty much a paparazzi. Because of this, I am almost always looking for the latest and greatest photo editing software as well as photo apps. So I thought I would share my favorite photo apps as well as my favorite photo software.

When it comes to photo apps for the iphone there are so many to choose from. I have wasted to many "$1.99" purchases trying out the latest and greatest photography apps.

Here are my top 4 iPhone Apps that I use and love.

1. Photoshop Express for iOS: This is my go to app for almost every photo I take. It is easy to use and works really well to make small fixes to pictures. I also love the "pack" you can buy with the "reduce noise" function. It just smoothes the picture and makes everyone look much better, especially in lower light pictures that look a little grainy.

2. Instagram: This is one most people know obviously but I just thought I would mention it because I love that I can both put cool filters on my pictures but also share them with my Instagram friends. With all the new privacy policy issues that Instagram is facing, I am going to start looking in to some of the other apps that do cool filters and allow you to share the pics on your social networking sites. However, if I do discontinue using Instagram I will miss the social sharing aspect of it.

3. Diptic: This is a new app in my arsenal. I used to use pic stitch to create collage pictures but I had heard good things about this app so I gave it a try. I really like that i can choose from a ton of different layouts and I can also add text to the collage which is fun.

4. Over: This is another one that I started using pretty recently but really like. It is an app that allows you to add typography to your picture. They have a ton of different fonts and allow you to do a lot of personalization with the typing. It also allows you to share the pictures very easy on all of you social networking sites.

Soo I REALLLLLY loved the picture editing software Picnik, and I was soooo sad and dissapointed when they closed down. They were started by google and closed their doors but incorporated a lot of their features in to Google+, but it just is not as user friendly anymore and I dont really like it. Of course Photoshop is my all time favorite photo editing software, but sometimes I just want something that is a little easier and quicker to do minor fixes and/or creating fun collages or subway art easily. So I went on a search for another software that even compared to Picnik and here are a few that I have found.

1. PicMonkey: This is the closest software I have found to Picnik. It has a trendy looking and easy to use interface and does a lot of the same things that Picnik does. However, they were offering their premium services free for awhile but now they are requiring membership to use any of the advanced features of the software (much like what Picnik did). However, the premium membership was a little more expensive than Picnik was (around $25 for the year) at $60/year. Not too bad but I thought I would check out some other options before committing to that.

2. iPiccy: This is another program that I found to be pretty user friendly and had a lot of the same features as Picnik. I have used this program to create some fun subway art and editing some pictures but haven't dove in to the advanced features as much. This is a program that doesnt charge for their advanced features though, so I am excited to give it a try and see if it does everything I need.

3. FotoFlexer: This is another free program. I do not think that this has as nice of an interface and is definitely not as easy to use. however, once you figure out how to use it this program does have a lot of features. It also allows you to upload pics from your social networking sites like Facebook, flickr, Photobucket, and Picasa Web Albums which is a nice feature.

I definitely think that my favorite app right now is Photoshop Express and my favorite desktop program would be iPiccy. However, I know there are always new things coming out so I will keep you informed if I find anything new and exciting!! Until then, I will keep being a paparazzi and using any editor I can to make my pictures more fun and exciting!

Sort-of New Years Resolution

WELCOME TO 2013~!!!

I have a great feeling that this is going to be a really good year!! Last year was filled with so many amazing things and I know this year is going to be the same.

So every year I like to try and make at least one new years resolution (even though I hate the word resolution, I would rather call is a small goal) and this year is going to be including more fruits and vegetables, mainly vegetables in to my diet.

Since I know it will never work for more than a week if I just tell myself "eat more vegetables Danielle" I am trying to come up with some sneaky ways to include more veggies in to this carb lovers diet.

Here are a few of my ideas:

1. Healthy Smoothies: I am a firm believer in smoothies with spinach, kale, etc. so I am determined to try a few new vegetables to throw in there as well as making the conscious effort to make more of them in general. I have the wonderful Vitamix that will basically make anything in to a smoothie so I might as well use it. The one problem I do have with a lot of smoothies is how many calories they have so I will also be looking for low cal versions (which sadly a lot of times means less yummy).

Here is one I found that I am going to try this weekend:
Spinach Smoothie~and only 145 calories!!

2 cups spinach
1/2 cup almond milk
1/2 cup frozen mango (or other fruit)
1/2 small banana


2. Pureeing Vegetables in to soups:I am going to try pureeing some vegetables like carrots or squash and putting them in to soups or stews like chili, bean soup etc. It supposedly acts as a nice thickener and you arent supposed to be able to taste it. I also am going to try a few actual pureed vegetable soups like butternut squash and roasted red pepper.

Here is a link to the Sneaky Chili!

And here is the link for the Butternut Squash & Roasted Red Pepper Soup that I am going to try:

3. Finding new and exciting recipes for vegetable side dishes: Finding different ways and different ingredients to cook with vegetables keeps things interesting and I think will help with keeping up with this "eat more veggies" kick! Here are a couple I found:

Aromatic Roasted Root Vegetables:

Roasted Beet Salad:

Broccoli Slaw with honey mustard yogurt dressing:

4. Trying some recipes from Deceptively Delicious: Last but not least I am going to pull out the book I bought a few years ago that has lots of recipes with ways to hide vegetable purees in different foods. Yes this book is written for how to trick children but hey, with my pickiness of vegetables I might as well be considered a child haha

Deceptively Delicious:

If I find more ideas or any yummy recipes I will be sure to share them!!

One of my favorite holiday traditions!

One of my favorite holiday traditions that my family does every year is making Lefse. Lefse is a Norwegian flatbread made with potatoes and cream and cooked on a griddle. The way we eat Lefse is with butter and sugar sprinkled on it and rolled up like a crepe. Other ways include peanut butter, ham and eggs, beef or other savory items like mustard. It is very similar to a thin tortilla. Traditionally lefse is accompanied with lutefisk, with the fish often rolled up in the Lefse.

Here are some pictures of our Lefse making day!!

Such a great family tradition and one of the many reasons that I love the holidays so much!!

Christmas Tree Pictures~!

I have been having a lot of fun playing with my DSLR camera and taking pictures of the Christmas tree so I thought I would show post all the different shots I got along with the settings I used in case anyone wants to take some like this!! Enjoy!

This is the first one I tried that created a cool bokeh look!

Mode: AV (Aperture Priority Mode)
f/3.5
ISO: 6400
Camera switched to manual focus and adjust to closest setting
Zoom to 50mm
Distance: 10' away or farther

This is the 2nd one, a really nice bright picture:

Mode: Manual
ISO: 1600
f/3.5
SS: 1/10

This one isnt as bright but feels like a really cozy picture to me:

Mode: Manual
ISO: 6400
f/13
SS:1/5

This one is just so cool looking I think, it is probably my favorite!

Mode: AV (Aperture Priority)
f/20
ISO: 100
Secure on tripod, place hand on zoom ring of lense, press shutter button and slowly turn your zoom ring.

NOTE:

All of these shots were done on a tripod. When you are shooting pictures like this any slight movement will blue the photo so putting the camera on a tripod or another sturdy surface is essential!

MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE!