I Made My Own Cheese!

My mind has been blown! Who knew you could make your own cheese? Or that it would be easy? This was seriously one of the highlights of my spring break. I know it probably sounds lame that I got so excited about making cheese of all things, but I found the whole process fascinating. I love making things and I love science, and this combined the two (with a very tasty result to boot!).

I have wanted to purchase this DIY cheese kit from Urban Cheesecraft on Etsy for ages, and I finally decided to do it during spring break. I got her smallest kit, Farmers' Cheese, to start with. I was very impressed. Her packaging was adorable, her instructions were clear, and her shipping was super fast! (She shipped my package the day after I ordered it!)

What's farmers' cheese? Well, according to the little booklet in my kit, it's a simple cheese that comes together in under an hour and does not require any aging. It is a flexible cheese and can turn out smooth like ricotta or firm like paneer, depending on how you make it. Farmers have made it for years as a creative use for extra milk.

My Favorite Trader Joe's Products

Trader Joe's has something of a cult following... and I am unashamedly a part of that cult. There is just something about Trader Joe's. Is it the ambiance? The cute packaging? The fun signage? Probably a combination of all of those things. Plus, they have some one-of-a-kind food. I mean, Inner Peas? Besides being one of my favorite snacks of all time, it is also a brilliantly punny name for a product.

Maybe I am letting myself become too obsessed with a grocery store, but Trader Joe's seems like more than just a grocery store. It has so much character, its more like a cute coffee shop than a Safeway. Now that I think about it, it seems wrong that it should even be in the same category as Safeway, that cold warehouse of blindingly-bright lights and freezing refrigerator aisles and cranky cashiers and gossip magazines at the checkout. Getting groceries at Trader Joe's is actually enjoyable.

For this post I decided to round up a handful of my favorite Trader Joe's products and share them on the blog! I do have to say, however, that there is so much of Trader Joe's that I haven't had the chance to check out yet simply because I eat all my meals at the dining commons and don't have to regularly cook for myself. So my favorites mostly consist of snacks and desserts and tea, but those are some of the best things in life anyway, right? Besides, next year I'll be moving into my first apartment and, for the first time in my life, will have to learn how to feed myself, which I'm actually kind of looking forward to. So I'll provide an updated version of this post after I start making meals for myself on a daily basis in order to share all of my new findings.

Oatmeal with Kefir

I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving last Thursday! (And I hope you aren't too sick of turkey sandwiches and turkey soup!)

Today I'm sharing one of my favorite breakfasts: oatmeal with kefir. It's delicious and healthy, especially when you add dried fruit, chia seeds, chopped nuts, and other good stuff!

10 Fall Baking Must-Haves

Fall officially begins this Thursday, and we all know fall is the season for baking! I love baking all year (it's one of my favorite things to do!) but somehow in the fall, it's even more fun. I've gathered up ten fall baking must-haves that I use and love whenever I step into the kitchen. I hope you find some baking inspiration!

How to Throw a British Tea Party

 

One of my all-time favorite TV shows is the Great British Bake Off on PBS. A few weeks ago, the Season 3 finale aired here in America. Before watching it, I threw a little tea party, complete with pretty tea cups, tea sandwiches, and traditional English Madeira cakes, to celebrate! It turned out to be really fun and I love how it turned out, so I thought I'd share it here!

I had the incredible opportunity to actually have tea at Harrods in London last summer and it was so fun! (See pictures from the trip here.) This tea party is decidedly less grand, but still very enjoyable.

Portabella Mushroom Tacos with Spicy Jalapeno Sauce

I once tried to be vegetarian for a whole month. It lasted about three hours until I wanted In-N-Out for dinner. So, I had to accept my weakness for In-N-Out and decided instead to eat plants as much as possible, but still allow myself to eat meat. This is easier for everyone, especially since I am still living with my parents and, well, have to eat whatever they put on the table for dinner. (So, in retrospect, you can see how this vegetarian-for-a-month challenge was doomed from the start...)

Breakfast Chia Seed Pudding

Hey hey! I've noticed that there are a lot of new faces hanging around here lately, so I just want to say hi to all of you! My name is Trina and I run this blog. I post once a week every Sunday. I hope you stick around! Whether you're new here or have been here a while, feel free to comment below or send me a note via the contact form in the sidebar if you have any questions, comments, or suggestions! Or if you just want to say hi. That's cool too.

So, let's jump right into this breakfast recipe. If you're a skeptic about the whole chia seed pudding thing, don't worry, because I was, too. I had it once, hated it, and never tried it again... until now. I saw this post on Love and Lemons and was inspired to give it another go.

Dad's 10 Layer Dip

I hope you had a fabulous New Year! I cannot believe its 2016 already! Time flies. I still haven't finalized my resolutions yet, but I'm nearly there!

Speaking of resolutions, I know half of America just made a resolution to lose weight, but this dip is really good. Besides, it's not all bad, right? Tomatoes, olives, avocado, green onion, salsa... Those are all good things. It's very very similar to the famous seven-layer dip, with a few extras, like ground cumin with the refried beans and freshly sliced avocado in addition to guacamole. 

Summer Galette with Tomato, Zucchini, and Corn

This summer, my family had our annual "Birthday Bash". It's a day when we all get together--aunts, uncles, cousins, grandparents--to celebrate the birthdays of all the adults. It usually involves a gift exchange for the adults and a raffle for everybody, including the kids/teenagers.

Well, this year I won my great grandma's rolling pin. It's old with red handles. And I love it. I love baking, and now I have something I'll take to my own kitchen someday that has some family history attached.

So, on to the point of this random tangent. I proceeded, after receiving this rolling pin, to check out books about pies from the library. So I could use this said rolling pin.

That's when something unexpected happened. Instead of fruit pies, I was drawn to making a savory galette. On the way to my last vacation on the coast, we stopped at a restaurant for lunch and I had a galette with goat cheese, sun-dried tomatoes, and caramelized onions. That sealed the deal. It was so delicious, I was convinced I just had to make my own. So I did! And got to use my rolling pin! Mission accomplished. 

Camping Hack: Eggs in a Bag



Camping is a summer tradition in my family. I love retreating to a beautiful mountain lake and spending time with my family and with myself--painting, reading, and taking pictures. Nature has a way of making everything else in life feel far away and unimportant.

But I think we can all admit that camping can be a little hard. Not for super outdoorsy people like Bear Grylls, perhaps, but it is for the average person (that's me). I mean, you're living outdoors for a few days, without most modern conveniences. No refrigerator, no TV, no Wifi, no AC (though during my last camping experience, the heater was most missed). It's not impossible by any means to sacrifice those things, but I'll be the first to admit it isn't easy.

One of the hardest things about camping is planning meals and packing food. (Luckily for me, however, most of that chore is left to my dad.) Wouldn't it be great if you could just put all the ingredients in a bag, place it in a pot of boiling water, and out comes a meal? But wait... it is possible! Introducing: eggs in a bag. Eggs in a bag is a super easy breakfast idea because it's easy and delicious and each person gets to chose their own mix-ins!

The Best Fluffy Waffles

It's summer! You know what that means...

More time for breakfast! During the school year, all I have time for is a bowl of microwavable oatmeal, and occasionally a smoothie. But now, I can make a delicious breakfast for my whole family. Bring on the waffles!

I haven't made waffles often in the past, but with the discovery of this recipe, I know that I will in the future. They are so delicious! Beating the egg whites before adding them to the waffle mix makes the waffles extra fluffy.

30 Ways to Upgrade Your Oatmeal

If you saw my Favorites post, you know that my all-time favorite breakfast is oatmeal. I use rolled oats from Trader Joe's (see picture below). I either make it in the morning, using the recipe on the bag, or use the overnight oats method, where I mix together 1/2 cup oats and 1/2 cup milk in a jar, leave it in the fridge overnight, and then heat it up in the microwave the next morning for one minute. The former takes about 10 minutes to make, from start to finish. The latter is super easy, because all you have to do in the morning is heat it up for a minute and add in the good stuff.

Now, I know that to some, oatmeal is a bland, boring breakfast. But I have discovered that it is everything but! Here are thirty yummy add-ins to make your oatmeal amazing!