Bruleed Steel-Cut Oatmeal with Apple Compote

Sweet Bellas, I have yet another treat for you today…

A mahhhhvelous guest post dahlings.

It is my distinct pleasure to introduce you to

Gina Stanley, THE Self Proclaimed Cookie Queen.

With a wicked repertoire of recipes under her belt,

she continues to touch so many lives through her genuine acts of kindness.

I have personally been on the receiving end of her genius, and generosity,

and I simply cannot rave enough…

She has been SUCH an inspiration to me in ways that are too numerous to count.

She will have you laughing till your belly hurts, but still be hungry for a nosh!

Her authenticity, magnificent story telling, and mad cooking/baking skills

are undeniably one-of-a-kind-wonderful.

Her creative energy and enthusiasm spills over on to everyone that journeys with her…

Trust me Bellas, you want to take some time to visit her at her blog over HERE

Take it away Gina!

I'm excited I am able to help out my friend Jaime whom I met by what would seem like complete accident 4 years ago when we both had the bright idea to enter a cooking contest searching for amazing home cooks. "I’m a pretty darn good cook", I told myself. My naive little self plunged in hook, line, and sinker. The contest didn't end how I'd hoped, not because I didn’t win but because I learned a few things along the way; the hard way.  I decided to use my failure as an opportunity to grow instead.  Not only did I find Jaime, but a whole world of others who shared my same passion. I was worried at first at my naivety falling away, but it turned out to be a blessing in disguise and has helped me see things in completely different ways.  Trying something I never had before helped open up a whole new world of possibilities. My venturing into uncharted territory wasn't random; it was what I was supposed to do.

I have found with age I am able to truly know the value of what the most important things in life are.

Younger more naive me thought breakfast was a waste of time, just something that would slow me down in the morning.  As time marched on so did my recognition of the importance of starting the day off on a good note.  I can't even imagine what my mornings would be like if that old habit had stuck with me.  You see everything we desire in life is a constant battle, and as much as I'd like to walk away sometimes from making some of the necessary changes; I find taking a deep breath is much more effective.  

There are days when everything feels like a struggle.  Struggling to find a rare clean spot on the counter to put a pot down, struggling to find a free moment to sit down and write, struggling to find the energy after a long day to do something for myself, struggling to overcome constant setbacks.  I have to remind myself to be vigilant about the way I'm thinking, not to be naive and realize there is something much bigger at play, more to every story, more work to be done, more joy to be found, my hugs to be given, more patience and kindness to be doled out.    

Sometimes a quite contemplate moment with a bowl of warm oatmeal is enough to start changing things in the right direction. 

Bruleed Steel-Cut Oatmeal with Apple Compote 
(recipe adapted from http://www.bobsredmill.com)

1 cup Steel-Cut oats 

2 cups water 

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt 

1/2 cup milk (or Almond milk, I had good results with it also) 

2 medium sized apples, peeled, cored and diced in 1/2-inch sized pieces (I used Fuji apples)

1 tablespoon butter 

Juice from one half of a lemon, about 1 tablespoon 

3/4 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice 

1/3 cup light brown sugar 

4 tablespoons granulated sugar 

Combine oats, water, salt, and milk in a pot and bring to a boil. Cook for 18-20 minutes on medium-low heat, stirring often. 

Melt butter in a small skillet and add apples and lemon juice, cook on medium heat for 5-6 minutes until the apples start to soften.  Add the pumpkin pie spice and brown sugar and cook for 3-4 more minutes. Set aside. 

Stir apples into finished oatmeal and fill 4 small oven-safe ramekins equally with the oatmeal. At this stage you can add about 1 tablespoon granulated sugar to the top of each ramekin and put them under the broiler until the sugar is browned about 5 minutes. (A kitchen torch will also work well.)   

I know mornings are crazy and it’s hard to always have a hot breakfast, hopefully this tip will help:

Make the oatmeal while making dinner, cover the dishes with plastic wrap. Microwave the dishes in the morning for 45 seconds or so and then add the granulated sugar and put them under the broiler for a few minutes. 

It's no accident when you plan to start your day off right, nor is it an accident when the right people come into your life.  When I feel like I'm not doing a good enough job with everything and everyone, I just have to remind myself to get back to work and work that much harder.  One battle at a time, one breakfast at a time I find is much more palatable than taking on the whole world at once. 

Thank you for sharing your beautiful, inspiring space with me Jaime.

Gina

Spread a lil' love...And A Giveaway!

A Valentine’s tradition we started last year, and hope to continue,

is making this day a "Random Acts of Kindness" day.

Sweet Bellas, what an opportune time to show some love 

to a neighbor, family member, friend, or stranger!

It can be as simple as leaving coins in the meter, 

or laundromat, with a note that says “have a nice day!"

Take a neighbor’s trash can out (or shovel their driveway!)

Leave an encouraging note on someone’s windshield, or a gift card!

Bring valentine’s to an elderly home.

Call a family member or friend just to tell them you love them.

Pick up someone’s tab at a restaurant.

Bring treats to co-workers.

These are just a few simple ideas, but the possibilities are endless!

Whatever you do today, I hope it is done in love.

Speaking of love….I would love to spoil you once again!

One lucky winner will receive a copy of 

“Beautiful Outlaw” by John Eldredge.

You’ve heard me rave about Elredge before…  

In his latest book, Eldredge invites you to experience

the playful, disruptive, extravagant personality of Jesus.

John Eldredge is a master story teller,

and an expert in the art of heart recovery...

I know you won’t be disappointed.

And hey, don’t just take my word for it…

Anthony is reading this right now,

and gives it a resounding two thumbs up!

If you’ve read this book before, 

don’t let that stop you from entering,

it makes a wonderful gift!!

All you have to do to enter to win, 

is tweet, share, or pin this post

by Thursday February 20th, noon PST,

and leave a comment below telling me you did

(you may leave one comment for each thing you do).

Good Luck!

And spread a lil love today….

Keep Shining Sweet Bellas!!!

XOXO

Sooooooo, Punxsutawney Phil saw his shadow. 

Aaaaaand my husband’s team lost the Superbowl.

Aaaaaand I got the worst stomach virus of my life. 

Is this month still redeemable?

I daresay yes, yes it is.

Sweet Bellas, do I have a treat for you…or should I say treat(s).

This month shall be action packed chock full of goodness to the last drop.

I mustn’t spoil all the surprises….but to kick things off,

I have invited four guest bloggers to share something glorious with you

each Monday, for the month of February.

After all, the spirit of Mangiabella is about 

tasting the beauty of life, 

and sharing it with you...

It was almost four years ago, that I entered a recipe contest. And through that recipe contest, a community of kindred spirits began to form. And within that community, a certain thread was birthed. And within that thread, friendships emerged. And through those friendships, one particular friendship became a sisterhood.

It is my great pleasure to introduce the very Multi-Dimensional Lorraine Brown, Actress, Writer, Poet & Lyricist, Former NFL Chicago Bears Cheerleader (The Honeybears), Co-Founder of the Chicago Bulls Cheerleaders (The Luv-A-Bulls), Decorator, Cook (with recent appearance on the Live Well Network's “My Family Recipe Rocks” hosted by Joey Fatone), and so much more...

She will inspire you with incredible meals, poignant poetry, and her heart of gold. Beauty drips from her fingertips and her words....truly....are a GIFT.

Please take a moment to stop by her blog, you’ll be so very glad you did. 

Take it away Lorraine…

When my beautiful friend and soul sister asked me to write a guest post, I didn’t hesitate to say...  

 “Chyeahhhh”!

Jaime, to step inside your blog is to step inside a fresh spring meadow ~

     the presence of a loving spirit washes over us as you invite us to feast on life!

From the very first day I visited, the beauty and eloquence of your words drew me in – as if there was something greater here than keystrokes – I felt the sincerity of a heart overflowing with love!
In you I’ve found a sister and my life is rich because of your friendship... 
~

"Sweet Bella Jaime"

You bring warmth to a cold winter’s day
By the light you shine so brightly our way,
You inspire us with phrases which danced across your keys,
Your ambition is to share His love, to encourage and to please...
You challenge us so gently as you give us thoughts to ponder,
And cheer us on when weaker moments tempt our souls to wander...
Your hunger for the best in life whets our appetite
As you combine ingredients to comfort and delight...
You blend the truth together with the goodness from above,
Mix it in with tenderness and serve it up with love...
You pour a glass to cheer us on
And celebrate the day,
Then prepare for us a hearty feast
And send us on our way...
Your recipes for food and life
Leave us wanting more...
Yes, just another bite
Of the flavors we adore...
Satisfied, yet stirred
To reach the highest height...
Savoring each morsel ~
Tasting ALL of Life!

~ (Love, Lorraine) ~

Sweet Jaime... In keeping with the delicious theme of your blog I’d like to finish with a recipe... and...

Since February is the month of LOVE ~ Let’s celebrate the best way I know how....with....

CHOCOLATE! 

Lovely Lava Cake:

Ingredients:

4 Tablespoons unsalted butter (room temperature) – plus extra for ramekins.
1/3 cup all purpose flour

1/3 cup granulated sugar

8 ounces bittersweet chocolate (melted)
3 large eggs

¼ tsp. salt

1 tsp. vanilla

Dutch Cocoa (sifted) for dusting inside of ramekins

Confectioner’s sugar (sifted) for dusting finished cakes

Steps: 

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Lightly butter 6 small (3/4 cup) ramekins (or 6 muffin tins). Dust with sifted cocoa and tap out excess...
place on cookie sheet and set aside. 

In bowl of electric mixer, cream butter and sugar until fluffy; Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition; Reduce mixer speed to low and beat in flour and salt just until combined
then add melted chocolate until just combined.

Pour batter into the six ramekins (or tins) and keeping them on the cookie sheet, place in 400 degree oven. Bake approx. 8 – 12 minutes until tops of cakes are puffed and cracked
(the insides of the cracks will appear wet).

Remove from oven and either serve immediately inside the ramekins or let the cakes stand for 10 minutes,
then run a knife around the inside of ramekins to loosen and turn them out (bottom sides up) on to individual plates.
Dust with sifted confectioner’s sugar.

Serve with ice cream (vanilla is our favorite) – or whipped cream
  - or both if desired...    We Desire ;)

(adapted from various recipes, including Martha Stewart and Williams Sonoma)



Too Many Tabs...and Tortilla Soup

There I was...in the zone.

The kids were asleep, the washing machine was working overtime,

the pup was incessantly licking his favorite paw.

I was cozied up in my cushiony arm chair,  MacBook fully charged, 

steaming cup of earl grey to my side.

It had been six months since I had sat down to write a Mangiabella post.

As thoughts and expressions formed words in my mind and began to flow through my fingertips,

The door burst open.

My husband came home spilling over from a sublime encounter.

There was a distinct thrill in his voice as he began vividly recalling the fascinating details.

Without breaking eye contact, I slowly lowered my screen to closing position.

He had my undivided attention.

Each word that fell from his lips manifested in palpable exhilaration,

and I breathed it in until I could literally feel 

the texture, weight and thickness of each morsel as though it were my own.

I was completely intrigued & invested, hanging on every tidbit of the play by play.

Three quarters of the way into this gripping narrative,

I felt compelled to document what he was saying. 

I suppose that’s the writer in me, but I didn’t want to risk either one of us

forgetting such a captivating occurrence. 

As I lifted my laptop screen, and began to chronicle the events, 

something happened…

I was picturing in mind’s eye what he was telling me with precision,

vigorously typing shorthand phrases & notes to reflect on later,

while simultaneously reminding myself of what I had to get at the store the next day,

while opening another draft to put down a few phrases for that post I intended to write,

while making a mental note not to forget to put my daughter’s library book in her backpack,

while silently telling myself to switch the clothing from washer to dryer before bedtime... 

until he said “Babe! Are you still listening to me?”

I totally was!

But I was subconsciously multi-tasking at the same time.

Sigh. Too many tabs open.

I’m guilty of this more often than I’d like to admit, 

but I AM learning that another part of tasting the beauty of life

is reprogramming myself to slow down enough 

to savor ONE moment at a time by

mentally and emotionally committing to the experience at hand.

While I can laugh at the humorous e-card above,

I do believe we have control over our multi-tasking abilities.

And while I believe that without question, 

there’s a legitimate time & purpose for multi-tasking, 

there’s also a time for hitting the pause (or stop) button & switching gears.

Whenever I make a conscious effort to close down the other “tabs”

when the people in my life are front and center stage,

(however valiant, noble or important those tabs may be),

my "operating system" undoubtedly functions at optimal level,

and I find myself drawing more satisfaction out of these fleeting moments.

So does this mean I will resist the urge to Pinterest while watching tv with the hubs?

Baby steps, Bellas. Baby steps. haha.

But seriously, I acknowledge that people do feel disconnected

 when you’re only half present with divided interests,

so yes, I plan to be much more discerning 

as to when and where I get my Pinterest fix.

On a separate note, my husband has been known to be a picky eater have a selective palate.

However, this year, he has declared to be more adventurous and try anything I cook.

Whaaaaaat?

Did he say anything?

Indeed he did.

And an adventure it shall be.

To infinity and beyond!

Yesterday I made Tortilla Soup. 

I know, doesn’t seem like much of a leap from what he might normally eat. 

Baby steps, Bellas. Baby steps.

While he might eat what’s on top of the broth without hesitation,

what’s below the broth is not his usual cup of tea.

I’ve only had Tortilla Soup once, and it’s been years.

I didn’t want to search for any recipes,

I just wanted to throw together flavors that I imagined would bring this dish to life.

I made just enough for one serving size to experiment. 

We both shared one bowl and agreed it was superb!

Definitely one to keep for the repertoire.

Tortilla Soup

Ingredients for single serving:

2 Tbsp oil (I used safflower, but can use olive, canola, etc)

1 garlic clove, minced

1/2 of one green onion, chopped, starting with the white part

pinch of salt

1/4 of small yellow squash, diced

1/4 of small zucchini, diced

1 Roma Tomato, diced

1/4 of  Orange Bell Pepper, diced

1/4 cup of frozen corn

1 1/2 cup of chicken broth

1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper

1 teaspoon cumin

2 oz. of shredded chicken, cooked

1 corn tortilla, crisped in oil, cut into slivers

1/2 an avocado, sliced

1/4 cup sharp cheddar, shredded

pinch of fresh cilantro, chopped

dash of pepper

dollop of sour cream (if desired)

Directions:

In a small saucepan, sautee garlic & onion in oil with salt over medium/low heat

As soon as the garlic is fragrant, add squash, zucchini, 1/2 of the roma tomato, and bell pepper.

Cook for just a minute, add corn. Cook veggies down for just a few minutes

Add crushed red pepper and cumin and another generous pinch of salt, stir well. 

Add chicken broth cooked chicken

Cook for a few minutes.

Meanwhile, crisp your corn tortilla by using a tablespoon of oil,

letting the oil saturate both sides by flipping, allow tortilla to bubble, flip sides again. 

Allow tortilla to crisp to desired crispness.

set aside, cut into slivers (I used a pizza cutter).

You also could pre-slice tortilla before crisping, whatever is easiest for you.

Remove soup from heat, pour into bowl.

Garnish with sliced avocado, the rest of the roma tomato, cilantro, cheddar cheese, tortilla strips, and sour cream (if desired).

Mangia!

And as always…Keep Shining Sweet Bellas!

Orange Almond Scones & Beef Wellington

It’s been too much fun giggling with my girlfriends

over the new season of Downton Abbey.

Sharing jokes back and forth.

Making little treats to spoil ourselves.

Like these Orange Almond Scones with a spot of tea (recipe below):

And my lil twist on Beef Wellington (recipe below):

One must dine in style for Masterpiece Classic, dahhhlings.

Likewise, it makes me smile to see my husband get ready for the playoffs.

Setting the stage for maximum comfort...beverage, snacks, & remote in arm’s reach.

Pillows fluffed just right, ottoman in place, pre-game banter.

Today I spoiled him with a quick brunch before kick off:

Baked Croissant Sandwich Casserole

click here for recipe

Sweet Bellas, part of tasting the beauty of life is allowing yourself to fully engage in the moment.

To draw joy out of the experience, and cultivate the kind of atmosphere 

that awakens your sensibilities.

As with anything in life, it’s the little details that make the ordinary special.

My friend Shannon likes to say, 

“Us grown ups need our treats too” ;)

haha. 

Indeed.

What about you, any pre-show/pre-game/pre-event/ or pre-"get in the zone" rituals?

Enjoy the recipes, and as always:

Keep Shining Sweet Bellas!

Orange Almond Scones

Ingredients:

2 1/4 Cups  flour

1/3 Cup granulated sugar

1 Tbsp baking powder

11 Tbsp cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

1 Cup Half and Half

1 tsp of Almond Extract

handful of slivered almonds

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 F. 

Whisk together flour, granulated sugar and baking powder in a large bowl until well combined.

Add butter.  Using a mixer (or pastry blender), blend butter into dry ingredients until mixture is the consistency of coarse meal. 

Add half and half & almond extract; stir just until blended

Turn out onto lightly floured surface and knead lightly until a smooth dough is formed.  

Pat into a square about 1-inch thick. 

Cut dough into 16 triangles (cut into 4 squares first, then cut each square into fourths diagonally). 

Arrange 1 inch apart on a parchment lined baking sheet

Bake until lightly browened 15 to 20 minutes. Cool slightly before icing. 

Glaze:

1 cup powdered sugar

1/2 tsp orange zest

2 Tbsp water

Put the sugar in a bowl, add water a little at a time to achieve drizzle consistency. 

Add orange zest, mix through. 

Drizzle over warm scones. top with slivered almonds.

Quick Beef Wellington

In my quick version, the beef is pre-cooked, combined with cheeses and a type of duxelles, 

all wrapped in puff pastry, and baked to perfection.

Ingredients:

1 sheet of puff pastry, thawed

6 oz. of cooked beef, shredded or diced

10 cremini mushrooms, rinsed, de-stemmed, and diced

1/2 small yellow onion

1/2 cup white wine

1 clove of garlic, minced

2 Tbsp of olive oil

salt & pepper to taste

6 oz of cream cheese, softened

3/4 cup of pepper jack cheese, shredded

1 egg

splash of water

Directions:

1)Unfold the pastry sheet on a lightly floured surface. Roll the pastry sheet out to a 12 x 8 inch rectangle. Cut into six 4 x 4 inch squares.

2) Spread cream cheese (appx 1 oz.) in the center of each square.

3)Meanwhile, in a small frying pan over medium heat, saute olive oil, garlic clove onion salt and pepper for one minute, add cremini mushrooms and cook until onions are translucent. Add wine, cook down a few minutes. Turn off heat.

4) top each square with 1 oz. of cooked beef.

5)Spoon 1 Tbsp of mushroom/onion saute mixture on top of beef on each square

6) Top each square with a good pinch of pepper jack cheese.

7) Beat the egg and water in a small bowl with a fork or whisk to create an egg wash. Brush the edges of the pastry squares with the egg wash. Fold the corners of the pastry squares to the center over the stuffing mixture and press to seal. Place the filled pastries seam-side down onto a baking sheet. Brush the pastries with the egg wash.

8)Bake @ 400 degrees for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown. Serves 6.