vegetarian quiche

April 9, 2015

vegetarian quicheA few days before we visited Sticky’s brother’s family for Easter I asked Mel if I could photograph her and her daughter Josie baking something in the kitchen together. They agreed and on Saturday we had a muffin making photo session. Unfortunately the muffins decided not to cooperate. (As often things do when baking is involved.) They tasted great but were not quite what we had in mind for photos. So we moved onto Plan B – quiche. And this particular quiche kicks a muffin’s butt any day of the week.

vegetarian quicheMel uses this base recipe for all her quiches – she simply adds whatever veggies, herbs or meats she has on hand and it always turns out yum. For me the swiss cheese is what makes a quiche so special. Well that and the cream. Eggs, cream, cheese…yeah, there’s no going wrong there.

vegetarian quiche vegetarian quicheRegardless of our muffin plans going awry I still had to post some of Miss Josie doing her thing. This is an 8 year old filled to the brim of nothing but sweet. She will be the first person to hug you when you walk in the door and the saddest to see you leave. (Especially if you are taking a baby with you – the girl LOOVES babies!)

One of my favorite things about Josie is her love of food. She is willing to try more things than many adults I know. What a gift it is to witness a child’s interests reveal themselves – like little sneak peeks into their future. I am not sure if we have a possible culinary student in our family, or just someone who likes to eat really good food, but nonetheless I am so grateful for Miss Josie.

(And Mel, your kitchen looks fab!)

mother daughter bakingGrab someone you love to be in the kitchen with and make yourself a quiche, muffins or mimosas (now you’re talking) this weekend. It will be good for both of your souls.

Enjoy!

brandyjsig

 

 

 

vegetarian quiche
 
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Serves: 8
Ingredients
  • 6 whole eggs
  • 1 cup heavy cream
  • ½tsp Salt
  • ⅛tsp nutmeg
  • Dash cayenne pepper
  • 2 cups grated swiss cheese
  • ¼ cup diced onions
  • 2 large mushrooms sliced
  • Handful of baby spinach
  • ½ medium tomato diced
  • 1 whole pastry pie crust
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven 350 degrees. Place pastry crust in a 9" pie pan and crimp edges around the top.
  2. In a large bowl, whisk together eggs, cream, salt, nutmeg and cayenne until well combined. Add cheese and veggies and stir until combined.
  3. Pour into pie crust and bake for 45 minutes or until it begins to brown. Let rest 10 minutes before serving. Also good room temperature.

 

Posted in brunch, recipes, vegetarian, what's cooking | Tagged | 3 Comments

lemon shortbread cookies

April 8, 2015

lemon shortbread cookiesWorking at this blogging gig for over 2 years now and I still can’t find the courage to call myself an official “blogger”. Sticky is always quick to remind me, and others, that I am indeed of the blog world. By normal definition standards he is precisely right. By my “everything has to be perfect before I am legit” standards he could not be more wrong.

Over the last year I have been trying to figure out how to make posts, in particular recipes, more “pinnable”. Pinterest has become PPJ’s #1 referrer and I was not loving the way our pins looked compared to other sites. After some researching I figured out how to make myself “rich pin” enabled. All this basically means is that now my pins include the ingredients instead of just the image. This is a good thing because (1) they look more professional and (2) a person browsing pinterest can see if they have the ingredients on hand without having to go to another link.

I applied for rich pins over two months ago. All this time I have been thinking something was wrong with my installation or the site could not be accepted because not every post was a traditional “recipe”. Then last Friday evening I peeked at my phone to see what was being pinned from the site and there they were. My rich pins.

It was the tiniest thing but it made me happy. And the best part was that no one in the room knew what the hell rich pins were yet they all celebrated with me. Husbands, family and good friends are awesome like that. They remind us not to sweep achievements under the rug. It may have been a little goal that would make no one else excited but it made me feel good and that is all that matters. I decided that evening to stop downplaying the victories. And to start referring to myself as a blogger.

rich pins With my new fancy pins I am even more excited when a recipe goes live. And this lemony cookie is definitely one worth pinning. Especially if you are having a rainy, dreary week like we are.

lemon shortbread cookiesShortbread cookies have always been a favorite of mine. They are light with a little crumble and make the perfect companion to tea. These gems are packed, and I mean packed, with lemon flavor. If you are a fan of lemon you cannot go wrong with this cookie.

lemon shortbread cookies lemon shortbread cookiesWhen “dusting” your cookies with powdered sugar you must be gentle. These are a softer shortbread and can fall apart easily. Since you need to toss them with the sugar while they are still warm, you may want to dust the top, turn over and repeat.  This is how I sugared up my cookies and it worked like a charm.

lemon shortbread cookies lemon shortbread cookiesBe forewarned you may see a large quantity of lemon recipes in the coming months. Nothing says spring and summer to me like lemons…and limes, and strawberries, and peaches. Just be ready for lots of fruit.

Cheers to the little things!

brandyjsig

 

 

 

5.0 from 3 reviews
lemon shortbread cookies
 
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Serves: 2 dozen
Ingredients
  • ⅔ cup unsalted softened butter
  • ⅓ cup plus 1tbsp powdered sugar
  • ¼ cup fresh lemon juice (from 1 large lemon)
  • zest of 2 lemons
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1¾ cup plus tbsp flour, sifted
  • 1 tbsp corn starch
  • ⅔ cup powdered sugar (for dusting after baked)
Instructions
  1. Cream butter and sugar in a stand mixer until light yellow. Add lemon juice, zest and vanilla and mix on low until combined. Add flour and corn starch, mix on medium until dough is smooth.
  2. Place dough on a lightly floured surface. Divide in half and roll each half into a log (about 2" in diameter). Wrap log in plastic wrap in place in fridge for at least 2 hours.
  3. Preheat oven 350 degrees, line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Remove logs from fridge and plastic wrap. Cut into ⅓" slices and place on sheet (they do not spread much so you can place them close but not touching).
  4. Bake for 10 minutes or until the bottoms begin to become golden. Remove from oven and allow to cool on sheet for 5 minutes. Gently toss with powdered and then allow to cool completely on a wire rack.

 

Posted in cookies, recipes, something sweet | Tagged | 6 Comments

natural curl (or wave)

April 7, 2015

For years I fought the fact that I had any natural body in my hair by blowdrying and flat ironing it to smithereens. This worked great as long as my hair did not come near moisture of any kind (humidity was my worst enemy). Then I had a Jettie and decided if there was ever a time to embrace air-dried hair now would be it.

My hair is too curly to be wavy and too wavy to be curly – it’s curl-wavey. Mistreated and without product however it is a hot mess. I am still learning which products, how much to use and when to apply. But all in all I have found a new appreciation for the natural body in my hair. This is a good thing considering Jettie has been blessed with some curls herself (but hers are far better than mine).

Below is a roundup of my most used products. (I do not diffuse my hair only because I prefer to air dry – use a diffuser if you need to dry fast.) Admittedly I still curl a few pieces around my face before my hair is ready, but these products leave me with the most “natural” head of curl-wavey hair I have ever been brave enough to rock.

products for natural curly hair1Paul Mitchell Curl Twirl Around was given to me a few years ago by a friend and I absolutely loved it. Makes curls smooth and the softness lasts all day. Only downfall is it emptied fast but all in all well worth the price./2Garnier Fructis Style Curl Sculpting Cream-Gel is our go-to for Jettie’s curls. At less than $4 a bottle you can’t go wrong with using this on a little one. Apply to damp hair after a bath or spray hair with a little warm water and scrunch a pea size amount into it for a curl boost./3Sexy Hair Curly Sexy Hair Curling Creme is very similar to the Paul Mitchell product (I use this one more only because I seem to get my hands on it more often). I find this creme tames my curls without weighing them down. The first thing that goes in my hair after a wash./4John Frieda Frizz Ease Dream Curls Curl-Perfecting Spray is a wonderful in between washes product that I use on both me and Jettie. Curls can become dull and flat a day after a wash. This spray puts the spring back in their step./5Wide-Toothed Comb for detangling in the tub. You do not want to mess with curls much outside of the shower. Combing and brushing suck the life out of them and leaving you with a head of fuzz. Use a wide-tooth comb after the conditioner is set but before you rinse it out./6100% White Cotton T-shirt – yes, that’s a t-shirt and you need one of these bad boys for drying those curls. After a wash take the thickest white 100% cotton t-shirt you can find and dab those curls dry. I don’t know why it works but it does.

What product(s) do you love to use on you and your child’s natural curls? Please share!

xo,

brandyjsig

Posted in beauty, hair, product love | Tagged | 6 Comments

easter in hudson

April 6, 2015

Sometimes weekend plans foiled lead to even better weekend plans. Due to a ferry schedule we moved our Easter on Kelleys to one at another Rammel household in Hudson, OH. It was just as relaxing as the lake would have been.  With the added bonus of late night catching up sessions and a nonstop food fest.

On Saturday we left all the kids except Bing with a sitter and visited the West Side Market in Cleveland. A building full of fresh food is about as good as it gets in my book. After loading up on ingredients for dinner we decided it was time for some ice cream at Mitchell’s (Ohio has by far the best ice cream I have ever tasted. Proud Buckeye here!) and then lunch at the Great Lakes Brewery. It was the perfect morning for us and the kids. (Even Bingham since he had no idea he got stuck with the old folks.)

040615Oddly enough the last time we visited these guys was late last Easter. Our car had some work done involving the tires before our trip. We heard a noise, called the company who had done the work and were assured it was normal. Halfway between Hudson and home the front left tire flew off our car. Luckily no one was hurt and the shop took care of all the repairs. We joked about it happening again. I should have known better since the car did indeed have new back tires. The same noise started halfway home and we found ourselves pulled over at an O’Reilly’s on Easter Sunday hoping someone could help us. Luckily they did and we were on our merry way again. How that happens twice I have no idea. But the fact that it happened twice to us does not surprise me one bit.

Sitting in that parking lot very tired and ready to be home you’d think we would have been a little grumpy. It’s great how kids make it impossible to be grumpy sometimes though. Jettie got to sit in her dad’s seat while we waited for him to find some assistance. You’d thought I handed the girl a ticket to the Magic Kingdom. At the same time Bingham filled his pants and I was left having to change Captain Squirm in the car. He also chose this moment to discover his naked manhood – so yeah, poop everywhere.

During all this I told Jettie that I needed to feed Bingham once I got the mess in containment.  Her response was “But not with your boobs mom. Because you’ll have to dry them out again and wear salad.” I then hear a chuckle to my left and realized she had an audience. There is nothing left to do at this point but laugh and be grateful for Jettie’s logical advice.

I hope all of you had a holiday full of smiles and great memories (and no car trouble). I can’t wait to see what the season of weekend road trips and late days have in store for all of us!

xo,

brandyjsig

 

 

 

PS Happy Opening Day! Go Reds!

Posted in personal, the rammels | Tagged | 2 Comments

strawberry rhubarb margarita

April 3, 2015

Strawberry Rhubarb MargaritaStrawberry rhubarb – undoubtedly on the top 5 list of flavor combos when it comes to me and pie. Strawberry rhubarb in margarita form…there is no list for this one.  It wouldn’t be fair to the other margaritas. In fact I’m feeling slightly guilty for even posting this.  Look away other margaritas, look away.

Strawberry Rhubarb MargaritaThe fact that I have not been making these since I started making margaritas leaves me baffled. It makes perfect sense that fresh, tart rhubarb is the quintessential partner to tequila. It’s crisp, refreshing and out of this world good. I’ve got my serious face on when I say you absolutely must try this concoction.

Strawberry Rhubarb Margarita Fresh margaritas are fairly simple to make, you just need to give yourself a little bit of time to prep. This one calls for a homemade syrup. All this means is you throw fruit, sugar and water in a bowl. Boil and then simmer for 15 minutes. Strain and put in container you can seal. This can all be done while making yourself some coffee and breakfast. Don’t let syrup making stand in the way of you and a damn fine margarita.

If you like your margs on the sweeter side you will want to double the amount of sugar that I used in the syrup.  My preference is for more tart than sweet.  Plus I did not want to overshadow the freshness of the rhubarb.  If you want to go really tart forgo the berries completely and just double the rhubarb. Gosh wouldn’t that be a tart glass of euphoria…. Okay who has some rhubarb they can spare?

Strawberry Rhubarb MargaritaSure you can pull out the good ol’ champagne and orange juice for Easter brunch this weekend. Or you could whip up a batch of these bad boys and declare yourself the queen (or king) of brunch. We will be guests ourselves for the next couple of days.  I will be arriving armed with a jar of syrup and bottle of tequila. (Best houseguest ever award goes to….)

Happy Easter everyone!

Cheers!

brandyjsig

 

 

 

strawberry rhubarb margarita
 
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Author:
Serves: 2
Ingredients
  • For the syrup
  • 1 cup chopped rhubarb
  • 1 cup chopped strawberries
  • 1 cup water
  • ½ cup sugar (1 cup if you prefer sweeter)
  • For the drink
  • 5oz rhubarb syrup
  • 3oz silver tequila
  • 2oz orange liquor (triple sec is fine)
  • 4oz freshly squeezed lime juice
  • Sugar and sea salt for rimming glass
  • Rhubarb spears for garnish
Instructions
  1. Syrup Combine fruit, sugar and water in saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce and let simmer for 15 minutes. Remove from heat and strain juice into container through a fine sieve. Discard fruit. Allow juice to cool and store in airtight container in fridge for up to a week.
  2. Drink Dip 2 glasses in a little syrup and rim with sugar/salt combo. Fill glasses with ice.
  3. Fill shaker with ice and pour in syrup, tequila, lime juice, and orange liquor. Shake around 15 times.
  4. Pour evenly into glasses and garnish with a rhubarb spear. Enjoy!
Notes
For large batches simple double (or triple) the recipe and mix ingredients together inside a pitcher. Serve with rimmed and ice filled glasses.

 

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