Moving the blog!

I am moving my blog to a new website, www.cassandjay.com . I am hoping to update this more often now, so please check it out!

Some Recent Favorites

No posts for February yet, shame! Anyway I thought I'd update with some news. A recent documentary I saw and loved was "Exit Through The Gift Shop," which I have been trying to see since it came out. It details the infamous street artist Banksy and h is documentarian, Mr. Brainwash (once you s ee the movie please let me know if you think it is for real!). A documentary I wasn't so fond of was "I'm Still Here" about Joaquin Phoenix's entre into the hip hop music world. I think this is a well-pulled off stunt but basically, I don't care that you're still here, Joaquin. He makes himself out to be quite an annoying and slovenly jerk in this film.

My new years resolutions are coming along better than expected- I have been working out on a regular basis and trying to keep things more organized (hanging my jacket up everyday proves to be a difficult task still though :-). The idea of running a 5 and maybe 10k in the spring have kept me motivated. I got the "couch to 5k" program on my ipod which is great. It tells you when to run and when to walk and basically progresses slowly over about 9 weeks. I'm on week 4 right now and loving that I can actually run outside occasionally now. I hope to not only do a race or two but to be able to run non-stop so I can cover more ground on all of the great trails and paths around here. I still have to put some books on my new nook color so that I can read for pleasure- I have many books on the list so whatever I can download free will be first.

As far as food goes I've been trying a few new recipes, although I find myself so busy during the week that I often end up with quick and easy eats. Doing more cooking and prep work on the weekends is a new goal. I will never tire of salad with spinach, blue cheese, walnuts and dried cranberries though (that was lunch today).

I took action and started a girl's craft group so this will help me harness my creativity (not that it is out of control) and spend some weeknight time socializing. We have our first get together Friday and I am excited to try cooking a new artisan bread from AB in 5. More to come soon!

Another reason I love Readymade...

Sometimes I find myself just wanting things...on the top of the list right now is a new bike. I then often translate this into needing things. Like I need that oxo salad chopper. How can I make a proper chopped salad without it? Besides staying away from those black holes of consumerism (Target), this process would undoubtedly turn me off of overzealous shopping:

http://www.readymade.com/blog/fashion/2011/01/05/why_its_worth_it_financial_friskiness?sssdmh=dm17.503422&esrc=nwrmu&email=1645652591

Spaghetti Squash with Yogurt "Alfredo"

My friend Cory gave me this super-easy recipe. I love Alfredo sauce (who doesn't?), but it really can't be a frequent part of any healthy diet. This recipe is really tasty and different and clocks in at about 130 calories a serving, a bit more if you add sauteed veggies. Of course it doesn't taste exactly like an authentic Alfredo, but it is satisfying.

Serves 2 as a large main dish with leftovers.

1 spaghetti squash, halved and seeded
2 tbsp. Greek or plain yogurt (I used 2% Greek)
2 wedges laughing cow cheese (I used original swiss flavor)
1 clove garlic, minced
salt and pepper
olive oil
any veggies you wish to include (I had an onion and pepper)

1. Place squash cut side down in large dish. Add a few tablespoons of water and cover with plastic wrap. Microwave about 8 minutes, depending on the size of squash.
2. Saute vegetables if using.
3. Add garlic for the last minute of cooking.
4. In a small bowl combine yogurt and cheese (you could add more spices here if desired).
5. Microwave about 30 seconds and stir.
6. Drizzle squash halves with olive oil and scrape strands into large bowl. Add salt and pepper to taste.
7. Add veggies and sauce and mix.

A New Year

One of my (many) resolutions this year is to update this blog more. I am aiming for once a week. I hope to include more interesting tidbits and not just recipes, although those are frequently what I get excited about, especially in the depths of winter.

Along with updating, some of my resolutions are to read more for pleasure (this will be difficult with school but I am aiming for a book per month), stick to a budget, spend more time "doing," especially creative pursuits, and of course the all-encompassing "get in shape." I read an interesting article over at lifehacker (http://lifehacker.com/5724936/use-the-one+a+month-technique-to-adopt-habits-that-stick?skyline=true&s=i) about how to turn resolutions into actual habits. One of my biggest frustrations is my failing to follow through on my goals. I start strong for a week or two and then completely fall off the wagon, whether it's something concrete like exercise or a simple change of attitude.

As the article explains, I divided my goals by month. There are things I am planning for later in the year that I am keeping in mind, like running the Bolder Boulder 5K in May. But by taking it a month at a time I am less likely to get overwhelmed. I would love to hear your resolutions and how you plan to accomplish them!

Review- Annie Chun's Garlic Scallion Noodle Bowl

I feel the need to immediately review this product as I just ate it so here goes: I picked up a few of these noodle bowls because they were on sale (they are normally close to $4 a piece and they were about $2.50 at King Soopers). I really like the Annie Chun's Udon noodle soup and these looked pretty good as well with few strange ingredients. They are very convenient to make- add water and cook for 90 seconds, but they are not very tasty and not nearly worth the calories. I hate it when a convenience lunch food like this gives calorie ratings as half servings. Who cooks a tiny lunch like this at work or school and then eats half of it? It misleadingly lists calories as 310, not bad for lunch, but 620 is ridiculous!! I would have never bought it had I noticed the half serving size. I could have just eaten two slices of pizza, but instead I ate over-salted plain noodles and am still hungry! These would be tolerable with added tofu and veggies and maybe half of the sauce packet (which is where I'm guessing all the calories come from) but who had time for that? Plus I could make a similar dish myself and it would be better and cheaper. This product looked and tasted nothing like the package promised. I will definitely stick to the udon soup when I feel like a sodium bomb of convenient "Asian" flavor. These noodle bowls are so not worth the price or the extra exercise.

Late Summer Eats

It had been too hot until recently to really cook much- every time I made bread the kitchen turned into a sauna. I am loving my new kitchen though- there's not much more counter space but there is way more space to move around and a dishwasher!

I made a perfect ciabatta with grilled veggies, fresh pesto and mozzarella. It doesn't get much better for summertime- toss veggies (I used tomatoes, red onion, squash, zucchini and peppers) with olive oil, balsamic, salt and pepper and Italian seasoning and roast at 450, turning occasionally, for about half an hour. I always add some garlic at the end.











I realized the reason a lot of my bread loaves were coming out so dense and somewhat gummy was the overuse of wheat flour. I used almost all bread flour in this batch and it had big air holes, a beautiful somewhat chewy crumb and a nice crisp golden crust. I made one ciabatta, one pizza and a regular loaf and I have one left to freeze.

I had a package of tri-color gnocchi in the cupboard (or actually walk-in pantry!!!) so I tossed it with some veggie sausage, spinach, garlic and onions:

Two easy and delicious dinners!