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A Reel-y Great Day

Posted on March 19, 2012 by kissmybroccoli

Hey guys!

I’m so glad you all enjoyed the Cranberry Walnut Ginger Pancakes! Reading through all the comments and the tweets I’ve received since the post went up has definitely brightened my day. But don’t take my word for it, whip up a batch and see for yourself how delicious they are!

So I hope you all had a great weekend and are maybe getting through the day today by reminiscing of your rest time between weeks.

BB and I had a pretty stellar Sunday. As of yesterday, I can now bend over and touch my shins just below my knees*, so we decided to take advantage of the near 80 degree weather (which I still can’t believe) and head out for a little fishing trip.

*Follow-up appointment with the orthopedic is tomorrow morning where I will find out if I’m able to be released to go back to work…wish me luck!

We had all the necessities for a perfect fishing trip…fishing licenses, “survival food,” and lots of hand holding 🙂

Now let me just say one thing before I continue…

If I need to make a pancake cookbook, then BB needs to have his own nature show. This boy knows more about wild life and plants than any other person I’ve ever met…which makes exploring the outdoors with him THAT much more fun.

“Umm, honey…what’s this?”

“Is it dangerous?”

“Can I touch it?”

Hey now, get your minds out of the gutter! 😉

That being said, he is also a great (and patient) teacher when it comes to many things…fishing being one of them. Even as I followed all his directions and still, time after time, ended up with my fishing line 5 feet in front of me, hung in a tree, or unwound and not even in the water, he simple stood back and let me learn on my own, giving me guidance when I needed it.

We couldn’t have picked a more perfect day. Just look at that blue sky!

Now, as you guys know, I LOVE being outdoors…but fishing?
Eh, I could take it or leave it.

That’s because up until yesterday afternoon, I had never EVER caught ~~anything~~ a fish… since boots, tires, and seaweed don’t really count! 😉

But how about after 3 casts into the lake, this little guy decided to latch on!

It was a crappie and not much bigger than about 6 inches long, but I swear I was downright giddy at the fact that I had reeled him in successfully all on my own…though BB had to take him off the hook for me.

And so began my first REAL fishing trip:

By the end of the day, I had caught SEVEN FISH and even unhooked one all by myself…I even caught a bass (the green one)!

Course my bass was nothing compared to BB’s finest catch of the day:

Alright ladies, no drooling over my man…remember, we’re concentrating on the fish!

This girl was longer than my arm and by BB’s best guess weighed about 12-13 pounds…his biggest bass catch EVER! I was so happy to be able to share this with him…you should have seen the look on his face 🙂

But I got the award for the biggest non-fish catch of the day:

Say hello to my little ~~friend~~ tree!

After all the excitement of the day, I sat back and relaxed a bit, soaking up the last few rays of sunshine.

Admiring the view…

And awestruck by the colors of nature.

And with that, the day ended with two big smiles and one beautiful sunset.

Guess you could say we had a reel fun time!

Posted in Photography, Travel | Tagged Broccoli Babe, fishing, nature, Photography | 16 Comments

Cranberry Walnut Ginger Pancakes

Posted on March 18, 2012 by kissmybroccoli

Hello kittens!

I hope you are all having a fabulous and restful Sunday…and maybe not too hungover from Irish celebrations?

You wanna know one of the things I love MOST about blogging?

I mean, I love the friendships I’ve made with both other bloggers and readers and I sharing recipes with you guys definitely brightens my day, but what I love most is the inspiration I get from others.

Take these three ingredients…cranberries, walnuts, and ginger.

Sweet treats on their own, but when you put them together?

Talk about a flavor trifecta!

So what’s all this talk of inspiration?

Well, it seems to be a pretty Smart cookie amongst us bloggers…and she’s come up with another fabulous creation!

Which makes me ask, if you can have Cranberry Walnut Ginger Cookies,
why can’t you have
Cranberry Walnut Ginger PANCAKES?

Some things JUST makes sense!

Cranberry Walnut Ginger Pancakes

by Heather Powers

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 10-12 minutes

Keywords: breakfast pancakes whole wheat pastry flour

Ingredients (Serves 2)

1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 egg
2 tablespoons butter, melted
3/4 cup buttermilk*
2 teaspoons vanilla
1/2 teaspoon lemon juice
1/3 cup dried cranberries
1/4 cup chopped walnuts
1/8 cup chopped crystallized ginger

Instructions

1. Preheat a skillet or griddle to medium heat and coat with cooking spray
2. In a medium-sized bowl, combine flour dry ingredients.
3. In a separate bowl, whisk the egg first and then stir the butter, buttermilk, vanilla extract and lemon juice.
4. Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and stir until combined.
5. Fold in cranberries, walnuts, and ginger.
6. Spoon batter onto skillet and cook approximately 4-5 minutes per side or until golden brown.
7. Top with a drizzle of pure maple syrup.

*If you don’t have any buttermilk on hand, you can used the tried and true method of adding 1 tablespoon of vinegar or lemon juice per cup of regular milk…or you might be able to find this gem in the baking aisle of your local supermarket. It keeps FOREVER in the fridge!

Let’s just say (hypothetically of course, since I’m not supposed to say anything about how in the world such an incredible thing could happen until the end of the month) that somehow, I got my hands on some of those cranberry walnut ginger cookies…

I might then have some sort of way to reference the flavor comparison, no?

As I drizzled them in syrup, my mouth might start watering in anticipation for that first bite…

And with that last photograph, I might slice up a bite as big as my mouth would allow and say…

Ommmmfphhffffgaaaaaah!

Which in foodie language means:

“Light and crisp, pungent and appealing, perfectly sweet annnnnnnnd…gone!”

What’s funny is that I didn’t even look at her recipe until AFTER I made the pancakes…it surprised me how on target I was with the ingredients, but I guess ~~great~~ smart minds think alike! 😉

I want to say a big THANK YOU to Sarah for this was the best breakfast/brunch I’ve had since….well, last pancake Sunday 😉

And if you’ve never been over to the Smart Kitchen, I suggest you get your rear over there…she’ll have you giggling over her antics and drooling over her recipes in no time!

HAPPY PANCAKE SUNDAY!

Posted in Breakfast | Tagged cranberries, ginger, inspiration, maple syrup, pancakes, recipe, walnuts | 9 Comments

Thankful Thursday

Posted on March 15, 2012 by kissmybroccoli

Happy Thursday guys!

November isn’t the only time of year to recognize what we’re thankful for!

I think it’s time for a little “thankful edition” of my Thursday Things!

First of all, I want to say a big THANK YOU to you guys for all the kind words and well wishes on my back. It’s been hard to stay put, but I’ve been trying to remind myself that I will only get better if I rest.

So here are a few things that have made this week a bit more bearable:

PHYSICAL THERAPY/MEDS

I have admit, physical therapy wasn’t as bad as I thought it was going to be…the therapist told we’ll have to take baby steps to get my muscle spasms to stop before she can really get started the ~~torture~~ therapy.

I joke, I joke 😉

I spent most of the session laying down on a hot pad with my legs elevated while getting electro therapy which is a machine that sends tiny little vibrations all over your lower back…it was actually kind of nice.

Thankfully she gave me a few pointers on an at-home setup:

Pillows…heating pad…couch cushions…it’s like I have my very on PT office…now if only I could get my hands on one of those machines!

And hey, if I have to be doped up on medication, at least there’s an extra perk:

Yep, you read that right!

All I have to do is take a prescription to my new Publix and they give me a FREE $25 gift card…there are four coupons in the book I got in the mail (hence the “up to $100) and one of them already expired, but luckily I have 2 more to use!

Free groceries ftw!

ENTERTAINMENT

I love to read, and I used to read A LOT, but then something happened…

Oh yeah, I went to college and was forced to read book upon boring book until my love of reading was long forgotten. Luckily, I have plenty that I’ve ~~collected~~ hoarded over the last couple of years to keep me busy for a while! I’m only a couple of chapter into this one by Jodi Picoult, but so far, it’s keeping my interest.

What’s better than finding new music? How about finding FREE music?!

I’ve had a library card for years but never once ventured over to the media section…and they have quite the selection of music…anything from Ringo Star to Duran Duran to some band called The String Cheese Incident (I totally cracked up over that one!)

Obviously my iTunes has gotten pretty beefy over the last few days 😉

Hey, if I’m gonna walk like a geriatric, I might as well pick up a few crossword puzzles…too bad I can’t complete one without looking up half the answers in the back…and this is a CHILDREN’S level book! Lol

LEFTOVERS

I love being able to cook one meal and eat on it throughout the week…especially when I’m ~~not really feeling like cooking~~ feeling like a space cadet due to pain pills. Luckily, I had a little bit of energy Tuesday night to whip up these beauties:

Beef & Bean Taco Burger anyone?

I bet you thought I forgot about giving you that recipe, huh?

Well, I may be a little slow (you really don’t want to know how long it’s taken me to type up this post), but I could never leave you hanging on this deliciousness!

Beef & Bean Taco Burgers

by Heather Powers

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes

Keywords: grill entree hamburger beans

Ingredients (Serves 6)

1 pound lean ground beef
1 cup cooked beans, slightly mashed (I used black-eyed peas)
1/4 cup tomato sauce
1 tablespoon taco seasoning (I used Mrs. Dash Fiesta Lime)
1 teaspoon garlic
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 medium onion, chopped
1/4 cup fresh chopped cilantro
1/2 cup whole wheat bread crumbs
cheddar cheese, shredded or sliced (optional)
whole wheat hamburger buns
salsa, sour cream (or Greek yogurt), and/or avocado for topping

Instructions

1. Preheat indoor or outdoor grill to medium heat and coat with olive oil or cooking spray.
2. Gently mix all ingredients in a large bowl and form into 6 patties.
3. Carefully place patties on grill and cook until it reached desired level of doneness (approx 5-6 minutes per side for medium-well.
4. If using cheese, add slices within the last couple of minutes of cooking.
5. Once done, place burger on whole wheat bun and top with salsa, sour cream, avocado or anything else that makes you think of a taco!

I couldn’t believe how spot on the taco flavor was in these. I decided to go more for flavor than heat, but if you prefer your tacos more on the spicy side, feel free to add some green chilies to the meat mixture before cooking and/or top with pickled jalapenos.