Recipe: Salt-kissed Peanut Butter Cookies

I can't stop eating....

...these vegan salt-kissed peanut butter chocolate chip cookies from Oh She Glows. Instead of posting (and possibly messing up) the recipe here, I thought I'd let you head over and see the original recipe. I just used whole wheat four, which is what I had on hand, in place of spelt flour. I definitely ate every one of the cookies in the photo after I took it.

If you don't mind a vegan cookie, I would definitely recommend trying these out!

Snapshots from a Weekend

fresh flowers

a walk in the park

and Cleopatra, in honor of Ms. Taylor of course

not pictured: an awesome dinner party, lots of laundry, and homemade miso soup.

I Heart Faces: Slice of Life

I thought that, for fun, I'd enter I Heart Faces weekly photo contests this week. The theme is "Slice of Life," a shot of real life unfolding. I hate to admit it, but when I'm in the moment, I usually forget to take my camera out. But this photo, which was shot in Berlin, will do. We were walking along the Berlin Wall with Andrew's friend, and I was clicking away trying to get a candid photo. Andrew turned around to see what I was doing when I snapped this:

Not my greatest photo, but I love the unposed feeling, and the texture of the wall mural behind them. I think that's Andrew's "what are you doing" face!

Berlin is a fascinating city, by the way. I'd definitely recommend a visit if you ever have the chance.

You can check out the other entries at iheartfaces.com.

On being homesick.

Oh, the dreaded feeling. That tug on your heart that you feel when you miss a place where you are not. I used to have it so bad when I was little that I couldn't bear to sleep over a friend's house. My parents usually had to come pick me up as everyone else put on their pjs and settled into their My Little Pony and Ariel sleeping bags.

It was so bad, in fact, that I think I shocked my mom when I went away to college. Then shocked her even more when I told her I was moving to London. Not my scared-of-sleepovers little girl, she thought.

When I first got here, to London, it hit hard. I missed things I didn't even think I would miss. Lukewarm coffee from my dad's old coffee maker. My mismatched childhood bedroom. Driving the half hour commute to work. Things I took for granted, and maybe didn't even enjoy when I had them. And I'd always been a little bit jealous of those who got to stay near their home after they grew up.

Through the months, though, that homesick feeling dissipated. I was traveling, I was having fun, I was enjoying exploring my city.

But yesterday, that feeling hit hard. Maybe it was reading about all the fun things my friends back home were doing. Maybe it was the feeling of warm-weather nostalgia: water ice, beach trips, and windows wide open while driving my car. Whatever it was, I tried to shoo it away, brush it under the carpet, in hopes it would go away soon. And today, with its blue skies and bright sun, that feeling did soften a bit. I'd hoped that homesick feeling would go away after the initial shock of moving so far away from home, but I'm not sure that will happen. I know I've traded it in for lots of great things, but I think I'll always miss the place where I grew up. The place where I made the most amazing friends, where I had chats about life with my father. The place I called home for all those years.

Right before I left, my dad said, "there's not a baby bird who doesn't leave the nest." And I know it's true. I could see that he knew it was my time to fly. Although I'll miss the little details of home - the sparkling fireflies in early summer, wawa coffee, family parties - I know there will always be a place for me there when I get the occasional chance to fly back. And knowing that makes me feel a little bit better.

Weekly Gratitude

Sometimes, I just stop and think about how truly lucky I am. I have a home, people who love me, and my health. I've been blessed with the opportunities to find success and stability in life. As we read the newspapers or listen to the news about the horrible events that took place in Japan, and as we send donations and prayers to the victims of the disaster, I'm sure some of us are contemplating how fortunate they are in their own lives. At least, I am.

Some other smaller things I'm enjoying this week:

Thank you to my Kindle! I love this thing. Seriously, I might have to do a review post on this one.

Thank you to the nearby food market. While you are often over-crowded with tourists and sometimes over-priced, you still provide a place to get fresh, locally grown food and lots of entertainment.

Thank you, sunny weather in London! You never fail to put me in a good mood.

Enjoy your weekend :)

If you're looking for a way to help...

Go here to donate to ShelterBox, an organization that provides emergency shelter and supplies for families affected by disasters around the world. Your donation will help ShelterBox provide these livesaving supplies to those who have lost their homes due to the earthquake and tsunami in Japan.

Veggie Chili

I absolutely love chili. Nothing beats a warming bowl of it on a cold night. Although the weather has been slowly getting warmer, I had a craving for it last week. I googled for a recipe, and this is what I came up with. I tweaked the original recipe a lot, adding and subbing with what I had on hand and adapting it for a stove top recipe instead of a slow-cooker version.

Veggie Chili
adapted from Robin Miller's recipe

Ingredients:
1 TBSP olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 small/medium white onion, chopped
1 15 oz. can diced tomatoes (about 1 1/2 cups)
about 2 cups vegetable broth
1 15 oz. can red kidney beans, rinsed and drained (about 1 1/2 cups)
1 15 oz. can cannellini or other white beans, rinsed and drained (about 1 1/2 cups)
1 bell pepper, any color, chopped
1 cup frozen corn
1 fresh chili, minced
2 TBSP chili powder
1 TBSP oregano
2 tsp ground cumin
1/3 cup uncooked couscous
salt + pepper
shredded cheese, chopped fresh cilantro, and plain greek yogurt for topping

Saute garlic and onion in oil for a few minutes. Add canned tomatoes, vegetable broth, bell pepper, chili pepper, chili powder, oregano, salt, pepper and cumin and allow to simmer, covered, for about 20 minutes. (edit: remember, chili should seem a little "soupy" or liquidy, but remember that the couscous will soak up some of the liquid later) Add beans and corn and simmer for another 15 minutes. Turn off the heat and add couscous. Re-cover the pot with the lid and let stand for about 10 minutes or until the couscous has absorbed some of the chili liquid and is soft. Scoop into bowls and top with cheese, yogurt, cilantro, or anything else you like.

I found that I did not need the full 4 cups of broth that the original recipe calls for, so if you are going to try this, use your judgement. I also adjusted the spices to taste at the end.

The real reason why I want to post this recipe is because of the couscous. It is so good in this chili! I never thought to add couscous to a chili recipe, and I think it makes a perfect substitute for meat. Even my husband, who likes his meat, loved this.

I never realized it would be so hard to write up a recipe! I am not a professional cook by any means, so remember to use your judgement if you try out this recipe.

Happy Monday everyone :)

Weekly Gratitude

What a looong week! It was just one of those weeks when every day felt like it should be Friday! Thankfully, it's here at last, and I've had a few moments to think about what I'm grateful for this week.

Thank you, bunch of yellow daffodils on my desk, for bringing me a bit of happiness every time I looked at you.

Thank you, 30 day shred level 3, for kicking my butt and giving me a great workout.

Thank you, warm weather and baby ducks at the channel. You made this week feel spring-like.

Sometimes, it's the little things that count.

Hope everyone has a great weekend!

Pancakes.

Yesterday my husband and I celebrated "Pancake Day". This day is celebrated all over the world, and has many different names: Shrove Tuesday, Fat Tuesday, and also simply known as, "The Day Before Lent" to name a few. Traditionally, the day before Lent is a time to have one last feast in the UK. A time to use up all of your sugar, eggs, butter and the other rich ingredients before the fasting days of Lent arrive. Although he is not strictly religious, my husband makes pancakes on this day every year.

By the way - I remember the first time I had pancakes here in the UK. It was breakfast, and I was practically salivating over the thought of dreamy, thick, fluffy pancakes topped with fruit and maple syrup. My husband plopped the plate down in front of me, and I stared at them. I didn't want crepes. I wanted pancakes! Well, apparently, the British have a very different idea of pancakes. Their pancakes are flatter, thinner, and more crepe-like than their American counterparts. Different, but admittedly delicious!

So yesterday, we had our first Pancake Day as husband and wife. I made them from a recipe I found here (shhhh...don't tell my husband it's a weight watcher recipe!) and they turned out wonderful. Sprinkled with lemon and sugar, topped with some fruit, and I was a happy girl.

Weekly Gratitude

When I saw Tatiana's Weekly Gratitude posts over at Love, Life, Lace, I knew I had to get in on this. It's so easy to lose track of all the good things in life and focus on the things you don't have.

So here is what I'm grateful for in my life right now.

Thank you to my husband, of course. He has been really patient with me these past six months while I got used to living in London. He wiped my tears, hugged me when I felt homesick, and spoiled me rotten. I am so thankful to have such a wonderful husband.

Thank you to my new job, even if it's far from my ideal job. It gives me something to do every day, and although I didn't like it at first, I am slowly learning to enjoy it.

Thank you, London, for the ability to travel around Europe so easily from you. In the three weeks, we've been to Paris and Berlin. And before we could get our suitcases unpacked, we planned a trip to Amsterdam! I think I have definitely caught the travel bug.

Thank you, little signs of spring! The grass seems greener, daffodils are beginning to bloom, and trees are sprouting little flowers. Even if it was bitterly cold this week, I can feel that spring is around the corner (at least I hope it's around the corner!).

Thank you, Covent Garden, for being such a charming little area of London. I went for my haircut in a cute little salon there, and ended up having a lovely afternoon walking around the area. It's places like CG that make me like living in London just a little more.

"live in the sunshine, swim the sea, drink the wild air…" - Ralph Waldo Emerson

Just for now...

Just for now, you can follow my blog at www.sentfromlondon.tumblr.com. Hopefully my blog will be up and running at this site soon.

Update: no longer posting on Tumblr! You can still see posts from the past there though.

a perfect saturday (a test post)

Brunch, followed by a serenade, makes for a perfect Saturday morning.