Peace!
Scout
Sunday, May 29, 2011
Beach!
Hey, y'all! I'm spending this week at the beach with my extended family. I hope to get some photos to you soon. The first day was great! Lots of exercise and lots of eating to make up for it.
Source
Peace!
Scout
Peace!
Scout
Saturday, May 28, 2011
Low Sodium: Take Six
Garlic Herb Bread
Note: Cooking with no sodium is hard. Sometimes the food tastes funny or bland and I can't tell if it's the recipe that's weird, my cooking, or the fact that I'm using substitutes for things that have lots of sodium (like...salt. And baking powder and baking soda). Because things taste different, they don't get eaten like the foods I've made before. It's very disheartening.Oh well. I still like cooking and I some low sodium things taste good. Like the following recipe!
This recipe was taken from this site. I followed the recipe, except that I added more spices than they called for. The dough came out great and I was even able to braid it like it says! I was so proud of myself. It was huge, too! It looks so small when you start out, but it gets so HUGE when it rises. I didn't like it at first - I thought the crust seemed a little bit flour-y. However, I ate more of it today and I realized that it's pretty fantastic - especially slathered in butter (but then, most things are).
Sorry for the lack of pictures. That's what happens when you have a lack of (digital, less expensive than film) camera.
Love,
Scout
Note: Cooking with no sodium is hard. Sometimes the food tastes funny or bland and I can't tell if it's the recipe that's weird, my cooking, or the fact that I'm using substitutes for things that have lots of sodium (like...salt. And baking powder and baking soda). Because things taste different, they don't get eaten like the foods I've made before. It's very disheartening.Oh well. I still like cooking and I some low sodium things taste good. Like the following recipe!
This recipe was taken from this site. I followed the recipe, except that I added more spices than they called for. The dough came out great and I was even able to braid it like it says! I was so proud of myself. It was huge, too! It looks so small when you start out, but it gets so HUGE when it rises. I didn't like it at first - I thought the crust seemed a little bit flour-y. However, I ate more of it today and I realized that it's pretty fantastic - especially slathered in butter (but then, most things are).
Sorry for the lack of pictures. That's what happens when you have a lack of (digital, less expensive than film) camera.
Love,
Scout
Wednesday, May 25, 2011
Low Sodium: Take Three, Four, Five...
Oh, guys. I have been cooking a LOT. I like it :) Mostly. I've made dinners, breads, cookies, and there's so much more I can't wait to try!
Dijon chicken (based on this recipe).
Ingredients:
3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
dijon mustard
lemon juice
salt
honey
The recipe I based mine off of didn't give specifics, so I made mine up:
6 Tbs. lemon juice
3 tsp. dijon mustard
1/4 tsp. salt (we used salt substitute - sodium free!)
[I think] 3 Tbs. honey
Basically, you mix together the ingredients and marinate your chicken and...it's delicious. The recipe says to grill it, but I baked mine for 30 minutes at 350. I served mine with mashed potatoes and green beans.
Sodium count: only whatever is in the mustard.
White Chili (based on this recipe).
I followed the recipe pretty closely (at least for me). Instead of canned beans, we used fresh beans, which is something I'm new at, so they weren't cooked fully. I used chicken broth from when I cooked the chicken. Also, instead of green chile peppers, I used pepperjack cheese and shredded it into the chili before adding the beans. Oh. I also added sour cream to the mix because I thought it was too spicy.
Maybe I didn't follow the recipe very closely...
This recipe was okay. Ours had too much chicken, not enough broth, and the beans weren't cooked all the way, so it definitely could have been better. I think a lot of it would have been different if we had used canned beans - it would have added to and thickened the broth. The seasoning was great, though, and the cornucopia of leftovers made great....
Made-up Burritos!
Ingredients:
Leftover chili (see above)
Black beans
Corn
Curry powder
Rice
Sour cream
Tortilla shells
To make the chili leftovers into something my family would eat, I added (thoroughly cooked) black beans, corn, and curry powder (to touch up the taste since adding more starchy types). Then we ate it in tortilla shells with rice, sour cream, salsa, and other taco type toppings. I didn't really want to make this (I wanted minestrone or baked oatmeal but my mom told me to use the leftovers), but I actually really liked it a lot. Sodium count: from chili, sour cream, and tortilla shells.
That's all for now. More later, concerning herb bread and girl scout cookies.
Love,
Scout
P.S. Sodium count for the chili the way I made it was about 1400 ish (I forget now) for the whole pot. It came from the cheese and sour cream. I shaved a lot off on the sodium count by using no-sodium bouillon and non-canned beans.
Dijon chicken (based on this recipe).
Ingredients:
3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
dijon mustard
lemon juice
salt
honey
The recipe I based mine off of didn't give specifics, so I made mine up:
6 Tbs. lemon juice
3 tsp. dijon mustard
1/4 tsp. salt (we used salt substitute - sodium free!)
[I think] 3 Tbs. honey
Basically, you mix together the ingredients and marinate your chicken and...it's delicious. The recipe says to grill it, but I baked mine for 30 minutes at 350. I served mine with mashed potatoes and green beans.
Sodium count: only whatever is in the mustard.
White Chili (based on this recipe).
I followed the recipe pretty closely (at least for me). Instead of canned beans, we used fresh beans, which is something I'm new at, so they weren't cooked fully. I used chicken broth from when I cooked the chicken. Also, instead of green chile peppers, I used pepperjack cheese and shredded it into the chili before adding the beans. Oh. I also added sour cream to the mix because I thought it was too spicy.
Maybe I didn't follow the recipe very closely...
This recipe was okay. Ours had too much chicken, not enough broth, and the beans weren't cooked all the way, so it definitely could have been better. I think a lot of it would have been different if we had used canned beans - it would have added to and thickened the broth. The seasoning was great, though, and the cornucopia of leftovers made great....
Made-up Burritos!
Ingredients:
Leftover chili (see above)
Black beans
Corn
Curry powder
Rice
Sour cream
Tortilla shells
To make the chili leftovers into something my family would eat, I added (thoroughly cooked) black beans, corn, and curry powder (to touch up the taste since adding more starchy types). Then we ate it in tortilla shells with rice, sour cream, salsa, and other taco type toppings. I didn't really want to make this (I wanted minestrone or baked oatmeal but my mom told me to use the leftovers), but I actually really liked it a lot. Sodium count: from chili, sour cream, and tortilla shells.
That's all for now. More later, concerning herb bread and girl scout cookies.
Love,
Scout
P.S. Sodium count for the chili the way I made it was about 1400 ish (I forget now) for the whole pot. It came from the cheese and sour cream. I shaved a lot off on the sodium count by using no-sodium bouillon and non-canned beans.
Monday, May 23, 2011
Random Memories
Sometimes I remember obscure things that happened or that I did a long time ago. There's usually no reason for me to remember it, but it will just pop into my head. For instance, what inspired this post was me randomly remembering how several years ago I would play Neopets (y'all remember those?) and listen to Number One Gun.
Other random memories:
What are some of your random memories?
Love,
Scout
Other random memories:
- Sitting in the car and competing with my brother about who could remember more holidays. We would each take turns and whoever couldn't come up with one lost.
- My fifth birthday cake was circle shaped and had pink icing.
- Trying to slide down the stairs at my cousins' house. They had this big board that we would put over the stairs and then we'd pull cushions from the couch and slide down.
- Pookaloknock (spelling is debatable). If you know this, you get 4 points for being awesome.
What are some of your random memories?
Love,
Scout
Sunday, May 22, 2011
Low Sodium: Take Two
"Pork chops and apple sauce!"
For dinner tonight I made honey grilled pork chops - with my dad's help (I can't work the grill). Really, the most eventful part of this cooking venture was trying to calculate the sodium content. The whole meal included: approximately 7.5 ounces of pork chops, some frozen vegetables from Birds Eye, sweet potatoes, and a tiny bit of applesauce. Approximate sodium content: 163 mg. for pork chops (note: we edited the recipe a tiny bit), 30 mg. for the veggies, unknown for the sweet potatoes and applesauce (I tried looking online for sodium amounts in sweet potatoes but I found incredibly varied answers).
Love,
Scout
P.S. Three cool points to whoever can guess where the beginning quote is from!
For dinner tonight I made honey grilled pork chops - with my dad's help (I can't work the grill). Really, the most eventful part of this cooking venture was trying to calculate the sodium content. The whole meal included: approximately 7.5 ounces of pork chops, some frozen vegetables from Birds Eye, sweet potatoes, and a tiny bit of applesauce. Approximate sodium content: 163 mg. for pork chops (note: we edited the recipe a tiny bit), 30 mg. for the veggies, unknown for the sweet potatoes and applesauce (I tried looking online for sodium amounts in sweet potatoes but I found incredibly varied answers).
Love,
Scout
P.S. Three cool points to whoever can guess where the beginning quote is from!
Friday, May 20, 2011
Thursday, May 19, 2011
Broken Toys and a Song That Makes Me Cry
Warning: Some content might not be suitable for young ears.
This song is beautiful. The music is great - very catchy. The lyrics are witty and well written. They are also full of hurt and bitterness. These are the words of someone that has been broken. These are the words of someone that is confused and alone - who has been judged and condemned rather than loved and helped.
I ache every time I hear this song because I hate that anyone feels the way this man does.
As a Christian I believe that homosexuality is a sin, like lying, stealing, committing adultery, pride, and alcoholism are all sins. But I do NOT believe that anyone should have treated this man the way they did to cause him to be as hurt and bitter as he is. Since when does condemnation help anyone?
Does Jesus love this man? Does Jesus love this sinner?
Yes.
But God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Romans 5:8
Love,
Scout
This song is beautiful. The music is great - very catchy. The lyrics are witty and well written. They are also full of hurt and bitterness. These are the words of someone that has been broken. These are the words of someone that is confused and alone - who has been judged and condemned rather than loved and helped.
I ache every time I hear this song because I hate that anyone feels the way this man does.
As a Christian I believe that homosexuality is a sin, like lying, stealing, committing adultery, pride, and alcoholism are all sins. But I do NOT believe that anyone should have treated this man the way they did to cause him to be as hurt and bitter as he is. Since when does condemnation help anyone?
Does Jesus love this man? Does Jesus love this sinner?
Yes.
But God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Romans 5:8
Love,
Scout
Wednesday, May 18, 2011
Cooking With Sodium
Banana Pancakes.
This morning I made banana pancakes for breakfast. They were pretty spectacular.
Ingredients:
Pancake mix and necessary ingredients
Banana
Cinnamon
Sugar
Vanilla extract
Chopped pecans (optional)
First I made pancake batter. I used a box mix that called for:
1c. mix
1/2 c. milk
1 egg.
Then I mashed up half of a banana in a bowl with some cinnamon and sugar (fun story: I wasn't paying attention when I grabbed the cinnamon out of the cabinet and almost put cayenne pepper in my pancakes!) and added it to the batter.
Next I added some crushed pecans and a tiny bit of vanilla extract. I mixed the batter together and made the pancakes.
I topped them off with butter, sprinkled cinnamon sugar, banana slices, and chopped pecans. I don't know how they'd taste with syrup - I'm not much of a syrup person, though, so I didn't try it.
PS. Sorry for the terrible photo quality. I only have access to one camera - can you believe it's digital? I cannot get the quality to be any better than the above photos. It upsets me greatly.
Love,
Scout
This morning I made banana pancakes for breakfast. They were pretty spectacular.
Ingredients:
Pancake mix and necessary ingredients
Banana
Cinnamon
Sugar
Vanilla extract
Chopped pecans (optional)
First I made pancake batter. I used a box mix that called for:
1c. mix
1/2 c. milk
1 egg.
Then I mashed up half of a banana in a bowl with some cinnamon and sugar (fun story: I wasn't paying attention when I grabbed the cinnamon out of the cabinet and almost put cayenne pepper in my pancakes!) and added it to the batter.
PS. Sorry for the terrible photo quality. I only have access to one camera - can you believe it's digital? I cannot get the quality to be any better than the above photos. It upsets me greatly.
Love,
Scout
Tuesday, May 17, 2011
Scout's Honor
I was thinking recently about how I wish I could have been a Boy Scout (while still being a girl) because there are so many cool things I could have already learned instead of wishing now that I knew them and not having time to do so. I told this to a friend of mine - a previous Eagle Scout (or are you always an Eagle Scout, like the whole "once a Marine always a Marine" thing?). He said that he thought I would have been an awesome Boy Scout. It's only a little thing, but it totally made my night, especially coming from him. He has Boy Scout knowledge and he knows me fairly well, so I believe he means it :)
What has made your day?
- Scout
What has made your day?
- Scout
Monday, May 16, 2011
Home Inspiration
I can't wait to have my own home. I want to be able to decorate. I want a library. I want a kitchen full of mismatched dishes. I want a studio (however small) where I can keep all of my miscellaneous supplies. I want to buy most of my furnishings and decorations from thrift stores so they don't match and so they have a story.
A place for conversation.
[Source]
[Source]
Retro desk.
[Source]
Love this! I love coffee mugs and dishes, so this is pretty much what I want in my house.
[Source]
A record player! For "record record records".
[Source]
Wooden crate shelves? Yes, please.
Pretty wallpaper.
[Source]
Typewriter. Lamp. Camera. Yes.
[Source]
A decent start for a studio type deal.
[Source]
[Source]
I like having a mattress on the floor (note: this is not my room). I also love the lacy bedspread.
A loft would be pretty groovy.
[Source?]
How about just everything about this?
[Source]
This is super fun! I can barely tell time on a regular clock as it is...but...I think the nerdiness of this just might inspire me to figure it out :)
[Source]
And, of course, books!
[Source]
That's all for now. I'm sure I will find more later!
Love,
Scout
Sunday, May 15, 2011
In the Town Where I Was Born
You all probably know how much I love the Beatles (exhibit A, exhibit B). Well, then it's easy to figure out how awesome I think this is:
A yellow submarine tea diffuser. Heck yes.
Love,
Scout
Saturday, May 14, 2011
Anyone? Anyone? Bueller?
See these guys?
Or, rather, the same person does both characters.
Who knew? I've been watching Lion King my whole life and I never made the connection! (Sorry if you've heard me freak out about this five hundred times already today).
If you feel the need for some Bueller right now, click *here*. For real, it's awesome.
And watch this:
Peace!
Scout
[Source]
[Source]
SAME. PERSON.Or, rather, the same person does both characters.
Who knew? I've been watching Lion King my whole life and I never made the connection! (Sorry if you've heard me freak out about this five hundred times already today).
If you feel the need for some Bueller right now, click *here*. For real, it's awesome.
And watch this:
Peace!
Scout
Eternal Sunshine and Other Loves
This is a beautiful scene from one of my favorite movies ever. It was on my mind today...I guess I was thinking about Clementine because sometimes I feel like her, and I think this is one of her most vulnerable scenes in the movie. It's so beautiful. I can't get over it. I love it so much, and I love the look on his face as she's telling the story, and thinking about what's going through his mind when he first hears her say all of this.
Other things I love: mint tea, Criminal Minds, coffee, sleep, blogs (mine and others), and Lydia Lawson, who is a person and not a thing.
Peace!
Scout
Friday, May 13, 2011
Today's Letters
Read about my new favorite blog here!
In other news, if you've seen my missing posts about low sodium cooking, please direct them my way. I miss them!
Peace!
Scout
In other news, if you've seen my missing posts about low sodium cooking, please direct them my way. I miss them!
Peace!
Scout
Dear Readers
Hooray for an active mind and internet that won't work! My blogs have been going crazy yesterday and today, which is super unfortunate because I have about a thousand things I want to say. Currently the problem is missing posts. Hopefully things will get sorted out and I will be able to post some new adventures in low sodium cooking and miscellaneous other things. For now, check out this post on my favorite band ever!
And enjoy these pictures:
And this pretty song:
Peace!
Scout
And enjoy these pictures:
[Source]
[Source]
And this pretty song:
Peace!
Scout
Rants and Ravings: How To Raise Kids 101
Dear Parents,
Scout
I am not a parent but I do understand something about parenting: kids need structure. If you do not give them structure and consistency, they will not listen to you and they will not respect you. They will do their own thing and only obey you enough to continue doing their own thing. This consistency needs to be between crimes/punishments (e.g. if they do something, allow them to face the consequences of their actions. If they do it again, allow them to face the consequences of their actions! Every time!) and between spouses – if you do not agree, your children will not respect either of you. Your child will only learn how to work the system.
Scout
Wednesday, May 11, 2011
Low Sodium: Information
I found this article type deal online. It gives a lot of information about sodium and no/low sodium diets. It lists foods that should be avoided, foods that are generally okay for low sodium diets, and miscellaneous tips and facts. For instance: Did you know, "Food products that are ‘reduced fat’, ‘fat-free’, or labeled as ‘good for your heart’ are often higher in sodium and calories."
There's also a nifty comparison chart between regular foods and their low sodium or unsalted counterparts.
Anyway, I think this little informational packet thing is super awesome. It has a lot of basic and very helpful information to get you started and even lists some websites to get more information from.
Love,
Scout
There's also a nifty comparison chart between regular foods and their low sodium or unsalted counterparts.
Anyway, I think this little informational packet thing is super awesome. It has a lot of basic and very helpful information to get you started and even lists some websites to get more information from.
Love,
Scout
Low Sodium: Take One
Garlic and Herb Bread.
Yesterday (or maybe two days ago) I made low sodium garlic and herb bread from this site. It was interesting. The recipe says to use a bread machine, which we don't have, so I just mixed the ingredients in a bowl, minus the water and yeast. When I mixed everything else, I put the yeast in lukewarm water to make sure it was active. What I learned: yeast is super creepy. I don't like moving food. When I took a spoon of it out of the jar, it starting grabbing for the sides. Not cool. Anyway, I let the yeast sit in the water for a couple minutes then stirred it in to the rest of the mix. Then I set it on the pan to let it rise. That took a while. It was insanely sticky.
Then I baked it.
Then we ate it.
It baked great and the texture was fantastic, but overall I'd only say it was okay. It was sweet, which I wasn't expecting. I wanted it to have something spicy, like a pepper of some sort, that way there would be the delightful mix of sweet and spicey. I'm sure it was okay, but it's hard to judge because I was expecting something so different.
Love,
Scout
Yesterday (or maybe two days ago) I made low sodium garlic and herb bread from this site. It was interesting. The recipe says to use a bread machine, which we don't have, so I just mixed the ingredients in a bowl, minus the water and yeast. When I mixed everything else, I put the yeast in lukewarm water to make sure it was active. What I learned: yeast is super creepy. I don't like moving food. When I took a spoon of it out of the jar, it starting grabbing for the sides. Not cool. Anyway, I let the yeast sit in the water for a couple minutes then stirred it in to the rest of the mix. Then I set it on the pan to let it rise. That took a while. It was insanely sticky.
Love,
Scout
Dude! Intro.
Hello, folks.
You may or may not be familiar with my other blog, Cardigans and Old Watches. If you are, you probably already know what I'm about to say. If not, this is for you.
I previously had one blog. It was starting to irk me because it was getting very cluttered and scattered. I wasn't posting very much because I didn't have time to do anything very indepth. Most of my recent posts consisted of pictures found online. I decided it was high time to revamp my blog and find some focus - only I didn't want to cut anything out. So I decided that I would have two blogs - one would focus more on art, photography, music, and my soon to be Etsy shop. The other would focus on my personal life, rantings and ravings, personal interests (most likely in the form of book reviews), and shared recipes as I learn to cook using as little sodium as possible (read: this post).
This is that blog. As you can see, it hasn't gotten very far yet, but it will soon, I promise. I enjoy blogging way too much to let this little guy sit empty for too long.
I hope you enjoy!
Scout
You may or may not be familiar with my other blog, Cardigans and Old Watches. If you are, you probably already know what I'm about to say. If not, this is for you.
I previously had one blog. It was starting to irk me because it was getting very cluttered and scattered. I wasn't posting very much because I didn't have time to do anything very indepth. Most of my recent posts consisted of pictures found online. I decided it was high time to revamp my blog and find some focus - only I didn't want to cut anything out. So I decided that I would have two blogs - one would focus more on art, photography, music, and my soon to be Etsy shop. The other would focus on my personal life, rantings and ravings, personal interests (most likely in the form of book reviews), and shared recipes as I learn to cook using as little sodium as possible (read: this post).
This is that blog. As you can see, it hasn't gotten very far yet, but it will soon, I promise. I enjoy blogging way too much to let this little guy sit empty for too long.
I hope you enjoy!
Scout
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