Misc

Weekend Dish – 5/11

May 12, 2013 by Jessica Leave a Comment

Weekend Dish is a place for me to get a little more personal! If you just come to Sunny Side Up for the food, feel free to skip this post but be sure to check back next week for new food photos and recipes!

First, Happy Mother’s day! I wish I were in Ohio celebrating with my own mom, but I am so thankful for modern communication allowing us to to chat on the phone and text throughout the day. To the rest of the mom’s out there, hope you’ve had a great day so far. Thank you for all that you do as a mom!

Blog Recap -

Chocolate Covered Pretzel Cupcakes – I made these for my good friend Krystal’s virtual baby shower. They are so, so delicious and rich.

Creamy Taco Mac – This is a dish I’ve been making for a long time and I was finally able to get a blog-worthy photo. It’s like a homemade Hamburger Helper. Easy, delicious, and not terribly bad for you.

Pregnancy Update -

I took this photo (another super bathroom self-pic) on Wednesday when I was officially 23 weeks. I don’t feel like I grew much this past week, but I do notice that I struggle to do weird things now. Getting off the couch or out of bed is just a little more difficult than it used to be!

I thought it might be fun to start using this space to answer some of those cheesy pregnancy journal questions.

How far along? 23 weeks

Baby’s size (in fruit)? Grapefruit

Cravings? Lemonade (a first trimester craving coming back full force) and cookie dough (I’m thinking about making an egg free batch tonight to finally indulge!)

Movement? Lots of flips and turns. She went through a phase where she really liked to kick my belly button.

Looking forward to? I’m really looking forward to traveling back to Ohio in a few weeks for my baby shower!

My week through Instagram -

I can’t go a week without sharing a photo of my sweet cats. The other day I walked in on them both passed out on the (unmade) bed. Cat life is tough, but someone’s got to do it.

Our sweet baby girl is already so lucky and loved. She got her first package in the mail! The start of what I am sure will be a nice little collection of pink. Thanks to my mother-in-law for the sweet package!

I’ve been pretty diligent about making a meal plan and sticking to it for the last several weeks, but for some reason Fridays are hard. This Friday I was having major Chinese food cravings. Specifically the green beans that I loved so much when we lived there. We went to a new restaurant and they had them on the menu! Unfortunately they were AS good as the real deal in China, but they were close enough!

Remember last week when I said when went to Sunset Cliffs? We really wanted to get down to the tide pools but we couldn’t find an easy way down. After talking to some coworkers, Jesse figured out where the stairs were so we went back again yesterday. It was amazing down there. My baby bump fit in perfectly amongst the round bumpy rocks.

Things I’m loving -

(This is an Amazon affiliate link)

Angelsounds Fetal Heart Doppler – Around week 12 I got really nervous one day and ordered a prenatal home doppler online. I try not to use it compulsively but it’s nice to be able to get a quick listen. It’s also awesome because you can hook it up to your computer and record the heartbeat. We listened and recorded last night and sent the audio to our moms this morning for mother’s day. It’s amazing.

Camelbak Waterbottles – Sometimes I struggle with keeping myself hydrated. I just don’t think about filling up a glass of water. With one of these water bottles it’s so much easier. It holds 32 ounces and I just do my best to finish one or two a day, on top of whatever I drink with meals. I like this particular water bottle because it’s easy to carry and has the retractable mouthpiece.

Game of Thrones – Do you watch this show?? I loooove it. It’s crazy and weird and dramatic and entertaining.

That’s a wrap! Thank you so much for stopping by and reading. Have a great weekend and be sure to check back later this week, I’ll be sharing the recipe for the first batch of ice cream I made this season. Yum!

Filed Under: Uncategorized, Weekend Dish

Chocolate Covered Pretzel Cupcakes for Krystal’s Virtual Shower

May 6, 2013 by Jessica 15 Comments

Today I’m participating in another virtual baby shower! This one is for my sweet friend Krystal, of Mrs. Regueiro’s Plate! She is on her way to 2 under 2! Last year she had a sweet baby girl, Elena, and now she is expecting another little one. When she was pregnant with Elena she was Team Green and it was torture waiting to find out what she had. Not knowing what she was having she lovingly referred to baby as Cookie. This time around they decided to find out ahead of time and they are having a baby boy! Of course it only seemed appropriate for him to have a fun foodie nickname as well, so he is lovingly referred to as Cupcake.

To honor Krystal and her little Cupcake, Eva has graciously offered to host this virtual shower. The theme is… cupcakes! So each of the shower participants is contributing a different cupcake recipe. Originally I was thinking of a more delicate cherry vanilla cupcake. Then I thought, she’s having a boy! He needs a strong and powerful cupcake. Thus was born the Chocolate Covered Pretzel Cupcake. Rich and chocolatey, sweet and salty, with a powerful presence.

Krystal, Elena, and me just a few weeks ago!

Krystal, I am so happy that we have become friends over these past few years. Your support and positive outlook has meant so much to me! I’m lucky to have a fellow SoCal blogging girl as a friend! Congratulations on your sweet baby boy. I can’t wait to meet him!!

Don’t forget to check out Eva’s blog to see the rest of the yummy cupcakes!

Chocolate Covered Pretzel Cupcakes

Pretzel Crust

Ingredients
3 cups pretzel twists
3 Tbsp brown sugar
3/4 cup butter, melted

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line muffin tins with cupcake liners.

Place pretzel twists in the bowl of a food processor. Process in 15-20 second spurts until well broken up. Add the brown sugar and process for an additional 10 seconds to combine. Stream in the melted butter while processing

Press the pretzel mixture into the bottom of each cupcake liner. Bake for 10 minutes, then allow to cool completely.

As seen on Cupcake Project, originally from Allrecipes

Chocolate Cupcakes

Ingredients
1/2 cup plus 1 Tbsp Dutch-process cocoa powder
1/2 cup plus 1 Tbsp hot water
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 tsp baking soda
3.4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
2 sticks plus 1 Tbsp unsalted butter, room temperature
1 2/3 cups sugar
3 large eggs, at room temperature
1 Tbsp vanilla extract
3/4 cup sour cream

Directions
While the pretzel crusts are cooling, leave oven on heated to 350 degrees.

In a glass measuring cup, stir together the cocoa powder and hot water until smooth. Set aside. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.

In a medium sauce pan over medium heat, combine the butter and sugar. Whisk constantly until butter is melted and combined with the sugar and the mixture looks smooth and shiny. Pour into the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Beat until cooled to room temperature, about 4 minutes. Add the eggs, one at time, mixing until each is incorporated before adding the next. Beat in the vanilla just until combined. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Next alternate adding the dry ingredients in 3 additions and the sour cream in 2 additions (beginning and ending with the dry ingredients). Mix just until combined.

Divide the batter evenly among the tins (mine were a little more than 2/3 full, I was a little worried they may spill over, but they rose perfectly and stayed in their liners). Bake for 18-20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool in the pan for 5 minutes then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Source: Annie’s Eats, originally from Martha Stewart Cupcakes

Whipped Chocolate Ganache

Ingredients
3/4 cup heavy cream
9 oz semi-sweet chocolate, finely chopped

Directions
Place chocolate in a heat-proof bowl, set aside. In a small saucepan over medium-high heat, bring heavy cream to a boil. Pour the hot heavy cream over the chocolate and stir until the chocolate is smooth and melted. Allow the ganache to cool to room temperature then refrigerate until solid. Once solid, place in the bowl of a standing mixer and beat until light and fluffy and a good texture for piping.

As posted previously on Sunny Side Up, originally from Savory Sweet Life

To assemble

Ingredients
Additional crushed pretzels
Chocolate covered pretzels

Directions
Pipe whipped ganache onto cupcakes. When you’re ready to serve cupcakes*, sprinkle with crushed pretzels and top with a chocolate covered pretzel.

*Pretzels will start to get a little soggy and less crunchy the longer they are on the cupcake, so it’s best to wait as long as possible before adding them.

Filed Under: Chocolate, Cupcakes, Dessert, Uncategorized, Virtual Baby Shower

Weekend Dish – 5/5

May 5, 2013 by Jessica 3 Comments

Weekend Dish is place for me to get a little more personal! If you just come to Sunny Side Up for the food, feel free to skip this post but be sure to check back next week for new food photos and recipes!

First of all, I can not believe it is already May! This year is seriously flying by. I feel like it was January just yesterday! Second, an early birthday shout out to my dad. His birthday is tomorrow!

Blog Recap -

Barbeque Pork Tenderloin Wraps – More of a meal idea than a recipe, but still absolutely delicious and a summer time favorite of mine.

Creamy Green Chile, Tomatillo, and Avocado Sauce – This is a dream sauce. A little spicy, a little tangy, super fresh, and delicious. I served mine over penne with chicken and a simple black bean and corn salad. But it would also be amazing over fish, shrimp or all on its own!

Pregnancy Update -

Jesse wanted to snap a belly pic of me this week and we realized I was wearing the same shirt as last month’s photo. It was funny to see the side by side comparison. I think it’s safe to say I popped this month! I’m 22 weeks now and I still can’t believe I’ve already passed the halfway point! Bake baby, bake!

Sadly one unfortunate pregnancy symptom has crept up on me this week. Heartburn!! And not from the things you would expect (like spicy food). Nope. I get heart burn from things like pretzels and bagels. And chocolate!! Good thing we have an extra large bottle of tums! Other than that, I’m doing really good. Happy to be growing this healthy little girl.

My week through Instagram -

Last Sunday I made pizza for dinner, look at the size of those mushrooms!!

We’ve been making an effort to get outside and explore San Diego more. Yesterday we went to an area called Sunset Cliffs and did some walking around and hiking (very careful and safe hiking)!

Another view of Sunset Cliffs. We really wanted to get down to those tide pools, but we couldn’t figure out a safe and easy way for my pregnant belly to get down.

That’s a wrap! Thanks for stopping by and reading. Be sure to check back tomorrow for a special celebration of my good friend Krystal and her soon-to-be-born baby boy!

Filed Under: Weekend Dish

Weekend Dish – 4/28

April 28, 2013 by Jessica 2 Comments

Once again there wasn’t a lot going on this week as far blogging goes. This was my final week of two BSN courses that were brutal. It’s not that the content was difficult, there were just a lot of assignments squeezed into the 5 week format (usually I only take 1 5-week class at a time). Thankfully I have 2 FULL WEEKS (!!) off before I start the summer session, so things should be picking up around here! Anyway, on to the weekly recaps!

Blog Recap -

Buffalo Chicken Stuffed Shells - This meal was absolutely delicious! The perfect marriage between classic stuffed shells and spicy buffalo chicken. You should consider adding them to your weekly menu! Surprisingly I haven’t had any comments on the post yet, so if you try it let me know what you think!

Pregnancy Update -

Sorry! Another cheesy bathroom self pic. Wednesday I was officially 21 weeks along and things are pretty low key right now. My second trimester energy is still going strong. Thank goodness because I needed it to get through my school assignments this week. Baby girl is still kicking away and I’m still loving it.

I was struck by a case of pregnancy brain this week. I was flipping a turkey (because everyone cooks a turkey in April when it’s 75 degrees outside) and without thinking I let my wrist touch the handles. Ouch. I wish I could say that was the first time something like that has happened, but I’ve had a bad habit of grabbing hot handles over the last 21 weeks. Must remember to be more careful!!

In other pregnancy related news, I got my first, “Wow, you’re getting big. How far along are you? Still almost 20 weeks left??” I blame my short waist. She has no where to go but out…

My week through Instagram -

I did so much typing for school my K button popped right off the keyboard!

This little kitty made herself right at home at the table one night after dinner. Cats at the table are gross… I know. But look how cute she is!!

Friday night, after finishing the LAST assignment of the semester, I celebrated by making cookies! Kitchen Aid provides the best kind of therapy.

Saturday we went for a drive and stopped by to see the seals in La Jolla. There were a ton of them. It was little stinky, but still beautiful!

Things I’m loving –

New feature this week! Here I’ll share some things that I’ve been really loving lately! (photo credit to the corresponding companies)

Ocean Spray 100% cranberry juices have been a HUGE craving of mine lately. My favorite is Cranberry Raspberry, but I really like them all. The fact that they’re 100% juice and don’t have any added sugar makes me feel a little better about having a glass every.single.day. Baby girl might come out a cranberry…

Motherhood Maternity side rouched tank tops rock my socks. Seriously. I live in these thing. My every day outfit – tank top, cardigan, maternity jeans/skirt/yoga pants. In fact, it’s what I’m wearing in the pregnancy update photo.

Clean & Clear Deep Action Exfoliating Scrub is my favorite face wash ever. The best part is the cool, tingly, feeling my face gets when I use it. Makes me feel so fresh and so clean!

That’s a wrap! Thanks for stopping by and have an awesome week!

Filed Under: Weekend Dish