6 Things I'm Loving Lately
Hello hello, friends!! What has everyone been up to? Life has been a little crazy on our end and I feel like I’m treading water to keep my head above. But it’s also been really good, and I feel like fall (or has the weather decided it’s already winter??) has been really refreshing for my heart and mind. I wanted to post something fun with a few of the things I’ve really been enjoying lately. I originally was going to share, but I just had to include all six!…So here you go!
1. This white chicken chili from Fit Foodie Finds. I have a really random, but prominent memory of eating white chicken chili with tortilla chips and cheese in a styrofoam bowl in the the hallway of a school during my brother’s basketball game. My family couldn’t afford to eat out, so my mom would prep food in a crockpot and bring all the necessary accompaniments so that we could eat dinner on game nights. She is such a rockstar.
My mom’s recipe is super delicious, but I came across this recipe on instagram and really wanted to try it out. It did NOT disappoint. It’s super hearty, filling, and delicious. Anyone else love hominy? Just me?
2. Candles on cold, dark mornings. Candles just make everything cozy, am I right?! Last year I had a candle that smelled so so good from Bath and Body Works. Unfortunately, they no longer make that scent and when I looked it up on Amazon, they were like $27…for a candle. So instead, I’ve been enjoying a woodwick candle (again, crackling candle=cozy).
3. My new rug. I’m horrible at making decisions, especially when money is involved. I had been eyeing this rug for several weeks/months and couldn’t decide if I should buy it or not. I saw an ad on facebook marketplace for THE perfect coffee table (it was a round marble top table with gold legs 😍) and it was on a similar looking rug, which confirmed that I needed this rug. I got the rug, but the table sold too quickly. For those interested, I got it from RugsUSA.
4. Cleaning my sink more regularly. Let’s be honest, cleaning my house isn’t my strength. Like at all. Both ImmaEatThat and The Real Life RD recommended this website. She had a clean your sink every night challenge, but that’s just not realistic for me. I’ve been using her sink scrub “recipe” a few nights a week and it makes me feel so clean and put together! Maybe one day I’ll be able to clean it every night, but that day is not today.
5. French toast with sourdough bread. I’ve lived the last 29 years thinking I didn’t like french toast. But the other day, I offered it as an option for breakfast to Isaac (to be polite, but secretly hoping he didn’t choose it) and that’s what he chose. I considered making something else for myself, but decided to try it. Oh. My. Goodness. I was so so wrong about french toast—it’s delicious. I just scramble an egg with milk and cinnamon and then dip the bread in it until it’s soaked all the way through and then cook it on a greased/buttered skillet. I then top it with peanut butter, banana, and syrup. Yum!!
6. Interior Design Masters on Netflix. I stumbled upon this show and absolutely LOVE it! It’s a competition with various individual and group challenges to design rooms, retreats, shops, etc in two days and each week, someone is kicked off the show. I love seeing the transformations, the interactions between the contestants, and the British accents.
I hope you find some inspiration in the things I’ve been enjoying lately. I’d love to hear from you—what are YOU enjoying??
Homemade Maple Oatmeal Bread
Hello readers! I recently posted an instagram story of a peanut butter and banana sandwich on homemade bread for a snack I was eating (because lately second breakfasts are a much needed thing) and I got several requests for the recipe for the bread. So per your request, I whipped up another batch to take some pictures (and let's be honest--so that I could have it for snacks/meals again this week) and am providing the recipe here!....You're welcome.
In high school, one of my best friend's mom made everything from scratch, including their bread. I mean, she would make their burger buns homemade. Talk about GOALS. And pretty much everyday my friend would pack a peanut butter sandwich on her mom's bread for lunch at school. One weekend I spent time with them and her mom brought me a pb sandwich and I was IN HEAVEN. The bread is dense and chewy and it goes perfectly with peanut butter and banana. And don't get me started on how great it is toasted. I don't know what it is, but it's got the perfect crunch.
I tried making the bread throughout high school, but could never get the dough to rise and I always ended up with a brick. Thankfully I no longer try to make recipes with dense whole wheat flour and sugar free pancake syrup 🙈 (it doesn't work, people). When I got married, my friend's mom was so sweet to give me a bread machine so that I could always make her bread for Isaac and I. Now, I don't actually use the bread machine for this recipe, but that's only because I don't know where the manual is for it and I have no clue which option to choose 😂
So the good news is that you can make this bread in your regular 'ol oven! And it's super fast because you don't have to wait hours for it to rise--instead you just need 20 minutes of rising time (see the recipe instructions below)!
I can't wait to hear about how it turns out for you and what you think!
Maple Oatmeal Bread
Ingredients
- 2 round tsp yeast
- 1 1/8 C warm water (or 1 cup and 2 Tbsp)
- 3 C all purpose flour (I use 2 C AP and 1 cup white whole wheat)
- 1 C old fashioned oats
- 1 tsp salt
- 5 Tbsp maple syrup
- 1 Tbsp neutral oil
Instructions
- Turn oven to 180 and place a shallow dish with 1/2 inch water on bottom rack. Mix yeast in warm water and set aside for 5 minutes. In a mixer with dough attachment hook, add all remaining ingredients, stir to mix, and then add yeast mixture. Mix on low for several minutes. Place in greased loaf pan and place in oven for 20 minutes to allow it to rise. Take loaf and shallow dish out of oven and increase oven to 350. Once it reaches 350, place dough back in oven and cook for 25 minutes. Cool bread before removing from the pan and cutting. Enjoy!