When your husband has been out of town all month, you make a bitchin’ bowl for dinner every night. It’s far better than the eggs and toast which usually fill that stark white dinner plate. And it’s ready in five minutes. And for just a second, it makes you forget that you’re alone in a condo fully dressed in Christmas garb at the end of January.

Three and a half years later. One semester to go. My husband is nearing the end of graduate school. At least the school part. He’s currently touring the country interviewing for internships. Connecticut. Maryland. Ohio. Michigan. Tennessee. Illinois (current home). Louisiana. Kentucky. Colorado. In one short month we’ll find out where we’re going. February 24. Match day. A simple email holds our fate.

But until then, you wait. You make a big batch of bitchin’ sauce. You eat a bitchin’ bowl for dinner every night. And you turn on the Christmas tree like it’s going out of style.

Bitchin’ Bowl
Recipe inspired by Amy who got the idea from the Bitchin’ Sauce creators

1/2 bowl-ish brown rice, cooked
1/2 avocado, diced
2 cherry tomatoes, diced
1 spoonful onion, diced
1 1/2 spoonfuls canned corn, drained
2 spoonfuls canned black beans, drained
2 heaping spoonfuls of bitchin’ sauce

1. Place ingredients in a bowl.
2. Mix.
3. Eat. Repeat.

Now tell me this recipe isn’t awesome.

Pardon my language. Allow me to explain.

Amy: Can you help me recreate a sauce?
Me: Sure [said with hesitation]. I can try.
Amy: It’s vegan.
Me: Oh never mind, that’s way out of my league. You’ll have to ask Genesis.
Amy: I already did. She told me to ask you.
Me: Shoot. No promises though [said with confidence].

Next thing you know, we’re sitting around Amy’s kitchen table. Pinkies lifted high. A chip cracker in hand. Palettes cleansed. Let the Bitchin’ Sauce tasting begin. Dip, taste, dip, taste, ponder. Dip, taste, pretend you know what you’re doing, write. And repeat.

Definition: Bitchin’ Sauce (nerb—noun + verb) is a bitchin’ (for lack of a better word) sauce sold at the San Diego farmers market. It comes in 3 varieties—original, chipotle, pesto. It’s both vegan and gluten-free. And the taste? It’s oh-em-gee out of this world! (Coming from a girl who turns her nose up at all things vegan. Mark my word—this sauce made me a lover.) Almonds give the sauce its creamy base. While lemons provide a lovely kick at the end. Its only downfall—you can’t get it in Chicago. Hence Amy’s question—can you help me recreate a sauce?

100 chips later and the dip/taste sequence came to a close. We had a list of ingredients. And yes, we cheated by writing down the ingredients from the label. However, if the word “spices” had been a bit more specific, we could have saved those chips for another time. Travesty.

After the list was secured, we reconvened at Genesis’ house. Wrote up a rough recipe. And turned the VitaMix to high. A couple tweaks later. And Houston, we have Bitchin’ Sauce! Or darn close to it.

Eat it on a chip. Or even on a vegetable. Or stay tuned to how I’ve been eating it everyday for the past 2 weeks. San Diego peeps—how do you eat your Bitchin’ Sauce?

Bitchin’ Sauce (Original Flavor)
makes about 2 cups

3/4 c. + 2 tbsp. water
1/2 c. + 2 tbsp. grapeseed oil
1/2 c. raw almonds
1/4 c. + 2 tbsp. lemon juice, fresh
3 tbsp. nutritional yeast
2 cloves garlic
2 tsp. bragg liquid aminos
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. cumin
1/2 tsp. chili powder
1/4 tsp. coriander
1/4 tsp. paprika

1. Place all ingredients in a high-powdered blender (such as a VitaMix). Slowly blend for one minute. Turn the dial up to high, and continue to blend for 1-2 minutes or until smooth and creamy.
2. Store in the refrigerator. Sauce may separate. Stir and it’s as good as new.

Side note:
• Nutritional Yeast and Bragg Liquid Aminos can be found at Whole Foods. If you’re not vegan, the ingredients may seem like a bit of an investment. But let me tell you, it’s one worth making.
• 2 tablespoons = 1/8 cup (If you happen to have one of those laying around.)
• Although I haven’t tried it, I think a food processor will work to make this sauce.
• This sauce doesn’t last long enough in my fridge to figure out its shelf life. 
• If you’re stopping through San Diego, you must give the real deal a try. It just might revolutionize your life. Word on the street—they may start shipping soon. 

Alarm. Snooze. Sleep. Alarm. Snooze. Sleep. Alarm. Crap. Hurry. Shower. Breakfast?

Most mornings look like this. They are far from glamorous. Disheveled hair. Eyes wide shut. Husband pushing me out of bed. Bumping into walls. It’s a miracle I make it out the door every morning. And then there’s breakfast. The biggest afterthought of the day next to my untamed thick, wavy hair. Usually, it’s a bowl of cereal with severe hunger by 10:30 am. Until I saw the miracle of all miracles. On-the-go-oatmeal from With Style and Grace. Genius. Make it ahead of time. Heat it up in the morning. While still enjoying a couple snoozes? Yes please!

For a gluten free version, check out With Style and Grace.

Baked Oatmeal To-Go
adapted from Cooking Light; yields 12 “muffins”; originally posted here

2 c. uncooked oats (quick-cooking or old fashioned work)
1/2 c. packed brown sugar
1/2 c. craisins or other dried fruit
1 tbsp. chopped walnuts
1 tsp. baking powder
1 1/2 c. skim milk (sometimes I use 2%)
1/2 c. unsweetened applesauce (jarred or homemade works)
2 tbsp. butter, melted
1 large egg beaten

1. Preheat oven to 375°. Spray muffin tin or line with paper liners and set aside.
2. Combine first 5 ingredients in a medium bowl.
3. Combine the milk, applesauce, butter, and egg.
4. Add milk mixture to oat mixture and stir well.
5. Using a 2-ounce trigger release ice-cream scoop, add oatmeal to the muffin tin. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until edges begin to brown.
6. Allow to cool for 10 minutes before removing, using an offset spatula to loosen. Serve or store covered in the refrigerator for up to a week. Heat for 1-2 minutes in the microwave.

Side note:
• If you’re debating serving size—I eat 2 at a time plus eggs.
• Coffee pictured is from Fresh Ground Roast. My favorite roasters these days.  

I think this wintery forecast has me feeling all giddy inside. So giddy I want to give you a little something something. It’s true. One lucky winner will receive a shiny new cowl. Made by me. In the color of your choice.

Lets not waste any time. Two chances to win. Here are the deets: 
1. Leave a comment. Tell me your favorite cowl color—barley, marble, oatmeal, or charcoal. Click here for color details.
2. Sharing is caring. Tweet OR share on Facebook and leave a comment.

Fine print: Giveaway ends Tuesday, January 17 at 12:00 am CST. Winner will be chosen at random using random.org. Winner will be notified by email and has 48 hours to respond. Open to US residents only.

And the winner is Morgan Bayard who will soon be sporting a Charcoal cowl!

My mom is the first to say she doesn’t like to bake. I’m still not sure where my love obsession came from. Somehow my sister picked up the habit too—proof. But despite my mom’s distaste for baking, she makes a mean cobbler. In the summers it’s filled with the ripest of peaches. And through the winters it’s filled with the blackest of blackberries. Always topped with ice cream of course. This tastes like home to me.

Home. Where I returned from just days ago. Already missing the people I have known for a lifetime. I still wonder why I ever moved away. And then I’m reminded of the greedy Texas* heat that steals winter’s thunder. The heat that also leaves me grumpy for weeks on end. I’m a winter girl at heart. I still melt with every snowfall. I love it’s quiet demeanor. And the beautiful way it paints the landscape white.

I love it’s whispering reminders to stop. And if you listen really close, it’ll tell you to make blackberry cobbler. To cuddle up on the couch with a warm mug. And just be. If only I could convince winter and home to exist in the same place. Until then, I’ll keep making cobbler.

As for the recipe, mom says just remember—a cup, a cup, a cup, a stick.

Mom’s Blackberry Cobbler
serves 8 

1 stick butter (1/2 c.), salted
1 c. self rising flour
1 c. sugar
1. c. buttermilk
1 1/2–2 c. blackberries (or other fruit)

1. Preheat the oven to 350°. In an 8×8 inch baking dish, add butter and place in the oven until melted and slightly bubbling, not browned.
2. Meanwhile, sift the flour and sugar together. Whisk in the buttermilk. Batter should be pourable. If too thick, add 1 teaspoon of buttermilk at a time.
3. Once the butter is melted, remove from the oven, and immediately pour in batter. Edges will begin to cook. Generously add the fruit. Return to oven, and bake for 30-35 minutes or until crust is golden.
4. Serve warm with ice cream.

*I apologize to all Texas lovers for this post. Don’t hate me.