italian macaroni and cheese

Who doesn't love macaroni and cheese? I used to eat it all the time until I realized that good old mac 'n cheese was probably 80% of the reason I had a weight problem (the other part being complete inactivity). I cut it out of my diet altogether while I was losing weight, but that just made me sad. This recipe is a decent way to reintroduce macaroni and cheese into my not-entirely-unhealthy diet. The healthy part is just portion control - I eat about half of what the original recipe says is a serving, and add half a head of broccoli to make it more filling. (As I made it, this recipe is 500 calories and 25 grams of fat) Plus, steamed broccoli with olive oil, garlic, and salt is my favorite way to eat vegetables! 

Italian Macaroni and Cheese
adapted from Panera's Ultimate Macaroni and Cheese

Makes 8 servings

Cook time: ~45 minutes

Ingredients
For the pasta:

1 (16-ounce) package of pasta (any type you like!)
¼ cup butter or margarine
½ cup all-purpose flour
2½ cups milk (we use skim)
6 slices sharp Provolone, chopped
8 oz. Mozzarella, chopped
2 links hot Italian sausage
1 teaspoon salt

For one serving of broccoli to serve with macaroni:
½ head of broccoli
½ tbsp olive oil
½ tsp garlic
salt

1. Prepare pasta according to package directions. 
2. Melt butter over low heat. Whisk in flour and cook 1 minute, whisking constantly. 
3. Gradually whisk in milk; cook over medium heat, whisking until mixture thickens and bubbles. (Basically, you're making a roux / white sauce) Remove from heat. 
4. Remove sausage from casings; break into small pieces and brown (on stovetop or in microwave).
5. Add cheeses, sausage, and salt, stirring until cheese melts and sauce is smooth. 
6. Stir in pasta and cook over medium heat for 1 minute (or until thoroughly heated).
7. Chop broccoli into bite-sized pieces; mix broccoli, olive oil, garlic, and salt in a microwave-safe bowl with lid. Microwave for 1 minute. Serve on top of macaroni and cheese!

going baroque

I love dressing for summer. As much as I love layering, there's something so appealing about putting on one single piece and being done with it. Unfortunately, this attitude doesn't lend itself so well to fashion blogging: I might love my dresses, but my outfits are kind of boring. This one isn't really any more interesting than anything else I've worn lately, but I just received this dress in the mail from Target and couldn't wait to show it off. Since I'm really trying not to leave the apartment unless I have to ("outings" almost always mean shopping trips - there is nothing else to do in this town - and I'm without a paycheck at the moment. Kindly ignore the fact that I just referenced buying this dress online recently... :P), that meant posting here! This dress, by the way, is poised to become one of my favorites this summer - in addition to the fun bold print, I love the cut and the lightness of the fabric!

I've also been making progress on a conference proposal I'm currently writing. The conference is on Memory and Trauma in Irish culture, and will be held in Dublin this September (thank heavens for an extended proposal deadline!). Of course, I'm still waiting to see if I will actually be working on my PhD next fall or not, but as the proposal deadline is so soon, I just have to continue with my work in blind optimism for the next few days.

dress: Target - currently on clearance, available in XS - L! / earrings: gift

potato pizza bites

It's been a while since my last update, but exciting things have been happening over here! My husband had a successful phone interview with the Dublin branch of his company (yay!) and I will find out this week whether or not I'm going to University College Dublin for my PhD! Yeah, no pressure... My nerves have been out of control!

In any case, I've got another versatile dinner-or-appetizer recipe for you: potato pizza bites. In this household, we love potatoes. I mean, we love potatoes. We often buy an entire 5-pound bag and make some kind of potato recipe every night for a week - and we never get sick of it! That probably also has something to do with our love of routines. Well. Hopefully these potato pizza bites will help you understand, if you don't already, just how amazing and versatile potatoes can be. 

Potato Pizza Bites

Makes 40-50 bites

Prep time: ~25 minutes

Cook time: 50 minutes

Ingredients

2 medium/large potatoes
2 oz. fresh mozzarella
~1/4 cup tomato sauce (or whatever sauce you prefer on pizzas! Pesto would also be great.)

~1 tbsp olive oil
salt

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. 
2. Spray a large baking sheet with cooking spray.
3. Slice potatoes as thin as possible, and place them side by side on the prepared baking sheet. 
4. Brush potato slices with olive oil and sprinkle with salt.
5. Bake for roughly 40 minutes (you can bake for more or less time depending on how crispy you want your potatoes).
6. Cut the fresh mozzarella into cubes, roughly equal to the number of potato slices.
7. Top potato slices with tomato sauce and fresh mozzarella. Bake for 10 more minutes or until cheese is melted. Serve immediately!*

*Since the potatoes are sliced so thin, they cool pretty quickly, so you really should eat them right away. Which shouldn't be a problem. ^.^

ginger chicken pot stickers

These ginger chicken pot stickers are so light and perfect for summer - though they're a year-round favorite at our house. Since the pot stickers have to chill for an hour before cooking, my husband and I plan on making these more often than we actually do make them - we forget how much time they require, don't think about cooking dinner until the last minute, and then decide to make something else (or go out). But they're not difficult, and well worth the time invested. They make a perfect appetizer for summer get-togethers; you can also do like my husband and I and eat the entire batch for dinner. :P 

Ginger Chicken Pot Stickers

Makes 24 pot stickers

Prep time: ~1 hour 30 minutes

Cook time: ~5 minutes

Ingredients

For the pot stickers:

~1/2 small red cabbage, finely shredded

1 egg white, lightly beaten

1 tbsp reduced-sodium soy sauce

1/4 tsp red pepper flakes

1 tsp ground ginger

1/4 lb ground chicken breast, cooked and drained

Onion flakes to taste

24 wonton wrappers

1 tbsp peanut oil

For the sauce:

1/2 cup water

1 tbsp oyster sauce

2 tsp lemon juice

1/2 tsp honey

1/8 tsp red pepper flakes

1. Steam cabbage in microwave for 5 minutes, then cool to room temperature and squeeze out excess moisture with a paper towel.
2. To prepare filling, combine egg white, soy sauce, 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes, ginger, and onion flakes in a large bowl, and blend well. Stir in cabbage and chicken. 
3. To prepare pot stickers, place 1 tbsp filling in the center of one wonton wrapper. Gather edges around filling, pressing firmly and lightly coating with water to seal. Repeat with remaining wrappers and filling.
4. Place pot stickers on large baking sheet, and refrigerate for ~1 hour or until cold. 
5. To prepare the sauce, combine water, oyster sauce, lemon juice, honey, and 1/8 tsp red pepper flakes in a small bowl, and mix well. Set aside.
6. When pot stickers are chilled, heat peanut oil in large nonstick skillet over high heat. Add pot stickers and cook until bottoms are golden brown. Pour sauce over pot stickers, cover the pan and cook for 3 minutes. Uncover and cook until liquid is gone. Serve warm with plum sauce!

I got this recipe from my mother-in-law; a very similar recipe is posted here. 

work-appropriate pleather?

Possibly as a throwback to my weirder teenage years, I love slightly "edgy" pieces, but my favorite way to wear them now is to pair them with something incongruously "sweet." For one thing, it's visually interesting, but I also feel that it captures disparate sides of myself that are otherwise hard to express. 

I was thrilled to find this skirt at Target last fall because, at least in my limited experience, faux-leather skirts that are work-appropriate? Rare. Not that it matters at the moment: not only am I not working (grades submitted = summer!), but I'm not leaving the apartment today after I injured myself running yesterday... just a sore foot, but walking to the mailbox was enough activity for today. :P

cardigan: Kohl's / floral cami: Target / faux leather skirt: Kirna Zabête for Target, old / earrings: Kohl's / necklace: Kohl's / belt: old

get on your bike

I'm still in the midst of grading my students' final projects, but I took the time to go running this morning anyway, and I am so glad I did! I've read enough about the myriad benefits of exercise to know these things, but I'm still surprised every time I come back from running with more energy and a better mood. One day I'll internalize this knowledge and make my work-out schedule a little more regular... but for now, I'll post about it here to create some type of accountability for myself.

As far as the outfit goes, I love the dramatic statement of a red dress, especially with my pale skin and dark hair. I used to hate being pale (I'm one of those people who cannot get a tan, and it seems like my skin has only gotten more sensitive to sunlight!), but now I find myself deliberately choosing colors that accentuate my skin color. It's unique, and I've finally embraced that.

red bicycle print dress: Target / necklace: c/o sammydress (giveaway) / earrings: Target

I really do buy all of my clothes at Target, don't I?

another floral print

I wouldn't be surprised if a solid third of my wardrobe consisted of floral prints. I have no idea when this fascination began, but lately I can't seem to resist a pretty dress with flowers on it. The tights, however, were a happy accident. When tights go on clearance at Target or Kohl's, I buy basically every pair in my size. This pair had a strange color in the package, so I was a bit uncertain, but decided that for a little over $2, it was worth the risk. They turned out to be a nice complement for the pinks in this dress!

dress: Deb, clearance for $7.50 / cardigan: Kohl's, clearance for $9 / tights: Target, clearance for $2.30

Inspiration: The Clothes Horse

As I mentioned, yesterday was my last day of teaching. My students showcased their digital projects (websites and videos they've created) and I brought them chocolate chip cookies (I baked about 85 and, between my 2 classes, there were no leftovers!). I was so impressed with their work, and they were so sweet. Teaching is stressful work, especially with social anxiety, but days like yesterday remind me why it's worth it.

With so much grading looming over me now, I hadn't had any time to think about what I might wear today, so I decided to back through one of my favorite fashion blogs, The Clothes Horse, for some inspiration. Here's the outfit I chose:

Rebecca's looks are always so adorable, and it's actually because of seeing cute skirts like this on her blog that I bought this one. I'm typically uncomfortable in anything this short, but I just LOVE them on her, so I thought I'd give it a go. Plus, tights make short skirts a little easier to wear, in my opinion.

blouse: thrifted, New York & Co., $2.50 / skirt & belt: Kohl's, $8 / tights: Target, $3 / pearl necklace: gift

mint dress and a mustache

I'd have preferred something a little more spring-y for my last day of class, but the 45°F temperatures outside necessitated some layers (I'm also wearing sweater tights). I felt like the black tights and cardigan were metaphorically weighing down this cute mint dress - until I remembered this mustache necklace I won in a giveaway! It's so fun and light-hearted; I'm glad I finally had an opportunity to wear it!

dress: Target, $7 / cardigan: thrifted / necklace: c/o Sammydress (giveaway) / belt: Kohl's (with another dress)

cinnamon coffee cake muffins

I am undoubtedly a morning person, even though I rarely jump out of bed ready to take on the day. Instead, I prefer long, lazy mornings with coffee and a pastry while I catch up with some reading. To keep from feeling too guilty about this indulgence, I worked for weeks to perfect my recipe for low-fat cinnamon coffee cake muffins. Each muffin is approximately 90 calories, 11 grams of sugar, 1.5 grams of fat, and 2.5 grams of protein; I typically have 2 for breakfast. No, the sugar isn't healthy, but these muffins are a LOT better than the kind of breakfast I would be eating otherwise!

Cinnamon Coffee Cake Muffins

Makes 12 muffins

Prep time: ~30 minutes

Baking time: 18 minutes

Ingredients

For the batter:

2 tbsp margarine

1/8 cup no sugar added applesauce

1/4 cup white granulated sugar

6 packets Sweet'n Low

2 oz egg substitute OR 1 egg

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1/4 tsp almond extract

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt

1 cup all purpose flour

Cinnamon to taste

For the filling and topping:

1/4 cup brown sugar, packed

1 tbsp no sugar added applesauce

Cinnamon to taste

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray muffin tin with nonstick cooking spray.
2. In a medium mixing bowl, cream margarine, 1/8 cup applesauce, 1/4 cup white sugar, and sweet'n low. Add in egg substitute, vanilla extract, and almond extract.
3. In a small bowl, combine flour with baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon to taste. Add alternately with Greek yogurt to the egg mixture. 
4. To make the filling / topping, combine ingredients in a small bowl until all the sugar is dissolved.
5. Spoon 1 tbsp of the batter into each muffin tin. Top with 1/2 tsp of filling, then add another 1 tbsp of batter to each muffin. Using a pastry brush, brush remaining filling in a light layer on top of each muffin.
6. Bake at 350°F for 18 minutes. 

I hope you enjoy these muffins as much as I have!