Confetti Rice

Hello again!

If you follow me on Instagram, you may have seen this picture a few days ago. It’s my new favorite side dish.

View this post on Instagram

#marchcreateparty Day 23 – Confetti. The hubs and I are having confetti rice with dinner tonight. Recipe coming in a few days. #creative #veggies #vegetables #side #cooking #amcooking #foodblog #food #foodaddict #foodporn #loveit #vegetarian #rice #dinner #yum #nomnomnom #confetti #yes #happy

A post shared by Katherine Elizabeth (@kelizabethwrite) on Mar 23, 2016 at 2:37pm PDT

I have no trouble thinking of main dishes to cook, but I frequently fall apart on the sides. I cannot tell you the number of times I have agonized over what vegetables to cook. And that’s a problem considering I’m always trying to get the Hubs and I eating healthier.

Enter Confetti Rice.

Confetti Rice is solving my problems right now. It’s stuffed with veggies and gives me an excuse to eat rice, one of my favorite things.

I’ve seasoned this very lightly with a mixture of black pepper, soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, and sesame oil. I like it because it’s flavored just enough, but not so much that I can’t change it fit whatever main I’ve made. This means I can double this recipe for meal prep, and pull some out whenever I need a quick side throughout the week.

This is a perfect way for me to sneak veggies into my meal plan. If you try this easy side, post a photo and hashtag it #messycountersfp. I’d love to see your dishes.

2 tsp avocado oil (can use olive or vegetable if that’s what you have)

16 oz broccoli slaw

4 cups cooked brown rice

3 tbsp soy sauce

1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce

1-2 tsp sesame oil (depending on your preference for sesame oil)

 

In a food processor, pulse the broccoli slaw to bits, about the same size as the rice. (I did mine in batches in a small ninja).

Combine the soy sauce, Worcestershire, and sesame oil in a small bowl.

In a medium pot, heat the 2 tsp avocado oil over medium-high heat. Add the broccoli slaw and sauté until softened slightly. The colors should brighten a bit. Add in the rice, stir, then add the soy sauce mixture. Mix until fully combined and the rice is warmed through. Serve as a side, or top with soft-boiled eggs for a fun main dish.

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What would you pair this with?

Comment below!

Peanut Butter Banana Bread

Hello again!

Welcome to Post One of Bread Baking Adventures!

I stumbled on this the other week, and I just couldn’t resist.

It’s the perfect recipe to kick this series off. Just sweet enough, and with a delicious twist from the peanut butter, that it works for breakfast or even dessert. I love it covered in jam, or drizzled with honey. And it makes the most amazing cinnamon toast. I may never be able to go back!

Welcome to Messy Counters

Hi all!

For all of you that have been here a while this post won’t be news to you, but I’d like to take a minute today to discuss Messy Counters and Floured Paperbacks, why I’m here, and what I’m about.

Lets start with part one: Messy Counters. I love to cook. I love trying new recipes, but it’s more about the feeling of eating a meal I took time to make, and seeing the happiness it brings to those sharing it with me. Food really does bring people together, and I’m not sure I’ve enjoyed anything as much as someone telling me they loved my food.

I started this blog with the intention of sharing recipes I’ve tried from around the web, and have since started posting my own recipes. Working on my own recipes is a completely different experience. It’s so fun thinking up recipes, and then having to figure out how to make them the way I imagine, to balance the flavors and make it delicious in reality, not just concept. Sometimes the recipes just don’t work out the way I want them to, and I have to go back to the drawing board. This process makes me think both more critically and more creatively about my cooking, and I believe it is expanding my skill set more than simply making other recipes ever could.

So, let’s move onto the second part: Floured Paperbacks. I’ve loved reading as long as I can remember. Because of this I added in Novel Mondays, where I post reviews on the book I read that week. I wanted to talk about the books I’m reading, to help myself think about them in terms of my own enjoyment, and to be mindful of the efforts these authors took to get that book into my hands. Reading is a wonderful experience, and I hope my review will interest a few more people to pick up a book, or introduce people to new books.

 

So, for all of you that have been here a while, thank you. Thanks for checking out my posts, and thanks for sticking with me. I would love to hear any suggestions you have for the blog (recipes you want me to try, books you want me to check out). Feel free to message me through Facebook or tweet me using the icons in the sidebar.

For anyone new, thanks for stopping by! I hope you’ll check out some of my posts, and feel free to subscribe.  Have a great week!

 

I Brought You The Moon!

Hello again!

Happy New Year you guys! I feel like 2015 flew by. So much has happened, and I’m looking forward to more good things in the future.

Did you make any resolutions? Did one of them maybe involve dropping a little holiday weight? I know mine always does, so I had a chat with myself (everyone does this right? When you need an expert opinion, who better to ask than yourself?).

Self: We should kick off with a healthy recipe.

Me (still self?): Healthy? Yea, that could work. Or we could eat cookies…

Self: Cookies are good.

So here we are: Cookies! Specifically, Moon Cookies.

What are Moon Cookies, you may be asking?

Well my lovelies, Moon Cookies are what I call my great-grandmothers Swedish Oatmeal cookies.

Look, doesn’t it look kind of like the moon? All round and crater-y? Yes? No? Well, play along anyway.

These are my mothers favorite cookies, and I have to say they are extremely good for such a simple cookie. They are so delightfully crispy on the edges, but still just a little soft in the middle. They have a light vanilla flavor, and the oatmeal is just softened enough it’s not tough or chewy, but it hasn’t gone gluey. I can’t get enough!

You’ll notice below that the recipe calls for margarine. You might be tempted to use butter, because isn’t butter better, more natural? Well, yes, on most things butter is better, but in this case do not, and I mean DO NOT, use butter. The cookies don’t come out the same at all.

Trust me, many a failed cookie happened before we figured this out.

I hope you’ll try these wonderful cookies. If you do, please snap a photo and hashtag it #messycountersfp. I’d love to see what you make!

 

Swedish Oatmeal Cookies (a.k.a Moon Cookies)

¾ lb margarine (3 sticks)
1 ½ cups granulated white sugar
4 tsp vanilla
3 cups quick oats
2 cups flour
1-1/8 tsp baking soda
¼ tsp salt

Preheat oven to 375°.
Cream together sugar and margarine, then add in vanilla until well combined. Mix in the dry ingredients.
Using a large cookie scoop (mine is almost 2 inches, about 5 cm, across), scoop dough onto a cookie sheet covered with a silpat or parchment paper. Using a greased spatula or the bottom of a glass, press the cookies to flatten so they are even.
Bake for 13-15 minutes, or until golden brown. Enjoy! Makes about 24 cookies.

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Christmas Treats

Hello again!

Merry Christmas everyone! It has been a fantastic day, full of family and gifts. Every year, I put together Christmas goody baskets, and this year was no different, so I thought for today’s post I’d give you guys a look into my Christmas baking. Hope this gives you some ideas for the next holiday!

Buckeye Fudge from Barefeet In The Kitchen, and Cookies and Cream Fudge from Kirbie’s Cravings.

Can’t go wrong with fudge, and these two are quick, easy, and fool-proof!

Chex Party Mix from The Pioneer Woman.

I chose to omit the nuts, and add Cheez-Its, but I kept the flavoring mix the same, and that’s the important part.

Pumpkin Pie Spiced Pecans from Peanut Blossom.

These are heaven! It’s like Pecan Pie without the fuss. I had a hard time not eating all of these while I was bagging them.

XXL M&M Chocolate Chip Cookies from Picky Palate.

I may have made these not quite so XXL using a whoopie pie pan instead of a muffin top one. Still delicious, and a favorite at my house!

Chocolate Haystacks from LaChoy.

I’ve eaten these every Christmas since childhood. I love the chocolate/butterscotch combo, and the marshmallows are a fun texture in these crunchy no bake cookies.

Peanut Butter Blossoms.

Not sure where this recipe originated, maybe the Hershey’s packaging, but I have it written on an actual recipe card (does anyone else still have those?) in my kitchen. It’s a staple in my holiday baking.

Gingerdoodles from Bakergirl.

Yum, yum, YUM! These are my favorite. A absolutely irresistible combination of snickerdoodle and gingersnaps!

 

That’s the bulk of my holiday baking. You may have also seen my Christmas morning Cinnamon Rolls on Instagram, which are another Pioneer Woman recipe.

Have a wonderful weekend!

Novel Monday Delay

Hey guys,

I’m going to be a day late with a Novel Monday. I’m dealing with some health issues with my dog. I’ll see you tomorrow.

Food Friday – 03/20/2015

Hello again!

This week I’ve got a bit more variety for you guys.

First up,

Classic Novel Monday – On The Road by Jack Kerouak

Hello again!

So, last week I mentioned that I would be starting a new series where I read a classic novel, and as the week rolled on I realized one problem with that. I read classic novels very slowly on the whole. I am not quite halfway through On The Road at this point.

On The Road by Jack Kerouac

It’s not a long novel at just over 300 pages, and it is somewhat entertaining. It’s almost like reading

Food Friday – 03-13-2015

Hello again!

This week’s post is a bit chicken-centric.

First up, do you remember

Food Friday – Desserts 1/2/2015

Hello again!

Finally I’m starting to feel better, and it’s time for another dessert post! I’ve got some really simple, quick, and tasty recipes for you this week.