Weekly Sandwich: "Grilled Brie"

by
Foodie Fish

Is it sweet? Is it savory? Is it breakfast? I don't know. All I know is that this delicious grilled cheese is gooey and flavorful.

Personally, I love cinnamon. The aroma is PROVEN to lift one’s spirits. Well cheese naturally makes me happy, and with cinnamon? Ah, heaven in a bite. I love the way the cheese oozes out of a grilled cheese and it just melts as your eating it. This may not be your conventional all-American grilled cheese, but if your adventurous and looking for new flavors, you have got to give it a try.

INGREIDIENTS

· 12 ounces of quality brie (choose one with a mild and buttery flavor)

· 4-6 thin slices of a Granny Smith apple

· 2 slices of oatmeal bread

· 1 tablespoon of butter

· 2 teaspoons of cinnamon

· 2 teaspoons of clover honey (or any type of non-flowery honey)

DIRECTIONS

1. Build the sandwich with the brie, apple, and bread

2. Place in a skillet over medium heat. Cook until the bottom is golden and the cheese begins to melt. Carefully turn the sandwich and cook until golden and the cheese has melted completely

3. Plate the sandwich, and while it is still hot sprinkle the cinnamon on the sandwich and drizzle the honey over it

My New Obsession: White and Brown

I don't know why, but lately the combination of thick white fabric with brown leather accessories has become something of an obsession of mine. I believe it began with Ralph Lauren, which recently featured a handful of brown and white accessories.

Summer is officially here, and with that comes white. While white with colors is always fun, I find that the addition of a brown leather belt gives it a little something extra- a touch of earthiness to bring the look more down to earth and keep it from looking too Wilhelmina Slater...

I actually came across this look yesterday at J.Crew. Normally, I find J.Crew's looks a little too weekend casual for my taste, but the clean-cut nature of the dress coupled with the casual belt somehow hit the right balance between elite and chill.

~mode mare

One Smart Cookie!

by
Foodie Fish

No, finals are not known for being something to look forward to, but fueling your brain on brain-nourishing foods is always fun! This weekend, I made a flourless cookie with brain super foods proven to be good for your brain and possibly even improve concentration. Perfect for finals :-)

• 1 cup mashed bananas
• ½ cup peanut butter
• ½ cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 egg
• Semi-sweet of milk chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Spray/oil/ butter a baking sheet.

Combine banana, sugar, and peanut butter. Beating with an electric mixer is heavily recommended. Add vanilla, a beaten egg, and baking soda. Continue to mix until smooth and creamy. Fold in chocolate chips.

Shape the cookies into round balls then flatten them a bit on the baking sheet. (I like to make my cookies nice and big.)

Bake for about 10-15 minutes.

You can also make these cookies marbled, which is where you melt the chocolate before mixing it in the batter for those cool chocolate swirl

These cookies are moist, cakey, and they have the texture similar to banana nut muffins or a black and white cookie. They have awesome balance between peanut butter and banana. The chocolate chips are just the icing on the cake!

They are called smart cookies because peanut butter has healthy fats for your brain and omega-3’s come from the egg. Bananas are also said to be good for your brain, and cocoa powder in the chocolate is proven to improve concentration. The Aztecs used to eat chocolate like medicine to make them smarter!

I hope you consider whipping up a batch before your next exam to fuel your brain, as well as relieve some of that stress from studying.

Princeton nails!

Once a year, the alumni of Princeton descend upon the town in a flamboyant wave of orange and black. I've seen tiger-themed outfits of every sort, ranging from simple t-shirts to classy orange sundresses to all out nutsy striped get-ups.

This year, it was my turn to join in the tradition of orange madness. For my first reunion, I went all out- orange dress, tiger necklace, and, of course, orange nails. But not just any orange nails- I asked the manicurist to give me an orange-and-black French manicure!

Reunions was two weeks ago, and as of earlier today, my nails had yet to chip, which is miraculous considering how un-careful I am with them!

~mode mare

Easy Turkey Bolognese

by
Foodie Fish

So I went to our local Pennsylvania Dutch Market Saturday and got fresh ground turkey meat. After we got home, we realized that night I had a birthday party to go to (with 16 courses, yum!) Then I wondered what to do with the ground turkey so that I could cook it, not have to freeze it, or eat it that night. Then I thought Bolognese sauce.

There is an Italian market in our area named D’Angelo’s with the best fresh pasta around. Then I stopped by this super healthy grocery store called Whole Earth Center to get some organic ingredients. I wanted something nice and easy, so I stuck with the basics.

INGREDIENTS

• Ground turkey
• 1 can of organic roasted canned tomatoes (not strained)
• 1 can of organic tomato paste
• ¾ of a minced onion
• ½ a clove of minced garlic
• Rosemary
• Oregano

Put all the ingredients in a slow cooking pot and mix. Place the pot on the stove on high to bring it to a boil. Once the sauce is boiling, put the fire on low and let it simmer for about half an hour.

Serve with your favorite pasta such as bowtie, penne, or spaghetti. You can even layer it with lasagna sheets with ricotta and parmesan cheese in between! Just bake the lasagna in the oven at a pre-heated 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 25 minutes covered with aluminum foil, then another 25 without the foil.

I love the aroma that comes out of that pot when cooking! I hope you enjoy!

Quick, What's For Breakfast?

by

Foodie Fish

It sure looks like a cookie, it sure tastes like a cookie, but it’s breakfast! Introducing a super-easy no-bake breakfast cookie. Simple, quick, and nutritious.

INGREDIENTS:

· 1/3 cup of rolled oats

· 1 tablespoon of peanut butter (or any type of nut butter of your choice)

· 1/8 cup of milk

· ½ cup of mashed bananas (you can use something like canned pumpkin or apple sauce too!)

Mix all the ingredients together to create a dough. Put it on a plate in a flat, round shape. Cover it with plastic wrap and refrigerate it overnight.

Easy right? It’s ready to eat by the next morning. I usually do so with a spoon :-)

Edge It Out With Lace

As anyone who has met me can attest, I like skirts. And I have a ton of them- all of the preppy and/or girly variety. Sometimes, however, I get a little tired of the "sweet" look inherent in a lot of my skirts, such as this pink silk number I picked up at a consignment shop a few years ago.

So today, instead of pairing it with the usual white button down or soft top, I wore it with a black lace top to give it a little edge. What do you think?

~mode mare