RamblinRandol

Taste Testing Molten Cinnamon Rolls by Tasty

It’s Friday and time for another recipe you might want to try out this weekend…anything with molten in the title has to be good, right?

But first, a quick reminder I’m not a food blogger. There will be no flour-dusted cutting board photos in-between hefty paragraphs filled with adjectives. The word foodie sends an awful noise of nails on a chalkboard down my spine.

I only want to share the recipe and what I learned when baking or cooking it for the first time. The act of making food for others is how I show love, and it’s my fun time. Trying to make something for the first time is always exciting for me because you either nail it or you don’t.

Here we go:

THE RECIPE:

for 6 rolls

cinnamon roll dough, with icing
8 oz

cream cheese
¼ cup

granulated sugar
½ teaspoon

vanilla extract
½ cup

milk

Preheat oven to 400°F (200°C)
Take two cinnamon roll dough packs and press them flat into circles.
For the filling: In a medium bowl, mix together the cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla, stirring until smooth.
Add the milk and stir until there are no lumps.
Freeze cream cheese mixture for about 1 hour until it sets and is frozen but not too hard.
Scoop out a large spoonful of the mixture and place it in the center of one of the cinnamon roll dough circles. Fold the edges of the dough up the sides of the cream cheese scoop.
Place the other flattened dough circle on top, using a spoon to tuck the edges underneath. Repeat with the remaining dough and cream cheese.
Place the sealed dough balls upside down in a 9×9 (23×23) cake pan with the seams facing upwards.
Bake for 20–25 minutes until the rolls are golden brown and puffed. Drizzle the reserved icing on top of the rolls, and serve while warm.
Enjoy!

MY FINDINGS:

Don’t substitute almond milk for regular milk. It doesn’t mess with the taste of the cream cheese mixture but it does screw with the consistancy which makes it harder to handle when spreading it between the rolls.
The tuck rule in step 7 is important. I forgot, and really wished I wouldn’t have…
I used Philadelphia cream cheese, McCormick vanilla, Pillsbury (of course) cinnamon rolls, and Kroger sugar.

WOULD I MAKE IT AGAIN?

YES. The HUBS and everyone in the office who had the leftovers raved for more.

Have you tried this recipe, too? What did you think about it? Tell in the comments, belowwwwwwww.

PSS: THE ORIGINAL RECIPE CAN BE FOUND HERE.

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Taste Test: Upside Down Banana Bread Cinnamon Rolls

This Friday’s Taste Test recipe is Tasty’s upside down banana bread cinnamon rolls. How could I NOT make these? *In my Chandler Bing voice. Banana bread is my freaking favorite. I could eat a whole loaf with no guilt, seriously.

You know what banana flavor is awful? Can you guess? I’ll tell you at the end, think about it 😉 Anyways, will I love the shit out of this recipe because I love banana bread so much? Scroll to see if it made the cut!

Here we go:

THE RECIPE:

1 cup whole milk  4 tablespoons unsalted butter, 1/2 stick  ¾ oz instant yeast, 1 packet  ⅓ cup granulated sugar  ¼ teaspoon salt  3 ripe bananas, mashed   4 ½ cups all-purpose flour, divided  2 tablespoons oil

FILLING

4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

¼ cup granulated sugar

1 tablespoon cinnamon

CARAMEL SAUCE   ½ cup unsalted butter, 1 stick  1 cup brown sugar  1 teaspoon salt  1 teaspoon vanilla  ¼ cup honey  1 cup walnuts, chopped

In a large, microwave-proof bowl, combine the milk and melted butter. Microwave for 40 seconds, until the milk mixture reaches 110˚F (45˚C). Add the yeast, then let sit for 10 minutes.
Add the granulated sugar, salt, mashed bananas, and stir.
Add 3½ cups (435 g) of flour, ½ cup (60 g) at a time, stirring between each addition.
Transfer the dough to a floured surface and knead for 3 minutes, adding more flour ¼ cup (30 g) at a time if the dough is sticking to your hands or the surface. Form the dough into a ball.
Add the oil to clean large bowl and place the dough in the bowl. Cover with a kitchen towel and let rise for in the refrigerator for at least 3 hours, or overnight, until doubled in size.
Once the dough has risen, roll it out to a ¼-inch-thick (6-mm) rectangle about 18×12 inches (20×30 cm).
Make the filling by mixing the melted butter, granulated sugar, and cinnamon together in a small bowl.
Spread the filling evenly over the dough. Roll up the dough and slice into 15 1½-inch (4-cm) thick slices (discard the ends).
Make the caramel sauce: In a small saucepan over medium heat, combine the butter, brown sugar, salt, vanilla, and honey. Keep stirring to prevent the sugar from sticking to the pan. Bring to a gentle boil, then remove the pan from the heat.
Pour the caramel sauce into a 9×12-inch (23×30-cm) baking dish and sprinkle the walnuts on top of sauce. Arrange the rolls in the dish so there are 3 rows of 5 rolls.
Cover with plastic wrap and let the rolls rise for 15 minutes, in a warm place.
Preheat the oven to 350˚F (180˚C).
Remove the plastic wrap and bake the cinnamon rolls for 40 minutes, or until light golden brown.
Let cool for 20 minutes, then invert the rolls onto a serving platter. Leftover cinnamon rolls can be stored up to 5 days in the refrigerator. Reheat in the microwave or oven.

MY FINDINGS:

I used all 4 1/2 cups of flour, the recipe calls to mix 3.5 and then add 1/4 cup as needed while kneading but it is the stickiest dough EVERRR so it took all 4.5 cups.
The yeast

WOULD I MAKE IT AGAIN?

Maybe. The verdict is still out. Everyone BUT me was in love with them. 😂

Have you tried this recipe, too? What did you think about it? Tell in the comments, belowwwwwwww.

ps: It’s yogurt. Banana flavored yogurt taste like spoiled mayonnaise. Woof, just think I barfed a little…my bad!

pss: The original recipe can be found here.

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Taste Test: Baked Alaska

This Friday’s Taste Test is the Baked Alaska which is considered a unicorn in the dessert world because you don’t see it much anymore. What makes this recipe a challenge is the damn meringue.

Molding the layers of ice cream is the best part! You feel like a sculptor of foods and it’s satisfying to know you’re creating layers of goodness. An easy cheat to making the cake bit is using a white cake box mix. And you best believe I did this cheat 😉

I made this for Christmas at my Father In Law’s house, and I failed miserably. So miserably it’s comical. Never in my life had I ever made meringue and after 15-ish minutes of hand mixing the egg whites I called it good…big mistake.

As you can guess the meringue DRIPPED down the sides as everyone watched. You can’t win them all folks. Scroll to see if it made the cut and the photo proof evidence how terrible it came out.

Here we go:

THE RECIPE:

2 quarts vanilla ice cream, softened

1 (18.25 ounce) package white cake mix

1 egg

1/2 teaspoon almond extract

8 egg whites

1/8 teaspoon cream of tartar

1/8 teaspoon salt

1 cup white sugar

Line the bottom and sides of an 8-inch round mixing bowl or deep 8-inch square container with foil. Spread ice cream in container, packing firmly. Cover and freeze 8 hours or until firm.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour an 8×8 inch pan.
Prepare cake mix with egg and almond extract. Pour into prepared pan.
Bake in preheated oven according to package instructions, until the center of cake springs back when lightly touched.
Beat egg whites with cream of tartar, salt, and sugar until stiff peaks form.
Line a baking sheet with parchment or heavy brown paper. Place cake in the center. Turn molded ice cream out onto cake. Quickly and prettily spread meringue over cake and ice cream, all the way to paper to seal. Return to freezer 2 hours.
Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C).
Bake the Alaska on the lowest shelf, 8 to 10 minutes, or until meringue is lightly browned. Serve at once.

MY FINDINGS:

If using a hand mixer, whip the egg whites until you have carpal tunnel…seriously. My recommendation would be to only make meringue if you have a stand mixer because 1) easier on the wrists 2) it’s quieter, hand mixers are LOUD.

WOULD I MAKE IT AGAIN?

Yes, but not until my ego has healed. It was pretty delicious tasting, dripping meringue or not.

Have you tried this recipe, too? What did you think about it? Tell in the comments, belowwwwwwww.

pss: The original recipe can be found here.

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3 Questions To Ask Yourself To Identify Your Top Two Life Values According to Brené Brown

I learned a new life trick and my insides are bursting with giddiness to share. The life trick is about how to identify your top two life values in order to help you show up “in the arena” with tools to rumble with vulnerability, by filtering your responses or actions through those two life values, a.k.a. living into your values.

But first, let’s define a few Brene-isms for those of us who aren’t familiar with her lingo.

What does rumbling with vulnerability mean?

Vulnerability is defined as the emotion we experience during times of uncertainty, risk and emotional exposure. Brown describes to rumble as “a discussion, conversation or meeting defined by a commitment to lean into vulnerability. It’s to stay curious and generous. In a rumble, you stick with the “messy middle” of problem identification and solving.

What does showing up in the arena mean?

It’s based on this Theodore Roosevelt quote:

“It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; . . . who at the best knows, in the end, the triumph of high achievement, and who at worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly.”

Showing up in the arena means to put ourselves out there for who we truly are and stand for what we believe in.

“A value is a way of being or believing that we hold most important”

What does living into your values mean?

It means that we do more than profess our values we practice them. We walk our talk — we are clear about what we believe and hold important, and we take care that our intentions, words, thoughts, and behaviors align with those beliefs.

In order to live into your values, you first have to be able to name them. Below is a list of values to get you started, write down 10-15 that jump out at you before narrowing your list down to your top two.

Yes, two, because according to Jim Collins, “if you have more than three priorities, you have no priorities.” Brown writes, “At some point, if everything on the list is important, then nothing is truly a driver for you. It’s just a gauzy list of feel-good words.

Before you start writing, consider these 5 statements from Brené to help chose:

You only have one set of values. They don’t shift based on personal or professional.
You can only pick two values. Circle 10-15 first and work down to your top two; you can’t stop until you’ve picked two.
Your two core values will correlate with the others you circled.
Be careful to not circle words that resemble something you’ve been coached to be, words that have never felt true for you.
A value is your North Star. It’s precise and clear. They’re the beliefs that are most important and dear to you, that help you find your way in the dark, that fill you with a feeling of purpose.

When I finished I had circled the max limit of fifteen and panicked trying to image pairing it down to two core values. A few rogue words that never felt true to me did get entered in the mix, once I noticed this and eliminated the two it did start to feel more manageable.

I won’t lie; it took me one full day to cement my final two. So take the time you need. This doesn’t have to be done today, instead make your goal to physically write down your top 10-15 first.

Three Questions to ask yourself According To Brené:

Does this define me?
Is this who I am at my best?
Is this a filter that I use to make hard decisions?

How did I wrangle down the rest of the vocab words? I thought back to uncomfortable situations and nailed down when I felt it went right or wrong. If that didn’t work, then I tried to imagine myself feeling backed into a corner emotionally and asked myself, would I filter my response through this value?

This helped narrow it down to four or five, and then I slept on it.

I’m having to fight the urge to make everyone I’m in contact with do this exercise, so I can have a better understanding of where everyone is coming from because I’m a learner (which made it to my top 10) and appreciate context.

This exercise gave me clarity not only about myself as a person but as to what I can do when my face is marred by dust and sweat and blood while striving valiantly in the arena. I hope it has given you some clarity, too.

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Taste Test: Low Carb No-Bake Peanut Butter Coconut Cookies

This week’s #TasteTest recipe is a low carb no-bake peanut butter coconut cookie. I’m not on a diet but sometimes I like to try these low carb ‘treats’ just to see if they’re as good as they look. Do you think it’ll make the cut? Scroll to find out!

Here we go:

THE RECIPE:

```
⅔ cup natural peanut butter
```
```
2 tablespoons coconut oil
```
```
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
```

1 cup unsweetened shredded coconut flake

Place the peanut butter and coconut oil in a medium microwaveable bowl. Microwave for 30 seconds. Stir to combine. Add the vanilla and stir.
Add the unsweetened shredded coconut flakes and mix until evenly coated.
Dollop the mixture on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Each cookie should be around 1½ inches (4 cm) wide.
Freeze until solid, about 15-20 minutes. Store in the refrigerator in an airtight container or bag.

56.03g total carbs 37.5g dietary fiber 18.53g net carbs/per serving 18.53g/8 cookies = 2.31g net carbs per cookie

MY FINDINGS:

It is goopy and will spread all over the place, don’t make your scoops too heaping because it WILL run all over the place, haha.
My trick would be to accidentally put sweetened coconut flakes in instead of unsweetened. Just say ‘oops’ so it counts as accidental.

WOULD I MAKE IT AGAIN?

Not a chance in Hell. I would make these with Jiffy and sweetened coconut flakes though…

Have you tried this recipe, too? What did you think about it? Tell in the comments, belowwwwwwww.

ps: The original recipe can be found here.

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How Do You Stay True To Your Roots?

My biggest fear is one day I’ll wake up and won’t recognize the face looking back at me in the mirror. I worry I’ll get wrapped up in materialistic values and forget my humble beginnings.

Well-fed cornfields, dairy farms, and long country roads paint my earliest memories. The seclusion allowed freedom to shoot off model rockets with Dad and build bonfires in the backyard. Mom taught us how to build castles with books and how to use the floor vents to make sheet forts when the furnace kicked on.

Happiness never related to possessions, and it wasn’t until much later I realized my family’s resourcefulness wasn’t out of creativity but necessity. Growing up with less (and helping to carry my parent’s adult problems at a young age) made me grind for success.

A common phrase in my house growing up was “figure it out on your own,” so I put my nose to the grindstone and worked full-time while attending (and paying) my way through college. It took me almost eight years to finally get my Bachelor’s. I could only do so many college credits at a time because unlike most of my classmates, I also held the responsibility of living on my own with no financial backing.

This ambition to never quit and continue to strive for better is what landed me here, out of the restaurant industry with a job that pays well and has “regular” (off on holidays and a routine 9 to 5 schedule), located in sunny Orange County, California.

Now, when I wake up in the morning I have choices of what I want for breakfast and drive on a freeway that’s frequently littered with million dollar homes and exotic supercars, not a cornfield in sight.

Jlo speaks about this in her song, Jenny From The Block. “Don’t be fooled with the rock’s that I’ve got, I’m still, I’m still Jenny from the block. Used to have a little now I have a lot. I’ll always know where I come from (the Bronx!).

Most of us haven’t gone from a private person to a public person making millions but we’ve all experienced some form of reckoning that’s forced us to reconcile with what once was compared to what is.

Living in Orange County I’ve seen what an excess of privilege does to a person. I fear eventually I’ll get used to this good life (affording Brie, aerial classes, and financial freedom my parents never had) and forget where I came from and the values that got me here.

Now, this might sound crazy because I’m not Jlo going from nothing to holy-shit-something…

…but for those of you who have dug themselves out of the deep pits to successfully changing your own stars, know what I’m talking about. This abrupt, yet painfully slow transition from past to present is internally conflicting. And man, can we talk about the guilt for a damn second?

There are some days I have a really hard time digesting how much money I spend now compared to ten years ago. A little rotten voice in the back of my head constantly questions is what I’m buying sensible and how I should be saving it instead.

The truth is I’m not spending money on frivolous items, it’s being invested in my physical and mental well being, which is a tough concept to digest. Also, how come it feels so strange to invest in me? Ugh, a blog post for another day.

So how do you make sure you don’t forget your roots?

There’s an old saying about acknowledging your path to success and the author from Bodhi Tree writes…

“There is no way to grow and strengthen if you are walking on flat ground. You have to climb. You have to fall and claw your way back up again, and when you emerge covered in dirt, sweat and smiles, it’s beautiful! It’s worth it. If you rub away the climb and the fall, you rub away the story itself.”

Basically? It’s practicing gratitude and honoring your struggle. Acknowledging a fear means you’re aware and won’t let ‘it’ happen because you’re not living with your head in a hole.

ps: I had an afterthought aha moment…what if staying true to your roots is just remembering your past, and bringing its best lessons and values with you everywhere you continue to go and grow? It’s not about reconciling, but an important piece of staying grounded.

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Taste Test: Molten Churro Bombs

This week’s #TasteTest recipe is molten churro bombs which is code for fried drops of heaven filled with chocolate. Apparently, once you click on one recipe by Tasty you will be FLOODED with recipes on your timeline. The name alone would make anyone stop the scroll…

Do you think it’ll make the cut? Scroll to find out!

Here we go:

THE RECIPE:

- ```
1 cup water
```

4 tablespoons unsalted butter, 1/2 stick

½ cup sugar, plus 2 tablespoons, divided

- ```
½ teaspoon salt
```
- ```
1 cup all-purpose flour
```
- ```
3 large eggs
```
- ```
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
```
- ```
18 milk chocolate truffles
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- ```
oil, for frying
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CINNAMON SUGAR COATING
- ```
½ cup sugar
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- ```
2 tablespoons cinnamon
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SPECIAL EQUIPMENT
```

1 piping bag, with a small closed star tip

In a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, combine the water, butter, 2 tablespoons sugar, and the salt, and bring to a boil.
As soon as the mixture begins to boil, reduce the heat to medium-low and add the flour. Using a wooden spoon, stir until the dough comes together to form a ball, about 1 minute.
Remove the pan from the heat and let cool for 5 minutes before proceeding to avoid accidentally cooking the eggs.
Mix in the eggs, 1 at a time, fully incorporating each egg before adding the next. Then add the vanilla.
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Transfer the dough to a piping bag fitted with a closed star tip.
Pipe 18 1½-inch (3 cm) spiral rounds onto the baking sheet. Top each with a milk chocolate truffle. Pipe the dough in a spiral to cover the truffles, being careful to completely seal the chocolate. Immediately transfer the tray to the freezer and freeze for 1 hour, until solid.
Heat the oil in a deep pot until it reaches 350˚F (180˚C).
Fry in batches of 4 until nicely browned, about 3 minutes, turning so they fry evenly. Drain on a cooling rack, or paper towel-lined plate and dab off any excess oil.
Combine the remaining ½ cup sugar (100 G) and the cinnamon in a small bowl. Roll the warm churro bombs in the mixture to coat.

MY FINDINGS:

No piping bag, per usual. A good ‘ol Ziploc freezer bag with the end cut worked just as well.
When you mix the eggs in one by one it takes a while for them to mix in with the dough, don’t panic, just keep stirring. *in my Dory voice
The recipe mentions 3 minutes at 350, but mine took closer to 4 minutes to get a golden brown look. A good tell was when they began to float, mine would float a little past 3 minutes and then I’d leave them in its oil bath for 30 more seconds.
Also, don’t wait until they’re completely cool to dunk them in cinnamon sugar, the coating won’t stick as well if they don’t have a little hot oil still on them.

WOULD I MAKE IT AGAIN?

The Hubs didn’t feel the same way….here’s his review.

Yes! The melty chocolate makes for a good dipping sauce. Who wouldn’t like to dip fried cinnamon sugar bread into gooey chocolate? Hellooooo. I also feel obligated to say Hubs did not appreciate the chocolate, he’s a purist who believes the original recipe shouldn’t be messed with…but that if the chocolate was solid he might get on board. You can’t see me but my eyes are rolling, again because they rolled when he said it, too. Haha.

Have you tried this recipe, too? What did you think about it? Tell in the comments, belowwwwwwww.

ps: The original recipe can be found here.

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The Happiness Project: Your Next Read

Have you read The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin? If you have, what did you think? For those who haven’t read the book, don’t fear, I’m going to give you the book’s best bits.

Real quick for those who need and/or want context, the book is about one woman’s year dedicated to being a happier person. Each chapter provides action items to complete the month’s happiness theme. For example, chapter one (January) focused on boosting energy: her action items were going to sleep earlier, exercising better, de-cluttering, tackling a nagging task and act more energetic when she felt herself feeling exhausted.

And JIC you’ll never pick up this book, here are some takeaways, my best bits, and one personal truth you might need to hear, too.

<< keep scrolling >>

Examine your true rules. Identify the ones that are conflicting and/or unhelpful. Pay attention to the ones that are beneficial. Your true rules are mental rules of thumb or quick commonsense principles you apply to solve a problem. Example: nothing good happens after 2 AM or always greet people with a smile. What if “always in a hurry” and “enjoy the moment” are part of your true rules, it’s conflicting–work on getting rid of “always in a hurry.”
When your mind starts to go negative, flip the script and think of something funny that’ll make you laugh.
Acknowledge what makes you happy and not what you wished made you happy and do what makes you happy.
Look for happiness.
Quit waiting for ‘something special’ to use the good china or dress up nice.
“When one loves, one does not calculate.” – St. Therese of Lisieux
Play. Make more time for doing the ridiculous. Not every moment of the day needs to be efficient and productive. Lighten up.

Tips for getting your sweetheart to do chores–without nagging:

No carping from the sidelines: if your sweetheart made the travel arrangements, don’t criticize the flight time.
Suggest tasks without words: leave a note, put an empty container on the counter.
Limit yourself to one word: Instead of barking out, “I’ve told you a dozen times, stop off at the grocery store, we need milk!” Say, “Milk!”
Don’t insist that a task be done on your schedule.
Have clear assignments. My Hubs gets the car washed, I water the lawn.
Every once in a while, do your hunny’s chore.

Tips for getting a boost of energy in the next 10 minutes:

Go outside into the sunlight.
Go for a brisk walk.
Act with energy.
Listen to your favorite upbeat song.
Tackle an item on your to-do list.
Clean up!
Drink some coffee – it gets a bad rap depending on what article you read, but remember everything in moderation.

We’re more like other people, and less like other people than we suppose.
Things often get harder before they get easier.
It’s easier to keep up than catch up.
The things that go wrong often make the best memories.
We can’t make people change, but when we change others change and a relationship can change.
Most decisions don’t require extensive research.
Working is one of the most dangerous forms of procrastination.
Every room should include something purple.
Nothing stays in Vegas.
When the student is ready, the teacher appears.
Don’t expect to be motivated by motivation.
Everything looks better arranged on a tray.
Something that can be done at any time is often done at no time.
It’s easier to change your surroundings than yourself.
Starting again is harder than starting.
Go slow to go fast.
The days are long but the years are short.

How many of these feel true to you? Number one has always felt true to me and number four is both hilariously and painstakingly true, but don’t even get me started on number seven…

I work myself silly in all different directions in order to be too exhausted to chip away at my ‘write a book’ goal. This book idea (a couple if I’m being honest…) has been in my head for the last five years, FIVE. When will I push past my own self-doubt and fear to tackle this dream?

Do you have a dream you distract yourself from doing?

I think step one (for me) needs to be to schedule it into my weekly routine and then stick to it so I make it a habit. Other times I think I just need a secluded environment for three days to knock it out. Oh yeah, and accountability. Maybe I need to pay my Hubs $20 every time I flake on myself, that’s motivational…hahaha.

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Cheesy French Onion Chicken

This week’s taste test recipe is a cheesy French onion chicken recipe I found on Tasty. This recipe has minimal steps AND ingredients, it can all be done in one SINGLE pan. If I could insert an Oprah gif (the one where she’s telling everyone they get a car) I would put it right here because one pan clean ups are my FAVORITE kinds of recipes…but will it make the cut?

In the honor of full disclosure I will tell you I’ve never been a fan of French onion soup…but my Hubs loves French onion so I made it knowing if I hated it he’d probably love it and would devour the leftovers.

Here we go:

THE RECIPE:

6 boneless, skinless chicken thighs  salt, to taste  pepper, to taste  1 tablespoon garlic, minced  1 tablespoon dried parsley  1 tablespoon butter  6 large onions, thinly sliced  1 tablespoon fresh thyme  1 cup beef stock  2 cups gruyère cheese, shredded  bread, sliced and toasted, to serve

In a bowl, add the chicken thighs, salt, pepper, garlic, dried parsley, and olive oil, and toss until evenly coated.
Add the chicken to a skillet on medium-high heat. Sear until golden brown, about 4 minutes. Flip and cook the other side of the chicken, 2 minutes. Remove the chicken from the pan and set aside.
Preheat oven to broil.
Add the butter, sliced onions, salt, and pepper to the same pan, stirring occasionally until softened. Reduce heat to low and cook until they are deeply caramelized, about 1 hour.
Add thyme and beef broth and bring the mixture to a simmer.
Add the chicken on top of the onions, and sprinkle with Gruyère cheese.
Broil for 5 minutes, until the cheese is melted and golden brown.
Serve over bread.

MY FINDINGS:

I didn’t have the time frame to reduce the onions down for an hour, it ended up being 30-ish minutes instead which was still flipping awesome.
No parsley or thyme in my cabinet like I thought (wasn’t going back to the grocery store, again) so I found a spice blend floating around the pantry called “Pasta Sprinkle” and used it instead. It contained Mediterranean oregano, California basil, and minced garlic.
If you’re curious about how much cheese I used, it was the e.n.t.i.r.e. block for good measure 🙂 My Hubs says you can never use enough cheese, haha.

WOULD I MAKE IT AGAIN?

HELL TO THE YES, IT WAS BOMB-DIGGITY! It is easy to make and packed full of flavor. It’s going in my rotation for dinners, for sure. Fun Fact: if you ditch the bread it’s Keto and/or low carb.

Have you tried this recipe, too? What did you think about it? Tell in the comments, belowwwwwwww.

ps: The original recipe can be found here.

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May is Mental Health Awareness Month

May is mental health awareness month and I wanted to dedicate this week’s post to remind everyone how important it is to keep the conversation about mental health-relevant.

Did you know:

1 in 5 young people in the U.S. has a diagnosable mental health disorder before age 18.
Half of the adults who struggle with a lifetime mental illness had symptoms before age 14, but most received no help.
Only about 1.3 of kids with mental health problems today receive any treatment.
Every dollar invested in children’s mental health saves $7 in future public costs.
Suicide is the second leading cause of death among young people ages 10-24.
Stigma, denial, and lack of access to care are barriers to healing.
The earlier a child receives high-quality, evidence-based care, while the brain is rapidly developing, the greater the possibility of a positive outcome.

I’ve started to align myself with brands and people who are invested in self-care and mental health. The T-shirt company Self Care Is For Everyone does both and I am IN LOVE WITH THEM.

Its mission is to normalize the conversation around mental health and provide gentle reminders to our community of their inherent self-worth by emphasizing the importance of self-care in hopes of creating a future in which suicide and self-harm become things of the past. Also, 10% from the sales on our site go to the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline (1-800-273-8255), which provides free and confidential emotional support to people in suicidal crisis or emotional distress 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, across the United States.

This is also their definition of self-care that I love to read every once in a while for a healthy reminder it’s okay to put myself first.

To be able to take care of others, you must first learn to take care of yourself. Self-care is often used as a vague term but put simply, self-care is anything you do to be good to yourself. Self-care is consciously choosing to be kind to yourself in whatever capacity you need. This includes being compassionate in the way you speak to yourself. Self-care is needed for the well being of your mental health & your physical health.

Ironically enough, when struggling with a mental illness, basic self-care becomes the least of your worries. However, your mental health, physical health, and spiritual health are all connected and caring for all three can be a crucial part of the recovery process. While self-care means something different to each person you meet, we all need it to survive. Self-care is understanding how you recharge, or what you need in order to feel the strength to take care of everything else going on in your life. Having a self-care practice forces you to get to know yourself on a deeper level, to better understand what you might need in a given moment. Do you need to lay down and listen to music for a bit? Do you need to go for a walk? Or do you need to make time to catch up with an old friend?

I plan on buying a size small in every shirt possible, basically. I have the “Grow Through What You Go Through” and “You Are Enough” t-shirts, they’re the perfect reminder for me.

Click here if you’re curious to see if they’ve got a shirt perfect for you too!

What will you do for yourself this month?

COME BE MY FRIEND ON INSTAGRAM. I’M HILARIOUS OR BE MY PENPAL/DEAR DIARY SERIES 👇👇 & SIGN UP VIA THE LINK: EEPURL.COM/DIENVJ