Cooking Lady - Black Bean Soup

Since I've been working 60-hour weeks this past month, I've been using my Sunday afternoons to cook multiple meals to last a week. Last Sunday I made black bean soup that turned out great. I think this one is definitely worth sharing:

Black Bean Soup
2 cloves garlic
2 cans black beans
1 can chicken stock
1.5 C salsa
2 C water
1 chicken breast cooked & cut into 1" chunks
1 T lime juice
Goat Cheese to garnish
Avocado slices to garnish

Brown the garlic in a heavy sauce pan in 2 T olive oil. After nicely browned, add the black beans, chicken stock, salsa and water. Bring to a boil then use a potato masher to thicken the substance. Lower to a simmer and add chicken chunks and lime juice. Allow to simmer further for another 10 minutes. Serve warm w/goat cheese and avocado slice as a garnish.

ENJOY!

10 Things to Love

1. Crab Bisque with Sherry from McCormicks. I had it at a lunch meeting this week and it was the perfect dish to warm me up.

2. All forms of pilates...reformer, cadillac, wunda chair, magic circle, wall unit & mat. If anyone has a nice little sum of money they'd like to give me, I'd snatch up this one in a heartbeat!

3. Since the golf courses are closed, work is once again progressing on the basement. Jeremy has the rough-in electrical done and will start drywall soon. Hopefully in a few months my work begins with selecting the finishes.

4. Blood oranges.

5. Grande Skinny Hazelnut Latte. This has been keeping me alert during day and likely causing the insomnia. But working 60+ a week this month has been taxing and I need all the help I can get to keep me going.

6. Duke basketball - hoping for a big win at Clemson tonight!

7. All of the great spring apparel hitting the stores right now. Here's a few of my favorite pieces to hit Banana, Loft, and J Crew. I'm holding on to a few gift cards in hopes that I'll be able to cash in on some spring sales!

8. Oatmeal with Cheddar Cheese. It may sound weird but this is the perfect breakfast on Sunday mornings before I go to class.

9. My Moleskin 12 month Daily Planner Boxed Set & Desk Calendar. The Daily Planner is actually functioning as a journal and the desk calendar is perfect for jotting down my daily to-do list. The best part? Finding them at Crate & Barrel for a steal.

10. The very mild weather, with highs in the 60s last week it was tough to remember it's only January.

Haiti

I haven't been up to much these last few weeks other than work, pilates and more work; nothing too exciting or noteworthy. I've been hesitant to post anything about Haiti because it is just so sad, but I do have some amazing photos that I think every American should see.

I had two co-workers who were in Haiti last week doing water resources work during the earthquake. My company has been doing work with Haiti Outreach for a few years and have been looking for potable water for the people of Haiti. Thankfully they were actually out at sea when the quake hit and didn't know about the quake until they arrived to the island of La Gonave. After returning to Port-Au-Prince 48-hours after the quake you can still see the dust in the streets and the desperation on the faces. Before the quake the Haitians faced a real challenge in their day-to-day existence. Seeing the evidence of the non-existence infrastructure is a good reminder of how long it will take for the Haitians to re-cover. The infrastructure is so lacking the ability to turn on a tap is nothing short of a miracle to these people.

These photos are a reminder that while our day-to-day livelihood can be rough from the economy or over-extending our schedules, etc., we will never know the challenges the Haitians face.

Keeping the Haitians in our prayers-XOXO

Baking Lady - Sea Salt Caramel Shortbread

I made this shortbread recipe for Christmas and fell in love these beauties. After baking my Simple Scotch Shortbread recipe in a 13"x9" pan that was lined with parchment paper I topped it off with this addition:

Caramel Topping
1/2 C unsalted butter
1/2 C packed brown sugar
6 T light corn syrup
1 t. salt
2 t. granulated sugar
2 T heavy cream
Combine above ingredients in a heavy saucepan cooking over medium-high heat, stirring until sugar dissolves. Bring to a boil, then stir constantly until thickened for about 5-7 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in 1/2 t. vanilla extract. Pour over shortbread in the pan.

Once the caramel topping is cool, add sea salt flakes and cut into 1"x1" squares and enjoy!

Happy Birthday Aunt Kay!

Today is my Aunt Kay's 29th birthday! Doesn't she look great?!?! Jeremy and I wish we could say Happy Birthday in person, because then it means we'd be on a mini-vacation. Alas, a cyber-wish will have to do. I hope this year treats you great and we see you soon!

Blue Sky Cafe

I had a business meeting over breakfast at Blue Sky Cafe this morning. If you've never been there or if it's been a while I urge you to return. The cafe doubles as Blue Sky Yoga in the evenings...and they are now a Donation Based Seva Yoga studio. I'm not a fan of yoga personally, but I love the intent behind this cafe. This means that they "donate all proceeds (the only exception being instructor's wages) to organizations we believe make honest contributions to people in need donating yoga classes to local non-profits." This is pretty cool and it helps that they have great breakfast.

Since I've been wearing through my workout wear very regularly I'm always on the lookout for new pieces to add to my collection. Lululemon is a fav for no other reason than I love their culture. Doesn't their manifesto make you want to live your life healthier?

Prayers please...

Julia's family can really use your prayers. Her father-in-law is facing a horrible battle and any extra prayers you can pass along will be greatly appreciated.