Kelocity.com

A runner with an appetite for adventure!

Luck of the Irish Cupcakes! March 17, 2011

Filed under: Cooking,Food,Friends — Kelocity @ 9:24 pm
Tags: , , , ,

This is not a food blog, nor do I claim it to be so. It’s pretty obvious that I have absolutely no creative cooking skills what-so-ever. But that doesn’t prevent me from seeing amazing recipes on other great food blogs and recreating them myself.
IMG_4358

Today’s culinary adventure comes from Green Lite Bites (who had a baby today, by the way!!) She posted a great recipe for green cupcakes! Erika and I had a dinner party tonight, and these were the perfect dessert for St. Patrick’s Day!!
IMG_4367

But here’s the kicker…. the recipe calls for a box of cake mix, some applesauce and this magic ingredient:

A whole bag of spinach!
IMG_4361

Ok, I know, sounds gross… but trust me on this one. Roni doesn’t steer you wrong.

You puree the spinach with the applesauce for a while in the food processor:
IMG_4363

Yep. A whole bag! Pregnant ladies need their nutrients!
IMG_4380

Then you mix the green mixture with a box of cake mix… and stir, baby, stir!
IMG_4386

I know, I agree, it sounds gross. But I did some batter sampling, and I can tell you that all I tasted was vanilla.
IMG_4388

We used mini cupcake tins to make bite sized treats.
IMG_4390

It’s so much fun baking with friends!
P1020147

They came out of the oven perfect! They even rose up like normal cupcakes do.  We dyed our frosting green too (for the record, frosting=unhealthy… but I could eat a jar of frosting with a spoon, and in my world, cupcakes need frosting!)
IMG_4403

I experimented with a piping tip to make them look all pretty, I need a little practice though.
IMG_4409

So pretty!
IMG_4415

We tasted them and they were pretty rocking. They were rich and moist, with lots of vanilla flavor.
P1020154

Happy St. Patrick’s Day!
IMG_4411

 

Delicious Dinner + Dessert March 16, 2011

Filed under: Cooking,Food,Friends — Kelocity @ 10:22 pm
Tags: , ,

Tonight, my friend Janet came over for dinner. I originally promised her a crockpot recipe, but I couldn’t get my act together in time to set it this morning. So instead, I scoured the blog world for an easy healthy recipe for us to enjoy. Luckily that’s not too hard to do. I decided on Stuffed Peppers with Tomato Basil Cream Sauce from How Sweet It Is (her blog is amazing, by the way!) I went to the grocery store and got all the ingredients…. except for the peppers!! How can you make stuffed peppers without the peppers? So I had to make a second trip. Lame!

IMG_4321

I never noticed how beautiful the texture of an onion can be. I’m starting to love this photography thing! Though I’m still having an issue with low light… any suggestions? When the light is low, the picture is blurry!

IMG_4323

IMG_4328

I followed the recipe exactly (except I didn’t have Parmesan cheese. They came out AMAZING.

IMG_4338

IMG_4341

Janet made some twice baked potatoes to go with it. They were incredible. We ate them with ketchup (of course! I’ll eat anything with ketchup). She says the secret is adding lots of cheese. You can’t go wrong with cheese.
IMG_4332

For dessert, I whipped up my favorite Banana Soft Serve. This time, we blended in some chocolate peanut butter and Nutella and topped with fresh strawberries. It tasted like a Reeces Peanut Butter cup (only better…. and way healthier!)
IMG_4344

We spent the rest of the night scrapbooking. I promise to post my scrapbook pages when the book is complete!!! Night!

 

Match made in Heaven March 14, 2011

Filed under: Food — Kelocity @ 5:44 pm
Tags: ,

I firmly believe that Bananas and Stawberries were put on this earth for the sole purpose of pairing them with chocolate. =) When we were at Henry’s yesterday, we found this homemade Chocolate Peanut Butter for a pretty decent price, and we HAD to get it.
IMG_4292

The strawberries we bought were the size of my hand. They were huge, ripe and delicious!
IMG_4296

I sliced those babies up right away and tried out our new treasure!
IMG_4298

Just as I expected, It was awesome. Dinner was some bread smeared with the chocolate PB topped with Strawberries and Bananas. I just couldn’t resist.
IMG_4301

IMG_4303

I might have to recreate this tonight.

 

Photos 101 March 13, 2011

Filed under: Food,Los Angeles,Photography — Kelocity @ 7:14 pm
Tags: , ,

We completely forgot about the time change last night. We woke up when we woke up, and we plowed through more our to-do list and really didn’t even notice the clocks changed. I guess that’s a good thing. Sometimes it’s nice not having an agenda, you literally loose track of time.

Yesterday, I spent a lot of time on Skype. I talked to my grandparents, my aunt and cousin, and my mom! (Hi Mom!)

Living 3,000 miles from my family is tough, but Skype definitely helps. Thank god for technology!
IMG_4070

Last night, Erika and Timmy stayed after our dinner party and we all watched Polar Bear: Spy on the Ice. It was Awesome! It was so cute, and such a good story.
IMG_4092

This photo was taken yesterday afternoon, but pretty much summed up the evening.
IMG_4101

Be prepared for some better photos on Kelocity. I started stealing Irving’s camera, and I’m not afraid to use it (anymore).

I’m really trying to teach myself about photography and be a little more creative. I’m loving new photos that look like this!
IMG_4116

I’m also making the photos a little bigger on the blog and taking away the rounded edges. Let’s try it for a bit and see if we like it, shall we? Let me know if you have any suggestions!
IMG_4219

This morning, we headed over to the Americana in Glendale. We just wanted to get outside and stretch our legs for a bit. It was a beautiful morning!
IMG_4214

IMG_4222

IMG_4225

IMG_4231 IMG_4221

IMG_4252

We had a blast strolling around, holding hands and talking about our 10-year plan. haha. We love to dream together.
IMG_4229

Speaking of dreaming…. haha
IMG_4227

And more photography experimenting.
IMG_4241

We worked up an appetite and headed to Acapulco for a champagne buffet brunch. We were seated in between a baby shower and a bachelorette party. But it was still a nice time.
IMG_4258

Champagne included? Yes please! We enjoyed ourselves, but didn’t over indulge. The day was still young!

IMG_4263

Then we walked around Henry’s, a fantastic grocery store with lots of fresh products. Right when we walked through the door, I saw this! (I bought two!)
IMG_4275

They sell lots of things ala cart too. If you want to buy 3 peanuts or a half cup of sugar, you can! Today I grabbed a cup of shredded coconut for some oatmeal this week.
IMG_4276

They even sell protein powder by the ounce.
IMG_4277

Irving ordered some meat from the butcher and I perused around.
IMG_4279

The rest of the afternoon was spent doing our taxes. Not fun. Have a great week everyone!
IMG_4284


What’s your #1 camera tip for someone like me who is just figuring out what aperture, F-Stops and Macro settings are?

 

Houseparty: Kraft Philadelphia Cooking Crème (And a Giveaway!)

Filed under: Cooking,Food,Friends,Giveaway — Kelocity @ 8:04 am
Tags: , , , ,

Last night, we had some friends over to enjoy an evening of cooking, dining and laughing, courtesy of Kraft and Houseparty.
They sent us some goodies, including their new Philadelphia Cooking Crème to cook up some delicious meals.
IMG_4089

We would be cooking two recipes: Chicken Bruschetta Pasta and Creamy Chicken and Broccoli Casserole.
IMG_4068

The kitchen was prepped…
IMG_4081

The table was set…
IMG_4082

Let the cooking begin!
IMG_4109
They also sent this Todd English Pan to test out… and it was pretty awesome.

IMG_4108

Once everyone arrived, we (the girls)  got started on our first recipe:
IMG_4134

Danielle took one for the team and cut up all the chicken. That’s my least favorite cooking task.
IMG_4145

IMG_4143

Erin got the magic ingredient ready!
IMG_4146

We used the ‘Savory Garlic’ flavor in the casserole.
IMG_4147

IMG_4150

While the casserole was in the oven, Erika manned the stove and cooked the chicken for the next dish!
IMG_4152

The pan worked really great!
IMG_4167

We used the Original Flavor in the Pasta dish.
IMG_4170

IMG_4141 IMG_4135

Friends!
IMG_4178

To finish off the Bruschetta Pasta, we added in the fresh basil.
IMG_4179

Then the Casserole came out of the oven… slightly undercooked. If you make this recipe, make sure you cook the chicken BEFORE putting it in the oven, because ours definitely wasn’t done.
IMG_4187

We paired our two savory dishes with a simple salad to lighten it up a bit. I thought they were pretty good. Next time, I’d make the Bruschetta Pasta with the Savory Garlic instead of the Original flavor.

IMG_4183

For dessert, we had an Oreo Ice Cream cake and a lemon tart.
IMG_4190

Both were fantastic. We did some serious damage to the cake though.
IMG_4191

What a fun night with friends! Hi Irving and Erin!
IMG_4196

Tim and Erika!
IMG_4197

And me and Danielle!
IMG_4199

Each guest walked away with a pack of goodies.
IMG_4121

The evidence of a great dinner party:
IMG_4206

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
AND NOW IT’S YOUR TURN TO WIN! I’ll be sending two lucky winners a Philadelphia Cooking Crème goodie pack that includes: Coupons, Recipe book, notepad, magnet and cooking spoon. I’ll even throw in a surprise treat to go with it.
IMG_4185

IMG_4084

To Enter: Go to cookphilly.com and tell me which recipe you’d like to make using the Cooking Crème. Winner will be chosen at random and announced on Tuesday night. Good luck!