Jonathan Wilhoite Blog: January 2018

Tuesday, January 30, 2018

5 Tips That’ll Make Bullet Journaling Faster and Easier — Organizing Tips from Kitchn

Bullet Journaling is a way to organize all of your thoughts, notes, goals, and events in one spot: a notebook. The creator of the methodology, Ryder Carroll, came up with this system so that, over time, it’s easier to track your progress, change your habits, and generally get more organized. You know, so you have more time for doing the stuff you actually want to do, whether that’s learning a new skill or cooking more with your family.

The problem with starting to Bullet Journal is that it can seem daunting at first. If you search for Bullet Journal inspiration on Instagram or Pinterest, what you find are elaborately decorated and overall complicated examples of what people who are really into it are doing. The mere fact that you don’t consider yourself artistic enough to pull one of those off could be a motivation-killer for most.

Recipe: Easy Slow Cooker Lentil Soup — Quick and Easy Vegetarian Dinners

A soup this easy to make should not taste this good; it should require a grocery list a mile long, your knife should dull from constant chopping, and you should have to clear your calendar for a marathon cooking session. Instead, a simple mirepoix (onion, celery, and carrot), chopped garlic, and a few sprinkles from the spice cabinet enhance canned vegetable broth to soften earthy green lentils with completely hands-off cooking. Smoky paprika and a spoonful of tomato paste give this vegetarian soup some much-needed depth and umami flavor. Wholesome and satisfying, this vegetarian lentil soup is how to reboot after a season of overindulgence.

This Cabbage, Sausage, and Potato Soup Is Perfect for Chilly Nights — Delicious Links

Soup is a warm and comforting hug during the winter months, but making a soup that is truly satisfying is something of a fickle beast. If you’re like me, finding something that sticks to your bones and makes you feel like you’ve eaten a meal versus drinking your meal can be a challenge.

Now, don’t get me wrong, I love a good bisque just like the next person, but sometimes I really want to sink my teeth into something. Enter: this hearty sausage and cabbage soup.

This soup was made three times in just a few weeks by someone who’s married to a vegetarian (read: she ate the entire pot herself). That’s how you know this is a recipe to keep, make, remake, and freeze for later!

The 12 Essential Ways to Fix Eggs for Breakfast — Recipes from The Kitchn

Eggs are surely the heroes of the breakfast table, given their endless versatility. It all comes down to how you cook them. Whether you’re brand new to cooking eggs or you have some practice under your belt and you’re ready for something more advanced, there’s a method for cooking eggs that’s just right for you.

Here are the 12 techniques you need to know to help turn eggs into breakfast (or, let’s be real, any meal at all).

Monday, January 29, 2018

Airbnb’s New “Pay Less Up Front” Payments Make It Easier to Book in Advance — Travel News

Airbnb just made it a lot easier to book a stay in advance by introducing a new flexible payment option that lets a person pay half the bill at the time of reservation, and the rest closer to the actual check-in date.

Recipe: Pressure-Cooker Hawaiian Kalua Pig — Recipes from The Kitchn

Once a year, our family escapes to Hawaii — our home away from home. I love everything about the islands: the friendly people, the unhurried pace, the balmy climate, the sweeping beaches, the glorious sunsets, and the comforting local food.

Foremost among the Hawaiian dishes I crave? Kalua pig.

High School Seniors in Japan Share the Last Lunch Bentos Their Parents Made Them — Food News

A bunch of teenagers about to graduate high school in Japan have been sharing photos of the last lunch bentos their parents made for them, and it’s absolutely adorable. I am a person who cries very easily, and I must warn my fellow easy-criers that they might need a tissue, because some of these lunch boxes made me cry almost as much as the latest episode of This Is Us.

Chocolate Chip Zucchini Overnight Oats

You can make these chocolate chip zucchini overnight oats a few different ways. You can go with chocolate protein for double chocolate zucchini overnight oats or go with vanilla protein for chocolate chip zucchini bread flavour. You can also make them stovetop, which if you have bit more time in the morning, is a nice…

The post Chocolate Chip Zucchini Overnight Oats appeared first on Running on Real Food.

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10 Popular Cauliflower Recipes to Make Right Now — Recipe Roundup

One of the coolest things about being an adult (I use that term loosely) is to see foods that used to take a backseat to other showstoppers finally get their time in the spotlight. When I was younger, cauliflower was just a thing on a relish tray at parties. It might have made an appearance from a bag in the frozen aisle, but it wasn’t used in a million different creative ways like it is these days.

To celebrate all that is cauliflower, here are 10 recipes you have to try right now!

10 Ways to Satisfy Your Sweet Tooth While Sticking to Your Goals — Recipes from The Kitchn

If you’re trying to eat a wholesome diet, you might feel like dessert is off limits. As someone with a very strong sweet tooth, though, I’m here to tell you that’s not true. Sure, nightly slices of that chocolate cake might not be the best option as you’re trying to reach your health goals, but there are plenty of other satisfying sweets that won’t deter you from getting to where you want to be. Here are 10 ideas.

8 Surprising Items You Can Repurpose into Makeshift Kitchen Islands — Kitchen Design

Don’t have a kitchen island? Want one? Depending on your space and style, you can probably DIY a totally unique one using something from a local antique store or that you already have at home. You might need to add some legs, casters, or a new top, but those things are relatively simple to do.

Keep reading to get some great ideas and a list of things that can be repurposed into kitchen islands.

Recipe: Sheet-Pan “Half English” Breakfast — Recipes from The Kitchn

Baking sheets (aka sheet pans) are now touted as the miracle cookware that can cook your whole dinner, but what about breakfast? When an idea for making a sheet-pan breakfast came up, I jumped at the chance to try it out. Here we present to you the hands-down easiest way to make a traditional English breakfast!

How To Cook Moist & Tender Chicken Breasts Every Time — Cooking Lessons from The Kitchn

Boneless, skinless chicken breasts (aka BSCBs) — is there anything more boring? They are all too often overcooked until dry and chewy, and I generally prefer more succulent boneless, skinless thighs. But for lunch and dinner favorites like chicken Caesar salad and chicken pasta, sliced juicy chicken breasts can’t be beat. They’re a great staple for quick lunches, too.

Fortunately I have one method that makes unfailingly juicy and tender boneless, skinless chicken breasts. Need some chicken for a salad, or to top some pasta? This is the method. It takes some trust, but believe me — it works flawlessly every single time.

We Compared Prices for 21 Items at Trader Joe’s and Costco – A Clear Pattern Emerged — Shopping

At first glance, Trader Joe’s and Costco couldn’t be more different. TJ’s stores are fun, quirky, and smaller than most supermarkets. Costco is the complete opposite — utilitarian and truly cavernous in size. Yet they actually have a lot in common. For example, both are known for carrying a wide array of organic foods, and both are known for offering some of the lowest prices in the industry.

Of course, shopping at Costco means buying, say, four pounds of quinoa instead of one, which requires a bigger up-front investment both in terms of money and pantry space. Which is a better deal? Can Costco’s bulk prices beat Trader Joe’s ounce for ounce?

What Is the Ketogenic Diet, and Why Are We Talking About It? — Keto for Newbies

It’s not the first time you’ve heard a friend tell you they’re “going keto,” in the same casual tone that they might also tell you they’re going to Trader Joe’s or Target. But the mechanism of the diet itself is a lot less casual, and more intense than most people realize.

The ketogenic diet has an interesting evolution, with a medical history that dates back to the 1920s. The diet was originally designed as a way to treat epilepsy in children. It worked — or at least helped — and has since been adapted for use in other neurological disorders, sleep disorders, bipolar disorder, autism, and even brain cancer. It’s favored among celebrities, Silicon Valley techies, and other social media influencers who tout the tasty fat-burning regimen, but it’s also one of today’s most Googled, top Pinterest performing diets that’s likely flooding your Instagram feed, too.

Eat more beef, butter, and bacon, while losing weight and potentially boosting brain, mood, and sleep benefits, too? It’s easy to see why some are so quick to sign the dotted line.

7 Ways to Fall in Love with Your Kitchen Right Now — Feel Good Kitchen

When you’ve been living with the same kitchen for years and you don’t have the budget to change it — or are a renter and can’t do much, anyway — it’s easy to feel bored and uninspired by the space. And winter is the time we start to fixate on the kitchen (you know, because we’re spending more time indoors looking at the things that drive us nuts!).

While you might not be able to make a big change, there are a few little things you can do that will energize the space and make you love it a little more.

9 Reasons Your Grocery Bill Is So High (and How to Lower It) — The Financial Diet

Welcome to a column from The Financial Diet, one of our very favorite sites, dedicated to money and everything it touches. One of the best ways to take charge of your financial life is through food and cooking. A version of this post originally appeared on The Financial Diet.

When we explore personal finance and living below our means, we consider which expenses are necessary and which are discretionary. It’s easy to identify our Netflix subscription, dinners with friends, and facials as discretionary. Without them we’d survive, but they give our lives that extra bit of luxury or fun that makes everything better.

And when it comes to necessary expenses, it’s easy to list housing, groceries, and clothing. While it’s important to scrutinize your discretionary expenses to see if there are more frugal ways to entertain yourself, few of us look at how we can optimize our essentials. We know it’s important to try for a good deal on fixed expenses like housing, whether that means negotiating rent with our landlord or remortgaging our property to pay less each month, but when it comes to those necessary expenses that can fluctuate wildly each month, it’s easy to slack off.

This Kitchen Buy Is a Good Excuse to Check Out Lidl This Week — Shopping

We’ve been talking about Lidl, a chain of German grocery stores, for quite some time now. And we were especially excited when the first ones opened up in the United States this past summer.

If you still haven’t been — and happen to live close enough to one of their few U.S. stores — it’s really worth checking out. You can find great deals on fresh produce, inexpensive spices, massive family packs of chicken, and a bunch of fun things in the Lidl Surprises section. Go on February 1, specifically, and you’ll find one Lidl Surprises item we’re extra pumped about.

20 Ways to Serve Salmon for Dinner — Recipes from The Kitchn

Salmon is one of the most versatile fish options on the market. It can be prepared easily in many different variations, and even though it has a strong flavor, it combines well with many other foods, seasonings, and spices.

If you’re looking for a new way to serve up this good-for-you fish, here are 20 that are worth a try.

5 Surprising Things You Can Clean with Olive Oil — Cleaning Tips from Kitchn

Olive oil is more than just a healthy cooking oil. It’s also a cleaning tool that can nourish surfaces and loosen stains, grease, and grime. While you wouldn’t want to use your fancy artisanal bottles for cleaning, it’s a good use for the stuff you buy by the gallon for regular cooking purposes.

And it’s a good way to put any spills to use (I know I often end up with some puddles on the countertop every time I try to decant my gallon jug into the more manageable one I use for day-to-day cooking!). Next time you make a mess, grab a cloth to wipe it up and tackle one of these spots around the kitchen.

The Gadget All Espresso-Loving Business Travelers Need — Amazon Deal of the Day

If you love espresso, you know how hard it is to find a good one — especially while traveling. Hotel and airport coffee tends to be abysmal and if you’re somewhere without even subpar amenities (read: the great outdoors), it gets worse.

Good news, though! Your caffeine-related prayers have been answered … by the MiniPresso.

Recipe: Slow Cooker Cream of Mushroom Soup — Quick and Easy Weeknight Dinners

I have hazy memories of a first date at a cozy French bistro with a bottle of red, a baguette, gooey cheese, and a satiny bowl of mushroom soup as a first course. I might not remember my date’s name, but the memory of that soup remains. This recipe recreates that magic by slow cooking roasted cremini mushrooms and dried porcinis — a far cry from the creamy mushroom soup found in a familiar red-and-white can.

Cooking earthy, umami-rich mushrooms low and slow with a splash of sherry supplies a background note of nutty sweetness that only a fortified wine can provide. Slow cooker soups run the risk of singing only one note, but by incorporating two types of mushrooms, a fortified wine, fresh herbs, and a squeeze of fresh lemon juice, all of the rich, earthy nuances of the mushrooms stand out.

Make This Greek Avocado Chicken Salad and Eat It All Week — Delicious Links

Chicken salad and tuna salad are tried-and-true lunch staples. I don’t think there was ever a time that I went to my grandparents’ home and opened the refrigerator and didn’t see a container of it waiting for a midday meal. But every once in a while it’s good to shake things up. This Greek version — with chicken breast, avocado, and sun-dried tomatoes — is a nice refresh on the lunch classic.

Recipe: Bacon Gruyère Egg Bites — Quick and Easy Breakfast Recipes

There’s been an increasing demand for low-carb fare, so Starbucks answered the call with Sous Vide Egg Bites. These eggy bites are cooked sous vide (in a low-temperature water bath) until velvety smooth and are studded with bacon and cheese or vegetables. They’ve proven so popular that I haven’t been able to find any to sample in my local stores!

These egg bites are such an appealing idea, especially as a protein-packed on-the-go breakfast, that I came up with my own version instead. The result is creamy and rich with crispy bacon and Gruyère cheese, and can be eaten out of hand. Oh, and the best part is that you don’t need a sous-vide machine to make these!