Listless

Happy May Day!

Actually from May Day 2008, a much sunnier occasion!



Man-go-round and I missed the May Day Parade for the first time in years (it would have been our fifth one together) for a few reasons.


1. It was about 42 degrees and windy. gross.
2. We officially got the keys to our new place! Moving  activities sort of trumped freezing parade. I did miss the awesome artwork and festivities, though.

His and Hers sustenance for heavy lifting… can you guess which one is mine?

May 1st brings Meri-Goes-Round to a new topic! I may do another food month soon since it was so much fun, but it is time for something NEW! So far in May I’ve been feeling a bit restless, and a bit… listless… which means only one thing…


LISTMANIA!!


I like nothing better than making lists. Bonus points for fancy pens or check boxes. I’m currently working on a “30 before 30” list, I have stickies and notebooks at home FILLED with books, music, foods, and travel ideas to try, but for today’s inaugural list, in the spirit of moving day month (yes, we have a whole month to move), my first list will be:


Meri’s Must Haves
(the things I care most about packing, traveling with, or using every day)


1. Fancy pens and paper- just like I mentioned above, I think my life would fall apart if I didn’t have a place to make notes of ideas, to-dos, drawings… 


2. My beloved Cali-bowls. The best x-mas present ever… they don’t get overheated in the microwave, they are really easy to wash, they have a rubber/ nonslip bottom, they are huuuuge…


3. Long handled spoons- These came into our house from the man. He doesn’t like them, and I refuse to give them up. They WILL be coming to the new place!

The bowls and the spoons. The photo doesn’t do the color justice- its a
sort of lemon-lime hybrid a few shades lighter than this. Very springy!

4. My camera. No brainer


5. My computer- music, photos, writing stories, e-mail…. you’ll notice neither TV or cell phone are on this list, but my computer is like my lifeline.


6. My massive water bottle- Thanks to man-go-round’s mom, who gave this to me, I never have to be anxious about being thirsty again (yes, a very real worry I have all of the time). I’m a big fan of hydration, and this is absolutely perfect for me. 

It’s a Sigg, it’s one liter, and it has two separate screw caps.

7. Earrings- I collect them when I travel, I buy cheapies on sale for a dollar… on a day when nothing fits and all of my clothes are dirty, I really just let the earrings do the work. If you’d like to see some, see this post


8. crosswords- Yes, nerd alert. I have to say this one feeds into my “anxiety of getting bored at some time in the future.” Mild lame anxieties do seem to rule this list, don’t they…


9. Headbands- I have a lot of hair. I like to be able to get it out of my face. Therefore I stash headbands all over the house.


10. My white knit wrap sweater. I wear it every day, its too disgusting to photograph. It’s my adult blankie- nuff said.


                                                                                      


What kind of stuff do you guys need “at hand” or feel anxious if you don’t have?


Listmania is sure to be full of flowers, music, foods, TV, travel, and more. I have many ideas just waiting in the wings… however, I am also open to requests, and I hope for participation and to hear some of your own lists as well!


Cheers!
Meri

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Straw-meri Shortcakes

As promised, I have a special Strawberry treat to celebrate the winner of Munch Madness! Before I get into it, I want to reiterate how happy and appreciative I am of how many people participated in Munch Madness and made it so much fun for me! I know its silly, but I was excited to find a way to bring people together over the love of fruits and veggies, and I had a lot of fun with food month.

Last summer during the strawberry “harvest,” Man-go-round vacuum sealed a bunch of fruits and vegetables, and we recently took these strawbs out of the freezer and let them thaw in the fridge to juice themselves silly.

Then, yesterday, I set to work…

Thawed vacuum sealed strawberries from last summer

Poured the berries into a saucepan in their water/ juices, nothing else

Simmer for an hour, stirring occasionally. Add cinnamon!

After another 20 minutes or so, add fresh mint if you like

If you want, reduce a few more times with balsamic or water. I did both until
it reached this jammy consistency. I chose not to add any sugar, which left
it a bit tart, but still plenty sweet for me. I had considered adding vanilla but
decided against it at the last minute, leaving it relatively pure.

Serve! A topping for a microwave pancake…

Alternately, cook up some cinnamon french toast pieces…

And try the strawberry sauce on that instead!

How would you use this sauce? Have you ever used a vacuum sealer to preserve produce or other foods? 


Tomorrow I will return, and introduce the topic for May. Like I said, food month has been fun for me, but I’m excited about what’s next!


Cheers!
Meri

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Broc Star

Sorry to fake you out folks-


Final Score for Munch Madness?
Strawberries: 26
Broccoli: 13


Sorry Broc! Here’s your consolation prize:


Broc Star Salad! Made with braeburn apples, golden raisins, broccoli slaw, any dressing you choose, and that’s it! A sesame based dressing is nice on this one. Let it marinade a looooong time too, probably overnight!

I’m officially team Veggie, but as broccoli is one of my least favorite veggies, probably would have voted strawberry myself. I know broccoli is good for me and like it pretty well, but don’t usually have the energy to chop one up. Thus, one of the only packaged veggies I regularly buy is broc slaw


It’s about the easiest way to eat it I can think of. Plus, its tasty and not too spendy.

I have something AWESOME for our winner, the strawberry, and it’s cooking in the kitchen right now. The house smells incredible. Strawberry, mint, cinnamon…

Tune in tomorrow and see what I have for the winner!

And just for fun, tell me your vote for “fruit vs. veggie.” If you could only choose one of them, which one would it be? I’d choose veggies, cause I could sure live without fruit but not veggies… tough call though!

-Meri meri bo berry
banana fanna fo feri
me mi mo meri
Meri!
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The Munchies



No distractions today.


No recipes, no stories, no photos. 


Just a battle. Strawberries beat out Pineapple in the final fruit fight, and so now we’re down to two for the final match of Munch Madness.


We started out here…

to this:



and now…

It all comes down to this final vote, friends! The winner will officially be awarded “Munchies” award by me, Queen of all things frivolous! And just in time to piggyback on all of the excitement that is the Royal Wedding.


Broccoli vs. Strawberry.


Vegetables vs. Fruit


Who is it gonna be?


Vote wisely, and as a bonus, tell me your favorite fruit or veggie as well!


Munchie Meri

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Tea for two

Today was the anniversary of my Grandma Clara’s death. She passed away when I was about 6 and I was catching up with my mom yesterday about who my Grandma really was, reminiscing.


It had dawned on me that I know and remember very little about Clara. I have snippets and factoids memorized about her, and I can still hear her voice (I inherited my lower, throatier voice from her I believe. Thanks Grandma!), but I didn’t know much about her. One of the things my mom mentioned during our discussion was that Clara loved to drink tea. With milk.


“Huh!” I thought, “So I’m not an alien after all! My tea obsession does come from somewhere!”


And while Clara liked to drink more traditional black and green tea, my taste leans HEAVILY herbal. I get my caffeine from coffee and diet dew, thank you! In honor of my darling Grandma Clara, I give you my top five commercial teas. Of course nothing beats “real” tea, but life isn’t always lived at a cafe or at home, is it? Sometimes we are on the go or at work or just lazy! So…




Tea time with Meri
For Clara and for my Mama

8. Any blueberry or very fruity tea- but only if its herbal. I don’t like the bitterness of green tea unless its freshly brewed at a restaurant. 
7. Tazo Cinnamon Rooibos tea- With a splash of milk. Yummmmm.
6. Aveda Peppermint tea- Better than sleepytime teas!
5. Celestial Seasoning’s Honey Vanilla Chamomile. I’m actually drinking this right now. It’s got an extra edge over regular chamomile, which I also love.
4. Celestial Seasonings (seasonal) Sugar Cookie Sleigh Ride, Gingerbread Cookie, and Sugarplum Fairy. Dessert teas, to be sure, but I hoard them over the holidays so I can have them off season too!
3. Yogi Tahitian Vanilla Hazelnut, Sweet Thai Delight and Mayan Cocoa Spice- All of these have distinct notes in them that I have to be in the mood for, but are definitely fun and I like to share them with guests! I think they are mostly decaf or low-caf.
2. Yogi Lemon Ginger tea- When we were in LA, I was about to get the plain Ginger variety, which is also tasty. The clever barista (bless his soul, kind stranger from Abbot’s Habit…) suggested I try the Lemon Ginger instead. A new obsession was born. This one gets a bit strong if you don’t take the bag out after a little while!
1. Good Earth Original Caffeine Free. No surprises here- everyone knows how obsessed I am with this tea. Orange oil, cinnamon, chicory root, ginger, papaya, mmmmm. Sweet and spicy and delicious. I live in fear that I will run out or they will discontinue it.


So there you have it! I’m having a little tea time tonight and honoring my lovely Grandma.
Cheers everyone!


Of course I’m not forgetting Munch Madness! Last night Broccoli the Braggart took on Super Spinach for the Veggie crown and… Broccoli wins! Tomorrow they appear again in the final match!


So who will take on Bash Brother Broccoli ? (yes, that’s a Mighty Ducks reference. I’m Minnesotan after all).


Pineapple vs. Strawberries!


Vote it up my friends! And let me know how you feel about tea. Do you like it? Any favorites I just have to try?


-Meri

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Berries-go-round

Hey guys! It’s time for What I ate Wednesday again! (Well, almost…) 


Thanks again to Jenn for hosting the weekly feature! This week, my third time participating, I’m featuring my favorite fruits.


Berries! How do I love thee? Let me listeth the ways… strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, mulberries, cranberries, goji berries… yum yum yum!


Luckily for this post, Easter weekend was berry-licious, and I have a few recipes for you guys as we approach the season where all sorts of berries are in season!


First up: 


Triple Berry Crisp– adapted from this recipe. Because mama and I don’t like to follow recipes exactly. What fun is that?

Bowl one- flour, oats, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg. Cut in butter until crumbly.
Bowl two- blueberries, strawberries, raspberries, white sugar. Let marinate briefly

When butter is cut into flour, press half of bowl one into 9×13.
Spread berry mixture on top.

Cover berry mixture with other half of flour mixture.
Bake at 350 for about 40 minutes or until crust is browning.


  • bowl one:
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 2 cups rolled oats
  • 1 1/2 cups packed brown sugar
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • 1 1/2 cups butter (we used smart balance for papa’s heart!)

bowl two:
4 tablespoons white sugar
1 1/2 c blueberries
1 1/2 c raspberries
1 1/2 c chopped strawberries

This dessert turned out tasty. At Easter dessert time, I wasn’t sure how much I liked it. The next morning, however, it turned into something even more delicious for breakfast and I couldn’t stop eating it all day. So perhaps make it the day before?

                                                                             

And next up, we have something a bit more unique.


Berry Meri Salad! (taking fruit salad to a whole new level)




Fruits:

-1 pt blueberries
-3/4 medium pineapple, diced
-2 c red seedless grapes, cut in half
-1 pt raspberries
-1 1/2 c seedless/ english cucumber (1 extra large cucumber), diced
-1 c red grapefruit, chopped
-1/4 c fresh mint, chopped (or to taste, I used loads more because I love it)

Dressing:
-1/2 c orange juice (or any juice, really)
-1 tbsp rice vinegar
-sweetener, if you need it

I brought this one to Easter Brunch, and the cucumber was seemingly the secret ingredient. I think melon would be good in this too, when in season. Mama-go-round thought the red grapefruit added something special to it!

—————————————–

Finally, Munch Madness! You didn’t think I forgot, did you?

No contest here. Strawberries won by such a ridiculous landslide I didn’t even count. For the record, I was team strawberry too. So they move on! 

Hope no one gets “sour grapes” over this match. Hardy har har.

Tonight:

Broccoli vs. Spinach!
Choose wisely- the winner will represent all veggies in the final match of fruit vs. veg!

As always, thanks to everyone who is making Munch Madness fun by playing along. I really appreciate it!

“Triple Berry” Meri 

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Mad Dash of Salt and Pepper…



Greetings people!


It’s that time of year… busy busy busy! Some are wrapping up with finals, some people are moving. Mother’s Day, May Day, Arbor Day, Fishing opener…



Everybody wants to be outside.


Who has time to sit in the kitchen? Thus, I bring you some of my favorite super fast, minimal ingredient, and one-pot small meals/ large snacks. Rachel Ray has time for 30 minutes. Well, sometimes I don’t. Soo…


Meri’s Mad Dash Madcap Meals


1. Tortilla + Nuked Sweet Potato mash+ Salsa. A quesadilla! shredded cheese optional  = 3 ingreds!


2. Oatmeal- The most obvious of blogger staples, but it really can be a super fast meal, especially if you use quick oats + stir-in


Stir ins?
-cereal, millet puffs, peanut butter, cookies, chocolate chips, flax seed, crumbled muffin, granola, yogurt, sunflower seeds, nuts, pumpkin, berries, blah blah blah blaaahhhh. =2 ingreds at minimum, endless possibilities!


3. Veggies (frozen or pre-cut) + veggie burger/ soy protein product. Nuke or steam veggies. Cook veggie burger and chop. Stir together in bowl. + Ketchup or Salsa and mustard on top. Nooch optional= 3+ ingreds.


4. Beans (yes, canned is fine) + frozen/ cut up veggies. Just heat them together + cottage cheese on top. YESSS! optional salsa, cayenne, etc. = 3 ingreds.


5. Leftover plain pasta + Peanut butter + Soy Sauce + Veggies. Heat in bowl. Stir in PB. heat again. Must add sriracha or pepper also! = 4 ingreds.


6. Microwave pancake. I’ve posted about this a ridiculous amount of times, so I won’t repeat. = 1 ingredient + endless mix-in potential!


What is your favorite quickie meal or snack?


And for MUNCH MADNESS!


Round 1: Pineapple KILLED Kiwi- 29-7 Ouch!
Round 2: Spinach edged out Sweet Potatoes- 20-16


And up next, the last round of the semi-finals. Tomorrow we’ll be move on to the FINALS!!


Now vote it up:  Strawberries vs. Grapes! Who is it gonna be?


Meri

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Eggstra Eggstra Voting Spectacular!

A most eggcelent battle…

Happy Easter Y’all! If you don’t celebrate Easter, well then Happy Saturday! And if you live on the other side of the world and it’s no longer Saturday, you can help me celebrate that my best friend is in town and I got to partay with her today!

In the interest of the holiday and diminished posting, I’m throwing you a Munch Madness double header!

First, yesterday’s winner…Broccoli! Best reason of the day? “because broccoli doesn’t make my pee smell”
hahaha, thanks for keeping up with the votes guys! And up next…

Round one: The Fruit Fight Back Pineapple vs. Kiwi
Round two: To the Veggie Victor goes the spoils…Sweet Potato vs. Spinach

Place your votes for each round!

I’ll be back Monday with a deeelicious dessert recipe!

Meri
p.s. don’t forget to buy some clearance Peeps on Monday to make fun “Easter scenes” and let me know about them! I plan to eat all of mine, but I might change my mind 🙂

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Hamp-denizen

The Whole Foods by Calhoun is undoubtedly superior to the one on Fairview. The Cub on University? No contest against the dump Cub on Lake Street or the one with the (ahem) melted sign in south minne. I can pick a favorite Trader Joe’s in town, I know which Rainbow to avoid.


But co-ops? I simply can’t seem to play favorites. You’ve seen my little mouse playing at the Seward Co-op. Soon I’ll show the highlights of the East Side. I used to practically live at the Wedge, and I’ve sampled the Mississippi Markets from time to time.

But there is a smaller co-op that I didn’t even know existed until a couple of years ago. It’s just North of University as you enter St. Paul from the west. The Hampden Park Co-op, or as I call it, “the hampdens” cause I’m posh like that.

Although it is small, the Hampden is full of treats I can’t seem to find anywhere else. Proximity might have brought me there in the first place, but I return for the fresh produce, the friendly community, and the fabulous finds!

For example, I stopped by tonight and bought some of my precious lefse mentioned in the previous post…
pitas and lefse and cheeses, oh my!

I then picked up some veggies, to feed my body and my sooooooul….


I dream of a world where the produce is organic and the Lunas are on sale…
Well wake up, Meri- the co-op shall provide!
I grabbed a Blueberry Luna, some pretzel thins, and my favorite candy…

Although they don’t often carry my favorite variety- the peanut flavor… yummm
I tend to hit the different co-ops when I’m in their respective neighborhood, and stock up on favorite items. At the Hampden, I usually go for the Dominex Eggplant meatballs, The Primal Foods Seitan Jerky, the Lefse, and the Falafel chips. Sometimes I buy the lentil/ bean dips, and I often get my beloved Good Earth Original Caffeine Free tea. I can never leave without some delicious produce:

Feast your eyes, then your tum-tums…

So if you’re in the area, come visit the place! You might even chance upon some lovely in-store bluegrass music or the quirky sounds of the dance studio upstairs.


And now, back to MUNCH MADNESS.

Tonight’s winner?
Uvas!

Yep, Grapes move on to the next round. Sorry melons!


And with that, we move on to the SEMIFINALS!! I’m getting so tremendously excited- only Easter candy can distract me from this!

Tonight, Asparagus vs. Broccoli. Fight to the death.

Vote it up loves!

Meri

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No carb lefse behind!

Wait, I lied… I left behind a whole lot of carbs that I don’t find pleasing. White bread, potatoes, a lot of pasta (despite my recent pasta post, I am picky about it and it HAS to be chewy or al dente), etc.


What carby did I discover recently that I DO like? Strangely enough, it’s lefse! I say strangely enough, because for those of you unfamiliar, lefse is made of potatoes, which I just threw under the bus two sentences ago. 

“Lefse is a traditional soft, Norwegian flatbread. Lefse is made out of potato, milk or cream (or sometimes lard) and flour, and cooked on a griddle. Special tools are available for lefse baking, including long wooden turning sticks and special rolling pins with deep grooves.”


-Thanks, wikipedia!


So why do I like it? Well, once heated, it takes on the most delicious, chewy, doughy but thin texture. 

Step 1: Overpay for really simple ingredients like potatoes and salt…

Step 2: Slather one side with salsa or your condiment/filling of choice

Step 3: Wrap, Heat (microwave approximately 22 seconds) and Eat!

Dee-lish.


Now, I know that people have “traditional” recipes for lefse which involve putting butter and sugar on it. Thankfully, I am not of Norwegian descent, or even close, and so I don’t have to explain why I don’t eat it in the traditional way. Instead, I’m free to use it like a denser and fattier tortilla, and slather it with salsa, peanut butter, or blue cheese at the flicker of my own whimsy.


If you’re in the region, try it out! 
Any Scandinavians out there who are shaking their heads in disgust, aghast at how I have tainted their beloved treat? I make no apologies. But I would still like to be friends.


and now…. Munch Madness time!


Yesterday I pitted Cukes against Spinach for the coveted spot in the match against Sweet Potatoes coming up.


Spinach wins! (drying my tears for my beloved cukes, and chopping one up in memoriam)


For tonight? Last fruit match of this round:


Grapes vs. Melons!
For those of you new to Munch Madness, “melons” includes watermelon, canteloupe, honeydew, and the rest. Grapes are any kind you’ve ever had. Including raisins or grape vodka, I guess, if we’re being fair.


Vote it up! 


Meri

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