Category: Recipes

Recipes

Thursday Things: A Breakdown of My Coffee Station

by hollybertramLeave a Comment on Thursday Things: A Breakdown of My Coffee Station

True confession: I only began drinking coffee regularly 18 months ago. I’m honestly not sure how I lived so long without it, but here’s the story. My Grandpa passed away in August of 2022. He was very dear to me and he was a complete and total coffee lover. He had lots of little fainting spells in the year or two before he passed, and whenever a nurse or doctor would talk to him about how he felt after he’d fainted, they’d ask him if he’d had anything to drink that day. He’d say, “I’ve had my coffee.” And every single time, they’d remind him that he needed to drink actual water. Truth be told, I rarely saw the man drink water unless he was outside working in the yard. He drank coffee all day long and could go straight to sleep after a cup of fully caffeinated coffee. He was obviously a legend. After he entered into Glory, there was a wealth of coffee paraphernalia to part with and my Nana was going to put it all in a garage sale. I bought every single bit of it and I have zero regrets. Once I made my way back home with a new coffee pot and my very own coffee grinder, I bought some coffee beans so that I could make my own half-caff blend. I started making coffee here and there and it soon became one of my favorite morning rituals. 

I’m an avid coffee drinker and pour over coffee is my favorite way to drink a cup every morning. This is similar to my porcelain pour over. My sister got me a Bodum tea kettle for Christmas and I use it daily. I’d been wanting a milk frother for quite a while and my sweet kiddos got me this one for my birthday. If I’m in a hurry, this handheld frother is so quick and easy. I use this frother daily to combine my collagen and electrolytes. I grind my own beans and I use this grinder that was my Grandpa’s. If I’m making an entire pot of coffee, I LOVE my Bunn, which was my Grandpa’s preferred coffee pot. It uses a method similar to pour over and it’s so delish. Plus, the carafe keeps coffee warm for hours. 

For the actual coffee, I have found that the most robust tasting decaf is the Kona Blend from Fresh Market. For the caffeinated coffee, I love any coffee from Heroes, Just Bee Coffee Bar or the French Vanilla from Fresh Market. I LOVE to add a little syrup and my favorite syrups are from Pink House Alchemy. These syrups are heavenly and make each cup feel so special and just a little fancy. For the milk, I really prefer Fairlife whole milk. It froths better than any other milk I’ve tried. My family and I drink raw milk that we purchase locally, but we go through it so quickly that I prefer to buy Fairlife just for my coffee and let my family have the raw milk. As far as the method I use for making the coffee in a pour over, I use the method from this article. 

There is something so peaceful and warm about this morning ritual. I usually drink my coffee after I’ve been awake for about an hour and I often sit down to journal while drinking my coffee. When is your favorite time to drink coffee? I would love to how and why you love coffee, too! 

Recipes

Thursday Things: Things I’m making like sourdough, muffins and a fave new cookbook!

by hollybertramLeave a Comment on Thursday Things: Things I’m making like sourdough, muffins and a fave new cookbook!

Hi friends! I seem to find myself making new things or learning new things. I’m going to share what I’m making or learning here on the blog on Thursdays. Let’s jump in! This week, I’m making sourdough bread, after a long hiatus! I made my own starter during the pandemic, aptly named Pandoughmic, and he died a sad death when a sweet little house guest accidentally left our deep freezer open. A dear friend who makes the best sourdough shared some starter with me and we are rolling! After feeding the new starter for a week or so, I’ll be making my first loaf tonight. I can’t wait! I have this cookbook and I am a huge fan! It really breaks down the process of how to make sourdough in layman’s terms. 

If you guys don’t have Joanna Gaines newest cookbook, please treat yourself!!! It’s beautiful, she uses tons of real food ingredients and the recipes are divine. My favorite so far has been the spinach manicotti with this sauce (that will legit change your life) poured over the top. 

Earlier this week, I was chatting with my girls about our weekly menu, which includes sloppy joe sandwiches. The girls interrupted me to ask if I was using my recipe, or my friend Amanda’s recipe. Apparently, the recipe Amanda makes is superior. I mentioned this to Amanda and she volunteered to make them for our family! We had them for dinner and they were delicious. I’m just emerging from two weeks of sickness, so this was a welcome blessing. 

Another thing I’ve made this week are morning glory muffins. If you’ve not made these, it’s time. It’s just time. Plus, these are SO easy to make gluten free if you’ve got a gluten sensitive friend or family member who needs these muffins. I’ll leave you with the recipe. Let me know if any of the above is helpful to you! I find that much of what is helpful to me comes as a result of knowledge my friends have shared with me. 🙂 

Morning Glory Muffins

1 cup whole wheat flour

½ cup all purpose flour

1 cup rolled oats

¾ cup brown sugar

3 tablespoons ground flaxseed

2 teaspoons baking soda

¼ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon cinnamon

¼ teaspoon ginger

1 cup yogurt 

1 cup mashed bananas

1 large egg, beaten

1 cup raisins or craisins

½ cup pineapple tidbits

½ cup chopped walnuts 

Combine dry ingredients, stir well. Then add bananas, yogurt and egg. Then add nuts and fruit. Bake at 350 for 20 minutes. Makes 18 muffins. Doubles easily, lots of additions work with this! 

Recipes

Monterey Spaghetti the Perfect Pandemic Meatless Meal

by hollybertramLeave a Comment on Monterey Spaghetti the Perfect Pandemic Meatless Meal

Almost 15 years ago, our oldest child was born. I was completely overwhelmed by motherhood and my adorably grumpy baby. My precious friend brought me Monterey Spaghetti and it made my new-Mommy angst disappear for at least fifteen glorious minutes. Fast forward to 2007. My baby was sleeping through the night like a champ and I was back to cooking up a storm. A few friends had been begging me to compile my fave recipes, so I compiled them and wrote my own cheesy little cookbook. I recently pulled out the cookbook to make one of the most simple, comforting meals; Monterey Spaghetti. I wrote this cookbook before I had my errrrr….”real food revolution”, so some of the meals are not exactly the most unprocessed meals ever eaten, but they’re still delish and this recipe is no exception!

The night that I made this dish, I needed to bake it in the toaster oven because I was using my everyday oven for baking bread. I have loved this toaster oven! My in-laws got it for us for Christmas and it’s a game changer. It will hold up to a 9’x13″ dish easily and bakes evenly. It’s fairly lightweight, so it’s easy to move around if you’re like me and don’t want to store it on the countertop. I keep mine on the bottom shelf of my pantry.

Here’s the recipe. Let me know if you try it!

Monterey Spaghetti

  • 4 ounces uncooked spaghetti, cooked and drained
  • 1 can french fried onions, divided (optional, or try these for a less-processed version of the normal french fried onions)
  • 8 ounces sour cream
  • 1 10 ounce package frozen spinach, thawed and drained
  • 1/4 cup parmesan cheese, shredded
  • 1-1/2 cups monterey jack cheese, shredded (you can totes sub mozzarella)
  • 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
  • salt and pepper, to taste

Combine the cooked spaghetti, half of the french friend onions, sour cream, spinach, cheeses and garlic powder and place in a buttered two quart casserole dish. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes, add the remaining french fried onions as a topping and bake for five more minutes. This is tried and true comfort food, y’all. My kiddos enjoyed it and I hope your fam likes it, too! Serves 4. I doubled the recipe for my family of 6 and we had leftovers.