Inside The Little Fish Livin' Kitchen

So I've been a busy little bee in the kitchen today, and while doing the dishes for about the third time it dawned on me that I've never showed you guys around!

Although there isn't much to "show around" (apartment living), I feel like for as many posts that come from my kitchen you should know what it looks like.

You can tell a lot about a cook from whats in their kitchen and how they operate so....

Welcome to my kitchen, lets take a tour...

Yes my stove/oven is the only non-matching major appliance. I call it the Oreo stove. 

First things first, I need music. I love to cook with music on, I think it helps you get in the rhythm of things. Most of the time I'm listening to Pandora, on the Miranda Lambert channel...which brings me to the headphones. Kevin hates country, and I love it haha. Every time I'm tired and don't feel like making dinner, I try and put on one of my favorite songs to get me going. 

When nobody is home...I dance around. 

Here are a couple of songs I love that I listened to today!!

Next, I grab an apron.

1. Because I'm a mess and don't want sauce all over my clothes

2. I put my phone that's playing music, in the pocket 

I bought this cast iron anchor from The Mint Mermaid that's perfect for holding my aprons! 

Every time I find a recipe that's a "keeper" I write it out on a piece of paper, put one of those plastic coverings on it, and put it in a binder. When I need it, I just pull it out of the binder and if I get anything on it I can just wipe it off. 

Yes, I write them out in cursive. It's going to be a lost art one of these days!!

On my stove I have a navy teapot that I made while taking a pottery class in high school...it was one of my color inspirations for some of the other things in my kitchen. 

I also kind of have a nautical theme going on (see anchor above) but I didn't want it to be obnoxious. These little towels are cute, and they go with my style. They are also from The Mint Mermaid. 

Next to the stove I have a leaf spoon holder....that space on the counter right next to the spoon holder....yeah, that's where Kevin likes to lay his sauce covered spoon....men. 

Right now I have a butter dish on my counter...just because I think it's too adorable to be put somewhere where it can't be seen. One day I'll actually put butter in it. 

This is the magical corner, because it holds my favorite things in the kitchen; my stand mixer and my Keurig. 

When it comes to coffee, the darker the roast the better in my opinion. My favorite brand is Gevalia! I try not to drink coffee every single day but...the struggle is real. 

My stand mixer is...well do I even have to explain why it's so wonderful??

My paper towels just sit on the counter. If anybody has found a paper towel holder that is neither ugly, or tacky let me know...I'm about 4 years into the search with nothing to show for it. 

I love my canisters, they are simple, white, and have a great seal on them. It's so great in fact, the man of the house always seems to struggle with getting them opened and closed....I've had no problems. 

This is "the booze corner". Because our kitchen is small, this makes us look like a bunch of lushes, and everyone likes to comment about it. Truth is, we barely drink...most of this is ancient. 

It sits above the dishwasher I never use. I am aware that sounds crazy, but I like my dishes clean and this particular model seems to only specialize in baking pieces of food onto the dishes instead of getting rid of them, soooo hand wash it is. (hey we're renting, there's not much I can do about it)

This is our fridge...it provides us with water. 

It's also where I like to stick things as reminders. 

It's actually pretty clear of things right now, but it's displaying a picture of my best friend that lives far away (frowny face), a card asking me to be a bridesmaid in her upcoming wedding, a dentist appointment reminder, magnets from my dads travels to Australia, a tire pressure gauge magnet (because everyone has one of those), and a Christmas themed pad of paper for list making.

The inside of our fridge looks like this....

The essentials include Greek yogurt (it's the only kind I'll eat), a lot of milk, black beans and corn because that gets put in just about everything I make, pickles, lunch meat for Kevin, opened bottles of wine that we never finished but are too lazy to throw away, coffee creamer, and a lot of condiments. 

When I say a lot of condiments, it may sound like we like variety....no. 

Someone in this household has an obsession with collecting mustard and barbecue sauce....and it's not me. My latest count is 5 types of mustard and 6 types of barbecue sauce. 

I also know that if I ever want to hide anything, I just have to put it at the bottom of either one of the vegetable or fruit drawers because he has never opened them. 

*By the way, did you know if you put your milk in the center of the fridge instead of on the door it stays super cold...I like it cold. 

Over here is the narrowest cabinet ever made, also known as our pantry. 

I'm not going to show you the inside, because no matter what you do it's always going to look like a chaotic mess. There is no way to organize a pantry that narrow, although I am grateful I have one at all. 

I also have pictures on either side of the window, which I never open because at that same moment someone will be walking by and awkward eye contact WILL be made. 

I didn't risk taking a photo of the window because I didn't want my neighbor, who would inevitably walk by right at that moment, think that I was taking a picture of them. 

My kitchen isn't perfect; one of the cabinets doesn't close all the way because my plates are too big, and my microwave door handle is about two uses away from falling off, but a lot of great things are made in it. 

By the way, if your thinking to yourself that it looks too clean to be true...your correct. Usually it is covered in ingredients and recipes, but I cleaned it up for you....which should last for about an hour, dinner needs to be made :)

Thanks for taking a look around, I hope you feel more at home!

Fluffy Garlic Rolls

I don't know about you but I'm a sucker for bread.

I'll take bread with any meal thank you very much!!

The reason I am so in love with this recipe is because it's ridiculously easy and the rolls are fluffy and delicious.

Do you remember my brunch time lemon rolls, and how I used Rhodes Rolls frozen dough? Well their baaaaack. This time we will use them in muffin tins to make "clover rolls" which basically means you will be able to pull them apart into three pieces. 

You really just can't go wrong with these, the rolls melt in your mouth like cotton candy....except better than cotton candy because it's carbs!!

Ingredients: 

9 Rhodes Dinner Rolls, frozen dough balls

3 Tablespoons of butter

1/4 cup of shredded parmesan cheese

2 teaspoons of minced garlic

1 Tablespoon of dried parsley

*Makes 6 rolls

An important thing to remember is that when using frozen dough, you have to set aside enough time to let it thaw and rise. If you don't have time for this, you could easily use biscuit dough that comes in the canisters...but this dough is sooo worth the wait. 

First thaw the dough balls by placing them in a bowl, making sure they are not touching, and let them sit on the counter for about an hour.

Once thawed, cut each in half so that you end up with 18 pieces, and set aside. 

In a large bowl, melt 3 tablespoons of butter. 

To the butter add the cheese, garlic, and parsley and stir.

Roll the pieces of dough in the butter mixture, util they are all completely coated. 

Thoroughly grease the muffin tins with cooking spray and place three of the dough pieces in each muffin compartment. 

Now it's time to let them rise!!

Spray a piece of plastic wrap, big enough to cover your rolls, with cooking oil and place over the whole muffin tin. Make sure to tuck the edges over to seal them in. 

Let them sit on the counter for about 3-4 hours so that they can rise. 

You know they are ready when they look like THIS!!

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. 

I know...they look enormous.

Place in the oven with a piece of foil or a baking sheet underneath to catch any butter that rolls off....I learned that this happens the hard way.

Let bake for 15-20 minutes until they turn golden!!

They should easily come out of the muffin tins and straight into your mouth. 

Apple Cider Cupcakes And Vanilla Nutmeg Frosting

So you know how in my post from earlier this week I may have mentioned the fact that I don't fit into any of my pants.....well I'm not helping matters this Sunday. 

When I saw this recipe I just couldn't help myself!!

These cupcakes were originally featured on one of my favorite blogs Eat, Live, Run and because I had just bought some apple cider from Fresh Market, I considered it destiny!!

Now I'm not one to favor things from a box, but cupcakes are usually one of those things that the box mixes have perfected so well that they are hard to resist. I've had way to many experiences where "made from scratch" cupcake recipes take forever and are hard as rocks.

This recipe breaks the mold because they taste delicious, and are so easy to make!!!!

Ingredients: 

Cupcakes

1/2 cup of unsalted butter, softened 

2/3 cup of sugar

2 eggs, at room temperature

1 1/2 cups of flour

2 tsp. of baking powder

3/4 tsp. of salt

1 tsp. of cinnamon

1/4 tsp. of nutmeg

1/4 tsp. of ground clove

1/2 tsp. of vanilla extract

3/4 cup of apple cider

Frosting

1 cup of unsalted butter, softened

4 cups of powdered sugar

1 tsp. of vanilla extract

1/4 tsp. of nutmeg

A pinch of salt

Makes 12 cupcakes....and a whole lot of frosting (if you like your cupcakes heavily frosted, go ahead and make the whole recipe, but halving it would be just enough to cover them all). 

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Place liners in your cupcake tins and set aside. 

Cream together the butter and sugar until fluffy.

Add eggs one at a time, mixing in between as well as vanilla extract.

Sift together flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and ground cloves into a separate bowl. 

Slowly and gradually mix dry ingredients into the butter and sugar mixture. At this point the batter will look very thick.

With the mixer still on low, drizzle in the apple cider. After this step, it will closely resemble the consistency of a frosty!! Which made me think...if Wendy's had an apple cider flavored frosty, I'd be a happy girl. (If anybody associated with Wendy's reads this...think about it!!)

Fill the baking cups 3/4 of the way full of batter. 

Bake in the oven for 20-23 minutes or until they start to brown slightly and an inserted toothpick comes out clean. 

Cool on a wire rack. 

While the cupcakes are cooling you can make the frosting!

Beat the softened butter, vanilla, and nutmeg while very slowly adding the powdered sugar. Continue beating for close to 10 minutes or until fluffy. I know 10 minutes seems like a long time but....it's worth it!!.

Once the cupcakes are completely cooled, you can either spread or pipe the frosting on. 

I've never been very good at piping frosting, but I tried my best....and I think they turned out just fine!

Some of them I did very uniformly, and some I just went crazy. 

Lightly sprinkle with cinnamon and stuff your face!!

What I've Been Doing Instead Of Blogging

So lately I have felt a little guilty about ONLY posting recipes and neglecting my "lifes funny moments" posts. 

To alleviate this guilt I thought I might talk about some of the other things that I have been up to that have caused my absence.  

And in case you haven't noticed, the blog looks different!! This is because I decided that my colors were looking a little springy/summery....and I was hating it. So I decided to make things more...seasonal. Look forward to more changes as the seasons go by. :) 

So here it goes: 

- Drinking copious amounts of coffee. A new Starbucks opened close to my house, and it has a drive through...enough said.

- Getting hypothermia at work. No amount of clothing is helping me at this point. 

- LIVING, BREATHING, AND EATING COCONUT OIL. Now Kevin (and just about everyone else) has informed me that he is tired of hearing about my obsession so I won't bore you with all of my uses for it, but the list is about a million pages long. All I'm going to say is that, for your own good, look them up!!! I've replaced about 7 beauty products with it so far....it is natural and magical!!! Just make sure you get organic, virgin, unrefined, and cold pressed...yes, it makes a difference. 

- Wandering wide eyed and aimlessly around Fresh Market. I've discovered it...and I'm in love.

- Trying, UNSUCCESSFULLY, to eat as healthy as I can.

- Not fitting into any of my pants (see above). 

- Trying to decide if I should start to exercise or just buy all new pants.

- Getting angry at the leaves for not changing color.

- Making this wreath with this pretty bow!!

- Decorating my pumpkin with this pretty bow!! 

(By the way I'm going to pretend I thought of this because it's adorable, but pretty much it was the laziest way I could get away with "decorating" my pumpkin. After thinking long and hard I have discovered that my life motto lately has been "when in doubt, slap a bow on it"...I've had no complaints so far.)

- Filling my apartment with all things cinnamon scented.

- Getting really excited about the approach of black Friday shopping...list making will ensue shortly.

- Using this really attractive face mask twice a week. 

- Continuing my annual obsession with The Walking Dead and American Horror Story. 

- Taking pictures of my favorite model. 

- Eating A LOT of almonds. 

- Reading other blogs. 

- Witnessing this masterpiece being created by A Sweet Sensation.

- Avoiding installing this mess that Comcast sent me...unfortunately I have to get on this soon because they want the old modem back....sigh. I think I've glanced at the instructions a half dozen times and have resorted to putting it off further. Hey, at least I finally took everything out of the box....it's progress. 

- Letting my hair do whatever the hell it wants...and kind of loving the results.

- Overhauling all of my makeup. Pretty much Bare Minerals is my life now, and it feels amazing and natural!!

- Completely washing and detailing my car, only to have it look filthy again a few days later, naturally.

- Spending way to much time on Pinterest....what else is new.

- Coming up with a million things to blog about, but not having enough time or energy to actually write about them.

So there you have it. This is where I've been and what I've been doing. I feel better now that I have explained myself. 

Enjoy the new look of the blog! 

P.S. Sorry if the new color combination I have used offends anyone. I am aware that it is football season and I am just letting everyone who is not an FSU fan know, this was not on purpose....garnet and gold are just a really nice fall color combination. I wouldn't get used to it though, I will probably go through about a million more color changes before I decide on one I love enough to live with.

Sweet Basil Pork Chops And Smokey Potato Wedges

Today you get two recipes in one post!!

These recipes go so well together, I couldn't help but post them as a whole meal.

Not only are they both super easy to make, but they combine some of my favorite ingredients to cook with; basil, chili powder, garlic powder, and brown sugar. 

Pork Chop Ingredients:

2 boneless pork chops, about a 1/2 in. thick

1/4 cup of brown sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons of dried basil

1/2 teaspoon of salt

1/2 teaspoon of chili powder

2 Tablespoons of olive oil

Potato Wedge Ingredients: 

3 large sized red potatoes, cut into wedges

2 Tablespoons of melted butter

1 Tablespoon of honey

3 teaspoons of chili powder

1/4 teaspoon of garlic powder

1/2 teaspoon of salt

1/4 teaspoon of pepper

Both of these can be cooked at the same temperature, so pre-heat the oven to 375 degrees. 

The potatoes will need to be baked longer so we will start with those!!

Thoroughly wash the potatoes since the skin will be left on. 

I am only feeding Kevin and I so this is plenty, but the recipe will work no matter how many potatoes you are using. Just adjust the seasoning to be enough for more potatoes!

Cut the potatoes into small wedges, and place in a greased baking dish. 

To the baking dish add the honey, chili powder, garlic powder, salt, pepper, and melted butter. 

Stir the potatoes around until they are all completely coated. 

Put in the oven, and bake for 35 minutes or until tender.

Remember: half way through the cooking time, give them a good stir!

After these puppies go in the oven, you can start the pork chops. 

These chops, take just a simple rub to make them taste delicious!

To a bowl add brown sugar, chili powder, basil, salt, and olive oil. 

Rub onto both sides of the chops and place in a greased baking dish. 

Bake in the oven for 20 minutes, or until they are no longer pink in the center. 

If you plan it right, both the chops and the potatoes can be done at the same time!

Add a vegetable, and voila!!! A whole meal done simply and quickly...plus there aren't many dishes!!!

Healthy Orange Chicken

Like a lot of people, I'm a sucker for Chinese take-out.

The problem is...it's not the healthiest of meal options.

This recipe will satisfy your craving in a healthy manner by using simple yet flavor packed ingredients!! 

Ingredients: 

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts cut into bite sized pieces

1 orange, zested and juiced 

2 teaspoons of minced garlic

1/2 teaspoon of red pepper flakes

2 teaspoons of honey

2 teaspoons of soy sauce

1/2 pound of asparagus 

2 Tablespoons of vegetable oil

Brown rice 

First, cut the tough ends off of the asparagus and throw them away (they are gross and bitter) and then cut the remaining stalks in half. Set them aside for later.

Use a zester (or cheese grater like me) to zest an entire orange.  

To a bowl, add the juice of the orange along with the zest, soy sauce, and honey. Whisk together until blended. 

Add 2 tablespoons of oil to a pan, and bring to medium heat. Once the pan is hot, add the pieces of chicken, garlic, and red pepper flakes and cook for 5-7 minutes, stirring occasionally. 

Once the chicken is thoroughly cooked add the asparagus to the pan and continue to cook for 3 minutes or until the asparagus is bright green. 

Pour the orange juice mixture over the chicken and asparagus and heat for about another minute. 

Serve over brown rice, for a simple and healthy meal. 

This recipe has a little heat to it, so if you prefer things less spicy go light on the red pepper flakes :)