Friday, January 25, 2013

You Make Beautiful Things

I was having a rough morning when I heard this on my way to class today on a Christian radio station. First time I heard this song. It's called "Beautiful Things" and it's by Gungor. The chorus says, "You make beautiful things out of the dust" and sings about how Heavenly Father makes things better and new. I kept hearing "out of the dark".

It's true. He can make beautiful things out of the dust, out of the dark, out of the pain. What now hurts will someday be healed. Someday.

Monday, January 21, 2013

Melt-in-Your-Mouth Buttermilk Chocolate Cookies

I found this recipe at Carly's Kitchen, who found them at Baking Bites. Carly's photo of the gooey, chocolatey cookie is what made me copy the recipe and finally try them today. They have a kinda crunchy exterior, but the inside is all soft and gooey with this egg-free recipe. I was really craving chocolate after being really good for a while, so this was quite a treat.




Melt-in-Your-Mouth Buttermilk Chocolate Cookies
2 c. flour
1/2 t. baking soda
1/2 t. salt
1/2 c. butter
3/4 c. cocoa powder
2 c. sugar
1 t. vanilla extract
2/3 c. buttermilk
2 c. chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 350°. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or spray with nonstick spray.
In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda and salt.
Melt the butter in a small, microwave safe bowl.
In a large bowl, combine the melted butter (still warm) with cocoa powder and whisk until very smooth. Whisk in sugar, vanilla extract and buttermilk. Gradually stir in the flour mixture until completely mixed in. Stir in the chocolate chips.
Drop dough in 1-inch balls into prepared baking sheet, leaving about two inches between cookies to allow for spread. Bake for 10-12 minutes, until cookies are set around the edges.
Cool for 2-3 minutes on a baking sheet, then transfer to a wire rack with a spatula to cool completely.
Makes about 4 dozen cookies

Saturday, January 12, 2013

Utah Local: Cafe 300 in Provo

Update May 2014: Since I first posted this, my family and I have been back many times to Cafe 300 and have always loved it. I seriously cannot explain the huge portions. We always can take half of it home to eat the next day. And everyone there is so friendly all the time, which is unusal in this day when good customer service seems to be unimportant to so many.

They have new hours so you can enjoy going on weeknights too, not just weekends. Note that they are closed on Mondays.

An important thing to update is that the restaurant has moved. It's still in Provo, not far from it's original spot. It's now on the northeast side right before the bridge that goes over to East Bay, at 465 South University Avenue. (It used to be Winger's if that helps you.) If you still haven't gone, go hungry and check it out! You can still find them on Facebook or at their website.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Original post:

Cafe 300 is a new restaurant in Provo & one you will not want to wait to try! Check out their menu on their website. My children & I had a great experience there last night. We were going to a BYU hockey game and I wanted to try something new for dinner. We passed by this place and I wanted to go in, even though I hadn’t looked at reviews online like I usually do before trying something new. We were all so glad we tried it!

The first thing Sabrina asked me this morning was, “Are we going to Cafe 300 for breakfast today?” And I wanted to, but we weren’t able to so I hope to go for breakfast soon.

It’s a family owned and operated restaurant with delicious freshly home-cooked food. They're closed Mondays, but open at 7:00 am all other days so it’d be a great to try their:

Build Your Own Omelet that comes with Country Potatoes & either toast or a fresh buttermilk biscuit for $7.75.
OR Their secret recipe French toast dipped in rich house made custard, topped with whipped butter and dusted with powdered sugar, 2 eggs and either 2 slices of thick cut bacon or 2 link sausages for $7.75
 OR pancakes, Belgian waffles, or more just for breakfast. And they also have gluten free pancakes.

It's a family owned and operated restaurant with super friendly service.
                                                    They also have a variety of sandwiches, burgers and salads for lunch, as you can see on their menu. The sandwiches and burgers come with not just one, but two sides. The choices of the sides are ranch beans, potato salad, French fries, onion rings or small green salad. Even the French fries and onion rings are fresh and homemade. The one side that I would have loved is fresh fruit.  
While we were waiting on our order, they brought us smoked almonds…you guessed it, smoked in house.
 
Sabrina didn’t order from the kids’ menu. She had the Cheeseburger with French fries and onion rings and LOVED that she could have both. ($6.95) 






Alex ordered the Barbecued Pulled Pork Sandwich and said it was really good. It was so big that he couldn’t even finish it all. ($8.50)




 

Elisa had a Club Sandwich with potato salad and onion rings. She could only eat half of her tall sandwich and got to eat the rest today for lunch. ($8.75)





When they brought out my huge Grilled Chicken Salad, I was surprised at how big the chicken was and how many dried cranberries and pecans were scattered in the mixed baby greens. So every bite had some, which I love. And the homemade croutons were good, especially with the tasty homemade raspberry vinaigrette. ($6.95)





They just started serving dinner on Fridays and Saturdays as well as breakfast and lunch. For dinner, you can order from their lunch menu or order the dinner special of the day. The dinner special was very tempting and sounded soooo good. Are you ready to hear what was the dinner special last night?

Mixed Green Salad
Fried Chicken or Pork Chops
Twice Baked Potatoes
Green Beans with Bacon & Onions
Rolls & Butter
Triple Berry Cobbler … all for $13.95

Triple Berry Cobbler??? Oh, my!! Another thing I gotta try there.


So we were attended to very well and enjoyed our dinner and THEN at the end, we had a surprise. You know how some places will give you a mint with the bill? Well, they gave us each a fresh, melty, warm chocolate chip cookie. That hooked my kids for life!



Check them out on Facebook.
Café 300 is at 279 E 300 S. Provo 
 
If you are traveling south on University Avenue, turn left on 300 South (so before the hill to East Bay), then turn left on 300 South to get into the parking lot. It’s in the corner of that little strip mall with a Thai restaurant and a hair place. (Las Tinajas Peruvian restaurant used to be in that spot before, if that helps you know where it is.) So Café 300 is on 300 South. Get it?
*I was not compensated in any way for this review. Just passing on a great Utah Local spot. Prices are current as of last night, but of course may change.

Tuesday, January 1, 2013

Gluten Free Hummus & Sesame Chips (Not a Recipe)

This is especially for any gluten free friends and family, but can be for anyone. I don't eat gluten free, but my brother Jared introduced me to Boulder Canyon Hummus & Sesame Chips and they are so good. I'm not much of a chip-eater, but these are not like any other chip.

They look like tortilla chips, but have a flavor pop and are very addictive. So after Jared let me taste some of his and I loved them, he said he would pick some up at Costco next time he went since I don't have a card. The next time he went, they were not there. So after a while he asked about them and Costco said they stopped carrying them. What??? So I looked around at all the grocery stores and health stores with no luck.

Then recently Jared was at Costco and spotted them again. He so nicely picked me up a couple of bags of them and now I get to enjoy them again. I have no idea how to explain the flavor so you'll have to try for yourself. They are $5.25 for a 22 oz. bag of crunchy goodness here in Utah.

Ingredients: Corn, garbanzo beans, sunflower and/or safflower oil, pregelatinized cornstarch, corn masa, potato starch, black sesame seeds, evaporated cane juice, salt, minced tomato, onion powder, cumin powder, garlic powder, cayenne powder
(This is not an advertisement or paid opinion. It's just my real opinion and me sharing an awesome product.)