Stella’s Gettin’ Her Groove Back

I haven’t been on this blog in about six years or so. Which seems crazy, especially when I look back on all the things that have transpired during that time.

I lost my mother and a marriage in the same couple weeks, and moved home to Chicago for a couple years. I worked at Starbucks continuous throughout and even did some prepping and sandwich making for a Potbelly for about a year or so too. I met amazing amounts of people and made lifelong friendships during that time. So the losses really didn’t outweigh the greatness of those few years.

I moved back to Washington state, right outside of Seattle, in 2016. Married a dude, had a great time. It didn’t last thru the life of our children, but that’s alright.
I gave birth to twin baby girls in February of 2018. They were only 24 weeks along, making them about 4 months premature. If you’re reading this, you likely know the story and I don’t need to dive back in. If you don’t already know, just take a gander at my other social media and you’ll get the gist pretty fast.
Long story short? My girls were very sick. Emelia Ray died after only a handful of days with us. Autumn Gail lived for almost 16 months. During that time she spent 123 days in the NICU, followed by a Meningitis infection where she was in the pediatric ICU for an additional 5-6 weeks, as well as many on and off stays there after. In total Autumn endured 17 brain surgeries as well as one additional surgery to place a permanent feeding tube in her tummy. She had extreme Hydrocephalus, Cerebral Palsy, Epilepsy, as well as many other delays and disorders because of her severe prematurity at birth. She died in May of 2019.

Needless to say, my life has taken some pretty large hits over these last six years. Many I have overcome without once looking back. But there are plenty of them that keep me awake at night and fuel my anxiety and depression daily. I miss my girls. I miss my life with Autumn, even if it was in and out of hospitals. I became a woman that I never knew I could be. I was a mother. I was strong. I was an advocate for a very sick child who couldn’t speak for herself. And for a good amount of the time, I was alone. Taking care of an entire household, 2 cats, plenty of fish and reptile, a giant golden retriever who was a forever toddler. I was trying to balance all of that on top of going to appointments nearly every single day for Autumn. Therapies, ultrasounds, MRIs, you name it. It was constant.
After she passed away, I kind of lost myself in work. I was working over 70 hours a week between Starbucks and a local bar that conveniently was right across the street from my coffee shop. I had a community, for sure. I had an amazing best friend/boyfriend with me thru it all. I sort of lost who I was off the clock. I lived to work. I breathed it.

When I left Starbucks early this year, I was okay about it. It had been 12 years running and I did a damn fine job there. I was sad and it was a severe adjustment. But I needed to move on to something that felt more like me. So I threw myself in to the bar job and it was amazing. I really did love it. Again, though, all I was doing was working. I didn’t have a social life and I didn’t really talk to friends and family. I just consumed myself with the next thing on my prep list.

A few weeks ago I decided to put my mental and physical health first, and I left my bar job. Currently, I’ve just been a stay at home cat mom (to four) and cleaning and finishing moving in to my partner’s apartment. It’s also been a severe adjustment, especially the amount of felines, but I’m pretty happy about it and I’ve been enjoying not having to stress out about stocking beer or how many containers of sliced tomato and ranch sauces we have ready to go for the day. It’s lovely not being yelled at by shitty customers or dickhead coworkers. It’s nice to wake up every single morning (usually by a cat tapping at me to come feed them or get up and start my normal ritual of vacuuming at 9am lol) and be able to make coffee, catch up on media, chit chat with friends, water my plants and take time for myself… and then move forward with the day. I haven’t had this freedom since I was able to work. I’ve always been a workaholic and if you asked me a year ago how I’d feel about not having a job, I’d probably find the nearest bridge to dramatically emphasize how dire it is for me to have something to do.

What I’ve realized, though, is that even outside of work… I do have things to do. Things to keep me busy. I have hobbies (like this blog!) and friends and family. People that need me, people that WANT me, and places to go and adventures to take on head first.

So, I’m starting this blog back up. In part so I can have a purpose every morning (my goal is to write when I wake up every day)… and in part so I can start sharing what I cook, my love for my plants and animals, sell the things I know I’m great at selling, etc.

Basically, this is my “coming back to me” moment. And I’m enjoying figuring out what that means.

Stella Blue Creations…

We are back!

Construction under way – updates to follow.

Get ready for food, fun, skin care, outdoor care, and more. I’m here I’m here I’m here!

Coconut oil chocolate chip & almond cookies.

Oven: 350
Time: 8-10 minutes

1 1/2 cups flour
3/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda 1
pinch of salt (as well as a pinch for sprinkling on top of cookies before baking!)
3/4 cup coconut oil
1 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
Handful of chopped almonds and chocolate chips

Combine flour, salt, baking powder, and baking soda in one bowl. Set aside.
In another bowl mix sugar and coconut oil until well combined. Add in vanilla and eggs, whisk until combined.
Then slowly pour dry ingredients into wet mixture. Once a dough has formed, add in your chopped almonds and milk chocolate chips. Mix together till they are well distributed.

Drop round spoonfuls of dough onto a baking sheet and place in oven. Remove when they are golden and smelling DELICIOUS 😉 (8-10 minutes)

Hard Apple Cider Beer Bread with a Cinnamon Sugar Glaze

3 cups flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon (optional)
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 12 oz. bottle hard cider (I used Woodchuck Draft Cider ~ Granny Smith Varietal) at room temperature

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Combine flour, cinnamon, baking powder, salt, and brown sugar in a large bowl. Add the hard cider and stir until just combined.

Spray a bread loaf pan with cooking spray, then pour the batter into the pan. Bake at 375 degrees for 45 minutes. Cool completely before removing the loaf from the bread pan to slice.

For the glaze (I put half of it on during baking, and the second half on after (it pools at the bottom and soaks up) I used:
1 cup powdered sugar
2-4 tablespoons of milk
Dash of almond or vanilla
Mix together!

Homemade Teriyaki sauce and a crock pot supper!

Teriyaki is amazing. Hands down. I didn’t realize how easy it was to make your own sauce, though, until I reached up in the cabinet to grab mine and realized I had used it all the last time I’d made rice. Damn! So, naturally, I get online to figure out how to avoid going to the store & making my own sauce! Apparently – it’s a breeze and you can play with it. Like, I love a lot of garlic. So I’m obviously going to add more, and ginger, too. Perfect.

So here is a recipe for the sauce:

• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• 1 cup water
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/4-1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 5 tbs packed brown sugar
• 1-2 tablespoons cornstarch or flour
• 1/4 cup cold water

1. Mix all but cornstarch and 1/4 cup of water into a sauce pan and begin heating.
2. Mix cornstarch and cold water into a separate cup and dissolve. Add to the mix in the sauce pan.
3. Heat until sauce thickens, until your preferable thickness.
4. If you over thicken it – simply add a bit more water!

Crock Pot Pork (or chicken!) Teriyaki:

• 1/2 cup teriyaki sauce
• 1/2 cup chicken broth
• 1/3 cup brown sugar, packed
• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon sesame oil
• 3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts OR 3 bone-in or boneless pork chops of decent size (clearly, I did pork. I’ve done it with both and both are faaaaaantastic 😀
• 1 green onion, thinly sliced for garnish
• Sesame seeds, for garnish

  In a bowl, whisk together the teriyaki sauce, chicken broth, brown sugar, soy sauce, garlic, and sesame oil.

  Place meat into your crock pot. Add the teriyaki mixture and gently toss to combine. Cover and cook on low for 3 1/2 hours.

  Remove meat from crock pot and either shred the chicken or chop up your pork. Return to the crock pot, with any juices that have collected. Cover and keep warm for an addition half hour.

  Serve immediately on top of white rice, garnished with green onions and sesame seeds, if you’d like!
  

Quick Pickled Red Onions

The first time I had pickled red onions was on a taco. A taco?! Oh, okay! I didn’t know that was a thing.
Thank whoever invented that idea.
In anycase, I was making tacos one night and I was like ‘huh, I wonder how long it takes to pickle red onions?’
I figured I’d have to make them and wait a week to eat them – but I found a link to a recipe for ‘quick’ pickling. I got so excited I pickled all the red onions in my pantry. Oops. 😀 Sorry, not even a little bit sorry. They are so versatile and delicious, even on their own. Use this quick recipe & have pickled onions in no time flat!

What You Need

Ingredients
1 firm red onion, about 5 ounces
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup rice vinegar, white wine vinegar or apple cider vinegar

Flavorings (optional):
1 small clove of garlic, halved
5 black peppercorns
5 allspice berries
3 small springs of thyme
1 small dried chili

Equipment
Pot or kettle for boiling water
Knife and cutting board
Sieve or colander
Clean jar or container

1. Slice the onions – also start a pot or kettle of water to boil.
2. In the container you are storing the onions in, dissolve the sugar, salt, flavourings, and vinegar together.
3. Par-blanch your onions. Place the onions in a collander and slowly pour the boiling water over them, letting them drain.
4. Add onions to the jar and stir evenly to mix flavours together.
5. The onions will be ready in about 30 minutes. The longer you wait, the better they get.

The onions turn pink, and get pinker the longer they are in the vinegar. They end up very pretty and add a lovely splash of colour to your meals! They keep for several weeks, but are best in the first after pickling.

Thai spiced crunchy chickpeas

I have an obsession with all things crunchy and crispy. I don’t know. I like the noise. IN ANY CASE. I love me some corn nuts (the bagged, store bought ones) but they are so goddamn unhealthy for you. I mean, it’s not the worst but let’s be real. In any case, I was looking for something to snack on and satisfy my crunch needs when I stumbled across a recipe for baked chickpeas. Uh, yes please. 

The recipe said to try Mexican, Indian, or Thai spices to give these babies flavor and kick. And since I have a lovely Thai spice blend, I decided to go for that. Best idea ever! So crunchy and spicy and good.

You will need:
Preheated oven @400 degrees
1 can chickpeas; drained, rinsed, and patted dry. They must be COMPLETELY dry, or they will end up soggy
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
2 teaspoons of spice mixture

Once chickpeas are completely dried – toss in a bowl with olive oil, salt, and spice mixture. Place on a cookie sheet, spread out in one layer.
Bake for 30 minutes in an oven, shaking them or stirring them around every 5-10 minutes to avoid burning. I tested them throughout to see their progress. You want them to be crunchy – not soggy in the middle. You can adjust the time depending on the amount of chickpeas you are using, as well as your oven. My best suggestion is to just test them. Pop one out, let it cool, and give it the crunch test! If your chickpeas weren’t dry enough – they will end up chewy, no matter how long they cook for (I mean, unless you burn them). I stress the importance of dry chickpeas for perfect quality crunch!!

Once done – transfer to a bowl or container and snack away! These guys are loaded with protein and fiber and give your taste buds a  nice little kick in the pants 🙂

Browned butter and brown sugar cookies

I don’t have much to say except these babies have a crunch exterior and a seriously chewy interior. Heeeeeaven!

Ingredients:

• 14 tbsp unsalted butter
• 1 3/4 cup packed dark brown sugar
• 2 1/4 cups flour
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp baking powder
• 3/4 tsp salt
• 1 egg plus 1 egg yolk
• 1 1/2 tbsp vanilla
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup dark brown sugar
  1. Preheat oven to 350
  2. Melt the butter in a pan or skilled over medium heat. Allow to simmer until it starts to turn an amber color and smell nutty and fragrant. Remove from heat and let cool in a separate bowl for about 15 minutes or so.
  3. In a bowl combine the browned butter and brown sugar until well-blended.
  4. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
  5. Add the egg and egg yolk to the sugar mixture, scraping the sides after each one. Add the vanilla.
  6. Mix the flour mix into the cookie dough, stirring until just combined.
  7. In a small bowl, combine the sugar and brown sugar.
  8. Scoop and roll the dough into balls, by table spoon or so. Roll around in the sugar/brown sugar mixture, and place on pan about 2 inches apart.
     
  9. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until starting to set around the edges. Allow to cool before serving, and make sure to keep them in an air tight container to keep them from getting hard and stale!!

Peanut Butter Cookies

My secret? It’s always Jif. Always. My Momma showed me the light very early on – regular ol’ Jif is the only peanut butter I’ll ever bake with. It’s basically perfect.

Anyway, I love peanut butter. I’m not a huge fan of cookies – or really anything that isn’t a straight chocolate bar. But dammit, I love to bake. And people love to eat, so, hey… I’ve been on a baking binge 😉

(Ignore the fuzzy edges. I keep forgetting to take my adorable owl phone cover off before taking photos. It gets in the way, hence the weird glow.)

Ingredients:
    1 1/4 cups firmly packed light brown sugar
    3/4 cup JIF® Peanut Butter (honestly, you can use ANY peanut butter – or any nut butter. I’m just a brat.)
    1/2 cup butter (or crisco, but blehk)
    3 tablespoons milk
    1 tablespoon vanilla
    1 egg
    1 3/4 cups sifted all-purpose flour
    3/4 teaspoon baking soda
    3/4 teaspoon salt
Heat oven to 375*

Combine dry ingredients in a small bowl (flour, salt, baking soda)
In a separate bowl use a hand mixer if you have one (or your own whisking hand 😉 ) and combine the peanut butter, butter, brown sugar, vanilla, and egg. Once combined, add in your dry ingredients. Mix just until blended.

Drop by rounded spoonfuls 2-4 inches (depending on size) apart onto ungreased cookie sheets. Use a fork to make a cross hatch, and sprinkle with coarse sea salt on top, if desired.
Like so:

Bake one cookie sheet at a time, for 8-10 minutes – depending on how large your cookies are, until they are JUST beginning to brown.
(I make giant ones.) If you over cook them THEY ARE GONNA BE CRUNCHY. You don’t want crunchy (maybe you do – but that’s silly. Chewy peanut buttery goodness, if done correctly, is the best in the world) !!!!
Remove pan and let sit for a minute or two before using a spatula to transfer them to a cookie sheet or paper towel.

Enjoy 😀

FireCrackers

I remember my Aunt Dean making these one year for Thanksgiving. They went SO fast and were SO DARN GOOD. She inspired this tasty little snack 😉

1 lb unsalted saltine crackers (4 sleeves)
1 cup canola oil
1 (1 ounce) packet ranch dressing mix OR 1oz of your own ranch dressing mix (recipe follows)
2 tablespoons crushed red pepper flakes
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

Line crackers on ends (like dominoes) in an air-tight container.
In a small bowl, mix oil, dressing mix, peppers, and garlic powder.

Stir until all ingredients are well mixed.
Continue to stir to prevent the pepper from settling on the bottom of the bowl.
Spoon mixture evenly over crackers, like drizzling
Close lid tightly and flip the container over every 5 minutes for about 20 minutes. Lightly shake back and forth to make sure all the crackers are coated. They should keep in airtight container for at least 7 days, if they last that long 😉

RANCH DRESSING MIX:
Mix these together in a dish

• 2 Tbsp. dried parsley
• 1 1/2 tsp. dried dill weed
• 2 tsp. garlic powder
• 2 tsp. onion powder
• 2 tsp. dried onion flakes
• 1 tsp. ground black pepper
• 1 tsp. dried chives
• 1 tsp. salt