Happy Belly: Rumbleseats

Hi all! Sorry it has been so long; we just finished up a month of tech weeks and openings, all of which went well and, well- are DONE! So now it's just a matter of running eight shows at once :)

Anywho, between rehearsals and running up and down the hill (it's a real thing), I managed to stop by a great little drive in called Rumbleseats here in Spring Green, WI. And may I say YUM. Classic deliciousness fried and ready to go. Take a look:

Oh, they definitely had Battleship too. 

Jess won.

Happy Belly: Bacon Pancakes

I've had a dream for a while.


That dream was to have bacon pancakes.

Well said, Jake the Dog.


Anywho, on my May trip to California, I got to live my dream thanks to my fabulous cousin, Em.

The How is pretty simple: 

Make bacon. We did it in the oven (my favorite way- clean up is super duper easy). 

Take sip of bellini. This step is VERY important. 

After that, Mix up pancake mix. We did bisquick because, well, it has yet to let us down.

Take another sip of bellini.

Then, you chop up the bacon, and sprinkle it on the pancakes. 

Flip. 

Serve. 

Cover in butter. 

Cover in Syrup. 

EAT and be ridiculously happy. 

Happy Belly: Wine Tasting

When I was back in California in May, I got to do one of my favorite things: drink wine. It was glorious; sunshine, rose, and some of the loveliest women I've had the pleasure to get breakfast wine with.

SO it's been a while....

Yeah. Sometimes you turn around and realize its been months since you've touched the internet outside of Facebook updates and the occasional Netflix binge. Lucky for you guys, I have a whole stack of photos and stories to share from the spring. So let it begin!!!

In May, I took a trip back to the Old Country (or, you know... San Francisco) with my cousins and some New York friends. It was amazing. Days of gorgeous drives, more than a few laughs, and our fair share of wine. 

I also got to use my new camera.

Here's a couple to wet your appetite.

Happy Belly: Accidental Broccoli Soup

Sometimes you mean to make one thing but end up with another very tasty thing.

One of those sometimes was last night.


See, I set out to make zucchini-basil soup. It sounded so good and refreshing and delicious that I marched myself right over to Whole Foods and got the two pounds of zucchini and herbs needed to make it.

Then I got home and realized I had bought cucumbers instead of zucchini.

And by 'realized' I mean I was cheerfully chopping them up when my roommate looked over and said, "You know those are cucumbers, right?"




In my defense, they look very much alike and are stocked next to each other.


Anyways, I already had my onions and garlic going so I had to make something. Luckily, I had broccoli, the unsung hero of most dinners.


It turned out very very yummy. And a very pretty color.




Here's the recipe if you want to try it:

Accidental, or 'Ruh-Row' Broccoli soup

2 lbs broccoli
1/2 and onion
Garlic
Olive oil
A handful of basil
4 cups chicken broth
Salt and Pepper

Dice the onion and garlic and get them sautéing at the bottom of a soup pot in the olive oil. While thats getting going, cut up the broccoli into smallish (think 1-2 inch) pieces. Once the onions are soft and a little see-through, add the broccoli. Add salt and pepper to taste. Let that sit stirring occasionally so nothing burns until the broccoli is soft. Then, add the chicken broth and bring to a boil. Take it off the heat. Blend the veggies and broth either in a blender or in the pot with a hand blender  (I prefer the hand blender- less clean up). Lightly chop the basil and add to the pot. Blend until it's as smooth as you like. Serve with a dollop of cream, some parmesan, or just in a mug; all options are tasty.

Enjoy!

Happy Belly: Kale Chips

I have an obsession.

Kale chips.

I love kale anyways, but popping it in the oven and crisping it up with salt makes it the best thing since sliced bread. Nope- it's better. Definitely better.

So here's how its done: 

Preheat oven at 350° -375°.

Then rip up the kale into yummy chip sized pieces and lay them out on a cookie sheet.

Spray it all down with Pam (thats my quick trick).

Sprinkle with salt and garlic powder.

Pop them in the oven for 7-10 minutes.

BOOM- you got the tastiest treat under the sun. 

What about you guys? Whats your favorite snack right now?

Wish List: Tea and Coffee

Is there anything better than a warm cup of tea or hot chocolate in the morning?

I really don't think so.

My love of the warm beverage in the morning started when we lived in London fifteen years ago. On saturday mornings, I would wake up to watch cartoons. During the commercials I'd jump up and sit on the counter, placing a mango ceylon tea bag at the base of the mug while I patiently waited for the electric kettle to cluck its tiny *click*. Then, dloop, dloop! Two sugar cubes and a quick stir, then back to the couch for the remainder of whatever Blue Peter re-run I was watching.

I loved these mornings- they were so quiet and warm. I still get that wave of serenity when I waft of the warm, sweet tea or feel the heat against my palms as I cradle a mug.

So for this weeks wish list, I compiled some of the mugs and teapots I'd like to add to my collection.


Go grab a mug of something toasty and see what you think...

Happy Belly: Frisée Salad

favorite!

I love food, particularly French food.

And I love eggs- remember?

home made croutons

So it makes sense that one of my favorite meals in the world combines those two things: simple and exquisite french food and poached eggs.

Papa Cravens makes a salad of frisée, bacon, croutons, AND egg.
Here's how it works: the dressing is particularly acidic and vinegary so the creaminess of the egg warms up the salad and turns it into a glowing, luscious salad.

The salt of the bacon and the crunch of the croutons make it satisfying on all fronts. I especially love it because Papa makes homemade croutons. The whole house smells warm and salty. Sometimes, he'll get the thick lardon that stays a little chewy and soft. I love the soft parts of the bacon. It's like finding the squishy fries that have soaked up the Ikea gravy.

When all of these elements come together, it turns into a cornucopia of every flavor and texture I love: crunchy, soft, warm, cool, crisp, salty, vinegary, and creamy.


Basically, it's beautiful and delicious.

Sometimes I lick the plate.

Fine; I always lick the plate.

When Things Go Wrong (But Turn Out Ok)

As you might have heard, I'm moving. As you also might have heard, I was supposed to fly into Wisconsin Tuesday. But things don't always go as they're supposed to, do they?
On Tuesday, the United Airline network crashed nationwide. All this really did was delay a specific window of flights, including my first flight to Denver. I ended up missing the second leg of my journey.

Now, I respond poorly when travel plans go awry. By 'poorly' I mean that I follow standard Cravi procedures:
1. Panic internally
2. Decide it will be fine
3. Call parental person
4. Speak in an urgent and exasperated voice for a solid minute to three minutes then insist I'm just tired.
5. Calm down and decide to be a grown up about it.
6. Put some food in me to subdue the Hanger beast
7. Make sure I'm as nice and understanding and sweet to the poor airline people as possible

Boom- Problem solved.

This is my usual course of action.

This time, the solution to my no-airplane problem was to be put up in a hotel overnight and jump on a plant the next day. At first, I was cranky. Then the clouds parted and I realized: Hotel= jammies. Hotel = room service.
HOTEL= JAMMIES + ROOM SERVICE.
Finally, the transitive property is working for me.



See kids? We really do use math after the SATs.

So what started out as a stressful, cranky, sweaty day turned into reveling in two food vouchers worth of cheesecake, wine, and french onion soup while watching Chopped and Dance Moms.

Basically, I lived the dream.

BearBear agrees.

Happy Belly: Cool Lime Refresher

I have a deep love of Starbucks. It started in high school, and I've never really been able to shake it. Every once in a while, in an effort to save money, I'll get a coffee maker and a vanilla or pumpkin flavored syrup and tell myself it totally tastes the same. In the inside I know that's just not true. Then I break and get a pumpkin latte and colors seem bright again. In the summer, though, it's just too stinkin hot for hot coffee so I switch to their iced teas. I'm usually a staunch trenta-green-tea-shaken-lemonaide-un-sweetened girl, but when I saw the ads for the cool lime refreshers, my ears perked up- what is this magic?

Turns out it's delicious magic. It's the best parts of lemonaide without that odd dry mouth aspect, and has a zing of lime. Its the kind of flavor you never really get sick of, you know? They also use some kind of green tea extract to add some natural caffeine (yay!). Plus it's a pretty color. Which is always a plus for me. In any case, I've definitely found my new summer drink.

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Happy Belly: Umami Burger

My family has... a thing for burgers.

Well, more of a history really.

Once upon a time, when my father, Papa Cravens, was 8, he was determined to build the perfect burger. He spent a meal painstakingly stacking and layering and engineering each layer to ensure maximum taste and structural integrity. Without fail, each time the burger was built to specifications, he would pick up the beast and take a bite, only to be greeted with defeat. By defeat I mean all of the luscious ingredients squirted lamely out the back of the burger. This pattern continued for the bulk of the meal. 

Finally, in the Papa Cravi's rarely seen but oft dreaded rage, he took the burger in his hand and crushed it as Zeus crushed the Titans. 

This story has become legend in our family, known universally as The Hamburger Story.

Since The Hamburger Story, Papa Cravens has mastered the art of the burger. I, quite frankly, fancy myself his grasshopper. 

I swore revenge* on all burgers after hearing the legend.  

And I have vanquished every burger in my path. Usually with relish (pun). 

*By revenge I mean I eat burgers like it's my job.

Then I met the Umami Truffle Burger. 

This is the Siren of burgers. It needs no pickle, no ketchup, no onions, no garnish or embellishment of any kind beyond it's truffle cheese promised in the description. 

It seems meek and simple at first glance. Easy to overtake. Then you pick it up and see how... juicy it is. Your pace quickens. You hold the burger lightly, careful to keep the contents in the bun. The aroma is intoxicating.

Then you take the first bite.

And your mind goes blank.

But seriously, this burger is the very definition of Redoncuous. 

Oh, and there are also truffle cheese fries.

I'm just sayin. 

Weekend Pin Ups

That's right. It's Mitzi Gaynor.
I'm always surprised when people don't recognize her; wasn't everyone brought up on classic American musicals? It's like when people haven't seen All About Eve. I just don't understand parents these days.

Anyways, here are my Pinterest picks this week: