i've got something you want.

FOOD!

(I know that's not really an appetizing picture, but it's what I had. Deal with it.)

I like to blog about it, you like to read about it.

Most of all, you like to eat it. Or maybe that's just me.

I've created a blog dedicated solely to my cooking adventures. It's called foodbaby and it's the next best thing since sliced banana bread. So check it out!!

I know, after 2 posts in a row about food you thought, "Oh! This is a food blog!" Nope. My bad. So sorry to confuse you. Amy in the World will chronicle the trials and triumphs of my blossoming adult life. High fives for that!

So I hope you stick around here to see what's going on in my life, but I equally hope you check out foodbaby NOW and also in the future so you don't have to, you know, feel bad that you too cannot make an angel food cake from scratch.

It's impossible. I don't think angel food cake from scratch exists. It's a LIE!!!

Anyways....

I just learned a new thing: don't blog when you're tired. You ramble. I mean, I ramble. Maybe you do too.

Ok this post is done.

Goodnight!

A Tasty Summer Dinner with Friends

One of my favorite things to do is cook for people. It brings a little joy into my heart. So last night, we had our good friends Tom and Vanessa over for a little dinner and gaming. I marinated some chicken breast and prepared some corn on the cob, both for Jared to grill. But I also wanted to try out a new side dish recipe, because I lack things to make in that department. So I found this one on allrecipes.com:

Garlic Potato Wedges


Ingredients:

• 4 pounds small red potatoes, cut into wedges
• 1/3 cup olive or canola oil, divided (I used EVOO)
• 16 unpeeled cloves garlic
• 2 tablespoons minced fresh rosemary (homegrown!)
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/3 cup white wine vinegar or cider vinegar (I used white wine vinegar)
• 4 teaspoons Dijon mustard
• 3 teaspoons sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 1/3 cup chopped green onions

Directions:

1. In a large bowl, combine the potatoes, 1 tablespoon of oil, garlic, rosemary and salt. Pour into two 15-in. x 10-in. x 1-in. baking pans coated with nonstick cooking spray. Bake, uncovered, at 450 degrees F for 25-30 minutes or until potatoes are tender, stirring every 10 minutes.
2. In a small bowl, combine the vinegar, mustard, sugar, pepper and remaining oil until smooth. Squeeze roasted garlic into vinegar mixture (discard skins). Pour over potatoes and toss to coat. Sprinkle with onions.

So here is my criticism of this dish:

1. If you like your potatoes crispy, plan on baking for more like 50-60 minutes. Or that could just be my oven. Just check on them every 10 minutes or so to see how they are browning.
2. The topping you place over the potatoes after cooking, for MY tastes (and Jared's), was a bit much. So much so that the recipe should have been called "Vinegar Dijon Potato Wedges." If you like that flavor, great! It got great reviews on Allrecipes. And Tom and Vanessa really liked it. Here's proof:

The Verdict:

It was super-easy to make. That gets a big YAY! from me. I will definitely make this again with a longer cooking time (for crispy potatoes), and without step 2. The flavor of the potatoes without the step 2 ingredients is fresh and light. More "summer-like" to me. Give this one a try and see which version you prefer!

So Tom gave a "thumbs up," and Jared...



...voted with an ear of corn. Here is what the complete meal looked like on a plate (because I'm cool and photograph my food, ok?):



The chicken and corn were fantastic, by the way. Chicken marinade was Lawry's Herb and Garlic. YUM! I hope you found this helpful and feel free to share your favorite summer meals!

Meal in a Flash! Amy's Quick and Easy Pizza Muffins

One thing that makes my life more enjoyable is having a repertoire of quick and easy meals that are tasty and maybe even just a little bit healthy... sometimes. I'm kind of figuring out this cooking thing as I go, so if you consider yourself a novice/developing cooker, or even someone who dreads cooking, this is the place for you!

Here's a quick and easy lunch idea:

Amy's Quick and Easy Pizza Muffins

Ingredients:

• 6 English Muffins (or 12 English Muffin halves)
• 7 oz. pizza sauce
• 1 c. mozzarella cheese
• Any pizza toppings you like. For this recipe, I used 2 medium-sized tomatoes, slicked, and 12 basil leaves (fresh from my deck!)
• Italian seasoning to taste

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Separate each English muffin and place on a cookie/baking sheet. When the oven is heated, pop the English muffins in the oven for about 5 minutes to toast them.

2. Spoon about a tablespoon of pizza sauce on each muffin. I've found that I use about half of a 14 oz. jar of pizza sauce.

3. Top each muffin with a shredded Italian cheese of your choice. Mozzarella is great. Today I used a shredded five-cheese Italian blend by Kraft. Very tasty! I typically use about half of a 2 cup bag. Use more or less to taste.

4. Pick your own toppings to finish this off, or just leave it! The tomato and basil toppings today were AMAZING! I placed a full basil leaf under each tomato on each pizza. Next time, I might rip up the leaves to spread out the basil love. Yummmm!

5. I also sprinkled on a little blend called "pizza seasoning" from my spice rack. You may choose to do something similar, but it's also good without any seasoning.

6. Place back in the oven and bake for 7-10 minutes, or until cheese is melted. ENJOY!!

I came up with this little number out of necessity one day (a.k.a. I was lazy), and Jared loved it! He asks for this all the time, which is awesome because it's so easy. I could probably train my cat to do it. I hope you've found this helpful! Give it a try and let me know how it works out for you!

Amy

Welcome!

The title is both for you AND me. I am new to the blogging world, so... Welcome, self! Thanks! I think I'll like it here.

I've been secretly wanting to blog for at least a year now. This was a little thought I kept tucked away in the back of my mind, just for me. I never really knew what I wanted it to be about other than EVERYTHING. And then one day out of thin air, my handsome, intuitive, schnazzy husband says to me, "You should start a blog."

Really?

Me?

Me?

Yes. Yes I should.

So here it is: Amy in the World. Fortunately, the domain name wasn't taken, so I snatched that right up! Unfortunately, I'm starting this on Blogger (while I wait for Mr. to design something for me), and amyintheworld.blogspot.com was taken :( Sad day. So I have kind of a funky URL right now, which you can probably see at the top of your screen. I hope people can find me...

You did!

So why the name "Amy in the World"? Well, I'm glad you asked. Being a newlywed, newly college grad, and newly contributing member of society, I'm getting my feet wet in the REAL WORLD. And let me tell you, there is A LOT to learn! I'm 24, so numbers-wise, I've been an adult for a few years now. But some days I still feel like I'm 12.

Example: A couple weeks ago, my husband rented a car.

Did you catch that? He RENTED. A. CAR. That blew my mind! And he's 25, so we didn't have to pay extra. AND I got to drive it too! Legally!

Just a little adulthood milestone there...

There is so much for me to experience and figure out, and I can't wait to share everything with you. And even share some things I've picked up along the way that have made this journey into adulthood a little smoother. So I hope you keep reading and I value any feedback you might have!

Peace,
Amy