Got a Job and Mackin' Mac 'N Cheese

Don't get me wrong I am enjoying my new job. I'm working at Pandora and it's really awesome I've gotten to meet so many new people. I love all of my coworkers it's just not graphic design. The last jobs that I had where  of where close to graphic design so at least I'm going in the right direction. Helping design bracelets for customers and designing logos...OK it's a big leap but not as big as event security. I also just finished a logo for a friend and it turned out so cool. Just check out my other site MBG Designs to look at my most recent work. I will also be designing some wedding invitations soon for my BFF's wedding! I'll post those when it gets closer to the date.

OK I know my life all a of the sudden got way busier I know I still need to post how my low carb is going. Also a now I can tell you how I've been keeping get up with my low carb now that I eat out more often because of work. I tend to forget to pack my lunch like every day but when I do remember it's usually left overs.

So this is a great time to give you a recipe that reheated really well.

Fake Mac and Cheese!

2 heads of Cauliflower
1 stick of cream cheese
4 Oz of heavy cream
2 tablespoons of dijon mustard
12 Oz of shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 pound of bacon

Cook bacon in small cut up chunks in a small pan. Drain greese off and set aside.

Steam the cauliflower till it is soft enough to crush. Remove the water from the pan and mash the cauliflower till it is in noodle sized pieces.

Add the heavy cream, dijon and cream cheese allow cream cheese to melt on low heat. Continually mix so that heavy cream does not scald or burn to bottom. Once the cream cheese is mostly melted start to stir in about 3/4 of the cheddar into the cauliflower.

Once cheese is fully melted add in the bacon and stir in. Top with remaining cheese turn iff heat and cover, let the cheese melt for a couple minutes and surve.

P.S. I also made this with crab and it was amazing as well, so my guess is any choice of meat you would like is going to be good.

Zoodles!!!

Zoodles which are zucchini noodles are delicious and healthy!

First to make the noodles I bought a spiral slicer, we got it for only 20 bucks on amazon! The one that I bought is called Super Swizz I am so in love with it. It's super easy to use and I recommend it (it was one of the better rated brands). Pictured below:

This recipe is a pesto and sausage pasta. Serves 3-4 people.

Ingredients:

• 1 lb of Italian Sausage
• 8-10 oz. of Pesto Sauce
• 5 medium Zucchinis
• Parmesan 
• Salt
• Pepper
• Olive Oil

Instructions

1. Cut the Zucchini into noodles. Place in a pan on medium heat with salt, pepper, and olive oil to taste. 
2. In a separate pan cook sausage till brown with a little olive oil.
3. Once noodles have cooked down but are still tender. Add them to the pan with the sausage and also add the pesto. Turn the pan off but leave on the burner to keep the noodles warm. 
4. Mix everything together and then place in a serving bowl straining out some of the extra water and oil from the noodles.
5. Top with Parmesan and serve

Football Food!

So I said a couple days ago that I would be making lower carb football food. I know that when I think football food I think fried, salty, and dips so many dips. I went for the good traditional pulled pork!

I used the Jack Daniels Pulled Pork that you just a heat in the oven and serve. I also for the first time made my own coleslaw and of course what did I turn to in my time of need...Pinterest!

I or course put my own spin on a coleslaw recipe. Here it is below.

• 1 head of Savoy Cabbage
• 2 medium Carrots
• 1 cup Mayonnaise
• 2 tbs Apple Cider Vinegar
• 2 tbs Dijon Mustard
• 1 tbs Celery Salt
• 1 tbs Sugar
• 1 tbs Onion Powder
• 1/2 tbs salt

In a bowl shred cabbage and mix in the shredded carrots as well. In another bowl mix mayo, vinegar, mustard, celery salt, sugar, and onion powder. Top the cabbage and carrots with a thoroughly mixed sauce.

First place coleslaw on the roll and then top with pulled pork. To make this good I bought freshly baked kaiser rolls. I only did an open face sandwich to reduce my carb intake but these ended up delicious.

Keepin' Busy!

I have been so busy lately...I know hard to believe that someone who is unemployed is busy.

SO what have I been up to?

1. I've been helping my parents rebuild our deck at our house on Vashon Island. That has required us to replace all of the railing, part of the structure, and all of the boards on the top part of the deck. So basically as fast as my Dad can cut my Mom and I have been staining the boards a grey color. It looks great I will say but we have only done about 50 boards and we have like another 100 to go...it's probably not going to get done till next summer but wow it's a slow process doing this with only 3 people. 
2. I have had a interview! It's only for seasonal work at a jewelry store but you know what it's money. So I'll hopefully be helping out in late September and October and possibly over Christmas too.
3. I have been asked to design things for friends! Yay more stuff for my portfolio. I just designed a logo and watermark for my friends photography business. You can find the link to my portfolio page here MBG Designs!
4. COUGAR FOOTBALL HAS STARTED AGAIN! So most of you know that I just graduated and I went to Washington State University. One thing about WSU is we are proud to be COUGS no matter how bad our football team (and other teams) suck! Win or loose Cougs booze. Plus Cougar Football is pretty much the only football I follow. (The only other sport I religiously follow is Seattle Sounders...Who by the way are first in the western conference.)
5. MY BEST FRIEND JUST GOT ENGAGED!!!!!!!!!!! So there's that exciting news!

Basically since summer has been ending I've all of the sudden have stuff to do which is quite exciting.

Watch out for tomorrows post. It's the Seattle Seahawks season opener against Green Bay so I'm making low carb football food! Pulled Pork Coleslaw and Veggies!

Construction Weekend with Great Food

So this weekend was insane and crazy. Starting early Thursday morning I headed over to the beach house on Vashon Island. This is our second home right on the waters edge of the Puget Sound. Below is a picture of the view, straight out is dash point and Federal Way, to the right is the port of Tacoma and to the left is the Des Moines marina.

Disclaimer: The panorama makes the mainland look miles away it's much closer.

So this house is very much a never ending project. There is a laundry room that is just a hole in the wall. Part of the deck railing is rotten. There is just never ending projects but we love our little money pit. Anyway this last weekend my parents and I decided we were going to work on the deck. I knew this was going to be a tough weekend.

First thing we did was get all of the wood down to the beach. Now the parking lot is a good 10 minute walk to the house and that's only carrying normal bags. We had to bring all of the lumber down to the house, that was a giant pain. thankfully we were able to drive the truck down onto the beach for the bulk of the lumber. The rest we carried by hand...yeah it sucked...and it was 80 degrees on top of that...

Next we had to get all of the demolition done. We went though and pulled out all of the rotten pieces of wood and developed a plan. That took 1 day.

Day 2, we started replacing the few structural boards that needed to be replaced. The structure was all we got home on Friday. And because I talk about food we had taco salad that night.

Day 3, we started bright and early and really sore again Saturday morning. We worked on doing a little more deconstruction and assembling the railing. This night I homemade meatballs with the Swedish gravy from Ikea. I'll post that recipe later cause they turned out delicious.

Day 4, Sunday we had a little slower start because after 4 days we didn't want to work anymore. The last of the projects were beginning. We started reassembling the rest of the railing. We called it quits at about 1:30 and 90% of the railing was done. There still isn't a top and we want to do more now that we're done.

Here is a picture of the delicious sandwich we ate to celebrate the end of the weekend.

Ham and turkey, with avocado, cheese, mayo, and lettuce! and Mimosas to top!

Low Carb Carbonara

So my family and I have been doing a low-carb diet. My mom and I both have thyroid issues which in result screws with out weight and cholesterol. To help lower the entire families cholesterol and just to eat healthier in general we've been substituting our pasta with spaghetti squash.

Here is another one of these fabulous Pinterest recipes with a low-carb twist. Roasted Cauliflower and Mushroom Carbonara. Ever since I've visited Italy in 2008 and again in 2012, I have been hooked on Carbonara. But as you all know Italy is carb central, you can't go anywhere and not eat 300lbs of carbs.

Ingredients:

• Spaghetti Squash
• 4 Eggs
• 1 Small Head of Cauliflower
• 2 Cup of Mushrooms
• Parmesan Cheese
• 3 Cups of Bacon
• Olive Oil
• Garlic

Instructions:

1. Start the Spaghetti Squash, bake at 375 for 60-75 minutes.
2. While waiting for this I use the George Foreman grill to cook the bacon because it's easier.
3. Start to roast the cauliflower and mushroom in a large skillet, let these cook covered with garlic and olive oil for about 20 minutes, or until the cauliflower and mushrooms are soft. 
4. Cut spaghetti squash in half and discard the seeds. Use a fork to scrape out the squash and add it to the pan with the cauliflower and mushrooms. add the bacon (chopped) and place on high heat.
5. Mix the squash and other vegetables. Open up a spot in the center and break the eggs into the middle of the pan. Let the eggs cook just a little then start to mix the egg into the squash.
6. Turn off heat once eggs are moist but not fully cooked. Top with Parmesan cheese and serve.

Vibrant DIY Stools

So here is another project from 4th of July weekend. My parents own a house on Vashon Island and some of the furniture is getting to be a little old and it being a beach house means that funky colors and hand-me-down furniture is totally cool. I know that you can easily find stools similar to these at places like salvation army, goodwill, and other thrift shops. Even garage sales since its SUMMER!!

Here are some great 80s stools that still have great shape and lines. These stools have been at the house since it was rebuilt in the 1980s. Originally they were a yellowish stain on the seat and white legs. The white and wood was starting to date them. 

So to freshen them up my mom and I painted the legs a bright and cheery teal blue (Picture doesn't show true color.). 

We also sanded the tops and added a thin coat of varnish to seal the tops. This gave us a new look on their legs and a fresh coat on the seat. 

Here is the final DIY...old stools with a new life. 

Butter Beer

Here is my attempt at Butter Beer...did I mention I was a nerd. So at the beginning of this summer my family and I went to Universal Studios and of course we spent most of our time at The Wizarding World of Harry Potter. Which I recommend highly. So obviously there are a few things that you must try when you go. The rides, the candy store, and of course the best part BUTTER BEER.

I know your probably thinking why would I want a hot drink in Florida. First, this is the cold version, and second it is way to delicious to turn down. I will warn you it is defiantly filling, and sweet. It is dessert in a cup.

So I'm going to tell you how to do it with bottled cream soda or homemade. 

Bottled Soda:

• 2 Tablespoons of Butter Extract
• 2 Tablespoons of Rum Extract
• 2 Liters of Cream Soda

Homemade Soda (2.5 gallons):

• 2.5 Pounds of Cane Sugar
• 2 Ounces of Vanilla Extract (Gnome Brand)
• Water
• 4 Ounces of Butter Extract
• 4 Ounces of Rum Extract

So I made the home made version but it is only possible if you have a way to carbonate the soda.

Mix all of your ingredients together now for the topping. THE BEST PART!

Topping:

• Butterscotch Topping
• Heavy Whipping Cream

Whip about a quart of heavy whipping cream with about a half of a cup to three quarters of a cup of butterscotch. Use an electric beater to whip it into a fluffy whipped cream. 

Now top the soda with some cream and enjoy!

Penne Pasta With Squash and Sausage

Ok I haven't posted in a while it's been a crazy week. So here is a recipe from last week that I tried. It is penne pasta squash and sausage with red sauce.

Ingredients:

• Penne Pasta
• Sausage
• Mini Green and Yellow Squash
• Mini Zucchini
• Pesto
• Organic Crushed Tomatoes
• Olive Oil
• Salt and Pepper
• Parmesan Cheese

What you need to do is start the pasta so that the noodles begin cooking. In a large pan at medium heat add olive oil squash, zucchini, and sausage. Cook ingredients in the pan until squash is tender and the sausage is cooked completely. Once the squash and sausage is cooked add the organic crushed tomatoes. Begin to warm the sauce, while stirring in the tomatoes make sure to add pesto to give the sauce some flavor.

Now to check on the pasta. The noodles should boil for the amount of time mentioned on the package. You want to make sure they are as the Italians would say "al dente" or to the tooth. You don't want the noodles to be too soft because they continue to cook after you shut off the water and add the sauce.

Take the noodles out of the water and add them to another bowl. Top the noodles with the sauce, veggies, and sausage in the other pan. Finally add Parmesan.

Life So Far...

So since I've graduated college I have probably put in upwords of 100 applications. At first part of me felt like the companies weren't getting them or I was doing something wrong. Why do all of these people hate my applications. Only a couple weeks ago my mom helped me out and got me the email of a coworkers friend who is a graphic designer. I sent her my resume and portfolio, thinking, like the last people I contacted personally that she would just never get back to me. My luck had changed! She contacted me back and she liked my portfolio. So I'm not crazy, graphic design is just a really hard field to get started in. I know I'll probably have better luck once the college kids go back to school in August. Maybe I can get an internship or a starting position.

So after gaining a little confidence about my designs, I have opened my own Etsy Store and started freelancing. If you want any work done you can visit my Thumbtack Page. I have sent in my first quote it was scary and I'm not sure that I will win the bid but it felt good to have a chance.

In other news I got my first ever filling today. It hadn't formed in to a full on cavity yet but it was on it's way. I've also never had Novocaine before. Talk about a weird sensation having half of your face tingly and numb. Then in one fast sweeping movement I gained all of the feeling back and my jaw and tooth is quite sore. Why not do I have to get a cavity. This sucks...oh and I have to go back in on July 11th to get the other side done.

So let's see...anything else. I can't wait for the 4th of July. Not for the fireworks or the drinking, ok a little for the drinking, but I'm excited to do something other than apply for jobs. I know that probably doesn't sound that tiring but it's more mundane and boring. Well stay tuned for another recipe!

Pesto and Prosciutto Panini

Today I wasn't feeling like creating a crazy elaborate meal so I decided to make paninis. They are simple and delicious, and if you are rushing for dinner these are quick.

Ingredients:

• Torta Bread (or another Panini Type Bread)
• Pesto
• Mozzarella Cheese
• Prosciutto (or Salami)

First spread the pesto on one side of the bread. Add a couple thicker slices of mozzarella and finish it off with a couple slices of prosciutto. 

To cook I find it easiest to pop it on the George Foreman, by the way if you don't have one get one. That thing got me though college! Like a grilled cheese wait until the cheese is melted then it's ready to eat.

These sandwiches are easy and can be customized so you can switch it up! I have substituted prosciutto for salami or even have it vegetarian style with no meat. That makes it more of a fancy grilled cheese but still just a delicious. 

Chicken Fajitas

So today I made my dinner from scratch! I designed my own chicken fajitas, which ended up to be delicious.

First you have to start the rice and beans. I bought a black beans and rice that was dry. To cook follow the instructions on the back of the bag. This specific brand (Vigo) is just water, olive oil, and the rice mix.

While that is cooking start to prepare the meat and veggie stir fry.

Ingredients:

• Chicken Thighs (sliced into small strips)
• 1 Red Bell Pepper (sliced into strips)
• 1 1/2 Cups of Mushrooms (sliced thin)
• Ortega Fajita Skillet Sauce

In a large fry pan cook chicken on high. Brown and make sure the chicken is mostly cooked. Add bell pepper and mushrooms to the pan. Cook chicken, peppers, and mushrooms until vegetables are soft and chicken is fully cooked. Add fajita sauce and turn heat down to a simmer to warm sauce.

Now when making your fajita use handmade corn tortillas I found some great ones at Fred Meyers. I also have cabbage, cheese, and sour cream as my extras make the fajitas.

CUSTOMIZE AND ENJOY!!!!!!!

Graphic Design

So I know I haven't posted a ton but I've been working on graphic design stuff. But anyway I have opened an Etsy store. Right now there is just doctor who related posters but I've been working on expanding my merchandise. First digital downloads! Mostly so people outside the United States can buy my work. Here is a link to my store Greene Graphics on Etsy.

If  you would like to hire me I also do logos, graphics, custom print designs, and branding.

You can find my contact information on this site. Greene Graphic Design.

Fremont Fair

Today I went the Fremont Fair for the first time. I have lived in Seattle (just outside) for my entire life and have never spent a large amount of time in Fremont. Let's just say that after today I want to live in Fremont! It is such a cool part of the city, you can walk for blocks and see so much new stuff, art, food, stores, and people. It feels like such a great community to live in! Ah I need a job so that I can move out and into a place like that.

So today at the fair my parents and I walked around the booths checking everything out. I grabbed lunch at this place that did Caribbean fusion food. I got pork tacos that were absolutely amazing. Corn Tortilla, shredded pork and onions, coleslaw, and curry sauce. It was delicious, let's just say that I will be attempting to make these sometime in the near future.

Next we headed to this bar called the George and Dragon to watch the world cup game (Germany vs. Ghana). Which was a great game tied 2-2. It was a great bar small English style pub with a great outdoor beer garden. They place these TVs in the beer garden so that you could drink and watch the game outside, let's just say that I got sunburned but it was such a great game it was worth having a crispy nose.

After the game we started walking back towards the car which was parked on 34th and Stone Way. So we grabbed a spot on the curb for the parade on 34th street. The naked bike riders were pretty funny some of the body paint and costumes were pretty crazy and amazing. The people who went full naked pain or some without paint, that takes some serious balls, and I applaud you!

During the parade we went in to a little shop called Blue Moon Burger, another delicious place to eat. ONce the parade ended we started walking back to the car. Once we got back to the car we stopped and grabbed some coffee (cold), it had been a long and hot day. We chose to follow the rest of the parade down to gasworks park where there was a bunch of brass and marching bands playing.

We heard the Sound Wave play, the Sounders FC band. They were great! It had been a long day so we headed back home but it was by far one of the best parades/fairs that I have been too!

Spaghetti Squash with Red Sauce

So today I didn't take any pictures but I made a spaghetti substitute. Right now my family and I are trying to a low carb "lifestyle" (I'm trying not to say diet cause those are too easy to break.)

Ingredients:

• Spaghetti Squash (2)
• Italian Sausage (1 package)
• Pesto
• Red Sauce
• Parmesan Cheese

I found a way to bake spaghetti squash so that you can spoon it out and make real spaghetti.

Instructions:

• Turn oven to 375
• Use a knife to puncher small holes all around the squash so that steam can escape. 
• Place the squash on a cookie sheet
• Bake for 60 minutes
• Remove seeds in the center
• Use a fork to scrape the contents of the squash loose

Now for the sauce, I used a specialty pesto sauce that had sun dried tomatoes and tomato paste. I added Italian sausage in the sauce too.

Instructions:

• Break up sausage in a large skillet
• Cook sausage on medium to high heat, until lightly browned
• Add pesto red sauce mix
• Continue cooking on low to heat the sauce
• Once sauce is warm add the squash
• Make sure the squash is completely incorporated
• Top with Parmesan cheese and serve

This is a great way to have spaghetti fix on a low carb diet!!

Fruit Trifle

Happy Father's Day!

Today my family had a small bbq with my grandmother. I decided it's summer and fruit is always at its best this time of year. It is a great recipe for those out there that aren't super great bakers.

All you need is:

• Your Favorite Types of Fruit
• Instant Vanilla Pudding 
• Cool Whip (Small Tub)
• Pound Cake
• Ingredients on Pudding Box and Cake Box

First you start with a layer of pound cake, you can either buy it or home make it. I usually just buy pre-made pound cake but this time I made it with the cake mix (the one's in the box). I actually liked it much better than pre-made it was way fluffier and lighter.

Make sure to start mixing your instant pudding. Once the pudding has thickened we want to make it lighter. I take about a third of the Cool Whip and mix it into the pudding.

NOW LAYERS!!!

Repeat these layers for as much fruit as you have!

1. Pound Cake
2. Fruit
3. Vanilla Pudding Mix
4. Repeat
5. Last row, instead of pudding cover fruit in remaining Cool Whip

And TA-DA a beautiful layered desert that doesn't make you feel guilty for eating it. Mostly because of the fruit!

Etsy...I can make money there!

Today I got a text from a friend that has only been job searching for about 2 weeks that she is now employed...I've been looking for 6 months and haven't even gotten an interview *screaming internally*!

So instead of spending my time applying to more jobs I decided to look into starting my own Etsy store! Now I may have mentioned this in my about me section but I am a huge nerd. I'm talking Hunger Games, Sherlock (BBC), Doctor Who, and much much more. I'm pretty good with crafting and making things, especially painting.

I'm going to hand paint pillows, make jewelry and design posters. The poster part is at least somewhat related to my degree. (My designs below!)

See I want to be a graphic designer and I've done an internship and I even won best graphic design in my major for 2014. I figure once I have enough money to buy Adobe and can get a business licence I can run my own business or something like that. I just need to design I'm dying not doing anything!

So at the bottom I've attached some rough (I mean really really rough) sketches!

Just in case you are at all interested in my designs you can find them at my other website MBG Designs. 

Balsamic Glazed Pork Tenderloin

Today I decided to try a balsamic glaze that I found on Pinterest. To cook the glaze place 6-8 tablespoons of balsamic vinegar in a small sauce pan and being to a boil. Reduce the vinegar to a simmer and let it cook for about 5 minutes. The balsamic will have reduced and thickened. Set that aside and begin to prepare the pork.

Now I have never cooked pork before in my life, so I had no idea where to start. I turned to my trusty sidekick Google!

I pulled out the pork tenderloin and cut the long piece in half to give myself about 8 inch long pieces of pork.

To start I placed a small amount of olive oil in a pan on medium heat. I placed each half of the tenderloin in the pan and seared each side until the pork was golden brown on all sides. Not long only 5 minutes per side.

Once the pork is browned place in a casserole dish (or an oven safe pan). Drizzle the reduced balsamic over the pork.

I also ground salt and pepper over the pork. On top of the pork sprinkle chopped garlic (about 2 cloves) and fresh rosemary (about 2 tablespoons).

Place the pork in the oven at 475 for about 15-20 minutes. Once the internal temperature of the pork is 145 it is done cooking.

Let stand for 5 minutes then cut and serve! I recommend dipping your pork in the balsamic that has collected in the bottom the pan it adds a ton of flavor to the meat.

Ingredients:

• Pork Tenderloin
• 2 Cloves of Garlic
• 2 Tablespoons of Fresh Rosemary
• Salt to Taste
• Pepper to Taste
• 6-8 Tablespoons of Balsamic Vinegar
• 2 Tablespoons of Olive Oil

Instructions:

• Bring balsamic vinegar to a boil in a small sauce pan. Reduce the heat so that the vinegar is at a simmer. Let balsamic reduce and thicken, turn off when reduced by half and let cool and thicken on the side.
• Brown all sides of the tenderloin in a pan on medium heat with olive oil. 
• Place tenderloin in casserole dish. Drizzle balsamic over meat and add the rosemary, garlic, salt, and pepper.
• Place in oven at 475 for 15 minutes, check temperature, if at 145 the meat is done. If it is not up to temperature bake for 5 more minutes.