Hey guys! I’m going to test out a new thing on Fridays where I post a roundup of stuff I cooked/baked throughout the week, as well as some music I listened to. You (my friends, I think the only people who read this site so far) ask me pretty regularly for recipe/meal ideas, and also for music recommendations, so I’m hoping this will be a handy way to give you that. Let me know if it actually is helpful!

FOOD

Pizza (pictured above) with dough from Whole Foods, topped with shredded mozz, fresh basil, spinach, portabella mushrooms, red bell peppers, red onion, garlic, olive oil and lemon (no red sauce).

Granola (with dried cranberries instead of cherries). I will never buy this in a store again. So insanely simple to make and so delicious. The most important part is the honey/olive oil/cinnamon ratio (1/2 c honey, 1/8 c olive oil, 2 tbsp cinnamon), and from there the possibilities are endless. I’ve been eating this for breakfast with berries, Greek yogurt and honey (or agave).

Miso soup. Lots of miso soup. Usually with scallions, tofu and shredded seaweed; once with mushrooms instead of tofu. 1 tbsp miso paste per cup of water; simmered until the paste is dissolved. Add the scallions and tofu as it’s cooking; throw in the seaweed afterward.

Sweet potato/ricotta/basil mini quiche. These were AWESOME and the recipe is super easy. I’ll definitely be making them again!

CAKE BALLS! These were way too much fun, especially since there were Pop Rocks involved.

Sesame roasted string beans. YUM. This recipe is fantastic — and really easy.

Israeli couscous mixed with sauteed portabella mushrooms, red bell pepper and red onion; fresh basil, parmesan cheese and lemon.

MUSIC

The Dodos, No Color: This record is awesome, and has one of my faves, Neko Case, on background vocals in a lot of tracks (although she’s not as obvious as I expected she’d be).
Beach Fossils, What A Pleasure: Beach Fossils sound a whole lot like Wild Nothing, which isn’t a bad thing, and also makes it not surprising that WN are on one of the tracks.
Black Joe Lewis and the Honeybears, Scandalous: Soul/blues that will pump you up, especially for the weekend. Also, there’s a song called “Booty City.” Need I say more?