Life Above the Clouds

Did I mention on Tuesday that I bought these Brussels sprouts from Costco? Yup, I had a bunch leftover, so what else could I make? I was out of bacon, but I did have some leftover prime rib that I figured would work just as well. I remembered seeing Brussels sprout hash on the menu at Huckleberry in Santa Monica, one of my favorite brunch spots, so I decided to give it a try. Plus, I had some breakfast potatoes in the freezer.

• 12 ounces Brussels sprouts
• 2 ounces thick-sliced bacon or pancetta (or leftover prime rib)
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 1/2 chicken broth
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 3 large eggs
• kosher salt
• cracked black pepper

1. Thinly slice Brussels sprouts. Set aside.
2. In a medium to large skillet over medium heat, cook bacon or pancetta until crisp. Remove from pan. (I trimmed the fat from my leftover prime rib and let it melt in the pan)
3. To the bacon grease add potatoes and cook until heated through. (I added my leftover prime rib just to warm it up). Remove from pan.
4. Add oil to the pan as needed and cook the garlic for 30 seconds before adding in the Brussels sprouts.
5. Stir in the chicken broth. Sauté for 5 minutes until sprouts are tender. Add the bacon back in, and stir to combine and cook until sprouts start to brown on the edges, another 3-5 minutes. 
6. Create a slight well in the center of the pan. Add the butter if desired. Crack the eggs directly in the center and cook until the eggs are cooked through as desired. Remove from heat and serve immediately.

(Inspired by food for my family)

Yum I love Brussels sprouts! And I think we've established that everyone loves bacon. Maybe that's why one of the most classic ways to cook Brussels sprouts is with bacon! These Brussels sprouts are perfectly soft and the bacon adds great flavor.

• 5 slices bacon, chopped
• 1 1/2 pounds Brussels sprouts, trimmed, small spouts left whole, larger spouts halved
• Salt and pepper, to your taste
• 1 cup chicken broth

1. Brown bacon in a medium skillet over medium high heat.
2. Remove bacon to a paper towel lined plate.  
3. Add Brussels spouts to bacon drippings. Season with salt and pepper.
4. Cook Brussels sprouts 2 to 3 minutes to begin to soften, then add broth.
5. Bring broth to a bubble, cover and reduce heat to medium low.
6. Cook 10 minutes, until tender.
7. Transfer sprouts to a serving dish with a slotted spoon and top with cooked bacon bits.

(Inspired by Food Network)

I hope you eat lots of chocolate!

What? Valentine's Day is two days away already? I'm not ready! I haven't baked anything and my nails are green right now, but I'm a little too early for St. Patty's Day. Last year, I slaved over my heart manicure. It's just a white base with lovely red hearts on top. To make the hearts, I made two drops of red and dragged the bottoms together to make the point. It took me forever mostly because you have to let the layers dry. Mine got a little streaky because I was too impatient.

I know, you're so impressed with my amazing manicure-ing skills, but check out these other Valentine's nails I found via Pinterest. Wow...I know I definitely don't have the skill or patience to pull these off.

(Inspired by Sephora's Nailspotting via Pinterest)

I love the show, Once Upon a Time, and I think Ginnifer Goodwin is adorable. Here's an interview with bellasugar where she talks about her beauty regimen.

Surprise, surprise, Ginnifer doesn't use a ton of high end, expensive beauty products. She uses extra virgin coconut oil everywhere and even makes her own shampoo with coconut milk, olive oil and castile soap. I've heard about using EVCO on skin, so I did a little research on it. When eaten, it can help regulate blood sugar, fight heart disease, speed up weight loss, and improve the immune system. Used topically, it can dramatically recover the condition of both skin and hair, preventing wrinkles and making your tresses stronger and shinier. Just make sure you choose a product that is cold pressed, unrefined, organic, and basically as minimally processed as possible. I'm definitely intrigued and might give it a try. Besides, I'm sure it smells amazing!

To use on skin, you can warm the solid form between your hands or let the container sit in warm water. Then, apply anywhere. You can even use it on your face! EVCO has natural antibacterial, antifungal and antiviral properties and many people have been able to see some success in treating acne and eczema.

For your hair, use as a mask to slightly damp hair, one to two hours before shampooing, or use sparingly as a leave-in conditioner.

(Inspired by Fitness Blender)

The Super Bowl was on Sunday, and while I'm not super in to football, I can definitely get in to the snacks. My contribution to the party? Candied bacon. I saw this recipe a while ago and I've been dying to try it. Plus, bacon just screams football watching, doesn't it? Simple enough, this is basically just bacon covered with brown sugar and thrown in the oven. I didn't even follow the recipe. It tastes like sin in the best possible way. Sweet and savory and oozing with bacon-y goodness (aka grease). I'm definitely going for a run tomorrow...but it was so worth it. Here are pictures of a test batch where I only made five pieces, but it'd be just as easy to make a larger batch.

(Inspired by Food & Wine)

I bought this huge bottle of honey at Costco. Honey rarely goes bad and they've actually found edible honey in Egyptian tombs, so why not buy honey in bulk from Costco? It won't go bad because honey is pretty much just sugar with a little bit of water. The low moisture content keeps bacteria from growing, but it also causes the honey to crystallize. That thick and cloudy honey is perfectly safe to eat, but how do you get it out of the bottle? There's honey dripping down the sides of my bottle in the picture because I had it sitting upside down to get honey for my morning tea, but most of it is still in a big hunk on the bottom. Well, don't worry, it's actually really easy to fix. Just put the container of honey in a few inches of water and heat it slowly on the stove. Just be careful, because muliple heating and cooling sessions can cause the honey to lose color and aroma, and after a while, you'll want to throw it away. To stave off crystallization in the future, it's best to keep your honey at around 70 degrees.

(Inspired by scienceline and Heavenly Homemakers)

Pancakes just scream my name on Sunday morning, and last Sunday was no different. The best thing about pancakes is that you probably already have the ingredients in your pantry. Sure, some pancake recipes call for buttermilk like in this recipe for cinnamon banana pancakes or even yogurt for these fluffy blueberry pancakes, but never fear, this recipe for good old fashioned pancakes only calls for kitchen staples. I did add some chocolate chips though because, well, do I really need a reason?

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon white sugar
3 tablespoons butter, melted
1 egg
1 1/4 cups milk
cooking spray

1. Sift together flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar in a large bowl.
2. Whisk in melted butter, egg, and milk until combined. Let batter rest for 5 minutes.
3. Preheat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Spray with cooking spray. Pour batter into the hot skillet, about 1/4 cup of batter for each pancake. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes, until bubbles appear on the sides and center of each pancake. Flip and cook until golden, about 1 to 2 minutes.

(Inspired by allrecipes)

Ugh, this is super embarassing to admit, but my scalp has been really dry lately! What's a girl to do? My scalp is screaming for moisture so I could go get an expensive hot oil treatment or, duh, do it myself at home. You can buy one at the drugstore, but I like to use a combo of olive oil, jojoba oil, tea tree oil, and vitamin E. I've also heard great things about coconut oil. Massage the oils into your scalp, wrap your hair up in a towel, shower cap, or even a plastic bag, and leave on for 30 minutes. Rinse with water, then shampoo and condition. Tah-dah! Easy, right?

Wahoo! 100 followers! It doesn't seem like much, but it's a huge deal to me. Thank you everyone for your support. Don't forget to spread the word and share this blog with your friends!

What should we do to celebrate?