CrAzY CaMeL DeSsErT HuMmUs!

About a month ago, I heard about Crazy Camel Hummus and asked Chuck to send me some to sample! He gladly sent me each of the 6 flavors but they were spoiled when they arrived. Before I could even email Chuck, he had already emailed me and said that a few packages he had send out had been spoiled and that he would be sending me a whole new set. Wow! Talk about great service!

I’m sure you’ve seen Crazy Camel floating around the blog-o-sphere. It was started by Chuck, an executive chef, whose “picky teenage daughter” tried regular hummus that he had made and didn’t like it! She said “Can’t you add some peanut butter to this?”

It comes in 6 different flavors and is gluten-free, dairy-free, vegan, and high in protein and fiber. It also has half the fat of regular hummus!

 
One night I set up a tasting sesh for my family to try out each flavor and printed out a review sheet for them to write comments on. I put out graham crackers, grapes, and apples and we tried out each one.

Maple Walnut

We all really like the maple flavor. It was definitely my favorite, and I really want to try it on pancakes or waffles! Papa H wished it had actually walnuts in it because he thought it tasted like walnut extract. He wanted a more “nutty” flavor and actual nuts pieces.

Peanut Butter

We all had a different take on the PB flavor. Brother H thought the hummus flavor was overpowering and not very good to begin with. Mama H wishes it was sweeter, while I feel like it was too sweet and almost artificial. Papa H doesn’t like real PB (weirdooooo) so he actually liked this a lot.

 
Pumpkin Pie

This flavor was so good! We all agreed it was one of the best. Brother H and I both said it was just like pumpkin pie! Papa H says it’s an “epicurean delight- almost as good as the real thing!”

bahahaha love this picture 

Toasted Almond

Ohhh gosh! This one had all of us a little grossed out. Well everyone except Mama H. She thought it was good, while all of us had worse things to say. Brother H said “Ever eaten rat poison? Literally gagged 10 times.” Dad thinks it needs chunky almond in it and didn’t like the aftertaste.

 
Carmel Apple

This was another one we all liked a lot. It has actually pieces of apple in it and was really good with graham crackers. Brother H didn’t really like it though… he said he could really taste the hummus flavor over the apple.

stuffing.my.face.

Chocolate Mousse

Chocolate Mousse was best described as Brother H said- “good concept/ bad chocolate”. It was a little bitter and overall not as amazing as it sounds.

Sooooo, if you can get your fingers on this stuff- do it for sure! I just can’t personally recommend the Toasted Almond or Peanut Butter =(

Hope everyone's having a great week!!!

<3 Maddy

Blog Action Day

Today is Blog Action Day- “an annual event that unites the world's bloggers in posting about the same issue on the same day on their own blogs with the aim of sparking discussion around an issue of global importance.”

The organizers of this chose climate as the global issue to address and wrote up this amazing description to portray the importance of getting involved.Climate change affects us all and it threatens more than the environment. It threatens to cause famine, flooding, war, and millions of refugees. Given the urgency of the issue of climate change and the upcoming international climate negotiations in Copenhagen this December, we think the blogosphere has the unique opportunity to mobilize millions of people around expressing support for finding a sustainable solution to the climate crisis.

My bestfriend is currently interning for Greenpeace in San Francisco and will be in L.A. on October 24th to support this cause.

You can also go HERE to find an event near you. =)

PB ‘n Chocolate Bread Pudding Bonanza

What’s NOT to love about this recipe. PEANUT BUTTER + CHOCOLATE + HEALTHY = ♥

Oh did I saw healthy? YUP. This delicious dessert is from the Hungry Girl cookbook! Which is why I can’t give you the recipe =( But if this looks good to you, run out and buy the cookbook! There are TONS of awesome looking recipes in it!

I think you can email me for the recipe if you really want it. It could be our little secret ;)

Hope you’re having an amazing week bloggies!

<3 Maddy

PS- LOVES IT! =)))))))))))))

Do I really need to graduate?

Just kidding. But seriously... college is a joke sometimes. I am sitting in the library between classes bored out of mind. The only thing keeping me going is the fact that I'm going to go get Starbucks in like 30 minutes. Holla.


Here is something to keep you slightly entertained? Hopefully a little bit.

25 things you may or may not know about me

1) I am listening to Jack's Mannequin and forgot how much I love his music. If you've never listened to them go do it now. Seriously.


2) I cut my hair off last November to give to Pantene Beautiful Lengths Campaign and I really miss having long hair that went into a ponytail and was easy to do anything with. (I also still need to send it in.)

3) People have said I look older with short hair...but I pretty much look 15, so maybe now I look 16? (BTW...I'm 20)


4) I think airports are really fun and one of the best parts of traveling.

5) I went to UCF my freshman year and the only thing I liked was Rosen School of Hospitality and Heather, Austin, & Katherine. Now I go to USF-St. Pete and the only thing I like is Shari & Orysia. And I want to transfer again. hahaha
6) For as long as I can remember, I have gone to Marco Island atleast once a year. I absolutely love it and want to take everyone I know there.

7) I have this really bad theory that skin cancer is inevitable for me living in Florida and growing up at the beach... so sometimes I don't wear sunscreen? I know! It's really bad!

8) I like to drink Coke Zero and Wild Cherry Pepsi but I think they taste 100x better out of a fountain machine thingy.

9) I have a little bit of an urge to be a runner. So many people say its the best thing in the world and I wanna see what the fuss is all about. ps- I hate running.

10) I have a really amazing family. Atleast twice a week we are able to sit down and have dinner together and we always end up sitting at the table after we've finished, just telling funny stories or talking about our days.

11) I'm a Christian and love learning more about my faith and how to apply it to my life. But I really wish my actions portrayed that more often.

12) I used to say that I could eat icecream everyday for the rest of my life. Especially gelato and soft-serve. And thennnn I found frozen yogurt and have officially died, Rachel Zoe style.


13) One time, my friends Jennica and Merien and I got locked out of Jennica's house and we slept on her garage floor with her 2 dogs. That was after we found the hidden key that got us into the garage and searched all around the outside of the house for the key to get into the actual house and then ate Taco Bell and those little Dibs icecream things. We ended up sleeping in her garage on random soft things (like innertubes and toilet paper) until her step-dad found us in the morning! haha

*I so wish I could find the picture I wanted to put here... absolutely incredible.*

14) I like to drink decaf Lipton tea every night before I go to bed. It's yummy and makes my tummy feel good.

15) I love to sit at Starbucks and people watch. I could do it everyday if funds and time would allow. =)

16) I sang in choirs all through middle and high school and really miss being able to perform on stage.

17) I want 2 babies. A boy and then a girl, preferrably 2 years apart.

18) I have never had a real boyfriend. and every one knows middle school doesn't really count.

19) My brother Mat is one of the best people I know. I know I make fun of him a lot, but he is really an amazing person inside and out. I'm really proud of everything he has done with his life already. And I think he is going to make an amazing pastor one day =)


20) I want to travel to Italy and Greece before I die. Both places seem so beautiful and would have really yummy food =)


21) I'm WAY too obsessed with Gossip Girl. If I could be Blair when I grow up, I would. And I may or may not have snapped a secret photo of her dad's house on Marco Island...just sayin'.


22) My friend Erin has the best laugh in the world and I love that we can sit and talk about nothing (MTV, celeb gossip, Facebook-stalking) and eat icecream and never get bored of it. We get together every Monday to watch Gossip Girl and have been re-watching old episodes. I know, we're pretty crazy kids.

23) On my To-Do List: Robert Pattinson & Justin Timberlake. I would marry either in half a heartbeat. <3

24) When I grow up (or graduate) I want to work in a really pretty hotel in the Convention and Sales industry. I think it will be fun to plan events, weddings, trade shows, etc.


25) I'm really interested in being a vegetarian. Right now I only eat poultry and shrimp, but I'm afraid to make the switch because I don't like tofu.


The first time I tried to do this, I accidently x-ed out of the screen. I really considered not doing it again but like I said, I'm really bored. (I also saved this to a draft like 16 times as I was writing)

Leave me comments or fun facts about yourself =)


<3 Maddy

Ps- Sweet giveaway if you are a creative cooker! http://thespecialktreatment.wordpress.com/ks-cooks/unbake-off/

Blueberry Crumble

I hope you enjoyed Papa H’s guest post. He was really excited to write it, so if you haven’t read it… go do it now! I’m sure you will see more of him. =)

Speaking of Papa H, his fave fruit is blueberries (bloobs) so I made him this dessert to enjoy while I was in Marco Island finishing the last week of my internship. It’s a little healthier so Papa can keep his waistline in check ;) It’s a very easy recipe so you should give it a try!

Blueberry Crumble
adapted from diet.com

-4 cups fresh or frozen blueberries
-1 tbsp sugar
-3 packages instant oatmeal (they suggest one with maple & brown sugar, but I used Kashi vanilla)
-2 tbsp cinnamon
-3 tbsp butter, softened

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a pie plate, toss the blueberries with sugar.

In a small bowl, combine oatmeal, cinnamon, and butter until it forms coarse crumbles.

Bake until it’s bubbly around the edges and the top is toasty brown, about 30-35 minutes.

He said it was very good, and my cousins liked it even more with ice cream!

Hope you have a fab day! <3

Santa Fe Taqueria

Here is a guest post from Papa H.   He went to Oregon a few weeks ago and dined at a restaurant with his mom (Grandma H) while out and about and wanted to post it on BPL =)

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Greetings and salutations BakePrayLove readers! This is Papa to the H here!  As Maddy said, I was visiting Portland with my mom whose experience with Mexican food has been limited to Taco Bell tacos (‘TBT’) and similar chain/fast food offerings.  So I thought I would enlighten her with some authentic south of the border fare.

Courtesy of the amazing Restaurant.com, I was able to score a $10 gift certificate to the Santa Fe Taqueria in the trendy Pearl District for $3. You gotta stay savvy in this economy. We arrived 20 minutes before they opened and they were still setting up umbrellas for outside dining. We decided to stroll around the Pearl District while waiting for them to open.  I texted Maddy about how cool it was here. She was jealous, but I assured her that we would try to visit again with whole family next year. 

Once they opened, we snagged a table in the sunlight to stay warm. After waiting for what I felt was too long for someone to come serve us, I realized it’s the type of place where you order at the counter and pick up your food when it is ready.  (yes the 70’s were good to me!)  The restaurant has an ENORMOUS menu with a wide variety of meats, sauce combinations, and vegetables prepared in the traditional Mexican fashion.

I chose the closest thing to a TBT for Mom, while I explored more exotic choices – Fish Burrito and Shrimp Ceviche. We got the obligatory bowl of chips and salsa as well. Mom’s tacos (ground beef, served open-faced on fresh warm flour tortillas) came out first but looked a little sparse, so I asked them to add extra onions and cheese which they willing did.  The open-faced soft taco was a new concept to Mom, so it was a little messy at first, but she got the hang of it!  She enjoyed the unique cilantro flavor and the savory seasoning of the meat.

Next up was my burrito.  It was MASSIVE and garnished with a dollop of fresh guacamole and sour cream.  I attacked it with with a knife and fork and at once remembered why I’m not usually a burrito fan- too much beans and rice. If I had it to over again I would have chosen the fish tacos, because the fish was grilled and quite delicious. 

The Shrimp Ceviche was presented well and tasted very, very good.  Mom even wanted to give it a try, in spite of her very picky palette so this is an accomplishment in itself! *It was full of seafood, onions, tomato, etc.* I didn’t have the heart to tell Mom that ceviche usually contains raw seafood, but now that I think I about it, I highly doubt that their shrimp was actually raw. Either way, the flavors were spot on! The chips & salsa – chips were freshly made and lightly salted, salsa was simple and homemade, similar to my own recipe. I’ll have to share that with you sometime!

Dining outside in the Pearl District had it’s pros and cons. Being in such an urban environment, we had a variety of people walking by, from homeless to young professionals to skater dudes to locals just out for some fresh air. On the downside, I had forgotten that dining outside anywhere in Oregon this time of year, you will likely be accompanied by house flies, or worse yet in this case, yellow jackets!   So Mom spent a good portion of her meal swatting at the yellow jackets, while I tried to convince her to leave them alone before she gets stung.

I highly recommend the Santa Fe Taqueria to anyone wanting authentic flavorful Mexican food at a good value.  But be forewarned that you may want to eat indoors!

Lets Ketchup.

mmk. I’m lame-o for not posting. No excuse except that I’ve been a lazy college kid. Forgive me?

Posts to come ASAP!
-review of a restaurant in Oregon from Papa H
-review of Crazy Camel Dessert Hummus
-review of GrassRoots, a vegetarian/vegan restaurant by me
-Pumpkin Bread!!!!!! (its almost fall!!)

So hold me to it. Give me sh!t for being a bad blogger. I thrive under pressure haha

Lots of love. <3

ps- Just watched Dirty Dancing tonight. RIP Patrick Swayze =(

pss- watch this video. ob-sessed.