My Love Life Play List & Gluten Free Black Bean Brownies

Music has always been a huge part of my life.  

When I was in the 3rd grade I wrote a paper about how awesome it would be to meet Ace of Base. 

I used to create my own dance moves to whatever CDs my Dad had, usually a nice combo of Mariah Carey, Boston and Steven Curtis Chapman.  I
I'm married to a man that is a walking musical instrument.

I can memorize lyrics pretty easily and then I never forget them.

I just rapped all of Big Willy Style the other day when it came on the radio.  Be jealous.

So, last week when my teacher asked us to present a music video with a song that described a part of our love life I was pretty excited.  But it was SO hard to choose.  I chose a song for class and kept thinking of all the other ones that I really wanted to pick instead.  And now I present you with.....

Nicole's Love Life Play List

[enjoy.]

1.  Take My Breath Away- Berlin 

This is actually the first song Andy and I ever slow danced to.  I had the Top Gun record, yes record, we played it in my garage and danced away.  Aww.

2.  Soco Amaretto Lime- Brand New

Classic young love song.  About escaping your home town and falling in love.

3.  Hands Down- Dashboard Confessional

Thinking about this stuff now is making me feel like high school was over a decade ago.....which I guess it is. 

4. Teenage Love Affair- Alicia Keys

It's pretty amazing to fall in love as teenagers and be able to grow up together.  Not that it's always easy but the love I have for my husband now is a thousand times more than what we had as kids.

5. Only in Dreams- Weezer

We named our first son Jonas after a Weezer song, we're music nerds so definitely gotta have one of our first favorites.  This was almost our wedding song until we decided it was too long to dance in front of a bunch of people to.

6.  Under the Streelights- Alkaline TrioThere are just parts of your life that you have certain CDs that were your soundtrack.  This reminds me of going to watch Andy's band play at house shows in high school. 

7. I'll Catch You- The Get Up Kids

This was our wedding song.  A sweet song and fitting for two 20 year olds that got engaged and then married in three months.

8. I Never- Rilo Kiley
Just one of those, I'll never be loved but than you came along type songs.  Rilo Kiley in general is awesome. 

9. Right Thru Me- Nikki Minaj

This song just reminds me so much of me.  I've never been a very open person and it took awhile for me to believe that someone could love me just as I was.

10. Cemetery- Say Anything

Just a beautiful song.   My husband has saved me many times.  I love him so. 

11. Bless This Mess- David Bazan

Such a sad but true song.  My side tattoo is based off of this song.  I kind of think we're all messes.  God bless us.

12. How He Loves- David Crowder Band

It took me a long time but I finally understand REAL love.  Not from any man, as much as I love my husband, but perfect love that we can only get from God.

13.  I Will Follow You Into the Dark- Death Cab for Cutie

Kinda morbid but I can't help but have a slight panic attack thinking about one of us dying.  This was the last concert we went to when I was 8 months pregnant with Tulip.

14. I Will Wait- Mumford and Sons

The song I presented for my class.  Love is work sometimes.  Love is forgiveness.

15. God Gave Me You- Blake Shelton

Sappy, yes.  Cheesy, maybe.  But true.  My husband is my biggest supporter, my strength when I am weak and I truly believe he is a gift from God.

I feel like I don't stop this now I'll never stop it.  We're going to have a vow renewal ceremony next Fall and first item on my agenda is music playlists. 

Recipe time!

I made these brownies for a Peaceful Parenting Network park play-date we went to last week.  I have friends that are gluten-free and wanted to bring something everyone could eat but didn't have any special flours or anything in the house.  I found this recipe and was pretty excited!  They are definitely a fudge type brownie, they don't rise much at all and I didn't love the texture but all of the kids loved them and that was my goal.  Plus they are so easy it's a great recipe to try out.  You can add nuts or chocolate chips if you like, my chocolate wasn't gluten free so I decided not to.

Gluten Free Black Bean Brownies

1 15 oz. can black beans, drained and rinsed well

2 eggs

1/3 cup Cocoa Powder

3/4 cup honey

1 T Vanilla

2 T Coconut Oil

1/2 tsp. Salt

1.  Dump all ingredients into a blender or food processor, except chocolate chips or nuts if you're using them, and blend until smooth.

2.  Pour mixture into a greased 8x8 pan.

3. Bake for 30 minutes at 350 degrees!

4.  Let cool and enjoy.  

Instagram Anonymous. [Frosted Zucchini Brownies]

Hi, my name is Nicole and I am an Instagram addict.

[Which by the way if you want to follow me I'm under: nicolehopefully]

Ok, yes, I said it.  I admit it.  I know, I know.  I really, really, really, like Instagram, even more than Facebook [is that possible?]  I always have this guilt inside of me that maybe I'm the Mom that takes too many pictures?  That I can't just go do something without taking 500 pictures as proof that I did it.

And I think I'm guilty as charged.  

I've always been a picture taker, I took photography in high school, back in the day when we developed our film in a dark room in the pitch black hoping we would load the film right and the whole roll wasn't ruined.  My photography teacher finally had to tell me that not every assignment could be pictures of my, "druggie boyfriend" aka Andy.  Although why he thought Andy was a druggie I'll never know, maybe it was the fact that he was in a band, wore a beanie 24/7 & had long hair?

[I've also decided I'm just going to start using my own pictures for my blog instead of random graphics I find.  My blog is mostly for myself and I think it will be cooler to remember what we we're doing at different times than random memes I think are funny that day.  So here's Andy teaching a science experiment for our homeschool co-op the other day.  

I guess I never did listen to my photography teacher, sorry Mr. Allen!]

Besides photography class I would constantly take pictures with my little point & shoot cameras or disposables if those we're on hand.  I would use my allowance to develop rolls of film every week and the ladies at Rite-Aid would ask if I was ok if I missed a Friday developing my pictures.  I don't know why but I have always just loved pictures.  I'm a big memory person I guess, I love looking through old pictures and remembering how horrible I looked, or what we did on vacations, the fun we had that night, old pets that have since passed. [We love you Caboose!]

My room in high school was plastered in photo strips from the old photo booths that had developer in them, if you put your ear up to it you could hear the tray tipping back and forth.  Another thing that's long gone and if I wasn't feeling older before I definitely am now.  Come to think of it, I can't even remember the last time I developed a roll of film myself.  I loved making collages with pictures for the front of my binders and even tonight I just got done re-doing our fridge with all the new Halloween pictures we just took.

I have carted literally thousands of pictures across the ocean and back.  Reminisced about my brother's rat tail, of beach bonfires on the Central Coast, birthday parties where everyone has a drunken grin, pictures of the kid's as they've grown.  Of Andy & I in high school, my favorite of him drinking tequila out of my hair, oh I pray my children are nothing like us at that age! 

So sometimes when I wonder if I'm just going with the fad, if I just like Instagram cause it's popular and I want to be like the cool kids I remember myself as a not so cool kid taking pictures at punk shows, at funerals, and of the things we ate on road trips.  I've never been big on souvenirs, or buying little things to remind me of the places we've gone or the things we've seen but I do love pictures.  Of visits with our friends in Washington, of my Nani's gravestone when I can't visit her there, of my Grandma on Christmas with her 50 year old fur coat in 70 degree weather.  When I miss them they're here with me.

I'll never be a photographer, I'm not good enough at staging pictures, [even tho my cousin and I would hang bed sheets in our room and play "photo studio"] I always miss that perfect shot and I can barely use the auto setting on our awesome Nikon.  

But I promise you, wherever we go & whatever we do.....I will always be there taking pictures. 

Like this picture!

Yummy zucchini brownies I made for Halloween.  I have tried other zucchini brownie recipes and not loved them, made these the other night & they we're a hit!  The frosting is delicious and you seriously can't tell it has zucchini at all.  I will never make another brownie again.

Frosted Zucchini Brownies

[adapted from mommyimhungry.blogspot.com]

1/2 cup Coconut Oil

1 1/2 cups Sugar

2 tsps. Vanilla

2 cups Flour

1/2 cup Unsweetened Cocoa Powder

1 1/2 teaspoons Baking Soda

1 tsp. Salt

2 cups shredded Zucchini

1/2 cup chocolate chips 

Frosting:

2 cups Powdered Sugar

1/2 cup Whole Milk

1/4 cup butter

6 tbs. Unsweetened Cocoa Powder

1/2 tsp. Vanilla

[1] In a stand mixer beat together coconut oil & sugar.  When combined mix in vanilla.

[2] In a medium sized mixing bowl whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda & salt.

[3] Slowly add flour mixture to oil and sugar on low speed.  It will look crumbly and dry.

[4] With a spatula mix in zucchini and chocolate chips.  Stir well until there are no dry spots.

[5] Grease a 9x13 baking pan and set your oven for 350.

[6] Bake for 30-35 minutes until brownies spring back when touched. 

[7] Let brownies cool completely before frosting!

Frosting:

[1] In a medium sauce pan melt butter on medium low and whisk in cocoa powder. 

[2] Add powdered sugar, milk and vanilla and whisk until smooth.

[3] You can add more milk or powdered sugar depending on how thick you want your frosting. 

[4] Spread on brownies & enjoy! 

Red Velvet Brownies & Mewithoutyou Ten Stories Review.

I love love love Red Velvet.  If I pass by a cupcake shop I have to stop and see if they have it, I try it anywhere I can find it so when I came upon this recipe on Pinterest...of course I had to try it!

I think these would be good with Cream Cheese frosting or even just a sprinkling of powdered sugar, I was just out.  I also have the awesome super power of being able to resist baked goods once I've made them.  I tried them, they were delicious.  And the kids ate the rest. True story, I swear.

They come out redder than they look in this picture and the original recipe had DOUBLE the amount of red food coloring.  If your going for that I'm sure it would be fine.  In case your wondering this is definitely NOT one of my healthier recipes, but hey, they all can't be.  Happy Baking! 

Red Velvet Brownies

adapted from www.newlyweds-blog.com

Ingredients:

1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature 

1 1/2 cups granulated sugar

1 1/2 cups brown sugar

4 large eggs, room temperature

2 tubes red gel food coloring, about 1 oz.

1 teaspoon Vanilla extract

2 1/2 cups AP flour

6 heaping tablespoons unsweetened Cocoa powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 Tbs. milk

Before you begin:  Butter a 9x13 Cake Pan and preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

[1] Cream butter & both sugars in a mixer.

[2] Add eggs one at a time, stopping and scraping down sides of mixer when necessary.

[3] Add vanilla, milk, and red food coloring.

Meanwhile, in a separate bowl......

[4] Whisk together flour, cocoa powder, and salt.

[5] Slowly add dry mixture to wet  until combined, use your spatula to make sure nothing gets stuck to the bottom.

Pour the mixture into your pan and bake for 35-50 minutes depending on how gooey you like your brownies.  Now devour! 

And now for some music.

Ten Stories- Mewithoutyou

I have recently re-discovered Mewithoutyou.  I liked them before, I LOVE them now.

The music is awesome, interesting and just something as a musician I can never really grasp at how they came about their radness.  The lead singer, Aaron Weiss, has such a unique voice and their lyrics simply blow me away.  While not really considered a Christian band it is refreshing to hear what I consider Christian music but not have to necessarily listen to Top 40 type stuff all the time, I'm not that old yet!

I have only heard 2 previous Mewithoutyou CDs, Brother, Sister and It's all crazy!  It's all false!  It's all a dream!  It's alright. [They have 4 albums]

Hearing their newest CD, which has been called a cross between the two albums I love and their earlier work I am really inclined to go buy the other 2 right now.

Musically wise I think it's comparable to the other CDs I love, this being my first CD review I'm not even quite sure how one goes about describing music in words?  You just feel it man, or other hippie references here.  Is indie a style of music or just lesser known music?  Either way I'm probably not qualified to even have an opinion on this. 

BUT I do like this CD.  One of the reasons I like Mewithoutyou so much are there lyrics, they ask real questions I think most Christians have asked at some time or another, they question God, his plans and life but somehow always come back to the fact that they trust in him. This time around it's their first concept album?  It tells the story of a traveling circus and the animals on the train. 
I'm having a hard time finding the lyrics on-line and even after more than a dozen listens I'm trying to figure this CD out, but I guess the conclusion is that this CD makes me want to do just that.  I won't stop listening anytime soon. 

One of my favorite lyrics from Mewithoutyou.

Pretty sweet tattoo design as well.

“The LORD is my strength and my defense ; he has become my salvation. He is my God, and I will praise him, my father’s God, and I will exalt him.
Exodus 15:1-3