what jen does

Life, home, and a little travel

Month: January 2016

  • Sage and parmesan Meatballs
    recipes

    Sage and parmesan Meatballs

    One of my all-time favorite “just got home from work and I’m starving” meals is just meatballs. Not meatballs with sauce. Not meatballs with pasta. Just meatballs in a dish with a little parmesan and a dash of soy sauce. I’m not even kidding. I normally have a batch of meatballs in the freezer just…

  • travel

    Turtle love // Day 3

    Today was the day that we’ve dreamed of. Turtle Hospital Day! It was also surprisingly so much more than just turtles. Although that was all we had really planned, we surprised ourselves with a drive to Key West for lunch and beautiful sunset dinner. Such a winner of a day. Despite hugging myself to sleep…

  • To the keys // Day 2
    travel

    To the keys // Day 2

    Our first real day on vacation was a success. We started in Miami and ended in the Keys. It was bright and sunny. We got some seafood in us… and closed the day tucked into bed by 10 pm. Another far cry from our previous Miami trip when dinner reservations were just getting started at…

  • Oh Miami // Day 1
    travel

    Oh Miami // Day 1

    Well nothing says a start to a winter vacation like a threatening blizzard and landing in a rain storm… right? Meghan and I planned this long weekend a little spontaneously to take advantage of some work travel. Although we almost cancelled due to the allure slash fear of missing the blizzard, we pushed on through.…

  • Butternut squash, bacon and sage quiche
    recipes

    Butternut squash, bacon and sage quiche

    It’s been about a lifetime since I made a quiche – or so it feels. Each time I’m always pleasantly surprised at how easy these gems come together. Quiche is pretty much impossible to mess up. You can seemingly put anything you want in as well …. which helps to reduce kitchen waste. While those…

  • If I won the lottery…

    If I won the lottery…

    I’m not a betting woman. There are probably two main reasons for this. I hate losing and I hate wasting money. All that being said, the Powerball is at $1+ BILLION dollars. I’m just not even sure what one person does with that much money. So, I figured I’d make a list of what I…

  • Belated Christmas Post

    Belated Christmas Post

    In my mind, it is still Christmas. That is because I refuse to take down my tree and lights – or get rid of the poinsettias I have around the fireplace. Whatever, I live alone. Eleanor and I still think it’s a win to watch Netflix and gaze at all the lights. Don’t care. This…

  • butternut squash & kale with brown butter fried sage
    recipes

    butternut squash & kale with brown butter fried sage

    I might be turning into a broken record here… but I’m still going to say it. When I think about picking recipes to cook over the weekend, I think about what has the potential to taste good three days later. This absolutely limits what I end up cooking. Breaded chicken or fish? Sorry, that won’t…

  • honey balsamic baked chicken
    recipes

    honey balsamic baked chicken

    While I was always in a quest for good leftover meals, this challenge means even more to me now. I love things that are seemingly well balanced meals and re-heat in 90 seconds. I don’t get home until after 7:30 and there is no sense in even imagining a world where I’m cooking a meal…