Versatile Blog Award & Cheesy Zucchini Rice

Today's Tonight's post isn't really orderly. I basically spent all of this morning building a new rabbit cage, baking another batch of these brownies since 1/2 of the last batch was flipped onto the floor thanks to the dogs, find blogs for to give the versatile award to, getting ready for work tomorrow, attempting another batch of popsicles since we reached 105F the other day and my last batch of popsicles was a total fail..the sticks came out with a little popsicle, but the rest stayed jammed into the mold. I left them in the freezer for 2 days, but it didn't work so I hope the batch I made today is a success and if so I'll post it soon.Anyway, I was nominated for a Versatile Blog Award thanks to Learn 2 [use the] Kitchen.

When nominated for the Versatile Blogger Award, one must do the following steps:

• Thank the person who gave you the award and provide a link to their page on your blog
• Nominate 15 blogs for the award and let them know by leaving them a comment
• Copy/Paste the award on your blog post
• Share 7 things about yourself

7 things about me:

1. I once had a hamster living in my closet. How it all started was, the hamster died, or so I thought. I swear it died because it didn't move when i poked it and wasn't breathing for at least 5 minutes- I stared at it like a hawk. The stupid mistake on my part was putting in a bag and throwing it out in my bedroom trash can since my dad would dump it out anyway instead of taking down stairs. Well, a little later I took my trashcan down stairs to dump it out. Some time later I noticed a little patch of carpet missing from my closet, but didn't think anything of it. What happened next broke my closet door off of the hinges and nearly gave my dad a heart attack. He was trying to fix or look for something in my closet when a little mouse creature popped out, scaring my dad which made him fall back, hitting the closet door with his foot, and breaking it. He finally cornered it and discovered that it wasn't a mouse, but my hamster who I thought had died. I wish that I could find a picture of him after we got him since he was fat, I mean obese because apparently he was eating my carpet and some padding. It turned out that he had turned a little wild and wasn't very fun to handle. He stayed in his cage until he passed away- for real this time.  I don't remember it's name, maybe Honey (I had a several hamsters through the years), but he looked exactly like this little guy. This is one of those stories that you hear that you know has to be true because who could make something up like that.

2. I don't particularly have a great fashion since I like a lot of things, but most of those I would actually never wear; I'd just put them on other people. You can generally find me in a pair of old jeans with a t-shirt or tank., but I really like design i.e color palettes, food styling, interior design, and dreaming of how I would style my dream home, especially my library/study that will have a wall of nothing but photos, a very large and gorgeous kitchen, and a relaxing bathroom with a huge shower with several shower heads and a tub with the lion feet (because i think they look fancy).

3. I'm a recipe hoarder. I have way too many cookbooks, food magazines, recipes bookmarked online, and print out recipes than one person should probably have. I try to keep it organized, but as soon as I look for a recipe that I know I have, it all becomes chaos again.

4. I was born 2 months premature and weighed only 3lbs 4 ounces. One reason why I have a lot of healthy issues.

5. I hate June Bugs. The freak me out! I can handle snakes, huge spiders, and other weird bugs we have, but not June bugs. When we come home, they are waiting to bombard you while you try to escape inside. 

6. I'm in the process of learning how to knit. I can crochet, but knitting seems like a much harder slower process. I have a ton of knitting needles that were my grandmother's so all I need is some patience to keep with it.

7. I really, really want to go to Africa. I love the animals there, especially the big cats and I think it would be amazing to photograph them in their nature settings.

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I made this recipe last week and it was delicious. I actually have about 9 posts that are drafts and since we are having a big family dinner this weekend I'll probably have 2 more recipes to add to the list. I guess it's good to have a few posts that are drafts (especially in my case) for when I'm sick and don't want to cook, but I also want to share all of my recipes & posts now instead of having to wait because I know the number of drafts will grow faster than I'll be able to post without overloading y'all.

Cheesy Zucchini Rice

recipe: Buns in my Oven

1 tbsp olive oil

1 cup long-grain rice

2 cups chicken broth, low sodium is best

2 tbsp butter

1 medium zucchini, grated (about 1 cup)

1 cup cheddar, shredded

1/2 tsp garlic powder

salt & pepper

milk, optional, as needed

1. Heat olive oil in a medium sauce pan over medium heat. (see notes)
2. Add the rice and stir to coat in the oil. Toast the rice, stirring often, just until it starts to turn a golden color.
3. Pour in the chicken broth and add the garlic powder, bring to a boil, turn heat to low, and cover.
4. Cook, covered, for 15 - 20 minutes or until most of the liquid is absorbed.
5. Remove from the heat and add the butter, grated zucchini, and cheddar. Stir until well incorporated.
6. Cover and let sit for 5 minutes.

Notes:

-I used a 1.2QRT pot to cook the rice, but it wasn't big enough to add in all of the cheese and zucchini so I had to transfer everything into a large glass bowl for step #5.

-My rice took 15 minutes to cook, but that was because the heat was more on high heat than medium-heat.

- Parmesan Cheese would also be really good in this. 

- I added some of the leftovers into a ramekin and heated it up in the oven and broiled the top with a little extra cheese.

15 blogs I nominate (in no specific order.)

1. Design Seeds: If you love colors, design or want some ideas for a project this site is great. 

2. Knit & Bake: A professional photographer who loves to bake and offers beautiful knitting patterns (which is great since i'm trying to learn how to knit.)

3. Toasty Biscuit: A blog filled with perfect photos and delicious looking recipes like these little pies.

4. Love and a Six-Foot Leash: A gracious family who loves, rescues, fosters, and finds forever homes for a very misunderstood breed of dog which I happen to love...the Pit Bull. I think a lot of people should look at this blog before judging a breed which has suffered due to the hands of ignorant people.See how they got started here.  Punish the deed, not the breed!

5. Natural Noshing: A 20-something who has a ton of healthy recipes that are also gluten-free, vegan, refined sugar, and/or dairy free.

6. V and Co. : A great DIY & craft blog with tutorials like these jersey knit bracelets or turning some simple thrift store finds into a beautiful centerpiece with an antique vibe. 

7. Just Smile: An inspiration tumblr blog that reminds you to breathe and realize you're not alone.

8. Milk and Honey: These brownies she made should be illegal.

9. Have Cake, Will Travel: A blog full of beautiful pictures and vegan-based recipes.

10. Without Adornment: A blogger who is gluten intolerant and shares several dietary friendly recipes.  You need to check out these (gluten, vegan, & refined sugar free) raspberry bars. 

11. Buttercream Blondie: A pastry chef & recipe developer who loves dessert. What's not to like? Take a look at these cupcakes. 

12. Please Note: Her entry: "If you're a fan of food, crafts, or I Love Lucy, I think you're going to like it here." She was right. I liked her blog.

13. The Little Epicurean: I've bookmarked several recipes 

14. Dessert for Breakfast: I'm in love with her photography; it's gorgeous! 

15. Creature Comforts: A lovely blog with a little bit of everything: food, recipes, DIY's, projects, photography, and fashion favorites.