Simply Kenzie M

One of my very favorite treats that my mom would make when I was little was quick breads. I loved coming home from school, from dance, or even just down the stairs to the delicious smell of baking quick bread, be it pumpkin, zucchini, or banana. Even better was when I came before she put it in the oven and I had the chance to swipe a couple (ok, a lot) of licks from the batter. My sisters and I would always fight (lovingly of course!) over who got the bowl, the mixers, the spoons, etc. Who ever got the bowl first was one lucky duck! I remember agonizing when the bread was done and all I could do was stare at it for what seemed like hours, until my mom finally let us have some. Good times! After I cut refined sugar from my life, I began to realize just how much sugar was in that oh-so-delightful bread. At the beginning I was more lenient with my sugar-free life (notice I don't say diet), and because it was not exactly  a cookie or cake, I let myself still eat it. For a while I sti...

Tropical Popsicle  Yup, I'm a poet and I didn't even know it! Okay, so maybe it's not a perfect rhyme, but it sounds musical doesn't it? And so it should...this deliciously cold, icy, fruity dish will not only be music to your ears, but to every taste bud in your mouth! It's the perfect solution to a blistering hot summer day. In fact, it could be considered medicine...you don't want heatstroke....so you eat this! :) Okay, moving on. Anyway. It was SOOOO hot today here in Cambodia! My mom and I decided we wanted to get out of the house (the sun always looks so wonderful from the inside) so we hopped on our bike and rode to some furniture stores (we're in search of a couch that is American-people size). Add the fact that we're already sweating and hot from the bike ride, these stores don't keep their AC on in order to save money. Here we were searching in a hot, sticky, musty furniture store for about an hour. Then we rode home. Needle...

I am very excited with how this whole meal turned out! And, I'm even more excited to share it with you! We recently found balsamic vinegar here in Cambodia, which is a real luxury.  As soon as I saw it my mind went turbo-speed thinking of all the recipes I could create with it. For some reason the combination of apples and balsamic vinegar kept coming to mind. Add those two flavors to fish and bam! You've got a gourmet dinner. Just add a crunchy topping and it makes it even better!! Pair the fish with a classy beet, pumpkin, and couscous salad with apple vinaigrette and you've got a restaurant-worthy meal right on your table! Okay, have I got you drooling yet?! About a month ago my sister, brother-in-law, and their 3 kids were taking a short vacation at the beach in Sihanoukville here in Cambodia. One night we ate at a very nice restaurant called, Lemongrass. Both my sister and I ordered the Beet, Pumpkin, and Couscous Salad. Upon taking the first bite both of ...

Happy Father's Day to all you fathers (most especially mine :)!  It seems like this week flew by! I guess I've been having way to much fun! I don't know if I can even remember past Friday.Yeah. Monday is not coming back-I've been sitting here trying to think but it's not coming. (I've mostly been doing yoga and trying to get my seminary homework done. ) That's okay though because the most exciting days were at the end of the week. On Thursday I finished a project that mom asked me if I wanted to do several months ago. I just now got around to doing it. The laundry room is really gritty and dirty so mom asked if I would deep clean it. I of course said yes-for some reason I really like deep cleaning once in a while. It took me all afternoon to do it, but by the end it looked SOOO much better! It actually wasn't all that hard because we have this magic cleaning stuff called Duck. I was having so much fun with this magical Duck cleaner that I made ...