Baked Salmon & Asparagus (Gluten Free and Dairy Free!)

I've started attempting to cook and I'm going to start sharing recipes!

I usually cook at night so I don't normally have natural lighting on my side, so my picture may not be the best. And since I'm not used to blogging my recipes I have to start remembering to take pictures of the cooking process (this one only has 2, sorry!).

Also, John has a wheat and cow's milk allergy so most of my recipes will be gluten free and dairy free. His particular allergy isn't life threatening, it's more of an inconvenience and annoyance so we don't worry too much about butter (because butter makes everything amazing!) but if you are sticking to a dairy free diet you can always switch out regular butter for dairy free butter.

With the exception of this post, my intro to "Gracey is cooking?!" posts, I'm going to try not to write a novel before we get down to the recipe, because I know when I'm searching for a recipe I really am not interested at all in what is being said above it (sorry if I'm offending, I get angry when I'm hungry).

Umm what else...I've given thought to the Keto diet because of my epilepsy but I haven't had a chance to talk to my doctor about it yet. I'd like to give it a shot in combination with my medication if he thinks it's a good idea, and if that's the case then there will be some Keto recipes coming up!

Anyway, my recipe inspiration came from a few different salmon recipes I mashed together from Pinterest, but here is the main one.

I'm hesitant to put a prep time because it takes me AGES to prep because I still suck at everything, so I'm going to kind of take my prep time estimate what a normal person prep time would be.

Note: This was before it was cooked. I am a dingus and didn't take any after pictures because I got excited and ate it. I didn't even think about it because I'm not used to taking pictures of my food before I eat it. Sorry! I'll hopefully get better. 

Baked Salmon & Asparagus (Gluten Free and Dairy Free)

Prep time: 10 minutes 

Cook time: 25 minutes 

Ingredients

4 (6oz) skinless salmon fillets
1 lb asparagus
1 shallot, sliced into thin rings
4 cups spinach
1 lemon thinly sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 1/2 Tbsp olive oil
Salt & black pepper
Thyme sprigs

Instructions 

1. Preheat oven to 400°F
2. Cut 4 sheets of aluminum foil about 14 inches long
3. Place 1 cup of spinach in the center of each sheet of foil *
4. Divide asparagus equally and place in the center length of foil (about 6-8 pieces per sheet) on top of spinach 
5. Thinly slice shallot into rings and scatter on top of the portions of asparagus
6. Mix together garlic and oil in a bowl, and drizzle 1 tsp over each group of asparagus and shallots. Season each group with salt and pepper. 
7. Rinse salmon and season the bottoms with salt and pepper, then lay each fillet over asparagus. 
8. Drizzle tops of salmon with 1 tsp olive oil and garlic mixture and season with salt and pepper. 
9. Place 2 thin lemon slices and 1 thyme sprig over tops of fillets 
10. Enclose the salmon in the foil by wrapping the sides inward and folding the tops and bottoms in. 
11. Place in single layer on baking sheet in preheated oven for 25-30 minutes. 

*I did not do this, but we had leftover spinach and I thought about it and when I brought it up with John after he said I totally should've done it. I'm 99% sure it would be delicious. 

Again, I'm sorry for the lack of "after" pictures, this one was taken before it was cooked. I got too excited and ate before I even thought about taking a picture. 

I think this is the perfect thing to make if you need to get yo green on. John is obsessed with this spinach and goat cheese stuffed meatloaf that I make, and even though I use way more spinach than the recipe calls for, we are left with a boatload of spinach that I have to find a use for. As I said earlier, I totally should've put a bed of spinach underneath the asparagus. 

He has discovered that he really likes spinach chips though, so I guess that solves that problem. 

Anyway, I need feedback on my recipe post formatting please! I'm horrible at giving directions so let me know if these are unclear, as I'm sure they are. I'll try to fix them if they are. 

Do you have a favorite way to eat salmon? I'm on the hunt for new salmon recipes! 

Update & How to Get Mildew Off of Your Bags/Shoes/Etc.

Good morning everyone! I'm finally caught up enough to do a blog post. I went to Imagine Music Festival in Atlanta this past weekend, way too much fun! There was a 50%-60% chance of rain both nights but lucky for us, it only seemed to rain when we were in our hotel room.

I update my "About" section and added some new buttons, so be sure to check those out because they look super cool. I got them here, it's a great website I discovered yesterday that will cover all of your icon needs. Some free, some not, but you can sort by "free" or "premium" or "all". I also updated my blog header finally but I'm not sure how I feel about it so that might be changing again soon.

I was getting my bags out of John's closet so that I could pack, and to my surprise some of them had mildew/mold on them! Some of my shoes too! Gross. I wasn't too distraught until I saw that it was on some expensive-ish pairs of shoes and my backpack for school. Here's what I did:

You need:
1/2 cup white vinegar
1/2 cup water
Suede brush (I didn't have one so I used an old toothbrush that I cleaned)
Petroleum jelly
Lint free cloth (I used a sponge because I didn't have that either)
Suede brush (preferable but optional)
Dryer sheet (optional)

1. Take bags and shoes outside and gently rub the moldy spots with the suede brush (tooth brush) just to get the initial nastiness off.
2. Work petroleum jelly into spots in firm, circular motions. Note: I did not use petroleum jelly on my suede shoes. Just the water/vinegar mixture (see below).
3. Mix water and vinegar in a bowl. I found that 1/2 cups of each were a bit too much, but you may need more or less depending on how many things you are cleaning. Just make sure it's 1/2 and 1/2.
4. Dip cloth or sponge in mixture and dab on petroleum jelly areas, or just the mildew areas in the case of suede.
5. Let dry naturally, outside is preferable if the weather permits it.
6. If your garments smell, rub them with a dryer sheet.

It would be ideal if you have a suede brush to get the fabric back to its original state. I don't have one so I just made sure I was extra careful when cleaning the suede and lightly brushed over it with a toothbrush once it was dry. Lucky for me the spores weren't too deep so I didn't have to work that hard to get them out.

Well I hope that never happens to you so that you'll never have to use these tips, but they're here if you need 'em.

Also, happy September!

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What have you all been up to? 

11 Websites You Need to Bookmark

Bookmarks by gracey featuring tech accessories

I have a lot of pages bookmarked for inspiration, random cool stuff, post ideas, etc. But I'm saving those for my revamped Lovely Links series (coming soon). These are websites you really really should bookmark, most of them are pretty useful in real life.

1. Chandoo.org. I was looking for some office/receptionist/personal assistant jobs recently, and EVERY one of them required that you be proficient in Excel. This has the basics, formulas, charts, and everything else you need to know. You can do a lot more with Excel than I ever thought, and it's really complicated if you don't know how to use it.

2. Allrecipes.com. Good if you are looking for a recipe or need inspiration for recipes with a specific ingredient(s). You can save recipes you like, post recipes, and even make a shopping list. This works well if you have a smart phone, because you can pull up the app while you're shopping and see what you need. I'm stuck with my dinosaur of a Blackberry and don't have that luxury, but take advantage if you have a smart phone!

3. Lookbook is great if you need some fashion inspiration. There was a girl that I found on Lookbook and I absolutely adored her style, but I cannot for the life of me remember her name. I want to say she lives in Italy, but I don't remember for sure. I'd know her if I saw her, so I'm going to go searching after this post is finished! Lesson learned: make sure you add looks that you like to a collection. Oh you can also add your pictures and looks to Lookbook as well.

4. Spreeder.com. This is a website designed to help you improve how fast you read. I haven't tried it yet but I will this week and see if there is any improvement.

5. Yogameditationhome.com is a free website with a crap ton of yoga videos. You can select your age, level, health issues, etc. AND you can favorite videos so you don't have to search for them every time. There is probably somewhere that offers yoga classes near you, and I don't know about you, but I don't want to dish out the money and be self conscious the whole time because I'm new at this.

6. Instructables.com teaches you how to make things (with you know, instructions). Learn to knit, because why not?

7. Documentaryaddict.com. I use this site when I need a break from watching House, or I'm just bored and want to watch something really interesting. You can search by category, newest, top rated, and more. Seriously, when you're bored or have time to kill, watch a documentary.

9. Ted.com. If you're not feeling the documentaries, watch/listen to a TED Talk. You can also filter by category and such. All of the talks they have turn out to be really interesting, even if I have no interest in the subject they are talking about. You really will get sucked in.

10. Wolframalpha.com helps you with anything related to math. I JUST used this a few minutes ago because for some reason I was talking about physics with my mom and I couldn't remember the quadratic formula. Now I do!

11. Polyvore.com. If these were in order of importance to me, this would be at the top. It's SO necessary for bloggers (specifically fashion and beauty bloggers). You can create really cool pictures for your blog, and even import your own pictures if it doesn't have what you are looking for (using the Polyvore Clipper).


Well now you have some sites to sift through, I just cured your boredom. You're welcome. What necessary websites do you have bookmarked? Have you ever been on any of these?

How To Be Happy

After having a tough day, I realized I've had many tough days lately. Some for ongoing reasons and some just because something crappy happened that day. I just wanted to do a post reminding you all to still be happy and do something that makes yourself happy at least once a day. If you're reading this, you probably enjoy reading blogs. You're off to a good start!

1. Find something you enjoy doing, even if you're not good at it. I really enjoy drawing, even though I'm not very good at it. It still calms me down and gives me something to focus on for a while that doesn't involve whatever is troubling me. You don't have to showcase your drawings if you don't want to, just do it if it makes you happy. Play around with colors and draw some happy images. Or even if they aren't happy, whatever comes to mind. Maybe you need to let out some anger by drawing some hardcore skulls or something. Whatever you need to do, do it.

2. Listen to music. I feel like this is a given in any post on how to be happy, but I figured I'd include it anyway. Fleetwood Mac always seems to make me feel better. Find an artist(s) that you can listen to forever and not get tired of, and start listening!

3. Singing the music will put you in an even better mood. Make sure you have a playlist on iTunes or Spotify or whatever you use just for happy music. Search for more happy songs and add them to the happy playlist as you listen to it.

4. Take a shower, put on some music, sing your heart out, and get some aromatherapy going. Hot showers are relaxing, and music just adds to the bliss of it. I was browsing the Fortune Cookie Soap website last night and noticed they had a product I'd never heard called "Steam Me Up Scotty!". They come in a set of 3, and you put one cube on the floor of the shower and let the steam take care of the rest. If you aren't in the mood to belt out some songs, take a hot bath and light some candles.

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5. Read a book. It can take you to a place that's far from what's troubling you. Just be careful not to pick a sad book! 

6. Stop checking Facebook so often! Seriously, delete the app on your phone if you have to. You're dealing with troubles in your life, and people on Facebook tend to only post the highlights of their life. This makes you feel insecure because they make life seem so lovely while you are suffering. Especially stay away if you're insecure about your appearance. People sometimes spend so much time trying different angles and editing to get the perfect picture. You're just as beautiful as they are! 

7. Be nicer to people. Even if they are treating you like crap, maybe they are having a bad day, too. Don't immediately reciprocate by being rude back. If people see how nice you are to them, they will be nice to you too. Unless they're just a bitch, then they probably won't be nice back. But you still have an opportunity to make yourself feel better by not stooping to their level! 

8. Talk to people who are troubling you in your life. Maybe you disagree with the way your significant other is treating you lately, or how your best friend is ignoring you, or some other relationship problem in your life. It might be hard, but you won't regret it in the long run. If they are a toxic person in your life, you'll find out quickly if they don't listen to you. If they want you to be happy, they'll listen to your concerns and talk to you about possible solutions. 

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You don't have to be happy all the time, but it's important to be happy overall with your life. Taking a few minutes out of the day for yourself and forget about your problems is a great thing to do. Retail therapy is always an option ;) Just be careful with that, too. Don't wanna run up a credit card bill! 

What do you to to keep yourself happy and sane, despite the crazy things in life? What are your favorite songs to listen to when you need cheering up? 

Shark Cupcakes!

My boyfriend came over last night to watch Shark Week with me, and we made shark cupcakes! Or sharkcakes as he likes to call them. We didn't wait for them to cool before we put the icing on, the icing melted on some of them. But they turned out very yummy :)

What you'll need:

Cake mix (and ingredients needed for making a cake, like eggs, oil, etc. We used red velvet)

Blue icing

Construction paper and scissors

Peach rings (or small powdered doughnuts and red fruit rollups)

Cupcake cups and a cupcake pan

When I took the picture the batter looked more like spaghetti than red velvet cake mix so I had to edit it a bit. Anyway red velvet seemed appropriate because of the bloody tint to it, plus it's delicious!

The shark fins! Boyfriend had to draw me a model shark fin because the one cut out looked like Jimmy Neutron's hair (anyone?).

We used gummy peach rings to resemble one of those life preserver floats. You could also use mini powdered doughnuts for the float and cut strips or red Fruit Rollups for the red stripes, but we figured this was easier and less messy.

Well that's it for today :) I hope you all are thoroughly enjoying Shark Week if you watch it. You can find the inspiration for the cupcakes here.

Also don't forget to enter my MAC lipstick and print giveaway! Ends August 22nd!

How to: Get Smooth Lips for Summer

I have problems with dry lips, and I definitely have to work to get them to stay smooth. I think I've finally found a lip routine that keeps them moisturized and flake-free!

1. Exfoliate- Get all the dead skin cells and flakes off of your lips! My favorite lip scrub is Sara Happ's The Lip Scrub, but at $24 it is a bit expensive, so you can find a list of DIY lip scrubs here. I like to do this step at night because it can make your lips a bit red.

2. Super Moisture- I mean a very intense lip treatment here. As much as I hate the smell of Clinique's Superbalm lip treatment, it works wonders. I also use this in the winter when my lips get super chapped. I've heard good things about the Kiehl's Lip Balm #1, but I've never used it.

3. Daily Moisture- For moisturizing throughout the day whenever your lips are feeling dry. C.O. Bigelow's Lemon and Black Cherry Lip Balm and Nivea a Kiss of Moisture are my favorite daily lip balms.

4. Spf- One of the most important steps, especially during the summer! Even if you don't realize it, your lips burn very easily, and the sun can dry them out making them very dry or chapped. Find a lip gloss or balm that has spf in it, like Nivea a Kiss of Protection, Victoria's Secret Beauty Rush Lip Gloss with spf 15, or MAC's tinted lip conditioner.

This may be common sense for a lot of people, but I know my mom had never thought to exfoliate her lips so I thought I'd share :) Let me know what your favorite products for keeping your lips smooth this summer are!

How to: Fight the Summer Humidity!

Living in Charleston, I've definitely learned how to fight the humidity when it comes to my hair. If you've ever visited Charleston, especially in the summer, you know that the weather is two things: hot and humid! These are my tips for keeping my hair un-frizzy in the summer!

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1. Moisturizing Shampoo: Frizziness if often caused by dry hair that is "reaching out" for the moisture in the air, at least that's how my mom always explained it to me. Pick a good moisturizing shampoo that will replenish moisture in your hair! I use Joico Moisture Recovery Shampoo (it's a HUGE bottle so it lasts such a long time)

2. Conditioner: Conditioner will also add moisture to your hair and keep it smooth. I used to use the Herbal Essences Dangerously Straight conditioner, but since they changed it to the Touchably Smooth conditioner I've been using that. (Tip: the Hello Hydration shampoo and conditioner by Herbal Essences is great for moisturizing your hair, I just need to use this conditioner up before I get that one).

3. Leave in Conditioner: Another great step for leaving your hair silky, shiny, and smooth. The Garnier line has great anti-humidity and anti-frizz prodcuts. I really love their leave in conditioner because it smells AMAZING and it leaves my hair very smooth.

4. After you've styled your hair (I recommend using as little heat as possible and if you do use heat, use a heat protectant spray!), use a finishing cream that will set your style and get rid of fly-aways. I've been using the John Frieda Frizz-Ease Secret Weapon cream for years and it is still my favorite! This is probably my favorite product for non frizzy hair. I definitely notice a difference in my hair on the days when I do use this vs. the days I don't.

5. Hairspray- I straighten my hair on most days so I always use a flexible hold hairspray to keep the humidity out while still letting my hair flow freely. My absolute favorite is the Garnier Fructis Anti-Humidity Hairpray, because it is formulated to fight humidity, it's flexible hold (they also have stronger holds if you prefer those), and it also smells so good!

That's about it! Pretty easy. And my main tip would be when in doubt, use the John Frieda finishing cream! It's so amazing. Leave your own tips for fighting frizzy hair in the summer below!

P.S. my followers seem to have disappeared, anybody else having this issue?