Bites with Becca

"There is no sincerer love than the love of food." -- George Bernard Shaw Come on this journey with me while I make food for breakfast, lunch amd dinner... oh and of course for FUN! Three new posts every week! (All pictures are mine, unless labeled and tagged as a websites or rebloged)

[vegan-yums]

[biteswithbecca-blog]

Vegan rainbow vegetable pasta salad / recipe

[veganrecipecollection]

(via HUMMUS / MIDDLE EASTERN SPREAD | kurryleaves)

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I think I'll be eating this for every meal from now on.

[airows]

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Is it 5 o'clock somewhere yet?

[paris2london]

(via A CUP OF JO: The Best Masala Chai)

[biteswithbecca-blog]

Tea time !

[shortgirlsguidetofashion]

Loving Her Was Red:

Last night, the beautiful vibrant 5 ft 10 in Taylor Swift graced a stadium full of 50,000 screaming fans. Gillette Stadium glowed a bright Red in honor of her Red Tour. 

Twenty-nine rows back we stood in shock and awe at the stage. A girl sitting behind us had travelled all the way from Switzerland alone to see her perform. Thousands of girls dressed in lights and anything extravagant to get Mama’s Swift’s attention with a slight chance of being chosen to go backstage to meet Taylor and join her exclusive tea party. 

As we scoped the crowd for some die hard fans we came across some extremely fashionable swifties. 

Izzi Duprey and Jessica Varner wore replicas of Taylor Swift’s outfit during her song "Treacherous."Swift tip toed on a slope that rose above the stage in her ballerina outfit and bare feet. 

Caren Welker and Kaitlin Luciano had the audience gawking at their super cute outfits. Kaitlin looked like she came straight from the “We Are Never Getting Back Together" video in her squirrel pajamas. Caren embodied Swift’s recent notorious style of a red lip and striped tee.  

Lastly, this adorable little girl wore the same dress Taylor wore in her magical “Love Story" video. She looked like a little Juliet.

There were many Romeos in the audience. Some held signs with their phone numbers and “Prom?" written in big sharpie letters. Others wore tanks that said “Taylor Swift Or Die."

We wore matching BDG high waisted jean shorts from Urban Outfitters and white tanks tucked in. The look was finished off with Mac Red lipstick on E and Kate Moss Red Lipstick on A.

Her performance was nothing less of extraordinary. No matter what gender or age, Taylor has a way of connecting with everyone. Telling the stories behind why she writes some of her songs and what inspires her, reminds us that we all go through very similar experiences of love, loneliness and sadness. 

Love,

A&E

Treacherous Image Courtesy of Becca Norton of Bites With Becca

We Are Never Getting Back Together Image Source

Love Story Image Source

[biteswithbecca-blog]

Loved taking photos of Taylor Swift this past Saturday! Thank you for inviting me @shortsistersguidetofashion !!

[paris2london]

(via Why Crostini Are the Perfect Appetizer for Summertime | The Kitchn)

[biteswithbecca-blog]

As I start to plan my own trip to London, this blog's recent post caught my eye. @paris2london 's yummy treat looks like something I'd love to cook up in THREE WEEKS in my new apartment!! 

[biteswithbecca-blog]

A little Bite of Thyme

So since I've been a vegetarian, I've had to learn a lot of different things about supplement food that would give me the nutrients I miss without meat.

TOFU is a staple piece in many vegetarian diets, but it may not have the best taste all of the time. 

So this recipe spices and dices the Tofu with lots of  thyme, lemon and chill. I actually had everything for this recipe, which was a first. I didn't want to make brown rice the night I made this though, so I stirred together some orzo instead. It made the dish a little more filling and hearty. 

To combat the spiciness of the chili I made a little more of the yogurt and garlic dip that I previously made for the spicy chicken, it livened up the tofu and helped keep my mouth from catching on fire. 

Overall I loved this dish, it took a little bit of time.... but it was worth it in the end. Spicy and sweet, this tofu dish really hit the spot.

Click here for the website's: 

Mine:

[biteswithbecca-blog]

A little Bite of Spice

So the last thing I made may have been the best thing I’ve cooked so far but this was by far the greatest looking dish yet!

Originally it was,

 Spiced Chicken with Tabouli,

…But I’ve changed this dish a little so I could eat all of the deliciousness the recipe had to offer (since I’m a vegetarian and all).

Instead of chicken I used salmon and since I didn’t have tabouli in my house I used orzo.

As you could have guessed this recipe called for a lot of different spices, many of which I didn’t have, so I substituted a few things.

Instead of cumin you can use chili powder and instead of turmeric I used mustard powder, which adds a very similar spiciness.  You substitute 1:1 for these spices (some spices call for more or less than the original recipe, when subsitituing you need to make sure the ratio is correct).

The dish has three parts, chicken (salmon), tabouli and a yogurt sauce. The sauce really helps to cool the mouth after the spicy chicken (or salmon). In addition to these things I also added green beans and prepared them the same way I prepared the salmon (or chicken).

Adding spices to you’re everyday chicken and rice dish will not only make you feel more creative but might also inspire you to cook with more spice.

I really enjoyed making this dish and even though I substituted a lot it still turned out great and I think it was actually the prettiest presentation of food I’ve made yet.

  Click here for the webstie’s:

        Mine:

[buzzfeedfood]

The phrase “exciting holes” might speak to you in a way that’s not related to food. That’s ok. 

31 Eggs In Exciting Holes

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SO MUCH INSPIRATION.... Get Ready for a lot of breakfast foods ...

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A little Bite of a DIY Pasta

I might have to say that this pasta dish was probably the

best meal I’ve cooked so far.

It was so rich, and flavorful. This was also really simple, unless you don’t have tapenade like I did. I actually had to find a recipe for tapenade and make my own before I made the pasta. I also had to replace the feta cheese with mozzarella since we didn’t have that in my fridge that night.  I also used an arugula and spinach salad mix instead of just plain arugula. I think it would have been even better with the exact recipe but that is what substitution is all about.

You might actually make something better than what the original dish calls for. I made this dish after my family’s long car ride home from my grandparents, it was a nice end to the trip.

  Click here for the website’s:

  I forgot to take of a picture of this one since I made it after a 9 hour car ride... The road gets to your brain after a while.... But mine basically looked like this but in a smaller bowl.

[biteswithbecca-blog]

A little bite of another odd cupcake?

This lunch time meal was another cupcake pan recipe I came across. I had to substitute a lot in this meal but it still turned out really yummy.

Muschroom and Spinach Cups, or what I like to call,

                                       Cupcake Pan Quesadilla’s

These are so fast and easy to make. If you already have peppers and onions chopped up like I did from the previous night’s cupcake pizzas the process is really easy. I decided to substitute the mushrooms for bell peppers and onions, since my younger sister has a vengeance for mushrooms ... who knows why. But this substitution turned out great and made the quesadilla more familiar tasting. I also did not find any ripe avocados at my local grocery store so I replaced it with guacamole. I think the guacamole was too salty for my taste but my family liked it.

...(I guess it's because I'm one of those people who can eat an entire avacado out of the skin with a spoon)...

These were a great little lunch before I drove home from my grandparent’s house. And they also impressed my Nana a lot; she proceeded to compliment my cooking for the entire hour before we left… made me feel good I guess since I love her cooking.

  Click here for the website’s:

    Mine:

[biteswithbecca-blog]

A little bite of an Unusual Cupcake

This recipe was probably my favorite to make. It was so cute and fun to see the final results.

Mini Deep-Dish Pizza, or what I like to call,

                                                                    Cupcake Pan Pizzas

These are so fun and very, very easy to make. The only time consuming thing is all the chopping of the mixers. The recipe said to use leftovers for the ingredients, but I decided to replace that with chopped up onions and red and yellow bell peppers. I also did not want to make dough the day I found this recipe, and I didn’t feel like buying dough, so I substituted that with a puff pastry that was in my freezer. Besides those two things, I used mozzarella cheese and I also added some cheddar to the top. My family loved these and I ended up making them again, but with store bought whole wheat dough. The other great thing about these little pizza's is that they are a fun mess. You can choose eat them properly with a fork and knife it you'd like, but what I found more fun was eating like pizza, with my hands. The insides got all over my plate and I had to use a fork to eat the stragglers. I really enjoyed making these and I encourage you to try them for yourselves!

(Ps. They also impress everyone you serve them to since they look so cute!)

  Click here for the website’s:

      Mine:

  (I added sausage for my family to a few of them)

[biteswithbecca-blog]

A little bite of Brussels

So… to popular belief, Brussels sprouts are actually really good…

They may be the second most hated vegetable out there but, I swear, they are really yummy when cooked right!

I made dinner for my family the other night and I found this great recipe to use the Brussels sprouts my mom just bought.

Mustard Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Capers

This may sound a little weird, but they turned out great and are a wonderful pair for any main entrée. The recipe called for a white wine vinegar, but I didn’t have that, so I substituted a red wine vinegar and it turned out fine. I made another bow tie pasta dish with peppers, onions, tomato/basil sauce and parmesan cheese.

It was a nice pair because the tomato sauce helped counter the kick of the semi-spicy mustard Brussels sprouts. 

Click here for the website’s:

       Mine:

[biteswithbecca-blog]

A little Bite of Another afternoon in the Kitchen

I cooked lunch again...

But this time I had a more traditional lunch. I was in the mood for a grilled cheese, but I also wanted something that wasn’t just a boring girlled cheese. So what I found was a

Parmesan Crusted Pesto Grilled-Cheese Sandwich.

[If that doesn't scream YUM! I don't know what does... ]

I had to substitute the Ciabatta/French bread for a classic Italian roll and I added tomatoes, but besides that I followed the recipe to a tee.  It was probably the best grilled cheese I’ve ever made. I served it with fresh watermelon which was really good to off set the strong pesto.

Click here for the website’s:

        Mine:

[biteswithbecca-blog]

A little Bite of a Great Lunch

The day after cooking my mom’s dinner, I felt inspired to cook more. So jumped on Pinterest and found a really yummy, light lunch type meal. Being a vegetarian, I’ve found out about a lot of different protein filled grains, and quinoa is one of them so this recipe,

Mushroom and Quinoa filled Lettuce Wraps

looked wonderful.  Since I didn’t have lettuce in the house that day I used a pepper instead, and baked that alone in the oven while I was preparing the rest of the meal so it’d get nice and soft.  I also substituted a normal yellow onion for the scallions and instead of cucumber I substituted chopped up carrots. It turned out great, and I was sufficiently full all day. I believe for dinner that night I had cereal because the quinoa was that filling.

This was also fast and easy and a great way to have a filling meal in the middle of the day.

  Click here for the website’s:

        Mine:

[biteswithbecca-blog]

A little Bite of Mothers day

So I wasn’t home for mothers day, since I had finals the Monday after, but when I came home I decided I wanted to make a great meal for my mom as a present. So this is where it all really started.....

  I found two great recipes on Pintrest,

Pasta with Pesto and Mussels,

a creamy pasta sauce with pappardella noodles and mussels. I substituted the mussels for shrimp since mussels are hard to cook, and instead of a pappardella noddle (which is a gourmet pasta) I replaced it with a whole wheat, veggie bow tie pasta. The sauce was very easy; just some milk, flour, oil and pepper and salt. The shrimp were seared in a skillet with just olive oil and pesto. I topped off the dish with parsley and shredded sharp cheddar cheese. It was rich and filling and very good, I was happily surprised with how it turned out.

  Click here for the website’s:

         Mine:

  The second recipe was,

Fried Pineapple with Vanilla ice cream.

My mom loves both of these things so I decided to find a recipe that combined them. This turned out great as well, and has probably been the best tasting thing I’ve made thus far. I felt like a gourmet chef when I put it all together with a topping of mint!

 Click here for the website’s:

         Mine:

[biteswithbecca-blog]

A little Bite of the Past

[I watched the sun set on one of my last nights at school]

So since I’ve been home this summer I’ve been cooking like a crazy person; my parents questioned my insanity a few times since I was taking pictures of everything and sometimes would set up all 4 plates with what I cooked, like a real chef.

I started cooking again because I kept seeing such cool food on Pinterest. I have been a long time user of Pinterest, but only used it for fashion and home decore… but now I’m finding all these amazing recipes. They are all easier than you’d think and usually come out looking just like the pictures online.

Since my mom doesn’t make gourmet food a lot we don’t have all the spices and ingredients that most recipes call for, so I’ve learned what to substitute for almost everything… well spices and grains at least.

So… this blog is going to be filled with a lot of recipes that may look hard but are actually really easy, and fun!

Originally I was just posting pictures and little blurbs about the food to my Instagram account (which is Beccanortonn for anyone whose interested), but people were liking and commenting on all the food I was making, and a friend mentioned making a food blog… so that is where I am today.

The next few posts are all about the food I’ve made so far… I hope you enjoy!