Now that it's officially November, I figure it's time for me to start thinking about holiday travel, and, more specifically, what Wisconsin goodies I'll be bringing to my family (all across the country!) on my Thanksgiving and Christmas trips. Lucky for me, Bright Cellars, an awesome Wisconsin-based company known for their subscription wine experience, is launching something new: Bright Cellars cheese boxes to go with their wine! (Get started with the quiz here.)

Is there anything better to get in the mail?

Now, this company is no stranger to matching people with their preferences. It was founded by two MIT grads with a passion for wine, so moving on to cheese was a natural expansion. They already had a bright points algorithm, which they used to match people with wine. They've now expanded it to include cheese preferences!

Here's how it works: You can take an online quiz (click link to start the cheese quiz yourself!) detailing your preferences, and then the team at Bright Cellars works with their network of Wisconsin cheese makers to hand-select cheeses that are perfect for you.

I must admit, living in Wisconsin for over five years (crazy!) has made me a bit of a cheese snob, so when I opened the box, I was a tad skeptical. I felt the snobby foodie side of me—that I really try to suppress—surfacing.

But, I had nothing to worry about. The box contained four absolutely delicious cheeses: A tomato basil yellow cheddar, a hickory smoked gouda, a grand cru, and a blueberry white cheddar. (And fun informational cards about each type to satisfy my inner food nerd.) My favorite was probably the tomato basil cheddar --and the best thing about that is it's something I'd never buy on my own. All four were top-notch cheeses; the quality of cheese you'd expect to find on a fancy charcuterie board at a restaurant.

(Also: Note my Madison glass cutting board :) 

And now the cool part: I can rate and review my cheeses on their website (kinda like giving a song a thumbs up on Pandora), and then, based on this feedback, the algorithm gets even more accurate to match me with hand-picked cheeses for next month's box.

Because the only thing cooler than a box of cheese in the mail is a box of cheese that comes in the mail every month!

If you want to give it a try, they're offering rejoyce readers 50% off their first order here. Check out the cheese quiz and let me know if you discover any awesome new cheeses! :)

*Thanks for supporting brands that support rejoyce (follow me on Instagram for regular updates!), and thanks, Bright Cellars, for the complimentary box of cheese! 

Simple Green Smoothies Recipes

I have never been on a diet. This is solely because I am self-aware enough to realize that I do not possess the necessary willpower to diet successfully. I do not possess a quarter of the necessary willpower. Any time someone says they're gluten free or vegan or, say, don't eat cheese every single meal I don't ask why? I ask HOW?


I should mention that once I did decide to give up meat for lent. I was really, really focused on this. But then, on the bus ride after our basketball game, I accidentally ate a piece of pepperoni pizza ...on Ash Wednesday. (Sorry, God.) (Thankfully, as a Presbyterian, I always considered lent deprivations as bonus points, so to speak.)


Anyway, all that to say-- I started making Simple Green Smoothies in honor of the New Year! If you haven't heard of Simple Green Smoothies, check out their website and gorgeous Instagram account. You'll see (right away) that (thankfully) it's not a diet. Simply put, it's just a fun way to eat more dark, leafy greens, something I never seem to get enough of!

I've tried 3 recipes so far as part of their 30 day challenge and wanted to share them with you!  (All recipes from my Simple Green Smoothies Book)


Very Berry Citrus
2 cups spinach
2 oranges, peeled
3/4 cup water
3/4 cup strawberries (I used frozen)
3/4 cup blueberries (I used frozen)
1 banana


1. Blend spinach, oranges + water until smooth
2. Add strawberries, blueberries + banana and blend again!


Banana Berry Blast
2 cups spinach
2 cups unsweetened almond milk
1 cup berries (I used frozen blueberries and a few frozen blackberries)
2 bananas


1. Blend spinach + milk until smooth
2. Add berries + banana, blend again!


Simple Monkey
2 cups spinach
2 cups unsweetened almond milk
3 bananas
4 tablespoons cacao powder & 2 tbsps. almond butter {I replaced both of these things with 2 spoons peanut butter because that's what I had!}


1. Blend spinach + almond milk until smooth
2. Add bananas + Peanut butter and blend again!


I have enjoyed each recipe, but I loved the Simple Monkey (I admit probably because I added PB, but as I said, not a diet :). They also have many recipes that start with kale instead of spinach...that I'm working toward trying. What do you think? Do you drink green smoothies? Would you give it a try? If you have any great green smoothie recipes...send them my way!

Favorite Madison Brunch Spots

It's almost a travesty I haven't written this blog post yet because there are few things I do better than brunch. And one of them is hang out my cat—no shortage of photographic evidence of that! Yet, brunching has been something I have never fully vetted on the blog: Accept my most sincere apologies. Madison has tons of great brunch spots (in my opinion), but over the last four years I've narrowed it down to my top two places to grab brunch in Madison, Wisconsin, and here they are:

1. Lazy Jane's 

I have three key things to say about cozy Willy Street house-turned-breakfast spot: scones, scones, scones.

Perhaps you're one of those people who says "I don't really like scones" and first off—I hear you. I used to live in your sad state of existence, thinking scones were dry and hard tasteless things only edible perhaps when drenched in coffee/tea or if you're England and have no other options like the all mighty muffin.

BUT THEN. I had a Lazy Jane's scone. And listen up: Not all scones are created equal. 

These scones are, to incorporate some underutilized eighth grade vernacular, the bomb.

I always get a scone as a pre-brunch appetizer, eat my brunch, and then occasionally (real talk) stop at the Lazy Jane's annex bakery and get another scone for the afternoon. #notashamed

But let's say you, perhaps, like eating things for breakfast that aren't just heaps of butter and sugar. I will suppress myself from asking the obvious question (what's wrong with you?) and say that Lazy Jane's also offers delicious savory breakfast options. My boyfriend loves their frittata, they always have great scrambler specials, and I'm a BIG fan of their granola, yogurt, and fruit (okay, that's not savory but it is delicious).

Lazy Jane's is cash only (but there's an ATM on site) and totally worth it!

2. Marigold Kitchen

Located right off the square, Marigold has been my go-to brunch spot for years. They offer the most delicious classic breakfast classics, and amazing specials. I always check out their pancake specials, have ordered them many times, and never been disappointed. If I want pancakes, I go to Marigold's.

The only problem is their side of breakfast potatoes are so good, and those don't come with pancakes. So, just you're average #firstworldproblem of too many good brunch choices. They also serve up killer omelets and—if you want something more lunchy than breakfasty—high quality soups and salads too.

Their location couldn't be more perfect for Farmers' Market Saturdays, but, if you do go then, be prepared to wait a little bit for a table. The place is well-managed though, with friendly wait staff, so you shouldn't have to wait too long.

The way I look at it is going to an empty brunch spot is like going to a movie and being the only one in the theater—it's probably not very good. Marigold's is always buzzing, but always delivers. And, if you're a fancy-coffee fan, like me, you can't miss their maple latté.

What are your go-to brunch places in Madison? 

p.s. My Five Favorite Madison Coffee Shops!

Recipe: Tomato Confit Pasta

Today I wanted to share one of my favorite pasta recipes for summer. It's simple—only four key ingredients!—and refreshing. I got the initial recipe from an old Cup of Jo post, but will share my (slightly modified) version below.

What you need:

1 lb. pasta (I used penne)

~50 cherry tomatoes, stemmed

7-8 cloves of garlic, peeled and smashed

A small package of basil (a couple hands full)

Olive oil

Salt & Pepper

What you do:

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F

Put (peeled & smashed) garlic cloves, rinsed tomatoes, and rinsed & torn basil leaves on rimmed baking tray

Drizzle in olive oil and add salt and pepper

Toss to coat

Cook for 45-60 minutes, occasionally stirring tomatoes

Near the end of the cooking, boil water for pasta & make pasta, as per usual.

Mix cooked tomatoes with pasta, drizzle some olive oil, and top with fresh basil and cheese of your choice!

I have made this quite a few times, and loved it each time. It feels more refreshing than a heavy tomato sauce...especially good for summer! Which, sadly, is coming to an end. Where did the time go?

Regardless, I hope you enjoy this dish! xx

Easy Recipe: Roasted Beets from the Farmers' Market

Madison has a lovely farmers' market around the Capitol from April-October. (Aka, the only months it's bearable to be outside around here!) I love going and walking around and buying lovely things like scones, fresh flowers, and cheesy bread.

But, when it comes to buying vegetables I must admit I'm a bit of a novice. Sure, I'll buy tomatoes and cucumbers and corn, but after that, catch me at the smoothie cart.

Well, this weekend we bought beets and I'm so glad we did! Here's how we prepared them:

Roasted Beets

Cut off stems and ends (I used kitchen scissor for this, and it worked quite well)

Scrub each beet under cool water, getting off the dirt!

Pat dry with paper towels/towel.

Place each beet on its own square of aluminum foil.

Add a dollop of olive oil and wrap beet up.

Place all beets on baking pan, not touching, and put in oven.

Roast at 350 degrees F for 45 mins - 1 hour and half, depending on size of beets. 

(Ours were on the small side, we did an hour. When you can stick a fork in 'em, their done!)

Take out and let cool for a while.

When you remove foil, use foil to peel the beets.

Slice and enjoy!

(For best results, in my opinion, sprinkle dump on some feta cheese!)

Warning: Beet coloring is bound to get everywhere, so be careful! Also, doesn't the plate above kind of look like I just ate a delicious fruit pie? :) Hopefully I convinced you to go out on a limb next time you're at the farmers' market!  Happy Tuesday! xx

Mom's Meals: Spinach Salad

Mom's meals is a series where I share recipes from my kitchen-wizard mother that I have managed to replicate, even though I once started a fire boiling water.

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Before the world went crazy for kale, there was spinach. The original leafy green. Today I'm sharing a super easy, super delicious spinach salad recipe that my mom would often whip up for a side dish. 

What you need:

Spinach

1 Bag Slivered Almonds

1 Red Onion

1 Can Mandarin oranges

A splash of Red Wine Vinegar

A little Olive Oil

Sugar

What you do:

It's a salad, so you don't do much! 

Rinse spinach and cut onion.

Mix the juice in the can of mandarin oranges with a little red wine vinegar and olive oil, and lots of sugar. Taste until you decide you like the dressing!

Combine spinach, onion, oranges, and almonds, and toss in the dressing you just made.

Any other delicious summer salads you recommend? As long as it's easy, I'm game to try it!

And, fair warning, if you have a cat and attempt to make a meal involving a mixing bowl, expect this:

His expression says: You couldn't possibly need this bowl for anything.

Enjoy this delicious (and potentially healthy) summer salad!

p.s. Have you Googled food comparisons? It's a pretty nifty Google Easter egg. Here's kale vs. spinach.

Mom's Meals: Beef Stroganoff

Mom's Meals is a series where I share recipes from my kitchen-wizard mother that I have managed to replicate, even though I once started a fire while boiling water.

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When I was a child, I detested mushrooms and onions. Yuck! Now, I'm sharing a recipe where onions and mushrooms are key players.

Proof, ladies and gentlemen, that people can change. I also used to be extremely talkative, and even teeter near the edge of annoying, can you believe it?

Without further ado, the meal that Stephen claims is way better than the Noodles & Company rendition.*

*A huge compliment for someone who would happily eat Noodles & Co. daily.

What you need:

1 lb. beef (I use boneless rib steak)

Flour

2 T olive oil

1 can (14 oz.) beef broth

4 T butter (half a stick)

1 large onion

3/4 lb mushrooms

~1 c. sour cream

Egg noodles (to serve with)

What you do:

Slice beef into strips. (I do bite-size little strips.)

Put flour in small bowl and press beef in flour to coat.

Cook coated beef until brown in 2 T olive oil in frying pan.

Reduce heat to low, pour can of beef broth into frying pan, cover, and simmer until meat is tender. Remove cover and stir occasionally.

Rinse mushrooms and slice, if necessary. Dice onion.

In small skillet, saute onion and sliced mushrooms in 4 T butter.

Stir this into the beef a little while before serving, and leave cover off.

Stir in sour cream just a few minutes before serving and heat.

Serve immediately over egg noodles.

It's a delicious, hearty meal. I recommend buying pre-sliced mushrooms (because duh) and dating someone who is good at slicing onions (I literally bawl when I cut onions). 

Enjoy!!

Mom's Meals: Banana Bread

Wanted to share a quick recipe on here before heading to Orlando. Banana bread is the perfect thing to make for a post-dinner snack that then doubles as a nice change-up for breakfast for the next week! It's also the thing to do when you have a couple rotten bananas lying around. You can freeze said rotten bananas after they've turned brown/black while you gather your other necessary ingredients - which of course took me a few days ;)  (I heard a pro tip is to take the peels of prior to freezing them, but I learned that tip right after making this!)

What you need:

 1 3/4 c flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 t salt

1/2 c packed brown sugar

2 T white sugar

2 eggs, beaten

1/3 c oil

2 ripe bananas, mashed

1 c chopped walnuts

What you do:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour one bread loaf pan.

Mix dry ingredients (flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, brown sugar, white sugar) in large bowl.

Beat two eggs in small bowl with wire whisk.

Peel two ripe bananas, put on plate, mash with a fork, then put the bananas in the small bowl with the eggs.

Add the oil to the bananas and eggs, stir together, then add to the dry ingredients in larger bowl. Mix by hand until smooth.

Stir in chopped walnuts. Pour into already greased and floured loaf pan.

Bake at 350 degrees F for 55 minutes (until toothpick inserted comes out clean).

Cool 10 minutes in pan, then remove from pan and cool further on wire rack before slicing.

Wrap in plastic wrap and store in refrigerator.

I will say, I think my loaf was a little over-baked so I might recommend checking after ~50 mins of baking to see if it's already done. Maybe my oven worked better than I thought it did! If I used it more I'm sure I would know :)

I recommend serving with good old butter. Enjoy!

Mom's Meals: Buttermilk Biscuits

Mom's Meals is a series where I share recipes from a culinary wizard, my mother, that I've somehow been able to make, even though I once started a fire while attempting to boil water.

Behold: the best possible use of your evening/weekend/life. Make these biscuits and thank me later.

Here's what you need:

2 cups of flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar

1 tablespoon sugar

1/2 cup butter, softened (1 stick - can microwave at low power to soften)

3/4 cup buttermilk

Who knew that's how cream of tartar looked!? 

These are one of my favorite things my mom makes. She got the recipe from a friend, Lillian, who was raised in the South. So they have the Southern influence as well as a full stick of butter. Is there any better combo?

Here's what you do:

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.

Mix dry ingredients with a fork. Cut in softened shortening (aka butter).

Stir in buttermilk.

Turn out on floured board and knead only 14 times.

(The less you mess with the dough the more tender your biscuits.)

Pat out by hand and cut.
(use a heart-shaped cutter if you're a cheeseball like me.)

Makes about 12 biscuits.

Bake on slightly greased cookie sheet at 425 degrees F for 10 minutes.

Eat all of them and share none of them!

The best way to eat them: Probably with sausage and gravy, like my mom makes. If you have any clue how to make sausage and gravy (I don't) - you should.

obviously, the pictures don't do them justice.

How I usually eat them: With butter, drenched honey, or plain. There's no way to eat these wrong. Pure, simple southern joy.

Enjoy!

Mom's Meals: Lemon Pork Chops

Since I'm assuming you're coming back from a long weekend of serious cooking*, I thought I'd share a very easy meal this week! My mom claims this isn't her best recipe, but it's certainly one of her easiest. I like it because I can get in the routine of eating chicken, chicken, and more chicken (proof here, here, and here), and it's always good to keep things eclectic and give some love to "the other white meat."

Plus, what guy doesn't love pork? (Answer: vegetarian or vegan guys, duh.) (Fun fact: I once threw a poorly-themed house party where the only rules were "no drugs or vegans." Since I am, of course, a radiant beam of acceptance of others, I did let one vegan through the door.) (Idea: Is there a vegan-only dating site? I feel like this needs to happen. It's so key! If my boyfriend wasn't a whole-hearted carnivore, I'm not sure our relationship would work.) (Four parentheses in a row? And you thought I'd never reach such a milestone!)

Okay, here is what you need. Four ingredients. I know you want to come home from work and melt into your couch, but, I beseech you, go to the grocery store and hunt and gather these goods! You can do this. Your caveman ancestors would be proud.

Ingredients: 

Boneless Pork Loin Chops

Brown Sugar

Ketchup

Lemon

if you think the sauce looks gross, you have then never had a delicious juicy pork chop and I pity you.

Steps:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Rinse the lemon and slice it up, removing all the seeds.

Cut the fat off from around the edges of the pork chops and place them in an ungreased baking dish.

Top each pork chop with a lemon slice, some brown sugar (~1 tbsp or more per chop) and some ketchup (~1tbsp or more per chop)

Cover baking dish with aluminum foil and bake at 350 for 30 minutes

After 30 minutes, uncover and bake for an additional 30 minutes

Enjoy!

When you eat them, you carefully remove the lemon and scrape the ketchup back onto the chop. It's surprising just how much flavor the lemon adds to the pork chops. My mom advises: do not make this meal if you don't have lemons! They add a lot more to the dish than you may originally think. You know what they say, when life gives you lemons, make some pork chops and call it a day.

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p.s. I am working on making these so the recipes are easily printable. :)

*Even I whipped up a green bean casserole over the long weekend, so I can only assume the averagely domestic citizen did about 10 times that much. ;)

Mom's Meals: Chicken Stir Fry

In my adult life, I have discovered and executed exactly one recipe. Don't worry, my friends, I have already shared this recipe with you: Chicken & Black Bean Chili. I make it all the time. So I thought "I know, I'll share the recipe on rejoyce every time I make it" that way, twice a month, I just repost the recipe, you make chili, I make chili, and we're all happy. Who doesn't like chili? I mean if you're vegan, just don't use chicken or cheese or sour cream. Win-win. (I mean the recipe sounds awful at that point, but I guess it's a win for you and for the chicken.)

Then my agent told me that it was an atrocious idea to re-post the same blog post twice a month. Ok, I obviously don't have an agent but even I knew that idea sucked. Sure, life is often same-old, same-old, but blogs are supposed to be an escape from the unavoidable monotony. Blogs are fun and exciting and constantly changing and dynamic, am I right?

So then I thought, who has recipes I could share? And that was a no-brainer: my mom. I often* call my mom and say "What should I make for dinner?" When I do this, she recites 3-4 awesome, seasonal ideas, with step-by-step guidance including a play-by-play through where I should go in the grocery store. Because grocery stores? Terrifying.

I feel some sense of duty to the world to share these recipes for all those poor unfortunate souls who don't have phone call access to this wealth of cooking knowledge - so decided to start this new series (!!) on my blog: Mom's Meals. The first meal: Chicken Stir Fry.

What you need:

Chicken Breast (as much as you want! We made 1.5lbs & had leftovers)

Vegetable Oil

Broccoli (as much as you want!)

1 can Cashews (halves and pieces) 

1 can Sliced Water Chestnuts

1 can Bamboo Shoots

1 jar Stir Fry Sauce

Serve With:

Rice

La Choy crunchy noodles

(The nice part about stir fry is you don't need specific amounts - just get what looks right! Are you obsessed with water chestnuts? Get 2 cans! Hate bamboo shoots? Don't get them! I could do this all day, but you get the idea.)

1 Cut fat off of chicken and cut chicken into small bite-size pieces.  

2 On stove top, heat skillet with vegetable oil over medium heat, add chicken and stir fry until chicken turns white/is done.  

3 While cooking chicken, steam broccoli in microwave for about five minutes, until no longer frozen. (You can also use fresh broccoli - then steam if for 3 and half or 4 mins.)**

4 When done, remove chicken with slotted spoon and place on plate.  Next, add cashew nuts*** and stir fry them until slightly browned, which does not take long.  Remove and put on plate with chicken. 

5 Add more vegetable oil to pan, and stir fry broccoli.  Next, add water chestnuts and bamboo shoots and stir fry them as well.  

6 Finally, add chicken and cashews back into the mix and top everything off with stir fry sauce.  You may not need to use the full bottle.  Mix it in well and heat until warm.

7 Enjoy! Serve with Rice and La Choy crunchy noodles, and bask in the glory of your homemade meal. You might even want to brag about it on one of your social media outlets. You deserve it.

In total, this took me about 30-45 mins to make! Not bad at all. (Stephen was helping out some too, but I'm exceptionally slow so you can probably beat my time.) AND note that you don't have to turn on the oven. YAY. Life tip #1: If you never turn on the oven, you never have to burn yourself putting things in and taking things out of the oven.

I'm aiming to post more Mom's Meals recipes about twice a month - I hope you enjoy them!

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*often = when the stars are aligned and I decide to get in touch with my domestic side and make something for dinner that isn't a reservation.
**You can also use this time to eat cashews. I always forget how good cashews are until I have a full can of JUST them. They are like the sour patch watermelon of the nut kingdom. Far superior to other (non-candied) nuts.
***If you have any left.