You’re Nuts! Oh, Well, I’ll Give You a Tour Anyway…

Hello, all my dear THIH readers! How are you this week? As for the title of this post … you know I’d never insult you. All will become clear!

First, to clear up a common misconception from my last post: despite the fact that I look about twelve years old in the second photo, I am actually seventeen and in my first year of college. Peter and I met during our first few weeks at Amherst College while we were living in the same dorm (the substance-free dorm, if you must know). We first encountered each other doing laundry in the dorm basement. I was still attempting to be above-and-beyond friendly, because I had read somewhere that the first few weeks in college were the most important for making friends.

If you can picture the scene: imagine Jessie crouched beside the washing machine, stuffing underwear into the opening as fast as possible while attempting to make conversation with a tall guy across the way (who was actually doing laundry!), with the scent of thousands of Amherst students’ laundry in the air and the steady drum of old dryers knocking against the floor. Romantic. I remember Peter telling me about his first year seminar professor, and me automatically saying “Oh, I hear he’s really good!” (Yeah, I had no idea.) Later, I found out that Peter definitely did NOT like this professor. Score -1 for Jessie!

Lucky for me, Peter was persistent … and now here we are!

Lesson here? Well … there really is no lesson. How about: be yourself? That’s always a good one. Yes.

On to the main part of today’s post! While I was visiting my family in Colorado, my sister Courtney made us her version of a traditional English Sunday roast, based on this recipe from the BBC. This nut loaf was so delicious and satisfying, I ended up making it for Peter’s family a week later. The recipe is below, interspersed with pictures from BOTH nut loaves.

Luxury Nut ‘n’ Seed Loaf (tastes like beef, but better!)
Adapted from the BBC’s Food Recipes

Ingredients:
225g/8oz bulgar wheat
330ml/11fl oz boiling water
3 tbsp soya sauce (key!)
175g/6oz pistachio nuts
225g/8oz blanched almonds
175g/6oz cashew nuts
110g/4oz hazel nuts
110g/4oz sunflower seeds
250g/9oz onion, finely chopped
4 tbsp fresh and finely chopped parsley (I didn’t have parsley for either loaf, but I left it in the list because it would be TASTY)
1 tbsp dried thyme
5 or 6 large eggs, lightly whisked
4 tbsp olive oil

Obviously, a good scale is invaluable in this recipe, or you can do what I did and weigh out the nuts and seeds in the bulk section of Whole Foods or a similar store.

First, preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Place the bulgar wheat in a mixing bowl and pour on the boiling water and soy sauce. Cover and let swell for 25 minutes. In the meantime, grind nuts and seeds in a food processor until medium-fine. You may want to grind in small batches to keep the pieces around the same size.

Mix nut and seed mixture with the softened wheat, parsley, thyme, onions, eggs, and oil. Let stand. (A note about the eggs: the first loaf contained four eggs and fell apart after baking. When I made this loaf for Peter’s family, I used five eggs and the loaf held together better (but it was not perfect!). I bet that six eggs would be perfect. If you make this loaf, let me know if six eggs really ARE better than five! 😉 )

Line a loaf pan with parchment paper or spray well with cooking spray. Pack the nut ‘n’ seed mixture into the pan (the mixture will look like too much for the pan, but trust me, it WILL fit!). Cover loosely with aluminum foil.

Bake for 40 minutes, remove foil, and bake for another 10 minutes. Let cool for a few minutes, then invert onto a cutting board.

Let sit for 10 minutes before cutting slices.

Courtney served our nut loaf with roasted root veggies (potato, parsnip, carrot) and a brown sauce made from veggie broth and cornstarch (at Peter’s house, I made the sauce from beef broth, cornstarch, and a splash of soy sauce). I made Yorkshire pudding muffins to go along with the English roast theme.

Pour the brown sauce over all and enjoy your nontraditional English Sunday roast!

… So, of what tour am I speaking in the title of this post? Recall that Peter and I moved about 1.5 months ago. The first few days, the new townhouse looked something like this:

Hideous.

But, now, after many days of hard work, the townhouse looks like this:

Let’s take a little tour, shall we?

The most important room: the kitchen.  Not looking its best at the moment.  Notice the hanging pots at the top, the spice rack on the wall, and the sage and rosemary plants near the window.  Also, note the snow outside.

Light and airy downstairs bathroom:

Staircase to the top floor:

Who’s that distinguished gentlebear in the slick driving cap?

Why, it’s Badeline, the bear version of Madeline!

Here is my work station, in its usual state of disorder:

Note the red velvet cushion in the corner of the desk and the conveniently arranged desk side chair to give Maddie access to the cushion.

Our jungle:

The wall of paintings in our bedroom, most of them painted by Peter’s wonderfully talented aunt:

Guess who this is:

It’s Bonnie!

And, how about this cutie?

You got it!

Maddie, the snow pollinator, waiting for me at the top of the stairs.

Have a wonderful week, everyone!

Q: What’s your favorite traditional recipe?  Feel free to provide a link!

29 Comments

  1. Hey Jessie,

    it was so nice to hear how you and Peter first met. it’s funny cause i can totally picture what you described to us…haha. and never sell yourself short, my friend. i’m sure you already scored one as soon as Peter saw you. right Peter? 😉

    thank you to both you and Courtney for sharing this nut loaf recipe. i’ll bet it really does taste better than beef. let’s just say that if i weren’t allergic to certain nuts, you’d find your answer to 5 eggs or 6. by the way, looks like someone’s been playing with their new toy. loving the new pictures and your yorkshire pudding muffins.

    your guys’ new place is beautiful! i’m really digging the colours throughout. you’ve got great taste in decor, Jessie. Gary and i have moved 3 times and we’ve yet to get furniture for our downstairs…lol. but then again, that’s partly why too, don’t know if we’ll be moving again. anyways, thanks for sharing your lovely home with us. i hope you, Peter, Madeline, and Bonnie are able to create many sweet memories here.

  2. you’r nuts Jessie! HAHAHA. j/k!
    I like to hear your story and how you and Peter met. It’s hilarious but as thinking of it it’s romantic at the same time! Your townhouse is lovely! My desk is a mess too 🙂 Unpacking and decorating are hard work, believe it or not. Love the color! so bold and vibrant.

    The loaf sounds good. I love the combinaiton of nuts. I’m a nut lover myself! the pudding muffins are mouth watering. They make me hungry at 10 pm! ugh.

    PS: Maddie is a cuite!

  3. Wow, you’re all growed up haha 🙂 Your house looks so pretty and cozy! And it must always be full of delicious cooking aromas 🙂

    Your story about meeting Peter is cuuuute. It’s so interesting to look back at how we first met close friends and loved ones…sometimes the simplest, most common everyday incidents can change your life completely.

    Agh, nuts are so addictive! Once I start eating them it’s impossible to stop!

  4. I love your story of how you and Peter met, so romantic 🙂 I didn’t meet anyone special in college, I had to wait about 2 years later!

    The nut loaf sounds fabulous. I have never made a nut loaf. I feel like anything with the work “loaf” in it is gross….but this looks very tasty.

    Your new home looks AMAZING!! I love town houses. You’ve done a great job decorating and I love ll the natural light.

    So…you’re studying omega-3 in school?! I think that’s so neat! I can’t wait to read your master’s thesis (if and WHEN you decide to go to graduate school!!). I am so interested in omega-3, I wish I Would have gone that route when in graduate school. OH well, I can still learn now, so I’ll continue on my own.

  5. Smile. I love hearing how couples first met. I met Ryan when I was 19 years old, and I still remember those first few weeks of pining over a handsome, bearded man. Your new townhome is just beautiful! Congratulations on creating such a welcoming living space. And the veggie meat loaf looks great! Thank you for you for sharing the yumminess, and thank you for your kind words on my blog. They mean so much!

  6. Thanks for sharing the story about how you met. I always love hearing them. That is too funny!
    That loaf looks excellent. I always love breads with lots of nuts in them. yum!
    The townhouse looks great!

  7. Be yourself…great advice. I am still working on figuring that one out! I love the story of how you met…and I assure you that looking young is not a bad thing!

    Your place is beautiful! I love the floors and the coziness of the whole place. You have a knack for decor Jessie!

  8. Another beautiful post – and a beautiful HOME!!! GORGEOUS! You must be so happy and so thrilled – but, I thought you knew Peter when you were very young. The pic of the two of you together on the floor in the last photo is not a pic of two University students, is it? I looks like 2 middle school students. The loaf looks really yummy – but TOO much left over. What do you do with the left overs.
    I LOVE your house. Did I already say that!
    🙂
    Valerie

    1. Haha, it sure is! Believe it or not, Peter and I are 18 and 17 in that photo. The nut loaf makes GREAT leftovers with some fresh gravy and veggies. I brought leftovers into work for days afterward.

      Thanks for the nice words, Valerie! Hope you’re doing well!

  9. I love your townhouse!! It’s beautiful!! Thanks for giving us the tour. I love seeing how other people have decorated. 🙂 I especially love the little cushion for Maddie next to your desk. Great touch.

    That nut loaf looks delicious! Such a neat idea — I’ve never seen anything like it! This looks like something I’ll definitely have to try.

    Finally, the story about how you and Peter met is so cute. i guess you never know when true love is going to find you. Who would’ve thought doing laundry could end up being so fateful 😉

  10. I read it again – just now – – I guess I was too enamoured with the house to read the second paragraph – I still cannot believe you were 17!!!!!

  11. J,

    All the best with your new home. Looks fantastic.

    Very interesting and creative nut and seed loaf recipe.

    Be well

  12. That’s such a cute story about how you and Peter met…who knew such romance could be involved in laundry, lol! Thanks so much for the tour of your place, it looks great! Love the art over the fireplace — is it cupcakes? The nut loaf looks really delicious! I like your comment of serving it with gravy…I think a mushroom gravy would be incredible with it!

  13. This recipe sounds great. Definitely high fiber. Thanks for the tour of the new place. It looks great. I love the bright colors on the walls.

  14. I still cannot believe that you guys met during your first year of college. How super cute! I remember those days..when I used to be friendly lol.

    Loving this nut loaf! I need to stock up on some nuts next time I’m at Whole Foods so I will be thoroughly prepared to make this. So much goodness. I bet it’s SUPER filling.

  15. Hey Jessie 🙂 Your new home is absolutely charming! The colours are gorgeous and all those huge windows!!! My apartment only has tiny windows 😛

    I loved reading about how the two of you met and I have to agree with LeQuan – I think Peter was a goner the minute he laid eyes on you 😀

    The nut loaf looks scrumptious enough to tempt me (I don’t like nuts much) but with those Yorkshire pudmuffins, I won’t need any convincing!

  16. You really never know where you’re going to meet your mate, do you!? I loved that story of how you and Peter met doing laundry in college 🙂 My dorm was all girls, so that wouldn’t have worked out for me, but I can imagine you 2 aren’t the only couple to come together over laundry 🙂 College kids are usually in that laundry room with several WEEKS of washing to do!! 🙂 Love it!

    I LOVE your townhouse. It is so airy and open. LOVE it! You guys decorated so cute!!

  17. The muffins and the nut loaf look delicious 🙂
    And your new place is fantastic, love the colors on the walls…beautiful!
    Plus the paintings of the pups…very nice 🙂

  18. Oh that loaf is so nutty! And it comes from naughty Jessie 🙂

    Nice house and it looks cozy.

  19. Here’s a recipe for basic roast chicken: http://www.burpandslurp.com/2011/01/04/roast-chicken-and-potato/

    and the PERFECT hash browns: http://www.burpandslurp.com/2011/01/06/for-you-my-friend-im-a-potato/

    And Peter must be thanking his persistence every single day to score such a wonderful wife and person as you! The story of you guys meeting while doing laundry in college…aww…How come I’ve never met a single cute guy while doing mine? Now I’ve missed my chance since I don’t live in the dorms anymore. hee hee.

  20. Your new place looks great!

    The nut loaf looks and sounds great! I love that you weighed out the nuts and seeds at WF! Great idea!

  21. i love all the natural light that comes in, its my favorite part of any home- natural sunlight always brightens my mood.
    wow im really impressed with the nuts you “got crackin” in that loaf haha. healthy oils for the joints and skin 😀

    xoxo

  22. In my tight circle, I known as the real nut on nuts. LOL
    How could I not bookmark this recipe…it looks and sounds exquisite.

    Love the way you installed yourself in those new diggs of yours. So comforting and cheerful.

    Traditional recipes…wow, I got so many…I’d have to give it more thought, maybe for another time…because picking one would be very difficult ;o)

    Ciao for now,
    Claudia

  23. I’ve been meaning to comment on this for days. Jessie, your place looks AMAZING. Seriously. What a lovely space. You deserve it.

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