I have this terrible habit of buying the same items of clothing when I’m shopping. I walk in with the intent to get something new and my brain goes into robot mode. MUST FIND STRIPED SHIRTS/BLACK & WHITE ANYTHING/PERFECT BLACK DRESS. Can one ever have enough striped shirts? (NO) How about the perfect black scooped-neck shirt? I have to stop myself when I’m about to buy another black dress…It’s just that I can’t help it. I know exactly what I like/want. If only stores carried nothing but black denim wide leg pants & striped shirts year round, I’d be all set.
I suppose my food cravings are pretty much the same. I love anything almondy. Here on this site you’ve seen me make granola, danishes, bars, cookies,vegan cookiest, raw cookies, caramel corn, appetizers loaded with almonds. I feel like I have the same issue with almonds as I do with my striped shirt collection. NEED MORE. ALWAYS. Thank goodness almonds are good for you.
We enjoyed these cookies a little too much at my house. I had to freeze some and give some away because there wasn’t much stopping me from eating one after another after another. They’re nutty, sweet & fragrant with vanilla. They’re perfect for breakfast or an afternoon snack with tea. I wouldn’t mind a few broken over ice cream with fresh berries. Let’s make that happen! I think on my next go-around, I’m going to add a bit of almond extract because I can’t get enough of almonds.
Continue reading »
- Reminds me of when I gave Cooper a slice of lemon for the first time. hehe
- I really enjoyed reading An Open Letter to Everyone Who Eats.
- Well..THAT SETTLES IT. I’m gonna make my own Coconut Whipped Cream.
- Almond Flour & Bourbon Vanilla Pancakes sounds just perfect to me!
- OMG Pizza Wheels!!! Where have you been all my life?
- 8 Signs You Are Actually a Cat. Yes to #3, 5 and 6 for me.
- I LOVE Nick Offerman.
- I hope I have time one day to make my own floral tablecloth. Thinking black & white…
- That’s How Light Gets In– a very touching/honest piece by my friend Andrea.
- I adore Hugh’s photos in this Mapled Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe. WOW.
- How to Cook Crispy Bacon! I love the oven method.
- I’d love to dip this popsicle in a cup of gin. Oh man would that be good!
- 5 Tips on How to be Mindful. I so need this.
- 9 minutes well spent! —THIS IS WATER.
- An interactive visualization of ongoing Arrested Development Jokes. JACKPOT.
There’s a new Joy the Baker Podcast on Homefries! This week we do Summer Edition WOULD YOU RATHER. It gets SUPER weird. Like weirder than normal…ENJOY!
This week on High Straightenance, I cleaned out my fridge!. You can always tell how stressed out I am by the state of my fridge.
Batch-22 made my Coconut Maple Granola
Dizzy Loves Icy made my Spicy Sweet Potato Fries
The Borough and Beyond made a version of my Freezer Breakfast Burritos
Recipe for Success made my Killer Garlic Bread
A Simple Love for Food made my Bacon Fried Rice
Food Loves Writing made a version of my Addictive Brussels Sprouts Salad
Dunn Sweet made my Mini Strawberry Cheesecakes
The Batty Bitch Fhee made my Spinach Feta Pocket Pies
Eat Your Heart Out made my Coconut Cake
I can always tell when there’s a new season approaching when I’m doing my weekly shopping at Target. Right now it’s OUTDOOR BBQ, get your ice buckets, garden lighting, stock up on sunscreen!!! season and it’s one of my favorite times of year. I love the promise of longer days and eating outside by candlelight (albeit citronella!) I also LOVE seeing what the color trend is for the year and picking out a new table cloth & a few new dishware items for outdoor parties. It’s a ritual I have and it means that soon life will slow down a bit. People take it a bit easier during summer. Life gets simpler and so does the food.
When it’s time to start eating outside, my brain shifts gears. I think of easy yet satisfying dishes that can be thrown together instantly. I always gravitate towards dishes that include some type of vegetable and the use of an outdoor grill!
I teamed up with Archer Farms (only found at Target!) to come up with a simple recipe (using one of their products) that will help you kick off the BBQ season. This Asparagus Tomato Basil Couscous uses Archer Farms Roasted Garlic & Olive Couscous. I grilled asparagus, pulled fresh basil from my patio, added toasted pine nuts, tomatoes & fresh mozzarella. This couscous is finished with a hefty squeeze of lemon juice to really wake up the asparagus. The fact that the couscous already has some simple seasoning helps cut down on the ingredients list. And that’s exactly what we need when we just wanna chill out & relax outside. Am I right?
Continue reading »
A few weeks ago, we set off on a Saturday morning to have an outdoor adventure. We didn’t have much of a plan… I just wanted to see the ocean and hear waves crashing-that’s all! We grabbed a soccer ball, some sunscreen, a couple of snacks and a few drinks and headed out west to Point Reyes station for lunch and then Dillon Beach afterward. It was a day that was refreshing, calming & exhilarating all at once. It was FANTASTIC.
Continue reading »
As a kid I was OBSESSED with canned pears. I could seriously eat my weight and then some in pears. And when the pears were all gone, I’d savor every last bit of the leftover pear syrup.
It’s no surprise that Cooper loves canned pears too. He loves pears in general, and we almost always have at least three lying around. For him, the mushier the pear, the better. Don’t ever give him a hard pear…You’ve been warned.
This little drink is a perfect way to fancy up sparkling water and if you’re cool with Vodka, well then! Hello, my friend! We have a fantastic vanilla pear infused sparkling cocktail! It’s like an adult version of pear syrup and it’s dang elegant with all of those vanilla bean seeds perfuming the drink! This is a good trick to have when you’re entertaining. A very very good trick to have.
Continue reading »
Here’s what this past week looked like:
Washing cars & bikes on a Saturday morning.
Continue reading »
- I laughed really hard at the Foo Fighters’ request.
- I’m pretty sure my husband would go nuts over this ice cream. Blueberry Muffins are his fave!
- Mother’s Day songs for MOM!
- 12 Things Moms Want for Mother’s Day. HAHAHA. YES.
- Have you seen this lip sync battle? It’s quite engaging.
- It’s nice to know I’m not the only person obsessed with indoor plants.
- I want my obituary to be this real/honest/funny.
- The internet is doing THIS TO MY BRAIN (and yours). I’m sorry/not sorry for this list!
- My mouth wants in on this action.
- Also…why have I forgotten about floats?! This rhubarb one looks fantastic.
- I didn’t realize DUCKFACE was a thing…but I like it now thanks to spaghetti.
- I swear…Jennifer Lawrence might be my spirit animal.
- This dude on a treadmill started my week off right.
- Caramelized Banana Sticky Buns. BANANAS!!!
- OMG. This is seriously something I would do. Ryan Gosling. Cereal. Can’t deal!
HAPPY MOTHER’S DAY from the JOY THE BAKER PODCAST. This week we talk about Mother’s Day, Spring/summer fashions, blog conferences and wearing boxer shorts in public. It was the 90s.
BIG NEWS!!! TIME magazine voted SHUTTERBEAN one of the BEST 50 Websites of 2013. I am so honored/shocked! THANK YOU, TIME!! And thank you for coming here and spending time with me. I appreciate the heck out of you.
Simple Bites adapted my Coconut Cake with Berries & Cream
No Regrets Just Live made my Baked Cinnamon Sugar Doughnuts
Stylish Cuisine made my Sweet Potato & Sausage Soup
Baked Good adapted my Killer Granola
Grub with Love made my Flourless Coconut Chocolate Drop Cookies
Figs in My Belly made my Sweet Peas & Shells Alfredo
Bon Appetit Hon made my Bacon Cheddar Waffles
This is my ideal breakfast for Mother’s Day. A tray with a fresh flower, a small bowl of fruit, an Americano (or cappuccino from my husband), and a Cheddar Jalapeño Biscuit with a runny fried egg & bacon tucked in. What’s missing? A card from my son, a card from my husband, maybe a little gift and a quiet morning reading this book in bed. You paying attention, honey?
Mothers love biscuits. I’m a mother so I have a little bit of street cred here. Actually, mothers love any breakfast that they don’t have to cook themselves. They love to be appreciated for all the hard work they do and don’t mind if you spend a day putting them on a pedestal. They also are not required to do any cleaning on their day. A handmade coupon for LOADING/EMPTYING THE DISHWASHER is awesome. But please include like 20 of them in your coupon book. I guarantee Mama won’t forget to cash those in. Also, moms love it when you take the initiative and plan a whole day around them. Make note of that. NEVER EVER have them make reservations for their own dinner out to eat. If you do, you’re fired.
These Cheddar Jalapeño Biscuits are obsession-worthy. They’re light & fluffy. They’ve puffed high and they pull apart so easily. When you bite into melty cheese & spicy jalapeño, MAMA MIA! (see what I did there)
I suggest making a breakfast sandwich with them. Here I paired one with a perfect fried egg and some crispy bacon. It has all of the flavors you want & need. And if you’re looking for something on the sweeter side, try smearing a little honey butter on top. Mamas deserve extra butter.
Calories are not counted Mother’s Day. It’s a rule us mothers have.
Continue reading »
Happy Seis de Mayo!!! Did you eat tacos yesterday? I hoped to but the weather was a little rainy/grey so I made this Mexican Chicken Soup instead. If I was a better food blogger, I would have posted this recipe last week and I would have lead you to some of my favorite Mexican recipes from the past (Shrimp Tacos, Taquitos, Mexican Popcorn, Stuffed Poblanos, Goat Cheese Guacamole, Cilantro Limeade, Cinnamon Sugar Tortillas, Coconut Tres-Leche Cake). But I didn’t…OOPS.
So here I am the day after Cinco de Mayo showing you an easy Chicken Tostada Salad recipe. If you’re anything like me, you could eat Mexican food all day/everyday. I seriously never get sick of it. Well…maybe when I was in Mexico for a week I might have…
With it staying light outside later (HOORAY) and the ease of this recipe, I’m able to show you something I made after work. This means that if I can do all of this and make a meal for my family, you’ll be able to do this in no time. It’s a wonderful recipe and a perfect way to use any leftover rotisserie chicken you may have. Both me and the husband ate two each. This is totally going into the weekly rotation.
Do we still get to drink margaritas today? Please say yes.
Continue reading »
2007 - 2012 shutterbean, All Rights Reserved.