I was invited to my friend Kasey’s birthday/picnic in Golden Gate Park over the weekend and I planned on making my favorite potato salad but then my parents came over and my mom brought me a taste of Ina Garten’s Farro Salad. I spent 15 minutes hovered over my kitchen counter spooning bite after bite into my mouth. It was tangy. It was hearty. It was crunchy. The peppers! The carrots! The balsamic and the sweetness of the red onions! The nuttiness of the farro! It’s as if you crossed farro salad with Giardiniera. And oh boy do I love Giardiniera!
So, this is what I brought. I just HAD to. And in the morning of making it, I stood over the counter pouring scoop after scoop into my a little bowl for “tasting” purposes. Because one has to get everything just perfect before bringing a salad to a picnic, right?
There’s no doubt this will be making several appearances in my summer get-togethers this year. Excited!
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I love lemons. It’s no joke.If you ever asked me to make a list of my kitchen staples, lemons would be high on that list. You can almost always find a bag of them in my kitchen because they’re the ultimate flavor enhancer. Need to perk up some leftovers? Lemon is almost always my answer. It’s also one of my most favorite smells of all time. If only you could take a whiff of this cake…
This Memorial Day weekend I was waffling back and forth about what to make in the kitchen. I wanted to make a bunch of things to get ahead of schedule but then I felt extremely lazy and decided that I’d just throw in the towel and call it a holiday. So, I sat outside with a coffee and an older issue of Bon Appetit and I realized I had all of the ingredients to make this Lemon Buttermilk Bundt Cake. I find in these moments to just go forth and create. I have no will power when I see that I have all the ingredients in a recipe. MUST MAKE. NOW.
I made this cake for my in-laws. We planned to eat it for dessert but s’mores got in the way (who can resist?!). Instead it turned into a booze-fueled-late night-snacking cake and a morning picking-on-this-because-we’re-not-ready-to-eat-breakfast-but-we-still-want-something cake. It sat on the edge of the counter in my sister-in-law’s kitchen and slowly throughout the day it withered away, half piece by half piece. A slice is perfect with a scoop of ice cream or whipped cream & berries but it’s also good on its own…eaten without a plate en route to watching BBQ Pitmasters ALL DAY long (ahem, Casey). If you love lemon, then you’ll most certainly love this bundt. The glaze is simply the best.
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Long weekends are for sleeping in. Long weekends are also for eating lots of food with friends & family. OUTDOORS.
If you’re looking for ideas on what to make this weekend, LOOK NO FURTHER! I have some wonderful suggestions for you.
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- Bill Cosby! Fashion Icon! Who knew?
- Signs that You’re a Homebody (we’re homebodies)
- I can’t get this Strawberry Coconut Lassi out of my head.
- 30 Shocking & Unexpected Google Street Views
- There’s always money in the banana stand. Frozen Bananas!
- I’ve been using this to keep track of my time online. It’s really helping.
- Side shots of food! Very cool.
- I’m craving cookies like WHOA ever since I spied these beauties.
- This is what happens when you bully kids at school. Good job, Mom!
- Just another reason to love Zach Galifianakis.
- If I was a celebrity kid, I’d definitely do the same…
- Have you seen the sequel to Ship My Pants? Big Gas Savings!
- Would you rather? If you love that game, you’ll love this site.
- 33 Unwritten Rules EVERYONE Needs to Follow. AMEN TO THIS.
- Joy is turning 32 this weekend. I love her list.
GO GET IT!!! On the most recent Joy the Baker podcast, we talk to our 21 Year Old Selves.
Rosewensian adapted my Cheddar Cheese Bread (and has made other recipes of mine!!)
Artpology made my Walnut Raisin No Knead Bread
Rocked By Life adapted my Clove Scented Sidecar
Found in Oklahoma made my Cinnamon Sugar Baked Doughnuts
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.
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- 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?
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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.
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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.
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Here’s what this past week looked like:
Washing cars & bikes on a Saturday morning.
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