I’ve been itching for a decorating project lately so I used this past rainy weekend to decorate the mantle in our living room. I figured that while I was taking pictures of the new mantle decor, I’d give you a little tour of our living room (we hang out here just as much as we do in the kitchen).
I’ve been reluctant to post a Chocolate Chip cookie recipe here because I feel like the food blog world doesn’t need ANOTHER chocolate chip cookie recipe. Then I tried out these spectacular cookies and things changed. Here’s why I think you should make Jim Lahey’s (the no knead bread & pizza genius) Chocolate Chip Cookies:
WATCH OUT!
On this week’s podcast, we do a play by play of Joy’s cooking segment on TV. It’s like that movie Ghost. We also talk blazers, women wrapped in plastic wrap & we make our first phone call to a listener!
On High Straightenence this week, I bring you Part 2 of my Kitchen Organization Project. You get to see a snippet of my food photography prop hoard. There’s so much more to be done….
BTW- this picture above is a self portrait I drew when I was 6 years old! Crazy, huh?
I posted it on Instagram last week. You can follow me @tracyshutterbean
A food blogger with a picky eater for a son is such a travesty isn’t it? Cooper is a very visual kid and he has a lot of distrust when it comes to food. For example, he loves red peppers, but if you try to mix things up and cut a red pepper into chunks instead of strips, he will not put the red pepper in his mouth. We also go through crazy power trips where one week he loves something and the next he’s over it. I know it’s totally normal, but gosh darn it’s frustrating when I make something special and he won’t eat it. Can you even believe he wouldn’t try a bite of my mom’s sour cream coffee cake?
The only thing that’s been working for us as of late is the reward system. You know…the you have to finish what’s on your plate or try 3 bites of vegetables before you get dessert, system. I was reluctant to try it because I don’t want him to think he’ll always get dessert. I mean…I grew up not eating dessert, he should too. The thing is…as a parent sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do. If it means he’ll try something new, I think it might be worth it. The biggest drawback is that Cooper has always been sensitive to sugar so whatever we give him for dessert after dinner has to have a low amount of sugar or else he can’t sleep or will have nightmares. Poor guy.
This is where Frozen Yogurt Dots have come in handy. I found this recipe thru Pinterest and my friend Danielle made them too! I thought I’d give it a try. The other afternoon after Cooper woke up for nap, I surprised him with a batch. He was skeptical at first, but after convincing him they were ice cream dots, he went NUTS for them. The best part is that he thinks having 3-4 dots after dinner is a legitimate dessert for him. Crazy, right?
It’s really simple. Let me show you how:
I’m starting to realize that life is short. I mean..I already know this but every now and then this thought enters my consciousness and I feel the need to SEIZE THE DAY. Then I get back to my routine and forget about it all, until I’m rudely awakened into remembering how precious life is.
Like this cake…I have this cake once a year. It’s really a shame that it’s only once a year. My mom makes it for Christmas day and she’s been making it for as long as I can remember. Us kids LOVE this cake. It’s apart of our holiday tradition and it tastes spectacular because it’s made with so much love. But why wait til Christmas day to eat this cake? Why not make it on a rainy afternoon in March when I’ve got the house to myself? I can certainly do that now that my mom gave me the recipe.
Do you know why it’s my most favorite coffee cake EVER? The outside is crispy while the inside is soft, moist and studded with a ridiculous amount of cinnamony walnuts. Did I mention that there’s a few caramelized patches on the outside? It kinda reminds me of a cross between an apple fritter & coffee cake. Yeah. You’re welcome. Wait. Thank my mom for this.
Life is short. SEIZE THE CAKE.
Cooper has been in preschool since August which means we’ve had ten million thousand gazillion germs enter our household. In this past six months I feel like we’ve been sick more than we haven’t been sick.
Needless to say I’m ready for it to be over!
I spied this recipe in the latest Bon Appetit and had to jump right on it. I suppose the word ELIXIR sealed the deal. I’m really hoping this helps keeps that pesky scratch in my throat at bay. Ginger, lime & carrots, do your MAGIC.
And if it doesn’t, I still have a tasty beverage to add to my repertoire. This carrot ginger elixir is spicy/sweet and will be soooo good in an afternoon cocktail this summer. I’d better be well by then!
