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June 6, 2011

Walnut Shortbread

walnut shortbread w/ peach jam

Did I mention that it’s overcast here? It’s June. According to twitter, the last time it rained in San Francisco during June was in the 1930s. Crazy. My neighbor kid called it June-uary. How funny is that? She also let me try on 12 of her Silly Bandz yesterday. But that’s besides the point. I’m just irritated that I can’t get started with the outdoor cocktail-ing yet. Instead, I spent yesterday indoors baking and cleaning up my garage…dreaming about cold beer with lime & shrimp tacos.

hello jam

To taste a bit of summer, I decided to open a jar of the Early Peach Marmalade from Blue Chair Fruit yesterday afternoon but we had no bread in the house. Instead of smearing it on warm buttered toast, I decided to make this walnut shortbread because, why not?  The little Martha Stewart recipe card has been sitting on my kitchen counter for months now and I had all of the ingredients…serendipity!

So…Walnut Shortbread. What’s not to like? Buttery, crispy, slightly nutty (wishing for a few nutty chunks!) but very delicate and perfect for preserves. Fantastic snack or breakfast for an overcast day with hot tea. Amazing with peach marmalade. AH-MAZING. If the weather would cooperate, I’d pack a few squares & some jam for makeshift picnic in the park or maybe layer some in an fluffy apricot parfait? But today I plan on crushing some up and adding it to my Greek yogurt with honey and fresh raspberries. That’s just how I roll. Summer, I’ll see you soon.

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June 5, 2011

Thank you, Electrolux!

The Best Parts:

The So-So Parts:

  • the noise can be a little loud (I’m still getting used to it)
  • sometimes the ice cubes get stuck in the ice dispenser
  • our particular unit has a problem with the french doors; if you open the left side before the right, the little bar in the middle does not snap open. You need to manually move the bar before closing the door or it will not close. The design is supposed to allow you to close the doors in any order but ours is malfunctioning. We checked the same model at a showroom and it did not have this problem so it’s likely something that is easily adjusted or fixed.
  • there are two ” Fresh Zone” drawers which are great, but they sized the left side one about 1 inch too wide so you need to open both french doors to open the drawer.
  • the water that comes out is not as cold as we would like, but it does come out fast. Our previous fridge took ages to fill a tall water glass.
  • you can’t hang magnets on the fridge

In short, I really do love my new fridge. If I was in the market for one and had the money, I’d totally buy it! If you are interested in seeing more info about my Electrolux French Door Refrigerator with Wave Touch Controls, check out the Electrolux Website.

Thank you for the opportunity, Electrolux!

This is part of a series of six posts sponsored by Electrolux as part of Homebuzz.  I received an Electrolux appliance in exchange for my participation.  The opinions stated in this post are my own.
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June 4, 2011

Corners of my home….

guest car

It’s June. It’s raining. I’m stuck indoors dreaming of warm weather, popsicles, stripey umbrellas and sundresses. Instead, I’m reading books, making shopping lists, drinking tea and looking at the little corners of my home with my camera while the boy sleeps. Sun? Please come soon. Please.
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June 4, 2011

365- Week 21

A food related photo everyday until 2012. Here’s Week 21:

155/365  House salad with beets, croutons, goat cheese & walnuts @ Hillstone.

salad a day!
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June 2, 2011

Asparagus & Orange Salad

asparagaus & orange salad

Guess who’s on a salad kick?? That’s right. This girl! I’m making June the month of salads. I will eat more of them…at least one per day. I will love them, and I’ll get rid of this double chin I see staring back at me in my cellphone when I’m typing a text message. What is with that?! Salad will become my new best friend. A best friend that gets rid of my double chin. A best friend that I can eat.

hello oranges

If you’ve been around here for awhile, you already know how much I love citrus and how awesome I think asparagus is. But it wasn’t until now that I married the two and fell in love. This salad was unexpectedly delightful! Crunchy vibrant green asparagus, juicy orange segments, smoky sesame seed heaven…the aftertaste is truly awesome. It’s Asian and then it’s not! This salad is destined for warm afternoon barbecues or fancy Tupperware picnics on the beach. Hello summer. Goodbye double chin!
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Jam Making 101 @ Blue Chair Fruit

tasting

On Sunday I took the Jam Making 101 class at Blue Chair Fruit Company in Oakland! I had a delicious time learning from Rachel Saunders, the woman behind Blue Chair Fruit Company! I’ve had her cookbook for awhile and I’ve wanted to make my own jam, but I lacked the confidence & drive to get going. This class definitely gave me the jump start I needed. I can’t wait to go to the farmer’s market this weekend to pick up some fruit. Also, I should note that I completed another item from my 31 comes before 32 list ! #16. Learn how to do canning!

The goal of the class was not to just follow a recipe and make jam, but to understand the elements of jam, how to test for balance prior to cooking and how to preserve a fruit’s flavor integrity while making a jam. In the class, we made 4 different variations of a Strawberry Raspberry Jam. Two of the jams were original recipes and the other two were based on what we, as a class wanted in a jam. I can’t wait to taste the final results (which should show up in my mailbox soon!).
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June 1, 2011

Podcast Episode #3 is live!

Hey! This week on the Joy the Baker Podcast over at Homefries, Joy & I discuss:

  • What to feed boys
  • Wombats
  • Silly bands (I know, I know)
  • Important life tips

You won’t want to miss it!  Come check it out!

Also! We want to hear from you! If you want to ask us a question, Email us!