August 24, 2010

my love for mason jars

If you’ve been on Shutterbean before, you might notice that I like to drink out of mason jars.

My best friend got me hooked when I lived up in Oregon!! There’s just something about the weight & thickness of a jar that makes me like it. I also know that out of a room full of cups, I can easily spot mine. A few of my jars have the ounces labeled on the side! It’s pretty handy when I need to measure out a drink, or account for how many oz. of water I drank! A huge plus when I can put a lid on one and take it on the go!

I think its funny that people find it weird to drink out of jars. I often get “you’re drinking out of a jar!” As if I didn’t know….

This little delicate little jar/votive ceramic piece has found it’s home in our living room.

It’s a little birthday gift from a good friend. Isn’t it pretty? I can’t wait to see it lit up with a candle inside!

She knows how much I love mason jars! I wish I could have a dozen of these!

You see what it’s sitting on? The first issue of 3191 quarterly. It arrived two days ago!

I absolutely adore the work of Stephanie & Mav!

Happy Birthday to me!

recipes, Uncategorized

August 23, 2010

Scrambled Egg Turnovers

Dearest Organic Free Range Eggs,

I’m sorry I failed you. You totally needed a win; especially with all this bad press about eggs giving people salmonella. This turnover recipe made me think that you needed to be *set* before I tucked you into a pocket of puff pastry and let you slumber in my hot oven. Little did I know that you would turn out overdone! I’m now know that I should have followed the 1 minute the recipe suggested rather than the 3 minutes I insisted on. Would that have meant you would have been super runny on the puff pastry? Hmmm…

Thank god the zucchini, puff pastry & melted cheddar made up for your shortcomings. I heard that my Mom’s green salad was delighted to join you on the plate for lunch! You two make such an excellent couple! I took a picture of you two! I think it turned out pretty nice!

I hope that you accept my sincere apology. Maybe next time I’ll include some bacon with the zucchini & cheese mixture? Sound good?

I look forward to seeing you soon! Maybe in tomorrow’s breakfast? You free?

Forever yours,

Tracy

Uncategorized

August 22, 2010

Mushroom Spinach & Asparagus Pasta

Are you a creamed spinach fan? Do you also love mushrooms & pasta? Ever wish you could combine all three? Then you’ll probably love this! The end result is a very creamy pasta that won’t have you slaving for hours in the kitchen. It comes together super quick, and now that I’ve been through it once, I probably don’t need to follow the recipe again! I found some asparagus chilling in my fridge, so I tossed it into the sauce. It added a really yummy crunchy bite to the pasta- and a little more depth.

My only advice is- eat the pasta fast (the sauce starts to thicken up when the heat escapes) and make sure you have someone else to eat it with! No one can be trusted with a pot of this at hand. Maybe you can answer this question for me…All those veggies negate the calories & fat in the creamy sauce, RIGHT?! I thought so!
CONTINUE READING

out & about, Uncategorized

August 20, 2010

Thank you for the Birthday wishes!!!!

You are all soo sweet and awesome. You helped make my birthday SOOO special. You have no idea!

Thank you thank you THANK YOU!!!!

Over a week ago, I vowed to eat healthy so I could totally go nuts on my birthday. If you are gonna go big, you might as well do it on your birthday, right?! I totally GORGED myself and rembered what it’s like to have my stomach reach it’s maximum capacity! Not pleasant…but totally worth it—especially the dessert part! Be patient, we will get to that in a second!

I started the day off by SMOTHERING coconut oil on my toast for breakfast (sorry not pictured). I’m like totally IN LOVE with coconut oil lately! It deserves its own post for sure! Look out for that soon!

My dad took me out to a really yummy Seafood lunch@ Swan Oyster Depot in SF for lunch!

We always get there pretty early to get a seat. I love going there with him. It’s really old-timey & fun.

I thought it was funny to see a Keep Calm and Carry On poster on their walls!

I ordered an Anchor Steam & we got a dozen cherrystone clams on the half shell to start with.

recipes, Uncategorized

August 16, 2010

Egg & Asparagus Gratins

I have a confession to make. This dish STRESSED me out. It’s really not a complicated recipe, but the thought of overcooked eggs paved the way for me to be on edge with this recipe. Mix that with a incessantly meowing cat, a crazy bed headed mom with no coffee (ahem, me) and a toddler running around the house—OMG WHOA! I’m surprised I managed to pull this off. Dipping that piece of toast into that brilliant yellow runny egg was the money shot I was looking for. Thank god it happened. It was worth the stress. We dodged a bullet, people!

Let’s have a look at that yolk!

Now that that’s out of the way…this is a really good dish! I’d totally make it for company! It reminds me of the Herbed Baked Eggs I made awhile ago, but without all the herbies. The bright green asparagus were happy to take their place. If you are pressed for time, cook the asparagus in advance to make things easier. The Parmesan really makes this dish, so you should add more than it calls for. I won’t tell anyone. I bet fresh breadcrumbs mixed on top would be FANTASTIC too. Look at the runny egg yolk being soaked up by my buttery toast. Do I really need to say more?

around the home, Uncategorized

August 15, 2010

So organized! Recipe Folder!

On the internet I have a great way to save tantalizing recipes.

A pinterest board dedicated to nothing but FOOD.

(It’s a place where I save some of my current food obsessions!)

In real life, I have piles of ripped out magazine pages all around our house. Sometimes it takes me forever to find the ONE recipe I’ve been wanting to make. Chances are it could be on my bedside table or on the coffee table shoved underneath a bill. Sometimes I find them crumpled up in the couch! Thanks Cooper!

Bottom line= I am a stack maker; there’s many of them throughout my house.

Here’s what a general pile of mine looks like: