April 24, 2010

Let’s get growing!

Last year I started my first little garden in our backyard. You can see the progress here here and here! We had tomatoes in this trough last year, so when I read that you aren’t supposed to plant tomatoes in the same place the following year I decided to make this section into an herb garden. I am pretty excited about it. I have big plans for the rest of the yard because it’s totally easy for me to go overboard on this stuff. It’s soo gratifying to grow your own veggies & herbs and I want to plant MORE AND MORE!

Here’s an overview of what’s in the trough that we got a few years ago at a Feed store in Half Moon Bay.

recipes, Uncategorized

April 21, 2010

Addictive Nutty Topping

Ellie Krieger gives fair warning in her latest cookbook that this topping is addictive. Don’t even think about second guessing her because she’s totally right! I can guarantee that my jar will be empty tomorrow because I want to eat it by the heaping spoonful and top it on EVERTHING. Yogurt, pancakes, rice pudding, fruit, ice cream, my toothbrush!! Here I come!

It reminds me of the Honey Nut Squares I made, but with a lot less fuss! It takes less than 10 minutes to make this sticky crunchy gooey treat. The toasted sesames are quite fun too! There’s a subtle halvah taste to it. I think you’ll like it!
CONTINUE READING

recipes, Uncategorized

April 20, 2010

Garlic Butter Rolls

For those of you who swoon over garlic twisty bread but can’t bring yourself to order whole pizza to make the delivery worthwhile, this one’s for you! They are scrumptious! Dip some in marinara or serve them with a salad and pasta! You could also eat them alone, directly from your kitchen counter. No one will know. Promise.

To push them over the edge of deliciousness, I am going to tuck a little bit of Parmesan cheese in the middle of each roll before I form them into little dough balls next time! This was a request from my husband who is a certified twisty bread lover. He wanted them cheesy with more of a garlic presence; so I will appease him next round! I suggest using a little cooking spray in the muffin tin because I had 3 of them stick! You’d better believe I chiseled them out with a knife and ate them! Wouldn’t want to let any dough go to waste now would we?
CONTINUE READING

recipes, Uncategorized

April 18, 2010

Simple Roasted Broccoli

I fell out of love with broccoli awhile back and recently rekindled our affair due to this recipe. We are like totally back together and now we’re holding hands when we walk down the street. I even introduced it to my parents and they approved! You should see the cute heart shaped necklace I picked out for it!

Roasting broccoli is SOO the way to go if you want to try something different. The crunch is maintained and something new and delightful is added. Introducing new crunchy roasted charred edges! It’s the kind of char you would get when you roast asparagus. They also have a deep nutty taste that you get from a Kale Chip! Tasty!

I will now eat more broccoli. Promise.
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recipes, Uncategorized

April 10, 2010

Arugula Salad with Strawberries

WANTED:

A wonderfully balanced salad with peppery arugula, amazingly sweet strawberries, toasty crunchy pecans topped with creamy goat cheese crumbles. Do not want a salad that will require several grocery trips. Must be extremely easy to make and perfect paired with a glass of wine and a crusty baguette. Would love to eat you outside while wearing flip flops and a sundress. All inquiries must go directly in my mouth!
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around the home, Uncategorized

April 7, 2010

18 months

5 days ago Cooper hit the 18 month mark!!

For those of you who don’t speak in the “months” language, I’m sorry! He’s a year and a half! I remember laughing at people who said their kid’s age in months. I thought it was quite irritating in fact! My brother totally makes fun of me. “Why can’t you just say a year and a half?” Now as a parent, I know there’s a huge difference between months. This is Cooper at 16 months. He has changed soo much!

Dozens of other moms have told me that this age is the best stage and currently I agree 100%. I feel like I now have a little buddy instead of a little baby. He actually listens and helps; which makes a gigantic difference! Don’t get me wrong-I do miss my little baby! But with this kid weighing almost 30lbs, it’s so nice to be able to hold his hand while walking down the street instead of carrying him!
CONTINUE READING

recipes, Uncategorized

April 5, 2010

Strawberry Icebox Pie

We had a rainy Easter day here in the Bay Area. I can’t remember the last time it rained here on an Easter. It was totally bizarre! Luckily we had this Strawberry Icebox Pie to channel sunny warm Easter weather. The strawberries were super sweet and tangy! Such a dream paired with fresh whipped cream on a graham cracker crust. It was like an ice cream combo I would have ordered at Cold Stone Creamery. Think strawberry cheesecake ice cream– but lighter! This recipe says it serves 8, but it only served 5 at my house. Which means REALLY REALLY liked it. I bet it would be great on a hot summer day when you want something sweet that’s a bit cool and refreshing too! This is definitely going in my dessert rotation.