April 9, 2011

Roasted Strawberries

New post! Roasted Strawberries!

I’m no stranger to roasted fruit. I know how intense fruit becomes when it’s been sizzling & caramelizing in a high-temperature oven. I also know how intense those thick, syrupy juices are when they burst out of the roasted fruit. I know because I’m the first one to dip my finger along the sides of the pan to collect the runoff. Can we just have a moment to look at this? Thank you.

What I didn’t know about roasting strawberries is that the seeds add a whole new dimension to the experience. Their poppy crunch is pretty unreal mixed with the tender, supple structure of the roasted strawberry. I think I might really like it! Wait. I really do! How does your house smell when you roast strawberries? Divine. It’s like the fruit roll-up factory made a new Strawberry Pie flavor in your kitchen. A whole new revelation is waiting for you. You’re gonna love it!

out & about, Uncategorized

April 9, 2011

Joy Retreat: Part 2

When I was preparing for the Joy Retreat, I waffled with the idea of skipping the painting session because I thought I needed time to prepare for my workshop. Honestly, I’ve never really enjoyed painting. I love mixing paint and playing with colors but when it comes to painting, I’ve always been unhappy with my results. Coming up with something on my own in the medium has always been a challenge for me. When things don’t look right, I can only see mistakes! It’s hard for me to get past that.

The night before I left for my trip, something pulled my car towards the art supply store on the way home from work. Suddenly I was leaving with a huge bag of painting supplies. Something inside me said that if I’m embark on this journey, I really have to force myself to go out of my comfort zone. DIVE IN HEAD FIRST, TRACY! I think this proved to be the biggest lesson on my trip away. Who better to guide me through my painting struggles than Mati Rose! She’s a true spark! Her zeal for creating and her enthusiasm for creative play & experimentation changed my perspective of painting. I truly had fun and I was relaxed in a way that I never thought was possible. Thank you Mati for getting me out of my comfort zone. You helped me tap into a side of my creative spirit that was dormant for over a decade. For that, I am soo grateful.
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Photography, Uncategorized

April 8, 2011

365- Week 13

A food related photo every day until 2012. Here’s Week 13:

97/365 Roasted strawberries for breakfast with pineapple Greek yogurt.

(I’ll post the recipe soon! It’s from the new Super Natural Every Day Cookbook)

recipes, Uncategorized

April 7, 2011

Grapefruit Cucumber Gin Spritzers

TWO cocktails in a ROW?! What’s going on with you, Tracy? Honestly, it’s a classic case of denial. I’m still coming back to reality and holding onto EVERY. SINGLE. MOMENT of what I experienced last week. I want to write up the last part from my retreat but I feel too raw about it. Is that weird? I think maybe that’s why I’m holding off on scanning my Polaroids. It’s kinda like how my friend has refused to watch the last episode of Freaks & Geeks because she doesn’t want it to end. That’s where I am right now. So to ignore it, I had a few cocktails with my magic making neighbor today. She always has something cool going on in her house and when I walked in today I yelled “OMG! I forgot how your house is totally a stylist’s wet dream!” Yes I said that. I say stuff like that all the time. It’s totally true, though! You should see what she has on her back porch.

I tinkered with this drink today and nailed it! I took the idea of the grapefruit soda in the Jen & Tonics from the Joy Retreat and used some leftover cucumbers from the Boozy Cucumber Coolers to make this libation. The cucumber brings out the herbal quality of the gin and the grapefruit soda adds a nice sweet & bitter tang- much like tonic water… This drink and the Boozy Cucumber Coolers are duking it out to be THE drink of SUMMER 2011 on my street. We shall see who will win the battle of deliciousness! Care to weigh in?
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recipes, Uncategorized

April 6, 2011

Boozy Cucumber Coolers

I wanted to tell you more about the Joy Retreat but I’m kinda BUZZED right now. One more sip of this Boozy Cucumber Cooler and I’m gonna turn into a sappy drunk on you. Must temper that! Anyways…I’ve been SOO excited for Heidi Swanson’s Super Natural Every Day Cookbook to come out; it’s been sitting in my Amazon pre-order cart for MONTHS. When I came home from my trip, GUESS WHAT WAS WAITING AT MY DOORSTEP??!! As if my creative spirit wasn’t already triggered!

I had a brief moment to look through the cookbook last night and CUCUMBER COOLERS went straight on my TO-DO list for today. It was right next to pay doctor bill over the phone & reschedule hair appointment. Of course I had to be naughty and add gin to the original recipe. It was a rough day at work…what can I say?? I also didn’t have honey so I added agave syrup. Wait. I did have honey but it was all chunky & crystallized and I didn’t feel like melting it. I dove for the agave out of ease (gin is my truth serum). I’m kind of obsessed with this drink…and the cookbook (I have soo many recipes marked to try!) This cocktail is like a spa drink gone WILD. Cucumber is balanced with a dash of salt & a spike of lime… rounded out with my good buddy, GIN. I could get in trouble with these. Serious trouble. I’d better stay away from Twitter tonight!
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out & about, Uncategorized

April 5, 2011

Joy Retreat: Part 1

So after my lunch at Broder, I drove to Manzanita. The weather was kind of crappy….rain with lots of crazy big lumber trucks and me in my dinky rental car with some good music. There were a few moments where I thought I would fly right off the road but honestly, I really enjoyed the drive. It was so cool to see random waterfalls on the side of the road! There were some cute little farms too! After 2 hours, I arrived safely and dove right into the retreat. Met all of the ladies and went outside and took this photo with my phone. Hello Manzanita! How you doin’?
CONTINUE READING

out & about, Uncategorized

April 4, 2011

Broder- Portland, Oregon

I’m baaaaack! There’s TOO much to tell you; I don’t even know where to start! My batteries are finally recharged but I’m kinda having a hard time getting back to reality. So much laundry to catch up on, a toddler with a temperature and sooo much to unpack. It will get done. Yes, Tracy. It will get done. Tonight I was looking through my pictures, thinking… How do I even start? What do I tell you first??!

Why don’t we just start at the beginning? That seems like the best idea.

I flew to Portland, Oregon on Wednesday and had lunch with my dear friend Jessica & her adorable daughter. A few months ago, she took a few snapshots of her breakfast at Broder and I was intrigued by all of the cute dishware! I put in a request to go there for our lunch because I had to see one of their egg skillets in person. What a treat! The food was tasty and I thought of Megan the whole time. Have you been, Megan? I bet you have & I bet you had a good time.

There were soo many cute details! Let’s take a look:
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