October 19, 2015

Caramel Apple Floats

I think I linked to this 35 Pictures That Will Bring You Back to Elementary School last week and I really feel like Martinelli’s Sparkling Cider should be on the list. It was a staple of my childhood. It was probably because my mom could buy it at Costco (Price Club!) and my brothers and I successfully convinced her that it was better for us than soda. Though we were only allowed to drink it on special occasions and when my parents had company over. But she bought us SPARKLING CIDER IN COSTCO SIZED PORTIONS and locked it up in our garage and we knew how to break in and sneak it all. Nothing much has changed.

It always makes me wonder what Cooper will remember from his childhood. Will he remember that time we ate popcorn in my bed and watched movies all day long while Casey was out of town? Probably. Will he remember me making these Caramel Apple Floats before dinner and letting him drink it all with no questions asked? I sure freaking hope so.

What we have here is two tall glasses filled with sparkling apple cider mixed with a few scoops of vanilla ice cream. All of this is garnished with tart Granny Smith apples drizzled with caramel and covered in peanuts. It’s creamy. It’s carbonated. It’s a winner this time of year because APPLE SEASON. I would have absolutely gone BONKERS for this as a child. If you threw in a Costco churro I would be yours forever.

Inspiration

October 18, 2015

And I Quote:

And I Quote: A little inspiration for your weekend

my everyday life, Photography

October 17, 2015

My Everyday Life: Week 42

Here’s what My Everyday Life: Week 42 looked like:

Apparently I took him here last Columbus Day.

Quick trip up to Portland this week. Did you know that there’s a #pdxcarpet hashtag?

Lunch at Harlow in PDX with my prettie.

Portland is full of colors.

Owls!

Later that night I watched an interview with Blossom about attachment parenting.

It was so nice to FEEL the crunch of leaves. Autumn has hit the pacific northwest!

Pinot in hotel rooms.

Stay still.

My friend Erin came to visit me from Eugene before my events started.

October 16, 2015

I love lists Friday!

Welcome to I Love Lists Friday! Let’s surf the internet together:

What a beautiful patio makeover!
Did you know that there’s a Will Ferrel themed bar???
Some cute no carve pumpkin ideas!
Inspiring Books that just came out: Sage Living + Styled
35 Photos that Will Bring You Back to Your Childhood. OMG yes.
SORRY
Honest Logos of Famous Companies
Oh goodness. This dessert is a great way to repurpose your halloween candy!
The weirdest things you can get Siri to say….
This necklace is beautiful.
How to Make a Hobo Dinner
Pluto Comes to Life!
I had no idea that an address stencil existed!
What beautiful photos of polenta + mushrooms.
Some Costco fails for you.
This is the sweetest thing.
I dream of ricotta doughnuts.
Brené Brown has a new book out! I just bought it- Rising Strong
I love Jenny Slate’s brain.
My favorite article of clothing this time of year.
See all the popular songs the year you were born.
Getting my brain ready to paint my kitchen cabinets.…

recipes

October 15, 2015

Apples with Tahini Dip

Let’s switch up our peanut butter and apple game with apple & tahini. At first I dipped the apple in plain tahini and wasn’t a fan. Then I added a little bit of salt and NOW WE’RE TALKING. Sweet apples are mixed with a salty savory component. Excuse me while I put tahini on everything now.

To see more of my Thursday Snack Ideas, follow my Pinterest Board!

recipes

October 14, 2015

Coconut Steel Cut Oats

I got an email from a reader named Meghan, (Hi Meghan!) who wrote:

“I am writing from Pittsburgh, where I work downtown for a law firm. Nearby is a small cafe that serves coconut milk steel cut oats for breakfast. They. are. to. die. for. The oats are thick, but not too thick and have the perfect amount of sweetness to compliment by the nutty flavor of the coconut. Per your request they top it with mixed raisins and brown sugar. This breakfast is honestly an obsession of mine and one I would love to make myself. However, inventing recipes is not my specialty, which leads me to the point of this email… If one day you have the opportunity, could you do a recipe on coconut milk steel cut oats (Shutterbean style)? There are recipes “on the web,” but there is no food blogger I trust more than you/Shutterbean.”

****THAT IS SO AWESOME!!!!****

And here we are! Challenge accepted. I have made what I think to be EXCELLENT steel cut oats with coconut milk (I used full fat!), cinnamon, and shreds of coconut. I’m not really an oatmeal fan (hate it when it’s MUSHY!) but these oats have me changing my tune. I’m on a bit of a steel cut oat kick thanks to this recipe.

The oats are CREAMY and they’ve got such a good bite to them. Sometimes I like to imagine that I’m eating warmn rice pudding when I have steel cut oats. That’s what it reminds me of.

The coconut shreds add a little to the texture. Pair it with your favorite toppings. I like raisins, bananas and walnuts on mine. I add a little bit of brown sugar and milk to the top and we’re golden. Thank you so much for the inspiration, Meghan. I hope they live up to your expectations!

recipes

October 12, 2015

Almond Joy Rolls

In my friend Billy’s new cookbook Whip it Up! (comes out soon!) there’s a section called “Choose Your Own Adventure Rolls.” I thought…OOH. YES PLEASE. LET’S MAKE THE ALMOND ROLLS. Because DOUGH and ALMONDS and DO I REALLY NEED TO EXPLAIN WHY?! No.

After I measured out all the ingredients for the dough, I went to take a picture and realized I left my camera at my parent’s house. I thought, “Oh! I’ll just use my older camera!” Which… lead me on an hour long hunt around my house that left me empty handed. I grabbed my phone and Cooper’s point & shoot camera and here we are.

All of this happened on the last day of Mercury being in retrograde. Figures, right? Fortunately, the batteries on both the camera and the phone died RIGHT before I was finishing the last shot. Oddly enough, I find those particular photography challenges exhilarating. I mean… it’s kind of unnerving and stressful, but I think it’s fun to try new equipment out and test myself. Also, I’m lazy. I didn’t want to drive to my parent’s house. Let’s just be real here.

The rolls turned into Almond Joy Rolls with the addition of milk chocolate and coconut shreds mixed in the cream cheese filling. I know, you’re thinking where’s all the chocolate? There’s melted chunks studded throughout the inside of the rolls! They’re doughy, they’re gooey and holy mother….they need to get out of my house right now before I eat them all. Thanks, Billy for an awesome recipe. So proud of you and your book! And thanks for cellphones that have pretty decent cameras. Look, Mom! There’s a benefit to having my phone attached to me. We have Almond Joy Rolls to enjoy now and I now I can say that I totally “phoned” it in.