July 24, 2014

Yogurt “Banana Split”

I saw this “breakfast banana split” on thekitchn a few years ago and it left an impression somewhere in the depths of my crazy brain. It’s kind of funny how changing the way you slice something (like a banana!) can trick your brain into thinking it’s something entirely different altogether. On this banana “split,” I added a mound of Greek yogurt, fresh strawberries, slivered almonds, toasted walnuts, coconut and finished it with a drizzle of honey. I can imagine that if we want it to be a little more indulgent, we could had a drizzle of chocolate and or chocolate chips, a dollop of strawberry jam and some toasted peanuts- sundae style. Either way… a simple tweak can make something relatively healthy feel super indulgent. Enjoy!

recipes

July 23, 2014

Lemon Cake with Raspberries and Pistachios

My default dessert for the Summer is some kind of cake studded with berries that can be served warm with vanilla ice cream. If I’m gonna turn my oven on during the summer, the cake also should be something I can easily eat for breakfast. I mean…cake can always be eaten for breakfast, but sometimes you want a little fruit mixed in. You know what I mean?

This is the second time I’m going to tell you that it’s impossible for me to have raspberries in the house for a recipe because I end up eating them before I get a chance to make a recipe. Then I’m like grreeeeeeeeeat let’s do this whole thing over again. With that said, it took me awhile to get around to making this cake. I swear the recipe I ripped out from Bon Appetit has lived in EVERY single room of my house for the past month or so…hounding me…telling me to PUT BERRIES IN A CAKE not just into your face.

And it happened. And it was good. A lemon cake flavored with olive oil with juicy berries nestled in on top. The cake part isn’t too sweet and then the topping is, so it’s got that save-the-muffin-top- for- last quality to it. Does that make sense? Are you also a person who saves the best part for last? Did we just get a visual of a muffin top jean situation? Sorry.

Inspiration

July 22, 2014

My Favorite Summer Salads

I love salads but I love them even more when it’s SUMMER TIME! The fresh produce gets me! I went through my archives, and today I’m sharing with you some of my summer salad favorites. Most of them would be great at a picnic or dinner party and you’ll even find some inspiration for lunches throughout the work week. Enjoy!

GRILLED GREEK PANZANELLA

Bread that’s been grilled and turned into a salad. Need I say more??!

VEGAN TACO SALAD

A great salad to take to work!

SPICY CORN TOMATO AVOCADO SALAD

A salad that would be perfect served with a bag of tortilla chips. And sometimes tortilla chips can pass as dinner during the summertime. Am I right??

COUNTRY ITALIAN SALAD

A hearty Italian number. When you want a SUBSTANTIAL salad for dinner, chicken or tuna are welcome.

NECTARINE CAPRESE SALAD

Summer bounty mixed with creamy burrata. What could go wrong?

FARRO SALAD

THE BEST SALAD to bring on a picnic.

CHICKEN TOSTADA SALAD

There’s a tostada under that mound of lettuce. Get in there! Have two while you’re at it.

VIETNAMESE NOODLE SALAD W/ GRILLED TOFU

A dish that makes you feel light…and exploits your grill!

BROCCOLI KALE SLAW

When you’re in need of serious crunch! Another Trader Joe’s recreation of mine.

ORZO SALAD

This is what I like to call a BASE salad because you can put a scoop in your other salads for the rest of the week.

Great picnic salad too!

SUPER SPINACH SALAD

There’s so much to love about this one. That carrot ginger dressing is great! Also it’s another Trader Joe’s recreation!

ARUGULA SALAD WITH STRAWBERRIES

If you have a surplus of strawberries, put them in a salad. They go well with arugula, goat cheese & pecans.

CHARRED CORN SALAD

Get your corn fix in with this charred corn salad. Another really good base salad for the week.

THAI WATERMELON SALAD

I could seriously drink this dressing. You’ll love how well it balances with the watermelon & spicy arugula.

SALT & VINEGAR POTATO SALAD

My favorite potato salad EVER. If you’re not a fan of mayo, this one is for you.

It’s got a nice dose of Old Bay Seasoning. I can’t get enough of it.

TOMATO & WATERMELON SALAD

The dressing is incredible and you’re gonna love the goat cheese & cashew additions.

SHREDDED RAINBOW SALAD

Eat the rainbow! This “slaw” is full of crunch. It’s so pretty too!

SIMPLE GREEK SALAD

My GO-TO Summer dinner. Any excuse to eat a grilled pita is fine with me…

We usually add grilled chicken to ours!

THAI BEEF SALAD WITH HERBS

My husband loved this one probably because of the meat, mint & cilantro combination.

AVOCADO APPLE & ARUGULA SALAD

Since apples aren’t a summer fruit, I make this one with nectarines or plums. Still incredible.

SUSHI ROLL EDAMAME SALAD

When you want sushi but you also want a salad…

KALE SLAW WITH RED CABBAGE & CARROTS

Holy FIBER, Batman.

TOMATOES WITH CORIANDER VINAIGRETTE

Enhancing sliced tomatoes like nobody’s business.

MANGO APPLE SALAD W/ SUGARED LIME ZEST

I love offering guests a fruit option for dessert. This fruit salad/dessert definitely passes the test! The lime zest is incredible on mangoes and apples. If you don’t have apples, try pineapple.

MELON & MINT SALAD

Light and refreshing. Best served cold. It’s a palette cleanser for sure which means it’s a great end to a wonderful meal. If you have any leftover it would be great in a cocktail…or how about make a spiked slushy??!

recipes

July 21, 2014

Thai Corn Coconut Soup

I spent about 4 years working in a cubicle, so I know how it feels to be stuck at work while you see your friends living it up in the summer. I can imagine it’s even worse since we all check in to what other people are doing on Instagram. Summer seems so out of reach when you’re sitting under florescent lighting, working on spreadsheets and trying to STAY WARM from the incessant air conditioner. It’s like… SUMMER??! WHAT SUMMER? I’d give anything to be a bored 9 year old, playing bank with old Monopoly money on our summer vacations in Tahoe.

Here’s a soup that will help get you through the week at work. We exploit SUMMER CORN and make a beautiful Thai coconut soup with it. It’s both sweet and spicy as well as light and hearty. I’m pretty sure it would be great with an addition of rice (if you’d like to stretch it out even more) and some cold avocado. I might go crazy and serve it over rice with grilled shrimp on top! What do you say about that?

So if you’re stuck in cubicle land, you can bring the summer INTO your workspace with this soup. It’s sure to warm you up and make you appreciate the season’s best even if you’re sitting behind a desk with a view of your coworker’s crazy origami collection.

my everyday life, Photography

July 20, 2014

My Everyday Life: Week 29

Here’s what this past week looked like:

We spent the weekend in Napa.

July 18, 2014

I love lists, Friday!

I adore Matt. I really really do. And of course…Gaby too!
How colors play tricks with your mind {grapes}
Let’s get our draaaaank on.
Babies are masters of crime. It’s true.
I wonder if Pinot would like a cat tower…
Who doesn’t love a good Before & After roundup??
That kid from Little People Big World is a great photographer.
Raspberry Ripple Buckwheat Porridge looks good and is fun to say!
I want to do this nail art with golden & black.
This is the ice cream of my dreams!
Love reading these My Beauty Uniform Posts.
I bet Cooper would go nuts for one of these.
More lifehacks! I’ve been employing that banana trick since I listened to Uhh Yeah Dude.
AMEN.
Airbnb logos…. If you don’t know about the controversy here’s some info. 🙂
Now THIS is a birthday party!
8 Things I Will Teach My Children (some good ones there)
Photos that show what hasn’t changed about motherhood in 50 years.
A food stylist’s secrets to creating a sexy burger.

There’s a new Joy the Baker Podcast! ONE SMART FELLOW….. While you’re on Homefries, check out the new site!

Thank you Mom.me for including me as one of your Top 50 Mom Food Bloggers!!

recipes

July 17, 2014

Cheddar + Pretzel Sticks

Cheese + crackers = my ultimate comfort food. Sometimes I like to imagine a cheese & cracker (or pretzel!) cleanse where all you eat is CHEESE AND CRACKERS. Can you imagine? SIGN ME UP. In an effort to make snack time fun for me and Cooper, I made up this little combination. A pretzel stick makes for a very nice edible toothpick, don’t you think? For some reason poking something with a pretzel stick makes me eat less pretzels. I’d say that that’s a step in the right direction because #pretzelsaremygatewaydrug. Spear a little cube of cheddar with a pretzel stick. GO ON. DO IT.