March 19, 2014

Crispy Smashed Potatoes

If I’m perusing a menu and having a hard time deciding what entree to get, potatoes usually seal the deal. Mashed? Whipped? Fried? Smashed? I’m into it. Gratin? Hmm. Maybe? Depends on if they put cheese or crispy in the description. Then I’m sold.

What about an entree that’s JUST Crispy Smashed Potatoes? Can we make that happen? We could serve it with a bacon/chive sour cream or how about a little bit of Arugula Pesto? I already made a batch this week for this very purpose.

Creamy insides + Crispy outsides= Crispy Smashed Potatoes 4 LIFE.

recipes

March 17, 2014

Grilled Turkey Meatball Subs

I’m putting this Grilled Turkey Meatball Sub recipe in the Everyday Eats category because I could seriously eat it every day. These flavor packed turkey meatballs are the real star of this sub. I made these sandwiches for Casey & I last week and when he tried some of the meatballs afterwards he told me that they were almost better on their own. And THEY ARE TURKEY! He doesn’t even like ground turkey… It’s because they’ve got a huge dose of parsley, some oregano, PARMESAN, red pepper flakes and Italian breadcrumbs up in. Grill them. Smoosh them in between two crusty pieces of baguette with Arugula Pesto, provolone and pickled peppers and you have yourself an amazing lunch. Or just eat them plain…standing over the kitchen table like my husband cuz…you’re the boss of you.

my everyday life, Photography

March 15, 2014

My Everyday Life: Week 11

Here’s what this past week looked like:

Movie night with my boys.

March 14, 2014

I love lists, Friday!

Guaranteed to annoy your OCD brain.
The origin of ALRIGHT ALRIGHT ALRIGHT. (really?)
Interiors, Mad Men style. Victoria inspires as per!
I do things like this…I just never record it. Maybe I should.
Arugula + Mushrooms = my heaven
I wish mirror fences were standard in the USA.
Who doesn’t love a good lifehacks for your kitchen post?
Photobomb. Jon Hamm. I’m so jealous of those people.
Lisa’s home/office is gorgeous. I love all the pops of color.
Inside a Woman’s Mind at TARGET. OMG. This is so good.
I watched this Vegan Chai Ice Cream video while on the treadmill this week. hehe
I Went to the Oscars and Nobody Cared– an enjoyable read.
For those of you who like to watch people trip…
Oh She Glows- New blog crush. All of her recipes look SO GOOD.
This cookbook came in the mail yesterday. I’m excited to try out the recipes.
Hoping to do some kind of Typographic Print in our home.

There’s a new Joy the Baker Podcast! It’s called Piddle Pad (sorry/not sorry).

Make Great veganized my Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cake

Celebrating Sweets made my Banana Walnut Granola

From the Gorski’s made my Goat Cheese & Arugula Pizza

The Usual Bliss made my Lemon Chicken

recipes

March 12, 2014

French Quarter Cocktails

I’ve been thinking about Louisiana A LOT lately. With my True Detective obsession and my best friend moving to New Orleans it’s activated my wanderlust for a trip to the South. I flew all the way out to Louisiana in October to see how Tabasco is made on Avery Island but never made my way into New Orleans. How rude is that? Can you believe I’ve never had a beignet at Cafe du Monde??!

Time to change that.

I hope to make it to NOLA before the Fall, but for now I’m going to welcome my maj in her new home with a cocktail made all the way over here in her home state of California. I was cleaning out a stack of papers in my office last week and a little recipe card from Martha Stewart Living March 2004 for this drink popped out. It’s like Martha KNOWS and Martha wants us to get our buzz on.

With the two hour time difference, Joy can get started on Happy Hour a little sooner than I can. Perhaps we can share a skype cocktail session and drink these French Quarter Cocktails while she’s living in the French Quarter? {META} They taste like a sunny/tropical vacation in a glass. What will they taste like when you’re a full time resident of the French Quarter? Water?

recipes

March 10, 2014

Sausage & Kale Stuffed Shells

Monday. Let’s do this. We will probably be eating these stuffed shells for dinner tonight since I had bright idea to freeze half of the batch and tuck them into our freezer last week. Three cheers for thinking ahead! I love when I do that. God knows I didn’t have energy to do any meal prep yesterday because I was too busy watching the SEASON FINALE of True Detective.

Stuffed shells always seem like a real treat, don’t they? My grandma made them for us on special occasions. We left our plates clean! I really wish I could get Cooper to try them so he could have the same childhood experience, but I’ll just continue making large batches and freezing half for Casey and I. We’re big fans and my coworkers sure enjoyed the leftovers.

Stuffed shells are for those who like lasagna but don’t want to commit having to cut gooey/messy squares and while fighting for edge pieces. Shells are scoopable! One? Two? Four? Easy. I’m not sure why we didn’t have these more when I was a kid. They honestly don’t take that long to make. Once you have a rhythm going it’s smooth sailing. These shells in particular are fortified with sausage & kale. You can easily omit the sausage if you desire. The kale tastes just like spinach and nicely mixes with the cheesy ricotta filling. I think you’ll like it. I think you’ll like the stash you put in your freezer for future Mondays even more.