January 10, 2014

I love lists, Friday!

How to shake up your kid’s lunch!
Oh… to be a kid on the school bus… seeing this every morning…
I have most of the books on this list. (I haven’t finished them all!)
This salad made me salivate.
Also. BREAKFAST TAQUITOS.
I’m pretty sure these meatballs would be a hit in my household.
These Family Tees are ADORABLE. I bet Cooper would love one.
Just another reason to love NPH.
Why I’m Not a TEDx Speaker. I had no idea…
Chocolate Crunch Bars for your late night cravings.
HANGOVER NACHOS!! I’m loving the Domestic Partners show!
Turns out I’m a Highly Sensitive Person (big surprise). I know that Cooper is too.
How to Be Productive (even in your PJs) I’m writing this in my PJs.
There’s something so gratifying about watching the evolution of a family.
Set aside some time to watch this talk on WILLPOWER.
If you’re looking for some good podcasts to listen to, Joy has ideas! UYD 4life.
Is it OK to wear leg warmers as an adult? Let me find out…

Versatile Vegan made my Brussels Sprouts Salad vegan!

Shikha La Mode made my Cookies & Cream Peppermint Bark

Strawberry Plum made my Lemony Chicken Orzo Soup

recipes

January 9, 2014

Almond Pizzelles

My grandma is one of those people who never shows up to party empty-handed. This is just one of the many reasons I’d like to be her when I grow up. I always remember being excited to see what she had in her hands when she walked through the doorway of my parents house. Whatever it was, I knew it was bound to be good. Of course it was always a treat when she brought pizzelles with her. And in my grandma’s fashion of recycling before recycling was cool, her cookies would be in a decoy container so the real fun was to see what was inside. We always knew that meatballs were in an emptied milk container. Pizzelles had to be in something HUGE. Just look at what a stack looks like!

Before my grandma left to live in a retirement home in New York, she went through her kitchen and put aside a few things for me. I accepted her pizzelle maker. with great pride because I knew that with it in my possession, I had the power to make my father happy & nostalgic for his childhood. Now, it’s something that will help build memories in our own household. Cooper was an instant fan.

I stood in my kitchen the other day and made pizzelles thinking of my grandma. I thought about how she doesn’t have a computer and how much I wish I could show her a picture of these pizzelles. I know she’d be proud of me and I know she’d be the first to tell me to put anise seeds in the batter. I ran out, Grandma! These cookies are crisp and delicate, slightly almond-y, and perfect with a cup of coffee. It’s like eating a waffle cone before it’s been shaped. I can just imagine my late grandfather eating a few with a demitasse cup of espresso spiked with anisette. Gives me warm/fuzzy feelings.

around the home, Inspiration

January 8, 2014

Top 20 Recipes of 2013!

I made a LOT of food in 2013! With about 2 new recipes each week, I put out at least 104 new recipes for 2013. With a little help from my analytics, I was able to compile the Top 20 most pinned/popular recipes in 2013. Here are your favorites!

Inspiration, Outfitting

January 7, 2014

Outfitting: Winter Weekend Wear

ONE/TWO/THREE /FOUR/FIVE /SIX/SEVEN

My weekends are for errands at the earliest hour possible and hanging out with friends/family. My goal when dressing on the weekends is to be casual yet semi-polished. Today I’m sharing my weekend winter uniform with you! Here in the Bay Area, I may or may not be wearing a coat…It’s been in the 60s this week!

First things first. Long & Lean jeans from Gap because they work really well on me (I get petite because I have short legs). This cardigan from Old Navy is AMAZING. I bought it in green & purple because I love the fit. It’s nice and long! Converse because HELLO, I can move around in them and they’re classic. A striped shirt because I’m Tracy Shutterbean. A scarf that’s black & white with polka dots because I like mixing patterns these days and I feel like mixing black & white with black & white works. My most favorite bag (ever?) because I can fit a lot inside (also with leopard lining!) and my new favorite earrings that add a nice pop of color to my black & white palette. If you see me at the grocery store I’m probably wearing this with my glasses on so you can’t tell I’m not wearing makeup. Please don’t look at the back of my head. My hair will probably be unkempt.

*this post contains affiliate links*

recipes

January 6, 2014

Banana Walnut Baked Oatmeal

My friend Megan’s new cookbook, Whole-Grain Mornings: New Breakfast Recipes to Span the Seasons has arrived!! I can’t tell you how excited I was to find it on my doorstep last week. To say that I’ve been eagerly anticipating its arrival is an understatement. I spent an afternoon with a cup of tea and a notepad, writing down all the recipes I wanted to try. Turns out I wrote down practically ALL of the recipes. I just KNEW it would be a hit.

What I love about this book is that Megan loves to fortify her breakfasts with good/healthy ingredients. There are some indulgent recipes but for the most part, each one will get you off to a pretty healthy start in the morning. That’s important to me since I find that breakfast usually sets the tone for how I eat the rest of the day. Breakfast is kind of my gateway drug. If I begin with doughnuts, the rest of the day gets blown. These things happen.

I started with this Banana Walnut Baked Oatmeal mostly because I had all of the ingredients at home. There are a few grains and flours I’m excited to try and I’ve already got my list together for when I do some bulk grocery shopping next week. I’m looking forward to that! I’ve tried a version of Baked Oatmeal before and loved it but I was intrigued by this recipe. There’s a substantial amount of nuts in this oatmeal and that’s just fine by me. The more the merrier, I say! The sweetness with the bananas and applesauce creates an oatmeal/banana bread hybrid. I’ve been enjoying a bowl every morning this past week with a little bit of milk, a tiny pad of Kerrygold salted butter & the littlest sprinkle of brown sugar. I think my regular avocado toast is getting jealous.