March 27, 2013

Slice & Bake Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

I’m really good at moderation…if given the chance. In college I had a stash of soups on my side of our dorm room that taunted my roommate. She would “borrow” one and quickly replace it over and over again. I found it amusing and also very kind of her to keep replacing them. It wasn’t so much that I wanted the soup; I just liked having them there in the off chance I might want one one day. I’m a planner by nature. I like to have a stash for a rainy day.

Flash forward many years later and my college roommate lives right down the street. We were hanging out with our kids (who are best friends!), drinking cocktails when she pulled out some cookie dough from the fridge and quickly made a batch of 5 cookies. One for each kid and one for each adult. It got me thinking that I need to have cookie dough in my freezer for when I’m feeling like a cookie and not 4 dozen. There’s something so satisfying about having access to cookies when the time calls for it.

Now when she comes over, I’ll guarantee we have cookies in the house, but this time I won’t expect her to replace them…

recipes, Uncategorized

March 25, 2013

Lemony Chicken & Orzo Soup

We woke up yesterday morning without power. It was a bright sunny morning here in California and it seemed a little silly to not have power. In my life, power outages are usually associated with massive storms or some planned street work. It’s always a reminder how frequent I take power for granted. My brain expects the light to go on when I turn on the switch, and yesterday I got a rude awakening when I went to do dishes and the garbage disposal didn’t work… I had a bunch of mushrooms & strawberries in there from the night before. Oof.

Since I was banned from oven usage, I decided to turn the stove on and make soup. This Lemony Chicken & Orzo Soup from the latest Bon Appetit magazine is perfect for the weather we’re having here in the Bay Area. We’re having the kind of weather that requires a light sweater and if the sun is just right, a little skin will make an appearance. It’s the type of weather that makes you want a light soup to take the chill off the cool breeze. This soup will do just that. It’s simple ingredients come together for a light/vibrant flavor combination. Lemon + Dill are flavor powerhouses! It’s what I’m taking to work this week for lunch.

my everyday life, Photography, Uncategorized

March 23, 2013

My Everyday Life: Week 12

Here’s what this week looked like:

I found inspiration/encouragement while making iced tea this AM.

Uncategorized

March 22, 2013

I love lists, Friday!

Love these recipe/tips for food while traveling.
I wish I could have witnessed this conversation.
This succulent oasis has caught my eye. I love succulents!
I am intrigued by this Detox Bath. Feel better, Katie! xo
This Kale Salad is on the TO DO list.
Life Lessons We All Need to Learn– Brene Brown (Did you watch her on Super Soul Sunday?!)
Things Kids Today Will Never Get to Experience.
Here’s a good laugh: Things We All Know to Universally Be True
Cutting an Orange Like a Fancy Pants.
I was moved by this Finding Success In Your 30s article.
Single Serving Chocolate Chip Cookie? This is awesome/dangerous!
The contrast in this kitchen has me swooning!
Currently reading this book & really enjoying it.
I’d put some coconut cream & bananas in one of these macaroon cups.
Speaking of coconut. Look at this bread!! Gimme.
Oh my goodness Sally Draper is sooo pretty! (Who else is excited for Mad Men?!)

This week on the Joy the Baker Podcast we celebrate our 88th episode by talking about Facebook Etiquette. It gets real.

Best Friends for Frosting interviewed me on their blog! Go check it out.

My Bites Around the Net:

Cheap Recipe Blog made my Bacon Fried Rice

Mod City Mag made my Tuscan Kale & Pecorino Salad

In a Condo Far Far Away made my Maple Olive Oil Banana Bread

Culinary Colleen adapted my Angel Hair Pasta with Chile Arugula & Lemon

The Hoot Eats adapted my Bacon Fried Rice

Jaded Lovely made my Rigatoni with Brussels Sprouts & Cauliflower

Snaxilicious made my Maple Olive Oil Banana Bread

Chocolate & Spirit Tasting

While entertaining, I like to give my guests as many options as possible. It’s always fun to see what people gravitate towards. Everyone enjoys different things! I also like to see how many plates & dishes I can use on one table, but that’s an entirely different topic we’ll talk about (never).

Ghirardelli sent me a bunch of their new Intense Dark™ Chocolate to taste, and I decided to throw a little Chocolate & Spirit Party with them. I mean…what’s a girl to do with a six bars of chocolate?! I thought it would be fun to encourage my guests to create fun flavor profiles with all of the food/spirit options I provided.

recipes, Uncategorized

March 20, 2013

Sweet Peas & Shells Alfredo

As the person responsible for putting food on the table in our household, I’ve found quite a few helpful shortcuts to keep me sane. I occasionally employee the good ole doctored up box of mac & cheese trick. It’s something I rely on when I come home from work to hungry boys and my brain is fried from looking at Quickbooks all day. No matter how hard I try, boxed mac & cheese always tastes like boxed mac & cheese. Sure, I’ll sometimes throw peas, broccoli, red pepper, bacon and tons of Parmesan in and yep…the boxed cheese taste shines through. Husband doesn’t mind, but I kinda do (although I keep eating it).

This recipe from The Smitten Kitchen Cookbook (YAY DEB!) can be whipped up in NO time. And boy is it good!

What you have is a creamy shell pasta dish with TONS of peas, herbs & lemon zest. It screams SPRING to me with it’s light & creamy nature. It’s a crowd pleaser for the adults in my house. Picky 4 year old still is on the fence about pasta/cream sauce/peas. I’ll pay you 50 bucks if you can get him to eat a bite. But for now….us greedy adults will make this recipe serve TWO.

recipes

March 18, 2013

Goat Cheese Arugula Pizza

Now that we’re creeping into the warmer weather months (at least here in California!) it’s time to start thinking about a new food season! My brain is preparing myself for bathing suit weather which means I’m beginning to think about adding greens like WHOA to my diet. My brain is also trying to convince me that it’s cool to eat 5 pieces of pizza. This brain can’t be convinced otherwise.

Let’s compromise. Let’s make baby steps to getting bathing suit ready. Sure, I really just want to eat potatoes on my pizza, but that’s not gonna get me into a bathing suit anytime suit. Sidenote: Have you ever eaten pizza in a control top bathing suit? It’s the worst.

I think this pizza is practically salad. Pesto coats the dough (that’s green!), goat cheese adds a creamy tang, roasted tomatoes provide sweetness and that mound of arugula on top? Peppery salad component! Control top bathing suit, here I come!

Just not while eating pizza…