June 6, 2012

My Favorite Trader Joe’s Pantry Items

It’s pretty obvious that I’m a big fan of Trader Joe’s. No, they didn’t sponsor this post. They did give me a bunch of raffle tickets for using my own bags yesterday. One day I will win that raffle. ONE DAY!

Because I’m somewhat obsessed with shopping at Trader Joe’s, people always tweet me asking what they should get when they’re going to a Trader Joe’s & they’ve never been before. BTW-I think it’s so awesome that some of my Canadian friends make special trips across the border to stock up on items. Love it! Canada deserves their own Trader Joe’s. For real.

This is the post I will reference when someone asks what they should stock up on.

These are my favorite Trader Joe’s Pantry Items:

June 4, 2012

Crispy Chicken Fingers

I woke up to the strangest dream Sunday morning. In my dream, I was attending a wedding and when I went to find a seat in the front, I noticed there was a spot open right next to Oprah. I quickly took it. She was wearing a shiny pink two piece outfit and I had on a hot red number. I almost remarked that we looked like we’re attending a Valentine’s Day party…but I held back. We said our casual hellos, the wedding service continued and then I felt her nose smooshed against my scalp…sniffing my hair. I let it go on for a bit (umm HELLO, if OPRAH wants to sniff your hair, you let her!) and then she immediately relocated three chairs down. I asked her, “What was that?!!” Then she replied, “I don’t like the smell of your shampoo.”

Then I woke up.

This dream haunted me all Sunday. Why did I dream this? Was it because I just bought new shampoo? Casey told me he liked the way it smelled…

Then I figured it out. This dream was meant to tell me something. In life, you HAVE to take risks. It was a risk for me to chose to sit next to Oprah. So, she didn’t like the way my hair smelled. SO WHAT. At least I got to sit next to Oprah. You never know how things will turn out unless you try.

What does this have to do with chicken?

It turns out cornflakes are a really good coating for baked chicken fingers! They make them taste fried. It’s pure genius.

My girl Oprah would no doubt enjoy these. I even made a tasty honey mustard dipping sauce!

THEY’RE BAKED & DEEEEEELICIOUS (As said in my best Oprah voice, naturally)

my everyday life, Photography

June 2, 2012

My Everyday Life: Week 22

Here’s what this past week looked like:

Dirty car window…and hair up in a ponytail!! I’m growing my hair out right now. I’m not sure why. My horoscope told me not to make any drastic changes to my hair in June. I’m not sure if I can survive.

Uncategorized

June 1, 2012

I love lists, Friday!

A girl & her chickens. Isn’t this the GREATEST little outfit? I adore Dotty.
I’m gonna be on an airplane next week. Here’s some great snack suggestions.
Cross Stitch Cookies! How cute are they? Excellent job, Megan!
Anything with coconut…COUNT ME IN. This drink looks pretty EPIC.
We are stronger than we think. Do you know Bonnie? She is my photography hero.
I’m pretty excited to see Anna’s house through Victoria’s eyeballs.
DIY Playdough. Gonna hafta make some of this soon for Coops.
I just ordered this book to read this summer. Super stoked.
I’m thinking black walls need to be in my future. At least a few accent walls..
Do you want overnight success? Read this. True with anything you’re passionate about.
Just another reason to love PAPER. Whoa. Look at that backdrop. PARTIES!
I love the long orange hairstyle on Alix the best. What do you think?
Annie Lamott through Lisa’s amazing script. Lisa! I need a print of this!
Embroidered Kayne West tweets. The second one down is sooo me. Thanks, Janet!
Watching this little dude play Wii Boxing was one of the highlights of my week!

This week on the Joy the Baker podcast we give you our Summer Bucket Lists! How many times do we say bucket? Count!

Shhhh! Unpacking in progress…I’m starting to make a home. You can see a little bit of what I’ve done on High Straightenence this week.

Also! There are only a couple spots left in our Food Styling Class at Teahouse in Berkeley this July. You should come. It’s gonna be fun/delicious!!!

recipes

May 30, 2012

Mango Apple Salad w/ Sugared Lime Zest

This salad is like an edible mango margarita. It’s sweet, zesty and with the addition of a little salt, it’s downright tangy! The good news is that it won’t get you in a lot of trouble like a margarita can. OOOOH tequila…there’s a reason why I call you ta-kill-ya!

Let’s take a moment to talk about fruit salads. People always ask you to bring one when they invite you over. You have to put at least 4 fruits in to make it a legit fruit salad….OR you could just cut up two fruits (in this case mango & apple), put sugared lime zest on top and call it a day! That sugared lime zest earns your EXTRA bonus points. It’s like two extra fruits or something.

This means your fruit salad task was ridiculously simple and people are utterly impressed.

What would happen if you drank a margarita while eating this salad? Brain explosion from awesomeness?

I think it would be an excellent ending to a Shrimp Taco Night.

Discuss.

recipes, Uncategorized

May 28, 2012

Blackberry Cornbread

I asked Casey what I should say about this cornbread since he and my dad ate most of it yesterday. His answer was a simple “YES.”

Yes? Just yes?

If he wasn’t a man of few words, he probably would have gone off about how great this cornbread was. You would understand how thankful he was to have a wife who wakes him up with baked goods on a Sunday morning (I’m taking artistic license with this). He would also tell you how he loved how this cornbread wasn’t super sweet. The sweetness and tang come from the juicy blackberries; it’s like built in jam. The cornbread was slightly buttery, a little bit crunchy from the cornmeal and pretty epic when it was still warm from the oven.