April 4, 2012

Angel Hair Pasta w/ Chile Lemon & Arugula

One of the most frequently asked questions I receive is- How do you do it all? Oh man… THIS QUESTION. The answer is….I DON’T & can’t! Every week looks different in my life. Some weeks are super challenging (ahem, this one!) and I don’t usually share the bad because the internet is my happy place. My goal here is to inspire people and I don’t think I’d inspire anyone if I complained about how I spaced and forgot to make a credit card payment or how I can’t seem for the LIFE of me to clean up the inside of my car. Maybe you want to hear that. I dunno. That being said let’s talk a little bit about balance.

Balance is difficult to attain. I’m not very good at it. Ever since I had a Cooper I don’t think I have the ability to give 100% to anything in my life and it bugs me most of the time. Do you moms know what I’m saying? Raise your hand if you’re behind on laundry too!

I am good at balancing my food, though. I’m not talking about setting a pineapple on top of my head and walking to the other side of the room with it. Nope. I’m talking….like one day I eat coffee cake for breakfast lunch & dinner and then the next few days I eat salads & juice like a crazy woman. That’s how I excel at balancing.

This pasta is a good balance because it appeals to me- the ARUGULA lover and to Casey the PASTA lover. He, of course gets a plate that’s heavy on the pasta and I get a plate heavy on the arugula…depending how many cookies I ate that day. It was 6. OK. 7. Extra arugula for me. The only problem we found with this recipe is that it’s so light, you might find yourself eating 3 portions in one sitting. Maybe that’s just a sign that it’s GOOD.

around the home, Uncategorized

April 3, 2012

House Tour: The Living Room

I’ve been itching for a decorating project lately so I used this past rainy weekend to decorate the mantle in our living room. I figured that while I was taking pictures of the new mantle decor, I’d give you a little tour of our living room (we hang out here just as much as we do in the kitchen).

recipes, Uncategorized

April 2, 2012

Jim Lahey’s Chocolate Chip Cookies

I’ve been reluctant to post a Chocolate Chip cookie recipe here because I feel like the food blog world doesn’t need ANOTHER chocolate chip cookie recipe. Then I tried out these spectacular cookies and things changed. Here’s why I think you should make Jim Lahey’s (the no knead bread & pizza genius) Chocolate Chip Cookies:

they’re delicious! If you’re a fan of a crispy edged cookie with a soft chewy center, these are for you!
they are simple & easy (the ingredient total is small!).
you won’t find yourself with dozens of cookies. Just 20. Which is a good amount. Eating 3 dozen cookies by yourself is not good. 20 seems better.
the baking time is super fast. 6-8 minutes and you’re transported to cookie town. That’s amazing!
they aren’t the PRETTIEST looking chocolate chip cookies, which might help you deter others from eating them. One bite and it’s all over. Be careful.

WATCH OUT!

my everyday life, Photography, Uncategorized

March 31, 2012

My Everyday Life: Week 13

Here’s what this past week looked like:

There’s a good story behind this one…

Uncategorized

March 30, 2012

I love lists, Friday!

If you love a good before & after story, check out this Laundry room!
Well that settles it…I need nude/pink lip stuff.
Quinoa Spring Sushi. So into it.
Adding this blog to my reader! Thanks Katrina for the tip.
Smart Gardener is Smart. I hope to have a good looking backyard this year…
Soft eggs & buttery/cheesy herb toasts. Just another reason to love Deb.
I need to be invited to a Mad Men party. Or maybe have my own…
Photos so perfect, you feel like you’re there.
One of my favorite Indian dishes by one of my favorite food blogs.
Multitasking & BROWNIES! Emma, GIRL we share the same brain.
What a wonderful collaboration between Frida, Lisa & Anna!
These muffins look soo good & easy to make!
How to Poach an Egg. I love Shauna’s laughs.
Taking this under the sink organizing sitch into account for next week’s High Straightenence post!
I know this is totally in your head too. Admit it.

On this week’s podcast, we do a play by play of Joy’s cooking segment on TV. It’s like that movie Ghost. We also talk blazers, women wrapped in plastic wrap & we make our first phone call to a listener!

On High Straightenence this week, I bring you Part 2 of my Kitchen Organization Project. You get to see a snippet of my food photography prop hoard. There’s so much more to be done….

BTW- this picture above is a self portrait I drew when I was 6 years old! Crazy, huh?

I posted it on Instagram last week. You can follow me @tracyshutterbean

recipes, Uncategorized

March 29, 2012

Frozen Yogurt Dots

A food blogger with a picky eater for a son is such a travesty isn’t it? Cooper is a very visual kid and he has a lot of distrust when it comes to food. For example, he loves red peppers, but if you try to mix things up and cut a red pepper into chunks instead of strips, he will not put the red pepper in his mouth. We also go through crazy power trips where one week he loves something and the next he’s over it. I know it’s totally normal, but gosh darn it’s frustrating when I make something special and he won’t eat it. Can you even believe he wouldn’t try a bite of my mom’s sour cream coffee cake?

The only thing that’s been working for us as of late is the reward system. You know…the you have to finish what’s on your plate or try 3 bites of vegetables before you get dessert, system. I was reluctant to try it because I don’t want him to think he’ll always get dessert. I mean…I grew up not eating dessert, he should too. The thing is…as a parent sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do. If it means he’ll try something new, I think it might be worth it. The biggest drawback is that Cooper has always been sensitive to sugar so whatever we give him for dessert after dinner has to have a low amount of sugar or else he can’t sleep or will have nightmares. Poor guy.

This is where Frozen Yogurt Dots have come in handy. I found this recipe thru Pinterest and my friend Danielle made them too! I thought I’d give it a try. The other afternoon after Cooper woke up for nap, I surprised him with a batch. He was skeptical at first, but after convincing him they were ice cream dots, he went NUTS for them. The best part is that he thinks having 3-4 dots after dinner is a legitimate dessert for him. Crazy, right?

It’s really simple. Let me show you how:

recipes, Uncategorized

March 28, 2012

Mom’s Sour Cream Coffee Cake

I’m starting to realize that life is short. I mean..I already know this but every now and then this thought enters my consciousness and I feel the need to SEIZE THE DAY. Then I get back to my routine and forget about it all, until I’m rudely awakened into remembering how precious life is.

Like this cake…I have this cake once a year. It’s really a shame that it’s only once a year. My mom makes it for Christmas day and she’s been making it for as long as I can remember. Us kids LOVE this cake. It’s apart of our holiday tradition and it tastes spectacular because it’s made with so much love. But why wait til Christmas day to eat this cake? Why not make it on a rainy afternoon in March when I’ve got the house to myself? I can certainly do that now that my mom gave me the recipe.

Do you know why it’s my most favorite coffee cake EVER? The outside is crispy while the inside is soft, moist and studded with a ridiculous amount of cinnamony walnuts. Did I mention that there’s a few caramelized patches on the outside? It kinda reminds me of a cross between an apple fritter & coffee cake. Yeah. You’re welcome. Wait. Thank my mom for this.

Life is short. SEIZE THE CAKE.