February 11, 2011

FAIL! FAIL! FAIL!

Today I’m opening up the vault and letting you in on a few of my cooking & baking FAILS! I’ve got a bunch of pretty pictures wasting precious space on my hard drive because the recipes were bunk or I failed at executing them! It’s time to clear up some space!

Ahhh mistakes….We all make them! The most important thing is to learn from them! That’s the only way to get better. Here’s some failures for ya….

This Lentil & Bulgur Soup sounded too good to be true! I was attracted to the recipe because the ingredients list was short. Little did I know the soup would be short on taste! I tried to add more vinegar to the recipe to wake it up. Unfortunately, the vinegar only made it worse. Parmesan cheese didn’t even help it. How lame is that? FAIL.

recipes, Uncategorized

February 10, 2011

Everyday Chickpea Salad

Everyday. Chickpea. Salad. Everyday–meaning this salad is so good, you could eat it every day and can use everyday ingredients to make it! Nothing fussy, nothing crazy, just GOOD simple ingredients in a delicious/healthy salad that will make you feel full AND exceptional afterward.

I’m such a sucker for adaptable salads because there’s a nice ease to making stuff with what I already have in the kitchen. When I went to gather the ingredients for the dressing, I looked to see how much olive oil I needed to measure out and realized that there IS NO OIL in the recipe! Brilliant! The cashews and Dijon mustard act as the emulsifiers! The combo of balsamic vinegar and Dijon mustard make it tangy! I love how the dressing soaked into the couscous, adored the crunchy sweetness of the peppers, and loved the creaminess of the chickpeas. I’m glad to have this salad & dressing in my current rotation.

Whitney & Anna both seduced me into picking up a copy of the Appetite for Reduction cookbook. Everything is entirely vegan, low calorie, low fat, but definitely NOT lacking in flavor. I made the Brussels Sprouts Potato Hash (post coming soon!) for lunch this week and now I’m totally hooked. I have over 15 recipes marked to try! I love that feeling.

So yeah, I’m back on the salad wagon (again). It’s such a nice wagon to be on. It always makes me feel fantastic, healthy and light! I hope my friend Jenny (who is going vegan for a week) LOVES this salad!

around the home, Uncategorized

February 10, 2011

And the winner is….

How exciting! One of my blog friends won! Sara from Rhymes with Spoon, YOU ARE THE WINNER of my fun little Organizing Giveaway from FIVE SPOONS!! This little package is yours! CONGRATS! I’ll be sending you an email shortly!

around the home, Uncategorized

February 9, 2011

What’s in my bag??

If you’ve seen some of my bag posts, you might already know that I’ve been on the search for THEE PERFECT handbag for what seems like FOREVER. I’m never 100% satisfied with my handbag purchases because I get so close to finding one that’s PERFECT and then there’s something that always ruins it. The straps, the pockets, the lining, how it doesn’t fit all the stuff I have…you name it.
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recipes, Uncategorized

February 8, 2011

The Joy of Almond & Coconut Candies

Valentine’s Day is coming up! Want to impress a loved one?? You should totally make these Almond Joy inspired candies. Not only are they super easy to make, you won’t be that person scrounging around for an overpriced bouquet of long stem roses at the last minute. Are you that person? Don’t be that person! Don’t wait til the last minute. People always know. I hope you at least write something sweet & thoughtful in your card!

By the way, I overheard your sweetheart saying that they’re not really into roses! They were telling their coworker how much they dig coconut! They especially love it covered in chocolate! They also LOOOOVE salty, crunchy roasted almonds and guess what?? There’s one waiting in the middle of EACH. ONE. OF. THESE. CANDIES. Make a batch of these and you’ll totally seal the deal. You’ll make up for that god awful ratty teddy bear you bought last year. You know why? Because people are always impressed when you make candy. ALWAYS.
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around the home, Uncategorized

February 7, 2011

Where did the weekend go?

It’s Monday. Sigh…

I’m totally daydreaming about this past weekend. I wish it was still Sunday!

Over the weekend I got to show off my freshly painted toenails & wear some flip flops!

The weather was in the 70s here in the Bay Area! It felt like summer!

recipes, Uncategorized

February 4, 2011

Cocktail Time: Juice of a Few Flowers!

It’s Friday! What does that mean?? HAPPY HOUR!!! My buddy, Miss James just got a copy of Barefoot Contessa’s Back to Basics Cookbook and we’re trying to plan a few recipes to cook on the same night so we can do a virtual GIRL’S NIGHT. Totally sucks having cool peeps live so far away. I hate it! To start it off, I’ve made this cocktail for our Happy Hour. We can now ichat under the influence. The typing gets a little crappy, but oooh does the truth come out!

Let me tell you that this cocktail is TASTY. The first few sips are like WHOA. It’s a bit on the strong side, but if you exploit the sugar rim you’ll be just fine. It definitely balances out the alcohol and citrus TANG. After finishing the first drink, you’ll find the second one to be much smoother! We even did a little gin floater on top. Amazing. So won’t you make yourself a cocktail and have one with us?
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