May 2, 2010

Raspberry Almond Bars

Today I needed to make a sweet treat in a super short period of time because I had an impromptu date with my neighbors outside in the sun and didn’t want to show up empty handed. They supply the drinks, I supply the treats! It’s a pretty good deal, huh? I found this recipe in an Everday Food Magazine (which is my go-to publication when I need something speedy) and was super stoked that I had all of the ingredients in my kitchen. Serendipity!

They were SCRUMPTIOUS and they didn’t last long! The crust is so simple and buttery. It’s crispy on the bottom and the top is nice and crumbly. The raspberry jam provides the perfect amount of tart to balance out the sweetness in the crust. There’s something about the butter/flour/almond combo that reminds me of baklava. It’s utterly amazing. Go ahead and make them. You deserve them. And maybe your neighbors do too? Maybe you could trade a batch of these for that ladder they keep forgetting to give back to you?
CONTINUE READING

recipes, Uncategorized

May 1, 2010

Shrimp Tacos with Cabbage & Lime

Hi there! We had this for dinner last night and it totally knocked my socks off! Wait no! I was wearing sandals cuz it was warm outside so it knocked my sandals off! You get the point. It’s a really good recipe for the warm weather coming up! I made it indoors but it would be even better made outside with a bunch of friends and a crap load of beers & booze. Let’s do that next time, OK? I smell a Glee night coming up with my girls!

The lime in the sour cream topping is AH-MAZING. It’s really the star of the show. It’s bright and fresh and has the same zingy effect you get when you put a lime in a beer. That may not make sense now but you will get what I mean when you take your first bite. The textures are all so perfect! The crispy cabbage and crunchy corn tortilla mixes perfectly with creamy avocado & sour cream! I LOVE the grilled shrimp with the red onions. Yum! Skip cilantro if you are a hater! I used to be a cilantro hater but somehow I got over it! There might be hope 😉
CONTINUE READING

recipes, Uncategorized

April 30, 2010

Beet Carrot Apple Juice

This one’s pretty simple and I think I’ve made it before, but today I added a Granny Smith apple to the mix and it perked it up quite a bit! The combo of beet and carrot juice is shockingly sweet; so the addition of a tart green apple mellowed it out a bit. I drank some while doing some gardening in the backyard today. I added a handful of ice cubes and my thirst was instantly quenched. You should see how bright red my tongue is right now. Fun fun!

Here’s all the ingredients! Everything is so crispy and crunchy!

around the home, Uncategorized

April 29, 2010

Kitchen Tour!

Hi Folks!

There’s a little tour of the Shutterbean kitchen today at thekitchn.com!!

Check it out here!

And for those of you who are coming here for the first time–

WELCOME!!! Stay awhile, we’ve got treats!

around the home, favorites, Uncategorized

April 28, 2010

Snacks with Miss Freckle!

Today I’m guest posting over at Frecklewonder!

Check it out here!

I’ll give you a rundown of my favorite snacks!!!

What are some of your favorite things to snack on? Tell me!!!!

recipes, Uncategorized

April 26, 2010

Hazelnut Espresso Cookies

If the culprit for my college “Freshman 15” had to be named, it would be ridiculous amount of hazelnut lattes I consumed. When I lost the extra weight, I lost the taste for hazelnut flavoring and hazelnuts in general. Many many MANY years later, I saw this recipe and thought it could be a good test to see if the adult Tracy still liked hazelnuts—in moderation of course! And yes, thanks to this recipe, I still do. If I had to do college over again, I would have made these cookies weekly! I also wouldn’t have lived with my roommate who was the mayor of PSYCHOVILLE for over 2 years, but we’ll save that for another time.

These cookies are everything I look for in a cookie. They’ve got crispy crunchy edges with a nice chewy center. Such a great bite! No need to worry, the espresso flavor isn’t too bold. It’s like a light buttery hazelnut latte with a few crunchy toasted nuts every now and then. There’s also a subtle hint of malt flavoring in them. I don’t know where that came from, but I enjoyed it immensely.

A few more notes about these cookies-

-The description in the Everyday Food: Fresh Flavors Fast cookbook says that these cookies are more of an adult cookie. NOT TRUE. Eleven of the twelve cookies I gave to my neighbor were eaten by her children. Those kids saved ONE for their mom. How ROTTEN! Tell your kids that there’s spinach in them. Get their paws away from your cookies. Eat them during their nap time or when they are down for the night. Hide them where you hide their Christmas presents! Seems Coop wanted to get his little fingers on them too… NO WAY!

-The scent that will fill your kitchen when you bake these resembles the smell of hot buttery pancakes served with a freshly brewed pot of coffee. Close your eyes and meditate on that one. Is there anything more comforting than that? NOPE.

-They aren’t ridiculously sweet. Which is great! And that’s probably one of the reasons they are considered an adult cookie. If you want something on the sweeter side and want to indulge yourself even more, add some chocolate chips. DO IT. I will if you do!

-Roasting the hazelnuts wasn’t as hard and annoying as I thought it would be. The skins peel right off if you use the technique described in the recipe! The steaming in the dish towel trick is pretty cool.
CONTINUE READING

around the home, Uncategorized

April 24, 2010

Let’s get growing!

Last year I started my first little garden in our backyard. You can see the progress here here and here! We had tomatoes in this trough last year, so when I read that you aren’t supposed to plant tomatoes in the same place the following year I decided to make this section into an herb garden. I am pretty excited about it. I have big plans for the rest of the yard because it’s totally easy for me to go overboard on this stuff. It’s soo gratifying to grow your own veggies & herbs and I want to plant MORE AND MORE!

Here’s an overview of what’s in the trough that we got a few years ago at a Feed store in Half Moon Bay.