Piecaken

This "piecaken" is making its way around the internet. Anna sent it to me while we were chatting last night. I love pie, and cake's pretty good too, but I don't know about this. Does it look good to you?

Via Taste of Home

Saturday Brunch

This morning I woke up to freezing rain and a text from Liz: "come eat homemade buckwheat and berry pancakes with me!"  Aside from making me wish I could hop on a plane to mild DC (where I hear there are flowers in bloom!  Not fair!), Liz's text also reminded me of the multigrain waffles I made with my sister last weekend.  We found them over at 101 Cookbooks, and they were crunchy, hearty and delicious.  I'd love to have a stack right now, topped with some warm maple syrup, or maybe a dollop of this ginger grapefruit curd. 

Have a fun weekend!  I'll be here, dreaming about warmer weather.

One sad fridge

The status of my fridge is embarrassing. Yet here I am, showing you a picture.

We've got half of a banana, a few tablespoons of homemade salted caramel sauce, and four eggs. Really, really embarrassing. On the top shelf we have some coffee and in the bottom drawers a few beers, but that's about it.

But I wanted you to know that I have big plans. Tomorrow I will head to the farmers' market (and likely have to supplement my finds with our neighborhood grocery store), and I will come home with sweet potatoes and white beans and avocados and I will make these:

Via Healthy. Happy. Life.

And then I will need something sweet. So I will pull out some bittersweet chocolate and cocoa powder and sweetened condensed milk and I will make this (no ice cream maker needed!):

Via Cup of Jo

And once I am done with the ice cream, I will pull out my new waffle maker (which I received today as a hand-me-down from a neighbor who is downsizing) and stock the freezer with these buckwheat, oatmeal, ginger power waffles for the week ahead.

Via 101 Cookbooks

And waffles are no good without coffee. Even though it's still chilly out, I might make a batch of iced coffee concentrate. According to The Pioneer Woman, her iced coffee concentrate makes the perfect iced coffee and lasts three to four weeks!

Via The Pioneer Woman

Don't worry, I'm not going to eat it all at once.

Happy weekend :)

Catching my eye

Just wanted to stop in and share a few things that have caught my eye lately...

1) Hudson Bay Knit Blanket Tutorial, by The Purl Bee

Via The Purl Bee

2) Coconut Curry Peanut Soup Recipe, by Pink Basil

 

Via Pink Basil

3) A new Kate Spade satchel that I may or may not have bought myself as a half birthday present (What, you guys don't celebrate half birthdays?)

Via Zappos Couture

Baby lettuces

Many people have an aversion to Brussels sprouts. I get it, I get it, I really do - if undercooked they are hard and bitter, if overcooked they are mushy and bitter. But if cooked just right, they are awesome. Ask my friend Jenn. I brought them to a pre-Thanksgiving party this past fall, and she cringed. (Yes, I am the lame friend who brings Brussels sprouts to parties.) But little did she know, I had sauteed them in bacon fat (not just any bacon, but thick slabs from the Whole Foods deli counter) and sprinkled them with sea salt and pepper and they were rich and flavorful and crunchy. And as a result of me force-feeding her the sprouts, she now makes them all the time.

I also like Jenny and Andy's approach to making Brussels sprouts enticing: just rename them "baby lettuces!" Nobody cringes when you mention "lettuce," right? And the recipe on their blog, Dinner: A Love Story, looks even better that the baby lettuces that I usually make.

"Baby lettuces" via Dinner: A Love Story

For the full recipe, head over to Dinner: A Love Story.

A new recipe

As Anna mentioned, you should check out our new "good reads" page, because it is full of blogs we want to share with you. One of those blogs is The Wednesday Chef. Luisa (the Wednesday Chef) tested out a delicious recipe from the cookbook Ancient Grains for Modern Meals. She made an artichoke tart with goat cheese and Greek yogurt instead of cream and butter. The crust is made of polenta instead of wheat flour. I took one look at the recipe and had to make that night. It is light and healthy, but filling and creamy. I highly recommend it.

Food patterns

My mom recently told me that I take photographs of foods in patterns. I never noticed it before but it is so true! Should I make a calendar? Anybody want one?

In case you can't tell, I'm getting back on the blogging horse. Anna doesn't know it but she's coming too.

Homemade granola (January?)

Valentine's Day sweets (February?)

Oatmeal chocolate chip banana cookies

Hasselback potatoes

Homemade pickles

Donuts in Seattle's Pike's Place Market

Fresh farmer's market carrots

Farmer's market tomatoes

Feeling fortunate...

...to have friends that drink good Malbec and cook homemade pumpkin gnocchi and crunchy kale salad on an ordinary Thursday night.

Gnocchi and kale

Gnocchi on parchment, friends on couch

Gnocchi master

Malbec and gnocchi

You say tomato, I say tomato

There is nothing better this time of year than eating cherry tomatoes by the fistful, or heirloom tomatoes with just a pinch of salt. They are that good.

This week's pickings...

...from the Dupont farmers' market

Got too many? Why don't you try out this simple, delicious recipe and freeze a few jars so that you can remember what summer tastes like in a few months when you'll be well into fall.

xo :)

The Best Chocolate Chip Cookies

For as long as I've known how to bake, my go-to cookie recipe has been an oatmeal chocolate chip cookie from my mom's recipe box.  I finally tried this recipe that my sister has been raving about all year, and I think I have found a new favorite.  They are the perfect balance of sweet and salty, plus they are made with whole wheat flour.*  I like to keep them in the freezer - perfect for hot days (and for keeping me from eating too many at once :)

photo via Diary of a Locavore

You can find the recipe here, at Diary of a Locavore.

*Andy thought they were actually peanut butter cookies because of the texture they get from the flour. I still don't think he believes me that they are PB-free!

Summer Snacks

Throwing together my breakfast this morning, I stumbled upon a seriously yummy combination.  It's also pretty much the easiest breakfast ever: fill a bowl with cherries and add a dollop of ricotta on the side.  Dip the cherries in the ricotta and pop 'em in your mouth.  Top it off with a creamy iced coffee and you've got breakfast perfection!

Now my mind is racing with other cherry-ricotta recipes...maybe these scones with cherries instead of raspberries?

Also on the docket today: doing something with this pile of garlic scapes.

I'm thinking pesto...any suggestions?

To sweeten your Monday

A cake rolled in Reese's cups?! Are you kidding me?! Unbelievable. I would want to eat a slice right now if it weren't 100 degrees out. I'll opt for a popsicle today but you can be sure I'll keep this in my mind at all times for future birthdays and holidays. Or maybe we could celebrate Cake Day once a year like these guys.

Via Picky Eatings

Want to make this cake yourself? You can find the recipe here.

Hope your Monday is now a little sweeter! XO

Currently craving...

This cobbler

Via the New York Times

And these shoes

Via L.L. Bean Signature

Don't they look like summer treats to you?

MIA

Ack, where to begin!  We've been MIA: Liz in LA, me on Cape Cod, work, school, life...you know the drill.  The point is, we're back.  And, more importantly, SUMMER is finally here - the season of fresh salads, cold watermelon, lime popsicles, and Porch Swings.

Speaking of food, today was a big day in the world of nutrition.  Naturally, Liz and I geeked out about it over g-chat at work.  This morning, Michelle Obama unveiled MyPlate, the visual nutrition guidelines that will take the place of MyPyramid.  The guidelines themselves haven't changed much, but MyPlate puts nutrition in context by helping users visualize how much of each food should be on their plate.  It's basic math, really - about a quarter each of vegetables, fruit, grains, and protein, along with a glass of milk or dairy equivalent.

via choosemyplate.gov

Find out more about it here.

A Trip to Baltimore

This weekend I visited Baltimore for the first time and I was totally impressed. While I love almost everything about DC, I found Baltimore to be more calm and charming (thus, the nickname Charm City). It was a lot like the smaller New England cities of which I am familiar.

We went to Iggies for great pizza, walked around the harbor, and visited the amazing farmers' market. Fresh local strawberries and tall iced coffees marked the beginning of summer. We also tried pickles on a stick! Some photos below. Happy Monday!

 

Elijah is coming!

Ok, so Elijah isn't exactly the most comparable thing to a bunny, but you get the point. It's Passover this week for those who celebrate it, and I'm here to share some of my favorite Passover foods. Sometimes I think of Passover as a type of spring cleaning - my meals during this week every year consist of lots of vegetables and yogurt and healthy stuff. That is, until I re-discover the meat and candy below :)

I'd love to gobble up some of this tangy, spiced brisket.

Photo via Smitten Kitchen

And then munch on some matzo crunch (kudos to Heather for making a mean batch on Monday).

Image via the Slow Travel blog

If you take the ham out of Anna's Easter fritatta, you're good to go for Passover too! Enjoy whatever holiday you do or do not celebrate :)

 

The Bunny is Coming!

OK, I know I might sound like a total dork for saying this, but I LOVE Easter.  My family isn't religious in the slightest, so for us, Easter is primarily a reason to be together and celebrate family, good food, and (hopefully) warming weather.  It's also a plus that the Easter Bunny never fails to show up after all these years, even though my sister and I are now graduated, certifiable "adults."

via good housekeeping

Every Easter, we celebrate with a big brunch.  The meal always has to include the innards from the blown eggs we dyed the day before, so this year I have plans for a frittata, a dish I have ignored until discovering that it is the perfect vessel for leftovers.  Here's a basic recipe.  Note that pretty much any veggies, cheese, and/or meat combination imaginable can be used here.  My most recent frittata had onions, mushrooms, shredded beef from some leftover stew, and ricotta.  Delicious!

HOPPY Easter!

Easy Pulled Pork

Just popping in to say a quick "hi" and share some yumminess with you.  My sister recommended this recipe to me the other day and I wasted no time making it; I think I may still have been on the phone with her as I pulled up to the meat counter at Whole Foods.  I have always loved pulled pork but had prematurely labeled it as one of those foods that was too much hassel to make myself.  As you may have guessed, I was wrong about that one and found that this recipe is actually one of the biggest no-brainers around.  All you need is a dutch oven, a large cut of pork shoulder, and a free afternoon.  Enjoy!

via martha stewart

New blog alert!

When it comes to food blogs, I have three go-to sites: diary of a locavore (my sis!), smitten kitchen, and orangette.  Between the three of them, I can always find something to make for dinner if my creativity is lacking or I'm in a food rut.  While perusing orangette for culinary inspiration yesterday, I happened upon I made that!, a food blog written by the dessert chef at Delancey (orangette's restaurant).  I may be behind the eight ball on this one, but it was entirely new to me and I spent a very long time drooling over it.  By the time I closed my computer, in fact, I was very hungry for some potstickers and a slice of key lime pie.

via I made that!

Fine print: Snacking before browsing is suggested as you will inevitably be very hungry once you start.  Note that many of the recipes are more time intensive than on other food blogs and might be best saved for a dinner party or a best friend's birthday.  Still...they look totally worth it. 

The Friday Find: Power Breakfast

This week's Friday Find comes in the form of a healthy and cheap-to-make power breakfast.  This is my family's granola recipe, and what I love about it (aside from it being really yummy) is that there are endless variations.

via Diary of a Locavore

5 cups old-fashioned oats

1 cup oat bran

1 cup All Bran or Kashi GoLean

1 cup sunflower seeds

1 cup walnuts or pecans, chopped

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 cup wheat germ

1/2 cup mild olive oil

2 teaspoons real vanilla

That's the recipe in its most basic form.  I like to add a heaping cup of dried cranberries or raisins, and chopped dates are yummy in it, too.  I also usually add unsweetened dried coconut for a little extra flavor.  If I ever feel like I'm in a granola rut, I find that browsing through the bulk food aisle at Whole Foods is great inspiration for new ingredients. 

*Don't sweat it if you don't have all of the ingredients listed here.  Aside from the oats, almost everything in the recipe can be substituted with something else that you have kicking around your cupboards.