S'more Please! Easy campfire treats without the fire.

It's finally here! It's finally here!  It has been so long since these pale bones have seen the sun.  I'm so excited and I just can't hide it.  Summertime is on its way and we will be spending this s'more eating, sandal-weather wearin' summer in...Lake Tahoe!

 

My on-and-off relationship with Lake Tahoe started almost four years ago when we came for a friends wedding in the middle of gorgeous July. We then spent a few days relaxing in Wine Country, a night exploring in Sausalito, and dined with a few friends in San Francisco, we were in love.  Two years later, we made the bold move to leave the Big Apple for the West Coast.   We never looked back.

 

After two years in the city of San Francisco, we bought a house in our favorite little getaway spot, Lake Tahoe.  From barbqued chicken to s'mores on the grill, I'm looking forward to a summer with my favorite warm-weather pastimes.  This weekend we were up at the house getting some yard work done and thought we'd test out the new grill.  Enjoy a quick preview of what's yet to come.

 

Mixed Berry Pie

INGREDIENTS

1 cup of strawberries, fresh and cut in to fourths

1 cup of blackberries, fresh

1 cup of blueberries, fresh

1 cup of raspberries, fresh

1 tablespoon of cornstarch

1 tablespoon of sugar

1 teaspoon of lemon

1 pre-made pie crust

1 egg white

1 teaspoon of sanding sugar

 

DIRECTIONS

Pre-heat the oven to 350 F degrees.  Mix together the berries, cornstarch, sugar and lemon in a medium bowl.  Place pre-made pie crust in a pie plate and add berries leaving around 1-inch around the corners.  Fold up the sides of the pie crust.  Brush egg white on the pie crust to brown edges when baking.  Sprinkle sanding sugar.  Bake in oven for 8-10 minutes or until golden brown. 

5 Gift Ideas for Mother, Dearest

Note: This post of for all eyes other than my Mother's. No sneak peeks!

For moms who have everything they need (such as a wonderful daughter, like me) finding the perfect way to show her your appreciation on Mother's Day is no piece of cake!  Over the years, I have come up with some pretty crafty ideas for the lady in my life that says she only wants peace and happiness.  Which for years, I would respond, "Yes, but what else?"  Today, I'm sharing my most successful gift ideas from mother-daughter dates to a cookie jar filled with homemade goodies!

(Psst...I know you're looking, Mom.)

 

Jeni's Ice Cream

Have you heard of Jeni's Ice Cream? Jeni's Splendid Ice Cream is a crew of flavor-ologists who are madly in love with exploring new, often odd, ice cream flavors including Riesling Poached Pear, Whiskey and Pecans, and Wild berry Lavender.  When I visit my hometown we go Jeni's Ice Cream at least once a day so treating my Mother to a splurge will never go to waste.

 

Wine & Canvas

A Wine & Canvas painting party is one of my favorite go-to friend dates because it is intimate, creative and comes with unlimited wine.  You can even take a cookie decorating class with wine, a recipe for disaster with two sugar (and wine) addicts!

 

Dylan's Candy Shop

Dylan's Candy Shop is an old-school Candy Shop in New York where you can get any sugar combination you can think of from Whirley Pops to Gumballs, Dylan's takes any chocolate-loving-mama to a whole new level.

 

H.BLOOM

Sending flowers on Mother's Day is over rated...said no person ever on the face of this earth.  The older I get the more I realize how special and bright flowers can make a person feel.  H.Bloom is a great company that actually allows you to buy monthly subscription-based flower packages so Moms receive weekly flower deliveries for the whole month.

 

Blueberry Pancakes

Spice up your Mom's morning routine with breakfast in bed starting with a great recipe for blueberry pancakes.  We used to do this for my Mom when we were kids and it was always a fun day, even for the chefs!

 

What are you doing for your Mother on her special day?

 

(Mom, I know you're still peeking!)

Summer Strawberry Salad

Truthfully, I've always disliked the taste of salads.  They are just too healthy, you know?

Recently a friend told me about a great strawberry salad they had in a restaurant.  Hold up?  Shut the front door.  You can add strawberries to a salad?  I thought salads were all greens?  Brilliant, I thought.  It's like the reverse of hiding your greens in a sugary smoothie.  It's hiding sugary sweets in your greens. Fabulous!

Tonight I tried my own version of a Summer Strawberry Salad.  What do you think?

INGREDIENTS
-10 strawberries, fresh and cut in half
-6 tomatoes, cut in to fourths
-2 cups of fresh lettuce, spring mix
-1/3 cup of mozzarella cheese, shredded
-4 balls of mozzarella cheese, fresh
-1/4 cup of ginger dressing
-1 avocados, sliced

DIRECTIONS
Cut strawberries and tomatoes and mix in fresh spring mix lettuce.  Sprinkle mozzarella cheese, shredded and fresh, on top of the salad.  Drizzle ginger dressing and add avocados on the top of the lettuce.  Serve and enjoy!

Easy-peasy Tomato and Basil Skewers

I'm a sucker for anything tomato, basil and mozzarella.  You too?  Margherita pizza.  Caprese salad.  Yes, please! Throughout the summer, we make tomato-basil with everything.   It's my go-to summer side dish so I'm always looking for new recipes!

So tonight I tried mini balsamic-vinegar-drizzled tomato and basil skewers.

I've tried these skewers before, but I have a few challenges with my previous recipe.  The first challenge?  My skewer sticks were so long it was hard to get off all of the tomatoes, skewers can kind of be a safety hazard in my house.  (sigh)  This time, I made mini skewers.  They are bite-sized so they feel like less of a weapon.  The second challenge?  The balsamic vinegar would just drip off the tomatoes losing their taste.  So this time, I condensed the balsamic vinegar from 1/2 cup to 1/4 cup and drizzled it on.  My only problem is that when the vinegar dried it became hard and clumpy...any thoughts?  They taste grr-eee-aa-t, but maybe a little less condensed would be perfect?


What is your favorite tomato, basil and mozzarella combination?

INGREDIENTS
10 small tomatoes, cut long ways
5 mozzarella balls, fresh
1 tablespoon of basil
5 skewer sticks, cut in half
1/4 cups of extra virgin olive oil
1/2 cup of balsamic vinegar

DIRECTIONS
String tomatoes, mozzarella and basil on the skewers.  Simmer balsamic vinegar for 5-8 minutes.  Drizzle over skewers.  Add remaining basil to extra virgin olive oil and pour over skewers.  Enjoy!
String tomatoes

Mango Salsa: A little heat, a little sweet

I've been told that I give off a first impression of being sweet and innocent (..that's me! I promise!)  But others who know me well say I have a side of spice to me; I take that as a compliment.  Growing up with two older brothers very close in age, I've learned a few survival tips here and there.  I can throw a spiral football.  Drink a glass if whiskey.  And I have the BEST comebacks.  As an adult, I like to say that I'm a tomboy at heart with a polished exterior (queue boyfriend's laughing now...!)  

Anyways, this recipe slightly reminds me of myself (too cheesy?)  Seriously, though.  It's the perfect combinations of sweet with mangos and agave nectar with just a touch of red-hot spice.

  

Just in time for summer.  We eat this stuff all. summer. long.  A little chips.  Some mango salsa.  A warm summer night.  Maybe, a glass of whiskey.  Kidding.  

INGREDIENTS

2 mangos, peeled and diced

3 tomatoes, diced

1 tablespoon of cilantro, chopped

1 red, green and yellow pepper, diced

1 jalapeno, chopped

1 lime, juiced

1 teaspoon of agave nectar

DIRECTIONS

Chop mangos, tomatos, cilantro and peppers and combine in a bowl.  Add lime juice and agave nectar. Serve chilled.

Monday...Nothing a cupcake can't fix

I have a love-hate relationship with baking.  I love sweets.  And on any given Sunday, you can find me at the local bakery with a cup of coffee and a chocolate criossant or blueberry muffin.  (Embarassing, I know.) But I'm also a creative-type so it's sometimes (...quite often) difficult for me to follow directions for a recipe -  a red flag for any baker.  I'm usually a "let's try a little of this, and maybe a smidge of that..." type of baker which has caused me endless batches of watery cupcakes, burnt cookies and flat cakes.  Over time, I've learned to cross my t's and dot my i's when I'm baking, however, occasionally, I do like to test some new flavors. 

 

Recently, I've been obsessed with this lemon cookie ice cream flavor at my local ice cream store.  It's so perfect and refreshing for a warm summer day.  I thought this flavor might be perfect for cupcakes, too!

 

So I tried a traditional vanilla cupcake recipe and added a bit of lemon to the buttercream frosting.  Fun fact:  This was my first time ever using a pipping bag for cupcakes, how do you think the turned out?  I'm not going to lie, it was harder than I thought.  Scrumptious, though! 

 

INGREDIENTS

Cupcake

1 1/2 cups of all-purpose flour

1 cup of granulated sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons of baking powder

1/2 teaspoon of salt

8 tablespoons of unsalted butter (1 stick), room temperature

1/2 cup of sour cream

1 large egg, room temperature

2 large egg yolks, room temperature

1 teaspoons of vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon of lemon juice

 

Lemon Buttercream Frosting

1 cup (8 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperature

2½ cups powdered sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla extract

1 teaspoon of lemon juice

1 tablespoon of lemon rind

 

DIRECTIONS

Adjust oven rack to middle position; heat oven to 350 degrees F.  Line standard cupcake/muffin tin with foil or paper.

 

Whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder and salt in bowl of standing mixer fitted with a paddle attachment.  Add butter, sour cream, egg, egg yolks and vanilla extract; beat at medium speed until smooth and satiny, about 30 seconds. Scrape down sides of bowl with rubber spatula and mix by hand until smooth and no flour pockets remain.    

 

Divide batter evenly among cups in prepared tin.  Bake until cupcake tops are golden around the edges; 20-40 minutes.  Remove the cupcakes from the tin and transfer to the wire wrack; cool cupcakes to room temperature before frosting. 

 

(Cupcake recipe adapted from Brown Eyed Baker)

Fabulous Friday: Top Five Favorite Pinterest Picks

 

I love Pinterest.  I get so much great inspiration from the brilliance of others (...including you!) and I have to admit, I follow some brilliant friends!  So every Friday I have decided to share the wealth and post my top five favorite Pinterest picks in food and entertaning.  This week, as we are on the brink of my second favorite season, summer, I'm loving Sorbet with funky flavors, homemade popsicles, summer berries and the always-so-refreshing lemon in everything.

 

1. Apricot Sorbet from Annie's Eats

 

 

2&3.  Raspberry Cream and Sprinkles Popsicle and beach chairs

 

 

4.  Summer Berries from My Baking Addiction

5.  Lemon and Cucumber from Rikki Snyder Photography

How to make caramel popcorn

I love, love, love caramel popcorn.  Who doesn't love, love caramel popcorn?  But I feel like people only eat it around the holidays.  My mother or mother's mother or grandmother's mother will send one of those big boxes of the multi-flavored popcorn for Halloween or Thanksgiving or Christmas and we'll gobble it down in a days time, but we never think to buy it any other time of the year.  Until now.  {Queue evil laugh}

The other day I was at the local market and at one of the end caps I see some new snacks.  Now, I'm not a "salty person" as I prefer sweets, but this one shiny bag caught my eye, Organic Sea Salt Caramel Popcorn.  Honestly, it had me at "Caramel Popcorn," but it was Sea-salt-flavored, too?  Brilliant.  So I bought it.  But, my only problem with Caramel Popcorn is that sometimes it's not sweet enough.  Seriously.  I can't describe it but it's still almost a bit too salty for me.  So I decided to cover it in white chocolate...and let me tell you, yum!  If you think about it, the milky-vanilla flavor of white chocolate compliments caramel sauce just likes an ice cream sundae!

It's easy to make.  I just fired up the burner on low heat and melted the white chocolate chips.  Then just drizzle over the popcorn.

 I even created these little snack cups to help portion my snacking using these cute cupcake liners from Wilton.

 

INGREDIENTS

1 bag of popcorn, (Note:  I like 479 popcorn)

1 8 oz package of white chocolate chips

Caramel sauce

 

DIRECTIONS

Turn the burner on to low heat.  In a medium sauce pan start to heat the caramel sauce, continously stirring for 8-10 minutes or until completely melted.  Use a spatula to drizzle over popcorn.  Let cool in the refrigerator for 1 hour.

 

In a seperate medium sauce pan start to heat the white chocolate chips, continously stirring for 8-10 minutes or until completely melted.  Use a spatula to drizzle over the popcorn.  Let cool.

National Grilled Cheese Month

I've been told that April is National Grilled Cheese Month.  How did I miss this?!?  I practically grew up on white bread and Kraft singles.  Even as my palette has evolved over the years, I still have an appreciation for a tomato-soup-and-grilled-cheese-kinda-day.

Living in San Francisco, the foodie capitol of the world (says me!) I've seen a few interesting renditions of the American classic.  There is the mac 'n cheese and bacon grilled cheese or the mozzarella and basil version.  Of course, there is also my favorite, the Parisian.  Some smart, creative, fancy-pants chef somehow managed to turn a childhood classic into a gourmet meal.  Warm brie melting around scrumptiously-sweet apples.  Yum!

What's your favorite grilled cheese recipe?

 

INGREDIENTS

2 slices of white sourdough bread

1 tablespoon of butter, salted

1 package of Brie cheese

6 tablespoons of fruit preserves such as cherry or apricot

1 gala apple, sliced

DIRECTIONS
Pre-heat oven to 350 F degrees.  Turn oven burners to medium heat and melt butter.  Place one slice of bread on a small frying pan and heat for 3-5 minutes or until edges are golden brown.  Take off the burner and set aside.  Repeat for the second slice of bread. 

On the inside of the first slice of bread, apply brie cheese and use a knife to smooth evenly across to the edges.  On the inside of the second slice of bread, apply the fruit preserves.  Add the apple slices to the piece of bread with the brie cheese and place the second slice of bread on top of the first slice to make a sandwich.

Place in the oven for 5-7 minutes until cheese and fruit preserves have melted.

Spicy Lemon-y Garlic-y Shrimp

 

I love this recipe!  I first saw it on the Pioneer Woman's television show on the Cooking Channel.  Do you know her?  She's fabulous.  Her recipes are fabulous.  And she, somehow, makes milking a cow look fabulous. 

 

Anyways, her Spicy Lemon Garlic Shrimp is perfect for a light dinner on a warm summer night.  It has been oddly warm here in Northern California.  The children in the neighborhood are already out at the pool after school.  I can finally wear sundresses to work, well until the fog rolls in.  (Sigh, oh foggy city)  And the sauce is this delicious mixture of spice and lemon!

 

Take a note from me, just don't forget the lemons when you're grocery shopping.  True story.

 

INGREDIENTS

2 pounds Raw Shrimp, Deveined, Shells On
2 sticks Cold Unsalted Butter Cut Into Pieces
1 teaspoon Kosher Salt
4 cloves Garlic, Peeled
1/4 cup Fresh Parsley
1/2 teaspoon Crushed Red Pepper
1 whole Lemon, Juiced
*Recipe from PioneerWoman.com

DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Rinse frozen shrimp to separate, then arrange in a single layer on a baking sheet.
In the bowl of a food processor, add cold butter, garlic, lemon juice, salt, parsley, and red pepper. Pulse until combined. Sprinkle cold butter crumbles over the shrimp.
Bake until shrimp is opaque and butter is hot and bubbly.
Serve with hot crusty bread. Peel and eat the shrimp, then dip the bread into the butter in the bottom of the pan.

Springtime treat: Jello Cookies

I love springtime! The green grows back.  The layers come off.  And we're allowed to go outside again.  But unfortunately, it's April 7th.  And you know they say, April showers bring May flowers.

 

Yes, it's been stinkin' gloomy and rainy in Northern California.  Usually, the weather in Northern California is most-often amazing, however, we do have our rainy season...and that season is now.  And I have cabin fever.  What to do, what to do?

 

I saw these Jello Cookies on I Heart Naptime and they instantly cheered me up.  The bright colors remind me that spring is coming (promise?) and the Jello flavors remind me of being a kid.  The recipe is very simple.  I actually had most of the ingredients in my kitchen.  I also bought four different Jello flavors, apricot, strawberry, cherry and raspberry - it's fun to try each!

 

INGREDIENTS

1 1/2 cups butter, salted

1 cup of sugar

1 egg

1 teaspoon baking powder

3 1/2 cups of flour

1 teaspoon vanilla

4 packages (3 oz)  of Jello

 

DIRECTIONS

Beat butter in large bowl with mixer until creamy. Add sugar and beat until light and fluffy. Blend in egg and vanilla. Mix flour and baking powder in a separate bowl. Gradually beat in flour mixture.

 

Divide dough into 4 sections. Sprinkle 2 Tb of jello onto each section. Knead together with dough. You may want to add a few drops of food coloring to make the dough more vibrant.

 

Shape dough into 1-inch balls. Roll in the extra jello from the packets. Place, 2 inches apart, on baking sheets. Flatten with bottom of bowl.

 

Bake 8 to 10 min at 350 on lined baking sheets. Cool on baking sheets 2 min. Remove to wire racks and cool completely.

Graham Cracker n' Strawberry Snack

Every once in awhile I will have the house to myself while my boyfriend goes to a work dinner.  It's like I've never been left home alone before, I'm a child.  I tend to get a bit mischevious on these nights.   I can't describe it, I have this sense of urge to create trouble.  I find myself throwing on my pajamas the minute I walk in the door from work, no care to hang up my clothes.  I curl up to the television for a marathon of brainless Bravo shows such as the Real Housewives of Beverly Hills or The Kardashians Take Miami.  And worst yet, I most times end up snacking on Twix bars and old apples for dinner.  For my entire dinner.  Help me I'm sick...Tonight is one of those nights.  I write this as I'm watching American Idol.  Real Housewives of Beverly Hills re-runs are already over. Twix bars in hand.  Apartment a mess.  I'm secretly so happy.  I think it's nice, every once in awhile, to take a break from the structure of my day to day.

 

Anyways, in addition to my Twix bar, I thought it would be a good idea to have something a bit more colorful.  I saw a recipe from the brilliant Weelicious that inspired me to make this Graham Cracker n' Strawberry snack.  Enjoy!

INGREDIENTS:

12 ounces of 2% greek yogurt, cold

2 tablespoons of dark brown sugar, packed

5 strawberries, fresh

8 graham crackers

 

DIRECTIONS:

With an immersion blender, mix together the greek yogurt, dark brown sugar and 2 strawberries.  Blend until very smooth.  Smooth greek yogurt mix on graham crackers.  Cut strawberries in half and place on the graham crackers with greek yogurt mix.

Confetti Pretzel Sticks

I'm always looking for creative, yet simple, new recipes. Simple recipes. I say this because all too often I'll see this fabulous picture of an "easy" recipe on Pinterest and when I try it myself the recipe is barely edible.  Warning:  The peppermint bark in a peppermint chocolate chip cookie will melt and create a disastrous mess in your oven. 

Anyways, around the holiday season I saw a few bloggers post variations of chocolate covered pretzels.  Green and red for Christmas.  Orange and black for Halloween.  I think I even saw some pink and blue for a baby shower.  So cute, and genuinely simple.  I couldn't mess this recipe up even on my blondest of days. 

Twist my arm, a recipe mixing chocolate and pretzels together.  I decided to even add some confetti sprinkles for the perfect spring snack.  Just melt the white chocolate, invite family and friends to add the sprinkles and enjoy.

INGREDIENTS
12 ounces of white chocolate, such as Ghiradelli
1 bag of pretzel sticks
1 tablespoon of confetti sprinkles

DIRECTIONS
In a medium skillet, melt the white chocolate on low heat, continuously stirring until chocolate is completely liquid.  Take pretzel and roll 1/3 of the stick in white chocolate.  Immediately sprinkle confetti on the chocolate until the pretzel is almost covered.  Hold pretzel for 1-2 minutes before placing on a plastic plate.  Serve and enjoy.

An Egg-cellent Brunch Recipe

Brunch is one of my favorite meals.  Why, you ask?  I'm not sure.  

Maybe it's because I have such fond memories of brunch growing up.  After church we would go to Bob Evans every Sunday.  This was a treat.  I'd get the waffles with whipped cream and a side of hot chocolate. Maybe it's because I love brunch food.  I love a savory omelet just as much as I love a sweet pancake. Maybe it's because I only eat brunch on the weekends when I'm well rested.

Whichever the reason, this recipe gets five stars on the brunch-o-meter from me.  It's simple.  I usually have most of the ingredients.  And it's a crowd-pleaser.  

What's your go-to omelet recipe?

INGREDIENTS
1 tablespoon olive oil
3 slices thick bacon, cut in to 1-inch pieces
1 cup of Yukon gold potatoes, cut in to 1-inch pieces
5 extra-large eggs
3 tablespoons of milk
salt and pepper, to taste
1 tablespoon of butter
1 tablespoon chives, chopped

*Adapted from Ina Garten's County Omelet

DIRECTIONS
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Heat the olive oil in a 10-inch ovenproof omelet pan over medium heat.  Add the bacon and cook for 3 to 5 minutes over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until the bacon is browned but not crisp.  Take the bacon out of the pan with a slotted spoon and set aside on a plate.

Place the potatoes in the pan and sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Continue to cook over medium-low heat for 8 to 10 minutes, until very tender and browned, tossing occasionally to brown evenly.  Remove with a slotted spoon to the same plate as the bacon.

In a medium bowl, beat the eggs, milk, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/14 teaspoon pepper together with a fork.  After the potatoes are removed, pour the fat out of the pan and discard.  Add the butter, lower the heat to low, and pour the eggs into the hot pan.  Sprinkle the bacon, potatoes, and chives evenly over the top and place the pan in the oven for about 8 minutes, just until the eggs are set.

Easy Easter Breakfast

Oh Easter, how I heart you.  The one day a year I can to eat chocolate bunnies and wear three shades of pastels.  You too, right?

But if you're not Martha Stewart, like me, Easter can be daunting.  Do I get the sparkle egg dye or the tie dye?  Easter supper with ham or brunch with eggs?  Last night, I was walking through Walgreens, stressed, with a basket full of Easter essentials when I realized it's just a hard boiled egg.  The memories I have from Easter are not from dying the prettiest eggs or eating the tastiest ham, but from spending a special day with friends and family.  Pinterest-friends, forgive me.

So this year I am keeping it simple.  I saw people making heart-shaped egg sandwiches during Valentine's Day and I thought this is a great, yet easy, way to share my love for this holiday.  Side note:  I took this picture using my grandmother's china, isn't it gorgeous?

How are you celebrating the Easter holiday?

INGREDIENTS
3-inch heart-shaped cookie cutter
4-6 slices of thick bread, toasted
3 teaspoons butter
4-6 eggs
cooking spray

DIRECTIONS
Using a 3-inch heart-shaped cookie cutter, remove the center of a thick slice of bread, and toast it. Melt 1 1/2 teaspoons butter in a small skillet over medium heat. Place bread slice in skillet, and cook until underside is lightly browned. Add another 1 1/2 teaspoons butter, and flip bread. Fit cookie cutter, coated with cooking spray, in bread's cutout heart, and crack an egg into cutter. Cover skillet, and cook until egg is set, 2 to 3 minutes. Use tongs to remove cutter. Serve with toasted heart for dipping into yolk.

*Recipe from Martha Stewart