We're napping our vacation away :)
30 December 2010
29 December 2010
Rum Balls
Just in case you haven't had enough to eat yet, try these rum balls :) A favorite around our house during the holidays, you can make these as strong (or mild) as you like. My sister told me that she even eliminated the rum in favor of coconut milk for those people who would rather stay away from booze all together.
28 December 2010
25 December 2010
24 December 2010
23 December 2010
Zoolights
So, I finally managed to drag Wes, Hope and Nate to Zoolights again. Kelsie also made the trek with us. Anyway, we haven't been to the event for several years because the last time we went, it poured buckets the whole time. We were cold and wet and I had to listen to a lot of grumbling. Up until that point, Zoolights had been a yearly tradition for me.
My favorite things at Zoolights were the Narrows Bridge (complete with traffic jam) and Mount Rainier. My least favorite thing was the crowd. I don't recall it being this busy in the past. It probably didn't help that we went the last weekend before Christmas. Next year, I think we'll have to go earlier in December OR try a weekday instead.
That's if I can get these guys to go with me again.
My favorite things at Zoolights were the Narrows Bridge (complete with traffic jam) and Mount Rainier. My least favorite thing was the crowd. I don't recall it being this busy in the past. It probably didn't help that we went the last weekend before Christmas. Next year, I think we'll have to go earlier in December OR try a weekday instead.
That's if I can get these guys to go with me again.
21 December 2010
dangerous
If you're someone who likes to munch, you may want to stay away from these burnt sugar almonds.
They are delicious. And probably better for you than a plate of cookies... Unless you eat the whole container of almonds. By yourself. In one sitting.
I will say this, when I first read the recipe it sounded like a piece of cake. Then I actually got started and began to wonder if I was making a huge mistake. I was positive that I was wasting perfectly good ingredients because there was no way this could possibly turn into what was pictured in the photo of the finished product.
Just follow the instructions. Trust me, it will all come together in the end. Like magic. In fact, I was so tickled when I was done that even Wes commented on my excitement. He always has such faith in my abilities in the kitchen and managed to completely forget about the terrible walnut saga from last year. Thankfully we didn't have a repeat the weeping and wailing that accompanied last year's ruined nuts!
They are delicious. And probably better for you than a plate of cookies... Unless you eat the whole container of almonds. By yourself. In one sitting.
I will say this, when I first read the recipe it sounded like a piece of cake. Then I actually got started and began to wonder if I was making a huge mistake. I was positive that I was wasting perfectly good ingredients because there was no way this could possibly turn into what was pictured in the photo of the finished product.
Just follow the instructions. Trust me, it will all come together in the end. Like magic. In fact, I was so tickled when I was done that even Wes commented on my excitement. He always has such faith in my abilities in the kitchen and managed to completely forget about the terrible walnut saga from last year. Thankfully we didn't have a repeat the weeping and wailing that accompanied last year's ruined nuts!
20 December 2010
healthy selection
Ok, I'm granting you a brief respite from the sugar and butter overload that is this blog.
Just in case you weren't already aware, I ♥ granola in a big way. I eat it almost every day. Just a couple of tablespoons on my yogurt in the morning and I'm a happy girl. But since I eat it so often, I have to change it up every once in a while so that I don't get tired of it. The basic recipe is so simple to alter to your specific tastes.
It's also easy to make it festive for Christmas:
I used cranberries and pistachios to give it a red and green flair :) I also bought some dried cherries for this, but the cherries don't look very red to me. Either way, it's yummy granola to share with those who are trying to be a little more health conscious during the holiday season.
Just in case you weren't already aware, I ♥ granola in a big way. I eat it almost every day. Just a couple of tablespoons on my yogurt in the morning and I'm a happy girl. But since I eat it so often, I have to change it up every once in a while so that I don't get tired of it. The basic recipe is so simple to alter to your specific tastes.
It's also easy to make it festive for Christmas:
I used cranberries and pistachios to give it a red and green flair :) I also bought some dried cherries for this, but the cherries don't look very red to me. Either way, it's yummy granola to share with those who are trying to be a little more health conscious during the holiday season.
17 December 2010
chocolate crinkles
Last weekend was our annual baking extravaganza at Brenda's house. This was the line-up:
Brenda: peppermint bark (in the shape of Christmas trees!), fudge, tea cookies and spritz cookies. Our day would not be complete without her spritz cookies :)
Heather: oatmeal toffee cookies to die for.
Jeanine: super secret recipe cookies that I keep all for myself when I get home after the extravaganza. Someday I'll twist her arm and get her to share that recipe! I think it has corn flakes in it. Maybe that's the secret ingredient??
Stephanie: giant triple chocolate chip cookies. I just wanted to eat the dough.
Whitney: giant oatmeal raisin cookes. Delish!
Me: no bake cookies (that Wes devoured in two seconds flat), chewy ginger goodness and chocolate crinkles.
These chocolate crinkles were new for me. I've eaten many in my lifetime, but this was the first time I decided to bake some on my own. They're a little fussy, but absolutely worth it. The husband gives them his stamp of approval, so I have a feeling I'll be making them again :)
16 December 2010
recipes revisited
There are certain things that people always ask me for at Christmas:
1. Rum balls
2. Chex mix
3. Peppermint Bark
4. Peanut Butter Candy
Show up at a holiday party with any of these items and you'll be everyone's best friend :) They'll text you and Facebook you begging for the recipe. Then next year, they'll just ask you to make more so that they can eat it without having to make it themselves. hehe
1. Rum balls
2. Chex mix
3. Peppermint Bark
4. Peanut Butter Candy
Show up at a holiday party with any of these items and you'll be everyone's best friend :) They'll text you and Facebook you begging for the recipe. Then next year, they'll just ask you to make more so that they can eat it without having to make it themselves. hehe
15 December 2010
more stockings
So, Max and Beth took us to the Deck the Hall Ball for Christmas. What did they get from us in return??
Somehow I think we got the better deal :)
Anyway, Max has food allergies so he doesn't eat very many sweets. Since I can't imagine my life without baked goods, I always try to find something that I can make for him. It's pretty tricky since he can't have wheat or dairy.
Imagine your life without wheat or dairy. Scary, right?
I got a little OCD and listed all of the ingredients on the items just in case. You never know which products sneak in some wheat. In the past, Beth has made him giant rice krispie treats in lieu of a birthday cake, so I figured these peanut butter rice krispie treats would be ok. And they are soooo yummy!
I also made some honey sesame cashews for Max. Have you ever had the ones from Trader Joes? I made my own by thinning some honey with water. Drizzled that over the cashews and tossed it all together with some sesame seeds. Gave them a quick toast in the oven and they were good to go.
Since they are both huge sports fans, I threw in some Seahawks pint glasses. You know, for game days :) And speaking of games, they enjoy board games and card games, so I included Wizards and Farkle in their stockings. Beth's stocking was rounded out with some peppermint bark and peanut butter candy.
Like I said, Wes and I got the better end of the deal :)
Somehow I think we got the better deal :)
Anyway, Max has food allergies so he doesn't eat very many sweets. Since I can't imagine my life without baked goods, I always try to find something that I can make for him. It's pretty tricky since he can't have wheat or dairy.
Imagine your life without wheat or dairy. Scary, right?
I got a little OCD and listed all of the ingredients on the items just in case. You never know which products sneak in some wheat. In the past, Beth has made him giant rice krispie treats in lieu of a birthday cake, so I figured these peanut butter rice krispie treats would be ok. And they are soooo yummy!
I also made some honey sesame cashews for Max. Have you ever had the ones from Trader Joes? I made my own by thinning some honey with water. Drizzled that over the cashews and tossed it all together with some sesame seeds. Gave them a quick toast in the oven and they were good to go.
Since they are both huge sports fans, I threw in some Seahawks pint glasses. You know, for game days :) And speaking of games, they enjoy board games and card games, so I included Wizards and Farkle in their stockings. Beth's stocking was rounded out with some peppermint bark and peanut butter candy.
Like I said, Wes and I got the better end of the deal :)
13 December 2010
Deck the Hall Ball
Max and Beth bought us tickets to Deck the Hall Ball for Christmas this year :)
I believe that is Cake on stage... Couldn't really say, though. My concert photos never turn out. Oh, well.
We completely missed Sleigh Bells.
Heard the end of The Temper Trap's set. We were actually in the bar area outside of the stage area. Sounded like a bunch of noise to me.
Then we moved to the bar in the stage area and Cake performed. I was a happy girl :) They are really good live. Energetic and really tried to interact with the crowd. Of course everyone went crazy when they performed Never There. A classic.
Jimmy Eat World was... eh. I'm not generally a fan of Jimmy, so I mostly concentrated on my beverage. They did a cover of Wham's Last Christmas to get everyone in the Christmas spirit. Except that I think the lead singer forgot some of the words. They just kept repeating chorus. I think if you're going to cover a song, you should probably learn all of the words. Just sayin'.
The Presidents of the United States of America popped up on the stage for a couple of minutes. They sang a couple of kids Christmas songs. It was a funny little interlude. Oh, and Santa and Jesus also made random appearances. Lots of cheering for everyone.
And then... FINALLY. The Black Keys hit the stage and I was over the moon :) L-O-V-E them. And they were absolutely fantastic live. So much energy! So much funky goodness! Their performace alone was worth the price of admission.
Did I mention that I love them?
So when it was time for The Broken Bells to perform, it was a major letdown for me. I was ready to go home. My feet hurt from standing for so many hours. My beverage cup was empty. The Broken Bells decided to start their set with some slow, boring blah blah blah. I asked Wes if we could leave after they performed their one song that he liked. Thankfully that was the third song they performed. We were outta there!
Overall, a fun time with Max and Beth. Next time, just give me The Black Keys! hehe
I believe that is Cake on stage... Couldn't really say, though. My concert photos never turn out. Oh, well.
We completely missed Sleigh Bells.
Heard the end of The Temper Trap's set. We were actually in the bar area outside of the stage area. Sounded like a bunch of noise to me.
Then we moved to the bar in the stage area and Cake performed. I was a happy girl :) They are really good live. Energetic and really tried to interact with the crowd. Of course everyone went crazy when they performed Never There. A classic.
Jimmy Eat World was... eh. I'm not generally a fan of Jimmy, so I mostly concentrated on my beverage. They did a cover of Wham's Last Christmas to get everyone in the Christmas spirit. Except that I think the lead singer forgot some of the words. They just kept repeating chorus. I think if you're going to cover a song, you should probably learn all of the words. Just sayin'.
The Presidents of the United States of America popped up on the stage for a couple of minutes. They sang a couple of kids Christmas songs. It was a funny little interlude. Oh, and Santa and Jesus also made random appearances. Lots of cheering for everyone.
And then... FINALLY. The Black Keys hit the stage and I was over the moon :) L-O-V-E them. And they were absolutely fantastic live. So much energy! So much funky goodness! Their performace alone was worth the price of admission.
Did I mention that I love them?
So when it was time for The Broken Bells to perform, it was a major letdown for me. I was ready to go home. My feet hurt from standing for so many hours. My beverage cup was empty. The Broken Bells decided to start their set with some slow, boring blah blah blah. I asked Wes if we could leave after they performed their one song that he liked. Thankfully that was the third song they performed. We were outta there!
Overall, a fun time with Max and Beth. Next time, just give me The Black Keys! hehe
07 December 2010
Baked
Sure, these look like plain ol' chocolate chip cookies. Everyone has their favorite recipe. Usually whatever is on the back of the chocolate chip package. Hey, nothing wrong with that!
These particular cookies happen to be from this particular cookbook. One of my all time favorites, to be sure. What I appreciate about the recipes in this book are their simplicity. Not a ton of strange ingredients, but very interesting flavors. Very tasty things come out of this cookbook :)
I actually received this book as a Christmas present last year. I'm hoping Santa will bring me the new one this year :) If you know someone who likes to bake, slap one of these books in their stocking. Great gift!
06 December 2010
spicy
Do you ever go through your spice cabinet and realize you have three open bottles of cinnamon? Two bottles of (almost) empty cumin? An unopened packet of fenugreek from 2001?
Well, let me tell you, that was just the tip of the iceburg. My spice cabinet and spice drawer situation had been in dire need of organizing for a long time now. Organizing and purging.
I got rid of countless bottles of spices that have been with me since my college days. Yes, I said college.
And now everything is in glass jars, so I can see just how much I have of any given spice. The jars are all uniform in size, so they are easier to store. Now, the four dozen bottles have been neatly reassigned to two drawers. Makes cooking a lot easier when everything is in alphabetical order and I don't have to search high and low.
Yes, I said four dozen.
Well, let me tell you, that was just the tip of the iceburg. My spice cabinet and spice drawer situation had been in dire need of organizing for a long time now. Organizing and purging.
I got rid of countless bottles of spices that have been with me since my college days. Yes, I said college.
And now everything is in glass jars, so I can see just how much I have of any given spice. The jars are all uniform in size, so they are easier to store. Now, the four dozen bottles have been neatly reassigned to two drawers. Makes cooking a lot easier when everything is in alphabetical order and I don't have to search high and low.
Yes, I said four dozen.
02 December 2010
buttermilk cornbread
Nothing goes better with chili than some buttermilk cornbread.
Well... except for rice. Chili and rice are the Hawaii equivalent of meat and potatoes.
Peanut butter and jelly.
Rum and coke.
Hamburgers and french fries.
Rootbeer and vanilla ice cream.
I could go on and on, but I'll spare you :) Anyway, next time you're in the mood for chili you should give this cornbread a try, too. It's so good you may even decide to ignore the chili in favor of eating more of this moist and buttery cornbread.
Well... except for rice. Chili and rice are the Hawaii equivalent of meat and potatoes.
Peanut butter and jelly.
Rum and coke.
Hamburgers and french fries.
Rootbeer and vanilla ice cream.
I could go on and on, but I'll spare you :) Anyway, next time you're in the mood for chili you should give this cornbread a try, too. It's so good you may even decide to ignore the chili in favor of eating more of this moist and buttery cornbread.
01 December 2010
Christmas Idea
Back in October I went on a food tour at Pike Place Market with Monica. We tasted lots of yummy things that day, but there was only one stop that we actually shopped at: La Buona Tavola.
Truffle salt and oil are great gifts for the foodie in you life. Sprinkle just a little salt on potatoes or popcorn and you'll be in heaven :) Drizzle a tiny bit of oil over your potato and leek soup to finish it off and you'll be over the moon :)
I personally prefer white truffles over black truffles. The white truffles lend an almost garlic-y flavor while the black truffles make me feel like I'm eating the bark off a tree. That's just my take on these little fungi. In any case, they seem to go really well with starchy foods. Yum!
Truffle salt and oil are great gifts for the foodie in you life. Sprinkle just a little salt on potatoes or popcorn and you'll be in heaven :) Drizzle a tiny bit of oil over your potato and leek soup to finish it off and you'll be over the moon :)
I personally prefer white truffles over black truffles. The white truffles lend an almost garlic-y flavor while the black truffles make me feel like I'm eating the bark off a tree. That's just my take on these little fungi. In any case, they seem to go really well with starchy foods. Yum!
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