i heart the mod dog

February 8th, 2010

Just received Weezie’s new dog collar in the mail. Love it!

So happy to have found  The Mod Dog while browsing on etsy.

Miss Mod Dog has quite a collection of fantastic ribbon with which she adorns all of her lovingly made custom collars.

This ribbon is a European import which she calls shroom hollow. There were so many cute patterns to choose from. I had red on the brain so I went with this which will look especially cute on Weezie. However, I didn’t see Squirrels just want to have fun which would only be appropriate.  I’ll have to order that one too, I mean c’mon, all girls (even dogs) need a choice of accessories!

Posted in good stuff, weezie! | No Comments »

feelin’ rosey

February 4th, 2010

The rose.

I used to be very anti-red-rose, especially around valentine’s day.

In my past life as a florist I would try to persuade my customers to get something else. Why? Holiday price inflation, slightly lower quality due to the high demand, a little boring and completely expected. There were many other options. I hated that men stood in long lines at my door  to pick up their half dozens or dozens to bring home to their sweethearts because they ‘had to’. (1. Yes, mostly men shopped on the big V day and 2. I’m not complaining about the business, just the lack of imagination and the fact that maybe those men should pick up flowers on any old Tuesday to show their special someone how much they care.)

“Sorry, I don’t sell baby’s breath, let me put it with something better,” was my line of the day.

Enough ranting. That was many years ago.

Lately I have been sort of craving red roses. I had to give in.

So here it is days before Valentine’s day, and I found myself at a flower shop buying a bunch of dark, velvety sweetheart roses that open up so lovely. Interesting textured ‘fillers’ give roses a whole different feel.

I still feel the same way about flowers given on Valentine’s Day. But as for the red rose, I think I have fallen back in love.

At least for now.

Posted in roots and stems, valentine | 7 Comments »

dharma cake.

February 2nd, 2010

dharma-cake“Dude, there’s cake.”

We’re ready.

Is it 8 o’clock yet?

Posted in sweet, things that make me smile | 5 Comments »

smile.

February 1st, 2010

Yes, it’s Monday and we’re all smiling. Even Weezie.

When you take your first and only child to her six month check up and the doctor tells you that she’s very bright and astute and to keep up the good work it really can put a smile on your face. A nice pat on the back for two parents who have no idea what they’re doing and really just wing it.

That makes for a happy Monday.

But what really makes it a happy Monday is that it brings us one day closer to Tuesday and the ever anticipated last season of Lost. I think the mister and I will have ourselves a Lost party. Mango, papaya, fish, and most certainly cake. A Dharma cake. I have a plan…

Posted in life, weezie! | 5 Comments »

thyme in the kitchen

January 29th, 2010

Found: Vintage patterned bread pan.

Too rusty to use but pretty on the eyes.

My idea: to plant it with assorted thyme and sit it on my counter top.

I love the look and fragrance of thyme.

I chose three varieties: lime, lemon and oregano.

First I put down some small stones for drainage.

Then I planted the three plants and covered the soil with a little moss.

Perfect in my kitchen until the spring when I will transfer them to the herb pot on my porch.

Posted in hunting and gathering, life in the kitchen, roots and stems | 2 Comments »

peter’s peanut-butter pixies.

January 26th, 2010

Found: One children’s cook book from 1951. A picture cook book!

I had to try something out of it right away. Something easy. I didn’t want to get in over my head. heehee.

So I chose…

It sounds like one of those recipes you would invent when you were little.

Before the oven.

Here it is. Peter’s Peanut -Butter Pixie. It even looks retro!

How was it?

Well, kind of like a bite size fluffernutter s’more and instead of chocolate (which would have made this oh so delish) is a cinnamon ‘cherry’ on top. Totally weird. But I like it.

Posted in hunting and gathering, just silly, sweet | 5 Comments »

pomegranate-chile sauce

January 24th, 2010

I have a love for pomegranate seeds so this recipe called out to me from the pages of the December Bon Appetit. I made some changes. Since it was just the two of us I halved the sauce recipe and used two boneless, skinless chicken breasts instead of 8 duck breasts. I had no coriander in my spice drawer; it turned out lovely anyway.

For the original recipe click here. This is what I did…

half of a 1/3 measuring cup of sugar

1/4 cup of water

1 cup of refrigerated pomegranate juice (I used Pom)

1 cup of low-salt chicken broth

2 large dried California Chiles, stemmed, seeded, torn into 1-inch pieces.

3/4 teaspoon adobo sauce from cannned chipotle chiles in adobo

3/4 teaspoon balsamic vinegar

1/16 teaspoon of ground cumin

coarse kosher salt

Pomegranate seeds

Stir sugar and water in a heavy saucepan over medium heat until sugar dissolves. Increase the heat; boil until syrup is a deep amber color, swirling pan occasionally. Add juice, broth, and California chiles. Boil until sauce is reduced to about half; cool. Puree in tightly covered blender until smooth. Whisk in adobo sauce, vinegar, and cumin. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

For the chicken breasts…

Preheat oven to 400 degrees

Heat a tablespoon of olive oil in an oven proof skillet. Season chicken breasts with salt and pepper. Place chicken in hot skillet. Cook chicken about 5 minutes on each side and then place in the oven to cook the rest of the way.

Slice up chicken and top with pomegranite-chile sauce and pomegranate seeds.

The sauce is smoky with a little heat and contrasts nicely with the tangy sweetness of the pomegranate seeds bursting with each biteful.

Great accompanied by Green Beans with Pepitas. In my version of the green beans the rosemary was left out. Olive oil, a little garlic, and toasted pepitas (shelled raw pumpkin seeds) are a simple yummy way to dress up those beans.

We will definitely make this again!

What should you do with that opened can of chipotles in adobo? How about making the cod with chipotle butter and black beans baked in parchment!

Posted in eat!, try it! testing magazine recipes | 7 Comments »

trumpettetoo

January 22nd, 2010

Hurray for trumpette’s new line now available at Target! I was so pleasantly surprised when I came across a shiny new display of socks, tights, and baby moccasins all with that trumpette sass but at a much more affordable price!

Posted in fun for the little sprout | No Comments »

let’s make a fun tutu…

January 21st, 2010

Tulle, ribbon and pompoms, a little girl’s dream.

Make a tutu from your favorite color tulle.

Hand sew on some pom poms, maybe add a ribbon…

Wear with a onesie and

top off the whole outfit with some crazy tights…

Yay!

Posted in crafty, fun for the little sprout | 1 Comment »

flat parsley

January 20th, 2010

My husband made us dinner last night from the Anthony Bourdain Les Halles cookbook he received as a Christmas present. He went to the market to get all of his ingredients and  enthusiastically pursued his ‘in another life’ dream of being a chef. I glanced at the recipe and saw that it called for one sprig of flat parsley yet there was a bunch of curly parsley sitting on the counter. When I asked him about it he pointed to the pie serving knife and said, in all seriousness, “I know. I tried flattening it out the best I could.”

He realized after I burst out laughing that maybe there was really such a thing as flat parsley. The kind that came already flattened straight from the fields. Why a pie server as a flattening tool? He said he looked, but couldn’t find a mallet.

Real life in the kitchen makes me smile. And dinner was delicious.

Posted in life in the kitchen | 6 Comments »

« Older Entries