Friday at last!

The weekend is here, hooray! Though it won't be quite as spring-y here as this pretty daffodil in my mom's window might lead you to believe. Six days into the season and its snowing as I type. Ah, New England.

In any event, I'll be hosting my husband's grandmother for the weekend. I can't wait to see her, she is such a hoot! She's also a big fan of my limited culinary skills so, I'm whipping up a spring feast in her honor: gemelli with basil, lemon and parmesan, seared local sea scallops with a little lemon butter and a chocolate-glazed Napoleon for dessert. 

We always treat her with similar Napoleons from a fantastic French bakery called Mon Delice when we visit her in Florida (if you're ever near New Smyrna Beach, definitely check it out! You won't be sorry!). I can't wait to surprise her with a homemade version of her favorite pastry. The perfect excuse to emerge from my Baking Ban :-)

Have a good one & I'll see you next week!
x

MS baking printables

Martha, Martha, Martha.
I know there are wide-ranging opinions on the reigning Queen of Domestic Goddesses and personally, I fall somewhere in the middle. I think that some of her projects are completely and utterly frivolous. I mean, did you see all those glitter crafts?! There's even a whole section devoted exclusively to using the "herpes of crafting". I know she's trying to promote her new glitter line but, who wants to paint a portrait of their cat in glitter? Seriously?

Fortunately, Martha and her amazing team of crafty mavens are also responsible for some truly fantastic recipes (check out the Light General Tso's chicken under 'recipe recommendations' ovah there yonder ----> ), brilliant ideas and helpful tidbits, like these *free* baking printables.

In addition to being super cute, these printables pull their weight around the kitchen, making those pesky measurement conversions and search for baking temperatures a snap. You can print out and laminate them for safe keeping in your recipe stash, or convert them into refrigerator magnets for a reference that's easily accessible. The perfect cheat sheets for manic bakers like myself.

You can find instructions and downloadable templates here:

*pie chart

*cook's helpers (there are 3: measuring equivalents, pan substitutions & candy-making temperatures)

I feel my self-imposed Baking Ban may have to be lifted sooner rather than later. x


{images: Martha Stewart}

second chance smoothies

I'll be completely honest with you: up until a few days ago, I was NOT a smoothie person. The few that I had tried never impressed me and the thought of replacing a precious meal with blended anything was less than appetizing. The addition of yogurt into smoothies, popular though it may be, really did not appeal to me either as I am not big on dairy (or really, dairy is not big on me).

I recently came to find out via Joy of Cooking that -traditionally- smoothies don't include dairy products at all! (Oh, snap!) They're actually made with fruit flesh and juice, and are thickened with frozen fruits, creamy bananas or ice (rather than yogurt, milk or ice cream). In fact, dairy-based blended drinks aren't smoothies at all-- they're technically milkshakes. I'd been so mislead by popular juice bars and chain coffee shops that I claimed to dislike something that I had really never tried. For shame!

And so, I gave smoothies a second chance. My husband (also a former Smoothie Hater) and I had a lot of fun last weekend making our own personalized concoctions with frozen peaches, strawberries, and blueberries, and some sweet-tart lemonade. I can't believe I'd held out for so long, 'cause this was YUM. As in, good enough to replace your current breakfast kind of yum. Or even, good enough to replace that snack cake you've been eyeing kind of yum.

Consider this my PSA for *real* Smoothies.

Old School Smoothies

Total time: 5 minutes, if that

Serves: 1

 Ingredients:

• 1 heaping cup of frozen fruit (I used 3/4 cup strawberries with 1/4 cup peaches, and 3/4 cup blueberries with 1/4 cup strawberries)
• 1 cup of chilled lemonade (or other juice)

Add frozen fruit pieces and lemonade into a blender, and blend until smooth.

Notes: The more fruit you add, the thicker your smoothie will be. I made a thicker version and a juicier version; though I prefer thick, both were delicious. Also, the blueberries tend to be more watery than other frozen fruits and the skins look chunky when blended -- but they're still a great tasting addition to any smoothie.

Don't restrict yourself to this recipe! Have fun mixing and matching your favorite fruits, juices, and add-ins like a drizzle of honey, a scoop of sorbet or a shot of rum. There's a smoothie for any time or anyone... even picky, fruit-loathing husbands. x

springin' ahead

Though it may not feel like it around my neck of the woods, spring is almost here. Before I know it, all those bulb flowers will be blooming in soft pastel hues, the forsythias will come alive with buds as bright as sunshine... and the dreaded barrage of pollen will be covering unsuspecting victims in a horrid yellow-green film and irritating sinuses everywhere. Ahh, spring.

All kidding aside, I am really looking forward to warmer days, extra hours of daylight and the influx of wonderful warm-weather produce into local markets. Part of my New Year's goal was to experiment with new-to-me ingredients and to eat more seasonally so, I've finally got some new items to work with. Not that citrus fruits and squashes aren't great, I'm just ready for something different. Peas and mushrooms and strawberries, oh my!

I found this nifty printable mini spring produce chart which, is a great little resource that fits right into your wallet or pocket, perfect for those fruitless (pun somewhat intended) trips to the grocery store. To see what's growing near you during any time of the year, try the NRDC's Eat Local gadget (try it, its fun!). Eating seasonally and locally is not only more sustainable but, you end up with the freshest produce possible. Its a win-win really.


So what spring goodies are you most looking forward to? x

a sweet revelation: succulent citrus salad

I've been pretty tense lately adjusting to my new work environment. After 7 years in my former office, I knew it would be a difficult transition and it sure has had its challenges. I've been dealing with it mostly by indulging in my greatest weaknesses: coffee and sweets (and shopping but, we won't go there).

I had been keeping up with eating right and exercising so well up until this point, and I'm not too pleased that I've fallen back into this routine of using caffeine and sugar as a means to get through the day. My brain really hammered the point home the other night, when I dreamt that I was sitting on the floor in my pajamas, eating heaping wooden spoonfuls of raw sugar out of a burlap sack. I didn't want to eat it, yet I kept shoveling the sticky, gritty sweetness into my mouth. Talk about a wake-up call.

So, I've shelved my plans for a New York style cheesecake indefinitely (sadface) and I'm taking a break from dessert baking for now. I know that once those luscious summer berries come back into season I definitely won't be able to resist the tart, pie, crisp and crumble possibilities but, I'm going to do my best to be good until then. I'm looking at it more like an opportunity to further explore the realm of healthy, delicious eating... and less like masochism.

Over the weekend I remembered this beautiful citrus salad that I featured last month and decided to make my own version. I used Agave nectar which, is a sweetener procured from the beautiful spikey plants that also provide the basis for tequila (a fabulous plant indeed). Its also a great alternative to honey or maple syrup because its less viscous and less of it is required to achieve the same level sweetness (it was indispensable to me during my gluten- and sugar-free detox!). It was the perfect "dressing" for the juicy sections of grapefruit and orange.

This salad definitely satisfied my sweet spot -- which is a fairly bold statement coming from a Chocoholic slash Pastry Addict like me. Trust me.

Citrus Salad with Agave Nectar

Total Time: 10 minutes
Serves: 1-2

Ingredients:

• 1 medium orange
• 1 medium pink grapefruit
• 2-4 fresh mint leaves, thinly sliced
• Agave nectar, to taste (I used less than 2 tablespoons)

Supreme the orange and grapefruit. {If you've never done this before, check out Marichelle's simple how-to. Its easy, I promise.}  Place the citrus sections into a small bowl, sprinkle with mint strips, drizzle with Agave and toss lightly to combine. Serve immediately.

So simple, so fresh, and so sweet. Like eating a bowl of summer. It was just what the doctor ordered. x

back like a vertebrae

hey there, remember me? long time no see! so, um... its March. when did that happen?!?

well, the long story short of my recent absence is that:

1.) my office was relocated to another town and I subsequently had to break down, move & re-set up all of my office stuff in a new location with another company over a series of two weeks,

2.) I have been ridiculously busy, anxious and drained because of #1,

and 3.) I currently have no internet connection at home or in my new office.

needless to say, I haven't had much time to think or cook for fun or play with photos, let alone gather my thoughts into an intelligible and cohesive post. I have been writing - like, you know, with a pencil on paper (how old fashioned of me) - and working on lots of blog-related goodness, though being away from all my fave blogs and sites out there has been torture. I feel so out of the loop! luckily, crazy life things should be settling down soon and I can resume a semi-regular posting schedule here. I actually worked on some of my own recipes last weekend, and I can't wait to share them with you.

in the meantime, I am beyond thrilled to reveal my brand-spankin'-new blog banner, created by the lovely & talented Emily Pritchard. she is an absolute gem and has all sorts of amazing things in her Etsy shop: custom portraits, original artwork, and of course, blog banners. be sure to check her out! and thanks again Emily! :o)

TGIF

Hey kids! What a crazy week its been, eh? I've been up to my eyeballs in paperwork, which has been super fun. And though it seems I've been slacking 'round here lately, I've been working on all sorts of blog-related goodness.

I just wanted to welcome ya'll to the weekend with a little punch of pink to remind us that spring is coming (or so I hear). Have a good one & I'll catch you next week! x