pear

tart.

This was my first experience using phyllo dough. I learned it really does need to thaw properly. My tarts weren't as pretty as the ones featured in my October Cooking Light, but they tasted delicious. I made one change from the recipe, instead of almonds I used toasted pecans. There is still some dough in the freezer
and a mixed bag of two types of wonderful pears...looks like I'll give it another go this weekend.
 
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achoo

Jell-O made with orange juice, Case told me that's how his mom used to make it for him. He caught a bug
and stayed home from work so I indulged him with Jell-O, chicken soup and his Star Wars pillowcase.

Remember those old bananas I had? I tried out this Martha recipe in a pie dish instead of a rectangular one,
and renamed it Brown Sugar Banana Cake it just looked and sounded prettier that way.

sneak peek of a project I'm working on with fellow Etsians...

{6.09 to 6.10}
...

i spy

a snail on his way to breakfast

a rainbow of berries

grains of sugar

sunday's berrycake

(I wondered as I was posting this if it was too gross to put a snail and a dessert in the same post... but the snail is sort of cute)

{5.28 to 5.29}
...

baked goodness

I was thinking about frosted brownies yesterday so I googled "frosted brownies" and found a recipe for
frosted marshmallow brownies which sounded even more amazing than just plain old frosted ones.

So I made them.

The thin layer of frosting is like that super good chocolate glaze that comes on a donut. A very delicious treat. The marshmallows puff into goodness for a few minutes in the oven before the icing goes on.

yum.

...

sweet + salty

Sunday morning lemon curd, it was very easy to make thanks to this recipe.


I thought it would be perfect on top of and in between blueberry pancakes. It was perfect.


Saturday's clean kale waiting to be crisped in the oven...


A little olive oil and sea salt later and the kale chips were ready.
I think I could honestly eat them every single day!

What did your weekend taste like?

{2.19 to 2.20}
...

baby it's cold outside...


chili making, sock wearing, cowl cozying, blanket layering, Hermie snuggling, nose running, tea drinking, heater humming, fireside dreaming weather

(vegetarian chili recipe from good old Martha)

squash + corn

a summer casserole

...

(added note: quite easy and delicious, made a few minor alterations which didn't seem to take away from this fresh, hearty, yet light dinner, another wonderful recipe from my Magnolia cookbook)

...

chai

I have a special place in my heart for chai. Chai tea, chai lattes, the scent of chai, a chai cupcake, all of which I love. Which has led me to these chai brownies, something special for tonight. For the past several weeks on Tuesday nights at nine o'clock in the evening my sister Kadee and I are dancing Bhangra, a type of Indian dance. Our instructor (a nice dental student with some moves) taught us that what we are learning is powerful and it is traditionally a masculine dance, to hold our arms higher, stronger, to smile while we're doing it, to shake our shoulders if we're comfortable. Last week we learned a series of moves that involved dancing with a partner, mine was Kadee. This seemed to bring us both a quiet joy as we faced one another dancing about, our moves intersecting with one another. Tonight is our last class. Some evenings it is tough to muster up the energy to dance for an hour, an hour when I'm normally curled up on the couch, but I will miss this Tuesday night ritual. I don't know if the dental student will be back to teach over the summer, or if our schedules will be open, so with this last night I am grateful for the shared moments we've had in that hot, mirrored, wooded floor, music pumping room...the room where I danced with Kadee.

how sweet it is While the weather changes from cloudy to sunny, then back to cloudy, I have been busy making whoopie pies for a dessert party tonight. They are soft like pillows, chocolately as chocolate can be and filled with the very best peanut butter frosting.

...

{5.17 to 5.18}

wear green look for leprechauns

make Irish soda bread

cut a cross in the bread to let the fairies out

share an Irish proverb

celebrate the luck of the Irish

pinch people not wearing green

follow the leprechaun you found to that pot of gold

...

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

puddin' made from scratch . . . a clever mixture of soymilk, chocolate chips, espresso granules, etc.

sending you postcards... The bluebird giveaway has officially ended, the winner is Katy from Winsome Hollow! I appreciate all of the congratulations and kind words!! xoxo

......

...... These homemade chocolate peanut butter cups have been on my mind since before the holidays, but as time does...it snuck away from me. So happy I finally gathered the ingredients and made them, simple to create and just as delicious as I heard they would be.

......

...... Thank you....

Mom, the vegetarian lunch you made was delicious, and then to take an afternoon nap on the couch with the sounds of home whirring in the background, beyond comfort.

Samia from burrs & berries, this Valentine feature is beautiful!!

Pam for sending this link of the most delightful computer games, full of sweetness.

Dad, you read about Lily and her baby cub then shared it with all of us.

Candace, for the bag of fresh-from-the-garden-tomatoes-in-January! So good.

Jessica at indie icing, a lovey dovey hugs + kisses feature, with one of my garlands.

Chelsea from paper cake finds, for the oh so cute inclusion in this feature.

Vanessa, the artistic eye behind Little Gray Pixel for shining light on my brooch creations.

do not disturb The dough is all tucked in under a damp cloth and tight plastic, at eight o'clock tonight I'll take a peek and see if my first experiment with active dry yeast was successful. If it has doubled in size I will make these for Case's friends at work, not really the best idea to do a first time recipe the night before, but I followed along with Martha and am feeling confident!

morning snack