28 Eylül 2012 Cuma

Cross Country Road Trip 2012 (Boston’s South Shore)

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The “sharing” of my family’s Cross Country Road Trip 2012 continues… with a three week rest on Boston’s South Shore.

We make a pilgrimage (pun intended, I guess) to Boston’s South Shore every summah.  My husband grew up on the East Coast and spent a good portion of his summers in this cute little town.  We are continuing the tradition with our own son and spending a portion of our summers there too.  We love it!

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Cocoa Brownies

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This is one of those… I-need-a-good-and-chocolatey-dessert-that-is-totally-quick-and-easy… kind of recipes.  I promise.

My husband’s family was coming over sort-of last-minute recently.  The sort of last minute where your husband says, “Oh yeah, I invited my family over for dinner tonight,” and forgets to tell you until the day-of.  Yeah, that kind of last minute.   The dinner part was easy- just grilled chicken and salad.  And I’m never, ever, ever big on buying already-made dessert from the grocery store, so I pulled a baking cookbook off my shelf that I hadn’t really used yet to see if I could find some easy inspiration in there.  I did!  I spotted brownies:  Cocoa Brownies

These brownies came together and were in the oven in about 15 minutes.  And with the way those brownies look right there… why would you ever want to eat a boxed version?  Seriously.  I mean, I’d eat a boxed brownie for sure- they’re good and all.  But this homemade brownie recipe pretty much rocked the house over a boxed mix.

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Slow Cooker Pulled Barbecued Chicken Sandwiches

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Dear Busy People of the World,
Do you own a slow cooker?  Or are you among the crowd of people who say “slow-cooker recipes are no good!”?  I hope you own a slow cooker.  And I hope you’re not in that no-good crowd.  Slow Cookers definitely aren’t the best for everything, and not all slow-cooker recipes are worth keeping.  But they sure come in handy for a lot of things… things like housing large quantities of chili and soup,  warming mashed potatoes on Thanksgiving Day, and using GOOD slow-cooker recipes to make dinner for you on busy days/nights where you can’t imagine lifting a finger to do it yourself.  It’s days like this that you should make things like these Pulled Barbecued Chicken Sandwiches.

I made these recently for a family gathering- one in which a crowd of family was going to be converging upon my house directly after a sporting event.  I wasn’t going to be home to make dinner, so I decided to rely on the ‘ol slow cooker to do the work for me.

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Autumn Vegetable Soup

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It’s finally, finally, finally starting to get slightly chilly in the air here in San Diego- but only at night and early in the morning. The AC is off and the windows are open, letting in some of that welcome chill to cool us off on our- otherwise- hot days. Of course, we’re still in flip flops and tank tops, and taking occasional dips in the pool. But at least it feels like autumn at night. To celebrate the arrival of our autumn, here’s some Autumn Vegetable Soup.

This recipe has been in my to-try folder for a very long time. I have no idea who gave it to me, but I messed with it slightly, and that’s the version I’m sharing with you. This yummy creation is Weight Watchers- friendly and easily gluten-free adaptable.  149 calories for a cup of soup + the rest of the nutritional info is included in the recipe below.

My family crinkled their noses when I told them I’d be offering them Vegetable Soup for dinner. Their skepticism soon changed though. Keep reading.

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Key Ingredient Recipe Reader - Your Digital Recipe Box-- and a Big Giveaway!

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 I have been excitedly waiting to post this giveaway, from Key Ingredient. Today is the day!

 I have collected recipes for as long as I can remember. I've had recipe boxes, jammed full of clipped out recipes and scribbled down index cards. I finally realized that I needed to find a better way to store my recipes. So, I bought a recipe software program where I could type recipes, print out the recipes on computer paper, slip them into a plastic protective cover-- then place them in a labeled binder. (This was very time consuming, to say the least.) That worked out really well, until I had about 10 jam backed binders.Fast forward to my beginning stages of staring this food blog, in 2008.

 I discovered the Key Ingredient Website, and I have never looked back. Adding a recipe takes less than five minutes!  

One of my favorite features is the Cookmark Button.  If I see a recipe on a website, I can highlight the recipe, press the "Cookmark Button" and a recipe card is automatically created for me!  I appreciate how Key Ingredient automatically adds the recipe source website address.  
How cool is that!
I have created my own profile, so that I can easily organize my recipes, and where people can follow me.   A new feature that Key Ingredient has added (and I really like this one) is that if someone sees one of my recipes, they can "clone it. However, they cannot change the source-- so the recipe always links back to me.  I love that!
 If you have a food blog, you can easily "embed" your recipe card.  Key Ingredient will created the embed code, at the touch of a button.  You simply add it to your post, and you're all done!  Here, I'll show you...



See?  Here's one of my own recipe cards, that happens to be my #1 Most Viewed Recipe on my food blog. (I guess that Meat Loaf is really popular.)  A big bonus to food bloggers-- Key Ingredient does drive more traffic to my website. Nice.
So, what does this website cost?  Nothing!  It's free!  There's no advertising, and I have never received any kind of SPAM email.  
I don't own an iPad (yet), but if you do, they have an iPad version.
I do have an iPhone, and I have their free Key Ingredient app.
The Key Ingredient recipe cards can be easily emailed, added to Pinterest, tweeted-- it's got all the social bells and whistles you could ask for.  What more could you want?
Well, how about a Digital Recipe Box?  Meet Key Ingredients newly released Recipe Reader!!Next to my stand mixer, this is one kitchen tool that I cannot be without!  I have over 500 recipes that I have saved onto Key Ingredient, and they are organized in 22 of my own different cookbooks.  The Recipe Reader is an invaluable companion to Key Ingredient Recipe Cards, because they can be stored onto your recipe reader!
I owned the original DEMY recipe reader, and I loved it. I found a video that demonstrates a lot of the features I've talked about.  (This DEMY version is no longer available, but you can view this You Tube video by clicking here.)  This new Recipe Reader  is truly new and improved. Besides the new sleek black look, it has so many great features:
  • It's now wireless!  Once I programmed my router information, the Recipe Reader automatically goes to my Key Ingredient account, and updates any recipes I've added, when I turn it on.
  • The Recipe Reader is cordless, so you don't have to worry about electrical cords getting in the way. (It comes with a recharger.)
  • I can search for a recipe by cookbook, or category. A new-- and much appreciated new feature is-- I can search for a recipe by ingredient. Yay!
  • Just like an iPad or Smart Phone, you can flip through screen with your fingertips.
  • The screen can easily be wiped with a damp cloth, if you spill ingredients on it.
  • There are some pre-loaded recipes, included with the Recipe Reader.   A new feature is, I can delete the whole cookbook or just the recipes I don't want to keep.  I'm so happy about this new feature.
  • I can increase the font size, if I can't remember where I set my reading glasses.
  • There are three different timers built in. I love this feature!
  • There is a conversion calculator and a lengthy  ingredient substitution list.
  • I especially love the "Short List" feature.  If I'm making a few recipes, I can save them to the Short List, so I can easily flip back and forth with different recipes.
  • Did I mention that it's now wireless?  I so love this new feature the best. Of course, you can use a USB cable, just like the former DEMY model did.
 The Recipe Reader isn't large and cumbersome, either.
Plus, it can be set up in to different positions-- Portrait or Landscape.
I bought my original DEMY Recipe Reader for $199.95, almost three years ago.  It has never failed me, even though it didn't have some of the new features that I've just listed. A few months ago, Key Ingredient allowed me to trade in my old DEMY for this new Recipe Reader, so that I could become acquainted with it.
I have to tell you, that their customer service is stellar.  If I had a question, or had some challenges getting the Recipe Reader to sync, wirelessly, "Heath" immediately emailed me back, and walked me through the process.  
On Sunday, September 23rd, the Recipe Reader was launched with QVC at an introductory price of $161.72 (plus shipping). 
I am so pleased with my sleek new Recipe Reader, that I asked Key Ingredient if I could offer a Contest/Giveaway-- and would they provide one Recipe Reader to my readers?  
Guess what?  They said "yes"!  
You want to one of these. I know it.  I cannot imagine not having my Recipe Reader, at my fingertips.  I no longer have to worry about printing out a recipe that I've saved-- nor do I have to risk setting my laptop on my kitchen counter, and worry about spilling liquid on the keyboard.  
So, how can you enter to win?  First, if you aren't already doing so, please become a follower of my blog. Thank you.
  • You must leave a comment on my blog to enter.  Comments on my Facebook page don't count, sorry. Share with us how you've been saving your own recipes, or how many recipes you think you have saved.   Or just say hello, and where are you from?
  • For one additional entry, please follow me on Twitter and tweet this contest, and leave a comment that you've done so..
  • For one additional entry, follow me on Facebook, and leave a comment that you've done so.
  • I will give you two entries if you create a free account on Key Ingredient, and follow me there. Leave me a comment, here, telling me you've done so.
  • You will get two more entries if you create one recipe card, on Key Ingredient, and use the hashtag #foodiewifecontest  Leave me a comment, here, telling me you've done so.
I will choose and announce one winner on Monday, October 1st.  The small print:  You must have a way for me to contact you. If you post "anonymously", then I need for you to leave your email and first name, please.
The contest is limited to residents of the Continental United States (so sorry....) Must be over 18 years of age.

I'm most excited about seeing what kind of recipes I'll find, from those of you who share one. I'm always looking for inspiration.

Disclaimer: I paid for my own Recipe Reader, and Key Ingredient has not paid me for my  review.  My review is my own honest opinion-- and believe me, I love my Recipe Reader!  Thank you, Key Ingredient for sponsoring this giveaway!


Good luck!

   

27 Eylül 2012 Perşembe

{We're Obsessed!} Charlotte Olympia Shoes

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Oh I've admired Charlotte Olympia pumps for about a year now, so I am just  thrilled to own my first pair!  I see them worn by ALL of my style crushes and figured it was time to spoil myself and just buy some finally, before the already insane prices continue to creep up.  So while in Dallas in April I splurged and debuted them at my baby shower a couple of weeks later.  And as you can guess, I'm obsessed!  
One of my favorite fashionistas, Kelly Ripa, in Charlotte Olympia "Dolores" pumps, $895, Neiman Marcus

Kelly Ripa and Jennifer Lopez step out in Charlotte Olympia Masako pumps, $875, Net-a-Porter

I bought this pair and I love them.  So does J-Lo!  Charlotte Olympia Dolly pumps in raffia, $875, Neiman Marcus
Cheers!Ana

Thoughts on the Nursery

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 I've spent so much of the last few months planning the perfect nursery.  I even joke that it's the nicest room in the whole house.  We have one detail missing, so I can't post pictures quite yet, but I will share my inspiration board and color scheme.  
Check list: A crib without plain slats and must have carved legsA changing table that would also serve as an elegant dresser for years to comeBuilt in shelves Double curtain rod, blue silk curtains, natural weave linen sheers  Fabric glider chair and ottomanAccent Table Floor LampGarden stool Rocking horseNurseries I Love
I used this to inspire my layout.  This room is much bigger, but the crib, chair, garden stool, changing table, curtains (hung  high and touching  the floor), crown molding and floor lamp are all things I wanted to incorporate into our own nursery.  Source: houzz.com

My mother tore this out of a magazine a couple of years after I got married.  She was already planning, I guess!  This nursery is so subtle and elegant, I just gasped when I saw it.  Source: Southern Accents Jan/Feb 2009
I just loved the non-traditional crib with the detailed wood work and I used this picture to inspire the built in shelves I had made for the room.  It also inspired the rug I picked out, and of course, it has a rocking horse!  Source: elements of style blog
I mean, what kid wouldn't just love spending his time in here?  Large and airy, it's neither loud nor obnoxious.  It is nursery perfection.  Source: Past and Present Interior Design
This closet inspired a remodel of the closet that was previously in the room.  It added square footage and storage that wasn't there before. 
Bedding
I had the HARDEST time finding bedding I liked. I was even willing to buy from the super-high-end collections that have more subtle designs, but even those weren't weren't subtle enough for my taste.  I hate obvious themes printed all over bedding.  And I can't stand primary colors.  After searching high and low, I decided the only way to get what I wanted was to pick out some fabric and have it made to fit my taste.  I had a color scheme in mind and thought this fabric would work, but I didn't like the overkill of the skirt AND bumper being all stripes.  Plus, I knew I'd grow out of the stripes with plaid... cute for like, a day, you know?
These stripes inspired a full-on search for the same fabric to custom make my crib bedding.  Source: Rosenberry Rooms. $398 for the set.  Striped fabric found at fabric.com    

Inspiration Board for Baby S
The crib, theme, striped fabric for bumpers, blue linen for the crib skirt and rug I picked out for the nursery. 
Stay tuned for pictures of the finished nursery.  Hopefully the  wall art we ordered will be here this week so we can hang it and take pictures.
Cheers!Ana