artist spotlight: Linkel Designs

Suuuuper cute giveaway today from Kelly Roenicke of Linkel Designs! Kelly is coming to us from Michigan with her handmade jewelry.....check out her shop! She has EVERYTHING I love--I really can't pick a favorite!How long have you been making jewelry? How did you get started?I started making jewelry in high school for fun, then stopped for awhile, then picked it up again here and there when I had

a-campin-we-will-go (the photos)

the end.

see the film here

over the weekend....

you know when you'd spend the night at your friend's house, and they'd end up showing boring old family videos that meant nothing to you, but they LOVED them. And you had to watch them for hours?? This is kinda like that....

good friends. good food. good times.


"things I like to do" by ben kwellersee it in HD here

Midsommar!

Hoppas att alla har en underbar midsommarhelg! Igår bjöd jag på en enkel gräddtårta med citronmousse, lemoncurd, jordgubbsmousse, jordgubbssylt och färska svenska jordgubbar. Jag vill helst använda jordgubbar i allt nu när det går att köpa så fina.



Recept på en enkel och god tårtbotten finns här. Min botten är gjord på tre ägg. Receptet på jordgubsmousse kommer också från Tove, fast med jordgubbar istället för hallon och några få ändringar.

Snabb citronmousse
Räcker till ett lager

Ingredienser
1/2 dl gelésocker
2 dl vispgrädde
2 msk färskpressad citronsaft
Skal från en citron

Koka upp gelésocker med 1 dl grädde, citronsaft och citronskal. Låt svalna. Vispa 1 dl grädde och vänd ner i den avsvalnade blandningen.


Lemoncurd
Räcker till att fylla en burk på ca 0,75 liter

Ingredienser
3 stora ägg
80 ml färskpressad citronjuice
1 msk rivet citronskal
150 g socker
60 gram smör

Vispa samman ägg, socker och citronjuice i en värmetålig skål och ställ över ett vattenbad med sjudande vatten. Rör hela tiden tills blandningen tjocknar (vid cirka 70 grader), ungefär 10-15 minuter. Ta bort från värmen, skär smöret i tärningar och vispa ner i den varma blandningen tills smöret smält helt. Tillsätt citronskal och låt svalna. Häll över i en ren burk. Lemoncurden klara sig ungefär en vecka i kylskåp men går också utmärkt att frysa ner.


Jordgubbsmousse
Räcker till ett lager

Ingerdienser
200 gram jordgubbar
1 dl gelésocker
100 gram philadelphia
2 dl grädde

Koka upp de frysta jordgubbarna, låt koka 2 minuter. Tillsätt gelésockret och låt koka ca 30 sekunder. Passera jordgubbarna genom en sil. Blanda jordgubbsmoset med philadelphian. Vispa grädden och blanda samman allt. Låt stelna en stund i kylskåp innan du fyller tårtan.

friday love

First week of summer!!! And it was perfect!-long hot days that stretch on and on and on-getting lost in a good book-the pool.......oh the pool! -summer evening BBQs-camping trips in the making-eating the first peppers out of our garden-oh.....and the fact that there is still light in the air at 9:00.....I LOVE it!You know I love a quick and simple dinner.....and we LOVE breakfast burritos!

friday feet

we're back!!erin: Said so long to the flip flops for a week. sheena: poooooooool.***we've decided to shake up our friday feet a bit! Next week, we'll take a photo of our feet at the exact same time (remember, erin is in Hawaii). We're also looking for ideas from YOU. GIve us a theme or key word--we'll have a new assignment each week, and see how our photos turn out differently.....give us a word,

all in a summer's day...

wasatch back: hour by hour

*note: I totally stunk it up at documenting this thing. That camera got really big and heavy the more tired I got....it's really like having a small expensive child along for the ride. So here is a small modge podge of photos from various cameras and phones*
3:00(pm): our team packs up our "Legs of Glory" van and heads to our exchange where we meet our runners from van 1.
4:00: driving. excited.

ally and chris

are blogged over here

Mini Martha Camp

So I am back and I am ready to share what all has been going on around here.  I will start with one of the best.  Pretty much any moveable piece of in this small space went on a little field trip.  I taught a week long cooking and crafting camp at the school I work at.  In my other life, I work at a school, but I am not a teacher... I work in the development office.  There is a reason I emphasize this... While it was one of the most fun things I have ever done, it was also one of the most exhausting.  Partly my fault for trying to cover everything from freshly pureed strawberry lemonade to homemade pasta in one week, but partly because I am not a teacher and while my class started at 9, I popped up everyday around 6 a.m. begging Mr. Hungry to help me haul my supplies up for the day to school because I was just sure I was not going to be prepared (once again, whole new appreciation for teachers).  So a quick and very big thank you for your help Mr. Hungry... I would still be toting around that blasted mixer and food processor if it wasn't for you.

After I pulled myself together each morning and the girls arrived, it was a wonderful 3 hours each day.  So you might be wondering about the Mini Martha?  Well, it was a cooking and crafting camp so I thought what better than to get straight to the source of all cooking and crafting things... Martha Stewart.  Out of all the new experiences I had with these girls, the one thing I had not imagined from this week, was the amount of defending I would have to do of Ms. Martha herself.  Almost daily, I would have a conversation that went something like this:
Camper: Mrs. Taylor, did Martha Stewart go to jail?
Me: um, well.... yes.
Camper: Is she a bad person?
Me: um, well, no.  She didn't necessarily hurt anyone.  um, well, she made a business mistake and got punished. But, she sure has rebounded!

This seemed to be good enough of an answer to satisfy their curiosity and we could move back to cooking.  Note to self: you can be cooking and crafting mogul, but one short stint in the slammer and it will be hard to get that off the top of the list when people hear your name.

Okay, back to the point...


I wanted to share all of our fun cooking adventures with you.  I had 6 fifth graders and 6 sixth graders and they were all amazing little chefs!

Day 1
First things first, we had to make aprons. We took a field trip to the computer lab and learned how to create our monogram in Power Point and then ironed them on to our apron.

We learned how to make crepes (yes, that is a bunson burner... you have to get creative when you are teaching a cooking camp in a science lab without a kitchen!)

And then we stuff them with all sorts of goodies and ate them up. (and apparently had our first flour throwing frenzy)

Day 2
We put together our serious looking chef hats so we good get down to business with different doughs.

Then, it was on to making fresh pizza dough (and apparently having our 2nd flour throwing frenzy). We mixed and kneaded and waited for it to rise.  Everyone went home with their dough to make a pizza for their families.

Next up, was homemade pasta.  This ended up being almost everyone's favorite recipe.

After making the pasta, we ate it all up.  Missed this picture opportunity because I too was enjoying some pasta.

Day 3
It was time to learn how to make royal icing and perfectly iced sugar cookies. I simplified things by picking up cookies from a local bakery and we worked on icing most of the morning.

We worked on making tissue paper poms poms to decorate our room.  Friday, we had plans for an end of camp party so we had to get the room looking good for our parents to come and sample.

We also went back to the computer lab and learned how to make cupcake toppers to adorn cupcakes for upcoming events like Father's Day and Fourth of July.

Day 4
Today was called "hocolate everything!"  We literally dipped everything from fresh fruit and pretzels to fortune cookies and potato chips in chocolate.

Day 5
We squeezed out fresh lemon juice and pureed strawberries for our fresh strawberry lemonade.

Followed by a pineapple fruit tree.

We continued to get ready for our party and get the table set.

We made a picture wall of all the things we had made that week so our sweet moms and dads could see that we actually did more than throw flour on each other for 3 hours everyday.

And finally, we were set for everyone to come in and see our hard work.

To sum things up, it was one of the most fun things I have ever done. I hope you girls enjoyed it half as much as I did!

Paris!

Förra veckan spenderade vi i härliga Paris! Jag är avundsjuk på alla fantastiska boulangerier och patisserier de har där kan jag säga. Vi hann med att besöka 3 olika Ladurée och jag smakade nog 15 olika smaker. Lakrits blev en otippad favorit! Jag provade även några macarons från Pierre Hermé men jag föredrog faktiskt Ladurées macarons. Nästan alla mina bilder blev på blommor och bakverk, precis som vanligt. De flesta har ju redan sett eiffeltornet på bild!








In English
Last week was spent in lovely Paris! I'm so jealous of all the wonderful boulangeries and patisseries they have there. We visited 3 different Ladurée shops and I think I tried 15 different flavors. Licorice became an unexpected favorite! I also tried some macarons from Pierre Hermé, but I preferred Ladurées. I mostly took pictures of flowers and pastries, as usual. Most people have already seen the eiffel tower in pictures!

Lemon and Coconut Cupcakes

Hi there! I'm alive! The race was AMAZING. I'm rounding up some photos and working on my post....you'll be hearing all the messy details soon! But for now....here's what I did all day yesterday.....ate cupcakes!!
Robby wanted something "lemony" for Father's Day....so this is what we did.

Lemon Cupcakes with Lemony Coconut Creamcheese Frostingcake and frosting recipe from my baking addiction
I am

vibeke hoie winner!

ha!! here's proof that if you want something bad enough, you just might get it! Liz entered the giveaway 4 times (blogged, tweeted, and facebooked for extra entries)....and guess what?? It worked!! Liz is our winner! Too bad the lottery doesn't work the same way!If you missed the giveaway, be sure to go pick out something from Vibeke's shop--she is so talented and he work is the cutest!

4 Soups, 15 minutes, less than $5.00!

black bean and vegetable chili

This post is to accompany my talk on BTO for Monday 6/21/2010

I told Nancy and Elena this week I wanted to do a talk on making soups and stews in the crockpot, and that each one would be, under $5.00 (for the whole pot), take less than 15 minutes in prep work to make, and be made in the crockpot. I let them know I would take them some of the soups to taste for themselves.
The reason I wanted to do this is because I just know that if the people who don't cook, knew how easy it could be, so simple, and so inexpensive, that perhaps they may give it a try. I thought doing it in the crockpot would work well since you can leave it unattended. Perfect for us who want delicious food with very little effort. The crockpot (or slow cooker) allows you to leave your dinner cooking away unattended while you are away at work. To come home after working all day to a delicious and healthy meal hot and ready to be eaten is a wonderful thing.

These soups are really the definition of alchemy itself. Which is turning something of little value, into something of great value. I love that about cooking with simple inexpensive ingredients.
The great thing about these recipes specifically, is that they are based on dried beans and peas, and canned tomato products for the most part. Since these are good food storage items, you can learn and feel comfortable about using them. Also since you may store these items in the pantry, if you don't have alot of fresh food in the fridge, you can throw together a great pot of food! And if fresh vegetables aren't readily available, dried garlic, or dried onion can be used instead of fresh. Dried celery or celery salt and dried carrots may be used, instead of fresh, or be omitted altogether.

Here are some points I want to make before getting into the recipes.

1. Broth or soup base- The best broth available to you is broth you've made yourself. I buy chicken with the bone so I can freeze the bones until I have enough to make chicken broth. Also when I have celery or carrots that are wilting, I freeze them to make vegetable broth in the future. I figure since these items would be wasted anyway, the broth is basically free. You'd be surprised how much flavor you can coax out of a few vegetables. Once I only had some celery and some onion to make a broth out of, this time I used the celery leaves as well. (You normally wouldn't use the leaves because the flavor is very strong in the leaves and it might overpower your broth.) So I basically made a celery broth. I used it as the base of a chili recipe.
So the cool flavor of the celery worked well with the boldness and spiciness of the chili.
If you don't want to make broth, you don't need to buy it. Canned broth doesn't add very much in my opinion. On the other hand, you can make a broth with bouillon, (there are many good makers of bouillon these days, natural stores are a good place to find them.) You can also purchase a soup base. In the bulk spice section (locally the Olympia Co-Op is a good place for this) they sell vegetable, chicken and beef soup base.
Also, sometimes you don't need bouillon or broth you just need water. I'll specify what I think will work best in the recipes.

2.Spices- The best place to buy spices is the bulk section of a local natural food store. Locally, for me it's the Olympia Food Co-Op. Another option is Fred Meyer also has a bulk spice section.The great thing about buying spices in bulk is if it's something you aren't going to use much of you can just buy a teaspoon of it. So many times in the past I've purchased a jar from the grocery store of a spice I never needed to use again until 5 years later. Spices are best if used within 1-2 yrs so this is such a great way to purchase spices. Also even if you buy a whole jars worth, it's going to be a fraction of the price of that jar in the store. I'm always shocked about how little my spices cost there.

Another local source for spices that you can't find at the co-op, is a wonderful place in Downtown Olympia called Bucks Fifth Avenue. They carry every spice imaginable at very low prices. They will also ship to you, no minimum. This is a wonderful little store! If you go into downtown Olympia often this is a wonderful place to check out.

If you don't have a store with spices in bulk nearby, in regular grocery stores they have a "Hispanic" section where you sometimes can find basic spices in packages for .99 cents.

Shopping-I noted where I found most items in the recipes and the price I paid for them, but another option if you want organic beans and peas, the Co Op in Olympia has organic lentils, split peas and beans in their bulk section for not a whole lot of money more.
Onto the recipes!

Black Bean and Vegetable chili (pictured above)

Ingredients
1-1lb bag of dried black beans, $1.55 at Safeway if you go to Walmart, it's under a dollar
1or 2 onions chopped, (I used 1 and 1/2 in mine) .33 cents. Based on 3 onions in 1 lb, at 1.00 a lb.
2 carrots chopped fine, carrots loose, were 60 cents a lb at Fred Meyer where I bought mine, there were 6 in a lb, so the price here is .20 cents.
2 cloves of garlic, chopped. garlic is cheap. My estimate is .10 cents.
2 stalks celery. chopped fine. Celery is usually 1.00 for a bunch. The estimate is .20 cents
1 large, (28 oz) can of diced tomatoes, or 2 smaller ones, Safeway large can tomatoes is $1. 69, but at Fred Meyer I bought some small cans (15 oz) of diced tomatoes for .59 cents each, so if I used those, this estimate would be even less!
2-3 tablespoons chili powder (I chose not to figure in for the spices, since most people have a basic spice cabinet, but if you need to purchase them in bulk separately, they will be very little.
2 tsp cumin
salt and pepper to taste

total cost for whole batch $ 4.07 serves 4-6 big servings

optional for more spice- a diced jalapeno, a canned chipoltle pepper, or dried chipoltle pepper, or cayenne, or crushed red pepper. Depending on how spicy you like it.
optional for more vegetables, you could add some diced squash or some bell pepper, corn would also be great in this.
optional for meat-add some browned ground beef or some browned stew meat. Or even browned ground turkey or ground chicken, shredded chicken would be good too.
optional for topping-cheese or sour cream
Directions

Soak dried beans overnight in water. The next day rinse beans and place in crockpot with 2 cups of water or water mixed with bouillon. Either is fine. Add all other ingredients and stir.
Cook on low for about 12 hrs at least, on high for probably 8-10 hrs, this recipe takes some time because the dried beans need time to cook. Sometimes that's a good thing if you have to be away all day. Like most soups and stews this tastes better the next day. It also freezes well.

split pea with ham

I grew up eating split pea soup, this is one of my very favorite things to eat.

Super cheap too if you don't need the ham. I made mine with the ham, (My husband is a meat eater) although I can take it or leave it personally.

Ingredients

a 1 lb bag of split peas at Fred Meyer where I bought these they were a whopping .85 cents!

1 carrot chopped fine, .10 cents

1 or 2 stalks celery .10 cents

one onion or 1/2 onion chopped fine .33 cents

bay leaf

ham -which is optional, 3.50 for a ham steak I found at Fred Meyer

salt and pepper to taste

Total cost for whole batch which serves about 4 people $1.38! without ham

with the ham, $4.88 (still under 5 bucks)

also optional- a ham bone for cooking to accentuate the ham flavor if you have ham lovers, if it has meat on it, you can shred the meat off of it and use it in the soup.

Directions

Throw it all in a crockpot, along with 5 cups of water to start if you want it thick, you will probably need to add more later, otherwise you can use 6 or 7 cups. (I like mine thick). As it cools it will thicken more, just add a little water to reach your desired consistency.

Cook on low for 8 hrs or high for 6.

Minestrone with ground beef

This soup is so hearty and flavorful. Since it is broth based, it is one that benefits from the use of homemade broth or a broth made with a soup base, or bouillon. The meat really is optional, it's great and filling without it.

Ingredients

2 Sm cans (15 oz) diced tomatoes. Mine were .59 cents each. so $1.18

1 onion, chopped .33 cents

1 can kidney beans or garbanzo beans or a can of each if you wish, I used kidney, .85 cents

2 chopped carrots .20 cents

2 celery ribs, chopped .20 cents

3 cloves garlic, chopped .15 cents

1/2 to 1 cup pasta (I used macaroni) and I used 1 cup, it's alot of pasta, if you don't want that much just go with the 1/2 cup. 1 cup pasta .50 cents (based on 1 box being 2 cups and 1.00.)

4 cups homemade broth or broth made with soup base or bouillon

1-2 tsp dried basil

1-2 tsp dried oregano

2 bay leaves

a pinch of dried crushed red pepper (optional)

salt and pepper to taste

total cost for whole batch $3.41 serves 4-6

optional for more veggies, add some chopped zucchini or other squash, or add some spinach

optional for meat, add 1 lb browned ground beef

Directions

Add all ingredients to crockpot except pasta. Cook on low for 6 hrs or on high for 4 or so. The last 45 min. of cooking add the pasta, and turn to high (if it's already on low.) And cook an additional 30-45 min. until pasta is done.

This is nice with Parmesan cheese on top, or even a spoonful of pesto.

Lentil soup with kielbasa

Lentil soup is so wonderful and nutritious. It's full of fiber and iron. This is another soup that doesn't need meat, but my husband likes to eat meat in most main dishes. (And all of these we ate as a main dish.) So that's why mine is shown with the kielbasa in the above picture. If you are also a meat lover, kielbasa is a nice choice for this soup, but sausage is good too.

Ingredients

1 lb bag of lentils .97 cents at Safeway

1 Sm (15 oz) can tomatoes .59 cents Fred Meyer

1 onion chopped .33 cents

2 ribs of celery chopped .20 cents

2 carrots chopped .20 cents

2 cloves chopped garlic .10 cents

4-5 cups homemade broth or water with bouillon or just plain water works too

1-2 tsp dried basil

1-2 tsp dried oregano

1 tsp dried thyme

1 tsp dried parsley

1 pinch of dried red pepper flakes (optional)

a splash of vinegar at the end for finishing

salt and pepper to taste

total cost for whole batch $2.39 serves 6 at least

optional for meat- add a diced browned kielbasa, or a pound of browned Italian sausage

optional for more veggies- add a package of chopped spinach

Directions

Add everything except vinegar to crockpot. Cook on low for 8 hrs, or high for 5 hrs. When done cooking add a splash of vinegar for a little brightness. Or lemon juice works for this too. You can't really taste it, it just wakes it up a little bit.

father's day fudge {a.k.a. peanut butter fudge}

Have you ever had anyone tell you that you were so beautiful only to realize years later that you had a uni-brow and unruly frizzy hair? Or have someone insist that you are on a “fun adventure” when you call and request  to be rescued from a freeway in 100 degree heat because you ran out of gas?  These are just two of the thousands of reasons that my dad is so great.  Sure, this was a hard fact to see growing up when he marched in my high school lunch room with his accordion to sing me happy birthday or blast show tunes and shake the car every time he dropped me off in the middle school carpool line.  Well, here I am many years later, chalking all of that up to self-esteem building and realizing I have been blessed beyond belief with the greatest dad.

While my dad doesn’t cook much, I am pretty sure he is the reason I love to do so.  I have decided over the years that I love to cook because I love to eat and I definitely got that from my father. 

It seems like yesterday that I was in lower school eating breakfast with my dad one Saturday.  Someone must have been having oatmeal because the brown sugar was on the table.  We happen to glance at the back of the box and saw a recipe for peanut butter fudge.  We both agreed that it looked like the tastiest fudge we had ever seen, and we just had to try it.  Less than five minutes later, we had come up with exactly what we would be doing for the rest of the afternoon and headed to the grocery store.  And just like that I was hooked on cooking because this was the most amazing fudge I had ever had. 

The funny thing about this recipe is that day I felt like we had been slaving in the kitchen all day and had made an extremely complicated gourmet dish that tasted like absolute heaven; all these years later, it’s about the simplest, quickest one pot dessert you can make (and still unbelievably rich and good).

So thank you dad, for taking the time to clear your schedule and just make fudge.

Almost two years ago, I was given another amazing father, my father-in-law.  Ron is an amazing cook (I’m still waiting for you to guest blog!)  and I have shared some great times with him in his kitchen.  So, Happy Father’s day to you too and hopefully your fudge makes it to Missouri safely!

Peanut Butter Fudge

Adapted from Imperial Brown Sugar

Recipe Notes

If you do not have a candy thermometer, do not let that stop you from making this fudge.  I have made this more than a few times and this is the first time I used a thermometer.  Just make sure and boil it for about 6 minutes and it will be at the right temperature.

Ingredients

12 Imperial Sugar or Dixie Crystals Redi-Measure Light Brown Sugar pouches (3 C)
2/3 C (5-oz can) evaporated milk
1/2 C butter or margarine
1 (7 oz) jar marshmallow crème
1 C smooth peanut butter
2 tsp vanilla
2 C miniature marshmallows
1 C roasted, unsalted peanuts, chopped

Step by Step

Grease a 9-inch square pan with butter.  Combine brown sugar, milk and butter in heavy 2-1/2 quart saucepan.  Bring to a full boil, stirring constantly.  Boil to 235 degrees for 5 to 7 minutes, stirring frequently (see recipe note about thermometer).  To avoid grainy fudge, don’t scrape mixture from sides of pan.  Remove from heat. 

Add marshmallow crème, peanut butter and vanilla, stirring until smooth.  Stir in miniature marshmallows and peanuts. Pour into greased pan and spread evenly.  Cut into 1-inch squares.  Makes 36 squares.

happy weekend....?

As you sit down Friday night to eat your pizza and watch a movie with your favorite person, think of me.....I'll be running. As you snuggle in your cozy bed in the wee hours of the night, dream of me....I'll be running. And if those 9.6 miles at 4 am don't kill me..........as you sit admiring your garage sale finds and set out to do yard work, think of me. I'll be slowly dying on this hill.And if

yes, we eat a lot of pizza.

I love it. I can't get enough these days.

When I'm not eating it, I'm probably thinking about it.....strange? no.



I'm still using the same old crust recipe--I can quickly throw it together from memory (although this time I added a teensy bit of wheat flour). I still used the grill, but also used a pizza pan this time (one with little holes in it), which made for a much easier grilling

artist spotlight: vibeke hoie

Today's artist spotlight comes to you all the way from Norway....NORWAY!! I was so happy when Vibeke contacted me--I am in love with her artwork! She is so talented, and her shop and blog are some of the cutest that I've seen!You said you have been doing this for 6 years? How did you get started?Well, I have been working as an illustrator/ graphic designer for over 10 years now, 6 of them

simple.

a few weeks ago we planted some seeds. teeny. tiny. little seeds. we checked them every day.they grew. and grew. (and grew.)into yummy green spinach. and mixed baby greens. we put them in a bowl. added thinly sliced onion.toasted pine nuts. parmesan cheese.fresh lemon juice from papa's tree.olive oil. salt. and pepper. deeeelicious.

me

I don't think I have ever been able to relate more to this photo.  Okay, so I'm not dead but feeling quite squished.  The past 10 days have been some of the most fun/ hectic that I have had in my scant 25 years of living.  I have quite a bit of kitchen and food related things to share, but literally don't have another moment to spare to put my thoughts out in cyber space right now.

I scrolled by this picture on this darling blog and thought... ah! I can totally relate. She felt the same way on a particular day and I just had to borrow the image.  Now I realize I probably should have put this up last week when my posts got very thin, but I just wanted to report that I am alive and will be back soon!

a little walk...

...through Penryn, CA.the end.

whole wheat naan

it's naan....again!You may recall, last month--I made naan.I made it exactly as the recipe told me too, which meant no wheat flour....but I knew I'd come back and change it. And I did......and to my surprise....it was good!!! I couldn't believe how soft and perfect it still was, even with whole wheat flour!And remember....it is SO easy!! Whip some up for tonight's dinner--you'll be glad you did!

winner

The Mommy Holly winner is Christina!Christina, email Holly at hollyndevlin at gmail dot com

friday love

I love summer.LOOOOOOOVE it.The only thing I don't like about it, is the end.And while it isn't officlaly summer yet....it sure feels like it (well ok....it's only like 50 right now...but we hit 90 this week!)I love that we made our first pool trip this week!I love that the farmers market starts tomorrow!!I love the summer evening rainstorms we've been having.....best. smell. ever!!I love a good

friday feet

Whoa! Friday Feet has been MIA for quite some time!I've been gone, now Erin is gone, and really, all my feet have been doing is training training training....So....speaking of training. Two things:1. Wasatch Back Fever has hit. Everywhere I go, I hear people talking about it...I am so excited!! Over 12,000 runners this year.....will you be there?? Just wondering if any of you are doing it too....

charlotte and nick

blogged over here.

small town, usa

(yep, still playing blog catch up from our trip....)Newcastle and Loomis, CaliforniaWhere to eat: The Rat Trap, NewcastleTip: the turkey is reeeally goodWhere to thrift: Merry Go Round Antiques, Newcastletip: this place is HUGE. plan on spending some time there. Don't be alarmed by the outrageously priced items at the front of the store(barn). Head to the back where she forgot what she has and is

our first harvest....

artist spotlight: mommy holly

Today's artist spotlight is blogger and creative shop owner Holly Devlin of Poway, California, and her shop Mommy Holly!How long have you been making all your cute creations? How did you get started?I opened my Etsy shop close to two years ago, but at first it was more of a hobby for me. I have always loved to work with paper crafts, and wanted to share my creations with others. Then around a

my mountain

aaannnnnd......there is the alarm. I HATE the alarm. I try as often as I can to avoid it....and when I can't, I usually hit snooze. three times. The house was so quiet. Perfectly cool. But I had to get up.ugh. Stretch out. Get dressed. Choke down as much Power Bar as I can before I start to gag up that good old fashioned peanut buttery cardboard taste. The kids are up. Breakfast.Clothes. Out the

looks aren't everything....

...unless you like your pizza to look just a little bit like the "United States" or a "butterfly" said the boy and girl...Remember when I asked for help on pizza? And boy did you answer!! I am so happy you all take pizza so seriously!!I loved every single comment and am so excited to try all (yes, all) your recipes!! I'll let you know as I do....A few of you mentioned that you grill your pizza.

over the top fudgy brownies

I sometimes find that the best way to sum up a dish, is to quote the people who try it.  In this case, a coworker, Debbie  who will remain anonymous, and I had the following conversation when I brought these to the office for my boss, Allison's birthday.

Coworker: Ashlea, these are sooooo good.
Me: Oh, I'm so glad you like them!
Coworker: No, I don't just like them, I want to put my face in them.

Ha, anyway, needless to say, I think my coworkers liked them.  And Peace Meals named these right... they are definitely over the top, but unbelievably good.  If you or someone you would like to bake for is a chocolate lover, these have got to be on your list.

And the best part... you can really make them your own.  These call for a layer of crushed candy bar in the middle and I chose Snicker.  However, you could make it yours by adding your favorite chocolate candy bar.  Next on my list is trying these with Reese's.

Warning: These are not simple! I like to keep things pretty quick and easy around here and while this is not hard, get ready for a lot of steps and a lot of bowls. If I haven't scared you off, I promise this one is worth it for a special occasion.

Over the Top Fudgy Brownies
Recipe Notes
Like I mentioned above, you may substitute your favorite chocolate candy bar for the Snickers layer as well as your favorite nut for the pecans (or leave them out all together).  This recipe calls for instant espresso powder.  I have passed up many a recipe because I wasn't able to find this, but I located it at Central Market.  You can probably find it at most specialty grocery shops if you don't have a Central Market.  This recipe requires overnight refrigeration.
Ingredients
2 cups (4 sticks) unsalted butter
28 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chips, divided
6 ounces bitter sweet chocolate
6 eggs
3 tablespoons instant espresso
2 tablespoons pure vanilla extract
2 1/4 cups sugar
1 1/4 cups all- purpose flour, divided
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups chopped pecans (optional)
10 ounces Snickers bar, roughly chopped
Step by Step
This recipe requires overnight refrigeration!
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.  Line a 9 by 13 inch metal (not glass) pan with foil, leaving enough foil to hang over the edges of the pan.  Butter and flour the foil; set aside.  In a double boiler (or a large glass bowl set over a pot of simmering water), melt the butter, 16 ounces of the semi sweet chocolate chips and all of the bitter sweet chocolate.  Stir to combine, then allow to cool slightly.

In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, espresso, vanilla and sugar.  Starting in small amounts, add the warm chocolate mixture to the egg mixture; allow to cool to room temperature.  In another bowl, sift together 1 cup of the flour, the baking powder and salt; stir into the cooled chocolate-egg mixture until just combined.  In another medium bowl, toss the pecans and the remaining 12 ounces of chocolate chips with the remaining 1/4 cup of flour; add to the chocolate-egg- flour mixture.

Pour half of the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top.  Arrange the candy in a single layer over the batter, making sure the Snickers reaches the edges of the pan.  Top with the remaining batter and smooth.  Bake for 35 minutes; although the brownies will not be firm, do not over bake.  Allow to cool, then refrigerate overnight.  Remove the brownies from the pan using the foil overhang and cut into small squares with a serrated bread knife (if you have one, it will make cutting these easier).  Store in the refrigerator.

over the weekend....

...we went on a walk...the end.

Birthday garden party!

I lördags hölls 25-årskalas för en väldigt god vän till mig. Jag hjälpte självklart till med dekorationerna och bakningen. Det blev en fantastiskt lyckad trädgårdsfest och vi hade verkligen tur med vädret!







Designen på tårtan kommer som vanligt från min största inspirationskälla, Holy Sweet. Tårtan består av en citron/vaniljbotten, hemmagjord halloncurd & lemoncurd samt hallonmousse och citronmousse, täckt med marsipan. Jag måste säga att det var en härlig och somrig kombination av smaker! Minicupcakesen och macaronsen är samma smaker som tårtan. Recept kommer snart!



In English:
This weekend we held a 25th birthday party for a good friend of mine. I helped out with the decorations and the baking of course. The party was a success and the weather was great!
The design of the cake belongs to my biggest inspiration, Holy Sweet. The cake is lemon/vanilla, filled with homemade raspberry curd & lemon curd, raspberry mousse and lemon mousse, covered with marsipan. I must say it was a lovely and summery combination of flavors. The minicupcakes and macarons are the same flavors as the cake. Recipes coming soon!