Tuesday, July 13, 2010
A Little Makeover
I gave my blog a bit of a makeover today... I felt the old layout was getting too "cutesy" and I was over all that brown! I decided to make my own header, and play up the word "slice" in the title, by going with a piece of pie. And since this has turned into a cooking blog more often than not, I figured that would be perfect. I'm loving the clean, simple look right now. What do you think?
Friday, July 9, 2010
Patio Furniture Makeover
Remember the spray-painting patio furniture project?
Well, I had finished up the painting a few weeks ago, but I was putting off posting pictures because I had yet to find the perfect cushions for them (and of course I need the full shebang!). Have you ever looked for patio cushions in June? Seriously... they are everywhere in April/May, but good luck with that after summer actually hits! But H noticed they had got a new shipment of them at Lowe's one day, so off we went. I found some that I really liked, and voila! Here is the final result of our patio furniture makeover :) What do you think??
Well, I had finished up the painting a few weeks ago, but I was putting off posting pictures because I had yet to find the perfect cushions for them (and of course I need the full shebang!). Have you ever looked for patio cushions in June? Seriously... they are everywhere in April/May, but good luck with that after summer actually hits! But H noticed they had got a new shipment of them at Lowe's one day, so off we went. I found some that I really liked, and voila! Here is the final result of our patio furniture makeover :) What do you think??
Thursday, July 8, 2010
Vacation Art
I love the print we bought on our honeymoon, which now hangs above our sofa. Besides the fact that it's bright and cheery and I love the color and style, it reminds me of our honeymoon every day. So much so that I asked H what he thought about picking up a piece of artwork on each vacation we go on as a souvenir. I like the idea because they'll be things that we see every day, to remind us of the memories of each trip we go on together. And what did I know (surprise, surprise), him being the amazing husband that he is, agreed!
So on our recent trip to California, we picked up a few pieces. The first is from Studio 6 in the Mission Village in Balboa Park, San Diego. It's called "Date Night" (how fitting!) and it's by Michelle Gonzalez. We bought a mat and frame for it and put it above our wine and beverage cart (maybe someday wine fridge... ) in the dining room. It looks perfect there! I love the color; the yellows and blues tie it in with the colors in the open living room (basically one big room), while it's a bit warmer, which I think works in the dining room.
The other pieces we got were from Studio Gallery in San Francisco. We bought a (self-created) series of three lithographs by Linda Pederson. They are cute, clean, fun little images of asparagus, beets, and a pineapple. The colors in the three pieces work perfectly together, you never would have known that they weren't created for each other. I was thinking these would go perfectly in the kitchen (they're food after all!), but I don't think they'd work on the blue wall, so I'd have to find space on the white wall- which is limited. They are currently in a vertical row to the left of our cabinets, but I'm thinking they look a bit cramped there and I may look for another spot.
So on our recent trip to California, we picked up a few pieces. The first is from Studio 6 in the Mission Village in Balboa Park, San Diego. It's called "Date Night" (how fitting!) and it's by Michelle Gonzalez. We bought a mat and frame for it and put it above our wine and beverage cart (maybe someday wine fridge... ) in the dining room. It looks perfect there! I love the color; the yellows and blues tie it in with the colors in the open living room (basically one big room), while it's a bit warmer, which I think works in the dining room.
The other pieces we got were from Studio Gallery in San Francisco. We bought a (self-created) series of three lithographs by Linda Pederson. They are cute, clean, fun little images of asparagus, beets, and a pineapple. The colors in the three pieces work perfectly together, you never would have known that they weren't created for each other. I was thinking these would go perfectly in the kitchen (they're food after all!), but I don't think they'd work on the blue wall, so I'd have to find space on the white wall- which is limited. They are currently in a vertical row to the left of our cabinets, but I'm thinking they look a bit cramped there and I may look for another spot.
New Recipe Review- Cherry Tomato Salad and Turkey Cheddar Burgers
It's been so hot lately (we've had 3 days straight of highs in the lower 100's), that I haven't been in the mood to do a whole lot of cooking this week. We have mostly been grilling outside as to not heat up the house, and I think my brain may be quite fried as well. So what to do for my new recipe this week? Well, the answer is to kind of take the easy way out...
I made both of these dishes before, so I'm not sure if this is cheating, but I have never used these recipes before, so I'll say it's not. Well... that and I'm the one who makes up the rules!
The recipe for Turkey Cheddar Burgers is from Epicurious and can be found here. I usually make turkey burgers with a bit more add-in's- egg, breadcrumbs, ketchup, garlic, Worcestershire, etc. in addition to the salt, pepper, and onion (shallot in this case)- so I admit I was a little nervous about a possible lack of flavor. I also forgot to make the sun-dried tomato mayo with this (told you my brain is fried), so instead we used ranch dressing as a spread, and topped them with more cheddar cheese, lettuce, tomato, and slices of avocado.
They were good, especially on the grill! Probably not what the recipe intended, as I turned them into somewhat of a Southwestern burger, but I liked them. The cheddar melted inside the burgers, so that definitely gave them the flavor I was hoping for. And the extra sliced cheddar on top gave them the cheesiness I need in a burger. I would probably add Worcestershire sauce next time though... or make them with beef, not sure if turkey was as "meaty" as I felt these should be.
The recipe for Cherry Tomato Salad is from Annie at Annie's Eats can be found here. It was a couple more steps (for me anyway) than the usual tomato-cucumber-feta salad, but it was well worth it! Letting the tomatoes sit in the salt and sugar definitely brought out their flavor, in addition to the juices. The salad was so light and flavorful, definitely a perfect summer side dish.
I made both of these dishes before, so I'm not sure if this is cheating, but I have never used these recipes before, so I'll say it's not. Well... that and I'm the one who makes up the rules!
The recipe for Turkey Cheddar Burgers is from Epicurious and can be found here. I usually make turkey burgers with a bit more add-in's- egg, breadcrumbs, ketchup, garlic, Worcestershire, etc. in addition to the salt, pepper, and onion (shallot in this case)- so I admit I was a little nervous about a possible lack of flavor. I also forgot to make the sun-dried tomato mayo with this (told you my brain is fried), so instead we used ranch dressing as a spread, and topped them with more cheddar cheese, lettuce, tomato, and slices of avocado.
They were good, especially on the grill! Probably not what the recipe intended, as I turned them into somewhat of a Southwestern burger, but I liked them. The cheddar melted inside the burgers, so that definitely gave them the flavor I was hoping for. And the extra sliced cheddar on top gave them the cheesiness I need in a burger. I would probably add Worcestershire sauce next time though... or make them with beef, not sure if turkey was as "meaty" as I felt these should be.
The recipe for Cherry Tomato Salad is from Annie at Annie's Eats can be found here. It was a couple more steps (for me anyway) than the usual tomato-cucumber-feta salad, but it was well worth it! Letting the tomatoes sit in the salt and sugar definitely brought out their flavor, in addition to the juices. The salad was so light and flavorful, definitely a perfect summer side dish.
Tuesday, July 6, 2010
New Recipe Review- Salmon Burritos with Chile Roasted Vegetables
For my new recipe last week, I tried Salmon Burritos with Chile Roasted Vegetables from cookinglight.com. The ingredients were different, and the combination sounded interesting to me, so I figured I'd give it a try.
I didn't make many changes. I used chili powder instead of the dried chiles, since I couldn't find them in my grocery store. I also added some shredded pepperjack cheese to them at the end, since a burrito is not a burrito without cheese, as far as I'm concerned. The salmon also needed to cook more than the recipe said, I actually doubled the time.
Although I never would have thought to put these ingredients together in a burrito, but they turned out really well. The cabbage gave it a nice crunch, and it had a lot of flavor. It was really hearty and filling. I'd definitely make them again.
I didn't make many changes. I used chili powder instead of the dried chiles, since I couldn't find them in my grocery store. I also added some shredded pepperjack cheese to them at the end, since a burrito is not a burrito without cheese, as far as I'm concerned. The salmon also needed to cook more than the recipe said, I actually doubled the time.
Although I never would have thought to put these ingredients together in a burrito, but they turned out really well. The cabbage gave it a nice crunch, and it had a lot of flavor. It was really hearty and filling. I'd definitely make them again.
Monday, July 5, 2010
New England Clambake- Right at Home
Happy Fourth of July (weekend)! Hope everyone is having a safe and enjoyable weekend :) So far, we've had time with friends, both of our families, multiple barbecues, and the beach! And so, we're taking it a bit easy today. How was your weekend? Any celebrations?
H and I started the weekend off with a bang and had a couple friends coming over for a barbeque Friday. I was dying to try something different; I didn't want to do the usual hamburgers/hot dogs/chicken, and the last time they came over we had seared ahi tuna steaks on the grill (yum), so I didn't want to do that again either. So after a bit of searching, I found a recipe for a backyard clambake from Rachael Ray. Hm, now we're talking!
Her recipes tend to be pretty hit or miss with me, but I was hoping this one would work out! It looked surprisingly easy, and I figured it would taste great on our charcoal grill. I didn't make many changes- except that I used all the same type of clams (just littleneck instead of littleneck and steamers), dried thyme instead of fresh, and well, didn't really measure too much. I just used what we had/seasoned to what looked good. It turned out really well! Everyone was satisfied, and it really tasted great on the grill.
I was also inspired by another Rachael Ray recipe, Blackberry Ginger Sour Highballs, for our drinks. I didn't make this exact one, because, well, it sounded too difficult. That and I was nervous the blackberry syrup at the bottom being too, ah... chunky. Nothing ruins a good drink for me faster than pulp or seeds. Strawberry smoothies? Gross. Pulpy orange juice? Gag me with a spoon. Anyway... I decided to make a mix of three quarters lemonade and one quarter club soda, and then mix that with the gin. I froze black berries to use as ice cubes, so it was kind of a blackberry gin lemonade.
Throw in a salad, and some deliciously, perfectly sweet summer watermelon and you have yourself a summer feast!
(source)
Her recipes tend to be pretty hit or miss with me, but I was hoping this one would work out! It looked surprisingly easy, and I figured it would taste great on our charcoal grill. I didn't make many changes- except that I used all the same type of clams (just littleneck instead of littleneck and steamers), dried thyme instead of fresh, and well, didn't really measure too much. I just used what we had/seasoned to what looked good. It turned out really well! Everyone was satisfied, and it really tasted great on the grill.
I was also inspired by another Rachael Ray recipe, Blackberry Ginger Sour Highballs, for our drinks. I didn't make this exact one, because, well, it sounded too difficult. That and I was nervous the blackberry syrup at the bottom being too, ah... chunky. Nothing ruins a good drink for me faster than pulp or seeds. Strawberry smoothies? Gross. Pulpy orange juice? Gag me with a spoon. Anyway... I decided to make a mix of three quarters lemonade and one quarter club soda, and then mix that with the gin. I froze black berries to use as ice cubes, so it was kind of a blackberry gin lemonade.
Throw in a salad, and some deliciously, perfectly sweet summer watermelon and you have yourself a summer feast!
Friday, July 2, 2010
The Great Doughnut Cupcake Experiment
A couple weeks ago, before we left on our trip, it was H's birthday. I meant to blog about this before but things got so hectic, it had to wait.
But anyway... H likes doughnuts. Really, really likes doughnuts. And for his birthday, I decided I would bake him something he would really appreciate- doughnut-inspired cupcakes! So... I found these two recipes in my Martha Stewart Cupcake book, and decided they would be perfect. The first one is Boston Creme pie cupcakes and the second was called Strawberry Jam Teacakes (which isn't online) and I was going to do that one with a cinnamon-sugar topping, inspired by a jelly-filled doughnut.
Well, let me say the Boston Creme ones turned out fantastic! I did have to bake them a little less than 15 minutes (13 should be plenty), since they were starting to get a bit too dark. But the custard and the ganache, and everything together- YUM!
The teacakes on the other hand... didn't exactly turn out. I followed the recipe exactly- which said to fill each tin with 2 T. of batter, 1 T. of jam, and then the rest of the batter on top- but the bottoms completely collapsed out when I tried to get them out of the pans.
Don't worry, they didn't go to waste! I topped them with powdered sugar and we ate them like that. Still delicious!
But anyway... H likes doughnuts. Really, really likes doughnuts. And for his birthday, I decided I would bake him something he would really appreciate- doughnut-inspired cupcakes! So... I found these two recipes in my Martha Stewart Cupcake book, and decided they would be perfect. The first one is Boston Creme pie cupcakes and the second was called Strawberry Jam Teacakes (which isn't online) and I was going to do that one with a cinnamon-sugar topping, inspired by a jelly-filled doughnut.
Well, let me say the Boston Creme ones turned out fantastic! I did have to bake them a little less than 15 minutes (13 should be plenty), since they were starting to get a bit too dark. But the custard and the ganache, and everything together- YUM!
The teacakes on the other hand... didn't exactly turn out. I followed the recipe exactly- which said to fill each tin with 2 T. of batter, 1 T. of jam, and then the rest of the batter on top- but the bottoms completely collapsed out when I tried to get them out of the pans.
(the batter and jam, ready to be topped off)
(hm... not exactly what I was expecting)
(oh well!)
Don't worry, they didn't go to waste! I topped them with powdered sugar and we ate them like that. Still delicious!
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