We have a lot of basil in our garden. In fact, it has expanded into the lettuce area. The great thing about the basil’s hostile take-over of the garden bed (I think it’s in an alliance with the peppermint) is that we have to find lots of ways to eat it. Oh, darn! One of my favorite basil using recipes is Pasta Caprese. It’s easy, quick, and great for a summer day.
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Category Archives: The Rest
Yum Sauce & Rice Bowls
I grew up in Oregon. Oregon has this fabulous place called Cafe Yumm. They serve rice bowls drizzled with this wonderful sauce (cleverly called Yumm Sauce). You can buy it in their stores or even order it online. Being that I don’t live near a store, I’ve been trying to replicate the sauce for some time. Now I’m not sure if this recipe tastes the same (it’s been a while since I’ve had the real thing) but it still tastes fantastic.
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Continue reading Jennifer’s Triple Chocolate Brownies
My friend Jennifer is an expert baker. Seriously, she’s amazing. So, during her visit this week I asked if she could share one of her favorite recipes. She brought Triple Chocolate Brownies and oh boy are they awesome! The three types of chocolate make them incredibly chocolate-y, but they are also light and fluffy which is different from most brownie recipes I’ve made (ahem, boxed brownies). Jennifer’s recipe was altered from a recipe found in a cookbook called Santa’s Favorite Cookies, which has several other fabulous recipes, but I still think this one is the best. Continue reading
Building Raised Garden Beds
I’ve always wanted raised garden beds. Not only does it make accessing your garden easier, but it’s also tidy and organized. So finally, I did it! Well, I should say WE did it. These are fairly easy to make, especially with a very handy helper (okay maybe I was really the helper in this case!)
Here are plans for making two raised garden beds measuring 4ft wide, 8 ft long and 12 inches high. Continue reading
What will you keep forever?
Just a quick question before the holiday weekend. What piece of clothing will you never get rid of? Well, Karen over at the Art of Doing Stuff just asked that question too. Head on over to her fantastic blog (my favorite) to see some great responses, as well as mine! I know I’m all about organization and getting rid of excess stuff, but really there will always be some things I hold on to.
So, what super cool things will you keep forever?
Comfort Gift Bag For a Hospital Stay
Being in the hospital sucks. Besides the fact that you’re some combination of sick and hurt, you’re also a patient stuck in a sterile, boring place. Instead of bringing food (not sure of diet restrictions or nausea) or flowers (everyone brings flowers!) to a loved one, I prefer to bring a goody bag of things to help them through their visit. Recently, a very lovely woman had a hospital stay, and I wanted to bring her a few things to make her a bit more comfortable. Here’s a list of what I brought her…
Sour Cream Chicken Enchiladas
I love enchiladas. One of the great things about living in California is that we have GREAT enchiladas. When I go out, I usually order enchiladas verdes but at home I make wonderful, creamy, sour cream chicken enchiladas. My sister and I grew up eating these and still make them frequently. They’re mild, but oh so good. I’m drooling as I’m typing… mmmm!
Creamy goodness!
Summer Salsa
Yesterday I brought this wonderful summer salsa to Easter brunch with The Boyfriend’s family. Not only did The Boyfriend and I want to eat it all before we took it over, but it was also a big hit with the rest of the family. It’s not very spicy, but tastes incredibly light and fresh. I will definitely be making this one all summer long!
Refreshing with a little kick!
Gram’s Chocolate Chip Cookies
Look at all those chocolate chips!
While I refer to these cookies as “Gram’s chocolate chip cookies” because my grandma (we call her “Gram”) used to make them for my cousins and I. I have great memories of sitting on her counter eating dough while she loaded up cookie sheets. She originally got the recipe from a trip on the Clipper Cruise Line; apparently they serve these awesome cookies on their ships.
What I love most about these cookies is that the dough to chocolate chips to nuts ratio is about 1:1:1. Which is a lot of chunk! Oh, and also that it has a little booze in it.
This recipe makes about 3 dozen cookies, so be prepared to share (or fight everyone off). Continue reading
Banana Bread Two Ways
A lot of bananas get eaten at my house. I eat the same thing every morning, toast with peanut butter and sliced bananas. Coincidentally, The Boyfriend and I both ate this for breakfast even before we met each other. Forget Wheaties, this really is the breakfast of champions. Somehow once and a while I get a little overzealous with my banana buying and I end up with some pretty brown ones before I get to them. Maybe I subconsciously do this on purpose so I get to make one of my favorite things… banana bread!
Perfect banana mini-muffins