totoro cupcakes!

My friend had a birthday party this weekend, and I surprised her with cupcakes that look like My Neighbor Totoro (since we share a mutual love for the movie). This is cheating a bit in the "recipe" department, since the cupcakes are just boxed Funfetti mix. The frosting is homemade, though, and still needs a bit of tweaking (these little guys melted just slightly on the way over, in the hot car). I'm determined to perfect the recipe.

The detailing was easy, since I had bought one of those "gel icing" tubes from the grocery store in black. Instead of cutting the top off, I pricked it with a pin to get a very fine line. If you're curious about the gray colored icing, I just used 2 drops each of red, blue, and yellow food coloring and mixed very well. It turned out to be the perfect shade!

BBQ chicken pizza

  The 5pm sunsets have not been kind to my amateur photography skills and my little point & shoot Panasonic. I meant to share a lot of the pizza recipes we've been making, but the yellowy light in our dark kitchen has resulted in some truly terrible photos, and I've been quite frustrated. These weren't so bad so I just cheated and sepia-fied them.

Do you like Sweet Baby Ray's Barbeque Sauces? I love them. SBR's is the absolute best BBQ sauce, in my opinion--and no, this isn't a sponsored post. Although I wish it was, so I could get free BBQ sauce to try. We had two flavors on hand (Hickory & Brown Sugar and Honey Chipotle) so I asked Dane which we should use. His answer? "Both." That's why I love him.

BBQ Chicken Pizza
makes one 12" round pizza

for the crust:
3/4 cups warm water (~110 degrees F)
1/2 tsp sugar
3/4 tsp active dry yeast
2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 tsp salt
1 Tbsp evoo, plus more for oiling the bowl

for the toppings (amounts are approximate, since I usually just eyeball how much of each topping I want):
1/4 to 1/3 cup BBQ sauce
1/4 red onion, sliced
1 1/2 cups cooked, diced chicken breast
3/4 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

To make my crust, I followed Bobby Flay's recipe with a few modifications. I halved the entire recipe, and since I used active dry yeast, I first proofed my yeast by combining the sugar & water and sprinkling the yeast on top. I set this aside for five minutes (the yeast should become foamy) and then combined with the dry ingredients and evoo. I then followed Bobby's steps for mixing & rising.

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. After the dough has risen, gently press into a 12" round pizza pan greased with evoo. Using a fork, poke many holes in the crust (so you don't get air bubbles!) and bake for 6 minutes. Carefully remove the pizza crust, top with your sauce and toppings, and return the pizza to the oven to bake for another 6-8 minutes, until the crust is starting to brown.

Public Service Announcement: Always prebake your pizza dough to prevent soggy, drippy pizza.

eggless chewy chocolate cookies

I have a confession to make to all of you: I am terrible at baking cookies. I consider myself a very good cook and a good baker. For some reason, when it comes to making cookies, something goes wrong. My cookie disasters have ranges from rock-hard-can't-scrape-them-off-the-pan to so-soft-they-can't-be-picked-up-without-falling-apart. Failure comes in many varieties.

But!

This recipe redeemed me. These cookies turned out amazing--rich and chewy with the tiniest hint of crunch at the edges. Like a brownie in cookie form. Without eggs! And I even went out on a limb and modified the original recipe! I must say I am pr-e-tty chuffed.

Eggless Chewy Chocolate Cookies (recipe modified from here)
makes about 26-28 cookies

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
2/3 cup natural cocoa powder
1/2 tsp baking soda  (if using dutch process cocoa, DO NOT add the baking soda!)
1/2 cup unsalted butter at room temperature
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 1/2 tsp maple syrup
1/3 cup skim milk

In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, salt, and cocoa (and baking soda if using natural cocoa) with a whisk. In a separate bowl, beat the butter with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Add the white & brown sugar to the butter and beat until creamy. Mix in the maple syrup. Add half of the flour mixture and beat on low speed until just combined. Add milk and beat until just combined. Add the remaining flour mixture and beat until just incorporated. Chill the dough in the refrigerator for 15-20 minutes (or, in my case, for the length of one episode of Parks & Rec).

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Line a baking pan with parchment paper and spritz with a little cooking spray. Drop rounded teaspoons of dough onto the pan. Bake for 16 minutes, then remove pan from oven and allow cookies to cool on the pan for 10 minutes. After ten minutes, you can transfer the cookies to a cooling rack.

With chocolate cookies, it is difficult to see when the are "browning" and done. I removed mine at 16 minutes and, like I said, the cookies turned out fudgy and chewy. If you are looking for a crisper cookie, I'd suggest keeping them in the oven for 17 minutes and then watching them like a hawk until they are close to your desired crispness (the cookies will continue to cook slightly as they cool on the pan). Don't burn these because you will regret it.

While making these, I learned some interesting things about cocoa powders. The original recipe called for dutch process cocoa, but I only had natural cocoa powder (Hershey's) on hand. After some googling, I found out that you can not directly substitute one for the other. Dutch process cocoa involves washing the beans in a solution which reduces acidity. Therefore, when substituting, you must convert like so:

Dutch Process to Natural Cocoa Conversion
3 Tbsp dutch process cocoa= 3 Tbsp natural cocoa + 1/8 tsp baking soda
3 Tbsp natural cocoa= 3 Tbsp dutch process cocoa - 1/8 tsp baking soda

Recipes with natural cocoa should include baking soda to neutralize its acidity.

Happy (chocolate) baking!

russian blini

As a special birthday morning surprise for Dane, I made him Russian blini (very thin crepes) for breakfast. They were a little intimidating, since traditionally the blini are paper thin, but turned out much better than I expected (and if they had been a little thick, I don't think he would have minded)!

Russian Blini (recipe from here)
2 eggs
2 cups milk
1 Tbsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt
~2 cups flour
2 Tbsp vegetable oil
nonstick cooking spray

Whisk together eggs, milk, sugar, and salt. Slowly combine flour about 1/4 cup at a time, until the batter is runny but thicker than milk. Stir in the oil and let rest for about 5 minutes. Preheat a nonstick pan (mine was 9") over medium heat and generously oil with cooking spray.

Blinis are all in the execution, so here are a few tips: Pour about 1/4 cup of batter into the hot pan. While pouring, quickly tilt the pan in a rotating motion with your wrist so the batter creates a very thin layer over the entire surface. Cook for about 1-2 minutes until small bubbles form and the bottom is golden, then carefully flip with a spatula. Cook for 1 minute, then transfer to a plate. Spray the pan in between each blini! If your blini seems too thick (like I said, it should be paper thin--almost transparent) you can either add a bit more milk to the batter or use less batter per blini. Also, time & temperature may have to be adjusted depending on your stove. The pan should be hot enough that the batter sizzles on contact but not so hot that the blini burns in under a minute. Don't lose confidence--after the third or fourth blini you will get the hang of the rhythm of cooking these!

Don't forget to top with some sweetened condensed milk!

This recipe is pretty involved and takes a few tries to get right, so it's best to make on a weekend morning when you have plenty of time. Also keep in mind that you'll have to make a lot of blini per person (the stack in the photo has about 25-30).  The original recipe site has some great photos of the process if you need a step by step visual.

I hope I haven't intimidated you from making these--they are truly delicious and fun once you get the hang of the cooking method! This is a great recipe if you want to push yourself in the kitchen!

pumpkin cinnamon rolls

As you may remember, I had some ideas when it came to Dane's birthday shindig. The most important was making pumpkin cinnamon rolls in place of birthday cake. I'm actually not going to post the entire recipe, because I copied this recipe from smitten kitchen almost to a t (my only change was adding 1/2 tsp of pumpkin pie spice instead of the nutmeg/ginger/cardamom). I feel like it would be unfair to try to pass off this recipe as something I've improved or tweaked. Sometimes, you just have to follow the pro's instructions.

Oh yeah, I also have to admit that I cheated by using store-bought Buttercream frosting. Sometimes, you just have to save a few minutes.

Another confession: these photos were taken two days after I actually made the pumpkin cinnamon rolls. They finished baking at 8pm, and my kitchen has less-than-photogenic lighting. Yesterday I had to work, so these were the last three rolls left this morning when photo time "rolled" around (ha!). And I ate them afterward (in my defense, they were mini-sized).

We were excited to have our first party in our new home. We only knew a few people here before we moved to LA, so to have a growing group of new friends is exciting! Making new friends as an adult is difficult--luckily the other students in Dane's program are friendly and fun, and our friends from college are excited to show us everything LA has to offer. I feel so lucky to have friends living in nearly every area of the country, so I know that wherever I may go, there will be a familiar face to help with the transition. I do miss the familiarity (and autumn colors!) of Chicago, but I must say that I'm really starting to feel less like I'm visiting LA and more like I live here.

maple apple cobbler pie

Let me be clear about something: the weather here isn't "brisk" or "fall-like" and there is no nip in the air. It's a heat wave with the hottest temperatures LA has had all summer.

But when I saw some big, green granny smith apples at the farmer's market this week, I couldn't help myself.

Maybe it's because so many of my friends and fellow bloggers are getting excited about the coming fall weather and all that autumn entails. In this house, we are autumn lovers. Changing colors, light sweaters, Halloween, apples, pumpkin, butternut squash, crunchy leaves, cool breezes--we love it all. Which means we will have to force autumn upon southern California. Because 100 degree temps in the middle of September doesn't make sense to northerners like us.

Transition: have you ever been plagued by the decision whether to make cobbler or pie? I love them both. I've been a huge apple pie fan since I was a kid (my mom can attest that I always requested apple pie as my birthday cake). So I decided to combine the two. Revolutionary!

Putting cobbler into pie. Kind of like putting autumn into southern California.

Maple Apple Cobbler Pie (modified from here)
makes one mini-pie, but easily amplified to make more!

Butter Pie Crust

1 cup flour
pinch of salt
1/2 Tbsp sugar
1/2 cup butter, cut into cubes and chilled (I stuck mine in the freezer for about 10 mins)
3-5 Tbsp ice water

Combine all dry ingredients into a large bowl. Toss the butter cubes in the mixture to coat, then work in with your hands until no lumps larger than a pea remain. Add ice water 1 Tbsp at a time and stir with a fork until dough comes together, then use your hands to form dough into a ball. You can add a bit more water or flour if your dough is too dry/sticky. Dough should be smooth and pliable. Wrap the ball of dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 or more hours.

Apple Maple Cobbler Filling
1 Tbsp butter
1 large granny smith apple
scant 1/2 Tbsp cornstarch
1/4 cup brown sugar
pinch of salt
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1 Tbsp maple syrup
1/4 cup quick cooking oats

In a saucepan, melt butter over medium-low heat. Cut apple into 1/2 inch cubes and add to melted butter. Sautee for about 5 mins, until apples are beginning to soften. Combine the cornstarch, brown sugar, salt, cinnamon, and pie spice in a small bowl. Once the apples are soft, remove from heat and add dry mixture. Stir to coat the apples. Stir in maple syrup. Return to LOW heat and cook the mixture for about 5 mins until it begins to thicken. Remove from heat and stir in oats, then set aside to cool.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Roll out the refrigerated dough on a clean surface to about 1/4 inch thickness. Transfer dough to a mini pie tin sprayed with cooking spray, and remove excess dough around the outside. I braided my extra dough and coiled it around the top of the pie, but you can roll it out again to make a smooth top, or roll into strips to make a criss-cross top. Add cooled filling to pie and cover with your top. You may need to pinch the top crust closed with a fork. Bake for 16-20 minutes, until crust starts turning golden brown. Cool for at least 10-12 minutes.

This is a fairly sweet apple pie. If you prefer your pie tarter (is that a word?) you can either lower the amount of brown sugar and maple syrup, or slice your apples larger. I knew that the smell was enticing (a certain someone was lurking behind me while I took photos and snatched his piece up the second I finished) and the taste was even better. Think flaky crust with extra gooey insides. Although with the heat here I should have added ice cream.

pizza for breakfast

If you don't like pizza, you can probably just stop reading this right now and check back for my next post. Because I love pizza (and its cousin-- pizza rolls). I've been spoiled living in Chicago, where pizza is a second religion. After the move (only 22 days?!?!) Michael's Pizzeria down the street, where cheap pizza and cheap pitchers of beer are considered a great date night for us, will be sorely missed.  I am skeptical about pizza in California. Do they even have pizzerias? My pizza consumption may be limited to the ones I make myself. Any information you might have on this pressing matter is appreciated.

I appreciate both "pizza for breakfast" and "breakfast pizza" but posting about the former would make this blog less legit (it's very legit right now). So I will share this recipe for "breakfast pizza" that will allow you to justify to your parents, roommate, whoever, that it is completely acceptable to eat pizza before 10am.

Breakfast Pizza
makes 2 personal sized pizzas

1 tube of store bought biscuits (mine had 6 biscuits in the tube)
1/4 cup cream cheese, softened
2 Tbsp pizza sauce
1/4 cup cooked spinach
2 eggs
approx. 1/4 cup mozzarella cheese
parmesan cheese, for sprinkling
crumbled cooked bacon (I cheated & used bacon bits, because I had some leftover), for sprinkling

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Scramble the eggs and set aside. Use three of the biscuits, and press to form a large circle. Transfer to a cookie sheet sprayed with non-stick spray and bake for 6-7 minutes.  Remove sheet from the oven, and spread toppings on crust. The order I used was: cream cheese, pizza sauce, spinach, eggs, sprinkle of mozzarella. *Remember that this recipe makes two pizzas (using 3 biscuits per pizza crust), so ingredients will be divided in two. * Bake for an additional 4-5 minutes, or until cheese is melted and crust is beginning to turn golden brown. Top with a sprinkle of bacon and dust with parmesan.

For the record, I have nothing against cold leftover pizza in the morning, if that's your thing. Sometimes it's mine.

A + chocolate cupcake

I only took one semester of Home Ec. & it was in (I think?) 7th grade. It was a fun class, but the only thing I really remember was that what I called a spatula was actually called a rubber scraper. I mostly learned to cook & bake by watching my mom & lots of trial & error. I still consider myself a better cook than baker, since my cooking experiments seem to always turn out while my baking experiments are barely over a 60% success rate (even when I'm using someone else's recipe).

This cupcake is a game changer. After tasting it, I could picture myself winning Top Chef: Just Desserts... or at least getting an A+ in my Home Ec. class.

I have a suspicion that adding red food coloring would make this very similar to a red velvet cupcake, but I've never made red velvet cake so who knows what kind of crack they put in that stuff (disclaimer: there is no crack cocaine present in this recipe, only an added chocolate drizzle on top).

This is modified from Emma's basic chocolate cupcake recipe. She also does an A+ job with the recipes she posts. The only "complaint" I have is that the recipe states "makes 1 dozen" but I got 25 cupcakes out of it. It was horrible! :)

A+ Chocolate Cupcake (modified from here)
makes about 2 dozen

2 1/4 cups flour
1/4 cup cocoa
2 cups sugar
2 tsps baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup cold coffee
1 1/2 cups water
2/3 cups oil
2 Tbsp red wine vinegar

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Combine dry ingredients in a bowl. In another bowl, whisk together the wet ingredients. Slowly add the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients, mixing just until batter is no longer lumpy. Pour the batter into lined cupcake tins, filling each cup 3/4 of the way full. Turn the over down to 325 degrees & bake for 23-25 minutes.

Chocolate Drizzle
1 bar of Hershey's milk chocolate
2 Tbsp butter
approx. 3 Tbsp cream

Break up the chocolate bar & melt with the butter in a microwave safe dish (mine took about 50 secs to melt, but watch it closely!!). Mix well with a fork, then slowly add the cream 1 Tbsp at a time, mixing well in between. Use the fork to drizzle over cupcakes.

You know what? These cupcakes are vegan! I didn't want to lead with that cause it scares some people away (the chocolate drizzle, however, does contain dairy).

I made these yesterday, and I think they tasted even better today, out of the fridge. I'm surprised they even lasted that long.

mango power smoothie

I love using my little Magic Bullet blender to make single-serving smoothies! And since my work schedule leaves me with a weird amount of time between lunch and dinner, having a smoothie that will fill me up but won't make me full (get the difference?) is pretty handy. I've been experimenting with adding kale to give my smoothies a nutritional boost, and this one I whipped up today was too delicious not to share. I prefer my smoothies on the thick, creamy side as opposed to an icier smoothie (I don't like using frozen fruit or ice cubes), so using frozen bananas (ok, I'm going back on what I said two seconds ago. Bananas are acceptable.) is a great way to get a creaminess without any dairy--did I mention this is vegan-friendly?

(Vegan) Mango Power Smoothie (makes 1 serving)
1 ripe mango, diced
1 banana, sliced then frozen
1/4 cup oatmeal, uncooked
1/2 cup loosely packed kale
1 Tbsp water

Put all ingredients into a blender and blend. Depending on the type of blender you have, you may need to experiment with the order you layer the ingredients--with the Magic Bullet, it works best for me to have the kale closest to the blade so it gets well-chopped and I'm not drinking big pieces of kale.

I love adding in all sorts of different ingredients and seeing what color the smoothie turns out to be--anyone else find this exciting? It's really cool, you guys.

This entire smoothie was gone before I even finished writing this post. Count that as a success.

fruit & ricotta panini two ways

So I love to cook. But the weather lately has been...shall we say..."toasty" the past few weeks. Thursday it's supposed to break 100 degrees--I don't care how much you love to cook, the thought of turning on an oven or standing near a burner when it is that hot (no A/C in this abode) is nauseating. So unless you want to eat salads & cereal for every meal the rest of the summer, you're going to need some options. These sandwiches may seem warm & comforting thanks to the melty cheese and toasted bread, but the fruit gives them just enough of a bright punch to taste refreshing.

Yep, I just used "refreshing" to describe a sandwich. I'm a rebel like that.

I made these on my little George Foreman grill, but you can also make them on a stove top like you would a grilled cheese (if you can stand the heat) or just by nuking the ingredients for, say, 15 seconds, and popping the bread in the toaster before assembling. Whatever keeps you cool.

Spicy Pineapple Ricotta Panini
2 slices of Texas Toast
2 1/2 Tbsp ricotta cheese
1/4 cup cubed pineapple (please use fresh & not that weird tasting canned stuff)
sprinkle of crushed red pepper

Spread the ricotta cheese on one slice of bread. Top with a sprinkle of red pepper & pineapple. Put the other piece of bread on top. Grill on a hot panini machine/ George Foreman grill that is liberally coated with cooking spray for 60-90 seconds (depending on how crispy you want your panini--I like mine lightly grilled, so I cooked it for 60 seconds).

Blackberry Jam & Ricotta Panini
2 slices of Texas Toast
2 1/2 Tbsp ricotta cheese
2 1/2 Tbsp blackberry jam
pinch of salt

Spread the ricotta cheese on one slice of bread. Lightly sprinkle with salt. Spread the jam on the other slice of bread, and put the two slices of bread together with the jam/ricotta kissing in the middle. Grill on a hot panini machine/ George Foreman grill that is liberally coated with cooking spray for 60-90 seconds (again, depending on how crispy you want your panini--I like mine lightly grilled, so I cooked it for 60 seconds).

Or mix it up! Use whatever jam or preserves you have on hand. I made a version with pineapple, ricotta, sliced jalapenos, and chicken breast last week. Yum.

Hope you're staying cool!

minor obsessions: water sign

Happy Friday dear readers! Has this week felt long to anyone else? I found myself frequently forgetting what day it was and needing the weekend as far back as Wednesday. I haven't had much time recently to browse the internet, but I have been noticing a water motif in the pictures and items I'm clicking and pinning. My astrological sign, Scorpio, is a water sign, so maybe my stars are just acting up.

I would love to jump off a small cliff into a lagoon at some point in my life...I also think a photo of me *gracefully* leaping into some clear blue water would be a great header image for this blog!

This is a sneak peak of some of the stunning artwork you will see if you head over to Cheri Lee Charlton's exhibition at Swim Cafe this month! Browse her gor-ge-ous work here!

 I would probably end up drinking this Prosecco Sangria like it was water.

 This Holding Hands print by artist Laura Berger currently sits upon our mantle, and I can't wait to give it a more permanent frame and place once we move.

 Saltwater Sandals are the more fashionable alternative to "land & sea" shoes. They're rumored to be very high quality and oh so comfortable--they also have sizes for ages 0-100 (sorry, 101 yr olds). Me want.

I have a pretty big day ahead of me tomorrow that involves brunch and a matinee movie, and a whole weekend of performances. I also have a few upcoming DIYs for you that I'm pretty excited about! TGIF people!

the easiest o-rings

What do ketchup, pickles, mushrooms, cranberries, and onion rings have in common? Did you guess, "foods Meghan hated as a kid but now enjoys"? Because that's the right answer. I won't hold it against you if you answered incorrectly; I'm still going to share my secret for delicious and easy homemade onion rings WITH a spicy dipping sauce. That's right, two recipes in one post. Everyone's a winner today!

Although I didn't like onion rings until a few years ago, I am making up for lost time. And I love to make them at home using this recipe because it's a breeze.

The secret?
Boxed Pancake Mix.

That's right, pancake mix. Not even a fancy kind--I'm talking "just add water" here. It's the best way to get a crunchy, delicious crust with the tiniest hint of sweetness. This would be classified as an "unhealthy" dish, if you were wondering. So don't eat them every day.

Onion Rings
1 large onion (I used yellow this time, but my favorite to use is red onion)
2 cups milk
about 1-1 1/2 cups prepared pancake batter (mix according to directions on the box, a.k.a add water. also, this recipe works best when batter is on the thin side)
vegetable oil

Spicy Dipping Sauce (loosely based on this recipe)
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1 Tbsp ketchup
dash of hot sauce
dash of worcestershire sauce
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

for the o-rings:
Peel & thickly slice the onion. Set aside small or non-ringlike pieces & use for a different recipe. Place rings in a shallow bowl and cover with the milk. Refrigerate for at least 2 hrs, up to overnight. On medium-high, heat enough oil to fill a small pan 1/2 inch deep. Dunk onions in batter, then carefully place into hot oil. Fry 1-2 minutes on each side, or until golden brown. Drain on paper bags or paper towels.

for the sauce:
Combine all ingredients. You can tinker with the amounts to your tastes.

Using the pancake batter gives the outside of the rings a nice crunch, but leaves the inside light & chewy. Don't worry if one side of your ring has more batter than the other (since we're cooking them one side at a time). I've found the taste and texture are not compromised by this--if it bothers you, these can also be deep fried to have a more even texture all the way around.

seared salmon & warm kale salad with honey dijon dressing

With Dane gone this past weekend, I was making meals for one--which usually consists of pasta, soup, sandwiches, or leftovers. However, we did have one lonely piece of salmon and a little kale in the fridge...so in a moment of (somewhat) healthy clarity I whipped up this little number.

Seared Salmon & Warm Kale Salad
salmon filet (mine was 4oz)
1 1/2 cup chopped kale
1/8 cup shredded cheese
sprinkle of bacon bits
1 tsp lemon juice
1 Tbsp olive oil
salt & black pepper

Honey Dijon Dressing
1 Tbsp dijon mustard
1 Tbsp honey
a little less than 1/4 cup olive oil
pinch of salt, black pepper, & garlic powder

for the salad:
Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-low heat. Add the kale and cook until soft (8-10mins). Transfer kale onto plate and sprinkle with lemon juice, salt, & pepper (to taste). Using the same pan over medium heat, cook salmon 3-5 minutes on each side. Top kale with cheese, bacon bits, & salmon (or any other toppings you'd like).

for the dressing:
Mix mustard & honey in a liquid measuring cup. Add olive oil to the mixture until it reaches 1/4 cup. Add pinches of salt, pepper, & garlic powder and beat with a fork until well combined. Drizzle over salmon & salad.

This is a great light meal (but filling, thanks to the salmon & hearty kale) to have for a dinner if you've eaten a big lunch. And I definitely did NOT use my finger to lick up the rest of the dressing from the plate, so why would you even ask?

minor obsessions : summer is coming

With gorgeous weather & the NATO summit in town, it seems like a holiday weekend! The sun is shining and it isn't too humid. People are enjoying themselves on patios and in the park. Also, this whole city smells like a grill, in a good way. I don't know how that's possible--is it National Grilling Day? A City-wide BBQ? Are city officials pumping the national scent of the American summer into the air just for this occasion? It may forever be a mystery.

This sunhat from ModCloth is perfect--not too big & floppy (I want to be able to see!), but with a large enough brim to keep sun damage at bay.

I am eating this vegan ice cream as I write this post (only sans chocolate chips...I didn't have any handy). It is so, so, SO, so good. And the velvety texture is to die for! Next time I'm including the chocolate though :)

Dressing like a hippie is much easier in the summer, because you can't be mistaken for a bag lady. This maxi dress is incredibly light & gorgeous (also, was that girl on ANTM??).

In preparation for the Avengers, we watched Thor a few weeks ago, and I was drooling over the spacescapes. Now I really want this cosmic print skirt (and Charlotte from So In Carmel makes it look so cool!).

The wooden sunglasses they make over at Tumbleweeds will always be on my wishlist until I am responsible enough not to break or lose every pair of sunglasses I own.

I hope you can get out and enjoy this lovely weather! I am thinking of having a happy hour for one (Dane is out of town for the weekend) and mixing myself a little cocktail to sip on the back porch...

sweet pea & panchetta macaroni

 On a fancy schmancy date night a while ago, Dane took me to this cute Italian restaurant down the street that we pass on our way to the grocery store. They have two ceramic penguins sitting at the table in the window, so you know it's upscale, or why would they be wearing tuxedos? At our dinner, I ordered pasta (angel hair? spaghetti? something long and skinny) with panchetta and sweet peas, and whoa, it was delicious. The salty, chewy panchetta and the bright sweet peas perfectly offset each other, and the reheated leftovers tasted even better. So of course, I had to recreate it at home one of these days, with on sale ($0.88!) macaroni and with a little cheesy twist. I am from Wisconsin, after all.

Sweet Pea & Panchetta Macaroni
serves 4-6

1lb elbow macaroni
4 Tbsp butter
1/3 cup milk
1 cup panchetta, cooked & chopped
1 cup sweet peas, cooked
3/4 cup shredded monterey jack cheese
1/2 cup crumbled gorgonzola
parmesan cheese to garnish

Cook macaroni according to directions on the box. While macaroni is draining, heat the butter and milk over low heat in the same pot you used to cook the pasta. Once butter has melted, slowly incorporate macaroni into the liquid, stirring in about a cup at a time. Once macaroni is coated, turn off the heat. Fold the panchetta and the peas into the mixture. Add the cheeses and mix lightly. Once the shredded* cheese is mostly melted, portion, sparsely or liberally sprinkle with parmesan, and serve.
*in my pasta, the crumbled gorgonzola stayed pretty solid.

This pasta can easily be made vegetarian by substituting another veggie--try spinach to capture a similar saltiness. Invite some penguins over for your fancy dinner!

rainy day drink: caramel irish coffee

The perfect simple drink when you're holed up inside during a stormy day. I added 1.5oz of spiced whisky & 1 Tbsp of caramel topping to a hot cup of coffee. Mix together well.

Sip slowly & enjoy with your favorite movie on the TV & your favorite person on the couch.