menu of the week

(image via Kim Deslandes)

So it's 9:45 and I'm only now getting around to writing my weekly menu post. I've been putting it off since last week was a total bust in terms of cooking. Chief among my problems was that I only made three meals and I didn't like two out of the three. Sigh. This week isn't going to afford me much opportunity to redeem myself either, as we went out for pizza tonight and are probably going out for my brother's birthday in a few days. Any suggestions for getting out of this rut?

omelet with asparagus, greens, and pecorino - Yummy and perfect for spring, this omelet was light and fresh tasting. Just make sure you wash your arugula thoroughly because although I spun mine in the salad spinner it was still a bit gritty.

tortellini and cannellini bean soup - This soup had potential but the dried herbs kind of ruined it for me. Use fresh if you try it and I'm sure it will turn out fine. I felt like I was eating lawn clippings with each bite because the dried herbs were too prevalent. Also, don't burn the first batch of beans or else your house will probably still smell like smoke four days later. Not that I know anything about that...

black rice stir fry - I turned this into a soggy mess and still don't know where I went wrong. The rice was cooked but it was swimming in water and still seemed like a mess even after I drained it. Chopped peanuts improved the dish greatly as they added a much needed crunch.

One night I just defrosted a batch of ginger and lentil soup which was leftover from the last time I made it and another night we went to Stan and Karissa's for dinner. She made the most delicious fries and Stan made hamburgers covered in stinky blue cheese, also known as heaven on a bun. We brought a simple salad and homemade strawberry ice cream. Mmm, mmm good.

hello weekend

(image via Camille Styles)

Last night was the second PVD Lady Project event at Bravo Brasserie... once again Hillary and I met some pretty cool people and I'm looking forward to future collaborations. Also, Erika of Foxtrot Press gifted me with some of her awesome cards and a print, too! Will definitely be sharing those here next week. The weekend is already looking like a busy one - this morning I'm going to a "yard" sale hosted by John Orton Events (it's really much more than that - see details below) and later in the afternoon I hope to make it to the LLL meeting in Providence. Maybe I'll stop by Seven Stars for a pastry. Mmmm. Tonight Matt and I are visiting our friends and their new baby and I can't wait to squeeze his little cheeks. Then tomorrow we plan on finally getting some mulch so I can finish the flowers beds in the front yard. Oh, and I'm making these for Matt's grandmother's birthday celebration on Saturday night. On Sunday it's church as usual. What do you have going on?

- certainly don't need new ones, but I'm drooling over these sneakers
- this wallpaper is making me seriously wish I had an iPhone
- super sweet gift ideas for Mother's Day
- free printable rainbow invitations for your birthday girl or boy
- definitely adding an animal circus train to my list of things to make (and out of empty tea boxes!)

- I want my whole house to look like this bright space
- Matt just unveiled the new bluecube, a revolution in photobooths
- pretty (and free!) printable gift tags

P.S. The weekend yard sale details...

Maybe I'll see you there!

tea with Rose // Felicia's

Felicia's Coffee in East Greenwich was the next stop on my tea tour with Hillary. We headed south because Hillary was on her way to drop off some merchandise at a shop where she'll be selling some of her jewelry.

I ordered a medium blackberry sage tea as soon as we arrived (it's by Republic of Tea) and was disappointed to find out it was black tea after taking a sip. I think I've mentioned it before, but I don't drink anything caffeinated so I was expecting an herbal blend. I added some lemon and that helped, but also masked the flavor. Bummer.

Despite the black tea disappointment, we enjoyed our time at Felicia's. It has a real neighborhood feel and people were constantly streaming in and out the doors throughout the hour we spent there. The noise level was on the moderate to high end - always good when you have a toddler with you. Ezra didn't bother any one since his babbling and shouting just blended in. I think.

It took all my will power to resist a raspberry chocolate chip cookie at 9:30 in the morning. I'm thinking I should have caved...

Read Hillary's post about our morning right here. 

menu of the week

(illustration by Lucile's Kitchen)

It's 9:30 at night and I'm only now getting this post up so please forgive me. My computer was malfunctioning on and off throughout the day but Matt has it temporarily fixed for now. We'll see how long it lasts, so if I disappear this week blame Dell. Here's what we ate last week:


broiled salmon with Israeli cous cous and haricots verts - This meal was thrown together last minute because I had planned on making a new dish with haddock but when dinner time rolled around I realized I took the wrong package out of the freezer to defrost. Salmon it was. I sprinkled the filet with sea salt and ground pepper and then started boiling water to make cous cous. Next I tossed green beans with olive oil, sea salt, and ground pepper and steamed then in a pan on the stove. Once the sides were going I stuck the salmon under the broiler for about seven minutes. Not bad for a last minute dinner if I may say so.

pizza with homemade crust - Obviously we don't get bored with pizza (we had it last week, too) and we even used the same old toppings. What can I say... we love ourselves some pineapple pizza.

cannellini bean soup - Surprisingly simple and tasty, this light soup was quick (if you don't count cooking the beans before hand, that is) and delicious with crusty bread. Fresh rosemary and thyme brightened the flavor and whole beans lent an interesting texture. Ezra had seconds.

baked macaroni and cheese - A classic recipe from The Joy of Cooking that I make over and over again, this mac & cheese was actually the first dinner I ever made when we returned home from our honeymoon. Mild cheddar, mozzarella, and some Parmigiano is my favorite combination of cheeses. Sometimes I add roasted broccoli to the mix.

pot roast with porcini mushrooms over egg noodles - Giada has never let me down so I was confident that this recipe would turn out well although I'd never made it before. The sauce was smooth and perfect for coating the egg noodles. Plus, we had leftovers for two days.

We also ate our way through three heads of lettuce, four peppers, one European cucumber, and about half a can of black olives in salads throughout the week. Olives on fingertips were an almost endless source of entertainment for Ezra one afternoon. A little playing at the table is allowable, right? ;)

hello weekend

(illustration by Caitlin McGauley for Lonny)

Isn't warm weather the best? We've been enjoying being outside all week long and I'm so looking forward to a sunny weekend. On the agenda: a bike ride along the Cranston bike path, maybe a pit stop at Sundaes, and yet another birthday party for one of Ezra's one year old friends.

the list of things that distracted me this week:
- such pretty details at this watercolor shower
- I think my dream home is a converted barn
- these cards for Mother's Day are so great
- doesn't this pecan and coconut granola sound wicked good?
- I'm really loving bright white spaces lately and this nursery is no exception
- the word on the street is that domino's quick fixes special edition is finally on newsstands... have you picked up a copy?
- even though I love my set of matching mugs, these are irresistable
- I would never refuse a gift of cookies in a canister
- check out this new to me blog, pretty light... it's a new fave (look at the little dolls she makes!)

Enjoy the weekend! I know I will.

menu of the week

We're back from our lazy weekend, and while it was nice to eat out for a few meals I'm looking forward to cooking up a storm this week. Here's the menu of the week:

one pot kale and quinoa pilaf - This one is a favorite of ours and while it's simple to prepare it packs a lot of flavor. If you want to save time, buy a package of kale that's already chopped (Trader Joe's usually has them). And don't skimp on the pine nuts. Oh, and we use goat cheese instead of feta.

pizza with homemade crust - Pizza never fails to please me. We topped one with chopped pineapple (my fave) and one with peppers and onions (Matt's fave). And there was the requisite garden salad to go along with our slices.

chicken pot pie with cream cheese and chive biscuits - I made this for friends who just had a new baby using a rotisserie chicken from Whole Foods. I made the biscuits first, and after stirring together the sauce and precooking the veggies a bit, it was really just a matter of assembling. Ezra snacked on an extra biscuit (I think I made them thinner than Joy suggests) while I cleaned up.

sweet and spicy shrimp fajitas with Caribbean slaw - The bright flavors of the cilantro and pineapple contrasted nicely with the salty shrimp, but one downfall of our fajitas was an unbalanced ratio of slaw to shrimp. Next time I would add four or five shrimp to each fajita instead of just two.

roasted kale with carmelized shallots, beans, and eggs - How can you go wrong with roasted kale? Some people are shaking their heads right now, but if you haven't tried roasted kale you must. Topping those crispy green leaves with white beans and fried eggs put this over the top.

Do yourself a favor and try at least one of the kale dishes listed above. I wish we had some leftovers of the pilaf because I could really go for some right about now.

hello {early} weekend

(image via Sintwister Photography)

I've been a terrible blogger this week and I really have no excuse. There were a few ideas for posts floating around in my head but I didn't get the pictures taken so they remain unwritten. Consider them something to look forward to. And I'm heading out early this week because Matt has the day off tomorrow, so I'm thinking of scheduling a massage in the morning. It's been a while since my last one (I was still pregnant with Ezra!) so I'm really looking forward to it. Since Matt will be home, I hope to get lots of loose ends tied up around the house before we head out to a historic inn for the weekend. I can't wait to spend the next few days exploring a new town with my two boys. Any Southbridge, Massachusetts area recommendations?

Here are a few links to keep you busy until the real weekend begins...
- these little chocolates look so easy... and fancy!
- a rainbow cake made with natural dyes is on my 'to bake' list (yes, I have a 'to bake' list)
- a few words on cookies and being a mom
- still haven't made sock monkey, but this tutorial has inspired me
- definitely making these push pins for my new inspiration board (pictures to come!)
- this post got me thinking about my own wardrobe basics
- love the combination of neutrals and bright colors in this studio
- this guide to table manners is spot on

Hope to see you back here next week! I promise I'll be a more responsible blogger.

Happy Monday

I'm skipping this week's menu post in favor of some photos from Easter (and because I already recycled my menu planning sheet and can't remember what we ate without racking my brain). We spent yesterday morning at church, brought Ezra home for a nice nap, and then headed to Matt's aunt's house for dinner. Ezra and his cousin Jacob had a blast searching for eggs in the flower beds and playing with a giant bubble wand and three bottles of "Super Miracle Bubbles," although their older cousins may have had just as much fun...

 

 

After looking through these pictures, I've noticed that Ezra is usually running away from the camera, so there are few images with his face in them. We're recovering from the festivities today, just a little grocery shopping and a quick trip to the library earlier and now we're at home napping. Well, Ezra's napping and I just wish I was. Instead I think I'll go have a piece of rice pie.

hello weekend

(image by Tina Fussell via a subtle revelry)

Before I get into the usual list type things I usually write about on Fridays, I wanted to share something that is more important than all the Reese's Peanut Butter Eggs, Peeps, and Cadbury Caramel Eggs in the world...

"Now after the Sabbath, as the first day of the week began to dawn, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary came to see the tomb. And behold, there was a great earthquake; for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled back the stone from the door, and sat on it. His countenance was like lightning, and his clothing as white as snow. And the guards shook for fear of him, and became like dead men. But the angel answered and said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. He is not here; for He is risen, as He said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay. And go quickly and tell His disciples that He is risen from the dead, and indeed He is going before you into Galilee; there you will see Him. Behold, I have told you.” So they went out quickly from the tomb with fear and great joy, and ran to bring His disciples word. And as they went to tell His disciples,behold, Jesus met them, saying, “Rejoice!” So they came and held Him by the feet and worshiped Him. Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid. Go and tell My brethren to go to Galilee, and there they will see Me.” Matthew 28:1-10

Jesus died so that we might have eternal life through our belief in Him. It's that simple. To learn more about Easter and how you can have the same simple faith, come to the Easter concert at our church tonight at 7:30. Please email me if you have any questions!

So, besides going to the Easter concert tonight (Matt will be playing the drums, by the way!), tomorrow we hope to make it to an Easter egg hunt at The Farmer's Daughter, and then I'm taking a class at Johnson & Wales on farm to table cooking. I'm also making these brie and puff pastry bites for Easter on Sunday - my sister-in-law, Becky, and I are on appetizer duty.

- a good article about how to pin on pinterest with respect
- mini grilled cheese with tomato soup. two of my favorites never looked so cute.
- I love this simple way to combine three kids in one room (check out the awesome neighborhood map!)
- the most hilarious lip balm ever
- the sweetest Easter stickers you'll ever see
- can't wait to check out the party line for kids at H&M (for all you Rhode Islanders, one is coming to Warwick Mall in the spring!)

Happy Easter, and I hope you're rejoicing this weekend because He is alive!

take forty-seven // my new profile photo

Everyone always assumes that because my husband is a photographer that I have great photos of myself. Not so. More often than not, I'm trying to jump out of the frame as Matt captures images of Ezra, usually because I don't like my hair or my outfit or some other silly reason. When Matt wants to try out new techniques or styles of shooting he expects me to be his guinea pig but I am the least willing subject he can find. However, recently Matt wanted to experiment with some lighting in our basement and I've been wanting a new photo for the blog since I removed the one I had in my profile months ago. Although Matt took it, he said he didn't like it, plus my hair is longer now (and not as smooth for some strange reason). So I agreed to sit for him for a while as long as I got some profile pictures out of it, but if you ask Matt I groveled. Anyway, here are some of the photos from our basement shoot, complete with outfit changes and outtakes.

here I am just warming up. I was making this face on purpose, I promise. 

my instructions here were "look at the water heater"

goofing off while Matt adjusts the tripods

trying to get my point across

sneezing, and letting Matt know I have at least one more sneeze in me

I was ready to be done before Matt was

and the one I ended up with

Matt, sorry for giving you such a hard time! And thanks for all the time you spent post-processing the images, especially my infamous first selection. Read more on that on Matt's blog post about the shoot right here. 

menu of the week

It's sad to say, but I'm pretty unenthused about last week's menu on the whole. Some nights I didn't like dinner and on the other nights Matt wasn't pleased, with the exception of pasta night. I guess it was just one of those weeks, but you just can't beat homemade spaghetti...

warm barley salad - This recipe is from the Whole Foods 'Meals for 4 under $15' flyer for Spring 2012, so if you're interested go pick one up at your local store. It's basically barley, some raw veggies, chickpeas, fresh herbs, and a lemon tahini yogurt dressing. Very refreshing, but Matt thought the dressing was overpowering. You might want to add the dressing to taste for each portion.

fresh pasta with pesto - Hillary and I made spaghetti last weekend and I paired mine with pesto made with basil from Matt's "office crops." (He grows herbs in his office which has a giant window overlooking the Newport bridge.) My favorite pesto recipe - combine 1 cup fresh basil (packed), 2 tablespoons pine nuts (use almonds if you think pine nuts are too pricey), 1/2 cup grated Pecorino Romano (I like it better than Parmigiano), 2 cloves of minced garlic, and 1/4 teaspoon salt in a food processor. Pulse until the ingredients are finely chopped. Drizzle in about 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil and pulse again. You pretty much can't go wrong. 

sweet potato and quinoa salad - A big hit with all of us, this warm salad is definitely something I'll make again. I used a tri-color quinoa from Trader Joe's.

cheesy polenta and roasted vegetable pie - I cut this recipe out of the Providence Journal and unfortunately it wasn't my favorite. I have such high standards when it comes polenta and this version made with water just didn't cut it. I prefer a richer polenta made with cream or at least whole milk. Also, this recipes calls for the vegetables and polenta to be combined in a baking dish and then baked. I think it would be much more simple to just add the roasted vegetables to the hot polenta on a plate and skip the baking. However, the crispy mozzarella could only be achieved by baking, so I guess this dish has at least one redeeming quality. 

porterhouse steak with garlic chips, smashed potatoes, and edamame - Simple steaks, boiled potatoes that are literally smashed with the handle of a knife and then fried in butter, and boiled edamame. And for once I timed everything right so we didn't end up eating an accidental three course meal.

Here's hoping this week is more of a culinary success.   

P.S. More pasta photos...