..anyone out there?..

so whats the deal.
i've checked my hits and i'm getting like 80-100 a day. really?! i thought just my mom and sisters were checking it out. so come on LADIES! lets hear what you have to say.have you tried any recipies..or have some that would be better to try? i want to know!
ok.really.its just that the..0 comments.. thing is a little depressing.

...carrrot cake with toasted coconut...

carrots.golden raisins.carrot puree.toasted coconut.yum

what's easter w/o some carrot cake!normally..i'm not a fan of carrot cake.there are too many funky textures going on..and who knows what your really eating.so our friends made this cake one night from Cooking Light magazine. wow. super moist and stays fresh for days.
hey. i made it sunday and i'm still savoring each last piece.
well we doubled it the first time and put it in a bundt pan.because of the crust to cake ratio..i'd say do the bundt version. but the crunch of the outsides were still yummy.

..lets finish with a little NUTELLA..

mmmMmm. bananas. all we need is some nutella..

ok. now all we need is a panini press and some yummy bread.

nutella.bananas.yummy french bread.butter.yum
oooh so melty and crunchy.gotta give it up to the best chocolate-hazelnut spread ever. 
so i tried traders version...not quite there.decided i'd rather pay the extra 2bucks and get the real goods. sometimes if your timing is right..costco will carry a two pack for like 8bucks.
wish i was on a carb-only diet every night!

..who wants a panino..we're making paninis!..

bartlet pears.fontina cheese.caramelized onions.sage.yum

wow. what a yummy combination. those italians really know how to make a grilled cheese sandwich! so load up the cheese
..cause you can't have enough.
we couldn't just have one type..so we threw together a roasted pepper and proscuitto panino..mmmMm..

 

mozzarella.roasted yellow and red peppers.proscuitto.yum
the super salty proscuitto along with the sweet peppers
..were definitely tasty! try it out.even the pickiest husband will ask for seconds.hey. mine did.

..berry berry tart..

home made lemon curd.blueberries.apricot marmalade.blackberries.whipped cream.puff pastry.yum

'just whip something up real quick..' oh yeah. no problem... ha. todd said 'we have like 10 minutes and you are in charge of dessert!' what? k. thanks a lot. so this is why i keep puff pastry in my freezer at all times. just ten minutes worth of squeezing.zesting.stirring..whisking voila! lemon curd! just pop the crust in the oven..let cool..top with berries.whipped cream.lemon curd.bluberries.blackberries.melted marmalade..done!

ellie couldn't keep her hands to herself.

..so whats in your salad..

can you tell that lately all i want are salads?? there was a time where i never made them..didn't know what went inside..on top..dressings..ahhh. too much stress. well now i cant get enough. my dear friend marilyn has been quite an inspiration. she started me off with making my own home-made raspberry vinaigrette..wow. from fresh raspberries..taking months and months to macerate. kind of like a red-wine vinegar but more sweet and a more 
tolerable tangy-ness.sometimes i'll cut my romaine in 1 '' slices..which leaves me with really pretty strips of lettuce
..a trick i learned from my mother in law sue..i'm sure she'd laugh about how i learned that from her..but i always just tore it. making for really awkward to eat pieces..
i've also learned from a few cooking classes..that when you chop your toppings like cucumbers.mango.strawberries.pineapple..to cut them in slivers/slices not chunks..they'll adhear to the leaves of lettuce..and won't fall to the bottom of the bowl..that way everyone will get the yummy toppings!!

...bbq chicken salad...

black beans.grilled corn.jicima.cilantro.pepper jack cheese.grilled chicken.avocado

another favorite..stollen from our friends over @ california pizza kitchen. one day we decided to get take out from CPK and we were surprised to see that they included a two-part dressing.bbq sauce and ranch. RANCH..?? gross. we hate ranch.if we would have known they used that this whole time..
i dont think we'd have the same feelings for CPK.
well. this is our new favorite..throw-it all together..midweek meal.
don't forget all the yummy toppings!!

..la boucherie..

spicey italian sausage.red bell peppers.carmelized onions.yum
henry's was having a super sale on this fancy sausage
..i tried it there..and had to buy a few lbs.
i just love buying from the butcher guy ..they pack it up so nice and it makes cooking 
it...such a treat. can you imagine your whole deli drawer all neatly 
organized and labeled in white packages
..i don't think i'd want to use through them.. 

..oh what a dream..

see todd. martha says you can't possibly have enough cake stands.
my obsessions could be worse.i don't know what is about thesestands that get me so excited. i think maybe ienvision all the tasty treats i could be making to display on them..or use them for throwing fancy dinner parties..or just for serving breakfast in bed for my hubbie{who actually hates the idea of breakfast right when you wake up..weirdo.}..i'm in love with all styles.colors.shapes.heights..handmade.chinamade.whatever. it is my weakness. if any of you see a beautiful milk glass one..i am in search. we can make a deal.
i'll make you any treat you wish.delivered to you every sunday for a month. how about that!? any takers...ok really todd would die if i brought home another one..but if it was..gifted.. how can i turn it away. ..at the end of the day..its just a cake stand. right?

..braised pot roast..first ever!..

beef chuck roast.celery.carrots.rosemary.blue potatoes.cream.yum

wow.i need to do these..WAY more often. throw it in.wake up.run errands.come home.dinner magically appears.love it.
so i seared the meat with some onions..threw chicken stock{homemade from remnants of betsy} over it..and added some extra veggies..remember lots of salt! those potatoes soak up all the flavor.
whenever making a stew or soup or anything really...if the the flavor is too strong or salty throw in a potatoe or two.cut up of course..even if its not in the recipe..when your ready to eat..take em out. they'll soak up some flavor and calm it down.one of the amazing tricks todd has taught me.

..best italian vinaigrette..

Garlic.italian seasoning.raspberry vinegar.lemon.yum

This is a very light dressing..but seriously works on just about every salad. chicken chopped.citrus spinach. orzo pasta salad. you can drown out the vinegar with more olive oil or make it stronger..have fun and don't forget to taste along the way.

..smokey BBQ chicken pizza..

cilantro.grilled chicken.red onion.bbq sauce.mozzarella.yum
honestly..the easiest pizza ever made. so much flavor and only 5 ingredients. the only secret is that you use this crust and trader joes' kansas smokey style  bbq sauce. that stuff is legit. once the cheese starts to bubble..remove from oven and top with lots of cilantro.

 

..blackberry lemon tartlets..

 fresh lemon curd.heavy whipping cream.berries.yum
..anything you make this size is so cute and fun to eat..

this crust is so dang easy. you can easily swap out
the sugar for salt..when making mini quiches or anything 
salty..or more sugar for little pecan cups or berry tartlets! 

..chocolate hazelnut mousse cakes....

unsweetened cocoa.heavy whipping cream.vanilla.yum.

the best part about this mousse is that it uses
cream cheese and cream as the base
..giving it a tangy surprise and richness.

..one sweet stop..

lemon curd blackberry tarts.hazelnut mousse chocolate cakes.peanut butter crunchy balls.vanilla bean creme brulee.yum

so we had a super fun progressive dinner party..thought we'd invite just a few..well a few turned into 11. couples!! ahh our little place was so packed in.we finished the night @ our house with some sweets and deaf karoake.the Longs stole the show for sure. 

..crumbly peach cups..

peaches.raw sugar.blackberries.brown sugar.yum
so our peaches were lookin pretty soft..and i had to do 
something with them fast. i just cut 'em in half..
wedged in a few berries..
..sprinkled with a flour-butter-sugar blend..and baked away.

soOoOooo juicy. super.super easy. i do recommend taking the skins off..
and double the amount of toppings!