peonies and smores

i picked up the most scrumptious pink peonies this week for a shoot i did with free people. lucky us we got to divide all the flowers at the end of the shoot and take some home. peonies are my absolute favorite bloom.

perfect, right?

also, i wanted to share this amazing smores recipe i found while browsing all my favorite blogs. the result is a warm, chocolaty, gooey marshmallow confection. you must try it!

thank you, lovin in the oven!
i haven't baked in a while and it was great to get back into it especially now that the holidays are approaching. do you have any favorite baking recipes? we love trying new ones!

summer recipe guacamole!

a friend made amazing guacamole this weekend he got from foodnetwork.com. you must try it. this guacamole should be at every summer party!

ingredients:

3 haas avocados, halved seeded and peeled

1 lime, juiced
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp cayenne
1/2 medium onion, diced
2 roma tomatoes, seeded and diced
1/2 tsp chopped cilantro
1 clove garlic, minced

smash and fold together... yum!

jersey tomatos

just add extra virgin olive oil, balsamic vinegar, oregano, and salt.

butternut squash soup

there's nothing more comforting than a warm bowl of homemade soup on a cold winter's day. one of our favorites is creamy butternut squash soup. here's how we made it...


chop one cup of carrots, one cup of onion, and one cup of celery and saute in a pot with oil until tender.



add 1/4 cup of crushed tomatoes and 4 cups of water. cut the squash into small pieces and boil the ingredients in the pot for one hour.



when finished, blend the ingredients in a blender little by little to create the creamy texture. add salt and pepper to taste.


eat it up!

oh and i got the floral tablecloth at a flea market in rome. i just love it! it makes everything look so good!

peppermint bark

i feel like the holidays are finally hitting me. i love making holiday treats and peppermint bark just felt so right! it's so easy and so good!


you'll need 12 ounces of dark chocolate, 1 half teaspoon of peppermint extract, and 6 chopped candy canes. first melt the chocolate in a double boiler and add your peppermint extract. next pour the chocolate onto a cookie sheet lined with wax paper. then add the chopped candy. press the candy canes in a little and place in the refrigerator to cool and harden. break the candy into pieces and eat!!!

fig tart with caramelized onions, rosemary and stilton

a recipe from l.a. in bloom that i can't wait to try...


here's what you'll need:

2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 large onions (1 1/2 pounds), halved lengthwise and thinly sliced
1 sprig rosemary, more for garnish
Pinch sugar
1 teaspoon sherry vinegar
1/4 cup milk
1 egg
Flour for dusting
3/4 pound prepared puff pastry
1 pint fresh figs ( 3/4 pound), stemmed and cut in half lengthwise
1 1/2 ounces Stilton cheese, crumbled (about 6 tablespoons)
2 tablespoons pine nuts
Good-quality honey for drizzling, optional.


here's what to do:

1. In a large skillet over low heat, melt butter with oil. Add onions, rosemary and sugar. Cook, tossing occasionally, until onions are limp and golden brown, 30 to 40 minutes. Stir in the vinegar, scraping any browned bits from bottom of pan.

2. In a small bowl, whisk together the milk and egg until smooth. Stir in the onions. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line an 11 by 17-inch baking sheet with parchment paper. On a lightly floured surface, roll out pastry to a 9 by 12-inch rectangle. Transfer to baking sheet.

3. Use a fork to spread onion mixture evenly over pastry (let excess egg mixture drip back into bowl), leaving a 1-inch border. Arrange figs, cut-side up, in even rows on onion mixture. Scatter cheese and pine nuts over figs. Use a pastry brush to dab edges of tart with egg mixture. Gently fold over edges of tart to form a lip and brush with more egg mixture.

4. Bake until pastry is puffed and golden, 25 to 30 minutes. Serve, sprinkled with rosemary needles and drizzled with honey, if desired, warm or at room temperature.

Yield: 8 servings.



taken from the new york times.

summer corn salad and some chit chat

i went to my aunt's house last weekend and she made an amazing tangy and tasty corn salad. i just had to try it myself and voila! we added black beans and lemon juice, but here's a recipe you might like. oh and the tablecloth is from the san giovanni flea market in rome.


anyway, i have been searching on line for some fall inspiration from various fashion sites and blogs. i found this amazing alexander wang bag that i would love to have for fall, but it's just too, too much. anyone know where i might find something just as amazing, but for a lot less?? help.

sweet, sweet summertime

one of my favorite night time obsessions is watching the food network right before bed. the other night we saw this amazing chocolate covered, frozen banana recipe and had to try it!


it was so easy to do. here are the steps if you'd like to try it yourself...
1. cut the tips off the banana peels and place a popsicle stick in one end
2. peel the bananas
3. freeze at least 4 hours
4. melt baker's chocolate in a double broiler
5. crush the candy of your choice. we used butterfinger!
6. dip the bananas in chocolate and roll in the candy to cover
7. place the chocolate bananas on wax paper to harden and cool
8. enjoy!!






so yummy! i need more.

a simple night

last night i finally had my snowfall. it was beautiful. as i was leaving the store fluffy, white snowflakes were falling from the sky. i was in awe of it. at that moment, i turned around to look at the store and it looked so pretty and the night felt quiet. i took this picture, but it doesn't demonstrate its true beauty. you can't even tell it was snowing.


my friend was supposed to come down from new york and decided not to due to the weather. i decided to watch "the devil wears prada" and get ready for my friends gathering she is having tomorrow night. i am in charge of bringing a vegetarian dish and made this amazing black bean salad i got from one of my favorite cooking blogs "smitten kitchen". you can get the recipe here.


the salad was probably the best thing i ever made and didn't mess up. i made myself a bowl and for the party i am serving the salad with lime infused tortilla chips. yummy!

a comforting holiday treat

last night i finally remade our favorite "magic cookie bars" or "seven layer bars", i never know what to call them. the first time i made these treats i used all vegan ingredients. they really needed the sweetened condensed milk to have the right consistency. soy milk made them soggy, but people were nice enough to eat them anyway. i think we did it right this time, because they were yummy.


if you want to make them here's what you'll need:
1/2 cup butter
2 cups graham cracker crumbs
1 14oz. can of sweetened condensed milk
1 6oz. package of semi sweet chocolate morsels
3 1/2 oz. of flaked coconut
1 cup chopped nuts
1 6oz. package of butterscotch chips


here's what to do:
preheat your oven to 350 degrees
in 13 x 9 inch baking pan, melt the butter
sprinkle the graham cracker crumbs over the butter
pour the condensed milk evenly over the crumbs
top evenly with chocolate chips, coconut, crushed nuts (we used walnuts), and butterscotch
press down gently
bake 25 to 30 minutes or until lightly browned
cool thoroughly before cutting


the chopping and cutting took a while, but it was worth it. any recipes you'd like to share?

a little bit country

every now and then we get the craving for boiled peanuts. boiled peanuts is a folk culture practice of the south. it is the southern tradition of buying raw peanuts, adding salt and boiling them until they are soft and tender. they become a salty, addicting snack that i love sharing over an icy beer.


if you would like to try boiled peanuts here's what you'll need:
1 pound of fresh raw peanuts
1/4 cup kosher salt
4 cups water

here's what to do:
rinse shelled peanuts in water
place water, salt and peanuts in a pot
bring the peanuts to a boil for 3 to 5 hours until desired softness
drain, unshell and eat

they taste the best when warm. yum!

comfort food

i got home yesterday and really wanted something yummy and comforting. i remembered the amazing corn chowder recipe from the cookbook "the new vegan". after a lot of chopping, measuring and mixing it turned out pretty great.


if you want to try it, here's what you'll need:
2 medium sweet potatoes peeled and cut into 1/2 inch dices
2 tablespoons corn oil
salt and fresh ground pepper
1 lb. frozen (rinsed and defrosted) or fresh corn kernels about 4 cups
1 cup water
1 1/2 cup finely diced celery
1 cup diced red onion
1/4 cup diced shallots
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
3 cups vegetable broth
1 bay leaf
1 russet potato
2 tablespoons minced parsley
1/2 to 1 cup unflavored soy milk - optional

now here's what to do:
1. set oven rack to center and preheat 425, oil a large roasting pan
2. scatter sweet potatoes into pan and drizzle 1 tbs of corn oil, season w/ salt and pepper, cook until tender, tossing for 15 -20 min
3. reserve 1 cup corn kernels. in blender puree remaining corn with the water until smooth - 2 minutes.
4. in heavy soup pot, heat remaining tbs of oil. cook celery, onion and shallots over medium /high heat. stirring frequently.when onions are slightly softened add the tomato paste and thyme and cook another minute. stir frequently. add broth, puree corn, bay leaf, teaspoon of salt and pepper to taste.
5. while bringing the chowder to a boil, peel the potato, cut into 1/2 inch dices and add it to the pot. cover the pot and simmer 25 - 35 min. until potato is tender.
6. remove the bay leaf. add the reserved corn kernels, roasted sweet potatoes and parsley. thin with soy milk if necessary. do not boil after adding milk.


hope you love it as much as i do. any recipes you'd like to share?