Sep 1, 2014
Summer burgers on the grill are good, but homemade fries 
make them better… and when they’re garlic truffle fries, well then they’re BEST!
In honor of Labor Day, I’m sharing my recipe for Garlic Truffle fries. I only recently added the truffle oil, so if you’re not into it, no big deal, just omit the oil. And while I’d rather have a super crunchy, deep-fried french fry (sigh), I always feel a little better making homemade fries when they’re baked. Enjoy!
Garlic Truffle Fries
approximately 1 Russet potato per person
cloves of garlic, minced and smashed
kosher salt
parsley
1-2 T. butter
cooking spray (Pam)
black truffle oil (optional)
Trim potatoes into a rectangular shape by removing the four rounded sides. I leave on the ends because I like the skin, but if you don’t you can lop those off too. Slice fries to desired thickness. Coat with cooking spray and toss on a baking sheet.
Bake at 400 degrees for 15-20 minutes, tossing occasionally. When they are golden on all sides, remove from the oven.
In a large saucepan, melt the butter and add garlic. Toss fries to coat in the buttery garlic and add truffle oil if desired. Remove from heat and sprinkle with parsley and salt. Serve immediately.
*Note: A quick toss is all that’s necessary – if you cook too long, the fries will get soggy*
Jul 31, 2014
Confession: I’ve never met a sangria I didn’t like, but I’ve never made one myself. This week I tried it for a girl’s night by the pool and was surprised by how quick, easy (and delicious) it was.
In searching for recipes, my heart skipped a beat when I came across Emeril’s recipe using red wine instead of white, so I knew that’s where I wanted to start. His recipe had great reviews, but I made a few tweaks (because I had more fruit and flavored sparkling water on hand). Judging by the empty pitcher BEFORE the night was even close to over, I think it was a success!
This is such a quick recipe, I didn’t have time to take to take “how to” pics. Instead I give you Summer Sangria, plain and simple:
Summer Sangria
(yield: approximately 3 quarts)
2 bottles of red wine
1/2 cup brandy
1/2 cup Grand Marnier
1/2 cup sugar
4 T fresh lime juice
4 T fresh orange juice
1 thinly sliced lemon
1 thinly sliced orange
1 thinly sliced nectarine
1 unwaxed apple, cored and thinly sliced
12 pitted cherries
1 (750 mL) bottle Lorina Pomegranate Blueberry Sparkling water
Combine everything except the sparkling water in a large container. Chill 1 – 2 hours. Add sparkling water before serving and pour into glasses with ice. Garnish with “boozey” fruit if desired.
Cheers!
Jul 8, 2014
In honor of the store’s upcoming Semi-Annual Lemons and Leftovers Sale next week, I thought it might be fun to share a delicious, lemony recipe that’s perfect for summer entertaining. This is a recipe I got from Gourmet Pantry a few years ago, and it’s always been a crowd-pleaser. It’s also ridiculously easy {seriously, the only forethought you need is to let the goat cheese sit long enough to come to room temperature}.
Lemony Goat Cheese & Basil Dip
4 oz. goat cheese
zest of 1 lemon (about 2 tablespoons)
juice of 1 lemon (about 1/4 cup)
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons minced, fresh basil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
In a medium bowl, place the goat cheese and bring to room temperature.
Meanwhile, in a small bowl, zest 1 lemon. Cut and juice the lemon into the bowl.
Add 1/4 cup of olive oil.
Wash, dry and mince basil leaves yielding 2 tablespoons of basil.
Mince the garlic and smash with the heel of a knife. Add the minced basil, smashed garlic, salt and pepper to the lemon and oil mixture. Whisk the ingredients together until the lemon juice emulsifies the oil {I used a fork}.
Pour half the lemon-basil-oil mixture into the medium bowl with the goat cheese. With a fork {gee, that fork is coming in handy}, mix together very well until it is a smooth consistency.
Place the mixed goat cheese on a shallow serving dish and drizzle with the remaining lemon-basil-oil on top.
Serve with your favorite cracker or crostini. Enjoy!
If you want to download a pdf version of this recipe, just click here.
Jun 8, 2014
Last summer was my initial “investment” in the patio project. I didn’t want to spend a lot of money, but I knew that I had to start somewhere, so the World Market Outdoor Furniture Sale was my first stop. **TIP: Apparently they have this sale annually, mid-June to July, so if you plan ahead and watch for it, you can save BIG time. I just happened upon the sale last year and a sales associate told me their goal is to have everything cleared out by July 4th.**
I ended up choosing this Catalina Occasional Deep Bench (it’s seriously deep – probably twin bed size!), Occasional Chair, Coffee Table and Side Table. It took a little extra work to acquire the set (my local store didn’t have them all), but between my mom and I, we did it. And even better, everything was 50-75% off because they were on sale (and some were store displays)! {Retail value: $600, Actual cost: $250}
Next up, I ordered a rug from Target {approximately $70}
This summer I decided to add COLOR.
First I bought a slipcover for the bench and chair cushions (the day the went on sale because I was watching for the email)! Actually, I bought a few so I can change them out – red, turquoise and off white.
Then I mixed in a few colorful pillows and a lantern from Garden Ridge.
Originally, I thought some flameless candles from there would work too… but they melted after about 10 minutes in the heat. So I went online and found these fab ones that are made specifically for the out of doors. I like that they flicker, have an optional timer, and their glow isn’t that fake bright orange.
I planted a few new flowers {in existing pots}, added a Patio Egg to keep the mesquitoes away and… DONE!
I know it will probably always be a work in progress, but at least it’s cheerful and it’s a good start.
Cheers to prettying up the porch. Now I just need to have a porch party to break it in!
PS- If you like the succulent tower, I’ve got instructions for how to make one here.
Jun 2, 2014
Last summer, I made a fun little “succulent tower” to put on my front porch. At the time, I was just playing around and had no idea that someone might want to know how to make their own. When it was finished, a few people asked me to blog a how-to, but since I hadn’t taken step by step photos, I couldn’t do that. {Yes, I’ve heard of bloggers starting over to recreate the scene, but… blogging isn’t my day job, so I don’t have time for that.}
Well, I accidentally let mine freeze this winter (oopsie!) and had to redo it, so here’s a half how-to.
Supplies Needed:
a tiered wire basket ( mine is similar to this one from Crate & Barrel )
sheet moss (I got mine at JoAnn’s)
a few sheets of newspaper
scissors
2 cups (approx) gravel
2 cups (approx) play sand
Miracle-Gro Cactus, Palm & Citrus Potting Mix
Assorted succulents – I used 1 Ripple Jade (Crassula arborescens undulatifolia) for the top tier (broken into three parts), 4 (4 oz) Echeveria “Dondo”, 2 Key Lime Pie (adromischus cristatus) and 2 Graptosedum “California Sunset” (Graptosdeum)… but you can really use anything that’s small and will fit in the container you’re using.
Since I laid the groundwork last summer, I don’t have photos of these first three steps, but they’re pretty easy to visualize:
1. Use the scissors to cut strips of the sheet moss, slightly wider than the width of each tier of the wired container, and place them inside each tier, moss-side-facing-out, starting the strip at the top edge of the wire basket (the “extra” width of the strip should curve around the bottom of the basket slightly, towards the inside of the tower). The moss is mostly for looks, but it also keeps the soil contained, so you just need to make sure the edges are covered so soil doesn’t fall through the wire.
2. Cut (or tear) newspaper to fit in the bottom of each tier and lay it flat all the way around. Again, this is just to keep the soil from falling out and still allow for water to drain.
3. Create a thin layer of gravel at the bottom of each tier to help weigh it down (and provide better drainage), then sprinkle the sand evenly over the gravel for each tier.
4. Continue to fill each tier with the cactus potting mix, careful not to fill above the edge of the container.
5. Determine the placement of the succulents by placing them (in their plastic container) where you think they look best. You can mix up the types and placement, but I wanted a more uniform look for this project, so I kept them evenly spaced (3 parts around the top, 4 of the same around the middle, and 2 of each kind, alternating, along the bottom tier).
6. Working one at a time, dig a small well for each succulent and then gently place it, reinforcing with soil to keep it in its spot. I always feel like potting succulents is weird because they’re so light (no moisture in the soil) that it doesn’t have that satisfying “plop” into the potting mix that flowering plant does. Just mound up soil round it once it’s placed, but be aware it still may feel fragile.
Once all of the succulents are in place, they may be a little dirty, but don’t worry. Once you give the entire tower a gentle watering, they’ll be bright and beautiful!
In the warm months, I water my succulent tower once a week or so… and obviously I’m going to have to try harder in the winter with this one. (ha!)
