the home. t

It's important to be proud of where you come from. And if you're from one of the 50 states, you can snag this uber cute t-shirt to rep your home. I wear a lot of blouses and way too many sweaters. Sometimes, it's nice to just throw on a cute tee that means something. And, of course, piling on tons of baubles is also part of my usual dress code.

Another thing-- this shirt is unisex. Don't you love it when ladies and gents can be twinsies? I do. So, boys, don't be shy--  you can show off your home and support the cause, too. But maybe leave the bauble-wearing to the ladies. Or not. I don't judge.

If I haven't yet convinced you that you should purchase one of these tees, then maybe you should also know that there's a cause involved. Buying this shirt means you're contributing to multiple sclerosis (MS) research.

Rock this tee, support the cause, and feel good (literally-- this tee is SO soft!).

 shirt: The Home. T || jeans: Rag & Bone

necklaces: BaubleBar Onyx Chain Strand (top) & BaubleBar Lilac Tab Strand (bottom)

bracelets (left to right): Gorjana Cross Over Cuff Bracelet, BaubleBar Onyx Garbo Bracelet (ivory & sky available), & BaubleBar Pave Links Bracelet

strawberry balsamic salad with chicken

It's getting warmer, which means I certainly feel like eating lighter. Spring/summertime is my favorite because there's plenty of fresh produce available, and I seriously can't get enough. I decided to sweeten up my salad with strawberries, and then added leftover barbequed chicken thighs to balance it all out. The smokey, grilled flavor from the chicken was a bonus. Have I inspired you to have dinner outside? Fire up the grill and toss this simple spring salad together.

Strawberry Balsamic Salad with Chicken
Serves 2

INGREDIENTS
3 cup chopped romaine lettuce
3 Tbsp strawberry balsamic dressing (see recipe below)
1 cup cooked chicken pieces, chopped (I had leftover BBQ'ed chicken thighs.)
3/4 cup sliced fresh strawberries

DIRECTIONS
1. Toss romaine with strawberry balsamic dressing. Add 3/4 cup of the chicken pieces and 1/2 cup of the strawberry slices and toss again.
2. Top with the remaining chicken and strawberries.
3. To brighten it up, you can also finish your salad off with fresh lemon zest.

____________________________________________

Strawberry Balsamic Dressing

INGREDIENTS
1/2 cup mashed fresh strawberries
1/8 cup balsamic vinegar
1 Tbsp + 1 tsp honey
pinch of salt and pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS
1. Add mashed strawberries balsamic vinegar and honey to saucepan and heat on medium high until it starts rapidly bubbling. Stir well to incorporate everything and also frequently to keep from sticking to the sides. 
2. Once it starts rapidly bubbling, allow to cook for about 2 minutes while stirring. Then, turn the heat way down to low/medium-low heat. Stir the mixture around occasionally as it continues to cook. It's ready when the balsamic vinegar has reduced-- the mixture has thickened and the volume looks like it has halved.
3. Add salt and pepper to taste. Allow mixture to cool for a few minutes before using. This can be used a spread, because it is somewhat jam-like. Or you can also use this as a dressing. Take your pick.

broccamoli

Broccoli, meet guacamole. You don't know it yet, but you will be great friends. So great that you two deserve your own fun moniker. Shall we call you broccamoli? Oh, we shall.

Broccamoli

INGREDIENTS
2 ripened avocados, diced
1/2 cup tomatoes, diced
1/4 cup onion, diced
1 cup cooked broccoli, chopped
1 tsp fresh cilantro, roughly chopped
juice of 1/2 a lime, freshly squeezed
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper

DIRECTIONS
1. Add all ingredients to a bowl and mix well to combine.
2. Serve with whatever you usually eat with guac.

And there you go. Broccamoli-- your not-so-traditional dip.

faded neon sweater + layered sparkle

I don't care what the season, I will always wear sweaters. What can I say? I'm addicted to baggy, casual comfort. And, since it's spring, a little neon doesn't hurt either. This sweater from Madewell looks heavy for the season, but it actually has just the right amount of weight for a partly cloudy day. Yellow, violet, pink, skinny jeans, and sparkle.. Yep, I think I covered all the bases.

 sweater: Madewell || jeans: Rag & Bone || necklaces: BaubleBar || ring: BaubleBar

 necklaces: Ice Akasha Strand (top) ||  Violet Triad Collar (bottom)

ring: Pave Link Ring

cheddar and chive buttermilk scones

Okay. Storytime. So, when people don't know what the hell to buy me for my birthday, Christmas, etc etc.. I almost always receive a cookbook. And since I spend all my free time in the kitchen, I can see why I'm just so easy to please. But out of all the cookbooks I've accumulated over the years, my sister seems to find me the best ones. She actually puts in a lot of time researching and reading reviews beforehand. It's thoughtful and--I'm almost positive-- a giant hint she wants me to make all that stuff for her.

One of the most recent cookbooks from my sister, Tartine, is a must-have.. at least for me. The recipes from this San Francisco based bakery are not only diverse but doable. And for those less interested in the actual recipes themselves, this gorgeous hardbound book would look sensational on a coffee table.

I've been dying to make scones, because I'm always interested in making something new. When I was strolling through Trader Joe's the other day, I intentionally picked up buttermilk, a block of sharp cheddar, and chives knowing I had to be on this mission.

Note: When attempting to make something for the first time, always have a good standby guide on hand. In this case, mine was the Tartine cookbook. Although their dessert buttermilk scone recipe wasn't quite what I had in mind, it's all about adapting... And I happen to adapt well.

Cheddar and Chive Buttermilk Scones
Adapted from Tartine // Elizabeth M. Prueitt & Chad Robertson
Yields 12 scones

INGREDIENTS
4 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 Tbsp baking powder
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 1/4 tsp salt
1 cup + 1 Tbsp unsalted butter, very cold
1 1/2 cups buttermilk
1 cup shredded sharp cheddar + more for sprinkling
1/4 cup chopped chives

DIRECTIONS
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
2. In a large mixing bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, and baking soda. Then add sugar and salt and stir with wooden spoon.
3. Cut cold butter into 1/2-in cubes and scatter over dry ingredients. Use a pastry blender to cut butter into dry ingredients until it's a coarse mixture with visible pea-sized lumps of butter.
4. Add buttermilk, cheddar and chives all at once to the mixture. Stir gently with the wooden spoon. Continue mixing until dough comes together-- add small amount of buttermilk at a time if the dough is too dry. 
5. Turn dough onto work surface lightly dusted with flour. Shape into a rectangle about 18 inches long, 5 inches wide, and 1 1/2 inches thick. 
6. With a sharp knife, cut into 12 triangles and place onto a parchment-lined baking sheet. 
7. Brush the tops of the triangles with melted butter (you will need about 2 Tbsp). Sprinkle extra shredded cheddar on top (optional).
8. Bake in preheated oven for 25-35 minutes until the tops are lightly browned. Remove from oven and serve right away.

Crisp on the outside and SO fluffy, flaky, and tender on the inside. It really is everything a savory scone should be. The end.

homemade tagalongs

As if I haven't been using chocolate and peanut butter together enough already (see here and here), I've got another recipe to add to the recipe box.

For the whole month of February and most of March, I tried to track down those darn Girl Scouts. I must say, when I was a Girl Scout, I worked hard pushing cookies. This cookie pusher was always on a mission: selling in front of grocery stores, walking door-to-door to every house in the neighborhood, calling all my relatives and anyone I knew. I actually kind of hated cookie season because of this. But I genuinely looked forward to the day the tables would be turned. What the hell.. I'm still waiting. I swear, times have changed. I'm not only disappointed but sadly cookieless, as well. Worst feeling ever.

Anyway, screw it. I made my own Girl Scout cookies-- Homemade Tagalongs. I stumbled upon a blog that successfully replicated these treasures. Though With Sprinkles on Top got the recipe elsewhere, I love her pictures. They are so gorgeous I didn't even feel compelled to photoblog my cookie-making journey for you.

These take some time but, for me, not nearly as much as trying to track down one freakin box to buy. Seriously, Girl Scouts? Look what you made me do. Please also note, I purposely picked the fattiest cookie on the menu to replicate, because no scouts (and cookies) in sight made me slightly depressed.

Homemade Tagalongs
Recipe by We Are Not Martha
Yields: a lot of scrumptious cookies

INGREDIENTS
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temp
1 cup white granulated sugar
1 large egg
1 Tbsp vanilla extract
3 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/2 cup smooth peanut butter
1/2 cup powdered sugar
2 cups semi-sweet chocolate (or whatever chocolate you want)

DIRECTIONS
1. In a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream butter and white granulated sugar together until fluffy and even. Scrape down the bowl and beat again to make sure butter and sugar are incorporated well. Beat in egg and vanilla.
2. In a separate bowl, whisk together flour and salt. Then add this dry mixture to wet mixture on the lowest speed.
3. On a large piece of parchment paper, shape dough into a cylinder (diameter of 2-3 inches). Wrap in the parchment paper and freeze for at least 25 minutes.
4. Slice the chilled dough into 1/8 inch disks. Place as many as you can fit on parchment-lined baking sheet, because they won't spread. You can cut as little or as much as you like, but the filling and chocolate proportions in the recipe are for about 30 cookies. Must make more peanut butter filling and melt more chocolate to accommodate the whole cylinder of dough. Wrap any dough not used in plastic wrap and freeze for later use.
5. Bake cookies in preheated 350 degree F oven for 8-10 minutes. Do not overbake. You are not looking for any sign of browning. Definitely should not be over 10 minutes. The cookies might look somewhat soft but will firm up further as they cool.
6. While the cookies are cooling on a wire rack, mix together peanut butter and powdered sugar.
7. Place disks of the peanut butter mixture on top of the cooled cookies. You don't need to press peanut butter filling to the very edge of the cookies. It's best to leave a bit of room.
8. Melt chocolate chips over a double broiler-- or microwave (heating in 30 second intervals and stirring well until all the chocolate is smooth and even.
9. Dip cookies in chocolate and coat well. Place back onto parchment lined baking sheet to set. Pop in the fridge/freezer for a few minutes to speed up chocolate re-hardening.
10. Store leftovers in an airtight container.

nutella cookies with sea salt

Hello, May! I thought I'd start off this month with an extremely easy, chocolate cookie with a salty surprise. This recipe by Ambitious Kitchen came to me via Pinterest. Only 1 bowl and 5 ingredients-- all I happened to have in my kitchen. Really, can't get much easier than that. As you bite into the chewy (and slightly crisp exterior), you literally want to close your eyes and savor the fudgy center. That is exactly what I did.

Nutella Cookies with Sea Salt
Recipe by Ambitious Kitchen
12-14 cookies


INGREDIENTS
1 cup Nutella
2 Tbsp packed light brown sugar
1 egg
1/2 cup + 1 Tbsp all-purpose flour
coarse sea salt for sprinkling


DIRECTIONS
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. With a electric hand mixer or stand mixer with paddle attachment, mix together all ingredients except for sea salt.
3. Portion dough into about 1-inch balls onto a parchment-lined baking sheet. Freeze for 10 minutes.
4. Bake in preheated oven for 8-10 minutes. Look for the edges crisping up. I ended up baking for a total of 14 minutes, because it had a very round center still after 10. This could have been because a) I froze the dough a bit longer and/or b) my oven lies to me and usually needs extra time to warm up to the set temperature. My advice is to start with 8-10 and add extra minutes if necessary.
5. Remove cookies from the oven, and generously sprinkle with sea salt. Allow to cool directly on the baking sheet for a few minutes. Then transfer to a wire rack to finish cooling. Cookies will seems very soft, but that's why they are so fudgy once they cool completely!