friday links

Happy Friday!
As much as I want to say the word "happy" I am not with all these winter storms that keep hitting the Cape.
Two days ago was the first day of spring and right after that we had yet another snow storm.
This one dumping six inches of snow.  Which by the way, six inches of snow to us now is a mere couple of inches. I don't like getting used to it that way.
It's not so much the snow that bothers me, it's the lack of sun that is killing my moods.
We seem to be on this pattern of five days of cloudy, dark or snow weather, and maybe one and half days of sun.
I miss the sun, I miss the natural Vit D she gives me too.

chatham fish pier

chatham fish pier. The beach is still pretty no matter the weather.

provincetown. the row of cottages on route 6a just before entering p-town. ghostly looking, but in two months they will all be filled with life.

my latest obsession, the chipotle tabasco sauce has just the right amount of smoke added to it, and has just the right amount of heat.
you must try your avocado toast this way.

or try this way: on an egg sandwich.

I was asked to try Bonnieville's Power Cookie.  Pretty darn good for a vegan, gluten free and dairy free cookie! With no refined sugar too!
Those kind of cookies are hard to make AND hard to make tasty.  If I had to change one thing?
It needs more chocolate flavor.

The strawberries at Whole Foods have been simply stunning.
They always have the best selection of produce.

It's here!  I was sent a copy of Gesine latest cookbook!
I'm thrilled to pieces.  Have you seen the latest recipes?
Bake It like you Mean It is about showcasing cakes from the inside out,   Each chapter is devoted to a technique of making different types of cake beginning with the easiest recipe and moving to the more technically difficult as the chapter progresses.  When the cakes are cut they reveal intricate layers of patterns and designs.  One recipe you can have right now: Pyramid Cake is on her website.
Not only that, but recipes like creamsicle cheesecake, creamsicle meringue, truffle caramel fig cake, pumpkin mousse cruller tart, meyer lemon and blackberry zebra cheesecake....

sunshine creamsicle cheesecake pg. 170

around the web:

banana-brickle muffins from taste & tell
ham & cheese bread rolls from ang sarap
raw strawberry-lemon cake bars! from fragrant vanilla cake
s'mores candy bars! from not so humble pie (I am doing this!)
get enough sleep to ward off anxiety from greatist.com
avocado lovers maybe healthier overall from greatist.com
researchers care more about yoga than ever before from mindbodygreen.com
4 foods that can put you in a bad mood from aligyno.com
raw mint Oreo's from the sweet life
25 things to make you smile from buzzfeed.com
14 most common fitness injuries from outsidemagazine.com
bacon fat gingersnaps from seriouseats.com
best small towns in America (I love that P-town is on here) from fodors.com
dr oz's 30-day detox from doctoroz.com (anyone done this? seems costly)
how to make turkey jerky (paleo lovers) from marksdailyapple.com
turn bad habits into good ones from greatist.com
whole foods commits to full GMO transparency from wholefoodsmarket.com
detox asana: 8 yoga poses to spring clean your body from yoganonymous.com
how tapping can help you deal w/ debilitating disease from positivelypostive.com
secrets to living beyond 100 from intentblog.com
earl grey cupcakes w/ early grey frosting from fork and flower
curried baked carrot chips from oh my veggies
vintage easter basket cookies (step by step) from bobbies baking blog
spicy breaded sweet potato fries from peanut butter & peppers
easter biscuits from julias pantry
apple bourbon cream cheese wontons from lab at 56
bang bang shrimp from running to the kitchen
hawaiian bbq chicken taquitos from damn delicious
enter to win a trip to Duncan Hines Test Kitchen from bake or break
avocado feta salsa from diethood
buffalo chicken quinoa bites from damn delicious

Have a wonderful weekend!

friday links

Happy Friday!

Some of my recent finds at Trader Joe's. 

Some new, some not so new....

>

crunchy cookie butter! oh the baking possibilities.

anyone tried this? might get a couple for hubby.

these weren't too bad.  much better than ramen noodles. plus rice noodle is a better taste.

in the frozen section. they are small. too small for the price--I could eat the whole box in one sitting.

anyone tried this?  love the addition of brie, which makes me think to make a brie & pasta at home.

FINALLY! sweet potato tots. can't wait to try them.

small little pre-cooked pot roasts in a bag.  weird. small. afraid to try...you go first.  lol

the price can't be beat. much cheaper than whole foods. has anyone used it?  tell me if it's good?

more pre-cooked beef in a bag.  still, afraid to try.

these were decent.  get the tzatziki sauce to dip them in!

these two together = food harmony

anyone tried these danish pancakes aka ebelskivers

this was good--needs more peanut butter inside.

they were ok. not very onion-like tasting. I want to create my own now, with far less oil.

always weary of shelf-staple tofu. anyone tried this?

these are good. My homemade coconut truffles are much better though. 

not new, but I finally tried it and it was really good. The price is good too.

these were the 'sample of the day' and they were ok. a little dry, but good.

anyone tried this?

I found it hilarious that our trader joe's (cape cod) sells lobster tails at a ridiculous inflated price.

A couple of my friends got this and loved it. You?

As I've mentioned before, during the winters I tend to get a little bit of SAD (seasonal affective disorder), and while I take the fish oil, the Vit D3, etc...I haven't tried the "sun lights" yet.

I was hesitant about most of them until I came across a totally different kind of sun light that mimics the "blue sky of summer".  Did some research for reviews and most of them were positive   I was more than happy to give this a go.  

I did not shine this on the cat.  He was merely posing for the photo--ha!

About a week into using the light, I have to say I have noticed a huge improvement in my mood, and an even bigger increase in my energy levels.

The light is by Philips: Philips GoLite Blu. Sold on amazon. But look for the reviews on youtube.com.

It's a great, portable size. Hard to photograph when it's on since the light is bright, but this photo illustrates how small it is.

Don't use this at night, best to use in the morning.  Give it a couple days to start feeling a difference.

Here is the website for it, but make sure to buy it on amazon as it's much cheaper -- far cheaper!

I was at IKEA the other day and saw this wonderful bed workbar.

Isn't this the best idea?

The prices aren't that bad.

This is perfect for all our shoes in the garage. Well built too.

For this price?  Definitely getting a few for the office. Excellent way to hide all that crap and 'instantly' make the office look cleaner.

I use these for holding my dishes in the kitchen.  Five years later, and they are still going strong.

Can't remember the price of this, but it was cheap.

Would be great for a tv or play room right?

This is a dressing room model at IKEA.  Love how more modern IKEA has become.

Finally took hubby (for the first time) to Five Guys Burgers.

Let's just say he was a happy man. 

The Cadbury Eggs are already appearing!  

Around the web:

pretty pinwheel cookies from lucy's friendly foods

custard creme cookies from warm, snug & fat

pop up groundhog cookies from she knows food & recipes

iphone case doubles as coffee cup holder (very odd) from designtaxi.com

gorgeous mermaid dress from thefancy.com

'packed with love' sticky tape from thefancy.com

quick cinnamon-sugar baguette bread from wherethecookiesare.com

mermaid weathervane (must have this!) from thefancy.com

how to make homemade yogurt in a slow cooker from everybodylikessandiwches.com

gorgeous polka-dot cake! (you have to see this!) from easybaked.net

magazine stool from thefancy.com

how to brew turkish coffee (in case you wanted to know) from seriouseats.com

a list of taste-tested K-cups from seriouseats.com

fool proof pan pizza (love this) from seriouseats.com

that one light switch that you don't know what it goes to? now you do from tastefullyoffensive.com

friday links

Happy Friday!



Homemade sesame sticks! And from reading the recipe, it looks easy.

Delish high-fiber snacks.

Benefits of raw honey.

Best sources of Vit C.


The Bobine: What a great invention for keeping your iphone free-standing.


Why not take your pumpkin cookie and make it into pumpkin cookie bark?

Natural remedies for muscle pain.

Acupuncture may offer real pain relief after all.
I would LOVE to know who has done acupuncture and does it work?

Why you need biotin (and what does it do?)


Excellent idea! How to label your leftovers from organizinghomelife.com

How to freeze cooked brown rice.

Tips for really good smoothies.


Waffles made with.......beer.  Yes, indeed.  A whole new depth of flavor.

How to eat a cupcake.  Yes, there is a video for this. (cute!).

Excellent lineup of some of the best recipes for veggie burgers.

How to make spaghetti-pizza.

How to make Tonkatsu sauce (Japanese style BBQ sauce).

Warm chocolate risotto.

Dorie Greenspan has a new cookie store open: Beurre & Sel

A place I want to visit--soon: Danny Macaroons!

Peppermint patty brownie cups.

Oh my! cinnamon-cream cheese breakfast bars! (bookmarked)


kitty litter cake for Halloween!  Isn't this the best?

Tooth fairy receipts.  How cute are these?

Finally a candy with no chemicals or dyes--all natural.  Unreal Candies.


Pet Peek windows!  Cute!

9 ways to develop true self-esteem.

What gets in the way of your exercise routine?

Breast cancer: knowing the signs.


Salted whiskey caramels.

Homemade tootsie rolls!


I've been slowly inching my way closer towards a paleo/primal lifestyle, and I have to say giving up carbs isn't that bad.  I replaced carbs with bacon.  (kidding).


In my last friday link roundup I shared with you how I am prone to getting SAD (seasonal affective disorder) during the dark and cold months of jan, feb & march here in new england.
I was shocked, and very comforted on how many people emailed me telling me they have it as well.
And a few of you asked what I do to help ease the symptoms.
I get outside as much as possible, even on the cloudy days.  They say even if it's a cloudy day, the light illumination is still there (more so than being inside).
I do weightlifting to help boost/move the blood which helps boost the mood.
I take a lot of fish oil and a good amount of Vit D3. (make sure you get enough of the D3)
If you can, get high quality fish oil that is tested for the highest levels of omega 3's and is low in impurities.
In the photo above,  I use Vital Choice fish oils and TwinLab Tri-boron.  I don't take all the fish oils the same day, rather I alternate one day is krill oil with astaxanthin and the next day is the salmon oil with the astaxanthin....
Do they help?  Yes they do.  There was one winter where I did not take the fish oil for about 2 months and noticed a significant change in my moods.
Maybe Vital Choice will see this post and offer up a giveaway for my fans and perhaps a discount?
Feel free to share with us what works for you in combating SAD?
I would love to share your tips!


Last week it was my birthday as well as my wedding anniversary.
Hubby and I celebrated (and broke our diets) by going to one of our favorite places to eat: Kelly's Roast Beef.
If any of you are from boston, you know how good Kelly's is.
They haven't changed a thing there, no downsizing of meals, no cutting back on quality--same old roast beef sandwich perfection. (that bag of fries? it's a small :-)

What I want to read (don't these sound good?):

Gourmet Slow Cooker 

The Paleo Slow Cooker

FoolProof Freezer Cookbook

Saving the best for last on this friday link roundup......
For those of you that are nostalgic cape cod fans (myself included) here is a wonderful video of the cape cod canal circa 1939.


I am having a really hard time saying goodbye to summer. :-(