friday links

With the warmer weather coming up, here are a few quick meals I've come up with using foods from Trader Joe's.
Some you might like, some not so much, but it should give you other ideas for quick and simple meals.


I'm seriously addicted to these little rice balls. I've used them in many a stir fry dish. They are so good with this sweet chili sauce--I use that sauce on almost everything.


Have you tried the creamy polenta?


One of my favorite snacks.


An excellent sandwich--trust me on this one.


Another winning sandwich combo.


You simply must try this salad dressing--it's that good. Very gentle pear flavor, with the just the right amount of gorgonzola. So good!


This is what I use for ALL my pizzas. Thanks to Esi for turning me on to it. I buy this in bulk.

From around the web:

The perfect lunge

50 awesome pre and post workout snacks. Great list.

Outside Magazine breaks down some of the best diet plans. Well I shouldn't say diet but more of a lifestyle eating. They were tested for a year.

Chicken & cashew lettuce cups (bookmarked!)

Bratwurst foodporn. Bratwurst in pretzel bun (from serious eats)

Mini taco salad bowls!! (thanks Pam)

Houses on their own tiny islands.

Anyone tried the Tracy Anderson method?

New York's state prisons (now closed) for sale as a home? Hmmm.

30 minute chickpea, coconut, cashew curry.


Chocolate cupcakes with biscoff buttercream! (from the little kitchen)


Hot Dog cookies! I just love these. (from CakeSpy)

Double dark chocolate granita.

How to make a succulent sea terrarium. So cute.

How to make Chaat. A lot easier than I thought.


One of my friends turned me on to this ginger beer. It's so good. If you love ginger, then you're going to love this.


Anthropologie, one of my favorite places to not shop at because of the high prices. But I do love admiring their new arrivals from afar. I just adore this dress for summer.


Everyone needs a long black skirt. This is perfect for almost any top; casual or dressy.


This bathing suit is so retro it's adorable. I'm tempted to get it.


They are lounge pants, but I would totally wear them as regular pants since the colors are so summer.

Have a great weekend kids!

friday links

It's Friday and it's time for the holiday weekend to BEGIN.
I'm so happy. We (cape cod) finally have sun.
Our springs consist mainly of rain, rain, then 1 day of sun, then more rain.
It's taxing on the mood for sure.


Cape Cod national seashore, down by nauset lighthouse.





We had a lot of rain, gloom and darkness for the past three weeks. So glad it's gone!




Deep sea fishing boats in harwich port, ma are ready for the season.


Our town was conducting gas line testing. I had to capture this on photo, it was such an intense flame and the magnitude of heat that came off it was frightening. I was about 200 feet or more away and could easily feel the intense heat.

From around the web:

One week coffee is good for you and the next week it's not. Here's another article on how coffee can deter skin cancer? On the fence with this one.

How to plant an upside down tomato planter (this way looks so much easier).

Dental x-rays linked to common brain tumor? Hmmm.

Homes in bizarre places. The cement factory converted into a home is wild.

An article on how long a nap should last. LOL!! (as if)


Aren't these ocean art prints so pretty? Perfect for a white wall bathroom or office. From Society6.com


For the wanderlust in all of us, how about this one? A reminder to get outside and travel. Also from Society6.com


This one I love. If I could collect maps (new and old) for a living I would. I have a small bathroom that just begs for this wallpaper. Check out the other wallpapers, quite unique and will give you some great ideas next time you go wallpaper shopping. From Lonnymag.com

Grilled chicken recipes for weekend grilling. From Seriouseats.com

Swedish meatballs done right. Not those soggy, mushy crappy kind. These are done by chef marcus samuelsson.

Are you a macaroni salad lover? I am too, but I'm fussy and want the flavorful kind. Here is a list of good ones, more importantly: macaroni cobb salad! Bookmarked!

This video on youtube is AMAZING!. If you're afraid of heights do not click. If not, then enlarge that screen.

Want to try a different BBQ sauce this holiday weekend? How about tandori BBQ sauce?

Avoid depression while bathing suit shopping! Some good tips (I think).

Energy drinks they do cause depression--this one I firmly believe. All those chemicals are just not good for you. Great article.


Excellent round up of mango recipes from whole foods.


Recently I tried one of the Blue Print Juice raw drinks. They aren't bad. This one pictured has beet juice in it and I thought I would gag, but I didn't. Would love to try the whole cleanse routine; pricey little suckers though.

MIT engineers solve the problem of backed-up ketchup bottle. Hmmm. (love that it took an engineer to solve this) .

Plant eater paradise: 2012 Best Summer Cookbooks.

Ice cream recipes that need NO ice cream maker. Excellent list.

True cost of eating healthier? Guess what? It's cheaper!


One of the best buttermilk dressings I've come across. Heirloom tomato-basil salad with buttermilk dressing. From whole foods.



Eat Raw Eat Well: Excellent book on eating more raw foods. Nothing crazy or wild, no crazy grocery lists to be had. It's really all about a gentle way to ease you into more raw food eating that actually tastes good. I was quite shocked at how all the recipes looked good.

Have a wonderful holiday!

Don't forget to enter the cookbook giveaway for the book Pie It Forward from Gesine Bullock-Prado. Did you read the interview? Good reads.

friday links

A short friday fun stuff this week as my laptop is crashing every three hours; obviously on its last leg. Or is it on it's last CPU? No more PC, patiently waiting for tax refund to finally get a MAC. Yep a MAC. Can't wait.

Did everyone see this amazing story of the disabled war veteran Arthur Boorman? His remarkable transformation using a powerhouse yoga regimen over the course of a year? Have you seen what he looks like now? He looks great, but what I really noticed was how happy he looked. Watch the video--it inspired me to give this type of a yoga a try. I have a bad back at times and a bad knee. I keep my back strong with weights, but my knee NEEDS flexibility. I'm definitely ordering the DDPYOGA. If you don't know about DDPYOGA, watch the above video. Or watch the original video on YouTube

Rest in peace Maurice Sendak. Your motto: "live your life, live your life, live your life..." Is on my wall in my office. Those words keep me grounded.




Love this article from Gawker on ice cream. 5 Things That Need To Be Put into Mainstream Ice Cream.



There's a new chip in town. I tried them, they are OK. They need more coating and they are a LOT harder than the normal cape cod chip--tooth breaking hard.



Coffee flavored coconut water. Hmm. Maybe as a cocktail, but not as a sports drink.



Saw this in Pinterest and had to share it with you all. Walking heals everything doesn't it?

Plants that help you get a good nights sleep?

I've heard so many good things about repelling flies with a hanging bag of water. Well, here's more proof, and something a little more attractive and easier than just a plastic bag of water. An eco friendly, safe way to repel flies.

Gutter gardening. No yard, no problem, gutter gardens.

Edible bingo.

The 2012 James Beard winners!

Thai shrimp cakes with sweet chili sauce. Already bookmarked!

And Thai shortbread! Fascinating.

A recap from the 2012 Sweet & Snack show in Chicago.

Avocado Fries. Easy recipe.

Video: Christina Tosi before she was famous.

How to make salsa from scratch.

Happy Mother's Day!! Have a great weekend!

friday links

Here in the new england we've had a lot of rain and cloudy days. Starts to take it toll on one's sanity. On the horizon though summer is right around the corner--which I hope means more sunny days. Other signs of spring here on cape cod mean the swans have had their babies. I was lucky enough to get these photos as both the mommy and daddy are fiercely protective. Even coming within 20 feet of them they start to hiss and charge. So with my handy little iphone I was able to snap these photos.
And if you look closely at first photo (left swan) there is a baby on the back, hidden under the feathers; the head is sticking out. I watched the baby climb up onto the wing, the swan (the mom I think) then lifted the baby up to her back and the baby swan snuggled in. It was one of the most touching moments I'd seen in a while.





This is chatham, mass, down by the chatham fish pier market. Boats are beginning to resurface.



A clammer heading over to Tern Island to dig up some steamers.



Cape Cod National Seashore is just breathtaking when the sun finally does shine on cape cod.





One lone surfer going to a surf just before sunset at Nauset Lighthouse Beach.



Another clammer digging away at Corporation Beach in Dennis.



Ice cream season has begun! And I'm already indulging, a little too much lately. We have a new ice cream joint in Sandwich, The Shipwreck in Sandwich, MA, down by the sandwich marina. Prices and ice cream aren't too bad. This size, in the photo is a small! On sunny days the lines are long, but that comes with the territory of good ice cream. The Shipwreck Ice Cream (no website) 2 Freezer Road, Sandwich, MA down just before the entrance to the sandwich marina.



Found a new love for energy bars. This one is by Bonk Breakers. Really good, and does not taste like a chemically energy bar. All wholesome ingredients too. The best one was the almond butter-honey. Tried contacting them for a product review and giveaway, no response yet. Fingers crossed!



Next Organics new chocolate covered ginger are ok. Really sweet in the middle. I think if they did not use as much sugar in the middle with the ginger it would taste good.



My latest Trader Joe obsession are the vegetable pakoras smothered in tzatziki.



Heard really good reviews about the new Stonewall Kitchen coconut curry sauce. Anyone tried it yet?



Recipe fail. I tried using nutella inside a berry pie. It came out horrid tasting. The nutella when baked with the fruit had a taste of burnt nutella. Not good.



Need to recreate these little gems. Oh these are good. From Lark Fine Foods.



From around the web:

Found a wonderful recipe for homemade vegan ice cream bars from veggie-wedgie.com. Wait till you see the photo!

Lays potato chips now has BLT flavored chips? That sounds so good. I love anything bacon flavored. Anyone tried them?

Cornflake crumbles from Serious Eats. Like little crunchy type muffins. Don't these look good?

Son-in-law eggs -- Thai style.

The classic Coca-Cola cake. I never tire looking at it.

Summer cocktail season will soon be here. Here is a rhubarb-ginger drink that's already bookmarked. (isn't that color fabulous?)

Waffle furniture (edible). Love this.

Small scale remodeling to help you plan out your next remodel. Yay or nay? Not sure.

Garden hose storage that's easy to do for non-DIY'ers like me.

And this is my favorite, when I first showed this to my friends on facebook, they all screamed in horror. I love this idea for a bathroom. You?

There are times when I get asked to review a cookbook and I simply cannot wait.
This would be one of those times.
Received this little gem in the mail and fell in love with it because it's all about quick and easy baking with a huge dose of creativity, as well as the option to be make it healthy. I mean the ideas are endless on what one can do with a muffin pan.
Muffin Tin Chef is a very creative look at making meals, snacks, and even desserts using a muffin pan! I highly recommend this book--very creative and not full of fat.





You can make everything from peach stuffed french toast, lasagna rolls, taco cups, and no-bake mini cheesecakes! All with a muffin tin! With summer heat just around the corner, this little kitchen staple cookbook will be a lifesaver for fast and easy meals that aren't boring. And the best part, is that most of the recipes are semi-healthy, not a lot of fat or junk is used. The author Matt Kadey is a registered dietitian who has done a few articles for Mens Health, Womens Health, Shape, Prevention, Eating Well, etc... So you know he took the time to develop good recipes with a healthy edge. His mission was to make you see that muffin tins are not just for cupcakes and muffins.



Have a great weekend! Don't forget to watch the supermoon this saturday night (may 5, 2012). It's going to be a beauty.