friday links

Happy Friday!

Our cape cod sunsets have been so beautiful lately; I try to catch as many as I can. All of these are taken with my trusty iphone.  This photo (below) that pink is just stunning.

west dennis beach

sandwich marina. sandwich, ma

clam diggers in chatham, ma

my kind of dinner. never tire of steamers.

chatham fish pier, chatham, ma (with tern island in the distance)


chatham fish pier, chatham, ma

around the web:

homemade vanilla creamer (no junk) from what's megan making
are you making these sunshine mistakes? from mercola.com
very inspiring health & fitness mantras from greatist.com (LOVE these!)
DIY jeweled heels from honestlywtf.com
ultimate guide to protein supplements from greatist.com
the semi-origin of gym machines? from theatlantic.com
relationship between exercise & inflammation from marksdailyapple.com
I love this ad for the van gogh museum cafe from hyperallergic.com
buttered grits cookies! from dessertfortwo.com
how to make candy sugar hearts from crunchycreamysweet.com
influenza sorbet (for real) from jeni's splendid ice cream
be a better cheese buyer from thekitchn
buckwheat: the new baking star from thekitchn
sea-salted choco-toffee rods from the moon blush baker
how to spot fake sriracha from foodrepublic.com
DIY healthier tortilla chips from thekitchn
DIY gluten free all-purpose mix from glutenfreegirl
sloppy tempeh-joe from chickypea
cooking salmon: minimizing that weird white stuff from thekitchn
beyond chicken noodle soup from thekitchn
rundown of 5 fitness apps from foodrepublic.com (I'm getting the yoga stretch one)
chinese mushroom soup from vanillabeanblog
leftover champagne: make vinegar from thekitchn
baltimore crab pretzel sticks from foodrepublic.com
fried pizza sandwiches from diethood.com
rice krispie treat snowballs from chocolatemoosey.com
thai turkey burgers from howsweeteats.com
swedish dream cookies from saveur.com
DIY single serving choco chip cookies from number2pencil.com

And finally a big thumbs up to one of the best places on cape cod to have breakfast: Keltic Kitchen
in west yarmouth, ma.
Should you plan a trip to cape cod, this is the best place to get a homemade breakfast.
Whether you want Irish or not, their food is amazing, prices are very reasonable and the portions are huge.
This is definitely not a tourist trap where they soak you for every dollar and give you a small
meal.  They do get very crowded on the weekends, so come early.
I promise they will take good care of you--plenty of friendly waitstaff who will gladly tell you about their homeland of Ireland.


I had the Keltic Benny with a side of bacon.  Huge right?  The best breakfast I've had in a long time on cape cod.

friday links

Sorry the friday links have been m.i.a. for a while.
But I have lots to share with you!
Let's get right to it!

onion, bacon and butternut tart from whole foods market recipe box.

freezer friendly: homemade oatmeal pucks.
isn't that the best idea?  from williams kitchen.
pink & white layered sprinkle cake topped with macarons from raspberri cupcakes
homemade tootsie rolls from food52
bala do coco (coconut candy) from sugarcubedblog
thai fish cakes from mongolian kitchen
homemade pimento cheese from kitchen riffs
chocolate flake pudding from a cake bakes in brooklyn (never heard of this, you?)
lime & ginger cookies from cupcake muffin
sparkling red velvet bundt cake from alaska from scratch
smores macarons from bakers royale
smoky irish eggnog from married an irish farmer
gluten free winter grapefruit cake from serious eats
eggnog muffins with streusel topping from very culinary
homemade gravlax from mark's daily apple
almond butter bostock from serious eats
how to make your own sprinkles! from theKitchn
mason jar herb garden from camille styles (I LOVE this)
5 foods to eat for happiness from mind body green
face exercises (do you think this works?) from erupting mind
6 ways to fight SAD from greatist
should you ever be stranded in the wilderness, here are tips for eating for survival from outside mag
DIY hand drawn cappuccino cups from lipstick & a white tee
healthy new years resolutions from outside magazine
adorable backpacks from sherpani sonoma (I want one!)
8 natural foods to eat for pain relief from greatist
setting up a photo studio on the cheap from apartment therapy
staying awake as the days are shorter from apartment therapy
best ways to reduce stress from Dr. Weil
benefits of yoga for veterans from arianna huffington from intent (love this!)
this video made me cry (happy tears) from youtube
how to tell if you're inflamed (chronic inflammation) from marks daily apple
$66.00 kobe beef pizza from Domino's Japan from serious eats
donut foodporn from serious eats
appletini from serious eats
new hot cocoa mixes from Starbucks get taste-tested from serious eats: drinks
gluten free ring dings! from gluten free canteen
buffalo chicken pull apart bread from host the toast
barefoot running shoes made of medieval armor from greatist (hmmm)
8 best physical therapy methods from greatist
interview w/ christina tosi of momofuku from grandbaby cakes

Jessica Segarra of The Novice Chef blog has a new cookbook out called Mini Donuts: 100 Bite-Sized Donut Recipes. 

It's actually quite good.  I was not expecting it to be this creative.  Recipe like: white chocolate red velvet, pineapple upside down, S'mores, brown butter-bourbon.
They were kind enough to share a recipe with us.

Lemon–Poppy Seed Mini Donut

from Mini Donuts: 100 bite-sized donut recipes

print recipe

FOR DONUTS

2⁄3 cup whole milk

2 tablespoons sour cream

11⁄2 cups all-purpose flour, sifted

11⁄2 teaspoons baking powder

1⁄4 teaspoon salt

6 tablespoons butter, room temperature

1⁄2 cup granulated sugar

1 large egg

Zest of 1 large lemon

1 tablespoon poppy seeds

FOR ICING

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice 11⁄2 cups powdered sugar

Notes: While it’s not okay at parties, when you’re icing donuts, it is totally acceptable to double dip. If you are a big fan of lemon, circle back around after your first donut dip . . . and dip them again! Just allow a little extra time, about 5 minutes, for the icing to set up after your second dip.

1. If using an electric donut maker, preheat according to manufacturer’s instructions. If using donut pans, preheat oven to 350°F and grease donut pans.

2. In a small bowl, whisk together milk and sour cream. Set aside. In a separate small bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.

3. In a large bowl or a stand mixer, cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy— about 1 minute. Add egg, lemon zest, and poppy seeds. Beat for 30 seconds, scrapping down the bowl as needed.

4. Then, alternating flour mixture and milk mixture, combine all ingredients until just blended. Transfer batter to a piping bag, or to a Ziploc bag with the tip cut off.

5. If using mini-donut pans: Carefully fill each donut indentation 3⁄4 full. Bake for 7–9 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into a donut comes out clean. Transfer donuts to a cooling rack and cool completely. If using an electric mini-donut maker: Carefully fill each donut indentation 3⁄4 full.

Bake according to manufacturer’s instructions or until a toothpick inserted into a donut comes out clean. Remove donuts from appliance, transfer to a cooling rack, and let cool completely.

6. Place wax paper under a wire rack to collect any drippings for an easy cleanup. Then, in a small bowl, whisk together lemon juice and powdered sugar until smooth.

7. Dip the top of each donut into the icing, transfer to a wire rack, and let set for 5 minutes. Serve immediately; donuts can be stored in an airtight container for up to 3 days but are best served fresh.

Yields: 24 mini donuts

friday links

 Baked Elements by Matt Lewis & Renato Poliafito

The most amazing cookbook yet.  Baked Elements has homemade Devil Dogs with Malted Buttercream. I am so making these.
You need to own this cookbook!
And if you don't own it....stay tuned, as the Baked Boys and I are teaming up to giveaway 3 sets of their cookbooks.  Yes, 3 sets.
Three people will win a set of their cookbooks: Baked New Frontiers In Baking, Baked Explorations and Baked Elements.
Aren't they the best?  Love them for this.
Stay tuned!!

My Trader Joe finds:

is this good?

This is new.  Sounds like a party planning helper. 

A giant peppermint cake shaped like a cookie.  Great, now I have to buy it. 

This was the free sample of the day.  It was not that good.  Not truffle like at all.

These are new.  Did not buy them for fear of eating entire box.

Had to get these. I am such a peppermint junkie. These are really good!

This sounds so good. Who has tried it?

Can't wait to give these a go.

These are new. Haven't tried them yet.

These were pretty good!

These are really good. Normally you're supposed to grill them, but I experimented and put them in the crockpot (7 hours) with a large amount of hoisin sauce.  Delish!  Try it, you'll love it.

Who tried these? Like?

Afraid to get these, so I walked right by them.  Good thinking, I know I'd eat them all up!

These are fabulous as in a savory cheesecake crust.

And these are also perfect for a cheesecake crust.

Guess what's back??  Finally!

These are new.

Can't wait to experiment with this one!

Are these any good?

Any good?

How cute are these?  12 in a box is a snack to me.  They are small.

I think these are new and just might be dinner!

Around the web:
nice list of creative peppermint cocktails from bliss tree
tea: wellness in a cup from divine caroline
anti-depressants: how effective are they? from divine caroline
historical hair locks selling at auctions from NYTimes
original "blade runner" storyboards from flavorwire
holiday art book (different indeed) from bloomberg
mick jagger love letters hit the block at sotheby's from galleristNY
worlds smallest humidifier? from gizmodo
transcendental meditation, why people love it (do you?) from well & good nyc
how to create a surreal self-portrait that shows you holding you from petapixel
sriracha lip balm! (lol) from the oatmeal
$100 to know everything about your DNA from gizmodo
this is your brain on fatty foods from blisstree
what's really in that gatorade? from NYTimes
the charlie brown school of dance from youtube owen weber
fruitcake ice cream from serious eats
peppermint sugar cookie bars from cookies & cups
eggnog ny crumb cake from culinary concoctions by peabody
snickers fudge from pip & ebby
pomegranate tabbouleh from chow & chatter
gift guide for the pizza maker & pizza lover from serious eats
gift guide for chocoholics from serious eats
classic european nougat from serious eats (I am making this one)
orange & chocolate coconut macaroons from pastry studio
those NY times famous chocolate chip cookies, have you tried them yet?


cake kitchen paper placemats from west elm

spill proof sippy wine cups from givesimple.com

peppermint-coffee nutella french macarons from design, bake, run

chocolate whoppers from vintage kitchen notes

have a wonderful weekend!

friday links

There are a couple food blogs that I adore simply because of their amazing cake decorating and cookie decorating skills.
I have none of these skills.
I keep meaning to sign up for a class; at least a basic class on "how to decorate a darn cake".
Ever notice you hardly ever see any "frosted" cakes or "decorated" cookies on my blog?
Yeah, there's a reason for that.


This is from "The Sweet Adventures of Sugar Belle"
Those are her Christmas gift cookies!
Look at that detail.  I want to do this!  I must do this!

This is from Bake at 350.  She is the decorating cookie guru.
Elf on the Shelf cookies.  How cute?

And her peppermint candy cookies.
Bake at 350 (Bridget Edwards) has her first book out:

We need to do an interview with her, don't we?
All that talent, I must ask her lots and lots of cookie decorating questions!

I also adore I Am Baker.  Look at this cake that she created.
It has a surprise inside!

And go see her most recent cake post, it's another gorgeous cake decorating tutorial.

Do you like Grape Nuts? I don't, I feel as though I'm eating rocks. But here's a recipe
to make your own grape nuts at home.  (aka quarry oats).
Pumpkin spice palmiers from serious eats
Candy cane peppermint truffles from liv life
my go-to power smoothie (really good) from organic authority
interview with nyc prep school chef (love this, we need more of these people!) from food republic
9 surprising places to find probiotics from blisstree
should we ice injuries? from marks daily apple
wonderful interview w/ david lebovitz: your man in paris from food republic
how to inspire your brain from intent blog
6 anti-inflammatory foods that work like aspirin or NSAIDS from blisstree
holiday food gift ideas you can make from theKitchn
gift guide for the cheese lover from serious eats
10 ways to meditate for those who don't meditate (love this!!) from greatist
do friendly bugs fight fat? from vital choice
is frankenwheat haunting your diet? from intent blog
homemade dinner rolls in the crockpot from theKitchn
how to make homemade cultured butter from theKitchn
how to create what you want in 2013 from intent blog
wooden sushi set--so cute! from dwell studio


my energy has been low lately; this happens to me every winter when the sun is non-existent here in new england. I started using these B Caps from Twinlab for about a week now and have noticed a good increase in my energy levels.

I LOVE these! Found at Target.

Dove peppermint bark is good, not that minty though.

Everyone had these white chocolate peppermint M&M's, and of course I wanted them. Hard to find here on cape cod, but Target had them.
They are tasty, and of course go perfect in sugar cookies.

Seriously!  Do I even need to comment on these?  Delish!

I love Trader Joe's. Don't you?  Best new products, like every week!

These are ok, not ginger-y enough.

Didn't try these, who has?

Heavenly minty air.

A multi pack of Joe Joe's.

Kind of waxy.  Might be good in a crust for an ice cream cake though.

Have yet to try these.

Very good!

Oh my goodness, these were insanely good! Ate them all in one day.

whipping cream from a box.  afraid to try this one.  have you?

Anyone tried these?

this was ok, far cheaper than any other brands.

Have a wonderful weekend!