friday links and my best ice cream recipes!

Happy Friday!

chocolate-avocado ice cream from mom, what's for dinner
vintage meltaway chocolate cream cake from food of our lives
exercise & nutrition guide to staying young from gabbyandlaird.com
great list of eco-friendly paints from remodelista.com
vegan wagon wheels from moonblush baker
baklava cheesecake from sprinkle bakes
sweet potato brownies from the healthy foodie
buttermilk ice cream w/ baked nectarines & biscoff cookies from 350 sweets
a video with gail dosik of one tough cookie (love her) from food curated
pineapple dole whip from what's cookin chicago
the most gorgeous & cutest wall stickers I've ever seen from hotel miramare collection (buying these)
DIY green juice in a blender! from just a taste
the best list of ingredient substitutions from joy of cooking
cronuts! from the boy who bakes
the worst types of people you encounter on social media from elite daily
how juicing changed my life from mind body green
what to do with leftover pate brisee? make pop tarts! from G Bakes
anyone ever done the Bar Method? I'm in physical therapy to mend my knees, and was told to take up any type of exercise that won't hurt the knee joints (swimming, stretching, etc...). 
Did some research and found that the Bar Method helps to strengthen the muscles that support the knees and gives you a better range of flexibility.
I might take this up after P/T.  Would love to hear your thoughts.....
weight loss secrets from "Extreme Makeover" Chris Powell from readers digest
the inevitabilities of aging: how inevitabile are they? from marks daily apple
chocolate-chili cookies from serious eats
no bake creme brulee from serious eats


I love their sense of humor!


We had a heat wave last week and all I could tolerate was cold food with balsamic dressing.

And this cold food too.  (coffee-oreo). I need to re-create this at home--soon.

Looking for some ice cream recipes?

pumpkin-vanilla oreo ice cream.


blackberry coulis with salty white chocolate-cream cheese swirls


chai ice cream with spicy pecans


mocha almond with brownie chunks


lemon & vanilla oreo ice cream


blueberry-cream cheese ice cream


chubby wifey ice cream.
why should chubby hubby have all the fun?


peanut butter-oreo ice cream (my all time favorite).

Have a great weekend!

friday links

Happy Friday indeed!
A nice long holiday weekend to look forward to.
We will have rain all weekend, and then hopefully sun on Monday.
Anyone coming to Cape Cod for the weekend?

I love this!

Hopefully Monday will look like this on the cape.

Need any ideas for baking?
My blueberry shortcake is a huge hit, fairly easy to make too.

Peach shortcake with buttermilk biscuits.

Extra crunchy broccoli salad.

Buffalo chicken salad.

My favorite: tomato, cheddar and walnut salad.

Summer salads wouldn't be complete with a Frito Salad! AKA the "man salad" (all condiments).

And of course we need a good kicked up lobster salad BLT.

Pecan-strawberry crumble bars.

around the web:

balinese chicken lawar from serious eats
sunshine can greatly benefit health & prolong life from science daily
20 natural disease fighters in fruit from intent blog
6 hidden health benefits of cherries from bliss tree
how to banish body acne for good from bliss tree
see what a week of groceries looks like from around the world from elite daily
the BRCA gene & cancer: do you really want to know? from Dr. Oz
Incan girl perfectly preserved for 500 years from elite daily
what your poop is telling you (informative for sure!) from mind body green
my stroke of luck (stroke survivor story) from NYTimes
roasted strawberry BBQ sauce from closet cooking
when athletic shoes cause injury from NYTimes
japanese vegetable pancakes from smitten kitchen
bacon caramels from margaritas in the rain
jam infused cupcakes from wassims cuisine
strawberry brownie tart from gi365
refreshing avocado pops from the primlani kitchen
chocolate swirl buns from annie eats
open letter from a "fat chick" to Abercrombie & Fitch from write human
avocados signal a healthy diet from Dr. Weil
avocado egg roll with creamy cilantro dip from I wash you dry
10 signs you have too much cortisol from mind body green
astaxanthin: nature's most powerful antioxidant from mercola
what is a "cronut" from fox news
is peanut butter healthy? from marks daily apple
consuming coffee is linked to lower risk of autoimmune liver disease from science daily
7 characteristics associated with longer life from marks daily apple
(wonderful baking conversion chart--bookmark this one)
gluten free myths from huffington post
compound in Mediterranean Diet makes cancer cells mortal from science daily
cookie decorating trouble shooting from bake at 350
frozen banana! from eat the love
tortilla hot dog wraps from BS in the kitchen

friday links

Happy Friday kids!

It's 70 degrees, sunny and the humidity is low here on cape cod.
As I type this, I have my office window open and the breeze is cool and refreshing.
I never thought we'd get to this weather during those weeks (months?) of blizzards/storms this winter.
I am so thankful spring is here, and summer is right around the corner.
Been a little guilty of playing hookey this week and heading to the beach.

A big thank you to Sante Nuts for sending me a nice little care package of nuts to try.
Have you tried these?  They are sold at Whole Foods and a few other places, which you can find here.
They have these cardamom cashews, wow, they were good!
My favorite was the roasted salted pecans. They are so crisp, and have just the right amount of salt.
Really good nuts, high quality, great tasting.
I have a request Sante Nuts!  If all your nuts taste this good, you have to make a kicked up peanut version!
Maybe if you all leave a comment we can get Sante Nuts to do a giveaway?
How about it? Let's convince them.

The Powerball will be up to almost 300 million this Saturday?
Will you play?

Remember my "extra" crunchy broccoli salad?
Well I made a new version.  A new sauce, made with mayo, chipotle tabasco, and honey.
So good.  If you want to try it, just follow the recipe above, and instead of the sauce in the recipe, just mix mayo, chipotle tabasco sauce, and honey--all to taste.
That chipotle tabasco is so good!  I cannot get enough of it.

Any idea how much I want one of these? Found at Schoolhouse Ice Cream Harwich Port.

Dedicated plagues on benches, boardwalks, posts, etc.. are fairly common here on many cape cod beaches.  I found one that I loved and had to share it with you.  Isn't it beautiful?

Tis the season for dipped cones. It's supposed to be butterscotch, but I swear it tastes like orange.

Gorgeous right?  I love the beauty of cape cod and her ocean. Nauset Lighthouse Beach.

I love how there are now signs up.  As if people didn't already know there are sharks in the ocean.

This past winter and all the storms made us realize how much and how many trees we have to take down.  I saw a lot of damage done to houses near us.  Made me think it's time to get rid of some trees just in case.  So far we had two taken down and have about two more.  The latter are bigger trees and will cost a lot more, sadly.  I wanted to share this photo with you because it was so fascinating to me, to watch this tree guy climb up the tree, like a monkey WITH a chainsaw in hand!
He's really skilled at what he does (duh), and in really good shape too.  lol

One of my favorite photos taken this week. Early morning walk, I got to see one of the fish boats heading out.  (chatham fish pier).

around the web:
5 primal meals in 35 minutes from marks daily apple
man survives entire year w/out internet.  (LOL, yes a real story) from designtaxi
possible cure for grey hair? from youbeauty
calisthenics vs. weight-lifting from fitness republic
cicadas are coming to the east coast (a lot of them!) from io9.com
hackers indicted for withdrawing 45 million from ATM's from elitedaily
triple berry curd from some the wiser
quick & easy strawberry shortcake from just a taste
chocolate "pop tart" pie (bookmarked!) from the knead for speed
abercrombie & fitch CEO explains why he hates fat chicks (what an asshole!) from elitedaily
I really want this double infusion iced tea pitcher (BPA free) from republic of tea
one of the most powerful antioxidants from mindbodygreen
it's national arthritis month Do you know the facts & myths of arthritis? from health.com
buckeye pie from serious eats
10 reasons to keep lemons on hand from yoganonymous
"woofie" pies (whoopie pies) for dogs from bittersweetblog
homemade nutella 'magic shell' for ice cream from view from the great island
going gluten free: 24 resources to do it right from greatist
hazelnut-chocolate torte w/ espresso ganache from serious eats
honey-sriracha roasted pecans from cafe sucre farine
increase serotonin w/ these 21 foods from organic authority
love this "oversized" art installation from yatzer
homemade mallomar bars from serious eats
a dream home for cats from designtaxi
chocolate crepes from a kitchen muse
homemade ice cream "drumsticks"! from thekitchn (bookmarked)
pressure cooker pork vindaloo from the bitten word
top problem solvers aka top finalists in presidents challenge from harvard gazette
new app: Noom Weight Loss Coach from greatist
10-minute core blasting Pilates  (NOTE: I love this and do it. But doing it on the hard floor or even a yoga mat killed my back. So now I do these poses in bed. And that has made all the difference in supporting my back.) from greatist

Have a wonderful weekend!
Happy Mothers Day!

friday links

Happy Friday!

Happy to see the weekend is here.
And our weather is finally nice.
We have a nice long stretch of nothing but pure sun.
You have no idea how great this feels--we had a horrid winter.  Remember all those storms?


Looks tropical doesn't it?

What do you do when you're stuck in traffic on the Sagamore Bridge?
Take a photo of course.

Ben & Jerry's Greek Frozen yogurt is really good!
This is the peanut butter & banana. Loaded with peanut butter chunks.

Do you like my buddha? Found him at Lowes Depot--that scary hardware place that I hate.
I had to buy him, I mean come on, look at him.
Finding just the right spot for him in the garden--I'll let you know.

My "go to" snack for the car and office.
One bag each of trader joes: sweet & spicy pecans, smoked almonds, roasted coconut chips,
lightly sweet walnuts, and peanuts.

My latest obsession? Coconut Bliss Dark Chocolate Bars. Man those are good!

Google reader is closing down in june or july.
What readers are you moving to?
I heard Feedly is good.
Here are some easy tips for making the transition smooth from your old reader to Feedly.
Eating organic on a food stamp budget from bon appetit
Invisible plugs: recessed outlets (very clever) from remodelista
Why we struggle to lose weight from greatist
Peanut butter crunch coffee cake from food librarian
84 signs you have celiac disease from mindbodygreen
Carrot cake scones from savory sweet life
102 chakras: how our asana practice relates to chakras from yoganonymous
peach cobbler cookies from foods for the soul
How to make energy bars from america's test kitchen
How & why meditation works from positively positive
Has science discovered the answer to eternal youth? from intentblog
Cheater Korean Beef from girl who ate everything
DIY vintage duck toy cookies (stunning!) from sweet adventures of sugar belle
Make your own kombucha from the yellow house
PB & J twinkies from domestic rebel
The rise of the tick (very informative) from outside magazine
4 natural detox programs from yoganonymous
Get fitter, faster, stronger w/ quality sleep from marks daily apple
Giant rubber duck sails into hong kong harbour from the telegraph
DIY homemade root beer from america's test kitchen
Banana cupcakes w/ chocolate-pb frosting from the hungry housewife
Carrot cake pancakes w/ maple-cream cheese syrup from baker bettie
Gluten free rosemary-cheddar & black pepper crackers from 84th & 3rd
How to make gyoza from adora's box
Avocado fritters! from a beautiful bite
How to prevent diabetes with everyday foods from natural news
Freezing nerves may relieve chronic pain (for good) from everyday health
And last, but not least, I give you, "seeing eye guide for the text obsessed idiots" (not kidding!)

Have a wonderful weekend!

friday links

Happy Friday!


You have no idea how much I LOVE this one cookie.
And it's gluten free, which I can't even tell.
I just wish it wasn't so pricey!

And these!  Primal Strips. Oh I LOVE these.  Tasty little critters.
It makes seitan very tasty, which normally is an awful tasting, lack of a better word: blob.

This was good. It needs salt though. And you really need to crisp it up in the toaster to get that hard outer snap.

So now Trader Joe's makes its own rooster sauce? Any good?

Any good?

Finally!  And it's a big bag too.

When I first posted this on Instagram, asking you all how does one eat a chia seed, I was shocked at how many answers I got.
I still haven't bought it, I'm scared. All those little seeds!  Won't they grow grass in your stomach?
lol (I tease).

And finally Trader Joe's has cheap shredded coconut!

My weakness. I can polish a bag off in 10 minutes!

Not bad. They were ok.

Any good? That other cool whip has a lot of chemicals in it.

A biscotti that won't crack your teeth.

Any good?

Really sweet! I'll pass.

Hubby loves it, not me--just too pricey for half a chicken.

Around the web:

cake batter whipped cream from beyond frosting
those fancy new tea bags have might plastic in them from the atlantic
make the best coconut butter from marks daily apple
mongolian beef just like take out from table for two blog
bang bang shrimp from cinnamon spice & everything nice
butterscotch bliss bars from feed your soul
buckeye ice cream from baking society
momofuku blueberries & cream cookies from vintage kitchen notes
curry broccoli slaw from perfect pantry
avocado protein brownies from sweet twist of blogging
start each day with "aloha" from intent blog
6 steps to renew your faith in humanity from intent blog
chocolate-banana truffles from speciality cake creations
strawberry & chocolate cream pie from oh sweet day
hummingbird muffins from G bakes
meyer lemon buttermilk bars from une gamine dans la cuisine
strawberry cream cheese kolaches from homesick texan
coconut-lemon squares from scientifically sweet
curried mango chicken salad from macheesmo
best sources of enzymes from worlds healthiest foods
feed a family of 3 organic foods on food stamps? from bon appetit
4 common but often undiagnosed causes of fatigue from mind body green
7 key components of the Mediterranean diet from bliss tree
is food depressing you from greatist
potential diabetes breakthrough from harvard gazette
5 reasons sun salutations are the best way to start your day from yoganonymous
fish tacos w/ spicy sour cream from cbsop
neapolitan cupcakes from i am baker
butterfinger shortbread cookies from savory simple
10 reasons why kale is great from yoganonymous
chocolate peanut pie from serious eats
which has more nutrients: the stems or florets of broccoli from worlds healthiest foods
how to go BPA free from greatist

Have a wonderful weekend!