friday links

Happy Friday!

Time to share some good finds.

Surprising uses for bananas.

Shopping for gluten free foods? There's an app for that.

West Nile Virus. What you need to know (I didn't know all this and had to share it with you).

Most people who go gluten free, don't have celiac disease

Need some exercise inspiration?
Meet "walking wally" from my neck of the woods. He's just amazing. Click here to find out why. Go Wally! (from myfoxboston.com )

Trader Joe food recalls.

Time saving freezer tips.

As much as I love IKEA for their cheap furniture, some of the bookcases are ugly.
Here are some wonderful ideas to spruce that up.

I love this!
DIY (very easy) alternative to a childrens sand box.
DIY rice box. Genius.

Casting call with Interior Therapy with Jeff Lewis.


DIY Magnetic Wall. (from apartmenttherapy.com)


Gorgeous summer prints from society6.com

Steps to overcome the fear of judgement.

Best foods for a healthy weight (from Dr. Weil).

Reasons why we have bad dreams.

Does coffee decrease insulin sensitivity?


Whimsical fingernail landscapes. (Image from Alice Bartlett)

Sisters recreate their childhood photographs.

The Cake Man himself Duff Goldman is opening up DIY cake shops.
Where they bake you create!!
Excellent idea--brilliant.

Easy, super easy DIY baklava.

For all those fresh from the garden tomatoes?
You need to use this Maple-Balsamic Vinaigrette.


Bacon Potato Skins!

Homemade mallow cookies!

I needed to incorporate more leafy greens into my diet.
Tried this double-green smoothie recipe from Whole Foods.
It's really quite good.

Tomato tarte tatin (from 101cookbooks.com)


If you ever get the stomach bug, cold, flu, etc. You need to give this a go.
One of the strongest probiotics I've ever seen and had. It works, trust me.
Found at Whole Foods.
Dahlicious Lassi.


This was so good. I need to recreate this at home.

Have a wonderful weekend!

Chubby Wifey ice cream

Do you all know about Ben & Jerry's "Suggest A Flavor" on their website?
This is the place, when you think you've got the next newest, baddest, craziest, and best selling ice cream flavor!
My Chubby Wifey flavor is a homage, (or evil twin?) to the Chubby Hubby.
Why should Chubby Hubby have all the fun, all the domination? Right?
I will strongly suggest to Mr. Ben and Mr. Jerry, that they should make this ice cream as the perfect mate to the infamous Chubby Hubby ice cream.

So fingers crossed, let's hope they notice my crazy yet tasty concoction.

On the "Resurrect A Flavor" section, which one would you bring back?
I was amazed at how many flavors have died.
I miss the Mint with Oreo Cookies.
What flavor do you miss?

I made this ice cream eggless, using condensed milk--it's really quite easy since there is no custard making to do.
But if you prefer a custard base, the results would be just as good.
I prefer the quick and easy route when it's 86 degrees and 76% humidity.













Chubby Wifey Ice Cream
print recipe

chocolate ice cream base:
1/2 cup sugar
2 TB double Dutch cocoa powder
small pinch of sea salt
1 can (14 ounces) sweetened condensed milk
2 cups half & half
1 cup heavy cream

peanut butter swirls:
½ cup +/- chunky or smooth peanut butter

cheddar cheese pretzels:
I used about ¾ cup of cheddar filled pretzels (from Combo’s brand)

Cook notes: I added in the peanut butter swirls by hand. If I add them to the ice cream maker while it’s churning, I found they just dissolve. I like to see and taste peanut butter swirls.

In a medium bowl, mix together the sugar, cocoa powder, salt and condensed milk. Mix until lumps from cocoa powder are gone.
Add in the half and half and heavy cream, mix. Cover, and set in fridge to let flavors blend a bit. At least an hour or longer.
Pour mixture into ice cream maker and follow manufactures directions.
The last 2 minutes of churning add in the pretzels.
Do these next steps rather fast:
Pour half of ice cream mixture into large glass or ceramic bowl, drizzle the peanut butter over the ice cream, place remaining ice cream on top. Cover and place in freezer immediately.
Should make a little over a quart.

friday links

Happy Friday!

Time for the weekend.



Remember the skillet chocolate chip cookies I made?
Making cookies via the cast iron is growing in popularity.
Here are a few more creations using the good old cast iron skillet (from thekitchn.com)


Deep Fried Banana Bread (photo from thekitchn.com)

10 foods that help heal your injuries faster

Reuse those old tic tac containers to store spices. Very clever!


Have you tried this raw coconut water?
It's crazy expensive, but really tasty.
Not watered down at all and has a hint of nuttiness to it.
A real treat if you love pure coconut water. I save up just to buy this. It's that good!
Very good for you too.

How to make smoked salmon at home. Excellent tutorial.
Imagine the money you could save making it at home?

Hate soggy bottom fruit crisps?

My friend at SprinkleBakes.com has a wonderful video on how to make coffee caviar at home.
I promise you it's so simple.
Trust me, you'll be doing this in no time.

Superfood: pineapple (yes really)

What are the best flours for which homemade breads?

Google maps tour of famous authors' homes

Marilyn Monroe's unpublished personal poetry

What's up with all that Kinesio Tape on the volleyball players at the Olympics?

The Olympics: Their Golden Years (love this!)



Your Olympic athlete body match quiz.

Use chopsticks as a cooking tool in the kitchen.

Oprah Winfrey's favorite brain foods.

New finds at Trader Joe's:

Good!


Salty, dry sausage is your thing (like me)? Then you'll love this.


Not good at all :-(


Hello!


Dangerously addicting.


These aren't bad. They tend to be a little dry. So I defrost them a bit then fry them in a touch of oil as opposed to baking them. Also, really good in scrambled eggs.

How to make bubble tea at home.

Biographile.com is holding a short memoir contest.
You could win a nice package of Julia Child books.

Good Read Finds (just click on image for info):






When listening to your body doesn't work. Part 1 and Part 2

Are we programmed to be happy?

Have a wonderful weekend!

cape cod whale watching

I've found there is a positive side to heat waves. Let me re-phrase that: there is a positive side to "humidity" driven heat waves. If you take some money, buy a ticket to go on a whale watch, they take you out to the middle of the ocean where there is very little heat AND a nice ocean breeze.

There are a lot of whale watching charters here on cape cod. We went with Hyannis Whale Watch out of Hyannis. It was a nice clean ship, and thankfully it was NOT that crowded. We took the 8am ride (got in line at 7am) on a wednesday. I thought it would be packed like sardines because of all the clammer and uproar of the great white sighting in Truro. Everyone and his brother coming to the cape to rent boats to go out and see the great white.



Since we were one of the first on line, getting the best seat in the house wasn't a problem.


Not giving up this spot.


Since there are no propellers, the boat can easily turn around in five feet of water. Definitely enjoyable to watch that.


Heading out of little harbor in west barnstable.




One of the best parts of any fishing/whale adventure is the trip out there.




We pass the outer banks of Sandy Neck (sandwich, ma).




We sail out for about 45 minutes until we hit this. And the sun was out. AND, there was no more heat wave way out here. This is where we sit and wait, quietly. I don't mind, I could do this part all day.


Then out of the blue a resounding POOF of air a whale appears. The captain slowly inches boat closer.


And just like that they go back under. This when you need one of those high tech camera's to get all the quick shots. The whales go back down and feed, and hopefully resurface about 5-10 minutes later.






And this why I wanted the spot I wanted--you get lucky and get a shot like this with your rinky dink camera. Isn't that just awesome? You should have heard the noise they made coming up out of the water. Scares the crap out of you.




The announcer on the whale watch has names for some of the whales. How do they identify them? By the markings on the backs of their tails--the amount of white, design, etc....


After all that excitement it got quite, so the captain drove out towards provincetown, to another whale sighting spot.


A single female, about 30 feet long.




She resurfaced 10 minutes later, way out there.


Three new ones took her place.




Then it was time to head home.

Hyannis whale watch was a great cruise. Very informative staff. Even the announcer walks around, on the way home, and answers all your questions as well as looks at your photos with you to help you identify what whales you saw. The captain didn't keep us in one spot for too long if we didn't see whales--which is good. We moved around a lot. Definitely saw a good amount of whales.
Very clean ship, comfy seats inside and out.
Pricey though, as the tickets are $47.00 and the parking is $15.00. I had no idea you had to pay for parking.
If you do go, make sure to take the early morning one, as on the way home back into the dock we saw the 1pm line and it was already booked. (early mornings on a weekday are far less crowded in the summer).

Also, congrats to the winner of the "Thoroughly Modern Milkshake" #14 Ariel and #21 Esi. Please email me your shipping address!