The Week-Cap - Is it Fall Yet?

I adore summer. It's my very favorite time of year. Sporting tank tops and flip flops and leaving my 'just in case' jacket at home makes me happy. Yet, as September rolls around, kids go back to school and Halloween goodies start popping up way too prematurely, I find myself getting ever more excited about the autumn things to come. Shorter days, knitted beanies and my favorite pair of boots keep calling my name. As much as I hate to say it, I'm really looking forward to some cooler weather getting here ASAP. Did I mention it's been 100 degrees all week? At the beach. I will soak it up for as long as I can, because come December, I'll most likely be bundled up like an eskimo.

• Monday -Taking advantage of the still warm nights, we went for a walk around one of my favorite places, Balboa Island. Yes I ate a chocolate banana dipped in butter brickle. I was simultaneously walking it off after all. 
• Tuesday - You should try bamboo rice. My husband found it for me at Whole Foods and I LOVE it! The grains are short and puffy and come out slightly chewy when cooked. I was a huge fan of the lightly floral tea flavor, my husband...not so much. The bag claims many health benefits from the rice being soaked in bamboo juice during milling, which also gives it a pale green color. I thought the rice was a lovely way to change up any meal.
• Wednesday - Oh Fiona Apple, you kill me with those lyrics. Just go listen to Valentine. 
• Thursday - I made one of the best dinners yet. Beer Boiled Chicken Parmesan Sausage, Grilled White Peach and Goat Cheese Salad and Buttered Whole Wheat Penne. I can't wait to share these recipes! My method of cooking the sausage is super simple and comes out perfectly moist and delicious everytime.
• Friday - We celebrated a great friends birthday with a beach BBQ. Burgers, salad, my homemade brownies and lots of beer and wine made for one awesome evening. The charcoal grill became a fire pit at the end and all that warm summer weather made for a balmy 80 degree night. The perfect way to end the week. 

Red Velvet S'more Brownies

Let me explain myself.  I did not make this recipe up. Well I did, or at least I thought I did until I googled the words "S'mores Brownies". Turns out putting a graham cracker crust and charred marshmallows on brownies is a pretty popular thing to do. This, however, does not lessen the fact that these incredibly gooey, and over the top sweet treats are a must try.

You've heard me talk about Red Velvet and my love for it before, but let me tell you, the marshmallows and graham only make it better. So grab a glass of milk and a another glass of milk, cuz you'll need to drink both for this one, and get baking.

Red Velvet S'mores Brownies
From How Sweet It Is

For the brownie recipe, click here.

Graham Cracker Crust
1 package graham crackers (about 9 crackers), processed into crumbs
6 T unsalted butter, melted

Topping
1 C marshmallow fluff (or enough to cover the top of the brownies)
about 1/2 bag mini or jumbo marshmallows

Heat the oven to 350 degrees.
Combine the melted butter and graham cracker crumbs and press into the bottom of an 8x8 dish or pan that has been greased on the sides.

Make the brownie batter from the recipe link above. Pour the batter over the graham cracker crust, being careful not to spread the crumbs too much.

Bake for 35-45 minutes depending on your oven, my brownies are pretty thick and tend to take longer. They are done when a toothpick comes out clean.

Once baked, remove from the oven and top with the marshmallow fluff and marshmallows. Place under a preheated broiler to create that campfire crunch. I like mine pretty dark, but you can choose to take them out sooner if you'd like. You could also use a mini torch instead to control exactly where the browning shows up.

Let the brownies cool for about an hour or two before cutting (if you can wait that long). They are VERY gooey, so either wet or spray a knife with cooking spray to help slice through them.

Enjoy!

The Week-Cap - I heart September

Happy September! I'm happy to see Fall approaching while simultaneously rueing the fact that I'll be putting away my flip flops and shorts in just a few weeks. We've had an exceptionally warm weathered summer and I've soaked up as much of it as I can. Now I'm ready for all things pumpkin spiced and leaf shaped. But first, here's what has been going on this week.

• Monday - Labor Day was great. It's always great to have a day off, but it makes it especially better when you get to spend it with wonderful family and friends. It was a little relaxing and a lot of fun. There was Air Hockey, Crazy Cocktails, and Disneyland. A lovely way to wish summer would never end.
• Tuesday - Ever have one of those days at work? The kind where you find yourself just kind of staring at nothing? Wishing that people lived up to the kind of moral standards you hold for yourself? Tuesday was that kind of day and ended with a serious need for one of my new favorite drinks, a Whiskey Sour. It did the trick and I'm pretty sure I fell asleep at 9 that night. 
• Wednesday - Muse has a new album coming out at the beginning of October and I'm currently obsessed with the first single, "Madness". It's pretty addicting, get into it. 
• Thursday - I just realized that there's no more Breaking Bad to look forward to this Sunday. How in the world am I going to make it 10 months without W.W.?? 
• Friday - Gets here much quicker when you have a Monday off. Make this weekend great. Be appreciative of what you have and who you are and remember that no matter what race, religion or political party you identify with, everyone deserves love and respect!

Get this....

Cutting Board! 

I've never really liked wood cutting boards since you cannot easily sanitize them in the dishwasher and they often show wear quickly. For the past few years I've been using a standard white plastic boring same ole, same ole board that would stain whenever I cut carrots or red peppers and showed every mark of the knife. 

Until now! A few weekends ago, while shopping at Sur La Table, my wonderful husband found what is now my ALL time favorite cutting board and....bonus....it's only $19.99! and.....bonus #2.....it's good for the environment!

It's called the Architec Eco Smart Poly Flax Cutting Board and is actually made using the husk of the flax seed. As the label says, it's like having nature in your cutting board! It's made in a zero waste facility and is 100% recyclable. Plus, it is dishwasher safe, made in the U.S.A. and free of any harmful chemicals often found in other plastic materials...which means you won't be getting any hidden radicals rubbing off onto your chopped onions. I really love the way this board looks in my kitchen and I have yet to see any stains or knife marks. Yay!

Sur La Table had three colors to choose from, a rusty red, a very spinachy green and the color I chose, brown, which looked most like a flax seed to me :).

As I said, I got mine at Sur La Table, but I also found them on Amazon right here. I highly recommend you check this board out for you or even as a super great gift for someone who loves to chop.

Visiting the City by the Bay

This last weekend, my husband and I went on a little road trip 8 hours up the coast to one of my favorite places in the world, San Francisco, California.  

Visiting S.F. doesn't mean you actually have to stay in the city. There are countless surrounding towns that are interesting and so much fun to visit. We actually ended up staying right at the foot of the Golden Gate Bridge on the Sausalito side of the Bay in a hotel called Cavallo Point. The hotel sits inside of Fort Baker, where rooms are adorably refurbished military barracks. The morning fog rolls away to reveal a serene scene where birds are all you hear and dear are visible munching away at the grassy meadow that the rooms encircle. 

We spent a day across the bridge walking, eating and enjoying the beauty of the city. This amazing dessert of creme filled donuts with vanilla bean ice cream was a foodie highlight that we enjoyed at the Four Seasons Hotel restaurant on Market Street in S.F.  Can you tell I like donuts?

If you're in Sausalito, eat at the Lighthouse Diner. This breakfast was so delicious and kept me full for hours, as if thats hard to believe! The huge raspberry filled, chewy, bubbly pancake was one of the best I've ever eaten. Somehow I will figure out a way to duplicate this treat. 

On our last day in the city, we headed over to the de Young museum in Golden Gate Park to view the Jean Paul Gaultier exhibit, which was fantastic. Afterwards, we visited the Japanese Tea Garden, a tranquil collection of trees, flowers, koi ponds and pagodas. You can also have an authentic cup of tea inside a traditional tea house within the gardens. 

After a busy weekend in the city, we decided to stop off in Monterey on the drive down south. We had just enough time left on Sunday evening to make our way to the famous Monterey Bay Aquarium. My favorite part was the Jellyfish exhibit, with multiple species to gawk at. I highly suggest going to the Aquarium late on a Sunday like we did, when there is hardly anyone left and you have most of the exhibits to yourself. 

The nighttime view from Cavallo Point. Could it get any better?? 

Happy Fourth of July

What will you be doing on this holiday? I'll be spending mine eating, lounging and visiting family. Come back next week to see What I Ate. :) I hope you have a fun, safe and happy Fourth!

Getting ready for the Fourth

I LOVE the Fourth of July. Summertime is in full swing, BBQ's are on and grillin' and the pride of celebrating our Country is visually and emotionally everywhere. So here's a super fast, easy idea for a last minute cocktail you may be thirsting for to wash down that cheeseburger pre-firework display. You can combine a multitude of ingredients to accomplish this red, white and blue sparkler, just use this as a guide. All you need are:
grenadine, strawberry or raspberry puree
club soda or sprite
clear alcohol of choice (such as gin or vodka)
fresh blueberries
ice
That's it! Pour the grenadine or puree into the bottom of your glass, top with ice, a shot of gin and finish with club soda. Float the blueberries on top. You could add lemon or lime juice if you'd like, but it's not necessary. This would also make a great virgin or kids cocktail, just leave out the alcohol and use the sprite instead of club soda.

And here are a few Pinterest finds to help inspire your celebration.

http://hiphiphoorayblog.com/

This is such a cute idea for a festive fruit salad or a garnish on the side of a cocktail glass. For a savory salad, mix watermelon stars with feta cheese and blueberries. 

 

http://blogs.babble.com/family-kitchen/2010/07/01/red-white-blue-stuffed-strawberries/

I love the idea of these delicious little fruit bites as a simple dessert or appetizer, and they're pretty good for you too. The white is just mascarpone cheese, a bit of powdered sugar (you could also use honey) and vanilla extract. Mmmm.

http://alyssaguia.tumblr.com/post/25076223954

I need these shorts. 

Happy Fourth!