friday favorites

Hey-o and a happy Friday to you!  My morning started off with a morning bun from Tulie Bakery, so you know I'm pretty happy today.  Husband has mooooore homework to do tonight, so I've really got to find something fun to ditch him for.  Like the pool!  (I'm kidding.  Mostly.)

Side note before we get going.  I painted my nails last night, and they're this sparkly orange color.  I'm trying to be on board with it, but I think maybe orange just isn't my color.  But I do want new nail polish!  So shoot my some links of pretty colors if you know any.

And here we go.

A souffle that not only doesn't require as much scary work, but is also froooozen for the summer?  I'm on board with this whole list.  Particularly the lemon and praline flavors.

We're having a campfire this weekend!  I can't wait to smell like smoke and get my hands all dirty in the woods.  Maybe I'll even get a splinter!  I'm definitely going to reference Joe's list of brilliant campfire pastries.  I mean, campfire macaroons?  I. Am. In.  Also, campfire roasted marshmallow strawberries?  Yes.

This color palette and beautiful photo make me want to dissolve through the computer screen and onto this beach.  Perfect color scheme.  And I can't get over all the other pretty color schemes Lita Johnson has come up with over here.

I made these salty almond and dark chocolate cookies last night, and they really are rather amazing.  We put two-thirds of the batch in the freezer for when we get future cookie cravings.  Mmm-mm.

This Insta is from a friend of a friend, and I'm completely fond of it.  Can I please go swimming riiiiiight noooooow?

And lastly, from me at least, some old school summer tunes for ya.

.......

my turn! (this is lacy, by the way) 

firstly, can you tell we're excited for summer around here? currently my office feels like it's about 40 degrees and i'm contemplating some tea. so yeah, getting some sunshine would be just great. this weekend we're going to roast some things over a campfire (as ashley already mentioned), and brian and i are going to start our first round of apartment hunting. yay! (i weirdly love looking at apartments. i've been searching online for months)

and we're off!

i maybe gasped out loud a little when i saw this bathroom. luckily i have my office to myself on fridays. but seriously. white white plus all those mirrors is kind of a dream bathroom situation. 

 this outfit is perfection. also, that's a skort. a SKORT. me and skorts go waaaaaay back. and i want to rekindle that friendship.

 Rifle Paper makes some of the prettiest posters i've ever laid my eyes on. but since i can't justify shelling out the big dollars for one, this pack of cards might tide me over. 

this homemade orange and cranberry facewash by Sincerely, Kinsey looks incredible. i want to try making all of her beauty goods.

 this tote folds out into a blanket!! i kind of hate lugging a blanket to the park (lucky for me, brian doesn't seem to) and this is the perfect solution!

this seems like a better storage option for my ukulele than the kitchen table. 

i just thought this was pretty.

hap-happy friday! i hope you all get to eat some s'mores this weekend!

Cooking Basics: Soup Base

I didn't think I'd be back to the Cooking Basics series so quickly, but we made soup tonight, and so I thought I might as well share!

(Especially since Husband is busy with school stuff and I'm bored.  And there's only so much Les Miserables reading you can do before you start getting overwhelmed.  Have you seen that book?  Nearly a thousand pages!  This parenthetical is really getting long, right?)

Tonight's soup is a Vegetable Chowder.  Super fitting for a light but filling meal.  And even though soup often feels like a winter deal, I like a light vegetable soup for summer, too!  Especially paired with some grilled meats or a fresh salad.

So, here's how a standard soup base goes.  You ready?  I'm ready.

First, start out with your mirepoix.  That's just a fancy French word for your chopped base vegetables, celery, carrot, and onion.  These vegetables provide a good base flavor for everything else you'll add to your soup pot.  So you start with a good sized glug of fat (I usually go with olive oil, but sometimes, when I want to get crazy, I'll add a touch of bacon grease!  Mmm.)  Make sure to salt and pepper at each step!

But since this is a veggie chowder, we're going to need more veggies than your simple mirepoix.  I also chopped up some broccoli and zucchini.  The broccoli went in first, since it's a tougher vegetable, followed by the zucchini a minute or two later, since it is soft and will cook faster than the other veggies.  Again with a little salt and pepper.

Next up, add the flavor!  Herbs and spices and garlic all up in.  I added a few minced garlic cloves, along with some red pepper flakes and thyme leaves.  These herbs and spices will carry a lot of your soup flavor, so don't be too gentle with them!  It's nice to add the herbs and spices and let them saute with the veggies for 30 seconds to a minute.  Everything gets the high heat of the pan to bloom and develop, but a short saute means you won't burn those precious flavors.

Now, add your liquid! Usually, this is some kind of stock or broth.  I almost always have chicken stock on hand.  Remember when I showed you how to do a crock pot chicken stock?  You can make pretty much any flavored stock with this same method.  A fish stock?  Use fish bones!  A beef stock?  Use beef bones!  A shrimp stock?  Use shrimp peels!  You get the picture.  When you're in a pinch, you can use water.  Though the extra flavor of a stock is really nice.  Bring your soup to a boil, then lower the heat to a simmer.  All the flavors will meld, and your herbs, spices, and veggies will make that broth/water delicious!

But first!  If you want a starch, add it now, before the veggies are completely cooked through.  And by starch, I mean potatoes, pasta, or even beans.  You want to give them plenty of time to soften and soak up flavor, too!  This is where timing comes in to play.  If you're cooking with beans or lentils, those can take upwards of an hour to cook.  If that's the case, you'll want to wait to add your soft veggies (such as broccoli or zucchini) til the beans are mostly cooked through. If you're using small-chopped potatoes or pasta, those take 10-20 minutes, and they can be added after the soft veggies.

Once your veggies (and starch) are all softened, you have a delicious and flavorful soup!  Go you!

BUT, we're not necessarily done.  Oh no.

Want a cream soup?  Of course you do, they're delicious.  Add the cream or milk mixture.  Then continue to let your soup cook for another couple of minutes for the cream to get fully incorporated.

This is also where you can add any cheese or pre-cooked meats or frozen veggies like peas or corn.  You just need to warm those things through, and it will only take a minute or two in that hot, hot soup.  But wait!  If you want a blended soup, do that BEFORE you add the meat.  That's very important.

Lastly, don't forget the toppings.  Have you ever noticed that the toppings MAKE the soup?  Add a little green onion or bacon.  Add some grated cheese.  Add some crispy tortillas or pre-cooked, warmed meat.  Add some fresh parsley or cilantro.  This really is the fun part!

And that's it!  You're all prepared to make a delicious soup.  Any flavor you want!

And here's my vegetable chowder.

Cheesy Vegetable Chowder

Serves 4-6

2 Tbs. olive oil (or bacon grease)

1 stalk celery, chopped

2 carrots, diced

1 medium onion, diced

1 cup broccoli florets

1 zucchini, chopped

3-4 cloves garlic, minced

1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes

1 tsp. fresh thyme leaves

4 cups chicken broth

1-2 potatoes, diced

1 cup half and half

1/2 cup shredded cheddar

1/3 cup grated Parmesan

salt and pepper

optional, shredded cheddar, green onion, and/or bacon for topping

Heat a soup pot over medium heat.  Add the olive oil, then add celery, carrot, and onion.  Season with salt and pepper, and saute for 3-5 minutes.  Add broccoli florets and saute 1-2 minutes longer.  Then stir in the zucchini.  Salt and pepper well.  Add the garlic, red pepper flakes, and thyme, and saute for 30 seconds.

Pour in the chicken broth, and bring to a boil.  Once boiling, add the potato, lower heat, and simmer for 15 minutes, or until potatoes are soft.

Stir in the half and half, and allow to incorporate for a minute.  At this point, you can use a blender or immersion blender to blend soup, if desired.  I like to use my immersion blender, and go about half way, so there are still some vegetable chunks.  Then stir in the cheeses until melted through.

Ladle the soup into bowls, and top with toppings of your choice.  Enjoy!

We ate this with shrimp grilled over bacon grease.  Oh yes we did.

a belated easter dress.

i got this dress for easter and since the temperatures dramatically dropped the next weekend, i sort of forgot about it. 

sidebar. does anyone else have a mom who still buys them an easter dress? or is mine the only awesome one? 

anyway, i don't know if any of you remember but i was desperately wanting a striped dress when we went to vegas. deeeesperately. who knew the perfect one was just waiting for me at h&m! and for something like 13 dollars! (also looking at this picture i realize this whole outfit is from h&m. they should sponsor us or something..) i've already worn this dress twice this week and it's soooo comfortable i plan on pretty much living in it this summer. 

i'm not sure if this dress is still available at h&m but if it is you should all probably buy it. the reasons are as follows

1. it's cheap. super cheap.

2. it's comfortable. soooooo comfortable.

3. it came in solid colors and other stripe colors. maybe you should buy a few.

4. for other modest-challenged women like myself, this dress goes to the knee and has 3/4 length sleeves. something that is soooo hard to find in a summer dress these days.

go forth and purchase! (or not, i really don't care either way) 

p.s. do you like our new bathroom rug? because both of our cats really do.

Cooking Basics: Simple Cheese Sauce

Hey readers!  Lacy and I were talking about what to cook for dinner, and Lacy mentioned that she doesn't make pasta because canned sauces don't taste great (I agree) and she doesn't know how to make a homemade sauce or what recipes are good.  I, on the other hand, love to make homemade sauces!  Pasta is one of my favorites for a really simple dinner.  It's a fallback of mine when I don't have anything else in the house.  Because all you need for a pasta sauce is a few pantry staples.

So, Lacy suggested that I start a "Cooking Basics" series on this here blog.  So you, my fellow readers, can also make delicious pasta a weeknight simple meal!  But let's not stop at pasta sauces.  I'm hoping to also include a soup base, basic desserts, meats (I'll probably get husband on board for that one), etc.  If you have any requests, let me know!

First up?  Cheese sauces!

I'm going with a Parmesan cheese sauce (very similar to Alfredo sauce).

The first step to a basic cheese sauce is to make a roux.  Not La Roux, but a roux.  (But Bulletproof is a super great song, though.  And now I'll listen to that while I finish this post.)

A roux is equal parts of flour and fat mixed together.  The best things to use are all purpose flour and butter, but I have used olive oil as my fat in the past, and that has worked fairly well.  Using any other flour or fat?  I make no guarantees.  But try if it you'd like!

Get the butter beginning to melt in a deep skillet or pot over medium heat, then pour your flour right on top.  Use a fork or whisk to combine the two, (I often have to tilt my pan to keep the melting butter in the same corner as the flour) and let them cook together for a short minute to let the flour taste cook out.

Next step, add your milk or cream.  An all cream dish will be rather heavy (but incredibly delicious, of course) whereas an all milk dish will be lighter, thinner, and won't quite cling to the pasta in the same way.  If you're trying to save calories, go ahead with all milk, but you may need to up the flour amount in your roux, or add additional cheese to add some body to the sauce.

Another calorie saving trick I like is to use all milk, but add a good dollop of cream cheese.  It adds creaminess without all the calories of heavy cream.

In this recipe, I went with half heavy cream, and half 1% milk.  Feel free to use whatever milk or cream combination you have on hand.  Whisk the milk into your roux so that no roux chunks remain and everything is smooth.  If you want to add some spices or herbs, here's the place to do it.  I added a clove of garlic, a touch of nutmeg, and pepper.  Hold off on the salt since cheese, especially Parmesan, can be salty.

Once your roux and milk have cooked together and thickened up, add the grated cheese.  I went with a Parmesan, and for dense cheeses like Parmesan (or Asiago, Mizithra, etc.) you'll want to do about half as much cheese as you did milk (example, 1 cup of milk to 1/2 cup cheese).  For softer cheeses such as cheddar, Gruyere, etc., the ratio is closer to 1 part to 1 part.  For example, when you make cheese sauce for macaroni and cheese, you're usually using softer cheese like cheddar.  Then you'd have about a cup of grated cheddar to a cup of milk.

Whisk the sauce with the cheese until your cheese has completely melted in.  And there you go!  You've made a cheese sauce!

A Parmesan cheese sauce differs only slightly from an Alfredo sauce in that an Alfredo sauce typically does not contain a roux.  It's simply straight cream mixed with Parmesan cheese and garlic.  So, if you're reading between the lines, that means this Parmesan cream sauce tastes nearly exactly like Alfredo, but with less fat.  AND if you go the milk and cream cheese route I mentioned earlier, that's even less calories.  You're welcome.

To serve this pasta, we went with a fettuccine pasta, and ribboned up and sauted some carrots.

Isn't that a cool way to prepare pasta?  I first saw the idea over at TheKitchn, via The Forest Feast, and fell in love.  The ribboned carrots add a nice sweetness and crunch and color.

Both Husband and I are very on board with this sauce and pasta preparation.

You should get on board, too!

Parmesan Cream Sauce over Ribboned Carrots and Fettuccine

Serves 2

3 carrots, peeled

4 oz fettuccine

1 Tbs. butter

1 Tbs. flour

1/2 c. milk

1/2 c. heavy cream

1 garlic clove, minced

1/8 tsp. nutmeg

1/4 tsp. pepper

1/2 c. grated Parmesan

salt to taste

Use vegetable peeler to peel carrots into ribbon.  Set a deep skillet over medium heat.  Add a glug of olive oil, and saute carrot ribbons for 2 to 3 minutes until just softened.  Season with salt and pepper, and remove from heat. Set aside carrots on a separate plate.

Bring a pot of water to boil, salt the water well, and add in the fettuccine pasta.

In the same deep skillet you used for the carrots, over medium heat, add the butter and flour, and mix together with a fork to create a roux (or a paste).  Allow to cook for 30 seconds to a minute.  Pour in the milk and cream slowly, whisking as you go to combine the roux with the liquid evenly. Add the garlic, nutmeg and pepper.  Let cook for 3-5 minutes until slightly thickened.  Add the cheese and whisk well til the cheese is melted through.  Taste, and add salt if necessary.

By this time, your fettuccine should be just al dente.  Drain, and add the noodles to your sauce, allowing to cook for another minute.  Add in your reserved carrots, and combine well with sauce and noodles.  Serve with a little fresh Parmesan right on top!

And remember to submit your ideas for any cooking basics you want to learn!

Friday Favorites

It's finally starting to feel like summer, isn't it?  And since Husband is having a guys' night (which I find just adorable) I'm making a girls' night of it with a beautiful evening hike.  It should be the perfect day for it.

Also, here's a pre-apology if you're sick of how much I'm talking about food.  But the majority of my favorites today will be food.  I'm not sure what my deal is, but it's like cooking and baking is all I think about anymore.

Oh, and I started an internship of sorts at a local bakery, and I'm having the time of my life.  Who knew it was so much fun to crack 96 eggs at a time, or scale out 20 cakes worth of batter, or zest 25 oranges on a microplane?  Wait... no one?  I might be alone on this.  But this is why I'm obsessed with baking lately.  I'm guessing it's just a phase...  But we'll see.

 Lemon Cronuts!  Apparently cronuts (a mix between croissants and donuts) are all the rage in New York right now.  I don't know anything about that, but I do know I want to eat these up.

 Overnight raised waffles.  I'm really in the mood to make a real breakfast, so I'm thinking I'll start this batter tonight and let them sour up nicely for the morning!

(That sounds gross.  But I'm really looking forward to it.)

 In other things that might sound gross... Parmesan Pudding!  I know, right?  But something about creamy rich parmesan cheese spread over toasts with proscuitto and asparagus?  I die.

 Husband found out that I call potato bugs what he calls roly-polys, and the mocking was endless.  This map was a real vindication in proving that I'm not completely crazy.  Also, it's possible I wasted a lot of time reading over the full list of 120 linguists maps.

 Something about the juxtaposition of the mounted rabbit opposite the wall art rabbit really cracked me up and sparked my interest.  Hmmm... what kind of mounted animal could I keep in my house to get this same look?

I don't know if I've shown this to you guys already or not, but every time I see it, my jaw just drops. What a beautiful design for a window.  Love.

.......

i wholeheartedly agree with ashley. both on it feeling like summer and that the baking and eating of things is awesome. i'm currently obsessed with making crafts/decorating my apartment. this is a problem because we're moving soon-ish and i don't want to a. decorate something i'll have to take down soon and b. craft anymore stuff that i'll have to pack. so i'll just keep on pinning stuff to my craft board in the meantime.

 like this yarn wall art by jen loves kev. so pretty. (i'm super obsessed with her chalkboard wall calendar too)

i dream of having a big dining room table someday. think i could convince brian to make this for me?

i recently came into some washi tape and realized i don't actually know what to do with it outside of present wrapping. something like this would be just great.

we may or may not have a crap ton of twine leftover from our wedding. i think these pendant lamps would be a great use of the excess.

i would eat these brown butter salted caramel snickerdoodles for lunch AND dinner.

this just kills me. also, i want to eat a brownie.

happy weekending everyone!

what i wish i was wearing.

i've been doing some major closet purging lately, which always always makes me want to go shopping. (kind of self defeating, right?) that combined with my new job's fairly casual dress code and it's all i can do to not wreak some serious havoc with my debit card. here's some outfits i want to wear riiiiight now. sadly, in the battle of clothes vs. groceries, smiths wins out every single time. 

sum by lacy-walker featuring a linen sweater

hearts. by lacy-walker featuring plush leggings

summer by lacy-walker featuring pleated shorts

spring. by lacy-walker featuring ripped denim jeans

sum by lacy-walker featuring a polka dot skirt

also i know some of these outfits aren't quite summer appropriate. and with that i will counter that my office is quite chilly, so i think it would work out. are any of you on polyvore? can we be friends?

Goat Cheese Marinara and Veggie Spaghetti

Or Spring Spaghetti, if you will.

 Except that it's now June, and totally approaching onto summer months.  Thankfully, I think this pasta is very fitting for summer, too!

And listen, I know that pasta dish isn't the prettiest thing you will have ever seen.  I'm still mastering the whole "taking expert photos of food on my phone in really crappy dim kitchen lighting" thing.  Also, does creamy pasta ever photograph well?  Don't answer that.

But look at these pretty vegetable pictures!

Those ears of corn up there were the first ones of the season.  I saw them at the store and got so excited, I nearly squealed.  And then I sent husband an overly excited text shouting about fresh corn and cantaloupe.  When I got home later, he was like, oooohhhh, fresh ears of corn!  That makes more sense.  When I was like, excuse me? he explained that he thought I was getting excited about fresh frozen corn or some crap like that.  Who does he think I am?

Clearly he has learned nothing about me.  I care nothing for frozen vegetables.  Fresh on the other hand?  Fresh, I will get overly-excited about it.

Can you even believe the Farmer's Market will open in Salt Lake this weekend?!  It's like my birthday and Christmas combined.

But oh right, this pasta.  This creamy and fresh tasting spaghetti.

The goat cheese is what gives the sauce it's creaminess.  I'm not sure that's actually any healthier than a big glug of heavy cream, but I like to think it is.  Plus, so much more tangy flavor!

And in case you're wondering, I took a short cut and didn't make my own tomato sauce.  But when you have something as flip-your-lid good as this stuff?:

You won't want to make your own either.  Seriously, this Silver Palate San Marzano marinara is killer.  Like Grim Reaper proportions of killer.  You'll pay a bit of a pretty penny to obtain it.  But it's worth it. And if you're only feeding two, like me, it goes a really long way.  Try it at least once.

Goat Cheese Marinara and Veggie Spaghetti

Serves 2

1 corn cob

4 oz. spaghetti

5 stalks asparagus

1/4 large onion, chopped

1 clove garlic, minced

1-2 oz. goat cheese

1/2 c.  marinara sauce

olive oil

salt & pepper

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.  Prep your corn by peeling back the husk (but don't remove) and removing the silk.  Rub olive oil on the corn ear and sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Return husk over corn, and place in the oven directly on the rack.  Allow to bake for 15-20 minutes, turning once, or until the corn is soft.  (Alternately, this can be done on an outdoor grill.  Or use frozen corn!  Heaven knows I have a bag in the freezer at all times for these situations.)  When corn is finished, remove the husk and cut the kernels off the ear.  Set kernels aside.

Meanwhile, while corn bakes, bring a pot of water to a boil, salt it well, and add the spaghetti.

Cut asparagus into 1-inch pieces.  Bring a shallow pot (or deep skillet) of water to boil (about one inch of water), salt the water, and allow the asparagus to par-boil for 3-5 minutes until just softened.  Drain and set aside.

Just about now, your spaghetti ought to be just al dente.  Drain, reserving some pasta water.

Wipe out your shallow pot/deep skillet, and put over medium heat.  Add a glug of olive oil and your chopped onion.  Season with salt and pepper and allow to soften and become transparent, a couple of minutes.  Then add your garlic and saute for 30 seconds.  Add goat cheese and a tablespoon or two of pasta water.  Melt the cheese into the pasta water to form a creamy sauce.  Then stir in the marinara, and mix well.  Add the corn, asparagus, and cooked pasta, mixing together  (I like to use tongs).  Let cook together for a few minutes so the pasta soaks up some of the sauce and everything warms through.  If the sauce gets too thick, you can add another dash or two of pasta water.

Transfer to plates, top with a little extra goat cheese, and serve!  With some lovely toasted crusty bread, because that would be amazing.