Marshmallow

*Image & cards by blackbird letterpress

I've been thinking cake all along and then out of left field today I got a hankering for rice krispie treats. For a while last month we went on a soft carmel corn kick and that gooey sweet goodness really hit the spot.  Are rice krispie treats too simple for a birthday dessert, or should I combine my sweets and add cake to the mix?

Requests

*Image & card by Fine Day Press

My husband the baker makes some delicious confections.  He is the best when it comes to birthday cakes, in my opinion.  One year he surprised me with chocolate lava cakes.  I could probably have any cake I could dream of, but I'm feeling stuck this year.  I just can't decide.  I feel like cupcakes could be delicious, but so could a pie.  Last year we did an ice cream theme party, but this year I'm keeping it small.  I have all week to make my request, but I need some help.  What should I have for dessert?

Birthday week

*Image & card by papillion press

It's birthday week all week, which will end with a lovely celebration of my very own birthday on Saturday (my mom's birthday too!).  I love celebrating birthdays, especially my own and have a few extras this week to make the celebration last.  Right now I'm thinking of cake.  What is your favorite birthday dessert?

Peter Piper

*Image by me

All of these peppers are from our garden.  My goal today is to can them so that we can enjoy them for a while longer.  I haven't yet tasted those beautiful orange and red peppers, but we bought the plants because of their name - tequila sunrise peppers.  They start out green and then slowly darken to orangy-red. Hopefully they spice up the pepperoncinis. I think that this will be a tasty savory treat.  What are you growing in your garden?

Red Raspberry

*Image & print by A Two Pipe Problem Letterpress

I have another home brewer to add to my list of friends, or would it be a friend to add to my list of home brewers?  Either way, last Saturday we all toasted and enjoyed his summer red raspberry beer.  The beer was a lovely pink color, almost that of ripe grapefruit flesh.  The beer was refreshing, slightly tart and perfect for summer.  Rather than using raspberry flavor or syrup as many are wont to do, he used a pound of fresh macerated raspberries in muslin and immersed them in his beer (I'm not exactly sure at what stage in the process, but if you really want to know I'll get you the recipe).  This was by far the best tasting raspberry beer that I have ever had, and it is also the perfect beer for summer. The flavor of the fresh berries was a compliment to the beer and the absence of artificial sweetness let the flavors of the beer and berries mingle to create a tart, but not bitter end note.  Lifting the glass to my nose, I could even smell the raspberries. I'm glad that I know such talented people, and that I can drink to their success.  What is your perfect summer beer?

Winner

*Image by me

Last night we explored another San Antonio hidden gem.  We drove out to the Boardwalk on Bulverde where a host of food trucks gather Thursday through Saturday night. The night was perfect and the food was excellent.  We'll go back for sure.  I had the Mimi Melt from Winner Winner Chicken Dinner and didn't think that I could finish this enormous sandwich, but after passing it around my group for bites (they were salivating) I managed to finish the entire thing with no regrets.  Chicken, avocado, spice, bacon and cheese with a tasty slaw on Texas toast made for a lovely dinner.  The sweet, creamy and spicy all married well together and I couldn't put it down.  I've already planned my next dinner because the selections from the Spice Runner truck were so good I don't want to settle for bites next time.  The owner of the truck is from South Africa and makes some delicious, well-balanced flavors and his own complex hot sauces.  Because the food trucks don't have a liquor license, it's either BYOB or a taste of the free beer they offer on site.  Free beer, you ask?  Yep, they can't sell it, but they can give it away.  Have you been swept up by the food truck movement?

Strawberry Pie

*Image & recipe by Cook's Illustrated

Yesterday, to celebrate the 4th, my husband made a fresh strawberry pie.  I wanted to take a picture of it, but we devoured it too quickly.  Seriously, there is no pie left today and I am sad about that.  The whole, fresh berries are pulled together with a cooked jam and fill a flaky pie crust.  There is nothing better than chilled fresh strawberries on a hot day, and this pie was just the ticket.  I think that it will be a repeat in this house.  We spent our day outside playing by the water, grilling, and then devouring this tasty pie.  How did you spend the 4th?

Pool & popsicle

*Image & card by Hartland Brooklyn Card Co.

Yesterday I spend a glorious day poolside and in the refreshing waters of my friend's pool.  It was a perfect way to beat the TX heat and enjoy the summer.  I even got to practice passing for my upcoming trip to Masters Nationals for water polo this weekend, which I'm really looking forward to.  Today I will beat the heat by completing my indoor household chores, eating a popsicle and possibly heading to Sea World to pick up my educator's pass.  I can't think of a better way to beat the heat than by getting splashed at Sea World.  How do you stay cool in the summer?

Quilted

*Image by Ross Pollack

Storms have been passing through town recently and last night I looked up into the sky and it looked like the clouds had formed a quilt overhead.  It was truly a beautiful sight.  I'm glad for all of the rain, our yard is greener than ever and looks fantastic.  This rain is making an impact on our small garden as well.  Our little cherry tomatoes are climbing the trellis and tiny little peppers are sprouting up too.  How has your spring started to bloom and grow?

Ugly

*Image by mirsasha

Ugly dolls are the theme for a baby shower I'm helping to throw this weekend.  I love these fuzzy little dolls with their funny quirky back stories.  Perfectly imperfect, great for cuddling with kids.  I can't believe that this is my second baby shower since TX.  I just found out that a co-worker friend is expecting twins so there is at least one more baby shower on my calendar this year.  I have some ugly cupcakes planned just for a fun finishing touch.  I need to get my baking rear in gear!  Do you have a favorite Ugly?

Basil

*Image by Louise Denton

Our garden has five kinds of basil, one of our beds is predominately basil!  We'll have pesto coming out of our ears this summer.  We have: sweet, Thai, Cuban, amethyst, and purple ruffles.  We made sure to put the basil close to the tomatoes so that the fruit will pick up a nice full flavor.  I can't wait to start eating food spiced with the herbs from the backyard garden.  Do you have any great recipes that feature basil to pass along?

Shell

*Image & eggs by my mom

I think that this was the very first Easter that I did not eat any hard boiled eggs.  What a strange realization.  I did eat my fair share of bacon buns.  In my house it's first come first served, and I will not be the disappointed person looking at the empty bag.  Maybe next year I'll have my egg, and maybe next year it will be beautiful.  For now, I'll just feast my eyes on my mother's creativity.  How was your Easter?

Garden

*Image & Garden Markers by simplyprettyprints

We finally bit the bullet and decided to try to garden in this godforsaken state of TX.  Yes, you can grow things here - but you have to fight to keep them alive in the summer.  Yesterday we cleared a spot in the yard to put in some raised beds.  My mom sent me the Square Foot Gardening book for Christmas and we're going to put it to the Texas test.  It got up to 86 degrees yesterday and with the humidity and hard labor it was a scorcher.  I even have the sunburn to prove it.  This will hopefully be a fruitful project at the house - as soon as we get some seeds and plants in the ground.  What yard projects are you undertaking?

Burger

*Image & card by GhostGoose

French fries and a burger with mustaches make me laugh.  I love french fries and the addition of fries to a Valentine's card would only increase my love for whomever sent me the card.  You can really buy my love if you bring me fresh hot deep fried potatoes along with that card.  In my opinion, you can't go wrong with french fries.  Someone needs to tell Hallmark that we need more than just chocolate.  Don't you agree?

Salt

*Image & card by hellosmallworld

As I write this I am sitting cozy and content with a belly full of turkey tortilla soup.  My husband is definitely the salt, and the recipes he tries out on a regular basis keep me full and happy.  I'd live a pretty bland food life without his influence.  I do like to cook, but I'm not as adventurous as I'd like.  I'm also a bit lazy in the kitchen.  I try to clean as I go and therefore try to make less mess - that means boring cooking.  My husband doesn't mind making a mess and really getting into the task. He is inspired by making good food.  Yeah, salt.  Who is your salt?

Bacon

*Image & card by 4four

I am betting that if you hate Valentine's Day, you probably like bacon.  If you don't like either, I can't help you.  Even if I didn't like VDay, I'd be willing to pretend just to get my hands on some good chocolates.  Come to think of it, you can even buy bacon chocolate now to get the best of both worlds.  I've tasted it and it's not too bad.  How would you react to a nice slab of bacon as a Valentine?

Beets

*Image by craigCloutier

My mom thinks that I should add eating beets to my list of goals for this next year.  Growing up, beets were always suspect in my house.  With a family that eats cold soup the color of Peptol-Bismol during the summer while proclaiming its goodness, I was never convinced.  Beet sounded awful, pastel buttermilk beet soup sounded and looked even worse.  I get that as an adult my palate may have changed, I would be willing to try a golden roasted beet or something small and non-committal.  I'm not sure even if I love beets if I'll ever be sold on the pink soup.  Do you have any recipes I should try?

Grapes

*Image by loco ejj

I ate my fill of grapes after the amazing dinner with my husband and our friends last night.  We had a great evening with games and fun and began our day with a nice morning 5k.  Yesterday my husband decided to run a mind-boggling 16 miles so today, instead of racing, he ran with me.  I couldn't have been happier, and he made sure I achieved my goal time.  Tonight we'll feast on some lentil soup and I'll mentally prepare for students tomorrow.  How did you ring in 2012?

Greetings

*Image by me, map via The Graphics Fairy

Nothing like a little REM to ring in the New Year, especially for all of those people who really think the apocalypse will visit us on December 21st, the apparent end of the Mayan calendar.  I'm going to eat a delicious dinner surrounded by friends and then ring in the stroke of twelve with a champagne cocktail.  I can't believe I have to be back to work so soon, I also cannot believe that another year has passed.  This makes it seem like it really hasn't been that long since my move across the country, and even closer to my move back home.  As I prepare for that I'm going to try two things this year: to run more often, and to attempt to eat fish (which I really don't care for at all, but which is good for me).  These are not resolutions, just goals.  I want to improve, I want to try to make small changes.  How will your piece of the world change this year?

Crummy

*Image via Cooks' Illustrated

Last night my husband got some sort of inspiration to bake.  He made creme brûlée in advance for our Christmas dessert and apparently it wasn't challenging enough.  After browsing recipes and asking me cryptic questions about ingredients and supplies in the kitchen he went off to make a "secret" recipe.  The secret turned out to be New York-Style crumb cake muffins.  Yes, I had cake for breakfast this morning and cannot complain.  A secret baking frenzy?  I'll take it.  Friday is my scheduled baking day because the husband will be busy working.  Today is jam day, I should have made jam before muffins, but there are still plenty left.  Do holidays get you in a baking mood?