101 cookbooks - a 2009 favorite

i'm going off the schedule for the next three days, the last posts until the new year. i have about 10 days off of work for the holidays; i plan to take advantage of the time & get some projects moving forward. plus... you won't be reading blogs.

to start i want to reiterate my true love for 101 cookbooks - a beautiful cooking blog heidi swanson. the blog is filled with gorgeous photography, delicious recipes, & a writing style that makes following heidi's instructions a cinch. there is something so special about her featured recipes, she keeps it unpretentious, while focusing on whole, seasonal foods. it has become my go to whenever i need to whip something up for guests or a friend's dinner party or brunch. of course, i've got favorites: spring tabbouleh, strawberry panzanella & sunburst carrot salad, but i'm always excited to see what's next.





i am finishing off the year with two recipes on 101 cookbooks, sante's hermit cookies & sparkling ginger chip cookies. both cookies are to die for & quite easy to make. i encourage any of you looking for a new take on cooking or baking to visit her blog & dive in - you'll be super happy you did.

found bakery

next time you have a couple hours to burn & want something hearty, delicious & beautiful - visit west seattle's bakery nouveau. you can smell it from a block away! not only was the food delicious, atmosphere perfect, but the staff was really helpful & friendly. the macaroons melt perfectly in your mouth; i gave the raspberry one a shot, but fell in love with the salted caramel.

on a side note, there is an antique mall in west seattle that i'd love to go back to. they had great dishware & some even better oil paintings for reasonable prices.

images via bakery nouveau.

bi-monthly recipes

i'm two months into the year & i have to say that i'm steps closer to crossing a few things off that 2009 to do list. i'm 8 lbs into the 10 lb weight loss, have tickets for my european vacation & have my hands in many a new recipe. i highly recommend these:



betty crocker chocolate chip cookie dough brownies with a ganache frosting from bakerella. in honor of my birthday tomorrow, i decided to bring these into work along with the usual friday treats. i felt straight out the midwest last night as i assembled these; it almost felt ridiculous.



i made this lentil soup a week or so ago & let me tell you - it's made the perfect lunch or side dish most days. another goodie from 101 cookbooks.

salted caramel makes my heart pitter patter

i highly recommend making this salted caramel buttercream frosting - put it on some devils food chocolate cupcakes & sprinkle them with sea salt or eat it with a spoon. it's too die for.

image from chockylit.

etsy wednesday

bake it pretty - you know - i'll just take the entire inventory. thanks.

banana muffins

ohhh so yummy - check out gourmet girl's recipe right here.

i buy a lot of bananas & when i realized that i didn't make it through the whole batch each week, i started freezing the leftovers in hopes of someday making killer banana bread. turns out this was the weekend to do it. gourmet girl's recipe was so good & it ended up making about 30 regular muffins. i did the math & it turns out that one muffin contains only 175 calories. seems like a great sweet bite if you ask me.

image from dapan.