I love everything about chocolate-covered strawberries. I love the crunchy melt-in-your-mouth shell and the cool sweet strawberry beneath. I love giving them as presents, and I love receiving them equally as much. And I especially love how easy they are to make at home — it’s an afternoon project with a result that looks fancy no matter your candy-making skills…or lack thereof!
The day had started with the most wonderful of ambitions: a road trip to the ocean, a short hike, a picnic, maybe even a visit to the apple farm on the way home. A little exploring, a little adventure, a perfect Saturday plan.
Maybe it was the morning fog or the chilly temperatures or the headachy and expensive breadth of our planning. Or maybe we just needed a quiet morning. But at some point we realized that we had lost our zeal and so we put down our elaborate escapes and stretched out on the couch. We were staying put.
I don’t know about you, but I now have banana pancakes (and Benton’s bacon) on the brain since Steve Soria’s kitchen tour. Do you have any big breakfast plans this weekend? Do tell!
Happy weekend, all! We’ve got some truly delicious recipes to share with you from the past week. If you’re on a spring asparagus kick, try our easy method for cooking it in the oven, or try the miso-asparagus soba noodle salad (lunch, anyone?). Make sure to take advantage of rhubarb right now with these strawberry-rhubarb crumble bars, and don’t miss out on Sara Kate’s chicken in coconut milk. Oh, and make sure you try your hand at the creamy avocado lassi because DUH.
From Apartment Therapy → Jennifer’s Kitchen Renovation: A Dark Week 5
“Ahhh, week 5. The magical ‘final’ week of my kitchen renovation project. Sadly, the real version of week 5 has a substantially darker side. An ugly side…”
I have been thinking for a long time about all the voices that tell us we’re Doing It Wrong in the kitchen. We wanted to bring you a column about the ways that you’ve actually been doing it right all along. My friend Cheryl Sternman Rule is bringing us this occasional dose of reassurance. — Faith
More fruits, more vegetables, less processed food. Homemade, wholesome, whole family around the table. The directives – from society, from the media, from other parents — come in constant, sometimes oppressive waves, and the message usually boils down to this: there’s a right way to feed your family and a wrong way, and even those who make the best choices they can still feel like they’re coming up short.
So let’s do this.
Let’s relax the reins on each other.
Last week I took a look at whether or not adding baking soda to the boiling water makes hard-boiled eggs easier to peel and found that, unfortunately, it didn’t seem to make a difference. So are there any tricks that do work?
You had plenty of ideas in the comments and on Facebook, but the one that intrigued me most was the suggestion to use a pressure cooker. Several readers mentioned that hard-boiled eggs cook faster in the pressure cooker and that even fresh eggs peel perfectly every time. I had to give the technique a try.
The angle: The food and flavors of Rio, direct to your kitchen — no plane ticket required.
Recipes for right now: Salt Cod and White Bean Salad with Red Onions, Sweet Cocoa Popcorn, Moqueca Blinis with Shrimp, Rolled Sausage Bread with Rosemary, Steak with Fried Garlic, Hearts of Palm Soup, Caipirinha Coconut Cake
Who would enjoy this book? Anyone who has fallen in love (or wants to fall in love!) with Brazilian cuisine and craves it in their kitchen
From Apartment Therapy → Tiny Kitchens With Big Style
“Check out a few inspiring kitchens that made good use of their limited space…”
Ever since Faith shared her favorite rippled coupe glass (sadly no longer available), I’ve been thinking about these elegant, delicate glasses, traditionally used for serving Champagne but now are frequently found holding classic cocktails. I find the prettiest ones have a long, slender stem and a shallow bowl. Cut glass designs give some a vintage, Gatsby-esque feel, while others shimmer lightly in pink and gold — truly a lovely way to sip a little bubbly.
