blog move

hello friends - happy sunday! just as a heads up, i'm now blogging over at wordpress. not that i don't love blogger, but i'm just working on streamlining a few things & this is part of that process.

come join me at www.thekitchenbookforgirls.wordpress.com

see you soon,

sara

wish list wednesday // 01

this begins the first (of many) posts for a weekly series featuring adorable handcrafted items from small online businesses.

1 // 2 // 3

4 // 5 // 6

7 // 8 // 9

happy shopping!

*note - these are not affiliate links, just promoting things i like

mini-books, major love

mini books are poppin' up all over the interwebs - pinterest, blogs, etsy. i was introduced to these lil babes by Elise Joy & her impressive collection of them. mini books are a great way to supplement traditional scrapbooks, or replace them all together (depending on how crazy you are with taking photos). i've used mini books to organize the excess pictures & things that didn't make it into my larger Project Life albums, and they seriously make the perfect personalized gift.

one of the many millions of things i love about these little books are that you can finish them in one day (if you choose) and they can be as simple or as complicated as you care to make them. some of my books are ongoing projects, and others have a very distinct ending (example, the 2012 holiday card book below). another thing i love love love is that you don't have to have a super extensive supply collection to create mini books either. some of my books are full of words and color and journaling, while others are strictly pictures with captions. mini books are whatever you want them to be, which takes away the pressure associated with traditional scrapbooking and memory keeping.

here are a few samples of how i've used this project:

i love weddings, but i hate throwing away all of the paper products that go into wedding planning because a) they're cute and b) i know they cost the bride and groom some $$ to send them all out. to solve this dilemma, i've created mini books using the announcements/invitations/thank you cards, in addition to a few pictures i snapped at the actual weddings.



along the same lines, i'm always searching for creative ways to store holiday cards. i feel badly throwing away pictures of family and friends, but i also feel like a bit of a hoarder for hanging on to them in shoeboxes years down the road, if ya catch my drift. in 2012, i cropped and punched all of my holiday cards, photos and trinkets into a mini album and threw it into my collection.



last year i went through my boxes and boxes and boxes of old photos. i collected all of the ones of my BFF and created two books; one for me, and one for her. this project took me a few hours on a lazy sunday and i had hers mailed out by monday afternoon. do our books match? nope. did i use the same pictures? nope. did i journal the same funny stories? no way. i created two unique BFF mini books that perfectly describe our friendship. and boy did she love it.





moral of the story : mini books, get on it! i'll help you get started.

DIY mini books // coming soon!

i love this zink, i think

have you heard of or seen these new Zink photo printers? the Zink printer is controlled by an app on your iPhone or iPad that allows you to edit and embellish  pictures before you print. and did i mention they're sticky on the back? #brilliant

Zink stands for 'zero-ink' technology. i'm not a scientist, and i'm not entirely sure how it works from a technical standpoint, but what i do know is that i'm o-b-s-e-s-s-e-d with my Zink printer. the ink strips come in sizes ranging from 1/8'' to 2'' wide and it's perfect for printing pictures from instagram. i use my Zink printer to print last minute pictures for Project Life albums, personalized thank you cards and just about anything else that requires pictures.

so if you're into these kind of things, add it to your birthday list.

succulents, schmuculants

if my ability to keep a house plant alive is any indication of the type of parent i will be, my future kids are in some serious trouble.

The Mr. and i purchased three succulents last fall. we bought them from a neat little market down the street, next to one of our favorite places to get coffee. we carefully drove home, so as to not jostle the dirt and disturb our new loved ones. they were beautiful. The Mr. planted them in a wooden box i had previously painted and distressed for such a glorious occasion as this.

that afternoon, our family grew by three.

sadly, one of them died within a week. another was dead 3 weeks later. and the strongest of the pack, he lasted until christmas. The Mr. disposed of it while i was away visiting family for the holiday. i came home and my baby was gone. the planter, empty.

to get over the loss, we invested in a Japanese Maple tree. it's plastic. but it looks real. #bestofbothworlds


 

and just the other night, that adorable Mr whispered into my ear, and this is a direct quote, "i will never, ever change a diaper" then he lovingly kissed my forehead and smiled. as if the gesture made up for the statement. I THINK NOT MISTER.

moral of the story: at the ripe ages of 26 & 30, we are years away from caring for another plant, pet or person.

to see how plants really aught to be cared for, look at how EliseJoy does it.

herringbone art

a little while back i attempted to create an abstract painting using a blue motif. the reality was a less than desirable piece of art work. instead of burning it at the next bonfire, i upcycled it for this project. 

start with :: canvas (already painted on), white paint, painters tape, paintbrush

 

cover canvas with tape, creating a herringbone shaped pattern. as you can see, i didn't have painters tape on-hand, so i substituted with some aeronautical print washi tape. and it worked just fine. 

 

paint over entire canvas with white paint (i used two coats)

 

after paint dries, remove each piece carefully to reveal your completed design

 

rebranding

the kitchen book blog is undergoing some serious reconstruction as i learn how to intentionally share more personal aspects of my life that make the kitchen book what it is; a place for cookers, crafters and creaters. sure it's my book, but it's also a representation of everything i hold dear*. i'm not just an author of a cookbook for girls who think they can't cook. i'm an office supply lover and a party planner who prefers to write in lower-caps. i'm a special ed teacher who enjoys late-night baking and traveling the world. i'm a partner, and a daughter and a sister and friend who just so happened to publish a cookbook to help young women learn how to feed themselves without relying on take-out to get them through their 20's.

so that's that.
welcome to the new kitchen book blog.


*making things & eating them, or making things while eating other things.  

hearts

whip up something delicious (and heart-shaped) today!

blondie bites

just another one of my crowd-pleasing miniature desserts : )

i love brownies. i love blondies. i also love all things miniature, which is where this recipe comes in. i used this blondie bar recipe  a few times before i realized that although they are sensational, i hate cutting them into squares. lame, i know. i did some experimentation and adjusted the temperature to turn these bars into bites using a mini muffin pan. genius, i know i know.

recipe //

1 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/8 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/3 cup butter

1 cup packed brown sugar

1 egg

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

1 cup chocolate chips

1 cup crushed chocolate candy (my favorite is peanut butter cups)

preheat oven to 350 degrees. melt butter. mix brown sugar and melted butter - mix well. cool slightly. add egg and vanilla. blend well. in separate mixing bowl, combine all dry ingredients. slowly mix with wet ingredients. mix in chocolate chips & crushed chocolate candy. scoop out into greased mini muffin tray. bake for 10-15  minutes. store in airtight container at room temperature.

**this recipe is also featured in the cookbook i created. check it out here. 

#pancakelove

if there's one thing i love, it's making breakfast on saturday mornings.  especially pancakes. banana-peanut butter pancakes, from scratch. to be specific. and The Mr loves them too (a win-win!)

homemade pizza with Naan

the other night i was scrounging to figure out what to make The Mr for dinner. we'd been having leftovers for the past few nights and it was beginning to be a bit much. as i was searching through the refrigerator to find something that we hadn't already eaten this week i stumbled upon a package of Naan bread i had recently purchased on a whim. the Naan came in a 2-pack and resulted in perfectly proportioned homemade pizzas. just call me Martha Stewart.

three simple ingredients :

- mozzarella cheese (sliced or shredded, whatever you have on hand)

- pasta or pizza sauce (i always use pasta sauce when making homemade pizzas. A) we never have pizza sauce in the house B) it's more flavorful when making a plain cheese pizza)

- Naan bread (or pre-made pizza dough - whatever you've got. the beauty of this recipe was i just improvised and didn't have to run to the store)

the best sugar cookies ever

this is a post of few words. mostly because these are the best sugar cookies in world and no one has ever turned down one (or two!) of these delicious little nuggets and i'm not kidding. they're addicting. the recipe also makes a million of them, depending on what size cookie cutter you use. cutting the recipe in half is a wise decision, unless you want leftovers for daaaaays.

no bake bites

looking for a super-simple, most-healthy-but-still-sweet snack to satisfy that craving? well you're in luck. as much as I love baking, which I really, really do, sometimes it's nice just to not have to turn on the oven, ya know? and as if they couldn't get any better, these little bad boys only have 6 ingredients. six simple ingredients that you probably already have in your pantry. 

you're welcome.

creamy alfredo

is there anything more delicious than alfredo sauce? 

the best part about this recipe is that you can put the noodles in the pot dry, they cook in the cream and come out tender and delicious!

tomato basil soup

growing up, i was never a fan of tomato soup. it reminded me of being sick & staying in bed. it was always too thin. too ketchup-tasting. last week i discovered i actually love, love, LOVE tomato soup,when it doesn’t come out of a tin can. in a big family with two working parents, we ate a lot of boxed, microwaved, & pre packed meals. it’s no one’s fault, it was the 90′s.

fresh tomato soup is my new favorite. & you can freeze the extra – win/win!

1. heat oil in pot, add onions. cook until tender.

2. add tomatoes & chicken stock – simmer 15 min

3. pour into blender, blend until smooth & return soup to pot

4. add cream & basil – simmer 20 min

5. serve w parmesan cheese on top !

perfect with grilled cheese on a chilly day : )

postal problems : /

if you pre-ordered a book through my kickstarter campaign & haven't received it yet... tell me! all of the books have been shipped and should have arrived by now. some of my updates sent via kickstarter are going to junk inboxes - so if you still haven't sent me your mailing address, shoot me an email & I'll get your book sent out.

Thanks!

homemade chicken tortilla soup

the results are in

well friends, try-as-i-might i didn't exactly make it to 10 new recipes before 2014.

bummer, i know.

but I did get 6! so that's good news.

because of the weather, i focused mostly on soups, but threw in some sauces as well & The Mr. was pleased.

I'm super excited to be back from vacation & ready to share some really delicious things with you.

#staytuned

end-of-the-year challenge

on Sunday, the Mr. & I gathered around the kitchen table (once again) to discuss our most pressing relationship issue thus far  ::

what are we going to eat this week?

i know what you're thinking, "hey kitchen lady! you wrote a cookbook - how come you never know what to make for dinner??"

well i'll tell you friend, being an author-slash-teacher it doesn't make it any easier to create a grocery list. except that as i've mentioned before, i do love list making.

i even overpaid on a neat little notepad that helps you break up your meals & divide your shopping. but the trouble is, you have to know what you want to eat, before you decide what to make & what to buy & what to write on the dang list.

#headache
#groceryprobz

and it's hard to know on a Sunday morning, while you're noshing on delicious banana-peanut-butter pancakes, what you might feel like eating at 7pm Thursday after a long day at the office, or chasing kids or saving lives.

idk, whatever your day job is.

having recognized that we are in a recipe-rut, i've created a new challenge for myself.

and if there's something i love almost as much as making lists, it's a completing a challenge.

a list of things we eat for dinner almost every week:

- salsa verde enchiladas (from The Kitchen Book)
- spinach salad with seasoned chicken (also from my new cookbook)
- pasta (or quinoa) with red sauce, cheese and meatballs or chicken
- grilled cheese with sliced turkey
- quesadilla with shredded seasoned chicken
& on the really, really desperate nights we eat cereal. for dinner.
like starving college students.

so from now until January 1st, i am challenging myself to cook, create & consume at least 10 new meals. thanks to Pinterest, i am at no shortage of ideas. there are about 3 weeks left of the year, this gives me 2-3 new meals per week, while still allowing for some tried-&-true favorites to slip their way onto the menu too. this is sure to please The Mr. as he is not a fan of change. 

nothing like ringing in 2014 by adding some new recipes to our regime.
#letsdothis

Mom, The Intern

i'm not usually one to toot my own horn, but actually what the heck yes, i am.

fortunately, today i don't have to!
the adorable Jenna from Mom, The Intern has taken care of that for me!

i'm excited to show off my latest piece of internet popularity:

The Kitchen Book review by Jenna Foote

Jenna's blog is dedicated to all things momma-related (& life in general) - it's the cutest! if you're looking for a good read to add to your daily blog rituals, this is it.

happy tuesday!