Recipes, projects & products that don’t suck.

Just over a week from now, Hubs and I (along with a group from our church) will be leaving for a mission trip to Dominican Republic. We are very excited about this trip and I can’t wait to share photos and details with you when we return. I am going to try my best to write a few pre-scheduled posts before we leave so this blog won’t be entirely lifeless while we’re gone for a week. We’ve been to DR before. On vacation. At a beautiful resort. So this will be an entirely different experience. In fact, I just saw the doctor this week so I could get a prescription for Chloroquine (malaria pills) and Cipro (an antibiotic used to treat bacterial infections – in…

I thought I’d take a little break from food posts and introduce you to a few of my favorite pieces from the Stella & Dot Spring 2013 Collection. And while I’m at it, I’m going to give some away! After all, I really do appreciate you guys. Thanks for reading and commenting. You guys rock. Ready to meet my new friends? How’s THAT for a pop of color?! Looks good enough to eat! I love the rich hues of coral, rose and fuchsia in this gorgeous Spring Awakening Necklace. Here’s a tip for ya:  Pair bold statement necklaces with small earrings – let the necklace be the star of the show. I like to wear the Soiree Studs in coral with this piece. Meet Kimberly,…

I’m not really sure which teams are in the Super Bowl. Well, now I am. I just googled it. 49ers and Ravens. While I love to watch college football (Michigan Wolverines, in particular), pro football just doesn’t interest me much. But I do look forward to the clever commercials during the Super Bowl. And sometimes there’s a decent halftime show. Mostly I just like that the Super Bowl is a great excuse to get together with friends and munch on good food while feigning moderate interest in the game. And by good food, I don’t mean Doritos and Cheetos. I mean Creamy Artichoke Spinach Dip, Peanut Butter Crispy Rice Treats, Hummus with Toasted Pine Nuts, Veggie Quesadillas, Fresh Guacamole, Vegan Buffalo Bites and Mushroom &…

Yikes. An entire week flew by without a single post. I can assure you it’s not because I was lazy. I don’t feel like I got that much done, but I sure feel like I was busy. Between design projects, dentist/doctor appointments, a million errands/tasks, book club, testing recipes, learning about food photography, getting my car fixed, cleaning up the pieces of our former garbage container that some idiot blew to pieces while he was probably texting just before he did a 180 and went into the ditch backwards (no one was hurt) and re-training the dogs to use the porta-potty in the garage so I don’t have to clean massive clumps of snow off them multiple times a day (don’t judge) – well, there…

(Don’t let the length of this post/recipe scare you away. It really is easy and fairly quick to make.) I am so excited to share my new-found love of socca, the chickpea flour crêpe/pancake/flat bread from Nice, France. It is very easy to make, yet I felt like an accomplished baker when I saw the end result – it’s beautiful! Don’t worry, if you don’t like olives, you can leave them out. In fact, traditional socca (also known as farinata or cecina) is merely garbanzo bean flour, water, olive oil and black pepper (naturally gluten-free and vegan!). When I found this recipe on Tasty Yummies, I was initially drawn to the recipe title cuz I’m a sucker for Kalamata olives. Then I saw the mouth-watering photo…