I’m really excited for the warmer weather that is headed our way. I’m ready to spend long evenings outside and have friends over for BBQs. We have a really gorgeous backyard, it’s huge, so we really needed some areas with seating and just a place to hang out. We have some seating on our porch, but the rest of the half acre has nothing. Right out our back door is a large old mandarin tree, it provides a nice shady spot. Last year, in an effort to reduce our water use, my husband took out some of our grass and added this gravel spot. I actually really love this pea gravel, it’s clean and really easy to care for.

I decided it was time to find some outdoor furniture. You know I’m a fan of the hunt, and Tuesday Morning is a great place to go hunting. I love that every time I step through the doors, there is so many new things. Tuesday Morning really has a little of everything. They carry  quality brands and designer names from all over the world. And the best part is, they are always at a great price. I found so many great outdoor pieces. This pair of white adirondack chairs jumped out at me. I’ve always been a fan of this classic shape and in this bright white finish, they felt modern and clean. And to make them even more comfortable, I also bought a couple outdoor fabric pillows.

If you are going to have a couple of chairs, you definitely need a side table to set a drink on. I LOVE this little geometric table I found. It looks adorable outside with my new chairs, but I like so much, it might make its way inside as well.

Tuesday Morning doesn’t only carry furniture, I also picked up a pretty citronella candle, a couple of pretty square terra-cotta planters, and these fun oversized mug glasses and a pitcher.

To create this little backyard living room, I brought in some new pieces and also gave some old pieces a little new life. Last year, we had a tree die, so I had my husband keep some stumps for me. I knew they could be some great additional seating. So, finally this last weekend, I took a few hours to chisel away the bark and then I sanded and sanded and sanded. Then I painted the tops of the stumps white to give a nice clean seat.

This weekend we are having friends over for dinner. I think a lot of the get together will be outside. We will light the little fire pit and enjoy this little outdoor “room”.

And if you are going to have company over, a yummy drink is a good idea, and you know I love a Mocktail! So, with warmer weather headed our way, I decided I needed a fun, refreshing drink to serve at my next get together. This Mango Jalapeno Mock-Margarita is surprisingly spicey

Mango Jalapeno Mock-Margarita

• 1 liter of mango juice (about 5 cups)
• Jalapeno Lime Simple Syrup (see recipe below)
• ice
• club soda
• lime slices
• thin slices of jalapeno
• one mango diced
• Tajin

In a large pitcher, mix the mango juice, mango pieces, lime and jalapeno slices and simple syrup. Rim the glasses with Tajin. Garnish with limes and jalapeno slices.

Jalapeno Lime Simple Syrup

• 1 cup sugar
• juice of 5 limes plus enough water to make 1 cup
• zest of 5 limes
• 2 jalapenoes sliced

Bring the ingredients to a boil and boil one minute. Pour into an airtight container and chill.

Right now, our citrus trees are blooming, and there really is no better smell on earth. All week, I’ve spent my evening out in this spot.

Be sure to check out your local Tuesday Morning.  I’m sure there are some treasures waiting there for you.

This post is sponsored by Tuesday Morning, thank you for supporting the companies that help make this blog possible. 

My latest obsession is shrubs or drinking vinegars. There is something super interesting and about this sweet and sour combination. If you’ve never had a shrub, they are fruit infused sweet vinegars. Shrubs are the perfect addition to a cocktail or just add a little sparkling water for a perfectly refreshing mocktail.

We are in the peak of citrus season. Our lemon tree is absolutely loaded. So, I’m looking for creative ways to use all this fruit. Yes, we are drinking a pitcher of lemonade everyday, but it’s fun to play with some new recipes and uses for all our fruit. This week I plan on making some marmalade and also drying some more lemon slices.

Lemon Lavender Shrub

• 6-8 lemons, cut in 1/4’s
• 2 tbsp. dried lavender
• 2 cups sugar
• 2 cups white vinegar
• 1/2 tsp. salt

In a glass bowl, place the cut lemons, salt and lavender and cover with sugar. Cover with plastic wrap and leave on the counter for 1 day. Stir a couple of times throughout the day. After 1 day, add the vinegar, stir and cover again with plastic wrap. Allow it to sit another full day. Stir a couple of times throughout the day.  Pour the entire contents of the bowl into a sauce pan. Bring to a boil and boil for just one minute. Remove from the heat and pour through a fine metal sieve, press a wooden spoon against the lemons, to remove all of the liquid. You may need to pass the liquid through a sieve more than once.

Store the shrub in an airtight container in the fridge for up to one month.

For this super simple mocktail, I simply added 2 oz. of the shrub to a glass and then topped off the glass with cold sparkling water. Then, I garnished each drink with a couple of camomile flowers and a slice of lemon.

Cheers! Hope you enjoyed a little down time this long weekend.

Ok, I know it’s kind of last minute, but you are definitely going to want to make this for your sweetheart or your whole family this Valentine’s Day. I’m serving this as a decadent breakfast, but this yummy Chocolate Raspberry Baked French Toast is really just a rich bread pudding. Calling it French Toast makes it feel a little more acceptable as a breakfast food. But, let’s be completely honest, this is DESSERT served for breakie. But, if there is any day of the year that you can serve something sweet, first thing in the morning, it’s Valentine’s Day!

Chocolate Raspberry Baked French Toast

• 1 loaf of brioche bread
• a pint of fresh raspberrys
• 1/2 cup of dark or semi sweet chocolate chips
• 6 eggs
• 1 1/2 cups half and half
• 1/4 tsp salf
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1/2 cup butter
• 1 cup brown sugar

Start by melting the 1/2 cup of butter in small sauce pan, add the brown sugar and stir to combine. Place 6 oven safe ramekins on a baking sheet. Divide the butter and brown sugar mixture evenly into the ramekins.

Cute the brioche into 1 inch cubes. Adding in layers, divide the bread, chocolate and raspberries into the 6 containers.

In a bowl, beat the eggs, add the salt, vanilla and half and half. Beat until smooth. Pour the egg mixture over the bread, dividing it evening.

Cover with plastic wrap and place in the fridge overnight. When you are ready to bake, allow the the french toast to come to room temperature. Then bake in a 350 F oven for about 25 mins.

Serve warm.

I hope you have a fantastic Valentine’s Day and feel love and appreciated for who you are.

Happy New Year!

Usually, I start the new year with a good health and fitness plan, but this year the I’m not there yet. There has been no trips to the gym yet. I’m starting with baby steps – a few new healthy recipes to add to add to our weekly menus. As the main cook in our house, I find myself getting into ruts and struggling to find fast, healthy meals that my family will actually eat. But, these Ground Turkey Korean Rice Bowls, made with Foster Farms Organic Turkey are a winner. This recipe literally takes less then 30 mins to make and it’s soooo delicious. This is not a boring meal, it’s full of flavor and packs so many veggies into one bowl.

My kids aren’t really picky eaters, but having choices definitely gives them a little more control. I added the rice and turkey to their bowls and then they topped with with all their favorite vegetables.

As you may know, I’m married to a Biology and Environmental Science teacher. I wrote a lot about it here, with this yummy Turkey Meatball Gyro recipe. It’s a long story, but we are always looking for ways to eat in a way that creates less of a negative impact on our environment.

That’s why Foster Farms Organic Ground Turkey is great choice for our family. Ground turkey is a healthy, leaner and lower calorie alternative to ground beef and is an easy substitute for leaner meals. Foster Farms Organic Ground Turkey is USDA Certified Organic and raised free-range on organic land. It’s100% natural with no antibiotics, no GMOs and no added hormones or steroids. The land on which the flocks are raised has been certified organic. This requires a 3-year transition during which time the land must be managed under organic methods (or lie fallow). The land is farmed without synthetic pesticides, herbicides and fertilizers. These are all things that make the nerd I’m married to very happy.

I trust Foster Farms for their organic ground turkey, they are the leading producer of organic turkey in the Western United States. And for me, they are even local, Foster Farms turkeys are raised right here in California’s Central Valley.

Ground Turkey Korean Rice Bowls

• 2 lbs. Foster Farms Organic Ground Turkey
• 1/4 soy sauce
• 2 tbsp. coconut sugar (brown sugar can by substituted)
• 2 tbsp. minced garlic
• 2 tbsp. finely grated fresh ginger
• 1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
• 2 tsp. sesame oil
• 1 tsp. fish sauce

In a fry pan, cook the ground turkey completely. Use a spoon to break apart the meat as it cooks.

In a small bowl combine the remaining ingredients listed above. Pour the mixture over the cooked ground turkey. Stir and cook another 5 mins on medium heat. You want to make sure the garlic and ginger is completely cooked.

• 3 cups of brown rice
• carrots, shredded
• green onions, sliced
• radishes, thinly sliced
• red cabbage, shredded
• baby spinach
• black sesame seeds
• Spicy Cucumber Salad (see recipe below)

You can really add any of your favorite veggies. I think bell peppers, zucchini, and mushrooms would be super yummy with these bowls as well.

Cook the rice however you normally cook rice. I got a rice cooker for a wedding gift almost 20 years ago and it’s the only way I make rice. But, you can definitely make rice in a regular pot, the old-fashioned way.

In a small frying pan, with tbsp. of vegetable oil, saute the spinach until it is just wilted. Season with salt and pepper.

Assemble the bowls. Start with a bed of rice, add about 1/2 cup of the ground turkey and then either arrange the veggies in little piles or let every top their rice bowls with all their favorite vegetables. Garnish with a sprinkling of sesame seeds, green onions and a little Korean Sweet and Spicy sauce.

This recipe serves a family of 4 (or 5 in our case).

Spicy Cucumber Salad

• 1 cup sliced cucumber (1 small cucumber or about 1 cup when sliced)
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
• 1 tbsp. minced garlic
• 1 tbsp. finely grated fresh ginger
• 1/4 cup rice wine vinegar
• 2 tbsp. coconut sugar (brown sugar can be substituted)
• 1 tsp. sesame seed oil
• 1 tsp. black sesame seeds

These spicy cucumbers make the bowls. They are sweet, spicy and tangy. These can be made in the morning or up to a day before.

Slice the cucumbers in thin rounds. Place in a bowl and sprinkled with salt. Allow the cucumbers to sit for about 15 mins. Then drain off the water. Add the remaining ingredients. Stir, cover and place in the refrigerator.

I hope your New Year is off to a great start. Here’s to eating healthy and having dinner together as a family!

This post is sponsored by Foster Farms. Thank you for supporting the companies that help make this blog possible. 

If you know me, I really like to cook and I cook a lot. But, I’ve actually been using the same pots that I got as wedding gifts almost 20 years ago. And I can’t even count number of cheap fry pans I’ve gone through over the years. I’ve been wanting to upgrade my kitchen hardware (pots and pans) for a while now, so when Made In Cookware asked me to try our their products, I was excited.

After using their 5 quart Stock Pot and 10″ Fry Pan for the week, here’s what I love about Made In. They make premium cookware and believe great cooking experiences are for everyone. There slogan is, “Professional cookware at an amateur price.” I love when great kitchen products are attainable to the average home cook. Because, that’s me! I love how these pans heat evenly, no matter what kid of stove you have (because mine might be the worst). I have a few pans in my cupboard right now that only brown in the very center of the pan, so have to keep moving my food around to get everything evenly cooked. No more cheap non-stick pans for me. You guys, this 10″ Fry Pan came out sparkly clean with no elbow grease at all, and that was after frying potatoes and baking a frittata with cheese in it. If you know your way around the kitchen, I’m sure you are impressed. And one more thing, all this cookware is American-made!

Now, I’m sure you all are feeling the holiday stress mounting like I am. I don’t know how it happens, but December just is CRAZY. I see our calendar filling up, and every evening seems to have some sort of event, party, or activity that we have to be at. I need simple dinners that are healthy and don’t take very much time to make. A frittata is the perfect weekend breakfast, or even better, an quick and easy dinner. And it’s the perfect recipe for testing out the 10″ Fry Pan, because you start this recipe on the stove top and then finish it in the oven.

I decided to give this frittata a little taste of India. This Curry Frittata has just the right amount of spice and lots of veggies to make it a great balanced meal. I really can’t eat Indian food without having chai tea as well. So, sticking with the theme, I also made Chai Tea Lattes.

Curry Frittata

• 8 eggs
• 1/4 half and half
• 1/4 tsp. each of salt and pepper
• 1/2 tsp. each Curry Powder and Garam Masala
• 4 tsp. olive oil
• 1/2 a red onion chopped finely
• 2 cloves of garlic
• 2 potatoes sliced thinly
• 1 cup frozen peas
• 1/4 feta
• 2 Roma tomatoes sliced
• a bunch of fresh cilantro

Start by heating 2 tbsp. of olive oil in a fry pan. Add the onion and garlic, cook on medium high heat until the onion is translucent.

In a bowl beat the eggs well with a whisk. Add the salt, pepper, curry, garam masala and half and half and mix well. Add the cooked onions, garlic and peas.

Add the remaining 2 tbsp. olive oil and place the potatoes in a single layer. Cook on medium high heat and fry each side of the potatoes until they are golden brown.

Pre heat the oven to 350 F. Pour the egg mixture over the potatoes. Turn the heat to medium and cook for about 5 mins, or until the sides of the frittata start to pull away from the side of pan. Sprinkle the feta cheese over the top of the frittata and place the tomato slices on top. Place the frittata in the oven and bake for about 15 mins or until the frittata is cooked completely through (you can check by placing a knife in the center, and if it comes out clean the eggs are cooked through).

Slice into wedges and top with the fresh cilantro.

I need to give credit to my brother Ash for this recipe. He has spent a lot of time in India and even lived in Sri Lanka, so his chai is pretty dang good. This is an easy one pot recipe the will make sure everyone in the family gets a generous cup or two.

My kids love chai, and while it does have a little caffeine, I think a little tea now and then is totally ok.

Chai Tea Latte

• 5 cups water
• 5 cups whole milk
• 1/4 loose black tea leaves
• 1/4 honey
• 1 cinnamon stick
• a 1 inch piece of ginger root, cut into this slices
• 8 cardamom pods, crushed
• 8 cloves
• 1 star anise

Place the 5 cups of water in a large sauce pan. Add the cinnamon, ginger, cardamom, cloves, and star anise. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer for 5 mins. Add the honey and stir until dissolved. Add the milk and bring back to a boil. once the chai boils, turn the heat of immediately. Pour the chair through a fine metal sieve to remove the loose tea leaves and spices. Serve immediately.

The 5 quart Stock Pot was perfect for this chai recipe. This is a pan I will be using all the time. It’s just the right size for cooking almost everything. It’s not too big, but also plenty big enough for a big pot of soup.

Is there someone on your Christmas list that could use some new pots and pans? Made In Cookware would make a fantastic give. Or maybe you are cooking big holiday meals, now is a good time to upgrade your cookware. Be sure to check out their full collection of cookware I’ve got me eye on the 2 quart Sauce Pan, I think it would be perfect for cooking my morning poached egg in.

This post is sponsored by Made In. Thank you for supporting the companies that help make this blog possible.