Spring Foods

Posted on April 8, 2014 by sara

With the weather warming up and the sun peaking through, spring can be such a wonderful season. Warmer weather without it being too hot, but still the promise of a bikini… Spring always motivates me to eat healthy.

I love green anywhere, but especially on the table. Not only is it bright and colorful, but you know it’s gotta be good for you. Here are a few appetizers I want to try. And maybe when monsoon season is over, serve up these up for guests.

Arugula White Bean Dip.

Pesto Zucchini Bites.

Asparagus and Radish Salad (I’ll be making this one dairy-free)

Kale Pesto.

Black, White, and Neon Cake + Tea

Posted on April 3, 2014 by sara

One of my good friends celebrated a birthday this week, so even though it was wet and rainy, I had her over for a little cake and tea.

I used a tea towel for the backdrop, one I got in Florence, Italy. I don’t remember what is says exactly, but something about preparing and cooking food for enjoyment, love and family.

I found these simple gold birthday hats at the grocery store and livened them up a bit with twine. I also grabbed the beautiful white flowers to freshen things up.

I really loved these washi tape stirrers with the pop of neon color. You just can’t beat washi!

It was just the two of use, so I made a little cake, and spruced it up with mini oreos. Not heathy, but oh so good with the yellow cake. And I made the T2 quince tea that mentioned in my last post, which was a big hit.

Overall, it was a fun afternoon, even dodging the rain.

New Obsession: Quince

Posted on April 1, 2014 by sara

As you all probably already know, I tend to get obsessed with something {particularly food} for a bit. For awhile, everything seems to be about that dish. Right now that obsession in quince.

I’ve heard of quince before, but until Australia this Christmas, I’m not sure I ever really came across it. In Melbourne we found this quince tea that we now make iced tea from every weekend, and this amazing smelling soap. It’s become my new thing- I look for it every where. Because the scent is sweet and spicy, it would be a great hostess gift or new flavor to your next party.

Artisan quince syrups.

What a quince looks like.

Quince paste, which is quite tasty. They say it’s good with cheese.

This is the brand of soap we found. Smells so good!

T2 teas are all the rage in Oz. This quince tea is perfect, it doesn’t need any sweetener.

I bet this body moisturizer smells amazing, too.

Fresh and Easy

Posted on March 11, 2014 by sara

I’ve been working to lose weight and get my body healthy in the last year, and now I’m starting to focus on food. I’m trying to eat whole foods, cleaner and less processed. Even though it seems a bit “Brooklyn” to me sometimes (you know, like eating kale), its recently become more important, particularly living next door to China. And honestly, I feel better when I eat well.

I still have a mean sweet tooth, so I’m always looking for recipes that let me enjoy my cravings without falling off the wagon. Here’s a few I’ve tried lately… and may even serve to guests!

Fresh almond milk. Creamy and rich, it is so much better freshly ground. It goes bad in a few days, so it would be good to have on hand with a full house.

Breakfast quinoa bars. These have a lot of ingredients, but are tasty. I’d make ’em again.

Oatmeal banana muffins. Ok, I haven’t tried these yet, but they look good! Next on the list.

Chocolate Chia Pudding. I mentioned this before— while not that sweet, nor like pudding, it’s fun with fruit.
Any good healthy recipes you can share? Any that have particularly loved by guests– even non-healthy ones?

Black, White and Spring

Posted on March 6, 2014 by sara

The temperature is finally starting to warm up a bit, so I wanted to take advantage for a little outdoor thank you nibble for my husband. He’s been so wonderful and strong lately, taking care of me and the house in the past month. I wanted to take the time to celebrate him and say thank you.

We’ve had a hectic schedule, but with late dinner plans on Friday, I knew we’d have time for a drink beforehand. I set up a little party for the two us, with snacks and some champagne to just focus on him.

I’m obsessed with graphic black and white with a bold pop of color. As l look desperately towards spring, green was my color of choice. I used our herbs to add the green lushness, and a fun tea towel as our place mat.

It’s not a party without bunting! I found this great paper, printed it, and cut out triangles. I used a a gold pen sharpie on the edges to add a bit of fun.

Since we had dinner plans, I just put out a few snacks– little sandwiches, nuts, and chocolate chia pudding.

I got this print for my husband years ago, and we don’t have anywhere to hang it in our apartment right now. I framed it with washi tape for this, and my husband was happy to see it. Almost like an old friend he hasn’t seen in awhile.

The chocolate chia pudding? Well, it’s tasty with sweet mixin’s, but not so great on it’s own. But the spoons– a gift from my mother-in-law– are awesome.

It was a fun night. My husband really appreciated the effort and felt loved. Which is really why we throw parties, isn’t it? 😉