wishlist wednesday: kitchen edition

I have been on a big cooking kick recently, i.e. wanting to try new recipes. I blame it on the fact that I'm currently reading this book and it has tons of recipe ideas. Of course, which in turn has led to my desire for more kitchen gadgets. I'm pretty sure I have a problem (don't take me to TJ Maxx or Crate & Barrel unless you want to spend an excessive amount of time searching for unnecessarily items for the kitchen). Regardless, I have been compiling a mental list of items I'd like to add to our cupboards. However, we already have limited cabinet space, so most likely, it'll have to wait until we get a house-- which will not be lacking in cabinet space. Cabinet space is a make or break for me in the house hunt, fyi.

On to more important things, here are some kitchen accessories which I would just love to add to my collection.

Chevron KitchenAid: this doesn't match my kitchen colors, but I still think it is fun to look at and would add a little spunk to the counter.

Mastering The Art of French Cooking by Julia Childs: This is just one of many cookbooks that are on my wish list. I am not sure if I would actually use many of the recipes out of here, but a real cook needs this in her collection, right?!?

 

Ramekin: How adorable are these?!? I have been wanting to find some cute ramekins, and this one is a winner.

Ceramic Onion Canister: we use a lot of onion in our house and I don't have a great way to store them for optimal freshness. So obviously, this is the answer to that problem.

This apron: I have a minor obsession with aprons. As in, I have three times as many aprons as we do bodies to put them on in our house. What's one more to the collection? Too cute!

These items would make my kitchen complete, don't you think?!? Now if I can just convince the hubs of the same thing.

On a totally different note, good news-- Winnie is much better today than she was yesterday. Thank goodness for antibiotics!

lately

As you can tell, I obviously fell off the face of the planet for a few days. We spent the fourth through the weekend at my in-laws enjoying pool laying, good food, bonfires (with lots of mosquitoes) and some good family time. We had a really wonderful holiday! So good, that I may actually be just as tan as the hubs, which takes a whole lot of time in the sun to achieve.

We had such a great time that I didn't take a single picture the ENTIRE time we were there. Really?!? How lame is that! So sorry that I can't photo document our wonderful weekend with you all, but trust me it was fun. Oh, but I did leave my phone sitting out and my sweet cousin Roslyn decided to have a fun mini photo session.

Isn't she beautiful? Maybe next time you'll think twice before filling up my photo stream :)

After we got home, we were just zonked. Then last night, we realized our sweet puppy was sick. She went to the vet this morning and she got started on some medicine. Hopefully that will take care of it, but for now she is just so pathetic looking, moping around the house and looking like this.

 

It just makes me so sad. Poor thing.

Last thing, I (finally) set up a Facebook page for my blog, so if you haven't already, be sure to stop by and "Like" it so you can have another delightful way to keep in touch with me.

I hope you all had a wonderful 4th of July! Until next time...

rainy days & sweet potato fries

 
Have I ever mentioned that I just love Shauna Niequist? No...well I do. I have loved all of her books and following her on pretty much all social media outlets. I just think she and I would be really great friends-- if I could just meet her. (I promise I'm not creepy, I just think she's a pretty cool cat.)

Her most recent book is chuck full of recipes and other goodness. You can check out my review of Bread & Wine here. Anyway, I have tried a lot of the recipes in the book and have been pretty pleased with them. One of my absolute favorites is the Baked Sweet Potato Fries with Sriracha Dipping Sauce. And what a better way to end a long, rainy work day (the hubs, not me) than with sweet potato fries and red wine.

 
These yummy fries are pretty easy to make. They just take some time and planning. First start by peeling and slicing the potatoes into long thin batons. Then soak them in cold water for at least an hour, but up to half a day. Working in batches, remove one-fourth of the sweet potato batons from the water and dry them well between paper towels.

Put the first batch of dried sweet potatoes into a large plastic bag with one tablespoon of cornstarch. Shake until completely covered. Put the coated sweet potato batons on a cookie sheet covered with parchment paper. Sprinkle one tablespoon of olive oil over the potatoes, and then toss to coat well. Spread out batons so they aren't touching.

Cook at 425 degrees for 15 minutes, then toss and cook for another 5 to 15 minutes, checking for doneness after 5 minutes. Remove when they start to become golden.

Repeat with the other three batches. Sprinkle with sea salt before serving. While fries are cooking, mix together mayonnaise, ketchup, Sriracha and relish in a small bowl. Serve alongside fries.

Fries

4 Sweet Potatoes

4 tbsp cornstarch, divided

4 tbsp olive oil, divided

Sea Salt

Sauce

1/2 cup mayonnaise

1/2 cup ketchup

1 tsp Sriracha sauce

2 tsp sweet pickle relish

 

*A couple side notes: I typically cut the recipe in half if it is just me and the hubs. Two sweet potatoes is plenty for two people. 

 

**I also add a little less Sriracha sauce because my mouth is a wimp when it comes to spicy food.

 

 If your looking for something to serve for the fourth, try this dish. It will be a crowd favorite. Enjoy!

This recipe is taken from Bread & Wine by Shauna Niequest.

weekend recap

This weekend we took an impromptu trip to my in-laws for some card playing, pool laying enjoyment. Winnie loves riding in the car and sticking her head between the hubs and I so she has a front row view. Please excuse my half/looks like I'm faking it smile.

 

Winnie also loves to get into the swimming pool. She especially loves sitting on the steps to cool off after running around the yard like a crazy woman. We are slowly trying to get her comfortable with swimming but she was still pretty hesitant to get in by herself. After a lot of running around and "swimming", she was wiped out and decided to catch a few rays with me on the lounge chair.

 

Thanks to this post, I marked another item off my bucket list. We enjoyed a semi-rainy bonfire on Saturday night-- where, I'm pretty sure, we ate the biggest marshmallows ever. I'm not complaining either. I do love s'more.

This was my attempt to eat the s'more is a decent manner, but I was very unsuccessful. It ended up everywhere...seriously. I had the bright idea to add extra chocolate to make it that much yummier, which it did. But it was also that much messier. I promise I am not a child.

I'm pumped that it's July and we get to do it all over again this weekend to celebrate the 4th! I'm just praying for more sunshine. We were all pretty exhausted when we got home last night, so we quickly collapsed onto the couch for a movie. My wonderful husband let me pick because I knew he would fall asleep and not watch it anyway he has picked the last five, so I decided on Safe Haven. A pretty typical Nicolas Sparks movie, but I actually cried at the end. Very unlike me. I never cry when I watch movies. Geesh-- marriage is making me soft.

Anyway, Happy July!

five on friday

It's Friday, so that means I'm linking up with Carolina Charm for Five on Friday.

1. My baby brother (and by baby I mean 17 year old) spent the day with us yesterday. He is a pretty busy dude, so for him to have the day off and time to visit was a real treat. We spent the afternoon by the pool, watched the hubs play ultimate frisbee, ate some fro-yo and just talked. I love being around my siblings so it was a great way to spend the day.

2. We have a strange love for cutting boards in our house. I really have no idea why, but apparently we collect them. I really want to add this one to our collection. So now I just have to think of a reason to justify buying it.

3. $12 tank top from Express. I love stripes and I love tank tops. Awesomeness right here.

4. My wonderful hubs read this post and helped mark one off the list! We went on a long walk along the river with Winnie this week. We ended up walking a lot longer than we had planned but it was great night for a walk. We managed to jump in the car just as the storms rolled in. Two points for good timing.

5.  I seriously love this nail polish. I think it is perfect for summer. Fun and bold. Perfect for poolside laying.

Lastly--

I'm also linking up with a blog hop.

Click on the button above and check it out to meet some really great bloggers!

summer bucket list

Am I the only one who is wondering where June went? I cannot believe that July is just around the corner. This month has just slipped by, I swear. It got me thinking today that summer is going to just come and go without notice if I'm not careful. Which led to the creation of this summer's bucket list. I love list making, especially when it includes things to do. This is our first summer in this area so I fully intend on finding out all the fun things to do around here. So, here it is:

• take a cooking class
• go to the beach
• have a picnic in the park
• go to an amusement park
• go boating with my cousins
• have a dinner party
• take Winnie for a walk along the river
• go blueberry picking with my mom 
• take a winery tour
• find a house (late summer)
• go to an outdoor concert
• have a movie marathon with the hubs (on a rainy day)
• eat as much fro-yo as possible 
• have a bonfire

 I think that is a good start for now. I am definitely looking forward to this summer and all it has to offer.

What is on your bucket list?

my dream home

We met with our realtor for the first time yesterday. Eek!! So excited! I am so thrilled to finally be dipping our toes in this process. I am just so ready to be in one place for longer than a year. We have done a lot of moving since college and the thought of settling a bit into one place is so refreshing. I am pretty sure I spend most of my extra time, looking and dreaming about our first home.

Just like anything else, we have heard all kinds of stories about home buying. Everyone loves to share their war stories...some good, some not so good. Yet, I am confident that we will find the home right for us. I know it will not be perfect and it won't have everything we want. But it will be our first home together and that is what is so exciting. All this talk about what we're looking for in a house has definitely had me dreaming. And if I was able to put together my dream home, I think it would look a little something like this.

It would have a big master bedroom with lots of natural light, a big comfy bed and big closets.

 

The kitchen would be the biggest room in the house because it is definitely where we spend a good majority of time. It would have white cabinets and beautiful appliances. Basically, just a lot of white. I'm leaning more toward the modern farmhouse look.

There would be a room or at least a nook dedicated to blogging and crafting. I cannot wait until I have space to keep my sewing machine out all the time. I want some place that can allow creativity to just flow.

It would definitely have a claw foot tub in one of the bathrooms, and it would be two stories with an open staircase.

The living room would be a welcoming and comfortable place. And I would love to have a wall dedicated to books. Again, lots of natural light and lots of white. (Although, I know white furniture is not really realistic for red wine lovers, dogs and future little ones.)

Oh, and it would have a big farmhouse table, which will be made by my hubs, where we can have family dinners and do lots of entertaining.

 

Lastly, I need to have a porch. Preferably a wrap around porch, but I'll really take anything. I want rocking chairs and a swing so we can sit out there in the evenings and enjoy being outside. And since this is my dream, I would have both of our families and our friends as neighbors. A girl can dream, right?!?

 

 

We might not get these things in a home, but that's ok. I am just excited for this new journey and for all that it will bring to our life.

**All images are curiosity of Pinterest.