Category: Favorites
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Thursday, May 23
Could this be the year?
About every other year I decide I really want to grow tomatoes. And every other year I enthusiastically post a photo of our beautiful little tomato plants. And every other year I report back at the end of the summer that I killed everything. I am cursed.
This year is going to be different. I know I’ve said that before, but really, it is! I bit the bullet and invested in two Earth Boxes. My friend Natalee has used them the last few years and has amazing success. The beauty of the Earth Box is that you cannot overwater the plants – they always have just the right amount of water. You can use the boxes forever and you get about 8 growing seasons before you need to replace the soil. The woman at the garden center said she also loves the Earth Box. I really really really think this year is going to be different, folks.
What’s that? Locusts in my backyard destroying my tomato plants? Figures.
Posted by Jane Maynard at 1:06 pm 4 Comments
Categories: Gardening, Healthy Eats, Kitchen Tips, the goods Tags: black thumb, earth box, gardening, green thumb, growing tomatoes, tomatoes |
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Tuesday, May 21
Salted Brown Butter Cookies and The Yummy Mummy Kitchen Cookbook
Last Christmas a friend gave us some Brown Butter Cookie Company cookies. Nate and I were both smitten at first bite. Nate is not easily smitten by food. If Nate has a hard time resisting a food, then you know it’s good. The cookies were rich and buttery with a hint of saltiness that was just the right amount. The cookies are also a little expensive and hard to get (they sold out online last Christmas!), so I savored every crumb not knowing when the next box would enter my life.
Have you seen the blog Yummy Mummy Kitchen? It’s beautiful and Marina, the blogger, is lovely. I connected with her when I was editing Daily Buzz Moms. (I also connected with her when I discovered that she is good friends with the Strong family, whom I’ve written about before. These are good people, folks. Salt of the earth.) Marina recently published her first book, The Yummy Mummy Kitchen. Marina kindly sent me a copy. Before we get back to the cookies, the book is beautiful. The day I got it I curled up in bed and looked through every page of the book. It transports you to her life in Santa Barbara and the recipes are inspiring. Bravo, Marina! Job well done!
So, as I was thumbing through the book, I immediately noticed a picture of some brown cookies that looked a lot like the Brown Butter Cookie Company cookies. Sure enough, Marina’s intro was all about how much she loves those cookies and how she had to figure out how to make them. I couldn’t believe that recipe literally fell into my lap. Oh, happy day!
I don’t know how many times I’ve made the brown butter cookies since getting the book. We probably shouldn’t keep track. But they are amazing and completely hit the spot. Buttery with a beautiful crumb, you’re going to become just as addicted as I am. My apologies.
Salted Brown Butter Cookies
From The Yummy Mummy Kitchen with a few of my notes
- 3/4 cup unsalted butter (Jane note: I’ve used salted butter every time and the cookies are still wonderful, not too salty)
- 1/2 cup lightly packed brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- Coarse-flake sea salt for sprinklingPreheat oven to 325 degrees F. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper or a Silpat mat.
In a saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter until it starts to brown. When the butter has browned and is ready, the foam will have subsided and it will have turned a nutty color. Watch closely so as not to burn the butter. (Jane note: Stir regularly throughout the browning process. The butter will start to foam up, back off on the foam a bit, then foam up a lot. Just keep cooking and stirring. After about 10 minutes the foam will start to subside. You’ll still have a bit of foam, but you’ll at least be able to see what color the butter is. It should be browned and you will be able to smell the nuttiness of the butter. At this point remove from the heat.)
Pour the browned butter into a medium bowl and stir in the brown sugar and vanilla. In a small bowl, whisk the flour and baking powder together. With a spoon, stir the flour mixture into the butter mixture until combined and uniform in color.
Drop dough by tablespoonfuls onto the cookie sheet. Marina’s recipe says it yields 13 cookies. I literally do 1 tablespoon per cookie and end up with 18-20 cookies every time. Sprinkle with sea salt and lightly press it into the top of the cookies. Bake for 12 minutes.
To purchase Marina’s book, click here. There are tons more recipes where this came from!
Posted by Jane Maynard at 1:57 pm 2 Comments
Categories: fab faves, featured recipes, Recipes, sweet things, the goods, Way Gourmet Tags: brown butter cookies, cookbooks, cookie recipe, cookies, yummy mummy kitchen |
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Friday, May 10
Epic May Giveaway! {Canon SLR + Epiphanie Camera Bag!}
First off, as a fan of The Vampire Diaries (don’t judge), I am delighted that I get to use the word “epic” on my blog today. We’ll consider it an homage to Stefan and Damon.
Today’s giveaway is truly EPIC! And we are not using this word flippantly like the vampires do. It really, really is!
I’ve joined forces with some of my most FAVORITE blogging friends in the whole wide world to give away a Canon Rebel T4i SLR camera (with two lenses!) and an Epiphanie camera bag (the Charlotte in metallic chevron). First off, I’m totally jealous because this camera is better than mine. It’s got a big ole swivel touch screen and does amazing things with photo and video. And the bag…the BAG. Seriously, does it get any cuter than that? And you know how I love Epiphanie bags. They are the best!
Wanna get this sweet package to kick off your summer right? Here are the details!
- To enter to win the Canon SLR Camera + Epiphanie Bag you MUST enter using the rafflecopter entry form below. No other entries will be counted.
- The giveaway runs May 10th through May 24th.
- One winner will be chosen at random and notified by email once the big give is over. The winner will have 48 hours to respond before another winner is chosen.
- You can get extra entries galore – just check out the entry form. And you can feel good following all of these people on the interwebs…they ROCK.
- Giveaway is open worldwide!
Here are the amazing blogs that I’ve teamed up with. Seriously, every last one of these women is amazing and talented.
- Christine of Boston Mamas
- Allison of Petit Elefant
- Kami of NoBiggie
- Marie of Make and Takes
- Audrey of Mom Generations
- Kristen of Rage Against the Minivan
- Rachael of Todays Mama
- Meagan of The Happiest Home
- Heather & Whitney of Rookie Moms
- Pinterest You Are Drunk
- Eat Blog RunNow go forth and enter the giveaway. GOOD LUCK!
Posted by Jane Maynard at 9:57 am 39 Comments
Categories: fab faves, Giveaways Tags: canon, epiphanie, giveaway |
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Tuesday, April 30
Making My Mom Cry {in a good way}
It is really easy to make my mom cry. For example, when I was 11 years old, we rented the movie Ghost Dad. I’m sure you remember Ghost Dad because it was awesome, and by awesome I mean, um, not so awesome. But who are we to judge? I loved that movie regardless of how cheesy it was. I’ll never forget the moment when Bill Cosby (the one and only Ghost Dad!) said goodbye to his family looking over to discover my mom’s face streaming with tears. Like good children do, we laughed at her. She laughed, too, though. And we still tease her about crying at Ghost Dad. This isn’t Steel Magnolias, folks. She deserves to be teased.
With the advent of social media, my ability to make my mom cry has increased ten-fold. I can post a video to Facebook or a photo to Instagram and predict which ones are going to do her in. I’ve even called her a few minutes after posting just to catch her in the act. Let’s be honest, I am a cryer, too. I cannot deny that I inherited this trait and have, in fact, passed it on to Cate!
This photo on Instagram just about did her in the other day.
I have to admit that I didn’t predict this one as well. I knew she’d love it, but I didn’t know it would send her to tears. But it did. And, on retrospect, I can see why.
I recently had the opportunity to make a personalized Mother’s Day card for my mom through CardStore.com. I knew immediately I had to use that photo. It’s one thing to see your grandkids randomly pop up on Instagram to brighten your day (and make you cry). It’s another to have the photo printed out for your desk at work to look at any time you want (and potentially cry in front of all your co-workers).
While I could have had CardStore address and stamp the card to send directly to my mom (so handy!), I decided to have it shipped to me first so we could personalize the card even further, with a few notes from the kids and a hand-addressed envelope. The card arrived a few days ago and it is beautiful and will for sure make her cry. Mission accomplished!
This post is sponsored by CardStore.com (as always, all opinions are my own and I think they are awesome!). As such, they have a promotional code for you. You still have time to get a fantabulous, beautiful, cry-inducing personalized card to your mom! Here’s what to do!
- The Deal: Personalized Mother’s Day cards for $1.99 each on CardStore.com
- The Promotional Code: CSF3199
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The Details: Create any Mother’s Day card for $1.99 when code CSF3199 is applied at checkout. No minimum purchase necessary. Offer valid through 5/6/13. Coupon code CSF3199 must be entered during online checkout. Coupon does not apply to shipping & handling charges and cannot be combined with other offers. Coupon code is not valid on previous purchases, and excludes all plush and greeting card bundles as well as non-card items. Coupon code may be used to purchase more than one Mother’s Day greeting card but is not valid on orders of 150 cards or more. Discount applied at checkout. To prevent abuse, we reserve the right to discontinue or modify this offer at any time without notice. Offer is subject to change and expires at 11:59 pm PST on 5/6/13. Offer intended for use in the United States, US territories, and Canada.
I take great pride in making people cry. (I did it at least 3 times this weekend at Big Traveling Potluck, including The Pioneer Woman, Bakerella and Maggy from Three Many Cooks. Booyah!) So, go make an awesome card and let’s all make our moms cry together!
Posted by Jane Maynard at 9:29 am 6 Comments
Categories: holidays, the goods Tags: mother's day, mother's day cards |
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Wednesday, April 24
Green Lunchbox Giveaway!
This giveaway is now closed. Thank you!
Yesterday I promised a giveaway so today I offer a giveaway. A very cute, very green giveaway!
Want to get your hands on some of those awesome Little Green Pouches and LunchSkins?
TWO lucky, randomly-selected winners will each win a Green Lunchbox Giveaway Pack, which includes:
- One LunchSkins2 set, which includes a sandwich bag and a snack bag in your choice of girl-themed, boy-themed or gender-neutral colors
- Two Little Green Pouch 4-packs (8 pouches total), 4 extra caps and a dispensing funnel
As usual, just leave a comment to enter! There are also three chances at extra entries!
- Follow Little Green Pouch on Facebook
- Follow LunchSkins on Facebook
- Follow This Week for Dinner on Facebook
Be sure to leave SEPARATE comments for each extra entry. All comments must be posted by Midnight PT on Tuesday, April 30, 2013.
Good luck with the giveaway! Big thanks to LunchSkins and Little Green Pouch!
Posted by Jane Maynard at 9:28 am 323 Comments
Categories: Giveaways, the goods
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Thursday, March 21
New Kitchen Goodies…and Rubber Glove Ambiguity
When we drove to Utah a few weeks ago, I had to stop at the Williams-Sonoma outlet on the California-Nevada border. Overall I was underwhelmed, but I did walk away with a few goodies that make me happy!
My first find was this adorable mixing bowl. This bowl has brains and beauty. I love the pouring feature, there are measurements on the inside, and the bottom has a rubber ring so it stays put on the counter. I was drawn to the bowl because it reminded me of the white and red Tupperware mix-and-pour bowls that my mom and Grandma have used for AGES. My new bowl is, ironically, more retro looking than my mom’s actual retro bowl. Funny! Anyway, my sister used the bowl this weekend and agreed that it is very lovable. I found a similar bowl on the Williams-Sonoma websote, if you want to check it out. Lucky for me I only spent 10 bucks. Woohoo!
Second, I finally bought an 8×8 cake pan with super straight, right-angled edges. Although, as I type this, I’m wondering why I didn’t also buy a 9×13 pan of similar shape. DUH. Oh well, I’m still excited about the 8×8 pan! (Click here to read more about why I wanted a pan like this.)
Third, I bought rubber gloves. I have never owned rubber gloves. I had been thinking I should get a pair, so when I spotted these cute pink ones at the outlet, I grabbed them. And I am ambiguous about their existence. I like them in theory, but honestly, I feel like my hands turn into horses hoofs when I put them on. I feel so clumsy!
How about a fun little side story about my clumsiness? A few days after I bought the gloves, I sliced my finger on my new KitchenAid food processor reaching in to move the mushrooms around. (Rookie mistake that I’ll never make again.) I thought, “Good thing I have these rubber gloves so I can still do dishes!” and then started to do the dishes and proceeded to fill the glove of the injured hand with water when reaching into the sink for a dish. (Another rookie mistake I’ll never make again. Apparently reaching for things is downright dangerous.) ANYWAY…back to the topic at hand.
I want to pose the following question. Rubber gloves: love ‘em or hate ‘em? I’m wondering if I just need practice, or if they’ll always just be annoying and used only for “special occasions” (i.e. slicing off the top of your finger). Share your feelings! I want to know what you think!
Posted by Jane Maynard at 10:21 am 26 Comments
Categories: the goods
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Tuesday, March 19
Ginger Candied Vegetables {and a giveaway from Libby’s with another chance at some Le Creuset!}
This giveaway is now closed, but there is other good stuff in this post, so keep reading…the glaze on these veggies is yum!
Today’s post is chockfull of great stuff. A recipe, helpful resources AND a giveaway. Are you ready? Let’s go!
I cannot believe that Passover and Easter are NEXT WEEK. Where does the time go? I blame the Daylight Savings Fairy.
Libby’s® Fruits & Vegetables recently contacted me about creating a side dish recipe for Easter and/or Passover that uses carrots, peas and corn. I thought and thought and decided candied vegetables would taste pretty darn good, especially with a little ginger thrown into the mix. So Little Chef Anna and I hit the kitchen and started creating. She looked into the big container of brown sugar and exclaimed in disbelief, “Brown sugar and salt and pepper?!?!” I assured her it would be delicious. Once she took a bite, she agreed!
The glaze for these veggies would be delicious on a host of vegetables, not just carrots, peas and corn, although carrots lend themselves very nicely to this treatment. Feel free to experiment with your veggies! I like the salty sweet flavor and the ginger adds a nice layer of flavor. This side dish would be a nice complement to all kinds of Easter feasts!
Libby’s, the company sponsoring today’s giveaway, has two new fabulous resources for you that help make the meal planning process easier and more inspiring. We wanted to share them with you today!
- Libby’s Digital Recipe Box: The Digital Recipe Box application just launched on Facebook. It houses more than 100 recipes and allows users to share, like and print recipes to their heart’s content. The app also allows you to plan meals by dish, ingredient or type of gathering. You will also find the recipes featured on the…wait for it…
- Libby’s Pinterest Page: The Pinterest page is also brand-spakin’ new, featuring recipes, family activity ideas, nutrition tips and more!
Now, the moment we’ve all been waiting for! Giveaway time! And we have MORE Le Creuset to share with you!
One lucky, randomly-selected winner will receive a variety of Libby’s® Fruits & Vegetables product as well as a Le Creuset 10.5″ Oblong Grill Pan in Ink. Oh how I LOVE Le Creuset’s Ink.
Here’s how to enter!Leave a comment on this post. That’s it!Additional entry: Follow Libby’s on PinterestAdditional entry: Like Libby’s on Facebook
Be sure to leave separate comments for each additional entry. All comments must be posted by Midnight PT on Monday, March 25. (Prize must be shipped to a U.S. address.)Good luck with the giveaway! Big thank to Libby’s! And, without further ado, today’s recipe!
Ginger Candied Vegetables
From Jane Maynard, This Week for Dinner
- 4 tablespoons butter
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- 2 15-ounce cans Libby’s Gourmet Baby Carrots, drained
- 1 15-ounce can Libby’s whole corn, drained
- 1 15-ounce can Libby’s all-natural peas, drained
- (This glaze would be good on other types of veggies, too. Shoot for 3-4 pounds total of vegetables if you mix things up. Blanched or steamed vegetables would work very well.)Melt butter in a large pot over medium heat. Once butter is melted, add brown sugar, ginger, salt and pepper. Stir and cook for a few minutes, until sugar crystals are mostly dissolved (about 3 or 4 minutes total). Add veggies, stir and cook until vegetables are heated through. Serve immediately. Makes about 10-15 servings.
This post was sponsored by Libby’s – payment was received for services rendered.
Posted by Jane Maynard at 11:17 am 175 Comments
Categories: featured recipes, Giveaways, Recipes, side dishes, simple side dishes, the goods
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Friday, March 8
Cast Iron Skillet ‘Call for Recipes’ {and a fabulous giveaway involving butter, Le Creuset and Anthropologie!}
This giveaway is now closed, but please make sure you read through the comments for all the great cast iron skillet recipes!
People who use cast iron skillets swear by them. I know these skillets are supposed to be awesome, but here’s my “true confession” of the week: we received one as a wedding gift and then used it all of ONE time. Then it ended up buried in a box for a few years. And then I found it during this move all covered in rust and looking sad and ruined. Poor, neglected iron skillet that never got to live up to its potential!
I just received a brand, spanking new, rust-free Le Creuset cast iron skillet, compliments of Land O’Lakes®. I have decided to turn over a new leaf. I am going to use my BEAUTIFUL skillet and I am going to let it do its job of making delicious food! But I need your help…hence today’s Call for Recipes! Please share your favorite recipes that use a cast iron skillet! I’m ready to get cookin’!
And now for the giveaway portion of our program!So, why is Land O’Lakes giving me a skillet? I recently participated in a webinar with Land O’Lakes and a lovely group of fellow food blogging friends, including Ree and Maria. The topic was food trends, including meatballs and popcorn! As a thank you for participating, Land O’Lakes sent me a beautiful gift package, which we are also giving away to one of you lovely people (see below)!
Land O’Lakes also shared with us two of their new products, Sauté Express® Sauté Starters and butter Half Sticks. I have yet to try the Sauté Express (I was planning to for this post, but time got away from me! Ree said it was delicious and her boys gobbled it up). But I CAN tell you that I love the butter half sticks. They are so handy and have already been useful in my kitchen!
Giveaway time! One lucky, randomly-selected winner will receive one each of the following:- Full-value coupon for any Land O’Lakes Butter Half Sticks
- Full-value coupon for Sauté Express Sauté Starter
- Le Creuset Cast Iron Skillet (WOOHOO!)
- Completely adorable Anthropologie kitchen goodies, including the atom art serving bowl, half-stick painted amaryllis butter dish and pop-print measuring spoons
To enter the giveaway, please leave a comment on this post by Midnight PT on Thursday, March 14. Winner will be announced on March 15. Prize must be shipped to a U.S. address.
Please share your favorite cast iron skillet recipes! Thank you!
Posted by Jane Maynard at 10:37 am 313 Comments
Categories: call for recipes, Giveaways, Recipes, the goods
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Tuesday, March 5
Rolling Mat…and the Biscuit Quest Has Begun!
The other day on Facebook I asked if anyone had a biscuit recipe to share. Responses came POURING in (click here to read them). I now have more “this is the best biscuit recipe” biscuit recipes than I can shake a rolling pin at! I’ve already made two batches of biscuits. I’ll just keep it up and let you know what ends up being my favorite recipe!
So, anyway, as I was making all these biscuits, I realized I should do a post about my Tupperware rolling mat a.k.a. pastry sheet a.k.a. pastry mat. My Grandma Blomquist gave me this rolling mat when I got married. I grew up watching both she and my mom use the exact same mat. And, I have to be honest, I didn’t really use mine much until recently.
I think I always just used the countertop or one of my cutting boards when I was rolling stuff out or working with dough. But I’m discovering that the rolling mat is actually pretty awesome. Here are the various reasons that I am fast falling in love:
- The rolling mat is easier to clean up than a messy countertop, especially if you have tile counters.
- It’s bigger than a cutting board, so you have a larger working area. The surface is also textured perfectly for working with dough.
- It has measured circles and a ruler along the bottom. This is incredibly handy!
- If you own a rolling pin, it won’t take up any extra storage space – just roll it up around your rolling pin for storage.
- Every time I look at it I think of my grandma. (Okay, maybe this isn’t as helpful for you, but you can think of me thinking of my grandma and that might make you smile, right?)
There you have it. Rolling mats a.k.a. pastry sheets a.k.a. pastry mats are great!
You can search for rolling mats on Amazon or head on over to Tupperware to get one.
Oh, and this biscuit recipe from Homesick Texan was pretty darn yummy! More biscuit love to come…
Posted by Jane Maynard at 12:04 pm 14 Comments
Categories: fab faves, Kitchen Tips, Recipes, side dishes, the goods
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Thursday, February 28
Whirley Pop!
Remember the Favorite Things gift exchange I attended last December? (If you don’t, it’s worth checking out!) One of the ‘favorite things’ shared at the party was the Whirley Pop. I was not the recipient of that particular gift. I filed it away in my brain as something to get one day. My 5-year-old Anna loves popcorn more than Orville Redenbacher, so I figured it would be fun to have around.
Serendipitously, my awesome sister-in-law Jess gave it to us for Christmas! Score! We’ve used the Whirley Pop a few times now…and…
…the verdict? We love the Whirley Pop! It’s a fast, easy way to make popcorn from scratch. It takes about as long as microwave popcorn but is completely free of scary chemicals. You cook the popcorn over the stove while constantly turning a crank, which keeps the kernels from burning. It works beautifully and the popcorn is delicious, fluffy and crisp!
Parents, just so you know, kids get sick of turning the crank after about, oh, 10 seconds. You’ll end up doing most of the heavy lifting, but I’m pretty sure you can handle it.
My friend Linda in the Bay Area is a fellow Whirley Pop lover and recommended Crown Jewel Popcorn as a great source for buying kernels. They have all kinds of gourmet popcorn to choose from, with pretty names like Blue Sapphire and Fiery Garnet.
And, just so ya know, the Real-Theater popcorn kit that comes with your Whirley Pop…it’s not good. So, don’t waste your money buying any of those. Stick with straight-up kernels and then add your own butter!
You can get the Whirley Pop pretty much everywhere: Whirley Pop’s website, Bed Bath & Beyond, Target, Williams-Sonoma, Amazon. Take your pick!
And, for the record, even though this post sounds all pitchy, I have no connection to Whirley Pop whatsoever. We just love it and I wanted to tell you about it!
When we make popcorn with the Whirley Pop, we do a full batch with 1/2 cup of kernels and 1 tablespoon of canola oil, topping with 4 tablespoons of melted butter when done, along with a sprinkle of coarse salt. Buttery and delicious!
In case you were wondering, Anna is in popcorn heaven.
Happy Popping!
Posted by Jane Maynard at 11:31 am 18 Comments
Categories: fab faves, Kitchen Tips, the goods
Hello! My name is Jane Maynard and you've landed yourself on my blog, This Week for Dinner™. Every Sunday I share a weekly menu...and then count on you to share your own! You'll also find other deliciousness that I hope you'll enjoy!
