march book giveaway!

February 28, 2017

I am kind of obsessed with food in mason jars. Mainly because I am trying so hard not to use plastic for storing and serving foods! It is part of my commitment to eating healthier!

When I starting flipping through the recipe book Jar Salads by Alexander Hart recently, while shopping at Terrain, I knew it needed to be the March giveaway selection for the blog!

The book inspires me to create some new jar salad combinations, and I am sure it will do the same for you! I love putting together healthful combinations of fresh ingredients to take on the go and this book is a great guide to creating fresh and transportable salads to eat throughout the day!

The recipes in the book are divided into four categories: vegetarian, seafood, poultry, and meat. There are fifty-two inventive salads – literally, a new one for every week in the year! From a Mexican-inspired vegetarian taco salad to Vietnamese pork and vermicelli noodle salad, there are plenty of taste combinations to try! Just add a bunch of fresh ingredients to a screw-top mason jar and you are good to go!

Leave a comment on this post to be entered to win the March giveaway! Best of luck!

Thanks to everyone that entered to win last month’s giveaway drawing! Congratulations to Cynthia from Connecticut, the winner of the February giveaway, Sweeter off the Vine: Fruit Desserts for Every Season by Yossy Arefi. I know you will enjoy creating fruit desserts using this wonderful book Cynthia!

Instagram users, read on! For March, let’s share photos of ‘all things in jars.’ It can be an inventive salad, some homemade soup, or a layered dessert…whatever you are eating from a jar, use hashtag #pleasuregram to share a photo!

Thank you for stopping by! Wishing you a great start to March…can’t wait to change those clocks!

Remember to take pleasure in simple things, Jackie

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open door tea

February 24, 2017

Just like favorite shopping spots, I have my favorite healthy eating spots. The most frequented are the ones close to Interstate 95 since that is where I travel most – along the Connecticut coastline.

If I happen to be in Stratford, that favorite is Open Door Tea. Relatively new, this gem was opened by a former nutritionist in an area health food store. A small storefront nestled in a strip mall in Paradise Green (the geographical center of the town), it is easy to drive by this little cafe without noticing it. Do yourself a favor and don’t drive by! Stop in and have my favorite – The Open Door Salad – a wonderful salad topped with warm squash!

There are also a few tasty specials on the daily menu in addition to the great selection of food and baked goods on the regular menu.

The friendly atmosphere is enhanced by a painted mural – a representation of the restaurant owner’s hometown in Poland.

A wide selection of hot teas is available as well as a selection of iced teas.

Treat yourself to a delicious and healthful meal at Open Door Tea if you should find yourself in the Stratford area.

Thanks for stopping by for today’s Friday field trip.

Have a wonderful weekend! Remember to take pleasure in simple things…like enjoying a great lunch with a friend! xo Jackie

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maple vinaigrette

February 21, 2017

I normally don’t add salad dressing to my salads. I figure, why add extra calories and chemicals (from commercial salad dressings) when it isn’t needed? I like the taste of most salads on their own. If I really think my salad needs a little something, I would probably squirt a little fresh lemon or orange juice onto the greens.

With that said, I did recently make and add this easy maple vinaigrette to a salad after seeing the recipe in a piece about maple syrup in Real Simple magazine! I love maple syrup and I happened to have all the ingredients on hand when I saw the recipe in the magazine.

I think it is worth sharing…easy, tasty, and healthful! Thank you Real Simple (recipe credited to Julia Levy)!

Maple Vinaigrette

¼ cup apple cider vinegar
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
2 Tablespoons pure maple syrup
1 ½ Tablespoons Dijon mustard
1 ½ teaspoons fresh lemon juice
½ teaspoon kosher salt

Combine all ingredients in a jar with a tight fitting lid. Shake until well combined. Toss with salad greens.

I have decided using a homemade salad dressing on my daily salad once in a while is a nice change!

Thanks for stopping by! Remember to take pleasure in simple things…like a homemade salad dressing! Jackie xo

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pippi longstocking house

February 17, 2017

You heard my recent trip to Amelia Island left little leisure time. But, I did get to see 3 items of particular interest while I was there. The first was the oldest lighthouse in Florida. Granted, I saw it from a distance, but I DID see it! I wish I had the opportunity to visit it, but tours were not offered on a daily basis and, even if I had the free time, the tour wasn’t available on the day I spotted the lighthouse from afar.

The 2^nd item of interest was the oldest bar in Florida. I can’t say I went inside, but I did see it! I heard the Bloody Mary’s were quite a spectacle – adorned with a skewer that included a shrimp and a hush puppy!

Lastly, and the most interesting to me, the third item of interest was the Pippi Longstocking house. In 1988, the original Pippi story by children’s author Astrid Lindgren, was made into a movie, “The New Adventures of Pippi Longstocking” which was filmed entirely on Amelia Island, Florida.

Most of the movie was filmed on Centre Street, in the quaint historic downtown Fernandina Beach, Amelia Island’s only city. The ice cream shop in the movie was actually the oldest saloon in Florida that I mentioned above!

The setting of much of the book and the movie was in Pippi’s dilapidated fictional house, the ‘Villa Villekulla.’ Though in the movie the house looked unkempt, disheveled, and badly in need of a fresh coat of white paint, the present state of the movie house looked a little different. You can see that the weathered white clapboards so prominently featured in the film are currently an olive green siding!

Even if you hadn’t been a Pippi fan, the 146 year old house was something to see – known for having a wider variety of gingerbread motifs, such as sunbursts, fish scales, clovers, brackets, globes, scallops, circles, diamonds, and Maltese crosses than any other in Fernandina Beach, according to a historic museum tour guide.

If you have an interest in the Amelia Island or in the book Pippi Longstocking, you may want to watch the 1988 film “The New Adventures of Pippi Longstocking” described as a fantasy musical with a cast that included Eileen Brennan, Dick Van Patten and John Schuck.

Thanks for stopping by Friday field trip to Villa Villekulla!

Have a wonderful weekend and remember to take pleasure in simple things…like reading a favorite children’s story! Jackie xo

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soup for a cold day

February 14, 2017

I know today is Valentine’s Day, but I don’t have any cute or romantic photos or projects…my valentine to you is a recipe for lentil soup!

On a recent cold and wet evening, I attended a soup class at my local Whole Foods. Of course, the best part of the class was trying the soups we learned to make! We made three soups that evening – my favorite was the red lentil soup with lemon. It is a super simple recipe shared with us by “Mrs. Wilson.”

Since the class was held at Whole Foods, there is no styling for today’s post, just a few photos I snapped during class to include with the recipe. Enjoy!

Red Lentil Soup with Lemon

Yield: 4 servings

3 Tablespoons olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon cumin
¼ teaspoon kosher salt, more to taste
¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
Pinch of cayenne, more to taste
1 quart vegetable broth
2 cups water
1 cup red lentils
1 large carrot, peeled and diced
Juice of ½ lemon, more to taste

In a 6-quart sauce pot, heat 3 tablespoons olive oil until hot. Add garlic and onions, saute until golden.
Stir in cumin, salt, black pepper and cayenne, saute for 2 minutes.
Add broth, 2 cups water, lentils and carrot. Bring to a simmer, then partially cover pot and turn heat to medium-low. Simmer until lentils are soft. Taste and adjust seasoning.
Soup should be chunky for creamier consistency, puree half soup in blender, then add it back to pot.
Stir in lemon juice just before serving. Garnish with cilantro and a drizzle of olive oil.

Remember to take pleasure in simple things…like a good hot cup of soup on a cold day!

Happy Valentine’s Day, Jackie xo

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a stop at amelia island

February 10, 2017

This is a great Friday field trip! Why? Well, we are experiencing a blizzard here in Connecticut. And, with 12 inches of snow on the ground, I am transporting you on today’s field trip to a little resort town called Amelia Island in Florida. I thought these beach photos might inspire some daydreaming about warmer places on a day like today!

It was unfortunate that this first visit to Amelia Island was for a work trip since so little time was spent admiring the beautiful surroundings.

Seventeen hour work days don’t leave much time for leisure, but I did take a few moments each morning to stop and admire the sunrise.

And, as you can see by the photos, they were glorious.

The Ritz-Carlton in Amelia Island provided many beautiful views.

I hope today’s field trip has you thinking of some warmer weather or a favorite beach. :)

“Live in the sunshine, swim in the sea, drink in the wild air…” ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

Thank you for stopping by.

Have a wonderful weekend and remember to take pleasure in simple things…like a beautiful sunrise, Jackie xo

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valentine coffee sleeve diy

February 7, 2017

Today, I am sharing a really easy Valentine DIY that is sure to make someone smile! For no cost at all, it is easy to upgrade those sleeves you get on your cup of morning Joe!

Why not make one to slip on your loved one’s coffee before delivering it on Valentine’s Day! Or, add a special message or photo to your child’s hot cocoa!

The supplies needed are easy: decorative paper, a knife or scissors, a used coffee sleeve (you don’t throw these out, do you?), spray adhesive, and a glue gun. Just cover a used coffee sleeve with a decorative paper!

If you want to get fancy, you can use fabric. Here I used some scrap felt. I cut a heart shape in the felt; adding a piece of decorative paper behind the opening before adhering the felt piece to the coffee sleeve.

For this one I used a birch bark looking paper. I drew on the heart and initials with a marker and rubbed it off some so the writing wouldn’t be as sharp.

Here I used a paper with some script writing…you may want to use some sheet music of a special song or an old book page with a special poem.

Think of the possibilities! The paper I used in the second photo was actually a recycled Terrain bag! (Click here for more Terrain bag uses!)

I hope I have inspired you to create a coffee sleeve for a special Valentine!

Thank you so much for stopping by! Remember to take pleasure in simple things, Jackie

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my ‘punny’ valentine diy

February 3, 2017

The valentine season is not complete for me without at least one ‘punny’ candy gift!

I am sharing one from this year on today’s Friday field trip!

Here is my package candy topper for some gummy eggs! The candy came from Ikea’s candy bins…they have some cute, pun-worthy selections!

I created my topper, sizing the image 1200 x 1800 pixels. Then, I printed it four times on a sheet of 8 ½” x 11” card stock. Next, I attached the topper to a plastic bag of candy. For fun, I packaged some up in a mini frying pan…so cute, right?

I hope I have inspired you to create a ‘punny’ candy topper or tag of your own!

If you’d like my egg topper image, just shoot me an email and I will email it to you. This candy also works well with ‘don’t yolk with me’ or anything about being ‘egg-static!’

For more detailed assembly instructions for toppers or some additional ideas for puns, you may like:

To use with candy chalk, click here (printable included).
To use with candy lips, click here (printable included).
To use with candy olives, click here.
To use with candy sharks, click here (printable included).

Have a wonderful weekend! Remember to take pleasure in simple things…like a good pun! xo Jackie

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