a sundae for the new year

January 3, 2017

Don’t you love the magic shell you can find in the grocery store in with all the ice cream sauces; near the ice cream cones? It seems like a wonderful invention – until you take the time to read the ingredients! Apparently, the way the ‘magic’ is created is with a bunch of preservatives! Yuck!

Since I pretty much gave up processed foods, I wouldn’t consider eating something like magic shell – knowing it has so many artificial ingredients. So, I am really excited about the easy recipe I found for a magic chocolate shell – using no processed ingredients!

chocolate shell starting to harden pleasure in simple things blog

You can see the chocolate shell starting to set – it takes only about 30 seconds!

The recipe is from a book called 100 Days of Real Food: Fast & Fabulous: The Easy and Delicious Way to Cut Out Processed Food by Lisa Leake.

This simple recipe is perfect as a first post for the new year because, although combined with Ms. Leake’s ‘ice cream’ suggestion it seems very decadent, it fits right in with most any healthful eating resolution!

Homemade Magic Chocolate Shell

Melt 2 Tablespoons coconut oil until just melted (a few seconds), in the microwave. Add 2 Tablespoons honey and 4 teaspoons cocoa powder (I used ‘special dark’ 100% cacao). Whisk until well combined.

Pour over cold ice cream – after about 30 seconds, it will turn into a hard shell!

valentine sundae pleasure in simple things blog

Chocolate shell over whipped banana ‘ice cream’ is the perfect guilt-free Valentine’s Day treat!

If sauce should harden in the bowl before using, simply microwave to melt. Store leftovers for up to 1 week in fridge and use microwave to melt as needed.

I enjoy my chocolate shell over Ms. Leake’s super easy-to-make alternative to traditional ice cream – frozen whipped bananas! To make your own, simply cut 4 to 5 peeled bananas into 3 or 4 pieces each and freeze. In a blender, combine the frozen bananas with ¼ cup milk (I use unsweetened almond milk and sometimes add a little organic peanut butter!) Blend and keep adding small amounts of milk until the consistency resembles ice cream.

(Note: I sometimes need to soften the frozen bananas up slightly in the microwave before blending if they are too rock solid – my blender can’t handle it!)

Banana ‘ice cream’ and homemade magic chocolate shell make for a guilt-free treat! Enjoy!Thank you for stopping by! Happy, happy 2017 – wishing you the very best year yet!

Remember to take pleasure in simple things, Jackie

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january book giveaway!

December 30, 2016

My go-to eating strategy after the holidays is always to have a day or two of consuming strictly juices and/or smoothies. This strategy always works to get me right back on the healthy eating track!

With this in mind, I decided to feature The Blender Girl Smoothies by Tess Masters as the January giveaway book selection.

This book is a wonderful collection of 100 recipes for (vegan) smoothies designed to fit every need and taste! Each recipe features a beautiful photograph with suggestions for 3 optimal flavor boosters and nutritional add-ons.

The Blender Girl Smoothies is a fabulous resource whenever you need to try a new flavor or healthful ingredient combination smoothie!

Even if you don’t use my post-holiday eating strategy, a delicious and healthful smoothie is a go-to in any eating plan! Leave a comment on this post to be entered to win this great title! A winner will be chosen at random at the end of January.

Congratulations to Betsy, winner of last month’s giveaway – a 2017 calendar by Anna Rifle! I know you will enjoy this lovely calendar! (For more on the calendar, click here.)

Instagram users, please read on! In the spirit of this month’s giveaway, let’s share our smoothies! I would love to see your favorite flavor combinations! Use #pleasuregram to share photos of your creations!

Thanks so much for stopping by!

Have a safe weekend and remember to take pleasure in simple things, Jackie

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to all a good night

December 27, 2016

As this post goes up on the blog, I will be busy cleaning up from my Christmas celebration. My official Christmas was postponed a little bit this year since work commitments prevented the entire family from getting together on the 25th.

In fact, since my daughter worked both Thanksgiving and Christmas this year, she requested a turkey dinner with cranberry sauce for our official family dinner last night…and, that fresh turkey cooked up perfectly!

I hope you are all enjoying your family as much as I am this holiday season.

I look forward to sharing more inspirations for a creative life as we begin a new year!

Thanks for stopping by! Remember to take pleasure in simple things, Jackie

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my favorite christmas gift

December 20, 2016

I have a pretty good memory. Some of my childhood friends can’t believe the details I can remember from ‘the good old days.’

Recently, I was talking to friends about what I remembered as the favorite Christmas gifts my children received from Santa. Later that day, I started wondering about which Christmas gifts I liked the best when I was young. I spent the good part of a day thinking about it. And, for the rest of that week, every time I had a few spare minutes, I went back to thinking about Christmases past.

There is a lot I could remember. I remember feeling the warmth from the fireplace at my grandparent’s house. And, I remember the lit up Santa that hung over their fireplace; the pine smell in that room. I remember watching the nutcracker on television. I remember my grandmother’s china pattern. I remember that one Mickey Mouse ornament that everyone wanted to hang on the tree. I remember the year our dog knocked over our tree when she jumped up to eat the foil wrapped chocolate ornaments and I remember one year leaving my dad a letter I wrote as Santa…I remember a lot of smiles…a lot of laughing and goofing around…I remember Christmas music.

But, you know what? I cannot, for the life of me, remember one single gift I received in all the years I lived in my parent’s house! Not one.

Enjoy the holiday spirit around you! :)

Thanks for stopping by! Remember to take pleasure in simple things, Jackie

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holiday theme 2016

November 15, 2016

For someone that normally has a holiday theme chosen well over 6 months before December, this year is very different for me. I didn’t really have a clear idea of what I wanted for 2016’s holiday theme until recently. Once the start of November happened, I decided I needed to choose a theme, quick! Every year, so much of my holiday planning is tied into my chosen theme and this year I started November with no plans!

Initial mugs always make great gifts on their own or filled with sweets or a succulent. This one from Terrain is a beauty!

What did I decide? A typography theme! At first, I thought I might call my theme “to the letter,”, but I really didn’t want to leave out the numbers! Then I thought maybe I should go with “by the numbers,“ but that would leave out the letters! Typography might not sound as cute, but it includes both numbers and letters!

The glasses I adore from Mark and Graham…perfect to use on my holiday table!

When I start thinking about all the possibilities using a typography theme, it really puts my creative spirit into overdrive! Here is some of my initial brainstorming. We shall see how it plays out!

Williams-Sonoma’s initial doormat makes a great gift and is right on theme!

Wrapping Ideas

Initial key chain or luggage tag as package tag
Book pages as wrapping
Number gift tags using rubber stamps
House numbers tied to packages

See what I mean? So much to work with! Remember the DIY wire gift tags I made into words a couple years back? Click here to see them.

4lovecustomgifts on Etsy makes wonderful custom initial or name signs like this one!

Gift Ideas

Initial doormat
Initial necklace
House number or last name sign
Sign using coordinates of a place with special meaning
Personalized stationary
Monogrammed items
Initialed items
Initial wine bottle stopper with bottle and opener
Gifts with personalized zip codes

Initial necklaces may have been around for a while, but there are always some different choices to give as gifts. I love this one made by nest on Etsy!

Gift ideas are super easy to come up with using a typography theme! And I have made some gifts in the past that would work well…remember the zip code tray, the zip code pillows, or the embellished mason jar. (Click on the names to see the tutorials.)

Tabletop

Number/letter sparklers
Number glasses for desserts
Initial cheese tray

This William-Sonoma cheese tray is just perfect for a typography themed Christmas!

These beautiful gold numbers and letters I found at Paper Source are sparklers, but I won’t actually be using them as sparklers in my holiday decor…I just love the way they look! Maybe I will spell out Joy and place them in a dessert or use them at individual place settings.

I also have tons of ideas for my holiday tabletop with my new theme! I really want to serve dessert in these really cool glasses with numbers that I found. My traditional holiday rosemary shortbreads can be cut with alphabet and/or number cookie cutters!

Home Décor/Tree

Initial ornaments
Ornaments made from book pages
An initial wreath

If you would rather not make your own initial wreath, Ballard Designs has them ready made!

The tree and home décor is fun to think about. I will definitely make an initial wreath for my front door this year and ornaments will be fun to create…remember when I made the animals from book pages? Or, the Ikea heart with script? (Click on them to see the DIYs.) I am sure I can come up with some new ones! If you would rather purchase ornaments, there are always great initial ones at Anthropologie as well as some of the other stores during the holiday season.

A great initial ornament from Pottery Barn if you would rather purchase an initial ornament over making one.

Well, that is the start of holiday theme 2016! Do you use a theme for your holiday? I hope I inspired you to start thinking about one…what will you come up with for this year?

Thanks for stopping by! Remember to take pleasure in simple things, Jackie

Note: The product photos shown here were taken from the respective websites.

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easy candied pumpkin seeds

November 10, 2016

For Friday field trip today, I am taking you into my kitchen to share a simple recipe for a sweet and crunchy snack that is ready in 20 minutes!

These candied pumpkin seeds are super satisfying. I make them without sugar – using honey and maple syrup to sweeten. With a little sweetness and a little spice, these crunchy pieces are the perfect little snack! This recipe is super easy…I pick up pumpkin seeds at Trader Joe’s, but the rest of the ingredients are items I always have on hand. You can experiment and switch out the spices to your own preference.

It is too bad that most people only think of pumpkin seeds around Halloween, because they are delicious any time of the year! At Halloween, these pumpkin seed snacks serve as a great substitute for the traditional Halloween candy, but they are also fun and easy snack to package up as a Thanksgiving hostess gift.

In addition to serving as a great fix for a sweet craving, these pumpkin seed snacks are also a great garnish for that homemade squash soup!

Enjoy!

Have a wonderful weekend and remember to take pleasure in simple things, Jackie

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a vermont wedding

October 18, 2016

This was the year of special weddings for me. You may remember I shared a spring spectacular overlooking the ocean at Castle Hill in Newport, Rhode Island and a summer mansion wedding in a garden in Fairfield County, Connecticut. Today, I am sharing with you the finale of my magnificent weddings this year – a fall foliage stunner at Top Notch Resort in Stowe, Vermont.

The wedding day was a little overcast and there were a few raindrops. But, this wedding needed a little rain and a few clouds – the brilliance of the couple, in addition to the brilliance of the surroundings, was almost too much to take – I don’t think we could have handled full sun!

No matter how full the fall foliage was on display this special October afternoon, nothing could have outshone the beauty of the bride as she made the life-long commitment to marry her best friend.

With this wedding, I celebrated not only the special wedding of my godson, but I also celebrated a special part of my life…a celebration of friendships that made up a big part of my childhood. I am certain the person I have become was strongly influenced by these friendships and the many experiences I shared with these friends as we grew up together.

You know those special lifelong bonds?

With these friends I can pick up just like we left off – literally, without missing a beat! This was demonstrated brilliantly when the groom’s uncle and myself danced the 13 step at the reception – the same dance we had practiced together in his parent’s basement so many, many years ago!

Thank you so much for including me in your special day K & J! Love you D & J!

Thank you for stopping by! Be sure to follow my posts next week for more Vermont fun!

Remember to take pleasure in simple things…like hugging a special friend, Jackie

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a visit to ben & jerry’s

October 14, 2016

A trip to Stowe, Vermont wouldn’t be complete without a tour of Ben & Jerry’s! A recent trip to attend a wedding gave me the perfect opportunity to be a real tourist and check it out! I am sharing today on Friday field trip!

The 30 minute tour started with a short video about how the ice cream phenomenon called Ben & Jerry’s got started and some history on its growth over the decades. Started by two guys in 1978 after they took an ice cream making course at Penn State, the first Ben & Jerry’s shop opened in Burlington, Vermont in a renovated gas station.

My favorite fact? Putting cookie dough in Ben & Jerry’s ice cream was started after an anonymous tip was received from a customer in 1984!

Guests to the Ben & Jerry’s facility are asked not to take photos of the actual manufacturing room, so I am sorry I can’t share that part of the tour with you.

From there, the tour took me to the Tasting Lab. A flavor called Caramel Apple was in process for the employee Halloween party…sounds yummy! Fun fact: Employees can take home free pints every day! Of course, some tasting went on in the Tasting Lab…for me, Strawberry Cheesecake!

My favorite flavor has always been Phish Food, so I was surprised to find out the number one seller isn’t Phish Food but Half Baked!

Over time, I switched my Ben & Jerry’s purchases to the yogurt, then Greek yogurt flavors when those became available. Now I may need to decide which non-dairy flavor I like best – there are currently four available.

Surprisingly, the tasting was not my favorite part of my visit. The best part of my visit to Ben & Jerry’s was actually outside the factory – a walk through the Flavor Graveyard looking through the retired ice cream flavors!

I hope I have inspired you to make a visit to Ben & Jerry’s next time you are in Vermont! Or, maybe just to try a new flavor of Ben & Jerry’s from your local market!

Have a wonderful weekend and remember to take pleasure in simple things, Jackie

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top 3 trader joes pumpkin

October 4, 2016

Trader Joe’s is brimming with pumpkin flavored items during this time of year and I love trying every one! As new items are added for sale each year; there are always plenty to taste test!

Today, I am sharing my top 3 seasonal pumpkin picks at Trader Joe’s.

My number 3 choice is a tie between pumpkin panettone and pumpkin mochi.

You are probably no stranger to panettone for the holidays – particularly if you are Italian. Well, Trader Joe’s has started a new tradition, in my book, with its fall version of this holiday classic. If you like panettone, you will definitely enjoy Trader Joe’s seasonal version of this Italian sweet bread. It contains a very subtle note of pumpkin flavor with candied pumpkin pieces replacing the traditional candied citron. And, some added pumpkin cream adds a little yummy surprise. It is the perfect coffee or tea companion.

After trying this panettone last year, I was disappointed when I returned to the store for more and found it was all sold out. This year, after noticing the expiration date on the package was in February 2017, I picked up a few extra to use at the holidays. I think it is the perfect first thing on Thanksgiving – pregaming for Thanksgiving dinner!

Another Trader Joe’s variation to something I love is the pumpkin mochi!

If you are not familiar with mochi, it is a popular treat in Japan. A sticky rice is used to create a chewy and sweet outside coating for a small ball of ice cream. Trader Joe’s offers these taste treats with pumpkin ice cream! Can you see the little brown specks? Pieces of graham! These fun little pops of pumpkin flavor come packaged in boxes of six individual pieces.

Runner ups in the sweet category are items that are great to use as hostess gifts for your seasonal celebrations – pumpkin caramels, pumpkin seed brittle, and pumpkin macarons. Trader Joe’s also has some really cute iced pumpkin cookies as well as iced mini cakes that are perfect to bring to surprise special little children you may be visiting during the fall!

Coming in at number 2 on my favorites list is pumpkin shaped pasta.

It may not be the most healthful or flavorful item in the store, but it is so darn cute! Just imagine this pumpkin shaped pasta served with pumpkin sage cream sauce or as a base for a seasonal pasta salad! Any meal you serve using this pasta will definitely scream fall!

And…drum roll please…coming in as my number 1 favorite fall pumpkin item at Trader Joe’s…

Organic pumpkin! This 15 ounce can of organic pumpkin is my favorite seasonal item at Trader Joe’s for the fall. The ingredient label on the can reads “organic pumpkin.” That is it! A great starting ingredient to any pumpkin dish and super affordable! If you don’t use the entire can, leftovers are great for beverages –like pumpkin smoothies or to flavor cream for pumpkin lattes!

I hope I have inspired you to make a trip to Trader Joe’s and discover your own fall faves!

P.S. To my friends that crush on white pumpkins as much as I do – Trader Joe’s carries baby boos for .69 cents each!

Thanks for stopping by! Remember to take pleasure in simple things, Jackie

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a library themed restaurant

September 23, 2016

I can’t help but share some photos from a visit to a new restaurant; today on Friday field trip.

You know my penchant for a good theme!

Well, The Library Wine Bar and Bistro is housed in the building that was originally a city library, built in 1899 and it totally embraces its roots!

It has been restored back to its classic, architectural beauty by the Gouveia family of Gouveia Vineyards, Wallingford, Connecticut. Yes, the same vineyard I visited and shared on last week’s Friday field trip!

I am totally in love with this place! In my imagination, I have already planned an entire library themed shower in one of the restaurant’s beautiful private rooms!

I hope I have inspired your imagination as well!

Thanks for stopping by!

Have a wonderful weekend and remember to take pleasure in simple things, Jackie

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top 3 trader joes pumpkin

a library themed restaurant