manchego & fig crostini

April 24, 2015

What to do on the first warm day of spring? Eat outside!

For Friday field trip today, I am taking you out to my backyard to witness the first outdoor hors d’oeuvres of the season!

We all know the best outdoor appetizers are yummy ones that require very little preparation. Manchego and fig crostini fit the bill perfectly! The crostini, serving as the base for this snack, are easy to make and can be made in advance. The rest of the prep is super simple. These little delights can even be assembled right at the table – a wonderful thing, since casual is the buzz word for outdoor entertaining!

You don’t need to go to a fancy gourmet shop for fig spread. I find it right in the deli section of the local grocery store.

Manchego & Fig Crostini

• Fig spread (I used Dalmatia)
• Manchego cheese, shaved or sliced thin with a serrated knife.
• Baguette, cut into ½” slices
• Extra virgin olive oil, salt & pepper

Cut a baguette into ½” slices. Brush with oil and sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper on both sides of each piece. Place on baking sheet and toast under the broiler for 1 – 2 minutes until golden, then flip over and broil the other side. Spread a generous amount of fig spread on each piece and top with shavings of Manchego cheese.

I hope you will try this crostini – a great first alfresco hors d’oeuvre of the season! Just be warned that this taste combination can be addicting! I couldn’t stop eating these! What started out as a way to use up some Manchego cheese, ended up as dinner! Thanks to my friend Linda for suggesting the flavor combination!

Thanks for stopping by!

Remember to take pleasure in simple things, Jackie

Sharing at House of Hipsters, Nancherrow, Thoughts from Alice, The Shabby Nest, and French Country Cottage.

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gluten-free, dairy-free, sugar-free pudding

April 10, 2015

Sometimes we are better off not knowing. This philosophy applies in so many instances – but, never as appropriately as knowing the ingredients in a ‘healthy’ dessert. And, somehow, just knowing a dessert is classified as gluten-free, dairy-free, and sugar-free makes it instantly less appealing. Don’t you agree?

Recently, I needed a gluten-free, dairy-free dessert for a dinner guest and found the options in grocery stores were pretty sad. Creators of these ‘special’ desserts seem to think the missing gluten and dairy can be made up for with tons of sugar! Yuck!

Luckily, living in Fairfield County, I have plenty of options for healthy eating and I just needed to do a little bit of investigative research! I ended up finding my answer at the Catch a Healthy Habit Café in Fairfield with their tasty chocolate pudding made from…avocados! (The recipe was published in the book Fairfield County Chef’s Table: Extraordinary Recipes from Connecticut’s Gold Coast by Amy Kundrat.) I was so amazed and delighted by this chocolate pudding, I have to share the recipe with you today on Friday field trip.

I am not saying this is a good tasting dessert by gluten-free and dairy-free standards. What I am saying is that this is a good tasting dessert, period. I made it to have in my repertoire for when a guest could not have gluten and/or dairy, but ended up liking it so well, I now make it for myself! Give it a try! Your guests may just be better off ‘not knowing’ the main ingredient of the smooth and yummy chocolate pudding you serve at your next get together! ;)

Thanks for stopping by!

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

Sharing at House of Hipsters, Thoughts from Alice, Craftberry Bush and The Shabby Nest.

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cookies ‘n’ creme strawberries

April 7, 2015

My assignment for the family Easter dinner was desserts. I love making the desserts and every year I try to make a nice variety. To make sure fruit was well represented, I chose to make chocolate covered strawberries as one of the dessert choices.

Typically, I dip the strawberries in a good quality semi-sweet or bittersweet chocolate and pipe some white chocolate as an accent.

This year, I added an additional variety – cookies ‘n’ creme dipped strawberries! They were extremely easy to make. I simply melted a couple of large Hershey’s Cookies ‘n’ Creme chocolate bars, and that is what I used to dip the strawberries in! No added ingredients – just the melted candy bars. Simple.

And, you know what? They were really good! The white chocolate went so well with the strawberries and there was a nice little crunch factor!

So, this year the chocolate covered strawberry contingency was well represented. Give the cookies ‘n’ creme a try – I think you will be pleasantly surprised! Or, try using another favorite candy bar. I think a chocolate mint candy bar would be a nice option! :)

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

Sharing with Sand & Sisal, Elizabeth & Co., and Coastal Charm.

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picnic themed easter eggs

April 3, 2015

It is hard for me to believe I have not yet posted one decorated egg this year! You may already know I am so obsessed with the whole egg dyeing process! With Easter only two short days away, I am sharing a few of this year’s decorated eggs today on Friday field trip.

Every year, I try to decorate, at least a few of my eggs, differently than I have ever done before. This year, I created picnic themed Easter eggs! Using dye and adding some watercolor detail, I chose three picnic icons and created my interpretations on eggs! The icons? A watermelon, a red checked tablecloth – complete with ants – and a corn on the cob! You know you can’t have a picnic without these items, right?

I dyed an egg part red and part green for the watermelon egg, then used watercolor paints to add some additional detail.

The corn on the cob egg started as a yellow dyed egg.

For the picnic tablecloth egg, I applied red watercolor paint to a white egg using a small square cut from a kitchen sponge. Using a sponge, rather than a paintbrush, I was able to add some texture to the egg. Then, I just added the obligatory picnic visitors with some glue!

Did you come up with some new creations in egg dyeing this year?

Thanks so much for stopping by. For those who celebrate – wishing you and those you love. a very blessed Easter.

Have a wonderful weekend. Remember to take pleasure in simple things, Jackie xo

Sharing with Fridays Unfolded, The Shabby Nest, Craftberry Bush, and French Country Cottage.

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april book giveaway!

March 31, 2015

‘Spring has sprung*’ and with it starts the season for entertaining! Beginning with Easter, the events in spring just seem to parade on, one after another – bridal and baby showers, graduations, Mother’s Day…the list seems to go on and on.

The thoughts of celebrating in mild weather is so appealing after the crazy winter we had here in Connecticut – where guests needed to negotiate snow drifts to get into the house and subzero temperatures made warm weather gear a necessity like never before! Don’t get me wrong, cozy fires and warm drinks do have a certain appeal – but, enough already!

With these thoughts in mind, I have come up with a really unique book giveaway idea for April and I am excited to tell you about it!

I found a great vintage book – published in 1966 – about entertaining, titled All About Entertaining: Everything You Need to Know to Have a Fabulous Social Life by Kay Corninth and Mary Sargent. With talk of “gloves are not only correct but called for” and “no matter how generous your husband may be with your clothing allowance…” this book is sure to be an interesting read!

I thought it would be fun to contrast the old with the new – SO. the winner of this month’s giveaway will receive TWO books. One is this vintage find and the other is a more recent book on entertaining called The Butler Speaks: A Guide to Stylish Entertaining, Etiquette and the Art of Good Housekeeping by Charles MacPherson. This is an author signed copy and is a great reference book for contemporary entertaining. The author has over twenty-four years of experience in household management. In 2009, he opened North America’s only registered school for butlers and household managers in Toronto. MacPherson is an expert in the areas of staffing, training and planning, and is recognized as a world authority in the household management and butler fields.

How fun to see the differences – and similarities – in entertaining guidelines between the 60’s and today! Leave a comment to be entered to win. The winner will be chosen at random from the comments. Good luck!

Congratulations to Becca, a blogger over at Becca’s Backyard, winner of the March selection Lazy Days and Beach Blankets. Shoot me an email with your address, Becca, and I will send it right out to you! This book about alfresco dining is a winner!

In the spirit of the giveaway, our Instagram challenge this month will be to post pics of entertaining. Please share the favorite moments of your celebrations by using the hashtag #pleasuregram during the month of April.

*P.S. I am ignoring the fact that it is snowing as I write this!

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

7 comments

egg tea infuser diy

March 20, 2015

I am a sucker for a cute tea infuser. I have seen so many great ones…sometimes they are just too hard to resist buying! Have you seen the one that looks like the Titanic? The problem is – these store bought tea diffusers, though cute, never hold enough tea for my taste. So, today for Friday field trip, I am taking you into my kitchen to show you a quick and easy homemade tea infuser.

Not only is it cute and seasonal, but it holds plenty of tea! First, purchase some small plastic eggs – the kind that are used to fill with treats. There are plenty of them around at this time of year! I found a bag of 12 assorted colors at Target for less than $2. I figure if they are food safe to put candy inside, they must be safe enough for tea! (And, since I don’t even bring my tea water to a boil, I don’t think the plastic will be in danger of melting lol!)

Now just (carefully) use a power drill to make some holes in the egg. That’s it! Determine which size drill bit to use based on the tea you normally use. You obviously don’t want the holes so big that all the tea slips through.

Now you have a reusable infuser!

And, they also make for a great gift paired with a pretty mug for your favorite tea drinker!

We are expecting four inches of snow today…I may need an extra cup of tea or two! ;)

Thanks for stopping by! Have a wonderful weekend welcoming the new season! xo Jackie

Sharing at House of Hipsters, Nancherrow, and Love of Home.

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growing easter grass

March 17, 2015

I am a huge proponent of unconventional Easter baskets – I think an Easter basket can be any vessel that appeals to your sense of style. And, at Easter time, I feel the same way about the containers I chose to plant grass seeds. I love to plant grass in any and all containers (including Easter baskets) that currently hit my fancy! Today, I am sharing a couple of this year’s container picks for grass planting!

You don’t need to celebrate Easter to plant grass – think of it as a ‘celebration of spring’ activity! A grass filled mug makes a cute spring gift that can be reused long after the recipient tires of the grass.

Any type of grass seed will work. Here, I have used wheat grass seeds. It won’t take more than a week to have a nice patch of grass. Just put potting soil in the container you have chosen. I always use packaged soil, not soil from the outdoors. The reason for this is that I don’t need any unwanted insects, etc. from the outdoor soil to find their way into my home!

Liberally add grass seeds onto the soil, and then cover with a thin layer of additional soil. Water your new planting and keep in a sunny spot. Be careful not to water too much if you have a small container and/or no drainage. You will want to moisten the soil, but too much water (a puddle) will inhibit the seeds from growing.

Now you can just water daily and wait for the seeds to grow! They will sprout very quickly and grow rapidly. They are so much fun!

I always start planting containers in March and just trim the grass with scissors if needed. You may remember last year I shared planting grass in egg shells – click here to see the tutorial for planting grass in real egg shells.

Small, clear glass containers, like the Weck jars I have used here, provide an opportunity to see the roots of the plant. In this way, using one of these tiny jars at each Easter place setting at the ‘kids table’ is a great way to get the children excited about the growing process! Additional jars can be used to fill with treats.

Do you have a special container in mind to try your hand at growing grass? I would love to see what you choose!

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

Sharing with Craftberry Bush, The Shabby Nest, Nancherrow, Thoughts from Alice, Sand & Sisal, and House of Hipsters.

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top 10 spring obsessions 2015

March 10, 2015

Now that spring is almost here, it is time to share my top 10 obsessions for the new season! Here they are, in no particular order:

1. First, I must tell you, I am totally in love with gladiator sandals! I have had this obsession before. I know what happens. I get a pair, I wear them once or twice and then, I am over them. Because of my history, I am trying so hard to resist some of my current gladiator favorites. Valentino and Stuart Weitzman (pictured here) both have pairs that make a sandal lover swoon. But, neither pair is within my budget, so I will surely be shopping Marshalls, TJ Maxx, and Target for a similar look this spring.

2. I can’t spend spring in Paris? How sad. But, how about a little hint of this romantic city with my morning coffee? These darling city vignette mugs at Anthropologie really hit my fancy! A new mug for the office is an easy and inexpensive way to celebrate the new season. If you would rather dream about New York or London, mugs celebrating these cities are also available at an Anthropologie store or on their website.

3. Ben & Jerrys has done it again! The new ice-cream flavor The Tonight Dough is inspired by one of my favorite all-around entertainers – the talented Jimmy Fallon. What do you get when you put a Jimmy Fallon inspired flavor together with Ben & Jerry’s? Caramel and chocolate chip ice creams with chocolate cookie swirls and gobs of chocolate chip cookie dough and peanut butter cookie dough! Whoa! If you are a big Fallon fan like I am, you may have seen the new ice cream flavor introduced on the first episode of the Tonight Show’s second season. Jimmy is donating all proceeds from the sales of the flavor to the non-profit organization SeriousFun Children’s Network. So, you can feel good knowing your indulgence is giving back by helping children with serious illnesses. Click here to learn more. Thanks for giving me two more great reasons to love ya Jimmy!

4. Particularly after the long, hard winter we are experiencing here in Connecticut, I am tired of wearing the heavy sweaters, long underwear, mittens and scarves that have been required in below freezing and subzero temperatures! I am so looking forward to wearing dresses! I am not saying I can’t wear a dress this winter, but with a real threat of frostbite when any scrap of bare skin shows, choosing a dress has not been a fun option! I will definitely be buying a few new fit and flares to mark the occasion of some warmer weather!

5. Quick breads are always good and, with the help of Food Network Magazine, it is easy to create one of 50 (yes, I said 50!) different varieties in a snap! Using a few basic recipes, they have come up with easy variations to create 50 different and delicious choices of quick and easy-to-make breads. With both sweet and savory recipes, ranging from sun-dried tomato-pesto to cinnamon bun, it is easy to find one to suit the occasion or the ingredients I have on hand! Click here for the link to the recipes. Enjoy!

6. I am obsessed with Michelle Masters’ art! Michelle combines a gardening love with her artistic talent by creating topiary inspired designs. My obsession with her art is not limited to the season, but her fresh garden creations scream spring and are just beyond cute! With a wonderful selection of home products and stationery – and always new items to choose from – I love picking up some new designs for myself and for gifts! You can see all the beautiful items she creates by clicking here for her website.

7. Lately I am experiencing a real fascination with old, weathered brick. Currently, my dream house (the one that is ever evolving in my head), has a messy mortar backsplash. I recently discovered Robin Sprong’s amazing wall coverings that speak directly to my obsession for messy mortar and old brick! Sprong has made it possible to put up wallpaper with a very realistic pattern of old bricks or concrete – how cool is this?! A messy mortar backsplash can be installed as easily as putting up some wallpaper! Thank you Robin Sprong!

8. Have you heard about ManCans? When my son requested candles as gifts for his new place, I started looking around for some alternative scents to florals and I found ManCans. These candles come in wonderful ‘manly’ scents like Fresh Cut Grass, Bacon, Sawdust, and New Car. These candles are made in soup cans after the contents have been donated to a soup kitchen. So, in addition to finding a great and inexpensive ‘nongirly’ candle, a purchase is also helping feed people! Wouldn’t one or a few of these make a great Father’s Day gift? Maybe the scent of Memphis Style BBQ or New Mitt would appeal to your Pop? So fun! Click here for the website.

9. When visiting other cities, there are always certain stores that are just prerequisites for inspiration. Like Ballard Designs when visiting Atlanta, Lillian August in Connecticut, ABC Carpet & Home in NYC, or Terrain when visiting Philadelphia. In Boston, one of these spots is Lekker Home. A cool collection of brands and an interesting variety of products make it a fun place to peruse. For the spring, I am ‘jonesing’ for many of the non-breakable sea life themed items that are perfect now that entertaining will soon hit the outdoors. Reusable lobster-motif picks and sea life melamine plates are a couple of my favorites!

10. It is so fun to change up accessories in the spring and Timex makes it really easy to add a couple new casual watches to the mix! I am obsessed with their weekender watch with gold polka dots on the (reversible) band. You may know I have a polka dot obsession -heck, I even have a Pinterest page full of dots and stripes! Love this watch!

I hope you enjoyed sharing my top ten obsessions for spring. I would love to hear about some of yours!

*Please note that photos in this post were not taken by me, but were taken from the respective websites.

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

Sharing with House of Hipsters, Thoughts from Alice, Craftberry Bush, Sand & Sisal, Elizabeth & Co., and Homework.

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rosewater lemonade for valentine’s day

February 6, 2015

Since a rose is one of the most enduring symbols of love and appreciation, what better way to add something special to a Valentine’s Day table than to serve a beverage enhanced by a rose? For Friday field trip today, we are adding rose essence to served lemonade to add a subtle suggestion of friendship or romance to the table.

Lemonade is always a great soft drink option – particularly fresh squeezed – and adding raspberries, strawberries, and/or basil is always a nice way to ‘fancy it up.’ But, for a romantic option, an even nicer addition is a little rosewater.

The essence of roses is a lovely way to add a little romance to an ordinary beverage…Perfect when a nonalcoholic drink is in order. I add a single tablespoon of rosewater to a quart of lemonade. Obviously, this amount can be adjusted to your taste.

Rosewater lemonade is the perfect beverage to serve to friends at a lunch, as a garden club meeting refreshment, or at a Valentine’s Day brunch. I always have a bottle of rosewater in my kitchen because I frequently use it in my baking. If you don’t happen to have any on hand, you can pick it up at a specialty food store or Middle Eastern market.

Now that you have some rosewater on hand, you may want to try using it in other ways. Click here to see my recipe for rosewater meringues.

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

This post is dedicated to someone very special…welcome to the world, Rose Catherine! In little Rose’s honor, and as a special Valentine’s Day gift to you for sharing pleasure in simple things, I am giving you a gift of a pretty recipe card for rosewater meringues – just send me an email with your address and I will mail one right off to you – in plenty of time for Valentine’s Day! Happy Valentine’s Day sweet friends. xo :)

Sharing with House of Hipsters, Shabby Nest, French Country Cottage, Craftberry Bush, and Kim Klassen.

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super for the super bowl asian nachos

January 27, 2015

This snack was 10 years in the making. Sound crazy? Let me explain.

About 10 years ago, my daughter worked in a restaurant that served Asian nachos. I wasn’t a big fan of Asian flavors at the time, but I was in love with the Asian nachos served at this particular restaurant. I never failed to order this each time I visited. That restaurant is no longer in business, but I have often thought of that favorite appetizer of mine and wished I knew how to make it.

Recently, two people (one being my daughter) that once worked at the now non-existent, Asian nachos serving, Connecticut restaurant put their heads together and came up with the recipe for this fabulous appetizer. I am SO excited to share it with you because it tastes pretty spot-on to my favorite from years ago!

Ingredients (makes 16)

Package of wonton wrappers (in refrigerated in the produce section)
Wasabi cream sauce (I bought Kikkoman sandwich and dipping sauce)
1 bottle peanut sauce (I used an 11.5 oz. bottle sold as a dipping sauce)
1 cup shredded cooked chicken or approximately 12 oz. uncooked (I used 4 tenderloins)
1 ½ cups shredded Mexican mix cheese
Scallions, chopped (for garnish)

Here is how I made the Asian nachos based on what I learned from the former restaurant employees!

First, I baked 4 chicken tenders in some of the peanut sauce. After the chicken was cooked, I shredded it and added the rest of the bottle of peanut sauce to it. (I made this ahead and stored in the fridge.)

Next, I used a frying pan and canola oil to fry 16 wonton wrappers. I made sure the oil was really hot and fried each side – this is a fast process – probably 20 seconds for each side. The wontons will puff up and become stiffer, but I didn’t keep them in the oil long enough to become brown. I flipped them with a fork and put them on a paper towel when I removed them from the oil.

I made sure I had 16 nicely done wontons before starting to assemble the appetizer. (On my first attempt I had some wontons I needed to discard – they were either too brown or that I put them in the oil before it was hot enough. I got the hang of it after a few tries.)

To assemble, I lined up the wontons on an oven safe dish. (You can use a cooking sheet and transfer to a serving tray when out of the oven.) I put a heaping tablespoon of the chicken mixture – after warming it from the fridge first – onto the center of each wonton. Then, I sprinkled the shredded cheese on top of the chicken on each wonton and them under the broiler – just long enough to melt the cheese.

After taking the wontons out of the oven (transfer to serving tray if needed), I added the wasabi cream sauce (add a dot or more, depending on your taste). As the final touch, I garnished with chopped scallions.

Here you go! A super Super Bowl – or, anytime – snack! So yummy! Enjoy!

P.S. You will have wonton wrappers leftover – the perfect opportunity to experiment by using them with some homemade ravioli fillings or to create some filled desserts!

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

Sharing at Craftberry Bush, The Shabby Nest, Sand & Sisal, Elizabeth & Co, and Coastal Charm.

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manchego & fig crostini

gluten-free, dairy-free, sugar-free pudding

cookies ‘n’ creme strawberries

picnic themed easter eggs

april book giveaway!

egg tea infuser diy

growing easter grass

top 10 spring obsessions 2015

rosewater lemonade for valentine’s day

super for the super bowl asian nachos