BOTTOMLESS PIT DAY: RECIPE WISHLIST

Have you ever had one of those days when you can't seem to stop eating? My friends and I call those "bottomless pit days"—when your stomach seems like a never-ending vessel that you have to shove food into. We all need those days every once in a while and I had my latest one yesterday, which I spent binging on gummy bears and dreaming of all the delicious meals I could whip up.

In case you need a photo or two to make you salivate, or just a tasty recipe to stave off the winter chill this weekend, here are some awesome options I have round up for you. Which one would you make?

Paprika Parsnip Fries with Lemon Cashew Cream Sauce

Soft Salted Buttered Pretzels

Pumpkin Ravioli with Brown Butter Sauce, Toasted Pecans and Sage

Baked Rosemary Basil Zucchini Chips

Honey Parmesan Roasted Brussel Sprouts

Roasted Pineapple with Honey Pistachios

Chocolate Braided Cacao Bread


And now, with a rumbling stomach, I am off to the kitchen! Happy weekend!

WE ALL NEED SOME HAPPY PILLS

How fabulous is this graphic identity/brand idea? 'Happy Pills' is a candy store based in Barcelona with a pharmaceutical theme that plays off the universal wellness symbol of the Red Cross (apparently they have recently had to modify their logo slightly after the Red Cross protested). The description of the store and it's concept on Behance is equally awesome, describing the store thusly:

Happy Pills had to be that remedy against the ails of our time: Mondays, keys that go missing, invisible friends with no imagination, the pineapple diet, global warming, square roots, the price of housing in general, and specifica boredom.

And explaining their ingredients like this:

We invented the “Composition”: 3% Sky blue, 5% Lemon yellow, 2% Dirty joke, 4% Black humour, 7% Uncontrollable guffaw, 8% La vie en rose”, 2% Tickling, 7% Oranges from China, 1% Fine British humour, 2% Galician double entendre, 6% Andalusian accent, 9% Last-minute goal, 2% Dawn essence, 7% Ho ho ho, 3% Cotton candy, 2% Aches from laughing, 5% Some like it hot, 4% Rio de Janeiro, 3% Tijuana, 7% John Cleese excipient, 6% Bunch of daisies, 5% Mediterranean Siesta.

Fabulous, right? In case you can't make it to Barcelona anytime soon to see the shop yourself, you can visit their website here.

(Thanks to Design Milk and Behance for the tip.)

TIPS FOR THE BEST VALENTINE'S CARE PACKAGE

I have a secret super power. No, it's not laser vision or the ability to fly—though that would be awesome—it's the power to put together a kick-butt care package. What's that you say? That's not worthy enough to merit super hero status? I believe my friends and family would beg to differ. In this era of instant, impersonal digital communication, nothing beats getting a good ol' care package (summer camp style) from a loved one full of goodies.

If you are interested in joining me in super hero status with your dearly beloved, click through to learn my tips and tricks . . . . 

TASTY TREAT: HOMEMADE ICE CREAM SANDWICHES

What are you up to this weekend? I am laying low and stuffing myself with these fabulous confections. Last night I went to an art history trivia party with some friends (I know, nerd alert!) and offered to bring dessert. On a whim I decided to whip these bad boys up and they were a big hit! I completely made up the 'recipe' so feel free to play with it as you will.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Ice Cream Sandwiches with Nutella and Chocolate-Covered Pretzel Bits

2 dozen chewy chocolate chip cookies (you can make these or buy them at the store)

1 gallon of vanilla ice cream

1 jar of Nutella

assorted toppings (I used dark chocolate sprinkles and ground up chocolate covered pretzels)

These couldn't be easier! Basically take two chocolate cookies, put 1/2 tablespoon (or more to taste, ha!) of nutella on the bottom of one cookie and then add a generous scoop of vanilla ice cream on top of that. Put the second cookie on top and squish the ice cream down to make it more sandwich-like. Finally roll the side of the sandwich into a low bowl of sprinkles or crushed up chocolate covered pretzels or mini oreo pieces or whatever other crazy things your brilliant mind can come up with. Stack them in a tupperware container and store in the freezer until you are ready to eat them (just don't store them on their sides as all the toppings will fall off—learned that the hard way). Now go eat up!

Have a great weekend, friends!

SUNDAY NIGHT DINNER

My husband and I are busy people and with a hectic schedule comes an often lackadaisical approach to mealtime. More often than not we find ourselves heating up frozen food or eating cereal for dinner. Really responsible, I know. But every once in a while I get inspired and last night was no exception. We have a lovely roof deck on our apartment building, complete with big gas grills and nice dining tables.

So last night, with the gorgeous summer weather, I decided to whip up a tasty dinner on the grill to enjoy on the roof. And, if I do say so myself, it was quite tasty! So, if you will indulge me, here are a couple recipes I made last night that I thought you might like.


Dad's Grilled Shrimp
A recipe concocted by my father-in-law that is as delicious as it is easy. All the ingredients listed below are highly approximate; add them to your taste.

1 1/2 pounds (or really as much as you like) of deveined, shelled shrimp
1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons of good quality maple syrup
1/4 cup of honey
1/4 cup of olive oil
1/8 cup of cilantro
juice of two limes
salt and pepper to taste
dash of cayenne pepper

step one | Add the maple syrup (reserve the two tablespoons for later), honey, olive oil, cilantro, lime juice and salt and pepper to the bowl of a blender or cuisinart. Blend until all ingredients are thoroughly mixed.

step two | Put the shrimp in a large ziploc bag and pour in marinade you just made in the blender/cuisinart. Allow to sit in the fridge of for anywhere from 20 minutes to an hour.

step three | Open the ziploc bag and pour off the marinade. Put shrimp on a large plate/platter and drizzle the remaining maple syrup on top. Add the dash of cayenne pepper and an extra pinch or two of salt and pepper.

step four | Put shrimp on the grill, carefully making sure they don't fall through the cracks (if you have a gas grill set the temperature to between 300 and 350 degrees; otherwise put shrimp on the hottest part of the grill). Grill shrimp for two minutes each side. Remove from grill and enjoy!



Katie's Amazing Asparagus
Perfect for a quick solo dinner or a big dinner party. Crazy easy given how tasty the result is! Again the ingredients are flexible; feel free to experiment!

1 bundle of asparagus, the thinner and fresher the better
1 tablespoon of olive oil
2 tablespoons of soy sauce
Pinch of kosher salt
1 tablespoon sesame seeds (optional)

step one | Snap off the ends of the asparagus (they should snap easily where they want to be broken off). Lay asparagus on a aluminum foil-lined baking sheet in a single layer. Turn the broiler in your oven to high and put an oven rack in the topmost position. (Make sure your baking sheet fits on this rack.)

step two | Drizzle olive oil and soy sauce on the asparagus. Sprinkle kosher salt and, if using, sprinkle sesame seeds too.

step three | Put baking sheet in the oven under the broiler for between 5 and 10 minutes. Once the spears start to become crispy and the stalks start to wrinkle they are done! Serve and enjoy!


Happy cooking!

p.s. I also made the Smitten Kitchen recipe for blueberry crumb bars (see last photo) and holy cow they are good. See the recipe here.

MOTHER'S DAY GIFT GUIDE: TREATS EDITION

Building upon my last round up of great mom-worthy gifts, here are some last minute ideas that are sure to delight the wonderful mother hens in your life. Actually, they are sure to delight pretty much anyone in your life with a sweet tooth, because this round up is full of delicious confections of all types, shapes and sizes! So, without further ado, bring on the sinfully tasty treats!

...one...
izze sodas. $8.99 for 4 bottles.
fizzy, refreshing and made from real fruit juice, these sodas come in 
lip-smacking flavors like clementine and grapefruit


...two...
albanese 12 flavor fat free gummy bears. $20.89 for two 5 pound bags.
these are seriously the BEST gummy candies I have ever had. ever. and I have tried a lot! I can pretty much eat them by the handful, particularly with jelly belly worthy flavors like sour lemon and banana.


...three...
sweets for the sweet tote. $33.75.
all of dean & deluca's sweets are super tasty; brought together in this cute package, your mom will be in dessert heaven!


...four...
 dark, milk and white 'hot chocolate' on a stick. $9 for 3 pack.
pop bar is one of my favorite spots in the city for a summer cool down; these hot chocolate sticks are their recent foray into cold weather treats. with our recent dreary weather, these could be put to immediate use!


...five...
löffle mich (cake in a cup). 2 euro each.
since my german is not so good, I can't tell you too much about these jarred single serving cakes except that I spotted them here and they were too adorable not to share!

...six...
mast brothers chocolate bars. $40 for 5.
artisan chocolate made by hand in brooklyn by two of the most beardy bros ever. it has, hands down, the prettiest packaging I have ever seen on anything edible, not to mention mouth-watering flavors like sea salt or black truffle. 

...seven...
super pop cakes ice cream. $60 for 5 pints.
jenis splendid ice cream has the brilliant idea of mixing big tasty chunks of cake into their pints with supposedly delicious results. a bit pricey, but perfect for the mom who views dessert as a decadent special occasion treat.

...eight...
wild raspberry honey. $14 for 10.5 ounces.
so your mom somehow (against all odds) manages a kryptonite-like aversion to dessert. enter this raw varietal honey: a great addition to tea, baked goods and marinades and delicious enough to eat by the spoonful.




still need more ideas? see other gift guides here, here and here.

CHOCOLATE AND SPRINKLES

I am a big baker. If you have been reading this blog for a while, you know that I love eating sweets and love making them even more. But my crazy schedule of late has prevented me from making treats with the regularity I would normally like. Instead I am resorting to collecting recipes and ideas and saving them for later. So here's my list of chocolate inspiration with a dash of sprinkles. Bon appetite!


ONE | Favorite Chocolate Chip Cookies, Tender Crumb
TWO | Cake Batter Rice Crispy Treats, Give Me Some Oven
THREE | Chocolate Peanut Butter Surprise Cookies, Big Flavors from a Tiny Kitchen
FOUR | Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Waffles, Bonnie the Baker
FIVE | Best Chocolate Ice Cream You'll Ever Have, A Cup of Jo
SIX | Pudding Cups, Room for Dessert
SEVEN | Chewy Chocolate Gingerbread Cookies, Martha Stewart
EIGHT | Sprinkle Shots, unknown author
NINE | Super Duper Chocolate Kisses, Better Homes & Gardens

RICHARD MOSSE

I received a gallery show announcement for photographer Richard Mosse a couple weeks ago. Unfortunately I missed the exhibition, but yesterday I decided to look through his portfolio anyway. Needless to say I was floored! Aren't these stunningly beautiful? That color!


See more of his work here.




Also, without further ado, I am pleased to announce the winner of the Bites Dessert giveaway is . . . drumroll please . . . Karen F! Karen, I will have Shreena email you with all the details. Thank you all for entering! I am going to try to do more giveaways from here on out so keep checking back in. And Happy Valentine's Day!

GETTING SWEET & CRAFTY: VALENTINE'S DAY IDEAS

The way to make a holiday feel special (especially for the DIY-crazed folks like me), is to do just a little bit more than the everyday. It doesn't have to be a big thing, but hanging up a banner or making your own card or setting out new, pretty candle can turn a "Hallmark" holiday into something more personal and special and, well, fun! So, here is a little round up of ideas to set that amorous day, February 14th, apart from the rest. Hope you like it!


one | Yrsno Candles, Ikea, $2.99
two | Crinkled Wheel Set, BHLDN, on sale 12 for $16
three | Lace Hearts Tutorial, Michelle Made Me
four | Folded Cards Tutorial, Martha Stewart*
five | Raspberry Almond Financiers, Martha Stewart*
six | Foxy Valentine Favors How-To, PaperSource
seven | Romantic Paper Hearts Garland, thePathLessTraveled, $8.50
eight | Playing Card Valentines Tutorial, Martha Stewart*







Also, don't forget to enter the Bites Dessert giveaway here! It ends today at 5pm so get in while the getting's good! 




*Did I tell you I was on the Martha Stewart Show? Check out the link (in the "Headlines" section of the sidebar ➭) to watch a clip!

GIVEAWAY: MINI AND DELICIOUS!

     


Just in time for Valentine's Day, I am happy to announce a big (and tasty!) giveaway!* The lovely Shreena, owner and baker extraordinaire behind Bites Desserts, has offered to give one lucky reader one of her "Sweetheart Bouquets" (below) which have 12 red velvet cake pops with pink vanilla frosting. Aren't they adorable? I think they would be the perfect alternative to the traditional red roses and box of chocolates.







So how can you win?


For one entry:
Leave a comment below with your favorite way to celebrate Valentine's Day. Make sure you leave your email address so I can contact you!


To double your chances:
Tweet about the giveaway by mentioning @katiejosephson and #giveaway (and tell me you did in the comments).


To triple your chances (whoa!):
Like Bites Desserts on Facebook here (and tell me you did in the comments).


The giveaway will close next Tuesday at 5pm and the randomly-chosen winner will be announced on Wednesday!


And for all of you who can't wait that long, O.I. readers will get 10% off everything in the Bites Desserts shop by using the code VDAYBITES. Also, check out Shreena's blog here and facebook page here.




*As always, I only write about products, people and organizations that inspire me and fit in with the O.I. aesthetic. In doing this giveaway I have received no compensation whatsoever; I just wanted to feature the lovely Shreena and give you a (well-deserved) treat!