Peas to Please

Slather pretty much anything on a warm, toasty piece of bread and I'm sold, but this sweet pea crostini is something special. It's perfect for a party or for afternoon snacking, paired with a glass of blood orange soda in my case. The addition of mint to the pea puree really makes the flavor pop, and you can top off each crostini with prosciutto or parmesan. It's light and fresh, but full of flavor. Given the color, you may just want to celebrate St. Patrick's Day with some.

[recipe courtesy of: Giada De Laurentiis]

Get Your Green On

On paper, I should be really into St. Patrick's Day. I'm from Savannah, which becomes St. Patrick's Day central every March, fountains dyed green and all. My middle name is Aerin, which is worth like a million Gaelic bonus points. And I really love wearing green, that vibrant, can't ignore ya kinda green. I won't actually wear it on St. Patrick's Day though. It just won't be appreciated.

[spotted here: bag; jeans; dress; flats]

Homemade Thin Mints

It's Girl Scout cookie season and I've been craving thin mints, but this year, I decided to make my own. As my husband so kindly stated, "Would you rather just buy a box of cookies for $5 or spend $20 dollars and eight hours making them?" While that's not entirely accurate, he has a point, but if you enjoy time in the kitchen, these are actually pretty fun to make and just as tasty as the ones from the girls in green. I followed this recipe, which is a slight variation on Heidi Swanson's version. The dough comes together quickly, it's the rolling and cookie-cutting and dipping in chocolate that takes a while. I threw in a few heart-shaped cookies, which is a perk of making your own.

I suggest keeping them in the freezer, which is how I prefer thin mints anyway, and they'll turn out "really good," a ringing endorsement from a skeptical husband. Crunchy, pepperminty and subtly sweet, the possibility of having thin mints available year-round could be a dangerous thing.

Planted

I'm seeing if my thumbs have gotten any greener since the last time I brought a plant home. I'm still traumatized by the fact I turned this sweet little plant into a rotting heap. We'll see how it goes with succulents. Right now, I'm erring on the side of not watering rather than over-watering. Anybody have tips on growing succulents? Do they enjoy words of affirmation? Because I do think they're the cutest.

Weekend in Photos

I spent a lot of time at home this weekend, aside from a Saturday walk around Brooklyn and dinner out for Indian food and yummy masala chai. I did some baking, which you'll see more of later this week, some spring cleaning, which involved eating half a grapefruit and cleaning the bathtub with the other half, and I wished my mom a happy birthday over multiple phone calls. An altogether lovely weekend, except for this springing forward business.

Happy Birthday, Momma!

Yesterday was my granddad's birthday and today is my mom's. Happy Birthday to my always chic, sweet, smiley momma, the loveliest person I know. Here she is with this giant baby that later became me. Enjoy a piece of cake for her today. She would want you to!

Cooking Up Caramel Popcorn

My granddad is celebrating his 94th birthday tomorrow. Isn't that amazing? When I was a kid, I would go to my grandparents' house after school and during the summers. Every so often, Grandad would make popcorn, his favorite, and we'd all reap the benefits. He'd make it the old-fashioned way, shuffling and banging a pot full of kernels around on the stovetop. Then, he'd divide it up, perfectly salted, into bowls, and we'd enjoy it along with a Coke. It's one of my favorite childhood memories. So this year, I thought I'd make him some popcorn.

This is the same caramel popcorn I made for the Oscars this year, and I was amazed at how addictive it was. I almost ate it for breakfast one morning. It's a great gift to ship to someone once you find the perfect little popcorn bucket. Just be careful while you're packing it up, rogue fingers might try to steal handfuls and ruin photos. But Grandad wouldn't mind.

Caramel Popcorn
Adapted from AllRecipes.com

1 cup butter
2 cups brown sugar
1/2 cup corn syrup
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
12 cups popped popcorn (about 3/4 cup unpopped kernels)

Pop popcorn and spread out in two shallow baking dishes. Preheat oven to 250 degrees F. In a medium saucepan over medium heat, melt butter. Stir in brown sugar, corn syrup and salt. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Boil without stirring 4 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in soda and vanilla. Pour all the caramel in a thin stream over the popcorn, stirring gently to coat. If the popcorn doesn't get completely coated with caramel, don't worry, you have more opportunities. Bake in preheated oven, removing from oven every 15 minutes to stir gently, for 45 minutes. Remove from oven and spread out popcorn over parchment paper. Let cool completely. Break up any clusters of popcorn if necessary. Store in an airtight container. I think it should last about a week, but it's never stuck around that long at my house.