strawberry treats

valentine’s day is tomorrow, and we thought we’d share two more ideas to brighten your sweethearts day…

the first is a simple strawberry puree. simply place fresh, clean strawberries inside your food processor and puree until nearly smooth. use to garnish or dollop on a variety of different foods or drinks. we chose a glass of lemonade, that with a spoonful of the strawberry puree seemed so much more special, and tasted wonderful too!

the second idea is equally simple and completely delicious! chocolate covered strawberries are the perfect gift for a friend, or loved one! we decided to use white chocolate for our strawberries. first, melt one package of chocolate chips into a small saucepan on medium to low heat. continually stir the melted chocolate while adding a small amount of milk to slightly thin the mixture. finally, dip your clean, dry strawberries into the chocolate, roll in sprinkles or any other topping you wish, and place on a dish for drying. package, and deliver!
here’s to a wonderful valentine’s day, filled with an abundance of love. xo -jina

weekend brunch

At the beginning of the new year, one of my more simple resolutions was to try to start

entertaining more often for my family and friends.

Yes, we would all love to be the person who puts on fabulous dinner parties, but who can handle all the stress and prep time of putting everything together? It’s definitely an intimidating task…preparations for drinks, appetizers, main course, and desserts…yikes!

One thing I’ve learned along the way is the casualness and simplicity of breakfast.

The first meal of the day seems to take a lot of pressure away that exists with preparing and serving dinner.

So for a small get together with friends, I decided that I was going to try a new recipe using something I’ve always wanted to try to make myself…puff pastry. I love how beautiful, elegant, and customizable it is to any occasion. I especially love how truly easy it is to make.

{Puff Pastry Breakfast Bites}

Ingredients:

1 package of Puff Pastry Shells (6 shells in 1 package)

7 large eggs

10 pieces of large cooked but frozen shrimp

4 strips of bacon

half a tub of vegetable cream cheese.

Procedure:

1. Follow the package instructions on preparing the puff pastry shells. The package calls for about 20 minutes of cooking time but it will need to be broken down into 2 sets since you’ll need to pull out the shells at 10 minutes for stuffing. After filling the shells, you will need to put the stuffed shells in the oven for the remaining 7-10 minutes it needs to cook thoroughly

2. To make the filling, scramble all the ingredients, eggs, chopped shrimp and bacon, and cream cheese all together in a pan. Make sure that the eggs are scrambled easy since it’ll be cooked for an additional 7-10 minutes in the oven. Lastly, make sure that the cream cheese is soft enough that it is mixed evenly throughout the mixture.

3.) After 10 minutes of cooking in the oven, take out the shells so that you can stuff them with the prepared filling. Take a fork to take off the top cover of the pasty shell. Stuff the shells as much as possible and even have some overflowing. Put the cover back on the top of the filling and place them back into the oven for another 7-10 minutes until the shells are golden brown.

To compliment the beautiful breakfast pastry, how about some homemade jam and store bought biscuits.

Homemade jam sounds more complicated than it really is. Here’s a simple recipe that requires only 4 ingredients.

{Homemade Blackberry Jam}

Ingredients:

2 carton of blackberries

half carton of raspberries

a squeeze of lemon juice (using only a fourth of a lemon)

about 3 tablespoons of sugar…you can add more or less to taste

Procedure:

In a medium pot on a medium to low heat, add the berries into the pot and mash them all together with the lemon juice and sugar. Keep mashing and stirring until you get the consistency you desire. Turn off the heat and keep it in the pot. As it cool, the jam should thicken, not by too much. It will look more like a spread than a super thick jam

For the biscuits, I just used a store bought mix and baked them in the oven…easy as that!

In a fairly short amount of time, you’re able to make a lovely brunch that your friends and family will not only love eating, but will appreciate for the thoughtfulness and goodness that accompanies the delicious food.

Here’s to a beautiful weekend with your loved ones and to taking a bit of time to make an everyday meal a special occasion.

snow globes

it’s that time of year for gathering with friends and family, gift giving and holiday cheer!

here’s our take on an anthropologie inspired winter snow globe.

these would make a lovely gift as well as a great excuse to spend the afternoon catching up with a friend, while getting creative.

also, if you feel like an easy and delicious cold day lunch, do as we did and enjoy a bowl of

Nordstrom’s Tomato Basil Soup and a gourmet grilled cheese sandwich!  

Recipe provided below…

Ingredients

• 6 tablespoons olive oil
• 4 large carrots, peeled and diced
• 1 large onion, sliced
• 1 tablespoon dried basil, crushed
• 3 28-ounce cans whole peeled Roma tomatoes
• 1 quart chicken broth
• 1 pint heavy cream
• Salt and pepper to taste

Procedures

1. In a large, heavy saucepan, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add carrots and onion and cook until beginning to soften, 10 minutes, then add basil and cook until vegetables are completely soft, about 5 minutes more.
2. Add tomatoes and broth, bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer 20-30 minutes, or up to 45 minutes if time permits.
3. After allowing soup to cool somewhat, purée in a blender or food processor until smooth, doing so in batches if necessary. For a much silkier texture, strain the purée before returning to the pot.
4. Stir in cream little by little over over low heat, until desired texture is reached and soup is just heated through. Season to taste with salt and pepper, and serve warm.