I made them

...those roasted parmesan parsnip fry things. They were pretty good. I think they needed more salt. And I'm thinking the sweetness of the parsnip was almost too sweet in contrast with the saltiness of the parmesan...but they were still really good. And the SMELL. Ahh.

nina smiles

Roasted Parmesan Parsnips

um, yeah. These are on my list of things to make. Recipe & image from The Sprouted Kitchen.

chai

I'm still looking for the perfect chai recipe. The last one I tried was from The Sprouted Kitchen, and it was pretty good (although I didn't like the nutmeg in it). I like how she tells you to smash the peppercorns, cardamom and cloves - that made it nice and spicey. But the big chai flavor just wasn't there. Maybe I need fresher tea or to brew it longer...anyone have a perfect chai recipe to share?

I got a couple good pics in the process, though!

my favorite Gina picture

This was taken about two hours after she was born.

peaches

before I made them into an unfortunate rum-poached "soup." So sad.

Dinner...

...was this. It was good, and so easy.

it started to get too dark to use natural light at this point, so these look pretty blah. But they were much prettier.

it's fall

When fall comes, I always feel like I need my house to smell Fall-ish. And eating muffins helps, too. Try these Pumpkin Muffins. Katie found this recipe and they are the best pumpkin muffins I've ever had.

Next post on homemade Chai. Coming in a few minutes...I have to taste it first.

{image via}

Fall Jolly Booth

 

 

 

 

the gift tags were hot items! it was probably because of the latte bowls.

Chile Lime Tequila Popcorn

I made this last night. Didn't get a picture of it, but oh was it good.

If you make it, I think it would be better not to shake it in a paper bag like she says to - the bag absorbs a lot of the butter. Just mix it in a big bowl with a spoon or your hand.

New Favs

Check out the list of "places i like" - I just added some of my new favorite blogs to the list. They're worth a daily visit!

dinner last night

Southwestern Spiced Chicken & Black Bean Stew

i love bacon.

not so into raw chicken, but the picture turned out pretty good.

onions, jalapenos, red bell pepper

i think cooking onions in bacon grease is one of my favorite things. I love the sizzle of the onions hitting the hot grease and how they caramelize while magically lifting the bacon remains from the bottom of the pot...Oh and it smells good.

This is just the first [but most exciting] part. Here's the recipe. Surprise, it's a Fine Cooking.

{p.s. I added jalapenos and garlic}

feeling like Julia Child...

on Julie & Julia when she chops that enormous mound of onions. Only my mound is much smaller and not nearly as impressive. Or tear-producing.

twitter, seriously?

I know, crazy.

I signed ThirdStPaperCo up for a twitter account. You should follow our tweets. They're going to be good. That's the plan, anyway.

And there is this button thing you'll see in the sidebar of my blog. Apparently you can tweet right from my blog without leaving the page. Cool, right? Seeing as all my readers are avid tweeters. Or tweetsters.

Come see us on Etsy!

Katie and I started an Etsy site! We're selling hand stamped greeting cards and gift tags.

Visit our site and "heart" us.

You can also "Like" us on Facebook.

Gotta love all this social media.

someday when I am rich

I will buy this coat.

Anniversary Dinner

MENU

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Baron Herzog Old Vine Zinfandel,’06, CA

Spinach & Blue Cheese Salad

with a honey-brown butter dressing

Baguette & Butter

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Skillet- Roasted Vermouth Chicken

brined and roasted chicken thighs in a thyme-infused vermouth sauce

Creamy Mashed Potatoes

Balsamic Roasted Asparagus

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Chocolate Layer Cake

served with fresh whipped cream

Fresh Roasted Stove-Top Espresso

backyard anniversary dinner