And the Weekend Starts Now


Go ahead, it's okay. Start your weekend a little early. Get up and dance! Happy Holiday Weekend! 
 vevo video via YouTube
xo, jen
p.s. this song is so fun! love it!

How to Boil an Egg!

I know that it may sound silly, but not everyone can boil eggs. Last fall I took a basic cooking class and one of the things we made were boiled eggs. After the class I was excited because I thought I learned the secret to perfectly boiled eggs and shared this with my husband. He totally disagreed with what I was taught and continued to boil his eggs for 15 minutes. That's right 15 long minutes. Well, a couple of weeks ago I decided to boil the eggs the way I was taught without telling my husband. First he was impressed with how easy they were to peel and then he loved how great the eggs tasted. no greenish yellow overcooked yolks, just soft and bright orange yellow. He is now a convert and boils eggs perfectly. Here's what we do:
  1. Bring a pot of water to a boil
  2. Place eggs in one by one
  3. Set a timer for 7 minutes
  4. Turn off the heat, remove eggs from the pot, and place in an ice bath
  5. Allow eggs to cool completely, peel, and enjoy



Easy peasy. Give it a try. How do you boil your eggs?
xo, jen
note: once you boil eggs you should probably consume them within a couple of hours. if not, they can be refrigerated for about a week.

Yay, It's Friday!

Hooray it's Friday! Do you have plans yet? If you're in the South Bay Beach Cities area, here's a few happenings going on over this weekend. Whatever you do, I hope you have a great weekend.

Redondo Beach
Torrance
Wilson Park Farmer's Market-this market is one of my faves!
Hermosa Beach

xo, jen 

Oops...Made You Cute!

A while ago I picked up 4 chairs at my local Goodwill store. Plain, inexpensive, and perfect for our outdoor gatherings. The plan was to paint them, but I just never got around to it. So a couple of months ago, while at Home Depot, I came across some fabulous colors of "Oops" paint. Oops paint are containers of paint that were a "mess up" color or maybe someone changed their mind about wanting the paint. Home Depot then sells those containers of paint at a reduced price. The "oops" colors that I liked were the small "try me" containers and were only .50¢ a pop. score. Needless to say I bought all of them and FINALLY got around to painting those chairs.
  • First they were wiped down, lightly sanded, and wiped clean again.
  • Then I painted them with a flat paint brush giving them two coats. Since the paint was flat, the drying time between coats was quick. Although I used a flat paint brush, a foam roller brush probably would've been a better choice.
  •  That's it! I didn't put any type of clear varnish on top, but since the paint is flat I will before the chairs are used again.
They're so cute! Our guests loved them and so do I. Have you painted anything lately?




xo, jen

Made :: Panna Cotta

Happy Friday everybody! Here's a light, slightly tangy, sweet, but not too sweet Italian treat for you to try this weekend or in the future.

Vanilla Bean Panna Cotta
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1 1/4c  heavy cream
7tbsp   sugar
1/2 vanilla bean (seeds will be scraped)
1 1/2tsp gelatin
1 3/4 c  buttermilk
Mix 1 1/2tsp of gelatin and 1tbsp of cold water. set aside and allow gelatin form. Heat sugar, heavy cream, and the scraped vanilla bean seeds (along with the bean pod)  in a saucepan. medium heat and long enough so that the sugar dissolves in the cream. pour the hot mixture into the bowl with the gelatin. next pour in the buttermilk and mix. strain the mixture into another bowl. Divide the custard into small ramekins or jars. refrigerate for at least 4 hours. Enjoy with a topping. * i thought i would enjoy this even more with a fruit compote, but actually i enjoyed it more plain.
This was my first time making and tasting panna cotta and I'm in love with it. It's so simple and has a light decadence to it. The possible variations to this dessert are endless.
Have a great weekend!
xo, jen 
  

Currently Reading

Have you been to your local library lately? I may be a little biased, but libraries...well, there's not much better than a library. Typically, I'm all about checking out non-fiction material. This year though, I decided I needed to add some adult fiction to my life. I haven't read as much as I planned for myself, but I am still reading it. Currently on my nightstand are these two library gems (one fiction & one non-fiction.) What are you currently reading?

xo, jen

Check It :: Apartment Therapy's Style Cure

Feeling like you're ready to make some changes with your home decor, but don't know how to start or maybe it's a little overwhelming to think about? Well, Apartment Therapy is hosting a Style Cure. Over the course of a month (August), you will be given small tasks, encouragement, and inspiration each day. What's cool about this is that you really get a chance to develop your style in a step by step process. Taking a little bit each day makes it fun and exciting. You also get to be part of a community that shares and learns from each other. I signed up today since we've been looking to make some changes in our home, but are little unsure as to what room we want to tackle first and the style direction we want to take the room. Check the site out and if it sounds good to you, sign up!

xo, jen 

Made :: Creme Fraiche Ice Cream

Words cannot describe how simple and yummy the Creme Fraiche Ice Cream turned out! First though, who knew how easy it would be to make homemade Creme Fraiche? Only two ingredients needed, mix them together, and let it set overnight. That's really it! amazing.




The ice cream was equally simple. I've never made ice cream with egg yolks before so it was a new experience. The results: creamy and delicious. The recipe I used to make the ice cream is from the blog Lottie + Doof. The only difference is that I added a dash of vanilla and used baking sugar rather than regular. baking sugar has finer granules. We enjoyed the ice cream with a fig and balsamic vinegar compote. yum.

xo, jen