The Dream Dollhouse

My 2-story bubble gum pink Barbie house was pretty sweet, but it doesn't even come close to this! How fun! Can I have one in real size? Enjoy a Happy Memorial Day Weekend- get outside and catch some sunshine! ~ Jill
Brincadada.com

Test Kitchen vs. Your Kitchen

If you're not familiar with America's Test Kitchen/the makers of Cook's Illustrated, they're phenomenal. Cooking is a precise science to these guys and every variable within a recipe is challenged in order to create the "Perfect Chocolate Chip Cookie" or the "Best Way to Fry Chicken" etc... 
Then there is Food52, a blogging community of home-based cooks and bakers who challenge recipes for the love of the craft. Both methods over the years have provided outstanding recipes, whether it's tested to perfection first and then distributed (America's Test Kitchen) or it's an amateur cook distributing an okay recipe, and then the bloggers of the world test it, critique it and a great recipe is developed over time (Food52).

So why does all of this matter? Well... Slate has set up a competition between the two sites to see who has the best recipe for (1) a sugar cookie (2) a pork shoulder. Check out the recipes here and decide for yourself! 
Recipe critiques are due May 17th (tomorrow) so give one a try and tell the world what method you feel is best. Enjoy ~ Jill

Why Would You Ever Eat Inside?

Enticing outdoor dining environments easily find a place within the upper echelon of inspirations in my book. There's just something so romantic, alluring and peaceful about sharing a meal with great friends and family outdoors. Here are a few alfresco inspirations worth sharing. Enjoy! ~Jill

Who said it has to be pricey? Here is an IKEA chandelier that would be divine and check out the homemade version below! Love it!

Summertime Go-With-What's-Fresh Salad

I love fresh veggies and fruit in the spring and summer! This salad/chop & toss is the perfect recipe for picnics, outdoor bbq's, social gatherings and an excellent side to anything fresh off the grill. The best part: no measuring & you get to pick whatever you'd like to add or subtract! Here's what I used:

Black Bean & Corn Salsa
Adapted from Mom's Kitchen


2 cans of Black Beans (one seasoned, one plain)
3 ears of Fresh Corn
Fresh Cilantro
Green Onions
1 Green Bell Pepper
3 Tomatoes
Olive Oil (I used a garlic olive oil)
Garlic Salt or Sea Salt
Fresh Ground Pepper
3 Limes


1. Set oven to 375, husk and rinse corn. Wrap in foil and roast while chopping other ingredients.
2.  Rinse black beans.
3. Chop everything else. Put it all in a big bowl.
4. Drizzle olive oil, add salt & pepper - all to taste.
5. Squeeze lime like crazy - (the more the better in my opinion.)
6. Toss and make adjustments as desired. Chill.


Other options to add:
Mango, Jicama, Red Onion, Red Bell Pepper, what ever else if fresh and looks good...(if you go with the Mango/fruit option, I'd forgo the tomatoes). Want to save time? Add fresh pico-de-gallo instead of chopping tomatoes and onions.

To All You ColourLovers

Stumbled upon this blog/website this week and fell in love! It's called ColourLovers: A community of people sharing their color inspirations - amazing! Color palettes for your living room, top color trends for fashion, dynamic color combos for print/websites and more... Seafoam & Tomato, love it. Enjoy!

- Jill

http://www.colourlovers.com/

Kitchen Shower for the Bride!

My mom and her two friends threw a Kitchen-themed Bridal Shower for a great friend of mine. It seems like most girls I talk to get excited about one major thing in their registry...a Kitchen Aid mixer. Hilarious as this might be, a Kitchen Aid is the sign of an established kitchen! And its price point makes it quite the investment piece that isn't just "picked up" on a weekend trip to BB&B.


For this reason, the hostesses decided to use the Kitchen Aid mixer as their joint gift for the bride... I decided to use it as decoration ;) I was quite happy with the way my table and invitations turned out, so fun! (Items used: Cobalt blue Kitchen Aid mixer, Anthropologie apron, yellow tulips, ribbon, tulle, apothecary jars, lemons, limes & color-themed spatula set & measuring spoons set.
Enjoy~ Jill