Cooking with Pinterest

I finally put my pinterest to use again last night and used two of the recipes that I've pinned and tried before.  So maybe it doesn't count, but I still store the recipes on pinterest and go back to reference them when necessary.

First, my new favorite.  

I adapted this Melted Fontina recipe from Barefoot Contessa to suit my needs.  Obviously, I don't need a serving for 4-6, so instead, I diced enough fontina into small cubes to fill a small ramekin, then drizzled olive oil, and sprinkled salt and pepper over the top.  I set it under the broiler until it was bubbly and just starting to brown.  Then I popped it in the microwave to keep warm while I toasted the French baguette. You could easily halve or double this recipe depending on the number of guests, and it'll definitely be a crowd pleaser.  :)

Verdict: YUM!!!

While the fontina was melting, I had pasta boiling on the stove and this skinny marinara simmering.  I can't say enough good things about this marinara--it's delicious--and when I'm done eating I feel pleasantly full rather than overstuffed (which is how I usually end meals that involve anything Italian).

Yours in calories,

M.

Lotus Flower Cuff

 These aren't great pictures, but I used this tutorial from creativeyarn to make a bracelet a few nights ago. :)

Recycled Tshirt Scarf

I got a lot done today!  Went grocery shopping, ran to the post office to mail my graduate applications (eek!), took down my Christmas tree, and decluttered my apartment a little bit.

Plus, I made this scarf using three old tshirts and the braided scarf tutorial from Put Up Your Dukes that I found on pinterest!

love it!

I'm Back!!!

And finished with all of my coursework for the semester.  Now I can happily focus on grading final exams, applying to graduate programs, and finishing True Blood and The Big Bang Theory.  My "fun" to do list for Christmas break is what powered me through the last three pages of a seminar paper.  

On the list:

hanging out here...

and here...

doing this...

and maybe some of this...

Thank goodness for Christmas break!!!  

Crepes with Pear, Ricotta, and Honey

Latest recipe.  I actually made these a while back, but blogger has been obstinate about loading my pictures lately.  

I found this recipe from Smitten Kitchen and had to try it.  I couldn't find any sugar plums, so I followed her advice and tried pears.  And I did indeed double the honey and butter.  Delicious.  Making crepes reminded me of the good old days in second grade when my French teacher would make crepes in the classroom and let us watch Muzzy videos.  :)

Ignore the brown spots.  They were still delicious.

Yummm...

Not perfect yet...

Ice cream completes every dish.

Let's get out of this town...

I desperately needed a day away from everything, so over Fall Break I headed out of town with a good friend for some shopping and sight-seeing.  We headed north to Mentone, AL to check out the changing of the leaves and to stay in a historic inn for a night.  On the way we had to detour off the interstate, so we stopped at Noccalula Falls and walked down the gorge trail.  I haven't been there since I was a kid.  Every year my family has a big family reunion around the time of my great-grandmother's birthday, so I have some great memories of that place.

We stayed in the Mentone Springs Hotel and had the most incredible experience.  We booked the Mountain Laurel room.  It came with a cozy fireplace and was very comfortable and relaxing.  After we checked in, the proprietor showed us around the hotel and gave us a little background on the town (the building down the street was apparently once the town brothel).

That night we walked over to the Wildflower Cafe and had an amazing gourmet meal.  Then we walked back and played checkers in the incredibly picturesque parlor.

In the morning we got up and the proprietor made us a homemade, southern-style breakfast, complete with grits and sweet potato biscuits.  After we ate, we went into the White Elephant Antiques shop next door, and after browsing in there for a while we drove to Fort Payne for some more shopping.  We came across some papers from the late 1800s and early 1900s in a gun shop, and we found some antique mason jars in an antique shop.

We even got to tour around the most amazing old building that used to be a sock factory.  

It was the most relaxing vacation I've had in a long time. :)

In need of a Jane Austen fix...

I want to curl up on the couch and re-read Persuasion today.