kitchen dreams

I saw this kitchen on Pinterest this week and fell in love. Can someone come here to build this in my house for me please? Mmmkaythanks.

pinterest in the kitchen

I think I've mentioned before* that I love Pinterest for keeping track of my recipes. I love looking at pictures when I cook to see if my final dish looks anything remotely like the one in the photo (most times it does not).

I thought I'd share some of my latest food pins of recipes I've tried and/or want to try.

Portobello Mushroom Burgers Allrecipes.com: I made these last night and they were a nice alternative to a veggie burger and my hubby seemed to like them. I didn't have time to marinate them for as long as the recipe mentioned, so I think they would be a bit tastier if I had let them sit a bit longer.

Arugula and Lentil Salad with Goat Cheese - Martha Stewart Recipes: Everything about this looks scrumptious! I haven't tried it yet but it's definitely on the list to try soon. I like anything with tomatoes and goat cheese.

Pasta Salad with Goat Cheese and Arugula from Martha Stewart: Pasta with goat cheese? You've won me over. Again, haven't tried this but it looks too good to pass up.

Grilled Squash Ribbons from Whole Foods recipes: I thought this is one of the prettiest ways to grill summer veggies (to be honest, it kind of looks a little like cold cuts and bacon).

2 Ingredient Organic Dark Chocolate Trail Mix Energy Bites from Undressed Skeleton: This is likely one of those snacks you're supposed to eat one of as a serving but that I would eat 10 (or all of them in one sitting). These seem like the perfect mix of salty and sweet!

So that's the latest on my Pinterest food board.

What are you cooking these days?

---

*I realize that all of my photos are gone from the post mentioned, but I'm too lazy to look for them now. Anyone else annoyed at the new way (or lackthereof) to embed photos from Pinterest? I supposed it's a way to disuade people from using them illegally.

miss mila - nine months

Here she is at nine months. When did she grow up so fast?

and the winner is...

The winner of a sweet crochet animal from Crochet by Jessica is Carol!

Congrats Carol!

Be sure to visit Jessica's Facebook page for more sweet animals!

out of line

I'm not sure about you, but the tragedy that took place in Bangladesh really had an effect on me. I can't get my head wrapped around the idea that people around the world are putting their lives at risk, and dying, just so that we can get a t-shirt for $10 from [insert cheap retailer name here]. I have definitely had my head in the sand.

The whole blogger "Target style" of dressing has started to irk me for some time. I can count how many times on one hand I've walked into Walmart. But no matter where I go to shop, Made in ChinaBangladeshIndiaPakestanCambodia has been on the tags of stuff I've been buying for years. If you're mainstream shopping, it's hard not to avoid it.

I made a vow that I would try (this is not going to be easy people) to put more of an effort into thinking about the clothes I wear and the things I buy. I was thinking that I would only buy things made in Canada, but that's not really realistic or likely even possible at this point. For example, my mom just bought a blender that was made in China - are there really alternatives for that kind of stuff? 

I've decided to start really slowly. I thought Etsy might be a good place to look for clothes and I've also done a tiny bit of research into Canadian retailers that make and sell yoga gear, for example, in Canada.

But I don't think I'll limit it to Canada if it's handmade however. There are individuals all over the world hand-making and selling some pretty cool stuff. Why not support them too?

Today I found a fun shop on Etsy called Out of Line based out of Seattle. I love these clothes. They are obviously more expensive than buying a Tee from Joe Fresh, but I think it's worth it. These clothes are made to order, so there's no mass production line and the styles are unique and fun.

Cute right?

I'm not sure how long this will last, but I feel like I need to at least try. If anything, I'll hopefully develop a good list of small retailers to refer to over time.

What do you think? Do you think I'm insane to even bother?

---

ps- today is the last day to enter to win a sweet crochet animal! Don't miss out!

five years

Five years ago, the hubster and I were in Italy. Ahhh Italy. We were eating loads of cheese, cured meats, pasta, cheese, bread, pasta and how could I forget the wine?! Five years ago today we got married in the sweetest little town of Poppi.

Five years ago. Say wha?

The past five years have been amazing. Here's to another amazing five+++ years!

All photos taken by Jennifer Kirk Photography

---

---

ps- don't forget to enter the draw for a chance to win a sweet crochet animal. Contest closes tomorrow!

super sweet crochet animals + giveaway!

That's my sister Kaite on the left and Jess on the right - don't they look like stinkers?

When I was growing up, the little girl next door, Jess, was my little sister's best friend. They did everything together: caused trouble, sold lemonade, drove me crazy - you know, regular little sister & little sister's friend stuff.

Well Jess is all grown up now and she's got her hands into a new adventure - crocheting cute little animals. She's been crocheting up a zoo for the last few months to open her own shop Crochet by Jessica.

Aren't they sweet?

To celebrate the opening of her new shop, Jess would like to give away one of her zoo animals to a lucky reader. Visit her Facebook page and come back here to let me know which one you would like.

I'll pick the winner next Thursday, May 9.

Happy Thursday!