Time for this week’s Thursday Things on Friday. I’m running a day late because 35 National Peanut Day Recipes yesterday trumped Thursday Things. Peanut butter trumps just about anything for me.
1. A few months ago I mentioned that I contributed four recipes to this cookbook and it’s being released tomorrow. Considering I love Trader Joe’s, it was a perfect fit for me. The book has over 80 recipes and meal ideas for easy and on-the-go snacks, lunches, and meals.
See Kelly Lester’s site for a 34-page sample of the book, including recipes and the beautiful photos that were taken by my awesome friend, Marla Meridith
Here’s one of the recipes I contributed
Holy Fritatta! Spinach and Red Pepper Frittata
Here’s where you can buy the book
2. Sweet on Paris – This is a sweet fragrance, yes. However, unlike some scents where the sweetness is sacchariney-sweet and increasingly irritating over time, this is the opposite and it has really grown on me. It smells like a blueberry cupcake with a hint of lemon, which cuts the sweetness. I mean, who wouldn’t want to be covered in the scent of blueberry cupcakes with a lemon glaze?
However, I’ve been told it’s only available until the end of the month so if you want to smell like a blueberry cupcake, you need to buy it now. I’m stocking up.
3. I mentioned when I made Blueberry Muffins with Raspberry Jam Swirls that the scent of them baking was intoxicating and I wish I could bottle it. Bath & Body Works did the bottling for me.
4. A couple readers have told me about these Candy Corn-Flavored Oreos being sold exclusively at Target. Specialty versions of Oreos are so fun to bake with.
The Limited Birthday Edition Oreos in Oreo Cookie-Stuffed Brownies with Vanilla Buttercream Frosting but feel free to just use regular Oreos
and Mint Oreos (available year round) in Triple Layer Fudgy Mint Oreo Brownies
5. Top Chef Masters steals my heart on Wednesday night and I’m bummed the season is ending soon because I’ve really enjoyed watching the professional chefs embark on the challenges and like seeing what they create. I won’t spill the beans in case you’re watching the series and you’re not caught up on all the episodes, but I’m disappointed that a couple chefs in the past few episodes went home because I was rooting for them.
The next season though of Top Chef takes place on a cruise ship, which should be interesting.
As a consolation, the Real Housewives of Miami new season just started last night, but I wish it was the Beverly Hills or the O.C. Housewives because they’re my favorites. I found the last season of Miami Housewives just so-so. But, they have some new cast members on this season so we’ll see. I have it on my DVR but haven’t watched it yet.
6. Hive Vases, $24 to $34 at West Elm
7. Sweet Potato Tipsy, recipe from the 1960 Cookbook, How America Eats
I think combining sweet potatoes, butter, cream, brown sugar, sherry, and getting tipsy in the process is the sign of a fantastic dish. I don’t know if this is How America Eats today, but I’d sure like to get back to this butter-cream-tipsy style of cooking.
8. This Sweet Potato Red Pepper and Coconut Milk Soup won’t get you tipsy, but it’s vegan, gluten-free, and ready in 15 minutes from start to finish.
9. I just got my iHerb.com order. It’s the cheapest place for these probiotics, this nutritional yeast, and my beloved vanilla stevia drops
Enter code AVE630 to save $5 on your order and all orders over $40 ship free.
Their prices are already about 30 to 40% below retail and after you spend more than $50 they start discounting your order an additional 5% off and at about $70 they take off 7% and it goes up incrementally. They have specials and the discount percentages fluctuate a bit so don’t quote me exactly, but iHerb has saved me so much money over the years.
10. Williams-Sonoma Natural Sprinkles, $9.95 each
“Their vibrant hues are derived only from edible plants, such as beets, spinach, red cabbage and others. (They do not retain flavors from the natural colorants). Use them in combination with royal icing, creamy frosting or a sugar glaze to adorn cookies and other baked goods.”
What are your Thursday (or Friday) Things?
If you’ve made anything, done, seen, or bought anything fabulous recently, feel free to link it up in the comments.
Do you have any favorite cookbooks, scents, or online shopping sites that save you money? How ’bout those Tipsy Sweet Potatoes?
Enjoy your weekend!
Congrats Averie! Looks like a fabulous cookbook. TJ’s…the best! There is a new one going up not far from where I work. I can see lunch hours spent taking slow looks down every aisle, instead of rush-rush like I usually do. Those sprinkles are so cool, much fun to be had. My favorite thing lately is Nag Champa scented oil. For some reason, perfume gives me splitting headaches, but I can wear scented oils. A friend and I went into a crafty antique mall, there was a booth full of incense and oils-super fun. Have a nice weekend!
I love nag champa! I used to burn it during my yoga classes when I used to teach and at home during my yoga practice or just to make the house smell nice!
Those vases are sooooooooo cuuuuutteeeeeee.
I SOOO want that Trader Joe’s book! And congratulations! We are getting a new TJ’s only 14 mins away from our house, so I have TJ’s on the brain.
you’re going to LOVE having a TJs!
I LOVE those vases… those colors and the texture are just awesome! What a great find.
I never got to try the birthday cake oreos… sad.
Can’t wait to check out the cookbook with your recipes… giveaway idea maybe? Haha
Those peanut butter recipes yesterday had me drooling… so hard to choose which one to make.
Have a great weekend Averie!
It’s so amazing that you got to contribute to the TJ’s cookbook!! I want it!! And I LOVE those West Elm vases too. I just love that place (and I’ve had my eye on those Anthro bowls you have pictured and was so excited to see that you have them!).
This week I made a single-serve coconut party cupcake that is vegan and gluten-free because I was feeling selfish :) https://www.treatswithatwist.com/2012/09/coconut-party-cupcake-for-one-gluten.html
And I really want the new “Baked” cookbook! I love those guys and their photos are always so beautiful (which is always a high selling point for me in cookbooks).
I have my eye on the Baked cookbook too! Those guys DO know what’s up and have great photos! And yes, I love both Anthro & West Elm too (not good$$ to love them..haha!)
Love those vases. I’m waiting for my most recent iherb order to arrive. I’m out of my nunaturals vanilla stevia! Not cool LOL
I was out too! I let my stash run down…whoops!
Hi Averie!! I can’t wait to get my hands on this book :) Thanks for sharing. Hope you have a great weekend. I love these favorites :)
Your photography from the online pics if just stunning and all the images have that “Marla vibe”…just looking at them, I feel like you are standing in the room with my, creatively! Signature-Marla images! Just so stunning & beautiful. You should be SO PROUD of yourself!!
I love the idea of sprinkles made from all-natural things. Yum. Now I want something with sprinkles!
I have the limited edition Candy Corn Oreos on my list of things to purchase this weekend! Can’t wait to give them a try. And thanks for sharing the iHerb link and your special code. I’ve been looking for a great site to buy some obscure cooking ingredients and supplements, so this is very helpful! Now excuse me while I go stock up on these items and use your code to save a little :)
Oh they have great buys on things like 1 and 2 pound bags of organic cinnamon that when you price it out for like a 4 oz jar is about 80% cheaper than what you’d pay for a jar of the same size at WFs. Stuff like that, cooking ingredients & supplements, super cheap! Happy shopping!
congrats on being in the cookbook averie, what a fun project for you!
Congratulations on the book contributions! I love to wander around Trader Joe’s when I am traveling (sadly, we don’t have one here yet which is weird because Ft. Wayne is the 2nd largest city in Indiana). I was given 3 dozen fresh eggs yesterday so I am making a giant frittata this weekend (and spinach and red pepper are 2 of my favorite add ins).
3 dozen fresh eggs – what a treat! I bet that fritatta is going to taste amazing with them & I can’t believe no TJs for you…maybe one day!
wooohooo congrats Avery! i hope you celebrated with some champagne? hehe.
And now i am excited about top chef sailing away.
LOL, no…more like an ice water but I like your idea better!
Congrats on the book! I love those easy, dump and heat type of recipes as you know.
i’ve had several friends email me or text me or facebook message me about those candy corn oreos, because of my obsession with them. Sadly, no Target around here. I did watch a hysterical video of a woman taste-testing the oreos though and she hated them! Honestly, I’m not sure how I feel about them. I’m not a fan of the cc m&ms, or the cc popcorn I tried last year. Scratch that….the popcorn was good.
uuuummmm….now I want to make popcorn and mix in peanuts and candy corn. Is 5:45 too early for that? ;)
No Target for you!? I had no idea…okay, you ARE living in a small town!
I love those natural sprinkles–just my kind of thing.
I saw those candycorn oreos–what will they think of next?
& congrats on your recipe/cookbook collaboration. That’s a lot of fun to see your work in print.
I know, they are always coming up with the next new thing, arent they!
Congrats n the cookbook submissions! Looks like a fun cookbook….and I love trader joes! The “tipsy” dish cracked me up. That awesome, and does sound delicious! Happy Friday!
I want to make that dish, actually! ha!
Congrats on your recipes in the cookbook! That’s cool. :D
Love the sweet potato soup and those sprinkles! I wonder how much of the flavors are retained? I have natural food colorings that I haven’t tried yet. So expensive, I didn’t want to waste them! haha
I didn’t buy any b/c I had no idea about the flavor retention….LMK how they work out!