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!
Awesome post! Need to find out more about probiotics. Do they keep you from getting the flu/colds? I love the perfume, the vases and the sprinkles. Great finds and congrats on the cookbook.
yes they help balance the entire body from GI system to immune system and do help prevent sickness and colds, flus, and imbalances of all kinds! they’ve changed my life since being very into them starting about 6-7 yrs ago
I have so many things to say but I am too distracted by those tipsy potatoes. I love them already : ) I have put a few of my patients on the hunt for these Oreos. I almost went to Target on my way home but I was way too tired! Tomorrow it is…I’m thinking Candy Corn Oreo Fudge, but I have other recipes in mind too!
that fudge sounds great! WOW!
I love those vases! So cute. Well, and obviously I love anything Trader Joe’s related–congrats again. Have a great weekend!
Thanks, Sarah, means so much coming from you – a two-time author! Can’t wait to see your 2nd book! Enjoy the weekend with your sweet family :)
Oh Averie you find the best stuff—I love the natural sprinkles! And congratulations on being in the new cookbook, that’s awesome.
I had my hands on the sprinkles in the W-S store this week, but put them back. Maybe I should go back for them…ha! :)
Congratulations on the book! That’s a great honor. I am dying to try the Candy Corn Oreos and already thinking of things to make with them!
Still not pleased with the case of RHOMIA. You?? I can’t believe they recylced so many characters that were blah from season 1. Also, too many woman to follow!
Congrats on the cookbook! :)
I watched half of it from my DVR last night and have the other half to watch tonight…so far, meh, whatever. And yes SO many women to follow! I really do love the OC ladies the most and Bev Hills. Maybe b/c I’m in SoCal, too? I dunno. I do like NYC but am very meh on NJ. There is TOO much drama and it’s not even fun to watch all that yelling all the time!
I need those Oreos!! I haven’t seen them at Target yet. And you may think I’m crazy but I never tried those birthday cake Oreos when they were out! I’ve tried the mint ones in chocolate cookies before and in my Mint chocolate chip frozen pie as the crust! :)
Congrats on the TJ cookbook! I forgot that you’d be contributing to it! Love the looks of that frittata! I love West Elm. Those vases are gorgeous! Natural sprinkles!! I love it. I don’t think I could afford those so I’ll stick to the artificial stuff! :) My Friday things… a night baking cupcakes, watching Big Bang Theory and vegging out!!! My favorite way to spend the weekends. I’m a nerd!
The bday oreos were nothing special, IMO. They were really similar to regular oreos but with a *slight* bday cake flavor/bdday cake frosting appeal. Basically, if you buy clear vanilla/imitation vanilla (which I learned from C. Tosi, clear vanilla is what makes bakery-style bday cakes have that nostalgic classica americana flavor – it’s the synthetic chemicals) but if you add clear vanilla to something, that’s pretty much what the Bday oreos were like. There’s your food ramblings of the day :)
It’s so awesome that your recipes are in the book! CONGRATS! I definitely need to get a copy of that – Trader Joe’s is my mecca :)
Thanks my friend! It’s my mecca too – was just there earlier today!
Hi Averie, I am sooooo happy for you for being printed!!! yey! Let ma do a happy dance…. …. … OK, now, still happy for you, my favorite shopping site, that saves me money? None, but I have a favorite stores where I definitely can spend all my money, and more: Williams Sonoma, Sur la Table, other kitchen stores. Good thing we live in a small town now and have nothing as such nearby, and we decided with my husband to use only cash, no cards. That helps too, as to part with real money is much harder than just swipe the card, and makes you really think how much you need it. It was hard in the beginning but now I am used to it. Although I still do online shopping with cards. :)
Those vases are absolutely stunning, colors and patterns…
WS sprinkles are beautiful. I drove about a week ago one hour to another town to get it, and they didn’t have it… Had to use what I found on the cake I made for the bridal shower…
Have a lovely weekend! :)
I try to use GREEN money as much as possible, too. You are so right in that forking over $100 is alot harder than swiping for $100. I use my cards only for online purchases (but try to use money from my Paypal acct if I can) or for big ticket things like airline tickets and other than that, like to the groc store, mall, etc, I bring cash!
We had to use our card last week for a very big ticket: brakes on husband’s car got broken, we had to replace some expensive part, like $1,400 expensive. Was a little shocking, because his car has only 25,000 miles on it. Oh, well, those things happen, and for those things we keep our cards active.
Averie, I baked something, come see it. I think I am making baby steps in the baking department… :)
I am so going to try out that cook book. It looks simple enough for even me to follow along. As for those oreo’s…there is another Target special that I get but still has that candy corn taste. Its Dots candy corn. So yummy!
The vases are extremely cute!!
And congrats on TJ’s book feature — I want them to have a store in Orlando. Oh. So. Badly!!!
Congrats on the cookbook, and I saw you on The Kitchn today! :) Love the natural sprinkles and those vases!
thanks for the heads up (I hadn’t even seen it myself!) :)
Funny, I was totally going to stop off at B&BW today after work! Maybe they’ll have spritzer samples of that Sweet in Paris, mm. And I’m loving and baking with those candy corn Oreos this weekend–can’t wait! Have a fantastic Friday!
Ooooh, LMK if you smell it or what you end up purchasing! I love new scents!
What a fun book to contribute to! The recipe I just posted is actually *almost* all TJ’s. I wonder if they’ll ever carry ww pastry flour ?
Loving those West elm vases!!
Happy Friday Averie :0)
Doubtful b/c they try to carry things that they know will have universal appeal and although bakers and chefs may love it, I don’t know if it will have the universal appeal that A.P. flour has…but you never know! They started carrying coconut oil! Peanut flour though ended up being phased out and so have some of their other specialty flours… :(
I sincerely want to shop at Trader Joe’s I just don’t understand why it’s so small and why they have no place to put your food when you check out. I need a Trader Joe’s 101 class.
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All of them are small…I guess in an effort to keep their rent/overhead low so the prices stay low!