Time for an installment of Weekend Things:
1. I saw my cookbook, Peanut Butter Comfort, on the shelf at Barnes & Noble for the first time a couple days ago and it was an amazing feeling, albeit quite surreal.
2. According to Bon Appetit, a great way to get to know a destination is to rent (or swap) a house that has a killer kitchen and let the markets be your guide to adventure.
Invite your friends on the vacation to share costs to keep it more affordable than staying in hotels. Cooking with friends, staying in a great house, and exploring the local sights and sounds of your destination doesn’t sound too shabby.
3. The Secret Lives of Yogurt Containers – Ways to use them after their intended use has been eaten
4. I always have so many empty yogurt containers because I bake with Greek yogurt or sour cream in almost every quickbread or muffins that I make.
One of my favorite recipes using Greek yogurt is Six-Banana Banana Bread. Between 6 bananas, yes six, baked into one loaf, and Greek yogurt (or sour cream), it’s ridiculously moist, soft, fluffy, and tender bread.
5. Mayonnaise is one of those foods that seems to carry strong opinions from people; either loving it or loathing it. I like mayo, but I love Miracle Whip. I grew up with it, and I love the Tangy Zip of Miracle Whip.
Cook’s Illustrated recently did a taste comparison of storebought mayos.
Interesting that Hellmann’s Light came in ahead of higher priced, organic, Spectrum brand.
6. You could use mayo in place of the sour cream in Corn and Double Cheese Dip. It comes together in under 5 minutes, and can be kept vegan or light, by using whatever variety of cheese, sour cream, or mayo fits your needs.
7. This is what I want my pantry to look like. I keep my sugars in canisters, but my flours I keep in bags. I want to change everything over and use canisters but the reason I haven’t is they take up more space than jimmying a bag into my already tight pantry.
But this just looks so much more appealing than my hodgepodge.
8. Confused about what differences between a latte, cappuccino, mocha, and macchiato? Read this to channel your inner barista.
My favorite coffee drink lately is this Creamy Boozy Iced Coffee
9. However, I’ve been trying to drink less coffee overall. Days can go by without drinking any. Some days are harder than others because I love hot beverages and the act of sipping and nursing a mug of something warm is so comforting, but in the summer it’s easier to go without.
The Liberator tea from Java Tea Company, a local San-Diego area business, helps me get over my coffee hump. There’s some caffeine in it, but not as much as coffee, so I can enjoy the taste in the late afternoons when I crave coffee the most.
It’s a dark chocolate mocha loose leaf tea and there’s little chunks of raw cacao that are mixed in with the tea leaves.
I brew the tea in this Teavana PerfecTea Tea Maker and when hot water is poured over the little chocolate chunks, they dissolve and flavor the tea. Who could say no to chocolate tea.
10. Mother-of-Pearl Boxes, Small Box $34 at West Elm. I think that’s a great price for something so pretty and appears to be solidly made, with a wood interior. I love Mother of Pearl and could stare into that shiny, pearly abyss forever.
Thanks for the entries in the 25 Fast and Easy Recipes In a Snap and Cookbook Giveaway
What are your Weekend Things?
Mayo fan? Would you or have you taken a vacation with friends? Tea or coffee – any favorite kinds? Favorite was to use yogurt? Storing dry goods – any tips?
If you’ve made anything, done, seen, or bought anything fabulous recently, feel free to link it up in the comments.
Love this post! you are so inspiring Averie :)
I’m trying to kick my coffee habit and am on day 3. I think tea has been an okay subsitution for me so far when it comes to having the hot beverage in the morning.
It must have been so amazing to have seen your book at B&N. You’re a rockstar, Averie! And I’m so glad to call you my friend – not because you’re famous and all but because you’re awesome :)
Need to try that banana bread!
SOOOO excited to see your book in the store!! Woo hoo!!
Congrats on your book Averie! I can’t wait to see it here in Canada, on the shelves of Chapters. I also loved you even more when you said you’re a Miracle Whip fan…it’s hard to find those who love it ;) I grew up on it too so it’s all I know, plus mayonaise just doesn’t have the same zip! Have a great week! :)
It just doesn’t have the zip, so true!
I drink much less hot tea and coffee in the summer, however have become obsessed with Costa Coffee (UK coffee chain) iced vanilla lattes. Very dangerous!
I’m SO happy for you! Truly! Congratulations on all your successes!
Ugh. I measure my flour from a small glass canister – it goes Everywhere when it’s leveled off. Maybe keeping it in the bag is a better idea – but I have a deep seeded fear of paper cuts. (I really, really, want a huge flour canister!) :D
I’m a mayo girl through and through – it’s nice to see Hellmann’s near the top!
Also, how cool to see your own book on a bookstore shelf!! Only one copy left, I see. :) xo
I need to switch everything over to the same size glass stackable containers. Right now I have such a hodgepodge – it’s a big mess!
I soooooo badly need to put my flour in canisters! I have one for all purpose, but the top is small-ish and it’s not quite functional enough. All others are in bags ang I tear them and it makes me nuts!!!
Yaaaay for your book! I can’t even imagine! Super weird. Super awesome. I think I’d grab a mocha and stare in confused awe for awhile.
Lol I was in confused awe. So what do I do…instagram it. lol
My flour set up sounds like yours! My one can was too small so I went back to just keeping it in a bag. My sugars are in different sized plastics and they dont match, therefore don’t stack. A total hodgepodge!
First off, congratulations on seeing your cook book at Barnes and Noble. I would have pulled it out and put it on top of the main cookbook table that they always have near the cookbooks.
I am a lover of mayo, but I like the classic mayo Hellman’s, which is strangely called Best mayo out here on the west coast.
I love the idea of renting a vacation home with a killer kitchen. I love taking a vacation, but I also hate eating out every night or eating junk. There is nothing I enjoy more than cooking in a fabulous new kitchen and checking out the local farmers markets or grocery stores. Whenever we go on vacation to visit family, I always hit the local Whole Foods or grocery store to stock up on my favorite things, just so I’m not having to eat what my mother or mother-in-law stocks up on. I need to have my kale, tofu and the works! ;) xoxo, Jackie
so I’m not having to eat what my mother or mother-in-law stocks up on <--- lol and I think most people can relate :)
I always love these posts :D It is SO cool that you were able to see your cookbook on the shelf at B&N! Cuhraaazy!
And I want my pantry to look like the KAF one too, alas I shall have to wait to have more space than my tiny nyc kitchen affords me :P
My urban condo kitchen is tiny, too, Kayle! Beyond cramped! I can relate!
I love that you were able to see your book in the store. I bet that was such a very cool moment.
Congrats on your book Averie. I enjoyed reading your post, I learned about the home exchange and I admired your six banana banana bread (which goes straight on my must-cook list).
Thanks so much and LMK if you try that bread!
Gosh — congratulations on seeing your book in stores. I don’t think that could ever get old. Definitely surreal and completely amazing!
Also, I happen to like mayo.. in moderation. I mean, I guess that made it sound like I go around scooping it out of the jar onto a spoon, but when used in dips and things like egg salad, I love it. Your cheesy corn dip looks SO good.
Thanks, Hayley! And I saw your instagram love too, thank you :) And yes that dip is addictively good – and it’s a stir-together in 5 mins recipe!
SO cool about the cookbook, Averie! What a great and rewarding feeling that must be!
I love these posts of yours. I just subscribed, literally this morning, to Americas Test Kitchen blog. I also just stole a bunch of old yogurt containers and butter tubs from my parents for using in my greenhouse this spring. They are great for starting seeds too.
Hate mayo. HATE. Love tea. LOVE. Love chocolate tea even more.
I store all my flours in glass jars. I find they are so much easier to find and see and much less messy that way. I have several large old glass pickle jars that I use and they are just labeled with a Sharpie, nothing fancy but it gets the job done. I like that they are clear too, so I can just look quickly when I’m on my way to the grocery store and pick up whatever I need to refill. Super easy!
I get the ATK feed and while some days I just hit delete all, there are some gems in there! Some days they send out like 4-5 posts and then other days, none.
You would loooooooove that choc tea. It’s as close as a tea can get to dessert just on it’s own, without adding whip cream and chocolate shavings, etc like you’d see on dessert-coffee drinks.
Glass jars for flour and dry ingredients. I need to get some. I was going to get square. I have my sugars in random sized plastic and it’s so…random. I want everything the same! I have tons of old Veganise big 32 oz glass jars that I store so much in. But they’re an odd shape and not great for dry good and they don’t stack.