Fall Lust List

Even though its been pretty chilly and gray in Seattle, I'm not yet ready to admit its time to break out the wool cardigans and tweed skirts (it's still August for goodness sakes!)

Luckily, all the lovely fall shoes and handbags that have come out recently look just as nice paired with bare legs, short skirts, and sleeveless tops as they will with fall clothing - so, in my mind, there's no harm in coming up with a fall handbag/accessory lust list (below - click the pic for details).

Fall Shoe/Handbag Wishlist by calinas3Bs featuring tory burch shoes

Blueberry Mania!

I LOVE having a friend who is just as crafty and obsessive, or even more so, than I am.

Yes, my buddy and Fellow blogger Leigh convinced me it's way cooler if you can say you actually harvested the fruit in your jam.  So - on Saturday we headed up to Arlington with her hubby and kids (otherwise known as Leigh's free laborers) and spent a couple hours picking blueberries.

Our Haul (6 lbs for me 7lbs for Leigh): 












What those berries have become:

Blueberry Tart

(note: I used low fat cream cheese, for the topping I used: 2 c blueberries, 1/2 c sugar, 

1 1/2 tbl cornstarch,1/4 tsp lemon peel, 1/4 tsp cinnamon, 1/4 tsp nutmeg, 

1/2 c water, 1 tbl lemon juice, bring dry ingredients to a boil and add berries/lemon juice)

Blueberry Jam

(9c crushed berries and 6c sugar.  Bring up to a slow boil

and cook to the gelling point.  Made 10 1/2 pint jars)

Gap Give and Get

I must admit that I've been pretty disappointed with Banana Republic's wonky sizing lately (I thought I had it down to a science, but yesterday the delivery man brought me a box full of blouses that were WAY to big) - but it definitely hasn't stopped me from perusing the BR/Gap/and Old Navy websites for the items I want to snag as soon as its Gap Give and Get time.

Starting tomorrow, you can get 30% off your online or in store order (using the coupon I linked to above), and Gap will donate 5% of what you spend to one of a handful of charities.  The deal runs through August 29, 2010.

If you're overwhelmed by the savings and need a place to start, check out my BR recommendations below:

Silk lace-front shell

Contrast Trim Cardi in Pink Scarf

Classic Trench

P.S.  If your a fan of DSW, they're currently having a killer deal - up to $45.00 off (a purchase of $149), plus 20% off, plus free shipping.  Check out the details on See Chloe Shop

(Kinda) Red Velvet Cupcakes & Crewcuts

Ed's grandson, Manny's, b-day was on Friday - so we had 4 outta' 5 grand kids over this past weekend for a little Pacific Science Center and cupcake decorating fun.

I rolled out of bed around 9AM on Sunday, and whipped up a batch of Red Velvet Cupcakes (pictured above, the recipe is pretty wonderful but they turned out more terracotta than red since I ran outta' red food coloring).  I frosted half and put the rest out with the remaining frosting, various sprinkles, and toppings.

Manny decorating his cupcakes

Manny modeling the Crewcuts outfit we got him for his b-day

Hockenheim motor club jersey tee, washed gingham flannel shirt,

straight fit jeans in wrinkle rinse wash, kids plaque belt,

(in background) full-zip fleece hoodie

Creamy Spinach-Mushroom Enchiladas & Jam-Filled Butter Cookies

I've never really been a stress eater, thank-god, but when I got home last night I felt an undeniable urge to crack open a package of cream cheese and indulge in 1 ounce of the stuff (yes, I measured it out).  Afterwards...I felt a sense of relief and inner peace.

I'm a little bit disturbed.

Anyhoo - since I already had the cream cheese open, I decided to try my hand at making the delicious Creamy Spinach-Mushroom Enchilada dish pictured above.  Although it sounds quite decadent, its yet another Cooking Light recipe, and is chock full of "good for you" stuff.

I snuck a little kale in it, since it was languishing in the fridge, and decided to broil it in a casserole dish instead of a skillet.  It turned out super flavorful and drool worthy.

I also whipped up a batch of Jam-Filled Butter Cookies, to satisfy my after dinner sweet tooth and current obsession with jam.  Yes - I did use the delicious strawberry jam I canned last year...and it was wonderful.

More Food: Grilled Peppers and Lentil Salad & Ladopsomo Bread

Yes - yes - I realize my blog posts of late have been dominated by food (I "heart" food), and I swear I'll rectify that situation sometime next week.

But, for now, I have yet another food post (yipee!).  This time: Grilled Peppers and Lentil Salad

I didn't have any tomatoes, nor did I have "fennel pollen" (whatever that is), but that didn't stop me.

And - I think the salad turned out perfectly well minus the tomatoes and with a dash of fennel salt.

If you want an easy to pack lunch salad with tons of fiber and protein (but no meat), this is the recipe for you.

P.S.  I just realized I also took a pic of the Ladopsomo Bread (light, fluffy, Greek fry-bread) I ate the salad with.  Ed made it for the Greek Salad Sandwiches we had the night before.  

If you know Ed - you also already realize making the bread was somewhat complicated and took forever (4+ hrs...we didn't eat dinner until 9:30PM).  You also probably know it was utterly delicious.  If you make it with whole wheat flour, as he did, you won't feel as guilty indulging...

Summer Canning Fun

2 flats of fresh picked organic berries for $20.00

(I "heart" the Sunday farmer's market at Pike's Place)

Yesterday was a scorcher in Seattle (90+ degrees) - a perfect day to walk to the market and lug 3lbs of peppers and 2 flats of berries home, and then stand at the stove for 3hrs canning (yay boiling steamy water!).

Or not...but I did it anyway.  I like to take action as soon as inspiration hits, otherwise I forget all about it.

9c crushed berries (blueberry/blackberry) + 6c of sugar

bring to a boil and cook to the gelling point.  Ladle into jars and process

15 minutes in a boiling water canner.

Habanero, Banana, & Jalapeno Peppers

(Pickle in 6c vinegar, 3 garlic cloves, and 2c water.  Bring to a boil, then ladle

over peppers packed into jars.  Process 10 min in a boiling water canner)

Finished product (every jar sealed!  Sorry the pic is so dark, the shades

were drawn and the air conditioning was cranking)