Fresh&Vintage

A Seasonal Lemon Squeeze

I'm a chocolate girl, through and through
like in a serious way.
Even when I was a kid, I'd often forgo
 sweet fruity flavored candies or desserts when given any
rich brown chocolate variety as a choice.
I'd even eat the special darks that were
often left lingering in the bottom of the bag of Hershey's miniatures.
You know the ones...to kids they're typically like the  canned plums
or spinach on the school cafeteria trays at lunch time.
Not to me though--if there's dark chocolate involved, I'm in!

For some reason however each Spring right when new buds & blossoms
start sprouting out on the tree branches,
 I get an undeniable hankering--not for chocolate but for
Lemon Squares!

It's like my taste buds are longing for sweltering summer heat
and the kind of thirst that only a lemon can quench.
And so this weekend, I did some fine-tuning on my recipe
and wanted to pass it along to you.
I took these juicy bars to our ward talent show on Friday
and got a kick out of my friend's request to take the remainder
off of my hands. I happily complied being that I had
another 9x13 sitting at home ;)

The whole chocolate--lemon thing got me thinking about
  cravings and moods and seasons.
I know I'm a "mood eater" not so much in that I eat more or less food overall
depending on my moods or power surges
(a euphemism my friend gave me for HORMONAL FITS)
but more that when I'm feeling mood changes (hormonal or otherwise) I definitely feel drawn to certain types of foods--CHOCOLATE  usually rates every time. Give my PMS a chocolate meltdown made with 60% cocoa and the slightest bit of Blue Bunny Homemade Vanilla ice cream and I'm typically good to go.

I'm noticing seasonal cravings setting up shop on me over the past few years as well. Like a sort of Pavlovian pup, spring blossoms make me drool for the zesty smell of lemon and fall leaves make me giddy over anything pumpkin. If you're anything like me and craving some lemony goodness right now, these citrus squares are easy to make yet heavy on the wow factor to the taste buds of those you share them with. Hope you enjoy!

 

Off the topic of food but still lemony in theme,
anyone ever heard of a Lemon Squeeze?
As in the kind when you sit in a circle
with your family and tell every member
something you do NOT like about them or the way they are behaving?!
I dated a guy in college whose family did this every season
and I was only at their family Lemon Squeeze one time.
I have to say I HATED it.
Probably why I never married the guy ;)
For years, I thought I was just a big wimp that couldn't handle
how tough this guy's family was.
But now after several years I realize that
my spirit is just the kind of person that
relishes more in giving the ones I love
sweet squeezes rather than the sour variety.

So, my lemon squeeze to you sweet readers is a finely tuned recipe for you to share with others and my gratitude for your friendship and inspiration in every aspect of my life.

Lemon Squeezes (the good kind)
~eva

Fiesta ¡Ay Chihauhau!

So...after 15 years of marriage I decided it was high-time I throw my sweet husband a birthday bash to remember! After taking nearly a whole month pretty much to myself (which included getting my hair done, organizing my garage, cleaning out my fabric/ fun pretty stuff supply closets, and redecorating my living room) I was feeling in the mood for a bright and cheerful fiesta. Rob's birthday is on the 26th but we celebrated this past weekend and it was such a great time.

I decorated with terracotta pots, colorful peppers, sombreros, sarapes,  festive strings of chili pepper lights, and these super fun crepe paper flowers that I made. Inexpensive & easy to make, these flowers
really brightened up the abode.
The house looked like Betty Suarez came by to help me get ready to party
(anyone else besides me an Ugly Betty fan???? I love that show)

The Food:
 Green Chili Shredded Beef
Cilantro Jalapeno Shredded Chicken
 Corn Tortillas (steamed, fried, and every kind in between)
Chile Relleno Casserole
Refried Beans
Mexican Rice
HOLY Guacamole
Pico de gallo
Lettuce, cheese, sour cream, chopped cilantro, and LIMES,  LIMES, LIMES to top it all off!

Can I tell you what makes your fingers burn???? Chopping about 20 jalapeños, 12 cloves of garlic, 4 large onions, and 6 lbs of roma tomatoes. ¡Muy caliente! But...tooooooooooootally worth it.

The fun:
Eating like reyes (espanol for kings)
Playing guitar and singing songs like La Burrita & La Cucaracha
Chloe breaking a Mexican Confetti Egg over Rob's head for good luck
Sugar rimmed glasses with Strawberry Margaritas (the virgin type)
Uno Attack and Catchphrase
Good Friends!

The dessert:
Lemon Cake with lemon curd whipped cream filling and lemon cream cheese icing.

Rob's request for lemon cake went perfectly with the fiesta theme--
Good choice honey--I hope you had a fabulous party day and that your birthday this year is a great one!

If you're planning to have a Cinco de Mayo party this year, Id' be happy to share food recipes and decorating ideas with you. Like I said, the crepe paper flowers were a cinch to make and your guests will love building their own authentic tacos while listening to the
Mexican hat dance and the Macarena.

Gracias a todos por haber venido a nuestra fiesta.
Adios Amigos
~eva

Ps. Don't you just love how perfectly Fiestaware works for the theme? I LOVE my dishes.

going BANANAS...or not

wanna join me?
 

Actually, I'm feeling pretty organized today.
Definitely not always the case...not even mostly the case if I'm being honest
but today has been calm.
Wondering if I'm not going bananas because of my determination to give myself a break for a month. In the recent weeks (well, pretty much since Halloween) I've been running full speed ahead
and doing a lot to help people around me. 

A true blessing of course--
to serve others
because charity never faileth!
But every once in awhile, we have to pull on the reins of wisdom and reel ourselves in just a titch.
And...so I have.
Been spending a little more time on me & my house since Saturday and it feels nice
 (even got my hair done-woohoo!)

 Decided to go on an extra-service hiatus for a month starting Saturday (5 days ago). I’ve just been doing and doing and doing and giving and giving so much to friends and church assignments lately that I was starting to feel a little worn down and tired from all of it. I decided to give myself a whole month to say NO to anything extra I get asked to do.

Needing some time to refill the bucket as they say.
Not wanting to be selfish...just
need to be sure I don't go BANANAS!
I'm 5 days in and I feel really good.
My kitchen sink is even shiny.

So...the only thing going bananas at the moment is this fabulous pie

(I MADE FOR A FRIEND, of course)
Don't fret, I made the pie months ago. It was a birthday gift redeemed. I like to give the guy friends in my life "coupons" for a favorite pie or cake or other yummy dessert since they all seem to
want expensive gadgets which I simply can't afford.
But FOOD I can somehow work into the deal.
And they all seem to comply with a smile.
 My friend Ryan went for Banana Cream Pie and it was delish!
I did a shortbread crust.
One pie with dark chocolate and one with white--yum!
Now, this is my idea of going bananas!

Ironically enough, with all of the chatter about what people are giving up for Lent, I had to laugh when I told my friend today I was starting a month’s hiatus of extra service.
She said why not make it a full 40 days and give up charity for Lent.
 Too funny!
 Certainly not what God or church leaders would have in mind for what to sacrifice, I know
but her quick witted humor made me smile.
And 2 thank you notes came from friends in the mail today.
My bucket is starting to re-fill.
Bananas-free zone today and loving it!

How about you? Needing to take a break? I'm here for you if you do!
xoxo
~eva

Ps. If you want the recipe for this pie, just leave me a comment and I'll email it and some more instructional photos on over to you!

Excuse my French...but

s'amuser comme un fou folle

 Madame Chilla (my high school French teacher) would piquer une crise (freak out) at my incorrect conjugation and messy French vocabulary here but I think the italicized phrase loosely translates into
HAVING THE TIME OF ONE'S LIFE!

That's just exactly what Chloe did this weekend and her imaginative spirit and fun personality made Friday's Daddy/Daughter Dance  into a lifetime memory for the whole family.



Chloe decided a few weeks ago that she wanted to be a "little French girl" for the dance so we went on a hunt to find the perfect ensemble. Fate was on my side when she spotted this darling navy and white striped boat neck top at Kohl's. Lucky for me, there were little culottes to match. The only things we still needed were accessories and the one thing Chloe wanted more than anything was a little red French beret. She even pulled out one of her Strawberry Shortcake books to show me the exact kind of hat she wanted
(I knew what she was talking about but I guess showing me the visual made her feel better).
The most important part to her:
that the beret have the little sticky-up thing in the middle mom!





We hit the mall Thursday afternoon and after going to every store imaginable, we came up empty-handed. No red beret in sight.  We settled for a cute little Madeline-esque hat from The Children's Place and Chloe  tried her best to get visions of the beret out of her head. With sponge rollers in her hair before bed and staring at the Eiffel Tower charm necklace we found at Claire's she seemed okay with no beret.



Friday morning, I headed out for some grocery shopping for the ensuing French dinner and decided to drop into a local party store to see if I could find a French flag or a little Eiffel Tower to adorn the cafe table with. The kind-hearted store clerk took me to the little spot of French themed goodies, handed me a flag and as I turned to walk away she said, "oh and we have little berets down there too." I looked down at the bottom of the shelf and in a little box not easily visible, sure enough sat 3 little red berets. I was so excited I could barely stand it. I hadn't even thought of asking for a hat in a decoration store. So glad the lady mentioned them to me or I would have walked out with one French flag in hand and rien d'autre (nothing else).




You should have seen (and heard) Chloe when she walked into the house after school on Friday. I'd hung the beret from the banister right by the front door. Brad spotted the hat first and he was so excited for his sister he said, "Chloe look what Mom found!" Then the screaming and jumping began and a smile never left her face for the rest of the evening. Well....except for when we posed for a few silly pictures involving the French serveur ^ continually trying to sneak kisses from the unsuspecting rosière.



 

Sean and Brad were so great at making the night really special. I just asked them if they'd help serve dinner and they totally went all out on their own getting dressed up and making themselves into some pretty impressive les garçons.  Sean helped me burn a cd from some French ditties I downloaded from iTunes. Edith Piaf and Maurice Chevalier serenaded Rob and Chloe during dinner and made our little cafe feel like it was located on the Avenue des Champs-Élysées.
 The boys hammed it up by using accents and speaking as many French phrases as we could muster up.  Being the linguist that he is, Rob congratulated the boys on their proper pronunciation and laughed when they'd purposely stub their toe and yelp out  Zut Alors!

I tried to keep the menu of French delights  to ones that I knew Chloe would enjoy. Since I was certain she wouldn't go for duck liver paté or most any of the French cheeses, I went for the simple fares you can get at nearly any cafe in Paris. The crème brûlée was her favorite. It was my first time making it and I have to say...almost as good
as the version I had in Paris 8 years ago...almost!

 Look at Brad flaring his nostrils  ^ and raising his eyebrow while stealing a kiss from the restaurant patron. The whole night was such a great time as a family. Chloe and Rob enjoyed their special time together. The boys were a riot. The music made me nostalgic. The food was yummy. And most of all, I am so grateful to have a husband who understands the importance of being around and making the absolute most of important things like the daddy/daughter dance.  I love my little family and I loved spending a night en Paris en Ohio with them this weekend.

All reports from the actual dance were that it was a red beret-tipping, heel-tapping good time. The boys and I grabbed the latest Indy movie from Redbox and settled into comfy blankets for a movie night with the treats of their choice (Salt & Vinegar Potato Chips for Brad and Cheddar Sour Cream for Sean) Weirdos! I would have chosen chocolate
but les garçons were in charge ;)

Thanks for stopping by.
Au revoir
~eva