Storybook Woods

Birthday Gifts

Hello everyone, I hope you are enjoying your summer and it is not going by too fast. I know a lot of you are dealing with really hot weather, I am sorry :-(     Here in the NW it just feels like summer has started. My birthday was a week ago and I wanted to give a shout out to a few friends who have given me the most yummiest b-day gifts.

Thank you Angie for the tri-fold mirror. It is gorgeous and a real sacrifice on your part, to part with it. I love it and you xoxo

 

Thank you Linda for the beautiful swans, I can see them on my pink, shabby chic tea table. Also the cottage book and vintage place cards. Meeting you has been one of the silver linings to my blog xoxo

A big thank you my beautiful Auberne`for my tea-bag softies (You need to make some of these for your shop and NO I am not nagging you ;- ). You know I have been wanting one for a longest time. I LOVE her, her expression say "Pleas do not dunk me." You are the most clever, amazing girl. I adore you xoox

Lastly to my Chloe who gave me the best gift ever, no work for a whole weekend. She will do all my chores. WOW, now there is a gift I will use. What a giving, loving girl you are and you know your mama sooo well xoxox

 

Tasha Tudor day in a month

Just a reminder in a month, August 28, is Tasha Tudor day. Feel free to use this image or if you click on this link there is a small banner button. I am still mulling around in my mind how I want to celebrate. If you have any cool ideas, I would love to hear xoxo
 

Salami Dip & The Beach

We had soo much fun at the ocean, Pacific Beach to be exact. I love PB because it is tiny and quite. It is like one block to the beach and one block to the like four shops. Each morning I would get up early, walk to the (new, styling) coffee shop in my nightie (which was cute pink pants with tea pots and a grey hoodie and silver tennis-shoes) get a HOT mocha and go walk across the street onto the foggy beach. There was hardly anyone else around. We just spent our days hanging out on the beach. There is not much else to do but that is why I like it. Where else can you walk down the middle of the street in you nightie and feel perfectly normal !!!

The one thing I hate about PB is there is no grocery stores, just a mini-mart. So you have to bring in everything. We rented a little cabin with it's own kitchen, I cooked ahead and hit Grocery Outlet for cheap, organic junk-food. But the big hit I made is a salami dip/spread. I served it with raw veggies and cracker. But I spread it on romain lettuce leaves and it was deli-sh. You can make a bates, keep it in the fridge and scoop out a bit as you want it. By the way the fancy houses below is Seabrook (down the hwy.) I am already to go back !!!

Salami Dip

I block, 8oz. of cream cheese

1 cup of mayo

a generous 1/2 cup of finely chopped salami, do not use the pre-sliced salami, get one big piece.

1 garlic clove, chopped

salt and pepper to taste

one jar of marinated artichoke hearts, drained, you can also use 1/3 cup olives

In a food processer cream, cream cheese one minutes. Add mayo, salami, garlic, salt and pepper. Process another minute until it all comes together and the salami is chopped up a bit more. You probably will have to scrap the sides a few times. Add artichoke heats and push a few times to mix in artichokes, but keep them still a little chunky.

 

Gussied Up Canning Jars

A while back I saw these wonderful jars at Tracey McBride's blog, which is not surprising since she has a gift of taking simple, everyday items and making something special out of it. Amazing how a little tart mold can transform a jar. By the way the blue jar has a vintage jello mold on it. I think they go with my Coco Chanel inspired kitchen. Brilliant idea Tracey, bravo !!! xoxox

 

Gypsy Tent

The girls and I were so inspired by Child's Paper, Camp Gypsy Ragz we had to make our own. A perfect time to do it too, summer has finally come, it is like 95, yeah I can walk barefoot in my moss filled grass !!!!

Thank you for the prayers, kind thoughts and emails about Logan. He is doing better and better everyday. He is now in a private room in the hospital with his momma and daddy learning to breastfeed. He has not had a seizure in a while and is a very healthy looking baby. Logan is responding more and more to those around him. Hopefully next week he can come home !!!

Hey we are off to the ocean for a week. Even though we are surrounded by the sound and beaches, it is not the same as the ocean. We can not wait. Have a lovely week my dear readers. Next week I will be back with a cool, easy, cheap idea for canning jars. Ohh, remember to eat something yummy and think of me xoxox

 

Parmesan-Crusted Baked Shrimp

Okay, I think I have established on this blog, I am lazy !!!

Yes, I LOVE to cook but IF I can find a quicker but still amazing way to do it, I will take it. I have already posted about my baked garlic shrimp dish. This is my when-I-come-home-late-and-am-too-tired-to-cook-dish. Well this is an improvement on that dish. It has become my families favorite. We all love the crunchy, cheesy topping and I love how simple and fast it is. Actually Chloe is the one who makes it most of the time.

I buy shrimp in big bags, divvy it up and freeze. On crazy days in the mornings, I pull out a bag of frozen shrimp, put rice and broth in the rice cooker and toss together the dry portion of this dish. I come home turn on the oven and rice cooker, melt the butter and when the oven is hot finish off the shrimp dish. Then I have time to go into my garden pick some fresh lettuce and chive blooms. Make a quick vinaigrette by thinning down my homemade aioli (which is soo fast and easy because of my blenderstick. I keep a batch always on-hand). Now this is my kind of fast food !!!!!

 

Parmesan-Crusted Baked Shrimp

1pd. shrimp, shelled

1 1/2cups dried breadcrumbs, I like panko

3/4 cup grated parmesan cheese

1 tsp. salt, pepper and dried, granulated garlic

1/4 cup butter, 1/2 stick, melted

Pre-heat oven 350

Lay shrimp in a baking pan big enough to not rowed the ship on top of each other. In a bowl toss together crumbs, cheese, salt, pepper and garlic. When the oven is hot, toss crumbs in melted butter. If not all crumbs are coated, meat a bit more butter. Sprinkle buttered crumbs over shrimp and bake 25 minutes.

Akkkkk

Oh my gosh, I can tell it is summer (although not by the weather) because I am too busy. Girls have lots of activities, we go to the beach a lot, lots of work on our property and I have been hanging out at my friends farm working on Wren Bay. I am pushing to get this book DONE. I am sorry I do not have a post and I am soooooo behind coming by everyone's blog and saying hello (hopefully this weekend I can). But I promise to be back soon with a supper easy, yummy dish you can make for dinner. I hope you are having a fun summer xoxoxo