It's almost my birthday month!

July marks my birthday month and although I have to wait pretty much the entire month for my birthday to actually roll around, I love July for more than just my birthday.  July, in my eyes is the best month of summer.  It's beautiful weather, barbecues, the 4th of July, pools, the beach, and my boyfriend.  It's amaaazing.  Next week Tim and I are kicking off the first week of July with my family in Buffalo.  We'll be attending a bridal shower for my Uncle's fiance as well as a rodeo...random, I know.  I'm just so excited to kick off my favorite month with the people I love most.

How are you guys planning to spend the month of July?  I'm looking for some birthday ideas as well as great day trips for Tim and I!  Comment, comment, comment....or email :)

In honor of my favorite month and of course, my birthday I created a July wishlist!

1.  A Pandora charm bracelet
2.  Erin Condren Life Planner
3.  J.Crew necklace
4.  New cookbook
5.  New bag

What are you wishing for?

What I'm watching

I'm about the head back to work so for the past month that I have had off to do next to nothing I have picked up a few favorite t.v. shows.  I think by now you all know that I have a deep love of food and so I typically gravitate towards cooking related shows.  If you are looking for something great to watch on t.v I highllyyyy suggest these!

1.  The Chew

It's no secret that Tim and I love this show.  We've been twice and while I totally love it for all the awesome food and stuff I really love it because I love the people on the show.  To break it down, Michael Symon and Mario Batali are my favorite Iron Chef's, Daphne Oz is phenomenal (go buy her book Relish), Carla Hall was me and my mom's favorite Top Chef and I have been watching Clinton Kelly on What Not to Wear since I was a kid.  It airs at 1 p.m. on ABC.

2.  Master Chef

Gordon Ramsey scares the crap out of me but I also love him at the same time.  Master Chef is a cooking competition for untrained chef's which I think is so fascinating to watch because they all have such a natural talent (well some of them, not all).  I would love to go on this show at some point so he could scream in my face but Tim tells me that I'd cry a lot...which is true.   

3.  The Great American Baking Competition

This show is brand new but I still think it's great.  After the first episode the woman who cooks with bacon is for sure my favorite because she's basically precious.  These bakers are also untrained which is totally after my own heart since I've never had training.  Essentially they give them different challenges to see how well they do on more crafty recipe's without much prior knowledge.

4.  Hell's Kitchen

So this is Gordon Ramsey's other cooking show that is on right now and these people are trained but also always seem a little bit like idiots.  I love it nonetheless because I really like Gordon Ramsey, especially when he's yelling.

5.  Eat St.

If I'm obsessed with any show in particular it's this one.  It's about the food truck frenzy that is taking over our nation and I just loooveeee to see some of the creative trucks out here.  Makes me want to hit up the city and go eat at my favorite trucks!  Never underestimate a food truck guys...the secrets they hold...oh man.

6.  Unique Sweets

Last but not least this show is all about desert but unique ones at that!  I love to watch it because it gives me such great ideas.  I think sometimes people are afraid to be bold with their cooking or are afraid to try new things because they could fail.  Sometimes it's fun to just cook what you feel would taste amazing.  Cook from the heart like these restaurateurs do!

Holy crap they are all about food.  Thought for sure I'd have one in there about singing or something!

What are you watching these days?

In other news, I'm sick

I feel like I have been missing in action this week and I sincerely apologize for disappearing for a bit but guys...I.am.so.freaking.sick.  Tim was sick earlier last week and he really didn't seem that bad (I know some women say that men are wimps when they are sick, but Tim is a champ.  I never can tell when he's feeling particularly awful.)  Anyway, I was convinced that I would beat whatever Tim had and then, just as I feared, last Sunday I started feeling sick.  We were out at the hitting range on a little date and I started to get a sore throat.  Well...it's Thursday now and I have no voice, an awful cough, a stuffy nose, body aches..the works! I feel awwwfffffullllllll.  Maggie came over last nice since I'm home house sitting and as a nursing major/best friend she did her best to keep my spirits high.

In other news, I experimented this morning with a new pancake recipe and it was yummy but still missing something.  I added vanilla this time around to give it a little kick but they still feel like they need more!  Do you guys have any suggestions for great pancake recipe's?!

In other other news, I want to take cooking classes for my birthday this year and have been trying to do some research online to find the best place.  Have any of you taken a class in the city and recommend a good place?

So sorry that this was such a random post, but I didn't want to leave you guys hanging while I try and beat this cold!

Guest post: Chickpea Flatbread!

Hey, friends! Claire here. I'm so honored to appear on Hair Bows and Smiles; Ashley and I used to share time at the world's greatest radio station, and it's pretty cool to now be sharing blog posts.

In continuing the sharing trend, this chickpea flatbread would be a perfect contribution to any summer BBQ or potluck dinner with family/friends. With a texture that balances the chewiness of traditional flatbread and the thickness of cornbread, it tastes fantastic dipped in sauces or smothered in gravy (I particularly loved it with a generous drizzle of barbecue sauce). Plus, the use of chickpea flour provides a huge punch of fiber and protein without any saturated fats or added sugars; no need to feel guilty going back for seconds!

The recipe is super simple, and I can't wait to start adapting it--maybe with a few herbs thrown in, or thinned out to use as sandwich bread, or perhaps with a swirl of chocolate or cinnamon? The possibilities are endless.

Chickpea Flatbread
Barely adapted from In Pursuit of More
Makes one 8" or 9" pan

1 tbsp olive oil (for oiling the pan)
3 tbsp olive oil (for the batter)
2 1/2 c chickpea flour
3 1/2 c water
1 tsp salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and oil your 8" or 9" pan (square or round will work) with the first tbsp of olive oil.

Place chickpea flour in a large bowl, then gradually stir in water, whisking constantly to prevent lumps. Add the salt, additional olive oil and whisk until smooth.

Pour batter into prepared pan and bake until golden, about 40 minutes. Remove bread from oven and allow it to cool for a few minutes before slicing. Serve immediately, or refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container (a napkin or paper towel placed directly on top of the slices will absorb any excess moisture, preventing sogginess).

Reading, Living and Loving Relish

I'm pretty certain after reading Daphne Oz's new book, Relish, that her and I should be best friends.  I bought the book simply because I love Daphne Oz and anticipated it to be just a cookbook but friends, it's so much more.

Relish is a book to live by.

From cover to cover, Relish contains practical tips to eating well, loving well, and living well.  From healthy recipes for all three meals to beautiful cocktails and deserts, Daphne Oz gives you a taste of her world.  You can tell how much love when into writing this book and boy do I love it back.

As women, I feel like we often need a few good words to live by and now it seems we have a book.  Every woman should own Relish and not just because it's filled with phenomenal recipe's that are also good for you but because it's filled with advice from hosting a dinner party to navigating a food store.  There's no shortage of incredible, wholesome advice in Relish and as a girl in her young twenties, I needed that!  It's not often you pick up a book and think, "Gee!  This woman read my mind!"  I like to think that in the near future I will need to crack this book open to recall what Daphne said about applying bronzer or when I need to host a dinner party.  Guys, I'm glad I own this book and if you don't already have it, go get it...

To be it simply, Relish is beautifully written.  There's nothing complex about her writing, which, I think is the best part.  To open Relish is to read a conversation with an old friend, it's that good. 


*This is not a sponsored post, I just needed to share this all with you!

Perfect spring frittata!

I mentioned a couple of weeks ago that Tim and I cooked  brunch for my family the Saturday before Easter. I put up a few of the recipe's from brunch but totally forgot to put up this amazing ham, broccoli and cheese frittata!

Ingredients:

• 8 large eggs
• One package of steamed broccoli
• 1/2 pound of deli ham
• 1 cup of sharp cheddar cheese
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 2 teaspoons olive oil

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees
• Heat oil in at least a 10 inch skillet over medium-high heat
• Add broccoli and ham to the the skillet
• In a large bowl, whisk eggs, cheese, salt and pepper together and pour into skillet.  Make sure that everything is covered.  You want to cook this until edges are slightly set (about 1-2 minutes).
• Transfer to the oven and bake until center is set, check at 20 minutes.  Do not put your skillet into the oven if it has a plastic handle.  I transferred mine, after the edges were set, to a quiche dish which ended up working perfectly!

Enjoy!

A little trip to Hoboken

Last Friday, Tim and I headed to Hoboken with my brother, his girlfriend, my parents and some family friends to watch Ryan's future baseball team play at Steven's University.  Afterwards we got wind of a really awesome pizza place where the slices are basically the size of your head...I'm not even joking.

Anyway, the place is called Benny Tudino's and it's obviously owned by Benny Tudino who is a nice, old Italian man that I somehow ended up meeting at the end of the night.  It was one of those places I feel like you see in Goodfellas.  Full of Italian's itching to grab a seat with Benny at the front booth.  That man must stay there all night.

At first, I wasn't feeling pizza because I'm weird and only sometimes lactose intolerant.  So at first Tim and I ordered eggplant parm sandwiches which just weren't good.  I'm not saying they were bad, I'm just saying it wasn't for me.  It was very traditional and wasn't served breaded so I felt like I was just tasting eggplant.  Not a fan.  By the end of the night, after not really touching my food, I ordered a slice of thin crust plain pizza and I was a happy girl.

Seriously, go to this place for pizza and wings and nothing else....except maybe the fried calamari.

Easy, delicious crumb cake

When I decided that I wanted to make Easter brunch for my family with Tim I knew that I wanted to stick to breakfast foods.  I also knew that I wanted to find a simple dessert to balance all the intense, rich flavors of the other dishes.  What I decided to make was crumb cake.  If anyone has every working with crumb cake before you know it's unlike anything else.  It's a thick, dough-like batter that is difficult to spread and work with.  Having never had experience making it before I got frustrated and left most of the spreading, crumb making and cake baking to Tim, but the recipe is mine!

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons canola oil, plus more for 9x12 pan
• 4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 large egg
• 1/2 cup of milk
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 1 cup packed light-brown sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1 cup unsalted butter
• Confectioners' sugar for dusting
• 2 tablespoons sour cream

Directions:

• Preheat oven and spray baking pan with canola oil, set aside
• Mix together 1 1/2 cups flour, sugar, baking powder and salt
• In a second bowl, whisk together egg, sour cream, milk, canola oil and vanilla
• Mix dry and wet ingredients together gradually
• Spread batter into prepared pan and set aside
• In another bowl, mix together remaining 2 1/2 cups flour, brown sugar and cinnamon.  Pour melted butter over mixture and toss until crumbs form.  Sprinkle over batter
• Bake in oven for 10-20 minutes or until a fork comes out clean
• When cooled, dust with confectioners' sugar

A little bit of Italy right in New York City

Recently, I have taken up an obsession with Italy.  I don't know if it has something to do with a series of blog posts I recently read from my favorite blogger or if the travel bug that bit me in high school after my trip to Spain has shown back up and bit me again.  Regardless of the reason, I have become all sorts of obsessed with the beautiful country that is Italy.

The sad news is that I do not have the funds to send myself to Italy and lets face it...I would never go alone.  Tim and I will probably have kids by the time this trip is feasible...but hopefully not.  He isn't as infatuated as I am with the idea of Italy, but I don't think he'd oppose the trip if we could afford it.  So because I know that trip isn't at the tip of our fingers just yet I have been trying to find ways to bring Italy to us.

What I found was Eataly in NYC...which is probably my most favorite find since Tim. ;)

Last Thursday my mom, Tim and I were in the city to see a taping of The Chew (blog post on that to follow) and after watching people cook for an hour...we were starving.  I had found Eataly online not too long ago and have been dying to go since.  Tim and my mom were champs and let me drag them across town to 5th Ave. to experience this phenomenal food market/restaurant.

Basically Eataly is a food lovers dream.  It has everything you could need, equipped with a fully stocked market and nine different restaurants.

That day we ate at La Pizza & La Pasta and I had the best damn pasta I had ever eaten.

Ravioli filled with ricotta cheese, butternut squash and amaretto cookie. It was in a brown butter sauce.  UGH to DIE for.  

Seriously, if you are ever in the city and are near 5th ave...hell even if you aren't...GO THERE.