In an effort to look a bit more like Betty Draper and a little less like Betty Crocker, I have been searching for a few cute, somewhat vintage inspired beauties. Now, just take a peek at these picks and imagine a martini in hand and some indie music, old school rock or NPR, depending on my mood, and tell me which is the most flattering coverup.

Adorable vintage apron

Crate and Barrel Doris Apron

Anthropologie Half Apron

I’m leaning toward the first one, but what are your thoughts?

Lucky for us, our lovely neighbors have tomatoes in their garden. Big ones, not the little guys like we have and they share them with us often. Last week, I came home and found a large bag of gorgeous tomatoes sitting on our porch. It was awesome.

That being said, I needed to find a good use for our abundance of tomatoes and thought of making gazpacho. I had never made it before, but it turned out delightful and we ate a giant batch in two days!

On a small side note, my husband yelled across our backyard fence to thank our neighbors for being so generous and our neighbor’s response was, “No problem. The dog only pees on every other tomato.” I died laughing.

Tomato (Basil) Gazpacho:

2 lbs tomatoes, halved

I red bell pepper, seeded and chopped

1/2 of a large cucumber, chopped

1 cup of red onion, chopped

1/2 cup of bread crumbs

1/4 cup red wine vinegar

1/4 cup olive oil

1-2 garlic cloves (depending on your love of garlic), minced

1 cup cold water

dash of cumin

dash of red pepper

salt and pepper to taste

Handful of fresh basil, torn

Handful of fresh parsley, torn

1. Squeeze the tomato halves to get the juice out. Don’t use the seeds, so strain into a bowl. You might have to mush the tomatoes in your hands to get all the juice out. Throw away the seeds. Chop the tomatoes and add to the juice.

2. Add all ingredients to the bowl.

3. Puree ingredients with 1 cup water in a blender. You might want to work in batches. Pour back into bowl.

4. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours. The longer the ingredients blend the better. Serve cold with a couple of basil leaves as garnish.

I found my mom’s recipe for Chicken Enchiladas recently. They used to be my favorite. Since then I have become a Pescatarian majority of the time. I decided to try this recipe with fake chicken to see if it would taste the same.

(Here is the meat eater recipe – I’ll note (*) the changes I made)

Instructions…

In sauce pan, melt butter or warm oil. Saute the onion and garlic. Add the chilies, sour cream, soup, and salsa. Divide the mixture 3/4 cup mixture for top and 3/4 cup for the pan. To what is left in the sauce pan, add chicken, salt and pepper, and 1/2 cup of cheese to the mixture. Put 3/4 cup of mixture you set aside in the bottom of the pan. Put about 1/2 cup of the mixture in each tortilla. Add 1/4 cup milk to the mixture you are going to add to the top and cover the filled tortillas. Cover with enchilada sauce if you’d like. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes. For the last 10 minutes cover with 1 1/2 cups of cheese and the olives.

So this was a lot prettier before I realized that I had forgotten to add the enchilada sauce and threw it on last minute over the beautiful melted cheese and olives. It still tasted delicious though, which is what matters most. Up next on my Grub posts, my favorite summer meal. Stay tuned.

Sushi was made, as was a video to chronicle the chaos. It was like “cats and dogs living together, mass hysteria”.* Oh, not really. It was not too hard to do a few rolls, the hard part was not sounding like a complete idiot on camera.

A couple of notes:

I do know how to pronounce the word “wasabi”. I realize it ends in a long e sound. However, when I am drunk or nervous my eastern New Mexico accent comes out quite a bit more and those words suddenly end in an “eh” sound. Please do not hold that against me.

I also know that the sushi “thing” is a damn sushi mat. Again, I blame a couple of glasses of wine and my husband laughing at me for the nervous slip of utter stupidity.

This is the first video I have done and it is a weird and awkward thing to be chatting with a camera about making sushi. I am not a chipper, gregarious personality so I apologize if you wanted a bouncing, loud, abbreviation-loving chick. Actually, I don’t.

And, no I was not drunk during the taping. At all. Just nervous and strange.

*From Ghostbusters

Check out an example of an event I did for Birdhouse. I’m only showing you 1 menu option, but with the package you would get 2. The recipes are mine and if they are not, I try to make them before I recommend them to any of you. That’s only fair, right? I know my husband thinks it is a pretty good deal.

(my attempt at a deconstructed pizza. fresh mozzarella, turkey pepperoni, fresh basil from our garden, fresh tomatoes from our garden, and some crackers. yum.)

I’m sure you all know Joslyn from her gorgeous blog Simple Lovely. Well, she also has started another lovely blog, Raising Foodies, which is a great tutorial on sharing good food experience with your children (or in my case, my husband).

This post really got me thinking about budgeting, grocery shopping and our willingness to splurge on fancy shoes but not on good and healthy food for our bodies. I think it is time for me to rearrange my priorities.

Now that I work from home full-time (shameless Birdhouse Design Consulting plug coming soon!) I have no excuse but to make dinner much more often. I really love to cook, so it truly is a win-win situation. Though, this first try at… hmm, what should I call it?, Shrimp Summer Sandwiches, was a bit on the creamy side it was still quite tasty.

Shrimp Summer Sandwiches

1 lb of shrimp

1/3 cup of mayo (I use light to try and keep it somewhat lower in fat)

1 tsp. dijon mustard

1 tsp. dill relish

1 stalk celery, chopped

1 small carrot, chopped

2-3 scallions, chopped

1 tsp. lemon juice

salt and pepper

Mix it all up and serve on hoagie rolls lined with romaine lettuce.

Editor’s note: I adjusted the recipe to lighten up the creaminess, therefore, go and get your cook on.

I know chatting about grocery stores and coupons is not very sexy, but it is very practical. I’ve been looking for all kinds of ways to save money, so I thought I would share some tips now.

1. Always take a list with you. It is way too easy to get distracted by the bright and shiny packaging of foods while cruising the aisles at the store. If you write a list of items you need before you even enter the store and promise yourself that those are the only items going in your cart, you will have a much greater chance of not blowing your budget on extra goodies.

2. Don’t shop on an empty stomach. I’m sure you have all heard this before, but it is very true. The last time I went to the grocery store after only eating a light snack, I came home with a strange assortment of food that normally I wouldn’t dare purchase. Be sure and eat a decent amount before you head out shopping, otherwise you will be dropping those weird beef sticks into your cart while waiting in the checkout line.

3. Use Coupons. Come on now, let’s not be snobs anymore; start jumpin’ on the coupon train. Truthfully, I used to be somewhat adverse to handing over my little cut coupons to the checkout person. I thought I looked stupid and like I couldn’t afford to buy groceries. Then it dawned on me that it was incredibly stupid not to use what equates to free money. Why wouldn’t I want to buy one box of pop-tarts that I love and get a second box of the same pop-tarts for free?!

4. Try Meal Planning. It might require a little extra time and effort, but planning meals for the week helps you know exactly what ingredients you need to buy, and helps keep your life a bit more organized. If you know what you are eating, you know (about) what you need to spend for the week which helps you estimate a weekly grocery budget better. As a added bonus, it can help keep picky eaters (like myself) from deciding that nothing is in the house  worth eating and take-out or fast food pickup is put into play. With a set meal for the night, it will help cut down on last minute Wendy’s runs, and we all know how much eating out can cost.

(Check out some of our delicious, cost-effective recipes and add a few to your meal list for the week!)

5. Use Cash instead of Credit. What happens when you run out of cash in hand? You stop buying things. What happens when you run out of cash on your debit card? You keep buying things, overdraft your account and get charged a fee, and start a horrible spiral into the depths of debt. By using cash only, you automatically set a very stern budget for your grocery allowance. You will only buy the things you need and not also all the things you want. Sounds stringent, I know, but if you need to save some dough you have to be pretty hard on yourself.

The last time I went to eat at my favorite guac spot, I saw that they were giving away their delicious recipe on magnets! I was shocked and immediately became skeptical that they had left out their secret ingredient. Although this may be the case, I tested it out last night and it tastes pretty close. I mean, nothing tastes as good as when someone else makes it for you, fresh at your table as you watch salivating, but this is definitely a close second. I used to go to Dos Caminos at least once a week before this whole recession nonsense. Anyway here it is, at your fingertips…

• 2 tablespoons finely chopped cilantro leaves

• 2 teaspoons finely chopped white onion

• 2 teaspoons minced jalapeño or Serrano chilies

• 1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt

• 2 large ripe avocados, preferably California Haas, peeled and seeded

• 2 tablespoons cored, seeded, and finely chopped plum tomatoes (1 small tomato)

• 2 teaspoons freshly squeezed lime juice

In a medium size bowl, use the back of a spoon to mash 1 tablespoon of the cilantro, 1 teaspoon onion, 1 teaspoon of minced chile, and 1/2 teaspoon salt together against the bottom of the bowl.

Add the avocados and gently mash them with a fork until chunky-smooth. Fold the remaining cilantro, onion, and chile into the mixture. Stir in tomatoes and lime juice,  taste to adjust the seasonings, and serve with a basket of warm corn tortilla chips (or Tostitos if you are lazy like me).

Makes 4 servings

Fresh guac and a good, strong margarita will make all of your summer dreams come true. Check back on Friday for a good margarita recipe to pair with your guac.

These little pizzas are so easy to make, and trust me, everyone loves to participate in the preparation no matter what their age. This recipe is a great one for the kids to help out with in the kitchen as early as age 2 (with your help of course). I forced my friends in Chicago to make them with me this past Christmas and I’m pretty sure they enjoyed it. See for yourself. Everyone has their own style when making these. Great for parties and nannying.

And the Pilsbury biscuits make the most delicious crust ever! Wait until you smell the aroma coming from the oven. Ok, here’s what you will need (*use your judgment on quantities depending on how many pizzas you will be making):

Instructions…

I kind of make this up everytime. I think I set the oven to about 350 degrees. Spread each biscuit out on a greased cookie sheet – this time I spread some olive oil on with a paper towel. (From here, the kids can continue on their own or you can help them depending on their age). Add pizza sauce, however much you like. I think the more the better. Now, your choice, add toppings first and then cheese or vice versa. I am kind of boring and usually just make cheese or cheese with olives so deciding this one isn’t a predicament for me. But you can add anything, for example: meat, veggies of any sort, fruit (if you’re weird – though pineapple can be good w/ green olives) – whatever your little heart desires. Bake for about 8-10 minutes or until edges of the crust are a light to golden brown. Let them cool for a couple minutes (especially for the kiddos), and then eat as many as you possibly can. I usually tend to house at least four every sitting. Oh, and add parmesan, red pepper flakes, pepper, etc to the top or just eat plain.

This was one of my favorite meals as a child and still is to this day. Test it out and you’ll see what I’m talking about.