Okay....Don't Laugh at Me!

I know some of you are going to think I'm absolutely silly, but I know I've got some kindred spirits out there that are going to completely understand.

I froofified my kitchen sink.  Yes I did.

Did it need to be done?  Did I go out and buy anything new?  Of course not.  I just grabbed some things out of cupboards and I have a pretty little "doing the dishes" spot.  (Not that I do the dishes very often - gotta' say thanks to Worker Bee and even Baby Bee.)  But shouldn't they have a sweet little spot to view while they do those dishes?  (I'm nothing if not thoughtful of the people who do my grunge work for me.)

And I'll tell you the truth, I just looked at that little spot and thought this sure could be prettier when I got home from work today.  No other reason than that.  Sudden inspiration! (or procrastination - I'll let you decide.)

Be sure to appreciate my vintage kitchen tile.  That stuff is older than me!  (Over 60 years old!)  It's such a weird pattern and yet, I kind of still like it.   Dream kitchen would be a black soapstone and then white subway tile, but that ain't happenin' any time soon!

Started with this lovely tray.....

Added this soap dish I've had for ages.  Anybody remember when Eddie Bauer had a home store?  It's been in hibernation but it's back out again.

See what it's going to be used for?  Bar soap just doesn't quite work by the sink - gotta' love the invention of liquid soap. One of my teacher buddies gave me the smiley face sponge.  It was on Shark Tank.  (Not that exact sponge my sillies!)

Yummy citrusy soaps and lotions on one end of the tray...

(Does citrus just smell super clean to you too?)

And a little vintage milk jug to hold  the veggie cleaning brush on the other end.

Now isn't that pretty?  Almost makes me want to do the dishes.  Almost.

Do you ever get that urge?  I think I'm all about dressing up the utilitarian!

Thanks for buzzing along with me.

Making a Sweet Bee family classic tonight for dinner....

Hoisin Lime Salmon with Asparagus Couscous!

YUM!

Buzzingly,

Why Hello There!

What on earth happened to me?

As I was telling some of my friends, I lost my mojo.  It just disappeared!  I lost my mojo for cooking, for gardening, for.....everything!

Good news is I found it.  I cleaned out my closet this weekend and suddenly my blog mojo was back!

(Lucky for Worker Bee and Baby Bee, my cooking mojo came back a couple of days ago.)

So what will my 

first 

post 

lost

mojo 

topic 

be?

BAKING!

I really love to eat baked goods.  I can't say I love to bake them though, as much as I love to eat them.  But when I find a quick recipe that I don't have to be super precise with I'm all over it like salt on a potato.  (Ummm...yeah....I just made up that simile.)

So here goes....

(it's like riding a bicycle right? posting I mean.)

I adapted this slightly from the Cake Mix Doctor.

1 box of yellow cake mix

1 box of instant vanilla pudding

1 8 oz carton vanilla yogurt

1/2 cup canola oil

1/4 cup orange juice

1 tsp ground cinnamon

4 large eggs

1 1/2 cups mixed berries (I used blackberries, raspberries, and blueberries)

1.  Preheat oven to 350º.  Butter and flour a 10 inch tube pan.

2.  Reserve 2 Tbl of the cake mix and set aside.

3.  Place all the ingredients (except the berries) in a large mixing bowl.  Mix on low speed for 1 minute and then medium speed for 2 minutes. (this batter will be thick)

4.  Toss the berries with the reserved cake mix.

5.  Pour the batter in the prepared tube pan.  Gently fold in the berries.

6.  Bake in the oven for 45-50 minutes until the cake is golden brown.  The cake should pull away from the sides of the pan.

6.  Let it cool for 20 minutes on a wire rack.  Invert it onto a rack and let it cool another 30 minutes or so.

7.  Place cooled cake on plate and sprinkle sifted powdered sugar over the top of it.

Enjoy!

Still a busy time here at Sweet Bee Cottage so I won't be buzzing around too much but I just couldn't let another day go by without saying hello!

And thank you for hanging in with me during my blog break! 

I hope to be buzzin' along with you quite a bit this summer!

Winner, Winner, Chicken Dinner and Giveaway #3

The Giveaway Palooza continues here at Sweet Bee Cottage!

We just wrapped up the Mary Engelbreit giveaway and now I'm starting my third giveaway of 2013!  

One of my creative outlets these days has been cooking and I am just loving all the fun and funky things I've been seeing at World Market these days, so I found some cute items there I thought you might enjoy.  And it wouldn't be a cooking giveaway without some recipes now would it?  So I picked up a fun little BH&G magazine filled with One Pan recipes.  Just what a buzzy family needs!

Included in this giveaway are:

•a sweet little turquoise bowl with great cottage style

 •a cute little red cutting board (you know I'm just lovin' that red and aqua combo these days)

 •a copy of One-Pan recipes from those folks over at Better Homes and Gardens

 •and the most adorable little dishtowel this side of the Mississippi (do you see that cute little aqua ruffle on the bottom? and the chicken?)

Well here are the rules for this fun giveaway:

1.  Leave a comment telling me what you enjoy to cook.

2.  Be sure to let me know if you are a follower (of my blog, not in life - LOL)  for a second chance (you can leave a comment for that).

3.  For a third chance, post this giveaway on your blog, facebook, etc. and come back to leave me a comment.

4.  Giveaway open to US and Canada only due to shipping costs.  Sorry.

5.  Giveaway ends on Saturday, March 2 at midnight PST.  

Thanks so much for buzzing along with me in the kitchen!  Tonight we are having Silk-Handkerchief Pasta with White Bolognese.  It smells so delicious - wish you were here enjoying it with us.

Bon appetit!

I've BEEn Cooking Again

Seems to be my only creative outlet these days....cooking that is......

Tonight (Sunday, we usually have Sewing Bee over for dinner) I made Chicken Noodle Soup.  

Yeah, yeah, yeah.....I hear the sighs out there.  Big deal, Chicken Noodle Soup....

But.....

I must declare.....

this is a most different and delicious Chicken Noodle Soup!  

Even Worker Bee (who IS a fan of my cooking, but not a fan of the untraditional) liked it!

Found the recipe on Country Living and here is my interpretation.

Chicken Noodle Soup with a Twist

•2 Tbl extra virgin olive oil

•3 leeks, white and light green parts only, cut crosswise into 1/3 inch pieces with rings intact

•Coarse sea salt to taste

•Freshly ground pepper

•7 cups chicken broth (I used the stock from Costco– I know they're not exactly the same thing)

•1 clove garlic, smashed

•6 oz wide noodles (I eye-balled it and ended up adding too many noodles, so measuring might be a good idea here)

•3 cups sliced roast chicken, skin on, breast meat (oh yeah, that's the best part – also picked up the roasted chicken at Costco – I love that Worker Bee works just down the street from one of our local Costcos – oh and I'm using the rest of the chicken to make chicken salad with lots of crunchy vegetables – um, I think I'm done now rambling about Costco chickens)

•2 cups frozen peas, thawed

•2 Tbl finely chopped fresh dill, plus more for garnish

Steps

1.  In a 12 inch skillet over medium-high heat, heat the oil.  Carefully add the leeks in a single layer. 

 Make sure the rings don't unravel.  Reduce to medium-low heat, season with salt and pepper and cook 9 minutes.  Turn leeks, set heat to low (oops - forgot to turn the heat down more here), and cook until golden brown, about 9 more minutes.

2.  In the meantime, bring the broth and garlic to boil in a soup pot.  Stir in the noodles, cook, stirring every once in a while, until tender, but still firm, about 10-12 minutes.  

Discard garlic.  (Couldn't figure out how to remove the garlic at this point, so it stayed.  I thought about putting it in a tea ball or cheesecloth, but I got too lazy and didn't.)

3.  Set aside a few leeks per serving for garnish.  

Add remaining leeks to soup, along with chicken, peas, dill, and cook for 2 minutes.  Season with salt and pepper.  Scoop into bowls and garnish with the reserved leeks and dill sprigs.

Yummmmmmmmm....

Gratuitous glamour shot.....

And.....

it was good.

Have you tried any twists on traditional dishes lately?

And it just wouldn't be a visit to Sweet Bee Cottage if I didn't throw in a little something else.

See that aqua tray?  The aqua milk glass tray?  I wrote about getting it on Black Friday and I was going to sell it.  I really was. 

 Really.

And then....I just couldn't.  Clearly it was meant to me because all my regularly used vinegars, oils, and seasoning fit on it perfectly!!! 

You understand don't you? Right???

Thanks for buzzing in and I hope you take a moment to enter one of my giveaways!

P.S.  There's plenty of leftovers!  Lunch tomorrow at my house?

P.P.S.  Sharing this delicious recipe over at Sunny Simple Life.

Game Night

This weekend we had some friends over for Game Night!  We've been talking about doing it for ages and we finally did it.

Worker Bee and I cooked dinner, another Teacher Bee friend brought drinks, and yet another Teacher Bee friend brought dessert.

I found tons of great ideas on Pinterest....

But did I do any of them?  Of course not!!!  Instead we just had some good food and some good fun!

We made from my favorite slow cooker cookbook of all time this delicious Smoky Beef Chili with the most amazing (and simple) corn salsa as a garnish.  (Oh yes, I'm afraid I'm going to share a recipe....again.....please don't groan.  But it's just for the corn salsa - I think it would be fabulously delicious on any homemade chili.)

Corn Salsa

2 cups fresh or frozen (I used frozen white corn) corn kernels

2 cups grape or cherry tomatoes, sliced in half

4 green onions, including green tops, thinly sliced

1/3 - 1/2 lime vinaigrette

Lime Vinaigrette

1 tsp Dijon mustard

1 Tbl white wine vinegar

1 tsp grated lime zest

2 Tbl fresh lime juice

1/4 c extra virgin olive oil

Toss well and indulge!

We built a nice cozy fire in our wood stove (it got below freezing that night)

 pulled out all the games,

and enjoyed our relaxing evening with friends!

We played Cranium, Catch Phrase, and the Game of Things.  I only won when I partnered with Worker Bee on Cranium.  Holy guacamole that boy is good!  That must be why he keeps passing that  Jeopardy online test.  

Can't wait to do it again!

Do you wanna' come the next time?

What games do you enjoy?  I'd love to know!

Thanks for buzzing in!  So nice to see you!

Quick & Easy Dinner (That Tastes Like You Worked Really Hard at It!)

Well, school has started back up again.  Why on God's green earth did I think we might not be as busy as we were all fall?  That was crazy talk, that's for sure.

Well, I really want to be a good blogger and write posts and visit my friends, but time is definitely an issue.  So, how can I tie all these together?  Why make a quick delicious super tasty (why some might even call it YUMPTIOUS, but you know I wouldn't - tongue firmly in cheek) dinner that even Martha would be proud of.  (And I'm just sayin' Martha just might be proud of it since I got it from her website - HA)

Well, are you ready? Get your recipe cards out....

Nothing like a little asparagus bouquet!  

Hoisin-Lime Salmon with Asparagus Couscous

Salmon first...

2 Tbl hoisin sauce (pretty easy to find in your grocery store Asian section)
2 tsp honey
4 salmon fillets (about 6 ounces each), about 1 1/2" thick
1/2 lime, plus several wedges for garnish
1 scallion (green onion), thinly sliced
salt & pepper

1.  Preheat broiler.  Stir together the hoisin and honey, set aside.

2.  Spray a baking sheet or broiler pan (I prefer the broiler pan myself.) with cooking spray.  Place the salmon skin side down on the pan.  Squeeze the juice from the 1/2 lime over the salmon and then season with salt and pepper.  Put under the broiler and cook for 5 minutes.  Take the salmon out and then drizzle the hoisin/honey mixture over each salmon piece.  Return to the broiler and cook until the glaze is bubbling and salmon is cooked through, about 2-3 minutes more.  Divide the asparagus couscous (see recipe below) among 4 plates.  Put the cooked salmon on the couscous and garnish with the green onion and lime wedges.  Serve immediately to the raves and compliments of your family.  Really.

Asparagus Couscous
1 cup couscous
Zest of 1/2 lime
2 tsp vegetable oil (canola is my favorite)
1 tsp coarse salt
8 ounces asparagus, sliced 1/4 inch thick on the bias
2 cups water

1.  Place couscous, lime zest, and oil in a medium, heatproof bowl.  Toss to combine and set aside.

2.  Bring 2 cups water to a boil.  Add salt and asparagus, cooking for 2 minutes.  Pour over couscous and cover tightly with plastic wrap.

Let stand for 5 minutes. 

 (DON'T OPEN - ALL THE MAGIC WILL DISAPPEAR IF YOU DON'T LEAVE IT ALONE FOR 5 MINUTES - really.)  Uncover and fluff the couscous with a fork.

Now here's how Martha's looks:

And here's mine:

And can I just say that Martha's salmon dish looks a bit better than mine, but let's call it like it is - my Susan Branch Johnson Brothers Rose Chintz plate blows Martha's plate out of the water!  

Let me know if you try it.  I'd love to know if you love it like us Sweet Bees do.

Bee sure to buzz by me giveaway too for some Mary Engelbreit treats.  I've got another giveaway I'm getting ready for now too.  (It's a V_NT_G_  giveaway!)

Oh, and if you call ahead, we'll have one extra dish from tonight's dinner.... could be yours! (Or more likely the Sweet Bees will be fighting over who gets to take it to work for lunch tomorrow!)

Thanks for buzzing by!

  

Worker Bee!                                                                                                        Quit buzzing around MY leftovers!                                                                Gotta' go save my lunch for tomorrow!