...the chocolate spa giveaway winners

And the three winners are:

Amy (Daisy) who said: "Looks amazing! Add me! (oh, and your button is on my blog as well)"

M Wolfe who said: "I've been meaning to try these. Thanks for the giveaway! Your button is on my blog."

and

Sarah who said: "I know it is silly - but I want that bath pillow"

Congrats! Please email me your address within 72 hours to claim your prize!

...a weather rant and recipe

I judge how cold it is outside by what I have to wear inside to stay warm. Today was a hooded sweatshirt and wool socks day. Yesterday was a parka and gloves day. (And, mind you, I wear these items while keeping the thermostat set at 75 degrees.) Today, my teeth were chattering and my fingers were too frozen to type, so I took my daily warm-my-hands-over-the-stovetop break. I know something is wrong with me because while I am chattering away, my kids are in their t-shirt and shorts sweating. Hmm....

I live near the Rocky Mountains. We have the ultimate in stinky springs. We get a few days that tease us by gifting us beautiful weather and budding flowers...and then it snows for a few days. This pattern usually continues every other week from March until the end of May. Some people were fooled this year and packed away their winter clothes. Not me. I am all too aware of the Utah's ruthless winter-to-spring transition.

Some days, the only way to get warm is to heat myself from the inside out. This is one of my favorite hot chocolate recipes: Enjoy!

CREAMY HOT CHOCOLATE

1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
3/4 cup white sugar
1 pinch salt
1/3 cup boiling water
3 1/2 cups milk
3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup half-and-half cream

Combine the cocoa, sugar and pinch of salt in a saucepan. Blend in the boiling water. Bring this mixture to an easy boil while you stir. Simmer and stir for about 2 minutes. Watch that it doesn't scorch. Stir in 3 1/2 cups of milk and heat until very hot, but do not boil! Remove from heat and add vanilla. Divide between 4 mugs. Add the cream to the mugs of cocoa to cool it to drinking temperature.

Recipe via allrecipes.com.

...the new shoe cure

I had a bad day yesterday. Actually, it started off bad and gradually meandered its way into horrible. It doesn't really matter what happened because that's irrelevant to the post. Just know it was bad.

I have a cure for any bad day, however. It is the arrival of some new shoes for a Hawaiian vacation.

Neither shoe is spectacular, but they are perfect for bumming around my parent's home in Hawaii.

These shoes are so not me. I normally wouldn't buy this style of shoe, but I love them anyway. They would be so cute with a pair of skinny jean bermudas. Now I need to find a pair of those shorts...and I need to lose 10 lbs so they will look good on me. ha!



I bought this pair in brown to wear to church in Hawaii. I know what you are thinking. Flip-flops are not appropriate for church. I know! Well...in Hawaii they are. (Kind of...) I don't have a lot of room in my luggage, so these appealed because they were flat and a little more dressy than beach wear...



Hopefully today will be a better day because my shoe budget has been spent.

Chocolate SPA Gift Basket Giveaway!

Who doesn't love to be pampered?? Fiber One wants to give 3 (THREE!) Sherbet Blossom readers a wonderful gift basket filled with their newest snack bars, a bath pillow, chocolate scented soap, lotion and bath salts, and a coffee scented candle. Chocolate and hot baths? Heavenly!

And...speaking of Fiber One...have you ever tried them? I was first introduced to them by my friend, Jeri, in our quest for health. Around 35% of your daily fiber in a chocolate bar?? (A chocolate bar you don't have to feel guilty eating!) They come in a few different flavors, including chocolate mocha which you coffee lovers will love.

Want to be one of the 3 people to win this gift basket? SIMPLE! Just leave a comment!

Giveaway Guidelines:

1. To enter the CHOCOLATE SPA GIFT BASKET GIVEAWAY leave a comment on this post.
   
2. Blog about this for an extra entry.
   
3. Put the Sherbet Blossom Button on your blog for an additional entry.
4. Twitter about it for an additional entry. That is 3 possible EXTRA entries!!!
   
5. This contest will close at 11:59pm on Monday, March 30th. The winner will be announced the following day.

...it can't be beat

I thought I had the best banana bread recipe ever. I swore that my loyalty to the recipe would never waiver.

BUT...I lied.

I threw out, ripped up and stomped on that recipe when my sister let me try a bite of her banana bread. It was 10,000x's better than any banana bread I had ever tried. It had an amazing flavor with a firm outer crust that melted in my mouth and a soft, delicious inside. Serious heaven.

I made 2 loaves of Sarah's recipe for family night on Monday. The embarrassing truth: BOTH loaves we gone by Wednesday. Seriously. We ate them. Gone. 2 entire loaves. This recipe is that good...

The Ultimate Banana Bread

2 cups sugar
2½ cups flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp soda
2 tsp cinnamon
2 tsp nutmeg
½ tsp baking powder
1 cup oil
3 eggs
2 cups mashed bananas
1 tsp vanilla

Simple directions: Combine dry ingredients. Add wet ingredients. Bake in greased bread pans (2) for 1 hour at 350°

Enjoy!

...i read cafe johnsonia

I read a lot of blogs. I love seeing your recipes, photography skills, craft ideas and more! Some of the blogs I read are just too good to not share. This post is the first of a series I will be doing to introduce you to my favorite blogs and their authors.

Enjoy!

If any of you have or know of a blog that you would like me to feature, please email me!

Please welcome, Lindsey from Cafe Johnsonia!

Your name: Lindsey Johnson
Your blog: Café Johnsonia

Links to 3 of your best blog posts:
Making Croissants 101
How-To: Lasagna Bolognese
La Palette's Strawberry Tart

Thank you for being a Sherbet Blossom Featured Blogger! Why don't you start by introducing yourself to our readers.
I am a (twenty-something) SAHM/Blogger to three kids—Lilly (4), Fritz (2.5), and Babetta (7.5 mos.) I’m married to a great guy named Fred. We moved to Utah last August after living in the NYC suburbs for a long time. Besides blogging and cooking, I love photography, reading, watching spy movies or TV shows, listening to They Might Be Giants, and playing with my kids.

How did you arrive on the blogosphere? What made you interested in blogging?
My best friend had a blog she started back in 2005. I had no clue what a blog even was. I had heard the word before, but honestly had no clue. We didn’t have the internet at that point. I would walk down to our village library and check my e-mail once a month or so. Then one day I looked at her blog.

I ended up persuading my husband that we needed the internet. He was in grad school and money was tight. I traded in my cell phone for cable internet in February of 2006 and never looked back!

I started a personal blog called Cafe Johnsonia where I wrote about being a mom, the woes of pregnancy, and occasionally posted a recipe or two.

One of the first food blogs I read, What I Made For Dinner, made me realize that I could have a food blog, too. So I started a blog called “Just Recipes” as an appendage to my family blog and a repository for my recipes. I didn't even post pictures at that point. Then I got a new camera, so I started taking pictures of what I was cooking. My blog evolved slowly. I never really thought anyone would read it other than a few friends. Last year I changed the name from Just Recipes to Cafe Johnsonia and went from there.


Can you give the us a "sneak peek" into what's coming up next for your blog? Any new events, giveaways, interviews, etc.?
Hopefully there will be a few giveaways coming up within the next few weeks. I'm going to be doing a week dedicated to Food Storage. And I’m also trying to start doing more local reviews of restaurants, bakeries, and stores since I’m getting reacquainted with Utah. Hopefully that’s as fun for my readers as it will be for me.


I see that you write a lot of your own recipes. How did you gain your fabulous cooking skills/knowledge? Did you go to culinary school? Are you self taught?
I haven’t gone to cooking school….yet. That’s a hope for the future. Basically, I’m self-taught.

I started cooking when I was as young as five or six years old. I was fascinated by it. I watched my mom and my grandmothers. It struck a chord with me somewhere.

My talent for cooking really blossomed when I moved to New York. I worked as a nanny for a family who really enjoyed cooking and baking. They made all sorts of foods that I had never seen or heard of before. I love it. They also introduced me to the many specialty food stores in New York. They pushed me into it even further by buying my beloved 6-quart KitchenAid mixer as a present, and signing me up to take a cheesecake class at the Institute of Culinary Education. (So, I guess technically I’ve taken one cooking class.)

My husband continues to be my greatest inspiration and muse when it comes to cooking. He tastes a lot of my failed attempts and helps me figure out what to do differently the next time. We’re a great match.

My husband’s aunt gave me Harold McGee’s book, On Food & Cooking: The Science & Lore of the Kitchen, which is the perfect book for me. It combines food and science in an easy-to-understand way. That book is a good substitute for cooking school because it gives you a basic knowledge of why food behaves a certain way when it is cooked or frozen, or whatever. A basic knowledge of food science helps prevent disasters in the kitchen, though I still have a quite a few. I've probably read that book 5 or 6 times.

Also, I read cookbooks like novels. I’m always looking at three or four versions of a recipe before I get started. Usually I’ll glean what I can from the recipes and come up with what I’m looking for.

I don’t watch TV very often, but when I do, I love to watch the cooking shows on PBS. (We don’t have cable, or I’d be glued to the Food Network all day long.)


Your photography skills are FABULOUS! Any tips on how to take good food pictures?
You don’t need a fancy camera to take good pictures. But, if you can afford to buy a digital SLR, get one. They do take better pictures.

This is always my advice about photography:

-read the manual that came with your camera
-use natural light whenever possible (I hate using a flash)
-look at the work of photographers you like to get inspiration—magazines, blogs, etc.
-practice, practice, practice
-get a good editing program and learn how to use it (Picasa is great and it’s free!)
-if you have a digital SLR, buy a 50mm f/1.8 lens, it’s cheap and it will change your world


Thank you so much, Lindsey, for your time and your great blog! I will be anxiously awaiting those food storage posts!

...so lucky!

17 things that make me feel lucky:

01. diaper-changing husband
02. great friends and frequent GNOs
03. new shoes
04. redecorated office (almost done!)
05. new bathing suit for hawaii trip
06. fabulous clients
07. new blog friends
08. sweet daughter
09. neighbors who bring me cookie dough
10. road trips to see family
11. plans for raised garden boxes
12. fabulous siblings (a.k.a my best friends)
13. hilarious, goofy son
14. tickets to kauai (without kids!!!)
15. long, hot showers...and a husband who watches the kids so I can take them
16. siblings-in-law who let me "chat" with them...a lot!
17. my religion

Hope you are feeling lucky today too! Happy St. Patrick's Day!!

...baby legs WINNER Take 2!!

I didn't hear back from the BabyLegs winner, so I randomly chose another name.

The winner is...

sarahj who said, "I would love some of these! My daughter has been asking for some because her friends all have them!"

Please contact me within 72 hours and I will get you your prize!

...baby legs WINNER!!

And the winner of the BabyLegs gift certificate is...

Chablis who said...
"I love baby legs for my baby boy! They're not just for girls. :)"

CONGRATS!!! Please contact me within 72 hours and I will get you your prize!

...a few of my favorite things

My blog buddy, Holly, inspired me to do this post.

1. Difi is the absolute best texturizing cream. BEST. I use it everyday. It smells like coconut or pineapple or some yummy tropical thing. It works wonders and lasts FOREVER. (It will last an even longer time if you can keep your husband from discovering it. My husband borrowed it one time and now will use nothing else.) With both of us using it, though, the thing still lasts about 8-9 months.

2. I LOVE Mary Kay's Microdermabrasion Set. It is amazing!! I just started using it and can totally see a difference. Not a bad price with my sister's discount. (The offer still stands for everyone, anytime. Just email her if you want some Mary Kay at a HUGE discount!!)

3. There is nothing better than a good salad, and there isn't a better salad than THIS one. Even my husband loves it! Mmmmm....now I want to make it tonight for dinner.


4. I am a Banana Republic fan. About 50% of my wardrobe comes from the store. (And...I am a great deal finder, so I don't EVER spend full price. They have wonderful sales!!) I love the simple, chic style. (My husband hates the store, however and refuses to go in with me. ha! He is more of a sportsmans warehouse guy. Keen shoes, patagonia jacket...you know the type.)

My other favorite stores are Anthropologie and J.Crew, but good sales at those stores are few and far between.
5. When I was younger, I LOATHED gardening. You couldn't assign me a worse chore. Now, there is nothing better. I love digging in the dirt and seeing things grow. Every morning last summer, I would walk outside to examine my mini garden and be in awe. It relaxes me. Can't wait to plant a bigger garden this year!

Here is a link to a hideous website, but a wonderful resource.

6. Here is an oddity about me...I don't like mint. It reminds me of toothpaste. I can't eat mint brownies or York peppermint patties. The toothpaste taste ruins the chocolate. However...when it comes to toothpaste, the mintier the better. My toothpaste of choice is Crest plus Scope. (Peppermint flavor...not the one below.) It is STRONG mint and leaves you with the freshest breath. Kissable.

7. I love my kitchenaid, and ADORE my new pasta attachment that my husband bought me for Christmas. There is nothing better than fresh, homemade pasta. (This is NOT my green kitchenaide, but I wish it was! I love that color...)

8. I am a makeup snob. I wasn't always, but now that I have used the good stuff, I will never go back. M.A.C eyeshadow is the best eyeshadow. It just is. It is expensive, but it is worth it. I have used my 3 colors for 15 months now and they all look new. I have another long while of use before they will be gone. Plus...the color lasts all day. You don't have to reapply ever.


9. I am a Mac lover, but this time, of the computer varitey. I love the interface, the style, the simplicity. Call me a nerd, but I love my computer. (Even if it is old and takes forever to load things... I need to upgrade.)

10. I love Hawaii. My parents live there now and I lived there for a couple years. It is not only a beautiful place, but the culture and people are amazing. They are a very generous and loving people. They are laid back about many things that are so important here. When you live there, makeup, fancy clothes, and the finer things don't matter. They care more about each other. If I could choose one place to live for the rest of my life, I would choose Hawaii.
11. I love two odd colors. My all time favorite color is brown. It is so versitile. My second favorite color is yellow. Together, they make me happy. Love the combo. Warming, inviting, vintage. I should have lived in the 60s. (By the way...THIS color tool is super fun to play with!)

12. I think most of you know by now that I am a shoe addict. I love them. I can't get enough. (I thought I had a major collection of shoes until I saw my sister-in-law Hilary's summer shoe closet. She had an entire, enormous rack dedicated to only summer shoes. After we saw the rack, I immediately turned to my husband and said, "See!! I don't have more shoes every other girl alive!" Thank you, Hilary, for being my excuse to buy more shoes!)

Speaking of shoes, check out THESE lovlies. If only I could find an extra $400 laying around somewhere! (Geez! They are pricey!) If any of you find a more budget friendly version, please let me know! Piperlime is one of my favorite places to shop for shoes. They have great brands, great sales, free shipping and cute packaging. (And we all know how much cute packaging matters...)
Now I want to know your favorite things!!

...a working mother's lament

Aren't they irresistible?

Today I cuddled my sweet, sick baby close and rocked him. I sang to him. And, as I sang to him, ours eyes locked and I began to cry. How did he get so big? I could have sworn he was three months old, but this little one is almost 2! Where did the time go? They grow too fast.

It has been a while since I have really written on my blog and I miss it! It is not because I don't have anything to say, because I ALWAYS have something to say. (Ask my husband...he'd vouch for that...) My problem is that I haven't had time. I have been keeping a sleep log for my own curiotisty and realized that I averaged 3.2 hours of sleep a night last month. Not good! I have been so busy with designs and work that I let a lot of things that really matter to me slide. And now I have guilt. (I wish women weren't naturally guilt-ridden...)

Although I love this blog and it is often my savior from stresses, being a little neglectful of it isn't what is bringing me guilt. I worry about missing out on my little people's life. I don't want to miss a moment. I want to be the nuturing mother who plays with her children. I try, I really do, but I don't think what I am doing is enough. I work from home, but I need to be more than HOME...I need to be AVAILABLE. I need to savor these fleeting moments. They are too precious.

I am no longer going to allow myself to miss out on their short time with me. I have to slow my life down.

I am not about to stop designing. It is my passion and love. However, I am going to slow down. I am taking a limited number of clients from now on. (So...if you want to get on the waiting list and have your design completed soon, make sure you fill out an order form soon! The order forms will be available again on Saturday, March 7th.)