For the first time, in a long time, I had a “laugh out loud” fail. I was trying to replicate “Jo’s Fatayar” from my Magnolia Table cookbook. It was an uphill battle from the start. I knew the name itself would draw criticism from my family. It did. Not that they had any knowledge on which to base their rejection, just the simple fact that my family had not heard of it before is enough to get them riled. Of course, after reading the ingredients (ground beef, cheddar cheese, thawed hash browns, biscuit dough, etc.), I knew there was nothing really objectionable. I likened it to a pasty; beef, potato and onion in a baked crust- a personal package of seasoned meat filling. I don’t know if it was because I replaced the suggested “Grands” with my organic “Annie’s” pre-made biscuit dough, or because the method just relied on pinching the triangle-cornered pockets together without any type of egg wash, or such, binding… But, I knew about half-way through the cooking process, when I went to switch the baking sheets on the oven racks for even heat distribution and saw that my ‘pockets’ looked more like little ‘pizzas’ with unevenly disbursed mounds of beef and cheese, that my attempt was a complete fail. It really was laughable compared to the picture from the cookbook. My kids certainly (after hearing the confession of my mess up) wouldn’t try it now. My husband was a good sport, after smothering it in ketchup. (I liked it best with a dash of Frank’s Red Hot Sauce.) The dough, easy to bend into a taco shape while warm, actually reminded me of a Taco Bell chalupa shell. I made a mental note of this for future experimentation, took a picture of the mishap, and reheated various leftovers to salvage dinner. The kids were pleased.

I, however, am pleased with one of my new cookbooks, Real Girl’s Kitchen. I’m a fan of Hailey Duff’s blog, Real Girl’s Kitchen, and have followed it for a while. I really love her not overly complicated, but heart felt approach to cooking and living. I know the book has been out for a while, but it was still new to me and instantly one of my faves. I appreciate how transparent she is about trying to make healthy choices while still being delicious (my goal in food), as opposed to many celebrity books I buy where I’m constantly questioning to myself as to whether or not they actually eat their recipes (although tasty). I also really like that the majority of recipes are for one. I know that might sound weird, but usually when I cook healthy or want to try something fun (like goat cheese stuffed chicken breast, wrapped in prosciutto with shallot sauce), I know I will have to fight my children to take every bite. This way I can make myself, or myself and a couple of friends, a fun lunch without waste. If I think it’s something my family would enjoy, I can easily double… or quadruple… or sextuple… the recipe too. But mostly, I think I LOVE how that the Real Girl’s breakfast recipe for one, Quinoa, Butternut Squash, Kale and Fried Egg, calls for one whole butternut squash and two eggs. I don’t know if that’s a misprint, but that’s my kind breakfast and I think we could be best friends. It also comes with great suggestions and tips (I’ll take everything I can get). Here are a couple gems I eagerly pass along to you: #1 If you are traveling to New York City please note that between 3-5 pm taxi cab drivers are doing a shift change and therefore make it more difficult to hale a cab, so plan carefully. #2 If you leave a wooden spoon across the top of a boiling pot of water, it will not allow the liquid to boil over. So clever!

Recently, my husband encouraged me to go out and take a morning for myself- a rare, but welcomed treat on a weekend where we try to make the most use out of our “family” time. I went to the local café and got a pastry, pain au chocolat, a coffee (from their in-house roaster)… and, ahem, a breakfast sandwich, a toasted english muffin with Gruyère and bacon. Diet fail… but a pampering win. Priceless.

Not very far from the local coffee roaster, is my favorite store in the whole world, Acorn Farms. They don’t know it, yet. They sell kitchen wares, Polish pottery (as seen in there store window display above), cookbooks, oils, etc. They’re fabulous, and I rarely can walk in without bringing something out. They also offer cooking classes (of which I have taken a couple, such as, Julia Child’s Boeuf Bourguignon, Cookie Decorating and Canning Strawberry Jam). One day, I will admit my affection toward them, and make a plea to let me feature them on my blog.

One of my recent purchases from my aforementioned favorite store was this book, Tablescapes. Oh my word, I cannot say enough about this treasure… What a find! Everyone should own it (at least everyone that has an interest in setting a pretty table). I want to show you every picture in the book, except I’m sure that would infringe upon copyrights. Just know this, it’s a goodie. See how inspired I was to set a pretty ‘scape’ around it just to take a picture? Lol!

I’d love to hear about your finds (especially in cookbooks). I’m always looking for inspiration! And of course, feel free to share your fails… the gift that binds us together!

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