Today's Nest

Treat of the Week: Chewy Chocolate Cherry Oat Bar

In case you hadn’t noticed, we love food around here.  We talk a great deal about design and DIY, but it always comes around to food… more commonly, treats.  It always comes back to treats.  This week wraps up our second year blogging.  It’s hard to believe that we have presented the Treat of the Week every week for 2 years.

This week we tried to tie together a few of the things we have been celebrating this month; oats, cherries, and chocolate.  This chewy chocolate cherry oat bar is hearty and surprisingly easy to make.  The base is a chewy bar that could be adapted for other ingredients.  

We love this bar for our kids.  It is incredibly close to some of the same bars we can purchase in the supermarket, but we have total control of the ingredients.  I’ll admit the dark chocolate is really meant for me, but it tastes so good with the cherries that I couldn’t use any other kind.  Lastly we tossed in some pistachios for the unique taste and saltiness.  This bar has it all… salty, sweet, chewy, and chocolatey.

savour… total package

Get the rest after the jump…

Guest Posting at Ingredients Inc

In case you haven't already heard, this is Pancake Week!  I'm not sure it really needs a week at our house as every week is pancake week.  Nonetheless, who am I to stand in the way of a good food celebration?  Pancake week is welcome around here and a welcomed part of Hot Breakfast Month, which we are also in the midst of celebrating.

Of course, we are happy to present our very favorite recipe for homemade buttermilk pancakes, but the post isn't here.  Today I am very pleased to be guest posting at Ingredients Inc.  This is the product of Alison Lewis... culinary nutritionist, cookbook author, recipe developer, lifestyle journalist & blogger, and food stylist/photographer.

Do go check out the recipe for Buttermilk Pancakes (plus top 10 pancake making tips).  You'll be glad you did.  While you are there, please take a moment to look around at Ingredients Inc.  You are sure to find food and inspiration there.

In the meantime, here's a teaser:

OK... one last word about pancakes before you go.  I'm on a mission to get real maple syrup in kitchens across America.  I'm not being sponsored by any syrup makers.  I just think the difference between real maple syrup and the flavored sugar water that lines the shelves in the breakfast aisle is too great to not call into question.  If you haven't tried it yet... try it!  You'll never go back.

Lola Finds: Bird Houses

Lola is a bit of an expert where bird houses are concerned.  She's seen her fair share and knows what a modern girl likes.  Below we have highlighted some of our favorites from around the web.  

Note: Not all bird houses are for all birds.  On the other hand, some of these are so smart looking, they might just stay inside.

1. Roost Bodega Bird House at habitat design 
2. Birdhouse by cpopp workshop 
3. Nest Birdhouse by arcamita 
4. Birdy Modern Bird House by Vladmir Jackard at Nova 68
5. Burd-Haus by Nathan Danials at Papernstitch
6. Birdbottle Bird House at blend design 
7. Planter Bird House at Jardin Chic
8. Egg Bird House by Jim Schatz  
9. Anderes Bird House by Oliver Krapf at Stadtnomaden

Treat of the Week: Mint Chocolate Vacherin

We have dedicated each Treat of the Week this month to chocolate.  The first week we gave you Chocolate Hazelnut Mille Crepe and last week, one of my all time favorites… truffles.  This week we lighten things up just a bit with a light and airy meringue base for our dessert.  It makes the perfect backdrop for fresh mint and of course, plenty of chocolate.

The vacherin (vash-rahn) is a fairly common French dessert.  Ours is made with whipped cream, but you will see many of these made with ice cream, as well.  Beyond the fact that it is delicious, it is very pretty to serve and will make you look like a kitchen genius.  The best part of all, it’s really simple to make.

savour… luscious layers

Get the rest after the jump…

Finding Inspiration: Design Blog Picks

Blogs have become a mainstay in web surfing.  Many business owners, including designers, have come to realize that to be competitive in the web sector a blog is no longer a gimmick, but a necessity.  Because of that, there are now thousands of blogs for you to use for inspiration.  Some are geared toward the blog author’s work while others discuss design in general.  

Here we have outlined 10 of our favorites.  There are many more that we love, but in an effort to keep the list short we sifted through many to provide you with what we think is a good starting list.  Do you have favorites that are not listed here?  Feel free to share a comment for the other readers.

savour… shared inspiration

Get the list and links after the jump...

Know Your Food: Egg Basics

Eggs… we all eat them.  In fact, we eat a staggering number of them.  Egg laying chickens in America produce around 75 billion eggs per year which is 10% of the world’s production.  While many of those end up on our breakfast table or baked into our recipes, many more make their way to the prepared foods or the food service industry.

From a nutritional standpoint, these little wonders add an enormous amount of value to your daily diet.  Chicken eggs supply all essential amino acids for humans.  They also provide many other vitamins including vitamin A, many B vitamins, iron, and potassium.

From a culinary perspective, eggs are nothing short of magical.  Apart from sugar, they might be the most versatile ingredient in your kitchen.  Like sugar, preparing them in different ways and with varying temperature and amount of air can completely transform the finished product.

savour… incredible edible

Get the rest after the jump…

Lola Digs: The Smart Gardener

Modern Hen’s Garden Go To:It’s that time again!  Garden planning and planting are just around the corner.  I’d like to introduce you to an amazing tool – The Smart Gardener.  

This amazing product is free and the steps are outlined below: 

Setting up your garden is as simple as entering your zip code, size, and plants you’d like to grow.  What’s especially nice is that the program will alert you if you’ve chosen something that is unseasonable.  This improves your gardening success rate and ensures you are growing what is in season for your region.  Additionally, this program helps you with succession planting.  Succession planting is one of my goals this year.  I’d like to keep the goodness going year round!

Your first step is to select your garden type and garden layout.

Select your plants.

Out pops your garden plan.  

And finally, your to do list which keeps you on track throughout your growing season.Some bonus features include a relevant gardening blog and seed shopping right within the application.  This smart gardener has thought of everything! Follow The Smart Gardener on Facebook and Twitter.  

savour… smart solutions.