We’re leaping for joy today because we have an extra day in Hot Breakfast Month this year.  We decided to celebrate with the Cocktail of the Month:  Bloody Mary.  Serve it with your hot breakfast items just a little later in the day as this drink has become synonymous with brunch.

The freshness of this drink really makes it stand out among bloody mary's.  Not to mention you will have complete control over the sodium content.  The taste here is spicy, smoky, and fresh.

Lastly, we made one of our favorite garnishes for this drink.  We simply used a vegetable peeler to peel away one strip of cucumber and then another right after keeping some of the peel on the edges.  Roll it around a jalapeno stuffed olive and insert a toothpick... voila!

savour... a toast for brunch

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March is a big month for us.  On the first of the month we celebrate our second year on the web and the beginning of a third, even better year.  We have upped the ante for ourselves this year and, as a result, will be bringing you more of what you love plus new stuff and more ways to connect.

By the end of the month we will have presented you with treats, projects, some new products, a contest, some celebration, and at least one cocktail.  Get ready to ‘spring’ into another month of fun.

     In the spring I have counted one hundred and thirty-six different kinds of weather inside of four and twenty hours. ~Mark Twain

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

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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 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

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

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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...