Jones Coffee Roasters

I'm no coffee snob, but I like a good cup of coffee. Recently, when shopping at Whole Foods in Pasadena, I noticed they featured beans from local coffee roaster Jones Coffee. I admired the packaging, but didn't buy any. Then, a few days later, Rich and I ate breakfast at Triple D North End Caffe in Manhattan Beach, and wouldn't you know, they were brewing up Jones coffee there. I seriously think it was the best cup of coffee I've ever had at a restaurant. I drank three full cups (it was decaf, but I don't exactly recommend that amount of coffee before a two mile walk on the strand!).

Anyways, so... after that I was driving down Raymond in Pasadena on a different day, and guess what I passed? You guessed it, Jones Coffee Roasters. Not that I'm into omens or anything, but I knew I needed to go there, check it out and get some coffee beans. With Shepherds' Conference coming up, I thought it would be the perfect time to try a few varieties. I like to treat my house guests to things they don't get at home.

So, finally today, I stopped in. It happened to be lunchtime, so I added a beautiful pain au chocolat to my decaf coffee order. Ahh, white flour, butter and chocolate, what a treat. The coffee was simply divine. I didn't watch carefully, but I think the Barista made it like an Americano because it had crema on top. One sip, and I felt all happy inside.

Anyways, backing up, this is the kind of place that when you drive up, it just looks interesting and inviting. Well, I should say, I did have to drive around the block a few times first because they only have a small amount of parking and it was full. I wasn't about to give up, and finally I got a spot and went in. It's really kind of like a warehouse, a large light and airy space, with the entire front open. It looks cool with a vintage neon sign and an interesting decor and layout of furniture. In the back, they are roasting beans and the smell is intoxicating. Gotta love that.

View from parking lot

Entrance

Looking out into the parking lot.



The roasting area in the rear.



This big, cool neon sign just makes the place.



When I asked, "where's the cream?" I was directed to a close-by glass door refrigerator full of choices. Help yourself, put it back. Love that.

I really loved the way this place feels- it's got a nice vibe. Not a hip Intelligentsia kind of vibe (if you know what I mean), but a hip, genuinely friendly, kind of vibe. I was helped by a nice and helpful gal who guided me in my selection of three types of bold coffee beans (they have some unique blends as well), and also helped me pick out some apricot loose leaf tea for my tea-loving son. I then got myself a cup of decaf and the aforementioned warmed pastry (which happened to be from one of my favorite bakeries in Pasadena, Euro Pane) and left. I had an appointment, otherwise I would have stayed and enjoyed the atmosphere for awhile. It seems like a great place to hang out or meet a friend.

My three new coffees to try.

Amazon Prime

Have you heard of Amazon Prime? I think this is one of the best deals around. I've had it for about two years now and LOVE It. I figured it's about time that the e-wife should blog about it!

First of all, if you aren't buying on Amazon.com, shame on you. It's the biggest store online, with the best prices. You are wasting time and money if you don't! I literally buy everything and anything I can on Amazon - you'd be surprised how much they have. Just this past week I bought razor blade refills, tinted lip balm, knee supports (I'm suffering from a case of runner's knee), and swimming goggles (gotta swim when I can't run). Our joke is that there is always an Amazon box at the gate! Amazon saves me SO much running around.

Amazon Prime is basically this - a membership program through Amazon.com that offers you free 2-day shipping for $79 a year. It is an amazing deal if you order on Amazon as much as I do. But there is more - you can also enjoy free instant streaming of thousands of movies and TV shows. And, if you own a Kindle, thousands of books are available to read for free, including NY times bestsellers. And, if you have a college student, click here for an even better deal! It's only $39! Wow.

OK, so here's how it works. When I shop Amazon for any item, I narrow my search to Amazon Prime items. That way, whatever I select will be free shipping. Not everything from every seller is Amazon Prime qualified, but I have never not found what I wanted offered through sellers who are on Amazon Prime. I have my settings set up for 1-click purchasing, so it's super fast and easy to buy anything. Pop it in the cart and buy it all in 1-click. Love that!

I even have the Amazon.com app on my iPhone - so I can buy anything quickly on my phone as well. Here's how convenient the app is: the other day I was vacuuming and spot cleaning my carpets. I realized I was getting to the bottom of the bottle of my favorite cleaner, Folex. So, I whipped my phone out of my pocket, tapped my Amazon app, searched Folex, added it to my cart and purchased it with 1-click. In a matter of 20 seconds, I had purchased a new bottle that would arrive in two days, with free shipping! Let me ask myself: would I rather do that, or make a stop at Home Depot or Lowe's to get some more? Hmmm, let me think about it. Uh, Amazon Prime - that's a no-brainer. Wish this had been around when I had three kids under age 4. I could have done without taking kids in and out of the car to get one thing at a store!

If you still aren't convinced, read this!

Happy Shopping!

WDW - Chard with bacon and apples

Often I get chard in my weekly farm box. The first time I got it, I had NO idea what to do with it, but knowing that dark leafy greens are super healthy, I wanted to learn how to prepare them in a tasty way. Since then, I've learned to saute them with a little garlic and olive oil or add them to veggie soups. But, I really wanted a good, go to recipe to use with chard. I went onto Whole Foods website (my favorite place to get new recipes) and searched for a recipe. When I saw this one, I knew I just had to try it. The ingredients just sounded so delicious. I still had some of that yummy, smoky bacon we brought back from Tennessee, and I always have fresh organic apples and onions on hand. Be sure to use a nice smoky bacon - we like applewood smoked, and I always buy nitrate free bacon (Trader Joe's has a good one).

Well, I made it tonight and it couldn't be easier! And it was so delicious that we ate the whole pan, just Rich and me. I didn't even use the seasoning it called for, as the bacon I used was already cured with salt and pepper. I served it with boiled red potatoes (also from the farm box) and some sauteed chicken tenderloins, which I seasoned simply with lemon pepper. I have to admit, the chicken and potatoes actually took a back seat to this wonderful dish. Winner dinner! I can't wait to make this again.

Chard with bacon and apples

Ingredients

3 slices bacon, diced
1 small yellow onion, halved and thinly sliced
1 organic Gala apple, cored and diced
1 bunch (about 3/4 pound) organic chard, well rinsed
1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
1/4 teaspoon cracked black pepper

Method

Place a large, heavy skillet over medium heat. Add bacon and cook, stirring frequently, until lightly browned, about 7 minutes. Remove bacon from pan with a slotted spoon and set aside. Drain all but about 2 tsp. bacon fat. Add onion to the pan and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in apple and cook a few minutes.

Meanwhile, cut off the stems of the chard and discard. Chop the leaves. Stir chard into the skillet along with the onion and apple, and add back the bacon, salt and pepper (if necessary). Pour in 2 tablespoons water; cover the skillet and cook, stirring occasionally, until chard is tender, about 6-8 more minutes.

Nutrition:

Per serving: 70 calories (25 from fat), 2.5g total fat, 1g saturated fat, 5g cholesterol, 380mg sodium, 11g total carbohydrate (3g dietary fiber, 6g sugar), 3g protein

NOTE: This was SO good, I made a half batch for my lunch the next day using purple kale that I had on hand. DELISH!!

Pickled Beets

I LOVE beets. Most people say they don't like them - but it makes me wonder if they have ever really eaten a FRESH beet or they are thinking of those julienned rubbery things in a can. I wouldn't eat those in a million years.

When I was a little girl I developed a taste for fresh beets because my grandpa grew them in his garden. He would often pickle them, and to this day my dad and I love beets, especially this way. And, if you don't know how healthy beets are, click here. They provide antioxidants and detoxification, and much more. I actually love to juice raw beets (they are healthiest raw) with carrots, but then again, I'm a vegetable freak.

Don't be afraid of beets! This couldn't be easier. Simply twist or snip off the greens, wash thoroughly, wrap in foil, and bake for one hour at 350 degrees. Or, you could steam them for about 15 minutes. Once cooled, peel and slice them. You can eat them just like that - oh how I love beets, orange sections, and goat cheese on my dinner salad - or you can go a step further and kick them up a notch by pickling.

Any color beets will work for this recipe, but don't mix them - the colors bleed. This week I chose some lovely organic golden beets at Whole Foods.

This recipe makes a couple of pickle jars full. Like my exactness? These are a bit spicy because I like 'em that way, but if you don't, simply omit the fresh jalapeno.

The hardest thing about this recipe is WAITING for them to be done. They really need at least two weeks in the fridge, three is better.

Refrigerator Pickled Beets

Ingredients:

6 large beets, roasted, peeled, and sliced thick

1 large onion, sliced

1 large jalapeno, sliced (seeds included)

6-8 garlic cloves

Peppercorns

Brine:

2 cups apple cider vinegar
3 cups water

1 ½ tsp. kosher salt
2 cups granulated sugar

To make brine:

In a large saucepan over medium-high heat, add apple cider vinegar, water, sugar & salt. Bring to a boil, stirring until sugar melts. Reduce heat and let the pickling brine simmer approximately 5 minutes. Remove from heat and let brine cool.

Layer beets, onions, jalapenos, garlic, and peppercorns into a large jar (or use two smaller jars). Pour cooled brine over the beets and gently stir. Place, covered, in the refrigerator. Best flavor after two weeks.

Awesome kids books!

Many of you may already know that a godly woman named Delphine Bates led me to Christ 28 years ago, when I was 18 years old (go ahead, do the math, I'm almost 46.). Since that time, she has been a dear friend and a spiritual mother to me. To say she has had a big influence in my life would be an understatement! We even named our daughter, Emma Leigh, after Delphine's mother, Emma Lee Branon.

Delphine has been in Children's ministry at our church for at least 3 decades, and she is the reason I am in Children's ministry today. She makes the rounds playing piano and leading music for several Sunday school classes each Sunday morning, and back then she encouraged me to work in a 2nd grade class when I was newly saved. I thought I was going to be a "craft helper" but somehow got my own small group of kids! They actually knew more about the bible than I did - seriously. It was just a bit intimidating. I'd like to say we screen helpers a little more efficiently these days. :-)

Anyways, Delphine has always been great with children - after all she has had lots of practice as she raised four of her own. She also has 14 grandchildren whom she takes a very active role investing in spiritually. I wish she was my grandma - she is full of energy and lots of fun! She seems as young and energetic as when we first met.

She recently produced three wonderful children's books (wrote and illustrated). Delphine has such a unique and effective way of ministering to children (and sharing the gospel with anyone for that matter). They are so cute and so well written - I highly recommend them to all - they would be a great investment in your home library to be enjoyed again and again. I wish we had these books when our children were growing up. I am keeping the set she gave me for my own grandchildren some day!

You can buy Delphine's books here on Amazon. I know you'll enjoy them!

Easy Trader Joe's dinner

We all love Trader Joe's. Here are some of my must-haves of late: whole grain tortillas, fage yogurt, lots of fresh berries, brown rice cakes, avocados, and unsalted creamy peanut butter. They sure do have a lot of things that I really feel like I can't live without! What are your favorite TJ's items?

Anyways, oftentimes when I'm doing my weekly shopping, I might have a notation on my list that says "need 3 dinners." Sometimes, I just pick up fish and veggies to fulfill that requirement, but sometimes I feel creative and combine several items to create a new dish. This week I made an easy and nutritious pasta dish that I'm excited to share. I've made impromptu pasta dishes before, but the combination of ingredients in this one is really good.

First of all, just know that I don't do the whole wheat pasta thing. As healthy as I like to eat, my family and I just don't like it. We don't eat pasta much, but when we do, we eat the regular kind. I do look for ones that contain semolina flour, which is the next best thing to whole grain.

So, any pasta will work for this, as long as it's a short shape vs. strands. I used the following ingredients:

1 package TJ's chicken pesto sausage
8 oz. penne rigate pasta
1/2 bag fresh organic baby spinach
1 bag frozen fire roasted bell peppers and onions
fresh pesto sauce

I just noticed the fire roasted peppers and onions in the freezer section, and boy are they convenient!

The dish is super easy and fast and will easily serve 4-5. It's really a one dish meal too, just add some crusty bread if you like and you've got dinner.

First, put on a pot of water to boil. Slice the sausage into bite sized pieces. In a large skillet sprayed with non-stick spray, saute the sausage for a few minutes (they're pre-cooked, so just to brown them a bit). Next, add in the frozen peppers and onions. Drizzle on a little EVOO to moisten. Keep on low, stirring occasionally. No need to season, there is already a lot of flavor going on here.

When the water boils, cook the pasta according to package directions, drain and dump in the skillet with the veggies and sausage mixture. Turn off the heat. At this point, you can add the spinach and toss a bit to wilt it. Finish the dish by stirring in a few tablespoons of pesto sauce. Voila! It's yummy!

Technique Restaurant

My friend Alik had been telling me how wonderful Technique restaurant is, and I finally got a reservation to try it. It's the restaurant that is run by the students of Le Cordon Bleu in Pasadena. They offer a seasonal gourmet menu of three courses for only $10. This is why it's so hard to get a reservation - whattadeal! You have to go on their website the Monday of the week before you would like your reservation. I tried for awhile before I landed a table for two at noon today for Rich and I.

The restaurant is located on Colorado Blvd. just east of Old Town. Here's the entrance:

The restaurant is housed in a very cool old renovated Pasadena building, and the inside is painted stark white and is very chic. Here is the view I had from our table - it was fun to watch the students and instructors prepare the food. There is a lot of hustle and bustle in the restaurant.

You get to choose three courses from their menu and believe me, it is hard to decide. Everything sounds so appetizing and fresh.

We each ordered our own different three course meal, but shared each course. That way we could taste more! We do this by eating half the food on the plate and then switching plates. :-) (Yes, I eat as much as my hubby. Always have.)

The first courses we ordered were the Nicoise Salad and the Caprese salad. The Nicoise salad had a twist - seared Ahi for the traditional canned tuna. Raw or rare ahi is my weakness in life. :-) The Caprese salad also had a twist - the mozzarella was breaded and fried - yum! Here are some pics of the first courses:

We then moved on to our main dishes - Rich ordered the lamb shank on risotto and I ordered the snapper and shrimp. Both plates were amazing. The fish had this yummy crispy skin and was cooked perfectly and the succotash of sweet corn and fresh fava beans was delicious. The lamb was cooked perfect as well and was fork tender and moist. There were actually two shrimp with the fish, but I couldn't resist eating one before I took this pic. And yes, there's a bite out of the risotto too. :-)

Ahhh... then the dessert. Rich ordered the salted caramel pots de creme and I got the pear and cranberry fruit crumble with vanilla ice cream. Both were to.die.for. I just love fruit desserts and the pots de creme was so unique. Just look at the presentation of it:

Me and my date. Rich always tucks his tie into his shirt when he eats -he's cute.

The restaurant is pretty much reservations only, but they also have a cute little walk up cafe inside the restaurant with tables to sit at. They serve panini and other sandwiches, salads, pizza and adorable desserts and coffee. It's definitely worth a try if you find yourself nearby with no reservation.

So, if you want adventure and good food, visit Technique sometime. Pasadena has great shopping in nearby Old Town as well. I love Pasadena, and this experience reminded me how fun it is to live in the Los Angeles area. I'm always discovering new fun things to do here.

Technique restaurant at Le Cordon Bleu
525 E. Colorado Blvd., Pasadena
Note on parking: Street parking is only 1 hour. You can find extended parking for $1.50/hour on Madison Ave. nearby in the Pasadena Playhouse parking lot.

Finally, a cookie even I can make

Confession: I am not good at baking cookies. I know, I know... pretty scary to hear the e-wife utter such words. But it is true. I'm sorry to let you down.

It's really kind of funny, because quite frankly I can whip up a homemade pie with a perfectly flaky crust and you would think that would be much harder than simply baking cookies. You would think. But for some reason, my cookies are notoriously flat and disappointing. I have great equipment and a great oven, have tried countless recipes and followed others' tips. Emma can turn out great cookies with all the same stuff (and has been doing so since age 11). So I have concluded, it must be me - I just don't have the touch. It's okay, I've come to peace with it.

So, all that said, it's with excitement that I share this cookie recipe that even I can make!

My neighbor Alana always gives these bar cookies to us each Christmas, and they are absolutely amazing. I have hinted for years that I'd love the recipe and this year she came through and dropped it in my mailbox! YES. I can do cookie bars. I can layer things and even cut them in straight lines! I couldn't wait to try them. Rich needed a treat for a meeting, so I had a great excuse to bake these.

The recipe title as given to me was simply "Cookie Bars." Ha. I think I'll entitle them "The World's Best Cookie Bars" instead. They are so very good - think Magic Cookie Bars (aka 7 layer bars) but MUCH better. A lovely flaky crust, a beautiful chocolate fudge layer, these just MELT in your mouth. They taste great at room temp and they are even really yummy chilled or right out of the freezer, too (not that I'd know..). If you like chocolate chip cookies, wait until you try these babies! They are so WOW.

And, the great thing is, they couldn't be simpler. Only 6 easy, on hand ingredients. The recipe calls for a can of sweetened condensed milk, but I'll show you how to ditch that nasty Eagle Brand stuff and make your own with 4 simple ingredients in 2 minutes flat in the blender. Scroll down below the cookie bar recipe for instructions.

Alana's Cookie Bars (aka World's Best Cookie Bars)

2 cups flour

½ cup packed brown sugar

2 sticks butter, softened

2 cups chocolate chips, divided (I used semisweet for all, you can use milk chocolate or flavored chips such as peanut butter for the topping part if desired)

1 can sweetened condensed milk (or homemade)

¾ cup chopped nuts (I used pecans - betting macadamias would be amazing)

Mix flour, brown sugar, and butter in a bowl. Set aside 1/3 for topping and press the rest evenly into a greased 9 x 13 pan. I like to line my pan with parchment for easy removal and cutting later.

Mix 1 cup chocolate chips with sweetened condensed milk in a saucepan. Melt on lowest heat. When completely dissolved, spread evenly onto crust.

Combine remaining topping, remaining chips, and nuts and sprinkle over the fudge layer in pan.

Bake at 350 degrees 30-40 minutes. Cool completely before cutting into small squares.

Homemade Sweetened Condensed Milk

In a blender, combine 1 cup powdered milk, 3 Tbsp. melted butter, 2/3 cup granulated sugar, and 1/3 cup boiling water. Blend until smooth and creamy. Equals 1 can store bought sweetened condensed milk (and it's cheaper and less junkier).

Whatever - Target and little mailboxes

I haven't recorded any whatever posts in awhile, so here's one.

I went to Target today to buy some of their darling little $1 mailboxes for Valentine's Day at Master's Kids. I had been to a couple of Targets recently, scooping them up, trying to gather the remainder of the 64 that we need, and at each store I've only been able to score a dozen at the most. Well, today I hit the mother lode at a Target in Pasadena, where I came upon about 100 of the little gems. I made a quick decision to stock up for the next couple of years, grabbed around 75 of them and headed for the checkout. I knew that I looked totally ridiculous with a cartload of little pink, red and white mailboxes, but I didn't care. I knew someone would ask "What are you doing with those?" For a fleeting moment, I thought of telling a funny story, like I wanted to be a mail carrier but I got rejected by the USPS, so I was going to set up all the mailboxes in my living room and deliver pretend mail to them. Then I decided that might not be the best idea. So, when the lady behind me asked, I simply stated the truth, "They're for a preschool," to which she gushed "Oh, that is SOOOO cute!!" I then couldn't resist making it even more exciting for her, and answered back, "Yes, and we're EVEN going to put the kids' NAMES on them!!" She gushed again, and I'm pretty sure I made her day.

When it was my turn, I began methodically placing the mailboxes on the conveyer belt, in neat rows so I could use multiplication to count them, when the checker said, "how MANY of these do you have?" I answered that I wasn't exactly sure, but that I was counting them. He said that wouldn't be necessary because he had to ring them up ONE AT A TIME anyway (seriously?) and then proceeded to ask me if I left any back on the shelf. Pardon me? Not sure why he asked, nevertheless I answered that yes, indeed there were approximately 40-50 left. The next thing I hear is him calling on the intercom for a manager. What? Did I do something wrong? I didn't even tell my USPS story, but I still felt guilty.

The manager then appears, and asks me the same questions - how many did I have, how many were left on the shelf.... blah blah blah....then the checker and manager talked together for a moment in a hushed tone. Every so often they would glance over at me and I felt like a convict. The manager then said (rather reluctantly) "OK, she can buy them."

I was just stunned. I can BUY them? I thought I could buy ANYTHING in the store. I'm sorry, but isn't it ALL for sale? I wasn't aware there was a maximum amount of an item that you could buy. I don't know about you, but I've never brought 3 packages of toilet paper up to the checkout and been asked "How many more packages did you leave on the shelf? We here at Target want to make sure everyone has enough toilet paper." Or, "How many Burt's Bees lip balms are left? It's our deepest desire that everyone has soft lips and your purchase of sixteen tubes is sure a hindrance." (Yes, I am kind of addicted to the stuff, but that's besides the point.) To think, that after all these years as a shopper, I falsely assumed that retailers like Target wanted me to buy as many things as possible. But apparently I have come to realize that I don't quite understand their strategy after all.

So, anyways....after I was cleared (phew!) and the checker rang the mailboxes up one by one (and of course bagged them one by one) I made my way back to my car, completely baffled. I was happy that I had my 3 year supply of mailboxes, but I was left with only one response: whatever.

P.S. If you're thinking of scoring some of these mailboxes, you might want to try a Target other than Glendale, Burbank, and both of the Pasadena locations on Colorado Blvd. :-) Just a tip.