Fun Spring Finds

Happy Spring! The weather is perfect for an outdoor lunch gathering. My next post is going to be about a yummy salmon dish…stay tuned! Until then, I wanted to share a few fun kitchen finds from boutiques in Phoenix.

These placemats are adorable and make clean up so simple. You’ll never forget where the forks and knives are supposed to go! You can find them on the Cake Vintage website.

I love these bedazzled stickers to distinguish who’s glass is who’s. They are like jewelry for glasses! Order them on Amazon (round & design).

You won’t lack any friends if you are cooking dishes from Gourmet Gab :) Just kidding! But really, it’s amazing how food gathers people together. This cute jar grip will remind you of that every time you use it. Find it here.

These glass water bottles from Faucet Face encourage people to drink tap water and say goodbye to plastic bottles! Every bottle you buy will in turn provide 100 liters of clean water in rural India. Read more about the project on the website!

Hope these fun finds jump-start your spring celebration!

Date Night Blog Collaboration with DearSerendipity

My friend from high school, Emily Piskulick, writes a darling fashion blog called DearSerendipity. We collaborated our two passions–food and fashion–to create two date night ideas. One is more casual with a classic jean look and chicken dish. The other is a bit fancy with a pretty dress and gourmet pasta.

For a casual date night, this dinner is easy to prepare and delicious to enjoy. The lemon pepper chicken from Life’s Ambrosia is flavored by a zesty marinade. The spinach salad with balsamic vinaigrette is full of colorful veggies. A side of Uncle Ben’s wild rice, or any flavor that you like, will be a nice balance and will only take a few minutes to cook. Store-bought or homemade angel food cake with strawberries and whipped cream is a light, no-bake dessert.

This pesto and shrimp pasta tastes as gourmet as it looks. Plus, the leftovers double in flavor the next day. Any roasted vegetable would pair beautifully with the pasta. I chose asparagus, but squash, tomatoes or yellow zucchini also be complementary. The side of bread is an extra touch, but not essential. A giant pizookie (pizza-cookie), like this one from Serious Eats, is fun to share with a date.

Emily has all the details about the outfits on her DearSerendipity post! Check it out and share the link with your friends. You could even pass the link on to your significant other as a hint for a date night ;)