Nikkilooch

• One bite pizzas might be a good substitute for bagel bites.  Also known as my one true love.
• Mini dessert after the pizza bites? Bite-sized  peanut butter popcorn balls.
• Bacon beer cornbread. Three of my favorite things combined.
• Portion control, portion control, portion control. Scone for one. An answer to prayers.
• Cheese croutons. Yes, yes, yes.
• Joy and Tracy talked with T Flo on the podcast this week.  Amazing!
• 10 light spring soups.
• 5 online baking equipment sources. So important if you live overseas.  I hope these guys ship to APOs.
• A World War II bomb was found in my neighborhood this week.  Scary or exciting? Discuss.

It’s time for real talk.  Lately, I’m uninspired: in the kitchen, in my journals, in life.

Womp, womp.

This rhubarb cake? Fail.

So, I’ve decided.  I’m going to search for the one true recipe that my heart desires and I’m going to make it.  This is going to be an inspired weekend.  A cooking weekend.  A journaling and writing weekend.

Lunch quinoa fail.

I have two days to find something great to make.  Something scary.  Something that takes time.  And I’m going to make the heck out of it.

Chocolate fail.

If you’ve seen any great recipes lately please, please, please tell me about them.  I’m thinking homemade bread or maybe tackling my fear of pie crusts.  It’s research time.

I canNOT get enough of this mighty maple peanut butter by Peanut Butter & Co.  I am eating more apples than usual just to have a healthy vehicle to get this stuff to my mouth in my face.

I ordered these Levi’s a little over two weeks ago and have worn them almost every time I’ve left the house since.  They take me back to high school.  My favorite pair of jeans were light-wash bellbottoms that I loved so much I wore even after I wore a whole in the knee.  I like to think these are a little more fashion forward, but still just as soft and well loved as my jeans from high school.

It’s finally starting to warm up and get green in Germany.  Yesterday my husband and I barbecued some sausages and eggplant for dinner.  Amazing.  Easily my favorite part of summer.

I can’t get enough English breakfast tea.  I’ve been brewing it in the morning instead of coffee, adding a Truvia and splash of skim milk.  My favorite is PG Tips, but I’ve been using Tetley lately since that’s what I can find here.

Finally being able to ride my bike!  My husband and I only have one car right now.  Since we live downtown and his new job is much more flexible than his old job it hasn’t been a problem.  But let me tell you, the extra mobility this girl gives me is so freeing.  Special thanks to my husband for fixing her up.

• The Healthy Everythingtarian is eating a salad a day in May.  She shared this creamy avocado dressing to start the month out right.
• Tea party appropriate fries?  Yes, please!
• This is my life.  White noise everywhere.
• Two peas and their pod are giving away a food processor.  So generous.
• Fact: Moms love brunch.
• Elise is about to release her summer mini books. I heart paper.
• I am a falafel monster.  These falafel veggie burgers look like a healthier way to enjoy them. I want to make these for lunch next week.
• Strawberry balsamic bacon pizza. No more words needed.
• Easiest thin mint recipe. Perfect for when you live in Germany and don’t know any girl scouts.  Gotta make your own.

I live in Germany.  It’s rainy and overcast here more often than not.  This gets a lot of people down.

My motto is make your own version of sunshine.

That’s not really my motto because I don’t have a life motto.  I feel like I’d never be able to top “Virginia is for lovers.”

If I did have one, “make your own version of sunshine” would be among the top contenders for being a witty saying about my life.  Life is going to give you trouble.  It’s guaranteed.  Cheer up.  Put on your big girl panties.  Make your own version of sunshine.

I dunno.  It’s growing on me.

I sunnied up our rainy weekend with cheesy chicken empanadas.

recipe adapted from Paula Deen

Hello my loves!  Welcome to Friday.  It’s a welcome sight in the DeMarco house.

• Annie’s magical trees are so cool.  Note to self, start drawing more.
• Artistry 101
• Andrea talks about a different way to think about losing weight.  Just what I needed this week.  In a word: hard.
• This chocolate strawberry pie looks amazing.
• Perfect lunch: french onion grilled cheese.
• Speaking of strawberries and grilled cheese…
• This poached egg video is video art.
• Pretzel love.

I’m having one of those weeks where I want to bury myself under my fuzzy pink blanket, close all the shutters, and watch hours and hours of TV I’ve already seen dozens of times (cough Gilmore Girls, Castle cough).

It’s also making me want to stuff my face with baked goods.

Except for Tuesday, I’m fighting against it pretty well with the help of some real truths from this book.

But if the urge to bake and eat scones is just too hard to resist, at least bake, eat two, and give away the rest so you don’t eat the whole batch.

Hello warmer weather.  I’ve been waiting for you.  Hello organizing.  Hello writing deadlines.  I need you in my life and thanks to someone special I have them.  Hello little things in my life.  I’m going take real good care of you.  I know God has something big planned for my life, just not quite sure what it is yet.  Start small.  Hello hard work.  Looking forward to knowing you better.

Great things are going to happen, May.

The best way to NOT start your weekend day trip to  Trier is by having a screaming fight with your husband.

Trust me on this one.

But after a 2 hour train ride with 2 great friends, you’ll start to calm down.

Then you’ll see the oldest most intact Roman ruins north of the Alps and beautiful churches and ancient amphitheaters and what you fought about will become insignificant.

That combined with the fact that the temperature got warm enough to take your coat off for the first time since moving to Germany will make it turn out to be a pretty great day actually.

Stopping by this one last church before hopping on the train home was a great decision.

Because otherwise, I would have missed out on this.

We’re here.  It’s Friday.  Thank the Lord above.

• I want to make these this weekend: mini whole wheat chicken calzones.
• News and truth are not the same thing.  Love this lady.
• I haven’t had enough scones in my life lately.  I think these or these need to make a Sunday brunch appearance.
• Holly says life is about choices.  Choose happy.
• DIY wine cooler.  This is genius.
• This strawberry basil soda looks so good.
• I love seeing how people live.  This article on how people from around the world style small spaces is a perfect glimpse into how people are living right.
• 16 ways to make a better veggie burger.
• Man’s life saved by kebab.