Inspired by the holiday of love, I selected this modern, blush dusted Lenox platter and proceeded to fill it with pink, red and white sweets. Most of the candy I picked up from Target and Trader Joe’s, then handmade the chocolate dipped pretzels.

How to create your Valentine’s Day candy board

First, pick your platter. I love working with Lenox. They have the most beautiful product and it’s all made here in America (for over 130 years).

Second, choose a color palette. Naturally, I stuck with pinks, reds and whites for a traditional Valentine’s scheme.

Place the smaller sweets in bowls around the board, and arrange the rest by type in a semi-methodical manner. To contain the bite sized candies, I repurposed these amazing Lenox nesting bowls.

Proudly serve and enjoy!

The post How to Create a Valentine’s Day Candy Board first appeared on Lindsey Boova.

Little Thai Kitchen | Thai | Darien, CT

Munay Kitchen | Peruvian | Norwalk, CT

Rincon Taqueria | Mexican | Norwalk, CT

Sunset Grille | American | Westport, CT

Tavern at Graybarns | American | Westport, CT

The Restaurant at Rowayton Seafood | American | Rowayton, CT 

Pin and header image credit: Tavern at Graybarns

The post Dining | Local Guide first appeared on Lindsey Boova.

 

 

I was so thrilled to once again partner with Lenox who has the most perfect tabletop pieces for Halloween including the Valencia all purpose glasses, Contempo dinner plates, Vintage Halloween dessert plates, Colebrook flatware and pumpkin salt and pepper shakers. I repurposed this Etsy burlap runner from years past and filled my Julia Knight Florentine bowl with faux pumpkins and added a pepper plant and black bird for an extra pop of fun.

 

 

Caramel Apple Nachos

Ingredients

30 large marshmallows (I substituted these with white chocolate)

5 Tbsp butter

1 bag caramel bits

1 tbsp water

4-5 apples (sliced)

Toppings (mini chocolate chips, sprinkles, peanuts)

Instructions

In a saucepan, melt the marshmallows and butter over low heat. Stir periodically until completely melted. If you choose to use white chocolate chips instead, combine chips and a bit of olive oil in a bowl and microwave until melted.

Combine the caramels and water in a bowl and microwave until melted (I microwaved in 30 second intervals, stirring in between until caramel smoothed – it will bubble if it gets too hot)

Arrange the sliced apples on a plate and pour the caramel and marshmallow mixtures over them.

Add toppings of choice and serve immediately.

 

 

Sprinkle Cookies

(inspired by Shop Sweet Lulu)

Ingredients

Wafer cookies

Sprinkles

White Chocolate Chips

Instructions

In a bowl, microwave white chocolate chips with a bit of olive oil.

Cover the ends of your wafer cookies in the melted chocolate.

Place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.

Add sprinkles.

Storing in refrigerator will harden the chocolate faster than leaving out.

 

 

Mini Rice Krispy Treat Ghosts + Mummies

Ingredients

Rice Krispy Treats

Frosting

Mini Chocolate Chips

Instructions

Apply frosting to Rice Krispy Treat.

Decorate with additional colors to create ghosts, using mini chocolate chips as eyes, or using decorative frosting create mummies, again using mini chocolate chips as eyes.

Place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and store in fridge until hardened.

Serve and enjoy.

The post Halloween Treats + Tabletop Styling first appeared on Lindsey Boova.

For whatever reason, we can’t seem to eat our bananas fast enough, half the bunch always ends up going ripe. As an alternative to freezing them as banana pops, making banana pancakes, or the ever popular banana bread, we’ve made chocolate chip banana bars. Filling the house with sweet smells and having a yummy snack within an arms reach is reason enough to head to the kitchen and bake.

Ingredients (for ~24 bars)

Nonstick Vegetable Oil Spray/Cooking Spray

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup of granulated sugar

1/4 cup coconut oil

1/4 cup milk

2 eggs

1/4 cup milk (we use almond)

1 teaspoon cinnamon

4 bananas (very ripe)

1 cup chocolate chips (Optional, though we always encourage a heavy pour on the chocolate chips. Unfortunately, we were running low on chips at this point, so our bars will include less than typically desired)

Instructions

Heat the oven to 350 degrees

Prep your baking pan with nonstick spray

Peel bananas and mash well

Stir in sugar, oil, milk and eggs. Once combined, fold in half the chocolate chips.

Spread batter into the prepared pan and sprinkle in remaining chips.

Bake for ~18 minutes and a tester inserted into the center comes out clean.

Allow bars to cool and cut into squares.

The post Chocolate Chip Banana Bars first appeared on Lindsey Boova.

Baking together each week has been a really nice activity for Wesleigh and I, both in the moment pouring and mixing as well as afterwards when we can enjoy whatever treat we just cooked.

Ingredients

Annie’s Organic Cookie Brownie Bars

1 stick of butter

4 tablespoons water

1 egg

Instructions

Instructions for this recipe is super minimal which makes it great for toddlers

Heat oven to 350F

Combine Annie’s mix with 1/2 stick melted butter, 2 tablespoons water and 1 egg until well blended

Spread batter into pan

In another bowl, add cookie mix, 1/2 stick of butter and 2 tablespoons water until well blended

Drop cookie dough onto brownie batter in 3 rows of 3 via 9 scooped tablespoons

Bake as indicated on the box, let cool and enjoy!

 Note: Affiliate links may be used in this post. I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you if you use my affiliate link. Full disclosure policy here.

The post Annie’s Organic Cookie Brownie Bars first appeared on Lindsey Boova.

Research shows that involving children in their own food preparation has been linked to a direct increase in food awareness, consumption and personal confidence, according to research published by the Cambridge University press. Preparing our meals and baking special treats has been a great way for us to relax, unwind and get creative.

Set up for this is minimal and simple for your child to get involved. I divided up the pizza dough and worked with Wesleigh to spin and stretch the dough into our perfectly sized Lenox mini luna plates. From there, Wes added the sauce and cheese on her own (hence the extra cheese). Once we finished making a few pies, I baked these in the oven but you can use a toaster oven if you’re making a smaller batch.

You’ll want the crust to be lightly browned and crisp while the cheese is melted and gooey. Bon appetit!

Ingredients

Pizza Dough (for this recipe we used whole wheat, use whatever your family prefers)

Tomato Sauce

Shredded Mozzarella Cheese

Fresh Basil (red pepper, oregano, whatever else your family prefers)

Instructions

There are not many instructions for this recipe which makes it great to create with children.

Break up the dough into pieces for your child to stretch

Place onto baking sheet

Invite your child to add the sauce, cheese and additional toppings

Bake time will vary pending the size pie you create

Allow to cool (just a bit!) and enjoy!

 Note: Affiliate links may be used in this post. I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you if you use my affiliate link. Full disclosure policy here.

The post Mini Pizza Pies first appeared on Lindsey Boova.

Although I enjoy cooking, especially with Wes, I seem to never have the right tools or ingredients on hand when I find an interesting recipe. Fortunately, this time around, I had pretty much everything needed to whip up this hearty dinner. Now that Wes and I have been preparing most of our meals together, I think it’s time to invest in some proper kitchen tools. More on that later..

Ingredients

1/3 cup pine nuts, toasted

1 pound penne (we used angel hair)

1 tablespoon kosher salt (for pasta water)

2 medium cloves garlic (smashed)

1/3 cup fresh parsley

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1 teaspoon fresh thyme or 1/2 teaspoon dried

1 1/2 cups peas

15 ounce ricotta cheese

1 tablespoon lemon zest

2-3 tablespoons lemon juice (to taste)

1/4 cup oil

2 teaspoons kosher salt

3/4 teaspoon black pepper

Instructions

In a skillet, toast the pine nuts over medium heat. Stir them constantly and watch them carefully so they don’t burn. Once the pine nuts are golden, remove to a plate and set aside. 

Fill the skillet with water and add 1 tablespoon of salt. Bring to a boil over high heat and add the pasta until it is cooked al dente.

When ready, drain the pasta and return to the same pot. Drizzle with olive oil and stir.

To make the ricotta pea sauce, blend add garlic and parsley, oregano and thyme until the parsley and garlic are finely chopped.

Add 1 1/2 cups peas, the ricotta, the lemon zest and juice, 1/4 cup olive oil, 2 teaspoons kosher salt (see note), and black pepper. Pulse until the mixture comes together but still has some texture to it, it shouldn’t be completely smooth. 

Add the ricotta mixture to the pasta and stir. Add in remaining cup of peas.

Add 1/2 cup grated Parmesan and a few drizzles of olive oil.

Top each serving with some toasted pine nuts. 

Note: Affiliate links may be used in this post. I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you if you use my affiliate link. Full disclosure policy here.

The post Lemon Pasta with Ricotta and Fresh Peas first appeared on Lindsey Boova.

Now that going to the movies is not an option, we’ve brought the theater home which has allowed us to have endless candy options – good for our relationship, not so good for our diet.  

Inspired by Aint Too Proud To Meg, I gathered some favorite candies and my new Naomi Bay serving pieces from Lenox to put together a fun and completely over the top candy board. Since I served an obscene amount of candy for such few people, we kept our movie night soda free and elected to serve sparkling water because, well, balance.

Instructions

Gather your favorite treats

Create ‘grounding points’ for items such as M&Ms or Snow Caps that will not remain in one place.

Add large scale items including Twizzlers or yogurt pretzels

Balance color, texture and sizes to create visual interest

Enjoy!

Note: Affiliate links may be used in this post. I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you if you use my affiliate link. Full disclosure policy here.

The post Movie Night Candy Board first appeared on Lindsey Boova.

We collected quite a few and decided to use the remaining berries we did not eat right away to make a simple, three ingredient strawberry jam.

Three ingredient strawberry jam.

Recipe via Martha Stewart

Ingredients

1 quart hulled strawberries

1/2 cup sugar

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

Instructions

Coarsely chop strawberries

Transfer to large skillet and stir in sugar and lemon juice

Cook over medium/high, stirring frequently. Jam should thicken and bubbles will form on the surface. This should take about 10 minutes.

Transfer jam to a jar, allow to cool.

Seal jar, store and refrigerate up to 10 days.

The post Homemade Strawberry Jam first appeared on Lindsey Boova.

Honestly though, I’m mostly excited to set a beautiful table and break out our new Lenox dinnerware and a few finishing touches from La Dentelliere. Our table will be set for adults and children so I thought I’d share how we’ll be dining and a few of the tot-friendly recipes that we’ll be serving. 

I kept our Fourth of July decor and styling classic with a red, white and blue color palette, grounding the table with a polka dot linen. I partnered with Lenox, the American leader in tableware, selecting their classic yet modern Profile dinner plates, fun vintage cherry dot accent plates, all purpose Valencia glasses and Roxbury Red place setting to add a fashionable flair. Tying everything together, I used durable wooden placemats and navy plaid napkins from La Dentelliere, a shop in Westchester, NY that has the most beautifully curated selection of home decor and giftable items.

Putting our Father’s Day gift to use, we grilled up burgers, chicken kebobs and plenty of veggies. I threw together an Avocado Tomato Salad with fresh vegetables from our local Farmer’s Market, a kid-friendly Watermelon Ginger Mock-jito and Rice Krispy Treats, an easy to make July 4th dessert the whole family enjoyed.

I even made sure Wesleigh was dressed for the occasion in her new Monogram Mary customized sweater. We love a good personalized piece!

Avocado Tomato Salad

Ingredients

¼ cup extra virgin olive oil

Lemon Juice (1 whole lemon)

3 avocados (cubed)

1 pt cherry tomatoes (halved)

1/3 cup corn (optional)

1 Jalapeño (optional)

2 tbsp chopped cilantro

Instructions

In a small bowl whisk together the oil and lemon juice.

Season with salt and pepper (to taste).

In a large serving bowl combine remaining ingredients.

Toss gently with dressing.

Serve and enjoy.

Watermelon Ginger Mock-jito

(as recommended by my wonderful friend, neighbor and recipe developer, Kathleen)

Ingredients

⅓ cup seedless watermelon, diced 

4 fresh mint leaves, plus a couple of sprigs for garnish

1 cup ginger ale

2 lime wedges, cut into halves (4 pieces total)

Crushed ice

Sparkling water

Instructions

In each glass, distribute the watermelon, mint leaves, and lime wedges evenly and muddle the ingredients with the end of a wooden spoon or cocktail muddler. 

Use a little elbow grease to puree the watermelon a bit and get the oils and flavor out of the mint and lime. 

Add a handful of crushed ice and evenly distribute the ginger ale.  

Top with sparkling water and stir lightly.

Garnish with some fresh mint and enjoy.

Rice Krispy Treats

Ingredients

3 tbsp butter

½ tsp vanilla extract

1 bag JET-PUFFED mini marshmallows

6 cups Kellogg’s® Rice Krispies® cereal

Instructions

In a large saucepan melt butter over low heat.

Add marshmallows and stir until melted completely.

Add cereal and stir until well coated.

Transfer into 13×9 pan lined with parchment paper and coated with non stick spray.

Softly spread and stretch the mixture into the pan with greased fingers or a greased.

Cover top with sprinkles.

Let cool.

Cut into 2” squares, serve and enjoy.

The post Easy Fourth of July Backyard Entertaining Ideas first appeared on Lindsey Boova.