Behind The Butter

february favorites

This month, I am especially loving this photo of the sunrise over St. Pete bay. I was driving from Jaden’s house to the Tampa airport and was so taken by the sunrise (and hopped up on my Dunkin Donuts coffee! Man, I miss Dunkin Donuts over here in California) that I had to pull over and snap a shot with my iphone.

That day I literally watched the sun rise in the east and set in the west.

I’m also loving this book by Georgia Pellegrini. Although I’m not a hunter myself (I have trouble killing spiders), I truly admire Georgia’s passion to find out where our food really comes from.

This post by Baker’s Royale. I found myself fist pumping the air when I read it…and then craving scrambled eggs.

These baked beignets! I have a few more Mardi Gras-themed meals coming up in the next few weeks, but these will always be my favorite. They’re just so doughy! So sweet! So absolutely covered in powdered sugar.

Β This two ingredient strawberry fudge….seriously!!!! I’m going to try the recipe on Valentine’s Day. Thanks, Pinterest!

And while we’re talking about deliciousness, let’s chat for a sec about this rainbow cake. All I can say is WOW. Just wow.

This pizza cookbook! I just ordered it myself after Todd used the dough recipe last week in Florida to produce some of the best pizza that I’ve ever tasted. No kneading required—you literally just throw all the dough ingredients in a big bowl, put it in the fridge and that’s it! I’m a believer.

This retro EAT sign from LifeUnscripted that now hangs in my kitchen (there are more available!).Β  It’s the perfect shade of blue.

Meyer lemon margaritas! Just use meyer lemons instead of limes—-delish!

….actually, I’m loving meyer lemon everything. Especially Maria’s pudding cake.

After using Jaden’s Keurig coffee machine all last week and getting all too used to the convenience of it (cup of coffee in thirty seconds? sign me up!), I debated buying my own. But then I went out and bought a new French press instead (here’s the exact one I bought)! I’ll take the extra three and a half minutes for the perfect cup.

The best camera is the one that’s with you.

 

 

 

 

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  • Jill
    February 11, 2012 at 5:01 am

    French press! Good choice. πŸ˜›

  • Avery
    February 11, 2012 at 5:15 am

    My roommate just yesterday made that strawberry fudge for her boyfriend! She cut them into heart shapes, covered them in white chocolate and put them on a stick like a cake pop. Plus the fudge consistency was great.. I’d recommend it! πŸ™‚

    Love the sunrise/sunset moments!

    • jenna
      February 11, 2012 at 8:53 am

      good to know about the fudge! πŸ™‚ I plan to cut mine out with heart cookie cutter and just cover them with sprinkles πŸ™‚

  • Kristin
    February 11, 2012 at 5:35 am

    That’s the french press that I have and I love it….but have been using my coffee pot for the past few months and honestly kind of forgot about it! Thanks for the reminder….I’ll be swapping those today πŸ™‚

  • Kristin @ FoodFash
    February 11, 2012 at 6:19 am

    That “eat” sign is SO adorable. I bet it looks fantastic in your kitchen!

  • Gina @ Running to the Kitchen
    February 11, 2012 at 6:53 am

    I get the convenience of the Keurig but every time I’ve had coffee from one of them, I think it tastes horrific. I assume it’s the Kcup and not the actual machine, but it’s just weird that I’ve tried it at least 10 different times with the same outcome (and using different Kcups!). So I think your french press decision was a good one. πŸ™‚

  • Coco @ Opera Girl Cooks
    February 11, 2012 at 7:00 am

    I use a manual burr grinder and Chemex coffee maker to brew my coffee every morning. The whole pour-over thing is a little time-consuming, sure, but I prefer the coffee to french press. It’s smooth and completely lacking in bitterness. Have you tried pour-over, Jenna?

    • jenna
      February 11, 2012 at 8:52 am

      Nope! I’ve had it though in San Francisco and it was great.

  • Maria
    February 11, 2012 at 7:39 am

    Love that first photo! That blue eat sign is perfect for you! So fun! Thanks for the Meyer Lemon Pudding Cake love-that is a new favorite dessert at our house! Happy Saturday my friend!

  • Mel @ Post Grad Mel
    February 11, 2012 at 7:57 am

    I love this post series! Good call on passing on the Keurig- I find that the coffee is too watery for my liking. Like you, I value a strong cup of joe! Also those beignets look fabulous! I went to New Orleans last year for Mardi Gras (conveniently placed over our Spring Break!) and ended up going to Cafe du Monde twice, including post-Ash Wednesday mass at the cathedral across the street. Lastly, all this talk about Meyer Lemons is making me want some lemon squares!

  • Margarita
    February 11, 2012 at 8:08 am

    Good choice on the French press. As convenient as the Keurig is, I find all those individual, little cups very wasteful. Have you ever tried the Storyville coffee from Seattle? They deliver freshly roasted beans to customers every week. I had it when I house sat for my friend and it is sooooo good.

    • jenna
      February 11, 2012 at 8:26 am

      I haven’t! I’ll look it up!

  • Jules @ La Petite Maison Verte
    February 11, 2012 at 8:12 am

    Good post πŸ™‚ I LOVE the Artisan bread in 5 minutes book, it makes baking fresh homemade bread SO doable during the week when things are hectic. Never tried the recipe for pizza dough though, so now I think it’s a must.

    • shan
      February 13, 2012 at 11:24 am

      the master recipe from the original book can also be used for pizza dough (just roll it out!)

      i loved the original book and the pizza book is even better – complete with weights for measurement, making it even easier. my husband and i eat homemade pizza, calzones, or naan at least once a week and it’s such a time / money saver.

      i obviously heartily recommend the naan recipe from the pizza book as well! it pairs perfectly with ELR’s channa masala.

  • Lauren @ What Lauren Likes
    February 11, 2012 at 8:18 am

    I want to make that rainbow cake πŸ˜€

  • Averie @ Love Veggies and Yoga
    February 11, 2012 at 8:42 am

    Enjoy your new French press and I loved Naomi’s post and was fist-pumping and nodding in agreement with the whole thing, too.

    And your baked beignets…can’t believe Mardi Gras is coming up so soon already…they look perfect.

  • Lisa
    February 11, 2012 at 8:55 am

    That is a beautiful sunrise pic.

    Also, Dunkin Donuts is possibly the most popular thing in the world where I live (Boston). You can’t drive for more than 2 minutes in any direction without stumbling over one. When I was growing up, there were probably 3 or 4 within a 1 minute radius of my high school!

  • Aylin @ Glow Kitchen
    February 11, 2012 at 8:57 am

    I can’t recall ever having created a proper margarita with limes…although my reason was out of complete laziness.

  • Jenn
    February 11, 2012 at 9:29 am

    BTW, meant to tell you I love all of your book recommendations. I loved The Baker’s Daughter, wrote a review on Goodreads.com and the author herself “liked” my review! Totally a dorky moment for me! πŸ˜‰ I’m reading The Winter Sea right now and it’s really good so far.

  • K @ The Chic Teach
    February 11, 2012 at 9:53 am

    I’ve never actually had a beignet! I need to remedy this, asap.

  • Anne Weber-Falk
    February 11, 2012 at 10:15 am

    Glad you went with the French press. Did you know that those single cups are not recyclable? They are causing problems at the waste facilities and filling up the landfills. Those little cups might taste good but they are really very bad for us. Enjoy that new press and thank you.

  • andrea
    February 11, 2012 at 10:48 am

    Share the pizza recipe!!!! I cant wait to try the lemon cake.

  • Laura @ She Eats Well
    February 11, 2012 at 10:56 am

    I love my French Press; it’s so easy! And I also love that Eat sign for the kitchen….I think I could spend hours and hours on etsy…it is oh so dangerous.

  • Angela @ Happy Fit Mama
    February 11, 2012 at 11:57 am

    Thanks for the link to the rainbow cake. Beautifully written post by a loving Mama to an awesome little boy. So sweet it made me cry! And then I wanted a piece of the cake!

  • AJ
    February 11, 2012 at 1:30 pm

    You should buy a nespresso with a milk frother. It is like Keurig, but for espresso. It is awesome. I love mine so much.

  • Moni'sMeals
    February 11, 2012 at 3:04 pm

    Great Month round up for sure. Cool to know of the pizza book and the Strawberry Fudge!

    FRENCH PRESS all the way, I love it!

  • Molly @ RDexposed
    February 11, 2012 at 3:16 pm

    French press has always been on my “maybe” list of things to buy. It needs to move to the “must” list.

  • Andrea @ The Skinny Chronicles
    February 11, 2012 at 5:17 pm

    I love yesterday’s recipe. I am going to whip it up tomorrow, for sure. And congrats on your book coming together. I can’t wait to read it!

  • Dominique
    February 11, 2012 at 5:51 pm

    I have no plans for Valentine’s Day since the fiance has a midterm that day and an essay due the next day. He’s not much of a fudge fan but he does love beignets! I think I might actually try out that recipe–even though my last adventure with yeast was a disaster.

    That rainbow cake is awesome! And the story that goes with it. I made a rainbow cake for my friend’s bday last year and it was a huge hit! I covered the cake layers in vanilla bean buttercream and then covered that in shredded coconut. It just looked like a big white cake until the birthday girl cut it open.

  • shelly (cookies and cups)
    February 12, 2012 at 6:57 am

    Thanks for the link back to the fudge!!

  • KateSouth
    February 12, 2012 at 8:52 am

    What a beautiful sunrise. Definitely worth stopping for. And I totally agree with the french press decision. The pods are convenient, but it’s just not the same taste.

  • Liz @ Tip Top Shape
    February 12, 2012 at 9:48 am

    I’ve always wanted to buy myself a french press! I love, love, LOVE coffee and know I would use it a lot. And probably love it a lot, too! Anyhoo, that picture of the sunset is absolutely stunning!

  • Joss
    February 12, 2012 at 11:30 am

    Great list and pictures! I bookmarked that pizza book…must check it out πŸ™‚
    I have a french press and a keurig…I find myself using the K more – might be an addiction lol

  • Stephen, Feeding My Folks
    February 12, 2012 at 1:33 pm

    The fudge looks like a great recipe. I just joined Pinterest last night (feel free to friend me at FeedingMyFolks), so hopefully I’ll find some gems too.
    Also that pizza cookbook has been on my list of things to buy (it’s on my Amazon Wishlist) so please let us know if it’s worth picking up for delicious inspiration!
    Thanks, and happy February πŸ™‚

  • amy walters, aDESIGNdock
    February 13, 2012 at 9:46 am

    Ooh…love what you’re loving this month Jenna! I’m now craving pizza, coffee and beignets. Haha!

  • Stephie @ Eat Your Heart Out
    February 13, 2012 at 1:21 pm

    Baked beignets?? I’m so in. I visited New Orleans when I was 10 and have yet to forget that first taste of a Cafe Du Monde beignet. Yowza.

  • Kay
    February 14, 2012 at 4:05 am

    Beautiful photo and lucky me, I get to see that particular spot all the time. Technically though, it’s all Tampa Bay (I’ve never heard of it referred to as St. Pete Bay) even though you are approaching St. Petersburg. Glad you enjoyed our countryside here in Manatee County.

  • Julie
    February 14, 2012 at 7:09 am

    Maybe you could do a post on your new French press! I have one but have yet to master it!

  • Sara
    February 16, 2012 at 12:46 pm

    Love the photo of the kid running on the beach πŸ™‚

  • february favorites – Eat, Live, Run « Eric Banner
    January 18, 2013 at 4:46 am

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