A Cooking Conversion Printable!

Don't you love this measurement conversion chart?  Sugar and Charm is giving away this beautiful goodness for free!  I'm printed mine out yesterday, and it's going to be sticking to my fridge with a magnet for a while, but I'd like to get it in a standing frame for one of my kitchen corners.

via Sugar and Charm (click to download)

What My Blog Is and Isn't

Guys, my blog has changed a lot.

A long time ago, it was like an online journal.  Even later, I would write out long, drawn out, heartfelt letters on my life.  In Korea, I would tell stories and share pictures of adventures.  Now, I don't know what I have going on here.

When I read old posts of mine like this, I'm reminded of what I really want this blog to be.  Genuine.  I tend to be genuine by nature, I want this blog to be a reflection of who I am, and I want to be able to share my heart and growing thoughts.  But then there are other things I want this blog to be, too.  I love to research and to share research.  My post on birth control is one that I'm very, very proud of.  I'm also proud of my recent Job Hunt Series.  Sharing helpful information is something I'm passionate about, and when I have an opportunity to do that in this medium, I just love it.  I like sharing about the few things I've made, too, even if I've done a crummy job...

How to Be a Good Guest At a Dinner Party

My boss, Diane, likes to throw dinner parties.  We'll usually have two a year for the whole office plus dates.

Now, Diane is a part of high society here in Atlanta.  To my embarrassment, I was not prepared for her high society dinner party.  We arrived right on time and came empty handed, both major faux pas I was unaware of until I saw everyone else arriving "late" and bringing gifts for our hostess.  Dear oh dear, I'm never letting this happen again.

To save yourself the same embarrassment, read this article from Dinner, A Love Story for the low down on proper etiquette.  Then the next trick is figuring out what kind of hostess gifts you can bring after being invited over so many times.  Don't want to seem repetitive, you know?  Here are some ideas and tips.

Recommended with Carnitas

I've got an awesome recipe to share with you.  Slow cooker carnitas!  I've made it twice, and it's a favorite.

I got the recipe from The Noshery.  I almost followed it perfectly. I used all the same ingredients exactly like prescribed, but I didn't cut the meat before hand.  I actually just cut the huge pork shoulder in half and plopped it into the crock pot and continued with the rest of the steps.  When it was finished cooking, the first time I made it I fried up some of the meat, but I found that took away the moisture, so the second time I made it, I didn't fry it, which makes the recipe that much easier.

Put meat in crock pot > Put ingredients on top of meat (you don't even have to mince the garlic if you don't want to) > Shred meat in its juices once it's finished cooking > Serve with tortillas!

Bada-bing!

My favorite toppings are pictured above.  A little bit of sour cream, avocado, radishes, and fresh cilantro.  It's the perfect bite of summer!  (I'd love to have people over for an end-of-summer party and serve these carnitas and this cilantro lime shrimp I tried last week.)

Bonus: You can use some meat and its juices to make this great and hearty Puerto Rican soup called posole.  See the recipe here.

Recommended with carnitas...

Dreaming Together

One of my favorite things to do with Caleb is to dream about our perfect future.  We talk about where we'd like to live, what we'd like to do and be good at, and what we'd like to be focusing on years from now.  We come up with different ideas, but they all fit in nicely around a large parcel of land in the country.  Envisioning all our ideas together makes me think that our home will be the kind of place Robin and Marian would visit.

Transylvanian Dream by Laszlo Indig

Recommended with Greek Baked Chicken

I love a well cooked chicken.  Flavorful, tender, and juicy or crispy, crunchy, and hot.  Caleb cooked me my first seared chicken, and it's a unanimous favorite.  Thighs seared in butter with garlic clothes and dusted with salt and pepper.  It's such a simple recipe, but when I first had it, I was so impressed!  What is this wonder you've prepared?!

I typically don't bake.  I have a bad habit of accidentally burning myself, and putting any limbs into an oven makes me turn the other way, but emboldened by the Herb + Citrus Chicken masterpiece I made this winter, I decided it might be worth it to try a few things from this NY Times piece.

DIY to Try?

I found this Tea Garden in a Box idea on Martha Stewart's website.  I like it so much!  Herbs to supplement your tea or to create your own blends, how cool is this?  I've wished of having my own herb garden someday, but I hadn't even considered using the herbs for tea.  Have you ever made your own?