Roasted Rosemary Almonds

roasted almonds are one of my go-to snacks, i decided to step them up a bit by roasting them at home with some rosemary and cayenne. great tasty treat when you are on the go!

ROASTED ROSEMARY ALMONDS
2 cups skin-on whole raw almonds
2 tablespoons dried rosemary
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly-ground pepper
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon cayenne petter

1. pre-heat oven for 325º
2. in a bowl mix together all of the above ingredients, make sure almonds are all coated
3. on a sheet pan evenly distribute the almonds into one layer and bake for 20 mins or until lightly golden
4. allow almonds to cool and store in air right container




PHOTOS BY JENNIFER CHONG

Featured on Design*Sponge

happy friday! design*sponge was one of the first blogs i ever read so i couldn't be more thrilled to share my fruit and nut bar recipe on their blog today. *happy dance* please hop on over to d*s to check out the rest of the photos and full recipe. special thank you to kristina and grace for having me!

have a wonderful weekend, i'll see you guys here next week with a little bit of what i did in nyc.

PHOTOS BY JENNIFER CHONG

Oh Hello Friend

have you guys heard of oh hello friend the cute and craft blog of danni hong? she recently opened up her very own brick and mortar store in orange county! you can find an assortment of great gift ideas and vintage finds at very reasonable prices. i got the chance to ask danni some questions about the store and her blog, her is what she had to say!

can you describe the process of starting oh hello friend, what were you doing before you started?
starting oh, hello friend was a slow process and has been a labor of love. this year actually marks the 5th year we’ve been in business. i was working as a graphic designer when i started the blog and etsy shop.studying graphic design in college really helped in starting my own business since i could do all the design myself.

how did you expand from having an online shop to your very own brick and mortar?
we started selling at craft shows shortly after i started my shop on etsy. we did our first craft show in 2009. people have always asked us if we owned a shop. last year, we decided it was time to open a retaillocation and our shop opened in february 2013! our online presence is still very helpful and people who don’t live in the area still support us by ordering online.

Panang Curry with Coconut Cauliflower Rice

a few weeks ago i was a guest blogger on sonia monagheddu's blog "oggi pan e salame domani" – she's an italian food blogger! i shared one of my favorite go-to recipes, panang curry with coconut rice. be sure to check out sonia's blog for some delicious eats!

The OC Mart Mix

after visiting rolling greens my friend jon told me to check out the oc mart mix. fun space filled with lots of little shops for everyone including a cheese shop, outdoor home store, clothing, and yummy snack/eateries. i enjoyed a pitaya bowl with pineapple, kiwi, bananas and coconut so delicious.

OC MIX MART
3313 Hyland Avenue Suite C
Costa Mesa, CA 92626

PHOTOS BY JENNIFER CHONG

May Round Up

1. PORCELAIN JAR   •  2. COTTON BOWL   •   3. SHELL WOOD SPOON   •   4. LEATHER TOTE   •   5. TWIG PENCIL   •   6. ENAMEL STORAGE BOXES   •   7. WILLENDORF BOTTLE   •   8. CORIUMI TRIBAL POUCH   •   9. GEOMETRY SET CANDLESTICK

+ PHOTOS AS NOTED ABOVE | LAYOUT BY JCHONG STUDIO +

Rolling Greens

i admit i don't have much of a green thumb but when i saw my friend lindsay instagram rolling greens i was intrigued and wanted to check it out. it's a beautiful space and definitely not your average nursery. they carried lots of things you'd find in a nursery but also home decor, furniture, kitchen goods and even a few jams and salts! they also offer classes for floral arrangement and terrariums. i've always loved the way terrariums look, i just might have to take a class!

Strawberry 'Donut' Cakes

i've never considered myself a food blogger and actually – never even really considered myself much of a 'blogger' either. my blog started as a place for me to save things that inspired me but since pinterest came along, i've been using this space to document my favorite things like travel, design, photography and yes, food! last week someone called me a 'food blogger' and it made me chuckle inside. im so thankful to have readers on my little space on the web. being able to share my adventures and reading your comments make me smile. so i've been wondering, what is your favorite thing to read on my blog?

and now... some strawberry 'donut' cakes – i called them donut cakes because it's not really a doughnut and more of a cake in a doughnut shape!

Progress

last week some i drove down to san diego to visit some old friends who were visiting from atlanta, it's so great to reconnect. with facebook, email and everything social on the internet these days it's easier to stay in touch but being in the same place just feels totally different! we spent most of our time at home hanging out with their little kids but we did make a lunch stop at station tavern and then walked into this adorable shop called progress along the way.

progress carries unique fun finds for everyone. you can find jewelry, magazines, kitchen goods, toys, paper goods and even furniture. one of my favorite things in the shop were these typography map posters. it looks like they have an online shop coming soon for those of you who aren't in the area but until then check out their blog for updates!

Sweet Potato Baked Chips with Orange and Thyme

i love potato chips but of course they aren't always the most healthy go-to snack. after saving countless recipes i'm finally taking the time to make some of those delicious eats from my recipe box. im a big fan of sweet potatoes and sometimes actually even prefer them over regular potatoes – these baked sweet potato chips are easy to make and yummy snack!

SWEET POTATO BAKED CHIPS WITH ORANGE AND THYMYE adapted from melangery
2 sweet potatoes
4-5 tablespoons of olive oil
1 tablespoon of blood orange zest (if you like the zesty flavor add more! you can also use a regular orange too)
1/2 cup of orange juice
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon of thyme

1. preheat oven to 325º
2. using a mandoline slicer slice the sweet potato into thin rounds
3. in a small bowl mix olive oil, thyme, orange zest + juice together.
4. toss sliced potatoes in olive oil mixture - make sure pieces are evenly coated.
5. on a baking sheet, place potato slices in a single layer – you will need multiple baking sheets for all of the potatoes or wait till one rack is clear
6. sprinkle with salt and bake until edges are golden brown, about 20 mins.
7. allow chips to cool and serve!

PHOTOS BY JENNIFER CHONG