Dutch Babies – Almost as Easy to Make as Real Babies!

I had my first "Dutch Baby" in Chicago a few years ago, and have wanted to do a video on them ever since. I’ve always been fascinated by how many different breakfast foods you can create using just milk, eggs, and flour; and this is one of the more interesting examples. Especially considering the unusual, and borderline disturbing name.

Sometimes called “German pancakes,” these have very little to do with Germany, and nothing to do with the Dutch. Apparently they were invented by German immigrants who were referred to as “Dutch;” a corruption of the word “deutsch.” So, save your emails saying they don’t have these in Germany or the Netherlands. We know.  

As I mentioned briefly in the video, I like to use a little less batter than many recipes call for. I think this provides the best crispy-to-custardy ratio. I topped mine with butter, lemon, and powdered sugar, but any and all traditional pancake toppings will work wonderfully. I hope you give these beautiful ‘babies” a try soon. Enjoy!

Ingredients for 4 small or 2 large portions:

3 large room temperature eggs

2/3 cup room temperature milk

packed 1/2 cup flour (really pack the measuring cup firmly with flour)

1/4 tsp vanilla extract

1/4 tsp salt

3 tbsp clarified butter

- Bake at 425 F. 20-25 min
* garnish with melted butter, fresh lemon juice (Meyer if you can find it), and powdered sugar.

Showing off Jenna Sue

OK everybody. Get ready. Sit down, busy the kids, turn off your phone. Cause I’m about to keep you occupied for hours. HOURS people.

I am introducing you to my latest blog crush today and if you are like me you’ll be hooked as well. This girl is good. I’ve been reading Jenna Sue’s blog for a while now and I keep going to back to read older posts because I love her style so much. Finding a blog that I love is so. much. fun. I am excited to share her with you today because I think you’ll love her home too!

Let’s start at the foyer of her California home, shall we?:

All I have to say is white planked walls, wood accents and a black door. That is all. No other words needed.

Jenna Sue runs her business from home and has pretty office with beautiful view. I love how she’s organized the space:

She has a lot of supplies but everything is put together so well! My drawers stuffed with crap are looking mighty sad in comparison. ;)

OK. The kitchen. You have to see the before pics to appreciate it. I take that back – you can appreciate it just fine as it is:

I love built in anything and but benches make my heart sing.

You’ll notice planked walls everywhere – the ceilings with wood beams as well. It adds so much warmth to her house:

I now want to plank ALL THE WALLS in our house.

I knew I would love her style when I saw the dark gray wall behind her bed. :) Love the mix of rustic and traditional in her master bedroom:

Love those bedside sconces!

Her family room is undergoing a renovation right now but this corner of the room is looking fantastic:

I’m usually a dark hardwood girl but those floors are so pretty! They serve as a perfect backdrop to her neutral decor.

I love the fall touches she’s been sharing lately as well:

You can see how she made over that cabinet here.

And last but certainly not least, you HAVE to see her deck:

Seriously dreamy. I mean, the views?

Ridiculous. Love it!:

So there you go! I told you her house was awesome. I love Jenna Sue’s style and am happy to share her with you today.

Blogs are awesome. :) So much free inspiration – it’s truly amazing the talent out there.

Chicken Tikka Masala – God Save the Curry

I probably get more requests for Indian food than any other ethnic cuisine, so I was very excited to be posting this chicken tikka masala; until I found out it’s actually a British recipe. It was the same feeling I had when I found out that pizza wasn’t invented in New York. 

So technically, I still owe you an authentic Indian recipe, but in the meantime I think this will do nicely. While this is a stripped-down version, where we’ve cut out several time-consuming steps, it was still incredibly delicious, and very Indian curry-like. 

As I mention in the video, this is usually done with heavy cream, but I like to use coconut milk instead. It’s probably a little better for you, but above and beyond that, the subtle sweetness it provides works beautifully with the spices in the dish.

By the way, you can substitute chicken breast here, but since we’re not doing the traditional yogurt marinade first, I believe thighs work much better in this version. Usually chicken breasts are marinated in yogurt first, and then cooked in a tandoor oven, before being added to the sauce. It is a great way to do it, but even without that step, I thought this was excellent. So, I hope you give this American version of a British version of an Indian curry a try soon. Enjoy!

Ingredients for 4 portions of Chicken Tikka Masala:

1 1/2 pounds skinless, boneless chicken thighs

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

2 teaspoons kosher salt

1 teaspoons ground turmeric

2 teaspoons garam masala

2 teaspoons ground cumin

1 teaspoon ground coriander

1/8 teaspoon ground cardamom

1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

1 teaspoon smoked paprika

2 or 3 tablespoons clarified butter

1 onion, chopped

1/4 cup tomato paste

4 garlic cloves, finely grated

1 rounded tbsp finely grated peeled ginger

1 cup crushed tomatoes or tomato puree

1 can (13.5-oz) coconut milk, or about 1 2/3 cups heavy cream

1/2 to 1 cup chicken broth, or as needed (use to adjust sauce consistency to you liking)

1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

2 tablespoons freshly chopped cilantro

salt to taste

4 cups steamed rice

Fall nesting

Hello everybody! Hope you had a lovely fall weekend! In between some fun I was able to get a few little things done around the house and get a bit of fall decor out as well.

I’ve actually been tackling some little projects over the past week or so – including a LOT of cleaning and organizing. Our home has felt like a mess even weeks after the construction in the family room was completed. So I’ve been addressing the piles o’ crap everywhere and finishing up small projects along the way.

I’ve been planning to paint this mirror frame for weeks now:

I went back and forth on a color and actually started painting it a brick red color – which would look GREAT for fall. But I quickly realized come spring and summer that the color would feel really off in this room.

I don’t want to add too much more gray to this room but I felt like it needed some balancing out – so I went with gray. ;) It really feels right with that color on the fireplace across the room too.

I LOVE how it looks with the finish on that table, the white walls and the green lamps:

It’s cloudy and dark here today, hence the darker photos. You’ll see I also finished up that little bit of trim on the board and batten. The trim that’s still not painted. :) But at least it’s all done and ready for paint.

By the way, I framed out that mirror myself years ago. It used to live in the chocolate brown dining room and you can see how I made it here.

A wall in the old office has been without the top trim since July – I finally got that replaced (we saved a lot of the old trim so I just reused what I had for most of it). It still needs painting as well – do you sense a pattern here? But I got some art up on one wall that is done:

Which totally makes me feel like I’m getting to the home stretch in this room! Hanging stuff signifies (almost) completion to me. :)

I focused on the upstairs too and changed up the decor on the bedroom mantel to warm it up a bit:

Those walls STILL haven’t been painted to go with the new dark gray wall – but I do love that gray/green color for fall. It feels very cozy! I also cleaned the gas fireplace glass in preparation for the colder months. Today we’re supposed to have an unusually warm day but after that it’s going to get chilly for good.

And speaking of fireplaces – when I shared the new completed one in the family room a couple weeks ago some of you suggested painting the crown molding at the top. You were so right and I seriously stared at it every. single. day. wanting that white gone.

It finally bugged me so much I got up on the ladder late last night while I watched Revenge and got it painted to match the rest of the fireplace:

Ahhhh. SO much better. Now I can quit twitching. :)

Today my goal is to get the garage cleaned out so I can actually reach the rest of our fall decor. The boy is begging for some Halloween so I must comply.

It feels SO good to get little projects like these done! I’m really wanting to focus on some other areas of the house but my goal is to get the family room done this week – I’m going to make it happen!! I LOVE this time of year – fluffing, cleaning, getting ready to host family and friends and warming up the house. I’m one of those weirdos that actually enjoys the colder months. (Until about February or so.)

Have you done anything around the house to prep for fall and winter? I can’t believe it but I’m already starting to think about the holidays – every year I’m determined not to be rushing around and every year I’m rushing around. We’ll see if this year is any different. :)

Spiced Apple Chutney ...I Mean “Applesauce”

We’re getting close to applesauce season, and if you’re in the mood for a little upgrade, then consider this exotic, but very easy, spiced apple chutney. Actually, it’s way more than a little upgrade.

These types of fruit chutneys are some of the most flavorful things you’ll ever taste, and perfect condiments for those special occasion holiday dinners. If you like applesauce, you’ll find this a fairly familiar experience, and despite the ingredient list, nothing really overpowers the fruit.

You don’t really taste shallots or garlic, and everything works to amplify the appleness. The salt, spice, and vinegar makes this a savory condiment to be sure, yet it still works in pretty much every situation regular applesauce would, except maybe as baby food. Although?

Anyway, like I said in the video, you may have to call this “applesauce,” and make it when no one’s around, but one taste and I’m sure you’ll agree the ends justify the means. I hope you give this great apple chutney a try soon. Enjoy!

Ingredients for about 2 1/2 cups:

1 1/2 cups white sugar

1 1/2 cups white vinegar

4 apples, peeled, 1/2-inch cubes

1/4 cup diced dried apricots

1/4 cup golden raisins

1/4 cup diced shallots or red onion

5 thick slices ginger

1/4 tsp red chili flakes, or to taste

1 whole star anise

1 tsp kosher salt, or to taste

1/2 tsp yellow mustard seeds

2 cloves minced garlic

Next Up: Apple Chutney

Justa Decor Birthday Quiz!

WHOOT! It’s that time again…the best day of the year! It’s the Thrifty Justa Decor Girls’ birthday! ;)

If you are totally confused – today is my birthday. And it just turns out that my blogging BFF has the same birthday. Her name is Chris and she blogs at Just a Girl. When we realized we had the same birthday it didn’t come as a surprise to us really. We are so alike about MOST things it’s just weird. (But she doesn’t like noodles…that’s right up there with not liking ranch dressing. Helloooo.)

Let’s say I think this girl is amazing and after the year she’s had – she is one of my heroes. I am so thankful to have her in my life, even though she is a state away.

Here’s a few of my favorite spots in her beautiful home – this front porch? The stuff fall dreams are made of:

And her organized garage is RIDIC. I can’t even finish that word it’s so blissfully organized:

Her dining room is so classic and lovely – it’s one of my favorite spaces in her house:

Which is weird, by the way. That I only see her house online and I’ve never been in it. But I know I’d walk right in and open up her fridge. Blogger friendships are funny. :)

The dining room is gorgeous but this bathroom is perfection:

Planked walls! Black vanity! Blue ceiling? Yep, all of it.

If you’ve been around for a few years you know we celebrate our birthday each year by giving one of YOU a $100 Target gift card. Cause we’re cool like that. You just have to answer ten questions. The first five are here and then you can go on over to visit Chris and answer the rest. When you’re done comment (on either blog) and let us know how many you got right.

I mean seriously…some of these are EASY. Some…pretty hard. You may have to click on the quiz button to get it to load, but it should after that. Remember Chris is Just a Girl and Sarah is me. :)

Quizzes by Quibblo.com

 

Have fun! I’ll be back on Monday my friends!