Lucky's bakehouse

There's this super sweet brand new bakery called Lucky's Bakehouse in Boulder that we've got quite a sweet spot for.

We've popped over a few times now and each time they seem to have more+more lovely treats.
And delicious ones too. They also offer GF goodies- including some really yummy cupcakes& cookies, they have Gelato, and marshmallows, and coffee.

The decor is simple but pretty, and Little Berry loves their colorful chairs. They have outdoor seating for the warmer days, and operate in what appears to be a converted garage, complete with garage door that opens into the store making it an indoor/outdoor space when the weather is nice. If you're over that way definitely check them out!
We recommend: the salted caramel brownie pie, the Chocolate Mint Pudding (made with fresh mint), GF lemon bars, handmade marshmallows (nom) and the hand spun cotton candy (which they won't sell you but happily serve you a sample of)- and from the Gelato case, the Salted Caramel Chocolate Chunk is divine.

Next door to Lucky's Bakehouse is the equally quaint Lucky's Market, where you can get your groceries, food from the deli, as well as buy local goodies if you are inclined. Both are very cute establishments and I promise you'll find yourself coming back again and again just because it's so pretty, the treats are tasty, and the groceries are convenient!

Lucky's Bakehouse is holding a fun Valentines Cookie Decorating Open House on February 10th from 2pm-4pm. The cost is $5/child for which they will receive 4 cookies (with option of Gluten Free) and can chose from available decorations to pretty up their 
cookies!

You can follow Lucky's Bakehouse on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram!

Wordless Wednesday: "Pappa wear me!"

Blog Hugs, or "Blugs!"

Mama Christina from Diary of a Mom gave me a bloggy award! I am so flattered as it's my first!
The rules are:
One: Tell us about a memorable hug you’ve had. It can be a person, pet, whatever…
Two: “Hug” at least one other blogger or as many as you like.


Part One:

Wow, this is very hard for me. As many people know, I'm not a hugger. I'm not touchy-feely or lovey-dovey, and I have to remind myself to give physical affection, even to Pappa Starbucks. He, however, is very very much a hugger and is always asking for them and so is Little Berry. I think this will be a good exercise for me to write about hugging though since I've been trying to work giving them more....eagerly?
On my 20th birthday, Pappa Starbucks and I were meeting for breakfast. We were in college, we knew each other fairly well but were not involved. He was gushy-mushy-lovey-dovey-always-grinning around me and I knew he liked me a lot. One of the reasons I was at that point hesitating to date him was actually because of how exuberantly affectionate he was.
I got up that morning, showered and dressed in my favorite button down plaid shirt that my best friend always picked on me for wearing (good naturedly of course) and fixed a bowl of very crunchy granola to take to breakfast even though we were meeting in front of chic-fil-a (he's vegetarian and I didn't eat meat in front of him for a very long time) so I wouldn't be chowing down on a chicken biscuit while he ate his frosted flakes or oatmeal.
It was a chilly and frosty-aired morning, and I walked from my dorm to the cafeteria to meet this silly guy- trying to make sure my hair wasn't all frizzy from the sweater I was wearing, and generally wanting to look good but not have anyone know I was TRYING. It was, after all, my BIRTHDAY.
He met me inside the cafeteria with a cheerful grin and leaned in to hug me- "Happy Birthday!" he said. He smelled like Tide and toothpaste and I realized I had flutters- genuine nervous butterfly flutters in my stomach at that moment, and I knew we'd be together for a long long time.
And we've been together ever since!
Part Two:
I hug Ittybits and Pieces, The Milk Maid, Erin, Milk Donor Mama, and last but never least, my Friend Monica!

My city garden

We live in the city. In a cramped two-bedroom apartment with no yard. I wish it were bigger, but it's not, and that's not stopping me. I have- garlic, two tomatoes, a yellow squash, a spearmint, four strawberry plants and a cantelope, rhubarb, a pot of wildflowers, ten basil plants started from seed) and a few soapnut sprouts. I don't have fancy pots and I may have *pilfered* my soil- but I've got what I can.
I also have a clothesline for my clothdiapers and a kiddie pool for little berry all in the same space. Because some things, I cannot compromise for. As a side note- if I'd planned better, I would have completely planted all of these in a deeper kiddie pool. They're $15 (the biggest ones, which is twice as deep as ours) and perfect for the plants I have.

Things I'd like to have but don't, and can make do without- cucumber, bell peppers, and watermelon.
What do you just have to have no matter what? What are you willing to be cramped to hold on to, or to give up other things for?

Thanksgiving

Right now little berry is hard asleep on my lap
in a way she hasn't done since we were in Europe.
I am watching barefoot contessa thanksgiving episodes
and salivating at all the yummy food. The truth is,
I love food. It has given me lots of pleasure over
time but my tastes have changed quite
A bit through time too. When I was littler, I could eat
ham sandwiches with banana slices on them all
day long. Or tomato sandwiches with American
cheese slices. Pappa Starbucks is vegetarian
though, and since we began living together we
both began eating healthier. We go through the vegetables
in this house although they're rarely eaten raw. I used
to eat lots of easy foods and he ate lots of "vegetarian junkfood"
so it's nice to come to enjoy eating healthier
together. On our thanksgiving menu this year is:
roasted carrots
Stuffed mushrooms with vegetarian sausage 
Quorn vegetarian turkey
mashed potatoes of course....
bread
cranberry sauce by pappa starbucks
mmmmmmm! Happy thanksgiving!! 

Tofu schmofu

I have finally begun cooking with Tofu. I've only been living with a vegetarian for three years now so it's not like I am late to the game. Anyway, there is a delicious Asian tofu at  that he and I both love and I wanted to make something like it. I came up with the following recipe, which hits the spot so well that I don't have any photos of it finished!
For best results, press your tofu first: to press the water out of the tofu, drain it from the package, place on a plate, place a second plate on top of the tofu, place a heavy weight on top of the second plate. Press it for 1 - 2 hours, or overnight in the frig. Drain the water and proceed with recipe.
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees, cube your block of tofu into small bite-sized pieces. Lightly oil a baking sheet (olive oil works well)and place cubes of tofu onto this, place in oven for 30 minutes until tofu has lost much of its moisture (If you pressed the tofu first, you can reduce this to about 15 minutes).

While this is in the oven, add 1 Cup of Teriyaki sauce, 3-4 cloves of fresh garlic to a bowl. Remove tofu, let it cool and then place in Teryaki/ garlic mixture. Best if eaten immediately, optionally add 1/2 cup of fresh, thinly sliced carrots and sesame seeds. ....mmmmmm!

What's the deal with hauling things around and putting
them in the same spot when you move? Tradition
around here dictates a refrigerator box: it's filled with magnets, photos, cards we got on birthdays past, receipts for appliances, even magnets for restaurants and hotels and doctors offices, delivery menus and emergency numbers that are long since far away.
My favorite forever has been a copy of a recipe for banana bread that I craved intensely when I was pregnant and would make about three loaves of it each week. It is my SIL's recipe and I swear by it.
This time when we moved, I couldn't find it. It was no where, just gone. I've asked her for the recipe probably twice now and I KNOW I have it somewhere...but it isn't where it always was...and now I am banana breadless.

So, do you have a good banana bread recipe? Perhaps it's time to try a new one...