An Esty Review!

Spring is always a busy time of year in my family, with Mother's Day, my sister Weasel's birthday, my birthday and Father's day all falling within weeks of each other. And, of course, I end up buying many presents, mostly online as I am a graduate student short on time and money.

This does not mean, however, that I cut corners of gift giving! I have found Esty, the handmade and vintage community offering all kinds of fantastic goods and supplies imaginable. With a wide range of prices and an unlimited selection of beautiful things, picking out gifts has become a dangerous task: I often buy more for myself and others than I originally intend.

My first Esty purchase was from Little Bird Design UK, a fantastic Edinburgh based Esty shop that specializes in beautiful paper goods. These pictures are just a small glimpse of journal I gave my mother on Mother's Day and the photos hardly do it justice.

The variety of journals at Little Bird Design UK is astonishing. In all kinds of patterns and prints, from sedate to extravagant, and in all kinds of textures and styles. The attention to detail, from paper selection of the fine hand stitching on the binding, is the mark of a true artist.

There is even, I kid you not, a journal shaped like a cupcake. Heavenly!

 For anyone searching for a unique and truly personal gift, I highly recommend the products of Little Bird Design UK.

In fact, forget about gifts... once you see these works of art you'll want one for yourself!

See for yourself here, the Esty home of these delights!

It's a small world...

It's official... I'm going to Disney World! My family's group of twelve members of my family, including Super Boy, will be going for a week of fun, relaxation, good food and adventure. It's an absolute dream come true for me I've loved Disney World ever since I first went as a two-year old, and nothing has changed in the 21 years since then. For the first installment of get-ready-for-vacation videos, our hotel... the Polynesian!

BBQ Time!

Gorgeous weather like we've been having in my neck of the woods always makes me think about sunny days at the beach, the small of sunscreen and sand, and, of course, Okie's. I have spent at least part of every summer on Long Beach Island in New Jersey, home of great surf, great memories, and a great deli.

Okie's Butcher Shop not only has the best burgers and hot dogs on the island (or anywhere, as far as I'm concerned) but they also have the best potato salad. I introduced Super Boy to Okie's a few years ago and he's just as hooked as I am. And let's face it, it's just about impossible not to love red skinned potato salad that amazing. So In honor of springtime and the beginning of beach season, I present my very own potato salad recipe, created through trial and error in hopes of capturing Okie's flavor. It may not be Okie's, but I think it's pretty darn good!

If you try the recipe, please leave me a message in the comment's section. I'd love to get some feed back. 

Oh, and yes, that is a giant wooden cow on their roof.

Surf City Potato Salad
3 lbs red skinned potatoes
Kosher salt (to salt boiling water)
1 cup Miracle Whip Free
2 tablespoons of spicy brown mustard
Freshly ground black pepper (give it a good 5 or 6 turns)
Simply Organic's "grind to a salt" seasoning blend* (another 5 or 6 turns)
1 stick celery chopped fine
1 small yellow onion chopped fine

Scrub your potatoes and place them in a pot. Cover with water, add Kosher salt and bring to a boil. Once boiling, lower to a simmer and let sit for 15 minutes. Drain them into a colander, place colander over the pot and cover with a dishtowel. Let them steam like this for another 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, combine Miracle Whip, mustard, pepper and salt seasoning blend t a large bowl and mix until well combined. Toss in your chopped celery and onion at this point, and stir until everything is nice and covered.

When your potatoes are done steaming and are cool enough for you to handle, cut them into halves or quarters, depending on size, and toss them into your big bowl of dressing. Leave the skins on! Stir everything together until it's all combined and covered. Now place in the fridge and allow it to sit for a few hours until completely cold. This will allow the flavors to fully combine.

Enjoy!

Notes: I use Miracle Whip Free just to cut down on the calories, but feel free to use your favorite mayo or mayo substitute.  You can also vary your potatoes depending on what you have available or your preference.

* available at food stores like Whole Foods, etc. I use it in everything!

Spring has Sprung!

Spring is finally, finally here to stay in the Northeast! I can't be happier! So in celebration of my favorite season of all, I'll be posting a series of springtime and warm weather videos, articles and recipes. Also stay tuned for some fun DIY projects inspired by some very talented people around the blogosphere!

For today's Moment of Joy, check out this "bird house." I'm actually pretty jealous :)