Crispy Oven Fries

Aside from 24/7 Jasper time, my favorite aspect of maternity leave has been the ability to cook a homemade meal every night. Having time to make food from scratch is pretty flippin awesome (just ask my husband. haha!) No more pre-made pizza crust or bagged frozen potatoes in this house.

In addition to my 'tried and true' dishes, I've tried out new things to add to my repertoire. One of our new 'family favorites' are these Crispy Oven Fries. Sure, they take a bit more work than frozen fries but that's to be expected. But the flavor?! Yeah, these are unbeatable. Since I made the first batch, we've had them with dinner every.single.Friday.

How To: Enjoy a Pomegranate in Five Minutes or Less

!!WARNING: POMEGRANATES WERE HARMED IN THE MAKING OF THIS TUTORIAL!!

Pomegranate season is upon us! If you have never enjoyed one of these babies, buy one! Right now. Seriously, get on that.

Once Autumn has arrived, I patrol the produce stands for those yummy jewels. The only pain in the tush is actually popping out the little arils (the edible portion of the fruit) in what I would consider a "timely manner." I used to individually pick out each and every seed (for what took like an hour) until I found this ridiculously easy trick.

Check it out!

5-Minute Weeknight Dinner - French Bread Pizza

Do you have a go to meal when you're in a time crunch? Ours used to be pasta until the Mr. dropped a bombshell revelation on me a couple of years ago... he hates pasta. GASP! I know. My new favorite is French bread pizza. It's such a breeze, can be customized to your liking, and let's face it, it's super flippin delicious.

My absolute favorite combo is a good ol' pepperoni and cheese! It really can't get any easier than that.

Try Something New: White Truffle Oil

One of my favorite accent condiments is white truffle infused olive oil. I had never seen it at any of our local grocers but when browsing the aisles of HomeGoods a couple of weeks ago, I came across a perfectly sized (and priced) bottle. Yeah, it jumped into my basket faster than I could blink. 

You see, our first exposure to truffle anything was at our all-time favorite restaurant in historic Skippack village. The Mr. had truffle mayonnaise on some sort of steak and he went nuts for it and insisted I try. I must admit, it was delish. Another talented chef dressed up the all-American classic of french fries with a drizzle of truffle oil and it was out of this world. That tends to be what I do most, but below are a few ideas for how you can bring it into your family's meals.

Monte Cristo Waffle Sandwiches

Do you like breakfast? Yes? Do you like breakfast for dinner? Double yes? Thought so! Me too!

One of my favorites is a Monte Cristo sandwich... you know the one: grilled cheese with ham/turkey that is prepared like French toast. What's not to like?! Now let's take it one step further and throw it all together in a waffle maker. What do you get? Ooey-gooey, cheesy, meaty, french-toasty waffles! Yum!

Top 10 Favorite Posts

Have I ever mentioned how much I love blogging? I really do. While I don't expect to make a living off of it (wouldn't that be the life?!), I have such a blast writing and DIYing. It's the best hobby I could have ever picked up. I've been really grateful, especially over the last few weeks, to see my following of readers grow tremendously. What I've come to realize though is that many of you may have missed some of my very favorite posts. Luckily for me (and for you, too!) Lena from Mom2 Memphis and Ruby is hosting a Top 10 Favorite Blog Posts link-up this week and the temptation was too much for me to resist.


I broke the list up into the two categories that Spool and Spoon is all about: food and crafts!

SPOOL {Crafts}
1 Starburst Mirror -- This is a new one, but I'm still pretty smitten with it. Sometimes I stand for an extra few seconds and stare at it when I walk through the door. I can't help but to smile when I see it.  

2 Lace Earrings -- Every time I wear these I get a ton of compliments. They are simple and stunning but the best part is that no one has seen anything like them so they're always the perfect touch.

3 Bookpage Banner -- Who doesn't love easy and practically free art? Very few things are better than that.

4 Cut Lace Carryall -- I love the versatility of this bag and the impressive savings off of the Anthro original make me love it a whole lot more.

5 No Sew Placemat -- This was made months ago and still standing up well to Aubrey's daily use so I thought it deserved a little shout out.

SPOON {Food}
1 Sangria Salsa -- This was a refreshing change at our last cookout and I think you'd like it too. I may actually like it more when paired up with some jello (i.e. a Sangria Fruit Salad), and not the pita chips, but that's just me.

2 Nutella Cheesecake Poppers -- For awhile this had been my most viewed post, and I'm not surprised why. These are pretty and delicious. What's not to like?

3 Creamy Champagne Fondue -- I made this for the Mr.'s birthday back in March and have been craving it ever since... Mouth watering. I could eat the entire pot full.

4 All-American Apple Crumble -- I have four words for you: these are the bomb. Nuff said.

5 S'mores Cookies -- With summer coming to an end, these will be the perfect campfire treat when there's no campfire in sight.

(Please don't mind the photo quality in the older posts. There is no going back after getting the best camera ever from my sweetheart of a husband.)

If this Top 10 didn't catch you up on all of the great things that you may have missed since March, I'm not sure what will. I hope this provided some inspiration and whet your appetite for more DIY projects and easy recipes! Please consider following Spool and Spoon through Google Friend Connect, by email, or on Facebook so you don't fall behind. All the cool kids are doing it :-P

I'm linking to:

DIY Showoff | S3 | Classy Clutter | A Little Tipsy | I Heart Nap Time | Mine for the Making | Flamingo Toes | Craftomaniac | Shabby Creek Cottage | Somewhat Simple | Saved by Love Creations | My Simple Home Life | My Girlish Whims | Stone Gable | Mom2 Memphis and Ruby

Quenepas

Normally I wouldn't highlight a singular ingredient, but certain foods are due their five minutes of fame.

Yesterday, my MIL left me a message that my FIL picked up a ton of quenepas from the market. The Mr. could barely contain his excitement when I told him. You might be wondering what quenepas are and to that, all I can say is: YOU ARE MISSING OUT. 

Most likely you've never seen this Caribbean treat before, let alone tasted the sweet flesh while it's in season. Quenepas are a small, green fruit that slightly resemble miniature limes. The skin is crisp, almost brittle, with a thin layer of pulpy flesh surrounding a relatively large pit. They taste tart and sweet all at once. While it is juicy and delicious, you have to put in a lot of work to enjoy each small fruit. For that I'm grateful because it forces me to take my time and savor the flavor rather than mindlessly eat.

I wanted to find a few recipes that would utilize the quenepas in all of their glory but aside from soaking the fruit in rum (YUM!), there was nothing else that came up. I guess I'll just have to enjoy them as is... what a shame.

As you can see, they are about the size of a ping pong ball. Not too small, but definitely not big enough in my book.

When the fruit is ripe, you just bite into the skip and it'll split from the pressure. At this point you can easily remove the skin to enjoy the fruit inside.

If you have a Latin market nearby, I suggest taking a trip and picking up a few to taste for yourself. While you're at it, try something new!

Consider following Spool and Spoon via email or through Google Friend Connect for recipes and projects that are sure to tickle your fancy. Also, did you know we have a Facebook? Hop on over so you don't miss a beat. 

I'm linking to:

DIY Showoff | S3 | Classy Clutter | A Little Tipsy | I Heart Nap Time | Mine for the Making | Flamingo Toes | Craftomaniac | Shabby Creek Cottage | Somewhat Simple | Saved by Love Creations | My Simple Home Life | My Girlish Whims | Stone Gable | Young and Crafty | Nifty Thrifty Things