Recipe: Lemon Meringue Marshmallows

Each year for the holidays I try make small handmade gifts -- last year it was hand screen printed tea towels, the year before that was homemade caramels, and the year before that was chopping blocks hand carved in the shape of a slice of bread (thanks to Nick who did the actual hand carving). The holidays creep up on me every year but this year was the craziest. Ummm, maybe it's because I have two kids now!?!

My friend Nancy gave us a huge bag of meyer lemons from her tree and and when my friend Sarah posted this recipe for Lemon Meringue Marshmallows, I knew I wanted to make them. I have never made marshmallows before and they seemed intimidating -- candy thermometer, sticky mess, oiling a knife, wtf?! But they were surprisingly really easy to make! During the whole process from the sugar boiling, to the fluff forming, to the marshmallows setting, I kept saying, "I can't believe I'm actually making marshmallows!" They came out so light and fluffy with flecks of meyer lemon zest and just the right hit of sweetness. 

I packaged them in glassine bags wrapped with some easy homemade wrapping paper printed with a quick hand written "lemon meringue marshmallows".

+ Click here for a printable PDF
+ Find me on Instagram (@good_on_paper)
+ Subscribe to receive the latest posts and Good on Paper updates delivered to your inbox. Just click here. You could also use Blog Lovin' or Feedly to follow along.

This and That Lately

Oh man, it's been super crazy busy around here. Between work at both jobs, room parenting for the kids' preschool, the kids' schedules, and just trying to keep up with everything, I am so not ready for the holidays! I need another month to prepare myself mentally. Anyway, here are some recent photos of what's been going on lately.

Lots of cozy brother time / Theo totally chooses to wear those glasses and hat

We got a Christmas tree!

I've been so floored by the love and support for the 2015 Calendar I designed in collaboration with Jennifer Young. It's been such an awesome experience and we've nearly sold out of them. The calendar has made it into several gift guides curated by some rad mags like Rue (see here) and Mother. Thank you!

I was lucky enough to make it to the Lovemade (Hi Jeanne and Janette!) DIY Gift Wrapping event with Yellow Owl Workshop (Hi Christine!) at Rare Device with my friend Lisa and her daughter Bijou. How cute are Bijou and Theo together?

One of my faves -- Lucas said here, "Ahhhhh, this is the life." (stole that from The Pigeon Needs a Bath, and he's right!)

Went with my friend Nancy of Anthology magazine to the West Coast Craft show. Got to see some amazing designers/artists and ooh and ahh at all the things I wish I could make or have in my home. Nancy has been featuring a few stand out designers each day on the Anthology blog with the photos I shot. Can't wait to go back!

In the midst of all the craziness, I somehow find time bake Cranberry Orange Morning Buns and Apple Turnovers. I guess baking (and eating the end product) is kind of therapeutic for me in a way.

I made this countdown to Christmas scratch off treasure hunt calendar for Lucas inspired by one of the projects in my friend Erin's new book Make and and Give. He's been scratching one gold circle off since December 1st. Underneath each circle is a clue to where a small gift is wrapped and hidden around the house -- anything from a pair of new socks, a piece of chocolate, a new book, or a trip to the museum.

Happy weekend friends!

+ Find me on Instagram (@good_on_paper)
+ Subscribe to receive the latest posts and Good on Paper updates delivered to your inbox! Simply click here. You could also use Blog Lovin' or Feedly to follow along.

Recipe: Easy Apple Turnovers with Vanilla Custard Sauce

I have to say I have been a little obsessed with puff pastry. I had no idea how easy it is to use. Plus, it looks like you spent hours making something when really it was easy breezy. Back in college, my friend Annie turned me on to those Pepperidge Farms raspberry turnovers. It was the perfect dessert to pop in the oven and eat with ice cream, whipped cream, or just plain.

Savory or sweet, you could doctor up the puff pastry with Mushrooms, Ricotta, and Thyme, or  simply add pears and cardamom for a quick and impressive dessert. Today, I'm sharing my recipe for Easy Apple Turnovers and combining it with a recipe for Vanilla Custard Sauce from Oana Iancu at Through Oana's Lens. It's a fun and easy recipe to make with kids too. Enjoy and have a wonderful weekend!

+ Click here for a printable PDF
+ Find me on Instagram (@good_on_paper)
+ Subscribe to receive the latest posts and Good on Paper updates delivered to your inbox! Simply click here. You could also use Blog Lovin' or Feedly to follow along.

Recipe: Spiced Lentil Soup with Herbed Yogurt

It's getting a little chilly around here (you know, in the 60's) and that calls for a big pot of soup with some crusty bread on the side. I have been making this easy Spiced Lentil Soup with Herbed Yogurt for a few years now ever since my neighbor/friend gave me a copy of it and raved about it. It's seriously easy, comforting, healthy, hearty, inexpensive, and makes tasty leftovers. The original recipes calls for bacon but I use turkey bacon since we don't typically eat pork around here. And sometimes we make it vegetarian by omitting the turkey bacon all together. Hope you enjoy this soup as much as I do. Have a wonderful weekend!

+ Click here for a printable PDF
+ Find me on Instagram (@good_on_paper)
+ Subscribe to receive the latest posts and Good on Paper updates delivered to your inbox! Simply click here. You could also use Blog Lovin' or Feedly to follow along.

Whole Foods Market Gilman Street Preview

Last week I had the most awesome shopping experience at a store that's not even open yet. I was so honored to be invited to an exclusive preview event celebrating the opening of Whole Foods Market’s newest location at 10th and Gilman in Berkeley, the 41st store in the Northern California region. I got a firsthand look at the new store before doors open to the public (November 4th), and then feasted on an amazing dinner at the Berkeley Rep featuring local vendors such as Diestel Turkey Ranch, Capay Organic, Local Greens, and Gelateria Naia. As much as I love going to the Whole Foods on Ashby and Telegraph, I have been eagerly waiting for this Gilman location to open.

Cut-to-order cheese department with two on-staff Certified Cheese Professionals.

Ultimate dream pantry right here!

Who knew panko came in so many flavors?

I must say I was completely blown away by the new store. The woodsy interior with pops of sunny yellow and teal lends itself to an airy and bright feel as soon as you walk in the store. It feels roomy (wide aisles you guys!) and welcoming with lots of eco-friendly materials ranging from the reclaimed redwood exterior from a demolished sawmill in Mendocino County, to the indoor store fixtures made from wood from the Port of Oakland.

How cute is my friend Sarah from Snixy Kitchen?

LOVE the wide aisles and clear signage

This is where the grab-n-go prepared food is going to be. Portions for 2, 3, or 4 ready to go!

In addition to the environmental design of the store, some highlights that stood out to me include the new rating systems for produce and meat to help shoppers make more informed choices, the cut-to-order-wrapped-in-paper cheese department, the Allegro Coffee Roaster and huge cafe inside the store (they open at 6 a.m.!), the Artisan Bakery's breads baked daily from scratch, the grab-n-go section that serves meals of various portion sizes for super busy people and families (like me!), and the Whole Body "Try It" Bar that offers large samples of various skin, hair, and beauty products. I'm also excited to check out the prepared foods section and salad bar.

This might be my favorite spot in the store.

Sourcing Director Darrin Daniel and Jeremy Stone tell us about the small lots of specialty coffees, their team of passionate coffee experts, daily cuppings at the store, and their Loring™ drum roaster used to roast beans on-site. Interesting to note is that the roaster is one of the most precise and environmentally-friendly roasters available so you won't smell that burnt popcorn scent of roasting beans. Oh, and their Espresso 924 is named in honor of local punk venue, Gilman Street’s own 924 Gilman.

More than the physical aspects of the store is the innovative spirit and sense of community this store brings. Local sourcing is a priority for Whole Foods and they work hard to discover local food entrepreneurs and bring them to us. There is so much transparency about everything in the store and I think that's really important to people, especially families with children. They are committed to helping the community through store programs and local drives. Employees were enthusiastic, skilled, knowledgeable, and easy to talk to and ask questions.

After the store tour, we were treated to A Most Excellent Evening, an amazing community dinner at the Berkeley Rep hosted by Whole Foods Market Gilman. I had the best time meeting new people in the community as well as Whole Foods staff and partners, including the president of the Norcal region who had a pretty funny story about how he first started at Whole Foods 20+ years ago.

The official opening, at 1025 Gilman Street, is on Tuesday, November 4th. There will be a bread-breaking ceremony (and a check presented to Berkeley USD Gardening and Cooking Program) at 9:45 a.m. The doors will open at 10 a.m. Hope to see you there!

Recipe: Cardamom Coffee Cake (Gluten Free)

This Cardamom Coffee Cake is probably my biggest go to recipe for every brunch, potluck, or anytime dessert. My friend Christine first made it for me years ago and I immediately had to have it in my recipe book. I've made it countless times ever since and I always get "mmmm's" and "ohhhh, this is so good", and "can you send me the recipe?" Though I typically make this using the original non gluten free recipe (and sometimes in mini bundt form like I did for this Banchan Workshop), I love experimenting with gluten free flours. I relied on my trusty brown rice flour + xantham gum combo, but I also decided to make use of the huge bag of coconut flour that's been sitting in my pantry drawer. I had tried subbing in coconut flour in this Lemon Olive Chicken recipe, but it was disastrous so I've been a little wary of trying coconut flour again. But I'll admit this cake came out way better than I expected. With a little added texture and subtle hint of coconut, the result was pretty amazing. I love it with coffee in the morning, with tea in the afternoon, and with decaf tea for dessert while watching The Walking Dead. Ha! Let me know if you try it!

+ Click here for a printable PDF
+ Photos by me
+ Find me on Instagram (@good_on_paper)
+ Subscribe to receive the latest posts and Good on Paper updates delivered to your inbox! Simply click here. You could also use Blog Lovin' or Feedly to follow along.

Recipe: Magical Marvelous Memorable Cookies

I love a forgiving recipe. Bonus points if it's a forgiving baked treat recipe. These Magical Marvelous Memorable Cookies from Food 52 are just that. Crispy on the edge, salty, sweet, and chewy on the inside with lots of random good stuff nestled in between the layers of buttery goodness. I love how I was able to throw in raisins, millet, chocolate chips, salty pretzels, and some leftover granola to create this delicious cookie. Enjoy and happy weekend!

+ Click here for a printable PDF
+ Photos by me
+ Find me on Instagram (@good_on_paper)
+ Subscribe to receive the latest posts and Good on Paper updates delivered to your inbox! Simply click here. You could also use Blog Lovin' or Feedly to follow along.

Real Mom, Real Recipe Feature on Mother Magazine

We are so excited and honored to be part of Mother magazine's new series Real Mom, Real Recipe. The amazing Sarah of Modern Kids spent the morning shooting these wonderful family pics as we assembled and quickly devoured homemade Black Sesame Ice Cream Sandwiches.

+ All photos by
+ Subscribe to receive the latest posts and Good on Paper updates delivered to your inbox! Simply click here. You could also use Blog Lovin' or Feedly to follow along.

Banchan Workshop No. 2

Last weekend I had the opportunity to shoot a Banchan Workshop for Selina at Skycreatives in Berkeley and eat a bunch of delicious Korean food at the end of the class. I met some wonderful people and had a blast learning about all the work that goes into making those little side dishes. Everything tasted so good and wasn't too spicy for my taste buds (I'm total weak sauce when it comes to spicy foods). Here is just a snippet of the photos I shot -- see more details of the workshop along with a printable recipe book on the Skycreatives blog.

There's something really soothing to me about washing rice.

This Bakesale Betty Coleslaw Bibimmyun was one of my favorite dishes. Who knew Bakesale Betty Coleslaw would go so perfectly with fried chicken and ramen noodles!?

I also made my favorite Cardamom Coffee Cake in mini bundt cake form for the workshop guests to enjoy with coffee after all their hard work. I will post this recipe here on the blog soon. Thanks Selina for having me!

+ Photos by me
+ Find me on Instagram (@good_on_paper)
+ Subscribe to receive the latest posts and Good on Paper updates delivered to your inbox! Simply click here. You could also use Blog Lovin' or Feedly to follow along.

Recipe: S'mores Pot de Creme

Remember these yummy S'mores Pot de Creme party favors from Theo's 2nd birthday party? Well, it was a huge hit and I've received many requests for the recipe so I thought I would share it here. It's a genius concoction created by Andie at Bakin Bit for an Oh Happy Day Craft Night. The only credit I take is designing the packaging and asking Andie to make them for our party. :) Enjoy!

+ Click here for a printable PDF
+ Photos by me
+ Find me on Instagram (@good_on_paper)