Ms. Toody Goo Shoes: July 2014

Tuesday, July 29, 2014

World's Easiest Nutella Recipe -- and the Nutella Bar in NYC

#Nutella + Plain Yogurt = Nutella Yogurt! A very satisfying snack --- Ms. Toody Goo Shoes

Do you like Nutella?

Do you like yogurt?

Well, I have invented an amazing concoction,

and I think it just may be the easiest Nutella recipe ever!

Actually, Nutella on a spoon may be the simplest recipe,

but just take it one step further...
and mix that spoonful of Nutella into some plain yogurt,

and you have got custom-made

Nutella-flavored yogurt!

I thought you might need to see the photos
for the step-by-step preparation...
This is very complicated stuff!

I refuse to google "Nutella Yogurt",
or look on Pinterest,
because I don't want to see
that someone else has already thought of this.
When I come up with a great recipe,
I think it's only fair that I get to bask in the glory
of thinking I'm a culinary genius...
even if it's only in my own mind, lol.

Oh my, my, my, this is tasty!

I think you know by now
that I happen to like my Nutella.
(no, that is not the inside of my cabinet).

My friend, Beth, over at
Goodness, Gracious, Living
emailed me a couple of months ago
to ask if I knew about the Nutella Bar in New York City.

Well, no, in fact, I did not!
This called for an investigation,
so a couple of months ago,
when I had some time to kill in Manhattan,
I headed downtown to Eataly...
an enormous upscale Italian food market...
where the Nutella Bar is housed.
It even has its own entrance.

#Nutella Bar at Eataly, NYC--- Ms. Toody Goo Shoes

I hadn't been to Eataly,
so this turned out to be an extra-fun excursion.
If you like to eat food...
or shop for food...
or just look at food...

you should absolutely add this
to your list of things to do in NYC.

But I was on a mission,
and headed straight through,
ignoring stands of fresh mozzarella,
pasta and panini bars, and olive oil displays,
until I found what I came for.

Let's just say that wall-to-wall Nutella
can make a girl weak in the knees.

I was about to order something crazy-fattening,
like a brioche, or crepe with Nutella...
but I pulled myself together
and settled for some crusty bread with a shmear.*

(*Translation: a "shmear" is NYC deli lingo meaning "spread of,"
usually in reference to cream cheese on a bagel.
"I'll have an 'everything' bagel with a shmear, please.")

Everyone seemed to be enjoying
their Nutella snacks.
Can't you tell by the looks on their faces, lol?
No, they are not extras in a horror movie,

but I had to blur them out, since I didn't ask everyone there
if they wanted their mugs plastered all over my blog.

The Nutella Bar is a fun NYC destination,
but it's nice to know
that I need only go to my local supermarket
for a Nutella fix.

Nutella would probably taste good
on an old shoe,
but my current fave is to mix it in yogurt.

What's your favorite way

to eat Nutella?

Monday, July 28, 2014

A WINNER! Where in the World is Ms. Toody?

Are you ready to find out

who won the

"Where in the World is Ms. Toody" contest?

There was great consensus that I was
in the southeastern part of the US,

with most of you thinking

that I was in Florida.

Someone guessed that I was
in the Charleston/Sullivan Island
area of South Carolina,
and she was almost on the money
(in fact, we did head into Charleston
a few times)...
but unfortunately, she did not answer
my numerous messages to her :(
So, I went with the next closest guess.

AND THE WINNER IS...

Linda,
from ON THE ROAD AGAIN--Travels with Linda and Jim.
who guessed that I was in Beaufort, SC....
which is about 82 miles from where we were.

But as the crow flies

or more appropriately, the pelican...

it's even closer than that!

We actually spent the last two weeks on Kiawah Island, SC,
a barrier island on the coast,
which is less than 25 miles from Charleston.

Honorable Mention goes to

Rosella, from Rhubarb and Roses,

who was the first person to guess

that I was in South Carolina.

Check your mailbox, Rosella,

for little souvenir from Kiawah!

About the "clues"...

The big, wide beach is "West Beach" on Kiawah Island...
The bird is a Heron -- Great Blue, I think,
common to the low country area.
Yes, that is a fried green tomato, not a crabcake.
Swampy marsh grass,
seen all over the low country
is in the bottom right corner.
The tree is the magnificent "Angel Oak,"
which is located nearby on Johns Island.
The alligator is one of hundreds
found on Kiawah Island.

I had so much fun shopping around
for goodies made in the Kiawah area!
I'm packing them all up,
and shipping them to Linda.
I hope she likes what I'm sending!

Thanks to everyone for playing along...
I'll definitely do this again,
the next time I travel,
wherever and whenever that may be!

Kiawah was an incredible place...
so different from other places we've been.
More photos of Kiawah Island are coming soon!

Sunday, July 20, 2014

Where in the World is Ms. Toody? (and a Giveaway!)

Can you guess where in the world I am?

Take a guess...

and leave me a comment,

and I will send a small souvenir

to whoever comes closest (in miles)

to my vacation location.

Please list a city/state/country,

because if you say "Antartica" or

"The Equator,"

it will be hard for me to include you in the contest.

In the event of a tie,

I will select the person who leaves

the first comment with the correct (or closest) location.

In order to receive the gift,

I will need a way to contact you,

so if you are not a blogger with a link back,

please leave an email address in your comment.

After I contact the winner,

I'll need to hear back from you within 48 hours,

otherwise, I'll select the next closest person.

Oh, and if you are a friend or relative

who knows where I am,

I'm sorry to say that you are not eligible :(

Good luck, y'all!

Linking With:
Weekend Travel Inspiration

Mosaic Monday

Travel Photo Monday

Our World Tuesday

Tuesday, July 15, 2014

Lemon Thyme Pound Cake

Are there certain herbs that just grab your attention

when you see them in a recipe?

Me?

I'm crazy about cilantro...

besotted with basil...

red-hot for rosemary...

I lust after lavender...

and lately,

I'm loving lemon thyme.

Lemon Thyme Pound Cake --- Ms. Toody Goo Shoes

I don't have anything against the other herbs...

in fact, I'm an equal-opportunity herbalist.

But show me a dish with my top five "superb herbs"...
especially when they are used in
desserts or beverages,

and I'm ripping and pinning recipes like crazy.

This recipe came from Edible Boston magazine,
which I picked up in April on my crazy "girls weekend."

I've got to admit that I can't easily
detect a strong lemon thyme flavor,
but this cake was still delicious...
in an understated way.

To me, this is not a true "pound" cake,
because it doesn't have a pound each of
butter, sugar, flour and eggs.
If it were my recipe,
I'd just call it a lemon bread.

Usually Mr. Goo Shoes and I are on two different
planets when it comes to desserts.
He prefers rich and gooey...
I like plain and simple best.
But he liked it,
he really liked it!
So that, in and of itself,
is a good endorsement.

This lovely lemon-thyme pound cake
is perfectly suited with a glass of iced tea,
(or a cup of hot tea),
maybe after lunch with the ladies...
or perhaps while reading a book
in a secret garden nook.

Or, if you're like me...
just eat it with whatever, whenever,
like while you are vacuuming,
or just after you've exercised.

A couple of notes about the recipe:
I didn't use all of the lemon juice in the glaze.
I thought it would be too thin,
so I used about 1/4 cup, instead of 1/2.

Next time, when brushing the cake with the glaze,
I'll poke some holes in the top with the cake tester,
so some of the glaze seeps into the cake.

There's something about a lemony glaze
that's lip-smackin' good, isn't there?

Lemon Thyme Pound Cake - A hint of Lemon Thyme in the pound cake adds a terrific flavor. Perfect with a cup of tea! Ms. Toody Goo Shoes

Lemon Thyme Pound Cake

(recipe courtesy of Edible Boston magazine)

1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 1/4 cups sugar
2 teaspoons lemon thyme, finely chopped
4 teaspoons grated lemon peel
3 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup sour cream
1/2 cup confectioner's sugar
1/2 cup lemon juice

Preheat oven to 350F.
Grease a loaf pan and dust with flour.
Cream together butter and sugar in an electric mixer until light and fluffy.
Add lemon thyme, grated lemon peel, eggs and vanilla, and mix well.
Stir together the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt.
Add dry ingredients to the butter-sugar mixture alternately with the sour cream, and blend.
Pour batter into pan and bake for approximately 1 hour.

Place confectioner's sugar in a bowl.
Gradually whisk in the lemon juice (see my note, above).
Brush the top of the hot cake with some of the mixture.
Let it stand for 10 minutes, then brush cake again.
Repeat again after 10 minutes.

Enjoy!

Linking With:

Totally Talented Tuesday
Time To Sparkle
Treasure Box Tuesday
Wow Us Wednesday
Wake Up Wednesday
What's It Wednesday
Foodie Friday
Weekend Social
Let's Get Real
Home Sweet Home
Feathered Nest Friday
Simple and Sweet Friday
Eat! Create! Party!
Best of the Weekend
Weekend Bloggy Reading
Sunday Showcase
The Scoop
Tweak It Tuesday
Whimsy Wednesday
Home and Garden Thursday

Saturday, July 12, 2014

A Secret Garden Nook

Do you have a spot where you can steal away

on a summer's day?

A secret nook to read a book...

sip a glass of iced tea...

listen to the birds...

have a little snooze...

feel the breeze...

and get away from it all?

A place where you won't hear,

"MOM! WHAT CAN I EAT???"

If you do,

I'll be right over.

The idea for my garden nook came about
when we did some landscaping last summer,
which left a little clearing
just off the side of the yard.

My friend's beautiful secret garden
that I posted about last summer
was another source of motivation.

I was busy pinning inspiration photos all winter long...
daydreaming about the ideal little bistro set,
rusted to perfection...
interesting decorative accents...
lush foliage...
pretty pillows...
I had it all laid out in my mind.

Yeah, well..
it didn't quite work out like that.

When it came right down to it,
I couldn't see spending lots of money
on things that no one can really see.

I know, I know...
it's not supposed to be seen...
otherwise, it wouldn't be a "secret," duh.
But when it comes to certain things,
I'm frugal like that.

I decided to work with what I had, for the most part.
It's amazing what you can find
when you shop your own house.

I started with a weathered red bench,
that used to reside on my deck.
I think it came from LL Bean, a few years ago.
It didn't really fit in with the rest of my deck furniture,
so moving it made sense.

I like that you can see the red through the trees from the deck.

I accessorized with things I had...
Flower pots...

Lanterns...

A wagon wheel...

A little table covered with a napkin...

oh, and watermelon (heh-heh)

I painted some terra-cotta flower pots,
and stacked them to make a table.

A Secret Garden Nook --- Ms. Toody Goo Shoes

I did purchase a few things...

The lobster pillow at Home Goods...

The sundial from Joss and Main...

and the bird feeder from Home Goods.

So, although it didn't turn out to look like
what I had in my mind's eye,
it's a start, and it will evolve.

One way or another,
by "nook" or by crook...
I'll get it to be closer to the look I envisioned.