In the Clear | Party Packaging Etsy Shop

Today I did a little online shopping at In the Clear, an Etsy shop that gets an A+ for cute packaging and disposables at great prices. I'm not planning any parties any time soon but I do have to pack a lunch and a snack for Enzo 5 days a week and a lunch for Maria 2 days a weeks.

I thought that by now the novelty of packing a lunch for Enzo and Maria would have faded, but it hasn't. I like packing their lunch and leaving little notes and making it as cute as possible. Maria gets so excited when she gets to use her lunch box, she always says "today I get to eat a pretty lunch." She is definitely a fan of all things cute. Luckily I have a stash of very cute bento accessories and boxes, some I got as gifts and some I bought in Japan town in San Francisco. I'm excited to use some of the stuff I bought today to use for their school lunches.

I used to never use any of my cute things, my pretty stationary, even my stamps. Now I try to use it up as much as I can. When you have cute things, like washi tape, do you tend to use it or save it for something special?

+ Polka Dot Nut
+ Design Paper Straws
+ Vintage Style Foiled Paper Lined Hot Dog Bags
+ Vintage Style White French Fries Bags
+ Crafty Wooden Utensils
+ Multi and Neon Dots Paper Tape
+ Green Stripe Paper Bag
+ Washi Skyline Tape
+ Gumball Favor Tubes and Corks
+ Baker's Twine

Cereal Humor

{sources: 1, 2, 3, 4}

I'm not really sure why I have cereal on my mind. Maybe because Chris is gone until Saturday and I'm tempted to lazy parent and just feed the kids cereal for the next 3 days. Or maybe it's because Chris is gone so I am spending my kids-are-finally-asleep time hanging out with Pinterest, where I found the first poster and then decided to search the web for more cereal posters.

And because cereal is such a happy topic here are 10 more cereal-sly funny finds

1 // This is so me
2 // and this is so true
3 // Do you find this creepy or funny?
4 // I find this funny, I know I shouldn't, but I totally do
5 // This totally happens to me, and since I am the only soy milk drinker in the house it makes it even worse because I have no one to blame but myself.
6 // Normally I would say this is true, unless it's your birthday and you are a Palmer and you get to choose any cereal you want on your birthday. In that case go all out.
7 // My kitty's dream.
8 // I thought this picture was hilarious because it totally reminded me of women laughing alone with salad (if what I just wrote means nothing to you then do click on the link, it's just so classic). I know the woman in the cereal picture is not alone but still, it's just so staged. Come on why is there a fork and a knife next to the cereal bowl? Stop it already.
9 // Right?!
10 // and in case all this cereal talk got you hungry for some cereal then this can help you choose what to eat.

Instagram and Food

Instagram is my fave. If I was on a deserted island and I had to choose only one social media platform to use, Instagram would be it. Instagram was created by two dudes. Dude number one was Kevin Systrom who then got together with dude number two, Mike Krieger, and together they brainstormed, hashed out, and coded Instagram. Dude number two went to High School with me. He's two years younger than I am, also a Brazilian, and from what I remember a very nice and creative guy. Thanks Mike and Kevin for creating Instagram!

I love looking at food pictures on magazines and blogs but I kind of love it even more on Instagram. For some reason Instragram gives me the feeling of movement, of the behind-the-scenes which I've always been fascinated with.

Here are 8 Instagramers I follow that have a good eye for capturing food. I'm always thrilled when one of their pictures pops into my feed.

1 // dianecu
2 // glutenfreegirl
3 // withstylegrace
4 // nicolegerulat
5 // whitneyingram
6 // dessertfortwo
7 // mattbites
8 // sweetapolita

You can follow me on Instagram @kitchencorners. If you don't have an Instagram account you can see my pictures here, also I post most of my pictures on my Facebook Page. What about you are you on Instagram? Do you have any Instagramers that you enjoy?

Letter Playground

In my quiet time I've been checking out all the creative ways people write letters at Letter Playground. I've been putting in names at the generator to see what it looks like. It always looks cool.

Have you ever played with food to create the alphabet? When Enzo was learning how to read we threw him an ABC party where we re-created the whole alphabet into food the kids could eat. That was fun.

ps. You can also find me today on Jane Reaction where I share what I need, what I read, and what I greed. Have a great weekend. xoxo

New to me Blog | THE COZYHUNTER

I think I'm going to do a new series on Mondays where I introduce to you a new blog I've become smitten with over the last week. It's a nice way to start a Monday, don't you think?

Kitchen Corners meets The Cozyhunter.

I met The Cozyhunter through a Pin. In case you were wondering what Enzo would wear if a) I could convince him to wear what I wanted him to wear and b) we lived somewhere cold c) I could convince Christian that suspenders were cool this would be it. When I clicked on the Pin it took me to The Cozyhunter blog. So from one simple Pin I found a world of inspiration. Thank you suspenders!

The Cozyhunter is written by Golriz Lucina, Co-director of Soul Pancake and mama to a new baby boy.

The Cozyhunter is about creative expression. If something food related falls into that category then Golriz will blog about it, so you'll find some food treasures there too like those delicate bowls and those textures spoons pictured above. Definitely check out The Cozyhunter.

On a side-not I'd like to acknowledge Golriz's pretty white nails. This weekend I removed the chipped nail-polish from my toes and Baby Maria screamed "go to the salon right now, go paint your toes!" It was 8:00 in the morning. I was equally shocked/fascinated with my natural toe nail color. I don't think I've seen my toe nails unpainted for at least 6 months. In a nutshell our weekend consisted of unpainted toe-nails, feeling very sick, and seeing a tarantula that was the size of Michel Jordan's right hand. The tarantula should have been in a zoo but it was on the path we hiked on. Juliana almost stepped on it. The other part of the weekend was gathering Juliana's personal information like her parent's phone numbers and insurance information, you know just in case.

How was your weekend, were there any new blogs you discovered or creepy tarantulas?

Moodboard | White Kitchen Trinkets

Happy extra day of the year. Today I let myself indulge in wishful thinking. Today I thought about buying stuff! I pride myself on not caring for new things, but that's because I used to live in a place where finding cool used things and even free things was easy. That place is called the United States of America. Also in the United States of America a lot of new things are cheap, which is why people buy so much and then give perfectly useful things away, no problemo, to Goodwill and hence why used things is so accessible.

But today I'm in the mood for new things. Pretty things. I mostly want to buy things I don't need, just things I find pleasing to the eye. Things to make my kitchen a little more pleasing to the eye.

Today I'm in the mood for

// Eat Me small artwork
// medium off white bowl
// Spinning Top Tea set
// Marimeko Oiva White Serving Pot

My Birthday is a Comin!

My birthday is in exactly one week.  I am just as excited about turning 29 as I was about turning 5, or 6, or 10. For as long as I can remember the thought of getting older thrills me. I like that each year I live I travel more, I eat more, I meet new people, I experience new things. Yesterday Christian's grandmother celebrated another year of life. She is now in her 90s. There is so much to celebrate about her life. I hope one day I get to be in my 90s too.

I plan to never outgrow birthday cakes, or streamers, birthday hats, or presents. The plan is to get older and enjoy it and to celebrate it every chance I get.

// polka dot garland // cake stand // straws // pennants //

How Kids React to An Empty Plate

This is great a comercial for a great cause. I love how the kids reacted, their cute faces, and their adorable Spanish.

If you don't speak Spanish here is what they have witten in the end "In a world where we have the capacity to feed double its population 3,5 million children still die because of mal nutrition each year. We need to learn. Visit www.experimentocomparte.org " 


Something to think about for sure.

5 Easy Valentines you Can Make with your Kids

Today baby Maria did not take a nap so we did the only sensible thing a tired baby and a tired mama was left to do, we ate sugar. We laid down on my bed and we sucked on lollipops. She had one and I had one. Hers I decked out with a pink moustache just because I thought it would be funny, and it was!

Specially when this started happening.

Last year I made heart-shaped gluten-free alfajores and turned them into lollipops. They were awesome, and delicious, and mega-time consuming. If you have the time you should totally make them. If you don't here are some ideas for quick and easy Valentines you can make with kids, even tired kids.

Moustache Lollipops // draw a moustache on pink card stock paper (or any color you want) cut it out, make a small hole, stick the lollipop through and BAM(!) your  two year old will have a very cute moustache, all in 30 seconds. If you want nice even moustaches, or even a handlebar moustache perhaps, then go to freemoustache.com for free printables.

A School of Fish // I know and you know that Swedish Fish is one of the greatest candy ever. Kids know that too. So for a total classroom success use printables that say things like "I'm glad we're in the same school" and add it to a baggie with some Swedish Fish.

Wrap Up a Candy Bar // If your kindergartner is like my kindergartner than you probably have a bunch of pictures right now laying around your house. Enzo loves drawing pictures. Currently he's into drawing castles. Instead of  throwing away saving the pictures, you can reuse your child's pictures as wrappers for individual candy bars. Then all you have to do is use some pretty ribbon to tie a bow around the whole thing. Enzo loves giving his pictures away so this would be something he would really enjoy. If they don't want to use their pictures as wrappers you can make these robot valentine's, I bet they'd like that. And if you want fancier wrappers I would go for these.

3-D Valentine's // I'm pretty sure you've seen this before, no? Those were the original lollipop-picture valentines and they were a hit specially once Design Mom made them too,  then they became THE thing to make. This is still one of my favorite crafts ever. I've used it many times. I've even used it as a party favor for Enzo's birthday. You can also make it with chocolate if lollipops aren't your thing.

Valentines Popcorn Snack // Popcorn is such a great snack and a great alternative to all the excessive candy. If you want to tone down the sugar a bit try putting some popcorn in a baggie with a few red and pink M&Ms. I'm thinking something like this.

Less than a week before Valentine's Day. Have you started making valentines yet? What are you thinking of making?

Maggie Austin Cake

I have a crush on pretty cakes. I can't make one to save my life and truth be told pretty does not always translate into delicious. But I am sure these taste delicious, they must, though I would probably cry a little if I had to cut one of these into slices and ruin it's perfection.

Guess what Maggie Austin, the creator of these cakes was before turning into a pastry chef. A ballerina of course. Just look at all that frill, doesn't it remind you of tutus? I think these are the prettiest cakes I have ever seen. They are so girly, so gentle. And no Maggie Austin does not only turn tutus into cakes, she also turns polished stones into cakes, and artwork you would frame and hang on your wall into cakes. Her portfolio is amazing.

Does your heart go pitter-patter for pretty cakes too?

Adobe Photoshop Cook

Isn't this video so fun and creative. It's the perfect reminder that I need to brush up on my Photoshop skills. Today I started homeschooling myself. The time has come to learn how to finally use my Adobe Creative Suite.  I decided to go with Lynda.com. Yesterday I signed up for my membership and so far I've watched 15 minutes of a 2 hour course. I thought about starting with the 17 hour course but that seemed way too daunting. 

Do you know what finally made me do it? Picnik. My favorite online photo editing site is shutting down in April. That means I have until April to learn a thing or two. 

I've been putting it off because I just don't have the time. Last month my mom and my cousin was visiting and then this month got even crazier with homeschooling and we're getting visitors again in two weeks. But we're getting visitors again next month, and the month after that, and if I keep putting it off it will just never happen. You know what I mean?

Do you use Photoshop? If so are there any websites you recommend with tutorials?

Granola for Valentine's Day

Baby Maria is sassy to the core, and from what I hear most toddlers are. However, she does have lots of good things going for her including being the queen of affection. She loves giving hugs and kisses and telling you over and over again that she does in fact love you very, very, much. She also loves giving gifts. Ever since Christmas Baby Maria has played gift giving daily. Today she put my iPod in a tuppaware and gave it to me as a gift. Whenever our belongings go missing we pretty much expect to receive it back at some point packaged by 2 year old hands and delivered as a present.

If Baby Maria were to give you a Valentine's Day gift she would probably give you my iPod. But since I'm pretty fond of my iPod I'm encouraging her to give something else, something she loves very much.

Baby Maria would eat a bowl of yogurt with granola at every meal if we let her. Wait, let me take that back, Baby Maria pretty much does eat yogurt and granola at every meal because even though we don't let her she has proved herself much more stubborn than either of her parents.

So if Baby Maria were to give you a gift she would give you granola because she loves eating it, she loves sharing it, and the best part is that she loves making it.

Granola is a great recipe to make with kids. Here is Exhibit A. Exhibit B is a detailed recipe I wrote for Inhabitots that has step by step pictures and a fool proof method to not burn granola. This recipe will yield lots of granola which means lots of pressies to give.

If Baby Maria gave you granola would you be her Valentine?

The Book Depository - Buying Cook Books Online

Do you have a favorite online store for buying books? I personally love The Book Depository. A lot of you asked where I bought Christian's Moleskine planner and the books for the kids, the answer is The Book Depository because, wait for it, they have free shipping worldwide! So if you're looking to buy cookbooks in English but you live abroad check out The Book Depository.

I used The Book Depository in the U.S but was hesitant to try here in Brazil, specially where I live where the mail is so spotty. I wasn't sure my books would arrive. But they did. All of them arrived, and they all arrived in time for Christmas.

Plus, I think their book prices are great.

What about you, what's your favorite online book store?

Christmas Food Ideas

Christian and I are trying to think of ways we can be a little bit more Christmassy. These tiny gingerbread houses that perch perfectly on top of your mug have inspired me to make gingerbread today.

We've pretty much done nothing to celebrate the season, we're blaming everyone else around us for this. If the rest of the town would just put up some Christmas lights maybe then we could become festive all of a sudden.

In a way it's kind of nice being low key, specially because I'm not really low key at all about Christmas. Last year I had all of my Christmas shopping done in July, only to find myself buying more stuff in December just 'cuz everyone else was doing it, or something like that.

This year everything that I really want is web based, like adobe illustrator classes online for example, and music from iTunes. Christian wants the usual -- nothing. Whatever we get the kids needs to either fit in our bag, given away, or used up in the next 9 months, before we move back to the States.

As for Christmas food, I'm planning the menu for Christmas Eve and Christian is in charge of Christmas breakfast, his specialty. There are some really festive creations out there. If you need ideas and a little inspiration check these out.

// sushi tree
// Christmas pizza
// lemon curd pastries turned into mini christmas trees
// santa hat brownies
// candy cane cake
// gingerbread cookie tree

What are you serving up this Christmas?

ps. And for all of you who asked about Baby Maria she is doing much better. The days that she had a fever she was super sad and would not even let us come near her with the thermometer. Today she's happily playing with the thermometer, a sure sign she's back to her spunky self.

5 DIY Foodie Gifts

Three weeks ago I shared my first gift guide, where I featured some of my favorite food gifts including a s'mores kit from Matchbox Kitchen. Assuming you're like me and not all of your Christmas shopping is done then here are some ideas for gifts you can make yourself, including ... a s'mores kit.


One
What: DIY: S'mores Kits
From: Twig and Thistle
Perfect For: Your popular teenage niece who is always going on a date, maybe give her two kits.


Two
What: Teacup Lights
From: Martha Stewart
Perfect For: Your great-aunt of course.


Three
What: Vanilla Salt

From: Eat the Love

Perfect For: Your chic brother who is also super completive and thinks you have no DIY in you.

Four
What: Play Kitchen
From: ohdeedoh
Perfect For: Your favorite child.


Five
What: Tile Coaster Tutorial
From: The Cottage Home
Perfect For: The one person in the world that you know that uses coasters.



Holiday Gift Guides 2011
// 5 Cookbooks for Kids
// 5 Eco-Friendly Holiday Gifts for Little Foodies
// 5 Gourmet Gadgets for the Holidays
// 5 Food Gifts for the Holidays

5 Foodie Gifts for the Single Ladies

Since I'm a mommy and since I write so much about my kiddies, I'm always a bit surprised that anyone besides mommies would be interested in Kitchen Corners, but as it turns out some of my most loyal readers are rad single ladies. Girls, this gift guide is for you because you know how to eat and you know that eating solo can be a real treat.


One
What: Zoku Single Pop Maker
From: Williams-Sonoma
Perfect For: The college student with the tiny freezer.
Cost: $24.95

Two
What: Perennial Mini Colander
From: Anthropologie
Perfect For: The girl who likes to cook pretty.
Cost: Between $12.00

Three
What: El Paso Quesadilla Maker

From: Sears

Perfect For: The workaholic.

Cost: $19.99

Four
What: Prep and Store Bowls - Set of 4
From: Urban Outfitters
Perfect For: The hyper organized chick.
Cost: $14.00

Five
What: Geometric Mustard Hand Printed Tea Towel
From: Amy Sullivan
Perfect For: The hip girl with the hip kitchen.
Cost: $18.00

Holiday Gift Guides 2011
// 5 Eco-Friendly Holiday Gifts for Little Foodies
// 5 Gourmet Gadgets for the Holidays
// 5 Food Gifts for the Holidays

5 Gourmet Gadgets for the Holidays

It's Monday and that means it's time for one more quick gift guide.
This week lets look at some gourmet gadgets, fun and useful tools for avid cooks.


One
What: The OCD Chef Cutting Board
From: Think Geek
Perfect For: The cook who believes in recipes and follows them to a tee.
Cost: $24.99

Two
What: Copper Mixing Bowls
From: Cutlery and More
Perfect For: The hard core foodie who likes to beat egg whites by hand.
Cost: Between $93.95 - $154.96

Three
What: Batter Dispenser

From: Fresh Finds

Perfect For: The cook who always volunteers to make the cupcakes for the party.

Cost: $14.95

Four
What: Marble and Oak, Mortar and Pestle
From: Design Group
Perfect For: Mortar lovers. They do exist. I've become one of them.
Cost: $395.00

Five
What: Spaghettiometer
From: Timber Green Woods
Perfect For: The cook who likes to brag about his pasta.
Cost: $9.95

Gourmet gadgets are the funnest! Are there any of these you'd like under your Christmas tree? Are there any other gourmet gadgets you would add to the list?

P.S. Here is a list of past Holiday Gift Guides
// 5 Food Gifts for the Holidays

An Ideabook of Kitchen Tools on Houzz

This month my ideabook on Houzz is all about Must-Have Kitchen Tools. After packing up my kitchen and moving to another continent I realized that I am very capable of living without my kitchen gadgets, but to be totally honest I'd rather not.

A reader recommended I add an Alaskan Ulu knife to the list.
What about you, what would you add?

More Kitchen Tools Ideabooks on Houzz
// Sprouted Kitchen Must-Haves
// 40-Must Haves for for the Kitchen
// A Rainbow of Colorful Kitchen Accessories
// The Clever Kitchen
// The Artfully Styled Kitchen

5 Food Gifts for the Holidays

Every Monday from now until Christmas, I'll be posting a quick gift guide to some of my favorite food related finds. This Monday lets talk food. I'm a big fan of giving food for obvious reasons such as the delicious factor, the no clutter factor, and the delicious factor again. Giving food is basically a win. Here are 5 shops I love and products I recommend.

One
What: S'mores Kit
From: Matchbox Kitchen
Perfect For: Anyone. Maybe not kids because of the skewers and because they would need help assembling it. But definitely teenagers and adults alike.
Cost: $10

Two
What: Aunt Else's Gluten Free Aebleskiver Mix
From: Aunt Else's Aebleskiver
Perfect For: Your friend who eats a gluten free diet.
Cost: $12.99

Three
What: Pickled Beets

From: Happy Girl Kitchen

Perfect For: Your aunt who loves canning. Or your hipster friend who knows nothing about canning but likes the idea of canning.

Cost: $8

Four
What: Bacon Spread Variety Pack
From: Skillet
Perfect For: Meat lovers, so basically a good 90% of the people you know, also a total dude gift so if you drew you brother-in-law's name for Secret Santa then this would be a totally appropriate gift.
Cost: $39.99

Five
What: Crispy Coconut Kaffir Lime Dessert Bar
From: Ginger Elizabeth
Perfect For: The person who gives you love and affection, and do them a favor let them eat it all by themselves. There's nothing worse than getting delicious chocolate and having to share.
Cost: $6.50


What about you, do you like giving food as a gift and if so do you have any favorite shops you buy from? Do share.

Hello Weekend!

Hi friends,
if you still have Thanksgiving leftovers raise your hands. We still have some too. Thursday was crazy cooking day and then Friday and today were crazy lazy days. Yesterday Enzo had a cultural fair at his school and today we hung out with friends who are in town. Our friends rented a house with a pool and Enzo and Maria never wanted to leave. Pool are so awesome, they totally make my kids hungry and tiered and when they're hungry they'll eat anything and when they're tiered they're down and out fast. Today was a good day. This week was a good week.

Since we're on the topic of good things I wanted to share some good finds from the week:

// Sweet Paul Winter 2011 edition. I was anxiously waiting for this for months and then when it finally came out I was too busy to read it. Today I had some time to look over it and of couse it's fantastic to the core.
// Doesn't everyone re-heat pizza this way?
// I never thought I'd say this but this McDonalds is gorgeous.
// Loved this interview with Donna Hay
// This has got to be the most useful hi-tech kitchen gadget ever.
// Beautifully set tables make me happy.
// If you're thinking of making a gift for a little foodie I think these fabric cookies would be a real treat.