recipe revival: rhubarbettes

Posted on May 5, 2014 by highplainsthrifter

Last week at work, while thumbing through a vintage Bisquick cookbook, I stumbled upon a recipe for rhubarb muffins with the most charming of names.

I’m not awesome with numbers, but I’m pretty sure it’s scientifically proven that adding -ette to anything makes it 1,000 times more adorable? Drumette. Luncheonette. Dari-ette. Farmette. Rhubarbettes. Obviously, resistance was futile. I had to make them ASAP.

In the era of over-the-top everything, this recipe embodies everything I love about old-fashioned cooking. It’s so dang simple! A couple stalks of rhubarb, a few pantry staples and about ten minutes of hands-on time are all it takes.

The resulting muffins (er, muffinettes?) are light and delicate in texture, and just a tad sweet. Since they’re not strong-armed by a heavy glaze or excess sugar, the pucker-y taste of the rhubarb shines through like the star that it is.

Just add a cup of tea and a good read, and the tone for a pretty much perfect spring day is set.

Wishing you all wonderful Mondays!

xo,

Meghan

Disclosure: During the day, I work as Senior Editor on BettyCrocker.com via MSP Communications. This post is not sponsored by, or affiliated with, that work. I just love Bisquick, baking and Betty so much, I talk about it even when I’m not paid to. :-)

workin’ it: all about dem wangz

Posted on January 31, 2014 by highplainsthrifter

Right off the bat, let me say that this post is not for my vegetarian friends. It’s about chicken wings. Second, can I just say how lucky am I to have a job that requires me to lead a project the revolves around nothing but chicken wing recipes? Someone pinch me please. Below are some behind-the-scenes snaps I took at the photo shoot.

Before this project, I thought making restaurant-style chicken wings at home would be super hard. I’d tried a few recipes for them in the slow cooker, but they never tasted bar-quality. I’m happy to say that these recipes are REALLY easy, and many of them are made with ingredients you probably already have on hand. #bonus

For details on any of the (delicious) recipes, just click the pics. Or to see all of the recipes at once, pop over and check out the full slideshow!

Photo Credits Photographer: Richard Wong 
Lead food stylist: Lisa Golden Scroeder 
Props: Libby Hegtvedt 
Styling + art direction: yours truly!

xoxo,

Meghan

Disclosure: During the day, I work as Senior Editor on BettyCrocker.com via MSP Communications. This post is not sponsored by, or affiliated with that work.

workin’ it: a party fit for a princess

Posted on May 2, 2013 by highplainsthrifter

Some times, when I describe what I’m working on for work, it can sounds completely absurd, even to me. For instance, back in March, my life revolved around planning a Princess Birthday party photo shoot (see, I told you, crazy!). It was all-engrossing in the best possible way. I dreamed about princess cakes. Got up at 5 a.m. to dye bamboo fruit skewers pink. Had multiple phone conversations exclusively about tutus. (And loved every minute of it.)

You can find the gorgeous pics from the party here, including insanely adorable cake recipes, easy ideas for party food and heaps of décor and detail inspiration. There’s even a suite of coordinating printables my Mighty Swell partner Rae designed (they are so, so, so cute and totally FREE!). Whether you have a princess in your life to plan a party for, or are just in the mood for a bit of precious, pink, princess-ness, please do check it out.

I, mean, c’mon. This cake! That face! (Love.)

Princess Birthday Party Credits
Photographer: Eliesa Johnson
Photo assistant: Sara Montour
Party styling + printables: Rae Alexis
Prop styling + art direction: me!

xoxo,

Meghan

Full disclosure: During the day, I work as Senior Editor on BettyCrocker.com via MSP Communications.

recently thrifted

Posted on April 29, 2013 by highplainsthrifter

Hey all, we made it through Monday! High fives all around!

After a winter-imposed thrifting siesta, I’ve finally, just recently, been in the mood to make the rounds. And so, since it’s been a while, I thought I’d share a few finds from this past week

First up, two beauties from Empty the Nest…

and…

And then a few random doo-dads from (clockwise from the left) the Salvation Army Family Store on Nicollet, Empty the Nest (yes, again) and the New to You Thriftique on Highway 55, which I visited over my lunch break last week.

Of all my buys, I’m most stoked about the hair dryer, with the granny sandals coming in a close 2nd. (Wearing them is like walking on a cuddly little cloud!) Have you thrifted anything recently that’s brought you a bit of comfort, surprise or delight? If so, I’d love to hear!

xoxo,

Meghan

workin’ it: sweet styling for bettycrocker.com

Posted on March 29, 2013 by highplainsthrifter

Sometimes I forget to share the pretty things I do at work, and that is a cryin’ shame! Take last month, for instance, when the opportunity arose to art direct, prop and style a shoot featuring new spring dessert recipes for BettyCrocker.com.

Dipping into my personal stash of vintage linens and china (in addition to spending the better part of a day in Betty’s a-m-a-z-i-n-g prop room!) resulted in some really lovely textures and contrasts. And I can’t emphasize enough how wonderfully talented the people behind the cameras are in the General Mills photo studio. From the photographers to the food stylists to the photo assistants and support staff, everyone is on top of their game and on top of that, so incredibly NICE.

Below are a handful of the resulting shots from last month. If you want to peek at the recipes, just click the recipe names or images! And get a hanky ready for goodness sakes, as drooling is likely to occur.

Fresh Raspberry Almond Tray Tart: An unbelievably delicious and versatile dessert. I already know this baby will be my go-to potluck/holiday dessert this summer! It is so good.

Lemon Cake with Irish Breakfast Tea Frosting: Infusing the meringue with tea adds a unique, earthy dimension to this shortcut cake.

Carrot Cake: Straightforward and simple, this cake is a classic Betty recipe, packed with carrots, spice and all that good stuff.

Golden Caramel Cake: This classic beauty doesn’t need much in the way of dressing up. Perfect in crumb, color and taste, the ripple of homemade caramel takes this cake over-the-top.

And finally, a re-shoot of one of Betty’s most popular chocolate-chip cookie recipes. I’ve shared this recipe with at least a half-dozen friends in the last few months. They may not look crazy-fancy, but damn do they taste good!

Credits
Photographer: Chuck Nields
 Food stylist: Sharon Harding
 Prop styling + art direction: yours truly!

I’ll be sharing a few more peeks from fun projects I’ve worked on for Betty soon. Just this week we wrapped a two-day shoot that was honestly one of the most fun projects I’ve ever worked on. It was a grueling week, but the resulting shots are straight-up adorable!

xoxo,

Meghan

Disclosure: During the day, I work as Senior Editor on BettyCrocker.com via MSP Communications.

saturday night supper

Posted on December 8, 2012 by highplainsthrifter

Tonight’s forecast looks like this.

Yikes. I’m going to take advantage of the weather and stay in, cozy up and cook a yummy dinner for my hon and me. Here’s what’s on tonight’s menu.

First up, Rosemary Lime Cocktails via Joy the Baker.

For the main course, I’m making this Bacon Mac & Cheese with Wisconsin Gruyère, a dish I fell head-over-heels for after seeing it on Savory Sweet Life earlier this week.

And to finish, Slow Cooker Pumpkin-Apple Dessert. I love making desserts in my Crock-Pot because you can start ’em before dinner and they’re ready and warm by the time the dinner dishes are done.

It’s not a fancy lineup, just some hearty home cooking. Which sounds perfect on a winter night when the snowflakes are a-fallin’. I hope you are all having warm and restful weekends as well!

xoxo,

Meghan

revolutionary recipe alert: microwave apple crisp

Posted on November 12, 2012 by highplainsthrifter

I’ve been missing my oven a lot lately. It probably has to do with the fact it snowed today, meaning my least favorite season, pre-winter, has arrived. I’m trying to be positive about the cold weather, but it’s hard. Especially when you can’t even cope with it with a cozy night spent at home baking. One thing I’ve been dying to make all fall is a good old-fashioned apple crisp. Which is why this recipe for microwave apple crisp caught my eye when I stumbled on it at work the other day. I was skeptical at first, but after reading the positive reviews, my mind was made up to give it a try.

I stuck with the recipe pretty closely, but did substitute one of the apples out for a sad little pear that was languishing in my fridge. My 1.5-quart
oblong Pyrex turned out to be the perfect size.

After mixing up the topping (a straight-forward combo of oats, brown sugar, Bisquick, melted butter and spices) I thought it was going to be too thick, but it turned out to be just right.

This is when I started to have my doubts…

Skeptical as I was, it only took one bite to make me a believer. It was everything I had missed about baked apple crisp—sweet, warm, sticky, cinnamon-y, apple-y, good. I was so happy, I almost forgot about the sad state of my broken oven.

You can find the recipe (and read all the rave reviews) here. Let me know what you think if you give it a whirl!

xoxo,

Meghan

clickin’ around, vol. 36

Posted on November 9, 2012 by highplainsthrifter

♥ In the super duper exciting life news department, my very first Vintage Betty post went live over on BettyCrocker.com this week. In it, I shared an easy classic Betty brunch recipe that’s been a family favorite of mine for ages. If you have a minute, please do go check it out!

♥ Have you guys heard about For the Makers yet? It’s this slick service that delivers materials for four DIYs for the super reasonable price of $29 AND provides online tutorials showing you what you can make with your batch of supplies. Definitely a fab gift idea to squirrel away, I’d say.

♥ As you all can probably guess, I don’t know squat about fine art. I do know, however, that this installation, made of 50,000 colored plastic balls, is pretty darn awesome to look at.

♥ This video may be a few weeks old, but it’s powerful and worth a watch. I saw it this week in a work presentation and teared up in two seconds flat.

♥ On a (much, much) lighter note, I added this Honeycrisp & Bourbon Spiked Cider to my list of Thanksgiving must-makes today. (How cute are those lil stars?) How are your menus coming along?

♥ If I knew how to work a drill, I’d totally put these shelves with built-in planters up in my bedroom. So brilliant!

♥ My current home is chock-full of girly everything (hello Dolly Parton themed bathroom!), but I envision a very ’70s vibe for my next home. Which is exactly why I’m saving posts like this one from SF Girl by Bay as deco inspo for my next go around. (On the same topic of decorating, this mood-board how-to on Decor8 knocked my nylons off.)

I hope you all have had wonderful weeks…it’s been a busy one for me, but I’m looking forward to a relaxing weekend that’s 100-percent free of work. Fingers crossed I can make it happen!

xoxo,

Meghan