A – Vintage Damask Brooch from That Vintage ($23.00)
B – Dragonfly Bowl from Village Clayworks ($22.00)
C – Sprinkle Cupcake Necklace from Luster Studio ($22.00)
D – Bunnies Tee from Gnome Enterprises ($25.00)

Irem Petek Guven has one mission — to create things to make people happy:
The Tenor Ring | Food Wife Placemat | Food Tenor Cuff

This concludes our feature of some of the recipes from The Spice Kitchen cookbook which we give two thumbs up to. We’ve enjoyed all the recipes we created from it, they were quick to create such incredible, edible results. Of course, we’re ending it off with a dessert, the Pear Cream Cheese Bars with Macadamia Nut Crust was too tempting to pass up! I did type that out right, the grocery store was out of macadamia nuts, so I ended up having to use hazelnuts on mine. Therefore, I just wrote nuts below, so you can use what you can find or prefer. You can go through all the nuts you know as dictated by that fellow in Best in Show. Peanut. Hazelnut. Cashew nut. Macadamia nut… This recipe makes approximately twelve bars.

CRUST:
4 Tablespoons butter, softened
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup flour
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 cup chopped nuts

FILLING:
12 oz cream cheese, room temperature
3/4 cup sugar
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
2 pears, peeled, cored, sliced

STREUSEL TOPPING:
1/2 cup flour
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground coriander
4 tablespoons cold butter, cut into small pieces
1/2 cup nuts, finely chopped

DIRECTIONS:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease an 8 inch square or round baking pan. To make the crust, cream the butter and sugar in a medium bowl until light and fluffy. Gradually beat in the flour, ginger and cloves. Stir in the nuts. Press the crust mixture into the bottom of the pan and bake for 15 minutes.

Increase the oven temperature to 375 degrees. To make the filling, beat together the cream cheese and sugar in a large bowl until smooth and creamy. In a small bowl, whisk together the egg and vanilla. Slowly add the egg mixture to the cream cheese mixture and beat until well combined. Spread the cream cheese mixture over the crust. Arrange the pears on top of the cream cheese mixture.

To make the streusel topping, combine the flour, brown sugar, cinnamon and coriander in a small bowl. Cut in the butter with a pastry blender or two knives until the butter is evenly distributed in the flour mixture and the mixture is crumbly. Stir in the nuts. Evenly sprinkle the streusel topping over the pears. Bake the bars for 25 to 30 minutes. Allow to cool and then, refrigerate for at least three hours before cutting and serving.

Please visit our previous posts for some more savings! Sales and coupon codes are a great way for indie shops to thank their customers for all their support. We would love to feature your indie shop’s sale, please submit one.

GREAT INDIE SAVINGS:
• BIDWELL BOTANICALS: Save 20% on all of their exclusive Shea Butter Shower Crème & Bubble Bath selections until March 31st
• BRIGHT AND BOLD: Envirosax sets on sale for $28 per set with free shipping (about $10 savings!) with coupon code is ENV28 through 3/7/10. Order at least 2 sets and get a free gift by mentioning PURPLE in the comments section during checkout.
• CELESTE AND COMPANY: Their beanies have been marked down to $9.95 and selected headbands have been marked down to only $5
• GREEN LOVE: Receive 50% off their natural, organic soap for a limited time
• INTEGRITY STUDIO: Specially priced discounts on their lovely 5×5 and 8×8 print sets for a limited time.
• JM CRAFTWORKS: Their entire collection of bags and pouches are on sale through 3/18/10
• LITTLE GREEN ROOM: Anniversary Sale through 3/15/10. Plus check out the special Buy One Get One item too.
• MODERN TRINKETS: Buy three designs of your choice and your paypal account will be refunded for every 3rd design of lesser price – hurry, ends 3/7/10
• NATURE MAIDEN: Receive 15% off your order of premium bath and body products through 3/9/10 with coupon code SPRING2010
• ROCK SCISSOR PAPER: 17th Anniversary sale – Take 25% off everything in the shop with coupon code SASSY17 through 3/10/10
• SCAPE: Through 3/7/10, this shop is offering a free plain sterling silver band when you purchase one of their stone set rings for $24 and above
• SWEET LITTLE BIRDIE: Every saturday, you can buy one of their children’s clothes or toys and get the second for 30% off.

Intricate details and the love of colors are showcased in the artwork of Valentine Designs:
Cute Little Fishes Print | I Believe Print | It Is Love Print

1 – Snooze Teal Plush Bear from Stitchface
2 – Newborn Brown Bear Hat from Prop’s To You
3 – Kiss Bear Photo Pendant from Pinglebell
4 – Imaginery Bear Print from Matte Stephens
5 – Serious Face Bear Necklace from Squirrel Bunny
6 – Bear To Do List from Boy Girl Party

Go explore what else Cynthia Vardham Ceramics has to offer in the world of porcelain and patterns.

A – Recycled Necktie Wallet from Prix-prix ($30.00)
B – Japanese Beetle Cufflinls from Ghost Love Jewelry ($30.00)
C – Electric Blue Splash Bowl from Engler Glass ($28.00)
D – Dandelion Birdie Mug from Mud Pie Studio ($26.00)

Fused glass combined with sterling silver creates such beautifully Smashing jewelry:
Teeming Petals Earrings | Currency Choker Necklace | Glass Enamel Cufflinks

This is our second feature of some of the recipes from The Spice Kitchen cookbook and this time, we’ve created the Black Beans with Tomatoes and Spices recipe. The photo demonstrates this more as a salsa to dip nachos into, but would make a great side dish. Coincidentally, that blog post about the cookbook was our 1,000th post, so congratulations if you posted on it because that means you were entered for a chance to win our giveaway! The random generator selected #8 as the winner which was Kathleen who wrote: I think the design of the cover alone is gorgeous. I can’t wait to see what you cook up! I’ve never tried TSP Spices, but have seen them on other blogs. I like the concept of them, just small portions that don’t get stale like larger ones. Please join me in congratulating Kathleen!

This cookbook features many vegetarian options as the one listed above. There is entire entree section that has meat dishes, but all you need to do is some substitutions for those to create some more great vegetarian dishes. The page opposite this recipe we’re featuring has a great sounding Italian Herb Vegetable Casserole recipe. Next sunday, we will feature a dessert from this cookbook and this will conclude our sneak peek into The Spice Kitchen Cookbook.

BLACK BEANS WITH TOMATOES AND HERBS
1 1/2 cups dried black beans
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 medium onion, finely chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 medium tomatoes, coarsely chopped
2 teaspoons ground mild chile pepper
1 teaspoon oregano
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon lemon zest
salt and black pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS:
All black beans to soak overnight in cold water, then drain before beginning recipe. In a large saucepan, cover the beans with two inches of water and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for an hour, stirring occasionally. Meanwhile, in a medium skillet, heat the vegetable oil and add the onion and garlic to cook over moderate heat until softened.

Add the onion and garlic mixture to the beans, along with the tomatoes and spices with enough water to cover. Season to taste with salt and pepper and continue simmering until the beans are soft and tender, up to two hours. Check occasionally and replenish the water if necessary. This recipe serves six to eight.