We made a trip out to Blueberryfield Farm yesterday. It was a lovely day. The sun was shining. The sky was blue. The temperature was agreeable. And the bushes were busting with berries.
We picked all that we could carry.
Charlie didn't get any in his bucket.
This morning I risked turning on the oven for the first time in weeks. We needed to make some blueberry boy bait. I used the original recipe. It is pretty good, but next time I will use butter instead of oil and add brown sugar and vanilla.
Life has been very busy lately. Lots of changes have occured and we are still adjusting. I haven't seemed to find much crafting time in the midst of it all so I have thrown myself fully into cooking. Thanks to Deb at Smitten Kitchen, most of my dishes have been sucessful. I am thinking of doing a whole week devoted to her recipes alone. We shall see if time allows me to document!
Anyhow, I had tons of strawberries that were headed south so I had to use them quick. I found this recipe for strawberry bread. It is so moist and delicious that was my breakfast and lunch. Must be the cream cheese!
On Saturday I had the same dilemma, but with a super huge zucchini. This recipe for Zucchini Bread is THE BEST! YUM.
Besides my crazy obsession with making sweet breads I have also been enjoying frying things. I guess it is appealing because 1 It's zucchini season, 2 I can fry outside and 3 it is oh so yummy. Here is my favorite recipe.
And to balance out the naughtiness of all of the sweets and fried treats I have been doing alot of blending. Green smoothies to be precise. They are quite pleasant to drink, very energizing and healthy to boot. I don't really follow a recipe. I have been playing with what I have around. This morning it was kale, mango, peach, banana, kiwi and water thrown into the blender. Yesterday was spinach, banana, strawberry and blueberry. The options are endless! I was leery of drinking raw kale, but really you can hardly tell that it's there!
Some of my favorite dishes are made from lentils. They are quick to cook, delicious to eat and cheap to buy. The only downfall is that my big kids won't eat them. They are so missing out.
When I was in high school I worked as a waitress at a Mediterranean restaurant. I was a small place run by a sweet man from Jordan. They had the best food and it really expanded my horizons. Before working there, I only ever ate pasta or some good old Kentucky granny cooking. No offense to either, but oh the flavors that I had been missing out on! I have been trying to find comparable recipes lately. I have come across a lot of duds, but this one is a winner.
Red Lentil Soup
6 cups chicken or vegetable broth
2 cups red lentils
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 onion minced
1 tablespoon ground cumin
a pinch of cayenne pepper
Bring stock and lentils to a boil. Cover. Reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes or until they pop.
Meanwhile saute onion and garlic in olive oil until soft. Add the cumin and cayenne and saute for another minute.
Add lentils and onions to your food processor and puree.
I serve with lemon wedges and sprinkle fresh parsley on top when I'm feeling fancy. I also like to have zatar pita on the side. To make that you brush olive oil on a soft flatbread type pita, sprinkle zatar seasoning on top and toast. It is so good.
Things are looking up. We have mostly kicked the colds that overtook us just before Christmas. The tree is in the yard waiting to be burned. My computer has it's new cable and is now taking a charge. Matt's knee surgery went well and he is off the crutches now. Fresh spaces and fresh perspectives are all around. Life is good!
Since I missed posting over the holidays(see excuses above) I made a little photo update. We finished off 2010 with lots of time spent cozy at home in our jammies, enjoying time family and friends and trying to carry out most of our traditions as best we could.
Ohio village ::
matchy solstice jammies ::
baking ::
Katie's rocking around the christmas tree party ::
Christmas morning ::
Ringing in the new year with friends ::
the ball drop was a bit of a let down this year ::
and to end on a happy note ::
Here's hoping that you had a beautiful ending to 2010 and a happy healthy start 2011!
I have been feeling quiet lately. With all of the holiday clatter going on around it seems to be all that I can do. Charlie is cutting some serious teeth and has been sick to boot. The kids are wild with excitement and from being cooped up inside and my computer(and Tommy) has been having some power issues. I just can't win. So I am trying to remain calm. And Quiet. Here are some scenes of late. Maybe I will revisit and elaborate in the near future.
TWO DAYS IN A ROW!!! This is unheard of!!! Yesterday we were lazy. Today we are preparing. The kiddos are getting excited about Valentine's day. Katie has been in full on decorating mode. She thinks that Valentine's day deserves just as much attention as Christmas. She has been quite a busy little girl getting ready. I'm not sure if she's more excited about Valentine's Day or the fact that Charlie Brown's special come on tonight. Either way, there is very much excitement!!
Decorating::
Addressing Valentines for school parties::
Baking cookies::
And still plenty of time to be lazy too!!!
Homemade chicken and noodles. Comfort food at its best!!!