My 100th post

I just realized after loading pictures for a new recipe I tried the other day, that post was going to be my 100th post on this blog.  I know to many people that fact might not mean much but for me, it feels like an accomplishment.  My interest in this blog has definitely waxed and waned but in the end I feel such excitement in my soul when I get to take pictures of food, try new recipes, and be creative.

In honor of my 100th post (and basically the one year anniversary of this blog which was started September 13, 2012), I am going to post some of my favorite photos from the last year instead of a new recipe.  I did not know that I would get such joy from taking photographs of friends, food, and just plain ol' objects when I started this thing. Thanks to all of you for being so encouraging along this continued process and for being a part of this blogging adventure with me!  I hope you have enjoyed (and will continue to enjoy) the ride!

Fresh Spicy Pepper Hummus

So recently I have stopped buying hummus from the grocery store.  I almost always have every ingredient on hand that we might need to whip up a batch at any given moment.  I thought about it a couple weeks ago and realized I am wasting $2.99 per week by buying something we can already make at home.  The only thing that I am often lacking is a some sort of pepper to add to the hummus.  Matt loves spicy hummus and if I want him to help me eat some of it (which if I am being honest, some weeks I really just don't-I want to hog all the hummus to myself), I know I need to make it spicy.

So with that spicy challenge in mind, I bought a Cubanelle pepper this week at Publix.  It cost me $.18.  I love that price!  I am working on perfecting my homemade hummus to Mat''s heat-level liking but I am pretty sure I hit the jackpot this week.  (Here's a little information on the Cubanelle Pepper just in case you were interested.)  I love making hummus.  I love how easy it is, how versatile, and how interesting the flavors can be.  Hummus is just a winner all around.  I hope you like this recipe if you have the chance to make it.  It literally took me less than 15 minutes from start to finish and yielded just about 2 cups.  What more could you ask for?  I hope you enjoy!

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Fresh Pepper Hummus

1 medium-sized pepper (jalapeno, cubanelle, red pepper, whatever kind and hotness you prefer)
1 1/2 cups chickpeas
6 cloves garlic
2 tablespoons tahini
1 tablespoon of lemon juice
1/4 cup water
salt to taste

Seed and roughly chop the pepper.  Place it in the food processor.  Process until finely minced.  Add the chickpeas, garlic, tahini, lemon juice, and water to the food processor.  Process for approximately 4-7 minutes.  This will allow for ultimate hummus creaminess.  Every once in a while during the 4-7 minutes, stop the food processor, add any needed salt, and see if the desired consistency has been reached.  Once desired consistency is reached, chill and enjoy!

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Labor Day Weekend Fun

This past weekend Matt and I were able to head a little south of Atlanta to visit with part of my family.  It was such a relaxing time of taking life slow and doing things that are just fun to do.  We read a lot of magazines, talked about future plans, ate a lot of cupcakes, and watched a lot of TV.  All the fun things you crave to do while on a short weekend vacation.

My sweet mother and sister went on a walk with me last night around the neighborhood.  They allowed me to use themselves and their dogs as models as I practiced my photography.  These photos are some of the results of that walk.  I am trying to work on my lighting skills and see how the sun affects the contrast and shadows.  I had a lot of fun playing around with these pictures.

I don't quite know why I love the very top picture I have placed on today's post.  As I continue to look at it, I think it might be the stark blackness of Pippi's fur against the gray of the concrete mixed with the orange/brown of the leaves and pine needles.  I don't really know why I am so drawn to it especially because it is out of focus.  I just think it is very interesting.  Anyway, thanks for allowing me to share part of my weekend.  I hope you had a relaxing one too!

 

 

Corn, Corn, Corn!

Corn season is upon us and I am oh, so happy about this.  I love corn in any of its many forms.  Grits, popcorn, corn bread, corn tortillas, or just good ol' corn on the cob, give me any of it.  Any way someone serves corn is quite alright by me.

So with corn season in mind, I decided to make a soup recipe from 101cookbooks.com that I have been eyeing for a little while.  I had been waiting for this time of the year to come so I could make this recipe with the best corn possible.  Maybe it is because I am from Ohio and corn country (seriously, in my hometown we have a festival each September called "The Corn Festival"-we celebrate corn!), but corn out of the can is ridiculously horrible most of the time.  I never ever buy the cheap corn when shopping at Publix.  It just doesn't work for me.  I will buy the most expensive corn just because I think it doesn't taste bland like the cheap stuff.  So with that corn snobbery confessed, when this time of the year comes around, I love to utilize delicious corn in as many ways as possible.  How could a corn soup not be a delicious way to celebrate this vegetable?

Here's that link to the recipe I mentioned from 101cookbooks:  Corn Soup from 101cookbooks.com

This was such a fun and fresh soup to make.  Matt actually got sick over the weekend so getting to make him corn soup was a perfect way to put some fluids in him.  As you can see in the top picture, I added goat cheese to my bowl to add a little creaminess to the broth.  Matt stuck to the clear broth.  I also topped the soup with dill like the author of the original recipe recommends.  At first, I was like "Dill, really?  I don't know about that."  After adding a little and re-tasting the soup, I was like, "Dill! Really!  This is amazing!"  I actually sounded like that.  My excitement level over adding a little dill to the dish was slightly ridiculous.  Either way, dill or no dill, I hope you enjoy this soup if you have some extra corn lying around.  This recipe is definitely worth a try.

Fresh Blueberries + a KitchenAid = Homemade Frozen Yogurt

I am going to start blogging again with a bang. A blueberry bang to be exact.

This past week as I was trying to think what I wanted to blog about, I came across a blueberry frozen yogurt recipe on one of my new favorite websites.  It is called 'Cookie+Kate' and the author (Kate) only cooks vegetarian.  That fact alone was a draw for me.  She focuses on using fresh produce and ingredients in innovative ways.  Another draw!  So when I came across her Blueberry Frozen Yogurt recipe and realized it only had five ingredients (what?!?) I knew I needed to give it a chance.  Here's a link to the recipe I used: Cookie+Kate "Blueberry Frozen Yogurt"

So as you all know, I don't always enjoy following recipes exactly as they are written.  I like to say I am being "creative" as I veer from the original author's recipe.  However, for this recipe, I followed the instructions almost exactly.  The only ingredient change I made was the type of yogurt I used.  The author calls for full-fat yogurt and instead, I used Chobani's non-fat plain greek style yogurt.  I figured it would add more protein, less fat, and less guilt about enjoying the finished product.

As you can see in the above picture, I decided to save the mashed blueberries to add to the yogurt at the end.  Matt likes his frozen yogurt to have fruit chunks in it.  He says it adds texture.  I figured if I am making him try this homemade frozen yogurt, I would at least give him some satisfying fruit chunks in the end.

I will be honest, even with the fact that this recipe only has five ingredients, I was still slightly concerned about making this frozen yogurt when I initially looked at it.  First, I didn't know if the full-fat vs. non-fat yogurt would make a difference.  Second, I had never used our KitchenAid ice cream maker so I was forging into new cooking territory by trying this recipe.  However even with those concerns, my excitement to see how this recipe was going to turn out canceled out all those fears, and I decided to plug ahead.

And oh my goodness, I am so glad I did!  This frozen yogurt was so much fun to make and so ridiculously easy.  The KitchenAid ice cream maker appliance makes it as simple as can be.  I watched a couple youtube.com videos of how to use the appliance before actually beginning the ice cream making process.  That turned out to be a good idea and I would recommend that to anyone who is just learning how to use their ice cream maker.

This frozen yogurt is so light and delicious!  I cannot wait to try other combinations of ingredients.  My mind is literally spinning right now with all the possibilities.  Should I make a peanut butter yogurt?  What about lemon?!  That sounds really great too!  We will see.  I just know that this ice cream maker is definitely going to be getting a lot more use now that my eyes have been opened to its remarkable possibilities!

I hope you enjoy.

From April to August

Where in the world did the time go?  How did this year go from April to August already?  

Life is going by much too quickly.

This summer has held many excitements for our home.  I switched jobs within the hospital that I work.  Matt finished his sixth year of teaching elementary school and completed his first year of graduate studies. And we got to travel!! We visited with friends in Hilton Head over the Memorial Day weekend, flew up to Ohio for our nephew's 6th birthday in June, went on an adventure to Iceland, and spent time with family and friends on the many weekends in between.

We have had a blessed summer.  No other word would be able to describe it.  We are beyond thankful for each moment and memory that was made during these last couple months.  As we embark into the fall and into the holidays, I hope to be able to share even more about the adventures that are going on in our household.  I hope you will join me in the fun!

beautiful yellow tulips from my sweet, sweet husband

the most attractive couple i know

this smile lights up my day

downtown in reykjavik, iceland

these dandelions seemed to go on for miles and miles

a little boy following in the footsteps of his fisherman father

beautiful, peaceful iceland