Signing Off

Truth be told, I've been putting this post off for... about 3 weeks. Although it's time, it's been difficult to go through with my decision. 

I'm signing off. 

Why?

One can't predict the twists and turns that are going to happen along the way in life. One twist my life has taken this year is I've decided to write a book. Another is I've lost some passion for food blogging. I'm not saying I'm going to be gone forever, but I will be gone for an indefinite amount of time. Until the book is done I've decided and I just don't know how long that will be. A month, 2 months, 6 months, a year... who knows? All I know is this is best choice for me now, especially with it being summer. Between the garden, the yard, the house, my book, family and friends, I don't have time to devote to blogging like I used to. And time it does take.

2016: By The Numbers

Summer 2016; Wine in the garden

Well, well, well. Here it is the first day of 2017 and I'm going to wrap-up the year of 2016 before I even wrap up the month of December 2016. Why? Because I want to. Because I'm a rebel. But mostly because, as per usual this year, I'm running behind. The story of my life 😄

Now that the holidays are almost over and the hubby and I are tucked back into our own house again, it's time to make it a better year. I mean, there's no election this year so we already know it's got to be a superior year, right? 😉 Right. I'm going to save my New Year's goals (and 2016's learning experiences) for another day, and simply talk numbers. Here's 2016 by the numbers-

Raspberry Peach Jam

Fall is coming!

Yeah, it's still August, but it's starting to feel a bit like fall around here. Some of my trees are changing color and losing leaves already. The hummingbirds are beginning to get fatter and there's a lot more of them around the last couple of days, something that usually doesn't happen for a couple of weeks around here. This morning when I let the dogs out, my glasses didn't fog up which means... dun dun dun...no humidity. Always a sign of fall around here. 

How can this be happening already? Wasn't I just lamenting that late frost we had in March? Didn't I just get tomato starts to baby before planting in the raised beds? How does summer always go so fast?

Wrapping up June: 2016

Hola amigos!

Yeah, I'm a couple days late with my monthly wrap-up. This summer, infinitely more than the past 3 summers, has been full of work. It seems like the longer we live in the house, the more work there is to do. I guess this makes sense. When we first moved in 3 years ago, we didn't even have grass. Now, we have landscaping times 100! The hubby and I were talking about how we had binged "Lost" back in the day, in 2009. I think one day we watched 15 episodes of the show. We got to talking about how in the world did we find that much time to watch the show, and we both came up with the fact that we lived in a rental whose yard consisted of an approximately 5 x 5 patch of grass. Not only were we not actively improving the property like people do with homes they own, but we had no yard. Of course we had oodles of time!

3-Cheese Risotto

Friends, I'm currently in a "creation" frenzy. I've been churning out the recipes here at home, night after night. Which has been unusual as of late. The hubby returned home from work the other night and exclaimed, "You made dinner again? Wow!". Ha ha. And the next thing he said? "You must be running out of back-up posts on the blog." 

He hit the nail on the head. Sometimes I go through weeks-long phases where all I want to do is write. Sometimes the phase is creating the recipe and taking pictures, and that's where I am currently. Taking lots and lots of pictures, and wracking my brain for any ol' little thing to write. In truth, I'm trying to create a big backlog because my parents are coming to visit next month! It's going to be a longer visit and I know I won't be doing any work while they are here. 

So, that's where my head is at. Must. Take. More. Pictures!!

Lemon Garlic Shrimp Zoodles

After the sheer insanity of last weekend, this weekend promises to be a bit calmer. The hubby is scheduled to work today and tomorrow (boo!), and the weather is rainy. It's as if I woke up this morning and the universe told me to take it easy. Stay inside, read a book. Bake yummy carbohydrate-laden pasta into something comforting, take pictures of it. Put on Gilmore Girls and grab a mugful of tea. 

April, Abbreviated: 2016

It's May, you guys. How is it May? Almost half the year is gone already! On the plus side... it will be summer soon. Outside, the trees all have leaves or are actively growing new ones, the weeds have bloomed, the wasps are out *grumbles*, and we are on the cusp of humidity here in NE Kentucky. Yes, it is currently that short, maybe 2-week period we have here where the weather is warm and sunny, but the humidity is low. Because when the humidity kicks in, whew, it's tough to be outside in the afternoon. The garden is growing by leaps and bounds, to my delight. It also appears our bees have decided to stay. What I can I say? April kicked ass. Let's summarize the whirlwind that was last month-

What I Learned In My 2nd Year of Gardening

Well, I think it's time.

I officially put the garden to bed yesterday. Actually, I did most of the work on Friday before our first heavy frost. I was at the gym, walking on the treadmill, minding my own business when the local garden guy came on the news. He advised getting any vegetables you might have in the garden, out of the garden before the cold weather. I still had a few tomatoes and peppers on the vines, so I got to work. 

I pulled the last few green tomatoes, and put them in closed paper bags in the basement. They'll be ripe in a couple of weeks, and that will be a nice treat. I pulled up the tomato and pepper plants, and added them to the compost. 

Metamorphosis

What? Another Sunday post? Are you guys lucky or what?? :)

Truth be told, something magical happened at the homestead this summer that I just had to share. I introduced milkweed to my garden for the first time this year, and I was rewarded with butterflies. 

Lots and lots of butterflies.

Jalapeno Corn with Brown Mustard Seeds

There are exactly 2 dishes I make with corn on the regular- Corn and Tomato Relish, and this Jalapeño Corn with Brown Mustard seeds. The hubby and I aren't huge corn eaters, to be honest. We'll eat it off the cob during the summer, if it's given to us out of someone's garden. Occasionally, I'll pick some up at the grocery store when it's on sale. Corn is not a staple for us though, unlike tomatoes, lettuce, kale, broccoli, etc. which we buy in truckloads year-round. We like fresh corn though, which pretty much makes it impossible for us to enjoy 75% of the year. But when we do get corn, this is one of the dishes I turn to.

Raspberry Jam Pops

I'm running out of summer time to post my summer fruit recipes, so today (much like many, many days this summer, ahem) is about raspberries. Lemonades, truffles, jams, smoothies- I've featured them all in raspberry this summer. What can I say? This is my life. And my life includes truckloads of raspberries. Seriously, open my fridge during the summer and what do you think you will find? Cartons of raspberries. 

I'm an addict. I'm not happy until my fingers are stained red and I've got seeds stuck between my teeth.

Zucchini "Crab" Cakes

-with homemade tarter sauce

You've heard of them. Perhaps you've even had them. It's hard to find someone who either hasn't heard of Zucchini "Crab" Cakes or, hasn't tried them. However, you may not have heard the one tip that takes these little cakes over the top.

What is it?

Oregon 2015

Oh my goodness. I took quite the break!

It's been more than a month since my last post. And let me tell you, time off did me good. I definitely feel invigorated and refreshed. The hubby and I got back from our Oregon trip on Thursday night, but it's taken me a while to find my bearings. It always feels like that coming back from vacation. However, the house is back in order, the laundry is all done, the fridge is stocked with veggies- which means it's time to get back to writing. 

Broccoli and Red Pepper Chicken Stir-fry

Happy Tuesday! 

I usually try to post on Mondays, however, yesterday was a tad cray-cray. I felt like I was going from the moment I woke up. I basically woke up, shotgunned 3 coffees, watered the garden, fed the birds, gathered all the house laundry to start, cleaned out the fridge, ran the dishwasher, headed out to the grocery store, and then the feed store. Came home, mowed the lawn, finished the laundry, took a shower, and...

Collapsed.

Spring 2015 aka Chipmunkpaloosa

Hello from Kentucky this wonderful Tuesday morning!

I'm not so sure about the wonderful part, since I've gotten up early for an appointment plus it's raining. But, to look on the bright side-

1. I got to see a big frog this morning, since it's raining. Just chilling on the driveway, enjoying the early spring rise in temperature.

2. I don't have to water anything I planted over the weekend. 

Greek Pasta Salad

Bring on the warm weather, bring on the pasta salad. The two go hand in hand, don't you think? If there is one food item that epitomizes summer, it would be cold pasta.

And ice cream.

And seviche.

And gazpacho.

Ok, ok, scratch that. The correct terminology is probably more like "If there is one of many food items that epitomize summer, it would be cold pasta". But that doesn't sound as cool, does it?

2014: By The Numbers

Good morning friends!

I know I said I wouldn't be blogging much this week due to being out of town, but...

Thanks to insomnia, I'm the only one up and I have a feeling it's going to be that way for awhile. I've got a delicious cup of coffee, a gorgeous view over the top of the laptop of Lake of Egypt in Illinois, and I'm wide awake. Therefore, time to blog! I've got a couple of fun, year-end posts to share to wrap up 2014. I actually started this post in January of 2014, to keep track of all the events that took place this year, and right now I'm putting the finishing touches on it. Just for y'all :)

Let's jump right in, shall we?

Lately (Summer 2014)

I can't believe it's the last day of August. Tomorrow is September, summer is officially over, and all I have to look forward to is...

-the leaves changing color

-low humidity

-baking with pumpkin

-going to Cancun in October!

-breaking out the long pants. Hoodies. Boots.

-football

-chilly morning runs

-not having to run the air conditioner

-root veggies coming into season! 

-feeling the desire to turn the oven on again

-jacket weather

-apple cider

-Halloween

-all my shows coming back!

Ok. I must confess. I don't hate fall, and I might even be looking forward to it a little bit. But just a little bit. Don't worry summer, I will miss you! To gear up for the switch in seasons, I thought I'd share some summer happenings-

My little bro came out to visit in August. He arrived in Kentucky to relax for a week, right before he went back to school. He's a high school teacher and basketball coach. A little gearing up before the school year, if you will. We had a great visit, with lots of running, sight-seeing, Cincinnati Red-ing, swimming, and eating. Oh, plus an inordinate amount of video game playing. Ok, so I wasn't involved in that part! Haha. This picture was taken at The Yardhouse, a great bar and grill right next to Great American Ballpark. I mean, look at the size of those beers! Heaven...

The hubby and I are never ones to be serious!

Summer is watermelon season, and guess who loves watermelon? My crazy puppies. I couldn't cut into one this summer without being harassed. Come to think of it, they do the same whenever they hear a banana, a bell pepper, or a carrot on the cutting board. At least they're healthy monsters :)

Giz can't jump as high to get his watermelon, but he tries his best!

Sometime during this summer, I was out running by myself. It was a fairly hot day with high humidity, and the 5-miles I ran might as well have been 26.2. It was a miserable run, what with sunscreen-soaked sweat dripping and stinging my eyes every 2 seconds. But I pushed through, and as I was walking to my car, I froze. About 10 feet from my car was this baby bunny. He was so adorable. I'd barely taken a picture on my phone where there was a sudden rustling near me. Something sprang out of the bush close to where I stood, almost making me jump 10 feet in the air. It was his momma. She ran (hopped?) over to him, and they ran (hopped??) away. It was a sweet moment in nature, and it made melting away on that run almost worth it. Almost :)

Gizmo's selfie.

Haloti's selfie. I can't decide whose I like better!

A Chinese fortune I received. I normally roll my eyes at these silly, traditional scraps of paper stuffed inside those crunchy cookies, but I liked this one. In fact, I even put it in my wallet. A positive affirmation to keep on keeping on. 

Bib and goodies from our 7-mile race.

Crossing the finish line of that 7-miler. I'm so super-proud of that time. I've said it before, and I'll say it again- I am not a born runner. It's never come easy to me. In fact, I always tried to avoid sports involving running as a kid. Soccer. Basketball. Track. I stuck to volleyball. Minimal running. However, with the proper training, I'm slowly and steadily getting faster. I may never run a marathon, but I've come a long way since that girl that started out last September not able to run 1 mile. I couldn't feel better about my accomplishments this year.

A brotherly tongue bath is the way these pups start most days :)

To celebrate this holiday weekend, we had a family cookout at the hubby's sister's house yesterday. Everyone in the family has busy, full lives, so we really relish the time we all get to spend together. We grilled hamburgers and hotdogs on the grill, stuffed our faces with cupcakes, and even managed to take some family pictures. Oh, and if you thought I was the one to remember to take pictures, you would be wrong. So woefully wrong. LOL.

Happy Labor Day Weekend friends! I hope anyone and everyone is sending summer out with a bang. Because, before you know it, there will be pumpkin on this blog :)

Caprese Salad

Well.

Harrumph. 

I don't have anything to talk about. I've been sitting here for over 45 minutes, staring at my pictures. Actually, that's not true. I opened up my blog, stared at it for 5 minutes, and then immediately opened a new window to FaceBook. I think the reason I can't think of anything to talk about is because I'm so mad. Friends, I'm honestly thinking about getting rid of FaceBook. It's an addiction that I think my life would be better without. I've been noticing a pattern over the last couple of months. My current morning routine is to make coffee, feed the dogs, and sit down on the computer to catch up on news, FaceBook, email, and blog stuff. I can be in a perfect mood upon sitting down, and immediately become irritated and angry over the sheer load of ignorance and brutality that people post on social media. Is that really the best way to start the day? It's something I'm considering. 

I know you're sitting there thinking, "Geez, what happened?". Here's the thing- nothing. Just the same old stuff. People being cruel to people they don't know. Friends posting completely isolating and hostile political messages. And the thing I can't get over the most- the criticism of the ice bucket challenge. Really??? I've never seen so much backlash over a charity event. One of my "friends" posted a rant saying that ALS is rare, and why would anyone donate to such an obscure and meaningless cause? Talk about blood boiling. Another posted that ISIS is out there recruiting Americans and beheading innocent people, yet Americans just keep ignorantly pouring ice water over their heads. Wow! I was floored. ALS does matter. It does kill people, and in a slow and horrifying fashion. One of my high school teachers passed from ALS. He was the P.E. teacher, a former high school and college football player, and probably one of the strongest men I knew in my childhood. It was devastating and absolutely heartbreaking to watch this disease destroy this man as it took his ability to walk.  We had to watch this former football hero, who had once had the strength and size of an ox, take to a wheelchair. What came next were the tremors and the inability to control your body. The inability to move your mouth to talk. The inability to move a finger or wiggle a toe. These people become prisoners of their own bodies and brains. How can anyone sit there and say that they don't matter? ALS may be classified as a rare disease, but I guarantee if you or someone close to you was touched by this disease, you would think it mattered.

Yes, there are problems in the world. Yes, there are people that want to kill Americans just for being Americans. But you know what? They aren't going away. There will always be threats. That's just a fact. Humans have been destroying each other since the beginning of time, and you think we'll ever stop? This is just a fact of life, but why focus on it? After all, that's what these terrorists want. They want Americans to panic, quit going about their daily lives, and to cower in fear. They want Americans to only focus on the ugly stuff in life, rather than how beautiful life can be. There's nothing I can do about what they want. I instead choose to focus on what's important in life- my family, my friends, my dogs, my home. And for me, a big part of what's important to me is helping other people. I'm been so fortunate in this life, I only wish everyone was so lucky. 

So I will continue to pour buckets of ice water over my head. I will continue to snap up coupon items to donate to homeless shelters and animal shelters. I will continue to sign up for 5K's benefiting ALS, multiple sclerosis, Hodkin's lymphoma, and other rare diseases. They may be rare, but to the person suffering, it does not feel rare. It feels all too sadly and completely real.

My apologies for the rant, but you know, not even the most prolific food blogger thinks about food 24 hours a day. Much as I wish that I did :)

So, Caprese Salad! My tomatoes started coming in (YAY!) about 9 days ago, and I must confess, I've been eating a lot of Caprese Salad. Because as you know, I also have waaaaay too much basil. For me, this is the perfect lunch. I always seem to be getting lunch around 1-2, and dinner is usually around 6. Needless to say, I don't do big lunches. Give me a few tomatoes, some good quality mozzarella, and plenty of fresh basil. I'll be happy until the dinner hour. This salad is super, super easy to make. Slice the tomatoes, cover with a bit of cheese, then top with basil, olive oil, and balsamic vinegar. I suspect even the most kitchen-challeneged cook should be able to complete this dish :) Summer is the best time to make it, because let's face it- garden fresh tomatoes are the bomb.com and supermarket tomatoes in the dead of winter are, well, mealy. They just don't have the flavor of summer tomatoes. So make this today with your summer bounties!

Happy Thursday friends! One more day till a long, holiday weekend! :)

Ingredients (serves 1):

2 medium sized tomatoes, thinly sliced

5-6 fresh mozzarella balls, halved (ciliegine-size)

Handful of basil leaves

1 tbsp olive oil

1 tbsp balsamic vinegar

salt and pepper (to taste)

Directions:

1. Place sliced tomatoes on a plate. Place cheese halves on top of tomatoes. Top with a basil leaf.

2. In a small bowl, whisk olive oil and vinegar together. Drizzle desired amount of dressing over salad. Salt and pepper to taste. Serve immediately. 

Printable Recipe

Looking for other tomato, mozzarella, and basil dishes? Try these!

Rotini with Salsa di Limone

Pizza Margherita

Grilled Tomato-Basil Bread

Linked to: Weekend Potluck, Foodie Friday, Foodie Friends Friday Linky Party, Treasure Box Tuesday

Strawberry Orange Popsicles

Happy Friday! While it may be the end of August, technically it's still summer. I still want to make popsicles! Food bloggers be breaking out the pumpkin and spice recipes, while I'm still enjoying popsicles, salads, and grilling. I'm not ready for fall yet, I'm still growing summer veggies! I stopped fertilizing my tomatoes last week, trying to kick-start the ripening of my fruit. It's definitely working, all my tomatoes are starting to change color. Yesterday I harvested a pink beefsteak tomato that was the size of my hand. It was huge! No plans for the giant tomato, I'm still pondering that one. But as I was saying, I don't want summer to end. 

Summer is hands-down my favorite season. I love the sun, the warm balmy air, the uncontrolled jungle-lushness the forest around our house gets, growing vegetables, mowing the lawn, and sipping beers out on the patio. I love wearing shorts and tanks, and feeling the sun warm my skin. I love the optimistic mood summer always brings. I'm always sad when summer winds downs. Thankfully, it's still full-on summer here. And full-on summer means popsicles!

I'm still smack-dab in the middle of my summer strawberry affair, so I always have strawberries lying around the house. And strawberries pair so very well with orange. There's only 3 ingredients in these healthy pops- oranges, strawberries, and honey. They are so light and refreshing, and 100 times better than store-bought. Popsicles are so easy to make, most of the work is hands-off freezing time in the freezer. The results are so worth it. One tip- fresh orange juice is one of those juices where the enzymes degrade fairly quickly, leaving your juice with a bitter flavor. Once you've made the orange pulp, get it into those popsicles molds as soon as you can and into the freezer. This helps stop the degradation of the orange juice and thus, helps preserves the flavor. 

In case you were wondering, my freezer is full of homemade popsicles during the summer :)

My very first 7-mile race is tomorrow! I'm feeling a little nervous, which is normal. I am feeling very prepared though. Extremely prepared. I'm crossing my fingers the humidity is low, however it appears at this time it's going to be really high. It'll be a struggle for me, but definitely a struggle I can overcome. It's crazy how much the humidity affects me, but it's very detrimental to my performance. However, I was thinking back to last year at this time when the hubby and I first decided to get into running. I couldn't even run a mile! My first 5K was Path to the Cure in late September 2013. My finishing time was 37:34, which I obtained with a combination of running and walking. On Wednesday, our workout was to run a 5K. I ran it in 27:41! I was so freakin' proud. I've come a long way in a year, and I couldn't be more proud of myself. Running has given me a sense of accomplishment and peace that had been sorely lacking in my life. And tomorrow? Tomorrow, I go after a new goal. I'd like to finish the race in 1 hour and 20 minutes. I think I'm ready.

Just excited. And anxious. But mostly excited :)

Have a great weekend everyone!

Ingredients (makes 8 popsicles):

4-5 medium size oranges, peeled and sectioned

2 tsp honey

5 strawberries, thinly sliced

Directions:

1. Combine oranges and honey in a food processor. Pulse until smooth.

2. Distribute orange mixture among popsicles molds. Place 2-3 strawberry slices in each popsicle. Insert wooden sticks into each mold. 

3. Freeze until solid, 6-8 hours. Run molds under warm water to free from molds. Store in freezer. 

Printable Recipe

Looking for other popsicle recipes? Try these!

Nectarine Yogurt Pops

Minted Cantaloupe Popsicles

Watermelon Kiwi Ice Pops

Linked to: Weekend Potluck, Foodie Friday, Treasure Box Tuesdays