I have been having some crazy dreams lately, especially the past few nights (spring time and the full moon will do that to me) But waking up this morning I realized that I need to know someone that has or is willing to get a weiner dog and name it Hamburger. That person will be my best friend.

Anyway, besides from the lingering illness that made me feel like complete shit and took my voice away for about a week, things have been rolling right along. I got a good clip of work done this week (making phone calls without a voice was a challenge) and the house is still standing strong. And let’s just give mother nature a high five here cause the weather has been aces, well besides the snow on Monday. Warm, but not to hot. A little rain here and there. There is green stuff every where! The lilacs are all bloomed and smelling up the world in the best way possible, my strawberry plants are starting to make their strawberries and my rhubarb patch is out of control. So much, so good. This is definitely my favorite time of the year.

And it’s Sunday, my favorite day(usually) cause it’s our day to relax, or at least pretend to, and drink all the coffee in the world. Today though, I think I am going to be productive in my free time and do a bit of yard work and some gardening. I got some veggies starts in need of dirt and am going to planting a few more things (some zinnas, sunflowers and lots of kale). I am even thinking that this is the day I give the dog a bath (he smells nasty) or maybe give the mr a hair cut. (I say he either needs to cut it or go all out and do a man bun) At least one of them has to go down today…..

Things I saw on the internet.

– Food not lawns…. Make so much sense. An All-Volunteer Squad Of Farmers Is Turning Florida Lawns Into Food

-Making one in my very near future. Everything You Need to Know About Hotdish

-The use of nails. These are all sorts of fantastic.

-I have known some craaaazy picky eaters (one of my sisters didn’t eat anything beside peanut butter sandwiches our entire childhood. She has sense grown up a bit and has included pizza and beer) Breaking Down The Science Of Picky Eating

-Something I would love to see in person. China’s Apricot Blossom

-Some serious house love. A Chic Fixer-Upper on Fire Island, Budget Edition

-Check out these tiles, they are freaking awesome. The mr and I are much inspired and thinking of doing out own screen printed tiles for the kitchen floor.

-There really is a reason why old books smell so good.

-I need good light for so many reasons. The Best Light Bulbs For Maximum Visibility in Your Kitchen

-Street art at it’s finest. Site-Specific Elephant Murals on the Streets of South Africa by Falko One

Pictures from the week.

Now have yourself a fantastic day!

-C

Things have been a little cray cray around here, what with every day full of things, (not all so fun, and sometimes a little grueling) so I day dream and think about all the things that I want to do this summer. I want this summer to be good and fun and full of happy with the feeling of accomplishment. And so I list…My summer 2016 bucket list. 

Not in any order other then the most important thing on the list…..

#1 is to finish the freaking house! and….

• relearn how to do a cartwheel
• have fresh flowers at all times
• bake a loaf of bread every week
• get on the lake in a kayak/canoe
• so many bike rides (preferably during sunset or sunrise)
• at least a couple impromptu trips to fun places
• get a real haircut
• get rid of all the shit that I don’t need
• bring my little brothers and sister camping
• spend time laying around in my backyard reading
• hike Camels Hump
• re-pot all of my 50 or so house plant
• set up my pottery studio in new house
• Stick my feet into the ocean
• give Washer ans Only baths
• learn how to fix my bike and then fix it
• plant a tree in the front yard
• finish carving a spoon and get on my way to be a first class wood carving master

Not a bad list, and I am allowed to add to or change a few things (getting a hair cut is asking a lot) but as of right now, this list is looking good and somewhat realistic.

And sure, not technically summer yet, but today the mr and I are working all day at the house and I may just bring my book and spend a little time reading in the yard.(It is such a nice yard) Getting this done on the list!

Have a good weekend and start thinking about all the fun stuff you want to do this summer… Its almost here!

-C

I eat a lot of hummus. Like a lot. Every day, all day long. (seriously, I am always snacking on veggies dipped in hummus) So I am sorry to all around me that my breath always smells.. (I blame all the garlic in the hummus.)

Recently, during a particularly browsey grocery shop, I ended up in the hummus case (I always end up there) and found a new hummus flavor.  Pineapple jalapeno, WHAT.  I grabbed it right then and there, convinced that hummus gods were rewarding me for all of my hummus eating and have made me my very own flavor.

Got home, tossed all the groceries into the fridge and busted open the new hummus, a bag of carrots, and went at it. Oh man, it was good.(to often the store bought hummus flavors are not so great) The flavors were all there, sweet and spicy, and creamy.  It was fantastic, I ate almost all of it and I knew I had to make my own.

And I did and you know what, it was even freaking better! (Fresh it the best!)

So If you are a hummus person of any kind, this is a fantastic exciting flavor that will make you all sorts of happy.

The stuff for the hummus:  chickpeas, tahini, olive oil, garlic, and salt and pepper. And for flavor add ins,  fresh pineapple and a jalapeno pepper.

Chickpeas (rinsed and drained) go into the food processor with some tahini, the juice of the lemon and salt and pepper.. The garlic I actually pulsed in the processor first (to avoid big raw hunks) and some olive oil are also going in on this.

Blended until a smooth, creamy perfection.

Now for the fun stuff. Dice up the pineapple and remove seeds (or not) from the jalapeno and dice that up too

Toss it all (minus a few little pieces of garnish if you want) into that creamy dreamy hummus.

Pulse pulse pulse until the chunks of stuff are all incorporated . Make it super chunky or super smooth, up to you. I like mine kinda chunky, but not too chunky, if you know what I mean.

Into a big bowl, topped with a few little diced up pieces of jalapeno and pineapple, you know, for prettiness. And lots of cracked pepper.. Lots.

Now eat. With whatever ( I like veggies or just give me a spoon, Ican eat hummus all by itself)

Hummus for life!

-C

Makes about 2 1/2cups

• 2 1/2 chickpeas
• 2-3 cloves garlic
• 2 tablespoons tahini
• 1 lemon
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 3/4 cup fresh pineapple
• 1-2 jalapenos
• salt and pepper

Rinsed and drain chickpeas. Add garlic and a little olive oil to the food processor and pulse until the garlic is a little minced. Add in the drained chickpeas,  tahini, a sprinkle of salt ans pepper, the juice of the lemon and another tablespoon of olive oil and blend until smooth.

Dice up pineapple into smaller chunks and remove seeds (if you want) from the jalapeno and chop that into smaller pieces . Add to the hummus and pulse until combined. You can leave it chunky or blend until smooth. Just stop blending when you reach you desired consistency . Garnish with more chopped pineapple and jalapeno and lots of freshly ground pepper.

Serve with whatever you eat your hummus with.

Store left over (there probably won’t be any) in a container in the fridge.

I am now starting to rethink my current state of feeling like crap. This can’t possibly all be allergies, I have been nearly hacking my lungs out all week and its just not right. I need it to stop, like today so that s that plan. make it STOP. That and we are borrowing my brother in laws truck today and going for a drive to the northern parts of Vermont to pick up, what is hopefully going to be, our new cast iron radiators!!! I am really excited because for one, I found them on craigslist and I love finding awesome stuff on there, and two, cause it’s suppose to be kinda crappy today so a nice drive that is also productive while I am making it (sickness) stop… Win win win!  And I cannot forget to get my butt to the library and return the massive stack that has been accumulating next to the door. I have been reading a lot, but instead of returning books when I am done, I just keep taking more out.. I might be maxing out my allotted amount of books I can take out at once.  And I am pretty sure there are a few overdue ones in that stack…..

How about you? Planning any super fantastic spring style fun stuff today,? Maybe getting out into the garden and doing a little planting or maybe busting out the summer clothes and spending the afternoon trying on all your old favorites that you forgot you had? Whatever you do, enjoy it, even if it involves doing absolutely nothing while eating your weight in popcorn. That is totally legit.

Internet from the internet.

-So I am kinda obsessed with finding a sweet ass retro/vintage stove like one of these right now,,,,lets see if this is a passing thing.

-A dating site to hook up Trump hating Americans with Canadians, you know, just in case we need to flee the country come November. (so smart)

-IF YOU’RE REFRIGERATING THESE FOODS, STOP

-These are some crazy shinny cakes.

–What Is ‘Natural’ Food? A Riddle Wrapped In Notions Of Good And Evil

-I have a thing for anatomically correct hearts, and these crochet wired hearts are super cool

–Colored Front doors are the best. I am thinking bright ass pink or orange for the new house.

– Sometimes being an adult sucks. 20 One-Sentence Reminders Every Reluctant ‘Adult’ Needs To Hear Right Now

– I love this. 30-Foot-Tall Dayglow Totems Places in the Desert

-Thinking about cross country trip and staying in a few tree houses, Glamping Style, on west coast (we are totally doing it1)

Loveliness in pictures.

It was summer for a day and it was great. Then it rained a bunch the next day and that was equally as great cause I love warm rainy days.  And then the weather lady said that there is a chance of snowflakes in the valley Sunday night. (really?) It’s ok, one more cool day will be kinda nice because we all know it’s going to get hot and we will be looking back on this cool weather fondly. But until then, the lilacs are blooming and the trees are like POW with so much green… It’s all happy and pretty and just what I have been needing.

With all this nice weather lately, the mr and I have been spending a lot of time working on outdoor stuff (fencing trimming trees, moving plants) When it’s as nice as it has been, I don’t feel like going inside for a long lunch to feed myself and the food that I do eat, I want to be light and fresh, you know, like summer food. Nothing heavy or that can make me feel gross in warm weather. So my go to for lunch these days. A big ass bowl (usually a jar) of shredded veggies coated in mustard, vinegar, and salt and pepper, all the best things. (the best things being that it’s quick and easy and so tasty and pretty) 

And note about this salad slaw. It is great when made and eaten right away, but also travels really well. So if you need food to bring on the go (like to the beach, on a hike, or to the airport), this is what you should pack. It only tastes better the longer it sits.

The Stuff. Zucchini, summer squash, a beet, a few carrots, onion, and some cabbage (I used red and green but one or the other is good). Also need yellow mustard, red wine vinegar, and salt and pepper.

Shred, shave, or julienne all you veggies.. no precision, just do it.

All the pretty colors in a big bowl ( they don’t need to be separated, I just wanted to see the pretty)

And then it gets tossed all around. Add in a good sprinkle of salt and pepper, a glug glug of vinegar and a big ass scoop of yellow mustard. Give it another big toss.

And you good to go, or, let this sit for a while, it only ends up tasting better.

So simple and easy, but so good. Eat it as it is or toss it with greens, some lentils, on a sandwich or into some rice. Possibilities are endless.

Summertime here we come!

-C

Serves 1 as a meal, 2-3 as a side

• a small zucchini
• a small summer squash
• a beet
• a few carrots
• a small onion
• 1/2 a head of cabbage (red or green or a little of both)
• 2 tablespoons yellow mustard
• 2-3 tablespoon red wine vinegar
• salt and pepper

Note. Feel free to add more or less of your favorite veggie into the mix, even add one that isn’t on the list. And not a fan of yellow mustard, use stone ground or dijon or some fancy kinda of your liking.

Grab a bowl and all the veggies. Shred, shave, or julienne all of them into the bowl and mix around. Add in the mustard, vinegar and season with salt and pepper and toss around until evenly coated..

Can eat right away but tastes better after sitting for at least 10 minutes. 

Every year I play this game with myself.. Is it allergies or am I sick. The past few days I have been feeling kinda crappy, waking up with itchy, gunky eyes. My throat hurts, my head is like a balloon, and I am just feeling beat.. 

I think it’s that I am sick (because I don’t want to have allergies) but whatever it is, it sucks, but usually goes away after a week (like every year because its really allergies). Blah.

But enough about my balloon head, lets talk these maple banana walnut oat squares. These yummy gems of the oat square world are just what you need in your life. Healthy, protein packed, nutty, and a touch sweet. No junk, just good stuff all made with little to no effort. If you like banana bread, you will be all into them. I was inspired to make these by the extremely ripe bananas that need to be eaten asap and the mr’s lack of eating a healthy breakfast (I want him to eat, and I want it be oatmeal). I know him well enough that if I make a snack like thing and leave it out to eat, that he will eat it. For breakfast.

So weather or not you are looking for a good way to get in some good stuff into your tummy or just want some good tasting stuff in your mouth, this is the breakfast/dessert for you.

The stuff. A couple of ripe bananas, a bunch of rolled oats, some yummy walnuts, real maple syrup, cinnamon, baking soda and a wee bit of water.

Start with the walnuts in a food processor. Turn it on and process until….

You got this walnut butter. Do not eat it, it’s for the squares (it is so good).

Add in the oats, cinnamon and baking soda and turn the processor back on until you get a nice unified crumbly mixture.

Now in goes the bananas and the maple syrup. And you guessed it, blend some more. While you are blending, if the mixture seems to dry, add in a splash of water, to wet, just toss in another handful of oat. The mixture should be like a muffin batter consistency.

And that’s it. If you want some nut chunks, add in a handful more of walnuts (do it) and pulse just to get them mixed into batter.

Then pourthe mixture into a well greased 9×9 baking pan and spread out evenly. Toss those suckers into the oven to bake.

Oh so good bananas give off the best smell when baking. After about a 1/2hour, these bars are nice and golden brown and a fork stuck in the center comes out clean, which means, they are done.

Cut into square , eat one or two, and save the rest. Eat for breakfast, as a snack, or for dessert. And a smear of peanut butter on top is aces too!

Later dudes.

-C

• 3 cups old fashion rolled oats (gluten free ones to keep in GF)
• 1 cup plus a a small handful walnuts
• 1/2 cup maple syrup
• 2 rip bananas
• 1 /2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon (optional)

Place 1 cup of walnuts into a food processor and blend until it turns into walnut butter.. about 3 minutes. Add in the oats and blend together until it becomes a crumbly mixture. Add in the maple, baking soda, cinnamon and the bananas (break into chunks) and blend until incorporated. If the mixture seems lie its too dry, add in a splash of water, and if to wet, add in another handful of oats. The batter should resemble a muffin batter.  Once blended, mix in the remaining walnuts and pulse just to mix them in.

Pour mixture into a well greased 9×9 baking pan and stick into the fridge for 10ish minutes and preheat oven 350

And after the time in the fridge, remove the pan and slide them into the oven. Bake until golden brown and a tester stuck into te middle comes out clean. (about 30 minutes)

Remove and let cool. Pop out of pan, cut into square, and eat to you face.

Squares will last 3-4 days in a airtight container or freeze them and they will last until you eat them.

Oh yes, It is Sunday and man oh boy, am I beat. Yesterday the mr and I spent the day digging 2 1/2 foot holes for fence posts at the new house. It was actually pretty great because we got to spend the day outside and it was the most lovely day, all sunny and warm. The only problem we had was that the fence line landed on top of all the most gnarly tree roots and it took about an hour of hacking away per hole. We got to 6 and have 11 more to go (Ouch!) SO yeah, a little sore, but luckily the hardest part is done and we are going to take today off from fencing and be hang with the fam (cause it;s mothers day)

Which brings me to a my, “Happy Mothers Day to all you ladies out there being mommas and all out wonderful human beings!” You have the hardest job of all and today you deserve all the breakfast, lunch, dinner, flowers, naps, macaroni necklaces and then some. Take the day and do you forget about the to do list. IT can wait until tomorrow.

As for me, I am not an actual mom, but I have enough litttles in my life that I am kinda like a part time momma. So after an afternoon of family and mom ladies and feeding them all lunch, I am going home, walking the pup (I am his momma) and taking a nap myself. I am greatly looking forward to it.

Again, Happy Mothers Day, (especially you mom.. Love you!)

The internet fun stuff from the week.

-If you are one of those people who leaves everything (the phone and computer plugged in all day, read this. Just How Much Power Do Your Electronics Use When They Are ‘Off’?.

– Funny, kinda sad, but really cool. Eat Your Heart Out. A series of words remembered
from break-ups reimagined as something sweet.

-I keep looking at these boots. The ease of off and on with all the style of a rubber sole and brown! I really want them… someday.

-Bathroom Inspiration. We are doing bathroom next!

– The broccoli is my favorite. Japanese Lego Master Builds Delicious-Looking Creations From Blocks

–Perception vs. Reality. Perception is its own reality when you’re eating.

-All sorts of pretty. Cherry Blossoms Flood the Inokashira Park Lake in Tokyo

-Check out these DUCKS!

-I am freaking obsessed with this wood flooring.If I had a million dollars to blow, I would put it throughout the whole house.

-Awesome photos from the 2016 National Geographic Travel Photographer of the Year Contest

Pictures of all the great things this week. So much color!

Have the greatest of days.

-C

Spring is happening, my plants are popping out of the ground, I found a gigantic rhubarb patch in the back yard of the new house…. Life is feeling fresh full of possibilities. And soon, so soon, ‘ll get some veggie plants in the ground and the farm share begins…. life will be filled with all the freshest yummy foods. I can’t wait.

But until then, I grocery shop. And this week has been a good week for shopping. Why, cause it CInco de Mayo this week ,which is one of my favorite holidays cause avocados, mangoes, and limes all go on crazy sale. I can buy 20 avocados for the price of what like 5 would normally cost. And I take full advantage of the sales (my fridge is currently housing a shit tone of avocados, mangoes, and limes) I will be eating like a queen for days!

And what does one make with all these good things? Well I made tostada! A tostada is pretty much a cross between a taco and a humngo, fully loaded nacho. Stuff all piled high onto a crispy (usually fried but I bake mine) corn tortilla. Its fantastic in all the ways and super simple to make. This particular tostada highlights all the good stuff on sale, Mango salsa , avocados cream with lots of lime, all onto a pile of the yummiest refried black beans. (my mouth is watering thinking about it),

And people, Cinco de Mayo is but once a year, but these tostada should be made all year round!

The stuff. Precooked (or canned) black beans, a sweet ripe mango, an avocado, some shredded red cabbage one red onion, one jalapeno, and a few limes. Also need a few cloves of garlic, at least 4 corn tortillas (mine are home made but you can get store bought) some coconut oil, slt ans pepper, and a bunch of fresh cilantro.

Start with making the mango salsa. Cut the mango into little chucks. ( I do this but halving mango, scoring each side into chunks then scooping the fruit out with a spoon..easy) Dice half of the red onion into little pieces as well as the seeded jalapeno. Toss it all into a bowl or jar, sprinkle with a pinch of salt and pepper, mix in the juice of a lime, and add in as much fresh cilantro as you like (or none if oyu don’t like)

There is it, mango salsa.

To make the avocado cream just place the avocado (peel and pit removed) into a bowl or blender with a clove of garlic, the juice of a lime, a splash of water, and a sprinkle or two of salt. Blend until smooth, adding more water until the consistency is to you liking.

That’s it.

And now for the beans. Start by tiny dicing up the other half of the onion and a few cloves of garlic and place into a skillet with a teaspoon or two of coconut oil. (can use any oil you like). Add in a splash of water and a sprinkle of salt an place on stove on medium heat and cook.

After the onions have gotten nice and soft, dump in the bean (liquid and all) Keep onheat and cook until the beans are hot and the liquid starts to thicken.

Grab a fork. Fork to beans. Mash’em up to make them officially refried.

And lastly, a little oil rubbed onto the corn tortillas and then placed into a hot oven to get crispy.

All the stuff, ready to go…. And go there, go there NOW!!!

Beans, cabbage, mango salsa, and avocado cream, all piled onto a toasted, crispy tortilla. A few fresh sprigs of cilantro and a slice of lime… This is for real something all amazing.

Eat the greatness (and not just for Cinco de Mayo)

-C

Makes 4-6 tostadas

mango salsa stuff

• 1 ripe mango
• 1 jalapeno
• 1/2 a red onion
• 1 lime
• salt and pepper
• fresh cilantro*

for the refried black beans

• 2 cups (1 can) prepared black beans
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1/2 red onion
• 1-2teaspoons coconut oil (can use any oil you like)

 the avocado cream

• 1 ripe avocado
• 1 lime
• salt and pepper
• a tablespoon or two of water

and the following

• 4-6 corn tortillas
• small bowl of thinly shredded red cabbage
• a little extra oil for tortillas
• fresh cilantro *

Note. Omit cilantro if you don’t like it.

Start with making the salsa cause the longer it sits, the better it tastes. Cut mango away form pit and score each half into cubes with a knife. Garb a spoon and scoop the mango meat away from the skin. Stick into a bowl. Finely chop half a red onion and de-seed the jalapeno and dice that up too and toss all that into with the mango. Sprinkle with a pinch of salt, add in the juice of a lime and add in as much or as little fresh cilantro as you like. Set aside. Also while your at it, toss the cabbage with a little salt and that that sit out as well.

Preheat oven to 400

Now on to the Avocado cream. Place avocado (sans peel and pit) into a blender (or a a bowl and use a hand blender) with the juice of a lime and a clove of garlic. Blend until smooth, adding about 2-3 tablespoons of water until nice ans creamy smooth. Add salt to taste and mix.

Next take the other half of the red onion and dice into very small little pieces. Mince up the garlic and toss both into a pan with a teaspoon or 2 of coconut oil and a few splashes of water. Cook on medium low until onion is nice and soft. Add in black beans (bean water and all) and mix together. Season with salt (if needed…canned beans are usually salty enough) and pepper. Continue to cook beans until hot and bubbly then take a fork or a potato masher and smash the beans until a the beans are all mushed and refried like. Feel free to make then smoother by sticking them in a blender if you want. Add more water to thin out as well.

And lastly, get those corn tortillas into the oven to crisp up. What I did is took a bit of coconut oil and coasted my hands with it then rubbed the tortillas on both side. Or you can brush on melted oil if you don’t want to do that. When lightly oiled, stick them into the oven and bake until crispy, flipping them after about 4 minutes and finishing after another 4-5. (you can gauge your liking on crispy)

Now compile the tostadas

Take a crispy tortilla, smother with refried beans, top with a little red cabbage then a big scoop (or two) or the mango salsa and a big spoonful of avocado cream. Add more fresh cilantro on top and serve with a slice of lime..

No utensils needed, just eat with your hands.

It was summer for a day and it was great. Then it rained a bunch the next day and that was equally as great cause I love warm rainy days.  And then the weather lady said that there is a chance of snowflakes in the valley Sunday night. (really?) It’s ok, one more cool day will be kinda nice because we all know it’s going to get hot and we will be looking back on this cool weather fondly. But until then, the lilacs are blooming and the trees are like POW with so much green… It’s all happy and pretty and just what I have been needing.

With all this nice weather lately, the mr and I have been spending a lot of time working on outdoor stuff (fencing trimming trees, moving plants) When it’s as nice as it has been, I don’t feel like going inside for a long lunch to feed myself and the food that I do eat, I want to be light and fresh, you know, like summer food. Nothing heavy or that can make me feel gross in warm weather. So my go to for lunch these days. A big ass bowl (usually a jar) of shredded veggies coated in mustard, vinegar, and salt and pepper, all the best things. (the best things being that it’s quick and easy and so tasty and pretty) 

And note about this salad slaw. It is great when made and eaten right away, but also travels really well. So if you need food to bring on the go (like to the beach, on a hike, or to the airport), this is what you should pack. It only tastes better the longer it sits.

The Stuff. Zucchini, summer squash, a beet, a few carrots, onion, and some cabbage (I used red and green but one or the other is good). Also need yellow mustard, red wine vinegar, and salt and pepper.

Shred, shave, or julienne all you veggies.. no precision, just do it.

All the pretty colors in a big bowl ( they don’t need to be separated, I just wanted to see the pretty)

And then it gets tossed all around. Add in a good sprinkle of salt and pepper, a glug glug of vinegar and a big ass scoop of yellow mustard. Give it another big toss.

And you good to go, or, let this sit for a while, it only ends up tasting better.

So simple and easy, but so good. Eat it as it is or toss it with greens, some lentils, on a sandwich or into some rice. Possibilities are endless.

Summertime here we come!

-C

Serves 1 as a meal, 2-3 as a side

• a small zucchini
• a small summer squash
• a beet
• a few carrots
• a small onion
• 1/2 a head of cabbage (red or green or a little of both)
• 2 tablespoons yellow mustard
• 2-3 tablespoon red wine vinegar
• salt and pepper

Note. Feel free to add more or less of your favorite veggie into the mix, even add one that isn’t on the list. And not a fan of yellow mustard, use stone ground or dijon or some fancy kinda of your liking.

Grab a bowl and all the veggies. Shred, shave, or julienne all of them into the bowl and mix around. Add in the mustard, vinegar and season with salt and pepper and toss around until evenly coated..

Can eat right away but tastes better after sitting for at least 10 minutes. 

Every year I play this game with myself.. Is it allergies or am I sick. The past few days I have been feeling kinda crappy, waking up with itchy, gunky eyes. My throat hurts, my head is like a balloon, and I am just feeling beat.. 

I think it’s that I am sick (because I don’t want to have allergies) but whatever it is, it sucks, but usually goes away after a week (like every year because its really allergies). Blah.

But enough about my balloon head, lets talk these maple banana walnut oat squares. These yummy gems of the oat square world are just what you need in your life. Healthy, protein packed, nutty, and a touch sweet. No junk, just good stuff all made with little to no effort. If you like banana bread, you will be all into them. I was inspired to make these by the extremely ripe bananas that need to be eaten asap and the mr’s lack of eating a healthy breakfast (I want him to eat, and I want it be oatmeal). I know him well enough that if I make a snack like thing and leave it out to eat, that he will eat it. For breakfast.

So weather or not you are looking for a good way to get in some good stuff into your tummy or just want some good tasting stuff in your mouth, this is the breakfast/dessert for you.

The stuff. A couple of ripe bananas, a bunch of rolled oats, some yummy walnuts, real maple syrup, cinnamon, baking soda and a wee bit of water.

Start with the walnuts in a food processor. Turn it on and process until….

You got this walnut butter. Do not eat it, it’s for the squares (it is so good).

Add in the oats, cinnamon and baking soda and turn the processor back on until you get a nice unified crumbly mixture.

Now in goes the bananas and the maple syrup. And you guessed it, blend some more. While you are blending, if the mixture seems to dry, add in a splash of water, to wet, just toss in another handful of oat. The mixture should be like a muffin batter consistency.

And that’s it. If you want some nut chunks, add in a handful more of walnuts (do it) and pulse just to get them mixed into batter.

Then pourthe mixture into a well greased 9×9 baking pan and spread out evenly. Toss those suckers into the oven to bake.

Oh so good bananas give off the best smell when baking. After about a 1/2hour, these bars are nice and golden brown and a fork stuck in the center comes out clean, which means, they are done.

Cut into square , eat one or two, and save the rest. Eat for breakfast, as a snack, or for dessert. And a smear of peanut butter on top is aces too!

Later dudes.

-C

• 3 cups old fashion rolled oats (gluten free ones to keep in GF)
• 1 cup plus a a small handful walnuts
• 1/2 cup maple syrup
• 2 rip bananas
• 1 /2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon (optional)

Place 1 cup of walnuts into a food processor and blend until it turns into walnut butter.. about 3 minutes. Add in the oats and blend together until it becomes a crumbly mixture. Add in the maple, baking soda, cinnamon and the bananas (break into chunks) and blend until incorporated. If the mixture seems lie its too dry, add in a splash of water, and if to wet, add in another handful of oats. The batter should resemble a muffin batter.  Once blended, mix in the remaining walnuts and pulse just to mix them in.

Pour mixture into a well greased 9×9 baking pan and stick into the fridge for 10ish minutes and preheat oven 350

And after the time in the fridge, remove the pan and slide them into the oven. Bake until golden brown and a tester stuck into te middle comes out clean. (about 30 minutes)

Remove and let cool. Pop out of pan, cut into square, and eat to you face.

Squares will last 3-4 days in a airtight container or freeze them and they will last until you eat them.

Oh yes, It is Sunday and man oh boy, am I beat. Yesterday the mr and I spent the day digging 2 1/2 foot holes for fence posts at the new house. It was actually pretty great because we got to spend the day outside and it was the most lovely day, all sunny and warm. The only problem we had was that the fence line landed on top of all the most gnarly tree roots and it took about an hour of hacking away per hole. We got to 6 and have 11 more to go (Ouch!) SO yeah, a little sore, but luckily the hardest part is done and we are going to take today off from fencing and be hang with the fam (cause it;s mothers day)

Which brings me to a my, “Happy Mothers Day to all you ladies out there being mommas and all out wonderful human beings!” You have the hardest job of all and today you deserve all the breakfast, lunch, dinner, flowers, naps, macaroni necklaces and then some. Take the day and do you forget about the to do list. IT can wait until tomorrow.

As for me, I am not an actual mom, but I have enough litttles in my life that I am kinda like a part time momma. So after an afternoon of family and mom ladies and feeding them all lunch, I am going home, walking the pup (I am his momma) and taking a nap myself. I am greatly looking forward to it.

Again, Happy Mothers Day, (especially you mom.. Love you!)

The internet fun stuff from the week.

-If you are one of those people who leaves everything (the phone and computer plugged in all day, read this. Just How Much Power Do Your Electronics Use When They Are ‘Off’?.

– Funny, kinda sad, but really cool. Eat Your Heart Out. A series of words remembered
from break-ups reimagined as something sweet.

-I keep looking at these boots. The ease of off and on with all the style of a rubber sole and brown! I really want them… someday.

-Bathroom Inspiration. We are doing bathroom next!

– The broccoli is my favorite. Japanese Lego Master Builds Delicious-Looking Creations From Blocks

–Perception vs. Reality. Perception is its own reality when you’re eating.

-All sorts of pretty. Cherry Blossoms Flood the Inokashira Park Lake in Tokyo

-Check out these DUCKS!

-I am freaking obsessed with this wood flooring.If I had a million dollars to blow, I would put it throughout the whole house.

-Awesome photos from the 2016 National Geographic Travel Photographer of the Year Contest

Pictures of all the great things this week. So much color!

Have the greatest of days.

-C

Spring is happening, my plants are popping out of the ground, I found a gigantic rhubarb patch in the back yard of the new house…. Life is feeling fresh full of possibilities. And soon, so soon, ‘ll get some veggie plants in the ground and the farm share begins…. life will be filled with all the freshest yummy foods. I can’t wait.

But until then, I grocery shop. And this week has been a good week for shopping. Why, cause it CInco de Mayo this week ,which is one of my favorite holidays cause avocados, mangoes, and limes all go on crazy sale. I can buy 20 avocados for the price of what like 5 would normally cost. And I take full advantage of the sales (my fridge is currently housing a shit tone of avocados, mangoes, and limes) I will be eating like a queen for days!

And what does one make with all these good things? Well I made tostada! A tostada is pretty much a cross between a taco and a humngo, fully loaded nacho. Stuff all piled high onto a crispy (usually fried but I bake mine) corn tortilla. Its fantastic in all the ways and super simple to make. This particular tostada highlights all the good stuff on sale, Mango salsa , avocados cream with lots of lime, all onto a pile of the yummiest refried black beans. (my mouth is watering thinking about it),

And people, Cinco de Mayo is but once a year, but these tostada should be made all year round!

The stuff. Precooked (or canned) black beans, a sweet ripe mango, an avocado, some shredded red cabbage one red onion, one jalapeno, and a few limes. Also need a few cloves of garlic, at least 4 corn tortillas (mine are home made but you can get store bought) some coconut oil, slt ans pepper, and a bunch of fresh cilantro.

Start with making the mango salsa. Cut the mango into little chucks. ( I do this but halving mango, scoring each side into chunks then scooping the fruit out with a spoon..easy) Dice half of the red onion into little pieces as well as the seeded jalapeno. Toss it all into a bowl or jar, sprinkle with a pinch of salt and pepper, mix in the juice of a lime, and add in as much fresh cilantro as you like (or none if oyu don’t like)

There is it, mango salsa.

To make the avocado cream just place the avocado (peel and pit removed) into a bowl or blender with a clove of garlic, the juice of a lime, a splash of water, and a sprinkle or two of salt. Blend until smooth, adding more water until the consistency is to you liking.

That’s it.

And now for the beans. Start by tiny dicing up the other half of the onion and a few cloves of garlic and place into a skillet with a teaspoon or two of coconut oil. (can use any oil you like). Add in a splash of water and a sprinkle of salt an place on stove on medium heat and cook.

After the onions have gotten nice and soft, dump in the bean (liquid and all) Keep onheat and cook until the beans are hot and the liquid starts to thicken.

Grab a fork. Fork to beans. Mash’em up to make them officially refried.

And lastly, a little oil rubbed onto the corn tortillas and then placed into a hot oven to get crispy.

All the stuff, ready to go…. And go there, go there NOW!!!

Beans, cabbage, mango salsa, and avocado cream, all piled onto a toasted, crispy tortilla. A few fresh sprigs of cilantro and a slice of lime… This is for real something all amazing.

Eat the greatness (and not just for Cinco de Mayo)

-C

Makes 4-6 tostadas

mango salsa stuff

• 1 ripe mango
• 1 jalapeno
• 1/2 a red onion
• 1 lime
• salt and pepper
• fresh cilantro*

for the refried black beans

• 2 cups (1 can) prepared black beans
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1/2 red onion
• 1-2teaspoons coconut oil (can use any oil you like)

 the avocado cream

• 1 ripe avocado
• 1 lime
• salt and pepper
• a tablespoon or two of water

and the following

• 4-6 corn tortillas
• small bowl of thinly shredded red cabbage
• a little extra oil for tortillas
• fresh cilantro *

Note. Omit cilantro if you don’t like it.

Start with making the salsa cause the longer it sits, the better it tastes. Cut mango away form pit and score each half into cubes with a knife. Garb a spoon and scoop the mango meat away from the skin. Stick into a bowl. Finely chop half a red onion and de-seed the jalapeno and dice that up too and toss all that into with the mango. Sprinkle with a pinch of salt, add in the juice of a lime and add in as much or as little fresh cilantro as you like. Set aside. Also while your at it, toss the cabbage with a little salt and that that sit out as well.

Preheat oven to 400

Now on to the Avocado cream. Place avocado (sans peel and pit) into a blender (or a a bowl and use a hand blender) with the juice of a lime and a clove of garlic. Blend until smooth, adding about 2-3 tablespoons of water until nice ans creamy smooth. Add salt to taste and mix.

Next take the other half of the red onion and dice into very small little pieces. Mince up the garlic and toss both into a pan with a teaspoon or 2 of coconut oil and a few splashes of water. Cook on medium low until onion is nice and soft. Add in black beans (bean water and all) and mix together. Season with salt (if needed…canned beans are usually salty enough) and pepper. Continue to cook beans until hot and bubbly then take a fork or a potato masher and smash the beans until a the beans are all mushed and refried like. Feel free to make then smoother by sticking them in a blender if you want. Add more water to thin out as well.

And lastly, get those corn tortillas into the oven to crisp up. What I did is took a bit of coconut oil and coasted my hands with it then rubbed the tortillas on both side. Or you can brush on melted oil if you don’t want to do that. When lightly oiled, stick them into the oven and bake until crispy, flipping them after about 4 minutes and finishing after another 4-5. (you can gauge your liking on crispy)

Now compile the tostadas

Take a crispy tortilla, smother with refried beans, top with a little red cabbage then a big scoop (or two) or the mango salsa and a big spoonful of avocado cream. Add more fresh cilantro on top and serve with a slice of lime..

No utensils needed, just eat with your hands.

Happy May Day!!!  Now that it’s May, it can’t snow any more! (right?)

Did you get some of that early week snow storm? Yeah, it was freaking fantastic. I left the house early on my bike with a few little n=snow flakes hitting my face, thinking it would clear up soon, only to have to walk my bike home by lunch time because it turned into a snow storm (I might be over extravagating, we got like 2 inches at most) but still!.) But now it’s lovely out, the trees are budding, the flowers are blooming and I have got my normal itchy as hell allergy eyes and sandals on my feet. No more winter jacket, i just can’t.

Lets see, what else. Oh, the mr installed all the windows at the house which has turned our little bungalow shell into an actual living space. Crazy what a few pieces of glass has done.. It’s no longer a outside/inside situation and the birds can’t get in anymore.   Things are moving along quite well and I am actually starting to see myself living there. Woo HOO! All I do now is daydream about hanging out in the kitchen or what colors I am going to paint the trim (medium dark grey with pops of colorful window trim?) and which room I am going to sit in a read every morning( I think I am going to have to move from room to room, too many choices) I guess I am on a good high from the windows so am ready to just blast through and get the rest of the house done.

As for today, I think I am going to try and put in some outdoor time. I will plug in my ears with some good tunes, grab me a ho.. and a rake and fluff up all the pretty things popping out of the ground! I am really excited, I haven’t spend any real time in the dirt yet this year so I hoping to get really really dirty.

Some stuff the internet had this week.

– I really want one of these Froob shirts…but which one?

-Some scientist is saying that hugging your dog can increase their stress level. I can see that, but I swear that my pup wants to be hugged (or man handled)

-I think I want to go to all of these Fairy Tale Villages, and you can actually visit all of them.

-INSPIRING STUDIO SPACES.

-Do you know the difference between cold brewed and iced coffee? And which one is better? Cold Brew Versus Iced Coffee:Which Is Actually Better? (I like them both!)

-Drug sniffing dogs, bomb sniffing dogs… Its about time for bee sniffing dogs. Keeping Bees Safe: It’s A Ruff Job, But This Doggy Detective Gets It Done

-Hell Yeah!!! 1 Minute of All-Out Exercise May Have Benefits of 45 Minutes of Moderate Exertion

-Get your mail and you lawn mowed..smart move Finland. Finland’s postal workers to mow lawns

-Hahahaha.. For all the crazy cat ladies (and gentleman) These Linguists Want to Help You Speak Fluent Cat but this new collar will give your cat an ACTUAL voice… Oh boy oh boy!

–EVERYTHING THAT HAPPENS TO YOUR BODY ON HOT SAUCE

And a few pictures that I managed to take this week.

I am channeling all my summer time feels here in hopes for warmer weather. As of yesterday there was still a pile of snow outside of my house and I am still leaving every morning in a hat, mittens, and a winter jacket.

I want t-shirts and shorts, I want sandals, and I want to set my winter jacket on fire (not really, but kinda).

This cold weather has crept back into my soul and I needed something to remind me that there will be warmer days to come and I will soon be bitching about how hot I am and blah blah blah.. you know how it goes.

So I make lemonade. This lemonade as inspired by my favorite tea as of late, raspberry zinger. It’s a nice and tangy tart and really tasty. I make great big jar of it at night and add a little squeeze or two of lemon to it for that little extra zing. I figured if it tastes good hot, it will taste great cold, which in fact, it does. It taste really freaking good. And it just occurred to me that there is probably a little subliminal inspiration from Beyonce in wanting lemonade, so thanks for the B.

Anyway, it’s suppose to me nice and seasonably warm this weekend. Maybe bust out your lemonade game and try a batch of this one.

The stuff. Lemons, a raspberry zinger tea bag, honey (or any sweetener you like to use) water and ice.

Bring some of that water to aalmost boil and pour it over the tea bag (make sure you stick the bag into a jar or pitcher)

While the tea is steeping, juice the lemons. And a personal preference, you can strain out the pulp or not. I use the strainer to catch the seeds but then stick the pulp back in cause I like pulp. All up to you.

While the tea is steeping and still hot, add in any sweetener that you want to use. ( I used a little honey) Stir until that sweetness is all dissolved.

And after the tea has had a good steep, dump the brewed tea into the pitcher with the lemon juice then add in the really cold water. Stir it all around.

Add acouple thin slices of lemon to make it all fancy anda few big chunks of ice to make it super cold

Refreshing, crispy, tangy with a touch of sweet….Perfect for all those warm summer days to come (hopefully)

Have a great weekend people.

-C

Makes 5 cups

• 1 raspberry zinger tea bag( I used Celestial Seasonings)
• 3/4 cup fresh lemon juice (3-5 lemons, depending on size)
• Anywhere between no to 1/2 cup of sweeter (can use sugar, honey or maple, I like a touch of honey)
• 4 cups water (2 hot, 2 cold)
• ice

Place tea bag in 2 cups of hot water (can be done directly in a pitcher) Add in the sweetener while its still hot and mix until completely dissolved. Let steep for about 10 minutes.

Remove tea bag and add in the lemon juice, 2 more cups of cold water and mix, Top with ice and garnish with a few more lemon slices if your feeling fanciful.

Serve in a glass full of ice with a wedge of lemon and a smile on you face.

When the mr got home from work last night, her got himself a super great dinner suprice

Pizza, on a Monday. Woo Hoo! (I am so awesome, my sister even texted to congratulate him on his unexpected pizza dinner)

But here is the thing. I think pizza is a completely acceptable dinner any night of the week just as long as it is not covered in a shit tone of greasy cheese or any other kinda heavy and not so good stuff.  This is a not one of those types of pizzas. This pizza is light, the crust rolled slightly thin, covered in a creamy sweet pea and cashew cream, (which is really pretty) and topped off with a tons of shaved asparagus and sliced radishes.It’s a celebration of spring time veggies and tastes so f*ing good. Sweet and creamy from the peas cashew cream, a nice crispy freshness from the asparagus, and a nice little spicy kick from the radishes. All the flavors that make me happy. It’s oh so good. .

And really, It’s almost like eating a big salad with a piece of bread. Not a bad dinner right? So do yourself a favor and make that salad and bread into this kick ass pizza.

You can, you should, you, must.

The stuff. Peas (fresh or thawed out frozen.. my were frozen) some cashews soaking in water, a bunch of asparagus (I had purple but you can just use green) ans a few radishes. Also need a lemon, some nutritional yeast, a few coves of garlic, salt and pepper, and a little olive oil. Oh, and a pizza dough.

To get the cashew pea cream going, strain the water from the cashews and dump them into a blender along with the peas, garlic, nutritional yeast, juice of half of the lemon, and a pinch of salt. Turn blender on and slowly add in a bit of water, just enough to get the stuff to start blending. Keep on blending until nice and smooth.

And now shave the asparagus down. I found the easiest way to do this is to chop op the crown part then place the stock on the counter and peel away from you. Not all peels are going to be uniform and perfect, which is good for a textured pizza. Any pieces that break off or shave off weird, keep them too, it;s all going on the pizza. If you asparagus is not super fresh, they might have woody ends.  When done shaving just toss those into a bag and save for a soup later.

And now that the asparagus is done, thinly slice the radishes up.

Get that pizza dough onto a baking devise (use a baking sheet, pizza stone, or whatever you usually make pizza on. I used a lightly oiled baking sheet)  and smear lots of that cashew pea cream all over it.

Pile on the shaved asparagus and all the ends and tips that we cut off or broke off.

Top with the radishes and a good pinch of salt and lots of fresh cracked pepper.

Into the oven it needs to go.

Pulled from the oven, looking all pretty and springy and smelling so amazing.

Drizzled with a little of the left over cashew pea cream and a few squeezes of fresh lemon.

Your good to go!

Pizza on a weekday, it’s what you need in your life.

-C

• 1 12oz pizza dough (use this recipe, your own, or store bought)
• 10-15 or so stalks of asparagus (about 1/2 a pound)
• 3-4 big radishes
• 1/2 cup peas
• 1/2 cup cashews (soaked for about 1/2 an hour)
• 2-3 cloves garlic
• 3 tablespoons nutritional yeast
• 1/8-1/4 cup water
• A lemon
• olive oil
• Salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 450

First off, prepare your pizza dough or remove it from the fridge to come to room temperature.

Strain the water from the cashews and add them to a blender with the peas, the juice of half a lemon, 1/8 cup of water, the nutritionalyeast, and a sprinkle of salt. Blend until smooth. If you need to, add in another splash or two of water to thin it out.

Grab your asparagus stalks ans chop off the top crown parts. Take the remaining stalks and peel them. Do this by holding the stalk flat on the counter and while holding to the end, peel the stalk away from you.  I(f your asparagus is not super fresh ans had woody ends, use those to hold on to and when done shaving, just toss them into a bag and save for a soup later)  Shave each piece until you cant shave any more. Some pieces are going to be super thin, some kinda thick… that’s totally cool, it add dimension to the pizza.

  And now, as thinly as you can, slice the radishes.

To assemble pizza- Roll out dough kinda thin and place on a lightly oiled baking sheet.(you can bake your dough any way or on any thing that you usually do)  Smear a good amount of the cashew pea cream on dough. You will probably have a little left over which you can either water down a little as a drizzle for the done pizza or just save for a sandwich or a veggie dip for later.  Topthe smeared dough with all the shaved asparagus and chopped off crowns then layer on the radishes .Sprinkle with salt and pepper and stick into the oven. Bake for 15ish minutes or until your crust golden brown and done to your liking.

When you remove the pizza from the oven, feel free to drizzle the remaining cashew pea cream all over and definitelytop with a squeeze of more of fresh lemon.

Cut into pieces (square, triangles or what have you) and serve to your open mouth!

Happy Spring Eating!

Yesterday the mr and I bought windows! It was a total fluke but when we went to get our winter tires changed to our summer one (GOOD BYE WINTER), my brother in law (who was doing the tire change) gave us the keys to his truck and sent us to be productive with ourselves instead of sitting in the customer lounge drinking all the free coffee. So we ended up at the hardware store with the truck and no real expectations for anything other then browsing. But lo and behold we stumbles onto the windows that were just meant to be. So we bought them, loaded them into the truck (I don’t know how we would have fit them all into our little car..truck meant to be) and brought them to their new home. We now have six new wood interior, al clad exterior double hung windows (yet to be insulted) minus wait for it, one very large front door window.

Yup, I smashed the front door window. When we brought the windows we also bought a bunch of 2×4’s. While unloading them, I accidentally, but on purpose, smashed threw the front door with the wood. The door was starting to close on me and instead of just letting it, my reflexes got the better of me and I threw the wood, right into the window and apparently almost took the mr’s head off at the same time. Mother FUCKER!

Good times.

So that sums up the week. Some great ups, some down downs. Feeling lots of feels.  Working a lot but spending time doing things like a little hike with the family and the pup, a trip across the lake with my mom and little sister to the Target, and the mr and I took a trip to see his brother and sister in law and the new addition to the family.. A 12 day old little nugget that is just to freaking cute. And it’s spring and the weather is amazing so I am trying to get out into the gardens and get that going too.

As for today, we are going going to keep plugging away at the house, gots to the keep the momentum going while it’s good. But I am for sure going to make a trip to the library, and plop my butt in some sunshine with a steaming cup of coffee and a good read at some point today.  A little work, a little relaxation… And so much coffee!

Internet fun finds from the week.

– You can now do you business on this 18 karat gold toilet, on display and in use at the Guggenheim. The line might not be worth the wait.

-Check out this 100 year old lady boss. I hope if I make it to 100 that I can be as kick ass as her.

–Runners High. It’s for real

-I love this idea, but a problem I might encounter is that I would start drawing, not stop, then completely abandon my To Do list. Try Drawing Your To-Do List Instead of Writing It

-Oh Prince, you will be missed. Music and hair.. Prince’s Hair Styles From 1978 To 2013

–Plant Porn

-I have tried meditation and I am so so, but this seems like it would be perfect for me. This new kind of meditation has you listen to cuss words

– Funky and colorful interior inspirations.

– And I am kinda in love with Dusty Rose Pink Velvet Seating.. just not sure the mr would be into it.

-I am in the market for new sheets and these or these are my new favorite (but kinda expensive)

And some fun time pictures.

Every year I play this game with myself.. Is it allergies or am I sick. The past few days I have been feeling kinda crappy, waking up with itchy, gunky eyes. My throat hurts, my head is like a balloon, and I am just feeling beat.. 

I think it’s that I am sick (because I don’t want to have allergies) but whatever it is, it sucks, but usually goes away after a week (like every year because its really allergies). Blah.

But enough about my balloon head, lets talk these maple banana walnut oat squares. These yummy gems of the oat square world are just what you need in your life. Healthy, protein packed, nutty, and a touch sweet. No junk, just good stuff all made with little to no effort. If you like banana bread, you will be all into them. I was inspired to make these by the extremely ripe bananas that need to be eaten asap and the mr’s lack of eating a healthy breakfast (I want him to eat, and I want it be oatmeal). I know him well enough that if I make a snack like thing and leave it out to eat, that he will eat it. For breakfast.

So weather or not you are looking for a good way to get in some good stuff into your tummy or just want some good tasting stuff in your mouth, this is the breakfast/dessert for you.

The stuff. A couple of ripe bananas, a bunch of rolled oats, some yummy walnuts, real maple syrup, cinnamon, baking soda and a wee bit of water.

Start with the walnuts in a food processor. Turn it on and process until….

You got this walnut butter. Do not eat it, it’s for the squares (it is so good).

Add in the oats, cinnamon and baking soda and turn the processor back on until you get a nice unified crumbly mixture.

Now in goes the bananas and the maple syrup. And you guessed it, blend some more. While you are blending, if the mixture seems to dry, add in a splash of water, to wet, just toss in another handful of oat. The mixture should be like a muffin batter consistency.

And that’s it. If you want some nut chunks, add in a handful more of walnuts (do it) and pulse just to get them mixed into batter.

Then pourthe mixture into a well greased 9×9 baking pan and spread out evenly. Toss those suckers into the oven to bake.

Oh so good bananas give off the best smell when baking. After about a 1/2hour, these bars are nice and golden brown and a fork stuck in the center comes out clean, which means, they are done.

Cut into square , eat one or two, and save the rest. Eat for breakfast, as a snack, or for dessert. And a smear of peanut butter on top is aces too!

Later dudes.

-C

• 3 cups old fashion rolled oats (gluten free ones to keep in GF)
• 1 cup plus a a small handful walnuts
• 1/2 cup maple syrup
• 2 rip bananas
• 1 /2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon (optional)

Place 1 cup of walnuts into a food processor and blend until it turns into walnut butter.. about 3 minutes. Add in the oats and blend together until it becomes a crumbly mixture. Add in the maple, baking soda, cinnamon and the bananas (break into chunks) and blend until incorporated. If the mixture seems lie its too dry, add in a splash of water, and if to wet, add in another handful of oats. The batter should resemble a muffin batter.  Once blended, mix in the remaining walnuts and pulse just to mix them in.

Pour mixture into a well greased 9×9 baking pan and stick into the fridge for 10ish minutes and preheat oven 350

And after the time in the fridge, remove the pan and slide them into the oven. Bake until golden brown and a tester stuck into te middle comes out clean. (about 30 minutes)

Remove and let cool. Pop out of pan, cut into square, and eat to you face.

Squares will last 3-4 days in a airtight container or freeze them and they will last until you eat them.

Oh yes, It is Sunday and man oh boy, am I beat. Yesterday the mr and I spent the day digging 2 1/2 foot holes for fence posts at the new house. It was actually pretty great because we got to spend the day outside and it was the most lovely day, all sunny and warm. The only problem we had was that the fence line landed on top of all the most gnarly tree roots and it took about an hour of hacking away per hole. We got to 6 and have 11 more to go (Ouch!) SO yeah, a little sore, but luckily the hardest part is done and we are going to take today off from fencing and be hang with the fam (cause it;s mothers day)

Which brings me to a my, “Happy Mothers Day to all you ladies out there being mommas and all out wonderful human beings!” You have the hardest job of all and today you deserve all the breakfast, lunch, dinner, flowers, naps, macaroni necklaces and then some. Take the day and do you forget about the to do list. IT can wait until tomorrow.

As for me, I am not an actual mom, but I have enough litttles in my life that I am kinda like a part time momma. So after an afternoon of family and mom ladies and feeding them all lunch, I am going home, walking the pup (I am his momma) and taking a nap myself. I am greatly looking forward to it.

Again, Happy Mothers Day, (especially you mom.. Love you!)

The internet fun stuff from the week.

-If you are one of those people who leaves everything (the phone and computer plugged in all day, read this. Just How Much Power Do Your Electronics Use When They Are ‘Off’?.

– Funny, kinda sad, but really cool. Eat Your Heart Out. A series of words remembered
from break-ups reimagined as something sweet.

-I keep looking at these boots. The ease of off and on with all the style of a rubber sole and brown! I really want them… someday.

-Bathroom Inspiration. We are doing bathroom next!

– The broccoli is my favorite. Japanese Lego Master Builds Delicious-Looking Creations From Blocks

–Perception vs. Reality. Perception is its own reality when you’re eating.

-All sorts of pretty. Cherry Blossoms Flood the Inokashira Park Lake in Tokyo

-Check out these DUCKS!

-I am freaking obsessed with this wood flooring.If I had a million dollars to blow, I would put it throughout the whole house.

-Awesome photos from the 2016 National Geographic Travel Photographer of the Year Contest

Pictures of all the great things this week. So much color!

Have the greatest of days.

-C

Spring is happening, my plants are popping out of the ground, I found a gigantic rhubarb patch in the back yard of the new house…. Life is feeling fresh full of possibilities. And soon, so soon, ‘ll get some veggie plants in the ground and the farm share begins…. life will be filled with all the freshest yummy foods. I can’t wait.

But until then, I grocery shop. And this week has been a good week for shopping. Why, cause it CInco de Mayo this week ,which is one of my favorite holidays cause avocados, mangoes, and limes all go on crazy sale. I can buy 20 avocados for the price of what like 5 would normally cost. And I take full advantage of the sales (my fridge is currently housing a shit tone of avocados, mangoes, and limes) I will be eating like a queen for days!

And what does one make with all these good things? Well I made tostada! A tostada is pretty much a cross between a taco and a humngo, fully loaded nacho. Stuff all piled high onto a crispy (usually fried but I bake mine) corn tortilla. Its fantastic in all the ways and super simple to make. This particular tostada highlights all the good stuff on sale, Mango salsa , avocados cream with lots of lime, all onto a pile of the yummiest refried black beans. (my mouth is watering thinking about it),

And people, Cinco de Mayo is but once a year, but these tostada should be made all year round!

The stuff. Precooked (or canned) black beans, a sweet ripe mango, an avocado, some shredded red cabbage one red onion, one jalapeno, and a few limes. Also need a few cloves of garlic, at least 4 corn tortillas (mine are home made but you can get store bought) some coconut oil, slt ans pepper, and a bunch of fresh cilantro.

Start with making the mango salsa. Cut the mango into little chucks. ( I do this but halving mango, scoring each side into chunks then scooping the fruit out with a spoon..easy) Dice half of the red onion into little pieces as well as the seeded jalapeno. Toss it all into a bowl or jar, sprinkle with a pinch of salt and pepper, mix in the juice of a lime, and add in as much fresh cilantro as you like (or none if oyu don’t like)

There is it, mango salsa.

To make the avocado cream just place the avocado (peel and pit removed) into a bowl or blender with a clove of garlic, the juice of a lime, a splash of water, and a sprinkle or two of salt. Blend until smooth, adding more water until the consistency is to you liking.

That’s it.

And now for the beans. Start by tiny dicing up the other half of the onion and a few cloves of garlic and place into a skillet with a teaspoon or two of coconut oil. (can use any oil you like). Add in a splash of water and a sprinkle of salt an place on stove on medium heat and cook.

After the onions have gotten nice and soft, dump in the bean (liquid and all) Keep onheat and cook until the beans are hot and the liquid starts to thicken.

Grab a fork. Fork to beans. Mash’em up to make them officially refried.

And lastly, a little oil rubbed onto the corn tortillas and then placed into a hot oven to get crispy.

All the stuff, ready to go…. And go there, go there NOW!!!

Beans, cabbage, mango salsa, and avocado cream, all piled onto a toasted, crispy tortilla. A few fresh sprigs of cilantro and a slice of lime… This is for real something all amazing.

Eat the greatness (and not just for Cinco de Mayo)

-C

Makes 4-6 tostadas

mango salsa stuff

• 1 ripe mango
• 1 jalapeno
• 1/2 a red onion
• 1 lime
• salt and pepper
• fresh cilantro*

for the refried black beans

• 2 cups (1 can) prepared black beans
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1/2 red onion
• 1-2teaspoons coconut oil (can use any oil you like)

 the avocado cream

• 1 ripe avocado
• 1 lime
• salt and pepper
• a tablespoon or two of water

and the following

• 4-6 corn tortillas
• small bowl of thinly shredded red cabbage
• a little extra oil for tortillas
• fresh cilantro *

Note. Omit cilantro if you don’t like it.

Start with making the salsa cause the longer it sits, the better it tastes. Cut mango away form pit and score each half into cubes with a knife. Garb a spoon and scoop the mango meat away from the skin. Stick into a bowl. Finely chop half a red onion and de-seed the jalapeno and dice that up too and toss all that into with the mango. Sprinkle with a pinch of salt, add in the juice of a lime and add in as much or as little fresh cilantro as you like. Set aside. Also while your at it, toss the cabbage with a little salt and that that sit out as well.

Preheat oven to 400

Now on to the Avocado cream. Place avocado (sans peel and pit) into a blender (or a a bowl and use a hand blender) with the juice of a lime and a clove of garlic. Blend until smooth, adding about 2-3 tablespoons of water until nice ans creamy smooth. Add salt to taste and mix.

Next take the other half of the red onion and dice into very small little pieces. Mince up the garlic and toss both into a pan with a teaspoon or 2 of coconut oil and a few splashes of water. Cook on medium low until onion is nice and soft. Add in black beans (bean water and all) and mix together. Season with salt (if needed…canned beans are usually salty enough) and pepper. Continue to cook beans until hot and bubbly then take a fork or a potato masher and smash the beans until a the beans are all mushed and refried like. Feel free to make then smoother by sticking them in a blender if you want. Add more water to thin out as well.

And lastly, get those corn tortillas into the oven to crisp up. What I did is took a bit of coconut oil and coasted my hands with it then rubbed the tortillas on both side. Or you can brush on melted oil if you don’t want to do that. When lightly oiled, stick them into the oven and bake until crispy, flipping them after about 4 minutes and finishing after another 4-5. (you can gauge your liking on crispy)

Now compile the tostadas

Take a crispy tortilla, smother with refried beans, top with a little red cabbage then a big scoop (or two) or the mango salsa and a big spoonful of avocado cream. Add more fresh cilantro on top and serve with a slice of lime..

No utensils needed, just eat with your hands.

Happy May Day!!!  Now that it’s May, it can’t snow any more! (right?)

Did you get some of that early week snow storm? Yeah, it was freaking fantastic. I left the house early on my bike with a few little n=snow flakes hitting my face, thinking it would clear up soon, only to have to walk my bike home by lunch time because it turned into a snow storm (I might be over extravagating, we got like 2 inches at most) but still!.) But now it’s lovely out, the trees are budding, the flowers are blooming and I have got my normal itchy as hell allergy eyes and sandals on my feet. No more winter jacket, i just can’t.

Lets see, what else. Oh, the mr installed all the windows at the house which has turned our little bungalow shell into an actual living space. Crazy what a few pieces of glass has done.. It’s no longer a outside/inside situation and the birds can’t get in anymore.   Things are moving along quite well and I am actually starting to see myself living there. Woo HOO! All I do now is daydream about hanging out in the kitchen or what colors I am going to paint the trim (medium dark grey with pops of colorful window trim?) and which room I am going to sit in a read every morning( I think I am going to have to move from room to room, too many choices) I guess I am on a good high from the windows so am ready to just blast through and get the rest of the house done.

As for today, I think I am going to try and put in some outdoor time. I will plug in my ears with some good tunes, grab me a ho.. and a rake and fluff up all the pretty things popping out of the ground! I am really excited, I haven’t spend any real time in the dirt yet this year so I hoping to get really really dirty.

Some stuff the internet had this week.

– I really want one of these Froob shirts…but which one?

-Some scientist is saying that hugging your dog can increase their stress level. I can see that, but I swear that my pup wants to be hugged (or man handled)

-I think I want to go to all of these Fairy Tale Villages, and you can actually visit all of them.

-INSPIRING STUDIO SPACES.

-Do you know the difference between cold brewed and iced coffee? And which one is better? Cold Brew Versus Iced Coffee:Which Is Actually Better? (I like them both!)

-Drug sniffing dogs, bomb sniffing dogs… Its about time for bee sniffing dogs. Keeping Bees Safe: It’s A Ruff Job, But This Doggy Detective Gets It Done

-Hell Yeah!!! 1 Minute of All-Out Exercise May Have Benefits of 45 Minutes of Moderate Exertion

-Get your mail and you lawn mowed..smart move Finland. Finland’s postal workers to mow lawns

-Hahahaha.. For all the crazy cat ladies (and gentleman) These Linguists Want to Help You Speak Fluent Cat but this new collar will give your cat an ACTUAL voice… Oh boy oh boy!

–EVERYTHING THAT HAPPENS TO YOUR BODY ON HOT SAUCE

And a few pictures that I managed to take this week.

I am channeling all my summer time feels here in hopes for warmer weather. As of yesterday there was still a pile of snow outside of my house and I am still leaving every morning in a hat, mittens, and a winter jacket.

I want t-shirts and shorts, I want sandals, and I want to set my winter jacket on fire (not really, but kinda).

This cold weather has crept back into my soul and I needed something to remind me that there will be warmer days to come and I will soon be bitching about how hot I am and blah blah blah.. you know how it goes.

So I make lemonade. This lemonade as inspired by my favorite tea as of late, raspberry zinger. It’s a nice and tangy tart and really tasty. I make great big jar of it at night and add a little squeeze or two of lemon to it for that little extra zing. I figured if it tastes good hot, it will taste great cold, which in fact, it does. It taste really freaking good. And it just occurred to me that there is probably a little subliminal inspiration from Beyonce in wanting lemonade, so thanks for the B.

Anyway, it’s suppose to me nice and seasonably warm this weekend. Maybe bust out your lemonade game and try a batch of this one.

The stuff. Lemons, a raspberry zinger tea bag, honey (or any sweetener you like to use) water and ice.

Bring some of that water to aalmost boil and pour it over the tea bag (make sure you stick the bag into a jar or pitcher)

While the tea is steeping, juice the lemons. And a personal preference, you can strain out the pulp or not. I use the strainer to catch the seeds but then stick the pulp back in cause I like pulp. All up to you.

While the tea is steeping and still hot, add in any sweetener that you want to use. ( I used a little honey) Stir until that sweetness is all dissolved.

And after the tea has had a good steep, dump the brewed tea into the pitcher with the lemon juice then add in the really cold water. Stir it all around.

Add acouple thin slices of lemon to make it all fancy anda few big chunks of ice to make it super cold

Refreshing, crispy, tangy with a touch of sweet….Perfect for all those warm summer days to come (hopefully)

Have a great weekend people.

-C

Makes 5 cups

• 1 raspberry zinger tea bag( I used Celestial Seasonings)
• 3/4 cup fresh lemon juice (3-5 lemons, depending on size)
• Anywhere between no to 1/2 cup of sweeter (can use sugar, honey or maple, I like a touch of honey)
• 4 cups water (2 hot, 2 cold)
• ice

Place tea bag in 2 cups of hot water (can be done directly in a pitcher) Add in the sweetener while its still hot and mix until completely dissolved. Let steep for about 10 minutes.

Remove tea bag and add in the lemon juice, 2 more cups of cold water and mix, Top with ice and garnish with a few more lemon slices if your feeling fanciful.

Serve in a glass full of ice with a wedge of lemon and a smile on you face.

When the mr got home from work last night, her got himself a super great dinner suprice

Pizza, on a Monday. Woo Hoo! (I am so awesome, my sister even texted to congratulate him on his unexpected pizza dinner)

But here is the thing. I think pizza is a completely acceptable dinner any night of the week just as long as it is not covered in a shit tone of greasy cheese or any other kinda heavy and not so good stuff.  This is a not one of those types of pizzas. This pizza is light, the crust rolled slightly thin, covered in a creamy sweet pea and cashew cream, (which is really pretty) and topped off with a tons of shaved asparagus and sliced radishes.It’s a celebration of spring time veggies and tastes so f*ing good. Sweet and creamy from the peas cashew cream, a nice crispy freshness from the asparagus, and a nice little spicy kick from the radishes. All the flavors that make me happy. It’s oh so good. .

And really, It’s almost like eating a big salad with a piece of bread. Not a bad dinner right? So do yourself a favor and make that salad and bread into this kick ass pizza.

You can, you should, you, must.

The stuff. Peas (fresh or thawed out frozen.. my were frozen) some cashews soaking in water, a bunch of asparagus (I had purple but you can just use green) ans a few radishes. Also need a lemon, some nutritional yeast, a few coves of garlic, salt and pepper, and a little olive oil. Oh, and a pizza dough.

To get the cashew pea cream going, strain the water from the cashews and dump them into a blender along with the peas, garlic, nutritional yeast, juice of half of the lemon, and a pinch of salt. Turn blender on and slowly add in a bit of water, just enough to get the stuff to start blending. Keep on blending until nice and smooth.

And now shave the asparagus down. I found the easiest way to do this is to chop op the crown part then place the stock on the counter and peel away from you. Not all peels are going to be uniform and perfect, which is good for a textured pizza. Any pieces that break off or shave off weird, keep them too, it;s all going on the pizza. If you asparagus is not super fresh, they might have woody ends.  When done shaving just toss those into a bag and save for a soup later.

And now that the asparagus is done, thinly slice the radishes up.

Get that pizza dough onto a baking devise (use a baking sheet, pizza stone, or whatever you usually make pizza on. I used a lightly oiled baking sheet)  and smear lots of that cashew pea cream all over it.

Pile on the shaved asparagus and all the ends and tips that we cut off or broke off.

Top with the radishes and a good pinch of salt and lots of fresh cracked pepper.

Into the oven it needs to go.

Pulled from the oven, looking all pretty and springy and smelling so amazing.

Drizzled with a little of the left over cashew pea cream and a few squeezes of fresh lemon.

Your good to go!

Pizza on a weekday, it’s what you need in your life.

-C

• 1 12oz pizza dough (use this recipe, your own, or store bought)
• 10-15 or so stalks of asparagus (about 1/2 a pound)
• 3-4 big radishes
• 1/2 cup peas
• 1/2 cup cashews (soaked for about 1/2 an hour)
• 2-3 cloves garlic
• 3 tablespoons nutritional yeast
• 1/8-1/4 cup water
• A lemon
• olive oil
• Salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 450

First off, prepare your pizza dough or remove it from the fridge to come to room temperature.

Strain the water from the cashews and add them to a blender with the peas, the juice of half a lemon, 1/8 cup of water, the nutritionalyeast, and a sprinkle of salt. Blend until smooth. If you need to, add in another splash or two of water to thin it out.

Grab your asparagus stalks ans chop off the top crown parts. Take the remaining stalks and peel them. Do this by holding the stalk flat on the counter and while holding to the end, peel the stalk away from you.  I(f your asparagus is not super fresh ans had woody ends, use those to hold on to and when done shaving, just toss them into a bag and save for a soup later)  Shave each piece until you cant shave any more. Some pieces are going to be super thin, some kinda thick… that’s totally cool, it add dimension to the pizza.

  And now, as thinly as you can, slice the radishes.

To assemble pizza- Roll out dough kinda thin and place on a lightly oiled baking sheet.(you can bake your dough any way or on any thing that you usually do)  Smear a good amount of the cashew pea cream on dough. You will probably have a little left over which you can either water down a little as a drizzle for the done pizza or just save for a sandwich or a veggie dip for later.  Topthe smeared dough with all the shaved asparagus and chopped off crowns then layer on the radishes .Sprinkle with salt and pepper and stick into the oven. Bake for 15ish minutes or until your crust golden brown and done to your liking.

When you remove the pizza from the oven, feel free to drizzle the remaining cashew pea cream all over and definitelytop with a squeeze of more of fresh lemon.

Cut into pieces (square, triangles or what have you) and serve to your open mouth!

Happy Spring Eating!

Yesterday the mr and I bought windows! It was a total fluke but when we went to get our winter tires changed to our summer one (GOOD BYE WINTER), my brother in law (who was doing the tire change) gave us the keys to his truck and sent us to be productive with ourselves instead of sitting in the customer lounge drinking all the free coffee. So we ended up at the hardware store with the truck and no real expectations for anything other then browsing. But lo and behold we stumbles onto the windows that were just meant to be. So we bought them, loaded them into the truck (I don’t know how we would have fit them all into our little car..truck meant to be) and brought them to their new home. We now have six new wood interior, al clad exterior double hung windows (yet to be insulted) minus wait for it, one very large front door window.

Yup, I smashed the front door window. When we brought the windows we also bought a bunch of 2×4’s. While unloading them, I accidentally, but on purpose, smashed threw the front door with the wood. The door was starting to close on me and instead of just letting it, my reflexes got the better of me and I threw the wood, right into the window and apparently almost took the mr’s head off at the same time. Mother FUCKER!

Good times.

So that sums up the week. Some great ups, some down downs. Feeling lots of feels.  Working a lot but spending time doing things like a little hike with the family and the pup, a trip across the lake with my mom and little sister to the Target, and the mr and I took a trip to see his brother and sister in law and the new addition to the family.. A 12 day old little nugget that is just to freaking cute. And it’s spring and the weather is amazing so I am trying to get out into the gardens and get that going too.

As for today, we are going going to keep plugging away at the house, gots to the keep the momentum going while it’s good. But I am for sure going to make a trip to the library, and plop my butt in some sunshine with a steaming cup of coffee and a good read at some point today.  A little work, a little relaxation… And so much coffee!

Internet fun finds from the week.

– You can now do you business on this 18 karat gold toilet, on display and in use at the Guggenheim. The line might not be worth the wait.

-Check out this 100 year old lady boss. I hope if I make it to 100 that I can be as kick ass as her.

–Runners High. It’s for real

-I love this idea, but a problem I might encounter is that I would start drawing, not stop, then completely abandon my To Do list. Try Drawing Your To-Do List Instead of Writing It

-Oh Prince, you will be missed. Music and hair.. Prince’s Hair Styles From 1978 To 2013

–Plant Porn

-I have tried meditation and I am so so, but this seems like it would be perfect for me. This new kind of meditation has you listen to cuss words

– Funky and colorful interior inspirations.

– And I am kinda in love with Dusty Rose Pink Velvet Seating.. just not sure the mr would be into it.

-I am in the market for new sheets and these or these are my new favorite (but kinda expensive)

And some fun time pictures.

Everyone is asking how that house is going so I figured an update was in order.

Around the beginning of March we hired a guy (with another guy that was like 80 years old) to remove the back roof and to frame out the addition. We were planning on doing it ourselves but when it came down to it, it was going to take to long and was not something that I was entirely comfortable doing. It was still winter out, I have never removed a roof, and it just seemed like it was better to just have someone that does it all the time do it. And oh am I glade we did. These guys were awesome and a little nuts. We had a start date for a Tuesday, but on Monday morning, the mr gets a phone call from the head guy asking if he was going to go to the house and let him in. “Of course, I’ll be there at 8 tomorrow” said the mr.  “No, we are here right now” said the roof ripper off man. “Ok, be right over” and the mr rushes over to the house. When he gets there, the guys were already in the house. The had claimed onto the roof and started ripping it off from the outside.

And then two days later , the roof was gone and the skeleton of the addition was up.  It was fantastic and amazing and we were so excited. SO worth hiring it out!!!!

Our next move was the roof,(to keep out the snow ans rain) which those guys ended up came back and throwing on for us. That was another job we were planning on doing, but when the mr crawled onto the roof to measure for materials, he came back down and said to me”hell no. not doing it” (He is terribly afraid of heights)

After the roof went up, we still had a lot of demo to do. It took us a few days to finish removing the rest of the walls and all the layers of flooring. Then it got really freaking cold out so we boarded off the upstairs with insulation and did some stuff downstairs.

We were on a good roll, getting shit done, about to start framing, then the shittest shit ever happened and Sean died. We didn’t go back over to the house for like 2 weeks. (shit head, you were suppose to help us) We lost all motivation and I was in no state to be doing any work that required power tools or crow bars.( I probably would have cut a hand off or accidentally set the house on fire) So yeah, no house work. But over these past 2 weeks we have slowly gotten back into the swing of things. We have cleaned up the upstairs, framed out all the wall and are moving right along. Next is windows, (which is now more just a matter of picking some we like and ordering them) running all the electrical, plumping the bathroom, insulation the ceiling and walls, then getting an inspection! But that will be a breeze…. haha.

So that’s what’s been going on in the house. Fun fun fun!

Hopefully I will have another update on other parts of the house for you guys soon!

-C

Every year I play this game with myself.. Is it allergies or am I sick. The past few days I have been feeling kinda crappy, waking up with itchy, gunky eyes. My throat hurts, my head is like a balloon, and I am just feeling beat.. 

I think it’s that I am sick (because I don’t want to have allergies) but whatever it is, it sucks, but usually goes away after a week (like every year because its really allergies). Blah.

But enough about my balloon head, lets talk these maple banana walnut oat squares. These yummy gems of the oat square world are just what you need in your life. Healthy, protein packed, nutty, and a touch sweet. No junk, just good stuff all made with little to no effort. If you like banana bread, you will be all into them. I was inspired to make these by the extremely ripe bananas that need to be eaten asap and the mr’s lack of eating a healthy breakfast (I want him to eat, and I want it be oatmeal). I know him well enough that if I make a snack like thing and leave it out to eat, that he will eat it. For breakfast.

So weather or not you are looking for a good way to get in some good stuff into your tummy or just want some good tasting stuff in your mouth, this is the breakfast/dessert for you.

The stuff. A couple of ripe bananas, a bunch of rolled oats, some yummy walnuts, real maple syrup, cinnamon, baking soda and a wee bit of water.

Start with the walnuts in a food processor. Turn it on and process until….

You got this walnut butter. Do not eat it, it’s for the squares (it is so good).

Add in the oats, cinnamon and baking soda and turn the processor back on until you get a nice unified crumbly mixture.

Now in goes the bananas and the maple syrup. And you guessed it, blend some more. While you are blending, if the mixture seems to dry, add in a splash of water, to wet, just toss in another handful of oat. The mixture should be like a muffin batter consistency.

And that’s it. If you want some nut chunks, add in a handful more of walnuts (do it) and pulse just to get them mixed into batter.

Then pourthe mixture into a well greased 9×9 baking pan and spread out evenly. Toss those suckers into the oven to bake.

Oh so good bananas give off the best smell when baking. After about a 1/2hour, these bars are nice and golden brown and a fork stuck in the center comes out clean, which means, they are done.

Cut into square , eat one or two, and save the rest. Eat for breakfast, as a snack, or for dessert. And a smear of peanut butter on top is aces too!

Later dudes.

-C

• 3 cups old fashion rolled oats (gluten free ones to keep in GF)
• 1 cup plus a a small handful walnuts
• 1/2 cup maple syrup
• 2 rip bananas
• 1 /2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon (optional)

Place 1 cup of walnuts into a food processor and blend until it turns into walnut butter.. about 3 minutes. Add in the oats and blend together until it becomes a crumbly mixture. Add in the maple, baking soda, cinnamon and the bananas (break into chunks) and blend until incorporated. If the mixture seems lie its too dry, add in a splash of water, and if to wet, add in another handful of oats. The batter should resemble a muffin batter.  Once blended, mix in the remaining walnuts and pulse just to mix them in.

Pour mixture into a well greased 9×9 baking pan and stick into the fridge for 10ish minutes and preheat oven 350

And after the time in the fridge, remove the pan and slide them into the oven. Bake until golden brown and a tester stuck into te middle comes out clean. (about 30 minutes)

Remove and let cool. Pop out of pan, cut into square, and eat to you face.

Squares will last 3-4 days in a airtight container or freeze them and they will last until you eat them.

Oh yes, It is Sunday and man oh boy, am I beat. Yesterday the mr and I spent the day digging 2 1/2 foot holes for fence posts at the new house. It was actually pretty great because we got to spend the day outside and it was the most lovely day, all sunny and warm. The only problem we had was that the fence line landed on top of all the most gnarly tree roots and it took about an hour of hacking away per hole. We got to 6 and have 11 more to go (Ouch!) SO yeah, a little sore, but luckily the hardest part is done and we are going to take today off from fencing and be hang with the fam (cause it;s mothers day)

Which brings me to a my, “Happy Mothers Day to all you ladies out there being mommas and all out wonderful human beings!” You have the hardest job of all and today you deserve all the breakfast, lunch, dinner, flowers, naps, macaroni necklaces and then some. Take the day and do you forget about the to do list. IT can wait until tomorrow.

As for me, I am not an actual mom, but I have enough litttles in my life that I am kinda like a part time momma. So after an afternoon of family and mom ladies and feeding them all lunch, I am going home, walking the pup (I am his momma) and taking a nap myself. I am greatly looking forward to it.

Again, Happy Mothers Day, (especially you mom.. Love you!)

The internet fun stuff from the week.

-If you are one of those people who leaves everything (the phone and computer plugged in all day, read this. Just How Much Power Do Your Electronics Use When They Are ‘Off’?.

– Funny, kinda sad, but really cool. Eat Your Heart Out. A series of words remembered
from break-ups reimagined as something sweet.

-I keep looking at these boots. The ease of off and on with all the style of a rubber sole and brown! I really want them… someday.

-Bathroom Inspiration. We are doing bathroom next!

– The broccoli is my favorite. Japanese Lego Master Builds Delicious-Looking Creations From Blocks

–Perception vs. Reality. Perception is its own reality when you’re eating.

-All sorts of pretty. Cherry Blossoms Flood the Inokashira Park Lake in Tokyo

-Check out these DUCKS!

-I am freaking obsessed with this wood flooring.If I had a million dollars to blow, I would put it throughout the whole house.

-Awesome photos from the 2016 National Geographic Travel Photographer of the Year Contest

Pictures of all the great things this week. So much color!

Have the greatest of days.

-C

Spring is happening, my plants are popping out of the ground, I found a gigantic rhubarb patch in the back yard of the new house…. Life is feeling fresh full of possibilities. And soon, so soon, ‘ll get some veggie plants in the ground and the farm share begins…. life will be filled with all the freshest yummy foods. I can’t wait.

But until then, I grocery shop. And this week has been a good week for shopping. Why, cause it CInco de Mayo this week ,which is one of my favorite holidays cause avocados, mangoes, and limes all go on crazy sale. I can buy 20 avocados for the price of what like 5 would normally cost. And I take full advantage of the sales (my fridge is currently housing a shit tone of avocados, mangoes, and limes) I will be eating like a queen for days!

And what does one make with all these good things? Well I made tostada! A tostada is pretty much a cross between a taco and a humngo, fully loaded nacho. Stuff all piled high onto a crispy (usually fried but I bake mine) corn tortilla. Its fantastic in all the ways and super simple to make. This particular tostada highlights all the good stuff on sale, Mango salsa , avocados cream with lots of lime, all onto a pile of the yummiest refried black beans. (my mouth is watering thinking about it),

And people, Cinco de Mayo is but once a year, but these tostada should be made all year round!

The stuff. Precooked (or canned) black beans, a sweet ripe mango, an avocado, some shredded red cabbage one red onion, one jalapeno, and a few limes. Also need a few cloves of garlic, at least 4 corn tortillas (mine are home made but you can get store bought) some coconut oil, slt ans pepper, and a bunch of fresh cilantro.

Start with making the mango salsa. Cut the mango into little chucks. ( I do this but halving mango, scoring each side into chunks then scooping the fruit out with a spoon..easy) Dice half of the red onion into little pieces as well as the seeded jalapeno. Toss it all into a bowl or jar, sprinkle with a pinch of salt and pepper, mix in the juice of a lime, and add in as much fresh cilantro as you like (or none if oyu don’t like)

There is it, mango salsa.

To make the avocado cream just place the avocado (peel and pit removed) into a bowl or blender with a clove of garlic, the juice of a lime, a splash of water, and a sprinkle or two of salt. Blend until smooth, adding more water until the consistency is to you liking.

That’s it.

And now for the beans. Start by tiny dicing up the other half of the onion and a few cloves of garlic and place into a skillet with a teaspoon or two of coconut oil. (can use any oil you like). Add in a splash of water and a sprinkle of salt an place on stove on medium heat and cook.

After the onions have gotten nice and soft, dump in the bean (liquid and all) Keep onheat and cook until the beans are hot and the liquid starts to thicken.

Grab a fork. Fork to beans. Mash’em up to make them officially refried.

And lastly, a little oil rubbed onto the corn tortillas and then placed into a hot oven to get crispy.

All the stuff, ready to go…. And go there, go there NOW!!!

Beans, cabbage, mango salsa, and avocado cream, all piled onto a toasted, crispy tortilla. A few fresh sprigs of cilantro and a slice of lime… This is for real something all amazing.

Eat the greatness (and not just for Cinco de Mayo)

-C

Makes 4-6 tostadas

mango salsa stuff

• 1 ripe mango
• 1 jalapeno
• 1/2 a red onion
• 1 lime
• salt and pepper
• fresh cilantro*

for the refried black beans

• 2 cups (1 can) prepared black beans
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1/2 red onion
• 1-2teaspoons coconut oil (can use any oil you like)

 the avocado cream

• 1 ripe avocado
• 1 lime
• salt and pepper
• a tablespoon or two of water

and the following

• 4-6 corn tortillas
• small bowl of thinly shredded red cabbage
• a little extra oil for tortillas
• fresh cilantro *

Note. Omit cilantro if you don’t like it.

Start with making the salsa cause the longer it sits, the better it tastes. Cut mango away form pit and score each half into cubes with a knife. Garb a spoon and scoop the mango meat away from the skin. Stick into a bowl. Finely chop half a red onion and de-seed the jalapeno and dice that up too and toss all that into with the mango. Sprinkle with a pinch of salt, add in the juice of a lime and add in as much or as little fresh cilantro as you like. Set aside. Also while your at it, toss the cabbage with a little salt and that that sit out as well.

Preheat oven to 400

Now on to the Avocado cream. Place avocado (sans peel and pit) into a blender (or a a bowl and use a hand blender) with the juice of a lime and a clove of garlic. Blend until smooth, adding about 2-3 tablespoons of water until nice ans creamy smooth. Add salt to taste and mix.

Next take the other half of the red onion and dice into very small little pieces. Mince up the garlic and toss both into a pan with a teaspoon or 2 of coconut oil and a few splashes of water. Cook on medium low until onion is nice and soft. Add in black beans (bean water and all) and mix together. Season with salt (if needed…canned beans are usually salty enough) and pepper. Continue to cook beans until hot and bubbly then take a fork or a potato masher and smash the beans until a the beans are all mushed and refried like. Feel free to make then smoother by sticking them in a blender if you want. Add more water to thin out as well.

And lastly, get those corn tortillas into the oven to crisp up. What I did is took a bit of coconut oil and coasted my hands with it then rubbed the tortillas on both side. Or you can brush on melted oil if you don’t want to do that. When lightly oiled, stick them into the oven and bake until crispy, flipping them after about 4 minutes and finishing after another 4-5. (you can gauge your liking on crispy)

Now compile the tostadas

Take a crispy tortilla, smother with refried beans, top with a little red cabbage then a big scoop (or two) or the mango salsa and a big spoonful of avocado cream. Add more fresh cilantro on top and serve with a slice of lime..

No utensils needed, just eat with your hands.

Happy May Day!!!  Now that it’s May, it can’t snow any more! (right?)

Did you get some of that early week snow storm? Yeah, it was freaking fantastic. I left the house early on my bike with a few little n=snow flakes hitting my face, thinking it would clear up soon, only to have to walk my bike home by lunch time because it turned into a snow storm (I might be over extravagating, we got like 2 inches at most) but still!.) But now it’s lovely out, the trees are budding, the flowers are blooming and I have got my normal itchy as hell allergy eyes and sandals on my feet. No more winter jacket, i just can’t.

Lets see, what else. Oh, the mr installed all the windows at the house which has turned our little bungalow shell into an actual living space. Crazy what a few pieces of glass has done.. It’s no longer a outside/inside situation and the birds can’t get in anymore.   Things are moving along quite well and I am actually starting to see myself living there. Woo HOO! All I do now is daydream about hanging out in the kitchen or what colors I am going to paint the trim (medium dark grey with pops of colorful window trim?) and which room I am going to sit in a read every morning( I think I am going to have to move from room to room, too many choices) I guess I am on a good high from the windows so am ready to just blast through and get the rest of the house done.

As for today, I think I am going to try and put in some outdoor time. I will plug in my ears with some good tunes, grab me a ho.. and a rake and fluff up all the pretty things popping out of the ground! I am really excited, I haven’t spend any real time in the dirt yet this year so I hoping to get really really dirty.

Some stuff the internet had this week.

– I really want one of these Froob shirts…but which one?

-Some scientist is saying that hugging your dog can increase their stress level. I can see that, but I swear that my pup wants to be hugged (or man handled)

-I think I want to go to all of these Fairy Tale Villages, and you can actually visit all of them.

-INSPIRING STUDIO SPACES.

-Do you know the difference between cold brewed and iced coffee? And which one is better? Cold Brew Versus Iced Coffee:Which Is Actually Better? (I like them both!)

-Drug sniffing dogs, bomb sniffing dogs… Its about time for bee sniffing dogs. Keeping Bees Safe: It’s A Ruff Job, But This Doggy Detective Gets It Done

-Hell Yeah!!! 1 Minute of All-Out Exercise May Have Benefits of 45 Minutes of Moderate Exertion

-Get your mail and you lawn mowed..smart move Finland. Finland’s postal workers to mow lawns

-Hahahaha.. For all the crazy cat ladies (and gentleman) These Linguists Want to Help You Speak Fluent Cat but this new collar will give your cat an ACTUAL voice… Oh boy oh boy!

–EVERYTHING THAT HAPPENS TO YOUR BODY ON HOT SAUCE

And a few pictures that I managed to take this week.

I am channeling all my summer time feels here in hopes for warmer weather. As of yesterday there was still a pile of snow outside of my house and I am still leaving every morning in a hat, mittens, and a winter jacket.

I want t-shirts and shorts, I want sandals, and I want to set my winter jacket on fire (not really, but kinda).

This cold weather has crept back into my soul and I needed something to remind me that there will be warmer days to come and I will soon be bitching about how hot I am and blah blah blah.. you know how it goes.

So I make lemonade. This lemonade as inspired by my favorite tea as of late, raspberry zinger. It’s a nice and tangy tart and really tasty. I make great big jar of it at night and add a little squeeze or two of lemon to it for that little extra zing. I figured if it tastes good hot, it will taste great cold, which in fact, it does. It taste really freaking good. And it just occurred to me that there is probably a little subliminal inspiration from Beyonce in wanting lemonade, so thanks for the B.

Anyway, it’s suppose to me nice and seasonably warm this weekend. Maybe bust out your lemonade game and try a batch of this one.

The stuff. Lemons, a raspberry zinger tea bag, honey (or any sweetener you like to use) water and ice.

Bring some of that water to aalmost boil and pour it over the tea bag (make sure you stick the bag into a jar or pitcher)

While the tea is steeping, juice the lemons. And a personal preference, you can strain out the pulp or not. I use the strainer to catch the seeds but then stick the pulp back in cause I like pulp. All up to you.

While the tea is steeping and still hot, add in any sweetener that you want to use. ( I used a little honey) Stir until that sweetness is all dissolved.

And after the tea has had a good steep, dump the brewed tea into the pitcher with the lemon juice then add in the really cold water. Stir it all around.

Add acouple thin slices of lemon to make it all fancy anda few big chunks of ice to make it super cold

Refreshing, crispy, tangy with a touch of sweet….Perfect for all those warm summer days to come (hopefully)

Have a great weekend people.

-C

Makes 5 cups

• 1 raspberry zinger tea bag( I used Celestial Seasonings)
• 3/4 cup fresh lemon juice (3-5 lemons, depending on size)
• Anywhere between no to 1/2 cup of sweeter (can use sugar, honey or maple, I like a touch of honey)
• 4 cups water (2 hot, 2 cold)
• ice

Place tea bag in 2 cups of hot water (can be done directly in a pitcher) Add in the sweetener while its still hot and mix until completely dissolved. Let steep for about 10 minutes.

Remove tea bag and add in the lemon juice, 2 more cups of cold water and mix, Top with ice and garnish with a few more lemon slices if your feeling fanciful.

Serve in a glass full of ice with a wedge of lemon and a smile on you face.

When the mr got home from work last night, her got himself a super great dinner suprice

Pizza, on a Monday. Woo Hoo! (I am so awesome, my sister even texted to congratulate him on his unexpected pizza dinner)

But here is the thing. I think pizza is a completely acceptable dinner any night of the week just as long as it is not covered in a shit tone of greasy cheese or any other kinda heavy and not so good stuff.  This is a not one of those types of pizzas. This pizza is light, the crust rolled slightly thin, covered in a creamy sweet pea and cashew cream, (which is really pretty) and topped off with a tons of shaved asparagus and sliced radishes.It’s a celebration of spring time veggies and tastes so f*ing good. Sweet and creamy from the peas cashew cream, a nice crispy freshness from the asparagus, and a nice little spicy kick from the radishes. All the flavors that make me happy. It’s oh so good. .

And really, It’s almost like eating a big salad with a piece of bread. Not a bad dinner right? So do yourself a favor and make that salad and bread into this kick ass pizza.

You can, you should, you, must.

The stuff. Peas (fresh or thawed out frozen.. my were frozen) some cashews soaking in water, a bunch of asparagus (I had purple but you can just use green) ans a few radishes. Also need a lemon, some nutritional yeast, a few coves of garlic, salt and pepper, and a little olive oil. Oh, and a pizza dough.

To get the cashew pea cream going, strain the water from the cashews and dump them into a blender along with the peas, garlic, nutritional yeast, juice of half of the lemon, and a pinch of salt. Turn blender on and slowly add in a bit of water, just enough to get the stuff to start blending. Keep on blending until nice and smooth.

And now shave the asparagus down. I found the easiest way to do this is to chop op the crown part then place the stock on the counter and peel away from you. Not all peels are going to be uniform and perfect, which is good for a textured pizza. Any pieces that break off or shave off weird, keep them too, it;s all going on the pizza. If you asparagus is not super fresh, they might have woody ends.  When done shaving just toss those into a bag and save for a soup later.

And now that the asparagus is done, thinly slice the radishes up.

Get that pizza dough onto a baking devise (use a baking sheet, pizza stone, or whatever you usually make pizza on. I used a lightly oiled baking sheet)  and smear lots of that cashew pea cream all over it.

Pile on the shaved asparagus and all the ends and tips that we cut off or broke off.

Top with the radishes and a good pinch of salt and lots of fresh cracked pepper.

Into the oven it needs to go.

Pulled from the oven, looking all pretty and springy and smelling so amazing.

Drizzled with a little of the left over cashew pea cream and a few squeezes of fresh lemon.

Your good to go!

Pizza on a weekday, it’s what you need in your life.

-C

• 1 12oz pizza dough (use this recipe, your own, or store bought)
• 10-15 or so stalks of asparagus (about 1/2 a pound)
• 3-4 big radishes
• 1/2 cup peas
• 1/2 cup cashews (soaked for about 1/2 an hour)
• 2-3 cloves garlic
• 3 tablespoons nutritional yeast
• 1/8-1/4 cup water
• A lemon
• olive oil
• Salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 450

First off, prepare your pizza dough or remove it from the fridge to come to room temperature.

Strain the water from the cashews and add them to a blender with the peas, the juice of half a lemon, 1/8 cup of water, the nutritionalyeast, and a sprinkle of salt. Blend until smooth. If you need to, add in another splash or two of water to thin it out.

Grab your asparagus stalks ans chop off the top crown parts. Take the remaining stalks and peel them. Do this by holding the stalk flat on the counter and while holding to the end, peel the stalk away from you.  I(f your asparagus is not super fresh ans had woody ends, use those to hold on to and when done shaving, just toss them into a bag and save for a soup later)  Shave each piece until you cant shave any more. Some pieces are going to be super thin, some kinda thick… that’s totally cool, it add dimension to the pizza.

  And now, as thinly as you can, slice the radishes.

To assemble pizza- Roll out dough kinda thin and place on a lightly oiled baking sheet.(you can bake your dough any way or on any thing that you usually do)  Smear a good amount of the cashew pea cream on dough. You will probably have a little left over which you can either water down a little as a drizzle for the done pizza or just save for a sandwich or a veggie dip for later.  Topthe smeared dough with all the shaved asparagus and chopped off crowns then layer on the radishes .Sprinkle with salt and pepper and stick into the oven. Bake for 15ish minutes or until your crust golden brown and done to your liking.

When you remove the pizza from the oven, feel free to drizzle the remaining cashew pea cream all over and definitelytop with a squeeze of more of fresh lemon.

Cut into pieces (square, triangles or what have you) and serve to your open mouth!

Happy Spring Eating!

Yesterday the mr and I bought windows! It was a total fluke but when we went to get our winter tires changed to our summer one (GOOD BYE WINTER), my brother in law (who was doing the tire change) gave us the keys to his truck and sent us to be productive with ourselves instead of sitting in the customer lounge drinking all the free coffee. So we ended up at the hardware store with the truck and no real expectations for anything other then browsing. But lo and behold we stumbles onto the windows that were just meant to be. So we bought them, loaded them into the truck (I don’t know how we would have fit them all into our little car..truck meant to be) and brought them to their new home. We now have six new wood interior, al clad exterior double hung windows (yet to be insulted) minus wait for it, one very large front door window.

Yup, I smashed the front door window. When we brought the windows we also bought a bunch of 2×4’s. While unloading them, I accidentally, but on purpose, smashed threw the front door with the wood. The door was starting to close on me and instead of just letting it, my reflexes got the better of me and I threw the wood, right into the window and apparently almost took the mr’s head off at the same time. Mother FUCKER!

Good times.

So that sums up the week. Some great ups, some down downs. Feeling lots of feels.  Working a lot but spending time doing things like a little hike with the family and the pup, a trip across the lake with my mom and little sister to the Target, and the mr and I took a trip to see his brother and sister in law and the new addition to the family.. A 12 day old little nugget that is just to freaking cute. And it’s spring and the weather is amazing so I am trying to get out into the gardens and get that going too.

As for today, we are going going to keep plugging away at the house, gots to the keep the momentum going while it’s good. But I am for sure going to make a trip to the library, and plop my butt in some sunshine with a steaming cup of coffee and a good read at some point today.  A little work, a little relaxation… And so much coffee!

Internet fun finds from the week.

– You can now do you business on this 18 karat gold toilet, on display and in use at the Guggenheim. The line might not be worth the wait.

-Check out this 100 year old lady boss. I hope if I make it to 100 that I can be as kick ass as her.

–Runners High. It’s for real

-I love this idea, but a problem I might encounter is that I would start drawing, not stop, then completely abandon my To Do list. Try Drawing Your To-Do List Instead of Writing It

-Oh Prince, you will be missed. Music and hair.. Prince’s Hair Styles From 1978 To 2013

–Plant Porn

-I have tried meditation and I am so so, but this seems like it would be perfect for me. This new kind of meditation has you listen to cuss words

– Funky and colorful interior inspirations.

– And I am kinda in love with Dusty Rose Pink Velvet Seating.. just not sure the mr would be into it.

-I am in the market for new sheets and these or these are my new favorite (but kinda expensive)

And some fun time pictures.

Everyone is asking how that house is going so I figured an update was in order.

Around the beginning of March we hired a guy (with another guy that was like 80 years old) to remove the back roof and to frame out the addition. We were planning on doing it ourselves but when it came down to it, it was going to take to long and was not something that I was entirely comfortable doing. It was still winter out, I have never removed a roof, and it just seemed like it was better to just have someone that does it all the time do it. And oh am I glade we did. These guys were awesome and a little nuts. We had a start date for a Tuesday, but on Monday morning, the mr gets a phone call from the head guy asking if he was going to go to the house and let him in. “Of course, I’ll be there at 8 tomorrow” said the mr.  “No, we are here right now” said the roof ripper off man. “Ok, be right over” and the mr rushes over to the house. When he gets there, the guys were already in the house. The had claimed onto the roof and started ripping it off from the outside.

And then two days later , the roof was gone and the skeleton of the addition was up.  It was fantastic and amazing and we were so excited. SO worth hiring it out!!!!

Our next move was the roof,(to keep out the snow ans rain) which those guys ended up came back and throwing on for us. That was another job we were planning on doing, but when the mr crawled onto the roof to measure for materials, he came back down and said to me”hell no. not doing it” (He is terribly afraid of heights)

After the roof went up, we still had a lot of demo to do. It took us a few days to finish removing the rest of the walls and all the layers of flooring. Then it got really freaking cold out so we boarded off the upstairs with insulation and did some stuff downstairs.

We were on a good roll, getting shit done, about to start framing, then the shittest shit ever happened and Sean died. We didn’t go back over to the house for like 2 weeks. (shit head, you were suppose to help us) We lost all motivation and I was in no state to be doing any work that required power tools or crow bars.( I probably would have cut a hand off or accidentally set the house on fire) So yeah, no house work. But over these past 2 weeks we have slowly gotten back into the swing of things. We have cleaned up the upstairs, framed out all the wall and are moving right along. Next is windows, (which is now more just a matter of picking some we like and ordering them) running all the electrical, plumping the bathroom, insulation the ceiling and walls, then getting an inspection! But that will be a breeze…. haha.

So that’s what’s been going on in the house. Fun fun fun!

Hopefully I will have another update on other parts of the house for you guys soon!

-C

Every year I play this game with myself.. Is it allergies or am I sick. The past few days I have been feeling kinda crappy, waking up with itchy, gunky eyes. My throat hurts, my head is like a balloon, and I am just feeling beat.. 

I think it’s that I am sick (because I don’t want to have allergies) but whatever it is, it sucks, but usually goes away after a week (like every year because its really allergies). Blah.

But enough about my balloon head, lets talk these maple banana walnut oat squares. These yummy gems of the oat square world are just what you need in your life. Healthy, protein packed, nutty, and a touch sweet. No junk, just good stuff all made with little to no effort. If you like banana bread, you will be all into them. I was inspired to make these by the extremely ripe bananas that need to be eaten asap and the mr’s lack of eating a healthy breakfast (I want him to eat, and I want it be oatmeal). I know him well enough that if I make a snack like thing and leave it out to eat, that he will eat it. For breakfast.

So weather or not you are looking for a good way to get in some good stuff into your tummy or just want some good tasting stuff in your mouth, this is the breakfast/dessert for you.

The stuff. A couple of ripe bananas, a bunch of rolled oats, some yummy walnuts, real maple syrup, cinnamon, baking soda and a wee bit of water.

Start with the walnuts in a food processor. Turn it on and process until….

You got this walnut butter. Do not eat it, it’s for the squares (it is so good).

Add in the oats, cinnamon and baking soda and turn the processor back on until you get a nice unified crumbly mixture.

Now in goes the bananas and the maple syrup. And you guessed it, blend some more. While you are blending, if the mixture seems to dry, add in a splash of water, to wet, just toss in another handful of oat. The mixture should be like a muffin batter consistency.

And that’s it. If you want some nut chunks, add in a handful more of walnuts (do it) and pulse just to get them mixed into batter.

Then pourthe mixture into a well greased 9×9 baking pan and spread out evenly. Toss those suckers into the oven to bake.

Oh so good bananas give off the best smell when baking. After about a 1/2hour, these bars are nice and golden brown and a fork stuck in the center comes out clean, which means, they are done.

Cut into square , eat one or two, and save the rest. Eat for breakfast, as a snack, or for dessert. And a smear of peanut butter on top is aces too!

Later dudes.

-C

• 3 cups old fashion rolled oats (gluten free ones to keep in GF)
• 1 cup plus a a small handful walnuts
• 1/2 cup maple syrup
• 2 rip bananas
• 1 /2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon (optional)

Place 1 cup of walnuts into a food processor and blend until it turns into walnut butter.. about 3 minutes. Add in the oats and blend together until it becomes a crumbly mixture. Add in the maple, baking soda, cinnamon and the bananas (break into chunks) and blend until incorporated. If the mixture seems lie its too dry, add in a splash of water, and if to wet, add in another handful of oats. The batter should resemble a muffin batter.  Once blended, mix in the remaining walnuts and pulse just to mix them in.

Pour mixture into a well greased 9×9 baking pan and stick into the fridge for 10ish minutes and preheat oven 350

And after the time in the fridge, remove the pan and slide them into the oven. Bake until golden brown and a tester stuck into te middle comes out clean. (about 30 minutes)

Remove and let cool. Pop out of pan, cut into square, and eat to you face.

Squares will last 3-4 days in a airtight container or freeze them and they will last until you eat them.

Oh yes, It is Sunday and man oh boy, am I beat. Yesterday the mr and I spent the day digging 2 1/2 foot holes for fence posts at the new house. It was actually pretty great because we got to spend the day outside and it was the most lovely day, all sunny and warm. The only problem we had was that the fence line landed on top of all the most gnarly tree roots and it took about an hour of hacking away per hole. We got to 6 and have 11 more to go (Ouch!) SO yeah, a little sore, but luckily the hardest part is done and we are going to take today off from fencing and be hang with the fam (cause it;s mothers day)

Which brings me to a my, “Happy Mothers Day to all you ladies out there being mommas and all out wonderful human beings!” You have the hardest job of all and today you deserve all the breakfast, lunch, dinner, flowers, naps, macaroni necklaces and then some. Take the day and do you forget about the to do list. IT can wait until tomorrow.

As for me, I am not an actual mom, but I have enough litttles in my life that I am kinda like a part time momma. So after an afternoon of family and mom ladies and feeding them all lunch, I am going home, walking the pup (I am his momma) and taking a nap myself. I am greatly looking forward to it.

Again, Happy Mothers Day, (especially you mom.. Love you!)

The internet fun stuff from the week.

-If you are one of those people who leaves everything (the phone and computer plugged in all day, read this. Just How Much Power Do Your Electronics Use When They Are ‘Off’?.

– Funny, kinda sad, but really cool. Eat Your Heart Out. A series of words remembered
from break-ups reimagined as something sweet.

-I keep looking at these boots. The ease of off and on with all the style of a rubber sole and brown! I really want them… someday.

-Bathroom Inspiration. We are doing bathroom next!

– The broccoli is my favorite. Japanese Lego Master Builds Delicious-Looking Creations From Blocks

–Perception vs. Reality. Perception is its own reality when you’re eating.

-All sorts of pretty. Cherry Blossoms Flood the Inokashira Park Lake in Tokyo

-Check out these DUCKS!

-I am freaking obsessed with this wood flooring.If I had a million dollars to blow, I would put it throughout the whole house.

-Awesome photos from the 2016 National Geographic Travel Photographer of the Year Contest

Pictures of all the great things this week. So much color!

Have the greatest of days.

-C

Spring is happening, my plants are popping out of the ground, I found a gigantic rhubarb patch in the back yard of the new house…. Life is feeling fresh full of possibilities. And soon, so soon, ‘ll get some veggie plants in the ground and the farm share begins…. life will be filled with all the freshest yummy foods. I can’t wait.

But until then, I grocery shop. And this week has been a good week for shopping. Why, cause it CInco de Mayo this week ,which is one of my favorite holidays cause avocados, mangoes, and limes all go on crazy sale. I can buy 20 avocados for the price of what like 5 would normally cost. And I take full advantage of the sales (my fridge is currently housing a shit tone of avocados, mangoes, and limes) I will be eating like a queen for days!

And what does one make with all these good things? Well I made tostada! A tostada is pretty much a cross between a taco and a humngo, fully loaded nacho. Stuff all piled high onto a crispy (usually fried but I bake mine) corn tortilla. Its fantastic in all the ways and super simple to make. This particular tostada highlights all the good stuff on sale, Mango salsa , avocados cream with lots of lime, all onto a pile of the yummiest refried black beans. (my mouth is watering thinking about it),

And people, Cinco de Mayo is but once a year, but these tostada should be made all year round!

The stuff. Precooked (or canned) black beans, a sweet ripe mango, an avocado, some shredded red cabbage one red onion, one jalapeno, and a few limes. Also need a few cloves of garlic, at least 4 corn tortillas (mine are home made but you can get store bought) some coconut oil, slt ans pepper, and a bunch of fresh cilantro.

Start with making the mango salsa. Cut the mango into little chucks. ( I do this but halving mango, scoring each side into chunks then scooping the fruit out with a spoon..easy) Dice half of the red onion into little pieces as well as the seeded jalapeno. Toss it all into a bowl or jar, sprinkle with a pinch of salt and pepper, mix in the juice of a lime, and add in as much fresh cilantro as you like (or none if oyu don’t like)

There is it, mango salsa.

To make the avocado cream just place the avocado (peel and pit removed) into a bowl or blender with a clove of garlic, the juice of a lime, a splash of water, and a sprinkle or two of salt. Blend until smooth, adding more water until the consistency is to you liking.

That’s it.

And now for the beans. Start by tiny dicing up the other half of the onion and a few cloves of garlic and place into a skillet with a teaspoon or two of coconut oil. (can use any oil you like). Add in a splash of water and a sprinkle of salt an place on stove on medium heat and cook.

After the onions have gotten nice and soft, dump in the bean (liquid and all) Keep onheat and cook until the beans are hot and the liquid starts to thicken.

Grab a fork. Fork to beans. Mash’em up to make them officially refried.

And lastly, a little oil rubbed onto the corn tortillas and then placed into a hot oven to get crispy.

All the stuff, ready to go…. And go there, go there NOW!!!

Beans, cabbage, mango salsa, and avocado cream, all piled onto a toasted, crispy tortilla. A few fresh sprigs of cilantro and a slice of lime… This is for real something all amazing.

Eat the greatness (and not just for Cinco de Mayo)

-C

Makes 4-6 tostadas

mango salsa stuff

• 1 ripe mango
• 1 jalapeno
• 1/2 a red onion
• 1 lime
• salt and pepper
• fresh cilantro*

for the refried black beans

• 2 cups (1 can) prepared black beans
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1/2 red onion
• 1-2teaspoons coconut oil (can use any oil you like)

 the avocado cream

• 1 ripe avocado
• 1 lime
• salt and pepper
• a tablespoon or two of water

and the following

• 4-6 corn tortillas
• small bowl of thinly shredded red cabbage
• a little extra oil for tortillas
• fresh cilantro *

Note. Omit cilantro if you don’t like it.

Start with making the salsa cause the longer it sits, the better it tastes. Cut mango away form pit and score each half into cubes with a knife. Garb a spoon and scoop the mango meat away from the skin. Stick into a bowl. Finely chop half a red onion and de-seed the jalapeno and dice that up too and toss all that into with the mango. Sprinkle with a pinch of salt, add in the juice of a lime and add in as much or as little fresh cilantro as you like. Set aside. Also while your at it, toss the cabbage with a little salt and that that sit out as well.

Preheat oven to 400

Now on to the Avocado cream. Place avocado (sans peel and pit) into a blender (or a a bowl and use a hand blender) with the juice of a lime and a clove of garlic. Blend until smooth, adding about 2-3 tablespoons of water until nice ans creamy smooth. Add salt to taste and mix.

Next take the other half of the red onion and dice into very small little pieces. Mince up the garlic and toss both into a pan with a teaspoon or 2 of coconut oil and a few splashes of water. Cook on medium low until onion is nice and soft. Add in black beans (bean water and all) and mix together. Season with salt (if needed…canned beans are usually salty enough) and pepper. Continue to cook beans until hot and bubbly then take a fork or a potato masher and smash the beans until a the beans are all mushed and refried like. Feel free to make then smoother by sticking them in a blender if you want. Add more water to thin out as well.

And lastly, get those corn tortillas into the oven to crisp up. What I did is took a bit of coconut oil and coasted my hands with it then rubbed the tortillas on both side. Or you can brush on melted oil if you don’t want to do that. When lightly oiled, stick them into the oven and bake until crispy, flipping them after about 4 minutes and finishing after another 4-5. (you can gauge your liking on crispy)

Now compile the tostadas

Take a crispy tortilla, smother with refried beans, top with a little red cabbage then a big scoop (or two) or the mango salsa and a big spoonful of avocado cream. Add more fresh cilantro on top and serve with a slice of lime..

No utensils needed, just eat with your hands.

Happy May Day!!!  Now that it’s May, it can’t snow any more! (right?)

Did you get some of that early week snow storm? Yeah, it was freaking fantastic. I left the house early on my bike with a few little n=snow flakes hitting my face, thinking it would clear up soon, only to have to walk my bike home by lunch time because it turned into a snow storm (I might be over extravagating, we got like 2 inches at most) but still!.) But now it’s lovely out, the trees are budding, the flowers are blooming and I have got my normal itchy as hell allergy eyes and sandals on my feet. No more winter jacket, i just can’t.

Lets see, what else. Oh, the mr installed all the windows at the house which has turned our little bungalow shell into an actual living space. Crazy what a few pieces of glass has done.. It’s no longer a outside/inside situation and the birds can’t get in anymore.   Things are moving along quite well and I am actually starting to see myself living there. Woo HOO! All I do now is daydream about hanging out in the kitchen or what colors I am going to paint the trim (medium dark grey with pops of colorful window trim?) and which room I am going to sit in a read every morning( I think I am going to have to move from room to room, too many choices) I guess I am on a good high from the windows so am ready to just blast through and get the rest of the house done.

As for today, I think I am going to try and put in some outdoor time. I will plug in my ears with some good tunes, grab me a ho.. and a rake and fluff up all the pretty things popping out of the ground! I am really excited, I haven’t spend any real time in the dirt yet this year so I hoping to get really really dirty.

Some stuff the internet had this week.

– I really want one of these Froob shirts…but which one?

-Some scientist is saying that hugging your dog can increase their stress level. I can see that, but I swear that my pup wants to be hugged (or man handled)

-I think I want to go to all of these Fairy Tale Villages, and you can actually visit all of them.

-INSPIRING STUDIO SPACES.

-Do you know the difference between cold brewed and iced coffee? And which one is better? Cold Brew Versus Iced Coffee:Which Is Actually Better? (I like them both!)

-Drug sniffing dogs, bomb sniffing dogs… Its about time for bee sniffing dogs. Keeping Bees Safe: It’s A Ruff Job, But This Doggy Detective Gets It Done

-Hell Yeah!!! 1 Minute of All-Out Exercise May Have Benefits of 45 Minutes of Moderate Exertion

-Get your mail and you lawn mowed..smart move Finland. Finland’s postal workers to mow lawns

-Hahahaha.. For all the crazy cat ladies (and gentleman) These Linguists Want to Help You Speak Fluent Cat but this new collar will give your cat an ACTUAL voice… Oh boy oh boy!

–EVERYTHING THAT HAPPENS TO YOUR BODY ON HOT SAUCE

And a few pictures that I managed to take this week.

I am channeling all my summer time feels here in hopes for warmer weather. As of yesterday there was still a pile of snow outside of my house and I am still leaving every morning in a hat, mittens, and a winter jacket.

I want t-shirts and shorts, I want sandals, and I want to set my winter jacket on fire (not really, but kinda).

This cold weather has crept back into my soul and I needed something to remind me that there will be warmer days to come and I will soon be bitching about how hot I am and blah blah blah.. you know how it goes.

So I make lemonade. This lemonade as inspired by my favorite tea as of late, raspberry zinger. It’s a nice and tangy tart and really tasty. I make great big jar of it at night and add a little squeeze or two of lemon to it for that little extra zing. I figured if it tastes good hot, it will taste great cold, which in fact, it does. It taste really freaking good. And it just occurred to me that there is probably a little subliminal inspiration from Beyonce in wanting lemonade, so thanks for the B.

Anyway, it’s suppose to me nice and seasonably warm this weekend. Maybe bust out your lemonade game and try a batch of this one.

The stuff. Lemons, a raspberry zinger tea bag, honey (or any sweetener you like to use) water and ice.

Bring some of that water to aalmost boil and pour it over the tea bag (make sure you stick the bag into a jar or pitcher)

While the tea is steeping, juice the lemons. And a personal preference, you can strain out the pulp or not. I use the strainer to catch the seeds but then stick the pulp back in cause I like pulp. All up to you.

While the tea is steeping and still hot, add in any sweetener that you want to use. ( I used a little honey) Stir until that sweetness is all dissolved.

And after the tea has had a good steep, dump the brewed tea into the pitcher with the lemon juice then add in the really cold water. Stir it all around.

Add acouple thin slices of lemon to make it all fancy anda few big chunks of ice to make it super cold

Refreshing, crispy, tangy with a touch of sweet….Perfect for all those warm summer days to come (hopefully)

Have a great weekend people.

-C

Makes 5 cups

• 1 raspberry zinger tea bag( I used Celestial Seasonings)
• 3/4 cup fresh lemon juice (3-5 lemons, depending on size)
• Anywhere between no to 1/2 cup of sweeter (can use sugar, honey or maple, I like a touch of honey)
• 4 cups water (2 hot, 2 cold)
• ice

Place tea bag in 2 cups of hot water (can be done directly in a pitcher) Add in the sweetener while its still hot and mix until completely dissolved. Let steep for about 10 minutes.

Remove tea bag and add in the lemon juice, 2 more cups of cold water and mix, Top with ice and garnish with a few more lemon slices if your feeling fanciful.

Serve in a glass full of ice with a wedge of lemon and a smile on you face.

When the mr got home from work last night, her got himself a super great dinner suprice

Pizza, on a Monday. Woo Hoo! (I am so awesome, my sister even texted to congratulate him on his unexpected pizza dinner)

But here is the thing. I think pizza is a completely acceptable dinner any night of the week just as long as it is not covered in a shit tone of greasy cheese or any other kinda heavy and not so good stuff.  This is a not one of those types of pizzas. This pizza is light, the crust rolled slightly thin, covered in a creamy sweet pea and cashew cream, (which is really pretty) and topped off with a tons of shaved asparagus and sliced radishes.It’s a celebration of spring time veggies and tastes so f*ing good. Sweet and creamy from the peas cashew cream, a nice crispy freshness from the asparagus, and a nice little spicy kick from the radishes. All the flavors that make me happy. It’s oh so good. .

And really, It’s almost like eating a big salad with a piece of bread. Not a bad dinner right? So do yourself a favor and make that salad and bread into this kick ass pizza.

You can, you should, you, must.

The stuff. Peas (fresh or thawed out frozen.. my were frozen) some cashews soaking in water, a bunch of asparagus (I had purple but you can just use green) ans a few radishes. Also need a lemon, some nutritional yeast, a few coves of garlic, salt and pepper, and a little olive oil. Oh, and a pizza dough.

To get the cashew pea cream going, strain the water from the cashews and dump them into a blender along with the peas, garlic, nutritional yeast, juice of half of the lemon, and a pinch of salt. Turn blender on and slowly add in a bit of water, just enough to get the stuff to start blending. Keep on blending until nice and smooth.

And now shave the asparagus down. I found the easiest way to do this is to chop op the crown part then place the stock on the counter and peel away from you. Not all peels are going to be uniform and perfect, which is good for a textured pizza. Any pieces that break off or shave off weird, keep them too, it;s all going on the pizza. If you asparagus is not super fresh, they might have woody ends.  When done shaving just toss those into a bag and save for a soup later.

And now that the asparagus is done, thinly slice the radishes up.

Get that pizza dough onto a baking devise (use a baking sheet, pizza stone, or whatever you usually make pizza on. I used a lightly oiled baking sheet)  and smear lots of that cashew pea cream all over it.

Pile on the shaved asparagus and all the ends and tips that we cut off or broke off.

Top with the radishes and a good pinch of salt and lots of fresh cracked pepper.

Into the oven it needs to go.

Pulled from the oven, looking all pretty and springy and smelling so amazing.

Drizzled with a little of the left over cashew pea cream and a few squeezes of fresh lemon.

Your good to go!

Pizza on a weekday, it’s what you need in your life.

-C

• 1 12oz pizza dough (use this recipe, your own, or store bought)
• 10-15 or so stalks of asparagus (about 1/2 a pound)
• 3-4 big radishes
• 1/2 cup peas
• 1/2 cup cashews (soaked for about 1/2 an hour)
• 2-3 cloves garlic
• 3 tablespoons nutritional yeast
• 1/8-1/4 cup water
• A lemon
• olive oil
• Salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 450

First off, prepare your pizza dough or remove it from the fridge to come to room temperature.

Strain the water from the cashews and add them to a blender with the peas, the juice of half a lemon, 1/8 cup of water, the nutritionalyeast, and a sprinkle of salt. Blend until smooth. If you need to, add in another splash or two of water to thin it out.

Grab your asparagus stalks ans chop off the top crown parts. Take the remaining stalks and peel them. Do this by holding the stalk flat on the counter and while holding to the end, peel the stalk away from you.  I(f your asparagus is not super fresh ans had woody ends, use those to hold on to and when done shaving, just toss them into a bag and save for a soup later)  Shave each piece until you cant shave any more. Some pieces are going to be super thin, some kinda thick… that’s totally cool, it add dimension to the pizza.

  And now, as thinly as you can, slice the radishes.

To assemble pizza- Roll out dough kinda thin and place on a lightly oiled baking sheet.(you can bake your dough any way or on any thing that you usually do)  Smear a good amount of the cashew pea cream on dough. You will probably have a little left over which you can either water down a little as a drizzle for the done pizza or just save for a sandwich or a veggie dip for later.  Topthe smeared dough with all the shaved asparagus and chopped off crowns then layer on the radishes .Sprinkle with salt and pepper and stick into the oven. Bake for 15ish minutes or until your crust golden brown and done to your liking.

When you remove the pizza from the oven, feel free to drizzle the remaining cashew pea cream all over and definitelytop with a squeeze of more of fresh lemon.

Cut into pieces (square, triangles or what have you) and serve to your open mouth!

Happy Spring Eating!

Yesterday the mr and I bought windows! It was a total fluke but when we went to get our winter tires changed to our summer one (GOOD BYE WINTER), my brother in law (who was doing the tire change) gave us the keys to his truck and sent us to be productive with ourselves instead of sitting in the customer lounge drinking all the free coffee. So we ended up at the hardware store with the truck and no real expectations for anything other then browsing. But lo and behold we stumbles onto the windows that were just meant to be. So we bought them, loaded them into the truck (I don’t know how we would have fit them all into our little car..truck meant to be) and brought them to their new home. We now have six new wood interior, al clad exterior double hung windows (yet to be insulted) minus wait for it, one very large front door window.

Yup, I smashed the front door window. When we brought the windows we also bought a bunch of 2×4’s. While unloading them, I accidentally, but on purpose, smashed threw the front door with the wood. The door was starting to close on me and instead of just letting it, my reflexes got the better of me and I threw the wood, right into the window and apparently almost took the mr’s head off at the same time. Mother FUCKER!

Good times.

So that sums up the week. Some great ups, some down downs. Feeling lots of feels.  Working a lot but spending time doing things like a little hike with the family and the pup, a trip across the lake with my mom and little sister to the Target, and the mr and I took a trip to see his brother and sister in law and the new addition to the family.. A 12 day old little nugget that is just to freaking cute. And it’s spring and the weather is amazing so I am trying to get out into the gardens and get that going too.

As for today, we are going going to keep plugging away at the house, gots to the keep the momentum going while it’s good. But I am for sure going to make a trip to the library, and plop my butt in some sunshine with a steaming cup of coffee and a good read at some point today.  A little work, a little relaxation… And so much coffee!

Internet fun finds from the week.

– You can now do you business on this 18 karat gold toilet, on display and in use at the Guggenheim. The line might not be worth the wait.

-Check out this 100 year old lady boss. I hope if I make it to 100 that I can be as kick ass as her.

–Runners High. It’s for real

-I love this idea, but a problem I might encounter is that I would start drawing, not stop, then completely abandon my To Do list. Try Drawing Your To-Do List Instead of Writing It

-Oh Prince, you will be missed. Music and hair.. Prince’s Hair Styles From 1978 To 2013

–Plant Porn

-I have tried meditation and I am so so, but this seems like it would be perfect for me. This new kind of meditation has you listen to cuss words

– Funky and colorful interior inspirations.

– And I am kinda in love with Dusty Rose Pink Velvet Seating.. just not sure the mr would be into it.

-I am in the market for new sheets and these or these are my new favorite (but kinda expensive)

And some fun time pictures.

Everyone is asking how that house is going so I figured an update was in order.

Around the beginning of March we hired a guy (with another guy that was like 80 years old) to remove the back roof and to frame out the addition. We were planning on doing it ourselves but when it came down to it, it was going to take to long and was not something that I was entirely comfortable doing. It was still winter out, I have never removed a roof, and it just seemed like it was better to just have someone that does it all the time do it. And oh am I glade we did. These guys were awesome and a little nuts. We had a start date for a Tuesday, but on Monday morning, the mr gets a phone call from the head guy asking if he was going to go to the house and let him in. “Of course, I’ll be there at 8 tomorrow” said the mr.  “No, we are here right now” said the roof ripper off man. “Ok, be right over” and the mr rushes over to the house. When he gets there, the guys were already in the house. The had claimed onto the roof and started ripping it off from the outside.

And then two days later , the roof was gone and the skeleton of the addition was up.  It was fantastic and amazing and we were so excited. SO worth hiring it out!!!!

Our next move was the roof,(to keep out the snow ans rain) which those guys ended up came back and throwing on for us. That was another job we were planning on doing, but when the mr crawled onto the roof to measure for materials, he came back down and said to me”hell no. not doing it” (He is terribly afraid of heights)

After the roof went up, we still had a lot of demo to do. It took us a few days to finish removing the rest of the walls and all the layers of flooring. Then it got really freaking cold out so we boarded off the upstairs with insulation and did some stuff downstairs.

We were on a good roll, getting shit done, about to start framing, then the shittest shit ever happened and Sean died. We didn’t go back over to the house for like 2 weeks. (shit head, you were suppose to help us) We lost all motivation and I was in no state to be doing any work that required power tools or crow bars.( I probably would have cut a hand off or accidentally set the house on fire) So yeah, no house work. But over these past 2 weeks we have slowly gotten back into the swing of things. We have cleaned up the upstairs, framed out all the wall and are moving right along. Next is windows, (which is now more just a matter of picking some we like and ordering them) running all the electrical, plumping the bathroom, insulation the ceiling and walls, then getting an inspection! But that will be a breeze…. haha.

So that’s what’s been going on in the house. Fun fun fun!

Hopefully I will have another update on other parts of the house for you guys soon!

-C

Spring is happening, my plants are popping out of the ground, I found a gigantic rhubarb patch in the back yard of the new house…. Life is feeling fresh full of possibilities. And soon, so soon, ‘ll get some veggie plants in the ground and the farm share begins…. life will be filled with all the freshest yummy foods. I can’t wait.

But until then, I grocery shop. And this week has been a good week for shopping. Why, cause it CInco de Mayo this week ,which is one of my favorite holidays cause avocados, mangoes, and limes all go on crazy sale. I can buy 20 avocados for the price of what like 5 would normally cost. And I take full advantage of the sales (my fridge is currently housing a shit tone of avocados, mangoes, and limes) I will be eating like a queen for days!

And what does one make with all these good things? Well I made tostada! A tostada is pretty much a cross between a taco and a humngo, fully loaded nacho. Stuff all piled high onto a crispy (usually fried but I bake mine) corn tortilla. Its fantastic in all the ways and super simple to make. This particular tostada highlights all the good stuff on sale, Mango salsa , avocados cream with lots of lime, all onto a pile of the yummiest refried black beans. (my mouth is watering thinking about it),

And people, Cinco de Mayo is but once a year, but these tostada should be made all year round!

The stuff. Precooked (or canned) black beans, a sweet ripe mango, an avocado, some shredded red cabbage one red onion, one jalapeno, and a few limes. Also need a few cloves of garlic, at least 4 corn tortillas (mine are home made but you can get store bought) some coconut oil, slt ans pepper, and a bunch of fresh cilantro.

Start with making the mango salsa. Cut the mango into little chucks. ( I do this but halving mango, scoring each side into chunks then scooping the fruit out with a spoon..easy) Dice half of the red onion into little pieces as well as the seeded jalapeno. Toss it all into a bowl or jar, sprinkle with a pinch of salt and pepper, mix in the juice of a lime, and add in as much fresh cilantro as you like (or none if oyu don’t like)

There is it, mango salsa.

To make the avocado cream just place the avocado (peel and pit removed) into a bowl or blender with a clove of garlic, the juice of a lime, a splash of water, and a sprinkle or two of salt. Blend until smooth, adding more water until the consistency is to you liking.

That’s it.

And now for the beans. Start by tiny dicing up the other half of the onion and a few cloves of garlic and place into a skillet with a teaspoon or two of coconut oil. (can use any oil you like). Add in a splash of water and a sprinkle of salt an place on stove on medium heat and cook.

After the onions have gotten nice and soft, dump in the bean (liquid and all) Keep onheat and cook until the beans are hot and the liquid starts to thicken.

Grab a fork. Fork to beans. Mash’em up to make them officially refried.

And lastly, a little oil rubbed onto the corn tortillas and then placed into a hot oven to get crispy.

All the stuff, ready to go…. And go there, go there NOW!!!

Beans, cabbage, mango salsa, and avocado cream, all piled onto a toasted, crispy tortilla. A few fresh sprigs of cilantro and a slice of lime… This is for real something all amazing.

Eat the greatness (and not just for Cinco de Mayo)

-C

Makes 4-6 tostadas

mango salsa stuff

• 1 ripe mango
• 1 jalapeno
• 1/2 a red onion
• 1 lime
• salt and pepper
• fresh cilantro*

for the refried black beans

• 2 cups (1 can) prepared black beans
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1/2 red onion
• 1-2teaspoons coconut oil (can use any oil you like)

 the avocado cream

• 1 ripe avocado
• 1 lime
• salt and pepper
• a tablespoon or two of water

and the following

• 4-6 corn tortillas
• small bowl of thinly shredded red cabbage
• a little extra oil for tortillas
• fresh cilantro *

Note. Omit cilantro if you don’t like it.

Start with making the salsa cause the longer it sits, the better it tastes. Cut mango away form pit and score each half into cubes with a knife. Garb a spoon and scoop the mango meat away from the skin. Stick into a bowl. Finely chop half a red onion and de-seed the jalapeno and dice that up too and toss all that into with the mango. Sprinkle with a pinch of salt, add in the juice of a lime and add in as much or as little fresh cilantro as you like. Set aside. Also while your at it, toss the cabbage with a little salt and that that sit out as well.

Preheat oven to 400

Now on to the Avocado cream. Place avocado (sans peel and pit) into a blender (or a a bowl and use a hand blender) with the juice of a lime and a clove of garlic. Blend until smooth, adding about 2-3 tablespoons of water until nice ans creamy smooth. Add salt to taste and mix.

Next take the other half of the red onion and dice into very small little pieces. Mince up the garlic and toss both into a pan with a teaspoon or 2 of coconut oil and a few splashes of water. Cook on medium low until onion is nice and soft. Add in black beans (bean water and all) and mix together. Season with salt (if needed…canned beans are usually salty enough) and pepper. Continue to cook beans until hot and bubbly then take a fork or a potato masher and smash the beans until a the beans are all mushed and refried like. Feel free to make then smoother by sticking them in a blender if you want. Add more water to thin out as well.

And lastly, get those corn tortillas into the oven to crisp up. What I did is took a bit of coconut oil and coasted my hands with it then rubbed the tortillas on both side. Or you can brush on melted oil if you don’t want to do that. When lightly oiled, stick them into the oven and bake until crispy, flipping them after about 4 minutes and finishing after another 4-5. (you can gauge your liking on crispy)

Now compile the tostadas

Take a crispy tortilla, smother with refried beans, top with a little red cabbage then a big scoop (or two) or the mango salsa and a big spoonful of avocado cream. Add more fresh cilantro on top and serve with a slice of lime..

No utensils needed, just eat with your hands.

Happy May Day!!!  Now that it’s May, it can’t snow any more! (right?)

Did you get some of that early week snow storm? Yeah, it was freaking fantastic. I left the house early on my bike with a few little n=snow flakes hitting my face, thinking it would clear up soon, only to have to walk my bike home by lunch time because it turned into a snow storm (I might be over extravagating, we got like 2 inches at most) but still!.) But now it’s lovely out, the trees are budding, the flowers are blooming and I have got my normal itchy as hell allergy eyes and sandals on my feet. No more winter jacket, i just can’t.

Lets see, what else. Oh, the mr installed all the windows at the house which has turned our little bungalow shell into an actual living space. Crazy what a few pieces of glass has done.. It’s no longer a outside/inside situation and the birds can’t get in anymore.   Things are moving along quite well and I am actually starting to see myself living there. Woo HOO! All I do now is daydream about hanging out in the kitchen or what colors I am going to paint the trim (medium dark grey with pops of colorful window trim?) and which room I am going to sit in a read every morning( I think I am going to have to move from room to room, too many choices) I guess I am on a good high from the windows so am ready to just blast through and get the rest of the house done.

As for today, I think I am going to try and put in some outdoor time. I will plug in my ears with some good tunes, grab me a ho.. and a rake and fluff up all the pretty things popping out of the ground! I am really excited, I haven’t spend any real time in the dirt yet this year so I hoping to get really really dirty.

Some stuff the internet had this week.

– I really want one of these Froob shirts…but which one?

-Some scientist is saying that hugging your dog can increase their stress level. I can see that, but I swear that my pup wants to be hugged (or man handled)

-I think I want to go to all of these Fairy Tale Villages, and you can actually visit all of them.

-INSPIRING STUDIO SPACES.

-Do you know the difference between cold brewed and iced coffee? And which one is better? Cold Brew Versus Iced Coffee:Which Is Actually Better? (I like them both!)

-Drug sniffing dogs, bomb sniffing dogs… Its about time for bee sniffing dogs. Keeping Bees Safe: It’s A Ruff Job, But This Doggy Detective Gets It Done

-Hell Yeah!!! 1 Minute of All-Out Exercise May Have Benefits of 45 Minutes of Moderate Exertion

-Get your mail and you lawn mowed..smart move Finland. Finland’s postal workers to mow lawns

-Hahahaha.. For all the crazy cat ladies (and gentleman) These Linguists Want to Help You Speak Fluent Cat but this new collar will give your cat an ACTUAL voice… Oh boy oh boy!

–EVERYTHING THAT HAPPENS TO YOUR BODY ON HOT SAUCE

And a few pictures that I managed to take this week.

I am channeling all my summer time feels here in hopes for warmer weather. As of yesterday there was still a pile of snow outside of my house and I am still leaving every morning in a hat, mittens, and a winter jacket.

I want t-shirts and shorts, I want sandals, and I want to set my winter jacket on fire (not really, but kinda).

This cold weather has crept back into my soul and I needed something to remind me that there will be warmer days to come and I will soon be bitching about how hot I am and blah blah blah.. you know how it goes.

So I make lemonade. This lemonade as inspired by my favorite tea as of late, raspberry zinger. It’s a nice and tangy tart and really tasty. I make great big jar of it at night and add a little squeeze or two of lemon to it for that little extra zing. I figured if it tastes good hot, it will taste great cold, which in fact, it does. It taste really freaking good. And it just occurred to me that there is probably a little subliminal inspiration from Beyonce in wanting lemonade, so thanks for the B.

Anyway, it’s suppose to me nice and seasonably warm this weekend. Maybe bust out your lemonade game and try a batch of this one.

The stuff. Lemons, a raspberry zinger tea bag, honey (or any sweetener you like to use) water and ice.

Bring some of that water to aalmost boil and pour it over the tea bag (make sure you stick the bag into a jar or pitcher)

While the tea is steeping, juice the lemons. And a personal preference, you can strain out the pulp or not. I use the strainer to catch the seeds but then stick the pulp back in cause I like pulp. All up to you.

While the tea is steeping and still hot, add in any sweetener that you want to use. ( I used a little honey) Stir until that sweetness is all dissolved.

And after the tea has had a good steep, dump the brewed tea into the pitcher with the lemon juice then add in the really cold water. Stir it all around.

Add acouple thin slices of lemon to make it all fancy anda few big chunks of ice to make it super cold

Refreshing, crispy, tangy with a touch of sweet….Perfect for all those warm summer days to come (hopefully)

Have a great weekend people.

-C

Makes 5 cups

• 1 raspberry zinger tea bag( I used Celestial Seasonings)
• 3/4 cup fresh lemon juice (3-5 lemons, depending on size)
• Anywhere between no to 1/2 cup of sweeter (can use sugar, honey or maple, I like a touch of honey)
• 4 cups water (2 hot, 2 cold)
• ice

Place tea bag in 2 cups of hot water (can be done directly in a pitcher) Add in the sweetener while its still hot and mix until completely dissolved. Let steep for about 10 minutes.

Remove tea bag and add in the lemon juice, 2 more cups of cold water and mix, Top with ice and garnish with a few more lemon slices if your feeling fanciful.

Serve in a glass full of ice with a wedge of lemon and a smile on you face.

When the mr got home from work last night, her got himself a super great dinner suprice

Pizza, on a Monday. Woo Hoo! (I am so awesome, my sister even texted to congratulate him on his unexpected pizza dinner)

But here is the thing. I think pizza is a completely acceptable dinner any night of the week just as long as it is not covered in a shit tone of greasy cheese or any other kinda heavy and not so good stuff.  This is a not one of those types of pizzas. This pizza is light, the crust rolled slightly thin, covered in a creamy sweet pea and cashew cream, (which is really pretty) and topped off with a tons of shaved asparagus and sliced radishes.It’s a celebration of spring time veggies and tastes so f*ing good. Sweet and creamy from the peas cashew cream, a nice crispy freshness from the asparagus, and a nice little spicy kick from the radishes. All the flavors that make me happy. It’s oh so good. .

And really, It’s almost like eating a big salad with a piece of bread. Not a bad dinner right? So do yourself a favor and make that salad and bread into this kick ass pizza.

You can, you should, you, must.

The stuff. Peas (fresh or thawed out frozen.. my were frozen) some cashews soaking in water, a bunch of asparagus (I had purple but you can just use green) ans a few radishes. Also need a lemon, some nutritional yeast, a few coves of garlic, salt and pepper, and a little olive oil. Oh, and a pizza dough.

To get the cashew pea cream going, strain the water from the cashews and dump them into a blender along with the peas, garlic, nutritional yeast, juice of half of the lemon, and a pinch of salt. Turn blender on and slowly add in a bit of water, just enough to get the stuff to start blending. Keep on blending until nice and smooth.

And now shave the asparagus down. I found the easiest way to do this is to chop op the crown part then place the stock on the counter and peel away from you. Not all peels are going to be uniform and perfect, which is good for a textured pizza. Any pieces that break off or shave off weird, keep them too, it;s all going on the pizza. If you asparagus is not super fresh, they might have woody ends.  When done shaving just toss those into a bag and save for a soup later.

And now that the asparagus is done, thinly slice the radishes up.

Get that pizza dough onto a baking devise (use a baking sheet, pizza stone, or whatever you usually make pizza on. I used a lightly oiled baking sheet)  and smear lots of that cashew pea cream all over it.

Pile on the shaved asparagus and all the ends and tips that we cut off or broke off.

Top with the radishes and a good pinch of salt and lots of fresh cracked pepper.

Into the oven it needs to go.

Pulled from the oven, looking all pretty and springy and smelling so amazing.

Drizzled with a little of the left over cashew pea cream and a few squeezes of fresh lemon.

Your good to go!

Pizza on a weekday, it’s what you need in your life.

-C

• 1 12oz pizza dough (use this recipe, your own, or store bought)
• 10-15 or so stalks of asparagus (about 1/2 a pound)
• 3-4 big radishes
• 1/2 cup peas
• 1/2 cup cashews (soaked for about 1/2 an hour)
• 2-3 cloves garlic
• 3 tablespoons nutritional yeast
• 1/8-1/4 cup water
• A lemon
• olive oil
• Salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 450

First off, prepare your pizza dough or remove it from the fridge to come to room temperature.

Strain the water from the cashews and add them to a blender with the peas, the juice of half a lemon, 1/8 cup of water, the nutritionalyeast, and a sprinkle of salt. Blend until smooth. If you need to, add in another splash or two of water to thin it out.

Grab your asparagus stalks ans chop off the top crown parts. Take the remaining stalks and peel them. Do this by holding the stalk flat on the counter and while holding to the end, peel the stalk away from you.  I(f your asparagus is not super fresh ans had woody ends, use those to hold on to and when done shaving, just toss them into a bag and save for a soup later)  Shave each piece until you cant shave any more. Some pieces are going to be super thin, some kinda thick… that’s totally cool, it add dimension to the pizza.

  And now, as thinly as you can, slice the radishes.

To assemble pizza- Roll out dough kinda thin and place on a lightly oiled baking sheet.(you can bake your dough any way or on any thing that you usually do)  Smear a good amount of the cashew pea cream on dough. You will probably have a little left over which you can either water down a little as a drizzle for the done pizza or just save for a sandwich or a veggie dip for later.  Topthe smeared dough with all the shaved asparagus and chopped off crowns then layer on the radishes .Sprinkle with salt and pepper and stick into the oven. Bake for 15ish minutes or until your crust golden brown and done to your liking.

When you remove the pizza from the oven, feel free to drizzle the remaining cashew pea cream all over and definitelytop with a squeeze of more of fresh lemon.

Cut into pieces (square, triangles or what have you) and serve to your open mouth!

Happy Spring Eating!

Yesterday the mr and I bought windows! It was a total fluke but when we went to get our winter tires changed to our summer one (GOOD BYE WINTER), my brother in law (who was doing the tire change) gave us the keys to his truck and sent us to be productive with ourselves instead of sitting in the customer lounge drinking all the free coffee. So we ended up at the hardware store with the truck and no real expectations for anything other then browsing. But lo and behold we stumbles onto the windows that were just meant to be. So we bought them, loaded them into the truck (I don’t know how we would have fit them all into our little car..truck meant to be) and brought them to their new home. We now have six new wood interior, al clad exterior double hung windows (yet to be insulted) minus wait for it, one very large front door window.

Yup, I smashed the front door window. When we brought the windows we also bought a bunch of 2×4’s. While unloading them, I accidentally, but on purpose, smashed threw the front door with the wood. The door was starting to close on me and instead of just letting it, my reflexes got the better of me and I threw the wood, right into the window and apparently almost took the mr’s head off at the same time. Mother FUCKER!

Good times.

So that sums up the week. Some great ups, some down downs. Feeling lots of feels.  Working a lot but spending time doing things like a little hike with the family and the pup, a trip across the lake with my mom and little sister to the Target, and the mr and I took a trip to see his brother and sister in law and the new addition to the family.. A 12 day old little nugget that is just to freaking cute. And it’s spring and the weather is amazing so I am trying to get out into the gardens and get that going too.

As for today, we are going going to keep plugging away at the house, gots to the keep the momentum going while it’s good. But I am for sure going to make a trip to the library, and plop my butt in some sunshine with a steaming cup of coffee and a good read at some point today.  A little work, a little relaxation… And so much coffee!

Internet fun finds from the week.

– You can now do you business on this 18 karat gold toilet, on display and in use at the Guggenheim. The line might not be worth the wait.

-Check out this 100 year old lady boss. I hope if I make it to 100 that I can be as kick ass as her.

–Runners High. It’s for real

-I love this idea, but a problem I might encounter is that I would start drawing, not stop, then completely abandon my To Do list. Try Drawing Your To-Do List Instead of Writing It

-Oh Prince, you will be missed. Music and hair.. Prince’s Hair Styles From 1978 To 2013

–Plant Porn

-I have tried meditation and I am so so, but this seems like it would be perfect for me. This new kind of meditation has you listen to cuss words

– Funky and colorful interior inspirations.

– And I am kinda in love with Dusty Rose Pink Velvet Seating.. just not sure the mr would be into it.

-I am in the market for new sheets and these or these are my new favorite (but kinda expensive)

And some fun time pictures.

Everyone is asking how that house is going so I figured an update was in order.

Around the beginning of March we hired a guy (with another guy that was like 80 years old) to remove the back roof and to frame out the addition. We were planning on doing it ourselves but when it came down to it, it was going to take to long and was not something that I was entirely comfortable doing. It was still winter out, I have never removed a roof, and it just seemed like it was better to just have someone that does it all the time do it. And oh am I glade we did. These guys were awesome and a little nuts. We had a start date for a Tuesday, but on Monday morning, the mr gets a phone call from the head guy asking if he was going to go to the house and let him in. “Of course, I’ll be there at 8 tomorrow” said the mr.  “No, we are here right now” said the roof ripper off man. “Ok, be right over” and the mr rushes over to the house. When he gets there, the guys were already in the house. The had claimed onto the roof and started ripping it off from the outside.

And then two days later , the roof was gone and the skeleton of the addition was up.  It was fantastic and amazing and we were so excited. SO worth hiring it out!!!!

Our next move was the roof,(to keep out the snow ans rain) which those guys ended up came back and throwing on for us. That was another job we were planning on doing, but when the mr crawled onto the roof to measure for materials, he came back down and said to me”hell no. not doing it” (He is terribly afraid of heights)

After the roof went up, we still had a lot of demo to do. It took us a few days to finish removing the rest of the walls and all the layers of flooring. Then it got really freaking cold out so we boarded off the upstairs with insulation and did some stuff downstairs.

We were on a good roll, getting shit done, about to start framing, then the shittest shit ever happened and Sean died. We didn’t go back over to the house for like 2 weeks. (shit head, you were suppose to help us) We lost all motivation and I was in no state to be doing any work that required power tools or crow bars.( I probably would have cut a hand off or accidentally set the house on fire) So yeah, no house work. But over these past 2 weeks we have slowly gotten back into the swing of things. We have cleaned up the upstairs, framed out all the wall and are moving right along. Next is windows, (which is now more just a matter of picking some we like and ordering them) running all the electrical, plumping the bathroom, insulation the ceiling and walls, then getting an inspection! But that will be a breeze…. haha.

So that’s what’s been going on in the house. Fun fun fun!

Hopefully I will have another update on other parts of the house for you guys soon!

-C

Holy crap, I swear that everyone in my family is made up of pasta and meat. Over the past few weeks with all of the family spending so many meals together and nobody really in the mood to get fancy and do much cooking, the dinner go to’s have been either some type of pasta, potato, or bread with meat dish. Super meat and starchy as hell. (there is usually a veggie somewhere) Good thing I pack my own lettuce and carrots where ever I go.(no joke) But can’t blame them really. Food has not been top priority.  If they will eat pasta, well then that’s what they will eat and the veggies are starting to make there way back. (I am making zucchini noodles for family dinner tonight)

But yesterday the mr and I spent the day just the two of us (it has been so long) and made dinner at home. I, as well as the mr, wanted nothing to do with pasta, potatoes, or bread. (he even passed up pizza…. what the WHAT) Just simple dinner with no one to cook for, no picky little littles to have to contend with and a fridge full of all the prettiest fresh veggies I can eat!

We (really me) went all out fresh with a hugmongo salad of broccoli and lentils.  Super quick and easy to make, really fresh, crispy, and hardy. A salad just for us,  although I think I might make it again for tonight to bring to the sisters house for dinner.

A salad that that makes me (and the mr) happy to eat and will make you happy too!

The stuff. A nice nig head of broccoli, a small red onion, half an avocado, some dried lentils, water, red wine vinegar and salt and pepper.

Start by getting those lentils and water into a pot and on the stove to cook.  Bring to boil then turn to a simmer, stick on a lid and let cook until lentils are tender but not mushy. (about 20 minutes)

Once you have got those going, chop up the broccoli and the onion into little bits(various size is a ok)

Toss those chopped up veggies into anice bowl and add a good few splashes of vinegar and sprinkle with salt ans pepper. Give it a good toss and let it sit on the counter to meld while the lentils are cooking.

Oh hey, those lentils be cooked. Dump the whole pot (if there is little extra liquid, dump that in too) into the bowl of chopped veggies and toss it all around.

And lastly , slice up the avocado into chunks (smallish sized) and gently mix that in.

Hooray! A no pasta, starch, mayo smothered salad for everyone!

Happy eating.

-C

Serves 3-4 as a side. 2 as a meal

• 1 big head of broccoli (about 2 1/2-3 cups chopped)
• 1/2 cup dried green lentils
•  1 1/4 cup water
• a small red onion
• 1/2 of a ripe avocado
• around 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
• salt and pepper

Place dried lentils into a pot with water. Bring to a boil then turn heat to a simmer and place a lid on pot. Cook for about 20 minutes or until the lentils are cooked, but still firm. If you think the lentils are still under cooked and there is not liquid in the pot, add another 1/4 cup.

While the lentils are cooking, grab a big bowl.  Chop the broccoli into little pieces and toss into that bowl. Also chop up the red onion into thin slices then into smaller pieces (or big if you like it like that) and toss that in with the broccoli. Drizzle the chop with vinegar and sprinkle with salt. Set aside until the lentils are cooked.

Once the lentils are done and still hot, dump them in with the chop. Give a really good mix to combine it all then grab your avocado,  cut it into little chunk and add it in and gently give it a toss. Season with more salt and pepper and if needed.

This is a salad that tastes good just made, really good 10 minutes later, but tastes best after sitting for an hour or two.

Whenever you decide to eat it, just grab a fork and dig in!

Not going to lie. Today is a hard day. It’s Sean’s birthday… He would be 27.

Thump thump (that’s my head hitting a wall)

I am not at the point yet where I think of Sean and am not sad because well, I am sad all the time. But I really want to get there, where when I think of him, it makes me happy, or well, more happy then sad. I know it’s going to take time (I just have to say that I hate how everyone says it just takes time. No shit) and that I will get there someday.  But today, I am, for him and for me, try spending today thinking about all the good times and not be so sad. 

So yeah, going to spend 1/2 the day doing some work (keeps the mind at bay) and the other half with the family. They are grilling up hot dogs while I eat lettuce by the head, and we are just going celebrate Sean the way we celebrate everything in our family. Together with food. We will sit around, talking about everything and nothing, let the littles run around , let the dogs run wild, and just be. The is sun is shinning, the world is warm, and the family will be surrounded by each other. (like everyday for the past two weeks.. so much family time) And of course Sean will be the center of attention, not there physically, but in all the spirit.

And as for taking the day to chill, I am postponing my day of nothing until tomorrow and locking my door on the world. I love my family oh so much but if I don’t take a day to myself… I might bite someones head off.

Anyway.  Got some stuff from the good old internet that happen to be of some interest to me.

-Did you know it’s National Park Week.. National parks are the best so you should go get your butt to the closest one, it’s free! (Bring a picnic and some hiking boots)

– This coloring book needs to happen.

– I feel in love with these photos that a mom took of her kids.  They are amazing

-Screw GI Joes, if you want plastic action figures get these. Yoga Joes

–House love.

-Ever wonder how museums keep their art collections clean? Check this guy out cleaning a Pollack.    There is no way I could do anything close to that, I would loss my shit.

-I will be looking for this book next time I am at the library (for the littles of course) ‘Can I Eat That?’ a Whimsical New Children’s Book

–Tree houses in house plants.. two of my favorite things together in one.

-What Do Recyclable, Biodegradable & Compostable Really Mean?

-This is just one reason I avoid eating out.. I am paranoid, and for good reason… ‘Farm To Fable’? Tampa Probe Finds Many Restaurants Lie About Sourcing

Some new pictures from the past week.

Hope everyone is having a great day and enjoying life.

Happy Birthday Sean, Love you!

-C

When the mr got home from work last night, her got himself a super great dinner suprice

Pizza, on a Monday. Woo Hoo! (I am so awesome, my sister even texted to congratulate him on his unexpected pizza dinner)

But here is the thing. I think pizza is a completely acceptable dinner any night of the week just as long as it is not covered in a shit tone of greasy cheese or any other kinda heavy and not so good stuff.  This is a not one of those types of pizzas. This pizza is light, the crust rolled slightly thin, covered in a creamy sweet pea and cashew cream, (which is really pretty) and topped off with a tons of shaved asparagus and sliced radishes.It’s a celebration of spring time veggies and tastes so f*ing good. Sweet and creamy from the peas cashew cream, a nice crispy freshness from the asparagus, and a nice little spicy kick from the radishes. All the flavors that make me happy. It’s oh so good. .

And really, It’s almost like eating a big salad with a piece of bread. Not a bad dinner right? So do yourself a favor and make that salad and bread into this kick ass pizza.

You can, you should, you, must.

The stuff. Peas (fresh or thawed out frozen.. my were frozen) some cashews soaking in water, a bunch of asparagus (I had purple but you can just use green) ans a few radishes. Also need a lemon, some nutritional yeast, a few coves of garlic, salt and pepper, and a little olive oil. Oh, and a pizza dough.

To get the cashew pea cream going, strain the water from the cashews and dump them into a blender along with the peas, garlic, nutritional yeast, juice of half of the lemon, and a pinch of salt. Turn blender on and slowly add in a bit of water, just enough to get the stuff to start blending. Keep on blending until nice and smooth.

And now shave the asparagus down. I found the easiest way to do this is to chop op the crown part then place the stock on the counter and peel away from you. Not all peels are going to be uniform and perfect, which is good for a textured pizza. Any pieces that break off or shave off weird, keep them too, it;s all going on the pizza. If you asparagus is not super fresh, they might have woody ends.  When done shaving just toss those into a bag and save for a soup later.

And now that the asparagus is done, thinly slice the radishes up.

Get that pizza dough onto a baking devise (use a baking sheet, pizza stone, or whatever you usually make pizza on. I used a lightly oiled baking sheet)  and smear lots of that cashew pea cream all over it.

Pile on the shaved asparagus and all the ends and tips that we cut off or broke off.

Top with the radishes and a good pinch of salt and lots of fresh cracked pepper.

Into the oven it needs to go.

Pulled from the oven, looking all pretty and springy and smelling so amazing.

Drizzled with a little of the left over cashew pea cream and a few squeezes of fresh lemon.

Your good to go!

Pizza on a weekday, it’s what you need in your life.

-C

• 1 12oz pizza dough (use this recipe, your own, or store bought)
• 10-15 or so stalks of asparagus (about 1/2 a pound)
• 3-4 big radishes
• 1/2 cup peas
• 1/2 cup cashews (soaked for about 1/2 an hour)
• 2-3 cloves garlic
• 3 tablespoons nutritional yeast
• 1/8-1/4 cup water
• A lemon
• olive oil
• Salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 450

First off, prepare your pizza dough or remove it from the fridge to come to room temperature.

Strain the water from the cashews and add them to a blender with the peas, the juice of half a lemon, 1/8 cup of water, the nutritionalyeast, and a sprinkle of salt. Blend until smooth. If you need to, add in another splash or two of water to thin it out.

Grab your asparagus stalks ans chop off the top crown parts. Take the remaining stalks and peel them. Do this by holding the stalk flat on the counter and while holding to the end, peel the stalk away from you.  I(f your asparagus is not super fresh ans had woody ends, use those to hold on to and when done shaving, just toss them into a bag and save for a soup later)  Shave each piece until you cant shave any more. Some pieces are going to be super thin, some kinda thick… that’s totally cool, it add dimension to the pizza.

  And now, as thinly as you can, slice the radishes.

To assemble pizza- Roll out dough kinda thin and place on a lightly oiled baking sheet.(you can bake your dough any way or on any thing that you usually do)  Smear a good amount of the cashew pea cream on dough. You will probably have a little left over which you can either water down a little as a drizzle for the done pizza or just save for a sandwich or a veggie dip for later.  Topthe smeared dough with all the shaved asparagus and chopped off crowns then layer on the radishes .Sprinkle with salt and pepper and stick into the oven. Bake for 15ish minutes or until your crust golden brown and done to your liking.

When you remove the pizza from the oven, feel free to drizzle the remaining cashew pea cream all over and definitelytop with a squeeze of more of fresh lemon.

Cut into pieces (square, triangles or what have you) and serve to your open mouth!

Happy Spring Eating!

Yesterday the mr and I bought windows! It was a total fluke but when we went to get our winter tires changed to our summer one (GOOD BYE WINTER), my brother in law (who was doing the tire change) gave us the keys to his truck and sent us to be productive with ourselves instead of sitting in the customer lounge drinking all the free coffee. So we ended up at the hardware store with the truck and no real expectations for anything other then browsing. But lo and behold we stumbles onto the windows that were just meant to be. So we bought them, loaded them into the truck (I don’t know how we would have fit them all into our little car..truck meant to be) and brought them to their new home. We now have six new wood interior, al clad exterior double hung windows (yet to be insulted) minus wait for it, one very large front door window.

Yup, I smashed the front door window. When we brought the windows we also bought a bunch of 2×4’s. While unloading them, I accidentally, but on purpose, smashed threw the front door with the wood. The door was starting to close on me and instead of just letting it, my reflexes got the better of me and I threw the wood, right into the window and apparently almost took the mr’s head off at the same time. Mother FUCKER!

Good times.

So that sums up the week. Some great ups, some down downs. Feeling lots of feels.  Working a lot but spending time doing things like a little hike with the family and the pup, a trip across the lake with my mom and little sister to the Target, and the mr and I took a trip to see his brother and sister in law and the new addition to the family.. A 12 day old little nugget that is just to freaking cute. And it’s spring and the weather is amazing so I am trying to get out into the gardens and get that going too.

As for today, we are going going to keep plugging away at the house, gots to the keep the momentum going while it’s good. But I am for sure going to make a trip to the library, and plop my butt in some sunshine with a steaming cup of coffee and a good read at some point today.  A little work, a little relaxation… And so much coffee!

Internet fun finds from the week.

– You can now do you business on this 18 karat gold toilet, on display and in use at the Guggenheim. The line might not be worth the wait.

-Check out this 100 year old lady boss. I hope if I make it to 100 that I can be as kick ass as her.

–Runners High. It’s for real

-I love this idea, but a problem I might encounter is that I would start drawing, not stop, then completely abandon my To Do list. Try Drawing Your To-Do List Instead of Writing It

-Oh Prince, you will be missed. Music and hair.. Prince’s Hair Styles From 1978 To 2013

–Plant Porn

-I have tried meditation and I am so so, but this seems like it would be perfect for me. This new kind of meditation has you listen to cuss words

– Funky and colorful interior inspirations.

– And I am kinda in love with Dusty Rose Pink Velvet Seating.. just not sure the mr would be into it.

-I am in the market for new sheets and these or these are my new favorite (but kinda expensive)

And some fun time pictures.

Everyone is asking how that house is going so I figured an update was in order.

Around the beginning of March we hired a guy (with another guy that was like 80 years old) to remove the back roof and to frame out the addition. We were planning on doing it ourselves but when it came down to it, it was going to take to long and was not something that I was entirely comfortable doing. It was still winter out, I have never removed a roof, and it just seemed like it was better to just have someone that does it all the time do it. And oh am I glade we did. These guys were awesome and a little nuts. We had a start date for a Tuesday, but on Monday morning, the mr gets a phone call from the head guy asking if he was going to go to the house and let him in. “Of course, I’ll be there at 8 tomorrow” said the mr.  “No, we are here right now” said the roof ripper off man. “Ok, be right over” and the mr rushes over to the house. When he gets there, the guys were already in the house. The had claimed onto the roof and started ripping it off from the outside.

And then two days later , the roof was gone and the skeleton of the addition was up.  It was fantastic and amazing and we were so excited. SO worth hiring it out!!!!

Our next move was the roof,(to keep out the snow ans rain) which those guys ended up came back and throwing on for us. That was another job we were planning on doing, but when the mr crawled onto the roof to measure for materials, he came back down and said to me”hell no. not doing it” (He is terribly afraid of heights)

After the roof went up, we still had a lot of demo to do. It took us a few days to finish removing the rest of the walls and all the layers of flooring. Then it got really freaking cold out so we boarded off the upstairs with insulation and did some stuff downstairs.

We were on a good roll, getting shit done, about to start framing, then the shittest shit ever happened and Sean died. We didn’t go back over to the house for like 2 weeks. (shit head, you were suppose to help us) We lost all motivation and I was in no state to be doing any work that required power tools or crow bars.( I probably would have cut a hand off or accidentally set the house on fire) So yeah, no house work. But over these past 2 weeks we have slowly gotten back into the swing of things. We have cleaned up the upstairs, framed out all the wall and are moving right along. Next is windows, (which is now more just a matter of picking some we like and ordering them) running all the electrical, plumping the bathroom, insulation the ceiling and walls, then getting an inspection! But that will be a breeze…. haha.

So that’s what’s been going on in the house. Fun fun fun!

Hopefully I will have another update on other parts of the house for you guys soon!

-C

Holy crap, I swear that everyone in my family is made up of pasta and meat. Over the past few weeks with all of the family spending so many meals together and nobody really in the mood to get fancy and do much cooking, the dinner go to’s have been either some type of pasta, potato, or bread with meat dish. Super meat and starchy as hell. (there is usually a veggie somewhere) Good thing I pack my own lettuce and carrots where ever I go.(no joke) But can’t blame them really. Food has not been top priority.  If they will eat pasta, well then that’s what they will eat and the veggies are starting to make there way back. (I am making zucchini noodles for family dinner tonight)

But yesterday the mr and I spent the day just the two of us (it has been so long) and made dinner at home. I, as well as the mr, wanted nothing to do with pasta, potatoes, or bread. (he even passed up pizza…. what the WHAT) Just simple dinner with no one to cook for, no picky little littles to have to contend with and a fridge full of all the prettiest fresh veggies I can eat!

We (really me) went all out fresh with a hugmongo salad of broccoli and lentils.  Super quick and easy to make, really fresh, crispy, and hardy. A salad just for us,  although I think I might make it again for tonight to bring to the sisters house for dinner.

A salad that that makes me (and the mr) happy to eat and will make you happy too!

The stuff. A nice nig head of broccoli, a small red onion, half an avocado, some dried lentils, water, red wine vinegar and salt and pepper.

Start by getting those lentils and water into a pot and on the stove to cook.  Bring to boil then turn to a simmer, stick on a lid and let cook until lentils are tender but not mushy. (about 20 minutes)

Once you have got those going, chop up the broccoli and the onion into little bits(various size is a ok)

Toss those chopped up veggies into anice bowl and add a good few splashes of vinegar and sprinkle with salt ans pepper. Give it a good toss and let it sit on the counter to meld while the lentils are cooking.

Oh hey, those lentils be cooked. Dump the whole pot (if there is little extra liquid, dump that in too) into the bowl of chopped veggies and toss it all around.

And lastly , slice up the avocado into chunks (smallish sized) and gently mix that in.

Hooray! A no pasta, starch, mayo smothered salad for everyone!

Happy eating.

-C

Serves 3-4 as a side. 2 as a meal

• 1 big head of broccoli (about 2 1/2-3 cups chopped)
• 1/2 cup dried green lentils
•  1 1/4 cup water
• a small red onion
• 1/2 of a ripe avocado
• around 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
• salt and pepper

Place dried lentils into a pot with water. Bring to a boil then turn heat to a simmer and place a lid on pot. Cook for about 20 minutes or until the lentils are cooked, but still firm. If you think the lentils are still under cooked and there is not liquid in the pot, add another 1/4 cup.

While the lentils are cooking, grab a big bowl.  Chop the broccoli into little pieces and toss into that bowl. Also chop up the red onion into thin slices then into smaller pieces (or big if you like it like that) and toss that in with the broccoli. Drizzle the chop with vinegar and sprinkle with salt. Set aside until the lentils are cooked.

Once the lentils are done and still hot, dump them in with the chop. Give a really good mix to combine it all then grab your avocado,  cut it into little chunk and add it in and gently give it a toss. Season with more salt and pepper and if needed.

This is a salad that tastes good just made, really good 10 minutes later, but tastes best after sitting for an hour or two.

Whenever you decide to eat it, just grab a fork and dig in!

Not going to lie. Today is a hard day. It’s Sean’s birthday… He would be 27.

Thump thump (that’s my head hitting a wall)

I am not at the point yet where I think of Sean and am not sad because well, I am sad all the time. But I really want to get there, where when I think of him, it makes me happy, or well, more happy then sad. I know it’s going to take time (I just have to say that I hate how everyone says it just takes time. No shit) and that I will get there someday.  But today, I am, for him and for me, try spending today thinking about all the good times and not be so sad. 

So yeah, going to spend 1/2 the day doing some work (keeps the mind at bay) and the other half with the family. They are grilling up hot dogs while I eat lettuce by the head, and we are just going celebrate Sean the way we celebrate everything in our family. Together with food. We will sit around, talking about everything and nothing, let the littles run around , let the dogs run wild, and just be. The is sun is shinning, the world is warm, and the family will be surrounded by each other. (like everyday for the past two weeks.. so much family time) And of course Sean will be the center of attention, not there physically, but in all the spirit.

And as for taking the day to chill, I am postponing my day of nothing until tomorrow and locking my door on the world. I love my family oh so much but if I don’t take a day to myself… I might bite someones head off.

Anyway.  Got some stuff from the good old internet that happen to be of some interest to me.

-Did you know it’s National Park Week.. National parks are the best so you should go get your butt to the closest one, it’s free! (Bring a picnic and some hiking boots)

– This coloring book needs to happen.

– I feel in love with these photos that a mom took of her kids.  They are amazing

-Screw GI Joes, if you want plastic action figures get these. Yoga Joes

–House love.

-Ever wonder how museums keep their art collections clean? Check this guy out cleaning a Pollack.    There is no way I could do anything close to that, I would loss my shit.

-I will be looking for this book next time I am at the library (for the littles of course) ‘Can I Eat That?’ a Whimsical New Children’s Book

–Tree houses in house plants.. two of my favorite things together in one.

-What Do Recyclable, Biodegradable & Compostable Really Mean?

-This is just one reason I avoid eating out.. I am paranoid, and for good reason… ‘Farm To Fable’? Tampa Probe Finds Many Restaurants Lie About Sourcing

Some new pictures from the past week.

Hope everyone is having a great day and enjoying life.

Happy Birthday Sean, Love you!

-C

There is a big difference between thinking about doing something and being motivated enough to actually do it. I have been thinking a lot about doing some baking (among other things, like being a functional human) but I haven’t been feeling all that motivated to actually do it.  To my defence we haven’t really been home and food situations have been taking place at sisters or moms house. So yeah, can’t exactly bake a cake, take pictures, and not pull my hear out with 15 people running around the kitchen.. But yesterday I had the afternoon at home to get some shit done and it was the perfect time to open the door,(it wasalmost warm enough to have the door open!!!) put on some tunes, and bake a little something something before we headed over to dinner at my sisters.

Nothing to fancy or overly pretentious, just something that people will eat (especially my mom, she needs all the cake in the word). And a loaf because loafs travel well and sometimes a cake just calls for 90 degree angles. Chocolate because it’s chocolate (everyone likes chocolate) with and orange glaze for a slight pop of brightness and honestly, cause I bought a shit ton of oranges a few weeks back and they need to be used up asap.

A welcome back to the kitchen, simple chocolate loaf cake. And after it was devoured by the family (mom loved it) I thought aboutchanging the name to a “Freak Yeah, Damn Tasty, Super Fantastic, Simple Chocolate Cake”…..  but that’s kind of a long name.

The stuff. Got abowl with flour, cocoa powder, salt, baking soda and baking powder, and sugar. Then a cup of what is 1/2 soy milkand 1/2 coffee, some vanilla extract, a little apple cider vinegar, and some oil. That’s cake stuff. The glaze stuff is the powdered sugar, the orange, and another pinch of salt and splash of vanilla.

Super simple. Whisk all the dry together

Then just dump all the wet stuff into the dry and mix it all up until everything is evenly incorporated.

Batter goes into a greased loaf pan and into the oven…….45 minutes later……  it’s all cooked and stuff. Ttake it out and let it cool.

While the cake is cooling, make that glaze. Powdered sugar, orange zest, a pinch of salt and a splash of vanilla go into a bowl. Whisk together with just enough orange juice to make it all come together and is all glaze like.

When the cake is completely cooled, drizzle (dump) glaze all over cake. And really, make sure the cake is cooled or else the cake will just absorb the glaze.

Drip drip drip…. Next time I will remember to do this over a plate or something, there is sugary glaze everywhere.

And now the loaf cake is done, ready for eating.

Have a great day, get motivated and start planning for the WEEKEND! (Cake should be included in those plans)

-C

Makes one loaf cake

• 1 1/2 cups flour
• 1/3 cup cocoa powder
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cups sugar
• 1/3 cup oil (any oil but if you use coconut, make sure it’s melted)
• 1/2 soy milk
• 1/2 cup brewed coffee
• 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla

the glaze

• an orange (about a tablespoon of fresh zest and 1/2 the juice of half of the orange)
• 3/4 cup powdered sugar
• pinch of salt
• splash of vanilla

Preheat oven to 350

In a large bowl, mix together the flour, cocoa powder, sugar, salt, baking soda and powder. Dump in the rest of the ingredients and mix until evenly incorporated. Pour batter into a greased a 9x5loaf pan then stick into the oven. Bake for about 45 minutes or until a tester comes out clean

To make the glaze, mix the sugar, a tiny pinch of salt and the zest of the orange together. Add in a splash of vanilla and slowly add in orange juice until the glaze is the consistency that you want.(not to thick or to thin)

Once cake has completely cooled, drizzle the glaze all over the cake.

Now you can grab a knife, cut a slice,and call it a day.

Sean Tyler Stem. April 17, 1989- March 29, 2016

 About a week and a half ago my little brother passed away of a drug overdose. Mother Fucker, fuck fucker fuck.

I am okay. I might not be in the best head space being that I am so fucking sad and feel wounded, but okay. . Everything just feels so weird. It’s like a part of me is missing but at the same time it still doesn’t seem real. So yeah. Fuck fuck fuck. (apparently I swear A LOT when I am sad)

I want people to know about Sean and what and why it happened, but at the same time I kinda don’t want to talk about it yet. It’s still really raw. Also I am not the greatest with emotions and right now I am still processing and feeling and just being. But I do want people to know that Sean may have had his problems but he was such amazing, kind, sometimes a cocky, but such a talented person. He was so full of the brightest light, laughter, generosity and so so much love.  He really was a great person (and I am not just saying that cause he is dead) A person that I am so blessed and lucky to get to call my little brother. He made everyone smile, even when you didn’t feel like it. Every person that came into his life are greater for having had him here. 

The rest of the family is doing. It’s so weird being together as a family without one of us, it seems so off because wealways do everything together and I keep getting that weird feeling that I am waiting for his ass to show up (he was always late for everything). Oh man, it’s a hurt that will not quit.  So yeah, we have been spending all of our time together (so much togetherness it’s kinda sick). We laugh and cry and get angry and are sad, and go for walks and eat (well they eat. People keep bringing food, all meat pasta dishes so I am just nibbling on carrots… FYI people, sad people eat veggies too!) It’s been rough, but we have so much love for each other, the same sick sense of humor (the things we have been saying…and he can’t talk back. HA!)  and are so close.  We truly are so lucky to have each other. (even if we are driving each other crazy)

And Life, gots to keep doing it.  So I am going to start trying to get a little consistency back into mine this week, start working on the house again, catch up on bills and paperwork, and clean the sheets on my bed. (it’s been 2 weeks.. gross)  Also going to try and do a post or two… I miss it and the kitchen is my therapy.

I miss my little brother. He was such a shit, a good shit, but a shit no less. But just because he is dead doesn’t mean he doesn’t exist. He will always exist.

-C

Here is the obituary of Sean T Stem written by my sister Shannon with the help of her friend Hilary.

[Above photo was taken off of his facebook page. It’s one of my favorites.]

When the mr got home from work last night, her got himself a super great dinner suprice

Pizza, on a Monday. Woo Hoo! (I am so awesome, my sister even texted to congratulate him on his unexpected pizza dinner)

But here is the thing. I think pizza is a completely acceptable dinner any night of the week just as long as it is not covered in a shit tone of greasy cheese or any other kinda heavy and not so good stuff.  This is a not one of those types of pizzas. This pizza is light, the crust rolled slightly thin, covered in a creamy sweet pea and cashew cream, (which is really pretty) and topped off with a tons of shaved asparagus and sliced radishes.It’s a celebration of spring time veggies and tastes so f*ing good. Sweet and creamy from the peas cashew cream, a nice crispy freshness from the asparagus, and a nice little spicy kick from the radishes. All the flavors that make me happy. It’s oh so good. .

And really, It’s almost like eating a big salad with a piece of bread. Not a bad dinner right? So do yourself a favor and make that salad and bread into this kick ass pizza.

You can, you should, you, must.

The stuff. Peas (fresh or thawed out frozen.. my were frozen) some cashews soaking in water, a bunch of asparagus (I had purple but you can just use green) ans a few radishes. Also need a lemon, some nutritional yeast, a few coves of garlic, salt and pepper, and a little olive oil. Oh, and a pizza dough.

To get the cashew pea cream going, strain the water from the cashews and dump them into a blender along with the peas, garlic, nutritional yeast, juice of half of the lemon, and a pinch of salt. Turn blender on and slowly add in a bit of water, just enough to get the stuff to start blending. Keep on blending until nice and smooth.

And now shave the asparagus down. I found the easiest way to do this is to chop op the crown part then place the stock on the counter and peel away from you. Not all peels are going to be uniform and perfect, which is good for a textured pizza. Any pieces that break off or shave off weird, keep them too, it;s all going on the pizza. If you asparagus is not super fresh, they might have woody ends.  When done shaving just toss those into a bag and save for a soup later.

And now that the asparagus is done, thinly slice the radishes up.

Get that pizza dough onto a baking devise (use a baking sheet, pizza stone, or whatever you usually make pizza on. I used a lightly oiled baking sheet)  and smear lots of that cashew pea cream all over it.

Pile on the shaved asparagus and all the ends and tips that we cut off or broke off.

Top with the radishes and a good pinch of salt and lots of fresh cracked pepper.

Into the oven it needs to go.

Pulled from the oven, looking all pretty and springy and smelling so amazing.

Drizzled with a little of the left over cashew pea cream and a few squeezes of fresh lemon.

Your good to go!

Pizza on a weekday, it’s what you need in your life.

-C

• 1 12oz pizza dough (use this recipe, your own, or store bought)
• 10-15 or so stalks of asparagus (about 1/2 a pound)
• 3-4 big radishes
• 1/2 cup peas
• 1/2 cup cashews (soaked for about 1/2 an hour)
• 2-3 cloves garlic
• 3 tablespoons nutritional yeast
• 1/8-1/4 cup water
• A lemon
• olive oil
• Salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 450

First off, prepare your pizza dough or remove it from the fridge to come to room temperature.

Strain the water from the cashews and add them to a blender with the peas, the juice of half a lemon, 1/8 cup of water, the nutritionalyeast, and a sprinkle of salt. Blend until smooth. If you need to, add in another splash or two of water to thin it out.

Grab your asparagus stalks ans chop off the top crown parts. Take the remaining stalks and peel them. Do this by holding the stalk flat on the counter and while holding to the end, peel the stalk away from you.  I(f your asparagus is not super fresh ans had woody ends, use those to hold on to and when done shaving, just toss them into a bag and save for a soup later)  Shave each piece until you cant shave any more. Some pieces are going to be super thin, some kinda thick… that’s totally cool, it add dimension to the pizza.

  And now, as thinly as you can, slice the radishes.

To assemble pizza- Roll out dough kinda thin and place on a lightly oiled baking sheet.(you can bake your dough any way or on any thing that you usually do)  Smear a good amount of the cashew pea cream on dough. You will probably have a little left over which you can either water down a little as a drizzle for the done pizza or just save for a sandwich or a veggie dip for later.  Topthe smeared dough with all the shaved asparagus and chopped off crowns then layer on the radishes .Sprinkle with salt and pepper and stick into the oven. Bake for 15ish minutes or until your crust golden brown and done to your liking.

When you remove the pizza from the oven, feel free to drizzle the remaining cashew pea cream all over and definitelytop with a squeeze of more of fresh lemon.

Cut into pieces (square, triangles or what have you) and serve to your open mouth!

Happy Spring Eating!

Yesterday the mr and I bought windows! It was a total fluke but when we went to get our winter tires changed to our summer one (GOOD BYE WINTER), my brother in law (who was doing the tire change) gave us the keys to his truck and sent us to be productive with ourselves instead of sitting in the customer lounge drinking all the free coffee. So we ended up at the hardware store with the truck and no real expectations for anything other then browsing. But lo and behold we stumbles onto the windows that were just meant to be. So we bought them, loaded them into the truck (I don’t know how we would have fit them all into our little car..truck meant to be) and brought them to their new home. We now have six new wood interior, al clad exterior double hung windows (yet to be insulted) minus wait for it, one very large front door window.

Yup, I smashed the front door window. When we brought the windows we also bought a bunch of 2×4’s. While unloading them, I accidentally, but on purpose, smashed threw the front door with the wood. The door was starting to close on me and instead of just letting it, my reflexes got the better of me and I threw the wood, right into the window and apparently almost took the mr’s head off at the same time. Mother FUCKER!

Good times.

So that sums up the week. Some great ups, some down downs. Feeling lots of feels.  Working a lot but spending time doing things like a little hike with the family and the pup, a trip across the lake with my mom and little sister to the Target, and the mr and I took a trip to see his brother and sister in law and the new addition to the family.. A 12 day old little nugget that is just to freaking cute. And it’s spring and the weather is amazing so I am trying to get out into the gardens and get that going too.

As for today, we are going going to keep plugging away at the house, gots to the keep the momentum going while it’s good. But I am for sure going to make a trip to the library, and plop my butt in some sunshine with a steaming cup of coffee and a good read at some point today.  A little work, a little relaxation… And so much coffee!

Internet fun finds from the week.

– You can now do you business on this 18 karat gold toilet, on display and in use at the Guggenheim. The line might not be worth the wait.

-Check out this 100 year old lady boss. I hope if I make it to 100 that I can be as kick ass as her.

–Runners High. It’s for real

-I love this idea, but a problem I might encounter is that I would start drawing, not stop, then completely abandon my To Do list. Try Drawing Your To-Do List Instead of Writing It

-Oh Prince, you will be missed. Music and hair.. Prince’s Hair Styles From 1978 To 2013

–Plant Porn

-I have tried meditation and I am so so, but this seems like it would be perfect for me. This new kind of meditation has you listen to cuss words

– Funky and colorful interior inspirations.

– And I am kinda in love with Dusty Rose Pink Velvet Seating.. just not sure the mr would be into it.

-I am in the market for new sheets and these or these are my new favorite (but kinda expensive)

And some fun time pictures.

Everyone is asking how that house is going so I figured an update was in order.

Around the beginning of March we hired a guy (with another guy that was like 80 years old) to remove the back roof and to frame out the addition. We were planning on doing it ourselves but when it came down to it, it was going to take to long and was not something that I was entirely comfortable doing. It was still winter out, I have never removed a roof, and it just seemed like it was better to just have someone that does it all the time do it. And oh am I glade we did. These guys were awesome and a little nuts. We had a start date for a Tuesday, but on Monday morning, the mr gets a phone call from the head guy asking if he was going to go to the house and let him in. “Of course, I’ll be there at 8 tomorrow” said the mr.  “No, we are here right now” said the roof ripper off man. “Ok, be right over” and the mr rushes over to the house. When he gets there, the guys were already in the house. The had claimed onto the roof and started ripping it off from the outside.

And then two days later , the roof was gone and the skeleton of the addition was up.  It was fantastic and amazing and we were so excited. SO worth hiring it out!!!!

Our next move was the roof,(to keep out the snow ans rain) which those guys ended up came back and throwing on for us. That was another job we were planning on doing, but when the mr crawled onto the roof to measure for materials, he came back down and said to me”hell no. not doing it” (He is terribly afraid of heights)

After the roof went up, we still had a lot of demo to do. It took us a few days to finish removing the rest of the walls and all the layers of flooring. Then it got really freaking cold out so we boarded off the upstairs with insulation and did some stuff downstairs.

We were on a good roll, getting shit done, about to start framing, then the shittest shit ever happened and Sean died. We didn’t go back over to the house for like 2 weeks. (shit head, you were suppose to help us) We lost all motivation and I was in no state to be doing any work that required power tools or crow bars.( I probably would have cut a hand off or accidentally set the house on fire) So yeah, no house work. But over these past 2 weeks we have slowly gotten back into the swing of things. We have cleaned up the upstairs, framed out all the wall and are moving right along. Next is windows, (which is now more just a matter of picking some we like and ordering them) running all the electrical, plumping the bathroom, insulation the ceiling and walls, then getting an inspection! But that will be a breeze…. haha.

So that’s what’s been going on in the house. Fun fun fun!

Hopefully I will have another update on other parts of the house for you guys soon!

-C

Holy crap, I swear that everyone in my family is made up of pasta and meat. Over the past few weeks with all of the family spending so many meals together and nobody really in the mood to get fancy and do much cooking, the dinner go to’s have been either some type of pasta, potato, or bread with meat dish. Super meat and starchy as hell. (there is usually a veggie somewhere) Good thing I pack my own lettuce and carrots where ever I go.(no joke) But can’t blame them really. Food has not been top priority.  If they will eat pasta, well then that’s what they will eat and the veggies are starting to make there way back. (I am making zucchini noodles for family dinner tonight)

But yesterday the mr and I spent the day just the two of us (it has been so long) and made dinner at home. I, as well as the mr, wanted nothing to do with pasta, potatoes, or bread. (he even passed up pizza…. what the WHAT) Just simple dinner with no one to cook for, no picky little littles to have to contend with and a fridge full of all the prettiest fresh veggies I can eat!

We (really me) went all out fresh with a hugmongo salad of broccoli and lentils.  Super quick and easy to make, really fresh, crispy, and hardy. A salad just for us,  although I think I might make it again for tonight to bring to the sisters house for dinner.

A salad that that makes me (and the mr) happy to eat and will make you happy too!

The stuff. A nice nig head of broccoli, a small red onion, half an avocado, some dried lentils, water, red wine vinegar and salt and pepper.

Start by getting those lentils and water into a pot and on the stove to cook.  Bring to boil then turn to a simmer, stick on a lid and let cook until lentils are tender but not mushy. (about 20 minutes)

Once you have got those going, chop up the broccoli and the onion into little bits(various size is a ok)

Toss those chopped up veggies into anice bowl and add a good few splashes of vinegar and sprinkle with salt ans pepper. Give it a good toss and let it sit on the counter to meld while the lentils are cooking.

Oh hey, those lentils be cooked. Dump the whole pot (if there is little extra liquid, dump that in too) into the bowl of chopped veggies and toss it all around.

And lastly , slice up the avocado into chunks (smallish sized) and gently mix that in.

Hooray! A no pasta, starch, mayo smothered salad for everyone!

Happy eating.

-C

Serves 3-4 as a side. 2 as a meal

• 1 big head of broccoli (about 2 1/2-3 cups chopped)
• 1/2 cup dried green lentils
•  1 1/4 cup water
• a small red onion
• 1/2 of a ripe avocado
• around 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
• salt and pepper

Place dried lentils into a pot with water. Bring to a boil then turn heat to a simmer and place a lid on pot. Cook for about 20 minutes or until the lentils are cooked, but still firm. If you think the lentils are still under cooked and there is not liquid in the pot, add another 1/4 cup.

While the lentils are cooking, grab a big bowl.  Chop the broccoli into little pieces and toss into that bowl. Also chop up the red onion into thin slices then into smaller pieces (or big if you like it like that) and toss that in with the broccoli. Drizzle the chop with vinegar and sprinkle with salt. Set aside until the lentils are cooked.

Once the lentils are done and still hot, dump them in with the chop. Give a really good mix to combine it all then grab your avocado,  cut it into little chunk and add it in and gently give it a toss. Season with more salt and pepper and if needed.

This is a salad that tastes good just made, really good 10 minutes later, but tastes best after sitting for an hour or two.

Whenever you decide to eat it, just grab a fork and dig in!

Not going to lie. Today is a hard day. It’s Sean’s birthday… He would be 27.

Thump thump (that’s my head hitting a wall)

I am not at the point yet where I think of Sean and am not sad because well, I am sad all the time. But I really want to get there, where when I think of him, it makes me happy, or well, more happy then sad. I know it’s going to take time (I just have to say that I hate how everyone says it just takes time. No shit) and that I will get there someday.  But today, I am, for him and for me, try spending today thinking about all the good times and not be so sad. 

So yeah, going to spend 1/2 the day doing some work (keeps the mind at bay) and the other half with the family. They are grilling up hot dogs while I eat lettuce by the head, and we are just going celebrate Sean the way we celebrate everything in our family. Together with food. We will sit around, talking about everything and nothing, let the littles run around , let the dogs run wild, and just be. The is sun is shinning, the world is warm, and the family will be surrounded by each other. (like everyday for the past two weeks.. so much family time) And of course Sean will be the center of attention, not there physically, but in all the spirit.

And as for taking the day to chill, I am postponing my day of nothing until tomorrow and locking my door on the world. I love my family oh so much but if I don’t take a day to myself… I might bite someones head off.

Anyway.  Got some stuff from the good old internet that happen to be of some interest to me.

-Did you know it’s National Park Week.. National parks are the best so you should go get your butt to the closest one, it’s free! (Bring a picnic and some hiking boots)

– This coloring book needs to happen.

– I feel in love with these photos that a mom took of her kids.  They are amazing

-Screw GI Joes, if you want plastic action figures get these. Yoga Joes

–House love.

-Ever wonder how museums keep their art collections clean? Check this guy out cleaning a Pollack.    There is no way I could do anything close to that, I would loss my shit.

-I will be looking for this book next time I am at the library (for the littles of course) ‘Can I Eat That?’ a Whimsical New Children’s Book

–Tree houses in house plants.. two of my favorite things together in one.

-What Do Recyclable, Biodegradable & Compostable Really Mean?

-This is just one reason I avoid eating out.. I am paranoid, and for good reason… ‘Farm To Fable’? Tampa Probe Finds Many Restaurants Lie About Sourcing

Some new pictures from the past week.

Hope everyone is having a great day and enjoying life.

Happy Birthday Sean, Love you!

-C

There is a big difference between thinking about doing something and being motivated enough to actually do it. I have been thinking a lot about doing some baking (among other things, like being a functional human) but I haven’t been feeling all that motivated to actually do it.  To my defence we haven’t really been home and food situations have been taking place at sisters or moms house. So yeah, can’t exactly bake a cake, take pictures, and not pull my hear out with 15 people running around the kitchen.. But yesterday I had the afternoon at home to get some shit done and it was the perfect time to open the door,(it wasalmost warm enough to have the door open!!!) put on some tunes, and bake a little something something before we headed over to dinner at my sisters.

Nothing to fancy or overly pretentious, just something that people will eat (especially my mom, she needs all the cake in the word). And a loaf because loafs travel well and sometimes a cake just calls for 90 degree angles. Chocolate because it’s chocolate (everyone likes chocolate) with and orange glaze for a slight pop of brightness and honestly, cause I bought a shit ton of oranges a few weeks back and they need to be used up asap.

A welcome back to the kitchen, simple chocolate loaf cake. And after it was devoured by the family (mom loved it) I thought aboutchanging the name to a “Freak Yeah, Damn Tasty, Super Fantastic, Simple Chocolate Cake”…..  but that’s kind of a long name.

The stuff. Got abowl with flour, cocoa powder, salt, baking soda and baking powder, and sugar. Then a cup of what is 1/2 soy milkand 1/2 coffee, some vanilla extract, a little apple cider vinegar, and some oil. That’s cake stuff. The glaze stuff is the powdered sugar, the orange, and another pinch of salt and splash of vanilla.

Super simple. Whisk all the dry together

Then just dump all the wet stuff into the dry and mix it all up until everything is evenly incorporated.

Batter goes into a greased loaf pan and into the oven…….45 minutes later……  it’s all cooked and stuff. Ttake it out and let it cool.

While the cake is cooling, make that glaze. Powdered sugar, orange zest, a pinch of salt and a splash of vanilla go into a bowl. Whisk together with just enough orange juice to make it all come together and is all glaze like.

When the cake is completely cooled, drizzle (dump) glaze all over cake. And really, make sure the cake is cooled or else the cake will just absorb the glaze.

Drip drip drip…. Next time I will remember to do this over a plate or something, there is sugary glaze everywhere.

And now the loaf cake is done, ready for eating.

Have a great day, get motivated and start planning for the WEEKEND! (Cake should be included in those plans)

-C

Makes one loaf cake

• 1 1/2 cups flour
• 1/3 cup cocoa powder
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cups sugar
• 1/3 cup oil (any oil but if you use coconut, make sure it’s melted)
• 1/2 soy milk
• 1/2 cup brewed coffee
• 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla

the glaze

• an orange (about a tablespoon of fresh zest and 1/2 the juice of half of the orange)
• 3/4 cup powdered sugar
• pinch of salt
• splash of vanilla

Preheat oven to 350

In a large bowl, mix together the flour, cocoa powder, sugar, salt, baking soda and powder. Dump in the rest of the ingredients and mix until evenly incorporated. Pour batter into a greased a 9x5loaf pan then stick into the oven. Bake for about 45 minutes or until a tester comes out clean

To make the glaze, mix the sugar, a tiny pinch of salt and the zest of the orange together. Add in a splash of vanilla and slowly add in orange juice until the glaze is the consistency that you want.(not to thick or to thin)

Once cake has completely cooled, drizzle the glaze all over the cake.

Now you can grab a knife, cut a slice,and call it a day.

Sean Tyler Stem. April 17, 1989- March 29, 2016

 About a week and a half ago my little brother passed away of a drug overdose. Mother Fucker, fuck fucker fuck.

I am okay. I might not be in the best head space being that I am so fucking sad and feel wounded, but okay. . Everything just feels so weird. It’s like a part of me is missing but at the same time it still doesn’t seem real. So yeah. Fuck fuck fuck. (apparently I swear A LOT when I am sad)

I want people to know about Sean and what and why it happened, but at the same time I kinda don’t want to talk about it yet. It’s still really raw. Also I am not the greatest with emotions and right now I am still processing and feeling and just being. But I do want people to know that Sean may have had his problems but he was such amazing, kind, sometimes a cocky, but such a talented person. He was so full of the brightest light, laughter, generosity and so so much love.  He really was a great person (and I am not just saying that cause he is dead) A person that I am so blessed and lucky to get to call my little brother. He made everyone smile, even when you didn’t feel like it. Every person that came into his life are greater for having had him here. 

The rest of the family is doing. It’s so weird being together as a family without one of us, it seems so off because wealways do everything together and I keep getting that weird feeling that I am waiting for his ass to show up (he was always late for everything). Oh man, it’s a hurt that will not quit.  So yeah, we have been spending all of our time together (so much togetherness it’s kinda sick). We laugh and cry and get angry and are sad, and go for walks and eat (well they eat. People keep bringing food, all meat pasta dishes so I am just nibbling on carrots… FYI people, sad people eat veggies too!) It’s been rough, but we have so much love for each other, the same sick sense of humor (the things we have been saying…and he can’t talk back. HA!)  and are so close.  We truly are so lucky to have each other. (even if we are driving each other crazy)

And Life, gots to keep doing it.  So I am going to start trying to get a little consistency back into mine this week, start working on the house again, catch up on bills and paperwork, and clean the sheets on my bed. (it’s been 2 weeks.. gross)  Also going to try and do a post or two… I miss it and the kitchen is my therapy.

I miss my little brother. He was such a shit, a good shit, but a shit no less. But just because he is dead doesn’t mean he doesn’t exist. He will always exist.

-C

Here is the obituary of Sean T Stem written by my sister Shannon with the help of her friend Hilary.

[Above photo was taken off of his facebook page. It’s one of my favorites.]

Holy crap, I swear that everyone in my family is made up of pasta and meat. Over the past few weeks with all of the family spending so many meals together and nobody really in the mood to get fancy and do much cooking, the dinner go to’s have been either some type of pasta, potato, or bread with meat dish. Super meat and starchy as hell. (there is usually a veggie somewhere) Good thing I pack my own lettuce and carrots where ever I go.(no joke) But can’t blame them really. Food has not been top priority.  If they will eat pasta, well then that’s what they will eat and the veggies are starting to make there way back. (I am making zucchini noodles for family dinner tonight)

But yesterday the mr and I spent the day just the two of us (it has been so long) and made dinner at home. I, as well as the mr, wanted nothing to do with pasta, potatoes, or bread. (he even passed up pizza…. what the WHAT) Just simple dinner with no one to cook for, no picky little littles to have to contend with and a fridge full of all the prettiest fresh veggies I can eat!

We (really me) went all out fresh with a hugmongo salad of broccoli and lentils.  Super quick and easy to make, really fresh, crispy, and hardy. A salad just for us,  although I think I might make it again for tonight to bring to the sisters house for dinner.

A salad that that makes me (and the mr) happy to eat and will make you happy too!

The stuff. A nice nig head of broccoli, a small red onion, half an avocado, some dried lentils, water, red wine vinegar and salt and pepper.

Start by getting those lentils and water into a pot and on the stove to cook.  Bring to boil then turn to a simmer, stick on a lid and let cook until lentils are tender but not mushy. (about 20 minutes)

Once you have got those going, chop up the broccoli and the onion into little bits(various size is a ok)

Toss those chopped up veggies into anice bowl and add a good few splashes of vinegar and sprinkle with salt ans pepper. Give it a good toss and let it sit on the counter to meld while the lentils are cooking.

Oh hey, those lentils be cooked. Dump the whole pot (if there is little extra liquid, dump that in too) into the bowl of chopped veggies and toss it all around.

And lastly , slice up the avocado into chunks (smallish sized) and gently mix that in.

Hooray! A no pasta, starch, mayo smothered salad for everyone!

Happy eating.

-C

Serves 3-4 as a side. 2 as a meal

• 1 big head of broccoli (about 2 1/2-3 cups chopped)
• 1/2 cup dried green lentils
•  1 1/4 cup water
• a small red onion
• 1/2 of a ripe avocado
• around 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
• salt and pepper

Place dried lentils into a pot with water. Bring to a boil then turn heat to a simmer and place a lid on pot. Cook for about 20 minutes or until the lentils are cooked, but still firm. If you think the lentils are still under cooked and there is not liquid in the pot, add another 1/4 cup.

While the lentils are cooking, grab a big bowl.  Chop the broccoli into little pieces and toss into that bowl. Also chop up the red onion into thin slices then into smaller pieces (or big if you like it like that) and toss that in with the broccoli. Drizzle the chop with vinegar and sprinkle with salt. Set aside until the lentils are cooked.

Once the lentils are done and still hot, dump them in with the chop. Give a really good mix to combine it all then grab your avocado,  cut it into little chunk and add it in and gently give it a toss. Season with more salt and pepper and if needed.

This is a salad that tastes good just made, really good 10 minutes later, but tastes best after sitting for an hour or two.

Whenever you decide to eat it, just grab a fork and dig in!

Not going to lie. Today is a hard day. It’s Sean’s birthday… He would be 27.

Thump thump (that’s my head hitting a wall)

I am not at the point yet where I think of Sean and am not sad because well, I am sad all the time. But I really want to get there, where when I think of him, it makes me happy, or well, more happy then sad. I know it’s going to take time (I just have to say that I hate how everyone says it just takes time. No shit) and that I will get there someday.  But today, I am, for him and for me, try spending today thinking about all the good times and not be so sad. 

So yeah, going to spend 1/2 the day doing some work (keeps the mind at bay) and the other half with the family. They are grilling up hot dogs while I eat lettuce by the head, and we are just going celebrate Sean the way we celebrate everything in our family. Together with food. We will sit around, talking about everything and nothing, let the littles run around , let the dogs run wild, and just be. The is sun is shinning, the world is warm, and the family will be surrounded by each other. (like everyday for the past two weeks.. so much family time) And of course Sean will be the center of attention, not there physically, but in all the spirit.

And as for taking the day to chill, I am postponing my day of nothing until tomorrow and locking my door on the world. I love my family oh so much but if I don’t take a day to myself… I might bite someones head off.

Anyway.  Got some stuff from the good old internet that happen to be of some interest to me.

-Did you know it’s National Park Week.. National parks are the best so you should go get your butt to the closest one, it’s free! (Bring a picnic and some hiking boots)

– This coloring book needs to happen.

– I feel in love with these photos that a mom took of her kids.  They are amazing

-Screw GI Joes, if you want plastic action figures get these. Yoga Joes

–House love.

-Ever wonder how museums keep their art collections clean? Check this guy out cleaning a Pollack.    There is no way I could do anything close to that, I would loss my shit.

-I will be looking for this book next time I am at the library (for the littles of course) ‘Can I Eat That?’ a Whimsical New Children’s Book

–Tree houses in house plants.. two of my favorite things together in one.

-What Do Recyclable, Biodegradable & Compostable Really Mean?

-This is just one reason I avoid eating out.. I am paranoid, and for good reason… ‘Farm To Fable’? Tampa Probe Finds Many Restaurants Lie About Sourcing

Some new pictures from the past week.

Hope everyone is having a great day and enjoying life.

Happy Birthday Sean, Love you!

-C

There is a big difference between thinking about doing something and being motivated enough to actually do it. I have been thinking a lot about doing some baking (among other things, like being a functional human) but I haven’t been feeling all that motivated to actually do it.  To my defence we haven’t really been home and food situations have been taking place at sisters or moms house. So yeah, can’t exactly bake a cake, take pictures, and not pull my hear out with 15 people running around the kitchen.. But yesterday I had the afternoon at home to get some shit done and it was the perfect time to open the door,(it wasalmost warm enough to have the door open!!!) put on some tunes, and bake a little something something before we headed over to dinner at my sisters.

Nothing to fancy or overly pretentious, just something that people will eat (especially my mom, she needs all the cake in the word). And a loaf because loafs travel well and sometimes a cake just calls for 90 degree angles. Chocolate because it’s chocolate (everyone likes chocolate) with and orange glaze for a slight pop of brightness and honestly, cause I bought a shit ton of oranges a few weeks back and they need to be used up asap.

A welcome back to the kitchen, simple chocolate loaf cake. And after it was devoured by the family (mom loved it) I thought aboutchanging the name to a “Freak Yeah, Damn Tasty, Super Fantastic, Simple Chocolate Cake”…..  but that’s kind of a long name.

The stuff. Got abowl with flour, cocoa powder, salt, baking soda and baking powder, and sugar. Then a cup of what is 1/2 soy milkand 1/2 coffee, some vanilla extract, a little apple cider vinegar, and some oil. That’s cake stuff. The glaze stuff is the powdered sugar, the orange, and another pinch of salt and splash of vanilla.

Super simple. Whisk all the dry together

Then just dump all the wet stuff into the dry and mix it all up until everything is evenly incorporated.

Batter goes into a greased loaf pan and into the oven…….45 minutes later……  it’s all cooked and stuff. Ttake it out and let it cool.

While the cake is cooling, make that glaze. Powdered sugar, orange zest, a pinch of salt and a splash of vanilla go into a bowl. Whisk together with just enough orange juice to make it all come together and is all glaze like.

When the cake is completely cooled, drizzle (dump) glaze all over cake. And really, make sure the cake is cooled or else the cake will just absorb the glaze.

Drip drip drip…. Next time I will remember to do this over a plate or something, there is sugary glaze everywhere.

And now the loaf cake is done, ready for eating.

Have a great day, get motivated and start planning for the WEEKEND! (Cake should be included in those plans)

-C

Makes one loaf cake

• 1 1/2 cups flour
• 1/3 cup cocoa powder
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cups sugar
• 1/3 cup oil (any oil but if you use coconut, make sure it’s melted)
• 1/2 soy milk
• 1/2 cup brewed coffee
• 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla

the glaze

• an orange (about a tablespoon of fresh zest and 1/2 the juice of half of the orange)
• 3/4 cup powdered sugar
• pinch of salt
• splash of vanilla

Preheat oven to 350

In a large bowl, mix together the flour, cocoa powder, sugar, salt, baking soda and powder. Dump in the rest of the ingredients and mix until evenly incorporated. Pour batter into a greased a 9x5loaf pan then stick into the oven. Bake for about 45 minutes or until a tester comes out clean

To make the glaze, mix the sugar, a tiny pinch of salt and the zest of the orange together. Add in a splash of vanilla and slowly add in orange juice until the glaze is the consistency that you want.(not to thick or to thin)

Once cake has completely cooled, drizzle the glaze all over the cake.

Now you can grab a knife, cut a slice,and call it a day.

Sean Tyler Stem. April 17, 1989- March 29, 2016

 About a week and a half ago my little brother passed away of a drug overdose. Mother Fucker, fuck fucker fuck.

I am okay. I might not be in the best head space being that I am so fucking sad and feel wounded, but okay. . Everything just feels so weird. It’s like a part of me is missing but at the same time it still doesn’t seem real. So yeah. Fuck fuck fuck. (apparently I swear A LOT when I am sad)

I want people to know about Sean and what and why it happened, but at the same time I kinda don’t want to talk about it yet. It’s still really raw. Also I am not the greatest with emotions and right now I am still processing and feeling and just being. But I do want people to know that Sean may have had his problems but he was such amazing, kind, sometimes a cocky, but such a talented person. He was so full of the brightest light, laughter, generosity and so so much love.  He really was a great person (and I am not just saying that cause he is dead) A person that I am so blessed and lucky to get to call my little brother. He made everyone smile, even when you didn’t feel like it. Every person that came into his life are greater for having had him here. 

The rest of the family is doing. It’s so weird being together as a family without one of us, it seems so off because wealways do everything together and I keep getting that weird feeling that I am waiting for his ass to show up (he was always late for everything). Oh man, it’s a hurt that will not quit.  So yeah, we have been spending all of our time together (so much togetherness it’s kinda sick). We laugh and cry and get angry and are sad, and go for walks and eat (well they eat. People keep bringing food, all meat pasta dishes so I am just nibbling on carrots… FYI people, sad people eat veggies too!) It’s been rough, but we have so much love for each other, the same sick sense of humor (the things we have been saying…and he can’t talk back. HA!)  and are so close.  We truly are so lucky to have each other. (even if we are driving each other crazy)

And Life, gots to keep doing it.  So I am going to start trying to get a little consistency back into mine this week, start working on the house again, catch up on bills and paperwork, and clean the sheets on my bed. (it’s been 2 weeks.. gross)  Also going to try and do a post or two… I miss it and the kitchen is my therapy.

I miss my little brother. He was such a shit, a good shit, but a shit no less. But just because he is dead doesn’t mean he doesn’t exist. He will always exist.

-C

Here is the obituary of Sean T Stem written by my sister Shannon with the help of her friend Hilary.

[Above photo was taken off of his facebook page. It’s one of my favorites.]

For the longest time now, I have been drinking a little turmeric with a little lemon first thing in the morning. It started as a medicinal drink, but quickly became a tasty habit. I have some stupid weird circulation condition called raynaud’s where changes in temp turn my fingers and toes into icicles. And for me, the worst time of the year for this condition is the spring (but spring is still my favorite). All the up and down of temperature and the wet cold damp weather is my trigger, not to forget to mention that those temp swings can get a girl sick. (I can’t get sick!!)

So way back when I started to drink for my health and the feeling in my fingers. Turmeric, ginger, and cinnamon , all super warming spices that help greatly with blood circulation, not to mention a whole bunch of other good things. (I could tell you and go on and on, but you can just look it up yourself) Ever since I started drinking and eating lots of these spices, my raynauds has gotten soooo sooo soooo much better. I still get cold finger and toes, but no where as severe and the way less often.

Now a few weeks ago the mr started making himself an afternoon turmeric tea. He read something on the internet about how it’s the best anti-inflammatory and good for achy joints. (Sure dude, listen to the internet and not me) Being a big guy doing construction and such, he gets really achy joints and there is only so much arnica and frozen peas a guy can do. So now he drinks this and I think he is starting to notice a difference. (less time with the frozen peas) And since he is making himself tea every afternoon, I started to make a spicy tea for myself in the afternoons too. I figured that a little extra goodness to ward off the chills and any larking illness is only a plus. It’s our after lunch treat that tastes good, is warm and soothing and is doing the body all sorts of good.

Spicy turmeric tea. You will get addicted and feel like awesomeness.

The stuff. Ground turmeric, ground ginger, saigon cinnamon and hot water. Additional yums with a little lemon and some honey if you like it sweet or have a scratchy throat.

Spices into a drinking vessel (I like a big jar)

And in goes the hot water. Give it a good stir and a squeeze of lemon (and sweeten if your gonna)

And watch it swirl. A drink that keeps this girl happy and healthy.

Something great to look forward.

-C

• 1 tablespoon ground turmeric
• 1 teaspoon ground saigon cinnamon (can use regular, but it’s not as spicy sweet)
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1 1/2- 2 cups hot water (not quite boiling)
• honey to taste (I only use if my throat is sore)
• lemon juice (optional)

Note… My measurements are just guidelines. You might like a little less turmeric or more ginger so make this drink any way that tastes best for you.

Grab yourself a big mug or jar, add in the spices and hot water, honey if you want it and a squeeze of lemon juice if using. Stir with a spoon and drink. Keep spoon handy to give it a good stir every now and then

Holy crap, it’s Easter…. Well Happy Easter to you (if you celebrate it). And if no, happy beautiful spring day. It’s going to be so nice and warm and sunny today. I am really excited… spring is finally here!

This past week was epic for th house. The roof was ripped off and now the new addition is up! It all started on Monday when the mr got a phone call asking if he could go let the guys into the house(they were a day early). and three days later they were done, the walls and the roof were up!(not the roofing, we are doing that next week) It was like magic ad I couldn’t be happier. The upstairs is now huge and bright. Our new bedroom space is bigger then our entire living space now. I am all like Woo hoo!

When the guys were finished, the work started for us. We had to finish knocking all the walls down and ripping up all the shit floors. It’s been a hard on the body kinda week of work and every single muscle in my body is aching. (the mrs too but he doesn’t complain. He is a champ) 5 years ago I was able to rip apart a house and be like ” what what” the next day. Now I am like What what no.. creak creak” I am officially an old lady and now I need a break!

WE are taking a semi break today( although there might be a little framing and light cleaning might be in store) because it’s Sunday and it’s Easter. The family is getting together for food, fun and a egg hunt, which I am really excited about., and lots of sitting outside absorbing the warm sunshine and fresh clean springtime air. It’s going to be great. I am even planning on bringing a book and passing out on the back porch at some point.

What about you, any fantastic Easter/Sunday plans? Are you going to spend the day hunting down specially hidden Easter eggs, eating lots of chocolate eggs (and carrots I hope) and hanging with loved one?. I sure hope so. And don’t forget to get outside. We could all use the fresh air.

Some stuff to read if you get sick of all the jelly beans.

-Ever wonder how those magazines get those amazing photos of food? Well this article explains it all. Ceci N’Est Pas Ice Cream (Actually It’s Lard And Food Coloring)

-I love spring and all the pretty bloom that comes with it. 

-I went and got avocados right after I saw this (haven’t tried it yet though) HOW TO MAKE AN AVOCADO ROSE

-I was thinking about making the pup a new bed. I really like this design. (and fabric)

-Did you know that Ikea sold candy? I had no clue but here is a guide for the good and the bad. Top 10 IKEA Pick & Mix Candies You Need to Try

-One mans weed is another mans salad. How to Cook with Weeds

– I sometime think I can see a few more colors then is normal….A New Study Helps Explain Why Some People Can See So Many Colors

–These plates would make me so happy.. and not just for Easter. And these molds even though I don’t need them

–Trend Alert: 8 Techno Toilets cause we all need a gadgety toilet seat(no, not really)

– Is this for real? Unicorn Kisses Seltzer Water... As a seltzer water junky, I really freaking hope so.

And a couple photos.

As a kid, my favorite holiday was Easter. Every year my parents would fill up brightly colored plastic baskets with handfuls of neon colored plastic “grass” and top it with all sorts of candy, coloring books, bubble, and sidewalk chalk. They were beautiful and amazing.  It was like getting a basket of fun and a bunch of sugary candy to keep you going to have all that fun all day long. And the egg hunts. Plastic eggs full of candy hidden all over the house ans yard. We would all have our emptied out baskets running around full of excitement, ready to take out any sibling in our path just to be the one to get the next egg. We were ruthless and I am pretty sure every year someone would end up crying. Now, as an adult, I am not allowed to participate in the egg hunt. (but I still try to make my sibling cry)  Nope, now I get to hide the eggs and sit back and watch the new generation of littles tripping each other and stealing eggs from one another. The carnage!

And also at Easter there is cake. Is there a rule that says you have to make carrot cake for Easter? I think there must be because it is when everyone and their moms busts this cake out. And everyone’s carrot cake it the best because they made it the right way, like with raisins or pineapple or walnuts. There are so many things that can be added to this cake that it’s a little overwhelming. So I made a carrot cake that was mainly about the carrots. Nothing added, no nuts raisins or coconut (although you could add i if you wanted) and it’s made into a pretty bundt cake, which in turn makes mine the best.

This here cake was destined for tomorrows Easter table. I made it with no nut produces cause the nephew has the deadly nut allergy. But when I went and made the date sauce, I kinda let that slip and used almond milk. Oops. So now I have a whole big carrot cake sitting on the counter with it’s destiny shattered. So sad, but I think its will survive cause the mris really into it and has already eaten a few pieces. I figure that because it’s a carrot cake, he can eat a few more. It’s almost like eating a vegetable….almost. And now I need to make a new cake to bring over or I might just stop at the store and buy some oreos on my way over tomorrow. The littles will like that.

The stuff. A bowl containing flour, salt, baking powder ans baking soda.  Also need a few really big carrots, a bit of brown sugar, and ground up cinnamon and ginger. Coconut oil, soy milk, an orange (for it’s zest) and a little apple cider vinegar are going into this cake too.

Start by chopping up 2 of the biggest carrots and tossing the into a pot with about an inch of water. Stick the pot on the stove and cook until the carrots are nice and tender. Then blend those tender carrots up.

I had a hard time not eating all of the carrot puree, so maybe if you want, cook up a few extra carrots ans have yourself a pre-carrot cake carrot snack.

And while the carrot puree is still warm, add in the coconut oil and the sugar. Mix it until the oil is melted ans it’s one cohesive mixture.

And take that last carrot ans grate it up into the flour. Also add in the spices and the zest of the orange.

Note. I used a small holed grater so that the carrot shreds would be small and add texture to the cake but not make it too chunky. But use a normal grater..it’s all about your carrots chunk prefernce here.

Now dump the wet carrot mixture into the dry and start to mix

Adding in the soy and the vinegar to complete the batter.

And scooped that batter into a oiled bundt pan and get it into the (preheated) oven to bake.

After about an hour, the cake is ready, golden brown and smelling like any good carrot cake should. Remove from the oven and turn the cake out from the cake pan and stick on on a rack to cool. This cake is waiting for me to decide what, or if I want to frost, drizzle, or sauce it up….. I think it wants as little something.

Ok, I figured it out. Date sauce.

The stuff. Fresh medjool dates, almond milk and sea salt.

Date (pits removed) into the food processor along with the milk and a good pinch of sea salt.  Blend until it turns into a nice smooth, fluffy sauce.

Take that sauce and spread it all over the cake. As much or as little as you want (you might have left over date sauce but its ok, you can just eat. It will last for about a week in the fridge and goes great with just about anything) Once fully sauced, sprinkle the cake with flaked sea salt.

Sliced, plated, and ready. It’s carrot cake time.

Have a great weekend, eat all your candy at once!

-C

Makes a bundt cake (but could be made into a 9×13 sheet cake)

• 2 1/2 cups flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup brown sugar
• 1/3 coconut cup oilany oil works)
• 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
• 3 large carrots (makes about 2 cups carrot puree and 1/2 cup of raw grated carrot)
• 1 heaping tablespoon cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon ginger

Salted Date Caramel

• 1 cup medjool dates (pitted)
• 1 cup almond milk (or any milk you want to use)
• sea salt

Start by chopping up 2 of the biggest carrots and placing them into a pot with water about an inch of water. Stick on stove and bring to a boil then reduce to a simmer until the carrots are fork tender. When done, puree them with any means nessasary (hand blender, regular blender, food processor) Add the coconut oil and sugar to the warm carrot puree and mix until oil is melted.

Preheat oven to 350

In a large separate bowl, mix together the flour, baking soda and powder, salt, and the spices. Grate the smallest carrot in with the dry.

Take the wet carrot mixture and dump into the dry and mix, adding in the soy milk and the vinegar as you mix. Once everything is completely incorporated, pour mixture into a well oiled bundt pan and stick the cake into the preheated oven

While the cake is baking, make the date sauce. Just take the dates, remove pits if they have any and place in a food processor with a good pinch of sea salt and the almond milk. Pulse a few times, scrap down the sides, and keep blended, stopping to scrap sides if needed, until a nice thick smooth sauce is formed. If you want a thinner sauce, just add more milk til you get your desired consistency.

Now check cake. Once it’s golden brown and a tester comes out clean (between 50 minutes to an hour) remove from oven. Let cool for a few minutes in pan the then turn it over onto a wire rack to finish cooling off. Once the cake is cool, dump the date sauce all over it then sprinkle with another good few pinches of the sea salt.

And now eat it. This is a cake that needs no fork, but you can go ahead and use one if you must.

Sean Tyler Stem. April 17, 1989- March 29, 2016

 About a week and a half ago my little brother passed away of a drug overdose. Mother Fucker, fuck fucker fuck.

I am okay. I might not be in the best head space being that I am so fucking sad and feel wounded, but okay. . Everything just feels so weird. It’s like a part of me is missing but at the same time it still doesn’t seem real. So yeah. Fuck fuck fuck. (apparently I swear A LOT when I am sad)

I want people to know about Sean and what and why it happened, but at the same time I kinda don’t want to talk about it yet. It’s still really raw. Also I am not the greatest with emotions and right now I am still processing and feeling and just being. But I do want people to know that Sean may have had his problems but he was such amazing, kind, sometimes a cocky, but such a talented person. He was so full of the brightest light, laughter, generosity and so so much love.  He really was a great person (and I am not just saying that cause he is dead) A person that I am so blessed and lucky to get to call my little brother. He made everyone smile, even when you didn’t feel like it. Every person that came into his life are greater for having had him here. 

The rest of the family is doing. It’s so weird being together as a family without one of us, it seems so off because wealways do everything together and I keep getting that weird feeling that I am waiting for his ass to show up (he was always late for everything). Oh man, it’s a hurt that will not quit.  So yeah, we have been spending all of our time together (so much togetherness it’s kinda sick). We laugh and cry and get angry and are sad, and go for walks and eat (well they eat. People keep bringing food, all meat pasta dishes so I am just nibbling on carrots… FYI people, sad people eat veggies too!) It’s been rough, but we have so much love for each other, the same sick sense of humor (the things we have been saying…and he can’t talk back. HA!)  and are so close.  We truly are so lucky to have each other. (even if we are driving each other crazy)

And Life, gots to keep doing it.  So I am going to start trying to get a little consistency back into mine this week, start working on the house again, catch up on bills and paperwork, and clean the sheets on my bed. (it’s been 2 weeks.. gross)  Also going to try and do a post or two… I miss it and the kitchen is my therapy.

I miss my little brother. He was such a shit, a good shit, but a shit no less. But just because he is dead doesn’t mean he doesn’t exist. He will always exist.

-C

Here is the obituary of Sean T Stem written by my sister Shannon with the help of her friend Hilary.

[Above photo was taken off of his facebook page. It’s one of my favorites.]

For the longest time now, I have been drinking a little turmeric with a little lemon first thing in the morning. It started as a medicinal drink, but quickly became a tasty habit. I have some stupid weird circulation condition called raynaud’s where changes in temp turn my fingers and toes into icicles. And for me, the worst time of the year for this condition is the spring (but spring is still my favorite). All the up and down of temperature and the wet cold damp weather is my trigger, not to forget to mention that those temp swings can get a girl sick. (I can’t get sick!!)

So way back when I started to drink for my health and the feeling in my fingers. Turmeric, ginger, and cinnamon , all super warming spices that help greatly with blood circulation, not to mention a whole bunch of other good things. (I could tell you and go on and on, but you can just look it up yourself) Ever since I started drinking and eating lots of these spices, my raynauds has gotten soooo sooo soooo much better. I still get cold finger and toes, but no where as severe and the way less often.

Now a few weeks ago the mr started making himself an afternoon turmeric tea. He read something on the internet about how it’s the best anti-inflammatory and good for achy joints. (Sure dude, listen to the internet and not me) Being a big guy doing construction and such, he gets really achy joints and there is only so much arnica and frozen peas a guy can do. So now he drinks this and I think he is starting to notice a difference. (less time with the frozen peas) And since he is making himself tea every afternoon, I started to make a spicy tea for myself in the afternoons too. I figured that a little extra goodness to ward off the chills and any larking illness is only a plus. It’s our after lunch treat that tastes good, is warm and soothing and is doing the body all sorts of good.

Spicy turmeric tea. You will get addicted and feel like awesomeness.

The stuff. Ground turmeric, ground ginger, saigon cinnamon and hot water. Additional yums with a little lemon and some honey if you like it sweet or have a scratchy throat.

Spices into a drinking vessel (I like a big jar)

And in goes the hot water. Give it a good stir and a squeeze of lemon (and sweeten if your gonna)

And watch it swirl. A drink that keeps this girl happy and healthy.

Something great to look forward.

-C

• 1 tablespoon ground turmeric
• 1 teaspoon ground saigon cinnamon (can use regular, but it’s not as spicy sweet)
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1 1/2- 2 cups hot water (not quite boiling)
• honey to taste (I only use if my throat is sore)
• lemon juice (optional)

Note… My measurements are just guidelines. You might like a little less turmeric or more ginger so make this drink any way that tastes best for you.

Grab yourself a big mug or jar, add in the spices and hot water, honey if you want it and a squeeze of lemon juice if using. Stir with a spoon and drink. Keep spoon handy to give it a good stir every now and then

Holy crap, it’s Easter…. Well Happy Easter to you (if you celebrate it). And if no, happy beautiful spring day. It’s going to be so nice and warm and sunny today. I am really excited… spring is finally here!

This past week was epic for th house. The roof was ripped off and now the new addition is up! It all started on Monday when the mr got a phone call asking if he could go let the guys into the house(they were a day early). and three days later they were done, the walls and the roof were up!(not the roofing, we are doing that next week) It was like magic ad I couldn’t be happier. The upstairs is now huge and bright. Our new bedroom space is bigger then our entire living space now. I am all like Woo hoo!

When the guys were finished, the work started for us. We had to finish knocking all the walls down and ripping up all the shit floors. It’s been a hard on the body kinda week of work and every single muscle in my body is aching. (the mrs too but he doesn’t complain. He is a champ) 5 years ago I was able to rip apart a house and be like ” what what” the next day. Now I am like What what no.. creak creak” I am officially an old lady and now I need a break!

WE are taking a semi break today( although there might be a little framing and light cleaning might be in store) because it’s Sunday and it’s Easter. The family is getting together for food, fun and a egg hunt, which I am really excited about., and lots of sitting outside absorbing the warm sunshine and fresh clean springtime air. It’s going to be great. I am even planning on bringing a book and passing out on the back porch at some point.

What about you, any fantastic Easter/Sunday plans? Are you going to spend the day hunting down specially hidden Easter eggs, eating lots of chocolate eggs (and carrots I hope) and hanging with loved one?. I sure hope so. And don’t forget to get outside. We could all use the fresh air.

Some stuff to read if you get sick of all the jelly beans.

-Ever wonder how those magazines get those amazing photos of food? Well this article explains it all. Ceci N’Est Pas Ice Cream (Actually It’s Lard And Food Coloring)

-I love spring and all the pretty bloom that comes with it. 

-I went and got avocados right after I saw this (haven’t tried it yet though) HOW TO MAKE AN AVOCADO ROSE

-I was thinking about making the pup a new bed. I really like this design. (and fabric)

-Did you know that Ikea sold candy? I had no clue but here is a guide for the good and the bad. Top 10 IKEA Pick & Mix Candies You Need to Try

-One mans weed is another mans salad. How to Cook with Weeds

– I sometime think I can see a few more colors then is normal….A New Study Helps Explain Why Some People Can See So Many Colors

–These plates would make me so happy.. and not just for Easter. And these molds even though I don’t need them

–Trend Alert: 8 Techno Toilets cause we all need a gadgety toilet seat(no, not really)

– Is this for real? Unicorn Kisses Seltzer Water... As a seltzer water junky, I really freaking hope so.

And a couple photos.

As a kid, my favorite holiday was Easter. Every year my parents would fill up brightly colored plastic baskets with handfuls of neon colored plastic “grass” and top it with all sorts of candy, coloring books, bubble, and sidewalk chalk. They were beautiful and amazing.  It was like getting a basket of fun and a bunch of sugary candy to keep you going to have all that fun all day long. And the egg hunts. Plastic eggs full of candy hidden all over the house ans yard. We would all have our emptied out baskets running around full of excitement, ready to take out any sibling in our path just to be the one to get the next egg. We were ruthless and I am pretty sure every year someone would end up crying. Now, as an adult, I am not allowed to participate in the egg hunt. (but I still try to make my sibling cry)  Nope, now I get to hide the eggs and sit back and watch the new generation of littles tripping each other and stealing eggs from one another. The carnage!

And also at Easter there is cake. Is there a rule that says you have to make carrot cake for Easter? I think there must be because it is when everyone and their moms busts this cake out. And everyone’s carrot cake it the best because they made it the right way, like with raisins or pineapple or walnuts. There are so many things that can be added to this cake that it’s a little overwhelming. So I made a carrot cake that was mainly about the carrots. Nothing added, no nuts raisins or coconut (although you could add i if you wanted) and it’s made into a pretty bundt cake, which in turn makes mine the best.

This here cake was destined for tomorrows Easter table. I made it with no nut produces cause the nephew has the deadly nut allergy. But when I went and made the date sauce, I kinda let that slip and used almond milk. Oops. So now I have a whole big carrot cake sitting on the counter with it’s destiny shattered. So sad, but I think its will survive cause the mris really into it and has already eaten a few pieces. I figure that because it’s a carrot cake, he can eat a few more. It’s almost like eating a vegetable….almost. And now I need to make a new cake to bring over or I might just stop at the store and buy some oreos on my way over tomorrow. The littles will like that.

The stuff. A bowl containing flour, salt, baking powder ans baking soda.  Also need a few really big carrots, a bit of brown sugar, and ground up cinnamon and ginger. Coconut oil, soy milk, an orange (for it’s zest) and a little apple cider vinegar are going into this cake too.

Start by chopping up 2 of the biggest carrots and tossing the into a pot with about an inch of water. Stick the pot on the stove and cook until the carrots are nice and tender. Then blend those tender carrots up.

I had a hard time not eating all of the carrot puree, so maybe if you want, cook up a few extra carrots ans have yourself a pre-carrot cake carrot snack.

And while the carrot puree is still warm, add in the coconut oil and the sugar. Mix it until the oil is melted ans it’s one cohesive mixture.

And take that last carrot ans grate it up into the flour. Also add in the spices and the zest of the orange.

Note. I used a small holed grater so that the carrot shreds would be small and add texture to the cake but not make it too chunky. But use a normal grater..it’s all about your carrots chunk prefernce here.

Now dump the wet carrot mixture into the dry and start to mix

Adding in the soy and the vinegar to complete the batter.

And scooped that batter into a oiled bundt pan and get it into the (preheated) oven to bake.

After about an hour, the cake is ready, golden brown and smelling like any good carrot cake should. Remove from the oven and turn the cake out from the cake pan and stick on on a rack to cool. This cake is waiting for me to decide what, or if I want to frost, drizzle, or sauce it up….. I think it wants as little something.

Ok, I figured it out. Date sauce.

The stuff. Fresh medjool dates, almond milk and sea salt.

Date (pits removed) into the food processor along with the milk and a good pinch of sea salt.  Blend until it turns into a nice smooth, fluffy sauce.

Take that sauce and spread it all over the cake. As much or as little as you want (you might have left over date sauce but its ok, you can just eat. It will last for about a week in the fridge and goes great with just about anything) Once fully sauced, sprinkle the cake with flaked sea salt.

Sliced, plated, and ready. It’s carrot cake time.

Have a great weekend, eat all your candy at once!

-C

Makes a bundt cake (but could be made into a 9×13 sheet cake)

• 2 1/2 cups flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup brown sugar
• 1/3 coconut cup oilany oil works)
• 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
• 3 large carrots (makes about 2 cups carrot puree and 1/2 cup of raw grated carrot)
• 1 heaping tablespoon cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon ginger

Salted Date Caramel

• 1 cup medjool dates (pitted)
• 1 cup almond milk (or any milk you want to use)
• sea salt

Start by chopping up 2 of the biggest carrots and placing them into a pot with water about an inch of water. Stick on stove and bring to a boil then reduce to a simmer until the carrots are fork tender. When done, puree them with any means nessasary (hand blender, regular blender, food processor) Add the coconut oil and sugar to the warm carrot puree and mix until oil is melted.

Preheat oven to 350

In a large separate bowl, mix together the flour, baking soda and powder, salt, and the spices. Grate the smallest carrot in with the dry.

Take the wet carrot mixture and dump into the dry and mix, adding in the soy milk and the vinegar as you mix. Once everything is completely incorporated, pour mixture into a well oiled bundt pan and stick the cake into the preheated oven

While the cake is baking, make the date sauce. Just take the dates, remove pits if they have any and place in a food processor with a good pinch of sea salt and the almond milk. Pulse a few times, scrap down the sides, and keep blended, stopping to scrap sides if needed, until a nice thick smooth sauce is formed. If you want a thinner sauce, just add more milk til you get your desired consistency.

Now check cake. Once it’s golden brown and a tester comes out clean (between 50 minutes to an hour) remove from oven. Let cool for a few minutes in pan the then turn it over onto a wire rack to finish cooling off. Once the cake is cool, dump the date sauce all over it then sprinkle with another good few pinches of the sea salt.

And now eat it. This is a cake that needs no fork, but you can go ahead and use one if you must.

My fingers are almost always stained a bright pink. My cutting board and counter tops, pink. Look closely at at dish towels and you will find pink blotches all over them as with any of my light colored clothes. You would think after years of trying to remove beet stains form everything that I would have gotten a system down or at least had a designated cutting board for them, but no. That would be to easy and really,  I think I kinda don’t care.  So pink my things will be.

Beets. You either love them or you hate them. I love them (so much), the mr, well I am making him love them. He needs to love them because I end up putting beets in everything. If you are a hater, there is still turn into a lover. But maybe you have never even eaten a beet or haven’t in a long long time.  I am actually surprised at how many people I have talked to that have never tried beets before. If you are one of those people, stop being that person and eat one already. OR if you think you hate them, why don’t you give them a second try, I bet you will change your mind. Sweet but earthy and nice and crisp but kind of juicy..they really are super tasty. And not to mention all the great health benefits(you can look those up yourself) Yup, beets be the shit!

 And I love a good roasted beet, but really, I prefer my beets raw. Which brings us to this salad. A simple salad of grated up beets, orange juice and toasted hazelnuts. Fast, easy, and tummy satisfying.  As long as you don’t hate beets (how could you) then you will love it.

Now you get those beets!

The stuff. A big beet, (or two smaller ones) an orange,( I bought navel oranges and sliced into this one to find it was a blood orange… not complaining), hazelnuts (raw or toasted) apple cider vinegar, and salt and pepper. Optional but also very nice, some greens and or some type of grain. (I happen to have a some quinoa in the fridge)

Hazelnuts. If yours are already toasted, then no need to do it again, but if they are raw, toss them into the oven for a few minutes (hazelnuts taste so much better toasted)

And grab the beet and a shallow dish and grate it all up.

Add to the beet the juice of the orange, a small splash of vinegar to cut the sweetness, and salt and pepper to taste. Give it a good toss and let it sit for at least 5 minutes, if not longer.

And if the hazelnuts are in the oven, take them out when they are slight golden brown. If you want to remove the skins, just stick them in a clean towel and rub it off.

Everything all ready to go.. Any extras are added to bowls.

Beets into bowls, topped with toasted nuts and a cute little orange segment.(if you happen to have one lying around)

Isn’t that just something. Beets are so pretty,, but more importantly, so freaking tasty good.

Enjoy Today!

-C

makes enough for 2 people

• 1 large beet or 2 smaller beets
• 1 orange (I used blood orange but any orange would be good)
• handful of hazelnuts (either already roasted or raw that need to be roasted)
• apple cider vinegar
• salt and pepper
• Optional – quinoa (any grain would work) and or greens

If you hazelnuts are raw, toss them onto a baking sheet ans place them into the oven at 300 for about 6-8 minutes until slightly golden brown and smell so nice. When done remove and if you don’t like the skins, place nuts in a clean towel and rub the skins right off.

Wash beet(s) and grate into a swallow bowl. I don’t peel mine, but peel if you must. Add in the juice of the orange, a splash of vinegar and a dash of salt and pepper. Mix around and let sit for at least 5 minutes (the longer the better)

When you are ready fo food, grab a bowl (add anything you want to add to the bottom ad fill that bowl up with the beet salad and top with roasted hazelnuts.

Grab a fork and eat.

I was cleaning out the fridge and found that I had a good few really ripe avocados that were in need of eating ASAP. (I bought like 8 at once… super sale!) My first thought was I wish I could freeze these and save them for later. Then I thought well why the heck don’t I freeze them. So that’s what I did. I pureed them up, added a little lemon juice and stuck a jar of tangy green creamy goodness into the freezer and all throughout the week found myself standing in front of the fridge with a spoon scraping at the jar of avocado. It was so good. I even added a little fruit to it toward the end. Avocado and fruit = oh hell yes.

And now that is is officially spring we should be eating popsicles (right?!). I figured you guys are cool enough that I would share my new found love of frozen avocados and you would be down with it.

I know, some might think that plain old frozen avocado doesn’t sound amazing, but when you add a little sweetness and swirl it around with super sweet and creamy mango. Trust me, it’s freaking amazing. The flavors go perfectly together, and the texture, it’s almost like ice cream… SO GOOD! Anyway, I know that it might not be the perfect spring weather as of today, but the beauty of these is that you make them, freeze them and leave them until the perfect moment. Say a good long day of raking up all the cat poop that the neighbors cat has left in all your spring flower beds, or picking up all the recycling that has blow into the bushes all winter long. Maybe a day of cleaning out the closet or dusting the ceilings. Make these popsicles now and treat yourself to one after doing some kind of crappy spring chores, its what you need to do.. Or better yet, bribe a little with a popsicle to do your spring cleaning….. Yeah, I might just do that.

Or just make them and eat them… no spring chores required.

The stuff. A nice ripe mango and a nice ripe avocado. A bit of lemon juice (from half a lemon),  a little maple syrup, and a some water.

Scoop the avocado into a jar and cut up the mango ans stick into a jar…..

Splash a little water into each jar and blend them up. (I used my hand blender. but use the blending device of your choice) Add the maple syrup to the avocado.. as much as you need, and if your mango is not super sweet, you can add a little to that too.

Scoop the avocado puree into the mango and gently swirl it around

Now pour/scoop the mixture into your popsicle molds. And because mine was thick enough, I was able to stick the wood sticks without them sinking.

Noe get them quick into the freezer

A good few hours (I didn’t even check until the next day but I bet 4-5 hours in a good freezer will do) the popsicles are nowposicles!!!!!

Pop them out of the mold (a few minutes on the counter and or a quick rinse under warm water) and do what needs to be done.

So creamy sweet and refreshing… This is a happy spring popsicle for sure.

Have a great day!

-C

Makes four 4oz popsicles

• 1 ripe avocado
• 1 ripe mango
• 1/2 a lemon or lime
• 1-2 tablespoons maple syrup (or any sweetener of you liking)
• about 1/2 cup of water

Note.sIF your mango is not super sweet you might want to add a little maple syrup to thatto that as well. And depending on the actual size of your mango and avocado, you might find yourself with a little extra fruit puree…. so maybe an extra popsicle can be made or you can just eat it now.

Scoop avocado into a jar and cut and dice mango and place in a separate jar. Add maple to the avocado (and the mango if you want) and about 1/4 cup of water to each.  With a hand blender, blend each until smooth ( or use a regular blender) Once both are blended, dump one into the other and gently swirl around. Pour mixture into popsicle molds, add the sticks and stick into the freeze. Keep freezing until frozen which should take at least 4-5 hours.

And once frozen, pop out of molds (run mold under warm water or just leave on counter for a few minutes) and eat them like it hot!

 Happy Spring people! Aren’t you so excited? I know I am. The daffodils are starting to pop up, the birds are out like crazy with their churp churping and there is a hint of buds grazing all the tree. We are in for warmer weather, fresh green spring veggies, and lots of mud… I mean, what’s not to be happy about. (there are things but we don’t need to talk about them right now)

Yesterday the mr and I finished ripping up all the floor stuff (I managed not to hurt myself until the very last piece and stuck a nail into my hand) and then traveled the city looking at all the windows in all the stores. Window shopping is such a pain in the ass. If you never have to do it, don’t. But we have to and we need to make some decisions like now because this week a bunch of men are making their way over to the new house with their saws and hammers and a big dumpster and are going to cut the back roof off. I am so excited! The addition is going up and the best part is we decided it was just to much for the two of us to do so we hired out the hardest part. We don’t have to tear it down or frame it up anymore and oh does this make me happy. I was not to into the idea of me and the mr ripping of the roof ourselves. The mr, sure he knows what he is doing, but me, I would have probably taken the whole house down.

Anyway, going to be doing house stuff until we can’t which I am ok with because I am really starting to feel crazy and am ready to move.  I know it’s still a few months away but I have this weird feeling that I can’t really stop and chill until we are in the new house and I am relaxing there.. so we better get on it. 

And I can’t forget the cake. I need to make us a bunny with lots and lots of jelly beans.

Internet browsing from me to you.

-I think I might just spend my day making these. DIY GIANT ORIGAMI BUNNIES!

-My new house crush.

Pasta Hair packages are so cool. Creative Packaging Design Turns Pasta Into Hair

It works. Smart Tip: Peel an Entire Head of Garlic in 10 Seconds

-These 27 Solutions Could Help The U.S. Slash Food Waste

-Not Happy With the Candidates? Try Out a New Country. I know I have threatened to move if things go south around here.

-Of course this make all the sense. Greenery (or Even Photos of Trees) Can Make Us Happier

–LUSHNA VILLA: TINY SHELTERS FOR GLAMPING Yes! The mr and I will be making something like this for sure.

-My someday CARIBBEAN Home.

-I am really into (at the moment)  using light colored wood in fun ways at the house..Even thinking about plywood floors……we will see.

-More then just a great actor with an amazing voice. -Morgan Freeman Changed His 124 Acre Ranch Into A Bee Sanctuary To Help Save The Bees

And a few pics from the week.

Have a great weekend and again, Happy Spring!

-C