You ever have that problem where your clothes start to smell a little on the funky side, even when you wash them, remember to swtcich to dryer right away (I forget to switch a lot, which leads to a bad smell as well), and really, fully dry them?  Maybe it’s just our washer and dryer or maybe it’s because we use the non smelly non yucky laundry soup that might actually just be made of thickened water, or maybe it’s because we are just extra dirty people. But no matter what it is, our clothes as of late have been coming out of the dryer kind of stale..

. I want my clothes to smell fresh, or else why do I bother washing them (ok, I know why, but still)

Being the  problem solver that I am, I made these little satchels of good smelling herbs. Sure I could go and buy dryer sheets, but those just smell like chemical ass to me and I might actually prefer the smell of stale clothes. I also  have a ton of the nieces oh nice smelling rosemary growing outside my door. It just made sense. Good smelling herbs stuck into a sack and tossed  into the dryer with the clothes.

It works like a charm! Our clothes have been smelling nice and freshy fresh! No more stale ass clothes!

Stuff you will need

• A bunch of fresh or a handful of dried, good smelling herbs (rosemary, lavender, cinnamon stick. dill..whatever smells good to you)
• citrus peels (totally optional)
• Scrap faric
• needle and thread or use your sewing machine

Directions .

Just sew up a little sack roughly the size of your hand,, leaving one side open. Stuff with herbs and peels of your choice and sew the last side up and toss into your next dryer load… 

Can be reused 4-5 times. And when it starts to lose its effectiveness, the sack can be riped open on one side and refilled with fresh herbs.

Happy Clothes Washing!

-C

How was your week? Was it as straight up nasty humid and gross as mine was? Stupid heat wave.. I was not impressed. 

I will be the first person to admit it, that I am not my best person when the tempature rises and humidity levels get so high that it starts to creep into my soul. I go a little crazy/ crazy bitch and just am not pleasant to be around.  Or maybe it’s that everyone around me is not pleasant to be around. Either way…. just not good. 

And I forget things, like to pick up the  farm share this week. Now I am forced to go grocery shopping to buy most of our veggies (we are still getting a good clip from the garden) until next week. And Let’s not mention the pup.. cause he is just as miserable, if not more then we are.

So to beat the heat, the mr and I found ourselves traveling around, river hopping. He fished, I stuck my feet in the water and read, did some watercoloring, or knitted. It was fantastic and probably saved a few of the lives of the people around me. 

We also took my little brother and sister up to the Bio dome in Montreal for the day, which was pretty cool. And of course we didn’t leave the city without making the manditory stop at Ikea, where I got myself a nice new green jar and my sister ate not 1, but 4!!!! hotdogs, and topped it off with a dessert frozen yogurt. It was the highlight of her summer. and maybe the lowlight as well. Now that I think of it, it makes sense why she was so  quite on the way home. She was in a Ikea hotdog coma.

So yeah, the heat and humidity have finally broke and we are now (hopefully) going to finish off the rest of summer with a delightfully non humid and hot, weather pattern.

And then it will be fall and  we will go APPLE PICKING!!!! 

Some stuff  on the internet this week.

–Is coffee a vitamin? I think so.

-Finally, a fantastic spork. 

-Vermont Farms Grow Some Surprising Fruits

-Pop Tart beer… Where will they stop?

–Do animals blow their noses? Good question. 

-Good to know. Is washing fruit effective in reducing exposure to pesticides?

–I think I want to be a Globe Maker

-This is my house in Sweden (Someday!?!)

-And my house in San Francisco(One more to my collection)

-An NPR Story About Homemade Vegetable Broth 

And pictures from the week.

Weird week. I feel like I have been so busy, but can’t quite figure out with what. I guess winter can do that to you, you know, when leaving the house kind of feels like a chore. Yup, it’s mid February when its cold, windy, snowy, and kind of mah. But it’s cool cause I feel like it’s all down hill from now. Soon we will be looking at an extra hour of daylight and hopefully some above freezing temps! (I think we have had a record amount of days below freezing here in VT) No, I am not complaining, just looking forward to getting out of hibernation.

Anyway, here is some internet stuff I have found fun and interesting this week

And some life stuff from the week…It was farm share week and yes, that’s a kohlrabi bulb. And no, I have never in my life seen a kohlrabi as big as this one. It is for real bigger then my head.  If I didn’t know my farm was organic, I would think that they were growing these in toxic sludge. Wondering what I am going to do with it? Come back this week and see.

Oh my love… A few days ago I had my super comfy warm rag wool mittens stolen from me at the gym. I know, I was so pissed, but hopefully whom ever stole them is getting good use out of them. Anyway, to my Valentines Day surprise, the mister got me a new pair and sewed a heart into the palm of one. So freaking cute right!

 I like to take a look back at old pictures when I am feeling the crazy.. This one makes me think of summer and our honey bees. (That’s the mister digging into the top bar hive)

 The blue sky! And oh man am I craving some traveling. I think this was taken somewhere is Colorado. I want to go back.

Well that’s about it. Hopefully where ever you are, you are warm and staying out of crazy. Just wait, a few more weeks we will have more daylight and I bet even some above freezing temperatures because it has to happen, right?

Have a great week!

-C

I don’t think I need to tell anyone about how weird the past few weeks of weather have been, so I will just leave it alone because we don’t need to keep thinking about how stupid cold it is outside or that the next week is only suppose to get worse. Booooo, but oh well. More time for cooking, reading, and trolling the internet (I have spent a little more time then usual getting sucked into the world-wide web.) Beacause I have been spending a little more time interneting, I have added an addition to  my usual happy bits,  a few links that I have stumbled upon that I think are cool and of things that I want or want to make… Cool internet stuff…..a bit of internet happy. 

• So I recently discovered that I can waste a good amount of time on pintrest, especially looking at interiors and architecture and clothes (which I found really weird, but with one pin, an open can of worms…Dangerous stuff). I have a long way to go before I have nearly as many pins as other folk, but I am getting a good a start. Check out my boards…
• I smiled so much when I read   this article.    So sweet and are some of the coolest tattoos  ever.
• The original nomad. I am not a hot tub person (it makes me feel like I am being cooked..) But I might be able to get into one of these when doing some camping.
• I practically started salivating when I saw this falafel.  I am so going to make it for a special mister and me dinner!
• I don’t have any big kitchen utensils… like a kitchen aid or a panini grill, and for now, I am ok with that, but I really want this waffle iron. I could so use the crap out of it.

So that’s some internet stuff and here are a few life moments…..

I got to hang out with my little sister for the first time in like a month… She is just so busy being busy. I guess high school,play practices and boys and friends can fill up ones time at 15… but I miss her so much! I was very excited that she was able to hang out with me this week.  What did we do? Well we spent most of out time together taking pictures of her in my glasses, making food and then taking pictures of her eating food.  (She is eating whipped carob moose… like one should eat it) A fantastic day of silliness. 

I have been feeling like I might be fighting off an illness so I have been eating this Turmeric Ginger Garlic Carrot soup which I have been adding cabbage and topping with these pickled heart beet, all week long. So tasty and full of so much good.

 Oh yeah. Me, the mister, my sister, and her lovely little little went to Ikea this week. (the littles first international trip!!! Over the border and into Montreal) And of course at the end of any good shopping trip there is some type of food…. She  was so excited for the hot dog and frozen yogurt cone at check out. Champion food eater this one is.

And what’s not to love about pretty flowers (primrose)…..Sadly this is not a current picture. I need to get me some color today. 

Which leaves me with my goals for the day..

• Get 2 new library books (and return the huge stack by the door)
• Make something tasty good for dinner and prep food for the week
• clean bathroom and change sheets
• buy flowers
• Take a nap

Hope you all have a great day and the most splendid week!

Stay warm!

-C

No matter what is going on in my day, seeing a blue sky like this puts a smile on my face….To bad that smile turned to ice and my face froze in place. Because for some reason, winter around here now means below zero all the time. I mean, I love winter, but I am not going to lie… I wouldn’t mind if the wind would stop blowing and we had a couple of days of above zero weather.. and maybe a good foot of snow. I guess I’ll just have to be patient, cause its bound to happen. I mean, we live in Vermont, and if nothing else, we get weather. 

Anyways.. another week full of stuff that fills. I am a little taken aback that its already February… when was it January? Time just keeps going by fast and faster, (especially when I get cabin fever) and I think, “What have I done in the past year?” Well, I have done a lot. I was just looking through pictures from a year ago and found some of our tiny home in working progress. Not to many people can remodel a five unit house and a meat locker to live in, within a year.. by ourselves. (ourselves being Nick and I)..So yeah, that made me feel pretty freaking awesome and accomplished. (I needed to remember that because I haven’t been feeling it) But now I am feeling inspired and am looking forward to some new projects and fun things to come! (hopefully getting my pottery studio up and running, maybe another house remodel and lots of traveling!!…. take that winter blues!) 

Anyway.. here are a few little bits from my week that made me happy.

The mister called these snow mounds goosebumps… I think that is exactly what they are 

The only warm day this week. (20..woo whoo!) Took the little out for a sled ride. She spent the entire time dragging her hands in the fresh snow. 

And oh how I cannot  handle how freaking cute she is!! Plus, a shout out to my brother in law….MADLOVE!

Fresh snow..Even though it was -15, I had to stop and take this picture. The colors were amazing

Cabbage at the farm share pick up! Love ICF!!!

89 cents a pound for fresh organic cranberries. Score!! Made these Oatmeal fresh cranberry coconut chocolate chip cookies with them. Big hit.

This picture was taken exactly a year ago…..The mister and I were finally putting in the bathroom of our tiny little home…. And look at that awesome sink! (another amazing salvage yard find) If you ever need or want to remodel a bathroom, I suggest using a old cast iron utility sink. So practical, so functional, so pretty.….it makes me happy everyday!

Happy Sunday!

Happy February!

And if you are into it….

Happy Football Super bowl Game and or party! ( If you need any awesome fast party recipes, I have bunch, just check out the recipes page!)

-C

Sometime the best things in life are the simplest things. For example; a walk through the woods, a really pretty smooth rock, a perfectly timed 80’s ballad song for the last push during a workout, or falling asleep on the couch and managing to not drool all over the newly washed pillows.(You know what I am talking about). I mean, can one really ask for much more?

Same goes with food. The simplest foods can really the best. Take this cashews cheese for example. All it is is soaked and blended up cashews with a bit of seasoning to cheese it up. Nothing fancy, nothing labor intensive, just straight up and straight out. You can up the greatness by adding thick cuts of fresh, sun kissed, bright and happy tomato, and a chunk of fresh bread…Not much better then that. So simple and yet so good.

 And bonus. No need to turn on any heating units in order to make this cause that would suck, given that we are again having another fucking heat wave. 

Agh stupid hot weather. STUPID!!!! But enough about that..

Cheese time.

The stuff. Cashews that be soakin for a while in some water, nutritional yeast (to give it that cheesy flavor), lemon, garlic, and salt and pepper. That’s for the cheese, but you are, and should, want to eat it with a large, so fresh and juicy, tomato and some kind of fresh bread situation. So you need that too!

Simple as can be. Strain cashews from soaking water and dump into a food processor with the garlic, nutritional yeast, juice of the lemon, a pinch of salt and pepper, and a little water.  Turn on processor.

And it’s done when its all smooth and creamy .Adjust salt and pepper to taste.

Tranfer  the goodness to a lovely jar 

And that’s that.. some cheese of the cashew.

But wait, you need to eat it.. Smear all over the bread situation, cut up the tomato, place big fat slabs directly onto cashew butter and spinkle with a salt and pepper.

SImply the best… Better then all the rest!

Happy today! Stay cool my friends…stay cool.

-C

makes about 1 1/2 cups of creamy, cheesy goodness

• 1 cup of raw unsalted cashew soaked in water for about an hour 
• 1/2 cup fresh water
• 2-4 tablespoons nutrional yeast 
• juice of a lemon
• 2-3 cloves garlic (optional )
• salt and pepper

And not that you have to, but having some freshy tomatoes and some nice bread to eat the cheese on is pretty fantastical. 

After you cashews have been soaking for about an hour, strain water and add them and all of the other ingredients to a food processor. Blend until smooth and creamy. Scoop into a jar.

Eat some right away on a hunk of fresh bread with lots of thick cuts of fresh tomato and place the rest in the fridge.

The cheese will get a bit thicker after being refrigerated for a while.

Use on anything , in anything, or all on it’s own. Licking jar clean is encouraged.

Yesterday I spent the entire day (ok maybe not the entire day), but a the better part of the afternoon defrosting my freezer. Sure, I do the occasional chip chop here and there, just enough from around the freezer door so it will close, but ever few months I notice that everything in the fridge is not staying cold and that the freezer is not freezing stuff. Thats when I know its for real time to defrost. So a few days ago when I noticed my bananas were turing to liquid in the freezer, I knew it what I had to do….Completely empty the fridge  and melt/hack away the 2-4 inches of ice build up that accumulated. It is such a freaking pain in the ass.So on this defrosting day, I took all the stuff from the freezer, stuck it in a cooler, and the rest of the stuff, which is basically all veggies, I just tossed on the table. As I am hacking away with a metal spatual, a wooden spoon, and a constant rotation of pots of boiling water, I was thinking about dinner. I figured I might as well just eat up as much of the veggies as I could, you know, so I didn’t have to put them back in the fridge. And also, I was getting pretty annoyed because this particular defrosting session was taking way longer the anticipated, which made making dinner seem like another pain in the ass.  I figured I might as well just eat everything that is already out on the table, which pretty much narrowed down the “whats for dinner” conversations because it was already all over the place. And so dinner was a humongo salad for me, and for the mister, I made him a monster of a veggie sandwich. (my salad was exactly the same stuff as the sandwich, minus the bagel) Easy, fast, super duper yummy, pretty and piled so high with tons of veggies that the fridge is pretty much empty now. 

Look at the is beast. I don’t call it a monster sandwich for nothing.

The stuff included in this monster veggie sandwich..

Romaine lettuce, tomato, avocado for there is not real sandwich without them. Thinly sliced radishes, cucumber,a and onion for nice crispy crunch. Shredded beets, carrots, and purple cabbage to give  more crunch and a bit of sweetness. Then of course there needs to be something pickled, so I used banana peppers cause they are the SHIT!! And lastly some hummus for a nice creamy finish (plus a bit of protein) and yellow mustard because mustard on everything is just right.  Heres to a mountain if goodness that is no longer in the fridge! Served with a another mountain of roasted parsnips and carrots (more stuff from the fridge) and a tall glass of iced tea.

Lucky that today is farm share pick up cause the fridge is pretty much on empty. 

Yea it’s Thursday!!!!

-C

A Monster Veggie Sandwich

Note. This is just a guide.. Feel free to use whatever veggies you fancy. 

• Either a bagel, 2 slices of bread, or a big chunk of baguette (use a gluten free bread if you want or need too)
• Hummus- Homemade or store bought
• Mustard
• Something pickled like pickles, banana peppers , jalapeños or all three 
• Lettuce, spinach or some kind of leafy green
• Tomato
• Avocado
• Onion
• Radishes
• Cucumber
• Shredded Carrots
• Shredded Beets
• Shredded Cabbage

To assemble. Ready your bread.. Toast if you want, and stick it on a plate

On either side, smear the hummus and the mustard.  

Pick a side, start to stack by evenly disrupting veggies on top of veggies. Place the second piece of bread on top and  giving a little smooth to keep it together.

And go at it. Cut in half or don’t. Have a napkin or a long sleeve ready to wipe your face.

HEY Hey Hey… It’s Taco TUESDAY, which means that you are obligated as consumer of food to eat some tacos today!

So ok, I am not going to lie, these tacos were not actually made on a Tuesday (GASP) but were made in lu of pizza Friday (another GASP!!) 

But guess what? No one died. People were happy. Food was fantastic, and there was no mention of the pizza that was not.  So sure, taco tuesday is totally a thing around here, but  you know how “Nobady puts baby in a corner”..  well nobody buts tacos in a corner. We don’t let the day of the week depict when tacos are eaten cause we think tacos are for everyday!

And these tacos, well, I got down with these. Made with lentils, cause lentils are the best, and topped with a hearty scoop of super fresh, chunky veggie salsa…. Not much is better then that. Easy and fast with lots of pretty in every bite, these tacos are a great addition to any taco dinner rotation!

Now lets get taco-ing!!!

The stuff. First off, you are going to need some type of taco shell.. soft or hard or both , that is entirely up to you.( I made taco shells a little early in the day, but store bought is totally cool.) Also need lentils, water to cook the lentils, a jalapeño (optional), taco seasoning (pre blended or your own blend) and onion. Also needed is a gigantic tomato, some red cabbage, a few kale leaves, a lime, and salt and pepper.

To get this party started, chop up half the onion, the tomato, cabbage ,and kale and toss into a big bowl. Oh, and chop up the cilantro and toss that in as well.

Sprinkle with salt and add the juice of the lime. Mix oh mix and set aside to let all the flavors meld.

Now that the salsa is doing it’s thing, chop up the jalapeño and the other half of onion and toss into a big skillet and place on medium heat.

And when the bits start to brown like so…

Dump the lentils in to the pan with water.Bring it all  to a boil then turn heat down to low.. Add in the taco seasoning and sprinkle of salt and pepper and place some type of lid on ithe pan.

And simmered until cooked.

Note. Check the lentils every few minutes while they are cooking. If you think they seems to dry, add in another 1/2 cup of water.

Now it’s ssembly time! Lentils in shell, topped with a generous amount of  salsa. That’s it! Maybe some guacamole would be nice (I had an avocado saved for guac, but it was rotten on the inside.. I was super pissed) But with or without, these are some freak yeah yummy tacos! I served my next to a bed of some jasmine rice which was nice, but do what you want my friends. 

Happy Taco Tuesday! (or any taco day!)

-C

Makes about 8 -10 tacos

For the Lentil Filling

• 1 cup dried lentils
• 2 1/2 -3 cups water
• 2 tablespoons taco seasoning*
• 1/2 of an onion
• 1 jalapeño 

Fot the Garden Veggie Salsa

• 2 big tomatoes (or one gigantic tomato)
• 1/4 head of red(or green) cabbage (about 2 cups shredded)
• 1/2  of an onion
• 4-5 kale leaves
• 1 juicy lime (2 if they are not very juicy)
• a bunch of cilantro 
• salt and pepper

And don’t forget the taco shells!

*Note. You can use any type of taco seasoning that you like, store bought or home made. I make my own with cumin, chili powder, onion powder, garlic powder, and a little coriander. 

Dice the tomato and 1/2 the onion into small chunks and toss into a big bowl. Finely chop the cabbage an the kale into small shreds and toss that into the bowl. And chop up as much cilantro as you would like and that goes into the bowl as well. Spinkle with some salt and add in the juice of the lime.  Mix everything all around and set aside.

Once the salsa is made and sitting, chop the jalapeño and other half of onion and toss into a large skillet. Place on medium heat for a few minutes until the pepper and onion start to brown. Now dump in dried lentils and 2 1/2 cups of water. Turn heat to high and bring to a boil, them back down to low. Seaosn with salt, add in the taco seasoning, and stick a lid (or cover with something), and let simmer for about 20- 25 minutes or until the lentils have absorbed  all the water and are nice and soft. If you find the lentils are still hard and there is no liquid, , add in another 1/2 cup of water. 

Once the lentils are cooked to your liking, remove from heat and get assemble tacos. 

Scoops some lentil mixture into shells. Add on a big scoop of the fresh veggie salsa and eat with you face.

Guacamole, cheese, sour cream, or whatever are optional topping that you may consider adding but are definitely not necessary.  . 

Finally, it’s safe to turn the oven back on. No more heatwave (PLEASE NO MORE!!!) Last week was such a bust of life, I still feel like I am recovering. But let’s not talk about anymore. Lets talk about this cauliflower situation that was a highlight of my week.

I have been meaning to do this for a while now. And I have attempted, I’ll have the intention, get the cauliflower and peppers,  then somehow forget that I was going to cook it and just feed it to the mr raw, or he will just start eating at it and then the head is not intact anymore (He loves raw cauliflower). And sure, you don’t need to have a whole head of cauliflower to roast it and enjoy it, but come on, doesn’t it look super badass and pretty whole? And you can slices of it like you would a cake, a really yummy veggie cake. So yeah, it should be a whole head. Anyways, besides being pretty, this thing was freaking amazing. I love cauliflower, roasted cauliflower even more. Add to it some slightly sweet and cheesy pepper sauce, holy ho…I almost ate the entire thing myself. It was everything and more how I wanted it to turn out and am now forever going eat my cauliflower exactly like this (but probably not always). And the sauce…. I am going to make giant jars of it and stick it on everything. So good.

Now lets get to it.

The stuff. A whole head of cauliflower, a couple colorful peppers, nutritional yeast, garlic, lemon, salt and pepper, and a little bit of olive oil. 

Start with the cauliflower, Trim away any big leaves from the bottom and stick the whole head into a oven safe pot big enough to hold it.. Add in a little water and stick on the stove top on medium heat to cook for a few minutes, just to give it a little head start.

And preheat the oven

Pre roasted, slightly streamed cauliflower goes into the oven until a nice golden brown and all pretty like.

While the cauliflower is roasting, roasted the peppers too.I place mine whole onto a lightly oiled cast iron pan* and stick into the oven.

Once the peppers are starting to char and have become soft and tender, remove from the oven and let cool for a few minutes or long enough for you to handle them. When cooled enough, remove the stem, seeds and any of the skin that is coming off.

*Last year I used the same cast iron pan over and over to rasot peppes and never cleaned it, or bothered to oil it. By the end of the summer, there was a 1/2 inch thick layer of hard as rock caramelized pepper juice that I had to chip it away with a chisel… so yeah. be careful of pepper juice.

Toss the roasted peppers into a food processor along with the garlic, lemon juice, nutritional yeast, a splsh of oil and s little salt and pepper.  

And taste.. and try not to eat it all right now (It is so f ing good) 

And take that sweet, so delocouis sauce and smother all over the roasted cauliflower.

If you want, stick it back into the oven for a few minutes to crust up a little bit, but not a necessary.You can call it here and go to town.

I stuck in back in the oven for a few minutes… But again, not necessary.

And now you have this giant, amazing, head of delicious cauliflower, waiting to be eaten. I recommend removing the head and sticking it on a cutting board, you know, for easier cutting, and also it looks pretty badass. 

Cut into chunks and serve right away.  

Goodness gracious was this thing so freaking good!

Have a fantastic day!

-C

• 1 fresh head of cauliflower
• 2 red(yellow or orange work too) peppers
• 2 -3 tablespoons nutritional yeast (the more the cheesier)
• 4-5 cloves of garlic
• juice of a lemon
• salt and pepper
• olive oil

Take whole head of cauliflower and trim any big leaves or stem off bottom. Stick into a big oven safe pot with about 1/2 inch of water. Place a lid on pot and stick on medium heat for about 8-10 minutes, or until water has evaporated. and cauliflower is slightly tender.

Preheat oven to 425.

After the brief cook on the stove top, remove lid, drizzle cauliflower with a tiny bit of oil and sprinkle with a little salt and pepper. Stick into oven without the lid.

Now that the oven is on, toss peppers into oven, either on a baking sheet, pan, or on the rack if you have the space and cook until all roasted and soft (should take about 15 minutes). Remove when cooked and let cool off for a few minutes. Once cool enough to handle, remove seeds and stem and any of the skin that want to come off and stick into a food processor. Add in the garlic, nutritional yeast, lemon juice and a tiny drizzle of olive oil. Blend until smooth. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Once the head of cauliflower is cooked and browned, remove from oven and dump/ smear with the red pepper sauce. If you want, place back into oven for a few more minutes, or not. Good both ways.

Remove from pot and cut into big ass chunks. Garnish with something green and eat until you can’t eat anymore.

If by chance you have any left overs (which I highly doubt) try blending it up as soup. It is freaking fantastic!

Finally, it’s safe to turn the oven back on. No more heatwave (PLEASE NO MORE!!!) Last week was such a bust of life, I still feel like I am recovering. But let’s not talk about anymore. Lets talk about this cauliflower situation that was a highlight of my week.

I have been meaning to do this for a while now. And I have attempted, I’ll have the intention, get the cauliflower and peppers,  then somehow forget that I was going to cook it and just feed it to the mr raw, or he will just start eating at it and then the head is not intact anymore (He loves raw cauliflower). And sure, you don’t need to have a whole head of cauliflower to roast it and enjoy it, but come on, doesn’t it look super badass and pretty whole? And you can slices of it like you would a cake, a really yummy veggie cake. So yeah, it should be a whole head. Anyways, besides being pretty, this thing was freaking amazing. I love cauliflower, roasted cauliflower even more. Add to it some slightly sweet and cheesy pepper sauce, holy ho…I almost ate the entire thing myself. It was everything and more how I wanted it to turn out and am now forever going eat my cauliflower exactly like this (but probably not always). And the sauce…. I am going to make giant jars of it and stick it on everything. So good.

Now lets get to it.

The stuff. A whole head of cauliflower, a couple colorful peppers, nutritional yeast, garlic, lemon, salt and pepper, and a little bit of olive oil. 

Start with the cauliflower, Trim away any big leaves from the bottom and stick the whole head into a oven safe pot big enough to hold it.. Add in a little water and stick on the stove top on medium heat to cook for a few minutes, just to give it a little head start.

And preheat the oven

Pre roasted, slightly streamed cauliflower goes into the oven until a nice golden brown and all pretty like.

While the cauliflower is roasting, roasted the peppers too.I place mine whole onto a lightly oiled cast iron pan* and stick into the oven.

Once the peppers are starting to char and have become soft and tender, remove from the oven and let cool for a few minutes or long enough for you to handle them. When cooled enough, remove the stem, seeds and any of the skin that is coming off.

*Last year I used the same cast iron pan over and over to rasot peppes and never cleaned it, or bothered to oil it. By the end of the summer, there was a 1/2 inch thick layer of hard as rock caramelized pepper juice that I had to chip it away with a chisel… so yeah. be careful of pepper juice.

Toss the roasted peppers into a food processor along with the garlic, lemon juice, nutritional yeast, a splsh of oil and s little salt and pepper.  

And taste.. and try not to eat it all right now (It is so f ing good) 

And take that sweet, so delocouis sauce and smother all over the roasted cauliflower.

If you want, stick it back into the oven for a few minutes to crust up a little bit, but not a necessary.You can call it here and go to town.

I stuck in back in the oven for a few minutes… But again, not necessary.

And now you have this giant, amazing, head of delicious cauliflower, waiting to be eaten. I recommend removing the head and sticking it on a cutting board, you know, for easier cutting, and also it looks pretty badass. 

Cut into chunks and serve right away.  

Goodness gracious was this thing so freaking good!

Have a fantastic day!

-C

• 1 fresh head of cauliflower
• 2 red(yellow or orange work too) peppers
• 2 -3 tablespoons nutritional yeast (the more the cheesier)
• 4-5 cloves of garlic
• juice of a lemon
• salt and pepper
• olive oil

Take whole head of cauliflower and trim any big leaves or stem off bottom. Stick into a big oven safe pot with about 1/2 inch of water. Place a lid on pot and stick on medium heat for about 8-10 minutes, or until water has evaporated. and cauliflower is slightly tender.

Preheat oven to 425.

After the brief cook on the stove top, remove lid, drizzle cauliflower with a tiny bit of oil and sprinkle with a little salt and pepper. Stick into oven without the lid.

Now that the oven is on, toss peppers into oven, either on a baking sheet, pan, or on the rack if you have the space and cook until all roasted and soft (should take about 15 minutes). Remove when cooked and let cool off for a few minutes. Once cool enough to handle, remove seeds and stem and any of the skin that want to come off and stick into a food processor. Add in the garlic, nutritional yeast, lemon juice and a tiny drizzle of olive oil. Blend until smooth. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Once the head of cauliflower is cooked and browned, remove from oven and dump/ smear with the red pepper sauce. If you want, place back into oven for a few more minutes, or not. Good both ways.

Remove from pot and cut into big ass chunks. Garnish with something green and eat until you can’t eat anymore.

If by chance you have any left overs (which I highly doubt) try blending it up as soup. It is freaking fantastic!

Whenever my little sister comes over for dinner, I always end up making lentils in some form or another because she, like me, is awesome and loves a good lentil. It makes me so happy that she has such great taste in food and wants to eat what I make.  It’s validation from a teenage girl which is the best kind of validation. 

So last night when she came over after school for dinner and trash talk (she likes to verbally abuse Nick)  we decided  to make both of our favorites … Lentils AND sweet potatoes. How can you go wrong with that combo? Well I am telling you that you can’t. The rich creamy soft and slightly sweet sweet potato mixed up with the hearty, earthy, oh so fantastically tasty lentil. Add in a bit of kale and cheese if you wish and serve with salsa and guac… Whoa, it’s the best!!!

Such a great evening, I get to the cooking, the sister gets to the verbal abuse and the mister, begin the champ that he is, takes it and dishes it right back. 

I am the greatest(coolest) sister. 

Baked sweet potatoes, cooked lentils, chopped up kale and monetary jack cheese (Cheese is optional.. and make it vegan cheese if you want) And you don’t need then, but salsa and guacamole are the best toppings.. So you have them. 

Cut the cooked potato in half lengthwise and scoop the flesh out into a bowl. With a fork, smooth the potato , sprinkle with salt and pepper and mix in lentils and kale.

Stuff the mixture back into the skins of the potato.

And add some cheese (The mister and the sister wanted lots of cheese, no cheese for me) and stick the potatoes into the oven and let bake for another 5 or so minutes or until the cheese is all melty or the top is nice and crispy. 

Remove and plate… Serve with salsa and guacamole and maybe some corn chips.  

I am the greatest sister

-C

Makes 2 serving

• 1 Large Sweet Potato
• 1 cup Prepared Lentils
• 1 cup Chopped Kale
• 1/2 cup Grated Monetary Jack Cheese (Vegan style or not) 
• Salsa (optional)
• Guacamole(optional)

Place potato in oven at 400 degrees for 30-40 minutes or until soft a baked throughout.

While potato is baking, prepare lentils.  2 cups water to 1 cup lentils. Add water and lentil to pot, bring to a boil, add a sprinkle of salt, and reduce to simmer until lentils are tender. 

When potato is cooked, remove potato  and let cool for a few minutes. Cut in half lengthwise and scoop out most of the flesh out of the skins and place into a big bowl. WIth a fork, mash the potato a bit  Add in the lentils and the kale, a sprinkle of salt and pepper, and mix to combine. Stuff the mixture back into the skins of the potatoes and top with cheese. (if using ) Place potatoes back into oven for 5-10 minutes until cheese is melty and bubbly or the top of the potato is a bit crispy. Remove from oven and serve on a plate with salsa and guacamole.

Eat and be happy. 

Sometime the best things in life are the simplest things. For example; a walk through the woods, a really pretty smooth rock, a perfectly timed 80’s ballad song for the last push during a workout, or falling asleep on the couch and managing to not drool all over the newly washed pillows.(You know what I am talking about). I mean, can one really ask for much more?

Same goes with food. The simplest foods can really the best. Take this cashews cheese for example. All it is is soaked and blended up cashews with a bit of seasoning to cheese it up. Nothing fancy, nothing labor intensive, just straight up and straight out. You can up the greatness by adding thick cuts of fresh, sun kissed, bright and happy tomato, and a chunk of fresh bread…Not much better then that. So simple and yet so good.

 And bonus. No need to turn on any heating units in order to make this cause that would suck, given that we are again having another fucking heat wave. 

Agh stupid hot weather. STUPID!!!! But enough about that..

Cheese time.

The stuff. Cashews that be soakin for a while in some water, nutritional yeast (to give it that cheesy flavor), lemon, garlic, and salt and pepper. That’s for the cheese, but you are, and should, want to eat it with a large, so fresh and juicy, tomato and some kind of fresh bread situation. So you need that too!

Simple as can be. Strain cashews from soaking water and dump into a food processor with the garlic, nutritional yeast, juice of the lemon, a pinch of salt and pepper, and a little water.  Turn on processor.

And it’s done when its all smooth and creamy .Adjust salt and pepper to taste.

Tranfer  the goodness to a lovely jar 

And that’s that.. some cheese of the cashew.

But wait, you need to eat it.. Smear all over the bread situation, cut up the tomato, place big fat slabs directly onto cashew butter and spinkle with a salt and pepper.

SImply the best… Better then all the rest!

Happy today! Stay cool my friends…stay cool.

-C

makes about 1 1/2 cups of creamy, cheesy goodness

• 1 cup of raw unsalted cashew soaked in water for about an hour 
• 1/2 cup fresh water
• 2-4 tablespoons nutrional yeast 
• juice of a lemon
• 2-3 cloves garlic (optional )
• salt and pepper

And not that you have to, but having some freshy tomatoes and some nice bread to eat the cheese on is pretty fantastical. 

After you cashews have been soaking for about an hour, strain water and add them and all of the other ingredients to a food processor. Blend until smooth and creamy. Scoop into a jar.

Eat some right away on a hunk of fresh bread with lots of thick cuts of fresh tomato and place the rest in the fridge.

The cheese will get a bit thicker after being refrigerated for a while.

Use on anything , in anything, or all on it’s own. Licking jar clean is encouraged.

It’s official, all of the littles started school yesterday……HOORAY! (I say hooray cause school is cool and the start of school means it’s going to be fall so soon!. Also I like hanging out with the littles more when they are in school. There is more to talk about and any time away from school is cool time so they like to do more stuff and not just be summer bums)

One of the littles had his very first ever day of school. So me, being the bestest most awesomest aunt ever, made that little a celebration, hooray for school, banana ice cream cake.

This little  has been bugging me for a while now to make him an ice cream cake. It all started a few months ago when I gave him a bowl of banana ice cream and told him that when he sleeps over he can have ice cream for breakfast  That blew his little mind. We then proceeded to have a converastawtion about healthy food and what was ok to eat for breakfast. (He is very interested in being healthy) I then told him that whenever he sleeps over I would make a banana ice cream cake for breakfast cause bananas are healthy. But every time he is over, I never seems to have enough bananas.

Well I had the bananas and there is no better excuse then the first day of kindergarten to make a cake.. A very delicious peanut butter banana ice cream cake!  And no, it wasn’t for breakfast, but the left overs can be! (there were no left overs here)

The stuff… Crispy rice cereal, peanut butter (I have some chiunky stuff  at the moment, but any nut butter is good) and 4 frozen  chopped up bananas.

Rice ceareal goes into a food processor with the peanut butter. Pulse until everything is all combined and starts to come togerter.

And ump the mixture into a spring for pan. If you do not have a spring form pan, a pie plate will work just as well.

Such a nice looking crust if I do say so myself. Now stick it in the freezer while you make your ice cream.

Frozen bananas go into the processor, get blended for a few mounters, and come out as ice cream…. freaking magic!

Now dump the magic ice cream into the crust.

And smooth it all nice like..and into the freezer it goes until its frozen.

After a few hours, you take it out of the freezer, remove from the pan (or leave it in the pan)

And gather your toppings. A handful of the rice cereal, some melted peanut butter, and a little melted nutella. (use whatever you want.. fruit would be great, some nuts, graham crackers, sprinkles. You get the idea)

 Now, Wait for it….

Go crazy! Toppings all over!

And serve up, and watch out.. I almost got my hand eaten for kids going for seconds..

Have a fantastic day and happy back to school. to littles and parents alike!

-C

Makes a 6 inch cake 

For the cake

• 4-5 frozen bananas
• 2 1/2 cups crispy rice cereal
• 4 tablespoon peanut butter 

To garnish (use any, all or none of what you would like… and maybe not the super sugary ones if a breakfast cake)

• melted peanut butter
• melted chocolate
• Nutella
• handful of rice cereal
• fresh fruit
• jam
• coconut flakes
• sprinkles
• anything else you would like!

Place cereal and peanut butter into a food processor and pulse until crumbly and combined and starts to come away from bowl.

Dump mixture into a 6 in spring form pan (or if you not have one, a pie plate works too) and press it down evenly on the bottom. Stick into freezer

Take bananas out of freezer and place into food processor. Blend until smooth. If needed, you can drizzle a tiny amount of water into it if you think it needs a little help to blend. 

Once smooth, take crust from freezer and dump the nanaer ice cream on top and carefully smooth it out. Stick back into freezer (a pier of plastic over to prevent ice crystals )for at least 2 hours, or until the ice cream has completely frozen.

When it’s time to serve, remove cake from spring form (or leave it in the pie plate).and drizzle the top with melted peanut butter, melted, chocolate and another handful of crispy cereal. Or leave it bare. Or add sprinkles… the toppings are all unto you!

Eat like a camp, for breakfast or dessert.. Or eat some for dessert and then some for breakfast.

The past few weeks, whenever the mr and I have a free couple of hours, we have been hitting the countryside, in such of the best rivers (for me to play in and for him to fly fish) 

We have been to many, but this one is my new favorite. There is shade to sit in, sun to bath in, and hiking trails to hike. There are little wading pools, deep spots that are great for fishing, and lost and lots of the most amazing rock formations. And bonus, the was not a mere person in site, only a few cute little frogs.

 No matter that I think I broke the bottom of my foot walking barefoot in the water and jumping hard onto a rock, or that the mr came back with a touch of poison ivy (poison something). We still both love it and are looking forward to our next trip back with shoes and long sleeves!

You got any plans this weekend? If not, I am recommending that you hit a river. Bring a book, bring a picnic, and bring a little bucket for your river treasures. Soak up the last bits of the summer, take a break from the crazy, and just go. Trust, you will be happy you did.

Hey there people! How’s it going? Good right.. cause it’s SUNDAY!

Ok, so I know that some people don’t like sundays, but me, it’s my day. The one day of the week that I try to do as little crap as possible and relax, It also means the house is spotless, the fridge is stocked, (so so so stocked..a farm share and garden explosion!) and the sheets have been changed on the bed…. I LOVE clean sheets!  

This past week was for sure one of those dragging, nagging, just want it to be over type of weeks. Why? I am not exactly sure. We have  had us some good time; a back to school dinner, banana ice cream cake, garden time and a few playground trips. But I think I am just feeling the pull towards fall and am just clicking the days away until  we have the crisp cold days full of apple, pumpkins, cozy sweaters, and colorful leaves. Call me crazy, but I can’t wait for the warm weather to GO AWAY!

Anyway,  today I am going to relax a bit. Maybe I’ll finish my book, restart my knitting (I have knitted about 3 hats and keep pulling them apart because I don’t end up liking them.. I have pattern commitment issues) or do a little more painting. (on canvas, not walls).  I hope to take the mr and the pup for a little hike and of course, drink a much coffee as my heart can handle. 

How about you? Got any plans for the day? 

Note about picture above…. Saw the stuffed bear on a walk with the pup.. He went BATSHIT when he saw it. I don’t know how I even managed to take a picture cause he was barking like an ass at the thing…. Thats my dog.

Here is internet stuff from the week

-No more squares on Instagram. I am not going to lie, haven’t noticed 

-Uh, no shit. Turns Out Sarcastic People Really Are Better at Everything 

-Can You Use That In A Sentence? Dictionary Adds New Words…Awesomsauce!

-Plants all around!!! 

– This house and this house

-Why isn’t this happening everywhere? Streamlined Berlin Grocery Store Creates No Packaging Waste

–If only I had a library.. These are tops! 

-The Complete Guide to Gluten Free Baking. Thanks King Arthur Flour!

-Human Face Coffee Lids.. hahaha 

-Indiana Brewery Is Now Making a Beer for Dogs. I know my pup would like one.

And a few pictures from the week (All taken with my I phone 4.. I kept forgetting my camera)

Can you believe it… August already. What the what?

 I was in the great big Coscto store this week and saw Halloween costumes and I am pretty sure there was some Christmas shit too. (I wasn’t  about to look to closely and fall down that rabbit hole) I mean, jeeze, It’s still summer and I like to think that I live a little more in the somewhat present moment.  I have a hard time figuring out what I am going to be doing in 2 weeks, let alone 2 months from now.  But man, seeing that stuff really sent me into a time whirl… It’s just flying by so fast. 

Anyway, August. One of my favorite months of the year. The farm shares are gigantic (I got corn and watermelons at the last pick up!) and the garden is bursting with so many goodies. The days are still really warm, but the nights are starting to cool off, The wild flowers are in abundance all over. Plus my Dad always comes back to Vermont in August for a long visit (he;s here now!), which means lots of family stuff, a Stem family reunion, lots of hiking, and of course lots of food eating. And it’s getting close to back to school time. The littles are all getting equally exctited/depressed about the going back. I am kind of excited for them to go back too! 

My goal for August.. try to check off some more of my summer bucket list and also try to buy some plane tickets to a far away land.( I hear that tickets prices this month are at the lowest they have been in years!) At the same time I want to try not to worry to much about doing a bunch of stuff..  just try to enjoy what’s left of the summer. No pressure!

So what about you? Got any end of summer plans? 

I’ll leave you with some good internet stuff from the week.

-I know I have said this before, but this is the house I am meant to live in.

-Cocoon in a tree!?!!…but where do you pee?

–Get it here…IKEA 2016 CATALOG!

-I love a good tub. The World’s Most Beautiful Bathtubs

–Whoa. How Birds See Our World 

-This wood is so pretty. 

–Different types of summer squash

-I am a plant whore so this makes me happy. A Plethora of Plants in Every Room

-Oh to be one of these littles… The Kids of Burning Man

And hiking and bee pictures from the week

Be Happy and enjoy the rest of the weekend!

-C

Happy summer!! Happy Fathers Day!! Happy happy!! 

Can you believe it? We are already getting toward the end of June. This is just crazy to me. I feel like I should have gotten more summer stuff done already. Aaaaaaaaah! Pulling my hair out! Whatever, it’s all cool. I’ll get there (where?  not exactly sure) but I think this week was a good start. We did a little road trip to Montreal, a few good bike rides, hung out with some littles that are officially on summer vacation (again. AAAAAHHHHH), a drive to the country to collect wildflowers…. I mean, I did a good amount of awesome stuff this week.  I also did a fair amount of not so much fun crap, but we don’t need to go there. All this summer talk got me thinking.. What do I want to do this summer? So I made a list

SUMMER BUCKET LIST

1. Hike Camels Hump (and some other mountains)
2. Start knitting a sweater so it will be ready for fall
3. Fly a kite
4. A kayaking Day Trip
5. At least one EPIC bike ride
6. repot all my house plants
7. spend a n entire day in bed (or at least at home)
8. Make popsicles at least once a week
9. Fly somewhere
10. go swimming in a river
11. Clean out the barn
12. A few good camping trips (can combine with #1,2,3,4,6, and 9)
13. Road Trip!!! (another one)
14. Shave my legs and get a hair cut
15. Every kind of berry picking

I could add a few more, but this is a good start.  Do you have a summer bucket list? If so, something you got that I am missing? I am open to suggestions,

Anyway, here is what this week in internet had for me…

 –  I am in love and inspired by this. STUDIO TOUR: KIKI SLAUGHTER

– A Gallery of Beautifully Eclectic Living Rooms 

–Yes, Coffee Can Actually Improve The Power Of Your Power Naps

-Nick and I were just listening to this TED talk. Very interesting. Shifting Time  

 – I love  a good  Horseshoe.

-This hotel room, I could live in.  AN APARTMENT-LIKE HOTEL ROOM FOR THE TRAVELING PROFESSIONAL 

-Your Inner-Child Will Love This Playground Decor I think I want the side.   

And some pictures from the week.

The gardens looking good, no?

Sticks and farting noises make the best of times.

Weekly CSA…..so AMAZING!!!

I rode the mr’s  bike for a few days after my tire popped. I liked having a basket, I felt like the wicked witch of the west.

For a little while now, we have been telling this lady (my little sis) we would take her to the big city up north. She had never been, (which is crazy cause we live so close) and wanted to just explore and take some pictures. So last week when she finally finished school for the summer, the mr, this lady, and I made the trip.

 I guess the best way to start a little road trip is with a bowl or egg noodle covered in the smelliest teriyaki sauce ever ( it was 9 in the morning). Gross as hell, but i give her credit for creativity. This lady has a fantastic (and pretty freaking dirty) mind. 

And really, what’s a trip to Montreal without stopping at Ikea. It’s like a house ware themed playground. So much tomfoolery! 

The mr. wants to know, “is it really frozen yogurt, cause it’s too good to be yogurt?” The lady just wants an Ikea closer so she can eat ice cream and hot dogs all day, everyday. 

The balls we plastic and full of water….and after wondering aloud if the balls ever dropped, this one fell onto my head.

Once in the city, we parked and set out on foot. The goal for the day was to walk, see some cool shit, and get a good cup of coffee. All of which we did. So after a few hours, tired, hot and sun burnt (we forgot the sunscreen), we dragged ass back to the car and drove home.

Until next time. (maybe we’ll take her to a strip club)

-C

It’s been a long, packed, but very fantastic week. Everyday has been full of work, chores, family, and trying to get in a least one good bike ride or walk in.  I made a list of a few important points to mention from the past week.

• Spring is real, not an imagined season in my head. (HOORAY!!!!). 
• Banana ice cream is everyones favorite snack
• Planting things from seed and watching them grow is magic
• Riding a bike with kinda flat tires really sucks
• The little people in my family are the best most fantastic humans
• Don’t tell a 2 year that ants will bite her or you will end up caring that child around everywhere because she is afraid to walk outside (Anyone know  good therapist for a 2 year old?)

Anyways, I am hoping to take it easy today, catch up on my coffee consumption, do a bit of gardening, reading, bike riding, all without pressure or expectations. Everyone should have a day for no expectations.

Some fun internet stuff from the week.

-I need an RV or camper. THE BRAVE // vintage rv renovation inspiration

-Who cares if not everyone is pleased, I would be if my lunch bags looked like this. These Parents Make Lovely Lunch Bag Art. Not Everyone Is Pleased

-So lovely. Urban Jewelry: New Lace Street Art by NeSpoon

-Alternative energy Woo Hoo!  Tesla’s Powerwall Home Battery Wants to Make Fossil Fuels Obsolete

-I am really excited to make this… I have a feeling that I will be incorporating it into many of my recipes. ChefSteps’ Genius Roasted Onion Cream

-Another house that I could get down with. 

And a few pictures….

The mister and the worlds biggest crayon, which is made of scraps of blue crayons from all over the world. I could totally use a big ass crayon like this.The coolest most badass 95 year old lady that I know (I know a few), Grammy Stem. And the little, getting a lift. (I could have used a lift too!)Brothers. The guy in the green is my Dad.Aftre dinner ice cream break.The sky has been on point all week longAnd made myself some veggie chips. The colors alone are delicious.

Have a great day!

-C.

      And that’s how I know that this is a winner. As an awesome aunt, when I have any of my nieces or nephews,  I feel the need to make something special for dinner, something that the kiddos might not get very often, but also keep it on he healthy side. I have 2 littles for the night which gives me the perfect opportunity for a trash food recipe. You know trash food, things like boxed mac and cheese, beefaroni in a can, or, in this case, sloppy joes.

Sloppy yes, trashy, not so much. These are made with beans and bulgur. No meat.

And I figured it is nice enough out that I can make the kiddos some messy food and then just bring them out back and hose them off… I mean, why not right?

The stuff… We start with onion and green pepper, chopped into pieces. Black beans, bulgur, can crushed tomatoes. Chili powder, garlic powder, a bit o apple cider vinegar (which I forgot to picture) ,and some salt and pepper. Oh and cheese if you want… Plus a bun of some sort is necessary.      Toss the chopped onion and peppers into a deep skillet or pot with a drizzle of oil. Cook on medium heat until tender and toss in the spices. Give a stir. Add in the beans, bulgur, and tomato, a splash of vinegar. Stir it all up, cover, and let simmer for about 15 minutes, or until the bulgur has absorbed the liquid and is nice and tender.

If you are a bun toaster… toast while waiting. If not, just get the buns ready And Then dump a good heaping pile right onto a bun. Add some cheese, or not..and eat with wild abandonment,  making sure to get as much on your face as you get in you mouth. 

Fantastic Friday!! Live it up. 

-C

Black Bean and Bulgur Sloppy Joes 

• 2 cups or 1 can cooked black beans
• 1 16 oz can crushed tomatoes
• 1/2 cup bulgur
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 small onion
• 1 green pepper
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder 
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• salt and pepper
• a splash of apple cider vinegar
• olive oil
• 4-6 burger or bulky buns
• cheese (optional)

Dice the onion and the pepper and toss with a drizzle of olive oil into a large skillet. Sauté on medium heat until veggies become tender. Add in the spices, stir in and let cook for a minutes, then add in the beans, the tomato,water and the bugler. Cover skillet and let simmer until bugler becomes soft.

When the slop is ready, either toasted or not, scoop a generous portions onto buns. If so inclined, add some cheese. 

Eat with hands… Sloppy is good.

And I am home. The mister and I woke up at 2:15 am Friday morning to drive to Easton PA and spend the weekend with family, going to the Crayola crayon factory, wondering a  grave yard, and hearing some fantastic stories about my family from the mouth of my 95 year old grandmother. (I’ll show some pictures and tell you some stuff later this week) Than we drove back late last night… I don’t know how I am even awake right now…I am sooooo much tired! But that’s how I work I  guess.  The coffee is almost ready, calling my name, telling me its totally cool to drink it all.

I’ll leave you with a few little internet things I liked this week..

– I just love looking at other peoples homes. Treehouse in the city 

– These puppies make me think of my little nephew., he is in love with bulldogs. 20+ Beautiful Bulldog Puppies That Will Melt Your Heart

-Holy Shit  YES!!!! ‘Full House’ Reunion on Netflix Is Officially Happening

-How cool would to find one of these? New Urban Geodes on the Streets of L.A. by Paige Smith

-I don’t know if I would want to stick stuff on these shelves.These Wall Shelves are Dollhouses for Adults

– And if you need a push…On Your Mark, Get Set, Grow: A Guide To Speedy Vegetables

A few pictures from earlier in the week..

 My forsythia bush in from of one of my houses… Always the first one to bloom.  This is how washer sleeps in the warmer months.. All feet in the air.  I ate it all and it was good. Two pretty ladiesVeggies Plants!!!! 

So yeah, I am tired and happy and in need of a day to processing, lounge and drink tons of coffee.

Hope your weekend was fantastic and today brings all the whatever you want and more.

-C

The past few weeks, whenever the mr and I have a free couple of hours, we have been hitting the countryside, in such of the best rivers (for me to play in and for him to fly fish) 

We have been to many, but this one is my new favorite. There is shade to sit in, sun to bath in, and hiking trails to hike. There are little wading pools, deep spots that are great for fishing, and lost and lots of the most amazing rock formations. And bonus, the was not a mere person in site, only a few cute little frogs.

 No matter that I think I broke the bottom of my foot walking barefoot in the water and jumping hard onto a rock, or that the mr came back with a touch of poison ivy (poison something). We still both love it and are looking forward to our next trip back with shoes and long sleeves!

You got any plans this weekend? If not, I am recommending that you hit a river. Bring a book, bring a picnic, and bring a little bucket for your river treasures. Soak up the last bits of the summer, take a break from the crazy, and just go. Trust, you will be happy you did.

It’s official, all of the littles started school yesterday……HOORAY! (I say hooray cause school is cool and the start of school means it’s going to be fall so soon!. Also I like hanging out with the littles more when they are in school. There is more to talk about and any time away from school is cool time so they like to do more stuff and not just be summer bums)

One of the littles had his very first ever day of school. So me, being the bestest most awesomest aunt ever, made that little a celebration, hooray for school, banana ice cream cake.

This little  has been bugging me for a while now to make him an ice cream cake. It all started a few months ago when I gave him a bowl of banana ice cream and told him that when he sleeps over he can have ice cream for breakfast  That blew his little mind. We then proceeded to have a converastawtion about healthy food and what was ok to eat for breakfast. (He is very interested in being healthy) I then told him that whenever he sleeps over I would make a banana ice cream cake for breakfast cause bananas are healthy. But every time he is over, I never seems to have enough bananas.

Well I had the bananas and there is no better excuse then the first day of kindergarten to make a cake.. A very delicious peanut butter banana ice cream cake!  And no, it wasn’t for breakfast, but the left overs can be! (there were no left overs here)

The stuff… Crispy rice cereal, peanut butter (I have some chiunky stuff  at the moment, but any nut butter is good) and 4 frozen  chopped up bananas.

Rice ceareal goes into a food processor with the peanut butter. Pulse until everything is all combined and starts to come togerter.

And ump the mixture into a spring for pan. If you do not have a spring form pan, a pie plate will work just as well.

Such a nice looking crust if I do say so myself. Now stick it in the freezer while you make your ice cream.

Frozen bananas go into the processor, get blended for a few mounters, and come out as ice cream…. freaking magic!

Now dump the magic ice cream into the crust.

And smooth it all nice like..and into the freezer it goes until its frozen.

After a few hours, you take it out of the freezer, remove from the pan (or leave it in the pan)

And gather your toppings. A handful of the rice cereal, some melted peanut butter, and a little melted nutella. (use whatever you want.. fruit would be great, some nuts, graham crackers, sprinkles. You get the idea)

 Now, Wait for it….

Go crazy! Toppings all over!

And serve up, and watch out.. I almost got my hand eaten for kids going for seconds..

Have a fantastic day and happy back to school. to littles and parents alike!

-C

Makes a 6 inch cake 

For the cake

• 4-5 frozen bananas
• 2 1/2 cups crispy rice cereal
• 4 tablespoon peanut butter 

To garnish (use any, all or none of what you would like… and maybe not the super sugary ones if a breakfast cake)

• melted peanut butter
• melted chocolate
• Nutella
• handful of rice cereal
• fresh fruit
• jam
• coconut flakes
• sprinkles
• anything else you would like!

Place cereal and peanut butter into a food processor and pulse until crumbly and combined and starts to come away from bowl.

Dump mixture into a 6 in spring form pan (or if you not have one, a pie plate works too) and press it down evenly on the bottom. Stick into freezer

Take bananas out of freezer and place into food processor. Blend until smooth. If needed, you can drizzle a tiny amount of water into it if you think it needs a little help to blend. 

Once smooth, take crust from freezer and dump the nanaer ice cream on top and carefully smooth it out. Stick back into freezer (a pier of plastic over to prevent ice crystals )for at least 2 hours, or until the ice cream has completely frozen.

When it’s time to serve, remove cake from spring form (or leave it in the pie plate).and drizzle the top with melted peanut butter, melted, chocolate and another handful of crispy cereal. Or leave it bare. Or add sprinkles… the toppings are all unto you!

Eat like a camp, for breakfast or dessert.. Or eat some for dessert and then some for breakfast.