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.%u00a0 But today, I am, for him and for me, try spending today thinking about all the good times and not be so sad.%u00a0

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.%u00a0 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.%u00a0 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.%u00a0%u00a0%u00a0 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

I never can really tell how I honestly feel about halloween. I love fall, I love pumpkins and cider, but thats fall ,not halloween.%u00a0%u00a0I love to see all the happy little littles running around being super cute. all jacked up on way to much sugar.%u00a0%u00a0And %u00a0I know when I was a kid I was all about it. I mean, what kid doesn’t get jazzed to run around, dressed up (I was alway a black cat),%u00a0with a pillowcase full of candy all night long? That is just magic.%u00a0But as an adult, I haven’t really done too much. Sure I help wit the costumes of the littles and sometime I hand out candy, but where we live now, it’s not possible to give out candy. And the littles, they go do stuff with there friends, not there old lady aunt.%u00a0And I guess me and the mr could dress up and go to a party or something, but %u00a0honestly, we are not really party people%u2026. So yeah, don’t know. I think when I finally have my own kids It will be more fun.%u00a0But whatever, at least I can do a little decorating.

For as long as I have been as adult with my own living place, I have really gotten into holiday decoataing. But here is the thing. I like my decor to be minimalistic,%u00a0not to over the top, or super cheesy. (although I really do like when other people go super overboard and cheesy) But no, you won’t find a 20 foot blow up of a witch or severed hands in my front lawn.(maybe a few dead mice, but thats the cat, not me)%u00a0And I like to make my decorations. I even like to get some littles in one it, cause hand made kiddo decorations are the best.%u00a0

These bats are the perfect bit of halloween decoration. I made a ton of them a few years back and lost them, so I just whipped up a new strand.%u00a0Fast and easy to make, are not overly crazy or gory, and can be hung anywhere. An yeah, making them with a few littles is fun, but you don’t need them. I made them all on my lonesome%u2026. Oh me..

Anyway, to the bat mobile (garland)!

The bat stuff

• 2-3 pieces of Black card stock (construction paper %u00a0is fine, but will the color will fade over time)
• scissors
• pencil
• needle and thread*
• clear tape or tacks (not shown.. to hang bats)

Note. You can use embroidery floss instead of thread, but the thread is much more visible and you are going to need a tapestry needle.%u00a0

Take a piece of paper and fold in half, either length or width wise.( If you do lenght wise, you can cut out a few more bats per piece of a paper, width wise, the bats wings are longer.. up to you, do it both ways if you want)%u00a0

Outline a bat.

Bats are all jagged %u00a0lines.. nothing too complicated so I figured a stencil is not needed. If you really need a stencil, I can email you one…

Cut out bat and open up.

See, easy. And now you have a bat. If you do not like the exact way it looks, fold in again and cut a little more, but don’t get to picky, you have many more to cut.

Now make yourself a %u00a0bat army. As many or as few as you like. I think 12 is a good number. If you want, take the first bat that you cut out and use that as a stencil. Me, actually just free form cut the guys, so none of them look the same.

Bats are ready, now thread you needle.%u00a0%u00a0Don’t cut the end loose or tie the two ends together.

Fold bats back flat and thread them through the upper portion of the wings.%u00a0%u00a0Do that to all your bats.. and make sure that you are threading them on all the dame direction (if you care)

Once all the bats are threaded on. remove needle and tape the end of the thread. Space the bats out evenly or however you like, and hoe ever far apart you like, and cut thread of spool. Tape that end off too.

And hang them%u2026.%u00a0Most of my bats stay where I placed them, but a couple wanted to slide around on the thread, so I just stuck a tiny piece of tape on the inside of the wing over the thread to stop that.

They can fly threw the air%u2026.

Or drape on the wall.%u00a0

Any way, these bats are freaking bad ass and the coolest!

Happy Holiday Decorating!%u00a0

-C

This cake was born from my anxiety. Whenever I am feeling crazy,%u00a0anxious, kinda sick, or even just really happy, I want to be in the kitchen making something. It’s probably some deep seeded control issue that I have (I can’t control my brain, but I can control bread dough), but whatever.%u00a0Being in the kitchen takes my head out of life , even just for a little while, and let’s me concentrate on something else that really has nothing to do with whatever I am thinking about (unless I am thinking about food, in which I bake whatever food I am thinking about) Does this all make sense or am I just nuts?

So yeah, the other day I was having one of those days. I was extra crazy (for so many reasons) and really needed to just step away from my thoughts. I rushed home and just started grabbing stuff.. cake stuff.%u00a0%u00a0I figured that If I was going to bake something that I might as well bake a little snack cake for the mr, especially sense he has to deal with this crazy. I had a large quantity of pears that were all ripening %u00a0at once sitting in the fruit basket, so I grabbed some of those. And I grabbed the ginger%u2026 well because why not.

And I made this cake.. and I felt better. And the mr got cake (also brought some to my sisters.. her and the kids ate it all within minutes). It was a win win situation.%u00a0

So now you know. If you are my friend and I am feeling some feelings, at some point,%u00a0you will proably get a cake.

The stuff. A few pears,some fresh ginger, brown sugar and cinnamon. %u00a0Also have some white whole wheat flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. And some oil, apple cider vinegar and a little bit of water.

Start with the pears. Cut in half, remove seed and stems, then chop/mince the crap out of them. It’s cool to have a few big chunks., it adds some good texture. Take the pears and as much as the juice you can scrap from the counter and stick into a bowl.

Grate up a few good tablespoons of fresh ginger..

Tip.%u00a0I keep my ginger in the freezer. its easier to grate and it doesn’t go bad!

The ginger goes into the bowl with the pears, along with the oil, cinnamon,%u00a0sugar, water and vinegar. Mix it all up . Then all that wet mixture goes into the bowl with the flour, baking soda and powder and the salt.

And that get’s all mixed.. and now you have cake batter!%u00a0

Depending on you pears and how juicy they are,%u00a0you might find that your batter seems to dry, just add in another 1/4 %u00a0cup of water. The batter should be the consistency of like greek yogurt, not ruing, but not stiff either.

Preheat you cook box (oven)

Dump the batter into a well greased 9×9 inch pan. Slice up another pear into thin strips (I only used half, then ate the other half)

Lay the slices on top to make it look all pretty. Do what I did, or some other design (it’s your cake to make pretty any way you want). Once you do that, stick the cake into the oven.

When the cake is a nice deep golden brown, take it out of the oven.

Maybe let it cool for a few minutes, letting the smell wrap around your head so that you smell like baking all day. No cut yourself a slab, grab some coffee, and go for it.%u00a0

Enjoy

-C

Makes a 9×9 inch single layer cake

• 2 cups white whole wheat flour
• 2 cups minced , super ripe and jucey pears (about 2 whole pears)
• 2 tablespoon freshly frated ginger
• 1/2 cup canola oil
• 1/4- 1/2 cup water
• 2/3 %u00a0cup brown sugar
• 2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar

Preheat oven to 350

Take pears, remove seeds and stem, and chop the crap out of them until they are tiny little pieces. Scoop pears, and any juice they leave behind into a bowl. Add in the sugar, oil, cinnamon, %u00a0ginger, vinegar,%u00a0%u00a0and %u00a01/4 %u00a0cup of water and mix until incorporated.%u00a0In a seprertare big bowl, mix together the salt, baking soda and powder with the flour. Add in the wet mixture and mix until fully incorporated.%u00a0%u00a0If the batter seems to dry (should be the constancy of whipped potatoes or greek yogurt), add in another 1/4 cup of water.%u00a0

Scoop batter into a greased 9×9 inch baking pan.%u00a0If you want to make it pretty, grab another pear and cut into thin slices and place right on top of the batter in any fashion you like.%u00a0

Place cake into oven and bake until a nice dark golden brown,about 40-45 minutes ,or until a tester stuck in the middle comes out clean.%u00a0

Remove, let cool in pan, and cut yourself a big slab, grab some coffee e to tea, grab a book, and eat it.%u00a0.

Let’s just hit the weather for a minute here. Snow one week and 90 freaking degrees the next. Oh Vt, you can be so cray cray, but do me a favor and stop being 90..I can’t sleep, I am constantly sweating….I think I am pretty much melting, not to mention slightly bitchy.%u00a0 Just be 80 with a nice cool breeze. I would like that a lot. Thanks.

The past week has been one full of the fullness that comes with owning apartment buildings. . A handful of the apartments are turning over so we have been running around dealing with repairs, cleaning, and over all property maintenance.%u00a0 There has been lots of weeding, mowing, and tree cutting, you know, all sorts of fun stuff. The buildings are looking good but you should see our little fenced in yard right now. It kind of looks like a junk yard from all the shit we have been piling up for lack of time or space to deal with it all. That and we are also in the processes of getting a new work car. (the process being craigslist) , so until we do, moving stuff is on hold. Why is it so hard to find a working truck that doesn’t cost a million dollars and will get us from point a to point b without falling apart and being fancy.? We pretty much just need something to haul trash and lawn mowers and the occasional toilet. Is that to much to ask? Apparently it is. (we will find something, I am just being a whine ass)

Anyway, we have managed to get to the new house this week and get the rest of the metal roofing on, a temporary gate up so now Washer can roam free, and lots and lots of nails removed from the floors.Things are still moving along. I even spent some time with the plants while the mr mowed the front lawn (We do it mullet style. Short in the front yard,long in the back) And hopefully today we will have a little time to get over there as well. I really want to harvest some rhubarb and get a few more plants into the ground before it’s to late.

And hopefully you are having yourself a long and enjoyable weekend. It’s pretty much summer now so it’s time to do all the summer stuff that needs to be done.

Some internet stuff to keep you occupied if in need.

-I wonder what my rock collection would look like (I have a shit ton of rocks) A Kinetic Artwork that Sorts Thousands of Random River Stones by Age

–The Highly Anxious Herbivore%u2019s Guide to Moral Vegetable Consumption.. hahaha.

-Fake banana flavor could actually be really banana flavor? The History of Banana Flavoring

-Let it roam..How to Make the Most of a Scattered Attention Span

–It’s about time we know exactly whats in the food. An ‘Added Sugar’ Label Is On The Way For Packaged Food

-I always kind of thought smoothies were more a dessert then a meal. Ask Well: The Downside of Smoothies

–This California House Has a Vertical, Living Succulent Wall and I love it. I would be all about something like this except I live in Vt. All the plants would die.

–Scientists Are Trying to Solve the Mystery of Awe… I think it will forever be a mystery, that’s why it’s awe.

–These mountain are like whoa.

-I have moments where I want to whitewash the entire house. This place is inspiring (and the stairs.. love love love)

Pictures from the week.

This summer has been weird. And when I say weird, I mean too stupid freaking hot and humid and it’s screwing up my life.%u00a0I think I have gone a month, maybe more, without making soup.%u00a0That is just not right. For as long as I can remember I have made soup, or at least eaten soup, just about everyday, even all summer long. But the terrible heat and humidity this year, I just have had no desire. It has been straight up shredded zucchini and whole tomatoes for some time now. I just don’t want to have any residual added heat to my life.%u00a0%u00a0But the other day, oh how lovely. I woke up with a chill, %u00a0enough that I needed to grab a long sleeve before leaving the house, and had the very strong urge to return home and get my soup on. And soup on I did!

For my first trip back into soup (oh how I missed soup!),%u00a0I went simple and used what I, and many, many people have ample supplies of right now.%u00a0Tomatoes. And beans because I wanted my soup to be thick and creamy and I had the beans so why the heck not.

This soup really requires very little and you get the most thick, delicious, creamy, tomatoey soup. Perfect to eat alone, but is fanatic with some crackers, or a hunk of crusty bread. And it uses a lot of tomatoes which is nice because I am (as are many of you.. My neighbor is bringing me HER tomatoes now too) trying to make a dent in the ever growing pile or these beauties on the counter. This soup dented it, until I went out to the garden a few minutes later. My pile is bigger then ever, which is fine because I am back on my soup game.%u00a0

The stuff. Lots of tomatoes, some white beans (I used navy, but any white bean would be good) a large onion, a carrot, salt and pepper, a lemon, some olive oil, and honey (optional).

First off, chop the carrot and onion into chunks.

Toss the chopped stuff into a big ol’ pot with a drizzle of olive oil and cook on a medium heat until nice and soft.%u00a0

While veggies are cooking, core and cut up all those tomatoes.%u00a0

When the veggies have cooked up a bit, add the tomatoes, the beans, and a sprinkle of salt and pepper to the pot and give it a good mix. Return to high heat, stirring even so often, until the tomatoes give off enough juiced to start boiling then turn heat down to medium and cook for a little while, like 1/2 an hour or 45 minutes.

Until it looks lit this. The tomatoes have all fallen apart and the beans, carrots and onions are mushy.%u00a0

Blended with the juice of the lemon and a sprinkle of pepper and more salt if needed.%u00a0

Now serve into a %u00a0bowls. Garnish with a drizzle of honey if you are feeling it. Sliced cherry tomatoes make for fancy garnish.%u00a0

Creamy tomato bean soup for everyone!

Hurray for soup!

-C

Makes about 1/2 gallon (enough to serve a crowed or enough to serve one for a few days and maybe freeze some for later)

• 10-12 large tomatoes%u00a0
• 2 1/2 cup or 1 can of cooked white beans (I used navy but any white bean will be good)
• 1 large onion
• 1 large carrot
• I lemon
• olive oil
• salt and pepper
• honey (optional)

Start by chopping the onion and carrot up into small chunks. Grab a large heavy bottom pot, drizzle a teaspoon or two of olive on the bottom then toss in the chopped veggies. Place the pot on a medium heat, stirring occasionally until the onion and carrot start to soften.%u00a0

While the veggies are cooking, core and cut up all the tomatoes. Once the veggies are soft, dump in all the tomatoes, along with the beans and all the liquid they are in. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and turn heat up to high, giving it a good stir until the tomatoes start to get super juicy then bring the pot to a boil. Once boiling, reduce heat to medium and cook for another half hour to 45 minutes, giving it a stir ever so often. %u00a0When the tomatoes have completely fallen apart and the carrot, onions, and beans are mushy, you know its done.%u00a0

Remove the pot from heat and dd in the juice of the lemon. Using a hand blender, blend until it’s a smooth creamy consistency. If you only have a counter belnder, let soup cool a little before handling and %u00a0be really freaking careful and blend a few cups at a time, making sure to have the blender lid on. Hot soup in the face is no fun.

Once soup is creamy and smooth, serve in bowls with a drizzle of honey (totally optional, but some people really like a touch of sweetness to their tomato soup) and more pepper to a taste. Garnish with thinly sliced cherry tomatoes if you are feeling fancy.%u00a0

Any extra soup can be refrigerated for up to a week. Can also be frozen.%u00a0

It’s finally getting cold around here which I know some people are pretty bummed about but not me, I am ready for the days of it being cold and dreary (seriously).%u00a0These are the days that I like to hunker down and keep myself all warm and cozy. And what is more cozy then a big bowl of hot soup? Nothing I say. Or maybe a big cup of hot tea and a cozy blanket by the fire, but I don’t have a fire so soup it is.%u00a0

And I know a few of you people have a little pie pumpkin or two laying around from Halloween and are thinking ” what the heck am I going to do with it”. Well I got you here. You are going to make that pumpkin into something great and amazing that is not a dessert (because you are still working your way through all the Halloween candy). You will make it into soup and then you will eat it and then you will thank me later.%u00a0

The stuff. A little old sugar pumpkin, some red lentils, celery, a carrot, and an onion. A few heads of garlic, turmeric, coriander, cumin, and ginger, salt and pepper, and water to round it out.%u00a0

Start with dicing up the carrot, celery, onion and garlic.%u00a0

Into a heavy bottom pot they go. Stick the pot on heat to sweat the veggies a bit.

Dicing up the pumpkin. No fuss here, just chop it in half and scoop out the seeds (keep seeds to roast and %u00a0top soup with) then cut into little chunks.%u00a0

Grab the pot that the veggies are cooking in and toss in the pumpkin, the spices, the lentils, and the water. Give it a good stir and back to the stove.

All cooked, smelling and looking so good.

A smooth creamy delicious bowl of pumpkin warmth and goodness. A soup to take into the chilly days ahead.%u00a0

serves 3-5

• 2 1/2 -3 cups diced pumpkin (one small sugar pumpkin)
• 1/2 cup red lentils
• 1 medium onion
• 3-4 cloves garlic
• 2 stalks celery
• 1 carrot
• 1 %u00a0teaspoons ginger
• 1 teaspoon turmeric%u00a0
• 1 teaspoon coriander%u00a0
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 3-4%u00a0 cups water or veggie stalk
• salt and pepper
• olive oil
• toasted pumpkin seeds for garnish (optional)

Start by dicing up the carrot, celery, onion and garlic. Toss into a large heavy bottom pot with a splash of olive oil. Place on medium heat to start cooking. Now grab pumpkin, cut in half, and remove all the seeds (reserve seeds for roasting) Dice up the pumpkin and toss into the pot with the veggies. Add in the spices, the lentils,3 cups of the water or stock, and a pinch of salt and pepper. Bring pot to a boil then reduce heat to low. Place lid on pot, but not tightly, and let the soup cook for about a 1/2 hour or until the pumpkin is fork tender.%u00a0

Once everything in the pot is all cooked up it needs to be blended. You can either transfer to a blender or use a emersion blender and blend until the soup is a silky smooth %u00a0Either way, be freaking careful cause the soup is hot! While you are blending, if you think you need to add more liquid, go for it. You can make this as thick or thin as you like.

And now soup time! Laddle into bowls, top with parsley and roasted pumpkin seeds (optional) and get to eating all the good.%u00a0

Place any leftovers in fridge and heat up later (makes a great breakfast soup)

I am a year round maker and consumer of soup.

With that being said, the nature of my soups change seasonally. My summertime soups are usually on the lighter side, made with the%u00a0fresh bounty of the season, and spiced more on the light and floral side, opposed to the really deep and warm spices%u00a0that I use all winter long,

This corn chowder is made just right. It had the perfect balance of hearty and creamy from the potatoes and use of pureed%u00a0onion cream, but%u00a0%u00a0still light and refreshing from the sweet fresh corn and the lemony fresh thyme. It is for sure%u00a0a great summertime soup (chowder) Even the%u00a0Mr.%u00a0was even really into it, and he claims he doesn’t like corn. (I say bullshit to that.. he eats corn all the time)

Now to chowder!

The Stuff. Some super fresh corn on the cob, a couple onions, a few chopped up potatoes and a chopped up carrot. Then we have a little oil, a lemon,%u00a0dried thyme and salt and pepper.%u00a0

To start, take an%u00a0onion, chop it up, and toss into%u00a0a large heavy pot with a little olive%u00a0oil and%u00a0a sprinkle of salt. Stick pot on stove on medium heat and cook until %u00a0onions are soft and traslutcent. When the onions are done, remove and%u00a0add to a blender or%u00a0bowl. (if using a hand blender)%u00a0Add in the juice of the lemon%u00a0and blend it all up until nice a smooth.%u00a0

You have now made a nice creamy cream that will help make the final product more, well more creamy without the use of cream (lets say cream on more time !)%u00a0.Set aside.

When the pot is empty again, add in the rest of the stuff, including the cobs of the corn, (they hold a butt load of flavor)%u00a0the dried thyme, and salt and pepper.%u00a0Place%u00a0on stove and add enough%u00a0water to completely%u00a0submerge the veggies. Keep pot on a medium heat, add a lid, and stir ever once in a while. Cook until the potatoes are nice and tender.%u00a0(when the potatoes%u00a0are done, so is everything else)

Now that everything is all cooked up, remove the cobs and stir in the onion puree.

Now with a hand blender, blend up until the chowder is thick and smooth, but still nice and chunky. (If you are working with a blender, just remove about half of the soup and blend up, then dump back in) The optimal chunkiness %u00a0is up to you , so %u00a0blend, check the chunk,%u00a0%u00a0then blend a little more if needed. If you feel that the soup is to thick, add in a little more water, or to thin, just cook down o little longer.

%u00a0Once you like the constituency,season to taste with salt and pepper and%u00a0place pot back on a simmer until you are ready to serve.%u00a0

And thats how we make%u00a0corn chowder

It tastes best serves in the daintiest of the cups, sprinkled heavily with cracked pepper, and with a side of some cracker situation (Saltines would be best, but sometime there are only triscits in the house)

Summertime is for chowder!

HAPPY Humpday Wednesday!!!

-C

Makes a pot big enough for 4-6 nice decent sized servings

• 2 fresh ears of corn
• 3 medium (tennis ball sized)%u00a0red or white potatoes
• 2 white or yellow onions
• 1 carrot
• Juice of a lemon
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 1/2 %u00a0tablespoons dried thyme
• salt and pepper

To start, peel%u00a0and dice one whole onion and toss into pot with olive oil and stick on medium heat. Cook onions until translucent and fragrant. Remove from pot and add cooked onions and the lemon juice to a blender and puree until smooth and set aside.

While you are cooking down the onions, dice up the carrot and onion, remove the corn kernels from the cob, and chop up the potatoes. Once you have removed the first batch of onions, toss in corn, onions, carrot, potatoes, and the dried thyme.%u00a0Stir around in the pot on medium heat for a few minutes just to warm up the spices. Add the cobs into the pot and fill with enough water to cover the stuff in the pot. Place back on medium heat with a lid and cook for another 20ish minutes, or until potatoes are super tender and almost falling apart.

Remove cobs from pot and add in the onion puree. Now either remove about half the soup and place in the bender and blend up til smooth, or use a hand blender and blend up chowder until you get your%u00a0desired chunkiness. If you think the chowder seems to thick, add in more water, or to thin, just cook down a little longer on the stove.

When ready to eat, ladle chowder into a cup or bowl and add lots of fresh cracked pepper.%u00a0

Serve with a cracker and a spoon to eat it with.

%u00a0%u00a0You ever make dish, completely on the fly, just to use something up (I have a lot of ripe tomatoes) with no real expectation, just because%u2026 Then have it be one of the best freaking things that you have ever made?%u00a0This salad is one of those things.. maybe not the best thing I have ever made, but definitely the best salad I have ever made%u2026. this week.

A salad compiled of all things amazing, taking just a few minutes to make and is the perfect balance of uber fresh with baby spinach, raw kale, and crunchy quick pickled onions. Then adding a touch of warmth with the sweet and juicy seared tomatoes and big chunks of creamy avocado.

I mean, for reals. %u2026…Best Salad Ever !!!! (this week)

Now let’s do this.

%u00a0The Stuff. A big bowl of baby spinach and chopped up kale, a few sliced up roma tomatoes, some super thinly sliced red onion, half an avocado, red wine vinegar and salt and pepper.%u00a0%u00a0Before you do anything, place the sliced onions into bowl, sprinkle with a pinch of salt and add a few glugs of the red wine vinegar. You want the onions to sit in the vinegar for at least 5 minutes on the counter cause the longer they sit the more crispy pickly they get. (after eating onions like this, you will never want to eat them any other way)%u00a0Lightly oil a skillet and preheat to a medium heat. Once the skillet is hot, sprinkle the tomato slices with salt and pepper and %u00a0place tomatoes right on in, snugly, but not overlapping. Let cook for about 3-4 minutes, or until the bottoms start to brown. Flip and cook other side for another few minutes.Once the tomatoes are seared on both sides, remove them gently from skillet and toss them on top of the bowl of greens.

Take the pickled onions and toss those right on top, with any of the residual vinegar, add dice and scoop the half of avocado and toss that on in as well.And now eat the best salad ever (this week).

Make the day good!

-C

Skillet Seared Tomato and Quick Pickled Onion Salad

Serves 2 as a side, 1 for a hungry eater

• 2 large or 3 smaller roma tomatoes
• 1/2 of a red onion
• 2-3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• 1 1/2 cups baby spinach
• 1 1/2 cups chopped kale
• salt pepper
• 1/2 a ripe avocado%u00a0
• olive oil (to grease pan)

Thinly slice red onion and place in a bowl. %u00a0Add vinegar into a and sprinkle with salt. Let sit on counter for at least 5 minutes, if not longer,

Slice tomatoes into 1/2 inch thick rounds and sprinkle with a pitch or salt and pepper. %u00a0Lightly oil a skillet and preheat it on medium heat. Once the skillet is preheated, stick the tomatoes on it (watch out for splattering tomato juice) Cook first side for about 3 minutes or until the bottom has browned, then flip and do the same for other side.%u00a0

One tomatoes are seared, place directly onto the greens. Now dump the pickled onions and residual vinegar on top. And %u00a0dice up %u00a0avocado and add that on top too.%u00a0

Now eat your salad, fork or fingers%u2026 %u00a0

And I know, ba-daaaamn. So good.

%u00a0%u00a0 %u00a0%u00a0%u00a0I figured now is a good time to get this recipe out there before we get to far into spring and summer recipes because there is going to be a lot of banana ice cream filled recipe coming and I figured its a good idea to have the basic banana ice cream recipe ready for people to refer too.%u00a0 And because I made so much fantastic naner ice cream, I also made a cookies and cream naner ice cream for my sisters and the mister.

Comments that I got from my sisters and the mister when I made them this ice cream

-Sister one.”I give this my sister seal of approval.. It’s so good. %u00a0The first dessert you have made that I liked! (not including all the other desserts that you have made that I liked)”

-Sister two- “Wow.. it looks like ice cream and feels like ice cream and tastes like ice cream.. You should make me this ice cream!” (I was confused too because I was pretty sure I just made her some)

-The mister- “I am so excited for my new fly fishing pole!”

Ok, so the naner ice cream isn’t new to the mister and he IS very much excited for his new fly fish pole. So excited that he forgot to tell me how amazing that I am and to thank me for making him a big bowl of yumminess. (It’s ok, I forgive him)

And yes, this is probably one of the easiest, most delicious, healthy and amazing frozen dessert that you will ever eat. You will probably find yourself buying mass amounts of bananas and stocking the freezer until things just start falling out. (which is also ok because it’s only bananas and you can’t have too many frozen bananas)

%u00a0 %u00a0The stuff you need for this ice cream%u2026. Nice and ripe bananas, peeled and then frozen* That’s it.

To make it, place frozen bananas into food processor and hit the on button. Process the crap out of the namers until nice and silky smooth.%u00a0

*Note, the smaller the frozen chunks are , the faster and maybe a little easier for the blender to blend the naners into ice cream. So if you think of it, chop bananas into pieces before freezing or even after.

After all blended and smooth, either eat right away or scoop ice cream into a freezer safe container and stick in freezer. That’s the banana ice cream%u2026 %u00a0And it is amazing and so so so so so addictive. I make a batch, think I am only going to eat a scoop, then find myself eating half of what I have made, but it’s ok cause it’s only bananas.%u00a0

Now for the cookies and cream banana ice cream..One%u00a0batch of banana ice cream, either freshly made, still in food processor or made ahead and placed in a food processor and given a good pulse to smooth it up.

Add cookies in, crushing a bit beforehand and pulse till combined.%u00a0Now you have cookies and cream naner ice cream%u2026. and everybody is happy.

Scoop into a cup, a bowl, a freezer safe container, or directly into your mouth.%u00a0Be careful%u2026. You can still get brain freeze from eating naner ice cream too fast!

Keep it real hump day drum bum!

-C

Basic Banana Ice Cream

Makes one batch. Good for 3-4 servings

• 4-5 %u00a0ripe bananas peeled and frozen

Peel %u00a0bananas and stick in a freezer bag or container and freeze. When bananas are completely frozen, break into pieces and stick into a food processor or blender and puree until silky smooth.%u00a0

Eat right away or scoop into a freezer safe container for later.

Cookies and Cream Banana Ice Cream

• 1 batch banana ice cream
• 5-10 (depending on your cookie need) cream filled cookies like oreos or Trader Joe’s Joe Joe’s (These are gluten free)

In a food processor, blend banana ice cream with cookies.

Eat right away, with a utensil of choice in a container of choice.

Bowl licking is acceptable.%u00a0

%u00a0I’ll let you know now, I am a make and eat soup all year long person. I can think of few things better then sitting outside, basking in the sun, hopefully with a light wind, a book in hand, enjoying a nice big cup of some good homemade soup. (Doesn’t that sound so freaking lovely?) This soup right here is perfect for just that. Parsnips are the best, kind of like a big white sweet, yet starchy carrots. And cooked together with a little bit of light and lemony thyme, rich earthy turmeric and a couple more chopped veggie%u2026.. you got yourself a%u00a0nice thick and fragrant bowl of happiness that fills you up without weighing you down. It’s food you can eat that fills you up, leaves you feeling cozy, yet still wanting to hop on a bike or lace up the running shoes. %u00a0Hearty without the feeling of all the heaviness.

A perfect soup for spring! (or summer, winter, or fall)

The stuff. Parsnips, carrots, onion and garlic. Thyme and turmeric, salt and pepper. the tinniest bit of oil and water (water not shown)Chop all the veggies and the garlic, drizzle a dutch oven or a pot with oil, toss in the veggies. Add the turmeric, the thyme, and 1/2 cup of water.%u00a0Sweet sweating the veggies. Turn pot on medium and cook until the water completely cooks out. When the veggies start to brown and stick to the pot, deglaze with water. Give a good stir and keep cooking. Repeat the deglazing process until the veggies are super soft and ready to blend. (I did this 4 times.. it only took 10 minutes)Add enough water to cover the cooked veggies.%u00a0And now blend the heck out of it.. Go as smooth or chunky as you want. I blended as smooth as I could get with this crappy immersion blender. (Blender on loan until I finally decide on, and buy a new one)And there you have it. Scoop into bowls, add lots of cracked black pepper, and go to town. I made enough to save a bowl for later%u2026 %u00a0it didn’t last for later.%u00a0

Soup so good.%u00a0

-C

Parsnip Thyme and Turmeric Soup%u00a0

• 4 large parsnips
• 2 carrots
• 1 whole onion
• 3-4 cloves garlic
• 2 teaspoons thyme
• 2 teaspoons turmeric%u00a0
• salt and pepper
• olive oil
• water

Dice up the parsnips, carrots, garlic and onion and place into a large dutch oven or pot. Drizzle with a bit of olive oil, %u00a0sprinkle on the spices, salt and pepper and add about 1/2 cup of water. Turn heat on medium and start cooking down the veggies. Once the water evaporates and the veggies start to caramelize, deglaze pot with about a 1/2 cup of water. Give pot a stir, and continue to cook until water evaporates. %u00a0Repeat this 2-3 more times until the veggies are super soft and fragrant.%u00a0

When the %u00a0veggies are ready, add enough water to the pot to submerge the veggies. Bust out the immersion blender or dump into a blending device and blend until smooth (or the consistency that you want) Have a cup of water ready to thin out if needed. When blended, taste for salt and pepper, add more if you want, and cook on low heat until you are ready to serve.

Garnish with a lot of good cracked pepper

Eat from a vessel, use a spoon

I was cleaning my spice shelf (I feel like I do this like once a week) and found some poppy seeds hiding behind some jars. Accidental spice findings happened more often the then one might think in my house.. I like to buy tiny baggies of spices with good intentions of using them, but because of their tiny size, I often lose them or forget about them due to that %u00a0tininess. But I usually find those tiny little bags, and when I find them, I try to use them right away..(I don’t like having old spices around and no, I will not toss it)%u00a0And it just so happened that I has a lemon in need of using.. and it was getting close to dinner time. I could wait and make lemon poppy seed cake or muffins, or just start dinner. %u00a0 Then I was like, ” I’ll %u00a0just make lemon poppy seed pasta.” And so I did. And of course it needed to have lots of garlic and some kind of vegetable to round out the dish, (I know tomatoes are fruit but you know what I mean) %u00a0

And the mister%u2026.He loved it. And I am sure you will too. How can you go wrong with lemon, garlic and poppy seeds all creamy and fragrant? You really can’t, %u00a0Pus this recipe is so easily adaptable. It can be vegan and or gluten free..whatever you want it to be.%u00a0

So if you are looking for a %u00a0fast, delicious, and impressive looking dinner%u2026 look no further. You gots one right here!

Start by tuning oven on to 400 degrees. Chopped tomatoes %u00a0and sprinkle in oil and salt and stick in the oven. Do this first because the rest of the meal only takes about 10 minutes..So fast!!!

Choose your pasta and get a pot of water boiling and start on the sauce.. which includes, olive oil, lots of garlic, flour, milk(any kind you use), lemon zest a little lemon juice, poppy seeds, salt and pepper.%u00a0

The sauce is pretty much a basic roux%u2026

Crush the garlic and stick into pot with the oil. Let simmer for a few minutes until you can smell the garlic, which smells like heaven. Whisk in the flour and then gradually whisk in the milk. Keep on low heat and continuously whisk until sauce has thickened and doesn’t run off a spoon. Add in lemon zest, the poppy seeds, and the salt and pepper. Mix it all up and turn off heat.

Once your pasta is cooked (cook however it says to on package), reserve about a 1/4 cup of pasta water and drain the rest. Add the pasta water and pasta the sauce. (the pasta water helps the sauce and noodles canooddle together)

And its all mixed up just waiting to be served%u2026and the roasted tomatoes!

Scooped into a bowl with a scoop of the roasted tomatoes and some chopped chives, %u00a0served with a couple wedges of lemon..just because.

And dinner is done%u2026. %u00a0and it took all of 15 minutes.%u00a0

Thank me later.

-C

Lemon Garlic Poppyseed Pasta with roasted tomatoes

• 3 cups pasta (whatever you want..so it can be gluten free too)%u00a0
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 3 tablespoons flour (use corn or arrowroot starch for gluten free)
• 2 cups milk (cow, hemp, soy%u2026any kind you use)
• 6 cloves garlic
• Zest of 1 lemon
• 1 tablespoon poppy seeds
• 2 roma tomatoes (optional but really good)
• salt and pepper

Start by chopping tomatoes %u00a0and placing them in a skillet or baking sheet, sprinkled in salt and a little bit of olive oil, and stick into a 400 degree oven

Bring a large pot of water to a boil add you pasta%u2026cook to the boxes instructions.

While pastas is boiling, crush garlic and add to a pot with the olive oil. Heat on medium low heat until the garlic is fragrant and slightly brown. Now whisk in flour and then whisk in milk. Continue to whisk until sauce thickens to where it doesn’t run of a spoon. Add in the zest of 1 lemon, the poppy seeds and salt and pepper to taste. When pasta is done (should be around the same time the sauce is done) reserve about a 1/4 cup of pasta water and drain the pasta from the rest. Add water and pasta to the sauce and mix together.

Remove roasted tomatoes from the oven. Scoop pasta into bowls and top with a scoop of the tomatoes. (you can mix into pasta, but it will turn the sauce red and the tomatoes will fall apart)

Serve with a wedge of lemon and bring food to face!

ENJOY!

In case you are one of those lucky people that happen to stumble upon this blog, I am not going to lie, I have not a fucking idea what I am doing! So bare with me.. I will get it together and it will be amazing. Lots of recipes, food ideas, crafty and art projects. Pictures of lovely, pretty, beautiful and maybe some amazing things. There will probably be  a lot of mis spelled words, a little ranting a raving and possible some half finished thoughts.   I will try to keep my dirty sailor mouth to a minimum and try not offend anyone, but i am not going to say that it might not happen.

So come back soon, you might find a whole bunch of awesome and lots of lovely crazy

What is any good holiday season without some sort of gingerbread? Am I right, or am I right? I am right. The smell alone smacks a smile on my face. Spicy and sweet and all sorts of comforting. If smells could be objects, the smell of gingerbread would be a warm soft blanket that you can curl up next to a fire, with hot beverages and a good book. Yup, that is exactly what gingerbread smells like.

Gingerbread cookies were an option for all the gingerbread goodness but right now there is a heavy influx of people making cookies of the gingerbread variety so I figured I should do something a little different and honestly, a heck of a lot easier and faster. Plus scones are a way more expectable breakfast food then cookies (who am I kidding, cookies are a completely expectable for breakfast) and I was looking for a good breakfast treat to feed the mr this week because its his birthday week and I wanted a little something special for him for breakfast. I know, I am just so great.

Anyway, these scones fit the holiday gingerbread bill. I mixed them up, added the chocolate chips for a little extra something, then tossed them into the oven and bathed in the smell as they were baking. Pulled them from the oven, poured some coffee, and set out a delightful afternoon snack for the mr, right after he was finished laying on the freezing ground trying to fix the tire on the truck. I think he really appreciated the smell of a warm blanket. And he really enjoyed the scones too. All birthday week long.

So what are you doing this weekend? I think probably making scones. Yeah, do that.

Here we go.

The stuff. In the bowl there is flour, old fashion oats, baking soda and baking powder, and salt. Also need the spices of ginger, cinnamon, clove, and black pepper. Molasses, brown sugar, vegan butter, soy milk, and chocolate chips finish of the list.

In the bowl add in all the spices and the brownl sugar. Mix until completely combined and there are no brown sugar lumps. Drop in the cold butter and cut it in with a fork. You don%u2019t want it blended, you want the butter in little bits.

You want it to look like this. Crumbly.

Toss in the chocolate chip.

Dump the molasses into the milk and mix until combined. Doing this helps minimize the amount of mixing you do which will help make sure your scones are not tuff. So don%u2019t not do this.

Pour the molasses milk into the mixture

With a fork, lightly fold and mix batter until it just starts to come together.

Dump dough out onto a lightly flour surface and gather together with your hands.

Flatten into a big disk and cut into 8 equal wedges. Or as equal as you want to make them%u2026 you could even make a few more wedges if you want more. You do you.

Place the scones onto a baking sheet. Brush a little milk on each then sprinkle the tops with a little brown sugar and some oats.

Pop them into preheated oven and let bake.

Gold brown and ready for the world.

After letting them cool for a bit on a wire rack, stack onto a plate and feed them to your people. And yourself of course.

Chocolate chip oatmeal gingerbread scone and a cup of coffee. A perfection in all the ways.

Enjoy the weekend. It will be great, especially if you make some of these scones.

-C

Makes 8 scones

• 2 cups all purpose flour

• 1/2 cup old fashion oats plus 1/4 cup to sprinkle on top

• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda

• 1 teaspoon salt

• 2 teaspoons ground ginger

• 2 teaspoon cinnamon

• 1/2 teaspoon fresh ground pepper

• 1/4 teaspoon cloves

• 1/3 cup packed light brown sugar plus 2 tablespoons more to sprinkle on top

• 2 tablespoons molasses

• 1/2 cup cold vegan butter

• 2/3 cup soy or your favorite plant milk

• 2/3 cup semi sweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 375

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, oats, baking powder and soda, salt, all the spices, and the brown sugar. Make sure there are no big lumps of brown sugar in the mixture. Once dry mixture is all mixed up, cut in (do not blend in) the cold vegan butter until the mixture looks crumbly. Toss in the chocolate chips.

Grab your measure out milk and mix in the molasses until completely mixed together. Dump the mixture into the bowl of dry and lightly mix with a fork until a dough forms. Dump out the dough onto a lightly floured surface and bring it all together with your hands .Flatten dough out into a circle about and inch thick them with a knife or dough scraper, cut into 8 even sized wedges. Place scones onto a baking sheet and lightly brush a little milk onto the tops.. Mix together the extra oats and brown sugar and sprinkle on the tops. Place into preheated oven and bake for 25-28 minutes, or until nice and golden brown. Once baked, remove and place on a wire rack to cool.

Eat. Store left over scones in an airtight container at room temperature for 3-4 days. Individual scones freeze well.

The house next door to us is for sale and in the backyard of the house is a whole lot of blackberry bushes. The mr and I have been hopping the fence over there like ninjas and filling large bowls of berries and sneaking back home to eat our weight in those blackberries. (Ok, not entirely true. We are not good enough ninjas to jump the fence so we have been walking through the fence gate. Plus we checked with the current owner, she told us to pick all we wanted to. We are not asshole ninjas stealing fruit)

So many berries. I check every few days and they just keep on coming and I am not one to let perfectly good berries (or any food) go to waste, so I just keep picking. I froze some , ate so so many, and then I was going to make a straight up pie but decided to do pie bars instead because one, I couldn’t find my pie plate (I think Shannon has it) and two, these are just a bit less formal, like pie can sometime be. Plus easier to share because they are cut into little squares and hold there shape really well. And lets be honest, I didn’t want to have to roll out pie dough if I didn’t have to.

Such a good way to use up and share an excess of berries. Now off you go to make some pie crumble bars while I go play with the kittens (I’ll tell you all about the kittens tomorrow….)

The stuff. Flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. A little soy milk and coconut oil, a lemon, and arrowroot powder. And of course lots of blackberries.

The flour, salt, baking soda, and sugar get mixed in a big bowl then the coconut oil get mixed in into a crumble.%u00a0 Now in goes the soy milk to get it all a little wet.

A little more then half the mixture gets patted down into a greases and lined pan

Berries, sugar, arrowroot powder, lemon juice and lemon zest go into a bowl. Give it a mix.

Dump and distribute all over recently patted down dough..

And crumble the rest of the crumble all over the top.

Now into the oven it go.

All cooked and cooling while you put away the clean dishes (or anything that will distract you for at least a half hour while they cool.)

And when they have cooled enough to cut, it’s time for you to eat.

And yes, these are totally perfect for dessert and breakfast.

-C

makes 16 squares

For the crust

• 2 1/2 cups flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2/3 cup coconut oil melted then cooled to soft
• 2/3 cup cane sugar
• 4 tablespoons soy milk

For the berry filling

• 3 cups fresh blackberries
• 3 tablespoons arrowroot powder
• 1/3 cup cane sugar
• zest and juice of a lemon

Preheat oven to 375

Mix the flour, sugar, salt, and baking powder together in a large bowl. Add in coconut oil and incorporate with a fork or pastry cutter until the dough looks crumbly, add in soy milk and mix in with for again just til until incorporated. (think pie dough-like)%u00a0 Don’t worry if some of the dough seems dry, it’s fine.

Grease and line a 9×9 pan. Dump a little more then half of the dough mixture in and pat down to cover bottom of pan. Try to make sure it’s all an even thickness.

In a separate bowl, toss together the berries, sugar, arrowroot powder, lemon zest and juice of that lemon. Dump the mixture into pan and evenly distribute over dough. Take the remaining dough and crumble all over the top then just stick it into the hot oven.

Bake for about 50 minutes or until the crumble on top is a nice golden brown.

Remove and let cool completely before cutting.

Cut then eat.

Store squares in fridge, some even say they taste better cold.

I’ve gone on a complete split pea binge. I have been making it (or reheating it if I have left overs) every day for the last two weeks, no joke. (This lady needs her protein) I get home, grab what ever veggies I see first in the fridge, a few jars of some spices, the giant jar of dried peas, and make quick work of lunch. Chop chop, dump, splash, stir. I am a soup (stews and bisques too) master. Soup for lunch. Right in all ways and just needs to happen.

Sometimes I’ll make soup and it’s just good soup.%u00a0 Sometimes it will end up being really good .This soup, well this soup is really freaking awesome and is my new go to for split peas. Thick and creamy, mildly sweet from the parsnips and ginger, but mellow at the same time. Add a little or a lot of pepper (lots of pepper here) and you got yourself perfection.

Soup that warms you up from the inside out and leaves you happy and full.

Split pea for life!

The stuff. Dried split peas, parsnips, a carrot, and onion, some Italian seasoning, ground ginger, bay leaves, and salt and pepper. Also need water.

Chop the veggies. Smaller chunks are good, but don’t worry to much, it’s all getting blended up anyway.

Now toss all those veggies into a big heavy bottom pot and mix in all the spices. Stick o stove with a splash of water and turn up the heat to give the veggies and spices a few minutes alone to active all the goodness.

Once the smell hits you nose and the veggies look like they need some water, dump in the split peas and add enough water to completely cover everything plus a few extra inches. Bring the pot to a boil then turn down to low, stick a lid on pot, and let cook. Check an stir every 10 minutes or so. If it starts to look dry, add in another few cups of water.

Peas are soft, veggies are cooked and now soup is almost ready to go.

Just blend it until smooth. Take liberty hear and smooth it as much or as little as you like. Also if you want to thin it out, just add more water. Want to thicken it up, just cook for a little while longer. ( spit pea is so easy).

And that is it.

You know what to do from here.

Soup time!

Stay warm and have a great weekend.

-C

makes a large pot of soup that will feed 4-6

• 1 pound dried split peas
• 1 medium yellow onion
• 1 large carrot
• 1 pound (about 4-5) parsnips
• 2 tablespoons Italian seasoning*
• 2 teaspoons ground ginger
• 2 bay leaves
• salt and pepper
• water

*Note. Italian seasoning is pretty basic and you probably have it, but if not you can make your own by mixing equal parts thyme, oregano, basil, and rosemary.

Start by rough chopping all the veggies and placing them in a large heavy bottom pot. Mix in the spices and bay leaves. Stick on the stove with a splash of water and cook for a few minutes to let the spices ans veggies heat up and smell all nice. Add in peas and enough water to completely cover everything in the pot plus a few inches. Bring to a boil, them turn heat to low, cover pot, and let cook for about 1/2 hour-45 minutes, checking and stir ever 10 minutes. If the soup seems to get too dry, just add in a few extra cups of water.

Once the veggies and peas are soft, turn heat off and using the blending device of your choice, blend until smooth. Season with salt and pepper to taste and eat hot but watch your tongue.

Yes you read that right. Corn. In a popsicle.

What?

No it is not weird or gross or anything. I wouldn’t do that to you. These popsicles are down right deeee-lightful. Rich and creamy and sweet. Both the creamy coconut and the toasted coconut pair perfectly with the sweet corn flavor. They truly are delicious and I think that if you give them a try, you will think so too. And really, now that it is like almost summer, who doesn’t have a little extra corn laying around. So you might as well just make a batch.

And then you will thank me for introducing you to the goodness that is a toasted coconut and corn popsicle. Heck, the mr even ate one and he (still, after I have proven him wrong on a many occasions) says he hates corn. So if a corn hater likes these, imagine what a corn lover will think. HAHA. Corn lover.

To the popsicles!

The stuff. Corn, full fat coconut milk, shredded coconut, and maple syrup.

First, remove corn from cob and place on a baking sheet. Bake in oven for 10-ish minutes until corn is cooked and all nice and sweet.

And don%u2019t forget to toast the coconut. A few minutes in the oven is all it needs.

Now to blend. Corn and coconut milk go in first to blend until nice and smooth. Then add in the maple and coconut and blend until just combined. That will leave a little coconut texture. If you want it smooth, well just blend until completely smooth. Do what feels right to you.

Thick, rich and creamy popsicle mixture.

Now pour it into the molds and stick into the freezer. You could probably stick the sticks in now or wait a little while for the mixture to set a bit, but just don%u2019t forget to get sticks in those popsicles before they completely freeze. That would suck.

Pop those lovelies out of the molds and there you go.

The anticipation is over. Eat a popsicle

-C

makes 4 average sized popsicles

• 2 ears corn (about a cup of corn kernels)

• 1 cup full fat coconut milk (the canned stuff)

• 1/4 cup shredded unsweetened coconut

• 2- 4 tablespoons maple syrup

Note. If you have left over cooked corn, just use that. You don%u2019t need to recook it so skip the cooking corn step.

Preheat oven to 400

Remove corn kernels from cob and place on a baking sheet pretty evenly. Pop into the oven for 10 minutes of so or until the corn is cooked through and nice and sweet.

Remove corn and dump it into blender and set aside to cool for a few minutes. Place the coconut onto the baking sheet and pop into the oven for 3-4 minutes to just lightly toast. When the coconut is toasted, remove from oven.

Grab the blender with the corn and pot in the coconut milk. Blend until smooth. Add in the maple (start with 2 tablespoons and work your way up to the sweetness you like) and the toasted coconut. Blend quickly just to combine for a slightly more textures popsicle or blend completely smooth if you would rather a smoother popsicle.

Pour mixture into popsicles molds and place into freezer. After the mixture sets up (about an hour) pop sticks into molds. Continue to freeze until completely frozen. Usually 4-6 hours.

And then when it is popsicle time, remove popsicles from molds and eat them.