Tuesday, July 27, 2010

he is 16 gonna be 17


Happy Birthday to my 1st baby boy~ I am sort of in shock (& denial) that he is turning 17 tomorrow and that he will be a Senior in a few weeks~
We are having a small quiet family party with a carrot cake tomorrow. We already celebrated last weekend when his best friend came to stay the weekend. So... Happy Happy Birthday baby!!

Thursday, July 22, 2010

Morrocan Carrot Soup

My camera cord has been chewed up by miss FIONA so... there are NO pictures of this wonderful soup. My sister Tara sent me this recipe and I just loved it~ I must admit at first it looked unappetizing~ sort of like carrot baby food. I can tell you it is WONDERFUL ~I have been on a hiatus from my Vegetarian diet and I have paid for it.
So I am back on the wagon (or off the wagon which is it?) with some minor changes~ NO CHEESE period (which is very sad for me b/c I love cheese) trying to just incorporate proteins like chicken & fish on occasion. When we moved I was eating alot of meat. I found myself grilling hot dogs and hamburgers because they were cheap and easy~ I love summer time BBQ food but my body does not. So Thanks again to my lil sis for this AWESOME recipe to get me back on track~ here it is give it a try :)

Moroccan Carrot Soup

2 TBS Butter
1 cup chopped white onion
1 pound large carrots, peeled, cut into 1/2 inch dice~about 2 2/3cups
2 1/2 cups low sodium chicken broth
1 1/2 tsp cumin seeds (I just used ground cumin)
1 tsp fresh lemon juice
1/8 tsp ground allspice
1/2 cup plain yogurt, stirred to loosen

Melt butter in a sauce pan over medium high heat. Add onion saute' for 2 min. Mix in carrots, add broth and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer until carrots are very tender, about 20 minutes.
(stir cumin seeds in skillet until fragrant about 4-5 min then cool ~put in grinder) I used ground cumin I had on hand.
Remove soup from heat. Puree in batches in blender until smooth. Return to same pan. Whisk in Honey, lemon juice, & allspice. Season with Salt and Pepper.
Ladle soup into bowls. Drizzle yogurt over top and sprinkle liberally with cumin ENJOY :)

Thursday, July 8, 2010

making jam


My friend Helen

Helen and Momma Patsi

Our jam session :)

Our grape and plum jam!!

Pasti at my church agreed to help Helen and I do some canning. This has sparked alot of attention and we may be starting a "Lost Arts" Ministry at our church.
Thank you Patsi for teaching us this craft~ it really wasn't as hard as I was thinking it would be :) I had a great time~

Wednesday, July 7, 2010

the 4th


We had a wonderful time this 4th~ we live outside city limits so.... we invited some friends and family we shot fireworks for 3 hours STRAIGHT!!! They were big, beautiful and in our back yard. It was a wonderful night~ Logan will remember what fireworks are from now on... he loves sparklers the best! ;) My pictures weren't that great so here are just a few shots