Wednesday, July 1, 2009, by Leigh Anne
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Just a reminder to head over to iLashGirls today and enter the giveaway for the last of our “Fun” themed giveaways - three chances to win!
I love all three but my favorite might be the pillow. No wait, the note cards. Or maybe it’s the trinket dish. Okay, they are all adorable - go pick a favorite and enter to win.
You have until Thursday at midnight (PST) to enter. Tell your friends!
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Categories: Giveaways
Wednesday, July 1, 2009, by Leigh Anne
During the summer our Saturday morning routine, when we are in town, is an early morning visit to the Beaverton Farmer’s Market.
O.k. - so early morning means about 9:00 a.m. on a Saturday! This weekend I was looking for some yummy produce for our Sunday dinner. Logan was coming home on Saturday and he had invited some friends he met in Sweden while he was there in May to dinner on Sunday. They are in the states for three weeks visiting.
When I asked Logan what I should fix for dinner he began listing off all of his favorites - so that’s what we did. A dinner of all of Logan’s favorite foods!
We headed to the farmer’s market for some yummy produce.
We couldn’t resist this beautiful, fresh picked lavender though so we bought a bunch of it.
We also couldn’t resist paying a visit to our friend over at Zest Crepes and trying her special of the day - a Raspberry Delight!! A crepe filled with a combination of whip cream, cream cheese and fresh raspberries, topped with more whip cream, fresh raspberries and a little bit of fresh mint too! Delicious!
Of course we needed some of these beauties…
I ended up with half a flat of raspberries and strawberries mixed.
I used the raspberries to make overnight waffles with cinnamon syrup and whip cream for Sunday breakfast - Logan’s favorite!
I used the strawberries to make a strawberry cream pie for Sunday’s dinner party. - Logan’s favorite!
We also made cowboy caviar as an appetizer, fast fire flank steak, herbed shrimp, Pioneer Women’s Crash Hot Potatoes, a spinach salad, garlic cheese bread, and in addition to the strawberry cream pie I made Pioneer Women’s Delicious Chocolate Pie. All of them Logan’s favorites!
Here is my kitchen counter with everything lined up ready to cook in the oven. Because I only have one oven I had to borrow my neighbor’s oven to cook the potatoes!
One of the other things we found at the Farmer’s Market were these….
We took home a pound of them and Jim very kindly snapped them for me - I hate snapping beans! It reminds him of his Grandma Jane so he gladly does it for me!
I know it can be a bit dangerous but dinner parties are my favorite time to try new recipes. This time it was a recipe for Tropical Green Beans. I’ve had this in my To Try file for a while and I have no idea where it came from. I forgot to write down the blog I got it from so if anyone recognizes it - please let me know!!
The recipe is a yummy combination of garlic, balsamic vinegar, sun dried tomatoes and pine nuts. I am not quite sure what is tropical about that combination but that’s what it’s called!
They are quick and easy to prepare - snapping them is the hard part.
Here they are ready to go into the oven - covered in olive oil, garlic and onions!
The recipe says to bake them for 25 minutes but I only baked them for about 10 minutes because I like my beans a little crisp - not too mushy!
The balsamic vinegar, sun-dried tomatoes and pine nuts are then added in and they are ready to eat!
Tropical Green Beans
4 Tbsp olive oil
1 lb. fresh green beans, cleaned, cut and dried
1 small yellow onion
6 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
1/2 tsp salt
2 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
1/3 C sun-dried tomatoes packed in oil, diced
2 tsp toasted pine nuts
freshly ground black pepper
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Brush a large baking dish with 2 Tbsp of olive oil. Put green beans, onion, and garlic in the dish, drizzle with remaining oil and sprinkle with salt. Bake for 25 minutes, stirring beans at least 3 times. When tender, remove beans from oven and transfer to bowl. Immediately drizzle with vinegar. Add tomatoes, pine nuts and pepper to taste and toss.
Dinner was a success and we enjoyed meeting the Thorn’s from Jonkoping, Sweden. They were a delight! I hope they enjoyed Logan’s favorite foods!
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Categories: Nourish, Recipes
Sunday, June 28, 2009, by Leigh Anne
We are headed out for our annual Week at the Beach.
It is one of my favorite weeks of the year.
Our family is able to get away from our “normal” life and just relax at our beach house in Manzanita on the beautiful Oregon Coast. Logan is flying home to join us.
Clark is still backpacking through Europe having the time of his life so he won’t be there. He is having some amazing experiences though - check out his Polish Miracle! He has promised some pictures of the food he has been eating soon! He’s his mother’s son!
I’ve got a quilting project planned for our Week at the Beach as well as some reading and scrapbooking!
Many of you know that I have a scrapbooking homebased business - I have been a consultant with the direct sales company Creative Memories for almost 19 years!
There are many advantages and blessings to having a homebased business. One of the best things that has come as a result of my business, besides the many wonderful friends I have made, is that we were able to realize one of our dreams - to own a home at the beach.
Since our beach house has no internet connection I may be slow in approving comments, responding to questions and comments this week so please be patient.
I am also excited to announce to you today that I have started another blog - how many blogs does one girl need? Well I’ve decided you can never have too many shoes or too many blogs!
This new blog is a scrapbooking blog and I have started this new blog for purely selfish reasons. Ever since I began my Creative Memories business my main goal every year has been to get caught up on my albums. Don’t get me wrong - I have walked my talk all these years and have completed over 120 traditional albums and several dozen digital ones but I have never been TOTALLY caught up.
Well, I decided that this was the year. One thing I have learned about myself is that I do much better when I am held accountable so I have started this blog to chronicle my scrapbooking journey to completion and I am inviting you to join me!
Here’s the first project on the list - finish up Cali’s high school albums. It’s about 80 percent done.
This blog will be a private blog.
If you are interested in following me or joining me on this journey or just learning some new scrapbooking tips and ideas please leave a comment below or email me through the Contact form above and I will send you an invite to be able to access my new blog - Homebased Scrapbooker.
I look forward to sharing this journey with you! Let’s get scrapping!
Here’s the view I will be looking at from the living room of my beach house as I do a little scrapbooking this week! Want to join me??
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Thursday, June 25, 2009, by Leigh Anne
For our anniversary this year I gave Jim a cookbook. Not a very romantic gift for a 28th wedding anniversary but I had my reasons!
For the last couple of years I have been telling Jim that I would cook for the first 30 years of our marriage and he was in charge of cooking the second thirty years! I don’t think he believes me!
You see Jim doesn’t cook. He would say he cooks but throwing a piece of meat on the grill really isn’t cooking. He does make a mean Puff up Pancake but that’s about it!
I figured he needed a couple of years to practice, so for our anniversary I gave him
How to Cook Everything : 2,000 Simple Recipes for Great Food
by Mark Bittman.
So far he hasn’t actually cooked anything out of it but I have.
For my herb class I used Mark Bittman’s Linguine with Garlic and Oil recipe. One of the things I love about this new cookbook is that Mark will give you a good basic recipe and then he shows you lots of ways to easily change it up.
You can take his basic Linguine with Garlic and Oil recipe and add in fresh herbs and nuts to create a different taste. That’s exactly what I did at the herb class.
I love pine nuts so I chopped up some of those and then put together a combo of fresh herbs - 1/4 C parsley,1 /4 C basil, 1 sprig of thyme and a couple of tablespoons of chives.
Add the nuts and herbs to the olive oil and some garlic and you have a simple, quick and delicious summer meal! A hand full of Parmesan cheese thrown in at the end is yummy too! Add a fresh green salad and some cheesy garlic bread or herb bread and you are good to go!
Herbed Pasta
ala Mark Bittman
Salt
1/3 C extra virgin olive oil or more as needed
2 Tbsp minced garlic
1 or 2 small dried red chiles or to taste, or hot red pepper flakes to taste (optional)
1/2 C chopped nuts such as pine nuts, walnuts, almonds, hazelnuts, pecans.
1/2 C fresh herbs - combination of basil, parsley, thyme, chives, rosemary etc.
1 pound long, thin pasta, like linguine or spaghetti or any other pasta
1/2 C grated fresh Parmesan cheese
Bring a large pot of water to a boil and salt it. Add pasta when it comes to a boil.
Heat the oil. When hot, add the nuts and cook, stirring frequently, until they start to toast and become fragrant, just a minute or two. Turn down the heat to medium -low and stir in the chiles, garlic and a large pinch of salt.
Let the garlic sizzle a bit, shaking the pan occasionally, just until it turns golden, about 3 minutes. Toss in the herb mixture (total of 1/2 -1 cup) The herb mixture may absorb all the oil so if it does add a little more oil when you toss it with the pasta or add in some of the pasta water.
Turn off the heat if the pasta isn’t ready.
Cook the pasta until it is tender but not mushy. When it is done, drain it, reserving a bit of the cooking water. Reheat the herb/garlic mixture briefly if necessary. Taste and adjust the seasoning, toss with Parmesan cheese and serve - yum!
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Wednesday, June 24, 2009, by Leigh Anne
One of my favorite ways to use herbs is in bread. Not only does it taste yummy but it smells heavenly as it is baking!
Last week at the herb class I taught at my home I shared a couple of different breads made with herbs.
The first one was the No Knead Bread I have shared here on the blog before. The only thing you need to turn it into Herb No Knead Bread is 1 Tbsp of chopped fresh herbs. I think I used a combination of rosemary, thyme and oregano but I don’t really remember. Experiment with your favorite herbs and see what you come up with!
The second herb bread I shared at the class was Flatbread with Fresh Herbs. I do not remember where this recipe came from but it’s a good one.
(Do you see a trend here …no memory!)
It is simple to prepare. I used pizza dough I purchased at the grocery store. Here in Portland you can get it at Trader Joes or Winco or you can make your own from scratch.
Divide the dough into two pieces and roll each piece into a long rectangle (try to get them as close to the same size as possible). Place on ungreased cookie sheet.
Place basil leaves on dough and then sprinkle with rosemary.
Place second rectangle over the herbs. Flatten a little with a rolling pin or a glass. Edges do not need to be sealed.
Brush egg mixture over the top.
Sprinkle on the cheeses.
Bake at 375 for 8-10 minutes until golden brown.
Slice, eat and enjoy!
Flatbread with Fresh Herbs
Pizza dough or crescent dinner rolls (8 oz. refrigerated can) or your own pizza dough or roll dough
1/2 C fresh basil leaves
2 tsp. chopped fresh rosemary leaves
1 egg, beaten
1/2 C freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 C grated Mozzarella cheese
Heat oven to 375 degrees. Roll dough into 2 long rectangles. Place one rectangle on ungreased cookie sheet. Place basil leaves on dough. Then sprinkle rosemary on top of basil. Place second rectangle over the herbs. Flatten a little with rollling pin or bottle. Brush egg over top. Sprinkle on the cheeses (you can also add other cheese you like). Bake until golden brown, about 8 to 10 minutes.
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Tuesday, June 23, 2009, by Leigh Anne
A few weeks ago I taught a class for a group of women from church on cooking with herbs. It was a fun class to prepare for and I learned a few new things myself.
This week I will share with you some of the tips on cooking with herbs as well as a few quick and easy herb recipes that I shared at the class.
Growing herbs is easy - all you need is a nice sunny location. This can be a garden bed, a pot on your patio or a small pot on your kitchen window sill. I keep my herbs in a small raised bed in my vegetable garden area and a pot of basil on the patio.
The ladies at the class got a tour of my herb garden and a quick lesson in how to deadhead your basil!
My favorite herbs to grow are: basil (lots of basil), rosemary (this comes back every year), oregano, thyme, chives, parsley (both curly and flat leaf), and cilantro.
Here are my Top Tips for cooking with herbs:
- When substituting fresh herbs for dried herbs in a recipe a general guideline is to use 3 times as much of the fresh herb as you would use of a dried herb. When substituting, you’ll often be more successful substituting fresh herbs for dried herbs, rather than the other way around.
- Purchase herbs close to the time you plan to use them. When growing herbs in your own garden the ideal time for picking is in the morning after the dew has dried but before the sun gets hot. This helps ensure the best flavor and storage quality.
- Fresh herbs can be stored in an open or a perforated plastic bag in your refrigerator crisper drawer for a few days. Wrap woody stem herbs (thyme, rosemary) in a dry paper towel and then place in perforated plastic bag. Wrap soft stem herbs (oregano, basil) in a damp paper towel and then place in perforated plastic bag.
- Unlike dried herbs, fresh herbs are usually added toward the end in cooked dishes to preserve their flavor. Add the more delicate herbs — basil, chives, cilantro, dill leaves, parsley, marjoram and mint — a minute or two before the end of cooking or sprinkle them on the food before it’s served. The less delicate herbs, such as dill seeds, oregano, rosemary, tarragon and thyme, can be added about the last 20 minutes of cooking. Obviously, for some foods, such as breads, batters, etc., you’ll need to add herbs at the beginning of the cooking process.
Coming up next - a quick and easy herb pasta. A perfect quick meal for a summer night.
What’s your favorite herb to cook with??
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Monday, June 22, 2009, by Leigh Anne
I am back from Girl’s Camp and trying to catch up on my sleep.
The adult women really roughed it in our enclosed cabins with showers and toilets and then there were those three meals a day prepared by a full kitchen staff!
We had a great time - lots of fun! If you are interested, I have posted some fun pictures of what my daughter and her friend did for the girls they were counselors over - you can check it out on our family blog.
Also be sure and check out the two DARLING items we are giving away over at iLashGirls. I love the tote bag I own from Zinney Lou Totes - it is my knitting bag and my girls are drooling over the headband from Just Liv - they both want one! Be sure and click on over here to enter to win!
Watch this week for some posts on the herb class I taught for the ladies at church last week - info on how to grow herbs as well as some great herb recipes!!
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Thursday, June 18, 2009, by Leigh Anne
Note: Be sure and check out the great giveaways this week at iLashGirls! The More Fun, Fun, Fun Giveaway has my favorite things–things to wear!! Two fun pairs of earrings plus a great hand-dyed summer scarf!
Years ago we went to Disney World. We got into town late and we were starving. The first restaurant we found near our hotel that was open was Pizza Hut.
We ordered one of their deep dish pan pizzas. I remember it being the most delicious thing I had ever eaten - it could have been that I was ABSOLUTELY STARVING and anything would have tasted good but ever since then I have had an affection for their pan pizza.
Our family favorite is pepperoni and black olive! 
When I found a recipe for Pizza Hut Pan Pizza over at Real Mom Kitchen I knew we had to try it. It was a huge hit with the family and the three pizzas feed us all with some left over.
What’s your favorite pizza topping? Are you a thin crust or a pan crust fan?
Pizza Hut Pan Pizza
Dough:
1 1/3 C Warm water (105F)
1/4 C Non-fat dry milk
1/2 tsp Salt
4 C Flour
1 Tbsp Sugar
1 pk Dry yeast
2 Tbsp Vegetable oil (for dough)
9 Oz Vegetable oil (3 oz. per pan) - (I just use enough to coat the pan)
Butter flavored Pam ( I didn’t use this)
Put yeast, sugar, salt, and dry milk in a large (2 qt.) bowl. Add water and stir to mix well. Allow to sit for two minutes. Add oil and stir again. Add flour and stir until dough forms and flour is absorbed. Turn out on to a flat surface and knead for about 10 minutes. Divide dough into three balls. In three 9″ cake pans ( or can use 1 - 9 inch pie plate and 1 - 9 x 13 dish) , put 3 Oz. of oil in each making sure it is spread evenly. Using a rolling pin, roll out each dough ball to about a 9″ circle. Place in cake pans. Spray the outer edge of dough with Pam. Cover with a plate. Place in warm area and allow to rise for 1 to 1 1/2 hours.
Prepeat oven to 450 degrees. Spoon 1/3 cup sauce on each pizza and spread to within 1 inch of edge. Distribute 1 1/2 oz. of shredded mozzarella cheese on each pizza. Place toppings of your choice in this order - pepperoni or ham, vegetables, meats (cooked ground sausage or beef) Top with 3 oz. mozzarella cheese. Cook until cheese is bubbling and outer crust is brown - about 15 minutes. I then brush outer edge of crust with garlic butter.
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Categories: Nourish, Recipes
Monday, June 15, 2009, by Leigh Anne
Note: I am headed to Girl’s Camp with Tessa and the girls from church. I will be gone roughing it all week! I will be totally disconnected from my computer and the internet - please pray for me! I will respond to emails, comments and questions when I return. I do have a couple of fun posts for you though while I’m gone
Last week Logan was home for a visit. He is my “foodie” child - he loves food! In fact while he was home he was so sweet, he said to me, “Mom, you will go to heaven for your cooking alone!” I love that boy!
While he was home we went on a field trip together. We had a cupcake caper! We decided to check out and taste test cupcakes from three of Portland’s cupcake bakeries.
We headed down to NW Portland to Saint Cupcake.
We bought 5 different types of cupcakes at Saint Cupcake. I thought the Big Top cupcakes were darling - it is a vanilla cupcake with chocolate chips on top - like a cookie and a cupcake! The color of the vanilla cream cheese frosting changes daily to match the mood of the baker. He must have been happy the day we were there because they were orange!
We stuck to the basics there with the Vanilla with Cream Cheese Frosting, Vanilla with Buttercream Frosting, Hot Fudge on Vanilla, Hot Fudge on Chocolate and a Big Top. Their selection varies daily and you can check out what’s available each day here.
The next stop was Cupcake Jones in the Pearl District of Portland.
Their selection is a little more unique and upscale, many of them inspired by their favorite desserts. They have samples of each of the days offerings in jars for you to try.
You can check out their flavors for the day here on their board…
or you can check out the display in the front window and watch them work all at the same time.
Not only were their cupcake offerings unique they are also beautiful.
We sampled the S’mores complete with a homemade marshmallow and graham cracker on top.
As well as the Blueberries & Cream, Creme Brulee, Velvet Painting and the Pearl. Be sure and check out their daily specials.
We only purchased mini cupcakes at all the bakeries but they all offered full size cupcakes as well. At Cupcakes Jones their full size cupcakes are filled with various ganaches and fillings - yum!
Our third stop was close to home - only two blocks from home. Danger! A cupcake bakery only two blocks from our house!
Bliss Cupcake Shop - the newest of the three bakeries is located at Bethany Village. We have made several visits there already. This trip we tried 3 flavors - Lavender Lime Bliss, Red Velvet Bliss and Rainbow Bliss - are you seeing a blissful theme here?
Unfortunately it wasn’t Wednesday when they serve their SunnyDay Bliss cupcakes - my favorite - a vanilla bean cake with lemon curd filling
and lemon buttercream.
During our taste test Bliss Cupcake Shop had both the favorite and the least favorite. The kids all voted the Rainbow Bliss - covered in M & M’s as their favorite and the Lavender Lime Bliss as their least favorite.
Can we choose our favorite cupcake bakery? No - we loved them all.
This is what was left at the end of our taste testing.
But with Bliss Cupcake Shop only two blocks from our house - we will be visiting that one the most. Especially on Wednesdays when they have Sunny Day Bliss! For their other daily specials check out their menu.
Now that we are in the cupcake mood I am anxious to try some of own flavor creations here at home - have any favorite cupcake recipes to share?
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Categories: Nourish
Thursday, June 11, 2009, by Leigh Anne
As promised I am sharing my baked bean recipe that we served with our early Father’s Day dinner last week.
This recipe came from my husband’s Aunt Dawn and has been a family favorite.
One of the tricks of wonderful baked beans is baking them for a long time. These beans bake for 3 hours so be sure and plan ahead.
Baked beans are a frequent menu item at our house during the summer - a great side dish for all those fun barbecues you have during the summer.
The recipe calls for baking it with the lid off . I like to bake it with the lid on. The beans don’t get quite as thick with the lid on and I prefer them a little runnier.
This is what it looks like before it goes into the oven.
And here it is when it comes out - 3 hours later.
Baked Beans
2 large can pork and beans/baked beans (28 oz. cans)
1/2 lb. chopped bacon (uncooked)
1 onion, chopped
3 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
1/2 bottle ketchup (24 oz.)
1/2 C brown sugar
1 green pepper, cut into rings
Stir and combine first six ingredients and then place green pepper rings on top. Bake 350 degrees for 3 hours uncovered (I cover)
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Categories: Nourish, Recipes
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