Feeling crafty

I decided to buy fabric and cut the shapes out to applique in kids shirts. This is my first one, I think it turned out pretty cute! More to come, off to the fabric store.....

Pretty Peonies

I went to a friends farm the other day and she offered me some flowers from her cutting garden. My first of the season! It might actually feel like summer was coming if it would just warm up and stop raining!!!!

Baby Basil

I started basil plants a few weeks ago and now have 20 starts potted up. I can never get them to grow outside for me because they always get eaten! I should have a good supply in a month or so. I cant wait to make some Pesto!

Asparagus!

Last week I received about 50 pounds of fresh asparagus from eastern washington. It took me 2 days to process it all! I pickled most of it. I also lacto -fermented a few jars as an experiment that should be ready in 2 weeks and vacumed sealed and froze a bunch. I also came up with my own awseome soup recipe:
Spicy Chicken Asparagus Soup

6oz mushrooms chopped
1 sprig fresh rosemary finely diced
1/2-1 bunch chopped aspaparagus
1/2 sweet or purple onion chopped
1/2 yellow sweet pepper chopped
4-6 cups chicken broth
approximately 2 cooked chicken breasts shredded or diced
1 can diced tomatoes with chiles or 2 diced fresh tomates and 2-3 green chilies ( to make it slightly spicy)
salt to taste
Saute onions until soft add to pot along with all other ingredients. Simmer until veggies are soft. Serve over pasta or rice! Its GOOD!

Raw pie!

I spent the week in Wisonsin with my aunt. We ate all vegan and mostly raw foods. It gave me a chance to try out some new recipes. We had raw tacos, raw pasta and I made this yumy raw pie!

Upcycling

Upcycling is making new things out of old. My Aunt Kris back in Wisconsin makes purses, pins, clothes and other things out of old fabrics and other items. This is a pin she gave me made out of old zippers!

Passion Fruit Jam

We just got back from a trip to So Cal and came back withe about 40lbs of fruit! One of my husbands Aunts gave us passion fruit. I made a batch of jam that turned out pretty decent!

Allergen Free Breakfast Bars

As a whole my family eats very healthy. Mostly organic whole foods, cooking most things from scratch. One of the things my husband has refused to give up was his sugary breakfast cereals. He thought if he started buying organic cereals that would change my opinion. They are still full of sugar! I volunteered to get up and cook him breakfast and repeatedly told him I would precook him anything he wanted. He said breakfast bars sounded good. I found a recipe online that is sugar-dairy-gluten-soy-egg-nut free. The texture is chewy with just enough sweetness.
Cinnamon Raisin Breakfast bars
4 cups whole organic oats, 1 of those cups blended in the blender to a floury consistancy( do not skip this step, it binds the bars together)
1/4th cup flax seeds
1 cup apple juice
1/2 cup apple sauce
1 tsp cinnamon
Thouroughly mix all ingredients. Press firmly into a greased 13x9 inch pan. Bake at 375 for about 30 min.
This morning I made a batch subbing banana for the apple sauce and adding some chopped almonds, dried blueberries and some shredded coconut. Yum!

Curried Carrot-Apple Soup

This is one of my favorite quick and easy soup recipes. Simple and tasty!

Curried Carrot-Apple Soup

3-4 large peeled carrots

2 Fuji or other sweet apple peeled and sliced

1/2 purple or sweet onion

1-2 garlic cloves

1/2 TBL curry powder

salt and pepper to taste

Put all roughly cut veggies/fruit into a pot with about 1 inch of water added to pot. Bring to boil and reduce heat and simmer approx 20 min. Remove from heat, when cooled blend thouroughly in a blender. Add more water if a thinner consistancy is desired. Add curry powder, salt and pepper to taste. Serve warm, garnish with chopped cilantro.

In the batch pictured I added a few leeks I also had in the fridge.