Roasted Veggies

This paste week I did a lot of cooking while my parents were here visiting for the holiday. One night we had a turkey breast (cooked in the slow cooker), corn, and roasted vegetables.

The vegetables were so easy and super yummy! Here's what I did.

Ingredients
bag of small yellow potatoes
baby carrots
butternut squash
1/4 cup olive oil
1 1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
2 tablespoons minced garlic
2 teaspoons dried parsley

Directions
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Cut the potatoes in quarters and put them in a medium to large bowl. Add carrots, butternut squash (I used pre-cut since I was trying to cut down on the work), olive oil, salt, pepper, garlic and parsley. Roast in the oven for 1 hour or until browned. Flip them a couple of times to ensure they brown evenly.

Remove from the oven, season to taste (if you need more seasoning - I've found you don't) and serve hot.

They are delicious! The carrots and squash get a little sweet which balances nicely with the garlic and salt. Yum!

Beef Stew with Beer Biscuits

A couple of months ago, I made beef stew and beer biscuits for dinner.... they were both delicious. I did  have a little trouble with the shape of the biscuits. They came out a little flat, but still tasted good. Not sure what happened. I wonder if it was the type of beer I used... Coors Light (didn't want to use the good stuff while cooking. Thought I'd keep that for drinking. ;))?

I plan to make this again at some point so I will check back in when I do if I have better success. If anyone has any thoughts around the type of beer feel free to comment. I'd love to hear your thoughts.

Beef Stew: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ree-drummond/beef-stew-with-root-vegetables-recipe/index.html

*I didn't use the parsnips and turnip. I used good old fashioned russet potatoes instead. One of these days I'll be more adventurous around trying the other veggies.


Beer Biscuits: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/sandra-lee/beer-biscuits-recipe/index.html

* I used a pre-made baking mix.... I wonder if this or the beer made them flat?

No-Bake Peanut Butter Oatmeal Balls

Last week I attended a nutrition seminar at the gym and the nutritionist brought a quick and easy pre or post or workout snack.  The recipe she provided was a little sweet so I looked one for another one. This is the one I made.  The only thing I would change is using less honey. They were quite sweet at room temperature. The sweetness seemed less prominent after they had been refrigerated. Because the peanut butter is melted, I think they would hold together with less honey.

I followed the recipe as written though I didn't have mini chocolate chips so I chopped up regular size ones.

To form the balls, I used a small scooper, and rolled them in chopped almonds.

Due to the peanut butter, I wouldn't eat this before I work out, but it's good quick snack afterwards.

Overnight Oatmeal

My new obsession is overnight oatmeal. I've tried it with regular milk and yogurt, just milk, and just almond milk. All are good, it just depends on what you're in the mood for. The version with yogurt is richer and also higher in calories, but also with the added protein from the yogurt. The unsweetened almond milk version is definitely lower in calories. I go for the unsweetened, plain almond milk to avoid added sugars and additives. It actually tastes good and I don't really like very sweet oatmeal anyway.

The yogurt recipes on this site -The Yummy Life -were recommended to me and they're great. Also, at the top of the  article, click the link to more versions. I've made the version with apricots (with almond milk) and the apple cinnamon one with milk and yogurt. I've added frozen berries and fresh apples other times, and I've used both chia seeds and ground flax seeds.

Chia seeds

The first time I tried chia seeds I followed a recipe without reading about them. 2 tbsp of chia seeds caused some serious stomach bloating and gas (sorry) that lasted about two days. I've since cut back to about 1 tsp per serving and make sure to drink a lot of water. There's a lot of info online about chia. The health benefits are great. From WebMD, "Enjoy chia seeds for their flavor and to boost the fiber, protein, calcium, antioxidants, and omega-3s in your diet."

The nice thing about soaking them overnight is they absorb all that liquid and then they don't expand as much in your stomach. I recommends starting off with a small amount. The recipes at The yummy life above  are pretty reasonable.

Apricots and add-ins

Chopped dried apricots soaked overnight turn a nice soft consistency and are very flavorful. They're pretty sweet so there's not much need for additional sweetener. I tend to skip the sweetener and get that from ten added fruit. The one time this failed was with a pumpkin oatmeal recipe. That one really needed some sugar.

Does anyone have  any other suggestions for oatmeal mix-ins?

Turkey Chili

Today I made turkey chili in the slow cooker. I started with this recipe from Skinnytaste Kid-friendly Turkey Chili but made some changes based on the comments and the ingredients on hand. I used:

• 1.5 lbs ground turkey
• 2 12 oz cans of crushed tomatoes instead of Rotel and sauce. I blended one can to smooth it out. I also wanted to use organic and avoid added salt.
• Doubled the spices except the salt 
• A cup of frozen tri-color peppers instead of one fresh. The fresh organic ones at the store looked a bit wrinkly and now I have more left for the next batch. 
• Added a can of black beans, rinsed
• Served with pepper jack cheese I shredded myself and low fat sour cream. No avocado because I had some in my smoothie for breakfast. 

This was good - nice and spicy.

Shipping Baked Goods

Tis the season to bake! If you're anything like me, you like to bake and share. I know I don't want all those baked goods in my house. :)  Plus they make a great gift.... something from the heart!

Up until now I haven't really shipped any of the baked goods I've made. So I needed to do some research. I found a helpful article and thought I would share it. Check it out! Hopefully it will help someone else as well.

Delicious Chickpea and Sausage Minestrone

Last night I tried another new soup recipe. I love homemade soup and it was definitely the weather for it.... the snow was coming down!

This is the next morning.

I was catching up on my magazines and came across this interesting recipe (chickpea and sausage minestrone) in the most recent Cooking Light magazine. I made the soup without the pasta in the afternoon and let it simmer for a bit (it doesn't say you have to do this). I used the turkey sausage crumbles that I had in the freezer and it made it so simple. When we were ready to have dinner I cooked the pasta and added the last few ingredients. I also added a little of the pasta water to give it a little more broth.

I have to admit that I was a little nervous about how this would turn out. It was delicious! Rick and I both enjoyed it! We had it with some oyster crackers, but I'm sure you could have bread or biscuits too. Give it a try on one of these cold winter days! It makes a great lunch the next day too.

Question: I used ground red pepper that I had in the cabinet. I'm not sure whether this is the same as the crushed red pepper they suggest in the recipe or not, so if anyone has any thoughts let me know.

Pork Roast with Winter Vegetables

Tonight I made a pork roast with winter vegetables for dinner. My friend Yvonne sent me the recipe. It was really good.

Here's the recipe. It's super easy and is really good on a winters night. 

Prep time is maybe 20 minutes (buy the squash cubes)

Cooking time 50 minutes (max if the roast is on the 2+ pounder side)

2 large garlic cloves minced

Grated zest of one lemon

1 tablespoon chopped rosemary

1 ½ teaspoons of salt (divided see steps below)

1 ½ teaspoon of pepper (divided see steps below)

2 pound boneless center cut pork loin roast

½ butternut squash or 1 package of the cubes they sell in the produce section of the  market is easier!

3 large carrots peeled cut length wise

3 parsnips peeled and cut length wise

4 celery stalks cut into 3 pieces each

4 teaspoons olive oil

One medium size baking dish as long as its deep you’re okay.

1. Preheat oven to 450◦
2. Mix together garlic, lemon zest, rosemary, 1 tsp salt, tsp pepper and rub it all over pork
3. Toss all vegetables together in a bowl with the olive oil, rosemary, the ½ tsp of salt and the ½ tsp pepper
4. Spread all vegetables around the pork
5. Bake for about 45- 50 minutes you’ll see it browning on the top
6. Let stand for 10 minutes before slicing
7. Serve with the vegetables

As always I made a few adjustments.....

• small yellow potatoes instead of the parsnips
• added half a chopped onion
• premium pork roast instead of a tenderloin
• cooked it for about an hour (maybe due to the cut of meat)

Tip: I didn't rub the mixture all over the pork. I only rubbed it on the top. I think you should rub it all over the pork since it was fairly peppery. 

Give it a try and let me know if there's any other tips you have.

This is what mine looked like

Fruit Salad, Kale Salad, Green Smoothie

These are the two things I made for Thanksgiving.

Kale and Orange Salad with Mustard Dressing
I didn't bother blanching the kale. I washed it, and julienned it, basically, and then let it sit in the dressing for a few hours. I didn't put much salt on it, and it definitely needed it. You can skip salt and let people salt their own, of course.

Winter Fruit Salad
This was just delicious! The only complaint I have is it really takes a long time to segment the fruit and send the peels down the disposal.

We also had a green smoothie for breakfast: 1 banana, 1 avocado, a bunch of curly kale, and some milk. I think there was some ice too.

Super Fun New Bags

This weekend my husband took me to a party that his friend was having. It was a premier party for her fun handmade bags. She's been making things in her spare time and is now starting to sell them. At her party, she had bags of all sizes (totes, purses, iPads, phones, yoga mats, makeup, etc.). She also had fun wine charms, earrings, and pendants. She can and will make almost anything! I'm looking forward to my new yoga mat bag and table runner! Love the fact that they will be one of a kind.

And she's super talented.... a lot of materials she uses are re-purposed from things like clothes and furniture. I'm amazed at how she can take something that isn't wanted any more and make it into something completely different. Such a great idea!

Plus Jan is just a super nice person! I got to meet her and her daughter that day... and spend a little extra time with them after everyone else left. Nothing like a little wine, munchies and some good company to celebrate a new purchase! ;)

Check out the bags I took home with me!

I got this one for a Christmas gift.
It has great pockets in side with fun big button closers. 

This one I bought for myself. Love the colors.
I think it will make a great carry on bag.... maybe even a good laptop bag.

This is the other side of my new bag. It also has some fun pocket inside.

This is a makeup bag I got. Plus it's washable!

If you like these and you're interested in any for yourself her name is Jan Lathum, Oak Rock Hill Designs. Her email is oakrockhilldesigns@yahoo.com. Mention that you saw her bags on this blog. :)

Chicken Pot Pie Stew

I'm always looking for a new slow cooker recipe. I love my slow cooker! Nothing is better than putting the ingredients into a pot and letting it cook itself! Not only does it do all the work for you, but it makes your house smell amazing!

So this week I tried a new soup (or I guess stew) recipe. It's chicken pot pie stew. I did make a few changes.... I used:

• small yellow potatoes instead of red ones
• a can of low sodium chicken broth instead of the bouillon cubes
• a small amount of celery seed instead of the celery salt (I didn't have any)
• garlic powder instead of garlic salt (I didn't have any of this either) 
• some frozen corn, green beans, peas, and carrots

I think with this recipe you can pretty much play with the veggies to suit what you have on hand (or what you like). As you can see I worked with what I had in the house.

Next time I make this I think I will make a couple of changes.

• I'll use reduced fat/salt cream of chicken soup
• Less pepper.... it doesn't sound like a lot in the recipe but it turned out pretty peppery

If you try this recipe let me know if you make any changes. I'd love to hear about them.

Salmon Salad with Cinnamon Toast

Breakfast today was a variety of flavors.

Banana yogurt espresso smoothie - ingredients obvious along with ice.
Salmon salad sandwich on cinnamon raisin toast. Surprisingly good together.

The salmon salad was canned pink salmon from Costco with some diced Granny Smith apple, diced celery, mayo, shredded Parmesan cheese and pepper. The bread was Ezekiel cinnamon raisin. I think it would be just as good with chicken salad, with the apples too. The sweet and savory flavors went well together.

Best part of this meal - I didn't have to make it. Thank you H!

Downeast Maine Pumpkin Bread

I made pumpkin bread for the first time this weekend. In the past I haven't been a big fan of pumpkin, but in the last couple of years I've begun to really like it. In fact I start to crave pumpkin flavored coffee, muffins, etc. when fall comes around. So I decided to take a stab at making my own pumpkin yumminess. :)

I found a pumpkin bread recipe on Allrecipes.com. With a little tweaking based on the reviews it turned out great. I used 2 cups white sugar and 1 cup brown sugar instead of all the white sugar. I added 1 teaspoon of vanilla. I also substituted half of the oil with applesauce and the cloves with pumpkin pie spice. Oh... one other thing, instead of 3 smaller bread pans I ended up using 2 larger pans and a very small pan. That's all I had to work with and turned out pretty well.

I will definitely keep this bread recipe in my recipe box. It would make a great addition to a Thanksgiving feast or a gift for someone.... not to mention a tasty breakfast or snack.

Chicken Taco Soup

It's that time of year again.... Fall! And Fall makes me want soup. So today I made Slow Cooker Chicken Taco Soup. It was the first time I've made this recipe, but I had some cooked chicken that I needed to use and I knew I'd be out all day.

I made a couple of changes based on what I had in the kitchen. I used:

• frozen corn instead of canned
• a large can of diced tomatoes and 2 cans of green diced chilies
• two cooked chicken breasts
• 1/4 cup taco seasoning instead of a package
• Modelo especial beer

The soup is very tasty and has a little kick to it. I think I'll be making this again.

It's a very chunky soup

I put a little sour cream in mine

Rick put cheese in his

Old Fashion Apple Sauce

The other day I made apple sauce. It's so simple. Plus homemade apple sauce is so much better than the stuff you can buy in the store.

I used the recipe that my mother and father always used. Growing up in my house, my dad actually made better apple sauce than my mother. Sorry Mom! I think it was the brown sugar and cinnamon he added.

Here's the recipe.

Ingredients:
8 apples, cored and quartered
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup brown sugar packed (you can also use white sugar if you prefer)
cinnamon
apple pie spice

Directions:
In a saucepan, simmer apples with the water, covered for 15-20 minutes (or until fork-tender). Be sure to stir occasionally so the apples won't get scorched. Use a potato masher to mash up the apples to the consistency you like. Stir in the sugar until dissolved. Add cinnamon and/or apple pie spice to taste.

I've read that you can substitute the water for apple juice and add lemon juice to perk up the flavor. This past time I tried adding a little bit of lemon juice for the first time since the apples were a little older.

Apples peeled and cored ready to simmer in water

Apples mashed after simmering for 20 minutes

The finished product cooling

Great Simple Dinner

Last week we had some out of town guest coming for the weekend. I needed to figure out a dinner that was easy to make while I was working. So naturally I used my slow cooker.... I love that thing!

For the main dish I made Spicy Pop Pulled Pork that I've made for Rick before. He absolutely loves it and asked me to make it this time as well. It's super easy and very flavorful. I used Dr. Pepper for the pop portion of this recipe. :)

I also had some small yellow potatoes that I needed to use. So I made some Garlic Roasted Potatoes to go along with the pork. Delicious! Rick said these were his favorite roasted potatoes I've made. The only change I made to this recipe was the parsley.... I didn't have fresh so I used some dried parsley I had in the cabinet.

Since I didn't have a vegetable I pulled some Corn Casserole with Red Bell Peppers and Jalapeños out of the freezer. I had made this a few weeks before and froze it in smaller portions. It worked out great. Just defrosted it and heated it up on the stove. A couple of changes I made to this recipe:

• I used frozen corn
• Substituted half and half for the heavy cream (it's not as thick but I don't think it's an issue)

Even with the changes the corn was wonderful!

Since my guests seemed to be really pleased with this meal I thought I would share all the recipes. They are all super easy and full of flavor! Enjoy!

Squash

I picked up some delicata squash at Nicewicz Farm when I was apple picking. The woman working the stand raved about this squash. No peeling necessary and really easy to cook. This was my lunch today and it was so delicious. The squash is really sweet.

To prepare, cut in half lengthwise, scoop out the seeds, and cut into rings. Toss with a little olive oil, lay flat on a sheet pan, and roast at 425 for about a half hour, flipping over every 10 minutes or so. The squash will get soft, and the sides will brown. It's a good side dish, though today it was all I had.

I found some easy directions online, because I hadn't discussed temperature at the farm. The Summer Tomatoes blog is pretty cool; some great recipes and good health articles. Check out the History link too.

Apple Crisp and Apple Picking

The closest apple orchard to me is an hour away. There are tons of them, and depending on which direction, they could be between 30 and 50 miles. Getting up early on Saturday and beating the traffic and orchard crowds was my best bet so I was on the road at 7:30. After getting some cider donuts at Bolton Spring Farm I went down the street to Nicewicz farm, where I picked a peck of Macoun and Fuji apples. This farm is really low key, not like the big orchards with big gift shops and hay rides and animals. Don't get me wrong, those are good in their own way, but this place felt peaceful. I talked to Ken, one of the owners, and also the woman who worked in the little farm stand. She gave me a tip on cooking delicata squash, which  I'll post later this week after I cook it.

One of the apple trees was just laden with fruit.

With about 9 Macouns I made Martha Stewart's apple crisp that Julie made last week. It's quite tasty. I ended up overcooking it, because I winged it on the number of apples, and it took longer for them to get soft. I waited too long to check them again, so the apples are almost like sauce. The flavor is good though. Next time will be better.

Amazing Apple Bread!

A couple of weeks ago we bought a big bag of apples at an orchard. I've been trying to find different ways to use them up (other than apple sauce - my usual). Last week I made apple crisp. This week's adventure... apple bread.

I've never made apple bread before, so I had to do a little research to find a recipe. I came across this Apple Bread recipe on allrecipes.com. Based on some of the reviews I changed it up a little. I used 1 cup white sugar and 1 cup brown sugar, along with a teaspoon of vanilla. I also baked it at 350 degrees for 1 hour rather than 300 degrees for 90 minutes.

It makes the house smell amazing when it's baking! I wish I could bottle that smell! :)

We finally cut into it this morning... so yummy! Moist and reminds me of apple pie. I highly recommend this recipe (with the changes). Hope you enjoy it as much as we have!

Food Expiration Dates Clarified

How many times have you gone to your refrigerator or pantry to get an ingredient just to find that it's past or approaching the expiration date? I know I've done this many times. I hate getting rid of food that is past the expiration date. It's such a waste of money (and food).

This morning on the Today Show they had a Rossen Report on this very subject, Confusing sell-by dates on food may be costing you money. Check it out... it's enlightening. Apparently most foods will last longer than we think. However the exceptions are meat and diary. Either way, it was helpful information for me and I thought I'd pass it along!

Apple Crisp!

I love apple crisp! I had a bag of apples from the orchard that I needed to use, so I decided to make one of my favorite desserts. Last time I made apple crisp I used a box mix for the crisp part. Yesterday, I decided I wanted to make it from scratch. Boy am I glad I did!

I searched for an apple crisp recipe online. One of the recipes I came across was from Martha Stewart. I figured you can't go wrong with Martha!?! So I decided to take a shot at her Apple Crisp recipe.

Not only was it easy to make... I think the most work is pealing and coring the apples... but it was delicious! It made the house smell so yummy!

I made it early in the day and then put it back in the oven for 10 minutes at 350 degrees to warm it up. Worked out perfectly. One other thing I would add is that the recipe tells you the amount of apples in pounds to use. I use about 6-7 good sized apples. Seemed like a good amount.

As a matter of fact I think I may go get some of the leftovers..... :)

Comes out smelling and looking delicious.

Added a little whipped cream to top it off.

Great Cat Toy

Last week I ordered a new cat toy for Gunner. I had noticed the toys we had weren't getting him energized. I've been watching the show My Cat From Hell on Animal Planet recently. Jackson Galaxy uses this toy with a lot of the cats and it always seemed to work with them. So, I did a little research and decided to give it a try. 

I ordered the Neko Flies Kattipede (Centipede) from Amazon.com. It arrived yesterday afternoon and I took it out of the box this morning. I ventured upstairs to find Gunner. He was in his bed, so I figured I wouldn't get him to play with me. Well, let me tell you... I was wrong! He not only got out of bed, but he was so intrigued by the toy he followed it wherever I took it. He has played more (and longer) with the Kattipede toy than any other toy we've given him. He even makes this little sound while playing that I don't think I've heard him make before with a toy. His reaction has made spending the money on a new toy worth it. I swear he tries to ask us to play with him when we stop. It's amazing!

Hope this may help those cat lovers our there who may need a tip on how to get your cat moving. :)

How to Cut a Bell Pepper and Other Knife Skills

A couple of years ago H and I took a knife skills class at Cambridge Culinary Institute. It was a few hours long, on a Sunday afternoon, though they do have it on other days and evenings. We cut a lot of things during the class: oranges, lemons, onions, celery, potatoes, lettuce, herbs. We diced, sliced, julienned, and more. It was great and throughout the class, the Chef used the things we cut to make us a delicious meal. At the end of the night, we had pureed carrot and potato soup, french fries (omg so delicious), fresh tomato sauce with pasta, pineapple, and more that I can't recall right now.

The biggest thing I took away from that class was how to cut a red pepper. I can't believe I didn't know this trick. Basically, slice off the to and bottom, then cut a vertical slice on one side. Spread open the pepper s it's flat, get rid of the seeds and ribs, and there you have a flat rectangle to slice or dice. SO easy!

Here's a video I found on YouTube that shows this technique.

 

Getting the Best Bang for Your Buck

I was watching the Today Show this morning. They had a segment on about How to keep back-to-school shopping bills low. Since I don't have kids, those who know me probably think this is strange that I would care about this, but let me tell you it's got some great information about places to find money saving tips for everyone. If you didn't see the segment, check it out. After all, who doesn't want to get the best bang for your buck!

I'm sure LeAnn has some other tips to share since she just did back-to-school shopping and college shopping. :)

Article on Freezer Cooking

Ever had one of those nights when you don't want to cook, go out, or order take out? I know I have! I recently came across this article by the Pioneer Woman called Freezer Cooking. It gives some great tips on how to freeze food so you can just defrost it and cook it for dinner. I found it helpful. I hope you do too!

Now the trick is to make sure you have the freezer room. ;)

Deals at Target - Workout Pants and Sleep Shirts

I recently bought two pairs of great workout pants from Target. They're C9 capri cardio pants, and what I really like about them is they're just about to the knee and they're not tight at the knee. The waistband doesn't cut in, either, so I can wear them with a fitted top and not feel like there's a little extra showing! They're $24.99 full price, but I think they're worth it.

I also got some great neon v-neck sleep t-shirts on super clearance. They're on sale online for $8.48 each but in my local store they were less than six dollars. I bought three, of course!

Target is a a fun place to shop but I always find things I "desperately need". I never get out of there without paying at least the $100 cover charge. But their return policy is great and you don't even need a receipt if you paid with a credit card.

New Work Shoes

Last week I met my friend Melissa at the outlets for a little shopping and girl time. I was on the lookout for a new pair of work shoes to wear. We went to the Naturalizer store and I was expecting not to like a thing. I was pleasantly surprised that they carry some really nice shoes. Honestly, I wasn't expecting them to be very fashionable. When I hear comfort in shoes I don't always think fashion.

Not only was I surprised by the variety of shoes, but I scored a great deal. I got a $95 pair of black peep toe pumps for.... wait for it.... $23! I was thrilled to say the least. On top of the great price they fit well and are comfortable! :)

Great new work shoes

Yummy Grilled Pork Sandwiches

Rick and I have found a new favorite sandwich this summer. It's a grilled pork sandwich with white BBQ sauce. It's so delicious! And it doesn't hurt that Rick likes to do the grilling. ;)

I found the recipe on foodnetwork.com. Check it out: Pork Sandwiches with White Barbecue Sauce

Here's a little sample of what you're in for....

We used boneless pork chops. They are super quick to cook on the grill. We also grilled some wheat bread so it was nice and toasty.

Next step is to assemble the sandwich... some pork and a little more of the white BBQ sauce to start.

I like adding some lettuce, tomato, and pickles to my sandwich. Rick likes just pickles. You can really do whatever you want.

Getting closer to being ready to eat.... can you taste it yet?

Doesn't this sandwich look yummy!?! It makes a great dinner accompanied by some sweet potato hash on the side.

If you try this recipe be sure to come back and share how you liked it or any variations you made. Oh the joys of summer grilling!

DSW Score

Recently, I went to my favorite shoe store... DSW! The purpose of my trip was to return some shoes that I realized I was never going to wear no matter how good a deal they were. Just too high! While there I of course had to look around... how could I resist!?! I found these great wedge sandals. They are so comfortable! But the best part is that when I went to the check out they were on sale and I didn't know it. Then it got even better.... since I was returning a pair of shoes that I used my DSW Reward points on the sales clerk applied those to my new shoes. But wait it gets better... I actually walked out of there with a $10 credit to my credit card. So my shoes were free! I'd call that a shopping score!

Comfy wedges

Hello again!

It's been a few months since I tried to start this blog. I'm finally back ready to get to it! With a little help from my friend (thanks Melissa!) and a glass of wine (or two) I think we are finally up and running. I told you I didn't know what I was doing. :)

Stayed tuned for some fun posts! I promise it won't be months before the next one.

Welcome Friends!

Today's the day... I'm starting a blog! I know some of you are saying, "finally! she's been talking about it long enough." I'm really excited about this blog and I'd love for my friends to join me. I'll be sharing stories of kitchen adventures, shopping, and travel from the Hampstead Homestead... I've already recruited Melissa to share from her City View Condo, Porter St. kitchen. Who else is game?

Since this is my first blog you'll have to be patient. I'm not quite sure what I'm doing, so we'll see where this takes us. Hopefully we'll all learn something from this new venture, whether it's about blogging or about the stories friends share.