Eat your veggies!

We are the typical all-American family. House. Car. Dog. Three kids that won't eat their vegetables. But, I'm here to tell you... this recipe will render a change of heart with even the pickiest of eaters.

I tried a version of this recipe a couple of weeks ago. It was one that I had stumbled upon through our wonderous, time-sucking friend, Pinterest. But, the Mr. declared that batch "too sweet". Okay. Challenge accepted. I fiddled around with the recipe all last week, and finally came up with one that satisfied the tastebuds of two picky little eaters, and a man with a very discerning appetite. And, myself. These beans are absolutely delicious!

A little history on balsamic vinegar... did you know that JUST 25 years ago, it was virtually impossible to acquire in the US... "tradizionale" versions anyhow? It had to be given as gifts from Italian friends that wanted to share a little of their culture with us cuisine-addled folks Stateside. Balsamic vinegar's uniqueness lies in tha it is made from unfermented grape must, as opposed to wine. Unlike it's common US counterparts, rather than being of a liquid consistency, it is more of a syrup. Quality balsamic vinegars are pricey, but WELL worth the cost. And fortunately, much like the costly saffron... a little goes a long way. I prefer the Elsa brand. Trust me... subpar balsamic vinegars will simply ruin this tasty side dish.

Roasted Soy-Balsamic Bean Salad
1 lb. fresh green beans
8 oz. fresh, sliced mushrooms (I used button mushrooms, but I imagine cremini muschrooms would be tasty too!)
3 cloves of fresh garlic
1 Tbs. balsamic vinegar
1 Tbs. soy sauce
1 1/2 Tbs. extra virgin olive oil
3 slices of bacon
Shaved parmesan cheese, to taste
Kosher salt, to taste
Freshly ground pepper, to taste




Let's start off with those green beans. As always... fresh is best! I absolutely CANNOT wait until my green beans get going in the garden. Walking outside to pick a collander full, and THEN making this recipe? Heaven.

Clean off those mushrooms. Slice them if you need to.

Slice the garlic cloves into 1/8" pieces. Don't slice them too thin. Too thin = burnt garlic. Burnt garlic = nasty, NASTY taste.

Toss the green beans, garlic and mushrooms into a large Ziplock bag. Add the balsamic vinegar, soy sauce, and olive oil to the bag. Seal the bag, and gently massage the contents until all veggies are nicely covered in the marinade. Refrigerate for up to one hour.

Meanwhile, cook the bacon. Take a tip from the pros... bake it. Frying it in a pan leads to uneven cooking, wasted time constantly flipping, and more shrinkage of the meat. I use that handy little vented roasting pan that comes with most new ovens. The vents allow the bacon grease to drain into the bottom of the pan... makes saving that grease for later SO much easier. But, you can also use a cookie sheet with a wire rack placed on top. Bake the bacon at 400* for 10-20 minutes. I cooked mine for about 12 minutes. You don't want it super-crispy for this recipe. Bacon that is a little on the chewier side is perfecto! Once the bacon is done, remove from oven; set aside to cool. Once cooled, chop into bite-sized pieces, and save to toss with salad when it is cooked.

Back to those beans and mushrooms... spread them out onto a non-stick baking sheet. You want to have them even spread across the sheet. Crowding the beans will not allow them to have that crisp-tender texture when you bite into them.

Roast in a 450* oven for about 15 minutes. Check for doneness. My oven is a little on the rushed side. I'm thinking most normal oven would take about 20 minutes. Remove from oven and, using a spatula, move to a serving bowl. Add bacon, kosher salt, pepper and shaved parmesan to taste. Use salad tongs to gently toss salad. Donezo!

This salad went nicely with a honey-baked ham, fresh-baked rolls, and a hearty helping of The Ultimate Mash.

And, although this ins't my recipe... I will ALWAYS give credit where credit is due. For dessert that night, we had Pink Rhubarb Cake...

My word, if that cake isn't worth EVERY calorie contained therein... I don't know what is! Bon appetit!

The comfort of small things...

Food. It can be our best friend. Our worst enemy. Sometimes both. I've traveled to both ends of that spectrum. Times when you can't get off the couch. When you sit staring at mindless television for days on end. Days that you spend asking yourself how everything you've ever done in your life put you HERE. What you could have done differently to alter the outcome. Days that you couldn't even think about eating a single BITE of food. When you lose 10 pounds in a week. When choking down a couple of glasses of water is barely even manageable. I've been there. I've been there most recently. And, I've been there, what seems like a lifetime ago now. 

Yet again, food can softly fill the voids left inside. It can give small pleasures, seemingly insignificant comforts when there seem none left to be had. Family recipes that bring back fond memories. Building new family traditions, spending time in the kitchen with your children. Showing them how your father taught you to knead the dough. Sharing with them, your grandmother's tips for the perfect meatball. And, after the timer sounds on the stove... sitting around the kitchen table, sharing your day's happenings with your family. 

Food can be your best friend. Food is part of our history. Our past, our present, our future. Some of my fondest memories as a child were spent in the kitchen with my mother, Nana, grandmother, father. It's something that I hope, someday, my children look back on fondly to remember me. You see, I have goals. Aspirations. Those seem to have gotten lost somewhere amidst the chaotic shuffle of the last two years of my life. And, then someone saved me from that. Rather, helped me save myself. We have to love ourselves before we can love anyone else. That's easy to forget. But, I need this. My kitchen. My pots and pans. My cooking. This blog. I need it because it's what makes me, ME. It's my release. My time make myself happy. So, I'm going to get back to that. Starting... now. 

 Comfort foods. Mashed potatoes always seem to be the ultimate answer for that. They are as American as apple pie. Literally. Potatoes are a crop native to the Americas. And, as it is told, a Frenchman, Antoine Parmentier, once ran a competition for recipes with potatoes as the focus. To nobody's surprise, he went on to win the competition with his timeless classic: mashed potatoes. The combination of starchy, boiled potatoes, mashed with butter, creams of sorts, a dash of salt and pepper... 

But, THESE mashed potatoes take your tastebuds on a new ride. They are a tad time-intensive. They require love. They will probably take more effort than any other component of your meal. Perhaps, they could even be a meal of their own. But, everything you put into them, you will get back ten-fold. At least, your stomach will. 

  The Ultimate Mash

2 lbs. Yukon Gold OR Russet Potatoes 

3 heads garlic, roasted 

6 shallots, caramelized 

Extra virgin olive oil 

2 Tbs. brown sugar 

4-5 strips bacon, cooked and crumbled (or 1 sm. package of real bacon bits) 

1 C. Gruyere cheese, shredded 

2 Tbs. horseradish 

1 stick butter, plus 2 Tbs., softened 

1 C. half-and-half 

Kosher salt, to taste 

Freshly ground pepper, to taste 

First, you'll want to roast the garlic. Slice of the tops of 3 heads of garlic. Lay each head of garlic on a small, separate piece of foil. Drizzle with olive oil. 

Foil the foil up to make a pouch around each head of garlic. Roast in a 400* oven for an hour. Remove from oven, and set aside to cool.

Once cool, squeeze each clove of garlic into a bowl. Use a fork to mash the garlic; set aside.

Here's where the time-consuming part. Caramelizing the shallots. Don't rush this part. To caramelize properly, they need about an hour to cook. And, trust me... it's worth the extra care. Plus, you can go about preparing the rest of your meal while these guys cook away. Cut each shallot into thin slices.

Coat the bottom of a pan with a thin layer of extra-virgin olive oil. Add 2 Tbs. of butter, and allow butter to melt. Once melted, add the brown sugar; stir well. Add shallots to the pan. Cook over low heat, stirring frequently, for an hour. Your shallots will slowly become translucent and deliciously caramelized. Once done cooking, allow shallots to drain before adding them to the potatoes.

Meanwhile, cube your potatoes. Put in a large cooking pot, and fill pot with water until potatoes are completely covered. Bring to a boil, and boil the potatoes, pot uncovered, for about 45 minutes. Drain potatoes, and return to pot. Mash them until just combined. Add the butter and half-and-half to the potatoes, allowing the butter to melt.

To the bowl of mashed garlic, add shredded Gruyere, horseradish, bacon, salt, pepper. Add some of the caramelized shallots (leaving some set aside to top the potatoes with before serving). Use a fork to gently mix these ingredients together until just combined.

Use a spatula to fold in the now-melted butter and half-and-half into the potatoes. Then fold in the cheese mixture. Mix until just combined. 

*Tip: Mashing potatoes too much can actually begin to break down the starches. And, rather than having a soft, fluffy bowl of potatoes... you end up with a sticky, gluey mess. So, that's why we gingerly mash the potatoes BEFORE gently folding in the remaining ingredients. 

Spoon potatoes onto serving plate, and top with caramelized shallots...

Like I said... I have goals. I have an ultimate one in mind. It all seems a little presumptious at the time, though. So, we're going to take this slow. The blog, that is. It's getting a major overhaul. It's a process. But, my goals and dreams for this will all be revealed in time. Food has always been my passion. For many years now. I still love crafting. It will still make a guest appearance from time to time. But, this will mainly be taking a turn to a food blog... with a slice of crafting, if you will. So, please be patient with me. And, just stick with me, if you will. In the meantime... it's good to be back, and I look forward to this new chapter in my life! Thank you for turning the page with me!

Better late than never...

Wow. The settled dust is literally inches thick around this joint. I've had so many people ask me lately why I stopped blogging. Stopped crafting. I think everyone has those creative glitches... for whatever reason. Life gets in the way. You lose your mojo. You forgot why you started doing it in the first place. You turn in different directions.

I had a conversation with a really good, old friend the other day. She said I inspired her. She asked me what stopped inspiring me. Life. People. I lost myself somewhere along the way over the last 6 months. How do you find yourself again? You stop living your life for other people (except your kids... they always come first). You stop worrying about what other people think so much. You do what's best for you... not for them. You pull yourself up by the boot straps, and carry on. You rediscover the things you used to do that made you happy. You rediscover the things that got you by.

I've spent much too much of my life being a people-pleaser... family, friends, co-workers, acquaintances. As I get older, I realize it never got me anywhere. It might have made someone else happy along the way, but it certainly didn't do much for my own well-being. Enough of that. Life is too short. I refuse to spend the rest of mine walking on eggshells, and worrying more about everyone else than I do myself.

WIth that said... I am diving back into crafting, scrapbooking, cooking, decorating head-first. And, I'm thrilled. I have some VERY EXCITING projects, guest designing spots, and news to share with you all over the next few weeks. We'll start with some American Crafts projects today.

I don't know if I've ever mentioned it, but Dear Lizzy is one of my FAVORITE product lines of all time! I love creating with it. The variety of embellishments is amazing, the fabric paper... SWOON! It all came together to make a spectacular spring banner...



















The fabric paper is fun to cut into strips, fray they edges, remove the adhesive backing and tie into little fringes between each banner piece. I really had a blast making this banner. Okay, so I didn't finish it in time to actually hang up for spring. But, it'll be at the ready for next year. NOW... if I could just get my hands on the upcoming Dear Lizzy holiday line. *le sigh* It's beautiful. I'm crossing my fingers to have my American Crafts DT contract renewed for another year just so I can get my Christmas crafting on with that line!

Another one of my favorite American Crafts supplies is their selection of 3-Dimensional stickers. I stink at making cards... it really isn't my forte. But, the dimensional stickers make it SO easy! Here's a quick card with some Dear Lizzy and dimentional stickers...



And, if you haven't had enough of a Dear Lizzy fix... head on over to the American Crafts blog to check out the page I made. It's punches week at American Crafts! So, break out your punches and play along! Our designers have some fabulous projects for you. You won't want to miss Paige's AMAZING altered purse featuring punches! See you there!

One for Mom, one for Dad, and one for everyone in between...

With all of the holidays swirling around us lately, I have been busy making A LOT of cards. And, fortunately, I have A LOT of American Crafts goodies to play with! I'm finding that their 3-dimensional "Remarks" stickers are the PERFECT thing for making cards!

My mother absolutely adores bird-watching. So, this one is especially for her...



And, this one is perfect for that special man in your life on Fathers Day...



Last, but not least... I'm sure we all know someone with a birthday coming up. This card is bright, playful, and just right for the young ones in your life...



I encourage you to check out the entire line of 3-dimensional "Remarks" stickers from American Crafts. There is literally something for EVERYONE. Cats, camping, circus, snowflakes, birds, Matroyshka dolls... you name it, and they probably have a sticker for it! And, like I said... these are great for cards (or to add that little extra pop to your layouts)!

I will be back on Wednesday with a "Dear Lizzy" spring-inspired banner. Hey... better late than never! ;0)

xo,
Holly

Welcome to my abode...

How does this thing work again? I can't believe it's been nearly two months since I last updated the blog. What happened? Oh, yeah... a hectic cheerleading schedule and life in general. But, I thought there was no better way to get my blogging feet wet than to participate in today's American Crafts blog hop!

Today, we are working with the new Abode line... so adorable and lots of fun embellishments to play with! Next to scrapbooking, home decorating/DIY is one of my favorite hobbies. I am constantly tearing pages from magazines, collection wallpaper and paint samples, and bookmarking ideas on the internet. So, I figured it was high time I made a little binder to keep all of my ideas and inspirations in!

I bought this album as part of a kit from Studio Calico over a year ago with the intention of using it for this very project, but I never came across the right product to work with this project... enter American Crafts "Abode" line!





I divided the insides of the book up into four sections: Living, Bed, Bath and Yard...



Each section is marked with these really cool, thick acetate tabbed dividers. They take rub-ons perfectly!









Inside each tabbed acetate sheet, there are thin chipboard dividers that I covered with patterned paper and embellishments that are used to further divide up the book. For the living area, it is divided into "Living Room," "Game Room," "Kitchen and Dining," and "Entryway."







The "Bed" section is divided into "Hazel's Room," "Luka's Room," "Master Bedroom," and "Guest Room."









The "Bath" section is divided into "Kids' Bath," and "Master Bath."





And, finally, the "Yard" section is divided into "Front Yard" and "Backyard."





And, now you have a fun little binder to stuff full of all kinds of home decor inspiration! There are even lined pages that fit into each section for you to write notes, room measurements, etc. on! It's a handy thing to toss into your purse so you'll have it at the ready the next time you're shopping for ways to improve your house!

I'll be back on Wednesday for some fun, alternative ways to use your scrapbooking supplies to make all kinds of team spirit projects... perfect to support your favorite little sportsman!

In the meantime, be sure to hop along over to all of the other talented American Crafts designers' blogs that are participating in the hop. There is sure to be lots of inspiration out there!

Kim Arnold
Moon Ko
Kathy Thompson
Katrina Simeck
Melanie Louette
Piradee Talvanna
Loredana Bucaria
Martha Bonneau
Nichole Duenke
Shannon Zickel
Beth Proudfoot
Paige Evans
Wendy Sue Anderson
Doris Sander
Mary Jo Johnston
Elizabeth Carney
Dusti Nakamura
Kim Watson
Danielle Layton
Kelly Purkey
Amy Tan