two delicious NBB brews to add to the list :
snow day – dark and rich and full of caramel notes…
accumulation – bright and hoppy with a crisp finish…
both brews celebrate the winter season, and the fanciful snowfall that comes with it. fanciful… how fun is that word.
😉
please drink responsibly… for real, though.
i don’t eat a ton of red meat. however when i do, i prefer it be as local, organic, and grass-fed as possible.
have you ever had grass-fed beef? you may think to yourself, “what do you mean, don’t all cows eat grass?” when you think of a cow, you picture a field or pasture and you see them eating grass, right?! well, you may be surprised to know that most cows are actually fed a grain or corn-based diet – that stuff is in everything!… again, i encourage you to do your own research.
there is lots of fresh, organic, local, grass-fed beef where i live. and that makes me so happy! i have mentioned before that i don’t really subscribe to any “diet” per se – but if i had to pick a category to fall into, i would say my diet is totally intuitive and mostly organic. and it varies all along that spectrum. this time last year, i was totally vegan and coming off a major 2-week cleanse of only veggies, fruit, kombucha, and water. i remember around christmas, trying some of the ham at whole foods one day and i actually spit it out. and now, i can’t seem to eat enough meat! so i’m just listening to my body and rolling with it.
i recently bought this adorable little crock-pot, which is perfect for the tiny home, and it fits about a 2-pound roast just perfectly! it only has one setting – ON. but it totally does the trick!
i don’t care if it’s like, 5 years old and moreover, that it resembles an old-school polaroid foto. i’m sure there are way “cooler” apps out there now, but i still love the good ol’ shake-it app.
and here are some snapshots from my week :
i enjoyed this amazing burger from the best place in the valley…
i made myself these amazing crab legs for new year’s eve celebration…
then followed it with this mostly amazing tradition for lunch the on new year’s day… i say mostly because it was a little dry, but i ate it anyway. 😉 Continue reading
i like food you can consume without utensils 🙂
and there’s something about the word “artisan” that makes things more fun and enjoyable to eat 🙂
when i spotted this bag on sale at the market, i nabbed it up. it looked super fresh and crisp and i had some leftover polenta at home that i just knew would go great with it.
so i made a simple red sauce with the remains of a jar of marina i had in the fridge. then i tossed in some extra garlic, mushrooms, onions, carrots, and a little cheese, and boom! – i had a simple and delicious red sauce to pour over my polenta.
foodie side note : i only use organic corn products – corn is THE MOST genetically modified plant out there. and it’s in everything. do your own research, i highly encourage it 🙂 Continue reading
new belgium brewing company beer is on sale all month at my local liquor store. and NBB just happens to be my all-time favourite, so i bought their folly pack, which included 4 throwback beers, 2 below. i’m excited to {re}explore them all… just not all at once 😉
HAPPY {safe} HOLIDAYS! 😉
this is my third year making my vegan thumbprint cookies {AKA “vitamix breakfast cookies”} to give as gifts or to share at work… or eat all by yourself 😉
so, here’s the original recipe in case you missed it…
———
these are always always always a hit. i’m not much of a baker, but when i find something that is easy to make and that people like, i try to perfect it and make it my own. i have yet to quite create the perfect consistency for these {i’m a bit of a perfectionist when it comes to anything i make or do}, but i do think i found the right name for them. the ingredients are so simple and healthy that you could literally eat them for breakfast – and not feel at all guilty about it!! they are also great for holiday parties or after school snacks. a good source of dietary fiber and protein as well as healthy fats.
yields about 3 dozen cookies, depending on size variation.
as always, i’m a huge proponent for using as many organic products as possible when i cook or eat…
– 1 cup almonds or pecans or a mix of both
– 1 cup rolled oats {gluten-free works, too!}
– 1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
– 1/2 cup maple syrup
– 1/2 cup canola or safflower oil {which i haven’t yet tried}
– 1/4 teaspoon salt {i believe this constitutes as a “pinch”}
– your favourite jam or conserve {i have wanted to try a savory jam like jalapeno berry or something}
begin by preheating your oven to about 400 degrees. Continue reading
nom nom… i just love this time of year. the holidays are also all about eating, right?! and sharing… 🙂
like this homemade peanut brittle from a friend’s mama in michigan and homemade caramels from my wonderful neighbours -50 yards away.
my goodness they are both SO AMAZING! i completely savoured each one, and still am. it’s that kind of treat – when someone takes time to make something so incredibly delicious like this and then shares it… THAT is the true meaning of the holidays… or, the nom-nom-idays. i think we should start making it more about food than “gifts”. afterall, i believe food is one of THE BEST gifts you can give… and receive 😉 Continue reading
i heart coconut water… and not just after a good workout or to help cure a hangover {yep, it’s good for that!} although, coconut water will replenish you better than 10 gatorades {i don’t drink that stuff, but it’s fun to exaggerate sometimes} or a gallon of water alone. seriously this stuff is amazing! it’s almost identical to human plasma, and is extremely high in potassium and antioxidants.
there are lots of different coconut water brands out there… and many of them are good.
this one is THE BEST.
i mean, really… it’s THE best coconut water on the planet. harmless harvest coconut water has figured out the best formula {and philosophy}… and can you just guess what it is?! KEEP IT SIMPLE 🙂 i dig these guys and their minimalist approach to things.
it’s like sticking a straw straight into a coconut that has been gathered in southeast asia. Continue reading
hey friends.
{i just want to preface this by taking a moment to express my gratitude to the Universe for being ALIVE and well. i had quite a scare last week and it has given me a whole new perspective on life…}
as you may have noticed, i haven’t been writing as much over the last few weeks. i plan to update you on my life very soon… there have been even more changes 😉 but i haven’t been creating as many recipes lately. for a few reasons, really… but fret not, creating and cooking and fotographing will recommence very soon.
part of it is becoming acclimated in my new mini kitchen. as a reminder, this is what i’m working with :
i LOVE my tiny home, don’t get me wrong… i’m just trying to find my niche and the best way to cook as i fotograph… it is somewhat of a challenge right now. a few final changes are coming together in the kitchen, i just need to start coming up with recipes again. Continue reading
the holidays are officially here!
here are a few of my favourite recipes from 2013… any and all of which celebrate the true meaning of this season – EATING! 😀
—
buffalo chicken wraps {perfect for the game!}
pasta primavera with fresh-grated parmigiano reggiano
grilled leek and shitake mushroom risotto
pomegranate smoothie {it IS pomegranate season!}
egg nog… please.
my goodness do i love scallops!
pan-seared in some amazing butter… click here to see the best and only cooking method one should use to make these decadent sea-dwellers. like most good things in life, it should be done low and slow.
and i also love asparagus!
i usually do my best to eat with the seasons… which means i wouldn’t normally be eating asparagus right now, but hey – i’m the birthday girl, i can do whatever i want, right?! 😉
my birthday {which is tomorrow, actually} is always so close to thanksgiving {it was ON thanksgiving last year and the year i was born}, but i admit i’m happy that it falls in an entirely different week this year! i haven’t really been thinking of the holidays as much this year since i switched jobs {that’s a whole big, long blogpost or BOOK waiting to happen} so it’s been nice to really focus my energy on ME. i do have to work tomorrow, which is kind of a bummer – but i’m celebrating today and tonight with this amazing food and drink.
i like to spoil myself on my birthday. i started this morning with my favourite americano from my favourite coffee shop and a sinful pastry they call an “apple jesus” – can’t wait to try that! and i plan to have peach-wood-smoked salmon for lunch, followed by the above amazing meal for dinner… swallowed down gently with this :
la fin du monde – french, which translates to “the end of the world”
it is a triple-fermented golden ale that is high in alcohol content {9% : i tried to finish the whole bottle once – not a good idea for this 110-pound lass} la fin du monde is full of wonderful champagne-like bubbles which deliver hints of honey and fruit, accompanied by floral notes that linger pleasantly and round-out with a smooth, dry finish.
i have one every year on my birthday… and i always cook myself a super nice meal, usually consisting of seafood, since it’s my ultimate fav. i am already salivating, just thinking about my day full of amazing food…
happy birthday to me! 🙂
hey friends! a while back i wrote about hilary’s eat well veggie burgers… they have quickly become a staple in my tiny home. i love the burgers, but i must admit that after trying the bites, they are definitely my favourite. i like “bite-sized” things anyway and hilary’s doesn’t disappoint.
you can read all about the company in my last blogpost – here. hilary’s eat well foods is a transparent company that is locally-owned and operated and they are also part of the non-gmo project – those are two of my favourite things about them. i’m such a fan and supporter and since i’ve collaborated with hilary’s eat well, i now have the fun opportunity of offering a giveaway!
all you have to do is go to hilary’s eat well facebook page and “like” them. then comment below telling me you did so, and i’ll enter your name in the drawing! Continue reading
green is good!
we all know how much i love kale. i’ve also been known to eat copious amounts of swiss chard. and i never turn away spinach, especially in a smoothie… and sometimes, nothing satisfies like a gigantic bowl of fresh-chopped salad mix…
i know we are heading into winter, but don’t forget to eat a lot of colour during this season!
a simple salad is a fantastic and delicious way to get raw, dense nutrients into your system. while i do find myself “craving” salad a little less during the winter months, i recognize how important it is to eat a salad as often as possible. in the summer i have one every day, but in the colder months, i typically want warm food {like most of us.} salads are a great way to absorb nutrients through healthy fats {add avocado, for example} and to get extra fiber in your diet. Continue reading
not quite broccoli, not quite cabbage, not quite cauliflower… romanesco is in a category all its own.
i’ve written a few times about romanesco… it’s one of my favourite things ever. you can probably still find romanesco at some supermarkets and specialty produce departments…
when i found this super awesome-looking and wonderfully-coloured one, i nabbed it up just so i could have a foto-session with it. i just find their fractal-nature so fascinating!!! “roman” and i had a lot of fun with the camera… i talk to my food – so what! and i hadn’t really seen one like this before – with the variation in colour. i am of the mentality that anything with natural colour is good for you… and the more, the better.
i just like to saute my romanesco in some yummy EVOO or butter and eat it up! it’s also really good just raw in a salad. the flavour is amazing, and i don’t know what it is about eating a “fractal”, but it just makes me happy.
i almost didn’t share these fotos… simply because i felt like what i witnessed was so sacred and so divine… i really felt the connection and bond to these creatures as i was fotographing them a couple weeks ago… there was something very special about my moments behind the camera with this herd of cattle. i even get a little teary-eyed thinking of it now.
hundreds of these animals live not to far up the road from me, on a gorgeous ranch. most of these are dairy cows, however a few of them are angus cows.
now, i’m not necessarily a vegetarian {though i’ve had my stints}, but i limit my intake of meat in general, and only once in a great while do i eat red meat. but when i do, i am so very particular about where it comes from and how the animal was treated while raised. i am too educated not to make wise decisions about what i eat. {watch food, inc. or any other number of food documentaries and see what i mean} i feel like it’s my responsibility in a way… and i was so happy to know that i could find and purchase grass-fed meats locally here in my new town.
what made me feel really good about seeing the angus cows on this farm, was knowing what a happy life they had. they weren’t shoved into a cattle-lot and stepping over each other just to eat. they were out grazing… on the most beautiful pasture, surrounded by mount sopris, bein’ all cool…
just hanging out, like this :
i feel like i eat garlic with almost every meal. it’s so good for you, so good for the immune system and for your joints, among a slew of other things. in the late spring this year, i purchased this beautiful braid of volcanic garlic. the rep from the farm suggested roasting it with olive oil in the oven, for a very unique experience and flavour.
on it! said food and foto dot com.
i have about 5 bulbs left on the braid i purchased… the guy did say, “buy this now and it will last you through the end of the year” – and here we are {6 months later} in early november and i still have some to play with – yay!
and obviously you can use any kind of garlic. i had actually never made roasted garlic on my own, so i just had to try…
and i did exactly what the farmer told me to do…. Continue reading
hey ya’ll
are you going to go out and/or dress up for halloween? i have an early morning friday, so i will probably keep it low-key and watch the nightmare before christmas or something… 😉
just wanna throw in my shameless two-cents of a plug here – please don’t drink and drive, have a DD. and if you don’t have to be on the roads, just stay in. and why not give out healthy snacks instead of candy? or better yet – do a TRICK! no one does tricks anymore, we just toss “treats” in a bag and are done with it. can you just imagine the look on the kids faces when you bust out a bunny and a hat instead of twizzlers? priceless – better have a camera… 😉 i digress.
meanwhile, i’m all for enjoying a few libations for the event :
i love to support organic practices of all kinds! 😉 this stout was incredible, and had perfect hints of chocolate throughout, with a nice finish.
i’m a fan of farmhouse ales – the bubbles, the colour, the complex flavour… this one didn’t disappoint.
brown ales just feel like autumn, don’t they? the rich flavour and the heavier body… ideal for transitioning us into the next season.
have a great night, friends! be safe!
artsy-fartsy cute little fibonacci cabbage
i always buy the “unusual” looking produce, just ask anyone i used to work with. usually it’s so i can fotograph it 😉
i found this tiny little cabbage one day and nabbed it up. it was about the size of a softball, maybe smaller… so cute.
yep, pretty tiny and cute. Continue reading
do you like chard?! i love it!! red, rainbow, white – any colour will do 🙂
it is so beautiful, don’t you agree?
i’m fascinated with the texture!
the colour throughout reminds me of veins… and greens are good for your blood, so how cool is that! Continue reading
it’s a meatless monday recipe!
spaghetti squash {and all squash} is totally in peak season right now… and it’s one of my absolute favs! i typically make it just like a pasta and serve it primavera-style with a fresh red sauce… but this time, i wanted to use up my freshly-cut parmigiano reggiano… there is just nothing like it.
simple stuff :
– olive oil, grass-fed butter, lemon, parmigiano reggiano… Continue reading
food & foto 