Nothing like cramming in everything on my bucket list till the last minute! I was very upset that I would not be able to complete this goal because I had waited too long, and the sailing season is ending this weekend. Although the weather was chilly and there really wasn't wind, we rushed down to the water to jump on the Woodwind. You may remember this boat from this movie, you may have heard of it.. (And you are welcome for the ad before hand) They asked for volunteers to help hoist the sail, and of course I had to give it a shot! Even with the weather being a little chilly, we had a great time and chatted with our fellow crew members. It made me all the more excited to bring friends on these trips when they visit in the summer!
0 Comments
This soup was so easy it is almost embarrassing to share, but it was soooo good and it hit the spot! Vegetables! You can really use whatever you want, but I went with green peppers, onions, carrots, zucchini and mushrooms. Check out this adorable pepper! These peppers and the onion came from a CSA I got when babysitting. Score! Chop em all up and throw em in the pot with some olive oil to soften up. Look at how pretty they look! Cook for about 5 to 10 minutes. Pour in the vegetable stock and bring to a simmer. Turn down the heat a bit and add the tortellini and cook for another 5-8 minutes. Sprinkle in the parsley and stir in. I was very excited because I pulled some from my herb garden fresh! I also sprinkled in basil and some red pepper flakes. Let it all soak in for a few minutes... and serve it up! I also grated some parmesan cheese.. everything is good with cheese...
Light and filling! Enjoy! I am not even sure how I came across this interesting geographical (right?) fact but did you know there is a Maryland County in Africa?
More specifically, in Liberia? I had no idea! It was created in the 1800s after slavery was outlawed. It was where the state of Maryland sent their former slaves to be recolonized in Africa. Eventually they were brought into the country Liberia, and the name stuck! If you are a nerd like me and are interested....learn more! Pintrest recipe... are you really surprised? I had never cooked with spaghetti squash before, but had heard good things and was intrigued to try something new! This recipe is so delicious and very easy to make! Um, yes, I shopped at Trader Joe's. I have a problem Ok? Grate up that parmesan cheese...fresh Microwave the spaghetti squash, split it open and scrape out the seeds. The squash should be pretty soft so you will take a fork and start pulling apart the inside of the squash. Put the insides in a strainer to drain some f the liquid. (Hint: I actually ended up squeezing the insides with my hands to take out more of the liquid.) While your spaghetti squash is straining, mix together your sauce, ricotta cheese, mozzarella, egg, basil and oregano. You will mix the squash in with the cheese mixture and pour into an oven proof bowl. Sprinkle with leftover cheese and bake for 35 minutes at 350. This meal was great and even Jake approved!
Yes. You read that right. Llamas and pumpkins. I had been dying for a chance to head to a pumpkin patch since October 1st. I was finally home for a weekend in Annapolis after a month full of craziness so I wanted to take advantage of the beautiful weather to do a little photo session and get my pumpkin picking on! Jake didn't really have much of a choice in the matter... So the first thing we saw when we got out of the car was this awesome sign! Llamas? Sweet! I mean, come on, Emperor's New Groove was awesome! It was very sunny outside, which was great, until we came into the barn. It made photography a little difficult since the camera was sensing the light in the background. Over exposure was a huge issue. So it took a little work during the afternoon we were there, and afterwards with my photo editor, but I think they turned out pretty good. Just look at how funny they are! This guy looked pretty good too. Like I said the background was a bit blown out, but I would rather see him than that anyway :) I do wish a few of these had come out a little bit better, but I mean, come on, these these guys are hilarious and make the pictures great no matter what. The rest of the day was pretty easy to photograph with the weather being so amazing. Does anyone know what these things are? Aliens? Brains? And we got these! Apple cider donuts. Ummm, amazing... Overall the day was really great for practicing some challenging photo situations, and I got my pumpkin! Does anyone have any suggestions about shooting in dark areas with backlight? This is another recipe I found on Pintrest that I thought was really interesting and even fun! I mean, pot pie pizza? How does that not sound fun? I am a huge dummy though and completely forgot to take pictures of my ingredients list and the prep work so bare with me... Chop up whatever vegetables you are in the mood for. I picked onions, mushrooms and peppers. Cook them down a little in a bit of olive oil and garlic until they are slightly soft. While they are cooking grate up some mozzarella and parmesan cheese. Layer tomato sauce, vegetables and the cheese in an oven proof bowl, and cover with pizza dough. Cook at 450 degrees for 15 minutes. When you pull it out it should look like this.. Looks great right? Crispy, puffy crust... awesome. You don't want it to look like this... Fail. This was Jake's. I think the issue with this was the middle part was too thin and sunk down. The dough still cooked and Jake says it was good, it just looked like this.. Instead of this... You basically place a plate on top of the dough, and turn the pizza over. Pull the bowl off and ta da!
This dish was actually really awesome, and yes it is basically making a pizza in a more complicated way, but it is super fun! Every year I attend a conference in Shepherdstown, WV for work and it is actually one of the highlights of my fall season! I mean besides football, my riding boots, apple cider and of course Thanksgiving :). Anyways, the conference is always interesting and I learn a lot, but the best part has to be the location. The conference takes place along the Potomac River in West Virginia. The campus we stay on is in the woods and you really feel a connection to nature while being there. Every year we take a hike down to the river, skip some rocks, and do a little photo session. However, this year weeks of rain had caused the river to rise to the point where we couldn't make it down to the banks, and it was rainy and dreary for most of our time there. I was very sad, but we still really enjoyed the feeling of being slightly disconnected from the rest of the world. So I hope you all enjoyed some of these snapshots from last years trip!
|