Sunday, September 24, 2017

roasted cauliflower and pepper quesadillas

this is so stinkin' delicious.
i'm not a huge recipe repeater but this merits the name.
it doesn't need much...or much of a recipe.
just a head of cauliflower, one green bell pepper, monterey jack cheese, and a few tortillas.
it takes a bit of time but so easy to assemble quite a few for a crowd.
let's get started!

first of all, cut one head of cauliflower into florets, toss with olive oil and salt and pepper, and roast in a 425* oven for about 30-40 minutes, until very brown and toasty.


meanwhile, roast off a green (or red!) bell pepper.
see here.

 
then coarsely chop the cauliflower.


chop the pepper and toss together with the cauliflower.


shred some monterey jack cheese and layer into two tortillas.


 
brown in a skillet with some butter over medium high heat and enjoy with salsa and these charro beans.
enjoy!!




Sunday, September 17, 2017

fig newtons

My mother has a lovely fig tree in her courtyard.
Every year, we get waaaaay too many figgies, as my boys call them, at once and never know what to do with them!
And every year, we think to ourselves how wonderful fig newtons would be and I protest, thinking that tiny fig newtons would be waaaaaay too much work.
This year, however, I agreed and made the loveliest and tastiest fig newtons ever.
Enjoy!

Fig Newtons
Adapted from online somewhere...
Makes about 40.1 stick unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon grated lemon or orange zest
1 large egg white
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 lbs fresh figs
1/4 cup sugar
Juice of half a lemon

Cream the butter, sugar and zest in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, for 2-3 minutes on medium speed. Scrape the sides of the bowl. Beat in the egg white and vanilla. Next, add the flour and beat on low speed until the dough comes together. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 2 hours or overnight (the longer the better). While the dough is chilling, cut the figs in half. In a medium sauce pan, combine figs, sugar, and lemon juice. Mash mixture a few times with a potato masher or fork. Cook mixture over medium-high heat until bubbling and sugar has dissolved; reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 30 minutes, until it has reduced by about one-third and is beginning to gel. Set aside until completely cool. Place racks in middle and lower third of the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line baking sheets with parchment paper. On a floured surface, roll the dough out to a 12 x 16 rectangle. Cut into 4 equal strips, each 12 x 4 inches. Spoon a line of filling down the center of each strip. Fold the dough over the filling and pinch the edges together. My logs were super ugly but hey, it worked! Using a serrated knife, slice each log on the diagonal into 10 cookies. Place each cookie on the parchment-lined baking sheets, seam side down. Bake, rotating the baking sheets from top to bottom and front to back halfway through, for 12-15 minutes, until golden. Remove from the oven and allow to cool on a rack. 
*Leftover fig jam can be used in all sorts of ways! In yogurt, over toast, spooned on grilled sausages, etc!








Sunday, September 10, 2017

lately...

lots of pictures again!
sorry and enjoy!

my cutie

fun playdate at a cc friend's house!
sprinkler underneath a trampoline filled with balls.
win.

and she sent us home with homemade charcoal soap!
i love that our friends are as crunchy as we are :)

on our way to see aunt carlie!

...almost everyone napping :)


"aunt carlie has the coolest pool!"





sharing popsicles






whoa. too much sunscreen mama.



such a fun trip!

then, later that day, it was off to the mesquite rodeo!















past the baby's bedtime...






we use cotton candy to make it past bedtime...don't you?

the first pear from our orchard!

my parents brought me back a huge block of chocolate from their vancouver trip!

two sweet boys nicely playing in their bedroom :)

mmmmmm.

2nd round of tennis camp!



:)

indonesian venison bowls!

and dessert!

he was so stinking proud.
i was emptying the dishwasher and he opened the door and retrieved the leftover homemade pancakes.
and ate one bite out of every one.

cc tutor prep!
always good to see my best friends and talk about how to enrich little minds this year.
and loren's buttermilk pie.
oh my.

a new do!

a surprise in the mail!
when we were up in rhode island, our innkeeper (who gabriel named the zookeeper) found out how much we love coffee cake.
so she surprised us with some in the mail!
please, please stay at the escobar inn in you are ever in rhode island!


granola bars!


cuties.

allie's birthday party!

i love my helpers.

this was the very first day of school.
he literally cut a tooth DURING school.

when they aren't helping me with chores inside, they are outside helping nanny with the garden!




during choir practice, we get the sanctuary and a sunset to ourselves.

we've been loving uncle vince here!



sampling the tres leches cake before dinner ;)


horseshoes after dinner!



walkie talkies and paw paw's crazy hats

sweet potato and cauliflower curry!



tiny, wildflowers picked by my boys

i snapped this after naps...these twins have exactly the same color of green-blue eyes!

so naturally i had to get another of the bright-blue-eyed triplets later that day :)

TWO DOUBLE YOLKS!

homemade popsicles on the porch after naptime

gig 'em!
date night in!



helping nanny harvest and process the holy basil for drying

i go to the store with just mv and can't find anything on my list.
so i grab a bottle of wine bc mike is out of town.
as i'm running over a thousand things in my head in line, i start to notice that a few grandmas are giving me disproving looks.
then the mama with three boys behind me starts laughing.
THEN, just as i realize that i'm in line with only one very distinct item that my 6 year old son is holding, the cashier reminds me that "this is frowned upon".
the lady behind me is hysterical and tells me that she's got 8 boys at home and points to her cart, filled with only wine, milk, and diapers.
she tells me to chin up and carry on and i slink out to my car.
:)

piano lessons!

i told mv to open the cereal box.
can you tell he was excited?
we don't do cereal around here often...


its getting chilly enough for walks!


and lots and lots of outside play!

salad full of thinned baby beets and turnip greens from our garden!


stopping for an earthworm crossing :)


trust in Him.


homemade kimchi!


treats from trader joe's when mike was in dallas for the day!
another great month!!!
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