Okra Chips...

I don't remember exactly when I found these last year, but my life has been forever changed. It was a well known fact in our house growing up that there would never be okra leftover. Because it would all be in my belly! I've never met a plate of okra I didn't love.

So, when I found these, I snatched them up!



(nutritional facts on back)


They didn't make it very long around here. I think maybe I shouldn't have introduced them to anyone else in this house, because now I have to hide them. ;)

We recently found them at Whole Foods, in a larger container. More for the money, and more for my belly!



(nutrtional facts on back)


I do have to pace myself, because I could seriously go through any one of these in one sitting. So, we tend to empty them into a bowl and put them on the counter and snack on them when we're passing through the kitchen.

There you have it, fried okra without the breading, or the dripping grease!

Food food glorious food...

One of my biggest complaints while we were in the hospital with Max, was how tired I was of not eating at home. Cooking and preparing meals is a huge part of my day. I enjoy (most days) coming up with a menu, and making my family and friends ooh and aah over my creations.

Since being home, I've been in full swing making delicious meals, and great new concoctions. Below are a sampling of the ones that have been a hit. I don't guess other things haven't been a hit, but are more boring, like taco night. And the photos, they aren't the best, because I usually snap it with my iphone while I'm cooking, and have yet to figure out the best way to photograph with it.

Fresh rosemary from the garden, sliced potatoes, and sliced onions with olive oil in a foil pouch...our go to summer side dish. We throw it out on the grill while the meat is cooking and it's excellent! A variation is to put the same ingredients in the iron skillet then out on the grill, they get so crispy on the bottom, everyone fights over the crispy bits!





Nando's Curry Simmer Sauce has made curry night a whole lot easier. It's not the same as my curry, and is actually quite spicy, but it's easy, and it's Nando's so it's delicious! We love to eat Nando's in England, and the only ones in the States are in the DC area. So, getting the bottles from Cost Plus World Market help us when the mood hits.


Since Steve is gluten free, I've been trying to come up with better lunch ideas. I have tried these lunch meat wraps, but really don't like touching the turkey with my hands. In comes the bib lettuce! This is bib lettuce, turkey, cranberry sauce, and herbed goat cheese. With a side of okra chips and beet chips for a little crunch.


This was the beginnings of a major hit around here.


Grilled corn, zucchini, avocado, peppers, sliced and diced with black beans, cilantro, fresh ground cumin, and lime juice. I ate it like a taco salad with taco meat.


This was another hit with the cucumber lovin' girl. Cucumbers sliced with lime juice and salt. The ones with reddish seasoning are cucumbers with hot salt and cilantro and lime juice. Both were great!


Now on to the good stuff...dessert!

These raw brownies were a novelty, and so yummy! It's dates, cocoa, walnuts...that's it! They really tasted like brownies too. Here's the recipe:
http://mynewroots.blogspot.com/2011/04/raw-brownie.html


This may not look pretty, but that doesn't really matter, because it didn't last very long!


Mangoes, blackberries, raspberries, blueberries, and almond slivers in whipped coconut cream. I made coconut whipped cream by simply putting the thick cream from a can of coconut milk into my kitchenaid mixer. Added a little sugar and vanilla, and there it was, coconut cream whipped cream. So easy, and non-dairy! Once we all had our first few bites, I offered some cinnamon as an option to sprinkle on top. It totally changed the taste for the better! Then I added a little orange blossom honey, and it was incredible!

Today I made these macaroons.


They were wonderful like this.


Then Steve got ahold of them, and then they were amazing!


(That's cocoa nibs melted down and the macaroons dipped into them. Oh happy day, they were incredible. I say "were" because there are none left!)

I have a couple of other dishes I've made that haven't been photographed because the anticipation to eat them has been much greater than the desire to photograph first. One of which is my baked beans, which I believe may have to be a post all unto themselves.

That's my culinary catch-up for now...try some of these dishes out and let me know what you think.

Strange Sky...

The other night, dinner was later than we wanted it to be. But, it turned out fine because it was cool enough to eat outside and enjoy one of the strangest skies we've ever seen. It looked like fake lighting outside. It was all oranges and pinks on us, and the clouds were incredible.

It started raining halfway through dinner, and we brought our dinner inside to finish. But, not before getting some great shots of the awesome colorful Colorado sky.

I didn't do any editing to these photos, it's just how the lighting was that evening.

Our orangey garden...


Fire clouds...


Max and Olive checking it all out...


More great clouds...

Organizing bug...

If I had a "before" picture, you would see camping gear, Christmas decorations. Halloween costumes, and medical supplies strewn from one end of the basement to the other. But, I don't. Because I don't usually like to take pictures of messy basements.

I do have a wonderful 12 year old daughter who loves to organize. It gets her juices flowing. And I let her have at it...and we have an "after" product of this...





So clean! So organized! There's walking space! I guess I won't complain too much about the midnight showing of Harry Potter tomorrow night when she does such great work.

Home is where the kitchen is...

If you've been following along on Max's blog, you know we've made it through the worst of this surgery and recovery time, and are back home.

As soon as we got home, we got to cooking. Eating outside of my own kitchen for 22 straight days took a toll on my stomach, mood, and pocket book! Here are a few of the dishes we've had since getting back home.

We picked all the baby carrots, and beets in the garden. They've made it in nearly every meal since last Thursday.



I made this Scallops with Cherry and Tarragon sauce Friday night.



Plenty of Halloumi salads.



Steve smoked chicken and ribs on Saturday night. And I made beans...which I didn't get a picture of, because they were eaten too quickly! The secret ingredients there are cans of baked beans, one onion, bbq sauce, top with strips of bacon and bake until the bacon is crispy. The end.

And finally, because it is Grandmama week, I had to make her Macaroni and Cheese, in her pot.



But, she was probably rolling in her grave with the ingredients I used...I made it completely gluten free, and with all goat milk products. It turned out good, but not exactly like Grandmama's. Which is a shame, because it's the first time in my life that I ate macaroni and cheese and didn't feel like I had a brick in my stomach afterwards.

Super Friends...

We are always so thankful for the visits from friends and family when Max is in the hospital. Especially on these long stays. I know when my friends' kids are in the hospital, I can feel like I need to do something, but don't know what. I've really taken note this time...just show up. Show up with chocolate, or food, or balloons, or a smile and a hug. It works wonders!

One of my supermom friends brought lunch the other day...so fresh, and so delicious!




And made me a special keychain...



We got a lovely Edible Arrangement too...it didn't last very long.



We've got super friends, and Max does too! He got a cookie bouquet from Make A Wish, which we took out to the nurses to share.



and a special yellow shirt from his friends in Iowa.


(This picture is cracking me up at how surprised he looks...he had just woken up and I was there taking his picture.)

Thanks for all the well wishes, prayers, and thoughts these past couple of weeks too...they're just as important as a visit in person...I really mean that. It's keeping us encouraged to see so many notes from our friends and family.

Holding up...

We get this question a lot when Max is in the hospital. "How are you holding up?". Usually we answer with, 'we're hanging in there', or just 'fine'. Truth is, to unload everything that goes on inside of my head from minute to minute, day to day in the hospital would make most people sorry they asked!

I am tired. I am frustrated that it took so long to get an answer as to why Max wasn't healing up after surgery as he should. I am so tired of eating out. I am missing my bed, my dog, my garden, my couch, my kitchen, my shower, my laundry machine. I am sad that Max has had such a long rough recovery. I am sad that we've missed out on two full weeks of summer with Abbey.

I would love to think we'll be home by the 4th of July, but I know better than to hold my breath. But, I'll try to hope for that. Max loves listening to the fireworks. And it would be great to be home for that.

Right now, he's healing. He's getting better, and that's really what is important. As for me...I'm holding up, hanging in there, and hoping to go home soon.