dancing with my Father

visit our new home!

2013-09-08T22:55:00.000-04:00

i'm dancing for real about this: i've got a new blog home! click here to find me (or copy and paste http://www.dancingwithmyfather.net !!!)

and MUCH thanks to our dear friend ky and my studly husband for tireless work (still-in-progress) getting this up and running!!!

hugs!!! - angela

turkey-sweet-potato hash with fried eggs

2013-09-06T06:30:00.000-04:00

the fork pierces buttery-brown-edged egg white and warm, gooey egg yolk drizzles onto crispy fried sweet potatoes scrambled with turkey sausage. who needs a diner this saturday morning? we've got it going on in this kitchen.

eggs are very important in this house; they must be properly cooked. for me, that usually means butter-crisped edges on the whites, and a soft, slightly runny but almost-creamy yolk. i had two sweet potatoes left from the week's menu; not enough to bake even "fries" for this household-of-seven. so i decided to make my own version of the "skillet" we'd order at a diner if we had the option.

super-easy:

peel and chop two sweet potatoes and one onion.

drizzle coconut oil and a pat of butter into a hot skillet.

add one pound of turkey sausage.

(ground turkey will work here, also; just add sage and garlic with it.)

stir and cook until sausage and potatoes are browned and onions are translucent.

set individually plated servings in oven to stay warm;

top each with an egg-over-medium.

sprinkle with chopped chives or green onion.

enjoy!

simplest and sweetest snack.

2013-08-31T17:11:00.000-04:00

the peaches were divine for a couple weeks. and they were reasonably priced. and then the husband went hunting with Papa Dale in georgia, and they brought back a case (yes!) of fresh, for real ripe from the tree peaches from this beautiful "little" place that they were privileged to tour called Lane Southern Orchards. it was peaches for breakfast, snack, and dessert. we were eating peaches in crisp and peaches with yogurt and peaches baked and topped with a dollop of ice cream (whoops! never did make that recipe!)

but i think this was my favorite. sweet. simple. perfection.

fresh peaches with raw salted caramel sauce. this was my afternoon snack, but it'd be perfect for breakfast, maybe with greek yogurt or nuts?

the raw caramel sauce was a snap to make in my mini food processor.

Raw Caramel Sauce

1/2 cup pitted medjool dates (soak in 1 tablespoon warm water for 5 minutes if desired)

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon vanilla or caramel flavoring (opt: use ground vanilla bean)

just give it a whirl and drizzle over the peaches. enjoy!!!

savory beef tenderloin

2013-08-30T07:18:00.000-04:00

garlic might could become its own food group. sauteed with a little butter and herbs, this simple little steak topping found its place on our new favorites list.

while we were all trying to be nice and polite and share, we noticed Little had grabbed the bowl and was happily dipping his steak (which he's taught himself to cut solo now, by-the-way and thank-you-very-much).

a buttery pan-fried steak - next time i plan to serve this with a tomato-avocado salad with a lemony dressing. i think the creamy avocado would compliment, and the tartness of tomato and lemon would be the perfect foil, for the rich garlicky steak seasoning.

find the recipe here. enjoy!

2013-08-29T21:29:00.000-04:00

this month as an allrecipes allstar, i've been trying out some goodies from Goya.

the recipes we chose have fit well with the way we're trying to eat these days: food that's simple to prepare, but full of flavor, and focused on fruits and vegetables, quality meats and healthy fats, including nuts and seeds.

this recipe for roast adobo pork loin fit the bill. the "secret" addition of cinnamon added the perfect amount of sweetness, and i think it might be a great autumn dish. we served our with sweet potatoes and onions that we roasted right in the pan.

true confession: i've had a tendency to overcook my pork lately. don't do this. :)

it makes it dry and unappetizing! although i wish i'd left this one a little more pink (note to self: if it seems like it's been a while since you checked the timer, it has), the flavor was still good!

having a Mexican-food-loving husband has made testing these Goya recipes easy. he even forgave me the over-cooking. next time, i'm trying this one in the slow cooker. with the longer, slow-cooked method, i think it might be even better.

for always.

2013-08-28T20:44:00.002-04:00

sometimes things get out of order.

the not-exactly-vital somehow seems life-necessary, and the only "thing" that matters seems mundane. deceptively, deadlines and external gratification become front-burner and real relationship gets lost.

and then sometimes, you do hard things. you say "no" to not-forever-important,

and you say "yes" to the people. and the laughter. and the quiet conversations.

dinner becomes about "always" and about the heart of the partakers.

sure, it's great recipes and steak-in-the-teeth and use-your-napkin and be-kind-to-your-sister. and it's really about moments that are for always.

curious your thoughts...

2013-08-28T08:30:00.000-04:00

i'm a chipotle girl. i'm a mojo girl. i like hot-and-spicy. but i have to admit, i didn't fall in love with the new Goya Mojo Chipotle. i'm going to try it again to see what i think, but next time i think i'll do a recipe with some maple syrup and lime added. this was our first run with grilled pork chops with onions.

you can find the recipe in the Goya hub at allrecipes.com, HERE.

we served ours with roasted green beans. it was just a bit more spice and a bit less flavor-depth than i like - i think i like the more traditional mojo. and last time i shopped, i saw a bitter orange variety. i think i might give that one a try, as well, just for kicks!

give it a try - what do you think?

2013-08-27T14:11:00.000-04:00

we've been having such a great time revamping our family eating habits. now i'm being honest - i'd let us get so far from where we should be that it has taken serious determination and genuine, consistent communication to begin re-educating our mindset and our palates.

i discovered, for instance, that our second (a teenage boy) does not like almonds. he's tested sensitive to them in the past, too - go figure. so in paring back grains and incorporating more nuts, i've started experimenting with pecan meal or walnut flour.

i also got a talking-to from our three teen swimmers who didn't think they were eating enough. i've had to get creative about snack options, and they're learning at the same time that with more nutrient-dense foods, they need to eat less at one sitting.

but we're getting somewhere. we're eating more intentionally, and it's working. skin is improving. we're feeling fuller. we're eating delicious foods!

like this one. in partnering with "beef: it's what's for dinner" this month, i've bought some more pricey cuts of beef, and we're feasting. try this recipe, for instance (click to go to allrecipes.com recipe link!).

Greek Seasoned T-Bone Steaks with Cucumber and Tomato Salad

i doubled the tomato and cucumber salad and actually ate leftovers for breakfast the next day with chopped turkey!

i'm thinking you could do a more inexpensive cut of meat with this seasoning, but oh man, the crispy marbled fat is delish.

eating nourishing food is a blessing. let me know if you try this!

2013-08-21T10:13:00.000-04:00

after a full week of being "back in the saddle" of choosing my foods for nutrition and flavor, i'm excited to partner with "Beef, It's What's For Dinner," to feature some delicious and nutritious recipes.

as i've worked toward increasing our protein and whole foods, including lots of fresh produce, i found this little tidbit to be very educational...

over the next few weeks, i'll be sharing some delicious beef recipes, and this was really helpful to me, to see all the good stuff they'll contain.

do you have a favorite beef recipe?

on putting first things, first

2013-08-19T10:07:00.001-04:00

over the last year i've noticed that the more i fail to put "first things, first," the less actually gets done. it goes something like this:

stay up late trying to "get stuff done." get hungry so late, eat something yummy that's terrible for the body. go to bed exhausted. sleep fitfully.

wake. roll out of bed, sore and tired from the night before.

stumble into family devos, then off to the office to work more.

get distracted, hungry and tired, and eat something non-nutritious that may, if i'm lucky, feel good for the moment. but not fill me for the day.

roll through the day in a blur, trying to "get it all done."

break for dinner with the fam, and begin again.

there are moments of sweetness...

we've gone from full-place-settings, cloth linens, to paper-plates-and-grab-it-fast.

on a good night, there is laughter and good food. on an average night, it's scramble-and-gobble before or after a sporting event, or between editing photo galleries.

and i'm not "full." i'm running after satisfaction, but i've got it out of order.
i'm trying to make "it" all happen myself. work hard. get more clients. edit, edit, edit.
work, work, work.

but the sweetnesses are less and less, and the inspiration, creativity and passion begin taking a backseat to productivity. the sparks of joy never burst into flame because they must be tamed to
get stuff done.

and the irony? i'm never "done." always running, never arriving.

the joy is in the journey, right? i've forgotten! the satisfaction is in knowing i'm celebrating as i run, listening for the voice of the Papa who made me to guide me, to remind me what the dance is all about.

i'm headed back to satisfaction in the One who can satisfy.

i'm starting with boundaries - no more settling for artificial foods, artificial fun... i'm going back to cooking what we know will nourish our bodies and our palates. less burning the midnight oil, and more rising before the crew and spending time with my Papa, entering my day refreshed and ready. for His agenda. :)

just keepin' it real. :)

summer grillin'

2013-08-01T17:41:00.001-04:00

it's summer, and the grillin' is fine. except i'm no grill master, and i'd like to be! i enjoyed this lil' post with some basic tips. maybe i'll steal the grill tools from the men in the house and give it a go! i've been dying to try my hand at cedar planked salmon...

for more grillin' tips and recipes, visit allrecipes.com at the grilling recipe hub!

spicy not-beef kabobs {perfect almost-grain-free summer dinner}

2013-06-26T20:17:00.004-04:00

these were good. after we spent a day in the sun, and before we spent time with our friends/mentors, they were the perfect hearty but still not heavy, summer dinner.

here were my tweaks (because of course there always are some) to this recipe at allrecipes:

used venison instead of beef.

marinated the meat for several hours (venison needs it) before adding to the skewer with veggies, and drizzling more marinade over the top.

veggies we used were par-cooked sweet potato chunks, baby peppers, stems removed, quartered onions, and fresh zucchini.

~~in another-more-organized-life~~, with a little more planning, i'd have made cauliflower "rice" to serve with these. instead, fresh fruit and sugar cream pie rounded out the meal. (80/20 did NOT happen this evening. :) )

i should have remembered the venison can get tough if it cooks too long; i might consider skewering the veggies separately next time so i can pop the venison on at the last few minutes.

still, we'll make this again. it was good!

summer gourmet {Florida Food Photography}

2013-06-20T16:18:00.000-04:00

so i did a Pinterest cleanse... i knew my body had dragged way back to neglect and it was time to spruce it up. i want to feel good again and eating "clean" is a huge part of that. i needed to feel what "hungry" really feels like; to taste what "real" food really means again. now that i'm through seven days of pure, mostly raw eats, i find i'm actually craving the stuff healthy is made of. and it feels and tastes GOOD!

last night for dinner we had this:

my mouth's watering just reliving it through a photo. :)

we had received a treat from a new company called simple and crisp to sample (i've still got their pear and apple crisps to play with), so i wanted to incorporate the slightly bitter, slightly-sour dried orange slices into the recipe. i found some great looking organic greens, fresh mint and in-season peaches, along with ripe avocado. we made a spicy-sweet dressing, grilled up some chicken, and dove in.

i love that i have built-in ~~critics~~ taste-testers. there was no criticism this meal. in fact, after he helped me stage this shot, Little instructed, "tell me when you're ready for me to be in the shot."

and it was a hit. in fact, everyone cleaned their plates, went back for seconds, and some even for thirds. :)

want the recipe? click here.

make this! like the recipe? leave a comment! :)

fast and decadent {butter rum} caramel corn

2013-05-27T02:40:00.000-04:00

getting real here - there's not much i've found to satisfy the craving for caramel corn but, well... caramel corn. this recipe from allrecipes.com - my australian fellow home cooks - fit the bill for a saturday afternoon splurge. indulging in this and a little pioneer woman, quickly followed by a swim to ~~make myself feel more productive~~ burn off some sugar high, and my weekend's been off to the sweetest start.

so i did tweak it a bit (don't i always?!) by swapping half the vanilla for rum extract. except the rum extract (read the label, silly girl!!!) turned out to be mint. so we called it "buttermint caramel corn." and made another batch. :)

you're feeling crave-ish, no? find the recipe here. you're welcome. :)

nourish and delight

2013-05-23T13:37:00.000-04:00

"You're not really the athletic type." The voice of a parent whose own insecurities led to the unintended insecurities of her oldest daughter rang in my head often enough that it was eventually replaced by my own head-voice. I believed the voice, convinced that I could sing, write, entertain, yes, but I wasn't really "built" for the training of muscle, the straining of lungs.

Over time, the belief-seeming-truth caused fear in public situations. Can't join the youth group after church; volleyball "isn't my thing." Must dress in shower stall after gym class; I don't have a body that should be seen. Won't dare try on the two-piece swimsuit; my curves aren't the muscled, beautiful type earned by runners and ball players.

Social gatherings in the grown-up world center on food or sports. I stay in kitchen, fearful my lack of coordination will deem me awkward. I chatter, fluent in lighthearted banter and polished at deep and meaningful conversation, avoiding beach, pool, court, race. I master knife, mixer, measure, and stove, using flavor to feed the need for interaction, herbs and spices to mask the inner taste of discontent. But inside, I long to flex and stretch, to push muscle and lung beyond their comfort zone. I dare myself to be brave and urge myself to push.

Still, over years, the self-dislike means trying to feed the hunger for approval, and baking and shopping often means choosing temporary "pleasure" that leads to long-term regret. Some foods that soothe temporarily bring dissatisfaction and harm to this body I can't believe beautiful. But over years, I bear five babies, each time, my body crying out, "I can! I'm strong!"

Inside, a cocoon begins to crack, with each child unraveling a bit more, daring the critter inside to break forth. Those babies grow, and without the voice to tell them "no," they run and climb, breathless with joy for all their bodies can do.

And one day, one tells me I can, too. I am not bound by past nor fear, but freed by youthful innocence and well-loved and loving courageous hearts. And one day, with trembling legs, I draw a breath and take a step, and I run. Not far, but enough that breath burns and muscles ache and the silken strands of inner doubt shatter and in heart and mind and body I am FREE.

At thirty-nine years old, I joined two of my children in my first 5K. It wasn't dramatic for the bystanders on the course, but for me, it was a step toward discovering that I am beautiful, and my body was created for more. An Olympian, I am not. But I am a strong woman who is capable of "keeping up" with my amazing children (almost!). I am well able to push beyond what is comfortable and find joy in what isn't. The food I create can be an expression of joy and freedom and at the same time nourish palate and body, and it is my goal to share that nourishment with the ones I love... part of our journey to embrace the amazing bodies we've been given and push them to do all they can!

This year, Sargento dared me to create a recipe and tell a story of personal accomplishment. I take credit only in accepting the call to more. My Papa made me, and He made me beautiful. This story is my dare to go higher up and further in. This recipe is one of many I hope to share to nourish the body and delight the palate!

The protein muffins are a power-packed nod to comfort food, and spinach salad a sweet memory of meals with my mom, whom I gained by marriage, and who poured her love and encouragement into me every second she got!

Cheesy Grain-Free Protein Muffins

4 eggs

1/4 cup butter, melted

1/4 cup water

1/4 teaspoon sea salt

1/3 cup almond flour

1/4 cup ground flax meal

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 cup Sargento Chef Blends 4 State Cheddar shredded cheese, plus a little extra to sprinkle on top

2 Tbsp chopped fresh thyme

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and place rack in middle of oven.

In a medium bowl combine the eggs, butter, water and salt and using a whisk, combine well. Stir in the almond flour, flax meal, and baking soda and keep mixing. Then add in the cheese and dried herbs until all ingredients are well incorporated.

Spoon batter evenly into muffin pan. Sprinkle each muffin with extra cheese. Bake for 13-14 minutes until just golden on top (watch closely: nut flours burn easily). Let cool and devour with fresh butter!

Serve with Mom's Strawberry Spinach Salad.

Mom's Spinach Salad

1 shallot, finely chopped

1 bag fresh baby spinach

1/4 cup bacon, cooked and crumbled (reserve 1/2 tsp fat)

1 cup strawberries, sliced

1/2 cup chopped walnuts, toasted

1/2 cup Sargento Parmesan Cheese

1/4 cup apple cider vinegar

1/4 cup plus 1/2 teaspoon olive oil

1 Tbsp real maple syrup

1/2 tsp fresh thyme, finely chopped

sea salt and cracked black pepper, to taste

Saute shallot in bacon fat and 1/2 tsp olive oil. In a large serving bowl, layer spinach, and strawberries. Whisk together vinegar, oil, maple syrup, rosemary, thyme salt, and pepper and let flavors meld for five minutes. Toss salad with dressing, then top with walnuts and cheese. Finish with fresh cracked pepper.

{special note: sargento provided the allrecipes allstars with samples of their product to use in creating our recipes. though their gift was gracious, all opinions are my own. You can view my recipe at in sargento's online cookbook here and at allrecipes.com here.}

strawberry season {tampa family photographer}

2013-05-11T07:58:00.000-04:00

strawberry picking is an annual tradition, and it makes me long ever more for getting our hands in the dirt on a more regular basis. i MUST start that herb-garden-in-a-pot soon... i must.

dang, girl, i want those arms. you are beautiful, angel-girl.

for the first time after many years of want-to, we finally tried our hand at blueberry picking. unsure of how much we were actually getting and a little nervous about having a thirty dollar bucket, we were conservative in our picking. next year we're going in with guns blazing. alas, i took only the iPhone for pics. next time, the big camera. it's worth hauling. so we'll settle for more strawberry shots. :)

we were headed home from regionals track meet, and tho i've whined and complained about this vehicle, my kids constantly remind me that it's comfortable and it gets us where we need to go. so i'm embracing it. it's my homeschool-mom-mobile. also known as the BRG

(big. rolling. turd. ever seen RV?)

"winter" green salad {tampa food photographer}

2013-05-02T02:39:00.001-04:00

i'm smitten with this salad. i've gotta admit, i thought collard greens for a salad was odd (not to mention kale, cabbage, and so on...), but the combination of the variety of greens and vegetables and this amazing dressing adds up to delightful. it's called "winter salad," but i'm thinking spring and summer are calling for this as well. (mmm... gonna go make us some...)

did i intrigue your taste buds? tempt your appetite? find the recipe here.

you're welcome. :)

girls' night, part two {tampa food photographer}

2013-04-29T16:42:00.003-04:00

the evening was warm and balmy, and soon turned breezy-enough-for-a-shrug. the laughter was plentiful, and the fellowship was sweet.

because we've all got spring fever, a-girl and i decided to host a girls' night "in" with some heart friends. on the menu: roasted salmon tacos with spicy avocado crema and spring salsa, rosemary lemon margaritas (for the "big girls"), and strawberry basil lemon-limeade for us all.

thanks to Herdez Mexican Foods, we had a delicious "seasoning base" to spice up our main course. their soon-to-be-released cooking sauces provide a rich base of pepper flavors that adds a deep flavor "kick" to any dish. we drizzled it over our smoked salmon while it finished cooking (the Roasted Pasilla blend) and stirred it into our avocado crema (the Chipotle blend).

we also made two refreshing beverages. Sauza provided Agave Tequila and we stirred up a round of Rosemary Lemon Margaritas, and then everyone enjoyed the delicious Strawberry Basil Lemon-Limeade.

dessert? as if Stacy's warm, gooey brownies weren't enough, we spooned Strawberry Margarita Sauce over berry sorbet, and topped that with vanilla-coconut meringues!

having girl time was the perfect respite in a busy spring season for us all.

interested in trying out the Herdez products mentioned? click here for more information!

want more info about Sauza Tequila? here's the site link!

disclaimer: as part of the Allrecipes Allstars program, Herdez Mexican Foods and Sauza Tequila provided products for us to try for our fabulous girls' night. all thoughts and opinions are my own.

(and for the record, we firmly support LEGAL alcohol consumption only, as well as believe in indulging responsibly in any alcoholic beverage. we believe God's word and common sense are clear: sober is the only responsible and honoring way to be. :) )

girl night and roasted salmon tacos {tampa food photographer}

2013-04-28T09:44:00.000-04:00

it's spring, and of course, new recipes are a perfect excuse to have a girls' night on the beach with heart friends. been wanting to "just because" bless mama-friends, and connect our combined four-middle-and-high-school daughters in sweet fellowship.

and here's a core recipe from the evening (with yummy others to follow)...

Family Style Salmon Tacos

angela sackett, april, 2013

Ingredients

4 pounds fresh salmon, skin removed

2 teaspoons cumin

2 teaspoons coriander

2 teaspoons chili powder (smoked chipotle preferred)

1tablespoon coarse sea salt

1/4 cup olive oil (or, if you can get it, lemon infused avocado oil)

1 lemon

1 cup Herdez Pasilla Chile Cooking Sauce

1 cup Avocado Crema (see recipe below)

2 cups Summer Salsa (see recipe below)

Large package corn tortillas (6 per person)

2 cups shredded angel hair cabbage

1 cup crumbled feta cheese

Directions

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Lay salmon in a large glass baking dish in a single layer. Sprinkle with spices and gently massage into meat; flip and repeat. Grate lemon zest over fish, then gently squeeze juice over the top. Sprinkle with sea salt and drizzle with olive oil.

Roast salmon in 425 degree oven for approximately 8 minutes each side, or just until fish begins to flake. (A thicker piece may take a bit longer; a thinner piece should be watched carefully to avoid drying!) After flipping fish the first time, drizzle with Herdez Chile Cooking Sauce.

To serve: For each taco, top two warmed corn tortillas with flaked salmon, fresh summer salsa, avocado crema, raw angel hair cabbage, and crumbled feta.

Summer Salsa

8 ripe red tomatoes

1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

1 jalapeno

1 clove garlic, minced

2 grilled corn cobs (optional)

2 tablespoons olive oil

juice of two limes

coarse sea salt to taste

Stir ingredients gently together; let set for one hour to allow flavors to meld.

Avocado Crema

1 ripe avocado

1 cup plain Greek yogurt

1 tablespoon olive oil (or, if you can get it, lemon infused avocado oil)

1 tablespoon Herdez Traditional Chipotle Cooking Sauce

Using a fork, mash the avocado with remaining ingredients. If you can get your hands on the lemon avocado oil, it's well worth it for the extra boost of flavor and nutrients!

an evening at the park {tampa food photographer}

2013-04-10T22:29:00.000-04:00

the idea was a kernel of inspiration months ago: how fun to do a family afternoon at the park? each family would come geared up to play old-fashioned games and enjoy generations and ages celebrating the everyday over food and laughter.

when mccormick gourmet asked if we'd like to host our second "dinner party chain" dinner party for them to feature, it was our chance to make the vision happen! we invited some sweet friends and the plan began to unfold.

we shopped days before the party. then to stay relaxed (i may or not be the mom who gets a wee bit ~~crazy-grumpy~~ overwhelmed when i need to rush to "get it all done..."

want a tip my mom-in-law taught me? lay out the serving dishes in advance, complete with serving utensils. she'd even put little notes in the bowls so she'd remember what dish went where. especially important for this outing, because i wanted to pretty it up. no average day at the park for us. we hit up dollar tree and bought a roll of pretty kraft wrapping paper and some sweet little vases. publix had baby's breath (apparently, my daughter is a little deprived in the floral department; she'd never heard the name baby's breath before!) i had cheap plastic storage totes for the dishes and the white stoneware was packed up for transferring once we safely arrived at the park.

a. is such a natural teacher. she had the boys in giggles as they measured and whisked. early on as a mama, i relished my time alone in the kitchen. though it makes for a bit more chaos, i find that having my children alongside me is not just joy and learning for them, but help i have come to depend on.

prepping the ingredients for each dish in advance helped us sail through preparation and photographing so we'd have the memories to hold on to.

friends around make it even more fun, and making messes is easier to clean up when there are extra hands on deck. :)

i'm not gonna lie. it was a ~~mad dash of craziness~~ bit hectic getting out the door with two huge rolling crates, three coolers (we were packin' for a crowd!), and six kids. trying to heave all that food without dripping raw chicken juice onto fresh shaved brussel sprout salad and keep track of vases and baby's breath and... well - we really needed everyone on hand. but having a little bit of elegance and interactive meal was so worth it!

the menu:

Orange Spiced Grilled Chicken

i can never leave anything as-is. we used a beautiful pork marinade from this recipe from McCormick Gourmet to season our chicken breasts, then grilled them on-site along with the corn. which, by-the-way, would be my exception to never leaving a recipe alone. make this corn NOW. as-is. and don't hate me when you want to devour the entire recipe yourself.

Grilled Corn with Smokehouse Maple Chipotle Butter

(to be honest, most of us could've made a complete meal of this one. insanely. amazing. side.)

Vanilla Slaw

Shaved Brussels Sprouts Salad with Strawberries

Green Beans & Grape Tomatoes with Caramelized Garlic

Tina's Zucchini Salad

(such a surprising and delightful fresh salad made with zucchini instead of cucumber!)

Rosemary Macaroon Thumbprints

a little tip: be sure to use the sweetened, packaged, baker's coconut for this recipe. we use dried raw coconut that hasn't been sweetened. 4 extra egg whites and 1/4 cup of maple syrup later, we still had more of a savory coconut crouton than a macaroon. these still managed to all but disappear. :)

Maddie's Peanut Butter Bars & Cake Pops

(how glad am i that now our kids' friends bake, too??...)

these were so good! i'll have to ask her for the recipe. :)

food always tastes better warmed by spring sunshine and shared with friends. :)

as our kids have gotten older, we are even more convinced that spending time with every age is a vital part of growing into an amazing person. we love that our kids have other adults we respect to look to for wisdom, and that they know the importance of serving a little person who needs help. we're making it a point to carve out more time for just "being" with other families so that kinship builds.

these kids have been prayed for, loved on, and are growing into people we respect as our friends.

"come on, sis... try and beat me!"

it's been a long day. take me and my full belly home for a hot bath and a bed. :)

we were all happy-tired when all was said and done. but friends pitched in together to load cars and caravan out of the closing park as the sun dropped below the horizon. we can't wait to do it again.

how have you been inspired to carve out your legacy?

2013-04-01T13:41:00.001-04:00

just a teaser: more on this meal to come. for now, just know this will be future very. difficult. temptation.

book and friend.

2013-03-29T06:58:00.000-04:00

they model what they're shown.

oh, Papa, i haven't read enough and laughed enough.

yet somehow, you bring forth the desires of my heart for this boy...

and he pours out Your love.

Little Blue and his sweet friend, K.

eggplant sausage lasagne {tampa food photographer}

2013-03-28T04:32:00.000-04:00

another "ground beef makeover:" thanks to johnsonville sausage, i had that gorgeous new sur la table baking dish to show it off in.

the original recipe is here, at allrecipes.com.

my changes included:

-eliminated the pasta, replacing it altogether with thinly sliced, peeled eggplant

-replaced the ground beef with ground sausage

-doubled the fresh garlic (and started the layering with a drizzle of olive oil and fresh minced garlic)

-eliminated the mushrooms

true confession here: i intended to use the mushrooms. i'm frankly embarrassed and in heaps of trouble right now with the husband for letting perfectly good fresh produce go to waste over the last few months. i promise, i'm working on that.

this was delish. my only tweak next time will be to add ten minutes to the bake time, and that with a foil cover to begin steaming the eggplant. it was a wee bit un-appetizingly chewy this time. bless my friend stacy and her family for loving it anyway.

assistant.

2013-03-25T06:55:00.000-04:00

how does one conceive of the mustard-seed we bore through labor and love... now larger-than-life and a heart of his own, ready to pierce the world with his passions and vision, passed down from his true Papa?

thankful for my sweet and strong first.

taste of st. pete {st. petersburg, florida food writer}

2013-03-25T03:37:00.000-04:00

but for the busy st. petersburg traffic outside the light-drenched picture windows, we'd have thought we were in a little cafe in france.

except that, darling as alesia is, it isn't just a french cafe. noooo, it's vietnamese and french - the food-child of a love affair between two foodies and their family.

some of us didn't mind being photographed, and some of us just wanted to feast. which is fine, because the fun of family ~~requires~~ doesn't, i suppose, require capturing every time.

true fact: i wake at night longing for pho. i had to share so the rest of my people would understand the need.

to be honest, i'd discovered this place on my own and fallen in love with a dark chocolate-filled croissant and lox over baguette with cream cheese and capers. so it wasn't my first visit. and although solitude and a solo feast are a rare treat, i'd longed to share this treasure of a spot with my favorite people.

a thought i may have shared before: on our first "real" date (one involving food, of course), i asked my someday-to-be-husband for a taste of whatever dish he'd ordered. he looked at me askance and in that moment he was forced to decide: share or appreciate the last date with moi. and the rest, as they say, is - well, it's a houseful of food sharers.

and yes, dessert. times a few. but how to say "no" to chocolate mousse, crepes with nutella (gasp!), and flan?

run away. pack a sketchbook or journal or dreamy novel; leave your phone in the car. pretend you're in paris but enjoy that you didn't have to fly, and treat yourself.

alesia is a fresh vietnamese-french cuisine in a bright contemporary setting located in st. petersburg, florida.