Moving is hard work.  First, there’s the challenge of finding a place.  If you’re lucky enough to find somewhere you like, chances are other people like it too and timing becomes everything.  Once you get over the giddiness of confirming the place is yours by signing your name on that little line, the reality of the actual move sets in.

We feel so fortunate that we found our next apartment within our first day of looking.  We’ll be sticking around the Boston area; although it feels that a move within the same city should be relatively simple, as compared to moving out-of-state, everything still needs to be put in boxes.

We’ve lived in our current apartment for about 3 years; the longest we have lived anywhere since we tied the knot nearly 6 years ago.  I’m now trying to figure out how we were able to accumulate so. much. stuff. in this short amount of time.  By far, the biggest collection in our home to exponentially grow has been our cookbooks.  When we first moved here, they subtly took over less than one shelf on our bookshelf.  Now, they have taken over a separate bookshelf entirely on their own.  And of course, I need them all.  Yes, even the ones that I’ve only cooked one or two recipes from; I know they have hundreds more written on their pages that are just waiting to be discovered.

It’s actually been much easier for me to get rid of clothes.  I guess that shows where my true priorities lie.  When I started going through my closet, my husband told me, “if you haven’t worn it since we moved here, you probably shouldn’t keep it.”  I didn’t expect that little guideline to dwindle my wardrobe nearly in half.  How is that I’ve held onto the entire back-half of my closet without wearing a single item?

Of course, we haven’t even touched the kitchen yet.  I mean, who knows if I’ll need the chopsticks, slow cooker or potato peeler in the coming weeks and I can’t risk having to search boxes for them, right?!  So, while we may be stepping over boxes throughout the rest of our apartment, the kitchen is nicely put in place and our meals haven’t suffered from my disorganized packing…yet.

Thus, I am able to bring you this Fontina & Mushroom Flatbread.  It is the perfect way to rest after an evening of looking through and reminiscing packing photo albums.  :) The onions and fontina cheese combine to give it an almost buttery flavor, that pairs perfectly atop the crispy crust.

~Have you moved recently? Is it hard for you to throw away things?

Do you remember when cupcakes were all the rage?  I do. I was living in Seattle and am pretty confident that every weekend, we passed a new cupcake shop with a line out the door.  There was every flavor batter, frosting and topping imaginable.  Cupcakes were the dessert to bring to events and the more frosting, the better.

Now, I live on the other side of the country, but I’m pretty sure it’s the culture rather than the location, that only leaves me with one local cupcake shop I can think of.  It seemed the trend swept the nation then was just as quickly replaced by self-serve fro-yo shops.

To be honest, I probably only visited one or two of those cupcake shops to meet friends, but I always preferred meeting for coffee or pastries.  I’ve just never been a huge cupcake fan, unless it’s the right combination with the perfect frosting.

So, as evidenced by my photos, while I can’t quite frost the cupcakes as my local bakery is able to do, I did find my perfect cupcake combination: Chocolate Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting.  I love the strong chocolate flavor topped with a creamy, sweet cream cheese frosting.

While I have to be in just the right mood for a cupcake, I can nearly almost always be content to snack on a granola bar.  So I was happy when Enjoy Life Foods contacted me to try their new Decadent Soft Baked Bars!  These come in 4 flavors: Cherry Cobbler, Chocolate SunButter, S’Mores and Cinnamon Bun.

I’ve been enjoying these as a morning snack.  The S’Mores and Cinnamon Bun are my favorite flavors; they are sweet and topped with a chocolate drizzle!

All bars are gluten-free, free from the top 8 allergens, and verified by the Non-GMO project.

~What is your favorite cupcake flavor?

Oh, June.  I still can’t believe we’re in the month of June.  Time seems to fly by way too fast.  Which just gives me another reason why I love having this little space online; it provides me with memories of not only what I’ve eaten over the past few years, but also a glimpse into what I was filling my time and thoughts with.

I started this blog nearly 4 years ago.  That translates into 2 apartments, 2 jobs, supporting a husband through school, exploring new parts of the country and the world, completing several races, and a whole lot of learning about myself and this crazy world we live in.

So, out of my own curiosity, as I look back through Simply Life, here’s what I was up to during the summer months since I created this little corner of the internet:

2009: Just finished graduate school and was so thankful to find an incredible job.  Trained for a marathon with hubby.  Cooked lots of pasta dishes.

2010:  Started branching out a bit with my cooking and the ingredients used.  Experimented with chickpeas, prosciutto, and scallops.   Somehow suffered survived a Boston summer without an air conditioner.  Celebrated 3 years of marriage.  Moved apartments as hubby went back to school.  Started a new job that still leaves me inspired nearly everyday.

2011:  Joined my first CSA!  This proved to be a quite a learning curve in my cooking and food knowledge!  I loved trying new foods and figuring out creative uses for the abundance of some items.  Hubby and I were able to spend our 4th anniversary in Seattle!

2012: We joined a different CSA and were able to visit the farm to pick our own berries!  Met other Boston Food Bloggers for a dinner cruise!  Focused on really trying to enjoy the simple everyday things that are truly what make life extraordinary.  Celebrated FIVE incredible years of being married in Costa Rica!

Of course, this is just a glimpse into some of the highlights of the previous summer months.

One thing that I know the summer of 2013 is starting out with: lots of Mexican/Southwest themed dinners.  There’s just something about a tortilla, chips and salsa that always sounds good when the weather starts to warm-up.

This recipe for Poblano and Black Bean Quesadillas was inspired by My Recipes.   I got a bit lazy when following the recipe and used Mango Peach Salsa instead of using fresh mango (I’m sure either option would be excellent).  Each bite was full of bold flavor and the salsa was the perfect accompaniment.

~How have you/your lifestyle changed over the past few years?

1.  Enjoying trips downtown.

2.  Eating the. best. (seriously) French Toast of my life at Bread & Chocolate.

3.  Hubby got their build-your-own-omelette with potatoes and their DELICIOUS homemade ketchup!

4.  Walks along the Charles River.

5.  Hubby making me dinner: Shrimp with Asparagus and Pepper over Couscous.

Hope your June is off to a great start!

~What are you looking forward to most this summer?

I don’t cook with fish very often.  I’m not entirely sure why.  I absolutely love to eat it and it’s usually one of my favorite things to order in a restaurant.  I guess it always feels a little intimidating to me?  Plus, I’ve almost grown “comfortable” with going outside of my comfort zone when it comes to cooking with vegetables.  Fish takes it to an entirely new level.

Plus, when my husband and I decided to try and eat more vegetarian meals, it was mostly for environmental reasons.  And to be honest, I tried doing a bit of research on the fishing industry and got pretty confused very quickly.  There’s a lot of information about what types of fish are ” environmentally good” to buy and which types to avoid.  So I’ve mostly taken the easy route, and simply just avoided it all together.

So I decided to face my fears (and laziness) when I saw this recipe in Food & Wine and really wanted to try it.  I followed the recipe pretty closely except: 1) we used tilapia, 2) I used a combination of about 6 oz. cherry tomatoes, halved, and one 14.5 oz. can of diced tomatoes instead of ripe tomatoes suggested in the recipe.  It’s a short and simple list of ingredients that come together to form an elegant, Mediterranean-tasting meal.

Oh, and when I was at Whole Foods buying the fish, I couldn’t help but notice these tempting bags of Popcorn, Indiana staring at me from the shelves.  I was thrilled when the company agreed to send me some of their popcorn to try and absolutely in shock at the generous amount they shipped!  I received two large cases of filled with their Sea Salt and Real Butter varieties.

Let’s just say that with 24 bags of popcorn, you get a good idea of whether or not you really like the product.  I can honestly say that this has been the perfect snack for my husband and I have have around the house!  We’ve even served it to company, and everyone who has tried it has agreed that the flavors are delicious!  The Sea Salt is perfectly lightly salted and the Real Butter flavor also tastes nice and light.

In addition to the flavors I was sent, they also offer a selection of Kettlecorn, Caramel Popcorn and Chip’ins (popcorn chips).  You can purchase their products online or at these locations.

 ~Are there certain types of things you pay attention to when buying fish/seafood?

Woah.  I think this has been the longest I’ve left this little space here on the Internet.

Don’t worry.  It’s all for good reasons.  Life has been filled with graduation ceremonies, out-of-town guests, delicious meals, lots of hugs and celebrations.

I’ve been able to try a few new restaurants in Boston, feel even more proud of my husband (I didn’t know that was possible) and see family members after far too long.

So while I haven’t been spending too much time in the kitchen, I did have to make sure my sweet-tooth husband had one of his favorite desserts on graduation day: chocolate brownies.

This recipe came straight from the Nestle Classic Recipe Cookbook, and it definitely is one of those classic recipes that you want to keep on-hand for just this occasion.  It’s guaranteed to be a crowd-pleaser with adults and children, and uses just a handful of common ingredients.

~What is your favorite “classic” dessert?

Last weekend hubby and I packed our bags and headed north to New Hampshire!

We arrived at the foot of the White Mountains early afternoon and spent the entire afternoon hiking to the top (for some reason I can’t upload some of the pictures larger- you can click on them to see a bigger view; it was pretty breathtaking!).

After hiking to the top with bags on our back and aching muscles, we headed back on the trail until we found our perfect place along the trail to stay for the night!

Hubby was our chef and whipped-up this delicious (canned ) minestrone soup along with some cheese and crackers.  It tasted PERFECT after a long day of hiking and feeling a slight chill in the air.

We set-up our tent and enjoyed the sunset while playing cards and pinching ourselves that this is our life.

Welcome to our humble abode!  The funny thing is, I actually slept later than my husband for about the 2nd time in our marriage.  Something about sleeping under the stars and above twigs and leaves that kept me snoozing.

The following day, we headed back along the trail.  While carrying my backpack was a bit of a challenge after feeling so sore from the previous day, we were still able to enjoy some fantastic views and it was the perfect way to spend the weekend together!

~Have you hiked to the top of a mountain?

I come from a large extended family.  Growing up, special occasions were always shared around a table (or two or three) filled with a variety of foods.  Everyone knew what dish they’d be bringing and you always knew what delicious foods to expect.

My mom was always in charge of bringing the salad.  And it wasn’t just any salad.  No, it would be a giant container packed with tons of vegetables and toppings like croutons, sliced almonds, sesame seeds and more.  I’m pretty sure I’d get full picking on the ingredients as she was making it; my little fingers just couldn’t resist the black olives and crunchy croutons!

She definitely instilled in me a love for salads and I’m so thankful this has remained into my adulthood.  To me, the more ingredients I can fit on my fork at one time, the better.

So I was excited to find out that May is National Salad Month!  And to celebrate this great occasion, Green Leaf’s giving away an iPad mini!  Enter to win Green Leaf’s iLove Salad iPad Giveaway on Facebook here!   

Green Leaf’s offers made-to-order salads from their “Pick & Mix” salad bar. They also have wraps, grilled Panini sandwiches and homemade soups.  This is definitely a place I hope to try and have a feeling I would love!  To see their locations, go here.

~What are your favorite ingredients in a salad? 

*This sponsorship is brought to you by the Green Leaf’s & Bananas who we have partnered with for this promotion.

Friends, you may have noticed I haven’t been posting as frequently over here the past few weeks.  I can explain.

You see, for the past 3 years, my husband has been in law school.  I’ve been writing posts in the evenings sitting beside him as he studies briefs.

Last Friday, he finished!!!  I could not be prouder or more excited!

The good and the bad news is that he starts studying for the bar exam in just a few short weeks.

So you better believe I am taking full advantage of hanging out with my hubby on a Tuesday night while I can.  We’re still eating well (he’s been taking care of the cooking this week!), but I’ve been more focused on an after-dinner walk together than writing posts.  Don’t worry, I’ll be back in full-swing soon enough.

In the meantime, this was an appetizer we both absolutely loved.  It’s light, fresh and bursting with flavor.  The ingredients are incredibly simple and the shrimp dresses it all up and takes spring rolls to a new level.

Using Random.org the winner of the Granola Chips Giveaway is Jessie!

~Have you had any major changes in your life recently?

Happy Happy (belated) Mother’s Day! I hope everyone had a wonderful day and was able to celebrate the mothers in their life.  I am grateful beyond words to have such an incredible mother and mother-in-law!

My mom is truly one of the sweetest people I know.  She has taught me so much about being confident, independent, optimistic and kind to others.

I’m also incredibly proud of my mom.  In the past few years she has completely changed all her eating habits and has been making healthy decisions, even when it hasn’t been easy.  Every time I go home, she has added new healthy foods to her diet and is even introducing me to new ways of preparing them!

So consider this post a hug THANK YOU to my mom for all her support, encouragement, patience and love.  It’s also my way of saying Happy Mother’s Day to all the wonderful women out there who provide support, guidance and nurturing to others.

Though a nice meal out or a beautiful bouquet of flowers are definitely deserved, I tend to show my appreciation by making and sharing food.  So consider this recipe for Greek Yogurt Flatbread as my way of showing gratitude to all the mother’s out there.  It’s a healthy recipe that’s the perfect accompaniment to a wide variety of meals.

It’s make with Greek Yogurt, which provides a thicker, more substantial texture and it doesn’t take too long to prepare. This recipe made about 4 small pieces; I will definitely be doubling it next time as these were gone in mere minutes.

Greek Yogurt Flatbread

~How did you celebrate Mother’s Day?