Home Grown!

Over the last month, our garden has exploded! We've enjoyed our herbs, our romaine lettuce, and lots of cucumbers!

The last few days we have started getting red tomatoes (YUM!), green peppers, cayenne peppers, and some watermelon buds!

Here are some pictures from a few weeks ago...

Lettuce!

Peppers!

Tomatoes in process!

As you can see, our tomato plants are almost as tall as Brad!

At the front right of the garden, is our watermelon vine! It is completely taking over...we trimmed it back A LOT yesterday and with so many small buds, we think we'll be in store for lots of yummy watermelons! Here is a picture of our first one!

Yesterday, I made some yummy tomato and cucumber salad and last night we had delicious BLT's with our juicy tomatoes! We are loving our FREE and delicious produce!

Organic Produce Cheat Sheet

In trying to buy more organic stuff but not being able to afford to go all organic, I'm always wondering what should be the priority when I'm at the store. I just found this awesome cheat sheet for produce and thought I'd pass it on! Click here if you want to print it and have a wallet-size copy to take to the store!

Thanks Mambo Sprouts!

Tis the Season of the Orange Brownies

These orange brownies are craved around here in the Spring/Summer season! Courtesy of Paula Deen, I have been making these the last few years and I can't wait to have them tonight! It is a fairly easy recipe but you do need one of these to make it easier...

A microplane zester!

Enjoy the recipe!

(you can click on the recipe card to make it bigger...)

Saying Goodbye

Well, we said goodbye to the Clarks... It was honestly a sad day. But, it was a fun week of celebrating them with friends, the Young Life family around here, and having a sleepover with them two nights over here once they're furniture was packed up. It wouldn't be so hard if our friendship wasn't so good...this is such a bittersweet time! But, we know and trust that the miles will not deplete our friendship and I'll look forward to all the times Sharon has to return to North Carolina this year to shoot weddings :) Here are a few pictures from the fun going away party that we had!

The lovely couple...we love these two!

A lot of the girls... We are beyond blessed around here...

WE LOVE YOU CLARKS!

On a more positive note, I made a yummy dessert for the going away party that I had to share! It is super easy and it looks like you put a lot more time into it than you did kind of recipe. Let's just say they didn't stay on the plate long!

30 Minute Chocolate Crossiants

1 (14 oz) package frozen all-butter puff pastry, left to defrost in the fridge for 2 or 3 hours

1/4 cup dark chocolate pieces, 60% or 70% cocoa solids

1 egg, beaten

a sprinkle of fine sea salt

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Gently unpackage the slightly thawed puff pastry and place on a lightly floured surface. With a light floured rolling pin, gently roll out the puff pastry, extending the dough about 1 inch on all sides. The dough will thaw as you work it. That’s great. Just make sure it isn’t sticking to your work surface too much.

With the pastry sheet horizontal, make three vertical cuts, making four strips of pastry dough. Cut each strip in half horizontally. You’ll have eight medium sized rectangles. Cut each rectangle in half diagonally, creating 16 triangles.

Place each triangle so the wider part is toward you and the point is away from you.

Place small pieces of chocolate about 1/2-inch above the wide part of the triangle.

Carefully roll the chocolate loaded end toward the point, pinching the dough together at the beginning of the roll to ensure that the chocolate doesn’t ooze out during baking. Once rolled, curl the ends toward the center slightly.

Place the 16 small chocolate croissants on a lined but not greased baking sheet. Brush with beaten egg and sprinkle each top with just a bit of sea salt if you like a little salt with your chocolate.

Place in 425 degree F oven and immediately turn the oven down to 400 degrees F. Bake for 12-15 minutes until golden, puffed and otherwise irresistible.

And, then, just to make it a little more unhealthy, I drizzled the Pioneer Women's powdered sugar glaze on top...

Glaze:

1-½ cup Powdered Sugar, ¼ teaspoons Salt, ¼ teaspoons Vanilla, ¼ cups Milk