On the lighter side

Thinking of Jeffra, one of the only people who probably read this blog. We made this soup a couple weekends back. It's got a nice creamy texture to it and very hearty. A little healthier than the last 2 recipes posted =)

Black Bean Soup

Some stuff I made this week and other random things

Here are a few yummy things I made this week:

Potato Cheese Soup- I found this at Serious Eats, a blog I really like. It was a good, easy soup.

Italian Fries- I got this book from the library that my mother in law recommended called Mad Hungry. These fries are really good but very filling!

Today I found a code for Taste of Home magazine for 2.99 for a year subscription. For some reason when I did it, I came out to 3.99 but that is still a pretty good deal! It's fun to get something in the mail and I hope it inspires me to cook more yummy meals.

In other random news, today I went to a ton of garage sales and I got some fun random stuff! Three table cloths, one which was hand crocheted, a tea cup, a cute vintage tray and a fan and marshmallow skewers (for camping this summer and smores =)). Gotta love garage sale finds!

Also, I have been wasting lots of time on a site called pinterest. You can add your friends and put together "boards" of stuff you like. Again, big time waster but it is fun to see what your friends and other people put up on there. I hope everyone is having a great weekend.

Adventures in Cooking

This week my in laws came to visit. I hate the stereotype that mother-in-laws get. Mine is awesome. They raised up my husband to know and love the Lord. He would not be the man I love if it weren't for them. Well, every time I visit them, I am treated like royalty. His mom is the greatest cook! I hoped that I could return the favor.

My mother-in law taught me how to make pie crust. It was a lot of fun to do together and was not as scary as I thought it would be. We explored Whole Foods one day and bought some Meyer Lemons. They are supposed to be the best lemons ever. And what should you do with awesome lemons? Not make lemonade.... but lemon bars! Also a 1st for me.

With a leftover lemon I made lemon poppy seed muffins from a book we got at the library called Vegan Brunch by Isa Chandra Moskowitz. To top off the muffins, we dipped them in melted butter and sugar to top it off. Yum! I also made coffee chip muffins from the same book. Now, I am not vegan or planning on going vegan, but its a neat cook book.

Friday mornings breakfast was cornmeal pancakes. I saw this recipe and had to try it. They were really good pancakes! I can't lie, my husband took over with the making of these. They went great with fresh squeezed orange juice and trader joe's chicken apple sausage!

My tummy has been very happy indeed. I hope to continue trying new things and sharing with the people I love!

Food Trucks

So I guess food trucks are pretty popular in LA now days. I have read about them at Serious Eats, a blog about food, which I love. They make awesome, gourmet food, not day old burritos and hot dogs.

Well, my husband and I were going to LA this past weekend for a friends birthday party. Yes, we party like rockstars, LA and back in one weekend. We left Saturday morning, which is a great time to drive in LA. Not as much traffic. WE got down there a little after 1pm, lunch time. Instead of stopping at Jack in the Box, we held out to save our appetites. We looked online to where some of these famous food trucks would be and found a group in North Hollywood. There were around 8-10 different trucks, all different cuisines. Burgers, Hawaiian shave ice, Vietnamese, tacos, peruvian, etc. It felt like a farmers market. All kind of people hanging out, eating and enjoying the 80 degree weather.

We decided to try this place called frysmith. I was adventurous and ordered the kimchi fries. They were awesome! The actual fries were yummy, not too salty, crunchy on the outside. Mine was topped with kimchi, onions, kurobuta pork belly, cheddar cheese and scallions. Then I topped it with sriracha sauce. It was different but awesome. So yummy! I wish I could have tried one on everything on the menu. I love food and trying new and exciting things. I only wish they had some of these awesome food trucks in Nor Cal!

A New Year

This past year has been an interesting one. One full of joys and disappointments. However, I would have never made it through without the strength of the Lord. I actually feel older this year. On the positive side, I feel closer to my husband. He's been my strength when I am at my weakest. Here are some of my highlights of 2010.

Day trip with my husband to places like San Francisco and the Disney Family Museum. Watching movies together like Toy Story 3. We celebrated our 4 year anniversary going to Palm Springs for the Resolved Conference. We were able to enjoy awesome preaching from people such as CJ Mahaney, Rick Holland and Al Mohler.

Camping with our church and family at Yosemite. Such a beautiful place. Put together a play for VBS. Jonathan was a detective/bad guy in disguise. A new, precious nephew born in August. Meeting him for the first time at Christmas time in Iowa. Spending time with our family. Walking in the snow! Seeing my sister in laws home in Denver. Praying in the new year with great friends.

I am excited to see what comes in the new year! Yeah for a fresh, new start!