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I know, I know I said we would bake a lemon tart... but unfortunately, 

this little dude got attacked by a ferocious flu virus. It. was. nasty. Shhhh don't tell him that it was his birthday today. We decided it was for the best that we just play it off like wasn't. As soon as he's back to 100% we'll celebrate- when he can actually hold his head upright. Poor guy.

And so, with the exception of one little ice cream outing, and one short little hike...

the rest of the weekend was spent indoors catching up around the house, and looking after Ian.

You asked a couple questions about coffee and school in the comments last week. I intend to get to those, and that lemon tart. ​

For now, my alarm is set for 2:30am. Ungodly. But I'm all set for a baking adventure tomorrow. Be back soon. 

lately... in the kitchen

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As you know, cooking/baking is a creative outlet for me. It works out great because I also accomplish the task of feeding everyone at the same time. Here's a look at some of the yummy stuff coming out of my kitchen lately: 

 

Spaghetti carbonara. I love this recipe because it is so quick and easy. I usually fall back on it when I've forgotten to take some meat out of the freezer for dinner.

Open-faced veggie/egg sandwich. I just spread some tahini or humus on the bread first, then layered greens from my garden, radishes, cucumbers, and medium-boiled eggs. Yum.

Whole wheat tortilla layered with refried black beans, greens, shredded chicken (seasoned with taco seasoning), halved cherry tomatoes, corn, avocado, diced jalapeno, lime juice, and sour cream. 

White chocolate macadamia nut cookies. Follow Morgan's recipe for whole wheat chocolate chip cookies (my favorite!) and then just substitue the white chocolate chips and add in the nuts. These disappeared fast.

French onion. Okay, this one is quite a process... but very tasty. 

Tis the season to move the cooking outside. I love grilled pizzas. This is the recipe for my favorite crust (scroll down). We mostly freestyle our toppings, but I do love tomatoes and goat cheese topped with salad greens and avocados drizzled with oil and vinegar (bottom right).

Lavender shortbread. I love lavender. I love shortbread. Match made in heaven! Recipe here. 

When it's not too windy we're back to eating outside. Lemon relish salmon tastes so good on the deck. 

Sometimes the breakfast fairy visits and she leaves behind some goodies. Chocolate zucchini cake (above) or a puffy oven pancake (below) .

Hope you find time today to whip up something pretty. Come back tomorrow and let's make a lemon tart! 

what I CAN give

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Icicle Ridge Trail and Barn Beach: 

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The kids and I played outside all weekend-- hiking, trips to the river, picnics, and more. We enjoyed beautiful weather and we are rolling into this new week with sunburns, windburns, scraped knees, and tired legs. Sometimes I need to remind myself that although I can't give my children everything I'd like them to have... fresh air, wide open spaces, and plenty of free time, actually go a long way in fostering wonderful childhood memories. I can do that.