Feels a little crazy, but also really good. I’m ready for a new decade, and all of the adventures and life lessons that I’m sure are to come!
I have decided to take a few days off from blogging to spend time with some friends and family who are in town for the weekend. (I’m having a big Cinco de Mayo fiesta to celebrate!) But in the meantime, I thought I’d offer a link to a post I shared yesterday on my Gimme Some Life page if you’re interested in checking it out — 30 Things I Have Learned At 30. I like to make lists, so it’s a big one. :-)
Happy Almost Cinco de Mayo, and I hope you have a fabulous time celebrating with lots of delicious Mexican food!
Ok, I have officially updated my list of food that is hard to photograph: quesadillas, popsicles, soups with clear broths, and taquitos!!!
Gah. For some reason, I could not seem to take a remotely satisfying photo of these yesterday. The lighting was all wonky, the shrimp looked weird, and I could not seem to find the right angle to save my life. So finally after way too many failed photo attempts, I did what any good food blogger should do…and just ate them. :)
And then life suddenly seemed so much better.
These Shrimp, Avocado and Roasted Corn Taquitos are actually a spin-off of one of my favorite salads. And once again, the ingredient combination proved a big winner. And when pan-roasting the corn on the stove, they ended up falling into the “quick and simple” category and were ready to go in less than 30 minutes. Definitely a fantastic appetizer to serve for Cinco de Mayo or game day, or even just to serve for a quick and delicious dinner.
And trust me…they look and taste much better in person. Enjoy!
Toto, I think we’re back in Kansas City now. But if I eat this Avocado Strawberry Spinach Salad, I just might be able to pretend like I’m still in California at the Big Traveling Potluck!
That’s right. This past weekend, I traveled to beautiful So-Cal to spend the weekend with about 75 other food bloggers for a non-conference-y conference. There were no sessions on SEO. No 5-point plans to grow your business. No huge crowds to press through. Instead, it was a wonderfully low-key weekend overflowing with encouragement, avocados, great conversations, breathtaking California sunsets, make-your-own-spritzer bars, avocados, late-night chats, a surprise raffle win from Whole Foods (crazy exciting!), warm sunshine, great wine, guacamole contests, margaritas, and some truly amazing people. Oh, and did I mention avocados? It’s true. From celebrating the release of Gabi’s new Absolutely Avocados cookbook, to taking a tour of a stunningly beautiful avocado ranch from a self-proclaimed “gentleman farmer”, to a make-your-own-guacamole contest, to a gourmet 4-course avocado dinner, to an avocado toast breakfast bar, I had no idea that this conference (sponsored by the amazing California Avocado Commission) was going to treat us to a taste of avocado heaven. Such a treat!!
Imperial Sugar is hosting a big “Pin It To Win” contest right now, and there are going to be 10 lucky winners!!! All you have to do is visit their website and check out their collection of 750+ recipes (including these pretzels I contributed!), pin 3 of your favorite recipes, and then you will be entered for a chance to win one of ten $100 Visa giftcards.
Some days, I feel like that’s all I ever do! One part of me always wants to justify that, believing that there are way too few hours in the day to fit in the many things to do and people to see. But then the other part of me of course knows that breaks are always good and much-needed, especially for overachieving little 3′s like me. (Any Enneagram fans out there?) I’ve been trying to do a little better with slowing down lately, and living up the spontaneity of life and just having fun!!
Ok, I went back and forth on whether this blue cheese roasted asparagus actually counted as a “recipe”. But it was so fantastic that I couldn’t resist snapping a few pics to share with you.
It is the result of more clean-out-the-fridge kitchen experimenting I have been doing lately in hopes of making better use of leftovers in the kitchen. I had half a bunch of asparagus leftover, and I always love having some sort of blue, gorgonzola or goat cheese on hand (any of those would work with this). So I did what I always love to do — roasted the asparagus. And then about halfway through its time in the oven, I tossed some blue cheese crumbles on top.
I have to admit that I’ve never been a fried chicken girl, which I credit to my mom.
Growing up, we never owned a fryer. We never went to KFC. And even when my extended family went to the most famous fried chicken restaurant in Wichita, little 10-year-old me always ordered a big juicy steak, thankyouverymuch. (Midwestern through and through.)
