2012.

We started off the year right with a 50th birthday celebration for my lovely father. A dad is the most important man in a woman's life and he sure is just that.

 

I turned the BIG 2-3 and celebrated with the whole fam.

 

Jon entered his senior year at Augsburg. He will graduate in May! We are looking forward to that. Hockey ending, on the other hand, will be hard.

 

I learned so much from the fabulous ladies at Love and Life Architects as LoveLife Design Concierge. I was blessed with the opportunity to work in such a fascinating industry along with Miss Kailen Rosenberg, who was hailed by the one and only, Oprah Winfrey, as OWN tv's Love Ambassador.

 

The Peace Project was an idea that came to Jon and I in the beginning of the year. It started with a complaining session about how our little hometown was lacking in the healthy food department and evolved into something much more that coincided with the 150th anniversary of the U.S.-Dakota War. In short, we devoted most of the winter preparing, planning and researching the rich, Dakota history that once was. 

 

In March, Jon and I celebrated 5 years (that's HALF a decade, people) of 'official' love on St. Patrick's Day with a small road trip to Mankato, Minnesota. Mostly to do research at the Blue Earth Historical Society and to commemorate the Dakota 38 that were hanged there. Although we are not Irish, we truly are lucky in love.

 

On Earth Day (April), The Peace Project planted one of our first labors of love, our sign that stood in previously conventionally farmed soil right on Highway 24 for all to see. Boy, did the questions start rolling then.

 

June brought Jon, Jason and I away from the U's West Bank and Augsburg to the comforting area of Bryn Mawr. Wooden floors, large park right across the street, on-street parking, squirrels in the ceiling, plenty of windows, small-town feel that we have been looking for (minus the squirrels, of course).

 

July brought tons and tons of, zucchini. I am now a chocolate zucchini cake master.

 

In August, Jon presented our project in front of a whole crowd of students and professors in Berkeley, California.

And plenty of weekends spent canning salsa, stewed tomatoes, spaghetti sauce and enjoying the occasional bloody mary.

 

Too many trips to the Animal Humane Society, since we live 2 miles from one now. Hopefully 2013 will bring what we've wanted for too long.

 

September brought curing onions, basil pesto and plenty of pickles.

 

The Peace Project sold our bounty at both the Litchfield and Minneapolis (West Broadway) Farmer's Markets. What a fun experience to be able to connect with people that are looking for fresh, local produce and are SO thankful to be recipients.

We joined the Wirth Co-op membership committee to help raise awareness and gain members for a neighborhood co-op that should be up and running by Earth Day 2013.

I jumped into the grad school ring, from east coast to west coast, getting some great advice from like-minded individuals. Although the educational path is set, I have some soul-finding to experience before I can think about hitting the books again.

October brought the most ample amount of squash that I have ever seen in my life, and naturally, a bunch of puree-making, seed-saving and pumpkin-carving.

November and December: lots of holiday celebrating, seeing friends, a new job as a Practice Coordinator/Chiropractor's Assistant for a holistic office just west of the metro (so exciting, btw) seeing family, life-changing dreams, bronchitis, and then returning bronchitis, lots of antibiotics, cookie-baking, snow and life-changing conversations.

On December 26, 2012, the year came full-circle, our hearts were with the approximately 67 Dakota horse riders as their 330 mile journey came to an end on the 150th anniversary of the largest mass execution in U.S. history. On that day in 1862, 38 Dakota men were hanged from a single gallows platform in downtown Mankato. An unplanned, 40 mounds lined the medicine wheel garden to grow our three sisters (squash, corn, beans).

Mitakuye Oyasin, We Are All Related.

The best is yet to be in 2013, the year of Little Crow. Wishing you all peace, love and happiness in the new year!

Butternut Squash Lasagna with Bechamel Sauce

No two times that I've made lasagna have been quite the same. The time of year as well as the seasonal produce available typically determines what I throw into the mix. The fall version combines a hint of sweet and a bunch of savory, and is infused with a creamy bechamel sauce.
Perhaps it's time to dig in.

Butternut Squash Lasagna
1 pkg no-boil lasagna noodles
6 cups bechamel sauce
2 cups spinach
16 oz. ricotta cheese
16 oz cottage cheese
1 egg
mozzerella cheese, parmesan cheese
3 cups pureed, butternut squash
1 medium onion, 3 large garlic cloves (sauteed)
1 cup sliced mushrooms

Easy Bechamel Sauce
5 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup flour
4 cups milk or half & half
2 teaspoons salt
nutmeg to taste
Recipe Directions.

1. Pre-heat oven to 400.
2. Mix ricotta, cottage cheese, 2 tsp of salt and pepper, and 1 raw egg together.

• Spread bechamel sauce on the bottom of an oval, baking dish.
• Next, layer the pasta on top of the sauce, try and cover the bottom of the pan.
• Add squash puree.
• Then another layer of pasta.
• Add final layer of ricotta/cottage cheese mixture.
• Place mushrooms, spinach and sauteed onions/garlic on top, evenly.
• Add one last layer of noodles.
• Top with bechamel sauce.

3. Bake uncovered for 30 minutes, add more bechamel on top, if needed. Add a foil cover for the final 30 minutes.

Mousecapades

We may have added a roommate, or two, or maybe more. Within the past few, pre-winter months, we have realized that we have been accompanied by none other than, mice. YES, it's true! First thought (queue the dramatic tone): EEEKK, ewww, yuck, WHY, how, HOW MANY, WHERE?! Second thought: Now what? I don't say this often, but this is a perk to renting as opposed to owning; Just pick up the telephone when you have a problem, let it be known and it will be solved, for free. Our inconveniences in this rental apartment have been few and far between and when they are present, are typically fixed pronto. Mice are a little different. No quick fixes. After catching three in a trap during the first three nightly attempts, they have disappeared. Well, not so much. We still hear them scurrying about in the ceiling above our bed (lovely, I know) and in the walls. Poison was the next option. It's been about a week. Although the pitter patter has been stifled, it's still there every now and again. This might be something I might just have to ignore, or get used to for about six more months. Painful? Not really. Life? Yup. (Queue heebie jeebies).

Basil Pesto

The first year planting my very own garden had me experimenting with a few items outside of my traditional planting realm. Herbs. Prior to this season, well, call me the dill queen. Our garden housed fresh parsley, sage, dill and the new favorite, basil! There is nothing like fresh basil atop whole wheat pasta and homemade spaghetti sauce or paired with cherry tomatoes and a fried egg on toast! The herbs are arranged in the center of our medicine wheel garden and the plants blessed us with hundreds of bees, which are rare in our rural community, as I have been told.

Before the first frost hit, we made sure to store some of our lovely herb in a delicious sort of way, pesto!

Adapted from Ina Garten's Basic Pesto Recipe.

Ingredients
1/4 cup walnuts
1/4 cup pignolis (pine nuts)
3 tablespoons chopped garlic (9 cloves)
5 cups fresh basil leaves, packed
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 1/2 cups good olive oil
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan

Directions
Place the walnuts, pignolis, and garlic in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade. Process for 15 seconds. Add the basil leaves, salt, and pepper. With the processor running, slowly pour the olive oil into the bowl through the feed tube and process until the pesto is thoroughly pureed. Add the Parmesan and puree for a minute. Use right away or store the pesto in the refrigerator or freezer.

Notes: I omitted the Parmesan, with the intention of adding it when thawed. I stored the pesto in freezer bags. Air is the enemy of pesto. For freezing, pack it in containers with a film of oil or plastic wrap directly on top with the air pressed out. To clean basil, remove the leaves, swirl them in a bowl of water, and then spin them very dry in a salad spinner. Store them in a closed plastic bag with a slightly damp paper towel. As long as the leaves are dry they will stay green for several days.

Zucchini Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

A peaking zucchini harvest means yet another dessert recipe! Sadly but thankfully, the zukes are calming down a bit, but don't be fooled, they are still coming out of places where the 'sun don't shine.' Here is a simple recipe that I hope you'll enjoy.

The Cake: Carrot cake box mix. Make the cake according to package instructions. I added nearly 2 cups of finely grated zucchini.

The Frosting:
Adapted from Janni's

2 (8 oz) packages of cream cheese, softened
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
2 cups sifted confectioners' sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

In a medium bowl, mix together the cream cheese and butter until creamy. Blend in the vanilla, then gradually stir in the confectioners' sugar. After the cake has been cooled and frosted, store in refrigerator.

Photo.

Chocolate Zucchini Cake with Buttercream Frosting

A healthier alternative, featuring devil's food cake, ZUCCHINI (see, it's in there!), topped with homemade buttercream frosting and whipping cream. Don't judge me. I have zucchini coming out of every orifice of my refrigerator. So, as you can tell, this dessert is not necessarily meant to be healthy, but moreso to aid in my zucchini escape, because although lovely, one can only indulge in zuccs sauteed in olive oil, onions and garlic for so long. Did I mention chocolate?!













The Cake: Plain old box cake mix (no frills here). Devil's food, dark chocolate, regular chocolate, etc. Make cake according to package instructions. ADD 1-2 cups of finely grated zucchini. The only apparent rule in adding zucchini for moisture is making sure that you're adding half of the amount of your dry ingredients. The cake mix I used was 3 cups. The cake was delicious, super moist and the veggie was an afterthought.

The Frosting: a super simple recipe, courtesy of: Savory Sweet Life

1 cup unsalted butter (2 sticks or 1/2 pound), softened (but not melted!)

1/2 cups confectioners (powdered) sugar

1/2 cup cocoa powder

1/2 teaspoon table salt

2 teaspoons vanilla extract or 1 teaspoon almond extract

4 tablespoons milk or heavy cream

1. Cream butter for a few minutes in a mixer with the paddle attachment on medium speed. Turn off the mixer. Sift 3 cups powdered sugar and cocoa into the mixing bowl. Turn your mixer on the lowest speed (so the dry ingredients do not blow everywhere) until the sugar and cocoa are absorbed by the butter. Increase mixer speed to medium and add vanilla extract, salt, and milk/cream and beat for 3 minutes. If your frosting needs a more stiff consistency, add a little more sugar. If your frosting needs to be thinned out, add additional milk 1 tablespoon at a time.

Additional Toppings: As I'm not a huge frosting person, I found the buttercream to be a little too sweet. I whipped up some heavy cream and mixed in a bit of powdered sugar to lighten it up a bit. Also, ice cream!

No excuses now, EAT THOSE VEGGIES!

What Makes a Home?

Jon and I have been living in our quaint, Bryn Mawr treehaus for a little over a month now and we are pretty in love with everything about it (simply put). For starters, our 'new' apartment boasts a deck, hardwood floors and built-ins, lots of windows for natural light, exposed radiators and plenty of charm. Realtor Kelsey speaking, but you get the jist. There is an enormous park across the street with access to trails, bike paths, outdoor hockey rink (YEAH!), etc., that is always buzzing with softball-ers, basketball-ers , bikers and the like.

A few blocks down one will find rustic, but modern, shops that house organic, local produce, fresh coffee and vintage antiques. Oh, and don't forget the free library or the free movies in the basement of Cuppa Java on Tuesday nights! During our walk, we were greeted by the market owner, who informed us he'd been managing the place for decades now. It's truly a home away from home for us. There are neighborhood meetings, a neighborhood publication, Bryn Mawr Bugle, and plenty of ways to get involved to maintain that small town feel in the big city.
Did I mention the park?! Hello, nature.

Hello, home sweet home (for at least a little while).

Diggin' It.

The recipe for a lovely, yet productive weekend consists of a dash of sunshine, a bit of mom time and a sprinkle, okay (I lied) a TON of gardening. Resulting in a sunburn, good times (and full bellies) and over 300 feet of planted goodness! I was so excited to finally get my hands dirty and that I did. In terms of The Peace Project, this was our very first weekend of sun and warmth, so of course we took full advantage.

Till, rake, dig, hoe, furrow, bend, plant, cover, repeat. I was sad to leave Jon back at the site to keep working on this fabulous Monday, but a bit relieved to get a little 'break' back at the office. Whew! Don't let anyone ever tell you gardening is easy, especially on a larger scale, with two workers and a tiller made in the early 90s.

Potatoes, bush beans, herbs (basil, parsley, cilantro, sage, dill) radishes, onions (red and white), spinach, leaf lettuce, sugar snap peas, cucumbers, beets, squash (zucchini, pumpkins, butternut, acorn), sweet corn, ornamental corn and pole beans (calypso and cherokee trail of tears varieties). Tomatoes (courtesy of Litchfield OVOC, One Vegetable, One Community) and peppers to come.

Note: this blog post was meant for last week, sorry guys. An update alas, Jon and I will be doing even more planting as our demonstration garden is evolving into more of a highway market than a community garden, which is super exciting. The ball is in our court again. A lot of public interest, just not enough commitment and the with mother nature's schedule, someone has to do some planting. Chameleon abilities. Peace.

A Review: Aladdin Senja Desktop Mug

Usually I'm not one to dissect something as trivial as a desktop mug, but I figured that this product is just that fabulous and no, I'm not getting paid to do this! In all seriousness, or as serious as one can be regarding this matter, I have honestly been on the lookout for a coffee mug for quite a while now. Since a trip to Caribou became part of my daily routine (sometimes double-daily) I have been searching for something that just simply, made sense; For one, I am sincerely trying to reduce my footprint and this is such a simple way in which I can do that: I figure that using the mug will cease personal consumption of around 300 paper cups and paper sleeves, or more, per year.
Also, Caribou discounts 50 cents for each time one utilizes his or her own mug, which totals about $200 a year in savings. Reduce, reuse, RECYCLE. The mug is double-wall constructed, stainless steel (meaning rust-proof, odorless, tasteless) has a nonslip bottom, sturdy (welded) handle with a nice grip, BPA free, seal-tight cover that caters to both lefties and righties and did I mention the lagoon-esque color?! LOVE. My coffee, tea, hot cocoa, stays HOT for at least an hour and perfectly warm for around two. But, for how many of us does it actually take more than an hour to finish that 16 oz. coffee at 8:00AM? ....that's what I thought. Target. $15. Enough said.
For more information about Aladdin's products, visit http://www.aladdin-pmi.com/

Minne-HAHA Falls.

Lost in the serenity of winter wonderland.
If only for the afternoon.