Garden Galette

Okay, this is not a picture of the creation I made tonight. I actually borrowed the image from here. I thought mine looked similar enough. I tried to capture a blog-worthy picture of my garden galette, but it wasn't being very photogenic. Really, I think we were too busy eating it. :) So all the pictures in this post are ones that I looked at for inspiration. Let the fun begin! Earlier today I stumbled across this recipe for a Zucchini and Ricotta Cheese Galette.

I knew right away that this lovely thing called a galette was going to make a grand appearance at our dinner table tonight. So I got to work in the kitchen. Like usual, when trying a new recipe on the spur of the moment, I did not have all the ingredients to follow Emma's recipe exactly. But nothing a few tweaks {& prayer} can't fix! The results were very tasty!!

Shayna.Made Garden Galette
For the crust --
1 1/4 cups flour, chilled in the freezer for 30 minutes
1/2 cup cold butter
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup coconut oil
1/4 cup ice cold water

Remove flour from freezer and add the butter (I use a cheese grater to grate the cold butter). Gently blend together with hands until crumbly. Add remaining ingredients and massage until a soft ball of dough forms. Let rest in the freezer for 20 minutes. In the meantime prepare your filling and toppings.

For the filling --
1 1/2 cups Italian blend cheese (mozzarella, parmesan, etc)
2 eggs
Fresh garden herbs (basil & oregano)
Garlic powder
Salt and pepper

In a bowl, combine all of the above until well blended. Set aside.

Slice any toppings ~ tomatoes, banana peppers, mushrooms, and any other veggies your heart desires. Sprinkle the bottom of a pizza stone with corn meal. Remove dough from freezer and transfer it to the prepared pizza stone. Gently press the dough out with your fingers to the desired circumference. You want it to be fairly thin, approximately 12 inches in diameter.

Preheat the oven to 400* and now it's time to decorate! Spread the cheese mixture in the center of the crust, leaving about 1 inch along the perimeter for folding over. Layer your veggies on top. Drizzle with a little olive oil and fold over the edges. Bake for 30-35 minutes and peek at it several times with great anticipation! Remove from oven, slice like pizza, and enjoy with a pretty salad! :)  

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Through the lens ... a look at Bele Chere

This past weekend we joined several Christians in Asheville to proclaim the gospel at the Bele Chere Festival. The event attracts a few hundred thousand people each year, which means large crowds everywhere. Bele Chere means Beautiful Living. You are surrounded by creativity of all forms, lots of good food, neat architecture, flying dogs, all different types of people with very different backgrounds. But as you walk around the festival you begin to realize that not all of it is beautiful. There are many people who don't love Jesus. Many who hate, despise, and oppose Jesus. They publically rebel against the God of the Bible -- the God that created them and has extended to them much common grace. I think of the sermon we heard this past week on Mark chapter 5:1-20 ~ I am to remember the vast mercy of Jesus in my life ~ the great salvation He has worked in my life. And as a Christian, I am called to "Go out and tell people how much the Lord has done for me." How can I not speak of what the Lord has done for me? I know that Jesus has the power to forgive sins and change lives, just like He did for the demon-possessed man in Mark chapter 5. God is mighty to save!

Pictures are contributed by me, some of the fellow soldiers, and some complete strangers via Flickr.com. Source. Source. Source. Source.

Fresh Oregano & Shayna.Made Tomato Sauce

A dear friend had two large oregano plants and was so kind to share one with me. I'm very grateful for it and it has made itself right at home on my front porch. :) It also made a grand entrance via my garden tomato sauce. Yummy!!

The recipe ~ Lots of little garden tomatoes sliced in half, diced onion, chopped garlic, from the garden herbs (basil, savory, oregano), salt, and pepper all drizzled with olive oil and simmered for 25 minutes. Taste great on top of from the garden spaghetti squash!

Our Weekend

My weekend started bright and early on Friday when I accompanied dad to his doctors appointment. About an hour and a half drive. We listened to headline news, talked a lot, got some hot drinks at Starbucks, played Othello and Chess while in the waiting room ... This was his two week check-up for his ACL surgery and the doctor said everything looked great. Praise the Lord! Then we had a great lunch at Carrabbas and found some little bargains at Barnes & Noble. I was very excited to find a copy of Jane Brocket's "The Gentle Art of Domesticity" with a red discount sticker on the cover ~ regular price $35 sale price $9.98. I joyfully scooped it up!! I first heard about this book on Shanda's sweet blog and knew it was something that I would very much enjoy! This book and my w.i.p. crocheted striped blanket accompanied our travels the whole weekend.

 The rest of the weekend was spent with my very bestest friend, Tony! ;) We made a few trips to the beach where we took a walk, surfed, learned a lot about the coast from new friends, saw the "washing machine" for the very first time, and played in the water some more. Saturday evening we joined the army of helpers to move some dear friends into their new home ~ we all had a really sweet time of fellowship afterwards. 

Matthew joined us at the beach Sunday evening. We surfed until the dark clouds and lightening were to close for comfort. We ate dinner and enjoyed spending time in the cozy Daily Grind cafe. Matthew sipped on hot tea. Tony and I had freshly roasted/brewed Hawaiian hazelnut coffee. We also shared a vanilla milkshake in honor of National Ice Cream Day (Ben was sure to let us know of this holiday after church that morning).

Simple Peach Freezer Jam

Oh how I love turning produce into something that can be enjoyed for months to come. I made just a tiny mess in the kitchen tonight making peach freezer jam. You can too! Gently wash, peel, and slice the peaches. You will want 3 1/2 cups of crushed fruit . . . I use the blender because it makes the process even easier. Toss your peach slices into the blender and pulse until all large slices are gone. It doesn't have to be perfectly smooth, it's okay to have little chunks of peaches throughout. :) In a mixing bowl combine one pack of "no cook freezer jam pectin" and 1 1/2 cups sugar. Pour peach puree into bowl and stir for about 3 minutes. You just want to make sure that the pectin is well incorporated. Disperse the jam evenly in five 8oz jars with lids. Let sit on the counter for 30 minutes to set. Stick one jar in the fridge and the rest in the freezer. Wa-la! And don't forget to wash up the dishes ~ cutting board, paring knife, blender, bowl, and ladle. Easy clean-up!

Mid-Summer Garden

Dear little garden, I'm already making big plans for you next year. Mostly for the soil, but also in your attire (layout, spacing, companion gardening). I dream of lots of pretty perennial flowers and thriving veggies. Some current observations ~ I planted some things too close together which is stunting their growth (namely the pepper plants). The ants destroyed all the pretty eggplant blooms, leaving me with bare stalks. The ants are now gone, and I'm hoping new blooms will come. The flower seeds I planted either didn't come up at all, or have only grown a few inches tall. Producing no blooms whatsoever. Maybe some of them would be better planted early on or started off in individual cups, then transplanted into the garden. I know the soil is lacking in nutritious matter, which is why this coming fall-winter I plan to cover you with rye grass and feed you lots of compost. Maybe even purchase a bucket of earthworms. :)

But in the mean time I am very much enjoying all the yummy tomatoes, basil, and zucchini. Oh, and visits from Charlotte the Spider. I'm also very, very grateful that Tony's mom is so kind to share her abundance of produce with us. Jalapenos, spaghetti and butternut squash, banana peppers, and even more tomatoes. Earlier this week my counter was completely covered in fresh from the garden produce. Yummy tomato juice, pesto, and jalapeno relish was created.

Summer Vacation: The Weekend & Holiday

Saturday afternoon we enjoyed learning about BIC Surfboards, shopping for pretty dresses, and eating at a very quaint mexican restaurant for lunch. That evening we enjoyed watching some fireworks and using our giftcard to Yammy's Restaurant {a great anniversary present from my parents}. It was a sweet little date night!!

Sunday we went to church, had a relaxing afternoon and spent the evening with family ~ celebrating a birthday and Independence Day. I have no pictures to show for it as I left my camera at my parents house. The neices and nephews very much enjoyed sparklers and at-home fireworks. :)

That evening we were able to spend more time with family ~ ending the night with a round of Apples to Apples. Our vacation came to an end as we crawled into our wonderful bed graced with 400 thread count sheets. They're amazing and worth blogging about! One day we would like to own 1200 thread count sheets, which we are thinking will make these 400 thread count feel pretty rough {we were laughing about this just last night}. But until then, these will be enjoyed to the upmost!! Ha!

Summer Vacation: Stars & Sun

Friday we turned a bunch of little tomatoes into fresh juice. Mmmmm!

After a matinee at our local theatre, we packed up the car and made our way to Wilmington. The beach greeted us with cloudy skies and chilly wind as it said goodnight to the sun. ;) We enjoyed a picnic dinner, lying under the stars, a long walk along the beach ... sweet memories with my dear husband! 

We woke up super early Saturday and enjoyed breakfast together. Then we wrapped up in our beach towels for warmth, sat on the shore and watched the sun RiSe while sipping coffee.

Early morning kisses...