Spring changes {photography}

Spring has finally shown itself!  Hello, happy colors and delicate blossoms!

What’s your favorite spring-thing?

As a side note, over the next few months I will be focusing on my return to work and making sure my pup can spend what time he has left, peacefully.  I am grateful for much, but also slightly overwhelmed at the moment.  So, for the time being , this blog will be limited to photography – which is where I find my ‘happy and simple’.  I hope you’ll stick around to enjoy the view!

Where do you find your ‘happy and simple’?

It’s National Apple Pie Day! {Recipe}

First, a belated Happy Mother’s Day to all mothers… and that includes those of you who are moms to furry friends!  Now on to apple pie….

I made apple pie yesterday for Mother’s Day and today it’s National Apple Pie Day – perfect timing!  I already have a rather detailed apple pie recipe here on the blog (click HERE to see it..) but I’m simplifying it for those who want ‘from-scratch’ with a bit more ease… the same recipe, but modified for those who struggle with rolling a crust and getting it into a pie plate.

Easy Apple Pie Recipe:

First, prepare an apple filling (or in a time crunch, purchase a jar of filling).  If you are preparing from scratch, this should be done before making your crust, so the apples can bake while you work on the crust.  Since your apples won’t be placed in your crust until you’re ready to serve, bake (or heat up) your filling in an oven-proof bowl… make sure to cover with foil or an oven-proof lid so they don’t dry out while baking.

Apple Filling:

3 Large Granny Smith apples
3 Large Cortland or Cameo apples (or other slightly sweet apple of your choice)

3/4 C white sugar
1 (heaping) tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1/8 tsp ground cloves
1 tsp vanilla extract
4 Tbsp flour

• Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
• In a large ovenproof bowl/dish, whisk together sugar, spices, and flour.
• Peel apples and cut into whatever size pieces you prefer.
• Add apples to bowl, and stir until pieces are mixed well with your dry ingredients.
• Cover bowl with foil and bake 45 minutes at 425 degrees F.  This should get your apples VERY soft (which is how I prefer them)… you can adjust your baking time to reflect how well done you like your apples.  You can check to see how tender they are by poking a fork in them.

Pie Crust:
3 C flour (all-purpose – or whole wheat pastry flour works great also!)
1 1/3 C shortening, cut into ~1 inch pieces
1 tsp salt
1 egg
1 tsp vinegar
4 Tbsp. ice-cold water

• Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
• In large bowl, cut shortening in to flour/salt with a pastry blender, fork or wooden spoon.  Blend until crumbly. If using utensils is frustrating for you, just grease and flour your hands, and blend it together with your hands.  Don’t overmix – just until you have something that roughly resembles a dough… the shortening doesn’t need to be 100% blended in at this point, but it should be in small pieces.
• Add egg, vinegar, cold water and stir dough until the egg is well-incorporated and the liquid starts to ‘settle’ in (what I mean by this is: most likely the dough will seem way too wet and you wonder what went wrong – keep stirring/mashing and it will begin to firm up… stop right once it begins to firm up and any excess liquid is mixed in; again, you don’t want to over-mix).

• Generously flour a surface to place your dough (I highly recommend parchment, but a clean table/counter is fine if you use ample flour).
• Place your dough (rolling only half the dough at a time may be easier) onto floured surface and flatten it somewhat, then sprinkle the top lightly with a little more flour.  Lightly flour the top of your dough as well.  Now roll your dough to about 1/4 inch thick.  If you have trouble with your rolling pin sticking, you can place a sheet of parchment or wax paper on top of your dough and roll on top of the paper.  If you don’t have a rolling pin, grab a round bottle of something handy (wine, olive oil, or even a tall glass will substitute).

• You now have two simple options for baking a pie crust without fussing with a pie plate:

1. Place rolled dough onto a cookie sheet (if you used parchment paper, you can leave it on the parchment and just set it on top of a cookie sheet) and bake as is.  You’ll want to bake about 15min. at 425 degrees F… until the dough is golden.  Let your crust cool, and then cut or break into pieces.  Place a chunk into a bowl and spoon pre-baked filling on top and enjoy!
2. Make pie ‘cups’ using a muffin tin.  Cut your rolled dough into approximately 5 inch squares (more or less depending on the size of your muffin tin).  Drape a dough square into each tin and shape it – you’ll likely need to tear off some of the dough at the top, so there’ aren’t any excessively thick edges (if you’re motivated, you could cut dough circles to avoid this issue).  Poke bottoms of tins with a fork a couple times prior to baking so that they don’t puff up too much in the middle.  Bake until crusts are golden.  Fill centers with pre-baked apple filling and enjoy!

Tip –preparing in advance:  Mix up your crust dough in advance and freeze the uncooked dough ball.  When ready to use, thaw overnight in fridge and set out for about an hour at room temp before rolling.  Your cooked apple filling can also be frozen and reheated when ready to use.

Happy Apple Pie Day!

Merry….May? {Snowstorm Photography}

Southern Minnesota has officially smashed May snowfall records.  The highest ever recorded total for May here is 2 inches — until today.  We’re at 10 inches and still falling, with another 3-6 inches expected by late tonight.  Roads were shut down this morning, with even plows sliding into the ditch.  Thousands are without power, and trees are not faring well with the weight of this snow.  Needless to say, doggy and I are staying put for the day.  Though I will admit to letting a few expletives escape upon peeking out the window this morning, I am choosing to enjoy the beauty of it and am grateful that we’re not battling tornadoes, which is more typical for this time of year.  Merry May!

(lilac bush weighted to the ground)

(chainlink turned privacy fence)

A New Kind of Pancake… with chocolate {Recipe}

These are not your typical pancakes, but oh are they tasty just off the skillet.  They have a healthy dose whole grains (via oats and your choice of flour), a generous helping of banana, some nut or sunflower butter and CHOCOLATE!  Sounds strange for a pancake, right?  I kind of thought so, but I’ll try anything with chocolate chips.  I’m not even a fan of banana, and I like these.  For those who would rather skip the sweetness of chocolate, these would be great sprinkled with nuts or granola and a perhaps a bit of maple syrup.  Best eaten while still warm, but easily frozen and reheated in the oven.  Also readily made gluten-free, nut-free, lactose-free, etc.

I can’t take any credit for this recipe, so click here to see the original recipe.

My modifications/suggestions:

I’m not sure you can go wrong with these, but I did change a few things with good results.

• I didn’t have flax on hand,so I omitted it; however, I added the extra water.
• I used sunflower butter rather than almond butter, and used a heaping Tbsp.
• I successfully used both whole wheat pastry flour and King Arthur gluten-free flour.
• I increased the vanilla extract by 1/4 tsp, and added a few more chocolate chips.
• I found they cook best on med-low heat (on my stove anyway).
• It’s easiest to make the batter in a blender or food processor – and a double batch easily fits in a blender.

Bake, cool, wrap individually in foil (or just separate with parchment or wax paper), freeze, and reheat in the oven at 350F until hot.

Coming soon – a healthy soft chocolate chip cookie recipe I created, a photo of my completed painting, and more… Happy Monday!

Let’s Celebrate!

Today’s posting is going to focus on one of my pet peeves – plastic.  Though it’s a pet peeve, I must first admit that plastic is responsible for some wonderful advancements in the world.  The medical world is a great example – just think about how many people have had their lives changed by plastic-based prosthetics and joint replacements (click HERE for more ways plastics have been of benefit in the medicine).  On the other hand, everyday disposable consumer plastic products have gotten more than a little out of hand.

Plastic bags have been on my mind for years.  They’re everywhere.  You go to your typical big box store to purchase one item, and before you can say no, the clerk has bagged it.  I’ve can’t tell you how many times I’ve stopped a clerk from bagging my handful of items right as they’re setting the first or second item in the bag, only to have them pull my item out and then wad the bag up and place it in the garbage!  It takes everything in me to keep from screaming when this happens.  I could ramble all day about plastic bags, but will spare you.  Instead,  I’ll mention two common sense tips for reducing your own plastic “consumption”, as well my own personal product recommendations.  Feel free to add a comment if you’d like to add a tip to the list!

• Keep one or a few reusable bags in your car.  Let’s be honest, we all forget to bring them along half the time, so it’s better to just keep a few in the car.

{Bags you already own are, of course, the best option.  Second best, would be a bag made locally with recycled materials – even better, make your own!  I stumbled across this blog posting via pinterest a few weeks ago:  10 DIY Tote Bags.  Finally, I will admit to owning a few ChicoBags.  They are lightweight, easy to store, durable and colorful.  Although made in China, the company is a member of the Fair Labor Association, as well as having several other positive attributions.}

• Take a reusable bottle along!  It’s not hard to fill a bottle with water,  juice or even coffee in the morning and take it to work or school with you.  It’s also a great item to pack when traveling.  

{My favorite bottle is the insulated Klean Kanteen. Admittedly a bit on the expensive side, I’ve found it worth the splurge.  It’s stainless steel, so no risk of leaching from plastic or epoxy coating.  It keeps drinks hot or cold and doesn’t have the huge condensation issue that non-insulated bottles often have.  Its wide mouth makes it simple to clean.  The standard Kanteens are also great, though a neoprene sleeve is highly recommended.}

We all lead a different lifestyle, yet we each have the ability to alter that lifestyle enough to make a difference.  It’s about doing something, not everything.  It’s not about what your friend is doing, what your neighbor is doing, or even your significant other.  Individually, we make a point to be aware, and we do what we can, when we can — and that is what creates positive change.

What’s your favorite way to help our planet?

Painting Update

I’ve been a bit absent on here over the last several weeks.  I like to keep things on here ‘happy and simple’, which is a bit of a struggle at the moment.  It’s just one of those months – a zillion things to get done around the house, and unfortunately, a great deal of time spent caring for my nearly 14-yr-old pup with several health challenges, one of which is a deteriorating spine.  Yet, my chaos is nothing compared to the struggles facing so many after this week’s tragedy in Boston.  My thoughts are with all those whose lives changed on Monday and all those who may be struggling to comprehend.

…Heading back to simplicity for a moment – here’s a photo update of a painting I was asked to do and am slooowly completing.

One of my favorite things about painting is that it requires full focus, allowing everything else to temporarily fade.

(click photo to enlarge)

Note that I still need to add trees to the barren horizon line, and perhaps a pheasant feather on the ground near the dog.  The grass has some issues since I typically paint from photos and didn’t have one for this.  Suggestions (from anyone!) would be wonderful and appreciated!!  Portions that look strange or ways to improve it?

When time allows, I’ll be back with the gardening post I promised awhile ago, a new recipe and a DIY desk I built a few weeks ago!  

Hope your week is happy and simple!

The “even if you hate eggplant” Sandwich {Recipe}

I miss the food I ate while living in Montana.  Don’t we always miss what we can’t have?  This sandwich is a version of one from a bistro I frequented.  Most people seem to love or hate eggplant.  I’m an in-between-er.  I love it if it’s breaded or in baba ganoush, not so much if it is on its own.  This sandwich should appeal to even those who hate eggplant (in other words, there’s breading and the other flavors are more dominant).

Find some bread.  I used whole wheat pita, but a nice ciabatta roll is even better if you don’t mind white flour.  Set aside.

Cook your eggplant: Trader Joe’s sells frozen boxes of pre-breaded eggplant (shown in photo), but I’ve also used fresh eggplant which I’m sure is far more healthy.

To use fresh eggplant – cut thin slices, dust them in flour, dip them in egg, and cover in seasoned breadcrumbs.  Fry until golden brown and tender when ‘forked’. 

Spinach.  I cooked frozen spinach.  Fresh gently cooked spinach is preferable if you have it.  

I clearly wasn’t very generous – feel free to add extra eggplant and go crazy with greens if you like.

Top with crumbled feta cheese.

Sparingly drizzle Italian dressing on top of feta (I like Newman’s Organics).

You might choose to make a more hearty sandwich by also including other greens, tomatoes, sundried tomatoes, etc.

Lightly toast your bread and enjoy while warm!

…and just for fun – a photo to summarize weather here over the last few weeks – and all foreseeable forecasts…

…and lovely reflections at dusk.

Happy almost weekend!