For some reason, I've really slacked off in the food photography lately! That doesn't mean, however that I haven't been trying new recipes. There are quite a few I'd really like to share! The photo above is of sweet potato fries!! I have tried multiple recipes only to be disappointed with too-sweet fries. I'm trying really hard to like them because I've heard and read of the many nutritional benefits. So I googled 'savory' along with sweet potato fries and came across this recipe. YUM! James gobbles them up as quickly as I can put them in front of him and Mark likes them, too! Yay! A keeper! Here's the link to the recipe. I omitted the red pepper flakes and fennel but did use the coriander. It adds so much I'd recommend buying some if you want to try them out. I also used olive oil and spaced each fry so that none were touching, turning them all over half way through baking on a jelly roll pan. Enjoy!
And this is my version of a homemade chipotle burrito bowl. I make chicken fajita meat and sliced bell peppers using this recipe, a batch of cilantro lime rice using this recipe, and set out warmed up black beans (which I quickly season with garlic and cumin), shredded cheese, sour cream, and salsa. An assembly line works best for this type of meal with so man options. It worked great for a crowd a few weeks ago (7 adults) and James loves it, too!
And here are a few honorable mentions. So sorry not to have photos, but most of them are pictured if you follow the links:
White Chicken Chili----HERE. I use more like a cup of green salsa and at least two cups of chicken broth, though. really yummy and quick. I've decided to make more soups to have around for my lunches during the day...I'm just not much of a cold sandwich person...this has a little kick, but I love it!
Taco Soup---HERE. I made this tonight and am seriously contemplating using it to replace my chili recipe. (GASP!?) I'll have to consult Mark about that first, though. This has fire roasted diced tomatoes in it. Where have these been all my life? I made a half recipe and then, as suggested by my friend Heather, I added extra tomatoes and a can of tomato sauce.
S'More Bars---HERE. Enough said, right? I made these for the annual pumpkin carving party. I ate one tiny square, because that's all that was left. I couldn't have taken a picture if I had wanted to. They vanished. They are SO SO good.
No-Rise Orange Rolls---HERE. I was so intrigued by roll dough that didn't have to rise. It has cottage cheese (of all things) in it. Don't worry, you puree it with other ingredients--there are no chunks of cottage cheese. The dough is not tangy, either. Just really great! The dough was really easy to work with, too! I'll be making them again...
These are a couple of pictures I took last week...before Mark raked up all the leaves. James had fun playing in them!
I really had fun making these cute little cupcake bites for the annual pumpkin carving party. I read about the idea, originally by a blogger named "Bakerella", on Pioneer Woman's blog. I've just been dying for an excuse to make them. I think I'll find a few more occasions coming up to try them out again with different colored sprinkles and drizzles!
The first step is SO easy; bake a cake mix (I used chocolate), let it cool, crumble it with your hands (this is fun), mix it with almost an entire tub of frosting (I chose vanilla), and then form little balls. Here are more specific directions and photos.
After they've chilled a while (overnight in my case) I got out all my sprinkles, melting chips, and almond bark. I was really glad I had invested $4 at the craft store in the candy mold and two squirt bottles. They really make these treats look more polished. For specific directions on how to finish these, click here.
I was so pleased with the finished product! I'll admit, I spent a good two and a half hours decorating these (thank goodness James took a long nap that afternoon), but it was worth it. Everyone enjoyed them. I wrapped up extras in clear baggies with fall-ish ribbon to send home with friends.
Oops! How did this get here? Here's our little 'cupcake'. :) Look at those eyelashes!! How is that fair?
A couple of weeks ago we had our final photo shoot with our photographer friend, Sarah Sorell, to round out James' first year! I think she did an outstanding job. You'd think even more so if you knew just how crabby James was that afternoon! It was a Monday afternoon, at dinner time, after a really long weekend on the road. He hardly smiled, but she still captured his personality! Thank you, Sarah!Here are the photos. Enjoy!
We went to the pumpkin patch yesterday! There's a GREAT family operation just West of us about 25 minutes, free hay-rack rides and all! James' favorite part was getting to touch as many pumpkins as he wanted. He had a little trouble walking amongst all the vines, but didn't seem to be bothered by it. He'd just tap and try to lift whichever pumpkin he was closest to! I think Mark and I may have enjoyed the whole experience even more than James! We ended up picking out two; a big orange one and a small still-green one. We're pretty sure it will continue to ripen, but in the meantime, it's fun to have a multi-colored pumpkin! We were so thankful for the sunshine on a weekend day so we could all go together. It seemed like everybody else had the same idea; it was a busy place. I actually ran into a former co-worker, a family from church, a new friend from MOPS, and an old classmate from high school.
Enjoy the pictures! (If they go by too quickly, you can pause them and click through each picture at your own pace)
And this is my version of a homemade chipotle burrito bowl. I make chicken fajita meat and sliced bell peppers using this recipe, a batch of cilantro lime rice using this recipe, and set out warmed up black beans (which I quickly season with garlic and cumin), shredded cheese, sour cream, and salsa. An assembly line works best for this type of meal with so man options. It worked great for a crowd a few weeks ago (7 adults) and James loves it, too! 
