Bloom.

The “Reality” of Country Living

March 10, 2015 by theblogbloom.com 8 Comments

Here’s the deal.

I have not watched The Bachelor since Jake picked cray-cray Vieanna and not sweet, little Tinley in 2009. But, I do watch E! News, so I have caught wind that the most recent Bachelor is a farmer, nicknamed “Prince Farming,” and that last night was the finale.

Much of pop culture has been a-buzz wondering if any of these ladies vying for the country boy’s heart could actually handle life in the country.

The same thing was questioned (And, I am sure, sometimes is still questioned…) about me.

Not that I have been on The Bachelor, but I have watched it (… And I lived in a sorority), I feel pretty confident that if these gals could handle their 15 seconds of fame on The Bachelor, they can handle the country. In fact, it might not even be that different.

It Will Be Dirty

Ewwwahhh. Not like that dirty.

(Well, who knows?! But, this blog has never been the place for Hanky-Panky and I am not starting today… ;))

It will be the kind of dirty that actually comes from dirt.

I have considered getting on Etsy and shopping for a sign for my garage more than once that says, “Drop Your Pants Here.”

Between working on farms, walking through corn fields, rebuilding cars, hunting birds, trapping coyotes, wading in the creek, tilling the garden, tending to chickens and whatever else muddy that Adam seems to get into daily, my life is very dirty.

Even my oh-so trendy Hunter Boots have been converted to muck boots thanks to the amount of chicken poop they have been in contact with. Which, I am sure, the pretentious sales guy at Nordy’s totally had in mind when he sold them to me a year ago.

It Might Be Hard to Make Friends

This has been the hardest thing for me. I have not suffered from drunken cat fights… phew! But instead, I am a bit of an “odd ball” out in the country.

Many people around us don’t understand why Adam and I have not had a baby. Or assume that just because we have not had one yet that we just don’t want one… ever. (Not true.)

Or, they question why “all that travel for work” is something I enjoy.

Or, look at me like I have three heads when I tell them my high school class had over 500 people. The school didn’t offer 4-H and, because of the extreme diversity and tensions after 9/11, saying The Pledge of Allegiance was optional. (Note: Only those who slept through homeroom didn’t participate.)

However, if you do connect with a new girlfriend, they are like gold. (And you know who you are.)

Everyday Will be an Adventure

It may not be zip lining through a rain forest or climbing a glacier, but those who think the country is slow and laid back are only about 20% right.

Yes, there are plenty of peaceful evenings, but there is also always so much to do!

The garden and animals need daily attention and there always is some new ailment or predator to deal with.

Hot summer days mean floating down the creek that runs across the street and mega canning marathons. Fall is for building big bonfires and riding in combines. During the winter you can snowmobile through the streets and learn good survival skills as you sometimes can’t leave the house for days. Talk about an adventure!

It’s All About The Outfit

If we are being totally honest here, what I always liked the most about The Bachelor and The Bachelorette was the clothes. It’s a little ridiculous how many time I Googled trying to find where Emily Maynord’s top/sandels/jewelery/etc. came from.

Spoiler alert: A lot of the time it was Forever 21.

But, like the Bachelor, you need an outfit for every occasion when living in the country.

(Chic) Muck Boots for chicken chores. Something that makes wearing hunter orange a little more tolerable. Good aprons for canning. Sun protecting hats for summer gardening. And a huge collection of warm pieces for winter winds on the flat lands.

You Will Fall Further In Love In Paradise

I like to call my backyard “a little piece of paradise.”

Sure, it’s not an island with tropical flowers, palm trees, or the sounds of crashing waves. But, it’s perfectly peaceful. It’s lush in the summer and simply beautiful with snow. The setting sun often looks like it is a part of a water color painting as you watch it dip down along the curve of the earth.

And with the right guy, like my guy, you can’t help but fall a little more in love.

Hive and Honey Photography

Trost’s Do Texas

February 19, 2015 by theblogbloom.com 7 Comments

Adam and I try to take a long weekend to a new city each year just the two of us. While we love a week at the beach and our weekend trips to Chicago, going somewhere completely new and experiencing the history, culture and, of course, food of a neat city has become one of our favorite things to do.

The idea for this trip is thought to be an end of harvest celebration because Adam’s work hours are crazy long throughout the late summer and into fall. By November, we just want to be together.

Last year we went to Denver and another year we checked out DC right before Thanksgiving. But, this year harvest ran long and before we knew it, it was Christmastime and we didn’t have a free weekend to plan a trip.

So, instead of a “Post Harvest Trip” we kicked off 2015 with a long weekend in Austin, Texas!

It was hard to choose a destination, but after a few conversations with friends and some Pinterest research, we booked flights and lined up accommodations at The Driskill Hotel for a weekend in the middle of January.

The Driskill is a historic landmark in Austin and has elements that showcase the city’s culture.

It also couldn’t have been more perfect for our stay.

The moment we walked through the doors we were impressed. The lobby was STUN-ing. The staff’s hospitality game was on point. Every single employee we encountered was incredibly kind and helpful. The bar was swanky with a bit of Texas flare. (Proof of this? A massive Longhorn adorns the fireplace and the bar is complete with decorative revolvers.)

And the food.

Oh. My. Gosh. The food.

Before getting to town I had read that hotel is home to an award winning restaurant, The Driskill Grill. At The Driskill Grill, the chef sources fresh ingredients from local growers and meat from farmers in central Texas to create his continually changing chef’s menu.

I made reservations at The Driskill Grill for our first night in town and both of us opted for the six course chef’s menu of the night.

It was spectacular.

Each portion was paired with a glass of wine (Note: This is a little dangerous. This means there are six glasses of wine…) and were just the right size leaving us satisfied yet excited for more.

It was tough competition, but we dubbed the seafood course our favorite. The scallop was like butter and it was deliciously paired with a cauliflower puree.

We also had a great breakfast at 1886 Cafe and Bakery, right in the hotel’s lobby, the morning we left.

The cafe was adorable complete with ornate, yet rustic pieces that made me feel like we had stepped back in time. The cafe also sources local ingredients. I had a phenomenal bacon and gruyere quiche which was served with a salad while Adam had “The Hangover” omelette which packed the right amount of heat for my spice loving man.

We can’t say enough great things about The Driskill… but don’t worry, we did leave and see the city!

Austin’s “claim to fame” is that it is the live music capital of the world, hosting festivals throughout the year that bring in major musicians and lots of newbies. It seemed like almost every bar is equipped with a stage and plenty of space to hold a crowd. Many of these stages, and even the bars, are outdoors as the weather is typically pretty mild.

But, of course, the bitter cold Midwest just HAD to follow us. The weekend we were in Austin, temperatures barely reached 30 degrees and a misty freezing rain fell. So much, but not all, of the live music was cancelled.

It didn’t stop us from having a great time exploring the city. Here are a few of our favorite stops and restaurants from our trip.

The Lyndon B. Johnson Museum at The University of Texas: First of all, UT is really neat. Adam and I enjoyed walking the grounds and checking out the Greek neighborhood.

The university’s library is also home to LBJ’s Presidential Museum which was wonderful. We spent hours in this museum and I felt like I learned a lot.

There were lots of different pieces of memorabilia from his presidency as well as the time period. So much happened during his presidency from the start when he unexpectedly found himself as the nations leader after JFK’s assassination to the Great Society to the war in Vietnam. I was captivated the whole visit.

Whole Foods: Yes. I can easily go to Whole Foods in Indiana. (Okay, actually… easy is relative. The closest one is about 45 minutes away.) But, it’s not every day that I can go to the flagship, numero uno, so big it takes up a whole city block, Whole Foods.

And, surprisingly it never hit me that Adam had never been to a Whole Foods until we walked through the doors to the amazing Downtown Austin Whole Foods.

“This is an event!” Adam exclaimed.

Oh it was. It really was. It was my Disney Land. My Heaven. My happy place.

The selection was great. There were individual stations like pizza and barbecue where you could get lunch, not just the typical deli/salad bar.

And the beer aisle was out of control.

It was a long, refrigerated tunnel with automatic sliding doors. Inside, I didn’t recognize one label until I spotted a bottle of cider from an orchard less than five miles away from my parents home on the west coast of Michigan.

24 Diner: Located just across the street from Whole Foods so it made for a good brunch spot the morning we visited the flagship store. It was Saturday morning, so it was busy. Adam and I opted to sit at the bar versus wait for a table which worked out just great.

The bartenders were busy popping bottle after bottle of champagne for mimosas but Adam and I both decided to do Bloody Mary’s instead. In addition to breakfast cocktails, the bartenders were also whipping up massive milkshakes that looked super tempting.

I mean really, when was the last time I had a milkshake…?

For food, I chose a tomato and goat cheese frittata topped with a lightly dressed arugula salad. I loved the combination of the warm, gooey frittata and the crisp, spiciness of the arugula. I will be remaking this one this spring with my own arugula. Adam had a loaded hash topped with a sunny side up egg. After seeing the massive regular portion he went with the half portion which was plenty of food.

As we ate and I thumbed through the copy of Edible Austin I picked up at Whole Foods we noticed the diner pays tribute to the various local farms they work with on the wall just behind the bar. Locally sourced food was HUGE in Austin.

Rainy Street: It was really rainy the night we went to Rainy Street, but our Uber driver assured us that this isn’t normally the case. Rainy Street is an area of the city where old bungalows have been refurbished into fun restaurants and bars.

We were headed to the unique part of town to have dinner with a fraternity brother of Adam’s at Bangers, a restaurant with a large variety of sausage and beers on tap. Bangers almost looked and felt like a cabin with it’s long wooden tables and cozy atmosphere. It has a huge backyard, which must be great for live music.

Our next stop on the street was Icenhauer’s, a bar with a little bit more of a urban, glitzy feel. Icenhauer’s features unique cocktails that are all named after girls. I asked if they made a “Claire” and they told me they could! It wound up being a gingery cocktail, similar to a Moscow Mule, but worked well as my first name is VirGINia.

One of the most “weird” places we went to in Austin was on Rainy Street. It was an entire bar made of shipping containers and was appropriately named “The Container Bar.”

The State Capitol: When they say everything is bigger in Texas, they are talking about a handful of different things. Steaks, cowboy hats, trucks… and the State Capitol building. It is huge.

The Texas State Capitol is the largest of all the fifty states and surpasses the National Capitol by nearly fifteen feet.

We joined a great, free tour that was incredibly informative and took us through the rotunda and up to see the Senate and House of Representative’s rooms. Everything from the chandeliers that spelled “Texas” in marquee lights to the eight pound, ornate “Texas” door hinges was over the top and very “Texas.”

Eastside Cafe: Being the investigator that I am, I did a bit of research before our trip and was really excited to check Eastside Cafe out. It was just on the other side of the interstate from the university so we had to get an Uber to get there, but it was worth it.

Eastside Cafe was a cute old home that had been transformed into the restaurant. Tables were placed in different rooms of the house so it didn’t feel crowded and were decorated in the way that made you feel like you were actually at someone’s home.

But what I really loved was the fact that Eastside Cafe had a huge garden and pastured chickens right in it’s back yard. The greens, produce and hen’s eggs are used right in the restaurant. It really doesn’t get any more local than that!

I ordered the Spinach Eggs Benedict while Adam picked the Smoked Salmon Eggs Benedict.

He is a sucker for lox.

I’m a sucker for a place where the eggs in my breakfast may have been laid that morning.

There were many other places that we loved like Jo’s Coffee, The Bullock Museum, Perry’s Steakhouse and Stubb’s Barbecue… All fun, just not enough room or time to mention them all!

And, there were many places we didn’t get to that we would love to see next time we are in town like Franklin’s Barbecue, Justine’s, Uchi for -apparently- out of this world sushi, or one of the major festivals in town like SXSW or Austin City Limits!

Any suggestions for our trip next year? We are thinking either Portland or Seattle.

… And, maybe we will actually get a picture together on that trip!

Sniffles and Soup

January 28, 2015 by theblogbloom.com 7 Comments

Oh. My. Gosh.

You know that cold that is going around? Well, it has stuck me… hard.

I had it coming though.

I traveled a lot last week, stayed in hotels and was up later than normal doing activities like bowling with coworkers who were also in town for the meetings. I have not been bowling in years and it was a great activity for work… but the more I think about it, bowling is super germy.

So, it’s not really shocking that I am fighting some bug this week.

Just yesterday, I was pretty sure my brain was melting because there is no way that my nose could have ever housed the amount of liquid coming out of my face. I had to apologize to anyone I was on the phone with this week explaining that I typically don’t sound like a robot. I was even on a call with my counterpart in Texas and she said, “Honey. You sound terrible.”

And, she has a five year old… she knows bad colds.

But, thanks to lots of fluids, an earlier bedtime and the workout I have given my small collection of Plant Therapy essential oils, I think I am on the mend.

It may also be thanks to this hearty lentil soup.

I know it’s early, but lentils may be my favorite new ingredient of 2015.

I had never cooked with them, but I finally mustered up the courage to check out the bulk foods area of the grocery store. (I still use my Kuerig… I feel like such a poser around the bulk coffee beans.) While surrounded by oats, multiple kinds of flour, and lots of beans, I spotted lentils and became very intrigued.

I should have never waited so long. Lentils are great. They have a nutty, earthy flavor and they are packed full of nutrition. Lentils can help lower cholesterol, support a healthy heart and help you manage your weight.

Not to mention, they are one of the least expensive sources of major amounts of protein. Over a quarter of the calories from lentils are attributed to protein. So, if you feel your grocery bill getting a little out of hand because of the cost of meat, lentils are a great meatless option.

They are also very easy to prepare because they don’t require lengthy soaking like other beans. So, making this soup is an easy solution for a week night dinner even if you are feeling under the weather.

However, the one really sad part of making this soup was that I used the last of my frozen carrots from the garden! Gotta make a note of that for next year.

Vegetable Lentil Soup

2015-01-28 11:16:29

Write a review

Save Recipe

Ingredients

4 Garlic Cloves, Minced
1 Yellow Onion, Chopped
4 Carrots, chopped
4 stalks celery, chopped
3 tbsp. Olive Oil
2 cups Lentils
1 tbsp. Cumin
2 quarts Chicken Stock or Broth (Vegetable broth works great too)
1 Bay Leaf
2 Whole Sprigs of Thyme
Salt and Pepper

Instructions

Place a large dutch oven over medium heat.
Add olive oil and saute garlic, onion, carrots and celery until tender.
Add the lentils and cumin, stir so that lentils are coated in oil.
Add broth, sprigs of thyme and bay leaf to pot.
Simmer until lentils are tender about thirty minutes.
Remove thyme sprigs and bay leaf before eating.

Bloom. https://www.theblogbloom.com/

Steamy and Savory

January 15, 2015 by theblogbloom.com 9 Comments

I know it’s kind of old news at this point but… OH. My. Gosh. It’s cold.

Super cold.

So cold that just today the schools around us had their first full day since before Christmas.

So cold that two nights ago Adam’s truck read -5. Like actual -5 degrees. NOT -5 degrees with windchill.

So cold that my car sounds like it’s a pissed off teenager and just wants to go back to bed every time I turn it on.

Poor Marley.

… That’s the car’s name. It’s a Highlander. Get it?

Like Bob…?

Anywhoo… I feel Marley’s pain.

Getting my toes out from under the covers the very few mornings of 2015 has been challenging. All I want to do it stay cuddled up in bed where it’s warm. I don’t want to have to face the elements. I don’t even want to face my tiled bathroom floor with bare feet.

And, while smoothies and green drinks are so very “in” for breakfast this time of year, I am just not feeling it. I know I should, but the thought of ingesting something frozen while the temperature with windchill flirts with -20? Sorry. Nope. Not happening.

So while the Green Smoothie Goddess on one shoulder get’s shushed, the “let’s make Belgium Waffles with hot maple syrup” Devil on the other chimes in.

And, so does reality.

No, my mind doesn’t go to how many calories would be packed into those waffles (not first at least), but rather to the fact that I have no time for that with a iced over car to warm up!

Note: When you garden and have chickens you acquire a lot of accessories… and, inevitably, you and your spouse lose your places in the two car garage.

But the other morning I discovered something in my pantry, just past the maple syrup, that I had totally forgotten about: Oatmeal.

Oatmeal reminds me of cold mornings in high school. My dad was and still is an early riser claiming he works best in the morning. More power to him. So if it was really chilly he would have oatmeal going on the stove and would top a cup of it with brown sugar as I ran out the door to catch my ride.

A lot of people have poor memories of oatmeal calling it things like “mush” but this was pure goodness that warmed me on the coldest mornings from the inside out.

Perfect for these cold Midwest mornings… except, I am kind of trying to limit sugar. Nothing crazy, but I didn’t really want to add it to anything so I decided to go with a more savory option adding chopped fresh rosemary and a drizzle of healthy fat packed olive oil.

Herbs like thyme would also work great and the grow very well on a windowsill that gets a lot of sun this time of year. For an extra burst of brightness a little lemon juice is delicious.

I get it. This sounds a little weird. But, oatmeal is a grain and we flavor grains like breads, rice and pasta with these ingredients all the time. On oatmeal, with a pinch of salt and pepper, it all works together and is incredibly vibrant and refreshing.

Exactly what I need to wake me up on a cold morning.

Depending on your preference you can use steel cut oats, rolled oats or even instant with this recipe. I use rolled oats because they are basically identical to steel cut oats in terms of nutrition and take a quarter of the time to cook.

Oatmeal with Herbs and Olive Oil

2015-01-15 10:47:02

Write a review

Save Recipe

Ingredients

1 cup of cooked oatmeal
1/2 tablespoon of olive oil
1/2 tablespoon chopped herbs (Rosemary, thyme, etc)
Pinch of salt and pepper
Spritz of fresh juice from a quartered lemon

Instructions

Top cooked oatmeal with all ingredients, stir to combine.
Eat right away.

Bloom. https://www.theblogbloom.com/

To Everything There is a Season

January 8, 2015 by theblogbloom.com 7 Comments

My dad does this weird thing where he can think of and, of course, start singing a song for any situation.

Anything.

My sister and I recently talked about this. It is crazy.

I remember her screaming, “DAD! STOP. You have a song for EVERYTHING!”

In the background of her screaming you could hear things like, “You can’t always get what you want…” by The Rolling Stones or Frankie Valli’s, “Big girls don’t cry… They don’t *CRY-I-III.*“

I could commiserate with her frustration. It was annoying. Especially when you were fifteen wanted to go to “so and so’s” party or were begging to be allowed more than ten text’s a month.

I mean, seriously. Come on, DAD!

But, now that I am over halfway through my twenties something funny has happened: Those “weird” or “annoying” things about my mom or dad… are now things that I (scarily) do.

My mom comes out of my mouth more than I care to admit. And, my dad’s music on the mind trait is now my own. I also might add, even though this is kind of embarrassing, the music on my mind is usually songs that he would listen to.

… With the exception for T-Swift’s “Shake It Off.” Hey, what can I say? I work in sales.

The current tune running thought my head is “Turn, Turn, Turn” by The Byrds.

Well, actually the song was originally by Pete Seeger and was titled “To Everything There is a Season.”

It is that exact verse that runs through my head at least five times a day as I stare out the window at the, now, very frozen and snow covered piece of land that once was my booming garden.

I miss it.

I wish I could run out there and grab all the fixings for a wonderful salad at lunch.

I wish I could spend an hour in the morning before work tending to it and getting a little Vitamin D.

I wish my Instagram was full of things like this:

Or this:

Or this:

I wish Adam and I could walk out there in the late evenings with a glass of wine and admire what had popped up since the night before.

But,

To everything, there is a season,
And a time to every purpose under heaven.

There is a purpose to this time of year and the purpose is to rest.

Just like a strong athlete, the garden needs this time of oscillation.

Both the athlete and the garden, are pushed hard and to their limits in order to get stronger, faster, better.

But, if an athlete were to be constantly exerting himself he would likely strain or even hurt his muscles to the point of damage. In fact, it is proven that continuous training can weaken the strongest athlete.

However, the best athletes know that by stepping back, taking time away from the gym and recovering, their body will repair and strengthen itself allowing them to perform at their peak.

Real growth is found in the rest.

Quite the opposite of what our world seems to tell us, right?

We are encouraged to go, go, GO! Told that good things come to those who hustle. The guy who busts his butt working weekends and well into the evenings gets the promotion… and becomes the example.

But, all the while, no one wonders if we could be doing damage or making ourselves weaker.

Perhaps we should follow the lessons that are found in nature.

Athletes need to take a break from the weights to build up strength.

Babies and teenagers sleep so much because they are growing like crazy.

Studies have even shown that without sleep healthy and strong adults impair their motor and cognitive traits, similar to being drunk. (Spoiler Alert: The drunk guy never gets the promotion.)

Seasons existed before life.

And, there was quite some time that life reflected the seasons.

There was a reason to each season. A purpose.

So, as much as I love busy and vibrant August in the garden; When January comes, I smile as I take time to step back and just watch the snow fall on that corner of my yard.

For, without January there would be no August.

To The Resolutionist:

January 3, 2015 by theblogbloom.com 1 Comment

I believe in The Resolutionist.

The optimistic. The excited. The one who is inspired to grow and to make a change.

But, the whole idea of a “resolution” gets a lot of smack this time of year.

People claim that it is stupid/inappropriate/negative to set resolutions. They state that resolutions are unattainable wishes that lead to depression. They declare that people who make resolutions are just dreamers. They say why even bother because the resolution will just be broken within 30 days.

News flash: “They” are grumps.

There is always room to try something new. To learn. To grow. To make a change. To make yourself stronger.

To help give everyone’s resolutions a fighting chance we need to stop being so grumpy and use our skills and experiences to help each other.

So, here’s the deal: If your resolution is to save money by not shopping at Anthropologie as much, sorry, forget it. I am not your girl. I can’t help you. I can’t help me.

But, if your resolution is to cook from scratch more, begin to ditch processed foods, eat locally when possible, or even grow your own food, stick around.

These are things I have done and you can to.

Here a few tips to get you started:

So, you want to cook from scratch more often?

Awesome! I am a firm believer in home cooked meals. I honestly think they can change the world. (More on that some other day…)

But, how do you do this without getting discouraged? Without your family hating everything you put in front of them?

Two beginner tips:

1. Having a plan is huge. I meal plan and shop on Sunday’s (sometimes Monday’s) for the whole week. I check the fridge and freezer and see if there is anything I need to use up. I make a plan for left overs be it lunch or re-purposed for the next day’s dinner. I make sure there are different proteins and flavor profiles throughout the week so that we don’t get bored. And, I try my best to stick to my meal plan mainly because I have already invested the money in the meal. This makes take out or eating out not tempting at all even when it’s a busy night. (Got to save that cash for Anthro… duh!)

2. Try your best to learn to like cooking. This is weird, obscure, and maybe even hard. But, if you are going to do it you have to find some joy in it. I thoroughly enjoy getting away from the many screens in my life and working with my hands. I find it refreshing after a long day. Think of it as a way to unwind with a byproduct of a great meal for your family.

But, if that sounds completely ridiculous and there is no way to unwind until kids are in bed; grab a glass of wine, turn on your show and do tomorrow night’s chopping then. Or, befriend your crock pot and prep Tuesday night’s dinner on Monday evening. Put it in the fridge over night, turn it on before heading to work, BINGO.

Plus, coming home from a long day to marvelous smells coming from your crock pot is one of life’s most pure joys. I speak from experience.

So, you want to quit that processed food that you can’t seem to make it through a day without?

You are brave. But, you got this!

I was once the Diet Soda Queen. No seriously. It was a known fact. I love, love, loved it. A Diet Coke can or the 32 ounce Styrofoam cup from a gas station just steps off my college campus was like an accessory for me that I wore proud and daily.

Then I started reading about it. Forget the whole cancer thing: My first concern was for my teeth. Was I staining them? Then my bones. Could I be doing damage to them and become a weak, brittle old lady? Then I read about how it tricks you into thinking you are consuming something sweet, but you really aren’t because it’s a “fake” sweetness, so then you crave and, in turn, eat more sweets.

There is nothing “diet” about that.

Especially when I was in my early twenties and there was a wedding dress in my near future.

Today, I couldn’t tell you the last time I had a diet soda.

How did I do it?

1. Occupy your thirst. I began drinking water like crazy. (Which happens to have loads of benefits. Bonus!) I had water with me at all times so that I couldn’t get thirsty. But, the caffeine thing is hard.

So 2., Start small. Don’t go cold turkey. Let yourself have one or two a week. Maybe a Friday afternoon treat. Whatever. But after a month or so you won’t even miss that treat.

(A byproduct of this? You will become crazy water fiend. You will feel strange if you feel like you have not gotten enough water in a day. And, then you will begin to dream about how wonderful it would be to have beautiful water fountains full of Evian straight from the Alps on every corner like they do in Europe.)

So, you want to eat locally?

Cool. Love it!

However, one tiny issue with this one. If you are in a state like, oh let’s say Indiana? Now is not the greatest time to start. Eating Local has to do a lot with eating seasonally. And in this lovely frozen tundra, there isn’t that much that is in season right now.

But what you can do is get your toes wet and start making a plan:

1. Check out websites like eatwild.com or just even use google to learn about local growers in your area. Reach out to them or follow them on social media to learn what they have for sale right now. Start making relationships with them and maybe even begin purchasing things like their eggs, cheese, or meat which they might have available this time of year.

2. Use this time of year to study up on canning or freezing so that when these farmers have things like tomatoes, berries, or corn this summer you can buy it in bulk and put it away for next January.

Honestly, you should see my freezer right now. We have a lot of eating to do.

So, you want to grow your own food?

Heck yah, you do! You are a rockstar.

Now is a great time to start thinking about this, even if your home is currently frozen like mine. And, man, do I have tips for ya!

This could be a whole post. Or series of posts. Or maybe even a whole blog. Hey, wait.. isn’t that what Bloom kind of is…! 😉

I have done a lot of gardening posts so check them out in the “Garden Tips” tab of the menu bar, but to get you started:

1. Think about what you like to eat and eat often. These are things you should grow. We love tomatoes, herbs and lettuce greens…But, winter squash? Not so much. So we don’t grow it.

2. A good garden isn’t super needy, but it does need sun, water, and good soil. Right now is a good time to think about all these things.

Sun- Is there a place that gets at minimum five hours of good sun light? It can be your windowsill, your patio, your lawn, whatever. That is where your plants should go.

Water- Do you have outdoor hose hook-up’s? Or will your water be coming from inside? Keep that in mind when you are trying to figure out where you want to put your garden. Or, get busy working on your biceps.

Soil- Soil is tricky. Find out if you have sandy or clay soil. Maybe start a compost bin to help bring in organic matter to your garden soil this spring.

3. Look into seeds and seed starter kits. Planting for areas in the Midwest should begin around March. There are tons and TONS of seed companies out there. Request a catalog and have fun “ooh-ing” and “awe-ing” over the beautiful, colorful veggies and their funny names.

4. A big thing to remember is that there is no need to go crazy when you are starting out. It’s YOUR garden and it can be as big or as small as you want it. Maybe you do herbs in your windowsill? Or tomatoes in pots on your patio? Or maybe you dig up eight beds in the backyard? Perfect. Do what works for you. We started with just tomatoes and peppers and now I couldn’t even tell you how many plants are in our summer garden.

Once you start, you will grow too.

Happy New Year and Best Wishes for 2015!

Follow your dreams.

Going Green.

December 31, 2014 by theblogbloom.com 1 Comment

As much as I love Christmas, I really love it when it is over.

I am not a Grinch, I swear. In fact, we had a great Christmas. It was fun to see our families, give great gifts, celebrate with friends and one of my favorite things this season was our tree.

We had a beautiful tree this year.

Adam and I had such a great time decorating it together earlier this month. It was fun digging through our boxes of ornaments, smiling as we placed different memories on the branches and admiring the beauty all the very different pieces make when put together.

I loved relaxing next to it every evening.

I loved it’s scent.

And, I absolutely loved taking it down yesterday.

That and all the other Christmas decor.

My sister-in-law and I were talking yesterday and we agreed: It’s fun and exciting to put everything up for Christmas, but it is great to put it all away.

Relegating everything and anything red, green and glittery to the basement makes my home much more bare and beige, but it’s welcome.

Looking at my living room, where the tree stood just yesterday, I feel clean and refreshed.

Which is exactly how I like every element in my life to feel this time of year.

I don’t think it’s ironic that the start of a new year comes just a week after Christmas. Christmastime is the height of over indulgence, opulence, excitement while New Years is a fresh “reboot” back to simplicity, calm, routine… and veggies.

Thanks to all the resolutionists, this time of year you tend to hear a lot about juicing and “green” drinks. I am by no means a green drink aficionado, but I do like them when I just feel like I need to bring my body a little balance or “reboot” after traveling or, say, sugar and cream filled holidays…?

Green Drinks get their name from their predominate dark, leafy green ingredients, like kale.

However, they also get their bad reputation from their predominate dark leafing green ingredients, like kale.

And, if you don’t know any better it is easy to understand why… Liquefied kale? Liquefied, uber healthy, RAW, kale?

Despite their reputation, these drinks can be delicious. I promise.

When flavors like pineapple, ginger, apples, and lemon are added they are actually pretty good. But, I also know another little trick to make liquefied kale more tolerable: Freeze it.

This whole summer and far into the fall our garden’s kale did so well. It was so easy to grow and produced tons of leaves. We were even enjoying the kale in the garden after the first few frosts and a small November snow squall. Weather like this would completely damage many other garden greens but it made the kale even better.

The natural sugars in kale’s cell structure acts like an anti-freeze preventing any damage and making the sweetness in it’s taste much more predominate.

The same thing can happen in your own freezer making green drinks more delicious and colder (a really good thing…). It also is a great way for storing kale from the farmer’s market or garden for use throughout the winter. Kale is good for about twelve months in a freezer.

Freezing kale is a cinch.

Wash the kale leaves thoroughly, being sure to remove any dirt or bugs.

Remove the very tough center stem of the kale. Easy ways to do this is to either fold the leaf down the center or lay it flat and run the blade of a knife along the stem.

Chop the leaves to smaller pieces and dry them completely. I use a salad spinner and paper towels.

Then, in a single layer, place kale pieces on a cookie sheet and freeze for twenty four hours. Once completely frozen I put the kale into dated freezer bags for easier storage.

Frozen kale is great to have to winter pastas, soups, and, of course, refreshing Green Drinks.

I like this Green Drink Recipe, but I like just about anything Giada… Except not her recent news about her divorce from Todd!

… Thank goodness we still have Ina and Jeffrey.

Happy New Year!

Summer in December

December 17, 2014 by theblogbloom.com 2 Comments

This weekend I took on Operation Holiday Cookies.

The amount of butter in my kitchen was at an all time high and my mixer found a new temporary home on the counter top.

I baked a handful of treats that my mom always had for the Holidays like oatmeal candy canes, spritz cookies and almond crescents.

While in the middle of my baking marathon Adam poked his head into the kitchen.

“I know you are making things that your mom used to make, but those are not cookies,” he told me.

Um, have you seen the amount of sugar I have gone through? These definitely are not crackers….? I was confused and really curious why he thought this way.

“They aren’t circles. Cookies are circles,” he stated.

For those of you who might be new… Hi! Thanks for reading. And just so you know, Adam is my husband… Not a toddler. I thought it would be best to clear that up after this preschool observation.

Okay then…!

Cookies are circles. Only.

-Weirdo.-

Hmm.

Well, that ruled out my plans for gingerbread men or frosted sugar cookies in the shape of trees and bells.

So, instead, to appease my husband’s wishes for round cookies, I made one of his (and my) summertime favorites: Chocolate Chip Zucchini Cookies.

By the middle of the summer, we have zucchini’s covering every surface of the kitchen. We saute them, grill them, bake them. We have so many that I even make special trips to Indianapolis to ~~pawn them off~~ give them away to my friends.

But, even with all this, there are still tons of zucchini’s that come out of the garden everyday in the middle of the summer. To help make the most of our plentiful zucchini’s I like to freeze them either grated or sliced so that Adam and I can enjoy them throughout the winter months.

This cookie recipe calls for grated zucchini, either fresh or frozen. However, if frozen, be sure to squeeze out all the liquid.

Now, I know what you might be thinking… Zucchini in a cookie?!

It’s actually really good.

So good, that I think the flavors would make a really good ice cream too. Maybe I will play with that next…

The taste of the grated zucchini isn’t strong by any means and is complimented by the ground cinnamon. It’s also a fun way to sneak in vegetables in a picky kid’s diet.

Or husbands.

… And they are circles.

Chocolate Chip Zucchini Cookies

2014-12-22 11:28:42

Write a review

Save Recipe

Ingredients

1 cup (2 Sticks) unsalted butter, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 cups all purpose flour
2 cups whole wheat flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups grated zucchini (about one large zucchini or two medium sized zucchini's)
1 1/2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Using a stand mixer, beat together butter, sugar, brown sugar, until combined and fluffy.
Add eggs one at a time until combined and mix in vanilla.
In a medium bowl, sift together the dry ingredients.
Add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture and beat on low until they are just incorporated.
Add the zucchini and chocolate chips and mix until they are just incorporated.
Scoop the cookies onto a greased cookie sheet and bake for 10-12 minutes.

Bloom. https://www.theblogbloom.com/

Green Beans and Very “Green” Vlogging

December 9, 2014 by theblogbloom.com 1 Comment

Without the garden to keep me occupied, I have been exploring other projects to fill my free time.

My home office is finally about 90 percent complete. It’s nice to have a good space for all the papers in my life in our huge new filling cabinet and to get frames on the wall. It’s now a space that I actually want to work in instead of being the house “catch all.”

My gym recently closed (Wah! I am still sad about even though they announced it two months ago.), so I have spent my evenings gym hopping hoping to find a new gym that I love. While annoying, it has been fun trying new things like reformer Pilates and getting back into swimming.

And, of course, the down time is a great time to give Bloom a little TLC. Photography books and blogs have become my reading material as well as advice on social media outlets and SEO. But, more exciting to me, is thinking of what else I could bring to Bloom to make it more interactive and valuable to the readers. Ideas like eBooks, personal shopping at farmer’s markets and meal planning, and even Video Blogging are on the table.

Recently I enlisted Adam’s help. I wanted to experiment and see if something like Vlogging was the right direction to take.

Scratch that.

I wasn’t even there yet.

At this point, I just wanted to make sure I could talk and cook at the same time. And that I didn’t sound too stupid doing it.

It wasn’t perfect.

There were things like this:

… And, I learned my lesson to leave Adam out of my projects if it’s Sunday and football is on TV.

But, between his “Take Ninety-Seven!”‘s on Take Three and us bickering over if “garlicky” is a word or not, we got things like this:

Did you learn something?!

Not too shabby for a first timer and just an iPhone. (Minus that expression on my face in the beginning…)

And I also got a great, super simple green bean recipe out of it all.

So, who knows? Maybe there are more “vlogs” in my future.

But, one thing I know to be for sure is that, in my very immediate future there will be more garlicky green beans.

(Sorry, Trost. Auto correct recognized it. “Garlicky” is a word.)

This recipe is the easiest way to add some flavor and to do something a little different with fresh green beans. I used green beans that I blanched and froze this summer, but fresh green beans from the store with their ends trimmed off will work great too.

Garlicky Green Beans

2014-12-10 08:18:14

Write a review

Save Recipe

Ingredients

1 pound Green Beans, ends trimmed
2 tablespoons butter
2 garlic gloves, minced
1 tablespoon lemon zest
1 tablespoon grated Parmesan
salt and pepper

Instructions

Steam green beans until nearly tender, but still have a bite.
Melt butter in a skillet on medium heat, add garlic and cook until tender and fragrant.
Add steamed green beans, salt and pepper to the skillet.and continue to saute until the beans are coated in butter and garlic.
Top with lemon zest and Parmesan.

Bloom. https://www.theblogbloom.com/

Home Cooking Made Easy and Local With Fresh Artistry

December 2, 2014 by theblogbloom.com 1 Comment

You know… this blogging thing is pretty fun.

Last month Adam and I wrote about what growing food has done for us past, present and future. But, writing about growing food has been pretty cool too. Giving homegrown and local food a voice in Indiana and beyond has opened doors, shown me new concepts and products, and introduced me to a lot of neat people. People who are creative and really shaking things up in the local food scene.

Just last month I was introduced to a neat and innovative concept out of Indianapolis called Fresh Artistry. Fresh Artistry delivers recipes and fresh, pre-portioned ingredients to your home. The owner, Tom Blessing, began to develop the Fresh Artistry concept in late 2012 because he knew he wanted to make cooking at home easier, fresher, and more delicious. He is finally launching his Fresh Artistry service to the Indy Metro area on Friday, December 5th.

As a member of Fresh Artistry you will receive the components of three meals of your choice each week to your door step along with step by step instructions for the cooking process. Tom designed Fresh Artistry to help anyone prepare nutritious, restaurant quality meals in their own home while supporting local farmers.

Obviously, this sounded like something right up my alley.

I love the idea of connecting consumers with local growers but also helping them make wonderful meals for their families. Adam also thought the company sounded great. We both were very interested in learning more so I got in touch with Tom.

I was curious to know where the produce and proteins in the Fresh Artistry meals come from. Tom shared that he is sourcing meat from Moody’s Meats, a leading Indianapolis Butcher that partners with local Indiana producers and raises meat at their own family farm. Moody’s Meats is striving to create a truly local, sustainable food supply.

The meat within Fresh Artistry meals are hormone, preservative and antibiotic free. The produce is frequently organic and local when possible. In fact, Tom is working to make even more connections with local produce growers.

In addition to being responsibly sourced and full of high quality ingredients, the product is fabulous.

A couple nights after Adam and I met with Tom and talked about local food producers, we made Fresh Artistry’s Sweet Chili Beef Strips and Fresh Vegetables.

I was so impressed. The packaging was beautiful. Ingredients were well labeled and had images on them noting where they should be stored. And, I really loved that all the ingredients were portioned out to what was needed in the recipe so that I wasn’t buying a whole bunch of cilantro only to have it sit in my fridge for weeks.

Adam and I read over the recipe together before we began cooking. I have not seen a recipe that thorough in a long time. As we cooked, following the recipe step by step, Adam looked at me and smiled. “It’s dummy proof!” he exclaimed.

It was. The steps were easy to follow and the whole preparation process took us maybe twenty minutes.

Adam took pride in plating the meal “just like the picture.”

Rarely is our plating anything to take pride in and it’s mainly because I just don’t take the effort to do it. The large photo of the dish showing us what went where made it a piece of ~~cake~~ art.

Pretty close!

The meal tasted great and the portions were right on. We both had another serving for lunch the following day.

I enjoy cooking, especially with local ingreidents, so I make an effort to try new recipes, seek out local producers and cook at home. But, because of my career, books I have read and people I have talked with, I know that there are plenty of people who really don’t like cooking.

Maybe it’s because they feel like they are bad at it.

Or planning a meal takes too much time.

Maybe shopping is hard because they don’t know where to get the best ingredients for their families.

Maybe they feel like they just don’t know where to begin.

Fresh Artistry is a great solution.

It takes the time spent meal planning and shopping completely out of the equation. The Fresh Artistry website is incredibly easy to use and it’s there that you do your “shopping.” You are able to select which meals you would like delivered and they change each week.

Even I found myself thinking, “Wow. This is nice,” the night Adam and I planned to prepare our Fresh Artistry meal as I left the gym and could just go home. Normally, I would have to swing by the grocery store to pick up “one more thing” needed for dinner that night.

And, to top it off. It’s easy. Fresh Artistry’s instructions are simple and straight forward making it so anyone can cook like a master chef in their own kitchen.

Be sure to check out the Fresh Artistry website. They are offering a one time meal box for a limited time. Perfect to test it out or for a Christmas gift!