Bloom.

Scary to Sweet and Savory

October 28, 2014 by theblogbloom.com 9 Comments

Spinach.

Broccoli.

Brussels sprouts.

All veggies that are notorious for being a kid’s worst enemy.

Working in the food industry, focusing on areas serving children and young adults, I have learned that if you include young people in the preparation (Example: Menu Planning) and the cooking process, the more likely they are to try something new.

Even if it is any of the veggies listed above… or their evil friends like garbanzo beans or asparagus.

But I believe that if you were to take it even one step further and were to expose kids to how these vegetables grow, they would not just be willing to try something, but actually be excited to try it.

There is pride and satisfaction in growing food. Both of which are great to expose children to all while teaching them a skill that they can carry with them their whole lives and introducing them to new foods.

Plus, when you watch these vegetables grow they lose their scary factor and become cool.

Just look at Brussels Sprouts.

They grow on thick stalks that come out of the ground and grow to be nearly three feet tall stirring up images in an imagination of Jack and The Beanstalk.

Even harvesting is kind of like a game: Hunting for the sprouts that are at least one inch in diameter for the most tender bite and twisting it until it pops off.

And, if all else fails when trying to get a kid, or your husband, to eat Brussels Sprouts? Add bacon.

The Brussels sprouts subtle sweetness is brought out as the halved sprouts caramelize in the little bit of fat left in the pan from frying the bacon. With that natural sweetness and salty, crunch from the bacon this is a great side dish for kids, and kids at heart, picky or not.

Bacon Brussels Sprouts

2014-10-28 18:39:10

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Ingredients

3 slices of thick cut bacon, cut into inch strips
1 pound Brussels Sprouts, washed, steamed and halved
Salt and Pepper

Instructions

Cook bacon in a large skillet over medium heat until crispy. Remove and place on a plate lined with a paper towel.
Add Brussels sprouts to same pan with left over bacon fat, flat side down to caramelize, 2-3 minutes.
Toss with salt and pepper and cook until tender, about 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Add bacon to Brussels Sprouts and toss to combine.
Serve right away.

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

Chickens Should Come With Warning Labels

October 21, 2014 by theblogbloom.com 20 Comments

Two years ago, Adam and I began to discuss having backyard chickens.

We read a lot, watched a lot of YouTube videos, and learned so much.

A couple of the reasons that we finally decided to give it a go were that their composted droppings are great for gardens and that they are pretty easy to take care of.

We have found both of those reasons to be very true.

However, we also have learned a lot since owning our little flock of hens that we never found in our research.

Based on what I have learned as the owner of backyard chickens, I have decided that backyard chickens need to come with Warning Labels.

If you are thinking of getting chickens or already have baby chicks… prepare yourself.

Photo by Hive and Honey Photography

Warning #1: People will think you have gone insane.

We have had people have no problem telling us everything from “Eww, what about the poop?” To “Why work so hard?” To, plain and simple, “You are making a huge mistake.”

(I mean… What if people said these things about babies??)

And that’s from the people in the country… People who have actually seen a chicken outside of a petting zoo or a kitchen decoration.

Where I grew up, the HOA allowed only two dogs and two cats per household. Max. Chickens were not a topic of discussion.

Just imagine what the people I grew up with must think if they have heard that over fifty chickens have called my backyard home at one time.

In-sane.

Warning #2: You may be the sweetest person on the planet, but you will become incredibly stuck up.

No one really talks about it, but I think it’s very common for owners of backyard chickens to suffer from a phenomenon called “egg snobbery.”

On your business trip you will cringe at the site of the scrambled eggs made from egg beaters at the hotel’s very generic continental breakfast.

You will turn up your nose as you walk down the egg aisle at the grocery store knowing that your eggs at home are far superior.

And, when someone Instagrams a shot of their homemade brunch with two very sad sunny side up eggs with shapeless and dull colored yolks you will smirk and say sarcastically to yourself, “That’s cute…”

Warning #3: You will also become a paranoid freak.

I don’t have children, but, thanks to the chickens, I have gotten a sneak peak of what parenthood is all about.

Spoiler Alert: It’s a 24/7/365 anxiety attack.

Any threat of bad weather, be it extreme cold, snow, high winds, tornadoes, extreme heat, whatever, my mind goes to the hens… and that they are going to die.

Any dog, cat, raccoon, and owl within a two mile radius of the coop is the enemy.

I am sorry. I don’t care how cute your dog is. I probably hate it until I know that it doesn’t think my sweet hens are a chew toy.

PS- Just today I heard on the radio that a six foot boa constrictor escaped from it’s cage and is on the loose somewhere in the local listening area.

You guys... HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO DEAL WITH THIS!?!?

Warning #4: Anything pop culture will suddenly become very uninteresting.

That check you write to the cable company each month will seem like a huge waste.

You haven’t been Keeping Up with the Kardashian’s… You have been Keeping Up with the Chickens.

The day you bring them home you will begin to see each chicken’s unique personality.

And as they grow, you would rather spend your time watching them roam the yard than watch that movie getting Oscar Buzz. The movie could be a flop. But, watching the chickens you might catch that hilarious moment when one might slurp up a huge worm like a piece of spaghetti and the others come rushing over in a fit of jealousy. Somebody call the Academy!

Oh. And, you will post things like this on Facebook and it will be 100% true:

Warning #5: Once you get that first chick, you will be a chicken owner the rest of your life.

Admittedly, I have never been a huge fan of animals.

In fact, as a kid, animals made me kind of nervous.

My uncle loves to tell the story of when I was a toddler… my foot was dangling by my moms hip as she held me and his weimaraner licked my foot. I apparently screamed like bloody murder and was convinced that the dog bit me.

(To my credit, a weimaraner to a three year old might as well be a fierce looking horse.)

As an adult, and thanks to a fabulous (thirty pound…) family dog in my childhood, I have warmed up to animals.

I am really excited for the day that we get a dog. And I understand that to make Adam happy this dog will be larger than thirty pounds… and I am okay with that.

Because we have enjoyed our dabbles in homesteading, we have been talking about getting a couple cows and even pigs just to give it a try.

Dogs will likely come and go, depending on our future children wants, and we may find other kinds of livestock exhausting.

But, thanks to the wonderful eggs…

The funny way the ladies interact with one another…

The way it feels like they are able to almost communicate with Adam and me when we are in the garden…

The pure joy in any of our friend’s kids faces when they are chasing the hens…

The joy that I cannot wait to see in my own children… and grandchildren’s faces…

I know that for the rest of my life, I will be the proud owner of a flock of backyard chickens.

Photo by Hive and Honey Photography

You have been warned.

Cool Carrots

October 19, 2014 by theblogbloom.com 7 Comments

Carrots are definitely Adam and my favorite vegetable we have grown in the garden.

Oooh. But, I do love tomatoes.

And, growing our own garlic is pretty cool.

Oh… and having lettuce straight from the backyard is kind of awesome.

Oh geeze. I can’t forget about how great it felt to slice into that first spaghetti squash either.

Okay, so it’s hard to pick just one, but carrots… are a (one of many) favorite(s).

Carrots have also been a favorite of any guest to the garden.

When we had photos taken last month, the photographers were blown away with how great the carrots looked.

Hive and Honey Photography

So was Adam’s mom when she stopped by to pick some this summer. She laughed as she pulled carrot after carrot with his sister, Amanda.

Amanda described pulling the carrots from the ground as “magical.”

And, when Stephanie, my friend from Chicago, visited for a weekend I think she felt the same way. She excitedly pulled so many carrots from the ground I wondered how we were ever going to eat them all fast enough. … Cue the veggie dip!

Summer 2013 was the first year we grew carrots and both Adam and I were blown away by the amazing flavor in our homegrown carrots versus the carrots we had been eating our whole lives. The flavor of a carrot is best right after it is pulled from the ground. In fact, some say the flavor diminishes within hours of being harvested.

The good news is that carrots don’t typically last much more than two hours at my house anyway.

But, this is bad news too. In 2013, we only planted a half of a garden bed in carrots. They were all ready mid summer and then they were gone.

So this summer, with one year of carrot growing experience under our belts, Adam and I decided to see how we could extend our carrots into the fall… and, at this rate, we should be good for the winter too!

Carrots are planted straight into the ground and they need good, light soil to penetrate the earth as their roots grow. They are pretty hands off throughout their growing process needing normal amounts of water, sun and a little thinning when the tops start sprouting.

This year, we planted carrots in a couple different beds in different rounds to extend our carrots throughout the growing season. It’s currently a couple weeks out from Halloween and we have plenty of carrots still in the ground… and I am in no hurry to get them out.

They do need to come out of the ground before the ground freezes solid (or good luck getting them out ’til spring…), but they are incredibly cold weather resistant and can eve handle freezing temperatures. Carrots are full of natural sugars and those sugars act like an anti-freeze in the cold weather so that ice crystals cannot disrupt or damage the carrot. In all our reading, we have also learned that freezing temperatures actually make carrots sweeter!

We are still frost free, but it’s likely only a matter of time until we can find out first hand.

I have also blanched and frozen some of our carrots throughout the late summer and early fall. Blanching and freezing is one of the easiest things that you can do to preserve vegetables from the garden.

Here is how I do it:

Clean, peel and slice carrots into small coins, discarding the tops and ends.

Place carrot coins in a pot of boiling water for about two minutes.

Remove the carrots and immediately cool carrots in a bowl of ice water to stop the cooking process.

Drain and dry well. Lay coins out on a cookie sheet and set in freezer overnight.

Working quickly, remove the carrot coins from the cookie sheet, put into a gallon ziplock bag and place in freezer. Use within a year.

I am excited to have my carrots, preserved at the peak of their freshness, for chicken noodle soups and vegetables soups all winter long.

My Heart Belongs to Salmon

October 16, 2014 by theblogbloom.com 3 Comments

Is it just me, or does it seem like October is Everything Awareness Month?

Unless you have been living under a rock (… Or you don’t watch the NFL), you know that it’s Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

Being the good Alpha Chi Omega alum that I am, I also know that it’s Domestic Violence Awareness Month. Supporting victims of Domestic Violence is our national philanthropy and we would always do something like have information sessions or sell buttons on campus in October.

The Today Show has really been driving home Fire Prevention Awareness and I guess I was due for the refresher because I surprisingly have learned a lot. (… Like crawling versus walking to get out of the house… Fire 101, apparently. But, good to know!)

I have seen posts on Facebook sharing that it’s also anything from Bullying Prevention Month to Dental Hygiene Awareness Month to Pregnancy Loss Awareness Month and more.

It’s kind of hard to choose something to focus on with all the different worthy causes vying for our attention.

But then the Seafood Nutrition Partnership reached out and made me aware that October is also National Seafood Month. I knew that was something I could easily get behind.

I try to make seafood once a week to create a little more variety in our meals and because of the amazing nutrition benefits. Seafood is rich in omega-3’s which help contribute to a healthy heart. In fact, eating eight ounces of seafood once a week can reduce your risk of heart disease by over a third.

To help encourage Hoosiers to eat more seafood, the Seafood Nutrition Partnership has joined forces with many local restaurants. Tomorrow, October 17th, nearly forty Indianapolis restaurants will be celebrating “Fish is the Dish” by featuring their best seafood recipes. Check out the list of participating restaurants and get out this Friday night!

However, if you are not in the area or can’t get out of the house, celebrate at home with my Salmon with Lemon and Dill.

This recipe goes way back to my apartment days. Adam would come into the city from the country after work on Friday nights. Those days, we loved to go out because we had so many neat places to choose from, but often would take it easy on those Friday night’s when we were wiped out from the week and just stay in.

In that little kitchen on Knickerbocker Place, trying ~~new~~ (… At this point everything was new) recipes and cooking together we really fell further in love with each other…

First time we cooked a whole bird. Little Baby Trost!

… And Salmon with Lemon and Dill.

Both of which were good for our hearts.

I still make this often and love that I can use the dill we have growing among the herbs.

Salmon with Lemon and Dill

2014-10-16 17:30:30

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Ingredients

1/4 cup butter, melted
1 pound of salmon
5 TBS fresh lemon juice
1 TBS dried or chopped fresh Dill Weed
Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Lightly grease a medium baking sheet.
Mix butter and lemon juice, brush or drizzle onto salmon.
Season with dill, salt and pepper.
Bake for 20-25 minutes.
Serve right away.

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

Here are a few other National Seafood Month events happening in the next week in Indy! Take the #healthyheartpledge and eat more seafood!

October 21; 12 p.m.

Jolene Ketzenberger, with EatDrinkIndy.com, will demonstrate how to prepare easy, inexpensive and nutritious seafood recipes during lunchtime at the City Market, 222 E. Market St., Indianapolis.

October 24, 12 p.m.

Chef’s Seafood Cook-Off, 644 E. Washington St., Indianapolis: Chef’s Academy students will prepare their own seafood recipes. You are invited to sample their recipes and vote for your favorite!

Unfancy Beets

October 13, 2014 by theblogbloom.com 1 Comment

I can’t remember the last time Adam and I went out for a “date night.”

I am racking my brain to try to recall… Hmm. It might have been when we went to St. Elmo in Indianapolis last January.

Geesh. Sounds like a long time ago…

But, even though that was almost a year ago, I don’t think we feel like we are due for a night out to dinner. We do “date night” at home instead.

And, I actually prefer date night at home.

Okay, okay. Depends on where we are going. You can take me to St. Elmo whenever, love.

But other than that, I enjoy our weekend dates at home a lot.

Adam and I have talked about it and he agrees.

We both are pretty decent cooks and, outside of sushi, we can cook, if not better, on par with almost any restaurant we would go to.

Not to mention, with our at home dates, we avoid sixteen year old valets trying to park Adam’s big truck in parking garages that are too small and 50% mark ups on bottles of wine…

So our blue house out in the field has become the steak house, the seafood restaurant and we have even given sushi a try!

For date nights, we like to try new recipes and learn to love them so much that our past date night meals tend to become our week night meals.

In fact, Adam recently looked up from a Tuesday night dinner plate as we sat down at the table and said, “If someone didn’t know us any better, they would probably think that we are really fancy for a Tuesday.”

I look at the plate. I had roasted everything in the oven. The thyme carrots, rosemary beets and even the Dijon chicken.

“Really?” I asked. Everything excluding the Dijon had come from the backyard… maybe he is thinking from the trendy Farm to Table perspective?

Beets growing this summer.

“Yeah. People would think a meal like this is fancy because it looks like it took a lot of effort to cook.”

Really…? My oven did all the work. Boxed Mac and Cheese is more hands on than this meal.

Roasting vegetables is still something I do for date night but it is so easy that it can be done for a week night without much fuss. Roasting vegetables is also one of my go-to’s when entertaining thanks to how hands off it really is.

By roasting vegetables, like beets, carrots, asparagus or Brussels sprouts, you can amplify the natural flavors and sweetness. There are also different ways to add unique flavors to dress it up or use what you have in your pantry.

All you have to do is toss the peeled and cut vegetables with a little oil, herbs and/or spices, then spread them on a pan and check them occasionally as they roast.

This year, Adam and I grew beets for the first time. We loved having homegrown beets so much this summer that we planted a second crop for this fall and it seems like we roast a bunch once a week.

Roasted beets make a great side dish but are also fabulous on top of a salad with a little goat cheese and nuts. Try them at your next “Date Night.”

Rosemary Roasted Beets

2014-10-13 19:41:16

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Ingredients

1 Bunch Roasted Beets, peeled and cut in consistent sized pieces
1 large sprig rosemary, chopped
1 TBS Olive Oil
Salt and Pepper

Instructions

Preheat Oven to 400 degrees.
Spread all ingredients out on a foil lined baking sheet.
Toss all ingredients together until beets are well coated.
Fold up the sides of the foil to make a pouch leaving a hole to vent.
Bake for 45 minutes or until beets are tender.

Notes

We sometimes top these with lemon juice and goat cheese which really compliments the natural sweetness of the beets.

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

Souper Soup Accompanist

October 9, 2014 by theblogbloom.com 1 Comment

Ladies and gentlemen… Soup season is upon us!

Colder, dreary, gray days are brighter and cozier with a scratch made soup warming on the stove top.

Last weekend was a prime example: the weather was mean. It was windy. Brutally cold for the first weekend of October. And apparently, Chicago even saw snow…!

Miserable? Kinda… Okay, yes. But, a perfect weekend for soup.

And I hit it kind of hard.

I had soup for every meal (besides breakfast…) from Friday dinner to Monday lunch. There was a tomato soup that I had canned a few weeks ago with the garden tomatoes. A trip to Panera where I settled on black bean soup because they were out of broccoli cheddar and chicken noodle soup. (Apparently I wasn’t the only one with soup on the mind…) Adam even got on board with the desire for soup and made a chicken gumbo straight out of this months Bon Appetit using the garden’s carrots, celery and herbs.

Side Note: The gumbo was fab. Pick up a copy today. The tailgating story the recipe was a part of was so neat and made both Adam and I kind of wish we had gone to school in the south. Not that we don’t love our Boilers… but… yeah. It looked pretty fun.

As I was out by the herbs snipping a few sprigs of thyme for Adam’s gumbo, I also snipped a tall sprig of rosemary.

My rosemary has done amazingly well in comparison to last year. This time last year I had given up on it. But, this year, I am considering bringing my container of rosemary inside when the temperature dips below freezing to see if it will continue to grow throughout the winter.

I fanned the sprig of rosemary by my nose.

It’s piney scent reminded me instantly of Christmas. Some say that rosemary’s scent is good for your memory and if that’s true I don’t find it ironic at all that it transports my memory to Christmas time.

My mom was good about making gifts for the neighbors, family friends, people at church and our teachers at Christmas time. Some years it was cookies, others maybe candies and gourmet coffee grounds. But, one year in early high school, she made loaves upon loaves of rosemary focaccia bread. It smelled like I was walking into the freshest bakery every time I came home that December.

And, not only did the bread smell great, it tasted great too. Mom would, of course, also make plenty of loaves for the family and freeze them. They would be brought out throughout the winter on Sunday afternoons when she would make soup for lunch and it was awesome because it would feel like Panera in my own home.

As I ran my fingers along the piney leaves of the sprig I decided that it was time to make my rosemary parmesan focaccia.

(Plus, I was due for something other than soup…)

Every winter, by January, I have this recipe memorized. But, since I hadn’t made it for about six months, I was a little rusty and had to dig the recipe out of the archives.

It’s a little labor intensive (just a little, I promise) and isn’t something you can make quickly, but it is absolutely perfect for a Sunday afternoon as a soup simmers on the stove top or in the crock pot.

The recipe also makes a lot of dough so I typically make two loaves and it freezes great. So, it is good for a crowd… or for saving for the next Sunday when you want to be a little lazy.

Rosemary Parmesan Focaccia

2014-10-09 09:16:41

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Ingredients

1 3/4 cup warm water
1 package dry active yeast
1 TBS sugar
3 cups flour
2 cups bread flour
1 TBS salt, plus more for adding to top
1/2 cup olive oil, plus more for lining bowl and topping
3 TBS fresh rosemary, chopped
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
Freshly cracked black pepper for adding to top

Instructions

In a small bowl, dissolve the sugar into the warm water. Add the package of yeast and lightly stir with a wooden spoon. Set aside until the yeast is foamy. This will take at least fifteen minutes.
Using a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook bowl, combine the flours, salt, oil and yeast mixture.
Mix until ingredients just come together.
Once the dough forms a ball and pulls from the sides of the bowl, increase the mixer's speed to medium and knead for about ten minutes. The dough should be smooth. If it is too wet, add a little flour. Too dry, add a bit of water.
Transfer the ball of dough to a slightly floured surface and knead a couple times by hand.
Coat the inside of the mixing bowl with oil and put the ball of dough into the greased bowl, turning it to coat the dough with oil.
Cover the bowl with a damp towel or plastic wrap and let the dough rise until it doubles in size. This will take about an hour.
After an hour, prepare a pan (I divide the dough and use two round cake pans but you could use a jelly roll pan) with a little oil and spread dough out in the pans using your hands.
Once dough is fitted to the pan(s), poke holes throughout the top using your fingers.
Cover pan(s) with plastic wrap or a slightly damp towel and let rise for another hour.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Top the bread with a drizzle of olive oil and sprinkle on chopped rosemary and parmesan cheese. Season with salt and pepper.
Bake about thirty minutes, or until the top is golden brown. Rotate the pans halfway through to ensure even browning.
Let bread rest twenty minutes after removing from oven.
Cut and serve or store in a container or wrapped in foil for about a week. To freeze, wrap tightly in foil after completely cooling and use within three months.

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

Charming Chard

October 5, 2014 by theblogbloom.com 3 Comments

I am kind of disappointed in the fall crop of chard I planted in late July. It is not growing like I expected. And, it doesn’t look as vibrant as I was hoping for.

Okay. To give the chard a little credit: it did grow well and it does look good.

I was just hoping the stalks of my chard would shoot up full of colors like reds, yellows, and oranges like I saw in a Master Gardener’s garden last summer.

Instead, the stalks of mine are white.

Perplexed about the chard’s appearance, I did a little research. Turns out there are three different varieties of chard: Rainbow, Red and Swiss. I had planted Swiss.

My disappointment faded as I kept reading and learning more about this powerhouse of a leafy green. Chard, no matter what the variety, is packed with vitamins, nutrients, antioxidants and minimal calories.

One website even said that if vegetables were to receive grades for nutritional components, chard would be the valedictorian. One serving brings more than 300% of your daily Vitamin K to the table, in addition to plenty of cancer fighting and blood sugar regulating properties.

So, with all these healthy benefits, one might think that chard must really lack in the flavor department… But, think again.

Well… first I will put out a warning: Eating chard raw is… a little rough. Probably only for the super strong health nuts.

I am not there… and doubt I will ever be. But, that’s okay because, in cooking, chard is incredibly versatile and can be boiled, steamed, sauteed, braised– whatever!

Through these techniques, the flavor is not just tolerable, but tasty and the nutrients can be more condensed.

Since our first harvest this fall, Adam and I have enjoyed our Swiss Chard baked into a frittata, mixed in with lemony pasta or just cooked like spinach or kale.

I have made this protein packed salad a couple times for lunch because it’s easy, all the ingredients are staples in my kitchen and, most importantly, it fuels me with plenty of energy to get through an afternoon of phone calls, spreadsheets, and onto garden chores and evening spinning!

It definitely doesn’t disappoint.

Swiss Chard and Chickpea Salad

2014-10-05 13:38:42

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Ingredients

2 TBS olive oil, divided
1 big bunch of Swiss Chard (About 10-13 leaves), center stems cut out and leaves chopped
2 cups of chicken broth (Vegetable broth works too)
2 medium shallots, finely chopped
4 medium garlic cloves, minced
1 15.5 ounce can of chickpeas (garbanzo beans), drained and rinsed
2 tablespoons of fresh lemon juice
Salt and Pepper to taste
1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese

Instructions

In a large skillet, heat 1 TBS olive oil over medium-high heat. Add half of the Swiss Chard and cook until just wilted then add the remaining chard.
When all of the chard has wilted, add the broth. Cover the skillet and cook for about ten minutes or until the chard is tender. Drain the chard and set aside.
Wipe out skillet and heat 1 TBS olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the shallots and garlic. Cook, stirring, until fragrant.
Add the cooked chard and chickpeas to the pan. Cook until the beans are just heated through, about three minutes.
Remove from heat and add lemon juice, salt and pepper, and feta. Stir to just combine.
Eat right away.

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

Cleaning Up the Garden for Winter

October 2, 2014 by theblogbloom.com 1 Comment

The tomatoes are done.

The cucumbers are gone.

The zucchini is just a memory.

It really is October and summer is officially over.

Even though I still have a few crops that are more resistant to the colder temperatures, it’s not a bad idea to start cleaning up and preparing the garden for winter.

Picking up the garden, cleaning the garden tools and preparing the beds for a long, cold winter will help the garden have a strong start come spring.

Head on over to Scratch Mommy for my Garden Clean Up Check List. Congrats on a great garden season!

“Basic” Apple Crostata

September 30, 2014 by theblogbloom.com 1 Comment

The term “Basic” has kind of moved from an internet buzzword to a cultural phenomenon in the last couple weeks. Do I dare call it this months ice bucket challenge?!

“Basic” is used to describe a woman, likely in her twenties and was very eloquently defined recently in New York Magazine as “a terminally boring Sex and The City viewer and consumer of Pumpkin Spice Lattes.”

Everyone knows a “basic” girl. They are all over Facebook and definitely Instagram. In fact “#basic” has been used just about one million times on IG.

You can even take quizzes to find out just how “basic” you are.

Admittedly, I got sucked in and had to participate. Surprisingly, the quiz said I wasn’t that basic.

However, I am pretty sure I was automatically disqualified the instant I said juice cleanses don’t interest me.

Or that I swore off diet coke years ago. (However, I probably still got partial points for calling it a “DC” in my mind…)

Definitely disqualified when I said that I am not just not a fan of Jennifer Lawrence, but that I kind of hate her. And not in the “Oh my gosh. I can’t even… She’s flaw-less.” kind of hate her… But rather the, “She’s beyond obnox and I am pretty sure she is faking it” kind of hate her.

…. More partial points for the abbreviated “obnoxious.”

The thing is, any woman from 17-32 is a little basic.

I still quote Mean Girls… daily. I woke up early to watch Kate Middleton’s wedding and I will tell my daughters about how fabulous it was. And, really… what is SO wrong with a boozy brunch?!

So, I have decided, we all need to stop being so ashamed about it.

Especially this time of year. In the start of autumn, us “basic bitches” need to stick together.

I get the rush and excitement you get about your first Pumpkin Spice Latte and I don’t even like PSL’s.

The first Pumpkin Spice Latte translates to the excitement for fall.

(However, if it’s eighty degrees and you are ordering it “iced?” I am sorry. Stop.)

I feel the same excitement the instant I put on my first over sized, cable knit sweater of the season, which is apparently very “basic” of me.

And so is enjoying a fall spiced candle.

Or putting a decent amount of time into the perfect handmade Halloween costume.

Or enjoying a bonfire on a crisp night.

Or wearing boots, leggings and a flannel to said bonfire.

… I’m sorry. It’s a bonfire. What am I supposed to wear!?

So, whatever.

It’s probably super “basic” of me to respond with “whatever… but, what—ever.

I like going to the apple orchard. Seeing the trees where my apples grew. Meeting the farmers. Loving on their cozy gift shop full of apple butter, mulling spices and cider.

I love taking the apples I picked out and making this delicious and super basic (basic… as in simple to create basic. Not as in totally awesome chick who is probably my best friend already “basic.”) rustic Apple Crostata inspired by Ina Garten.

PS- Ina is the author of “Back to Basics.” Ahead of her time? Maybe… 🙂

A crostata is an Italian baked tart, similar to a pie.

… but a little less basic.

Apple Crostata

2014-09-30 17:19:36

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For the Crust

1 cup flour
2 tablespoons sugar
1/4 tablespoon salt
1 stick of very cold butter, diced
2 tablespoons or ice water, plus more if needed

For the Filling

About 3 large (1 1/2 pounds) macintosh, Macoun, or Empire apples
1/4 teaspoon grated orange zest
1/4 cup flour
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground allspice
4 tablespoons or 1/2 stick of cold butter, diced

For the Crust

Place the flour, sugar, and salt in the food processor fitted with a steel blade. Pulse a few times to combine.
Add the butter and pluse about 15 times.or until the butter is similar in size to peas.
With the motor running add the cold water through the feeding tube.
Pulse to combine but stop before the dough becomes a solid mass.
If more cold water is needed, add only 1/4 a teaspoon at a time.
Place the dough on a well floured surface and shape into a disk.
Wrap disk in saran and refrigerate for at least an hour.
Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
Flour a rolling pin and roll the dough into a circle on a lightly floured surface. Transfer it to a baking sheet.
Peel, core and cut the apples into eighths and then cut each wedge into three chunks.
Toss the apple chunks with the orange zest in a bowl.
Cover the dough with the apple chunks leaving a 1 inch border.
Combine the flour, sugar, salt, cinnamon and allspice in the bowl of a food processor with a steel blade with a few pulses.
Add the butter and pulse until crumbly.
Rub filling through your fingers until it begins to hold together and then sprinkle over the apples.
Fold the dough border over the apples to enclose the crostata.
Bake for about 30-35 minutes or until the crust is golden and the apples are tender.
Great to serve warm or at room temperature.

Notes

I used Macoun apples. They were recommended by the orchard as great baking apples as well as just for eating.

Adapted from Ina Garten

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The Buzz on Bees

September 23, 2014 by theblogbloom.com 17 Comments

The last few days have been great for window down driving.

Driving the country roads with the sun shining, but not blaring down with lots of heat, the leaves on the verge of changing, and the scent in the air that is quintessential of the change from summer to fall makes my soul happy. It also doesn’t hurt to have Taylor Swift’s super catchy and happiness inducing “Shake It Off” coming through the radio.

Maybe that’s just me…

However, thanks to my lower car windows and the time of year, I have found myself in the company of bees while in the drivers seat.

I am not afraid of bees because, basically living at the neighborhood pool as a kid, I have been stung enough to know it’s not a big deal. But, I can’t help but get a little jumpy when they get that close in a tight space.

Actually, I love bees.

Bee’s are awesome because they make my garden beautiful and full of produce.

Bees are actually a major part of the success of any garden as they are incredibly efficient pollinators.

While on the hunt for nectar, bees pick up pollen and transfer it to female plants as they fly from one flower to another making plants stronger.

But bees aren’t just important for backyard gardens; they play a vital role in our entire food system. One third of the food consumed across the planet relies on pollination from bees.

But, in recent years, the bee population has been on the decline and colonies have been collapsing. There is a debate to why the world is seeing fewer bees because there has not been any scientific evidence for one way or another.

Some experts claim environmental factors, like the destruction of bees natural habits, is to blame. Others wonder if the use of pesticides has effected them. There is talk about a parasite that bees may have contracted and some wonder about global warming or the state of our water.

All bad. But, a world without bees would be even worse. A world without bees would lead to massive malnutrition and major economic hardships. Farmers and food corporations would lose their jobs and the cost of food would go way up.

One of the easiest ways to help bees help you in your vegetable garden is designate some garden beds for flowers.

But, not just any flowers. The best flowers to plant to drive bees to your garden are wide, similar to a daisy shaped flowers. This year I planted zinnia’s and dahlia’s and they have not only worked great, but also look really nice.

I planted a large amount of flower seeds in the garden bed designated for flowers because bees are creatures of habit and they will return to a high yielding and rewarding flower bed. Our garden beds are eight feet by three feet and the bees have been loving it.

Other things you can do to help bees in your area is promote your local bee keeper by purchasing his products or, something that is on my 5 year garden plan radar- start your own hive!

Butterflies are also great pollinators and they look pretty too!