-Snapshot Of The Week-

“Grief is the price we pay for love.”

-Queen Elizabeth II

*Photo credit Pinterest*

 

Blossoms On A Budget

I can be a bit of a penny pincher when it comes to “extras.”

  Because of my thriftyness there are some luxuries in life that must suffer.

  Obviously, fresh flowers fall into that category since we all know how expensive store bought bouquets are which by default, make the fake ones much more attractive.

   This gives me one more reason to be even more smitten with having a garden of my own and have fresh flowers available to me at a cost of $0.00.

  I cut these blushing beauties from my garden to pretty up my kitchen.

  Mission accomplished.

I always knew I would love having a home and a garden that was just my own; I day dreamed for hours about it and now that it’s actually here the feeling is even better than I’d imagined. Sometimes I stop myself mid-step and soak up my surrounding for just a minute before continuing on my way. So my advice for this weekend to all you lovely readers, take a moment, look around you and appreciate all the luxuries you see that you would otherwise pass by. Stop and smell the roses.

 

Happy weekend!

 

*Photo credit property of Reckless Bliss*

In The Kitchen With Butternut Squash and Goat Cheese Ravioli

This is one of those “MMMMmmmm!” kind of recipes. As in, you will most likely be saying that with every bite. It’s basically five ingredients that come together to make utter heaven in your mouth. I am counting the days until I make this for dinner again because it’s such a crowd pleaser and isn’t always nice to see someone enjoying your food? Here’s how it came together for me (See the bottom of this post for a complete recipe):

First thing I do is make tomato sauce since it should simmer for about an hour. You can buy sauce in a jar if you would prefer to save the time I just happen to love homemade. Mine varies depending on what’s available to me. This particular sauce had the basics to keep the flavors more focused on the ingredients: tomatoes, garlic, red onion, olive oil, basil, oregano etc.

After about an hour your sauce should look something like this and will have filled your house with an amazing smell.

 I don’t normally puree my pasta sauce but because I’m going to add other elements to this I want the sauce to be smooth so you can really get the full effect of the other toppings. Puree until all the chunks are smooth which takes about 45 seconds on high.

Next I made candied pecans. It might seem not worth it but trust me, candying these delicious little buggers is pivotal to the tastiness of this dish. Plus it’s pretty simple to do. I made a quick sauce with an egg white, brown sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg.

Then I put a cups worth of pecans in the juices. (I suggest making a few extra as a snack because these babies are so dang good)

Bath time for pecans.

    

Once they’re all coated and shiny I laid them out on a cookie sheet covered in parchment paper. This is one of the many instances I love having a toaster oven. So much easier and saves huge on power. I threw them in the toaster for about ten minutes at 350.

While the pecans are baking I tossed the butternut squash ravioli in a pot to boil. I found this ravioli at Costco over by the fancy cheeses. When you open the package it smells just like Thanksgiving. The nutmeg and sage smell amazing so it’s a great dinner to make in Fall too. Plus aren’t the colors fun? The cashier told me her kids call it “Nemo Pasta” which I thought was quite fitting.

After about ten minutes the pecans look like this. Let them cool down before breaking them up. It only takes a few minutes and they crumble really easily when cooled.

 

Speaking of fancy cheese, you will need some goat cheese to crumble on top of your pasta. My cat goes absolutely bananas for this stuff. This particular cheese was another Costco purchase for me. Goat cheese is one of my weaknesses; it calls my name from the shelf and says, “Don’t you love me anymore?” Resistance is futile.

  The last component is fresh basil leaves. I got mine from my garden box which makes me click my heels. It’s satisfying to get use out of your summer long TLC time. I’m starting to finally see some tomatoes too, it’s pretty incredible to watch it all grow everyday.

 

Now it’s just a matter of laying out the dish. I overlapped the ravioli then poured on some tomato sauce. Then I sprinkled on the candied pecans followed by the goat cheese and basil. It’s incredible how much this dish really does smell like Thanksgiving. My fella and I were just standing in the kitchen taking in deep breathes while we waited for it to be done cooking. Thanksgiving in August? Darn tootin!

So here’s a summary of everything I just said:

Ingredients:

1 package Butternut Squash Ravioli

2-3 cups tomato sauce (jarred or homemade and preferably smooth)

1 cup Pecans

1 Egg White

1/4 cup Brown Sugar

1 tsp Nutmeg

1 tsp Cinnamon

1/2 cup Goat Cheese

1/4 cup Fresh Basil Leaves

Directions:

Preheat oven/toaster oven to 350. Follow directions on ravioli package. While pasta boils, beat egg white, brown sugar, nutmeg and cinnamon by hand in a bowl until frothy. Bathe pecans in mix and thoroughly cover every pecan. Lay out pecans on parchment lined cookie sheet and bake for 8-10 minutes until golden.

While pecans cool lay ravioli on plate and cover in tomato sauce. Crumbled on goat cheese then crush candied pecans over pasta. Top dish with basil leaves and serve.

Enjoy!

 

*Photo credits property of Reckless Bliss*

-Snapshot Of The Week-

“If it's true that men are such beasts, this must account for the fact that most women are animal lovers.”

 

-Ms Doris Day

  

 

*Photo credit Pinterest*

 

Summer Lovin’

Now that we’re into August and the end of summer is nearing I’m cherishing the little time left I have of the beauty this season brings. I thought I would share with you guys some of my summer lovin’s around my home.

Since this is my first summer in my first home I’ve never had a rose bush of my own before but growing up my mom grew them below my bedroom window and I would sit and stare at them for hours in awe of their silent beauty.

      Then summer came this year and these little pink buds started flourishing and flooding me with joy. I love roses and I love pink. Perfection.

   I was pleased to see all the other flowers that sprouted around my yard too. It was such a nice bonus of purchasing our home to get all these splashes of color.

     Speaking of bonuses, we also have a blueberry bush that gives us more than enough berries to feed us through summer. We all know berries cost a small fortune so it’s a lovely perk to step outside and pick some for free.

This is the neighbor’s chubby kitty who spends more time in our yard than his own but that’s ok by me because clearly he’s cute as a button.

 

           It’s tough wearing a fur coat in this heat; a fella’s got to stay hydrated.

  I’ve also been attempting to grow some of my own things like strawberries

  

and mint.

  The neighbor cat isn’t the only frequent fuzzy visitor to my yard. This mischievous little squirrel has be wreaking havoc on my bird feeder. I fill it up and put it out for the birdies then this little guy climbs up the tree and does this:

 

Cracks it open and…

 dumps the bird food all over the ground.

 

I’m guessing this is what squirrels consider hitting the jackpot. In all honesty it doesn’t really bother me that he does this because squirrels need full tummies too and the birds still swarm the seeds on the ground. My fella isn’t as understanding as I am since it appears to kill that patch of grass but I say it’s a small price to pay to watch the critters enjoy themselves.

 

What are some of your summer lovins’? Anything you find especially pleasurable during this season? Feel free to share!

 *Photos credits are property of Reckless Bliss*

Giveaway Winner!

Today is the day! Can you feel the excitement? Oh, I can feel it alright. Today I get to publish the winner of this amazing signed print “Junk Food” by Nathan Rohlander. Most of you know this painting from ABC’s hit show Modern Family; it hangs in Jay and Gloria’s foyer. This has been a super special giveaway for me to conduct because I was fortunate enough to get to know the artist more personally (you can join me in this by reading the interview I posted in July).

First I’d like to take a moment and display some honorable mentions. These are some highlights of entries over the past 4 weeks that I enjoyed reading about various people’s favorite works by Rohlander:

*“Junk Food.  I fall in love with this piece every time I see it.  The simplicity speaks so loudly.....happiness, contentment, and being well! Creates warmth.” –Nicole*

*“Though I am drawn to all of the work in the Different Point of View album, “Hide & Seek” reminds me of childhood shopping trips with my mom and playing in the clothes rack, making temporary forts and hideouts in the department store, this made my mom crazy!  Junk Food is another favorite, every party I have ends up in my very, very small kitchen.  Everyone is just drawn to the kitchen right?  So glad I found this sight and the artist, I have coveted this print since I saw it on Modern Family.” -Ginifer*

*“I still just LOVE Junk Food. I am an absolute flip-flop lover.I own more pairs than I can count and have trinkets and home furnishings base on that theme and would just love to own this piece of beautiful art.” -Paula*

*“My favorite work of art by Nathan Rohlander is "A Different Point of View". I am so obsessed that I had to do some serious investigating to track him down! Winning this piece would be a dream come true!!!” –Glamazon56*

I really enjoyed reading all your entries and hearing your views on the beauty you found in different pieces. Thank you so much for taking the time to enter this giveaway! I’m excited to announce a winner so I’ll get to the good stuff and reveal the lucky follower who will be hanging this beauty on their wall with pride.

 

And the winner is……

*Drum roll*

 

Maggie Torgerson, who said:

"Junk Food" is by far my favorite piece.  I'm not an artist, nor do I have any art training, but there's something about the piece that really intrigues me.  I love the perspective of the piece, and that it's not just a painting of legs and feet.  The more I look at it, the more thought provoking it becomes--I find myself visualizing what the subject looks like and what they're doing from the waist, up.”

 

  Congrats Maggie, you’ve won a really awesome prize and I’m thrilled to give it to you! A huge huge thank you to the generous and talented artist Nathan Rohlander who supplied me with this beautiful signed print to give away. If you would like to learn more about this artist you can visit his website here and/or join his Facebook page here. Oh and did I mention his wife is an awesome artist too? Check out her work here.

 

Stay tuned for more fabulous giveaways to come over at Reckless Bliss in the future!

*Photo credit Nathan Rohlander*

 

-Snapshot Of The Week-

  “I paint self-portraits because I am so often alone, because I am the person I know best.”

-Ms Frida Kahlo

*Photo credit google images*

 

The Ivy and the Willow Tree

This is my willow tree. It sits silently in the corner of our backyard swaying gently when a breeze blows and providing shade on summer days. I love my willow tree.

    When I first saw it I secretly hoped it would come to life and dole out wise advice like the willow tree in Pocahontas. It’s hard to give up on a little girl’s fantasies.

As you can see, my tree is covered in ivy. I fully admit I knew zip about plants and gardening when we made the move to our house so I thought the ivy was a nice perk to an already beautiful tree. Then my astute mother came over and set me straight on the dangers of ivy (maybe I don’t need the tree from Pocahontas after all) She brought me up to speed on the fact that ivy is actually bad and will strangle the tree and eventually kill it. Suddenly I was picturing something from a Stephen King novel; an unstoppable force of ivy that would sneak into my bedroom in the dead of night and strangle me too… My imagination takes on a life of it’s own at times.

  So I got to work pulling and yanking and jerking these ropey buggers out of the ground. After hours of sweaty upper body pain and countless bug bites I got to this point and decided to call it a day.

And what’s a girl to do with all the scary bug filled branches? Pack them into waste bags apparently. This is only five of the never ending bags being filled up around here.

  There was still a ton of vines entwined in the top of the tree but removing the bottoms rooted into the ground kills them off so the plan was to give it a week or so and come back out with a rake to get all the dead brown vines down.

  After a few days of some major heat the vines got what were coming to them. We were good to go.

BUT THEN…..

I saw this! There are a family of baby racoons living up in the tree!!!

         My first thought was, ‘Yikes! Those are vicious right?’ Looking back at this critter who had locked eyes with me and let out an angry GRRR! suddenly my mind went to a very different Disney movie moment:

Run Pumba!

*I think I just called myself a wart-hog*

 

But eventually I realized that these were little babies. Three to be exact. They were cuddled up together in a sleepy ball yawning at my interruption of their snuggle time and probably more scared of me and my incessant clicking camera than I of them.

 Then I thought about my chubby nugget of a cat and how racoons have a reputation of brawling with cats. When my cat is scared she quite often takes on the pose you see above in hopes you will just move on. I may as well bring her out to the racoons on a silver platter with these fighting skills. But alas, she is a strictly indoor kitty, that is, when she doesn’t slip past us and out the door for a few minutes of freedom before we chase her back inside.

 

So I decided they won’t be much threat and I would leave the babies alone in their willow tree home. They are too cute to serve an eviction notice to in the form of a rake. Hopefully they just move on to a new home and our battle with the ivy will continue onto it’s next saga.

 

Stay tuned…

 

*Photo credit Disney and Reckless Bliss*