Fresh Friday

Welcome Friday!!! so I thought I would share of few pics from a recent sister day I had. That's me enjoying a little vino at one of my favorite places The Stray Dog . This place is so fun in the summer, they have a really awesome rooftop deck that overlooks lake michigan. So my sister and I did some shopping at the outlet mall and then headed over to the Stray Dog for some pizza and wine.
And then over to another one of my favorite places Brewster's ... for some more vino!!! What more could a girl ask for in a day shopping, pizza and vino with your best friend!!! We had great sister time, I cherish every minute we get to spend together. Sisters "rock" You can always depend on your sister, she is the one person who knows exactly what I am always thinking, even sometimes before I do!!! There is a special connection sisters have, and there is no other bond like it. I can't say enough how much my sister means to me we have been through good times and bad, cried together, laughed together, talked about our hopes and dreams together and most importantly we spend a lot of time together. I think having a sister that is also your best friend is kind of a rare thing, some siblings don't even get along or talk to each other, so for that I am most grateful.
So now on to my fresh friday post. I am super excited to share this one it totally ROCKED MY WORLD
So here you have it PEA AND FETA SPREAD

This was so stinking easy and so so yummy
all you do is bring a pot of water to boil and add 2 cups of peas and blanch for about 3 min then toss in the blender and add 1 cup of feta, pinch of roasted garlic, 1 tbs EVOO (extra virgin olive oil) in case you are wondering :-) 2 tbs mint leaves and some salt and pepper to taste, pulse everything until slightly chunky, serve on your favorite toasted bread. This recipe called for ricotta but I am not a fan so I switched it up and used feta , I love feta and it worked great! This was so incredibly easy and so so yummy! I think it is my new favorite spring bruschetta. I had this with a really yummy shrimp mango salad with lemon grass chille vinaigrette. I will be posting that next fresh friday recipe. I hope you give this one a try , if you love peas you will love this spread! Hope you have a fun and creative weekend, I think I will make a new spring beachy inspired wreath!
S~

"Sitting quietly, doing nothing, spring comes, and the grass grows by itself" Zen Proverb

Getting Crafty

So you have to forgive me I missed my fresh friday post yesterday... busy week. Anyway I know we are all tired of soups and winter comfort food but I made this awesome Coconut curry sweet potato soup and let me say it ROCKED!!! We had a similar soup in Saugatuck at his awesome place called the Wild Dog Bar and Grill so I thought to myself how can I duplicate this soup. So here is my take on the coconut curry sweet potato soup.

Coconut Curry Sweet Potato Soup

I used 1 large sweet potato
1/2 cup of coconut milk
2-3 cups vegetable broth the sweet potato is thick so you may have to tweak the broth to get the consistency you like your soup to be
curry powder to taste
1/2 tbs roasted garlic
1/2 tbs or so of ginger in the jar

Cook sweet potato in the microwave, usually a large sweet potato takes about 10 min or so to cook
after the potato is cooked scoop out all the sweet goodness into a blender add all the above ingredients and blend until desired thickness

That is it! So I think this will be the last soup recipe I post until next fall. I just had to get one more in because it was soooo yummy.
Enjoy~
I am already thinking about some fresh spring yummies!
Hope you have a Happy weekend. The birds are telling me spring is here now we just need to talk mother nature into it :-)
S~





So seeing that spring has been rapidly approaching and winter has been so brutal I have been inspired to get crafty. So here is my latest little project.... I bought a canvas painted it aqua blue then found some letters on the computer. I then printed the letters out and traced them on the canvas. Next I found these cute little sparkly sequins at my local fabric store and used clear glue to adhere them to the canvas. That's it ! so simple and I think it turned out super cute. Now the blue jars above I found at an antique shop at one of my favorite beach towns Saugatuck Michigan. They are old mason jars and they are a really pretty blue, I never knew mason jars came in blue. So while in Saugatuck for the weekend we went down to the beach to take some photos and I collected a bunch of beach rocks and drift wood. I simply placed them in the mason jars and voila a super cute and inexpensive way to display your beach finds.

~Fresh Friday~

Well here we are another Fresh Friday and I think spring is finally deciding to come around. Let me tell you it has been a brutal winter, but if you ask me they are all brutal!!! I just can't fall in love with winter. As much as I try to get along with winter, winter always get's the best of me. So now that we are moving into spring my taste buds start to ask for lighter fare.Isn't it funny how suddenly one day you decide you are done with soups and heavy comfort food ??? So I have been trying to eat fish at least twice a week not only because it is so good for you but I really love a nice delicate mild fish. So for my fresh friday recipe I have chosen Mahi tacos yumo-o !!!

Mahi fish tacos with adobo seasoning

now you can buy adobo seasoning but I hve found it hard to find so I got on the internet and found a few variations for this seasoning.If you are not familiar with this seasoning it is a Mexican inspired seasoning.


For the seasoning you will need:

1/4 cup paprika
3tbs black pepper
2tbs onion powder
2tbs mexican oregano I used reg oregano (what I had on hand)
2tbs cumin
1tbs chili powder or chipotle powder
1tbs garlic powder.

Now mind you this makes a large batch so just store it in a empty spice jar you have on hand.

For the Tacos :
I used mahi fillets
rub seasoning all over mahi with a little olive oil

meanwhile make a red cabbage slaw :
Shred 1/2 cup red cabbage dice 1/2 cup cherry tomatoes
1/4 cup of diced cucumber
dice a little red onion
a 1/4 teaspoon of fresh garlic
a little fresh cilantro and a touch of white wine vinegar
Mix all ingredients
then grill or bake mahi according to package
I used organic whole grain spelt tortillas but use your favorite tortillas I always warm my tortillas first.
dollop a little red cabbage slaw a little shredded organic jack cheese and a squeeze of fresh lime juice.

Enjoy with some organic blue corn chips and salsa oh and don't forget the vino !!!

So I leave you with this happy little spring picture taken at one of our local county parks last spring.It was such a beautiful day for a spring hike in the woods that day. It was so refreshing, there is nothing better than that first warm spring day. You can just BREATHE a sigh of happiness!
Hope you have a fabulous weekend the sun is supposed to shine all weekend wooo hoooo !!!

Thoughts of Spring !!!

Ok so I am so tired of boots I could scream!!! So as I am sitting here posting this it has started to snow like crazy again yuck yuck and more yuck. This is the time of year when I start taking inventory in my closet. I start pulling out all my spring clothes and shoes and start getting excited for cute spring things! What girl doesn't ??? So I came across these happy little sandals so I put them on and they made me smile , Daisies are so happy they just smiled right back at me. Thanks little daisies you just brightened my day , what else can you do on a snowy cold day but dream about spring and all the good things to come. I am trying to find one positive thing every day and be thankful for it, despite all the negatives in life you can always at least find one thing to be thankful for each day. So today I am thankful that I have an amazing husband who puts up with all my crazy ideas and is so supportive and encouraging in everything I do !

Thanks Honey for an awesome weekend out of town you are too good to me! that is just what I needed. Stay tuned I will be posting about the weekend trip next .... I'm off to go take inventory in my closet with positive thoughts of spring and good things!!!

It's spring fever. That is what the name of it is. And when you've got it, you want - oh, you don't quite know what it is you do want, but it just fairly makes your heart ache, you want it so! ~Mark Twain

Happy Frozen Friday!!!

Let me introduce you to the Island Girl Cocktail...

Island Girl

Stir together 8 ounces (1 cup) cranberry juice cocktail, 8 ounces (1 cup) vodka, 4 ounces (½ cup) ginger ale, and 2 ounces (¼ cup) fresh lime juice in a large pitcher. Pour into ice-filled glasses, and garnish with lime wedges. Makes 4 servings.
So winter still has it's nasty little grip on us but.... 22 more days to spring!!! I know we need to stay positive but... it is really hard when the sun doesn't shine for days on end. So I will just keep dreaming about warm beachy places. What I wouldn't give to be lounging in that lounger while reading a good book. I think I am there now in my mind .AHHHH yes I can feel the warm salty sea air blowing through my hair while I sip the Island Girl cocktail. I long for the day when my toes hit the sand.
So for now I will light some candles, pour some vino , put on some jazz and start some spring crafting! So I bought this letter S painted it turquoise then simply glued tiny little sea shells to it. Voila you have a cute little beach inspired project.

Then for the daisy wreath I just bought a simple wreath and hot glued on the daisies and the cute little turquoise butterflies, yes turquoise again I LOVE turquoise. So since the weather is crummy get to crafting it will lift your spirits.

Well I am off to start another craft project... I will keep you posted!
S~
Have a Fabulous Friday !

Photography Love

So all this sunshine we have had all weekend has really inspired me. Now I am no professional photographer but I think I have an eye for it. My husband is so supportive of my photography and always encourages me. I am always looking for a great photo opp. I try to take my camera with me everywhere I go. You never know when your eye will catch something special.
I have been thinking about taking a photography class for a long time, I just need to do it! Life get's so busy that sometimes your passions and dreams go by the wayside. I guess the saying "get busy living or get busy dying " really rings true. So I thought I would share a few of my photos.... I can't wait until spring so I can get out there with my camera and start snapping photos !

I hope you had a chance this weekend to do something creative and fun !

I can't wait to take some more photos and share them. I think am starting to come out of my winter depression, funny how a little sunshine will do that to you!
Be Inspired, Be Creative, Be Free To Dream


"If you can imagine it you can create it. If you can dream it, you can become it."
Ward, William Arthur

Happy Crafting

Wow the sun has been shinning for two days now and I couldn't be happier or more inspired! This winter has really been hard. When the sun shines I get a little crazy and want to do a million things, sometimes I get anxiety and I can't decided what project I want to do! Since the sun has been shining I have suddenly been re inspired to be creative. So the other might we had craft night at my friend Sara's house. We made an awesome salad with a mango dressing and some olive tapenade bruschetta, it was YUMMY!
Then we poured some vino and got busy crafting.....
We pulled out the paint and bedazzles and got to crafting!

Now we didn't finish our projects that night but we made a good start, we did however laugh a lot, we laughed so much it hurt! It is so nice to be around such inspiring and crafty girls. When I get this project done I will post it so stay tuned for more craft nights with the girls...

I hope you are inspired I think my creative juices are flowing, must be all the sunshine! I have to say our first craft night was a success. Hope you find something crafty to do this weekend. Check back for more craft nights. Today I am a Happy Crafter! Now get to crafting.
S~