Baked Citrus Artichokes and Dijon Lime Dipping Sauce

I bought some artichokes last week, and only today got around to cooking them. I was going to steam them, but decided to do something different. I don't think I'll ever steam them again, as long as I have an oven!! I baked them and they were osoyummy!

First I simply cut them in half, laid them open side up, drizzled a little olive oil (which, in hindsight, I could have left out), sprinkled some salt, put a lemon slice on it and sliced onions, and covered. I put them in the oven for about 15 mins on 375, then flipped them so that the moisture would stay in and the oil would drain out. Put them back in for about 15 more minutes (still covered). I want to try this with orange slices instead of lemon. I think it'd be just as good but completely different!

I made a dipping sauce that was *almost* guiltless, and SUPER yummy. I have a new favorite!!! I took about 1 Tbs of mayo, 1 Tbs of dijon mustard, and 1 Tbs of lime juice, added a little fresh ground pepper, and mixed well. This was the perfect amount of dipping sauce for 1 1/2 artichokes - yes I had a heck of an appetite tonight LOL!

I whipped up some grits for Katie, and had to try them as well. My first time making grits that weren't instant - weren't too bad but they could have been better.

Ink for my Bday?

So I've been wanting to get a tattoo. Since I'm turning 27 next week, I'd love to get one for my birthday. So up and coming - a few ideas:

70+ degrees? Yes please!

So the weather today is amazing. We have been outside soaking up the sun, cleaning up the yard. Katie is loving it! Unfortunately, with the sun, out come the snakes, so we have to be a lot more careful now than when it was cooler out.

I made a breakfast shake for mom today and it turned out great! It was apples, pears, bananas, strawberries, blueberries, oatmeal, almond butter, and about 1 T of honey. I tossed in a little cereal for some crunch (Honey Kix) and even Katie loved it this time!

Nothing real new to report... just taking life one day at a time. I can't wait to get my photos back from the first batch of film I turned in!

April

So, my internet has been out for a few days. Good stuff! We finally got it back up and running last night and I'm starting to catch up. Nothing new to report... I haven't been cooking much so no fun recipes or concoctions to share... yet!

Spring is in the air...

It was a beautiful day today.

I made stuffed bell peppers and baked chicken for the volunteers I cook for 2x a week. I made the bell pepper filling vegetarian for those who don't eat meat on Good Friday. I simply made a bean/rice mixture and cooked it up with a bit of salt and olive oil, then added tomato sauce, sautee'd onion, TVP, and seasoned salt. Mixed it all together and stuffed it in halved bells, baked for 45 mins on 400*. Good stuff!

I scored a Canon EOS Rebel K2 from my grandpa. It's a film camera, so my photos are going to take awhile to get posted. I'm totally stoked and have already taken lots of photos. I have recently received a refresher how expensive it is to develop film. Ouch!

Then, I was in the mood to play with PowerPoint, since I don't have any new photos to post yet.