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Absolute nerd-dom! Made some “land-gems” for MTG. Debating getting them printed.... Not sure I would actually be able to play with them though, that seems problematic.

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More doodles

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Doodling some people as of late.  Getting myself ready for our book!  I will give a hint... it has pears in it.  More soon!

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So Illustration. It’s kinda my new thing now. Here I was so lost, didn’t know what to do with myself and illustration found me.  I haven’t gotten a lot of work yet but stuff keeps coming up.   My sister and i have decided to put together a childrens book now.  So here’s hoping that’s a success!

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Weekly Drawing challenge! Recently some friends and I have started a weekly drawing challenge.  What started out as mere sketches getting sent back and forth has developed into digital painting for me.  I used to do a lot more of it back in school and I miss it.  The note book in the corner is a preview of an infographic I'm working on about Tide pools in the PNW.  Hope you like!

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To 2015 and beyond! Lots of good things happened over the Holidays.  Visiting family, cooking delicious food, traveling... I love everything about it.  I didn't post any of my recipes for fear of them getting to relatives that would be receiving some of the resulting delectables via packages galore.  We made Apple Cider Caramels, Apple Butter, Pear Butter... we were busy little workers, but we loved it.  I was a dumby and did not take any photos of our canning process to post at a later date so next time I snap some photos I will surely post.  For now, this is one of my current favorite recipes.   Originally posted by Smitten Kitchen Roasted Sweet Potatoes

2 tablespoons salted butter, melted 3 tablespoons olive oil Coarse salt and black pepper or red pepper flakes to taste 5 pounds sweet potatoes, peeled and sliced thin (We used 4 potatoes, that's what fit in our pan) 2 shallots, peeled and sliced thin

Heat oven to 375°F. Melt butter and olive oil together in the microwave. Pour 2 tablespoons of the mixture in the bottom of your chosen baking dish. Sprinkle butter/oil puddle with some salt and pepper. Start stacking the potatoes around and around making sure to add a sliver of shallot every now and then. Brush the top of the whole roast with the rest of the butter/oil and season with salt and pepper. Cover the dish with foil or a lid and bake for 45 minutes (you may have to add a few extra minutes, just check to make sure the potatoes are tender). Increase oven heat to 450°F, removing the lid or foil for these last 10 to 20 minutes, until the tops of potatoes and shallots are nicely crisped.

(the Salsa verde is really really good with it)

Thanksgiving Salsa Verde

Serve it on the side for drizzling, place 1 cup of parsley leaves, 1 tablespoon fresh rosemary, 1 teaspoon of fresh thyme and sage leaves, 1 small garlic clove, the zest of 1/2 a lemon and 2 teaspoons capers (rinsed and drained if salted) in a food processor and blend until chopped. Drizzle in 7 tablespoons olive oil with the machine running, just enough to make the mixture pourable. Season with salt and pepper. Enjoy!

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Keith has been playing with some black and white film.  These are some of my favorites.  https://www.flickr.com/photos/86267965@N04/

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Crunch-topped Pumpkin Muffins 2 C flour 1 C packed brown sugar 1 Tbs baking powder 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice 1/4 tsp salt 1 C pumpkin 1/2 C milk 2 eggs 1/3 C oil granola for topping Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.  Grease 12 muffin cups.  In large mixing bowl combine flour, sugar, baking powder, spices and salt.  In a separate bowl combine pumpkin, milk, eggs and oil. Add pumpkin mixture to flour mixture and stir until just combined. Do NOT over mix.  Spoon into 12 muffin cups- the cups will be full.  Sprinkle with granola on top of batter.  Bake for 18-20 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.    I never actually keep pumpkin pie spice around. If you would like to mix some up on the spot like I do mix together 3/4 tsp cinnamon, 1/4 tsp nutmeg, 1/4 tsp ground ginger, 1/8 tsp allspice.  This obviously makes a little more than 1 tsp of mix.  You can either just use it all or save the rest for another batch! 

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Vegan Chocolate Blackberry Cupcakes I made these the week before last for my good friend Kat!  Kat is vegan so I thought I would give this recipe a try.  It's worth sharing, because it came out quite tasty.  Happy Birthday dear friend of mine! 

It makes about 1 dozen cupcakes, here's what you'll need:

10 ounces (285 grams) fresh blackberries (or flash frozen is what I used) 1 1/2 cups (190 grams) all-purpose flour 3/4 cup (150 grams) granulated sugar, divided 1/2 cup (60 grams) cocoa powder 2 teaspoons espresso powder 1 teaspoon baking soda 1/2 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon vanilla 1/3 cup (78 ml) vegetable oil 1 cup (237 ml) soy milk 6 ounces (170 grams) semi-sweet chocolate baking squares, chopped finely

In a saucepan, combine the blackberries with 1/4 cup of the granulated sugar. Bring to a boil over medium heat and cook for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the berries burst and are swimming in their juices. Remove from heat.

Using a fine mesh strainer, strain out the liquid and save it for later (you should have about 1/2 cup). Place the solid fruit back into the saucepan and set aside.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a cupcake pan with baking cups.

In a mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, cocoa, espresso powder, baking soda, and salt. Add the vanilla extract, oil, and milk. Using a spatula, mix the batter until smooth. Fold in the blackberry solids.

Divide batter evenly between 12 baking cups (about 3/4 full). Bake for 18-22 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Remove from baking pan and allow to cool to room temperature.

To make the chocolate ganache frosting, place chopped chocolate into a mixing bowl. Warm the blackberry juice back up to boiling and pour over the chocolate, allowing it to set for 5 minutes before stirring until smooth. Allow frosting to rest on the counter, stirring occasionally, until it cools down and thickens (anywhere from 20 to 40 minutes).

Beat the chocolate ganache for several minutes until it incorporates air and feels lighter. Place frosting in a pastry bag (or plastic bag with the corner cut out) and pipe frosting onto the cooled cupcakes.  I hope you all enjoy this as much as we did! :)

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Zucchini Fries  A long overdue recipe for ya'll.  They taste amazing dipped in ranch or marinara sauce. Enjoy! 2 medium zucchini (about 1 pound total) 2 egg whites 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese 1/2 cup panko bread crumbs 1 tsp paprika (I used smoked paprika, regular would be delish as well) A couple pinches sea salt Freshly ground black pepper

Heat oven to 450 degrees. Get two baking sheets sprayed with oil and ready to go. Slice zucchini into fry sized pieces, lay them on a tea towel and sprinkle with salt, let them stay like that while putting together the breading. In a small bowl, lightly beat the egg whites with 1 teaspoon water. Then combine cheese, crumbs, paprika, salt and pepper in a separate bowl. Lightly brush off the zucchini fries with a paper towel to remove the excess salt. Proceed to dip each zucchini fry in the egg white, letting excess run off before tossing them in parmesan mixture. Arrange in single layer on baking sheets. If additional crumb mixture is needed, make a few spoonfuls at a time, matching the volume of crumbs and cheese.

Bake zucchini until browned and crisp, about 25 to 30 minutes, flipping them over about halfway through. They may need to cool just a little on the pan before eating. These do not keep well as left overs so eat them all up! 

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Blackberry Crumb Cake Happy Sunday :)  Yah it's been a minute... sorry dudes.  Between work and family, it's taken me a month to kinda get a handle back on my life. I'm finally starting to cook again!  I missed home cooked meals and the sound of my fire alarm... which is placed far to close to my kitchen for being so sensitive.   Here is one of my favorite things about Washington though, they have tasty little weeds that grow everywhere.  We have soooo many blackberries.  If you flash freeze them on a cookie sheet they hold up beautifully.  I HIGHLY recommend using frozen for this recipe of you'll just end up with berry goo mixed in with the cake.  The batter is too stiff for fresh.

Crumb Topping 5 tablespoons (40 grams) all-purpose flour 1/2 cup (100 grams) granulated sugar 1 teaspoon cinnamon 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, cold Pinch of salt

Cake 2 cups minus 1 tablespoon (240 grams) all-purpose flour 2 teaspoons baking powder 1/2 teaspoon table salt 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened 3/4 cup (150 grams) granulated sugar 1 tsp lemon zest 1 egg 1 teaspoon vanilla 2 cups (340 to 455 grams) frozen blackberries 1/2 cup milk, any kind will work (I used soy)

Heat oven to 375°F. Butter a 9-inch round baking pan (with at least 2″ sides) and dust it lightly with flour; line it with a round of parchment paper.

Make the topping first by mixing the flour, sugar, cinnamon and salt, then cutting the butter in with a pastry blender or fork until it resembles coarse crumbs. Go ahead and place bowl in the fridge til you have the rest of the cake ready to go.  

In a medium bowl, whisk flour, baking powder, and salt until combined. In a large bowl, beat butter, sugar and zest together until light and fluffy. Add egg and vanilla and beat until combined. Beat in 1/3 of the dry ingredient mixture until just combined, followed by 1/2 the milk; repeat with remaining dry ingredients and milk, finishing with the dry mixture. The batter will be very stiff. Fold in the blackberries. 

Scoop cake batter into prepared pan and smooth as best you can so that it is flat. Sprinkle with prepared streusel from the fridge. Bake in heated oven for 40 to 45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the middle of the cake comes out batter-free. You can let the cake cool complete in the pan on a rack. Enjoy!!! I know I do!! :)

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Zucchini Galette You know those times that you just want to cook something extra special? Maybe it's a special occasion maybe it isn't, but you really want to make something mouth wateringly, tears in your eyes, your mouth is so happy, delicious.   I always feel like I end up searching and searching on the internet and end up making something that looks spectacular only for my hopes to be dashed by something that was a lot of work for little reward.  This is a recipe that I whole heartedly say is worth every ounce of effort put in.  It's work, but oh... it's soooo worth it.  

Pastry 1 1/4 cups flour 1/4 teaspoon salt 1 stick cold unsalted butter, cut into cubes 1/4 cup sour cream or greek yogurt 2 teaspoons lemon juice 1/4 cup ice water

Filling 2 zucchinis, sliced into 1/4 inch thick pieces  4 teaspoon olive oil 1 medium garlic clove, minced 1/2 cup ricotta cheese 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese 1/4 cup shredded mozzarella 1 tablespoon slivered basil leaves

Glaze 1 egg yolk beaten with 1 teaspoon water First, make the dough. In food processor pulse together flour and salt. Sprinkle bits of butter in with the flour mixture, pulse until the mixture resembles coarse meal, with the biggest pieces of butter the size of tiny peas. In a small bowl, whisk together the sour cream, lemon juice and water and add this to the butter-flour mixture. Pulse in mixer until just combined. Place dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour. Second, make the filling. Spread the zucchini out over a tea towel. Sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon salt and let drain for 15 to 30 minutes; gently blot the tops of the zucchini dry with paper towels before using. In a small bowl, whisk the olive oil and the garlic together; set aside. In a separate bowl, mix the ricotta, Parmesan, mozzarella, and 1 teaspoon of the garlicky olive oil together and season with salt and pepper to taste. Third, make the galette. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. On a floured work surface, roll the dough out into a 12-inch round. Transfer to an ungreased baking sheet (though if you line it with parchment paper, it will be easier to move it to a plate later). Spread the ricotta mixture evenly over the bottom of the galette dough, leaving a 2-inch border. Shingle the zucchini on top of the ricotta in concentric circles, starting at the outside edge. Drizzle the remaining tablespoon of the garlic and olive oil mixture evenly over the zucchini. Fold the border over the filling, pleating the edge to make it fit. The center will be open. Brush crust with egg yolk.

Bake the galette until the cheese is puffed, the zucchini is slightly wilted and the galette is golden brown, 30 to 40 minutes. Remove from the oven, sprinkle with basil and eat.  Hot, warm, cold, however you like.   Best. Recipe. Ever.

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Hood Canal Camping! This weekend we went for a jaunt to the west of Seattle.  I've been wanting to get over to the Olympics since we moved here and we FINALLY did it!  I have to say the whole "no reservations" for national forest campsites was kinda the pits.  The first night (Friday night) we couldn't find any vacancies, none, zero.  We drove for over an hour and checked out like 6 camps.  We finally pulled over around midnight and just camped at a trail head.  Thankfully we tried looking again after going for a hike in the morning, Falls View Campground had a spot!  What a nightmare, needless to say i was really grumpy Friday night and Saturday morning.  Once we found the pictured above creek... I couldn't be grumpy anymore.  Just too much amazing beautiful scenery to stay grumpy. For those of you who asked me if I'm vegetarian, here's proof that I'm not, haha.   Lebanese Chicken Kabobs 2 lbs Chicken, cubed 1 C Lemon Juice 15 garlic cloves crushed 6 Tbls Plain Greek Yogurt 6 Tbls Olive Oil 2 Tbls Apple Cider Vinegar 1/3 tsp Paprika 2 tsp Ground Ginger 1/2 tsp Ground Thyme 1 tsp Salt Mix all ingredients together (i like to do this in a gallon ziplock) and marinade the chicken for at least 1 hour, 4 is best.  Cut miscellaneous veggies into bite size pieces (I used zucchini, sweet peppers, cherry tomatoes and onion) place in bag with chicken and shake to coat evenly.  Skewer chicken and vegetables alternately, grill on high about 4 to 5 minutes per side.  I personally think they are great just by themselves, but if you want a starch, it's really good on a bed of Basmati Rice with some greek yogurt on the side.

I actually made up the chicken before we left town... 1-4 hours, ooooor something like 36 hours. It is really up to you.

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Latke's, Cats & Gardens I was terrible at taking pictures of my cooking process the last couple days.  So here is a picture of at least the finished product.  Along with some silly house photos.   Breakfast Latke  This recipe is super flexible, make all the substitutions you want! Sub-ing out some of the potato for zucchini is quite good, if you do it will need extra time to drain.  

1 large baking potato 1 small onion 1/4 cup flour 1 egg 1/2 tsp garlic powder 1 tsp salt some freshly ground black pepper and some vegetable oil for the pan. Something like 2 Tbs Turn your oven to warm to keep these guys nice and hot while you make them all.  This is not a fast meal, but they save really really well and taste amazing.  

In a food processor shred the potato and onion. Then move to a clean thin tea towel, I like to sprinkle a little of the salt on the potato and onion at this stage to draw out some extra moister and then squeeze as dry as possible. Let stand for 2 minutes, then squeeze again.

In a large bowl, mix the flour, garlic powder, salt, pepper and egg together with a fork.  Don't be scared it'll look and feel like you've created some kind of paste.  The first time I did this I thought I had done something terribly wrong. Stir in the potato onion mixture until everything is nice and mushily coated.  I used my fingers for this last part.

In a medium skillet, heat 2 tablespoons of oil until shimmering. Drop about a quarter of the potato mixture into the skillet and flatten them with the back of a spoon. Cook the latkes over medium high heat until the edges are golden, about 4 minutes; flip and repeat. Keep warm in the oven until ready to serve.  Repeat with the rest of the mix, you may need to add more oil to the skillet as you go.

(Altered from a Smitten Kitchen Recipe, what can I say, she has the best ones.)

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Cauliflower Hotwings This recipe is a super easy weeknight recipe in my opinion, it can very very easily be made gluten and dairy free  **just FYI Nicole** .   Original recipe thanks to Laurie Cooper! Ingredients: 1 Head Cauliflower 1 1/4 C Brown Rice Flower 1/2 tsp salt 1/2 tsp garlic powder 1/2 tsp cumin (optional) 1 C water 2 Tbs butter (or margarine) 2-3 Tbs hot sauce (Cholula is what I used)

First, prep work, preheat your oven to 450 degrees and cut up the head of Cauliflower into florets that are easily a large bite size.  In a mediumish bowl mix together the flour, salt, garlic powder, cumin (if you like it) and water.  It should look a lot like pancake batter.  Have a couple of oiled cookie sheets at the ready and start dipping your cauliflower into the mixture.  Be sure to shake off the excess clumps of batter.  Once your cauliflower is coated and spread out on the cookie sheets, bake in the oven for 10 minutes.  After 10 minutes, pull the cauliflower out and flip all of the florets over.  Return them to the oven for another 10 minutes.  During the second baking period you should get your sauce ready.  Melt the butter and mix in the hot sauce.  Once the cauliflower comes out this time, brush them liberally with the hot sauce mixture and bake them for an additional 5 minutes.  When time's up, serve and enjoy! You may notice in the picture there is another kind of cauliflower "wing"... those were our attempt at honey-barbeque.  That recipe is still in need of perfecting... hahaha.    Last note, DO NOT MAKE THIS WITH ALL PURPOSE FLOUR!!!!! I tried, trust me, this recipe needs to use a flour that does not form gluten or it just comes out weird.  It still tastes good, but the texture is all wrong.   SO DON'T DO IT!

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Shootin Some Film Not too long ago, we got Keith a new film camera.  These are the happy results.  Seriously fantastic stuff happening.  No words necessary.  I will post more definitely, but you should check out his Flickr

https://www.flickr.com/photos/86267965@N04/

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Kale and Quinoa salad

Ok guys, here is the first of what I hope to be many recipes that I experiment with on a weekly basis and share.  We have Keith to thank for this amazing salad, I got off work one day and vwala! Picnic in the park!  Time doesn't hurt this salad, it's good at room temp and left over, great picnic material. Enjoy!!  I’m a big fan of just making do with what you have in the cupboard so please substitute! Use what you got! 

Salad 1/2 cup uncooked quinoa (rainbow, white, red, it don’t matter) 8 ounces Black Kale 1/2 cup slivered almonds, very well toasted and cooled 1/3 cup dried cherries, chopped a bit 2 to 3 scallions, thinly sliced 2 teaspoons chopped fresh dill 2 ounces goat cheese

Dressing 3 tablespoons olive oil 1 1/2 tablespoons red wine vinegar (or white) 3 teaspoons Dijon mustard 1 teaspoon honey Few gratings of fresh lemon zest Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Cook the quinoa (with salt, I forgot to add some extra salt the second time I made this and regretted it) then cool on a plate or cookie sheet. Slice and dice everything and place in a bowl.  I personally think the dill and the scallions are optional, they don’t add a ton for my palate. Make sure dressing is thoroughly combined, fold into salad and enjoy! (original recipe from smittenkitchen.com, because Deb has the best taste!)