Summer is delicious.

tomatoes for days

the summer cake

And beautiful.
And HOT.

first. about 70 tomatoes from my father-in-law. my sons love tomatoes. I had to stop the little one from eating the smallish ones after about 4.

second. the strawberry summer cake. I made one, last year, and loved it. I only made it once more since then, so the taste wasn’t fresh in my mind. When I took my first bite…goodness. It was like a sweet pancake with deliciously gooey strawberry jam on top. SO.GOOD.

what foods are you loving this summer?

Loved & Loathed: Olives

loved & loathed: olives

Loved by: My husband and children
Loathed by: ME!

My kids beg for more olives. They can’t just have 1, 2, or 5. They want a truckload. I have to severely limit them, or they’d eat an entire can. I, on the other hand, cannot stand them. I tried. I really, really, really tried to love them. I’ve had many meals made with olives being the main flavoring component and…ugh. Just ugh. My kids get to split any olives I pull off my pizza. Good riddance!

But I’ll continue to buy cans of them just for my boys.

What about you? Do you love them or loathe them?

Make it: Mexican Hot Chocolate with Anhelo

November sponsor, Anhelo of Gatuxedo is here with a traditional Mexican treat! It is downright warm here in south Texas, so I’m going to have to crank up my air conditioning and make my boys and I a cup. It sounds too delicious to wait for Mother Nature to cooperate with the seasons. Enjoy!
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My Grandma Evelia, who still lives in my hometown in Central Mexico, used to make this Hot Chocolate for us – her eighteen grandchildren -every time we’d gather together before Christmas. If I didn’t get the sugar overdose so often, I would drink it every day during the fall and winter. The entire world deserves to try this. I’m sure you have most of the ingredients already.

Mexican Hawt Chocolate
(Makes two cups)

In a sauce pan:
Pour 2 cups of dairy (or soy) milk accompanied by a cinnamon stick.
Keep the fire medium-low.

In a bowl:
Mix 1/2 cup of unsweetened cocoa +
3/4 cup of sugar (if you suffer from sugar overdose, try half a cup) +
1/2 teaspoon of chili powder.

When milk starts to boil add the mix of your bowl.
Stir for a minute with a spoon or spatula.
Whisk manually for a couple more minutes until there are no lumps.
Turn off the burner and serve with whipped cream on the top.

Play your favorite record, lean back on your couch and enjoy the weather.

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Thank you so much for sharing! It sounds so easy and delicious. Visit Anhelo’s blog, Gatuxedo! She recently shared her Willow doily blanket. It is beeeeautiful! I am always so happy to see people stitching up my patterns. I’ll be back in a few days with a recipe for cooookies! They will be perfect with this hot chocolate and right on time for Thanksgiving!

Pumpkin time!

263.365: the first pumpkin

As soon as Christmas is over, pumpkin leaves my life until Autumn. On this first weekend of said season, you can bet I’ll be roasting a pumpkin or two. I LOVE baking with pumpkin, so I am way familiar with roasting my own to get that amazing puree.

If you’ve never done it, you’re missing out! It’s so easy and so delicious. This is my method–

1. Chop off the top, then cut pumpkin in half from top to bottom & scoop out innards (save the seeds!)
2. Put face down in a baking dish with a bit of water to steam up & place in 350F oven for 45 minutes to an hour OR until you can pierce the skin easily with a fork.
3. Let it cool a bit, then peel off the outside skin and place in food processor or blender to puree.
4. Place in a strainer lined with cheesecloth over a bowl. This dries it up a bit–it can be super watery!
5. Use immediately, or place in storage bags to put in your freezer for later use. I suggest storing in 1 cup increments, as that’s usually how much you need in recipes.

Here are a few of my favorite pumpkin recipes and some that I plan on trying this Fall.

The BEST Pumpkin Cupcake, posted here last year.
Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies
Gluten Free Pumpkin Whoppie Pies
Pumpkin Pie

Do you have any favorite pumpkin recipes? Sweet or savory, I’m interested!

because I’m obsessed…

Happy National Coffee Day!

with:
-coffee
-my french press
-wool
-crochet
-cross stitch
-finding mugs
-photographing steam
-back-lit photos
-diptychs

Yes, that is a diptych of photos of my french press in its new crocheted sweater made from woolly scraps and my awesome new cross-stitch mug with steam emanating from it in the morning sunlight.

Happy National Coffee Day!