Autumn Wanderings

Just popping by to say hello + to show you a little of what we have been up to lately in this lovely fall weather.  I hope this finds you well + enjoying all things pumpkin!

Xoxo,

Heather

 



Recipe: Restaurant Soup In Your Home

 

I highly recommend dropping everything to make this rich, velvety soup.  It is very simple to make, but I guarantee the taste of it will blow you away!  I used vegetables I had in my fridge/from my garden, but feel free to change up the recipe to whatever vegetables you have on hand.  Now go, get cooking! You have friends who need impressing!

 

 RECIPE:

 

Garlic Infused Olive Oil

3 Small Tomatoes

5 Carrots

1 Small Green Pepper

1 Sweet Vidalia Onion

Herbs

Seasonings

Butter (optional)

Cream (optional)

Freshly Grated Parmesan (optional) 

Water

 

1. Heat a generous amount of garlic infused oil on medium heat in a Le Creuset pot or a sturdy kettle. Basically, you want enough oil to cover the entire surface of your pot. If you don't have garlic oil on hand you can add some chopped garlic to the oil, just make sure it doesn't get very brown or it will turn bitter. Add some fresh or dried herbs to the oil until aromatic.

2. While the oil is heating dice all your vegetables.

3. Add the onion/pepper/carrot mixture.  Add salt/pepper/seasonings of your choice. Sauté until onions are translucent + brown. Add a dab of butter to mixture. Add tomatoes. Sauté all ingredients for a good 5 minutes. 

4. Add enough water to cover all the vegetables + let simmer until all vegetables are soft.  Approximately 15 minutes. Then remove from heat + let cool a bit.

5. Add soup mixture to a blender. CAUTION, mixture is still hot so don't cover the blender completely.  Either use towel to cover the blender or just set the top loosely over blender so you don't get sprayed.  Puree until well blended. Add a bit of water as needed to get a runny applesauce consistency. Also, add more seasoning if needed.

6. Strain soup through a cheesecloth.  This is what makes it SO velvety. YUM.

7. At this point I added some freshly grated Parmesan cheese + a bit of cream. I think this makes it go all the way up to an eleven.  I am not kidding this soup is fantastic.

8. Enjoy.

 

***NOTE: This recipe only makes 1 larger bowl of soup.  If you are making this for a bunch of people, I recommend using 5 large, ripe tomatoes, 1 pound of carrots, 2 large peppers of any color (mixed colors), 1 large sweet Vidalia onion & more of everything else, as needed. 

 

Heat Wave In Wisco

 

Hello from Wisconsin, where it is so hot I can't even breathe if I step outside.  Who's with me in wishing for autumn?  Summer really takes a lot out of me physically so anytime the temperatures want to dip back into the 80's or 70's that would be great! I would even take 60's, gladly.  Anyway, I took some photos of the babe a few days ago & thought I would share them with you. Little Eugene is 7.5 months old already.  What a little gent. Hope today is a good one!
 

Xoxo,

Heather





 

DIY Ombré Woven Flower Pot

 Good morning, all!  I hope you had an enjoyable, warm, festive 4th of July. We headed to Lake Michigan as soon as Josh got done with work to watch the waves & let Eugene play in the sand.  We had a quiet night of grilling out, baths & watching Justified. Today I am sharing a very easy, inexpensive DIY with you:

 

A colorful ombré flower pot for less than $10. 

 

Supplies:

 

-Woven basket (mine was $2.00 at a thrift store)

-White & blue acrylic paint (or any color you like)

-Paint brush

-Potted plant

 

1. Start by cleaning the basket to rid it of dust/dirt. 

2. Then apply 2 coats of white paint, letting the first coat dry completely.  I used Martha Stewart Acrylic Satin paint which cost about $2.00 per bottle.  I got the paint at Michaels, but most craft stores carry it.  I have found this paint to work the best & last the longest.  

3. While the last coat of white is drying, start painting the bottom of the pot with the colored paint. 

4. Next, start working your way up the bottom half of the pot with the colored paint. Add more pigment at the base of the bottom & less as you go toward the top to create the ombré effect. I used a dark blue color which you can see turned a nice light blue as the white & blue blended.  You can get as creative as you want.  You can also simple paint the woven pot one color.  I like how the paint brings out the detail of the weaving.

5. Put up in your place & enjoy! Or give it away as a housewarming gift!

 









Quiet Afternoons

Good afternoon.  Hoping this finds you all well! This is what happens when we have a busy month of visiting friends & family, our sweet baby Eugene slept for 13 hours last night & most of today! Happy 7 months, little champ.  Thanks for letting your mama make art today.



Xoxo,

Heather