Spring Minestrone | Waiting on Baby

Last weekend I went to the first Kootenai County Farmer's Market. I think it's one of the best markets around. It runs May through October on Saturdays in Hayden and Wednesdays on Sherman Ave.

Since I am sadly not planting a garden this year, I helped Jessica pick out some seedlings to start her garden. We found some of the healthiest looking starts at the market and some delicious fresh baked bread. It was a rainy day (of course) so I went home to make some soup to accompany my bread.

We sold our house a few weeks ago! (Remodel pics to come) and are moving out soon after Baby Girl arrives. I am SO sad not to be able to plant a garden this year. Kyle did buy me a few tomato starts for Mother's Day. At least I will have fresh tomatoes this summer.

 38 weeks

We are moving back to Idaho which I am very excited about! And the home we'll be living in is just down the street from the Farmer's Market!

Springtime Minestrone

Ingredients

1/2 yellow onion

3-4 carrots

3-4 stalks of celery

2 cloves of garlic

1 cup peas

1/2 bundle asparagus

1-2 parsnips

1 zucchini

1 yellow squash

1/2 cup sundried tomatoes

2 TBS olive oil

1 tsp dried thyme

1 tsp dried oregano

4 cups organic chicken or vegetable stock

fresh basil

freshly grated parmesan cheese

 (any veggies you have around or that are in season are good to throw in the soup)

Directions

Saute onions, carrots, celery, parsnips, and garlic in olive oil until softened. Add zucchini, yellow squash, sundried tomatoes, and dried herbs. Add vegetable or chicken stock. Bring to a simmer. Add aparagus pieces and peas. Simmer for 5-10 mins. Serve with fresh basil and parmesan cheese.

Blogging Hiatus | New Pizza Recipe

Hello Blogger Friends!

I took a little break from blogging! We're busy preparing for baby and I'm finishing up my last few weeks at work before I take maternity leave.

I've been knitting away on baby projects and getting her little room ready!

My dear friend Mary Banducci took some of my maternity photos last weekend! You can see more of her work here.

I have been experimenting with new bread recipes after my friend, Kristi, let me borrow this book:

(she also knitted those cute little booties above)

Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day

My bread was turning into hard dense loaves until I tried this method! And it's the easiest way of making bread I've ever tried! I highly recommend you give it a try.

We made pizza the other day and I used the "Olive Oil Dough" recipe from this book! It was so delicious! The perfect crust...not too thick, not too thin!

Olive Oil Dough

Ingredients

2 3/4 cup lukewarm water

1 1/2 tablespoons granulated yeast (2 packets, rapid-rise or regular)

1 1/2 tables spoons Kosher salt

1 tablespoon Sugar

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

6 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour

Directions

Mix the yeast, salt, sugar, and olive oil with the water in a large bowl.

Mix in the flour without kneading, using a spoon or the dough hook on a mixer.

Cover and allow to rest at room temperature until the dough rises and collapses, about 2 hours.

The dough can be used immediately after the initial rise. It is easier to handle when cold and can be refrigerated for up to 12 days.

(recipe from Artisan Bread in Five Minutes A Day)

Margherita Pizza

Make the dough above as directed. Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

Roll out dough to fit pizza stone. Sprinkle stone with cornmeal before placing dough on the stone.

Sometimes we add a little tomato sauce as a base....sometimes it's just great with olive oil on the dough before you add your toppings. It's up to you!

The main ingredients:

Fresh Mozzarella

Fresh Tomatoes

Fresh Basil

Layer the sliced mozzarella and tomatoes on the dough.

Bake at 450 degrees for 10-12 minutes until the crust is golden and the cheese is bubbly.

Before serving garnish with generous amounts of fresh basil and enjoy!!

My Little Bun | Pregnancy Update

Our little bun is growing bigger and bigger! She's about 29 weeks 5 days old today!

I have taken this week off of work (at Hospice) to design and style a La Lune Wedding this weekend. My bride & groom are fabulous and are making my job so much easier this week...they love doing all of the DIY projects themselves! Their wedding is going to be fabulous and I can't wait to show you all pics on the La Lune Blog.

I have had such a nice, relaxing week to spend with my husband and get caught up on projects. Our remodel is almost complete and ready to sell! I've been finishing up my knitting projects and starting on more. And I've finally mastered how to make a decent loaf of bread thanks to my friend, Kristi, at work. She lent me this book which made the mystery of bread making all make sense! It's all so simple now! I recommend you try this method of bread making! You're house will smell delicious and your tummy will be happy!

While taking it easy this week, I have noticed how active my "little bun" is inside of me. Maybe because I have slowed down, she's been able to speed up! We can now feel feet and hands kicking around in there and can see undulations under my belly as she somersaults around in there! It's very exciting!

We can't wait to have her on the outside! Baby growing is not easy work and carrying around this extra belly is not very convenient for being a nurse and event designer. I love being pregnant, though, and feeling this little life grow and expand inside of me!

A dear friend, Suwanee Lennon, took some photos for the business a few weeks ago. Lindsey Rose did hair and make up. We will be using these on our website soon and she took a few maternity for me!