A Bean Bolognese to try... because its good for you... and you know, you might like it ;)

I'm cooking again! Yes, I dabble in the culinary arts to be sure. When I have time to take pictures and write up just a lil blurb to share it with you I definitely will! I'm seeing that sharing recipes here is becoming a trend :) I hope you don't mind ;).

This recipe I found as I was looking up fiber rich recipes hoping to add some whole foods to our kitchen. :) This particular recipe had me looking for a few items I don't usually have on hand... fresh parsley, canned beans (garbanzo & white kidney beads) but these were of course welcomed additions. Oh and I did get an actual block of Parmesan cheese and grate it as we go now which adds to the fun of cooking at home :).

The sides we added are arugula (very aromatic!) with roma tomatoes and a roll of sourdough bread. I like to use best life buttery spread to get more omega 3's and it tastes more like butter than smart balance in my opinion, but I digress :)

While originally I didn't anticipate making a blog post about this recipe I figured my sister and I bothered to take pictures and really liked the recipes so why not share it all! :)

My review: I LIKED this recipe - A LOT. Veggies and some white wine? Yes please! The taste of the dish is very pleasing. Surprisingly you don't taste the individual ingredients, they all blended quite nicely! I tend to get excited when I know I'm doing something good for my body and feeding my family nutritious meals so this added to my overall response to this recipe as well.

Simply put - if your family is not allergic to any of the ingredients I recommend you try it! :) Happy cooking!

Pathfinder Pen and Paper Game + Art = :)

Every other Tuesday night my husband and I have been meeting up with a few friends of ours to play a Dungeons and Dragon type game called Pathfinder. Tonight as we where slaying goblins and investigating local murders in the game we also had a side conversation about art. I have long since put away my charcoal and acrylic paints - high school was the last time I think I've touched acrylic paint though it is one of my favorite mediums. Charcoal, ink wash and acrylic are my favorite :). I remember being flattered in high school when a very talented artist who was in year ahead of me asked how to mix up a certain color, what can I say people knew I'd know ;). I miss drawing but the crocheting I do now takes 1/16th of the time it'd take to pour over a painting or drawing since I'm bit of a perfectionist. Hopefully one day when life slows down a bit I'll get back to it and create a bunch of eye candy for a realism lovers wall :). For now here are a few pieces I'd like to share with you.

The first three are currently donning my walls :) Thank you for looking!

A barren winter forest -Ink wash with blue and green water color added.

Acrylic painting...
A quiet repose

Mixed media (pastel, acrylic, charcoal, graphite)
The Stranger

Charcoal -you know her as...
Mona Lisa :)

Ink wash of a long haired woman sitting on a stool with a leather stripped skirt in the fetal position.

Ink wash and acrylic - an angel embracing "new hope" :)

Close up of acrylic baby

Charcoal of angel statue holding newborn baby with wings

Close up of baby and bouquet 

 Thanks again for reading/looking! :)

Grilling up some goodness!

Yum-my!  As I write this I have just polished off a portion of the soon to be unveiled carrot and bean dish! I plan to get seconds if there is enough left! And why not? With the omega 3 fats in the sunflower oil, beta carotene of carrots and the rich flavor of green beans off the stalk, my heart is thanking me right now and I suppose so is my stomach! :)

Here is the recipe should you want to try it out on your own and the link to the chicken marinade as well!

Grilled Green Beans and Carrots:

.6 lbs of fresh green beans
1 cup baby carrots, cut lengthwise
3 - 5 garlic cloves, halved
salt and pepper to taste
sunflower oil
aluminium foil

1) Preheat grill to medium heat.
2) Prep carrots and beans cutting beans to about the same length as the baby carrots and the carrots to about the width of the beans for even cooking.
3) Add beans, carrots and garlic to a medium bowl and feel free to use your hands to mix it up!
4) Slowly pour a tiny stream of sunflower oil across the top of the veggies, salt and pepper the top as well. Stir up the mixture and repeat once.
5) Transfer the mix to an aluminum foil piece and wrap the sides across the top leaving it open just a bit for the steam to escape. Pinch the ends and fold them over.
6) Place mixture on grill stirring occasionally. Cook for about 15 - 20 minutes or until desired texture is reached. :)
7) Enjoy!

Prep Work

Just put on the Grill!

Time to eat!