Easy 30 Minute Strawberry Chia Jam

Easy 30 Minute Strawberry Chia Jam

Apr 28, 2019 · 29 Comments

Chia Jam is my new favorite way to make jam! You won't believe how easy it is to make Strawberry Chia Jam - just four ingredients and under 30 minutes! No canning required!

Chia Seeds are So Good For You!

Sometimes I am ahead of the game and sometimes I am way behind. Like this easy 30 minute strawberry chia jam. I am so behind on the whole chia seed phenomena. I see them pop up in jams, smoothies, overnight oats, and even just sprinkled on salads.

What's the big deal, I thought. Sure they are a good source of protein, omega-3, and fiber - if you want to read more about how good they are, this article Chia Seeds Healthy Benefits has loads of information.

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Weeding with Patchouli

Apr 26, 2019 · 14 Comments

The Weeds are Winning!

How can it be? Spring has only been here a month and already the weeds are winning! They are everywhere! Luckily I have Patchouli kitty to come out and help me weed. Since she is such a fraidy-cat, she feels way more comfortable when I am outside with her to chase away the other mean kitties.

Our purple flowers, some sort of wildflower are finishing up their blooming. They have run quite rampant over our yard, luckily for them, I think they are really pretty.

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Hibiscus Simple Syrup

Apr 25, 2019 · 10 Comments

This Hibiscus Simple Syrup is so easy to make and you can use it to make such pretty cocktails! It makes the prettiest Pink Cocktails with a subtle floral and lemony flavor.

Pretty Cocktails

I like pretty things. I follow bunches of people on Instagram who take pretty pictures of pretty things. There, I ooh and aah over flowers, furniture, and old farm houses. Put a bunch of lilacs in a vase on a chippy white table and I'm in love.

My love of pretty things also extends to cocktails. If given the choice between your basic brown cocktail or a pretty cocktail, I'll choose the pretty cocktail everyday.

Give me all the pretty cocktails, the pink cocktails the lavender cocktails, the colorful cocktails.

Better yet, give me an easy way to create pretty cocktails, so that I can have one whenever I want!

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Strawberry Buttermilk Gelato

Apr 24, 2019 · 28 Comments

This Easy 4 Ingredient Strawberry Buttermilk Gelato tastes like summer in a bowl. It is bursting with strawberry flavor and the buttermilk gives it the creaminess of ice cream with fewer calories! Frozen strawberry desserts are the best!

Why Use Buttermilk?

Did you watch anyone eat cornbread in a bowl of buttermilk? I did and thought it looked like the most disgusting thing ever! I still don't think it sounds good, however I have discovered that buttermilk has some amazing uses.

By using buttermilk in this frozen strawberry dessert instead of milk, you save calories as well as get the benefits of it being fermented. It makes this gelato so rich and creamy and gives it almost a cheesecake like flavor - amazing!

Another great use for buttermilk is tenderizing and flavoring, like this Oven Braised Buttermilk Chicken. That gorgeous color on the chicken comes from the buttermilk and the flavor is out of this world.

I still could never eat buttermilk with cornbread (shudder) but I will definitely sing it's praises in frozen desserts and marinades!

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Instant Pot Strawberry Steel Cut Oats

Apr 23, 2019 · 8 Comments

These Instant Pot Strawberry Steel Cut Oats are so delicious and so easy to make with the pressure cooker!

The perfect healthy breakfast that is creamy and little sweet and bursting with strawberries!

Bowl of instant pot strawberry steel cut oats and strawberries.

We are big on healthy breakfasts at the Sidewalk Shoes household. Most important meal of the day and all that.

However, we are also pretty big on eggs, bacon, pancakes, French toast, and grits - which we save for when we eat out.

You should have seen the plate of Heuvos Rancheros I had for brunch last Sunday! It was the stuff breakfast dreams are made of.

For our every day, day in, day out breakfast, it almost always includes oats. We either have homemade granola (which I've been making for over 20 years and really need to take photos of and post the recipe,) or oatmeal, or steel cuts oats.

While I don't mind standing over a stove watching oatmeal cook, the Instant Pot makes it so easy.

Just load up the pressure cooker and sit down, have a cup of coffee and watch the birdies outside at the feeder, while the Instant Pot does all the work!

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Luxie Kitty and the Flash

Apr 19, 2019 · 16 Comments

Luxie Kitty and the Flash

Most of you know that I also have a professional photography business. I started the business because I love photography and I was hoping to make it profitable enough to retire from teaching a bit early.

Well, it went crazy. I did retire from teaching and the business continued to grow. And grow. And grow. I was doing family portraits, newborns and maternity, and high school seniors.

I was busy year round, but from August through the end of December I worked every single weekend. Every. Single. Weekend. Then editing photos through the week. So basically 7 days a week for almost half the year.

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Vanilla Raspberry Martini

Apr 18, 2019 · 4 Comments

This Vanilla Raspberry Martini is a fun, fruity cocktail! Bursting with raspberries and a subtle hint of vanilla with a bit of citrus! This vodka cocktail is sure to please! It's pretty color makes it perfect anytime, but it's especially nice for Easter or Mother's Day!

Fun Fruity Cocktails

I don't know what it is about fruit, but it makes me want to use it in some combination with alcohol. I'm sure those of you that bake, have a different response ... visions of strawberry cupcakes or a lemon blueberry loaf.

For me it's fruity cocktails all the way. I look at a carton of blueberries and boom, you have a Blueberry Elderflower Martini.

I look at strawberries and the only questions are Sparkling, Martini, or Mojito?

You know how they say you should set goals in life? Well, my goal is to create a fun fruity cocktail once a week. Oh, and exercise, and eat right, and blah, blah, blah.... let's focus on the cocktail goal, shall we?

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Kale Greek Salad

Apr 16, 2019 · 7 Comments

This Kale Greek Salad combines the best of a Greek Salad with all the benefits of a kale salad! It has all the Mediterranean flavors we all love!

Massaged Kale Salad

We are big salad eaters around here. One of my favorite easy meals is a rotisserie chicken served along side a salad. I can make the salad earlier in the day, give the chicken a quick heat up in the oven, and dinner is ready.

I could eat a salad every night. What I don't like doing, though, is having to make a salad every night. Kale salads to the rescue! You can make a kale salad on Monday and on Thursday it's still good!

If you've never had a kale salad, you need to handle it a little differently. The secret is massaging it. I like to wash and spin the kale and tear it into bite sized pieces in a large bowl. Whip up the dressing (like a Classic Lemon Vinaigrette or a Lemon Poppy Seed Salad Dressing) and then pour it over the kale. Then using my hands, I massage the kale, squishing it in my fingers. Almost like you're kneading dough.

How long to Massage Kale: I don't massage kale for very long, usually only about a minute, because I like it a little chewy. Most sites recommend 2 to 5 minutes.

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Honey Mustard Broccoli Salad

Apr 14, 2019 · 23 Comments

Vibrant broccoli, toasted sunflower seeds, crisp apples and fresh parsley are tossed with sweet and tangy honey mustard dressing for a delicious broccoli salad you'll make year round!

What to do With Broccoli

It is so easy to eat healthy in the spring and summer, isn't it? Whether you belong to a CSA, visit your local Farmer's Market or even just peruse the produce section in your grocery store - vegetables and fruit are in abundance. Sometimes it can be a challenge not falling into the same way of making the vegetables over and over again.

Of course broccoli is so readily available year round, so it's even trickier to come up with a new way to prepare broccoli.

My go to recipe for broccoli is just simply roasted. Broccoli is also a hearty contributor to a grain salad. This time I was in the mood for a light broccoli salad. Nothing to busy, something that really let the broccoli shine.

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Luxie on the Porch Again

Apr 12, 2019 · 14 Comments

Luxie is on the Porch Again!

Some of you may remember that last summer, we started letting Luxie on the porch. I propped something in front of the cat door and let her stay out on the porch a little bit each day.

However, one day she figured out how to move the thing I had blocking the cat door out of the way and was halfway down the stairs before I discovered her!

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Hot Cross Buns Bread Pudding

Apr 12, 2019 · 17 Comments

Hot Cross Buns Bread Pudding - the perfect solution to Easter Leftovers! So good, though, you'll want to buy extra Hot Cross Buns just make this delicious bread pudding! An easy Easter Dessert that everyone loves!

Growing up one of my favorite foods of Easter were Hot Cross Buns. Oh, sure there was chocolate and eggs, but we had chocolate and eggs all through the year. We only had these buns around Easter.

All year, I would wait until Good Friday, when we would go buy them. According to Wikipedia - they may have came from St. Albans, where a monk developed a recipe called Alban Bun and distributed it to the poor on Good Friday starting in 1361, marking it with a cross.

I have tried to make them at home, but they never seem to match the magic that they had when I ate them as a child.

Click here to pin this yummy bread pudding for later!

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Strawberry Ginger Bellini

Apr 11, 2019 · 10 Comments

This Strawberry Ginger Bellini is a fun sparkling cocktail perfect for brunch or anytime! Sparkling rosé and strawberries create a pretty pink cocktail with a hint of ginger! Everyone loves this delicious cocktail!

What to do With a Sparkling Rosé?

We belong to a wine club and occasionally with our regular wines they include a sparkling wine. Pretty much the only time we drink sparkling wine is when we are out at brunch or it's New Year's Eve. We don't sit around watching tv with a bit of the bubbly, like we do a nice bottle of red or white.

Luckily for us, sparkling wines lend themselves to cocktails very well! Recently, we've loved the Classic French 75 and this Grapefruit Mimosa.

Strawberries are a natural match for a sparkling rosé. Since my strawberries were Driscoll's, I went to their site to look for cocktail ideas. They had a raspberry bellini that sounded good. With a few tweaks, I bring you this delicious Strawberry Ginger Bellini.

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Chicken Cutlets with Strawberry-Avocado Salsa

Apr 10, 2019 · 18 Comments

Chicken Cutlets cook up fast and delicious and topped with a strawberry avocado salsa make an easy weeknight dinner! Moist tender chicken, sweet tart strawberries and creamy avocados with a little heat from the jalapeños! You'll make this all spring and summer!

Chicken Cutlets are Weeknight Dinner Winners!

I'm a fan of easy weeknight dinners. Even though I love to cook, I really don't like laboring over a recipe. That's why most of my recipes are under 30 minutes. If you find one over that time, it's usually one that braises or roasts in an oven - my time involved is still usually under 30 minutes.

Now I know that you can cook a chicken breast in under 30 minutes, but usually a chicken breast is just too much meat. I love the size of chicken cutlets, in the words of Goldilocks, they are "just right." They cook in just about 3 minutes per side!

What are Chicken Cutlets? They are chicken breasts that have been halved horizontally. I am the first to admit that I am terrible at this. I tried it with these, but my results were less than optimal. Here is an article from Fine Cooking - How to Cut Chicken Cutlets. Whenever my store has cutlets on sale, I buy them and freeze them, so I always have some in the freezer.

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Lemon Poppy Seed Dressing

Apr 9, 2019 · 9 Comments

Lemon Poppy Seed Dressing is the perfect way to add a sweet and tangy punch with a little crunch to your salads! Why buy store-bought when you can make this easy and delicious homemade dressing? All you need is olive oil, lemon juice, honey, and poppy seeds, and salt and pepper!

Summer Fruit Salads

Last week, I made Chicken Cutlets with Strawberry Salsa. The next day, I decided that I wanted to turn the leftovers into a salad. A salad similar to my favorite Panera's Chicken and Poppy Seed Salad.

I figured that I could just add some lettuce leaves, dice the chicken and add the strawberry salsa for a good base. I had blueberries in the fridge so those would go in. All I needed was a dressing.

The dressing on the Panera's salad is a poppy seed dressing, so I whipped up this Lemon Poppy Seed Dressing. Then for even more sweetness and crunch, I added Bourbon Candied Pecans. Because....why not!

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Bourbon Candied Pecans

Apr 7, 2019 · 15 Comments

These Bourbon Candied Pecans take pecans to a whole new level! So easy to make and incredibly delicious! Perfect to snack on use them to top salads!

Salad Toppings

Last week, I remade an old recipe post, Chicken Cutlets with Strawberry Avocado Salsa (new photos coming soon!) The next day, I decided I wanted to turn the rest of the chicken and the salsa into a salad. I had some blueberries in the fridge that would be perfect.

All I needed was a yummy salad topping.

Looking around, I spotted a bag of pecans. Candied nuts are one of my favorite salad toppings and they would be so good on this fruit and chicken salad. Making candied pecans is so easy, but I wondered if there was a way to kick it up a notch.

Turns out there is! I paged through several cookbooks and magazines for ideas and found in an old 2014 Donna Hay magazine a recipe for Pavlova topped with whiskey pecans! The pecans sounded like they would be amazing on my salad!

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Luxie Kitty in the Spring Sunshine

Apr 5, 2019 · 17 Comments

A Few New Photos of Luxie Kitty

I'm back this week with a few new photos of Luxie kitty! I know I said that I needed to work on my backlog of kitty photos, her last two posts have been from when she was a kitten, Luxie Cat Playing and Luxie Kitty Grooming, but with the sunshine streaming in the windows, it was just too good to pass up.

Now that the sun lasts so much longer, I've been taking my food photos on the dining room table - enjoying the afternoon light as it streams in our west facing window. One of Luxie's jobs is to supervise the food photography, and sitting on the table by the window is the perfect spot to supervise.

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Strawberry Mojito

Apr 4, 2019 · 12 Comments

Take a Mojito Cocktail to the next level with strawberries! I love a good strawberry cocktail and this Strawberry Mojito is so fresh tasting and delicious! You will love the strawberry mint combination!

Bright red strawberry mojito with strawberries in the background.

When all of the glorious fruits of spring and summer start appearing at the Farmer's market and at the grocery store, my head doesn't go to baked goods. No strawberry shortcakes, no blueberry tarts, no rhubarb pies. My mind heads to cocktails. There is just something about fruity cocktails that makes me so happy.

First of all fruity mixed drinks are delicious! Fruit is an easy way to take a basic cocktail to the next level. They add color, sweetness and flavor. Plus their good for you, which makes the cocktails good for you, or at least that's my story and I'm sticking to it.

Like today's Strawberry Mojito. I love a regular mojito. That combination of rum and mint, soooo good. But add some strawberries to it, and you've created a perfectly balanced and oh-so-pretty cocktail.

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Quick Pickled Radishes

Apr 3, 2019 · 33 Comments

Quick Pickled Radishes are so easy to make and so wonderful to have in the fridge. Crisp, tangy and a little spicy these refrigerator pickles are great on salads, sandwiches, an appetizer tray or even to snack on! No canning involved!

Quick Refrigerator Pickles

I made these quick refrigerator radish pickles first back in 2010! I've been making them regularly ever since then, but finally got around to updating the photos and this post!

I adore quick refrigerator pickles. Quick and easy and they extend the life of your veggies, there is no hurry to eat them right away. As a matter of fact, depending on the pickle, they need to sit for a few days to a few weeks (in your fridge) before you eat them.

Plus, they usually stay good for a couple of months, while you nibble on them as needed. I use them all the time as quick garnishes, or a snappy side dish, or crunchy snack.

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Easy Homemade Greek Vinaigrette Salad Dressing

Apr 2, 2019 · 7 Comments

This easy homemade Greek Vinaigrette is so light and fresh tasting! It's perfect for Greek salad, but is delicious on any salad and it even makes a flavorful vinaigrette for roasted potatoes! All you need are lemons, olive oil, dried oregano, salt and pepper to make this tangy homemade salad dressing.

Homemade Vinaigrettes are So Simple and Easy

I am back again this week with another easy, homemade salad dressing. You all loved my easy Lemon Vinaigrette so much, I decided to do a whole series on the vinaigrettes and salad dressings that are on regular rotation at our house.

When I posted the Lemon Vinaigrette, I worried because it was so simple. But then, someone emailed me saying that they had never tried making their own vinaigrette before, but mine looked so easy they were going to give it a try! Made me feel so good!

I'm all about simple and easy. A recipe doesn't need a bunch of ingredients to be good. A vase doesn't need a bunch of flowers to be gorgeous - just look at my old milk bottle with 3 sweet daffodils from my garden. I cherish that as much, if not more, than a big fancy vase filled with a dozen roses.

Let's embrace the simple, shall we?

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French Potato Salad

Mar 31, 2019 · 20 Comments

This is not your average potato salad! This no mayo potato salad is perfect for picnics and potlucks. White wine, vinegar, olive oil, and Dijon mustard make a delicious potato salad.

Easy and Delicious Potato Salad

Do you like your potato salad, creamy and mustardy, or oil and vinegar-y? I don't really think I've ever met a potato salad that I didn't love, but I tend to make those with an oil and vinegar base more often than I make a creamy one.

I'm not sure why, it just seems to work out that way. I think perhaps it's because you can alter the flavor of the vinaigrette so easily and totally change the flavor of the potato salad.

This French potato salad is a perfect example of a quick and easy and so delicious potato salad!

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Patchouli Outside

Mar 29, 2019 · 19 Comments

Patchouli Girl Outside!

I think it's been awhile since I've posted some photos of Patchouli. It's also been awhile since I've posted current photos. This morning, I had a photo session downtown and when I came home, it had warmed up a little bit. Since I had my better camera right at hand, I decided to take a few gardening photos and Patchouli came outside to join me.

See those purple flowers? I don't know what they are, but they are everywhere! Several years ago, our neighbor sprinkled a pack of wildflower seeds in his backyard. These were in the packet of seeds. He has since moved away, but these flowers have decided that they love our yard!

Also, that big green plant by the bricks is, of course, a weed. It certainly doesn't take them long to rally after we have a few warm days!

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Easy Strawberry Margaritas

Mar 28, 2019 · 11 Comments

Make a pitcher of these easy strawberry margaritas and sit back and enjoy this delicious tequila cocktail. Sweet fresh strawberries, fresh limes, tequila and orange liqueur. This will become your go to spring and summer cocktail!

Strawberry margarita in a glass with a pitcher behind it.

Strawberry Margaritas by the Pitcher!

The only thing better than a refreshing strawberry margarita is a pitcher of strawberry margaritas!

I love this recipe, it makes 4 generous margaritas and can easily be doubled if you want even more. For my husband and I the pitcher of margaritas was just perfect.

It's no secret that I adore margaritas. We have Blood Orange Margaritas all through blood orange season (and I've frozen some blood orange juice so that I can enjoy them any time I want.)

This Orange, Lemon and Lime Margarita is a classic that never goes out of style.

I've got lots of other margarita recipe ideas in the works, but for now, sit back and enjoy a pitcher of these oh-so-delicious strawberry margaritas.

Click here to pin this fruity margarita now!

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Blueberry Almond Smoothie

Mar 27, 2019 · 7 Comments

This Blueberry Almond Smoothie is smooth and creamy and so delicious!!

Naturally sweetened with dates, bursting with blueberries and creamy from almonds and almond milk.

It's vegan, paleo, dairy free and whole30 compliant!

Two jars of blueberry almond smoothie with blue striped straws.

Smoothies are one of the easiest ways to get your daily servings of fruits and vegetables. They are easy to whip up and it's almost impossible to make a bad one. Yes, I've never met a smoothie I didn't love.

The best part, besides how delicious they are, is that it is so easy to keep them healthy. They are easy to customize to fit what ever dietary guidelines you are choosing.

Like this creamy blueberry smoothie. This smoothie is vegan, paleo, dairy free and whole30 compliant! All in one smoothie and without sacrificing any flavor or creaminess.

Click here to pin this now!

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Chocolate Chia Seed Pudding

Mar 26, 2019 · 12 Comments

This Chocolate Chia Seed Pudding is a healthy dessert that is rich and chocolatey and so delicious! Almond milk and maple syrup keep it paleo friendly and vegan. With only 5 ingredients, it's an easy no bake chocolate dessert that everyone loves!

Healthy Desserts

I admit it. I have a huge sweet tooth. That can be a problem when it comes to healthy eating. I am constantly on the search for healthy desserts. Usually I top some yogurt with fruit, Yogurt with Blueberry Compote, but I was wanting something different.

The struggle was real. Then I discovered chia seeds.

Chia seeds are little powerhouses of nutrition - with lots of fiber and antioxidants. I could write a whole blog post on chia seeds alone, but someone has already done that for me - Health Benefits of Chia Seeds.

What I love about chia seeds, besides how good they are for me, is that they have this magical ability to turn liquid ingredients into thick puddings. You can get a creamy pudding without cream and eggs.

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