Baby Moccasins

I'm an now featuring an array of baby moccasins in my Etsy shop from sizes newborn- 12 months. Check em out, they are super cute and would be perfect for a gift or your very own little one!!

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Candy Jar

I cant recall a day when I haven't indulged in a little treat, or a big treat for that matter.  Most of the time it is a baked good but often times I find myself craving just a little something mid day and wishing I had a stocked candy jar in the house for just those moments. After wishing for far too long, I decided to make it happen. But I didn't want just any candy jar, I wanted a cute candy jar! :) I instantly remembered a jar I had stored in our garage that I had bought at Target. I had broken the lid and was going to discard it but thought that someday it might come in handy. Boy I am glad I saved it because it turned out to be the perfect size, shape and everything for my new candy jar! And who needs a jar?!! When I want my candy I want it now! I don't need a lid getting in my way, haha. But just a jar was way to boring for me; I had to spruce it up a bit.

So spruce it up I did! I went to Joann's and bought some very very wide lace trim and simple wrapped it around the jar and tacked it in place with a bit of hot glue. Then I took some extra rope I had lying around and wrapped it around a few times and tied a knot. Its both soft and hard...kinda like me :)

 And whats my drug of choice these days?...mini Heath Bar and Andes baby!!

Cartoon Family Portraits

Acouple of years ago I came across an artist who created great little sketches and characters that were so whimsical and interesting and I decided to start doing some family portraits using a few of her ideas. Thats when I created a portrait of our little family on an old, discolored page ripped out of a dictionary. Of course I included Ben, myself and our then baby E. On or next to each of us I added a few details that were specific to us individually. I am holding a baking spatula, a paint brush and a crochet hook attached to a ball of yarn by my feet. Ben has his BYU insignia on his shirt, a power tool at his feet, a pen in his had, which he can almost never be seen without, and is shown whistling. I put E in a little carriage with one of his nick names as well as a soiled bib hanging on his carriage. E had HORRIBLE reflux as a baby, and when I say horrible I mean projectile vomit all day all the time. Consequently we had to buy him special almost full body bibs that he would wear constantly to shield himself from the mess. Hence the reason for a soiled and dripping bib in the picture :)

I have our family portrait framed on our wall and I noticed it the other day and it dawned on me that I hadn't yet drawn one with our special new addition. So in no time I whipped one up to add to our little Lichty family collection of drawn portraits. In fact I have started a whole series...one pre marriage on our first date and another one for our wedding day sans children. 

Lichty family with newest addition, baby H

First date

Wedding Day

I have also had an opportunity to make a few family portraits for some friends and acquaintances as well. Unfortunately I don't have pictures of all of them but here are two that I do have pictures of.

A portrait done for some good friends who had just moved into a new place

This is a portrait of the Collom Family, done as a birthday present +Tim Collom Gallery 

Honey, Soy, Ginger Broccolini

I love broccoli! And I am lucky enough that my husband and son both do too. So I often find myself steaming, baking, roasting or BBQ-ing broccoli as a side with our dinner. Best part is that its so packed with fiber and nutrients that I don't have to feel guilty loading up my plate with a heaping size serving of it. I mean no one ever got fat from eating too much broccoli...right? And since we eat it so often I am always on the look out for new ways or flavors to use when cooking it.

Most of the time I actually buy those super large bags of broccoli from Costco that could probably feed an entire block of broccoli lovers. But instead I use it for just two adults and one small child, and we have no problem going through it in a week or less. But even more than regular broccoli I love to use broccolini, which coincidentally, Costco also sells. Broccolini has small florets with long slender stalks. It is a cross between regular broccoli and Chinese Kale.  I prefer to use broccolini because I find it a bit sweeter and the stalks are much thiner and more tender allowing for a quicker cooking time. Not to mention my son loves to hold on to the long stem like a lollipop and eat it right down to the end!

This recipe happens to be our newest addiction and can be used with regular broccoli, broccoli rabe or any of your favorite vegetables for that matter!

Honey, Soy, Ginger Broccolini

Ingredients:

1 1/2 pounds broccolini

3 tablespoons olive oil

3 tablespoons soy sauce

1 tablespoon sesame oil

1 tablespoon white vinegar

5 tablespoons honey

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 tablespoon fresh grated ginger

1 teaspoon pepper

Directions:

Combine all ingredients except broccolini into a zip lock baggie and mix ingredients well. Once mixed add broccolini and maneuver it around until it is all well coated. Refrigerate for a minimum of 1 hour. 

Once ready to cook preheat your oven to 350. Line a baking sheet with foil and  place broccolini and marinade onto pan. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until the stems of the broccolini are just tender when a knife is inserted.

Bread Stuffed Zucchini

I was recently gifted a zucchini the size of my 2 year olds thighs. No joke, this thing was a monstrosity!! Now I know from experience that when zucchini gets that size they become incredibly seedy and I always struggle with how to use them. I didn't want to throw it away but I also didn't want to make zucchini bread or overlook the seeds and BBQ or sauté it. So instead, I decide to stuff it. By stuffing it I was able to core out most of the seeds and leave the delicious pulp in tact.

Instead of adding sausage or some kind of meat to the stuffing I opted to keep it an all veggie stuffing but add a little surprise. What is the surprise you ask...bread! Yummy yummy sourdough bread. This recipe is really great and will satisfy even the most staunch of meat eaters, like my husband for instance.  The bread adds a great texture and soaks up all of the yummy flavors. And you will die over the breadcrumb topping. It is sooo easy to make and you probably have all of the ingredients on hand. It really takes this recipe over the edge and adds a great crusty topping.

Bread Stuffed Zucchini

Ingredients:

Stuffing-
3-4 large zucchini
olive oil
1/2 red on ion, diced
3 garlic cloves, diced
1/2 cup dice canned tomatoes
3 tablespoons fresh basil, chopped
1/2 cup grated mozzarella cheese
salt and pepper
2 slices bread, I used sourdough

Breadcrumb topping-
1/4 cup breadcrumbs
1/4 grated parmesan cheese
2 garlic cloves
3 tablespoon fresh basil, chopped
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
pinch salt and pepper

Directions:

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Cut your zucchini in half, lengthwise, and core out the middle of each, reserving 1/2 cup of the pulp. Sauté onion and garlic over medium low heat in olive oil for about 7 minutes. Chop the reserved zucchini pulp and add to the pan. Sauté for an additional 4 minutes. Add the tomatoes and remove from heat. Place contents of pan into a bowl and add the mozzarella cheese and fresh chopped basil. Stir to combine and add salt and pepper to taste. Place stuffing into each hollowed out zucchini being sure to still leave room for your cut bread. Cut your bread slices into very small bite size pieces and top your stuffed zucchini with the bread pieces. You might need to push them down just a bit. Place all of your zucchini in an oven safe pan.

To prepare breadcrumb topping place all ingredients into a food processor and mix until well combined. Liberally sprinkle the breadcrumb mixture over your stuffed zucchini and bake for 30 minutes or until zucchini is tender.

 Enjoy!