Welcome! Glad you stopped by. If you're up for an eclectic collection of images, and subject matter then you've come to the right place. I love people photography, and I do quite a bit of that. Engagements, weddings, families, newborns, high school seniors, theater performances, events, and head shots. Of course my family is also included in that category, including the fur babies, and with four grandkids I'm never at a loss for subjects to photograph.
I also really enjoy photographing tasty food, beautiful flowers, thirst quenching beverages, exquisite jewelry and other random still life items. So, depending on the day, the photography mood I'm in, or what's crammed into my schedule, you never know what might pop up on my blog, but at the very least I'll try to keep it interesting, and I hope you stop by often to take a peek.
Cran-Apple Sauerkraut and Pork Chops
I prepared this delicious sauerkraut side dish a couple of weeks ago, then went on vacation, so I’m just now getting back to my blog.
This Cran-Apple sauerkraut dish from Taste of Home was easy to prepare, and so good! I used Metta Gardens Medium Heat Kimchi for this recipe, which was the perfect compliment to the other ingredients. The flavors of the kimchi, sweet potatoes, bacon, apples and cranberries blended so well together.
I paired it with pork chops rather than pork loin, since that’s what I had on hand. You could literally serve this side dish with any meat.
You can use any kind of sauerkraut or kimchi for this recipe, I just happen to have access to the best variety from our local producer, Metta Gardens. It truly is the best, most flavorful sauerkraut with an amazing texture and crunch. So if you’re in my area, get yourself to the Greenwood farmers market on Saturday mornings, or check their Facebook page for the other markets where their products are sold. You won’t be disappointed. Enjoy!
Oktoberfest Strudel
It may not be October, but I had a taste of Octoberfest recently with this yummy Taste of Home Octoberfest Strudel.
I used Metta Garden's delicious and flavorful Classic sauerkraut for this recipe, keeping it pretty traditional. The crunchy texture and unmatched flavor of Metta Garden's sauerkrauts is why they're absolutely the best.
The ingredients and recipe were fairly simple, and the puff pastry is very easy to work with.
The nice thing about this Octoberfest Strudel recipe is that it's an entire meal all wrapped up into one lovely pastry. Personally, I would add an additional side of sauerkraut (just because I love it), or you could add some German potato salad, coleslaw or a traditional salad as well.
My advice is not to wait until October to give this a try. Prepare this recipe year round. Enjoy!
Reuben Egg's Benedict
Okay, I know what you might be thinking, "Sauerkraut on eggs?" That's what I think about ketchup on eggs. But, a lot of people love ketchup on their eggs, and if you like sauerkraut, you will love this!
I used Metta Gardens Golden Sauerkraut, because of it's beautiful color and flavors which I thought paired well with this dish.
This Reuben Eggs Benedict recipe, which I discovered on Taste of Home is pretty straight forward and simple. I decided to use English muffins rather than the pretzel buns that are in the recipe, since I already had those on hand.
The flavors all blend together so nicely, and the health benefits are a bonus. I highly recommend giving this tasty breakfast a try. Enjoy!
Tasty and Versatile Romesco Sauce
I can't believe I've never had romesco sauce before. This Metta Gardens romesco sauce is absolutely delicious!
The versatility of romesco sauce is another thing that makes it so fantastic. I discovered just a few of the ways romesco sauce can be used at Spoon University.com. From sandwiches, to pasta to burgers and more.
I paired this Metta Gardens romesco sauce with goat cheese, crackers and Italian bread for a very tasty appetizer.
I could have eaten this as a meal. It has protein from the almonds, veggies from the peppers, grains from the crackers and bread, and more protein from the cheese.
I'm anxiously awaiting my next trip to our farmers market to snatch up another batch of this delectable, yummy sauce.
If you've never tried romesco sauce, like me, you don't know what you're missing! Go get some and enjoy it's wonderful flavor. I'm glad I'm no longer missing out. Enjoy!
Apple Juniper Sauerkraut & Mango Salad
This salad recipe from Happy Kitchens.Rocks is pretty straight forward and simple, yet chalk full of amazing flavor and healthy goodness. It calls for Russian-style sauerkraut, but I used Metta Gardens Apple Juniper sauerkraut.
The combination of crunchy, tart sauerkraut and sweet mango is so good! Every time I try an new combination like this one I'm simply amazed at how delicious they are together.
The sweet fruit and sauerkraut together are perfectly balanced.
This salad would be the perfect side dish to just about any meat, with its deliciously appetizing colors and texture.
Another easy recipe that you definitely need to try. It certainly will be going in my favorites file.
Savory Sauerkraut Soup
I continued on my journey of preparing dishes using Metta Gardens sauerkrauts last week by preparing a savory soup, Slow Cooked Sauerkraut Soup from Taste of Home.
I have to admit, I would have never thought of using sauerkraut in a soup, but as I search for recipes I'm pleasantly surprised to find gems like this one that have such immense flavor. For this recipe I used Metta Gardens Caraway Sauerkraut.
The caraway sauerkraut paired with all the vegetables in this soup was a perfect blend of flavors. A final touch of bacon pieces to top things off, and voila!
I served up a grilled Swiss & cheddar cheese sandwich and iced tea with this soup to make a complete meal.
Total yumminess!
Sensational Rice & Sauerkraut Salad
The latest recipe I prepared using Metta Gardens sauerkraut was this sensational Northwoods Wild Rice Salad from Taste of Home. This salad was absolutely delicious! I literally could have eaten the entire bowl.
For this salad recipe I used the Metta Gardens (Vegan) Kimchi Mild Heat sauerkraut, which really added a boat load of flavor with its wonderful combination of spices. This version of Metta Gardens Kimchi is just right for those sauerkraut connoisseurs who like an occasional little kick of spiciness.
I used a package of Zatarain’s Long Grain & Wild Rice Mix that I had in my cupboard, but I think quinoa would work as well if you prefer that to rice.
A Pink Lady apple added a sweet, crisp flavor. The combination of sweet apple, tangy dressing, crisp celery, carrot and onion, and spicy kimchi sauerkraut is the perfect blend of flavors that makes this salad so delicious.
This recipe will definitely be in my favorites file. It was easy to make, which is always a bonus, and simply packed with healthy goodness and flavor. I highly recommend you give this one a try. Enjoy!
Flavorful Sauerkraut and Apple Latkes
As I continue my experimentation of using Metta Gardens' sauerkrauts in recipes, I’m delighted to find so many delicious ways to incorporate these delectable, fermented vegetables into tasty sides and main dishes.
The latest recipe I tried was Sauerkraut Latkes from Taste of Home. I used Metta Gardens Golden Sauerkraut with its flavorful turmeric, ginger, and garlic flavors. Its beautiful golden color added an extra touch of visual appeal to the latkes. Now, don't fret if you don't live in my local area and don't have access to the Meta Gardens products, you can use any sauerkraut that's available to you. The recipe calls for Russet potatoes, peeled and shredded, but I chose the short cut of using frozen hash brown potato shreds, and the latkes turned out perfectly, proving you can simplify things and still come away with delicious dishes.
The aroma throughout my kitchen as these latkes were browning in the skillet was heavenly. I browned them to a light crispiness and topped them with some green onion.
The recipe calls for sour cream as another optional topping, which I normally have on hand at all times, but I discovered that I was completely out of sour cream, so I used a chipotle dressing instead, which was a flavorful compliment to these delicious sauerkraut and apple latkes.
As I’ve stated before, sauerkraut is a very beneficial probiotic for your digestive system. It's delicious on it's own, and there are so many tasty ways of incorporating it into a meal or side dish as well. So go ahead and give it a try. I highly recommend it!
Tangy, Sweet Meatballs
Growing up in central Wisconsin, which has a vast heritage of Polish and German ancestry, one tends to consume sauerkraut on a fairly regular basis. Such was the case in my home, even though my immediate family does not have a predominance of either Polish or German heritage. We just happen to like this tangy, fermented vegetable. And, luckily my husband, who grew up in the same small Wisconsin town as me, loves it as well.
This sweet and tangy meatball and sauerkraut recipe from Taste of Home that I recently prepared for the first time was super easy to make, and very tasty.
I used Metta Gardens Southwestern flavored sauerkraut for this dish, since the recipe already had a kick of spiciness to it with the other ingredients.
Metta Gardens is a small local company that is just recently branching out beyond the farmer's markets, and into the local retail marketplace as well, and I'm excited to be working with them to increase their brand exposure. They make the most amazing sauerkrauts that are packed with wonderful flavor and texture, and in case you weren’t aware, sauerkraut is a natural probiotic, making it very healthy for your digestive system. If you live in our local area you absolutely must visit Metta Gardens at the Saturday morning farmers market on Madison Avenue, and taste test their delicious products, or visit one of the other local retail locations where their products are now sold. Metta Gardens adds a variety of seasonings and spices to their original sauerkraut, making for a flavorful selection. I actually enjoy eating it straight out of the container as much as I enjoy adding it to recipes. Below are just a few of the sauerkraut products they produce. I arrived to the farmers market a little too late last weekend, and they had already sold out of a lot of product, so I'll be heading there earlier next time.
I love sweet tasting recipes, but for me, the sauerkraut is the ingredient that should be the “Star” of this recipe, and I really want more of the sauerkraut flavor to come through with this one, so for my own personal taste, the next time I make this I’ll cut in half, or maybe even down to a forth the amount of cranberries and brown sugar. I think that will bring out more of the sauerkraut flavors nicely.
I made this recipe using my pressure cooker in about 30 minutes, compared to the slow cooker/crock-pot method of 3 to 4 hours that was suggested. I paired the cranberry sauerkraut meatballs with some German potato salad, and buttery seasoned green beans for a delicious flavor packed meal.
If you’ve never tried sauerkraut, I highly recommend giving it a try. It’s very beneficial to your digestive system, and there are so many tasty ways of incorporating it into a meal. So, get out those lederhosen and enjoy some sauerkraut!
EGGxtra Fun Project
With Easter fast approaching I decided to try a variety of Easter egg decorating techniques. Pinterest has a TON of help in that area, so I hit them up for some tips and inspiration. I'm REALLY happy with the results!
The first technique involved using nail polish, called the Drip method. Pretty simple actually, just drip some polish of a couple colors into a container of water, use a tooth pick to gently and slowly merge the colors together a bit, dip the egg half way in, and repeat that process for the other side of the egg. Pretty cool, right?!
Another technique was using uncooked rice and food coloring. Well, of course I had no rice, but I had coconut flakes, so I improvised and it worked pretty well. You put rice (or coconut flakes in my case) into a small plastic container, add 15 drops of food coloring, shake it up and then put in a hard boiled egg and gently shake again. The egg becomes covered with a speckled design. My grandson made the light green one in this image (inside the basket next to the purple one).
The final technique I tried was tie dye. Super easy, but here's a warning... WEAR GLOVES! You can use paper towels, but I used wet wipes. Put a hard boiled egg in the center of the paper towel or wet wipe. Gather all of the wet wipe or paper towel material to the top, gently twist and secure with a small rubber band. Spray the whole thing to dampen it, and then while holding it up, add dots, stripes etc. of a variety of food colorings (Here's why you need the gloves!). After you have the colors the way you like, spray again to let the colors blend a little bit. Let these dry over night for the most saturated colors. I didn't take a picture of EVERY individual egg, so hopefully you can figure out my descriptions here...... The pretty red, green & white one in the center of the plate, along with the yellow, green & white one on the left (above the purple one) and the green with yellow stripe at the bottom are all tie dyed.
There are literally thousands of ways to decorate Easter eggs, as I discovered. Some are WAY too artsy for my talents, but these were fairly simple, I had the ingredients (well, besides the rice), and the grand kids were able to participate in some of the designs, which they thought was pretty fun. The colorful eggs also made for a great food photography project, and A LOT of egg salad. Thank goodness I love egg salad!
Happy Easter!