I’ve recently found that I am a million times more productive if I leave the house to do things. For example: I have a long, long list of thank you notes to write for all of the lovely gifts we received at our baby shower, and somehow I can’t make myself sit down at my desk long enough to just write them. For me, the same thing happens with blogging. I have a list of recipes and lots of photos just waiting to be published, but nope. It just hasn’t happened. Does this happen to you? What is it about sitting yourself down at a coffee shop that makes you work harder? Maybe it’s the people around that are watching…making sure you’re doing what you should be. In any case. Here I am…and guess what? My notes are written and you’re reading a shiny new blog post. Yipee! Thanks to all the encouragement of perfect strangers sitting around me.

On a side note: I’m full term today, so this baby can safely come any day now. Let’s all say a prayer and hope really hard she comes sooner rather than later. Let me know if you have any tips on making that happen.:)

Here’s a yummy new way I’ve used up my zucchini! The nice thing about this soup is that you can enjoy it hot or cold. Personally, I like my soup hot…but I hear it’s really refreshing chilled as well. However, I’m thinking the cheese would be omitted in that case.

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Sarah Hope has been a dear friend of mine for the past 4 years, and in addition to being a lovely person, she’s one of the best cook/bakers I know.  She lives in Charleston now with her sweet husband (and their soon-to-be-arriving baby girl!) and we only get to see each other a few times a year, but whenever we do we always enjoy trying out different foods and recipes together. When I was visiting her last summer, I tried her black bean hummus…amaaazing. I was caught completely off guard when she told me that her secret ingredient was soymilk. Really? Soymilk? Sounds strange…but I was surprised in what a difference it made. She has a sweet food/life blog, where she recently posted her famous recipe…so now that the secret is officially out, I’m so excited to share it!

Also, for you lovers of all things home and beauty, my super-talented designer friend Eileen has recently posted a giveaway on her blog! She’s giving away a $30 gift card for the ruby+stella etsy shop, they have some amaazing pillows with really fun designs, so check it out and enter! You may just be the lucky winner.:)

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My charger has finally arrived! I’ve been so happy to finally be able to photograph some of my meals again to show you. Here’s one I made a few months ago, I was so pleased with the flavor that I decided to make it again. I thought the soup could use a little more of the garlic and onion flavor, so I doubled the content that was in the original recipe. I also added half & half to make it a bit more creamy. It’s a mild soup with a lovely flavor. Perfect to serve alongside some garlic toast and a nice salad.

P.S. Sorry that I don’t have any pink cupcakes or heart shaped cookies to share with you on this lovely day. My valentine is off firefighting for the holiday, so I’m putting off celebrating till he returns.:) hopefully you are all enjoying a sweet time with your special someone and eating enough chocolate for all of us! Happy Valentines!

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Well, it’s finally started cooling off around here and I’m so very excited to feel some fall weather. Yesterday I put on a sweater, turned on some Nick Drake and decided to bake something. It was a little rainy outside so I thought something to go with soup would be nice, so I went for this. The sweet potato brings a beautiful fall flavor (and color!) into the dish and I just loved it.

It’s my birthday this weekend and to get even more into the fall spirit, I’m headed to the mountains for apple picking with some wonderful friends. So, I’m in the market for some deeelicious recipes using apples! If you have any that you just love, comment and let me know! Until then….happy FALL!:)

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Asparagus has to be one of the most delicious and beautiful side dishes when it comes to vegetables. This recipe is my go-to when I need a quick side and it’s incredibly simple and versatile!  If you don’t have goat cheese and lemon thyme, it is also wonderful with parmesan and most any herb (rosemary!). Hope you enjoy this as much as we do.:)

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