{salsa}

 Not the dance, but this fresh wonderful goodness that we have enjoyed so many times over the summer. I have had several people ask me for my salsa recipe and since I made it over the weekend I decided it was time to get it posted on the blog.

 I adapted this recipe from another salsa recipe that I received from my Farmers Market Basket. It really is so simple and there are a few things that really MAKE it.

 Alison's Fresh Homemade Salsa

1/2 large onion chopped

1 large (or two small) peppers chopped (I prefer red, but green work fine too)

2-3 tomatoes chopped decent size

approximately 1/2 a bunch of cilantro - chopped (I used a little less)

a few cloves garlic finely chopped (optional)

1 8oz can tomato sauce

3 tablespoons lime juice (can add more if you feel it needs it)

Salt, pepper, cumin, and garlic salt (only use garlic salt if you don't use garlic cloves) to taste

Mix together and serve (better if it sits over night in fridge). The ingredients that make this salsa are the cilantro, tomato sauce, and the lime juice. Serve over chicken, fish, or just snack. I don't feel quite as guilty eating it because it is just veggies.

Enjoy!

...overcome...

Many of you may not remember my post from here or that a year ago I lost my job (see post here), but from that layoff last year there have been plenty of low professional moments for me. Any of you who have lost a job know, that regardless of the circumstances surrounding it, one's ego takes a big hit.

I also was really discouraged the first of the year wondering why I couldn't seem to get this little business "off the ground." The fact was, things were going relatively well considering I didn't lose money in 2010, but I was wanting more.

In June Doug and I had a real heart to heart about finances. We both had been looking for other means of income to try to conquer some of the school debt we have incurred from Doug's Masters. As many of you know, especially in education, going back to school is a necessary evil - especially when one wants to move into leadership.

So with a heavy heart I began to do some praying. With the economy I knew finding part-time work for either of us was going to hard. We did some looking, Doug did some applying, but nothing panned out. Not even a class I put together to teach during the summer while I had free childcare.

My parents were praying too (they are great this way and usually pray for things before I even ask them). And during this time I had an aha moment. I know, you are going to think, seriously, but it came to me that I already have a "part time job" with The English Pea Studio. The problem was, I hadn't started paying myself. I was just dumping any money I made back into the business.

Now, I know that this is necessary especially in the beginning, but I realized after making a profit last year maybe I needed to reevaluate things. So I did, paying our little family my first "paycheck" that month.

And you know what happened, since then, every single month, God has provided more business for me than I even dreamed possible. Seriously! No lie, May was my best month ever since being in business and in August - that number doubled. I have been quite overcome with His provision and quite honestly, surprised. I know this seems silly, but it was like when Doug and I finally decided to make this step the business started coming.

Now, we aren't back to what I was making last year working my "day" job, but I can see that God is opening doors for me and I am quite overcome with emotion, humility, and ultimately gratitude. So for those of you that have just found me and those of you that have been sticking along side me and cheering me on - Thanks! I am humbled that God is beginning to give me this dream that I have had as long as I can remember - a dream of owning a creative business!

They're Back!

I must confess, I had to keep myself from putting these up sooner. It is no secret that I LOVE fall, but I felt like I had to wait to put these up until at least September. Forgive me, but we have had a touch of fall in the air, and well, it is getting me excited.

So... enjoy. These will be around a while and all will be available as printables AND printed materials in the shop. And don't be surprised if come October there isn't a freebie that makes it your way.

Roasted Red Pepper Penne with Sauteed Shrimp

So a couple weeks ago my local grocery store had shrimp - as well as some other great fish - on sale. I am trying to incorporate more seafood into our diet, which is hard to do because it tends to be a bit more expensive than other meats. So when it went on sale I stocked up.

I had several peppers - both red and green - available from my garden (and for those of you wondering, yes, green bell peppers will turn red if left on the vine for a long period of time - only IF they can hold out before the bugs get them). I roasted them off one day and put them aside in the fridge. I was craving something delicious, but not heavy and this little recipe just came about. Man, was it good. Since my conscience wouldn't let me get away without sharing the goodness with you, I snapped a picture and recorded the recipe. Here you have it!

Roasted Red Pepper Penne with Sauteed Shrimp

Ingredients

3-4 peppers (any color)

box of whole wheat Penne Pasta (I wound up using a little less)

2 tablespoons of butter

1/2 cup finely chopped onion

1lb shrimp - deviened and peeled

1/2 cup of shredded Italian cheeses

roast garlic (optional)

Roast your peppers on 400 degrees for 30-45 minutes. Let cool and then peel off the skins. Cut into small strips (you will need to do this a bit earlier. I like to roast mine off the day before just so prep doesn't take as long the next day). Start by cooking your pasta to the package directions. Place butter and onions in a large sautee pan and cook onions until clear. Toss in roasted peppers, garlic, and shrimp. Cook shrimp until pink - just a few minutes. Once pasta is done, drain and drop in with the other ingredients, coating the pasta with "sauce," peppers, and shrimp. Then sprinkle shredded Italian cheeses over and serve.

Servings: Approximately 4-6

Enjoy!

{alterations}

I love my customers and they sure have been showing me the love over the last two months. I am wrapping up yet another wonderful month and my hands have been quite busy tending to all the love.

But one of my favorite things about my little business is getting to bring my customers' ideas to reality. This little singing in the rain shower invitation was the inspiration behind a recent customer's request. She loved the concept, but wanted something a little more fun. So the process began.

First I put three variations together of the invitation per her request. Guess which one she chose...

Next she wanted to create a return address label to go with the ensemble and this is what we came up with.

Finally, she requested that I put together a send to label that she could use with a mail merge document that also complimented her vision. And if this wasn't cute enough she chose a bright strawberry pink envelope with the teal cloud liner to finish off the whole thing.

So what do you think about her "alterations." I thought it was a fun, creative twist to an already lively design. (Oh, and in case you are wondering which invitation she picked I am sure you have figured it out by now. It was the one with the purple umbrella).

Singing in the rain...

So, sadly, most of the time when it rains around here - especially in summer - there is thunder involved - so no playing in the rain. But on this particular day the thunder did not come so I, along with the kids, ran out into the pouring rain. We had so much fun and the kids thoroughly enjoyed it. Charlotte kept asking me if we needed to put on our bathing suits. She didn't quite get why it was okay get her clothes wet (say something her ole Mom you think?). Only down side to our little venture, the kids didn't quite understand why they couldn't go out in the rain the next time it came around - one guess, thunder. :)

Thai Lettuce Wraps

My first experience with a lettuce wrap was in Las Vegas and I wondered why I had never tried one before. Maybe it is because I am a carb loving fool, but the lettuce wrap, well, it blue my socks off.

I revisited this wonderful delight one evening while dining with my in-laws several years ago and my sis-in-law insisted that I try the Thai lettuce wraps at Cheesecake Factory. Again, I wasn't disappointed.

So, when I started getting strange lettuces in my Farmers Market Baskets last year I set out to create such a recipe. And while the prep can take a bit of time, these truly are delicious!

Thai Lettuce Wraps

Prep:

Shred carrots, slice cucumber (did both of these in my food processor),

 wash and dry lettuce (butter lettuce is great to use), cut chicken into strips, pick leaves off cilantro stems

(set all these aside)

Salt and Pepper chicken and then grill until done

cook ramen noodles until soft - do not use seasoning

Sauce: In a small sauce pan heat up about a cup of Ken's Teriyaki Marinade. I added a clove or two of finely chopped garlic, about 1/2 a teaspoon of ginger, and a bit of sugar to tast. Bring to a simmer and let it cook down just a bit until it is a little syrupy.

Your done. Now just assemble and eat!

Enjoy!