Greek Salad with Arugula and Artichokes

Today for lunch I was in the mood for one of my favorite salads: Greek salad. Yum. There's nothing fancy about it, but it's delicious, healthy, and (best of all) salty! Hah. Didn't expect that one, did ya? But, who doesn't love salt. For realz.

So, here's all I did to get that beautiful insalata in the photo above:

I chopped some Cucumbers:

Then I sliced some cherry tomatoes in half:

Then I chopped up some Feta cheese, kalamata olives, and marinated artichoke hearts:

Then I threw in some baby arugula and tossed it all with extra virgin olive oil and balsamic vinegar. And as a last touch, I threw a dash of Italian seasoning on it!

Wahoo, right? Easy peasy. Hope you like it!

Cause I did! ;)

~ Mari

Dirty Little Secret

Yep. There it is. My most favorite summer dessert: Key Lime Pie. I know the picture isn't the best (taking a good picture of a white frozen treat in a white bowl isn't exactly easy), but it tastes amazing. Sweet, tart, and cool on a hot summer day!

Here's why my post has that elusive title: it's REALLY REALLY easy to make. So easy, I'm almost embarassed to post the recipe on here. But, why be stingy with a good thing, right?

So, here it is - my dirty little secret:

2/3 cup Jo & Nellie's Key Lime Juice
8 oz. Lite Cool Whip
14 oz. Fat Free Sweetened Condensed Milk
1 graham cracker crust

Literally, all you do is mix the first three ingredients in a bowl until blended, pour it into the graham cracker crust, and freeze for 1-2 hours (until it's totally frozen through and through). If you want to eat it frozen (that's how I like it), just slice a piece and eat it! If you'd rather it be a little creamier, let it sit out for a few minutes before you devour your piece.

Hope you enjoy it! I just can't tell you how good it is! Hope everyone enjoys it and is enjoying her/his summer!

~ Mari

Blueberry-Peach Pocket Pies

We had an abundance of fresh blueberries in the fridge, so I thought I would use them in these cute little pocket pies (I got the idea from this month's Fine Cooking). They were ridiculously easy because I just happen to keep frozen pie dough around. It's a good idea to make more than you need (I usually do by accident anyway) when you do make pie dough so you don't have to make it every time you need it.

Basically, all I did was mix fresh blueberries, roughly chopped peaches, about 1/4 cup granulated sugar, a splash of vanilla extract, and some ground cinnamon in a bowl. Then I rolled out the pie dough into circles, put a blob of the blueberry mixture into the middle, and folded the sides up all around it.

Then I took the leftover blueberry mixture and cooked it down (with a little water) and made a sauce.

Then I strained the sauce (to get all the peelings and stuff out).

Mmmmm... deep purple goodness...

After the pies cooled, I drizzled the sauce on them and put a dollop of fresh whipped cream (just say NO to Redi-Whip if you can!). DELISH!

Yummers! I loved it because it wasn't too sweet - it was just the perfect balance of sweetness and tartness.

Enjoy!

~ Mari

Summertime Moments

It just rained at my parents' house here in TN. It's so beautiful here after a rain - I just couldn't resist getting some pictures outside. Hope you enjoy!



Hummingbird moth:

Hope you're having a great summer evening as well!

~ Mari

A Very Creative 2 Weeks

There we all are (Andy is on the far left)

What a great 2 weeks it was! I felt so creative and free... twas fabulous. Plus, getting to create art with my adorable mom sitting across from me was wonderful as well.

Here is one of my final creations... as it progressed:

Ta dah! There is my Venetian-inspired piece - complete!

Then I did some wood block prints of women:

This is the last piece I worked on in the class - I carved the stamp myself that I used on the right side of it. :) It feels very Mexican to me - like Mexican tiles or something.


I'm so sad that it's over. :( Especially since I have a bronchial infection now and I can't go hom to Ryan yet. Booooo!

~ Mari

2 Weeks with Andy Saftel

Where have I been? I've been at Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts in Gatlinburg, TN! Mom and I are taking a class from one of our favorite artists - Andrew Saftel. Andy is not only a FABULOUS artist, but he's a fabulous person as well. It truly is an honor to spend two whole weeks making art and learning from him.

The class is a mixed media class (aka- use whatever the heck you want in your artwork!), so it's fun and messy! There are nine of us in the class (someone came as far as Michigan!) and we get along great! Everyone has their own unique style with their art (even though we've talked extensively about why "style" is not necessary in art...).

Here are some pieces that I've been working on in the class:

Here are three bug-inspired pieces done on artist board. The one on the bottom left isn't finished...but, I'll let you know how it goes!

Here's a stamp I carved (on Speedball Easy-Cut) of a catfish...hehe

And here's what it looks like when he's stamped!

Here's another work in progress...

Then I worked on some more 3-D pieces

They are moving right along! Not finished yet, but almost!

(notice the tomato theme... hehe)

So, things are moving right along! It's a pretty intense experience...living and breathing art! It's wonderful! :)

Thanks for looking!