time to [[ breathe ]]

Okay, so i haven't posted in a few weeks, because life has been c r a z y! But now that I am officially done with school I can post lots of recipes I've been waiting to share :)

Here is an overview of whats been going on since I last posted;

My prayer group had our first meeting. I am so blessed by these girls, and thankful the Lord has sovereignly brought us together :) 

Farewell Holland Family!

Rick Holland is the [now] former pastor of the collegiate group at my church. He was there for 14 years and was such an incredible teacher, pastor and shepherd. Its a weird change, because all my life he was the only college pastor I ever thought I would have. But I am so excited to now be under Austin Duncan!

.All.grown.uP.

my friend Katherine threw this awesome costume even where we could relive our childhood dreams. 

Love these sweet girls. [and boy!]

My sweet friend Katrina Herrera came HOME for summer leave.

I hadn't seen her since Christmas, and wont see her again until next Christmas, but i am so thankful that shes home. I went to pick her and her family up at the fly away :))

She introduced me to El Charros. It was pretty amazing.

My friend Emily graduated high school! I've known her since 3rd grade, so it was pretty sweet to see her cross the stage. //congrats Em.//

Katrina turned 19. were all grown up now!

Katrina, Natalie and I took some sweet convertible rides

A group of us went to Ojai for the day. 

The adventure included: fruit stands//art shows//pizza//daisy chains// and good conversations.

and we stayed for sunset!! It was absolutelt beautiful

(Pictures courtesy of Natalie Valdez and Franzine Elaine DeGuzman)

Last but not least [[Lizzie]] graduated high school last night!!!

Congrats friend :)

I love you!

So that is a bit of what has been going on the past few weeks, plus lots more sleepovers and coffee//lunch//dinner dates.

Here is a taste of whats to come ;)

Salted. Caramel. Cupcakes. 

XO

B

{Chile Lime} Salmon

These past few weeks have been c r a z y, which is to blame for me not posting anything in a while! But hey, I'm not complaining! The Lord has been heaping blessings upon my head these past weeks, more than I ever could have thought possible; and definitely much more than I deserve!! In the midst of things I had a chance to make this dish a few days ago for the second time, and it is definitely a winner. Its a great marinade, and super simple to throw together!

I don't have any pictures though, because i had to make it on the run, and gobbled it up before the camera even had time to get out of my bag ;)

I N G R E D I E N T S 

~ 1 pound salmon fillets (tilapia works just as good too..)

~ 1/4 C olive oil

~ 1/4 C fresh squeezed lime juice

~ 2 T chopped fresh cilantro

~ 1 T minced garlic

~ 2 t chili powder

~ 1 t ground cumin

~ 1/2 t salt

D I R E C T I O N S

1. Pat salmon dry with clean paper towels. Place salmon in a 1 gallon recloseable bag.

2. In a small bowl, combine remaining ingredients. Pour over salmon; seal bag. Gently toss to coat salmon. Refrigerated 30 minutes or up to 2 hours. (no longer than 2 hours; the citrus will begin to deteriorate the meat)

3. Line baking sheet with aluminum foil; spray with no-stick cooking spray. Remove salmon from marinade; discard bag. Place salmon, skin side down, on pan.

4. Bake in a preheated oven at 450 degrees, until salmon flakes easily with a fork. (about 10 minutes per inch of thickness)

"The LORD your God is with you, He is mighty to save.
He will take great delight in you, He will quiet you with his love,
He will rejoice over you with singing." 

Zephaniah 3:17

Enjoy

xo

B

{Lemon Feta} Stuffed Chicken Breasts&&Asparagus with a {Dijon Vinaigrette}

Okay, so I love good food, that doesn't take all day to prepare. These are perfect spring/summer recipes, and I made the chicken, asparagus, baked bread and cookies.....in under an hour and a half; start to finish! I really liked the flavors and the way they melded. I served this meal with a creamy horseradish chive bread, which was yummy, but i think I will just serve it with plain garlic cheese bread next time, and save the chive bread for steaks or bbq meals. I am so stoked to start cooking for summer. :-) 

p.s. Its asparagus season from February-Juneish, so i'm sure I will post lots of different ways to use this yummy vegetable :-) 

Happy Cooking!

{Lemon Feta Stuffed Chicken Breasts}

ingredients

~ 4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts

~ 1 t finely shredded lemon peel

~ 3/4 C crumbled feta cheese

~ 1 T olive oil

directions

1. Cut a pocket in each breast, through the chicken, but not through opposite sides. In a small bowl, combine 1/2 C feta, with lemon peel. Spoon mixture into each pocket, sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper.

2. In a Large skillet, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add chicken. cook for 18-20 minutes, or until there is no more pink. turning once. sprinkle with remaining cheese. 

{Asparagus with Dijon Vinaigrette}

ingredients

~ 1 lb asparagus

~ 2 t dijon mustard

~ 2 T red wine vinegar

~ 2 T olive oil

~ coarse salt

directions

1. Cut asparagus into 2 1/2 inch strips. 

2. Whisk together mustard, vinegar and 1 T olive oil

3. Heat 1 T olive oil in large skillet over medium heat. Add asparagus and season with salt. Reduce heat to medium-low. Cook, stirring frequently, until asparagus is tender. About 10-12 minutes. 

4. Remove from heat, and place asparagus in bowl. Drizzle with vinaigrette, toss and serve.

xo

B

Crepes {with Sweet Yogurt and Blueberries}

Okay, so if you haven't gotten the not-so-subtle hint, I love breakfast. This past Sunday, I decided to take on, what i thought was a brave endeavor to make crepes, without a crepe pan. I found a recipe on one of my favorite food blogs, and decided to try it, seeing that the batter was fairly simple to make. The only thing I was nervous about was how to cook them, in a regular non-stick skillet. Well, upon making my first crepe, this fear completely disappeared. Seriously, crepes are SO fantastically easy to make, and you can fill them with just about anything. And I liked the idea of filling it with a Greek yogurt mixture :-) They turned out SO yummy, and I definitely will be making them more often! Just keep in mind, the batter has to sit for 20 minutes before you start to cook the crepes.  This allows the flour particles to expand and absorb more water. :-) But the filling seriously rocks. Its like a perfectly sweet and tangy light cloud of heavenly goodness. 

INGREDIENTS:

~ 3 large eggs

~1 1/4 C milk

~ pinch of salt

~ 3 T unsalted butter; melted

~ 1 C flour

~ 1 1/2 C plain greek yogurt

~ 3 T brown sugar

~ 1/2 t pure vanilla

~ Maple Syrup (for drizzling)

~ Blueberries

DIRECTIONS:

1. In medium bowl, mix eggs and 1/4 C milk and salt until blended. Whisk in the flour until well blended. Then  whisk in remaining cup of milk and 1 tablespoon of the butter. Let batter stand @ room temp for 20 minutes

2. In another bowl, mix the yogurt with the brown sugar and vanilla. Place in refrigerator until ready to serve.

3. Heat non-stickk skillet over moderate heat. Brush the pan with some of the melted butter. Pour in a scant 1/3 C of the crepe batter and immediately rotate the pan to evenly coat the bottom. (I ended up using quite a bit less than 1/3 cup for each crepe, it makes them thinner)

4. Cook the crepe until lightly browned (45 seconds). Flip and cook until brown spots appear on the other side, about 15 seconds.

5. Transfer the crepe to a large baking pan covered with parchment paper.

6. Spoon 3 T of yogurt onto each crepe and toll them up. Top with maple syrup and berries. Sift powdered sugar over prepared crepes.

bon appetit! 

xo

B

and of course i had to take a picture of the best cooking partner :-)

yes we do have matching ears. they were $1 at Target, so obviously I was compelled to make the purchase! :-)