Mom and Jan's Black Bean dip

My aunt Jan used to make this dip. She died about 8 years ago. She was my mom's only sister. I miss her so much. It is my mom's favorite thing to make now. She eats it for dinner multiple times a week. Jan loved to cook. She was great at it. She and my mom couldn't have been more different, though they are both fabulous women. I love them both so much.

1 can black beans rinsed and drained
3 limes
2 tomatoes (I love romas, but any will do)
1 avocado
1 can corn drained

Chop tomatoes, avocados, and mix beans and corn into a big bowl. Cut the limes in half and squeeze the juice over all the ingredients.

Eat with lime tortilla chips.

Thanks mom and Jan!

Hailey's Rosemary bread

Hailey is this amazing woman who I work with. She is hard working, an avid reader, so kind, and can assist in a surgery better than any doctor I have ever seen. She brought this bread to work the other day and it was so amazing. I have to share it.

Total time: 2.5 hours
Makes 2 loaves

Ingredients:
1 Tbs yeast
1 Tbs sugar
1 cup warm water
2 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp. salt (I love Kosher sea salt)
2 Tbl. rosemary (try and grow your own rosemary. It is so much better when it comes from your own garden and then you won't have to depend on your local produce department) You will also save money by growing your own.
2 Tbl. butter

Directions:
Place yeast, sugar and water in a large bowl and allow mixture to become bubbly (about 15 minutes)
Mix in 1 Tbl butter, salt, and 2 cups flour. Add 1 Tbl. rosemary. Knead for about 10 minutes by hand. Add more flour if necessary. Oil a bowl and put dough in it and cover with a towel. Let dough rise in a warm place for one hour until dough has doubled in size. Punch down dough and divide in half. let dough rest about 5 minutes. Spray cookie sheet with cooking spray. Shape dough into two small rounded loaves. Sprinkle remaining 1 Tbl. over the loaves and press lightly into the surface.

Let loaves rise again until doubled, about 45 minutes. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Bake 15-20 minutes. Remove from oven and brush with remaining butter.

Serve warm. Dip in olive oil and balsamic vinegar.

Thanks Hailey!

Allison's Mocha Brownies

I think I have mentioned my friend Allison Harbertson's cooking before. Well she has done it again. She made these brownies for our book club, and they were the best brownies I think I have ever tasted. I am making them right now and the house is filled with their amazing aroma. Please make these brownies. You will not be disappointed. The frosting is mocha flavored and so yes you have to use coffee. If you aren't a coffee drinker then that is an issue you need to deal with. JK. I love coffee and anything coffee flavored. Enjoy.

Servings: Over 8
Difficulty: easy
Cook time: 30-60 min

For brownies:
Four 1-ounce squares unsweetened chocolate (I just discovered these packets of melted unsweetened packets of chocolate on the baking aisle made by Nestle) Also I learned that bittersweet chocolate can be used as a substitute for unsweetened chocolate.
2 sticks of butter
2 cups sugar
4 large eggs (If you don't have your own chickens buy Oakdale eggs. They are wonderful)
3 tsp. pure vanilla extract
1 1/4 cup all-purpose flour

For Mocha icing:
2 sticks butter softened
5 cups powdered sugar
1/4 cup cocoa powder (I love the special dark cocoa powder)
1/4 tsp. salt
3 tsp. pure vanilla extract
1/2 to 3/4 cup brewed coffee, cooled to room temperature

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees
To make the brownie batter, place the chocolate in a microwave safe bowl. Melt the chocolate. Be careful not to burn it. Set aside to cool. If you buy those packets of pre melted chocolate you can skip the melting instructions.
In a medium bowl cream the butter and sugar. Beat in the eggs. With the mixer on low speed, drizzle in the melted chocolate. Add the vanilla extract and mix.
Add the flour to the bowl and mix until combined. Do not over mix.
Pour the batter into the baking pan. Spread it to even out the surface. Bake at 325 for 40-50 minutes until the center is no longer soft. Set the brownies aside to cool completely before icing.

To make the icing, in a large mixing bowl combine the butter, powdered sugar, cocoa powder, salt and vanilla. Mix until slightly combined, then add 1/2 cup of the coffee. Whip until the icing is the desired consistency. If the icing is overly thick, add 1/4 cup more coffee. It should be very light and fluffy.

Ice the cooled brownies, spreading the icing on thick. Refrigerate until the icing is firm, then slice the brownies into squares.

If you don't have the set up to make coffee, you might be able to use instant coffee.

Thanks Allison and The Pioneer Woman cookbook!

Project 52

Project 52 is a project I entered into with my girlfriends. Every week for one year you take a photo where some part of you is in it. I have not been great at keeping up with it. My friend Dara is so faithful with this project and motivates me to stick with it.

Family

I had never been to Ledgemere before I met Seth. He used to go to this spot with his family as a child. It is one of our favorite spots to go now as a family.

When I say family I of course mean my immediate family plus Patrick and Erin, but I also mean The Jarrards and The Harbertsons. These women are my sisters. Their husbands are my brothers, and I love their children as if they were my own. I feel their love and support always. Maybe everyone in the world has friends like this, but I feel particularly lucky.

Patrick and Erin

Erin and Jaren

Flynn and Piper

Harbertson and Dunlop crew

Enjoying the fire

My lovely Erin