Author Archives: ebchr

Happy Thanksgiving and a Beautiful Autumn Day

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As mentioned a few days ago in my Faux Fox Purse post, despite living in the same city, Lauren and I only get a chance to get together a few times a year. But we’ve kept this blog going for several years now sharing stories of mom life, food posts and some occasional DIY crafts and designs. In a world of constant change, I’m thankful for the constant that this blog has offered us.. even though it’s “one more thing to do”. And as a super bonus, we’ve gotten to know many fellow bloggers! 🙂 The one word  that summarizes it all? #thankful

Here’s a post from Veteran’s Day – Lauren captured some shots of us – a rare occasion where we are not only all in focus, but all happy, and the weather is also good!

Thanks Lauren for the photos and Maya for keeping us all entertained as we jumped around to avoid the ‘hot lava’! 🙂

Happy Thanksgiving all!

Blog Esther and Kids-1

We were jumping over “hot lava”!Blog Esther and Kids-2

 

Blog Esther and Kids-3

Maya, Lauren’s daughter, was so cute running around keeping everyone part of the game!

On Ava..

  • Gray shirt, found on ThredUP
  • Black leggings
  • Western Chief Hello Kitty boots

On Anders

  • Button down shirt, found on ThredUP
  • Shorts
  • Nike running shoes

On me..

  • J.Crew Toothpick Jean here
  • Boden Relaxed Merino Silk Sweater here
  • Timberland Savin Hill Tall Boot, found on Amazon

 

dit-elle-Esther

The Faux Fox Purse

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I’ve been on a faux fur kick this past year. This summer I posted the Lion Tote – golden faux fur with dark accents. The latest creation – the Faux Fox. Faux fur, light camel colored felt sides and top closed with a zipper, and dark handles.

Making this purse was not easy. I had a vision, found the materials, and got started. The design part was easy, the construction and assembly pretty hard.. You have to think about things like what seams carry weight, overall architecture and construction.. For a while it was a very frustrating “try as you go” DIY project, several ‘start overs’, pricked fingers, but I finally got a good prototype out of it.. and I will say, this purse gets a ton of compliments!

I haven’t (yet) created a *real* pattern for this purse (that would take a little more patience and a lot more time!) but I did get some tips from this awesome DIY faux fur collar to clutch pattern which I found on Pinterest. What would we do without Pinterest!

Thanks Lauren for the fabulous photos. Despite doing a fashion/food/design blog together, we rarely see each other, but had a chance to get together on Veteran’s day for an hour or less in a park – and the kids and weather all cooperated brilliantly so we were able to get a few bonus shots!

Blog DIY Faux Fur Leather Purse-4 Blog DIY Faux Fur Leather Purse-3 Blog DIY Faux Fur Leather Purse-2 Blog DIY Faux Fur Leather Purse-1

Blog Esther Boots-2

dit-elle-Esther

Winter Squash and Apple Soup

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Washington State is the apple capital of the world and are lucky to get an abundance of different varieties, especially in fall! This is a lovely soup using apples and celeriac (celery root) as the main ingredients. It is wonderful served simply with fresh apples and drizzled with olive oil, or make a full meal out of it by serving with some Winter Squash and Apple Galette or Bacon Wrapped Goat Cheese Stuffed Dates! 🙂

wintersquash and apple soup blog (2)

Ingredients

3 tablespoons olive oil
1 leek, white and light green parts only, thinly sliced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 bay leaf
2 pounds celeriac, peeled and diced
1 pound Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and diced
3 apples – peeled, cored and diced and more for garnish
Salt and pepper, to taste
1/2 cup dry white wine
5 to 6 cups vegetable stock
Truffle or olive oil, to garnish
Preparation
Heat oil in a heavy stockpot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add leeks and cook until soft and translucent, about 8 minutes. Stir in garlic and bay leaf, cooking for 1 additional minute. Add celeriac, potatoes and apples; cook until soft, about 10 minutes.

Season with salt and pepper and deglaze the pot with wine, cooking until almost evaporated. Pour in enough vegetable stock to cover and bring to a boil. Lower the heat to a simmer and cook, partially covered, until celeriac and potatoes are very tender, about 30 minutes.

Remove bay leaf and let soup cool slightly. Carefully puree soup until smooth (either with an immersion blender or in batches in a blender or food processor). Return soup to the stove to reheat, adding additional stock if too thick. Taste and season with salt and pepper, if needed. To serve, drizzle with truffle or olive oil and fresh slices of apple.

Thanks PCC Natural Markets!

dit-elle-Esther

Winter Squash and Apple Galette

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This week I’m featuring two recipes using winter squash and apples! Today a Galette (French for a flat round pastry or bread) and on Thursday, check back for Winter Squash and Apple Soup. These dishes are excellent served together as a meal or as separate dishes! I made these for lunch recently when we were having one of the first damp, cold and rainy days here in Seattle. It was a wonderful meal to cheer up the day. 🙂

This is a great recipe for leftover roasted squash since you do need to cook it before putting into the shell here, but it is otherwise quick and easy to assemble!

winter squash and apple pie (2) winter squash and apple pie (1)

Ingredients

  • 1 pound winter squash – peeled, seeded and cut into 3/4-inch cubes
  • 1 tablespoon oil
  • Salt and black pepper, to taste
  • 1 tablespoon butter
  • 1/2 cup thinly sliced sweet onion
  • 1/2 apple – halved, cored and cut into thin wedges
  • 1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme
  • 1/4 cup crumbled blue cheese (or parmesan works great as well)
  • 1 prepared pie crust (I use a gluten free version)
  • 1 egg yolk plus 1 tablespoon water (for egg wash)

Preparation

  • Preheat oven to 400° F.
  • Toss squash with oil, salt and pepper. Roast in oven until tender, about 20 minutes.
  • Meanwhile, melt butter in a skillet over medium heat. Cook onions until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add apples and thyme and season with salt and pepper. Remove from heat; toss with squash and blue cheese.
  • Place pie crust flat on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Mound squash mixture in the middle of crust, leaving a 2-inch border. Fold border over filling, pleating the edge (the center will be open). Brush edges with egg wash.
  • Bake until golden, 20 to 25 minutes. Cut into wedges before serving.

Super Mom Tip: 1) Use leftover baked squash and save a step! 2) Don’t have time to work on the pleating and egg washing the crust? I didn’t either. I just tossed the filling and baked it in the crust and voila! I’m sure it tastes just as good!

Thanks to and inspired by the recipe on PCC Natural Markets!

dit-elle-Esther

Bacon Wrapped Goat Cheese Dates

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What’s better than Goat Cheese Stuffed Dates and Bacon Wrapped Dates? Throw all those ingredients together and make Bacon Wrapped Goat Cheese Dates! 🙂 These are so tasty, and a perfect dish for the upcoming holiday season! I like to serve these as an appetizer, or together with a light soup like a squash, mushroom or other mild soup!

bacon wrapped dates with goat cheese (1)

Ingredients

  • 12 dates, pitted
  • 6 strips of bacon, cut in half
  • small block of goat cheese
  • Fresh thyme as garnish (optional)

Directions

  • Stuff dates with goat cheese
  • Wrap one 1/2 slice of bacon around tightly
  • Bake for ~20 minutes at 400 degrees or until bacon is crispy and starting to turn brown

Enjoy!

dit-elle-Esther

Roasted Ratatouille with Black Olives

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This is a great variation to a traditional ratatouille dish. By roasting the vegetables, you get rich flavors and melding of ingredients. The black olives and fresh basil were a nice touch. I served it with polenta and the whole dish was super yummy!

ratatouille blog (3) ratatouille blog (2) ratatouille blog (1)

Ingredients

  • 4 tomatoes, cut into 1-inch chunks
  • 1 large eggplant, peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes
  • 1 each red, yellow and green bell pepper, seeded and cut into strips
  • 1/2 onion, thickly sliced
  • 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • 2 cloves garlic, finely minced
  • Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
  • 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
  • 1/2 cup chopped fresh basil, plus additional for garnishing
  • 1/2 cup pitted black olives

Preparation

  • Preheat oven to 425° F.
  • Place two rimmed baking sheets in the oven for 4 minutes to heat.
  • Meanwhile, toss the tomatoes, eggplant, peppers and onions with olive oil and garlic in a large bowl. Very carefully spread the vegetables on the hot baking sheets. Roast, shaking the pan once or twice to turn vegetables, until tender and golden, 15 to 20 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
  • Toss roasted vegetables with balsamic vinegar, basil and olives. Serve warm with sprigs of fresh basil.

I served this with polenta and grated parmesan cheese!

Thanks PCC Natural Markets!

dit-elle-Esther

Kale Waldorf Salad

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This is a fantastic kale salad! You can make it in a few minutes with the right tools – I use a food processor and run the veggies through the slicer blade. And yes – you eat the kale raw and it is delicious! 🙂

kale waldorf salad blog (2) kale waldorf salad blog (1)

Salad ingredients

  • 1 large bunch curly green kale, rinsed
  • 1-2 apples
  • 2-3 stalks celery
  • 1/2 cup nuts or pumpkin seeds, roughly chopped
  • 1/2 cup raisins, dried appricots, figs, dates or cranberries, roughly chopped
  • 1 cup red grapes, halved (or whole, to save time!)

Dressing

  • 1 cup mayonnaise
  • Juice from a small lemon
  • 1 tsp mustard
  • Salt/pepper to taste

Directions

  • Run the kale, apples and celery through the food processor on the slicer blade
  • Toss with nuts or seeds, raisins or grapes
  • Mix the dressing ingredients and toss with salad
  • Keeps very well covered in refrigerator for several days

Excellent with poached or fried eggs – paleo breakfast for champions!

dit-elle-Esther

Roasted Broccoli

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This is a really yummy way to cook broccoli. I usually steam broccoli until it’s bright green and just tender (which is super quick and easy), but we seem to end up with leftovers. This took a few more steps, but there were no leftovers. A delicious crispy roasted broccoli recipe and such a great side dish for this time of year! Even the kids loved it. Never thought I’d say broccoli and yum in the same sentence, but there you go! 🙂

roasted broccoli blog (2) roasted broccoli blog (1)

Ingredients

  • 1 head of broccoli, chopped into florets
  • 1 Tbsp olive oil
  • 1/4 tsp sea salt

Directions

  • Oven to 400*
  • In a large bowl, toss broccoli with olive oil and salt
  • Spread in single layer on baking sheet
  • Bake for 15-20 minutes, until broccoli is tender and crisp and starting to brown
  • Cool a bit and serve!

dit-elle-Esther

Heirloom Tomatoes

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Nothing says late summer like heirloom tomatoes! Now I realize it’s fall, especially with the rain in Seattle this week, but I found the last of the heirlooms of the season this weekend!

One of my favorite snacks used to be tomato sandwiches: fresh bread, mayo, slices of juicy heirloom tomatoes. Heirlooms in particular are rich in flavor and super delicious. I am strict GF now and eat few grains, but tomatoes are so good just on their own!

heirloom tomatoes basil blog (3) heirloom tomatoes basil blog (2) heirloom tomatoes basil blog (1)

Ingredients

  • Tomatoes, sliced
  • Olive oil
  • Fresh basil, chopped (optional)
  • Sea salt (optional)

Directions

  • Drizzle olive oil on tomatoes and sprinkle with a little sea salt and fresh basil

dit-elle-Esther

Dark Chocolate Covered Figs with Sea Salt

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I recently posted about my fig tree. I finally had a chance to dip some of the figs in chocolate. Something about the combination of juicy ripe figs, dark sweet chocolate and sea salt.. amazing! These were SO yummy!

chocolate covered fig

This fig had just been dipped. As soon as you set these in the fridge to cool the chocolate will harden and set with a matte finish. 🙂

Ingredients

  • 12 figs, rinsed and dry
  • 1 cup chocolate chips (I used 1/2 and 1/2 dark and sem-sweet chunks)
  • Sea salt for garnish

Directions

  • Put chocolate in a bowl and microwave for ~1 minute or until melted
  • Stir chocolate with a spoon to even out consistency
  • Dip figs in chocolate
  • Place on parchment paper covered cookie sheet and sprinkle some sea salt on
  • Set in fridge to cool
  • Enjoy! 🙂

dit-elle-Esther