thanksgiving is over and the leftovers are gone. today, most of us will return to our normal schedules and see that the hype of the holidays is upon us.  before the busyness sets back in, i want to take a moment to give thanks.  there are so very many things that i am thankful for, and i know i don’t say thank you enough. today and always, i am thankful for:

my husband, my light, my love and my life entertainment

my mom and dad, for the selfless love they give

my sister and how she makes me laugh

my grandma, and all the times we spend in the kitchen

my mom, dad & sister-in law for the inspiration and laughter they spread

great food and a family that loves to cook

toaster, and his willingness to snuggle

our jobs, and the way they fulfill us

safe travels, for the many miles we drive

great tasting coffee on cold mornings

having a deeper desire within me to do better and be a better person

for you, and your faithfulness- and how you make me smile!

for every blessing in our lives, that too often get overlooked.

what are you thankful for this thanksgiving?

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hello lovelies!  have you all seen this movie? i just shared it in the comment section of the next post, but i love it so much that i wanted to share it here!  it’s just a quick snippet of a new movie coming out called fresh and discusses our food system and the health of humans on the planet.  the beauty of it has made me tear up more than once (not kidding) and it’s a must see!

“I am a caretaker of creation, and what I’m supposed to do is leave it in better shape for the next generation than I found it. period.” -Joel Salatin

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maybe we should just call this food friday? today’s post accomplishes many goals:  first, it deals with beautiful red and blue berries perfect for 4th of july. 2nd, it’s in line with out eat local and in season initiative. 3rd, it’s the first post in a new series i’m kicking off called simple living!

berries are one of my biggest indulgences, there’s just not much that makes me happier than a fresh berry bursting in my mouth! as we’ve been talking about the importance (and fun!) of eating local and in season foods, today i want to touch on the importance of preserving some of those foods for enjoyment all year.  berries of all kinds are in season right now, and by preserving them, we can enjoy them for the rest of the year!  eating berries in winter not only come with less taste, but always leaves me feeling terribly guilty.  flown in from thousands of miles away, eating berries during winter comes with a huge environmental cost, plus it just doesn’t feel right.  so today we’ll talk about how to take advantage of your in season berries by freezing them, and how you can still be snacking on them come january- guilt free.

first things first, wash your berries!  i find it easiest to just plug up one side of my sink and rinse them till the water runs clear.

next, lay them out on a towel to dry.  you can blot them to help, or just let the water drain, but in the end you want them relatively dry before the next step.

next, lay your berries flat on a baking sheet in a single layer.  by spreading them out in single layer, you’ll prevent them from freezing in (hard to break) big berry clumps.

you can lay them flat on the pan, or on wax paper, and can even build them up by placing wax paper in between layers of berries.

place the pans of layered berries in your freezer.  you’ll want to leave them overnight (or for about 8 hours) before you take them out to bag them.

next step is removing them from the freezer and bagging them up for long term storage!  since you froze them in a single layer, they’ll remain loose in the bags for easy use.  they’ll last a long time so you’ll still be snacking on local berries even when february rolls around.

frozen berries have tons of uses, they’re great for snacking, pies, dessert toppings and especially smoothies (recipe coming soon!). they won’t be in season long, so don’t miss them at your farmer’s market!

{photos: bonnie forkner}

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lucile is a french artist who has just opened her inspiring little space on etsy- lucile’s kitchen. she’s been drawing and painting since she was a small child, and now finds herself living in her kitchen.  can’t we all relate?  the kitchen is my favorite room in the whole house.  i find myself getting inspired there as well, and lucile translates all those inspirations onto paper.  how beautiful!

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hi lovelies!  i thought i would take a moment to share with you why thanksgiving is my favorite holiday.  i’m a foodie kinda gal.  i appreciate good, home-cooked, whole foods.  if you think about it, the united states doesn’t have that many ‘original’ holidays that don’t center around hamburgers and hot dogs- so a hearty thanksgiving meal makes me happy.  i also don’t think that the u.s. has a really strong cuisine.  countries that have been around for centuries and centuries have formed a specific taste for different foods (think thai, mexican and italian food!)- and i refuse to believe that ours is french fries and corn syrup.  to me, thanksgiving represents our ‘cuisine’ at its best.  i love being able to bring in the homegrown harvest to share with family and friends.  i know many people don’t do thanksgiving like this any more- but there’s something really special about being able to grow your own food and share it with it others.  it’s like digging in the dirt for the past few months has really paid off- and it feels so good.  so that’s why i love thanksgiving- and i love digging in the dirt!

i hope everyone has a wonderful thanksgiving- and even if you don’t celebrate thanksgiving where you are- it’s fun to think about all the things we’re thankful for.  i’ll be taking tomorrow off and be back on friday to share some special black friday/cyber monday deals with you! don’t miss the post below to learn how to share your sales with me- and get a little extra publicity!

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