A Busy Week and Homemade Coffee Creamer

This week just flew by for us. I'm so glad I get to relax and slow down this weekend!

Michael's been working a lot, which is great since work always slows down during the off season. I've been busy editing photos and just taking it easy.

I've also been thinking about expanding on a lot of ideas I've had whirling around in my head. I'm thinking of selling some vintage items online. I love finding treasures at thrift stores and often I'll bring something home and then eventually feel like it's time to pass it on. And often, I'll find some really awesome stuff! The thing is, most of the stuff I want to part with is still in perfectly good condition. Instead of just throwing it out or storing it until I can find someone who could use it, I figured, "why not sell it?"

I plan on continuing to donate my clothes and other household items we don't need anymore, I think I'm just going to sell some of the really great vintage items I've come across and no longer want. I still plan on keeping photography as my main focus, but it's fun to have projects and side "jobs". (doesn't feel like a job if it's fun!)

I've got some other ideas I'm tossing around, but I'll have to reveal those when they're more solid plans! ;)

Now, for my recipe this week!

A couple weeks ago, I got a coupon for a free bottle of coffee creamer in the mail (I signed up to receive one on Facebook).  Michael and I usually just use whole milk and sugar in our coffee since creamer is one of those things we cut back on to save a few dollars here and there. Since I had the coupon for the free bottle I decided it would be a treat.

The thing is, I'm all too aware of what is in that coffee creamer: ingredients I can hardly pronounce, chemicals I've never heard of, and hydrogenated oils.

Yuck.

I've always known coffee creamers are full of strange things I've never even heard of (they even say dairy free) , but I just ignored it and tried to enjoy my coffee. Well, not anymore! I just can't justify feeding it to myself and my family.

I decided to make my own coffee creamer from now on! I did some hunting around (here's one site that has some good ones) and research and after finding a few recipes and sort of creating my own, I made a coffee creamer I really enjoy and tastes better than the kind you buy at the market. Yum!

So here's the recipe for you to try out. I plan on experimenting with different flavors and coming up with different combinations of flavorings. I'll definitely be updating with what I come up with!

French Vanilla Coffee Creamer


What you'll need:

• 1 14 oz can of sweetened condensed milk (or 1 1/4 cups)
• 1 C milk (I used whole, but anything would work)
• 1 Tbs vanilla extract
• 1/2 Tbs maple syrup (or extract)

In a medium sauce pan whisk together the two types of milk over medium heat. Right before it boils, turn the heat off and add the flavorings. Whisk. Pour into glass containers and allow to cool. Keeps in the fridge for about 10 days. Enjoy!

Next time I think I'll try using a vanilla bean and using actual maple syrup. I made this for the first time late at night, and couldn't run out to pick up the different ingredients. So, I just used what I already had.

I also LOVE pumpkin pie spice, so I think I'll try that one next. 

Let me know how yours turns out!

Lemon Parmesan Brussels Sprouts

frying up some brussels sprouts

So, the other day on Instagram I had a really exciting thing happen! 

For those of you who don't know what Instagram is, it's a really fun app for sharing photos with friends and exploring other people's photos. I would say it's like Twitter, but instead of 160 characters, you have a photo and a caption. You can learn more about it, here and find me on there under: thelavenderfield, and if you don't have a smartphone, find me here.

Anywho... I often update my Instagram feed with photos of what I'm doing, scenes I think are pretty, silly things my husband's doing, and of course... what I'm eating. I love food, so it's only natural! 

The other day, a very nice lady came across my feed and asked me how I had prepared the brussels sprouts I had photographed. She explained that she had NEVER enjoyed brussels sprouts but that they looked really delicious in my photo (they totally are!). I happily sent her the recipe and insisted that she let me know how she liked them once she made them herself, and she agreed to get back to me. 

Well, about a week after that, she messaged me on IG to let me know that she had LOVED my recipe and that she was sad that she had to share the sprouts with the rest of her family! lol She then asked me if I had a food blog somewhere since she saw my photos of some other dishes I had made and posted. 

Needless to say, I was so flattered! I didn't think my recipe for the sprouts was anything special since the preparation is so simple and is really just a combination of flavors that I really enjoy. But hey, when I'm searching for new recipes to try out, that's pretty much what I look for: simple with good flavor! 

So, all this to say, I will now be posting my recipes, on occasion! As of right now, I'm unable to make it a regular series, but I will do my best to post more recipes as I perfect them. Although, I would like to keep this primarily as a photo blog, I'm happy to share here!

For the inaugural recipe post, I think it's only fitting to share my brussels sprouts recipe. Enjoy!

Lemon Parmesan Brussels Sprouts

• About 6 smallish fresh, brussels sprouts (if they're small, they're more tender and less bitter)
• 1 T olive oil
• 1 T unsalted butter
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• salt and pepper to taste
• juice from half a medium lemon
• 2 T grated parmesan cheese

Slice off the hard ends of the sprouts, then slice them in half, longways. Warm up the butter and olive oil in a medium skillet over medium heat, and toss in the sprouts. Stir them around to coat, and sprinkle with garlic powder, a dash of salt and pepper, and squeeze about half the juice of the lemon. Fry for about 10 mins., stirring occasionally. When sprouts are tender (they'll be a little soft when poked with a fork), remove from heat. Put in a bowl and sprinkle with parmesan and squeeze some more lemon juice onto them. Add some more seasonings, if needed. Enjoy!

I usually make these as a snack for myself. The great thing is that you can totally tweak this recipe to suit your tastes. Sometimes I'll add chili powder, and sometimes I'll have to add a little more salt and pepper depending on the sprouts. 

Let me know, if you try them out!

Have a great weekend, everybody. :)