Herbivore

I have thoroughly enjoyed being a vegetarian (or as I like to refer to myself, a herbivore) for the last couple years and I really feel like it has helped me be more adventurous in the kinds of things I eat. Recently Adam and I have been trying to make a couple new recipes a month to find  new favorites that eventually become 'regulars'. We have tried a lot of new things and Adam has even been a fan of most of them without even adding meat! So I decided to make a list of my new top five fav's, complete with recipe (in no particular order, because I love them all equally).

1. Southwestern Pizza with black beans and corn 

On this one Adam does like to add a little seasoned chicken to his half of this pizza...to each his own!

Recipe: http://www.thekitchn.com/weeknight-recipe-southwestern-147062 

2. Skillet gnocchi with chard and white beans 

Gnocchi is delicious! I first had it on our honeymoon at a restaurant in the top of the CN Tower and I fell in love. It is a little potato pasta dumpling that goes well with lots of flavors! When we were first making this one, though, we were looking at the ingredients together and kept saying "well, this will be interesting" as politely as possible...but in the end it was soooo good! So don't let the seemingly strange ingredients put you off

Recipe: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/10/27/skillet-gnocchi-with-char_n_1061875.html 

3. Vegetable Stir Fry 

We love this one so much because it is the easiest thing in the world to make! It takes a handful of minutes and basically only a couple ingredients (if you don't use meat)!

Recipe: http://www.tasteofhome.com/Recipes/Asian-Beef-and-Noodles

4. Pesto Risotto with Green Beans 

My sister-in-law gave me a Moosewood's cookbook with tons of great vegetarian recipes in it and this one is by far my favorite yet. Adam and I are obsessed with risotto (I have no idea why or how) and this was a perfect way to spice up our normal parmesan risotto! 

Recipe: http://recipes.sparkpeople.com/recipe-detail.asp?recipe=658179

5. Summer Corn Cakes 

Well, technically we haven't made this one yet, but we are supremely excited to make it soon. Adam keeps asking when its for dinner but I think he's mainly just interested because its kinda fried, haha.

Recipe: http://www.ezrapoundcake.com/archives/12345

Luxo

   I don't know how its possible that I have not written anything about the newest addition to my family....Luxo! We found him two days before Adam's birthday (thus three days before our 1 year anniversary) and we decided to officially keep him a couple weeks ago. We searched high and low for an owner but alas there was none to be found (thankfully!!!) This little guy is so much fun and everyone that meets him thinks he is absolutely adorable! I mean look at him, isn't he the cutest thing you've ever seen?

 
   Anyway, every time we tell people his name they always mispronounce it or ask where it came from. Well, here's the secret...it came from Pixar! For those of you who know Adam and I well, you probably aren't surprised. We love Pixar movies and the shorts! Luxo comes from Pixar's very first short entitled Luxo Jr. You might also recognize him as the cute little lamp guy at the beginning of every Pixar movie that bounces on the I in Pixar.
   Luxo fits his namesake well too because he is the bounciest, hoppiest puppy I have ever seen. When we go on walks he bounds through grass much taller than himself and searches out his-sized prey (mostly butterflies and ants). Oh, and his favorite toy is a round plastic ball that he could chase for hours by himself in the yard!

 

 We are loving having a puppy so much! Adam and I never had dogs growing up so this little guy is our first ever! He is so much fun and such a cuddler! We are so thankful that we took a wrong turn on our Friday morning walk and discovered our new friend!

Oh, and here's the Luxo short, (if you know our puppy you know he fits his name so well)!

 

June

June, June - You were quite a month.

    I cannot imagine there could be a month with more celebration, surprises, and chaos than this June. June began with me starting my first summer course - typical life stuff, right? But June quickly became not so normal as we began celebrating several birthdays back to back, found a dog on the side of the road, had a surprise party for Adam, celebrated being married for a year (!!!), and found Elle's wedding dress. And that was only the first two weeks! 

    Then we saw friends from New York we hadn't seen in a year, celebrated and basked in the joy of friend's starting new adventures, had a sleepover with Peyton and Ava, and Adam started and continued a million recording, audio, and web design projects.

   I felt like I barely had a chance to catch my breath in this extraordinary, whirlwind month but it was such a beautiful busyness....the kind that sparks important conversations, fills your heart and keeps a smile on your face.

So thanks June - you are again one of my favorite months of the year