Posts from — August 2023

I made salmon bowls for Anne’s belated birthday dinner last week. I’ve been on a salmon kick recently, in excess, since now I’m sick of salmon. I do this more often than I’d like to admit. I think it’s simply part of cooking for one. Admittedly, a large part of the problem is that I shop at Costco for my business. While I’m there (several times a week) I will also pick up food for myself. I think we can all agree that shopping at Costco when you’re cooking for one, isn’t the best strategy. This is another “something” that I need to work on.

Peggy and I finally celebrated Anne’s June birthday on Wednesday night. I made a salmon bowl for the main course (recipe coming soon) and a Caprese-Fig Toast for the appetizer. It was inspired by the black Mission figs from the 5 trees in my own backyard and the green Kadota figs I found at Trader Joe’s. If you hurry, you’ll find both varieties at Trader Joe’s right now.

Fig-Caprese Toasts

• 4 ripe tomatoes, chopped
• 3 garlic cloves, peeled and minced
• 1/3 cup fresh basil leaves, chiffonade, more for garnish
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 tablespoon balsamic reduction, more for drizzling
• 1 baguette
• 1 package burrata, balls drained and sliced
• Ripe black Mission and green Kodata figs, sliced lengthwise

Many thanks to the 9 of you who posted comments and entered the contest. David, Bonnie, Shelley, Anne, Kim, Jill, Jan, Amy, and Betsy, your names were all put in the random spinner and Jill was the winner. Congratulation Jill! I’ll text you and we’ll find a day and time for you to swing by and pick up your Harmony Board.

Thanks to all of you for your very kind comments! You make it so much more fun and rewarding to continue to post! On that note, here is an easy and surprisingly addictive recipe I made for Marissa and Jeff on my trip to Chicago early this month. I found it on Allrecipes.com and it is now in my rotation!

NOTE: The recipe calls for black beans in mild chili sauce. I did not know there was such a thing, turns out there is. Find that, it makes all the difference if the delicious flavor of these delicious little bites.

Sweet Potato – Black Bean Taco Cups w/ Lime Crema

Lime Crema

• 1/4 cup heavy cream
• 2 tablespoons sour cream
• 1 teaspoon freshly squeezed lime juiced
• Pinch of salt

Taco Cups

• Cooking Spray
• 12 street-size (4-inch) flour tortillas
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 cup peeled and chopped sweet potato
• 1 small yellow onion, peeled and chopped
• 1 jalapeño, seeded and minced
• 3 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
• 1 (15-ounce) can black beans in mild chili sauce, undrained
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 3 ounces shredded Mexican-style cheese blend
• 1 avocado, diced
• Chopped fresh cilantro, for garnish
• Lime wedges and lime crema, for serving

YOU CAN’T WIN IF YOU DON’T PLAY!

Today is Monday. Our drawing is Wednesday. Time is running out. If you’re not sure what I’m talking about, please see the previous post – 14th Blogiversary. In the meantime, a new recipe:

This recipe comes from Instagram influencer, Lauren Garcia aka whatlolalikes. I met Lauren in the summer of 2019, about 8 months after I started Harmony Boards. She was at an Airbnb doing a photoshoot. The owner of the property ordered a board from me for Lauren, her photographer, and stylist to enjoy while they worked. Lauren tagged me in the photo and my Instagram account blew up. She ordered several more boards from me over the years and I can honestly say that my account quickly grew by leaps and bounds, in large part to her and her strong influence.

Lauren makes this salad all the time, so I finally decided to try it, yes she influences me too! It is amazing! It is now my go-to quick, easy, and healthy meal at least 2 times a week. I have no doubt that you’ll love it too.

Fourteen years ago today I began blogging. To celebrate, I’m having an easy contest, keep reading to learn more.

Here is a link to post number one. If you go to that link you’ll see that I speak about Julia Child. Ironically, I attended a birthday dinner last night with Kim Howard at Tarbell’s to celebrate what would have been Julia Child’s 111th birthday. My friend, mentor, and former boss, Barbara Fenzl was the guest speaker. Thank you, Mark Tarbell, it was a delicious and delightful evening.

The day I began blogging, Connor was a few days away from heading off to college. Not to be overly dramatic, but I didn’t know what I was going to do with my life. Having been a stay-at-home mom for over 21 years, I was feeling a bit lost. This blog was a great distraction and gave me something to look forward to each day, a purpose if you will. And I was dedicated! Posting nearly every day for 4 years!