Cactus Needle Halos

december

7 falls, sabino canyon

a perfect 74 degrees

To real trees, too much dessert, and family!

M E R R Y   C H R I S T M A S ! !

Holiday Bruschetta

This delightful holiday appetizer combines three things I absolutely LOVE.

1. Goat cheese.
2. Pomegranate seeds.
3. Bruschetta.

I made this appetizer for a friend's holiday party and these things went like hot cakes! It is the perfect combination of salty and sweet, crunchy and smooth. They are also super easy to make!

(I made a double batch because of the amount of people at the party)

Ingredients


1 loaf of skinny-french bread roll
Goat cheese
Apricot preserves
Pomegranate seeds

Directions


1. Pre-heat the oven to 400 degrees F.
2. Cut the french bread into 3/4 inch slices.
3. Brush the tops of the bread slices with olive oil and sprinkle lightly with garlic powder.
4. Bake the bread in the oven for about 5 minutes. You don't need to make them rock hard--just get a crunchy layer on top.
5. Heat up some goat cheese in the microwave until it has a nice, smooth, spreadable consistency. (Be careful not to overheat the goat cheese because it becomes inedible!)
6. Spread a small spoonful of the jelly on each piece of bread.
7. Next, spread on the goat cheese. (I liked a good amount on there)
8. Sprinkle with pomegranate seeds.
9. Serve still warm. (But I promise they're still delicious not warm, too)

The Rain Transforms Us

It's going on 48 hours of non stop rain in the desert.
It's amazing what a constant drizzle can do to the mind.
I think rain makes us smarter.

Rain makes us dig a little deeper.

These rainy days I've reflected on love.

Sometimes I stop by Le Love to read something real for a change. (There are only so many facebook status updates one can take.) No matter what my heart is feeling that day, this blog has words I can relate to. It's truly amazing how many people are feeling the same thing at the exact moment, whether it be heartbreak, loneliness, hopefulness, hopelessness, or blinded by true love. I love this blog because of the raw emotion and true beauty in the joy and the sadness. This post in particular stood out to me tonight for that reason.

Reading the words written by people all over and collected by Le Love makes me feel somehow connected and and gives me comfort when its needed. It's incredible what love can do to us. Sometimes it's important to stop and think about what role it's played in our lives and recognize how it's changed us.

Kick Butt Salmon Burgers

As I was sitting at my desk today at work, I probably should have been thinking about coefficients of friction and how to improve my MATLAB code, but instead, I was thinking about salmon burgers. I immediately wanted to get home to try out a new recipe I had just formulated in my mind.

And let me tell you--it turned out amazingly. I will never buy store-pre-made-in-a-box-salmon-burgers again!

Ingredients

Two 7.5 oz cans of canned Salmon

3 Tbsp of oat bran

1 egg

1 Tbsp of olive oil

1/4 tsp of garlic powder (or a clove or two of garlic, minced)

1/4 tsp of pepper

1 Tbsp of salsa pureed (optional)

1/4 cup of finely chopped onions

1/4 cup of grated Parmesan cheese

1 pablano pepper, minced (bell pepper works too if you don't want the spiciness)

4 or 5 basil leaves* chopped

*I was hesitant about the basil, but oh man, it worked perfectly and added a wonderful flavor! 

Directions

* Makes 6 medium sized patties*

1. Drain the cans of salmon and rinse off some of the saltiness and oil (if you want) with water swirled in the can holding the cut lid on. 

2. Dump the salmon into a mixing bowl, pick out any bones you may find, and mash down the salmon to break it up. 

3. Add the oatbran, oil, pepper, garlic, salsa, egg, onion, pablano pepper, cheese, and basil and stir all together until it's mixed well. 

4. Get your skillet warmed up to medium heat with some olive oil.

5. Form patties with your hands as big or small as you'd like and set in frying pan. 

6. Once a quick sear is made, turn down the heat to medium low and cook until nice and browned on each side. Maybe 6 or 7 minutes on each side. It really doesn't matter how long you cook them since the salmon is cooked. Just get them warmed through the middle so the egg cooks a bit and the cheese starts to melt. 

7. Enjoy! 

The patties were a bit crumbly, but easily reform-able. These would also be great on top of a salad or with some rice!

I had to resist seconds.