Morel Mushroom Flatbread

June 22, 2016June 2, 2016Leave a comment

My parents always knew the woods on our farm were home to morel mushrooms, but we never went hunting for them. That is until my Dad found out a few family members and friends enjoyed them. Now he spends a few afternoons a summer scouring the ground to bring home a basket full of morels.

I was lucky to be home one weekend when my dad was harvesting the morel mushrooms and I was able to sneak away with a few. I had never cooked anything with morels before, but I thought they would make a delicious flatbread. And boy, did they ever!

This flatbread can be nibbled on as a light appetizer or be made into the star of the show as a delicious entrée. If morels are hard to come by, swap them out for your favorite type of mushroom. I’m sure the end result will be just as appetizing!

Morel Mushroom Flatbread

*Makes two mini flatbreads

Ingredients:

2 mini naan flatbread
Drizzle of olive oil
1/2 tsp. minced garlic
1/2 C. Sliced morel mushrooms
1/2 C. Shredded gouda cheese

Recipe:

Preheat your oven to 350˙
Place the naan flatbread on a baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil
Top with minced garlic, cheese, and mushrooms
Bake for 8-10 minutes, or until the cheese starts to brown
Let cool slightly and slice before serving

Strawberry S’mores

June 20, 2016June 1, 20166 Comments

Best way to end a summer night? Roasting marshmallows by a fire and making s’mores! This was by far one of my favorite things to do growing up. My whole family loves s’mores and if we were having a fire before my Dad was done milking cows, one of us would run a s’more down to the barn for him to enjoy.

Now that Ian and I live in an apartment, our s’more days are limited to when we visit my family. To make these evenings even more special, I tried my hand at making my own marshmallows. I experimented with a few flavor infusions and settled on these strawberry swirl marshmallows!

Once they are lightly toasted and sandwiched between a piece of chocolate and two graham crackers you can dive into a delicious s’more that tastes like a chocolate covered strawberry. Pure perfection! Just be warned, they can be a bit messy!

To make your own strawberry swirl marshmallows at home, follow this recipe. Once you have the marshmallow batter poured out into your container, dollop a few spoonfuls of strawberry jelly on top and drag a wooden kabob skewer through the batter to create a swirl effect.

Laid Back Picnic Guide

June 15, 2016June 1, 2016Leave a comment

I’ve always loved a good picnic. Growing up, it was such a treat to pack up the car with a cooler full of food for an afternoon picnic at Devils Lake. Eating outside is such a simple thing to do, but it always felt exciting and special.

My love of picnics quickly became apparent to Ian when we started dating in college and one day he surprised me with my very own picnic basket! We spent many summer evenings carrying our basket around to picturesque locations around campus for an inexpensive date night.

Over the weekend I saw our picnic basket in the closet and decided it was time we broke it out. We could have ran to the grocery store for supplies to prepare a full-blow picnic, but I wanted to be spontaneous and enjoy a laid back afternoon. I filled mason jars with fresh fruit, hummus, and carrots, then placed them in the basket with two bottles of our favorite seltzer soda. After a quick stop at Jimmy Johns for sandwiches our picnic basket was full and ready for a lazy afternoon soaking up the sun by the lake.