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Monday, June 18, 2012

Summer Recipe Series - West Pear Ave



Happy Monday everyone! Since I am currently out of the country, enjoying a family vacation, I have asked some of my favorite bloggers to fill in for me while I am gone.

This week I will be running a Summer Recipe Series which will feature some delicious and clever recipes that are perfect for the warm summer months.

My first guest post is from Holly over at West Pear Avenue. I love how Holly brings a practical and affordable approach to all of her designs...and she is as nice as she is talented. Today she is sharing a recipe that is right up my alley and sure to become a personal favorite.

Welcome Holly and thanks for sharing...

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Thank you to Laura for inviting me over to Elegant Nest today. The great thing about the blogosphere is meeting new people all the time. Laura and I recently "met" and it's been a lot of fun getting to know her and reading her blog.

I wanted to write about something a little bit out of my comfort zone so I thought I'd show you a quick recipe that I love to mix up in the warmer weather. It's actually a recipe that I got from a  good friend that I grew up with and who was also my roommate before I got married.

I call this a black bean salsa, but it doesn't need to be pureed at all.


It's really easy, nutritious, and tasty.

Here are the ingredients needed:

2 cans of black beans
3 large tomatoes; diced
1 small can of corn
1/2 red onion; diced
1 small can of sliced black olives
1 jalapeño pepper; diced
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tbsp white vinegar
Squeeze in as much lime juice as you would like
Throw in some coarse salt to taste
Throw in some black pepper too
Throw in fresh cilantro if you like

Here are three key tips for this to be extra delicious:
*Let this sit for at least a few hours - if you can prepare the night before and enjoy the next day.
**Serve with lime seasoned tortilla chips (YUM my mouth is watering just thinking about this)
***Last but not least, having margaritas along with this would be extra extra delicious!



If anyone decides to try this out, please let me know what you think - and if you make your own variation I'd love to hear about that too. I'm always trying to think of ways to change this up a bit.

I know Laura is enjoying her vacation in paradise - thanks again Laura for having me over today!

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Thanks Holly!

Everyone who knows us, also knows we love Mexican food! This salsa recipe is perfect for using some home grown tomatoes from our garden.

Thursday, June 14, 2012

Summer Recipe Series…


It's finally here...the last day of school, so summer officially starts today at 12:35pm! And we are not wasting any time enjoying the summer break.

We leave for vacation on Saturday…Yea! While I am gone, I have asked some of my favorite bloggers to fill in for me and guest post with their favorite Summer Recipes. I think you will enjoy all of the yummy, and clever, recipes they will be sharing.

One of my favorite summer lunches is what I call the Toasted Italiano Sandwich.


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I first had a version of this sandwich from a local deli…but have modified it to make it even more tasty!

Here is what you need to make your own…

Ingredients

2 pieces of Sourdough bread
Fresh Mozzarella Cheese – sliced
Balsamic Vinegar
Avocado
Hot Pepper Rings
Lettuce

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Directions;

Toast your sourdough bread - then drizzle each side with Balsamic Vinegar…


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Layer each side with sliced mozzarella cheese and sliced avocados…


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Add your sliced hot pepper rings and lettuce…


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That’s it! I like to serve mine with baked BBQ chips. If you want more protein, you can add some sliced smoked turkey too! Simple and delicious – my favorite kind of recipe!


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Here is the list of guests bloggers who will be participating in my Summer Recipe Series next week;


Monday, June 18 – Holly from West Pear Avenue

Tuesday, June 19 – Tiffany from Living Savvy

Wednesday, June 20 – Vivienne from The “V” Spot

Thursday, June 21 – Elizabeth from The Mustard Ceiling

Friday, June 22 – Jessica from Stay At Home~ista


Please be sure to stop by and see all of the summer recipes they will be sharing…one might just become a favorite of yours too!


Linking up to...House of Hepworths



Monday, June 11, 2012

Congratulations Graduate!


It was a beautiful day for a backyard party! The weather was perfect as we gathered to celebrate my son’s High School Graduation!

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I have been planning and posting about this party for the last few weeks and today I want to share a few pictures of the celebration…

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Front Door Banner

I made a lot of the decorations myself…using book pages was a fun way to incorporate the color scheme of red, black, and white.

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I even used some news print to make a few paper pom-poms…cute! As seen in my last post - Red & Black Attack - I made several banners to place inside the house and outside in the yard…

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We set up the catered food station under our backyard pergola…

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The food was delicious…they cooked the meat for the tacos on a rotating spit, and the aroma was devine!

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The backyard looked so festive with all of the white tables, chairs, and umbrellas…

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I decorated each table with the dollar store candles I posted about here

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I love the look of simple mason jars filled with fresh cut flowers…

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I used more mason jars on the dining table display, along with some fun books like dictionaries and an atlas, all in the red & black color scheme of course…

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More book page décor…

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and tissue paper pom-poms…

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In my haste during the last minute preparations…I did not get a picture of the drink table and a few other fun decorations…argh! Oh well, most importantly, we thoroughly enjoyed spending the evening with all of our family and friends.

Congratulations Alex and Good Luck as you begin college this fall!

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