Blueberry Lemon Crumble

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Blueberry Lemon Crumble

Blueberry Lemon Crumble

After the end of a long winter and cool spring, I grow anxious for fresh fruits and vegetables. Perhaps it's all the months of opening canned vegetables or using frozen fruits, but I reach a point every year where I cave and buy the overpriced fresh fruit in the grocery store. The "fresh" fruit hasn't found its way into a can or the freezer yet, but it lacks the flavor and texture of its seasonal counterparts. In some ways, it's like I'm setting myself up for disappointment—a very expensive disappointment.

If only fruits and vegetables could be in season every month of the year.

Blueberry Lemon Crumble

Well, I've grown anxious. The temperatures outside are occasionally running into the nineties and I'm left sitting next to the air conditioner wishing for a red watermelon. After buying a cheap, but ultimately terrible carton of berries at the market, I've given in. I bought frozen blueberries, citrus fruit, and green beans in a can. It may not be fresh, but it certainly doesn't lack in flavor.

Right now, that's just what I need.

Blueberry Lemon Crumble

Fruit desserts are quintessential to summer evenings. After a hot, humid day, they make for a cool, light pick-me-up to satisfy my sweet tooth without the richness or heaviness a chocolate cake can bring. When I made this crumble, I enjoyed it hot from the oven on a cool rainy morning and chilled after the hot sun invited itself into my living room.

Until I can raid the farmer's markets, frozen fruit will just have to work for me.

Blueberry Lemon Crumble

Blueberry Lemon Crumble is a simple dessert combining sweet blueberries with tart lemon. The blueberries are sprinkled with an oatmeal crumble topping before roasting in the oven until fragrant and bubbly. If you listen closely, you can hear the blueberries sing. This makes for a lovely accompaniment to a cool summer meal.

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Multigrain Bread

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Multigrain Bread

Multigrain Bread

Today marks the second anniversary (and the 250th recipe!) of this blog. It feels surreal to know that I've sat down at this computer three times a week for the last two years to share photographs, recipes, and stories with you. When I started this blog, it was on a whim. I knew nothing about cameras or photographing food, very little about creative writing, and wouldn't have referred to myself as a baker to anyone. It's funny how a couple years can completely turn those statements around.

I caught myself looking back over old recipes this afternoon. I remember much of the inspiration and emotions surrounding each and every one, surprising even myself. It's the words and stories that have slipped my mind. Traveling back in time, sometimes I impress myself with my posts, scarcely believing the words on the page spilled out from my fingertips; other times I want to bury my face in my hands, embarrassed that I displayed such an awful photograph for all of you to see. They say that artists are their own worst critic and I am inclined to agree.

Multigrain Bread Multigrain Bread

The most important thing I've learned about blogging is that it's a journey, not a destination. It's easy for blogging to become a list of mentions or a number of subscribers. Sometimes it's easy to lose sight of the reasons I started blogging in the first place. Blogging is a work in progress (and, to some extent, always will be).

Inspiration is the life blood of blogging. I let myself get swept away with the works of my favorite food photographers and writers. I try to push myself with food photography every time I'm behind a camera lens. I write in hopes of finding my elusive voice, wherever it may be hiding. I never let myself stray too far from the kitchen. As soon as I feel comfortable with where I am, I take a peek at the photographs of Katie Quinn Davies or open a book and read the words of Sue Monk Kidd and realize I have miles and miles left to go.

I love the journey.

Multigrain Bread

Most importantly, I want to thank you. You continually inspire me with your emails and comments. You make me smile when I learn you've experimented with my recipes in your own kitchen. You refuse to let me forget all of the reasons I love blogging, especially needed on those long nights when I'm up late editing photos. Thank you, thank you, thank you.

Now, who is ready to find out what the next year will bring?

Multigrain Bread

Multigrain Bread is a hearty, healthy bread that's fitting for both special occasions and everyday eating. The bread is made with a mixture of bread flour, whole wheat flour, and oats. To give it a more diverse texture, sunflower and flax seeds are kneaded into the dough. Sliced thin, multigrain bread works well for sandwiches or toasted with a spread of butter for breakfast.

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Mocha Granola

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Mocha Granola

Mocha Granola

There is something indulgent and romantic about a hot cup of coffee. The steam swirling out of the mug creating a thin fog that hovers delicately above the liquid, only disrupted by the wafting air of a mug lifted to the lips for a hesitant, fleeting first sip. The smell of coffee is familiar, embracing the soul while sleep is rubbed away from tired eyes. The heat from the mug is a welcome touch on cold winter mornings when it feels too early to crawl out of bed before the sun.

It's an ancient drink, creating an invisible connection between people both near and far with a single, simple message.

The day is about to begin.

Mocha Granola

It was the smell of ground coffee beans that aroused my love for coffee. Long before I became a coffee drinker, I sat at the kitchen table with my grandparents during breakfast, listening to them talk over cups of coffee as the dawn light spread pastels across the sky. The coffee maker faintly dripped in the background, a simple sound in a quiet room, with a rush of steam as the last drop of water fell into the pot. There was something exquisitely romantic about the whole affair.

I wanted to capture all of these sensory moments, to keep them inside as a comforting moment for a day when the world felt bleak. I turned these moments into vignettes, of coffee and newspapers, of yawning faces and quiet moments, wanting to hold them in my mind simply because I found them beautiful.

Mocha Granola

It was a quiet morning when I made this mocha granola. I was tired, even after a long night's sleep. The sun seemed to agree as it hid behind the clouds, keeping the sky covered in a gray blanket. The warmth of the oven and the moody, shadowed lighting through my camera lens painted another Tuesday morning.

Perhaps unremarkable to another eye, it was peaceful for me. The scent of the coffee infused granola wafting through the apartment made it difficult to imagine a more tranquil morning.

Mocha Granola

Mocha Granola is indulgently moody, with an unmistakable aroma of espresso and dark chocolate. This is an adult granola, with a rich coffee flavor, almonds, and hint of chocolate for sweetness. While I enjoyed it mixed into Greek yogurt, it's not hard to imagine this granola being equally at home covered in milk or grabbed by the handful on the way out the door.

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