Easiest Caramel Dip

October 21, 2014November 12, 2014 by Sarah | 1 Comment

As you know, apples are our ingredient of the season and with that in mind, I decided to make a childhood favorite of mine, caramel dip. Over the years, my tastes for sweets has drastically decreased. I’m now a dark chocolate lover and I tend to gravitate towards salty snacks, but when October rolls around I always think of my mom’s caramel dip. She used to whip up a batch for friendly gatherings, holiday dessert tables and if my memory serves me correctly, the soccer concession stand.

This recipe is dubbed ‘the easiest caramel dip’ because you’re not actually making the caramels, you’re simply melting them and adding a couple other ingredients to achieve the right taste and consistency. Its simple preparation (no knives involved!) makes it a great recipe for the kiddos to help with. It can also be made a day or two ahead if you have a big party approaching and in my opinion, those are the best types of party foods.

The original recipe, which was dictated to me by my mom earlier this afternoon calls for Cool Whip. My mom mentioned that she didn’t really know why the Cool Whip was added (since it’s mainly just oil) and that I could probably find a substitution for it, but that she never bothered. Raising four kids, working full time, and constantly cooking for us, I can understand why she didn’t want to mess with a hit like her simple caramel dip. Can you imagine the moans and groans we would have attacked her with if the dip didn’t taste right? Anyway, after I went grocery shopping and snapped the first shot of the ingredients I realized I don’t have four kids and thus I could manage to experiment without any repercussions and such, this recipe contains Cool Whip no more! I opted to use a couple spoonfuls of coconut oil instead and to my delight, it turned out perfectly and you can’t taste the coconut one single bit.

Ingredients:

1 bag of Kraft caramel
1 package of cream cheese
2 TBSP coconut oil (or more to achieve desired consistency)

Easiest Instructions:

Unwrap all the caramels and put them in a small sauce pot along with the cream cheese.
Stir continuously on medium low heat until the caramels and cream cheese are completely melted and combined.
Stir in two tablespoons of coconut oil. If you like a thinner dip, add a bit more coconut oil until the desired consistency is reached.
Remove from heat. Transfer to a small bowl and serve with sliced apples.

Along with sliced apples, I also dripped some of the caramel dip onto plain, unsalted popcorn and roasted, unsalted peanuts. It made for a sweet and crunchy treat.

Just so you know…

I’m moving in a few days and I had already packed up my kitchen so finding utensils, bowls and serving pieces for this post was the most challenging part!
The handle of my pot broke off (the screw came loose and slipped out) when I picked up the pot to transfer the caramel to a bowl. It slammed down on the stove and hot caramel splattered everywhere..
I almost spelled caramel, carmel for the entire post because I grew up next to Mount Carmel so naturally that’s how I’ve been spelling the sweet treat my entire life. I never understood why some people pronounced caramel with three syllables, but now I get it.

Colorado Hike: Flatirons 1 & 2

October 20, 2014April 4, 2018 by Sarah | Leave a comment

About a month ago, Katie, Jeff (our brother) and I hiked the Flatirons 1 & 2 trail. I’ve been meaning to write this post for some time since it was one of the most scenic hikes in Boulder, CO, so here goes:

The hike starts at the Chautauqua Park trailhead. Parking in the lot can be pretty tricky, especially on the weekends, but you can find additional parking on Baseline Road. That being said, the trail is extremely crowded. You won’t have the views to yourself, but hey, at least there is no chance of getting lost. After you find a parking spot, continue to the Chautauqua Park trailhead where the trail takes you through a lovely green meadow. (Note that if you’re hiking right after a rainstorm, it will be pretty muddy since the trail is basically a path for runoff water. ) The Chautauqua trail connects with the Flatirons 1&2 trail and the signage is very clear as is the flow of people flocking to the Flatirons 😉

Over the course of this relatively short hike (about 2.5 miles), you will climb 1,400 feet in elevation. Flatiron 1 is approximately 7,100 ft high, which makes for stunning views. As you hike up the trail, there are plenty of outcroppings that are perfect for taking a break and enjoying the vistas. The Flatiron trail is mainly switchbacks through thick forests of ponderosa pine that cut around enormous boulders. Along the way, there are also several rock climbing access points. Speaking of climbing, there is a very short section of the trail (about 15 feet) where you have to climb up a boulder. There are footholds and handholds worn into the rock making it easy for adults, but I wouldn’t recommend taking children on this hike. I would also turn back immediately if it starts to rain because the rocks will become slippery making a large portion of this trail fairly dangerous.

Once you finally wind up, up and up, the views are spectacular. There are clear views of the city of Boulder as well as amazing views of Flatiron 3, which is sure to have rock climbers scrambling up it. The top of the trail is a perfect spot to stop and have a snack or a picnic, but remember to hike all your waste out with you, even banana peels! The top of the trail is like an adult jungle gym. You’ll see folks in all different nooks and crannies. It goes without saying that you should be careful when you’re climbing from boulder to boulder, don’t knock into any rocks that may fall and injure someone at a lower elevation. After you’ve climbed your heart out and took a bajillion pictures, it’s time to make your way down the ridge. Be mindful of other hikers who are still making their way up and if they look like they need encouraging remind them that they’re almost there!

Geology Rocks! I say that far too often, but I just can’t resist. Here’s a quick rundown of some geological properties of the flatirons. I’m going to give some definitions in case you slept through your geology lab class.

A flat iron is a steeply sloping triangular landform created by the differential erosion of a steeply dipping, erosion resistant layer of rock overlying softer strata. Differential erosion is erosion that occurs at varying rates, caused by the differences in the hardness and resistance of surface materials so softer and weaker rocks erode rapidly, while harder rocks remain to form ridges, mountains, or ding, ding, ding, flat irons! Strata is simply sedimentary rock. Sedimentary rocks are those formed by the deposition of material either on the earth’s surface or in water. And wouldn’t you know it, the Flatirons of Boulder coined this term, flatiron, in general geology.

Now you may be wondering how the Flatirons first got their name, which then coined the geography term. Well, there are two theories: the rock faces close resemblance to old fashioned clothing irons or their resemblance to the Flatiron building in NYC, which was completed in 1902. (It’s a pretty sweet building, but personally, I think it’s more likely they were named after the clothes iron, an object which many more folks were familiar with during the early 1900s)

The flatirons are made up of conglomerate sandstone of the Fountain Formation. Conglomerate sandstone basically means there are little clasts (bits of rock particles) mixed into the sandstone (rock comprised mainly of sand-sized minerals or rock grains). I don’t want to wind way down into a geological rabbit hole (for your benefit), but the Fountain Formation is a Pennsylvanian (the subsystem, not the state) bedrock unit found in Colorado and Utah that consists mostly of conglomerate sandstone or arkose.

The flatirons are estimated to be 290-296 million years old and they were tilted to their current orientation (the steep dip I referenced earlier) about 35-80 million years ago during the Laramide orogeny. The Laramide orogeny was a period of mountain building in western North America, which created the Rocky Mountains along with many other formations. I won’t go into right now, but it’s definitely interesting; if you like geology and want to learn more, read this.

Some people prefer to sprint up the rock faces, no joke!

What to expect:

Lots of hikers on the weekend.
Dogs both on and off leash.
Plenty of wildflowers, various vegetation and trees and beautiful views.
Two hours (or more) of hiking.
A couple tough climbs over boulders, but mainly a moderately steep and well-maintained trail.

Before of after your hike, be sure to stop by the historic ranger cottage near the parking lot – you can’t miss it. It has a wealth of information, free maps and dozens of stuffed birds and mammals. I really enjoyed the station because I gained a better sense of what animals were sharing the forest with me. It’s especially cool to see the animals you have very little chance of seeing in the wild like mountain lions, coyotes, and bobcats. If you want a little snack, continue past the ranger station for about a block and you’ll see a little refreshment cottage with homemade hard ice cream and just about everything else.

After the hike and the ice cream, you should probably treat yourself to an afternoon snooze! Happy hiking!

Two Bits

October 17, 2014October 17, 2014 by Sarah | Leave a comment

Instead of the usual links posts, each Friday we’re going to start sharing some tidbits from our week. We want to break down these internet barriers and invite you into our lives and we’re hoping you’ll do the same. You are welcome to share your a bit of your week or day in the comments, or if they’re better represented by a photo, tag us on instagram @liveseasoned

Sarah here:

This week I had two firsts! Last night I went to the North Carolina State Fair and the night before I successfully canned a batch of caramelized onions. Simple pleasures, right? The canning was actually easier than I expected. I helped with a few canning projects in the past, but this was the first time doing it all by myself, with no instruction and in my own ill-prepared kitchen. Cutting nine pounds of yellow onions by hand was a bit of a ~~challenge~~ tear fest. Besides a food processor, my kitchen is also lacking large pots. This made the whole process a little more time consuming, but nonetheless I ended up with ten half pints of delicious caramelized onions! If you have a seasonal recipe I should try, please let me know 🙂

The NC State Fair was an equally awesome first. I’m a big fan of fairs and festivals and this one didn’t disappoint. It was much bigger than past fairs I’ve frequented, which meant more livestock, crafts, food and games. I love winding my way through the exhibit halls and seeing the largest pumpkin or most prettiest cross-stitch. I was a little disappointed in my appetite though. I only had room for one order of mozzarella sticks! I replaced my time allotted for eating towards playing games. I couldn’t find the bingo tent (it wasn’t listed on the map-can you believe that?!), but I did throw a few darts and toss a couple ping pong balls. K even won three gold fish! We named them Peppy, Grumpy & Stooge.

Katie here:

Late for the second week in a row, I know! For me this week seems to have been all about food and moments of startitis.

On the food front, I can’t help but talk about our CSA yet again, because it’s so amazing how getting a box of vegetables delivered to you each week influences your eating, cooking, and recipe searches (and I know we’ve had a CSA before, but when you take a break and then start again, it’s BAM! vegetables in your face, fridge, and dreams). I could spend my whole day looking up new recipes and experimenting, but I don’t have that time at the moment, so I squeeze it in between moments of work and trips to the playground. This weekend I have plans to make a salsa verde with tomatillos that arrived last night and a cabbage-filled savory hand pie with a recipe from the original Moosewood Cookbook. The photo above is from my night of experimenting with new toppings for my favorite roasted veggie soup – more on that soon!

On my terrible case of startitis, this week has been a particularly slow work week, which is fantastic, but I realized that I should be taking advantage of the lull and working on every idea I’ve ever had. Which leads to finishing almost nothing! I started a new sweater for Alex, picked out a pattern for a sweater for me, dug into my fabric stash for a new halloween decoration idea (will share the details next week if it works), cheesecloth is sitting in the middle of the floor because I wanted to make ghosts for the front porch, and that’s next to a pile of yarn tagged for new winter hats for Calder and me. Let’s hope I accomplish one or two of those projects before my motivation wanes!

Cocktail Hour Under the Tree of Forgetfulness Discussion

October 13, 2014October 12, 2014 by Sarah | 1 Comment

Fair warning, this discussion (and probably many of the comments) will have SPOILERS so please don’t read this post if you haven’t finished the book yet. After you’re done, feel free to revisit this post and share your thoughts with us.

Hey book worms! Have you finished reading Alexandra Fuller’s Cocktail Hour Under the Tree of Forgetfulness? (Don’t feel too bad, Katie hasn’t finished it yet either.) Today we asked our mom to share her thoughts on the book. We thought it would be fitting because she finished reading the book before both Katie and I and since this book is largely about Fuller’s mum, we thought it’d be interesting to hear our mom’s thoughts on it. If you missed our discussion of Fuller’s first book, Don’t Let’s Go to the Dogs Tonight, you can check it out and participate here.

Before we get to that, I also wanted to introduce our autumn book club pick! Katie started reading Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn and is absolutely loving it so we decided everyone else (including myself) should join in on the adventure. I actually saw the movie in theaters last week. I’m excited to compare notes with Kate and it will be interesting to dissect our thoughts and perceptions of both the book and movie since we’ll be consuming them in the opposite order. If you’d like to join our discussion, go grab a copy and start reading!

Now onto our mom’s thoughts on Cocktail Hour Under the Tree of Forgetfulness…

The Live Seasoned sisters have asked me to lend a hand on this book discussion, as I finished the read on our 23 hour trek from Raleigh-Durham to Boulder. Let me first give you my perspective on novel reading. We sit down and watch tv and everything is laid out for us, no deep thought involved, just entertainment or trying to solve the puzzle before the end of the show. When I read a novel, I am constantly in the moment thinking about the characters, their situation, and then I am usually carried off thinking about my reactions if I were the character in that their particular situation, or it makes me think of situations related to my own life’s journey.

When the Live Seasoned sisters respond to their book selections, they are looking through the eyes of the child and in the case of the books they have selected thus far, the novels are written from the point of view of the child. This will be a switch since I am viewing the book through the eyes of the mom…the crazy mom, of which I have some experience.

I can’t imagine being Nicola Fuller living with the threat of war around her, losing a child, no less more than one child…I think she has earned the right to be somewhat crazy. She relies on liquor to escape and to keep going…who does she have to turn to, to rely on? I wonder if she keeps somewhat of a distance between herself and her girls to try to make their loss bearable, in case it would come to that? I wonder about what changed, what went wrong around the 40s and 50s, that women needed to find a coping mechanism…liquor, darvon, Valium, marijuana, heroine, oxycodone? The sweet and funny times in my life are in my memory, at times forgotten, but when we are together, those memories are pulled out like woolen sweaters from a cedar chest. But, the tragic sorrowful times have made scars that constantly pinch me. I think this is what brings about the craziness in me and in someone like Nicole.

While looking through the discussion questions for this book one that is interesting to discuss is the relationship between Nicola and Tim…two opposites that attracted. Isn’t it the opposite, the mysterious, that attracts us? What happens when the novelty wears off? Tim goes off and does his thing while Nicola carries on the best she can at home…no back-up…deal the best you can. It’s interesting how men can do their thing and be so oblivious and disconnected to the goings on and the needs of their families. Isn’t it funny that raising a family, something so important, is a total learn by doing, somehow we are expected to have those instincts.

I read these stories and wonder what goes on in the hearts and heads of the characters, but who really knows what experiences have piled up upon them to steer their thoughts and actions. I am unable to recall specific events in the novels I read! as I constantly relate the moment to my own experience, helping to explain or validate my feelings and reactions, and then I move on…just as Nicola does…you just keep moving on. I must say, though, one moment that really stood out to me, is when she dressed the girls for Halloween, I think it is kind of funny that the novels chosen by my daughters are about crazy mommas. Are they trying to figure out this crazy momma…I can’t even do that. We pick and choose the moments to remember, I have many sweet and tragic and funny that come together to steer me along the way, all the while trying to stay sane.

Two Bits

October 10, 2014October 10, 2014 by Sarah | 1 Comment

Instead of the usual links posts, each Friday we’re going to start sharing some tidbits from our week. We want to break down these internet barriers and invite you into our lives and we’re hoping you’ll do the same. You are welcome to share your a bit of your week or day in the comments, or if they’re better represented by a photo, tag us on instagram @liveseasoned

Katie here:

A bit late, I know!

It’s been one of those nice and mellow weeks around here. A bit of work, a bit of fun, and nothing too hectic on the schedule. Little A and I had to run to Denver for a few errands, so we stopped at the zoo to give him a little bit of time outside the car. Of course he loved it, especially being able to run free on those wide open walkways. He’s also a fan of the giraffes, elephants, and big cats (when they’re awake and walking around, when they’re sleeping he’s not interested). Like many people, I have mixed feelings about zoos, but while there I try to focus on the work they do to bring people close to these wild animals, hopefully forming some bonds that will make little kids grow up to be people who care about conservation.

I ~~picked up~~ downloaded to my phone Gone Girl when we went camping a few weeks ago, not realizing that it was about to come out as a blockbuster movie (we don’t have TV, so we miss many of those movie previews that would have clued me in). What a great book! I was reading it slowly for the first half, but as things have gotten crazy, I haven’t been able to put it down – staying up extra late to read it and squeezing in a page here and there when I have a free moment. I’ve avoided everything related to the movie so that doesn’t impact the story in my head, but I’ll be excited to see the movie when I’m done.

Sarah here:

I woke up around 5 a.m. every single day this past week! (Katie is probably rolling her eyes since her little one has her up at that time every morning) Waking up early goes against every grain in my body, but I happened to have five days of sunrise shoots all in a row. Here’s the kicker though, after waking up so early five days in a row, I was so tired come the sixth day that I slept in and missed the lunar eclipse on Wednesday morning! So bummed about that. Did any of you guys catch it?

Yesterday was another early morning as well. I flew into hot and humid Houston! It was my first time flying Southwest in a few years. Did you know that you pick your own seat?! It’s crazy. I checked in way early so I basically had first dibs, but I was feeling bad for couples at the end of the line. Middle seats allllll around. I didn’t get to see much of Houston today because of work, but I should get a chance to walk around tomorrow. If so, I’ll get on the ball with IG, something I’ve been slacking on. I did take one photo today, meet my new buddy Fajita!

Seasoned View: Vol. 7

October 6, 2014October 8, 2014 by Sarah | Leave a comment

Each month we share our Seasoned View. Snapshots of nature taken by the Seasoned sisters. Find last month’s here and past month’s here.

It’s October Ya’ll! How is autumn treating you? It was 40° in Chapel Hill, NC this morning, what a drag! It warmed up as the day went on, but it was still pretty windy and cool. (Here it is, my first weather complaint of the cold season!) A new month calls for a new Seasoned View. I’m so sad to see September’s cabbage leave my desktop, but the October shots are colorful and cool so upload one or all of them to use as your desktop background or even as phone and tablet wallpapers. Simply click on the download link below each photo and save the image. Enjoy!

Click here for fall foliage.

Click here for golden maple.

Click here for little liberty caps.

Click here for spiky seed pod.

Click here for bittersweet berries.

Click here for looking up.

Happy Monday and enjoy your new view 😉

Welcome October

October 1, 2014October 1, 2014 by Sarah | Leave a comment

On the first Wednesday of each month we like to pause and take a look at what’s going on in the world around us, with a particular focus on animal activity, celestial events, and our farmers’ fields.

Last week we welcomed the official Autumn Equinox. Katie and I both camped last week in our separate necks of the wood and I speak for both of us when I say how lovely it was. It is truly comfortable outside. I love fall for its cool breeze and warm sun. If you’re a photographer you know that shooting during October sunsets is magical. The leaves are changing, the weather is perfect and the light is warm.

Hikes take more time in Autumn because there is so much to see. Mushrooms are springing up after the first fall rains, flowers are both blooming and going to seed and animal activity is abundant. I may be making this up (definitely am), but Autumn seems like everyone’s favorite time of year. We are shaking off summer, enjoying the changing seasons and attending every fair and festival like it’s going out of style, which well, it is because in a couple months it will be winter, but we don’t have to talk about that right now.

Last year at this time, I stayed in a yurt with my sister Kristin and some friends and we had a little visit from Katie and her forest monster. I hope you plan a little something to soak up the season this month 🙂

Fields and Festivals

Farmer’s markets at this time of year are my favorite. The weather is usually sunny, but there is a nice breeze, which means I can meander through the market and take my time with selecting which veggies I’ll purchase from which vendor. Unfortunately it’s also the time of year when markets transition from two to one day each week. Three local markets in my area have cut back to one day and while I really don’t need to go twice a week, I really do enjoy the errand. Like we mentioned last month, this is the time of year when crops that need a full summer growing season and ready to be harvested and brought to market. At my market in Carrboro, North Carolina, I’m see lots of summer and winter squash including butternut, acorn and pumpkin. There are also a wide variety of tomatoes, apples, melons, and greens. I’m contemplating joining a CSA for the winter. I know it will mostly be filled with kale, chard, lettuces, beets, carrots and turnips, but it might be nice to be forced (ok, gently prodded) to go to the market to pick up my box each week-even in the dead of winter.

Don’t have a favorite farmer’s market? Autumn is a fantastic time to pick wild mushrooms. You should always pick with someone who is experienced in the craft, but if you’ve never done it before, you should try it this fall. Look up a local mycological club, call an old friend (and mushroom expert) or attend a conference! Make sure you know a little bit about mushroom etiquette before you hit the trails though. Don’t pick on private property unless you have permission and know the rules about permits and such before picking in state and national forests.

Now that we’re talking about picking, I’m thinking about pumpkin patches. I love outdoor autumn activities and picking my own pumpkin nearly tops the list. I came across this website that lets you search pick-your-own farms by country, state and county. While you’re out in the farmer’s field, I’m sure you can talk them into letting you take a few dried cornstalks home for decoration. While we’re on the topic of pumpkins, I wanted to admit to a slightly shameful story. Until 2010 I had always thought of pumpkins as decorations instead of food. I would eat pumpkin pie and various other dishes made with pumpkin, but in my mind they registered as jack-o-lanterns and decorations rather than a good source of fiber and other nutrients. It wasn’t until I worked with a group of Jamaican farmers (who grew lots of pumpkin) that I realized they were a great crop first and foremost and not simply a seasonal decoration. Now I make sure to roast the seeds from my carved pumpkins and use any whole pumpkins before they rot on my doorstep. Just some food for thought that I had failed to think about for the first 21 years of my life.

Along with flocking to pumpkin patches and going on hayrides, there are plenty of other festivals and activities to attend in October.

Watching the leaves change color in the Great Smoky Mountains in North Carolina and Tennessee attracts millions each year. (Fun fact: over 9.4 million people visited the park in 2010 making it the most visited national park. The second most popular is the Grand Canyon which had 4.4 million visitors in 2010)
Vermont is also a popular destination for leaf chasers, but really, any forest is bursting with color this month so where ever you are, you don’t have to drive far, tie up your boots and hit the trail.
There’s more than just colorful leaves floating around, the Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta is in a few days!
October Autumn Fest is also this coming weekend in Fort Washington Park, Maryland. If you’re in the area you should check out the ranger scarecrow building contest.
Astronomy day is on October 4th. There may be some events at your local planetarium or museum.
The Earth Harmony Festival is a free weekend celebrating eco-living & sustainability. It’s held on the country’s largest EcoVillage located in Arizona. Did I mention that it’s free? There’s also a kickstarter for the event if you believe nothing in life is free..
While September was packed with environmental holidays, October has only a couple official ones, including World Habitat Day.

Avian & Astrological Activity

From what I’ve gathered, beehive robbing is quite common during the month of October. What do I mean by robbing? Robbing is when a beehive is attacked by invaders from other hives. Robbing is a serious situation for beehives because the colony will fight to its death. Also, if the invading army is stronger, it may steal all of the weak colony’s food, which it needs to survive the winter months.

I’ve been noticing lots of geese overhead this week and let me tell you, it never gets old. Each time I hear their honks I’m looking skyward and pointing it out to those nearby as if I’m one and a half years old and just learned the word for bird (shout out to my nephew!). I recently stumbled upon this website and while I would like to paraphrase their information for you, they said it just right, so here is a continental update from BirdCast: “Favorable conditions this past week bring widespread light to moderate movements to the West and moderate to heavy movements to the Plains, while increasingly scattered moderate movements occur in the East in more summer-like conditions. Species on the move this week will include Cackling, Snow, and Great White-fronted Geese, American Wigeon, Ring-necked Duck, Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, Northern Flicker, Hermit and Varied Thrushes, Ruby-crowned and Golden-crowned Kinglets, Brown Creeper, Gray Catbird, Orange-crowned, Palm, Yellow-rumped Warblers, Savannah, LeConte’s, Fox, White-throated, White-crowned, Golden-crowned, Harris’s, and Lincoln’s Sparrows, and Dark-eyed Junco.” I will definitely keep my eye on this website in the future so if you forget, we’ll keep you informed.

Now onto October’s astrological events, but first let me say that it is so. damn. hard. to find detailed migration information on the web. The search terms alone make it pretty difficult (animal migrations, animal activity, animal movement) because it seems the web is only focused on african animal migrations to attract tourism, animal activities for children to act out and animal movements as in, movements to benefit various animal groups. If you have any reliable animal migration sites (or searching suggestions) I would LOVE to hear about them. Please, I’m begging you. Ok, now let’s talk space:

Uranus at Opposition. Uranus will be at its closest approach to Earth and its face will be fully illuminated by the Sun. Due to its distance, it will only appear as a tiny blue-green dot, but nonetheless it’s the best time to view Uranus.
Total Lunar Eclipse. A total lunar eclipse occurs when the Moon passes completely through the Earth’s dark shadow, or umbra. During this type of eclipse, the Moon will gradually get darker and then take on a rusty or blood red color. The eclipse will be visible throughout most of North America, South America, eastern Asia, and Australia. Check out this map so that you’re prepared.
Draconids Meteor Shower. The Draconids is a minor meteor shower producing only about 10 meteors per hour. It is produced by dust grains left behind by comet 21P Giacobini-Zinner, which was first discovered in 1900. The shower runs annually from October 6-10 and peaks this year on the the night of the 8th and morning of the 9th. Due to the full moon, the shower will be less than spectacular. I recommend focusing all your energy on catching the eclipse or the Orionids Meteor Shower.
Orionids Meteor Shower. The Orionids is an average shower producing up to 20 meteors per hour at its peak. It is produced by dust grains left behind by comet Halley, which has been known and observed since ancient times. The shower runs annually from October 2 to November 7. It peaks this year on the night of October 21 and the morning of October 22. This will be an excellent year for the Orionids because there will be no moon to interfere with the show. Meteors will radiate from the constellation Orion, but can appear anywhere in the sky.
Partial Solar Eclipse. A partial solar eclipse occurs when the Moon covers only a part of the Sun. It can only be safely observed with a special solar filter or by looking at the Sun’s reflection. The partial eclipse will be visible throughout most of North and Central America. Check out this map to be better prepared.

Looking back through past October photos, it is clear that this month deserves to be spent outside. I think I’m finally going to treat myself to a trip to Asheville, something I’ve been meaning to do since July. Have you ever been there? Any suggestions for me? I’d love to hear about them in the comments.

*Migration forecast via + Lunar Eclipse chart via.

Going to the Mountains..

September 29, 2014August 2, 2015 by Sarah | Leave a comment

“Thousands of tired, nerve-shaken, over-civilized people are beginning to find out going to the mountains is going home; that wilderness is a necessity… – John Muir

Happy Monday everybody! I hope you were all able to spend a little time outside these past few days. It was a balmy 78° on the Jersey shore where I spent Saturday shooting a wedding. I love the ocean, but I have to admit, it felt really nice driving back to North Carolina and the mountains.

John Muir, who founded the Sierra Club, is an inspiration to many, including myself. Time and time again, I read his words and feel a deep longing to immerse myself in nature. My recent return from Colorado has me dreaming of mountain climbing and through hikes of the Appalachian Trail. Originally I planned on writing a post today about hiking the Flatirons 1+2 trail in Boulder, but as I started researching how the peaks were formed, I realized I didn’t have quite enough time to research, digest and reiterate. Sit tight though that post is coming. I hope you love rocks as much as I do.

*This photo was made in Nederland, Colorado.

Nut Crusted Brie

September 25, 2014March 11, 2015 by Sarah | Leave a comment

Apples are our ingredient of the season. This recipe is perfect served and garnished with a thinly sliced apple. This is also the first of a few cheese plates that we’ll be serving up this fall. If you are vegan, we apologize in advance.

Calling all cheese lovers! This recipe goes out to you…

Autumn is the perfect time to turn on the oven, wouldn’t you agree? I love heating up my house a bit and making something warm to snack on. This nut crusted brie is ridiculously simple and it’s classy as all get out. Need a quick hors d’oeuvre? Having a few friends come over? Wanna feel better about eating an entire wedge of cheese? Need snacks for Sunday night football? All those and more are perfectly good reasons to roll your brie in crushed nuts and pop it in the oven. This takes ten minutes max (and only about a minute of active work) and you’re likely to have at least half the ingredients on hand.