Two Bits

August 4, 2017 by Sarah | Leave a comment

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 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 :

Sup pups?! Happy FriYAY! This post is a bit late, but only because the weather was too freaking fantastic to stay inside even for an instant today. I spent the afternoon doing some paperwork at Honeysuckle Tea House. I brought Cash along for the adventure, which then inspired a quick trip to the Haw River to cool off after our sunny work sess.

This week has been… standard. So I’ll talk about all the cool things I see Kate doing in Colorado. I love the insect images she captures in her garden. Katie was the one who actually inspired me to start taking photos so my heart warms up when I see her flexin’ those photo muscles on the daily. She shoots a bunch with her iPhone and macro attachment and here’s the exact camera she uses.

I had a bit of bevy envy today when I saw Katie was drinking a milkshake with homemade hazelnut liqueur, while I was still trying to get caffeinated. She’s full of great ideas. Speaking of amazing ways to insert ice cream into your day, here’s a scavenger hunt idea. I tried it with Cash, but no comprendo with that old dog.

And finally, HYGGE! I have to admit, I just learned what Hygge means from an old episode of Young House Love has a Podcast, but as soon as Sherri started explaning it, I knew immediately because it’s something I practice daily and take great pride and pleasure in. Hygge is a danish word (this website rocks at explaining the concept), but basically, “Hygge literally only requires consciousness, a certain slowness, and the ability to not just be present – but recognize and enjoy the present.”

Before I learned of the word hygge, I suppose I thought of myself as an architect of mood in my home. I take my time in curating moments of simple happiness. Waking up and playing my favorite song, walking room to room each morning to light incense and candles, putting on a teapot for coffee, sweeping the floors and opening the windows, for some reason all these tiny moments of making a space feel loved, lived in and comfortable brings about this overwhelming joy and satisfaction in the spaces I inhabit. Simple rituals carried out with thoughtfulness bring about a fullness to my every day life and to me that’s what I now know to be my hygge.

Midsummer Mojito

August 2, 2017September 7, 2017 by Katie | 2 Comments

Apparently, I was indulging in the bounty of the season around the same time last year and put together this Midsummer Magic post full of other berry delicious treats. I’m seasonally predictable like that. And if you like mojitos, we also have watermelon and rhubarb variations!

There comes a certain point every summer when the mint makes itself known in our garden. It grows like crazy, and we’re treated to its sweet and refreshing smell every time we walk among it.

This is the point when I make the switch from my nightly G&T to mojitos! There’s no better sensory experience than picking the mint, smashing it with some brown sugar, squeezing the lime juice, giving it all a stir, and then taking a big sip.

Last week while I was picking mint, the boys were picking raspberries. We brought our bounty (or what was left, in the case of the berries) into the kitchen, and I was making my drink while unpacking our farm share. Inside the box was a fresh cucumber.

Camping in Wharton State Forest, New Jersey

August 1, 2017May 28, 2021 by Sarah | Leave a comment

Happy August! July has come and gone. I feel like I’ve had enough adventures this past month that I’ll be busy talking about them all August. I’ll start today with my birthday camping trip in Wharton State Forest, New Jersey. Originally I had planned on conquering this epic hike, The Great Range Trail, but I got some pretty gnarly blisters during a recent backpacking trip in Washington, so hiking was out. Then I wanted to go to Cherry Springs State Park, but the weather looked iffy and it was a bit far north. I called Saleem, my travel partner, and together we decided on Wharton. This is the first time I’ve camped in Wharton State Forest and if given the opportunity, I would certainly do it again.

Postcards from the Olympic Peninsula

July 28, 2017July 28, 2017 by Sarah | Leave a comment

Happy Friday! What a month! I took it pretty easy last weekend at the lake and the weeks before I spent in Seattle and on the Olympic Peninsula in Washington State.

On Tuesday, I spent my birthday camping in Wharton State Forest, New Jersey, before heading down to Saxis Island, Virginia. I’m here spending time with Momma Schu and grumbling about the slow internet and hundred degree weather. Life’s not too bad, but as my bones readjust to the extreme heat, I’m sifting through photos of cooler times out west.

Here are a few post cards from the first half of my trip. The snowy peaks, evergreens and lone deer were captured on Hurricane Ridge in Olympic National Park. The tiny crab and seaweed covered rocks were shot near Sekiu. The sun setting into the ocean was taken from our campsite in Ozette and the warm sun over the water was taken on my first night in Seattle at Alki Beach. I feel like I was able to see so much in such a short trip and still I’m itching to go back immediately. I’m another year older, but nowhere close to staying in one spot for long. Come Monday morning I’m headed to Texas 🤠 Happy weekend!

Postcards from CA

July 25, 2017July 28, 2017 by Katie | Leave a comment

A few weeks ago we went to CA for our annual 4th of July vacation. Today I’m sharing a few postcards from the trip.

Sprinkled among our days around the lake were a few beautiful hikes, many opportunities to walk on snow, and (as always) views that took our breath away.

Zucchini & Tomato Casserole

July 24, 2017September 8, 2017 by Katie | Leave a comment

I made today’s dish using zucchini and tomatoes from our farm share. If you’d like to learn more about our farm share, see some examples of what we receive every week, and get a plethora of meal ideas, check out all of our farm share posts from last season. That series is so much fun to put together and will be starting again soon!

This is a recipe that we’ve been ~~eating~~ devouring since we were kids. I rarely make it myself because I always think of it as being fussy. In reality, it’s not that bad and you’ll be deliciously rewarded!

To me this dish is everything that is mid-summer. You’ll know what I’m talking about if you grew up on the East Coast with a garden that’s bursting with zucchini and tomatoes. It’s a super simple casserole with fried zucchini on the bottom, fresh tomatoes in the middle, and a generous dollop of sour cream and Parmesan on top. Is your mouth watering yet?

I was always put off by having to fry the zucchini, but over the years it’s become second nature. You may have to experiment with your own stovetop, but I know that on mine I can confidently set my temp to medium high, use a cast iron pan, and about two inches of oil, and I’m good to go.

Aside from the recipe’s instructions below, the only tip that I have is to fry a few extra slices of zucchini. Everyone can’t help but snag a slice as they’re passing by, and it’s extra good with a little bit of fresh sour cream.

Zucchini & Tomato Casserole

Ingredients

2 medium zucchinis
1 large tomato (or 2 medium)
flour
seasoned bread crumbs
2 eggs
2 Tbsp water
sour cream
Parmesan
Oil for frying

Instructions

Make an egg wash by whisking together the eggs and water.
Slice the zucchini into about 1/2 inch rounds and coat each slice with flour, then the egg wash, and then the bread crumbs.
Place about one to two inches of oil in a frying pan over medium high heat.
When the oil is ready, begin frying the zucchini in batches. You only want one layer of zucchini in the pan at a time. Flip the slices periodically as they fry. Once lightly browned on the outside, remove the zucchini from the pan and allow them to dry on a wire rack over a baking sheet.
Place the zucchini in one or two layers in the bottom of a 9x13 backing dish. Place a layer of sliced tomato on top of the zucchini. Spread a few dollops of sour cream over the tomatoes, and then sprinkle with grated parmesan.
Place the dish in a 350F oven for about 25 minutes.

https://liveseasoned.com/zucchini-tomato-casserole/

So good. I hope you enjoy it too!

Weekend Lake Essentials

July 20, 2017September 22, 2017 by Sarah | Leave a comment

Happy {almost} weekend! I’m packing up for a friend’s birthday celebration. A bunch of gals are headed to a lake house in Pennsylvania for a few days. Besides Cash the dog, here’s what I’m taking:

Whenever I go on a road trip, I make sure to pack a cooler full of snacks. A couple years ago, I started using ice packs instead of plain old ice and holy sh!t my life is easier. No more soggy snacks or watered down condiments. I know you know what I’m talking about.

Lake hangs must involve a boat or a raft. This year I’ll be lounging on pineapple fruit float while I sip cocktails out of my drink bottle, supplemented by tons of water from the camelbak of course. A friends gifted me the RTIC drink bottle a few months ago and I’m in love. It stays icy all day even during the Carolina summer. The widemouth stainless steel is easy to clean too. I can switch from cold brew coffee to agua fresca without noticing any unwanted leftover flavors. This weekend, I’ll be sippin’ on Pimm’s Cups and my take on a Moscow Mule.

Drinking on a float in the middle of the lake requires some serious sun protection. I just bought these Sunski glasses and here’s the recipe for our mineral-based sunscreen. A hat wouldn’t hurt either.

Even writing about day drinking has me ready for a nap. I love these huge fluffy beach towels. They’re large enough to lay on and curl up with. If you’re down to hang, here’s my exact hammock at the best straps money can buy. Don’t forget a favorite book to pretend to read before dozing off.

Now I’m off to clean my car and buy some groceries. I plan on making a couple different batches of veggie burgers and letting that bowl of goodness inspire my shopping list. Our sister, Kristin, made that creation. Here’s the recipe for the kale and pine nut salad. Kristin is also the one who turned me onto this veggie burger book, which I’ve used for over five years! She’s always placing something delicious in front of me. Hope you find some chill in your weekend. xo

Beach Reads : Beautiful Swimmers

July 19, 2017April 16, 2018 by Katie | Leave a comment

Teachable Moments is a relatively new series on the blog, you can find the archive here. And you can learn more about Saxis in this selection of posts. And if you’d like to see our favorite sun gear for toddlers, click here.

We just bought the tickets for our big annual trip to the East Coast. We’re so lucky to be able to take this big chunk of time and spend it visiting family both in PA and VA. In addition to that quality time, what I really love is being able to expose the boys to activities and ideas that they may not have at home in Colorado. Isn’t that what traveling’s all about?

Many of our days are spent at the beach, but that’s just a snippet of how the boys spend their time on the island.

Whenever Poppop’s in town, they spend many quality hours on the boat. There are one to two trips a day to check the crab pots in the bay. Sometimes they stay out longer doing a bit of fishing or line-crabbing, but our primary prey is the blue crab. Their scientific name is Callinectes sapidus, and it has the most perfect meaning : calli = beautiful, nectes = swimmer, and sapidus = savory!

Cooking with Kids : Brownies Hack!

July 17, 2017July 20, 2017 by Katie | 2 Comments

Cooking with Kids is an ongoing series where we share recipes that are easy enough to make with a little kid. If you’re new to the series, here’s our first post that provides our detailed tips for cooking with little ones; subsequent posts are less detailed, but each contains recipe-specific ideas for working with your little ones in the kitchen.

Ugg, our first Cooking with Kids post was exactly two years ago this month! Look at that wee little two-year-old Alex! I can hardly handle it. I’m also realizing that there have not been nearly enough of these posts, and we really have to get Luc in on the action.

Putting my nostalgia aside, this post is definitely a hack in the whole Cooking with Kids series. We aren’t making anything from scratch and you may say that we’re barely cooking, BUT I think this simple cooking exercise has some serious independence value for impressionable kids.

Vacation Family Photo Tips (from an amateur)

July 11, 2017July 20, 2017 by Katie | Leave a comment

If you’re interested in photography, you can find many of our archived posts here. And particularly relevant for today’s post are Sarah’s tips for taking better kid candids.

Hello! We’re back from our vacation and still recovering from all that fun. Today I wanted to pop in and share a few photos and tips from a quick and successful family photo session attempt. Since Sarah is the trained photographer in the family and I only take photos for my own enjoyment, I’m calling myself an amateur. Although, I think a lot of Sarah’s skills have rubbed off on me, so (hopefully) this advice has some merit.

The Situation

Most of the family was together for the 4th of July and we wanted to take a few group photos. We talked about taking pics in the days leading up to the 4th, but never did it. Then the holiday came and we were adamant that we had to take some before the day was over. We just had to work around naps, trips to the beach, bike rides, and other shenanigans.

I knew that whenever we finally had a the chance to take photos, we had to keep it simple, relatively fast/efficient, and not make too many ~~kids~~ people cry or stomp off. It happens.