Vision Collage for 2014

Inspired by this blog post, I have been working on my vision collage. It is not at all finished, and I keep adding pictures and words to it. It looks like my energy is focused on home and family this year; making a cozy and inspiring nest for the family. You may realize that it does not have much cooking or food. I assure you that when I was cutting pictures and articles from magazines for this project, more than half was pictures of food with recipes. I actually have a folder full of recipe cut outs that need to be filed somehow. But I just did not think that those belong on this vision collage. Maybe I should make one just with food and cooking pictures.

Today, I worked on Ely and Little Peanut's room. I (secretly) sorted toys and clothes, and put them aside for Goodwill visit this week. I also put up some frames that I bought at thrift stores on the wall, also inspired by this blog post, and added some of Ely's old and new art work. Initially, Ely protested this change because I did this without asking her, but when she learnt that I am planning to change the pictures frequently as she creates new art, she brought her papers and markers, and started drawing. That is exactly what I wanted; to inspire creativity in my little artist.

In the kitchen, roasted butternut squash and sauteed kale has been a hit with my family. 

Ingredients:

1 medium butternut squash cut into 1/2 inch cubes

2 cups of kale chopped into bite size

3 tbsp of olive oil decided

salt and pepper to taste

1/2 tsp of smoked paprika

Direction: 

Heat the oven at 400F

In a medium bowl, combine squash cubes, paprika and 2 tbsp of olive oil. Coat the squash with oil and spread the squash in one layer on a baking sheet. Roast the squash for 20-30 minutes until cooked but not too soft. 

Heat 1 tbsp of olive oil in a fry pan. Add kale, sprinkle some salt and pepper, and saute until soft. You may want to cover the pan for a minute or so to soften the kale. Add butternut squash and sauté for just 2-3 more minutes. Add more salt and pepper to your taste. 

Serve immediately.