Belated Birthday Dinner for Liz

Last night my friends Liz and Susan came over for dinner to catch up and celebrate Liz's birthday last week. We were also celebrating the bounty of the big garden (see blog post about the big garden here). It's the first time we've gotten together since I started eating a plant-based diet. I know from talking to friends and family that they worry about getting together for meals with me now because they can't think of anything to make.

So, I'm determined to prove to them that I am not denying myself the satisfaction of preparing and eating delicious meals. Point, in case, last night I made the following meals for me and the girls. We started with Creamy Gazpacho and then had Summer Squash Tacos with Avocado Chimichurri and Avocado Lime Slaw. Sounds delicious, right? I'm happy to say that the meal really was delicious and my meat-eating friends couldn't have agreed more!


You can find the recipe for the Creamy Gazpacho here. I've made this a few times now using Roma tomatoes, Armenian cucumbers, and red peppers from the garden. I have a high-speed blender and it whips up this tasty soup into a smooth, creamy delicious treat in no time.


Our main course was the summer squash tacos. The recipe can be found here. The tacos were tasty and the inclusion of black beans makes them hardy. The recipe calls for black-eyed peas but I had black beans on hand so I substituted them. I will definitely be making these again and I'll try them with the black-eyed peas next time. The avocado chimichurri was smooth and very fresh tasting. A nice addition to the taco filling. I didn't use the radishes that were called for in this recipe. I didn't have any at home and am not a big enough radish fan to make a special trip to the grocery store for them.


On the side, we had avocado lime slaw from 'A Nutritionist Eats' blog (here's the recipe). A word of warning, both the tacos and the slaw have copious amounts of cilantro in them so if you aren't a fan you may want to substitute another herb.

All in all, everyone really enjoyed the meal and I loved catching up with my girlfriends and utilizing so much produce that we grow ourselves was the frosting on the cake!

Social Media: A History - Infographic

I've been a fan of social media for a while now and have used it personally for years. My new job, however, has me using it in the professional setting too. So, I've been talking to friends who work with social media and reading tons of articles, blogs, etc. to make sure that I stay on top of things.

I stumbled across this infographic today and thought it was interesting. Can you pin where you entered the fray?

The Hidden Costs of Hamburgers

As some of you know I decided to change my diet to plant-based one four weeks ago. Improving my health was my motivating factor. I'd gained twenty pounds over the last year and want to get off the blood pressure medication that I started a year before that.

In typical Diane fashion I dived headlong into this new venture reading anything and everything I can. I've learned a lot in the last few weeks. One thing that surprised me was the environmental impact of industrial agriculture or in other words, raising animals to eat. If you have a few minutes, watch this video. There isn't any disgusting images of slaughter houses or anything just some eye-opening information.

I'll dedicate another post to have the first month of eating has gone for me. Here's a hint: good!

2012 Summer Games

In case any one else out there is geeking about the start of the summer Olypmics in a few weeks, you may want to check out this media guide. What sports are you most excited about?

London Olympics Media Guide

Small Town Fourth of July

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I hope you had a wonderful 4th of July holiday filled with fun, family, friends, and food! I spent the day in Midway, Utah, a small community 45 miles east of Salt Lake City.

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In addition to BBQ, bike riding, and soaking in the pool, I also took a walking tour of historic Midway homes. Here are few snapshots of some of the homes I learned about. For more information about historic Midway, click on this link.

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End of June Garden Update

Our girls garden is growing so fast! I went over on Saturday to do some weeding and couldn't believe how much the plants had grown.

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This is the same place I took the picture that I posted on my blog a few weeks ago. The tomatoes on the left are getting big and the squash on the far right has flowers and few zucchini on it already.

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We planted two varieties of corn which should mature approximately two weeks apart. The other night at the farmer's market I had roasted corn slathered in mayo, parmesean cheese, lime, and chili powder. It sounds a little weird but it was really tasty! I'm definitely going to be experimenting with recipes for it at home once fresh corn is available.

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Susan has these beautiful hollyhocks growing at the back of the garden. I think they are so pretty!

June's New Moon Fire

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What's a New Moon Fire you ask? Each month on the new moon you get the opportunity to write down a wish and burn it in the fire to release your wish to the universe. Tuesday night was my first time participating in the New Moon Fire but my friend Darryl has been hosting these fires for the last year at his cabin in Midway. The setting is spectacular and the people involved are lovely. You should come check it out sometime.

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Weeding Day at the Garden

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Last weekend, we had our first 'weeding party' at the big garden. Fortunately, it wasn't too hot and we got a relatively early start. It's so exciting to see the seedlings sprout and the plants start to grow!

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Our Girls Garden 2012

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I'm so excited about gardening this year. A few friends and I are doing a community garden on a friend's property. The garden is huge! I know this because we tilled it last weekend. Working the tiller was a bit like wrestling a beast especially when trying to turn it around at the end of a row. But, we got it done and felt like a million bucks afterward, albeit, a filthy, sweaty million bucks. 

After tilling, we planted seeds for corn, summer squash, soybeans, cucumbers, acorn squash, spaghetti squash, green beans, peas, and pumpkins. The peppers, tomatoes, and tomatillos go in this weekend. I can't wait to see the seedlings sprout!

Viva Las Vegas aka Lauren is 25 (!)

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Last week my Mom, Sis, and I flew to Las Vegas to meet up with Lauren to celebrate her 25th birthday. She was going to Vegas for the annual Viva Las Vegas rockabilly festival.

We all met up at the airport and made our way to the Luxor hotel. Have you stayed there? It's weird inside. They don't have elevators instead you ride up on inclinators and believe me, you can tell you are traveling up and sideways.

First, we went to Mandalay Bay to visit the Shark Reef Aquarium. I love aquariums and have been to many around the country. This one was pretty good. I saw this guy and it made me hungry for sushi. My sister thinks I'm evil. It's okay though, I know he would taste delicious.

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We spent the afternoon relaxing by the pool. The weather was perfect although the water in the pool was freezing!

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On Wednesday, (happy birthday Lauren!) we visited the Neon Sign Boneyard. This is a non-profit that seeks to preserve Las Vegas's unique art form. I really enjoyed the tour and think anyone who has visited Las Vegas for a long time would get a kick out of seeing those old signs that they probably remember.

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And to top off a great trip, my Sister cleaned up on the slots and blackjack table! I think she's still home in bed rolling around in all the money she won. Here's a shot taken right after my Mom pulled a $400 spin on a dollar slot machine. Good times!

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Wine Social Dinner Club

Last month a group of us attended the Meditrina wine social. We had a great time and inspired by the fun event, we decided to host our own monthly wine socials. My friend, Liz, hosted the first one at her home last Sunday.

I'll post the menu and pictures and try to get links to the recipes to include in the posts. We divided into teams and each team was responsible for a course and wine pairing.

Appetizer (Whitney & Cooper)
Mushroom, Onion, & Gruyère Pull-Apart w/ Pinot Noir



Salad (Susan & Melissa)
Arugula, Butternut squash & Hazelnuts & Fume Blanc



Main Course (Liz & Diane)
Vegetable Hash with Short Ribs w/ a Spanish red
(Somehow I missed taking a shot of the ribs. Sorry!



Dessert (Jackie & Susie)
Chocolate Fondue & Tawny Port


Finally, here's a little video of Cooper demonstrating how to use a wine key.

Mangia!