photography | spring blooms

"A flower does not think about competing with the flower next to it. It just blooms."

This is just the beginning of flower photos... IT IS SPRING!!!

recipe | hash brown crust quiche

This has become one of my favorite new breakfast-for-dinner recipes! Hash browns are a favorite breakfast food for most people and this is such a great way to use them! Plus, it is so much easier than a typical crust.

Hash Brown Crust Quiche

Ingredients...

2-3 cups Frozen Hash Browns (mostly thawed out)

2 Tablespoons Olive Oil (for brushing pie dish & hash browns)

5 eggs 

1/2 cup milk

1/2 pound Ground Turkey Sausage, fully cooked (or other breakfast meat)

Chopped Veggies, such as onions, green peppers, mushrooms, tomatoes, spinach, etc…

Salt & Pepper, as desired

2/3 cup Shredded Cheese (to sprinkle on top)

Directions...

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Brush a glass pie dish with olive oil. Press hash browns into the pie dish and tightly press them all around the bottom & sides. Lightly brush the packed hash browns with olive oil. Bake in a 425 degree oven for 20 minutes or until the hash browns are slightly browned & crispy around the edges.

While the hash brown crust is baking, whisk eggs & milk well, in a large bowl. Then, add in your desired ingredients... I like to use ground turkey sausage (fully cooked), onions, green peppers, mushrooms and feta cheese (you could also use ham, spinach, tomatoes, etc…) Add salt & pepper, as desired. Mix well & set aside until the hash brown crust is done baking.

Once you remove the hash brown crust from the oven, reduce the oven's temperature to 350 degrees. Then pour the egg mixture over the crust. Cover the top with shredded cheese. Return quiche to the oven for 30 minutes or until it is cooked through (the egg should be firm in the middle).

Doesn't the hash brown crust look good???

photography | happy easter

"He said He was love then proved it with blood;

Rose from the dead to prove He was God"

-- lyrics from "Mercy" by Phil Wickham
I hope you had a Happy Easter!!   The day started early for me... going to church, of course!!

It was a blessing to be a part of the singing & narrating during my church's two morning services.  

The words we sang & read on Easter morning were so full of His love. 

What He did gives us hope for this life & forever...

What He did for us means everything!

Because HE LIVES, I can face tomorrow

Because HE LIVES, all fear is gone

I am so thankful for what Easter reminds me of!After church we had our family over for Easter dinner. It was a wonderful time with everyone.

We had great food & the weather was perfect. So thankful for these sweet memories!

...I guess she was too preoccupied with her Reese's Egg to smile for the camera!

And of course we had a little Easter egg hunt & an afternoon walk with that cute girl. 

She asked us to "swing" her so many times on our walk that my arm was actually sore yesterday...

I am pretty sure she had a good day! It was indeed a wonderful Easter Sunday!!

recipe | chicken tortilla soup

Soup, in it's many varieties, is one of my favorite foods. I love combining different flavors & textures in one meal. 

So perfect! Of course, soup is always best on cold winter days and I know it's spring, but winter weather isn't 

quite finished here in Colorado, so I am not letting go of soup yet. Yummy soup makes these in between 

winter & spring days not as bad. Anyway, here is one of my favorite soups...

Chicken Tortilla Soup Ingredients... 1 chopped onion

3 cloves minced garlic

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 teaspoons chili powder

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1 (28 ounce) can crushed tomatoes

2 (10.5 ounce) cans condensed chicken broth

1¼  cups water

1 can whole corn kernels

1 can white hominy

1 (4 ounce) can chopped green chile peppers

1 (15 ounce) can black beans (rinsed and drained)

2 boneless chicken breasts, cooked and cut into bite-sized pieces

Directions… In a large pot, heat oil over medium heat. Saute onion and garlic in oil until soft. Stir in chili powder, oregano, crushed tomatoes, chicken broth and water. Bring to a boil and simmer for 5 to 10 minutes. Stir in corn, hominy, green chilies, beans, cilantro, and chicken. Simmer for 10 minutes. Serve soup into bowls and top with shredded cheese, crushed tortilla chips, etc… Enjoy!!