DIY kitchen series: sourdough starter

Plain and simple - I love bread. Bread of all shapes, sizes, tastes and textures have a place in my heart. Hot out of the oven, grilled or toasted with butter & jam or dipped in olive oil - no matter how it's served you will never find me passing up the bread basket.

Truth is, sourdough starters intimidated me - in my mind starters seemed finicky and time consuming. There is a dizzying amount of information about how to create the perfect starter- some methods are really basic (like mine!) and others are really scientific...honestly my mind doesn't do science or math, it overwhelms me.

One of the reasons I am lucky to have Justin, he is blessed with a science/math/music mind (lucky boy he is!). Last week I set my sourdough scardy pants aside and put on "I am going to Conquer a Sourdough Starter!" pants on, and you know what? Making a Sourdough Starter is super easy!

Welcome to the 3rd edition of the DIY Kitchen Series : Make your own Sourdough Starter

maple peanut butter chocolate tart

I am a sucker for a pretty dessert - give me a mug of steaming hot Chai and pretty plated dessert and I'm in 7th heaven.  Beautiful desserts don't need to take a lot of time to create, sometimes the simplest of desserts are the most pleasing to the eye. Take this tart for example - minimal ingredients, no refined sugar, a  helping of healthier than average ingredients plus pretty plates and you have yourself a super awesome dessert that plates up even prettier. I love desserts that look like a lot of effort but can be made in no time at all.

This here is one of those desserts -  plus this is totally a Mother's Day worthy dessert if I ever did see one

DIY kitchen series: instant chai

A good chai instantly puts me in a good mood - I love when my sister arrives on my doorstep Sunday Morning's to hit the Farmers Market with a Chai in hand for each of us.

 I love that girl, she knows the way to my heart.

Problem is, Coffee House Chai's can be an expensive habit. Not only expensive, but FULL of sugar - for those two reason's I decided to try my hand at a homemade vegan instant chai mix. The idea was born after seeing this pin on Pinterest (is anyone else head over heels in love with Pinterest - I sure am!) .

falafel // homemade flatbreads + tzatziki

I was first introduced to falafel 9 years ago, in the form of a Near East box by Justin. Ever since, I have been in love with the little chickpea rounds of goodness. Early Summer, our city holds a Multi Cultural day where several of our neighbors gather to celebrate the different cultures found in our City. We have several groups of refugees that call our little City home. I love seeing what a diverse culture we have, I also love all the amazing food each group brings to the table. Families set up tents throughout downtown, where they make and sell food that showcases the area from which they are from. One vendor sells an amazing Falafel - my sister and I love heading down for Falafel {along with some amazing Bhutanese food!) then finding a seat in the Rotary Park to watch some pretty incredible performers. Performances from African Dancing & Drumming, to traditional Indian Dance are scheduled every hour throughout the day.

I thought it was about time that I created my own version of Falafel, one that is inspired by the traditional Lebanese preparation - each region has their own way of preparing Falafel, this is the one I favor the most.