Heyyy! Long time, no see my dear blog friends! I'm sorry I left without a word. Things in life are really great, leaving me little time to sit at the desk and write, but I also wanted to try getting away from this spot for awhile to find out what I would gain or miss. But I'm very active on instagram (@summerharms) with posts about life stuff, food we're eating, things I'm learning, and captive thoughts about growth in Him. So come on over there if you want to catch up!

I wanted to mention to you guys that I'm going to be a part of this lovely project called "Autumn On Purpose" with my sweet, expectant-mama blog friend Laken Nix. I'm so excited and honored! Each Monday morning throughout the fall season you'll receive an email with encouragement about living intentionally and wholeheartedly this autumn. It all starts tomorrow morning! If you'd like to join in, head to peach and humble to read more or sign up -- I'd love to have you be a part of it with me!

Hey guys, I've got a new blog post in the works- it'll be up soon! In the meantime... cookies. These delicate snowy oatmeal crispies are one of my favorite Christmas treats, and this year I adapted the recipe to make them gluten free. Check out the recipe on the pretty bee today! I'm contributing to sweet Kelly's 12 Days of Gluten Free Christmas cookies-- isn't this such a great idea? I can't stop thinking about these chocolate crinkle cookies. Yummm.

Hello friends! Want to read about me elsewhere today?! :)
The lovely people at Mommypage featured an interview with me! They asked me a few questions about my experience with the GAPS diet and eating gluten and (mostly) dairy free. I also talk about why I love cooking so much and share some of my favorite easy recipes. Come on over and see me!

And a few items of business to discuss...

1. Thank you so much for all the views yesterday after I announced the spring line-up in my tiny print shop! It was fun to make some lighthearted, playful kind of things for you guys. (I'm secretly hoping you'll want to decorate a corner of your house with one of them!) ;) I'm trying to decide which one to get myself. A friend emailed me yesterday telling me she knew right away which one was perfect for her and how awesome was it to hear that? Is there one that you connect with? I'd love to know! (you don't have to buy it!)

2. Yes, I'm still receiving and taking more orders for The 50 Promises memory cards. They will be available a bit longer yet, so feel free to grab a set! We are currently on Week 12 of this little game, if you're playing along.

3. I have lots of posts bobbing around in my head, so stay tuned for Tacos de Lengua, coconut pecan slab cookies, local dairy source found (!!), non-cereal breakfast ideas, and what I learned from reading Farmer Boy. Lots of good things to come!

hi guys! happy monday. so do you have leftover ham from easter dinner? then you're in luck! you can make these yummy hot ham sandwiches ... with buttery mustard spread and swiss cheese :) mmmm. find the recipe today on the smithfield blog!


i'll be back later with a little more to say.

hey, if you need a recipe for easter dinner, i'm sharing my favorite baked ham recipe today on the smithfield blog-- come on over! this glaze is so simple and amazing.

if i had to pick one of my favorite kitchen tools,
i'd pick my zester.
because i love to zest.
i love the smell of zest.
i love the things that you can make with the zest.

speaking of which..



have you made these miracle blueberry pie bars yet? they are my faaaaavorite. lemon sugar.. and sour cream.. and berries? i'm not even a fruit pie lover and i ask you, what could be better? get the recipe for my non-chocolate fave on the smithfield blog today.

so. question. do you make bread? it's such a rush. a delicious, wholesome, addictive rush. and the best part is that it's not nearly as hard as it looked before i started. 


if you're not so sure... hop over to the smithfield blog for my amateur how-to guide and a sure-fire recipe. i'm convinced that once you have this skill in your back-pocket, you'll be all the happier for it. happy baking! 

question: don't you love when dinner comes together in a single pan? doesn't it make everything seem simpler and more do-able? this is why i love skillet meals. and why i love my cast iron pan. everything tastes better in a cast iron. and did you know that food cooked in cast iron, especially acidic foods like tomato sauce, has up to 20x as much iron than it would cooked elsewhere? nice.

so i saw eat, pray, love a couple weekends ago, and have a new-found love for spaghetti and pizza. the italy part just drove me nuts. movies always start food cravings in me. do you deal with that, too? i remember watching charlotte's web as a little girl, and every time, i knew i'd see their stacks of pancakes, with a square of butter on top... dripping with syrup... and i almost couldn't bear it.

anyway, today you can hop over to find a super easy recipe i posted for skillet spaghetti with andouille and spinach on the smithfield blog. mmm. spaghetti.

ps. please tell me which movie scenes make your mouth water in the comment box. i'd love to hear.


----wow! you guys have such great movie-food memories, too! i love it! 

happy valentine's day, friends! here's what i'm loving this valentine's.

1. grant, of course. the stunningly handsome guy who takes care of me.
2. the babes. under this tight-as-a-drum tummy lives a miniature grant & me.. wow. for real?
3. sunshine!! ahhhhh. it nearly blinded me as i got breakfast this morning.
4. a forecast of 40 DEGREES today. madness! very good madness.
5. basketball season just ended. no more waking up at 5:30 for grant. yaaaay!
6. my chiropractor. love her.
7. this pregnancy. the gym. my vitamins. my cold going away. my pilates dvd (ok, i'm hooked).
8. snack time. sandwiches. peanut butter. eggs. fruit. yogurt. chocolate chip cookies.
9. an affair to remember and sleepless in seattle. you just have to.
10. the black lab puppy that lives across the street.
11. the new little yellow lamp in our living room. thrifted last friday.
12.  good, informative, sensible books about birth.
13. amazon prime!! free 2-day shipping all the time. i could go crazy.
13.5 it's currently free for one year for students, so check it out if you qualify!
14. "a daily portion is all that a man really wants." amen! thank you for daily provision, Lord!
15. the promise of seeing my valentine at 4 o'clock today. and everyday. forever.

play with me! what - or who - are you loving today? 




so grant and i love each other.
we also love pizza.
and watching movies.
and rootbeer. henry weinhard's is our brew of choice.
so we put them all together on valentine's day.


head over here to get the recipe for our valentine's day tradition. 
yum. this pizza is seriously my favorite. don't pizza and valentine's just go together? i say yes.

hello friends! 
today i'm guest blogging over at smithfield. come see me and get this yummy tamale pot pie recipe! i threw it together for our lunch on saturday, went out to the gym while it baked, came home and tossed some sour cream and fresh lime juice on top, and ate like a queen. yum. try it sometime! 

have you tried a new soup yet this winter? 
we have!! and we found a keeper. so here's your chance! hop over here today where i'm sharing the recipe for sheena's super yummy bean and bacon soup! you'll love how easy it is:)

hey guys! today i'll be sharing what i love about this first stretch of the year, plus my favorite chili recipe, on the smithfield blog. come on over and see me! 

when i open a carton of egg nog, i smell christmas. 
but as much as i love the scent, i can't drink a whole tumbler of the stuff. (unless diluted with milk and ice, which i'm not sure counts.) it actually weirds me out to think too much about eggs being in something i drink, but nevertheless, i love it. and here's how i love it:


on my french toast!! the best tasting french toast in the world is made with egg nog, i believe. and it just so happens that i posted the recipe for my egg nog french toast on the smithfield blog today! (if you don't see it yet, it will be up shortly. or you can email me and i'll send the recipe straight to you!) try it, please! and be sure to use stale bread- i've learned my lesson with fresh bread.


in an egg nog latte!! from starbucks. have you ever tried one of these!? best thing on their menu. forget the peppermint mocha. forget gingerbread anything. they know how to make a mean nog. and this is a form i can drink straight. no ice necessary.


in instant flavored beads!! wow. totally just kidding. this is so gross! i just had to show you guys. i'll take the real stuff, please.

how about you guys? do you egg nog?  

in case you missed my little tutorial on making pretty vintage cake pedestals, you can see it today on the smithfield blog! 


ps. so glad you guys are as jazzed about the ice rink as we are. i'll tell you the whole story soon. right now i've got a christmas program to recover from and basketball games to cheer at. oh, and i'm officially on christmas break!! 

..
every family has them, and i think they are so cool.
you can read a few of mine over here today!


so, what's your favorite holiday tradition? 

this is my favorite thing at the thanksgiving table. not the cranberry sauce, not the stuffing, not even the pumpkin pie, this.

i'm talking about mom's classic corn casserole. mmmmm. mm! if you didn't grow up with this stuff, it might be time to add a new tradition.
hop over to the smithfield blog to get the recipe! (seriously, go see how easy it is!) if you need another side dish for the big feast, this one is a definite crowd-pleaser.

deer hunting was awesome, as usual. the weather was perfect. a deer was shot. the vikings won. the food was amazing. the family keeps getting bigger. we drew names for christmas. we sang together before each meal. and heidi sent me home with a bottle of homemade vanilla extract. it went too fast, of course, but i loved it!

the monday after deer hunting always feels like, okay, it's christmastime now, right? i don't know if you're as hyper for it as i am, but no matter. i think we can all agree that there's something about this pre-holiday season that generates a need to bake. (or at least to eat what is baked.) so i'm here with an idea for you. today i posted my favorite favorite ultimate chocolate recipe on the smithfield blog. please scope it out. maybe it's what you need for the chocolate-lovers at your thanksgiving table. because not everyone is a pie person.. i can testify to that.

am sharing a list of pure fall-ness (and a favorite fall recipe) on the smithfield blog today.
please pop over and add to my list in the comment section!

i am so ready for halloween. as you know, we moved last year. to the best trick-or-treating street in town! seriously, it's famous for it. i can't wait to see how many treaters we get this year. only a few more days! our candy has been bought. our entryway will be done (hopefully). and our pumpkins will be carved. will yours?

today you can see my step-by-step pumpkin carving tutorial (and best tips) on the smithfield blog!

even though it's been an insanely nice week here, it's still totally soup season. i'm making it so!


check out my guest post today for a new spin on an old classic: grilled cheese and tomato soup. my version includes a bowl of grant's favorite creamy tomato and a mozzarella, ham, and basil panini... we loved this meal when we had it the other night! (even if it was 77 degrees outside.)