It's been a while since i've posted anything and the The weather has been absolutly beautiful here and you couldnt complain about having weather in the 70's and 80's almost two weeks in a row in the middle of march!!! How awesome is that, we spent many days on the deck just soaking up the sun. Well thats not all i've been up to. I've been weeding the garden beds, with only one more to go!!! My hydrangeas are already starting to give me leaves and my hollyhocks are coming up. Its all so nice, but lets just hope there is no frost coming our way! Chicago is notorious for having warm weather one day and a lovely frost or snow the next. Fingers crossed!

Not only have I been weeding but we stripped our kitchen cabinets completely by cleaning them sanding them, priming them, and of course, painting them a cream white. I love the outcome. The project took me and my husband three long days to complete the task, but it could have taken alot longer if we hadnt had a good bond and steady teamwork :) Now I know i'm going to drive him nuts, but the countertops are wayyyy too white! So with that i'm going to purchase the Giani Granite countertops transformations kit. That will all be part of another blog. Here is a pic of the white cabinets and as you can see, I think the countertops are just way too white. It's time to darken them to look like and or resemble a black granite.

As I woke up this February morning  I saw big beautiful snowflakes which right now has washed away my hopes for an early spring.  The past two weeks we were getting much warmer weather and I had already started going through my seed vault picking and choosing which seeds I would start up in the garden this year.  This has surely crushed my hopes.  After the holidays winter in my mind is surely over for me.  I was not made to handle the Chicago winters and have always dreamed about living in Florida with a big back yard enough to grow orange and lemon trees.  But as I am looking out my window,  I definitely have to snap out of it.  Today is a day that comfort food could defiantly do the trick to the winter blues!  The trick is to keeping that comfort food healthy.  So to balance it out I'm going to make a blackened flounder fillet with  a pineapple jalapeno salsa, with a citrus rice vegetable melody.  My dessert will be Apple Cider Crisp.  To me there is nothing more comforting that a slice of apple pie topped with cream.  But my version will be a bit more waist friendly as it is a weight watchers recipe.  Let me share it with you :)

Ingredients

	1/2 cup(s) all-purpose flour
	1/4 cup(s) sugar
	1/4 cup(s) packed light brown sugar
	1/4 cup(s) salted butter, chilled and cut into small pieces
	7 medium Granny Smith apple(s), peeled and sliced
	1/3 cup(s) apple cider
	2 Tbsp sugar
	1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
	1 Tbsp all-purpose flour
	1 tsp ground cinnamon
	1 spray(s) cooking spray

Preheat oven to 375°F.

• Combine first four ingredients in a blender or food processor; pulse four times or until crumbly. Set aside.
• Combine apple and next five ingredients in a large bowl; toss gently to combine. Spoon apple mixture into an 8-inch square baking dish coated with cooking spray; sprinkle with crumb mixture. Bake at 375°F for 40 minutes or until lightly browned. Serve warm. Yield: 8 servings (serving size: 3⁄4 cup). 

Let's face it, we all have our version of comfort food.  This dessert will definitely hit the spot on a day such as today.

Bonne appetit!!!

My very first blog!

Well here it is.....my very first blog.  This is a little odd typing and wondering if anyone will catch this blog and read it.  Let me tell you a little bit about myself first.  My name is Angie and i'm married to my wonderful hubby Danny.  We live in the northwestern Chicago land area in a cute house with our dog Gizmo.  It's a little different for me to live in an area that is so close to restauraunts, shops, and well pretty much everything you can imagine.  I grew up in a town that had pretty much....well very little to offer.  A quaint town with a tiny population, the nearest grocery store that was 20 minutes away, the closest mall a good solid 45 mins to an hour, and well you can pretty much imagine there wasn't much going on.  When I would look out to my bedroom window and I would see a corn field.  Thinking in my teenage years that this is so "un cool".  Well, now that I think back on it, I realize how much I miss that and took it for granted.  Nothing like being out in the country.  This is coming out of the mouth of the farmers daughter!  I want to start this blog to share my passion and love of food...not just eating it, but baking, cooking, couponing.....and getting back to the basics, like gardening!  This is a new hobby that i've taken up a few years ago, and i'm discovering that I perhaps have somewhat of a green thumb!  Also to throw a little bit of my decor and style in there :)  So here it goes......if you would like to read on, please read up on my blog, "Everything Delicious and Domesticated"