January 27, 2010

Just a heads up to all you art lovers in the area!   This Saturday between 5-8:30pm SUPPORT LOCAL ARTISTS and come to an awesome show at the Sanitarium in SLO.  Featured artists are joey Salazar, Vincent Bernardy, Joe Tomei, Rober MAJA & Suzie Bliss.  Art, live music and wine tasting at this free, open to the public event.

This Saturday, January 30 from 5-8:30pm.  The Sanitarium is located at 1716 Osos St., on the corner of Osos and Leff in San Luis Obispo, CA.  For more info, contact Vincent Bernardy or Suzie Bliss at (805) 544-4124.  See ya there!

January 27th, 2010 | Category: Desserts, Inspiration, Local Places, Locally Made, Snacks | Comments (1)

January 15, 2010

A Tale of Two Burgers! With rainy weather looming on the horizon, I thought I’d better share these before we all want to stay inside with a nice bowl of comforting soup or stew.  We haven’t made normal burgers in quite a while…besides the special occasion, red meat has been a rarity around our dinner table.

Our two standard burgers are now Turkey Quinoa and Eggplant.  I love adding different ingredients to regular recipes, and with turkey burgers we’ve had great luck with brown rice, shredded carrots, and my favorite, quinoa!  Great taste, fiber, protein and a fantastic binding agent all in one.

And if you haven’t tried an Eggplant Burger…OH MAN, you are missing something in life!  Talk about an economical way to feed a crowd….for the cost of one eggplant you can get 8-9 servings.  Healthy and cheap…that’s my kind of meal.

Did I forget to mention a beautiful BBQ Sauce that we made ourselves for the first time?

I really should mention that…  I put this Homemade BBQ Sauce in everything, from using it as dry-burger-prevention mixed into the turkey patties, to a glaze on the eggplant slices, and pretty much anything else I could slather this on.

Go ahead and give these a try…I promise they won’t disappoint.  Maybe they’ll just shoo that bad weather away!

Recipes after the jump!

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January 15th, 2010 | Category: Food, Main Dishes, Recipes, Veggie | Comments (4)

January 7, 2010

“It always takes me by surprise!”, I told J over and over during these past few days.  “Do you mind if we BBQ again?”  Do you really need to ask a guy that?

Just when I had gotten used the chilly temps of a Central Coast winter night, here comes New Year’s and the inevitable heat wave.  Don’t get me wrong… I’m not saying I don’t enjoy these toasty 75 degree days (though it must have hit 80 in my neighborhood), the balmy evening sunsets and grilling outside every night.

But I needed something different.

Our solution to the Hot Weather Grilling Blues?  Cold Noodles!  Our standby recipe consists of a Sesame Peanut Butter sauce, but I had to try something new tonight.  A can of light Coconut Milk from our cupboard provided all the inspiration we needed!

Add tender baby Bok Choy, Sugar Snap Peas and a bright squeeze of Lime, and we found our tasty meal for this summery night.  I call this Thai Coconut Noodles… and please don’t be intimidated by the Thai name, I have a few short cuts that may not make this authentic, but can resonate a balmy tropical evening if you just close your eyes and have a taste…

Recipe after the jump!

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January 7th, 2010 | Category: Food, Main Dishes, Recipes | Comments (5)

January 4th, 2010

First off, a big HAPPY NEW YEAR to all of you out there!!  I have a sense that this is going to be an amazing year for all of us…can’t you feel it in the air?  I have so many friends and acquaintances whom have mentioned how 2009 was a great year for them, but they know that 2010 will be even better.

I love seeing this despite all of the changes we’ve all had to go through with our little economy acting as it has been…many of us are more appreciative, grateful and hopeful.  And yes, we had quite an extraordinary year ourselves with our new family addition being at the top of our list.  Very happy and grateful…not much can get us down.

And so, a simple celebration for the start of this New Year.  I’ve always loved New Year’s more than the other holidays during this time.  There’s nothing like a fresh start, a clean slate.  New Year, Old Traditions… for us that means ringing in the new digits with a fiesta, including our own take on Cole Slaw, Tortilla Soup and homemade Guacamole.

Recipes after the jump!

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January 4th, 2010 | Category: Food, Main Dishes, Recipes, Snacks, Veggie | Comments (5)

December 23, 2009

Ah a milestone!  While J isn’t depending on solid foods for nutrition at this age, it’s a critical time to expose him to what the world of food has to offer…and of course I love taking hilarious photos of him while we do that!

Around 4 months old, babies begin to see more colors (reds and greens first).  Exposing them to different food textures is great as well…a puree of squash, a mashed banana, some blended zucchini (MUST BE ALL ORGANIC and well washed).  Different spices such as cinnamon are great to use as well.  I adjust the consistency with breast milk, water or rice cereal.  Some studies have shown that this age is the start of a window of time when childrens’ tastes and preferences are molded.  After a couple years of age, the window starts to close and kiddos can become almost scared to try anything new.  It’s so important to us that he is not a picky or unhealthy eater, and I will refuse to have a child that will only eat chicken nuggets in the shape of dinosaurs.  (Plus if we have those in the house, James and I will totally eat all of them.)

For the gourmet meal above, steam an organic zucchini and a tiny sprinkle of onion or garlic powder until soft and blend in a food processor.  Freeze leftovers in ice cube trays for single serving sizes to use up to a month or so later.  Due to the high water content of the zucchini, I just added a spoonful of rice cereal to his bowl.  We got some funny faces but he was a real happy camper!

December 23rd, 2009 | Category: Baby Food, Food, Recipes | Comments (6)

December 9, 2009

I’ve got to share a great new local business with all of you, SLO Veg: Fruit & Vegetable delivery for San Luis Obispo and its surrounding towns.  I received a month of their totes for a Christmas present from a very generous friend.  Every week, I get a big box of gorgeous fruits and vegetables, all locally grown, all in season.  It’s like Christmas every time Steve shows up at my door with my tote in hand!  You don’t have to be an obsessive food nerd like me to get a thrill out of this great service…. totes are available is various sizes, and you can choose between weekly or bi-weekly deliveries.  A great local business to support!

December 9th, 2009 | Category: Locally Made | Comments (4)

November 20, 2009

WOO HOO! The new and improved Joi ~ Jennifer Olson Images Website is LIVE!

There are always things to add, things to change, things to fix, but it’s up, baby!

I’m so happy I finally have a proper venue to display the photos that I hold so dear, and the new ones to come.  Thank you all for your support.  It makes me feel that what I’m doing and what I want to do in the future is not some crazy unatainable dream… but something I can make happen.

xoxo, Jen

And yes, now that this is up I will get my butt back into the kitchen and start cooking!

ps:  I’m offering a crazy good Holiday Portrait Special to celebrate the website launch…see details on the site ~ Holiday Specials 2009 under the Info tab!

November 20th, 2009 | Category: Inspiration, Joi ~ Baby, Joi ~ Love | Comments (7)

November 13, 2009

Happy 3 Months, little boy!  He is in 6 month sized clothing, can stand (with some help), can talk (coooooing), has huge grins and can crack himself up!  He sleeps usually 8 hrs a night (woo hoo!) and loves playing in his little gym.  He is a joy and we are totally in love with him.

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November 13th, 2009 | Category: Joi ~ Baby | Comments (7)

October 29, 2009

A surprise Belly Session with the D Family!!  They are such a beautiful, warm and kind family…no doubt their new addition will be just as wonderful!  Congratulations!!

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October 29th, 2009 | Category: Joi ~ Baby | Comments (4)