One of my goals for 2012 is to get better with my photography, and to take it to the next level. I’ve been studying everything I can the last few weeks. Right before Christmas I bought myself a gift, a Nikon D5100 DSLR camera, and I love it! Now I just have to figure out how to use it, hah!

I decided to participate in the Color, Click, Capture photography challenge hosted by East9thStreet, A Helicopter Mom, Nap Time Is My Time and Sunshine and Sippy Cups!  Each week the challenge is to find something to photograph in the selected color. The color this week is RED.

Since my food photography is what I want to improve, this week I decided to get up close and personal with a pomegranate. I took a gazzillion shots, but here are some of my favorites.

Most of the shots I’m sharing are up close. I took some from further away, but didn’t like any of them.

Now if I could just remember what settings I used to get some of these shots!

I did play around with the settings quite a bit.

I would love to hear critiques and pointers if anyone has any! Next weeks color is orange if you want to join in the fun!

Check out the others below and add your own!

I actually made this soup on New Year’s Day, but I’m a little slow to get it posted here! I’ve had the photos ready to edit for several days, and finally got that done late last night. I’ve been doing quite a bit of healthy cooking for the new year, so I’ll have more recipes to share over the next couple weeks.

According to southern tradition black eyed peas should be eaten on New Year’s Day for luck and prosperity throughout the year ahead. I’m not from the south, but I’ll give it a try. I could always use a little luck and prosperity in my life.

We also had some sauerkraut, and my husband and son had pork chops. I can’t eat pork, it makes my heart race for days after I eat it (scary). I did have some raw kraut though, and it was delicious!

The soup turned out pretty great too, I just adapted my white chili recipe a little, and tweaked the ingredients here and there. I would normally use shredded chicken breast for this recipe, but I had some ground chicken and I didn’t want to fight the New Year’s Eve crowd at the grocery.

Southwestern Black Eyed Pea Soup With Chicken

Ingredients:

• 1 cup Black Eyed Peas (soak over night or use the quick soak method)
• 2-3 medium chicken breasts, or 1 lb ground chicken
• 4 cups chicken broth
• 1 cup water
• 1 cup chopped carrots
• 1 can of chopped tomatoes
• 1 can green chilis
• 3 cloves of garlic minced
• 1/2 medium onion chopped
• 1 teaspoon chili powder (or to taste)
• 1 teaspoon cumin (or to taste)
• sea salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Cook the black eyed peas according to the package directions (you can also use canned black eyed peas if you’re in a hurry.
2. In a large stock pot add the chicken broth, water, chicken, cooked black eyed peas, onion, tomatoes and garlic. If you’re using chicken breast you can cut it up before you add it to the broth, or let it cook then shred it. If you’re using ground turkey add it by pinches until it’s all in the broth.
3. Bring to a simmer for about 20-30 minutes, then add the chili powder, cumin, salt, and pepper.
4. Let the soup cook for another hour or so to cook the carrots through, then add the green chilis in the last 10 to 20 minute of cooking.
5. You can serve this topped with tortilla strips, shredded cheese or sour cream if you’d like.

Here it is topped with a little shredded cheese.

It’s a great healthy recipe to start the new year with! Until you add the cheese…. I also made some homemade oatmeal crackers to top my soup with. I’ll share that recipe in the next couple days!

I had to tune in last night to check out the Pretty Little Liars premiere! I’m trying to get caught up because I missed a few of the episodes during the fall season. I thought last night was really good! I was so hoping we’d get to see “A.” I so want to know who “A” is. My opinion of who it might be changes from week to week. Judging from the profile on last night’s show, I would say “A” is a smaller framed man or a girl. Hmmm. Does anyone else out there have a guess? I’d love to hear what others are thinking.

It makes me flash back to the Halloween episode. I always want to know who the people behind the masks are. Alison really was for luring her friends to an abandoned house and pretending she was being killed. Love this clip too, when sticks are crackling then all their cell phones ring at the same time. Creepy!

I just can’t wait to see what this season brings!

It’s now on every Monday at 8 7/c on ABC Family. You can find more info here: Pretty Little Liars on ABC Family.

Missed some of the nail-biting suspense from last season? Make sure to get all caught up here: http://bit.ly/tupDF8

I have been hired by Warner Bros WBWord division to raise awareness for ‘Pretty Little Liars.’

Last year at this time I was just hearing about Pretty Little Liars for the first time while I watched ABC Family’s 25 Days Of Christmas. It sounded like an intriguing show, so I stuck around after the first of the year so I could check it out.

I really got to know the characters and their story last year, so I’m even more looking forward to the winter premiere January 2nd on ABC Family at 8/7c this year. In fact that’s tomorrow night!

Did you miss some of the nail-biting suspense from last season? Make sure to get all caught up before the new season starts here: Pretty Little Liars Complete First Season

I’ve been catching up on some of the episodes over the last couple weeks, with my son in sports (football earlier this fall, now basketball), and other activities it’s been hard to catch every episode! I’m excited by the previews though, and at the end of last season all the characters were definitely on edge after the fashion show incident and some of the other drama. It will be interesting to see if they can hold it together. It looks like they’re starting the season with plenty more excitement if the previews are any indication! Will you be checking it out tomorrow night?

I have been hired by Warner Bros WBWord division to raise awareness for ‘Pretty Little Liars. All opinions are my own.

Lets get ready to hop into 2012 by entering to win tons of great prizes! The “New Year’s Hoppin’ Eve” Giveaway Event is hosted by Matter of Cents and Our Family World.

More than 100 blogs have joined together to give their readers several chances to win! Swagbucks is also sponsoring a Kindle Fire as the Grand Prize! Will luck be on your side when the Winners are chosen? You can’t win if you don’t enter. Good luck!

Here at Home and garden cafe we’re giving away a $25 Amazon gift card. I will choose the winner via Random.org at the end of the giveaway. The winner will be notified via email and posted here. They will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen. Each entry can be done once per person unless stated otherwise.

Please enter on the Rafflecopter form below, then scroll down below the form to see all the other participating blogs.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Our grand prize sponsor Swagbucks.com is the online rewards community that works, rewarding people for all of the things they’re already doing online – search, games, watching videos, shopping, surveys and more! The Swag Bucks earned by users have helped purchase everything from diapers to video games – it’s easy, it’s rewarding, and it’s 100% free!

Hop around to all of the other blogs and enter some fantastic giveaways.

I started watching Pretty Little Liars last winter. It’s definitely been one of my favorite shows to tune in to. I love the suspense and tuning in to see what’s going to happen.

My son’s in sports, and our schedule is hectic, so I missed some of last season when it was on. Most of the past season episodes are online, so I’ve been able to catch up on what’s happening. Did you miss some of the nail-biting suspense from last season too? Make sure to get all caught up before the new season starts here: http://bit.ly/tupDF8

Do you watch Pretty Little Liars? Do you think we’ll ever see Dr. Sullivan again? What do you think was in the envelope ‘A’ gave her? Have you seen the video clip preview yet for the new season? Looks like the girls have gotten themselves into some trouble, and it looks like they’re not getting along very well.

Do you remember this episode?

Pretty Little Liars premieres on ABC Family at 8/7c on January 2nd. I can’t wait to see what happens!

Disclaimer: I have been hired by Warner Bros WBWord division to raise awareness for ‘Pretty Little Liars.’

The holiday season is in full swing! With plenty of parties, dinners and holiday gatherings coming and going! If you have some home entertaining yet to do, check out these festive cocktail recipes from Camarena and Blue Ice. I have recipes for cocktail hour, and some sweet cocktail treats for after your Christmas dinner.

Holiday Cocktail Hour Sippers

Spiced Silver Bell

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 oz Camarena Silver Tequila
• 1/2 oz Lime Juice
• 1/2 oz Cranberry Spice Syrup*
• 2 oz Ginger Beer
• Lime Wheel Garnish

Directions:

Combine liquids in large rocks glass. Add ice and stir. Garnish with lime wheel.

* Cranberry Spice Syrup

• 1 1/2 cup Brown Sugar
• 3/4 cup Water
• 4 Cinnamon Sticks
• 1 teaspoon Whole Allspice
• 1 teaspoon Whole Clove
• 1 tablespoon Orange Zest
• 1 cup Fresh Cranberries

Place all ingredients in saucepan over medium low heat. Stir continually until skins of cranberries begin to pop and they easily mash with back of spoon. Lightly mash cranberries, but not so much to create “sauce.” Remove from heat. Strain into heat proof container. Allow to cool. Refrigerate.

Mistletoe Margarita

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 oz Camarena Silver Tequila
• 1/4 oz New Amsterdam Gin
• 1 oz Lime Juice
• 1/2 oz Agave Nectar
• 8 Cranberries

Directions:

Muddle cranberries in a mixing glass. Add tequila, lime juice, agave nectar, gin and ice. Shake and strain into a bucket glass with ice. Garnish with a skewer of cranberries.

Holiday Rouge

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 oz Blue Ice Vodka
• 1/2 oz Orange Liqueur
• 1 oz Pomegranate Juice
• 1/2 oz Grapefruit Juice
• 1/4 oz Fresh Lime Juice

Directions:

Add ingredients to a cocktail mixer, shake well and strain. Garnish with a lime wheel and red cherry.

After Christmas Dinner Sweet Treat Cocktail Recipes

Camarena Frost

Ingredients:

• 1 oz Camarena Reposado Tequila
• 1/2 oz White Crème de Cacao
• 1/2 oz Hazelnut Liqueur
• 1 oz Heavy Whipping Cream
• Sprinkled Cinnamon Garnish

Directions:

Combine liquids in cocktail shaker with ice. Shake to blend and chill. Strain into chilled martini glass. Garnish with sprinkle of cinnamon.

La Posada

Ingredients:

• 1 oz Camarena Reposado Tequila
• 1/2 oz Dark Crème de Cacao
• 1/2 oz Coffee Liqueur
• 1/2 oz Hazelnut Liqueur
• 1 1/2 oz Heavy Cream
• Cinnamon Dust Garnish

Directions:

Combine liquids in a cocktail shaker with ice. Shake until frothy. Strain into a chilled martini glass. Garnish with dusting of cinnamon powder.

Blue Ice Raspberry Truffle

Ingredients:

• 1 oz Blue Ice Vodka
• 3/4 oz Coffee Liqueur
• 3/4 oz Raspberry Liqueur
• Fresh Whipped Cream
• Semi-Sweet Chocolate Shavings for Garnish

Directions:

Shake with cubed ice and strain into champagne flute glass. Float lightly whipped fresh whipped cream on top. Top with Semi-sweet chocolate shavings.

Holly is one of my favorite Christmas plants. It’s beautiful in the winter outdoor garden, and it also adds some beautiful red and green color to indoor decorations this time of year. I love holly’s waxy green leaves and beautiful red berries.

Legend says holly helps to ward of bad spirits, that’s where the tradition to add holly to holiday decorations began. Many believed that a sprig or two of holly added to the door, or entryway would help keep evil out of the house. So add a couple sprigs of holly to a wreath, a vase, or a table centerpiece for beautiful red and green holiday cheer (and to keep the dark side away).

Holly berry bushes are easy to grow, and can provide you with several snips of holly this time of year without anyone even noticing there are branches missing. I have my holly planted along the sunny side of the house, and they seem to do fairly well there. If you plant holly it’s a good practice to plant more than one. Holly berry has male and female plants, and only the females produce berries.

So how do you tell the difference between male and female holly? You can only reliably tell the difference in the spring when they’re blooming. A male holly plant produces flowers with yellow stamens in the center. The female holly has flowers with a fat green center. Planting several holly bushes will increase the chances that you have both male and female plants for the beautiful winter berries.

I love my holly berry bush:-)

Image(c) L Gerlach

I have some wonderful holiday feast recipes to share with you today, courtesy of Carapelli Olive Oil. They’ve added some extra flavor to a holiday favorite with their Olive Oil and Herb Mashed Potatoes, you may never want to go back to plain mashed potatoes again! The sweet and salty Brussels Sprouts with Caramelized Onions and Prosciutto sound like a delicious side dish. The centerpiece for this feast is a Tucsan Roast Turkey that sounds fabulous with the Tucsan Herb Paste!

Tuscan Roast Turkey

Serving Size: 16

• 1 16-pound young turkey
• Kosher salt, to taste
• 1 cup Tuscan Herb Paste
• 1 teaspoon fennel seeds, crushed
• 2 teaspoons celery salt
• 3 fennel stalks with fronds, rough chopped
• 3 onions, large dice
• 1 stalk celery, small dice
• 2 1/4 quarts chicken stock
• 3 ounces all-purpose flour

1. Remove giblets from turkey’s cavity, rinse cavity and pat dry, set aside. Season turkey inside and out with Kosher salt.
2. Mix Tuscan Herb Paste with crushed fennel seeds and celery salt. Starting at the neck of the bird, slip your hand between the meat and the skin to loosen.
3. Rub half the paste mix under skin, and rub remaining paste inside the cavity and over the rest of the turkey.
4. Season all over with kosher salt.
5. Place two-thirds of the chopped onion and fennel stalks inside cavity. Truss bird.
6. Place turkey in a roasting pan. Roast at 400°F for 30 minutes.
7. Reduce temperature to 325°F and continue cooking the turkey to an internal temperature of 160°F, approximately 2 1/2 to 3 hours. Baste turkey often during cooking with juices from pan. If turkey begins to overbrown, cover it loosely with aluminum foil.
8. As turkey roasts, simmer giblets (neck, heart and gizzard), the other one-third of the fennel stalk, onion mix and diced celery in 1 quart chicken stock until tender, approximately 1 1/2 hours.
9. When turkey is done, remove from roasting pan and set aside to rest. Degrease roasting pan, reserving 3 ounces of fat to make a roux.
10. Deglaze pan with a small amount of chicken stock. Transfer stock to a saucepot, and add remaining stock and broth from giblets. Bring to a simmer and degrease.
11. Make a blond roux with reserved fat and flour. Add roux to the liquid, whisking well to prevent lumps. Simmer 15 minutes. Strain gravy through a fine-meshed strainer. Adjust seasoning.

Tuscan Herb Paste

Yield: 2 1/4 cups

• 3/4 cup Carapelli Extra Light in Taste Olive Oil
• 1 cup Carapelli Premium 100% Italian Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 1 tablespoon fresh basil
• 2 tablespoons fresh rosemary
• 1/2 packed cup fresh Italian parsley
• 1 tablespoon fresh thyme
• 2 tablespoons fresh sage
• 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper

1. Blend herbs and crushed red pepper with light olive oil using a blender or food processor, then stir in extra virgin olive oil.
2. Serving Ideas: Rub under the skin of turkey for Tuscan Roast Turkey. Use to flavor vegetables for grilling and mushrooms for roasting.

Olive Oil and Herb Mashed Potatoes

Serving Size: 12

• 10 8-ounce potatoes, (about 5 pounds) peeled and cut in half
• 3/8 teaspoon white pepper
• 1 1/2 tablespoons kosher salt
• 1/2 cup Tuscan Herb paste
• 1/2 cup Carapelli Premium 100% Italian Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 1 cup heavy cream, warmed

Boil potatoes in salted water. When cooked tender, mash potatoes. Mix salt and pepper with Tuscan Herb Paste, olive oil and warm heavy cream. Fold into potatoes.

Brussels Sprouts with Caramelized Onions and Prosciutto

Serving Size: 12

• 2 pounds fresh Brussels sprouts, blanched, quartered
• 4 tablespoons Carapelli Premium 100% Italian Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 1 onion, julienned
• 1 1/2 ounces prosciutto, sliced into 1/2-inch strips
• 4 tablespoons white balsamic vinegar
• Sea salt
• Fresh cracked black pepper

1. Trim stem end of Brussels sprouts. Discard wilted outside leaves. Boil in salted water until cooked through (about 7 minutes) until just tender. Shock in ice water. Quarter the cooled sprouts.
2. In large skillet over medium high heat, caramelize onions in olive oil for 15 to 20 minutes, stirring frequently. Remove from pan. Place in bowl, mix with prosciutto.
3. In the same skillet, over high heat, lightly brown Brussels sprouts. Add onion-prosciutto mix, toss.
4. Deglaze by adding white balsamic vinegar and scraping bottom of pan. Season with salt and pepper.

Enjoy and have a happy holiday! For more recipes that will turn any meal into an unforgettable feast visit the Carapelli website.

I used to love to watch sitcoms, but I haven’t watched too many in the past couple years. Until this year. I look forward to Monday nights, because I know I will laugh and chuckle my way through 2 Broke Girls. The show reminds me that laughter is the key to the heart.

I’m excited that people are supporting these two lovable gals and nominated 2 Broke Girls for best New TV Comedy. I want to help spread the word, and remind people to for 2 Broke Girls (or your favorite new comedy) in The People’s Choice Awards of 2012.

Max and Caroline’s dream in 2 Broke Girls is to open their own cupcake business. They understand dreams can come true through an honest day’s work. I can relate to the girl’s dreams. I had a dream several years ago that I would make a full time income from my writing and blogging business, and that dream has come true in the last year or so. That’s why my vote for the People’s Choice Award is for a show that keeps me chuckling at the same time as it inspires me to follow my dreams.

You can go vote for your favorite shows here: People’s Choice Awards

I have been hired by Warner Bros. WBWord division to promote WBTV shows nominated in the People’s Choice Awards.