New Photography & Cooking Blog...

Hey Guys,

Please follow me @ www.littlemapleleaf.blogspot.com 

It's a place where I'm going to be posting all of my pictures & recipes and actually have some direction. I just feel like for once I'm actually finding out what really makes me tick & I want to be able to focus on that 100%!
Don't mind the mess on the new blog right now.. I'll be fixing it up soon!

Thanks for the support!

Jessica

By the Lake

There's nothing more beautiful then chilled hands & camera settings on a crisp November afternoon! With that cheesy comment aside...


The more I go out & really take a look at all the beauty that is around me, the more at ease & happy I feel.
Yes-Earth can be terrifying...there's a lot of really bad things going on around the world.
But just stop for one single moment and look at the trees, the wild berries, the ducks and you truly have something amazing.

The Earth is a beautiful place. You just have to open your eyes to it's potential.

Jambalaya Recipe by Yours Truly

Recently, my Step Mom just gave us a TON of food that came from her mama's store... Most of it was pasta. I have way more than I know what to do with so I'll probably donate some to a food drive. That definitely seems like the best bet, in my opinion.

Anyway, I was trying to figure out what to do with the pasta, turkey sausage & chicken that was in my fridge and I decided to make a Jambalaya.

It ended up turning out absolutely delicious & folks-this was my very own recipe!

My one complaint was that I don't think I'm the biggest fan of turkey sausage so I probably won't use that again.. However, John LOVED it which is interesting because he was originally the one who was against using the turkey sausage in the first place.. weird.

What you'll need:

• Cooked Pasta (any kind you want)
• 3 Turkey or Italian Sausages, diced & crumbled (will crumble more in frying pan)
• 1 Chicken Breast, diced
• Tomato Paste, 2 Tbs
• 1 Can of Diced Tomatoes
• Chicken Broth, 1 1/2 Cans
• Sweet Bell Peppers (I used 1 Red & 1 Orange), diced
• 1/2 Red Onion, diced
• Celery, 2 sprigs, diced
• 2-3 Garlic Cloves, minced.
• Salt & Pepper, to taste
• 1 1/2 Tbs Italian Seasoning
• 2-3 Tbs of Ancho Chili Powder
• 1/2 tsp Cayenne Pepper
• 1 1/2 tbs Basil
• 1 1/2 tbs Oregeno
• 1 tbs Parsley
• 1 Bay Leaf
• Shredded Mozzarella Cheese
• 2 Tbs Olive Oil (separated)

What To Do: 

1. Heat up your olive oil in a large frying pan. While the oil is heating, season your chicken & sausages.
2. Once pan is hot, add in your meat & onions. Cook until the meat is cooked through & sausages are crumbled. Set aside.
3. Using a deep pan or a dutch oven, add in 1 tbs of olive oil. Once heated, add in your peppers, celery & garlic. Saute & Add in your diced tomatoes and tomato paste. Stir.
4. Slowly, add in your chicken broth, mixing in between pours.
5. Next, add in your Italian Seasoning, Chili Powder, Cayenne, Basil, Oregeno, Parsley & Bay Leaf. 
6. Add in your chicken, sausage & onions to the sauce mix.
7. Stir all together until sauce is thick and everything seems nice & coated (about 5-7 minutes).
8. Pour sauce over pasta, mix together & enjoy. 

A Pretty View: Photography

These are just a few photos I took at one of our parks here in town.
At first I wasn't a huge fan of that last one but after editing it, I've kinda fallen in love. It has this gloomy, dusky sort of look.

I'm so happy that I'm getting out more and practicing with my camera! I've discovered a couple new settings that really make a photo gorgeous. I definitely hope I can keep up with this craft!

On another note, I made a delicious pasta tonight using a yummy garlic alfredo sauce with chicken, asparagus & red peppers. So good!!!

Also, have you gotten the new WII-U?
John & I got it yesterday and we are obsessed! We bought this game called Scribblenauts and lets just say it's addicting!! Def go get one if you can!

Stay tuned for more practicing photography on my end!
And don't forget to link down below to show me your photos as well! I'm always looking for inspiration :)

Nature Walk With My Camera

I had a day off today and finally took the time to do what I've been meaning to for a while: take out my camera and snap some nature photography.

I walked through the recreational path by my house and managed to capture some beautiful photos. Today was more of a practice run considering I'm pretty rusty when it comes to F-Stops & Apertures..but I managed to get a hang of it fairly quickly.

Photography is something I've always had an interest in and just now am I finally putting it to practice. Today was extremely therapeutic for me. Walking down a trail, taking the time to focus on the things that are normally passed by in everyday life is a great reminder at how beautiful the world really is.

So I'm making it a goal: I'm going to start carrying my actual camera around with me & take a minute and really look at my surroundings. Anything & Everything that is natural here on earth is beautiful and I want to be reminded of that every single day through photography.

Feel free to join along with me & share the photos you've taken of things you'd normally pass by without notice.

A Few of my Favorite Things

It's no lie that I have a daily struggle with what I see myself doing in the future.
I think many of us do.
But give me a nice glass of wine, a festive smelling candle & a good book and you have one happy gal.

Thai Red Curry Recipe

I don't know what it is, but lately I've been all about Ethnic Cooking.
Last week I made an Indian Curried Chicken which was delicious.... sadly I didn't take any photos of it but I think I liked it better than this Thai Curry Chicken you see above.

I wanted to post the recipe for this because I actually think it turned out really tasty!
The one thing I would change (and maybe someone could help me out there?) is that I'd like it to be spicier.
I did follow the recipe from the Thai Kitchen website but HEAVILY adapted it to become my very own.
When you read my recipe, please tell me what I'm missing or what ingredients I could increase to bump up the spice? Thanks!

What You'll Need: 

• Handful of Vegetables (Bell peppers, snap peas, onions, carrots, broccoli, bamboo shoots etc...) (cut into small chunks)
• Chicken (diced)
• 1 can of coconut milk
• 1 1/2 tbs of red curry paste
• 1 1/2 tbs of  Fish Sauce
• 1 tbs of ginger (grated)
• 4 garlic cloves (minced)
• 2 tbs of FRESH coriander leaves (finely chopped)
• 2 tbs of FRESH basil (finely chopped)
• 1 tbs of vegetable or olive oil
• 1/2 cup of chicken broth
• 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts (cut into bite size pieces)
• Jasmine Rice (cooked according to instructions)

What To Do: 

1. Prepare your rice according to the packaged instructions.
2. Heat your oil over medium heat in a large dutch oven, skillet or wok. Once hot, add in your Red Curry Paste and stir fry until fragrant (about 1-2 minutes). 
3. Add in your fish sauce, coconut milk & chicken broth. Increase heat to medium high & bring to a light boil. Stir in brown sugar and stir until well blended.
4. Add in your chicken & vegetables and stir until sauce has come in contact with all chicken & vegetables. 
5. Add in your grated ginger & garlic. Mix well.
6. Simmer, stirring occasionally, for 7-10 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through & veggies are tender. Remove from heat & stir in coriander and basil. 
7. Serve over cooked jasmine rice & enjoy!