butternut squash & apple soup

so here we are – finally – at my very first food post. when i set out with this blog it was always something i wanted to include. i cook all the time and yesterday picked up my phone to snap some pictures and share a recipe for the most delicious squash soup i’ve ever had.

pardon the pictures – maybe some day i’ll get around to sharing some in higher quality.

let’s get to it (after the jump)!

happy food – why you should buy grass-fed beef

so, i used to be vegan. i was vegan for a year for several reasons that i won’t get into here – another time, promise. it was a fantastic lifestyle for me but one that i felt restricted my cooking and i truly love to cook, so i slowly weaned myself back onto a diet that included more meat and dairy. i do still have slight vegan tendencies, and if you’re vegan, hey more power to ya! maybe someday i’ll join you again.

so i was reading an eat this, not that newsletter today and stumbled across grass-fed beef. this one slide reads:

Animals raised on grass pastures boast much higher levels of healthy conjugated linoleic acid (or CLA), a “happy” fat that combats stress hormones and blasts belly fat. Grass-fed beef also has a lower overall fat count and contains higher levels of heart-healthy omega-3 fatty acids compared to grain-feed beef. Another great grass-fed option: lamb. It’s packed with iron, a nutrient vital for a stable mood (the areas of the brain related to mood and memory contain the highest iron concentrations).

i could go on and on about why i purchase grass-fed anything – for starters our bodies don’t digest corn well and many cows in the industrial farming industry are fed corn – they too cannot process corn well. and then it gets into this whole animal abuse thing that’s pretty gross. and the actual farming process that is pretty gross.

but i digress.

grass-fed beef tastes so much better – i swear (as well as grass-fed cow’s milk). it’s a more natural farming process. the cows are happier (which means you aren’t eating their stress or anxiety or adrenaline). you are happier. and it’s an overall healthier choice than the meats pumped full of steroids, antibiotics and grains and/or corn.

just do it 🙂

geronimo balloons, confetti system, DIYs and big plans for 2012

the end of 2011 brought a lot of inspiration for me and had me thinking a lot about the future of this blog and what i want to get out of this experience. for me, this has been a place about beautiful things, the things that inspire me. i want this blog to be a place where i build off my theory of decorating – that your life is a collection of layers – the idea that your life is a curation.

you collect things and people and memories and you put them in a place – in your home, in your heart, maybe on facebook, maybe on a blog.

so with this little dose of enlightenment, i bring you my current obsessions, geronimo balloons and confetti system, and let you know that there are changes coming for this blog this year. we’re redesigning your entire experience at her long way home and rethinking the editorial calendar to bring you what you want out of this blog and what i need out of this blog.

you can expect to see a lot of DIY projects, reviews, blogger interviews and guest posts,and of course design and fashion inspiration. you can even expect to see some actual food posts this year. above all you’ll really get to see me, the things that are important to my life and i hope that you’ll join me on this journey and that you’ll enjoy the ride taking the long way with me.

and remember dolls, every day is cause to celebrate!

french macaroons

french macaroons. they seriously elude me.

i’ve always wanted to blog about food (just can’t get any appetizing pictures out of my cooking) – i’m actually a pretty awesome cook. i always say that i should have gone to culinary arts school. i love experimenting with food and trying new recipes – even if they fail, it’s always a learning experience, but most importantly it’s an opportunity for me to be creative.

the one thing that has always eluded me is the macaroon. they are so delicate, and so beautiful. but they terrify me. so perhaps this weekend will the the weekend i take my first foray into french macroons.

what about you? have you tried making them? do you just LOVE them?

not just pocket knives

when i think of swiss army, i think of pocket knives. i think of my nephew saying, oh aunt hailey check this out! i think of cub scouts learning how to fend for themselves in the wild. i also think laptop cases. i typically would not consider them for knives.

but you should.

i love color, especially in my kitchen tools. i absolutely love to cook but bright colored tools make it even more fun. enter the swiss army utility knife. no – it’s not a pocket knife – it’s the perfect every day pairing knife. and it’s pink to boot!

swiss army knife

 

i used the knife to make a fantastic roasted red pepper and tomato soup – it was definitely handy to have this in my arsenal. i wanted to show you guys step by step pictures of this recipe from cookie and kate, but we didn’t get that far. we did, however, finish the whole batch. another time, then. for now, run along and purchase this knife!