Author: Tara Philipp

  • Pumpkin Bars

    Pumpkin Bars

    A tasty fall treat my family likes to call pumpkin bars.

    As a kid, I never liked pumpkin pie. I think it was the mushiness that resembled baby food, I couldn’t get past. The only pumpkin recipe I could handle where these pumpkin bars my mom would make every year. I couldn’t wait until the colder months.

    Fall is my favorite season. I love the cool cozy weather it brings, the endless treats and of course my birthday. I think my favorite reason for loving the season is how it brings people together. I have watched so many people come together to make a beautiful dinner. Each family making a favorite past time recipe and showing up for one another. Whether they are family, friends or kind strangers.. I’ve watched so many connect over food.

    Pumpkin bars have always been our go to treat to bring to a friends house, once fall arrives. They quickly become a hit and for most of the gathering I’m texting the recipe to everyone who has asked for it.

    My favorite part about pumpkin bars is the texture. If you don’t love pumpkin pie, but crave a pumpkin treat this fall, try this recipe. I know it will quickly become your new favorite reason to love fall.

    They’re moist like a sweet cake and have the perfect pumpkin flavor. Add the cream cheese frosting, whether homemade or bought and your hooked! Top with walnuts, pecans or cinnamon if you like or let the pumpkin bars and cream cheese frosting speak for itself. Either way, I know you can’t deny this tasty fall treat!

    Download the recipe here!

    PIN IT FOR LATER!!!

  • Sourdough Balsamic Bruschetta Pizza

    Sourdough Balsamic Bruschetta Pizza

    Combining the goodness of sourdough, balsamic bruschetta and pizza for a mouth watering snack!

    This years garden yielded a ton of tomatoes that I didn’t know what to do with. To be honest, I’m not a tomato lover! It wasn’t until I read Bailey from Tribe Van Tassels blog post Tomatoes for People Who Hate Tomatoes aka Bruschetta For Non-Believers, that I decided to give tomatoes a chance.

    I paired the bruschetta with my sourdough pizza crust, because I knew I couldn’t go wrong with a natural sourdough taste. After a quick walk through the garden collecting tomatoes. I can make this snack in about 10 minutes.

    This post contains affiliate links, which means I make a small commission at no extra cost to you.

    Balsamic Bruschetta

    Ingredients:

    • Olive Oil or Butter
    • Sautéed Garlic
    • Garden Tomatoes- Use whatever you have on hand. I use red, white and pear tomatoes.
    • Salt
    • California Balsamic Vinegar- I use Honey, vanilla and fig, or pomegranate

    Instructions:

    1. Preheat cast iron or stainless steel skillet to medium heat.
    2. Add olive oil or butter.
    3. Cut tomatoes into small chunks.
    4. Add garlic to skillet and sauté.
    5. Then add tomatoes and salt, sauté.
    6. Add a dash of balsamic vinegar of choice.
    7. Remove from heat.
    8. Start on the sourdough pizza crust while tomatoes cool.

    Sourdough Starter Pizza Crust

    Ingredients:

    • Olive Oil
    • Sourdough Starter
    • Salt
    • Italian Seasoning (dill weed, oregano, basil, thyme and parsley)

    Instructions:

    1. Preheat cast iron skillet on medium heat with olive oil.
    2. Add approximately 1 cup sourdough starter. Using a spatula, spread the starter evenly.
    3. Sprinkle with salt, herbs & additional olive oil.
    4. Treat the sourdough like a pancake & flip once the liquid stater becomes a dough.
    5. Turn the heat to low and add your toppings.
    6. Remove from heat & enjoy!

    It’s amazing what a little sautéing can do to tomatoes! Bailey you have converted this tomato hater, into a bruschetta lover! Now to try it with pasta..

    Our cast iron set is one of our most used kitchen essentials because of how easy they are too clean, not to mention the health benefits. I love this set because it comes with a variety of different pots, pans, skillets and a griddle.

    I love using the dutch oven for soups or sourdough bread making. Our skillet is probably the most used, with breakfast, lunch and dinners throughout the week. My flat skillet cooks up our pancakes and English muffins. While the griddle is great for burgers, steaks and grilled sandwiches.

    PIN IT FOR LATER!!!

  • Sourdough Starter Pizza Crust

    Sourdough Starter Pizza Crust

    Sharing my most used sourdough starter recipe, pizza crust.

    As I try more recipes and ideas with my sourdough starter, the more comfortable I get with it. I’m using my sourdough almost everyday! Actually I almost had to start a new starter because I had used it until the last drop. All to make a pizza crust.

    I tend to only use my sourdough when it has time to ferment, because you want the active and live cultures to breakdown most of the flour for you. I feed my sourdough at night and in the morning I can make pancakes or save my starter for my lunch time favorite, pizza.

    This post contains affiliate links, which means I make a small commission at no extra cost to you.

    Prepare to be amazed at the simpleness of this recipe! I guarantee if you don’t have a sourdough on your counter, you will after reading this post. If you’d like to start a sourdough starter, you can find the instructions here.

    Feed your starter the night or morning before. You want to make sure you have enough starter left over to continue feeding it.

    Sourdough Starter Pizza Crust

    Ingredients:

    • Olive Oil
    • Approximately 1 cup Sourdough Starter
    • Salt
    • Italian Seasoning (dill weed, oregano, basil, thyme and parsley)

    Instructions:

    1. Preheat cast iron skillet on medium heat with olive oil.
    2. Add approximately 1 cup sourdough starter. Using a spatula, spread the starter evenly.
    3. Sprinkle with salt, herbs & additional olive oil.
    4. Treat the sourdough like a pancake & flip once the liquid stater becomes a dough.
    5. Turn the heat to low and add your toppings.
    6. Remove from heat & enjoy!

    Our cast iron set is one of our most used kitchen essentials because of how easy they are too clean, not to mention the health benefits. I love this set because it comes with a variety of different pots, pans, skillets and a griddle.

    I love using the dutch oven for soups or sourdough bread making. Our skillet is probably the most used, with breakfast, lunch and dinners throughout the week. My flat skillet cooks up our pancakes and English muffins. While the griddle is great for burgers, steaks and grilled sandwiches.

    PIN IT FOR LATER!!!

    As long as you have a healthy sourdough starter on the counter, you can make this pizza crust in 5 minutes. It has quickly become my families go to lunch snack.

  • Crochet Basics: A Beginners Guide To Crocheting

    Crochet Basics: A Beginners Guide To Crocheting

    A beginners guide to crocheting. Learn the basic skills needed to start crocheting.

    Whether you have tried crochet in the past or you’re an absolute beginner, this course will help you learn the basic skills of crocheting! 

    Crochet Basics is designed to give you a solid foundation as a crochet beginner. Included are video lessons, descriptions & step by step photo tutorials. Covering everything from supplies, how to attach the yarn to your crochet hook, how to properly hold your yarn & hook, creating stitches, how to read a pattern, and fastening off. 

    By the end of this course you will have created your first crochet project! Establishing yourself as a beginner crocheter, moving onto that Pinterest board full of projects.

    I can’t wait to share these skills with you and watch you flourish on your crochet journey!

    PIN IT FOR LATER!!!

    “Tara is amazing! I have wanted to learn crochet since I was a child and she was sweet enough to take the time and teach me. I started off not knowing anything about crocheting and she set me up with my first hook and yarn and taught me in a manner of minutes! She was so encouraging and made it so simple. She doesn’t over complicate it and throughly explains each step. Now I’m making my own pieces along side her. If that doesn’t impress you, she also taught my 7 year old just the same way and my daughter got it down just as fast. I highly recommend learning from Tara, her videos and step by step process will have you crocheting in no time. I thought it was hard to learn but because of Tara’s experience she knows exactly how to teach in a way that even a child can get it. I give her a 10/10” -Calie

  • How To Make Sourdough Tortillas

    How To Make Sourdough Tortillas

    Learn how to make fermented sourdough starter tortillas.

    I don’t know why certain recipes intimidate me so much, but this was one of them. I had never made homemade tortillas before but so many friends recommended I try sourdough tortillas, because of my love for anything sourdough.

    One weekend we had been waiting for family to arrive with shredded chicken tacos for dinner, yum. With a clean house and nothing else to do, I decided to make a floury mess and test out some sourdough tortillas.

    This post contains affiliate links, which means I make a small commission at no extra cost to you.

    That morning or the night before mix:

    3 cups flour

    1 1/2 cups water

    1 cup sourdough starter

    Mix the 3 cups flour, water and sourdough starter together. Allow at least 5 hours to ferment.

    The tortillas

    2 teaspoons Himalayan pink salt

    1 teaspoon baking powder

    1/4 cup softened coconut oil

    1/2-1 cup floured surface

    Using your hands mix the salt, baking powder and coconut oil in the bowl. Let it sit about 15 minutes to allow the dough to unstick a bit. You’ll want your dough to have a moist texture, but not too moist that it’s sticking to your hands. If that is the case sprinkle 2-3 tablespoons of flour & continue kneading the dough.

    Once your dough has a good texture, begin pulling dumpling size pieces of dough and set aside. This recipe will make roughly 28-32 tortillas. With a floured surface, roll out your tortillas and place on a preheated cast iron skillet. As you are rolling out the remainder of your tortillas, flip and cook tortillas over low heat. Enjoy!

    Our cast iron set is one of our most used kitchen essentials because of how easy they are too clean, not to mention the health benefits. I love this set because it comes with a variety of different pots, pans, skillets and a griddle.

    I love using the dutch oven for soups or sourdough bread making. Our skillet is probably the most used, with breakfast, lunch and dinners throughout the week. My flat skillet cooks up our pancakes and English muffins. While the griddle is great for burgers, steaks and grilled sandwiches.

    PIN IT FOR LATER!!