How good it feels to be unofficially, officially back?! This summer was a bit a lot of a whirlwind, honestly I don’t even really know where it went but I am actually totally savouring this past week and the bit of slow down it brought. I had not planned on being so absent from this space, my online home of sorts, but when those truly special occasions come along, the once in a life time occasions and even the everyday life occasions, they take precedent, always always.

This summer my best friend got married and there were showers and bachelorettes to plan, table decorations to be made and dress fittings to attend, it was all so beautiful and to watch her walk down the aisle, looking utterly stunning, saying “I do” to the love of her life was truly a moment I will never forget.

In the midst of all of that, Paul and I enjoyed weekends spent in the sun, endless afternoon road trips that lead us to secret spots, family visits, friend visits (near and far), and tiny island escapes. And as much as I loved it all I am really looking forward to the slowing down, the bundling up and the kitchen messes because as you can sense my kitchen was a little quiet this summer with all these happenings.

Truth be told fall and winter are my absolute favourite seasons, I love spring and summer, spring more than summer (you now, fresh flower blossoms, not too warm, and the pink cherry trees, yup definitely spring over summer) but something about the cool, crisp air, the crunch under my boots of the fallen leaves, the cozy cracking wood fires, the soups simmering and the oven toasty with the smell of fresh pie and roasted squash makes me intensely happy.I have never been the biggest fan of the heat and honestly would choose a weekend away in the snowy mountains with my knitted scarves, wool reading socks, and oversized blankets over bikinis and beach towels any day, I know call me crazy!

I also love the rain, so for me the grey, overcast days that we are pretty much drowned in here on the west coast over the fall and winter months is actually like heaven to me. I find it soothing, calming and relaxing, the exact opposite of what I find summer with its go go go mentality. I am a homebody at best so that probably sums it up perfectly. A cup of tea, a good book, and the stove top hot is my bliss.

Plus I can now put a lot more of my focus right here, on you and this space. Where you will see a lot more recipes and probably photo shoot blogs coming to you. One thing this summer brought me was some amazing opportunities to test out my little budding photography venture…and drum roll….I LOVED it, every second, every click, every edit, every finale, now I just want more and more.

I am starting a photography class tonight, yes I am headed back to college, which I am really excited about. I am letting my wings spread slowly and gradually, maybe one day they will soar to something much more but for now I am just happy learning and testing and trying and building.

I know you are here for the recipe and it’s been a long while since I posted one so I made it extra good, filled with extra love and spice! These baked eggs are somewhat a play on huevos rancheros chipotle style. You could use the black bean mixture as a chili too, adding a few more kinds of beans and then bake with some cheese in top instead of eggs, so its versatile. It has become a favourite in my house, I have made it for the past three weekends it really is that good, plus its filling and healthy so that is always a win.

baked eggs on top of a maple chipotle black bean veggie medley

ingredients

1 large can of organic black beans

2-4 eggs

1 white onion

4 cloves of garlic

2 cups of strained tomatoes

1 pint of small fresh cherry tomatoes

5 mini sweet peppers (about 1 ½ cups of chopped peppers, any kind I used red, yellow and orange)

half of one small zucchini (about 1 cup chopped)

2 tbsp of pure maple syrup

2 ½ tbsp of chipotle puree (recipe below)

2 tbsp of fresh chopped oregano

2-3 tbsp of olive oil

juice of half a lime

water to thin if needed (I used a little under half a cup)

cilantro, avocado and lime slices for garnishing

sourdough bread for toasting and dipping

chipotle puree

1 can of chipotle peppers

1 can of green chilis

Both can be found in the Mexican area at the grocery store.

directions

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

In a small food processor empty the can of chipotle peppers and green chillies and blend until smooth. This will make a huge batch of this puree but it freezes amazingly and it is so nice to add to soups or stews, homemade mayo? Trust me you will get a lot of use out of it. So easy and so tasty! Set aside.

Finely chop the onion and garlic. Thinly slice the peppers and cut into small pieces, chop the zucchini into bite sizes pieces and cut the tomatoes into quarters. Drain the can of black beans in a strainer, set aside

In a large oven safe pan on medium heat, add the olive oil, onion and garlic and brown for about 3-4 minutes. Add the peppers and sauté for 5-8 minutes until sweated down but still have some crunch. Add the black beans, fresh tomatoes, strained tomatoes, chipotle puree, maple syrup, oregano and let that simmer together for 10 minutes adding water if needed to thin out.

In two or four small (or save some for the next morning, this recipe will make enough for four people) cocotte’s or you can keep the mixture in the oven safe pan, crack 2- 4 eggs in top. If you are saving half for the following morning don’t crack the eggs on top until you are going to bake it.

Bake for 14-16 minutes, until the whites are cooked and the yolk is runny.

Serve with toasted buttered sourdough (or bread of choice), avocado, lot of cilantro and lime wedges.