Strawberry Lemon Crumble - Cooked On the Grill

Okay folks, it's quarantine time. Ain't nobody got patience for a long, drawn out intro. So, I'll get straight to what you came for - the recipe for this delicious strawberry lemon crumble!

Ingredients:

Strawberry filling:

6 cups strawberries (I sliced mine into fourths)

1/2 cup sugar

2-3 tbs lemon juice

zest of 1 lemon

2 tbs cornstarch

1/4 tsp cinnamon

1 pinch of nutmeg

1/2 tsp vanilla 

Streusel topping:

1 cup flour

1/2 cup light brown sugar

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp baking powder

1 cup chilled butter, cut into cubes

Directions:

1. Preheat your grill to 375 F / 190 C. You'll be grilling this on an indirect heat.

2. In a large bowl, combine all the ingredients for the filling. (This is the perfect recipe to use for smushed or slightly bruised strawberries. They don't have to be perfect-looking, because they're going to get cooked down.)

3. Using the whisk attachment on your mixer (or whisking by hand), combine all of the dry ingredients for the streusel topping.

4. Cut in the butter.

5. Pour the strawberry mixture into a skillet, then spoon the streusel topping onto it the strawberry yumminess covering as much of it as possible.

6. Quickly place the crumble in the grill. and cook for 35 minutes.

7. Carefully (using a pot holder) remove the crumble from the grill. Allow to sit for 5 minutes, and serve warm with vanilla ice cream.

Yummmmm

Ps: this recipe can easily be baked in a traditional oven, too. <3 
Pss: Keep it covered for 2-3 days on your counter. Also, it heats up deliciously. I'm eating it right now. Like I said, yummm...

The Apartment With The Gorgeous Light

*Edit: unplanned by anyone, COVID-19 has hit the world, and caused us to have to move significantly sooner than we had planned. I am so thankful, in retrospect that I took the time to take these photos and write this post, as it's the only closure I am getting at this time.

We are moving. This is an exciting time, but I'm sad to say goodbye to the place we've called home for the past 2 1/2 years. This apartment has been good to us. The light is just phenomenal, which makes every picture I take just that much better. One whole wall is windows, and even though we are in the city, our view is of a church and cemetery (I love cemeteries!).

Dan and I have very similar taste in style and design, which makes life a lot easier in that regard. We have a few "tricks" that we use to make our style affordable and yet unique. Today, I'm going to share some pictures of our space, and then share them with you.

Okay, now for the tips!

1. Inexpensive furniture - Okay, so most of our furniture is from IKEA. The table and benches are an exception, as well as the "coffee table" between the two mint colored chairs. Especially with kids, there is no reason to shell out a bunch of money on things that are more than likely going to get ruined.

2. Unique details - We get our furniture from IKEA, but then complement it all with more unique pieces. We find these pieces at antique markets, flea markets, boutiques, from local artists, online, on Etsy, Zara Home, Magnolia, etc. This makes it so that our home doesn't look like a page from an IKEA catalogue, that it doesn't look like everyone else's home, or so "sterile".

3. Neutral base palette - by keeping the color scheme in a neutral palette, this means that we can switch out pops of color with the seasons. Add some light-colored or floral throw pillows in the spring, those yellow billy ball flowers in summer, beautiful autumnal oranges and dark greens for Thanksgiving, and sparkly metallics and red and green for Christmas. I really love light teal, which lucky for me is actually in the neutrals, so that's great! Those chairs by the window are some of my favorite!

4. Consistent, running elements - another one of my favorites is lavender. I love the look of it, the color and especially the smell of it. So, I use it in our bathrooms, and in vases in the living room. I also love (specifically the Slovenian) mountains, so I have those sprinkled around the place. Same with driftwood. The reason these are great, is because I can move things around and rearrange them in different ways throughout the apartment. 

9 Children's Books to Read On International Women's Day

It's March 8th - International Women's Day!

I have a "book bucket" in our living room, where I switch out the books, depending on what the season is, what holiday is coming up, or even what our family may be going through (new baby, moving, transitions, etc.)

This month, I rounded up of our books that are about inspirational women - fictional, as well as historical. We had more than I thought we might, which gave me a personal little thrill. :) 

I decided that some of these were so great, that I couldn't keep them to myself.

So I'm sharing them with you!

1. Rosie Revere, Engineer by Andrea Beaty

This delightful children's book is about Rosie, a young girl who gets discouraged about her inventions when someone laughs at them. The adult laughed in a good-natured way, but young Rosie internalizes it, and decides that she can't be an engineer. Until one day she chooses to build her favorite great-aunt (Rosie the riveter) an airplane... will young Rosie succeed?

We need more women in STEM, so I love books like these that encourage young girls to use their brains! This is just one of the great books in a series of them from Andrea Beaty, and I'm excited to add more to our collection along the way!

2. The Perfume of Memory by Michelle Nikly

I found this little-known book at a library sale years ago. It is about a land where girls aren't allowed to create perfume, or go to school, or do the same things boys are allowed. One perfume maker, however has been teaching his young daughter Yasmin the secrets of perfume making. Due to a turn of events, it is now up to Yasmin to save the queen with her forbidden skills. I love that it hints at cultures where, even today, girls and women still aren't afforded the same opportunities as boys or men. I love that Yasmin's father is teaching her anyway, and I love Yasmin's bravery, even though at one point it may mean she can no longer follow her dreams. I feel that representation is important, and love it when the characters portrayed in the illustrations don't necessarily look like us. I think it opens up opportunity for great discussions.

3. Tea With Milk by Allen Say

I've mentioned this book before, but I feel like it bears repetition. :) This book is about a young woman who is caught between two homes and two cultures - Japan and America. It is about how she navigates through the traditional expectations of the Japanese culture, and her desire to have an education and be an independent woman, like she experiences in the US. Children's books that tell stories of people caught between two homes are particularly important for families like ours. Our son has completely taken to his new home - he picked up the language very quickly, he loves his school and buddies... but we will be returning to the States for a long-ish period of time before coming back. Those transitional periods can be hard on kids, and stories like this can help them know that it's okay to feel this way, and maybe even give them the words they need, to better express themselves.

4. Little Bible Heroes by Victoria Kovacs

These sweet Bible stories have just been translated into Slovene, and our church gave each family a box set - so sweet, and generous! I loved how many female characters were included. One of the great features of these books is that they are flip-over, so there is another story waiting for them on the other side. Deborah is a FANTASTIC biblical role model for girls - she was a judge! In charge of armies, and making decisions that shaped the course of her country. Now THAT is a hero!

5. A Is For Abigail by Lynne Cheney

This was one of my books when I was a kid (go figure, lol!). It's an older book, so some more recent amazing women won't be mentioned. But a TON more are! I really like the illustrations, and the way the text is laid out, I'm constantly finding new little bits of information. It's fun to see all different kinds of women represented - scientists, nurses, doctors, politicians, authors, inventors and entertainers. I like that, because it shows that there are so many different routes you can take your life!

6. She Persisted by Chelsea Clinton

I've mentioned this one before too, but I don't even care, I LOVE this book, and its sequel (She Persisted Around The World). The illustrations are wistful and seem full of love. I appreciate the inspiring stories that are brought to life on its pages. It does a great job representing women of different racial backgrounds, and the second book features Malala Yousafzai, one of my personal heroes, so that's an added bonus! You need this book in your personal library.

7. Babylit Books

Honestly, you can't go wrong with any of the BabyLit books, these are just some of our favorites. These books are a great way to introduce babies and toddlers to classic literary characters. I really enjoy how each primer has a theme, like "friendship", "emotions", "numbers", etc. The illustrations are bright, and the text age-appropriate. These books are gems!

8. The True Princess, by Angela Hunt

This is a great twist on a princess story. In the book, a young princess' father, the king, goes off to help a neighboring kingdom. Out of fear for his daughter's safety, he entrusts her to "Nana", who teaches her how to do things for herself - as well as others. Through Nana's guidance, the young princess learns to laugh at herself, become more independent, and develop a strong work ethic. When the king returns and requests the audience of the princess - and 17 girls show up, how will the young princess prove who she really is?


9. American Girls: Molly Takes Flight, by Valerie Tripp

I grew up on these American Girl books, so these make me a little nostalgic. Looking at them now as an adult, they still completely hold up! 
This is one of the stories in the life of Molly, who is growing up during World War II. Her father is in England fighting, and her favorite aunt just joined the Women's Airforce Service Pilots. The second world war was a really important time in women's history, as women started doing many of the jobs normally reserved for men. It was devastating time on so many levels, but also empowered women to reach for higher goals than they ever thought they could've before - and isn't that what we want for our daughters?

These are just some of the amazing books out there to encourage tomorrow's generation of both girls AND boys!

What's your favorite? What book should I be on the lookout for?

Leave your suggestions in the comments below!