Creamy Avocado Pesto Pasta with Chicken {Recipe}

This is a yummy recipe me and my man created, and perfected after a few different tries. Looks kind of fancy but doesn't take much time or effort. Perfect for summer time and I'm thinking using small pasta like rotini and mixing in the tomato and chopped chicken would make a nice cold pasta to take to a potluck or BBQ for the summer.

Creamy Avocado Pesto Pasta with Chicken

Juice from 1 1/2 lemons

1/2 cup pine nuts

4 garlic cloves

10 tbsp olive oil (separated)

1 cup basil leaves

3 avocados

3/4 tsp salt

3/4 tsp pepper

16 oz fettuccine  (or pasta of your choice)

1 large tomato chopped

cooked chicken

Cook your pasta as directed.

Meanwhile in a food processor, mix together the garlic cloves, 1/2 cup pine nuts, 5 tablespoons of the olive oil. Once blended add in the basil and blend again. Next add in the avocados, 1 at a time, blending in between and adding the other 5 tablespoons of olive oil while mixing. Lastly season with salt and pepper.

Drain pasta and rinse with cold water. Once pasta is drip dried, toss with sauce and refrigerate for about 20 mins to help flavors mingle and to chill the pasta a little.

Slice the cooked chicken (or buy it pre sliced and pre cooked like I did for a quick dinner) and chop your tomato. Plate your pasta and top with the chicken and tomatoes. Garnish with fresh pepper and lemon zest if desired.

This makes enough for 4-6 people depending on how hungry you are.

Scavenger Hunt Sunday (16)

This Scavenger Hunt Sunday the prompts were sent in by me! How fun to be part of this project! I'm excited to check out everyones interpretations for these!

1. Beneath Your Feet:

I decided to go with this broken glass littering a nature trail from a few days ago. You can see my reflection in it! (When I'm out exploring nature, nothing makes me angrier than finding trash some inconsiderate people left behind.)

2. Capturing Movement:

Trying to capture Ariana while swinging and leaving the background blurred. This was hard. She moved a lot! I did get the chain in focus and the background blurred, so it was a minor accomplishment.

3. Texture:

Some colorful textured rocks found while exploring  castle ruins.

4. Face Your Fears:

One word. Spiders!

5. Currently:

Currently, chasing butterflies! My most recent butterfly photo is of this Large Tortoiseshell Butterfly.

I'm linking up with Ashley

Happy Birthday Hubby!

Dear Muffin,

Today is your 28th birthday. I know you pretend not to like that I make a big deal about birthdays but secretly I think you enjoy it. (I know I rocked last years with the Amazing Race Style Hunt around Florence Italy) This year I only have one surprise present for you since your big presents (paintball gun, accessories and a vacation) were chosen by you in advance. I know I usually fret and say things like "I hope you like your present", but this year I know you will! It's something you've been asking for, for a while now. I have an awesome dinner planned for you (3 things from my pinterest food board, and 1 family favorite). It's going to be good. Your cake will be awesome too! A 3 layer, 3 different frosting Boss Cake! Then, in a few days we'll be celebrating again in Cyprus! Happy Birthday Babe! You make me the luckiest girl in the whole world! I hope you have a wonderful 29th year of life!

All my love,
Cupcake

xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo

The Story of how I became Obsessed with a Falcon

Between our village and the village next to ours, there lives a bird. A big bird. A big brownish bird who I get a glimpse of every now and then driving back and forth to and from our house. I see him perched in the trees by the cow fields or sometimes circling above it. I always think to myself, "Wow, I want to take your picture." I started calling him "the hawk" and I'm pretty sure my husband didn't believe me. I would always see him when I was alone. He was sneaky.

I started taking my camera in the car with me all the time in case I saw him. Then one day I did! I was driving along and suddenly around the bend there he was sitting on a fence post across the road from me. Literally 15 feet away. He flew away before I could stop and get his photo, but I knew it would be my goal. I would snap a shot of him, whatever he was before the summer was over. I became obsessed with finding him.

Finally, it happened. It was about midday and Ariana and I were coming home for lunch, when there he was. He was sitting in the field on a long stretch of road and nobody was coming either way. I quickly pulled over and whipped my camera into action. As soon as he saw what I was planning, he took to the air, but I was able to get a pretty awesome shot of him in all his glory.

I've looked him up and decided I think he's a Peregrine Falcon. And he is beautiful!

My new goal for the summer is to get more/better shots of him! And also to get some pretty photographs of the deer I sometimes see, but I'm pretty sure that's going to be MUCH harder.

Homemade Ravioli

One of my May Goals was to make homemade pasta. A few days after making that goal on my blog, I jumped right into it and made these yummy raviolis from scratch. (Sorry for the bad lighting)

I found this recipe on pinterest and decided that I didn't care that pumpkin was a fall food, this was the recipe I wanted to try.

I discovered that making the pasta dough itself was surprising simple! I loved doning my apron, covering the kitchen table in flour and kneading away. I felt like a true 50's housewife right then, being all domestic and stuff. The husband thought my determination was cute.

As easy as the pasta dough was to make, actually stuffing the ravioli, boiling them, and then sautéing them to much longer than I expected.

In the end they turned out good and were a yummy dinner for the 2 of us (Ariana was fed and put to bed before I got it all finished) My results weren't as pretty as the ones in the picture. But, really when is it ever!? And they were a little drier than I expected but none the less, delicious. 

Now I want a pasta wheel to make it easier! For these I used a round biscuit cutter and folded them over to make the half moons. It took a lot of time and I kept overfilling them and squishing 1/2 of the filling out when closing them. I think the pasta wheel would be faster.

It was really fun though! I think everyone should make their own pasta at least once!

Celebrations

Life has been busy lately. We've had a few things to celebrate around here too.

Of course there was Mother's Day. The hubs had to work all weekend but that was okay, I got to spend the whole day loving on my little girl. We had a picnic and shared a milkshake and read books outside, went shopping and gave ourselves pedicures. Then we baked a chocolate chocolate cake just because we wanted to! After he got off work the hubs surprised me with flowers, cards and photoshop (I've never had it!). And of course I have to mention my mother's day wine from the year 2008 (Ariana's birth year!) So sweet! Ariana drew me the sweetest card!

Rich was recently awarded the wing ISR tech of the quarter. He's pretty awesome like that! We took him out for a steak dinner to celebrate.

And this past weekend Ariana cartwheeled through candyland at her gymnastics exhibition! She did SUCH a great job. I was tearing up watching her do her balance beam with a huge smile on her face! I was one proud Momma! She did floor routines with tumbles and jumps, balance beam (forward, backwards, sideways, with kicks and all) and uneven bars with flips and toe touches! She rocked it and her teacher told us afterwards how well she does and how quickly she picks it up. She's a scout in Germany for talent in 4-5 year olds and told us to keep Ariana in gymnastics because she can really go far! My heart was so full of pride and joy!

A glowing job well done like that got her a new gymnastics leotard for the summer and an Ariel Barbie!

We've been keeping really busy lately and I haven't had the time to post about what we've been up to. 

But, life is good!

Yellow Field of Dreams

Recently I posted about my photography fears.  If you are a photographer, you should take a second and go read it, you probably have similar fears.

I talked specifically about a yellow field of flowers by my house.  It took me some timing but everything finally clicked into place and I got some shots in the field. That's what I'm sharing with you today. I faced my fears and came out on top! It's an awesome feeling!

You have already seen these photos if you're on my Facebook fan page, so feel free to skip this post.

Also I've started a gallery/shop to sell some of my photography. It's still a work in progress, I'm adding new photos each day, but it's a huge step I've been wanting to take.

Go check it out, maybe there will be something you want for your home or office. You can get art prints, framed prints, canvas prints, acrylic prints and cards!

Shop Catherine Murton Photography

Catherine Murton Photography Facebook Fan Page

Holland (part 3) Windmills and Wooden Shoes

After our morning in the Keukenhof Gardens, we made our way over to the town of Zaanse Schans which has a lovely collection of historic windmills and houses and shops.

The weather cleared up and we got to enjoy beautiful blue skies and sunshine.

We really enjoyed our time in the wooden shoe shop. We got to watch and learn as they showed us how they carved the wooden shoes by hand and then by machine. There were rows and rows of wooden shoes  of all different sizes and designs.

There was also a cheese shop, sweet shop, restaurants, and other knick knacks to buy.

The next day on our way home to Germany, we made a short stop at Floriade. It's a large outdoor garden and earth preservation show. There we saw different inventive ways to use energy and lots of flowers. There were also some street performers, fresh fruits and veggies to sample and an African music show.

Then we headed back on the road again back to Germany for the night. We got a magnificent view of the most vivid rainbow we had ever seen!

Part 1 - North Sea

Part 2 - Keukenhof Flower Garden