Zucchini Cheesy Bread

My Facebook page is riddled with video recipes these days.  They come across as so quick and easy. But much more time consuming then they appear.

Recently though a friend shared this recipe by Delish on Facebook and I was intrigued.  Intrigued and haunted! The Zucchini cheesy bread was in my dreams that night, so the next morning I ran out and stocked up on the ingredients. I had to!

Truth be told - any 'bread' that doesn't use flour or grains grabs my attention. That, and anything that even resembles pizza in any way.

Luckily I was given a food processor recently and it makes all the difference in speeding through the grating/grinding process. Hand grating 3 zucchinis and all that cheese could be quite laborious and time consuming.

The recipe was easy to follow though, and impressively mine came out looking exactly like the video.  And the taste!  The taste was a winner and everyone raved.  I have made it successfully three times now.
Tips to share:

1. Be sure to squeeze all the liquid out of the grated zucchini.  If it's too wet it takes twice as long to bake (how do I know? don't ask!) and it doesn't firm up as well.

2. Definitely serve it with a marinara sauce for dipping.

3. Excellent leftover too!

Enjoy!

You can find more of my art in my Etsy shop Erin Go Paint.
Or check out my daily illustrations on Instagram

Lemon Bars - gluten free dessert

 Earlier this year family we had family in town to see a Community Theater performance that my daughter was in. They came to the house for pre-show dinner, and my niece made lemon bars.

Now my daughter loves all things lemon.... Ices, sherbert, ice cream, cookies, pie, pudding, you name it - if it's a sweet treat and it has lemon, she is all over it.  She was so into the lemon bars I was afraid she would miss her curtain call. But, we jumped in the car in the nick of time, with lemon bar number 3 tucked in a little dish for her intermission snack.

Since everyone was enjoying them as much as her we had precious little leftover. We baked another batch ourselves before the week was out.  I even made it in a pie dish a few months later for PI day at school.  Such a delicious buttery shortbread crust and creamy lemon custard - there was none left over that day!

It's an simple recipe to adapt to Gluten-free, just sub your favorite GF flour. It is especially easy if you have a baking partner - while one zests and juices the lemons, the other is mixing the batter. 

We used The Pioneer Woman's recipe but there are ton of recipes out there (all quite similar) and I highly recommend trying one.  The lemon bars are very much a crowd pleaser!


You can find more of my art in my Etsy shop Erin Go Paint.
Or check out my daily illustrations on Instagram

The Pinks of Spring

Current Obsessions:
   Mood Boards.
   Spring blossoms.
   Smoothies - made with carrots, 
strawberries, celery, mango and orange juice which equals a tasty, healthy gorgeous coral pink drink.
   Baking cheery cupcakes.
   Dreaming of warm sunny spring days - they will arrive, eventually!

They Must!

If you enjoy my art you can find more in my Etsy shop Erin Go Paint.
Or check out my daily illustrations on Instagram

Monday Motivation - Eating from the rainbow

 

Every Monday is an opportunity for a fresh start!  What extra vegetable can you add into your day? 

Try buying something different, something new, or something you haven't had in a long time.

What color will you pick from the rainbow?

"People often say that motivation doesn't last. Well, neither does bathing - that's why we recommend it daily."  Zig Zaglar 

 

If you enjoy my art you can find more in my Etsy shop Erin Go Paint.
Or check out my daily illustrations on Instagram

 

Celery - it's what's for breakfast!

More raw vegetables! - one of my resolutions as we rolled into 2017. Easy to say, and even easier for that decision to slip away in the day to day routine.
I realized even if I made the effort a few days a week it would be an improvement.  Every little bit counts. Every little bit adds up.

At the top of the list was to add more dark leafy greens (the kale crisps are a tasty option), second only to more celery!  
I have been reading so much on the tremendous health benefits of celery so I keep looking for interesting ways to add it in. 

     Reduces inflammation
     Detoxes
     Helps prevent kidney stones
     Aids digestion
     Loaded with vitamins, minerals and fiber

I chop it into tuna, egg or chicken salad, tossed salads, soup, jambalaya, but recently I have been experimenting with my magic bullet for breakfast... blending a stalk or two with a combination of the following that I have on hand: carrots, bananas, frozen strawberries, orange juice, yogurt, etc. 

I like to play and make different combos each time to see what I can create.
My favorite is 
1 stalk of celery
1 carrot
6 frozen strawberries
2 oz of OJ
2 ice cubes.
Refreshing and inspiring!

If you enjoy my art you can find more in my Etsy shop Erin Go Paint.
Or check out my daily illustrations on Instagram

Ode to Pie... National Pie Day!

Monday January 23rd - National Pie day!

illustration from Simply Gluten Free Nov/Dec 2014 Workbook Illustrated

  

Pie is awesome, I would say we can all agree on that, but I know there are others that for some crazy reason prefer cake. 

But I am, and always have been, a pie person.

illustration from Simply Gluten Free Nov/Dec 2014 Workbook Illustrated

To me they are all incredibly delicious...
Pecan
Pumpkin 
Sweet Potato
Chocolate Cream
Cherry
Banana Cream
Coconut cream
Lemon Meringe
Peanut butter
Blueberry
Buttermilk
Apple  

And while we are at it - Shepard's Pie and Pot Pie
Not a bad one in the lot!

Now that I have made myself really hungry... I may need to bake one this evening - what is your favorite pie? and your favorite gluten-free pie topping? 
I am a huge fan of either whipped cream or meringe.

Enjoy!

If you enjoy my art you can find more in my Etsy shop Erin Go Paint.  Or check out my daily illustrations on Instagram

Into the Canyon

"Into the Canyon" acrylic on canvas, 12x12, copyright Erin Rogers Pickering

About 12 years ago when the need to paint became a steady roar inside of me. A roar that I could no longer ignore in pursuit of "more worthwhile" activities and career choices... I saw or rather felt a vision - a series of paintings that I needed to create. Something I needed to bring to life.
Persistently calling me, they were so very distant.  I told my boyfriend (who is now my husband) that I felt as if I was standing on one side of the Grand Canyon, and this soul-searching series of art that was begging to be created, was on the other side of the Canyon. 
Miles and miles away. 
With the most enormously deep and wide space between me and  my soul vision - the place I was supposed to be.
Greatly frustrated, I didn't know how to get there.  

"Yes, you do.  You need to go into the canyon. You need to paint your way through. There's no other way." (there's a reason he is now my husband)

And, so I went in a bit, came back out. Tentatively, in and out a few times.  Skirted and thoroughly explored the edges and trails on this side. The side I knew. For a while I set up camp - watching and keeping and eye on the distant place I would eventually need to travel to.

Now, it is time.
I am going in!
I would say 'Wish me luck', but I don't need it.  I've got my paints, my imagination, and faith. 

wow - reading this today, January 25, 2017, is a real eye-opener! By following my daily art practice, and the commitment to make something every day... now, I am truly in the canyon - and loving every minute of the journey!!

You can follow my daily illustrations on my Instagram page. 

December Special, Printable Gift Tags

The Holidays are a time for sharing, so during the month of December all orders will qualify for a FREE GIFT from me to you.  

When you make a purchase you will have a choice of 1 of the 4 different FREE printable holiday gift tag designs... Pixie Elf, Holly Boot, Snowflake Stilettos OR Christmas Wreaths.
Once a purchase is made I will email you the pdf printable file of your choice... Pixie Elf, Holly Boot, Snowflake Stilettos OR Christmas Wreaths. When you buy through my etsy shop ErinGoPaint you can leave a message to seller with your choice of FREE printable tag page.  








If you make a purchase at Praline Pixies EGP or the GF Illustrator on Zazzle you can contact me on my Facebook at ErinGoPaint, let me know what you bought - and then I can email you your printable gift page.







Happy Holidays to all, 

and to all a good night!

Praline Pixies

After receiving many requests for my princesses, super heroes, and fairy tale characters on t-shirts I have created a place just for that.  

Introducing Praline Pixies... 
"Here you will find my original watercolor illustrations of young african american and multiracial girls as princesses, super heroes, and fairy tale characters. I am inspired by my daughter who at 3 thought all princesses and beautiful girls had yellow hair and peach skin. I started creating so she - and many others - can see that beauty is not confined to one look.

I believe they have a very positive influence on how young girls see themselves. I have been told by so many clients that their daughter thinks the painting is them. So they get to see themselves reflected as the beautiful princess, instead of a constant stream of images that look nothing like them. 

Life is certainly not all about beauty, but if young girls can grow up appreciating who they are and the beauty that they have, it will help them to grow into strong and confident women. "

My art prints are collected by buyers worldwide, hoping that the t-shirts and fun products available will find homes all over the globe.

Sketch of the Day - Cleopatra

I woke up this morning with a clear picture of this in my head.  So happy to see on paper what was swirling in my imagination.   Can't wait to add color- vivid, rich and majestic.


Cleopatra in progress... to be continued.

What to wear to the beach...

Shell Stiletto towel, copyright Erin Rogers Pickering

I know it is still February in New Jersey and the beach is a long way off... but the incredibly bright sunshine today has me dreaming of powder soft sand, turquoise water, and lazily collecting shells.


I put these towels in the kitchen today as I fantasize about summer.