Roasted Tomato Crostini with Pesto and Red Pepper Hummus

I'm so excited to share this recipe with you after such a long break. I've had a lot of changes in the last couple of years, including a new job and a brand new baby boy, the light of my life, who will turn 4 months old in just a couple of weeks. I've been busy, very busy, and exhausted, but finally see the dust beginning to settle a little. For the first time in ages, I actually feel inspired to make new recipes and share them. Cooking has always been a big creative outlet for me, and with the demands of being a new mom, I find it gives me a little piece of ME back...a no-makeup, spit-up covered me, but me nonetheless.

This recipe combines some of my most favorite things: bread (I could and often do just live on bread), hummus, and roasted tomatoes. I've been on a roasted veggie kick since right before having the baby. I wanted a way to keep up on eating healthy without spending a ton of time, and have taken to roasting a bunch of different veggies on the weekend and then reheating throughout the week. Roasted tomatoes are one of my favorites and are a great way to add flavor and freshness to pasta, burritos, rice, what-have-you, so when I came across THIS recipe on Recipe Runner via Pinterest I got really excited. I like to make my own hummus, and roasted my tomatoes a little differently, so here's my take on it.

Split Pea Soup with Toasted Olive Oil and Garlic Bread

Hello, my friends! It’s been too long since I’ve posted a new recipe. The last few weeks have been a tad stressful, and that usually means me begging my husband to cook dinner while I curl up in a ball on the couch. Alas, I got tired of eating rice and steamed vegetables (just one expertise of many that my wonderfully supportive husband possesses) and decided to shake my funk and get back to one of the things I love – cooking!

I almost hesitated to put another soup recipe up, but just couldn’t resist. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, I really love soup! I’ve wanted to make the split pea variety for a while now, and when my mom called to tell me about a pea soup recipe she made recently, I got jealous…er, I mean inspired…so here we are.