Llano Seco Unit (Wildlife Refuge)

Have you ever visited the Llano Seco Unit? It is a scenic place to take a leisurely walk, with or without small humans. The toddler had a great time running up and down the wooden ramp/platform area. There are plenty of birds to watch and listen to and its a pretty sweet place to watch the sun sink slowly into the horizon.

apricot breakfast crisp

every morning this week i woke up to bright sunshine, a squeaking toddler and a counter filled with apricots. as i fuddled around making the morning coffee (pour cold water into the electric kettle, measure and grind coffee beans, wait for water to boil, pour water over ground coffee in french press, wait 4 minutes) i would spend those minutes thinking about what the day's apricot adventure would look like.

dehydrator, maiden voyage

i am embarking on my food dehydrator's maiden voyage today and am looking for any tips or tricks that you have picked up from your food drying adventures.

onion ring debate

look at that little lovely up there. all hot and crunchy and craggy and fried to golden-brown perfection.

a perfect onion ring is a thing of simple and delicious beauty.

sweet, sweet sugar rush

when you waltz into donut rising, the first thing you notice is the bright, cheery and fun interior. well, after you notice the intoxicating aroma of maple icing, bacon and fresh cake donuts.

 

chinese long beans with ground pork

the long beans were looking so lovely at farmers market this morning, and as soon as i saw them i remembered a sunset magazine recipe, showcasing those fresh beans, that i had bookmarked a few weeks ago. i love it when the local produce at the market makes deciding what to make for dinner so easy!

summer spaghetti with a kick

summer means swimsuits (ugh), sandals, cute sleeveless dresses, brightly painted toenails, icy cold cocktails on the patio and meals packed with vegetables in every color of the rainbow.

gluten free apricot-raspberry crumble with honey + vanilla bean mascarpone

i made this as a gluten-free dessert for book club and then i realized there is a hot debate about whether oats are truly gluten free, due to risk of contamination from neighboring wheat fields or machines that process oats and wheat, amid other reasons. you can purchase gf oats but mine weren't so i will call this delightful dessert gluten free with the fine print that in order to make it truly gf you must purchase specially labeled gf oats.

phew! now that that is out of the way...

the neighborhood farm- 3 graces farming

3 graces farming is the farm that i have been volunteering at the past few weeks. it's a 4 minute bike ride from our house, the three women that run it are welcoming and lovely (inside and out) and the produce that comes from that soil is delicious.

i'm looking for apricot inspiration!

for the past two summers, our crooked apricot tree has quietly sat dormant in the corner of our backyard, offering us no fruit. however, the first year we lived in this house it produced so many little orangey jewels that even though we had several friends come harvest and we picked apricots every day, there were still pounds and pounds of apricots that rotted on the tree and ground. we just couldn't keep up!

seriously badass beets

i know a lovely, wild, beautiful woman from my college days when i was the nanny for her 3 gorgeous children and i was an assistant at her preschool. i just recently (finally, thankfully) got back in touch with her. she, and 2 friends of hers, have been plowing, planting, weeding and harvesting up a storm on their new farm, 3 graces farming, which is a 5 minute bike ride from our house. i will talk more (lots more) about the farm another day, right now i really just really need to talk about this salad.

my favorite summer berry

if you have been following my facebook page, you know that i am more than slightly obsessed with strawberries right now. they are, for certain, my most favorite summer berry. don't get me wrong! i adore blueberries, raspberries and blackberries, but the sweet strawberry truly owns my heart (and belly).

balsamic strawberry + orange sauce

i am a strawberry-obsessed woman. 

i will shout it loud and proud from the rooftops. well, i would if i had a roof to climb up onto. and if it wasn't so damn hot out there. plus, i'm not too fond of ladders. since it is brutally scorching outside, i guess i will just stay inside my cool, air-conditioned house and consume mass quantities of this sauce. 

on ice cream.

in a milkshake.

on ricotta or plain yogurt.

on a toasty little slice of bread with some tangy, creamy goat cheese.

on a spoon or finger.

got any cardboard?

greek chickpea salad with local feta

summertime means making as many meals as you can that require the smallest amount of effort possible. super bonus points if you don't even need to switch on the oven to get a healthy and delicious meal on the table!

all american beef chili

this recipe makes a tasty truckload o'chili, so you may want to do as i did and halve the recipe. if you want to make the full recipe, you can just feed a crowd or freeze a bunch of it.

leon bistro, a tasty sunday brunch

the mister and i don't go out to breakfast that often, maybe once a month or every other month, but when we do it is usually to cafe coda or (occasionally) morning thunder cafe when we want some diner food. we used to frequent leon bistro for breakfast and dinner, but then they stopped offering breakfast (that was a sad, sad day for us). they just recently re-opened on sunday mornings, offering brunch from 10-3, and that was a happy, happy day for us. 

dreaming of apricots

this faux spring weather and the bees buzzing in the orchards have brought our apricot tree fully into bloom. we haven't had fruit on this tree in two years and i'm keeping my fingers and toes crossed that this year it will produce again.

gobble, gobble

this year, my husband and i did a quiet thanksgiving at home, just the two of us. it was a peaceful, mellow day full of love, a couple bottles of fruity pinot noir and delicious food.

it was exactly what we needed.

this and that

whew! where did last week go? i feel as though i made the mistake of blinking and it went from being last tuesday to it being today.

i have been busy, busy making things-a lampshade with embroidered and handmade flowers from fabric and felt, cake stands from sweet vintage plates and cups, felt and fabric ornaments and felt garlands for a local shop, cocoon. cocoon carries vintage, gently used and upcycled clothing and goods that summer picks and chooses herself. it also carries local art of all kinds- paintings, jewelry, clothing and soaps, to name just a few.

i am happy to share that summer, the shop owner, has been kind enough to like my handmade goods and wants to sell them at her store! you will soon find my items at cocoon and you can find the shop at 1431 park avenue, across from nobby's.

if you check out cocoon's facebook page, you will see that i have also been dabbling in some photography for the shop. my photography skills are definitely a work in progress, but i'm hoping that between shooting for cocoon, this blog, and just for the love of it, that my skills will slowly improve and just keep getting better.

the mister is great at gently reminding me that the only way to get better is to practice, practice, practice.

breakfast sausage with fresh thyme + sage

oh, lucinda scala quinn. you do things so right.

so right.

another (yes another) recipe from my new favorite cookbook- mad hungry by lucinda scala quinn.

she has a way of laying the recipes out so simply, without any complicated directions or ingredients. they are straight-forward, easy, delicious recipes that are good to have in your repertoire.