Hey there lovely peoples. So nice of you to stop by. Hope all is well and dandy with you. Well and dandy.

Holy crap am I one tired lady. Mentally and physically but mostly mentally because it has been one of those weeks. It all started off with the mr and I both feeling like absolute crap. Sinus infections and some other fun stuff. Heads and brains super dysfunctional (although we can%u2019t blame being sick for all the dysfunction). I blame the ick on the weather and it not being spring yet. But let%u2019s not talk to much about the weather. It%u2019s a touchy subject for me right now and I just can%u2019t. Anyway, the week started slow. We got a few things done that needed doing then got ready to take off for PA to visit with my dad and go to my grandmothers funeral.

Took off mid week, the mr driving the 6ish hours down and over. A super sunny and bright day it was . One might think that sounds kind of nice but I hated it. Brightness while in a car without sunglasses makes for brain pain, at least in my case. So I had my head under a blanket for a few hours. Got to PA alright but as soon as we pulled into my dads driveway the wave of pain knocked me to my knees and I got a full fledge migraine. I haven%u2019t had one of those fun episodes in years and I can safely say that I hope to NEVER get one again. But after a night of zero restless sleep, I got up and rallied and went about the next day as half a human baking machine. Made the breakfast pancakes, some lunch, a birthday cake, cookies, my dinner, and cinnamon buns for the next morning. %u201cDon%u2019t worry%u201d my dad said. .%u201d We can go to the store and get as much flour and sugar as you will need!%u201d And so we did because I used a lot of flour.

The next morning was the funeral. Early to wake, walked the dogs, fed people buns and headed to the Catholic Church. The one my dad and his siblings went to for their entire childhood. OH boy oh boy, what a hoot. Their mother finally got them to go back one last time. HAHA. And as for me, I can say that was the first time I have ever been in a Catholic Church (for church reasons) and seen a catholic funeral. Very interesting to say the least. And I do go to hand it to the priest. He was pretty cool. Hip, sweet, not a typical catholic church man, and he kept calling my grandmother Ava instead of Eva. That got some laughs. My grandmother would have loved it.

The funeral ended and we all went to a restaurant and did the food thing with the family love fest. It was very bittersweet. Sad because of the loss but we were celebrating a freaking amazing lady and her amazing long life. Oh Grammy. She was the greatest, coolest, funniest little lady ever and I will miss her deeply. So yeah. Then after all the food we topped it off with the birthday cake I made for Teena cause it was her birthday too. My family, we packed it all in because that is how we do it.

After hugs, pictures, Shannon falling asleep in a booth, we headed back to the car and away we went, a long drive home with lots of shitty weather and bad roads. But we made it. And I even unpacked the car and managed to shower off before passing out. And a pass out was exactly what I needed and still kind of do. I told myself I would let myself sleep in a bit, but 430 came and look at me, awake.

So it%u2019s today and I must do some stuff. I%u2019m going to go to the gym for the morning, Run run run until I cannot possibly run anymore. Then I will come home and eat eat eat until I can not possible eat any more. After that it is a bunch of chores that need to be done and I need to go see the littles because I miss them. And I know I will need a nap at some point because I am feeling the even all the coffee in the world will not be enough to keep my brain afloat for a full day. Or maybe I%u2019ll just go to bed at a unreasonabley early hour. (5ish sounds good to me. Ha. But really) Yup yup, looking forward to that.

Until then.

Internet link from the online.

–Greener Childhood Associated With Happier Adulthood. NO SHIT for reals.

-My Library even lends out baking pans and garden tools! 8 Unexpected Perks of a Library Card. And I don%u2019t think the article mentions, but library cards are cool people card to. HA

–Thank a cloud today. Five reasons you shouldn’t take cloud cover for granted. OH how I love me a nice cloudy day.

-Nothing like FRESH HORSERADISH ROOT. Might be picking up a piece today to knock out my sinus crud.

–Do anxious owners make for anxious dogs? Yes. There is no question in my mind what so ever.

-I listen to a story about this article on NPR. It%u2019s really crazy how people, especially in our culture, are living to work,n to working olive. Workism Is Making Americans Miserable

–A scientist on the myth of ugly produce and food waste. Interesting, very interesting.

-I don%u2019t need a baby nursery but if I did (or ever do) I want it to look just like this. MARIGOLD%u2019S NURSERY TOUR

-What. I thought they were real. Balloon Birds by Terry Cook Mimic Their Real-Life Counterparts

–Vanuatu Has One Of The World%u2019s Strictest Plastic Bans. It%u2019s About To Get Tougher. We all (the entire world) should be getting tougher.

And some pictures from the week.

What can I say, Ireland was everything and more that I thought it was. The landscape is amazing, the people are so kind and friendly, stone walls a plenty, a pub or 5 on every corner, and the driving.. Oh man, that shit was cra cra!

It all started from Boston, after a four hour drive in the snow, we made it to the airport to sit around for a few hours before boarding my first plane ride ever. The excitement and fear were real, sending me into a walking fit where I went from bathroom to bathroom to pee (I pee when I am nervous… TMI?) But then we boarded and squeezed into out sets and the plane took off. And let me tell you, after taking 6 flights over the course of 2 weeks, that very first flight was a nightmare. The entire flight was constant turbulence and I had gotten a touch of vertigo. I though I was going to barf and was pretty sure the plane was going to crash. But I didn’t and it didn’t and that was that.

So three plane rides and one 8 hour layover later, we landed safely at the Dublin airport. It was late, to late to get our car, so we ended up sleeping (but not really) in the food court where the seats we plush and there was free wifi. At the very first second we could we rushed to the car rental place and got out sweet little ride, with the steering wheel all wrong. It was fantastic. The mr was the driver, for reasons of many, mostly I am a chicken shit and was to scared so I never did any of the wrong side driving, which was great cause the mr, he was a pro, like he had been driving on that side all his life.

And off we went, over the hills, into the countryside, around and around all the roundabouts. Hoping around every few days from bnbs (we did airbnb all the way and it was awesome) and just kept on going, going and going. We saw so much. Little towns, ocean for miles, the cliffs, the beaches, the green. Huge stone ruins all over the place. Castles, churches, sheep and cows. Everything was so lovely, so green even in the winter, and just so dang pretty.%u00a0 The weather was fine, never to cold, always a little drizzly (which I kind of liked) but the wind.. The wind was ferocious and nearly blew me away on many occasions. And again, the people.. We talked to so many folks and every one of them were so kind and helpful, it really made the place feel homey. Oh, and the produce. I ate my weight in fresh cabbage ans carrots, all grown in the country! But the one not so great thing that I must mention is the coffee. We had a heard time finding a decent cup anywhere. It was all about the tea. Tea and scones everywhere. I was coffee depleted by the end of the first day.

I could keep telling you every little detail, but I won’t,%u00a0 Ill just leave you with lots of pictures (I have so so so many pictures) and let you imagine yourself there.

And now I can’t wait to go back, but next time we want to bring our camping stuff and maybe rent some bikes Travel around like cool kids. (I would be ok with not driving over there anymore)

Have a great day and maybe go plan a trip to Ireland.

Bye

-C

Another week gone by so fast and now it’s the first week of June. Wow, I don’t even know how hat happened. I need to up my summer game and get some summer stuff done!

It’s been a super busy week, what with a bunch of our old tenants moving out and new ones moving in. Apartment turn over is always such a bear especially June ones. There is always a bunch of things that need fixing or painting and it all needs to be done within a matter of a few days, if not a few hours.%u00a0 Then there is the overwhelming amount of garbage people seem to accumulate and then dump when they move. Needless to say, we (the mr even more) have been super duper busy. But its coming to an end and so far so good, our new tenants all seem great and things are starting to calm down so we can get back to the serious of finishing our house. And guess what,we have officially move the location of the downstairs toilet to it’s new bathroom home at the new house. Yay for toilet!

Today I am planning on spending a little time over at the house, transplanting kale to the little 4×4 raised bed that I have permitted myself for the year (I want to spend all my time outside, but it’s the inside that needs to be done first). Then probably going to harvest a shit ton more rhubarb before it starts to rain, come home and make a pie and jam and then sit on my butt and read for the rest of the day. I am so looking forward to an afternoon of reading, drinking coffee and maybe even taking nap.(I am already ready for a nap). I am definitely in need of a little rest today.%u00a0

Things from the world wide web that caught my attention.

-Your Dog Has an IQ..Huh, I wonder what Washers would be (no genius, that’s for sure)

-I have been toying with the idea of adding some black to the kitchen.

-Really into the look of these tattoos

-All the pretty house plants and the many reasons to have them

-Check out this, totally not needed, but totally awesome 16 person tent

-I love all of these wallpapers.

-The Lasting Benefits of Growing Up Around Books..So many benefits.

-An answer to a question I didn’t know I wanted to know until now. WHY THE HELL DID WOMEN START POPPING OUT OF CAKES, ANYWAY?

-A little info about your store bought tomatoes and why they taste just mah. The Search For Tastier Supermarket Tomatoes

-You could get paid to poop%u2026for science. Sounds gross, but is really cool.

A few pictures fro the week.

Happy May Day!!!%u00a0 Now that it’s May, it can’t snow any more! (right?)

Did you get some of that early week snow storm? Yeah, it was freaking fantastic. I left the house early on my bike with a few little n=snow flakes hitting my face, thinking it would clear up soon, only to have to walk my bike home by lunch time because it turned into a snow storm (I might be over extravagating, we got like 2 inches at most) but still!.) But now it’s lovely out, the trees are budding, the flowers are blooming and I have got my normal itchy as hell allergy eyes and sandals on my feet. No more winter jacket, i just can’t.

Lets see, what else. Oh, the mr installed all the windows at the house which has turned our little bungalow shell into an actual living space. Crazy what a few pieces of glass has done.. It’s no longer a outside/inside situation and the birds can’t get in anymore.%u00a0%u00a0 Things are moving along quite well and I am actually starting to see myself living there. Woo HOO! All I do now is daydream about hanging out in the kitchen or what colors I am going to paint the trim (medium dark grey with pops of colorful window trim?) and which room I am going to sit in a read every morning( I think I am going to have to move from room to room, too many choices) I guess I am on a good high from the windows so am ready to just blast through and get the rest of the house done.

As for today, I think I am going to try and put in some outdoor time. I will plug in my ears with some good tunes, grab me a ho.. and a rake and fluff up all the pretty things popping out of the ground! I am really excited, I haven’t spend any real time in the dirt yet this year so I hoping to get really really dirty.

Some stuff the internet had this week.

– I really want one of these Froob shirts…but which one?

-Some scientist is saying that hugging your dog can increase their stress level. I can see that, but I swear that my pup wants to be hugged (or man handled)

-I think I want to go to all of these Fairy Tale Villages, and you can actually visit all of them.

-INSPIRING STUDIO SPACES.

-Do you know the difference between cold brewed and iced coffee? And which one is better? Cold Brew Versus Iced Coffee:Which Is Actually Better? (I like them both!)

-Drug sniffing dogs, bomb sniffing dogs… Its about time for bee sniffing dogs. Keeping Bees Safe: It’s A Ruff Job, But This Doggy Detective Gets It Done

-Hell Yeah!!! 1 Minute of All-Out Exercise May Have Benefits of 45 Minutes of Moderate Exertion

-Get your mail and you lawn mowed..smart move Finland. Finland’s postal workers to mow lawns

-Hahahaha.. For all the crazy cat ladies (and gentleman) These Linguists Want to Help You Speak Fluent Cat but this new collar will give your cat an ACTUAL voice… Oh boy oh boy!

–EVERYTHING THAT HAPPENS TO YOUR BODY ON HOT SAUCE

And a few pictures that I managed to take this week.

Earlier this week, the mr and I took a little Vermont drive. We grabbed some coffee,%u00a0went to the country side, down some dirt roads, and struck apple gold. This road was lined with apple trees.(no, it was not an orchard) Trees all over the place, of all sorts of different variety apples, just falling from the trees. It was crazy. So We stopped, tasted, and picked picked picked. We filled up the trunk of the car.

This is after a few days earlier we picked about 2 bushels of heirloom apples that are growing all around our garden.So yeah, we might have a few apples laying around the house

But we picked with purpose.%u00a0The mr is in processes of making , from scratch, his own hard apple cider. He has 2 of these humngo 5 gallon glass carboys (is that what they are called) or glass jugs %u00a0that he was attempting to fill with cider. No problem right? We have an abundance of apples. Well that’s all well and good, but guess what? We don’t have a press. The mr didn’t seem to see this as a problem. He will just borrow a juicer%u2026HAHAHAH. that worked, for about 2 cups of juice, then the motor blew out. So I let him use my blender. He spent 4 house deseeding and blending apples to a pulp and squeezing the juice through a piece of cotton. It was ridiculous and amazing and he actually got about 3 gallons of juice through the process, which is now fermenting in the basement, but he did not get anywhere near the ten gallons that he was looking for. So next project%u2026 build an cider press.(seriously)

But we still gots about half of the shit ton of apples that we picked. Luckily,most of them are good keepers so I can store them for a while (until I eat them all) but some of them are starting to smell so super apple-y that I can tell that they need to be used %u00a0asap. And thats fine by me cause that just mean applesauce!%u00a0

Applesauce!!! It is a must,%u00a0an apple season stable. Sure you can make all sorts of pies, tarts cakes, salads,%u00a0pretty much apple anything, but applesauce is apple at it’s most delicious %u00a0purest state( besides fresh).%u00a0Plus applesauce can be used to make all of those %u00a0apple cakes, breads, salads and such. IT’s also %u00a0what you do when you have any apples that need to be eaten, might taste a little on the meh side,are too sour,%u00a0might look a little to funky to eat, or just because applesauce rocks and you want some.%u00a0

So yeah, applesauce is awesome-sauce and you need to make some May you apples be store bought, orchard pick, or wild foraged.%u00a0Any apples will do!

Applesauce time!

The stuff. Apples, apple and apple.%u00a0

Cut up the apples, removing the seeds and stems. (peel if you really must)

Toss all those apples into a pot and add in a few couple of water. Place lid on the pot, stick one medium heat, and let it cook.

Until it looks like this. %u00a0Applesauce.. a little on the chunk side(the way I like it) but if you want it smooth, just use a masher or a blender to smooth it as much as you like. This applesauce is all about you my friend.

Spoon into jars%u2026 and into you mouth.

Add some stuff (cinnamon, peanut butter, fresh raspberries…)%u00a0add to stuff, (yogurt, muffin batter, salad dressing%u2026)%u00a0or eat straight up.%u00a0The possibilities are endless!

Happy Wednseday and Happy First day of Fall!!!

-C

Makes about 2 pints%u00a0

• 5-6 pounds apples (use any variety or varieties that you like)
• 2 1/1- 3 1/2 %u00a0cups water

Note. I am not an apple peeler kind of lady. I get that some of you are, so by all means, peel your apples if you want.%u00a0

Chop apple into chunks, removing the seeds and the stem and toss into a heavy bottom pot. Pour in aout 2 cups water and stick on on a medium high heat and top the pot with %u00a0lid. After about 5 minutes, give the apple a good stir and turn heat to medium low. Let simmer for about 20-30 minutes, stirring every now and then,%u00a0adding more water if needed, until the apple are completely soften and falling apart. %u00a0Turn burner of and %u00a0either with a masher of some kind, or even a wood spoon, smash apart any large chunks of apples. If you like a smooth sauce, add it to a blender and puree until you are happy with the consistency. Want it thinner, add a little more water. Thicker, cook a little longer.

Note that once it’s refrigerated, it will become thicker too. Store in jars for up to a week (if it lasted that long)

Eat as is, or add %u00a0anything that you heart desires to it. Cold is great, warm is amazing. Can be used in just about any baked good or savory recipes that you can think up!

Yesterday was kind of a shit show as far as the weather was concerned.%u00a0 I woke up early to a lovely light blanket of snow, the temperature hovering around 32 degrees. The air was nice and crisp, the sky was a light grayish blue. The neighborhood was quite. I walked the pup and then took off for the morning. It was so nice.

How that changed fast. Walking home a few hours later I was a hot , drenched, cold and damp mess. All that snow turned into slush and gigantic puddles and it was raining a good steady soaking rain. And I had to walk my butt home. So that was great.

But you know what these weather make me think of… Spring!!!! Yes, warmer, slushy, mushy weather. Mud all over the house and a wet smelly dog All the things that should not be happening right now but are. And now I have the springtime feels hard.

With things all springy, I was thinking of spring veggies and just wanting something bright and pretty and tasty. Peas! Peas are a good spring veggie, and where there is peas, there carrots. (or should be)%u00a0 But not plain, run of the mill peas and carrots. First off I got the prettiest colorful purple, white, and orange carrots because I needed some color. Right there that made me super happy, Then instead of just steaming them with some peas, I did roast those carrots to bring out all the sweet juicy flavors. Then those pea. Not really in season yet, so I went with frozen (I love frozen peas)%u00a0 and made the brightest, most amazing creamy pea sauce infused with garlic lemon, and dill. (all spring time flavors)

The results… I love roasted carrots so no surprise there but the creamy peas…KA-POW amazing!!!! My mouth has never been so happy to eat peas. and it really loves peas. Fresh, clean, tangy…I made, I ate, I though about them all night. And of spring and all the peas and carrots I am going to plant…and eat.

The stuff. The prettiest bright and colorful carrots and some green as can be frozen peas. Dill, garlic, and lemon to add to the peas and some olive oil, salt and pepper to roast up the carrots.

Chop up the carrots and tossed with salt and pepper and a drizzle of oil. And onto a baking sheet and into the oven to roast.

Dump those peas into a pot with water, garlic, and the dill. Stick the pot on the stove ans bring to a boil for a few minutes then remove from the heat.

You see that? It’s amazing . Its gets blended until smooth and seasoned with salt, pepper, and the juice if half a lemon.%u00a0 Give it a taste but don’t eat it all. (I almost ate it all) and pour into a nice little cup or jar and wait for the carrots.

Oh roasted lovely colored carrots.. So good all on your own.

But slathered with this pea sauce…. Always and forever. I am in love.. could eat all day every day.

I wish my stomach was big enough to eat all the peas and carrots….. All!

Lots of spring thoughts… It’s going to be official soon.

Have a great day. Stay dry!

-C

serves 2-3

• 1 lb carrots (I used a variety of colored carrots but plain old orange carrots are always fantastic too!)
• 2 cups frozen peas
• 3/4 cup water
• 1-2 cloves garlic
• 2 tablespoon dill
• 1/2 a lemon
• olive oil
• salt and pepper

preheat oven to 450

Cut carrots into quarter and in half (can cut in any size and shape you want)%u00a0 Place the carrots on a baking sheet and drizzle with a wee bit of olive oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and toss it all around. Stick the carrots into the oven to roast.

Now grab those peas and stick them into a pot with the water, the dill, and the garlic. Stick on the stove and bring to a boil. Let boil for 2-3 minutes, then remove from heat. Either with a hand held blender or a regular blender…. blend until smooth. Add in the juice of half a lemon, season with salt and pepper, and then try not to eat it all before the carrots are roasted.

Once carrots are tender and browned and yummy looking (about 30 minutes) remove from oven and slather on the pea sauce.

Eat right away….. Make more tomorrow.

Any time is a good time for pickles, but now is a great time. There has been so much baking, heavy, rich, and time consuming foods in the past month that I think everyone could use themselves a good helping of veggies and maybe a little brightness, like a good pickled green bean. Freshy, crisp, and clean. A jar of happy green goodness. (Don%u2019t you describe jars of pickles just like that, a happy green jar of goodness?)

Around there parts, it%u2019s kind of a holiday tradition with the mr to get a jar or two of pickled beans. I don%u2019t know exactly how it started, but they are something that he has been getting every year. So this year instead of buying him a jar, I just made them. And let me tell you, it is a heck of a lot cheaper to make your own then it is to buy them, plus I think mine taste better if I do say so myself. These pickles are of the refrigerator kind so there is no processing or stress of bad seals. Nope, these pickles take all of 15 minutes to make, a day to pickle up nice and good in the fridge, and that is that. Ready to go, ready to eat. A small task, nothing fancy, nothing a small child could not handle (um.. well I would not let a small child near boiling water so nix that but a medium to large child, yeah sure.)

Pickled green beans. You know you want them so go and make them.

To the pickled beans!

The stuff. Fresh green beans, white vinegar, salt, peppercorns, garlic, dill and a dried cayenne pepper. The dill and cayenne pepper are optional and you can use any spices you want, but these are good ones to try.%u2026 Next batch I am going to do fresh turmeric and ginger, see how that comes out.

The hardest and not hard at all part. Blanch the beans. Basically just toss the beans into a boiling pot of water for 2ish minutes then scoop them out into a bowl of ice water. Easy peasy.

Jar preparation. I figured I would do two flavors, a spicy cayenne and a dill. (Cayenne for me, dill for the mr) Both jars get a chunked up glove of garlic and some slightly smashed up peppercorns. The hot pepper goes into one and the dill into the other.

Then make the brine. Just boil the vinegar with salt. Nothing fancy.

You got the jars ready and the brine made so now you just pack the two jars with the blanched beans. You might need to snip a few in order to fit, but I just eat those ends anyway so I am doing myself favor here.

Then you pour equal amounts of the brine into the jars then top off the the jars with ice water. Place a lid on those suckers and give them a good shake and into the fridge they go. 24 hours give or take and that is that.

And now you got pickled green beans. The question is weather you eat a few at a time or if one jar constitutes a vegetable serving and you eat the whole jar at once.

I say eat the whole jar. Not like it took very long to make right? So maybe you just a few extra jars.

Have a lovely weekend.

-C

maks 2 pint jars

• 1 pound green beans

• 2 cups water vinegar

• 1 1/2 – 2 cups cold water

• 2 teaspoons salt

• 1 teaspoon whole or slightly crushed peppercorn

• 2 big cloves garlic

• A tablespoon dried dill and a dried cayenne pepper (optional)

Rinse green beans. Bring a large pot of water to a boil and grab a large bowl and fill with cold water and a few ice cubs. Place half the green beans in the boil water and let cook for about 2 minutes. Scoop them out and place into the bowl of ice water. Repeat for the second half of beans.

Place the vinegar and salt in a small pot (or use the pot you used to boil water) and bring to a boil. Set aside

Grab 2 pint jars making sure the are nice and clean. Peel and cut the garlic into a few pieces and place into the bottoms of the jars. Add the dill to one and cayenne to the other (or whatever spices you do or don%u2019t want to use) Give each jar some of the peppercorns then start packing the balanced beans into the jars. Try to make them all straight so you can fit in as may as you can, and if the bean is to long, just cut to fit (eat the ends) Once both jars are packed pour equal amounts of the vinegar brine to the jars. Top off each jar with cold ice water. Place a lid on the jars, give it a good shake and place jars into the fridge for 24 hours. After the wait, pop the lid and eat.

Pickled beans will last about a month in the fridge but really, if you have them for more then a week, that is just a shock.

Note about lids. I use plastic lids when dealing with anything acidic. The metal lids will work but will rust after a while and sometimes leaves metallic taste. If you only have metal lids, use a piece of wax paper in between the kid and jar.

Not to much is going on here, just trying to enjoy the last bits of summer, while secretly saying to myself that I am ok for the hot weather to be gone, for summer to pitter out and let the cooler weather roll in.%u00a0%u00a0Bring on the sweaters, apples, and root veggies (and maybe a little more couch cuddling and a new tv show to sink my teeth into while knitting). %u00a0And I have already noticed a few trees giving away some colorful leave.%u00a0Foliage season…%u00a0%u00a0the best time of year (minus all the annoying leaf peepers) But before we get to ahead of ourselves, we have the other time of the year coming up.. Back to school!! I myself am not really effected by this,other then all the littles in my life are going back, which means less babysitting (happy!/Sad) %u00a0And let’s not mention all the back to school supplies I am drooling over. Trapper keepers, watercolors and cool new backpacks. %u00a0The kiddos are all getting ready with their new sneakers, crisp, empty notebooks,%u00a0%u00a0and a fancy new sweater. Me, I am just being jealous, hoping maybe one of them will give me one of their extra cool new pencils with the removable eraser. Maybe once everything ends up on clearance,%u00a0%u00a0I’ll buy myself a new composition notebook. You know,%u00a0%u00a0the ones where you can color all the white parts in with a bright pink neon marker. A customized badass notebook %u00a0Those are my favorite.

So besides all that, here are some eventful things from the my life this week in list form.

• got some husk cherries to make something special. and ate them all. Need to get more (more to eat, and more to make something with to share..maybe)
• Starting knitting the mr his annual new winter hat (going with a grey watch cap)
• Painted a ceiling gold
• scratched my face on a raspberry bush
• went to my family reunion,%u00a0came home and found 2 white hairs on the top of my head (no joke)
• Had two other awesome websites mention my recipes this week!!! (Food52 and feedfeed)
• made a few jars of pickles%u00a0
• Discovered Reading Rainbow is now on Netflix.(my childhood right there)

Yeah, that’s about sums it up.%u00a0

But here, have some internet stuff to check out.%u00a0

-I think I need this entire bed set%u00a0to be happy.

-And I want to%u00a0do this%u00a0to a set of sheet too!

-Totally into this house,%u00a0especially the toilet on the door.

Not sure if this is for real, but it’t pretty freaking funny.%u00a0Lady Gaga Threatening Legal Action Over Breast Milk Ice Cream Flavor ‘Royal Baby Gaga’

– I think I should get me some goats.%u00a0Goats May Be Unwelcome In Zimbabwe’s Capital, But D.C. Loves Them

-The Duo Coffee Steeper. This might be fantastic.. Someone buy one and let me know how it works.

–Soothing Spaces%u2026 I like

-Watch This Hilarious Parody of Artisanal Food Makers

-I love The Purl Bee.%u00a0%u00a0Another%u00a0project that I have to make.

And some photos from the week.

On my recent shop at the grocery store, I picked me up a bunch of my favorite King Arthur flour, like five 5lb bags because I know that I am probably going to go through it within the next few weeks. (all Christmas cookies) Plus it was on sale. And not just regular all purpose, all of the varieties were on sale, including the self rising flour, which I have never used before. I have been curious so I figured that sale flour meant that I should buy it and try it out. So buy it I did, and I am now a lover of self rising flour.

The first thing I did was look up simple recipes to use and found one on the King Arthur web site for never fail biscuits that were only 2 ingredients. (self rising flour and cream) Well that seems easy enough, except I don’t have cream, just soy milk on hand, and I really can’t help but wanting to add a little something extra to the mix. So I went with broccoli (in was in the fridge) and lemon. But other then that, still easy biscuits I have ever made.

These biscuits cook up so super fast and take almost not work at all to make.. they seem almost like magic. . Perfect for all of us who rush home before dinner and discover that there is no food in the house. But if you have self rising flour, a quick dump and mix and a little time in the oven, and you got yourself some biscuits thatare super fluffy on the inside, slightly crisp on the outside. The texture is what really surprised me, how tender and biscuit-y they turned out without having to cut in any fat. Amazing!

These biscuits can be turned into any number of dinner options (the mr had buttered biscuits with lentils) and any left overs can be serves up for breakfast.%u00a0 I wish I had know beforethat self rising flour was so great! It’s kinda like have a box of bisquick on hand, but way way better. I think that I am going to have to go back to the store and stock up on this too… I have a feeling that mr is going to be eating all sort of fun flavored biscuits for dinner in the next few weeks.

Oh,%u00a0 the mr says I have to warn you, . If you don’t like broccoli, you will not like these biscuits. But for those who are broccoli people, these will make your day!

The stuff. Some slightly stemmed chopped up broccoli, a lemon, soy milk, ans some self rising flour.

%u00a0The soy milkgoes into the bowl with the broccoli and gets blendedup with a hand or (or use a regular blender). And you don’t want to make it completely smooth, some chunks are good.

Dump the broccoli soy mixure into the flour and then the zest of the lemon. Add in a tiny pinch of salt.

A quick mix until everything is just incorporated.

And the dough gets plopped onto a baking sheet. Brush the tops with a little lemon juice or water (or a mixture of both) right before they go into the oven… then stick them in the oven.

And after about 20 or so minutes, the biscuits have risen , the tops starting to brown, and the smell from the oven is happy. So you should pull them out of the oven now.

And let cool, just enough to handle, then grab a biscuit, split n half, and smear something buttery on it.

-C

Makes 12

Adapted from King Arthur’s Never Fail Biscuits

• 1 1/2 cups self rising flour(King Arthur flour)
• 1 cup soy milk
• 1 lemon
• 1 cup slightly stemmed broccoli *
• salt to taste
• Any additional flavors you want (garlic powder, pepper, some sumac.. whatever)

Note. Slightly steamed broccoli.. Just toss chopped broccoli into a pot with enough water to cover the bottom of the pot. Stick a lid on it, and place on heat until the broccoli is slightly tender and the water is evaporated, or about 4-5 minutes. Just make sure you don’t over cook it and turn it to mush.

Preheat oven to 450.

Dump flour into a big bowl. With a hand or regular blender, blend together the soy milk and broccoli. Dump the wet mixture into the flour. Add in the zest of the lemon and mix until everything is just incorporated. With a spoon or a scooper , scoop out 12 similar size blobs and drop onto a baking sheet. Brush the tops of the biscuits with water or lemon juice and sprinkle with a tiny pinch ofsalt. Place in oven and bake for about 20 minutes or until the biscuits are starting to brown and look done.

Remove from oven and eat as soon as they are cool enough to handle. Eat as is or smear on some buttery something or another.

IF you like potatoes and guacamole (probably%u00a0even if you think you don’t like potatoes or guacamole)%u00a0then%u00a0oh boy, do I have a treat for you.%u00a0

Guacamole Potato%u00a0Salad.. Only the best potatoes salad you will ever put in your mouth. %u00a0

I tried to make this a few weeks back and ended up not getting to my potatoes in time to use, so I had to put the salad on hold. But this weekend I was ready. The grill was prepped, the corn was husked, and the poatoes were boiled. Then it happened, I made the best potato salad ever. It changed the way I feel about potato salad. (I have never really been a huge fan)%u00a0Sure, I love potatoes, but in the past I have experiences to many%u00a0overly dressed, really heavy, and overall,%u00a0some pretty crappy paotao salads. This salad, well it is%u00a0the exact opposite.%u00a0This salad is all summer. Bright and light, so full of flavor, but not overly heavy and gross. I mean, its potatoes covered in guacamole%u2026 How can that not be amazing.%u00a0I am now a potato salad fan (for life!).%u00a0

So my suggestion for you. Have a cook out, invite your friends, grill up some veggies or whatever%u00a0and make a humongous batch (you will need a humongous batch) of this potato salad. Sit back and watch (while you are eating) and see peoples faces light up with joy and happiness. You will be number one. The hostess%u00a0with thte mostest. People will fall at your feet%u2026%u00a0

or not. (But probably)

So here, take a look, and make.. Your day, week,%u00a0life will be better for this.

The stuff; Potatoes, avocados, mini onions, and tomatoes. Pickled Jalape%u00f1os (with juice) garlic, and the juice from a%u00a0lemon And lastly,a%u00a0big bunch of cilantro, and salt.%u00a0

First things first,%u00a0boil the potatoes. Stick in a pot of cold water with a palmful of salt. Bring to a boil then turn down to a medium heat and stick a lid on the pot. Cook until fork%u00a0pierces easily through %u00a0then strain from water and let cool. When%u00a0cooled, but still slightly warm, dice them up into mouth sized pieced. Place potatoes back into pot and drizzle a few glugs of the pickled jalape%u00f1o juice over them. Place in fridge to complete cool.

While the potatoes are cooling down, mix up the quad dressing.%u00a0In a large bowl, take the avoado fruit and mash and%u00a0smoosh %u00a0until relatively smooth and mix in minced garlic , lemon juice,%u00a0and a sprinkle of salt.%u00a0

Dice up the onion, jalape%u00f1os, tomatoes and add to the mashed avocado and mix that%u00a0all up%u2026and try not to eat it all before the potatoes get in.

add in lots of chopped up cilantro

Nothing compares..%u00a0

Have a great day and get to planning you next cookout!

Later!

-C

• 3 lb. of potatoes of a small waxy variety (like red%u00a0or new potatoes)
• 1 1/2- 2 whole avocados
• 2 small Roma tomatoes or q large
• 2 mini onions with greens or 1 regular white onion
• handful (or more) of pickled jalape%u00f1os and the juice
• juice of 1 lemon
• a bunch of fresh cilantro%u00a0
• 3 cloves garlic
• salt and pepper

Wash potatoes and stick in a big pot with cold water and a good palmful of salt.%u00a0%u00a0Bring to a boil then turn heat downy to a a medium heat, stick a lid on it%u00a0%u00a0and cook potatoes until a fork can pierce through.%u00a0%u00a0Strain from water and let cool enough to handle. Once cooled, cut potatoes into mouth sized pieces, place back into bowl, and drizzle with a few teaspoons of pickled jalape%u00f1o juice. Stick the potatoes in the fridge and let completely cool.%u00a0

While those are getting cold, make the guacamole dressing. In a big bowl, place the avocados (pits and rind removed of course) and smash and smoosh until a smooth constancy. Add in a pinch of salt, mince the garlic and toss that in, %u00a0and add%u00a0the juice of the lemon. Now dice up the garlic, onion, tomatoes and jalapenos and gentile fold it all in to the avocado mash.

Once the potatoes are cool, roughly chop the cilantro and%u00a0%u00a0add %u00a0that and the potatoes into the guacamole and mix around until everthig is all coated. Top with some more cilantro.

Eat as a side, a meal, a snack, or dessert

a fork pierced nicely but a large wooden spoon works too.

Lasts for 3-4 days in the fridge.