Are you sizzling? Is that pool of water next to you , in fact, your own sweat?

Yeah, I feel you…..stupid heat wave.%u00a0

During these long extended periods of heat and humidity, my body starts%u00a0to revolt. I get bitchy, by skin get itchy, my head goes foggy, my stomach starts to refuse food. and I generally just feel like crap. I love the summer, but I am not,%u00a0%u00a0by any means, %u00a0a hot,%u00a0high humidity person.

So during%u00a0this nasty bout%u00a0of heat, I do what I can to find comfort. And one of my comforts is%u00a0watermelon. I am pretty sure that watermelon is a magical fruit. A giant green oblong ball that when cracked open is the brightest, sweetest bright pink fruit.. I mean, thats pretty f ing magical.%u00a0It can make anything better, and is%u00a0one of the few things that I want to eat when its a million degrees outside without barfing.

Watermelon is my official heatwave food. Watermelon all day long%u00a0(Is it bad that I could literally eat an entire watermelon all to my face, in one sitting? )%u00a0And because I am me, I like to spice it up a bit and slather a big glob of basil pesto to the melon%u2026. and that makes me happy. Plus it%u00a0makes the fact that I am eating nothing but melon seem a little more substantial.

%u00a0%u00a0%u00a0Do you have a heatwave food? If not, try this%u2026.It will be your food.

The stuff. A big hunk of watermelon, basil, a lemon, olive oil and salt.

Stick the basil, the juice of the lemon, and a pinch of salt into a blender. Turn on and blend, adding just a tad bit of olive oil until a nice green pesto is made.%u00a0

Prepare your melon. Remove rinds if you want and%u00a0save for later.. (seriously, we can make gazpacho with it) and cut into inch thick chunks.

And now if your feeling it, stick a skillet on the stove and preheat on medium high. Once heated, place watermelon chunks%u00a0on hot skillet and sear%u00a0each side for about 3-5%u00a0minutes per side.

If you want to go fresh, just skip searing it. Me, I do a bowl of both.%u00a0

And now slather the melon with the pesto%u00a0

And go to town

Stay cool my friends!

-C

• Watermelon
• a bunch of basil
• a lemon
• salt
• olive oil

Place basil, a pinch of salt and the juice of the lemon into a blender. Turn on and blend, adding in a drizzle of olive oil until pesto forms.%u00a0

Preheat a lightly oiled skillet (or a grill) on medium high heat. Take your watermelon and remove rinds (save for later) and cut into inch chunks.* When heated, add the watermelon. LEt each side sear for 3-5 minutes, or until caramelized. Tarnsfrer to a bowl.

*Note. The seared melon is fantastic cooked then cooled. Also, I know some people blot out the juice before grilling, but I think that is a waste and I find unnecessary, but if you don’t want a juicy piece of cooke melon, by all means, blot out the juice..%u00a0

Or if you don’t want to cook it, don’t

And lastly,%u00a0%u00a0toss in a big giant scoop of pesto%u00a0

Now eat%u2026 eat eat eat.%u00a0

It is June. Already. That was fast.

The week started off great. We spent Sunday in Belvedere with family. The weather was perfect. There were barely any life sucking mosquitoes. Not to sunny, no rain. We just hung out, ate food, walked to the water falls, and basked in the glories of the world. Not to mention Judah invented a watch cookie, Shannon read my telepathically read my mind and picked me up the heart shaped baking tins that I was thinking about at a garage sale, and Sophia. She ate all my broccoli. All the littles played without fighting. All the adults talked without fighting. It was really nice.

And then we came home and by Monday afternoon, the shit starting to hit the fan. First off, it was the week before the June first rental turnovers. Always a hectic week. Always a lot of running around. It has been especially crazy for the mr this year because he was dealing with not only our tenant turn over, but a bunch of other apartments for other landlords. Painting, getting rid of garbage, fixing broken things. That in itself was not the issue. The issue was Monday afternoon, after the mr had been working all day, pulled into one of our driveways with the car to grab some paint, got back into the car, and the key wouldn’t turn. And the wheel wouldn’t turn. The car was stuck. Our newish (3 1/2 year old) car. The mr spent more then an hour trying to turn the key. I sent more then an hour on the internet trying to figure out what the heck was wrong. In the end, the car was just left for the night, the mr hitched a ride, and we ended up getting the car towed to the garage. (Note that this is the second tow in within a week.) After getting off the phone with the mechanic the next day, we were told it was going to be a few days before they can even look at it because they were so busy. We were feeling pretty screwed. Luckily for us, my mom is awesome and lent us her truck which if she didn’t , well we would be stuck with the rental car that I rented one afternoon, drove home, had a massive anxiety attack about crashing (we are having bad car juju right now), turned around and returned. I just had a bad feeling about it. So yeah, I rented a car, for about an hour. They laughed at me. I laughed at me too. Then cried a little. HAHA.

By Thursday the shop was able to look at the car. After the mechanic took a look at the car, he told us the master cylinder was stripped and needed to be replace. Or better yet needs to be. Almost a week later. The car is still there. They had to order the part and it won%u2019t be in until Tuesday. Yup. Just a week ago we were sitting pretty with a car and a sweet ass van and now, no cars. Oh, and the lawn mowers stopped working mid mowing. We think its the gas line or something.

Anyway. The week, hectic but not all bad. I found a bike on craigslist that I am going to fix up and call my new bike for a while (I am done bike shopping for the time being). Barb came over for a lunch and a walk one day. I made rainbows and popsicles another afternoon. Working at the studio was calm. That was nice. And the weather. I can%u2019t complain about that at the least bit.

Then yesterday. June first. Tenant moving day. It was cray cray. New tenants moving in and out usually isn%u2019t a big deal because most of the time our tenants are great and leave without issue. But yesterday the mr stopped over to check on all the apartments and found one in pretty awful condition. Long story short, we spent the day scrubbing filth and paint and hair (so fucking gross) off every surface then repainting the apartment while the new tenants were moving in. We did manage to have a little lunch picnic in th park with Miley and I took her on her first ever bike ride across town. That was good, but then it was back to the crazy apartment. Then we came home, ate dinner, cleaned our house, then passed the f out.

Today is going to be good. Why? I don%u2019t know yet, but we need it to be. I am not looking for anything spectacular, maybe just to find a few new good books at the library. Maybe go the day without getting 100 mosquito bites. Or maybe even just be able to take a nap. Just a mellow day. Wish us luck.

Stuff I looked at and read about on the internet this week.

–There Is Too Much Stuff. I couldn’t agree more and I hate it. Too much stuff makes me so anxious. And maybe a little angry. The piles of shit just keep getting bigger. AAGGHHH!!!!

-As a person who makes a lot of mugs with handles, this is very important. I have kept myself up all night on many occasions just thinking about mug handles. Shape, feel, visual ascetics. So much goes into a well made mug handle. But it is worth it and when you have a good one, you know.. Let%u2019s Talk About Mug Handles

–Why You Should Use a Wooden Spoon to Taste Your Food. What about a wooden fork, would that work too?

-Bad making bad worse. How pesticides can actually increase mosquito numbers

-Simple and clean%u2026 My kinda place. A HOLIDAY HOME IN PORTUGAL.

–Would you leave your life behind for a house you saw on Instagram? These people did. I love the instagram account CHEAP OLD HOUSE. And yes, I have definitely imagined buying half of them because some of them really are amazing. Maybe one of these day. Drafty windows and crumbling foundations don%u2019t scare me.

–Your Walls Need This Whimsical Magnetic Wallpaper. I don%u2019t need it, but oh boy would it be cool.

-If Ikea is doing it, then it%u2019s for real. Everyone is going vegan. HAHAHAHA. Ikea%u2019s Meatballs Will Officially Go Vegan This Fall

-As avid outdoors people, we really make evey effort to leave the outdoors exactly (if not better) as we found it. How to leave the great outdoors exactly how you found it. How pissed would you be if someone cam into your place and trashed it and moved things and picked at you?

-I eat beets eveyr single day and my pee has never turned pink but I know everyone I feed beets to pees pink. Hum? Why Do Beets Make Your Pee Turn Pink?

And pictures from the week

What a week. What a year. So much has happened and is happening and is about happen. I guess that is the nature of life and time and all that good stuff.

The week started off fantastic. On Sunday the mr and I grabbed Judah, Emerson, and Barb, piled into the car, and went for a light drive. We walked around a light filled park, drove some more, then ended up at, of all places in this world, Burger King. And they loved it (I packed my own dinner because I do not, will not, eat at almost any place that the littles prefer) Funny, I don%u2019t know if I have ever been inside of a Burger King before, and if I have, it was long before I had a choice in what I ate. Again, they loved it, even though it was trash food, they got their crowns. Coco cheered just about every French Fry that went into his mouth, and the mr got to use Burger King coupons that he had hiding in his pocket (that is basically why we ended up there) It was a fantastic evening and is now going to be a Christmas Eve eve tradition. Light drive with dinner (never Burger King again thank you very much)

After we dropped them off at home, we went home and that is when the mr succumbed to it. IT being the stomach flu. That was fun.

Christmas Eve the mr was an ill man so I forged it alone. With the help of all the Christmas music I could handle, I baked a bunch, prepared the house for the next day when the family came over. I cut up all the fruits and veggies, wrapped the few little presents I had, did bills and a bunch laundry, ran to the grocery store. My mom stopped by and brought me a lemon tree because just because. I just was so freaking productive. And best part, it SNOWED, like a good amount. What I thought was going to be a completely snow free Christmas turned into the most magical snow ever. Christmas Eve afternoon, Big fat fluffy flakes covering the world. I bundled myself up and walked around the neighborhood just taking it all in. It truly was the best Christmas Eve snow ever. And after a full on day of resting , the mr was feeling a bit better so that was good. And then both to bed by 7 because thats our life these days.

Christmas morning had all the right stuff. Woke up and watched the sun rise while drinking a butload of coffee. The house was all clean and glittery and the ltree lights were on and the ground glittered with the fresh snow. After the mr woke up and was feeling a little worse for ware but ok, we bundled up and went for a little stroll on the beach. We usually go for a hike but I was not trying to push the mr too hard. The beach, oh man, was that amazing. The water was still, the snow was like diamonds, and the air was crisp and clean. Not a sound to be heard other then the lapping of water. It was so good. We left before I decided to stay forever and because the mr thought he could walk on ice and ended up with a his foot in a foot of water so we headed on home to meet the hoard of family. Just about everyone came (minus Ryan and the girls and Anthony.. we missed them all) ate food, did a little gift exchange thing (I got some sweet new house plants), plastered Jackson with a very nice shade of lipstick that might have been called whore red, and had a Happy Birthday celebration for Cameron because it%u2019s was Christmas, but it really was his birthday.

Then for the saddest part. We got the news that our uncle had passed away.

Oh Uncle Seth. He had been sick for a while now with Parkinson%u2019s disease, but the past month or so it got so bad. His death was not unexpected but never the less it was not any less painful. My only uncle, the guy who gave me my first car, the man who built a cabin from nothing in the woods and turned it into a place that you could only imagine (or see in a design magazine) A man who taught (he was as professor at RISD), loved the world, loved to travel, loved his work, was so fierce in emotion. SO many little qualities that I saw in him, I see in me. ( I feel like I get a lot of who I am from my dad and my uncle and aunt) The world lost a great man, I lost a great uncle. He is and will always be loved and I know I was just lucky to have been able to have him as an uncle. It is still hard, I don%u2019t think I have fully processed it still, It is kind of a not quite real feeling. Just an overall heaviness that has settled in on my mind and heart. It is so hard to loose any family, but especially hard when they were so full of life and had so much to give to the world. Agh. The words are not even close to adequate here, the full measure of him as a person not explained. To put it simply, he was an amazing, loving and generous person. I am so going to miss him, his creativity, his lust for life. And what I am going to miss most is his hugs and smiles and overall presences in my life. RIP Seth. You really were a fucking awesome uncle.

We got word of the funeral on Wednesday (which was also Anthonys 17th birthday%u2026.So old! I stopped by to see him and give him a big hug. Didn%u2019t want a party or cake this year so I owe him granola bars.) and were in the car driving down to RI by Thursday morning. Shannon, Megan, the mr, and me, all packed into the car and off we went. A small family funeral which was very beautiful and full of love, then food with the family. Not a long stay, but we are all going back down next weekend for Seths memorial celebration bash.

We got home and it hit hard. I started to feel kind of crappy (sick wise) and have been feeling blue ever since. Driving to RI really kicked the mr down again. He was so good, no complaining about anything, not the cranked up car heat or driving straight while us ladies spent the entire time talking of childhood memories. He didn%u2019t even put on the music. And by the time we came back home, the guy was sick again, or maybe never was not sick, but he has been down for the count ever since.

So yesterday we did a few morning chores together like got rid of the recycling and retuned amazon stuff to UPS, but by afternoon the mr was out. So I cleaned house, made another ice cream cake for Judah, and did more and more laundry. Another one of those feeling super productive days. Weird, but I am starting to see a pattern here. When the mr is really sick, I get a lot done. I think it%u2019s mainly because. a) I want to stay away from him as to not get sick too. b) I am afraid that if I do get sick none of what needs to be done will get done so I need to do it fast. And c) I don%u2019t have to worry about what he needs to do, it%u2019s all me. Ha.

Today is Judah%u2019s birthday. Nine years old! What an age to be. So basically I am going to the gym then coming home to do a few things and finish making his cake, then heading over to his house for a birthday dinner celebration. I told him and his sister I would go over early and give them haircuts (the boys hair is so long it covers his eyes, He looks cool, but if you can%u2019t see, well looking cool isn%u2019t gonna get you anywhere). It%u2019s gonna be fun.

Goodness, is that it. The end of another year. Hard to wrap my head around so I am just going to ease on in to 2019. Low key and cool. Just like me. Ha.

Happy New Years Friends! Be safe. Be happy. Be good. Be kind.

Interent links from the week

–Just Admit It, You%u2019re in a Bad Mood. All the lead up to Christmas then BAM, its over. Gets me every time.

-I am defintially one of those people who likes to bake when I am feeling anxious. The Rise of Anxiety Baking. Cookies are my favorite to bake too.

-Speakig of cookies. When ‘Cookiers’ Take Holiday Cookie Decorating To A Whole New Level. I had no idea there was a cookie cutter factory in Vt. I must see this place!

-Who doesn%u2019t love a good tree picture? Black and White Photographs Capture the Striking Appearance of Bare Trees Against Snow-Filled Landscapes

–Explorer completes historic Antarctic trek. Some people do crazy things that make me jealous. Not that I want to ski Antarctica, but something crazy would be cool.

-How did I not know until now that there was a monthly round up of trucks spilling shit. We all need this information. This month in overturned trucks: Cash, Christmas trees, cooking oil

–How A Little Science And A Lot Of Shady Advertising Boosted Yeast’s Popularity. I have never eaten a yeast cake, but I eat a shit load of nutritional yeast. MY favorite is a spoonful in the mouth where it gets stuck in my teeth and the roof of my mouth. For real.

-I am going to get a scale sometime soon. I just need to find the right one for the right price (free or very cheap at the thrift store) Until then, this is handy. Weight Conversions for Flour, Sugar, and Other Common Baking Ingredients

-This is something that I have wondered about. I am really happy that it doesn%u2019t get wasted. We Finally Know What Happens to the Leftover Cake on the Great British Bake Off

–The year vegan junk food went mainstream. Yup. Just cause it%u2019s vegan doesn%u2019t mean it is good for you.

And pictures from the week.

It was cold last night, cold enough where I ended up grabbing a wool blanket to add to the bed. Sure,I probably should have just closed the windows and turned the fan off, but fresh, clean, cold air. Ah, so refreshing. And I love a good warm cuddle bed so I was not complaining.

The week kicked off camping at Little River State Park. We hiked, the mr fished, I read a lot and knitted. Lentils and squash for dinner, a campfire, a quiet world. So relaxing, so peaceful. Even if the owls hoot hooting all night kept me awake, or the rusting of the trees that the mr thought was the forest on fire (yeah, I think he was having a nightmare). Never a dull moment, even when we are being dull. And then we woke up, packed up, the mr fished some more, I read some more, and back to the world of things to do.

And we did some things, mainly work things.

Tuesday night I made dinner for Megan, So, and the boys. First Spaghetti squash of the season. We ate, we played, So showed me all of her art work while the mr tried so hard to try and pull her loose tooth out with no success. She told me late that it fell out the next day, and that the tooth fairy left her a book, some cool clip on stars for her bike, and money. What I want to know was where this tooth fairy was when I was a kid a losing my teeth, we only got a quarter per tooth. She then told me that is was inflation.

Wednesday and Thursday was weird days where I didn%u2019t get as much done in life that I needed to. The mr got some painting done, a few other projects started, and we we kind of running around, doing this, waiting for that, thinking it was going to rain when it didn%u2019t or that it wans%u2019t going to when it did. Painting in unpredictable weather, a challenge. And the weather has been a little unpredictable. So sure, the time is ticking and we need to get the house painted before the winter, but really, do we? I mean what%u2019s the worst that happens, we can’t finish this year so we finish it nest spring? Yeah, that wouldn’t be the worst. But no, we will finish this year because we are awesome and we just will, But no pressure.

Jackson 17th birthday was Friday. I worked all day at the studio then quickly ran home to finish frosting his cake. His family dinner consisted of two cakes because he asked me to make him a cake but never told Shannon. I told Shannon but she wan%u2019t listening or something but yeah, two cakes. And the funny thing is that we both made chocolate peanut butter cup cakes, just because. We do shit like that all the time, thinking or doing the same thing with our knowing what the other is thinking or doing, because we are like the same person. #sistersister

After the party we took Miley and Judah home with us where we had conversations about global warming and natural disasters. That was an intense conversation, but a needed one. I pretty much told them they need to be smart, stay in school, take care of the environment, then save the world. I bet they will do it. Then they watched some comic book movie and I crawled into bed, listening to the wind almost blow the house down.

Next day we woke up, the house was still standing, so I made the pancakes. Barb came over, we picked up Coco, and off we went to pick some apples! What a gorgeous apple picking Saturday. Sun was out, but not to bright, it was chilly enough for a sweater, but not cold. The apples were amazing, the orchard was quiet, and the littles were ready to eat. Coco%u2019s first apple picking experience and it was everything you could ask for. Walking around saying apple, eating apples and picking apples. All the smiles and laughing.. That Coco, he might just be the cutest baby ever.

After that, I was pretty wiped but I had a mission. First before I could takle the Saturday cleaning, I needed to to get on making hot sauce. I picked probably 100 jalape%u00f1os at farm share and needed to get them sauced and out of the veggie drawer and into jars. Took me at least a hour to de-seed all the peppers, even burned through a pair of rubber glove. And the fumes from the pot while I was cooking them%u2026 these jalape%u00f1os were hot hot hot, but hot so good. So I got it made and done and now my finger tips are burning, and my lips, and strange parts of my face (I might have touched my face a few times while cutting the peppers). Then it was time to clean house, and house I did clean. Some people might think I am crazy with my Saturday night cleaning ritual, but honest here, I look forward to it every week. I am happiest at home when my floors are mopped, the toilets are scrubbed, the pantry is sparkling, and all the walls and base boards have been wiped down. Then I can relax.

We are camping tonight and it%u2019s going to be a cold one. And last night I noticed that it got dark out at like 730. This might pose to be an issue for some, but I am actually quite excited. Cold camping is fun, and rewarding, and crawling into the tent at 8 is my kind of night. Ha! And here to hoping that I get a good amount if knitting done while we are at it. I feel like I am falling behind on my knitting projects. Camping knitting, that what I am going to be doing.

Internet looking at from the week

–Listen to the world. This takes a little while to listen too, but it is freaking awesome.

-Not me,I have some plants that I have had for more then 10 years, but hey, maybe you are just the unlucky ones that are getting all the dying plants because all plant so in fact die.. Why Are You So Good at Killing Your Houseplants?

–Venture to Earth%u2019s Most Extreme Places Through These Maps. Who doesn%u2019t love a good map?

-I love when librbaries loan out cool things other then books. It really is a great community resource. If You Have A New York Public Library Card, You Can Now Borrow Ties And Handbags

–Wood-Burning Cookstoves for the Kitchen. I want the first one. It%u2019s amazing

-I am not one to be scared of a little mold, except in bread. Sorry, but There’s No Such Thing as the “Clean Part” of Moldy Bread

-Is Vermont Really Losing Young People? I know so so many people my age that have moved away but say they will be back. Wonder if there is going to be a move back boom in like the next 10 years%u2026 but all those people will be kind of old. Ha. Is Vermont Really Losing Young People?

-Introverted Doesn%u2019t Mean What You Think It Means. I know I am very introverted. I can hang with the best of them, but people take so much energy out of me. I need to be by myself (without a phone or computer or any interaction) more then not, or else I freak out. Introverted Doesn%u2019t Mean What You Think It Means

-Ballon goals. Balloon Sculptures by Masayoshi Matsumoto Present Air-Filled Interpretations of the Animal Kingdom

-I want to be an American woking in an Australian coffee shop. Why Are So Many Australians Working in American Coffee?

Pictures from the week

I woke up this morning with a very vvid recollection of the dream I was having. In it I was the inventor of a thing called The Fire Stick, which essentially was a fishing pole with fire on the end that you stick in water( know, it makes no sense )%u00a0and it somehow propels you around. In the dream, I was using my Fire Stick to cruise down a river on a makeshift raft because I was fleeing something and I needed to leave by water. %u00a0Thats it, but I know in my dream I was damn proud of my Fire Stick. Dream me is very strange and scares me a little.%u00a0

The mr and I have no big projects going on right now so he is doing a bunch of side work and I am doing little things around the house plus trying to get through the taxes (I am procarsinationg so hard) I am getting a touch of cabin/spring cleaning fever and am starting to think about running away or %u00a0repainting all the walls… which is crazy because %u00a0it hasn’t been more then a year since I last painted. So I guess that leaves running away. Ha. %u00a0What I really need to do is build a shit ton of shelves and reorganize the closets, but that takes measuring and buying wood and power tools and the mr so it will have to wait.%u00a0( I have to sweet talk him into having a shelf making day with me.. I would do it alone, but it will be much easier and nicer if he helps) And the running away part, well we are working on that part too.%u00a0

Other then my crazy, the week has been pretty good.%u00a0The mr got me another new power tool (I am returning the scroll saw in favor of band saw)%u00a0The back porch has unofficially turned into a wood carving studio. And not just for me, the mr is really into wood carving right now too. We even braved negative temperatures to walk around on the beach to find cool pieces of drift wood to make spoons out of. (he gets pretty jazzed about stuff and there is not stopping him) Before that freezing %u00a0cold returned there was a day where we were able to walk the wold without jackets and that was the day we took Shannon out for a walk. That lady just got a new hip and already she is walking better then I can. Maybe I will get myself a new hip too. Or new knees. I could be unstoppable.%u00a0

%u00a0Qui came over for a vegan banana bread baking how to, which got me thinking that %u00a0I should start teaching vegan baking.%u00a0%u00a0Then Barb came over for chili and a dance party party, and %u00a0then we had the little over for a sleep over and all around house trashing. I don’t know how they do it, but those littles %u00a0make the biggest mess out of nothing. And they are sticky and gross and even surface needs to be wipes after they leave.%u00a0

We did treat ourselves to a little culture and went to the Shelburne Museum to check out the Sweet Tooth art exhibit. It was cool, but not exactly what I was expecting.%u00a0%u00a0It was only a small room with a handful of pieces and I wanted more, and bigger and more, like the giant ring pops. Those were cool. I want a room full of giant candy, but no candy wrappers. The wrappers freak me out. But the next exhibit I am really interested in seeing too. It’s a puppet exhibit and that’s got be be some kind of fantastic.%u00a0

Are you super bowling today? Yesterday the mr and I ran into the grocery store and it was packed with people, with shopping carts all full of chips and beer and garbage food. It was kind of crazy. We figured it was all for the football game. Then we started to blame everything that was annoying on the football game. It’s nice to have a reason for it all.%u00a0%u00a0This football game day thing always makes me feel like it is a holiday that I am not celebrating and I am ok with that.

So no football here today, just keeping it easy, maybe getting out into some woods at some point then maybe some reading or Netflixing some Grace and Franky.%u00a0%u00a0Keeping it low on this non holiday day. People be crazy and I want to stay away from them. Plus I have the Fire Stick to think about. Haha.

Stuff from the internet that I read this week.%u00a0

–The ‘IKEA Effect’ %u2014 And Getting Kids To Eat Their Veggies. Eat what you make and be proud of it, veggies and all.%u00a0

-Things we should all know.%u00a0Why Dogs Have Floppy Ears: An Animated Tale

–It%u2019s Reportedly Becoming %u2018Normal%u2019 to See Whole Foods Employees Cry at Work. I think I cried a little when I worked at Heathy Living.%u00a0

-I have had a conversation with the littles %u00a0about what shape carrot tastes better (when they are cut into chips) Does Chopping Change Your Vegetables?%u00a0

-Interesting planned, one that I think humans should leave alone. It’s enough to destroy one plant, lets stay away from the others.%u00a0%u00a0Pictures of Mars

–The Many Questions We Have About These Cookbook Covers. When I saw this, all I could think was douche bags. If anyone came up behind me while I was chopping anything, well there might be a unintentional stabbing.%u00a0

-I don’t know if I ever will do this, but I really like the idea.%u00a0HOW TO MAKE A LARGE SCALE (PATCHWORK) DIY RUG

-This is no Why Procrastination is Good for You

–What to Do When You Worry Yourself Awake. %u00a0Do your worrying during the day.%u00a0

–Axe-Throwing Bars: Why Mixing Weapons And Beer Is Surprisingly Good Business. But is it? Got to keep the hipsters happy.%u00a0I guess it is kind of like really big darts, which I could totally get behind, but there is some real potential for some crazy shit to happen.%u00a0

Pictures from the week.%u00a0

This summer I have gotten like 5 lbs of blackberries, a humongo bowl of raspberries, so so so many pears, and lots of random veggies, all from my neighbors and their gardens We live in a very giving and generous neighborhood. And it helps that they can’t possible eat all that they grow and that I am always willing to take it off their hands (and put it into my mouth) In return we have given out rhubarb and jars of honey and overall charm and smiles. (the charm and smiles are on the mr to give out)

The other day on a walk, the mr and I saw this sign outside of a neighbors house. Plums, please take some! Well pull my arm, I guess I will have too, because the sign said please right? Anyway, these little plums, not sure what kind they are, but they are so good. Sweet and bite sized and pretty. I ate a few then decided that I needed to share my shared plums and went about making a cake to stick those said share plums into.

I made the cake, invited my mom and a couple of sibs over. Mom didn’t come but Barb and Paul did so they got the cake, Well they got half the cake, the mr ate the rest. I was told that this cake is one of the best. I bet it is when you used share plums because sharing is caring and sharing cake is all that good stuff.

The stuff. A bowl with flour, baking soda baking powder, and slat. Then you have brown sugar, coconut oil. vanilla extract, soy milk, and a little apple cider vinegar. And plums of course.

Once you have started preheating the oven, cut your plums in half and remove the pit.The best way to do this is to run the knife along the pit all the way around the plum and then twist to break in half. Pop the pit out with you finger.

Set plums aside while mixing cake

Warmed coconut oil, brown sugar, and vanilla all get mixed together into a smooth consistency then dumped into the bowl of dry stuff.

Soy milk and vinegar get added and mixed in.

Batter gets poured into a very well greased cake pan and the plums get placed, cut side down,right on top. A sprinkle of sugar to top it off is not a bad idea.

Into the oven it goes to turn to cake!

Pulled from the oven looking so nice. Let the cake cool completely in the pan before taking it out. Hot cake is hard to handle!

And as soon as you get it out of the pan you can start eating.

Enjoy the last bits of summer. Share if you can!

-C

Makes a 12 inch cake

Ingredients

• 2 1/4 cups all purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking sods
• 1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 3/4 cup coconut oil (warmed so it’s liquid)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup soy milk
• 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
• 12-14 small plums (the plums I used where golf ball sized so you might need less for larger plums)
• 1 tablespoon white sugar

Preheat oven to 350

Start by slicing the plums in half and removing the pits. Set them aside. Hint. for slicing, the best way to do this is to run the knife along the pit all the way around the plum and then twist the plum in half. Pop the pit out with you finger or spoon.

In a large bowl, whisk together the salt baking soda and powder, and salt . In a smaller bowl mix together the coconut oil, brown sugar, and vanilla until smooth. Pour the wet into the dry and add in half the milk, mix together, then the rest of the milk and apple cider vinegar. Mix until all incorporated and smooth.

Pour batter into a well greased 12 inch round cake pan.%u00a0 (If you don’t have that a 9×9 square pan will work) Smooth out the top then grab your sliced plums and stick them, cut side down, on top. Give each plum a little push into the batter so it half submerged. Sprinkle the top with white sugar and pop into the oven

Bake for 45-50 minutes or until a fork or toothpick stuck int he middle comes out clean.

Remove and let cool completely in cake pan, it’s easier to remove the cake when it is not hot.
And once it’s cool, remove cake gently and ta-da. Cake time

This is the golden time of the summer. Warm days, cooler nights. It’s still summer but fall is so close that sometimes you can almost feel it, like in the morning when it’s chilly enough for a sweater or see it when you notice a few tips of trees turning colors. It’s the best and I am eating it all up.%u00a0 Plus I am really excited for apple soon. Early macs should be on there way and I am craving me some apple stuff.

The week has been a little foggy very much productive. Foggy because my allergies have taken hold of my brain making me cranky and at some points unable to hold a single though. Productive because well we got so much done. See the porch(picture above) It’s freaking amazing. The mr is so so good. (he did most of it)%u00a0 And I am not the only one to think it. Every day that we are outside working on it, at least 5 old ladies have to stop and tell him how amazing he is. I think a few of them might have a little crush (hehe) So porch is built and painted and the sealant is drying out now, the rest of the house is painted, all the siding is finishes,%u00a0 and it’s pretty much done out there besides a few little things and landscaping. It’s crazy, I didn’t think it was ever going to happen. But it did and now on to the last big house project…The downstairs bathroom. Saving it for last because we have been using it as the dirty paint sink and litter box room (need to figure out a new spot for that) but now it’s time and back to the fixations of a bathroom remodel.%u00a0 I am on the hunt for a very specific, never to been seen in real life, cast iron corner shower base. I have seen a few pictures, but not many and I even had found one for sale but it was (was because they sold it) 4 hours away and we thought we could wait to buy it. Lesson learned on that one. We even took a trip to a few salvage yards and come up with nothing. So if you by chance have something like that, let me know. I need it to be happy.

Today is going to involve a bit of cleaning and organizing and bean picking? I have been slacking on my farm share pyo (it’s beans and flowers right now) because the garden in the back yard has been keeping me plenty busy picking out there. The tomato plants alone are a freaking jungle with a thousand pounds of fruit that is going to need to be picked this week. I am going to have tomatoes all winter long. So yeah, go to farm, maybe library, clip my nails, just take it easy. You know, do the Sunday thing.

Internet reads from the wee.

–These Are the Foods Climate Change Will, Well, *Change*

-Don’t just stare up at the sun, it will be bad. Planning To Watch The Eclipse? Here’s What You Need To Protect Your Eyes

-Bring back the swing set so I can play on it. A Short-Lived Swing Set Makes a Splash in Burlington’s South End

–It%u2019s Officially Too Goddamn Early for Pumpkin Spice. I completely agree. Also to freaking early for all the Halloween candy on display at the grocery store. IT’S NOT EVEN FALL YET!

-I would like to think I would be fine with this but I am not so sure. I guess I need to try it to see .World%u2019s longest suspension footbridge opens in Switzerland

-I would so buy it if I lived in Sweden, and had the money. This Gorgeous Greenhouse in Sweden is For Sale

–Why You Should Slurp, Not Sip, Your Soup. I am a slurper

–Why Newborn Babies Smell So Delicious. I hear it all the time from people around babies. What does it mean that I never find newborns to smell all that pleasant?

-Do you watch the GBBO? If yes, you gonna watch the new season? After seeing this, I am for sure. I mean, biscuits barfing up jam…. The New Great British Bake Off Trailer: Is It Saccharine? Creepy? A Surrealist Stop-motion Extravaganza?

–Vibrant Mushroom Arrangements

A few pictures from the week.

Happy May! I love this month. It gets all warm (hopefully), flowers blooming, green trees and I am yet to get to super hot and cranks. Plus it’s garden time!!!! Just a few more days and the 6 cubic yards of dirt are being dumped off at our house to fill up our raised beds and it’s go time. All more poor seedlings are are the verge of not being good. They need to get into soil asap.

The past week has come and gone so fast. Rainy days or to cold temps have kept us from doing a lot of the outside work that we have been needing to do. (Can’t paint in the rain) Fortunately there has been plenty of others things to do so we have been keeping pretty busy. Even with all the rain we have had, we did manage a good afternoon of firing up the big blow torch and shou sugi ban-ing. We finished making our raised beds, I carved a spoon (only cut myself twice) and got rid of the 5 extra cast iron radiators that have been in the back yard for a year. Also the back sun porch got a a floor to ceiling paint job and now we are waiting for it all to dry.%u00a0 Busy as always, but it’s been good to see so much get done.

Sunday doings. The back porch should be dry by today so I am hoping that I can spend some of the day. setting it up with comfy seating and then take a afternoon nap back there. Anything else we are doing today is kind of a wait and see deal…It all depends on the weather.

What I read on the internet that might be of some interest to you.

-The birds are crazy around our house, chirping away all day, all night. It’s pretty fantastic. I think I might be turning into a birder. This helps. Guide to North American Birds

– I hope this doesn’t happen to me. Why Taste Buds Dull As We Age.

–Buildings and Stars Cut into Blackout Curtains….. These are so cool.

-This happened. A Man Ordered an Airline%u2019s Gluten-Free %u2018Meal%u2019 %u2014 and Got a Single Banana With a Knife and Fork.

-Do you ever talk to yourself? I do. It’s usually me reciting lists of things I need to do or swearing lots of swears to make me feel better. (swearing out load, even to yourself when you are made will make you feel better) The Perks of Talking to Yourself

-If you are awake at night. Spring Meteor Shower and 6 More Sky Events in May

–THIS IS HOW MAPLE SYRUP GETS MADE, AND WHAT THE NEW GRADING SYSTEM MEANS

-I like blue. Crayola Gives The People What They Want: A New Blue Crayon

-This alone makes me want to go back to Copenhagen. Friendly Giants Built From Recycled Wood Hidden in the Forests of Copenhagen

-I hope we spend some good time in the Vt State Parks this summer. Can’t wait for camping!

Pictures from the week

I know we are losing an hour of life today, but I am really excited about daylight savings (it’s today if you forgot so set you clocks forward) It just makes the world seem, well, brighter, but also signals the start of spring and all the good things that come with it, like green stuff, and warmer weather. I can’t wait until we get some warm weather again. I need it bad. The cabin fever is setting in.

The week stared out with a bang. A water leak in the pantry that sent me into a nervous breakdown (don’t worry, it was a stupid bathtub mistake) a slip and fall hard on my ass,%u00a0 pulling out the sewing machine only to found out it was broken and spent like 2 hours taking it apart an trying to fix it (I somewhat fixed it). Then I left my shoes next to my locker at the gym and someone ended up throwing them into the trash. (ok, I get that they might look like garbage, but really?)%u00a0 The mr has been dealing with faulty heater at one of the apartments all week so he has been a stress case too.%u00a0 But it wasn’t all bad. Things did get accomplished, we saw just about everyone in my family at least once, and found a couple cool light fixtures for the house. We will call this week a draw.

Today calls for lots of coffee, a book, a blanket, and a nap. I want to try to take it easy today. I hope the same for you too.

Interesting internet from the week.

-Don’t complain about the price of cashews. The Way Cashews Grow Is Mildly Shocking If You%u2019ve Never Seen It Before

–Maybe You, Too, Could Become A Super Memorizer. But me, probably not.

-I looked up when the new season of Broad City is. Found this. Abbi and Ilana freak out about Trump in new Broad City promo. Gold.

-Planning some new adventures for summer.

-Total solar eclipse and The Path Through the United States. Planning on being in it somewhere

–The Earth Has Oceans And Continents: How Weird Is That?. It is kinda weird.

-My pots get used daily and are stained as f*ck. Why Enameled Cast Iron Discolors (& How to Fix It)

–What Kind of Sleeper Are You? I am strong morning.

-All of our rooms are white and bright, but I wonder. Really digging the dark.

-Getting ready for seeds this week. PLANTING DATES CALCULATOR

A few pictures….. It was one of those weeks that I didn’t grab for my camera much.

It’s Mother’s Day weekend which means that you and I and everyone out there should feel the slightest bit obligated to at least do a little something nice for your mom for the mere fact that you were borned. And really what better way to celebrate mom than with food… It really is the least that you can do. (I think mom’s also like flowers and cards and handmade pasta necklaces) My mom is defiantly about the food. (she has had her fair share or pasta necklaces)  A many years back on Mother’s day, this sweet little girl (me) made her mother a special  breakfast treat…blueberry scones. And ever since that day, for every freaking holiday, birthday, whatever day, my mother requests (demands) a batch of those scones. She is always saying that these are her favorite treat and that no one has ever made them as good as I do. (I guess that just reiterates that I am her number 1 child)

And for the last few months my mom has been up my butt, trying to get me to make her some. Not going to lie, I have been saying I’ll get her a batch, but for some reason, I haven’t gotten around to making them. So two birds here.. Make the scones and she gets off my back for a least a little while (a month.. maybe 2) and I give her a fantastic Mothers day gift that I know she will love.

So here they are , oh mother of mine. Blueberry scones!

The stuff. Flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. A bit of sugar, vanilla, buttermilk, and butter (use vegan butter and nut milk if you want to make them vegan) And of course we need the blueberries which can be fresh or frozen. I usually use fresh, but the store I stopped at only had really big containers of fresh that were like $1000 dollars a piece and the organic frozen happen to be on super sale. So you know, the cheap in me won that battle. So into the bowl goes all the dry stuff; flour, baking powder and soda, salt, and the sugar. Give it a good whisk.

Now for my special trick for a perfectly distributed cold butter in a pastry. Freeze your butter and grate it!

With a large wholed grater, grate the frozen butter directly into the bowl with the dry, stoping a few times to toss the butter chunks around so you don’t end up with a huge pile of grated butter. When it’s all grated, gently toss around so the butter is evenly distributed. Now dump the blueberries into the flour mixture. Toss them around to give them a coat of flour. Add in the buttermilk and vanilla and give a little mix until liquid is absorbed. We are trying to handle the dough as little as possible.Turn mixture onto counter. It’s very loose, but thats what it should look like. Very gently and with as little handling as possible, gather dough up, knead a few times till everything  just comes together. Press dough into a disk that is roughly an inch thick…. and it doesn’t need to be perfect. Cut the disk into even sized pieces. Do 6 big, 8 normal, maybe even 10 smaller. Whatever size you like. (I did 8) Place the scones onto a baking sheet, using a spatula to transfer, and sprinkle the tops with a little bit of sugar. Into a preheated oven for about 20 minutes.And when the scones look all nice and browned and a tester comes out clean. remove and either serve right away warm, preferably with huge cup of coffee or tea, or stick on a rack to cool before storing in  air tight container.

Perfect to serve as a breakfast pastry, at brunch, or even as a dessert. A nice little treat for a special lady. (dudes can eat them too) 

Happy Mothers Day Mom! Thanks for having me!

And Happy Weekend!!!

-C

Blueberry Scones 

• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 1/3 cup sugar plus 2 tablespoons  to sprinkle on top
• 1  teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted  butter frozen or really cold (use non dairy butter like Earth Balance for vegan)
• 1 cup blueberries (fresh or frozen)
• 1 teaspoon  vanilla 
•  3/4 cup buttermilk (use non dairy milk for vegan)

Preheat oven t0 400 degrees

In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder, sugar, and salt. Take the frozen butter and grate directly into flour mixture, tossing around to evenly disrupted. Add in blueberries and toss around till coated with flour, then lastly, add vanilla to buttermilk and mix into mixture until just barely coming together. Turn mixture out onto counter and with your hands, knead mixture a few times until it forms a solid dough. Shape into a disk and smoosh down until about an inch thick. Cut into 6-10 triangles  and place on a non greases baking sheet and sprinkle tops with remaining sugar. Stick into oven and bake for 20 minutes or until tops start turning a golden brown and a tester in the middle of a scone comes out clean. 

Remove from baking sheet and serve warm or let cool on a rack.

Mom gets first dibs, and if she is willing to share, eat one yourself with your face. 

When the mr got home from work last night, her got himself a super great dinner suprice

Pizza, on a Monday. Woo Hoo! (I am so awesome, my sister even texted to congratulate him on his unexpected pizza dinner)

But here is the thing. I think pizza is a completely acceptable dinner any night of the week just as long as it is not covered in a shit tone of greasy cheese or any other kinda heavy and not so good stuff.%u00a0 This is a not one of those types of pizzas. This pizza is light, the crust rolled slightly thin, covered in a creamy sweet pea and cashew cream, (which is really pretty) and topped off with a tons of shaved asparagus and sliced radishes.It’s a celebration of spring time veggies and tastes so f*ing good. Sweet and creamy from the peas cashew cream, a nice crispy freshness from the asparagus, and a nice little spicy kick from the radishes. All the flavors that make me happy. It’s oh so good. .

And really, It’s almost like eating a big salad with a piece of bread. Not a bad dinner right? So do yourself a favor and make that salad and bread into this kick ass pizza.

You can, you should, you, must.

The stuff. Peas (fresh or thawed out frozen.. my were frozen) some cashews soaking in water, a bunch of asparagus (I had purple but you can just use green) ans a few radishes. Also need a lemon, some nutritional yeast, a few coves of garlic, salt and pepper, and a little olive oil. Oh, and a pizza dough.

To get the cashew pea cream going, strain the water from the cashews and dump them into a blender along with the peas, garlic, nutritional yeast, juice of half of the lemon, and a pinch of salt. Turn blender on and slowly add in a bit of water, just enough to get the stuff to start blending. Keep on blending until nice and smooth.

And now shave the asparagus down. I found the easiest way to do this is to chop op the crown part then place the stock on the counter and peel away from you. Not all peels are going to be uniform and perfect, which is good for a textured pizza. Any pieces that break off or shave off weird, keep them too, it;s all going on the pizza. If you asparagus is not super fresh, they might have woody ends.%u00a0 When done shaving just toss those into a bag and save for a soup later.

And now that the asparagus is done, thinly slice the radishes up.

Get that pizza dough onto a baking devise (use a baking sheet, pizza stone, or whatever you usually make pizza on. I used a lightly oiled baking sheet)%u00a0 and smear lots of that cashew pea cream all over it.

Pile on the shaved asparagus and all the ends and tips that we cut off or broke off.

Top with the radishes and a good pinch of salt and lots of fresh cracked pepper.

Into the oven it needs to go.

Pulled from the oven, looking all pretty and springy and smelling so amazing.

Drizzled with a little of the left over cashew pea cream and a few squeezes of fresh lemon.

Your good to go!

Pizza on a weekday, it’s what you need in your life.

-C

• 1 12oz pizza dough (use this recipe, your own, or store bought)
• 10-15 or so stalks of asparagus (about 1/2 a pound)
• 3-4 big radishes
• 1/2 cup peas
• 1/2 cup cashews (soaked for about 1/2 an hour)
• 2-3 cloves garlic
• 3 tablespoons nutritional yeast
• 1/8-1/4 cup water
• A lemon
• olive oil
• Salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 450

First off, prepare your pizza dough or remove it from the fridge to come to room temperature.

Strain the water from the cashews and add them to a blender with the peas, the juice of half a lemon, 1/8 cup of water, the nutritionalyeast, and a sprinkle of salt. Blend until smooth. If you need to, add in another splash or two of water to thin it out.

Grab your asparagus stalks ans chop off the top crown parts. Take the remaining stalks and peel them. Do this by holding the stalk flat on the counter and while holding to the end, peel the stalk away from you.%u00a0 I(f your asparagus is not super fresh ans had woody ends, use those to hold on to and when done shaving, just toss them into a bag and save for a soup later)%u00a0 Shave each piece until you cant shave any more. Some pieces are going to be super thin, some kinda thick… that’s totally cool, it add dimension to the pizza.

%u00a0 And now, as thinly as you can, slice the radishes.

To assemble pizza- Roll out dough kinda thin and place on a lightly oiled baking sheet.(you can bake your dough any way or on any thing that you usually do)%u00a0 Smear a good amount of the cashew pea cream on dough. You will probably have a little left over which you can either water down a little as a drizzle for the done pizza or just save for a sandwich or a veggie dip for later.%u00a0 Topthe smeared dough with all the shaved asparagus and chopped off crowns then layer on the radishes .Sprinkle with salt and pepper and stick into the oven. Bake for 15ish minutes or until your crust golden brown and done to your liking.

When you remove the pizza from the oven, feel free to drizzle the remaining cashew pea cream all over and definitelytop with a squeeze of more of fresh lemon.

Cut into pieces (square, triangles or what have you) and serve to your open mouth!

Happy Spring Eating!

Let%u2019s talk about how soup is the perfect food. It can be light and fresh, hearty and deep, chunky or smooth. You can eat it with a spoon, or somtime a fork if warranted, or just drink it from a mug. It%u2019s usually a one pot meal, a small pot for one, a big pot for many. Make a pot of soup and eat some now and save some for later. It freezes amazingly well. Got a few extra sad carrots and wilted greens? Toss them into a pot with whatever you have on hand, maybe those veggies scraps and you got yourself a meal. Want something more filling, just add in some grains. Feeling sick, warm soup will make it all better. Feeling fresh and springy, well soup is there for you too. Seriously soup, you can do anything. If I could, I would marry you. %u2665%ufe0f

This soup is one of this velvety smooth, light but rich, delicious beyond delicious soups. A fresh spring time soup. Not to hearty or heavily spiced. Super rich and creamy and flavorful. Bright ass green which makes it amazing in itself, but then with a nice tangy sumac tahini swirl on top, well it is just about the most perfect soup. I made to share, which I did, (and everyone licked their bowls clean) but then hoarded the little bit left over and ate it cold for a late afternoon snack. That is another thing about soup, you can eat is cold and it is still amazing.

Tasty and delicious, and nutritious. This soup does it all.

To the soup!

The stuff. Peas, chopped broccoli, and chopped cauliflower which are all frozen and slightly thawed. You can totally use fresh here too, but I just so happen to have it frozen so you might as well save the fresh stuff for fresh eating. Also have a big yellow onion, a few cloves garlic, some tahini, a lemon, sumac, and salt and pepper. You need water which I did not picture here.

A pot, some water and a roughly chopped onion and the garlic start off this soup. Bring the pot to a boil, then turn to medium and let the onion and garlic cook until very tender. I have been making a lot of soups starting with this step lately. Boiling the onion and garlic until tender and fragrant really make for a super flavorful and clean soup base. Or soup in itself.

Now add in the broccoli and cauliflower to the pot and cook until tender.

Mid soup cooking time is a good time to make the sumac tahini sauce for the swirl. Basics here, just mix the tahini, the sumac, a pinch of salt and pepper, the juice of the lemon and a tablespoon of warm water together until smooth.

Last but not least, the peas. Add them in and they just need a few minutes to cook through.

And then it all gets blended to become this green creamy goodness.

Ladle into bowls, grab the sumac tahini sauce and swirl it on in. A tablespoon or so is good. And don%u2019t forget a little more pepper and another pinch of sumac for good measure.

Just appreciate for a moment. That is one good looking bowl of soup. And it taste even better then it looks.

-C

Makes about 4 serving

• 1 1/2 cups fresh or frozen peas

• 1 1/2 cup chopped fresh or frozen cauliflower

• 1 1/2 cup chopped fresh or frozen broccoli

• 1 large onion

• 3-4 cloves garlic

• 4-5 cups water

• Salt and pepper

• 1 teaspoon sumac

• 2 tablespoons tahini

• 2-4 tablespoons warm water

Start by removing the papery skin from the onion and chop into a few big chunks. Remove the skin from garlic too. Place into pot with 4 cups water. Turn heat on high and bring to a boil then turn heat to medium and let onion are garlic cook until tender which should take about 15-20 minutes

Once the onion is cooked, add in the broccoli and cauliflower. Turn heat back to high and bring to a boil again then turn back down to medium heat. Keep cooking until tender (another 15 minutes or so) then add in the peas. Keep on heat until peas are cooked through then remove the pot from heat and either transfer to a blender or use a immusrian blender to blend the soup until smooth. Add a little more water if needed to get to the right consistency to blend right. Or if you want a thinner soup.

For the tahini sumac swirl just mix the tahini and sumac together along with the juice of the lemon, two tablespoon warm water and a pinch of salt. Mix together until smooth. If the mixture is to thick, add another tablespoon of water.

To serve. Ladle or pour soup into bowls and drizzle and swirl the tahini sumac on top. Sprinkle with pepper and a pinch more sumac and you are good to go.

My dad is in town. Hooray! Haven’t seen him in like 6 months cause a) he lives in Michigan, and b) he lives in Michigan. He comes back to Vt a few times a year to hang with the children he fathered then abandoned to the mid west. (haha just kidding, not kidding) So yeah, a family fun week. I am hopping for a good family hike, some father daughter house talking and of course any help he wants to hand out on the house… “Sure you can wire that!” But my real mission for the week is to a) feed him lots of good food (he looks to thin) and b) get him to move either back or very close to VT, or someplace like New Mexico (I would visit all the time) or even Florida (real estate is dirty cheap there)

%u00a0So mission one. Feed him lots of food, and food that is not bread and cheese. (he eats a lot of bread and cheese) So when the old many comes over this week fir dinner, I will bust out the good old falafel.

I used to make falafel all the time, it was my go to meal. Super fast and easy. The mr loves it, I love it, and yeah. But weirdly I haven’t made it in like over a year. So last week when my sister came over, I made it for us.%u00a0 And it was like the good old time where I would come home form class, grabbing the caned chick pea and all the spicy things(feeling so cool that I cooked my own food). I would make the dinner, we would light some candles, set the table and maybe even bust open the cheap, 3 dollar bottle or red wine and we would eat all the falafel. Oh those were the days. When I made it last week, there was no wine, (we drank seltzer)%u00a0 not candles (she needed light to do homework) and no smug feeling of being cool (I wasn’t going for cool) but there was a happy mr and sister ans some freaking tasty falafel.

So yeah, have to make it again for the old man, I know he will love it. And it’s cool if I make it again cause falafel is one of those things that should be eaten all the time, as long as it is not fried, which this is not, so eat it all the time.

The stuff. We have chickpeas (in their liquid) a bunch of parsley, a carrot and an onion. Spice wise we have garlic, turmeric, coriander, cumin, salt and pepper. Also have olive oil and a bit of oat flour. Then for the sauce we are going to need some sumac and tahini. A lemon and some garlic and some of that chick pea liquid.%u00a0

Start with chopping up the carrots and onion into smaller pieces and placing it all into the food processor along with the spices, the garlic and a little drizzle of olive oil. Pulse until mixture resembles a chunky crumb.

Now drain the chickpeas (reserve the liquid) and add them an the parsley in the processor. Also add in the oat flour. Continue to pulse.

Pretty, colored speckled goodness. Dump the mixture into a bowl and place in the fridge for at least an hour, but you could even go as far as making it a day ahead.%u00a0 And try not to eat it all right now. (I could eat it all right now)

And the sauce. Sumac is so lovely nice , bright and tangy which pairs so well with the earthy creamy tahini,. Add both those, along with the minced up garlic, and the lemon juice. And add in a bit of the chick pea liquid. May seem weird, but it gives the sauce a creamier consistency.

After the hangout in the fridge, take mixture and scoop out balls of like sized and place them on a lightly oiled baking sheet. I also brush the tops with a a tiny bit of oil as well. Pop them into the oven for about 35-40 minutes, flipping after about 25.

Baked to a nice dark brown on both sides while the inside stays a right tender green. These falafels are ready to go.

Along with some pitas, some greens and a simple onion and tomato slaw… Piled with falafel balls, smothered in sauce.

Dinner is served!

Cant wait to make it again!

So GOOD!

-C

makes about 12 good sized balls (serves 3)

Falafel things

• 2cups cooked chickpeas (or one can)
• 1 bunch parsley(about1 cup.. can sub cilantro or any type of green really)
• 2 hefty teaspoons ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon coriander
• 1 teaspoon turmeric
• 4-6 cloves garlic
• a yellow onion
• 1 medium carrot
• 2- 4 tablespoon oat flour (or chickpea or regular flour.. just some type of flour)
• salt and pepper
• 1 teaspoon olive oil plus more for baking sheet

For the sauce

• 2 tablespoons sumac
• 3-5 teaspoons chickpea water
• 2 tablespoons tahini
• 1-2 cloves garlic (optional)
• juice of1/2 a lemon

Serving suggestions. Fresh pitas or flat breads are great. Lots of greens and chopped veggies topped with falafel is my favorite.%u00a0 I like to chop up a tomato and some onion sprinkled with salt to servealong with it. Also, if you don’tt want to make sumac sauce, hummus, salsa, hot sauce and mustard are all great topping.

In a food processor, add in garlic, the onion and carrot after you chop into smaller pieces) the spices and a splash of olive il pulse until it kind of chunky crumb.. Now add in parsley, the flour,(start with lesser amount ans ass more if mixture seems to loose)%u00a0 and the drained chickpeas.(RESERVE LIQUID) Pulse until combined and the mixture has all come together and is on it’s way to being smooth, but stop before it is. (don’t make hummus) Dump mixture into a bowl and place in fridge for at least an hour, if not longer.

While that in the fridge, make the sauce. Grab a cup or jar and all the stuff for the sauce. Mince up the garlic then add everything together in the jar and whisk with a fork, adding more chickpea liquid if you want to thin it out more. Set aside

Once the falafel had had time to chill, preheat oven to 375.

. Take the falafel and make 12-14 like sized balls and place onto a lightly oiled baking sheet. Press each ball down a bit and then very lightly brush (or spray)%u00a0 a tiny bit more oil on the tops. Place into oven to bake. for about 40 minutes, pulling them outand flipping them after about 25 minutes. They are ready when booth sided are a nice crisp deep brown, without being burnt.

Remove from oven, place on pitas or greens or what have you and smother with sauce. No need for forks here.

The bounty of spring is upon us. Asparagus is everywhere and I have been embracing it.. smelly pee and all.%u00a0 And along with all my spring veggies and smells, %u00a0I have grabbing for more springy spices. I go through seasonal spice kicks, like cinnamon and ginger in the fall, curries and chills in the winter. And for spring, I am big on sumac. If you haven’t heard of it or tasted it, it kind of taste like a tangy salty lemon..without actually having any salt. And its a really pretty, a bright red, almost purple color. I use it on a lot of things, especially veggies and bean dishes, sometimes as a lemon replacer, but mostly to add another level of tangy flavor.%u00a0It’s fantastic, really great for all those springy time dishes. Nice and bright!

%u00a0This dish is perfect made and eaten right away, but it’s one of those dishes that tastes even better the day after. Also it’s good and safe to serve room temperature. (think lunch box or a picnic!) And did I mention healthy? Protein packed quinoa and the lean green asparagus, I mean come on. You won’t feel an ounce of guilt for eating a hugmongo bowl of this stuff because you should, so it’s totally ok.

Eat away!%u00a0

The stuff of the stuff. Quinoa and asparagus for the base. Sumac, lemon, garlic, onion, salt and pepper and a little splash of oil for the dressing.%u00a0

Note. Sumac is not always the easiest spice to find. I know that its available online (what isn’t) and that some health food store or herbal apothecaries carry it, but i have ye tot see it at a conventional supermarket. And once you find it, buy a good amount cause you will also fall in love with it and use it on everything.%u00a0

%u00a0 %u00a0 %u00a0Start by making the dressing. You want to have it sit for at least 10 minutes. It will be perfect by the time the quinoa is done. Mince the garlic, dice the onion and juice the lemon. Stick it all into a jar with the sumac, a pinch of salt and pepper and about a teaspoons worth of olive oil. Stick a lid on the jar and shake shake shake. and let it sit.

Now you should make the quinoa.. Water and quinoa go into pot, high heat until boiling, %u00a0topped with a lid and set to simmer for about 15 minutes.%u00a0

When the quinoa is simmering, cook up the asparagus. Add a drizzle of oil, to a pan and a few splashes of water. Place trimmed and chopped asparagus to pan and sprinkle with salt. Cook on medium heat for about 8 minutes, or until cooked but still has a nice crunch to it. Take off heat and add the dressing to pan. %u00a0Let it sit and marinate for a few minutes.When the quinoa is tender, fluff with a fork and add to the skillet with the asparagus and dressing. Toss around to make sure all the quinoa gets dressed. Take a taste.. does it need a little salt and pepper? Add a pinch if it does.Pile into a bowl, add a bit of cracked pepper.. and eat.

Or%u2026 Idea! Make this dish and pack it into a jar. Maybe grab a baguette and some hummus os some other %u00a0tasty foods and take yourself and a friend out for a picnic.%u00a0

So much good .

Keep it real yo

-C

Quinoa and Asparagus with Sumac Dressing

serves 3-4 %u00a0as a side dish or 2 as a main meal.%u00a0

• 1 cup quinoa
• 2 cups water
• 8-10 asparagus%u00a0
• olive oil

For the Dressing

• 1 tablespoon sumac
• 1/2 small red onion
• 2-3 cloves garlic
• Juice of 1 jumbo lemon or 2 small lemons
• 2 teaspoons olive oil
• salt and pepper

Start but making the dressing. Mince the garlic and finely dice the onion. Place in a %u00a0jar with the sumac, the juice of the lemon, a pinch of salt and pepper, and a little splash of oil. Top the jar and shake the crap out of it for a minute. Let sit and meld. (This dressing can be made ahead of time and is fantastic on all sorts of everything)

In a large pot, add water, quinoa and a spindle of salt. Bring to a boil, cover , and reduce heat to simmer. Let cook for about 15 minutes or until water has completely absorbed. %u00a0When the quinoa gets going, trim the woody parts of the asparagus and chop the remain asparagus into inch long pieces. Toss into a lightly oiled skillet with a few splashes of water, sprinkle with salt and put on medium heat for about 8 minutes, or until asparagus is cooked, but still crispy. Take off heat and add the sumac dressing. Once the quinoa is done, fluff it with a fork and toss it with the sumac dressed asparagus. Scoop into a bowl, add some cracked pepper. Bring food to face and eat.%u00a0

Any leftover? This dish is fantastic serves cold or at room temperature.

Not only is it the first week of summer, it’s also popsicle week! Billy over at the sweet ass blog Wit and Vinegar hosts a little (actually quite large) bloggers party that share all sorts of fun and fantastic popsicle recipes and presents that list to the world. There are popsicle flavors up the wazoo…Pretty stinkin cool right.

So my contribution to the world of popsicle eaters is one of my all time favorites (maybe the absolute best one yet).. Carrot Ginger Orange.

For those who know me, this flavor combination should come as no surprise. Carrots are my thing. I eat them all day, every day. Sure I eat a shit ton of other stuff, but always carrots. Carrots are in my breakfast,lunch, and dinner. If I need a snack, I grab a carrot. There is just something so satisfying not to mention so easy about carrots. Eaten alone, with mustard or hummus, or dipped in peanut butter of cinnamon..Carrots can do just about anything. I mean I eat so many carrots that no shit, my skin is a slight tint of orange (seriously for reals. Something about an abundance of carotene) Crazy I know, but what can I say. I really like carrots. %u00a0%u00a0%u00a0%u00a0%u00a0%u00a0%u00a0 (that’s what I say when people ask me why I am glowing orange)

So naturally the carrot made it’s way into my popscile mold. And now it’s for real. Carrots really can do anything.

Another win for carrots everywhere.

And popsicles.. Just in time for that hot as shit weekend we are about to have.

GO POPSICLES CO!

The stuff. Carrots, an orange, some fresh ginger, and some water. Simple simple and no, I didn’t forget the sweetener… these pops have no need (although if you want, go ahead and add a smidge or splash of something sweet)

Start by chopping up the carrots and sticking them into a pot with some water. Not a lot, just enough that it almost cover the carrots, and stick that pot onto the stove, cover and cook on medium heat until tender. Make sure to check that the water doesn’t completely evaporate or you will have burnt carrots which taste just fine, but not as a sweet popsicle

While the carrots are tenderizing, zest the orange then juice it and grate up some fresh ginger.

Once the carrots are fork tender, dump in the juice, the zest, and the ginger. Stick pot back on heat for just a few more minutes to meld the flavor together.

Dump the contents of the pot into the blender and blend blend blend until smooth.

Grab your mold and pour blended mixture into it.. Because the mixture is thick, you don’t have to wait to stick the sticks in so go ahead and do that now.

And into the freezer they go!

Serious popsicle goodness right there.

Happy Popsicle Week. Go ahead and make them all!

-C

Makes about four or five 3.5 oz popsicles

• 3 medium sized carrots
• 1 orange (zest and juice)
• 1-2 teaspoons fresh ginger
• water

Note. I did not use and sweetener and did not miss it but if you really think you need it, add a little bit of honey or sugar. But really, they are sweet enough so maybe give them a chance without it.

Start by chopping the carrots up into coins and stick them into a pot with enough water to just about cover the carrots. Stick on stove on medium heat and place a lid on the pot. Cook carrots until tender.

While that’s happening, zest and juice orange and grate up the fresh ginger. (I used 1 teaspoon of ginger at first, but after I blended it, I decided that I wanted a little more so I added another teaspoon)%u00a0 Once the carrots are soft, dump in all the juice, zest and ginger. keep on heat for a few more minutes to let the flavors all meld together.

%u00a0And now dump the pot of carrot goods into the blender and blend the crap out of it until smooth. (add in a splash or two of water if needed. Taste your puree and if you want more ginger, add it it.( can also decide now if you want any sweetener..

Now pour the mixture into you popsicle molds and follow the mold directions on how to use it (add popsicle sticks and stick it in the freezer)

Freeze until frozen.

Remove from freezer and let sit until pops slip from mold.

Eat until gone.

Make more popsicle.

This little guy asked me to make him some%u00a0popsicles, and of course I said yes because, well look at him.%u00a0

So we made a date. A popsicle and playground date to be exact.

For these particular%u00a0pops, I decided to use watermelon, mainly because I had just broken into%u00a0one and once I open a melon, I have a race with myself as to how fast I can consume the in entire%u00a0thing. ( It’s a sick form of watermelon gluttony) But also because%u00a0the little was really really excited to hear that I%u00a0could in fact make%u00a0watermelon popsicles.%u00a0And the other stuff I added because I had it and it all tastes really good together.%u00a0

%u00a0I made the popsicles the day before %u00a0so they would be ready for our date.%u00a0%u00a0He came over, we ate lunch,(peanut butter sandwich and carrot sticks)%u00a0wondered around the neighborhood with the pup,%u00a0and made a quick stop at%u00a0the playground. (we only managed a couple runs on the%u00a0slide %u00a0before it was too hot and%u00a0our sweat had us sticking to the slide%u00a0and it was more of a painful scoot then a glide) We then%u00a0made our way home and rewarded ourselves for a walk well done%u00a0with these%u00a0amazing, super refreshing, and healthy frozen treats that I made just%u00a0for us. While we were eating the popsicles, our conversation turned to food. We talked about%u00a0all the different varieties of popsicle that we could make, and how we could eat them for breakfast, lunch or dinner because they are%u00a0made of only good things and are really healthy (he is really trying to eat healthy)%u00a0%u00a0It was the perfect ending to a fantastic afternoon with a five year old, or any human for that matter…

I would have a popsicle date with this kid every day

The Stuff. %u00a0Fresh seedless watermelon (make sure to have lots on hand cause you are going to be eating it as you make these), a fresh lime, a handful of blueberries and a sprig of fresh mint. And don’t forget%u00a0%u00a0a mold of some kind that form%u00a0the liquid into a popsicle (if you don’t have a mold, little paper cups work too)

Remove watermelon from rind and cut into small chunks. Juice the lime and add that, the watermelon chunks, the mint and the blueberries to a blender or vessel if using%u00a0a hand blender) and blend everything%u00a0until smooth.%u00a0

Look at how pretty that is.%u00a0%u00a0And so tasty%u2026.%u00a0I am not going to lie and say that I didn’t make a little%u00a0extra to drink, cause I did.

Now pour the puree into your molds to the fill line%u00a0(follow the%u00a0instructions that your molds give you) and place into the freezer.

And yes Shannon, these are in fact, your popsicle molds. Don’t worry, I’ll bring them back soon. (I am thinking some type of booze infused situation)

Once the freezer has done its job freezing%u2026 pop those suckers out.. (I let the mold sit on the counter for a few minutes so the popsicle pops out clean)

And heres to%u00a0the best popsicle date ever!

Happy Summer!%u00a0Happy Tuesday!

-C

• A big chunk of seedless Watermelon (aboutt 11/2%u00a0cups)
• 1/2 ish cup of blueberries%u00a0(fresh or frozen)
• Juice of 1 lime
• a few fresh mint leaves

note. The popsicle mold that I used only needed 2 cups of popsicle juice. If you have a larger mold, just use%u00a0more of everything to get the amount you need

Remove rind from watermelon and add to a blender with the lime juice, mint and blueberries. Blend until eveytthing is pureed%u00a0and mixed all together. Pour liquid into popsicle molds and stick in freezer for at least 4 hours.

When ready to eat%u2026, pop those suckers out of there molds and%u00a0EAT!%u00a0

Who doesn’t like a good bun, right? %u00a0And just because this is where my mind wonders, peachy sweet buns. Doesn’t that sound like a pick up line or something you say to your significant other. Like, “Oh hey peachy sweet buns, you are looking good. Woo hoo”…….. Anyway, this is not about anyones peachy sweet buns, it it about actually sweet buns so u-hum, yeah.%u00a0

I am not trying to float my own boat here, but I am really really good at making buns, and you know what, I bet that you are too. They may seem a little intimidating, but really, it’s quite easy. I think what throws some people off is the yeasted dough and having to knead and waiting for the dough to rise,%u00a0but don’t let that stop you from sweet sweet buns. They are no harder to make then a boxed cake (maybe a little harder) and the results are by far more amazing and delightful (we don’t use the word delightful enough around here) then any old box or pre-made thing will ever be. Ever. Freshly made buns are what is right in this world.

If you are awesome and decide to make buns like any good person with a baking itch or a need for some sweet bun goodness does, make them peachy because its peach season and how can a peach bun not be that much more amazing? %u00a0Just think. Soft sweet dough, jammy cinnamon peaches, covered in a sweet lemony glaze……

Go on now, go and get yourself some peachy sweet buns.

The stuff. Flour and salt in the bowl, melted earth balance, brown sugar, yeast, warm soy milk, cane sugar, cinnamon, powdered sugar, a couple of lemons, and af course, peaches.

Warm (not hot) soy milk, yeast, cane sugar, an melted (but again, not hot) earth balance go into a big bowl and get whisked around. Then add in the flour and salt ans mix around until you just can’t.

Time to knead. Dump the dough ad all the little bits onto a flour surface. Gather it all together and knead away, for about 5-8 minutes, or until the dough looks like….

This. Nice and soft and glossy. %u00a0Lightly grease the bowl ans stick the dough back into it, covered with a towel, and set for about 1 hour to rise and double in size.%u00a0

As soon as the dough is set ti rise, start on your peach filling. Chop up enough peaches that you have about 2 1/2 cups of chunks.

Brown sugar and peach chunks go into a pot and stuck on a medium heat until they start to bubble then set to a low simmer for about 20 minutes or until the peaches all break apart and reduce by half.

Add in the cinnamon and stir.. Peachy goodness. Now quick and stick that shit in the fridge or freezer to cool down.

BOOM. Dough did what it’s job and doubled. Time o make the buns.%u00a0

Place the dough on a lightly floured surface and roll our into a rectangle of sorts that is about 1/2 an inch thick%u00a0

Cover the surface with all the peachy jammy goodness, and sprinkle on the remaining finely chopped peaches.

And roll, as tightly as you can, without squeezing all the filling out. I roll towards me, but roll away from you if it is easier. %u00a0It might get a little sloppy… it’s ok, just lick your fingers and keep going.%u00a0

Rolled and cut into 12 pieces.

Place the rolls carefully onto a grease and parchment lined baking 9×13 baking dish. In my picture I used a baking pan, which was not what I wanted to do, but I wasn’t thinking properly and so that’s what I did. Something with sides is preferable, but the baking pan did the job so really, your call.%u00a0

When you place the buns in the dish, place them toughen a bit, it helps then bake up high instead of out. %u00a0And any remaining go on jam that spilled out can get scraped right on top of the buns,%u00a0if you didn’t already eat it.

Now into the preheated oven these %u00a0babies go.

Look at those beauts. And they smell. A-MAZ-ING!!%u00a0

Right away get that glaze made. Powdered sugar, lemon zest, ans lemon juice. Super easy, just add the zest and juice to sugar and mix until smooth and glaze.%u00a0

Pour glaze over warm buns. Make sure to hit them all or someone is going to be pissed they didn’t get enough glaze…..%u00a0

Then it’s really just up to you whether you wait for coffee or tea or not, but really, just eat right away. There should be very little time between newly glazed buns and a bun in your face.

Enjoy the peaches!

-C

Makes 12 Buns

• For the Dough%u00a0
  • 3 1/2 cups all purposes flour
  • 1/4 %u00a0cup cane sugar
  • 1 cup warm soy milk
  • 2 teaspoon or 1 packet yeast
  • 4 tablespoons melted vegan butter%u00a0
  • 1 teaspoon salt
• For the Filling%u00a0
  • 3-4 good sized ripe peaches (about 3 cups chopped peaches)
  • 3/4 cup brown sugar
  • 1 tablespoon cinnamon
  • Juice of half a lemon
• For the Glaze
  • 1 lemons
  • 1 1/2 cup powered sugar

In a large bowl mix together the yeast,%u00a0warm (not hot) soy milk,%u00a0sugar, and melted but cooled butter. Now add in %u00a0the salt and the flour. Mix until it’s too hard to mix then dump it all onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 7-10 minutes until the dough is %u00a0soft, elastic-y,%u00a0and smooth. Place dough back into a clean lightly greased bowl and drape with a damp towel. Let dough rise for about 1 to 1.5 hours or until it has doubled in size.

While the dough is rising, chop the peaches up until you have about 3 cups.%u00a0Place 2 1/2 cups of the %u00a0peaches into a medium sized pot with the brown sugar and lemon juice and stick on medium heat. Set the rest aside. Cook for about 20 minutes, stirring and mashing with a wooden spoon every few minutes,%u00a0until mixture has become thick and reduced by about 1/2. Remove from heat, stir in cinnamon,%u00a0%u00a0and place in fridge to cool.%u00a0

Once thee dough has doubled, dump onto a flour surface and roll our into a retacnge that is about 1/2 inch thick %u00a0Grab your peach mixture and spread the mixture evenly over the dough. Evenly distribute %u00a0the remaining chopped peaches over jam. %u00a0And then it’s the to roll.

Start from the long side and start to roll toward the other end, keeping it as tight as possible without squeezing out all the filling. %u00a0Once rolled, slice into 12 even sized buns.

Place on a lightly greased and parchment lined 9×13 inch baking sheet or pan and let rest and rest for another20 minutes or so. OR if you want to wait to bake them off,%u00a0cover them with plastic and set into the fridge for up to 24 hours. When you are ready to bake, remove from fridge and let the buns set on counter to come to room temperature before baking.%u00a0

Preheat oven to 350.

Place rolls into oven. Bake for 30-35 minutes or until all the buns have gotten a nice golden brown on top, and if you want to take the internal temp, that the temp has reached 190.%u00a0

Once the buns are done %u00a0baking, mix together the zest and juice of the lemon and powdered sugar. If the glaze seems to thick, add more juice or water, to think, add more sugar. Pour glaze all over warm (but not hot) buns.

And now all you need to do is serve up those buns right away, nice and warned.

Any left overs should be stored in the fridge for 3-4 days but should definitely be warmed up in the microwave for a minute or two before serving. They also freeze well too.%u00a0

I still can’t believe that we bought a new house,%u00a0 not even a week ago. %u00a0Like whoa holy crap!

And with any fantastic and great house that the mr and I would buy, this place needs a fair amount of work (a few walls down, a small addition to the upstairs, and new kitchen and bathrooms to start) But other then the small details of that, this place is a freaking gem. I am more then excited to get to it and start removing, ripping and tearing out the crap to unearth and enhance the beautiful old house to it’s glory! Oh man is it going to be a long, fun filled, couple of months ahead of us!

So the day after we closed, we had a bunch of our family and friends come over to check out the place. Me being me, I needed to test out the new kitchen before we completely gut it and like any good hostess, I just had to make sure I had some snacky , good smelling, bakes treat for all the folks coming in and out of the place. So I made muffins. My initial thought was cookies, but I really didn%u2019t want to have to hover over the stove and plus, I had a bunch of sweet potatoes and cranberries that needed using up (sound familiar, this is the muffin for you)

And bonus, the house filled up wit the sweet smell of baking. (That was my plan) and the muffins, they were a hit!

The kitchen!!! Isn%u2019t it %u00a0so freaking ugly cute fantastic? Check those windows out.%u00a0

So back to the muffins.%u00a0I was being practical and premixed up some of the stuff %u00a0and brought it over to the house.%u00a0

The stuff. A bowl of all purpose and whole wheat flour along with some salt, baking powder and soda, cinnamon and ginger. And a bowl of wet which has a a bakes sweet potato, oil, and brown sugar. And a cup of almond millk with a bit of vinegar mixed in and a jar of mostly %u00a0chopped up fresh cranberries

Mix the crap out of the wet until the mixture is mostly smooth. I used a plan old baked sweet potato %u00a0for this but feel free to use any left over seer potato %u00a0casserole you have laying around for this, just adjust spices if there are a bunch already in the potato.

Dump the wet mixture into the (already mixed up) dry mixture and mix along with the vinegar-%u00a0almond milk until everything is just combined (don’t over mix the batter!).

Grab cranberries and fold them into batter. Also can totally use up any cranberry situation you might have left over (maybe not the canned jello kind})

Batter into greased muffin tins and into the preheated oven they go.

More kitchen. Check out that dish washer, its pretty awesome. I am not going to keep it, but I don’t want to trash it, its too freaking cool. So anyone want a dishwasher? (still work)%u00a0%u00a0The fridge is new, but we are going to move it to storage and use it in one of our apartments eventually and get a new fringe.%u00a0 The counters and the cabinets are getting donated and the fake brick background is staying. (HAHA) F no.. That%u2019s coming down like today and unfortunately the super cute flower wallpaper has to come down with it. (I kinda wanted to keep it.. oh well)

%u00a0And the little window.. so my favorite part. I have never had me a nice kitchen window before.%u00a0

The othe side of kitchen, where this amazing stove lives.%u00a0 The stove works, but it%u2019s a little rough. The door is slightly coming off and broiler pan is broken, but other then that, it works fine.%u00a0I have even though I might try to fix it up and keep it. (the mr is not into that) We will see, but I think we are going to get a new one. (and donate this one).%u00a0

So kitchen tour is done Back to the muffins.

%u00a0Once they are all nice and golden brown and a tester comes out clean, these babies are done! Take out of oven and remove from pan and let cool on a rack.

The perfect snack for any occasion%u00a0

Happy (hopefully relaxing) weekend!

-C

makes 12-14

• 1 cup sweet potato puree
• 3/4 cup all purpose flour
• 1 cup whole wheat flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon ginger
• 3/4 cup brown sugar
• 1/3 cup oil
• 1cup almond (or whatever) milk
• 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
• 1 cup fresh chopped cranberries%u00a0

Note.. use any left over sweet potato stuff or cranberry sauces that you might have left over.. just adjust seasonings to taste.

Preheat oven to 350

Start by measuring out your almond %u00a0milk and adding in the tablespoon of apple cider vinegar. Set aside.%u00a0In a large bowl whisk together the flours, baking soda and powder, the salt and the cinmoan and ginger. In a separate bowl, mix together the sugar, sweet potato, and the oil until well combined. Dump the wet into the dry and mix together along with the almond milk unit just combined (don’t over mix!)%u00a0Dump in chopped cranberries and fold them in.%u00a0

Grease a muffin pan and scoop equal amonts of batter into the tin and place into oven. Bake until golden brown and a tester comes clean from a muffin middle.%u00a0

Remove from oven and let cool on a rack

Eat.

I am sadly at my last few bags of frozen garden foods from last season. As of now I have a bag of tomatoes, a couple bags of shredded zucchini, and a bag of rhubarb. Well, had a bag of rhubarb. I think I have eaten almost all of it already. My rhubarb patch better get up and producing stalks soon. And as for the rest of the veggies that I will require. Guess I am going to be surviving mostly on roots from farm share (we are getting a lot more greens though!!!!) and probably doing a bit more grocery shopping then I care too. A few more months. I can do it.

Anyway, enough about my freezer and lack of fresh produce problems.

Here in Vermont maple season is well on it%u2019s way making it a perfect time for anything maple. And rhubarb. Yeah I am using my frozen rhubarb from last year, but any time now (after the snow melts) there will be plenty of stalks for the taking. There will be so much maple and so much fresh rhubarb which are the perfect taste combination. Exciting times! And when added to oatmeal, things just get more gooder. (I know gooder is not a word but I think it should be) Oatmeal, especially baked, is the stuff where all gooder things start.

Have you had baked oatmeal yet? It truly is fantastic. Not at all gummy and gloopy like stove topped cooked oatmeal (but I like it like that too). It still has a good bite to it while still being soft and creamy and boy oh boy is it just the bees knees. With the addition of some crunchy almond friends, well even better. Trust me. If you are a oatmeal eater, you must try it baked. Best part is that it can be eaten as breakfast but also I have been serving it to the mr for dessert with a healthy drizzle of more maple. It%u2019s that good friends. From breakfast to dessert. Everyone is happy.

To the baked oatmeal.

The stuff. Old fashion oats, cinnamon, salt, baking powder, rhubarb (fresh or frozen), REAL maple syrup, some plant milk, a few flax eggs, a bit of tahini, and some almonds.

To start. Oats, cinnamon. salt, baking powder and almonds get a quick toss together in a big bowl.

If you rhubarb is not already chopped up into inch long pieces, do that. I already did before freezing it so yea me. Once its chopped, layer almost all of it (reserve a few small needful to toss on top) into a lightly greased 9×9 inch baking dish then cover evenly with the oat mixture.

In now empty bowl mix together the milk, the flax eggs, the tahini, and the maple until evenly incorporated.

Pour the wet mixture all over the oats and let it absorb.

Once the liquid is all absorbed , top with any left over almonds and the left over rhubarb. For good looks.

Pop into a hot oven to bake.

Golden brown with crispy edges. Rhubarb and maple baked oatmeal for all your maple, oaty and rhubarbie needs.

Fresh from the oven scooped warm into bowls. Top with extra maple if thats what you should want do.

Enjoy and happy maple season!

-C

Make a 9×9 pan of oatmeal

• 2 1/2 cups old fashion oats (make sure gluten free if need be)

• 1 teaspoon baking powder

• 1/2 teaspoon salt

• 2 teaspoon cinnamon

• 1/3 cup maple syrup plus more for serving

• 1 tablespoon tahini or any other nut butter

• 2 flax eggs (2 tablespoons ground flax seed with 6 tablespoons warm water)

• 2 1/2 cups fresh or frozen rhubarb chopped into inch long pieces

• 1 1/2 cup plant milk (water works but it won%u2019t be as creamy)

• 1/2 cup chopped almonds (optional)

Preheat oven to 375

Lightly grease a 9×9 inch baking pan (I used metal because it makes for crisper edges but glass works too) and dump 2 cups of the rhubarb in and evenly distribute on the bottom. In a large bowl mis the oats, the baking powder, salt, and cinnamon together. Mix in chopped nuts if you are using. Evenly cover rhubarb with oat mixture. In now empty bowl mix together the milk, flax eggs, maple syrup, and tahini until evenly incorporated. Pour mixture over oats. Let the mixture sit for a few minutes until the oats have abosbed all the liquid. Toss the rest of the diced rhubarb and a few more chop nuts to the top and pop into the oven to bake.

Bake for 30-40 minutes (shorter time for a wetter oatmeal, longer for a denser crispier oatmeal)

Once baked to your likeness, remove from oven and let cool for a few minutes just so it is not super hot. Scoop into bowls and serve warm with extra maple and milk or whatever you might want to serve with it.

Left overs last great in fridge for 3-4 days or individual portions can be frozen for a month or two. Just pop into microwave for a couple minutes to warm up.

We need fresh, we need green, we need color.

We need salad. %u00a0

The other night I made Megan’s birthday dinner which consisted of pizza and salad. The pizza was pizza and everyone loved it and ate it, but what surprised me was how everyone was really into the salad. A big ass bowl or fresh greens with onions and I think carrots and cabbage and some cranberries I pulled form the freezer and candies almonds. Simple and not fussy, and everyone was just so happy to eat it. I felt like a salad genus and now I am full on into making fun awesome spring salads. (I have to keep reminding myself that yes, it is indeed spring.%u00a0So what we got snow yesterday, it will melt, right????%u00a0)%u00a0

So I bring to you a a bowl of fresh crispy spring greens with crunch and bite and creaminess and flavor. A salad that will bring you joy and satisfaction and maybe even anticipation for your next salad adventure.%u00a0Not to mention a salad that looks so dang pretty.%u00a0

Get into the green. You will be as happy as a rabbit in a garden.%u00a0

The stuff. Greens, red onion, an avocado, almonds, blueberries, and a lemon. Also need some maple syrup, olive oil, red wine vinegar, and salt and pepper.%u00a0

A couple teaspoons of maple %u00a0go in with the almonds. Really toss make sure they are all coated.

Place the almonds into a hot skillet cook for about 5-7 minutes or until the maple has become sticky and the almonds no longer raw.%u00a0

When they are done,%u00a0dump them onto a piece of parchment to cool. Don worry if they clung a little, you can break them apart once they are hard.%u00a0

Easy ass dressing. Blueberries. juice from the lemon, olive oil, vinegar, a tiny splash of maple, and a good pinch or pepper.%u00a0

Blended then done. Taste and season with salt if needed.%u00a0

Avocado gets cut into small chunks and the onion get s thinly sliced.

It’s all ready, so now make a salad

Makes 2-3 %u00a0salads%u00a0

• 1/4 pound greens ( I used spring mix but mesclun mix or spinach is good too)%u00a0
• 1/2 %u00a0red onion
• 1 avocado

For the Almonds%u00a0

• 1/3 cup raw halved or slivered almonds
• 2 teaspoons maple syrup%u00a0

For the Blueberry lemon Vinaigrette%u00a0

• 1/3 cup blueberries (I used %u00a0frozen)
• 1 lemon
• 1 Tablespoon olive oil
• 2 Tablespoon red wine vinegar
• 1/2 teaspoon maple syrup
• pinch or salt
• pinch or pepper

To make the %u00a0candied almonds, preheat a skillet to on medium heat on top of the stove.%u00a0Place almonds into a small bowl and drizzle with maple syrup. Stir to coat. When the pan is hot, dump the maple covered almond into it and spread them out. Cook for a 3 minutes, then give a stir and cook for a 3 or so more minutes or until the maple has evaporated and the almonds are starting to brown. Dump the almonds directly onto a piece of parchment paper to cool and hardened. Do worry if they stick together a bit, you can break them apart after.%u00a0

To make the vinaigrette,%u00a0place the berries into a jar (if using stick blender) or blender with the juice of the lemon, olive oil, vinegar, maple, and a pinch of pepper Blend until smooth. Taste then add a very small pinch of salt or more to taste.%u00a0

For salad. Thinly slice the onion and dice the avocado. Place greens into bowl(s) and toss with onions and avocado. Top with %u00a0candied almonds and drizzle all over with the vinaigrette. Grab a fork and eat.

Any left over dressing will last in fridge for about a week and left over almonds will be good for.a few weeks in a airtight container.%u00a0%u00a0%u00a0