I think that my favorite thing abut summer is probably the food. Yeah, no, definitely all the food. If it weren’t for all the delicious amazing things that grow during these summer months, I would probably hate summer. Well, I mean, not hate it because summer is nice when it it nice, but lately it has not been so nice and so I am trying to make myself feel better by finding all the good things that I like about summer. Summer trees, summer flowers, the smell of fresh cut grass, river rocks, summer sandals, summer… well that’s what I got right now. But summer produce, that is the best and what keeps me happy when I am extremely over heated and over sunned and just want a blast of cold air accompanied by some dark clouds, a sweater and the smell of decomposing leaves. Obviously I am being a little crank butt, and I actually do usually like me some summertime, I am just over this summer. To hot, to humid, to dry. I am ready to move on.
But back to the good parts of summer that I am not over. The food. The corn is flowing steadily (I am getting on average 10 pieces of corn a week from the farm. That is a lot of corn for 2 people, one of which says he doesn’t like corn), the kale is growing in super abundance in the garden, and it’s is for sure blueberry season. When we have those three things and we toss in a avocado, as little onion, and lots of lime juice , BAM, another super fantastic summertime eating time, reason that summer can be a ok. Makes all the heat a little worth it.
I am telling you, this is my new favorite food combination. Blueberries are magical (I think so anyway) and really add the perfect little sweetness, tartness, and texture to this salad. Crisping up the kale and corn elevates the deliciousness, and avocado always is welcome is any salad situation. This is one of those salads that you will make for yourself and then immediately want to make for someone you like because it is so good you want to share. OR you just want to make it for yourself again because you could share or you could just eat more of it yourself. It’s ok either way, you do you.
The stuff. A cob of fresh corn. some fresh blueberries, a bunch of dinosaur kale, a lime, an avocado, a piece of a sweet onion, sea salt, pepper, and a little oil.
First off preheat the oven then cut the corn off the cob.
Then deal with the kale. Each leaf needs just the slightest bit of oil. The easiest way to do this is to dump a little oil into your hands and grab each piece of kale and rub your oily hands all over the kale.
After the kale is oiled, chop it into chunks. First place the corn on a baking sheet then add the kale on top. Placet it into the oven to get all crispy… The kale will might get crispy before the corn, which is fine because you can remove the kale then pop the corn back into the oven for a few more minutes to keep cooking if you want. Or you might just want to call it cooked, it’s your call.
I popped the corn back into the oven to get a little more color. I like a real crispy corn.
Cut up some onion and avocado into chunks.
And time to compile. Kale, onions, corn, avocado, blueberries, and lime juice. And don’t or get a sprinkle of sea salt and pepper.
Toss it all around and be delighted.
Just look at that salad. Who wouldn’t want to eat that?
Heres to summer salads….The reason I can barely stand the heat!
-C
makes one salad
10 or so large Lacinato (Dinosaur) Kale leaves
1 fresh cob of corn
1/2 of an avocado
1/2 cup fresh blueberries
1/4 of a sweet onion (about 1/4 cup diced)
1 lime
teaspoon olive oil
sea salt and pepper
Preheat oven to 350
Cut the corn off the con and place on a lightly oiled baking sheet. Take a little oil and rub into hands then grab the kale leaves ans rub oil all over them. Once oiled, rough chop into medium sized pieces (don’t chop small, it will shrink a lot in the oven). Place chopped kale on top of corn and stick into hot oven. Bake until the kale is crispy, about 12-15 minutes.. What closely after 10 minutes to prevent burning.
Remove the kale from the baking sheet and place in a large bowl. The corn will be cooked, but if you want to make it a little crispier , just toss it back into the oven for a few minutes. Once corn is to your liking, remove from pan and toss into two with the kale.
Small dice up some onion and dice up half of the avocado. Toss into the bowl with the kale and corn. And the blueberries, add those in. Sprinkle the whole shebang with a little sea salt and pepper and squeeze the juice of at least half of a lime all over (use the whole lie if you want) Give it all one last toss and that is it.
Eat your new favorite salad. Think about making it for all your favorite friends and family and how impressed they will be because this is one of those impressive salads. T
I got my first few ears or corn from the farm share this week which is exciting because I wait until we get corn from the farm to eat it. I figure that we get so much from the farm that there is no freaking way I am going to buy it and plus I know that that corn was picked a few hours before I got it. If you are going to eat corn, it needs to be fresh (life lesson).
Have I told you that the mr hates corn? I am pretty sure I have. I also have a theory that he really doesn’t hate it so I just go ahead and make food with corn in it. Then he eats it, likes it, and I am all like” AHA, you like corn be-otch! I win!” (not sure what I win). But then the next time I mention we have fresh corn and how would he like it he is all like, I hate corn. It’s a game we keep on playing.
So I got fresh corn, lots of tomatoes, and the kale is growing strong out back. I figured I would give the mr a break from all the zucchini for the night and make he a nice warm summer salad with the corn that he “hates”.
The mr ate it all and didn’t even mention corn so now I am thinking that he just hates the word corn and if I don’t say the word then there will be no problem. HA HA, I am a genius.
The stuff. A tomato, a ear of corn, some kale, a little balsamic vinegar, oil, and salt and pepper.
Chop the tomato and remove the corn from the cob.
Toss into an oven safe skillet with a drizzle of oil and a pinch of salt.
Now stick it into the oven
After about 10 minutes the tomato has fallen apart and the corn is all nice and tender.
While the skillet is still hot the vinegar goes in and the (chopped) kale goes in. Mix it all around until the kale wilts. And be careful, the pan is hot.
Dump it into a bowl, sprinkle with pepper, grab a fork, and you are on.
Happy eating.
-C
makes a salad for one or two small side salads
1 medium tasty tomato
1 ear of corn
like 4-5 good sized kale leaves
2-3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
oil of choice (i used avocado oil)
salt and pepper
You can cook this in or on the stove. I did it in the stove because I was baking anyway
Preheat oven to 425
Remove corn from cob and chop tomato into medium sized chunks. Toss into a oven safe skillet with a drizzle of oil and a little pinch of salt. Stick in oven and cook until the corn is tender and the tomatoes have fallen apart, about 10 minutes. Remove from oven and mix in vinegar. Chop kale into mouth sized pieces and toss into hot skillet. Mix around until kale starts to wilt. And it’s done. Serve with a pinch of pepper.
What a week, what a week. I have barely had time to think, let alone cook food.
I had the rhubarb that was in need of cooking, the corn is all over the place all super fresh, and I had me a few minutes in between running around to make some food.
I made this (what I now realize is succotash, which is such a fantastic word for food) a few weeks back, fell in love with it so I wanted to make it again. I also wanted to see if the mr would like it this time (he didn’t so much the last time) Says he is not a corn fan. But I don’t know, I still think he loves corn and just wants to be a pain in my ass and tell me he doesn’t. I figured that this time I made it, he would finally declare his love of corn, I mean, there is butt load of rhubarb in it too. And big creamy lima beans and nice sweet onion, and tomatoes. Yes it has a lot of corn, but it has so much more.
Well, he didn’t declare his love of corn. He did have a big scoop on his dinner plate, ate a bite or two then, picked out all the lima beans and chunks of rhubarb then told me that corn love wasn’t going to happen. He also aid that I should stop messing with the rhubarb and just make another pie.
What a butt face.
Whatever, more for me! And if you are awesome and you like sweet corn, tart rhubarb (corn and rhubarb together is the best) ,and are in need of a great summer side for any and all of your summertime food time needs, this is a winner. Super fast and easy to make, eaten warm or cold, and keeps well. It screams BBQ time. (Or 10 o’clock at night, standing in front of the fridge, eaten with a big spoon) It’s good whenever.
The stuff. Rhubarb, fresh corn, and some cooked lima beans. Also need a tomato, a sweet onion, red wine vinegar, salt ans pepper, a little olive oil and water (not pictured) and a few sprigs of fresh parsley.
The onion and rhubarb gets chopped up and tossed into a big skillet with a tiny bit of olive oil and a few splashes of water and place on the stove to cook a bit.
Corn needs to come off the cob. Do it the way you like, but I find holding corn vertical in a big bowl and cutting it down works best.
Slightly soft rhubarb and onions, ready for the other stuff.
Dump the corn, the tomato (chop it up first) the lima beans(drained) and a few splashes of vinegar into the skillet. Stir it all up and keep on heat for a few more minutes until the corn is just barely cooked and all the flavors have had a few minutes to meld.
Toss in some fresh chopped up parsley and season with salt and pepper…..
Into a pretty bowl for eating now or eating later.
This big ass bowl is all for me!!!!
Have the greatest weekend!
-C
2 ears of corn
4 fat stalks rhubarb (mine where about 10 inches long)
2 cups cooked lima beans
1/2 a sweet onion
1 tomato
fresh parsley
salt and pepper
few tablespoons red wine vinegar
olive oil
a few splashes of water
Chop the onion into small pieces then chop the rhubarb into smallish chunks. Toss the rhubarb and onion into a skillet with just a tiny bit of olive oil and a few splashes water. Place on the stove on medium heat and cook until the onion and rhubarb are slightly tender, but not to soft. If you need to, add a bit more water to the skillet to keep the stuff from browning or burning.
While the rhubarb is cooking, remove the corn from the cob and chop up the tomato into small chunks. Toss the corn, the tomato, the lima beans (drained) into the skillet with the rhubarb and onion. Pour in about 2-3 tablespoons of vinegar and season with salt and pepper. Mix and cook for another few minutes just until the corn get slightly cooked and all the flavors have had a few minutes to meld.
Remove from heat and dump into a bowl. Chop up a handful of fresh parsley and sprinkle all over
Serve right away warm or stick in the fridge and serve cold later.
I am a year round maker and consumer of soup.
With that being said, the nature of my soups change seasonally. My summertime soups are usually on the lighter side, made with the fresh bounty of the season, and spiced more on the light and floral side, opposed to the really deep and warm spices that I use all winter long,
This corn chowder is made just right. It had the perfect balance of hearty and creamy from the potatoes and use of pureed onion cream, but still light and refreshing from the sweet fresh corn and the lemony fresh thyme. It is for sure a great summertime soup (chowder) Even the Mr. was even really into it, and he claims he doesn’t like corn. (I say bullshit to that.. he eats corn all the time)
Now to chowder!
The Stuff. Some super fresh corn on the cob, a couple onions, a few chopped up potatoes and a chopped up carrot. Then we have a little oil, a lemon, dried thyme and salt and pepper.
To start, take an onion, chop it up, and toss into a large heavy pot with a little olive oil and a sprinkle of salt. Stick pot on stove on medium heat and cook until onions are soft and traslutcent. When the onions are done, remove and add to a blender or bowl. (if using a hand blender) Add in the juice of the lemon and blend it all up until nice a smooth.
You have now made a nice creamy cream that will help make the final product more, well more creamy without the use of cream (lets say cream on more time !) .Set aside.
When the pot is empty again, add in the rest of the stuff, including the cobs of the corn, (they hold a butt load of flavor) the dried thyme, and salt and pepper. Place on stove and add enough water to completely submerge the veggies. Keep pot on a medium heat, add a lid, and stir ever once in a while. Cook until the potatoes are nice and tender. (when the potatoes are done, so is everything else)
Now that everything is all cooked up, remove the cobs and stir in the onion puree.
Now with a hand blender, blend up until the chowder is thick and smooth, but still nice and chunky. (If you are working with a blender, just remove about half of the soup and blend up, then dump back in) The optimal chunkiness is up to you , so blend, check the chunk, then blend a little more if needed. If you feel that the soup is to thick, add in a little more water, or to thin, just cook down o little longer.
Once you like the constituency,season to taste with salt and pepper and place pot back on a simmer until you are ready to serve.
And thats how we make corn chowder
It tastes best serves in the daintiest of the cups, sprinkled heavily with cracked pepper, and with a side of some cracker situation (Saltines would be best, but sometime there are only triscits in the house)
Summertime is for chowder!
HAPPY Humpday Wednesday!!!
-C
Makes a pot big enough for 4-6 nice decent sized servings
2 fresh ears of corn
3 medium (tennis ball sized) red or white potatoes
2 white or yellow onions
1 carrot
Juice of a lemon
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 1/2 tablespoons dried thyme
salt and pepper
To start, peel and dice one whole onion and toss into pot with olive oil and stick on medium heat. Cook onions until translucent and fragrant. Remove from pot and add cooked onions and the lemon juice to a blender and puree until smooth and set aside.
While you are cooking down the onions, dice up the carrot and onion, remove the corn kernels from the cob, and chop up the potatoes. Once you have removed the first batch of onions, toss in corn, onions, carrot, potatoes, and the dried thyme. Stir around in the pot on medium heat for a few minutes just to warm up the spices. Add the cobs into the pot and fill with enough water to cover the stuff in the pot. Place back on medium heat with a lid and cook for another 20ish minutes, or until potatoes are super tender and almost falling apart.
Remove cobs from pot and add in the onion puree. Now either remove about half the soup and place in the bender and blend up til smooth, or use a hand blender and blend up chowder until you get your desired chunkiness. If you think the chowder seems to thick, add in more water, or to thin, just cook down a little longer on the stove.
When ready to eat, ladle chowder into a cup or bowl and add lots of fresh cracked pepper.
Serve with a cracker and a spoon to eat it with.
It seems that everywhere I turn this week, there corn. So much so that its coming out of my ears…..get it.. ears! (yes I am that lame)
Yup, its now officially (but unofficially) summer and that means 2 things, well 3 things. First, we eat corn. Secondly, It’s hot out, and get so hot in our little tiny loft that having the oven on is like torture so I avoid it at all costs. And lastly, I seem to always have less time(or forget) to make dinner cause, you know, I am outside running around with my head cut off.
The solution to the last two…..Quesadillas.
I probably make the mister quesadillas at least 5 time a week. They are just so easy to make (takes about 8 minutes) are full of some kind of veggie situation and lots of cheese (which is the misters favorite food group). You can make one, for a quick lunch, or very easily make 10 to feed a few people for a easy dinner. (everyone likes a quesadilla!). And even though I cooked these particular ones inside, quesadillas are great made outside on the grill. They just make so much sense.
And so it goes.
Summertime + corn = Charred corn and kale quesadillas.
The Stuff. Freshy freshy corn on the cob. A few flour tortillas, a bunch of chopped kale and some shredded cheese. (I used pepper jack)
With a sharp knife, cut the corn off the cob. I find using a deep bowl works best to catch corn, and you could even invert another little bowl inside to rest the cob for easier cutting (I skipped extra bowl.. once less dish to wash)
While you are cutting the corn, preheat a large pan on medium high heat.
Once the pan is hot, toss the corn kernels right on into it and sprinkle with salt and pepper Let cook for a minutes or two, then give it a stir and cook for another minute.
After about 4 minutes the corn turns bright yellow and starts to char. Remove pan from heat and toss in the chopped up kale.
And compile the quesadilla. Tortilla, grated cheese, corn and kale, more cheese if you please, and top with anther tortilla. Place assembled quesadilla into the pan and place on medium heat. Cook both sides until brown and cheese is ooey gooey.
Remove from pan and cut into triangles (or any shape you want)
Serve right away. Can be eaten on a napkin, plate, or directly off the counter.
Not needed, but it would be nice of you to serve with a little avocado, salsa, or sour cream.
Happy Tuesday!
-C
Makes two 8 inch quesadillas
Four 8 inch flour tortillas (use gluten free if needed)
2 ears of fresh corn
3-4 larges kale leaves
1 cup* shredded pepper jack cheese (use vegan cheese if needed)
*Note. Use more cheese if you want
Preheat a large pan on medium high. While the pan is heating up, cut the corn from the cob. Once pan is hot, toss corn kernels into hot skillet and sprinkle with a pinch of salt and pepper. Give corn a stir after a few minutes. Once the kernels start to turn bright yellow and get a little charred, remove pan from heat. Chop up kale into little pieces and toss into pan with the corn while the pan is still hot. Mix around and let the kale wilt a bit from the residual heat.
Ready your tortilla. Place half the cheese onto totilla, add on half of the corn and kale mixture, sprinkle with a bit more cheese and top with another tortilla. Place onto now empty pan and heat up quesadilla until brown on both sides and chesse is melty. Remove from skillet and cut into triangle. Repeat for the second quesadilla.
Serve right away with or without some guacamole, salsa, or sour cream.
plates are not required.
How awesome will you be when you bring the most freaking amazing tortilla chips to the party this weekend? You will be like..”what, it ain’t no thang.. I am just good like that” Yes, yes you are.
And yes, I am assuming that you will be making these awesome chippers to share at a Super Bowl part this weekend. I say this because even as I sit here writing this (with the TV on) there has been nothing but football talk…deflated balls, hot wings, half time shows and commercials. It’s almost as big as Christmas. Got to get the decorations, the special game day food and your football jerseys. It’s crazy and all over the place. So that’s why I am assuming you are making these for the game. But if you not going to be participating in any football parties.. by all means, make these chips for yourself anyways. Celebrate you day! Have a non football watching party. Or just make these whenever. Jalapeño Lime chips for everyday!
Note: You can make these chips without the jalaeno and or the lime if you need or want to. You can also stop after the first step and have some dank corn totillas for tacos ands stuff..But definitely make the chips… worth it for sure!
All the stuff.. Masa harina, hot water, salt, a lime and a jalapeño. Zest lime and place half the zest into a glass bowl with oil and either sit on warm oven or microwave for 30 seconds to infuse. Puree the jalapeño with a cup of hot water and add the puree and half the zest of a lime, plus salt, to the masa harina. Mix it all up with another 1/2 cup of water or enough to make the dough resemble play dough… You can add more water or masa if you dough is to wet or dry.
Knead dough a few times just to make sure it’s completely uniformed and divide into 12-14 equal pieces. Place balls on a plate and cover with a wet paper towl to keep from drying out.
I do not own a tortilla press so I used what I had… wax paper, a wooded cutting board and brunt force. I took each ball and place it between the two pieces of the waxed paper, placed the cutting board on top, and with all my might and body weight, pressed down to smoosh. It works like a charm.
My cast iron skillet is big enough to cook 2 -3 at a time, but doing one at a time is cool too. Preheat the skillet to medium heat. Cook each tortilla for about 2-3 minutes ( or until starting to brown) on each side. Half way there to chips!!!
With my fingers ( you can using a basting brush for sure), I rubbed a little of the lime oil all over both sides of each tortilla. Stacked a few high, then sliced those tortillas into triangle shapes. If you want to go crazy, you could cut them into strips or even use a cookie cutter and do some fun shapes… but triangle are easy, classic, and practical. A good shape for dipping!
Placed all nice and cozy on a baking sheet. trying not to overlap. Into a 400 degree oven for about 20 minutes to complete the chip making process.. After about 15 minutes, check for doneness. When nice a crispy, remove from oven, squeeze lime juice all over and sprinkle with salt. I then stuck them back in the oven for a few more minutes just to dry the lime..
After cooling down, take those chips and stick them in a bowl.
Eat a few, but wait and save them for the party. Or better yet, make a few batches. Bring a batch, eat a batch. (Its ok, you are allowed)
Eat with some salsa, maybe some of this guacamole, or just as they are…Anyway is the right way as long as you are eating!
Have fun making these and have fun getting read for the party this weekend (Super Bowl or not!)
-C
Jalapeño Lime Tortilla Chips
Makes 12-14 tortillas.. then made into a medium bowl of tortilla chips.
Ingredients
2 cups masa harina
1 1/2 to 1 3/4 cups hot water
1 teaspoon salt
1 lime (juice and zest)
1 large or 2 small jalapeños
2 tablespoons olive oil
salt
To start, zest lime and add 1/2 of the zest to bowl with the oil. Place oil on warm spot on stove to let the oil infuse the limeness.
Take jalapeno and puree with 1 cup of hot water. In a large bowl, add puree and remaining lime zest to the masa harina and mix, adding an additional 1/2 to 1 cup of hot water until the dough resembles play dough, not to soft, but not to dry and completely incorporated
Divide dough into 12-14 balls and place on a plate under a wet paper towel to keep dough from drying out.
One at a time, take a dough ball and place between two pieces of wax or parchment paper. Place either a plate or cutting board on top and press down as hard as you can (you could even stand on it). Remove flatten tortilla from paper and place in medium hot skillet. Cook each tortilla for 2-3 minutes on each side.
When all tortillas have been made, lightly rub lime oil on all over both sides. Stack a few on top of each other and cut into triangles. Place pieces on a baking sheets (I used 2) and bake at 400 for 15- 20 minutes or until lightly browned and crunchy. When chips are done, remove from oven, squeeze or sprinkle lime juice on chips and sprinkle with salt. Stick back into oven for another 2 or so minutes to re-crisp from the lime juice.
Remove and let cool completely, then dump into a bowl
August for real. What happened to the year? This summer is just flying by and even though it has been so freaking dumb hot for like ever, It feels like it just begun. I bet it’s because of the heat, that my brain is not functioning right and that I have lost all concept of time. But you know what August means.. August means soon to be fall. And that is just fine by me because I really am craving some apples and I miss my sweaters. Oh how I miss them so.
Last week started off at Bread and Puppet which was awesome per usual. Lots of big puppets, lot of people in white, people sprawled all over the grass. Politically charged, funny and beautiful. I am always so entranced when we go to the circus. If you are anywhere near Glover VT on a Sunday this summer, go, check it out, it’s freaking awesome. And right down the road from the puppet field is Jes’s farm where ee tried out her new Hipcamp site. The spot was great, the views were awesome, and the mr was right near a stream so he was a happy fisher. I on the other hand was just excited to be away from town. Read for a while and crawled int the tent as soon as the sun went down (kind of similar to my bedtime routine at hime too) And sure there was a tick (the mr), a leech,(also the mr) and a lot of peeing on ones foot while squatting (me) but other then that, it was fantastic and just what we needed.
Then we returned and did life. Had dinner with my mom and the littles, placed Coco in a planter, made Miley and Judah gigantic ice cream cones, and watched Barb make all the best faces a happy, peppy 18 year old girl can make. Wednesday Nicks sister Emma came over for dinner and shot the shit with us for a while then Thursday came around which entailed lots of mid summer running around, fixing this, doing that, farm share (so many tomatoes) and getting ready to leave the coming day.
Friday Shannon, Megan, the mr, and I hopped into the car and drove down to Rhode Island for the afternoon to spend some time with our Uncle Seth. The mr drove the whole way there while Megan squeaked and squealed in the back set and us girls counted and organized the amount of times and where we moved to growing up (I was at 19 times by 16.. I guess we were a family of gypsies). Had a good lunch with David, checked out a grave yard and a giant glass circle, then made our way over to Seths loft for a visit. We were all in need of a good Seth visit. Just to hear him laugh or see him smile was such a great gift. And after our visit we went to Whole Foods to buy Whole Foods, and jumped back into the car, the mr driving the whole time, Megan squeaking and squealing in the back set, until we made it home…..Very late. I feel asleep for a few hours, woke up, went to work, loaded and unload some kilns, came home, cleaned the house, then pass the fuck out. It was a long week.
The mr and I are doing Sunday like we did last week. We both have a few things to do this morning but then we are going to meet at home for lunch and head out. Where to, not exactly sure, but we aren’t coming back until tomorrow morning. The camping stuff is still out, the weather is suppose to be hot and humid but sunny, so there really isn’t any reason to no run away up a mountain or into the woods. And I think I deserve a good long day of not talking to anyone. Camp coffee, a good book, and a soft place to set my head. It will be good.
Internet reading from the week.
-WHen anyone complains about any anything, the first thing I ask is if they have had any water lately… Most people, especially littles, say no. Off Your Mental Game? You Could Be Mildly Dehydrated
–Which Vision Of Farming Is Better For The Planet?.
-Kind of in love with these Improvised Wall Tapestries Crafted with Vibrant Thread Combinations. I want rub my face into them.
–These animals spend their whole lives waiting to have sex, and then they die. So there is that.
–When Your Name Doesn’t Feel Like You. I can totally see show this could be a thing that some people have to deal with. I like my name, and I think it totally fits me. But I have known (take my uncle Seth for example) people that have hanged their names. I mean, it’s something you have to deal with for your entire life so you know, own it or change it I guess.
-I would barf if I lived here, but it’s cool. A Colorful, Geometric Wonderland That Might Feel Like You’ve Jumped Inside a Kaleidoscope
–Why Does It Seem Like Everyone Is Getting Sick from Salad? This is one good reason (of many) to eat as locally as you can and know exactly where your food comes from.
–How Explorers Sleep in Extreme Spots. Whoa.
-I have definitely rented a book because of its pretty flower cover (I just picked up My Absolute Darling) How Publishing’s Floral-Print Trend Came to Rule the World’s Bookshelves. I really appreciate a good cover. For some reason pictures of people on overs bother me.
–For More Flavorful Desserts, Forget This Ingredient. IT would probably benefit more then just flavor too.
And all of a sudden the world is green and it is mazing and magical. The best time of the year, when all the cool and wet weather pays off with sunshine and flowers and the greenest greens. No longer freezing and it is yet to be too freaking hot. Spring spring SPRING. It is not lost on me. I take it, I suck it up, I appreciate it all. Even the cray cray rain storms. What a time, what a time.
Last week we started off Sunday going to see some jumping fish. We packed our lunches, grabbed the camera, drove the 2 hours to the river and sat around watching and waiting. Sadly we saw no jumping fish. And that was that in case you were wondering. One of these years we will see it.
The rest of the week has been a little crazy. In between work and chores and life stuff, just about every day we have had anywhere between 2-4 littles. What for their parents needed a sitter or a ride here and there cause their car broke down. Or just some aunt and uncle hang time because who doesn%u2019t want to hang with us? So beside the mr finish off the trophies for the Lund Family Fund Raiser, me working the pug mill at the studio, or us trying to trade off the car in hopes that we both can get where we need to go in time for getting there. (Oh man the car thing, that is a whole other beast.) Yeah, it%u2019s been busy and hectic. On the bright side we have spent a lot of the time running around outside, drawing, and eating. A few little highlights. One of the nights So was feeling a little sick and Coco was feeling mean and wouldn’t let her nap on the couch so she ended up dragging a bunch of pillows into the pantry and falling asleep. It just made sense. Then there was Judah with his mad drawing skills drawing me pictures of vegetables (amazing) then farting with his armpits. And Miley, with her tude and phone. Getting her to hang out and just be sweet was nice. And Coco. That freaking little. Always happy, always eating, always causing trouble. Loves to run into the garden and jump all over the couch covered in peanut butter. (that is the baby, not me. ha) We found him a three wheeler. His legs might be too short but we will figure it out. It is gonna be a fun summer!
After the week long little marathon that ended with sticky littles eating pancakes (and being dangerously low on maple syrup), thrift store shopping (I scored the best new photo piece), and stopping in on my maybe future new bike(???), I came home and cleaned the crap out of everything. It never fails to amaze me how gross kids can be. The toilet alone, well, lets not go there.
Today, as it is Mothers Day and all, I am going to be a dutiful daughter and go see my Mama. Right now (at the wee early hour of 5 am, I%u2019m about to pop some bread and then a cake into the oven as offerings. We are going over around lunch so I%u2019m going make focaccia grilled cheeses (with the fresh bread) and hand over the blueberry cake that she loves. Then hopefully just spend a couple hours drinking lots of coffee and chilling on the porch.
Look at me, I am such a good daughter.
Links of interest on the internet.
–Yes, I’m In School for Nutrition. No, I Don’t Want to Hear About Your Diet. I feel this. Sometimes people feel like they need to tell me everything they eat, for approval or something. And I actually don%u2019t mind talking about what people eat. I’ll even make suggestions about foods that I like to eat or ways to prepare certain things but I stay away from telling people what not to eat%u2026 (people always assume I am going to tell them to not eat meat. I say, I do me. You do you.)
-I don%u2019t know how may times I have seen Bill and Teds Excellent Adventure. This should be good. PlusI totally have a thing for Keanu Reeves. Bill & Ted are embarking on a third excellent adventure next year
–How Weeds Help Fight Climate Change. Weeds are not the problem friends. The chemicals that people use to get rid of them are!
-If you are interested in VT State Parks, here its the list of all the parks opening days. Can%u2019t wait for CAMPING!!!
-Did you go through an Arizona iced tea phase? I had a very brief stint with the green tea%u2026 I can%u2019t even imagine drinking one now. The Dream of the %u201990s Is Alive in AriZona Iced Tea
–An Interview With A Man Who Eats Leftover Food From Strangers’ Plates In Restaurants. I think this is awesome and have much respect.
-A question the I didn%u2019t know I wanted answered until I read this article. Why do cats%u2014and so many other animals%u2014look like they%u2019re wearing socks?
-I get all sorts of feels when I see pandas. MY favorite favorite animal growing up. I carried a pink polka dotted panda around with me for years. SO many panda things. So this is fantastic and I hope to visit one day and hug me a panda (with pink polka dots) China%u2019s new panda park will be three times bigger than Yellowstone
–I have heard and seen some crazy fights in the past in places we have lived. A good few actually. It is never a comfortable thing but sadly, we got used to it. Listening to My Neighbors Fight
-Mothers Have Been Complaining About Mother%u2019s Day Breakfast in Bed for More than Half a Century. Why Does It Go On?. I am a strict, NO FOOD! in bed person. It just have zero desire to eat in bed so breakfast in bed sounds terrible to me. Plus I am awake at 430 every morning and I don%u2019t eat for a few hours after I wake up. It just wouldn%u2019t work.
And pictures from the week.
Hey hey hey! Happy Sunday. Hope you are finding yourself happy and relaxed and enjoying all the good things the world is giving us. Like coffee and green things. All the coffee, all the green things for sure.
Another week that came and left and now it%u2019s May. MAY! Can you even? The time, where does it all go? (an existential question for you) Our week (and time) started off with a chilly wet jaunt to a river. We were going to go out to the kingdom to watch the salmon jump out of the river but it was just to dang cold and rainy so we decided to hold off on it. But we did make our way to a river near by so the mr could officially toss in a fly line into some water. I guess fishing season started a week or two back but we have had so much rain that it has not been great for fishing, or being outside much for that matter. Anyway, he got a few casts in so he is happy.
Wet and raw weather wise was the way of the weather this week. We did have a few breaks of sun which lead to an impromptu afternoon hike just because the sun came out. It was fantastic, or started off that way. Up and down and around the woods to the very flooded lake. Half the way through the hike we ended up at a boardwalk that had a little water coverage, which was fine because someone placed nice big rocks to pass over. Or so I thought. A few steps in and the bridge gave away and into the lake I went. Just my feet and up my legs a bit, but yeah. I just stood there in shock for what seemed like minutes but eventually made my way to the other side of the bridge, drenched boots and all. The rest of the hike was soggy, but hey, I was outside and there was sun and I wasn%u2019t freezing cold so yeah. Could have been worse. It could have been the mr who went in and I really really would not want to have had to deal with him hiking back with drenched feet. Now if my hiking boats would dry out. That would be great.
Other then our little outdoor adventures, the week went the way the weeks does with work and all. The mr running around frantic, having doors, making room for giant ass wood slabs in the barn, wheeling and dealing.
Friday was all day studio work. Lots and lots of pugging clay. While I was at work the mr picked up littles (Miley, So, and Judah) and they all came to the studio to pick me up. It is always a great way to get people to listen and leave the studio when they are suppose to when a bunch of kids rush in and start demanding food. People, at least the clay people, are scared of hungry little kids. Ha. Off we all went, me covered head to tow in clay. Found out in the car that Judah was sick (so sad) so he went home and it turned into a girls night sleep over. Pizza, soup, and peanut butter sandwiches for dinner. We went walking/piggyback riding, the mr and Miley played with the new wood brander which included fire and hot metal. The mr took them to the store to pick out ice cream while I tried to clean myself up, they came back ,ate lots of ice cream, then showered and brushed hair without arguments. They picked out movies without fighting (movies about ballerinas and singing animals) and happily curled up together on the floor. Me being me with no attention span or energy left skipped the movies and went to bed. When I went to wake them up the next morning, I found out that they had woke up (or never went to sleep) in the middle of the night to draw and do yoga? Yeah, I don%u2019t exactly know what went on. What I do know is my yoga mat was upstairs and I remember waking up in the middle of the night to sounds of the wall being kicked a bunch, and there were drawings of crazy things and colored pencils everywhere that were not there when I left them the night before. Hey, if that is what they want to do in the middle of the night, more power to them.
After pancakes and cartoons, the ladies and the mr spent the morning going through a million awesome shells. I guess someone had massive shell collection and gave it over to the mr. Neither of us are really shell people, I mean a few cool ones, but this collection was INSANE. SO we gave them all to the littles. And gave the littles a boxes to bring home to their siblings. They can have all the shells, we are good here.
We dropped girls off, ran around doing errands, then came home and I putz in the yard before going about cleaning the house. Lots of dirt and mud and sticky shit on everything. I just don%u2019t know where it comes from. Well I do actually. And it%u2019s mostly not me so yeah.
Today the mr and I actually are heading out to the kingdom. We need to see some fish jump. A few hours back and forth will give me time for some open window car rid air and reading if it doesn%u2019t make me puke. Picnic lunch by the river and afternoon road coffee. Hopefully we get home in time for me to spend at least a good few hours in the garden to ooh and awe at the stuff that is starting to pop out of the ground and maybe figure out if it%u2019s a perennial I planted or just a weed. Good thing I like weeds too or else I would be terribly disappointed a lot of the time.
Have a few extra minutes? Take a look at some interesting internet from the week.
–The Obamas Are Making a Kids%u2019 Food Show on Netflix. Oh HELL YEAH! And I am not a kid but I am gonna watch it.
-What a great business/environmentally awesome/ logical/ just plain right idea. Toronto Restaurant Fights Waste By Chopping Menu Prices Till Food Is Gone
-Some serious boldness. Bold Line Drawings Layered on Top of Deconstructed Images of Fruit, Flowers, and Animals in Tattoos by Mattia Mambo.
–Rise of the Lady Backpack. Purse. Please. Back packs are the best, but to be honest, I mostly stick to nothing, just my wallet and keys in a pocket. Back pack for biking and hiking and a tote bag for the groceries, the library, or the occasional kitting project. Simple.
-I struggle hard with my OCD cleaning. I sometime wish I had the ability to let things be mess, but then again%u2026. The Unbridled Joy of (Occasionally) Letting Your Room Get Really, Really Messy
–What Comes After a Rut? Take the good with the bad and all the craziness that is the ebb and flow of life.
– Why the Kentucky Derby is a 145-year-old celebration of hats. Now imagine if people went around wearing those hats all the time. The world would be a better place.
-Maine, you so smart. Maine just banned Styrofoam food containers
–How to be assertive without being called a bitch. Why are women always considered bitches? Well I am anyway%u2026.
-I love this and only wish I was ablate %u201cGramp%u201d when my grandparents were alive. ‘Gramping’ Is the Latest Travel Trend Grandparents Need to Know About
And some pictures from the week.
Are you a frozen popsicle? Did you make any popsicles or a pair of those frozen pants that I am seeing all over the news? I should have made frozen pants.. maybe next time. Done and done, the polar vortex had come and gone and I am hoping that is stay up up and away for thirst of the winter. My nose and butt have nearly frozen off this week. Give me temps in the teens and I will be all set thank you very much.
The week was a week as any week could be as weekly as can be. Does that make sense? Not really but kinda. Nothing new, cold as fuck, but still kind of nice. I didn%u2019t do much in the way of work besides a little paper work and worked at the studio. Honestly, I spent a good amount of time this week reading and trying not to freeze (for someone trying not to freeze, I sure did go outside a lot). The mr did his usual running around all day everyday. Things have been a little harder since the truck is kind of dead and now we are down to the one car, a car the is not meant for totting around toilets so we have some car stuff to deal with. Sunday we did make it outside for a few hours of some fantastic snow shoeing and tree hugging. Basically throughout the week we did lunches, one with my mom, So, and Megan, one with Barb. The mr made a new jacket rack by the front door, glued more doll heads on cars, and placed frozen hands all over the neighborhoods. We didn%u2019t see the littles very much as they were all busy, too busy for us, but whatever. (I miss them%u2026sad face) And yesterday we took Barb on a snack shopping trip, went to the mall (fist time in like 5 years) and watched Barb contemplate a soft pretzel or not (she just got a lemonade). A weekly week week. See what I mean?
Today the mr and I are suppose to go in such of an ice castle. That is the plan, well that and make the bed with clean sheets because it%u2019s Sunday. I%u2019ll let you know how it turns out. (The sheets always turn out A+.)
Interent from the week.
–Think this polar vortex was cold? It should have been colder. Yup, that little snap was nothing and that is not a good thing.
-Science things. The surprising science of why ice is so slippery
–So You%u2019re Saying My Seltzer Is Not Made of Crushed Up Bliss. What a bummer.
-This is the best tassel wall hanging I have ever seen. Maybe I will actually make it. DIY Tassel Wall Hanging
–Beyonc%u00e9’s Offering a Lifetime Supply of Concert Tickets to 1 Winner Who Goes Vegan But what about the already vegan folks?
-I think anyone living in Vermont could tell you cell service sucks. One Man’s Quest To Prove Vermont Has Terrible Cell Service
–Life goals for next project.Guy Documents 14 Years Of Excavating His Basement With RC Toys
-Thank you Macauley Culkin. Color Of The Month: Coral? Peach? Salmon? Fuck. Get Me The Swatches.
–Irresistible Baby Houseplants. They are so cute. I want them all.
-This is really awesome, just not sure how it%u2019s gonna work out because babies are well, they be babies, but If I worked for the state with a baby, this would make me very happy. Vermont to Allow State Workers to Bring Their Infants to Work.
And some 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.
Are we all ready for it? Mid November and all. The holidays are creeping up fast and furious and I am starting to feel that bit of excitement and anxiety and over all buzz that one gets this time of year. I think seeing the neighbor putting their Christmas tree up in the window the other day (Which in my opinion is way to early. You need to wait until after Thanksgiving for the tree) really hit it home for me. So I located my boxes of decorations and pulled the box of glue and glitter for holiday arts and crafts. I restocked all my flours, sugars, and chocolate chips, and I already have a few of those cake orders in. It%u2019s go time. Now all we need is a snow storm. Or all I need anyways.
The week has been slow. Daylight savings has did a little number on me. I have been waking up at like 415 but my ass is in bed by 830. I could probably get myself to adopt a later bedtime and maybe wake up a little later, but you know what? It works for me. I am nothing, if not an old lady.
Other then a little bit of work, nothing to exciting happened. The mr and walked in the rain to vote. We went for a nice mid week hike , then stopped at the new Harbor Freight store to play with axes. I spent some time throwing, loaded kilns at the studio, grocery shopped, and scraped ice off my car for the first time this season. The littles were over for food and play. Judah and I stating making turkey hand prints that we are going to finish this week. Coco just got snot everywhere and Miley just wanted to get our nightly walk over so I would giver her candy. Then Barb came over for baked beans (amazing baked beans), and Megan stopped by one day to hang with me for a while. It%u2019s nice getting a little human interaction once in a while. HA.
The mr and I finally trapped Only in the house, gave him a bath and even tried to brush his ratty ass out. He is pretty much 100% an outdoor cat in the summer months, but I don%u2019t like him out during the winter so he gots to stay inside. And he hates it. Meows all night long, try to sneak in between legs out the door. But I think it%u2019s better for him and he will get used to sitting around all day on the heated floors again. The guy is to old to be hanging out there like a young cat.
And the leaves. So many leaves. The mr has been doing battle with the trees in the driveway. He spent a day raking and mowing, all pretty much in vain because the next day the driveway was just as bad, if not worse, covered in leaves. My suggestion was just to wait a few more days, let all the leaves fall, but he is a determined man. Plus he noted that the dents in leaves actually help the over all mission.
That was the week.
Today the mr and I are heading to the mountains. We (well I) want to see some snow and really, we just want to get out of town for a few hours. I am feeling a little crazy.
Hope today finds you happy and cozy. Doing you.
Interenting from the week.
-Antarctica scientist allegedly stabs colleague for spoiling the endings of books. I do not condone violence in any way but, I mean, I kind of get it.
–The best way to deal with fall leaves. The mr needs to read this.
-Take it from someone that burns herself on a daily bases. Be prepared in the kitchen. I keep burn cream (propolis calendula salve) right next to the knives. I use it all the time. How to Soothe a Kitchen Burn,%u00a0STAT
–10 Things to Clean Now Before the Holiday Season Gets Going. Add to list%u2026A good place to hide and a good alibi if needed.
-Interesting idea. A Meat Tax Sounds Nice to Me
-Knowing your flours is important. What%u2019s the Difference Between Cake Flour, Pastry Flour, All-Purpose Flour, and Bread Flour
-I play sudoko when I am feeling worried or anxious. Can’t Stop Worrying? Try Tetris To Ease Your Mind
–Meet the Plantfluencers. I could totally be one, I have like 70 plants and counting. And if people are liking and then getting house plants, well heck yeah. Plants are the best.
-I don%u2019t neeeeed , but I really, really want these sheets. They are amazing.
–Does stress eating actually make you less stressed? Whats your stress eating food? Mine is cabbage. I think there is something about peeling back cabbage leaves that I find soothing, and I a weirdo.
And pictures from the week.
Did you wake up at 3:30 because your body is used to waking up at 4:30 but we add an extra hour and now you don%u2019t even really know what time it is for real? Yeah, that would be me. I look at my phone, at my computer, but don%u2019t trust all the self resetting clocks. I have to check the kitchen stove to see what time it was yesterday before I can figure out the time today and then check the technology clocks to see if they really know. But woo hoo, daylight savings. I am one of those people that really likes it. I like the light in the morning, I like the early as shit dark. It suits my life (early to bed, early to rise) and also gives off a feeling of coziness that I can%u2019t quite describe. Plus I am a slight creeper and love walking around the neighborhood after dinner when it is dark and seeing inside peoples house. Not like too creepy where I go an actively peer in, just looking in if their windows are open, checking out their decor, seeing what they are watching on tv, or what they are eating for dinner. Don%u2019t judge, you know you do the same thing too.
This week was a blur. On Sunday we spent way to much time walking around Ikea, checking out the Christmas stuff and choosing a new duvet cover. We had time to kill before Barbs plane landed from Italy (and it was late). So Ikea was the natural waiting place. It wasn%u2019t bad, the mr got to try the new veggie dogs, said they were absolutely fantastic and we actually did buy a duvet cover. But as soon as the plane landed we jumped in the car a drove circles around the terminal until the ladies appeared with smiles and bottles of wine and olive oil, which I have still yet to receive. Then a drive back home to where we stopped for drinks, I opened the trunk of the car and smacked my head on the door so hard I think I broke my skull. Anyway, she made it back from Italy and I am pretty sure I gave myself a concussion. Good stuff.
The week started. I spent the first half doing paperwork and making all sorts of phone calls about things that I don%u2019t know anything about trying to gather information to make said phone calls and blah blah blah.
And then it was Halloween and we didn%u2019t do a damn thing. We were suppose to take, at the very least, Judah out, but Coco got super sick again and landed himself a bed up at the hospital. Things got confusing and crazy and he ended up going with a family friend and their kids. We were pretty bummed, and so was he. What a bust. And we had only enough candy tor give 3 little kids so we didn%u2019t do that either. Another Halloween come and gone. Meh. But the next day we had the littles over for a school night sleep over. Not as fun as a weekend sleep over because there is bedtime, homework, the need to shower, and waking up early. But those guys championed, did all their homework, took their showers, and brushed their teeth without a single rebuke, and we had a grand old time. They even went to bed and woke up without giving me any shit. Then after a humorous breakfast of dried cereal, eggs, and toast, they got themselves ready and I dropped them off at school, again, with out any complaining. Those littles%u2026 So good. On the way to school I tried to explain why we do daylight savings. Things got off topic a bit and I might have blamed all the time changing on Voldemort and magic and yeah. Someone is going to need to sort that out with them someday. OR not.
After dropping them off I worked at the studio for the rest of the day. Megan came to visit me and bring me coffee. Which probably saved my life. Then I pugged clay for way to long and had to have the mr come to the studio and help me take the bolts out of the pug machine so I could take it apart to clean it, or more like I pugged, he took it apart and he cleaned it. My mr, he be so nice.
Yesterday was a burn out day. Might be getting a head cold (or it%u2019s the concussion) and I could barely keep my head from falling off, SO much pressure, even my eyes looked bleak and blue. But I did some stuff. The mr and I took a research drive, I got the grocery shopping done, did laundry, cleaned he house. And then went to bed early.
And now I am awake and it%u2019s early. My head is still pretty pressurized, but I think it might be starting to deflate a little which is good because today the mr and I have some outdoor plans. What exactly the plans are is still up in the air. It is suppose to be sunny and slightly warmer so we need to get to and get us some woods. I almost want to try and convince him that we should go camping and I totally would if I hadn%u2019t packed away everything and we had fire wood and if I wasn%u2019t afraid of the bears coming to eat me. One last meal before hibernation. Haha. No, its not the bears I worry about, our bears don%u2019t eat people here, it is the hunters I am actually worried about. I don%u2019t own any blaze orange and I move like a graceful doe in the woods. Yikes!
Some internet stuff I read this week.
-The mr sent me this link. He thinks I am crazy because I said that I want to live the next day without the extra hour yet and take my extra hour on Monday around 2, for like a nap time or something. I think I can do it, but only if I don%u2019t look at my phone clock. If I lived in the city, this guy could make it happen for everyone. The Man Who Turns Back New York City%u2019s Clocks, Hand by Hand. What a badass job.
-You Can Wrap All of Your Friends Christmas Gifts With Your Face This Year. Hahaha. I hate gift wrap, think it is a complete waste, but this is hilarious
-Another reason to get your shut eye. How Sleep Deprivation Messes With Creativity
-Do you love or loathe coffee? Your genes may be to blame. Both my parents drink pretty much nothing else but coffee so I think I am made up of like 25% coffee. Now I have a 99% tolerance to caffeine. The only thing that is does to me (that I notice) is that I get a major headache if I don%u2019t have it. But I am one of those people that could drink a pot of coffee and sleep like a baby for 8 hours. Same as the parents. Got to be genetic.
-If I lived in a brownstone in a loft in Brooklyn, this would be the one I would want.
–How Do You Move A Bookstore? With A Human Chain, Book By Book. This is just so fantastic.
-Just because it is not summer anymore and we are no longer gardening does not mean that there is any less produce out there to eat. Your Ultimate Guide to Fall Produce
-About That Monstrous Black Hole We%u2019re All Orbiting. Just in case you want to know. Life and black holes. What are you gonna do?
-Do any of yo have a septic system and grow ferns on top?. Something I have been thinking about fo septic system landscaping purposes. Anatomy of Ferns
–Thick Strokes of Paint Create Featureless Portraits in Abstracted Paintings by Joseph Lee
Pictures from the week. I didn%u2019t take very many, but I did get Barb eating so there is that.
Did you get out last week, see some trees, see some nature, take in the world? I hope so but if you didn%u2019t, take some time today and do it, it will make you happy Promise.
Last Sunday was camping at the Queeche Gorge State Park. Stopped at a cool flea market on the way, saw some cool old stuff, almost bought a painting (I kind of wish I did. Oh well) Then off to the camp ground which was pretty empty, but man, there were a shit ton of people bumping around the gorge trails. Not bad, I just was a little surprised, but I guess I shouldn%u2019t have been. I mean, foliage and nice weather and beauty. It brings the people out. Anyway, the hiking was good. Found a off shoot trail that no one else was on and found a tiny little brook with spawning trout. Got back to camp, made pumpkin lentils for dinner and then the sun started to set and the night got very cold. The fire was needed oh so much. I might have even melted my shoe a bit because I was a little to close to it. And when it hit that magical time (8) we jumped into the tent. I slept with a hat and hood and mittens on in my sleeping bag with a wool blanket and was just as happy as could be. Then we woke up, made coffee, packed up, and headed for the streams so the mr could fish in 35 degree weather. It was freezing but it makes him happy so it makes me happy.
After we got home the week went per usual. Work here and there, dinner with the littles, Barb up my butt about how excited and nervous she was about Italy, and could I please just hem this skirt for her? You know, the normal stuff.
I think it was Wednesday, the mr and I were out for the day so I had packed out lunches. I was eating a carrot and all of a sudden, CRACK! Spit out my carrot and there was the little stone (it happens some times) and also a big ass chunk of my tooth. Yup, the stone broke a piece of one of my molars off. Oh my was I freaking out. Called the dentist right away but my dentist doctor is out of town and can%u2019t get me in until next week! As of right now it is fine and doesn%u2019t hurt or anything, but I am terrified that it%u2019s going get worse or break more or I don%u2019t know. This and I just was there for a cleaning like 2 weeks ago. Said I had great teeth health and blah blah blah. After that happened, I have been a little on edge since. The underlying feeling of something wrong in my face, and it%u2019s driving me crazy. Stupid tooth.
Friday morning was running around, a few chores, and a quick frosting and dinosaur making to finish off the ice cream cake and off to the studio for the day. Loaded kilns, played in the slop bucket, pugged some clay. Then ran home to get the cake and make quick to Barb for her 19th birthday hurray! There was a family crowded dinner. I brought the cake and she%u2019s jumping up and down being crazy and awesome and was trying to keep her shit together because the next day she was getting on her first plane ever and flying to Italy! Whoop whoop.
So yesterday was basically set aside for Barb. I cleaned the house early, packed our lunches, then the mr and I picked her and her friend up and drove them over the border into Cananda and dropped their lucky tushies off at the airport. SO CUTE. I might have been a little jealous, but more then that, I was, and am, just so excited for them. Italy, haven%u2019t been yet, but I will get there. Barb said she would bring me back a picture of an Italian toilet so that will be good enough. I probalaby won%u2019t need to go after getting that. Ha. And so we dropped them off, headed back home and watched all the most amazing clouds in the sky. Got home, took a shower, and passed the f out.
Today is up in the air. Not exactly sure wha’t%u2019s going to happen. We have a very important thing this afternoon that is exciting to us, but other then that, not sure. Camping was talked about but none of the campground are open anymore. We were thinking of maybe sleeping in the car under a tree, but not 100% sold on that idea. It also might snow so you know, the mr is scared of the white stuff. Me, I am very excited and would love to wake up with some snow, but I get it. It is getting cold out. But if we sleep in the car, it would totally be fine, and fun. Just got to convince the mr.
Internet from the week.
-Isn%u2019t see always right? Grandma Was Right: Sunshine Helps Kill Germs Indoors
–You Can Buy ‘Golden Girls’-Themed Cereal at Target Now. What the.. Funko%u2019s. That is just kind of amazing.
-Who didn%u2019t read this book? I hope if it does become a movie they don%u2019t screw it up and that the young ones still read the book. ‘Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret.’ By Judy Blume Could Finally Become A Movie
-Good, Evil. Sugar There is a lot to the history., Sugartime. How a taste for sweetness, developed for survival, became a stand-in for everything good %u2014 and evil %u2014 about our culture
–Are Siblings More Important Than Parents? I don%u2019t know, but there is something. Growing up as one of 9 is who I am. I con%u2019t even imagine not having them. And my sisters are my best friends so maybe, yeah, like not more important but kinda?
–5 Mistakes to Avoid When Baking with Yeast. But it%u2019s really not hard to use yeast. If you are intimidated, start by making focaccia.
-I would live in an old church, but only if the vibe was good and there was no history if weird shit.. Holy Homes: Inside Houses That Used to Be Churches
–Last week at the gym there was a special on the news about people called flat landers. They believe the earth is flat ans think all of evidence , things like gravity and even the moon is all a hoax. It was very strange.. 10 easy ways you can tell for yourself that the Earth is not flat
-I need a glass greenhouse. Majestic Conservatories and Cozy Private Potting Sheds Showcase the Universal Appeal of Glass Greenhouses
Pictures from the week
Another Sunday, another week gone by.
So last Sunday I took some of the family (cousins, Dad, a few siblings and a couple littles) on a hike, a hike that I did not think would be a problem for anymore. Just a 5 or 6 mile, in and out, up a mountain hike. You know, easy. Turns out that some people are not as mountain climbing able as I thought and I might have almost killed a person or two. Oops. It was good though, actually is was freaking fantastic, and most of us made it to the top, to see the spender of the world, and we all made it back down alive so all ended well. And once were were down, everyone took off, and the mr and I headed for the campground. It was raining a little, cold as shit, but still glorious. We got there, set up, then tromped through the woods some more until we were just too cold. Headed back to camp where I chopped up a pumpkin for dinner and a little asshole chipmunk stole and ate half an apple. We then spent the rest of the evening trying to stay warm sitting by the fire. When it was finally an acceptable time to sleep, (8ish) I wore all my clothes, hat and mittens, and socks to bed. I fell asleep, woke up a few hours later to some load bros being dicks and shouting, but tyou know, that shit happens, but managed to be lulled back into sleep by the mr%u2019s snoring. Woke up in the pitch dark, made coffee, packed the site, and off to the river for the mr to do his morning fishing thing. And then back to the world of others and not just the trees. How do I not live in the trees? Some day, some day soon.
The rest of the week was whatever. Work stuff here and there. I ripped out most of the garden which was a little sad but freeing feeling. Barb came over for dinner and I plugged in my new lamp that I found on the side of the road and found a shade for it. I made a cake, cleaned the fridge, put away summer clothes. Boring stuff. There were two days back there when it got really warm again, and super humid and I almost lost my shit. And I got caught in the rain during farm share and got soaked, but other then that, nothing to eventful.
Friday I worked at the studio all day, cleaned a shit load, loaded kilns, did the happy human interaction thing. While I Was working the mr picked Judah up from school and after a trip for hot choclate, they came back home to meet me for dinner and a hair cut. That little finally let me take a few inches of hair off his head so he can now see again. I made pizza for them, we walked, Judah punched and karate chopped everything ( mostly the mr), Shannon randomly stopped by which was nice because I don%u2019t see here enough, and then everyone left. I assed out like a champ.
Yesterday was one of those day. I am not sick, but very tired and needed a kind of down day to just not, although it was very productive anyway. Trimmed some pots, ran chores, cleaned the shit out of the house. The mr did some fly tying and we went for a long walk. Slow and nice.
And it%u2019s Sunday which means CAMPING! We said it last week, and the week before, but I think this might actually be the last weekend camping for a little while (I am determined to get the mr to do a little winter camping) I don%u2019t know what I am going to do now because all week long I look forward to the taking of, going hiking, having a big fire, no house to clean up, and sleeping in the tent. I guess it%u2019s not like we still can%u2019t do all that, and still, it%u2019s just maybe we don%u2019t sleep in a tent outside anymore. Huh, maybe I might be preemptively saying we are not camping anymore.. Maybe we can just sleep in the car , do car camping from now on. Good idea me, keep it keeping on. Anyway, to the Queeche Gorge State Park today. The mr hopefully has his fishing waders, I have 2 books (one to finish, one to start), a pumpkin and lentils for dinner, and my winter mittens, extra socks, and lots and lots of fire wood.
We are ready.
Stuff you might find worth looking at on the internet this week.
–Why we need small farms. Giant farms scare me. I feel like I can trust a smaller, local farm over any big as mega farm any day.
–The Best Ways to Make a Carved Halloween Pumpkin Last Longer. I might try the soaking in water, I hear it really dose work well.
-I see it happening all the time was it scares that shit out of me. The babies know how to use a freaking computer, sometime even better then me. Craziness. Raised by YouTube
-I have got mine down. How and Why to Cultivate an Evil Laugh
–The Outrageous Master Sommelier Scandal, Explained. Oh man, would I be so so pissed if I was one of the honest test takers. That shit is HARD!
-This made me smile. Same-Sex Penguin Couple Fosters An Egg In Sydney
-Did you know Ikea had veggie dogs? In two months, Ikea sold 1 million of its new veggie hot dogs
-Definitely one of my life goals. The whole trail, one fell swoop. I might even have to drag the mr along too. What’s It Like To Hike The Long Trail?
–Yes, There’s a Right Way to Measure Brown%u00a0Sugar. I always back as much as I can%u2026
-Ginger Lime mule is the BEST! Polar Seltzer Limited Edition / Winter 2018 Released.
It’s melon season! The past few farm shares have included at least 2,, if not 4, watermelons and cantaloupes… Can you imagine. eating 4 watermelons a week? That’s a tall order, even for someone like me who could probably eat a whole watermelon in one sitting, it’s just doing it 4 times a week might be a problem. It’s a whole lot of melon and not enough stomach, you know what I mean?
So what do I do with so much melon? Well first off, whenever anyone comes over I try to get them to eat as much of it as they can, which helps a great deal. Secondly, I cut it up and freeze some. But here is the thing, I love eating chunks of frozen cantaloupe, but frozen watermelon, never been my favorite so I usually just pass on sticking in the freezer, until now.
There is something magical that happens when you stick the frozen watermelon and cantaloupe together into a blender and making it into a slushy. It’s like eating a ray of sunshine or maybe even a rainbow, just really satisfying and juicy, and sweet but not overly sweet, and just really freaking good. Especially with all the stupid hot and humid weather we have had lately, these slushies have really been hitting the spot. Even the mr who says he dislikes watermelon was all into these melon slushies. (he likes things that he says he doesn’t like all the time. I am pretty sure he is taste confused) Like he was really into them. Usually I have to prompt him to tell me how something tastes, but not the slushy, he told me right away how good it was. I was like, I know dude, I just drank 2 of them myself. And I could have drank 2 more but I was trying to not get tot far ahead of myself. Moderation is key, plus I didn’t;t have any more of the melons frozen. Time to restock the freezer.
Go make yourself a slushy, it’s juicy deliciousness will make you happy.
The stuff. Watermelon and cantaloupe. There should be a lime in there too but it must have rolled away….
Chop some of each of the melon up, remove the rinds, and place on a big baking sheet and stick into the freezer until frozen. You can do as little as 2 cups of each or as much as a whole melon, it’s up to you. (I suggest freezing extra)
Frozen melon. And now you can slushy.
Equal parts watermelon and cantaloupe go into blender, along with the juice of half (or more to taste) a lime and you are probably going to need to add about 1/2 a cup of water, to help the blender blend it all together. And that’s it. You blend until it’s all slushy.
Pour into cups, garnish with a lime and/or little chunks of melon and you are good as golden.
From now on, or until summer is over and I run out of melon, I will be keeping the freezer stocked, especially because I know that the next few weeks are suppose to be stupid hot again.
Waterloupe slushies. Summertime goodness.
-C
about 2 cups of a watermelon
about 2 cups of a cantaloupe
1 lime
1/2- 1 cup water
Note. The amounts above are for two 2 cup slushies. You can, and should, freeze a crap load more melon for future slushies. Also, no one would fault you for maybe adding a little nip of some clear alcohol to this slushy situation to make it more of an adult drink……
Cut up a watermelon and a cantalopjue. Eat some and reserve at least 2 cups of each. Remove the rinds from the melons and cut into cubes. Place melon on a baking sheet and stick into the freezer until frozen.
Once frozen, place equal parts frozen watermelon and cantaloupe into the blender with the juice of a lime. Turn blender on. Slowly add in water until the blender can handle blending the frozen fruit. Blend until smooth. Pour into cups, garnish if you want with more melon and lime, then get to drinking.
That right bitches .. grape soda!!!!
uh-hum. Sorry. you are not bitches.
But this grape soda is my bitch. It is SO GOOD! And that is coming from me, who is not a soda drinker. (Spoiler alert.. all it is is cooked down grapes and seltzer. (and a bit of lemon juice) But thats is) So why soda? I guess it’s because I can’t make wine since I don’t have the knowledge and or the vineyard to make wine. But cooking down some grapes.. I can totally do that.
Every once in a while I make something that I think is so freaking ingenious and fanatic that I am shocked that everyone and there mom doesn’t do it. This is one of those recipes. I mean, the mr was more at then thrilled when I handed him a glass, covered in condensation, with a cutie pink straw. He took a long drink and gave a sweet little refreshing sigh. It was great and cute and make me happy cause I think it made his day. And I know that there are a thousand and one other people out there that have been doing this for years and that there are probably a couple hundred recipes as well, but I still consider myself a genius for making this. Great minds my friends.
Anyway, this grape soda is super refreshing, perfectly sweet, and a great way to end the summer and greet the fall. Great for kids and parties, I think this is definially going to be making an appearance at a few of the littles birthday parties and maybe a few grown up people parties.(maybe with a splash or two of booze..see you don’t need wine) over the next few weeks. Who needs wine when you got grape soda!
The stuff. Grapes, a lemon, and seltzer water.
Oh wants that? Is that drink jar suppose to be an empty? Nope. I forgot to fill it with the seltzer before I took the pictures.( I think I get a break cause yesterday was stupid hot and I was feeling a little woozy) Let’s just pretend there is seltzer in there, ok. and also lets pretend there is water in this picute too, cause we need that as well.
Take your grapes, stems removed, and place in a pot with the lemon juice and water. Stick the pot on stove on medium heat and during to a boil. Then place a lid on it and turn heat down to low and simmer away, giving it a stir sand keeping you eye on it.
Continue to cook until the grapes are pretty much all dissolved and the liquid has reduced about 1/2.
Let cool for a few minutes and strain the grapes through a fine mesh strainer, smooshing and scraping the grapes all around to extract as much liquid as you can.
The left over grape mush makes for a great little snack on some toast, in some yogurt, or with a spoon in your mouth.
Oh so pretty grape juice concentrate. Stick it in the fridge to cool completely.
After cooled, get it all ready for drinking. Add a few tablespoons of the concentrate to a cup, add in some seltzer, maybe a few ice cubes and …wa la!
Gape soda is the shits!
Happy Friday.. Enjoy the last weekend of summer!
-C
Makes about 5 drinks so feel free to double and or triple recipe if you are serving a lot of people
2 cups red grapes
2 cups water
Juice of 1 lemon
plain (or madiran orange, or any flavor really) seltzer water
Remove stems from grapes and place into a pot with water and the lemon juice. Briong to boil then cover and turn heat to low. Cook for about 20 minutes to a 1/2 hour or until the grapes are complete mush and the liquid has reduced to about 1/2.
Let cool enough hot handle and strain grape glop through a very fine mesh strainer, smooshing it around to extract as much liquid as you can. Refidgerate the juice, eat the left over mush.
Once cooled, pour about 3-4 tablespoon of the concentrate into a cup and add in about 1 cup of seltzer. Mix and enjoy.
Using a straw is optional, but either way, drink with your mouth.
Ugh. It has been so nasty gross out. A four day heat wave, and no, not just hot hot days, but those gross, hot hot with all the humidity in the world, kind of days. My body has rebelled and turned into a slug and my hair… well let’s not talk about my hair.
Yup, it’s been way to freaking hot to do anything, especially cook. And eating food is’t even especially appealing either (living off raw kale and, yes, lots of tomatoes at the moment) . What we all want is to drink something nice and cold and refreshing (and boozy). And what do I do when I want this, and have a lot of that? I turn that into this. That being tomatoes, and this, being a cold drink. Did that confuse you?
What I am trying to say is that I have a butt load of cherry tomatoes to eat but what I really want is a cold drink. So I took the tomatoes and make them into a lemonade. And it is amazing. It hits all the end of summer, super gross heatwave, I don’t want to move, spots that needed to be hit. And just in time for the weekend sow e get to add a little splash or two of something hard, cause we all know that after this past week, we all deserve it.
Think that combination sounds weird? Well don’t cause lemons and tomatoes are perfectly paired together. Tart and tangy, but still with a bit of sweetness from the tomatoes ( especially if using a sweeter variety like the sun-gold). It really is a great, refreshing drink, with or without the booze. A perfect match!
Tomato lemonade here we go!
The stuff. Tomatoes ( I used sun-gold cherry cause I have a buttload, but you can sure use whatever tomato you have to many of), lemons, water, and if your into it vodka.
Note. The mr. and I are not big on sweet drinks, so I didn’t add any sweetener, the tomatoes being sweet enough. But feel free to add a little sugar or honey to yours.
Start by dumping tomatoes into a pot with water. Stick on high heat and bring to boil, then turn heat to medium low,stick a lid on pot, and let tomatoes simmer for a little while.
About 30 ish minutes later, the tomatoes have reduced to about 1/3 of what you started with and have turned into a a chunky like syrup.
Strain the juice from the solids into a big pitcher.
Tomato juice! and it’s so pretty bright gold. Now let it cool far a little bit.
And while juice is cooling, juice your lemons
When the tomato juice is cooled off, add the lemon juice to the tomato.
Add water and stir
Taste, and if you think it need sweetener, by all means, add a drizzle or two of some honey or spoonful of sugar.
A couple of glasses of ice, and if you shall,, a shot of vodka (add the shot to the glass, not the pitcher)
Me being so fancy added a garnish/snack. Basil leaf and cherry tomato skewer looks so nice.
And sit back, put your feet up. and take it all in.
Weekend here we come!
-C
2 cups cherry tomatoes (can use 2 cups of any tomato)
1 cup fresh lemon juice (4-5 lemons)
1 cup water plus 3 1/2 -4 cups water
a few basil leaves and extra tomatoes for garnish (optional)
Note. I did not add any sweetener to my lemonade but you could totally add in a few tablespoons honey or sugar. Do what floats your boat.
Dump tomatoes into a pot with 1 cup of water. Bring to boil then cover and turn heat to a medium low heat. Cook tomatoes down for about 30 minutes or until the tomatoes have reduced about 1/3 and is almost sauce like.
Using a fine mesh strainer, strain the tomato mixture into pitcher or jug that you can serve your drinks from. Use a wood spoon or spatula to scrap the tomato around strainer to really make sure you get all the juicy goodness. Let tomato juice cool.
While cooling, juice lemons until you get a cup of fresh lemon juice. Add lemon juice to cool tomato juice along with 3 1/2 cups water. Mix and taste. If you think it needs a little sweetener, add a little in. If you think it tastes to strong, add in more water.
Good stir, ice in cups, a 2-3oz shot of vodka per 8-12oz cup of lemonade (the ratio is up to you my friend)… and your sitting pretty. Feeling a little fancy, take a basil leaf and wrap around a cherry tomato. Stab it with a tooth pick and garnish your drink. It ames for anise snack too.
Sometime you look back at a week and think, blah, or whatever, or that sucked. This week I look back and smile. It was a good week. Nothing to special, just springy and warm. I got to hang out with my peoples, see the world turn green and lush, and I didn’t stress too much about anything because what is the point? Plus I bought a single pink carnation at the grocery store at the beginning of the week for the mr. and every time I see it, I smile a little. Sometimes just a little something something is all we need.
So yeah, the week was good. There was the normal stuff of work and what not but also a fair amount of not work stuff. I saw my moms for Mothers day and brought her food. The mr and I went for some long walks that did not involve any outdoor clothing (just normal indoor clothing) We hung out with the littles for a good afternoon of tree house chilling, baby running, three wheeling, and all sorts of other fun. Miley was super pumped to show off her new shoes that are partially gold. She was obsessed and needed to wash them off at the end of the day. Those were the days,when you cared about your shoes? (I am assuming you don%u2019t now , like me, but maybe you do.) Also Barb finally come back to me (school is over so she has time again) me and I feed her soup. Megan also came over for a soup lunch and a walk because that is what we do. (We are a family of eaters and walkers.) I worked on some clay rainbows, planted some more plants, and cleaned under my fingernails. The one big thing that I tried to accomplish and haven%u2019t yet managed is the bike thing. I have been shopping for a new bike and it is so so so HARD! I am not good at buying anything in general, especially when it is for me, and not food, and costs more than 5 bucks. But not just that, it%u2019s that there are so so so many bikes to choose form. I am all like , YIKES! And so I did myself a favor and just gave myself another week to ponder and look and decide. The right bike will present itself when it is suppose to, or when I finally break down and just buy this one.
Yesterday was a good solid day of getting shit done. I got the winter tires changed to summer (thanks Justin!) and hung with Alex while it was happening. We talked music and cassette tapes and how music is everything. Then I went home to the yard and all the massive piles of leaves, dead tree(so sad) and over all lawn degree and the mr and I got it all into the truck to send off to compost land. After hitting the transfer station to offload we made a really quickly stop over to see Anthony getting ready for his prom%u2026.Oh my shit. The kid is like not a kid anymore and was wearing a tux and looking all old and what not. The shinny ass shoes alone were too much for me. (more shoes that need cleaning). How is it possible that I have a sister that is old enough to have a kid that is old enough to be going prom? OH, because I am getting old. That is how. Ha.
And after that, it was back home to finish cleaning and eat dinner and water the garden and feel exhausted but accomplished. I don%u2019t mind being super tired, just as long as I have something to show for it (The yard looks A+ so I am happy)
I think today mainly going to be a work day. The mr has a project that he is in the middle of so he is going to be doing that all day and I have a few things I need to get done and then a ton of other things that need doing as well. Don%u2019t worry, I will be spending some of that time outside with the green things in the dirt, making sure I have sun screen on, listening to some good tunes and drinking coffee like it is going out of style.
The ways of the internet this week.
– The news of abortions and women reproductives rights has been front and center this week. The lengths women have to go to to do what is right for themselves is shameful at best, but basically pretty fucking grotesque. These are the people that are trying to help. The Secret Baby Catchers of Alabama.
–Report: U.S. Navy Cracks Case Of Majestic Sky Dick. Phew. Now we know who to hire for our own sky dick.
-Can%u2019t wait for that new pool to be build around the corner%u2026NOT. And really, didn’t we all know this already? Your Neighborhood Pool Is Full of Unshowered Pee-ers
-A lot of breakfast food in America is basically junk food if you really think about it. Muffins (really cupcakes), pancakes (really cake covered in maple sugar), Pop tarts (pie) yogurt (almost ice cream)%u2026 Its all just desert with a different name. I Broke Breakfast. Americans eat a narrower variety of foods for breakfast than anyone else.%u00a0
-Imagine the magic.. I get feels just thinking about this place. A Fleeting Dandelion Wish Processing Facility Appears For Two Days Outside of Los Angeles
–ECLECTIC DINING STYLE.. I want all the tables and chairs. Just where to put them%u2026%u2026????
-After reading the list, I feel pretty dang awesome cause I clean all that shit! Cleaning Supplies Might be Spreading Dirt Around Here%u2019s How to Clean Them This Weekend
–How Did Chickpea Flour, A Staple Of Indian Cuisine, Become A Health Food Sensation? Because it is amazing. See recipe for Socca.
–Have you tried plogging, the Instagram trend that might be the sustainable sport of the future?. Even if it%u2019s trendy and a way to be cool, well it is pretty cool and great and I am all for it.
–Can %u201cIndie%u201d Social Media Save Us? Something needs too.
Pictures from the week.
And all of a sudden the world is green and it is mazing and magical. The best time of the year, when all the cool and wet weather pays off with sunshine and flowers and the greenest greens. No longer freezing and it is yet to be too freaking hot. Spring spring SPRING. It is not lost on me. I take it, I suck it up, I appreciate it all. Even the cray cray rain storms. What a time, what a time.
Last week we started off Sunday going to see some jumping fish. We packed our lunches, grabbed the camera, drove the 2 hours to the river and sat around watching and waiting. Sadly we saw no jumping fish. And that was that in case you were wondering. One of these years we will see it.
The rest of the week has been a little crazy. In between work and chores and life stuff, just about every day we have had anywhere between 2-4 littles. What for their parents needed a sitter or a ride here and there cause their car broke down. Or just some aunt and uncle hang time because who doesn%u2019t want to hang with us? So beside the mr finish off the trophies for the Lund Family Fund Raiser, me working the pug mill at the studio, or us trying to trade off the car in hopes that we both can get where we need to go in time for getting there. (Oh man the car thing, that is a whole other beast.) Yeah, it%u2019s been busy and hectic. On the bright side we have spent a lot of the time running around outside, drawing, and eating. A few little highlights. One of the nights So was feeling a little sick and Coco was feeling mean and wouldn’t let her nap on the couch so she ended up dragging a bunch of pillows into the pantry and falling asleep. It just made sense. Then there was Judah with his mad drawing skills drawing me pictures of vegetables (amazing) then farting with his armpits. And Miley, with her tude and phone. Getting her to hang out and just be sweet was nice. And Coco. That freaking little. Always happy, always eating, always causing trouble. Loves to run into the garden and jump all over the couch covered in peanut butter. (that is the baby, not me. ha) We found him a three wheeler. His legs might be too short but we will figure it out. It is gonna be a fun summer!
After the week long little marathon that ended with sticky littles eating pancakes (and being dangerously low on maple syrup), thrift store shopping (I scored the best new photo piece), and stopping in on my maybe future new bike(???), I came home and cleaned the crap out of everything. It never fails to amaze me how gross kids can be. The toilet alone, well, lets not go there.
Today, as it is Mothers Day and all, I am going to be a dutiful daughter and go see my Mama. Right now (at the wee early hour of 5 am, I%u2019m about to pop some bread and then a cake into the oven as offerings. We are going over around lunch so I%u2019m going make focaccia grilled cheeses (with the fresh bread) and hand over the blueberry cake that she loves. Then hopefully just spend a couple hours drinking lots of coffee and chilling on the porch.
Look at me, I am such a good daughter.
Links of interest on the internet.
–Yes, I’m In School for Nutrition. No, I Don’t Want to Hear About Your Diet. I feel this. Sometimes people feel like they need to tell me everything they eat, for approval or something. And I actually don%u2019t mind talking about what people eat. I’ll even make suggestions about foods that I like to eat or ways to prepare certain things but I stay away from telling people what not to eat%u2026 (people always assume I am going to tell them to not eat meat. I say, I do me. You do you.)
-I don%u2019t know how may times I have seen Bill and Teds Excellent Adventure. This should be good. PlusI totally have a thing for Keanu Reeves. Bill & Ted are embarking on a third excellent adventure next year
–How Weeds Help Fight Climate Change. Weeds are not the problem friends. The chemicals that people use to get rid of them are!
-If you are interested in VT State Parks, here its the list of all the parks opening days. Can%u2019t wait for CAMPING!!!
-Did you go through an Arizona iced tea phase? I had a very brief stint with the green tea%u2026 I can%u2019t even imagine drinking one now. The Dream of the %u201990s Is Alive in AriZona Iced Tea
–An Interview With A Man Who Eats Leftover Food From Strangers’ Plates In Restaurants. I think this is awesome and have much respect.
-A question the I didn%u2019t know I wanted answered until I read this article. Why do cats%u2014and so many other animals%u2014look like they%u2019re wearing socks?
-I get all sorts of feels when I see pandas. MY favorite favorite animal growing up. I carried a pink polka dotted panda around with me for years. SO many panda things. So this is fantastic and I hope to visit one day and hug me a panda (with pink polka dots) China%u2019s new panda park will be three times bigger than Yellowstone
–I have heard and seen some crazy fights in the past in places we have lived. A good few actually. It is never a comfortable thing but sadly, we got used to it. Listening to My Neighbors Fight
-Mothers Have Been Complaining About Mother%u2019s Day Breakfast in Bed for More than Half a Century. Why Does It Go On?. I am a strict, NO FOOD! in bed person. It just have zero desire to eat in bed so breakfast in bed sounds terrible to me. Plus I am awake at 430 every morning and I don%u2019t eat for a few hours after I wake up. It just wouldn%u2019t work.
And pictures from the week.
Hey hey hey! Happy Sunday. Hope you are finding yourself happy and relaxed and enjoying all the good things the world is giving us. Like coffee and green things. All the coffee, all the green things for sure.
Another week that came and left and now it%u2019s May. MAY! Can you even? The time, where does it all go? (an existential question for you) Our week (and time) started off with a chilly wet jaunt to a river. We were going to go out to the kingdom to watch the salmon jump out of the river but it was just to dang cold and rainy so we decided to hold off on it. But we did make our way to a river near by so the mr could officially toss in a fly line into some water. I guess fishing season started a week or two back but we have had so much rain that it has not been great for fishing, or being outside much for that matter. Anyway, he got a few casts in so he is happy.
Wet and raw weather wise was the way of the weather this week. We did have a few breaks of sun which lead to an impromptu afternoon hike just because the sun came out. It was fantastic, or started off that way. Up and down and around the woods to the very flooded lake. Half the way through the hike we ended up at a boardwalk that had a little water coverage, which was fine because someone placed nice big rocks to pass over. Or so I thought. A few steps in and the bridge gave away and into the lake I went. Just my feet and up my legs a bit, but yeah. I just stood there in shock for what seemed like minutes but eventually made my way to the other side of the bridge, drenched boots and all. The rest of the hike was soggy, but hey, I was outside and there was sun and I wasn%u2019t freezing cold so yeah. Could have been worse. It could have been the mr who went in and I really really would not want to have had to deal with him hiking back with drenched feet. Now if my hiking boats would dry out. That would be great.
Other then our little outdoor adventures, the week went the way the weeks does with work and all. The mr running around frantic, having doors, making room for giant ass wood slabs in the barn, wheeling and dealing.
Friday was all day studio work. Lots and lots of pugging clay. While I was at work the mr picked up littles (Miley, So, and Judah) and they all came to the studio to pick me up. It is always a great way to get people to listen and leave the studio when they are suppose to when a bunch of kids rush in and start demanding food. People, at least the clay people, are scared of hungry little kids. Ha. Off we all went, me covered head to tow in clay. Found out in the car that Judah was sick (so sad) so he went home and it turned into a girls night sleep over. Pizza, soup, and peanut butter sandwiches for dinner. We went walking/piggyback riding, the mr and Miley played with the new wood brander which included fire and hot metal. The mr took them to the store to pick out ice cream while I tried to clean myself up, they came back ,ate lots of ice cream, then showered and brushed hair without arguments. They picked out movies without fighting (movies about ballerinas and singing animals) and happily curled up together on the floor. Me being me with no attention span or energy left skipped the movies and went to bed. When I went to wake them up the next morning, I found out that they had woke up (or never went to sleep) in the middle of the night to draw and do yoga? Yeah, I don%u2019t exactly know what went on. What I do know is my yoga mat was upstairs and I remember waking up in the middle of the night to sounds of the wall being kicked a bunch, and there were drawings of crazy things and colored pencils everywhere that were not there when I left them the night before. Hey, if that is what they want to do in the middle of the night, more power to them.
After pancakes and cartoons, the ladies and the mr spent the morning going through a million awesome shells. I guess someone had massive shell collection and gave it over to the mr. Neither of us are really shell people, I mean a few cool ones, but this collection was INSANE. SO we gave them all to the littles. And gave the littles a boxes to bring home to their siblings. They can have all the shells, we are good here.
We dropped girls off, ran around doing errands, then came home and I putz in the yard before going about cleaning the house. Lots of dirt and mud and sticky shit on everything. I just don%u2019t know where it comes from. Well I do actually. And it%u2019s mostly not me so yeah.
Today the mr and I actually are heading out to the kingdom. We need to see some fish jump. A few hours back and forth will give me time for some open window car rid air and reading if it doesn%u2019t make me puke. Picnic lunch by the river and afternoon road coffee. Hopefully we get home in time for me to spend at least a good few hours in the garden to ooh and awe at the stuff that is starting to pop out of the ground and maybe figure out if it%u2019s a perennial I planted or just a weed. Good thing I like weeds too or else I would be terribly disappointed a lot of the time.
Have a few extra minutes? Take a look at some interesting internet from the week.
–The Obamas Are Making a Kids%u2019 Food Show on Netflix. Oh HELL YEAH! And I am not a kid but I am gonna watch it.
-What a great business/environmentally awesome/ logical/ just plain right idea. Toronto Restaurant Fights Waste By Chopping Menu Prices Till Food Is Gone
-Some serious boldness. Bold Line Drawings Layered on Top of Deconstructed Images of Fruit, Flowers, and Animals in Tattoos by Mattia Mambo.
–Rise of the Lady Backpack. Purse. Please. Back packs are the best, but to be honest, I mostly stick to nothing, just my wallet and keys in a pocket. Back pack for biking and hiking and a tote bag for the groceries, the library, or the occasional kitting project. Simple.
-I struggle hard with my OCD cleaning. I sometime wish I had the ability to let things be mess, but then again%u2026. The Unbridled Joy of (Occasionally) Letting Your Room Get Really, Really Messy
–What Comes After a Rut? Take the good with the bad and all the craziness that is the ebb and flow of life.
– Why the Kentucky Derby is a 145-year-old celebration of hats. Now imagine if people went around wearing those hats all the time. The world would be a better place.
-Maine, you so smart. Maine just banned Styrofoam food containers
–How to be assertive without being called a bitch. Why are women always considered bitches? Well I am anyway%u2026.
-I love this and only wish I was ablate %u201cGramp%u201d when my grandparents were alive. ‘Gramping’ Is the Latest Travel Trend Grandparents Need to Know About
And some pictures from the week.
This week has definitely gone by really slow except that it has flown by super fast, you know what I mean? It%u2019s probably because of all the up and down weather and my overall crazy brain that is pulling me all over the place New seasons do that to me, make me crazy.
The week started off with Easter. We went to my moms (half the family didn%u2019t show up (butthole reasons), did some lunch, played outside, and that was that. Then I came home to continue yarding (yarding is a new word I invented that means to spend time in the yard doing yard stuff)
The rest of the week went. We worked, the mr finished putting the floor down in the porch (I forgot to take a picture) He moved the camper and created a new workshop, applied large stickers to doors, made me 6 more raised beds (4 are TRIANGLES!!!). He has been doing all sorts of stuff. Me, I have been spending as much time outside I as I can, in between the piles of papers that I am trying to deal with, working at the studio, throwing pots, thinking about fixing my bike, and all around trying not run through a wall. I am in that head space where everything needs to be done and I am trying to do everything. All at once. Thats my spring brain. All of a sudden and BAM, my brain is awake, the world is awake, and there is a ton of shit to do.
On one of the nicer days (it has been a little chilly and rainy all week) we spent a few hours with Megan her littles and I grabbed the other littles. We took them outside, into the world, away from screen for a little jaunt in the woods, some time on the playground, and a bagel sandwich lunch. Fresh air, stick collecting, and see sawing was the highlight of the afternoon and a highlight of the week. I mean, gown ass people and little littles on the see saw, well you will see. Haha.
Saturday morning, 8 am, grocery store. If you need to grocery shop, this is the time. Yesterday I got to the store and no one else was there except all the stockers who had nicely stocked everything that I was looking for. I got to it before all the other people did and was rewarded with the best cabbages and apples! After that I went home, the mr took off to work with his work guy and I ended up staying home for the morning, cleaning house, doing laundry, and trying to organize the unorganizable. After that the mr came home we went and hung out with the littles for a few and got texted $5 each of store credit to the hardware store which in turn turned into a bunch of new seeds. Yay free seeds!
Today the mr and I were planning on hitting up the Kingdom to watch some jumping trout, but with the weather being as it is (raining and cloudy) we are going to hold off on that and just find a nice little, not too flooded stream for the mr to fish in and for me to sit nearby and spend some time reading. With all the coffee my can cup and bring. It%u2019s gonna be great.
Some stuff you might find of interest from the internet.
–Our Grocery Stores, Ourselves. Loyalties to the grocery store are deep. I know I have mine, kind of. (I shop around and I am more loyal to the farm then any grocery store.) But I do think there is a definite quality difference to stores, at least around here. You get to know which store sells local. Which stores have the crappy greens, or which store charge and extra $2 for the same exact thing you can get at a different store for that much cheaper. Straight to the farm . Always best.
-Always water, mostly because it is free and I hate having to have stock or broth on hand. WHEN WATER CAN BE THE KEY TO MORE FLAVORFUL SOUPS
I am pretty into these murals Maybe i%u2019ll try not do something like on one of my walls. Interior Murals by Camille Javal
-I could, and should, and dang it I am going to make something like this A frame. Simple and sweet. Now were to put it?
-Just in case you don%u2019t know. What%u2019s the Difference Between Jam and Jelly?
–Wait, I Should Clean My Fridge *How*%u00a0Often?. Yes folks. And I tell you, clean the stove every time! It%u2019s one of the best habits I have ever created.
-I wish I could embroider like this. Pretty freaking awesome. Graceful Figures and Shimmering Peacocks Embroidered on Tulle
–Can Nothing Change Your Life? Essence of flower is a thing and it might just be what you need in your life.
-Trees are magical. Trees by starlight%u2026 Whoa. See the world%u2019s oldest trees by starlight.
–I am very excited to find this pattern for this FRENCH MARKET BAG. Now I just need to learn how to crochet%u2026%u2026%u2026Yeah.
And pictures from the week.
I am so happy for spring. It is my favorite season for sure. All the new, green things popping form the ground.. Warmer but not hot days, rain and sun then rain and more sun. No more winter jackets but sweaters are still good. People are in good moods. Flowers are coming out of the ground. The world is just a delight.
The week started off with a bang. I turned all of the garden beds over and did a great big yard rake and cleaning so things are looking pretty good back there right now. I repotted my tomatoes and peppers and started a bunch of greens and peas which makes me feel awesome. I think this might be the first year that I am actually on top of the planting season like I want to be. Yeh me. I also busted out the bike and went for the first ride of the year. Sure it was only a few blocks, but it was still fantastic. Now what I really need to do is give the old gal a tune up cause the chain was grinding and the tires need air and maybe new brakes? Not sure but I need to get to it, like asap because I plan on making the bike my means of transportation for the summer.
aside from all the that stuff, we also did some work, the mr did even more work (he is always working). I finished up a couple clay projects that have been lingering for a while. We went for lots of walks without jackets and I wore sandals all week. We managed a good stop by to see the littles and bring them carrot cookies. They ate all the cookies (2 dozen), beat the shit out of the mr, and managed to clean while they were doing it. We were impressed to say the least. The mr was sore from getting wacked a bunch.
Then Wednesday was Seans birthday. Would have been 30 years old%u2026Whoa. The family, friends, all of Seans friends went to the basketball court for a little pick up basketball game to celebrate and be together. It was fun, and sad, and good to see all the boys, but sad, but good. Never going get used to it. You know what I mean? Life.
Rest of the week came and went with the usual plus lots of rain and gray, but again, I was all about it because it is spring. worked at the studio on Friday where I moved all the clay in the world, got stabbed so hard by a stray pointy tool that was in slop bucket and got blood everywhere. I also managed to get so much clay in my hair and was overly praised for my height by all the studio ladies. They really appreciate my abilities at grabbing things on high shelves.
And the weekend. Yesterday we woke and basically ran out of the house to moms to borrow her truck (still haven%u2019t found a car to buy). We then drove the truck up to the greater north of Vermont and picked up all the cedar wood we need for the porch. Loaded up, drove back to the porch and unloaded all the wood. I came home for a few hours of power cleaning while the mr ran around all over some more and then back to moms for dinner. (Mom made ham, I brought my own dinner) We ate, Mom brushed my hair and then Barb breaded it which I love love and will never be able to do myself. I raided moms books (found nothing I haven%u2019t read already), searched for a missing bowl, made fun of the boys. Then I came home just in time to passed out.
Today, well today is Easter so after the gym and a few Sunday errands I need to do this morning, we are going to be doing a little easter lunch thing and an egg hunt for the littles at moms with the fam. After that I am coming home and continuing my quest for perfection in the yard, maybe tinker with the bike a bit, take a nap, read, drink all the coffee.. Looking at some sunshine and 70 degrees for the afternoon.. It%u2019s going to be a fine fine day.
And I still have not washed my hair so I need to do that. Most of the clay dried and fell out, but there still is some left%u2026.SO yeah, I need to do that today. I really hate washing my hair.
Internet links to check out.
–Fireflies Will Soon Light Up the Skies In Mesmerizing Harmony%u2014 Here’s How to See Them. I love me some fireflies, how cool would it be to see this.
– The Single Most Useful Snacking Rule I Give My Kid. I don%u2019t have my own kids, but when I have other peoples, I go by a rule like this too except my rule is you can eat veggies any time all the time.
-Want to grow your own avocado tree, here is how. Good luck.
–THE VINTAGE ROMANTIC BATH.. All the clawfoot tubs. Can%u2019t go wrong
-I am so ready. The first official %u201cStranger Things%u201d Season 3 trailer
–4 Natural Ways To Fertilize Houseplants. Now is a good time to fertilize!
-Hate the dentist? Read this and you will only hate it that much more. The Truth About Dentistry
-If ever I was to live on a house boat, this boat would be the one. And the floors in this place%u2026 swoon!
–How One Woman’s ‘Magically Delicious’ Pot Brownies Changed%u00a0History. Brownie Mary, what a lady.
-What the freaking f@ck? I am pretty sure I don%u2019t like where this could go. Neuroscientists just brought pig brain cells back to life.
Some pictures from the week
I think we did it, we made it through the winter. That little bit of snow the other night, well that was it. Until next winter!!!!! Now lets all just do all the spring things and enjoy the niceness of moderate temperatures and the sight of green things growing. We are in it and it is wonderous.
The past week flew by so fast. A lot of being everywhere at once and alll over. Now that spring has sprung there has been much to do. Besides working and the usual (the little apartment projects are just piling up) we have looked at not 1, but 3 different cars. The one van on Sunday was a bust (the guy was crazy and the car was dead. Craigslist. A definite miss there), and two others. Those were not good either (but not nearly as bad) so the hunt continues, as does the back and forth car sharing situation. We are definitely getting to our limit with sharing one small car but I have faith we will find something soon. Our poor car. It%u2019s getting trashed.
In between the work and life stuff we got to spend the most magical raining morning harvested wood from an apple orchard for future spoon projects. That might have been the highlight of the week, especially because I have now realized that I am suppose to live and work on apple orchard. I think it is my calling so I got to get on that. Other fun things included an evening of egg dying with Qui, Adrianna, and the littles which was fun and gross and I actually hate the whole real eggs and dying them thing, but the mr was all about it so%u2026.We also got to spend (babysit) an afternoon with So where she basically spent the entire time to beating on the mr and feeding us unicorn jellybean soup. Good times with that one.
And then there were taxes. I spent ever single free minute attempting to finish the stupid taxes and learn all about tax laws and try to be component. It got to the point where I was almost in tears%u2026 then I gave up. As of Friday morning, I now have until October to get those stupid things done. And I think we are just going to find a new accountant because really, I don%u2019t want to spend all my time learning tax law. Not my thing. I mean, when it takes me twenty minutes to figure out that the form won%u2019t summit because I am entering the wrong date (2018, not 2019), well, I should just leave it to a professional.
Saturday was the gem. Woke up to temperatures in the mid 50%u2019s, went for a nice walk, spent the morning throwing pots, and did some light cleaning. For the afternoon we met up with all the sisters, the littles, Mom and had lunch. The boys went away (they hung out at the park being dangerous) while us ladies went to the theater%u2026..Mamma Mia. Us girls bought the tickets for Mom%u2019s birthday present a few weeks ago. Not exactly my thing, but I was game.. And it was better then I was expecting, although I was%u2019t sure what I was expecting. I don%u2019t think I would have gone if not for many other circumstances, but it was fun and my mom had a great time. My biggest complaint was it was really loud and there were a ton of people. Oh, and that I have a Dancing Queen ear worm. But other then that, not bad.. After the show, the mr picked me up, we rushed to get some more things done before going home to finish cleaning. That might not sound fantastic but it was still light out, the world was still warm, the doors and windows were open and it just felt so good. Oh yes. Spring is finally here!
Today is going to be good. I plan on spending most of it out in the yard doing yard work. I am going to lather on the sunscreen, grab the tunes, the rake, hoe, and the shovel and get to it. Then hopefully I%u2019l be able to throw some seeds into the ground which I am already getting concerned about. The squirrels have come out full force and are looking hungry!.
Let the garden battles begin!
Some stuff I read on the internet from the week.
Again, I filed an extension. Why do they have to be so freaking hard? Another thing they have right in the Netherlands. Filing Your Taxes Is an Expensive Time Sink. That%u2019s Not an Accident.
-So my kind of home. This 650-Square-Foot Family Home in Ohio Is Off-Grid %u2018Country Minimalism%u2019
–Day hikers are the most vulnerable in survival situations. Here’s why. We have lost the trail before and it was actually kind of scary. Luckly we were on a small mountain and we knew there was a road at the bottom. We just kept going down until we hit the road. Ever since I stay very away of the trail.
-Genius. Pure genius And they are Vermont students too!. SheFly: Answer Nature’s Call
–How to Get Out of Your Own Head. I spend a lot of time in my head but that is where I feel the least crazy.. Or is that crazy. People make me crazy. They can%u2019t get me in my head.
-I exclusively clean with vinegar. Even my hardwood floors. Vinegar Is the Only Floor Cleaner You Need (Even for Carpet!)
–Oprah Bought an Avocado Orchard Because Grocery Store Avocados Were Too Expensive. The lady has got her priorities straight. For real, I would buy an avocado orchard too if I was Oprah rich too.
–Are Plastic Bag Bans Garbage? We (humans) just need to stop making more and reuse all the junk we already have. Reusable bags made out of all the old clothing and shit has no purpose anymore.
–“Do Skunks Like Their Own Smell?” And Other Stumpers! I always thought that skunks deals with their stink kind of like a person deals with their own farts%u2026 They just deal. HA
And pictures from the week.
I think we are pretty much out of the clear. Yes I woke up yesterday morning to a light coating of snow on the ground, but I feel like that was it. It has got to be because I have to wash my winter jacket that is as of now, covered in dirt and concrete so it needs to be washed. And once it is washed, it is getting packed away with all of the other winter stuff. So you see, we really cannot have any more winter jacket weather because I won%u2019t have a jacket anymore. It must be sweater weather or warmer and that is that. Are you listening weather?
The week good, if not a bit hectic and all over. There was work, paper work, the %u201cmust not be mentioned%u201d and no they are not done yet but must be by next Monday or else. The mr has been running around all over town doing this and that which has been a slight pain because when he is super busy and I am busy and we only have one car and my bike needs a good tune up before it is safe%u2026 Well it makes things some what difficult. But so far we have managed and there wasn%u2019t too much arguing over car. We did manage to take a nice walk down by the lake, I also was able to sneak in a warm afternoon of clearing out the garden and picking up yard trash. The back porch is almost ready for summer living and green things are popping up all over the place making me ache for more more more. Think of it, trees with leaves. I am getting more excited every day.
Friday was a crazy day. Woke up, went to the gym with no plans other then work at the studio and having the littles over for dinner. By the time I came home I had plans to quickly make a cake before work because the littles pizza party turned into a family birthday party for Megan. So I made that cake, ran to work, moved 700lb of clay and loaded kilns. The mr picked me up with littles in tow, we ran home in time for all the family and partied partied until I kicked everyone out of the house at 7 because I was exhausted and plus Megan needed to go to Costco so she needed to leave anyway. Ha.
Yesterday, after a near sleepless night due to a racing mind, we woke up (again, to snow. BLAH), I bundled up and out we went to spend half the day pouring wet, heavy, cold concrete. I must say, pouring concrete usually isn%u2019t the worst, but yesterday, well it was. First off, we were working in very tight quarters making moving somewhat difficult.. Secondly, I was sore from all the clay moving the day before. And I was freezing. And tired, so so tired. By mid morning my fingers and toes had tuned to ice, I was covered in so much dirt and concrete, the mr was basically rolling around in dirt (reference picture above) so was trashed worse then me, but we were getting it done. The mr was brilliant and saved us so much time and hassle by coming up with a tarp and jostle concrete mixing technique so that was good. Anyway, the concrete was all poured and it is over. (Now we wait for it to set to finish porch construction) The rest of the day was short and went by with cleaning the house. I don%u2019t know how my family does it but there were sprinkles from the cake EVERYWHERE!
Today, after a quick romp to the gym, the library, the grocery store, and all the other little chores I need to do, the mr and I are going for a drive to look at a van. We need a work car. The life car is getting trashed, we have been having to get materials delivered (which costs money and stupid time) because we cannot fit wood and big stuff in the car, and it is just not practical for us to share. So van. A van for work, A van for cross country travel. A van for sanity. Hopefully this van is the one. Wish us luck.
Some stuff from the internet that you might care to look at.
-Thinking real hard about buying these Birkenstocks%u2026but not sure. Any opinions?
–Stop Asking Kids What They Want to Be When They Grow Up The question forces children to define themselves in terms of work. And really, what do you consider grown up?
-Gluten sensitive? Try sourdough. Why Some Gluten-Sensitive People Can Still Eat Sourdough Bread.
–Kitchen spices look startlingly different in the wild. So pretty
–Brown is one of my favorite colors
-Got a power drill? If yes, you also have a oven cleaner. I Cleaned My Oven with a Power Drill
–All Right. Some Cats Do Fetch. Only never fetched. That would have been beneath him. But he did respond to his name. Cats Might Not Act Like It, But They Know Their Names As Well As Dogs
-I very much like this house.
-Will Kevin Costner be my neighbor? Floating cities could ease the world%u2019s housing crunch, the UN says
–10 Things Nobody Tells You About Plywood. I love a good application of ply wood. We have plywood floor tiles in the pantry and our kitchen cabinets are plywood and they are great.
And some pictures from the week.
Hey there people. Happy end of March. Yes, it is true, already a quarter at the way through the year. And no, I don%u2019t know how it happened either. But so that is the way of time now isn%u2019t it.
A week, oh what a week. Not going to lie and say it as all to fanatic to start with. We have been so busy with work and other stuff. Other stuff being bills and paperwork and me trying to get the taxes done. (New rule. We just not mention taxes again until they are done). We did manage a warmish walk to with the littles to spend an hour arguing over weather they can get a king sized candy bar at the store over a lollipop (ended up with gummy worms). There was also a little wood carving, yarn weaving, library pursuing , and neighbor visiting to be had, but other then that, not much else of interest. The week just came and settled into what it was.
And then it was Friday which was a shit day. First off, it was the anniversary of Seans death so you know, already a not great day. But better yet, I Woke up at 4, stub my toe hard on the way back from the bathroom, laid in bed in pain until the throbbing subsided, went to the kitchen to start coffee. As soon as a I turned the faucet on, a little mouse ran across the counter. It took me a good minute of just staring at counter before I registered what happened and started to scream FUCK, FUCK FUCK! I woke the mr up with my profanity. Yup, a mouse in the house, munching on the a bowl of squash seeds I left on the counter. So what can you really do at 4 in the morning? Not much so I went to the gym. I then came home and started cleaning before I had to work at the studio but as I started in on cleaning, the vacuum decided to stop working. Agh. And so the cleaning ceased, I went to work, came home, ate dinner, emptied all the food from the pantry into bags and boxes, then felt all to defeated and sad to do much of anything so just crawled into bed. I figured I would just deal with it all Saturday and I just really needed the day to be over.
Yesterday was the lady, my moms, 60th birthday. Whoop whoop!!( HAPPY HAPPY TO MY MOM). I woke up, baked two cakes, two batches of focaccia, and home made mac and cheese, salad, prepared other foods, and then something for my dinner (my breath still have not recovered from the funk that is of a red onion eaten raw).There was a quick detour during the bake-a-thon to the library for the annual seed swap plus I definitely took out everything from the pantry and vacuumed and sprayed every surface and inspected every piece of food for mice disturbance. (I pretty much have the cleanest pantry ever now.) As for the rest of the house, it is still a mess. Not anything to do with mouse mess, just my Saturday, tear the house apart before I clean and put it back together, mess. While baking I starred in on my weekly clean but things happen and all of a sudden it was time for the mr and I to pack up all the food and head over to my moms house. There we finished food preparing, helped Erin decorate and clean up the house, and then lost my mind a bit. After a near breakdown due to lack of sleep, I mellowed out in time for everyone to show up while Mark and Paul were out with my mom for coffee. When they came home, Mom walked into a house full to the brim with all her kids and most of the grandkids. She was so very happy, I think%u2026.. Ha, no, she was. We then ate the dinner I spent the day slaving over, played outside, went for a walk that looked like a parade, came back for cake and ice cream and presents (everyone got her plants.), and whoa, before I knew it it was 7:30 pm and I was still awake and not in bed. Craziness. But that was it, I lost all steam. We came home to a half trashed house and I basically just assed the f out. The mr set the mouse traps. Have- a-heart, but also some not. I don%u2019t want to know. I just can%u2019t.
Today I am going to clean clean clean. Then maybe clip my toes nails, brush my hair, and get my head ready for the hectic week to come. It%u2019s going to be a full one. There is concrete pouring, the dreaded %u201cnot the be mentioned until they are done%u201d papers, I have a shit ton of stuff that needs to be glazed, seeds to start, yards to clean. It%u2019s spring. Everything needs to be done. Good thing the world has coffee. I am going to need it all.
P.S. It is official. The sandals are out. No more shoes for the next 6 months!
Here are some interesting reads from the interent this week. Read what you want.
-The most significant event in the history of earth. Thats some shit. The Day the Dinosaurs Died
–Why Do I Put Off Doing Things I Love? I know I have been guilty of doing before but I really try to use what I have, especially it is my favorite. Having shit just stashed away is pointless. Use it (whatever it is)
-I want to experience the greatness of the cherry blossom. 25 gorgeous photos of cherry blossoms
-Life we would be something with giant cats. Japanese Illustrator Imagines A World Where Humans Live Among Giant Animals
-I love airbnb but this is definitely something that has crossed my mind and kind of freaks me out. Airbnb Has a Hidden-Camera Problem. But there are cameras and hidden cameras everywhere so%u2026.
–Why Rewatching the Same Shows Is Actually Good For You. I get this. I barely watch tv, but when I do, I like to watch old shows that I have watched before. Gives me good feels and plus I don%u2019t have to pay attention. Plus. Too Much Video Streaming To Choose From? It’s Only Going To Get Worse
-Whoa dude. Yep, You Can Juice a Lemon Without Cutting It%u2014Here’s%u00a0How
–14 ways to break your plastic habit. Even doing a few of these things will make a difference.
-Awesome.KAWS Floats a Massive Inflatable Sculpture in Hong Kong%u2019s Victoria Harbour
I am obsessed. For real. That might seem like a strong statement for a feeling about a food, but right now, it is truth. I spend more time then I want to admit thinking and drooling over Socca, which is, to those who do not know, the most basic chickpea flour pancake-y bread thing. Chickpea flour, water and salt. Cooked fast under the broiler in a screaming hot skillet. That is it. And it is amazing. Depending on how you make it, it can be creamy and soft or more cracker like with some crisp crunch to it. Either way, it is just so freaking good. Of course, what I am dreaming about regarding it is not just plan basic socca (which I have made 3 times in the past 3 days) but different flavored soccas (I have experimented with lot of seasoning, and they are all A+) with all sorts of different topping and using it in all sorts of different ways. But for now, I wanted to keep basic so we all know how good simplicity is. We will go from here.
There is no stopping me. There is no stopping the socca.
Now to my new favorite food, the socca.
Chickpea flour, salt and water. That is it. Mix it all up.
Batter all smooth and now in need of a rest. Half an hour or up to a day of rest is good.
Now to cook the socca. You need to use something oven safe like cast iron. The trick here is to preheat the skillet while you are preheating the oven. Crank oven to 450 with the skillet in oven and once the oven reaches temp, turn oven over to a high broil. Let the skillet get really hot for another minute or two then remove skillet from oven (carefully!!!) and give it a splash of oil. Don%u2019t preheat the skillet with oil in it or else it will start to smoke and get gross.
Now that you got a nice hot and oiled skillet, grab the rested batter and pour half of it in. Tilt skillet around to coat bottom then stick skillet back into oven under broiler and cook for 4-8minutes. ( It depends on your broilers strength and your preference for blisters)
Out from the broiler. Cooked and slightly blistered. I went easy on this one. The next one got a few more blisters.
2 soccas, one a little thicker then the other. One a little more blistered then the other. Both in my belly.
So many Soccas to come.
So. many. Soccas.
-C
makes two 10 inch soccas
1 cup chickpea flour
1 cup room temperature water
1/2 teaspoon salt
olive oil for pan
Mix chickpea flour, salt and water together into a bowl until smooth. Let mixture rest for at least half an hour or up to a day.
When ready to make the socca, preheat oven to 450 with a 10 inch oven safe skillet (I used cast iron but any oven safe dish would work) in oven.
Once oven reaches temp, turn oven over to broil and place skillet under it for a minute to really heat the skillet. Carefully, with oven mitts, remove hot skillet from oven and brush or pour a smidge of oil into the hot skillet to coat bottom. Pour in half the batter and tilt around until bottom is coated then place skillet back into oven under broiler and cook for 4 -8 minutes or until the socca starts to blister. (it kind of depends on your broiler so keep a close eye on it) Remove from oven and slip socca onto cutting board. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Drizzle with olive oil if you like. Then all you do is cut and eat.
Left over socca can be stored in fridge and reheated in oven or toaster.
Note. IF you want a slightly thicker socca, use a 8 inch skillet. For a thiner, more cracker like socca, pour in 1/3 of the batter at a time (you will end up with 3 instead of 2)
It%u2019s a smoothie. And no, we have never really been smoothie people in this house, but what can I say, sometimes smoothies happen, especially when you have about 20 ripe bananas in the fruit bowl with no room in the freezer and no need for 7 loafs of banana bread.
So I smoothied. And I like it (a lot).
This is a smoothie of simplicity. Nothing fancy. Simplest of simple. Straight to the point. And all sorts of good.
You might think, does this simple smoothie you speak of taste very good? Yes, yes indeed it does. It is all sorts of fantastic. Basically if you like creamy, nutty, oaty, bananery things, you will like this. And it%u2019s a perfect breakfast, snack, dessert, or just wanting a little treat like thing that is not garbage food. A smoothie of all smoothies with the most basic ingredients. And takes about 15 seconds to whip up. Can%u2019t complain about that.
To the smoothie goodness!
The stuff. A ripe banana, some old fashion rolled oats, a pinch of salt, water, and a smidge of maple syrup if you want it.
Everything goes into blender.
And blended until smooth. Hence the word smoothie.
Pour it into a cup (or if you are feeling primal, drink it straight from the blender%u2026 it%u2019s totally cool)
And done.
A banana oat smoothie.
Let the good time roll!
-C
makes 1 smoothie
1 very ripe banana
1/3 cup raw old fashion oats
1 1/2 cups water
pinch of salt
a tablespoon or two of any sweetener you like (optional)
a pinch of cinnamon (optional)
Place everything into a blender and blend until smooth. Pour into a cup, sprinkle with cinnamon if you wish, and drink right away.
It’s melon season!%u00a0The past few farm shares have included at least 2,, if not 4, watermelons and cantaloupes… Can you imagine. eating 4 watermelons a week? That’s a tall order, even for someone like me who could probably eat a whole watermelon in one sitting, it’s just doing it 4 times a week might be a problem. %u00a0It’s a whole lot of melon and not enough stomach, you know what I mean?%u00a0
So what do I do with so much melon? Well first off, whenever anyone comes over I try to get them to %u00a0eat as much of it as they can, which helps a great deal. Secondly, I cut it up and freeze some. But here is the thing, I love eating chunks of frozen cantaloupe, but frozen watermelon,%u00a0never been my favorite so I usually just pass on sticking in the freezer, until now.
There is something magical that happens when you stick the frozen watermelon and cantaloupe together into a blender and making it into a slushy. It’s like eating a ray of sunshine or maybe even a rainbow, just really satisfying and juicy, and sweet but not overly sweet, and just really freaking good. Especially with all the stupid hot and humid weather we have had lately, these slushies have really been hitting the spot. %u00a0Even the mr who says he dislikes watermelon was all into these melon slushies. (he likes things that he says he doesn’t like all the time. I am pretty sure he is taste confused) Like %u00a0he was really into them. Usually I have to prompt him to tell me how something tastes, but not the slushy, he told me right away how good it was. I was like, I know dude, I just drank 2 of them myself. And I could have drank 2 more but I was trying to not get tot far ahead of myself. Moderation is key, plus I didn’t;t have any more of the melons frozen. Time to restock the freezer.%u00a0
Go make yourself a slushy, it’s juicy deliciousness will make you happy.%u00a0
The stuff. Watermelon and cantaloupe. There should be a lime in there too but it must have rolled away….%u00a0
Chop some of each of the melon up, remove the rinds, and place on a big baking sheet and stick into the freezer until frozen. You can do as little as 2 cups %u00a0of each or as much as a whole melon, it’s up to you. (I suggest freezing extra)
Frozen melon. And now you can slushy.
Equal parts watermelon and cantaloupe go into blender, along with the juice of half (or more to taste)%u00a0a lime and you are probably going to need to add about 1/2 a cup of water, to help the blender blend it all together. %u00a0And that’s it. You blend until it’s all slushy.
Pour into cups, garnish with a lime and/or little chunks of melon and you are good as golden.%u00a0
From now on, or until summer is over and I run out of melon, I will be keeping the freezer stocked, especially because I know that the next few weeks are suppose to be stupid hot again.%u00a0
Waterloupe slushies. Summertime goodness.%u00a0
-C
about 2 cups %u00a0of a watermelon
about 2 cups of a cantaloupe%u00a0
1 lime
1/2- 1 cup water%u00a0
Note. The amounts above are for two%u00a0 2 cup slushies. You can, and should,%u00a0freeze a crap load more melon for future slushies. %u00a0Also, no one would fault you for maybe adding a little nip of some clear alcohol to this slushy situation to make it more of an adult drink……
Cut up a watermelon and a cantalopjue. Eat some and reserve at least 2 cups of each. Remove the rinds from the melons and cut into cubes. Place melon on a baking sheet and stick into the freezer until frozen.%u00a0
Once frozen,%u00a0place equal parts frozen watermelon and cantaloupe into the blender with the juice of a lime. Turn blender on. Slowly add in water until the blender can handle blending the frozen fruit. Blend until smooth. Pour into cups, garnish if you want with more melon and lime, then get to drinking.%u00a0
I picked up the first summer farm share this week. (Whoo Hoo!!)%u00a0In it included lettuce, spinach, kale, cilantro, and potatoes. A heavy on the greens,%u00a0start to the season, but I am never going complain when it’s heavy on the greens. I could eat greens, any greens, by the bucket full (and basically do).%u00a0And there was pyo cilantro, which I wasn’t expecting for a least a week or two so that was just fantastic because oh how I have missed fresh herbs.%u00a0
So greens went directly to my stomach without a chance, but the potatoes and cilantro I left so I could make something to share with the mr. Roasted potatoes because that’s my favorite way to eat a tater and covered in lots and lots of cilantro because yes, and when you eat cilantro, you must eat a lot of it. Lime juice for good measure and you got yourself a dank little potato dish if I do say so myself.%u00a0
The stuff. Potatoes, cilantro, limes (you probably only need one), garlic, olive oil, and salt and pepper.
After washing your potatoes, dice them into mouth sized pieces and place them into a pot of cold water%u00a0
Dice potatoes go into pot and need a little boil. If you have a pinch of salt to toss into the water, well you should do that.
After boiling for a few minutes, give the poe test, if you can kind of pierce a potato with a fork, they are done.%u00a0%u00a0You don’t want to completely cook the potatoes, you just want them juuuust barely fork tender.. Once they get there,%u00a0strain them.
Let the potatoes drain for a minutes or two to make sure all the water is gone. In the mean time, mince up the garlic.
Add the garlic with a big pinch of salt and pepper and a glug glug of olive oil back to the pot (you could use a new bowl, but why dirty another dish?)
Add in the drained potatoes and toss around until they are all evenly coated.
Dump potatoes onto a baking sheet (if you think of it, preheat the oven with the baking sheet in it… just make sure to be careful when handling hot pans)
Into the oven those taters go to roast and be great.
And sometime between putting the potatoes in the oven and taking them out, chop up the cilantro.
Once potatoes are all nice and golden roasted, remove from oven and drizzle and toss the juice of the lime all over. Place the potatoes back into the oven for a few minutes to let them crisp up again.
And then you toss all that chopped cilantro all over those potatoes.
And then eat them. Maybe serve with salsa and whipped avocado because that is what I did and I did good.
-C
Serves 2-4 peoples
2 1/2 %u00a0pounds small yellow potatoes
1 bunch cilantro
4-6 cloves garlic%u00a0
1 juicy %u00a0lime
2-3 tablespoons olive oil
salt and pepper
Preheat oven to 425 with the baking sheet preheating in the oven as well.
Wash potatoes well and chop into pieces about an inch or so big and place in a big pot of cold water. Once you got all the potatoes in the pot, add a pinch of table salt and bring the potatoes to a boil. Cook for 5-8 minutes or until the potatoes are just barely fork tender.. don’t over boil them. Drain potatoes.
In either the empty pot (less dishes) or a bowl, combine 2 tablespoon oil with the garlic, a good pinch or two of pepper, and same with salt. Mix around then add in the potatoes. Toss to coat and if you feel that you might need little more oil, drizzle in a bit more.%u00a0
Dump coated potatoes onto a %u00a0preheated baking sheet and place in oven for about 40-50 minutes, giving the potatoes a good stir after 30. You want the potatoes to be a nice roasted brown. Once roasted, pull potatoes from oven and squeeze the juice of the lime all over the potatoes. Toss and place the potatoes back into the oven for a few minutes just to crisp up a bit. While the potatoes are crisping up,%u00a0chop the cilantro. After the few minutes, pull the potatoes back out and toss with the cilantro. Season with more salt and pepper if needed and then just eat them. I like to serve with salsa and some avocado situation, but ketchup or naked works too.
%u00a0
The mr has a soft spot for tortilla chips. He doesn’t get chips often, but when he does it is usually the super fried, super salty, in a plastic bag, tortilla chips. And I am ok with that because it is not often and the dude deserves chips when he wants them. But I hate how crappy they are for him, especially all the salt. So much salt that I can smell it in my mouth (yes, I said that right). So, as with everything else we eat in the house, I now make chips from scratch. (Slowly I have eliminated just about everything that is pre packaged and started making it myself.%u00a0I think it’s pretty much just the dried pasta and the mr’s yogurt and cheese that I haven’t gotten to.Yet.) This way he can eat his chips and I don’t have to sit there tasting the smell and thinking about the crap that he is eating.%u00a0%u00a0I know I say this a lot, but lets just take a minute here and acknowledge how I really am the best girlfriend ever.%u00a0
Ok, now about these chips. I have made plan tortilla chips a few times before and figured it was time for a twist.%u00a0%u00a0In come black beans. Why, because I was pretty sure beans were going to be awesome, and lo and behold, I was completely right. Adding the beans take little to no more effort then making the chips without, and bonus here, more fiber and protein and good stuff going into a chip. Then they are lightly oil, lightly salted, and eaten without any guilt because I made them and they are the best. Seriously, the mr thinks they are amazing and doesn’t miss those pre package ones a bit.%u00a0%u00a0And sure, they might take a little time and minimal effort, but really they are super easy and the time and effort to make them is probably no more then going into a store, waiting in line to pay, and driving home to eat your chips. You can have these chip made in that amount of time. So you might as well just make them.
To the chips.%u00a0
The stuff. Masa harnia, black beans, water, salt, and a little oil. There should be a lemon or lime here too, but I forgot to stick it into the picture. Oops.%u00a0
Pretty easy.%u00a0%u00a0Add the beans to a food processor and blend untill completely smooth. Add in the masa and pulse then gradually add in water until a dough forms. Stop and feel the dough. If it feels like play dough and comes together into ball easily, then you are good. If it is to wet, add a little more masa, to dry, more water.
Dump the dough onto the counter and form into a ball. Place the doguh into a bowl and cover with a damp closer for 15-30 minutes to let the dough rest.
After the rest, divide the dough into 12 pieces and roll into balls. Place the balls onto a damp cloth and cover while you are making the tortillas so they don’t dry out.%u00a0
To flatten those balls into tortillas.%u00a0%u00a0After doing this a bunch of times, I have a system that works the best for me.%u00a0%u00a0I use a large ziplock bag (the plastic is a little thicker and easier to deal with, plus I don’t use plastic wrap), a cutting board, and a rolling pin. Place a dough ball into the center of the bag then take the cutting board and press directly on top, placing all your weight onto it. It gets flat, but not flat enough so take the rolling pin and flatten some more. Then press the rolled out dough with the cutting board one last time. Carefuly remove from bag and place direrely onto a hot dry skillet.%u00a0
Cook each side 3-4 minutes or until it starts to get a few light brown spots. Once cooked, place on a plate or baking sheet. If I were just making tortillas, I would place then in between a kitchen towel to keep them warm, but because they are destined for chips and don’t care.%u00a0
Black bean corn tortillas.%u00a0Hey, you could stop here and make a taco or something if you need to. Feel free to use a tortilla or two before using the rest to make the into chips.%u00a0
So chips. Grab baking sheets, oil, salt, a knife, and the tortillas. Take a few of the tortillas and oil them. (The easiest way I found to do this is to rub oil on with my hands then rub the oil onto the tortillas.%u00a0)%u00a0Oil 3 at a time, stacked them on top of each other and cut into 8 triangles,%u00a0
Get as many of the triangles onto a baking sheet as you can, without overlapping. %u00a0Once all nice and tight, sprinkle the tops with salt and pop them into preheated oven.%u00a0
Pull the chips out of the oven when they are crispy and done (about 10 minutes)%u00a0then squeeze a little lemon juice all over the chips. Toss around and pop the pan back into the oven for another minute or two just so the juice doesn’t %u00a0leave the chips soggy.
Dump cooked chips %u00a0onto a wire rack to cool. Eat as you work, you deserve it.
Pile chips into a bowl, and serve with some salsa or guacamole or whatever you eat you chips with. %u00a0They are your chips.%u00a0
-C
Makes 98 chips, or like a good sized bag worth
2 cups masa harina%u00a0
1 cup cooked black beans in bean juice
1- 1 1/4%u00a0 cups warm water
couple teaspoons neutral oil (I used grape seed oil)
2-3 teaspoons salt
A lemon or lime
Beans go into a food processor and blended until completely smooth. Add in the masa and blend, slowly adding 3/4 cups water until a dough starts to forms. %u00a0Stop and check dough. It should feel like play dough and come together easilty onto a ball. If it feel wet, add in a couple of tablespoons more of the masa. If it is still too dry and crumbly, add in more water until it’s to the right consistnacey. Dump dough onto counter and form in a ball. Place dough in a bowl and cover with a damp towel and let sit for abut 15-30 minutes.
Preheat a skillet on medium high heat on stove.
Once dough has rested, divide into 12 pieces and roll into balls. Place balls onto a damp towel and cover when not working with them.%u00a0Grab a large ziplock bag, a cutting board, and a rolling pin. Take a dough ball and place in the center of the bag. Press down with the cutting board, placing all your weight on top. It got flat, but not flat enough. Continue to flatten out with the rolling pin until it is about %u00a01/8 inch thick. Press again one last time with the cutting board. Gently remove from bag and place directly onto the hot skillet. Cook each side for 3-4 minutes or until it %u00a0starts to get a few light brown spot. Place cooked tortilla on a baking sheet or in between a kitchen towel. Repeat until all 12 dough balls are cooked into tortillas.
Preheat oven to 375
Working in 3’s. dump a little oil onto your hand then lightly rub it all over the tortillas. Stack them on top of each other then cut into 8 wedged. Place wedges onto a baking sheet, get as many as you can onto sheet without any overlapping, then sprinkle with salt. to taste. If you have them, use multiple baking sheets.%u00a0%u00a0Place in oven for about 10-12 minutes or until the chips are crispy. Remove and sprinkle lemon juice all over the chips. Toss around and place back into oven for a minute or two just until lth lemon juice evaporates. Remove and dump chips onto a wire rack to cool.
Eat chips. Any left over can be placed into a airtight container or bag and will last about 3-4 days.%u00a0
IF you are a Vermonter you probably have maple on the mind. You drive anywhere outside of the city and you start see all tubes and lines running through the woods attached to all the trees. And spring. The weather plays a huge part in sugaring so when the weather is right, people be talking.%u00a0It’s maple sugaring time around here so of course I am thinking maple thoughts. It is kind of hard not to.
The first thing that goes through my mind when I think about maple is that I think I want a small sugarbush on our land (the land we have yet to find and buy) We already know that we are going to have an apiary (bees and honey) so why not do maple too? The would keep us busy all summer through spring with sweet things. Summers with the bees then trudging through the cold waist high snow tapping trees and hanging out in a sugar house in the woods.. I think that it should be part of my life. Plus think about the possibilities of a name for a honey/maple farm. Let your mind take you there.%u00a0
Second thing I think about when I think about maple is how to eat it. Most people jump right to pancakes, maple on snow, or lattes. But then what? Not going lie, I do not have a sweet tooth, like at all. I do’t eat pancakes covered in maple. I don’t drink lattes, and the maple on snow thing got old in 5th grade.
But I do like popcorn.%u00a0
Maple popcorn. Sounds good right? But maybe a little too sweet so add in a savory component to balance the sweetness out, and that is where the cumin comes in.%u00a0%u00a0%u00a0%u00a0%u00a0%u00a0%u00a0Maple is earthy and sweet, and a tad bit smokey. Cumin is earthy and savory, and smokey as well.. The two together create a fantastical flavor combonation that is smokey sweet and savory and all so freaking good. %u00a0Added to popcorn, well it’s right in all the ways that we need it to be. %u00a0
Now if the mr and I could just decide on a movie that we can both watch together… Probably just end up watching the Office instead. And we will each have our own bowls of popcorn.%u00a0
The stuff. Air popped popcorn, maple syrup, ground cumin,%u00a0vegan butter, and salt.
Butter and cumin go into a pot to melt and activate the flavor of the cumin.%u00a0
Once the butter is melted and the cumin is fragrant, the maple joins the pot party. Keep the pot on low and stir continuously for about 5 minutes until the syrup get a tiny bit thicker.%u00a0
Maple cumin syrup ready to go.
Dump the popcorn on a large rimmed baking sheet. Grab the syrup and drizzle it all all over the popcorn. Toss it around, sprinkle with a a little salt and then pop it into the warm oven for 5-7 minutes to keep the popcorn from being soggy.%u00a0
And then it’s done. Dump it into a big bow and get ready to eat.%u00a0
Sweet and smokey all in your mouth. This popcorn is sure to please.
-C
makes about 8 cups popcorn
8-9 cups air popped popcorn
1 tablespoon vegan butter
1/3 cup real maple syrup (preferably from VT)
1 tablespoon ground cumin
salt to taste
Preheat oven to 250.
Grab a large rimmed baking sheet and dump popcorn onto it.
Place cumin and butter in a small pot and place on low heat. Stir until butter is melted and you can start to smell the cumin. Add in the maple and continuously stir for about 5 minutes until it start to slightly thicken. Immediately drizzle the syrup all over the popcorn, toss it around, sprinkle with a little salt and then pop it into the oven for about 5-7 minutes to prevent the popcorn from becoming soggy.
Remove and let cool a minutes then dump popcorn into a big bowl. Grab a movie (because you know that is what you are doing) and get to the popcorn.%u00a0
Extra popcorn (but there will not be any) will last for a few days in a airtight container)%u00a0
Have you heard of switchel? A lot of people haven’t so don’t feel bad if you don’t know what the hell I am talking about (like my computer. It keeps auto correcting switchel to switched). So switchel. It’s basically a drink made from water and apple cider vinegar. But wait, don’t grimace and click away, it’s also has fresh ginger, lime, and maple syrup mixed in and is really really really freaking refreshing and tasty and just really good. I guess it was even used back I the day as a sort of sports drink, like Gatorade because it has all sorts of electrolytes and anti-inflammatory properties from the ginger.%u00a0%u00a0Plus apple cider vinegar has got all sorted or health benefits,%u00a0so it’s a tasty treat with benefits. Who doesn’t love the benefits?%u00a0
You can drink the switchel %u00a0straight up hot or cold, add it to seltzer for a bubbly soda like drink or even %u00a0mix some cocktails with it. I enjoy a nice cold glass when I am feeling thirsty but what I usually do it fill up half a %u00a0jar with boiling water, then fill the rest of the jar up with the cold switchel. It’s a nice tangy, spicy,%u00a0refreshing and warming drink that I look forward to every day. I even got the littles to try it.%u00a0%u00a0One thought it to be nasty (can’t win them all), but the other one really liked it too, so you know it’s not just me that thinks it good.%u00a0
The stuff. Apple cider vinegar (the good stuff that is raw and has the mother), fresh ginger, limes, maple syrup, and water.%u00a0
Fresh ginger is the best. Give it a little peel with a spoon, just to maximize gingerness exposure then chop into small pieces.%u00a0
Ginger and water goes into big pot. Bring it to a boil then turn down to a high simmer for 10-15 minutes to really get the ginger infused into that water.%u00a0
After it’s cooled a bit, strain the now ginger water into a pitcher or a big jar.
Add in the vinegar, the juice of the limes and a bit maple syrup. Start off with a little maple, you can alway add more later if needed.%u00a0
After the switchel has some time in the fridge to cool (at least 2 hours, but I like it best when it’s sat overnight) grab a glass ,some ice cubes, and a slice of lime. It’s go time.%u00a0
A drink to you my friends
-C
Makes bout 6%u00a0 cups%u00a0
1/2 cup raw apple cider vinegar (with the mother. Braggs is a popular option)%u00a0
5-6 inch piece of fresh ginger%u00a0
2 limes
5 1/2 cups water
1-4 tablespoons maple syrup%u00a0
With a spoon, gently peel ginger . Not perfectly, just get some of the skin off. Chop it into small pieces and place it into a large pot with the water. Bring to a boil then let simmer for 10-15 minutes. Strain ginger water int a large pitcher or jar.
Add in the apple cider vieager, the juice of the limes, and a tablespoon or two of maple syrup. Give it a good stir then place in the fridge until cold (about two hours but overnight is best)%u00a0
When it’s cold, give it a good stir again, taste, and if it needs more maple, add it in. And then it’s ready.
You can drink it on ice, maybe add some seltzer to it, or mix it into some fancy cocktail. It can also be reheated for a nice spicy warming treat.%u00a0
I have had a shit ton of rhubarb in the freezer all winter and the other day I just needed it gone so I made a big old batch of rhubarb jam. I was actually saving the rhubarb to make the mr a pie for his birthday, but that was like 2 months ago and he ended up with ice cream sandwiches and that is why the rhubarb was still there. Oops. But now we have rhubarb jam. And I think I was feeling a little guilty about not making the pie so I, like the nicest girlfriend in the entire universe (self proclaimed yes, but so so true), used that jam to make little hand pies. And in the shape of hearts no less because hearts are amazing and it doesn’t hurt that it is Valentine Day next week.%u00a0%u00a0
%u00a0Valentines Day. What does that even mean? I think the primary meaning of Valentines Day is that all things should be in the shape of hearts. The rest is to be determined by however you may feel about the day. Whether you hate it or love it, (we love it, It’s an excuse to take the day off and cover the house in hearts) you get to make the day yours. Just make sure that whatever you do, you make it with hearts. And with pie.%u00a0
These heart pies make for great little additions to hand made Valentines day cards ( I see maybe for a kids class), are great for breakfast because they are basically just like heart shaped pop tarts,%u00a0or even for an evening of bindge watching Netflix with a loved one or by yourself. It’s pie my friends. Eat it whenever, and with whomever you want.
Also, hearts are not just for Valentines Day. And pie sure the hell isn’t either. They both just happen to work for the occasion.%u00a0
The stuff. Basically just pie crust things. Flour, a little sugar, salt, coconut oil, and ice water. Then you need jam. Jam or perseveres of any flavor(s)%u00a0%u00a0you like. I used grape and rhubarb and %u00a0had raspberry here, but I didn’t use it because I didn’t want to open it.%u00a0
Make the crust. Flour gets mixed with the salt and sugar %u00a0and the the coconut oil gets cut in until it %u00a0looks all crumbly.
The water is added %u00a0in tablespoons until a shaggy from forms.
Dump the dough onto the counter to gather all together and rest for a bit. Or if you like, wrap in plastic and refrigerate %u00a0for up to a day or two.
After the dough got a good rest, roll it out and cut your hearts out. (Not your actual heart. Please and thank you)
Half of the hearts get a dollop of jam
Then each heart gets a top and crimped together with a fork. Poke a little hole into the tops to allow for steam to escape then all of the hearts get stuck into the fridge (or place on the back porch) to get nice and cold for a bit.
%u00a0After the chill, off they go into the hot oven to bake and be.
Look at these cuties. A little jam overflow, but all is good.%u00a0
I decided last minute that they needed a little something. Powdered sugar, lime zest, and lime juice. The easiest of glazes. You could do lemon, or vanilla, or almond, or even melt a little chocolate and drizzle that on. Next time I will do chocolate because because.%u00a0
Drizzle that glaze all over.%u00a0
There you have it. The cutest little hand pies ever .
Share if you like, or just eat them all. They are your hearts so do what you will.%u00a0
-C
makes 18 %u00a0three inch pies
2 1/4 cup flour
1 teaspoon salr
1 tablespoon sugar
8 tablespoons ice water
3/4 cup solid coconut oil
about 1 1/4 cups of some sweet ass jam (any kind you have)
1 cup powdered sugar
1 lemon or lime%u00a0
Combine the flour, salt and sugar in a large bowl. add coconut oil in large chunks then with a pastry cutter or a fork (I used a fork) cut the oil into the flour until the flour looks crumbly and there are lots of tiny little chunks of coconut oil throughout the mixture. Add in 5 of the tablespoons ice water, toss around, then add in another 3. Mix around until the dough starts to come together when squished. If it still seems too dry, add in a tablespoon or 2 more water. (I always end up using a little more in the winter months) You want the dough to just be able to come together. Dump dough onto counter and press and smoosh dough into a ball. Let dough sit for 1/2 hour or wrap in plastic and place in fridge and using within the next day or two.%u00a0
After the dough has had some time to sit, flour the counter and roll it out to about 1/2 inch thick. Take a cookie cutter ( I used a 3 inch at the widest part heart cookie cutter) and cut out the hearts (or whatever shape you want) Make sure you have 2 cutouts for each hand pie. After you have cut out as many as you can, gather dough into a ball and roll out again. Repeat until dough it gone.%u00a0
To assemble.
Place a tablespoon of jam into the middle of half of the cut out hearts . Gently place the remaining heart cut outs on top of those.%u00a0. Take a fork and press the edges together and then with the fork or a knife, pierce of cut a small slit into the tops to allow the steam to escape while baking. I did this directly on the baking sheet but found out after it was easier to do on the counter and then move it to the baking sheet. Do what ever it easier for you. Once they are all assembled and on the baking sheet,%u00a0refrigerate for 15 minutes.%u00a0
Preheat oven to 350
After the time in the fridge, remove and place directly into the hot oven. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until the bottoms are a nice %u00a0%u00a0golden brown. The tops will be slightly pale so check the bottoms.%u00a0
Remove and let cool on the baking sheet.%u00a0
While they are cooing, make the glaze. Zest the lime and juice the lime and combine with the sugar. If it is too runny, add a little more sugar, too dry, add in a splash of water. Once the pies are cooled,%u00a0drizzle each one with icing.
Now you have a bunch of cute little heart shaped hand pies and you should probably eat one (or a few)
And all of a sudden the world is green and it is mazing and magical. The best time of the year, when all the cool and wet weather pays off with sunshine and flowers and the greenest greens. No longer freezing and it is yet to be too freaking hot. Spring spring SPRING. It is not lost on me. I take it, I suck it up, I appreciate it all. Even the cray cray rain storms. What a time, what a time.
Last week we started off Sunday going to see some jumping fish. We packed our lunches, grabbed the camera, drove the 2 hours to the river and sat around watching and waiting. Sadly we saw no jumping fish. And that was that in case you were wondering. One of these years we will see it.
The rest of the week has been a little crazy. In between work and chores and life stuff, just about every day we have had anywhere between 2-4 littles. What for their parents needed a sitter or a ride here and there cause their car broke down. Or just some aunt and uncle hang time because who doesn%u2019t want to hang with us? So beside the mr finish off the trophies for the Lund Family Fund Raiser, me working the pug mill at the studio, or us trying to trade off the car in hopes that we both can get where we need to go in time for getting there. (Oh man the car thing, that is a whole other beast.) Yeah, it%u2019s been busy and hectic. On the bright side we have spent a lot of the time running around outside, drawing, and eating. A few little highlights. One of the nights So was feeling a little sick and Coco was feeling mean and wouldn’t let her nap on the couch so she ended up dragging a bunch of pillows into the pantry and falling asleep. It just made sense. Then there was Judah with his mad drawing skills drawing me pictures of vegetables (amazing) then farting with his armpits. And Miley, with her tude and phone. Getting her to hang out and just be sweet was nice. And Coco. That freaking little. Always happy, always eating, always causing trouble. Loves to run into the garden and jump all over the couch covered in peanut butter. (that is the baby, not me. ha) We found him a three wheeler. His legs might be too short but we will figure it out. It is gonna be a fun summer!
After the week long little marathon that ended with sticky littles eating pancakes (and being dangerously low on maple syrup), thrift store shopping (I scored the best new photo piece), and stopping in on my maybe future new bike(???), I came home and cleaned the crap out of everything. It never fails to amaze me how gross kids can be. The toilet alone, well, lets not go there.
Today, as it is Mothers Day and all, I am going to be a dutiful daughter and go see my Mama. Right now (at the wee early hour of 5 am, I%u2019m about to pop some bread and then a cake into the oven as offerings. We are going over around lunch so I%u2019m going make focaccia grilled cheeses (with the fresh bread) and hand over the blueberry cake that she loves. Then hopefully just spend a couple hours drinking lots of coffee and chilling on the porch.
Look at me, I am such a good daughter.
Links of interest on the internet.
–Yes, I’m In School for Nutrition. No, I Don’t Want to Hear About Your Diet. I feel this. Sometimes people feel like they need to tell me everything they eat, for approval or something. And I actually don%u2019t mind talking about what people eat. I’ll even make suggestions about foods that I like to eat or ways to prepare certain things but I stay away from telling people what not to eat%u2026 (people always assume I am going to tell them to not eat meat. I say, I do me. You do you.)
-I don%u2019t know how may times I have seen Bill and Teds Excellent Adventure. This should be good. PlusI totally have a thing for Keanu Reeves. Bill & Ted are embarking on a third excellent adventure next year
–How Weeds Help Fight Climate Change. Weeds are not the problem friends. The chemicals that people use to get rid of them are!
-If you are interested in VT State Parks, here its the list of all the parks opening days. Can%u2019t wait for CAMPING!!!
-Did you go through an Arizona iced tea phase? I had a very brief stint with the green tea%u2026 I can%u2019t even imagine drinking one now. The Dream of the %u201990s Is Alive in AriZona Iced Tea
–An Interview With A Man Who Eats Leftover Food From Strangers’ Plates In Restaurants. I think this is awesome and have much respect.
-A question the I didn%u2019t know I wanted answered until I read this article. Why do cats%u2014and so many other animals%u2014look like they%u2019re wearing socks?
-I get all sorts of feels when I see pandas. MY favorite favorite animal growing up. I carried a pink polka dotted panda around with me for years. SO many panda things. So this is fantastic and I hope to visit one day and hug me a panda (with pink polka dots) China%u2019s new panda park will be three times bigger than Yellowstone
–I have heard and seen some crazy fights in the past in places we have lived. A good few actually. It is never a comfortable thing but sadly, we got used to it. Listening to My Neighbors Fight
-Mothers Have Been Complaining About Mother%u2019s Day Breakfast in Bed for More than Half a Century. Why Does It Go On?. I am a strict, NO FOOD! in bed person. It just have zero desire to eat in bed so breakfast in bed sounds terrible to me. Plus I am awake at 430 every morning and I don%u2019t eat for a few hours after I wake up. It just wouldn%u2019t work.
And pictures from the week.
Hey hey hey! Happy Sunday. Hope you are finding yourself happy and relaxed and enjoying all the good things the world is giving us. Like coffee and green things. All the coffee, all the green things for sure.
Another week that came and left and now it%u2019s May. MAY! Can you even? The time, where does it all go? (an existential question for you) Our week (and time) started off with a chilly wet jaunt to a river. We were going to go out to the kingdom to watch the salmon jump out of the river but it was just to dang cold and rainy so we decided to hold off on it. But we did make our way to a river near by so the mr could officially toss in a fly line into some water. I guess fishing season started a week or two back but we have had so much rain that it has not been great for fishing, or being outside much for that matter. Anyway, he got a few casts in so he is happy.
Wet and raw weather wise was the way of the weather this week. We did have a few breaks of sun which lead to an impromptu afternoon hike just because the sun came out. It was fantastic, or started off that way. Up and down and around the woods to the very flooded lake. Half the way through the hike we ended up at a boardwalk that had a little water coverage, which was fine because someone placed nice big rocks to pass over. Or so I thought. A few steps in and the bridge gave away and into the lake I went. Just my feet and up my legs a bit, but yeah. I just stood there in shock for what seemed like minutes but eventually made my way to the other side of the bridge, drenched boots and all. The rest of the hike was soggy, but hey, I was outside and there was sun and I wasn%u2019t freezing cold so yeah. Could have been worse. It could have been the mr who went in and I really really would not want to have had to deal with him hiking back with drenched feet. Now if my hiking boats would dry out. That would be great.
Other then our little outdoor adventures, the week went the way the weeks does with work and all. The mr running around frantic, having doors, making room for giant ass wood slabs in the barn, wheeling and dealing.
Friday was all day studio work. Lots and lots of pugging clay. While I was at work the mr picked up littles (Miley, So, and Judah) and they all came to the studio to pick me up. It is always a great way to get people to listen and leave the studio when they are suppose to when a bunch of kids rush in and start demanding food. People, at least the clay people, are scared of hungry little kids. Ha. Off we all went, me covered head to tow in clay. Found out in the car that Judah was sick (so sad) so he went home and it turned into a girls night sleep over. Pizza, soup, and peanut butter sandwiches for dinner. We went walking/piggyback riding, the mr and Miley played with the new wood brander which included fire and hot metal. The mr took them to the store to pick out ice cream while I tried to clean myself up, they came back ,ate lots of ice cream, then showered and brushed hair without arguments. They picked out movies without fighting (movies about ballerinas and singing animals) and happily curled up together on the floor. Me being me with no attention span or energy left skipped the movies and went to bed. When I went to wake them up the next morning, I found out that they had woke up (or never went to sleep) in the middle of the night to draw and do yoga? Yeah, I don%u2019t exactly know what went on. What I do know is my yoga mat was upstairs and I remember waking up in the middle of the night to sounds of the wall being kicked a bunch, and there were drawings of crazy things and colored pencils everywhere that were not there when I left them the night before. Hey, if that is what they want to do in the middle of the night, more power to them.
After pancakes and cartoons, the ladies and the mr spent the morning going through a million awesome shells. I guess someone had massive shell collection and gave it over to the mr. Neither of us are really shell people, I mean a few cool ones, but this collection was INSANE. SO we gave them all to the littles. And gave the littles a boxes to bring home to their siblings. They can have all the shells, we are good here.
We dropped girls off, ran around doing errands, then came home and I putz in the yard before going about cleaning the house. Lots of dirt and mud and sticky shit on everything. I just don%u2019t know where it comes from. Well I do actually. And it%u2019s mostly not me so yeah.
Today the mr and I actually are heading out to the kingdom. We need to see some fish jump. A few hours back and forth will give me time for some open window car rid air and reading if it doesn%u2019t make me puke. Picnic lunch by the river and afternoon road coffee. Hopefully we get home in time for me to spend at least a good few hours in the garden to ooh and awe at the stuff that is starting to pop out of the ground and maybe figure out if it%u2019s a perennial I planted or just a weed. Good thing I like weeds too or else I would be terribly disappointed a lot of the time.
Have a few extra minutes? Take a look at some interesting internet from the week.
–The Obamas Are Making a Kids%u2019 Food Show on Netflix. Oh HELL YEAH! And I am not a kid but I am gonna watch it.
-What a great business/environmentally awesome/ logical/ just plain right idea. Toronto Restaurant Fights Waste By Chopping Menu Prices Till Food Is Gone
-Some serious boldness. Bold Line Drawings Layered on Top of Deconstructed Images of Fruit, Flowers, and Animals in Tattoos by Mattia Mambo.
–Rise of the Lady Backpack. Purse. Please. Back packs are the best, but to be honest, I mostly stick to nothing, just my wallet and keys in a pocket. Back pack for biking and hiking and a tote bag for the groceries, the library, or the occasional kitting project. Simple.
-I struggle hard with my OCD cleaning. I sometime wish I had the ability to let things be mess, but then again%u2026. The Unbridled Joy of (Occasionally) Letting Your Room Get Really, Really Messy
–What Comes After a Rut? Take the good with the bad and all the craziness that is the ebb and flow of life.
– Why the Kentucky Derby is a 145-year-old celebration of hats. Now imagine if people went around wearing those hats all the time. The world would be a better place.
-Maine, you so smart. Maine just banned Styrofoam food containers
–How to be assertive without being called a bitch. Why are women always considered bitches? Well I am anyway%u2026.
-I love this and only wish I was ablate %u201cGramp%u201d when my grandparents were alive. ‘Gramping’ Is the Latest Travel Trend Grandparents Need to Know About
And some pictures from the week.
I am so happy for spring. It is my favorite season for sure. All the new, green things popping form the ground.. Warmer but not hot days, rain and sun then rain and more sun. No more winter jackets but sweaters are still good. People are in good moods. Flowers are coming out of the ground. The world is just a delight.
The week started off with a bang. I turned all of the garden beds over and did a great big yard rake and cleaning so things are looking pretty good back there right now. I repotted my tomatoes and peppers and started a bunch of greens and peas which makes me feel awesome. I think this might be the first year that I am actually on top of the planting season like I want to be. Yeh me. I also busted out the bike and went for the first ride of the year. Sure it was only a few blocks, but it was still fantastic. Now what I really need to do is give the old gal a tune up cause the chain was grinding and the tires need air and maybe new brakes? Not sure but I need to get to it, like asap because I plan on making the bike my means of transportation for the summer.
aside from all the that stuff, we also did some work, the mr did even more work (he is always working). I finished up a couple clay projects that have been lingering for a while. We went for lots of walks without jackets and I wore sandals all week. We managed a good stop by to see the littles and bring them carrot cookies. They ate all the cookies (2 dozen), beat the shit out of the mr, and managed to clean while they were doing it. We were impressed to say the least. The mr was sore from getting wacked a bunch.
Then Wednesday was Seans birthday. Would have been 30 years old%u2026Whoa. The family, friends, all of Seans friends went to the basketball court for a little pick up basketball game to celebrate and be together. It was fun, and sad, and good to see all the boys, but sad, but good. Never going get used to it. You know what I mean? Life.
Rest of the week came and went with the usual plus lots of rain and gray, but again, I was all about it because it is spring. worked at the studio on Friday where I moved all the clay in the world, got stabbed so hard by a stray pointy tool that was in slop bucket and got blood everywhere. I also managed to get so much clay in my hair and was overly praised for my height by all the studio ladies. They really appreciate my abilities at grabbing things on high shelves.
And the weekend. Yesterday we woke and basically ran out of the house to moms to borrow her truck (still haven%u2019t found a car to buy). We then drove the truck up to the greater north of Vermont and picked up all the cedar wood we need for the porch. Loaded up, drove back to the porch and unloaded all the wood. I came home for a few hours of power cleaning while the mr ran around all over some more and then back to moms for dinner. (Mom made ham, I brought my own dinner) We ate, Mom brushed my hair and then Barb breaded it which I love love and will never be able to do myself. I raided moms books (found nothing I haven%u2019t read already), searched for a missing bowl, made fun of the boys. Then I came home just in time to passed out.
Today, well today is Easter so after the gym and a few Sunday errands I need to do this morning, we are going to be doing a little easter lunch thing and an egg hunt for the littles at moms with the fam. After that I am coming home and continuing my quest for perfection in the yard, maybe tinker with the bike a bit, take a nap, read, drink all the coffee.. Looking at some sunshine and 70 degrees for the afternoon.. It%u2019s going to be a fine fine day.
And I still have not washed my hair so I need to do that. Most of the clay dried and fell out, but there still is some left%u2026.SO yeah, I need to do that today. I really hate washing my hair.
Internet links to check out.
–Fireflies Will Soon Light Up the Skies In Mesmerizing Harmony%u2014 Here’s How to See Them. I love me some fireflies, how cool would it be to see this.
– The Single Most Useful Snacking Rule I Give My Kid. I don%u2019t have my own kids, but when I have other peoples, I go by a rule like this too except my rule is you can eat veggies any time all the time.
-Want to grow your own avocado tree, here is how. Good luck.
–THE VINTAGE ROMANTIC BATH.. All the clawfoot tubs. Can%u2019t go wrong
-I am so ready. The first official %u201cStranger Things%u201d Season 3 trailer
–4 Natural Ways To Fertilize Houseplants. Now is a good time to fertilize!
-Hate the dentist? Read this and you will only hate it that much more. The Truth About Dentistry
-If ever I was to live on a house boat, this boat would be the one. And the floors in this place%u2026 swoon!
–How One Woman’s ‘Magically Delicious’ Pot Brownies Changed%u00a0History. Brownie Mary, what a lady.
-What the freaking f@ck? I am pretty sure I don%u2019t like where this could go. Neuroscientists just brought pig brain cells back to life.
Some pictures from the week
We are having the worst mud/pothole season ever. I don%u2019t know how many times I think I have blown out the tire on the car or have gotten just about stuck on a dirt road. Picking up farm share this week my car almost sank into the mud. Like it was literally about to be swallowed up into the earth. All the good fun of living here in Vermont. Gosh I am such a Vermonter. First thing I have to say is about potholes and weather. But that is life here isn%u2019t it.
The week has been more or less productive. We both have been busy this week and have been trying to plow through projects (taxes me and the mr with the porch). Blah. Doesn%u2019t that just sound annoying. Doing the taxes. I gave myself until the end of the month a few weeks ago and then last week I gave myself the entire week, made no plans for anything or anyone, to get them done. That didn%u2019t really happen because well I started a weaving project and maybe have a tendency to read a little too much when I am procrastinating (I started reading 4 different books%u2026) and can%u2019t forget about the garden planning that needed to be done. So now I am giving myself the rest of next week to finish because those things are not going do themselves and the deadline is looming. Yeah. Besides half assing tax stuff, reading and weaving, I worked at the studio, took some nice long walks, packed away most of the winter stuff and stock piled cabbage. 20 heads because it was on sale. 20 heads might seem like a lot but it will be gone within the next 2 weeks and I will be sad and wished I bought 20 more heads. Hey, don%u2019t judge me. The mr, when not working on porch or other apartment related stuff, has spent a good chunk of his free time carving away at spoons which means I have also been spending a good amount of time vacuuming up wood chips all over the house. Who has time for taxes?
Yesterday was the perfect example of Vermont. I woke up and there was like 6 inches of fresh snow. Cold, windy, just not looking like much of anything I wanted to deal with. But then all of a sudden around late morning, after doing all of our chores (recycling center, stores, compost, tenant stuff) we came home, the sun came out, the temperatures rose, and the snow started melting fast and furious. It was a completely different, so very pleasant and lovely day. We got to enjoy a nice long walk, pull the kitchen island out onto the front porch so the mr could give the top a good sanding, and we even got to eat dinner out on the porch! It was oh so nice. And to top it all off, I didn%u2019t even crawl into bed before 7pm. I was awake when it got dark out which is like whoa. Spring. It is a happening here. Finally.
Today the mr and I are hoping to take a nice stroll down the bike path, maybe get good cup of coffee, stop in and see the little and maybe even pop in on Barb. I miss my people. And then back to the stuff I really don%u2019t want to think about. Taxes. This is it. I am going myself the rest of the week and that%u2019s that. So I will probably open my computer, get out the calculator, and then start reading a book again%u2026.. Oh boy am I in trouble.
Reads from the internet to read. If you want.
-I have been having the weirdest dreams ever. Just last night I dreamed that I was eating soup made of tiny staplers. What the F? Bad Dreams Are Good. Your night life prepares you for what%u2019s to come
-Watch what you eat friends. Kale Is One of the Dirtiest Vegetables, According to the EWG’s 2019 “Dirty Dozen” List
–This little cabin should be mine.
-Misophonia: When Life’s Noises Drive You Mad. Oh how can I relate to this. Sometime a certain sound makes me want to smash my head against a wall.
-%u00a0I Love Pink Tiled Bathrooms. Maybe in the next house.
–The Stigma of Choosing Trade School Over College. I often times wish I went to trade school instead of college.
-Cool ass paper DINOSAURS and check out these Under-Cats.
–MUSIC JAR. Such a great idea. I think I am going to start one for the littles.
-I think I should have a seed vault and all the pretty x rays. The mr just said I should start digging in the backyard%u2026.These x-rays of seeds turn biology into art
-What Makes People Heed A Weather Warning %u2014 Or Not?. Living in Vermont we get weather warning (mostly for snow) all the time and it is defiantly interesting to hear and see the people who listen and don%u2019t. Needless to say there are a lot of cars sliding off the road.
And some pictures from the week.
We got the little spring teaser. 2 beautiful days, high 50%u2019s, a bit of sunshine. Most of the snow and ice melted and little green shoots appeared underneath all that snow. I even opened all the windows and left the front door open to air out the house. It was amazing. And the sun. When it is out, it is out and feels so so nice. ( I am definitely vitamin D deficient). But again. It was a tease. Back to it being not so warm and a little more snow ( it snowed last night). Aye Yai Yai!! Just be spring already!
Week was and now its over minus that hour we lost which actually kind of kicked my ass. The beginning of the week, rolling out af bed at 4:30 to get to the gym, well my body didn%u2019t like it much and gosh was I tired and dragging ass. But I am all adjusted now and everything is good. And we have more light at night which is nice I guess. I don%u2019t mind reading in bed with natural light. HA.
There were a few good walks, one down by the lake, another with Megan down to the river. (We are all trying and needing to stay off of hiking trails for a little while because they are either covered in ice or mud and we don%u2019t want to trash them) The mr spent a good amount of time ripping up a porch and doing porch things all the while being on rat duty for friends of ours. Barb was suppose to come over for lunch and a hike of some sort be she kept ditching me with oversleeping. I have been plugging away, ever so slowly and because they are taking over my life, at taxes. Barf. I did manage to start tomatoes and pepper seeds, have the littles over for dinner and popsicles, worked at the studio, contemplated renting and driving a bulldozer %u2026 Nothng big or grand. Not yet anyway.
Today, after the gym and doing a few little chores, we are going to pack a lunch and head out of town. I%u2019ll grab the binoculars and maybe we can find a good place to do a little bird watching. That is how the day is feeling. Slow and lovely and full of birds. They are coming back, I can hear them more and more, bringing with them the spring.
Links from the week to browse at your leisure.
–Why Southeast Asia Is Flooded With Trash From America And Other Wealthy Nations. And now we are all going to feel the affects because they don%u2019t want to buy our recycling anymore. How to actually recycle
–Did Cooking Really Give Us The F-Word? The science of language and how it has evolved
-It%u2019s not fancy but this is the Sweater of my dreams.
–The One Thing I Hate About Being a Wellness Influencer. You are allowed o eat, even things that are not considered healthy. Stop being haters.
-One at a time. Nobody Blows Out Birthday Candles Like Mitt Romney. I actually kind of love it. Next time I need to blow out candles%u2026%u2026
–The Pineapple Hack That%u2019s Taking Over the Internet Right%u00a0Now
-Shall I get myself a cottage like this one in Scotland too? I think so.
–A Popular Benefit of Houseplants Is a Myth. But I don%u2019t care, they improve life.
-Welcome to Vermont. Goat starts term as town’s pet mayor. And did you hear. Bill would place Vermont on year-round daylight saving time
-All the lovely chairs. THE TIMELESS BEAUTY OF BENTWOOD.
And some pictures from the week
Ok, I think I hit that wall. The wall that all of a sudden I am over it. I am ready for spring, like hella ready. I think what broke was the day I didn’t need my coat outside or to wear socks in the house. I just realized how sick of wearing a coat every time I leave the house. And the day I was walking around the house barefoot without socks. Let me tell you, my feet couldn%u2019t have been any happier. And then it got cold again and I am now, well, now I am done. Bring on Spring! (summer can wait, still not ready for that)
As for the week, it was up and down. It started off all good and well. Had a sister dinner at my moms house, we%u2019re getting ready to leave for the week to go see my Dad and Grandmother, but before we got a chance to go, Grammy passed away. Sucky sucky suck. We knew it was going to happen, the old broad was 98 for pets sake, but still. We just thought we were going to be able to get down there and see her before it did. So yeah it%u2019s been kind of a sad week. And because she passed we are waiting til next week to leave now because of funeral and all the jazz.
The rest of the went kind of unscripted and strange. We were all feeling sad and bummed. Also we didn%u2019t have a lot planned because we thought we were leaving, but we also had (have) a lot to do so we tried to get some stuff done. We did take some time to go see green stuff at the garden center, walk in some woods, and hang with the littles. But towards the weekend, we both started to feel like garbage. The mr especially. He was ok and then he was not. The littles slept over Friday night and after we got rid of them Saturday, he crashed and spent the rest of the day pretty much immobile and I still felt like trash. So basically I cleaned house, he slept on the couch, we ate some dinner, we walked around the block before the sun went down, came home and crawled into bed. We watched Waynes World because sheyeah, right, and fell right to sleep. Nothing but boring old us to make your life seem exciting right? Haha.
Today so far I am feeling ok. As for the mr, he hasn%u2019t woken as of yet (I am sure that he has since awaken while some of you are reading this) so I am not sure about him. I am hoping for a full recovery on his part and we can spend some of today doing that shit that we needed to do yesterday, like the chores, but maybe even a little hike or a little walk down by the lake. I need outdoors to wash the yesterday off me.
Links to stuff from the internet that don%u2019t suck.
–Recipe Introductions Matter. Here’s%u00a0Why. If you don%u2019t want to read what I write, well then don%u2019t.
-History and study about the neighborhood where I grew up. ONE NEIGHBORHOOD PROJECT
-You know what pisses me off? Going to the store and seeing that they are out of celery because it is now what everyone wants to drink. I just wanted to eat it. Is that allowed abymore> Actually, You Can Just Drink Some Water
-This is a thing and it is awesome. A New Book Explores the Wide Range of Charming Homemade Cat Ladders in Switzerland
-I love this TREE HOUSE
-30, no 60 (one for me, one for the mr) outfits that I need to make. AMAZING! HAHA 30 Laughable His-And-Hers Fashions From The 1970s You Wouldn%u2019t Wear In Public Today
-The mr and I were just talking about making artificial coffee for when the world goes to hell and we can not longer grow the bean. Someone also had the somewhat same idea. Atomo: We hacked the coffee bean – invented molecular coffee
–You Can Now Book a%u00a0Golden Girls Cruise, Complete with Cheesecake, Bingo and More!. A cruise I would take, just as long as I could still go to bed at 7pm. HA
-Poptarts? I guess so. In London, The American Food Aisle Is Filled With Nostalgia And Preservatives
-The dream. Sometimes. I bought a house%u2014and then moved into a van
And some pictures of the week.
Winter storm for the win! I am so excited for snow although not quite so excited that it is going to be like -20 for the next two days, but what are you gonna do? I know what I am gonna do, once it is not so cold, I am going go play outside! Until then, I am pretty ok with hunkering down and reading for a day or two. And I can still go for walks and stuff. It%u2019s not THAT cold (well though it kind of is).
We had a pretty full week. We did the drive down to Rhode Island. Spent some time with dear Pamela and David. When we got there,Pam made made us lentil soup (itt was fantastic.) and we got to work going through piles and piles of fishing stuff. By the end we had a car packed to the brim of a million flys and poles and all sorts of stuff that I have no clue about. The mr was in heaven and then I was forced to watch football. Haha, I know right. It was an experience for sure, one that I will probably never have again (if I can help it.)) And before we left we set some art on fire (it needed to be done) said our goodbyes then drove on back. A sore body, cramped neck, and fishing poles catching in my hair%u2026. It wasn’t;t the coziest of drive.
And then the rest of the week happened. Qui and Adrianna came for dinner and cookies, the mr and I visited Barb in her dorm and brought her cookies, the littles were over for a few nights and they ate the rest of the cookies. It was a cookie kind of week. We also did some work, the mr mudded and painted the basement stairwell, I reorganized the closets, nothing major, nothing magical. Then little Coco got sick again and is in the hospital so we had the older littles for a few days which is always a good time. We studied science things with Miley before her test, played lots of games of checkers with Judah, and did a lot of drawing as usually. And they didn%u2019t give me shit when I woke them up at 6:30 to get ready for school. That was a great big win. Then Friday night So came over too and all of use went to the hill for some crazy sledding. Whoa, I haven%u2019t been sledding in a while and it was intense. The hill was prime and ready and the kids were flying down. Fearless littles they are. Me, I was scared as shit. The mr, well he was cruisin down with the kids just the same. It was awesome. Then we all went home and tossed all of our wet things all over the house. I made them hot chocolate and popcorn and let them watch movies for the rest of the night. I read and went to bed.
Yesterday we all woke up for pancakes and hupala, a bit of this, a bit of that. Dropped the littles off at their friends house for the day, and I came home, passed out for 10 minutes and then cleaned. And that was that.
So it is really really cold out. We were suppose to go cross country skiing today but that%u2019s not gonna happen so we will probably just go visit Coco, bring Barb her new coffee maker, and maybe hang out at the library for a few hours. If the weather clears out tonight, I am going go to bed a little early (like 7:30) so I can wake up at 11 to see some of the lunar eclipse! And if the weather doesn%u2019t clear out for that, well early bed still sounds like a plan to me.
Internet I found of interest.
–This is happening tonight! Set your alarm clock (if you know you cannot stay awake that long. I will for sure be in bed already) Heads-Up For Sunday, A Super ‘Blood Moon’ Is On The Way
-t has been pretty freaking cold out these past fe day. So Do wild animals hate being cold in winter? And the dog boots are not just for fashionable reasons.
-CBD is everywhere. The super-popular cannabis compound, explained.
-Have you heard of The Planetary Health Diet? It involves eating a lot less meat. Better for you and better for the planet.
-I saw this girl doing her routine on the news. Holy Shit. AMAZING! The UCLA Gymnast Whose Floor Routine Went Viral Was Once Shamed For Her Curves
-We ARE going to going to get a wood stove in time for next winter and are trying to do it as green as possible. This is all good stuff to know. What Are The Pros And Cons Of Heating With Wood?
And now for some pictures from the week.
What a world wind of the first week of the year. I feel like nothing has happened and everything is happening all at once. With all the holidays birthdays and family gatherings, happy and sad ones%u2026 it has been a lot to take in. I am in serious need of some time hiding away, not that I don%u2019t love everyone and have had loved being around them, its just been a lot and I can only hold it down for so long. You feel me?
We started the week with Judah Birthday (Happy birthday Judah!!!). I made an ice cream cake and the mr slept on the couch for half the day until it was party time. Poor guy, he has got such a heavy sinus infection so he has been feeling like shit all week long. Some days worse then others, and he has been trying to push through but this infection had really taken hold. I have been pushing all my concoctions and tinctures and good stuff into him and I think we are started to see some of the better feeling mr.
New Years was low key as can be. We went for a little drive, a little hike, and that was it. I stayed awake until 9 then passed out which is exactly my kind of night. New Years day was much of the same, went for a long walk to the river, hung around the house trying to get the mr better. and was just so exciting because I got to start a whole new calendar and binder system. Fresh paper, a nice new pen, and not a cluster fuck of a bunch of bills and papers yet. It was like the excitement of shopping for new school supplies. It really made me happy.
After A calm New Years, it was back to the grind. Working and doing the life thing. The littles over a few times for games of Sorry, and trying to french braid Judah%u2019s hair. Sophia came over for a day and helped me repot some plants, spun around in circles on the kitchen floor for like an hour, and hit Barb right in the face with a snow ball. I finally took the tree down and packed up most of the Christmas decorations, deep cleaned the pantry, and made the phone calls I have been dreading making for the past few weeks. Get it done, got it done.
Yesterday was another long ass day. We grabbed our nice shoes (are hiking boots nice shoes?) and climbed back into the car for the 4 hour drive to Rhode Island for Seths Memorial. 150 plus people packed inside his and Pamula%u2019s loft to listen and honor this amazing person. And I must say, it was sad, but so good. So much love and sharing. Music and food and family. Hearing the stories and the way he impacted so many lives, it really was just such a lovely night and really gave me a bit of happiness from such a shitty situation. After hanging at the loft and spending as much time as I could around all the people, the mr and I jumped back into the car and drove on home. By the time we got home, we were pretty trashed. Walked in the door and crashed. That was only just a few hours ago.
And yet I am still awake. I don%u2019t even know how Im still woke up at 4:30 this morning. My brain knows no other way I guess. For the rest of the day, after my 4-6 cups of coffee (I will drink all the coffee and then some today) I am heading to work at the studio for a while, going to do some gym, maybe hit the library, then I need to go grocery shopping because farm share was canceled this week and now I am running dangerously low on food. After that I will probably come home and crash. Yeah, and then off to a fresh week of more family and birthdays and work stuff, but hopefully this week the mr will not be sick, I will catch a little more sleep, and the snow storm that we are suppose to get will actually be and we get 2 feet of snow. That would be just so nice.
Internet from the internet.
-Top sky-watching events coming in 2019. Super blood moon eclipse is my birthday!
-Me. Why Am I Always Cold? I started eating more cooked food a few years back because I would be freezing after I ate.
-Bread inspiration for sure. LEOPARD BREAD
–The 100 Best Pens, As Tested by Strategist Editors. I love pens, really good pens. I draw with then so I have my own little box of special pens that no one is allowed to use besides me.
-We are aassholes. We’ve wasted so much plastic, it’s almost impossible to picture%u2014these charts will help
–When Too Cute Is Too Much, The Brain Can Get Aggressive. Yes, Have threatened to %u201csmoosh%u201d or %u201cpop%u201d a baby or puppies head off. What I find really works is when the feeling strikes, punch the mom, it helps.
–I Keep My Holiday Lights Up All Year Long%u2014Here’s Why You Should, Too. I love my lights, they make me happy.
–Dog influencers are so popular, they need their own talent agency. Hope this dogs are getting a cut of the pay to go towards all the best
-When someone tells me a fact that I might not believe I ask were they got the info from. If they say the internet, I assume there is a 50/50 chance that is is wrong. How Much of the Internet Is Fake? Turns Out, a Lot of It, Actually.
–What Foods Are Banned in Europe but Not Banned in the U.S.? Seems like these food should also be banned in the stare too.. Hum.
Who doesn’t like a good bun, right? And 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.
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, but 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? Just 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. Lightly 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.
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.
Place the dough on a lightly floured surface and roll our into a rectangle of sorts that is about 1/2 an inch thick
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. It might get a little sloppy… it’s ok, just lick your fingers and keep going.
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.
When you place the buns in the dish, place them toughen a bit, it helps then bake up high instead of out. And any remaining go on jam that spilled out can get scraped right on top of the buns, if you didn’t already eat it.
Now into the preheated oven these babies go.
Look at those beauts. And they smell. A-MAZ-ING!!
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.
Pour glaze over warm buns. Make sure to hit them all or someone is going to be pissed they didn’t get enough glaze…..
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
3 1/2 cups all purposes flour
1/4 cup cane sugar
1 cup warm soy milk
2 teaspoon or 1 packet yeast
4 tablespoons melted vegan butter
1 teaspoon salt
For the Filling
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, warm (not hot) soy milk, sugar, and melted but cooled butter. Now add in the 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 soft, elastic-y, and 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. Place 2 1/2 cups of the peaches 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, until mixture has become thick and reduced by about 1/2. Remove from heat, stir in cinnamon, and place in fridge to cool.
Once thee dough has doubled, dump onto a flour surface and roll our into a retacnge that is about 1/2 inch thick Grab your peach mixture and spread the mixture evenly over the dough. Evenly distribute the remaining chopped peaches over jam. And 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. Once 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, cover 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.
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.
Once the buns are done baking, 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.
Sometime you look back at a week and think, blah, or whatever, or that sucked. This week I look back and smile. It was a good week. Nothing to special, just springy and warm. I got to hang out with my peoples, see the world turn green and lush, and I didn’t stress too much about anything because what is the point? Plus I bought a single pink carnation at the grocery store at the beginning of the week for the mr. and every time I see it, I smile a little. Sometimes just a little something something is all we need.
So yeah, the week was good. There was the normal stuff of work and what not but also a fair amount of not work stuff. I saw my moms for Mothers day and brought her food. The mr and I went for some long walks that did not involve any outdoor clothing (just normal indoor clothing) We hung out with the littles for a good afternoon of tree house chilling, baby running, three wheeling, and all sorts of other fun. Miley was super pumped to show off her new shoes that are partially gold. She was obsessed and needed to wash them off at the end of the day. Those were the days,when you cared about your shoes? (I am assuming you don%u2019t now , like me, but maybe you do.) Also Barb finally come back to me (school is over so she has time again) me and I feed her soup. Megan also came over for a soup lunch and a walk because that is what we do. (We are a family of eaters and walkers.) I worked on some clay rainbows, planted some more plants, and cleaned under my fingernails. The one big thing that I tried to accomplish and haven%u2019t yet managed is the bike thing. I have been shopping for a new bike and it is so so so HARD! I am not good at buying anything in general, especially when it is for me, and not food, and costs more than 5 bucks. But not just that, it%u2019s that there are so so so many bikes to choose form. I am all like , YIKES! And so I did myself a favor and just gave myself another week to ponder and look and decide. The right bike will present itself when it is suppose to, or when I finally break down and just buy this one.
Yesterday was a good solid day of getting shit done. I got the winter tires changed to summer (thanks Justin!) and hung with Alex while it was happening. We talked music and cassette tapes and how music is everything. Then I went home to the yard and all the massive piles of leaves, dead tree(so sad) and over all lawn degree and the mr and I got it all into the truck to send off to compost land. After hitting the transfer station to offload we made a really quickly stop over to see Anthony getting ready for his prom%u2026.Oh my shit. The kid is like not a kid anymore and was wearing a tux and looking all old and what not. The shinny ass shoes alone were too much for me. (more shoes that need cleaning). How is it possible that I have a sister that is old enough to have a kid that is old enough to be going prom? OH, because I am getting old. That is how. Ha.
And after that, it was back home to finish cleaning and eat dinner and water the garden and feel exhausted but accomplished. I don%u2019t mind being super tired, just as long as I have something to show for it (The yard looks A+ so I am happy)
I think today mainly going to be a work day. The mr has a project that he is in the middle of so he is going to be doing that all day and I have a few things I need to get done and then a ton of other things that need doing as well. Don%u2019t worry, I will be spending some of that time outside with the green things in the dirt, making sure I have sun screen on, listening to some good tunes and drinking coffee like it is going out of style.
The ways of the internet this week.
– The news of abortions and women reproductives rights has been front and center this week. The lengths women have to go to to do what is right for themselves is shameful at best, but basically pretty fucking grotesque. These are the people that are trying to help. The Secret Baby Catchers of Alabama.
–Report: U.S. Navy Cracks Case Of Majestic Sky Dick. Phew. Now we know who to hire for our own sky dick.
-Can%u2019t wait for that new pool to be build around the corner%u2026NOT. And really, didn’t we all know this already? Your Neighborhood Pool Is Full of Unshowered Pee-ers
-A lot of breakfast food in America is basically junk food if you really think about it. Muffins (really cupcakes), pancakes (really cake covered in maple sugar), Pop tarts (pie) yogurt (almost ice cream)%u2026 Its all just desert with a different name. I Broke Breakfast. Americans eat a narrower variety of foods for breakfast than anyone else.%u00a0
-Imagine the magic.. I get feels just thinking about this place. A Fleeting Dandelion Wish Processing Facility Appears For Two Days Outside of Los Angeles
–ECLECTIC DINING STYLE.. I want all the tables and chairs. Just where to put them%u2026%u2026????
-After reading the list, I feel pretty dang awesome cause I clean all that shit! Cleaning Supplies Might be Spreading Dirt Around Here%u2019s How to Clean Them This Weekend
–How Did Chickpea Flour, A Staple Of Indian Cuisine, Become A Health Food Sensation? Because it is amazing. See recipe for Socca.
–Have you tried plogging, the Instagram trend that might be the sustainable sport of the future?. Even if it%u2019s trendy and a way to be cool, well it is pretty cool and great and I am all for it.
–Can %u201cIndie%u201d Social Media Save Us? Something needs too.
Pictures from the week.
We are having the worst mud/pothole season ever. I don%u2019t know how many times I think I have blown out the tire on the car or have gotten just about stuck on a dirt road. Picking up farm share this week my car almost sank into the mud. Like it was literally about to be swallowed up into the earth. All the good fun of living here in Vermont. Gosh I am such a Vermonter. First thing I have to say is about potholes and weather. But that is life here isn%u2019t it.
The week has been more or less productive. We both have been busy this week and have been trying to plow through projects (taxes me and the mr with the porch). Blah. Doesn%u2019t that just sound annoying. Doing the taxes. I gave myself until the end of the month a few weeks ago and then last week I gave myself the entire week, made no plans for anything or anyone, to get them done. That didn%u2019t really happen because well I started a weaving project and maybe have a tendency to read a little too much when I am procrastinating (I started reading 4 different books%u2026) and can%u2019t forget about the garden planning that needed to be done. So now I am giving myself the rest of next week to finish because those things are not going do themselves and the deadline is looming. Yeah. Besides half assing tax stuff, reading and weaving, I worked at the studio, took some nice long walks, packed away most of the winter stuff and stock piled cabbage. 20 heads because it was on sale. 20 heads might seem like a lot but it will be gone within the next 2 weeks and I will be sad and wished I bought 20 more heads. Hey, don%u2019t judge me. The mr, when not working on porch or other apartment related stuff, has spent a good chunk of his free time carving away at spoons which means I have also been spending a good amount of time vacuuming up wood chips all over the house. Who has time for taxes?
Yesterday was the perfect example of Vermont. I woke up and there was like 6 inches of fresh snow. Cold, windy, just not looking like much of anything I wanted to deal with. But then all of a sudden around late morning, after doing all of our chores (recycling center, stores, compost, tenant stuff) we came home, the sun came out, the temperatures rose, and the snow started melting fast and furious. It was a completely different, so very pleasant and lovely day. We got to enjoy a nice long walk, pull the kitchen island out onto the front porch so the mr could give the top a good sanding, and we even got to eat dinner out on the porch! It was oh so nice. And to top it all off, I didn%u2019t even crawl into bed before 7pm. I was awake when it got dark out which is like whoa. Spring. It is a happening here. Finally.
Today the mr and I are hoping to take a nice stroll down the bike path, maybe get good cup of coffee, stop in and see the little and maybe even pop in on Barb. I miss my people. And then back to the stuff I really don%u2019t want to think about. Taxes. This is it. I am going myself the rest of the week and that%u2019s that. So I will probably open my computer, get out the calculator, and then start reading a book again%u2026.. Oh boy am I in trouble.
Reads from the internet to read. If you want.
-I have been having the weirdest dreams ever. Just last night I dreamed that I was eating soup made of tiny staplers. What the F? Bad Dreams Are Good. Your night life prepares you for what%u2019s to come
-Watch what you eat friends. Kale Is One of the Dirtiest Vegetables, According to the EWG’s 2019 “Dirty Dozen” List
–This little cabin should be mine.
-Misophonia: When Life’s Noises Drive You Mad. Oh how can I relate to this. Sometime a certain sound makes me want to smash my head against a wall.
-%u00a0I Love Pink Tiled Bathrooms. Maybe in the next house.
–The Stigma of Choosing Trade School Over College. I often times wish I went to trade school instead of college.
-Cool ass paper DINOSAURS and check out these Under-Cats.
–MUSIC JAR. Such a great idea. I think I am going to start one for the littles.
-I think I should have a seed vault and all the pretty x rays. The mr just said I should start digging in the backyard%u2026.These x-rays of seeds turn biology into art
-What Makes People Heed A Weather Warning %u2014 Or Not?. Living in Vermont we get weather warning (mostly for snow) all the time and it is defiantly interesting to hear and see the people who listen and don%u2019t. Needless to say there are a lot of cars sliding off the road.
And some pictures from the week.
We got the little spring teaser. 2 beautiful days, high 50%u2019s, a bit of sunshine. Most of the snow and ice melted and little green shoots appeared underneath all that snow. I even opened all the windows and left the front door open to air out the house. It was amazing. And the sun. When it is out, it is out and feels so so nice. ( I am definitely vitamin D deficient). But again. It was a tease. Back to it being not so warm and a little more snow ( it snowed last night). Aye Yai Yai!! Just be spring already!
Week was and now its over minus that hour we lost which actually kind of kicked my ass. The beginning of the week, rolling out af bed at 4:30 to get to the gym, well my body didn%u2019t like it much and gosh was I tired and dragging ass. But I am all adjusted now and everything is good. And we have more light at night which is nice I guess. I don%u2019t mind reading in bed with natural light. HA.
There were a few good walks, one down by the lake, another with Megan down to the river. (We are all trying and needing to stay off of hiking trails for a little while because they are either covered in ice or mud and we don%u2019t want to trash them) The mr spent a good amount of time ripping up a porch and doing porch things all the while being on rat duty for friends of ours. Barb was suppose to come over for lunch and a hike of some sort be she kept ditching me with oversleeping. I have been plugging away, ever so slowly and because they are taking over my life, at taxes. Barf. I did manage to start tomatoes and pepper seeds, have the littles over for dinner and popsicles, worked at the studio, contemplated renting and driving a bulldozer %u2026 Nothng big or grand. Not yet anyway.
Today, after the gym and doing a few little chores, we are going to pack a lunch and head out of town. I%u2019ll grab the binoculars and maybe we can find a good place to do a little bird watching. That is how the day is feeling. Slow and lovely and full of birds. They are coming back, I can hear them more and more, bringing with them the spring.
Links from the week to browse at your leisure.
–Why Southeast Asia Is Flooded With Trash From America And Other Wealthy Nations. And now we are all going to feel the affects because they don%u2019t want to buy our recycling anymore. How to actually recycle
–Did Cooking Really Give Us The F-Word? The science of language and how it has evolved
-It%u2019s not fancy but this is the Sweater of my dreams.
–The One Thing I Hate About Being a Wellness Influencer. You are allowed o eat, even things that are not considered healthy. Stop being haters.
-One at a time. Nobody Blows Out Birthday Candles Like Mitt Romney. I actually kind of love it. Next time I need to blow out candles%u2026%u2026
–The Pineapple Hack That%u2019s Taking Over the Internet Right%u00a0Now
-Shall I get myself a cottage like this one in Scotland too? I think so.
–A Popular Benefit of Houseplants Is a Myth. But I don%u2019t care, they improve life.
-Welcome to Vermont. Goat starts term as town’s pet mayor. And did you hear. Bill would place Vermont on year-round daylight saving time
-All the lovely chairs. THE TIMELESS BEAUTY OF BENTWOOD.
And some pictures from the week
Hey there lovely peoples. So nice of you to stop by. Hope all is well and dandy with you. Well and dandy.
Holy crap am I one tired lady. Mentally and physically but mostly mentally because it has been one of those weeks. It all started off with the mr and I both feeling like absolute crap. Sinus infections and some other fun stuff. Heads and brains super dysfunctional (although we can%u2019t blame being sick for all the dysfunction). I blame the ick on the weather and it not being spring yet. But let%u2019s not talk to much about the weather. It%u2019s a touchy subject for me right now and I just can%u2019t. Anyway, the week started slow. We got a few things done that needed doing then got ready to take off for PA to visit with my dad and go to my grandmothers funeral.
Took off mid week, the mr driving the 6ish hours down and over. A super sunny and bright day it was . One might think that sounds kind of nice but I hated it. Brightness while in a car without sunglasses makes for brain pain, at least in my case. So I had my head under a blanket for a few hours. Got to PA alright but as soon as we pulled into my dads driveway the wave of pain knocked me to my knees and I got a full fledge migraine. I haven%u2019t had one of those fun episodes in years and I can safely say that I hope to NEVER get one again. But after a night of zero restless sleep, I got up and rallied and went about the next day as half a human baking machine. Made the breakfast pancakes, some lunch, a birthday cake, cookies, my dinner, and cinnamon buns for the next morning. %u201cDon%u2019t worry%u201d my dad said. .%u201d We can go to the store and get as much flour and sugar as you will need!%u201d And so we did because I used a lot of flour.
The next morning was the funeral. Early to wake, walked the dogs, fed people buns and headed to the Catholic Church. The one my dad and his siblings went to for their entire childhood. OH boy oh boy, what a hoot. Their mother finally got them to go back one last time. HAHA. And as for me, I can say that was the first time I have ever been in a Catholic Church (for church reasons) and seen a catholic funeral. Very interesting to say the least. And I do go to hand it to the priest. He was pretty cool. Hip, sweet, not a typical catholic church man, and he kept calling my grandmother Ava instead of Eva. That got some laughs. My grandmother would have loved it.
The funeral ended and we all went to a restaurant and did the food thing with the family love fest. It was very bittersweet. Sad because of the loss but we were celebrating a freaking amazing lady and her amazing long life. Oh Grammy. She was the greatest, coolest, funniest little lady ever and I will miss her deeply. So yeah. Then after all the food we topped it off with the birthday cake I made for Teena cause it was her birthday too. My family, we packed it all in because that is how we do it.
After hugs, pictures, Shannon falling asleep in a booth, we headed back to the car and away we went, a long drive home with lots of shitty weather and bad roads. But we made it. And I even unpacked the car and managed to shower off before passing out. And a pass out was exactly what I needed and still kind of do. I told myself I would let myself sleep in a bit, but 430 came and look at me, awake.
So it%u2019s today and I must do some stuff. I%u2019m going to go to the gym for the morning, Run run run until I cannot possibly run anymore. Then I will come home and eat eat eat until I can not possible eat any more. After that it is a bunch of chores that need to be done and I need to go see the littles because I miss them. And I know I will need a nap at some point because I am feeling the even all the coffee in the world will not be enough to keep my brain afloat for a full day. Or maybe I%u2019ll just go to bed at a unreasonabley early hour. (5ish sounds good to me. Ha. But really) Yup yup, looking forward to that.
Until then.
Internet link from the online.
–Greener Childhood Associated With Happier Adulthood. NO SHIT for reals.
-My Library even lends out baking pans and garden tools! 8 Unexpected Perks of a Library Card. And I don%u2019t think the article mentions, but library cards are cool people card to. HA
–Thank a cloud today. Five reasons you shouldn’t take cloud cover for granted. OH how I love me a nice cloudy day.
-Nothing like FRESH HORSERADISH ROOT. Might be picking up a piece today to knock out my sinus crud.
–Do anxious owners make for anxious dogs? Yes. There is no question in my mind what so ever.
-I listen to a story about this article on NPR. It%u2019s really crazy how people, especially in our culture, are living to work,n to working olive. Workism Is Making Americans Miserable
–A scientist on the myth of ugly produce and food waste. Interesting, very interesting.
-I don%u2019t need a baby nursery but if I did (or ever do) I want it to look just like this. MARIGOLD%u2019S NURSERY TOUR
-What. I thought they were real. Balloon Birds by Terry Cook Mimic Their Real-Life Counterparts
–Vanuatu Has One Of The World%u2019s Strictest Plastic Bans. It%u2019s About To Get Tougher. We all (the entire world) should be getting tougher.
And some pictures from the week.
Ok, I think I hit that wall. The wall that all of a sudden I am over it. I am ready for spring, like hella ready. I think what broke was the day I didn’t need my coat outside or to wear socks in the house. I just realized how sick of wearing a coat every time I leave the house. And the day I was walking around the house barefoot without socks. Let me tell you, my feet couldn%u2019t have been any happier. And then it got cold again and I am now, well, now I am done. Bring on Spring! (summer can wait, still not ready for that)
As for the week, it was up and down. It started off all good and well. Had a sister dinner at my moms house, we%u2019re getting ready to leave for the week to go see my Dad and Grandmother, but before we got a chance to go, Grammy passed away. Sucky sucky suck. We knew it was going to happen, the old broad was 98 for pets sake, but still. We just thought we were going to be able to get down there and see her before it did. So yeah it%u2019s been kind of a sad week. And because she passed we are waiting til next week to leave now because of funeral and all the jazz.
The rest of the went kind of unscripted and strange. We were all feeling sad and bummed. Also we didn%u2019t have a lot planned because we thought we were leaving, but we also had (have) a lot to do so we tried to get some stuff done. We did take some time to go see green stuff at the garden center, walk in some woods, and hang with the littles. But towards the weekend, we both started to feel like garbage. The mr especially. He was ok and then he was not. The littles slept over Friday night and after we got rid of them Saturday, he crashed and spent the rest of the day pretty much immobile and I still felt like trash. So basically I cleaned house, he slept on the couch, we ate some dinner, we walked around the block before the sun went down, came home and crawled into bed. We watched Waynes World because sheyeah, right, and fell right to sleep. Nothing but boring old us to make your life seem exciting right? Haha.
Today so far I am feeling ok. As for the mr, he hasn%u2019t woken as of yet (I am sure that he has since awaken while some of you are reading this) so I am not sure about him. I am hoping for a full recovery on his part and we can spend some of today doing that shit that we needed to do yesterday, like the chores, but maybe even a little hike or a little walk down by the lake. I need outdoors to wash the yesterday off me.
Links to stuff from the internet that don%u2019t suck.
–Recipe Introductions Matter. Here’s%u00a0Why. If you don%u2019t want to read what I write, well then don%u2019t.
-History and study about the neighborhood where I grew up. ONE NEIGHBORHOOD PROJECT
-You know what pisses me off? Going to the store and seeing that they are out of celery because it is now what everyone wants to drink. I just wanted to eat it. Is that allowed abymore> Actually, You Can Just Drink Some Water
-This is a thing and it is awesome. A New Book Explores the Wide Range of Charming Homemade Cat Ladders in Switzerland
-I love this TREE HOUSE
-30, no 60 (one for me, one for the mr) outfits that I need to make. AMAZING! HAHA 30 Laughable His-And-Hers Fashions From The 1970s You Wouldn%u2019t Wear In Public Today
-The mr and I were just talking about making artificial coffee for when the world goes to hell and we can not longer grow the bean. Someone also had the somewhat same idea. Atomo: We hacked the coffee bean – invented molecular coffee
–You Can Now Book a%u00a0Golden Girls Cruise, Complete with Cheesecake, Bingo and More!. A cruise I would take, just as long as I could still go to bed at 7pm. HA
-Poptarts? I guess so. In London, The American Food Aisle Is Filled With Nostalgia And Preservatives
-The dream. Sometimes. I bought a house%u2014and then moved into a van
And some pictures of the week.
I finally got rid of the last of the Christmas tree needles just in time to replace them with glitter for the next few months.. It is my own fault. I didn%u2019t HAVE TO use glitter on a giant ass heart that I made for the mr, but I sure as heck wanted too. (I redact my statement%u2026 I HAD TO) It%u2019s ok though because glitter happens and you just gotta deal with it.
The week was the week. Nothing out of the normal. Nothing overly exciting. Valentines day was nice. The mr covered all the windows with little heart and besides the giant heart I made, I also made the mr a heart cake and heart bread and all his food for the day was basically in the shape of a heart. And we went snow shoeing where we might have almost stole a dog. Maggie was her name and she showed up out of nowhere on the trail which was out in the middle of nowhere. Hiked with us for a while, took off, and showed back up on our way out of the woods. Obviously she lived someplace close by and she did have a collar on (that is how we knew her name) but gosh, she was so sweet. She even walked us to our car and got in like she was ready to go home. Ugh, it hurts my soul a little. I miss having a dog. Who I really miss is Washer. Oh boy, here I am feeling all sad and shit%u2026..But the snow shoeing was amazing! Haha
Anyway, a mellow week. And now it%u2019s the second half of February so it basically going to be spring soon and mellow won%u2019t be staying mellow for long so I am going appreciate it for now, although I am getting little antsy for when I can finally pull out my sandals and open all the windows in the house and dirt. I am getting ahead of myself here. That is still a month or 3 away. But it is on my mind.
The mr and I don%u2019 t have any big plans for the day other then dropping in on the littles and maybe going out for coffee with Barb. We have a few chores that need done so we will probably do those%u2026%u2026 Whoo hoooo!
As usual, some links to read if you feel like perusing the Internet.
-Not going to lie, I completely see his point. Why Thomas Keller Thinks Farm-to-Table Is Absurd. I want the carrots from the farmer that is in love with his carrots too.
-Totally my type of home. . Life in This Verdant Home in Vietnam Is a Walk in the Park
–Here’s why ultra-processed foods are so bad for your health. So so bad.
-Baking fantastical things is not as easy at it might seem on the T.V. The Only Way I Got Through a %u2018Great British Baking Show%u2019 Challenge Was By Cheating
–I must make a fantastic pie soon.Dazzling Gradients and Geometric Designs Baked into New Pies and Tarts
-Got questions, here are some answers. Your Questions About Plastic Waste, Answered
-Genius. And the best feature is that it craps every last bit out of the jar.. This New Pump Will Help You Put Peanut Butter on Everything Without a Knife
–These Surreal Guesthouses with Impossible Staircases Have Alice in Wonderland Vibes. I think more like the movie Labyrinth and then I think of David Bowie in tight tights%u2026%u2026
–Please Don’t Let Your Tiny Dog Blow Away in the Wind. Real life problems.
-He climbs without any rops or harnesses. The guy is crazy. And amazing. A documentary I will watch. Free Solo.
And pictures from the wee
What a world wind of the first week of the year. I feel like nothing has happened and everything is happening all at once. With all the holidays birthdays and family gatherings, happy and sad ones%u2026 it has been a lot to take in. I am in serious need of some time hiding away, not that I don%u2019t love everyone and have had loved being around them, its just been a lot and I can only hold it down for so long. You feel me?
We started the week with Judah Birthday (Happy birthday Judah!!!). I made an ice cream cake and the mr slept on the couch for half the day until it was party time. Poor guy, he has got such a heavy sinus infection so he has been feeling like shit all week long. Some days worse then others, and he has been trying to push through but this infection had really taken hold. I have been pushing all my concoctions and tinctures and good stuff into him and I think we are started to see some of the better feeling mr.
New Years was low key as can be. We went for a little drive, a little hike, and that was it. I stayed awake until 9 then passed out which is exactly my kind of night. New Years day was much of the same, went for a long walk to the river, hung around the house trying to get the mr better. and was just so exciting because I got to start a whole new calendar and binder system. Fresh paper, a nice new pen, and not a cluster fuck of a bunch of bills and papers yet. It was like the excitement of shopping for new school supplies. It really made me happy.
After A calm New Years, it was back to the grind. Working and doing the life thing. The littles over a few times for games of Sorry, and trying to french braid Judah%u2019s hair. Sophia came over for a day and helped me repot some plants, spun around in circles on the kitchen floor for like an hour, and hit Barb right in the face with a snow ball. I finally took the tree down and packed up most of the Christmas decorations, deep cleaned the pantry, and made the phone calls I have been dreading making for the past few weeks. Get it done, got it done.
Yesterday was another long ass day. We grabbed our nice shoes (are hiking boots nice shoes?) and climbed back into the car for the 4 hour drive to Rhode Island for Seths Memorial. 150 plus people packed inside his and Pamula%u2019s loft to listen and honor this amazing person. And I must say, it was sad, but so good. So much love and sharing. Music and food and family. Hearing the stories and the way he impacted so many lives, it really was just such a lovely night and really gave me a bit of happiness from such a shitty situation. After hanging at the loft and spending as much time as I could around all the people, the mr and I jumped back into the car and drove on home. By the time we got home, we were pretty trashed. Walked in the door and crashed. That was only just a few hours ago.
And yet I am still awake. I don%u2019t even know how Im still woke up at 4:30 this morning. My brain knows no other way I guess. For the rest of the day, after my 4-6 cups of coffee (I will drink all the coffee and then some today) I am heading to work at the studio for a while, going to do some gym, maybe hit the library, then I need to go grocery shopping because farm share was canceled this week and now I am running dangerously low on food. After that I will probably come home and crash. Yeah, and then off to a fresh week of more family and birthdays and work stuff, but hopefully this week the mr will not be sick, I will catch a little more sleep, and the snow storm that we are suppose to get will actually be and we get 2 feet of snow. That would be just so nice.
Internet from the internet.
-Top sky-watching events coming in 2019. Super blood moon eclipse is my birthday!
-Me. Why Am I Always Cold? I started eating more cooked food a few years back because I would be freezing after I ate.
-Bread inspiration for sure. LEOPARD BREAD
–The 100 Best Pens, As Tested by Strategist Editors. I love pens, really good pens. I draw with then so I have my own little box of special pens that no one is allowed to use besides me.
-We are aassholes. We’ve wasted so much plastic, it’s almost impossible to picture%u2014these charts will help
–When Too Cute Is Too Much, The Brain Can Get Aggressive. Yes, Have threatened to %u201csmoosh%u201d or %u201cpop%u201d a baby or puppies head off. What I find really works is when the feeling strikes, punch the mom, it helps.
–I Keep My Holiday Lights Up All Year Long%u2014Here’s Why You Should, Too. I love my lights, they make me happy.
–Dog influencers are so popular, they need their own talent agency. Hope this dogs are getting a cut of the pay to go towards all the best
-When someone tells me a fact that I might not believe I ask were they got the info from. If they say the internet, I assume there is a 50/50 chance that is is wrong. How Much of the Internet Is Fake? Turns Out, a Lot of It, Actually.
–What Foods Are Banned in Europe but Not Banned in the U.S.? Seems like these food should also be banned in the stare too.. Hum.
I am kind of sick right now. A chest cold thing and maybe e coli from all the romaine. Plus my arm hurts a shit ton from kind of dropping a 500 pound cast iron sink on it. Oh and I spilt boiling hot water on my leg and burn the shit out of myself, and I grabbed a falling cactus which got a hand full of prickers stuck into it. Plus I am still feeling all sorts of sad about Only. I guess you could say I am not at my finest right now. But this time nest week, I am sure I will be radiant and gleeful. HAHA. (But I sure do hope so.)
The past two weeks have been a blur. Only getting sick and then having to put him down took it all right out of me. Dealing with him being so sick and then the week after him being gone%u2026just so shitty. But there was good stuff too.. There was lots of snow that made me so so happy. Shannon had a pizza birthday party. The family did the annual pre -Thanksgiving Thanksgiving, which the mr and I only spent a short time at because we had to bring Only to the vets. There were dinners with the littles, more snow, cold weather, work stuff, broom shopping, heavy cast iron sink moving. There was stuff.
Then we did a little Thnaksgiving on actual Thanksgiving with Erin and the littles. We played board games (well, they did, I was cooking), made Christmas decorations, listened to Christmas music and danced a little. I made tofu lasagna, mac and cheese, potatoes, and bread. And of course there were veggies and fruit, but yea, starch bomb. But that is what the littles wanted. I am nothing but accommodating. Quite, low key, and everyone was happy. It was a just what I needed.
And then the day after Thanksgiving was Erins birthday so the littles came over again and we made her a cake and they slept over and we watched more Christmas movies and ate pancakes for breakfast all the while I was feeling like garbage. So after we brought them home, I kind of curled in on myself. I can%u2019t deal with being sick.
So today the mr and I are going to keep it a low key day, probably just putz around the house, maybe hang the Christmas lights outside, read a lot, drink lots and lots of hot tea (and coffee). I don%u2019t want to get any sicker then I am so I need to kick it. That%u2019s the goal for the day Get un-sick!
Some stuff from the internet that I looked at that you can look at too.
-I asked the mr if he could ever do a fake tree. He hesitated but said no. (the hesitation shocked me) I could never get a fake tree, or scratch that. I must always have the main tree be real. Having extra fake trees is ok. Hking in the woods to cut our tree down is probably one of my favorite things ever. Real all the way. Real And Fake Christmas Tree Sellers Fight For American Hearts And Minds.
–Reading Fiction Makes You a Little Nicer. With all the reading I do, should I be nicer. Ha
-We must ACT NOW! It isn%u2019t a freaking joke. Shit is already hitting the fan. Climate impacts grow, and U.S. must act, says new report
–Sweet Potatoes: It’s A Thin Line Between Love And Hate. Sweet potatoes are amazing. I can%u2019t understand how some people hate them. They just haven%u2019t had it roasted with cumin and chili powder or covered in tahini.
-Can Anyone Save PBR? The beer that conquered Brooklyn is on the brink of extinction. I know a lot of people who will be so sad if PBR goes away. (the mr for sure)
–Why Does It Seem Like Everyone Is Getting Sick from Salad? Another reason to eat as local as you can. (although more then half my food is local but I am still convinced I got E coli form the romaine%u2026 I need my own farm to grow ALL my own food!)
-Holiday crafting is the best. I am working on something like this.
–Breathing Through the Nose May Offer Unique Brain Benefits. To smell all the smells.
-I am really feeling these shoes%u2026but I will never buy them because I don%u2019t buy shoes. But someone needs to get a pair.
-Oh, The Places You’ll Go: Toilet Signs Try To Help
Pictures from the past two weeks. There are not a lot because I pretty much didn%u2019t take any pictures for a week.
It’s melon season! The past few farm shares have included at least 2,, if not 4, watermelons and cantaloupes… Can you imagine. eating 4 watermelons a week? That’s a tall order, even for someone like me who could probably eat a whole watermelon in one sitting, it’s just doing it 4 times a week might be a problem. It’s a whole lot of melon and not enough stomach, you know what I mean?
So what do I do with so much melon? Well first off, whenever anyone comes over I try to get them to eat as much of it as they can, which helps a great deal. Secondly, I cut it up and freeze some. But here is the thing, I love eating chunks of frozen cantaloupe, but frozen watermelon, never been my favorite so I usually just pass on sticking in the freezer, until now.
There is something magical that happens when you stick the frozen watermelon and cantaloupe together into a blender and making it into a slushy. It’s like eating a ray of sunshine or maybe even a rainbow, just really satisfying and juicy, and sweet but not overly sweet, and just really freaking good. Especially with all the stupid hot and humid weather we have had lately, these slushies have really been hitting the spot. Even the mr who says he dislikes watermelon was all into these melon slushies. (he likes things that he says he doesn’t like all the time. I am pretty sure he is taste confused) Like he was really into them. Usually I have to prompt him to tell me how something tastes, but not the slushy, he told me right away how good it was. I was like, I know dude, I just drank 2 of them myself. And I could have drank 2 more but I was trying to not get tot far ahead of myself. Moderation is key, plus I didn’t;t have any more of the melons frozen. Time to restock the freezer.
Go make yourself a slushy, it’s juicy deliciousness will make you happy.
The stuff. Watermelon and cantaloupe. There should be a lime in there too but it must have rolled away….
Chop some of each of the melon up, remove the rinds, and place on a big baking sheet and stick into the freezer until frozen. You can do as little as 2 cups of each or as much as a whole melon, it’s up to you. (I suggest freezing extra)
Frozen melon. And now you can slushy.
Equal parts watermelon and cantaloupe go into blender, along with the juice of half (or more to taste) a lime and you are probably going to need to add about 1/2 a cup of water, to help the blender blend it all together. And that’s it. You blend until it’s all slushy.
Pour into cups, garnish with a lime and/or little chunks of melon and you are good as golden.
From now on, or until summer is over and I run out of melon, I will be keeping the freezer stocked, especially because I know that the next few weeks are suppose to be stupid hot again.
Waterloupe slushies. Summertime goodness.
-C
about 2 cups of a watermelon
about 2 cups of a cantaloupe
1 lime
1/2- 1 cup water
Note. The amounts above are for two 2 cup slushies. You can, and should, freeze a crap load more melon for future slushies. Also, no one would fault you for maybe adding a little nip of some clear alcohol to this slushy situation to make it more of an adult drink……
Cut up a watermelon and a cantalopjue. Eat some and reserve at least 2 cups of each. Remove the rinds from the melons and cut into cubes. Place melon on a baking sheet and stick into the freezer until frozen.
Once frozen, place equal parts frozen watermelon and cantaloupe into the blender with the juice of a lime. Turn blender on. Slowly add in water until the blender can handle blending the frozen fruit. Blend until smooth. Pour into cups, garnish if you want with more melon and lime, then get to drinking.
THE LOVELY CRAZY
May 20, 2019 by maximios • Blog
I think that my favorite thing abut summer is probably the food. Yeah, no, definitely all the food. If it weren’t for all the delicious amazing things that grow during these summer months, I would probably hate summer. Well, I mean, not hate it because summer is nice when it it nice, but lately it has not been so nice and so I am trying to make myself feel better by finding all the good things that I like about summer. Summer trees, summer flowers, the smell of fresh cut grass, river rocks, summer sandals, summer… well that’s what I got right now. But summer produce, that is the best and what keeps me happy when I am extremely over heated and over sunned and just want a blast of cold air accompanied by some dark clouds, a sweater and the smell of decomposing leaves. Obviously I am being a little crank butt, and I actually do usually like me some summertime, I am just over this summer. To hot, to humid, to dry. I am ready to move on.
But back to the good parts of summer that I am not over. The food. The corn is flowing steadily (I am getting on average 10 pieces of corn a week from the farm. That is a lot of corn for 2 people, one of which says he doesn’t like corn), the kale is growing in super abundance in the garden, and it’s is for sure blueberry season. When we have those three things and we toss in a avocado, as little onion, and lots of lime juice , BAM, another super fantastic summertime eating time, reason that summer can be a ok. Makes all the heat a little worth it.
I am telling you, this is my new favorite food combination. Blueberries are magical (I think so anyway) and really add the perfect little sweetness, tartness, and texture to this salad. Crisping up the kale and corn elevates the deliciousness, and avocado always is welcome is any salad situation. This is one of those salads that you will make for yourself and then immediately want to make for someone you like because it is so good you want to share. OR you just want to make it for yourself again because you could share or you could just eat more of it yourself. It’s ok either way, you do you.
The stuff. A cob of fresh corn. some fresh blueberries, a bunch of dinosaur kale, a lime, an avocado, a piece of a sweet onion, sea salt, pepper, and a little oil.
First off preheat the oven then cut the corn off the cob.
Then deal with the kale. Each leaf needs just the slightest bit of oil. The easiest way to do this is to dump a little oil into your hands and grab each piece of kale and rub your oily hands all over the kale.
After the kale is oiled, chop it into chunks. First place the corn on a baking sheet then add the kale on top. Placet it into the oven to get all crispy… The kale will might get crispy before the corn, which is fine because you can remove the kale then pop the corn back into the oven for a few more minutes to keep cooking if you want. Or you might just want to call it cooked, it’s your call.
I popped the corn back into the oven to get a little more color. I like a real crispy corn.
Cut up some onion and avocado into chunks.
And time to compile. Kale, onions, corn, avocado, blueberries, and lime juice. And don’t or get a sprinkle of sea salt and pepper.
Toss it all around and be delighted.
Just look at that salad. Who wouldn’t want to eat that?
Heres to summer salads….The reason I can barely stand the heat!
-C
makes one salad
Preheat oven to 350
Cut the corn off the con and place on a lightly oiled baking sheet. Take a little oil and rub into hands then grab the kale leaves ans rub oil all over them. Once oiled, rough chop into medium sized pieces (don’t chop small, it will shrink a lot in the oven). Place chopped kale on top of corn and stick into hot oven. Bake until the kale is crispy, about 12-15 minutes.. What closely after 10 minutes to prevent burning.
Remove the kale from the baking sheet and place in a large bowl. The corn will be cooked, but if you want to make it a little crispier , just toss it back into the oven for a few minutes. Once corn is to your liking, remove from pan and toss into two with the kale.
Small dice up some onion and dice up half of the avocado. Toss into the bowl with the kale and corn. And the blueberries, add those in. Sprinkle the whole shebang with a little sea salt and pepper and squeeze the juice of at least half of a lime all over (use the whole lie if you want) Give it all one last toss and that is it.
Eat your new favorite salad. Think about making it for all your favorite friends and family and how impressed they will be because this is one of those impressive salads. T
I got my first few ears or corn from the farm share this week which is exciting because I wait until we get corn from the farm to eat it. I figure that we get so much from the farm that there is no freaking way I am going to buy it and plus I know that that corn was picked a few hours before I got it. If you are going to eat corn, it needs to be fresh (life lesson).
Have I told you that the mr hates corn? I am pretty sure I have. I also have a theory that he really doesn’t hate it so I just go ahead and make food with corn in it. Then he eats it, likes it, and I am all like” AHA, you like corn be-otch! I win!” (not sure what I win). But then the next time I mention we have fresh corn and how would he like it he is all like, I hate corn. It’s a game we keep on playing.
So I got fresh corn, lots of tomatoes, and the kale is growing strong out back. I figured I would give the mr a break from all the zucchini for the night and make he a nice warm summer salad with the corn that he “hates”.
The mr ate it all and didn’t even mention corn so now I am thinking that he just hates the word corn and if I don’t say the word then there will be no problem. HA HA, I am a genius.
The stuff. A tomato, a ear of corn, some kale, a little balsamic vinegar, oil, and salt and pepper.
Chop the tomato and remove the corn from the cob.
Toss into an oven safe skillet with a drizzle of oil and a pinch of salt.
Now stick it into the oven
After about 10 minutes the tomato has fallen apart and the corn is all nice and tender.
While the skillet is still hot the vinegar goes in and the (chopped) kale goes in. Mix it all around until the kale wilts. And be careful, the pan is hot.
Dump it into a bowl, sprinkle with pepper, grab a fork, and you are on.
Happy eating.
-C
makes a salad for one or two small side salads
You can cook this in or on the stove. I did it in the stove because I was baking anyway
Preheat oven to 425
Remove corn from cob and chop tomato into medium sized chunks. Toss into a oven safe skillet with a drizzle of oil and a little pinch of salt. Stick in oven and cook until the corn is tender and the tomatoes have fallen apart, about 10 minutes. Remove from oven and mix in vinegar. Chop kale into mouth sized pieces and toss into hot skillet. Mix around until kale starts to wilt. And it’s done. Serve with a pinch of pepper.
What a week, what a week. I have barely had time to think, let alone cook food.
I had the rhubarb that was in need of cooking, the corn is all over the place all super fresh, and I had me a few minutes in between running around to make some food.
I made this (what I now realize is succotash, which is such a fantastic word for food) a few weeks back, fell in love with it so I wanted to make it again. I also wanted to see if the mr would like it this time (he didn’t so much the last time) Says he is not a corn fan. But I don’t know, I still think he loves corn and just wants to be a pain in my ass and tell me he doesn’t. I figured that this time I made it, he would finally declare his love of corn, I mean, there is butt load of rhubarb in it too. And big creamy lima beans and nice sweet onion, and tomatoes. Yes it has a lot of corn, but it has so much more.
Well, he didn’t declare his love of corn. He did have a big scoop on his dinner plate, ate a bite or two then, picked out all the lima beans and chunks of rhubarb then told me that corn love wasn’t going to happen. He also aid that I should stop messing with the rhubarb and just make another pie.
What a butt face.
Whatever, more for me! And if you are awesome and you like sweet corn, tart rhubarb (corn and rhubarb together is the best) ,and are in need of a great summer side for any and all of your summertime food time needs, this is a winner. Super fast and easy to make, eaten warm or cold, and keeps well. It screams BBQ time. (Or 10 o’clock at night, standing in front of the fridge, eaten with a big spoon) It’s good whenever.
The stuff. Rhubarb, fresh corn, and some cooked lima beans. Also need a tomato, a sweet onion, red wine vinegar, salt ans pepper, a little olive oil and water (not pictured) and a few sprigs of fresh parsley.
The onion and rhubarb gets chopped up and tossed into a big skillet with a tiny bit of olive oil and a few splashes of water and place on the stove to cook a bit.
Corn needs to come off the cob. Do it the way you like, but I find holding corn vertical in a big bowl and cutting it down works best.
Slightly soft rhubarb and onions, ready for the other stuff.
Dump the corn, the tomato (chop it up first) the lima beans(drained) and a few splashes of vinegar into the skillet. Stir it all up and keep on heat for a few more minutes until the corn is just barely cooked and all the flavors have had a few minutes to meld.
Toss in some fresh chopped up parsley and season with salt and pepper…..
Into a pretty bowl for eating now or eating later.
This big ass bowl is all for me!!!!
Have the greatest weekend!
-C
Chop the onion into small pieces then chop the rhubarb into smallish chunks. Toss the rhubarb and onion into a skillet with just a tiny bit of olive oil and a few splashes water. Place on the stove on medium heat and cook until the onion and rhubarb are slightly tender, but not to soft. If you need to, add a bit more water to the skillet to keep the stuff from browning or burning.
While the rhubarb is cooking, remove the corn from the cob and chop up the tomato into small chunks. Toss the corn, the tomato, the lima beans (drained) into the skillet with the rhubarb and onion. Pour in about 2-3 tablespoons of vinegar and season with salt and pepper. Mix and cook for another few minutes just until the corn get slightly cooked and all the flavors have had a few minutes to meld.
Remove from heat and dump into a bowl. Chop up a handful of fresh parsley and sprinkle all over
Serve right away warm or stick in the fridge and serve cold later.
I am a year round maker and consumer of soup.
With that being said, the nature of my soups change seasonally. My summertime soups are usually on the lighter side, made with the fresh bounty of the season, and spiced more on the light and floral side, opposed to the really deep and warm spices that I use all winter long,
This corn chowder is made just right. It had the perfect balance of hearty and creamy from the potatoes and use of pureed onion cream, but still light and refreshing from the sweet fresh corn and the lemony fresh thyme. It is for sure a great summertime soup (chowder) Even the Mr. was even really into it, and he claims he doesn’t like corn. (I say bullshit to that.. he eats corn all the time)
Now to chowder!
The Stuff. Some super fresh corn on the cob, a couple onions, a few chopped up potatoes and a chopped up carrot. Then we have a little oil, a lemon, dried thyme and salt and pepper.
To start, take an onion, chop it up, and toss into a large heavy pot with a little olive oil and a sprinkle of salt. Stick pot on stove on medium heat and cook until onions are soft and traslutcent. When the onions are done, remove and add to a blender or bowl. (if using a hand blender) Add in the juice of the lemon and blend it all up until nice a smooth.
You have now made a nice creamy cream that will help make the final product more, well more creamy without the use of cream (lets say cream on more time !) .Set aside.
When the pot is empty again, add in the rest of the stuff, including the cobs of the corn, (they hold a butt load of flavor) the dried thyme, and salt and pepper. Place on stove and add enough water to completely submerge the veggies. Keep pot on a medium heat, add a lid, and stir ever once in a while. Cook until the potatoes are nice and tender. (when the potatoes are done, so is everything else)
Now that everything is all cooked up, remove the cobs and stir in the onion puree.
Now with a hand blender, blend up until the chowder is thick and smooth, but still nice and chunky. (If you are working with a blender, just remove about half of the soup and blend up, then dump back in) The optimal chunkiness is up to you , so blend, check the chunk, then blend a little more if needed. If you feel that the soup is to thick, add in a little more water, or to thin, just cook down o little longer.
Once you like the constituency,season to taste with salt and pepper and place pot back on a simmer until you are ready to serve.
And thats how we make corn chowder
It tastes best serves in the daintiest of the cups, sprinkled heavily with cracked pepper, and with a side of some cracker situation (Saltines would be best, but sometime there are only triscits in the house)
Summertime is for chowder!
HAPPY Humpday Wednesday!!!
-C
Makes a pot big enough for 4-6 nice decent sized servings
To start, peel and dice one whole onion and toss into pot with olive oil and stick on medium heat. Cook onions until translucent and fragrant. Remove from pot and add cooked onions and the lemon juice to a blender and puree until smooth and set aside.
While you are cooking down the onions, dice up the carrot and onion, remove the corn kernels from the cob, and chop up the potatoes. Once you have removed the first batch of onions, toss in corn, onions, carrot, potatoes, and the dried thyme. Stir around in the pot on medium heat for a few minutes just to warm up the spices. Add the cobs into the pot and fill with enough water to cover the stuff in the pot. Place back on medium heat with a lid and cook for another 20ish minutes, or until potatoes are super tender and almost falling apart.
Remove cobs from pot and add in the onion puree. Now either remove about half the soup and place in the bender and blend up til smooth, or use a hand blender and blend up chowder until you get your desired chunkiness. If you think the chowder seems to thick, add in more water, or to thin, just cook down a little longer on the stove.
When ready to eat, ladle chowder into a cup or bowl and add lots of fresh cracked pepper.
Serve with a cracker and a spoon to eat it with.
It seems that everywhere I turn this week, there corn. So much so that its coming out of my ears…..get it.. ears! (yes I am that lame)
Yup, its now officially (but unofficially) summer and that means 2 things, well 3 things. First, we eat corn. Secondly, It’s hot out, and get so hot in our little tiny loft that having the oven on is like torture so I avoid it at all costs. And lastly, I seem to always have less time(or forget) to make dinner cause, you know, I am outside running around with my head cut off.
The solution to the last two…..Quesadillas.
I probably make the mister quesadillas at least 5 time a week. They are just so easy to make (takes about 8 minutes) are full of some kind of veggie situation and lots of cheese (which is the misters favorite food group). You can make one, for a quick lunch, or very easily make 10 to feed a few people for a easy dinner. (everyone likes a quesadilla!). And even though I cooked these particular ones inside, quesadillas are great made outside on the grill. They just make so much sense.
And so it goes.
Summertime + corn = Charred corn and kale quesadillas.
The Stuff. Freshy freshy corn on the cob. A few flour tortillas, a bunch of chopped kale and some shredded cheese. (I used pepper jack)
With a sharp knife, cut the corn off the cob. I find using a deep bowl works best to catch corn, and you could even invert another little bowl inside to rest the cob for easier cutting (I skipped extra bowl.. once less dish to wash)
While you are cutting the corn, preheat a large pan on medium high heat.
Once the pan is hot, toss the corn kernels right on into it and sprinkle with salt and pepper Let cook for a minutes or two, then give it a stir and cook for another minute.
After about 4 minutes the corn turns bright yellow and starts to char. Remove pan from heat and toss in the chopped up kale.
And compile the quesadilla. Tortilla, grated cheese, corn and kale, more cheese if you please, and top with anther tortilla. Place assembled quesadilla into the pan and place on medium heat. Cook both sides until brown and cheese is ooey gooey.
Remove from pan and cut into triangles (or any shape you want)
Serve right away. Can be eaten on a napkin, plate, or directly off the counter.
Not needed, but it would be nice of you to serve with a little avocado, salsa, or sour cream.
Happy Tuesday!
-C
Makes two 8 inch quesadillas
*Note. Use more cheese if you want
Preheat a large pan on medium high. While the pan is heating up, cut the corn from the cob. Once pan is hot, toss corn kernels into hot skillet and sprinkle with a pinch of salt and pepper. Give corn a stir after a few minutes. Once the kernels start to turn bright yellow and get a little charred, remove pan from heat. Chop up kale into little pieces and toss into pan with the corn while the pan is still hot. Mix around and let the kale wilt a bit from the residual heat.
Ready your tortilla. Place half the cheese onto totilla, add on half of the corn and kale mixture, sprinkle with a bit more cheese and top with another tortilla. Place onto now empty pan and heat up quesadilla until brown on both sides and chesse is melty. Remove from skillet and cut into triangle. Repeat for the second quesadilla.
Serve right away with or without some guacamole, salsa, or sour cream.
plates are not required.
And yes, I am assuming that you will be making these awesome chippers to share at a Super Bowl part this weekend. I say this because even as I sit here writing this (with the TV on) there has been nothing but football talk…deflated balls, hot wings, half time shows and commercials. It’s almost as big as Christmas. Got to get the decorations, the special game day food and your football jerseys. It’s crazy and all over the place. So that’s why I am assuming you are making these for the game. But if you not going to be participating in any football parties.. by all means, make these chips for yourself anyways. Celebrate you day! Have a non football watching party. Or just make these whenever. Jalapeño Lime chips for everyday!
Note: You can make these chips without the jalaeno and or the lime if you need or want to. You can also stop after the first step and have some dank corn totillas for tacos ands stuff..But definitely make the chips… worth it for sure!
All the stuff.. Masa harina, hot water, salt, a lime and a jalapeño. Zest lime and place half the zest into a glass bowl with oil and either sit on warm oven or microwave for 30 seconds to infuse. Puree the jalapeño with a cup of hot water and add the puree and half the zest of a lime, plus salt, to the masa harina. Mix it all up with another 1/2 cup of water or enough to make the dough resemble play dough… You can add more water or masa if you dough is to wet or dry.
I do not own a tortilla press so I used what I had… wax paper, a wooded cutting board and brunt force. I took each ball and place it between the two pieces of the waxed paper, placed the cutting board on top, and with all my might and body weight, pressed down to smoosh. It works like a charm.
With my fingers ( you can using a basting brush for sure), I rubbed a little of the lime oil all over both sides of each tortilla. Stacked a few high, then sliced those tortillas into triangle shapes. If you want to go crazy, you could cut them into strips or even use a cookie cutter and do some fun shapes… but triangle are easy, classic, and practical. A good shape for dipping!
Eat a few, but wait and save them for the party. Or better yet, make a few batches. Bring a batch, eat a batch. (Its ok, you are allowed)
Eat with some salsa, maybe some of this guacamole, or just as they are…Anyway is the right way as long as you are eating!
Have fun making these and have fun getting read for the party this weekend (Super Bowl or not!)
-C
Jalapeño Lime Tortilla Chips
Makes 12-14 tortillas.. then made into a medium bowl of tortilla chips.
Ingredients
To start, zest lime and add 1/2 of the zest to bowl with the oil. Place oil on warm spot on stove to let the oil infuse the limeness.
Take jalapeno and puree with 1 cup of hot water. In a large bowl, add puree and remaining lime zest to the masa harina and mix, adding an additional 1/2 to 1 cup of hot water until the dough resembles play dough, not to soft, but not to dry and completely incorporated
Divide dough into 12-14 balls and place on a plate under a wet paper towel to keep dough from drying out.
One at a time, take a dough ball and place between two pieces of wax or parchment paper. Place either a plate or cutting board on top and press down as hard as you can (you could even stand on it). Remove flatten tortilla from paper and place in medium hot skillet. Cook each tortilla for 2-3 minutes on each side.
When all tortillas have been made, lightly rub lime oil on all over both sides. Stack a few on top of each other and cut into triangles. Place pieces on a baking sheets (I used 2) and bake at 400 for 15- 20 minutes or until lightly browned and crunchy. When chips are done, remove from oven, squeeze or sprinkle lime juice on chips and sprinkle with salt. Stick back into oven for another 2 or so minutes to re-crisp from the lime juice.
Remove and let cool completely, then dump into a bowl
Enjoy!