Aloha…

  

We are finally getting settled after getting back from our honeymoon in Maui. Time is beginning to get back on track for us just in time for Christmas. We took a tour of the the road to Hana and saw the black sand beaches. Watched some beautiful sunsets while eating some fantastic food.   and we spent some perfect afternoons wandering around Lahainia, a cute little village, about 10 minutes from where we stayed. We spent one day in Honolulu at Pearl Harbor We even got to go snorkeling with turtles!You can just barely see one of our turtle friends on the lower left.more to come soon…..

wedding part 3, the reception

   The reception was held at Jasmine Plantation, a small bed and breakfast in Providence Forge, Virginia.

Guests were greeted on the porch with a drink then wandered through the house to find their seating cards and the candy bar. Then out to the backyard all ready for food and dancing.

Our cake topper was made by my little sister, and I think that they were perfect!

We had flip flops for anyone who had tired feet. Each person had a fortune fish in their seating card, just in case they were wondering what their mood was at the wedding!

   

There was lots of dancing and even a little singing.

       

The bouquet toss was briefly interrupted  by a sneak attack!

By the end of the night  everyone was having a great time on and off the dance floor. We had a fantastic time and could not have asked for more! Thank you to everyone that helped to make our day as special as it was!

wedding part 2, the ceremony

       The ceremony was in a little one room church with a small balcony.  We wanted it too feel like you were at a small intimate gathering. The music was just a simple acoustic guitar at the front of the church.    Our reading,  A Lovely Love Story by Edward Monkton, was done by a dear friend. It was something that Scott and I really enjoyed it brought a lighthearted feeling to the ceremony. 

   We had a ring warming as part of the ceremony. Each of us had someone at the back of the church hold the rings and a ribbon running from the front of the pews to the back. Our best man and maid of honor held one end of each ribbon and the rings were passed along the ribbon, along with their blessing by everyone sitting the the church. Another part of the ceremony that was truly special was the announcement of our marriage by everyone in the church. Each program had a small section for all of our friends and family to say after we were married. and then we were married.. and the fun began.

wedding part 1

The girls and I got ready at my parents house in my sister’s bathroom. Try cramming 5 girls into one small bathroom with one sink and 1 giant mirror and you are sure to have lots of laughter.  

I made these charms for all the girls bouquets. Each one was a picture of a close relative who was not able to be here. I used the tile pendant kit from    on Etsy. Warning : if you are using this kit for bouquet charms be sure to coat the back with a varnish or even clear nail polish. The water from the stems on the bouquets will cause the tile to fall apart and almost melt off of the glass charm.

My ride to and from the ceremony! My dream car since I was 12.

We had 4 different centerpieces for the tables at the reception. One with the candles and paper flowers…

 

One with small arrangements of flowers and potted herbs for our guests to take home and another with larger arrangements

Our favor was a photo booth for the guests to use as many times as they wanted. the only requirement was that it also served as our guest book. I would definitely recommend FREEZEFRAME to anyone wanting the same kind of thing for their event. Someone sat with out guests and helped them make the guest book during the reception. It was a the highlight of the night and we still enjoy looking at it.

  and we had a  candy bar filled with our favorites from when we were  kids… moon pies, twizzlers, peanuts, crackerjacks and caramels

We also had a little basket of goodies for the kids at the wedding.

Wedding pictures have arrived….

Over the next couple of days I will be putting some of our wedding pictures up for everyone…. here is just is little taste.

shower recipe # 3

ok so this is sort of a shower recipe. We were given an ice cream maker for the shower and I thought we could make some ice cream to test out some thanksgiving flavors.

First up was a chocolate truffle ice cream…

It starts out simple enough sugar and egg yolks creamed together and milk heated to a simmer then combine the too and heat back up to a simmer to make the custard. Then comes the super chocolate…

6 ounces of bittersweet chocolate and 1 1/2 cups of simmering cream. Stir until smooth and combine with the custard then put into the fridge until it is chilled.

Next up was maple ice cream. this one starts out with just maple syrup, egg yolks and a little bit of flour. Cream the egg yolks, maple syrup and flour and heat the milk to a simmer, combine and reheat to a simmer to create the custard. Let the custard cool a little then stir in the cream and put it in the fridge until it is chilled.

  The next morning I started up the ice cream machine and got things going. In the end we have 2 quarts of homemade ice cream. The chocolate truffle ice cream is like dark chocolate overload, it is really dense and delicious. The maple is good too, it definitely tastes like maple ice cream I think the next time we make it I will add something in with it.

perfect little garden part 2

I found an even better option for the little hanging terrariums…..

all courtesy  of CB2

I think these lovely branches are exactly what I am looking for… from Nettleton Hollow

perfect little garden…

from tortoiselovesdonkey’s on etsy, these would be the perfect little garden for our tiny little kitchen window sill. I have recently become very interested in making m own terrariums and having them in the house year round. My grandmother used to keep a terrarium in the kitchen and took care of it meticulously. I would love to start my own little terrariums someday….

I am also thinking of using a wall mounted fish bowl to make a terrarium, or maybe these….

from pottery barn. I could see a fee of these on an ornament tree or a strong twig in the house year round.

sweet treats for Halloween

I had yesterday off and today is the Halloween party at Scott’s office,I saw this recipe in a magazine and thought that there was no better time to make it.

cheesecake filled pumpkin cupcakes with brown sugar butter cream frosting.

Silvana Nardone

• 12 Servings
• Prep 45 min
• Bake 25 min

Ingredients:

• One 8-ounce package cream cheese, at room temperature
• 1/2 cup confectioners' sugar
• 2 large eggs, plus 5 large egg whites
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 cups flour
• 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 3/4 teaspoons salt
• 1 cup canned pumpkin puree
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 1 cup light brown sugar
• Simmering water
• 3 sticks (12 ounces) unsalted butter, cut into tablespoon-size pieces and chilled

Directions:

1. Place a rack in the lower third of the oven and preheat to 350°. Line a 12-cup muffin pan with baking liners. Using an electric mixer, beat the cream cheese and confectioners' sugar for 3 minutes. Beat in 1 egg white and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla.

2. In a bowl, whisk the flour, pumpkin pie spice, baking powder and 1/2 teaspoon salt. In another bowl, mix the pumpkin puree, 2 eggs, granulated sugar, oil and 1 teaspoon vanilla. Whisk in the flour mixture.

3. Layer each muffin cup with some of the pumpkin batter, then the cream cheese mixture, then more of the batter. Bake until springy to the touch, 25 minutes. Let cool.

4. Using the electric mixer, beat the brown sugar, remaining 4 egg whites and remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt. Fill a medium saucepan with enough simmering water to reach a depth of 1 inch; place the mixing bowl on top. Whisk the mixture until it registers 160° on an instant-read thermometer.

5. Transfer the bowl back to the mixer and beat at high speed until fluffy; lower the speed and beat to room temperature, about 5 minutes. Add the butter, 1 tablespoon at a time, then beat at high speed for 5 minutes. Beat in the remaining 1/2 teaspoon vanilla. 6. Transfer the frosting to a pastry bag; pipe large rosettes on top of the cupcakes.

dinner

dinner this week has been a little sad, my new schedule makes things a bit tough, but we did have a wonderful and super quick dinner one night…..

sautéed shrimp with heirloom cherry tomatoes, basil and garlic on spinach and chive linguine.

elusive espresso cup search

I have been on the hunt for the perfect espresso set since we got our espresso machine and I think I might have found the perfect set in etsy this week. What do you think?

theweeemporium has beautiful vintage items, they are all so dainty.

gardenhomevintage Ilove the color and shape of these.

EmilyLynch I would love to have a chocolate party with this little set!

alyssaettinger I love the texture on these cups

TeddyLemon  I love the classic cafe  feeling that this set has. Definitely my favorite so far.

fall is in the air

Despite the warm temperatures this weekend fall was definitely in the air here. Scott and I spent Sunday cleaning out our gardens front and back to get them ready for fall planting. The pumpkin baking spirit has finally snuck up on me and I made some pumpkin bread Sunday afternoon. This is my favorite pumpkin bread recipe it is moist and delicious… and makes enough to share

Pumpkin Bread
2 large loaves or 8 small
Or 1 large and 4 small

3 c. sugar
1c. Vegetable oil
4 eggs (lightly beaten)
16oz canned pumpkin (plain no spices please)
3 ½ c. flour ( I use half whole wheat)
2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. nutmeg
1 tsp. allspice
1 tsp. cinnamon
½ tsp. ground cloves
2/3 water

Preheat oven to 350. Butter and flour pans. Stir together sugar and oil.Combine dry ingredients in a separate bowl. Stir eggs and pumpkin into sugar oil mixture. Mix dry and wet ingredients alternately. Bake for 30-40 min.

shower recipe # 2

This week I made Aunt Jan’s brownies. They are fudgy and dense and super chocolaty.  

Aunt Jan’s Brownies

Bake at 350 for 30-35 min.

1 cup butter
4 squares unsweetened baker’s chocolate
2 cups sugar
4 eggs
1 cup all purpose flour
1 tsp. vanilla
½ tsp. salt
2 cups chocolate morsels

( I used half milk and  half  semi-sweet.)

Grease 13”x9” pan. Melt bakers chocolate and butter, Stir in sugar. Add eggs, one at a time, beating until well blended. Add flour, salt and vanilla. Stir in morsels. Bake at 350 for 30-35 min.

dinner last night

dinner was a butternut squash and caramelized onion pizza with feta and  chicken and apple sausage.

super simple… roast sliced squash,  onions, garlic some fresh sage and rosemary and olive oil for  45 min. at 325.  Then spread over a pizza crust coated in olive oil salt, paper and minced garlic. Then top with feta and a little parmesan cheese and bake at 450 for 15 min.

absolutely adorable advent calendar

from BakerGirlDesignCo on etsy, I would love to have this hanging in my kitchen!!!

Christmas ornaments

I have already begun shopping for Christmas and have run across some adorable ornaments. Scott and I buy our ornaments in January, when they are all on sale so we already have our ornaments for this year. Maybe next years tree will be a bit like this...

paper-mache  ornaments from Crate and Barrel

12 days of Christmas ornaments from Crate and Barrel

owl ornaments from ohmiroir on etsy

rusted tin ornaments from NestaHome on etsy

little house ornaments from littlepinkhouse on etsy

marshmallows!!!!!

   Sunday  I made marshmallows! They may not be the most beautiful marshmallows ever but I was super excited to be able to make them at home. Armed with my trusty mixer and whisk attachment I got started. The ingredient list is simple enough… sugar, gelatin, corn syrup, vanilla ( I also used a little almond extract) and a bit of salt…Start by sprinkling the gelatin packets over the water and let stand for 30 min. Then combine the sugar some water , corn syrup and a bit of salt, stir to combine. Then slowly bring to 245 on a candy thermometer. Pour into gelatin at slow speed on a stand mixer.

  Increase speed to high and mix for 12 min. The mixture will triple in size by the end of the 12 min.

3 minutes

6 minutes 9 minutes 12 minutes

After 12 minutes add the vanilla extract and fully combine. I added half vanilla and half almond. This is one spot that the next time I think I will adjust and add the flavoring to the sugar mixture before mixing with gelatin. the texture changed quite a bit after adding the extract. Once you have added the extract, the fun truly begins… scrape it into a sugar dusted   13x9 pan, it is sticky and gloppy, just a warning. This is another step I will change next time too. I am going to use a square cake pan and some dusted parchment to make removal a little easier.    After that it just goes into the fridge over night, I think I would dust the top of the pan before the fridge too.the next day you have a sticky task…. cut and dust with powdered sugar. I cut them into strips then cubes and tossed them in  a bag with powdered sugar.

 

After that you have marshmallows. Enjoy!!! Next time I am going to coat them in chocolate and some pistachios.  Just don’t forget to store them in an airtight container.

  

Marshmallows

ingredients:

• 3 packets (3/4 ounce) unflavored gelatin
• 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
• 1 cup light corn syrup
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons pure vanilla extract
• Confectioners' sugar, for dusting

Directions:

1. Using a standing mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, combine the gelatin and 1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon cold water; let stand for 30 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, in a small, heavy saucepan, combine the granulated sugar, corn syrup, salt and 1/2 cup water and cook over low heat, stirring, until the sugar dissolves. Increase the heat to high and cook the syrup until it registers 245° on a candy thermometer, about 12 minutes. Remove from the heat.

3. With the standing mixer on low speed, slowly pour the hot syrup into the softened gelatin. Increase the speed to high and beat until the mixture is very thick, white and has almost tripled in volume, about 12 minutes. Beat in the vanilla.

4. Meanwhile, dust an 8-by-12-inch glass baking dish with confectioners' sugar. Scrape the marshmallow mixture into the pan and sprinkle with more confectioners' sugar. Refrigerate, uncovered, overnight. Cut into 1-inch squares.

shower recipes

for my bridal shower everyone brought a different dessert recipe to share with me, I am going to try to make one a week. Here is the first… from Scott’s Aunt Barbara

Oatmeal coconut cookies, I hope these stacked up to the version that her kids used to love!

last week, lets catch up

Last week we had baked chicken with lemon potatoes and green beans…

  spiced pork chops with sweet potatoes and lemon green beans… and Sunday Scott made chili…

Etsy Site of the Day

I love these plates and redecorated items at Ninainvorm’s Shop, they have such a bright a cheerful feeling.

special

S & I just want to say a special thank you to the guy on the left. A thank you for going above and beyond your duties and for making the trip to help make Saturday the best it could have been. We both loved having  you here and being able to share our weekend with you!

orange sherbet

 S and I were the recipients of a wonderful gift recently…an ice cream maker. The first thing  we both thought was sherbet! Orange to be exact with chocolate chips. We found a recipe and quickly put everything together, it was delicious.

our first chicken egg dinner

  My dad’s chickens are finally laying eggs!  Last week amid all the wedding stuff and moving my parents into their new house we settled down to have  a good old breakfast dinner.

It all started with a few eggs, some of the most unsettling sausage I’ve ever seen. They are called “The Red Ones” and they look like a giant red crayon. then add waffles and a few strawberries and you have a fantastic dinner.

thanks to some of our lovely guests…

here we are just before entering the church…

 

and just after entering the church…

 

and the last one to the alter is  getting married.

Mr. & Mrs.

more to come soon….

We had a fantastic night with everyone! Thank to those of you who could join us and those who were thinking of us on our special night!

dinner tonight

 Citrus broccoli and steak satay with a peanut sauce and a little jasmine rice.

Super simple, just some canola oil, coriander salt and pepper on the steak. Broil it for 3-5 minutes.

The broccoli just needs a quick steam and a squeeze of lime juice with some salt and pepper.

The peanut sauce is chunky peanut butter, brown sugar, soy sauce, lime juice and a little water.

dinner tonight

  After 2 days of almost constant rain S.T. and I decided that tonight was the perfect night for soup and grilled cheese sandwiches. This chicken soup has become our new favorite. It has a great lemony flavor and a slightly thick broth. It is perfect for a rainy day or a hanging on the couch with a box of tissues day.

The grilled cheese  has cheddar, bacon, tomatoes and red onions…. sweet and spicy, all on roasted garlic bread.

dinner last night and cookies tonight

Roasted Pork Loin with a garlic and fresh sage, rosemary and thyme rub, parsley shallot sauce, salad and some sweet potato fries. It seems like we are getting really good at the late night dinner theme lately. 9 pm seems to be our new dinner time here if I’m home.

and tonight  chocolate chip pecan cookies. I finally got a chance to get back to baking, and using some of the wonderful gifts we have received for the wedding. I may have turned myself into a chocolate chip cookie fan with this recipe, I think the coarse sea salt makes it for me. The mixture of semi-sweet and milk chocolate chips doesn’t hurt either!

dinner tonight by scott

Brazilian Shrimp Kebabs (from Steve Raichlen) and  sweet potato fries!!   Nothing like coming home to dinner after working all day long. 

late night 80’s

what did you do at 1:29 am sunday the 30th of september?  Scott and I relived our very early childhood, by listening to Squeeze, Dexy’s Midnight Runners, Rick Springfield, Neil Diamond, The Buggles, Billy Idol,  and later on the songs of our adolensence… Ace of Base, The Cranberries, chumbawhama, Liz Phair, Green Day and anyone else that we could remember at a middle school dance. All in the name of finding music for our wedding…. Hope you had a lovely sunday Morning

dinner last night

some fresh tomatoes, basil, mozzarella,  lobster ravioli and chicken cutlets.

30 days to go

 

yesterday I started and finished the vase project for the wedding!!!!

dinner and ice cream

We have been craving a little homemade ice cream lately so we decided on mint chocolate chip and I was off to the store.  I bought fresh mint, cream ,milk, eggs and some chocolate chips.   

After making the custard, letting it chill overnight and a lot of hand turning we ended up with a quart of mint chocolate chip in our freezer.  then it was on to dinner. Spice rubbed chicken with hominy sauté. One of our favorites for a quick meal.

dinner last night

I finally got to reunite with my kitchen after being away and I decided to try out a sweet and sour brisket recipe. The first roast I made wasn’t all that great and the sauce for this one sounded really tasty. So I started after work around 6:30.

I used a 3 lb shoulder instead of brisket as our local grocery was out of brisket.  First up was searing the large hunk of beef. I have never been able to get a really good crust on anything when I have seared beef before but this time I was determined to get it right.

After searing and pulling out the brisket, in went the onions garlic and various other saucy ingredients. Then a  quick dunk in the sauce for the beef and it all went in the oven for about 2 1/2 hours.

 

And at around 9:30 after the smell of this roast had been teasing us all night long we got to pull it out of the oven to rest. We made some sour cream  smashed potatoes and green beans with a bit of bacon. Finally at 9:50 we sat down to a fantastically satisfying meal and still had tons left for lunch and another dinner.

 

The sauce alone is more than enough reason to make this recipe, it was tangy and sweet and tasted just like it smelled.

Sweet and Sour Brisket                          

Ellie Krieger

• Ingredients
• 1 (3-pound) beef brisket, first-cut or flat-half cut, trimmed of any excess fat
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 2 tablespoons canola oil
• 1 medium onion, cut in 1/2, then thinly sliced into 1/2 moons
• 3 cloves garlic, chopped (about 1 tablespoon)
• One 15- oz. can tomato sauce, preferably no salt added
• 1/4 cup low-sodium chicken broth or water
• 3 tablespoons firmly packed dark brown sugar
• 1/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon cider vinegar
• 1/3 cup raisins
• 5 black peppercorns
• 1 allspice berry

Directions

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F.

Pat the brisket dry and sprinkle with the salt and pepper. Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil over medium-high heat in a Dutch oven or braising pot. Sear the brisket until it is browned, 4 to 5 minutes per side. Transfer the brisket to a plate.

Add the remaining 1 tablespoon oil to the pot and cook the onion, stirring a few times, until softened, 3 to 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add the tomato sauce, broth, brown sugar, 1/3 cup of the vinegar, the raisins, peppercorns, and allspice and stir to combine well. Bring mixture to a boil, return brisket and any accumulated juices to the pot, spoon some of the tomato-vinegar mixture over the brisket, cover tightly, and transfer to the oven. Cook until the brisket is fork tender, 2 1/2 to 3 hours.

Remove the brisket from the oven, transfer the meat to a cutting board, and let rest for 10 to 20 minutes or, if serving later, cover and refrigerate the meat and sauce for several hours or overnight. When you are ready to serve, cut the meat against the grain into 1/4- inch thick slices. Stir the remaining 1 tablespoon vinegar into the warm sauce. Return the sliced brisket to the sauce until heated through, then serve.

Yield: 10 servings, serving size: 4-ounces brisket plus 3 tablespoons of sauce

pancakes!!!!!

This morning I got up a bit early and got started on my pancakes from Nigella Lawson’s Homemade Instant Pancake Mix, solely to try to use my  new pancake warmer…

We originally had this on one of our registries, then it went on sale and we took it off, giving up on the hopes of lovely fluffy, warm pancakes. Then I was lucky enough to be working in Richmond for a bit and we ended up with this lovely little guy in our possession. 

The mix is simple to assemble and store. I added some cinnamon and nutmeg to mine. I’m looking forward to using it for some delicious waffles as well. It looks like I will have to start making more breakfast dinners soon.

Pancake mix:

• 4 cups all-purpose flour
• 3 tablespoons baking powder
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons sugar

Pancake batter:

• 1 egg
• 1 cup milk
• 1 tablespoon melted butter

For the pancake mix:

Directions

Mix the above ingredients together and store in a jar.

For the pancake batter:

For each 1 cup pancake mix, add 1 egg, 1 cup milk, and 1 tablespoon melted butter. Do not overmix.

Heat a flat griddle or pan over medium-high heat.

Spoon drops of 1 1/2 to 2 tablespoons of batter onto the hot griddle and when bubbles appear on the surface of the little pancakes, flip them over to make them golden brown on both sides. A minute or so a side should do it.

tonight

tonight’s dinner was a massive dinosaur steak fit for barney rubble and some fantastic spinach and roasted potatoes.     

And after that we had the most divine peach cobbler with vanilla ice cream ( Thanks Pam)!   Then I got everything set up to use my newest addition to the kitchen…my pancake warmer. I found a new recipe for a pancake mix you can make in advance and just add milk, butter and and egg to.

48 days and counting…

Today we met with Brian ( the guy who is performing  our ceremony) at the church to run through the ceremony details. Friday, I had my final fitting for my gown and my sister has finished the cake topper.

I am starting to feel like things are falling into place more and more everyday. When we got home I went upstairs to check out what we still need for the kids corner.  

The  last  thing we are going to add is a few disposable cameras and a scavenger hunt for some if the older kids to find and take pictures of. Other than that I think the glow sticks, hula hoops, pinwheels and tiaras will keep everyone busy.       

The next big things is the package that arrived Friday night. I’ve got a riddle for you…

    

What do you get when you mix 50 glass vases of varying sizes, 100 pair of pink flip flops, 1000 yards of ribbon and 2400 sheets of colored tissue paper?

Answer to come soon!!!

Our first yellow tomatoes

and a few mini sweet peppers. That’s right- the ones that I started from a tiny little seed have finally sprouted some fruit. We have had a little bit of a pest problem on the tomato plants since I have been away and we will probably only get a handful of these lovely yellow guys. Those pesky hornworms can be a pain. 

invitations….

Last weekend we set up our invitation assembly line and got started, and then we kept going and going and going… Finally I got the bulk of our invitations stacked, stuffed, sealed, stamped and addressed. It is amazing to think that everything on that table could fit into this little cardboard box. We are sending them out in a couple batches so the post office isn’t inundated with orange envelopes. For those of you who can’t resist here is a sneak peak..

dinner is served

 

It’s time to get back into the swing of things around here. Since I will be in a hotel for a few weeks again it shouldn’t be a problem. This past week we had some great meals. Sunday before I left we had a tasty and  relaxing meal outside. We steamed up some king crab legs, gulf shrimp, fresh corn and potatoes.

Then we just sat outside in the fantastically cool breeze and just enjoyed the food and each other. Earlier that week we tried a recipe from the July Real Simple.  Simple it was, just a few ingredients and barely any preparation or cooking. We will definitely be making the sweet potatoes again!

Grilled Pork Chops with Maple Sweet Potatoes

Ingredients

• 4 1-inch-thick bone-in pork chops (about 2 pounds)
• kosher salt and black pepper
• 4 small sweet potatoes (about 1 1/2 pounds), cut into wedges
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 tablespoon maple syrup
• 2 scallions, chopped

1. Heat grill to medium-high. Season the pork chops with 3/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Grill until cooked through, 7 to 8 minutes per side.

2. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, toss the sweet potatoes with 1 tablespoon of the oil and 1/4 teaspoon each salt and pepper. Grill, turning often, until tender and slightly charred, 10 to 12 minutes. Reserve the bowl.

3. To the reserved bowl, add the syrup, scallions, the remaining oil, and 1/4 teaspoon each salt and pepper. Add the sweet potatoes and toss to coat. Serve with the pork.

Meyer lemons, key limes, tomatoes and sweet peppers, oh my

    Our Meyer lemon tree has really started to grow recently and we couldn’t be more excited. We started off with what basically looked like a twig in dirt with a few leaves. Now only a few months later we have the beginnings of a little tree complete with clusters of buds!The key lime is doing well, it took off in the beginning and now it has slowed down a bit. It is definitely more than a twig in the dirt, but no buds yet.  The key lime is a bit younger than the lemon, so we can give it a bit more time before a stern talking to about its progress.

 

Our tomato plants are almost out of control. We just can;t seem to keep up with all the new deliciously ripe little guys that spring up everyday. These are just the ones that I picked when I got home from work today. I noticed today that we also have our first few little tomatoes on our yellow pear plant (as if we didn’t have enough tomatoes already).

Last but not least this week we also noticed that the first little pepper has sprung up on our baby sweet pepper plant.  It seems that we might have a few more of these than we expected as well. I am super excited about this little guy because I started this plant from a seed and he went from a soggy  peat ball to a mini little sprout and now it looks like he will be producing some beautiful peppers. This is the first time I have grown anything from a seed and I got a little scared by all the warnings about how picky and temperamental seedlings could be. The first group I started (sweet peas) did really well and eventually this little sweet pepper made its way.

   Next year’s garden is already being planned and there are going to be some big changes… we are digging a “real” garden including a stacked box in the back for easy access. Container gardening is great and worked beautifully for us this summer so I’m sure that we will have a few containers here and there as well.  I am looking forward to trying out pineapple tomatillos, edible flowers, soybeans, and possibly some onions and garlic next summer and I will definitely be raising a lot more plants from seed!

when calzone go wrong

This week we decided to try out the homemade pizza dough recipe in the July issue of Cooking Light. We made the dough (super easy) and put one ball of dough in the fridge and one ball in the freezer.

Tuesday night we pulled out the ball of dough from the fridge and we made a pizza. Lots of spinach, ricotta, garlic, homemade tomato sauce, and  some of our lovely grape/plum tomatoes from the garden.

The crust was crispy on the bottom and sides and tender and fluffy on the inside. Tonight we decided to pull out the ball from the freezer and make some sausage and pepper calzone. We took the dough out of the fridge and let it sit at room temperature for an hour. We cooked the sausage and peppers and let them cool (slightly). We had our calzone shells rolled out and ready for their insides. After smearing them with a bit of tomato sauce we filled them with the sausage and peppers, ricotta, mozzarella and a smidge of parmesan.  Then Scott crimped the edges of the first calzone and we were ready to move the other and that's when everything fell apart, quite literally. Our recommendation is to let the sausage cool completely and don’t try to move a calzone after you’ve made it.

Seems like a no-brainer, right? At the time we didn’t think it would be a problem, it was only after putting the somewhat warm insides on the thin dough that I realized we might have a problem. Either way we eventually pried the calzone off the counter and popped them both in the oven. They weren’t identical twins but you would never know it by taste.  

Yield

2 crusts, 14 servings

Ingredients

• 1  package active dry yeast (about 2 1/4 teaspoons)
• 1  cup  warm water (100° to 110°)
• 1 1/4  cups  cold water
• 2  tablespoons  olive oil
• 1  teaspoon  sugar
• 1  teaspoon  salt
• 26.1  ounces  (about 5 1/2 cups) unbleached bread flour, divided
• Cooking spray

Preparation

1. Dissolve yeast in 1 cup warm water in a small bowl; let stand 5 minutes. Combine 1 1/4 cups cold water, oil, sugar, and salt in a small bowl; stir with a whisk.

2. Weigh or lightly spoon 24.9 ounces (about 5 1/4 cups) flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flour, yeast mixture, and cold water mixture in bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook. Mix on low 8 minutes or until dough begins to form. Let rest 2 minutes; mix on low 6 minutes or until dough is smooth. Turn dough out onto a floured surface. Knead until smooth and elastic (about 2 minutes); add enough of the remaining 1.19 ounces (about 1/4 cup) flour, 1 tablespoon at a time, to prevent dough from sticking to hands (dough will feel sticky).

3. Divide the dough in half, and place each portion in a large zip-top bag coated with cooking spray. Seal and chill overnight or up to 2 days. Let stand at room temperature for 1 hour before using.

Note: You can freeze the dough in heavy-duty, freezer-safe zip-top plastic bags for up to 2 months; thaw dough overnight in the refrigerator.

Diane Morgan, Cooking Light, JULY 2009

the chickens have come out to play

Last weekend I finally got to meet the newest additions to my parents petting zoo, the chickens! They have their own custom built chicken house, complete with egg gathering doors and a lovely backyard to run around in.

   They are still a bit young and slightly skittish.  All in all they seem to be very happy in their new house and I have been told that they might be getting some new friends in September.           They have several different kinds of chickens which all lay different kinds of eggs. They have a few Americauna chickens which lay pale blue and green eggs (think Easter) and some Bantam chickens which will have a smaller egg. These guys were inseparable all day long. Hopefully we will have some fresh eggs to cook with soon!

weekend round up

Our Internet has been a bit elusive lately so here’s a quick round up of the past week or so...

We had Scallops with Succotash the night our invitations arrived. Thank you so much Golden Rectangle Press, they are beautiful.

We spent Saturday going through what was left at my parents house and found some of my old Halloween costumes. Yes, that is a Hersey's kiss costume and a poodle skirt all made by my mom. There was also a Tinkerbelle costume, clown attire and a few other things that were a bit too snug.

And last but not least we celebrated the week with some homemade ravioli and crunchy parmesan crusted zucchini from our garden.

Saturday, Sangria and Strawberry Shortcake

 

I used a slightly modified version of the Everyday Food (May 2009) shortcake recipe from the Rhubarb  Shortcake recipe. I substituted cream for the whole milk. It was a perfect summer treat.

wedding cake toppers

I love these cake toppers from GOOSEGREASE on etsy. Each on can be custom made for you from pictures. They can also do pets and your family.

and I have to say that I love these little bunny cake toppers from bunnywithatoolbelt too.

A study in steaks

Since Scott had his wisdom teeth taken out he has been eating mostly soft food and I think he just got really excited about eating some real food. So we have had  a few steaks this week.

One steak with polenta and roasted tomatoes and another with grilled zucchini (from our garden) and some baked onion rings!

Garden Update Week 6

 

That was our garden week one. This week the garden outgrew its old spot and we had to split things up a bit. A few pots here and few pots there.

 

Our eggplant has started to bloom and we have the beginning of our first little eggplant. The tomatoes are growing fantastically and we have lots of new little guys popping up everywhere.

 

Our first cucumbers are starting as well we just found a bunch at the base of our cucumber plant and we have our first little strawberries!

a view from….

our kitchen table

latest project…

It has been a little while since I put my hard earned college educated skills to use so recently I started a new series of embroideries. 

These little guys have been traveling around in my sketch books and pinned to cork boards a for a few years now and I just recently decided the best way to work with them.

The first few I am going to try in a fairly small format, around 5x7 and then I will see what happens after that.

I really want to keep them as linear as possible so I am just going to leave them an outline for now. I will beef up those lines a bit after I really decide how to show them off the best.  

As of now I still think they are maintaining the qualities that I want. Currently I have taken a mini-break from them, I hope to pick them up this weekend while lounging by the pool. Hopefully I will have some more to show soon….