We're All Asking

We're all asking the same questions...where did summer go? How can it be September?  Some of us are sad to see September arrive, even though it's a beautiful month, full of color, the changing light, and garden bounty. The temperatures of August were cooler than normal and precipitation above normal, which are the main reasons I'm nostalgic for summer's warmth.

Sunday, Smith and I had an unexpected morning together, which meant he could accompany me to the farmer's market. Smith had breakfast and I had GF muffin from GF2, while I did my shopping and watched a couple of people blow huge bubbles. Children scurried to reach up and pop them as fast as they were formed. I enhanced the bubbles with a camera app to make them more visible. Fun, no? 

Last week I took Thursday off and we spent the day together, fitting in some of our favorite things to do and even a few chores, as we could.  You would expect we'd take a drive up the canyon, breakfast at our favorite spot, and then take a walk around Silver Lake, and we did! 

The recent rains had created puddles in various places around the lake and the best photo I took all day was of pines reflected in on the water. 

The weekend was wonderful, three day weekends always are, as they offer time for a little bit of everything; time with friends, time for knitting and sewing, time to exercise, cook, and garden, as well as time to regroup to face the work week ahead. I'm happy it will only be 4 days long!

Did you do something memorable this weekend? 

You Are The Best

Thank, you, thank you, thank you for the wonderful birthday messages you sent my way. Hearing from family and friends who love me was the greatest gift. It filled my heart with joy and made the day special. Having love all around me is what makes this grrl happy and joyful. And CAKE!

Before I was diagnosed with celiac I didn't care one way or the other for cake. It wasn't on the top of my "to have" dessert list and, in fact, desserts have never a big draw. BUT, on my birthday I want something special and the icon of a birthday celebration is cake! My very own lemon GF cupcake was the perfect thing to have for breakfast!

We had a delicious lunch of fish tacos at our favorite taqueria, Lonestar, but alas and alack, they do not have cake. SO, I made up for it at dinner with a piece of the best flourless chocolate ever! In my estimation it's the best cake ever!

Smith was poised to dive in as soon as I snapped the picture. Over indulgence on ones birthday does not count in the world of calories. Saturday I also had a delicious cheese cake and, on Sunday, another cupcake. The weekend was full of delightful yumminess, but better than food, my birthday was made up of friends who made the weekend memorable and special. Good friends are everything.

The Weekend Looked Something Like This

Because I had a free Saturday, Cheryl and I decided to go to a favorite Middle Eastern restaurant, Mazza Cafe, for lunch. Cheryl saw Turkish coffee on the menu and told me how it was made and how good it was, so we each ordered a cup, and it was as delicious as she'd predicted.

Finally, after weeks and weeks of gloom and gray, the inversion got busted! Everyone was delighted to see the weather patterns change and the skies clear. There could even be more snow coming through this week. We're rather envious of our friends to the north who have snow totals we'd love to have in the mountains. Keep your fingers crossed there will be more snow headed our way. 

How was your weekend? 

Oh My

The garden goodies are winding down, as the tomatoes seem to be stuck in limbo. The recent rains have confused them. The vibrant green fruit refuses to turn red, but if it does the tomato has end rot.

Instead we're harvesting peppers, what will surely be the last of them. This is our most recent batch of shishito peppers, the not hot, not too sweet, totally tasty, treat. I followed this recipe from Food 52 and was blown away with the deliciousness. We'll grow more of these delights next summer.

It Was a !*^# Cold Weekend

An inch of snow covered the jolly jonquils
despite the snow, the weekend went on undaunted filling up with food, friends and laughter

Chef Rick made a beautiful plate of sushi for two of us to share (GF of course)
Mango on top made it sweet and delicious
I love heat and sweet together
I purchased my first prescription sunglass (bifocals) and they're very cute and cool (even if I say so myself)
Photos when they arrive....promise

Hopefully, there will be a use for sunglasses in the near future
Mom nature-we're ready for a warm-up, please

Eye Candy Fun

Yesterday couldn't have been a more perfect day for a birthday. The sky blue canvas of sky was painted with feathery clouds, the temperatures near record highs, and the air clear and clean. We hiked up Elbow Fork in Millcreek Canyon and reveled in the perfection of the day. Afterwards, I just just enough time for a pedicure (Bite Me, thanks, Cookie!) and ended the day with sushi!

I call this "the perfect bite".

Thank you for the wonderful birthdway wishes! I have the best friends and know the nicest people. xoxo

Happy Weekend!!

Time for a Confession

Some time ago (last fall, to be exact), we found new homes for our chickengrrls. It was a bittersweet parting, but every grrl found a new and (from all reports) a happy home. Few of the community gardeners (as in none) wanted to take their turn to feed and care for the chickengrrls, which was a considerable amount of work. Smith and I faced another winter of being in charge without the support of others (either that or we wanted all the eggs, so there). We've missed our grrls in many ways, but we were also relieved when the cold and snowy days arrived.

Happily, we have a very kind neighbor who owns a dozen banty hens and last weekend she dropped off a basket full of darling little eggs. It was as if we’d received a gift of gold.

Smith is quite a master with eggs, although he likes his eggs cooked into dust. How I love the flavor of a perfectly cooked egg and dipping bread into the golden yoke creates such a deliciously delightful bite (even though the bread is gluten free).  I miss our Millie, and the other chickengrrls, and I miss their delicious gifts, but they are now part of the past.

Pickled Spring

Every summer, and through the fall, my mother and grandmother harvested from their gardens and preserved the bounty by canning.  For months on end, almost every day for months on end, in a hot kitchen, you'd find my mother slaving over peaches, pears, green beans, apples, berries, grapes, tomatoes, tomatoes, tomatoes, cucumbers (pickles, pickles, pickles), the rewards of which we'd eat through the winter.

The "charm" of  bottling and canning never carried over and the thought of spending hours and hours and hours in the kitchen just turns me cold.  I'll make gallons of Vicki's Roasted Tomato Sauce (to freeze) and may try my hand at one or two other garden delights...but canning will not happen. 

When I read Amanda's post on pickling radishes I was reminded of my childhood summers in the kitchen, but her idea didn't require any canning techniques and, with a bounty of radishes in the garden, I had to give it a try. 

This recipe was quick, easy and preserved spring in a jar of golden liquid. The results are crisp, tangy, and tasty.  We have enough radishes to make a second batch, but not to worry...this is so easy, there is no danger of my turning into a domestic goddess.

Green(s)

It's no secret, green is not a color I like, wear or enjoy.  There are a few green colors (I won't name names), that turn me cold, greens I truly do not like, but do not dispair the world is full of good greens.

Smith planted half a row of kale, a beautiful green row of kale, and the first thing I thought of was kale chips.  Several friends have made and enjoyed this healthy snack, so I did a little research and found a recipe I liked.

After cutting, washing, and drying (thoroughly) the kale I mooshed it around in a baggy to give it a lovely olive oil bath.  The leaves were then laid out in a sinlge layer on a cookie sheet, sprinkled with red chili flakes, and put it into a 350 oven.

Fresh from the oven they were lightly sprinkled with kosher salt and left to cool. The first batch was consumed completely by moi. I could.not.stop. eating. I made six batches (about 8 large leaves), but made a couple of goofs...I left in the stems (...lazy...next time I'll cut them out) and the leaves were a little too large for easy consumption.  The next batch will be perfect.

Within hours we had consumed all of the kale, in the form of roasted, spicy, crispy and lovely green kale chips. Healthy, delish, and addicting.

It's June!  Time for some green PS love. Yes, truly.

Have You Ever

We needed a quick dinner, something nutritious, flavorful and extra fast, as we both had meetings last night. Smith suggested pizza because Udi's GF Pizza Crusts are always in the freezer. (They are the best!)

In order get an extra helping of veggies I decided to try Brussels sprouts pizza.  I caramelized Utah Spanish sweet onions and, just before they were done, threw in thinly sliced Brussels sprouts. (Next time I'll throw in a red chili pepper for extra flavor, a touch of heat, and color.)

The first layer on the crust was mozzarella cheese (fake for me), then sliced Roma tomatoes, the onion/Brussels sprouts mixture, and Smith's favorite Italian sausage. We decided to use up the last of the prosciutto and topped it all with sprinkle of Parmesan cheese.  We liberally sprinkled red pepper flakes on each slice as we ate. It was a winner and we'll do it again with a few extra additions for flavor.