Sunday, July 15, 2012

Enthusiasm for The Object Enthusiast

If you aren't familiar with The Object Enthusiast (aka Emily Reinhardt) prepare yourself.

Emily is a local ceramic artist and blogger (check out her Etsy store here and her blog here). I would literally buy everything in her Etsy store if I had the money....but I don't. So, I settled for buying a set of these cute tumblers and a set of these cute little cups.


Buy something from her now before she becomes wildly famous and her prices skyrocket!

(Also take a look at her blog! She has great recommendations of cool stuff to check out.)

What Day is Today?

Today is canning day!

I canned for the first time today, and I have to say it was pretty successful. 4 pints of pickles, 3 pints of peaches and 3 pints of tomatoes (all from the farmer's market).



I really wish I could can every day! I'm hooked. My goal for the next five years is to really grow our pantry in the summer with an abundance of locally grown foods that we can enjoy all year (if I never have to buy canned tomatoes again I will be thrilled!). I also really love doing anything that makes me feel connected with a past way of doing things.

I used this book, The Fresh Girl's Guide to Canning and Preserving as a guide. It was easy to follow and gave great tips and recipes.

I can't wait to make peach cobbler in January with peaches from a tree right here in Kansas!



Sights (and smells) of Summer

I'm about to inundate you with many blogs. I simply have a lot to be happy about this weekend.

This first post is an ode to my local farmer's market (where I have a booth again this summer).

The produce is really starting to flourish: the reds, yellows and purples of tomatoes; gorgeous, juicy peaches; bright orange carrots; golden sweet corn; all accompanied by the sweet smell of summer flowers (starring the Zennia)! Take a look....

The above is produce from Jake's Farm



The Weiche's always have great produce


All of the flowers are from Carnhan Farms (The owner, Erin, is my stall mate)




The market has grown so much this year. There is so much more than produce and baked goods now. Come support local merchants!





Friday, June 22, 2012

Summer Lover

My official sponsor for the Summer of 2012.....Absolut Pears.




Sunday, June 17, 2012

Grilled Cherry & Brie Pizza


If you make one recipe from this blog, make it this one.

Holy crow, this was delicious (and easy)!

First the pizza dough...

Combine in a large bowl: 1 c. warm water and 2 1/4 tsp. (or 1 package) yeast

When dissolved add: 1 T. sugar, 1 1/2 tsp. salt, 2 T. olive oil and 1 1/4 c. flour.

Beat until smooth. Add: 2 c. additional flour. Knead until elastic, about 5 minutes. Place in greased bowl & let rise until doubled. Form 2 balls. Pat & stretch to about 9 inch diameters.


Now for the toppings....

Melt 2 T. butter in a skillet and add 1/2 of a whole yellow onion, thinly sliced. Cook on low for about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Onions should be a deep brown but not crispy when finished.

Simmer 1/4 c. Balsamic vinegar on medium heat for 3-4 minutes until it has a syrup consistency. Set aside.

You will also need 10 slices of Brie cheese, 3/4 c. shredded mozzarella, 1 c. fresh cherries, pitted, and 1 1/2 T. fresh rosemary


And finally, the cooking...

Turn your grill on low heat, place 2 pizza doughs right on the grill grates and cook one side for 5-10 minutes. Flip dough over when brown and crispy. Layer the cooked side with mozzarella, Brie slices, your caramelized onions, cherries and rosemary. Cook for another 5-10 minutes or until cheeses have melted.

Drizzle with balsamic reduction and serve.

We were lucky enough to have fresh tart cherries from our farmer's market, onions from a friend's garden and rosemary from our own garden. Try to get as many fresh ingredients as possible, trust me it's worth it.

Bon Appetite!

Topping recipe courtesy of Little Yellow Kitchen on www.tastykitchen.com (pizza crust recipe courtesy of Ike's mom)

Thursday, June 7, 2012

Two Poems


An Ode to Swingin'
You can find me these days
On a hammock that sways
On the front porch of the Colorado House.

In orange, blue and yellow
It has the colors that will mellow
Even the most sourpuss of souls.

Just talkin' 'bout the weather
We're like birds of a feather
Sippin' beer from a mason jar.

Belle is prowlin' round
Except for the birds there's not a sound
Other than an engine roarin' right across the street

You can find me these days
On a hammock that sways
On the front porch of the Colorado House.

photo courtesy of trueblueridge.wordpress.com

McDowell Creek Boys
Head on up McDowell Creek and you might hear,
some guys playin' music that could make you shed a tear.

Earl on his guitar and Ray on mandolin,
Dennis grab your bongo, we all join in.

Stan in the corner pickin' on his bass,
Everyone in earshot has a smile on their face.

We can hear Dave's voice float across the creek,
As somebody whispers, "Hey, there's a party this week."

Their eyes light up, and they just know,
they MUST play this party at Lake Elbo.

So head on up Lake Elbo and you might hear
some guys playin' music that'll make you shake your rear.


written by me




Monday, May 28, 2012

Outdoor Living

I can't believe I have been so neglectful of this blog!

In all fairness, I did get married, so that took up a lot of time. And I have been planning for the new summer job that I start tomorrow and beginning to plan for my new teaching position next fall. So, this post will be short and sweet, and hopefully it won't be so long until the next one!

xoxo

Here are some photos of my favorite outdoor living activities.

Growing Our Own Veggie and Herbs


Oregano!

"Bell Boy" Green Pepper

Basil used to make Thai Basil Chicken


Cooking Outdoors

I cooked said Thai Basil Chicken on our camping stove on the back porch.
We haven't turned on our air conditioner yet, and we want to keep the heat down in the kitchen.


Hammocks!

The one thing that makes the heat bearable. I could just live in a hammock.