Our Farm Share

In the past couple years we have had friends who have participated in local CSA's (Community Supported Agriculture), and on weeks that they were out of town we would pick it up for them so it didn't go to waste. It always seemed like something we wanted to do, one of those eat-more-greens-and-be-healthier ideas we wanted to get into, but this year we finally took the plunge.

We joined Penn's Corner Farm Alliance for the 24 week share, so we will get fresh produce from local farms until mid-November! Consider this our great cooking challenge haha. It is fabulous to get every week, however, neither of us have ever eaten SO many greens...sometimes it feels like the kale or chard will never end. One of the things that we hoped it would do (challenge us to cook different dishes or use different vegetables) it has certainly accomplished, however at this point I'm not sure if we're happy or not about it haha. We are getting items that I've never seen before, much less cooked with so it's forcing us to get creative in the kitchen, and we've had some great successes, but others........not so much.

Although, we definitely get high quality ripe produce so that is awesome. Many times at our local grocery store the produce is picked too early to be ripe when you buy it and it ends in disappointment and tears. Well maybe only for me. One thing that we have found to be neat that we didn't expect was the cheeses and random items we get in our share. I assume we get them when they don't have enough ripe or different produce items to go into the shares so they supplement with other items they have like cheeses or maple syrup. Overall it's been a blast, and if our only complaint is we're getting too many greens - in the scheme of things that may not be a bad thing. We are bravely looking forward to the next ten weeks we have coming our way!

The Kindle!

As a big supporter of bound books, I must make a confession (which will have David saying, "I knew it!") Before I go on, understand that I love the feel of a book in my hands, the way the pages rustle, the heft of a nice hardcover, the feeling of the written word just sitting in my lap - I love it. Having said that it will probably not come as a surprise that for years now I have scoffed at the use of e-readers, preferring to cart around my books with me when I traveled to visit family and friends. Years of resistance I have put up (my stubborness knows no bounds apparently haha), until this year when my loving family members came together for my birthday and all contributed to get me my kindle paper white. Such a nice thought, so I of course felt I needed to give it a fair shake.

Holy kindle! I love it, I love it, I LOVE IT. I'm not so proud that I can't admit that it is a wonderful idea after all. The ease of use, convenience in travel, and instant access to SO many types of books makes it unrivaled. Don't get me mwrong, I still love my paper books, but when I'm lazy and don't want to walk to the library (which is a lot depending on the weather), wait for a book to be transported to my branch, or just to save some space in my suitcase - this is the route to take :) I have been tearing through books on it, making the rate of which I am reading books before look like I didn't know how to read before. I cannot believe how much I love this thing, so THANK YOU to all who went in on this gift for me!

..... and yes David, this does mean that you were right haha :D

The Chaos that is My Life

It's been a while, yes it has. However, in that time I have been very busy! All kinds of floral cards have been made, a wedding, bridal showers, an engagement, vacation, and so much more! Yep - this is the chaos that I call my life right now (and I love it hehe). So, now I am going to take a moment and slow down to document some of my projects.

 

Yeah, so you can tell I have had some time on my hands (haha). Hey, I had to do something while David was working nights, right? I'm not going to lie, some of the designs I wasn't sure I was going to be able to pull off, like the red orchid above. but somehow with enough fiddling and glue it came out pretty decent. Everyone that I've given them to seems to have favorites, like David's dad liked the bird of paradise one the most, I think. I feel like I've had the most fun using differently made roses the most on the cards. They are one type of flower I have been able to reproduce in multiple methods and I like each method's look in the end. But anyhow, those are some of the cards I have been making :)

 

My brother recently has gotten engaged (YAY!) and they asked me to make them something special, with love, but also personalized for their engagement. They asked for a guestbook since they don't have many peoples physical addresses or phone numbers, so I was tasked with the mission to come up with a personalized guestbook that represented both of them within it, made with love and care, and as many colors as I could. And of course I like "shiny's" so I thought - why not bedazzle it?! Do I got out my glue gun and gems (not really, but the image is close to what really happened) and got my craft on :D

I have to admit, this wasn't a solo work - I did phone a friend and brought in a talented local artist hehe who helped me draw out the cover art. Then I took over on the bedazzling end and personalizing it for my brother and his fiance. I am pretty happy with what came out of this effort - I only hope they like it. AND since I don't think any of my family really reads this blog (haha :P ) I feel safe in including a picture here at this time.

 

 

Shiny, right?

 

And of course with our recent heat wave I had to bake something, as if it wasn't hot enough haha. Yes, that's me. That crazy lady who bakes when it's 90 some degrees outside and her air conditioner doesn't really cool anything off. That's me. It's cool - I'm also that lady with BAMF pizza rolls too. In my mind, if I put up with some heat to get in the end some pizza rolls when I have been craving a good pizza - then it's a no brainer. David on the other hand doesn't always agree with me. Poor him. But don't feel too bad for him, he happily scarfs down the pizza rolls. Don't let him fool you!

 

I decided to try and make them two different ways to see which would work out better. So one sheet pan got them all rolled up, and the other pan got to hold the pizza 'buns'.

In the end both were just as messy as each other, so that experiment was an epic fail in that regard. However, in flavor I achieved a big success! We ate through many of them that night haha. Only a few made it to the freezer for later. Speaking of . . . I think I need to get a snack about now haha! Now I am hoping that it doesn't take me another 3 months to post again...

 

 

 



 

Sesame Noodles

To me the smell of sesame is warm and inviting and makes me smile, but David likes it even more than me! So, while "Spring" continues to toy with my emotions (come on warm weather!), I felt like this would be a perfect meal. I didn't have a specific recipe, but I read a bunch online, so I decided to combine a few  and I was so happy that it turned out so tasty :) Also having everything for it already that had its perks too. Here's the recipe to try if you're interested.

Peanut Sesame Noodles

Adapted from Gourmet, June 2002

Makes 6 side-dish or 4 vegetarian main-course servings

For peanut dressing

·         1/2 cup smooth peanut butter

·         1/4 cup soy sauce

·         1/3 cup warm water

·         1 tablespoon chopped peeled fresh ginger

·         1 medium garlic clove, chopped

·         2 tablespoons rice vinegar

·         1 1/2 tablespoons Asian toasted sesame oil

·         1 tablespoon honey

·         1 teaspoon dried hot red pepper flakes or a splash of the hot sauce or chili paste of your choice

For noodles

·         3/4 lb dried soba noodles (dried linguine fini or spaghetti will work in a pinch)

·         4 scallions, thinly sliced

·         1 red bell pepper, cut into 1/8-inch-thick strips

·         1 yellow bell pepper, cut into 1/8-inch-thick strips

·         Half a seedless cucumber, thinly sliced

·         1 cup firm or extra-firm tofu, cubed - optional

·         3 tablespoons sesame seeds, toasted

1.      Puree dressing ingredients in a blender until smooth, about 2 minutes, then transfer to a large bowl.

2.      Cook pasta in a 6- to 8-quart pot of boiling salted water until tender. Drain in a colander, then rinse well under cold water.

 

3. Add pasta, scallions, bell peppers, cucumber and tofu to dressing (I skipped the tofu!), tossing to combine. Garnish with toasted sesame seeds and serve immediately.

 

**On a very different note, I have been dipping my toe carefully in the pool of Indian cooking as of late. I am really enjoying it, unfortunately David can only take so much, so I am slowly working through the recipes I've gathered. Some he has agreed are "keepers" so I am aiming for producing more of those so we can eat it more often! :D

 

My Winter Blues

With winter in full swing (most of the time) here and me being half frozen during it, I of course started thinking about fun winter gear. Then I stumbled across this fantastically entertaining craft. The tutorial seemed easy enough so I decided to go for it. While out shopping David and I picked up the fleece and I set to work. Since I'm no expert with sewing (is there anything below amateur? That's me.) I didn't expect much on my first attempt. So, armed with my handy dandy seam ripper (aka my best friend) I started cutting the pieces out, pinning them and sitting down to try and figure out how my sewing machine works. Once again. After two hours Soon I had the machine set and ready to go and for the most part it was super easy. I got the 'extra' pieces to embellish it with ready and the sides all sewn up. All I had left was closing the top. Here, here is where I met my arch nemesis.

I think I ripped the seam about 3 times before I got it right. First I misunderstood the instructions and thought I was fixing it, but then I realized that it was wrong the second time too. Finally I did what I should have done in the first place. I sat and looked at it and then thought about what made sense. Then I had it!

Now did a happy dance because I had an adorable finished hat :D

 

Valhalla!

I just thought this was the cutest thing EVER. So cute in fact I couldn't resist making a couple more haha.

(I like to imagine the bear saying "Wassup?" all gangster like)

David especially appreciated this one. This little dude is a stylin' dinosaur!

 

Yes. I know. A bear wearing a bear hat? Redundant maybe, but still adorable.

 

And here's a polar bear one!

 

OK OK. Maybe this craft got a little out of hand...maybe. :)

And since several of our friends are having/have new babies I have people I can give these hats to and that way I won't be that weird lady that makes little hats for no reason and hordes them. Yay! for not being that lady.

The Mortal Instruments Movie Trailer

This is one book series I've read, enjoyed and re-read. Now I find out there's a movie coming out in August 2013! Yes - it is a series found in the teen fiction section in the library, however, I do not care. I'm a suck and I enjoyed every moment while reading each book. The plot twist may be weird, even creepy if you really try to put yourself in the characters place,  but just don't think about it that closely. It fixes itself in the end anyways. Sit back and relax and enjoy this treat!

...AND We're Back

It's the start of a new year, and the cycle has begun again with new resolutions and new projects in store for me. One major undertaking that I am participating in with several friends is the Pittsburgh Marathon Relay! So, our winter/early spring will be filled with running and practicing. David has already started telling me "DON'T DROP THE BATON!" So supportive :D
Go Running Gels!

Another project I've been entirely engrossed in is card making. Before Christmas I mentioned that I had gotten interested in quilling, or paper filigree, and I was lucky enough to receive several gifts that would aid my card making hobby. I've already begun making several birthday cards that I'm quite pleased with.

Yesterday David and I decided we wanted to take the day and put off work and chores, and instead spend it doing enjoyable things and relaxing. So, I spent most the day working diligently on them and was able to make 3 beautiful cards. Yes, I know. Nearly a days work spent only making 3 cards doesn't seem very productive, but I'm willing to sacrifice quantity for quality. They're really cute for some of my first quilled cards if I do say so myself.

I'm enjoying the time spent making these little butters immensely, the only problem is now I have 3 boxes of craft items instead of 1! We may have to move into a bigger place for more reasons than one...

OH! On a side note (I know I've been all over the place in this post, but I have a lot to catch up on with you ) David and I have discovered steel cut oats and oh my goodness we have oats coming out our ears! I've begun making breakfasts on Sunday night for the past few weeks and every time I ask David what he wants me to make, his reply is OATS! While I am a fan of them because they have more texture (or chew like David says), as opposed to rolled oats, I'm more looking forward to incorporating them into savory dishes. I googled several recipes online and came up with suggestions like adding them to breads, muffins, and even frittatas. But I also have a recipe for a steel cut oat polenta dish. VERY intriguing! I think they're wonderful because the texture they lend to the dish reminds me of Koljavo (whole wheat pudding) which is served at his family's Slava celebration. Which reminds me - I need to learn how to make this from his aunt....