Saturday, August 28, 2010

Maryland

Last weekend Nathan and I drove to Maryland to visit some friends of his back from high-school. We had a blast and her are a few pictures from what we did while we were there.

Driving, driving, driving!

Saturday we got up and went to the Amish Market. It was amazing!! I'm so very sad I don't have this available to me all the time.

Chocolates

Bread, bread, and more bread.


Downtown Annapolis



We were able to visit the Naval Academy and it was beautiful. All the students lined up for inspection before lunch.




Officers houses on campus.

Wonderful host: Mike & Chris McKenna


Wonderful purchases from the Amish Market

Blue popcorn

Star Anise

Crushed Red Pepper

Wheat Bulgar

I also bought a big bag of rye flour...can't wait to make bread!

Thank you McKenna's for a wonderful weekend!!!

Wednesday, August 25, 2010

Blueberrys First Cruise-In

A couple Saturday's ago Nathan, Wesley (brother), and I drove the blueberry (beetle bug) to it's first cruise-in. She was the prettiest one there!! Check out Nathans blog for more details and pictures.

Thursday, August 12, 2010

Just An Idea

So I'm considering starting a little shop on Etsy selling sugar cookies. Here is some of my work. Unfortunately I always forget to take pictures so I don't have as many I would like.
The question is what do ya'll think? Are they good enough? Do you think people would buy them? Leave a comment and let me know what you think...especially you people that don't know me!!












Tuesday, August 10, 2010

Glorious Goodwill

I've been meaning to post a picture of this fabulous vintage chair I got at Goodwill for $13 but in the meantime I found more!


I know that there is probably a proper name for one of these things but I don't know what it is. It's a cabinet record player! Goodwill was originally trying to sell it for $100 but they had marked it down to $40. Way to good to pass up!! I'm thinking about maybe painting it one day but for now the wood looks best in our living room.


Oh, and it works! We need to do a little work on the speakers and get a needle for the record player (lost it in transporting to the house) but other than that it's fine. We even listened to Prairie Home Companion on it Saturday night.

Black-Eyed Pea Patties with Heirloom Tomato & Garlic Salsa

We do a good bit of meatless dinners around here and so far they've all been great. Last week I made these black-eyed pea patties and used our heirloom tomatoes in the salsa. If you get a chance make sure you plant a Sungold tomato plant next year in your garden. You won't be disappointed.



3 garlic cloves, minced
2 serrano chiles, seeded and finely chopped (I used jalapeno's we had from the garden)
2 (16-ounce) cans black-eyed peas, rinsed and well drained
1/2 cup finely chopped red bell pepper
6 Tbsp. chopped fresh cilantro, divided
1 1/2 tsp. ground cumin
1/2 tsp. kosher salt, divided
1 large egg
1 Tbsp. olive oil, divided
2 cups chopped tomato
2 tsp. fresh lime juice

1. Combine minced garlic and chiles in a large bowl. Place 1 teaspoon garlic mixture into a small bowl; set aside. Add peas to remaining garlic mixture in the large bowl; mash mixture with potato masher. Stir in bell pepper, 1/4 cup cilantro, 1/4 teaspoon salt, cumin and egg, stirring until well blended. Divide into 12 equal portions (I made ours bigger so I think I only got 6). Shape into a 1/2 inch patty.
2. Heat 1 1/2 tsp. olive oil in a large non stick skillet (I used cast iron skillet) over medium high heat. Add patties and cook for 4 minutes on either side or until browned.
3. Add remaining cilantro, 1/4 teaspoon of salt, chopped tomato, and lime juice to reserved garlic mixture in the small bowl; stir well. Serve with patties.

I also made tortilla chips with corn tortilla's. Spray or baste both sides with a little olive oil and sprinkle with sea salt. Quarter and bake on a cookie sheet at 350 until golden and crispy.

Sunday, August 8, 2010

Fig Jam

Last week at the farmers market they had figs and because Nathan loves figs we bought about 3 pounds. I found a recipe online that I modified to make Cinnamon Fig Jam.


Nathan bought me these cute little jars from the tractor supply store. Jam just looks better in tiny jars.
1 1/2 cup of sugar
1 cup water
2 1/2 - 3 pounds figs
1 cinnamon stick

Remove stems from figs and cut in quarters. Throw figs and all other ingredients into a pot and bring to a simmer. Cook uncovered for about an hour until mixture is thick. Make sure you give it a stir often so it doesn't burn.
Remove from heat and spoon into your prepared jars. Wipe rims and place lids and bands on jars. Process for 10 minutes in boiling water.

So far this is the best jam I've made!

Sunday, August 1, 2010

Michael Wedding & Robbinsville, NC

On July 23 Nathan and I got up early (no AC in his car) and drove to Robbinsville, NC for our friends Ben and Stefanie's wedding. It was a pretty drive up through the mountains and it was just starting to heat up by the time we got there. We had thoughts of checking in early to our suite but we found out that we were the only people staying there so apparently they don't even go into the office until check-in time. So we headed to Ingle's Supermarket to look at some magazines and pass time in the AC.
Thankfully we remembered that a few weeks prior we had found an article about a farm close by that produces cheese. We called them up and got directions to their pottery studio & gift shop where they sell the cheese. It was a really neat place and the cheese was amazing! They actually sell to a couple restaurants around Charlotte.



After checking into our room and eating an early dinner we were once again bored with nothing to do. Nathan looked at the map and found Andrews which was another town 15 miles down the road. We drove over and found a really great coffee shop/wine bar called The Daily Grind & Wine. We had a glass of wine and listened to some live music and also found a local winery to visit.



Saturday morning after Nathan drove the Tail of the Dragon we headed back to Andrews to check out Calaboose Cellars. Out of the handful of wineries I've been to this was the best. We some great conversations and the wine is great! They do sell their wines online so please buy a bottle or two!


Finally the wedding!! It was in the 90's and sunny all day but thankfully we had cloud cover for the ceremony. The reception was a blast and despite the heat and humidity there was a lot of dancing.


Nathan and I in our "dress up" clothes before we got too sweaty.


Congratulations Ben & Stef!!