Garage Sale

OPERATION CLEAN OUT GARAGE AND FIT CAR IN IS A....

SUCCESS. I can't remember the last time a car was parked in the garage.

Cup o' Tea

Tea cups are fun. If only we could all sit around for afternoon tea each day. Whether or not you enjoy tea it just sounds so nice and classy...doesn't it?

PASTA!

                                              

Pasta! If you have never made your own, you should really give it a try. Not only is it SO delicious, but there is nothing more satisfying than eating something you made completely from scratch. Pasta is easy to make and the recipe is 1:1:1:1 :) Simple enough to remember :). 1 cup flour: 1 egg: 1 tbsp water: 1 tsp oil: 1 tsp salt. You start with the flour in the bowl and make a well in the center and put the rest of the ingredients in the well. Whisk the ingredients together, slowly incorporating the flour (you won't need all of the flour!) until the dough comes together and is no longer sticky! (See above) Turn the dough out onto a board with some flour and knead it until elastic. Wrap it in plastic wrap and let it sit for 15 minutes. Finally, start rolling! Roll it out until it is suuuuppppeeerrr thin...like you can almost see through it. (This is when a pasta roller is helpful...but a good old fashioned rolling pin will work just fine and will get your strength training out of the way ;).) Finally, cover the whole dough in plenty of flour, roll the dough up and then cut across so that you end up with rustic looking strips of pasta! Throw in boiling water for about a minute or two and ENJOY. 

Nature's Candy

Nature's Candy

Ahh...fresh picked tomatoes, herbs and farm eggs! I am ready for a good scramble! 

Gruyere

Nothing like cutting up 75 pounds of Gruyere! Yummmm....makes me want some french onion soup! Gruyere is a wonderful sweet and salty Swiss cow's milk cheese. This one in particular is super creamy and great for melting. Go try some...throw it in a quiche, melt some on toast or just start snacking!!
Cheese is so fascinating. 

Rise and Shine

I am a "sleeper inner". I always have been and probably always will be. I just don't have that internal alarm clock that other people do that gets me up and gets me ready for the day. Although, recently I am finding that maybe I have been missing out on something my whole life. On Saturday mornings I have been getting up super early in an attempt to enjoy some of the weekend with my mom before I have to go to work Saturday afternoons. Although opening my eyes and rolling out of bed can seem like a nearly impossible task, once I am up there is nothing more wonderful. I mean...when else do you get to see this kind of beauty. There is something special about rising with the sun and embracing the full day. Now I just need to work on getting to bed a bit earlier...
So I guess this is just encouragement for everyone to get up and enjoy God's creation :) 

Peacock

I have fallen in love with the peacock feather. I found these on etsy and I really love them. They have such beautiful colors and I want these blown up and framed. So bright and vibrant!

http://www.etsy.com/listing/77757724/peacock-feather

http://www.etsy.com/listing/75142900/30-off-sale-fine-art-peacock-photograph

I love this site...so many fun things.

Welcome to 2011!

My art project today!

I finally broke down and got the iPhone. I hate myself for loving it so much. I do feel like I entered into the current century with it though. I love all the photography, food and nutrition apps. So much fun for free (ok...not completely free...I guess I haven't gotten my phone bill yet...) So while most of my day was dedicated to tracking down and purchasing my first smart phone, I did sneak in some craft time. I had found these two little boards in my room quite a while ago and had been meaning to do something with them. I finally sawed them in half and painted them and here is what I came up with (note coloring and framing of picture....thank you iphone camera app :))

SQUIRREL

If you give a squirrel some birdseed...he will come and knock at your window for more. 

Cafe Fanny...A must visit

If you are ever in Berkeley, CA you really need to hit up Cafe Fanny. It is Alice Waters' cafe and it is fabulous. It shares a corner with the delicious ACME bread company, so pick up a loaf of bread for dinner and then head over to the cafe for some lunch. My mom and I were exploring the city and we stopped in and she ordered this simple salad. We shared this perfect dish of fresh lettuce tossed in a light and delicious lemon vinaigrette served with thin and crunchy pieces of toasted acme bread with warm crusted goat cheese. YUM. So simple, so delicious and so inspiring. In a world where lately we seem to be consumed by the idea that more is more, it is refreshing to see someone take a step back and create something so fresh and understated.