Pad Thai, thanks to a new Ethnic grocer in Conway.
A trip to the farmer’s market in Searcy.
Iced coffee, thanks to The Pioneer Woman.
The Early Girls are ripe
Dinner from the garden.
Lately.
Mornings
I am SO not a morning person. But, sometimes, it’s hard to resist climbing out of bed to watch the sunrise over the lake. And, sometimes, friends stop by to watch with me.
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| last summer |
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| This morning
On the agenda this morning: farmer’s market, laundry, crafting. Happy weekending, friends! |
Superfood, Super Good
Our house on Sullivan was just down the road from Clark’s Blueberry Farm. Mrs. Clark was my second grade teacher and over the course of that year she took each of us students {one at a time} to her home/farm for a tour, dinner, and some quality time.
I remember walking through the rows of berry bushes excitedly looking forward to the day when I would be able to spend my summer vacation roaming those rows, picking blueberries and sampling the sweet summer berries {It should be noted that this fantasy never came to fruition…by the time I was old enough to pick, I wasn’t interested in getting hot and sweaty out in a blueberry field}. I remember walking through the woods with my teacher and her son, who was just a year or two ahead of me in school. The meal we had that night was a memorable one for me. I’m not sure why. It was the first time I had spaghetti with peas as a side dish. It remains, to this day, one of my favorite dinner pairings.
I hadn’t thought about that night in a long time. It stays etched in the recesses of my mind though, probably because it’s such an unheard of thing these days: a teacher spending innocent alone time with her students, inviting them to her home, making them dinner. I will forever be grateful to Mrs. Clark and her family for their attention and for welcoming me into their home.
So, those memories kept me company on Tuesday night when I was washing two pints of blueberries and trying to decide what to do with them. I decided on a crisp. It was an excellent decision!
Blueberry Crisp
Filling:
2 pints blueberries
3/4 cup sugar
1 tsp lemon juice
2 tbsp cornstarch
1/4 tsp salt
Topping:
3/4 cup flour
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup rolled oats
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
6 tbsp butter, softened
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Make filling: Mix blueberries, sugar, lemon juice, cornstarch, and salt in a bowl. Transfer mixture to an 8 inch baking dish {I used a buttered, 6 inch cast iron pan…worked perfectly!}.
Prepare topping: Mix flour, brown sugar, oats, baking powder, and salt together. Cut in softened butter with a fork or pastry cutter. Or…use your fingers, like I did until the mixture forms small clumps!
Sprinkle topping over berry mixture. Bake until bubbly and golden brown, about an hour. Cool on a wire rack. Serve warm and enjoy!
*Notes- Thom likes sweets SWEET…so if you don’t want it super sweet…back down on the filling sugar. 1/2 cup will be fine. I didn’t think this was too sweet at 3/4 cup, though.
A scoop of vanilla ice cream is a must! The melting vanilla goodness makes for blueberry creaminess that is amazing!
Don’t be afraid to ask for seconds. I won’t judge you.
Recipe adapted from the ever-incomparable Martha.
Culinary Confession No. 5
It’s not so much a confession, but an admission of sorts. Previously I’ve shared my tendency to get into a meal-planning rut….but the truth is- sometimes there’s just not enough dough to buy fancy groceries {oh how I love a bottle of really, super good olive oil and a wedge of parmesan cheese!}. There are weeks when the only thing in the ‘fridge are a dozen eggs, a block of mozz, and cans of beans in the cupboard.
Luckily for me, I live with a culinary genius who can literally make something {good} out of almost nothing. And, now that summer is {almost} here, our container garden is really paying off. Currently, I’m loving the basil. It goes so well with eggs.
And scrambled eggs {with basil and jalepenos} go really well with honey wheat pita pockets the have been toasted on the stove!
These lovely little pockets of protein have been brekky for the last few days….I can’t get enough of the fresh basil. Here are some other recipes using fresh basil I’m hoping to try this summer:
Basil and Lemon Capellini and Strawberry Balsamic Basil Spritzer from Julie over at Willow Tree Creek Farm
Fresh Basil Pesto
Caprese Salad
For tonight though…it’s pizza night- whole-wheat pizza crust topped with Thom’s New York Pizza Sauce, fresh mozzarella, and starring: You guessed it! Fresh basil.
So while “dough” may be short from time to time- there’s always enough ingredients to make some tasty dough.
What recipes are you looking forward to this summer?
Way Back Wednesday…Biker Edition
Happy June, friends!
I spent time today looking through my old cedar-lined chest searching for good Way Back Wednesday photos to blog about…and something curious started to creep into my thoughts: I can’t seem to remember a lot of these old pictures. I don’t remember posing. I don’t remember the bike. I don’t remember dressing in colors other than black and white.
What I do remember is: my grandpa’s old truck, the barn and pasture across the street-we spent a lot of time running through those fields and playing in the creek, and not having any front teeth {previous biking accident, I think. Those darn tricycles!}.
My grandparents bought this bike for me. There used to be this old house on Pontaluna Road that sold bikes. Their front lawn was covered with rows and rows of used, old, paint-chipped, banana-seated bikes that I would envy as we’d drive by {often pulling G & G camper behind us on our way to Hoffmaster State Park}. I remember stopping once and perusing the bikes. I’m sure this beauty came from there. I could be totally wrong…I’m sure Mom will clear up the fuzzy memories.
And, while I don’t remember riding this particular bike, I do remember the feeling of riding down our driveway, wind whipping my hair, the exhilaration building as I would near the end of the drive, and the turn onto the blacktop of Sullivan Road. Would I wipe-out? Would I have enough momentum to make the turn? Were there cars coming? In my mind, I was in a race. And I was winning the race, always.