mama b

Yesterday was my mama's birthday. To celebrate, my wonderful brother and his lovely wife hosted a little BBQ at their home. I was asked to bring a side dish and feeling up to the challenge, I tried a new recipe. Alice Water's Moroccan Sweet Potatoes from The Art of Simple Food . It was absolutely delicious. I topped it with some edible chive flowers from our garden. It went really well with the tri-tip and salad. It's served at room temperature so it was perfect for the hot sticky weather we've been having.



While looking for recipes to make in Ina Garten's Back to Basics , I came across a recipe for parmesan thyme crackers and made them to go along with the cracker and cheese appetizer. They are really just a savory shortbread and they tasted just like super yummy cheez-its.



I also didn't have a birthday card on hand and my mama loves all things handmade by her children so I took a cue from Wren Handmade and put together a little card with some adorable origami paper I picked up with my friend Rachel last weekend.



I hope you all have a wonderful weekend and give all your mama's some love.

I Like Pie

Earlier in the summer we went on what Steve likes to call our "engagement honeymoon". We had planned a trip for the end of June to Montreal for a friends wedding which led us to also visit New Haven (where this particular pie took place) and New York to visit some friends who have relocated to the East Coast. It just so happens he proposed 3 days before we left for Canada! On to the pie. Our friends we stayed with in New Haven have an absolutely adorable little corner house that has half of a mulberry tree hanging in their backyard. They had no previous knowledge of this until I saw all of these delicious treats hidden in the grass underneath the branches. We started collecting them off of the ground and tree before we decided that the best way to collect them would be to hold a sheet underneath the tree and shake it. After finding an unused fitted sheet (due to a large tear in the middle which was fixed with staples) we began collecting!



Once we had enough for a pie (and some snacking), we went inside and cleaned the berries.



I whipped up some pie dough and got to work. This was my first attempt at lattice work so please don't judge my haste and terrible proportions. For the filling, I used the berries, a little fresh orange juice and zest, and tapioca. Baked until golden brown and then we dug in. It was delicious if I say so myself! I hope to one day have a huge backyard filled with vegetables and fruit trees and if I am so lucky, I will have to have a Mulberry tree.

home grown herbs

We have a large pot that we circulate herbs in. Currently there is chive, thyme, and lemon basil. We also have oregano in the ground along with a very large rosemary bush that we inherited from my brother. Per recommendation from our good friends we have been watching Jamie at Home (Jamie Oliver's show on Food Network). In his episode for tomatoes he has this really amazing looking bunch of dried thyme. Steve and I were wondering where he would have acquired it from and how we could get our hands on some. Then I realized in another show that he was drying some himself in the background so we decided to make our own as well. So we have thyme and oregano drying now and I can't wait to report back with how we use it and how it compares to the supermarket stuff.

mangoes

I myself am a huge mango fan. From the time they are available at the start of summer, I eat about one a day. Now that summer is (almost) over I am forced to move on to other fall fruits. In this category, to my delight, is the Keitt mango. They are available from August to October and they are one of the most delicious mangoes I have ever eaten.



They stay green when ripe so once soft, dig in. They are huge, can weight up to 2 lbs and have a very thin seed so there is more sweet flesh that you can eat in one sitting.

Go to the farmers market now and snap up a few for yourselves, you will not regret it.

photo via flickr

seedling

we have started some seedlings for our winter garden! there is broccoli, brussel sprouts, kale, cabbage, broccoli raab, and artichokes. more to come in the garden that doesn't need to be started indoors.



isn't it funny how they all look same when they are babies but so different when they are big kids?

also, steve decided to smash up a whole san marzano tomato from our summer garden and plant it in a pot and this is what came up.

hello, world wide web

It's hard to write your first post.

This will be a place for all things I find:
-inspirational
-beautiful
-delicious
-crafty

please enjoy!