There was something liberating about making a goal to publish a blog post once a month. The weeks slipped by, as we enjoyed the summer together. Each weekend, we have been having a picnic in a different park. Sometimes we go as a family, just the three of us, and other times, friends join us too. We pack a cooler filled with food along with a blanket and we’re set. Plus baby toys, of course.
Oh my, it has been a while. I left the blog to go on vacation, returned back home but never returned to the blog. I used to be thrilled if I posted once a week, now I might be thrilled if it were once a month! I am certainly no super-mom, and definitely not a super-blogger. Mostly just trying to keep everyone fed and (mostly) rested.
This month we celebrated baby P’s first birthday. I can’t believe both how quickly the time passed, and also how much we’ve been through during the year. How much help we needed and how family helped to rally behind us when we needed them the most. Read the rest of this entry »
Are you drooling from that first photo? Me, too. I didn’t take it, though. I still have plenty to learn about making drool worthy photographs, but right now my focus is on my family (hello new baby!) and work. Yes, work. I returned to work this week. I barely have time to cook, let alone blog, and as I perused my draft posts, I knew I had to share this recipe pronto. Read the rest of this entry »
Is it still salad season? I am loving the lingering warm weather, especially since it is no longer sweltering. I try to make it a daily goal to go for a walk with my baby every day. At least every weekday. At first, he was content with the stroller, but it can be hit-or-miss and result in a crying fit, so we’ve gravitated to wrapping. I never thought I’d be into hardcore babywearing. I knew I’d want to do some babywearing since skin-to-skin is so important, but my guy is a snuggle monster and loves to be wrapped. Or as Rob says, he demands to be snuggled. For now, I am delighted to oblige as I can still walk around and do simple things around the house. Read the rest of this entry »
I was hoping to do a mid-season garden update but it took too long for me to share my July photos. I will try to photograph my current August jungle because it is quite impressive now that it is finally time for harvest. Read the rest of this entry »
Three beans, sweet peas, asparagus, butter beans and pecans with a coconut-lime dressing. YES! Don’t mind if I steal Allison Day‘s gorgeous photo as my lead photo. It is just too pretty to bury inside my post.
This is a fun summer salad that is perfect for your next gathering or more simply, your next meal.
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So, I must admit I got talked out of planting anything last weekend and it was probably for the best. We had a few chilly nights which might not have been great. Otherwise, the garden is ready (we added some top soil and coconut coir to the lasagna garden) and just waiting for plants. I am waiting for my order of asparagus rootlets which I am super excited about. Mostly excited about the possibility of endless years of homegrown asparagus, even though I know I won’t be able to harvest anything at all this year.
Rob and I went to New York City (and Brooklyn) last week. When we left Toronto, it was snowing and cold (definitely felt like winter). We were happy to drive a bit further south for even a minor relief. After a week of walking all over Manhattan, we returned to even warmer temperatures in Toronto! Our friend’s toddler was playing in a kiddie pool, it was that warm and summer-like. Read the rest of this entry »
Another cute radish rose!
This was a quick and easy main course salad that paired well with the spring kale salad which contained all the vegetables. Read the rest of this entry »
Hope everyone enjoyed their holidays. We ended up at my in-laws over the long weekend and I felt like I was on an episode of Iron Chef. I was tasked with making something to eat with the ingredients from the kitchen. My ingredients included cooked lentils, cooked mixed grains, kale, tomato, cucumber, radish, capers, oranges and lemons. I quickly thought about putting them all into the same one-dish meal, but ended up making a veg-heavy kale salad as a side and used the lentils and grains separately (to be shared later).
It has been a while since I flipped through Terry’s Salad Samurai. I know salads are not just for the summer, but I smiled pleasantly as I looked through the chapters aimed at the colder months. I bookmarked the Beet Balls and Fries Salad after reading Nicole’s raving review, and felt now, during the winter, was a perfect time to whip up a salad featuring root vegetables. Read the rest of this entry »
Rob was really nice about getting me a new laptop to replace my dying desktop computer. The only problem was the new device had less storage than my old computer. I used to keep my all food photos on my hard drive, but now they are harder to locate on an external device. Please excuse my blog absentia as I work through this. Read the rest of this entry »
It took me a while, but I finally broke out the winter squash. I always feel like I need a few recipes to work through one butternut squash. This one is a winner and I encourage you to try it out.
This Butternut Squash Farinata is basically a variation on my Mediterranean Crustless Chickpea Flour Quiche with winter herbs including thyme and sage speckled with silky orange jewels of butternut squash. Here it is paired with a lovely, albeit optional, Spinach Salad with Farro and a Pomegranate Vinaigrette. Together, it makes such a lovely meal, it is worthy of a special occasion. Read the rest of this entry »
You know it has been a great vacation when you get back and kind of forgot where you left off from life.
No kitchen meals buffered in my head. I even forgot one of my passwords at work.
Rob and I returned late Saturday so that we could regroup on Sunday. I forgot what was in the kitchen but thankfully found a sweet potato and carrot to make a quick batch of Gena’s Easy Lentil, Sweet Potato & Coconut Curry (omitted the ginger and used Penzey’s new curry powder – The Now Curry – which was spicier than their Sweet Curry Powder – but lent a nice complexity to the dish). Read the rest of this entry »
I am holding onto summer as long as possible.
Our last trip to the farmer’s market had us splitting a basket of summer peaches with our friend. We sampled the offerings and found the stall that had the ripest, juiciest peaces. It was the stall we had been purchasing from all summer long.
Just as I am keeping up with the salads as we roll into October.
the taste space 