csa day: summer colors are here

Finger Pickin' Farms CSA box contents for the week of June 8, 2010.

From left to right, top to bottom:

Row 1--4 heads of lettuce

Row 2--Carrots

Row 3: Mint, kohlrabi, strawberries, squash

Row 4: Swiss chard, summer squash

I'm going to try out blogging our dinner menu each week. You'll notice there aren't 7 nights of meals listed here because some nights we have leftovers. I also don't usually decide which day we're having each meal in advance--I decide each day based on my time, my mood, and the produce (i.e. what needs to be used first before it goes bad). 

Posting our menus is a way of sharing recipes and ideas with you, and is also a way for me to keep track of meals. See, we always make up a weekly menu before we make our grocery list, but there have been quite a few times when I've misplaced the menu and end up cobbling a meal together on the fly. I figure that I can't lose my blog, so keeping a menu here will help me out.

I've been reading Dani's weekly menus on her blog Little Fists for months now and she inspired me to blog about my dinner plans. I am always curious about what other people are eating, and I love getting new ideas. You'll want to check out her What's for Dinner? posts if you feel the same way.

The meal plan:

*Tofu and bok choy with garlic mirin sauce served over rice.

            I didn't get around to making this last week, so I made it last night. I used the leftover rice to make some simple onigiri to pack in lunches. K and I loved buying onigiri in Japan to snack on. They aren't readily available here in Kentucky, but it's easy to make our own. I learned to make them from this tutorial. Also, I recently listened to a fun podcast about onigiri, which made me want to start making them again.

*Black bean tacos with sauteed squash, salad, and rice

*Fried eggs with homemade bread, sauteed Swiss chard, and roasted carrots

*Dinner out for our anniversary

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What are you eating this week?

Some new handmade things in my life

I'm happy to say that I lucked into winning a couple of SMS giveaways! I wanted to show off the prizes here as well as thank the bloggers who so generously gave away their handmade things.

I won this fabulous scarf from Elizabeth who writes the blog Toile. Her blog is new to me, but with her love of crafting and literature, I think I'm going to be visiting quite often. 

I have to say that this scarf my new favorite summer accessory. I've started trying to plan my outfits so that I can wear it nearly every day. Here's what I love about it: the colors, the floral print, the weight of the fabric--so light--and its versatility. At first I thought I would have to wait to wear this lovely scarf because summers in Kentucky are so hot and humid, but it's actually perfect because restaurants and shops blast the a/c this time of year and can be too cold. 

I mostly wear this scarf like you see in the top photo, just tied in the back (or, as my husband says, like a cowboy). I also like to twist and wear it as a chunky necklace. I haven't worn it out as a headcover yet, but I think it would be perfect to wear like this while working in the yard or on a hike. 

Elizabeth also made this green crocheted grocery bag, which I love. It's great for the farmers' market.

The bag on the left is a morsbag that I won from Steph (forgive the wrinkles, I've already been using it for groceries). I actually won two of these morsbags, which Steph made from thrifted sheets. I was really in need of some more reusable grocery bags, so I'm completely thrilled that I got these. 

On her blog, Steph encourages everyone to use their own cloth grocery bags. If you sew or know someone who does, she's offering a little incentive to get you to stop using plastic bags. She'll send you a morsbag kit for free--fabric pieces cut and pressed, plus a morsbag label--and all you have to do is sew it together and start using it. If you aren't already taking your own bags when shopping, what are you waiting for? It's an easy way to cut down on your plastic consumption. If you already use cloth bags, maybe you need another or know someone else who does. Check out Steph's post here for more information. And if you believe that little things can make a difference (I do!) leave her a comment letting her know. 

Thanks again to Elizabeth and Steph! Handmade things make me very happy!

weekend wanderings: augusta, kentucky

vintage bike with flowers

I want to get back to sharing my wanderings with you. I love going places on my own two feet, walking in different neighborhoods or through the park. My hope is that sharing what I see here will motivate me to take more walks, to be mindful of my surroundings, and might just encourage you all to get out, walk, and see what you can see. 

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This weekend K and I took a trip to his hometown, Maysville, Kentucky. It's on the Ohio River just like Louisville, but it's 2 1/2 hours away by car, making it seem like quite a getaway. We visited K's parents, and K spent the weekend making a piece of furniture (to be revealed soon) with his dad. My mother-in-law Phyllis and I headed to an art fair in Augusta, a small town nearby, which just so happens to be where Rosemary Clooney lived and also George Clooney's hometown. *swoon*

Augusta is a beautiful town, but the residents had the downtown even more gussied up than usual to celebrate the Art in the Garden fair. Flags were flying and potted flowers were abundant. Here are  some of the things we saw:

the beehive tavern 

(word is that it's pretty to look at but not so great for eating)

the jenny ann

perfect summer getaway house. log cabin-y, porch swing, ferns, and town bikes. 

the rosemary clooney house, now a museum. the clooney family (sans george) was there.

gift and gab, an adorable shop.

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near or far, where did you wander this weekend?  

On the hooks

I thought I'd share some crochet things that have been keeping my hands busy lately. The first is a granny square pillow cover. I bought some large, flat pillows at a thrift store that I'm using as floor pillows in the living room. I often find myself spread out on the hardwood floors working on crafty projects and needed something cushiony to make my work time a bit more comfortable. The pillows I found are plain black and that certainly wasn't fitting with my desire to surround myself with color, so I decided some pillow covers were in order. This is the first--the second will also be crocheted but I haven't decided on the pattern yet. Any suggestions?

The granny square pattern I'm using is the Grandma All-Square tutorial from Michelle of The Royal Sisters blog. The tutorial includes information about how to connect the squares as you go, which still feels like magic to me. Michelle's got lots of crochet tutorials if you're looking for something new to try.

My plan for the back of this pillow cover is to do granny stripes! I'm really excited to give it a go. Lucy of Attic 24 has got a pattern up for the stripes.

I've also been working on a ripple blanket for my cousin's little boy, due to arrive at the end of September. I just love crocheting ripples--they're so easy, breezy, and fun. I'm making the stripes in random widths for this little blanket.

What's in your project pile these days?

this moment: my first knitting

there's so much joy in learning a new skill. thanks, christine!

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this is a moment from this week that i want to remember. 

more moments are here.

csa day: first one of the year (to me)

(Actually the first CSA day was last week, but I missed it because I was in Minnesota, so this is the first one for me!)

Our CSA produce from Finger Pickin' Farms for the week of June 1, 2010

From 12 o'clock and on around clockwise: bok choy, beet greens, radishes, 3 lettuces, kale. Strawberries are in the middle, but you figured that out already, didn't you? The strawberries are so small and sweet. I could eat them right out of the carton, but I must maintain some sense of discipline so that I can make some of the strawberry recipes on my list. An update on my list: muffins and ice cream have been made! Strawberry rhubarb pie and strawberry jam have been added to the to-make list.

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CSA days are amongst my favorite days of the year and I love that in summer (and it does seem like summer here, so I'm going with it) I get to experience such great days every single week. Last year we split our CSA with my mom, but this year she's decided to grow more of her own vegetables. She's got lettuce, broccoli, onions, tomatoes, sorrel, and a whole host of herbs growing. So we are sharing our CSA with my dad, and I'm very excited to see what he does with his half of the produce. He's a great cook, famous in my family for his soups and roasts, but he's very much a meat-and-potatoes guy, so I want to see what he'll do with all of these greens and lettuces.

I really enjoy planning meals around what we get from the market. Here's the dinner plan:

*Pasta Alfredo with sauteed garlic, beet greens and peas. Yes, we did just have this a couple of weeks ago, but it's so good! Plus, my sister was over for dinner, and I knew she'd love it.

*Tofu and bok choy stir-fry with garlic-mirin sauce over rice.

*Black bean quesadillas, kale sauteed with garlic, lemon and soy sauce, and oven-roasted potatoes. A real mish-mash of flavors, but it works for us.

*Dinner out by the river to celebrate my Grandma Alice's 82nd birthday. Fingers crossed that it doesn't rain.

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I would love to hear what you're eating this week, so please share in the comments. I find myself endlessly curious about what other people are cooking and eating, plus it gives me ideas for what to make.

Minneapolis in a Nutshell

Lucky us, we got to hang out in Minneapolis and St. Paul last week! K and I visited our best friend in Japan, Christine, who now lives back in her homestate of Minnesota. It was our first trip to the Twin Cities, but hopefully not our last. There are so many cool things to do and amazing places to eat there. I would definitely recommend a visit--it's easy to get around because it's very bike-friendly and has great public transportation, too. Thanks to Christine for showing us around!

(Click image to see larger version)

Top row, left to right: Spoonbridge and Cherry sculpture, dandelion fountain, Christine and lego Woody, the Mighty Mississippi, clever revision of a street sign.


Middle row: Playing in the water at Minnehaha park, Candyland, cue the sad Peanuts music, Minneapolis skyline, Punch pizza.


Bottom row: Taffy-mouthed twins Mary and Christine, shopping at the Mall of America, Mary's hat toss, Minnehaha Falls, Dinkytown.