Wordless Wednesday

Should I start doing these? I don't know. I like looking at other people's pictures without words... Should I? Maybe so... but I've realized that I'm a totally typical Gemini. I start something, go off kilter and then usually either forget or I start something new and never finish what I meant to start in the first place.

Remember how I tried to do 30 posts in 30 days? Well, I fell off the bandwagon after 6, I think.

Le Sigh.

Ok, I'm up for it for a few weeks. Maybe I'll even schedule posts so that I won't miss Wednesdays. That's always an option.

So let's start (Oops, this is supposed to be WORDLESS, I apologize):

Oh, Man. Rain & Fish.

I've totally been feeling off my rocker lately. Not only has Cora-Bumi-Steve been with us for almost two weeks, but this weather is driving me INSANE.

 Ok, so that's C-B-S in the background, she is super cute, right? ADORABLE is more like it. And here's Rusty. He sort of looks proud of himself... for something... I don't know what. It kind of looks like he killed C-B-S and brought her to me for a gift but no - he sees a camera and he sits for you. Strange dog.

In any case - the rain has been around, the clouds have been around and it seems as if Spring has taken over Summer. I'm done with Spring. Give me my Summer back, please. I'm tired of muddy footprints, frizzy hair and dreary clouds.

Today is the next CSA box, which I'm super excited for. I'll have more recipes soon. From my email earlier this week this is what's in the box:

French Breakfast Radishes

Garlic Scapes

Italian Parsley

Kohlrabi

Napa Cabbage

Rainbow Chard

Red Butterhead Lettuce

Red Leaf Lettuce

Scallions

Strawberries

Oh, and the whole entire point to this post which I probably NEVER would have gotten around to had I not put "fish" in the title:

Cora-Bumi-Steve's owners brought us FRESH FISH FROM THE FAMOUS PIKE PLACE FISH MARKET IN SEATTLE. IT'S LESS THAN 18 HOURS OLD. Ok, I mean this fish was pulled out of the ocean to its death for me to eat less than 18 hours ago. It was not caught, flash frozen and shipped to Cub Foods to be thawed and colored. How awesome is that for a thank you gift? Eep, I know what I'm making for dinner tonight!

New Planters

 For my birthday Bimmer Man brought me to Sunnyside Gardens to pick out new large planters. I LOVE Sunnyside. Their prices are a bit steep for my wallet (don't forget, I can be a cheapskate) so when Bimmer said Sunnyside I was super excited. WOOT!!! (Um, the one from Sunnyside is the orange ceramic one, not the cheapie plastic ones from Home Depot with my herb seedlings).

 And here's the awesome blue one. Yes, I did go for Florida Gators colors. Sort of on purpose but not really. The tall blue one was chipped and it was hot so the tall blue one did not get purchased. And that's fine with me because I really like the orange one. This blue one is pretty cool too.

Instead of more herbs, I did flowers. It's time for some color instead of green foliage and dirt in the backyard. Do I know what the flowers are? Nope, no clue! I just picked out what I thought would be pretty and have some variety.

Quick story: While we were there at some point the power went out so when we got up to the front to check out, the poor high school kid had no clue what he was doing to check us out. Calculating tax is apparently pretty hard math.

CSA Recipe - Week 1

I mixed fresh thyme with olive oil and then later added the green garlic (which BTW, I LOVE green garlic, the garlic flavor is much more subtle and so I cut it up in chunks much like green onion).

 Asparagus from the CSA box that I grilled as well. I literally just tossed everything into the veggie basket and let it cook.

 And this, my lovelies, is green garlic. Doesn't it look like green onion? At first I thought it was weird that green onions were smelling like garlic but then I went back and read my list. Green garlic.

Potatoes are also from the CSA box. I par cooked the potatoes in the microwave for about 4 minutes and then tossed them with the garlic and olive mixture.

Just grill until there's grill marks and you're good to go!

Now I can't wait for the next box. YUM.

Mixed Berry Muffins

Mixed Berry Muffins from Oprah

Servings: Makes 12 muffins

Ingredients

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup milk
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 2 large eggs
• 1 1/3 cups fresh berries , such as blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, huckleberries or sliced strawberries, or a combination.

Directions

Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 400°F. Lightly butter twelve 2 1/2-inch muffin cups or place paper muffin cups in the muffin tin.

In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt to combine and make a well in the center. In another medium bowl, whisk the milk, oil and eggs. Mix well and pour into the well. Stir just until blended. Fold in the berries. Spoon equal amounts of the batter into the muffin cups, filling them about three-fourths full.

Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean, 15 to 20 minutes. Cool in the pan for 5 minutes. Remove the muffins and serve warm or cool on a wire rack.

Mushroom, Cheese & Spinach Omelette (CSA Box Recipe)

 Mushrooms were unfortunately NOT from the CSA box this week, but the spinach is. I love omelettes. I love how easy they are. I love that if you don't get it perfect, it still looks great on your plate. I also love that there's no leftovers and eggs are so easy to make for one person. (Hey, Bimmer, I know you don't like omelettes, but can you appease me for one weekend and JUST TRY ONE? And it doesn't have to be with mushrooms)

 Spinach is from the CSA box. I obviously sauted the mushrooms first, then added in the spinach to wilt it. When cooking mushrooms, add salt in at the very end. Salt draws out the natural juices and makes the mushrooms tough and chewy. Then add in your regular omelette mix (2 eggs + 1tbsp of milk or cream, salt & pepper). Wait until the eggs have set a bit.

And then when I have a lot of chunky veggies, I don't make a normal omelette. I'd rather consider it a "french" omelette where you shove the food around pan until it's barely cooked, flip it over on itself and then dump it on a plate.

So basically then your plate looks like a pile of eggs and veggies and not really a traditional omelette. But it's still delicious mixed with fresh cheese.

Enjoy!

Metal Storage Baskets

I am so awful. I can be so cheap sometimes. It's really bad. Sometimes I settle for something and don't get what I really want.

Let's take storage baskets for example.

I want 2 storage baskets for the front entry table, 2 baskets for inside the front closet to hold hats, scarves, gloves, etc... and then I want 2 baskets for the bookcase in the dining room and maybe more throughout the house (I could use a few for the bookcases in the office and the shelves in the office and probably a few for inside of my closet too).

What do I really want for baskets?

These. They are from The Container Store for $16 - $25 each. And of course I really want the large ones. Which means that at $25 each, I'd be spending $150 on wire baskets. Is that justifiable to my cheap ass? No, not really. And even if I bought them two at a time I would still be spending the same amount of money. It just wouldn't be as big of a gut punch at the point of purchase.

Eep.

I am cheap, aren't I?

Because now thinking about it... I want a heck of a lot more baskets.

But then this large basket is $67 from Iron Accents.

So maybe $25 is a better deal after all.

So now that you see what I want, let's show you what I have.

Yeah, it's obviously from Target. I bought them on sale when they were like $4 each.

Le sigh. I just need to bite the bullet and buy what I want. Right?

Pulled Pork Sandwiches

Thank goodness these are so easy to make.

Just put pork in a slow cooker. Add in about 1/2 cup of chicken broth and a few squirts of ketchup.

Then when it's done: shred.

Into the crockpot add 3 tablespoons of honey, 1 bottle of BBQ sauce, a few dashes of ground mustard, some hot sauce if you want, pepper and you are good to go! Enjoy!

Finally! Master Bedroom Update

 Ignore the dog crate. That's where it stays when we have foster dogs. And where Rusty sleeps so you know... I can't exactly get rid of that yet! Plus it's nice to see pictures of how people really live anyway. So enjoy the mess!

 The opposite side of the room. To the left would be a dresser and a television... Um, not really design worthy.

And a tall shot. You can see that the ceiling slants.

Now for the problem - we've got black out curtains right now but I think what I want to do is get a double curtain rod, hang the black out curtains and then do something fun for the room. OR I could get brown blinds with fun curtains. I have no idea what sort of fabric I would want though.

Paint is Benjamin Moore Ashley Grey.
Striped duvet is from Amazon for $32.

Closet Inspiration

Check out this link to Maillardville Manor and their newly organized closet.

So there was this light bulb that went off in my head and I've decided that I am an idiot.

I always thought that closet interiors should match the color of the room that it is in. And now... I can break out of the box.

SWEET!

But I think I'll just take paint from the extra paint down in the basement and go from there.

(Ok, ok, you know me, I will just go to Home Depot and look at paint anyway)

Missing IU Student

The scary part of this is that I used to run alone where she disappeared.

Daily.

Scary, right?

She disappeared about 4:30 a.m. after she had been at a bar (AND SHE WAS UNDERAGE), then went home, then to a friend's apartment and then decided she wanted to go home.

I've found the best news coverage so far with the Indiana Daily Student.

A timeline of Lauren's events can be found here.

It's an interesting story. Truths and lies have come out. Eventually we will find out what happened to Lauren. Her purse was found on Morton Street - not a route that most people would take to get to her apartment on College. You just can't help but speculate and imagine what happened. It's hard not to do because we just don't know.

And Lauren has a heart condition.

So the sooner she is found, the better.

Song of The Day

Today this is it. Don't worry, be happy! It's totally stuck in my head after hearing it on Pandora (um, I'm a nerd and like to listen to the Kris Allen station or Incubus, yes, I know... brings me back to 8th grade all over again). It reminds me of summer and going on cruises with my mom. LOVE it!

What's in the CSA Box This Week?

Asian Greens Mix

Asparagus

Broccoli - Raab

Collard Greens

Green Garlic

Pea Vine

Radishes

Spinach

Spring-dug Parsnips

Thyme

Yellow Potatoes

 

I'm so freakin' excited!!!

We're sharing a CSA box with our neighbors this year and I cannot wait! This pick-up location is super close to our houses as well so it makes it so much easier. 

Well, well, you might think that living in Minneapolis there's not much local food but alas! There is! There are usually farmer's markets in all the suburbs (I've bought eggs, meat, cheese, pickles, veggies, etc...) AND there's lots and lots of local farms.

My AWESOME neighbor did some research and decided upon Driftless Organics which is based just across the border in Wisconsin. So not only are they organic BUT they send us emails with photos of all of their hardwork! Awesome, no?

So this summer my goal is to blog about what I make with the food and to let you know if it's worth the price (we each paid $130 for 10 boxes of food). I can't wait to try new veggies and new recipes!

Happy Birthday to Me!

And Happy Birthday to my birthday twin too!

And yes, I'm now closer to 30 than 25 and that's ok with me. I think. No complaints yet.

On the agenda today:

1. Try not to have the frizziest hair.
2. Buy some ice cream.
3. Sit.
4. And do nothing for 1 hour.
5. Well, try to anyway.

Happy steamy Monday in the Twin Cities!

Sunday Confession.

Do any of you read PostSecret every Sunday? I do. And on Monday mornings when I realize that I forgot to read it, I get kind of excited. Some days it's sad, others it's funny. Just depends.

And so here's a confession of mine:

I super glued quarters/pennies/nickels/dimes to the floors in high school.

Eep! My Niece is Growing Up!

And she's leaving for Botswana today! Yes, my little niece is little no more. She's leaving for a summer study program in Botswana (she will be studying at a hospital) and I'm hoping she takes a ton of pictures and keeps up with her blog.

And this how caring my mom is:

At Easter my mom told my niece that her passport and travel documents are all set so if something happens, my mom can fly to Botswana in an emergency.

Little does she know... my passport is current too! How fun would it be to visit Botswana?

Have fun, my little niece (who is little no more!) and learn something!

Summer Reads

Smokin' Seventeen by Janet Evanovich

Stiff by Mary Roach

The Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett

I've also got Patty Jane's House of Curl on my list and currently I'm on page 15 of In The Woods by Tana French. I love reading, but sometimes it's hard to set aside time to do it. Hopefully having a clean back porch will motivate me to sit out there and read at night. We shall see. If you're curious to see what I've already read and MORE books on my to-read list, feel free to visit my GoodReads profile. And for the gym I've got Anne of Green Gables on my iPhone to read while I'm on the elliptical machine.

Are you reading anything exciting this summer? Any classics or books that you just HAVE to read again (like me and Anne... I LOVE her!)?