Hi folks! While it’s not time yet to go on and on about tomatoes and pesto I thought I would throw out a few recipes we have tried lately that will now stay in the rotation! The basil plants aren’t ready for quarts of pesto we are tossing basil and fresh herbs into just about everything these days! I would love to have more pictures to share but since I am just now back into cooking again I am not in my cooking/picture groove. Since I don’t have many new pics I’ll toss in some from my day trip to Italy last May.
Giada’s Tri Color Orzo Pasta Salad This one is light and fresh! I subbed spinach for arugula thinking the kids might like it more but really the adults were the ones that ate it! My mom turned me on to this when my cousin made it and it was all the rage. Unlike lots of pasta salads this one is light and lemony without a heavy sauce!
Grilled Marinated Flat Steak This is the best marinade I have found in a while. I found some sirloin flap steak at Costco a couple of months ago and had never used “flap steak” before so I did a quick searcharoo. Up popped this recipe and it has been great every time we use it! *Just to clarify, the link takes you to a blog that has both a rub and a marinade. I used the marinade but my mom tried out the rub. The rub looks spicy, the marinade has lots of flavor but no spice which is nice with a crowd!
Any season appetizer…Baked Fontina . This is delish! You literally cut up fontina, toss it into a small cast iron skillet and top it with fresh herbs, olive oil and garlic. Broil it and serve it with baguette! Thanks, Ina! It’s not for an outdoor summer gathering like a bbq but we had a chilly afternoon a few weeks ago when we had family over and it was a great preview to the above steak. To make it more summery you could toss sun-dried tomatoes on top and then when it comes out top it with fresh chopped basil or drizzle with pesto. Or even be really adventurous and in season and try it with one of those raspberry chipotle sauces or sliced peaches.
Mini potatoes- once it gets hot we are not in the mood for heavy potato meals but I am not always in the mood for all cold salads as sides. We have used the mini potatoes from Trader Joe’s before for fondue but I picked up a bag last week and they were a perfect summer dinner side. I boiled them for 15 or 20 minutes or so until they were tender. I then heated a cast iron skillet and added a little bit of butter, olive oil, garlic and a small shallot sliced. I tossed in the potatoes for a quick saute. When they were looking nice and golden I turned off the heat and tossed them with a tablespoon of fresh herbs. I used parsley, thyme and rosemary since we had those handy.
Don’t despair….tomatoes and pesto are on their way! Tomato basil pie will be here before you know it!
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My title comes not from a description of a tranquil place but more a temporary state. As I trimmed back the tomato plants and weeded yesterday the boys were waging war. For one reason or another. Finally I had heard enough and both boys were sent screaming from the backyard to their rooms for time outs…landing me 10 minutes of quiet time in the yard to take a few pictures to share with you. The garden has been such a pleasure this year and very much a learning experience. It’s great that even though we aren’t experts that our plants still grow and change, despite us!
We’re crossing our fingers that the peak of harvest isn’t while we are in Texas in a few weeks! I guess worst case scenario our neighbors will enjoy it for us!
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We decided to start out small…as in, a tent in the back yard. Seth has been talking to the boys about camping for a while. And once you mentioned something to a 3 year old you can expect to talk about it often! This past weekend Seth had planned to take the boys on Friday night but some major winds kept them inside that night. Saturday we had a busy, fun day ending with a dinner with my brother Ryan and his family and my cousin Rosanna and her husband Evan. Seth decided since the boys would be up late anyways to surprise them that night with a rain check camp out. We were not sure who, if either of them, would make it through the whole night out there. I was invited for reading time but then I got the boot and the rest was boy time! They went to bed nicely but were up before the birds at 5:15!!
first s’mores of the summer!
first water balloon fight….silly Easter bunny brought some water balloons and we have talked about them EVERY DAY SINCE EASTER! So, last week we pulled them out and filled up a bowl. They lasted all of 5 minutes. But the boys loved them!
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Posted by Kristen on Mar 14, 2013 in Faith, Garden, Seasonal | 3 comments
As I sit down to share this post it feels a bit like dejavu. Like I have already written these words in years past because it’s likely I have these same thoughts each time this season comes. But that’s how seasons are after all. Spring is coming and so are the changes that it brings. After a snowy week last week the weekend was warm and begging for us to come on outside. The sound of the table saw whizzing through boards that turned into a beautiful window box, little boys wobbly on longtime hibernating bikes, learning to use a jump rope for the first time and the garden gloves covered with fresh mess were evidence of the day.
I gave the flowers beds a once over glance before diving in and it looked like nothing but brown. Apart from some unruly daffodils that have sprung up in no particular order, the bushes are naked twigs and the once flowering plants are withered and show the wear of winter. As I knelt and pulled away the dead I saw the new shoots coming up buried below the brush. As I bent down on the level of the bushes I saw not only dry wood but fresh buds eeking out. I was reminded once again of the need to prune and pull back the old. Those bundles of dead grasses and old blooms serve their purpose to protect during the cold, yet at some point they have to go if the new is going to come. This winter has had it’s share of cold and dry, old blooms in our lives. Dreams that have peaked and tough things that I am ready to toss in the waste. Yet as I do the chilly air meets the new plants and I pray that the new ones will be strong enough to face it. Amazingly they are and day by day I can see their growth. This year will no doubt be packed with growth and change and as the seasons roll on we will no doubt roll into another Fall and another winter. The faith journey will follow suit and we will go through those times of sharp pruning, upturned soil, new growth, mature fruit often followed by quiet times of quiet hibernation. I love Spring and all that it welcomes! But first comes the pruning. Necessary, delicate and growth-bringing. My Spring heart is revealed, new and ready for what is to come, but shivering every so often as it feels the remnant winter breezes.
- Summer and winter, and springtime and harvest,
Sun, moon and stars in their courses above,
Join with all nature in manifold witness
To Thy great faithfulness, mercy and love.
- Pardon for sin and a peace that endureth,
Thy own dear presence to cheer and to guide;
Strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow,
Blessings all mine, with ten thousand beside!
This season happens to come at a funny time in the typical foreign service timeline. For those of you in the FS family you know that around 6-8 months you step back and evaluate your new life. This back home post has proven to be no different. The first month are settling in and enjoying the “harvest” so to speak followed by some hunkering down and navigating the new waters. By this point you have your feet solid on the ground, the logistics sorted out, lots of networks springing up but it’s time to really evaluate the depth of what you’ve been cultivating. What are we spending our time, energy, money and life on? What are we looking towards in the future? How are we putting down roots and maintaining relationships that matter? We are in the midst of that pruning season too in addition to spiritual pruning. Thankfully through these seasons we hold on to the words in the hymn above that remind us that God’s presence cheers and guides us through His faithfulness!
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