friday update...

friday update..., a photo by credd on Flickr.

the raised bed is doing quite well.

last week we secured some netting to the back of the trellis...
so that we could train the cucumbers to go up the back...
instead of spreading out over the bed and covering up everything.


the watermelon branches are a few feet long...
and still growing.

i saw one teeny watermelon last week...
and photographed it.
but a couple of days later...
it had fallen off.

there are at least ten more that i saw this week...
so hopefully at least one of them will grow into maturity.

i harvested two japanese eggplants this week...
and of course...
my csa box had three HUGE eggplants in it this week...
so i will definitely be cooking something with all of them tomorrow.

btw...
my csa box also contained basil, cucumbers and tomatoes...
all of which i am growing...
and they are producing abundantly.

today for dinner...
i made panzanella...
and used a few of the tomatoes...
and one of the cucumbers.

tomorrow...
i'm making bread and butter pickles...
and roasting more tomatoes to put up in my freezer.

panzanella recipe on my food blog.  

another 365...

i'm not sure.  

will i be taking photos everyday?  yes.  

will i be posting them?  that's the answer i'm struggling with.  

but...yesterday...my daughter and i made fleur de sel caramels...and i did photograph those!  we made quite a few of them...so...if any of my co-workers are reading this...i'm bringing some to work on tuesday!  

end of the kitchen series...

when i embarked on my kitchen series at the beginning of the month...the only thing i knew for certain is that all of my photos would be taken in the kitchen.

i never imagined some of the kitchen gadgets i would discover...and i certainly didn't know i shoot a series of photos of milk being poured onto fruit.

i've contemplated the popcorn photo a few times this month...but always ended up posting something else instead.

so...for the final photo of the series...i decided to make a batch of popcorn this morning before going into the office...so that i could get my popcorn photo.

i hope you've enjoyed the series.

tuscan lemon chicken...

i knew i wanted to make this recipe when i saw the photon in the cookbook. i was not disappointed. it was delicious!

click here for the recipe.

when life gives you lemons...

preserve them!

it seems that every weekend now...i'm creating something in the kitchen. this weekend...it is preserved lemons.

why? because i like them. when a co-worker mentioned to me that he was preserving lemons...my lil ole brain started churning.

i also remembered how i kept eating the lemons out of the chicken tangine at the moroccan restaurant i was at last month. and...since i had just picked up a bag of lemons at costco...and this seemed like a better use for them than having them wilt away in glass after glass of sun tea...i am preserving lemons!

how? it's so simple...even a child can do it. well...once you cut the lemons for them they can do it. and...if their pouring skills have not yet been perfected...then you might want to assist with that part too. okay...so maybe a child can't do it. but it's really easy!

there are quite a few different recipes out there...but this one is the simplest i've seen...and the one i used.




*i did this last night at midnight...and the jar is now over half full of juice. i am going to enjoy watching the process.

chef de cuisine...

i am a big fan of the food network...and frequently get my dinner ideas from giada or ina or sunny. today...i saw giada prepare penne with beef and arugula...and knew that i wanted to prepare it. so...as soon as the clock chimed 5:00...i was out the door to pick up the ingredients.

i hadn't been to the grocery store in a while...so i wandered about the produce section for over 1/2 hour...picking up lemons and avocados...ginger and jalapeno peppers. i even bought a pineapple. i'd entered the store at 5:30...and it was 7:00 when i emerged. i couldn't believe i'd been in there that long. i gotta get cooking!

while i put away the groceries...i started the water for the pasta. once i'd put the steak on the grill...i needed to prepare the rest of the ingredients. i used my herb-infused olive oil in the salad dressing. *glad i bought another bottle of olive oil because i need to flavor some more. i think i'll hit up costco this weekend...and buy the industrial sized container.

i finished the pasta dish with grated parmesan cheese and a touch of lemon zest...and packed it into containers for tomorrow's lunch. some grapes...a good book...and sunshine will round out my picnic in the park. i'd better set the alarm on my phone so i make it back to the office.

for now...i need to go clean up my kitchen! where's my sous chef or escuelerie (dish washer)? isn't there some saying that says she that prepares the food should not have to wash the dishes??? well...there oughta be!