Tuesday, August 27, 2013

moments.

i loved this.



Monday, August 26, 2013

peaches

can't get enough of them...

4 ripe peaches
1/3 cup whole almonds
1/4 cup sugar
3 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cubed

optional extras: 1/4 cup rolled oats, 1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon, pinch of sea salt

heat oven to 350 degrees. halve peaches and remove pits. place fruit cut side up in baking dish. in a food processor, grind almonds and sugar together until coarsely ground (with a few pebbles left). add oats and other flavorings, if using, then butter, pulsing the machine until the ingredients are just blended. spoon the almond mixture into the center of each peach, then press it flat, as if icing the tops of the peaches with it. bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour (baking time varies with peach size), until the top is brown and crisp and you can easily slice through the fruit with a fork or spoon.

serve warm or at room temperature, with lightly sweetened whipped cream.


off to a good start...

i have been slow at blogging these days.  there is just so much to do and even more to document.  i just don't have the bandwidth.  but tonight ... mom is back home after an incredible visit and mic is back at school in her new apartment...
it's a great place but i felt like the neighborhood could be a little kinder.   i hardly slept a wink last night worrying about her.  she is fine  - it's me. it's probably every parents fear.  the worry never really ends. here's to a fantastic senior year ahead and to her motto "every day should feel this good"
may all your decisions be your own. fly softly my love. be safe.

i love you to the moon and back.




light changes throughout a day and throughout a season  - tonight my house is silent in such a good way, and honestly, it's time.

fantastic weekend wrap up...

love these kids...  and our awesome beach weekend.
 
 

congrats to mark and maggie on the big move. xo
 
always a teacher
 


and countryfest


love these girls!!!



love sent, xo



Tuesday, August 20, 2013

Friday, August 16, 2013

seasons



last night we went for a walk around the neighborhood.  we chatted with a few neighbors and i was reminded that soon everyone would again be locked up inside their houses for the cold days ahead.
fall is whispering around the edges of these summer days.  it's getting darker earlier and we even saw a cluster of orange leaves in a tree we walked past.  we are on the cusp of a new season.  fall is surely one of my most favorite times of year but i always find myself a bit anxious when things change.  even when it's a time that i know i love.
 
endings are not my specialty.  i can only attribute it to the way i am wired.  all the events in people's lives make them who they are.  part of who i am came early on in my adult life when my first marriage ended so abruptly.  that fall was concrete proof that i was not in control of my life. but, then again, who really is. you can't control other people or circumstances.  there is, in fact, very little in life that we really can control.  but events like these do shape us.  it took me ten years to get over that and it permanently ruptured my view on the life i assumed i would have.  it has effected my ability to feel secure ever since.  my perspective changed in those years and even tho i love fall immensely,  once i step into that season i am exposed and vulnerable.  i am reminded of heart ache and weakness.

of course there were many lessons learned in that time and many beautiful moments amidst the pain.
i learned it's best to let life happen, but sometimes, even now,  the big picture is more than i can carry.   you can work toward what you want but you can't let happiness depend on reaching all your goals no matter how big or small they are. much as i want to impose my desires and feelings on the universe, it keeps tilting along, with it's own logic and wisdom.   you have to make room for surprises and give yourself permission to change your mind.  there are things i will never know or understand but what i do know is my quality of life depends on my ability to be vulnerable, to forgive and to never regret loving someone.

i often wish i were the type of person who didn't feel so deeply.  who didn't hold on so tightly to
things.  but, i think this does happen when you love life.  you miss things when they are gone, even while loving what you have right now.

happy friday! 

love sent, xo

Thursday, August 15, 2013

being in the moment

here are some techniques that i use (but should be using more).






1.  stop and pay attention to all of your senses.  ask yourself: what do i hear? smell? see? feel? taste?  it is amazing how that always grounds me and puts me in the present.

2.  close your eyes and "breathe" through the tips of your fingers.  draw your breath up your wrists, arms, shoulders, body, down your legs and out your toes.

3. take a walk, this really helps.   take a few minutes 10 - 20 minutes you will be surprised at how much you notice if you really look around. don't think of anything else other than what is in front of you.

4.  just say no to over-scheduling.  i have been one of those people who loves to pack my day with a million things.  i need to say no if i don't really want to do something (non-essential), problem for me is: i usually want to do that "extra" thing. i need to say no if  it will crowd my week too much.  i need more downtime and i need to slow down.  if not, i miss some really important things. 

5.  go offline.  nothing makes me feel less in the moment then killing an hour on the internet, especially after working on the computer all day.  i totally still do it, but that's when i feel that "time is slipping by".  i am not good at turning off my phone and shutting the top of my laptop, but it always works when i do find the discipline to do it.

6.  make a cup of tea.  it's mental, but this always relaxes and comforts me and helps me pay attention to what is going on.

love sent, xo

Wednesday, August 14, 2013

i love august

what better way to conclude a day at the beach than with a water edged dinner, sipping wine, and watching the sun set.  a perfect end to a beautiful summer weekend.



                                                             love these girls!  thanks kelley!


there is a shift in the air now. summer is threatening to come to an end and fall is just around the corner. i suddenly realize there is still so much i want to do.  i suddenly come face to face with how
comfortable these days have been.   how much nicer this summer has been than the past few.
how much lighter my work obligations have been (intentionally),  and how much sweeter life is when you count the moments, not the days.

some snaps from the weekend.  

                                


                                                             





vermont



love these two! 

 so sweet and smart
love love garden flowers

 secret hideaway
 sweet moments

 
special moments to treasure
 farm life
simple pleasures


 
blueberry pie with love written all over it
 




we all need more moments like these in our lives.  maybe escaping reality isn't the healthiest way to find peace and serenity but it's about balance.  balancing the pressures of every day life with what is in our hearts.  remember the lightness you felt as a child where there was nothing better than racing your bike down a hill and laughing until your stomach hurt.  don't ever lose that joy.   hope you found some time for fun this past weekend.

love sent, xo

Saturday, August 10, 2013

sweet, sweet, summertime...



love it. and m's shirt she designed. and yes, the fancy drink.  this picture just screams summer!


love sent, xo

Wednesday, August 7, 2013

tomato, corn, and zucchini galette

glaze
1 egg yolk beaten with 1 teaspoon water (set aside)

dough
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon table salt
8 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces and chill again
1/4 cup plain yogurt or sour cream
2 teaspoons  fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup  ice water

stir the flour and salt in a large bowl. sprinkle bits of butter over dough and using a pastry blender or your fingertips, work it into the flour until the mixture resembles coarse meal, with the biggest pieces of butter the size of tiny peas. in a small bowl, stir together the sour cream, lemon juice and water and add this to the butter-flour mixture. with your fingertips or a wooden spoon, mix in the liquid until large lumps form. pat the lumps into a ball. wrap with plastic and refrigerate for 1 hour, or up to 2 days.

filling
1 tablespoon  olive oil
1/4 teaspoon coarse kosher or sea salt
3 cups cherry or grape tomatoes
1 ear corn, cut from the cob (about 1 cup)
1 small  zucchini or summer squash, diced
1 bundle  scallions, thinly sliced
1/2 cup  grated parmesan

add olive oil, tomatoes, salt and a pinch of red pepper flakes to your saute pan then cover and heat over high heat. roll the tomatoes around from time to time so that they’ll cook evenly. in a few minutes, you’ll hear some pops as the tomatoes burst a little. when most have, remove lid, turn heat down to medium and add zucchini chunks. saute for two minutes, until they soften. add corn and cook one minute. add scallions, just stirring them in, then turn off heat. adjust seasonings if needed. transfer mixture to a large plate and spread it out, so that it will cool faster. you want it cooled to at least lukewarm before assembling the galette.



assemble galette

heat oven to 400 degrees. on a floured counter, roll the dough out into a 12-inch round and it really doesn’t need to be perfectly shaped. transfer to a parchment-lined baking sheet; i like to fold my dough gently, without creasing, in quarters then unfold it onto the baking pan. sprinkle tomato-zucchini-corn mixture with half of parmesan and spoon the mixture into the center of the dough, leaving a 2-inch border. if any liquid has puddle in plate, try to leave it there as you spoon. sprinkle with almost all of remaining parmesan, leaving a pinch or two behind for the crust. fold the border over the filling, pleating the edge to make it fit. the center will be open. brush crust with egg yolk glaze. sprinkle glaze with last pinches or parmesan.



bake

for 30 to 40 minutes, or until puffed and golden brown. remove from the oven and let stand for 5 minutes, then slide the galette onto a serving plate. cut into wedges and serve hot, warm or at room temperature.




super delish!!

enjoy.

love sent, xo

Tuesday, August 6, 2013

10 minute dill pickles ....

and 24 hour wait time..

but...  just a few spices, some cukes (preferably from your garden) and 10 minutes of your time.
seriously, no cooking at all. and they are dilly and garlickly and you will love them.



take a quart jar and add 1 T salt, 1.5 T sugar, 1/4 t black peppercorns (heaping), 1/4 t mustard seed (heaping), 1 T chopped garlic (about 4 cloves), 1/2 cup white vinegar, and "fresh dill to taste" (i did one head of dill and a 3" section of the feathery stuff).


 add sliced cucumbers. (this was about 3 pickling cucumbers from my garden, each about 4" long. you could also use the english cucumbers from the store, but not the regular larger kind because the skin would be too tough.)


fill the jar with warm water, screw a lid on, and shake until the sugar and salt have dissolved.


 put the jar in the fridge for about 24 hours, but don't beat yourself up if you can't wait that long.
pickles will keep for up to 3 weeks.

love sent, xo

breathe it all in...

love it all out...

deep summer is here -  even tho the past few nights have felt like fall.

we are loving so many things

long walks and long conversations





beach baseball

lakeside boat rides


grilled vegetables and new beers



as many outside dinners as possible.
candles and lingering over wine

good food and fried clams
local honey




home made ice cream 



white tailed kites

summer nights


picture perfect skies


life is full. changes are plenty. good and wonderful moments too.

love sent, xo