Merriment.

2400 minutes read.

each & every ripe fruit & vegetable- from the fridge... from the garden consumed.

final check-up complete as of 3:00 this afternoon... ALL clear to loosen up the diet a bit!  we've moved into "moderation mode"... conveniently *just in the nick of time to head into the food/wine mecca of california...  90 days without sugar, gluten, dairy, wine... yeah- you could say i'm pretty darn excited to reacquaint myself with a few culinary indulgences.

while i'm away for the next couple of weeks, i plan on the normal routine of going "dark" around here, but i couldn't turn the lights off without sharing this amazing granola that i made for the soon-to-be-hungry kids on the road.

...from a book that i recently ordered & have been dyin' to dig into ever since i made these [according to michelle] "numero uno" whole wheat chocolate chip cookies.  a book filled with seemingly delicious baking recipes that are both good & good for you (a combination that does not always exist within the realm of "healthy" baking).  75 recipes... 12 kinds of whole-grain flours.  cannot wait to bake my way through this one.

                                                                              

first up...

maple pecan granola from good to the grain, by kim boyce... "filled with chewy dried blueberries, shreds of coconut, and toasty pecans, this granola I grab by the handful."

 
i've tried many granolas, and this one tops the charts.  or as michelle would say, "numero uno".

...and with that, i'm off.  off to eat, drink, & be merry.  {in that order :)}

   

Pruning your garden... pruning your cabinets.

We're over at Pink Moon Daily today, with a basic how-to on tomato plant pruning.  A seemingly daunting, but actually quite easy {& highly necessary} gardening task.

As always, I'd love it if you visit us there- & even better, if you share your thoughts, tips, questions as they relate to pruning, gardening- or tomatoes in general... favorite tomato recipe??  We'd love to hear. 

By the way, have you been over to Pink Moon Daily lately?  It's good my friends.  When it comes to researching, testing, and scoping out toxin-free, safe, clean, smart products for our skin... our home, our garden, our bellies... Estelle is truly at our service.  She (along with the other contributors on our lovely little team), does the 'heavy-lifting' for us, and does not hesitate for a second when it comes to sharin' the bottom-line... in a down-to-earth, digestible manner.  

I admit, other than a few personal care products, and almost all of our home cleaning & garden tending products- I've got a long way to go in this regard.  But with the information, the tools, the tips, the product recs right there in front of me... making the switch to greener, cleaner living- one product at a time- is increasingly becoming a no-brainer.  Instead of asking, WHY??  I'm beginning to ask WHY NOT??
                                    
                                

{just a few examples of the aforementioned 'good stuff'...}

 

"the safely microwavable bag of pre-popped popcorn."

 

  {huge fans of this beloved snack, and this is a safe & convenient alternative to the 'movie theater/microwave crap' :).  we're taking a break from corn in our diet at the moment, but prior to that- we got out our trustee whirley pop on a nightly basis. popcorn n' wine... a magical combination.}

    

  

a tried & true, natural, chemical free deodorant that actually works.

             

  {melissa searched high & low for this one, and I can't wait to try it.}


AND... last but not least, a...
                                

{*click here to download this excellent guide. mine is downloaded, printed, and ready to be laminated.}

   
   

What did i tell ya??  She's there to serve us, that estelle... a clean-living heroin, in my book.

   

Let's picnic.

as of sunday, her birthday is officially over.  

happy to report, the party was a success.  we kept it sweet & simple this year... 'a backyard picnic.'

here's how it all went down.

...

                                    

an extremely excited party-lovin', birthday-lovin' 9 yr. old.

prepped & labeled sandwiches {took their order when they arrived}.

strawberry lemonade.

a slip 'n slide...

& a big ol' beach ball. 

{take-home} picnic baskets filled with 'the goods'.

an extremely sweet group of gals.

a good patch of grass, a few blankets, and lots of shade.

                                                   

a good-natured brother who played the role of "canvas" for the talented young artists.

 

collective "face" painting.

strawberry short{birthday}cake.

 

and of course, the handee-dandee blow-up pool :).

now, full-force ahead onto vacation planning, which will most definitely include many, many picnics.  the best part about summer, if you ask me.  food, sunshine, nature... swoon.
          

In the midst of summer.

Yesterday, I ventured out to the garden, and picked our very first golden yellow heirloom tomato.
 
I set it on the counter right next to the big ol' dark green watermelon... the first to appear in our csa box as of yet- & the first to be consumed since the summer of 2011.

 
Only a week left to our annual wine country vacation, and I'm over the moon excited about it.  I think more-so than I ever have been in these past five years.  This is the time of the summer where it all starts to feel a little rushed, a little too chaotic for my liking- right before our trip, right around Hailey's birthday... right when we realize that school resumes in only ONE MONTH. 
 
Plus...
 
This year, Jacob's been in summer school (which we didn't want to have him do, but realized it was pretty necessary with the load he'll be taking next year, and will make the transition into high school(!!) a bit more smooth)... and today is his last day.  So, without being a total debbie-downer, I'll just say, it's been a little less 'summery' than usual around these parts this year.  Which has been a good thing in some ways- morning time with Hailey, a pretty nice routine (usually, during these lazy-crazy months, "routine" falls to the wayside in a bad way), and I have to say- far less bickering takes place when one is gone.
 
But I'm longing for day trips & car rides with both kids in tow... windows rolled down, music turned up... for picnics & game nights... peach cobbler & blackberry pie.  After the party, after school's officially out... come Monday mornin' ~ it's ON.
 
So that's why something as simple as a very first golden yellow heirloom tomato, and a big ol' dark green watermelon made me one very happy gal.
 
And of course, I got straight to work at putting one of the two to good use {the other to follow suit this afternoon}.
 
...an heirloom tomato panzanella {by a 'napa valley chef'... gettin' in the wine-county moooood I tell ya :-)}. 
 
Garlic-y crisped oil-glistened bread, aromatic basil, in-season tomatoes.  To say "it worked" is an understatement. 
 
[*cook's notes:  used gluten-free brown rice bread, added cannellini beans, omitted the butter & cheese... still a 5-star recipe, substitutions & all...] 
 
Wishing you lots of sunshine this weekend... on the inside & out.
      

A check-in, a recap, & a slight addendum.

well, i'm knee-deep in party-planning [CLEANING] mode for this little cutie's 'backyard-picnic' party.  her actual birthday was such a perfect 'hailey-day'... a mellow, but full day with just ryan, jacob, my mom and her husband...

it all started with a donut - not just any donut- the best donut, then onward and upward to farrell's and next, just a few doors down, to color me mine... a big ol' sundae, a quiet ceramic-painting session with her and jacob, in which we chatted and admired their heavy focus and artistic talent... topped off with the long-awaited-totally-giddy present opening, and of course- the remainder of summer strawberry cake.  yep.  a pretty happy birthday it was.

although the day is done, we still have a party to throw, one a little less quiet... one that will include a few more family members, a handful of friends... lots of little picnic baskets, of course- a slip n' slide and every other "pool"-related item we own (our feeble attempt to make them forget about the reality that there is in fact, no pool), {i realize i'm going a little link-crazy here, but as of late- instagram seems to be the only 'account' that i can somewhat maintain :)}, & most definitely some type of summery strawberry treat to officially mark the occasion.

{speaking of 'summer strawberry treats' i decided to link the aforementioned strawberry cake up as last week's tried & true recipe.  i realized that it is the 4th time i've made it, the third time i've mentioned it, but have yet to write anything about it... and although it's super easy, there's one important point  for those of you who are interested in trying it out for yourself- which i highly recommend.  i updated the post with the following note...}

*not a recipe i'm trying for the first time, i'm still using it as this week's 'tried & true', because it is so incredibly good (and easy- & perfect for summer), and i wanted it to be officially represented on THE LIST. 

a quick *cook's note... if you want the strawberries to stay on top, as opposed to sinking into the cake (making them invisible until sliced & consumed), then the barley flour that she recommends using along with the white flour is key.  last summer, i made this cake a few times- the first with white only, then the second with white only, but higher-stacked strawberries (thinking this might've been the issue)... sunken strawberries on both occasions.  i finally purchased barley flour and low & behold- those babies stayed *afloat*.
   
...which for me, was in fact key, since it just makes the cake so darn pretty :).
  
{i'm assuming another dense flour would also work, but i've yet to try}

                 

The simplest, *tastiest, sauteed zucchini you'll ever meet.

                                         

Are you DROWNING in zucchini yet??

Are you tired of mushy, soggy, over-cooked squash??

Do you want to master this versatile, sweet, abundant summer delight once & for all?? 

*if yes to any or all of the above- well then, click HERE. 
   

Reigniting the spark.

used to be one of my very favorite holidays... we had more fireworks than the stand itself, or so it felt.  aunts, uncles, cousins would load 'em up and head to my grandparent's home (wherein 'diy fireworks' was entirely legal at the time).  my grandpa had already stocked up on the illegal good stuff (we didn't know & we didn't ask).  until dark, we ate up a good ol' american-summer-fare storm, and happily busied ourselves with snakes & smoke bombs.  my grandpa was at this point either a) frantically searching for that bag of firecrackers that he'd stashed away somewhere in his jam-packed garage, or b) outside scheming up some 'pinwheel attack' (or anything that fell within the realm of utilizing a designated firework to freak my grandmother out later in the evening)... he was giddier than all of us combined.  the neighbors always got an early start.  not us.  no siree.  we waited until darkness had fully set in.  and when it finally did, we loaded all the goods, made ourselves comfy in those pre-arranged lawn chairs, and created our very own 4th of july extravaganza... and many cherished memories too.
             
i've come to accept that those days are long gone.  since then, we've filled the holiday with pool parties, parades, firework shows (the kind in which we actually purchased tickets for, & others that we've pulled in to the parking lot of some arena or other), bbq's... all good fun, but no standing tradition like the days of my youth.  not to mention- a little more chaotic & less cherished.  so this year, we're taking a step back, staying out of the crowds (...the traffic... the hustle n' bustle of rushing from one event to the next), & starting a new tradition.  a morning hike, a trip to the movies, & good ol' backyard bbq.  maybe not a tradition filled with parades, confetti eggs (although, with a little advanced planning, i could make this one happen), public-pool swimming sessions, fire & sparks, OR a pyromaniac grandfather... but one of smores, sparklers, togetherness & family fun, which is really what it's all about, right?

wherever and however you celebrate, i hope it's full of spark :).

                                                     

NINE.

 It's my beautiful "baby" girl's birthday today!!!

So we spent the weekend doing a few of her favorite things, and today- we're ready to party ourselves silly.

        

 {cooking... & a big favorite... eating :)}

 {mickey mouse pancakes!}

 {time in the "pool"... time with her brother (a HUGE favorite), & of course, time laughing at silly kona (who's finally feeling better btw!)}

 {summer strawberry cake*}

{her 'birthday dinner' of choice... spaghetti n' meatballs}

And, today we're off to do even more eating at the quintessential birthday destination.

...Sleeping Beauty just woke up (& just to clarify, I'm not referring to Kona- who is still in fact sleeping :)).


*not a recipe i'm trying for the first time, i'm still using it as this week's 'tried & true', because it is so incredibly good (and easy- & perfect for summer), and i wanted it to be officially represented on THE LIST. 

a quick *cook's note... if you want the strawberries to stay on top, as opposed to sinking into the cake (making them invisible until sliced & consumed), then the barley flour that she recommends using along with the white flour is key.  last summer, i made this cake a few times- the first with white only, then the second with white only, but higher-stacked strawberries (thinking this might've been the issue)... sunken strawberries on both occasions.  i finally purchased barley flour and low & behold- those babies stayed *afloat*.
   
...which for me, was in fact key, since it just makes the cake so darn pretty :).
  
{i'm assuming another dense flour would also work, but i've yet to try}

 

No turning back.

well, we made it through 60 days of our 'alkaline cleanse'.  we need to schedule another blood cell analysis appointment to see the {hopefully improved} "after".  and in full disclosure, although we're feeling fantastic (health-wise), we still have a little more weight to lose.  so, for the most part, we're sticking to the same eating plan for the time being.  after our follow-up apt, we'll start to add WINE a few things back in... fruit(!!!), a lil' honey, maple syrup, or agave here & there... a little more meat... wheat... corn (a must in the summer, yes??)... white potatoes (although we're now pretty smitten with the sweet variety), a bit of dairy... eggs... all in much greater moderation than ever before.

some foods will be cut out altogether, and others that we've added in along the way will remain, as permanent 'pantry' staples.  almond milk, for instance.  or better yet- almond butter.  one that i've been wanting to try, but yet to do so is sunbutter.  for obvious reasons, i try to stay away from the inclusion of too many butters on the pantry staple list.  but this morning, a post titled, "Cinnamon Vanilla Sunflower Butter Recipe" just so happened to show up in my reader. 

 

so i seized the moment.

                                             

WOW.  good stuff i tell ya.  like so good that i could not stop eating it. for the kids, i paired it on with strawberries on brown rice toast.  but as jacob suggested- as a pb&j with sliced bananas and honey- or a dash of strawberry sauce- mmmm.  or on buckwheat pancakes with a touch of maple syrup-  or smeared onto apple slices- or swirled into...  

the possibilities are endless, really.

                                                                    
and now that i've seen how easy it is to make it from scratch- there's no turning back.
                

What do you do...

...when it's a hot summer Saturday in late June... in southern California, & you have a husband with load of homework, a very sick dog to tend to (she's getting better!), yet NO pool... or NO plans to get properly dressed & leave your house to be rescued by a movie screen- or a water slide theme park (that sits less than *10 minutes away)??

Well of course, you pull out every "pool/water" device known to man, lather 'em up with sunscreen, hand 'em a hose, and tell them to Enjoy.

...And throw in an old guitar & lots of library books, a heap o' bubble wrap, a 'pull-out-the carrots' assignment, and let 'em pulverized those carrots (& apples)... one by one... And before you know it "staying home" won't sound so BORING after all :).

                                      
And what do you do if you have a pile of carrots (that you cannot consume @ the moment) and a whole heck of a lotta jalapenos??

 
Well, you pickle 'em of course.
 
                  
...to spice up the many {many} taco nights in our future.
  

A perfect sweet, spicy, tangy... garlicky blend.

{I used this very loose, very simple recipe that I've had printed & filed away to try- oh, since early December (which will serve as last week's [missed] tried & true recipe).}
             

Sky's the limit.

As I mentioned the other day, this past weekend, Ryan & Jacob conquered Half Dome.  A remarkable feat.  Especially for a couple of guys with a strong aversion to heights.  But they tossed fear aside, set a goal, trained with discipline, gathered a huge load of gear, and set off for an 18 mile hiking adventure.

...

  

{phone reception was sparse, so I didn't get to view the pictures until they arrived back home... thankfully (for the sake of my sanity)}

 

{nature's beauty}

{all revved up & ready to go}

{a seemingly impossible trek}

{one of the pics i'm especially thankful that i didn't get to see... until he was safe & sound by my side (they assured me- there was a railing there)}

{somewhere... ovvver the rainbow}

{the final ascent:  400 feet to go... nearly vertical... a menacing climb}

 

{view from the top... priceless.}

...

 

Most definitely a Father's Day to remember. 

Zucchini envy.

In years past, our "harvest" did not always live up to our expectations.

Case in point: {see above} our zucchini... our aunt & uncle's zucchini.

Thankfully, our gardening skills have grown over time {& one dud after another}.  And so has our zucchini. 

 

Come visit us over at Pink Moon Daily to see how proper fertilizing took our zucchini from duds to studs.

* Two other huge factors of this 'successful turn of events'... 

1. went from drastically over [& in some cases, under]-watering to watering as needed (in early morning hours... slowly & directly on the soil- around the plants).  
2. went from very poor [cheap] to nutrient rich soil [the 'good stuff'] {see 'how we now prep our soil' here}.

 

il dolce far niente.

{the sweetness of doing nothing.}

 

while the boys were off bein' over-achievers, and hiking that little mountain called "half dome" (actually, it was a huge achievement and i'm so very proud of them... more on that later), us girls stayed home, and pretty much did nothing.

for 4 days.

thought about dressing fancy and goin' out on a mother-daughter date... about taking on a major garden project, or baking up a storm... but i know my daughter.  i know what she needs.  not wants, needs. 

 

the other stuff will happen.  but for now, for this reason, nothing was everything.

   

now, let the party-planning begin for this soon-to-be 9 yr. old. 

{{sigh}}