Strawberry Tomato Gazpacho

For Dinner Tonight:

1 # Fresh Strawberries

1 # Fresh Tomatoes

4 oz. Olive Oil

4 T Balsamic Vinegar

A Handfull of Basil Leaves.

Puree. Chill. Serve. 

( For variations add raw garlic, a few slivers of onion, some salt, substitute sherry vinegar, add a cucumber). 

This is delicious and rich, perhaps serve as an appetizer. It's perfect with a dry rosé.

The state of my tumblr versus my blog is a pretty good indication of my inner life these days. The blog that's supposed to be for informing friends and family of goings-ons, and for sharing interests and inspirations is pretty blank. And the tumblr, full of my useless web wanderings and my endless wishlist is still alive and kicking. I've got the gimmees, I've got the oughts, and I've got hardly anything done lately.

The last few months have been hard. The good news is that we've installed wonderful renters into our dated little Idaho home, but only after half a year of paying its expensive mortgage, utilities, repairs and yard work bills in addition to our own expensive historic district rent and bills. The toll on our credit card and lifestyle has been quite staggering and frankly, I'm tired of lentils and the recurring news of another hole worn through the elbow of another of Zeb's shirts. I've spent so much of my energy in the last few months shopping for a stainless steel refrigerator that I'll never get to use and creating a legally binding lease and worrying if we will survive that I didn't have much left over. In addition we've decide to rethink our life direction, because that's always a fun thing to do. Philadelphia and that shiny English and Publishing degree might be out for me. I'm considering more down to earth degrees (ones that might land me a money job instead of a hobby job). Zeb is considering a career that could send us anywhere in the U.S. At the moment we have no idea what we'll be doing or where we'll be in six months.  For a seven year plan gal like myself that is stressful. It's also probably very good for me. 

Memorial Day weekend was wonderful.

We had cookouts and we went to the beach.

And we made stuff.

I felt my many month headache begin to melt away. Three days away from the brain dead-ness that work requires gave me hope that I might be able to clear out these cobwebs and get my game back. Making stuff helps, so I'll be doing more of that and posting progress here. Cooking helps and I'm always doing that (loving Thai Style Chicken and Rice Soup, Axon's Lentil Salad, Black Bean Quinoa Salad, and Orangette's Meatballs). Not giving myself goals helps. Not writing much. 

Living in the moment is so difficult sometimes. But I'll try my darndest because really, in spite of myself, these moments are not so bad. They're actually quite wonderful if I can just let them be.

How a Shoe Can Make One Happy

Anthropologie was good to me last night.

These lovelies on sale ($25 down from $90) + a return + a gift card with the last of the wedding money = justification for a pair of shoes that's a half size too small and out of season.

The Busyness...

...of the weekend includes:

A (free!) lecture by Michael Pollan at the Baltimore Library

The annual Thrift Store Marathon to fight Summer Wardrobe Panic.

Listening to a few missed episodes of This American Life while folding cranes and cherry blossoms for a project.

Another batch of this soup (amazing!) with salad on the side of course. 

St. John's College graduation - congrats to Tadd and Stephen!

The fifth season of The Wire.

(Free!) Mini - facials at Origins.

Oi! It's a lot! Better start. Bye.

The Trouble With Salads

The following post is the result of me being a very spoiled brat. No one should complain about the things I'm about to complain about. Keep in mind that I am every day thankful and I have nothing bad to say, really, about the wonderful fresh bounty of the earth that comes from my CSA. But I'm a whiner by nature, so here goes: what the freakin frak do I do with all the greens?

Every CSA I've heard of is a little lopsided somehow - bushels of tomatoes or pounds of potatoes; mine shells out bags and bags and bags of salad greens (in Ziploc just to be contradictory I think). They're delicious and there is no end to the variety (Mizuna, Totsoi, Red Romaine, Baby Spinach, Arugula, Micro Greens, Pea Shoots, Corn Shoots, Flowering Chervil, Red Lola Lettuce, Mustard Greens, Bok Choy Blossoms), but seriously, how many different ways can you combine leaves and grass? For what makes up dinner 3 nights a week I need some new ideas. I feel like I've tried everything:

Here with radishes and an unidentified greenery (we're pretty sure it's just clover picked from some meadow).

Here with Nasturtium Blossoms.

Here with Pomegranate Seeds and Prosciutto

Here with tomatoes and hard boiled eggs (and a flop of a dill and salmon soup, blech).

I've added avocados, feta, goat cheese, parmesan, blue cheese, pears, nutritional yeast, chicken, olives, pine nuts, almonds.

I know, I know, it's a pretty good problem to have. But...new ideas for salad greens, please? Anyone? Help?

Lately

The water became our friend, not our enemy. 

Crab season opened.

It's been sunny with just a hint of muggy.

He's been wearing his cap in a way I sure like. 

Spring is going well here.