Wednesday, July 29, 2009

a tale of two muffins

it was the best of muffins, it was the worst of muffins...

i don't know about you, but i'm pretty concerned with using up every last bit of produce that comes into this home. (just so you know the rules: putting it in the compost bin doesn't count. sharing does, but only if i've already cooked/baked it into some type of deliciousness.) so this week i continued my quest at conquering the ridiculous amount of csa food that enters my home with what i like to call "a tale of two muffins." mostly because one batch fulfilled my wildest muffin dreams and the other ended up in the trash.

my wildest muffin dreams?! yes, i have wild muffin dreams. in reality, my muffins are filled with flax and whole wheat and other moving ingredients. i dream about blueberry muffins that dance on the line between muffin and cupcake. this week, dream became reality! this lady is a genius.



and then reality crashed back on my head with my idea to make a batch of muffins from a mayo clinic cookbook recipe. bleh. i couldn't even get my dog to eat them. i even made them off limits, thinking that would increase interest. i was wrong.



but i don't stay down for long. since i borrowed another kitchenaid and yes, another week's worth of veggies got here today, and yes, i am leaving tomorrow afternoon, i have spent the last 3 hours in the kitchen. i've come up with a huge batch of salsa, fresh herb bread, biscotti, and two types of zucchini bread. so far, they're all winners!

while i'm gone, go play on this blog...i've now tried three of her recipes (oh! another chance to use parenthesis! blueberry boy bait, lemony zucchini pizza, and almond biscotti.) they are all winners!!!

until next week, many happy adventures!

Monday, July 27, 2009

no sleep 'til dc

apparently that's the motto i am functioning under! seriously, what was i thinking trying to cram every ounce of summer enjoyment into one weekend?! i am paying the price, dear friends, but not looking for a refund at all.

our friday night plans included fine dining at the newest lindley restautant, public house. joining us for a fantastic date night were st. louis transplants, molly and brian. molly has tried to convince me of the following two things recently: sundresses are not mandatory for every function and the food at public house is decidedly delicious and definitely all-american. i mentioned she was from st. louis for a reason. that food she so loves...it is southern through and through! parts of the menu read like my collection of southern cookbooks. the dessert menu was the epitome of our regional fare, banana pudding, caramel cake, you get the idea. josh and i split (relished, devoured, indulged in...) three of the small plates; quail with balsamic vinegar blackberries on a bed of grits, house made cheese with an heirloom tomato salad and chattanooga sour dough bread, and scallops with an apple slaw. i believe i allowed josh 2 bites of the grits before claiming that as a southern born girl, it is so obviously my birth rite to eat the grits!

we headed out to the theater for josh's contribution to the evening, star trek in imax. let's leave this portion of the adventure at this: my stomach was not so bold as to go where no man has gone before and i was forced to concede to the ginormatron screen and exit the building after 30 minutes. as soon as the movie let out, me, my belly full of grits, my obligatory sundress, and my grit-less but star trek satiated man took the long walk home.

saturday brought a whole new adventure for us in the form of an early morning trip to nashville for the rei garage sale. if you don't know me well, let me preface this portion with this: it is my firm belief that i have a divine gift at shopping. besides sleeping, it is what i do best in life. i like, as with all things, for there to be a bit of competition in my shopping. show me a line full of crazy people trying to get bargains, i will join it, i will dominate it, i will emerge victoriously! and so it went with the rei sale. our loot included this sweet watch for josh and new trail runners for me at ridiculously low prices.



to celebrate our triumphs, we matched our wits with a new portion of the fiery gizzard trail and had a great time! i realized while looking through the pictures that hiking gear is not too flattering and i apparently am getting crows feet, so this one picture will have to suffice for one incredible afternoon trek.



as soon as we got home and got clean, we hopped on the shuttle and headed out to the free movie in the park. for three years now i have begged and pleaded with every friend i have to join me for a picnic in the park and these movies in july. i've had no takers. when molly called and asked me if i wanted to go, i nearly exploded with joy!




mason and cameron joined us, but didn't make it in to any pics! sorry! josh and i are contemplating this mis-step...

sunday morning i woke up with a full on sinus headache. sheer force of will got me out of bed and headed to church. after a weekend of so much fun, i felt i was certainly headed for a let down...and then we started the morning with this:

this is my Father's world, and to my list'ning ears,
all nature sings, and round me rings the music of the spheres.
this is my Father's world; i rest me in the thought
of rocks and trees, of skies and seas; his hands the wonders wrought.

this is my Father's world, the birds their carols raise,
the morning light, the lily white, declare their Maker's praise.
this is my Father's world: he shines in all that's fair;
in the rustling grass i hear Him pass, he speaks to me everywhere.

this is my Father's world, o let me ne'er forget
that thought the wrong seems oft so strong; God is the ruler yet.
this is my Father's world: the battle is not done:
Jesus who died shall be satisfied, and earth and heav'n be one.


what hope! what great hope!

Tuesday, July 21, 2009

hanna marie d

has gotten my hooked on the goods at supermarket.

check out this new addiction. seriously cute stuff, huh? i especially like this bag design and may have to use it as a starting point for a new bag to take to dc. that's right kids, we're going to dc at the end of the month for our 7 year anniversary and josh's 30th birthday. i absolutely can't wait! a great city and one of my great girlfriends, the aforementioned-habit inducing-hanna marie d!



i guess i spent too much time obsessing over this bag today; that homemade pizza i promised just did not happen. what did happen was a nice walk to lupi's for their handmade pizza. mapmyrun.com tells me that our 3 mile walk to dinner conveniently burned at least 184 calories, plus we got to spend that time hanging out with our friends. now, i think that's a much better adventure than eating at home!

Monday, July 20, 2009

an apron day


that's what i unofficially call days like today. days when i wake up, put on an apron over my clothes and leave it there all day. days that have included 6 loads of laundry, a double batch of bread, and blueberry boy bait...yes, blueberry boy bait. fun to say, funner to eat! get the recipe here.

thanks to jenny i've found a whole new blog to stalk! woo hoo! i think tomorrow night i'll attempt the lemony zucchini pizza, with the addition of my homemade sundried tomato pesto. yum!

i just took the boy bait out of the oven and let me offer some notes on it. the yield looked huge, so i used my 2 9x9s instead of the 9x13. now, when i return the almighty (and completely coveted, hint, hint;) kitchenaid 5 quart pro to my friend, i have a little treat to take her!



second, i decided to stuff a whole lot more blueberries in there. seemed like a great idea to me! but, my topping all sunk to the bottom, so i don't know 'bout that. i'm pretty sure it'll still taste delicious!

ok, apparently that laundry i washed ought to be folded and put away, the bread baked, and a nice long bike ride taken before i get dinner on the table. tonight: heirloom tomatoes with basil and feta, veggie kebabs with oregano, lemon, garlic, and olive oil, burgers, and homemade buns!

Sunday, July 19, 2009

ps.

our windows are open. they will stay that way through the night. in july! i can't get over it!

this may have been the perfect weekend

it started thursday. i woke up early, made breakfast and turned on the news. do you know what the weather man told me? i had a weekend of clear skies, low humidity, and low summer temps to look forward to. what?! are you kidding?! in mid-july?! plans must be made! 80 degree summer time weather is not to be wasted indoors! kids, i had to get my gameface on!

friday night's wedding was beautiful. the bride, becca, and i have been good friends since we moved to chattanooga three years ago. she is an all around great girl and part of what i love about our new hometown! love her! it is an honor to call her a friend and a joy to see her love for her now husband, kendal. many happy returns to the new couple!


these two girls make life great! so many, many pics and memories of the three of us.

saturday we were up and at'em early! i grabbed the best adventure gal pal i have, laura, and headed up raccoon mountain at 7 am (what were we thinking, its the weekend!) to enjoy the cool weather, beautiful views, and great trails. it was fantastic! look at this girl go!



as i headed home i realized exactly how much i needed to squeeze in to these precious, delicious moments of mild summer weather. i grabbed the dog, a poop bag, and my key and headed out for a walk. when i got back 45 minutes later, josh was sitting on the front porch locked out and just waiting. now, for those of you who know us, you'll realize the irony of this. i am perpetually locked out of the house. i can't seem to remember my keys. ever. josh does not have this problem. except when i have his keys! yes, this caused me further delight in our fine weather!

next up was a girls clothing swap at my friend's house down the street. now, you'll notice i've packed a lot in so far and it is only 10:30 am. there has been no shower since yesterday afternoon...and i have danced the night away, ran 5 miles, and now walked my dog. there's no time! fun is left to be had and it will be mine! well, i didn't let a silly old thing like hygiene slow me down; no, i packed up my sewing machine and closet cast offs and set out! i returned victoriously (and still a little stinky to be honest) with a vintage dress, a darling j crew sundress, and two new winter skirts. woo hoo!

from there, off to the pool for a little napping and reading of this book. did you see and love stardust? i totally did and even though this was one of josh's 30 days of birthday gifts, i thought i might break it in for him.



finally we returned home and i forced myself to take 10 minutes and attend to my bathing needs while our veggie calzones baked away. an inspired idea occurred to me and i threw in a batch of sugar cookies overloaded with blackberries.

why the cookies? because of course up next was a trip to the drive in to see harry potter with some of my all time favorite families! $5 to get in? a huge grassy lawn to play on? ridiculously beautiful views? perfect sunset? yes, please. i allowed the 50 degree weather, my warm blanket and the big screen to lull me to sleep in a matter of moments after the movie began. i maintain that i got my money's worth!










this morning we might have accidentally (ok, totally on purpose) slept through church so we could eat roast veggies and poached eggs on toast in the backyard. i practically woke up singing with excitement about peach day at the market. we returned victoriously with one huge basket of bruised peaches for $5, 2 pints of blueberries, 1 gallon of blackberries, 2 pounds of lamb chops and 2 kinds of goat cheese. i have never felt so rich in all my life!

so tonight, after a bike ride around chickamauga battlefield and one of those irritatingly obligatory showers, i created this feast.







roast chicken with lemons, garlic, and thyme. roast potatoes and onions with rosemary. fried okra. fresh wheat french bread. tomato salad with feta and basil. and a peach blackberry cobbler for dessert.

now that's what i call a pretty perfect weekend. i'm already planning what we'll do next weekend...

Friday, July 17, 2009

blog jam

its just like writers block...and its what happens when i rest from this for too long. here's all i have to say for now:

i made a new dress. it took me four tries, so please try and really, truly appreciate it.

the prototypes will become three skirts and at least two tops, each a totally different style and fabric. it was worth all that to have a cute summer dress to wear to the remainder of our summer wedding commitments!

ok, i have to get to bed! our 4.5 mile trail run at 7 is already daunting enough...i don't want to start exhausted!!! right now i am pretending like i intend to do the 11 mile portion of the stump jump. we'll see if that's the kind of adventure i really want.

Wednesday, July 1, 2009

afternoon update


josh just got home from the farm. he had a blast and he did not come empty handed! he adopted some rather sad looking veggies and instructions from padgett to "use them immediately!"

i'm not sure she meant within 5 minutes of them entering your home, but i needed to be fed! i washed, chopped and threw them in a pan. the tomatoes, zucchini, peppers, squash, and carrots are roasting away with a little garlic, olive oil, and thyme. hopefully, in about 20 minutes i'll get to throw them in the blender and finally sit down with a bowl of roasted veggie soup. just what the dr ordered!

i'll let you know how it turns out!

lisa at rest

today i'd like to:

go to sequatchie cove farm for my weekly work share shift

get the house clean and ready for my parents' visit

finish repairing clothes for my friends

make some belated birthday gifts

continue work on the jacket i am obsessing over

my body did not get that memo. oh no, my body decided, "hey, this is an awfully busy week for lisa! let's get sick so she gets nothing done! yay!" boys and girls, i am out for the count, laying on the couch, drinking plenty of fluids, taking antibiotics and praying that i really will mend by independence day.

when i get these occasional bouts of imposed "rest" i mostly lay around thinking about all the things i'd like to accomplish. it's a very irritating habit. at some point last summer i realized that i very often wished i was someone new. not to say i didn't like me at all, i just constantly evaluate my life as it stands and my life as i would like it to be. after seeing the disparity between the two lists i have worked very hard to be the person i want to be.

is that weird? i don't know that we all stop and think about who we really would like to be. my list was pretty short. some of it was very silly. for instance, a new one i have added is, "i would like to not wear toenail polish and still feel fashionable."

so today, as i lay on the couch getting frustrated about being sick, i am reminded that i decided i wanted to be the type of person who was at peace. not idle, lazy peace, but faith-filled, submissive peace that welled up from a simple acceptance of God's goodness, grace, and providence for me.