random blurbs

we had some baby bunnies living in our nasturtiums. they've since moved out, but they were sooooo cute and tiny!

oliver has mastered the eating of things whole. he seems to prefer it if you don't cut things up into tiny pieces. he ate an entire, whole nectarine in about 2 minutes last night at dinner. i thought it would keep him busy while i made his cereal, and it did, but barely. he LOVES nectarines. he also ate an entire tofu pup. i didn't think he'd make it through even half, but he chowed down on that sucker. he is so cute when he eats big people solids! he has also started liking bananas, which he didn't use to like. he'll eat it like a big kid if you help hold it. else he'll squash it up and feed himself. whatever works. that boy does love his fruit! tomorrow he gets pears and avocados.

tuesday's dinner was stir fry. beef (all natural from the outpost, of course), green beans (from mom & dad's garden), kohlrabi (from the csa), onions, and carrots (both from our garden) over brown rice. very satisfying. bryan doesn't think he makes very good stir frys, but i'm always happy with them!

wednesday's dinner was one of our favorites, chicken with mustard mascarpone marsala. that with yellow squash and zucchini from our garden. we're generally not huge fans of chicken, but this is definitely a top recipe in our home. i daresay it is the doing of that mascarpone.




thursday, bryan made me jerk chicken. he split a whole chicken, and marinated it in a homemade jerk wet rub. he smoked it, then finished it on the grill to ensure crispy skin. as he always manages to do, the smoked chicken came out so sweet and delicious. he also made collard greens. we did not have a ham hock, so bryan used bacon. i did not complain. yellow rice and black beans completed the meal. i had been craving jerk chicken for some time and this did not disappoint.



tonight for dinner, we had a summer corn stew with beefsteak tomatoes, sun gold tomatoes, green onions, yellow squash, jalapenos, basil, and zucchini blossoms. the recipe is from deborah madison's local flavors. the actual recipe doesn't call for zucchini blossoms, but the first time we made this we had some laying around and decided to add them - they went perfectly. this is such a delicious recipe; perfect for summer. the sun gold tomatoes were sweet (as honey, bryan said), and absolutely melted in your mouth. we also grilled artichokes, and served them with a garlic sauce (simply garlic, olive oil, salt, and pepper). i thought they beat the pants off any other artichoke i've ever eaten (and we've had some very good artichokes). we'll both smell like garlic tonight. the whole meal was so delicious i don't think bryan even noticed there was no meat!! dessert was dark chocolate covered dried cherries. yes, the entire package. i swear it was small, though.

irish fest started yesterday, so hopefully we'll get a chance to head down there this weekend. oliver had so much fun at the state fair i'd love to take him for a little while. i'd also like to get my hands on some irish ale potato pancakes from mader's. they may be german, but those sound spectacular. and perhaps some dessert from the tipperary team room. just sayin'. we'll see if we get the chance; i need to do some serious cleaning, bryan's helping dad with some computer stuff, and has other projects around our house; i need to grocery shop, and i would also like to rest. srsly.

WFD this weekend: tomorrow is fish tacos - tilapia, corn tortillas, green onions, jalapeno, lettuce, tomato, sour cream. sunday i'd like to do the indian fish fry i've been dreaming up.

i think bill puts it best: life is good.