Wishing You A T.G.I.F

Wishing You A T.G.I.F

Jayson Home & Garden Wishbone $48

Remember when you were little

and on Thanksgiving you would beg your mom

to hand you the damn wishbone

so you could get your wishing on.

Oh, was that only me? lol

Thinking back on it 

it's rather grotesque

tearing apart bones

splintering

and splitting them in two.

But then I remind myself 

that turkeys, my friends, sleep in trees

and I imagine their big creepy

turkey caruncles 

(aka the big red ballsacks on their necks)

staring down at me from a dark branch.

and I scream! 

and I forget all about my bone crunching remorse.

In fact those nightmares kind of make me want to 

take up turkey hunting.

But I digress.

Wishing you a happy Friday!

and a wonderful, turkey-nightmare free weekend.

O.M.G. Love; Caitlin McGauley Illustration

O.M.G. Love; Caitlin McGauley Illustration

So you all know

that I am a teensy bit obsessed with illustration.

I might compromise my morals

for a good watercolor.

Luckily my morals are lacking to begin with :)

I joke, but seriously

I would sacrifice 

someone else's limbs

for one of these sweet Caitlin McGauley illustrations.

Sadly I think I'll be left lusting

because I don't think she has an Etsy shop.

But apparently her work is all over Lonny, 

and you can win a painting of hers from them here.

Give me a good watercolor of an espresso machine & a wonderfully decorated interior over a landscape any day.

A Little Sweetness

A Little Sweetness

Apparently there is a tariff to be paid 

for delicious, organic, hand picked blueberries.

In this case the price was my skin.

Yes, yesterday was a day of reds whites & blues.

My red & white skin offset the bluest of blueberries.

But tonight was the sweetest revenge

as I enjoyed fresh blueberry compote

the fruit of all my labor.
The perfect ice cream topping.

So delicious.

Ingredients

• 2 cups frozen blueberries
• 3 tablespoons water
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 2 teaspoons lemon juice

Directions

Combine 1 cup of the blueberries, water, sugar and lemon juice in a small saucepan. Cook over a medium heat for about 10 minutes. Add the rest of the blueberries and cook for 8 minutes more, stirring frequently. Serve warm. 

Thank you Foodnetwork. You made my blueberries really special!

A Bucket of Blueberries

A Bucket of Blueberries

If you want to find some simple goodness

look no further than a bucket of blueberries

hand-picked 

on a Sunday afternoon in Santa Barbara

So sweet.

And the picking process, it satisfies some ancient

hunter-gatherer urge

to, well, hunt & gather! lol

The bf & I are quite the competitors. 

So it became a little game of 

who could find the "big daddy" blueberries lol

Other farm guests probably wondered what was going on 

when they heard people yelling

"oh yeah that's a big daddy there!"

Not something often uttered among fields of berries :)

The icing on the cake was the little goats

just relaxing in the shade.

I should have joined them there

since I got a little burnt! lol

Hope you had a great weekend

& check out a "U-pick" in your area

T.G.I.F.

T.G.I.F.

 It's been awhile since I acknowledged T.G.I.F. with a sweet weekend playlist

but the weather is just right here today and we had a bbq at my work

all of which has put me in a dreamy, summer-afternoon mood

which is oh-so-conducive to slacking off & playing cool tunes.

I think I'm going to try & go berry picking this weekend, taking a cue from Coeur de La

Find some nice juicy ones perfect for jamming.

 That or be a beach bum, bike down to the sand and take a long nap.

Whichever. :)

Happy Weekend!

Create a MySpace Music Playlist at MixPod.com

what are you up to this weekend?

Tilapia + Escarole = Yum

Tilapia + Escarole = Yum

It's hard to get your leafy greens in.
Especially when you are dating someone
who considers cookies
leafy greens.
Yes he is that ridiculous! lol
But I have tricked my man with yet another
slight of hand.
Tilapia & Escarole from Foodnetwork.
A few hidden red potato wedges beneath the layer of escarole (I use spinach)
give it a really hearty flavor
Add some garlic, lemon & you have a delicious dish.
I used dill here, instead of the other herbs on the Tilapia.
Tricks him into eating healthy every time!

Ingredients

nocoupons

• 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 12 ounces baby fingerling potatoes, halved, or small red-skinned potatoes, quartered
• 4 cloves garlic, smashed
• 1 head escarole (about 1 1/4 pounds), torn into pieces
• Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
• 1 1/4 pounds tilapia fillets, patted dry
• 2 sprigs fresh oregano, leaves torn
• Juice of 1 lemon

Directions

Heat 1/4 cup of the olive oil in a large deep skillet with a lid over medium heat. Place the potatoes in the pan cut-side down. Add the garlic and cook until the potatoes are slightly golden and crisp, 4 to 5 minutes. Add the escarole, season with salt and pepper, then add about 1/3 cup water. Cover and steam until the escarole wilts, about 5 minutes.
Season the fish with salt and pepper; place on top of the greens in the pan and sprinkle with the oregano leaves. Cover and steam until the fish is just cooked through, about 5 more minutes.
Meanwhile, whisk the lemon juice in a bowl with the remaining 1/4 cup olive oil; season with 1 teaspoon salt and plenty of pepper.
Carefully lift the fish off the greens and transfer to rimmed plates or bowls. Distribute the greens, potatoes and pan juices around the fish. Drizzle with the lemon-pepper oil.

and if he's good (or bad depending on my mood) he might just get his version of a leafy green. . .