SUMMER FOOD LOVE
There are a few foods that I just can't get enough of this summer. I haven't tried many new recipes, sticking more with the simple, tried and true, in season, local. But, in my opinion, that is the best eating!
One simple recipe that I love is fresh bing cherries, cooked down in a balsamic-brown sugar reduction, over vanilla bean ice cream. Oh. My. Goodness. I don't really know amounts, and they aren't important anyway. Just pit a bunch of cherries and throw them in a skillet with a generous amount of melted butter. Really, do be generous. This isn't the recipe to try and cut calories. And please, whatever you do, don't use some fake nasty stuff. No margarine or Can't Believe It's Not Butter or whatever. If you are tempted to use something fake, don't even bother with this recipe.
Anyway, to the melted butter and cherries, add some brown sugar and balsamic vinegar. If I had to give amounts, I would say somewhere in the ballpark of 1/2-1 stick of butter, maybe 1/2 cup of brown sugar, and 1/8 a cup of balsamic vinegar. But really, change it as much as you like. Cook it all down for awhile, maybe 10 minutes or so, and spoon it warm over vanilla ice cream. A gingersnap or biscotti would be a wonderful addition too.
Another summer staple around here has been the personal pizzas. I know, nothing earth shattering but it has consistently been making our family happy 1-2 nights a week. Making personal pizza crusts takes almost no more time than making one large crust but the fun factor is increased exponentially. I don't have a pizza crust recipe that I love yet, I am still experimenting. If you have a tried and true one you use, please share it! For now, I have been using different recipes, and often resorting to the cheap, prepackaged crusts that you just add water to and roll out. I bake them for about 5 minutes, put them on plates, and set out different toppings on the counter and the boys have a blast topping their own pizzas. We do this a lot on Mondays, when the hubby and I go on date night. Letting the boys make personal pizzas and watch a movie makes the night special for them too.
The boys typically keep it simple with sauce, mozzarella, and pepperoni. I love fresh spinach, feta, thin slices of tomato, mushrooms, artichoke hearts, sun dried tomatoes, caramelized onions, etc. I will often top mine with whatever fresh produce needs to be used up such as squash (lots of squash this time of year!). The personal pizzas are great for quick lunches after a morning in the pool and the kids really love the chance to make their pizza just the way they want it.
We have also been enjoying lots of other quintessentially summer foods...
corn on the cob
low country boil
fresh berries
fruit and yogurt parfaits with homemade granola

What foods are you loving this summer?

FAMILY CONNECTIONS
I have been thinking a lot lately about family and siblings and brothers, as we are only seven short weeks from bringing another family member home. I have been enjoying the laid back pace of summer with my boys, spending hours every day with my tired feet propped up, watching them play in the pool, wrestle, build legos, and just do fun little brother things together.

I have been thinking about how fast their childhoods are going by. My oldest just lost his first tooth. He is starting first grade this fall, which just seems so much more serious than kindergarten. I am seeing him really change and mature and while I am proud and happy, I am also sad. I just want to freeze this time, hold on to them a little longer. I don't know why I seem to enjoy my children so much more during the summer. I just love to watch them at the beach or pool, their sweet little tan bodies running around. Gosh, they are just so cute!! And they get along so much better. I love to see them relating with each other. I love to see them comfort each other and help each other and to feel safe with each other.

I was encouraged as I thought about my own brothers (pictured above, with my Dad). We were also homeschooled and spent a lot of time together building forts, playing in the woods, dressing up, getting in trouble. I realized a few weeks ago that I have not lived in the same house as my siblings in ten years. We all are doing our own thing, living our own lives, having different experiences. It is weird to think about how different our lives are now, these people that I knew better than anyone else for most of my life. One brother is about to be deployed to Iraq (bottom in picture). One just graduated college and is trying to decide what direction to go next (far right). And the other brother is in school and married (top). In spite of the years it has been since we lived in the same home, we are still close. One brother was here at my house tonight, playing with the boys and talking to Matt about life. Within the last hour, I have spoken to my other two brothers on the phone. I am very thankful for those family connections that have changed and matured over the years. I am thankful for all the history that we share, the inside jokes, the memories, the traditions.

And even though sometimes I am sad to see my children growing up so fast, I am encouraged when I think about the relationships that I have with my siblings and the hope that I have that these years my boys have in the same house will also result in strong ties as adults. I hope that they will feel a companionship and safety and confidence in their brothers because of their time together as children.

(I also have a little sister, Darcie, who is ten. I was almost eighteen when she was born. I could say a lot about her and how she uniquely changed and added to our family but this particular stream of consciousness was more about my childhood interactions with my brothers. Not trying to leave Darcie out though!).

TODAY FROM THE FARMER'S MARKETI didn't get much today and only spent $12. Plus, the prices had fallen on a lot of the produce, as it is becoming more abundant. People who think that fresh produce is too expensive have obviously never eaten in-season foods in an agricultural area. It is dirt cheap this time of year in south GA.

10 pounds of peaches $9 (they are only $0.50 a pound if you go to the farm and pick yourself. I will probably go in July).
8 ears of corn $1.50
1 onion $0.50
4 squash $1

I admit, I was a little disappointed in the corn this week. It was small to begin with, and once I shucked them, half of the cobs were eaten up with worms. I saw another vendor whose corn looked much bigger and better but I had already purchased this corn. Next week I will probably purchase from the other vendor. For $1.50, I am not going to get too upset about it. The corn that was left was still very good!

Caedmon was interviewed for the local news and his thoughts on the farmer's market were very cute (he said that the sweet corn is what keeps him coming back every week. That, and seeing the chickens and dogs.).

After we left the farmer's market, we made a spontaneous trip to my parent's house where everyone pitched in to pick me at least two days worth of blueberries (1 1/2 gallons) while I stood at the bushes and ate them as fast as I could pick them. :)

I love Saturday mornings.

30 WEEKS

LOVE FOR MY DADDYMy daddy just made my night. Possibly my week. There are two things you should know, before I tell you what amazing awesomeness he did for me tonight.

1. No one in my family "gets" my daddy like I do. He is not naturally verbally affirmative, he drives everyone crazy asking a 1,000 seemingly meaningless questions, works hard, and grins like the Cheshire cat when embarrassed. In a word, he is me. Or should I say, I am him.
In my mind, he can do no wrong. He asks lots of questions because he is analytical and needs more information before he can form an opinion about something. He loves us but has a hard time communicating it in words. He shows love for us through his ACTIONS. He works hard and provides well for his family. He went to all our baseball and soccer games. He comes to my sons' sports games. To me, his love is readily apparent. To other members of my family, especially the ones who receive love best through VERBAL AFFIRMATION, they just don't get him. But I also show love through DOING and so for me, it is easy to see the myriad of ways he loves and serves his family.
Also, if he were to read this, he would be embarrassed and would act like I was crazy.
One of my favorite things about him is that he grins from ear to ear when he serves communion at church, or during a baptism, and throughout my entire wedding. He tries not to but he can't help it. And I grin when I watch him.

2. The second thing is, I love blueberries. They are my #1 favorite food on earth and I anxiously await blueberry season every year, pestering daddy about the bushes every time I see him, wanting to know how much longer, has he been watering them enough, will it be a good season this year (the 1,000 questions!).

Tonight, he showed up at my door with a bag of the very first blueberries of the season. He had just picked them for me moments before. And then, he got in his truck and drove them to my house. And he grinned when he handed them to me.

Now, an hour later, I have an empty bag, a tummy full of blueberries, a lump in my throat, and big silly tears rolling down my face. Because my daddy just made me awfully gosh-darn happy tonight.

*Creative commons image from lepiaf.geo on flickr.com

LIVING LOCAL
Today's Farmer's Market Purchases

Peaches $9
Blackberries $7
Sourdough Bread $3
Lettuce $4 ($2 per head)
Corn (6 ears) $1.50
Pole Beans (1 pound) $1.50
TOTAL: $26

I absolutely love going to the farmer's market. It is a recent addition to our town, this being only the second year it has been regularly held. And it is wonderful. It brings me immense amounts of happiness to spend Saturday morning with my family at the Farmer's Market. Being out in the sunshine, handing my money to the people that grew the food I am purchasing, discussing different recipes is pure heaven. The kids ran around, petting dogs, blackberry juice dripping down their chins, sometimes with their own purchases in their hands. This morning, we ran into 7-8 families that we knew. The kids played around our feet while the adults discussed when certain crops will be in season and how much we paid for the sweet corn. It was pure local happiness.
After we left the farmer's market, we had breakfast at the donut shop just down from our house. The owner lives in our neighborhood and my husband sells him the ingredients that he uses in his restaurant. As we ate, we chatted with the older lady at the table next to us. She also lives in our neighborhood and walks her dog by our house every day. She has had many conversations with my children as they play in the yard. As we finished up our breakfast, a family walked in who's daughter is getting married next Saturday. I am directing the wedding. We discussed a few wedding details before we left.
I love living a community oriented life. It really enriches our day to day interactions and gives value to the quotidian.

For more (lots, lots more!) on the importance and impact of eating locally, I suggest reading Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver.

EXERCISES IN AWARENESS, #3 (today's lunch)

Record everything you eat in a day. Also, the time you ate it, what was going on around you, your emotional state, etc. How did the foods you ate affect your well being that day?

**I thought this would be a good exercise for me to do today, after a week of mindless eating at the beach. I notice that just the act of practicing awareness helps me make better food choices. I don't want to write down that I had a moment of weakness and ate half a bag of marshmellows, so therefore, I am less likely to eat them!**

FOOD JOURNAL FOR TUESDAY, MAY 26, 2009

10:15 AM: Very hungry. Kids have already been fed, so I am cooking just for myself. I am intentional about focusing just on the food I am eating, resisting the urge to turn on my cell phone or computer, or open a book, or make a to-do list. Instead, I sit at the table and force myself to eat slowly and really enjoy it. It feels a little weird but is relaxing.

-2 eggs, scrambled (eggs from my mom's chickens, seasoned with some of my new sea salt and pepper).
-1 piece of Ezekiel 4:9 sprouted cinnamon raisin bread, toasted with butter and local honey
-Large glass of ice water (3rd for the morning).

1:45 PM: Slightly hungry. Feeling a little frazzled, and am glad it is Bauer's nap time. Used the computer while I ate.
-A personal pizza of sorts. An Ezekiel 4:9 sprouted grain tortilla, topped with tomato sauce, fresh spinach, onion, and a little feta cheese. Heated through. Yummy.
-Large glass of ice water (5th of the day).

6:45 PM: Gnawing-off-my-arm -hungry. While fixing dinner for the family, I wolf down...
-Matt's Japanese left-overs from the night before (rice, zucchini, onions, chicken).
-Handful of yellow raisins
-Large glass of ice water (glass 8 or 9 for the day). Eating all this quickly leaves me with awful heartburn.

8:15 PM: Greatly anticipating my dessert for the evening. Enjoyed with much gusto and lip-smacking.
-Small cup of Strawberry Lemon Love Coconut Bliss ice-cream.

9:30 PM: Settled in with a book (rereading Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver) and wanted something sweet.
-1 cup of frozen grapes. Yummy. Perfect ending to the day.

HARVESTING SEA SALTI was turned on to the idea of harvesting sea salt from the wonderful River Cottage Family Cookbook, which I first read about here.
This last week afforded the perfect opportunity, as we vacationed with our family at Fripp Island, off the coast of South Carolina.
The process was as simple as lugging a stock pot full of sea water back home and straining it (we used a kitchen towel and coffee filter in lieu of cheesecloth), then boiling it down for several hours. It reminded me of making butter. For the longest time, nothing seems to happen and you think it isn't going to work, and then, within just a moment or two, bam!, you have butter (or in this case, sea salt). It happens very quickly. It just looks like a pot of water for several hours until all but about an inch of water has boiled away. That is when you start to notice salt crystals forming on the surface of the water. One stock pot afforded about 7 heaping tablespoons of salt.
The men/critics of our group refused to touch our "toxic waste sea salt" but after copious amounts of googling, it seems that my sea salt is just as safe to eat as any I could buy. Even Fleur de Sel is harvested by a sea town, as is most salt, apparently.
I think harvesting sea salt will become one of my annual beach traditions.

EXERCISES IN AWARENESS, #2
Record all the sounds you hear in the course of one hour.

~12:44-1:44 PM, Monday afternoon~
Hum of the fridge
Cartoon on TV
College neighbor next door, starting his massive truck
Squeal of the postman's delivery truck tires
Children's voices
Toy dragging across the floor
Cellphone ringing
Fan whirring
Child screaming
AC blowing
Blind being pulled down
Sound machine
Side of crib being pulled up
Velcro fastening
Footsteps
Trash can, rolling over gravel
Nerd candies, pouring from box
Paper flipping
Wicker creaking
Car doors slamming
Car accelerating
Raindrops falling on leaves, through trees
Pantry door opening, closing
Mailbox, opening, closing
Crunching of ice
Typing
Drawers opening and closing
Clothespins snapping
Clothes coming off the line, being shaken, folded
Knocking on front door
Men's voices (Air conditioner repairmen, yay!)
Dishwasher running

I was surprised at how many different sounds I heard, during a relatively quiet time (children's naps). I was also surprised at how little I usually notice...these sounds comprise the background noise of my day. It wasn't until I tried to be aware of the sounds around me that I even noticed them at all.

*Creative Commons image from striatic on flickr.com

EXERCISES IN AWARENESSIn an on-going attempt to be aware, thankful, intentional, creative, simple, grateful, and live a slow, meaningful life...I thought I would do a series of Exercises in Awareness...little things that either stimulate my creativity, encourage simple interactions with my children, force me to slow down, to notice new details, etc. I may do one a day, or sometimes only one a week. I am not going to put strict parameters on it and make it complicated. I have a List of 100 ideas that I found online (I will put up the link later) that I am going to pull from to get me started.

Today:

List your 10 most important things (not including animals or people).
1. My house.

2. Living an unhurried, simple, content life.

3. Nature.

4. Books.

5. Ergo.

6. Macbook.

7. Church.

8. Bubble baths in the claw foot tub.

9. Good food/cooking.

10. Date night.

What are your 10?