Salt Waste

(Mine wasn't this beautiful.)

We got red beets in our farm box this week. Sometimes, I let my beets go directly to compost. They are so messy to cook! Everything gets stained fuchsia.
But, my latest Sunset had this recipe that motivated me. I cooked the beets up straight away. Salt Crusted Beets with Avocado, Lavender & Thyme. This sounded great!
They were fun to make, as it involved squishing 3 lbs of salt with egg whites, water & herbs. Then you mound the mixture around the beets & pat it on good. They did turn out tasty. But, I'm not sure they tasted any different from roasted beets that are just tossed with s & p & evoo. The lavender seemed too subtle. It seemed to me that this method is just a waste of salt.

Better in Red

Delphiniums come in red now. I think they are gorgeous.

The Kids Again

Here are a couple favorites from the roll of "real" film I just got developed.

Lovely

I didn't get too many photos at the wedding. And, the only ones that turned out were on my camera with b & w film.

Here is Debbie, the great young lady whose wedding flowers I got to put together. She was a lovely bride. She was so calm, even right before the ceremony. She was holding Peyton & letting him totally drool on her.

This little guy, the ring bearer, seemed a bit more nervous. He was quickly downing a bag of gummy bears, before his big job began.

This is too Hot

I am working on flowers for a wedding tomorrow. Having 102 degree weather isn't good for such activities. No air-conditioner... So, I've been a little paranoid about the condition of the flowers, since I bought them yesterday. Especially all the white ones...

Plus, the hot weather hasn't been conducive to good napping for my children. So, that has added another good challenge. Gillian got in to several crazy exploits today, and needed 4 baths on account of them. What a stinker.

And, this afternoon another wildfire broke out near by. This one is just outside of Watsonville. That makes number 3 for our county in only a month. Wow! Our air quality is fine. That is a blessing! I'd die if we couldn't open the windows.

Tapas

Wednesday night my mom redeemed a birthday coupon, for dinner at our house. Since it was a birthday gift, we had to make it special. For something different than the usual, we did a "small plates" meal.
Chile-Lime Crab Salads
Greek Scallop Sandwiches
Little Gem Lettuce, w/ Beets, Blue Cheese & Walnuts
Pomegranate-Cumin glazed Lamb Kebabs
Bok Choy Salad
Chocolate-Raspberry Tartlets


The crab salad was so good. I'll type up the recipe - hopefully next week. And, the lamb is a favorite of ours, too. Check out that recipe.

A Happy One

Look at our big boy! He is already 4 months old. I can't believe it. Have I told you what a happy guy he is? He was sick & fussy most of the time his first 2 months of life. Now he laughs & smiles all the time! He just started rolling over. He is tons of fun for all of us!

Gillian is Taking Over Kitchen Duty

"Mom, can I please help with the cooking? I'm bored of just watching."

Armed with a whisk, ready to make the pizza dough.
Stirring...

& Tasting.

"My finished product!"

Cook Some Kumquats

We just had these Spring Rolls for dinner. Pretty tasty! And, there are kumquats in them. That's fun. We like the little kumquats. But, I haven't put them in many dishes. Try this one.

He's an Artist, too.

I made these tarts this weekend. This recipe has been a favorite of my family for a while.

Scott picked me 3 different colors of raspberries.

Scott did this lovely design.

And this one is mine.
We worked on them while we watched A Mighty Heart. Angelina did a really good job.

Want to Hear a Dirty Joke?

I still have dirty dishes in my kitchen from as long ago as last Wednesday.
Actually, it is true. So, I guess that means it is not a joke. But, it is very dirty. So, I need to get to the chores...