it came and went. i did not get frantic. i did not over-do. i did over eat (and will start the master cleanse on january 3rd, with my daughter and sister). i baked just enough and bought just enough.
i spent some lovely time with friends. relaxing. talking.
i am happy that this year is coming to a close. it wasn't particularly great. not bad...just not great. a couple of challenges i could have done without and did not handle well.
i have some goals for next year. i won't call them resolutions. learn to handle my camera better. cook my way through the 400 cookbooks i bought this year. be nicer. i say that every year. enjoy every day.
anything else you can think of?

every christmas i toy with the idea of a big tree, decorated only with twinkly white lights. that's it. but then i think of our ornaments, when we got them and where they came from. and you know what?? they got to go on the tree.
this year they are also piled up in glass vases and pedestals. i've stuffed some greenery and berries in vintage silver sugar and creamers. thanks colleen. i've hung some icicles in the windows. new tradition?
maybe i will decorate a cabin one day....oh wait, fat chance. can't get to our property in the winter!
maybe two trees?

What can i say about the corson building in seattle? that it was perfect? magical? delicious? all of the above. the building itself was beautiful...perfectly chipped and crumbling. i loved the attention to detail. vintage, chipped platters. salt cellars fashioned out of old highball coasters. mismatched vintage silverware. i'm quite the sucker for all that.
the food was amazing. fresh, local and seasonal. no kidding...the chickens were running around in the side yard. it felt like we were sitting in a friends (a very cool one) dining room...enjoying a winter brunch.
the best part of all? no pretension. not one tiny bit. i think i'm in love.....

it begins on december 1st. then slowly, each day, the decorations come out...bit by bit. it's different every year or else i'd be bored stiff.
this year will be a bit more spare than usual i think. i'm feeling like pine cones, nests and antique bulbs. maybe some fairy lights??? walnuts and clementines. drying peppers from our yard. foraged greenery.
so far....

i just looked up and there it was. another sign. the holidays are upon us. i vow to be calm throughout. i vow to not set foot in a mall (etsy we love you). to buy as much hand-crafted as possible. i vow to finally buy that couch and love seat so that my family will have somewhere to sit on christmas. i promise that every year but, whatever.
i promise to ENJOY.

this stuff is not easy. for me. everywhere i look people are knitting and crocheting and sewing up a storm. i, however, am pathetic at it all.
my fingers do not seem to work properly. and it doesn't make any sense to me. this stitch. that stitch. it just looks like a big wad of yarn.
simple little dish rags. that's all i was after. so. not. simple.
after i make some more attempts to torture this yarn into something...i vow to finally, finally accept the fact that i am not well suited to this kind of thing.
sigh.

i have been on a roll lately, cleaning out bookcases, linen closets, drawers and cupboards. feels really good. i don't know how i accumulate all this stuff...really i don't.
i did a GREAT purge today, going through all my "craft/crap" drawers and really being brutal. felt grand. and look. i unearthed the christmas ribbons and gee-gaws. remember? it's just around the corner?

i am a bad, bad birder. i love to bird watch...but i'm horrible at it. i constantly forget the names of birds i see. or i'll run home so excited about the new, fantastic bird i just saw, only to find out it's a "common" whatever and i've seen it before. lots of times.
no matter. watching those birds makes me happy. i always slow down on my walks to watch them. always notice the rustling in the trees around my house. always notice the seasonal comings and goings.
today was just a regular old day. nothing special. except for the two huge red-shouldered hawks that flew right by me on my daily walk. and the ruby-crowned kinglet that was pecking around in the tree right outside my kitchen.
not too bad for this bad birder.

don't panic. this little guy rolled off a shelf while i was putting the halloween decorations away. is it an omen? i had to run through the mall a couple of weeks ago and the christmas decorations were already up. trees and everything. so....i'm pretty sure christmas is like, tomorrow. and i'm unprepared. and totally without inspiration.
i will not panic. something will come to me. and hopefully not on december 23. i'll keep you posted...............

last week-end we went up to santa rosa to harvest grapes. our first time. i always thought i would do this with friends in italy...but no, we were just across the golden gate bridge. with people we went to grammar school with.
it was so peaceful walking down the rows of vines, cutting perfect little clusters of grapes. just us and the bees. afterwards we had a perfect dinner with homemade pesto, chard just picked from the garden. and of course some of that local red. i love evenings like that...when i find a "kindred spirit" who feels the same way i do about food. who actually THINKS where it all comes from.

i was looking back over my earlier posts...mostly so i don't repeat myself. i was very surprised to find comments. people actually READ my blathering on about nothing! thanks very much and i promise to be more interesting in the future.

baking. this doesn't happen often enough in my kitchen. i do bake bread and focaccia fairly often, but hardly ever anything sweet. i have been, lately, fairly horrified by the junk my husband brings home from trader joes and walgreens. so i have vowed to try to bake for him weekly. and i've been slowly cleaning out the freezer so i can finally get that ice-cream maker. he'll still be getting all that good sugar and fat...just organic and minus all the other junk.
let's see how long this lasts.........

my first attempt at apple cider vinegar. starting to smell pretty vinegary. so simple...apple cores and water. i'm finding this fascinating, so i've ordered the book "wild fermentation" because what i really need is another book. and some more science projects.

made some concord grape and walnut conserve. the whole house smelled like welchs grape juice. wonderful. the recipe is from "well-preserved" and if it tastes as good as it smells...it's a keeper.

i was so disappointed that my pumpkin seeds fizzled this summer. no luck at all. so i was pleasantly surprised when i got back from the lake and eccola. my zucchini is a mini pumpkin. and he has a brother. cool. remember to remind me to actually MARK the seedlings so i know what i'm getting come october. i have a load of peppers out front that i have absolutely no idea about. no worries. we'll have a taste test and then the roasting can begin. sometimes the surprises are the best part.

in the night kitchen. what if you found the most perfect camping spot ever. and you bought it. you could leave all your camping stuff out all season long. tents, camping kitchens, little bunk house. oh, and a tree house. so this is what the kitchen would look like at night. so fun and EVERYTHING tastes better eaten outdoors. just a few steps away is the river, so you can watch that as the sun goes down while you slice and dice. and did i mention the tree house?

a bit of a rainy, windy night says soup to me. so i sauteed up some garlic, onion and carrots. added some white wine and water. simmered away. pureed in the blender and served it up with some country bread that i toasted and rubbed with garlic. just what we needed to warm ourselves up. simple. and enough.

hey...it's not just me. last night we sat on the dock, a beautiful end of summer evening. and talked about......farm fresh eggs. all of us. one gets hers from her csa box, another from a local guy with some chickens. when i'm up here i get mine from the funny, slightly absent-minded vegetable guy at the farmers market. we talked about the different colored shells and how wonderfully huge the yolks were. and oh, the taste!!! and oh, country life!!!

these are a few of the goodies from "goat night" at the farm. shredded carrot salad and yogurt, cucumber and dill sauce. the goat was spit roasted in the outdoor wood-fired oven. i skipped that, vegetarian and all, but loved the baba ganoush and paneer, spicy chickpea stew and lavosh. my absolute favorite may have been the parsley, mint & basil salad with apple cider vinegar and honey dressing. so cooling with all the other spicy goodness. a lovely meal, i'd say.

summer on a platter? yes. heirloom tomatoes, fresh-made mozzarella and basil. that's it. the juice from the tomatoes and the milk from the cheese combined to make a "dressing". it was perfect. just one of the many dishes at quillasascut. everything i ate, for a week, was either from the farm or a nearby farm or orchard. and it was ALL good. more quillasacut food to follow...

okay, enough with the ricotta. i've found my "perfect" recipe. whole milk, vinegar and salt. i think the vinegar gives it a bit more zip than buttermilk. it's so simple it practically makes itself. heat a gallon of milk to 180 degrees, remove from heat and add 1/3 cup of vinegar and 1 teaspoon of salt. let it sit for 2 hours and then drain in a muslin lined colander for 1 hour. basta. that's it.

only a few more weeks until quillisascut farm school. i can't believe it's almost here, and that i'm really going. i've been reading "chefs on the farm" in preparation. no, i don't think there will be a test! can't wait for it all...working the fields, cheesemaking, milking the goats. since the school is attended by chefs and people in the food "biz", i'll be cooking with them as well.
we'll be doing wild food walks, making bread and canning. sounds so romantic to me...but this is a real working farm. the day starts at 5.30 and ends??? can't wait to see.

girasole! i fussed over the seed for so many months, and finally, i think we have a flower. i start the seeds for my summer plants WAY too early. remind me that next year when i'm planting sunflower and cucumber seeds in eggshells...in JANUARY. please.

wow. this thing just kind of made itself. sometimes i think i should just forget about the cookbooks and grocery lists. the best things for me happen when i will myself to stay home, not run to the farm stand or grocery store and just make something with what's on hand. at the lake it's easy...once you drive back down that long road from town, forget it. there's no going back. i'm doing better...maybe thinking i'm that nonna in southern italy who has to make dinner, make it quick with whatever she's got.
how the heck else do you think we got bruschetta, meatballs and panzanella???

strawberry, balsamic and black pepper jam. my jam NEVER sets up properly because i don't add all the sugar most recipes call for. i was going for a sauce here...to serve over ice cream. i substituted lemon juice for the pectin and got the firmest jam ever. i'm thinking crostini, goat cheese and jam.
i'm trying out some recipes from "well-preserved" by eugenia bone. wonderful stuff with a slight italian twist. happy summer.

cin cin. that's cherry brandy and berry vodka. and a happy finish to a lovely summers night.

i thought i planted broccoli...but it turns out to be romanesco. okay. no problem. but now i can't make fun of my cousin who complained that his pea pods had "fuzz" on them. his sweet peas. he didn't know he planted flowers instead of vegetables. at least my boo boo is edible.

okay...it may not seem like much. maybe enough for a little early summer stew?? i've got carrots, onions, chard and a few green (and purple!) beans. and some pesto. my basil plants are producing like mad...really the best thing going in the garden right now. i think i'll saute my bounty up and serve it on homemade sourdough bread. and feel like some big-time farm gal.

whoa. what a haul. they are fabulous grilled. and raw in salad. what to do with the rest? i think i'm going to do some pickled onions, and also carmelized onion and thyme butter. because i have thyme coming out of my ears, as well. onions are so very easy to grow...why did i wait so long?

what to do with all the beautiful fruit at the farmers market?? i'm not really a dessert girl, and i've made WAY too much jam the last couple of years. so how about i soak them in brandy? i tried it with pears last fall and it was a BIG hit at thanksgiving...so here we go with the cherries. could this be any easier?

from the looks of this blog and my flickr pages...one would think that i only eat salads and bread! but when you arrive home from vacation and find that your lettuces and carrots have gone crazy, you make salad. add some pasta alio, aglio con pignoli and you've got dinner. oh, and don't forget the vino.

baking bread here at the lake is a whole other experience. i knead the dough outside on the deck because it offers more room to move and is less messy. so while i knead away the baby geese float by. the tree swallows eat the bugs on the lake and steal twigs from the canadians nest. i leave the dough to rise on the picnic table. later when i divide the dough an osprey soars over head. when i set the loaves out to cool i finally identify that crazy looking bird as a horned grebe. check it off in my bird book. later we enjoy some toasted cheese bread on the dock. and look for more birds. birds and bread. my favorite things.

back at the lake. so beautiful in may...the water and the snow covered mountains across the way. just watched a family of canadian geese with their fluffy yellow babies float by. saw a loon show off for his lady. loon...as in bird. everything is starting to come to life. streams are running strong, the farmers market has just begun. trees are budding. heaven???

after receiving the cheese board collective cookbook (thanks tutti foodie!) i had to make pizza for dinner. i used my regular crust recipe since theirs involves sourdough starter. and i didn't want to eat that pizza at 3 in the morning. i roasted mushrooms for a topping. WAY better than sauteed. just slice some up, toss with olive oil and black pepper and roast at 450 degrees for about 10 minutes. i used crimini...but a mix of wild mushrooms would be wonderful.

my favas are just started to flower. by the time we get back from idaho at the end of the month i hope my plants are loaded with beautiful pods. i can serve them cooked with homemade pasta...or raw with pecorino. and most of all i want to make the fava frittata i had in puglia last year. only a southern italian women can make fava puree and stale bread into the most delightful thing in the world.

i imagine if this bread baking craze keeps up i'm due to gain about 10 pds. especially if i grill it with some good cheese and add some avocado. but wait??? isn't avocado good for me?

we've got salad! all i had to do is thin the lettuces and cut back the basil. pull up some scallions. and there you have it. i've been tucking seeds in everywhere waiting patiently for some sprouts, and now we can eat the vegetables of my labor. i feel like a farm girl. yippee.

i had a really wonderful tofu (don't roll your eyes) salad at the river inn restaurant in big sur this week. extra firm tofu marinated in some secret sauce and then sauteed. served on top of roasted vegetables and mixed greens. sprinkled with almonds. very tasty. and it will hopefully inspire a spring of tofu/vegetable combos. forgive the photo...but isn't that a cute almond heart on top of that tofu???

i'm with you, tutti foodie. nothing feels as good as putting the kitchen to bed at night. all clean and tidy. as soon as i did just that and snapped this picture...i opened a bottle of french berry lemonade. which exploded all over my freshly scrubbed kitchen. some nights are just like that.

thinking of italy on this sad easter week-end. what to do? i'll remember a wonderful easter week i spent in puglia a few years ago. the thursday night before pasqua includes mass. and the washing of the apostles feet. and lots of visiting. you MUST try his wine. and her limoncello. oh, and have a slice of her frittata...she uses mint in hers. and her taralli. one sweet and one savory. then home for dinner.
good friday brings more cooking and visiting. at night in town out come the statues for a parade through the old streets. later on at night, stations of the cross through cento storico. saturday there is pasta to be made. and a torta. and taralli.
easter sunday is a beautiful feast, and monday??? because they are italian and really know how to live...monday is a holiday. pasquetta. there is a fair in town, and later on that night, fireworks. ah, italy.
so in honor of my beautiful italian amici, i'll be making some taralli. and a fritatta. with mint.

it seems like i started my seeds so very long ago. probably too early. now it's time to transfer some to larger and pots and actually put some in the ground. after weeks of nothin' it's starting to look a bit green around here. maybe there's a homegrown salad in the near future.

finally. a perfect loaf. it took a few tries to get it right...reading the recipe all the way through helps! i actually combined a few different recipes to get this guy. it was amazing to see that starter come alive. amazing to knead the loaf and know exactly when it was ready to put in the bowl to rise. amazing to eat. i made lentil soup to go along...and after that my husband had a few slices with my homemade blueberry jam. i'd say he liked it.

every month at the flea market i spend the first half of the day people watching. i look at what they're wearing...or what they bought. and then i must have lunch. and stare at people some more. this past sunday we seemed to have no focus at all. we just wandered aimlessly up and down the aisles. and then there they were. lots of lovely, affordable vintage tablecloths. great condition. and they came with napkins! my kitchen is feeling very cheery today. it's good to stumble about the flea market. you just never know what you're gonna find.

all my little seeds were started in egg shells this year. when the time came to plant them outside i just squished the shell and set the roots free. i feel very virtuous. and soon i hope to be feasting on chard, broccoli and fava beans. more veggies to follow...

sunday i made a tasty vegetarian bolognese. carrots, onions, garlic and porcini mushrooms sauteed. i added some homemade sugo and a bit of the water that i soaked the mushrooms in. if only i had some fresh parsley to sprinkle on top...it would have been good enough to photo! even so, topped with pecorino, it was very yummy.

we'll start with my pantry. i must have pasta on hand at all times. getting low on pasta makes me nervous. and the porcini "dado". if i'm running out of those someone has to go to italy...because you just can't find them here. and don't even get me started on my arrabiatta spice from rome!

okay...here's where i give this blog stuff a try. i promise to try to be interesting so i'll have something worthwhile to write about.