Coming soon...

My dear friends and family, bloggers, artists, and strangers too!

While blogging has been slow this summer, work and fun has not taken a back seat. After wrapping up an art show, a handful of design projects, and fitting in time for play, new ventures are underway! Keep an eye out for fresh, hot out of the oven cooking tips, recipes, artwork, and other tidbits.

Happy summer-ing!

Olivia and Michael

These are the completed Save-the-Date cards for the autumn wedding of Olivia and Michael. The card is a single sheet of 4x6 glossy cardstock, color laser printed, and includes a small fridge magnet of the happy (and wonderfully photogenic!) couple.

Wedding bells seem to grow louder everyday!

Blunsycakes!

Blueberries. Pansy flowers. Pancakes. Welcome to breakfast!

Let me add that these pancakes are not only beautiful, but extremely tasty. However, while pansies are an edible flower, NOT ALL flowers are suitable for culinary purposes. Some flower petals will be the complete and total end of your life, while others will just make you go to bed with a disgruntled belly. But a pansy flower is DELICIOUS! So eat, be merry, and prosper!

Them there fiddleheads, son!

A friend of mine recently introduced me to the searching for and eating of fiddleheads. I was pumped! After all, it's not everyday that you discover brand spankin' new veggies. Unfortunately, our afternoon hike in search for these curly, green friends was unsuccessful, but our bellies were ready. A recent trip to Block Island brought us victory! Who would have thought a little island grocer would be carrying our happy and strange vegetable?

A little pasta, prosciutto and parmesan were the only ingredients needed to accompany the sauteed fiddleheads. The dish resulted in a very delicious and quiet dinner (except for a few grunts and satisfying eye rolls).

I suggest looking for your fiddleheads at local farmer's markets or organic grocery stores. But beware, after you try them you'll find green beans and asparagus BORING!

Limoncello

My mom gave me a cookbook last Christmas, full of wonderful recipes for making very basic foods: crackers, marshmallows, jams, etc. Of course, the one recipe in there that I have been dying to try is Limoncello. Sorry, mom, I go right for the drinks :) After comparing that recipe with others I have researched, I have created my own version. It will be an eight week process and, depending on the final results, I'll post my recipe at the end of it all. Here's the beginning. Check back in two weeks when I add in the simple syrup. Ciao!

Why, Miss Beauregard, you sure will look nice in white.

It's that time again! Church bells are a-ringin'. Here are the completed wedding invitations for my college roommate's summer hitch! They were so fun to design :) Simple, sweet, and playful.

Tastes Like Summer

Ooooooo boy, get ready for a juicy bite of sunshine!

Sometimes the best ingredients you can use are the ones left over in your fridge. Honest! Today I noticed that my strawberries and clementines were absolutely perfect, but needed to be used before too long. The fat leaves from my pot of mint were begging to be cut and added to a dish. And my romaine lettuce was just hanging out reminding me that it's been a while since I had a healthy salad. Here's the quick, easy, and delicious product of these ingredients.

Chop a couple of fresh mint leaves.

Mix together the juice of half a lemon, 1 tsp olive oil, 1-2 Tbs honey, and a pinch of nutmeg.

(These are rough measurements and should be adjusted to taste.)

Chop a combination of strawberries and clementines (about 2 cups all together).

Pour liquid mixture over fruit and gentle stir. Sprinkle with mint.

The dish can be served as is or on a bed of romaine or arugula lettuce (which I highly suggest). After a few bites I added a spoonful of crumbled goat cheese which added an amazing tangy bite to the dish. Delicious!

Harborview Art Show

My show is up! The ink drawing series "Little Minds, Little Stories" has opened at Harborview Market and will be on exhibit for the month of May. Come on by to grab a cup of coffee, grab a buddy, and relax.

Harborview Market

218 Harborview Ave.

Black Rock, Bridgeport, CT

06605

Roast it. Poach it. Eat it. Marry it.

I recently saw this recipe on apartmenttherapy.com and I have been so excited about trying it out myself. Here is the result which was devoured this evening. If it wore pants I'd marry it.

Chop mushrooms, asparagus, onion, and garlic. Toss in a bowl with olive oil, salt, and pepper. Place in a casserole dish and roast in the oven at 475˚ for about 20 minutes. While that is roasting, poach an egg. After veggies are roasted remove from oven, dish on to a plate, and top with the egg.

This dish is highly recommended to be made at the end of a particularly difficult day. Serve it up along side of some trials of the week, grumpy moods, or moments of insecurity. The fluffy egg will remind one of softer, easier times. The roasted vegetables, with their depth of flavor and complexity, will shed light on the true nature of life's highs and lows.

Bon appetit!

Springtime!

Nothing rings in this season like farmer's markets, plants, and yummy food. My recent visit to northern Connecticut and southern Massachusetts got me so excited for all of the upcoming enjoyments of spring.

Blossoming Acres is a bakery, greenhouse, and farm located in Southwick, Massachusetts.

By July, the back field on the property is completely covered with wildflowers. While most of these flowers sell within the season those that are left over are hung inside to dry and sold during the off months.

Locally dried and pickled products.

Support your community's farms and gardens. Buy local! Buy fresh! And, by God, eat well!

The Low Anthem

Just saw The Low Anthem the other night in New York City. It was a great show and their music is really unique. They are most entertaining to watch between songs... four people running around stage, switching instruments for almost every tune. The link below is their music video for one of their best songs. I'm not one to really follow music videos, but this one is pretty great.

Little Minds, Little Stories

In 3rd grade my teacher gave the class a packet of images. Some of these images were paintings, some drawings, but all of them only gave enough information to simply stimulate our little minds into forming stories of our own. The assignment was to pick three of the images and write poems about each of them. It was one of my most favorite projects that year.

For the month of May I will be showing my work at Harborview Market in Black Rock, CT. The series I have been working on, "Little Minds, Little Stories" was inspired from that 3rd grade assignment. Thank you, Mrs. Hedge, for still encouraging me so many years later!

Hope you enjoy the sneak peek!

See you at Harborview in May!

Goin' to the Chapel!

Last fall my brother became a husband! The ceremony was touching and sweet. After so many years of dating long distance, it was a beautiful thing to see Jonathan and Allie happily married. The reception was unbelievable! All of their friends and family gathered under enormous white tents set up on the in-laws property over looking Long Island Sound. Candles dripped from the trees, yellow and orange flowers covered the tables, and the dance floor was hoppin' all night long.

I felt so honored when Allie and Jonathan asked me earlier in the year to create their invitations. It branched into other great pieces for the wedding and ended up being quite a learning experience for me. I really enjoyed working on theses different elements for the ceremony and reception. The bride had such a great vision for what colors and feel she desired and from there came all of the following pieces: save-the-dates, invitations, ceremony program, name cards and table placements, cake topper, and wedding favors. What a joy!

Every person had a namecard with a small, hand drawn picture of something that Jonathan and/or Allie love. For instance, cooking, hiking, photography, music, ice cream, etc. The guests were then directed into the tented area to find their table that had the matching image at the center of the table. It worked out nicely and, I think, everyone enjoyed the alternative to just having numbered seating.

Happy Marriage Jon and Allie!

Caprese Bells

Since I was a little girl I have always loved to cook. Before I could really follow a recipe on my own, my mother would let me sit on the kitchen counter with a huge bowl and raid her spice cupboard. My "dish" usually ended up being a milky, green concoction with bits of ingredients like cinnamon, bay leaf, oregano, and sugar floating about. Yum! But I'm thankful for those fun "cooking" experiences. It got me in the kitchen and it gave me a love for mixing, pouring, smelling and, in the end, learning to clean up along the way... Thanks, mom!

Since I've been living on my own for the past three years I have had the great opportunity of experimenting (in a more edible way) with my cooking. It's nice when there is no one to impress or family you HAVE to make sure is fed. If something is really terrible I'm the only one who has to taste it. Likewise, if something is absolutely amazing, I get it ALL TO MYSELF! However, I've found that the bit of cooking I love the most is the eventual sharing of the end product. I love food and I love people... it's a good combination.

What is especially enjoyable is when I find a traditional dish that can be morphed into a new eating experience. I find that appetizers and tapas are great for this endeavor. My example today it that of the traditional Caprese Salad. It's a wonderfully tasty, easy dish to have before a meal... when you are at a table. However, often times I am cooking for family and friends no one is sitting at a table during appetizers. Finger foods are the only way to go. So I turned the salad into finger-friendly food.

CAPRESE BELLS

1 Pint Grape or Cherry Tomatoes (Heirloom tomatoes provide an assortment of colors!)

1- 1 1/2 c. medium mozzarella balls

6 large fresh basil leaves.

olive oil

salt & pepper

20+ toothpicks

Cut the tomatoes in half and stand up on its cut surface. Quarter the mozzarella balls. Rip or cut basil leaves with scissors into small pieces. Assemblage: place mozzarella on top of the halved tomato, and the small basil piece on top of the mozzarella. Insert toothpick through all three ingredients. Repeat with remaining ingredients. Arrange on a flat surfaced tray. Drizzle with olive oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste. Serve immediately or let chill in the fridge for 30 minutes.