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Sunday, January 9, 2011

the painted sky

We've been getting some incredible sunsets here in Arizona lately.  I don't have the best vantage point from my backyard, but this is still a pretty picture.  I'll have to scout out better places to snap the sunsets...maybe the jungle gym at the park down the street.

Now, this photo looks amazing and vibrant on one of my monitors, but a little dull on my other monitor. So I hope it shows up like the former for you!

P.S. This is straight out of the camera - on the "sunset" setting of course!

Wednesday, January 5, 2011

breakfast for dinner

I love breakfast for dinner, but alas, I live with a man who thinks it's a terrible idea. I don't get it. We never have/make time for a hearty breakfast in the morning, so why not savor a little (or a lotta) waffle and bacon at 6pm?

Last night I prepared a quick and easy dinner that may or may not be considered breakfasty - open-faced smoked salmon and egg sandwiches. It also made me wonder why in heaven's name I've never had lox on a bagel. The cream cheese spread in this recipe is especially delicious. I'd eat it on crackers, with or without the salmon.

Smoked Salmon & Egg Sandwich

(adapted from Cooking Light, Jan/Feb 2011)
Servings: 4

4 cups water
1 Tbsp. white vinegar
4 large eggs
generous 1/4 cup (generous 2 oz.) low-fat cream cheese
2 Tbsp. minced onion
dash of lemon juice
1 Tbsp. chopped dill (or 1 tsp. dried dill)
4 slices whole-grain bread, toasted
1 cup arugula (or spinach)
4 oz. smoked wild salmon
salt and black pepper

1. In a small bowl, combine the minced onion and a dash of lemon juice to take the edge off the onion.

2. Bring water and vinegar to a simmer in a 12-inch skillet over medium heat. Crack an egg into a custard cup and gently pour the egg into the skillet. Repeat with the remaining eggs and simmer 3 minutes or until desired degree of doneness.

3. Combine cheese, onion, dill and 1/8 tsp. salt; spread 1 (generous) Tbsp. cheese mixture on each slice of toast. Top each serving with 1/4 cup arugula/spinach and 1 ounce salmon. Remove eggs from pan with a slotted spoon; top each sandwich with 1 egg. Sprinkle each sandwich with a little salt and pepper.

Sustainability Note: Look for salmon that's labeled "wild Alaskan salmon" and you can be sure you're getting sustainable seafood. (Kudos to Cooking Light for focusing on sustainable seafood. I hope they address humanely raised meat soon too.)

new year, new camera

Got a new camera for Christmas! (A fancy schmancy DLSR!) Now all I have to do is learn how to use it. I've managed to get a few decent pics by trial and error instead of reading the manual. I guess I should flip through that thing eventually...

My best subjects are animals and inanimate objects. They don't gripe about their picture being taken.

Monday, November 22, 2010

down on the farm

Yesterday, the farm that grows our CSA veggies had an open house. Even though I had to fly solo, I'm so glad I went. Crooked Sky Farms is a pretty neat operation. Farmer Frank's main growing field is surrounded on three sides by industrial park and by a freeway on the fourth side. It's kind of crazy to think that we get all of our super fresh veggies from an all-natural farm in the middle of sprawling Phoenix.

They had a big spread for chowing down - all of it from the farm:

fried eggs

sweet potato & turnip hash (mental note to make this next time pesky turnips show up in my share)

creamed greens

pot of beans

roasted potatoes

green salad with maple walnut dressing (another mental note to make this)

sweet potato & turnip chips

Yum! Plus it was cool and crisp and just a bit blustery with rain on the horizon - a welcome change for this Southwest newcomer.

In related news, the CSA talk of the week has been the giant kabocha squash we all received in our shares. Feast your eyes on 24 pounds of squashy majesty that's way bigger than my head:

I've heard this type of squash is especially delicious - like a sweet potato, so I'm really hoping that I can actually manage to cut it open!

Sunday, November 21, 2010

the problem sideboard

I love my dining room sideboard. I love the reversible door panels even though I always keep them on the woven side. I love the wine glass slots. I just can't figure out how to decorate the darn thing. And to make matters worse, there's only one blank wall in our dining area (not technically a room) so I'm having the hardest time deciding how to squeeze in the four botanical prints that had their own spacious wall to hang on in our old home:

So today I played around (those are wrapping paper placeholders for the artwork):


1. Umm no. Try again.

2. Meh. Kinda plain. But maybe plain is okay?

3. Better? I don't know...

4. I know! Let's add some pinecones! That TOTALLY transforms the space! <eye roll>

I'm not really crazy about any of them, and I don't know if it's the picture placement or my lack of appropriate accessories. Do I need a long mirror over the sideboard? A grouping of vintage plates on top? I wish I had a better eye for design. Any advice?

Wednesday, November 10, 2010

wordless wednesday

Friday, November 5, 2010

so many pretty calendars

I'm on a quest to find the perfect calendar for next year. It's one of my favorite end-of-the-year rituals. I haven't decided on one yet because my search criteria is a bit limited this time (and I'm totally indecisive). Last year, my husband bought me this great lighthouse art calendar in Maine - each month is a separate 11x14" poster that fit perfectly in a picture frame I have in my kitchen. It's classy kitchen art that changes every month - perfect! So, I thought I'd find a similar calendar for 2011, except I'm having a whole lot of trouble finding 11x14" poster calendars. Seriously, and weirdly, almost all of the ones I've come across are New England or Maine themed. Not that that's a bad thing! I do have dreamy fantasies about living in a cozy New England town.

Here's a round-up of calendars that I fancy: