well, hello

The summer's been hot and I've been lazy.  Not much to report in the land of new ventures, thoughts or progress--I really just haven't done much besides work, reading, and trying not to die of heat exhaustion.

I wish that I didn't wish that we had air conditioning.  Part of me believes that living without AC should make me a stronger, more resilient person--relying less on man-made energy and living simply.  Surviving as humans have for thousands of years.  But the heat is just so draining.  Who wants to do anything when it's nearly 100 degrees?

The above photo was taken last year at Woodland Cemetery, an old charming cemetery just a few blocks from our home in West Philadelphia.

"Mary, Mother of God, please just help me survive until the end of summer!"


Regards.  And stay hydrated.

minted pea hummus

On Sunday, I tried this easy recipe of Minted Pea Hummus and loved it.

Here's the recipe:

   2  cups frozen green peas, thawed            1 1/2  teaspoons olive oil

   2  garlic cloves, minced                                  1  teaspoon water

1/2  cup mint leaves                                        1/4  teaspoon salt

Place all ingredients in a blender or food processor; process until smooth.  Yield: 1 1/4 cups

I also added one minced dried chile (reconstituted), mostly for purposes of using up the ridiculous amount of chiles we have.  And I used more garlic than they called for, because I love garlic so much.

To be honest, I'm not even very fond of peas, and Christopher doesn't even like mint, but we both liked the end result.  I might change it up a bit next time, but it's really pretty good served on pita bread.  We even used it as a spread on chicken breast sandwiches.  The sandwiches were super tasty; the hummus added a ton of extra flavor and goodness.  Mmmmm. 

Try it, let me know what you think!

home from the hospital

Random came home yesterday after a week's stay at the vet.  The poor little guy was having a urinary tract problem.  It was awful not having our furry friend around the house, hanging out, purring and being beautiful.  Needless to say, he was missed.

He's now back to his normal activities, as you can see.

fresh eggs

 

Date of Lay: 6/11/10

Date Christopher brought them home: 6/12/10

Date we ate a tasty breakfast: 6/13/10

Although our eggs were a few days old by this morning, I just had to marvel at that little sticker.  Our eggs were laid just 2 days ago and traveled a total of approximately 30 miles from the farm to our kitchen.  

We've been attempting to eat fresh and eat local as much as possible and I'm honestly starting to feel like it truly is the best way to eat.  I do feel more connected with my food, like people say.  I like knowing where it came from and meeting the people who work the farms.  If you take a moment to ask the farmers, they always have great ideas and suggestions about how to prepare, say, the squash that you just bought.  And, mmmm, fresh food really does taste better.

I've found this little chart from Philadelphia's Grid Magazine to be very helpful.  We've been using it as our guide for fresh veggies.

green thumb

Rosemary, Basil, Chives... the start of our garden.

My newly developed green thumb is even having success growing weeds inside the house...

I've never experienced this before, but there's nothing quite so satisfying as watching a plant break its first sprouts through the soil's surface.

Our first success with growing our own vegetables.  Tomatoes are next on the plate.