Enchantment Learning & Living Blog

Welcome to Enchantment Learning & Living, the inspirational space where I write about the simple pleasures, radical self-care, and everyday magic that make life delicious.

Best Hits: Top 5 Most Popular Blog Posts to Date

July 25, 2014

I got to thinking the other day--now that I am a little more than halfway through my year of daily blogging--about what my most popular blog posts are as of now. So I did some investigating, perused my blog activity, hits, comments, likes, favorites, and retweets...you name it! Once I compiled my data, I found there were a handful of standouts that people just couldn't seem to get enough of. This biggest surprise to me was that these "best hits" were from a pretty wide range of topics and tones, from the playful On Maximalist Fashion to the more somber On Healing as Art. Wow!

So here, in a nutshell, are my most popular blog posts (chosen by your engagement), not including recipes--those come later. Enjoy rereading the ones you helped make the most popular or reading for the first time the ones that slipped past you the first time around!

1. On Healing as Art

2. On Returning Home After Work

3. On Tasting the First Tomatoes from Your Garden

4. On Maximalist Fashion

5. O n the Necessity of Good Coffee

What were your favorites that didn't make it on the list? I'd love to hear your thoughts!

Enchantment Learning & Living is an inspirational blog celebrating life’s simple pleasures, everyday mysticism, and delectable recipes that are guaranteed to stir the kitchen witch in you. If you enjoyed what you just read and believe that true magic is in the everyday, subscribe to my newsletter below for regular doses of enchantment. Want even more inspiration? Follow me on Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest, and Twitter. Here’s to a magical life!

Mama Love Pregnancy Tea Blend

July 24, 2014

I am happy to announce that in just a few short months, I will be the proud auntie to a little baby niece! I can't wait to do all the things good aunties do, like fuss over her as a baby, take her to high tea when she is old enough, and teach her the value of good books and polka dot dresses. Even as I write this, I am in the process of knitting a hot pink blanket for her so that she knows how loved she is--loved even before she came into this world!

Of course, it's not all about the cute baby. In fact, my mom and I have been doing quite a lot of girl bonding things to enjoy this pregnancy process with my sister and the whole family is helping her and her husband move into their new home this weekend. So it has been lots of love and excitement all around!

And yet we mustn't forget the needs of the mother. Her body is changing rapidly as it adjusts to the new life it carries and it is important to make sure she gets plenty of nutrients in her system--just as important as plenty of rest, exercise, and a healthy diet. So in honor of my sister's pregnancy, I came up with this herbal pregnancy tea blend meant to give this new mama a little TLC.

One thing to keep in mind is that when using herbs, it is always wise to consult your doctor and local herbalist about what herbs are safe for pregnant women. Make sure to stay away from stimulating herbs like ginger because it can make the uterus overactive. With this in mind (and a trip to my local herb store to consult with the experts), I stuck with nutrient dense herbs like alfalfa, rose hips, and raspberry leaf for this recipe to give my sister the extra energy and vitamin boost she needs. The mint leaves balance the grassy taste of the alfalfa while soothing the nerves and easing morning sickness.

This is also a great tea for non-pregnant ladies who need a little nutrient boost. The raspberry leaf on its own, especially, has long be considered a woman's herb, as it is good overall uterus health and contains a significant amount of magnesium which most women are deficient in (and which can be one of the causes of cramping). My sister has been enjoying this blend all throughout her pregnancy; she likes the taste and loves that it nourishes both mother and child!

Ingredients:

1 cup Alfalfa Leaf

1/2 cup Peppermint leaf

1 cup Raspberry Leaf

1/2 cup Rose hips

1/2 cup Spearmint leaf

Blend all ingredients in a bowl and transfer to an airtight container. Keep away from direct sunlight and heat. To brew, use a heaping tablespoon per cup of hot water. Add more tea per cup of water for a stronger brew. Makes approximately 3 1/2 cups of tea. Enjoy!

Health Properties of Herbs:

Alfalfa leaves: natural diuretic, improves digestion, rich in vitamins A, E, K, B, D, iron, magnesium, potassium, and sodium.

Peppermint: a cure-all herb for headaches, cramps, sore throat, and stomach aches.

Raspberry leaf: rich in vitamins A, B, C, E, magnesium; tones uterus; relieves tension.

Rosehips: anti-aging; contains vitamins A, D, B, C, E, and K, iron, calcium, zinc, and other vital nutrients; promotes healing and boosts energy; antibacterial.

Spearmint: soothes nerves, motion sickness, along with the properties associated with peppermint; stronger flavor than peppermint.

On Attitude

July 23, 2014

Attitude (n): 1. A settled way of thinking or feeling about someone or something, typically one that is reflected in a person’s behavior. 2. A position of the body proper to or implying an action or mental state. 3. Individuality and self-confidence as manifested by behavior or appearance; style. -- oxforddictionaries.com

Your body is your mind, a reflection of all you hold dear, all you would reject. It carries your thoughts in your veins and maps your feelings in your body's tissues and sinewy muscles. The grace of your actions, a mirror to what you allow into your mind, but deeper still, your soul and the very fabric that it is woven from.

You must be careful with this connection, the braided threads of mind, body, soul. It is a gift, this power of reflection and magnification, your body absorbing what your deepest you conjures through thoughts, feelings, nourishing your whole self. But this mirroring goes both ways. It lets in light and hope, nurtured through your thoughts of growth and wholeness, of forward movement and healing.

And yet, it too can feed off of the weeds in your mind, the doubts and old selves that grow through the cracks in your self-confidence. It can leak out in bad posture or long-healed injuries flaring up, or nasty thoughts that encourage those weeds to grow deeper, thicker--until your mind would be a dark bramble seeping through your mirror, your body in the form of heaviness, a disconnection that wraps itself around you like a fog.

The only way to dispel the fog swirling in the mirror, to make those brambles fade back into the cracks they grew out of and seal off those openings is to let in light; feed your individual attitude mapped in your veins and bones. Awaken the core you sleeping inside your ribcage, and reminding it that it is a force of sun and earth, blood and bones, strong roots and open wings.

Zucchini Fritters

July 22, 2014

This recipe is the perfect solution to an overabundance of zucchini--it's easy, light, and sooooo addictive! It makes a healthy, quick weeknight meal or a perfect side to a fancier feast come the weekends. The term "fritter" might be a little misleading, conjuring up images of deep-fried excess. In reality, these fritters are really more like golden brown cakes or latkes cooked in a little olive oil.

The trick to getting perfectly crisp fritters is to make sure you drain the moisture from the shredded zucchini otherwise you end up with mushy fritters. To do this, you'll need some cheese cloth which will help you wring the excess moisture out of your zucchini. You can save the juice for green smoothies. The second trick to a perfect fritter is in making sure that it is super flat, which in this case means less "batter" to fry up for each cake. This way you get a crispy outside and moist inside without any mush.

You can serve them over a bed of lettuce and top them with a little Greek yogurt and fresh chives for a dinner that is pure bliss! They also freeze well, so I like to make a big batch and freeze some of it for a rainy day.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 pounds zucchini (about 2-3 medium zucchinis or 2 1/2 cups), shredded

1/4 cup nutritional yeast

1/4 cup cornmeal

1 egg, beaten

1 garlic clove, minced

1 teaspoon red chile flakes

1 teaspoon sea salt

Place shredded zucchini in a cheesecloth and squeeze out any excess liquid.

Then place shredded zucchini in a bowl and stir in garlic, chile flakes and salt. Incorporate nutritional yeast and cornmeal next. Lastly, add the egg and stir until fully combined.

Heat olive oil on medium heat in a pan. Using your hands, take about 3 tablespoons worth of batter and flatten it into a thin cake. Place on a skillet and repeat until pan is full. Let each cake cook for 2-3 minutes per side or until each side is golden brown.

Serve warm. Makes about 10 fritters. Enjoy!

On Making Limoncello

July 21, 2014

It is your way of distilling sunshine in a bottle, of capturing the salty, bright air of Capri and the golden light of Tuscany. It will forever be your first time in Florence, savoring the sweet lemony digestif at midnight on the Palazzo Vecchio, only half-believing that there you were in the heart of a city you had only ever read about.

Now, as you peel your lemons, you think back to that first night and how smoothly that limoncello went down, a cool, clean tonic on your throat, the perfect antidote to a year of uphill climbs and dead ends. The heaviness in you had lifted, carried away by the soft midnight breeze and kept away with the lively conversation of your late-night companions and the music floating across the piazza. It took the bitter peel of a tart fruit and a long year and turned it into something soft, gentle, enjoyable.

You do this now too--taking those seemingly unusable pieces and shaping them into something beautiful. You work your way carefully around the lemon, making sure to shave off the outer skin but leave the too-bitter white flesh untouched; it will not do to let a pith-soured rind steep in your brew. This elixir must be made up of light and fresh starts.

As the weeks pass and your mason jar, full of lemon peels and spirits, darkens to a rich golden hue, you consider the time it takes to make something worthwhile, to let it cure until it is ready to be finished off with sugar and water. Remove the peels too soon, and you are left with a weak drink, more sugar than citrus; too long, and the fruit's oils overtake everything else, saturating your drink with the sharp taste of harsh moonshine. No, the timing is everything and only the golden color of the concoction tells you it is ready. It does not listen to fixed days or firm dates but arrives at perfection in its own time.

You admire your first batch of limoncello when it is complete, almost hesitant to take that first sip. But when you do, overlooking the quiet evening from the comfort of your patio, it is perfectly chilled and reminiscent of those long, slow nights in Italy, unrushed, unfettered, the taste of sweet lemon on your tongue. The taste of present sweetness birthed from past bitter harvests.

Small Batch Limoncello

July 20, 2014

Limoncello to me will always be my first night in Florence, sitting in an outdoor cafe on the Palazzo Vecchio at midnight with my mom and some artist friends drinking this delicious after dinner digestif. This was my first time ever traveling abroad. The drink became the embodiment of everything I love about travel: sweet and surprising, with a whisper of that country's everyday routine. I spent the remainder of my trip in Italy finishing off my nights with this limoncello nightcap, as the Italians do to close out their meal. The lightness of the lemons acts as a palate cleanser as digestive (where the drink title "digestif" comes from). Even now, I love to enjoy a bit of limoncello on my patio using my favorite traditional shot-glass sized limoncello cups that I purchased from Capri.

My mom and I enjoying some limoncello in Florence!

Imagine my delight when I found out how easy it is to make this drink! This liquor is actually made from lemon peels rather than the fruit itself. They soak in vodka or another clear spirit for anywhere from a week to a month and then the ensuing lemony spirit is mixed with water and sugar. I let my peels steep for almost three weeks, as the longer you let the steep, the richer the lemony taste of the drink. The important thing is to make sure that you use organic lemons since you need a chemical free peel to soak in your alcohol base. This drink is best served chilled, usually after dinner or a big meal. My family typically enjoys this on Sundays after our pasta feast. You can also use it as a base for other cocktails--but more on that later.

I prefer to make this in smaller batches because I like to play with the amount of lemon peels I put in each batch. Since it is so easy to whip up, these small batches are ideal for this sort of experimentation. I often use more lemon peels (almost double) than is traditionally called for in this recipe, because I like their brightness more than the sugary taste. After trying limoncello all over Italy during my stay, I found that this drink ranged from light and crisp (ideal) to super syrupy (yuk!), so I made sure that my recipe stayed on the awesome side of this spectrum. I also used raw organic sugar, making my final product come out darker than the traditional drink--more like a rich honey hue than a bright lemon yellow--but it still tastes delicious. Don't discard the lemons after you peel them; save them instead for some homemade lemonade.

Ingredients:

2 cups good quality vodka

1 3/4 cup water

1 1/4 cup sugar

6 lemons

Remove the peel from your 6 lemons using a vegetable peeler. Make sure that you are getting the peel only and not the bitter pith. Place peels in a mason jar and pour vodka over them. Seal jar and let sit for at least two weeks and no more than one month, shaking the jar periodically.

Freshly peeled lemons with peels soaking in vodka...

...and same peel & vodka steep three weeks later.  Notice the darker hue that tells you it is ready. — ...and same peel & vodka steep three weeks later. Notice the darker hue that tells you it is ready.

Once the peels have steeped and you are ready to finish your limoncello, strain the alcohol from the peels and discard the peels. Heat water and sugar in a saucepan on medium-hight until sugar dissolves, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool completely. Add sugar water to your alcohol and stir. Store in two airtight mason jars and let cool complete in the fridge for at least four hours before drinking. Lasts for up to one month in the fridge. Makes about 4 cups of limoncello. Enjoy!

The final product, ready to chill in the fridge!

What Simple Pleasures Do You Love? Share Here!

July 19, 2014

As you know, I spend a lot of time on this blog writing about simple pleasures, from Buying a Bouquet of Flowers, to the delight of Drinking a Glass of Wine on My Patio, to that thing of pure bliss, otherwise known as Getting Sh** Done.

But now I want to know what your simple pleasures are! What inspires you? What makes your day just a little brighter? What do you look forward to during the week? One of my favorite things about blogging is that I get to have this conversation with fellow readers and writers about what makes our life enjoyable and how we continue to create that enjoyment through cultivating a space to stop and ponder the little things we value in our lives. In essence, we are thinking about what feeds our soul, day in, day out. So share your thoughts! Who knows, you might even inspire a blog on the topic!

On Writing in a Cafe

July 18, 2014

You find yourself in a crowded cafe. It is the lunch hour. The tables are packed with people and food and conversation. There is the clattering of silverware and the hiss of freshly brewing coffee. There is even the clack-clack-clack of your fingers whizzing across your keyboard.

But that is what you came here for, after all. Home would be too cozy today, luring you to your patio with birdsong and dappled sunlight, or to your bedroom where a stack of books awaits your eager gaze--if you enter the kitchen, you are lost for there would be no little recipe that you wouldn't be tempted to try. So you put on a dress and headed to a place far noisier, but with significantly fewer distractions.

With this hustle and bustle, this active living swirling around you like a heady perfume, you are finally able to sink into yourself, to hear what it is you want to say today. The buzz of everyday life becomes a soothing beat that allows you to slip into your own meditative thoughts, to breathe and be and write.

Soon, when you've released all the words in you for the day, spinning them out of your fingertips to your blog, when you've allowed your mind to settle and come back to the present moment, you look around and tune into the cafe noise again. It has, if anything, only grown in fervor. It is the little details you notice first: you cup of tea cooled beside you, the lemon slice lying discarded next to your cup; the smell of freshly baked bread; the new people occupying the table next to yours. Your words begin to fade as the buzz of activity around you intensifies--it is time to rejoin this bustle of everyday life.

Homemade Ricotta

July 17, 2014

Freshly made ricotta...it didn't last long after this!

Yeah, I went there. Cheese. I love the stuff, probably too much. I love a good cheese board for appetizers (if I'm feeling classy) or dessert (if I'm feeling French), and I will never say no to an aged Gouda or a stinky, soft Taleggio...or really any cheese for that matter. And if I'm really honest, as much as I like to think up new ways to use cheese in recipes or pair it with other dainty bites, I would rather eat it on its own. Unless drinking wine with said slab of cheese counts as "pairing" it with something. So it seemed only natural that I take my relationship with cheese to the next level. Yes, I decided it was high time I make my own.

Making your own cheese--ricotta, in this case--is surprisingly easy and only takes two real ingredients: whole milk and an acid. I used lemon juice although many people use vinegar. If you want to be over the top, you can add salt to bring out the flavor of your cheese more. In fact, the only real piece of fancy equipment you will need is cheesecloth to help you separate the curds from the whey. Best of all, you really just spend about five minutes actively working on this--the rest is in the waiting between steps. Make sure to use organic whole milk because the fat-free versions don't have enough fat and contain weird additives to make the cheese curds stick together.

Once you've made your cheese, you can top with honey and cinnamon for a delicious dessert or let it be the shining of your next cheese platter. When I first attempted this, I used it in homemade gnocchi, so it easily elevates a simple pasta dish and makes you look like a kitchen wizard with very little effort.

Ingredients:

1/2-gallon whole milk

2 lemons, juiced

1 tsp salt

Allow milk to heat in a saucepan on medium-high heat until just about to boil (about ten minutes). While milk is heating, fold a piece of cheese cloth in half so that it makes a finer sieve. Place a colander in a bigger bowl, then put the layered cheese cloth over the colander.

Once milk it hot-to-almost-boiling, remove from heat and add lemon juice, stirring just until the acid is combined with the milk. You will see it begin to curdle. Let sit for five minutes.

Then pour your curdled milk over the cheesecloth.

The whey will drain through the cheesecloth and colander and collect in the bigger bowl. Let sit for about 20 minutes then lift the cheese cloth away from the colander and squeeze out any remaining liquid. Makes about two cups of cheese. Store in fridge for up to five days.

Don't throw the whey out--save it and freeze it using an ice cube tray. The whey can be added to omelets and smoothies for an extra boost of calcium and protein.

On Thunderstorms & Gothic Novels

July 16, 2014

It is a dark and stormy night--both in and out of your book.

Safely burrowed under the covers of your bed, you jump as the thunder rumbles outside your bedroom window and lightning lights up the pages of your book in a bright blue sizzle. Rain tears at your plants outside and the wind howls, whipping around trees and slapping against your sliding doors.

All the while you are turning page after page of your latest read, a novel rife with Gothic drama--evil power-hungry villains, wild magic, breathtaking adventure, and a heroine who seems to handle it all in stride, even the thunder and lightning. The storm outside your window only serves to punctuate the plots twists in your book. Boom! says the thunder: your heroine is in grave danger. Flash! goes the lightning, illuminating a mystery long buried under history and subterfuge. Tap, tap nudges the rain on the roof: don't forget that small detail for it will be her salvation and the villain's undoing.

You pause from your page turning only long enough to glance about the room when the lamplight flickers...but you drag your thoughts quickly away from potential power outages and back to your book. After all, you have candles nearby. And matches. They will be enough light to finish your story by.

And when you do finally drift off to sleep, serenaded by the storm, your mind still reeling with the shocking ending, speculating as to what might happen in the next installment, you dream of Gothic plots and magic and thunder--an intoxicating potion of cathartic experience.

Enchantment Learning & Living is an inspirational collection of musings touching on life’s simple pleasures, everyday enchantments, and delectable recipes that will guarantee to stir the kitchen witch in you. If you enjoyed what you just read and believe that true magic is in the everyday, subscribe here.

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Spicy Cherry Salad

July 15, 2014

I once again found myself this week with my ever-constant summer dilemma: too much of a good thing, in this case, cherries. I know life is tough! But seriously, it's hard to get too worked up when my biggest problem is how to use up all this amazing summer produce that I can't help buying week to week. The truth is, I'm easily seduced by the mountains of fruits and veggies at the store and farmers market, so I often end up buying seemingly more than I really need for the week. The big miracle in all of this is that I always end up using all this extra stuff I buy in new recipes (excess produce is great for inspiring kitchen experiments), appetizers for a family get-together, and make-shift lunches (you mean cherries with a spoonful of peanut butter isn't a balanced meal?).

...but back to my cherry dilemma. I had both traditional Bing and Rainier cherries on hand and was looking for a way to continue enjoying them after gobbling them up as-is. I'm not big on sweets, mostly because baking a whole set of cherry muffins or scones or a pie would be too much sugar for me and my family on a day-to-day basis. So I began to wonder, as I often do, about creating a savory dish out of what we would normally think of as a sweet fruit. Thus, my spicy cherry salad was born. It plays on the sweet-tart of the cherries to balance out the bitterness of dandelion greens and the heat of red chile flakes, while the pistachios add a welcome crunch and earthiness. The lime dressing ties all these flavors together in a perfectly light meal.

Ingredients:

1 cup Rainier cherries, halved and pitted

1 cup Bing cherries, halved and pitted

1/3 cup unsalted pistachios

1/4 cup dandelion greens, shredded

1 teaspoon dried red chile flakes

1/ lime, juiced

2 tablespoons olive oil

salt to taste (optional)

Combine lime juice and olive oil in a mason jar and shake until combined. Set aside. In a separate bowl, combine cherries, dandelion greens, chile flakes, pistachio, and salt if desired. Pour lime dressing over mixture and stir until thoroughly incorporated. Divide salad between two shallow bowls. Serves two. Enjoy!

Summer Lovin' Rose-Lavender Tea Blend

July 14, 2014

Ahhhh...summer. The time for long afternoons reading on your patio over a cup of tea--hot or iced. The time when flowers are blooming and the bees are happily tickling your lavender buds in an attempt to collect and distribute pollen. The time of year when I start craving light floral teas that mimic the bounty of the season.

One of my favorite blends that perfectly captures the season is my Summer Lovin' Rose-Lavender Blend, a tisane, or herbal tea, that combines rose petals, lavender buds, and raspberry leaves for a lady-like tea that is delicious either hot or cold--and perfect for any occasion, from an afternoon tea with the ladies to an impromptu iced tea in the shade after tending your garden.

Yes, this tea is decidedly romantic with its fragrant rose and lavender perfume wafting from your cup. The raspberry leaf binds these two flavors together with its own light black tea taste with floral undertones. One cup of this is enough to make you see summer through rose colored glasses--if you aren't already! As a bonus, these herbs are healing powerhouses--details below.

Ingredients:

1-part lavender

1-part rose petals

1-part raspberry leaf

Combine ingredients in a bowl and store in a mason jar. To brew a perfect cup, use one tablespoon of blend per cup of boiling water. Let soak for 5-7 minutes. Enjoy!

Health properties of ingredients:

Lavender: a traditional nerve tonic and relaxant; antiseptic and antibacterial.

Raspberry leaf: rich in vitamins A, B, C, E, magnesium; tones uterus; relieves tension.

Rose petals: soothes skin; mild sedative and natural stress reliever; rich in vitamin C.

Dandelion Pesto

July 13, 2014

I know what you're thinking: what?! Dandelion? Pesto? The answer is yes. And yes. You know how much I love dandelions...and pesto. It seems only natural that I would find a way to make them work together. This riff on the traditional pesto is so packed with healing properties, thanks to the dandelion that is loaded with iron, potassium, magnesium, and vitamins A and C. It's often used as a natural aid for anemia and is also considered great for all around body detoxification as it acts as a mild laxative and, if the roots are also used, a liver cleanser. Basically, this humble little weeds helps us clean out toxins from our body (and herbal mystics say our mind) so we can live healthier lives. Wow! This is why I am so in love with this herb and often use it in many of my tea blends like my Warrior Tea, meant to replenish the body after a hard workout.

Like my basil pesto, this pesto swaps out the traditional Parmesan cheese for nutritional yeast. I reduce the amount of olive in this recipe to compensate for the addition of lemon juice, here used to counteract the bitterness of the greens. I sometimes swap out the sunflower seeds for pepitas or pumpkin seeds with equally tasty results. As always, I don't really add much, if any, salt to this as the yeast and lemon provide enough seasoning for me, but you can always add salt if you want. This pesto is great smeared on sandwiches (in place of mayo), crostini, pizza, or pasta, and makes a great base for a salad dressing.

Ingredients:

2 cups organic dandelion greens (one bunch)

1 clove garlic

1 tbsp lemon juice

1/3 cup sunflower seeds

1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil

1/2 cup nutritional yeast

Salt to taste (optional)

Blend all ingredients in a blend or food processor until combined. Store in a mason jar in the fridge for up to one week (though I doubt it will last that long, it's so good!). Enjoy!

On Hollyhocks

July 12, 2014

They are your blowsy desert flowers with no self-control--they don't need it, for it doesn't do their petals and stems any good. Only the breeze and the sun and the expansive turquoise sky do, filling their open faces with light they collect and send snaking down to their roots where they can store it. They take pleasure in their plot of earth held in place only by the thin, strong threads of life that gather dirt and minerals and water around themselves in a protective nest.

That is these hollyhocks below--the roots and stems that allow them to stretch to the sky and fearlessly blossom into fat, joyful flowers one on top of the other in a noisy cluster. They are not your coy primroses nor your restless impatiens--sounding too much like 'impatience'--that bloom time and time again, already eager to start the cycle once more even as they have not yet made it through their first bloom. They don't care about covering the ground, as does your flowering thyme, more than happy to crawl across the earth in a slow bid for more territory. Nor do they need to make a point of their beauty like the rose, always looking to be the object of everyone's affection.

No, hollyhocks simply are. They are happy in themselves, firmly planted in their nourishing nest of roots, water, soil. These brassy flowers want light and sun around them, growing strong in the heat of the desert, thriving on the kisses of bees and the caresses of dry air. They stretch tall to touch the sky, gifting it with their jewel-toned petals of pink, purple, red. They return the bees' love by offering up their fat stamen coated in pollen. Eat, they tell the bees. Eat. Even when their flowers fade, they still hold strong; it is as if they cannot contain themselves, wantonly spreading their thick black seeds everywhere, letting them spill over flagstone and dirt, peppering flower beds and getting carried away in the wind to find new homes, new nests. They cannot help but multiply. They are living proof that lush, blowsy flowers can blossom--thrive--in any desert.

Stuffed Avocado Salad

July 11, 2014

So by stuffed avocado, I mean stuffed-to-over-flowing. Yum! Personally, I think avocados are perfect in their creaminess and good-for-you-fats. My family can't get enough of them! I especially enjoy them as the focal point of a light meal during the summer. It takes this fruit (yes, fruit!) out of its guacamole rut and elevates it into something more divine. It also helps with portion control, as you can shape your meal around what an avocado can fit into the hollowed out core. Another way to think of this is like a fancier version of my Mason Jar Southwest Salad.

You can almost see the avocado under there...

Take, for example, this stuffed avocado recipe which features avocado halves piled high with corn, black beans, jalapenos...all the good stuff. It has all the spicy elements of a good taco without the heaviness of too much meat or corn tortillas fried in oil. Plus, as per my own cooking criteria, it's super easy to whip up. The recipe only calls for a little bit of corn and black beans, you'll notice. You can use frozen corn for this and, if you use a can of black beans, you can freeze the remainder in ice cube trays so you have tablespoon sized portions ready for the next time you make this recipe. Personally, I don't really use much salt, if any, in this recipe, as the lime dressing pops out the flavors without the need for additional seasoning.

Ingredients:

2 cups mixed greens

1 avocado, halved, skinned, seed removed

1/4 cup cherry tomatoes, sliced in 4ths

2 tablespoons sweet corn

2 tablespoons black beans

1/2 to a whole jalapeno, diced (depending on how hot you like it)

1 spring onion, diced

2 limes, juiced

2 tablespoons olive oil

Salt to taste

Evenly divide the lettuce between two plates or shallow bowls. Place each avocado halves in your lettuce nests and set aside. In a separate bowl, combine tomatoes, corn, beans, jalapenos, onion, and, if desired, salt. Evenly divide the filling between your plates, making sure to get as much of the filling into the hole left by the avocado seed before letting it spill out over the lettuce. Then combine lime juice and olive oil in a mason jar and shake vigorously until combined. Evenly divide the dressing between two dishes. Serves two. Pairs well with a Watermelon Cooler. Enjoy!

On Summer Thunderstorms

July 10, 2014

It is one of the reasons you love your desert so much. It has no room for demure little trembles in its sky nor the constant damp of the drizzly northern climates. When it rains--truly rains--it does so with wild abandon.

You feel it in the air today, the way the wind slowly gathers the clouds together, fashioning them into a thick blanket to cover the sky, wraps itself around the sun until the desert brightness is dimmed for the afternoon. Then as you tend your plants, the wind licking your hair and coiling itself around your body, you hear it: the thick rumble of thunder.

There will be rain soon, falling hard and fast and all at once from the sky just as it should in the summer; it will calm the city even as it continues to crack and groan and whip the air around street lamps, throw rain down from the sky to soak the earth. But for now, the thunder teases you, making you hold out your open palm in anticipation, hoping for some fat drops to kiss it. You sniff the air, searching for that ephemeral smell of clouds breaking, drops hitting dry land.

And when the rain does come, you will watch from your window even as you would rather be out dancing it in--if it weren't for the thunder and its companion lightning, never far behind it. You will admire the way the rain hits your window, falls against your upturned plants, washes the city free of dust and heat. You will curl up and fall asleep to the crackling of thunder, the wild patter of rain--and you will relish sneaking outside when the rain has subsided, the land hushed as if under some sort of spell. You will marvel at the puddles and sweet air, the quiet after the hard rain.

Already it begins. You hear the first flutters of rain hitting the trees. Another roar of thunder rolls through the clouds. You head indoors, almost unwilling to leave your perfect perch for an afternoon rain, but another peel of thunder reminds you that it is time to close the windows--which you do, just as the rain being to fall in earnest.

This is your kind of thunderstorm.

On Power Outages

July 9, 2014

Life did not want you to work hard today. Not unnecessarily. Not when it is a perfect summer day out: hot but overcast with a slight breeze to keep the heat from becoming overbearing. Not when you could be lingering on your porch, admiring your newly fertilized plants or out poolside, whiling away an afternoon over a good book and a bottle of sparkling water.

So naturally the power in your apartment goes out. No internet connection, when it comes back on. In fact, you are informed that you won't be cakc online until six o'clock this evening and by then a day of blogging and social networking will have gone by--which, Life seems to tell you, is the point.

You've been zooming around the cyber highways and byways, tending your virtual garden, overworking without quite realizing that that was what you were doing. Which is when Life takes over on a day when you wake up unable to move quickly even if you had to.

Disconnected from the world wide web, you reconnect to your summer. You finally hang those watercolors you bought in Paris from an artist painting along the Seine. You tend your actual garden. You clean your house and do the laundry. You give yourself over to an afternoon poolside, swimming, reading, snoozing--soaking up summer like a sponge soaks up water.

And when your internet is connected again--and after you've posted your daily blog--you return to your quiet. You are grateful to be able to once again to be connected to your virtual garden, but grateful, too, to be reconnected to your here and now.

Italian Grilled Veggies

July 8, 2014

One of my absolute favorite dishes, when I traveled through Italy last summer, was grilled vegetables. I know what you're thinking: not pasta? Not pizza? Not better-than-ice-cream gelato? Yes, I loved those too--and I would be lying if I said I didn't enjoy them every second I could! But these Italian grilled vegetables were such a nice break from carbs. My mom and I would often split a plate of grilled veggies and a salad or pasta for lunch--pure heaven! What makes this dish so good is that it is light and tasty, using only the bare minimum of ingredients and super fresh produce. Every place had its own take on the dish, too. Some used bell peppers and onions with the eggplant, while others kept it more zucchini based, while still others loaded on the garlic and basil. In all cases, it was a divine dish, so much so that I found myself craving it when I got back home.

Naturally, this led to kitchen experiments. It didn't take much to get it right: just some organic veggies (usually from my local farmers' market), extra virgin olive oil, and balsamic vinegar. Oh yes, it was amazing! It's also super easy, just the way I like my recipes. Feel free to play around with the types of veggies and keep in mind that the longer they marinate, the tastier this dish will be.

Grilled veggies ready for the table, yum!

Ingredients:

1 medium eggplant

2 medium zucchinis

2 medium yellow squashes

1 cup extra virgin olive oil (approximately)

1 cup balsamic vinegar (approximately, I used white balsamic vinegar in these photos)

Salt to taste

Pepper to taste

Drizzle about a tablespoon of olive oil onto the bottom inside of a shallow baking dish. Thinly slice all the vegetables. Line the baking dish with the yellow squash until the bottom is more or less covered. Drizzle another tablespoon of olive oil across this layer and about a tablespoon of vinegar. Dust the top with a little salt and pepper.

Then layer the zucchini on top of that, making sure to then drizzle it with oil, vinegar, and seasoning. Do the same with the eggplant and repeat, alternating veggies, until all the veggies are layered on and the dish is full. Pour on any remaining olive oil and vinegar. Cover and let sit for at least one hour. It can be stored overnight in the fridge as well. If you do store it in the fridge, be sure to take it at and get to room temp before grilling.

Once the vegetables have marinated, fire up your grill (or grill skillet on your stove) until it is medium hot. Drizzle surface with olive oil if using a grill skillet or brush more olive oil on your veggies before placing them on your outdoor grill. Cook each side until it has grill marks, about 1-2 minutes per side. It may take two or more batches to grill all the veggies, depending on how big your grill is.

Once your veggies are ready, you can place them back in your baking dish for serving. If you have another round of veggies to grill, you can put your baking dish in the oven on low (250) to keep your cooked veggies warm. Serve these on their own as a light meal, or as a side to pasta or salad. They also make a great veggie sandwich the next day. Serve approximately 4-6. Enjoy!

On S'mores

July 7, 2014

They are the perfect July dessert: messy, unfussy, reminiscent of childhood summers where you lost track of time playing in the backyard all day and staying up late giggling with your sisters in makeshift tents.

True, they are nothing but graham crackers and chocolate and marshmallows, certainly not the sophisticated flavors of lemon and almond that you favor now. Still, you have found that at least once a summer you must have this delectable treat. It must be enjoyed after a big cookout, once the chile burgers and watermelon and sweet potato fries have been devoured. After the dinner dishes have been cleared and cleaned and your family has had time to lounge on the grass, the sun setting in the distance, bringing a welcome coolness to your native desert.

Only then are you ready for the summer ritual of s'mores.

You have a system down: the perfect number of marshmallows to put on your stick (two). The ideal place on the grill to roast them (above the biggest flame so that it toasts your marshmallows into gooey perfection). And the exact moment to remove them from the heat and sandwich them between cracker and chocolate (right as the marshmallows turn golden brown and are in danger of sliding off your stick). Then you pause, wait a moment for the hot marshmallow to melt your chocolate and bind your sandwich into messy heaven. Yes, you perfected this system long ago.

You take a bite. Marshmallows spill out of your sandwich and chocolate dribbles on your fingers. This is no dessert for a lady nor a mannered dinner guest. It is a dessert of summer abandonment, eaten over the grill or in the grass with nothing but sticky fingers and chocolate on your chin to show for it when it's gone--that, and a happy heart, full from a day of pure summer enjoyment.

On Summer Cookouts

July 6, 2014

The day is hotter than hot--but that's okay, it only makes your lemonade taste better. You've spent another afternoon sunbathing and then snoozing in the shade of your favorite backyard tree. Soon it'll be time to fire up the grill and prepare dinner. It will be a lazy affair--entering the cool quiet of the kitchen to prepare a plate of burger fixings, slice some juicy watermelon, an assortment of easy appetizers.

The real treat comes when you've prepared the burger meat--buffalo, with a pinch of seasoning and no fillers. It is pure bliss to hear those patties sizzle on the grill alongside corn grilling in its own husk. The heat rolls off the grill in waves--not that much different from the desert heat outside. Still, you can keep to the shade, cool drink in hand, and enjoy watching your sister's dogs huff and sniff their way through the yard, roll in patches of mint, and finally finding peace inside the air-conditioned house.

Half the pleasure of your meal is in the making of it; taking the time it takes to stoke the grill and flip your burgers over conversation and sunshine. Cookouts ignore the niceties of eating inside in favor of grass between your toes, sun on your back, and a good meal cooked over a hot flame.

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