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Saturday, February 26, 2011

one day

breakfast of champions
IMG_5111
moxie
::

time is flying. a little too quickly.
but excited dear friends will be visiting this week.
chick-a-dee is laying again.
passing on a ton of stuff. feels so good.
imagining plans for my sewing machine.
and determined to knit a pair of socks.
enjoyed some sun between clouds.

Saturday, February 19, 2011

impromptu field trip

the sun came out. and off we went.

travel town

impromptu field trip :: travel town
impromptu field trip :: travel town
impromptu field trip :: travel town
impromptu field trip :: travel town
impromptu field trip :: travel town
impromptu fieldtrip :: travel town
impromptu field trip :: travel town

Friday, February 18, 2011

two unrelated things that made me happy this week.

downtown los angeles.
:: old banking district::

tulips on my table.
::

have a wonderful three-day weekend.

we will be celebrating with a walk in the rain and a trip to the dentist.

xo

Thursday, February 17, 2011

my dad.

He and Me

it has been 9 years today since he passed away. every day i think of him. he taught me the value of community. and the importance of family. and the grace of unconditional love.

i miss you dad.

Sunday, February 13, 2011

Penne with Roasted Butternut Squash, Pancetta and Sage

We were very luck to reap some of the benefits of fellow CSA member Jen's participation in Charcutepalooza. The pancetta we received is out of this world. (And I am rationing it carefully to stretch it out as long as I can!)

Tonight the mix of sweet squash and salty pancetta was perfect.

from Martha Stewart:

Serves 4.

1 medium (about 2 1/4 pounds) butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and cut into 1/2-inch pieces (about 3 cups)
1/4 cup olive oil
Coarse salt
3/4 pound penne pasta
3 ounces pancetta, sliced 1/4 inch thick and finely chopped
2 shallots, thinly sliced crosswise
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
10 fresh sage leaves, coarsely chopped or torn
1/2 cup finely grated pecorino Romano cheese, plus more for serving
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place butternut squash on a rimmed baking sheet and toss with 1 tablespoon of olive oil; season with salt. Transfer to oven and roast until squash is browned and tender, about 15 minutes.
Bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat. Generously salt water and return to a boil. Add pasta and cook until al dente, according to package directions. Drain pasta, reserving 1/2 cup cooking liquid. Set pasta and reserved cooking liquid aside.
Meanwhile, heat remaining 3 tablespoons olive oil in a large skillet over medium-low heat. Add pancetta and cook until just crisp, 4 to 5 minutes. Add shallots, crushed red pepper, and sage. Cook until shallots are soft, 4 to 5 minutes. Add penne and squash and toss gently, adding reserved pasta cooking liquid as necessary to moisten.

Add cheese and black pepper and cook, tossing gently, until pasta and squash are heated through. Serve immediately with more grated cheese, if desired.

Friday, February 11, 2011

new love

like I needed another reason to be on-line.

Pinterest

pinterest

i must say it is a great way to "collect" all that inspiration out there. and really, i have been much better at staying off the computer. ahem. really d.

Sunday, February 06, 2011

this weekend

::
:)
::

friends' birthday celebration at pacific park

i can't take february in socal for granted.

::

Friday, February 04, 2011

:::::

friday 17:03

friday 07:09

thanks for indulging me.
different times. same place. through our week.

a taste of spring.

and a great weekend ahead. enjoy!

Thursday, February 03, 2011

::::

thursday 15:02

thursday 07:30

Wednesday, February 02, 2011

:::

wednesday 09:23

wednesday 07:17

Tuesday, February 01, 2011

Monday, January 31, 2011

little bits

somehow we managed a quiet saturday before the storm of a performance at disneyland.

little bits

::

little bits

little bits i can ride through this week.

Sunday, January 30, 2011

happiest.

it was a big day for us. especially for e. her violin group was invited to perform at the Carnation Gardens stage at Disneyland. she had to work incredibly hard to go. there was a benchmark piece she had to learn - and to practice (without grumbling). she did it. and her beloved neighbors came out in support. we are so blessed.

it rained. but it didn't matter. she experienced a rare trip through the park before opening. a glimpse of the back-lot. and a late-for-a-school-night stay at the park to ride the teacups (kids-only) under the lights. (her favourite.)

heading backstage

::

::

::

besties (minus 2)

magic

::

and she deemed it "the best day ever. so far."

Friday, January 28, 2011

happy friday

i mistakenly thought i had a meeting this afternoon (which actually i went to last friday! duh!) so home early. it is a gorgeous january socal day in the 70s (about 25 C my Canadian peeps!). just came in from taking the pup for a stroll. remind me of this when i am complaining in the heat of the summer.

the flowering pears are in bloom.

Happy Friday

happy happy friday!

Wednesday, January 26, 2011

Braised Cabbage

We made Molly's Braised Cabbage with Onion, Carrots, and Poached Egg last night. (Scrambled egg whites for the allergy sufferer.)

I actually cooked the cabbage the night before - and reheated it for dinner. As Molly states it does keep very well in an air-tight container.

Delicious

From Orangette:

Braised Green Cabbage with Onions, Carrots, and Poached Egg
Adapted from All About Braising, by Molly Stevens

1 medium head green cabbage, about 2 pounds
1 large yellow onion, sliced into rough 1/3-inch slices
1 large carrot, sliced into ¼-inch rounds
¼ cup good-quality chicken stock, or water
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
Coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1/8 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
poached eggs
Maldon salt, or fleur de sel, to taste

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit, and position a rack in the middle of the oven.

Peel off and discard from the cabbage any bruised or messy outer leaves. Give the cabbage a quick rinse under cool water, and dry it lightly. Cut it into 8 wedges, and trim away some of the woody core, leaving enough to hold each wedge intact. Arrange the wedges in a 9 x 13 baking dish. They may overlap a little, but you want them to lie in a single—if crowded—layer. If they don’t fit nicely into the dish, remove one wedge and set it aside for later use in a quick sauté, salad, or soup.

Scatter the onion and carrot over the cabbage, and pour the stock and oil over the whole mess. Season with a couple pinches of coarse salt, a couple grinds of the pepper mill, and the red pepper flakes. Cover the dish tightly with foil, and slide it into the oven. Cook the vegetables for 1 hour; then remove the dish from the oven and gently turn the cabbage wedges. If the dish seems at all dry, add a couple tablespoons of water. Cover the dish, and return it to the oven to cook until the vegetables are very tender, about an hour more.

When the cabbage is completely tender, remove the foil over the baking dish, turn the oven up to 400 degrees, and continue cooking until the vegetables begin to brown lightly on their edges, another 15 or so minutes.

Serve warm, topped with a poached egg and sprinkled with plenty of good, flaky Maldon salt and freshly ground black pepper.

three for three

field trip

canoga park hs environmental agriculture magnet

canoga park environmental ag magnet

canoga park environmental ag magnet

canoga park environmental ag magnet

canoga park environmental ag magnet

visited one of two LAUSD environmental agriculture magnets. chickens, and pigs, and sheep. oh my! a very interesting program - with a strong sustainability bent. inspired to bring some of these ideas to our school.

days have been very busy with work and homelife. looking forward to a little get-away celebration this weekend. E has been invited to play her violin at Disneyland!

Monday, January 24, 2011

creamy broccoli soup

1 tbsp olive oil
1 med onion, chopped
1/8 tsp crushed red pepper
2 cups turkey broth (It's what I had in the freezer! You could make this vegetarian with veggie broth instead.)
7 cups chopped broccoli
1 large potato, cut into 1/2" pieces
salt and pepper to taste

Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and red pepper and cook until soft. Add broth, broccoli, potato, 2 cups water, salt and pepper and simmer, covered until veggies are very tender. Using immersion blender puree until smooth.

We served with homemade soda bread and cheddar cheese - and had left overs for lunch on Saturday :)

No picture of the soup... but here are my garden helpers
::

Happy Monday!

Sunday, January 16, 2011

perfect weekend.

yesterday - 5 school gardens built with 1000s of community members
today - sleep in + bike ride + perfect weather


agave bloom

tomorrow - 4 more school gardens and a proclamation

perfect long MLK weekend :: service and relaxation

Monday, January 10, 2011

little red hen.

we lost a chicken over the holidays. thankfully a very dear friend and fellow backyard chicken enthusiast was caring for them. i know she was in a good place in his gentle hands.

i wasn't going to put anything here. but found myself looking back through photos of january 2009 and our first eggs and got sad all over again.

she was an amazing chicken. a confidant. a playmate. more pet than the other two. she is greatly missed.

chicken girl
office help
oh! christmas tree
urbanfarmgirl
dare I say, best friends?