06 - 2011

Photos from June 2011

Currants

Amanda brought these with her when she came to visit this weekend.
Don't they look like beautiful glass beads?


Shot outside in the sun


Shot inside with available light

There's a new site in town

There's a new food website out called Good Bite. It's a collaboration of food bloggers showing food & recipes as "...delicious made easy." The little bit of browsing I've done has already proven fruitful (pun intended). I've already got a new quick-dinner recipe lined up for a night when I'm too tired/lazy after my commute to get elaborate (hint, it's the recipe by Shauna James Ahern). I'll be going back for more, no doubt.



Good Bite is brought to you by Deca TV. Go check them out!

Food blogs

The Times Online has a story titled "50 of the World's Best Food Blogs"
I've been clicking through it, being familiar with a few of them, but I have also found a slew of new blogs to add to my own list and to click on when I'm looking for something to read. (Wow, can you say run-on sentence?)

Interesting stuff... check it out for yourself.
Orangette starts off the list at Number One...

(photo courtesy of www.orangette.blogspot.com)

While I was recovering

I had a wee bit of knee surgery last week and while I was recovering I watched this show on PBS called Diary of a Foodie and the particular episode I saw was all about food bloggers.
(I can't embed the video, therefor I can only offer up a link & the screen grab above)
I LOVED THIS SHOW!!! And was SO happy I'd stumbled across it, since I'd been watching a LOT of TV and there are only so many times you can watch the same episode of Top Chef.

If you get a chance, please do check out this episode and any others that might catch your fancy. Also please don't forget to support your local PBS.

books

If you're remotely into food (where it comes from and how it's grown) the way I am, then you need to check out this book, "Animal, Vegetable, Miracle" by Barbara Kingsolver. I'm 70 pages into it and really looking forward to reading some more, if only my damned work day didn't have to get in the way.

In brief, Kingsolver and her family move from Tuscon, AZ back east to live on a small farm in Appalachia, VA and for one year they would only buy and eat food "raised in their own neighborhood, grow it themselves, or learn to live without it." Interspersed in the main story are sidebars written by Kingslover's husband Steven L. Hopp and their eldest daughter Camille. Their youngest daughter Lilly also contributes, but as Kingsolver notes, "is too young to sign a book contract."

In concert with "Animal, Vegetable, Miracle" I would highly recommend reading "It's a Long Road to a Tomato: Tales of an Organic Farmer Who Quit the Big City for the (Not So) Simple Life" by Keith Stewart.
The title kind of says it all, however to be kind I'll summarize... Keith Stewart, who worked in corporate America for many years quit his job and bought a farm in Orange County, NY. The book is a bunch of essays detailing what it takes to be a small organic farmer, also selling his goods in an urban market, in this day and age. The book also has beautiful illustrations by his wife Flavia Bacarella.
An interesting side note: Keith Stewart has one of the longest running stands at the Union Square Green Market and grows some of the area's best garlic.

I know it's not quite your breezy summer book list, but given that in this particular part of the country it is the best time of year for local, fresh fruits and veggies, I thought I'd try to inspire you (all three of you that read my blog that is) to loftier aspirations. Plus, how wrong can you go in supporting your local, family farm? It can surely only win you good karma points.

UPDATE: I meant to say you can purchase these fine tomes from this independent book seller in Portland, OR called Powells Books.

10pm BBQ

Since it's still light out until well after 9pm, we don't usually get done surfing until it's dark. This means, we don't eat until it's rather late. On the weekend that doesn't matter so much. BBQ - Saturday night - well after 10pm.


Grill Master


Crushin' the beef


Good company/Good food


Grilled corn and pineapple

lobster fest 2007

This weekend was Lobster Fest with the Palaitises, the Martins and the Ottingers in Ocean City, NJ. Stephanie, Peter, Dave, Karen, Deville, Maria, Miles,(we were missing Fred) Matty and me. We ate a TON of food and had a great time. Stephanie is going to blog more about the food on Yum Yum Kid Cupcake really soon... I'm just going to post a few images now and maybe a few later on.

Overall it was a fantastic time well-spent with friends we don't get to see enough of, hanging out, talking, laughing, drinking, and eating.
A LOT of eating...
There was Mack & Manco's pizza
There were doughnuts, .
We steamed our own clams

and lobsters.


Saturday night we went to the boardwalk where we also went on the ferris wheel

a lovely new blog

My friend Stephanie has joined us in the 'blog world with one of her own! She's only just begun, so check back often and see what she's got cookin'.
Pun completely intended.

http://yumyumkidcupcake.blogspot.com/