Hottt for 'cots!

Oh, sweet apricot, how I love thee!
Against my cheek, you are like a soft baby's bum. With my hands, I can split you perfectly in half. You are glowing orange...sometimes, you blush (you make me blush too). As I dress in wool socks and many layers on a July day, one nibble on you and I know its summer.

But how do I love thee?
First and forever, I love you fresh. Yet, you are so versatile: dried, as a tart, a "breakfast" crumble, cooked down into butter, grilled....oh, my!

*A special thanks goes out to my friend, Neil at Cloudview EcoFarm, for offering up my first taste of apricots this year*

fresh, juicy and in full sun.

as a "breakfast" crumble--capable of getting you out of bed in the morning

dried--to preserve the taste of summer...just a bit longer

cooked down into the most intense of forms: apricot butter!

Crock Pot Apricot Butter

40 apricots, halved and unseeded
2 TBS. lemon juice
pinch of salt
1/2 c. sugar for every cup of puree
optional: 1-2 TBS grated ginger

1. Put 'cot halves in a pot on the stove with 1 cup of water. Over medium-high heat, bring to a boil and cook until fruit is soft enough to smash with a wooden spoon (20 minutes).
2. Puree cooked fruit with an immersion blender or in a blender in batches.
3. Transfer puree to a crock pot and add lemon juice, salt, and 1/2 c. sugar for every cup of apricot puree.
4. Cook on low for many hours with the lid slightly ajar so that the water will evaporate out. The puree should reduce by about 1/2.
5. Funnel into jars and boil them in a water bath for 20 minutes.

The Great West

We took a road trip to Cheyenne, Wyoming to see our dear and awesome friend, Greg, marry his love. It was awesome.

We traveled from spring to SUMMER. We soaked in hotsprings. We saw prairie dogs and real live cowboys and cowgirls with spurs. We drove a lot. We saw the night sky light up with the moon from our tent windows. We got devoured by mosquitos. We met up with friends that got even more devoured by chiggers. We ate delicious roadside BBQ. We danced. We explored the streets of Cheyenne at night. We were revived from hot hot heat by ice cream and snowcones. We danced. We swam in a pool. We laughed. We bought many lbs. of apricots.We were reminded how lucky we are to have such great friends. We made memories.

tri-tip tacos--santa maria-style in idaho.

prairie dog family among the balsamroot.


booty-licious.

dancing hard.

stylish exit.

love.

coolin' off at Lickity Split in Buffalo, WY.

got the 'cots!

Spice of Life

For the 4th of July, my parents sent Justin and I a care package that included some savory spices from Penzey's--to create delicious fireworks of flavor on our tongues, I think. The only rule was that we had to take photos when we utilized those new spices.

Yesterday, I came home from a long day at the office (i.e. the great outdoors) and Justin had prepared a tasty meal: tempeh steaks with sauteed greens and rice. I'm not exactly sure how he seasoned and prepared the meal, but I hope he can recreate it because it was a whole lot of yum! I do know that the tempeh was marinated in apple cider vinegar and spices before it was sauteed with kale, chard, and garlic scapes from our garden, which made it a little easier to digest.

Justin, thanks for the belly pleaser.

Mom and Dad, thanks for the inspiration.

The Great (E)Scape

garlic scapes!

Happy Independence Day, Folks!

It actually feels like the 4th of July out here in Port Angeles--the sun is shining, the grill is fired up, potato salad is in the fridge, and I may be wearing cutoff jean shorts! Woot!

Justin and I started the day by taking our recently acquired mountain bikes to the Miller Peninsula (the chunk of land between Sequim Bay and Discovery Bay). Although the trail was a bit more technical than I am ready for (i.e. I had to get off and walk my bike 50% of the ride), we traversed through the forest to a beautiful edge of the Olympic Peninsula with a view of Protection Island and what we think was a playful whale.


After a quick trip to Port Townsend for some fiddle tunes festival and some Elevated Ice Cream, we are home with the grill ablaze.



Justin's cookin' up some spring Chinook salmon from Neah Bay and I attempted to recreate some of my mom's awesome potato salad to go with it. We were lacking some key ingredients like dill pickles and enough potatoes, so the end result is more of a kitchen sink version. I held true to her mustard dressing, but added a few extras from our garden--GARLIC SCAPES.

Yup, its time to trim off the scapes in order to refocus the garlic's final growth push towards its underground head. Personally, I love the taste of fresh scapes--garlick-y and crisp. My friend has pickled them with great success, but I have just been throwing them into salads, scrambles, stir-frys and such. Today, they went into the kitchen sink potato salad.

Happy 4th!

Kitchen Sink Potato Salad
adapted from Betty Lou's World Famous Potato Salad

salad:
7-8 soft (rotting) potatoes (boiled, sliced, and peeled)
1 large beet (boiled, sliced, and peeled)
2 carrots (sliced)
4 stalks of celery (chopped)
5 garlic scapes (chopped)
1/4 c. sunflower seeds
1/4 c. chopped parsley
3 hard-boiled egges (chopped)

dressing:
1/2 c. mayo
juice of 1 lemon
1/4 c. Dijon mustard
salt, pepper, and paprika to taste

1. Mix salad ingredients in a large bowl.
2. Mix dressing ingredients in a small bowl.
3. Combine the two with a spatula.
4. Refrigerate until cool.
5. Enjoy outdoors in the sunshine.