Lavender anyone?

Sis had planned an adventure last Sunday. She didn't tell me what it was...just that it was about 1 1/2 hours away and that we were driving south, towards San Diego. Why no?! The weather was gorgeous and the drive ain't half bad. Ocean view all the way down! Heck ya.

We started out early on the trip. Navigation is your friend. But Sis did also print out directions, just in case.

Well, this is the site that greeted us. Gorgeous Huh?! Reminds me of the lavender fields in Provence, France. And the smell!!! The air is permeated with lavender!!

It's local (in So Cal)! No Passport Required! And it's free!

It's Keys Creek Lavender Farm in Valley Center, northern San Diego County.

If you have time this next 2 weeks, they are extending their schedule till July 10th. You can thank Cali's unseasonably cool weather! At least the June gloom and the May gray went for some good!

They have over 12 types of lavender in bloom here. They're always planting.

They can get approx 5-6 years of good blooms from the lavender that they plant.

The tour is extremely informative and the grounds are so lovely. All on 8 acres of land. They make use of it.

Signs to guide you.

If your lucky, you can see them harvesting fresh lavender blooms to sell.

They have a distillery on site, but if you're a DIY'er...

As a forewarning, there are LOTS of bees on site.

But no worries, there is so much lavender that they don't pay much attention to the humans.

They do give them a home here and the honey is delich!

Notice the purple bee hive crates in the back? They blend in nicely.

Just about here, we got hungry. They serve scones, tea, and lemonade at the farm...But we weren't feelin it. We wanted something heartier. The peeps on the farm recommended the The Yellow Deli right when we get back on the main road. The Morning Star Ranch , which runs the deli, are neighbors to Keys Creek Lavender Farm. They said the breads were to die for and the woodwork was superb. Sold!

We ordered the cranberry salad and the lamb sandwich on an onion roll.

We'll let the food speak for itself...

It was fresh, organic and yummy!

Have a great 4th!

Ahhhh... Summer! How you taunt me so.

Yea! It's the first day of summer and the longest day of the year. Thank goodness. June Gloom is in full effect in So Cal. You know that there is something wrong with the world when it's warmer in San Francisco (high of 85°F) than it is in Los Angeles (high of  80°F).

No matter. Bike riding, Pool time, BBQ, fresh fruit, and al fresco dining awaits. Ahhh....relaxation.

Here are some ideas to start us off....

Bikes (via)

Sis and I never got to learn how to ride bikes as kids and there is this thing called Fear that seems to creep into your life as you reach adulthood.

So, as a cure-all to our non-bike riding dilemma, we have what we have nicknamed our "adult tricycles". It's what we got, for now.

BBQ (via)

I know that rib eye and porter house are the choice meats in the summer.

But for me, nothing beats a good Korean BBQ. It's especially easy to make at home in the summer with the grill blasting. All of the condiments are readily available at your local asian market or grocery store. The sauces come prebottled. Just marinate and grill.

Wanna make it a party? Try Jaden's recipe from Steamy Kitchen. It's a crowd pleaser! I promise.

Al Fresco Dining (via)

No matter where you are, hope you have time to go out there and enjoy the season!

Cheers!

Thank You !!!

May is a hectic time for the sis and I. Patchwork Long Beach and Santa Ana are so much FUN, but also alot of prep work. But once the booth is set up (Thanks to Gloria @ Foe Industries) and we get to see the peeps, all of the work is worth it.

We wanted to give a hearty "Thank You!" to everyone involved with the shows, from the organizers to the volunteers and also, to the customers who came by to have a look and supported us by purchasing.

THANK YOU!  

Just in case you missed us, here are some pics.....

Thanks again everyone! See ya at the next show.

DIY Crate Container Gardening!

Mother's Day is usually spent having lunch with our Mom and Dad. Well, this year, the parental unit is suffering the ill effects of jet lag courtesy of their VayKay to China and Tibet. So, Sis and I thought it was the perfect day to spruce up our garden. The weather in So Cal has been odd of late...cold, mild, blazing hot ... all in the span of 2 weeks! It no wonder our plant and garden have taken a hit! It was time to replant and reap the rewards!

A couple of weeks ago, we were shopping at our neighborhood Asian market when we noticed that they had fruit crates stacked high on the back ready to discard. Sis remembered Fern's Pallet Gardening post from Life on the Balcony. This inspired us. We had done it with wine boxes before... why not take it to a larger scale? Well, here goes.

Supply List
- wooden crates

- soil, compost (enough to fill the crates that you have)

- Weedblock (this is the brand that we found @ our local Home Depot)

- stapler gun and staples (make sure to buy staples that don't puncture the wood)
- yard stick or ruler

1. Here's the container that we had obtained. We ended up with 4 total.

2. Next, take measurements to figure out the dimensions of weedblock that your going to need.
   
     -Height

     -Length

- Width

3. Cut out your weedblock to size and get ready to staple... Lots and Lots of Stapling!

 

Note: Try to center the weedblock so it's even on all sides. It makes it easier to staple.

4. After all that stapling, here's the finished product! Nice huh?!

If you look closely, we stapled all along the edges to reinforce all sides. All that's left is soil and plants!

5. Fill your container with the soil and compost.

6. Plant and Enjoy !!!

Got to admit, this took us a couple of hours. But it's well worth it! Come summer, my kitchen will be bursting with fresh tomatoes and herbs. Yummm. Bon Appétit !

Repli"KATE"

The hype about the Royal Wedding is everywhere! Not an hour goes by that there isn't some type of news or update.... "What flowers are they using?" "What's her dress going to look like?" "What are the guests going to wear?" ..... Never ending.

But what about Kate and her style. She's preppy, modern .... kinda modern English and I think that makes her look so attainable and easy to repli"KATE"!

PS: Kate has a tiny waist and she makes use of her best asset!

Her closet staples ....

1. The Fitted Blazer

 

2. Boots





3. Casual / Jeans

For a Kate inspired Casual-Look on a budget....

                  credit stylebakery

1. Scoop-Neck Babydoll Cardigan, $29.50 at oldnavy.com

2. Silver Dimpled Earrings, $4.80 at forever21.com

3. Glass Pearl Rope Necklace, $48.00 at nordstrom.com

4. White Skinny Jean, $29.50 at wetseal.com

5. Gabrielle Quilted Clutch, $18.00 at urbanoutfitters.com

6. Gabriella Rocha flats, $44.95 at zappos.com

Love it ... Love It .... LOVE IT!

 



Rain Rain Go Away...

It's been raining here all week and it's starting to affect me. I wonder how people in rainy Seattle do it? I find myself planning activities in-between the impending rain so I can stay dry. What better way to stay dry than go to the movies!

Yesterday, sis and I went to a screening of The Living Sea sponsored by the wonderful organization of One World, One Ocean @ the IMAX Irvine Spectrum.

"One World Ocean is a global non-profit campaign designed to emotionally connect people to the world’s ocean, help them recognize the value of the ocean to society

and understand the threats it faces, all with a view to dramatically change the way we

treat the ocean. Sixty percent of the world’s population lives on or near a coastline,

but most people don’t know the ocean is in trouble."

Some of the facts and statistics ...

1. the ocean covers approx 70% of our planet

2. 50-70 % of the oxygen we breathe comes from the ocean

3. the ocean absorbs more CO2 from the atmosphere than all the planet's rainforests

4. less than 5% of the ocean has been explored

Hmmmmm .... makes you think! Until next time ....

Jen

Food Friday!

40 days of Lent... As a kid going to Catholic school, I remember Lent being McDonald's Fish Fillet Fridays and giving up of some kind. Most memorable? 5th grade. It was soda. That was a hard one. But I gotta tell ya, I don't even drink soda now..some 20 odd years later!

So this Lenten season, Going Out To Eat was on the chopping block. If you glanced at our credit card bill each month, I would say 75% of the charges are restaurants. It's no wonder we don't blog more about restaurants or food... Wait, that's what YELP is for! But I digress.

We grew up with our mom and dad cooking dinner almost every night. It's not your one-pot meal either. It was always a soup, a meat dish (fish on Fridays for lent), a veggie dish if the meat dish didn't have any, and rice. Our mom was kinda crazy...ah, meticulous, about her weekly menu. She would scour the ads to check what was on sale and build a list of dishes based on that for the week. It was like clock work. The weekends were for shopping and prepping all of the goods to be cooked for the rest of the week. I guess you could say she was a kitchen seargent!

I guess it's our turn now. So for this week, we're starting out slow...

Monday- Indian Fish Vindaloo Stew and Onion Naan
This was completely an experiment. We had purchased a bottle of Pataks Vindaloo Curry Paste a while ago but never used it. Till now!
I cut up some Alaskan yellow tail tuna that a friend had caught fresh from his last fishing trip. I made them into 2 inch nuggets and poached them in salted water for 30 seconds to firm them up.
In a seperate pan, I combined 4 tablespoons of the paste, 1 chopped onion and 8 oz of sliced mushrooms. Cooked that for 4 mi. Added 1/2 cup water and the fish pieces. Bring it to a simmer and let go for 8-10 min. Turn off the heat and add 4 oz of plain yogurt.
That last step adds creaminess to the dish and also cuts the heat of the stew. Served with naan! Yeah!!

Tuesday- Daikon Tofu Soup w/ Seaweed, Mo Po Tofu and Brown Rice.
Kinda had a tofu feeling today....We went to check out the Irvine Great Park Farmers Market last Sunday. It was OK. The UCI Farmers Market is the best!
But we did find a grower that had some nice, young daikon. It was crying out to be made into soup w/ soft, silken tofu and seawood. The Mo Po Tofu was made w/ ground turkey and firm tofu. Yumm!

Wednesday- Butternut Squash Ravioli w/ browned butter and sage, with cheese and garlic flatbread.     

This one was courtsey of Fresh and Easy.
If you are lucky enough to have one near you, check them out!
I think they are comprable to Trader Joes, but not as pricey.
Sorry! I got the pasta, but forgot to photograph the bread....but it was really good!
I first cooked the pasta to al dente, then browned the butter and put in approx 2T of chopped fresh sage and cooked them till they were crisp.
Added some fresh sage leaves for garnish.

Thursday- Fish tostadas w/ guacamole, cabbage and mango salsa.
Sis found a great alternative to frying the tortillas. Just brush them on both sides with oil and pop them into a 350° F oven for 5 min. on each side. The come out nice and golden. We found that
Mission Extra Thin Yellow Corn Tortillas works the best. No splatters or wasted oil to throw away!

Friday- It's our belated St. Patrick's Day celebration. That's why we went fish yesterday. I'll bring you pics of this one next Friday!

Jen