mornings with mike

i took mikey to the wissahickon for the first time recently. i've gathered over the past year and a half that all dog owners in philadelphia spend every waking moment splashing around in the wissahickon. i can't walk a few steps down my street in the summer without a neighborhood dog pal telling me all about their adventures there and then give me side-eye when i say i haven't been there since i was a kid and - omg - never took my dog there. am i the only one that hears about this all the time? well, we finally went. and it was awesome. i went on a friday morning so it wasn't crowded - just a few bikers and some joggers. it was nice to walk along the forbidden drive just ourselves and dip our toes and paws into the water.

unwrapped

i was planning on making summer rolls with the mountain of rice paper wrappers i have leftover from a party, but when it turned out to just be a dinner for one i decided that was too much work. instead, all the insides in a bowl - rice noodles, mango, baked tofu, cilantro, lime juice and some lime ponzu. messy but good.

portulaca

my favorite summer flower

mornings with mike

we recently spent a super-hot morning walking around behind memorial hall near the japanese gardens and horticultural center in fairmount park. it was crazy hot, so we didn't stay long but i definately want to go back. paved paths, shady trees and fun fountains!

leftover lunch

seseame tofu, baby bok choy, brown rice and cucumber mixed with tamari, naval orange juice, chili and ginger. so good.

mornings with mike

an early morning walk around the spring gardens

summer breakfast

fruit salad with a bunch of stone fruits (including my current obession - red raven red plums - wowzers!), agave, orange juice and mint with plain yogurt topped with almonds, sunflowers seeds and flax seeds. best ever.

silver nails

just like my idols b and anne marie

leftover lunch

in my effort to cook the book, i made pasta with caramelized onions and blue cheese. super good. and great the next day. and i'll tell ya - these recipes are so simple that i actually have most of the ingredients most of the time. i had the pasta and the onion hanging around and happened to have some leftover blue cheese...DONE.

tongues

summer pizza

i had some leftover ingredients from making a strawberry arugula pizza (that you need to make RIGHT NOW OMG SO GOOD). i threw them together with a zucchini and this is what happened. pretty good. just saute some sliced zucchini while toasting a thin pizza crust in the oven. take it out, top with goat cheese, zucchini and shaved parm. back in the oven for a minute and done.

opposites attract

i like the shade and he likes the sun but when we get together we have nothing but fun.

senor ice cream

stuffed dog toys don't last that long at my house, but when they are this cute and cheap - who cares?

boom boom boom

night and day

dinner: roasted potatoes, wax beans, capers and pan-fried tofu

lunch: leftovers with arugula, almonds and lemon/olive oil

it's raining babies

two of the vintage invitations that i used for my bff's baby shower. searching etsy for vintage invitations has made me want to throw tons of parties so i can use all of the cute ones out there - like a coffee talk party or a cookout or maybe just a plain old party full of smiling faces.

the front steps

is where you will find me (and mike) all summer long

staycation

4th of july weekend included family, friends, funnel cake, ice cream from the windmill, splashing around in the lake, 75% off flea markets, celebrity sightings, sun and fun. pretty perfect.

to our dad on father's day

happy father's day dad!

(belated because i am a bad blogger...but i did get him this jalapeno tequila because i am a good daughter)

hints-n-tips

all of my favorite things

pa dutch folk art, neon and vintage housewares all together on this like-new kitchen towel.

aprons

i found a stack of amazing vintage aprons at the flea market recently and am getting them ready for the shop!

happy birthday!

to maggie mutna, not maggie the mutt.

too many kittens

a real deal

i love this set of plates that i just picked up. the price really cracks me up, too. i know that every penny counts - but $.30? that is like a 17 mph speed limit...so odd!

still moosewood-ing

after i made the amazing sesame tofu with spinach, i had tofu and greens leftover. i decided to use them to make the orange-glazed tofu from the moosewood cooking for health book. they were both so, so good. i had gingery brown rice and wilted spicy greens with each type of tofu...so awesome.