~ sprouts ~

these are on my counter right now

mung bean sprouts
{fresher than any you will find in a store}

and

sprouted almonds

{they don't grow a sprout, but they are succulent & sweet}

i also like to sprout chick peas

basic sprouting directions:

soak dried beans or raw nuts overnight.

drain in the morning,

then rinse & drain a few times each day.

sprouts need to be kept moist, 

but with good drainage.

i keep mine in a covered colander.

read more sprouting info here

and here's a shaky little video from today

of goose sprouts & duck sprouts

♥

earthly delights :: csa bounty :: week 2

our share this week

pirat butterhead lettuce

mizuna

spicy mustard bouquet

spinach

hakurei turnips

easter egg radishes

rainbow chard

pac choi

chinese cabbage

rhubarb

spring onions

oregano

~ * ~ * ~ * ~

here is what i cooked with our

abundant greens & spring onions

from last week

{i added broccoli to the mix}

i chopped the spring onion, 

then sauteed until soft.

then i added minced garlic & chopped broccoli,

then chopped greens

{collard greens, kale, pac choi, turnip greens}

& sauteed until bright green.

i topped it with chives and spring onion flowers.

~ * ~ * ~ * ~

check out our farm: 

~earthly delights~

happy birthday, casey!

♥

:: movie night ::

we love movie night,

but it's hard to find one movie

to please both kids & adults.

here are 2 movie suggestions,

one is old & one is new:

1. the emperor's new groove

{from 2000}

david spade is a vain & selfish emperor 

who has a lesson to learn.

john goodman is a good-hearted peasant

who has his priorities straight.

{be warned: there is a sinister plot to kill the emperor via poisoning,

if that sort of thing bothers you.}

2. gulliver's travels

{from 2010}

we LOVE jack black.

especially when he dances.

as gulliver, the little guy from the mailroom,

he has lessons to learn, as well.

{be warned: it's boy humor.

as in, giant-pees-on-castle-to-put-out-fire,

if that sort of thing bothers you.}

♥

show & tell {pedal wheel thingy}

ned unearthed this treasure

at a thrift store long ago

it must be good for his balance

here he is in action

♥

:: wist ::

:: from furbish ::

:: from madewell ::

:: from jeanne oliver designs ::
{via dawn}

:: from tracy porter ::

:: from green star ::
{missy's top-notch juicer}


oh, and this entire kitchen

{from dianne}


♥

kindergarten field trip :: the zoo

ned's class had a fun and much anticipated

field trip today to

:: zoo boise ::

the bus ride was part of the excitement

look how close the cheetah is

this little guy has been so sick.

i thought he had a stomach flu or food poisoning.

he couldn't even hold down sips of water over the weekend.

on monday, we went to the doctor.

turns out he had strep throat 

{even though his throat wasn't sore}.

the bacteria were collecting in his tummy

and basically poisoning him.

1 anti-nausea medication + 1 antibiotic = feeling MUCH better. 

today was his first day back to normal.

i'm so glad he didn't miss the field trip.

♥

andersen's pea soup

when we lived in northern california,

road trips to southern california 

always included a stop at

pea soup andersen's

here in idaho,

i can buy their split pea soup in a can

at my local grocery store

it was perfect last night

with our ginormous salad

and baked sweet potatoes.

yum.

♥

p.s. believe it or not, ginormous is a real word.

earthly delights :: csa bounty :: week 1

we feel so fortunate to enjoy another year of

:: earthly delights csa ::

♥ thank you, casey & lori ♥

{click the link above & scroll down to see a picture of us from last year}

here are lori & casey {both wearing hats}

dividing up the shares for this week

the pickup location is a once-vacant-lot-turned-farm-parcel

at {see the signs?} the corner of taft & 39th.

look at all those gorgeous greens...

i have been busy sewing these

cloth produce bags {made from tea towels} for the farm

our share this week

~salad greens~

pablo lettuce head

forellenschuss lettuce head

mizuna

arugula

spinach

spicy mustard mixed green bouquet
~brassica bouquet~
collard greens
rainbow lacinato kale
redbor kale
~pac choi~
~hakurei turnips~
~french breakfast radishes~
~spring onions~
~chives~
and a
~sungold cherry tomato plant~

click here

to see our first csa share from last year
and to read more about csa's


♥

mr. roo {best cat products}

this is rudy.

we call him mr. roo.

mr. roo may be a fluffy pretty princess,

a chatty cuddly charmer,

and a part-time ninja cat,

but he's lots of work.

lots and lots of work.

mr. roo sheds like no other.

marian brushes him with this,

sparing our furniture & floors

astonishing amounts of fur.

mr. roo likes to spill his water onto the floor.

on purpose.

every time he gets a drink.

we have tried so many dishes, 

and this is the one that solves the problem.

mr. roo has a litter box.

litter boxes are gross.

this cat litter makes it less gross.

honestly.

and it's eco-friendly.

♥

show & tell {hoppy}

ned has a pet.

a baby grasshopper named hoppy.

hoppy lives in this sweet little bug house

made long ago by grandpa forrest.

i'm trying to convince ned that

hoppy needs to be a wild grasshopper.

that it's time to set him free.

♥

a message

i feel like he's trying to tell me something

{found here: kind over matter}

♥

:: fried rice ::

somewhere along the line,

for reasons i can't explain,

fried rice fell off our "what's for dinner" list.

i used to make it all the time

using this recipe {from TEN years ago}.

earlier this week,

my friend mary shared this recipe

and i knew it was time to give fried rice

a spot back on the list.

{thanks, mary!}

:: fried rice ::

~the basic ingredients~

cooked rice

veggies

eggs

tamari {soy sauce}

early in the day,

cook a pot of rice as usual:

2 cups short grain brown organic rice

4 cups water

2 Tbls butter

2 tsp salt

bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low.

cover & simmer for 1 hour {maybe a bit more}.

then, grab every vegetable you have on hand:

red onion

garlic

red bell pepper

carrot

broccoli

zucchini

cabbage

peas

dice everything except the peas.

saute veggies in canola oil.

season with salt & pepper.

i like to start with onions & garlic

then work my way down the list

to the more tender veggies.

{note: fresh ginger is on the list for next time,

but i added some ground ginger to the veggies}

then make a well in the center & add eggs.

scramble until almost set

then add rice.

{this is a good time to add a little sesame oil}

i didn't have much room left,

so i did the eggs & rice in another pan, then combined them.

season with tamari {soy sauce}.

maybe a little fresh basil on top.

fried rice is always better than you expect.

it's a more-than-the-sum-of-its-parts

kind of thing.

can't wait to have the leftovers for lunch today.

♥

kindergarten art :: claude monet

claude monet

we looked at these

we learned about impressionism.

we looked closely at monet's little brushstrokes.

we learned about primary colors

and how to mix secondary colors.

we made color wheels.

then,

we made these

♥

tomatoes & snow

yesterday, i bought these

to go here 

and here

so, naturally, 

it snowed this morning.

they are all cherry tomatoes.

these are the varieties:

sun gold are our very favorite,

the other 3 were recommended by the growers.

♥