:: kids workshop at home depot ::

we'll see you tomorrow at the

home depot kids workshop

9:00 am - 12:00 noon

click here for more information

and to see this month's project

{a fire rescue helicopter}

here are the pictures from last month

when ned built and painted...

♥ a dry erase board ♥

♥

italian theater backdrop

didn't i hear you mention

that you needed a

20th-century

hand-painted

italian theater backdrop?

oil on canvas

78"w x 126"H

just a little over four thousand dollars

at one kings lane.
click here to join.

♥

:: pasta with roasted eggplant, summer squash, and tomatoes ::

i almost called this post

:: pasta with roasted fruit ::

because eggplant, squash, & tomatoes

are all fruits, you know.

because we are the lucky members

of an amazing csa farm, we have been

enjoying copious quantities of said fruits.

this dish has been a really delicious result.

my kids thought they didn't like eggplant

until i came up with this one.

pasta

with roasted eggplant, 

summer squash, and tomatoes

coarsely chop eggplant, squash, & tomatoes

{i like to peel the eggplant first}

add some coarsely chopped onions & garlic.

generously coat with olive oil, salt & pepper

and spread onto baking sheets.

roast in a 350° oven for about an hour,

or until everything looks like this

cook 1 pound of pasta per package directions

{i like to use something sturdy, like penne}

then combine with roasted goodness

and add loads of freshly grated parmesan.

at this point, you can just dig in,

or you can

pour into a buttered casserole

and bake a bit more.

{keep a cover on it when baking}

{note: i froze the extra roasted goodness

for future meals}

serve with a salad and a baguette

mmmmmmmmmmm...

♥

brie savory, brie sweet

here are two super easy & delicious

ways to serve brie.
one is savory, one is sweet.

{this one's dedicated to you, mom}

brie with pine nuts,

sundried tomatoes, artichoke hearts, 

garlic, salt & pepper

brie with ground cherries

how to:

1. slice brie into smallish pieces

2. place in microwaveable bowl

3. add toppings & mix them in a bit

4. microwave until melty {45 seconds or so}

5. serve with a sliced baguette 

and a glass of chardonnay

♥


p.s. curious about ground cherries?
look at this post i did about a year ago
for more photos & a link to learn more.

earthly delights :: csa bounty :: week 18

though you couldn't tell by the weather,

summer has come to an end.

this week's share is our last of the season.

pumpkin

carnival squash 

{missy can attest that carnival squash is my all-time favorite!}

sweet peppers

hot peppers

tomatoes

eggplant

tomatillos

ground cherries

yellow crookneck squash

onion

leeks

magic garlic

rainbow chard

cucumbers

basil

sage

pears

flowers

thank you, 

casey & lori, 

for feeding us the beautiful food you grow.

we are forever grateful.

come visit casey & lori at earthlydelightsfarm.com 

if you live nearby, now is the time

to sign up for next year.

♥

someone's knockin' at the door...

my saturday morning began like this...

our sweet ducka seems to want to have her

freedom and her cozy home, too.

she has flown away several times,

once a couple weeks ago for almost 3 days,

but she keeps coming back.

the funny thing is that she

:: knocks ::

on the front door when she comes home.

we open the door, and in she waddles.

it's her house, after all.

we do love you, rosa,

and we're glad have you back.

♥

art-paper-scissors :: autumn watercolor collage

beginning today,

i am a contributing blogger over at

everythingeagle.com

my weekly kids art lesson is called

art-paper-scissors

please come and see my brand new

autumn watercolor collage

and if you live in eagle,

be sure to stop by the harvest hoe down 

at eagle hills elementary school

{thursday, september 29th, 5 - 8 pm}

to see all 22 of the 

autumn watercolor collages

made by ned's class.

♥

p.s. if you are looking for the printable pages

for this art project, they are here.

:: autumn ::

nevermind that it was 92° here today,

it is officially autumn.

so i wore a python print scarf

and drank 7 cups of my new favorite tea

♥

:: we've got spirit ::

after weeks & weeks of practice,

marian cheered for the first time today

{she's on the far right}

{and get a load of that shiny gym floor}

yay, marian!

i'm so proud of you!

go colts!

♥

earthly delights :: csa bounty :: week 17

our share this week

tomatoes

leeks

basil

cutting celery

ground cherries

carrots

beets

winter squash

melon

zucchini

eggplant

broccoli

hot peppers

mild peppers

onion

magic garlic

tomatillos

edamame

{next week is our last pick-up}

♥

familiar with fab?

fab.com is daily design at a discount.

it is where i found this.

products are available for a limited time,

usually 3 days.

in addition to so much other cool stuff,

today they have these

beautiful, affordable, responsibly made bags

also today, are these

which would be perfect for this.

fab.com emails me with 

a new smattering of designs each day.

i am usually entertained and always impressed.

interested?

sign up by clicking this link: 

http://fab.com/dg7a14

{if you sign up today, you will earn an instant $10 credit}

♥

happy birthday, dad

i hope you are having this much fun today

i love you

♥

love letter

he made it at school

♥

p.s. today, i read two posts
brimming with insight, wisdom, and tenderness.
please go here and here
to bask in their amazingness.

:: baked leeks ::

simple, beautiful food

along with these lovely leeks in our share,

this recipe was in our csa newsletter this week.

it is from our farmer, casey:

1. Cut the rest of the leek from the white and light green part, which you will use.
2. Slice the lovely little thing lengthwise
and gently fan the layers apart, admiring their delicate beauty
and possibly running them under gentle water
if you see any dirt wedged in between the layers.

3. Arrange them in a small baking dish
and drizzle with olive oil and a little salt
4. Cover them with foil and bake at 375 until they're soft and creamy and yummy! This will make your kitchen smell good, too! It might take 20-40 minutes...i don't really remember...you'll know when they're tender, it's time to EAT THEM!!!!!

♥

earthly delights :: csa bounty :: week 16

our share this week

carrots
leeks
eggplant
cucumbers
corn
tomatillos
ground cherries
squash
basil
tomatoes
magic garlic
onions
jalapeño peppers
anaheim peppers
purple cabbage


♥

sweet dreams & flying machines

there isn't anyone like this man

here is a clip of the song he sang today.

it is one of my very favorites.

{please forgive the ad at the beginning - i'm still searching for a better video}

here's the same song, a few years back

this video is from the concert for new york city

october 20, 2001

just one more time, ya'll

god bless america.

god bless james taylor.

♥