Monthly Archives: July 2013

Snap Pea & Radish Summer Salad

The past few weeks we’ve received an enormous amount of sugar snap peas in our weekly CSA share, along with a beautiful bunch of red and purple radishes that I had no idea what to do with. Enter the snap pea & radish salad, an unexpected, wonderful, fresh, summery dish that received rave reviews at our summer conservatory late night casting session and the beach picnic I brought it to.

Ingredients:

  • Sugar snap peas
  • Radishes, sliced
  • Fresh mint leaves, chopped
  • Fresh mozzarella cheese ball, crumbled
  • Vinaigrette dressing: lemon juice, olive oil, rice or white wine vinegar, salt, pepper

Directions:

Mix peas, radishes, mint and mozzarella in one dish. In another, mix together the ingredients for the vinaigrette. Keep both refrigerated separately until serving time. Combine, serve, enjoy, gracefully accept compliments on the awesome dish, and refrigerate any leftovers. On the off chance you do have leftovers, once the vinaigrette has been mixed into the salad, it’s best to use it all that day.

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So healthy, so flavorful, so good! I think the secret is in the mint. It seems like an oddball combination, but it was so delicious and a definite hit among the masses. If you’re looking for something insanely easy and healthy to bring to a summer potluck that nobody else will likely bring too, this may be your ticket! Share the wealth :)

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To the Beach!

After spending the morning berry picking (if you missed it, check out yesterday’s post!), we all headed to the beach for a sunny, sandy picnic. We’d also planned on swimming, but due to heavy rains, they closed the beaches to swimmers and cautioned folks to not spend too much time in the water with all the bacteria stirred up overnight. Unfortunately, that meant we didn’t swim as intended, but instead we waded and splashed knee-deep for a bit (which was still wonderful and cooling), but, fortunately, it also meant that we pretty much had the entire beach and a nice shady picnic spot all to ourselves, which was glorious

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We feasted on juicy slices of watermelon, strawberry-infused ice tea, roasted chicken legs, hummus and pitas, tomato basil chips, and several delicious chilled salads. Summer picnicing at its finest!

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“We’ve been Berry Picking!”

“It’s been so cold lately they turned blue!” – 10 points if you know the reference.

Last weekend, to unwind from the wonderful and wacky busy-ness of directing and casting and showcase planning and classes, we planned a marvelous beaching & berry picking day of R&R in the country and on the shores of Lake Ontario.

And it was excellent.

And I adore everything about Hurd Orchards, including their fantastic fields of berries and trees of cherries, amazing little country store of baked goods, jellies, jams, infused vinegars, scented soaps, dried flowers, and the best caramels I have EVER had. EVER.

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Our lovely little group of 9 spent a few sunny hours surrounded by nothing but fields of wildflowers and the sounds of trickling water, chirping birds, and buzzing bees (and, of course, our own conversations and laughter) eating picking sour cherries, black raspberries, red raspberries, and blueberries. Heaven on earth – and soooo delicious! And the two littles, I guarantee, ate as much as their little bellies could hold and loved every minute of it as well.

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Needless to say, those berries quickly became an integral part of a blueberry crisp…which was a very wise decision.

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And after all the berries were picked, we headed to the beach! Stay tuned for tomorrows post! :)

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Worth the Hype

So, after 11 months of living in Rochester, passing by this place in beautiful Pittsford right along the Erie Canal a million times, and lots of enthusiastic referals and “you haven’t been to Pittsford Dairy yet!?” from friends, we finally found occassion (summer heat, visiting relatives, and a lazy Sunday afternoon is an occassion, right?) to get ourselves over to Pittsford Farms Dairy to try their oft raved about chocolate milk and ice cream. The chocolate milk, while still totally delish, was pretty standard in my book, but I would hardly call myself a chocolate milk connoisseur either. But I DO consider myself pretty adept at judging ice cream, and theirs I will definitely be back for.

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I gotta say, I was instantly smitten with the offerings – tables of fresh berries, amazing homemade pies and droolworthy sweet breads, stunning rustic decor (must. have. milk bottle chandelier. yesterday.), a freezer full of ice cream cakes (I know what I want for my birthday…), fresh pastries, long community picnic tables set up inside for the enjoyment of goodies, lots of sweet and shady outdoor seating next to a corn field for pretty summer eves, milk and chocolate milk sold in refillable glass bottles and jugs (swoon!), and homemade cheeses, seasonal custard, and so many flavors of hard hand dipped ice cream, shakes, malts, banana splits, and sundaes! Heaven.

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This seasonal fresh blueberry custard? AMAZING. Easily the creamiest custard I have ever had. My mouth tingles just thinking about it. And that lilac hue is gorgeous! I wish they’d keep this winner around all summer long!

Obviously, I sense a future of many a date night here…

If you haven’t been here yet, treat yo’ self and try it :) I’ll even go with if you need a buddy! This place would be a rockin’ dessert compliment to lunch at the Village Bakery across the street.

Also, can I just brag on the unbelieveable weather we’ve been having this week!? The last week in July is historically toasty pretty much anywhere in the U.S., but we’ve been basking in precious, sunny, breezy 65 degree weather for the past two days. I cannot even fathom what turn of excellent fortune allowed us to deserve such an amazing treat. It’s like a mirage…I’m not even sure it’s real. It was flat out chilly and fall-like Wednesday morning, and I got to spend the whole morning outside doing an acting expansions exercise with our conservatory students in that glorious weather. Seriously!! Summer is the greatest.

Have a wonderful weekend!

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One Way Ticket

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Two Sundays ago we checked out the New York Museum of Transportation, a tiny yet fun and really interesting little museum only open on Sundays way out in the country amid corn fields and railroad tracks that was once an abandoned dairy farm. We enjoyed an actual trolley and push car rides on the railroad, learned alot about old railroad stations and their tools, instruments, and legends, Morse code, telegraphs, and the Rochester Subway System, and toured many rail cars stocked with really great artifacts and wonderful stories of Rochester’s not too far gone past and how people on the rails communicated back then. If you’re looking for a really neat day trip for any history buffs or train enthusiasts, I’d highly suggest it…especially on a beautiful summer day or colorful autumn eve!

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I couldn’t help but note that the Cincinnati subway ceased construction in 1928 after it was mostly built but before tracks were laid and it was ever actually put to use (as my favorite Ted shirt says – “The Cincinnati Subway – taking you nowhere since 1928”) and the Rochester subway started its operations in 1928. They were probably under construction during the exact same years…it’s just that one was canned due to cost and the other was completed. Also fascinating is that both Cincinnati and Rochester drained, reinforced and converted the already dug Erie Canal into their underground subway systems. And up until they filled in the Rochester subway recently (last year?), you could tour both abandoned subways. So thankful we were in the handful of the lucky few who got to tour Cincinnati’s subway! Abandoned canal-subways fascinate me.

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Doesn’t this totally look like it used to be an amazing piece of scenery on a traveling circus car? I adore it!

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Cruisin’ down the Erie Canal

One of the wonderful things about living in Rochester is our close proximity to the Erie Canal. In the spring and fall its paved waterside trails provide a peaceful and serene running track, it’s rich history and beauty makes it a great place to take out-of-town visitors, it’s a grand spot for biking, strolling, fishing, kayaking, canoeing, paddleboarding, or simply a little R&R, and in the summer boat cruises along the canal are an awesome way to unwind with the family, soak in some rays and a cool breeze with a peach margarita in hand, check out a lock, and learn more about the origins and history of the canal.

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There are several cruising companies in and around the Rochester area, but we opted for the Colonial Belle out of Fairport because it cruises some of the most beautiful areas including Bushnell’s Basin and Pittsford, and it includes passage through Lock 32. I was also pleased with the open-air top deck for a nice breeze and great views, the unexpected onboard drink offerings, interesting historical and just-for-fun information about the canal voiced by the vessel’s captain throughout the cruise, a great folksy canal cruising soundtrack by a local musician (who sometimes plays and sings live onboard), and the themed cruises they offer including lunch and dinner cruises, murder mystery cruises, jazz and wine nights, parrot head, and fall foliage cruises. With a hunk of free time on a lovely Saturday afternoon, we booked the plain old 3-hour mid-afternoon lock cruise, which was a gorgeous and entirely relaxing way to spend a part of our weekend.

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I would love to go again with some friends for either the parrot head or murder mystery cruise and then again with visiting family in the autumn for the fall foliage sunset dinner cruise! Who’s with me??

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On Market Mornings and BBQ Ribs & Blues

As I’m sure you’ve gleamed by now, our public market cannot be beat and neither can our rad summer festivals. Also, 71 degrees in late July (our upcoming forecast for Wednesday)? Summertime in upstate New York is truly grand!

Mellow Morning Marketing

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(These pastries from Flour City Bread were incredible}

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{Yes, this gorgeous chameleon is real and quite pettable}

BBQ Ribs & Blues Fest

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{Good old fashioned live blues tunes and a cozy patch of soft green lawn, this is the life!}

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{Texas girls gotta support}

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{Dill pickle and jalapeno chips}

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{Ribs!}

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{Rib man hard at work/play – he’s a happy camper}

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More weekend fun to come!

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Welcoming the Weekend

Some busy, busy weeks (busy yet wonderful, I mean I do have an incredible job in the theatre!), Friday can’t come soon enough!

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Have a great week!

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Home Improvement: From House to Home, Part II

Lookie what arrived on Wednesday!

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Omg we finally have living room furniture!!

Well, a sofa at least. The ottoman is still being built and we’ll add the chair when we can afford to….but still! Holy beautiful sofa!

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And man oh man, is this couch comfy and well-made! And even more gorgeous in person. And it was pretty awesome custom designing every detail of her too, from fabrics to arms to the shape of the back pillows and right down to what type of spring and stuffing fills the cushions (once we finally came to some agreements and made a decision).

Also, I adore the pillows!

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It’s a perfect fit. The room’s still a little sparse, but like I said, the matching ottoman will be arriving in a few weeks, the chair will come eventually, we’ve got some really neat new floor and table lamps in mind, plans to build some sweet end tables, pictures to hang, two more pillows with bright pops of color to add, and a few other ideas up our sleeves.

But for now, I cannot even tell you how thrilled we (read: our aching backs) are to be resting on a comfortable sofa again and off the floor and hard backed chairs!

Ted never even told me it was arriving. I came home Wednesday night from the theatre, where he met me outside for dinner and a trip to the grocery store and when we came back home and opened the front door…bam! There it was…perfectly in place and looking like a totally different home in the most wonderful way possible.

LOVE.

:)

Happy Friday!

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Home Improvement: From House to Home, Part 1

First up: the yard. We both agreed our townhome improvements had to start with the weedy, overgrown, neglected, hideous-and-half-dead-pine-shrub yard that came with our otherwise really lovely new place.

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{Before…it ain’t pretty}

I’m not a big flower person (too ordinary for my tastes), and I’m definitely not a fan of the cost or daily effort required to maintain mulch, flowers, grass, trimmed shrubs, etc. And because I’m a Texas girl at heart, we decided that a snazzy, non-traditional for our neighborhood, eye-catching, low-maintenance, and cost-effective Texas rock garden with dazzling firefly mason jar lanterns, gathered driftwood fresh from the beach at Lake Ontario, white marble gravel, slate stepping stones, and a vintage half-oak whiskey barrel was just the ticket!

After designing, researching, purchasing, spraying, de-weeding, de-shrubbing, digging, turning, leveling, tarping, bricking, shoveling, placing, hanging, and seeding…we are thrilled with the outcome.

Without further adieu…our DIY landscaping reveal!

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{Work in progress – the inaugural scoop of gravel!}

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{After! A glorious improvement!}

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{Before and after, side by side}

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{And, of course, my beloved firefly mason jar lanterns at night. I adore them.}

Next summer we intend to turn the whiskey barrel into a fountain, take down the rusty street lamp lighting fixture on the left leaving just the pretty firefly lanterns for light, perhaps make and hang a live succulent wreath on the door (because I also have a hopeless obsession with any plant from the cactus family), and hopefully they’ll have pressure washed the siding and walls by then as well because, wow, do they need it.

But for now, this summer, we are all about enjoying our new yard as is!

We even won a gift card to Wegman’s from the townhouse company in the landscaping contest last week. :)

Not too shabby for a quick weekend DIY project.

Have you done any fun home improvement projects lately?

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