lovin' from the oven

no thanks, I'll just have coffee

(don't forget to click photos to enlarge)

What is this sitting on the kitchen table?


Last night Kara & Chadi taught us how to make homemade yogurt: we cooked the ingredients in a large pot, then wrapped it up so it would cool very slowly overnight...

this morning: a big old pot of yogurt! Some of it will get eaten as a sauce/garnish -- but our next plan is to process a large portion of it into cheese! (stay tuned...)

ut-oh...guilty as charged?

via twitpic

ingredients for Lebanese "meat pie" & tabouli, made by Chadi:


Yum - served with fresh yogurt (homemade too!)

a celebratory breakfast at our favorite diner: the LaFayette in Canandaigua... I always order the same thing: french toast made with their homemade thick-sliced whole wheat raisin bread - YUM!

I saved the best slice shape for last to eat:

everything is better with bacon

even this blog ?!?! -- click here!

husmanskost

...and hygge & husmanskost!


Tim's mom made this wall hanging for us years ago, before we even lived here with our view of HiTor


my favorite turkey chili simmering away...

'tis the season

..for irresistible treats around every corner


...for vacuum-packing cookies to send to people far away


(making Christmas cookies at my mom's house)

Thanksgiving preparations

Tim's cranberry relish & my dad's Crockpot stuffing recipe


I love the colors of these ingredients simmering together: cranberries & fresh orange juice

Yippeee! They're back!

No, it's not too early. I'm one of those people who thinks the Christmas season is way too short, so I'm happy to herald the arrival of this tradition as my official start to the season! These will be my diet staple for the next 2 months (or until our local grocery mart runs out of them, since our larger supermarkets don't seem to carry these!)

lunch at the back door of the barn (upstairs)

my sister's own home-made carrot soup - she adds chili powder, which gives it the perfect flavor dimension for fall - ohh, Sparky wants some

yellow carpet of walnut leaves below:

this note a few days prior...

..led to this a few nights later:

in the mood for love

To celebrate 11 "official" years together, Tim picked out treats to represent our various experiences:
mini British bread toasts;
gourmet cheeses (brie & Wensleydale, Grommet) like we used to make sandwiches from;
a mango to represent Florida (okay, that's a stretch - but it's tropical);
roasted peppers & stuffed olives to commemorate Italy;
fresh tomato from our garden;
concord grapes in honor of Naples;
wine from a Finger Lakes winery;
served on a special plate that reminds us of the traditions we came from...
M&Ms and Nutella because man cannot live on healthy food alone
(dalias & gladiolas from Tim's mom's garden)

plans for a picnic at our favorite hillside spot were thwarted by rainy weather, so we picnicked on the couch instead:



The moody, rainy day was perfect for curling up on the sofa to watch favorite movies. I picked In the Mood for Love - not because the plot had any significance to the day (it's a sad movie) - but because it's so visually stunning, I love this movie. I don't intend to make a regular habit of photographing the TV - but it seemed especially appropriate in this case, because the look of this film inspired me to paint the blue wall behind the TV the way I did!

makins for a yummy summer omelette

Swiss chard
chopped onion
fresh basil
wild garlic


(mostly I took these pictures because I love the gorgeous colors of the Swiss chard)

brought to you by the letter B

birdhouse, beauties, buds, bumblebee


birthday cake, blue eyes, big grin

Kara & I made cookies at her house on Saturday -- if you're nice, you might get one :)

best. m&ms. ever.

trust me, I know these things

totally addictive - only available during the Christmas season each year!

wine and the top of our wedding cake saved from 10 years ago... We're actually celebrating a little early here - our anniversary is on Sept 6th! (The wine is "Oh Be Joyful" from Bully Hill, the Hammondsport winery where TIm proposed.)

how to eat blackberries