August Recap

In August, I started feeling a little better so we actually left the house for activities other than work and the grocery store.  The first big event was a trip to Paw's farm in New Jersey.  It's a small petting zoo and nature that Jim grew up going to and had very fond memories of.

He was really excited to share it with Riesling.  She was really excited that he did.  He may have been her best day to date.  Have you ever seen a kid so excited to see a cow?

She was seriously overjoyed by the entire experience.  She was trying to climb in the pens with the animals, especially the sheep.  She hugged and squeezed every bit she could.  It was adorable and a really fun little trip.  Way better than the overpriced, crowded zoo. 

The petting zoo was such a big hit that we didn't miss a chance to hit up the local Grange Fair.  This was equally exciting for Riesling.  I was beginning to get concerned that she would think there were sheep everywhere we went.  The ducks and, once again, the sheep were her favorite.  She had the opportunity to plant a few smooches on a sheep or two.

We also hit up the orchard for some peach picking.  Resulting in peach cobbler, peach popsicles, peach for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.  YUM! And HooRay for feeling like a real person and eating food again.

June Photo Recap

 I have gotten so behind on events and happenings from the last few months. I have a ton of pictures piled up, some that I sadly just got around to downloading.  I feel like I need to catch up a little bit before I can dive into current day.  Riesling has grown up so much since the beginning of the summer and I don't want to miss a whole section of her changing, so I keep putting off posting current stuff until I catch up on the old stuff. It's just piling up and this point so I thought I should do a little recap of the last few months. 

Riesling's buddy Archer celebrates his 1st birthday at Duck, Duck Goose....

Surprise! There's a baby in mommy's belly.  She just found out so we can't tell anyone yet.

Father's Day Weekend at the beach....

Mild nausea and vomiting have set in at this point but I have no idea what absolute hell is ahead of me.

Some general fun in the sun cuteness....

 

And Aunt Jenn & Austin come to visit....

 At which point I had entered a serious state of all day "morning sickness" and was the worst host and no fun at all.  I took about 5 pictures the whole time they were here.  And probably at least 5 times a day I said to Jenn, "can you watch Riesling for a second while I go throw up."  Good times.  Poor Austin didn't even get to go out for ice cream. But Uncle Jim did help him catch lightening bugs....

 And ended the month of June. 

Strawberry Picking

I'm soooo behind on editing pictures from this summer.  Even though we've picked about a million other vegetables and fruits since and Riesling has grown so much and is practically an entirely new kid since these pictures were taken,  I just couldn't resist posting these ones of her strawberry picking back in June.

 She had excellent picking form (or maybe she was pooping?!)

 

And only ate a few (dozen!).  I think she actually liked them better with a little dirt on them.

 

 

 It was a nice early morning family outing resulting in lots of yummy strawberry treats, including our annual jam making (although not our best batch this year but I'm not sure why).  Previous Robinson family strawberry adventures here and here. 

Summer Food

Between the garden* & farmer's market^ I've been enjoying a lot of simple meals, especially for lunch. 

Exhibit A: Served with hummus, blue chips, carrot sticks*, and watermelon^ for mommy & baby swim date with a friend

1/2 can black beans, drained & rinsed
1 small red onion*, diced
grape tomatoes*, cut in quarters
1/2 cucumber^, peeled, seeded & cut into chunks
parsley*, chopped

Mix. Add juice of 1/2 lime.  Add salt, pepper, olive oil to taste

Exhibit B: Lunch at work with side of sweet potato chips & handful of almonds.

1/2 can black beans, drained & rinsed
yellow grape tomatoes*, cut into halves
1 small red onion*, diced
1/4 C. peas*

Mix. Add balsamic vinegar, olive oil, salt, pepper, olive oil.

Exhibit C: Lunch with my dad. Served on the cutting board.

1 large Jersey tomato^
1 avocado
1/2 cucumber^, peeled

Slice. Add salt & pepper. Drizzle with olive oil.

It's hard to believe how quickly summer is slipping away....

TGIF

Our Friday actually started off a little bumpy due to what we later decided was lack of caffeine and poor communication, but it ended up being a spontaneous and fun evening. 

We headed over to Tyler State Park for a little family hike.  The skies were a bit dark and cloudy but  rain wasn't forecasted for a few hours, so we decided on a short trail so Sofee could run off her leash for a bit and then we would continue on the paved path closer to the car just in case.  Crossing over the bridge we noticed the water was pretty high with a strong currant.  Thank goodness we went for the short hike because 15 minutes later we came back to this....

We had no choice but to cross.  I had Riesling in the Ergo so Jim picked up Sofee and away we went.  We watched the couple in the picture came across (carrying a stroller overhead!) when we were on the trail side.  We informed them that the water had risen significantly in only 15 minutes.  A few minutes after we were safely on the parking lot side they starting coming back across and said that the water had gotten deeper and stronger in only the few minutes since they had gone over. 

We decided wet boots were a good reason to cut our family walk short and opted for a little country drive in search of ice cream.  We came upon the strangest little area. There was a garden center, a little gym, some antiques shops, a peacock & turkey, a train ride (only running on Saturday/Sunday). It was so cute but no one was there.  Riesling had a little dinner in the empty picnic area.

 Then Jim and I enjoyed some handmade ice cream from O Wow Cow. They use local & organic ingredients and have amazing flavors.  I had lemon verbena, Jim had some kind of almond chocolate.

 

Then for an extra special treat we got to ride a carousel. 

To celebrate the end of the work week we had a pizza picnic in the air conditioning.  Riesling got so enthralled with a dirty greasy napkin that she decided it was time she get moving.....

Sunday's harvest

 Riesling admiring our harvest yesterday....

 

Make your own ice tea

I've been experimenting with making my own ice teas.  Basically I just make hot tea then put it in the fridge.  Not exactly rocket science but I have been trying out a few different preparation methods and this is what I've decided works best for me:  add 2 tea bags to a mason jar, fill with hot water (I use a tea kettle to heat the water), let cool until able to touch the jar, then screw on lid and cool in fridge over night.

I like this method for a few reasons.  The mason jars take up less space in the fridge than making a larger pitcher; I can make more than one variety of tea at a time; and when you're ready for a glass you can spruce it up to your liking.  By doubling up the tea bags you can get 2 servings per jar by pouring the desired amount to a new glass filled with ice and your desired garnishments.  So far I've been going with 3 different varieties:

Green Tea
We always have a few different varieties of green tea on hand.  I either add lemon and some fresh mint from the garden or add this to a protein smoothie (half the water I usually use & half green tea) with frozen bananas, almond butter, and flax oil.

Nursing Support Tea
I started drinking a cup of the this in every afternoon when Riesling was around 3 months but the habit tapered off as the weather heated up.  I just couldn't stand a hot beverage in the middle of the day.  It has a bit of a floral taste and I usually just drink it over ice.  Some times I add a squeeze of lemon if I have it on hand.  It's also nice because this is obviously only something I drink so I like the space saving aspect of the jars.

Chai Spice Tea
Mix with almond milk and a touch of sweetener (I used agave nectar but sugar or even sweetened almond milk would work as well).  If you love ice chai lattes you have to give this a try!  I made a pitcher of this and brought it to a dinner with a friend who is a chai lover and it was a big hit.  

Cool, refreshing & homemade.

Catching Up

A little catch up is in order, don't you think?  Mostly I've been busy rolling around, playing,  and tickling my little monkey.

She's just so interactive and fun right now.  I can hardly pull myself away to get anything productive done, so forget the ole blog.  She has taken to longer daytime naps and will sleep independently in her crib, so I use that time to race around like crazy and get some household chores under control.  But don't go snooping around in the corners or  under my couch because there are definitely big, disgusting dust balls and lord knows what else hanging out there.

The garden is heading into heavy production season.  Thanks to Jim's hard work and a mild winter, we've had a pretty steady supply of fresh produce. But things are really starting to pick up now to the point where we will have to be diligent about including the fresh stuff in our meal planning so nothing goes to waste....fresh salsa, bruschetta, zucchini fritters and eggplant pizza are on our weekend menu....maybe even some fresh pesto if I get really ambitious.  I've also been experimenting with ice tea varieties and refrigerated oatmeal. Hopefully I'll get some food/recipe related posts up soon.

The pool filter pump is broken.  Stupid pool.  It's so freaking high maintenance.  It's lucky that Riesling LOVES the pool now because I think Jim might be tempted to fill it full of dirt otherwise.

He'll be spending the afternoon replacing the motor on the pump while Riesling and I attend a bridal shower at The Melting Pot.   I'm not sure what sounds like more torture....mechanical repairs when you don't really know what the hell you're doing or taking your grabbing, exploring infant to a place filled with hot fondue pots.

 

Raw veggies

As much as I love grilled veggies, I know it's important to balance your diet with raw foods as well.   Summer seems like the perfect season to experiment with new recipes while there is a wide variety of fresh local produce, so I've been experimenting with some new recipes.... 

Asparagus Bean Salad

1 can white beans, drained & rinsed
1 batch of asparagus
1/2 red onion, diced
1/2 english cucumber
parsley
olive oil
salt & pepper

Remove the bottom stalk of the asparagus and cut into 1 inch pieces.  Peel and cut cucumber into cubes.  Mix beans, asparagus, cucumber, and red onion.  Chopped parsley and add to taste.  Add olive oil slowly until you have an even coating but not too heavy.  Salt & pepper to taste. 

I served it the first night over a bed of fresh lettuce from the garden and had the leftovers solo for lunch the next day. 

Happy Father's Day

Jim wanted a lazy, relaxing family day complete with sleeping in, lounging by the pool, basking in the sun, and a man size grill feast at the end of the day.   It did turn out to be cloudy most of the day, but otherwise Riesling and I were able to comply with his request.  Little Miss was tired of waiting for Daddy to celebrate the day and started getting a bit loud around 9:00...that's sleeping in to parents though, right?!  She was just excited about his presents. 

Jim and I agreed on an inexpensive & simple gifts and handmade cards for Mother's & Father's Days.  Riesling and I coordinated our efforts this year.  I ordered him a batch of live ladybugs to help control garden best, Riesling got him a LadyBug Girl book for them to read together and together we made him a pretty bright red card to fit the theme. 

For his man feast, we started off with caprese salad with fresh basil from the garden, followed by salmon (and a lobster tail for Dad!) & zucchini on the grill and yummy sweet potato fries.  Delicious! 

Riesling even got to ride on Daddy's shoulders for the first time.  I think she was a little confused at first but ended up being really excited about the whole thing.  What a perfect day to be a Dad....

Strawberries & Papa

 Strawberry picking on a beautiful Saturday morning.....

Riesling loved her first trip to the strawberry patch.  With the exception of the first 15 minutes, she pretty much snoozed the whole time.  It's hard to believe that last year she was working her way into existence but we just didn't know it yet. 

The cropped didn't seem as abundant as last year but we still got enough to make a batch of jam for the upcoming year, as well as two batches frozen.

The rest of the weekend our little cutie pie spent giggling and laughing for her Papa....

  It's just so fun to watch them together.....

A Summer Update

The weather has been just perfect here lately. Breezy and cool at night. Warm & sunny with no humidity during the day. I guess I've just been too busy enjoying summer to sit inside and write about summer.....

For Father's Day my dad ventured onto a plane for the first time since 1970 when he was flying home from Vietnam, to spend a week at the Robinson Resort. We had a really great week lounging by the pool and tinkering around the house on little projects the way dads do. My dad also has the craziest repertoire of tales of days gone by of anyone I know. Jim and I think that he should write a novel....poverty, nomadic travels, knife wounds, war tales, women, drugs, dance parties, throw in a list of every job you can imagine and a even longer list of survived surgeries and near death experiences and you've got yourself a best seller. We loved having him and are already looking forward to his trip.

Papa and Elli 2009

After shipping Dad into the westward skies, Jim and I heading north for a weekend of nature. We usually try to get in at least two camping trips a year, but last year was just too crazy with the house remodeling and we didn't go at all. We skipped down Friday afternoon for Salt Springs Park. We've been there a few times before and really love the area. There are only 7-8 campsites that are nicely spaced out, so you don't feel like you're camping on top of another group. In fact on Friday night we were the only people there. There's a creek running right through the back edge of the campsites (where Sofee learned to swim a few years back) and plenty of great hiking. We got a little wet on Saturday morning but it cleared up and turned into a nice weekend. I love being forced into relaxing and enjoying a limited number of activities....during the rain we played a few rounds of Yahtzee and Rummy; during our breaks between hikes we took turns reading short stories out loud; and spent the evenings chatting endless by the fire, roasted marshmallows and enjoying pie iron pizza pies.

This week has been mostly work and a little play so far. Wednesday night we decided to head over to the Mann Center (an outdoor concert venue) for a performance by the Philadelphia orchestra. You can't beat $10 lawn seats and for orchestra concerts you're allowed to bring in any food and beverages you want. I whipped up a yogurt dip for some veggies and chips and topped gluten free cornbread with homemade fresh pesto, roasted red peppers, and grilled chicken for a delicious summer flatbread type sandwich. For dessert we had juicy red grapes. I love a simple picnic on a perfect summer night.

And that brings us to 4th of July weekend! We have no real plans, which I like best. I'm hoping for some nice weather for lounging by the pool. Any big plans for the weekend?

Strawberry summer

After snoozing a little later than normal due to a late night of Phishing, Saturday morning Jim and I heading out a local flea market (snagging 2 vinyls, 4 books and a really cool painting that is actually a secret key box for a whoopin' total of $3), then it was off to ShadyBrook Farm for strawberry picking. It was overcast and threatening rain, so we basically had the entire place to ourselves and loved it! We ended up with almost 15 lbs of strawberries (and a quart of raspberries).

Fresh picked strawberries are just so, so delicious. I'm pretty sure I could have eaten the entire 15 lbs solo, but I thought it was in my better judgement to capture the delightful goodness for future consumption.

In anticipation of a good garden crop this year, I decided that strawberry jam would be an easy intro to canning and preserving our own fruits and veggies. To get started I purchased a set of canning jars with lids, a canning starter kit that included a jar lifter and lid magnet thingy, pectin, and combo pressure cooker/water bath canner. I'm pretty sure you can do the water bath canning with just a large pot, but you need a pressure cooker for less acidic foods like green beans and meats, so I just decided to get it from the start. I basically just followed the recipe on the pectin but there's a lot of good info about making jams and canning out there, so I did a little reading ahead of time.

In less than 2 hours we had completed our first ever homemade strawberry jam. Aren't the little jars just so cute?!

New to the whole process, I had no idea the quantity needed to make jam. It turned out to be not nearly as many as we thought. We had plenty left....

I decided to freeze a few batches by lying in a single layer on a cookie sheet, then transferring to a freezer safe ziploc bag once frozen. Maybe I'll get inspired to make another batch of jam or even a strawberry pie!

The rest we ate on cereal, with yogurt, and of course strawberry shortcake. Using gluten free bisquick I made my own shortcakes and we pilled them high with strawberries and whip cream!! YUM!

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Monday....

"Sun is shining. Weather is sweet. Make you wanna move your dancing feet."

~Bob Marley

I love it.

I'm sitting in the spare room with the windows wide open with a light breeze rustling the curtains. It's so quiet outside. This neighborhood is so unbelievably quiet. I love it. I love it so very much. It's my favorite thing about our new house. It makes me feel content even amongst all the construction and chaos. It reminds of growing up and small towns. It's like I managed to find my own little small town right here in the 'burbs. At first it was kind of eerie. Especially when you combine it with the fact that EVERYONE in the neighborhood is super nice. Like one of those movies that start out all sweet and cheery and then all the sudden everyone is getting killed or there's a crazy ghost or evil spirit that haunts the neighborhood at night. Nope. Didn't happen. Everyone's super nice. and it's always super quiet. And I love it.

This weather would be perfect for camping. I'm really craving a weekend of campfires, s'mores, long hikes, and just hanging out with nature. We usually try to take at least one trip in the late spring and another in the fall, more if we can fit it in. But this spring and summer has just been too busy with the house, plus I don't even know where to find all the camping gear amongst the piles of boxes in the basement. We tentatively scheduling a weekend get away in mid September. I think we just have to make it happen.

This weekend we're booked up with GrandPop's 90th birthday party and finishing up a lot of little projects around the house. Changing out the light switches, hanging a curtain rod, perhaps installing a dimmer switch in the kitchen. Sounds like fun, right!?

Summer Night

I'm loving this weather!! Cool and crisp with a splash of sunshine. A perfect way to start the weekend...

After successfully installing the recessed lighting fixture, we decided to take advantage of the
beautiful weather and spend some time relaxing and just hanging out.

We took SoFee dog to the park then fired up the grill for a Friday night feast.


On the menu: grilled salmon, yukon gold potatoes, asparagus, red pepper and onion, and fresh sliced tomatoes. Using as many herbs and veggies from our little garden as possible....Yes, it was just Jim and I, but in our defense, we rarely eat lunch on Fridays so we were both ready for a hearty meal.

The lovely 'patio' tomatoes picked from the garden were fan-freakin-tastic. Sliced and served with a just a drizzle of olive oil and salt and pepper. Fresh tomatoes. It's reason alone to love summer...


We rolled the potatoes in olive oil, fresh rosemary, salt and pepper; putting them right straight on the grill whole. I whipped up a little 'sauce' with sour cream, fresh rosemary, butter, salt and pepper in the food processor.

We splashed the salmon with a simple squeeze of lemon, lime, and olive oil and grilled 4-5 minutes per side. The asparagus, a summer favorite around here, also rolled in olive oil with a dash of salt and squeezed with lemon after grilled.

Delicious. Every single bite!

It was especially nice to just spend a quiet evening together, enjoying good food, a glass of wine, a good conversation. It's been such a busy summer...it's hard to believe it's almost mid-August.