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Lavender Love...Lavender infused Ginger lemonade


This is a little photo inspiration from the Lavender fields in Mona, Utah. It's not Provence but for $5.00 a bag you can pick as much lavender as you can use! Here is a recipe for Lavender infused Ginger Lemonade from the AMAZING Culinary Crafts catering. They are 9x "Best of State" winner. But really, who's counting?!

Ingredients:
5 cups cold water
3 lemons-juiced and zested
1 cup granulated sugar
1 T ginger, peeled and sliced
fresh lavender sprigs

Method:
Combine all ingredients and let sit overnight. When ready to serve, strain the lemonade to remove the ginger and lavender pieces.

To make the lemon garnish:
Thinly slice 5-10 lemon slices. Cut a one half slit from the center of the lemon wheel to the edge so it can fit properly on the glass.
Zest 2T fresh ginger

To make the candied ginger:
Mix 1 cup pure cane sugar to 1 cup water into a small pot.
Boil the simple syrup mixture in a sauce pan until the syrup has reduced by 1/3 the volume.
Remove pan from the heat and stir in the zested ginger.
Let the mixture soak for 15 minutes.
Remove the zest from the syrup and lay the candied ginger on a sheet pan.
Wait for the product to fully dry. While the product is still wet, dust with a heavy coat of sugar. Let dry overnight.

Roll the lemon in the candied ginger:
Roll the rind of the lemon first in water and then roll the lemon into the candied ginger pieces.
Place the product in the oven on parchment paper (bake at 350) just enough to dry the lemon out and produce a crisp product.(dehydrators can also be used)

To serve the finished product:
Fill a glass with lemonade. Garnish with the ginger lemon slices and a sprig of fresh lavender.

Enjoy!






Summer Sewing

 As I was perusing (big girl word) Sew Mama Sew, I came upon a post about trends for Summer Sewing. I was pretty excited to find out that I was right on point for a few of my latest projects!

Project One: Here is a big shout out to the 70's...I love a cute halter, and I don't have many occasions for them (unlike in the 70's when I looked really cute in them...as a 6 year old). I was anxious to whip up a little something for my beach trip. My sewing machine and I have been through alot together lately...and as much time as we've spent together, it has been a little stressful. (More of that to come...) This halter was so fun and perfect for a beginning sewer.
 

I bought this pattern last year and I'm just now getting to it, seems to be a theme for me lately.

 

Project Two: A picnic quilt, pattern and fabric by Anna Maria Horner. Isn't she amazing?! We will use this for movies in the park, wrapping up on the deck on a chilly late summer evening, and of course the beach! 

Project Three: Amy Butler's weekender bag. When my husband walked by the sewing room as I was wrestling with 4 layers of fabric, Peltex and piping, he said "are you making luggage?". Um yes?! I love this bag despite the sewing difficulty. (I would rate it med-hard). It is perfect for a carry-on bag on the plane or fill it with magazines, red licorice and whatever other "necessities" you need for a weekend away.





Happy Sewing

mary mary quite contrary....week 7-9


Have you ever noticed how when you want something to grow and you watch it and baby it along it grows at a snails pace? ya that didn't happen this time...we went on vacation and came home to an explosion (the good kind) in the garden. I intended to stake everything vertically to save on space and let's be honest who doesn't want to look taller and thinner? My plan mostly worked, except for a few wrinkles, and by wrinkles I mean a certain heirloom tomato plant.
old window frames


 I couldn't quite find what I wanted at Home Depot, So I checked the junk area of one of my favorite vintage/consignment store and found some old window frames. I popped out the glass and scraped off the old paint. These are being used to "stake" the squash.


 I use geen twist ties that I found at my garden center. I also am experimenting with garden velcro.... crazy but true! It is made to be reused, but my guesse is I won't try to after everything dies back and is cleaned out for the season I will just toss it. It seems to work and I really like it for keeping the squash in line. Maybe I should velcro my kids to keep them in line?

Carlsbad Pipelines...so cool

Have you ever visited somewhere as an adult that you loved as a child? We grew up camping at the beach in Carlsbad, California. And by "camping" I really mean camping...not just a hotel that doesn't have room service. We would fall asleep to the sound of the ocean and wake at dawn to hunt for sand dollars. I guess I wanted to share that with my kids, so we spent a week at the beach (not camping).  All beach towns have their own unique vibe, I like to describe Carlsbad as the younger cooler sister of Newport Beach. I love Newport, we lived off there off and on for 4 years, but Carlsbad is just cool without trying to be.

Here is one of my favorite not-to-be-missed spots:



 Carlsbad Pipelines surf shop is named after Witt's (the owner) father's plumbing business. It has been in business since 1984. The staff is very helpful and most of all, patient with all the summer tourists! My boys spent hours looking at surfboards and skateboards. The have surf boards for rent and sale as well as a most anything you need at the beach. They have a great selection of sandals and flip flops, which is a big plus.  (We inadvertently buried a flip flop in the sand on day 2...ugh)
If you go it is located at 2975 Carlsbad Blvd. Right on the main street just down from The Carlsbad Inn and right next to Coldstone Creamery.

 

Have a great Summer Day!

Instagram Fun
















 I love capturing moments with Instagram...I am dying to make an album with some of my vacation pictures on Printstagram. have you ever tried it?

pepperoni bread

Whenever we travel with the kids I always take treats and snacks. I have found that over the years, as little ones become BIG ones that a bag of goldfish doesn't quite fill them up. So, I took a cue from my aunt who had 5 teenage boys that she travelled with and started bringing  a few loaves of Pepperoni Bread. This recipe has become a staple for road trips. I also started a tradition a few years ago and I make a few loaves the day before school starts in the fall so that the kids have a little something special for the first day of school.



Recipe for Pepperoni Bread:

2 loaves of frozen bread dough thawed
1 1/2 cups mozzarella cheese
2 cups pepperoni (pre-sliced)
2 egg whites for "wash"

Directions:
thaw bread dough overnight in the refrigerator or thaw on the counter for a few hrs. When it is cold, but not frozen, roll it out about 1/2 inch thick. Sprinkle the cheese and then pepperoni in the center. separate the egg white from the yolk and lightly beat the egg white. Use this as the glue on the edges. With a pastry brush, brush on the egg whites to seal the edges of the rolled up loaf and then brush the top. This will give it a nice golden brown crust. Let the loaves rise for 2 hours. Bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes. Let cool before you slice. Serve with marinara sauce or Pizza sauce. Refrigerate leftovers (we never have any!)
ENJOY! 

just glorious....

I was cruising (fellow blogs) not State Street, and came across a beautiful and inspiring gem. Glorious Treats is a bounty of mouthwatering recipes sure to make any baker want to put on an apron and preheat the oven. I was particularly impressed with her recipe for zucchini bread. As I read it, it brought back memories of my grandmother's kitchen. They always had a bountiful zucchini harvest and bread was just one of the many ways we would eat our veggies! As we planted our variety of squash this year in the garden, I was hoping to harvest enough for my grandmothers bread...I might just try Glory's recipe also...As If that weren't enough, Artful Blogging magazine featured Glorious Treats in their Summer issue....Congrats! 



Doesn't this make your mouth water?

Summer inspiration...


"Summer afternoon-summer afternoon; to me those have always been the most beautiful words in the English language."
- Henry James

image via Etsy

packing heat...or packing for the heat

We are off to the magic Kingdom with the whole crew in the morning and then to Carlsbad, Ca.
A little peak into my bag...Don't judge, I sort of HAD to finish a new quilt for the beach. All that is left is some hand stitching, perfect for passing the time in the car. Did I mention we are taking 4 teenagers?!


Stay Classy San Diego...

I know random, but I am a big Ron Burgundy fan!

mary mary quite contrary....week 6








We had some unexpected but welcome rain this week. My dad used to call it "free fertilizer" I'll take it...We should be harvesting and eating juicy tomatoes in a week or two!




I added a few pictures of the "help". The peaches are going to be amazing. They are sharing their spot with some Scarlett Hollyhocks.

Hope your Summer is sunny and sweet!


This just makes me HAPPY....