Sunday Happy

Welp it is April and that means the winter stuff is getting laundered and pushed to the back of the closet, that the heavy down comforter is getting replaced with a medium weight blanket, and the heat, its off! Yeah I am a winter person, but spring, spring is my near second and I am raring and ready for it. All I want to do is play in the dirt. I want to get dirty!

Phew. That is what I am saying after this week. I went kind of hard at it beause I needed to. I spent a lot of time on my feet, glazing all the pots, loading kilns, unloading kilns, sanding and packing all those pots. It was a mad dash to get the work done for the market but I did so it was good, even if I was dealing with emotions of the emotional kind cause like dead brother day and all. Oh Sean, I wish I could kick your ass.

It was also my moms birthday (HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOM) and because I am me, the cook and baker, I was tasked with the birthday food for the birthday dinner. Long story short, I spent a better part of a day in the kitchen covered in flour making all the things. And I might have slightly burned a pie crust and stunk up the house while I was at it but it all turned out fantastic, moms loved her food and I spritzed lots of lavender and open all the windows in the house, to get rid of the smell so it ended well.

Yesterday was the Makers Market at the garden center, the one that I have been busting ass to make pots for for the past few weeks. I woke up real early, went for a sunrise run and almost fell into the pond (the trail is completely flooded and I wasn’t paying attention), drank all the coffee, and headed to the greenhouse and set up amongst all the plants. It was amazing. I got to walk around the greenhouse and take whatever plants I wanted for my display. (That was just the best). Plus a bunch of my people stopped in and said hi which was so sweet and made me happy. And it didn't hurt that I sold a lot of pots (made packing up soooo soooo much easier) . The whole day was a great success.. And a quick shout out to the mr for all his help. He really is a keeper.

And it’s Sunday and I am officially tapped out. The day of human interaction yesterday sucked all the extroverted energy I had stored from the past 2 years out of me. I feel caught up with seeing people now and can happily shut myself away again for another few years. Haha, but for real. Like seriously. So other then hiding from everyone today I think for the first time in a while I am not going to try and do a million things and work and be all crazy. Or I am but without any outside pressure because what I really want to do is spend the day cleaning out all the closets, deep clean my studio, clean out the garden beds, clean out the car, go for a hike, climb a mountain…. Obviously I can’t do ALL of that but damned if I won’t try. I. think it’s a spring adrenaline rush but who knows. I also might just crash and burn on the couch and read all day. Wouldn't be too terribly mad about that. I am a bit tired. 😁

Internet from the week.

-Hey mr. Please turn off you shit thank you very much. Sleeping with even a little bit of light isn't good for your health, study shows.

-Music Therapy Is More Powerful Than You Might Think. Music can make me smile, laugh, cry, and rage. It touches all the emotions.

-The light from this star that astronomers just spotted is 12.9 billion years old. Just wow.

-I cringed so hard reading these stories. As a landlord I can’t comprehend how someone could “fix” the way these landlords do but the thing is, I know it happened. We refer to these people as SLUMLORDS! 12 Horrible Stories of Grim Landlord DIY Fixes

-I don’t care how delightful you think a fruit sticker is, I cannot stand them. They drive me crazy and are straight up right there with candy wrappers …they make me want to gag. But that’s me. The delightful history of fruit stickers, the world’s tiniest canvases for graphic design

-We have come a far way. The new sober-ish. Tiny doses of magic mushrooms, LSD, and cannabis have hit wellness culture, while the stigma around the drugs recedes. Just don’t be stupid about it.

-For 35 years, Birkenstock lovers nationwide have sent worn-down shoes to this Kansas cobblery. Back in my teenage days I had couple pairs that went to the cobbler for new corks. God I wore the shit out of those sandals, in fact they were the only shoes I wore for many years, through the snow and all. (My toes are kinda fucked for it. Ha! )

-You don’t need to do anything but should you? Do You Really Need to Bake With a Scale?

-Then there is this. It’s Time to Talk About... Poop-Swoop Foods

Pictures from the week.

Sunday Happy

Did you have an hour taken from you in the middle of the night? Oh oh ohhhhh, I did and I am already feeling al sorts off. I think because I am so regimented, that I wake up exactly the same time every morning and go for a run at almost the exact time every day, that it takes me a hot minute to adjust. But I guess that what naps are for.😁

The week. Weather wise it has mostly been super spring like and I have been hit with all the feelings of spring and basically want to tear my house apart, repaint all the walls was ceilings, get rid of everything, and then rum away. But really, the feelings are strong and I wake up from crazy dreams (anyone else have crazy dreams in the spring?) in the middle of the night about crazy things that need to be done. On the note I have convinced myself I HAVE to paint my kitchen ceiling mint green. My dream self knows.

Other then that, just the usual bumping around, doing he stuff, playing with clay and hitting the calculator to adding up numbers. Nothing overly exciting, well if you don’t count watching my amaryllis flower grow and start to open. It happens so fast and really is super cool to check how much its grown everyday. But yeah, just saw a few of my peoples, deep cleaned the fridge, went to the neighborhood seed swap and got me some seeds. Ended the week with a little snow storm so I got to spend some time shoveling some heavy ass snow. A try to lead a simple life.

Today the plan is low-key and go with the flow.. The mr has some work he needs to this afternoon and I have a bunch of pots that need to be trimmed so we figured we would take this morning to go hang with the littles for a bit, try to get them to leave their house and enjoy the last bits of winter, maybe build.a snow person!?? It’s getting harder and harder convince those little shits to do things. They have their little heads stuck in video games and cell phone crap and I am just not that cool anymore(shocker right?) but I am determined and might just end up dragging their limp little bodies from their caves and throwing them I a snowbank. I’ll do it. I really will. Haha!!

Internet from the week.

-Why This Start-Up Thinks Storing Containers In Space Is The Future. So what the actual fuck. I am pretty freaking sure that this is just a really bad idea. It actually pisses me off when I think about it.

-I am going to be fancy now. HA! This Is How They Do Those Swan Towels At Fancy Hotels

-45 Mandela Effect Examples That Will Blow Your Mind. Weird how the mind remembers the wrong things.

-I don’t want to drive anywhere. Gas is so EXPRENSIVE! How to Save Money on Gasoline

-Why uncommon baby names are surging. When I was a kid I used to think I would end up with twins and I was going to name them Outlet and Radio. Still holds up.

-I love pansies, they are so sweet. Pansies: More Than Just A Cheerful, Spring Beauty

-I like mt veggies raw or burnt so I am all for this. The Case for Cooking Vegetables Way Past the Point of Just Tender

-Can someone tell me why matches and not just a lighter? 16 Match Holders That'll Look Insanely Good Next to Your Candles

-Love it.  Designer Charles de Lisle Transforms a Crumbling Cabin Into a Seductive Country Retreat

Pictures from the week.

Sunday Happy

I have this weird anticipation for the day. It is suppose to reach near 60 degrees and then get a little cooler tomorrow, but not really cold. It’s like after today it is going to be spring and then summer and I am over here all like “what is going on? Am I excited? Bummed? I don’t quite know. I just know that today is that weather turning point and I am here for it..I think?

Another not really interesting week. We went snow shoeing which was A+ but then the rest of the week was whatever.. I spent a lot of time with the calculator doing tax stuff which sucked ass It is still hovering over my being, and will, until they are done which hopefully will be soon.. And then the usual stuff with clay, with people, with the food. But yeah, I got nothing to exciting to tell ya. I was boring as all hell.

Today, as I said already, is suppose to be a warm one, albeit a rainy one as well so the mr and I didn’t make any real plans. No wait, that is not true, we are going seed shopping!!! I hate shopping, especially when other people are around but I love seeds so you know, it will be interesting. As for playing outside, that’s probably not going to happen. Warm and rainy means ice and I have fallen on my ass enough this year, thank you very much.

Internet from the week

-If You're Overwhelmed and Exhausted Right Now, It Could Be Worry Burnout. Yup, this be me. And really, who isn’t right now.

-Um why haven’t I been doing this? It’s Zucchini Season! How You’ve Been Growing Them All Wrong.

-Hotel Staffers Tell Us the Weirdest Things They Have Seen Rich People Do. Why? Like really, why?

-What science still doesn’t know about the five senses Interesting.

-This makes me sad! I listen to “Its Been a Minute” every Saturday. Sam Sanders signs off from NPR’s ‘It’s Been a Minute’ I love Sam!

-Street Photography by Juri Nesterov Documents Ukrainian Life Across Decades♥️♥️♥️

-I got parks on the mind. Everything You Need to Know About National Park Entrance Fees

-The oven preheat is important. How Long Does It Really Take to Preheat an Oven?.

-Missing an ingredient from your recipe? Food substitutions are your friend. Food subs are part everyday life. Recipes are not GOD.

-Have you used sumac? It is delicious although it is hard to find. Even her in VT with all the coops, I have only been able to get it from one place. But I guess the internet con hook you up.. Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Sumac

Pictures from the week.

Green pea and Watermelon Radish Salad

We are getting closer and closer to spring (2 weeks!) and with spring comes color, in the form of all things, food included. (I am so ready for all the greens!!!!)

Speaking of color. Have you ever cut open a watermelon radish? It is pure joy. You have this creamy white and slightly green bulb, nothing much out of the ordinary but when you slice it open the inside is the brightest purplish pink. So freaking pretty! But better then pretty, watermelon radishes taste so freaking good! And then we have peas. They are just the best bright green and creamy little gems which pair perfectly prefect with the radish.

Bright purple radish and green peas tossed together with some onion and tahini. Yes and yes. On freaking tasty as all heck salad. A true spring delight!

Now to the pretty as all heck salad!

The stuff. A large watermelon radish, frozen and thawed green peas, red onion, tahini, red wine vinegar, salt and pepper, and aa small handful of cilantro.

First thing is to dice up radish. Cut into cubes about twice the size of a pea.

Place diced rashes on a lined baking sheet and pop into a hot oven.

In the mean time cut up the onion nice an thin.

Place cut onion into a big bowl, add a sprinkle of salt, and add in the vinegar. Toss around and let sit for 5 minutes or so then add in the tahini and toss around until creamy.

Slightly roasted radishes. You can roast them more but I find a good 20 minutes so they are slightly tender and haven’t lost have much color to e the best.

Toss the peas onto the hot sheet pan with the radishes and let them sit for a fe minutes just slightly warm up.

Then dump the peas and radishes into the bowl with the tahini onions. Sprinkle with pepper and toss around.

Look at that. Gorgeous right? And if you have and want, toss some fresh cilantro or parsley onto top because why not.

No stop starting at the how pretty it is and you know, eat it.

-C

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Green pea and Watermelon Radish Salad

serve 2-4 as a side

• 2 cups green peas (fresh or frozen andthawed)

• 1 large (softball sized) watermelon radish

• 1 small red onion

• 3 tablespoons tahini

• 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

• salt and pwpper

• handful of fresh cilantro or parsley (optional)

Preheat oven to 425.

Grab radish and cut into small cubes about twice the size of a pea. Place on a lined baking sheet and pop into hot oven.

While radishes are roasting, grab onion and slice as thin as you can Place sliced onion along with the vinegar into a big bowl and toss around with a pinch of salt. Let sit for a few minutes then add in the tahini. Toss around until creamy.

After about 20 minutes pull the radishes form oven They should be slightly tender. Dump peas onto baking sheet with radishes and let them warm up for a few minutes.

Dump the peas and radishes into the bowl with the tahini onions. Add black pepper and another small pinch of salt. Toss around until evenly coasted. Top with sm ripped up fresh herbs (if using).

Eat.

Store any leftovers (there will be none) in an airtight container for 4-5 days.

Broccoli Pesto

I have been eating a shit ton of broccoli the past couple of weeks and I am not even close to made about it. How could I be when broccoli is probably my favorite ( at least in the top 3) vegetable. It is broccoli season and eating broccoli is what we are doing.

Now Pesto. You probably think of basil when hear the word but in this pesto there is no basil, just the broccoli. Blanched just enough so it is not raw, blend up with walnuts (because I just don’t like pine nuts enough to spend $25 a pound and walnuts are far better), along with lemon juice, nutritional yeast for that cheesey flavor, and a little olive oil. Well friends, it is just about the pest freaking pesto I have ever had. Even the mr was super into it.

So if you like broccoli you will love love love this pesto and so you should definitely make it and then eat it. I used half of it for the mr’s pasta dinner, and them well, I ate the other half, dipping carrots and pieces of broccoli into it HA.

Now to the pesto.

The stuff. Broccoli, toasted walnuts, national yeast, a couple cloves garlic,, juice of a lemon, olive oil, red pepper flakes, and salt and pepper.

Cut or break apart broccoli into small florets.

Bring a pot of water to a boil and dump in the broccoli. Cook for about a minutes.

Transfer the broccoli wit ha slotted spoon to a big bowl if ice water to shock from cooking anymore and to stay ice and green.

While the water is still boiling, toss the garlic into it for a minute then remove. This just removes some of the rawness of the garlic. You can skip it if you want. Once it cools off a little, remove skin and chop into small chunks.

Now make it all into pesto. Grab food processor and add in the garlic and walnuts. Pulse until crumbly. Add I the broccoli (stained from water), the juice of the lemon, the national yeast, a spinch of salt and pepper, and the red pepper flakes. Press start. While it’s going, stream in a couple tablespoons of olive oil. Stop the processor , scrap down sides, then pulse of start it up again until you a good pesto consistency.

And that is it. The best broccoli pesto.

-C

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Broccoli Pesto

Makes about 2 cups. Good for pound of pasta

• 2 1/2 cups broccoli florets (like 3 crowns)

• 1/2 cup toasted walnuts

• 1/4 cup nutritional yeast

• 2 cloves garlic

• juice if a lemon

• 2=4 tablespoons olive oil

• salt and pepper

• teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional)

Start placing a large pot of water in the stove and bring it to a boil. Also get a large bowl of cooled water and place it in the freezer.

While water is boiling, break apart the broccoli florets into small pieces. Once water is boiling, place the broccoli into water and let cook for about 1 minute. Grab bowl of water from freezer. After the minute transfer the broccoli to the bowl of ice water with a slotted spoon. Toss the around. And while the water is still boiling, toss the whole cloves of garlic in for about a minute. This helps mellow out the rawness. Remove with slotted spoon.

Grab food processor. Add in the walnuts and the garlic (skin removed and cut into small chunks) and pulse until crumbly. Stain broccoli from water then add to processor along with the juice of the lemon, the nutritional yeast, a pinch of salt and pepper, and the red pepper flakes. Pulse for a minute, scrap down the sides, turn to on and stream in a few tablespoons of olive oil. Stop if needed to scrap down side. Keep processing until pesto is lightly crumby, but smooth consistency. Taste for salt. Add more if needed.

Scoop from processor into a jar with a lid

Eat however you eat pesto. Lasts for about a week in fridge.