For date night this week we went to happy hour at Big Bowl Chinese & Thai restaurant. Jeff had Stella Artois Beer and I had the organic Oko Pinot Grigio wine description: “The eco-friendly Oko Pinot Grigio is produced from organically farmed vineyards in Veneto Italy…the vineyards are inspected by the Institute for Ethical and…
~strawberry balsamic chicken~ I’ve been playing with jam in my kitchen. My friend Maria makes awesome jams, preserves and marmalades and generously shares them with me. I’ll go out to the mailbox and there will be a brown paper package all filled with jars of her new creations just waiting for me! One of the…
Here are a few snapshots from last week when I went out to lunch with my friend Nancy. We met at John Rich Park, a pretty garden located in the heart of Red Wing. I was early so I relaxed on a stone bench and admired the flowers and fountain while I waited. Such a…
~fresh herb tea~ “Teaism is a cult founded on the adoration of the beautiful among the sordid facts of everyday existence. It inculcates purity and harmony, the mystery of mutual charity, the romanticism of the social order.” ~Okakura Kakuzu, 1906 We have a ton of fresh herbs growing in the container gardens out back on…
~mango caprese~ “One way can be learned by starting to see the magic in everything. Sometimes it seems to be hiding, but it’s always there. The more we can see the magic in one thing, a tiny flower, a mango, someone we love, then the more we are able to see the magic in everything…
~luccio pinot grigio~ Jeff brought a bottle of this home a few nights ago and we both really liked it. Pinot Grigio is a great wine to sip in the summer, and this one was particularly good with grilled chicken on salad with lemon honey vinaigrette. Have you tried any new wines lately that you…
~tasting~ saltwater taffy! ~seeing~ antique cars driving by on Plum Street ~feeling~ like taking a picnic HERE ~smelling~ the herbs and flowers growing happily in my yard ~listening to~ Koop summer sun jellyfishes ~knowing~ “Reason is founded on the evidence of our senses.” ~Percy Bysshe Shelley XO, ~Melissa
~summer salad with parmesan crusted chicken~ 4 entree salads or 6 appetizer salads I made this yummy, summery salad for dinner last night and we loved it. It’s perfect for a hot summer day when you really don’t feel like cooking, and when you want something light and healthy. You could grill or bake the…
Remember how my blog was out of commission all last summer? I know, it seems so long ago now. But all last summer I had to resort to tiny little facebook “mini blog”entries. Then, when the site was finally back up and running, I realized I had lost at least ten posts. My Mexico travel…
~stuffed pasta shells~ There are few recipes in my repertoire that are requested more often than my recipe for stuffed shells. I’ve made this dish a LOT and over the years I’d have to say it’s become darn near perfect. My grandma Darling’s birthday is coming up here in a few weeks and I’m sure…