Cucumber Cheddar Sandwich

Let's make a sandwich today, shall we?

The "recipe" (if stacking things together can be called a recipe) for this sandwich is from one of my all time favorite cookbooks Once Upon a Tart: Soups, Salads, Muffins and More. It happens to have quite a few brilliant sandwich recipes, I highly recommend it!



You will need: quality extra sharp cheddar cheese, mango chutney (I'm using mango papaya here because it was all that I could find), a cucumber, watercress and the bread of your choice.

Kitchen Tip: If you are lacking a cheese slicer, a vegetable peel makes for a nice stand in, creating thin, delectable slices of cheese.

Layer all of those bad boys up, and this is what you get...



A scrumptious lunch!

What's in your lunch box lately?

:: this moment ::

{this moment} - Is a Friday ritual by the incredible Amanda Soule. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment to pause, savor and remember. I have adopted this practice on Mondays since I already love to do Five Senses posts on Fridays. If you're inspired to do the same, leave a link to your 'moment' in the comments for all to find and see.

Strawberry Madness

Yesterday I had a total blast strawberry picking with my mom at Butternut Farm.





We arrived at the farm around 7:45 am and there were already plenty of early birdies there picking and plucking away!



We did alright...



This is what 24 pounds of strawberries looks like...



This is just a fraction of the mess that we made slicing, dicing, cooking, canning, jamming, drying, freezing and eating 24 pounds of strawberries...





Mom=EXTREME chef! She cooks with fire! (Pronounced FIE-YAH around these parts)



Strawberry creme brulee - YUM!



It was a productive day. We made three types of jam/conserve: plain strawberry, strawberry rhubarb and strawberry balsamic. I reserved the leftover syrup from the strawberry balsamic to use as salad dressing, put on ice cream, or maybe even mix in with a little soda water. We froze about five or six pounds, and dried a single tray as an experiment. We kept the rest fresh, and I just enjoyed a dish with a little sugar and cream. DE-licious!

Want to get in on some local tasty goodness in your area? Pick Your Own is a fabulous resource to find Pick-Your-Own farms all around the country, as well as providing solid information on preserving your harvest to enjoy throughout the year!

Said the Hobbit Giveaway!

My mom is giving away a pair of her kick-ass hand knit socks on her blog, Said the Hobbit!



Comment on this post by July 2nd to enter.

Preparing

Over the past year or so I have developed an intense enthusiasm for seasonal decorating. Perhaps my friend/surrogate crafty momma, Pam, is starting to rub off on me. She is knowledgeable about every holiday, and has beautiful decorations to match. Seriously, EVERY holiday...it's mind boggling! Reading her blog has schooled me about holidays that I did not even know existed...and now I want the decorations (and the food) too! HA! Who knew that envy could be a crafty motivation?

The problem with seasonal decorating is that some amount of preparation must go in to it. For me, decorations are objects that must be curated over time, carefully chosen to come out of hiding year after year for repeat appearances in one's home. This requires a little more effort and thought than strolling down to Wal*mart and buying a holiday in a box. Does this sentiment make me sentimental or just mental? Hmm...

Anyways...I digress. I am trying to get better about this whole preparation thing. A few weeks ago I saw this adorable flag tutorial on Saltwater Kids, and I just knew that this banner had to be mine!



I did not spend a penny on this project - isn't that the best?! The yarn and the embroidery floss were in my stash. The stripey fabric was cut from an upholstery sample that an old employer gave to me. In lieu of denim, I replaced the blue fabric with wool cut from an old blazer.



I think it's quite handsome!



What about you? Seasonal decorating year round, YAY or NAY?

the best medicine

The past few weeks have been "challenging" to put it mildly. I do not wish to elaborate, but I will say that it was a tremendous relief to hit the open road with Matt last weekend for a little of this...



and these...



some munchkins...



and some much needed opportunities to laugh...









Sometimes I have to hit pause and remember to take deep breaths, and remember to be thankful.

maiden voyage

The other night, Matt and I made our maiden voyage to the beach. This is the first visit of the summer, but also the first visit to a new beach since we moved to our new apartment...



I think Matt liked it.

the 45s

The other day I found myself looking for a project that did not involve cleaning, cooking or my usual craftiness.



Matt (and I) inherited a Disk-Go record storage case filled to the brim with vinyl 45s from the late 50's, 60's and early 70's.

They were all mixed up, so I sorted them alphabetically from top to bottom, and wrote down a list of what we have for easy referral. There are 61 records total. Here are some of my new and old favorite musical gems:

Barry McGuire - Eve of Destruction / What Exactly's the Matter With Me?: The first tune is probably the more recognizable of the two, but the B-side is definitely worth a listen!

LOBO - Me and You and a Dog Named Boo / Walk Away From It All: The A-side title just made me laugh, and it's a great song to boot!

Simon and Garfunkel - The 59th Street Bridge Song (Feelin' Groovy) / At the Zoo, Scarborough Fair / April Come She Will and Homeward Bound / Leaves that are Green: I dig S+G, super stoked to have these in the collection.

Bobby Goldsboro - Water Color Days / Watching Scotty Grow: This is kind of early 70's sappy crappity crap balladeering...but Water Color Days kind of makes me want to run through a field and make a daisy chain. Maybe whilst wearing a macrame vest.

Bobby Fuller Four - I Fought the Law / Little Annie Lou: Classic.

There are too many to name here, but I'm so glad that I took the time to rediscover the musical gems that were hidden away in our house for so long!

I am totally enjoying the vinyl revival in music collecting, how about you? Any gems kicking around in your attic?

Dance for World Community 2010

This past Saturday, Neoteric Dance Collaborative performed in the second annual Dance for World Community festival. Compared to last year, through no fault of the festival, the experience was a little dismal. It POURED all day long, and we got soaked at our outdoor booth.

Our Neo tri-fold is now officially retired...look at all of ink running about!



Despite the unfortunate weather - there was plenty of joy...



and color...



and beauty everywhere you looked! This is the Sanctuary Theatre, where we performed, but this is not us. I was too much of a nervous dance company mama to take pictures of my dancers while they were performing! Our piece went well, and seemed to be well received. Phew!



One of our special guests at the festival was Joey!



Isn't he one of the cutest things you've ever seen in your life?! He's Neo's new official mascot. Joey's mama is good friends with one of my company dancers, and we had fun soaking up all of the cuteness that is a three-month old baby boy!

I love these pictures of Jess and Joey :)

NOM, I have a tasty finger!



Oh! I'd better smile for my photo opp...



He-he-he, that lady behind the camera is silly!



One of the amazing bonuses of the festival is that we got PAID! I couldn't believe it. I was handed an envelope when I checked in, and I tucked it into my back pack thinking that it was a survey about the festival. I did not open it up until this morning, whereupon I discovered a check for $250! A king's ransom to a fledgling dance company - a lovely surprise indeed!

***

The company took yesterday off, and I spent the day at home catching up on chores, visiting with my mum, going for a long walk and getting some much needed rest. Speaking of *YAWN* I'm getting sleepy! Until next time...

P.S. What did you do this weekend?

all dressed up with places to go

Do you ever have days where your outfit gels, your make-up and hair cooperate and you generally feel super cute?

That was me yesterday!

I was super pumped about my vintage-y ensemble, particularly debuting my thrift score house dress outside of my house.



We went to the Middle East last night. Matt's band The Swaggerin' Growlers played along with The Wild, whose merch I wish that I could buy, but alas I had no cash, and headlining was an old favorite of mine Laura Stevenson and the Cans. This was the third time that Laura played a show alongside the Growlers, and she mesmerizes me every time. Her voice just resonates through out a room, and hypnotizes the crowds into silent awe. She's quite a special performer.

Watch this video of her performing Halloween, it's one of my favorite to see her do live:



Makes me want to be in a band. Sigh.



How about all of you? Are you listening to any cool tune-age lately? Oldies? New-ies? Leave a comment and help me discover some new tunes :)

Scrappy Headbands

Just FYI, I have not given up crafting/my beloved Holiday Handmade Crusade completely. Not at all! Here is evidence that I actually still do craft, and that this is indeed a "craft blog."

I made these sweet little headbands following the braided headband tutorial via Smile and Wave.

i swears my forehead is not this big in real life





All you need to make these cuties is strips of scrap fabric and some elastic. I'm thinking of making two or three each for my pre-teen/teen nieces for Christmas gifts.

WARNING: Just in case you choose to skim the directions like I did, note this: The tute says that post-braiding your braids should be about 16 inches long. I must braid much tighter, and I just winged it and did not measure between steps. Hence, scrappy band #1 up there is a wee bit tight, surely contributing to my hairline receding a few inches/the giant forehead. You've been warned! Measure as you go!

:: this moment ::

{this moment} - Is a Friday ritual by the incredible Amanda Soule. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment to pause, savor and remember. I have adopted this practice on Mondays since I already love to do Five Senses posts on Fridays. If you're inspired to do the same, leave a link to your 'moment' in the comments for all to find and see.

resting

I am back from NYC, and the trip was a success! Thanks to all of you who wished me well for our performances!

Of course the moment that we got home I promptly settled in to a (not-so) lovely summer cold. It all started with an acute case of laryngitis while I was still in the city, and I am now finishing up day five of little to no voice aka "Kirstie Alley voice."



After being sent home from work, I settled in for a restful day. Lots of napping and lounging, and as demonstrated above, knitting, chocolate eating, and This American Life-listening.

Memorial Day

Dear friends...the days that between my last post and now have been a bit of a blur! Tomorrow Neoteric Dance Collaborative leaves for New York, so posting will be sporadic for awhile longer. Before I leave for the Big Apple, I'll share with you some photographic Memorial Day fun.





















I'll meet you back here soon!