back at it

Yikes! It's been a while since I last posted! Take that as a good sign...business is booming, and I've been able to write and edit to my heart's content. Check out this piece from Birds & Blooms magazine, on newsstands now.

Today I want to show you some photos I shot recently while visiting my folks. They've put a huge amount of work into the gardens at their house, and I like to brag about it to whomever will listen (or read, as it were). We've even spotted neighbors coming over to take pictures.

A few items of note: The next photo features a large wooden structure called a pergola, which we built earlier this summer. More accurately, Dad and Andrew did most of the work while Mom took care of her stomach-flu-stricken daughter (me). Also, they have six finned pets in the pond out back: Carrot Top, Calypso, and the Fab Four -- John, Paul, George, and Ringo. They'll spend winters at their very own basement resort. And with that...

Lastly, since I promised I'd include garden updates, here's one of our hanging baskets. I planted the nasturtium seeds in June (they're the orange-flowered, round-leaved plants), and they've just started to bloom. The other plants are Flambe yellow strawflowers and purple sweet potato vine. In a few weeks, I'll add a color-to-be-determined chrysanthemum to the center of the basket.

something else

One of the places in New York we miss dearly is Recipe, a restaurant a few blocks from our apartment. The place is adorable, with rustic and vintage decor, and has incredible locally sourced food (and, oh, the Manhattans...). I didn't think I'd care for them, but the pickled veggies served as a sandwich side became something I always looked forward to. When we found cucumbers, carrots, and baby turnips in our CSA box, I knew I had to try to make some for myself. So last night, while most Milwaukeeans were bailing out their basements, I was tinkering with a recipe from Cooking Light and coming up with my best (okay, only) pickled veggies ever. And they're a lot like Recipe's!

pickled veggies

fills a 1-liter jar

ingredients

1 tsp. dill

1 tsp. tarragon

1 tsp. crushed red pepper

1 Tbl. Dijon mustard with whole mustard seeds

1 c. white vinegar

1 c. white wine vinegar

3/4 c. sugar

1 tsp. salt

2 medium cucumbers, sliced into 1/8-inch-thick rounds

3 medium carrots, peeled and sliced into sticks

2 baby turnips, peeled and quartered

1/2 small onion, sliced lengthwise

1 large chili pepper (seriously, that's what they were called at Stein's, where I bought the plant), seeded and sliced lengthwise

6 cloves garlic, peeled and pierced

directions

1. Pop dill, tarragon, and crushed red pepper in a tea ball. Smear Dijon in another tea ball.

2. Place the tea balls in a small saucepan, and add the vinegars, sugar, and salt. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat.

3. Meanwhile, arrange veggies in a jar that seals tightly.

4. Once the liquid comes to a boil, pour the mixture (including the tea balls) over the veggies and seal the jar. Allow to cool somewhat before refrigerating. Remove the tea balls after the pickling action has gone on overnight. Enjoy!

note

Try other veggies here, too, like squashes (summer squash and zucchini slices, baby pattypan, etc.) and radishes.

What else would be good?

expectedly delicious

We made pizza -- or, dare I say, we invented something a lot like it. Honestly, it will take a crazy-good margherita to bring me back to the fold of classic pizza aficionados. The whole thing was brought about by last week's CSA box, which contained large amounts of produce we don't eat on a regular basis: mustard greens, baby beets, and zucchini. We supplemented these goodies with onions (caramelized in honey and lemon juice), bacon (a great friend of mustard greens), mozzarella, goat cheese, and healthy shots of salt and pepper; then, sprinkled everything on top of this dough and baked it 'til it smelled good. Wowie wow wow.

Now it's your turn. Next time you're at the farmers' market, get a bunch of stuff, prep it with complementary seasonings, throw it together over some pizza dough, and see what you get. I can (almost) guarantee you'll love it.

Have you done this? Do tell!

weekend at bernie's

Every year for my dad's birthday, the six of us go to a baseball game. Normally, we drive to Chicago to watch his favorite team, the Sox, but this year we bought Brewers tickets instead. The team isn't stellar this season (though we do have a few All-Stars), so we considered ourselves lucky to witness a win over the Pirates (whose record is even worse). It was a pretty interesting game, if I do say so myself. The clincher? Corey Hart hit a two-run homer in the bottom of the ninth. I love this tradition.

Thanks to Dad for sharing his photos!

reunited

A week ago, three generations of the Martin family from far and wide traveled to Lake Geneva for a fantastically fun afternoon. It was the perfect day for games, picnicking, and all things family reunion. And after we all stayed much longer than we'd planned, Mother Nature gave us our cue to leave: a thunderstorm. Can't wait for next year's gathering. Take a look:

Since it was a potluck, Ian and I decided to bring one of our favorite summer sides. We got a lot of compliments, so I thought I'd share the recipe:

israeli salad

based on a recipe from deb at smitten kitchen

serves 10

ingredients

2 med. roma tomatoes, cubed

1 red, orange, or yellow bell pepper, diced

2 1-lb. English cucumbers, cubed

1 med. red onion, diced

1/4 c., plus 2 Tbl., finely minced flat-leaf parsley

2 garlic cloves, minced

Juice of 2 lemons

1/4 c. olive oil

1 Tbl. red wine vinegar

3 tsp. sumac powder (you can get this at Penzeys)

Salt and pepper, to taste

directions

1) Mix tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, and onion in a large bowl (preferably one that has a lid for easy storage).

2) In a smaller bowl, whisk parsley, garlic, lemon juice, olive oil, red wine vinegar, and sumac powder. 

3) Add dressing to salad and toss. Season with salt and pepper. Chill and serve.

notes

This salad can be turned into a yummy dinner by adding shredded chicken or some sort of starch, like bulgur or couscous. Toss in some feta and olives to give it a Mediterranean vibe. Dill and mint are also nice additions.

the red, white & blue

how 'bout that weather?

This has been a pretty exciting week for storm-lovers. We've had four of them, two so severe the tornado sirens went off (and, unfortunately, an area town withstood some pretty serious damage).

I haven't always been fond of storms. I remember lying between my mom and dad with my fingers over my eyes and my thumbs jammed in my ears, trying to create my own sensory deprivation chamber. At some point, though, I became smitten and would await them with anticipation. When the leaves showed their pale undersides and the air started to smell like rain, I'd run out to our yard and look on as towering, slate-colored walls of cloud slid in from the west.

I'm not sure what's unique about Midwestern storms, but there's definitely something that sets them apart from the flash floods we endured on the East Coast. The rain here falls sideways and it's accompanied by tree-bending winds. Those are fascinating, but my favorite parts are my erstwhile arch-nemeses: lightning -- long, webbed cracks across the open sky -- and thunder -- booms so powerful they reverberate in my chest. Perhaps the most incredible part of all, however, is that on their tails often come the most incredible sunsets.

Oh, did I say four storms? Make that five. I'd better sign off and find our flashlights. It may be wise for us to incorporate them into our living room decor.