We got away for the weekend and headed up to the mountains for some camping. We went hiking, picked a few wild raspberries, played in creeks and rivers, and went fishing. Blake caught her first fish and I discovered that I really like fly fishing and I was reminded just how much I love spending time in the mountains.

Here are some pictures from our mountain adventure:

Five things I am loving right now...

1. These drinks....I cannot believe I only tried these just a few short weeks ago.
2. These prints that are now hanging on our living room wall.
3. This band...thanks to my dear friend for introducing me.
4. This ice cream shop...the most amazing flavors.
5. Getting eggs from our chickens every day.

Our Trip To Washington

We love going up to the Washington State. It is so beautiful and enchanting. We packed up the family and drove there (yes, it is possible with three little ones). We stopped a few times along the way and spent some time in Yellowstone. We stopped in Missoula, MT and the girls played at a spray ground. In Washington we went to the beach, the zoo, Seattle, parks, and fairs...Blake went fishing for the first time and we all went wild blackberry picking. We did a ton and we had such a great trip. It was so good to see family and friends that we have not seen in a very long time. We miss you all and wish we could see you more often!

Happy Wednesday!

My boy cooling off on a hand sewing quilt that I picked up from a garage sale in Tacoma.

CSA::Week 6

This is the 6th week of our CSA and I can honestly say that I look forward to picking up our share all week long. I look for the email that tells me what may possibly be in our box and then I start the search for new recipes to try with our amazing organic veggies and fruit. I really do not think I will be able to get through another summer without being part of the CSA. I love it because it stretches me in my culinary skills. We have to be willing to try new things for us to be able to consume the majority of our veggies. My family became vegetarians earlier this year and that in itself has been something that has made me really start trying to cook new things. I have been a vegetarian for the last 3 years and I am completely ok with eating roughly the same thing over and over again, but my family needs a plethora of options if they are going to enjoy being vegetarians. The CSA is so great because it gives us a chance to really try veggies that I wouldn't normally purchase on my own in the store...and each week gets better and better.

Tonight I tried a great recipe for a Summer Squash Tart. It uses puff pastry dough (I used some frozen from the store and now I am looking for a made from scratch recipe for puff pastry...anyone have a good recipe to pass on?). The puff pastry is topped with ricotta mixed with parsley, green onion, and one egg, then some caramelized onions (we use the red ones because Andy adores them), and then I sauteed some zucchini and summer squash and lined them up all pretty like. Andy made a salad using some of the greens from our share and dinner was set.

CSA week #6's box included:
Kale
Swiss Chard
Arugula
Baby Greens
Romaine
Dill
Cherries - so tart that I have no idea what to do with them.
English peas
Beets
Radishes
Green Onions
Apricots