Garden Goodness: Sorrel Pesto

We had a delicious meal with goodies from the garden this evening. Our second crop of lettuce is finally big enough to provide a baby green salad. After a failed first planting it was so great to finally have some fresh greens on our table!

Our Sorrel has been going strong all winter. We've got two varieties. I made pesto tonight for our pasta with the lemon Sorrel.  I think I may make some big batches and freeze it. One of the plants is massive, coming almost up to my waist.

Here is the pesto recipe I developed tonight based on a few online recipes and what is available in our garden at the moment...

Sorrel Pesto:

2 cups sorrel (coarsely chopped)
2 tablespoons fresh parsley 
1/2 cup grated Parmesan
1/4 cup olive oil
1/3 cup walnuts or pine nuts
1 pinch each, salt and pepper

1. Combine ingredients in a food processor and blend until you've got pesto :)

2. Toss with pasta, serve on toasted baguette with a slice of tomato, make a pizza with pesto sauce...

Operation Relaxation

 

I have been trying to relax as we wait for baby's impending arrival. Here are some things I've found that help...

Anything lavender scented. Recent favorites include Burt's Bee's Calming Baby Bee Nourishing Lotion and Dr.Hauschka Lavender Bath Oil.

Tea. This pregnancy tea is full of vitamins you need during pregnancy. Chamomile before bed has been my go-to throughout the pregnancy. And of course mint was great early on for soothing that nausea.Try it iced on a hot day (or night) for some extra refreshment.

Sleep! Which is greatly improved with a soft nightgown.



Pictured: Silk-Trim Cotton Gown, Victoria's Secret

Pedicures. So great to soothe my aching feet and welcome spring! Maybe it's because I'm having a girl, but I've been gravitating toward pinks!

Pictured: Fiesta, Essie Nail Polish

Pictured: THAT'S HOT!, OPI Nail Lacquer

Hot and Cold. I'm going back and forth between microwaveable heat pads and strap on ice packs to soothe the achy muscles in my back. Lot's of options out there. If you're feeling crafty I found instructions for making your own heating pad here.

Comfort Food. I've found that popcorn and ice cream are really hitting the spot! Try a little curry powder on your popcorn to give it a gourmet kick. As for ice cream...anything chocolate works just great, but especially Molly Moon's Theo Chocolate!

Sunny Day Drink

Pictured: Hot Monkey, Hot Pepper Infused Flavored Vodka 

from the New Deal Distillery in Portland, Oregon.

Tony and I went to Portland recently and Tony got to try out some of the distilleries there. I got to smell everything and it was lovely :)

Tony bought a few bottles and I made him promise to save them until I could enjoy a cocktail with him.  I'm not quite ready for a cocktail but it was a sunny day today and a delicious drink was in order after he spent most of the afternoon on house projects. The recipe below is a twist on a recipe we got from the New Deal Distillery for their Hot Monkey Vodka.

Papaya Mango Spice

(makes two cocktails)

1 cup sliced Papaya (fresh or frozen)

1 cup sliced Mango (fresh or frozen)

2 cups Grapefruit or Orange juice

2-3 shots of Pepper Vodka 
1 cup fresh Mint 
Paprika

1. Mix the juice, papaya, and mango in a blender. If you are using fresh papaya and mango either add about 1/2 cup ice to make a margarita style drink or serve the juice over ice.

2. Muddle 1/3 cup of the mint in a cocktail shaker.

3. Pour half the juice puree into the cocktail shaker. Add 1- 1/2 shots of spicy vodka. (Omit the vodka for a mock-tail). Shake and strain into your favorite glass.

4. Garnish with a sprinkle of paprika and finely chopped mint.

Flowers from the Garden: Shades of Purple

It was sunny today! So sunny that I actually got a sunburn while I was sitting outside. (whoops!) I'm too pregnant to do any yard-work, so I've been sitting in the yard contemplating landscaping projects. I'd love to get the perimeter of the backyard landscaped all the way around. I'm definitely going to need some burlap, bark, and of course, plants.

I have no idea whether its reasonable to think I might get some of these projects done while I'm home with the baby. In the meantime, here are some flowers from our garden today. Tis the season for purple apparently...

The last of the tulips.

The first of the lilac.  

Cherry blossoms a week into blooming.

Finishing Touches

The nursery is set up! Photos coming soon! I promise. I did load some pictures on Facebook from my I-phone but this nursery deserves a real camera. Now that the basics are in place I'm thinking about the finishing touches. Such as...

these shelves...

 

 

with these bins...

 

and these hanging storage things for the closet...

 

with this wall art (but I don't think we need the kit to do it)...

 

and this laundry hamper...

 

 

and this lamp...

 

or maybe this orange one)...

 

 

and these are cool too...

Sneak Peek: Nursery Decor

As I wait for the baby's room to be painted, I am diligently washing baby clothes and sorting through toys, books, and other baby accessories. Everything is ready to go once that final coat of paint dries. For those of you who can't wait (I'm not the only one right?), here is a preview of the nursery decor...

PAINT and TRIM
We selected an orange/peach paint color (actually called "squash") for the walls. Tony's favorite paint brand is American Pride. It is eco-friendly and made state-side. Here is a small test patch. The i-phone photo doesn't show it very well, but you get the idea.

The trim in our house is white MDF, but Tony has been working all weekend to cut down wood trim for the entire upstairs. The trim is fir and will be finished not painted. Tony is adding baseboard and window trim to match the original trim in the house (which was only left in our bedroom when we moved in).

FURNITURE
We got a DaVinci, Kalani dresser, changing table, and crib in cherry finish (shown here in espresso). I would like to note that we do not have any matching furniture in our own bedroom, nor in any other room in our house...so this was kind of a big deal :)

We are also getting a couple of well-loved pieces. I'm particularly excited about the rocking chair from my nursery when I was a baby. My mom found this chair years ago at a garage sale. It was in pieces and she fixed it up--rebuilding the seat and re-finishing it. This chair has probably rocked lots of little ones over the years.

WALL ART and CURTAINS

I ordered these butterfly wall decals from Etsy seller "surfaceinspired." Instead of plain white, I ordered multi-colored butterflies.

I'm hoping the butterflies will coordinate well with these multi-colored Woodland Garden curtains I chose from Urban Outfitters.

ACCESSORIES and STORAGE

I'm still thinking about this rocking moose...

..and possibly these bright red shelves to coordinate with the moose...

My childhood toy-box is also coming out of storage and we may bring it back to life with a coat of red paint.