Picking in the backyard

My main goal since I've been home is to become a master solicitor and get people to come pick some peaches by the vineyard. So far it's been good although not good enough. We've even been giving them out as presents. We gave Grandma L 35 peaches on our way to Oregon thinking she probably wouldn't be able to get rid of the whole bunch. On our way back we stopped for dinner, she didn't have a single peach left! After dinner, we went to T&B's, where T made a tasty peach & berry crumble with some Humboldt Creamery ice cream on the side. It was to die for!

With my blog seriously lacking any recent recipes and my absence from the grocery store haunting me, I decided to make a recipe (with some help from Bon Appetit) with ingredients entirely from the garden... or as much as possible. It's so very Alice Waters!!! Enjoy!


Arugula and Peach Salad with Creamy Chive Vinaigrette
time 10 min
serves 6 (as a side dish)

2 large ripe peaches (backyard)
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice, divided (meyer lemon's from my parents backyard)
6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil (fresh from our olive trees)
1 1/2 tablespoons whipping cream (grocery store) :(
1/3 cup finely chopped fresh chives (from the garden)
12 cups (loosely packed) arugula (about 6 ounces) (grocery store) :(


Wash peaches, rubbing to remove fuzz. Cut in half; remove pits. Thinly slice peaches. Place peach slices in large bowl. Add 1/2 tablespoon lemon juice; toss. Whisk 1 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice and olive oil in small bowl. Whisk in cream, then chives. Season with salt and pepper.

Add arugula to bowl with peaches. Add dressing and toss. Season with more salt and pepper, if desired, and serve.

Busy in August

I know I haven't been blogging too much recently and I apologize. I knew something was amiss for the past few weeks and didn't realize what it was until I checked my blog site! So sorry!

I haven't made any super delicious meals lately because we've been in Oregon for half the month and yesterday we had to bury our beloved Remy. Also, we've been going from house to house this week, enjoying the luxury of other people's cooking and company due to my birthday tomorrow. As you can imagine, it isn't going to be the best birthday ever. E has taken it better then I but it's still hard for the both of us. The two things I enjoy most both involved Remy; reading and cooking. Regardless, we're both thankful to have had such a wonderful creature come into our lives.

Anyway, due to my total lack of responsibility, I thought I'd share some pictures from Oregon! Enjoy!