Airy issues and airy responses

 Here's yesterday

So it was an indoor day. The shoulder is still nagging, so I can't do the making I'd normally do, and needed to do something cheerful.

So here's that leftover pastry from the apricot tarts, waiting in the freezer. 

Which made five tart shells and a little extra bit 

And strawberries.

So strawberry preserves happened

And the yogurt was ready.

So here's dessert after lunch, yogurt with strawberry sauce 

With the little extra bit of pastry on top, and here's a strawberry tart for afternoon tea

The halo effect is the light reflecting on the plate. 

This morning was pita bread with a bit of strawberry preserve. There's not much that's better than a small batch of homemade strawberry preserves. I like small batches, no need to make masses of jam at once.

So that's good for a person's spirits. And since reading is my default st the moment, lying down, Kindle propped up to save strain on my neck, I'm continuing

And I've started

And

Two mysteries, two food related, taking mind off the dangerous air and the pain in the neck.

Happy day everyone, find something to enjoy always.

And 

Good Things Day

 Yesterday brought good things. The Misfits box arrived

And here's the best Good Thing. Same amount and quality strawberries as the local farm, half the price 

I went to change my puzzle at the library, and had a lovely chat with the circ desk man about puzzles.  He told me what a great borrowing collection they have, including great donations! He didn't realize who brought them in! He's a puzzle evangelist.

Current puzzle, whimsical, just right for summer

Then home to get the mail, with

More supplies from the Sock Ministry, including a card showing an embroidery done by an earlier Sister at the convent, way back when they did fine church embroidery.

Look at the cheerful yarn colors! It's acrylic, completely washable, great for giving to people who don't have the luxury of handwash dry flat.

And here's what showed up in my timeline, speaking of embroidery

And I got my heddle all threaded, ready to go

And remember the dollar store seeds I got, very cheap? They're bustin out

After the obnoxious word puzzle, this is  a fun one.

Happy day everyone, knitting group today, let's see who turns up despite the beautiful weather drawing them outside.

Misfits, strawberries, new cars and weaving

Yesterday I sent off the Sock Ministry parcel, paid with a card at the PO, and got a bit of cash back to take to the farm for a second strawberry attempt. 

At the stand was another would-be shopper finding she didn't have enough cash. Like me she looked at a credit card use, then saw the $20 minimum and didn't!

Anyway I had $10 which was $8, ouch, for strawberries and $2 left. I saw basil packs marked $2, perfect. Then the nice kid at the counter asked if I wanted the whole four pack. Turns out it's $8 per four pack, $2 per plant in the pack. Last time I bought four packs the marked price was the pack and $2-3 is the usual range  I do like to support my local farmer, but not be exploited. 

So one box of strawberries this year, basil elsewhere. This is the whole box 

First bite of the year!

And lunch, with dessert, custard pudding decorated with fresh strawberries. 

Meanwhile Gary's back home with a lovely new toy

Beemer convertible, high performance car. He used to have beemers long ago, before children, and now he's revisiting them. He plans on a year of fun before trading for a bigger car to include grandchildren. 

And weaving is moving right along.

I'm in a rhythm now, moving faster, better fabric, better selvedges. 

And while I was upstairs weaving, my Misfits box arrived

Soon I'm making a shrimp curry, and various other good things. The blueberry spinach filled pita breakfasts only involve assembly.

Good things to come!

Happy day everyone, you up for a puzzle?

 Enjoy your puzzles, toys and food!

More unexpected things

So my contractor is back from his mother's and showed up to take care of the deck situation. 

Now I hope I won't be studying a building site for months while the fence work is being argued out. Well, we've done our bit.

And  strawberries are in at the farm. 

The last few hot days moved them along fast and they're the best in years, much sweeter than last year when we didn't have those sudden hot days.

One container to eat fresh, one to freeze for future jam or whatever I suddenly decide.

And here's a lunch for the day the cleaners came, when I completely forgot to think about lunch and came home starving and with no plans. 

Sardines on whole wheat. Yogurt with strawberries. In fact pretty good.

I had done the strawberry run then I went to read at the park. Read? In fact I thought wait,  that stuff isn't in this book, oh, right, I was sleeping and dreaming an exciting scene about chasing or something. 

I can dream during even a short nap, the ever-moving shuttle at work. But it's confusing to wake and wonder where that scene was in the book.

Oh, and massive excitement in the houseplant department. My ginger finally put up a little shoot!! My excitement is out of all proportion to the size of the shooticle.

The qtip is to show you where to look, it's that small. Squint. It's there. My faith is rewarded.

An encore post. Misfits musings

 I completely forgot it was Friday when I wrote earlier. Then my Misfits box arrived several hours early, and I set to work prepping and photoing. So you're stuck with a second post 

I like this handy sheet. On the other side it tells you how to use them. Judging from the questions on the Misfits Twitter account, a lot of people are unfamiliar with varieties of veggies and need a bit of a tute  I suspect it's because they haven't seen veggies as they grow, with roots and outside leaves. Nor a large variety of produce unless they have a local Asian market.

When I first started buying mushrooms from the Kennett Square growers at the local farmer's market they would hand out mushroom guides with cooking suggestions for people who'd had white button mushrooms and not much else in stores. Great idea. 

So here's today's lovely haul. I was able to buy extras of some items with the new setup, so I got extra carrots, plums, ginger and onions as well as various other great stuff, including huge dandelion greens. Spring tonic.

And I got a supply of quinoa at about literally one fifth of the cost locally, where I've only seen it in tiny expensive amounts. I've wondered how friends in other states could afford to eat it so casually. Now I know. I guess I don't live in a target market for it.

After a lengthy period of washing and draining and chopping and wiping and peeling and freezing, I had a very good lunch.

These greens were as crisp as if I'd just run out back and picked them. Strawberries totally ripe.

Salad of leaf lettuce, dandelion greens, celery, roma tomato, rainbow carrot, dressed with crumbled blue cheese, ribbon of mayonnaise. Dessert was perfect strawberries, labneh, chocolate chips.

Fit for a queen. Because I'm worth it!

I have plans for various meals. Plum torte, which I make any year I can get plums, carrot cake with labneh frosting, celery and dandelion soup, for starters. My neighbors are in for a few treats, too.

Watch this space!

Early summer

Ants in the kitchen, strawberries in at the farm.

Mushroom quiche

This is in the nature of a Note to Self.  Last week at the farmers' market I picked up a lovely bag of mixed mushrooms from the Kennet Square people, famous mushroom source in Pennsylvania, and decided now was the time to make again that quiche which makes a mushroom crust rather than a flour one.

Then came a protracted search for where the &;*&;*&;* recipe came from, using every tag I could think of. Finally found it in my ancient tattered old Sunset cookbook, so now I know where to find it.  And my label on this post will help.  As will a tip from JT on using the search box which I had totally never noticed in all these years. And a thought that searching in my own blog would have been good. Too late smart.

I subbed sharp cheddar for their bland old Jack, fresh chives for their scallions, and omitted paprika since I didn't have any. But it still worked a treat.  Foreground cooking mushrooms with added cracker crumbs, on board chopped chives, shredded cheese, background eggs, cottage cheese and red pepper in blender.

It's one of those labor intensive deals that comes out smelling so great that it's worth it.  And it's more than filling, on account of all the cheese and eggs.  

So here's today's effort.  Since Handsome Son is not a quiche fancier, this is for me and any neighbors who happen to get lucky. 

Did I mention that strawberries came in this week?  

best I've had ever, I think, right from the farm to my mouth!