On The Table: Green Goddess

 

Most days we have salads for lunch. My go-to dressing is a balsamic vinaigrette that I mix up at the beginning of the week but it's starting to feel like we were in a rut. Then one night I went to a friend's birthday party and her husband made a really simple and delicious dressing of just avocado and lemon on a spinach salad. It was really tasty and I was hooked. I started looking around for more dressing along those lines and found this Mexican Green Goddess recipe (and this one too, I combined them). It really delicious! I skipped the cilantro and used parsley instead, the husband is not a fan of cilantro at all. It's so lovely and green and I wanted to share! What's your favorite salad dressing recipe?

Brickyard Buffalo Sale.

I'm SO excited to announce that my bow ties are up for a flash sale on Brickyard Buffalo starting today! This site hosting by some really lovely women is great and features new items every week at discounted prices to help smaller businesses get their names out there. Check it out. Thanks for modeling Little Man!

Popsicle, Popsicle.

 

It's summertime out there whether the temperatures agree or not. And summertime means frozen treats! A few of my mama friends told me about their popsicle molds and making their own. It's something that I've wanted to do for a long time so last week at the grocery I tossed them into my cart and didn't look back.

My first attempt was not super sweet (says the husband) but they were still tasty. O didn't seem to mind one bit as he sang a popsicle song in the backyard while he enjoyed his. It was certainly not difficult but he was very impressed so I'll take the compliment. 

Frozen Berry Yogurt Pops

This made exactly six pops.

1 cup frozen mixed berries

1-1 1/2 cups Greek yogurt

Juice of half a lemon

Agave nectar

Blend it all up in your blender. I tasted mine at this point to see how they were. Then pour into molds and freeze for at least 4 hours. I would have loved to make them with Oliver but I knew that the waiting would be the hardest part...for both of us...so I did it during nap time. They are a pretty healthy and easy summer treat. Next time, mango! JJ also suggested trying out an adult version, maybe a mojito pop. Sounds good to me. What do you think?

Hey Daddio.

I put myself up to the simple task of finding some photos that capture the life of the Dads in my life (including my best friends that are Dads, I've been sneaking photos of you all for months). It turned out to be more of a challenge than I anticipated. The photos are endless and I kid you not when I say I take an immeasurable number of photos a day. Therefore it was hard to narrow it all down, this post would have gone on for days. 

I wanted to talk about how special my Dad is and how challenging this year in health has been. I've said it before but I think the greatness of this man is in the everyday. He loves his family, he works hard for us, he laughs with my son, he cooks for my husband, he loves my mom, and he loves his children in ways that cannot be explained. I can only catch a glimpse of that now that I am a parent but I know there are words that cannot express the it fully. His friends are dear and his siblings are important. He taught me the value of lifelong friends. These thoughts are not always shared but they are always, always in my heart.

And to my dear husband, I want to say everything. You are a shining example of a father. You are smart, funny, and kind. You teach our son in ways that I never could. Even though he sometimes seems to favor me, it's only because he spends the days talking about you. His eyes light up when he talks about you, Papa. We are lucky and loved. Happy Father's Day.

Parade The Circle.

Happy Monday! We had an action packed adventure filled weekend so I'm starting the week off with a Parade the Circle photo dump. We hopped on our bikes and rode down to the parade Saturday morning to meet up with friends and have a picnic. Riding bikes is the best way to get down to University Circle when there is going to be a crowd, there was a complimentary bike valet that made it so easy to get in and out of there quickly! 

The parade was kicked off by this veteran followed closely by the Parade the Circle balloon arches that mark the sections off. The boys oohed and ahhed at this giant blue man and the creatures that followed behind.

These giant Playskool toys were so awesome! Do you recognize them? I loved the chattering teeth too.

The sailors with the pop-up Jaws and Giant Squid were SO awesome and definitely my favorite! They pulled a huge lighthouse too and every so often closed up the boards to reveal these giant creatures of the sea.

This parade is a Cleveland classic and I love to see how creative and colorful these volunteers can be. The music is a lot of fun and the boys loved the dancers and drums. I love the people watching too! The Botanical Garden's Glasshouse makes for a perfect backdrop for photos. 

The Dads championed the big hill home with trailers and the boys quickly (and uncomfortably) fell asleep on the ride home. It was a great day! Happy Monday!

On The Table: Garlic Scapes

Last weekend at the North Union Farmer's Market we picked up a new item. Garlic Scapes. I've seen them before and admired their twisty shape but never picked them up. I didn't really know what they were or how to cook them. But I was feeling adventurous and as it turns out there isn't much to it!  The raw flavor is pretty intense but when cooked they mellow out. We've used them a few different times this week and they are the perfect onion-garlic flavor to add to any dish. My favorite way so far was on the grill. Here's what we (the husband) did.

Toss the garlic scapes in olive oil, salt and pepper. Put them on a hot grill until they are slightly charred and wilted. Eat. We ate them as is on the side but also put them on top of our veggie burgers. They added a nice new flavor. Check them out if you see them!

Fine Young Gentleman

May was a very busy month for us. Work, new house, toddler maintenance, life. I'm sure you can relate. But we've also been busy making new bow ties and O agreed to model some for me too which is nice! This little blue eyed bandit looks so handsome in the new colors and I just wanted to share. 

I am obsessed with this anchor fabric and am so glad that I impulsively (and compulsively) laid in bed one morning and bought it before my feet even touched the ground! I have a bit of an issue sometimes. Some of these are listed in the shop and some of them are for a very excited upcoming project...stay tuned for that. Happy Monday!

On Saturday.

Despite a few hiccups in the day, Saturday turned out to be a lot of fun. We biked to our very favorite place to pick up some essentials for the week. Thank goodness the Donut Lab truck was there because O had really been missing them. We sat in the grass and enjoyed a grape limeade and some donuts while listening to music and watching some (slightly wild) big kids play. Look how lovely that chard is!

Our peonies are in full bloom and I'm taking full advantage by clipping some and bringing them inside when they get too weighted down. They smell so nice and are just beautiful! We've never had a sunny yard before and I'm excited to have to flowers growing!

We finished off the day at a graduation party where O made two new friends. One of the was the guest of honor and is apparently his new number one. He spent most of the evening saying "Where'd Charlie go? Oh there he is!" I hope you had a nice weekend and have a very happy Monday!