Lavendar fields in Sequim, WA. HELLLOOOO Gorgeous!
No weekend is complete without a trip to the neighborhood library
Vintage yellow beads and a homemade card for a friend's birthday.
(beads, estate sale find, $1.00, ribbon and letters leftover from the holiday gift wrapping frenzy and old scrapbooking supplies)
Big sky out on Dungeness Spit and Wildlife Refuge
Stopped by local farm for fresh honey, spotted this old silo
Have a good week!
From the farmer's market to the exotic delights of the Asian grocery store, I felt I'd been there and done that. I was bored. I didn't think anything in the produce section could surprise me anymore.
But then I met these little guys at Bastyr University's Farmer's Market.
They are called garlic scapes.
Garlic and I go WAY back. I use garlic in anything...everything!
I'm SICILIAN for GOD SAKES! Isn't garlic just part of our genetic composition?
How did I miss these sweet little curly qs?
I just had to know more about my new little friends. I quickly paid my friendly farmer and dashed to my computer to learn more about this mystery veggie.
Basically, scapes are the stems of the garlic plant. We typically eat the root or bulb of the plant, but the stem is also quite delish.
Did a bit more reading, and it turns out, garlic has rather a scandalous reputation historically both as a both as a force for good and evil across civilizations.
(WARNING: Much of my casual research comes from Wikipedia--take it all with a grain of salt!)
In the account of Korea's establishment as a nation, gods were said to have given mortal women with bear and tiger temperaments an immortal's black garlic before mating with them. This is a genetically unique, six-clove garlic that was to have given the women supernatural powers and immortality. This garlic is still cultivated in a few mountain areas today. (I checked on eBay and Craigslist...no luck finding it...sorry ladies).
There is an Islamic myth that considers that after Satan left the Garden of Eden, garlic arose in his left footprint and onion in the right.
In Europe, many cultures have used garlic for protection or white magic, perhaps owing to its reputation as a potent preventative medicine. Central European folk beliefs considered garlic a powerful ward against demons, werewolves, and vampires. To ward off vampires, garlic could be worn, hung in windows, or rubbed on chimneys and keyholes. A practice of hanging garlic, lemon and red chilli at the door or in a shop to ward off potential evil, is still very common in India.
In both Hinduism and Jainism, garlic is considered to stimulate and warm the body and to increase one's desires and arousal.
Harvesting garlic, from Tacuinum sanitatis, 15th century.
The irrational fear of garlic is alliumphobia. I definitely understand. Schnuzzling with your special someone after they've eaten an extra large garlic and onion pizza single handedly can be HORRIFYING!
Garlic Scapes can be incorporated into a meal like you would use asparagus. It's not hollow, so don't expect it to be like a green onion. Here are links to a few bloggers and their scape recipes. Enjoy! Try not to get too horny while eating them.
Pan Browned Polenta with Sauteed Braising Greens and Garlic Scapes
http://boulderlocavore.blogspot.com/2011/06/summer-csa-and-pan-browned-polenta-with.html
Flash Sauteed Cherry Tomatoes with Garlic Scapes and Chives
http://foodandstyle.com/2010/07/02/flash-sauteed-cherry-tomatoes-with-garlic-scapes-and-chives/
Garlic Scape Pesto
http://soupbelly.com/2009/07/10/garlic-scape-pesto/
Found this nasty old chair at a Goodwill store this spring.
Faded orange stripes and mystery oil stain (barf) included in the $2.99 price.
The lines of the chair are quite feminine and graceful, the rattan in good shape.
Seat cushion redone using my trusty (and extremely rusty) old staple gun,
and some drop cloths run through the wash a few times to soften.
Spendiest part of the job was the reusable stencil from a great artist, Janna Makaeva from CuttingEdgeStencils.
Janna's stencils are in a class all their own--especially some of the vintage patterns for larger surfaces (like the master bedroom of my dreams).
I'll definitely be buying more of her wares in future.
http://www.etsy.com/people/CuttingEdgeStencils?ref=pr_profile
Tim's brother and sister in-law sent us Dave Ramsey's book The Total Money Makeover. For those of you who have never picked up one of his books, Dave Ramsey is THE guru of personal finances. The Total Money Makeover is a no nonsense program that encourages people to eliminate all of their debt in order to live a cash-only lifestyle and achieve wealth and financial freedom.
No, this blog posting is not sponsored by Dave Ramsey.
I started reading The Total Money Makeover three days ago, and in that time I have begun a complete transformation of my personal finances. I will be out of debt in 12 months. That's right folks, 12 months.
In the last three days I have managed to ...cut $600 out of my annual budget,
save $1,000 for an Emergency Fund (Baby Step #1 of the Total Money Makeover),
schedule a garage sale,
sell books to a local bookstore,
and put some old unused china up on eBay.
To top it all, Tim and I have decided to begin the hunt for a cheaper apartment that we can stand to live in for a year. Shaving $250 off of our rent each month would save us upwards of $3,000 each year.
In what ways would you "downsize" for 12 months in order to get yourself out of debt?
Over the next 12 months I will attempt to transform myself into a lean, mean, budgeting machine! I need all of the support and encouragement I can get--and some creative brainstorming about how to live EVEN lovelier on EVEN less!I am grateful to Michael and Heather for extending a random act of kindness our way, sending us this modest looking hardback black book. Who knew a book of less than 250 pages would transform my perspective of my own wealth potential, AND give me such hope?
Following in Michael and Heather's generous footsteps, I have passed the book on to a dear friend of mine. I hope it provides she and her family with the same hope it provided me.
Do not adjust your computer screen.
Yes, that is actually BACON on a MAPLE BAR!
Has someone lost there mind?
They said the same thing about other heroes--Christopher Columbus, Abraham Lincoln, Albert Einstein...the founders of FROST Doughnuts in Mill Creek.
Hello GORGEOUS!A bit more expensive than your average doughnut from the grocery store,but seriously, do we even need to question the return on investment here?
Visit www.frostology.com for more details and a list of their other flavors including the Red Velvet and the Bananas Foster Fritter.
Oh yes people, miracles DO come true!
Cheaper than a full breakfast at a restaurant, paired with a good cup of coffee this was a kinda special way for my boyfriend and I to spend a rainy Sunday morning.
I hope you'll have a chance to do the same.
Thank you ladies!
Seed starts in segments of toilet paper and paper towel rolls. 
