Calico Corn and My Kitchen Window

my kitchen windowsill on this late July afternoon...

the pottery is from my dear friend, julie whitmore http://juliewhitmorepottery.blogspot.com/

click on the picture for a closer look at julie's beautiful work.

i have really been enjoying this middle summer corn and decided to make my CALICO CORN...

you start by cutting the corn off the cob...

at the farmers market i got all different kinds of colored sweet peppers and some cilantro..

i got some flat leaf parsley out of my garden... diced the peppers and added them to the corn along with the herbs, a splash of good olive oil and a squirt of lime juice and some salt and pepper. this recipe is good served cold or sauteed in a skillet and served hot.

Nothing Fancy Tonight

that's me...good thing i am alone in here. well....me and teddy...wearing blue shoes and socks and a cherry apron with an old tea towel hanging from my apron string... my standard kitchen wear. 

i got some beautiful eggplant at that saturday farmers market and decided to just make an old fashion eggplant parmesan... i got the bread crumbs ready...

sliced up my eggplant

dipped them in...

saute and lay in the tomato sauce...

sprinkle with cheese...

bake and serve. do you see dande ?

The First Apples !!!!!

i went to the san luis obispo FARMER'S MARKET this morning and look what i found...the FIRST OF THE SEASON GRAVENSTEIN APPLES. i am making caramel apples for tonight... i am kind of cheating with the wrappers but the package was cute and they sure make it easy ... i know alot of you are roasting in this heat wave...maybe this will help...

these are from SEE CANYON...just up the road...

they had the first crop walnuts too...

and i just had to get this little guy out...wishing cool breezes coming your way ....

A Birthday Party And A Puppet Show

we had a birthday to CELEBRATE around here yesterday.... the gift was a beautiful birdbath so we went with a bird themed party...

we let the little ones decorate the cake...we even picked little daisey flowers to edge the cake with...and LOTS of sprinkles....you can never have too many sprinkles !

strawberry lemonade and little candies...

we even had a PUPPET SHOW !!!

what could be better than a birthday party on the PERFECT SUMMER DAY !

Sacked Out !

i came upstairs to make the bed this morning and this is what i found...

whiskey sour and dande rose marie bagged out on the bed....look at that face...that is whiskey.

little tiny dande....she is as light as a feather...

since i am upstairs in the bedroom i thought i would show you around...that little wood burning stove is my squirrel stove...there are squirrels on the sides..the little black lady's rocking chair came from camden, maine.

the little necklace was made for me by a very special little girl...

outside one of my windows...the houses behind me on church street...and the brown california mountains...the blue morning glory is growing in all the trees in the back... even though it is july here...as i write i am wearing a ski coat...i don't know why...but on the coast of california it is COLD. woke to 55 degrees this morning...with a high of 65. what ? california? in july ? really ?

Farmhouse Kitchen Last Night

last night while waiting for water to boil for corn i took a picture of my celing over my kitchen sink...

my sunflowers are really in full swing...i actually had to cut some to be able to get in the kitchen door...these are in my kitchen

a close-up with the macro lens

growing out by the kitchen door...

i love them as they fade...

my foxglove

my helanium...probably spelled this wrong...i am on an orange flower kick as we head into august....

see TEDDY...see what he has...it's a cob of corn...i went outside to shuck some and as soon as i turned my back...BOOM. somebody grabbed an ear of corn...he shucked it and ate it...not even kidding you .... what ya looking at mom ? i know i am his mom and i think he is REALLY cute...but if you have a minute click for a close up !!!!

i guess i put up the shot over the sink twice... don't know how to erase it so it's staying...

the other day we had lunch at a place in SHELL BEACH called DePalo & Sons. i had the tortelloni salad..and it was GOOD...

i tried to make it for us last night...

kary's tortelloni salad

1 package trader jo's pesto tortelloni

about 1/2 cup feta cheese

about 1/2 cup kalamata olives

about 1/2 cup diced sun dried tomatoes

about 1/2 cup diced red bell pepper

about 1/4 cup toasted pine nuts

olive oil and a splash of white vinegar. don't use balsamic..it turns the salad dark

a handful of chopped italian parsley

a handful of chopped basil

salt and pepper to taste

boil and cook tortelloni till cooked

add to a bowl with all other ingredients

toss and serve

we had bbqed chicken and boiled corn on the cob to go with it

hmmmm...which one for tonight ?

aren't these cute...i got them at michaels the other day...i think i'll make cupcakes tomorrow...

made a stop to the AVILA BARN and got an OLALLIEBERRY PIE...

the perfect finish to the PERFECT SUMMER NIGHT ...