Strawberry and Cucumber Sandwiches

I found this recipe on the Whole Foods website. The ingredients are unusual for a sandwich and I think I'll try making them for our upcoming family trip to Portola next month.

Serves 4
When summer fruits are at their sweetest, peaches make a worthy substitution for the strawberries in this recipe.
Ingredients
8 large strawberries 4 ounces (8 tablespoons) Neufchâtel, softened 1 tablespoon chopped mint 1 teaspoon lemon zest Salt and pepper to taste 1/2 seedless cucumber, thinly sliced 1 bunch watercress, long stems trimmed 8 slices whole wheat sandwich bread
Method
Chop 4 of the strawberries and slice the remaining 4. In a large bowl, mash chopped strawberries with a fork. Add Neufchâtel, mint, zest, salt and pepper and mix until well combined. Spread strawberry mixture evenly between slices of bread then arrange cucumbers, sliced berries and watercress over half of the slices. Top with remaining slices to form sandwiches then halve each and serve.
Nutrition
Per serving (about 6oz/170g-wt.): 230 calories (70 from fat), 8g total fat, 4g saturated fat, 20mg cholesterol, 670mg sodium, 28g total carbohydrate (5g dietary fiber, 7g sugar), 10g protein

Scalloped Potatoes

....still trying to use up all the vegetables we bought at Costco last week. We bought a huge bag of red potatoes and I've been making potato themed dishes non-stop. Here's a picture of the scalloped potatoes from last night's dinner. I took about 8-9 red potatoes and thinly sliced them and then arranged them artfully in a greased pie dish. I added salt, pepper, and shredded Parmesan cheese (also from the Costco run) in between the layers, poured in about a cup of milk and baked in a 325 degree oven for about 40 minutes. Once the potatoes were cooked I sprinkled with more cheese and broiled uncovered for about 4 minutes so it was all brown and crunchy on top. I ate mine with a drizzle of truffle oil on and Cody had his plain. Next time I'm adding cooked onions and garlic for more flavor, but overall it was very good and hearty.

coffee (table) anyone?

We've been looking for the perfect coffee table for a while now, and for some reason I just can't decide what I want... but I do keep going back to these guys.

Aren't they gorgeous???

I first saw one of these Adler Cubes by Brent Comber a few years back in an office building lobby in Vancouver and searched all over the web (and trust me when you google 'wooden log table' you get some hideous results...) to find who made them, and where I could buy them... I wanted to wait however until we had our own home as moving one these things can't be easy - they're solid wood!

Now, I'm not so sure that they'd fit in this house with the whole '50's modern ranch' theme we are going with, but perhaps in a corner of my garden with a couple of red muskoka or adirondack (depending where you're from) chairs and lots of greenery.

muskoka

adirondack

Nerd Alert/Green Alert

Couldn't decide if this was pure nerdiness or pure green brilliance, but OMG I love this Nature Mill composter and think I need one for my house.

You just plug it in, add your household scraps (up to 54 kilos or 120 pounds) and every 2 weeks you get beautiful composted soil.

Go here to learn more.

As happy as a pig in mud... seriously!

What started as a nice afternoon game of fetch the ball at the park ended in a mudbath...

Here is Cooper in action, in what looks like a nice dry park... at the end of the clip you can see him running off to a nice shady tree...

Here is what we found under that big shady tree...

Spinach and Bacon Baby

I've been trying to use up all our left over frozen vegetable and include more vegetables and fruit in our meals so I came up with this version of the Dutch Baby on Sunday. It has spinach in it, but still ended up not being very healthy although it was absolutely delicious and would make a great dish for brunch or a potluck.

Preheat a large pan in a oven to 425

Mix 4 eggs, 1 cup of milk, 1 cup of flour w/pinch of salt, dash of worchestershire sauce, 1 cup shredded parmesan cheese, about 1/2 cup of crumbled bacon, and 1/2 bag of thawed and drained spinach.

Use a potholder to take the pan out of the oven and swirl in 3-4 tbs of butter (I told you it wasn't healthy) then pour in the egg mixture. Bake for about 20-25 minutes until golden and pufy and a knife comes out cleanly. Let it cool for a bit then enjoy!

Did you know???

...that you can recycle your compact fluorescent light bulbs? I had no idea, until I saw this little bin at Home Depot the other day. I guess I have never had one burn out on me yet (since those suckers last forever...)

Racy Friday Night Joke

A brunette tell her blonde friend she slept with a Brazillian man. The blonde says, "OMG! U SLUT! How many is a brazillian?"

funky cold medina

forgot that I hadn't posted this from the concert the other week which was SO much fun!

Caution - it's Tone Loc, so there might (read as there is) be some less than savoury language... if you're at work turn your volume down or put your head phones on, if not turn it up and rock on to some vintage Funky Cold Medina!!!

for the full song click below

List of things my house needs

So I just signed paperwork yesterday for my home purchase and if all goes well (fingers crossed) I'll be all set in a few weeks to start some of the major and not so major projects I have wanted to do for the last 7 years. I thought I should get organized so I can tackle budgeting and planning and am shocked at how much stuff there is to do. This is not including any repairs that could spring up along the way either. I made some notes about things I need to look into further. For instance, I wanted to go w/pergo floors, but everyone I have talked to tells me hardwood is the way to go. I'll definitely need to shop around. Looking at this beast of a list is overwhelming - I don't even know where to begin!

Before picture from Sunset Magazine

Home Renovations
New floors
· Hard wood vs. Pergo for living room, kitchen and hallway
· Everyone says to go lighter
· New baseboards – 4” white

New windows
· Get quotes – should be around $10k
· New sliding glass door w/built-in dog door
· New blinds for kitchen x2, backdoor, and living room
· New curtains
Paint interior
· Dove grey or Brittney Beige for living room and kitchen
· Possibly do accent wall w/wallpaper in kitchen
Paint exterior
· Charcoal grey/white trim
· Need to re-stucco
New front door
· Red door – order pre-painted and order hardware
New interior doors
· Master bedroom doors
· Closet doors
· Bathroom doors x2
· Bedroom doors x3
Upgrade master bath
· Remodel hall closet to use extra space
· Put in tub
· New Sink
· New toilet
· Paint
· Floor
· Lights
Hall bathroom
· Need new floor
· New sink
· New tub w/built in shower curtain
New couch
· Dark leather sectional w/loveseat
· Need new throw pillows
Living room furniture
· Lamps
· Plants
Office furniture
· Order craft table w/stool
· Book shelves
· Desk
· Lamps
Bedroom furniture
· New bedroom set
· Refinish dining set / new chairs
· Lamps
· New linens, pillows, and comforter
New stove
New fridge
New cabinets/kitchen counter
· Black granite counters
· White cabinets
New sink
· Faucet
· Disposal
Area rugs

Fireplace
· Do custom glass mosaic on the tile
· New mantle
Outside
· New driveway – pavers
· Hot tub :)
· All new landscaping

. Built in grill island

There's lots more I need to do, but these are the things that are top of mind for now. My boss is referring me to her contractor and hopefully he'll be able to help me figure this stuff out. I wonder if it can all get done for under $50k? sigh

After picture from Sunset Magazine

happy friday!

I took this photo a few years ago at Port Campbell, Victoria, Australia on our Great Ocean Road tour.

It was such a great trip and if you're ever down that way I suggest you rent a campervan, take a few days and just stop wherever the mood takes you. We visited Torquay, Bell's Beach, Lorne, The 12 Apostles, Gibson Steps, London Arch, Loch Ard Gorge, the Grotto, Great Otway National Park just to name a few. We saw lots of wildlife from koalas to echidnas just on the side of the road...

keep it cozy

On a roadtrip to Portland last year I took my crochet to keep me busy along the way... On the way home, Bryce said "you should make me a new iPod sock" (since his current one was getting crusty). I laughed and said "OK" He is still using it too.

Christina saw it and decided she needed one for her camera, so here's the one I made for her.

Beavers make faces melt with their cuteness

While looking at sfgirlbybay I discovered the Renegade Craft Fair is this weekend! Here are some adorable beaver nightlights I found while exploring the fair's web page. I also found these kitchen towels, and anyone who knows me knows that I love vintagey kitchen towels and table clothes, I will definitely have to look for these this weekend! We're going to the city this Saturday with K & B to watch Heathers at Midnight Mass and I'm thinking maybe we'll make a day of it if everyone is up for it. Craft fair in the afternoon, pizza at Flour+Water, and drag queen movie madness at midnight.

Nerd Alert

OK, I admit, a little nerdy - but I'm going to Mars in 2011, well my name will be on a little computer chip inside the NASA's Mars Science Laboratory rover. Are you?

I love these chairs!!!

this beauty caught my eye while looking at get cultured a wonderful blog I could look through all day - and I am in love... wouldn't these make gorgeous dining chairs? I only need 4...

My Wendy

Wendy has been my friend for going on 20 years now and I love her for so many reasons. Not only is she stylish, but she is also very funny. Here are a few memories that I thought I should share.

Reason #78: She will hand you a bottle of tequila with a straw and trust you not to drown in her bathtub.

Reason #1024: Direct quote from Wendy "Alert the media! My intense hatred of James Taylor and his brand of adult contemporary folk music seems to have ebbed. I just had to sit through some song about sunny days and didn't feel an ounce of rage. Sadly, this probably signifies that I am getting old, not more mature, just old."

Reason #1108: Called me the next morning to say, "God, I hope you didn't go home with our friend last night. We forgot to tell you he has Tourrette's."

Reason #912: Conversation with her husband over breakfast.
Wendy: "What are people from Belgium called? ...Belgish? ...Belgique?"
Scott: "What kind of waffle are you eating?"
Wendy: "Belgian. Oh."

Reason #2005: Direct quote from Wendy while looking at her inferior grits. "Listen, I'm from the South and we know what good grits are supposed to taste like."

Reason #2017: Founding member of The Mega-maniacs. Our revolutionary band where all of our songs were screamed at close range through little megaphones. Co-wrote the hit "Emergency Situations"

Reason #25: Is still friends with me even though I yelled at her great-grandmother in law at Christmas when I thought she was pretending to not know who I was.

loved this book!

just saw that they are making The Time Traveler's Wife into a movie. I loved this book and suggest you hurry out and read it before they ruin it with the movie!

Things Randomly Overheard

This was an overheard conversation with the creepy delivery guy who always fondles my hand when he hands me a package and constantly complains about how difficult his job is:

Overheard someone say to him, "This is your last week?"
And he said, "Yep, I've got to take care of me."

a tribute to Michael...

this one needs no introduction...

pho sure...

personally I think this is hideous ( I can't even finish a small bowl of pho) but I would love to go and see someone try this Pho Garden Challenge

Joyeux Quatorze Juillet!

Today is Bastille Day, France's national holiday which commemorates the beginning of the French Revolution in 1789, and this time next year Bryce and I are hoping to be there to celebrate with them.

When we bought the house a wave of grief came over me and I thought are we never going to be able to go on vacation ever again now that we have a mortgage and so many house repairs... So we both agreed that this was silliness, since we both love to travel so much and we started planning our next trip so we have it to look forward to.

So this time next year we should be sitting in a little bistrot like this looking at a view like this sipping some French wine and watching the world go by....

The list is long so if you have any recommendations on where to go please feel free to leave me some comments with links or ideas.

bonjour

way cool

Look what I found yesterday at Etsy

Ever been looking for art in a certain colour, but just not known exactly what you're looking for??? Well the Etsy Colour Picker enables you to pick a colour and then it shows you what's available in those colours - it's fun to play with too!

You can also shop by location, most recent views, and lots more options.

Enjoy!

Milk Glass

Top of a vase from my collection

Close up of a hobnail vase from my collection

Easter bunny candy dish from my collection

I have loved milk glass for years and I do have a couple of pieces, nothing I'd really call a collection, but I wanted to share some pictures of what I do own as well as some pictures of pieces I think are beautiful. My favorite style is the hobnail white. This year I'm focused on my house and family so I think it's a perfect time to start collecting more pieces to add to my collection. I'm working in the garden at home on Saturday and then meeting Julie Orr over at Kate's for an inteview about her landscape design, but Sunday sounds like a great day for the Santa Cruz flea market.

Hobnail pitchers found on Just Glass OnlineBottles found on Privy Master

Before

I was so inspired by how amazing Kate's little walkway looks that I decided it's time to tackle my own atrocious backyard that has been neglected for, oh, about that last 4-5 years. My excuse has been that there was no point in doing anything nice back there since my dogs are extremely destructive. And while they did enjoy digging and tearing up my corn stalks and melon vines, the real truth is that I do not have a green thumb, it's more like a black and decayed thumb and I am unable to grow much of anything. Did you know that plants need water? Anyway, when I saw the miraculous transformation Kate and Bryce achieved at their new place I was inspired to see what could be done about my own backyard. We had a rototiller guy come out to take a look and give us an estimate and now we're all set for next Saturday's rototilling appointment! We're tilling up the side yard and 1/2 the backyard to give us an empty canvas to work with. I think we're going to go with a patch of lawn and my vegetable garden will finally, finally, finally get put in. I'm hoping to get some good vegetables before the end of the season! Here are the before pictures and I'll put up the afters sometime next week.

Flufflefritz Design Contest Open!!!

It's what you've been waiting for all weekend long! Today is the day we're launching our design contest.

Melita and I are not what you would call 'design experts', and have made our site look as nice as we can, but we both agree that our site needs help! So we are calling on you creative ones to show us your ideas and you could win a Flip Mino HD video camera. We're looking for a logo, which could include an icon or mascot or just the word flufflefritz, or even a whole theme - you tell us what you think.

Submit your work here

Here are the rules:

1. You are welcome to submit as many designs as you’d like, but there will only be one winner.

2. Only one prize will be awarded.

3. All artwork submitted must be your own original artwork

4. All submissions need to be in .gif or .jpeg or .psd or.png format

5. All artwork submitted for this contest becomes the sole property of flufflefritz.com and contestant releases all legal rights to the use of their design

6. Contest starts: Monday, 13 July, 2009 @ 12:00 PM PDT and ends on Monday, 31 August, 2009 @ 12:00 PM PDT

7. Winner to be notified on Tuesday, 8 September, 2009 and will be featured on www.flufflefritz.com with the winning design

8. All contestants must be 18 and over to be eligible

9. Flip camera could take several weeks to be delivered.

If you have questions please contact Melita or Kate via email

Let's do Brunch!

Bryce and I love to go to Left Bank in Santana Row for weekend brunch, and Cooper loves it too because he gets to come along and they give him treats...

I always get the same breakie, because it is just SO good! Bryce had the waffles this weekend - which were amazing!

SALMON HASH

Loch Duart salmon, smoked salmon, Yukon gold potatoes, tomatoes, red onions, poached egg, hollandaise, frisée salad

BRASSERIE WAFFLE

crisp waffle, passion fruit Chantilly, maple syrup, seasonal fruits

As a dog family, you have to love a restaurant that doesn't frown on you bringing your doggy along, and then on top of that offers them their own bowl of water and handful of doggy treats - it just makes such good business sense to me...

The also do fun things like Poodles on Parade, to celebrate Bastille Day on July 14.

A Fun Friday Night

C: "Here are some magic moonwalking napkins."

K: "They don't work! I still can't moonwalk."

C: "Here comes Security. Hide the napkins."

We went out in downtown Campbell this Friday night and met up with Kate and Bryce and Cody's friends Mike and Libby at La Pizzeria. We had to wait a bit for our table so we took turns slipping next door to Katie Blooms for a quick drink. Cody and I had Red Bull and Vodka (I know, gross) and Kate and Bryce had margaritas. We ordered our pizzas and chatted while waiting for them to come out. I ordered the ham and anchovy (I know, gross) which I was going to share with Cody, but he said it was too fishy so we ordered another one for him sans anchovies. We then headed over to the Cardiff Lounge that I remembered as being a lot funner many, many years ago, but now the place seems overrun by a bunch of cologne drenched jerks who refused to let Mike in because he has a CA ID and not a driver's license!? huh? Mike and Libby left and K, B, C, and I all stayed and finished our drinks and danced a bit - the place sucked, but we can have fun anywhere. We practiced our moonwalking and discovered that Kate cannot moonwalk no matter how hard she tries. I put some special moonwalking napkins on the floor for her to use and when two bouncers immediately swooped in to prevent her from sliding across the floor like she was born to do, we knew it was time to go. I did however put the napkins back in the holder before we left (I know, gross). We finished off the night at the Sonoma Chicken Coop where we practiced our Chewbaka wookie love-calls , tried more moonwalking (Kate still could not do it) and watched as Bryce managed a pretty fabulous crotch-grab (on himself, you perv) that I think Kate has video of that I'm praying she will post. She also has video/pics of Cody shoveling money down my top that I'm praying she will not post.

Here is video of Cody dancing while we shout in the background, "Moonwalk! Please moonwalk!" Yes, I know it's sideways, sorry.