farmer and his dell; a woman and her church-parking-lot-market

decently early mornings always put my day off to a good start. there's nothing like leaving the house for an adventure and coming home at lunchtime. boy, you have the whole day left! this particular drizzly Saturday morning was spent perusing labeled baskets at a farmers market not 15 minutes from my house. who knew?!

like a horse with blinders on, a dear friend and i made our way, first, to the coffee tent. a quick chat, a tip about a local latte art competition, and a swig of caff later, we smiled our way into some breakfast casserole. oh, what farm fresh eggs do to a casserole. delish!

after participating in the proverbial fight to give up the last piece, we both threw up our hands and fed the last bite to the garbage can. why is it that women so desperately don't want to finish a shared dish?...carefully cutting the final bite into smaller and smaller pieces, delaying the inevitable "oh no, i insist you take it" chat. i've seen some girls get pretty strategic, too. it's almost as bad as trying to give a gal some money for something you've shared...you know, stashing those dollar bills in their purse while they're in the restroom...

don't these flowers look like lychees? / some really pretty rainbow chard.

there was something too Bugs Bunny-ish about this bundle to pass up. early carrot season means these are little woodsier than midsummer-sown baby carrots, but they're delightful nonetheless!

these hydrangeas caught my eye from across the market, and i was lucky to get to them before they were all gone! plans to put some hydrangea bushes in our backyard? definitely put on the honey-do list.

a small swarm of people hovered around one particular, small table and modest tent, begging the question: "what's over there and will there be any left for me?" after poking around for a bit, a toothpick found its way into my grasp with a lump of homemade Italian cheese on the end. ka-powey, i was in. i don't think i ever met a cheese i didn't like, but this goat cheese aged in herbs has now become a close friend. i ran home, washed the produce, and hurried my way into making pita for my delicious goat cheese round.

Pita (adaptation from Tyler Florence, Foodnetwork)

1 pkg. dry yeast

1/2 C. warm water

1 tsp sugar

3 C flour

1 1/2 tsp. salt

1 C lukewarm water

combine warm water, sugar, and yeast in small bowl and allow to foam for 10-15 minutes. adding wet to dry, combine all ingredients with wooden spoon. dump and knead for 8-10 minutes until dough becomes elastic. cover in oiled bowl and allow to double in size. roll into log and divide into 10-12 small balls. let rest for 10 minutes, covered. preheat 500* oven and preheat pan. roll out balls to 1/2" thickness, oil both sides (canola), and place on preheated pan. 4 minutes on one side, use tongs to flip pita and return to oven for 3-4 minutes. mm!

ice cream, a penny a lump.

a point-and-shoot tries its darndest to catch the yumminess in dinner.

summertime means fresh ingredients and memories of family vacation. there's nothing better than pan fried fish, caught off the dock that afternoon (for this, Wisconsin always has my heart). after a soak in a marinade of milk, Tabasco, and mustard, small (largemouth) bass fillets become a great base for dill breading. homemade tartar sauce, with lots of lemon and dill, keep a greasy dish light. easy diced cucumber/snap pea/celery salad is fresh and pallet-cleansing.

lower left: our third cherry tomato of the season!

dessert always gets me scrounging in the kitchen. luckily, ice cream is always a staple in our house, and in the right seasons, so is fresh fruit. living in a bigger city means less roadside farm stands and more grocery store bargains. but, we can find good Hawaiian pineapple and berries from an Indianan farm. hmm, Hoosier berries...i can't be too picky when they're so sweet!

tonight was a spicy, light entree, so i figured dessert should be the same. a little vanilla ice cream, fresh pineapple, and SAUCE. masala spiced pomegranate sauce, to be exact. cinnamon and cardamom bring a little heat underneath the tangy-sweet of the pineapple...and ice cream, the great rounder-outer.

Tartar sauce: just approximations/i'm a throw-it-in-the-pot type of cook
1/4 C mayo
1 tblsp. dijon mustard
2 tblsp. relish 
1/2 tsp. sage
1/4 tsp. thyme
1 tsp. dried dill (add more if fresh)
4 dashes hot sauce
2 dashes worcestor's
5 dashes lemon juice
salt + pepper

Pomegranate Sauce
~1/2 C pomegranate juice (I used Minute Maid's pomegranate blueberry)
2 tblsp. lemon juice
1/4 tsp. tea masala
1-2 cardamom seeds, cracked
reduce for 15 mins and remove from heat
combine 1 tsp. water and 1 tsp. corn starch
whisk slowly into juice and add to heat; bring to a bubble and turn heat off; will thicken as it sits
serve hot!

thanks to my mother for her plethora of potted-plant-garnishes!