For the first official day of Summer, i bought a flat of fresh Spooner Farm strawberries and made the most amazing tart, thanks to Julia Childs.
the custard took 8 egg yolks and had a good dousing of Grand Marnier. the crust has just enough sugar to be crisp and the strawberries were brushed with marmalade and more hooch. YUMMMIE!
Last weekend my friend Megan and I co-hosted a little gathering of friends to celebrate Asparagus! All we asked from the invitees was to create a dish made with the key ingredient. Ohhhh we were blessed! We had it in quiche, puffed pastry, wrapped in filo with brie, in amazing salads and pastas. The company was wonderful and we sat out in the garden late into the evening with a fire, some dogs, some chickens, a banjo, a singing ax man and a little whitney houston. It was perfect.
i made Asparagus pasta and it turned out really great!
here is the recipe if you are so inclined.
Asparagus Pasta
2 cups of Cake Flour (very important for light soft pasta)
1 cup of regular flour ( i used more)
zest of 1 lemon
Tbs fresh thyme
1 cup of blanched pureed asparagus (make sure it isnt over cooked to keep its beautiful color)
4 egg yolks.
pinch of salt
toss all of the above in a cuisinart. if the dough is sticky, add more flour.
dump on a surface and knead dough for about 5 minutes until smooth
wrap in plastic wrap and set on counter for an hour
use your pasta roller as instructed to make the pasta.
i let my pasta sheets sit for about 30 minutes to dry up a little before i made my noodles
this pasta was a little bit stickier because of the asparagus but it tasted AMAZING!
i just added a sauteed onion, chopped proscuitto, asparagus , white wine and vegi stalk to make a light sauce with parmesan of course.
A while ago someone told me to string up a cob of corn for the girls to keep them entertained for hours. I finally got some corn and gave it a shot. At first the girls were terrified of it, but now they clean the cob from top to bottom while they let it ricochet offeach other. Jenni doesnt like that part very much.
Kerouac enjoyed the show too
Every year for New Years, i am invited to celebrate a Belgian tradition. Each god-child must write a letter to their god-parents and give them their wishes for the new year and their own resolutions for the year to come
We had lots going on this year so we just got around to the New Year celebration. Of course you cant have a celebration without 5 hours of glutinous eating and drinking so we partook in an amazing assortment of treats and wines. the afternoon under the trees in the sun and breeze was really perfect and way different then the snow, ice and cold we should have been enjoying!
So Mieke, my sweet sweet girl, wrote me a letter and presented me with a gift. I think my letter and gifts are more special then anything. Sadly we didnt take any pictures of the day but next time! Mieke wrote her wishes and her resolutions. Mama helped with the intro 
This butterfly is a painting Mieke made and they made it into a tshirt for me. Isnt it beautiful? i want to hang it on my wall
This drawing took her a week to make. each item was made and cute out and pasted into the drawing. The girl has some talent here!
Today was the day for Timmy’s annual hair cut. He just seems sooooo happy after it is over. They left a little hair left unlike last year when he was just a long pink doggie. So Handsome! looking back at last year, Timmy has also gained some weight! YEA!!!
My chairs are multiplying so if you want to join me for drinks and sunshine, there is room for you now too. I am pretty sure this is going to be my favorite spot this summer.
Kudra is just lounging and keeping an eyeball on the chickens. i suppose someone needs to eh? I think if she were human she would be more beautiful then Angelina Jolie. She already has the, ‘yes i am perfect, gaze away at my loveliness although i will look slightly bored” gaze down perfectly.
This year i was sooooo excited to be part of the Tour de Coup but sadly the people directing the program are slightly left of completely ignorant and dont believe that Portland stretches beyond 5 blocks of the river. That being said, no one would be interested in heading to my beautiful coop way out in the sticks and left me off the list. POO!
After i threw a temper tantrum and was very very sad, i got over it but i am still boy-cotting it! and you should too, until i create my own tour that stretches all over the place and you can be in my tour.
To make up for it, my friend GW asked if i would be interested in being in a documentary…at my house, with my coop…in 2 days. um. YES PLEASE! A couple out of Salem is putting together a dvd kit for communities to help change their livestock laws and allow families to own 3 chickens.
So today at lunch i raced home to meet the documentary producers and sign my waiver. GW was the main interviewee but i got to show them where the egg nest is and hold a chicken. Jennie talked the whole time i held her.
the charming part was that hte ladies all bunched together to stay on film as mr big lounged at their feet and timmy walked in and out of the shot. My little brood is famous and so cute on camera. As soon as i get a copy of the dvd i will let you know
Last night we celebrated Stacey’s 4-0. She wanted a potluck type party at home with her family and friends and an 80’s theme!
As i sit here writing this i am downloading 10 cd’s full of 80s songs that Noele burned for the event. I took them all home so i could update my ipod.
i decided to bake Stacey cupcakes for the event with 80’s themes on top…After really wanted to put little piles of powdered sugar and a straw on each top, i went with something a little more user friendly. Ms Pacman (because she is cuter) and Purple Rain (for my unending love for prince)
The best part were the outfits! i am shocked that the 80’s are making a comeback but it made it so much easier to find the props.
i couldn’t get big hair in the 80’s either!
we didnt have karaoke but we did have Amber!
the family that plays together stays together, isnt that an 80’s motto?
i loved those fishnet arm things 
we even put eyeliner on the boy, and look at those big blues
i just found this picture of me when i was 3 and realized not much has changed.
i still always have my fingers in my mouth and something spilled down my front.
i still stand with my belly sticking out too
This week i feel like Spring has finally arrived. I am home with a cold and a bit foggy but when i go outside, new things are blooming and new birds are hatching outside my window. It is hard not to be smiling about it all, even between kleenex stops and hot tea.
yesterday i heard a very loud bird shriek from what i thought was an open window. Right outside the living room, a pair of tiny round birds has made its nest in the neighbors eaves. they pop in and out all the time to feed their quickly growing faimly so i wasnt surprised to hear them cheaping. Until i caught Kudra batting something around the living room floor with a sparkle in her eye. I shooed her out the door (she is still mad at me) and caught the tiny bird in a pair of underpants i had just folded in the laundry pile. She lay in my hand gazing up at me trembling with fear and i hoped relief. I took her out to the back yard and had a horrid flashback to my shrew rescue as the chickens all raced over to see what i had brough them. I decided to bring my little bird to the front yard and she sat in my hand, calm and quiet, hopped to the nearest branch and flew up to the branch above my head. Sweet little bird. she still have tufts of down from her chick-hood.
this past winter i went to Honolulu to visit my dear Paddy. On Friday, i got an email from him which said the following;
Dear Sarah,
To see me on TV. Type in damien.edu on Google, for the school homepage and then click on “view all stories” Look for Br. O’Hare and you can read the article and view the TV clip.
Love, Paddy
i had to include the articles for you to view too.
My heart just swelled to see him honored for 70 years of service as a Christian Brother, 40 of which have been in Hawaii teaching at Damien High School.
