summer shopping trip

Matt and I spent a fun afternoon browsing through the three-story Columbus Antique Mall. It was a bit overwhelming, especially since we had just over an hour. They had eight separate rooms of booths, plus a second floor, and a third floor full of just furniture.

There were enough shelves of china and glass (my weakness) to fill several houses. It was probably good that we didn't have much time to look, because I'm sure I would have found many things to my liking.



You could find just about everything imaginable, including this stuffed chicken and a (very necessary) "Beatnick [sic] Cigarette Holder".

style and sustenance

I love a word play.

top with bow, Gap
high-waisted wool shorts, thrifted
Green Goddess Chicken Salad with Asparagus

I'm still working on finding tasty ways to use asparagus from our CSA box. Tonight's dinner was a really simple salad that I adapted from my favorite cookbook, Simply Organic.

Trim about 10 stalks of asparagus and cut them into 2-inch chunks. Cook the asparagus for 3 minutes in boiling water, then fish it out with tongs and drop into ice water. Put it in a bowl. Do the same thing with a couple of sliced chicken breasts (but boil as long as it takes to cook through, maybe 5 minutes). Toss the asparagus, chicken, and some sliced green onions in (here's where I made it even easier) Annie's Natural Goddess or Green Goddess Dressing. Put it on top of some greens. You're done! Eat it with some crusty bread.

melanie bilenker

Hand, 2007

Dinner, 2008

Overstuffed Chair, 2006

From Melanie Bilenker's collection of beautiful jewelry created by placing her own hair into resin. If only I could afford one!

all photos from Melanie's website

spring vegetables

We've gotten our second CSA box and I'm really enjoying cooking with the fresh, local ingredients. Here are a couple of meals I've made this week:

This sandwich is one way we've taken advantage of asparagus season. The lemon aioli is very tasty.

California asparagus sandwich with roasted red peppers

Tonight we made a creamy potato soup that used up most of our many young onions. Also, we have quite a bit of spinach that we used to make our salad.

hot bacon spinach salad & scallion potato corn soup

It's been wonderful to use these veggies knowing what ground they've grown in, and that our money funded their growth directly. I like taking the middle man out of my food purchasing.

recent record buys

Cause Co-Motion! - Because Because Because EP

Crystal Stilts - Self-Titled EP
Dear Nora - We'll Have a Time LP
Brilliant Colors - 7"
Sea Lions - Let's Groove 7"

Also: Sea Lions swag (poster, postcard, and Yay! Records pin) + doggy

first csa meal

This week Matt and I picked up our first box of vegetables from our CSA (community-supported agriculture) share with Amazing Grace Farm. We got spinach, arugula, pok choi, radishes, asparagus, and baby onions. Here's the first meal I've made with the fresh ingredients.

asparagus pasta carbonara with salad of greens

Also, check out this great recipe for chicken satay stir fry with orange-scented jasmine rice. Be warned, there is a ton of peanut butter in the sauce. I cut the amount down to 2 tablespoons and it turned out great.

best

These are some of the best. This weekend I decided that the grilled chicken sandwich at Pier 500 is my absolute favorite chicken sandwich.

herb-marinated chicken breast with bacon, Jack cheese, basil mayonnaise, and quick-pickled cucumbers

One of my top three favorite kinds of fries are these salt and vinegar fries from Pier 500. (These are another favorite.)

salt and vinegar fries with chipotle ketchup and basil mayonnaise

I was glad to get back and have these in Hudson while visiting my family. I hope next time I'll get a photo of my favorite nachos from San Pedro Cafe.