Foodie Fridays: Green Pea and Spinach Soup

From Vegalicious Recipes

I always think of June as a very green month.  Green Pea and Spinach Soup is such a pretty green color that I thought it would be the perfect recipe to start off this month.  The days are getting warmer, so this soup is on the lighter side, but the weather is still mild enough to allow one to enjoy a cup of soup.  And since this soup can be served warm or cold, it is still appropriate later in the month when things really heat up -- just make it early in the day, or late at night when it is cooler.  Luckily this recipe is so easy it takes almost no time at all to create, so why not try some soon?

Green Pea and Spinach Soup

1 medium onion, diced
2 T. butter
2 1/2 C. chicken broth
16 oz. frozen green peas, partially thawed
1 pkg. frozen creamed spinach, partially thawed*
1 tsp. salt

Sauté the onion in the butter until soft.  Add the remaining ingredients and cook over medium heat until heated through.  Purée until the peas are no longer whole.  Serve warm or cold.  Serves 6.

*I used the Bird's Eye brand 11 oz. bag.
   

This 'n That Thursdays: Not-So-Annoying Orange

For anyone not familiar with the Annoying Orange, you are in for a rather dubious treat!  Check out the above YouTube video for an introduction to this funny but indubitably annoying fruit.  Then take a look at the images below for a much more agreeable orange experience:

From 1stdibs

From Planika

From HGTV

Grabber Orange Mustang from Meguiars Online

From Bonaldo

Chiyogami Modern from Susan Diana Harris Interior Design

Ballpark Condo from Susan Diana Harris Interior Design

From Matters of Style

Contemporary living room by Erinn Valencich 

From Matters of Style

Well, okay, I will admit that there may be a few folks out there who find one or more of these pictures not to their liking, but for those like me who find the color orange pleasing, these items and rooms showcase the color nicely, and are not annoying at all!  In fact, I could see having any one of them in my home right now.  Except for the Annoying Orange -- he can stay on YouTube, and soon, apparently, on the Cartoon Network!

            

Wish List Wednesdays: Sweet Cake Tub

Cupcakes are sweet, but even sweeter are these giant cupcake liners!  The Sweet Cake Tub comes in three colors (white, green, and yellow), is made of sturdy polyethylene, and is large enough to serve as an outdoor planter, a kiddie pool, a sandbox, or even a pet bed!

It is available for 149 euros (a little less than $190), which is a bit steep, and it may be rather hard to keep clean with all of those ridges, but I still love this tub as a planter, so if someone offered me a really good deal I would not say no to one (or more!).  I wonder if they would sweeten the deal even more with a giant cupcake like this one:

From eBay

If so, then I am definitely in!
  

On the Homefront: Our Very Own Dog-and-Donkey Show!

The two characters above are our sassy little miniature donkey and irascible little terrier mix.  They actually enjoy each other's company, despite the fact that donkeys are notorious for chasing and even attacking canids and are sometimes used to guard sheep and goats.  These two, however, have become playmates.  The terrier is almost always the instigator (the plump donkey would usually rather be eating!):

But once the donkey gets motivated, the fun begins (forgive the poor image quality, but I am not good at photographing moving targets!) :

The dog loves to be chased by the donkey, and the donkey is willing to oblige when in the mood.  Meanwhile, I get to stand by and enjoy the show!  However, all good things must eventually come to an end:

Our little terrier seems exhausted:

But our donkey looks like she's ready for more!

Sorry girl, but you will have to wait until next time.

Cheer up and don't look so glum -- your doggie pal will be back tomorrow, rested and ready to play again!
       

On the Homefront: Our Three-in-One Tree

We have a three-in-one tree growing in one of our horse pastures.  From this distance I know it does not look very interesting, but get close enough and you will see why I find it to be quite special!  The tree itself is a young pecan which just started producing last year, and promises to yield even more nuts this year:

But if you look closer, you will see a small mulberry tree growing intertwined with the pecan, lush with an abundance of berries:

And an even closer examination reveals a blackberry bush covered with flowers growing among the branches of the two trees:

These pictures were taken over a month ago -- the mulberries are gone and the blackberries are red in color right now.  They should be ripe in a few more weeks, and then the pecans will be on their way to maturity.  Our three-in-one tree is a three-season provider -- mulberries in the spring, blackberries in the summer, and pecans in the fall.  Now you know why I am so fascinated by this otherwise rather unremarkable little tree!
 

Foodie Fridays: Strawberry Crostata

From A Cozy Kitchen

Since May is National Strawberry Month, I thought I would dedicate the last Foodie Friday of the month to a sweet recipe featuring this delectable berry.  I can't remember where I found this recipe for Strawberry Crostata, but the preparation has been streamlined so that making this rustic tart seems almost effortless.  It would be an excellent dessert for Memorial Day, which is conveniently coming up in a few days.  But don't wait for a holiday to try this, especially now that strawberries are in season -- it is too good to wait for a special occasion!

Strawberry Crostata

2 C. flour
1/4 C. sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
1 C. cold unsalted butter, diced
6 T. ice water
4 C. strawberries, sliced
1 T. flour
1 T. sugar
juice of 1/2 lemon
dash of cinnamon

Place the flour, sugar, and salt in a food processor fitted with a steel blade.  Pulse a few times to combine.  Add the butter.  Pulse 12-15 times until the butter is the size of peas.  With the machine still running, stream in the water to combine, but turn off the machine just before the dough comes together into a ball.  Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and shape into a disc.  Wrap in plastic wrap and chill for at least one hour.

Roll the pastry dough out into an 11-inch circle.  Transfer to a sheet pan or a pie plate.  Combine the berries with all of the remaining ingredients and pour the mixture into the center of the pastry to within about 3 inches of the edge.  Gently fold the edges of the dough up and over the filling, leaving the center of the tart uncovered.  Bake at 450 degrees for 20-30 minutes, depending on whether you like your crust soft or crisp.  Serves 8.
   

This 'n That Thursdays: Pretty Things All in a Row

From Barbara Youngelson's Photoblog

Sometimes quite by accident I chance upon a series of images while searching the web that come together effortlessly in a most pleasing way.  A few weeks ago I found the photo above, and it seems that now I just can't stop finding images of colorful items all in a row!  Here are a few more that caught my eye:

From Mariquita Farm

From Steve Hankins Photography

From The Darling Starling

From small sight

While I may never do anything else with these pictures, just looking at them arranged together like this brightens my day and makes me smile, and that is always worth while!