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Friday, September 30, 2011

Saturday: Del Ray (My Hood) Farmers' Market and Arts Fair ... Paintings Purchased at Past Art Fairs

(if you have pets, or love someone who does, read to the bottom for an October pet portrait contest -- don't worry, it's not with me, it's with a real live artist whose work I LOVE!)

I bought this painting at the 2009 art fair.  It's a great piece, painted on solid wood.  Small but heavy.  And it only took an appraiser coming by for our re-fi to get my husband to commit to putting a nail in a pristine bathroom wall and hang it up. 
Sorry for the horrid blackberry photo.  Back to my nice camera on Saturday, so I can send pretty pics of fresh fall produce at the farmers' markets and finds at the art fair! 


I bought the cute goat from a wonderful painter named Lesli DeVito last year.  It was her first year and I so hope she is back.  Check out her work and her October pet portrait contest http://leslidevitopaintings.blogspot.com/


Yummy, pretty stuff coming your way on Saturday!
xoxo
JPV

Wednesday, September 28, 2011

Meet My Husband

You know that commercial with the stick figure man and woman who gain weight and turn into little round circles, and then they go on a diet and the guy turns into a stick figure again, but the woman is still round?  Yeah, that's us. 
 

This is my husband's dinner, every night.  After nearly a year, he's getting bored, even with salad this pretty.  Sometimes with a huge side of saturated fat meat and cheese. 

I don't know if it is because he is supremely disciplined, or OCD or a little of both.  This salad (always) is: one bag of Romaine, sliced Campari tomatoes and his own carefully tested mix of oil and vinegar.  He mixes it up like Shake-n-Bake, in a Ziploc bag while he walks around the living room, chatting with me.  

The suit he wore at our wedding (4 1/2 years ago, oh my!) is really baggy on him, and he was slim then.  I don't really notice or care, probably because I have a big ol fashioned crush on him. Have ever since the day we met six years ago come this Thanksgiving. 

Back to the farmers' markets for me this weekend!  Will report in with what to buy next weekend!
Much love,
JPV

Wednesday, September 21, 2011

Gorgeous Fall Harvest at Old Town Alexandria Farmers' Market: Apples, String Beans, Corn, Fresh Breads and Fall Wreaths!

Love our farmers' markets in Alexandria -- both downtown and in my hood, Del Ray.  Always, delicious, fresh, beautiful and fun!  These photos are from our visit to the Old Town market on Saturday morning.  Enjoy!
 Happy customer choosing some great looking veggies.
 I stopped this woman to ask where she bought the gorgeous red sunflowers (vendor on the North West corner of the plaza).  Yup, brought two beautiful bunches home for my favorite white vase.
 
Mom, in black jacket, tasting her way down the row of fresh breads.  She brought home the fully wrapped, marbled looking one on the right -- spinach and feta loaf.   

 Mom holding a beautiful blue hydrangea square wreath at my favorite floral design designer's stop in the market, Natural Designs ... BTW, Mom is 72.  Gorgeous, huh? Yup, I know.  I wish I worked out half as much as she did!
See the pretty red (dyed!) sunflowers Mom has in her bag.  And, no, I could not resist that new wreath, top row, of acorns, pods, and chestnuts.  Will take photos as soon as I figure out where to hang it ...
Love this new Bordeaux straw flower version of the barley wreath I bought form Anne (with yellow straw flowers) that is hanging on my front door!
My front door!
Hope you are having a great day and are looking forward to the weekend.  TGI Hump Day!
xoxo JPV

Monday, September 19, 2011

My #1 Blog Fan, Mom, Visits from Boston and Attempts to Clean Out Marianna's Macarons at Del Ray Farmers' Market

Had a great visit from Mom this weekend, down from Boston. She wanted to visit the Farmers' Markets and specifically try the macarons she had seen in an earlier post.  She bought three dozen to take home for friends and family, and a dozen or two for herself.  Note the all lemon box at the bottom.



On our way to my haircut, we dug into a mixed box ... below is mom's happy face, and a tell-tale sprinkle from the "birthday cake" flavor:
Below is mom holding the chocolate & banana peanut butter. Whoa that was soooo good.

Yup, see that face, THAT is how crazy good these things are! (below)
Mom and Marianna
(Below) Vera's Bakery's RIDICULOUS fresh berry coffee cake.
  Mom pointing out the crustless piece she wanted. 
It is gluten free and I think the gluten is replaced with many sticks of butter.  And that is a beautiful thing.

We hit the big Old Town Alexandria Farmer's Market, too ... fresh breads, new wreaths from my favorite floral artist, Anne (see earlier blog entry of my gorgeous front door wreath made by Anne), coming in the next installment!
Thanks so much for visiting!

Much love,
xoxo JPV



Thursday, September 15, 2011

Last Call For Fresh Peaches! From My Blog to Your Belly: What The Farmers Say To Buy This Week

Every time I hit the grocery store, I wonder what exactly fruits and veggies are "in season" and when. Prices (high when I buy what must be out of season) are my one indicator.  Now that I frequent the farmers market (mostly my favorite, in my hood, the Del Ray Farmers Market), I thought I would go straight to the source, and ask the farmers. Duh, could have thought of that one sooner.

I thought you might like to know, too.  So here is the first installment of what to buy this week farmers market or grocery store.  I live in Northern Virginia/Metro DC area, so I expect this will be different in other climates.  Cheat sheet below the pics for you to cut and paste.

LAST CALL:  Peaches! 
This is really the last week.  After this, it'll be those nice little frozen ones for your smoothie til next summer.

Below, here's what's new, from Golden Goose Farm & Bakery "Everything Good Under the Sun."  From Roy, working the table, and owner/baker/chef Mary Ann Corvin.  (I love that the Golden goose website calls itself "a family owned agricultural adventure.")   

UP AND COMERS:  Fall squashes!
Acorn squashes looked beautiful and had been mostly scooped up when I arrived


And the butternut squashed went so fast I only got a photo of the empty basket. Totally sold out.
No worries, many more months to come of those beauties to come!

Over at Schlagel Farms, all the melons were still looking great.
I'll find out this weekend how much longer we've got for fresh melon!


One of the nice guys at the Shlagel Farms counter ringing up my corn told me told me to expect corn until the first frost.  Trying not to sound like the gardening dunce I asked, "That would be when?"
"November," he answered, politely. Their motto is, "From our farm to your family."

My motto is, "From my blog to your belly!"

CHEAT SHEET
LAST CALL:  Peaches
STILL STRONG: Melons, corn, tomatoes
OPENING SEASON:  Fall squashes;  acorn, butternut, grapes
ALWAYS IN SEASON: Mariana's Macarons, Vera's Bakery (the coffeecake ... omg! scones, and presently fresh o.j.)
Have fun, eat yummy,
xoxox JPV

Tuesday, September 13, 2011

Busy Girl's Tomato, Goat Cheese & Arugula Flatbread -- Gorgeous + Tasty Enough to Bring to Someone Else's House




When I made this, I hoped it would be yummy.  It was, and I lucked out that it is pretty, too!  I based this on a great looking recipe from the Prevention website called  "Arugula and Goat Cheese Pizza." I didn't have the recipe handy when I was cooking so I improvised. I ended up changing the recipe substantially, so I have listed that I am only putting my recipe down at the bottom.  Please refer to the other, also.  The site has great, healthy recipes.

I  LOVED how it turned out.  So elegant and delicious.  

About four teaspoons or less of oil.  I used canola instead of olive so I could cook those onions at a higher heat in order to finish cooking them more quickly.  You can see the thin, whole wheat Boboli in the background.

Cooking the onions at high heat causes splatter.  Ergo, the splatter shield. Using it makes me feel very chef-like.  Splatter does not make me feel chef-like. Splatter is never good, especially in a tiny kitchen.

Pioneer Woman says to show pictures with movement (see pouring oil above) whenever possible.  Maybe that didn't include dropping sliced yellow pear tomatoes into my pan, but hey, I'm new, and and I'm tryin'!

One pint of grape tomatoes, sliced in half, and about the same amount (eyeballed) from my last crop of yellow pear tomatoes from my garden (*sniff* *sniff* see you next year my sweet little beauties).

[Hey, cat, what about this smells like tuna to you?  You'd better tune up your tuna sniffer. Additional note to cat, you do not like tomatoes, you like salty french fries.]

Back to our regularly scheduled flatbread...Keep up the heat and cook for a few minutes until the tomatoes just start to soften. I added about a teaspoon of Kosher salt to bring out the tomato flavor.

Mild goat cheese with rind that cuts like a brie.  Remove the rind or use the crumble goat cheese ithout rind.  I am a rind person.  Into the oven it goes, 450 for 8-10 min, and out to the garden I go for the arugula to mix with a little olive oil and put on top when it comes out of the oven.

Spouse refers to this (below) as "The Arugula Situation."  As in, "When are you going to take care of that Arugula Situation you have in the backyard?"  The growing issues of the garden this year make me really enjoy anything that is able to become wildly overgrown.  Please note, to the right of The Arugula Situation, is the up-and-coming "Parsley Situation."  Since it is not overflowing onto the walkway hubby built, he doesn't notice it right now.  He will, soon, though, when it becomes the "Pesto Situation" taking over our tiny, elegant little freezer.

Hacked off this handful (below) and pulled the best leaves off to top our pizza!




Tomato, Goat Cheese & Arugula Flatbread

Ingredients:  (You can totally eyeball everything for this recipe.  Except the flatbread)

  • 2-4 teaspoons canola oil
  • One medium onion, chopped (use a larger onion if you love onions like I do!)
  • 1 thin whole wheat pizza crust (I used the Boboli 12” 100% whole wheat)
  • 2 pints (or 2-3 cups) grape tomatoes.  If you see any yellows, use those with the reds!
  • A pinch of salt (about ¼ teaspoon)
  • 1 1/2 ounce(s) goat cheese, sliced or crumbled
  • 1-1.5 cup(s) loosely packed baby arugula
  • 1 teaspoon olive oil (or olive oil spray)
Make it!

1.  Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

2.  Heat canola oil in non-stick skillet over medium to medium high heat, add chopped onion.  Cook, stirring until onion is softened and golden or darker (At the Valentine house, we like it dark brown, almost crispy) 5-7 minutes.

3.  Now add the tomatoes to the onions, sprinkle salt and let it cook without stirring for about two minutes while the tomatoes cook and the then stir to flip the tomatoes and cook another rwo minutes.
3.  Place crust on baking sheet coated with cooking spray.  Scoop tomato and onion mixture onto flatbread. 

4.  Slice (or crumble) and place goat cheese evenly on top.

5.  Bake approximately 8 minutes, according to directions on flatbread/pizza crust packaging.

6.  Toss arugula with teaspoon of olive oil and arrange on top of cooked flatbread.
Cut into quarters, or cut into smaller slices for finger food/appetizers, or hide half and eat it for breakfast with a poached egg, and for lunch with smoked salmon, chicken breast or chicken sausage.

Enjoy!
xo JPV

BTW, when I went in the fridge to get the goat cheese, I was reminded of this, below, my Squash Situation! AARRGGHH!!!

Sunday, September 4, 2011

Finally! A Watermelon From My Garden (A Lesson in Patience)

It has been a super rough summer for the garden with the heat.  Clearly, the yellow squash loves it [see previous post, "(I Am) Awash In Squash."]  But the tomatoes, celery and watermelon do not agree.  That said, here is the first edible melon!!  Before potentially disappointing myself when I cut into it, thought I'd take some glamour shots. (That's garden dust on it. I liked how it looked.)


 After the watermelon shots, as I was snapping ten, ok, maybe fifteen pictures of the cat (looking SUPER cute), spouse said to me that he thought the point of an "expensive" camera was that I would only need to take ONE picture.  I started to explain, but gave up and just ordered said, "Hey, hold that cat still."  

I showed him just how cool a camera like this can be.  When wielded by a newbie photographer like me, it can make a watermelon bounce like a basketball!


HEY!  How did that squash get in the picture?! More importantly, where did yet ANOTHER squash come from in my little garden? I swear, I'm cooking them as fast as I can! 


Happy holiday weekend, Mom and friends!  I hope the only laboring you are doing is turning your veggies and meat on the grill in this beautiful weather (in the DC area) or laboring to get that giant juicy burger up to your mouth.
Mwah! JPV