Red Bird Cabin

In my ongoing quest to find new ways to use up my tomato crop, I’ve created a simple breakfast that were really digging.  It’s kind of like a Croque Monsieur done all fresh and vegetarian.  Here’s the gist:  Cut a ripe tomato into thick slices, place them on a still-warm piece of toast & drizzle with a good olive oil.  Lightly rub the tomato and oil into the toast.  Top with a fried egg, crumbled feta, and a sprinkling of fresh thyme.

Croque Jardin a la Jen

Cooking the Perfect Egg: Rather than straight-up frying an egg, which makes the white kind of stiff and rubbery… I prefer to “fry-poach” to tender perfection. It’s a method that Adam’s mom invented, and I think it’s the perfect way to cook an egg. Get your pan hot, add butter or a dash of oil, crack the egg in and cook it for about a minute until the very bottom of the egg is white. (The yolk should still be raw, but intact.) Next, add a splash of water to the pan around the outside of the egg (about 4 tbsp if you want to get specific). It will start to bubble and steam. Cover with a lid. Check in another minute and lightly poke the yolk so you can see how done it is. Remove it when the yoke is at the “runniness” level you prefer. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and voila… all the taste of a fried egg, but without the rubbery texture.

I fell in love with a Murano red crystal chandelier that was way out of my price range, but refused to give up the dream of having one hanging over my small dining table.  After much searching, I found a wholesaler in NJ who sells this 4-light crystal chandelier for only $179. (Their eBay store is called chandelierliquidators and they have other styles & colors as well.) Comparable chandeliers are generally in the $2k and up price range.  Of course, this one’s made in China, not Italy…. and you have to assemble it yourself.  But, I love the design, and you won’t find a more affordable one (that isn’t Lucite).

Red Crystal Chandelier

You’ll notice that my chandelier looks a little simpler than the eBay photo. (I decided not to add the beaded strands that came with the chandelier when I was assembling it.) Oh, I should also mention that when you put the chandelier together, you’ll need someone handy to help with some basic electrical wiring.

This was my first year growing tomatoes from seed, so length of the process was surprising (I started on Valentine’s Day!), but the results were worth it.  We’ve had weeks of vine-ripe heirlooms ready every day for the picking.  In terms of taste, I think my faves have been the Polar Beauty tomatoes and Sungolds (which are always extra sweet).

My heirloom tomato bounty

In terms of yield, my Black Krim (Black Cherry) plant has been the most prolific… with the Polar Beauty coming in a close second.  Both of them reached about 6 feet tall, stayed deep green & bushy, and produced tons of well-spaced fruits.  The Green Zebras were also good producers.  My Valencia Orange tomatoes are really tender and tasty, but there aren’t as many of them on each plant.  The lowest producer was Pruden’s Purple.  Most blossoms dropped off the vines and each plant only produced one large tomato.  But man, they were good.  (That’s one of my 2 Pruden’s babies sitting proud in the base of the sundae dish.)  Ok, time to make another salad…

Last week, my newly finished art studio debuted as the “Honeymoon Suite” for my best friend Janie & her beau Griffin.  (It wasn’t technically their honeymoon… it was a bachelorette/pre-wedding party.)  But, the studio served them well as a romantic guest cabin complete with air mattress, flowers, candles & paper wedding bells.

Posing In the Honeymoon Suite

Since the party, the space as slowly been transitioning into my art studio.  I’ve moved some paintings in, light bulbs are in the tracks.  But, Adam and I still need to build my work table and the sink is yet to be installed (as you can see above). But, we’re 95% of the way there.  By next week, I should have photos of the art studio in action!

My new art studio is coming together!  Adam, my partner-in-crime, has been painstakingly building it over the past 2 months (with my help here and there), and now we have the doors & windows in, the siding on, shingles on the roof, and sheetrock installed.  I haven’t tallied up the total cost of the project yet, but it was done on a tight budget.

Art Studio in Progress

We bought the windows & doors on craigslist, the stained glass window on Ebay (which had to be reframed), got the shingles for free, and bought the Board and Batten redwood siding from a local guy who sustainably harvested & milled a few trees on his property.  Board and Batten is one of the most inexpensive ways to cover a building, and is easy to install.  It also gives the studio that rustic, barn-like feel that I love.

Hours and hours of hard labor

In the Spring, my partner-in-crime burned a small pile of brush in the middle of our “dirt circle”.  Since then, we’ve been trying to turn our dirt circle into a drought-tolerant lawn.  As soon as the grass started to come in, we noticed a distinct lush green spot in the middle right where we had the burn.  The wood ash-fed grass is much longer, thicker, and greener than everywhere else.

the super grass circle

In the past, I’d read mixed reviews about using wood ash as a fertilizer (because it tends to raise the PH of the soil making it more alkaline).  And different plants have different PH requirements, etc., etc.  But, if you’re trying to grow a new lawn (or any alkaline-loving vegetation), and you use a wood stove or fireplace, save your ash.  Grasses, and many other plants & veggies prefer a slightly alkaline environment (6.5-7), and a handful of free ash goes a long way.  For more detailed info on using wood ash, check out this Purdue U. article.

P.S. I wouldn’t recommend burning brush in your yard.  It’s not enviro-friendly, could start a fire, and I wasn’t happy about it when I found the burn pile in progress.  But, if you are using a wood stove or fireplace already, why not recycle your ash in the garden?

As luck would have it, we found this vintage Bistro patio set on the street after a tip in the Craigslist free section.  The paint is peeling all over, but I’m down with the shabby chic look.  When I get the time, I’ll sand off the larger chunks of paint and clean it more thoroughly.  Bistro sets are the perfect fit for a narrow space (like our deck) because they’re so petite.  Our deck is only 6 feet wide at this point, but there’s still plenty of room to walk by the table and the space feels open.

Vintage Patio Set

My new fave grain is Bulgar Wheat… which is basically parboiled, dried, cracked whole wheat. You’ve probably had it before in Middle Eastern Tabbouleh (Tabouli) salad, but I’ve been experimenting with some tasty new ways to prepare it (recipes are below). Bulgar wheat has a great nutty flavor and a delicate texture similar to couscous (but it’s much healthier than couscous since it’s the whole grain). You can find bulgar wheat in most gourmet & health food stores.

2 Simple Ways to Prepare Bulgar Wheat
1) The HOT Way: In a bowl, pour 2 cups of boiling water over one cup of bulgar wheat. Wait 15 minutes & drain the water (with a super-fine mesh sieve or use the pot lid).
2) The COLD Way: In a bowl pour 2 cups of cold water over 1 cup bulgar wheat. Wait 2 hours and drain the water.

From the top left... Red Bird Tabbouleh, Lemony Chickpea & Cilantro Tabbouleh on a Lettuce Leaf, Caramelized Onion & Cherry Tabbouleh w/ Teriyaki Salmon, Dinner is Served

Red Bird Tabbouleh (a twist on the classic tabbouleh)

• Prepare 1 cup of bulgar wheat (see above) & then mix in all the following ingredients…
• 1 small chopped cucumber
• large handful chopped cherry tomatoes
• 1 bunch chopped fresh parsely
• 1 bunch chopped fresh mint
• 1 large bunch minced green onions
• juice of 1-2 lemons (to taste)
• 1/8 to 1/4 cup of olive oil
• salt & red pepper (to taste)
• mix in 1 large handful of crumbled feta at the end

Lemony Chickpea & Cilantro Tabbouleh (great light lunch)

• Prepare 1 cup of bulgar wheat (see above) & then mix in all the following ingredients…
• 1 can of chickpeas (garbanzo beans)
• juice of 1-2 lemons (to taste)
• zest of 1 lemon
• 1 minced jalapeno (to taste)
• 1 large handful cilantro chopped
• 1/8 to 1/4 cup of olive oil
• salt & pepper (to taste)
• top with crumbled feta

Carmelized Onion & Cherry Tabbouleh (awesome with teriyaki salmon)

• Prepare 1 cup of bulgar wheat (see above) & then mix in all the following ingredients…
• 1 bunch chopped fresh parsely
• 1 cup chopped red onion… in a pan, saute w/ olive oil until caramelized
• 1/2 cup chopped dried tart cherries (sub cranberries if you can’t find dried cherries)
• 1/8 to 1/4 cup of olive oil
• 1 large swirl of honey
• 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
• 1/2 cup slivered almonds (optional)
• salt & pepper (to taste)

This ancient wildflower, also known as Bloody William, Our Lady’s Rose, and a host of other names was living in our yard when we moved into the cabin. I didn’t know what it was at first because it looked like a grayish-silver, succulent-like ground cover. But, then summer came around and it shot stems 2+ feet in the air and busted out deep pink flowers. I was an instant fan. I had to get some more of them from my neighbor down the hill.

Rose Campion at the edge of my yard

Rose Campion’s not a California native, but apparently it has been cultivated since the 1300’s. The flower most likely made its way here by boat from Southern Europe in the 1700 or 1800s. It’s very easy to grow as it reseeds itself, is heat & drought-tolerant, takes sun or part shade, and requires little to no maintenance. If you live in Zones 3-9, and like the wild-garden look, see if you can get your hands on some plants or heirloom seeds.

My man is a righteous Brit.  Every morning, while I struggle with my Espresso machine, he starts off with a proper English-style cup of tea.  That means a strong black tea bag, held in hot water for 10 seconds or less, followed by a 1/2 teaspoon of sugar and a dash of milk.  (He’ll never understand why Americans leave the bag in the cup and let the taste go bitter… or why they offer him cream for his tea at restaurants.)

Monogram Tea Cups

Another prerequisite of a good tea time is having the right cup.  Forget the clunky thick-rimmed coffee mug… that simply will not do for tea-sipping.  You need something thin, white, and made of china.  Luckily, I found these porcelain monogrammed tea cups from Anthropologie for $6/each.  And they passed the Brit-test. You can use them for coffee too (thank God) and it’s always easy to tell which cup is yours.