{this moment}

Inspired by Soulemama : {this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.

Strawberry Picking We Went!

Strawberry Goodness

Last week we made two trips out to the strawberry farms. We picked about 15 quarts.  It was so much fun.  The farm where we used to have a vegetable share also has an organic u-pick strawberry field.  The berries were so lovely.  Big and juicy.  I am a strawberry snob and only really like them fresh off the vine. LOL. We all had a great time and were stuffed with strawberries by the time we got home. Now I have dreams of some fresh homemade jam... yum!

Daddy helping BB pick berries.

I can't believe how much my little boy has grown. 

Here is BB Strawberry picking 2012

And here he is last year 2011.

My goodness how he's grown!!

Baby Layette

Sunday is my cousin's baby shower.  Instead of buying something off the registry (once you have the baby you realize how much of that stuff you really don't need anyway) I decided to give a handmade gift.  I crocheted a mini layette set in the softest wool and alpaca blend yarn. 

Baby Layette

I made a cute little sweater.  Don't you just love those buttons!  The pattern is free and comes from Bella Bambina Knits blog.  She actually donates these handmade items to low income families that deliver at the hospital where I was born. 
I am not in love with the hat but I had already tried 2 or 3 patterns and just settled on this one.  This is the pattern that I used for the hat.  I want to eventually find a pattern that I absolutely love in case I have to whip up a last minute gift. Any suggestions?
The bootie pattern is my go to pattern.  I have made several of them and they come out fabulous each and every time.  The pattern is from the book Candy Babies: Cute Crochet for Wee Ones by: Candi Jensen.  That book has so many cute patterns. 
Have a great Weekend!

Kisir

This is a salad made from left over bulgur pilavi.  It is similar to the middle eastern dish tabbouleh.

Ingredients:
2 c. left over bulgur pilavi
2 Carrots
3 leaves romaine
3 scallions or 1 small onion
1/2 a lemon juiced
2 tbsp. Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 tsp. cumin
salt and red hot pepper to taste

Break up any clumps of bulgur.  Chop romaine and scallions.  Grate carrots.  Mix vegetables with the cold bulgur.  Add cumin.  Dress with lemon juice and evoo.  Season with the salt and red hot pepper to taste.  Mix well.  Serve with romaine leaves and lemon wedges.
Kisir is typically a little spicy and sour.  It is very versatile and can be made with whatever vegetables are in season or that you have on hand.  You can make this a true "clean out the fridge" meal by adding leftover salad to the bulgur.  I usually add red cabbage but did not have any.  I like this combination best.  But in the summer months cucumber and tomato is often added to kisir.  Sumac or pomegranate molasses can be add for extra tang or in place of the lemon juice.

Bulgur Pilavi

Ingredients:
1/2 a stick of Butter
3 tbsp. Tomato paste
1 c. Bulgur
2 c. Water
1 tsp. Hot sauce or more to taste
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
Melt Butter over medium-low heat.  Mix in the tomato paste and saute for 2 minutes.  Add bulgur and stir until bulgur is coated with butter and tomato paste.  Add water, hot sauce, salt and pepper.  Raise heat and Bring to a boil.  Once it starts to boil cover and lower the heat to a simmer.  Cook for 15 minutes or until liquid is absorbed.  Let sit 5 minutes then fluff with a fork and serve.

Variations:
To the butter saute chopped onion and bell pepper.

Mama Mushroom!

Back in April I bought a mushroom box from Gardens Alive.  After a couple of weeks we got some decent sized mushrooms.  Here's how big they were before leaving for camp. 

This is what I came home to 3 days later. I can't believe how big they got basically over night. This was our first harvest.

I checked on the box this morning and we have couple small ones again. Probably by Monday we will be harvesting again.
I am loving this. I am not sure if I am saving any money growing our own or if it would have been cheaper to get the mushrooms from the store but this way is so much fun. It even got my husband excited. I found pictures of the mushrooms on his cell phone lol. He took care of them while I was camping.