Fork In The Road - a GREAT place to be

And under the heading of "sharing the things I love..."   Today's post is a plug for some friends who have followed their dream (yessss) and started a small business centered around their love (and mine) - FOOD!!  The bright orange Fork In The Road truck can be found daily all over the Minneapolis-St. Paul metro area serving up their delicious eats over the lunch hour at local businesses and in the streets (literally!)  They also cruise the region, supplying delish dishes at fairs, festivals, and sporting events.  Check them out, and where they're serving next, on their facebook page or via Twitter (forkNroadtruck.)

If you've never eaten at a lunch truck, but always though it would be a fun, funky experience, you have a good reason to hunt them down!  An even better reason is this...Summer Salad with red bell pepper, red onion, cashews, and sweet poppy seed vinaigrette - add chicken if you choose.

Congratulations to Kari and Amy on the launch of this fantastically yummy new venture!

Peach Crisp: Nature's Candy

Hi, friends!  The last day of our long weekend is upon us.  It started strong with a trip to the flower mart (50% off, so time to fill in the landscape a bit) then to swimming lessons with O.  Now it's raining, boo, so I decided to bake a peach crisp even though it's nearly 80 degrees and muggy outside.  When I was a kid we had a giant house fan in the window at the landing of the stairs, but no air.  Somehow my mom still cooked, canned, and baked all through the summer and we all survived!  I guess that's why baking on a hot day still causes me to pause.  Thank heavens for the luxury of central air!  But I digress...Back to the crisp...

Here it is, cooling on the counter as I type.  The peaches were already "nature's candy" (my hubby's phrase) before they were coated in cinnamon, honey, and crunchy goodness.  I can't wait to taste the finished result, so this will be short.  He, he, he.

I'm more of a cook and less of a baker, too much precision needed for the later, but crisps are easy.  I use my Grandma Adell's recipe - good old flour, oats, brown sugar, and butter.  Today I substituted white whole wheat flour for half of the all-purpose flour and cut back on the butter, using a little half and half to create the consistency I'm used to.  Also, I used honey to sweeten the filling instead of sugar since it has a lower glycemic index.  Nope, no diabetes here - my 3 year old needs absolutely no sugar in his diet to be a wacky ball of energy, so anything with less refined sugar is a bonus.  The whole wheat flour helps a little too and you can usually sub 1/2 of the amount called for without sacrificing the taste of a recipe.

On a side note, the little coffee station behind my strategically placed crisp is a new vignette.  I gathered up my morning supplies on vintage tray I thrifted from an estate sale a couple of weeks ago.  It's all on the counter everyday anyway and looks a little more tidy this way.  I love it.  My inspirational friend Jen does this and I always think it's such a good idea, so thanks Jen!

Okay, off to taste the crisp!  By the way, I made that Cilantro Lime Coleslaw from the Food Network Magazine I blogged about last week and it was perfectly refreshing.  What seasonal recipes have you been enjoying with the awesome summer produce?  Do tell!  ~J.

Cuttings from my garden and fresh bread

Just the title of this one gets me smilin'!!  After going to bed thinking about my last post and how happy our little piece of nature makes me, I woke up excited to replace last week's cut flowers. 

The storm on Friday night damaged a lot of ferns in the backyard, so I have a pile of fronds waiting to be put into a large, square, cut glass vase.  Meanwhile, here are some other cuttings I took this morning and arranged into a couple of my favorite thrifted bud vases.  Since they're from my yard, they're FREE FREE FREE.  And wait, it gets better, add a cup of coffee, a hard boiled egg (mashed warm with butter and salt,) a piece of home made french bread, and you'll get why I'm smilin'!!  A delicious breakfast and cut flowers make for a wonderful beginning to this Monday. 

The homemade french bread is from our dinner last night.  My good friend Jen, who inspires me in too many ways to count, gave me her simple bread machine recipe.  I've always been scared to bake with yeast, sticking instead to boxed mixes, but I made both raisin bread and french bread with success, so call me converted!! 

One of my hopes for summer, now that regular work is out of my life, is to eat better.  The homemade bread is one piece of the puzzle.  Pairing it last night with grilled, lean, pork chops I'd marinated in sesame ginger sauce, and fresh peaches was the rest.  Making my own bread (when I can) is appealing because, #1 - it tastes fantastic and #2 - it gives me control over what goes into it; only a handful of simple ingredients and no preservatives.  Since the bread machine does most of the work, it's actually pretty simple. 

Here it is, my first french loaf!  

While I'm thinking about food... With 4th of July just around the corner I've been clipping new recipes like mad!  The July/August issue of Food Network magazine has Chorizo-Potato Tacos; Savoy, Lime and Cilantro Coleslaw; and Bourbon Peach Cobbler.  Mmmmmmm....  The poor friend who gets this month's copy of the magazine will have to look past, or maybe look through (ha, ha, ha), some pretty large holes.  These recipes look like keepers!  One last idea was to put crushed, blue, pop rock candy on the rim of a glass of red beverage (thanks, Tyler Florence.)  Now THAT brings me back.  I LOVED those little candies, how fun!? 

What will your Independence Day celebration entail?  Hopefully good friends, family, and good food.  Blessings to you and yours from me and mine.  ~Joy