sunday night suppers

claudiaGood Eats

There aren’t many green veggies our boys will eat besides spinach and green beans. But when Mike discovered bok choy and all the beautiful vegetables he could buy at his favorite shopping spot, the Buford Highway Farmers Market, well, we’ve been eating this Chinese cabbage ever since. Here’s our easiest way to prepare it.

Braised Bok Choy

1 can chicken or vegetable broth

4 tbsp butter

1 lb bok choy, trimmed

1 tsp Asian sesame oil

1 tsp soy sauce

1/2 clove minced garlic

Salt and pepper to taste

Trim just the very ends off the stems, leaving bulbs intact. Bring broth, butter, oil and soy sauce to simmer in large, deep skillet. Arrange bok choy evenly in skillet and simmer, until tender, about 5 minutes. Transfer with tongs to serving dish. Boil broth mixture and reduce to about 1/4 cup. Pour mixture over bok choy and serve.

abundant winters

claudiaCountry Life, Inspiration

Here’s a lovely, lovely article — “Winter Feasting at Essex Farm” — from Gourmet Live. Thanks, Kristin, for allowing us to repost it and feature these photos. While not open to the public, the farm, located in upstate New York, does have scheduled tours. Learn more about those, the 200-member Essex Farm CSA, and Kristin Kimball’s “Dirty Life” at KristinKimball.com.

 

Essex Farm

 Photos courtesy of Kristin Kimball

 

lessons learned (the hard way)

claudiaOn the Farm
.
I kept warning him: “Someone’s going to get hurt on that rotten dock.”
And kept nagging him: “You really need a tetanus booster. How long has it been?”

Well yesterday, while chatting on the phone with hubby as he stood on the little dock, the most rotten board finally called it a day and Mike went through it into the water — scratching and banging up one leg in the process.

Sometimes we just gotta learn things the hard way….

Today, we have a new dock.

And Mike got a tetanus shot.

(Thanks, honey! Glad you’re okay.)

 

let us eat cake

claudiaGood Eats, Stuff We Like

For some reason, I’ve had cakes on the brain lately. Big, rich, three-layer, frosted cakes like this one — which, by the way, we seldom, if ever, make. But when we do, we are in much need of a fabulous cake stand…to display such desserts in all their gooey, sweet glory. Here are a few we’ve got our eye on at the moment. Do you have a favorite cake plate? Please send pics!

 

Black Bird Silhouette from Burlap + Blue

 

Vintage glass at Pretty Pedestals

 

Hammered metal glamour from the folks at West Elm

A classic contemporary, Emma by Pottery Barn

 

Red transferware English antique, bid at eBay

 

Black cake stand, Farmhouse Wares

Classic glass stand with dome from Fishs Eddy

Jadeite, so very lovely, also from Fishs Eddy

Wire with glass dome, courtesy of Kirkland’s

Vintage milk glass (a personal favorite), eBay

And finally, for a more earthy look, these are pretty cool (thank you, Pinterest)

 

lil’ libbie

claudiaAnimals

Michelle’s latest  project, “Libbie,” arrived last week from North Carolina. A Belgian Draft-Thoroughbred cross, this sweet girl is just 3 years old and already standing 17+ hands tall. But the only intimidating thing about her so far is the way she comes galloping up to your golf cart when you go out in the pasture to pay a visit.

  • No products in the cart.