Saturday, September 6, 2014

Foods and Flowers of our Summer



Fresh flowers and good food are two of my most favorites.  A house overfull with vibrant flowers and quality food is a good place to call home.  Here is a collection of favorite bites and flower bundles we enjoyed over our summer.



I tried out Giada's chicken piccata recipe.  It was a beautiful italian meal.






I usually do an entire blog post dedicated to peaches... See here for a big list of peach deliciousness!   We live in famous Palisade peach country, which boasts of the biggest, baddest peaches ever! ;)  So every August, I make new peach recipes and share them in a blog post.  I'm including them right in this post this year!

Refreshing peach ice cream from Ben & Jerry's homemade ice cream cookbook.



Sometimes the kids help me in the kitchen. 

Kotah Bear all excited to play chef.
See here for Kotah's full day of meal planning and meal preparation lessons!


 Titus and I made a tasty blueberry peach sauce over homemade buttermilk pancakes.  See here for the details of our  Kids in the Kitchen pancake making day.




Recipe from a big Southern Living cookbook:
Whisk together 1/2 cup sugar and 1 Tablespoon cornstarch in a medium saucepan.  Stir in 2 cups fresh blueberries.  Cook over med high heat until bubbly.  Cook 1 cup chopped peaches in a saucepan until warm.  Add to berry sauce.  Serve immediately. 




I made Butterfinger cookies for my Dad's birthday because he is a Butterfinger lover.  I've made homemade Butterfinger bars for him in the past that were easy and super yummy too!




The most beautiful bouquets from a local artist doing a pop up shop downtown.




I made this mini tiered cake for one of my best friend's birthday.  
I baked a homemade white cake with creamy chocolate frosting.  To make the cake miniature sized, I just baked the cake in a set of ovenproof nesting bowls instead of regular cake pans.





I bake a LOT of blueberry bread and muffins when berries are in season!


And I use leftover berries for smoothies: Blueberry smoothies.  Blend in all the summer berries into your favorite smoothies for summertime breakfasts. 


And for savory breakfasts, summer veggie quiches do the trick!


I've always made a habit of filling our home with fresh flowers.  I like to buy them on clearance at the grocery store when I do a milk run.  However, THIS summer, I was especially spoiled because I had surgery (more on that later), and my house was filled with beauties all around.



We enjoyed many of my mom's delicious cookies every time we visited her home sweet home!



I was ALL about the 
homemade ice cream this year.  
For our 4th of July bash, my mom and I made homemade chocolate, vanilla, and strawberry ice cream.  It was the perfect treat for that holiday.  This strawberry ice cream recipe is from Pioneer Woman.



I also found a FIVE STAR ice cream cookbook that I highly recommend!  Each recipe from this book is divine: Sweet Cream & Sugar Cones.  This is a tart organic blackberry ice cream that I made from this amazing cookbook.


Using the freshest ingredients and the fruits of the summer season...




I made ice cream sandwiches with our big collection of homemade ice cream. 
 These black chocolate wafers are also from that Sweet Cream cookbook!  
They paired excellent with the ice cream for sandwiches.




Homemade ice cream sandwiches,
pick your flavor.


 O yum.




Earlier this summer I made Bill Smith's famous Beach Pie.  I also wanted to try his famous Banana Pudding recipe so I made that for Father's Day this year.  The meringue is really unique but the pudding was delicious.





I mix up a lot of cold picnic, lake day, and party salads in the summer.  
It's all a big part of what makes summer, summer.



Throwing down the best burgers during the hottest months of the year!


I also made sandwich cookies.  PB with chocolate frosting and Black Chocolate with white frosting.


More flowers.  
Simply adding a bundle of flowers ANYWHERE in your house
 will make it feel extra inviting and happy. 
I Promise



We enjoyed food out and about too!

Sharing Root Beer Floats at our neighbor's house.


Sometimes the treats came to us...
Titus, Kotah, and their friend!


And sometimes we went to the treats! ;)
Sno Cone Shack Tradition.  
I have pictures of the boys at this stop since they were itty bitty.


We enjoyed many meals OUTSIDE in our backyard too.  
These were my favorite moments!




We also eat as a family around a restaurant booths often too.  We like it that way.  
We like the whole togetherness thing, in any season, at home or at a restaurant.  It doesn't really matter, as long as I get to see these faces across from me.




Each season encompasses it's own good food and good memories, unique to that season. 
Sometimes we make traditional dishes and other times we try new things. 
How do you do food?  I want to know YOUR story!



3 comments:

The Quintessential Magpie said...

Long time no see, my friend!

How do I do food? 1-800-Takeout! ;-)

You amaze me with your wonderful cooking, flowers, and happy boys! They are soooo cute and are really growing up.

I am concerned, though, about you having surgery. I hope all is well now, but even so you accomplished so much this summer. And those dishes all look yummy. You have also given me an idea about containers!

Loved reading this. Am sending hugs to you across the miles and well wishes for a complete recovery...

xo

Sheila :-)

Dori at The Red Feedsack said...

Hello Lisa! Loved all your food pictures! :-) Thanks for the tip on the Sweet Cream book - I'm going to buy that. I love, love, love home-made ice cream. It was a tradition when I was kid that my Mom made it every single Sunday afternoon. We had our own milk cow so it was extra special! So sorry to hear you had surgery - hope you're back to normal? Hugs - Dori -

Jane said...

Hi Lisa..Thought of you this afternoon as I made a peach cobbler. Your peach posts, each summer, always whet my appetite for peaches.

I've missed you...and blogging. But now that I'm finally settled...at least for awhile...I'm trying to catch up with my friends.

Your food photos are wonderful! Wish I could still eat those desserts and dishes, but I have had to change my lifestyle this summer. It's not fun, but it's necessary.

We have moved out of our home...just last month, and are living at the beach in St Augustine. It's wonderful! And I'm beginning to cook again!
Hopefully, I'll have more time to blog...and to keep up with you.

Hugs, J

PS Can't get over how big the boys are getting!