molly irwin

red pepper vinaigrette

A foundation of crisp greens is one of my favorite things about meals this season, so it's pretty exciting to see my baby lettuce coming up. It's not big enough to harvest yet, but soon. 

I've always preferred homemade vinaigrette to store-bought dressings, and usually stick to the simplest 2-to-1 oil-to-vinegar (or lemon juice) ratio, with some salt and pepper. Maybe add a splash of dijon as an emulsifier. This week while shopping though something in those ready-made bottles caught my eye. All the little flecks of red pepper and garlic ... I can do that too! It seems so obvious, but it's just enough of a hassle that I haven't added them before.

My little experiment turned out so delicious, I thought I'd share it here.

Red Pepper vinaigrette

• a few slices of red bell pepper (approx. 1/4 cup)
• 1 + 1/2 slices red onion
• 1 clove garlic
• 1 tsp. good dijon mustard
• 1/2 tsp. kosher salt
• 1/4 tsp. ground pepper
• 1/4 cup good quality red wine vinegar (I used a Chianti vinegar)
• 1/2 + a little more extra virgin olive oil

Blend well in a blender and use immediately. If you don't have a blender, I'm sure finely-diced veggies and garlic would work. Refrigerate extra in a mason jar.

So, So yummy! I like a strong vinegar component to my dressings, so do adjust the oil, or add a splash of water to tone it down if need be. 

I've been outside turning compost over into the garden beds. Tomato starters are going in the ground tonight.  So excited that summer's here in the Mid-Atlantic US!

 

road trip

 

photos with 'Orton-ish' process by picnik

 

I had a weekend out of town. Hard to say what I enjoy most about road trips.

I love the time on the road to think. (If you can consider it "alone time" with three small people, each doing their own thing along for the ride). I love sipping hot coffee from a paper cup, and singing along with the bad (867-5309?) mixed with the good (old Madonna and The Pretenders) and forwarding through plenty of twangy country along Pennsylvania highways. I love stopping for a cheap buffet for the kids, which for them is mostly about sprinkle toppings over soft serve. I love how comfortable my Mom makes everything, and the confidence I have leaving the kids with her for the day. I loved taking part in a celebration of our larger family at a wedding shower. It was a beautiful shower. I met up with Paul (after being apart all week) and we managed some time to ourselves. Funny how I didn't take any pictures at the restaurant, but when we went across the street for drinks everything seemed so much more lively and colorful. So much more us.

reminding myself to breathe

 

photo: at the farmer's market

Call it serendipity.

Call it fate.

Call it an inkling, a possibility of shared ideas and friendship. People come and go from our lives for all sorts of reasons, and I'm just happy to be open to the meeting, the possibility of found connections. I'm happy for my own history of such beliefs, and the memory of not only people, time and place, but of heart ache and desire as seen through my own imaginative filter.

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Thank you for the overwhelming positive interest in seeing my future projects. I often wonder if in a place where the word 'scrapbook' has a particular slant, if my projects really fall into that category, but they do. I see them as organized memories, more or less; collected sentiments. More often though I'm really sharing a family photo album. I'm grateful that what I do resonates.

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Reading a link from the Blue Hour today had me literally reminding myself to breathe. As I continued to be drawn through the verses of Gary Whitehead's First Year Teacher To His Students, I knew I would want to re-read it over and again. It's ruined me for the day in the best of ways.

Other things moving me lately:

• meeting lovely Lisa on Sunday
• completely and practically inspired by A week of kids clothing challenge
• Elizabeth Dunker's Son Otto's wallpaper - click on image for link
• immersing myself in work for our company, Pattern Builders.

I'm thinking that tea and rest aren't enough for what ails me, and taking myself in for check up as soon as they can fit me in. Nothing serious just a sore throat thing.

Have a great day, friends.

can I get a show of hands?

 

 

Concerns about exposure have me considering a change to this space. 

Overall I'm keeping the posts readily available. However, for memory-keeping projects that include personal family photos I'm adding a password-protected area for limited viewing. This should allow me to maintain the friendly connections and dialog I enjoy, while respecting my children's' privacy.

For access consideration please leave a comment on this post. I will email a password when the first secure project (my week in the life album) is posted. I'm aiming for early next week.

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Also, I had a couple of requests for the full text of the cover quote by Christina Rosalie Sbarro. I didn't find it written anywhere; just listened and wrote it down. Here it is:

“Survival and thriving. These are the poles between which the moments of our lives are strung.  The balance is tenuous, and the outcome for each of us is different. Yet we mostly start with the same raw stuff: skin, a mother, food, shelter, breath, and each moment as it unfolds — one after the next — right now. From these all the intricacies of our lives are made. No matter who you are, your day is occupied with the small repetitive tasks of living,  and it’s in these moments that we’re shaped; even as we’re dreaming of other things.” — Christina Rosalie, A Field Guide to Now

 

 

week in the life :: peek

 

Cover page from my week in the life project.

The preface quote is by Christina Rosalie Sbarro, from her fascinating 'A field Guide to Now' project. I found it so moving and appropriate for this time in my life. It seemed to magically reference this project, this week, this point in time for me.

I think two more nights and the album should be finished up. Then I have cutting and adhering to manage. I've opted not to use the clear page protectors, primarily because I don't have any, and I wanted to use what I had on hand for this project. There aren't any collected bits of things from the week -- just photos and words -- and am so happy with the way it's coming together.

We've been very busy with family, and life, and gardening and painting and, other work around here and should be back in better form in a week or so with more to share.

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