We signed up for Farmhouse Delivery which makes a weekly delivery of seasonal, local produce each Thursday. You have the option of adding on local meat (n/a), dairy, eggs and other products (local honey, flour, homemade bread, dough, etc.) so it is actually more of a local grocery delivery.
We got our first bushel today: mustard greens, butter lettuce, okra, cucumbers, tomatoes, peaches, egg plants, squash, corn and figs. And next week we are getting a gallon of local milk! I haven’t ever cooked with figs or mustard greens before. And I can’t wait to see if these Hill Country peaches give my Parker County peaches a run for their money.
And we have now harvested garlic, onions and many (many) tomatoes from the garden. We have a few red and yellow cherry tomato plants doing really well. My only full sized tomato plant that made it is a hollow tomato that acts more like a bell pepper.
I decided to take a quick trip to St. Louis to see Mary in the closing weekend of Titanic @ the Muny. After seeing Annie with Abbie, et al, for her birthday on Friday night, I flew to St. Louis on Saturday morning. We didn’t do much other than hang out, go to dinner and head for the show. I saved any seeing of the sights for when Paul and I go back in August to see her in Show Boat. I started the trek home on Sunday after breakfast.
The production was wonderful! Most of the cast had come back from the original Broadway show for this production and it was the first show since the tour ended. I really enjoyed getting reacquainted with the music as I had wrongfully given it the brush off years before. Cool tilting set, very talented cast, excellent dancing (Mary did the only real dance bit in the show) , and I got a quick backstage tour after the show. All that and getting to spend a little much needed sister time = great little trip!
Next she has Sound of Music and her last show will be Show Boat.
Ol’ Man River
Mary’s house… they managed to get the same house as last summer!
It is conveniently located just north of Forest Park.
We had another crazy weekend full of July 4th, belated Father’s Day and wedding shower activities! We drove up on Friday night so we could be at the Arlington July 4th parade at 9am on Saturday morning (yes, the 3rd). It is a long time tradition on the McLellan side… Paul has only missed one parade!
B.J. Cleveland was emceeing at the beginning of the parade and Paul walked to see him with me. He was in the middle of it so I only got to give him a quick hug. He was B.J. and the Super Ones on CBS in DFW back in the day. He was a theatre teacher of mine for several years at Casa and we were in many shows together. It was SO great to see him! AND I saw Todd Hart on the Theatre Arlington float but we didn’t get to talk.
We met up with Dad and Kelly at the Fort Worth Zoo for some belated Father’s Day celebrations. I hadn’t been in years and the places looks great! The new Museum of Living Art (new reptile house) is beautiful.
On Saturday night we had dinner at Uncle Julio’s with Mom and watched fireworks over the lake across from her house in Deer Creek.
Sunday there was a wedding shower for Andy and Christina at Gram’s house.
Then we got on the road to Austin for some symphonics and fireworks… our favorite event! We met Abbie, Thierry, Val & Sadie at Auditorium Shores. Sadie did really well despite all the noise from the cannons and fireworks!
Next year we are going to be out on the lake in kayaks!
The Symphony started with the Carousel Waltz and, of course, ended with the 1812 Overture… just like our wedding ceremony! I got Monday off, but Paul didn’t. Old movies and chores all day!
My cousins came to town for this past weekend. As soon as they got in, we hit the pool and the grill. We sadly watched the US get ousted from the World Cup over lunch. After showering and changing, we headed to the Capitol. Unfortunately the Senate and House Chambers were closed for renovations, but we toured the rest of the building and grounds.
Hula Hut was packed as usual, but it gave us a chance to sit on the patio and have a few pina coladas. So yummy!
Next we headed to the Congress bridge to watch the bats emerge at sundown. As the days are so long, they really don’t come out until after 10:30. We saw some come out but had to head home. We closed the night with some homemade apple pie, bluebell & The Burbs.
Sunday morning we had breakfast at Magnolia and explored the shops on South Congress… Uncommon Objects is lots of fun!
and then hit Barton Springs Pool. It was soooooooooooooo cold!
Philosopher’s Stone
They left the house for Toy Joy on their way back to North Texas. Tonight we are having my Aunt Beth & Uncle Alan on my father’s side over for dinner. The Castle PatterSwan is busy, busy, busy!
I can’t believe I haven’t posted anything since the wedding. Things have been so crazy!
We had the most fantastic honeymoon in England, Wales & Scotland. I posted my favorite photos from the trip on facebook so you can see the “quick” version here. If you REALLY wanted to take some time seeing the sights, you can see ALL of my photos here and here… all 1,100 of them. Pretty sure Paul took another 1,200 in case that isn’t enough for you.
The weekend after we got back, I was a bridesmaid in my dear friend Elisabeth’s wedding. It was beautiful and we had a lot of fun! I posted pictures here. We immediately came back and had a Memorial Day, wedding-is-over, Paul’s birthday party with swimming and grilling and honeymoon pictures.
Paul got a wine making kit for his birthday and we are about to start on a new adventure. He was given a Chilean Merlot recipe!
The following weekend we headed north for Gram’s 80th birthday pool party on Saturday and Caryn’s graduation pool party on Sunday.
The garden is doing well! I am harvesting tomatoes and basil like crazy. Our potato harvest was small, but I will know what I am doing this fall! We also have beautiful snapdragons, purple coneflowers, black-eyed susans, daisies, and indian paintbrush in full bloom.
Last weekend we purchased a new mattress and bed!! The mattress just got delivered, but we won’t get the frame until August. Mattrezzz Guys & Gage Furniture are great local shops if anyone is in the market.
Tomorrow we are having Wil(l)’s 1st birthday in the park behind the house! And next weekend, Val, Vaughn & his girlfriend, and Chad (my cousins) will be coming down for the weekend. It has been non-stop for the last 6 months, but we are having a great time together.
On Thursday we drove to my mother’s home and immediately realized we needed to take Santino to the vet (had a bout of wedding tapeworm). After that slight crisis was averted, we started to work. Friday was spent designing the flowers (boots, nosegays, corsages, my bouquet and the centerpieces) and packing up cars. We took almost everything with us to drop off just before we had rehearsal on Friday evening at Chandor. Then we had a lovely dinner at the Fire Oak Grill just off the square in Weatherford. We wore our shirts from Think Geek! We had way too much to eat and a lovely time! Thank you to Anne & Jim for hosting this for us!
On Saturday we finished the centerpieces, loaded up and went over early to set up. They had set out the tables and chairs incorrectly so that had to be redone. We put on the linens and the food arrived just before I had to go get ready. Mother came in and helped me put the flowers in my hair just before the photographer arrived. We had a full hour and a half with him before the ceremony. We won’t get the photos until we are back from the trip, but our photag sent over a teaser picture. I hope they all turn out this well!
The ceremony went well… we remembered our vows! I wish the recessional music had been a little louder… but what can you do?! We had been planning for a long time to have the 1812 Overture playing as we walked down the aisle together. Me being me, all of the music for the ceremony and reception was carefully chosen.
The reception is a complete blur. I started to loose my temper with the photag only once during the big group family photos. Thanks to all that put up with the yoyoing back and forth about having big family photos and not having big family photos. I am glad we got them.
Now all I can think about is how many people I didn’t get to talk to as long as I wanted, if at all. We had so many amazing family members and friends around us in a perfectly beautiful garden and I couldn’t have begged for better weather! I know blanket thank yous are lame but… THANK YOU to everyone that helped make this day so special for us. If I thought it wouldn’t be so annoying to be Katelyn McKenzie McLellan Swan Ballow Patterson, I would absolutely do it. What a wonderful family we have!
If you took pictures or video, we require a copy ASAP! Please, please, please send them along! We are currently uploading wedding pictures here and there will be a link for honeymoon pictures and videos when we return.
We fly into London and will spend a couple of days there. Then we will meander our way up to Scotland by way of Stratford-upon-Avon, Oxford, Stonehenge, Bath, Wales, West Yorkshire, The Lake District and Hadrian’s Wall. We pass through Edinburgh, St. Andrews and Sterling on our way to Glasgow. We then fly back down to London and then back home.
Not sure what has made me experiment so much in the kitchen the last week… perhaps it just provides something else to focus on instead of the wedding. Also, I have had a bit of a dillsplosion. This weekend I made my first attempt at pickles!
I did it while we watched Mary’s commencement. There was a live stream of it online (and apparently some on TV) because President Obama gave the commencement speech! I had to look up who gave my commencement speech… Gordon England. Meh…
As I do with most anything I make, I made it up as I went along, using a Spicy Dill Pickles recipe from Emeril to guide me. First your must sterilize. I put everything in boiling water for about 5 minutes.
While everything was getting sterilized, I cut everything up. I included big chunks of onion, lots of fresh dill, peppercorns, big cloves of garlic and, of course, the pickling cucumbers. I didn’t have any peppers on hand.
After everything has been sterilized and cooled, start your pickle juice! I used 3 cups of apple cider vinegar, 3 cups of water, 1/2 cup pickling salt, and 1/4 cup sugar. Stir so it all dissolves and bring to a boil. While that is coming to a boil, pack the jars full!
After your juice comes to a boil, pour it into each jar leaving a little room at the top. Be careful! It is hot! Tap each jar on the counter at least once to get rid of any air bubbles. Then place your lids!
Bring more water to a boil so you can process the jars. Carefully put your jars into the boiling water for about 15 minutes. I found that taking the pot off the heat made it easier for taking them out of the boiling bath when they were finished. Tongs didn’t do it for me.
That recipe called for 3 weeks of waiting… but it also left the cucumbers whole instead of cutting chips. Oh well, we will be preoccupied and out of the country for a bit anyway. We will try them when we get back from GB.
One of our wedding gifts was a pasta machine. Tonight we took our first stab at fresh pasta and it was a huge success! I don’t think I will ever go back.
Ingredients
3 1/2 cups organic, unbleached, all-purpose flour
6 regular cage free organic eggs
Process
Mound flour on a clean surface. Have plenty of work space. Make a well in the middle of the flour and crack all your eggs inside.
Whisk the eggs in the middle and then incorporate the flour into the eggs. The dough should be sticky and elastic. Knead the dough for about 4 minutes.
Wrap in plastic and let sit for 15 minutes. After it rests, cut into 1/3s.
Take one section and wrap the rest back up in the plastic. It is important the dough never get too dry through this entire process. Take your first section and put it through the pasta roller on the highest/widest/thickest setting (7 on mine).
Then fold it into 1/3s onto itself… like a letter.
Put the folded section through the pasta roller again, still on the widest setting. Continue to do this 6 or 7 times. Should the dough become sticky, sprinkle with flour. After 6 or 7 times, the dough should remain elastic and smooth. Set this aside and cover it with a dish towel while you do the same to the other 2 sections.
After all 3 sections of the dough are finished, take the first section you completed and put it through the roller again on one setting smaller (6). Continue putting it through the roller each time turning down a setting by one (5, 4, 3) until you get to the next to last setting (2). This section will be come extremely long.
At this point we cut this long piece in half. Set this section aside and cover with a dish towel. Do the same to the other 2 sections. We ended up layering sections of pasta and a dish towel to make sure it didn’t dry out. After all 3 sections have been rolled down to the next to last setting, let them all sit for about 10 minutes.
After they rest, take your first section and put it through the pasta cutter of your choice. We chose the linguine because the thicker strands might hold up best for our first attempt. We didn’t find this process to be a one-person job, but especially this part.
As your cut pasta comes out, lay it out on the dish towels again (or a spiffy pasta drying wrack if you have one… or coat hangers). Cut all sections and lay out to dry for 15 minutes.
Then you are ready to cook! We boiled half and put half in a plastic bag to freeze for later. It supposedly lasts for 6 months frozen. Don’t forget to put the date!
I wasn’t sure if it would, but, like homemade gnocchi, the pasta floated to the top when it was finished. Don’t walk away. It won’t need to cook longer than 5 minutes. I stuck around and continued to stir lightly. I was afraid it might congeal in a ball if I didn’t.
When I drained the pasta in the colander, I immediately ran some cold water on it to stop the cooking. Voilà! I tossed in some basil from the garden, tiny mozzarella balls, cherry tomatoes, olive oil, 4 or 5 chopped garlic cloves, and salt & black pepper. I can’t wait to make this meal again with homemade mozzarella and tomatoes and garlic from the garden!
Today was the ol’ birthday. I originally had planned on early morning kayaking followed by Eeyore’s birthday, an staple Austin even that I have never experienced. But I had a massive allergy attack that put me out of commission until today. It still isn’t all gone, but I could at least function. We settled for milder activities.
First we went to the Bob Bullock Texas History Museum to see Hubble 3D, an IMAX film. It was immediately followed by a talk with some astronomers from the McDonald Observatory to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the Hubble Launch.
Lookin’ good Homestar… ridiculous 3D glasses!
After a fantastic lunch at Tom’s Tabbouleh (we picked up some birthday baklava for later), we headed to the LBJ Presidential Library & Museum.
My birthday always sneaks up on me and I never really think much of it. But after all the phone calls, texts, Facebook messages, cards in the mail, and getting super special (normally just special )treatment from Paul all day, I feel like a really lucky gal. Thank you, everyone, for all the happy birthday wishes! It couldn’t be anything but!
Oh and the flowers!! I mustn’t forget the flowers from Anne & Jim!
By the way, Drusilla is the Swallowtail caterpillar we found in the backyard. I figured I wouldn’t ever be able to persuade Paul to name a pet or a child that in the future.
So I put her and the carrot tops in a box. She stayed through the night but when I got home from work the following afternoon she was gone. But Paul found her (we are going to pretend that it is the same one, ok?) on some Queen Anne’s Lace in the yard. She has been there for several days!
I liked how this picture came out…
hanging upside down
She was really going to town on this plant. Queen Anne’s Lace is a member of the dill family which makes sense! Then Paul checked some of the others around the yard and we found some other friends.
Slightly different coloring but these are also Black Swallowtail caterpillars.
There were two! We are calling them Tweedledum & Tweedledee.
Old movies and chores all day!
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