1. Summer Scarf by made
2. Ruffle Pillow by tidy tipsy photography
3. Ruffle Tank Top by Love Stitched
4. Jewelry Holder by tada creations
5. Fabric Bowl by craftstylish
6. Alice Dress by Little Red Roost

We’re recently joined a cookbook reading group with some of our friends. Basically you pick a cookbook and all try out different recipes and then get together to discuss it. It’s a great way to try out different styles of cookbooks and also have a reason to get together and share with food with people, which is one of my favorite activities anyways. We’ve met a few times already, last time was brunch for A Homemade Life, captured by my friend Beth here, and this time we were trying Jamie’s Italy. We had a beautiful buffet of things to try, from grilled rabbit, mushroom risotto, pizza, spaghetti alla carbonara, mushrooms with mozzarella, mushrooms stuffed with ricotta, Italian greens, tomato salad, and Italian beans.  I think we all came to the conclusion that while Jamie’s instructions can sometimes be frustratingly vague, the recipes are delicious and the photography in his books is really lovely.

The recipe for the ricotta stuffed mushrooms is available on his website, as is the sausage carbonara which I was quite partial to.

My next venture into sewing a summer wardrobe is this dress. I used the Sew U Dresses pattern, but ended up making a whole bunch of adjustments as I went along. I couldn’t quite get the shape I wanted with the shift dress pattern, So I cut the top from the skirt and then cut a new piece for the top that had a few pleats. I had this pretty sheer fabric, but it was a bit slippery to work with which probably didn’t make things any easier. Persistence pays off though, and I think I’ve learned that the key to sewing clothes is that you have to be willing to take everything apart and start over if it’s not working!

We took the ferry over to the Toronto Islands for a one day music festival on the weekend. Contrary to weather predictions and our backpack full of rain gear, it was a beautiful sunny (and hot) day. Luckily we also brought sunscreen and sunhats. Spots for sitting in the shade under a tree were in demand. The music was lovely, the food was good, and it was a fun day despite the prohibitively long (think, two hour) line up to get into the beer garden. Beach House was one of the opening bands, and we arrived just in time to see their set, which was very good. The real attraction for us was the headliners – Pavement! It sounded just like 1995, and I mean that in the best possible way.

More photos here.

to-do-dish :: 90/365 :: tuesday :: green :: vintage tins and needles

kitchen :: a ‘whatnot’ gleeful tree… :: silla :: Treasures from Budapest

crafty goodness… :: pot plant holder :: green & blue :: waiting…

doily clock :: PICT0559 :: deko quickie :: cut papier.

After three years of waiting for my peony to do anything with no luck, this year it sprouted up two beautiful buds. I waited anxiously for them to open up, hoping they wouldn’t get knocked down by the rain before I could admire them. Success! They don’t last very long but they sure are pretty.

We are big Top Chef fans around here, especially the Master’s series. While have enjoyed season 2 which just finished up last week, we have also been exploring the work of one of our favorite season one contestants, Rick Bayless, who has a previous television show of his own as well as a series of cookbooks. We started with Mexican Everyday and have already made this salad several times. It’s a great combination of sweet, spicy, bacon and cheese – basically all my favorite things. We tried it with both queso fresco and blue cheese and both were very nice. And the dressing! Outstanding.

Mango Avocado Salad
from Rick Bayless’ Mexican Everyday

4 slices bacon
½ cup hulled, untoasted pumpkinseeds
1/3 cup fresh lime juice
1/3 cup vegetable or olive oil
2 garlic cloves, peeled
Fresh hot green chile to taste (small jalapeno is good – this is optional is you like less spice)
1 tablespoon honey
Salt
1 large head Boston/butter head lettuce, leaves separated
2 large ripe avocados
2 ripe mangos
A generous ½ cup coarsely crumbled Mexican queso fresco or mild blue cheese (like Gorgonzola)

Arrange the bacon slices between a double layer of paper towels on a microwavable plate. Microwave on high for 2 ½ to 3 ½ minutes, until crispy. Pour the pumpkinseeds into a small skillet and set over medium heat. When the first one pops, stir constantly until all have popped from flat to round, about 5 minutes. Scoop about 1/3 of them into a blender jar and add the lime juice. Pour the remainder into a small dish.

Return the skillet to medium heat and measure in the oil. Add the garlic and optional chile. Cook, stirring regularly, until the garlic is soft and lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Scrape the oil and garlic into the blender or food processor. Add the honey and ½ teaspoon salt. Process until smooth. Taste and season with more salt if you think necessary. (Remember: it should be highly seasoned.)

Divide the lettuce between 4 dinner plates. Pit and peel the avocado, then cut it into slices. Peel the mango, then cut the flesh from the pit. Slice to match the avocado pieces. Arrange the avocado and mango in the center of the lettuce. Drizzle everything with the dressing, then sprinkle with the cheese and toasted pumpkinseeds.

Crumble the bacon and strew it over the top, and the salad is ready to serve. He also says that you can add some grilled chicken, if you’re into that kind of thing, to make it a main course salad, but I find it to be fairly filling as it is.

We spent our Sunday afternoon browsing the antiques market at Aberfoyle and hoping that the rain would stay away. We were mostly lucky that it was only a bit grey and misty, and saw lots of lovely things. I came away with a few treasures, like these hankies and a pin. We’ll have to go back in a few weeks, there was so much to see that we didn’t even have time to get all the way around to all the booths!

More photos here.

1. Paper Garland at Hambly Screen Prints
2. Scrappy Clutch at From an Igloo
3. Pot holder make-up case by Obsessively Stitching
4. Flower Brooch by Not Martha
5. Soft baby shoe tutorial by Family Centred Life
6. Summery sun hat by Prudent Baby

The next accomplishment in my “make a new spring wardrobe” project is this navy skirt. I used the basic skirt pattern from Sew U and added a higher waistband with some button tabs. I’ve worn this a few times already, so I think that means its a success. Plans are in the works to adopt the pattern to make a few more designs, as it’s satisfyingly simple and versatile.

This also contributes to one of my other objectives for this summer, which is to learn to wear more skirts. That may sound strange, but I’ve never really been a skirt person and always wished I was. One of the barriers was that I thought it was too hard to ride my bike in a skirt, but I’ve proven myself wrong on that front already and worn a skirt every day for the past week to work, while still riding my bike. It may sound silly, but I really thought it would be more tricky than it is! So, you know, mission accomplished.