Can you believe 2010 is almost over? I swear one moment it was June and I was planting tomatoes in Seattle and the next thing I knew it was December and I was planning a new garden in Portland. To help each of you ring in the New Year in style, I am excited to offer a little gift from me to you: a desktop wallpaper with a calendar for each of the upcoming months.
I hatched this idea last summer and I asked the lovely and talented Anne of Anne Bryant Creative to illustrate the calendar. Anne, who happens to be a gardener, graphic designer and lovely-things-maker, happily agreed. We settled upon the theme of modern homesteading and then she set to work creating 12 bright, cheerful, and entirely fun illustrations for the calendars. I couldn’t be more thrilled with how they turned out. As you can see, January features birds and you can expect to see bees, chickens, and gardens in the months ahead!
I’ve posted links to download the January calendar below and I will be putting up each subsequent calendar on the 25th of each month. Anne kindly created three different files sizes, so all you need to do is choose the size that best fits your monitor and then click on the link below—the file will automatically download to your computer and then you can set it up as your background image:
1024 x 768
1600 x 1200
1920 x 1200
Anne also turned the images from the calendars into a set of 12 notecards with matching stickers. The cards are so cute and they come in an adorable drawstring cotton bag. You can find them at Anne’s Etsy shop.
I hope the calendars inspire each of you to create your own happy little homestead, whether it is in the city or the country. Best wishes for a merry New Year!
December 26, 2010
Today I was planning on photographing some small Brussels sprouts tossed with olive oil and mustard and roasted until they turned a deep caramel color. But I forgot to set the timer and ended up carbonizing, rather than caramelizing, the sprouts. I decided to still share the recipe because these sprouts are absolutely addictive when they haven’t been burned to a crisp. If I don’t have sprouts from my garden, I try to buy ones that are still attached to their big, thick stalk. Pulling the sprouts off of the stalk takes a little more preparation time, but I find them to be sweeter and less pungent than those sold individually.
Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Capers
Serves 2 to 4
Ingredients:
40 medium or 60 small Brussels sprouts, yellow or shriveled outer leaves removed and stems left intact
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
Freshly ground pepper
Sea salt
2 teaspoons capers, drained and rinsed
Minced parsley for garnish
Instructions:
Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Slice the brussels sprouts in half lengthwise. In a large bowl whisk together the olive oil and the mustard along with several generous grinds of pepper and a pinch of salt. Add the sprouts to the bowl and toss them until they are thoroughly coated with the olive oil mixture. Pour the sprouts out on to a rimmed baking sheet in a single layer and turn then them all cut side down.
Place in the oven and roast. Shake the pan occasionally but do not turn the sprouts over. Remove from the oven when the sprouts are tender, the outer leaves are browned, and the cut sides are a very deep golden brown, about 20 to 25 minutes for small sprouts and 30 to 35 minutes for medium sized sprouts.
Place the sprouts in a bowl. Stir in the capers and garnish with parsley.
December 10, 2010
I don’t often cook the same recipe twice. Partly because I find it nearly impossible to follow a recipe exactly, even if it’s my own, and partly because there are just so many dishes that I want to try (or make up).
That said, I do make these recipes from my archive often during the winter. Of course, I might top this tart with softened shallots and leeks instead of onions, or I might swirl creme fraiche into the potato leek soup instead of the olive caviar, or substitute sweet potatoes for the butternut squash in the tacos.
Even though I definitely fall into the rule follower category in almost all areas of my life, when it comes to cooking, I’d rather have the act of making food be the imperative and the recipe be just a guideline.
December 2, 2010
