Run Lori Run!

Where I've Been

So are you getting any sunshine your way?

We've had a few days of beautiful sunny weather recently so I've been running around like a crazy woman starting projects left and right.  During the gloomy months I lose all motivation but as soon as the sun comes out I am doing twenty things at once. It makes no sense.

So I've started growing microgreens.  I had no idea you could grow microgreens year-round which will be great-- I need something to grow during the winter. Microgreens are basically lettuce (or broccoli or mustard) greens which are chopped off when they're only a few weeks old. And nutritionally they pack a big punch for their little size.

I've also got some kale, basil and cabbage started. Otherwise the garden is still waking up. I see some of the daffodils are getting ready to bloom and it will soon be time to start some greens outdoors. Finally!

And indoors I have this going on.  This is our office/art room which is a complete and total mess. But it's getting a complete overhaul: reorganized and painted. At least the closet now looks like this:

It looks so organized doesn't it!  But then you turn around and see this:

Holy hell.  What was I thinking?

The Year In Review

What I've cooked.

What I've grown.

What I've made.

Another year is winding down. And this post makes me appreciate all my friends in blog land- thanks to you I always have great ideas for projects at the click of a mouse. I have enjoyed seeing what you all have created, grown and cooked over the years. You help me keep the creative juices flowing- whether I need a good book suggestion or a a recipe- I always know where to go. You guys rock! 

So here's to another creative year!

Slow Roasted Tomatoes

Lordy these are good.

Remember last year I had zero ripe tomatoes. Well this year I have gorgeous Golden Rave Sauce tomatoes, Dr. Wyche's Yellow tomatoes and Brandywines. I am jumping for joy over here ~ tomato in one hand and salt shaker in the other!

We have been living on tomato salads...

tomato sandwiches... and I've been eyeballing this recipe for awhile now.

I didn't invent this myself people. There are many ways to roast these bad boys, at many different temperatures. I went for 225 degrees for about 4 hours but check them regularly or you will have inedible tomato chips...like I did last year... These two links, Epicurious Slow-Roasted Tomatoes and Smitten Kitchen Slow-Roasted Tomatoes were my guides.

Happy roasting!

20 Crafty Ways to Reuse Glass Jars

1. Bath Salts

2. Drinking glasses

3. Bulk food storage

 
4. Votive candle holders

5. Breakfast On The Go

6. Craft Storage

7. Salad dressing

8. Food gifts- homemade salsa, cookie mix, pickles or my world famous tomato jam!

9. Store cotton balls or Q-tips

10. Terrariums

11. Seed Saving 

12. Hanging Lanterns

13. Ribbon storage, slit the top for ribbon dispenser

14. Homemade cleanser dispenser, poke holes in the lid

15. Store tea bags or loose tea

16. Hold silverware, napkins, picnic supplies

17. House your beach memories

18. Bookends

19. Pincushion

20. Flower vase

Growing

Jalapenos...

Yellow squash...

Zucchini...

Cukes...

Golden Rave Sauce Tomatoes...

Dill...

I *hear* there has been a heat wave out there and many of you guys are sweating it out! I'd be happy to borrow a little of your sunshine so I don't have so many green tomatoes again like last year!

Portland's Food Rules

I live a hip, foodie town.  Brazen I know, but both Cooking Light and Sunset agree with me. So there! If you are a Cooking Light fan the you saw this article on Portland's food truck movement.

 

Luckily we have a food truck pod by my office and let me tell you, they can do some amazing things in a tiny space.

Vegan food...

Sammies, grass-fed beef burgers...

And Lardo is................................................... I'm speechless it's so good.

Have food truck pods taken off where you live? Or is this just a Portland phenomenon. Seriously, there are pods everywhere here...

I Grew Kale

It is bug-eaten and holey but damn it, it went from this:

to this:

I happily harvested it, quadruple washed it to get off all the bugs and then proceeded to ruin it. I used this recipe which is usually absolutely wonderful when I follow the recipe.  When I don't follow the recipe and *wing it*, it turns into a vinegary mess. Luckily my husband has an iron stomach and ate it anyway. This is why I married him.

Signs Of Life

It feels good to be outside...

Communing with nature...

Birds are chirping. Bees are pollinating...

But this?

This is just wrong on so many levels...

Summer Dreams

Isn't this lantern cool? I didn't realize how many spaghetti, peanut butter and pickle jars I had saved up hoarded in my basement but what do you do with them? I wanted to branch out from the oh-so-original flower vase idea so I saw this post and knew I had to make some!

They're super easy to make and I think they will provide nice evening lighting in the garden this summer.

The garden is slowly coming along.  The sun is finally coming out more often but I think it will still be a pretty short season. Hopefully I'll have a few ripe tomatoes! 

It has been nice to finally dust off the BBQ and eat outdoors.  I still have a lot of work to do in the back yard to get it ready for the season but it is coming along.  We also dug this bad boy out of the basement, a gift from my dad last winter:

Which this brings us ever so much closer to this, my ultimate summer goal:

Isn't this the most dreamy idea! (If you want to drool even more over amazing outdoor living spaces go here.) 

Pimp My Coop

As many of you know I want chickens. Well not roosters like this bad boy. I want nice little lady hens to lay me some eggs. And I will walk out my back door and gather them all farmer-like.

And I think this would be the most awesome chicken cook ever: my tool shed.

So I found this website and have been trying to convince my husband that this is a perfectly realistic thing for us to do.  We live in Portland- having chickens in your backyard is like having a dog.

So I've been doing research and have found some interesting designs out there. People take this coop thing seriously.  

Maurice, the car chicken coop.

The urban coop.

  The mansion. 

Cluckingham Palace.

The A Frame.

And this is kind of what I envision, with the chicken run enclosed and attached to one side.

I know some of you have chickens, so what do you think?  Is it a high maintenance endeavor?  Is it worth it?  Any coop ideas? What do you think?