Inspiration Sunday: Country Dining 2

I know... it's a little late in the day to be inspired. But I have to tell you - I had my first day of work cooking today and there was neither the time nor the will to blog at 5:30 in the morning. There was time for shower, time for breakfast, time to brush my little teeth, time to pee, and time to run out the door an hour later to solitarily walk to my new work.

With respect to my new job cooking, I learned a lot today! I learned how to dice and slice cucumbers, tomatoes, green onion, and potatoes to exact precision (more or less); I learned how to prep burger garnish (X3); I learned how to roll goat cheese in hazelnuts; I learned how to deep fry the crap outta things; I learned how to cook calamari; I learned how to not break into tears when the scary big ass mandolin that you have to julienne carrots with doesn't come with a safety attachment, even when your fingers are bleeding; I learned that converse sneakers are a terrible idea; I learned that gravy burns your thumbs in much the same way as grease; and I learned that I am not as incompetent as I so feared I would be.

Today was awesome for learning things. But it was also super fucking difficult to deal not only with being at a new job, but in a position that I know nothing about. Cooking at home (even multi-course dinners) does not equal cooking in a professional, extremely high volume kitchen. One hour before I was off I was ready to never return... That being said, however, after a little chat with a fellow female cook (and a boost to my sad, confused, agitated, uncomfortable little ego), I've decided to go back.

SO: I work at my serving job all this next week - my next shift as a professional cook is Saturday. I plan to arrive in good spirits and with an openness to cluelessness. I expect to feel stupid, as well as intrigued, and I know that no matter how uncomfortable I am in that state, nothing great comes out of mediocrity. You have to feel challenged and uncomfortable and awkward - that's how you grow and become something new and exciting and oh so worth while. Professional cooking, you're on!!

P.S. I'm so tired, it's an effort to capitalize my capitals - kaitlyn, you'd be proud.

Right! Inspiration Sunday! Last week I posted this. It's similar to what you are about to see - but different. Honestly, there were so many photos that I found which inspired the essence of me (and my taste for food) that I couldn't narrow them all down to one post! So, here, without further ado, is country dining part dos! (Can't you just imagine tucking up to one of these tables??? It makes me giddy!)...

via life of meg

via home trend & design

via inspire bohemia

via inspire bohemia

via inspire bohemia

via i have no idea!

via life of meg

via i don't know this one either.

via bits and pieces

via JL Designs

via eat drink chic

via a subtle revelry

via here

Strawberry Buttermilk Cake

I like to think I'm a very busy person. I'm always on the go. All the time. I've got blogging to do, veggies to grow, people to see, places to be... Don't you know? I'm a very important person! Actually, I'm not. I mean I am in that "we're all special and unique and therefore important" kind of way - don't worry, I'm not suffering from any sort of lack of self worth. But when it comes to being busy, I think my feelings of "rush rush" all the time, are simply my way of denying the fact that I'm just a closet home body.

I love doing fun things like hiking, and camping, and meandering around town with friends. I really enjoy going over to friend's places and socializing with a little too much wine and a little too good food. I work because I have to. But really, the thing I love most in the world, is being at home. I have a really difficult time not being at home. If I could live on the side of a forresty mountain with a designated tent and campfire area complete with picnic table, miraculously pre-chopped fire wood, and hot dog sticks, bust around on a scooter to the fully equiped and restaurant diverse city only 2 miles away, host a fabulously lavish, local, and magical dinner party supplied by my own home grown food for my beloveds twice a week, volunteer my time and services to the local farm next door in an effort to support sustainable food systems, all the while being independently wealthy - I'd be a happy lady. 

Of course, that's not real. And thus, I'm often forced to play, work, and live outside my home. Which, I guess is fair. We can all have dreams, can't we? This weekend I'm feeling especially in need of some home time. Usually I spend my weekends playing on the blog-o-sphere, leisurely strolling to the market, tidying the house, cooking and baking various delicious food items, napping, lounging in the back yard with a book and some vino, and making space for tea with friends. 

This weekend however, I'm working. The entire thing. Today I'm doing a cider/beer tasting for my boss and tomorrow I'm starting my new cooking job. Ack! So much for my happy, lazy, weekend home time.

What are you doing this weekend? What would you rather be doing? Do it!! 

In memoriam of my happy, lazy weekend home time, I decided to provide you with the perfect happy, lazy, weekend home time cake. This recipe comes courtesy of Maggie Batista of Eat Boutique via Love & Olive Oil. It's pretty delicious. In fact, I ate almost the entire thing in a day. And now that strawberries are in season, you can get some amazingly fresh delicious ones at your local farmer's market. The fresher the better!

Strawberry Buttermilk Cake

 (printable recipe)

Ingredients:

1 C All Purpose Flour.

1/2 Tsp Baking Powder.

1/2 Tsp Baking Soda.

1/4 Tsp Salt.

1/4 C Unsalted Butter, room temperature.

1/3 C Sugar.

1 Tsp Pure Vanilla Extract.

1 Tsp Lemon Zest, finely grated.

1 Large Free Range, Organic Egg, room temperature.

1/2 C Buttermilk.

1 Handful Fresh Strawberries, stems removed. 

1 1/2 Tbsp Lemon Sugar.

What to Do:

Preheat oven to 400°F with rack in middle. Butter and flour an 8-inch spring form cake pan or a 9-inch regular metal cake pan. Cut a round piece of parchment paper to fit the bottom of the pan and place in the pan. 

Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt and set aside. 

In a larger bowl, beat butter and sugar with an electric mixer at medium-high speed until pale and fluffy, then beat in vanilla and zest. Add the egg and beat well.

At low speed, mix in flour mixture in three batches, alternating with buttermilk, beginning and ending with flour, and mixing until just combined. Spoon batter into prepared cake pan, smoothing out the top.

Scatter strawberries evenly over top, loading in as many as you would like. Sprinkle the top of the batter with the lemon sugar.

Bake until cake is golden and a wooden pick inserted into the center comes out clean, 20 to 25 minutes.

 

i obviously didn't remove the tops of the berries - bad idea. remove them before hand.

 Cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then remove the spring form or invert from your pan, and cool.

Serve with preserved strawberries (I found this a little sweet) or ice cream (oh yes!).

Eat.

Film Friday

Happy "Film Friday" everybody!!! I'm so stoked for this new segment of the blog! Not only do I get to share my own videos with you (two of which you can check out here and here), but I also get the chance to display some of the stuff by some of the people I think are doing really interesting things in relation to food.

For this first edition of "Film Friday" I thought about re-posting this because I think it's so friggin cool! However, John advised me (and quite rightly) that re-posting may not be such a good idea. So instead, I fished around the internet and found the following video. It's by TED, a non-profit that works to spread meaningful and purposeful ideas about a whole range of issues. In this video, one of the guys from Truck Farm, Ian Cheney, talks about the making of Truck Farm and the importance of locally grown food and imagination. It's clever, funny, and generally sweet. My only issue with TED's videos is that they can be rather long - lecturish, if you will. However, this one is only about 6 minutes. I hope you like it! But more importantly, I hope it makes you think and talk about what they've done, and what it means you can do as well.

Enjoy!

Slow Braised Lamb Shanks

Today you get two posts! One for yesterday, and one for the premiere of "Film Friday!". I ended up not feeling too well yesterday so I went to work, slept, and now I'm up and feeling much better! 

As I've mentioned before, I know lamb isn't everyone's favorite meat. But it's mine. We don't eat much meat in this house because I don't feel it's a sustainable or ethical practice. Once or twice a week tops - 99% of which is local, organic, and free range grown on a small scale so as to off put as much of the environmental, health, and animal abuses as possible. Thus, when we do eat meat, I wanna enjoy it! Last week, I decided to make slow braised lamb shanks.

This recipe is very easy to make and looks very impressive. Lamb Shank is typically relatively inexpensive because it's such a tough cut of meat. However, slowly braising it in liquid (which later becomes the sauce) makes it juicy, tender, and absolutely decadent! It literally falls right off the bone. I hope, if you haven't tried lamb before, that you give this recipe a shot. It's a nice introduction to a gamey yet sweet flavoured meat that is oh so luxurious - you'll wonder how you managed to pull it off for both the minimal amount of effort and cost that you put in!

Slow Braised Lamb Shanks

(printable recipe)

Ingredients:

4 Frenched Lamb Shanks.

2 C White All Purpose Flour.

Handful of Fresh Thyme, stock discarded and chopped.

Handful of Fresh Rosemary, stock discarded and finely chopped.

1 Small Handful Fresh Italian Parsley, roughly chopped.

1 Tbsp Cumin Seeds

1 Tbsp Corriander Seeds.

1 Cinnamon Stick.

2 Bay Leaves.

Kosher Salt & Fresh Cracked Black Pepper.

1 Large Yellow Onion, diced.

2 Ribs Celery, chopped.

2 Carrots, diced.

4 Cloves of Garlic, crushed.

2 C Canned Plum Tomatoes, roughly chopped.

3 C Dry Red Wine.

1 - 2 C Chicken Stock.

2 Tbsp Butter, unsalted.

Extra Virgin Olive Oil.

What to Do:

Pre-heat your oven to 375 degrees F; heat a large skillet over medium-high heat.

Pat the shanks with some paper towel to remove excess moisture. 

In a mortar and pestle, bash together the cumin, corriander, salt, and pepper and then combine with chopped rosemary and thyme. 

Sprinkle over a flat surface and generously coat each shank with this seasoning mixture. 

Then, dredge the shanks in the flour in a large bowl to coat, shaking off the excess.

Add the butter and a dash of olive oil to your hot pan and throw in the lamb shanks to brown evenly on all sides (approx 3 min per side). Don't over crowd your pan - this can be done in 2 batches if your pan isn't big enough. Once browned, remove the shanks and set aside in a large roasting pan. 

Drizzle a little more oil into the pan and add the onion, celery, carrots and garlic. Season with salt and pepper and stir well to combine. Stirring occasionally, cook until they begin to brown slightly (caramelize). 

Once this happens, you want to deglaze your pan. Toss in the wine, tomatoes + juice from the can, bay leaf, cinnamon stick and parsley - stir well! Turn heat down to medium and reduce for about 5 - 7 minutes.

Pour this liquid over the shanks in the roasting pan and cover with the chicken stock. Cover and roast in the oven 2 1/2 hours or so. Check about half way through to ensure the level of the liquid doesn't reduce too much - you want it to cook down no further than half way down the lamb shanks. If it reduces too much, add some extra chicken stock. At about the halfway mark, turn the shanks over in the liquid. 

At the 25 - 30 minute mark, remove the lid and allow the shanks to caramelize.

Remove from the oven and sieve the bits out of the sauce into a bowl. If necessary, return liquid to the skillet and reduce further (you want it moderately thick and concentrated), adding a little butter at the end for richness. If you like, you can serve with some of the braising veg, but it'll be quite soft so you may want to opt out of that.

Serve with Basic Polenta, Home Made Gnocchi, or Gourmet Smashed Potatoes.

Eat.

Wine Wednesday: For Starters...

Hello, Wine Wednesday!

I love wine. In case you didn't know. It's a bit of an obsession and unfortunately, it's been a tad neglected on my little blog. When I started the blog, I wanted to include a lot more wine products, knowledge, experiences, and just general ramblings that I have. I mean, what's good food without good wine?? So, to alleviate this issue, I've begun Wine Wednesday - and this is the first post ever!

I debated a bit about how to begin. Do I dive right in with a particular wine I can't get enough of? (watch next week)... Do I try to pair something with a dish I've posted here already? (Oh! Good idea!)... Or, should I start at the beginning? I realize a lot of you probably already know a bit (or a lot!) about wine. But for those of us who are sort of bumbling our way through the wine-o-sphere, I've decided, for this first post, to include a basic repitoire of wine terms - so that when I'm rambling on a few weeks from now, I don't need to continually define what I'm saying AND you will have the tools to converse with me - that's what wine should be about, right? Accessibility, conversation, fun, laughter and joint experiences. Oh. It should also be delicious too. Don't be put off or afraid of wine language or culture - it's all bullshit. Just have fun with it - the way we do with everything else!

Red or White Wine: Defined by the contact the grape has with the skin. No contact = white wine; Contact = Red wine. Of course, there are the odd ones that slip somewhere in between here (always an exception to the rule), but this is a pretty safe guideline.

Varietal: The type of grape used in the wine making process (i.e. Chardonnay, Shiraz).

Vintage: The year the wine was harvested. Thus, a Vinter is the person who makes the wine.

Region: Where the wine comes from.

Body: the fullness of the wine - it may feel big in your mouth in which case it would be "full-bodied", or not, in which case it would be "thin".
 

Palate: Your mouth and how you taste the wine.

Acidity: Necessary for wines to age and gives it a lively, crisp quality. Acid is tasted on the sides of the tongue and mouth.

Aroma: The smell of the wine. Also termed, "the nose" and in it's entirety "the bouquet".

Tannins: The stuff in red wine that makes you pucker and drys your mouth out. The more tannins, the dryer and more lingering the wine will be. A naturally occuring enzyme in the skin of grapes, the more contact the grape has with the skin, the more tannins there will be. 

Legs: The "strands" left behind on a wine glass after you swish it around. 

Finish: The aftertaste and what's left in the wine after you swallow.

Balance: The way a wine comes together. Acidity, alcohol, fruit, and tannins should not outweigh one another.

Character: The sum of all the wines parts.

Oxidation: When air accidentally gets into the wine - often causing it to spoil. This happens regularly when people leave open wine too long. Generally, red wine lasts up to 4 days after being opened (tops!) and white wine up to about 5 or 6. After this, the wine as "gone off" and you've got cooking wine!

Fermentation: The process by which the yeast added to the grapes transforms the sugar to alcohol. 

Decanting / Breathing / Aerating: This is a process of opening red wine before serving it (usually from 20 minutes to an hour or more) to allow the wine to develop it's full flavor. This can be done in a "decanter" (a fancy glass bottle, essentially), or just leaving it open on the table. 

Typical descriptors (these won't mean much to you until you start drinking, experiencing, and analyzing the wine. However, there is NO wrong sight, aroma, flavor, etc... it's all subjective so don't ever feel like what you feel or don't feel is wrong!): full bodied, floral, astringent, big, bold, delicate, light, airy, chocolate, vanilla, mellow, harsh, cat pee, grassy, oaky, woody, spicy, flat, fruity, fat, crisp, chewy, earthy, sweet, smooth, elegant, fresh, cloudy, long, ripe, sulfuric, yeasty, bitter, aggressive, cooked, honeyed, nutty, etc... There aren't enough words in the English language to describe how you experience wine - so say what you feel, even if it's simply just "good" or "bad".

Lemon Pound Cake Parfait

Something exciting is coming... I've been asked by kaitlyn @ isavirtue to contribute to her up coming make art a part (of your life) e-course. If you haven't met kaitlyn yet, you really should. Or don't and I'll keep her all to my self - precious little paper artist that she is! Did I also mention she's not only an excellent and amazingly supportive friend but a super babe as well? heart you kaitlyn.. 

Right! E-Course! Focus! So her e-course is a collection of lovely ladies, artists and bloggers who have put together various ways you can make art (in a variety of fashions) an accessible, fun, and meaningful part of your life from paper crafting, to cooking, to design, to photography, to stitching, to jewelry, to drawing, to painting. Check it out and find out more by clicking here.

Speaking of kaitlyn, Saturday was tons of fun!! She and I decided to run amock all over town taking photographs of each other for our blogs. Neither one of us really knows a thing about photography (something that will change after I finish my photography class in January), but we decided to give it a go anyhow. So. Much. Fun. We started out at one of the galleries she works at, made our way down town, through China Town, up into Bastion Square and back to the house for dinner and dessert - with very sore tootsies to boot! Check out my "About Me" page for some of the newly fashioned photos, the rest to come!

angry lemon eater.

Friends Jesse and Jeff joined us for dinner where we amused over the Fried Squash Blossoms with Chevre & Fresh Basil, followed by my home made vegetarian lasagna (recipe to come), and finished off with a dessert inspired by The Italian Dish's lemon pound cake. I never really cared much for lemon growing up. It was a flavor that I was just not that into. Things have changed, however. Citrus is one of my favorite flavors and I use it in almost everything. Including this recipe. I've adjusted the recipe to what I had on hand (and other things I wanted to include) and it worked out beautifully fresh and inviting. 

Side note: Aren't you proud of me?? Not only do I not bake, but now I'm modifying the ingredients in my non-baking baking! Holla!

Lemon Pound Cake Parfait (in a mason jar)

(printable recipe)

Ingredients for the Cake:

2 C All Purpose Flour.

1 C Sugar.

1 Tsp Baking Powder.

1/2 Tsp Baking Soda.

1/2 Tsp Sea Salt.

1/2 C Buttermilk.
1/2 C Butter, softened.

2 L Free Run, Organic Eggs, room temperature.

1/2 C White Sugar.

1 Lemon for Juice & Zest.

Ingredients for the Parfait:

1 Package Cook & Serve Jell-O Vanilla Pudding + 3 C Milk (make according to package directions).

1 C Fresh Berries ( I used raspberries & jostaberries I got at the market earlier that day).

What to Do:

Pre-heat your oven to 350 degrees F & grease a 9"5" loaf pan with a tab of butter. Line with parchment paper and spray lightly with a non-stick spray.

In a large bowl, beat the butter and sugar at low speed until blended. Increase the speed to medium and beat until light and fluffy - approx 5 minutes.

In a separate bowl, combine the dry ingredients and set aside.

Next, add the eggs, one at a time to the wet mixture, beating well after each addition at low speed. Be sure to scrape your bowl down with a spatula so you don't miss anything. 

Alternatively add the flour mixture and the buttermilk, starting and ending with the flour in 3 parts.

Add the lemon juice and zest and blend until just combined. 

Spoon the batter into your loaf pan and bake for 1 hour or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. 

Cool loaf in the pan for about 10 minutes and then transfer from pan to a wire rack. Cool completely before serving.

Once totally cool, chop up the cake into 1" pieces (more or less). Layer the cake, pudding and berries twice and top with a sprig of mint, a piece of dark chocolate, or whatever suits your fancy.

Eat.

Fried Squash Blossoms with Chevre & Fresh Basil

There are some things you just can't find in the grocery store. This weekend was proof of that! Saturday morning John and I made our usual weekly trek to the Moss Street Market. And it really is a trek! It's a good 40 minute walk each way - hauling heavy ass bags of groceries up & down busy city streets and all the while trying to look good doin it! Actually, I don't care how I look - I'm usually in pajamas and have barely managed to brush my teeth pre-market excursion.

So anyhow, Saturday we went to the market as per usual. Unbeknownst to me - a culinary treasure was awaiting our arrival. Squash blossoms... Wait, maybe you didn't hear me. I said, Squash Blossoms!!! In case you aren't excited yet, let me explain...

Squash blossoms are a rare and delicate brilliant orange colored seasonal treat. There's no way you'll find them in your run of the mill grocery store - they're much too delicate both in terms of physical construction as well as longevity to be transported any major distance. Essentially, squash blossoms are just that - the flowers of squash (specifically, zucchini). They get picked, taken to market, sold (seriously, if you see some, grab em because if you think you're comin back after you wander around for a while, they'll be g-o-n-e. and then you'll be sad.), and then straight into my little tummy (more or less).

There are many things you can do with squash blossoms - sautee in a pan with butter, assemble into a pasta, stir into a soup, etc... - i chose to stuff and fry them because who doesn't love fried cheese?? Plus, as it turns out, the blossom gets crispy, savory, and gorgeously tender all at the same time.

These little babies cost me .50 cents per blossom and having never used them before I only grabbed 6. I should have taken the whole incredible bunch! When you get them home, make sure to carefully put them in a plastic bag and place in your veggie crisper to keep them safe until you prepare them later.

I stuffed them with local Salt Spring Flower Chevre - however, any soft goats cheese will do.

Fried Squash Blossoms with Chevre & Fresh Basil

 (printable recipe)

Ingredients:

6 Fresh Squash Blossoms.

1 Container Salt Spring Chevre (soft, creamy goat cheese).

Small Handful of Fresh Basil Leaves, roughly torn.

2 C All Purpose Flour.

1 Tsp Baking Powder.

1 Egg, lightly beaten.

3/4 C Cold Sparkling Water (or light beer).

1 Tsp Sea Salt & Fresh Cracked Black Pepper.

1 Tbsp Lemon Salt.

1 - 2 Tbsp Balsamic Reduction.

Fresh Lemon, cut into wedges.

1 C Canola or Other Vegetable Oil suitable for frying. 

What to Do:

Before you can work with the flowers, you have to circumcise them. Yes, you read that right. In the center of each flower is the stamen (male flower's reproductive organ). To do this, carefully open the flower petals if not already open, reach in and simply snap off the pollen filled stamen. If you can't reach it (sometimes it can be difficult), use a pairing knife to gently, slowly, and carefully remove it.

Now, in a bowl, smash up the cheese, basil, and a bit of pepper. Divide the cheese mixture into 2 Tbsp  (more or less) size portions and gently place inside the blossom. It should be snug but not too full or they will leach out during the cooking process. Bring the tips of the flower petals to a point and gently twist and pinch together to "seal". 

Pre-heat your oil in a wok over medium-high heat. When a bit of the batter (or a piece of bread) gets dropped in and browns in 30 seconds, you're hot enough and ready to fry! If it browns faster than that, drop the temperature a bit. If it's slower, keep heating; pre-heat your oven to 250 degrees F.

Meanwhile, Put 1 C of the flower into a medium size bowl and gently dredge each blossom with the flour. Set aside.

In another bowl, mix together the other C of flower, baking powder, sea salt and a few grinds of the black pepper. Add the egg and sparkling water (or beer). Whisk well until combined. 

When the oil is hot, take each blossom, lightly coat with the batter, and carefully place in the pan. Don't over crowd! Only fry 3 or 4 at a time. Fry until golden brown and crispy (only a couple minutes), and then turn to brown the other side. Drain on paper towel and place in the oven to keep warm until all your blossoms are finished.

Plate and sprinkle with the lemon salt, drizzle with the reduction, and serve with fresh lemon wedges. 

Eat.

Inspiration Sunday: Country Dining

Oh my! What a week of massive happenings! Change is in the air! These last few days have been a little intense!

Wednesday evening my lovely (and always offensive) Haydn cooked us all an incredible triple whammy of meat sliders (succulent beef, crispy chicken, and pulled pork), served with all kinds of incredible condiments like fresh avocado, caramelized apples, various cheeses, and a gorgeous side salad with crisp greens, bosc pears, and dried cranberries. I don't ordinarily eat this much meat, but it was fantastic!

On Thursday evening I attended TASTE which was a bit of a delicious and drunken haze - after which I fell into a new job! Go figure! SO: early Friday morning I met with the kitchen manager and then essentially gave my notice at my serving job in exchange for a cooking position at The Flying Otter Grill. That's right - I'm gonna be cooking!!! So stoked! So fucking scared. I feel a little nauseated, actually. I know I can cook. I know I pretty much kill (in a good way) everything I do... (okay, maybe not everything). And I know it's exactly what I want. But I have to be honest. It's a big, massive, huge change. Not only in place of work, but position, knowledge, skills, etc... I've been awfully cozy serving in my little campus pub for the last 4 and a half years - and now, to be uprooted so suddenly and unexpectedly (I wasn't even looking for a job) - I feel a little ill prepared. That being said, it's the perfect opportunity, in the perfect moment - I'd be a fool not to dive head in! And so I will - pass me a life jacket, will you?

Yesterday, Kaitlyn @ isavirtue and I ran all around town yesterday taking photos of each other for our blogs... I know, it's a little "me-me-me", but it had to be done. Plus it was fun. Stay tuned! Also wait and see what she's up to tomorrow - sneak peak comin at ya!

preparing dinner after a day of shooting pictures.

And now, one more change: The official announcement of a semi-structured blog schedule. I've been giving this a lot of thought. I don't wanna structure myself too much because I think it limits the potential for creativity in certain ways - see here. However, I do like the idea of applying a theme to a couple days a week - not only to provide you with a bit of eager anticipation (hopefully!), but also to create some space on the blog for particular topics to be addressed that I think have fallen by the way side. So, from now on:

Wine Wednesday: A diverse, encouraging, and accessible outlet to discuss all things wine! 

Film Friday: A post featuring relatively short video clips (either my own or others) in the hopes of illuminating fun and important things that relate to food in one way or another.

Inspiration Sunday: A day for being inspired! These posts may be photos, videos, songs, or anything that makes me feel inspired to cook and live. They may be directly related to food, they may not. But they'll be fun!

I hope this works! If it doesn't, we'll just go back to total chaos. In the meantime, however - it's Sunday! And you know what that means! Time for a little inspiration! I was thinking about one of the events that TASTE is hosting tonight: Land and Sea Harvest on the Family Farm. Essentially, it's an incredible dinner with incredible wine in an incredible location - the middle of a farmer's field. Oh, joy and Heaven and all that is gorgeous I want to go to it! However, if you read my post on the Main Event, you'll see it isn't exactly affordable at this point. So instead, I'll dream...

via apartment therapy

via apartment therapy

via being a mummy

via coco & kelly

via country living

via alkemie

via frolic!

via gypsy boots

via gypsy boots

via flowerwild designs

via farm house

via studio home online